I finally decided to start Walking Dead fic...yes, I did. :) It will be Daryl-centric, but most of the main characters will show up. I'm starting out in the 2nd season, but I'll figure out exactly where within a couple of chapters. This chapter is more of a prologue/test run to see how readers will react... :D

Also, Sage's faceclaim is Jaimie Alexander, so if you want to look her up, that'll give you a better mental picture of Sage. I should be adding a link on my profile soon, one for a picture of Jaimie Alexander. :)

Disclaimer: This is just a fic; I do not own The Walking Dead or Daryl or anyone else that you recognize. All I own is Sage...and the plot mostly. :)

"Go," Rick ordered. "I'll cover you..."

Daryl nodded and the two men exited the pickup truck, turning sharply at any sound. A walker loomed behind them, but Rick took it out with a bullet. Daryl sped toward the abandoned pharmacy, stopping briefly to kick in the door. He walked into the front room of the building, with Rick right behind him.

"According to Hershel, the medicine should be somewhere in here," Rick said.

"Yeah, if nobody looted the place," Daryl grunted.

Rick jumped the counter and began to study the medicine bottles, as Daryl wandered around the pharmacy.

A sound came from the back room, and Daryl moved quickly to the door, scanning in every direction before he went in. There was a groan, followed by the guttural growl that could only be a walker. Daryl followed the sound to the back of room and crept forward, crouching low to the floor. He saw two walkers and quickly dispatched them each with an arrow. He froze when he heard another groan. As he looked around the room, he suddenly saw what the walkers had been approaching, and where the scream had come from.

A young woman was pinned under a section of the wall...

She was covered in dust, and struggling against the wood that held her to the floor. She glanced up at Daryl, silently imploring him to help. Something about this young woman touched the protective side to Daryl, and he knelt down beside her, taking ahold of the wood section.

"Easy," he said in a low voice. "When I lift this, you crawl out..."

The young woman nodded and Daryl lifted the section, grunting slightly with the effort. The young woman scrambled out from under the section and Daryl let it fall. He stood and faced the young woman, sizing her up as they kept their distance.

She was only a couple inches shorter than Daryl, with a slightly-curvy, athletic figure and flashing hazel eyes. Her dark brown hair was pulled into a loose braid, with several strands falling loose to curve around her angular face. Her jeans and t-shirt were covered with dust and grime, and both a Glock and a hunting knife were hanging from her belt.

"Thanks..." she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Who are you?" Daryl asked. "What's your name?"

"Sage," she replied. "Yours?"

"Daryl," he mumbled. "They didn't bite ya, did they?"

Sage shook her head and brushed off her clothes.

"Who're you here with?" Daryl continued.

"No one...I'm on my own, now..."

Daryl was about to reply when Rick's voice boomed from the doorway.

"Who's she?" he asked, eyeing Sage.

"Sage Mason," she introduced, stepping up to Rick and holding out her hand. "Your friend just saved my life..."

Rick shook her outstretched hand, and glanced at Daryl, who gave him a small nod.

"She's out here on her own," Daryl said lowly, his gaze flickering between Rick and Sage..

"We can't leave her here, that's for sure," Rick replied. "But we can't just bring her back to the farm, not without knowing anything about her..."

As he spoke, Rick flailed his hand. And Sage flinched, ever-so-slightly...

But Daryl saw it.

He saw Sage wince and take a small step back. True, she was probably just in shock and scared. But there was something more, something in her reaction that Daryl recognized. Something that he had seen in himself growing up...

"I'm not going to hurt anybody," Sage spoke up. "I'm not infected..."

"We can't leave her here," Daryl said firmly. "Walkers'll find her soon as we leave."

"Okay," Rick sighed. "But if you cause any trouble-"

"I won't," Sage promised.

Rick took a deep breath and nodded. The young woman was obviously desperate to get out of the ghost town...

"We got what we need," he said. "Let's get back to the farm."

Rick walked out of the room, leaving Daryl and Sage alone. She cleared her throat and gave Daryl a small smile.

"Thanks again," she said, a hint of a southern accent in her voice. "I swear I won't make any trouble..."

"Just come on," he shrugged. "Pickup's outside..."

Sage followed Daryl out of the pharmacy. When they reached the pickup, she climbed into the back, and Daryl glanced at Rick before following her into the back. Rick started the engine and and the truck pulled down the road.

Sage felt a surge of relief as they left the town behind, but she had to remind herself that she was with two men that she knew nothing about. If they wanted, they could stop and at time and kill her, or worse...

"So, what were you doin' in there?" Daryl asked

"Lookin' for medicine, same as you," the brunette replied. "I was checking the back, when part of the wall caved in. I was stuck for probably half an hour when those walkers showed up..." she let out a nervous laugh before continuing, "I thought I was gonna die...then you showed up."

Daryl nodded.

"What about you?" Sage looked at him. "I know you were there for medicine, but why? Someone hurt?"

"Yeah, a little boy," Daryl mumbled. "Got shot..."

Sage frowned and looked away. She watched the passing scenery for a minute, before turning back to Daryl. His features had been hardened by rough living, but she could still see a softness under the surface. He was somewhat relaxed, facing toward the back of the pickup, but his light green eyes were alert and seemed to catch every detail. Sage wondered if he ever truly relaxed...

"Got somethin' on your mind?" Daryl's voice interrupted her thoughts. "You been starin' at me for the past five minutes."

Sage felt her face begin to burn and she knew she was turning red. She really hadn't meant to stare...

"Just tryin' to figure you out," she admitted.

"Ain't really nothin' to figure out," Daryl grunted. "And trust me, you don't wanna know about me..."

Sage leaned back and let Daryl's words sink in. Maybe he was right and she should just let it go...but still, her curiosity was piqued.

Daryl couldn't help but smirk at Sage's curiosity...he even found it slightly complementary. He himself was curious, about where she came from, who she'd been with...

He shook those thoughts from his head; he knew almost nothing about this girl, and he certainly didn't need or want to know any more...

So there it is... What did you think? :) I love reviews, so please leave one when you've finished reading! xD If you've got any suggestions as to how I could make this fic better, feel free to PM me or review.

One last thing: I know a lot of Daryl/OC fics tend to make Carol out as a bad guy or an obstacle to their relationship. While I don't mind those kind of fics, this won't be one of them; I plan on keeping Carol as more of a maternal figure for Sage, and she won't really have any jealousy issues. :)

Kristy :3