Pain. Everything in my body is giving off a sharp throb that seems to emanate from my left arm. I swallow and my throat feels like sandpaper I shift my body and feel the sweat that's collected on my back, which is practically drenched.

Slowly I open my eyes expecting to see the Georgian sky but what welcomes me is the top of a bunk bed. The mattress that's on top of it is dirty with too many stains to count. My vision is blurry and keeps going in and out of focus. I turn my head to the right and see cement wall and a dim light hanging above a mirror. The light blinds me and I move my right hand to shield my eyes but something clangs and I can't move my arm. I shift my gaze to whatever is preventing me from having full function of my limb. A silver glint catches my eye. Handcuffs.

My mind feels groggy taking me a lot longer than it should to piece together what's going on. But then like a switch has been flipped everything comes flooding back and the panic sets in. My eyes flutter around the foreign room only seeing walls and metal bars. The fear only worsens when I notice the lack of another presence in the cell, Rockets not here.

Way to go Vance, you pass out and you get yourself locked up in a cell. And now your brother is missing. Bravo.

I go to sit up, ignoring the flare of pain my arm gives off and the spinning in my head. My vision swims for a few moments when I'm sitting up and I'm trying with all my strength not to vomit. When I finally get my bearings I look down at my arms. My left one has a white bandage wrapped around it, the once very noticeable red veins have dimmed in color. The other one is cuffed to the metal pole of the bunk bed with an IV sticking out of it. I rip it out quickly.

I reach behind me for my knife but come up empty and then I notice that my holster is missing too. Fuck. Then I hear the voices, they're faint and sound a bit far away. I try to strain my ears to hear them but I only get broken bits.

"…been 24… her fever …down and…arm…"

"So it…atch then?"

"…that way."

The conversation fades out after that, too low for me to decipher. I look out the cell bars and see a big window letting in the setting sun. The fear grows. Lifting my left leg, rest it on the mattress and reach down into my boot, wincing when the side of the shoe squeezes against my wound. When my fingers make contact with a hard object I curl my hand around it and pull it out. A bit of relief comes over me when I see the pocketknife, I flick the blade out and get to work on getting the handcuffs unlocked.

THIRD PERSON, 24 HOURS EARLIER

Gabe Haywood had been put on fence duty for the fifth time that week. And as much as he didn't mind being covered in brain matter and walker blood. He did mind having to stand in the baking sun wearing thick gloves and a heavy apron. The tan lines that it created was ridiculous. Though saying tan lines was a bit of an understatement considering he didn't really tan but more like burn. His pale skin became ablaze under the unforgiving sun, which annoyed him beyond belief.

But the council had called for as many hands that were available to help out at the fence. The herd had built up again, almost as bad as last month. The quality of the fence was at constant question as to whether it would hold or break under the sheer weight of the undead. Not to mention the smell was not pleasant, Gabe would love nothing more than to be able to enjoy his breakfast without the smell of decomposed flesh entering his nostrils.

But he knew that he should be grateful that all he had to complain about was a smell and some tan lines. The heavy hand on his shoulder pulled him out of his thoughts.

"I'm here to relieve you." The gruff voice announced from behind him over the groaning chorus of the dead.

Gabe turned around to see Tyreese standing there, he smiled at him. The boy had gotten to know Tyreese over his many weeks on fence duty. Though the man was intimidatingly tall and broad, he was actually a very kind individual who was easy to converse with. Not to mention Gabe had been observing him since he started the chore, it was obvious that Tyreese's sudden interest in the activity was brought on by a certain brunette. Even though Gabe sometimes felt guilty watching the two dance around their feelings for each other, in his defense it was his only source of entertainment.

He handed over the slightly bent metal rod, followed by the gloves and apron. He gave a departing remake to Tyreese and told him to give his regards to Carine followed with a laugh when the older slapped him lightly on the arm with the glove.

Gabe made his way over to the tub of water they kept by the side of the fence to wash off any blood that the gloves didn't catch. He scrubbed down his forearms and some of his blonde hair that had been exposed to the rotten blood. Usually he'd just wipe it off but lately his mother had been badgering him about it and he didn't really feel like fighting with her today. He was drying off his hands onto his jeans when he heard the loud rumble of the motorcycle that could only belong to one person. Gabe jogged up the path into the court yard just in time to see the gates open and in come the big gray truck and motorcycle. The vehicles were parked a few yards from the opening of the court yard.

He watched as Glenn quickly climbed out of the car and shouted for someone to get Dr. S, this caught the attention of a few others as they made their way over to the cars to see what could invoke the need for medical attention. Gabe walked over to the bed of the truck, moving out of the way when Daryl ran past him. Maggie and Glenn were both knelt down looking at something and quietly conversing with each other.

The teenager didn't see him at first not until his big brown eyes seemed to lock onto Gabe and not waver one bit, it was unsettling to say the least. He looked at this little boy whose hair was a dark wild mess and face dirty and tear streaked. It was obvious that he had been crying but he had since stopped and had taken to trying to make himself as small as possible. His little body seemed to be huddled around something that he was gripping in his tiny hands. Gabe took a step forward to get a better look as to what the kid was holding, for a split second complete fear watched over him when he noticed the object was a human appendage. But relief came when he saw that it belonged to a person and it wasn't just some severed hand. The boy hadn't taken too kindly to the new presence and let out what Gabe could only describe as a mixed growl and whimper. He would have probably laughed if the kid hadn't looked so freaked out.

The sound of footsteps coming down the hill snapped him out of his stare off with the boy. Dr. S followed by some of the council members and Rick Grimes all came down to see what the commotion was. Gabe moved out of their way.

"What's goin' on?" Asked the oldest Grimes as he came to a halt on the side of the truck. Dr. S climbed into the back kneeling over his new patient while Glenn climbed out.

"We were coming back from our run when we ran into these two, she collapsed in the middle of the road." He explained.

"This wound is badly infected, if we don't treat it soon she could lose her arm. Is this a cut or a…" The doctor trailed off.

"It's deep, it could only be from a knife." Maggie argued, the look of uncertainty crossed everyone's face.

"How sure are you?" Asked Sasha as she crossed her arms.

"Sure enough to bring her all the way back here."

"We'll still use handcuffs as a precaution." Carol said, Glenn gave a look of protest.

"We don't know who she is, she could be dangerous. Did you ask her the questions?" She inquired.

"She passed out before we got the chance." Answered Daryl. A silent agreement was made that handcuffs and surveillance would defiantly be used.

"Alright well we better move her and treat this before it gets any worse, I'm surprised she even lasted this long." Dr. S noted.

"Is she going to die?" The voice was small and seemed to startle almost everyone. The little boy had succeeded in making himself smaller and almost invisible. He's dark eyes seemed to bounce off of everyone but there was an odd intensity in them that didn't seem to belong in a child's stare.

"No, they're going to help her, your sister is going to be fine." Glenn said trying to reassure the kid that his sibling wasn't going to kick the bucket. But he didn't really seem to believe him so he went back to silently observing everyone.

They removed the girl from the truck and headed inside the prison. Gabe stayed behind to help Carol coax the boy out. It took a lot of convincing and promises before he came climbing out of the bed, a big backpack hung on his tiny shoulders as he took in his surroundings for the first time. The promise of food had been woven into their odd deal and so the three of them made their way into the court yard and Gabe sat across from the boy as Carol went to go fix him a plate. The kid didn't say a word just continued his silent watching, he looked scared and on high alert.

Carol came back a few minutes later handing him a plate of vegetables and the leftover meat from breakfast. The little boy's eyes grew wide at the presence of the meal and without any hesitation he began to devour his food in an almost savage like manner. Gabe watched in amazement as in less than three minutes all the food on the plate was gone. It was obvious from his small frame that the kid was a little underweight. Which only made Gabe wonder more how long those two were out there and how they survived this long. Carol tried to talk to him, but he'd only give nods or head shakes or complete silence. The only time that he actually talked was when Gabe asked him what his name was.

"Rocket." His barley above a whisper voice answered, but his eye contact made up for his weak voice as that intense look was back again. The older boy gave a grin as he held out his hand to him.

"Nice to meet you Rocket, I'm Gabe and this is Carol." Rocket looked down at the extended hand as if it was going to bite him, but he could practically hear his mother's voice in the back of his head telling him not to be rude. Hesitantly he lifted his small hand to meet the older boys. It was like shaking hands with a jellyfish Gabe noted to himself but at least he wasn't growling at him anymore.

Carol excused herself shortly after that saying she was going to go check on the girl, leaving Gabe to look after their new guest. He let out an uncomfortable cough. It wasn't that Gabe didn't like children, he just had very few experience with them. Sure he occasionally played a game with the younger kids but most of them were no younger than nine. Once he had even been at the wrong place at the wrong time and had to look after Judith when Beth needed to go grab something. She was only gone for probably three minutes but it was the most terrifying three minutes of his life. The kid across from him looked as though he couldn't have been more than six.

"Do you like books?" Gabe asked, immediately regretting how stupid the question sounded. Rocket turned to look at him from where his eyes had been trained on the pig pens out in the field. He nodded, still not talking unless absolutely necessary. Gabe stood and Rocket followed him as they made their way to the library.

They spent the remaining hours of daylight in the library, Gabe reading books out loud as Rocket sat on the floor intently listening. He could have sworn at one practically humorous part of 'Holes' that the kids mouth almost twitched into a smile but it was gone as quick as it had come.

By the time they finished the book it was dinner time and Gabe thought after his meal that afternoon that maybe the child wouldn't have been that hungry. But he was wrong as he sat across from him again to witness him devour the meal in the same barbaric manner as he had earlier that day. The other people around them gave disapproving looks and shook their heads as they went back to their own meals.

Gabe couldn't help but feel bad for the kid, the way he ate was the way a starved dog ate food. Vicious and focused, like he wasn't sure if it was going to be his last or not.

Sometime during their book marathon Rocket had taken off his sweatshirt to reveal a black shirt with a sort of cartoonish sun on it. And Gabe hadn't noticed it until now but the kid had these odd scars on his arms. They were like small dots that seemed to be most notable on the insides of his arm. If he didn't know any better, they looked an awful lot like track marks. Which made no sense for a kid his age to even have. But before he had time to dwell on it any longer someone was calling his name. He looked up to see Carol waving him over to the end of the table where she stood with Dr. S and Hershel.

"Stay here, I'll be back." He said to Rocket hoping he heard him considering his face was practically pressed up against his plate. He jogged over to the others who formed a small circle.

"How's the boy?" Hershel asked in that heavy accent of his.

"Uh fine, just sort of hungry and disturbingly quiet." They all looked back at Rocket who was just finishing his food. Gabe turned back looking at the 3 most medically skilled people at the prison.

"How's his sister?" He asked.

"Well, she has a fever. Could be from the infection of the wound or… something else. But she's stable for now, having her stay in block D." Answered Dr. S

"We're going to take shifts watching her in case something happens." Carol explained.

"When can he see her?"

"Not until we hit the 24-hour mark and know for sure that she isn't infected. We're giving her antibiotics from an IV drip, if it is just a knife wound then she should wake up soon." Gabe let out a heavy sigh at the news.

"You guys are telling me all this because I've got to tell the kid, right?" Carol gave him a pat on the shoulder while Hershel gave him one of those sweet grandfatherly smiles and Dr. S just walked away. Heavying another sigh Gabe turned around and went back to the table to give Rocket the not so great news.

He half expected him to cry or shout or demand to see his sister that moment. But he just nodded that sort of solemn nod like he understood too well. Like this wasn't his first time having to go through something like this.

"I'm sorry." It seemed like the right thing to say at the moment, plus it wasn't a lie. He did feel sorry the poor kid had to go through this alone.

"It isn't a scratch. She will wake up." Rockets voice wasn't just a whisper like it had been when he last spoke. This time it didn't waver, it held the same fierce look that his eyes did. Gabe nodded, some part of him believing him.

Maggie came to collect the boy a few minutes later to show him where he'd be sleeping, thanking Gabe for watching over him.

So without needing to be anywhere else Gabe resided back to his cell that he shared with his mother. His mother smiled up at her only son's arrival. Ms. Haywood was a small woman that barely came to her son's shoulder which really did make her short considering Gabe was only 5"6. It was clear to see where he got his bright blonde hair from and inability to tan properly. But the only characteristic he didn't share with his mother was the eyes. Hers were a milky brown while his were a startling green. The only thing he got from his father, a man to whom died before Gabe was born. A fact that he's slightly glad for now.

He returned her smile and then climbed to the top of the bunk bed, exhaustion from the day's events finally catching up to him. He was asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

The next day went by quickly, luckily Gabe didn't have fence duty so he spent his morning helping his mother with laundry. And his afternoon he helped Mr. Harrell fix one of the cars that the Run team had found. Before the turn Gabe had a keen interest in becoming an auto mechanic, the structure of automobiles and finding out how they worked caught his attention. So he knew his way around a car pretty easily.

The sun was setting when he finally got back to D block, his grey tank top covered in grease and sweat. He walked pasted Sasha and Dr. S who quietly talking to each other to get to his cell. He didn't mean to eavesdrop it's just his curiosity was peaked when he heard them mention the girl.

"It's been 24 hours since she came, her fever is down and her arm looks immensely better."

"So it wasn't a scratch then?" Sasha inquired.

"It seems that way."

"Then why hasn't she woken up yet?"

"The girls in pretty bad shape; you saw her body. That's severe malnutrition right there, she's had to have been out there for a long while to get like this. Which leads me to believe that those two were alone out there." Dr. S states, Sasha lets out a long sigh.

"They're just kids." She mumbles.

How long had they been out there? Gabe wondered to himself, he'd been out there 2 months after the Turn until he and his mother found Woodbury. But any longer than that, what being out there does to a person. He remembered the marks on Rockets arms and how out of place they looked on a kid. Gabe turned around to tell Dr. S as to what he had seen but the sudden glint of metal stopped him dead in his tracks. Because the metal had startled him and because the metal was pointed at him.

The knife was small but it was still a sharp blade being pressed against his Adams apple. But what scared him more was the person who was holding the knife. He could tell now how much those two were related. Their eyes had that same unsettling intensity in them, but hers were darker and more dangerous.

She's done this before, she's killed before. The only coherent thought that his terrified mind let him process.

"Where is my brother." It wasn't a question even though it was phrased like one. Her voice was low and rough but it had this simmering rage behind it. Gabe didn't know if he had made a noise or if one of the other two people there had just turned around but there was a shout and then a gun being cocked.

She was quicker though, with has much grace as someone who just woke up from almost dying from an infection the girl grabbed his shoulder and spun him around. His back was against her chest and the knife was digging deeper into his neck. Other's had showed up, probably hearing the commotion. They had their guns trained on her.

"Let him go!" Shouted Sasha, but the girls grip only tightened. Gabe could see Rick, Michonne and Daryl burst into the cell block.

"Give me back my brother!" She shouted right back. "Give him to me and I'll let him go."

I'm going to die. Fuck.

Holy shit I did not expect this story to get this much attention. But thank you so much to all of you who have followed or favourited and left reviews. You guys are so amazing!

So I decided to break up this chapter into two parts, that's why it's sort of on this cliffhanger. I apologize for that, but more suspense right? (: Plus some blue eyed wonder will finally be making his appearance, yay!

See you guys next week!