This is my first attempt at a Walking Dead fanfic and my first attempt at OCs. So, I hope you all enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead.

Diary of the Dead Days

Part One: Atlanta

Chapter One
Lily and Rose

It was just Rose and me left. And Ripley too, but the dog accompanying us wasn't my choice. Rose couldn't bear to leave him and I can't stand seeing her blue eyes filled with anymore tears. Ripley was ecstatic about joining us, his excited barks echoed painfully through the air when I had let him out of his lot. Our parents had waved us off as we drove in the mini-van down the dirt road, leaving behind the farm where we grew up. That was the last time I would ever see my parents again, watching them disappear from the rear view mirror.

It was just a few days after the dead started rising and eating people for some unknown reason. Since our home was far from the city, or any real kind of civilization in general, we were able to wait them out longer than most. They eventually started wandering in our back yard, claiming the lives of the helpless cattle and horses which had kept the dead distracted from attacking us. My father would sit on top of the barn, shooting them with his shotgun but the loud noises only drew more near. Their numbers were increasing day by day to where our small farm would eventually become overrun. I begged my parents that we should move locations, try to find somewhere safe, but they kept refusing. Eventually they told me what they been planning.

They were planning to kill themselves.

When they told me the truth, I felt utterly devastated and was in despair. I couldn't say anything, I just cried like a baby. Being twenty-two and crying like that in front of my parents would've been embarrassing if the situation weren't so grave. They even asked me if I wanted to go with them but I didn't answer right away, seriously thinking it through. Rose, my little sister, was too young to even fully understand the situation. She just turned ten a month ago and her mind was mainly focused on being excited about school being shut down due to the crisis. I couldn't ask her to kill herself, I couldn't even explain the situation to her. So, I refused the offer and lied to my sister.

I told her that we were going separate ways from our parents, the adults had a special rescue center and we had to go to the one for children. She believed me completely and didn't question it, like usual. Always trusting the words of her older sister. That night we all slept in the king-sized bed in my parent's room, and I tried my hardest not to cry with Rose so close and just enjoyed the last moments we would all spend together.

When we left with Ripley, I tried not thinking about what my parents were doing or what they were feeling. My bottom lip was bloodied due to the fact I kept biting down on it to force myself not to cry. My parents let me take all the supplies I could from the house. I jammed everything tightly in the van with the entire backseat and trunk packed with food, medical supplies, gas jugs, and everyday necessities. Then I put as many miles as I could from between us and the house. I don't know if they waited for us to be long gone or not, but I never heard the gunshots.

Guns were bad in this situation since they made so much noise, but I brought a few shotguns and rifles from my dad's hunting collection, along with an old-fashioned compact bow, two metal baseball bats, and a fire axe, just in case. We drove down the dirt road and went along south on the main road, thankfully it was free from walkers.

"Lily," Rose muttered, "When will we see mom and dad again?"

"I don't know." I answered honestly. I really didn't know, it was only a matter of time before we met our inevitable deaths, and I was just extending our miserable existence.

A few weeks had passed, slow and agonizing weeks. Tracking time was starting to become difficult, so I just gave up on remembering the days, but Rose was stubbornly checking days off the calendar. Ripley was another mouth to feed but he ate less than he usually did, the dog must have switched in survival mood and saved most of his meals. I was actually glad he was with us, he would alert us of walkers by growling lowly and he saved us quite few times on the road. He was a lean German Shepard that was mainly used for herding the cattle on our farm, his fur was mostly a sandy, tan color with only his muzzle black.

My hair was rapidly becoming greasy due to not bathing for quite some time, so I ended up pulling it back in a ponytail and clipped the bangs out of my face with bobby pins. Rose kept her hair down but it was showing signs of improper care as well. We would have to find some source of water soon so we could bathe and refill our canteens. I had found an open field in the mountains near the outskirts of Atlanta. I hated big cities and knew I would be entirely lost if I were to even set foot in there, so I didn't even bother to search for the rumored shelters in Atlanta.

"C'mon, let's go find us a lake so we can bathe." I tried encouraging Rose by adding excitement to my voice. Even though it sounded fake, it appeared to have had work as she grinned widely and agreed. I wasn't happy about leaving the security of the van but we had to do something.

Majority of the day time, we sat inside of the minivan and would only set foot outside every now and then to stretch our legs. That was it, we ate every four hours in little portions and sometimes listened to the CDs left in the glove compartment and the ones Rose brought with her. At one point, Ripley growled to signify to approach of a walker and I had ordered Rose to stay put and I grabbed the baseball bat, beating it in the head as hard as I could until it didn't move anymore. We've only ran into one walker in the hills outside of the city which I could only take on one at a time, if two ever appeared, I would be toast. I considered looking guard on top of the van with my compact bow I brought along, but since my aim was terrible, I'd only lose the few arrows I have.

I let Ripley travel ahead of us when we departed, his pace was cautious and he sniffed the air often. He was making sure the coast was clear. After awhile, he relaxed and we walked with a little bit more ease. Rose carried a bag full of extra clothes and shampoos while I had the axe slung over my shoulder in case we ran into trouble. I kept in mind the location of our van, only traveling a straight line so we wouldn't get lost.

Ripley then abruptly stopped, jerking his head up from the ground and looked around. I stopped as well and put a hand in front of Rose, forcing her to cease. Then Ripley barked with joy. The loud noise made me grimaced but as he took off, we both chased after him. He had led us to an isolated quarry. Rose jumped with excitement and I couldn't help but squeal. Ripley plunged into the water, enjoying splashing around

I advised Rose that we would take turns, one would bathe and the other would be the lookout. I let her go first and she was thankful. She laid her pink sundress beside me in a neat manner and waded into the water, taking her time.

I rested on a rock near the shallow shore, still holding on to the axe in my hand. It wasn't long after until I started hearing noises, and by the look of Ripley's ears, he had heard it too. The noise was faint but the sound was recognizable. It was voices. Other people were at this quarry as well. I tiptoed behind a large chunk of rock, concealing myself from view. But my stealthiness was all for nothing as Ripley raced out towards the strangers, excited like he was racing off to see familiar faces. Judging by the high-pitched squeals, I knew automatically it was women. I cautiously approached Ripley and the small group of women, I had left my axe behind so it wouldn't seem like I was a threat.

"It's okay, it's okay! He won't hurt you!" My voice cracking as I forced the speech, my overbearing shyness was always present with strangers but I couldn't let that interfere with Ripley's safety at the moment. He was a good dog, but they didn't know that.

There were four women, all very much older than I except one. I heard my sister nervously call out my name but I hollered back, "Rose, there's people! There's more people, Rose!" My voice was gitty and full of joy, which I was instantly embarrassed when I heard the older blonde one giggle slightly. I must have sounded ridiculous. Looking closer, I noticed they were all carrying clothes, probably bringing them down to the quarry to wash.

I tried explaining my situation. I should have been more cautious about these strangers, but they were all so friendly and nice. They had a camp, with others as well. I offered my supplies if I could join but they were hesitant, saying they should ask Shane first. They were kind enough to wash Rose's dress and my clothes once it was my turn to bathe. Rose had brought an extra outfit that didn't match at all, but I doubt it matter anymore, her hot pink shirt and multicolored flower pants stood out brightly.

The youngest were two blonde girls, Andrea and Amy. Amy was around my age and very pretty at that, the two sisters were almost identical. It reminded me of Rose and I, we probably looked very similar even though our ages were far apart. Blue eyes and brown hair matching and my face rounded, giving my young adult self a childish look. I knew once Rose got older, she'll be my splitting image …. if she ever got older. Ripley took an instant liking to the oldest woman with short, gray-ish hair, named Carol. He sniffed her and sat down beside her protectively, his reaction towards her sparked my interest but I didn't mention anything. The final woman of the group was older too, a black woman with a friendly smile and caring nature named Jacqui.

"My name is Lily Ryder, and this is my little sister, Rose." I explained, my nerves still trying to calm themselves with my sister beside me.

"Those are both pretty names." Carol smiled at us. I thought our names were odd when put together, both named after flowers. My parent probably planned it out that way too. Thinking about them made my heart twist in pain. Even though about three weeks had passed, their deaths still gave me great sorrow and made my body ache when I thought of them.

"How about I show you to camp." Andrea said, motioning her hand for us to follow her, and with her sister led us to their camp. The camp was located on top of the steep hill that led down to the quarry, so we didn't travel far but my legs were beginning to ache. Spending weeks sitting in the van had probably weaken my muscles.

The other survivors were surprise to see strangers walk into their campsite and they were even more shocked to find a dog companion as well. However, the other children were excited to see the animal. A little boy and a little girl raced up to pet Ripley, who calmly stayed put while their fingers rubbed through his fur coat. A woman chased after the kids, telling them to be careful. The boy was named Carl and the girl was Sophia from what I heard the woman yelling.

"That's my dog, Ripley!" Rose boasted with pride to the other children.

It was suffocating to have so many eyes watching me, eyes full of suspicion and surprise. My face was beginning to heat up and my whole body was starting to get hot. Part of me was more happier when it was just Rose and me, but I knew we wouldn't last long on our own. We needed more people, especially if more walkers were to come. I looked around, suddenly aware that they were gazing at me so intently because they were waiting for me to speak.

"Um, m-my name is Lily Ryder and this is my little sister, Rose." I introduced my sister and I once again, "We've been living in our parents van for the past couple of weeks. We have more supplies and I'd be happy to share."

I wasn't speaking to no one in particular but as one man shuffled closer to me, I assumed he had the role of the 'leader' in this group. He had a mass of black, curly hair and wore a police uniform proudly with a gun in his holster.

"My name is Shane Walsh. You and your sister seem pretty harmless but I'm not so sure about this dog." He said, eyes darted between me and Ripley but his gaze rested on the dog. Ripley was the most intelligent canine I've ever seen, his chocolate eyes looked back at the police officer, knowing he was being spoke about.

"Ripley was our herding dog," My voice finding itself, I was starting to sound more full of authority like when I scolded Rose instead of sounding like a meek, scared girl, "He'll be more of a help than a bother, if it wasn't for him, Rose and I would probably be dead by now. He can smell a walker from a mile away. Whenever he growls, one is near."

My conviction sounded strong but I was only trying to keep Ripley safe from being abandoned. I knew if Ripley was forced to leave, Rose would be heartbroken. I couldn't let that happen. He grinned, nodding his head and taking his eyes away from Ripley. I smiled back, gracious that we had been accepted.

"Yeah, Shane. When we run outta food, we got us some extra meat." A man chuckled from a distance. A gazed over, noticing the tent furthest away from everybody else. The man who spoke had his hair cut close to his scalp and had a rough and rugged appearance, he was accompanied by another who looked just as rough but with darker hair.

I wasn't able to speak, my words and pride lost in seconds, and all I could really do was send a hateful look towards the older one. But, then Rose did something I really wish she hadn't done. She clenched her fist and glared hatefully at the two.

"No!" She snapped, "You're not going anywhere near my dog, you mean people!"

"No, no. It's alright." The police officer, Shane, reassured Rose by pulling her away gently, "We won't eat your dog, they are just messing around."

Rose didn't seem to believe him but reluctantly nodded, glancing back at the other men and fiercely sticking out her tongue at them. They both chuckled at her fire but left her be, keeping mostly towards their side of the camp. A short silence followed, but then everyone returned to their duties.

Rose and I were given a short, basic introduction of everyone. The woman who was watching over the kids, Carl and Sophia, was named Lori Grimes. The outcasts from earlier were Merle and Daryl Dixon. All the other people's names didn't stick too well in my head but I figured I would be learning them sooner or later. I had more of a knack of remembering faces more than names.

Rose tagged along with me to head back to where our van was parked, I didn't quite feel safe leaving her with these new people just yet. Shane offered to escort us, but I refused, saying Ripley was enough protection. I drove my parents minivan on the small trail that led up to these mountains, parking it near the RV and as close to camp as I could get. Our food supply was getting smaller and smaller, but it was enough to last us a few more weeks with the way we had been living. If I hadn't by chance found this survivor's camp, I wouldn't know what to do once the food was gone. Even though this world had became cruel, I was now facing it with a team.

Words couldn't explain how relieved I was to actually find more survivors. I started to hope once more.

That's it for chapter one, I hoped you liked it and please leave a review telling me what you think! Thanks for reading!