In Need Of Love: A Walking Dead Fanfiction
Chapter 1: Parade of the Dead

Climbing through the woods like a deer is not how Lucia Chamber enjoyed spending the day. It actually wasn't how she had wanted to spend the last three days, but when the apocalypse is suddenly thrust upon your lap, there isn't much one can do about it. The uphill climb was stretching her thighs; she could feel her muscles pull and burn. Reaching around to her back she slightly adjusted the Louisville Slugger that she had made a strap for so it was easier to carry. Then she reached into her pocket making sure her 9-mm. handgun was stored safely. You never wanted something to get worse in a bad situation.

She kept pushing branches out of her face as she walked, but more often than not she still was scratched by thorns and leaves kept sticking in her pulled back long chestnut-colored hair. Fallen twigs and dead grass crunched beneath her feet as she strode through the forest.

Before the whole end of the world, she had just finished her second year in college. Being at the young age of twenty-five, a Marine Biologist is what she wanted to become but with the living dead walking, there wasn't much use to study about the life span of dolphins and whales.

After what seemed like endless hours walking, she finally came to a clearing. Only large bushes stood between her and the open, but with what she saw, she immediately ducked down behind them. It was a large two-lane highway. Cars stretched across, bumper to bumper; all abandoned of course, except for a large mass of flesh hungry walkers trudging along the roads. Lucia had to clamp her hand over her mouth to hide a shriek and risk being heard.

Shooting her gun was not an option. That would only drag all the mindless geeks onto her and there was more than several dozen out there. She was just on the edge of the road and thankfully, they were all in the middle lanes. Ever so slowly, she peaked her head out over the bushes watching them limp. A death march. That's what they were.

She noticed a sudden movement from underneath one of the cars. She squinted her eyes in that direction and saw people. People who were alive and trying to hide under the vehicles. People who breathed the same putrid air as herself. It was so amazing to see someone who didn't have rotten flesh, vividly show skeletons, or who didn't moan and limp about. Someone who was human; alive.

The herd of walkers started to move on. Only a few stragglers were left when a little girl with short blonde hair made a fatal mistake. She shifted under the car slightly and poked her head out...and three walkers spotted her.
One dressed in tattered overalls immediately dropped to its knees reaching its decaying fingers towards her frightened figure. She let out a cry and quickly shuffled out from under the car. The second walker, followed by a third, rounded the car trying to reach her. The girl quickly ran into the bushes not far from where Lucia was hiding. Screaming once again the girl sat on the dirt and slid down the hill trying to escape.

Lucia doesn't hesitate for a moment. She goes after her.

Running down a hill is tricky. You can't go to slow or you'll get caught on something such as a root, but you can't go to fast either or you'll lose your balance. She could hear the cries of the girl as she ran in fright. She reached for her slugger as she neared the furthest away walker. Both hands on the bat, she reared back and swung violently, instantly knocking it to the ground. She stood over it, beating it repeatedly until its face was reduced to a clump of dead, rotting flesh. She didn't bother to wipe off her bat. It was stained before and this surely wasn't the last time; it would be stained again. She was ready to beat in another walker but when she turned around the geeks and the little girl, were gone.

Panic started to take hold on her. Gripping the bat, she ran quickly desperate to find her and save her.

As she ran, she heard a loud nearby splash. She sprinted towards the sound as fast as her legs would carry her. When she got there a man in a tan sheriff outfit and scruffy black hair was beckoning the walkers; calling the probably away from the girl.

"Come on!" He yelled, splashing water at them. The two tumbled off the small cliff into the water. Staggering they stood and hobbled after him. The girl was nowhere to be seen so Lucia took off after the sheriff. He kept calling them for a good while, far from the creek, until he stumbled, but quickly recovered. His eyes scanned the forest floor and he picked up a large jagged rock, heaving it at the closest walker. It fell to the ground and he smashed its face in much like Lucia did before. Meanwhile, Lucia swung her bat at the one with its back to her. The sound of breaking bone startled the man and he whirled around to face her as she also beat the walker dead; for good.
His guard seemed to drop slightly when he saw she wasn't one of the undead. Both of their breathing was raspy and hard from the long amount of running.

In between pants he managed out, "Who are you?"

She smiled at him. "Lucia Chamber. Nice to meet you." She reached out an open palm.

He took it. "I'm Rick Grimes. Thanks." He released her hand and gestured to the walkers.

"No problem. Is that little girl okay? I saw the herd of walkers and ya'll try to hide away from them. As soon as they chased her into the woods I went after them."

Rick watched her. "Her name is Sophia and she's twelve. I caught up with her at the creek and told her to hide while I drew the walkers away. Told her to go back to the highway."

A silence formed, both of them lost in their own thoughts of Sophia. Then Lucia spoke, "Well you probably need to go on back. Make sure she got there okay."

He nodded then looked at her. "You can come back with me. We have other survivors; we could always use more hands. I'm sure you and your bat could come in handy."

Although Lucia wouldn't admit it, she felt so happy when he spoke those words. She could be with people again! Real living people!

She smiled at him. "Thanks. A lot." He nodded in return and they quickly took of back uphill.

When they reached the highway, it was silent. An older woman with gray shaved hair ran towards Rick.

"Did you find her? Did you find my baby?" Rick's face visibly dropped.

"She isn't back?"

Panic filled the woman's face and she shook her head slowly, as if not believing that her little girl didn't come out of the forest. Another woman, much younger, appeared and put her arm around the woman, her long brown hair covering some of her stress-filled face.

"It's okay Carol, I'm sure she'll be back soon."

I looked around at the rest of the group and locked eyes with an arrogant looking blonde. "Who are you?" She asked in a snappy tone. Rick stepped in.

"Everyone this is Lucia Chamber. She helped he kill the walkers that were after Sophia." He pointed to the blonde. "That's Andrea. The man on her left is Dale." The older man gave a small smile. He was fat and wore a small brown fishing hat. He looked as if he was about to leave for vacation. She could see the discomfort written in his expression.

"This man over here is Glenn" The Asian male gave a smile and a little wave. He was visibly shorter than the rest of the group, but also seemed a lot smarter. She could read his eyes like a book: Worry.

"This is my wife Lori," He pointed to the woman who was currently comforting Carol, "And my son Carl." The short boy with a bowl-like brown haircut smiled up at her. He was young. Too young to be going through this; that was for sure. Lucia smiled back feeling sympathy pain for the boy.

"That's T-dog." He continued, pointing at a burly black man who was holding a badly wounded arm and had a deranged look in his eye. Lucia was no doctor, but she was sure that wasn't healthy.

"Next to him is my friend, Shane." The black-headed man didn't make eye contact, he simply just watched as Lori comforted Carol, seeming to be deep in thought, although she could see clearly the longing in his stare.

"And finally, that's Daryl." He was a build redneck looking man with a crossbow strapped to his back. He had short messy brown hair and his clothes were tattered and torn. He was staring down at the crumbling concrete as if he wasn't aware of anything else that was going on.

Her eyes lingered on him a moment longer than anyone else in the group. There was something about him, some characteristic that made him seem different from everyone here. He seemed confident, yet afraid. She didn't know how to pinpoint it. And she was usually spot on at reading people.

She turned back to Rick, who was currently trying to assure Carol that they would go out and search for Sophia. It was obvious to Lucia right off that Rick was the leader. He had that sort of strong and confident voice that made people want to follow him.

"Alright, we'll go back to the creek, see if she wondered back. It will be nightfall soon so we need to hurry. Shane, Daryl, Andrea and Lucia will accompany me." Everyone nodded and started back into the forest to hopefully find the girl.