Survive | Daryl Dixon ¹

𝐄𝐗𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐃 𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐘

❝To live, is to suffer.
To survive, is to find
some meaning in
the suffering.❞

WHEN DOES THE END of the world mean the end of humanity?

In a universe ravaged by chaos and destruction, where the dead are to be feared and the living is to be fought, the boundaries between right and wrong fade into a haze of cruel uncertainty. Astrid Lancaster, burdened by the newfound weight of blurred innocence, of bloody endings and horrific deaths, is no exception to this brutal reality. In the echo of the world's cataclysmic ending, she now grapples with the harrowing question of what it truly means to be human. How long, in such an unforgiving environment, does it take to change from who one always believed themselves to be, someone honest and good? When does a giver transform into a taker?

When does a healer become a killer?

Forced on the run after witnessing her remaining family being torn away by ruthless undead hands, Astrid never expected she would make it on her own in a world consumed by darkness and societal collapse. With her back against the wall, and surrounded by hordes in an infected city, she knew her fate was sealed—a grisly demise would await her before nightfall. But against all odds, nightfall came, and so did another day. And another. And another. Driven by her own cunning, Astrid clings stubbornly to life until a glimmer of unexpected aid appears—help in the form of a young pizza delivery boy who understands, even amidst the harshest trials and endless uncertainty, that no one, absolutely no one, could make it on their own in a world that belonged to the dead.

Thus, in a sudden twist of fate, Astrid exchanges the blood-soaked battleground of Atlanta's streets for the deceptive calm of the Georgian woods. Concealed in the city's shadows, a sanctuary of survivors still fights back; men, women, and children all working together in an attempt to withstand and wait out the surely impending arrival of the military—that is, if they can even be found. But waiting is a grueling test, as fear constantly prowls and betrayal looms around every corner. It is only human nature, after all, and each passing day further chips away at the hope of rescue until, ultimately, hope itself is left to wither—its own fresh catalyst for catastrophic ruin.

In a newly lawless realm where the living must adapt or perish, where it is kill or be killed, and where trust is as precious as a bullet, the price to simply survive exacts a merciless toll. And for Astrid, surrender is not an option. Even if it means forsaking all she holds dear and relinquishing the remnants of her former self to emerge as the person she was always destined to become—a survivor at any cost.

❝But the damage was done,
the moment their eyes met.❞