Ashleigh Smith

Harry Edwards - brother-in-law *(deceased)*

"*After Kieron...I lost **everything**. Even when I had John, there was always something missing. At the time, I thought that if he died, it would make everything better. That everything would go back to being **okay**. [...] I had my chance, the other night. I was going to do it. **I wanted to**. But...then I realized it will never make it better. **Nothing will change**. I accepted that. [...] Besides, the bastard that killed my husband is already **dead**,*"
—Ashleigh finally accepts Edwards' apology and the fact that Carlson is alive[src]
**Ashleigh Smith** is a main character and a survivor of the outbreak in *The Walking Dead by EDStudios*. She is a soldier for the New Graystone Military and a guard at 'Deepwater' Oil Field. Following the war against the Frontiersmen, she entered a relationship with Kieron and fell pregnant with his child. When Kieron was killed, she went into a rage alongside her brother-in-law, Edwards, willing to kill any and all members of the Fear. She briefly turned against Edwards over his refusal to kill the defeated Carlson, but eventually came to peace with it and marched with Edwards in the war against the Government. Following the war, she and her son were invited to live on Veteran Ranch.

## Overview

### Personality

From her first appearance, Ashleigh is shown to be strong-willed and quick to temper, but nonetheless emotional.

After the fall of the Capital and the death of Kieron, Ashleigh is shown to be utterly devastated over the death of her husband and as a result is shown to be consumed by anger, rage and a desire for vengeance and also shows signs of mental instability. She wants to personally kill The Crow, her husband's supposed killer at all costs and exterminate the Fear completely. Even when she discovers that Lawrence, not The Crow, was her husband's killer, she still desires retribution by killing Nathan Carlson, The Crow's true identity.

## Post-Apocalypse

### Season 27

#### 'What We Fear Most'

Ashleigh watches as Edwards beats and chokes Carlson nearly to death, with a smile slowly appearing on her face. When Edwards lets go, however, she marches up and throws him his tomahawk, demanding that Edwards kill him. She flies into a rage when Edwards refuses and spares Carlson's life, breaking down in tears when he instead sentences Carlson to life behind bars.

That night, as the rebuilding of AAFB begins, Ashleigh cries alone in her bunk. Suddenly, Shadowman emerges, acknowledging her loss and says that Edwards made a mistake to let Carlson live, promising that he will help her to eventually get revenge on Carlson. Drew also emerges, having overheard and laying down his support for their plan.

## Death

### Killed by:

* Natural causes *(alive)*
* John Smith *(before reanimation)*

In the 18-year time skip between '*Of Pain and Suffering*' and '*A Larger World*', it is revealed that Ashleigh died of natural causes and her son, John, prevented her from turning.

## Killed Victims

* 2 unnamed member of the Fear
* 3 unnamed Government soldiers
* Numerous counts of zombies

## Relationships

### Harry Edwards

"*He asked me where his daddy was. I told him that a **bad man killed him**. And he wanted to know if that bad man got what he deserved,*"
—Ashleigh to Edwards discussing her infant son[src]

Ashleigh has a good and close relationship with her brother-in-law, one that becomes stronger and closer following Kieron's death as the two of them head on the same warpath. Unlike Edwards, Ashleigh is unable to accept that Carlson is innocent under the mask of the Crow.

### Nathan Carlson

"*Go in here. And don't come out until you've decided who is in control. [...] If the wrong one is in control...I'll kill all of you,*"
—Ashleigh's ultimatum to Carlson for him to take control of his alternate personalities[src]

Ashleigh deeply hates Carlson, initially believing that he murdered Kieron. Even after discovering that Lawrence killed her husband, Ashleigh still aches for vengeance against the Crow.

After confronting him in his cell and seeing that he has been completely broken and the "true" Carlson is seeking redemption for the actions of his "Crow" personality, Ashleigh decides he can be used against Eden and conspires with Shadowman to set him free.

### Shadowman

> *"We can use him. [...] He's broken. I believe that he wasn't responsible, at least not "him". He's our secret weapon...if we can control him,"*
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> -- Ashleigh convinces Shadowman to use Carlson as a double agent
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