So this is kind of a prologue.

Hope you enjoy!

Sole disclaimer: I don't [ and will not ever ] own anything from TWD. If I did, Daryl would have more screen time and Carol would be long dead.

Her hands were shaking on the wheel of the car. Her ears were ringing; she didn't understand what people were talking about outside, even with the window rolled down. Vaguely aware there was a baby crying somewhere, she tried to make sense of what was going on, but failed. She took a long breath in an attempt to make the flow of tears stop. The past few years of her life flashed in front of her eyes. Where had she gone wrong? When did the proverbial shit hit the freaking fan?

Up until a few days ago, Victoria had more than she ever wished for. She had her own apartment in Tokyo, in the country she always dreamt of visiting. She drove her personal car, and was the proud owner of a giant cat - a Maine Coon named Sheeba. Her job as a translator at the embassy paid more than well and came with many perks. Traveling discounts were the first on the top of her list.

Still, she had always had the feeling she didn't quite belong.

The pencil skits and immaculate white shirts didn't really suit her; she preferred jeans and plain t-shirts. Victoria was somewhat of a nerd, having spent probably half her life in online games, novels and TV shows. Fan of everything fantasy and sci-fi, the reality of adult life had crushed some of the magic she always thought life should hold. That's why when she arrived in Japan three years prior, the second thing she did after settling in her apartment was to join a kyudo class - traditional Japanese archery. The heroine in the manga was usually a skilled archer, so she thought it would spice up her boring life. It didn't she still craved for something she couldn't really name. But the archery classes were fun.

Her mother always criticized her about her poor life choices. God knew how many times she heard the words 'grow up'. Her closest friends were constantly an example she should have followed: all married, with children or at least engaged. Maybe she should have listened to her mother? But she had other priorities and none included screeching babies. She didn't particularly hate children, but she didn't like them either. That's why, when her best friend extended an invitation to spend her vacation in America with her husband and two kids, Victoria was a little skeptic. After all, she was basically going there to be the babysitter, even if her friend didn't use those exact words.

Usually, when things go to hell, there is an action you could pinpoint, a moment you'd return to and ask 'What if'. The second she decided to book a flight was that moment that would forever haunt her, it was the reason she was in a particular kind of shit. What if she had stayed in Tokyo? What if she had decided to go home to her parents? What if she had gone somewhere else entirely, like that island in Japan filled with cats. The whole apocalypse would have been easier on that island for sure; there were probably less than 100 people there – less than 100 potential death 'opportunities'.

But there were no 'what ifs' in real life, you didn't get extra lives or 'load the last checkpoint' option. Real life had that tendency to suck balls big time.

Things had gone south really fast after she arrived. She was exasperated for only four days by Mia and Ben's children: Emma, their ten year old daughter and Thomas, the somewhat adorable two year old. Both kids took after their father, with curly blond hair and sky blue eyes. Unlucky for everyone around them, they probably inherited their mother's personality; Mia was a fire cracker. Four days until the news started presenting crazy stories about the dead coming back to life and eating the living. A small part of Victoria had been ecstatic – this was her adventure, an epic tale where the main character was a badass archer zombie-killing girl. A happy ever after where the heroine saved the day and kissed the guy at the end. It could have even gone the other way around; she didn't mind being the damsel in distress either. But she was not ready for the hard reality of what happened. Not in the slightest!

It all started with Mia coming home from the emergency room on the fifth day of her stay – her crazy cab driver crashed the car and as she was waiting for the police, the guy had the audacity to bite her. She required seven stitches. Crazy bastard! Victoria remembered her friend rambling on and on about how she was going to sue the man. They ate and enjoyed a few glasses of wine as the children slept. Later that night she woke up to Ben shoving his wife off the crib of their two year old son.

Victoria had thought she was having a particularly bad nightmare. She thought that when Mia's teeth sank in Ben's forearmed and ripped the skin off, his scream waking both children and perhaps the neighbors too. She continued to whisper 'wake up' to herself as Ben pulled his police issued gun and shot his love in the leg when she was heading toward the baby again. Mia hadn't even noticed. She had to close her eyes and wish really hard to be in her bed in Tokyo when she opened them, as Mia's body hit the floor, blood spraying the wall behind her. She hoped and hoped it was all in her head as Ben ordered everyone to pack lightly and go to the family's minivan. She tried pinching herself, but she never really understood how that worked. Even in dreams, wasn't pain faked by the stupid brain? It could all still have been a nightmare, pain or no pain; she had been probably sleeping for less than fifteen minutes. She had been sure she was almost waking up when Ben stopped the car and told her she had to take care of Emma and Thomas, placing the boy in her hands. He was so small and fragile; his innocent eyes sent shivers down her spine.

She had been in denial up until a hand pulled her and Emma back from Ben's creepy awakened corpse and pulled a bullet in his head. She broke down in that moment, finally catching up with reality. She was sure if Shane didn't order her to get back to the car and follow his own she would've just stood there, crying with the children.

Victoria rested her head on the steering wheel. Actually, she'd be dead, because there was no way she could have gotten away from Ben's snappy teeth.

So where had she screwed herself over? When she dubbed Mia's fever as a common cold? When she ignored the national news that was urging people to stay indoors? When she decided to cross the ocean for her vacation? Did it go further back to some insignificant childhood moment, like when her parents brought her the very first console? Or when she picked up her first comic book? She took her glasses off to dry the tears away from her eyes. Scanning her surroundings with a clearer mind – and vision – she had to restrain a laugh. Oh, the irony.

Hadn't she always wished for an adventure? Excitement? Magic? Well, there it was! The perfect apocalyptic setting, the first chapter of her very own epic quest. It was, plot wise, 'perfect': a mixed group of strangers stuck on a highway, all facing the constant danger of being eaten alive by the walking dead. There were families and singles, all types of skin color and ages, and if you dug deep enough they all probably had different religious beliefs. If she tried a little, Victoria could even label them as: 'first to get bitten', 'high chances of eating you in the near future', 'gets killed for being too naïve', 'highest chance to turn into a criminal', 'loner that survives', 'I want brainz'. She wondered what her label would be and settled to 'would be dead without protective male figure'. Gaze drifting towards Shane's car the words 'damsel in distress' appeared above Lori's head. Victoria sighed, her grip on the wheel tightening. None of this was happening to her, it was surely someone else's story.

Could someone stop the freaking crying baby? The screeching was making her head hurt even worse. As if on cue, someone tapped her window.

"Mind takin' care of that noise, darling?" Oh, right! The baby was her responsibility now. She searched for a pacifier from the baby's bag in the trunk and vaguely registered the wolf whistle as she bent to retrieve it. Opening the door, she noticed Emma's angry stare. She looked blankly at her for a second, then picked Thomas up from the special baby seat. Damn, he was heavy for such a small package! As she rocked him slowly, pacifier in his mouth, the crying stopped.

It was surreal.

Everything! The baby, the highway, the redneck grinning at her as he dragged from a cigar, the disapproving looks people were giving her, probably because she wasn't taking good care of the damn baby.

"How old are you, sugar tits? Lookin' too young to be mother to that one." He was pointing at Emma, smirking when the girl's glare became even more threatening.

"I'm ac-" Her words were interrupted. She didn't see the actual thing, her back being towards the city. A loud crash-like noise filled her ears and she crouched behind the open car door, child cradled at her chest. A blinding light filled the night sky when she opened her eyes. Why had she closed them? An explosion later, Atlanta was in flames, their hope of being evacuated burning with it.

How hadn't she seen this coming? It was classic plot twist: rescue wasn't coming, they were on their own.

"Ria." Small hands clutched to her Spiderman t-shirt. She stared at the miniature human she was holding, and for the hundredth time that day she begged whatever god there was to make the past 20 or so hours just a nightmare. "I want mommy." His eyes were puffy, his cheeks red and tear-stained. He'd been crying for a while. Had he ever stopped since they left for Atlanta?

"Mommy can't be with us right now. It's you, me and your sister." His eyes were watering again, face scrunching. "No, no, don't cry. You have to be brave. Make mommy proud when she comes, yes?" She rocked him slowly, unsure if he was getting what she was saying. He seemed a bright child from what Victoria noticed the past days, but 'the world is ending' and 'your mother turned into a zombie and wanted to eat your face' sounded a little too complex. She had trouble making any sense of it herself.

Shane barked some more orders, directing the people that wanted to follow away from the road. He came back to check on them and told her to stay close. Placing Thomas back in his seat, she drove after Shane's car. It was silent for a moment, before Emma addressed her.

"We're going to die, aren't we, aunt V.?"

"Pfft, nonsense."

"Mom and dad are. We would've been if that guy hadn't shot dad." She wasn't screaming, but the girl's voice was harsh and calculate; she thought about it long and hard. "We're just prolonging the inevitable." What could Victoria say to that? The truth, that she had not the slightest clue? She was supposed to be the adult with all the answers. Lie, that they were going to be just fine? Emma was already in a dark place. Agreeing about their certain doom didn't seem like a good option. Let the silence speak for itself? That was the same as confirming their impending deaths. Say something silly? We have a winner!

"Think of it as a video game, Ems. The longer you stay alive, the more experience and skills you gain, thus the harder you are to kill."

"I don't like this game."

"Still, play along with me, will you? Who knows, we might even win."

So... [ you can read or not... they're just some stuff i wanted to tell you guys to expect in this story ]

1. I initially wanted to start this at season 2-3... But I really wanted her to meet Merle and maybe befriend him... for some reason. Not in this chapter necessarily, but in the story as a whole. I could've made her a part of the Governor's town, but meh, decided to go with season 1. As a heads up, I'll go faster with the first season and maybe the second, too. Like, work through them in a few chapters.

2. This is a Daryl x OC. I'mma focus on that, though there will be glimpses of the other characters [ what I'm trying to say is, I won't ponder much on things you guys had already seen happening on the show: like Lori's... dilemmas, or Shane's obsession with her, or Rick's... denial that his wife was two-faced ho... ] instead, I'll try to sneak in little moments with Daryl and the OC. It's gonna be a little slow burning :))) cause... I want them to become friends first [ I'm kinda bored of all them 'I saw him and knew he was the one for me' stories... ] That being said, my plan is to allow them both to... develop as characters [ cause this is a very serious fanfic I'm writing here... :))) ]

Also... in case it wasn't clear, it's gonna be M+! *he he...*

3. The kids died in this chapter the first time this story sprung in my head. Obviously, I decided otherwise. Should I keep them? I thought it'd be cute for Thomas and Judith to be partners in crime.

4. Pleas let me know what you think so far. *hugs*