They weren't there.

Her family wasn't there.

The highway had been abandoned and all that was left was a water soaked note and a pile of rotting food. Ellie had tried her damndest to read the writing on the piece of paper but the ink had run and the words were nothing more than black smudges and streaks. It had been weeks since Sophia had been on this very highway, a part of Ellie knew they wouldn't still be there but the tiniest bit of hope she still had was currently being squashed out by the inconsolable 10 year old girl tugging her knees to her chest and sobbing in the middle of the road.

"They left me.. they forgot about me. My mom said... she always said to come to where I got lost! I came back.. I came back!" Her tiny shoulders shook with each heartbreaking gasp the little girl took. Ellie squatted in front of her and pulled her to her chest, she couldn't find the words right now, they were stuck somewhere in a painful memory of her own past. This situation felt all too familiar.

Surprisingly enough it was Merle who spoke up

" they didn't forget about ya kid. I know my brother, Daryl's probably out there right now lookin' for ya. Your mama too. No one abandoned ya, we're gonna find em all.. just takes time is all." He stared down at the two girls huddled on the floor, Ellie quirked a brow at the uncharacteristic softness to his voice, Sophia sniffled as her breathing slowly went back to normal.

"You really think so?" Her eyes flicked from Merle to Ellie.

"Of Course Soph. I told you we ain't stoppin' until you're back in your mamas arms. We're doing good, we just gotta beat them to it."

"But what if they think I'm dead? what if they gave up because they thought I couldn't make it?" She whispered, standing up and wiping off the dirt from her jeans.

Ellie stayed seated propping her chin in her hands and resting her forearms over her bent knees, she grinned

"Well then imagine their surprise when they see you stroll back into that camp all smiling and in one piece."

Merle chuckled and reached down a hand to help her up.

"Got all the time in the world." He sassed playfully.

Ellie rolled her eyes and elbowed the much taller man before the sound of moaning and shuffling filled her ears. It was so sudden, they hadn't even heard them coming when all of a sudden a group of about thirty walkers rushed out of the woods headed directly towards them

"Son of a bitch!" Merle cursed, stumbling back as the scent overwhelmed them.

"Get Sophia up in that tree!" Ellie ordered, shoving a walker back and burying her knife in its skull. Merle was quick to scoop the shaking little girl up and deposit her on the highest, thickest limb he could find.

"Why didn't we hear them? Were they hidin'? How the hell is that possible?" Merle shouted over the hissing and snapping of the creatures jaws.

"I don't know! The eyes... the eyes are different!" Ellie threw one of her knives directly into the back of a walker that was pulling on Merle's jacket. And stomped on the head of another writhing on the ground.

Instead of the grey and sickly yellow eyes that the Walkers usually had these walkers had black and bloody eyes almost as if someone had spilled ink into their eye sockets.

"We got sick zombies now?!" Merle yelled.

Sophia was crying painfully up in the tree as she stared down at her friends fighting for their lives. Ellie glanced up just for a second to see the absolutely terrified look on the child's face.

"Hey soph!" The curly haired brunette shouted into the air as she lodged another knife into the temple of a walker "what's the capital of Kansas?"

Merle snapped his eyes over to Ellie, his "hand" covered in walker guts. He was looking at her like she was insane.

"I don't.. I don't know!" Sophia sobbed.

"Oh come on.. ooof." Ellie fell back into the hard surface of a tree, she could feel the bruises forming already "you know this one! It's easy.. the capital of Kansas Soph, what is it?"

Merle pulled out his gun, the silencer clicked on as he shot at the rest of the walkers in front of him.

"umm.. ummm." Sophie struggled, her eyes jottinf from Merle to Ellie, back and forth.

"Tick tock, tick tock. Times running out!" Ellie looked up to see Sophia's eye brow knit in concerned concentration.

The last walker, shifted pitifully towards Ellie, she lifted her knife above its head

"Topeka!" Sophia shouted.

Blood splattered across Ellie's face coating her cheeks and forehead in a slick sheet of sticky red.

"Ding ding ding." Ellie whispered, finally dropping her back to a tree and letting the knife slip from her hands onto the floor, a tired smile on her face as Merle grinned at her, finally understanding exactly what she was doing.

Distraction from the chaos.

It wasn't until they were setting up camp for the night that Merle cornered her by the flimsy fire they had built, his arms crossed as he smirked down at her.

"Can I help you?" Ellie quirked a brow.

"You're a teacher. At least ya were, s'why you're so good with the kid and why ya know all those random useless facts." He grinned proudly at his deductive reasoning skills.

Ellie chucked the rest of the fire wood onto the flame and wiped her hand on her knees as she stood before Merle with her arms mirroring his own.

"Oh yeah? Ya think so?"

"I know so." He shrugged cockily.

Ellie giggled

"Try again Dixon. I didn't even graduate Highschool."

She never thought she'd see a shocked and speechless Merle Dixon but when his jaw dropped and his eyes widened she couldn't help but laugh, she turned her back to him and walked off to drape a second blanket over Sophia who was sleeping comfortably by the fire. She heard Merle shuffle after her

"Why the hell didn't ya finish High School? yer the smartest little lady I ever saw." He questioned, adjusting his own position by the fire and patting the spot beside him for her to sit down.

Ellie plopped into the open space.

"Just didn't see a point, couldn't afford college anyhow and no one was giving the trailer trash orphan any scholarships. I was waitin' tables when the virus hit. Probably for the best, don't think a degree would do me any good in this mess." She laughed lightly.

Something flashed across Merle's eyes, something awfully close understanding with just the tiniest bit of sympathy.

"How do ya know all that shit then?"

Ellie turned towards him and tapped her temple.

"Photographic memory. I was born with it, I used to steal memorize the teachers lesson plans and hand in about two months worth of homework before it was even assigned. It used to drive em all crazy." She chuckled.

Merle smiled fondly at the tiny little woman to his right.

" I got a brother ya know. Real smart, sweet as hell too. He's gonna love you."

Ellie shook her head quickly

"I ain't stickin' around. I'm just helpin y'all find your family, after that I'm off on my own, I do better alone anyway."

Merle looked at the beautiful woman beside him and god she reminded him so much of his brother it almost hurt to watch her.

"Seem to be doin just fine with us." He offered.

Ellie looked up and nodded softly

"This is different." She whispered, eyes flicking to the sleeping little girl in the corner.

Merle nodded

"Don't matter anyway, Daryl'l find ya. People like you two. Ya always find each other in the end." He shrugged.

The light hearted playfulness was back in Ellie's eyes and she landed a punch to Merle's shoulder

"I ain't lookin for a boyfriend at the End Of The World." She teased.

Merle shoved her right back and grinned

"There ain't many good people left in this world, you and my brother are the best of em. Might be good for the End Of The World.. mate and make some sweet ass babies."

Ellie's eyes widened for a second and Merle couldn't keep the laughter down when he saw the look of pure terror on her face, she nearly knocked him off the seat with her next punch.

"You just want me to be your sister in law is all. I know your game," she teased.

Merle looked over at her big brown eyes and scarred cheeks. Daryl deserves someone like her and she deserved someone like him.

"Whatever sis." He winked "get some rest, we're goin husband huntin' tomorrow."

He ignored her grumbled curse and watched as she nestled into the ripped up blanket.

Daryl was gonna owe him big time for this one.