On the open road, windows down, the wind through my hair, and a pretty girl next to me. Life sure was good.

Or it would be if we didn't keep on passing wrecked cars and corpses and the whole world hadn't come crumbling down.

"Almost feels normal. Like two college students on a road trip." said Amy as she stared out the window.

"You have to enjoy the small bits of normalcy because you never know when the shit is going to hit the fan." I said.

"Mm." she said, closing her eyes to enjoy the ride.

~

"What now?" I said, seeing that the caravan was stopping.

"Think it's blocked." said Amy, sticking her head out the window to see ahead.

"No surprise there. The ones from the highway probably had the same idea as us." I said, putting the car in park and getting out.

"The way blocked?" I asked as the group gathered.

"Yeah, just as bad as the highway." said Daryl.

"Now what?" asked Dale.

"We could move the cars again but who knows how long that'd take." said T-Dog.

"We'll be here for days." I said.

"What else can we do?" said Andrea.

"Well, according to the map, there's a road a little up ahead called Fairburn. It goes through farmland and ends in a small town, but we should be able to get back on the highway after and hopefully get a clear path onward." said Glenn, looking at the map.

'Thank you, Glenn. Now I just have to convince them to stay at the farm for the night. That'll be the easy part, the hard part comes after but I'll leave that to Rick.'

"We've already wasted too much daylight. We might have to stop soon. Especially if we have to clear out walkers from wherever we're staying." I said.

"It cuts through farmland you said?" Rick asked Glenn.

"I think so. Doesn't show anything else around so it's probably farmland."

"Well if it is farmland, we might be able to come across a farm and rest there for the night. Shouldn't be too many walkers that far from the main roads." said Rick.

"Okay, let's go. We're burning daylight." said Shane before everyone got back in their vehicles and continued driving.

"Maybe we can find a nice farm to stay on. Live out the rest of our lives as self-sustainable farmers. Get a dog. Raise a family." said Amy, jokingly in a bad southern accent.

"Sounds like one hell of a dream."

"What, you don't think it's possible anymore? You're too negative."

"You do?"

"Of course I do. Humanity has always come back from disaster. The Black Plague, the Spanish Flu, etc. It'll take a while but I think we'll be fine." she said.

"You're one hell of an optimist."

"You have to be or else you end up a grumpy old man yelling at kids to get off your lawn. And I see that in your future." she said.

"Haha, I can't wait for that to happen." I said, chuckling at the thought.

"Maybe I'll be by your side?" she asked, raising her eyebrows repeatedly not at all trying to be subtle with what she was implying.

"Amy."

"I'm kidding. I'm kidding. I know what I promised." she said before the car fell silent.

'I might have to leave a lot earlier than planned before her feelings get even further cemented. Also, note to self for next time I'm on a mission, don't get emotionally or physically involved with someone during an apocalypse. Or at all. Unless they're as unwilling to get into a long-term relationship as you are then all bets are off the table.'

~

After driving down the road for about an hour, we came upon a mailbox that said Greene Farm so we stopped again to decide what the plan was.

"So? What does everyone think?" asked Rick.

"I say we stay here. Make it our base of operations. A farm far from the main roads is as good a spot as any to stay. A lot of open space. Maybe even start farming and create our own food supply." I said.

"What about Fort Benning?" asked Carol.

"Honestly, I think that place is done with. We should give it up." I said, vaguely remembering that the military place was overrun.

"Of course it's not overrun. It's a military base, it's our best bet." said Shane.

"Can't we decide that later? We need a place to stay for the night." said Lori.

"Lori's right, we can talk about that some more later. For now, Matt, Daryl, and I will scout ahead, and see what's up. If the farm looks habitable or there aren't a lot of walkers, we'll stay there. If not, we'll figure something else out. Everyone else, stay put and keep your eyes peeled." said Rick.

"Why don't we just drive the caravan down the road?" asked Andrea.

"If it's overrun with walkers, we might get stuck. Don't want to take that risk. Get your things." said Rick.

"Okay." I said before going back to my car to get a hatchet.

As to why I didn't get the katana, well it's not all that practical. It also doesn't help that I don't really know how to swing a sword correctly. So a hatchet is the next best thing.

Done gearing up, I walked back to the group but before I reached them, Amy reached out to talk to me.

"Hey, good luck. Come back alive." she said before giving me a kiss on the cheek.

"I will." I said before walking back to the group.

"You ready?" asked Rick.

"Yup. Let's go." I said.

"Stay together." he said before we started to make our way down the path into the Greene Farm.

A few minutes of going down the driveway later, we could finally see the farmstead.

"This place looks like a good place to stay. Fences, open space to farm, clear view of the surroundings, a little removed from the main road." I said.

"Let's hope it's free." said Rick.

As we continued to make our way into the farmstead and the farmhouse came into view, we could see that there was a group of people waiting outside on the porch and one had a gun at the ready.

"Spoke too soon." said Daryl as he got his crossbow ready to fire if need be while Rick and I also pulled out our guns.

"That's far enough." shouted Hershel before we stopped.

"We're sorry. We didn't know anyone was here. We're just looking for a place to stay the night." said Rick.

"This isn't that place. Turn back." said Hershel.

"Please, we got women and children who are hungry and tired. We just need a place to safely rest for the night. We'll be gone by morning." said Rick.

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

"I'm sorry. I can't help you. I wish you luck on your journey." he said

"Come on, let's go." said Daryl as he and Rick turned to leave but before we could, Maggie started talking to Hershel.

"Hold on." I said, stopping them.

"What? They don't want us here." said Daryl.

"I think she's trying to convince him." I said motioning toward Maggie with my chin.

And after a few moments of them talking, Hershel turned back around to address us.

"You can stay for the night, but on one condition." he said.

"Anything." said Rick, desperate for a place to rest safely.

"No weapons while you are on my farm. I don't trust any of you and I expect you all to follow my rules while you're on my farm. And there is no room for discussion on that." he said.

"Screw that. Come on, we can find somewhere else to stay for the night." said Daryl.

"Okay." said Rick to Hershel.

"Rick! Are you serious?! We're giving up our weapons to people we don't even know?!" said Daryl.

"We need a place to rest and I mean really rest. Not a half-assed rest. Everyone's tired and we won't be able to go on much longer like this. If giving up our weapons for a night means we can do that then we should." said Rick.

"Not everyone's going to be happy about that. Shane especially." I said.

"I'll handle Shane." said Rick.

"Okay then. Let's go back for the others." I said.

"You stay here. Keep an eye out just in case. Try to get some information if you can." said Rick.

"Okay." I said before he and Daryl went back for the caravan.

Meanwhile, I walked up to the porch to hand in my weapons.

"Your weapons please." said Hershel.

"Of course." I said as I handed over my hatchet, knife, and gun to Hershel who handed them over to Beth to take inside.

"Please be careful with the knife. It was a gift from my father." I said.

"Okay, I'll be careful." she said before going inside with them.

"Did he?" asked Maggie.

"Yeah and my mom."

"I'm sorry." she said.

"Appreciate it." I said.

"I'm sorry for your loss." said Hershel to which I just nodded.

"How many are in your group?" he asked.

"12. There were others but a herd of walkers took us by surprise and we lost some. Some left and some gave up."

"Walkers?" asked Maggie.

"The dead people that come back to life. Walkers are what we call them."

"Sick people." said Hershel.

'Oh right, I forgot he thinks they're sick because his wife and stepson are walkers in the barn.'

"Whatever they are, they're dangerous." I said, not arguing with him.

As we were about to continue our conversation, the faint sound of a gunshot was heard in the distance.

'Oh come on. Don't tell me Carl still got shot somehow?' I thought.

"Was that your people?" asked Hershel.

"Shouldn't be. It was one gunshot and if it was to take down a walker, they know better. They wouldn't use a gun for a single walker." I said.

"Maybe it was Otis." said Maggie.

"Otis is a friend of yours I'm assuming?"

"Patricia's husband. He went out to hunt earlier so it may be him. Must've tracked an animal close to the farm." said Hershel.

"Nothing to worry about then." I said.

"Probably not."

~

'Sigh, destiny sure is a bitch.' I thought as I looked at Carl lying on the bed with a gunshot wound while I helped hold him down to allow Hershel to take out a bullet fragment.

As I had assumed, the gunshot we had heard earlier was Otis shooting a deer, and just like in the show, the bullet went through the buck and hit Carl.

But unlike the show where the reason Carl was in the woods was to help find Sophia, here he got hit because he was peeing and saw the deer, which had wandered close to the caravan. So, like any kid, he wanted to get closer to it which led to him getting shot.

Luckily, Rick was already nearby and so he was able to get Carl to the farm much faster than in the show which meant he had more time before he died.

Right as Hershel pulled out the fragment, Carl passed out.

"Is he alive?!" asked Rick and Lori, who were panicking at seeing Carl shot.

"He's fine. Just passed out from shock." said Hershel before he put some gauze over the wound.

"We need to let him rest. Let's talk outside." he said before we all left the room and joined the rest of the group who were all in a somber mood.

"Is he okay?" asked Sophia, eyes red and teary.

"He's okay for now. But the bullet split into six fragments and I only got one. The shallowest one. Not to mention his belly is distended which means he has internal bleeding I need to patch up." said Hershel.

"How? Surgery?" asked Rick.

"Yes. And he can't move at all which means we have to put him under. But he won't be able to breathe during that time. And we don't have a respirator. I also need the tube that goes with it, extra surgical supplies, drapes, sutures."

"If you had all that, you could save him?" asked Lori.

"If I had all that I could try." said Hershel.

"Where's the nearest hospital?" asked Shane, who was ready to go.

"Nearest hospital burned down a month ago. But the high school." said Otis, who felt horrible about what happened.

"That's what I was thinking." said Hershel.

"What about the high school?" asked Daryl.

"There's a FEMA shelter there. It should have everything we need." said Hershel.

"But it was overrun the last time I saw it." said Otis.

"How overrun?" asked Shane.

"Very." said Otis causing the group to fall into silence.

"I'll go." I said.

"Me too." said T-Dog, Daryl, Glenn, and Andrea.

"Do any of you know what the things we need look like?" asked Otis.

"No." I said.

"I've been a volunteer EMT before, I do. I'll go with you."

"Otis, no." said Patricia.

"It's my fault his life is in danger. I'm not going to sit here while these people go and risk their life."

"I should thank you. All of you." said Rick.

"Thank me after your boy is up and running around. Not now." said Otis.

"It's gonna be dark soon, we should go now." I said.

"Let me just get some things. Let's meet up in front in five minutes." said Otis before going off to get ready while those who were going did the same, and I asked Beth for my things.

Getting my things from Beth, I went outside and was stopped by Amy.

"I heard you're going to get the things Carl needs for surgery." she said, holding my hand.

"Yeah."

"Good luck." she said kissing me on the cheek before I turned to leave and saw that my Mustang wasn't there.

"Where's my Mustang?" I asked.

"We left it at the entrance as a getaway car. You want me to get it for you?"

"No, it's fine. Just wondering."

~

After gathering our things, we rode in Otis' pickup with Otis and Shane in the cab while T-Dog and I rode in the bed. Daryl had been asked to stay at the farm by Rick just in case while Andrea had been asked to stay by Amy which she ended up relenting to.

After a five-mile drive, we arrived at the school just as the sun was going down and Otis' description of the school being overrun was not in any way an exaggeration.

"So, what's the plan?" whispered T-Dog as we hid behind some cars.

"See that big medical trailer. That's where the stuff is." said Otis pointing at a big mobile trailer that was surrounded by a swarm of walkers.

"Are you serious?" asked Shane.

"Yeah." he replied, sighing.

"Two people distract the walkers while the other two go for the medical supplies." I said.

"How?" asked Shane.

"We break into a car that's nearby but away from the school and sound the alarm. That'll draw the walkers there."

"It's too risky. You can get swarmed." said Shane.

"Then I'll do it. I can run fast and I can hold my own. You three get the medical supplies and get out. You can wait for me at the entrance to town and if I'm not there for whatever reason, you guys go. Carl can't wait. I'll make it back to the farm somehow."

"No. It's too dangerous." said Shane.

"Look at how many walkers are here. It's the only way. And live bait is more enticing to them than just noise. It'll hold their attention for longer. I'll be fine. I still have a lot left to live for."

"Fine. But you better make it back. Amy's waiting for you. We'll be waiting for you." said Shane.

"I know."

"Good luck." said T-Dog.

"Good to you too. See you soon." I said before sneaking away from them.

Once I was a good enough distance from them, I showed myself to the walkers.

"Hey!" I shouted, causing all the walkers to turn their attention to me.

GROWL

Seeing that I grabbed most of the walker's attention, I fired my gun to draw the rest of them to me before I started walking in the opposite direction of the medical shelter.

Of course, I also had my PK coating active and was using my radar constantly because even though I was confident, I didn't want to risk anything.

With the walkers almost catching up to me, I began to jog to get away from them.

'It's like I'm playing COD.' I thought as I saw the horde of zombies following me.

And to keep the train going, I would shout every now and then to make sure they kept following me.

'I think that's good enough.' I thought after having kept the train going for 10 minutes.

Going through an empty house and coming out the back of it, I then used my Camouflage function to disappear.

'This is as good a time as any to leave the group. I wanted to travel with them for longer but Amy's feelings complicate that. Oh well. Hopefully, that note I left with Beth helps their future be a little smoother.' I thought as I began to walk in the direction of the farm.

'Can't forget the Mustang.'

~

<3rd POV>

On the Greene Family house's porch was Amy, looking out in the direction where the pickup truck should be coming from, clearly waiting for Matt to come back safely.

"He'll be fine." said Andrea.

"I know. He's strong."

"What's going on between you two?"

"Nothing."

"I wouldn't call what you two have, nothing." said Andrea with a grin.

"He calls it nothing. He told me when we first hooked up that we weren't permanent. He doesn't want to make a commitment."

"And you do."

"Mm." she said before she noticed a pair of headlights followed by a truck on the horizon.

As the truck pulled up to the front of the house, everyone gathered to welcome them back and get the supplies to operate on Carl.

But as the group saw the runners come out of the truck, they noticed they looked somber before noticing Matt wasn't there.

"Oh, Amy." said Andrea, hugging her.

"What happened?" asked Amy, on the verge of tears.

"He volunteered to draw the walkers away from the shelter. Said he'd be waiting for us at the entrance to town. He wasn't there. We're sorry." said Shane before Amy broke down.

~

As Amy continued to weep into the night, Beth approached her with a letter in hand.

"Here." said Beth handing her the letter.

"What is this?" asked Amy.

"A letter. From Matt. He asked me to keep it safe for him unless he didn't come back then he told me to give it to you. I'm sorry." she said before walking off.

Quickly unfolding the paper, Amy began to read the letter.

~

Dear Amy,

If you're reading this, I must not have come back after the run for medical supplies for Carl.

I guess Lady Luck wasn't on my side.

Anyway, I just wanted to tell you I'm sorry. Sorry for not being able to reciprocate your feelings. You deserve better than that and I'm sure you'll find the person you can yell at neighborhood kids with someday.

I also wanted to tell you some important things that you have to tell everyone else about.

Everyone is infected with the virus. If you die, you turn, no matter what.

If you ever meet someone called The Governor, kill him. Never trust him. Ever.

If the group ever needs to move for whatever reason, there's a prison not far from the farm. It has walls and open space. It is overrun by walkers but the group will figure something out.

Be careful of someone called Negan.

Walkers aren't the biggest problem, humans are. Never forget that.

That's everything. Tell everyone I had fun. I'll see you someday.

Matt

~

DRIP DRIP

"Oh, Matt. You were the one I wanted to yell at kids with." she said, as she cried into the night.