She sat in the higher up branches of a tree, looking down at the two men passing below her. Were they stupid or something? They were obviously hunting, one of the most important times to be keeping an eye out for trouble. The undead were crawling all over the place, sometimes in rather large groups, and they were just walking around without a care in the world, and only two of them! She rolled her eyes. Some people just didn't understand how these days worked, didn't understand that the dead could walk, that, hey, guess what?! You could be eaten without a second pause. Had they not even noticed the undead coming up behind them? Well, obviously not, or the guy with the crossbow would just shoot them. He had a few squirrels strung together and flung over his shoulder. The other guy had a gun, so it'd just be stupid if he used it out here. Would doom every one of them to being chased down by all the undead in the area, and there were quite a few. She jumped out of the tree, slicing the skulls of the two rotting people open with her machete without a single pause, pretty much just one fluent motion. The men turned around, pointing their respective weapons at her head.

"Well, isn't that a great way of saying thank you! Save someone's ass, get a crossbow pointed at your skull. Fabulous." She scowled, sarcasm dripping from her voice. This was why she didn't help people. They were ungrateful little shits who deserved everything they got, generally speaking.

"Maybe we should listen to her?" The Asian guy said. Was he Chinese? Quite possibly, though there was also a chance of him being Korean. The guy with the crossbow didn't move.

"And give her the opening she needs to attack us? No chance."

"Wow, because I'd save you from those undead freaks just so I could kill you myself, that'd make great sense, now wouldn't it?" She rolled her eyes and slipped her machete back into its holder and put her hands up, showing she wasn't planning on hurting them.

"What's your name?" The Asian guy asked. She smirked.

"Evelyn. Yours?"

"I'm Glenn, and that's Daryl." She frowned, eying Daryl up as though trying to place him.

"Daryl Dixon?" This time it was his turn to frown.

"What's it to you?"

"I'm right, aren't I?"

"That didn't answer my question."

"Like you didn't answer mine." She folded her arms, glaring at Daryl with her blue eyes that almost bordered on green in the right light. They just stood there for a while, glaring at each other and making Glenn feel very out of place at that moment.

"Can we possibly hurry this along? We need to get back to the others." He muttered the last part in an attempt to keep it from Evelyn's hearing, but it didn't work. Her frown grew deeper and she took a slight step forward.

"Any closer and you'll get an arrow in your skull."

"Yeah yeah, very nice. What others?"

"Doesn't effect you."

"Sure it does. Because I want to know how many idiots are out here making noise."

"We know what we're doing."

"Right, because that's why I had to kill those undead walking freak things for you. Yes, you totally had it under control." She shook her head and looked back at the now re-dead people lying with open skulls on the ground. Some people just didn't know how to use their manners. Well, in all honesty, she was one of them. Where was the point in manners in this day and age? Everyone was either dead, going to be dead, or trying to kill any other human that got in their way. It was a fantastic world to grow up in. Glenn lowered his gun and started moving away.

"Come on, man. We gotta get going."

"How'd you know my name?"

"That is a long story. Which starts with a woman called Annette Michaels, usually called Anne for short. Ringing any bells?" Evelyn asked. Daryl didn't respond and she half smiled, nodding ever so slightly. She walked over and leaned against a tree, looking slightly smug, but at the same time a bit lost in thought, maybe slightly sad.

"Yeah. She had a photo album with her when those things came back. Picture of one Daryl Dixon was in it. Looked like a younger version of you, and when your friend said your name was Daryl, well. It's easy enough to out the pieces together."

"Where is she now?"

"Oh, I don't know. Probably out there moaning with the rest of them. Moaning or dead. That's the usual state of being these days." She scowled.

"Daryl –"

"How'd you know her?"

"You see, that's where things get interesting," She looked Daryl in the eye, absently braiding a strand of her dark brown hair, "You see, my name, my full name. It's Evelyn Michaels." He looked at her in slight confusion. She just glared at him and Glenn just looked shocked.

"What?"

"Well, I say that it's Evelyn Michaels, but Mom actually gave me my dad's last name. I just refuse to use it."

"What it is?"

"I'm sure you're can work it out. We don't look way too different, unfortunately," She scowled, pushing herself away from the tree and walking over to him, pushing the end of the crossbow down, "By the way, that squirrel is mine." She said, taking a squirrel off Daryl and flinging it over her own shoulder. Glenn and Daryl shared looks as Evelyn walked in the direction they had been heading before she distracted them.

"You have a daughter?" Glenn asked incredulously.

"Shut up." Daryl scowled, heading off after her, not really sure how to react to the news. They had to jog to catch up with her, not that she wants them to catch up. She wanted them to bugger off, leave her alone. Sure, she was going in the same direction, for now at least, but they'd want to talk. And talking wasn't the easiest and most fun past time for her. They caught up reasonably quickly and started walking beside her.

"So... how long have you been on your own?" Glenn asked.

"Doesn't matter. Not long enough."

"Hey, it matters." Daryl said. Evelyn looked at him, eyebrow raised. She shook her head.

"Why? Why would that matter? Can't change the past, now can we?"

"We can try to make up for it in the present though." Glenn suggested. Evelyn snorted.

"Still doesn't change anything. But if it's that important to you, I've been alone multiple times. Once after my mom went to get help. That lasted... oooh, two or three weeks consisting entirely of hiding in the caravan and eating what little food we had left. Got found by a nice little family who looked after me for a while. Second time I was alone was when I was something like thirteen. Pretty much been alone since then."

"So you've been alone for a while?"

"No, I've been alone for a tiny period of time and I'm just lying to make you feel sorry for me. Yes, I've been alone for a while, and I am perfectly happy on my own."

"Come back with us."

"Why the hell would I do something like that?" She stopped walking and glared at Daryl, "People make noise. They draw attention to themselves. More people, the more mouths you have to feed. Just generally, you're in a worse position."

"Safety in numbers."

"Yeah, if you're attacked there are more people to be killed so you're less likely to die. Have only one person, you hardly count as a threat. Easier to escape the dead if there is only one of you because you don't have to worry about anyone else." She rolled her eyes.

"You seem to have given this a lot of thought." Glenn said. Evelyn glared at him and shook her head.

"Another thing. Being alone gives you the great opportunity to think about things. Yeah, I know the advantages of being in a group. I also know which I prefer to be alone. People and me don't mix too good."

"Something you inherited from your dad." Glenn mumbled. Daryl and Evelyn glared at him for that and he looked quite sheepish.

"Look, I ain't going with you to your buddies. I don't want to live in that kind of set up."

"I'm your dad." Daryl muttered. Evelyn shook her head, mildly amused, but mostly irritated.

"Biologically, sure. But don't think you can waltz into my life and start the whole "I'm your dad, do as I say" act and expect it to work. You don't know me, I don't know you. Not even sure if I want to. Afterall, you did ditch my mom."

"You always gonna bring that up?"

"Don't know. We go our separate ways, never meet again, and guess what? You'll never have to hear my annoying voice again. I will never talk to you about Mom and you'll not get reminded about it."

"Except I know your mom wouldn't want me to just leave you out here to fend for yourself."

"She's dead. She wouldn't care. Hell, she'd probably try to eat me herself."

"You have such a positive outlook on life, don't you?" Glenn asked, interrupting Evelyn and Daryl's discussion. She shrugged.

"Someone's got to."

"Look, kid, you're coming with us." Daryl said. She shook her head, hand resting on her machete.

"I don't think so." She said. Daryl shook his head and took her machete off her, grabbing her by the arm. She scowled and tried to pull away. Curse him, he had a strong grip. She struggled, but it didn't work. Glenn watched, slightly amused. He could see similarities between them, in what personality Evelyn had shown and in how they looked. He felt slightly sorry for Daryl. Poor guy had his work cut out for him. Daryl dealing with a surprise teenage daughter with an attitude problem? This could be quite funny to watch. Probably from a safe distance though.


Author's note: Not too sure exactly what is going to happen, it'll be fun. Hopefully. I'll finish anyway. Completely unrelated to my other walking dead fanfic. If anyone wants anything to happen, I am happy to take requests and I'll do my best to work things into the fanfic. :) Hope you enjoyed the first chapter.