Chapter 1: 1. Afterlife
"Did I seriously just get hit by a truck?"
{You weren't just hit, you were killed.}
"Who are you?" I blink snapping out of my thoughts and realizing I'm in an office. "Wait, what do you mean I was killed?"
{Welcome to room 67395 of Afterlife Incorporated. I am the standard random omnipotent being or ROB for short that is charged with deciding what happens with your soul from here on out.}
"Excuse me?" I ask looking at him like he's out of his damn mind.
{Born March 22, 1995 at 10:19 PM in St. Mary's Hospital to Michael Swann and Annette Crimson. Died May 7, 2023 at 6:23 PM after being hit by a truck going 60 mph.}
"So what now and why the hell am I so calm?"
{You are calm because this office is set up so the recently departed do not become overwhelmed by their deaths and other emotions. It allows you to realize you should feel that way and acknowledge it but not act on it. There were a few too many over dramatic reactions the first millennia or so after the department was created, this prevents that. As to what now well I believe you still very much want to live do you not?}
"Of course I do!"
{Then let's work out a deal. At this moment another universe is on the verge of caving in on itself as the current lynchpin has died before his time resulting in it becoming destabilized. Normally the next lynchpin would have no trouble taking on that responsibility however they are currently a fetus only weeks old and will end up dying long before they are born as the previous lynchpin was required to ensure the birth of the next. I would have simply reset things here from the afterlife by influencing someone living into either taking their place or aiding the man to ensure he didn't die however that simply is not possible now as some incompetent noob was assigned to watch over that world and the idiot not only allowed for the death of the current lynchpin but hid it for two months which means we can no longer change it. Now the next lynchpin won't be born without serious intervention.}
{The new lynchpin's birth is needed so that we here in the afterlife can inject a kill-switch into that world that would spread to deactivate and essentially eliminate all if not the majority of nuclear reactors and weapons in order to prevent creating a global disaster capable of wiping out all life, well a global disaster besides the current apocalypse it is facing now. Anyways your universe is rather unique in the fact that souls from there can be transferred to other worlds and make changes or even take the place of lynchpins. So what I am proposing is that I send you to that world where you can live out your life there in return for replacing Rick Grimes by becoming a female version of him and giving birth to the child known as Judith.}
"Rick Grimes? Like Rick Grimes father of Carl Grimes from the tv show 'Walking Dead' Rick Grimes? You want me to become a gender-bent version of him and give birth to Judith so you can prevent a global nuclear fallout?"
{Not sure why repeating the name was necessary but yes that is correct.}
"You want me to go into a zombie infested tv show so I can give birth to a little girl? What happened to Rick that he's dead? Why do I have to take his place? And why can't Lori give birth to Judith?"
{I would of course make the rearrangements in both the timeline and memories of select individuals to make things easier on you. We need you to birth Judith because no other birth occurred at that time among someone with a strong enough soul capable of withstanding the kill switch being released into that world. Originally Rick Grimes would have been safe in his hospital room due to Shane Walsh placing a wheel locked gurney in front of his door however shortly after he left a nurse slipped into his room to hide there after being bitten on the throat and bled to death before becoming a walker herself and eating him. The reason for you being Judith's mother is that without a male Rick Grimes the woman known as Lori simply does not survive to see her second trimester. As you are female you would now be the mother of Carl Grimes and as such Lori no longer holds the same importance to Shane Walsh as she once would have as they would have now been little more than strangers up until meeting at the quarry. Of course Judith will still be the child of Shane Walsh as his genetic material is already incorporated as Judith's father due to that multiverse mandating at least one of the original two parents. However your new body's genetics would overwrite Lori's once she is transferred to you womb.}
"Jesus Christ! I love the show, I mean really I do, but their lives were so beyond fucked up and I never wanted to live it. Sure I daydreamed about surviving the apocalypse if it happened, I mean who hasn't since seeing the show, but still!"
{ What if I gave you a few boons?}
"What boons could ever make the possibility of being eaten alive and turned into one of the walking dead bearable, let alone being responsible for preventing damn near every nuke in the world from going boom?"
{Immunity could be granted considering that world created the very thing which started the apocalypse which caused everything that followed. The fact I need to build you a body regardless as only your soul and memories can be transferred over and merged with Rick's genetic material allows for this automatically.}
His words caused her to pause and actually consider what he's saying. Sure she would basically be becoming pregnant and a mom in the apocalypse which admittedly the pregnant and mom part was something she had wanted down the line, only to be told it wasn't an option for her. Still there would always be the possible death by being eaten but if bites didn't kill her it would be one less thing to worry about and if she was being honest there had always been the chance of dying from being attacked and eaten by animals. There were psychos in her last world also but she just didn't know about them further then what was seen on tv, at least here she was forewarned about a number of them. So was there really any difference besides zombies? Then again there were infections aside from the walker disease so maybe she could work out something better. "How many boons are we talking about here exactly? And while immunity to the Walker virus or whatever it is is great that doesn't mean their bites won't still kill considering all the bacteria inside a human mouth let alone a dead one that has bitten into who knows how many living or dead bodies that could be carrying other infections not to mention diseases."
{I could be convinced into multiple boons should you make a compelling case as to why they may be needed and how their aid ensures the survival of Judith and yourself. As for the immunity I had not thought of that I suppose something else would be necessary in that case. What would you suggest?}
"Ok well you already said I could get a body with immunity so considering the various diseases and infections that could be spread from bites and scratches I'd need to be immune from those as well. In that case could I just tell you exactly what I want from that body? And I'm not just talking looks but skills, capabilities, those sorts of things and even passing the immunity to any or rather all kids I have including Carl. After all I can't exactly keep Judith alive if I can't keep myself alive because I didn't know how to defend myself or I'm throwing myself in front of walkers to keep my first kid alive which would result in me either being eaten alive, bleeding out, or dying from infection."
{This would be possible though we would need to discuss further on it. What else?}
"Ok, so besides a healthy body built to my specifications that has immunity with the memories, experiences, and necessary background the next important things would be allies, transport, supplies, and a safe place. So yeah, loyal allies and friends I can trust to have my back as we both know it isn't a safe world you're sending me to so having them incorporated into my background means I have help keeping us safe. Transport with some kind of communication system for various distances and more importantly fuel are definitely needed especially since there seemed to be a serious shortage of it when needed despite it somehow still being useable after years. Next would be supplies as it would be really difficult to stay alive if I'm running to get them while pregnant or traveling with a baby. Last would be a safe area built to my specifications with anything important missing filled in as a reward for when the job is done because honestly while most communities they came across at least after Alexandria lasted awhile they were all easy for enemies to find and in areas that used to be heavily populated for the most part which means a shit ton of walkers."
{You will need to provide a deeper explanation regarding each boon provided especially when it concerns my providing multiple things within a single boon. I will require that you make your safe area within the state of Virginia, no more then 3.5 hours from Alexandria pre-apocalypse. Also as there are a number of boons and surely they will likely include multiple things within them I will also mandate that you keep at least two of the people that you are aware died in the first year of the apocalypse alive until reaching Virginia otherwise you will lose your safe area.}
"Fine let's work out the details then. Body talk can go last so let's start with allies and a bit of background. I want some kind of military and medical background connecting me to at least a few of the people from the main cast but maybe some I could meet up with since their protection and having additional fighters would be invaluable. Would it be possible to add some sort of memory of a promise or have me be the youngest since it would add in more of a protective factor I could use to my advantage if they view me as a sort of little sister figure that manages to boss them around and keep them alive? The medical part would be so I have the knowledge needed to survive the apocalypse despite any accidents, attacks, sicknesses, and whatever that comes along with the chance to teach that to someone for if and when I need a doctor myself especially since the only medically trained people they came across that first year an EMT that died within a day of meeting and a vet that died in less than two years."
{I can see the merits of such a boon. Very well I will see what I can do but I do not promise that each ally will also hold a military or medical background instead you meeting them will be a result of your own background. Let us move on to your next request.}
"For transport I'm thinking either Action Mobil RVs with fuel efficient MAN trucks or maybe that 4WD Sprinter Van I was thinking of getting. Of course there would have to be enough for me and the allies you give me especially if they have families and of course they'd have to be fully equipped with the best of everything when it comes to both the standards and extras. There seemed to be trouble finding gas and it's more likely diesel would be left behind in any place that ran out of gas once they put the sign that said they were out of gas or service. The MAN cabs should be the ones with bunks that have storage under the bunks and overhead. All vehicles should have radio comms, sat phones, and manual siphon pumps for emergencies. I'd prefer if they were fully armored and if my RV was a larger version of the family Action Mobil RV. Maybe the bunk area and bed area could be two actual separate bedrooms. It would also be good if there was some kind of hidden locked storage or better yet if it could just run endlessly without refueling. The reason I'm being so specific would be that more safety especially in the beginning while getting used to walkers will be a big help in surviving. If possible I'd love the RVs or Sprinters to work like the tents from Harry Potter especially the part where they're bigger on the inside but the outside is smaller since it would make traveling with people and gathering supplies easier since there'd be more space then while it would still being easy to get around."
{I will provide three vehicles to be split among you and your closest allies. Two of them will be with you upon your arrival while the third is with an ally. All will have full tanks; there will be two 4WD Sprinter Vans and an Action Mobil Globecruiser 7500 Family RV. Your RV will be an externally smaller version with a total length of 30' while enlarged internally. Only the RV will be fully armored while the Sprinters have bulletproof glass. Your RV will get as much as 35 mpg as the weight has been lowered dramatically while the Sprinters will get 24 mpg. The RV and one Sprinter will be available upon your arrival while the second Sprinter will be the main vehicle of an ally. The vehicles will gain a boon during their transfer to that world so that they do not need maintenance done on them and this fact goes unnoticed. All oddities will be undetectable.}
"Then supplies would be next. In that case prenatal vitamins, pregnancy clothes, pre and post birth kits, formula, cloth diapers with reusable liners, baby clothes and shoes in various sizes, full baby grooming and healthcare kits, a breast pump, bottles, a bottle warmer, pacifiers, baby toys, wipes, baby soaps and lotions, a travel crib that doubles as a play area, and a car seat stroller. Aside from that there should be food, liquids, meds, hygiene items, seasonal clothing for my family, camping stuff, fishing gear, and various weapons along with whatever is needed to maintain them."
{I will provide pregnancy and baby related items along with a labor and postpartum kit. The MAN cab of your RV will have a safe in the under bed storage that uses Carl's birthdate while overhead there is a smaller hidden safe that requires both your fingerprint and a digit combination made using your past life's birthdate. Your RV kitchen will include a free boon in the form of an under sink cabinet with never ending cleaning supplies from all purpose cleaners to laundry detergent, a never emptying spice rack drawer, and a pantry that will restock the goods I've placed within it. Your RV bathroom will include a boon that refills the basics such as toilet paper, baby wipes, q-tips, antibacterial hand soap, baby wash + shampoo, unisex shampoo and conditioner, 2 lotions, 2 types of moisturizing bar soaps, 2 packs of razors, 2 feminine products, 2 packs of toothbrushes, mouthwash, 2 types of toothpastes, and a first aid kit. The RV bedroom has a heavy duty duffle bag with new matching pairs of underwear, clothing for different seasons, socks, and shoes for you as well as other bags with similar supplies for your family. In the under-bed storage you will find spare bed sheets, a weapon cache, and a container that will refill the first 3 kinds of ammo boxes placed in it infinitely.}
{There will be camping and fishing supplies in the exterior storage. The extra boons apply solely to your personal RV and will cease to exist should anyone else take possession of the main keys for 24 hours. The moment the main set of keys are touched by anyone besides you whether they be living or dead it will be considered a transfer of possession until you touch them again as such I recommend you do not lose them or let them be borrowed. You will be granted two additional sets of keys along with the main keys. The boons will go unnoticed and any minds strong enough to take notice will come up with a reasonable conclusion as to why certain items never seem to run out. Next would be your safe area.}
"Do I need to have a specific location in mind or make a reason for it to exist?"
{No and yes.} He says and she sighs in frustration. {You must have a basic idea of where you want it to be at least in regards to the lay of the land. It cannot replace communities that exist or those you know will exist in that world though it can be based on them. A reason for its existence will need to be formulated but that is something I can deal with easily.}
"Ok so based on the comic books and shows there's the Commonwealth and CRM to deal with. You said it has to be in Virginia within 3.5 hours of Alexandria so in that case I'd prefer something a good distance from the communities in that world while able to trade but difficult to locate. The Appalachian? Wait! Would it be possible to have a customized version of that mountain golf resort my parents went to for their anniversary?"
{It is though I would require details regarding the land and then anything you want built on it.}
"That works for me. Can I see a map of the areas within the constraints that shows elevations? And also a map of the resort I can add changes to." The maps appear before her and she looks it over. "So for the land I want the central upper part of the mountain to be mostly flat with wide open fertile land that can be used for farming and livestock with plenty of different fruit bearing trees and bushes already set up like an orchard. It'll be located along the Appalachian in George Washington National Park here among several other mountains with higher elevations which will help in blocking off any light or sound that could potentially be seen from a distance. It should have multiple sources for clean running water both with and without filtration. A safety concern would be that it is basically free access right now so maybe have high sturdy thick walls that run along the property at the top of the mountain but is hidden by the dense tree-line and possibly a smaller one further down."
"Maybe make it so there's clear space between the forested part and the inner section of the wall and the same for outside where it can sort of act as a border where people could have still walked out through the paths to enter trails and see beautiful views of the surroundings. I'd like a small lake, a few ponds, and streams for fishing and livestock animals to drink from in the walled area, along with streams and waterfalls outside it. The undeveloped parts of the mountain and surrounding area should have plenty of wildlife found in the area like deer, wild turkey, rabbits, various fish and so on. There should also be a few of the smaller prey animals like rabbits within the high walls but they shouldn't do any damage to the property. The entry roads should be somewhat hidden preferably on a wide scenic backroads no one but me and possibly my loyal allies know about as those that would know are all dead. The roads should span at least two miles before reaching the main road used in the area."
"The main building should be the one from the resort but set so that the majority of the rooms are suites ranging from studios-2 bedrooms. There should still be a few other separate housing options like the resort tree houses but have them higher off the ground and with some sort of retractable ladder or bridge, these houses could act as dorms that were set up to house staff when the weather prevented them from leaving, and a few smaller houses that could have been available for guests. Other buildings like barns and greenhouses should be added. All buildings should be properly furnished, have the basic necessities, run completely off the grid with a flick of a switch, be made using the highest quality of long lasting low maintenance materials, be as soundproof as possible, and have impact windows with hurricane shutters built into the buildings that can preferably be closed/opened with the push of a button and if needed manually. The upper part of the road should have a tall heavy gate built into the wall with its own separate power source that I have both the manual key and master passcode to. All manual house keys are located in the front desk area which all the buildings use and the security room holds a few master keys in a safe. There should also be a few cabins set up in the outer surrounding area in case of bad weather or trips off the main mountain."
{This is doable. The history will be that the mountain used to have a prison built at the top but it went out of service due to maintenance difficulties and cost. Forty years ago it burned down leaving only the concrete walls that were built to surround it along with the watchtowers set along it and the entirety was sold off. You and an ally purchased the mountain along with parcels of land surrounding it and began building a green resort after you won the lottery while stationed in Texas, which you claimed anonymously and never told anyone about.}
{There are 3 large houses that are set as dorms for staff and a number of various outbuildings built within the 20 feet high 3 feet thick concrete walls that were given a brick veneer at the top of the mountain and one fully equipped ranch built at the base of the mountain which hides the main entry road leading almost directly up the mountain if you know which turns to take. The second entrance is accessible through a backroad that splits in three directions; one path leading halfway up a nearby mountain before stopping near a hunting cabin, the second goes to a lake that has a tunnel hidden behind a waterfall, large enough for ATVs, that lead up your mountain to the road outside the main gate, and the last stops at a difficult trail that requires climbing gear which leads up the mountain to scenic views outside the upper walls. There is a secondary 6 foot tall stone fence halfway down the mountain though it does not have gates so the entry paths are free access. Now to discuss your body before the finer details of your background.}
"Ok so my new body. Looking at the entirety of the Walking Dead universe as a whole there are walkers and then also the smarter, faster, stronger versions so I'd prefer if my body was also faster and stronger. To be more specific I want a healthy enhanced body with the capabilities, knowledge, and skills of Alice from Resident Evil while also being immune to whatever it is that makes the walkers and their variants possible along with the diseases, bacteria, viruses, and other harmful substances they can pass on. My immunity or rather my enhanced immune system should be 100% inheritable so any children I have including Carl will have it also. I also want my body to be free of unwanted body hair and well not ugly."
{Some adjustments are required. I will ensure you have the mental and physical memories of training that will grant you the combat and weaponry related knowledge and skills requested along with the relevant knowledge for survival. However the psionic abilities, anti-aging, and regeneration are not capable of being applied. I will make it so your body is genetically speaking easily maintained, more youthful in appearance, and your healing speed is somewhat increased at least when it comes to internal damage. As for your body being enhanced so that it is faster and stronger the best I could do would be to perfect your interior bone and muscular structure while increasing your stamina. A consequence of this however would be that your sexual libido would also be greatly increased. There are three basic templates available for your appearance. You can choose from the appearances of Nina Dobrev as seen on The Vampire Diaries, Sarah Hyland as seen on Modern Family, or Phoebe Tonkin as seen on The Originals.}
"Phoebe Tonkin. What exactly did you mean by my li-" Her words are cut off as the being continues.
{Now to create your background. We have established that you will have a military and medical background. As there is no preexisting history to reflect this I will make additions and tweaks to memories and subtle tweaks rather than outright changes to the past regarding those that lived in King County as Shane and Carl are the only survivors of that town it will be rather simple. Your father was a veteran and you were engaged to a man in the military before his death overseas. Both your father and fiancé taught you how to defend yourself. Judith's conception will have occurred through insemination. The ones originally responsible for the shooting of Rick Grimes are now responsible for the car crash which put you in a coma.}
{As a result of these changes Shane Walsh will have an almost pathological need to both favor and protect you. This is due to the combination of your background as his best friend, helping raise Carl, that Rick's gender was all that stopped Shane from being sexually attracted to him, that your personality is close to his ideal, the freshness of his adjusted memories leading him believe it is because of how important you are to him, and the knowledge you are carrying his child. The fear of losing you if a relationship between you two failed would be the reason he avoided becoming romantically involved with you before the apocalypse. These feelings would also be the reason he jumped at the chance to have a child with you as he viewed it as a way to ensure he would always be part of your life.}
"Basically you're giving him memories that have him fall for me so I'll be the one dealing with a possibly psycho Shane instead of Lori."
{That will depend on how you choose to handle things. You can choose to forgo acknowledging his feelings however that would likely lead to the same or a similar situation as was witnessed in the show with slight differences or you could attempt to change things as I said your libido is increased and you have a perfectly healthy body capable of taking on multiple lovers. The choice is yours. Regardless with this our deal is settled. You will awake in Rick's hospital room, of course I will have already disposed of the walker and evidence of Rick's death. I'm afraid with everything I will have to make things rather difficult for you so the two that you will need to ensure survive are Shane Walsh and Theodore Douglas also known as T-Dog. Though due to the difficulty I will say that if you manage to get them along with additional others that would have died to Alexandria then I will grant additional boons. For one extra I will ensure there is minimal to no maintenance required for the buildings, for two the buildings are equipped with solar shingle roofing that will work at the optimal levels of high performance panels, for three the solar roof will survive for your entire possible lifespan, for four the buildings will be able to withstand all weather without damage no matter it be a lightning storm or a tornado, for five you will gain unlimited animal feed for all of the domesticated animals that reside on the land, and for each additional you with gain a month worth of food for the property at max occupancy were it in business.}
{Oh and just so you're aware you will be incapable of informing anyone of your reincarnation or what you know of the future. Though to help with the knowledge you have of the future and making sure at least Shane, Carl, and your allies listen to you I'll set up several memories in which you displayed strong if not almost supernatural gut instincts which warned you of impending danger and had dreams of things which later did prove to happen. As it was something depicted by Jim Andrews who dreamed of the attack at the quarry it can be easily incorporated into your want of an enhanced body. This of course means that the closer you get to certain situations the more likely you will dream of the event you had once seen or you may experience a gut feeling warning you to be careful. Well, good luck.}
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General Appearance
Full Body Appearance
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone