TEMPEST. | the walking dead

01 | FEEL AGAIN

"Do you remember when we first met?"

_

The air was thick with hot southern heat. Her hands shook as she groped her side, searching for the near empty water bottle. She feebly grabbed at the plastic, and with a mournful sigh, downed the last of the water. Taking a wary glance at the glaring sun overhead, she prayed that there would be rainfall soon. There were no other sources of water around, and without it, and any other food source, she doubted that she would make it much further. 

When the world ended she learned to stop counting the days, but she couldn't help but wonder how many had passed since she lost her group. They were all separated when the prison went up in flames, and she hadn't been able to find anyone since. 

Each night, she pictured their faces, her heart heavy in her chest, begging her to let sleep take over. But she couldn't rest knowing that they were still out there, fighting for their lives just as she was, if they were even out there at all. 

Immediately she shook the thought away, refusing to believe that anyone else had died after the Governor attacked. 

Instead she remembered the first day she was welcomed into the group. They had been eager to take her in because of her medical training before the apocalypse, and they trusted her friend, Glenn, because he knew the streets of Atlanta better than anyone. 

Thinking of him caused a small smile to play on her lips. She would've given anything in the world just to hear his voice again. She missed the long nights spent talking about their lives, what they wished they had done, what they wanted to do in the future. The best nights, for her, were the ones they spent talking about their childhood, and how different it all was back then. 

A low growl came from behind her then, breaking her away from her thoughts. She lazily unsheathed her machete, turning around just in time before the walker lunged. 

Giving an exasperated sigh, she used what little energy she had left to shove it off before slashing though the neck with ease. The walker slouched over and landed on the road with a harsh thud. 

For good measure, she spat on its remains, and wiped the blood off of her weapon before tucking it away. 

The sun lay heavy on her shoulders. Her worn white t-shirt clung to her skin with a slick layer of sweat, her dark colored jeans causing the same issue. She didn't know how much longer she could go, just trudging along down this road. 

There was no destination in sight, just the feeble hope that maybe, just maybe, she would walk in the right direction and regroup with everyone. 

She eyed the woods lining her path, and wondered if she was better off cutting though the forest. Maybe they had found a house isolated among the trees, a temporary safe haven to gather their strength before moving on. Or maybe she was just hoping that she would be able to do that for herself. Either way, she decided to go in, absentmindedly carving an x on the first tree she passed by; a marker to help her keep track. 

Once in the trees she made sure to tread lightly; without any food or water she was in no shape to deal with a herd of walkers. 

A few minutes had passed before she made sure to mark up another tree. The shade helped cool her down, giving some relief in an otherwise unsavory situation.