It's been a while. I've lost track of time. When you're alone in an apocalyptic world, time doesn't really matter anymore. All I can guess is that Atlanta is overrun by undead freaks.

I know because I could hear the screams and the cars racing away when the virus first broke out. The only reason I've survived so far is because I stayed inside.

I'm alone, holed up in the department store where I once worked. The freaks already tried to get in, but I locked the doors. All I could hear for a while were their hungry moans, so desperate to feast on my flesh.

I shudder. It was an awful thought; dying. Maybe it would be easier if I just died. I was still alone in this store, with a little bit of food and water. Once that ran out, I was going to starve.

There's freaks outside...I could just walk out, let them tear the flesh off my bones little by little. That would be painful though. I could jump off the top of the building...

I sigh and lean my head up against a wall. Then, I hear voices.

Human voices. My eyes fly open and I look around. No zombies. I get up, creeping towards the fire escape. I find no one. The store is empty, as usual.

Maybe I'm going crazy. I have been alone for a while, I think to myself.

Suddenly, a blunt object connects with the back of my head, knocking me to the ground. The pain spirals through my cranium, and my vision grows fuzzy.

In a daze, I hear more voices.

"What the...that's not a walker!" a guy's voice says in utter shock.

"It's a girl..." I hear another guy's voice, closer to my head.

"Obviously, Glenn." This time, it's a woman speaking. She sighs. "First, you risk our safety for Rick, and now we've got another person on our hands. Not like the walkers are already breaking down the doors after the commotion you caused."

"Hey, that was my fault. Don't waste your anger on Glenn," a deep voice says.

I feel rough fingers touch the back of my head carefully, and I wince.

"You okay?" I see a fuzzy outline of a man wearing a Sheriff's uniform and hat. "T-dog got you pretty good there."

I moan again. "My head...hurts..."

Another woman leans down to talk to me. "Just rest. Nothing is gonna hurt you."

I nod weakly and close my eyes, blacking out.

----------

I wake a little while later on a rooftop. After a brief moment of panic, I push myself into a sitting position against some piping.

"Well well well. Looks like sleepin' beauty's finally awake."

I look over to my left. A man is sitting on the ground, handcuffed to one of the pipes.

He grimaces. "Sure, they're so nice to you and him, and I get handcuffed to a roof."

He spits on the ground before staring angrily ahead.

"Ignore Merle. He's being a dick."

A muscular black guys offers me his hand. I take it and stand up.

"What's your name?" a black woman with fuzzy hair asks.

"Hope," I answer.

"I'm Jacqui," she says.

"Hello." I smile lightly.

I look at the other people on the roof. There's seven of them in total.

The man in the Sheriff's uniform steps forward. "I'm Rick Grimes. It's a pleasure to meet you."

I watch and listen as everyone else introduces themselves. The woman with blonde hair is Andrea, the muscular black guy is T-dog, the guy handcuffed to the roof is Merle Dixon, the Hispanic man is Morales, and the Asian guy is Glenn.

"Ok...I think I've got it." I run through all the names I just heard, earning nods of approval from everyone except Merle. I scuff my shoes on the gravel. "So, if you don't mind me asking, why is Merle handcuffed to the roof?"

"He started beating up T-dog, scaring everyone," Rick explains. "It'll keep him in place."

I nod, sitting back down.

"You feeling dizzy again?" T-dog asks. "Man, I hit you hard didn't I? Sorry about that..."

"No no. It's fine. It's just that..." I take a deep breath. "I've been alone for a while. It's probably been a few weeks."

"How did you go unnoticed? The streets are overrun with walkers!" Andrea says, raising an eyebrow.

"Walkers? Is that what you call them?"

"Yeah, it's nothing fancy." She shrugs.

I smile. "It's catchy."

"You didn't answer my question."

"I ran here before all hell broke loose, and then I just stayed inside."

"Must've had a stroke of luck," Morales says.

I bite my lip. "Do you have a camp somewhere?"

"Slow your questions princess," Merle says in an unnecessarily loud voice.

"Shut up Merle," Andrea sneers.

"Woah sugar tits. She's askin' too many questions."

Andrea ignores him and answers me, "Yeah. It's a little ways out of town."

"We're trying to reach the rest of our group on our radio," Morales says. "It's not working out."

"Why don't we go with the plan we had earlier?" Rick suggests. "We go check out the sewers, see if there's a way to get out."

"Hope, Merle, and T-dog can stay here and watch out for...problems," Jacqui looks down to the street below us.

I nod, understanding our predicament. The walkers are starting to break through the double set of doors at the front of the store. If we don't get out soon, we would be joining them.

"Alright," Rick says, pulling out his gun. "Stay safe."

They turn and head off the roof, leaving the three of us alone in the hot sun.