Lauren kept her breath steady, pulling back her bowstring and releasing an arrow at a deer with flawless aim. She held in a whoop of triumph; she didn't want to attract any walkers, and this was the biggest kill she'd gotten in weeks. Alone for almost a month now, Lauren had hiked through the forest, defending herself, awkwardly at first, with a bow and her brother's katana – thank God for archery all those summers at camp. There was enough small game to keep her alive.

She tiptoed towards her kill, and as she grew closer, she saw another arrow next to hers, another near perfect shot to the eye. Instantly wary, she drew back her bow and her eyes swept the forest.

Slowly, nearby leafs rustled as a man's voice said, "Girl, that's my kill, I'm coming out," in a heavy Southern drawl.

Oh no. She had to keep up her brave front; if she came off as weak, he'd steal her stuff, or worse. It had happened before.

"Keep your hands up!" Lauren yelled with as much confidence as she could muster, as the man emerged from the trees, holding a crossbow pointed towards the sky. "And this is my kill. My arrow in the eye."

Her eyes met his, and her breath caught. His eyes were a piercing blue, and while he looked and sounded like a hick, he was extremely handsome. She cleared her head and reminded herself she needed this protein.

"Looks like we both got it," he said, eyes looking her up and down appraisingly. Was he going to try and overpower her, take the game by force? Let him try, she thought, pulling taught on the bowstring.

"My shot was better." she said.

"Listen girlie I got a whole camp to feed, you can't carry that whole thing skinny as you are. Come on back to my camp, you can share it, I'll carry," the stranger offered, looking at her oddly. She suddenly felt very naked, and wondered if this was some sort of trap.

"Come on, there's good people back there, pretty little thing like you shouldn't be alone," he said with a smirk that was charged with electricity.

"Why should I trust you?"

"I ain't gonna hurt you," he said.

She was hungry. She was lonely. It was against common sense to follow this random redneck deeper into the woods. But if what he said was true...

"I'm not dropping my weapon. But I'll follow you."

He grunted, gave her that mysterious, piercing look, and hauled the deer carcass over his shoulders. "Hurry on up then, camp's this way. I'm Daryl," he grunted, and started walking without a glance back.

Listening to her instincts had kept her alive this long, against the odds. She trusted that this guy was okay for some reason. Lauren followed.

DARYL POV

Daryl couldn't believe this girl. Her shot really was better. When he saw her arrow hit the buck a second before his, the last thing he expected was for the shooter to be a chick. A hot one.

He shook his head at himself, refusing to glance back at her. What was he thinking? She's too young. But he kept imagining her, two paces behind him, in those jean cutoffs, bow in arms, sword on her back... sexy but dangerous. He trusted her for some reason, though. And he wouldn't give her the satisfaction of looking back to check if she was still with him. He could hear her soft footsteps.

"How many people are in your camp?" the girl asked him, startling him out of his increasingly dirty train of thought. Damn it had been a long time since he's been with a woman.

"Bout twenty, good people. We got some fighters, some women, couple kids," Daryl answered. He turned, walked backwards, getting another good look at her. Damn, she was gorgeous. Long chocolate brown hair braided back, perfect lips, and striking, alert green eyes. His gaze dropped to her chest – she was wearing a black leather bustier over a white wifebeater like armor of some sort – the sexiest thing he'd ever seen. The sleeves of her long trench coat were leather too, as were her tall boots. Her jean shorts were cut off so short the pockets hung out. His gaze lingered perhaps a second too long. He glanced away and mumbled a reprimand to himself. Outta his league.

"What was that?" the girl asked.

"I said, you been alone?"

"Yeah, for about a month now. Sticking to the woods near the highway," she said. He couldn't believe she's survived. She must've killed plenty of walkers, and somehow avoided getting taken by some of the rougher men out there. This was no time for a girl like this to be alone.