Hey everyone, I really hope you all enjoy this story. I'll do my best to update as much as possible and keep things entertaining and interesting. Let me know what you think about this first chapter, constructive criticism is very much welcomed!

Disclaimer: I do not own anything other than my OC, Thea Ellis, and her storyline. The rights to The Walking Dead remain solely with Robert Kirkman and Co.

There weren't a lot of things left in the world these days that made comfort come easily, not like before the end. Part of losing everything that was once so simple and taken for granted was that it made it obvious that something had been taken away that should never have been. Trying to grasp some sort of normalcy in the chaotic version of reality that the world had become seemed like trying to successfully catch a handful of smoke; pointless and a waste of time.

Thea was no stranger to loss prior to the end of the world, but that didn't exactly make it easy to take in the fact that the dead had suddenly come back to gnaw at the flesh of the living. No, loss wasn't something that would ever come easy and if it ever did then that was when there was a serious problem.

She wasn't sure exactly how long it had been since the turn, or how many of those walking the earth were still alive and breathing, but she was well aware of the fact that things would never be the same even if there ended up being some miraculous cure and the world was saved. There was no coming back from this.

One of the strangest things about this new world was the lack of rules. In the old days the fact that she was standing in a dimly lit pharmacy shoving prescriptions into her pack would have landed her in some serious hot water, but now it was perfectly normal and to be expected. So normal, in fact, that she had been more than a little surprised to find that the shelves behind the pharmacist's counter were still fully stocked.

It wasn't like she was complaining.

Thea had just shoved a large pill bottle containing antibiotics into the rapidly filling front pocket of her blue backpack when she heard the squeak of shoes on the tile floor near the front of the store. She froze for just a moment to listen but only found silence; maybe she had been imagining things.

Just as she began to reach for another bottle a hushed sound came from the same direction. Slowly zipping her bag closed to keep the noise from alerting whoever, or whatever, was now in the store with her, she reached down to grab the red axe she had propped up against shelf and slipped the pack back onto her back and secured the clip across her torso.

Thea turned and made her way towards the back door she had noticed earlier, always a good idea to know your exits, to make a quick getaway. Sure she could handle one dead guy but if it wasn't necessary she did her best to avoid any and all contact with any of the infected. That's what she called them at first, the infected, because that's what they were. Now however? Dead was not the same as sick and she didn't have a name for them.

As she moved between shelves she heard a dull thud in the wall above her head. Her eyes followed the noise and she stifled a gasp at the arrow that was now sunk into the drywall just inches from where her head had just been.

So it wasn't a dead one, but she had come to find that the living were often more dangerous these days. She needed to leave now.

She ducked low as she moved quickly towards the door, the grip on the handle of her axe tightening in preparation; if she had to defend herself she would, it wouldn't be the first time.

She was at the door when she heard a muttered curse, glanced back to see a dark figure pull the arrow from the wall, and then shoved the door open and ran out into the alleyway which was thankfully dead guy free.

It wasn't empty however, and she had to skid to a halt to avoid running headfirst into a large black man holding a crowbar. He was standing at the closest end of the alley and upon seeing her his eyes widened.

"Hey!" he called as she turned to escape down the opposite side of the alleyway.

Thea jumped to the side as she passed by the door she'd just exited. It flung open to reveal a man with dark hair and a crossbow, but she didn't pause to study him fully. Instead she took off at full speed, knocking several boxes down to block their path should they attempt to follow her.

"Get back here!"

Not bothering to turn to see which of the men was the one to shout at her she rounds the corner leading out into the street and pauses for just a second to check that the coast is clear. When she's sure there aren't any more threats nearby she chooses to circle the store to go back to the side she'd left the bicycle she'd stolen.

Looking back she would realize how that was not a smart move.

As she passed by the front door of the shop she'd just vacated she felt a body slam into hers from the side. She landed on the pavement hard, a loud grunt escaping her lips as her side slammed into the metal pole holding up a parking meter and her axe skidded across the sidewalk out of reach. There was someone on her back holding her down but they didn't seem to have much strength, so she threw an elbow back to get them off.

It connected with the hard bone of the man's jaw and he let out a cry of pain, his grip loosening just enough for Thea to crawl towards her axe. Just as her hand grasped the handle, a boot stepped forward onto the head to prevent her from lifting the weapon and the silver blade of a sword came down to point in her face; a warning.

"Get up slowly," a woman spoke, her voice deep and serious as if the sword wasn't threatening enough.

If she hadn't been before, Thea knew for sure she was screwed now. She released her grip on the axe handle and lifted herself onto her hands and knees at a slow pace, her head remained bowed and her eyes locked on the sharp steel pointed at her nose. She put her hands up first, palms out, and then rose to her feet.

Her eyes were the last to finally lift from where she had been staring at several specks of blood on end of the woman's sword, and she found the owner of the weapon to be a tough looking black woman with long dreadlocks and a steady glare directed right at her. Was this her executioner? Was this the one who would end it all for her after so long of fighting to stay alive?

To her left stood a younger looking guy with sandy blonde curls and an anxious look on his face as if he wasn't sure what they would be doing with her, his eyes flickered towards the dark skinned woman several times before landing on Thea expectantly.

"Who are you?" The woman asked as footfalls indicated the two men from the alley and the store now approached.

Thea didn't respond, her eyes flickering down to her axe as if she might have a shot at grabbing it. Her hand twitched at her side and she wondered if she would have enough time to pull her knife from its sheath or if the woman would slice her head off before she even got the strap unsnapped.

The question was repeated, the sword inched closer, the air closed around her like a cocoon she couldn't escape. It had been so long since she had seen another living person and now there were four of them ganging up on her…

She felt the air leave her lungs in short gasps and her feet moved backwards against her will. She stepped off the curb onto the street and stumbled back against a car, the sun now directly in her eyes; a hand she realized was her own rose to block it and she could see the sword lower to the woman's side slowly.

"You okay?" a male voice asked.

It was the black man from the alley and when she peered through her fingers at him she saw that he had genuine concern on his face, which confused her. Weren't they going to kill her or steal her things and leave her helpless?

The sun had been setting before and now seemed to disappear in seconds behind the store and then she could see them all clearly. Her breathing was normal once again, as if that one simple question had calmed her completely. She took in a deep gulp of air and then locked eyes with the woman, who had once again asked for her name.

"Thea," she responded evenly, her voice thankfully not betraying the nerves she felt. "Thea Ellis."

The blonde man pointed to himself and then the others, giving out their names like it was free candy. "I'm Zach. This is Tyreese, Daryl, and Michonne."

Thea glanced at the others slowly but her eyes ended up on Michonne again, that sword still gripped tightly in the woman's hand.

"You alone?"

The question sparked a small amount of fear in her heart; did she answer truthfully and allow them to have the freedom to attack her or did she lie and say others would be waiting for her? Did she miss out on the opportunity of possibly joining a group where there was safety in numbers if she lied? Would they kill her if she was alone?

"Yes," she finally answered when she decided she would rather die an honest woman than live alone as a liar.

Michonne shared a glance with Daryl, the man who had shot an arrow at Thea's head, and the man nodded before the woman spoke again, asking another question as if that was all she knew how to do.

"How many walkers have you killed?"

Thea cocked her head curiously. "Walkers?"

A snort came from Zach. "Geeks, biters, dead bastards…whatever else anyone calls them." He explained.

The question was odd, but she could play along. "I haven't kept count. Just the ones I couldn't get away from."

Michonne tightened her grip on the katana and raised the blade just slightly before speaking again.

"How many people have you killed?" she wondered, her gaze hardened as she tried to assess Thea for anything that might indicate she was about to lie.

The other woman gulped, her eyes found the sword momentarily. "Two. Just two." She admitted.

"Why?" Daryl asked suddenly, the first time he had spoken the entire time.

Thea found she couldn't meet his hard eyes as she spoke. "They were bitten. I didn't want them to suffer and they didn't want to be one of those…things."

She bowed her head and waited for them to decide that she was a murderer who deserved to be left behind. A killer who needed to be punished. Something along those lines.

In the end, they didn't come to either of those conclusions and the one they did arrive upon surprised her.

"We have a safe place. You can come with us if you'd like." Michonne said softly, replacing her katana in its sheath slowly and expertly. "It's safer than being alone."

Thea met the other woman's eyes hoping to spot some sort of lie that would tell her that the safe haven they offered was really some sort of trap, but she couldn't find any sort of malice there and she knew that this was the only chance she would have of really surviving this whole thing. Of course she would join them, but how long would she be able to stay before things went south? How safe was this place really?

She would have to find out, if she died in the process then perhaps that was better than any other fate she might have to face on her own. Maybe things were looking up for her. Maybe they weren't.