Hope Is a Waking Dream
Chapter One
Chapter One
Melissa trudged through the woods back to her cabin. Carrying critters was weighing her down. She was exhausted and considering just going to sleep when she got back instead of taking time to cook. She could see the cabin through the trees, but was still too far away to see the smoke coming from the chimney. That cabin had been a Godsend. Whomever it belonged to must have been one of those doomsday preppers. The fully stocked basement had cans and boxes of food covering the walls from floor to ceiling. She had been very lucky in that there hadn’t been many dead ones around. Whoever owned this cabin must not have made it there in time, because it was locked up tighter than a drum when she found it. Before the cabin, she had slept in trees and small caves she had found. She only had two hunting knives and a 9mm Beretta, so catching food had been difficult. She hated using the gun because it attracted those things. By her estimation, she had been there for a month, maybe a month and a half. She had begun to think that she was the only human on the planet left breathing, until she cleared the tree line and saw a vehicle parked by the door of the cabin.
“What the actual fuck?” she said to herself and crept closer to the vehicle. She took out one of her knives and held it at the ready. As she approached the automobile, she noticed that the interior of the cabin was bathed in candlelight and there were shadows moving inside. She steps quickly around the vehicle and sees two more behind it along with a motorcycle. Must be a damn family reunion, she thought. She worked her way around the cars to the side of the cabin trying to look in the boarded up windows. She could hear whispers inside, but couldn’t understand what they were saying. Suddenly she heard the front door squeak open. She peered around the side to the front. She could tell someone was standing there, but she could not tell what he looked like. It was definitely a man, that fact she knew without question. He was tall and had something bulky hanging at his back. She could smell cigarette smoke and saw the cherry as he inhaled. She watched carefully as he just stood there looking out into the woods. Soon, he moved to sit on the steps. He unstrapped the monstrosity from his body and laid it beside him. Another man came out the door and sat next to him. Neither said a word for a while until she heard the first man say something about watch duty and hunting. The other man stood up and patted him on the back as he went inside. She saw the man visibly flinch at the contact, but he did not move from his spot on the steps.
She took that opportunity to continue her trek around the cabin. She had taught herself to be stealthy, not just for hunting and avoiding the dead ones, but also to avoid any breathers, if there were any left. There weren’t but a couple windows in the back. The cabin was small with two bedrooms, a kitchen, and the living area with a fireplace. Melissa glanced through the boarded windows as she passed, mainly concentrating on anything that might be outside with her. She hadn’t heard a sound since she had moved to the backside of the cabin. As she turned the corner, she ran straight into a brick wall. Well, it felt like a brick wall. Whatever it was, it knocked her clear onto her ass, her knife flying out of her hand. As she was falling backward, she thought maybe she had missed the corner and run into the cabin itself. However, when she looked up, she saw the man, the man with the monstrosity, and he had it pointed at her head.
“Who the fuck are you?” the man shouted at her.
“Who the fuck are you?” Melissa replied. “You’re the one committing a home invasion!”
“I asked you a question bitch! Now get your ass up, slowly, and give me your weapons.” He growled.
“I ain’t giving you shit motherfucker! Get your goddamn circus and get the fuck out of my home!” she yelled, not caring now if it brought the dead. Maybe she could get them to take care of her visitors so she wouldn’t have to spill blood herself. The dead never showed, but the cabin did empty. At least four people poured out of the front door, guns and knives ready. The other man she had seen that night came over to stand next to the one who was ready to kill her.
“Daryl, what the hell is going on?” he asked.
“Stupid bitch thought she could sneak up on me. Was coming around the back to attack us.”
“Whoa whoa whoa,” Melissa said. This miserable little shit wasn’t just trying to take her home, he was gonna get her lynched. “You hold up one damn minute asshat. If you think that ya’ll can come in here and take my place and me not fight you, you’re fucked in the head!”
“You’ve been living here?” the other man asked.
“For at least a month, maybe more. Bet you didn’t find a damn bit of anything in there either. Only shit that’s left is the shit that’s too bad to eat. Now, I appreciate the fact that ya’ll need food and shelter, but you got vehicles. Get in them. Drive away. Sleep in them. They will protect you. Just. Get. The. Fuck. Outta. Here.
“Hold on a minute,” the man says. “We could stay here together. We can help you. We have numbers. Daryl here is our hunter, he provides for us. We can work together. We have children, my wife is pregnant. Please, let’s work this out. My name’s Rick Grimes.”
“Rick, what the hell are you doing?” the maniac asked, obviously pissed off that he hadn’t been given a direct order to kill.
“I’m thinking about my family Daryl. I’m thinking that Lori and the baby will have a better chance if she doesn’t have to give birth in a car or the woods.” Rick said. “What’s your name?” he asked her.
“Melissa Sheppard,” she said. She looked over the small crowd gathered. Her heart was racing. She didn’t know if it was anger or anxiousness. She hated people. Before the world went to shit, she had chosen to be alone. After her parents died, she had no family left. She chose to stay away, made a concerted effort not to be ‘sociable’. People can hurt you. They will hurt you. Best keep your distance. “Listen, ya’ll can stay inside tonight. It’s gonna be a tight squeeze, but I’m sure ya’ll are used to that. I’m also pretty sure that you’ve already got all your shit set up in there.” She threw her rabbits to the ground at Daryl’s feet. “If you’re a hunter, you’ll know what to do with those. Just stay out of my way.”
Melissa trudged through the woods back to her cabin. Carrying critters was weighing her down. She was exhausted and considering just going to sleep when she got back instead of taking time to cook. She could see the cabin through the trees, but was still too far away to see the smoke coming from the chimney. That cabin had been a Godsend. Whomever it belonged to must have been one of those doomsday preppers. The fully stocked basement had cans and boxes of food covering the walls from floor to ceiling. She had been very lucky in that there hadn’t been many dead ones around. Whoever owned this cabin must not have made it there in time, because it was locked up tighter than a drum when she found it. Before the cabin, she had slept in trees and small caves she had found. She only had two hunting knives and a 9mm Beretta, so catching food had been difficult. She hated using the gun because it attracted those things. By her estimation, she had been there for a month, maybe a month and a half. She had begun to think that she was the only human on the planet left breathing, until she cleared the tree line and saw a vehicle parked by the door of the cabin.
“What the actual fuck?” she said to herself and crept closer to the vehicle. She took out one of her knives and held it at the ready. As she approached the automobile, she noticed that the interior of the cabin was bathed in candlelight and there were shadows moving inside. She steps quickly around the vehicle and sees two more behind it along with a motorcycle. Must be a damn family reunion, she thought. She worked her way around the cars to the side of the cabin trying to look in the boarded up windows. She could hear whispers inside, but couldn’t understand what they were saying. Suddenly she heard the front door squeak open. She peered around the side to the front. She could tell someone was standing there, but she could not tell what he looked like. It was definitely a man, that fact she knew without question. He was tall and had something bulky hanging at his back. She could smell cigarette smoke and saw the cherry as he inhaled. She watched carefully as he just stood there looking out into the woods. Soon, he moved to sit on the steps. He unstrapped the monstrosity from his body and laid it beside him. Another man came out the door and sat next to him. Neither said a word for a while until she heard the first man say something about watch duty and hunting. The other man stood up and patted him on the back as he went inside. She saw the man visibly flinch at the contact, but he did not move from his spot on the steps.
She took that opportunity to continue her trek around the cabin. She had taught herself to be stealthy, not just for hunting and avoiding the dead ones, but also to avoid any breathers, if there were any left. There weren’t but a couple windows in the back. The cabin was small with two bedrooms, a kitchen, and the living area with a fireplace. Melissa glanced through the boarded windows as she passed, mainly concentrating on anything that might be outside with her. She hadn’t heard a sound since she had moved to the backside of the cabin. As she turned the corner, she ran straight into a brick wall. Well, it felt like a brick wall. Whatever it was, it knocked her clear onto her ass, her knife flying out of her hand. As she was falling backward, she thought maybe she had missed the corner and run into the cabin itself. However, when she looked up, she saw the man, the man with the monstrosity, and he had it pointed at her head.
“Who the fuck are you?” the man shouted at her.
“Who the fuck are you?” Melissa replied. “You’re the one committing a home invasion!”
“I asked you a question bitch! Now get your ass up, slowly, and give me your weapons.” He growled.
“I ain’t giving you shit motherfucker! Get your goddamn circus and get the fuck out of my home!” she yelled, not caring now if it brought the dead. Maybe she could get them to take care of her visitors so she wouldn’t have to spill blood herself. The dead never showed, but the cabin did empty. At least four people poured out of the front door, guns and knives ready. The other man she had seen that night came over to stand next to the one who was ready to kill her.
“Daryl, what the hell is going on?” he asked.
“Stupid bitch thought she could sneak up on me. Was coming around the back to attack us.”
“Whoa whoa whoa,” Melissa said. This miserable little shit wasn’t just trying to take her home, he was gonna get her lynched. “You hold up one damn minute asshat. If you think that ya’ll can come in here and take my place and me not fight you, you’re fucked in the head!”
“You’ve been living here?” the other man asked.
“For at least a month, maybe more. Bet you didn’t find a damn bit of anything in there either. Only shit that’s left is the shit that’s too bad to eat. Now, I appreciate the fact that ya’ll need food and shelter, but you got vehicles. Get in them. Drive away. Sleep in them. They will protect you. Just. Get. The. Fuck. Outta. Here.
“Hold on a minute,” the man says. “We could stay here together. We can help you. We have numbers. Daryl here is our hunter, he provides for us. We can work together. We have children, my wife is pregnant. Please, let’s work this out. My name’s Rick Grimes.”
“Rick, what the hell are you doing?” the maniac asked, obviously pissed off that he hadn’t been given a direct order to kill.
“I’m thinking about my family Daryl. I’m thinking that Lori and the baby will have a better chance if she doesn’t have to give birth in a car or the woods.” Rick said. “What’s your name?” he asked her.
“Melissa Sheppard,” she said. She looked over the small crowd gathered. Her heart was racing. She didn’t know if it was anger or anxiousness. She hated people. Before the world went to shit, she had chosen to be alone. After her parents died, she had no family left. She chose to stay away, made a concerted effort not to be ‘sociable’. People can hurt you. They will hurt you. Best keep your distance. “Listen, ya’ll can stay inside tonight. It’s gonna be a tight squeeze, but I’m sure ya’ll are used to that. I’m also pretty sure that you’ve already got all your shit set up in there.” She threw her rabbits to the ground at Daryl’s feet. “If you’re a hunter, you’ll know what to do with those. Just stay out of my way.”