Okay, so this idea has been rolling around in my head for a while, and I've suddenly become completely obsessed with The Walking Dead again...just let me know what you think, if I should continue. XD And I hope you enjoy!

"Dammit, John, pick up your feet!"

The afternoon sky was dark and heavy as a deep, rumbling thunder covered the woman's harsh whisper. Her partner, a tall, lanky man, nodded and watched where he was stepping a little more carefully. The two had been walking for what seemed like forever. He wanted to collapse, but it wasn't safe. Not that they were ever truly safe anymore, but they weren't going to stop in the middle of a town. They needed to get in and get out – preferably with food. He'd chew on a tree branch, though, if that meant they both got out of there with their skin. Glancing up at the sky, he paused for a moment before following beside his companion again. He had been a photographer before the world went to hell and he still had to resist the urge to snap a shot – weather pics were his favorite to shoot, and the lightening popping off above them was reawakening his old instincts. In his opinion, the weather should be dark and gloomy every day...it only fit with this new world.

"We need to find a damn store and get out of here. The rain's gonna start soon."

"Calm down, Al. Little rain never hurt anybody." He waited for his partner to look at him, shoot him a little glare, or react in some way...but it didn't happen. The brunette only continued to walk, her boots not making a sound on the sidewalk beneath her. His heavy heart continued to sink. He had only known Alice for a of years. She was a young reporter with a lot of sass, and enough curiosity to make a cat look at her like she was stupid. They were often paired together on assignments, and they quickly became great friends. She was loud and knocked doors down, while he...took a much gentler approach, and could repair any damage that she may have done in her pursuit of a story, or whatever it happened to be that day. But the times had been hard on her...hell, it was the apocalypse, it'd been hard on everyone. Still, what she'd endured, it made his stomach churn. John's thoughts came to a halt as the sudden downpour washed over them, instantly soaking them to the bone.

"Shit." Alice cursed, shoving her wet bangs out of her eyes. "Lets duck into that convenience store. Stay quiet." As if she had to tell him that.

The store had been unexpectedly vacant, and there had actually been food on the shelves. Junk food mostly, but food was food at that point. The two were already thin enough as it was, they couldn't afford to be picky.

"So, what next, boss?" John asked Alice quietly as she finished off a Snickers bar. She shrugged.

"Gotta get to the woods, I guess." His look of protest wasn't given time to form actual words. "We don't stay in cities, John."

"It's only a little town..." He grumbled, more like a defeated puppy than anything. The woman rolled her eyes as the pair threw their light bags back over their shoulders. There was no guaranteed safety anywhere, but Alice would rather take her chances in the woods than be suddenly trapped in a building somewhere. Though she had been born and raised in the south, she was never a fan of camping...but now, she almost took comfort in the forest. They had always appeared empty, people were few and far between, if they were even there at all. Sometimes she could forget what actually happened.

Of course, those moments never last long.

Just then, they heard gunshots, and both of them ducked to the floor. After a brief pause, Alice, still crouching, made her way to the door. Peering out, she managed to see a curly haired man fall to the ground, a walker pinning him. He managed to fight for a moment, and that's when Alice's humanity bubbled back to the surface. She didn't know this man, he could do them both harm once she saved his ass. But really...she couldn't just let him die.

The brunette barely heard John yell her name as she kicked the door open and fired one shot into the walker's head. She kept the gun pointing in the man's direction as he struggled to get the walker off of him.

"Alice!" John yelled, standing directly behind her at that point. There were more walkers just a few feet away, shuffling down the street. The rain was hardly slowing them down, even though it made it difficult for everyone else to see clearly. She fired off a few shots at the ones closest, then snapped out of her brief (lethal?) daze as a truck suddenly screeched to a halt beside them.

"Rick!" Another man called out to his friend from the driver's seat. The curly haired man – whom she know knew as Rick – jumped to his feet and looked at the two.

"Get in!" He yelled over the sound of the storm and the walkers. Quickly, he disappeared into the passenger side of the truck. John called Alice's name as she turned her focus back to taking out a few more of the undead. In the back of her mind, she could hear the strange men yelling at them as well, but she was focused on her task. It took her less than thirty seconds to run out of bullets, and when she stopped to reload, she felt herself being lifted and thrown into the back of the truck by John, and they sped off into some new direction, not knowing what to expect.

It was a rough ride. They were going so fast, the cold rain drops felt like needles piercing their skin. Alice could hear the men arguing in the cab of the truck, but she couldn't make out what they were saying. She hadn't expected anything different...actually, she hadn't expected anything all. Usually her actions were at least a little thought out. Sure, she was known to be impulsive, but she was quite l she hadn't been thinking anything when she stepped out into the road and shot those walkers. The men were probably fighting about taking two strangers back to whatever little hellhole they were currently inhabiting. Alice could feel a headache forming like the rumbling thunder above...sugar crash, probably. Then again, she always seemed to get headaches when storms rolled through...something about the change in pressure, or some bullshit. She closed her eyes and huddled closer to John for warmth. He gave her a light pat on the shoulder, trying to offer some sort of comfort.

It wasn't too much longer before the truck slowed and came to a halt. The brunette sat up straight and tried to focus on the blurry images around them. They had arrived at a large house...maybe three stories? It had gotten dark, so she couldn't really make out much. After a moment, Rick, the man she saved earlier, spoke as he stood on her side of the truck.

"Y'all come on inside." When their reluctance was obvious, he spoke again. "You need to dry off. No time for getting' sick anymore, right?" After a bit more staring, he sighed and spoke again, dropping the diplomatic tone as he looked at Alice directly. "I want to thank you properly." He smiled. "You saved my skin out there. And I appreciate that." The woman tried to take in his appearance. She didn't doubt the sincerity of his gratitude – but who could bullshit about that? She just saved him from becoming walker chow. That's when she noticed his clothes...he was some kind of law man? Alice wasn't given much of a choice, however, as John began to climb out of the truck. He held out his hand as he greeted the man.

"Name's John. And that's Alice." He gave him a short, but friendly smile, which was returned as the man shook his hand.

"Rick Grimes. It's a pleasure." Not wasting anymore time on small talk, they began to walk towards the house. The rain still hadn't let up, but on the bright side, she was not longer upset about missing a shower...at least for the time being. As they walked up to the steps and into the house, they were greeted by a few others, standing just inside the first room of the house. Instantly, she felt uneasy. It was natural, she supposed, for them to feel nervous. She and John were strangers in their shelter. Maybe they couldn't see that the pair was just as nervous...but why shouldn't they be? They didn't know these people. They were at their mercy now. At first, there had only been a few men standing in the room, but then two women joined. A blonde, and another woman, who immediately went to Rick's side.

"So what's Shane sayin' is true." A gray haired man broke the awkward silence.

"Everyone, this is Alice and John. They saved my skin today." Still feeling the tension in the room, Rick continued. "So I'm grateful to 'em. Lori, do we have any dry towels?" At that question, everyone began to break off into their own conversation, taking turns to introduce themselves to the newcomers. Alice heard heavy footsteps on the stairs and into the hallway coming towards them. When she looked up and locked eyes with the man, she froze, her green eyes wide.

"Ah, Daryl, this is – "

"Ally." Daryl cut Rick off before he could finish, and stared at the girl.

"Daryl Dixon." Her voice was quiet, and full of disbelief, like the rug had just been pulled out from under her. All of the sudden, it was like she had no control over her body. She just stood there, staring at him, completely frozen.

Abrupt cliffhanger? Sorry, I didn't want it to be too long!
Let me know what you thought!