Ch. 2 Meeting The Gang

As Michael, Paul and Briana go down the dirt road they see a house in the distance.

There's farm land and some horses about. There's a well for water and a barn as well. Michael stares at the barn until Briana pulls on his shirt. "Michael! Are you ok?"

"Huh?" He looks back to see his sister looking up at him with a worried face. "Yeah, all good. I'm just getting a bad-vibe from that barn. Neither of you go near there unless I go with you or make sure it's safe. Understand?"

Both Briana and Paul nod their heads and go quiet again.

They continue on the main road when they see the front door to the house open and an old man walks out.

Michael stares wide eyed beneath the sunglasses at one of his favorite characters that he forgot about. Hershel.

"What are you doing on my farm?! Just turn around and leave now please!"

For an old man he can shout pretty well. Then from the door come a lady that seems familiar but Michael can't remember.

"Daddy, he's got kids with him. Can't we let him stay a day?"

"We can't just give refuge to every stranger that shows up"

"This isn't every stranger. It is just 3 people for 1 night, right?"

"Fine, but they camp outside" Hershel sighs. "You can camp over underneath the trees over there for the night. The names Hershel, and I expect you to introduce yourselves as well before you put up a tent" he pointed at a row of trees to the side a ways.

"My name is Michael Parson. This little girl here is Briana Parson"

"I'm not little!" she pouts and causes Michael to chuckle before continuing, this out a smile to the lady, and apparently a younger girl behind her.

"This is Paul Parson" He points towards his little brother who is hiding behind him a little.

"We are just trying to find a safe place. It's not safe out there. We thank you for letting us stay, even if it's just for a night"

""Thank you!"" The twins say together to Hershel. Michael ruffles their hair and smiles.

"Alright, glasses off. We gotta let them see our full faces alright?" He crouches down to the twins level and faces Hershel.

They take their sunglasses off and smile at Hershel who gains a small smile seeing the happy kids reminding him of his kids.

"We will set our things down and get settled and come over to meet you more formally, does that work?"

"Yeah, just don't get too comfortable" Hershel walks back inside and the lady and girl walk back in.

Michael goes and sets his things down along with his siblings.

Then he hears a shout from the house and sees the lady from earlier point out towards the field at a man running towards the house with a kid flopping in his arms.

Michael strips his jacket off quickly revealing his white tshirt that is clinging to his skin. He tosses the jacket on the bags and turns to the twins. "Stay here! Don't move alright?! Something happens go to the house!"

After saying those words Michael takes off through the open field and runs to the man who is having trouble holding the kid.

The man sees Michael running towards him and starts shouting.

"Help! Please help my boy! Please!" The man is wearing a bloody sheriffs uniform and has a hat to complete the look.

Michael quickly reaches the man. "Give me the kid! I'm faster than you, keep running to the house!"

The man is reluctant to let go of his kid.

"My name is Michael! Now let's go!"

The man let's go of the kid and hands him to Michael. He turns around and sprints as fast as he can. He leaves the man in the dust even while carrying the kid.

He gets to the porch where Hershel is waiting and sees a lot of blood.

They clear off a bed and lay the boy down and Hershel starts ordering people around. The man comes in and seems lost. Then he gives his name. "My…..my name is Rick Grimes. Oh my god, oh my god"

He starts freaking out and can barely watch as his son is on the bed. Michael helps in getting things moved initially until some women take over and ask for him and Rick to leave. Michael grabs Ricks shoulder and brings him out of the room and to the porch where a heftier man and a friend of Rick finally arrive.

Michael just goes to his siblings to make sure they are ok. He told them that a boy was hurt and that he may have to do something to help the boy. They didn't want him to go anywhere but he told them that if it one of them in there hurt he would go. Plus if he goes and saves the kids life they will have a new friend. They were reluctant but decided to keep quiet.

Micheal takes the kids inside and meets the others in the house after things calm down a bit.

They meet Otis, his wife Patricia, Beth which is Hershels daughter, Jimmy who is dating Beth, and Maggie who is also the daughter of Hershel but half-sister to Beth.

Michael remembered he shipped Maggie with another character hard. They were adorable together, but who?

Anyway, Rick was giving blood to his son, named Carl, and his firend was sitting silently in the corner, found out his name is Shane.

It almost seems like Carl ha two dads, Michael isn't going to judge he was just surprised. But that changed when Rick became loopy from blood loss and had to sit in the living room with the others. Michael listened to Rick say his mom doesn't know, Lori was tossed around a few times so that's probably the name.

Shane had to calm him down and they touched foreheads. Wait, now I'm confused. Is Rick divorced, is Shane his apocalyptic lover? Or did they say screw the old way and went the Polygamy way? If that's the case Michael was getting excited for a bunch of women. It was a lot of men's dream to be surrounded by beautiful women. But he quickly cleared his thoughts because he needs baby steps, he needs one woman first and has to take care of the twins. His libido and lust can wait.

Soon after the bro-mance is over Hershel walks out and basically says Carl will die unless he gets more medical equipment.

The thing is, the hospital went up in flames a month ago. Michael has some supplies but not ones for surgery.

Otis then brings up a school and there being something there. Shane decides to go and Micheal has a bad feeling about this. He only met Otis a today but he seems like a good heart. He won't last in the apocalypse but Michael wants to keep all the good people alive he can.

"I'll go too" Michael speaks up and everyone looks towards him.

"I can't ask you to go, you have your kids to look after" Rick looks at him but almost falls out of his chair.

"Firstly, not my kids, they are my brother and sister. Do I really look old enough to have them as kids?" Michael looks at everyone's faces and some people shrug.

"I'm 19 dam-! Ahem, I'm only 19 thank you. And if my brother or sister got hurt I would want extra medical supplies as well. It's a win-win. Three people can get more supplies or one can act as a diversion. And no, you two are definitely not coming and that's final!"

Michael didn't have to turn around to know that the twins wanted to go with Michael.

"Thank you Micheal, and thank you Otis"

"Thank me when that boy of yours gets better" Otis stands up and hugs his wife who wants to protest. Otis is a bit heavy and his wife looks so skinny that a slightly strong breeze will carry her 4 farms over.

Anyway, Michael hugs the twins and gives them their sunglasses and tells them to be good and be strong. He won't go down this soon I'm the apocalypse and does a strongman pose.

They head outside and Michael goes to get his leather jacket and sees Shane in the passenger seat and Otis taking Ricks gun and saying he will bring it back. Michael turns back around and grabs his Bo staff but leaves the bow, he doesn't want to worry about arrows. Briana has the gun still and it would just bring more walkers.

Otis also has a hunting rifle, which appears to be the same gun that shot Carl by how Otis says it's the only one he has. Michael jumps in the back and throws his jacket on as the sun is about to start setting.

He hits the side of the car signaling he's ready to go after sitting down holding the Bo staff.

Some words are said and then they start driving to the school.

"This is gonna be my first time going to a school and it's in the apocalypse, funny. Hahaha!"

Michael starts laughing loudly and after a few seconds he sounds like a villain.

"You alright back there?" Shane asks concerned as he looks at Michael.

"All good, a bit of an inside joke. If I don't laugh who will right?"

Shane just looks at the road ahead of the truck after giving Michael a weird look. That's when Michael remembers what is going to happen between Otis and Shane at the school.

This mission just got much harder. Now he is memorizing the route they are taking to get back in case he can't change anything.