Hello everyone! This is my first fanfiction. Enjoy!

"Life hurts a lot more than death."

- Jim Morrison

The darkness stretched out for as far as she could see. The trees loomed above her in bleary shadows.

She could feel the raw, icy wind on her skin as she ran. Thick fog clouded the ground, hugging the tree trunks and shrubs.

Her bare feet sunk into the mud. She ran faster and faster. The trees swept by her in a surreal blur. She tried to ignore the groans that came from behind. She didn't look back at them. She could feel they were getting closer and closer…

She felt warm tears emerge from her eyes. Her heart drummed against her chest. She could barely breathe. Her throat felt like sandpaper but water was the last thing on her mind.

She knew that she just had to get out of the forest. Had to find some sort of shelter where it was safe and secluded from the walkers.

So she kept on running, not stopping for anything.

Eventually, her legs grew rubbery. It was hard to move them, now. She gasped for breath. And her face was damp with sweat.

Her strides turned to background music the further she got. Nothing changed. It was the same trees, shadows, and fog for as far as she could see. She began to wonder if there was a way out of the forest. Or if she'd find, before it was too late.

Fear filled her. She closed her eyes and let the tears stream down her face.

"The town's dead tonight

I got no place to be

Moon is hung just right

Shine like diamonds on these streets."

Beth listened to the sound of her own breathy voice. She tried to calm herself down.

"Moulin wine and lonesome

It's cutting clean through my heart

In my window smoking

While the midnight's setting in on Roger's park."

She moved quickly across the forest floor, pushing through thorny branches and dead vines. Her voice was choked with tears as she sang.

"I came here with hopes and

Guess I came here with dreams

Now I'm all alone…"

Beth's voice trailed off. And she slowed her pace.

"All alone," she repeated.

She came to a halt.

"All alone," she whispered tearfully.

She felt more tears threatening at her red-rimmed eyes.

Finally, she turned around. Prepared to see the walkers. Prepared to see thousands of them surrounding her.

Beth turned around to see what she had been looking at the entire time while she was running: fog, darkness, trees and bushes. Dim moonlight casting the only light there was. No walkers.

She stared for a moment, feeling a wave of relief wash over her.

Beth brought a grimy hand to her face and wiped her eyes.

Right there, right then, she wanted to fall to the ground and stay there. She wanted to go to sleep and not wake up. But, most of all, she wanted to be with her father and Maggie and the rest of the group. She knew wasn't possible. She knew she'd never see any of them again.

She slid her backpack off her shoulders and dropped it on the ground and knelt down beside it.

She unzipped it and dug through the clothing, weapons, and other supplies until she found her canteen.

She quickly pried the lid off and put the rim to her lips and let the cool water run down her throat.

She knew she couldn't waste the water. The canteen was only half full. So Beth screwed the lid back on and placed it back inside her backpack.

She looked around. There was no sign of the horde of walkers that had been chasing her. She guessed that they were distracted by a deer or wolf and chased it off the trail.

She struggled to her feet, her legs still felt like rubber. She knew that the walkers would find her if she stayed there. So she reached down and grabbed her backpack off the ground.

Instead of going straight, Beth wandered deeper into the woods, off the trail.

The air got colder around her. Clouds covered the moon, blocking out the light and turning the world to black.

"Now I'm all alone…"