Cowboy

1) Death

Death was hard. It makes you angry. It makes you mad at the world. But most importantly it tears you apart and leaves you to suffer.

Death was an old friend to Alicia. She had lost her brother, her parents, and now she was standing over her best friends battered body, blood covering her arms and clothes.

Alicia stepped back, breathing hard, sticking the knife back in her pocket. She always had one on her. It was something her father had taught her from a young age.

"You never go anywhere without it. It could be the reason you don't die one day."

That's what he had told her. The years following her tenth birthday she was taught to shoot a gun, use a crossbow, and wield a knife. She was a force to be reckoned with.

Her friend had turned. She had to kill her. There was no other option besides getting bit herself. And that was out of the question.

She wiped her mouth, slinging her bag over her shoulder and opening her door. She had to leave.

Alicia and Jordan, the friend she had just killed, had been holed up in their shared apartment for a week now. When Jordan was bit, Alicia planned to leave after she turned.

She walked outside, gun in hand as she checked the area for any rouge walkers. Getting out was the only option now.

So, she began walking. She didn't know exactly where she was going but that didn't matter right now. All that mattered these days was survival. It was the only thing that kept people going.
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Alicia had been walking for a while now. It was dark out and she was on a mountain range. She would be fine, she knew that. She knew these Georgie mountains like the back of her hand.

Her father had brought her hunting here since the summer she learned how to shoot. Many a deer had been taken by Alicia Smith. Many a squirrel to.

She watched as she placed one foot in front of the other on the lonely road. Well... she thought it was lonely.

Her head snapped up to the sound of gunfire and screams. "Shit." She mumbled, drawing her gun from its holster and running towards the noise.

When she reached the source, she found a camp of people, and a hoard of walkers.

"Get inside!" She yelled, shooting one of the monsters in the head. The woman she had just saved nodded and ran into the RV.

It was a blur of bullets and knifes as she fought her way through the hoard. She gasped, an arrow flying right past her head.

"You're welcome!" A rough gravely voice yelled to her. She turned to see a man, smirking at her. She rolled her eyes before continuing to slaughter the rest of the walkers.

When it was finally over she sighed, bending over with her hands on her knees.

A rough hand grabbed her by her collar, pulling her up. "Who the hell are you?" The man asked. He had dark black hair and a matching beard. His face was attractive... aside from that big ass nose.

"Alicia, get your hands off me." She growled, using her knee to hit him right where it hurt.

He keeled over, groaning as he hit the floor. "The hell man!?" The man yelled to her from the floor.

She shrugged. "Don't touch me."

Someone chuckling made her turn her head. It was the same man with the arrows from before. "That's the best thing I've seen all day!" He grinned, shaking his head.

"Glad I could amuse you." She chuckled, turning to the rest of the group. "Y'all camping out here?"

"Yeah... you said your name was Alicia right?" Another man spoke to her.

"Yeah, who are you?"

"Rick Grimes. Nice to meet you." He shook her hand. "You're a good shot." He nodded to her gun.

"You pick some things up when you live in a redneck household." She grinned, slipping her thumbs through the belt loops on her now bloody jeans.

Rick nodded. "It be good to have you around. You're welcome to stay."

"Now wait a minute." The man who Alicia had put on the floor spoke up. "We don't even know who she is!"

"Shane, she's a good shot. She ran up here to save us when she didn't have to... I think we can trust her."

"Rick, she put me on the ground!" Shane said, standing up. "She attacked me!"

Rick looked down. "Well... you did grab her."

"I think we should keep her around." Another man spoke now. He was older, definitely in his early 60's.

"I agree with that." The man with the arrows said. He walked up to the girl, flashing her a small smirk. "Daryl Dixon."

She flashed a small grin back, extending her hand. "Alicia Smith."

When their hands touched an electric current flowed through both of their arms. It almost felt... good.

Unfortunately both Alicia and Daryl were both very good at hiding their emotions. Therefore they both brushed it off as nothing, seeing as though neither of them reacted to it.

"We can't just let some girl we don't know stay here!" Shane groaned, still arguing.

"She's staying!" Dale exclaimed, clearly tired of the nights events. "That's the end of it!"

The other three men parted, leaving Alicia and Daryl to stand in the cool night air on their own.

"Welcome to the hell house, Smith." Daryl chuckled, beginning to walk away from the woman."

She scoffed. "Oh I think I can handle it Dixon."

He smirked to himself as he walked to his tent. "Sure you can."