CHAPTER ONE ━━━ THE END OF PARALYSIS,
Season One : Episode One of The Walking Dead

Silence echoed around the barren and destructive hallways of the hospital. For forty five days, Adeline Grimes found herself stuck inside of the stalker infested building. It was a name she came up with herself, the feeling of being stalked being one she felt when she heard the everlasting groans and growls of the monsters locked in rooms. Before the world was sucked into chaos and she was split up from her husband, Adeline was a doctor. She was only twenty seven years old, so she wasn't one for long but - the studies were still fresh in her mind. Which helped her out, nonetheless. It gave her enough hope to keep her brother alive while he slept on a dreamboat of a coma throughout the apocalypse.

Rick Grimes received a 'Get out of jail free!' card right out of the community chest. As his sister kept him alive and learned to survive on her own, (with the occasional help from the man named Morgan from the street she used to live on) he slept through the first month. And of course, it was the hardest. There were many moments when Adeline lost hope, convinced that there was something she wasn't doing right. But deep down inside, she knew it was her brother being stubborn and not wanting to wake. How was he supposed to know that his life was now, officially and forever, on the line?

The younger Grimes pushed the metal door, letting the sunlight brush against her skin. Stepping out into the open, an immediate smell of death and decay pushed through her nostrils which caused her to scrunch her nose up in disgust. She believed there was never going to be a time when she would get used to it, and that was both a comforting and disturbed thought. Adeline had began to form a routine - everyday she would leave the hospital to smell anything other than death, but it soon came to her attention that it was nearly impossible. She visited her home, stayed for several hours before trekking back to the run down building that kept her brother hostage.

Three stalkers was the prime number of kills she had polished. Adeline was better at avoiding them, her small frame able to sneak past without noise and be on her way. Knowing her brother and husband would scold her if they could, she kept a black pistol holstered on her side. The weapon she preferred most was a metal baseball bat she had found, a few splatters of blood staining the surface from the very few kills. It fit perfectly in her belt loop, and it was silent. And in this new world, silence was key. But, the real reason she attempted to avoid the monsters at all costs was the hope buried deep inside of her. Hope that maybe, just maybe, these people inside of the rotted flesh could be saved. But that feeling was fading more and more everyday alongside the drive to keep the stalkers alive. It became useless.

With luck being on her side, the roads to her house was empty. Though if she were to make one loud noise, she was sure the stalkers would come out of their hiding place. So she stayed quiet, the bat hanging from her belt loop bouncing against her leg as she walked. The pistol was tightly strapped in and made no movement, bringing her hand down to assure herself that the safety was on and she wouldn't accidentally shoot a bullet through her thigh and become a human happy meal for the hungry lurkers. Adeline retreated her hand back to the strap of the backpack she wore, stolen from the hospital and filled to the brim with medical supplies.

Each week, when Thursday rolled around the corner, she would pack items from the hospital into a bag and deliver them to Morgan and his son Dwayne. Adeline divided it up each week and left it at the drop off point before taking the rest of the supplies and stuffing them into a duffle bag hidden in her home. She did this is as a precaution, because she knew her brother better than anyone. And when he awoke, if he was going to, he's headset would be deep into determination to go on a searching trip for his wife and son. Of course, Adeline would tag along and find her husband, who would be right alongside Ricks family. Getting separated wasn't what they originally planned the morning everything went to shit - thirteen days into the apocalypse.

Shimmying the backpack off of her shoulders, she crouched down onto the ground. The bat that hung by her side clashed against the concrete, but not loud enough to gain any unwanted attention. Quietly clearing her throat, she pulled out the separate supplies in the bag and stuffed them into the wooden crate under the bench. Adeline had yet to fully earn Morgan's trust, which she understood completely seeing as he had a son. So instead of meeting up with the man and exchanging the supplies, she hid them and left the area for the man to collect. Adeline zipped the bag up and slid it back around her shoulders, standing from her spot and inspecting the area for any stragglers before continuing on the journey to her home.

It wasn't long before the girl reached the white picket fence that circled around her house, reaching her hand over the gate and unlocking it. Adeline slipped through the protective door, locking it shut and making way up the wooden stairs that led to her front door. She perched her foot against the arm of the chair by the door, reaching up to grab the key that laid on the base of the lantern that hung above her door. Feeling the cold metal graze against her fingertips, she jumped up slightly and grabbed it - hopping down off of the chair and inserting the key into the door before pushing it open. The familiar smell of home (it was like you walked into a room stocked with cinnamon candy) wafted through her nostrils which caused a smile to lace around her lips and arms to hurriedly shut the door so the scent couldn't escape into the arms of death.

Adeline unclipped the pistol from her thigh and walked deeper into the house, laying the weapon onto the kitchen counter alongside her bat. Sliding the backpack off of her shoulder, a feeling of relief wrapped its arms around her body and squeezed tightly. It was as if nothing changed, like she had walked out of a nightmare and into a dream. The furniture was in place, clothes that her husband had strewn around when packing hurriedly were picked up weeks ago by herself. Six weeks and three days without minimal human contact, not counting the four conversations that Adeline and Morgan had shared. There were hundreds of those between her and her brother, but she knew the man wouldn't remember a single one whenever he woke up.

Walking into the bedroom, her eyes immediately drifted to the wedding pictures that were propped up on the dresser. One was missing, and that was the one her husband insisted on bringing and stuffed into his police bag. Adeline smiled softly at the meaning, memories resurfacing as she grabbed one of the remaining ones and took a glimpse into the past. They had been married for four years, but they were together ever since Adelines junior year in high school. But for him, it was his senior year. She was seventeen and he was eighteen, and the couple lasted for ten years. Of course, to the naked eye it really didn't seem like that long of a time. But to them it felt like an eternity, but not the bad one.

No matter the insignificant arguments that occurred every so often, every soul in the town of Cynthiana knew Shane Walsh loved his wife more than anything. No couple was perfect - and if it was, then something was wrong. Everyone had their ups and downs, but it was their job to fight through those moments of lost hope. Making it work was what made it work. Because, what was the point in having something if it wasn't going to be cherished? But luckily for the couple, they cherished every second they spent together. Wether they were arguing or not, they were content with each other. And that was all Adeline Grimes and Shane Walsh could ask for. Though sometimes, they were polar opposites.

A loud gunshot rang through the air, piercing the girls eardrums as she flinched and dropped the picture frame to the ground. The glass shattered at her feet, but by the time she realized what she had done, she already had her pistol clipped into its holster and bat in hand. Adeline sprinted outside, her eyes searching the area for the source of the disruptive sound. "Holy shit," She muttered, the words tumbling at her mouth at the sight of her brother laying on the ground.

But what made her eyes widen was the gun pointed to his face, Morgan and his son standing over him. "What's your wound?" The question left the males mouth, mumbled mutters leaving her brothers lips as blood coated his nose and spluttered out of his mouth. She put two and two together as she saw the shovel gripped tightly in Dwayne's hands, and her boots scraping against the sidewalk as she rushed over to the men.

"Wait! Morgan, stop!" Adelines voice sliced through the infected air, pleads ricocheting off of her panicked body. Catching sight of her brother falling unconscious once again, frustration ripped through her while Morgan turned his gun on her. "Drop the bat." He ordered, his voice deep.

A breath of disbelief left her lips, "Are you kidding me? The amount of times I have given you shit that keeps you alive and you still don't trust me." She muttered, sliding the bat into her belt loop. "You remember the brother I told you about? That's him." The information reached the ears of Morgan, her weaponless hands hanging by her side as she motioned towards the supplies under the bench Dwayne stood in front of. "Help me with him, and you can have everything that's left." Adeline suggested with hopeful eyes.

Reluctantly, he flicked the safety button on and tucked the gun into his pants. "Fine. Dwanye, get the supplies." He instructed his son before sliding his arms under Ricks and hoisting him up. Stepping forward, Adeline carefully grabbed her brothers legs and took half of his weight off of Morgan.

"YOU LEAD, I'LL FOLLOW."