She's a Dixon (Daryl Dixon story)

Chapter 1

I was running through the forest, my feet carrying me through the unknown area, and even though I wanted to collapse and catch my breath, I knew that I couldn't do that. The adrenaline pumping through my veins is what kept me running and running. Everything looked the same, and I felt like I was running in circles. I could just barely hear the twigs snapping and the leaves crunching behind me over my heavy breathing. Someone, or something was following me, I just didn't know what. I look up to the sky and see the sun setting behind the mountains, and the sky being lit up with beautiful shades of bright orange and soft pink. My legs give out, and I collapse into the grassy field. I admire the sky while trying to get my breathing under control. As I lay in the grass, I forget about the world around me, along with what was chasing me in the woods. That moment was perfect, until it was ruined by the sound of feet shuffling near me. I slightly sit up, but allow the tall grass to keep me hidden from sight. My right hand flies to my hip and I feel for my hunting knife. My hand finally grasped the handle of my knife and I pull it out, holding the knife a few inches in front, and to the right of my face. I slowly stand up and spin around, my eyes searching, trying to discover where the noise came from. I checked everywhere around me multiple times, but didn't see anything other than the miles and miles of grass that surrounded me in all directions. I brush off the feeling that I'm not alone, and I reattach the knife to my hip. I am instantly attacked and thrown to the ground. I twist my neck and try to identify my attacker, but I don't see anyone. I try to scream for help, but a rough hand covers my mouth, and my cries are quiet and muffled. I struggle under the grip of my attacker, my arms and legs flailing, but it's no use. I feel my head being lifted, and then in seconds, my head collides with the ground, and the world around me goes black.

I wake up to my younger brother, Adam shaking me, and calling out my name. I escape his grip, avoiding to be shook more and I glare daggers at him.

"What the hell Adam-" I start to yell.

"Pack your things now," Adam cuts me off, "We are leaving, now!"

"What? Why?" I question.

"You have no idea what's going on do you?"

"No Adam, I don't, tell me!" I yell.

"Alright alright, just keep your voice down and I'll tell you," He pauses for a few moments, "There has been this outbreak, a virus, and everyone is infected with it. Whenever and however someone dies, they come back, but they aren't themselves. They come back as cannibals, and eat the flesh off the bones of the living. We need to go now, there is supposed to be a refugee center in Atlanta, there is military there that are going to protect the living from these monsters. Come on, we need to go now!" Adam explains and then runs out of my room and down the stairs.

I jump up from my bed, and open the closet door. I frantically search for my large duffel bag. I pull it out and stuff it with clothes for myself and my brother. I scurry to my parents room, and open the safe hidden in the closet. I pulled out two handheld guns and a rifle and forced them into the bag, along with the 400 rounds of ammunition. I zip up the bag and run back to my room to retrieve my hunting knife and my bow and arrow.

I exit my room, and quickly run down the stairs, taking two at a time and barge into the kitchen. Adam is busy shoving all the canned food into his bag.

"Anything I need to grab?"

"Did you get clothes, the guns and ammo from the safe, and your knife and bow and arrow?" Adam questions.

"Yeah, i got all that," I reply.

"How about the machete in the basement?"

"No, I'll go get it," I reply and run towards the basement.

"Get the matches too Julie!''

I throw open the basement door and jump over the steps. I find the machete and the matches in our closet. When I turn to leave, the first aid kit, sitting on the middle shelf in the corner catches my eye. I put the machete and the matches into the duffel and reach out for the first aid kit. I open it up and my eyes grow wide, a decent supply of everything we could possibly ever need was in the kit. Peroxide, gauze, cotton balls, some antibiotics, you name it and it was there. I add the kit to my duffel and I hear my brother calling for me upstairs.

"Come on Julie! We have to go now! Those dead freaks are littering the streets!"

I take off, and when I reach the top of the stairs, I almost collide with my brother who has a full duffel bag and car keys in hand. We both run to the garage, and throw our bags in the back. My brother jumps in the driver seat, and puts the keys in the ignition. I hop into the passenger seat, and start to feel like we were forgetting something. Then it hit me.

"Adam, where is mom and dad?''

"I don't know, but we don't have time to find them anyway.." Adam trails off.

It's not like I cared that they weren't with us. I didn't want them with me, but if they were around I wouldn't be able to live with taking off and leaving them for dead, even after what they did to me. All through my childhood, my parents spent their time at the bar down the street getting drunk. They were never home, so I basically raised myself and Adam. But when they came home, my life was hell. They were abusive drunks, and would take it out on me. I took all their hits, blows to my face, being whipped with a belt or whatever was lying around, and having my head slammed into walls or windows, and even more cruel things that no one should ever have to take, let alone a child.

I focus back on the present and Adam was driving down the street, running over multiple flesh eating freaks. We rode in silence until he pulled onto the highway.

"How long until we get to Atlanta?"

Adam stays quiet, and I thought he was going to blow off my question. I sigh and turn my head, and stared out the window, watching the scenery past by.

"About two hours, depending on the traffic," Adam finally answers my question.

I nod and then rest my head against the window. The cool glass felt good on my burning forehead. After awhile, I felt my eyelids become heavy. I tried my hardest to fight off the sleep, but my eyelids won. My eyes closed and the glue within my eyes kept me from being able to reopen them. I fell into a deep sleep.