DISCLAIMER: I own nothing…nothing at all. ):

AUTHOR'S NOTE: So I've finally figured out my idea for where exactly (I think) I want this story to go as far as storylines go. It's still going to take me a few chapters to get into the flow of everything again, but now that I know where I'm going with it, the chapters should pick up pretty quickly.

I also want to thank everyone who has reviewed, favorited, and followed so much. Seriously, feedback is the thing that drives me to write, and knowing that people actually wants more makes me want to give more. Plus it's nice simply because I've been away from the writing game for so long and this is my first story in ages. So thank you all so much! Feedback is appreciated and enjoyed.

Darkness fell fast as her long legs pushed on, her boot covered feet hitting the ground with a heavy thud as she ran, her breath was deep and stuck in her throat as she struggled to breath, yet still kept pushing on. They had lost count of the day, lost track of where they were, and simply couldn't get to where they were going. They had lost one along the way, his injury getting the better of him, the walkers catching up to them. It had been a horrible sight and a sinking feeling had settled into her gut, but together they had to trek on. They were going to make it; they were determined to find their family, find the ones closest too them. They both had so much to lose, yet at the same time they had nothing at all.

Finally unable to take anymore running, Maggie brought herself to a slow stop, bending at the waist and placing her hands on her knees as she tried to catch her breath. "I'm….sorry…"

Sasha shook her head softly, more than out of breath herself as she moved around lightly trying to calm her own breathing and nerves down. She let her brown eyes wonder over to the thin girl who she had been running with for what felt like weeks before looking down at herself. They looked like they had been through hell and back with many miles more to travel. Their clothes were torn and bloody, their skin a shade darker just from how dirty they were. They were once headed in the right direction, but now completely turned around due to a herd of unexpected walkers.

"Shit…" Sasha muttered a little louder than expected as she moved closer to Maggie. Maggie's head shot up at the sound she knew Sasha was talking about, the sound of tires and the roaring of an engine. As if on cue, both ladies turned their gaze to the road they had been running along, spotting an unfamiliar vehicle coming their way. "We gotta go Maggie!"

"It's about fuckin' time!" There was sound of celebration in his voice as the engine of the old Honda finally roared to life. He had spent the past three days doing nothing but hunting for food, and failing at finding anything, and working under the hood of the beat up car. Finally, after hours and hours of blood and sweat he could call himself successful. He had to tell Beth.

Beth was settled in under a few blankets on the flat couch, her eyes growing heavy as she skimmed the lines of the dusty book that she was holding loosely in her lap. Among raiding the entire house for things that would be useful to them on the road, she had come across some small things that were simply nice to have. She'd come across a small box of makeup – not exactly something she needed at all, but was nice to have to remind her of what her life use to be. She had also found tons of bathroom things – toilet paper, amazing shampoos, conditioners, and soaps for both men, women, and babies. She'd found a few books, articles of clothing, and even an iPod. Of course, the music device didn't work, and there was no way to make it work…but she was still going to take it with her. Just in case.

"BETH…Beth!?"

Beth sat up, dropping the book to her lap as she heard him call out her name, his booming voice filling up the entire house as she heard his anxious footsteps growing closer.

"Daryl?" She spoke as if it were more of a question, though she knew it was him coming. Her big blue eyes were wide with confusion as he stepped into the living room with a goofy grin on his face.

"The car's ready! I figure we can sleep jus' one more night here, then hit the road when the sun comes back up?" He paused. "It's too late ta leave ta-night. Startin' to get dark outside."

The petite blonde stood up, nodding her head as her blue eyes met his and she offered him a bright smile. "That sounds amazin'! I'll start loading all the stuff into the trunk tomorrow morning while you're out lookin' for food." Beth paused for just a moment at the mention of food, knowing that Daryl hadn't been having luck finding anything for the past few days. "I found a few cans of food we can eat tonight. I was waiting for you to come in, so I left them in the kitchen."

The remaining hours before they finally settled into the bed were spent eating the cans of food until they were happy and full, making a bit of small talk among the two of them about the foods they missed, the rest of their survivor family, and if they thought there were more survivors out there just waiting to be found. They had ended the night happy, both settling in to their own sides of the bed but sharing the oversized blanket between the two of them. All in all it seemed like the day had gone well, the night had ended good, and in the morning they would be on their way to find something new, and hopefully find their friends along the way.

Of course, some things were just too good to be true.

"Daryl! What's going on?" Beth's voice was hushed, but full of concern as she sat up in the bed, shooting her entire body closer to Daryl's, she could tell she had only been asleep for a few hours by how dark it was outside.

Daryl looked around the room slowly, squeezing her thigh before he slowly slipped out of the bed and made his way over to the window, his eyes growing wide and his face draining of emotion as he peered through the blanket they had hung to block the light. "Motherfucker!" He cursed under his breath before turning back to Beth.

"It's the damn walkers." He lowered his voice. "And I'm not talkin' bout just a few of 'em either."

Beth nodded her head as she slipped out from under the blanket, she slipped her feet into her boots as she began making her way calmly around the house, knowing that she had a job to do. She was just about to make her way around the house and gather the things she'd set aside for them to use when she felt a strong arm pull her closer to him.

"Come on Beth…We gotta go, now."

Once again, not completely satisfied, but I'm getting there. Please, please leave me feedback; let me know what you think. Enjoy and have an amazing holiday! (: