PART 1
Ethan grunts as he sits up and slides off his digital alarm clock.
He tries to remember the series, but beyond the general plot, he has no details.
“Atlanta, right?” – He scratches his chin, vaguely remembering the city where it takes place, as it’s a name that comes up many times in the series or in internet videos.
Anyway… Ethan glances at his status and then looks at his wardrobe.
– “I should have asked to find out who I am.
But I have $70,000 in my bank account and 2 weeks before the end of the world.” – He laughs, thinking about how to use that.
But then a sudden headache occurs and memories are inserted, he growls and blood starts dripping from his nostrils.
Ethan falls to his knees as his head throbs.
Ethan Walker, 31 years old, police officer in Linden County, Georgia.
Divorced, currently single, owning his own house, a decent pickup truck…
He calms down, panting and frowning.
– “I went from a cop in a major metropolis in 2026 to a damn small-town cop in 2010?” – Huffing, he grabs his knee and stands up.
Up until then, his story was complete, everything was quite similar, except for the fact that when he got divorced, he was a police officer in Atlanta for about 2 years, but due to conflicts and other issues, he was transferred to Linden County shortly after the divorce.
Without thinking much about it, he goes to the bathroom, cleaning his face and the blood.
Looking at himself, it’s the face he’s used to, same tiredness, same scars, same beauty.
[Image] →
Smiling slightly, he sits down and searches for relevant information; it’s fresh and strange.
He looks for anything related to the series, important characters, and… the names; Rick Grimes and Shane Walsh, appeared.
They are police officers from King County, the neighboring county; it should be possible to get there in less than 2 hours without problems, less than an hour if you speed up.
He knows that both are protagonists and naturally knows Shane’s fate.
– “I actually quite liked the character, a little out of control, but I’ve seen many hot-headed and jealous cops.” – Ethan laughs lightly with a hint of mockery.
The thought of blending in with them, because in fact, they both know each other.
Shooting practice, joint training, joint arrests, etc., both counties and other neighbors tend to join and help each other.
And from what he managed to gather, he and Shane have a decent relationship; they both respect each other.
As for Rick?
They have something simple, police camaraderie; they don’t dislike each other, but they don’t like each other either.
But join them?
– “No, thank you.” – Ethan nods.
This is all a big mess.
Less than an hour ago he was at home, in 2026, planning the future, but now he’s here, in 2010, when he would be 15 years old and still in high school.
– ‘Well, it’s a copy of Earth, do I even exist?’ – Ethan wondered, but dismissed the thought.
Honestly, those were the best and worst years of his life.
Not that it matters now.
But he doesn’t plan on following the original story.
Too much trouble and he practically remembers almost nothing.
Besides important things and some interesting clues like smearing zombie guts on his body to blend in, the weakness in his head, the fact that everyone is infected, etc., he has no need to join the main group.
They get mixed up in several problems.
After all, since they are the protagonist group, it’s expected that events will be forced to occur.
“But Shane would be a powerful ally in this end of the world.” – Ethan says, scratching his chin, knowing that even with all the problems they get into, there are still some interesting and strategic points worth taking advantage of.
“The prison.” – Even if the Governor later destroys it.
Ethan doesn’t care much about that; it can be avoided with the right tactics and by killing the right people.
Ethan was already going to take a shower before work; he’s going to take two weeks of vacation, which he’s been accumulating over the last few years.
He’ll prepare for the end of the world during that time.
The main plot be damned.
He has no idea when Rick will wake up from his coma, or if he should try to prevent it.
But when will the shot be fired?
He has no idea.
“Does this system come with a manual?” – Ethan blinks, looking at the status as if it were a game.
He quickly tries commands, and when he says [Menu], options appear, including one called [Information].
Selecting it reveals details about the system, its functions, and more.
He reads while taking a cold shower.
Something interesting is his leveling system.
He doesn’t level up by accumulating EXP like in games; even though he’s not a nerd, he knows what RPGs are.
The point is: He will level up as he survives.
Each day is +1 progress.
With each level, his inventory will increase, with +1kg of capacity, where the sum of everything will also increase by 5% exponentially.
And understanding what this inventory is, he was surprised that it has an independent space that won’t affect his body, limited according to his carrying capacity in kilograms.
Currently it’s 29.7kg.
22kg comes from his 3 Strength, where his Level 3 Fitness increases by 35%.
In addition, there are [Slots]; he can equip and make invisible things like backpacks, fanny packs, belts, and more.
The same for vests and holsters.
They’re going to increase the weight capacity, and it’s noticeable that the 5% exponential bonus per level is applied to the sum of everything: (Attributes + Equipment + Level) * 1.05^Level.
Ethan found it confusing, but he picked up a half-empty 200ml shampoo bottle.
He immediately thought of putting it away and then disappeared…
[Inventory]
1x Shampoo, 200ml (0.11kg)
There are still 29.59kg of space left.
Ethan scratches his chin and, knowing he has $70,000 in his bank, he’ll make sure to buy the best military-grade storage items.
…
Ethan has a 2008 model pickup truck.
It’s in good condition; he gets in and drives to the police station, observing the city, greeting people when he stops.
In less than 15 minutes he arrives at his destination.
With a bag slung over his shoulder, he walks to the front, encountering a receptionist.
– “Hi dear~” – She says cheerfully, waving.
– “We’re out of coffee, Lindesman drank the rest and went out on patrol.
Is it possible to buy more coffee powder after you get dressed?
Great, thank you.”
Ethan blinks.
– “I just got here, Donna.”
Donna just smiles and Ethan waves.
He goes to the locker room and finds another police officer there.
– “You arrived a little late, partner.” – Clark smiles as he sees him.
“I fell asleep in the living room watching TV, the alarm didn’t wake me up on time.” – Ethan said, lying, but Clark laughs.
“Thinking about your ex?
Or the fact that you couldn’t get Bianca into bed?” – Clark teases him.
Ethan flips him the middle finger as he undresses and changes.
Clark laughs as he adjusts his holster.
– “Going to try with Bianca again?”
‘Bianca?’ – Ethan acted impulsively before, but now he remembered.
Bianca is a beautiful waitress at a nearby bar.
Many men try their luck with her, but she’s a tough widow who doesn’t spread her legs easily.
Ethan tried something with her, but she’s one of the few women who isn’t charmed by him or seduced by his charisma.
In her eyes, Ethan is just a jerk drowning his sorrows in alcohol and women, using them only to feel better.
Laughing bitterly, Ethan doesn’t answer, but he knows it’s something he would do.
– ‘I need to see her with my own eyes.
If she’s really that beautiful.’
PART 2
Ethan bought the coffee and handed the package to Donna, then went to the Sheriff’s office, bogged down in paperwork, but relaxing while sipping his early morning whiskey.
“Sheriff, showing himself to be in peak health so early in the morning.” – Ethan says as the old man named Kenny laughs.
“Ethan, good morning, boy.
Did something happen?” – Kenny takes a sip of his whiskey while stroking his long, thick mustache, which commands respect.
“Yes, some problems in Atlanta that I need to resolve regarding you-know-who.
I’ll take advantage of this to take the vacation I’ve been accumulating, but only 2 weeks, I want to start tomorrow.” – Ethan says.
“Oh, finally tired of being a maniac?” – Kenny laughs.
– “2 weeks?
No problem, I’ll ask Donna to prepare the papers.
But do you need any help resolving your problems?”
Kenny knows it must be related to some relevant divorce bureaucracy, or even some problem with his transfer documentation, possibly even some investigation.
Anything can happen in the big city.
“Nothing much.
Some divorce papers that seem to have errors, lawyer problems, but now I have to go back and see that woman.” – Ethan grunts.
– “But I don’t think I’ll be well enough to return to the streets, so I’ll take the opportunity to relax.”
Kenny nods.
Ethan soon leaves his office and joins Clark in the patrol car, with Ethan driving.
The memories become clearer, making him remember the usual routes, while Clark begins to talk about his children.
He just listens as they stop at a diner to buy food.
Ethan doesn’t talk much, always observant, where he notices a man in a striped shirt eating a pie.
With a sharp look, he slowly approaches as Clark smiles and, leaving the food on the counter, he approaches to offer support.
“Nathan, how are you on this beautiful day?
Did you wake up early?” – Ethan grabs the man’s shoulder.
From the memories, Nathan’s arrest is a routine affair, from drinking and fights to harassment and more.
“Officer Walker, I’m just eating my pie.” – Nathan laughs, with yellowed and crooked teeth, brown eyes, pale skin, and a bad smell.
“I see you’re back to injecting that crap.” – Ethan notices his arms and Nathan snorts, rolling his eyes.
“Be more respectful.” – Clark beside him says in a firm tone.
“Sorry.” – Nathan lowers his head; he really doesn’t want to be arrested.
“If you’re going to inject that crap, do it at home and not on a street corner like last time.
If I see you loitering in the streets at night, I’ll make sure to teach you a lesson.” – Ethan says coldly as his hand lands on his baton.
“I promise I’ll be good.” – Nathan raises his hands in surrender.
Ethan nods contentedly and takes his food.
Clark laughs.
– “That brat never changes.”
“You two are practically the same age.” – Ethan rolls his eyes.
Clark is a good cop, 28 years old and born in Linden County.
Of course, Clark has been a cop since he left school, having more years on the force than Ethan.
But Ethan is still 3 years older and Clark feels intimidated by him, even though they are good friends.
“So, are you going to try something with Bianca?” – Clark changes the subject.
“Still on that topic?
If something happens, so be it.” – Ethan rolls his eyes, Clark laughs and they get into the patrol car, eating and drinking.
Soon the radio comes on, some conflict at the bar.
– “Say what you’re thinking and I swear I’ll kick you out of the car.”
Clark raises his hands in surrender.
Soon Ethan starts the vehicle and they head to the location.
[Devil Kiss Bar], one of the busiest bars in Linden County, only of the time and the fact that it had “Devil” in its name.
When they arrive, they find two people tied up and lying in front of the bar, a large, bald, fat man waving his hands in their direction.
“Hey Tom, I see these idiots got into trouble,” Clark says to the security guard.
“Same old story, they drank too much, saw Bianca, and tried their luck the wrong way.” Tom rolls his eyes while Ethan glances at the two drunks.
“Just the usual?” he asks.
“Yeah, just two idiots,” a bored yet pleasant voice sounds.
[Image] →
Ethan raises an eyebrow at the beautiful woman with blue eyes, brown hair, and white skin with incredible curves, dressed in clothes that accentuate those curves.
“Okay, she’s even prettier than in my memories.” – Ethan frowns, composes himself, and stands up.
“I see you’re quite excited today, Officer Walker.” – Bianca says provocatively.
Ethan observes her and then stares at the two of them.
– “Honestly, I don’t even think it’s worth sending them to the cell.
They’ll probably vomit in the patrol car, and I don’t want to clean it.” – He ignores her and looks at Clark and Tom.
– “They have their keys, let’s take the two idiots home and let their wives take care of them.”
Bianca blinks at being ignored.
Clark and Tom find this strange; Ethan had always been careful and very interested in Bianca, being quite persistent.
“Where are the keys?” – Ethan asks Tom and then looks at Bianca.
“I have them.” “I’ll take the idiots, you go with the patrol car,” Ethan says to Clark, throwing him the patrol car keys.
Ethan takes the two thugs, knowing who they are, where they live, and not wanting to waste time with paperwork.
“What’s gotten into him?” Tom asks, watching Ethan lead the two to the truck.
“I have no idea,” Clark winks as Bianca crosses her arms.
“I admit I’m not used to being ignored,” Bianca laughs lightly.
“But you have to see about this, he doesn’t look well.”
Clark laughs, then remembers something.
“I think he spoke to the sheriff earlier, I didn’t hear the conversation and it didn’t seem like anything important… I’ll ask later.”
…
The two idiots are left in the care of their wives.
Ethan handed the keys to one of them and then went to the patrol car with Clark.
“You’re going on vacation tomorrow?!
What?!” Clark blinks.
Ethan stares at him and shrugs.
“Some problems came up and I need to go to Atlanta.
I’m going to take advantage of this to take my accumulated vacation time, so for the next two weeks, you’d better get used to traveling alone or with the sheriff.”
Clark grunts; he’s curious and certainly wants to know more.
“It has to do with my ex-wife,” Ethan says, and Clark’s curiosity ceases, understanding that it’s a sensitive matter for his partner.
The subject isn’t brought up again until Ethan touches on it, saying he’ll take the opportunity to make some changes to the house and maybe improve his truck.
Clark laughs and says, “I think we can work on that.
I tell you, that noise isn’t normal.”
They both laugh, the atmosphere becomes relaxed, and they patrol the city, some insignificant calls, some known residents who are jerks and receive a few slaps to put them in line, others whom Ethan and Clark make a point of arresting.
Linden County is a rural area encompassing several farms, even serving as a commuter town due to its proximity to Atlanta.
It has around 20,000 inhabitants scattered throughout the county, not inferior to neighboring King County.
In fact, while searching his memories, Ethan discovered that on the border between the counties, accessible to Atlanta, albeit at some distance, there is a Walmart supermarket, which attracts residents from the various nearby towns.
…
When the day ends, Ethan meets with Sheriff Kenny, who prepared all the paperwork, and thus, Ethan formally begins his vacation.