Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead. I do own my OC.

A/N: Welcome to the first chapter of my first ever full-length Walking Dead fanfiction in which I follow the show from the point of view of my OC who I hope you like. So without further ado, here goes. Enjoy!

You would never have thought the world was going to end the way the day began. My alarm went off at 6:45 AM. I reached over to turn it off before getting up and heading to the bathroom to take a shower (if I had known it was going to be my last one I would have spent more than my usual ten minutes and shaved my legs one final time). Then I made breakfast and set out on my daily commute to work at a bank as one of its many tellers.

At first it was like every other shift as I helped client after client sort out their financial problems that is until the screaming started and people were running up and down the street outside as the military strived to restore some sense of normalcy.

"What the hell is going on out there?" I murmured right before a horde of people broke through the front doors of the bank except there was something different about them. Their eyes bulged from their sockets and their skins were sagging. They were also making a horrible growling sound and moved with a single mindedness that sent a chill down my spine.

"We have to get out of here," I told the woman I had been speaking to just as one of the creatures grabbed her and tore into her cheek with its teeth, ripping away the flesh. The woman screamed in agony as blood flew everywhere. To this day I have never forgotten that bloodcurdling wail nor the fear which gripped me tightly as I fled the bank and got out of the city as fast as I could.

Eventually I ended up in the woods outside of Savana, Georgia tired and unsure of what to do next. That's when they happened upon me: the Dixon brothers.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" mused Merle, the older of the two. He had a shaved head and sneered at me, flashing his yellow teeth. "Looks to me like a pretty little mouse scurried out of the hell hole that used to be her hometown with nowhere to go. Bet ya can't even properly defend yerself, neither. Maybe we can come to some sort of arrangement, huh? Me and my baby brother here can keep ya safe and ya can keep me warm at night. What do ya say, red?"

"Leave her alone, Merle," muttered the younger brother, Daryl. He had short dark hair, blue eyes, and a crossbow slung over one shoulder. "Can't ya see she's terrified?"

"Well, of course she is," replied Merle. "The world's gone to shit and now the dead roam these parts lookin' for people to snack on."

"'The dead'?" I repeated.

"That's right, girly," said Merle. "See, when people die they don't stay dead no more. Now for some reason they come back to life and nibble on yer flesh."

I repressed a shiver. "There have to be other survivors out here though, right?"

"Probably," agreed Merle.

"Well then, thanks for your offer but I'm going to go find a group," I told them as I started to walk away. "Safety in numbers and all that."

"What a coincidence," noted Merle. "We were thinkin' the same thing so it looks like yer stuck with us. 'Safety in numbers and all that'."

I sighed inwardly. Merle was clearly a sexist pig but he was still right. If I wanted to survive, I needed to tag along with them until we located more people.

I stopped and turned around to face them causing Merle to grin. "Glad ya see things our way. So what's your name, beautiful?"

"Samantha. My name's Samantha O'Hara."

~ An Insane World ~

A few days later we came across a group of survivors who had banded together outside of Atlanta. To my surprise, it took no time at all for me to become a part of their daily routine as I was assigned to cooking and cleaning with the rest of the women.

"Looks like ya found a way ta fit in," observed Daryl as he watched me clean some shirts the best I could. I was sitting on the side of a stream located near our camp and though we did not have any soap, I was making progress on the stained articles of clothing.

"Got to help out somehow, right?" I replied, glancing up at him. "I could wash your vest too if you want."

"Naw, I like it this way," he informed me.

"Why because it makes you look tough?" I teased, laughing as he grumbled something I could not understand. "So what's the plan for today?"

"Gonna go huntin'," Daryl said, slipping the strap of his bow onto his shoulder. "We're startin' to get low on food."

"By yourself?" Normally Merle would go with him but his older brother had left with other members of our group to go on a run in the city. "Is that a good idea?"

"I'll be fine," he assured me but I still wasn't convinced. Yes they had cleared the area of Walkers (the dead) but there could always be more out there.

"I can go with you," I found myself saying.

Daryl quirked a dark eyebrow. "I don't think yer ready for that. Ya've never even killed a walker and yer definitely no hunter."

"You could teach me," I pointed out. "Unless you think it's too difficult for you."

Daryl flushed slightly. "Fine but ya have ta listen ta everything I say. No arguin'."

"Fine." What have I gotten myself into?

~ An Insane World ~

"Now when ya track ya have ta be aware of everythin'," said Daryl as we moved through the woods away from the only sense of civilization for miles around. "Ya use yer eyes ta notice tracks on the ground or a broken twig. Ya also use yer ears meanin' ya have ta be quiet."

"I know how to be quiet," I shot back just as we heard rustling a few feet ahead of us.

"Get back," ordered Daryl as he moved to stand in front of me.

"Walker?" I guessed. The archer nodded before knocking an arrow and aiming it at the corpse who lumbered into view. Its skin was slipping off its bone and it was missing an eye.

"Ya really wanna learn how to kill one of these bastards?" he asked me as he kept his gaze on the walker. Thankfully there was only one and it didn't move very fast.

"I can't let people keep risking their lives for me and not do the same for them in return," I replied. "I want to help us survive in this world."

"Alright then," Daryl grunted. "When you're up against these assholes the first thing ya should remember is not ta let them bite or scratch ya. The second thing is ta always aim for the brain, otherwise they'll just continue ta come after yoa."

To demonstrate, Daryl released his arrow which hit its target perfectly. When he went to retrieve it, however, another walker came up from behind him. The archer tried to swing around but by then it would have been too late so I did the only thing I could do. I grabbed the walker by the back of its shirt, kicked it behind the knees so it and I would be at the same height and drove the knife Daryl had given me into the back of its skull. The walker became motionless and I pushed it away before glancing at the blade which was now covered in blood and gore.

I felt numb all over and barely acknowledged Daryl laying his hand on the one that was still clenching the dagger.

"Sav…Savan…Savana," he called, snapping me out of my trance.

"Oh my God," I whispered. "Oh my God."

"It's okay, Savana," Daryl murmured. "Just put the knife down."

I did as he commanded. The archer pocketed the blade away before suddenly embracing me. It wouldn't be until later that I realized I had been shaking and crying.

"It's alright," he soothed as I sobbed into his chest. "It's alright."

~ An Insane World ~

"I'm okay. You can let go of me now," I told him a few minutes later though what I really wanted was for him to never let go.

"Ya sure?" he asked, pulling away slightly to look at me.

I nodded. "Thank you but we still have a job to do, right?"

"Right," agreed Daryl releasing his hold on me, his usual gruffness returning. "Let's get goin' then. Stay behind me, Savanna."

"Samantha," I corrected making him stare at me. "My name's Samantha, remember?"

"I know what yer name is," he grunted. "I just like callin' ya Savanna, that's all."

"Wait, did Mr. Tough Guy just give me a nickname?" I wondered aloud causing him to grumble and stalk away. I smiled to myself and followed him.

~ An Insane World ~

We eventually came upon some deer tracks which we trailed back to our camp but before Daryl could shoot it, a walker came out and sunk its teeth into it.

"Son of a bitch!" muttered Daryl viciously as we pursued the walker out of the woods to our camp where the men were trying to bring it down without much success.

"Didn't you say the only way to kill them was to get the brain?" I murmured to Daryl who nodded. "Maybe you should show them how it's done."

Daryl smirked slightly before striding up to the walker who had had its head detached by Dale and shot it in the eye. "That's my deer! Look at it. All gnawed on by this…filthy, disease-bearing, motherless poxy bastard."

"Calm down, son," urged Dale as Daryl kicked the walker. "That's not helping."

"What do you know about it, old man?" Daryl shouted back. "Why don't you take that stupid hat and go back to 'golden pond'? We've been tracking this deer for miles. Gonna drag it back to camp, cook up some venison. What do you think? Do you think we can cut around this chewed up part right here?"

"I wouldn't," I told him. "It's too risky."

Daryl sighed. "That's a damn shame. We got some squirrels…about a dozen or so. That'll have to do."

We headed back to the camp site with our squirrels in tow.

"I was wondering where you went," mused a familiar voice, Carol. "I should have known you went off with Daryl."

I blushed. "I was just helping him hunt, that's all."

Meanwhile Daryl was yelling for his brother who was nowhere in sight. "Merle! Merle! Get your ugly ass out here! I got us some squirrel! Let's stew 'em up."

"Daryl, just slow up a bit," suggested Shane. "I need to talk to you."

"About what?" demanded Daryl.

"About Merle," the former cop replied. "There was a…there was a problem in Atlanta."

"He dead?" the archer asked.

"We're not sure," admitted Shane.

"He either is or he ain't!" shouted Daryl.

"No easy way to say this so I'll just say this," interjected a new voice belonging to a tall man wearing a sheriff deputy's badge.

"Who are you?" inquired Daryl.

"Rick Grimes," he told him.

Daryl sauntered up to him. "Rick Grimes, you got something you want to tell me?"

"Your brother was a danger to us all," Rick began without preamble. "so I handcuffed on a roof, hooked him to a piece of metal. He's still there."

"Hold on," muttered Daryl. "Let me process this. You're saying you handcuffed my brother to a roof and you left him there?!"

"Yeah," Rick confirmed, pushing the archer aside as he lunged at him.

"Daryl, don't!" I urged him as he pulled out a knife. I stood in front of Rick with my hands held out. "Please, Daryl."

Daryl stopped in his tracks and lowered the knife. "Fine but only because it's you, Savanna."

"I'd like to have a calm discussion on this topic," Rick told him. "Do you think we can manage that? I said, do you think you can manage it?"

"Yeah," Daryl grumbled.

"What I did was not on a whim," he revealed as I moved out of the way so the two men could look at each other fully. "Your brother does not work and play well with others."

"It's not Rick's fault," added T-Dog. "I had the key. I dropped it."

"You couldn't pick it up?" demanded Daryl.

"Well, I dropped it in a drain," he admitted.

"If it's supposed to make me feel better, it don't," declared Daryl.

"Well maybe this will," mused T-Dog. "Look, I chained the door to the roof…So the geeks couldn't get at him…With a padlock. It's gotta count for something."

"Hell with all y'all!" said Daryl savagely. "Just tell me where he is so I can go get him."

"He'll show you," Lori assured him, glancing at Rick. "Isn't that right?"

Rick nodded. "I'm going back."

~ An Insane World ~

"I'm coming with you," I informed Daryl later as preparations were being made.

"That's not a good idea," he replied flatly.

"Neither is you losing your temper," I pointed out. "It could get you killed."

"Why do you care so much?" he demanded.

"Just drop the tough guy act," I said, ignoring his question that I was not ready to answer yet. "You're not in this alone, Daryl. Let me help you."

The archer did not reply for a few moments before finally inclining his head in acquiescence.

I smiled. "Good. Now that that's settled, let's go get your brother back."

A/N: And there you have it! Hope you enjoyed! Also no posting about stories on other stories! Until next time, read review and show the love!