CHAPTER ONE
static voices

Danielle Walsh never made it to the city.

Her new life began and her old one had ended, causing her to grow accustomed to her new world. Two months had passed since she had stumbled upon a group of people at the Quarry in Atlanta, Georgia. Her plans of heading to the city to meet up with her brother had been abolished as soon as a few army helicopters flew over swiftly and bombed it, in the hopes that  it would end the sickly virus that was spreading rapidly throughout the world. Essentially bringing people back from the dead.

Being the ever politest girl, Danielle offered to help a small group of people who had broken down on the edge of the highway. She had come to learn their names after many thanks were shared — Dale was an old man with a bucket hat who owned the RV and he travelled with the blonde sisters momentarily before Dani had arrived. The Walsh girl knew she couldn't leave them behind especially after Shane had reached out to her and told her to head for the Quarry right before the cell service cut out.

Once Dale's RV was running again, he followed Danielle up to the Quarry. Shock was her first emotion because as she got to the top, she didn't just see her brother, her tired eyes noticed Lori and Carl Grimes behind him. Initial thoughts of Rick clouded her mind as the pair raced over and hugged her tightly. But then Shane had pulled her to the side and whispered in her ear that Rick was dead and he had to make sure that Lori and Carl got out okay.

Dani barely had any time to grieve the loss of her brother figure, she had cried softly behind a tree for all of five minutes before a boy with a baseball cap came wondering over to her, asking if she were okay. She wanted to yell at him and say, of course not, but she knew he meant no harm so, instead, she wiped her tears and nodded.

His name was Glenn Rhee. The Korean boy had instantly become her friend after that day, not by Dani's choice but by his. He followed her around camp and helped her with anything she needed and would make her laugh despite the horrors that were happening to the world.

As the long, hot days went on, the peaceful air that surrounded them began to make them feel safe but yet still very cautious. They never made loud noises, never took unnecessary risks or went anywhere far alone. More people joined the group, more survivors that were also trying to get used to their new way of living but it was difficult to forget their old one and the people who were in it.

It hadn't occurred to Danielle at all that any of these people, who were joining them, could bring harm to her or her family. They trusted each and every person and lived beside them carelessly.

However, it had been a few months since anyone new had joined them. Danielle had just finished school work with the children, some of the parents thought that education didn't end even if you were in the middle of an apocalypse. "So, you add them together and take it away from-", Carl's tiny voice began to ask Dani but was cut off by the CB.

"Hello? Can anyone hear my voice?", a deep voice spoke and Amy ran over from where she was standing, her blonde hair blowing behind her before she crouched down to the CB. Everyone stood from their spots in anticipation as they all had thought at some point that perhaps they were the only ones left.

Amy picked up the walkie attached to the CB, "Hey, Hello?", she spoke urgently through the radio whilst Dale also rushed over. Danielle stood with the children, her fingers brushed Carl's hair back to try and calm him since he had recently started to grow more anxious over small things, though she didn't blame him.

The Walsh girl wasn't particularly one to hope, she hated the feeling of feeling good one second then bad the next. The way your heart washes over in disappointment like a wave crashing against the shore, bringing that feeling to you and you can't do anything but accept it.

"Yes, I can hear you, you're- you're coming through over",  Amy spoke again with a slight smile glazing her lips.

"Anybody reads, please respond. We will be approaching Atlanta on Highway 85", the voice spoke again and Dani felt herself tense as she walked towards the pair by the radio. Whoever was on the end of that radio wouldn't live much longer if they went down that route. Glenn began taking trips down to the city to gather supplies ever so often, it was packed with Walkers, they had called them, but he had always gone on his own.

Until now. A small group of the survivors had gone with Glenn this time around. Shane had urged them not to, rambling on about safety and risks but they had all been adamant. Except Glenn, who had expressed his concerns to her but went with them nonetheless. "Amy, you need to warn him", Dani pressed, lifting her hand to clutch her neck softly in anxiousness — something the girl did often.

"We're just outside the city", the Harrison girl acknowledged her friends words, but the radio went static and cut off, silence filled the air of the quarry after. "Damn it. Hello?", Amy tries again before turning to Dani and Dale, "He couldn't hear me. I couldn't warn him".

"Try to raise him again", Dale instructs with a wave of his finger before he turns to see Shane waltzing over, "Come on, son, you know best how to work this thing".

Danielle watches as her brother slams his axe down on a piece of wood and picks up the radio which resulted in Lori standing up to watch him. The younger Walsh swallowed down her disdain as knew all about Lori and her brother's affair. She hated it. She felt as though Lori was betraying Rick in a way even if he was dead. And plus it was her brother, it made her sick to her stomach. But she could also gather the sense that the Grimes woman felt the same and felt guilt ridden every time she looked at her son and friend.

However, she was grieving and latched onto the first person she could. That happened to be Shane. It made some sense in Danielle's mind, her brother had saved her and her child, she was grateful. And it just led to intimate feelings.

"Hello, hello? Is the person who called still on the air?", Shane inquires but didn't get a response. "This is officer Shane Walsh broadcasting to person unknown, please respond", he tried again but the radio remained static. The man put the radio down before muttering a quick, "He's gone".

"There are others. It's not just us", Lori points out with a shrug and Shane looks up at at her, "Well we knew there would be, right? That's why we left the CB on?".

"But we have clarification now, this is a good thing", Dani speaks, her hand now moving from her neck to rest on her hip as Shane merely nods at his sister's words. Tensions were high between the siblings, more so the brother than the sister. This was the longest they had stayed around each other since they were teenagers before Shane ultimately moved out.

Lori rests her hands on her hips also, "Lot of good it's been doing", her words came out sarcastically, "And I've been saying for a week, we ought to put signs on 85 and warn people away from the city".

"Folks got no idea what they're getting into", Amy agrees from her spot.

"Well, we haven't had time", Shane tells them. His leadership skills took over immediately and most people listened to him purely because he was a cop but Dani knew better. Her brother was a dominant person and he loved to fuel his own ego and he hated people telling him what to do.

He couldn't work well with others (outside of his former cop buddies) because of his omniscient need to be the best, perhaps that's why the Walsh siblings didn't get on because they were total opposites.

Dani was quiet and wasn't able to socialise well with others but when she did she often got nervous and would place her hand against her neck as if she was scolding herself for her lack of being able to connect with others. And Shane was a typical hot head who couldn't control is anger, a cop. He didn't understand Dani like Rick did.

"I could do it", Danielle's small voice made everyone's head snap to her, but she shied away from their lingering stares. She wasn't a very strong and she didn't know how to protect herself from the dead but still made it her mission to try and prove herself to the group even if she had never killed a walker. It was her main downfall and it revolved around her brother.

Danielle was obsessed with Shane. She constantly tried to get his attention or outdid herself in a simple task in the hopes of mending their relationship. Even if she was unsure as to why it was so broken. The old world was gone but the one thing that remained consistent was Dani's need to get her brother to notice her.

She loved her brother, but she didn't like him. Mostly because of this very feeling that bubbled in her chest every time Shane disappointed her or made her feel like the disappointment.

"No", Shane shot down the idea immediately as he knew that she would just get herself killed.

"I think we need to make time", Lori suggested, referring to what Shane said at the beginning. Danielle looked down at her feet and shifts them, Carl must have sensed her change in behaviour as he turns from having his back to her, to hugging her waist.

"And that, uh- that's a luxury we can't afford. We are surviving here, we are day to day", he expresses to them all, trying to make them understand but it was often that nobody wanted to go against him.

"Well if Danielle isn't going, who do you propose we send?", Dale urges to Shane.

"I'll go, give me a vehicle", Lori demands with determination which makes Dani scoff, "Absolutely not", she says as Carl still hugs her and decides to rub his back softly, not liking that Lori wants to leave her son behind to do something that could get her killed.

Shane, as if he had read her mind, speak, "Nobody goes anywhere alone and you know that", he tells the mother with a stern look. Danielle continues to watch the pair as Lori doesn't speak at first but everyone could tell that she was annoyed. So, they watch as she shakes her head and walks off with a sarcastic, "Yes, sir".

Carl lets go of his Aunt Dani so he could run after his mom but Shane stands up and holds his hand out for the boy to stop, "Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey. Go and take a seat bud. You're all right. Go on, you're all right", he speaks calmly which makes Carl back up into Danielle again.

"Come on Carl, let's finish this math work", Dani suggests before leading him back, the hot sun beamed down on them as they walked but she couldn't help but look back at her brother who was walking into the woods — chasing after Lori.

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