Awakening

Chapter 1

Squirrels and rabbits will only take you so far.  To Bianca's surprise, the little living snacks were very hard to catch.  No one had ever told her that one day she'd need to learm how to fend for food, find a way to keep warm at night, or kill dead people that come back to life and try to eat you.  Needless to say, the apocalypse is a step by step game with no tutorial.  And it was hell.  Sometimes she'd go days without a scrap of food.  Nearly fainting and dealing with pounding headaches were becoming second nature to her, and she hated it.  The young 20 year old was living a miserable existence, all on her own, desperately missing the days when she had shoulders to lean on.  Now, the light skinned survivor was all on her own, with the occasional squirrel or rabbit.

Feet trudging against the cool ground, scraping leaves and rocks and dirt under her boots, Bianca's mind drifted a few months back.  Her little family was cozy and safe in some lodge, totally secure and away from mose of those things.  It wasn't ideal, but they were together and... happy.  On nights when they found it difficult to sleep, the four of them would reminisce on what life was like before the turn.  They were able to smile and laugh at the memories, forgetting for a few minutes that everyone in those memories was dead, or undead.  It was okay, and Bianca was foolish to think it would last forever.

At the sound of gentle rustling in the near distance, her body became alert as she yanked her knife out of its place in her belt.  In a ready stance, her fingers curled tightly around the black handle and she raised the blade, preparing to stab.  If she was lucky, it was dinner.  Moving forward quietly, her foot steps pressing against the earth like she was walking on air, she peered through the trees and bushes.  There wasn't much she could see, but she did notice a dark figure move from behind the array of faded green.

"Shit," she breathed, stepping behind a tree as quickly as she could.  Back pressing against the flaking bark, she rolled her eyes up toward the sky, knuckles turning white around the handle of her knife.  She was hoping they didn't notice her, which was probably an unrealistic thought.  Peaking around the tree she chose as a hiding spot, her eyes scanned the area.  There was nothing she saw, or even heard.  Besides the movement of the air and her breathing, and the sounds of insects all over the place, it was completely silent.  If someone was around, she'd be able to at least hear them.  Body relaxing, she lowered her stabbing arm and stepped away feom the tree.  As she stepped away from the tree and turned, her head colliding with something hard, and she was out cold.

     ***

Head heavy, eyes feeling bulged in their sockets, Bianca woke up surrounded by darkness.  Instinctively, her hand raised to her head, right where she was so politely hit.  A very small bump had formed, and it hurt to touch, but it could have been worse.  She'd deal with it.  When she heard shuffling and breathing, she immediately began panicking.  Who the hell was with her?  Where were they?

"Oh, god!" Once voice, very deep and masculine, exclamed from near by.  Along with the words came quick and nervous breaths.  Yes, they were in a strange and frightening situation, but was there any need to be so annoying?

"Fucking great," added another, sounding high and immature.  A young girl?

"Hey, can you shut up?"

"Get off their backs, we're all freaking out."

"What is this!?"

"All of you, just stop," Bianca ordered.  Her voice was soothing, silky, but also stern and cold when she needed it to be.  No one could see it, but she was shooting daggers in every direction.  "Obviously, no one has a fucking clue what's going on.  We won't figure it out by flipping shit.  Let's just wait and see whatever this is."

Somehow, that actually worked.  The strangers around her went silent - aside from the one practically hyperventilating.  Pulling herself up from the lying position she was in, she brought her knees to her chest and rested her chin atop them.  Letting out a sigh, she stared out into nothingness, hoping they'd get answers soon.  It made sense to be scared, but she wasn't, not really.  Keeping calm, regardless of the situation, has proven to be the best option.  It's gotten her this far.

Almost on cue, the kidnapped strangers could hear scraping and moving from outside.  Something shifted, and a crack of light poured into the darkness of their containment.  Then, all st once, two massive doors were yanked open, nearly blinding the group of strangers.  Before she could get a really good look, Bianca covered her eyes with her hand, shielding herself from the painful rays.  Marching inside, some big guys began dragging out the bunch of survivors by their clothes.  Of course, they protested and demanded they be let go, but they were completely ignored.  These guys paid no attention to them other than to get them outside.  When one came for Bianca, she gave her leg full force to kick the man in the gut.

"Keep your fuckin' hands off me," she warned, but to her disappointment, she earned a slap across the face and got dragged out into the dirt anyway.  With a huff, she felt the hardly damp dirt beneath her face and pushed herself up, beginning to stand.  That got her a kick to the back of her knee, and before she could totally fall, she was grabbed the her shoulders and forced into a kneeling position.

"Really?  You want us kneeling to you?  Who the fuck are you people?"

"You'll find out soon enough," spoke the man that yanked her out, a blonde with a hideous face.  Half of his skin was like melted plastic, with a gross pink tint.  "Now shut up, you're about to meet the big guy."

Looking around at her fellow captives, she noticed she was the only one that didn't feel like taking orders.  "Didn't you want answers just a minute ago?  Now you're all just submitting to whatever this bullshit is.  We were plucked from our lives and brought... here, wherever here is and I'm suddenly the only one bothered by that?"

During her frustrated rant, all eyes turned away from Bianca and landed on a tall man, wielding a baseball bat over his shoulder.  Once again, regardless of the kick it got her last time, Bianca rose to her feet and faced this guy with her head held high.  A cocky grin was on his face as he crossed a long line of captives, studying each of their faces, the fear in their eyes.  He got off to having people look up at him and he didn't try to hide it.  She was at the end of the line, and his pleasure turned into curiosity when his eyes landed upon her.

"Why isn't this one kneeling?" He spoke, his voice deep and gravelly, and very intimidating.  Just from hearing his rough voice, and observing his style — a leather jacket topping a red shirt, grey jeans below it and black combat books to finish it off.  Not to mention his bat, which she could now see was laced with barbed wire — that this man was the 'big guy.'  Staring her down, the cocky grin returning with a complimentary dimple beneath his peppered beard, he removed the bat from his shoulder and pointed it at her.  "Get on your fucking knees," he ordered.

If it weren't for her not wanting to know what would happen with that bat if she refused, she obeyed silently, lowering herself to the ground and kneeling on her knees like she was told.  Turning upward, her eyes glared at the smug jerk that stood over her.  Obeying this one order didn't mean she was afraid of him, afraid to piss him off, afraid to kill him if she needed to.  Her tongue flicked out of her mouth, moistening her very dry lips, her eyes not once leaving his.  Pressing them together, pouting them to go along with her attitude, she dared to challenge him.

"Who the hell are you?"

Chuckling, a very charming smile stretching across his lips, he leveled himself in front of her so that they were eye to eye.  His eyes analyzed her face, the hardened expression only bringing him more joy.  Around them, the captive survivors watched anxiously, probably wondering if she had a death wish for being like this to a leader with a barbed wire bat.  As if he was copying her, he licked his lips before they returned into a charming smile, and finally decided to answer, loud enough for them all to hear.

"I'm fuckin' Negan."