What Would Have Happened If... (The Walking Dead)

WWHHI... Glenn Never Found Rick

What Would Have Happened If... Glenn never found Rick in the tank. 

Again, I (obviously) have no affiliation with The Walking Dead, characters, etc. This is just for fun. 

Rick's breathing was heavy and his hair dripped sweat droplets down his forehead. He was terrified- more terrified than he had ever been in his life- and didn't know what to do. Rick knew he wasn't going to last long in here... he had to escape. However, there were so many... dead people in the streets trying to eat him. 

His ear was still ringing from the gunshot, but he tried to ignore it. Rick rested his head against his gun and was trying to think of what to do next, but a million thoughts jumbled together and he didn't know which one to focus on. Where were Lori and Carl? Why are there so many... undead... in the street? How was he going to escape the tank? Would he die in here? Sweat dripped from his nose onto his arm and he stared at it while trying to process his questions. 

But Rick knew he had to escape. He had to try to escape. It was either that or run out of oxygen or food and water... He was going to die either way, and he decided that trying to escape would be both more heroic and worth a try. Rick just wished he wasn't alone in this situation. Morgan and Duane were the only two people he had seen since he woke up, and he slightly regretted leaving them now. 

It had been about a half hour in the tank and Rick was getting nauseous and dizzy between the heat, the lack of water, and the current situation he was in. He wondered if some of the dead had scattered a bit; if they got bored realizing he wasn't leaving the tank so they left. Rick just had to peek out of the hole at the top of the tank. He would just open it slightly and take a look. If none of them are on top, then he can poke his head out more and find an escape route.  

Rick stood up and held his gun to the hole while he slowly pushed up on it. The bright sky shone in which made him squint his eyes. There were no immediate groans or dead trying to come in, so he pushed the top farther and looked out. The top of the tank was clear. Rick hoisted himself up to sit on the tank with his legs dangling in the hole in case he had to make a quick exit back inside. Fortunately, all of the undead were focused on their meal of horse as opposed to Rick himself. The sight and the stench made him gag, but he was just grateful he might actually have a chance out of here. 

In front of him, the dead were chomping on the horse; to the right, more dead were walking towards the horse. Behind him, more of them were wandering around the street, and to the left... well, he immediately knew that would be his best chance of escape. There was a small alleyway in between two buildings with a fire escape staircase at the beginning of the alley, so that's what he will be aiming for. Most of the dead were in the street making the way to the fresh kill, and Rick only saw a few stumbling past the alley. If he was going to try to escape, now was his chance. 

Rick jumped down into a small empty clearing and could hear groans and hisses coming from all around him. His heart was beating rapidly and his stomach was in knots but he was good under pressure, due to his job as a sheriff. He shot his gun at the walker coming close to him on his right, then the one quickly on his left. 

Suddenly one of them grabbed Rick's sleeve but he pulled away just in time for it to only bite a hole in the cloth. He instantly shot it which drew more of the dead towards him. He ran forward trying to weave through them and knew there was no backing out of this plan now. Rick was completely unable to make it back to the tank, but he was halfway there... halfway towards safety. 

With a smack to the head, Rick managed to knock two of the dead people down to the ground, and whipped his gun in front of him to kill the few that were there. He wasn't sure how many bullets he had left, so he saved the other ones and shoved undead to the ground once he realized how uncoordinated they were.