UNITED IN BLOOD
CHAPTER ONE !

𝐅𝐄𝐁𝐑𝐔𝐀𝐑𝐘, 𝟐𝟎𝟑𝟖

IT WAS THE ICY chill of the morning air that woke Danielle that fateful morning. The heat that emitted from the lit fireplace did little to provide warmth to the young girl as her teeth practically chattered together. As her eyes opened, she groggily glanced round the room to see almost everyone up and about, save for a few such as Leah and Manny, both of whom enjoyed sleeping in when they could. Though her hearing was a little fuzzy from a gun blasting right next to her ears the day prior, —courtesy of Owen, the fucking jackass, Danielle was still able to hear Nora fretting only a few feet away about Abby and Owen.

Apparently, the duo had taken off on a small adventure earlier that morning and had yet to return. Danielle wasn't all that worried. Owen could hold his own and Abby, well Abby could rip off an infected's head with ease and she has the muscles to prove it. They would be fine, she was sure of it and if they weren't, that's what she was there for.

Both she and Mel were the groups medics, providing medical attention when it was necessary. Originally it had only been Mel venturing on this expedition with them but with such a long distance to travel, Isaac the leader of the WLF, suggested Danielle should tag along.

From what she knew, they were all journeying across the United States to scout out an old Firefly Outpost in search of potential recruits into the WLF. Danielle hadn't been a Firefly which was the reason why she wasn't set to travel with them in the first place. She didn't have the attachment to the Firefly's that Abby or the rest had. They were known as the 'Salt Lake Crew.' A little dumb if you asked her but hey, who was she to judge. She was simply along for the ride and to provide assistance when needed.

Her hands now held tightly to a cup of warm tea. It wasn't particularly appetising to drink but it aided in rising her body temperature that continued to fall despite the young girl decked out in her winter gear. From thick black boots on her feet to a huge jacket wrapped tightly round her body, she was covered head to toe and yet was still shivering within an inch of her life. The sooner they returned to base, the better. She officially was exhausted with this bullshit expedition.

In her peripheral vision, she watched on as Mel pulled her boyfriend into an embrace. It didn't take a genius to see that Owen wasn't as invested in that relationship as Mel was. Without a doubt, the man was still hung up on his past relationship with Abby and used Mel as a distraction from the pain he felt due to their breakup. Danielle felt sorry for Mel. No one deserved to be treated like they were a second choice. Hopefully one day, Owen would just grow a set of balls and either commit fully to the relationship or set Mel free. Only time would tell however.

A commotion suddenly captured everyone's attention, including Leah and Manny, both of whom had woken up only minutes ago. The dark haired girl all but dropped her mug on a random table as she ran outside, following closely behind the others. Everyone was clutching their weapons tightly as they saw two oncoming horses. The infected were gathered around the surrounding fence, snarling and snapping at the group as they stepped outside. The thick snow crunched beneath their boots. They were all on edge as the horse continued to approach.

"It's Abby." Owen called out to the group. At the mention of the girl, everyone began attacking the infected, shooting lead shot into their heads and ending their sorry existences.

Manny and Jordan ran forward, sliding the gate open to allow the horses to run past. Everyone else continued to shoot the infected until the gate was shut once more.

Owen was quick to call out, "Save your bullets!" Danielle turning round just in time to see him hurl a Molotov right at the hoard, setting them ablaze in mere seconds. Screams of agony filled the freezing cold air while the infected feebly clung to life before succumbing to the fire.

"Let's get inside." Owen announced loudly, his carrying in the wind. At his words, everyone began trudging back through the snow, the air biting at their faces.

Danielle ran on ahead of the rest to retrieve some tea for the men. It wasn't much but it would help them stave off the freezing temperatures. Plus from the looks of it, they had just saved Abby so a little gratitude went a long way. The young girl returned from the living room, mugs of hot tea in her hands. With a few steps past her friends, she reached out her hands to give over the mugs to the two men. "Here. It'll help warm you up."

"Thank you, miss." The darker haired man thanked her with a soft smile.

The young girl was quick of introduce herself, allowing the two men to know her name. "Danielle."

"Danielle." The man repeated with a small chuckle. The slight sparkle in her eye amused him greatly.

"How long ya'll been here?" The darker haired man inquired as he began following behind the group as the made their way into an adjoining room. Danielle didn't really like this room however. It was way too small for such a large house. It also appeared half decorated, as though whoever owned the place fled for their life before they could finish.

"Since yesterday." Manny replied as he fell into step with Danielle.

Danielle turned back around to see the dark haired man stop in his tracks, almost perfectly in the middle of the room. "Yesterday. What are you all doing out this way?"

"Just passing through. You two live nearby?" Jordan questioned the two men as the group moved further into the room.

"We do. Few hours down the hill." The lighter haired man replied. He then gesturing round the room at everyone as he offered, "Ya'll should come back with us. Restock before you head out."

"That'd be great. Thank you." Danielle smiled in the man's direction. He was honestly a lot nicer that she expected him to be. Most people nowadays were cruel, only out for themselves so it was a nice change for her.

"Appreciate it." Mel nodded in his direction before sticking her hand out. "I'm Mel, by the way."

"Tommy." The man, they now knew as Tommy replied, before pointing over to the over man. "This is my brother."

"Joel." The moment the man said his name, a strange tension filled the air. Danielle couldn't place exactly what it was though judging from the looks everyone threw each other, it wasn't good.

"Ya'll act like you've heard of us or something."

"That's cause they have." Abby's voice filled the room causing Danielle to glance over at the girl, who now stood with a shotgun aimed directly at Joel.

A blast suddenly escaped the weapon, Joel crying out in pain as the shotgun shell connected with his kneecap. The man went flying to the ground, his blood beginning to pool beneath him on the carpeted floor.

To Danielle, time seemed to stand still. Her heart was pounding in her ears, her vision turning blurry. Nothing made any sense. What the fuck had just happened?

"He's out." Nora's voice reached her ears, bringing her back to the situation at hand. One man was wailing in pain while the other had just been bludgeoned upside the head with the butt of a gun to the point of unconsciousness.

Abby glanced over, her hands still tightly gripping the shotgun. "Put him against the wall."

"What the fuck is going on?" Danielle's voice returned with a terrified scream. Her eyes darted back and forth across the room, everyone stopping whatever they were doing to briefly glance her way. "Abby, what the fuck did you just do?"

"Shut up, Danielle!" Jordan snapped back at her. In that moment, his eyes were filled with rage and she really didn't want to get on his bad side. Instead she simply backed away from everyone, pressing herself up against the back wall, near to where Tommy lay passed out due to blunt force trauma. She could only hope, everyone would make it out alive.

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jamielee's thoughts.
so this fic is gonna be brutal. no Ellie yet but beware, Danielle and Ellie won't get along right away and they certainly won't fall in love right away. It's gonna be a long ass ride for these two. If anyone has seen twd, their relationship in the beginning will be similar to that of glenn and tara. tara=danielle, who feels guilty about what happened and wants to help no matter if she gets hurt or not and Glenn=ellie, who doesn't realise the pressure she putting on Danielle until it's nearly too late. anyway, hope you enjoy :)