Lost in Love

Chapter 1 ~ The Art of Peace

I had just finished university when it all began. I was going to be a criminal lawyer, to help people put their lives back together. But I think we can all agree, no degree is going to help put the world to right now.

I can hear the screams, they're always there. Children crying for their mothers. People in agony. People getting eaten alive.

I wake up clutching my knife close to my chest. A cold sweat covers my body and I get to my feet.

"What are you doing?" Michonne whispers, she's on the night watch but I know I wont be getting any sleep anytime soon so I say I'll take over, again.

She sighs and passes me the chain to the walkers. We have been traveling with them all winter, they keep us safe. 

"You need to sleep sometime soon" she says before she lies down and falls asleep next to Andrea.

I stand by the window, looking out into the desolate street. There's smashed windows, shattered glass on the ground, spray paint sprayed across the walls, blood trailed across the street. It's odd but I feel a sense of art about it, its so isolated, almost peaceful.

I notice my engagement ring is starting to slip again so I gently push it back up my finger, I've lost so much weight since this shit show began, it barely fits anymore. A smile spreads across my face and a tear falls from my eye. "I was wrong" I whisper as I kiss my ring, my last piece of him I have left.

When the sun rises we set out to find more food. We search the whole town and find nothing but a new change of clothes. The cars are all drained of fuel and there are more walkers on the way so we head out down the road.

After a couple of hours we see a helicopter flying overhead. At first I thought it was just me but Michonne and Andrea see it too. We quickly run into the bushes, pulling the walkers with us. We watch as it crashes into the trees in front of us.

Slowly we approach it, careful in case there were any walkers drawn by the noise. Suddenly Andrea grabs my arm and I stumbled back as a car turns in from the road and pulls up by the crash.

We quickly retreated behind a bush and kneel down so they can't see us. I can't see exactly but there are about five men, all with guns. One of them goes checked the helicopter, the others spread out, making a perimeter watch.

The slender man emerges from the helicopter and shouts something, beckoning over two more of his men to help him.

They pull out two of the people in the helicopter, both in army uniforms. One is placed onto the floor by the helicopter whilst the two other men carry the other to the car.

The slender man kneels over the one on the floor, taking out his knife from his belt.

I thought the soldier was dead until he raises his hand but the man brings down his knife anyway, stabbing him in the forehead.

The walkers Michonne has in chains begins to grow restless and starts fidgeting, causing the chains to rattle. The man closest to us hears and begins to approach us.

Michonne notices and takes out her Katana, killing them both in seconds. Crouching back down beside me she looks towards the guy, but he's already distracted himself with a different distant noise.

I go to let out a sigh of relief but I'm interrupted with the click of a loaded gun. We all turn around to see a man pointing his gun at Michonne's head, just three feet away.

I reluctantly raise my hands above my head and I look over at Andrea to do the same but she is just staring at the guy.

"Merle?"