Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing related to The Walking Dead. No copyright intended here.

Warning: This is rated M for language, gore, and suggestive themes.

"I wondered about the explorers who'd sailed their ships to the end of the world. How terrified they must have been when they risked falling over the edge; how amazed to discover, instead, places they had seen only in their dreams."

—Jodi Picoult

Part One

Red Flags & Alarm Bells

The young man down on the road just a few dozen yards from the city line had yet to be joined by others. He was still pacing around the hood of his Honda Accord helplessly, constantly removing the baseball cap from his head and running his hands through his hair in frustration, only to put the cap back on to repeat the process a few moments later. By now, Jenna was sure he was alone, and he looked relatively harmless.

She looked down at Thao, who'd been playing with his Hot Wheels on the floor of the abandoned apartment room they'd camped out in for the night while she'd been watching the young man out the window.

"Come on, bud," she said quietly, gathering up her backpack and slinging it over her shoulder. "Time to get a move on."

He stuffed the two cars into his jeans pocket and pushed his arms through the straps of his own smaller backpack.

"Is he still there?" Thao inquired curiously in a quiet tone while they moved toward the door.

"Yep, still there," she answered, pulling the machete from her belt. "But he's alone, and we're gonna see if he needs any help. Stay close, now," she said as she unlocked the door and turned the knob.

Carefully, she pulled the door back and held a hand out behind her to let Thao know to stay put. She stepped forward and peered down the hallway, seeing nothing to worry about. With a quick, minor motion of her left hand, she beckoned Thao toward her again, and he took hold of the left pocket of her cargo pants obligingly while they moved quietly through the hallway and down to the main floor. She shoved the lobby couch away from the glass front doors where she'd left it the night before, and together, they exited out into the late morning Georgia sunshine.

Scanning around the area, she moved forward when she didn't see any of the dead—they rarely traveled this far into the fringes of the cities, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

The young man—who looked to be of Korean descent—had yet to notice them even as they drew near where he was stuck on the side of the road. He'd closed the hood again, though he hadn't made any repairs, and looked to be about to try and start the car up again to try his luck anyway. Seeing that he was armed, she decided that taking him by surprise wouldn't be the way to go.

Whistling to get his attention, she paused when he spun around, reaching for the revolver tucked into the back of his belt. She stepped in front of Thao immediately and held up her left hand, showing she meant no harm as long as she wasn't threatened. On the other hand, she didn't put down her machete, not about to be the first to back down.

"Calm down, man, I don't want any trouble," she said in a level, neutral tone.

He backed down almost immediately, and Jenna wanted to smirk and shake her head wryly; there were benefits to being small and female, even if there were many, many drawbacks to counter them.

"Right, sorry," he said a little sheepishly, stowing the Smith & Wesson back into his belt.

"Car troubles, huh?" she ventured, nodding toward the Honda Accord that had been immobile for the better part of two hours.

The young man laughed dryly, nodding as he looked back at the car. "Won't start."

Hmm. Perhaps a trade could be made here. She gave him a quick once over, sizing him up. He was bigger than her, of course—at five foot two and barely breaking one hundred pounds, it was hard not to encounter a person who was bigger than her—but he wasn't very big as far as men went. And something about his demeanor told her that she could knock him on his ass if it came down to it.

"Would you mind if I took a look at it?" she offered, securing the machete to her belt again.

The young man turned his gaze back to her, giving her a quizzical expression.

She smirked slightly. "Just humor me for a second," she requested, stepping forward. "Pop the hood."

After a moment of hesitation, he seemed to decide that he really had nothing to lose at that point, and popped the hood obligingly. With Thao close at her heels, Jenna moved to stand in front of the engine, giving it a quick scan. The battery looked new, and the wires were connected properly, so that wasn't the problem.

"Try to start it again," she said, leaning back and gazing down at the machinery intently.

The man did as she'd said, and the engine gave a few clicks rather than turning over a few times. Hmm.

"Alright, stop," she said, and when he pulled the keys from the ignition again, she leaned forward. "It doesn't seem to be getting a charge at all…" she mused as the young man came around to study the engine at her side.

She took automatic note of his proximity, and calculated exactly how she'd retaliate if the need presented itself.

"Nice gun," he noted, having spotted her pistol tucked behind her belt.

"Thanks," she said, a little distractedly as she reached down to examine the alternator. Compact cars always made it nearly impossible to see what you were doing, but they were at least something she was familiar with.

"What're you doing, exactly?" he wondered then.

"Going on a hunch…" she said, reaching between the cruise control and the alternator, feeling her way around. "And I think I found your problem. Alternator belt slipped out of place."

Thao leaned forward on his toes to try and see what she was doing. "Can you fix it?"

"Yeah, I think so," Jenna replied, struggling to work the belt back into place in the tight confines of the compact engine. "Man, this thing's down to the bone…" she mumbled, her fingers feeling along the very worn-down underside of the belt.

When she had the belt secured back into place, she straightened up, wiping her oil-stained hand on the side of her pants.

"Will it work now?" the young man inquired hopefully.

"It should," she said truthfully. "That belt's in bad shape, though… Give it a try."

He slipped back into the driver's seat and inserted the key into the ignition. When the car started up again after the engine turned over a few times, a wide grin spread across his face, and he leaned back into the seat with a heavy sigh of relief.

"Thank you, so much, uh…?" he said, stepping out of the car and leaning on the open door.

"Jenna," she answered.

"Thanks, Jenna," he said sincerely, and held out his hand. After a moment, she accepted the handshake he'd offered. "I'm Glenn."

"Glenn," she said, nodding. "This little man here is Thao," she introduced, ruffling the boy's hair, making him laugh.

"Hey, kid," said Glenn to Thao cheerfully, and then looked back up at Jenna. "Hey, look, I gotta repay you somehow—I would've been stuck here if you hadn't come along. Anything I can do?"

Glad you asked… "Give us a ride?" she asked.

"Where?" he wondered.

She shrugged. "As far as you'll take us," she said simply. "We're just trying to get away from the city."

He nodded. "Alright, done," he agreed easily. "Hey, my group is camped out up at a quarry not far from here. If you want, you can rest up there for a while. We've got food, water, shelter. It'd be the least I can do for getting me outta here."

She contemplated that. "How many people, exactly?"

"Maybe…twenty or so," he replied, "give or take a few. Not just guys," he assured her, correctly guessing one of her primary concerns. "Women and kids, too."

She considered that new information. "Your people wouldn't mind taking in a couple strangers for a while?" she wondered.

He shook his head. "No, not at all. Most of our people are really nice."

"Most?" she inquired, eyebrow raised.

He laughed lightly. "Yeah, well…the Dixon brothers don't really like anybody—especially if you're not white—and to be honest, I'd stay away from Roy McFadden if I were you," he informed. "But other than that, everyone's pretty nice. Plus, we have a cop who's sort of like our leader—he keeps people in line pretty well."

She nodded, the red flags that had shot up slowly lowering back down. It seemed safe enough…and it would give her and Thao the opportunity to get their bearings before heading out again.

"Alright," she said eventually. "You've got a deal."

He grinned again—not a leer, but a genuinely friendly smile. "Cool," he said. "Here, let me move some things in the back. We can get outta here before walkers show up."

He shifted the supplies he'd apparently scavenged from the city to make enough room for Thao to sit securely in the backseat. Jenna ruffled his hair and closed the door after him before sliding into the passenger seat, settling her backpack on the floor between her knees.

"Walkers?" she inquired when they'd pulled away from the side of the road.

"That's what we call the dead," he explained. She just nodded, understanding now. "What do you call them?" he wondered.

She shrugged. "Didn't really call them anything. Just…them."

They cruised up the road, the windows down to try and cool them off in the humid Georgia heat, and eventually the asphalt gave way to dirt and gravel when Glenn took a right up a winding road bordered by a rock wall on one side and a cliff-like drop on the other. This was a part of Georgia Jenna had certainly never seen before.

"We're in range now…" Glenn muttered, turning on the CB radio. "This is Glenn, comeback," he said, speaking into the radio.

There was a sputter of static, but then a voice came through.

"This is Shane, I read ya, comeback," said the deeper, gruffer voice.

"I'm on my way up, with two visitors; a girl and a kid," said Glenn. "She helped me out of a tight spot, and I offered her a place with us. Copy?"

"Copy. Tell us the full story when ya get here."

"Over and out."

Glenn rested the speaker back into the dock, and Jenna's brows were raised, impressed. These people were pretty organized.

It wasn't long before a few other parked vehicles could be seen, and when Glenn parked the Honda up beside a Dodge Wagon, Jenna could see most of the campground—and a whole lot of people. Little red flags were shooting up again, and alarm bells chimed in her head as she took note of exactly how many people—exactly how many of those people were men, to be specific—had gathered around what appeared to be the camp's center. There were more living people here than Jenna had seen since the outbreak had gotten out of hand weeks ago.

She exited the car, helping Thao out before gathering her backpack and slinging it over her shoulder, and watching as a large man with black hair and a blue button-down approached them, Mossberg held resting over his shoulder.

"Good to see ya back, man," said the bigger man to Glenn. "Ya had us worried for a bit there."

"Car trouble," Glenn explained. "Just barely made it outta the city when it stopped and wouldn't start again." He jerked a thumb in Jenna's direction. "This is Jenna—she got it started for me."

The man turned his brown eyes to her, giving her a polite nod. "Jenna," he greeted, stepping forward and holding a hand out. "Shane," he introduced himself.

Forcing herself not to be alarmed by his much, much more threatening stature than that of Glenn, Jenna stepped forward, meeting him halfway, and shook his much larger hand. His demeanor was decidedly non-threatening, despite his size and physique, and the Mossberg in his hand was no more threatening than her own machete or Beretta was intended to be.

"Hey, little man," greeted Shane, giving Thao a smile.

Jenna ruffled his hair, letting him know things were still safe. "This is Thao, my partner in crime these days," she said fondly.

"Partner in crime, huh?" Shane inquired, smirking. "Well, Thao, I'm officer Shane Walsh. So I'll be keepin my eye on you, kiddo," he mock-warned, giving Thao a wink, causing him to laugh lightly.

Jenna noticed that, unlike Glenn, Shane had a southern accent, so she assumed he was from the area.

She looked past Shane at the sound of multiple footsteps over dirt and gravel, and saw a group of more men approaching—presumably to gather the supplies Glenn had brought back. If it weren't for the presence of the women and children within eyesight, Jenna would've grabbed Thao and taken off at a sprint into the trees. More red flags, more alarm bells.

"Yo, man, what took you so long?" asked a black man with a gray and black beret hat as he approached with the rest.

"Car trouble," Glenn explained.

"What's wrong with my car?" asked a slightly heavily-built Mexican man in his thirties, looking puzzled as he gave the Honda a once-over.

"Something with the alternator, or something…couldn't get a charge…" Glenn looked to Jenna for assistance. "She can explain it."

Every eye turned to her then, and she scanned her eyes around them briefly before focusing on the Mexican man—the one who was obviously the owner of the Honda, and not raking his eyes up and down her body like a starving animal.

"Alternator belt slipped out of place," she explained. "I got it back in place, but it's in bad shape, man."

"Oh yeah?" asked a man in a dirty blue jumpsuit, looking both amused and impressed.

"Thing's worn down to the bone," she confirmed.

He nodded, accepting her assessment, apparently. "I'll take a look at it," he said to the Mexican man, clapping him on the shoulder. "Won't be long before it can't get a charge at all."

"Smart woman," muttered a man with sandy brown hair and a Horton crossbow slung over his shoulder, as he made his way toward the Honda to help the others unload the supplies. Jenna didn't find anything alarming about him, but the older man at his side, who—judging by the very similar eye color—might've been his brother seemed more interested in scoping out Jenna's body than her minimal knowledge of cars.

So, that's two to watch out for…she assessed automatically, stepping back to be out of the way while they unloaded the car. Make that three, she noted when a man with scraggly black hair and a golden front tooth gave her a shameless leer.

"Jenna," said Shane, catching her attention. "You can go on up to camp with Dale," he said, gesturing to a kind-looking old man wearing a fisherman's hat and a Hawaiian shirt. "He'll get y'all situated."

She nodded. "Thank you."

He nodded politely in return, and she motioned for Thao to follow after her as she approached the old man, who was smiling kindly at the two of them.

"Hello, Miss," he greeted, holding out his hand. "I'm Dale."

She smiled, liking him already. There was just something about him that reminded her of her best friend's grandfather, whom Jenna had been very fond of.

"I'm Jenna," she replied, shaking his hand. "This is Thao. Thanks for letting us stay."

"Of course," he said jovially as they made their way into the camp's center. "It's the least we can do for gettin Glenn outta trouble. Now, sleeping quarters are a little cramped, but not too bad, as long as you've got your own tent. Do you have one?"

"No," said Jenna regretfully as they neared an old Winnebago RV. "Our tent was lost in our last car in the city two days ago. Car was swarmed," she said explanatorily.

"Oh, sorry to hear that," he said sincerely. "I'm sure we can find somethin for ya…"

"They can bunk with me," came a voice—a voice that sounded exactly as Jenna would've imagined belonged to a southern bell.

She turned her head to the left to follow the voice, and her eyes landed on a girl who looked to be about her own age. Her skin was a smooth mocha color, her hair was abundant and curly, and her eyes were bright golden brown. The smile on her face radiated friendliness, and Jenna liked her immediately.

"Just me an' myself in that big ol' tent," she said as she approached. "Got plenty of room."

"Sure you wouldn't mind?" Jenna asked for the sake of being polite.

The girl waved a hand dismissively. "Naw, not one bit," she promised, and held out her hand. "Hi, I'm Dusty—well, Dustine, actually, but jus' call me Dusty, I hate Dustine."

Jenna grinned, shaking the girl's hand. "Dusty," she repeated.

"I know, it's ridiculous, ain't it?" Dusty asked with a laugh. "Swear on my life, I don't know what my mama was thinkin when she gave me that name."

Jenna shook her head. "No, I like it," she said truthfully. "I'm Jenna."

"Jenna, nice an' simple," repeated Dusty, and she grinned down at Thao. "An' who's the big guy here?"

"This is Thao," Jenna introduced, ruffling the boy's hair again while he grinned back at Dusty. "My trusty wingman."

Dusty gave Thao a wink. "Well, c'mon, big guy," she said. "Let's go get y'all set up." She nodded to Dale. "I got it from here, Dale."

Jenna nodded at him as they went different ways. "Thanks."

She followed Dusty across the campsite, taking note of the other people that all gave her and Thao inquiring looks as they passed. Some of them nodded politely, and some of them just stared. A pair of blonde women coming back up from the quarry with a load of wet laundry in their hands eyed her curiously. The younger of the two gave Jenna a smile, but the older just looked her up and down in puzzlement.

They approached an orange and gray tent that looked capable of fitting four people comfortably, and Dusty unzipped the door to let them inside. She picked up some of the clothing items that were lying around, but other than that, it was pretty clean.

Jenna dropped her bag in a bare corner and helped Thao remove his before setting it down beside hers. Assuming that no one would be breaking into Dusty's tent, Jenna considered it safe enough to empty the contents of her pockets into her bag for the time being. The cargo pants were much heavier than jeans had ever been, and they were hard enough to keep from sliding off without the added weight.

"Y'all don't have sleepin bags?" Dusty presumed, taking note of their supplies.

Jenna shook her head. "No, we lost those, too."

"Well, Jacki might be able to help you out," she said then. "Her an' T got a few extras, I think. C'mon."

With that, Jenna and Thao followed her out of the tent again, and over to another just a few yards away. It was blue and gray, and about the same size as Dusty's. A black woman with short hair and pretty cat eyes was sitting in front of it on a log-converted-chair, folding clothes.

"Hey, Jacki," Dusty greeted. "This is Jenna an' her little man, Thao," he introduced.

Jacki smiled up at them kindly. "You're the one who got Glenn outta trouble down in the city, huh?" she presumed, and Jenna nodded.

"You got any extra sleepin bags?" Dusty inquired. "They lost their stuff a few days ago."

"Oh, I'm sure we have somethin," said Jacki generously. "Let me see what I can find." She entered the tent and returned with two small sleeping bags, one blue, one red. "They're pretty small, but they're all we've got," she said regretfully.

Jenna smiled. "They're perfect, thanks," she said sincerely, accepting them from the kind woman.

She looked down at Thao, smiling slightly. Their luck was finally starting to turn around, it would seem. She was supremely glad that she'd chanced the trip up into the unknown, despite the risks large groups of strangers presented. Looking around the area, she had to admit…these people didn't seem so bad.

Note:

Hi! Thank you for taking the time to give my story a shot, it means a lot to me. One thing I'd just like to make clear for everyone is that while this is a Shane/OC pairing, this is by no means a romance story. It's a story of survival and struggling not to let the apocalyptic world destroy the person you are, and two people are eventually drawn together. There's not going to be much fluff, and the smut is a long, long ways off. I just thought I'd get that out there now.

Additionally, I will never hold this story "hostage" to get more reviews. If I haven't updated in a while, it's because I've been busy, or I've had writer's block. I'm not in this for the reviews. I'm in this for the story. Reviews are always appreciated, because they let me know what readers think, let me look at things from a different point of view, what readers would like to see next, or what I can improve on. I've read stories where authors react badly to a lack of reviews, and it automatically turns me away from anything they write. I'll never be that writer. Promise.

P.S.: I am not a fan of Andrea's, so if she's a favorite of yours, this may not be the fic for you. I'm not overly cruel to her, and I don't try to exaggerate the negative points in her character, but I'm not exactly kind to her either. The same goes for Lori.

Anyway, I hope you decide to stick around and see where Jenna goes from here. Happy reading!