Dixon Daughter • The Walking Dead

prologue

Bella was extremely confused about what was happening, but all she knew was that she needed to find her father.

Adrenaline flooded through her system, pumping and beating like it was trying to escape. Belly thought her head was going to explode and her eyes widened in fear. She needed to find her father right now.

Everyone was running in every direction, making it difficult to find him.

It was chaos.

It took a moment for Bella to finally see her father racing towards her.

Bella was about to run towards him until she heard a familiar scream. It made her suddenly stop to a halt. Turning towards the scream, her eyes widened in shock.

There was Ashley, lying on the ground screaming as a rotten corpse was tearing her flesh. Blood spread everywhere on the ground.

The rotten corpse had one ear missing, and both its lips had been bitten off, perhaps that was its death kiss from another rotten corpse that turned him into one of the undead. One hand had been mangled and his right bicep was chewed away exposing the white bone beneath. He had been scalped by some failed attempt to slay him and as he drew each rattling breath, he made a low growling moan that chilled Bella's blood.

Bella couldn't breathe, it felt as if someone was choking her. Her heart was racing and all she wanted to do was help her best friend. But she couldn't. A choked cry forced itself up her throat, and she felt a tear run down her cheek.

"Ashley!" Bella cried.

The rotten corpse looked up from Ashley's body and to the brunette. It slowly got up and began limping towards her.

Bella's breathing was unsteady as she quickly turned around and ran in the other direction. She ran as fast as she could until she bumped into someone. Looking up to see who it was, she sighed in relief when she saw that it was her father.

Daryl instantly grabbed his daughter and held her against his hip as they ran out of the school yard.

Looking over her father's shoulder, Bella saw a few of her friends and their parents, including teachers getting eaten alive by multiple rotten corpses.

Tears began rolling down her cheeks. She sniffled and buried her head into her father's neck.

••••

When Bella looked around at her surroundings, she saw trees everywhere. The young, green leaves rustled in the wind as the sounds of dead, weak trees creaked at every push the wind gave. It was the end of fall, and the air was colder than an ice cube, climbing through her jacket to the bottom of her spine.

She then noticed a small wooden house in the distance which caused a small smile to spread across her lips.

Home.

"Bella, start packing your things." Daryl instructed as he placed her down. He opened the front door and stormed inside, starting to pack himself. "Merle! Merle, where are you?!"

Merle Dixon. Daryl's older brother and known as Uncle Merle to Bella. He sometimes stayed over when he couldn't be bothered to do anything. He loved to drink and often babysit Bella when Daryl was busy.

Bella never liked it when Merle had to babysit her.

Bella's room contained a small bed, neatly made, two straight-backed chairs and a small table. There were no drapery curtains at the dormer windows, no pictures on the wall. All day the sun had been pouring down upon the roof, and the little room was like an oven for heat. As there were no screens, the windows had not been raised. A big fly was buzzing angrily at one of them now, up and down, up and down, trying to get out.