Too Cool for You

It had to be a dream. Nicole’s brain knew that, but her body had felt something entirely different once the car had reached the prison’s front gate.

Dreams, especially hers, were usually weird and confusing. This was also weird and confusing, but somehow, it made perfect sense in the tv show’s world.

She smiled to herself, thinking how much Hannah would have loved to see and talk to them, to be in the same car as Sasha and Glenn like she was now.

The gates closed behind them. She watched Daryl stop his bike and going straight for Rick. Nicole already knew what they were talking about; she had watched the show long enough to understand what was going to happen next.

Rick glanced at her as she got out of the car. Yes, she was the new survivor. The one they had to keep an eye on. And after what had happened, they probably thought that she was crazy too.

Nicole diverted her eyes to the source of the noise that came from behind her. Her eyes narrowed and her nose scrunched. The dead really smelled bad. Much worse than she could have ever imagined. Not to mention that standing so close to someone whose eyeballs or other body parts were about to fall to the ground made her want to vomit again. Her hand flew to her mouth. Something she probably would have done it by now if she hadn’t emptied her stomach a while ago.

A gray haired lady approached Nicole. "Hi, I’m Carol." She smiled.

Nicole managed to smile back, despite the nauseating feeling that still took over her. "Nicky."

Once they took a few steps towards the prison, Rick’s eyes darted to Nicole. She had always liked him as a character, but now she was terrified of him. She didn’t want him to interrogate her or give her the intimidating look he was famous for.

"Nicole, right?" Rick’s voice made her hold her breath.

"Nicky," she spoke, trying to ignore the way he examined her. "I prefer being called that way."

Rick nodded. "I heard you were in an accident. Do you know exactly what happened?"

"Not really. All I remember is waking up inside the car and seeing no one." She lied. If she told the truth, nobody would believe her, so why bother? "I was trying to find someone who could help when your people found me."

"Well, take her to Hershel," Rick spoke to Carol before turning his attention to Nicole. "He’s one of our doctors and he’ll make sure everything’s okay with you."

Nicole didn’t say a word. Hershel was not really a doctor, she knew that, but she liked him and knew that he was capable of taking care of her.

On their way to meet Hershel, Carol and Nicole had crossed paths with Michonne, Maggie and a few survivors she didn’t recognize. Her mind raced, still searching for answers. Were those people real? Was all this just a product of her imagination? Everything seemed so vivid and yet impossible.

For the first time Nicole regretted not watching all of the episodes with Hannah. She could have known what was going to happen, who the other survivors were and if this thing was really an exact copy of the episodes or just her imagination running wild.

As soon as the cell bock door closed behind them an overwhelming sensation traveled her body. She was really inside the prison. The same prison she had seen on tv. Nicole stopped, her eyes taking in everything in front of her. It looked so cold. So depressing. So real.

"We’re almost there." Carol’s voice made Nicole close her mouth, now realizing she had been staring at all that with her mouth wide open.

Before reaching what was supposed to be Hershel’s cell, he appeared, coming down from the upper level of the prison, where more cells were.

Carol introduced Nicole and explained what had happened to her. "It’s nice to meet you Nicky." He extended his hand and she shook it. A smile crept across her face. His hand was warm and she could feel the strength in it, how could a dream make her feel all that?



Nicole had stayed inside a cell for the past hour. After Hershel had examined and talked to her he had left and Beth had appeared with a smile and new clothes for her wear. A brown tank top, dark washed jeans and combat boots that were a little too big for her feet. She had always been the type of girl who wore short dresses and high heels. The higher the better. She looked down at her hands, tightly clasped between her legs. She hated her new clothes.

The sound of someone clearing her throat made look up. Maggie waved from the cell block’s entrance.

"Are you okay?"

Nicole only smiled.

"I can show you around if you want to, we’ve come up come up with a system to have showers." She seemed somewhat proud of that fact and Nicole remembered all the amenities this world didn’t have. No internet, no cell phones, no hot water, no electricity. "Then you can join us for dinner." Maggie continued as Nicole got up from the bunk bed and followed her. She really hoped this was all just a dream, or else very boring days would be ahead of her.