"Maybe this world is another planet's hell." -
Aldous Huxley, Brave New World

There it was, the entrance to Atlanta. The city of hope. But, as the three of us stood on the edges it felt like the complete opposite.

All the terrifying things we've had to endure, it left us with paranoia. I found my heart beating in a way it never had before. There was something about the rhythm that made it seem like a ticking time bomb.

In reality, no matter what we felt or what pondering thoughts we had- it didn't matter. Griffith sent us towards the city for a reason and whatever that was, it had to be a good one.

There was a possibility, a strong possibility that there would be dangers neither Parke nor I have truly faced waiting for us in the city.

And when I looked at the boy all I saw was a dead kid. With nothing to protect him but the small knife I had given him, I found myself feeling oddly guilty.

All we had were each other and to let him die over a simple stubborn choice of not handing over a useful weapon, it wasn't worth anything.

Dropping both the first aid kit and my backpack on the ground, I kneeled down careful not to touch the scorching heated pavement as I grabbed a gun, a knife, and a holster for the the boy.

I didn't know if he knew how to use one but it wasn't rocket science. Besides, the lack of faith I had towards him not being able to protect himself was fake.

The Lizano brothers had a reputation, one that surrounded around them getting into fights and being caught by the police with weapons similar to the ones I was carrying.

Parke watched me carefully as I stepped over my bag towards him. He eyed what was in my hands and there was a look of uncertainty in his brown irises as I held everything out to him.

"Are you sure?" He asked with a cocked eyebrow.

My bottom lip pouted out as I shook my head, "No, I'm not." The answer I'd given caused him to look at me with an annoyance at my indecisiveness. That look was shadowed with something else, like what I said had somehow insulted the boy.

With an eye roll Parke made a gesture, "Then why are you giving them to me?"

There was a simple answer to that one that resulted in me to have to force a new grown trust. "Because you'll need it if we're going in there." I let out a sigh. "I don't know what's in Atlanta and neither do you. It could be anything so that's what we need to be prepared for."

My hands were put out in front of me once again but this time the teenage boy only payed attention to the person in front of him instead of the weapons. "We have to trust each other."

With zero signs of reluctance Parke grabbed what was in my hands and settled them in the right places then held up the small knife.

"What about this?" He questioned.

"Keep it." Is all I said as I realized what a struggle it would be to close my bag back up from the amount of supplies stuffed in there.

I found myself looking at Parke's which looked a lot more emptier than mine.

Without saying anything, I began taking out a few things, "Let me see your backpack." I lightly ordered.

"Why?"

A sigh went past my lips as I looked up only to see him protectively grabbing the straps of his bag. I didn't think much of it knowing how protective I was with my own belongings.

I shook my head, "Just put this stuff in your bag if you have the room." With a simple nod Parke walked over lowering himself to easily grab the small clatter of supplies that were on the floor.

He grabbed the two boxes of ammo with a look of confusion, "Where'd you get these? At the gas station?"

As I took off my bullet proof vest knowing he'd feel a lot safer with it on, I scoffed, "Where do you think?"

My question was rhetorical and the way it came out made him instantly realize it was a ridiculous thing to ask.

Once we were organized we both stood up but when I bent down to grab the large first aid kit that had begun leaving my shoulder sore, Parke's tanned hand stopped me.

"Let me carry it." He insisted.

"I can take care of myself." I retorted back, grabbing the handles of the bag but before I could put it over my shoulder the boy snatched the kit away from me.

I watched as he put his hand through the two handles, stabilizing it in a way that wouldn't let his shoulder grow tired too quickly. "I never said you couldn't." With a different look he steadied himself. "Ready?"

Not wanting to take the first step just yet, I planted myself and tried to stay as still as possible in hopes of hearing just any kind of noise coming from the city that was so close.

There wasn't any.

Something didn't feel right and as Kira backed into me making me look down at her. The dog let out a whine before barking just once.

It had to mean something, just a single bark, it was like some sort of warning. But, a warning from what exactly?

The uncertainty made knots grow in my stomach as I tried to shake it off.

But, Parke grew tense looking up from the dog as I did the same, "Maybe we shouldn't go." He suggested worriedly.

Although I had my own fears, the thought of backing away from potential shelter outgrew them causing me to look at him as if he were insane. "What?" I spat.

There was a fearful look on his face as he gestured towards the large buildings sticking out like sore thumbs in front of us. "There's no noise Luli." He pointed out. "If there was a place that helped people, don't you think there'd be noise?"

My heart ached in response because it was true. The boy was focusing on the logical side of things while I was living in a hopeful land that had grown barren.

The odds of actually finding a protection from everything in a lonesome city were slim to none but I couldn't back down, not now, not when we've gotten this far.

It wasn't Parke's idea to come here and in a sense it wasn't mine either but I had trust in the man that sent us here. And that bond, it was stronger than any doubt in my body so if someone needed to go in there and risk their life, it was going to be me.

I took a deep breath, letting it out before turning towards my end of the world partners, "You and Kira stay, I'll go."

Parke's eyes went wide, "What the fuck? No!" He shook his head fiercely. "You're not going in there by yourself."

Just like my indecisiveness beforehand had annoyed him, his made me grow angry.

"I have to go!" My voice was louder than before and more stern taking the boy aback. "There's nothing out here, Parke! If there's a chance- if there's anything in that fucking city that could help us, I'm going to find it!"

For some unknown reason, flashes of Pearl's last minutes of life began playing in my mind making my cheeks burn with regret, guilt, and fear.

My hands dramatically gestured around us, "If we stay out here we'll die! And I-." I breathed erratically, correcting myself. "We've already lost too much!" Tears welled in my eyes as I lowered my voice to its normal level. "I can't let us lose more."

There was a breeze that caused some loose hairs to get into my face as I bit my lip looking away from Parke.

He took a step forward, "Luli, are you okay?" He asked carefully and I looked at him with glossy eyes that simply wanted this all to be over.

I swiped the hair away from my face, shrugging, "What do you think?" My eyebrows furrowed as I looked into his dark exhausted eyes." I mean... are you?"

Parke bit his lip, ignoring my inquiry as he glanced towards the city running his fingers through his hair. Something came over him as he pulled his hand away from his head, clenching it into a fist before letting out a sigh unraveling his hand to normal and looking at me.

"We're going with you." He announced. "I'm not gonna let you go alone."

I wanted there to be a relief to what had just come out of his mouth but there wasn't, just more pressure on my chest from knowing I'd have to look after them. It wasn't a duty but to me it was a task that couldn't be left unattended.

The thought made me go numb as if to protect me from feeling everything all at once and although none of this still didn't feel real, it didn't feel it wasn't either.

Emotionless, I looked at Parke, "Only use your gun if you absolutely need to. We don't want biters to find us."

With that reminder I spun on my heel and before anyone in our small group could think about it, we took the first steps into the city and continued on.

Once we were officially within city limits I took the fallen place in. Trash littered the streets along with abandoned vehicles, glass, and corpses once in a while. So far there hadn't been any biters and it made me wonder where they all were.

The air was thick with decay and rust making Parke gag quietly as my nose scrunched in disgust.

These were all warning signs that there wasn't going to be any help and the further we pushed, the wronger I felt for dragging the two beings left in my little world into this place.

I wanted desperately to turn around but the angel and devil on my shoulders started arguing with one another. The angel wanting to save any form of life seemed to be winning as I stopped in my tracks thinking about what to say to Parke.

Then, I heard the first noise there had been since coming into the city. It was a strong clacking, like that of large hooves walking on pavement.

Goosebumps trailed my back as I slowly turned towards the sound almost astonished by what exactly I was looking at.

There was a man on a horse a couple yards away from where I was standing. He had on what looked like a cowboy hat and carried a bag of full of guns on his shoulder.

Knowing the second he turned in our direction he'd see us, I quietly ran forward dragging Parke behind a stack of sandbags as Kira followed in pursuit

"What the hell are you doing-."

I clasped my hand over the boy's mouth using my other hand to keep Kira from barking as I whispered, "Shut up! Shut up! There's someone here." His eyes widened exactly like mine had only moments ago as the sound of the horse grew closer.

It seemed to stop on the other side of the large military tank that was right over the small fence and sandbags we were hiding behind.

We managed to keep our breathing from being too loud as I slightly looked over the sandbags enough to see underneath the tank. There wasn't any movement at all for a couple of seconds as if the man was deciding what direction to head in.

As soon as there was a small click of a tongue I ducked behind the sandbags once again pressing my cheek against them allowing a small amount of the substance to get on my hair.

My breathing was heavy as Kira pressed her body against mine looking at me with her scared puppy dog eyes. I put a finger to my mouth slowly rising up enough to see over the wall to get a good look at the stranger.

Since the man's back was facing us I couldn't see his face, the only thing that was clear was the uniform he was wearing. It contained mostly brown hues in the exception of a beige short sleeved shirt. The bag he carried was full of guns and I caught a quick glance at the word 'SHERIFF' stitched on the side of it.

I was utterly confused by it all. It was almost like the man was a figment of my imagination but from Parke's initial reaction that couldn't be the case.

Suddenly, there was a humming, a loud humming that came from above making the sheriff stop in his tracks and look up at the sky the same time I did.

It was the sound of a helicopter but I couldn't see it. I stared dumbfounded at the blue sky trying to find the large aircraft.

A sort of fear that it was from the military base we had come from sprouted in my gut, not allowing me to look anymore.

What if they were looking for me? For us?

My eyes were wide as I looked at Parke, "Did you hear that?" I asked frantically.

But, he was frozen unable to speak and only gave a simply nod. The stranger let out a loud, "heeyah.", from where he was, making me look in his direction in time to see him speeding off on the horse.

There was a pang in my heart that made me rise to my full height in an instant, "We have to follow him." Without waiting for the boy that was with me I got to the end of the sandbags and went over the small fence.

Parke stood on the other side of the fence looking at me as if I were insane, "Follow him?" He asked. "Luli, that's such a bad idea. We don't even know where he's going."

I pointed in the direction he fled, "He's following the helicopter, Parke." My voice was full of worry for a stranger that I hadn't even properly seen. "If he actually makes it to where it's going- you know what they're going to do to him."

Flashes of the dozens unfortunate souls that simply wanted refuge being shot down like soda cans on a fence replayed in my mind. The images of suddenly abandoned bunks and lone screams in the middle of the night burdened me.

I didn't want to go- I really didn't but I couldn't let them kill another innocent person because of me.

Although it went against everything The General and Griffith had taught me these past few months, I made a decision. One that filled me with memories of terrifying consequences to decisions similar to it.

"I have to- I have to help him." I started to move away from the sandbags against Parke's protests.

"Luli, stop- wait!"

I had barely even moved a couple of feet when a loud whinny echoed throughout the streets. I stopped once again only to jump in my spot as Kira began barking frantically.

Her body was facing the opposite direction I was causing me to turn around only to see a large group of biters heading our way.

Before I could react to what was behind me, the whinnies grew closer- the snarls grew in numbers and volume making me turn back. Once I did I wished we never would've come into the city.

The sheriff was going full speed trying to outrun the large herd that pursued him and his horse. My blood ran cold and my face fell as I pulled out my gun.

"Luli, we have to go!" Parke cried from where he stood.

From the large crowds of the undead blocking off any direction towards clear streets, I shakily looked around when my eyes spotted the only thing my mind registered as safe.

"In the tank-." I breathed loudly staring at the machine, readying myself for the short sprint. I looked at Parke, shaking my finger towards it."Get in the tank!"

The boy didn't protest as he grabbed Kira and ascended onto the vehicle, quickly getting inside. I copied Parke's actions, throwing my bag in first only to find myself unable to complete the easiest part as I watched the man and his horse being knocked down into the herd.

It was hard to watch. Everything about what was happening brought back the fall of the military base. A choking whimper escaped the back of my throat as I gritted my teeth together.

Trying to keep myself grounded I spotted the stranger crawling away from the biters that were feeding on his horse. They were all hungrily trying to catch the man as he tried to keep them at bay but the attempts weren't going to be enough.

I began shooting down the biters closest to the man and the tank- enough to make a slim enough clearing to get through.

One of them got on top of him and without much thought, I jumped off the machine, my feet giving in underneath me causing the pavement to skid my knees.

Ignoring the sharp ache, I shot the biter simultaneously as the sheriff kicked it off himself.

The man got on his knees turning to look at me with a shocked expression. There was some satisfaction to the fact that I finally got to see his face but it didn't last very long.

One quick look at our surroundings was enough for me to pull the sheriff's arm, "Come on!" And with that we both crawled to the only sanctuary there seemed to be; underneath the tank.

We were pressed against one another and the biters weren't stopping. They got on their knees, their hands reaching towards us from the front and back of the tank.

Seeing as the sheriff had begun shooting the monsters by our feet, I turn on my stomach and dealt with the ones that got to close to our heads.

Each round we set off wasn't enough that it started to look like we were both simply wasting bullets- bullets I was soon to run out of.

Parke was inside of the tank and there was no way he'd be able to get to us or help for that matter. We were in this alone, with no one coming to the rescue.

I was shaking so badly at the thought of dying at the hands of these monsters with a stranger by my side. Parke and Kira would be stuck in that tank with no chance of getting out; Griffith would be met with our corpses the minute he got to Atlanta.

No matter what the circumstances were, I wasn't going to give up even if it was the fear of being ripped apart that kept my fighting, I was okay with that as long as I didn't stop doing whatever I could.

It took until my clip was empty to notice that the sheriff had stopped shooting but when I did my heart plummeted to my stomach.

The end of his pistol was pressed against the man's temple causing me to instinctively try and get away from him. Not wanting to be drenched in another persons brain matter, I frantically tried getting enough friction on the pavement to get away but there was no use.

"Lori, Carl- I'm sorry." His strong southern accented voice spoke.

I flinched waiting for a gunshot that never came as the man surprisingly found a way to get into the tank. Swiftly, he pulled himself into a hidden hatch before reaching down and pulling me inside with him.

With adrenaline in my veins I hastily closed the latch before turning around feeling a sense of relief to see Kira and Parke in one corner of the small interior.

As the sheriff plopped himself down next to an army man's corpse, I did the same except with Kira. The dog seemed happy to see me as she turned to face me and began licking my face.

Not wanting to be rude but also feeling too overwhelmed, I moved Kira's face away but comforted her by scratching behind her ear.

Parke and I looked at each other, his face pale as a sheet from everything that had just happened before we both turned to stare at the elephant in the room.

The stranger didn't waste time to search for anything that could help as he pulled a handgun from the dead soldier's body next to him.

None of us knew it wasn't an actual corpse but a biter and the second it moved the sheriff shot the monster down.

Since the bullet was released in a confined space the gunshot vibrated off the walls causing us all to groan in pain as we covered our ears. My vision grew blurry as I stomped one of my feet roughly and frantically on the floor trying to ignore the searing ringing sound in my ears.

The sheriff fell on his side, his mouth gasped open from his previous mistake before he climbed onto the chair and stuck his head out of the top hatch.

Since neither of us could join him, our eardrums were still slightly ringing when the man came back into the tank, shutting the top of the tank.

It was as if he had forgotten we were with him until the second his blue eyes were looking at us in concern, "Are you two okay?"

Parke eyed me from the corner of his eyes and when he saw I wasn't going to answer he nodded, letting out a shaky breath, "Y-yeah. Are you?" The boy questioned with a quiver in his voice.

The sheriff checked himself for any injuries or bites, nodding when he found none, "Yeah, yeah, I am." He muttered thankfully.

Those blue irises were soon directly looking to me making me stiffen with confusing anger towards the man.

He looked at me in worry since I hadn't said anything, "What about you? Are you okay?" The way his voice came out all soft and careful made me blow.

I shook my head fiercely, "No!" It came out louder than anyone expected taking the man aback. I was breathing heavily as I added, "That scared the shit out of me!"

The man reached out for me, crawling a bit closer towards Parke, Kira, and I. As an instinct the dog growled at him causing the man to stay back.

It didn't take more than a second for him to regain himself, "Just try to calm down. We'll get out of here." He reassured looking from one face to the other. "What're your names?"

Parke glanced at me unsure if he should go first but what he didn't get was that neither of us should say anything. The second his lips parted my hand flung to his own causing him to cut himself off by the sudden action.

I pulled my hand away from the boys, turning back the other way, "You first." I ordered, gesturing to the stranger with a simple nod.

"Okay." The sheriff slowly nodded in understanding. "I'm Rick Grimes."

Parke sensed it was okay to start our own introductions. He put his hand out for the man to shake, "I'm Parke." He stated as Rick shook his hand before the boy pointed at the dog next to him. "That's Kira."

Something about the man was off. How he treated us with such ease like we weren't a danger to him even though Parke and I were carrying noticeable weapons wasn't normal.

Nothing about the situation made any sense and as the odd man's blue eyes caught my stare, I noticed he was as bewildered about me as I was of him.

The small beast in the tank looked at me a certain way as I stared Rick down, not wanting to say a single word.

"What's your name?"

I swallowed roughly, keeping my gun close to my side, "I'm Luli- Luli Solano." My voice was firm.

Rick nodded slowly before looking down the line again, "Well, Luli, Parke-." He hesitated when he got to the pet in our group. "Kira." A sigh went past his lips. "I don't know how but we'll get out of here." It was like he was still trying to convince himself. "I promise."

The mistakes I had made today seemed to hit me all at once. Everything about my previous actions weren't how you're supposed to live a life in this world. I could've gotten the people who actually knew me killed but instead, I threw it all away to try and save some lanky blue eyed cowboy.

I was mad, just fucking furious about the situation I'd gotten us into but I didn't want to take it out on myself. He didn't deserve what was coming but it came out before I could stop myself.

"Do you even know what you're doing?" It caught everybody off guard at how vain the tone of my voice was.

Rick narrowed his eyes, "Excuse me?" I could sense how insulted and disrespected he suddenly felt.

Any complaining or 'talk back' as a soldier would've landed me having to spend the entire night working on the course. Good thing The General wasn't going to be around to hear it come out of my mouth.

"Chasing that helicopter was the stupidest thing you could've done." I stated. "I shouldn't have helped you."

Regret;that seemed to be happening a lot lately.

A spark of light shimmered in Rick's eyes, "You saw it too?" He questioned and when he saw the stare I was giving him, turned to Parke who nodded.

The gleam in his eyes quickly left causing him to turn his head slightly to the side with a confused stare. He looked between Parke and I asking, "Why- why was it stupid?" There was a moment of silence before he added. "They could've helped us."

There was something about how naive the moment was that caused a certain type of fire to burn in me. My jaw clenched and I felt my nostrils flair as they slightly twitched.

I slapped my hands on the hard floor, startling everyone in the tank, "No one's going to help any of us!" My finger pointed at him. "You would've died the second they saw you."

"Luli-." Parke tried.

"No!" I cut him off, looking in his directions. "What he did was stupid and he deserves to know that."

"Okay-."

"He didn't know!"

"It's not the time-."

"Well, he should've known better!"

"Hey!" Rick's deep voice suddenly roared causing Parke and I to both shut our mouths and look in the man's direction.

His face was now completely stern- not a single shaken look appeared on it. It was like if any of us spoke another word he would shut it down immediately.

Waiting a couple of seconds to make sure we understood how serious he was, the man shifted where he sat.

"Now, listen to me-."

The crackle of static suddenly cut through his unfinished sentence making us all look to the radio nearby.

A man's voice emerged from the white noise, "Hey, dumbass." It left us in a sense of shock. Nothing about it seemed real. "Hey, stupid kids with the dog."

There was a slight pause.

"Cozy in there?"