Author's Note:

*peeks out from under a rock* Hello, everybody! Long time, long time. Life has a crazy way of getting in the damn way, that's for sure. I just want to reiterate that despite how long it takes me to post chapters, I'm not abandoning this story. It's still going on strong in my mind and I've got my story map written up all the way to the fourth season at the moment. I will admit that I had a more difficult time transitioning into the Season Two story arc than I had anticipated I would. That being said, I'm happy with what I have here. I hope you guys enjoy it as it is.

In accordance to my preferences when I read fanfictions, I am going to tell you that there is a brief moment in this chapter that gets real dark real quick by mention of assault. I am against using these types of situations for shock value, both on television(I'm looking at you, Game of Thrones) and in written works, but I considered it and came to the conclusion that it is true to the story I'm writing as well as the characters I'm developing. I only hope that I do not offend or trigger anyone, as that is definitely not my intention.

That being said, it's time for my favorite part. Thanking all of you wonderful reviewers. Honestly, cross-my-heart-and-hope-to-die-stick-a-needle-in-my-eye type shit, this story would not get written without all of you. When I'm tired or just feeling not feeling creative and sitting down to type this all out is the last thing I feel like doing after a long day at work, you are the ones that give me ambition. So shout out to these lovely individuals: 'H.'(seriously though. an anonymous reviewer, been here since chapter 1, always reviews, never got a sneak peek in your life. I love you.), Paul'sImprint1293, KEZZ 1, I Growl For Fun, celia azul, T'Liana, sillygabby(much love), gabby871, Panda Blitz, NOTagentsofnothing420, masseffectrulz, monstersenpai, thefifthmarauder47, foateazombie, aishiteru naru, not-ur-dreamgirl, sousie, HPGunshot and ajahane.

That being said, let's get this party started! The punch is spiked, help yourself.

Standard Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead. I bow to the copyright of AMC and Robert Kirkman. The only thing I own are my OC characters and their likeness.

Special Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this work of fiction do not reflect those of the author. This story is rated M and is intended for mature audiences only.

Sunlight streamed down upon us as we exited the building that had housed us for the last week. The weather was absolutely beautiful for our exodus from this place, not too warm and with a nice, airy breeze. The sun felt nice on my skin after spending so many days underground.

I observed Jenner as he stood with his eyes closed, face upwards to catch the rays of sunlight. He looked peaceful in that moment and I offhandedly wondered if this was his first time outside since all of this went down.

"Are you sure you won't come?" I asked, though I lacked conviction. Jenner had made his desire to stay at the CDC very clear but I felt I still had to try.

Jenner shook his head, a rueful smile on his face before he opened his eyes to look at me, "No, I can't leave now, Avery," he told me. "As nice as this sun feels, I still have work to do."

I frowned, shifting the strap on my shoulder. I had cleared the outside of the building of corpses and the rest of the group was loading up their gear as I spoke to the stubborn doctor. "You know, whoever hacked your system is probably gonna come knocking on your doorstep," I warned him, trying to keep the concern out of my voice.

"There's not a lot of time left," he explained. "I need to continue my research up until I no longer have the option not to, Avery," he told me. "It was the last promise I ever made to my wife."

I sighed, a horrible feeling settling in my stomach. "Jenner, you'll die here," I told him bluntly. There was no point in sugarcoating the truth. Staying in this building was suicide, pure and simple. If not because of the threat of being blown to bits then the unknown, ominous threat of whoever was apparently coming after me.

"I know that's a possibility," Jenner admitted. "I'm fine with that. I'm more useful to the world in that building than I ever would be out here."

"That's not true," I shook my head. "You're more useful to the world alive than dead. How many scientists of your calibre do you think the world has left?" I tried persuading him, to no avail.

"My decision is already made, Avery," Jenner shot me down quickly and unflinchingly. "Now, your friends look like they're ready to leave," he told me, motioning over my shoulder.

I looked over my shoulder fleetingly and saw that, indeed, everyone was all sitting inside of their respective vehicles. I rolled my eyes, looking back to Jenner, "They are not my friends," I told him, raising my eyebrows. "Well, maybe one is," I thought again, considering Merle. I sighed, "Anyways, stay safe, Jenner. Maybe I'll see you around someday." It was unlikely, but it seemed like the right thing to say.

"Maybe we will, Miss Charkov," Jenner pronounced amicably. "Until then, try to stay alive."

. ... .

Andrea was beside me in my truck, while Jacqui and T-Dog chose the back so they could 'stretch out and get comfortable'. Lucky bastards.

Fort Benning was our goal destination, some 125 miles away. I was skeptical of our chances of finding anything there; after all, the military had been on the front lines of all of this chaos. Still, I had agreed(at least, didn't object) to going there.

Where else did I have to be, anyway? Other than far, far away from here?

The ride was silent other than the wind roaring loudly through the open windows. I had tied my hair back to keep it out of my eyes as I drove but Andrea apparently had no such qualms. Her blonde hair flew wildly, over her face, in her eyes. She didn't seem to care. She sat silently and lifelessly in the seat next to me, her face against the door frame as she watched the road fly by. She'd been detached ever since our last conversation over Amy's rotting corpse, and I guess I could understand why. She needed to snap out out of it soon though, that was for sure.

When I had lost myself in grief for Roy, I had done so when I was safe and secure in the place I was staying. Andrea didn't have that anymore. We were on the road now and she needed to keep her wits about her. I wanted to breach the topic of it with her but couldn't find the nerve to. Her desire for silence was so obvious and palpable that it was as if an invisible wall had formed between our seats.

Instead, I took the silence as an opportunity to focus on my own thoughts. The last night had been chaotic. News that I had to leave as soon as possible had made the group's debate about leaving all the more intense and heated. There were plenty that felt okay with leaving and there were a few that voiced their opinion that I could damn well leave on my own, if that suited me. Lori and Shane were the loudest protesters, while Daryl hadn't said a damn word the whole time. Merle hadn't had a second of hesitation; he went where I went, and so inevitably I knew that if it came down to it, Daryl would tag along, if only for his brother. I wasn't sure how I felt about that.

Overwhelmingly, however, the group decided that now was as good a time to go as any. There had been some grumbling from a few of the more reluctant members of the group, but eventually even Shane and Lori realized the uselessness of their complaints and went along with it. It was actually rather surprising to me that everyone had eventually decided to leave right then, especially considering they technically had two weeks left on the timer.

Jacqui had approached me before we left the facility and had given me a hug. It had been rather surprising and I managed to pat her back awkwardly once or twice before she pulled away and told me, "Honey, I was getting sick of this place anyway! I need some fresh air and sunshine!"

It had probably been a lie fabricated to help me feel better, but it worked. For a moment.

Still, nothing could make me feel better about the reason for my sudden need for departure. The idea that some faceless, shadowy stranger was out there, actively seeking me was enough to give me a permanent set of goosebumps. The idea of hacking into a government agency's network and stealing files during an apocalypse was just out of my comprehension; the level of power and finesse needed had to be out of this world.

The CDC had to have some type of peer-to-peer technology with other CDC's–some sort of intranet mainframe set in place in case of the worst-case scenario. The internet as a whole couldn't still be running, could it? Just the sheer amount of servers that had to be maintained in order to hack into a system like that would be astronomical. I couldn't even wrap my head around it.

I focused on the technology needed to complete what they did because if I didn't, I'd be left thinking about them. Whoever was out there, looking for me. Just thinking about the things that they saw in those video interviews–god, Jenner had asked me some of the most invasive shit I had ever been asked–made me feel nauseous. I had suffered through telling Jenner the private details of my life in the name of science, but also with a sense of certainty that the only one that would ever see it would be Jenner. And then this fuckhead, some faceless blackhat safely hidden behind his technology, swoops in and just steals them. Who did this person think they were? How had they managed to do what they did? How had they known what they know what they were looking for? And in that same vein, how did they know who and where I was?

There was something sitting in the pit of my stomach. Something that had settled there even before Jenner informed me that someone out there knew who I was. I hadn't had the right words to describe it until now, but I knew what it was.

It was the feeling of being the hunted.

Perhaps this feeling wasn't anything new in this world where death walked around on two legs, ready to spring and attack at any moment, but it was new to me. Up until now, I personally had nothing to fear from this hell we now lived in. It wasn't until last night that I realized that wasn't true, except I was being hunted by humans.

For some reason, I felt that I would prefer the corpses.

. ... .

I was snapped back to reality by the brake lights of Carol's Cherokee in front of me. I braked, shifting my truck down until eventually we came to a stop. I looked around and saw that we had come across a huge traffic snarl, blocking both sides of the highway. I put the truck in park before cutting the engine, opening my door and hopping down to the ground below. Andrea stayed motionless inside the cab, but I saw T-Dog and Jacqui crawling off the back out of the corner of my eye.

There was a commotion up front by the RV, a hissing sound of steam that I assumed was the radiator hose blowing again. I rolled my eyes at the hassle the RV presented.

"I said it. Didn't I say it?" I heard Dale ask Glenn as he popped open the lid to the engine, waving his hand in front of him to try to keep the smoke out of his face. He coughed. "I said it a thousand times. Dead in the water."

"Problem, Dale?" Shane asked rhetorically, his voice light.

"Oh, you know," Dale laminated, his voice full of frustration, "Just the small matter of being stuck out in the middle of no where with no hope of–" he cut off as he turned around and took a look at where we were. "Okay, that was dumb," he conceded.

"If we can't find what you need here, we couldn't find it anywhere," Shane joked goodnaturedly, and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

"Right," Rick agreed, looking around. "We'll look around in the cars, try to salvage some stuff. Keep an eye out for water, food, antibiotics. Dale, try to find a radiator hose that'll work," he instructed. I sighed before setting out to scavenge, only for a familiar, grating voice to stop me in my tracks.

"Rick, we can't do that," it was Lori, her arm wrapped around her son's shoulders, pulling him close to her frame. "This place–This place is a graveyard," she shuttered, a disgusted look on her face.

I couldn't help the hard, humorless laugh that escaped my lips at her scorn. It came out louder than I had expected and Lori's eyes shot to me, along with several others. I shrugged, "The whole damn world is a graveyard now, lady," I told her caustically, drawing my hatchet out of the bag I had slung across my shoulder. I began to walk away, wanting as much space as possible from these people, peering into cars as I went.

"She's right, you know," I heard Carol tell Lori. "Might as well make the most of it. Kids, don't look."

. ... .

I opened a car door, gagging when the smell of decay and death reached my nose. In the front seat was a body of what used to be a middle aged man, who probably decided eating a bullet was a better solution to the hell that must've broken out on this stretch of highway. I stabbed him through the forehead just to be sure, before pushing him out of the car and onto the street.

"Stabbing a dead guy? Damn, girl. You're a cold one," a voice from behind me reached my ears. I snapped up straight, turning around to face the owner. To my surprise, it was Shane, leaning back against one of the vehicles about five feet away. His hands were hanging from his belt loops and he appeared almost relaxed as he watched me.

Fucking creep. He must have sought me out because I was a considerable distance from the group.

"Yeah, don't forget it, either," I snarked back, closing the driver's side door and going for the backseat, where a couple of stuffed bags had caught my eye. "I didn't even know that guy. Imagine what I'd do to someone who constantly pisses me off."

Shane laughed, a shit-eating grin lighting up his face. "You're a damn firecracker, aren't ya? Tell me, girl, what did I ever do to piss ya off? What do you got against ol' Shane so bad, huh?"

"Jesus, here we go again," I rolled my eyes. "Were you born this self-absorbed? Or was it a trait developed over time?" I asked, sneering. I opened the bags in the back seat, disappointed to find that it was mostly just a mix of the man's personal effects. Clothes, personal hygiene items, electronics. I glared at the corpse on the ground. Undead apocalypse and this guy thinks his Armani suit and iPhone will save his ass? Ugh.

I climbed out of the back seat, slamming the door in disgust. I wiped my hands of stray bits of blood onto my shorts before glancing back at Shane, who still stood there, watching me. It was an appraising stare, sizing me up. He said nothing.

My eyes narrowed and I was brought back to the scene I had walked in on at the CDC with him and Lori. Shane's cornering of me while I was alone suddenly made sense. He was trying to intimidate me into silence, hoping to prevent me from spilling the beans to his best friend.

The thought made me want to smile. Understanding graced me and I felt some tension leave my shoulders. It always made me feel better to know my enemy's motivations; most times, it revealed their strategies as well. Shane was trying to play a game of shadows and mirrors and it wouldn't due for his secrets of the night to come out in the daylight.

I leaned back against the car, resting one of my feet on the edge of the tire. I casually rested one of my hands near the holster of my gun, the other supporting my weight against the side of the car. My eyebrows rose as I waited expectantly for him to speak.

Finally, after several moments of silence, I grew impatient. "Let's just stop, Shane. I'm tired of this back and forth with you. What do you want?"

The corners of Shane's mouth drew together. He hesitated for a few more moments until he finally spoke, "I don't know what you think you saw at the CDC but–"

"See, this is what I'm talking about, Shane," I interrupted him with a sigh. "Back and forth. Never saying what you really mean. You're so underhanded and I'm so over it. So let's be clear; I didn't see anything. What I heard was more than enough. You and Lori are fucking. There it is."

My bluntness seemed to have thrown Shane off because for a moment all he did was look at me, his face blank to hide any other emotion. When he did react, he smiled.

My stomach dropped.

I think it was the first time I had ever really seen a genuine Shane smile. It looked natural on his face, not forced or fake at all. He chuckled in what seemed to be genuine amusement. If I was going to be honest with myself, for a second I almost thought he looked handsome. Until I returned my focus to his eyes and saw a terrible wrongness in them. I'd often thought that his eyes were disturbing but this was of a different kind. I couldn't exactly describe what I was feeling but it left me slightly sick.

Without warning, Shane began walking towards me. He quickly closed the distance between us, reaching me before I could even pull my gun out of my holster. My pulse quickened as he reached out and grabbed the forearm of my left hand, the one I had just managed to pull my gun from. He pinched a certain part of my wrist with his thumb that made my whole hand go numb, the piece of metal falling to the ground uselessly. He kicked it under a car before looking me straight in the eye. He was still smiling, ear to ear.

I fought not to panic at his sudden, violent proximity. Shane was an animal and I knew animals could smell fear. If I acted like prey, then I was prey. My back was completely against the car behind me and I could feel the hot metal against my skin even through the material of my shirt. Shane was before me, so close that if not for him holding my arms still in front of me, our chests would be touching. I tried pulling my arm away slightly but was held stock still by the amount of strength in his grip. Now that my gun was gone, he raised his free arm and rested it on the other side of my head.

I was cornered, trapped. I suddenly felt like prey. Still, I fought the overwhelming and instinctive urge to struggle against his hold. I was completely still. I was well aware that he was stronger than me, now more so than ever.

I looked up and met his gaze, trying to channel all of the panic I felt into anger. I looked at him with baleful eyes, waiting for him to speak.

"See, I knew you'd pull your gun on me, Charkov," he remarked casually, as if he didn't have me at his mercy. Hate bubbled up in my throat and I could taste it on my tongue. "Because that's the type of person you are. You've made that clear to me," he told me, looking thoughtful for a moment. "And do you know what? I think I can respect that. I can respect that. You don't bullshit around, do ya? No filter on that mouth of yours. See, I know that if you were to ever point your gun at me, you would shoot," he said, sounding more reasonable than I had ever heard him.

It was weird. As if he had turned off his pretty-boy charmer persona and was showing me who he really was. The real Shane. I actually found myself relaxing minutely.

"And I don't want you to cross that line with me, Charkov. Because oddly enough, I'm starting to get what the redneck sees in ya. I mean, I knew you were a hot piece of ass and all, but that's not all it is, is it?" he asked rhetorically, giving me another flash of his teeth. "There's something else, isn't there? Got this air about ya that you'd be a fun one to tame, wouldn't ya be, sweetheart?" He moved his hand from next to my head and reached for my chin. I rose my lips in disgust and pulled back from his reach, though I never looked away from his eyes. His hand paused in the air for a moment before he chuckled and returned it back to where it had been on the car.

"I feel like I can be honest with you. You don't buy the shit I sell anyhow, so why not?" he asked. "So I'm just going to come out and say it. If you ever open your mouth about what you saw, I'll make you regret it."

"I'm not afraid of you, Walsh," I spat through my teeth. It was a lie. Right now, I was scared of him. Terrified, actually. Though I refused to let any external signs show, my body's basic responses couldn't be controlled. A thin layer of cold sweat had broken out over my skin and my heart beat wildly against my ribcage. If not for my hands being clenched in fists, they would be trembling. My breath came in shallow, quick bursts. "You can threaten me all you want. If you think I give two shits about you fucking your best friend's wife, you're delusional."

His eyebrows drew together, as if mildly offended. "I'm not threatening you," he told me. "I'm just being honest with you. Just like you wanted, sweetheart," This time when he lifted his hand from the car and tried to touch my face he didn't stop when I pulled away. I shuddered in disgust as his hand came into contact with my skin, his calloused knuckles ghosting across my cheek. "If you ever tell Rick what you saw, I'm going to wrap my hands around your neck just like this," demonstrating, he moved his hand away from my cheek and the other one from my arm and wrapped them both around my neck. Our chests were pressing against each other's now, no space between us, and I suddenly felt like I couldn't breathe, despite the fact that Shane wasn't applying enough force to constrict my airway. "Yeah, just like this, but with more pressure, you know? I'll wrap my hands around your neck just like this, and then I'll watch the life leave those big blue eyes of yours," his voice was so calm, so eerily calm, "And I'll do it while I'm fucking that pretty, little, pink pussy I'm sure ya've got. Get it, Charkov? Am I making myself clear?"

A silent, cold fury filled me but no words immediately came. I didn't reply but continued to glare up at him, hoping he saw every ounce of hatred that was in the 'big blue eyes' of mine. My lips curled against my will and I did the only thing I could think to do.

I spat in his face.

It landed just over the crease of his left eye and I felt a small bit of triumph. "You're gonna burn one day, Shane," I hissed through clenched teeth. "Now get your hands off me or I'll scream."

He hesitated for a moment, and I watched my wad of saliva curve around his cheekbone. I grimaced in disgust and he dropped his hands from my neck. He pulled a stray piece of fabric out of his pocket, wiping his face. He flashed me another grin before speaking again.

"Yeah, I think you get it now, dontcha?" he asked. He chuckled to himself, shaking his head slightly before he turned and walked back towards the direction of the group without another word or look back.

I watched his back until finally he disappeared behind a cluster of cars. My heart was still racing, even in his absence. I felt acid bubble in my stomach and a sudden rush of saliva in my mouth and I knew I was going to be sick. I spun around and gripped the side of the car as I lost what little food I'd eaten that day on the concrete.

After that, I heaved up nothing but bile. It burned my throat and nose horribly and by the time I was done I was tearing up and weak in the knees. I straightened from my crouched position and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand angrily.

If there was any doubt in my mind before, there was none now. Shane needed to go. He was dangerous, unpredictable.

I vowed that I would kill him.

With that decided, I looked over to where he had kicked my gun underneath a car. Fucking bastard. That was Roy's gun. For his sake, he better not have scratched it. I walked over to the car and lowered myself onto the ground, inching my way under the car. Of course it had to be a low-profile vehicle, one that I could barely squeeze myself under.

Finally, after a good couple minutes of struggling and maneuvering, I managed to squeeze myself under the car and grab for Roy's gun. It was after I had it in my hands that I realized something was off.

A series of low groaning reached my ears. I turned my head sideways and under the other cars I saw multiple sets of feet stumbling and tripping along the highway. My eyes widened in panic as I struggled to get out from underneath the car. Where I had been careful and slow getting under it, I was hurried getting out, badly scraping my elbow and knee in the process.

As soon as I was out and standing, I could see better what was coming near us. It was a herd; maybe a hundred corpses crowded together, just like I had seen in Douglasville and Atlanta, only this time they were moving. I turned on my heel and started running back to the group.

Carl was the first one I came across, poking around through some car that he probably wasn't supposed to be anywhere near in the first place. "Carl!" I hissed, running up to him.

He jumped in surprise, whirling around to face me. "Avery!" he exclaimed, "What are you doing here? I just found this really cool–"

"–Leave it," I demanded, cutting him off. "We've got to get back to your parents," I told him, grabbing his arm and hauling him towards the group.

"What's going on?!" he asked loudly, dragging his feet reluctantly, as if I was picking on him by not letting him scavenge. "I wasn't doing anything!"

I turned around and smacked him lightly across the back of his head. "There's a group of corpses heading our way, you little brat, now move," I growled, using my most 'adult' voice to really get the point across. I motioned for him to go in front of me and we ran until we came across Shane and Glenn. At that point, I shoved Carl at them.

"There's a herd of corpses not far back. They're walking the highway. Get under the cars, the residual smell of gasoline and exhaust will hopefully help cover your scent," I instructed them. "I'll go warn the others."

At least they took me seriously, the goofy grins they had been wearing on their faces before I arrived dropping off immediately. Shane grabbed Carl and motioned for him to get under the car, and Glenn followed.

I ran a little bit further, dipping around a few cars until the RV came into view. Rick looked up at my approach and immediately registered that something was wrong, presumably from the look on my face.

"What is it, Avery?" he asked.

"It's a herd. Maybe a hundred or so? Corpses. Heading this way," I explained, the words coming out in a jumble. "Everyone needs to get under the cars."

"Lori!" Rick called in a low, raspy voice, spinning around to look at her. She wasn't too far away, across a couple of cars with Carol next to her. "Get under the cars," he called. She dropped to the ground without hesitation, pulling Carol down with her. Rick dropped as well, lowering himself below the truck we were next to.

I scanned around, looking for Merle and Daryl. I didn't see them. The road was too clogged with cars, I couldn't scan the area properly. My eyes landed on the car next to me and with a stroke of inspiration, I found myself climbing onto the hood and standing.

From a higher vantage point, I was able to see a few corpses starting to reach the area where I had given Carl to Shane. The corpses didn't seem to notice them at all, continuing on uninterrupted on their journey down the highway.

I scanned the area for anyone else and saw Merle not too far off, behind some trucks, dinking around over the hood. I jumped down from the car, landing silently on the balls of my feet. I booked it in Merle's general direction, snaking through and around cars. When I reached him, I didn't say anything. I simply fisted the material of the back of his vest, yanking him away from what he was doing. He looked over his shoulder wildly, rage registering on his face for a moment before he realized it was me.

"Birdie!" he exclaimed, though his body was unresistant as I dragged him to the side of the car he had been working on. "What are ya–?!"

"–Shhhh," I hissed, looking over my shoulder. I could just see a few heads appear over the cars, heading our direction. "Get under the car," I told him, crouching down next to the side of the vehicle.

"What's goin' on?" Merle demanded, his voice a harsh whisper.

"Corpses, heading this way. Get under the car. I have to go try to find the others," I told him, motioning to the space below the vehicle.

Merle complied, lowering himself onto his stomach and rolling under until he was concealed. I went to stand straight when Merle's arm reached out and he wrapped his hand around my ankle. "You're gonna get under here, too, Bird," he told me tensely. "Won't be any good running through a pack of those things. Sometimes it's easier for people to know something than it is for them to have it thrown in their faces."

His logic struck me. He was right. But something gnawed at me, something that wouldn't let me stop looking. I yanked my leg away before crouching lower so I could see Merle's face. "Where's your brother?" I asked.

"I dunno, I haven't seen him since we got here–"

"–Where did you see him last?" I demanded, cutting him off. I could hear the groans of the corpses from where we were now, inching closer.

"Down back on the highway. Said he needed some air–"

"–Stay here. Don't move," I instructed before standing straight and taking off. Sweat dripped down my forehead as I ran, the heat of the day beating down upon me and made only worse by the fast beating of my heart. My week underground in a temperature-controlled environment had done me no favors for withstanding the scorching Georgia summer we were dealing with now.

This damn traffic snarl didn't make it easy to find someone, either. I was spending too much time weaving through vehicles. I looked over my shoulder, dismayed to see that the corpses were easily visible over the width of the road.

"Ugh!" I growled, heaving myself up onto the hood of another car. I glanced around, looking for the telltale angel wings of Daryl's vest. The corpses were close now, barely five feet away from the car I resided upon. Finally I saw a flash of yellow and red; Daryl's arrows. He was about thirty feet off, digging through the backseat of a car, completely oblivious to the impending danger.

I hopped off the hood of the car into the group of corpses that had reached me.

I shoved a couple of the geeks out of my way, causing them to look around and growl wildly. They paid me no mind. I weaved between them until I passed them completely, running full speed toward Daryl.

He looked up just before I reached him, his eyes darting over my shoulder and widening at what they saw. I reached him, pushing him facedown into the back seat, reaching behind me to shut the door. I laid on top of his back, his crossbow pressing uncomfortably into my stomach. His face was pressed into the seat and he let out a low growl of outrage.

"Get the fuck off of me, girl!" he howled, bucking his hips to try and throw me off.

Annoyed by his antics, I stuck my elbow into the back of his neck and pushed his face further into the seat cushion. I looked out the window to see that the corpse were approaching closer, only about five feet away. "Shut up, they're close," I hissed through my teeth, right next to his ear.

"I can take care of myself, you stupid bint," he growled. "Who the fuck asked you?"

Despite myself, his words stung. "I said shut up," I repeated. "They'll hear you."

He fell silent and stopped his wiggling, and I removed my elbow from the back of his neck. The windows of the car were tinted dark and so I sat up, crawling off of him. He sat up as well. There was silence in the car, though I could swear that his rage was giving off audio waves, ringing in my ears.

The corpses passed by the car now, occasionally bumping into it and letting loose low, hungry growls. I watched out the side window, wanting to look anywhere but the other angry occupant of the vehicle. As I stared, I noticed a small shoe peeking out from one of the cars close to us. It was grey with pink stitching and looked familiar. I continued staring at it until I realized, with a shock, that I had seen those shoes before, only just this morning, as a matter of fact. They were Sophia's. I realized with a start that she was farther away from the rest of the group than she should be. What had she been doing so far out? Jesus Christ, why wouldn't these damn kids stay with their mothers?

I watched her foot, a sick feeling edging into my stomach. The corpses continued to pass by, completely oblivious to her. That was good. Still, I watched that one shoe like a hawk, unable to shake the awful feeling of dread that had settled in my gut.

The herd seemed to be thinning out, only the last couple of stragglers passing by us. So far, none had paid attention to the sole foot sticking out from under a rusted out pickup truck, and I felt a smidgen of relief fill me. That is until there was a few moments that no corpses passed by. Apparently, Sophia had thought that the herd had passed and started to crawl out from under. I saw just a flash of her thin, pale arm poke out from under the vehicle and my heart dropped into my stomach. A pair of the straggling corpses spotted her, dropping to the ground and swiping at her with their diseased hands.

I opened my car door just as the wretched beast started trying to crawl under the car to get her. I heard a brief exclamation from Daryl just before I slammed the car door shut, pulling my hatchet free from its position on my back. I swung the dull end at the one corpse that was still standing viciously, taking off the rotten flesh of it's jaw, sending its teeth onto the concrete. It fell down, dazed, and I busted it's forehead open with the sharp end.

I looked up and saw that Sophia had run passed the guardrail, into the ditch that led to the forest, the other corpse fast on her trail. I ran after her, adrenaline pumping fast in my veins, leaping over the metal rail before I purposely tumbled down the incline on my side. When my back hit the bottom, I was up on my feet and taking off after Sophia. I saw her back in the distance, her short brown hair flying wildly behind her. "Sophia!" I cried out but she didn't look back. I ran hard until I reached the corpse that was trailing behind her.

"Hey, peabrain!" I called out, satisfied that I had gotten its attention long enough for it to turn around and look at me. I swung my hatchet at its head, taking off half of it off with a single, adrenaline-filled swing. It fell to the ground and I bashed its head one more time for good measure.

I looked up and saw Sophia nowhere in sight. My stomach dropped as I looked around wildly, "Sophia!" I yelled, turning around in circles. "Sophia! Come back!" I yelled again into the emptiness of the forest. "Sophia–!" my yell was cut short by a hand reaching from behind me, covering my mouth. I immediately panicked, throwing my hands about wildly and turning around to face my would-be attacker before coming face to face with Rick.

"Shhhh," he commanded, his voice quiet. He held one finger to his lips as his arm fell away from my mouth. "You have to be quiet. That herd isn't far away and if they hear you, we're all dead," he explained. I looked over his shoulder to see that Daryl, Glenn and Shane weren't too far behind him. "Where's Sophia?" he asked.

"I don't know," I wailed and to my extreme embarrassment, I felt tears starting to form behind my waterline. "I don't know. I tried calling out to her but she just kept running. I took this one out," I motioned to the body of the fallen corpse just a few yards away, "and when I looked up she was just gone...just gone..." I looked around the forest helplessly.

"Which way she go?" Daryl asked.

"That way," I pointed in the direction she'd taken off in. "She took off that way, wouldn't stop for anything–"

"It's okay," Rick said, putting his hands on my shoulders. "Hey, hey, calm down, Avery," he said beseechingly, "You did good. We're gonna find her. She can't have gone that far, okay?" His words and tone reassured me and I nodded, biting my lip to keep from letting my tears flow over.

. ... .

The sky was lit up dull red and orange when we got back. Shane and Glenn had come back earlier to get info to the group, while Rick, Daryl and I tried our hand at tracking Sophia. Despite Daryl's exceptional skills, the trail had gone cold. We returned back exhausted and downtrodden.

"You didn't find her?" Carol had demanded once we had returned, her eyes shining with tears, tracks of water easily visible on her cheeks.

"The trail went cold," Rick told her. "We'll pick it up in the morning. We'll find her," Rick assured.

"So you all just left her out there on her own?"

"No good tracking in the dark," Daryl told her, his voice soft and concerned, a tone I rarely heard from him directed at me. I couldn't help the small flare of jealousy that formed in my chest, though I immediately felt stupid about it. "Walking around in circles, more people getting lost."

"How could you just leave her out there? She's only twelve, she can't stay out there on her own!" Carol cried, clutching at the necklace that hung around her throat.

"Daryl knows the woods better than any of us, I've asked him to oversee this," Rick went on after he cringed at her words. "We'll start at first light, look all day until nightfall if we have to," he went on. "We will find her, Carol," he said, his voice ringing with certainty. I wondered if he was trying to convince Carol or himself.

"Is that...is that blood?" Carol asked shakily, pointing at Daryl's pants.

"We found a corpse in the woods," I told her honestly. I felt annoyance at her accusatory tone and demeanor, as if there had been anything we could have done to prevent this situation. She was the one that had let her daughter wander away so far without supervision and I certainly hadn't seen her running into the woods after her.

"A walker?" Carol repeated, her voice trembling.

"There's no indication that it was ever anywhere near Sophia," Rick told her, crouching down until he was level with her eyes.

"How could you possibly know that?" Andrea snapped, my eyes jumping to her. I hadn't even noticed she was there, not too far from Carol's side.

Rick looked to Daryl to answer. He made eye contact with the other man until Daryl stepped forward, "We cut the som'bitch open," he told her. "Made sure."

I noticed that Carol looked up at Daryl with more tenderness than she spared Rick. There was a certain lightness in her eyes, and she nodded at his words, almost thankfully. I ground my teeth together, trying to ignore the uncomfortable irritation that settled in my stomach. Stupid, stupid.

Carol tore her eyes away from Daryl to look back to Rick, and they had lost the adoring sheen that irritated me so. Instead, they were cutting. "I can't believe you just left her out there. Alone, hungry, scared. How could you?" she asked, accusatory.

"Carol, I–" Rick struggled with what to say.

"My little girl was left in the woods," Carol cried softly, her eyes going vacant before she looked back to the treeline wistfully.

"Your little girl ran into the woods," I snapped, hating the look of guilt and despair that was on Rick's face. It wasn't his fault that Sophia went missing. Carol's face snapped to mine, her emptiness quickly replaced by rage.

"What would you have her do?" she snapped. "Not all of us are so blessedly ignored by walkers. They were chasing her! Of course she ran."

"I had both of those corpses dead not even twenty feet into the woods," I snapped right back. "I called out to her. She wouldn't stop," I told her, drawing my eyebrows together. "She was so scared and terrified that she wouldn't stop running. And you know who's fault that is?" I demanded, though my question was rhetorical. A white-hot rage had filled me and I fould myself unable to stop the words flowing out of my mouth. Meanwhile, my anger had apparently caught Carol off guard because she was looking at me open mouthed. "It's yours! You're her mother. We live in a world of the living dead and what do you do? Tell her not to look?!" I demanded. "You should have prepared her for a situation like this, Carol. That's your fucking job," I spat.

Without realizing it, I had stepped closer to Carol as I had yelled at her, until I felt a thin hand grab my forearm. I looked at my aggressor with narrowed eyes, unsurprised to find that it was Lori.

She was looking at me furiously, her mouth in a thin line and her brown eyes full of fire. "That's enough," she told me, her voice shaking. "You need to back off," she hissed.

For a second, I stayed completely still. If I had moved a single muscle, I'm sure I would have punched her in the mouth. Instead, very slowly, I gripped at the hand that she had on my forearm, breaking her grip before I threw her hand back in her face. "Touch me again and I'll break your fucking fingers, whore," I spat. Her eyes went wide with horror at my label of her, and I smirked lightly at the joy of making her squirm for a moment before I looked back to Carol.

"If Sophia dies in those woods, there's no blood on Rick's hands. Not Daryl's. Certainly not mine," I told her. "Sophia's blood will solely be on yours. So remember that, the next time you want to blame somebody," I sneered. Carol looked away, her shoulders shaking with silent sobs. I looked back to Lori, raising an eyebrow, wondering if she would challenge me. She didn't. With that, I turned heel and headed for my truck. I saw Rick looking at me curiously as I walked away and I didn't want to even look in Shane's direction.

I went back to my truck, locking all the doors and sealing up the windows. With the sun setting and the tint of my windows, no one would be able to see me cry as I remembered Sophia's sweet little face looking up at me yesterday morning, telling me how scared she was.

A/N:

Avery's kind of a bitch in this chapter, huh? I don't know, she's going through a bitchy period. But then again, isn't she always? I hope you all don't find her irritating. She's the kind of character that prefers to lash out violently than to suffer in silence. Her temper meets up with her mouth and they're both too quick for her brain to keep a leash on.

I can't wait to see what you guys think. I know it's a lot shorter than some of the previous chapters but I hope that you'll forgive me. I'm still trying to get into the swing of things.

I hope you all enjoyed so much that you leave lovely reviews. At least enjoy it enough that you'll keep an eye out for the next chapter!

Until then~~ xoxox