++++++ I do not own the Walking Dead or any affiliated characters. Melinda Hale belongs to Jazzy-Winchester who was awesome enough to let me use her ++++++

They look like ants from up here, I thought to myself, staring down at what was left of Times Square through a pair of Canon Inc binoculars. Tiny, flesh eating ants who could rip me apart in fifteen seconds if I even let my guard down for a single moment.

How in the name of all things pure and good in this screwed up world was I going to find Lydia, Grant and the kids? I knew it was a long shot when I decided I was coming down here but there had been a tiny glimmer of hope…how could they even be alive?

"Hood," came the voice of my gracious pilot, Alec, "we can't put her down, it's too dangerous to land. Those things are everywhere."

I tucked my binoculars back into my pack and crawled over to the parachute on my seat so I could strap it on. "Just get me close enough," I replied. "I'll do the rest."

Their apartment coordinates were saved in my GPS watch-a gift from Lydia for Christmas last year. She had been pissed at me because I didn't come for Christmas like I had promised because my unit was called out with twenty-four hours' notice. I tried to explain to her but you try and explain to a heavily pregnant woman that you can't come for Christmas and see if you get out with all your limbs still attached. I'd missed a lot of things in the past few years, birthdays, Christmas's, Easter, my parents moving to Florida, even the birth of my goddamn nephew. Spencer Theodore Philips had been born a week after Christmas at seven pounds, three ounces and 21 inches long. I had a photo of him and his siblings from when he was born with my sister's scribble on the back – missing you already Aunty Mel, love Ethan, Sienna and baby Spencer. I kissed that photo every night before I went to bed and sent my love to them every morning when I woke up.

I pulled the crash helmet on and walked over to the door, Sergio held his hand up to me, getting me to wait so that he could open the door up.

"Hood, what happens if you miss?" Alec asked me from the cockpit.

"Then it's a very short rescue mission," I replied. "Don't forget to drop the bomb on your way out. Distract them. Remember, loud noise distracts them."

"Like I could forget," Alec laughed in his obvious Ukraine accent.

"Thanks for this, Alec," I smiled.

"Now we are even," Alec answered, trying to hide the sentiment in his voice. "Good luck, Hood."

I dragged my drop box over to Sergio. "Don't forget, push the button when you count to three otherwise you'll smash all my supplies." He nodded as I tossed the headset onto my seat. I looked out the open door, seeing the tiny, flesh eating ants and closed my eyes out of habit more than fear before I leant forward into nothing. Normally I would have let myself fall for ten seconds before opening my chute, the only problem was, the drop zone was slightly shorter than what I was used to. I pulled my chute and let it wrench me back, forcing me into a slow fall. I was aiming for a four story building that had a few geeks on the roof but I knew that if I landed right they would be easy to take care of. My only fear right now was that I was gonna break both my legs, die of an infection and turn into one of those things. It had surprised us all at first when we were called back from Afghanistan to fight the undead, it was a big joke on the way home but when we had to fight our way out of the freaking base just to get out we knew that the shit was going down big time. I'm not proud of it, but I was the first to abandon my unit, there was no way in hell I was gonna die without seeing my family again so I went back to my apartment, packed supplies and made a bee line for Alec and Sergio-the two of them owed me a favour and they had a plane that could get me where I needed to go.

I braced myself the closer I came to the ground eventually pulled the strap that disconnected the chute from my body and commando rolled as soon as I hit the ground. The sudden noise had four of the yellow eyed bastards turn to face me, they were slow, I knew that, but in a heard they were deadly-just like ants. I shrugged the rest of the parachute off me and grabbed my hunting knife out of my boot. Aim for the head, don't get any blood in your mouth, don't get bitten and don't get scratched.

God I wished I had my bow, I thought, taking out the first geek. Let's just say that there's a reason that they call me Hood. My speciality is my compound bow which was in the drop box with the rest of my supplies. Out the corner of my eye I could see it falling through the sky, where it was going to land was a mystery to me. I took out the other geeks on the roof just in time for the drop box to land on the roof just near the edge, the parachute settling down around it like some sort of sheet.

I cleaned my knife on a geeks shirt and walked over to the drop box. Inside was my bow, a quiver full of arrows, some ammo for my hand gun, a pack full of food and a proper GPS with spare batteries in case my watch broke. I geared up in silence, aware of every sound-I would be the last person who gets caught off guard only to be eaten by geeks.

I had a job to do and that job was to rescue my family. It was safe to say that ten days after total, worldwide, wildfire had been declared, that it was each for their own. My own was in America, more specifically, New York-at least I hoped. Grant had sent me an email before they were to board the plane, he said that they would be in New York soon so I could call them that night.

I held my hand over my heart where the photo of the kids were and I closed my eyes. God I hoped that they were ok. Ethen was my little hell raiser, last time I had seen him was a year ago and I had taught him how to pick a lock-Grant was so pleased-not. Sienna had put me through five hours of sheer hell making me watch all the High School Musical movies in a row-I wanted to stab my own eyes out by the end of the day. And I didn't even know Spencer yet.

"Sentiment," I whispered to myself, breaking the silence. "It will only get you killed."

In the distance I could hear a large explosion and I watched in fascination as the bomb that Alec and Sergio had deployed sent a large, glass covered building toppling to the ground. The crash vibrated throughout the city, I leaned over the edge of the building with a smirk as the geeks on the ground turned their attention to the fallen building. That had to earn me at least ten minutes to get out of the building and make my way to Lydia's apartment.

Please be ok, I thought, climbing over the edge to the fire escape.

Please be ok.

Little did I know, that would become my prayer, my mantra, until I found my family again.