Okay! So this is the very start of my DarylxOC, The Walking Dead fanfic. I'm very rusty since I haven't written a proper fanfic in a very long time, but lets hope I haven't forgotten everything I once learnt... im rambling now anyway would love to hear what you guys think : ), by the way, a few of the chapters of this was written before I wrote my Hugh Grimes one, so its a little off, but ill pick it up with the descriptions and stuff :P Again, reviews tell me if you guys like it or not :)

There used to be a time when there was no fear when walking the streets, when the days were fun and the nights were there to relax and get a good nights sleep in your, big, soft comfortable double bed with the huge oversized padded quilt and big fluffy pillows... but that was a long time ago... It almost feels as if it were all a dream, the good memories and the fun holidays. Now its nothing but fear and struggling. As soon as the global outbreak started I packed my kit, grabbed my hunting gear and headed to my grandparents home just on the outskirts of Atlanta in the woods up in the mountain range. I got there in my Jeep, with a few problems on the way, but I managed to get past the trouble without getting hurt. There were creatures walking the earth, creatures that did nothing but wonder...lurk...and feed... They fed on anything with a beating heart, anything that didn't smell dead they were onto it like a flame on dry grass. It was around two months later, I was up in my grandparents cabin with them, Keeping them safe. My younger brother Ben who had turned 14 not long ago joined us, and would go on watch when I would leave, scavenge for supplies, go hunting for food and generally keep them alive. We had to fight off a few people that tried to force their way into our home but we managed to get them away by threatening them. Saying we had a whole gang hidden up inside ready to tear them each apart within an inch of their lives, when really it was my two elderly grandparents. We had managed to fortify the little cabin with the help of my grandfather, who used to be a carpenter when he was younger. Blocking the windows, spray painting them black so no light could get out, modifying the door so it could only be unlocked from the inside, We managed to fix up the garden fence so that there was a rope ladder to get in and out with, which I used when I went hunting. Me and Ben used the loft as a lookout post, using that window with my grandfathers rifle, not that I had ever had to use it yet... and not that I would want to, noise attracts them.

"Ellie..." My grandmother called, Turning my head and looking down the loft stairs to where my grandmother was standing with a cup of tea. It had no milk, but I wasn't too bothered about that. I got up and made my way down taking the cup from her hands.

"Thanks Granny" I replied taking a sip. She watched as I took little sips of the hot liquid, adjusting her glasses a little she coughed softly.

"We are running out of food again Ellie..." My granny told me and I nodded my head.

"I'll drink this and I'll go hunt" I told her and she nodded her head.

"I hate that you do this..." She told me and I shook my head with a small smile.

"I have to, I don't mind really... I know what im doing out there, I have the energy and well those biters aren't as smart as people might think" I told her and she smiled softly, patting me on the shoulder before walking off to see my grandfather who was sitting in the living room on his rocking chair. I climbed my way back up the loft stairs and sat at the window. I sipped at the hot tea while looking out of the window, squinting my eyes slightly I spotted a deer, it raised its head, looking around before bolting off back into the wood. I licked my lips putting the tea down on the windowsill, grabbing the crossbow my grandfather had given to me for my 21st birthday five years ago. I took off my white tank top and pulled on a brown t-shirt with my camo pants and black converse, they aren't the best hunting boots but they are all I had on me at the time when I left home. I headed down the stairs and looked at my granny who was packing a bag for me. I smiled at her softly. "I spotted a deer just now, im going to go track it see if I can bring it in" I told her and she nodded her head. She handed my the backpack and I took it form her placing it on my back, adjusting the straps. "Ben, come here" I told him and he came over, I glanced at the loft and then back at him.

"What is it? Are you going out again?" He asked and I gave him a quick nod.

"Yeah, You need to go on watch up in the loft with the rifle, remember, don't shoot if you don't have to... I'll be back soon" I told him and he nodded his head. "Lock this door after me and then get straight up there... Keep them safe Ben" I told him sternly and he nodded quickly. We went through this conversation every time I left, and made it stick in his mind that if he and my grandparents couldn't defend the place while I was away, I told him to leave, take my Jeep and get the hell out of here, do anything to keep our grandparents alive. I unlocked the door, taking the board away before leaving the safety of the cabin to go hunting and looking for supplies. Ben did as I told, shut and locked the door behind me, I walked towards the fence managing to climb up the rope ladders and over with no problem, The crossbow I owned was placed over my shoulder as I walked out of sight of the cabin and into the thick overgrown wood. I tracked the deer for miles before finally coming upon a clear clue that it had just been past, its droppings were very fresh. I silently followed the tracks some more, using the trees and shadows to keep myself hidden. Thats when I heard voices, it was distant, but it was definitely voices. I gulped slightly peeking my head around the tree to see who it was, and if they were a threat. I seen two men, one with a crossbow and the other had a gun in a holster attached to his right side. I brung my head back around and took a deep breath letting it out slowly. I had never been this far into the wood since before the plague, and being this far was making me a little more on edge than normal, not just because I didn't know if it was overrun, but these two men who were heading my way. The two men had stopped talking, and I peeked my head around to see what happened to them, when the man with the crossbow was pointing it at my face only a few inches away from the bridge of my nose, I sighed softly as he come around to face me, eyeing the crossbow in my hand. I watched as the other man, who was dressed as a cop come around the other side his hand resting on the strap where his gun was.

"Put it down" the man with the crossbow ordered nudging his head towards my crossbow. I didn't. It stayed in my hand and I glared at him. "Didn't you hear me, woman... Put it down" He demanded and my eyes glanced between the two men, The cop was still resting his hand on his gun.

"Or what" I snapped back at him and he re-aimed the crossbow on my face.

"Or you'll get a piercing in the middle of your forehead with this bolt here" He warned and I raised an eyebrow, the cop shushed the man softly, using his hand to bring his friends crossbow down.

"We just want to talk to you... that's all" The cop spoke and I clamped my mouth shut, clenching my jaw my eyes not deciding who to focus on, my hand holding onto my crossbow tightly.

"For what, I aint' don' anything to you" I replied

"We're looking for a little girl... She was in our group and well... she ran in here to hide from the walkers that were chasing her... have you seen her?" The man asked and I furrowed my brows slightly.

"No, now let me go I'm tracking my dinner " I told him and he shook his head.

"I'm sorry I cant do that... What's your name?" He asked and I looked at them both before sighing slightly, I wasn't going to get out of this one...

"Ellie" I stated simply.

"Well Ellie, I'm Rick Grimes... This is Daryl... we're trying to track a little girl... she's only twelve, she's frightened and alone... if you have any information on her you have to tell us" He told me and I rolled my eyes.

"I aint' seen no little girl, Only tracks I seen around here is that buck I been tracking for my family... come on man... let me go... im miles away from home I need to get this buck and take it back" I told him and he tilted his head slightly.

"Family?" He asked and Daryl sighed looking at Rick.

"Rick, come on man, this chick don't know nothin' were wasting time" Daryl complained and Rick nodded his head holding his hand up for a second to motion a 'hang on'.

"You have family up in the woods?" He asked and I glared at him.

"Don't you try and find us...you wont...miles away from here..." I told him and he shook his head slightly.

"Look... I'm not going to hurt you or your family... but you should know we have a group...If you help us find this little girl... im sure we could spare a few seats in the RV" Rick stated and Daryl scoffed turning around and started walking off, looking at the floor.

"You wouldn't want my family with you... We have a hormonal teenager and two elderly... you don't want that in your group" I told him and he raised his eyebrows.

"Elders? You are protecting your grandparents?" He asked and I nodded my head.

"Yes, now please...let me go I need to find this buck to feed them..." I told him and he looked at me in the eyes.

"Look... we have a lot of food up on the highway...im sure if you help us track this little girl we could spare a couple dozen tins, or hell... even scavenge the cars yourself... please... Daryl is a great tracker but two trackers eyes is far better than one..." Rick stated pleading me to help them find this girl. I sighed heavily and nodded my head.

"Fine, lets find this girl... what's her name?" I asked

"Sophia, she's twelve years old" Rick told me and I glanced at him, my eyes studying his face.

"okay, twelve... when did she go missing?" I asked looking on the ground for any tracks other than the deer I was tracking.

"About three hours ago... We've been tracking her but the trail went cold..." Rick replied and I looked at him raising an eyebrow.

"How is she at climbing? Have you been looking in the trees? Most people would know its not safe on the ground when you are alone and unarmed... getting to higher ground is the best bet... and the only high ground here is the trees.." I told him and he shook his head no.

"She would have seen us coming if she were in a tree..." Rick replied and I shrugged slightly.

"Maybe.." I mumbled as we caught up to Daryl.

"We've got another tracker Daryl... She's going to help us in exchange for some food" Rick told him and Daryl took a glance at me before giving an approving nod. I licked my lips slightly glancing at the floor we were walking along trying to find any tracks.

"So where was the last tracks you found?" I asked looking at them both, Rick looked at Daryl.

"Footprints about 100 yards from where you were and then nothing..." Daryl told me and I thought for a few moments while we walked.

We looked around for a few, and I stumbled upon a biter, I turned to face Daryl and Rick and told them to keep quiet by holding a finger up to my mouth, and then crouching slowly, they did the same and Daryl come up beside me spotting the biter.

"Biter just up ahead..." I whispered and Daryl nodded making a silent plan with me to grab its attention and to shoot it. I placed my crossbow on my back and stood up, running along slightly, using my hand to wave at it and making a whistle. It seen me,I crouched down and watched as Daryl got into place, Just as it roared at me a bolt pierced its skull.

"Good work guys..." Rick called and I walked over to it, checking it over as Daryl took his bolt back.

"SOPHIA!" Daryl called out as he stood up, I glanced around not spotting anything before going back and looking at the biter.