A/N: this is collaboration between me and Deanandjo4ever1. It is an AU starting early season three and will contain two of my own OC'S. A pair of African American sisters. WARNING Heavy themes containing child abuse and teen drug use will be explored within. Beta and written with Deanandjo4ever1 so any mistakes in this chapter belong to her. Please read and review.

Chapter 1 Fear and Hope

Peyton clutched her twelve year old sister to her side, praying that they would make it away from the small herd that had encircled their small camp in the middle of the night. Tamera cried as silently as she could, while burying her face in her sister's side, as she was being drug by her older sister. Peyton thought to herself as soon as they found somewhere safe she was going to have to teach her little sister how to defend herself better, Tamera had killed her fair share of walkers with the Taurus PT92. She was a damn good shot, but they only had the one gun and Peyton was the oldest and strongest of the two and forget about Tamera using the bat she was not strong enough to crush the skulls of the dead yet. It was time for her to get a little tougher and quick, before she wound up a walker's chew toy. Peyton had carried them through the year and she was tired. Peyton spotted a car about five yards from where she was defending her sister, she knew the clip was almost empty and she couldn't pull her bat out with her sister clinging to her side.

"Tamera see that red car, baby when I tell you to I want you to run as fast as you fucking can and get in it. Can you do that for me?" Peyton asked as she raised her gun and fired hitting a walker that was a few feet in front of her square between the eyes.

She felt Tamera nod her head into her side. Peyton spun around and fired six of the eleven shots into the walkers that would pose the biggest problem for her little sister.

"Now!" She screamed at her sister, as soon as Tamera detached from her sister's side she ran as fast as she could to the red car parked on the side of the road and jerked the door open and dove in, she slammed the door shut and locked it.

As soon as Tamera was running Peyton pulled her bat out and started running after her sister, swinging her bat connecting with a skull of a walker that was just a few feet in front of her, she heard the sound of the skull cracking and a sick squashing sound, alerting her that it had been put down effectively. Peyton cursed herself she wished she had a fix it had been days since she had touched what cocaine she had left. Peyton was at the car she turned around quickly firing on more bullet into a walker coming at her, if her count was accurate she had about five bullets left. She reached behind her to pull the door open and get in, and it was locked.

"Shit!" She cursed loudly, firing at another walker approaching with snarling gnashing teeth, and rotted arms reaching madly for its next meal.

"Open the damned door Tamera." Peyton yelled slapping the window. She heard the sweet sound of the door being unlocked and she whispered a small thank you to whatever God was listening.

She fired another round at one last walker; once she was in she shut and locked the door. The car looked as if it would run, the keys were missing but Peyton hadn't spent the last two years being a juvenile delinquent for nothing, she immediately went digging for a screw driver and black electrical tape in her backpack.

"Are we safe now?" Tamera asked timidly.

"I don't know Tam, I don't fucking know. Now please be quite. Why don't you get your notebook and draw for baby, while I start this car." Tamera nodded her head and got her sketch pad and began to draw.

Peyton ran her hands through her mid back length black hair and felt chunks and goop in it. They needed to find a creek she was sure she looked like hell.

"Shit!" She hissed

Her pony tail holder and just broken and Peyton was un-sure of whether he had another or not. All that she cared about in that moment was starting the car and fast. Peyton used the screw driver to break the ignition panel. She saw the two red wires she quickly pulled out her pocket knife and stripped the cord on each, then she touched the bare wires together and to her amazement the car roared to life. She couldn't control herself a squealed with delight, not only had the car started but it had a little over a half a tank of gas. They drove for about forty five minutes when she saw a dirty word with a sign for a daycare. Peyton couldn't help her excitement, maybe just maybe; it was a house, a place they could call home. She could see the house and a playground. She woke Tamera and pointed out the playground; her sister smiled and hurriedly started putting things back in the bag. Peyton drove around the house. and hid the car, she didn't want to make her claim, sometimes humans were worse than the monsters trying to eat you for lunch, and the saddest part was that had been true before the dead had started walking . Peyton made Tamera sit in the car while she checked the place out. It was clear, to Peyton's amazement; she didn't know how she had managed to find a safe place without corpses living in it.

"It's safe. Grab the backpack and hand me the bedding. Come on sister I think we may have found home." Peyton said, sounding like the sixteen year old she was, not the strong woman she had started blossoming into.

"I like it sis thank you. I love you. Your better than mama and daddy ever was." Tamera said as she hugged her sister and hero tightly, if she would have looked up she would have seen tears of pride in her sister's eye.

They slept soundly on the second floor on a real bed. It was the first good night sleep that either of them had in what felt like years. And if they were completely honest it probably was. Peyton and Tamera had woke about noon and went walking, the night before Peyton had heard a creek nearby. Peyton grabbed her backpack

"Come on. Time to go wash this shit off." Peyton said ruffling her sister's short brown curly hair. Tamera grinned up at her

"Ass." She said.

"Hey watch your fucking mouth." Peyton replied laughing.

They made it down to the creek. Peyton found the shampoo and soup. They stripped down to their underwear. They stayed in the creek for hours, waiting on their clothes to dry. After getting out of the creek and redressing they headed back toward the house. They hadn't noticed how close to dark it had gotten. They decided that they were going to go through the kitchen, what little food and water they had was all but gone. They had found a lot of baby formula that milk could be made from, it wouldn't be as good the real deal but it would be something. They heard a window break in the front of the house and voices, one was male and the other female. Tamera froze while looking in a cabinet.

"Get in that cabinet and stay put." Peyton said forcibly. Tamera did as she was told and watched as Peyton climbed into a pantry and shut the door

Daryl and Maggie rummaged through the front and grabbed all the clothes, diapers, blankets, and bottles that they could find. Daryl noticed a yellow and white doll and picked it up. They heard sounds coming from the kitchen so that's where they headed next. Daryl opened the door slowly, crossbow at the ready. Maggie followed. Daryl moved the crossbow where it was pointing at the pantry. Maggie slowly opened it. All the muscles tensed as he readied to fire, and it took all he had not to send a bolt through Peyton's head.