Grit | The Walking Dead

Road

The hole in the bottom of my shoe wouldn't be a problem if the pavement wasn't so damn hot.

I couldn't walk on the grass because it was muddy, and some of the wimpy things that would bother the old me still bother me now, so I skipped every so often.

I hated being in the woods because a deadhead could pop up out of no where, or sneak up on you just as easily. So I stayed on the road, glancing behind me every so often for a vehicle.

I wasn't so interested in crossing paths with anyone because nowadays, people can be even more dangerous than deadheads. I was always on edge, but that's just a watered down version of being alert, which is what you have to be in order to survive.

The sun beating down on the back of my neck became too much to bare, so I hopped off the road and to the nearest tree. It had plenty of branches so I scaled it and plunked down on a thick branch, hanging my bag on one near my head. I fastened myself onto the branch with rope from my bag and tied it off into a knot. I would sleep for only a few hours, then I would keep moving first thing when I woke up.

I leaned back and relaxed my muscles, which is something I haven't been doing enough of since this whole thing started.

The back of my neck burned; I twisted my head to the side and pushed onto the flesh with my fingers. It left behind a white mark which eventually faded back to the rosey-pink color that covered not only my neck but my shoulders. My stomach churned a little at the though of developing any sort of skin cancer; with no dermatologists around anymore, there wasn't really much you could do if you were put into that kind of situation. The thought of dying in this world because of a bad sunburn made me chuckle.

I leaned my head back and closed my eyes.

—
The only alarm clocks that exist out here are the deep gurgles produced by the dead. That's what I had been waking up to for over 2 years now. When I opened my eyes, they were met with darkness mixed with the soft glow of the moon. I groaned, pissed at myself for sleeping this long. I looked below myself to find that alarm clock, where the only snooze button was a knife though its brain. I pulled a blade out of my pocket and dropped it, landing in the deadhead's skull with a wet thunk.

As I unfastened my rope, I thanked God for not letting me fall to the ground in my sleep. I grabbed my bag and climbed down the tree, then retrieved my knife from the deadhead, tucking it back in my pocket.

I could be a little more reckless now that it was night; quieter and less people awake to pull up on me. I walked maybe two miles before the low hum of an engine came into earshot. I quickly dove behind a tree and squatted down, peeking around the trunk.

As the vehicle came into view, I shrunk behind the tree a little more. It was a small car; I couldn't see what color it was. Not that it really mattered. I sat quietly while it drove by. Hopefully whoever was driving didn't see me; they definitely would have stopped. If you see a person in good condition on the side of the road, your instinct is to stop them and ask to take you to their camp. Luckily, I didn't look to be in very good condition.

I couldn't risk being seen by that car, or any other cars for that matter, so I shrunk back into the woods and kept walking from there.

The occasional twig snap didn't bother me as much as it used to when walking alone in the woods; it was most likely a deadhead and not some creepy guy following me, unlike before everything happened. But I started to get worried. The twig snaps were often followed by the sound of quick movement, a sure sign that whatever or whoever this was wasn't a deadhead.

I ran. I sprinted faster than I used to at track meets or competitions my friends and I used to have; the winner won 20 dollars. Now, the only prize I knew about was surviving, which meant getting away from whoever was chasing me.

The twig snaps matched mine and were catching up. What if this person had been watching me while I slept and waited until now to make a move? Adrenaline was pumping through my veins; I sped up, tiny branches whipping at my face as I flew by them. My world came to an abrupt stop.

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Hey guys, this is my first story for The Walking Dead. I started watching it over spring break and finished about two weeks ago. I can't wait for season 9!! Please let me know if there are any spelling or grammatical errors. Next chapter will be up tomorrow. Please vote and comment, love you xx