Chapter 1.

Hello you lovely fools :D As we embark on what I anticipate to be a fabulously sexy fic solely centered on the hotness of one Mr. Daryl Dixon I must urge the importance of reviews. I know, I know…every writer on here asks for reviews. But you know that feeling where you're reading a story about your favorite show and something just Isn't right? I do. So if you get that feeling I want you to tell me. TELL ME! Because I want to do The Walking Dead and you fans justice :D alrighty now on to the story.

Enter Emma Lawrence

Shut up. Just, "shut up" I hissed across to the 'walker waiting to happen' screaming her lungs out in the abandoned bank across the road. At least 20 walkers had begun their decent down the half mile road that served as this, dead beat town's city centre. That idiot was going to get us killed. I'm not sure what rock she had been living under the past few months but you generally didn't scream in the face of a walker, well one maybe, but not 20. My gaze darted about the small bar I was hiding in. If I was lucky the walkers would have just passed on by without any trouble, but I wasn't lucky and this bitch was an idiot. I'd run into her a town over. Long story short, she was scared, I was scared, we decided to band together in terror and try to increase our chances of survival. But now it was becoming more and more clear that she was going to end up getting both of us killed. Unless…

I peered over the window sill above me, gaging the distance between the Herd and the bar. The three second look I dared to take told me that they were about four doors down and approaching fast. Now I had a decision to make…try and reach Michelle or, leave. My heart thudded as the groans came closer and Michelle's screams reached a new level of doomable. If I was completely honest I didn't even want to save her, not because I was malicious of resentful, okay I was resentful but that wasn't the reason. The reason was…I wanted to live and even if we did survive this I could never trust her to not loose her shit again so I was selfish. As I sat in the dimly lit bar tears swelled uncontrollably, for I knew I was about to do something that would haunt me for the unmeasurable amount of time that I would survive after this day. My fingers tightened around the nine mm pressed to my thigh as I crawled to the back of the bar. every scuffle made my heart beat faster. Against all reason I still expected one of them to barge in here and tear my ear off. Old habits die hard. When I finally reached the small door that lead to the ally I took a moment to turn towards the wailing still going strong across the street.

"Sorry," That was all I could utter before my survival instinct forced me to open that door and sprint towards the stolen car we'd left running in the paddock across the way. Just as my finger tips touched the cool metal handle a shrill scream filled the chilly, southern air and then nothing. It was silent. Inside I felt my stomach turning. An imaginary stream of vomit heaved in my chest as I dry heaved several times before mustering the ability to get behind the wheel.

Well that's it, I thought as I pulled away from the town and what was left of Michelle, I'm one of them…a monster.

Now in this day and age (I refer to walker ridden, wasteland that used to be America) you don't come across many horse riders. Or any for that matter. It doesn't really to take the cake over walker poning or looting as the hobby of the year. So you can imagine my surprise when I came face to face with two of them on my way out of town.

For a few moments we remained paralyzed, suspended in a state of shock. I stared out my windshield at them and they stared back at me, mouths slack with shock. Then, I passed out.

I don't care to make a habit of passing out, thank god this time it only lasted for about thirty seconds. As I came to a soft female voice loomed close to my left ear.

"She can't be more than sixteen is she breathing?"

I flinched as an unwelcome hand felt around my neck. The hand retreated quickly and I forced my heavy lids to open. The best I could manage was half a peek at the strangers hovering over my slumped body.

"I'm seventeen," I croaked leaning back against my seat.

"What's your name?" the owner of the hand asked.

I turned my head to look at him where he kneeled beside me. He was asian, that's weird I hand't seen any asians since the world ended. Shit my head was fucked...why was I so tired?

"What's yours?" I asked trying my best to maintain any control I had over this situation and these people I didn't even know. Somehow I only managed to confirm my adolescence with the bratty question. The boy smiled.

"I'm Glenn, this is Maggie. Are you alone?" Even without the surprised tone I would have gone completely cold. Every ounce of blood drained from my cheeks and I turned my head breaking our gaze.

"Glenn she looks really bad we should get her back to my father," the girl, Maggie cut in.

So there were more of them. The pair was silent for a moment and I would have said something if I wasn't absolutely sick to my stomach. Let me just tell you now, I wasn't built for this world.

"Okay, can you go on without me I'm going to have to drive her back to the farm,"

"What about the horse?" Maggie protested.

The boy thought for a moment. "Do you think you can ride with her?"

"Of course," She answered as Glenn pulled me out of the car. I could stand fine I was just, ill, really ill. I was gingerly lead to one of the horses when something disgustingly horrifying struck me.

"Wait!" I yelped causing both of them to jump "You can't go into town"

"But we need supplies," Glenn protested.

I shook my head, taking a step towards him "I just barely escaped a herd of at least 20 walkers, you won't survive," like Michelle, I added. An unwelcome side thought.

Both Maggie and Glenn faltered for a moment "You can't!" Maggie cried catching onto something that I didn't. Glenn looked back at her with an expression filled with remorse "Maggie we need the stuff," he argued.

"No! Wait until tomorrow, then they might have passed and Rick and Shane can go,"

"But if I go now it's over with. You can't guarantee that they'll be gone,"

Maggie looked like she was going to speak again when the parallel wall of trees swam around me "hey remember how I passed out before? I think I'm gonna do it again"

Their argument was momentarily abandoned when I made and impromptu decision to faint again, falling into Maggie's half outstretched arms.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

I came to in a place that brought back several comforting memories. The softness against my back and head, the artificial yellow glow cast over the solid cream walls and the absence of my old, dirt crusted clothes. For a fleeting moment I thought I had just woken up from a horrible dream. I should be so lucky. As my eyes adjusted to the light a semi-familiar face came into view.

"Maggie?"

So it looks like I had passed out for longer this time, long enough for them to bring me to what seemed to be a house and give me new clothes and...

"Did someone give me a sponge bath?"

A small smile spread across Maggie's delicate features "Um no not exactly, I sort of, wiped you down after Dad finished his examination. You're fine by the way. Aside from some dehydration, you're okay,"

"Yea," I sat up resting my head against the wooden headboard "I guess I was just exhausted, and shocked to see you guys," That was a lie of course. I knew that I hadn't passed out because of shock, I passed out because of Michelle. Like hell these strangers needed to know that though. Even in the old world people weren't exactly understanding when it came to murder, or cowardice. Looks like I'd just found my self a deep dark secret.

"Um some people want to talk to you, if you're up to it? You're a bit of a mystery around here," Maggie touched my hand as a man in a sheriffs uniform appeared in the doorway, wasn't that just a tiny bit pretentious.

"Hi um?"

"Emma," I corrected.

"Right, Emma. I'm Rick,"

"The Sheriff?"

The older man smiled coming to stand behind Maggie as an older, older man followed him in. My best guess, he was Maggie's dad.

"Now first things first you're welcome to stay with us," The sheriff started.

"Thanks"

"- but we do have some conditions," he said staring straight into my slightly frightened blue eyes