The Walking Dead: You're Beautiful - A Tara and Rosita Fanfiction

Chapter 1: The World As We Knew It Is Dead

At the End of Season 7 Episode 6 "Swear," told from Tara's perspective

I'm not far from home now – fifteen, twenty minutes tops. It's been a long couple of weeks on the road. I certainly don't miss Oceanside – I mean, it looked nice, but they were awfully trigger-happy. What was up with that Rachel girl, too? I'm a little worried for Heath, too. Hope he hasn't run into any trouble...ah, hell – he's probably working his way back to Alexandria right now, like me.

We didn't have a productive supply run – not in the least. Had we known, we could've stayed home, but hey, at least it's something for Glenn to tease me about for a couple of days. He's always good for a laugh. Besides, I'm sure there are plenty of jokes to be made about a lesbian stumbling upon a community made up entirely of women. He won't mind poking fun at my expense. It's all good, though. It's hardly a touchy subject, considering I've known I was gay since I was fourteen. It doesn't matter, anyway, you know...about me stumbling upon that group. I've got a girlfriend back home. To me, those women were just other survivors – I didn't find myself interested in a single one of them...though, I gotta admit, Cyndie wasn't bad looking. What the hell am I saying? I'm taken and honestly, I love my girl. I'd have dated her even if shit hadn't gone down (well, provided our paths crossed and everything).

I wonder how Glenn and Maggie are doing as expectant parents. That's so exciting! In a world filled with death and devastation, it's awesome that they're able to bring life into it. It's crazy to think how I met him: he was searching for his wife after the prison attack – the one I was involved in (ugh!) – and now here he was, my best friend, going to be a dad! Hey, maybe I can reprise my role as an aunt. Damn, I miss my sister and Meghan...Dad, too. Sometimes I wonder if they'd still be around if it weren't for Brian...

I sit down for a moment on a bench outside of an old, long-abandoned take-and-bake pizza joint. My god, my feet are sore...I stretch my legs as I rest. I'm sure I can get Denise to give me a foot rub when I get back. It's been a couple of weeks since she's seen me – I'm sure it won't take much convincing. She'll want to hear all about my uneventful adventures. Rummaging through my bag, I pull out the last bit of fish from Oceanside. Oh god...this tastes disgusting. It beats a growling stomach, though. The last bite puts up a fight when I try to swallow it. I plug my nose and it goes down. I shudder. I can't believe people actually eat this shit and like it.

Time to move on...I get up and stretch. Ah, nothing quite like a good back-pop. As I head back to the main road, I spot a lone walker coming towards me, growling in a low-pitch, guttural-type way. Bodily fluids are dripping everywhere; it's covered in a mixture of blood, saliva, mucus, and god knows what else.

"Shit, shit, shit...!"

I fumble with my spear and try to knock it back. It keeps coming closer and closer to me. I try to wrestle it off me, its jaws snapping in the air like a mad dog. It topples to the ground, along with my sunglasses. The thing is now clawing in the air at my legs as it continues to chomp. With one swift stab, I pierce my chisel-tipped weapon in through its yellowy, dead eye.

"Damn it..."

I hate those things. Sure, they were people once, but GODDAMN! Having one of those living corpses come your way is ten times worse than the feeling of having a spider unexpectedly climb up your arm – ACK! I pick up my sunglasses and replace them onto my face.

It's certainly not long now, but then again, it's always the last stretch of any trip that always feels like it takes the longest. I can't stop thinking about Denise and how in a few short minutes, I'll see her again. Two weeks away from her, sleeping in an old motor home with a guy I was not getting along with made me want to curl up in bed, snuggle up to her, and forget that the world's gone to shit. She'll laugh when she gets a look at the hokey bobble-head I found for her at the curios shop – "You were gone for two weeks and all you bring back is this and a pair of sunglasses?" Then, after her laughter dies down, we'll kiss, and she'll tell me that she loves me, just like she told me she would.