Disclaimer: I DO NOT own anything regarding The Walking Dead series. The only thing I own is my OC Dani. This is my first attempt at a fan fic so criticism is welcome and appreciated.

Chapter 1: I Can Feel Your Pain

Character: Dani (Danielle), younger sister to Lori Grimes. 25 years old, long chocolate brown hair usually worn in a fishtail braid. Brown eyes, slender build and 5"8.

The story will pick up at the beginning of Season 4.

Backstory: After the apocalypse where the dead walked the earth Dani took shelter with her boyfriend (almost fiancé) of 5 years, they made a small group with three other people and kept on the outskirts of Atlanta moving from place to place. After the group was ambushed by a herd and Dani's fiancé risked his life to save hers she continued to wander, alone.

I had been walking what seemed to be in circles for days in the thick woods outside of Atlanta. I was not going to risk walking along side of the road; you never knew who you would run into… people now days did not have kind hearts. They were vicious and would do anything to survive. Dragging around for so long I had let my guard down in believing that the woods were a safer place. No. There were still walkers and before I knew it a decent sized herd was moving through. I wasn't the most skilled climber so going up wasn't an answer and besides they would just accumulate there at the bottom, then what was I going to do?

So I ran.

I ran so fast and so blindly that I didn't see the human shape in front of me until I ran right into it. I fell backwards hitting my head harshly on the ground, quickly trying to come out of the daze fearing that what I may have just bumped into was a walker. However, I heard no teeth chomping, no groaning or clawing. Just silence. When I looked up and saw a female, rich dark skin wielding a katana.

"Are you bit?" Said the woman harshly

"No" I replied

"Are you alone?" She said a little more at ease but her guard was still up and her katana still drawn.

The past two weeks of memories came flooding back; I choked out a faint "yes".

"Let's go" she said as she put the katana away and reached a hand down, helping me up from the ground.

"Michonne" she informed me.

"Dani" I nodded.

I guess I hadn't noticed the horse beside her; I was just shocked to see an actual human being. She helped me onto the horse after getting on herself and we rode.

Not long I saw the fence and the massive building; a prison. My God isn't that the perfect place to be during all this shit. Someone must of saw her coming because a giant make-shift metal door opened, then a rolling fence letting us in. I hadn't seen who'd opened the fence until I hopped off of the horse. My eyes scanned the boy's face and my heart sank, both of my hands rushing up to my mouth trying to stop the small gasp from escaping.

His hair was much longer now and his baby face was shedding. He had certainly grown a couple of inches since the last time I had seen him.

"Carl?" I breathed.