"Alone, Together" is a short story written by Robert Kirkman for the anthology: "The Living Dead 2".
Plot Synopsis[]
Timothy Stinnot fondly remembers a romantic encounter with his wife Diane where, for their three month anniversary, she surprised him by wearing nothing but a trench coat and some cut up slacks, and how he proposed to her two weeks later. They were married for four years up until the outbreak started. Sadly, Dianne died two weeks after the initial outbreak. Timothy then recalls his childhood.
In present day, Timothy is unable to sleep, having spotted a grocery store outside. He takes turns between watching the store and watching Alicia sleep. He notes that Alicia is not the most beautiful woman in the world, yet admits that he finds her very attractive, and wonders if he is suffering from Smurfette Syndrome, where the only woman available becomes extremely desirable to the men around her, despite the fact that this wouldn't be the case if there were other alternatives. He laments how, when Diane died, he didn't think he could ever be with another woman, but didn't know what true loneliness felt like back then.
Timothy recalls how they started out as a group of six. David, whose last name Timothy never learned, died after only ten days, while rounding a corner and running into a group of zombies, who swiftly devoured him. Timothy grimly notes that David's death bought enough time for the others to escape. The next to die were the Carson twins, whom Timothy refers to as "Carson One" and "Carson Two". Carson One was bitten on the leg by a walker hiding under a car, while the group was siphoning gasoline. His brother was enraged and started beating the walker with his bare hands. Unfortunately, all the noise he made drew other walkers to the area. The others tried to get Carson Two to stop, but were ultimately forced to abandon him to get devoured.
This only left Timothy, Alicia, and James, her fiancé. Timothy recalls how unbearable it was to see James and Alicia together, as they reminded him of himself and Diane. One day, when James and Timothy were looking for medicine for Alicia, James was swarmed and killed by walkers. Alicia was naturally devastated, but over time began to grow closer to Timothy as the two talked more and more about their lives. Timothy, in turn, started to obsess over Alicia. He wonders if he truly loves her, or if he is just so lonely he'd find a way to love anyone, before deciding that he doesn't care.
Timothy eventually falls asleep and is woken up the next day by Alicia, who is excited about the grocery store. Timothy regrets not having woken up first, as he wanted to surprise her. He nonetheless gets dressed and heads outside. Timothy notes how very few buildings they come across have their doors intact, and how this makes it extra dangerous to scavenge inside, as the walkers can come and go as they please. He remembers that the Carson twins carried guns, but he was never comfortable with them, having never fired one. He decided that guns were not practical anyway as they make to much noise, so he uses a knife instead, while Alicia uses a bat.
The store itself is small and in a rather sorry state, with all of the windows smashed. It is dimly lit inside, with the sun only illuminating the front, while the back is completely pitch black. Timothy pulls out a flashlight and ventures further inside while Alicia searches the front. The shelves are almost completely empty. Timothy eventually comes across a walker and prepares to kill it, but hears Alicia in distress. He stabs the walker in the neck (having missed its head) and knocks it over, losing his knife in the process, and frantically searches for Alicia. He finds her pinned to the ground by a walker, so he tackles it off her. He wrestles with the walker until Alicia kills it with her bat. Alicia collapses to the ground, so Timothy carries her outside, where he begins to undress her to check for bites. Alicia comes to and begins playfully undressing Timothy as well, before kissing him. They proceed to have sex on the ground in front of the grocery store.
Timothy realizes that Alicia loves him. While he is at first excited about this, he is quickly burdened by guilt; not only of having fell in love less then a year after Diane died, but of harboring a secret and keeping it from Alicia. He decides that Alicia deserves to know the truth, and that he will tell her later that day. The pair scavenge the rest of the neighborhood and find a considerable amount of supplies.
Timothy thinks back on the day James died, and notes how angry he felt, as seeing James and Alicia together exasperated the grief he felt over losing his wife, being constantly reminded of what he lost. He, thus, likes to think he wasn't himself. He denies wanting to kill James, but admits to having thought about it. That day, the two of them were alone, and while Timothy knew James dying wouldn't bring Diane back, it would at least mean he wouldn't have to watch him and Alicia together anymore, and see in them exactly what he wanted for himself. While he had several opportunities, Timothy couldn't bring himself to kill James. At the end of the day, however, while the two were talking, Timothy saw walkers approaching them, while James didn't. Despite this, Timothy didn't warn James of the danger, and when the walkers attacked James, Timothy chose to not intervene, resulting in James getting devoured.
Later that night, Timothy confesses his feelings for Alicia, and she reciprocates, as he knew she would. He then confesses the truth about how James died. To his surprise, he doesn't initially see anger in Alicia's face, only sorrow. Naturally, Alicia is devastated and furious, but Timothy believes she will eventually forgive him. They fall asleep in each other's arms. The next day, Timothy wakes up and finds Alicia gone, along with all of their supplies and weapons. He laments how, whether or not she meant to, Alicia has killed him, as he doesn't believe he will last more than five days on his own. He admits, however, that without Alicia, he doesn't want to anyway.
Credits[]
- Timothy Stinnot
- Alicia
- James (Mentioned)
- Carson Two (Mentioned)
- Carson One (Mentioned)
- David (Mentioned)
- Diane Stinnot (Mentioned)
- Justin Stinnot (Mentioned)
- Rick's Group (Mentioned)
- Michonne Hawthorne (Mentioned)
Deaths[]
- Diane Stinnot (Confirmed Fate)
- David (Confirmed Fate)
- Carson One (Confirmed Fate)
- Carson Two (Confirmed Fate)
- James (Confirmed Fate)
Trivia[]
- Only appearance of Timothy Stinnot.
- Only appearance of Alicia.
- This is the first of one of two prose short stories that are set in The Walking Dead comic series continuity, with the second being Just Another Day at the Office.
- Interestingly two Carson brothers are mentioned in this short story. Two years later two different Carson brothers were introduced into The Walking Dead Comic Series.
- The Survivors in Issue 57, specifically Michonne, are referenced in this short.
- "Once we were watching a gas station surrounded by walkers trying to figure out the safest way to get inside when a band of marauders arrived in a large truck. I remember a mean-looking woman with a sword who nearly single-handedly staved off the walkers while other members of her group broke in to clean out the place."
- The Survivors during this time traveled to D.C. in a large truck. Michonne would often take out numerous zombies by herself to cover the group. Also during this time the group were at their darkest and most dangerous which is why Timothy and Alicia believe them to be marauders.
- This marks the first time the Survivors have been recognized as antagonistic, the second being in "The Fall of the Governor". Coincidentally both are novels.
- "Once we were watching a gas station surrounded by walkers trying to figure out the safest way to get inside when a band of marauders arrived in a large truck. I remember a mean-looking woman with a sword who nearly single-handedly staved off the walkers while other members of her group broke in to clean out the place."
Links[]
Link to full story - https://www.nightmare-magazine.com/fiction/alone-together/
Walking Dead Video Games
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