1 I’m Rick Grimes?

I was sitting in my chair beginning my rewatch of The Walking Dead, bowl full of chips with a plate holding queso dip.

"Rick is so dumb. Why wouldn't you loot the hospital when everything looks like that outside?"

I really do like the show, but I feel I would make way better choices than Rick does. I mean even if you don't think the dead had risen, you see a bunch of military vehicles and dead bodies scattered around and you just… walk in your hospital gown through the streets?

This guy is a cop. Sure he's only a small county cop, but still you gotta have at least some common sense. All of the sudden I feel a piercing pain in my chest that causes me to snap up from my slightly laid back position in my recliner. I clutched my chest as my bowl of chips weren't sent flying on to the floor.

"Urgh! Damn what is this pain?"

Continuing forward I end up on my hands and knees as the pain begins pulsing and my breathing becomes labored. My arms begin to lose their strength starting with the right causing me to collapse on to my right side and rolling on to my back. Just above my head I can see the tv still playing TWD just when Duane hits Rick with the shovel and at the same time I also black out.

When I came to I could see the ceiling of a hospital and I could feel how weak my body was. Groaning I try to lift my body but feel a burning pain just below my shoulder. Gritting my teeth I lay back down on the bed and calm my breathing. Only turning my head now I see strangely familiar flowers on the table, dried out and dying.

Reaching out I feel the petal crumble in my fingers.

"No, it couldn't be.. could it?"

That's when I noticed my hands, they were thinner and much hairier than mine had been. Bringing my hand up to my chin I feel an unshaven scruffy beard.

"Hahaha this is amazing! I'm really in The Walking Dead!" I yelled before clamping a hand over my mouth. Fuck I forgot I gotta be quiet, just because I'm Rick now doesn't necessarily mean I have his same plot armor.

Easing up slowly I test the boundaries of the pain in my left shoulder. Apparently the quickness with which I moved the first time was the problem, now there was only a full ache as I sat up straight and dangled my legs off the bed. They were, like my arms, terrible thin and malnourished.

Looking at my arms I gently pull all the medical equipment across my body lastly removing the tube to my nose. Not wanting to fall on the ground like Rick I use the bed to help test the weakness of my legs. Once adjusting to the feeling I raise myself up grabbing the iv rack to help steady my wobbly legs.

As the wobbles went away I did some stretches to get all the soreness and stiffness out of my muscles and joints. It was surprising the range of motion I had in this body compared to my obese body of my last life. My joints popped satisfyingly and when I finished I realized how thirsty I was, a cotton mouth worse than any morning after drinking.

Now able to support my own weight I make my way to the bathroom like Rick had and drank from the sink. Only enough to quench my thirst before looking around the room I don't really see anything in bathroom worth taking except for the toilet paper. Who knows when I'll find toilet paper out in the field after all.

Grabbing the soaps and the extra things of toilet paper I head back into the main room and toss my spoils on to the bed. Using the sheet I bundle up the supplies into a makeshift bag and look around this room. Spotting the case of flowers I pour out the contents and head back into the bathroom, rinse it out and then fill it up with water. It's not very practical to carry, but I'd rather have it in case I can't find any bottle water.

Giving one last look around the room I see a dresser with several cards standing up on it. I walk over and pick up the first one and see a long written message that ended with "Love Lori and Carl"

It was same with the others, some short, but others longer with well wishes from the senders. It caused a weird feeling in my chest especially when I read the couple from Lori and Carl. After all they are technically my family now, something I hadn't had in a long time. Leaving the letters on the dresser I begin opening the drawers of the dresser and I find a new pair of clothes that somebody must of brought expecting me to wake up.

It was a plain grey shirt, a pair of blue jeans, socks, pair of boxers and tennis shoes. The shirt that probably fit snug before but now hung loose on my feeble body. Only once I lifted my arms to put the shirt on I smelled how bad my body stank. Taking the shirt back off I rifle through the remaining drawers and find rags and towels most likely so the nurses could wipe down my body periodically to prevent bed sores.

Grabbing them I head to the bathroom and wet them with water and use a little bit of soap then I grab my vase of water and place several towels on the ground and strip off my boxers.

"Okay Rick not bad." I chuckle to myself as I look down and see what Rick was packing, it was a similar size to my previous body if not a little skinnier. Grabbing the vase I begin pouring the water over my body and head and proceed wiping myself down with soap covered rag. The coarseness of the rag felt good against my skin until I reached my gunshot wound. It was tender and needed to be cleaned.

I carefully washed it with water and finished washing my body. Grabbing one of the clean cloths I place it over my wound and then using the extra sheets from the dresser I tear it into strips and fasten the rag to my wound. Walking back to my new clothes I put them off and stand in front of the door that will lead me out into the rest of the hospital, I let out a sharp breath and opened the door.

I was met with a gurney placed right in front of the door just like the show and this actually caused me to smile a little. Raising up the side rails I placed my bag on to the bed and grabbed a cable off the ground fastening my vase if water to the rails, keeping it secure. Looking around I see a bunch of papers littering the ground.

"Alright time to put my words into action. I said if I was in his shoes I would have looted this place." Taking peeks down each side of the hallway I cross into the room right across from mine. Similar to mine it didn't have much except some soap, hand sanitizers and toilet paper.

I stole its sheet to make another bag for holding stuff and began to pick apart all the rooms in my hallway. Like the previous ones it was mostly soaps and TP being my only hauls, but some did have water bottles like I had been looking for. Eventually I found a storage room that held different medical tools and supplies. It was only bandages and different ointments along with scalpels but it was better than nothing.

Looting the room I ended up with a decent supply and a flashlight, no little ass match for a light for me. I also found a wooden handles broom which I took and broke off the bristle part leaving myself with an okay weapon. And began making my way to the other side of the hall where I saw a nurses desk. On the wall to my right was a fire extinguisher, covering it with a towel I stab the broom handle breaking the glass and put the extinguisher on to my makeshift cart.

I didn't really know what I would need it for, but I figured better safe than sorry. I didn't find much at the nurses desk except for the matches and a pack of gum. Popping a piece into my mouth I savor the cinnamon flavor. I continue down the hall with the gurney and can only be glad that I had it and could hold my loot on it.

Reaching a closed double door that has a flashing light I look through and see a corpse of a woman in a gruesome condition. Testing the door it opens with barely a squeak but the body doesn't react. I grip my broom stick tighter as I ease my way forward. Checking each room as I pass them until I reach the body. Poking the body it's eyes snap open and immediately bring the stick down into her head killing her instantly.

The body twitched and then stilled, I ripped the handle out and looked around before letting out a deep breath.

"Wow that was surreal."

I could feel a slight tingle in my palms and arms from the recoil of the handle hitting the tile underneath. Looting the rooms I end up with another bag worth of loot bringing my total to 3 bags with a medical bag making 4.

Returning to the double doors I reach the infamous chained double doors, the bullet hole riddled walls adding to the scary scene. Going through the doors to the left I find the fire exit and going inside I have to turn my flashlight on due to the darkness.

Pushing the gurney to the stairs I sigh in frustration.

"Great Jaron, er I guess Rick. How the fuck do you plan to get the gurney down the stairs dumbass?" I curse myself. With an idea I go back into the rooms I left behind and tie several sheets into a makeshift rope. With that I lower a bag down one at a time, now with my gurney much lighter I can easily get it down myself.

I crack the door open letting sunlight stream through as I adjust to the brightness. I have to repeat the process of lowering the bags again as I exit onto a staircase outside. The smell causes me to clench my hand over my nose as I look out over all the covered bodies.

I ignore them as I push my cart through the exit and see the helicopters up the hill. Now for what I was really looking forward to. A smile crossed my face as I found a way up the hill with my cart.

After looting the military camp, my disappointment was evident. I sat on the grass with an scowl on my face. I had hoped for ARs and other military issue weapons but was only able to find one and a few pistols. Which is good I suppose especially since I was able to find 3 mags for each gun. I had just been hoping for a lot more, maybe enough for the camp when I eventually made it there.

Sighing I rocked back and then stood up placing the rifle strap over my shoulder and putting one of the pistols into a holster with a belt around my waist. I walked up to the closest humvee and checked the inside and thanked whatever deity watched over the world as the keys were in the seat.

I hopped in and turned the key in the ignition and crossed my fingers and when i felt the rumble of the ignition I let out a yell.

"Yes! Fuck yes! Hahaha." I turn it back off and slip the keys into my pocket and hop back out. I begin loading up all my stuff and grabbing the batteries out of the other humvees along with a full set of spare tires. Thankfully the trunk was spacious enough for all the wheels and batteries.

The tires I had taken had been in the back of other humvees but when I saw a jack and tire iron I got an idea. I may need tires again one day, but left out like this the tires would begin to deteriorate so I needed to store the tires somewhere that wouldn't happen.

There wasn't really any good options so I just decided on wrapping them up in sheets inside the lower floor rooms. After they were wrapped in sheets I wrapped them in the tarps I found in the military camp.

"I don't know if this will be enough but it's the best I got."

Now for the decision. Do I go for Morgan and Duane or do I leave for Atlanta and meet up with the group. After all it might have been Rick's influence in the show that got Duane killed. They would have kept their pattern instead of moving too fast.

Making up my mind instead of heading to my home and potentially running into Morgan and Duane I drive in the direction of the police station. I had a bag of guns and a hat to get after all.