Hello! So this is a story I came up with and is also my first shot at writing… Reviews would be excellent as writing is not exactly my strong point and it would be awesome to know how y'all like my little piece so far. Also, feel free to let me know what needs improving, always looking for feedback. Also, I do not own anything except my character Leah. Enjoy :)

Three months she had been surviving. Three whole damn months with scarce amounts of food and unreliable sources of water boiled over the meager fires she allowed herself. Three months 'surviving', if it could even be called that. Leah Mason is a survivor, always has been. But this, this was dying. This was slow, agonizing death. How much longer did she expect to last? She would hold out as long as possible, this she knew for sure. There is no giving up… But sooner or later death would be inevitable. Dehydration was an understatement, a thing of the past. Hunger didn't even begin to describe it, starvation was closest. Sure she could hunt and she sure as hell ain't defenseless; Leah Mason is a girl of the south, easy on the eyes, hell with a weapon. But she is also definitely not stupid… Without some sort of reprieve sooner or later, she would be doomed, because for the last three months, living, breathing humans were scarce and Leah Mason was sure as hell not the only thing hunting in the woods.

She couldn't say how long exactly she had been wandering around these particular woods, but she knew it was necessary. Easier source of fresh food, even if it was squirrel mostly, and easier protection from the biters as it was a less populated area. She didn't mind however, the woods were nothing new to her, hell she had practically spent her childhood in them what with her temperamental drunk of a daddy and lack of supervision. Nightfall was approaching and Leah knew she would need to sleep soon, she was exhausted and she needed to find some sort of coverage as it wasn't safe to sleep out in the open anymore. She stopped and set her pack down and pulled out one of her water bottles from her dwindling supply, "dammit" she muttered as she realized she would also need to find water pretty soon. She took a long drink and surveyed her options. Lately, she had taken to sleeping in trees as the woods she currently inhabited had numerous amounts of thick and sturdy ones. When she found a decent one she began her ascent into the protection of the foliage. Finally settled onto a branch she opened her pack and with a rope secured herself to the tree and closed her eyes, ignoring the roughness of the tree pressing into her back and finally relaxing her weakened body.
TWD-

The Georgia heat was fierce, even during the night, and Daryl reckoned this was the hottest summer he could remember. However, the heat was the least of the small group of survivors' worries. Between the stress of being out in the open and already been discovered by a herd of roaming Walkers, and the sudden disappearance of the little girl Sophia, Daryl was beyond anxious. He would never show it though; Daryl was the typical redneck ray of sunshine, hardened by years of cruelty and rough around the edges. He was anxious though and that could mostly be contributed to the fact that he was inside laying on the floor of the little RV 'resting' instead of out looking for the girl. If there was one thing Daryl Dixon could not stand it was the thought of children being abandoned, hell he had been through it himself and he hated the way it left a person. He couldn't just lay around and do nothing, that little girl was out there alone and scared, her mother left terrified and as Daryl listened to her quiet sniffling, he knew any hope of 'resting' was lost.

"I'm going ta look for the girl" he said to the blonde fiddling with the gun at the table, who immediately asked to go with. Daryl grumbled in response and left the RV, Andrea trailing behind. With a quick explanation to Dale who occupied watch duty the two took off over the railing and into the thick woods. "You really think we're gonna find Sophia?" Andreas asked. Daryl looked over and scoffed "got that look on yer face, same as everybody else… Hell's wrong with you people? Just started lookin'".

"Do you?" She asked irritated.

"Ain't the mountains of Tibet it's Georgia, she could be holed up in a farmhouse somewhere… People get lost and survive, happens all the time".

"She's only twelve" she said quietly.

"Hell I was younger than her when I got lost, nine days in the woods eatin' berries, wipin' my ass with poison oak. Old man was on a bender with some waitress, Merle was doin' another stint in juvy didn't even know I was gone." He took a glance at Andrea and noticed her perturbed expression and continued "made my way back though, didn't even know I was gone. Went straight to the kitchen and made myself a sandwich. No worse for wear, 'cept my ass itched something' awful."

At this Andrea started laughing earning a smirk from Daryl "I'm sorry but that is a terrible story".

"Only difference is, Sophia's got people lookin' for her, I call that an advantage." They left it at that and continued walking, Daryl shining his flashlight around hoping to give Sophia something to look at and Andrea lost in her thoughts. Roughly five minutes had passed when Daryl noticed something odd about the ground and stopping Andrea and squatting down slightly "tracks" he muttered "recent too".

"Sophia?" Andrea asked hope seeping into her voice.

"Nah, footprints too big" He told her, a little discouraged himself. "May be a walker, come one we'll see what we can find, only one set of tracks anyways nothin' we can't handle". They continued on Andrea trailing slightly behind Daryl as he followed the tracks. It wasn't too much farther when Daryl stopped again. "They're gone" he told her "just stopped-" He was cut off by a fearful Andrea.

"Daryl, look up".

Sorry 'bout the cliffhanger ;)