WALKERS, the walking dead.

rick

you were incredibly lucky finding alexandria, and couldn't be more grateful for it. the safe haven gave you hope. hope for a better future.

for yourself, for rick and carl and judith.

going on runs at first was a bit of struggle, due to the alexandrians not completely trusting you. aiden was an asshole who didn't actually know what he was doing, and deanna just wouldn't let you go out without him or nicholas.

it pissed rick off too, but he tried not to argue too much and just wanted to "blend in'. he wanted everyone to keep an eye out, and so if anything bad happened your group could get out of the situation as the survivors. at least, that's what he told you and carl one night.

after a month or so, you started to slowly gain the trust of some people at alexandria . and another month after that, you were finally allowed to manage others runs or go by yourself. you were delighted when deanna told you the news that night, and the next day you were up at dawn preparing for your run. by all this time you and the group had come to realise alexandria wasn't a threat, and was actually a safe haven.

your first run alone was successful, and you got lots of supplies. that day you'd gone to sneak into a small pharmacy, and gathered bandages and other medical supplies along with some clothes you found in another small shop. later in the evening, after having deer that daryl had hunted, you started trying to convince rick to take a
break and come out with you the next time. it took lots of effort, and after some helpful
encouragement from carl, he agreed.

rick finally took his break a week later, and went on the run with you. the two of you went to a gas station on the side of the road first, and managed to find a load of petrol in some barrels. they wouldn't fit in the small car you brought, so you simply rolled them into a bush out of sight from any passing eyes.

"i'll come back here with someone later to get it." you told rick as the both of you were getting back in the car. the sheriff nodded and got in the drivers seat.

on your way home, your car just... stopped. well, it didn't immediately stop, but when rick tried to turn the steering wheel left, the car didn't exactly comply. rick got out to check what happened, and you followed shortly.

he was at the hood of the car, leaning over it looking at all the parts on the inside. you started checking the tires, making sure none were slashed or punctured. and as you came to the final one, as luck would have it, it was punctured. you knelt down in front of it, and rested your head in your hands.

"shit." you thought to yourself, wondering what the hell had punctured it. you thought back to how smooth the road was prior to the stop, and after a few seconds you stood back up and walked round to where Rick was.

"the tire's punctured, theres nothing we can do now."

"don't we have a spare tire in the back?" rick asked, dread filling his voice at the question he already knew the answer to.

"better get going then." he sighed, resting his arms on the car and shaking his head before slamming down the hood.

after walking for a good hour, it was starting to get dark and luckily you were getting closer to alexandria. the two of you hadn't really encountered many walkers, but the few you did were easy to take care of. you only got some blood on you, easy enough to wash. as you were getting closer, you heard a small sound from the side of the road you were walking on.

"ya hear that?" rick asked, as he held his hand over the hatchet on his belt. he looked over at you as he said it, keeping a side eye on the where the sound came from. you nodded at him and gripped your knife so tightly your knuckles started to pale. the two of you started approaching the sound quickly and quietly. if it was a walker, you'd want to get it by surprise.

but no, it wasnt a walker.

as you got closer, the sound started again very briefly. a barking sound?

the next thing you know, a puppy was in front of you, cowering into the bush. you melted at the sight, and rick froze. you approached the puppy slowly, and coaxed it out of the bush softly. he laid down on his back, begging you with his eyes to rub his belly.

"oh my God!" you started, rubbing his belly and looking up at rick with a smile on your face.

"he's definitely coming home with us!" you
picked up the puppy and stood up, taking him to rick so he could see him.

"look how precious! here hold him!' you passed him to rick, and he took him from you gently. the puppy started giving rick kisses, and he laughed. your heart was officially a puddle, watching how sweet rick was with the new addition to your
family.

the look of happiness on your face was enough to convince rick, and the face of the puppy just added to it.

"he can come home with us." rick laughed,
cuddling the small puppy in his much larger arms.