I know, I know, I haven't written in a really long time. I'm not going to give false promises, but I do plan on continuing some of my stories. I'm seriously into walking dead right now though and Daryl fanfiction, so I'm working on this new story. Hope you guys enjoy, let me know what you think.

Chapter One: The Girl Next Door

Her head was pounding, blood dripping down the side of her face, but she had long ago started ignoring the pain. Ever since the world went to shit, she had felt less and less pain, you kind of had to in a world like this. The blood blurred in her eyes and she knew the wound in her side was loosing too much blood, she needed help.

A loud giggle rushed through the trees and she froze, wondering if it was the heat, the blood, anything that was making her hear things.

"Help," she cried out, her voice hoarse and quiet. Maybe it wasn't her imagination. The giggle stopped and she tried again, "H-help me, please…"

She must have blinked because in the next instant, an Asian man and a short haired girl stood in front of her, weapons raised and pointed in her direction. She raised her shaky hands and wobbled a bit. "P-Please, I ain't bit… just shot…" She had to get help, they needed help.

They stared at her in surprise and speculation, they didn't know if they should take her or not, she couldn't blame them.

"What's your name?" The Asian man asked, lowering his weapons slowly.

She watched as the girl slowly lowered hers as well.

"I… I'm…" She paused, her eyes rolling slightly behind her eyelids. "Vallie Blaze D…" She didn't get to finish however, because her head was too clouded, too full. "Help us…"

And to their surprise, she fell to the ground in a heap of blood and bright red hair.

~#~

"Hershel! Hershel!"

Everyone at camp glanced up as Glenn and Maggie ran out of the woods. They headed towards the house as quick as they could, a small girl, maybe 17 or 18, in his arms. "Hershel!"

"What's going on?" Rick yelled, following after them and into the house. Hershel met them at the bottom of the stairs. "Is she bit?"

Maggie shook her head. "She's been shot I think, not bit though."

Hershel nodded, ushering them upstairs and into a bedroom. "Bring her in here. Lay her down. Maggie go get me some bandages and water."

Glen placed the girl on the bed and backed away, allowing Hershel to rip the girl's shirt off. "I want everyone out, now. When Maggie comes back up, send her in, the rest of you go downstairs and wait."

Rick nodded, pushing Glen, Shane and Dale down the stairs.

"What happened, Glenn?" Shane asked as they gathered in the kitchen.

"We found her in the woods," Glenn mumbled, running a hand through his hair. "We thought she was a walker at first, but she was asking for help. She said her name was Vallie Blaze. I think she was going to tell us her last name, but then she passed out. Brought her here but…"

He froze and they looked at him, waiting as he thought of what to say.

"What, Glenn?" Rick asked, raising an eyebrow.

"She said 'help us', not 'help me' so I think there was someone with her when she was shot." Glenn took a deep breath and shrugged. "But we don't know who, she passed out before we could ask who or where they were."

Rick took a deep breath and nodded, leaning against the counter. "We don't know if it's a group or just a few people?" Glenn shook his head and Shane shot him a glare. "We should go check, take Daryl with us, he can track the girl back to where she came from, see if we can find who she was with then see what to do after that. Shane, you me and Daryl will go, scout it out first, then come back, tell the camp what's going on." Shane nodded and crossed his arms.

"We'll sneak up, make sure they don't see us if it is more than a few people," he said, turning to Glenn. "Go get the redneck, tell him what's going on."

When Glenn rushed off, Rick looked over at the stairs as Maggie came down the stairs. "Guys, you guys need to see this." Confused, they followed the girl up the stairs and into the room where Hershel was just finishing up stitching the gunshot wound on her shoulder. "Her tattoo," Maggie said, pointing to the large letters on the girl's side. "See it?"

Rick stared at the large black letters and frowned. "We know if it's him?"

"Not for sure, but how many do you know?" Hershel asked. "Only two right?"

Shane shook his head. "Ain't no way it's him. What's the chance that she'd show up here? Why would she have his name up her side?"

Hershel shook his head and began to wrap the girl's torso in bandages. "I wouldn't tell him about this, not until she wakes up and she can tell us if it's true. For now, I want no one in this room except me, Maggie, Beth or Rick, got it?"

They nodded and Rick turned his eyes back to the tattoo, a frown on his face as he read the dark word one more time.

Dixon.