A.N.: So I've looked for decent fics with this concept without Caryl getting involved. Of course, I don't mind. I'm just not shipping anybody in the Walking Dead fandom. And I know this is another "what if" thing. I'm currently working on another "what if" fic, but I really need to get this going so I can think about that one a bit better. Anyways, chapter 1!

"Dammit Pat, we can't just keep doing this," a woman said. "It's not safe here, it wasn't safe anywhere else. It's not safe anywhere!" A man, presumably Pat, said.

Sophia peered her head around to get a better look at the people. There were seven of them. "Pat, listen to her. We need to find a place and clear it out and just stay." Another woman said.

Sophia stepped on a branch, snapping it. Just like in the movies.

"Oh my god!" One of the women said. She had short red hair, a little bit longer than her mother's, and was fairly tall. She looked to be about 40.

"Sweetie, are you lost?" She asked. Sophia nodded. "What's your name?" She opened her mouth but no words could come out. "Well, I'm Abby. This is my husband Pat," she pointed to a taller man with blonde hair. He waved at her. "That's my sister, Becky," She pointed at a younger woman with light brown hair, "and her boyfriend Dan,"

Dan had darker brown hair and wasn't much taller than Abby.

"And those are my son's Jason, Corey, and Gage,"

"Hi," the tallest one, Corey, said, giving Sophia a lighthearted smile. Corey seemed to be the spitting image of Pat. Same blonde hair and the height, of course.

"S-s-Sophia,"

"What was that, honey?"

"Sophia,"

"Oh, well that's a nice name. What happened to the people you were with?" Abby asked. "I got lost,"

"Well, I figured that," She didn't sound like she was from Georgia. Her accent was a little similar to Andy Griffith's.

"There were walkers,"

"Is that what you call them?" Pat asked. Sophia nodded. A mosquito flew by here face and she swatted it away.

"We call them "ghosts,"

"Are you hungry at all?" Becky asked. Sophia shook her head.

They asked her a few more questions, like "how old are you", "do you know how to shoot a gun", "have you killed any ghosts", ect.

It was nearing dark and the woods weren't the best place to spend the night. Pat found a little house for them to stay for the night. It was cute. It had a couple windows and the roof seemed trustworthy. In the event that it were rain in the middle of the night, they would want a nice roof.

They, thankfully, didn't come across any ghosts in the house. Sophia kept wanting to correct them and tell them they're called "walkers."

The sleeping arrangements were a bit tricky. The house had three bedrooms, but the third was a guest room. Dan and Becky took that one. Pat and Abby obvioisly took the main. Since Corey was the oldest, he took the couch downstairs. Sophia took one of the two beds in the second bedroom and Gage, who was the youngest at 17, took the other. There was a rather nice chair in that room, which was being occupied by Jason.

Abby told them not to try anything with Sophia. Not to tease her, scare her, or make her feel uncomfortable.

Morning came and the group of eight joined in the living room. Some time in the night, the bed from the guest room shook repeatedly. Moans and giggles frightened Sophia.

"What were those sounds?" She inquired. "What sounds?" Abby asked. "The ones from last night. A lot of laughing," she replied. Everybody's eyes widened. Becky and Dan were beet red.

"Umm, you said you were 12, right?" Abby asked. Sophia nodded. "Ok...Umm...Come with me,"

"Why?"

"Just, uhh, come on,"

She led her outside to "talk."

Becky and Dan received glares from the four men standing across from them.

Sophia was horrified about what she had just learned. Abby tried to give her the information in a way so she wouldn't go run away screaming. That was the thing dreaded most about the possibility of having a daughter.

Then again, she was 12. Some girls her age were more mature and others were just not. Then again, did she even get her first period? She was most certainly old enough.

Abby had always wanted a daughter, like many women. After Gage was born, she decided that she wasn't going to get pregnant again. She knew that the chances of her having a girl the fourth time were slim.

The two went back inside and were greeted by Becky saying, "Oh my god. I'm so sorry, I didn't mean-"

"Stop it," Abby told her sister. She shut her mouth. Sophia went back to the room in which she slept.

"How'd she take it?" Becky asked. "She...Took it better than I thought she would,"

"Good,"

"Ya know, you probably didn't have to tell her," Pat said, "If we find her mother-"

"If we find her mother,"

"You never know," he muttered.

Sophia cried softly while sitting on the bed. She was probably never going to see her mother again.

A.N.: Ok, so I already have plans for this. I'm not too sure if there will be major character death or not, but I'm probably not going to do that. Anyways, I'll try and update soon and please review!