DARYL'S POV:

We were out on a supply run when we found her. I guess, in actuality, she found us.

We were crossing what appeared to be a deserted street, so far free of walkers. Glenn, Maggie, and myself made up the scavenging party. Glenn was rambling on about something we had to keep our eyes peeled for when his speech was interrupted by a sharp intake of breath.

Maggie and I spun, weapons up and ready. But the single walker was already dead, a lone arrow protruding from its skull.

"Daryl?" Glenn asked, confusion written across his face.

I shook my head. "Wasn't me."

The three of us turned to look in the direction the arrow had come from. Nothing was there, but we all caught the tail end of a black piece of clothing rounding the corner of a building.

I motioned for the other two to follow me as I sunk low to the ground, moving as quickly as I could across the street after the retreating back. We turned the corner just as the unknown entity had, but came up short. The way was blocked by another building. There was no space between the three buildings surrounding us; a dead end.

"Up there," Maggie said, pointing skyward.

I glanced up.

A small figure in a black jacket with the hood drawn up was lifting a leg onto the roof of the building. On the figure's back was a bow and quiver of arrows. The figure turned to look down at us. Because of the hood, we couldn't see their face, but it was immediately evident that it was a girl. Long black hair drifted lightly in the breeze, concealing her face further. What little we could see was that she was smiling, apparently confident in having lost us.

I eyeballed the surface of the building. She would have had to be very lithe and quick-witted to have scaled the entire wall in that short amount of time. She could be gone before I reached the top, but I wasn't about to let her get away.

"I'm goin' after her. You two go 'round the buildin', keep an eye on her. Follow her if she gets away from me."

They nodded, heading back out of the other end of the alley.

I slung my crossbow onto my back, hitching my foot up into the deteriorating cement of the brick building. From there, I made my way from windowsill to windowsill, making fairly good time. Another look up told me that the girl was gone and made me move a little faster.

When I finally reached the top, after a few wobbly moments of doubt, I could see her standing on the opposite side of the roof from me, facing me with her feet planted on the edge.

I quickly drew my crossbow, with an arrow already loaded, pointing it at the girl. "Stay there!" I barked, taking a few slow steps forward.

As I got closer, she lifted one foot and nonchalantly dangled it behind her, over the edge of the building. I stopped with a jerk. She wouldn't really jump just to get away from me, would she? I tried gaguing her resolve, but the curve of her full lips gave nothing away.

"I saved your friend's life," she spoke softly, but loudly enough. "Why are you following me?"

I dropped my crossbow slowly. "Come over here," I demanded.

Her hooded head turned to the side, looking out over the edge, where I could hear Maggie and Glenn in the street below. "Why? Afraid of heights?" She did a graceful about-face on the precipice, apparently fearless. She bent over, looking straight down into the street. "Hello, down there!" she called, waving.

While her back was turned, I rushed forward, intent on snagging her around the waist and bringing her back from the edge.

"Bad idea," she sighed pitifully, bounding easily out of my reach and grabbing my arm. She twisted it behind me, holding me out over the edge.

"Daryl!"

"Let him go!"

She loosened her grip on my arm, but didn't let go. "Sorry, reflex," she apologized, not sounding sorry at all. "But really, what kind of manners are those? Do people just go around grabbing up young girls where you're from? Well, I guess I'd better let you go, or your friends are going to think I'm gonna kill you." She released me, pushing me back onto the solid roof.

I lifted myself, snarling, "What the hell is your problem?"

I lifted my head to see her give me an informal salute, "Catch you around," she chuckled humorlessly. I watched, dumbfounded, as she sprinted across the roof and jumped, spanning the distance between the buildings easily.

Oo0oO

When I reached the ground, Glenn and Maggie were waiting with open mouths. "She's some kind of parkour free-running ninja," Glenn muttered.

"I don't wanna talk about it," I grumbled to myself, limping slightly as I stormed away from them.

A WEEK LATER:

"Going to look for little miss Robin Hood again?" Glenn asked as I walked past him outside the prison cells that morning.

"I'm gonna find her."

"Did you ever think maybe she doesn't want to be found?"

"She's young. She's on her own. She can't make it out there."

He sighed. "Looked like she was doing alright. I mean, she did outrun all three of us, and then she knocked you on your-" he broke off with an apologetic look when I glared at him.

So maybe she had some skills and could survive on her own, but something about her made it impossible for me to stop looking for her. I was going to bring her back to the prison, whether for her own safety, or for payback.

Oo0oO

In the week since we crossed paths with that girl, I had been back to this particular stretch of road four times. Walkers roamed through the tiny section of town only on occassion. Today wasn't one of those days. Not one person (living or otherwise) occupied the place.

I stood alone, in just the spot I had been when Glenn had been saved by the mysterious archer.

"What are you doing here?" came the voice I had been waiting to hear.

I turned around slowly, unsurprised that I hadn't heard her approach. Unlike the last time she had spoken to me, she sounded displeased.

I sneered at her. "I could ask you the same thing."

Her hood was up again, her jaw clenched in anger. "Stop following me. Stop looking for me. Stop coming here." She spun on her heel and started making for one of the buildings to her left.

"Wait," I called out to her.

Shockingly, she listened to me. With a huff, she faced me again. "What do you want?"

"I want to know who you are. How you made it this far on your own."

She gave me a smirk. "Who says I'm alone?"

I looked her up and down. I knew the look of a loner when I saw one. "Somethin' tells me you don't play well with others."

She crossed her arms with an amused smile. "Something tells me you're the same way."

I shrugged.

"So what's your name?" she asked, walking toward me.

"Daryl Dixon."

She pursed her lips and made a "Hm," sound, circling around me, watching me. "Alright, Daryl," she spoke the name as though she thought it was fake. "I'm Laila. Laila Gibson," throwing back her hood, she extended her hand.

Her skin was pale, with a smattering of freckles over her nose, and a pair of narrowed hazel eyes. Up close, it was easier to see how long her black hair really was, extending down to her waist. Her jaw was squared, combining with high cheekbones to create a softly accentuated facial shape.

I secured her hand in mine and shook it once.

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