What If?

Chapter One

Chapter One What If?

A Walking Dead Fanfiction

"Goddamnit!" Ed Peletier shouted in his bright yellow Jeep. "Why is the traffic so damn horrible?"

"I don't know dear," his wife, Carol said nervously. "Would you like me to go check?"

"Go," he dismissed her angrily.

"Sophia, would you like to go?" She offered to her daughter, who sat in the back of the car. Honestly, she was afraid to leave her alone with him.

"Yes please," she said gratefully. She hopped out of the car, and took her mother's hand.

Ed was very abusive to both his wife and his daughter. He had been dealing with his anger issues for years, and always took them out on the girls. Sophia didn't get hit too often, but unfortunately, Carol wasn't so lucky.

Just a few cars ahead of the Peletier's, the Grimes, plus Shane Walsh sat on the hood of their car, waiting out the traffic. Carl noticed them before his mother, or his god father did.

The first thing he noticed, aside from Carol's abnormally short hair was how scrawny and beaten up both the women looked. The older woman had scars, cuts and bruises all up and down her arms, and the younger girl looked several pounds too small.

"Hello!" Carol said, trying to sound as friendly as possible. "I'm Carol Peletier, and this is my daughter, Sophia."

"Oh, hi!" Lori said with a matching happy sounding tone. "I'm Lori Grimes. This is my son, Carl, and our friend Shane Walsh."

"It's nice to meet you all. I was wondering if you knew what was going on?"

"Yeah, the police are checking cars up ahead," Shane explained. "They're taking out anyone who's looking sick, and not letting them pass."

"Oh, ok. That makes sense. Thank you both so much."

"No problem!" Lori smiled. "Would Sophia like to stay here and play with Carl for a little while? We have a few board games to keep the kids occupied."

"That would be great. We're in that yellow Jeep right over there," Carol said, happy that she didn't have to bring the little girl back to her father.

"So, Sophia?" Lori asked once her mother had left. "How old are you?"

"I'm twelve," she said politely.

"Oh, so is Carl! How perfect. We have Candy Land, Chutes and Latters, and checkers. Which game would you like to play?"

"Checkers," Carl decided.

"Defiantly checkers," she agreed.

They played a few games together, Carl winning three times, and Sophia only two, but they both had a good time. She thought it was better than listening to her dad yell at her mom, and he thought it was fun to hang out with someone his own age.

While they were playing, the cars in front of the Peletier's got fusterated and turned around, so both cars were next to eachother.

"Mom, I'm hungry," Carl complained, rolling over on to his back.

"I know hon," she said, ruffling his hair. "Me too."

"Go ahead and take what you want," Carol offered, opening the trunk to her car. "We have lots of food, blankets, water-"

"Carol!" Ed scolded, causing her to flinch. "This food is for us! Don't you dare ever offer it to anyone else ever again."

"I'm sorry Ed," she said, afraid to look him in the eyes.

"Now, feed the stupid girl and get her to bed."

"Come along Sophia," Carol called to her.

She pulled out a box of Made Ready to Eat macaroni and cheese out of the back, for them to share, along with a bottle of water.

They shared the meal in silence, while Ed are twice as much, and the same for water. Shane and Lori noticed that Sophia and Carol looked afraid to ask for more, but didn't say anything.

After they ate, the nice mother helped her daughter into her pajamas, got some blankets, and set up a bed for her and her daughter in the trunk of the car, knowing her husband would want to stretch out across the back seats. She tucked Sophia in, kissed her light brown hair, and went to fix a bed for herself.

Lori did the same for her group, using the little suppiles that she had. A shirt of Shane's for Carl to keep warm with, and one of his sweatshirts for herself. The mother, son, and family friend both went to bed hungry.

In the middle of the night, Carol got three boxes of food, five blankets, and four bottles of water and brought them to the family in the car next to them.

"If Ed asks, tell them that the police were handing out suppiles," she whispered.

"Thank you," Lori whispered back, feeling very grateful. She knew that she just made a friend on this journey.