Author's Note: Hey All! Here's Chapter Four. Review, and I'll give thanks!

I own my six characters: Aaliyah, Mason, Sam, Caleb, Katy, and Julio.
I don't own the Walking Dead, comics or books.

A quick P.O.V change - Shane! I don't know if I got his character the best. But this is my first real story, so take it easy on me. I'm not making him as crazy and power hungry as the television series, but not as bleh as the comic. Tell me whatcha think.

Also, I'd love to know what you all think of Aaliyah's flashback! Too rushed? Too freaky? Not freaky enough? Anything!

"Hey, do you remember that time when I tried to just order Soda from Pizza Hut?" I heard Sam yell as we gathered the firewood for tonight. The sky looked dark, a few grey clouds blocking out the sun. I was grateful for the reprieve. It had been getting increasingly hot and humid, each passing day seeming to add another layer on top of the world, threatening to drown or suffocate me.
I laughed, remembering the simple phone conversation. "Yeah." I answered back. "They tried to get you to buy a pizza, so you just bought a side of banana peppers and garlic sauce. And the guy got so frustrated, he made you talk to his manager for ten minutes. That was funny."
"I never got those peppers." He replied back, one foot on a large log, pulling away a more manageable branch of dead wood.
"How about that time when we played with those fake plastic light sabers in the store, and we got kicked out?" I replied to him.
"I think everyone and they mother did that back in the day. Oh, how about that time when I walked into the store with no shoes on, and walked out with sandals, and no one said anything?" He replied, laughing. We collected sticks for a moment, simply laughing. After a few moments, the laughter died, replaced by the eerie silence.
"Remember that time when me, you, Julio and Mason got drunk and basically spilled all our fears and weaknesses to each other? That was practically the same day I met you guys." I smiled at the thought. Sam chuckled, and nodded slowly.
"We never thought that this would happen then, talking about our failed grades, the inability to find good jobs, and the uselessness of everything…" He said, slowly, the ghost of a smile on his face.
"Yeah… But at least we don't have to worry about that crap anymore!" I smiled back at him. He looked up at me for a second, before smiling himself.
"I think just a bit more should be fine. We'll make another trip if we have to."

Shane's POV

I looked over at the two newcomers, helping with the chores for the day. It was early morning, and they had woken up at Dawn, along with the rest of us. They figured out everything pretty quickly, figuring what needed to be done the most, and who would do best at what.
Lori and Allen went out for firewood, while Aaliyah and Sam went out the opposite direction. The latter two came back quickly with their arms full. I looked towards where Lori and Allen should have been, but didn't see anything. These people must have been workhorses, to do something that took the others twice the time. They got double the outcome. I could certainly respect that, and I knew that they would hold their own weight around the camp.

They were secretive, that was for sure. Or maybe it was just untrusting. I sure knew I could be after what they'd been through. Julio told me a bit about it. He could be counted on, for sure. A bit hotheaded and whiny, but tough in the long run. The Sam kid was a character. He was pretty quick to crack a joke, even at his own expense. Most of them were stupid. Makes me think he don't have much in the way for brains.
The couple, Caleb and Cathy were okay. Just your typical couple. Started their day with a fight, but they seemed to respect everyone else enough to take it beyond the camp. I saw the bat Cathy took. It was caked with dried walker juice. She seemed a tough one, even for just being a chef back in the day.
I talked most of the night with Mason. After nearly everyone went to be, he climbed up here on the RV. Just talked about the government, mostly. I told him about what I'd seen in Atlanta, how they bombed the city. It made him think for a while, but he said they must have evacuated the city, and then they tried to clean it out that way. When I thought about it like that, it made sense. I was still worried though. He said he'd been separated from the base, and he tried to muster after a few days, with no response. I figured they musta all went to a bigger base, and Mason agreed. He said it seemed like something they'd do. Told me that there was an Army base near here, Fort Benning. It was far enough from the city to not be infected by the masses, but close enough where they could survey the damage from afar. He believed that staying out here, close to the city was smart. It'd be the first place the government would look, once they started cleaning up.
Aaliyah though, I didn't quite trust her. At first she was bright, and bubbly. Giving food to the kids, and all. But then, when we all woke up, she seemed to avoid everyone. She volunteered to go out for firewood alone. She probably would have, if Sam hadn't just decided to go with her. She even avoided her own people, the group she came with. I didn't know quite what to make of it.
I watched her cautiously as she dumped her arm full of dead wood. She waved to Sam, who yelled after her. "Don't wander off too far, alright?" She waved him off. I watched her huddle her black peacoat around her. My eyes watched her retreating form, as she walked towards the edge of the cliff. I shook my head as I noticed I was looking at her backside. She was wearing pretty tight jeans – not tight to where they would be considered fashionable, but certainly practical. I climbed down from the RV, and looked down at Lori who was just emerging from the woods. A sound emerged from a distance, familiar yet incomprehensible.
The camp stood up, looking around in the distance. All of the people stood up. I glanced at Aaliyah, who had also stood up. She brushed the dirt off of her jeans and rushed over with the rest of us. I wondered what it was as I cocked my shotgun, ready for anything. Whoever it was was a damned fool, making this much god damned noise.

Aaliyah's P.O.V

"Talk to me, Dale!" I heard Shane yell as he ran up towards the RV. I jogged up there as well, the incessant sound ripping me from my alone time and my thoughts.
"Can't tell yet." He responded curtly.
"What's going on?" Mason asked, his firearm firmly in his grasp.
"Sounds like someone has stolen a car." I replied, half a smirk on my face.
"Is it them, are they back?" Amy replied, the worry written all over her voice. Everyone faced the main road, the direction that we had come in from.
"I'll be damned." Dale said, removing the binoculars from his eyes.
"What is it?" Amy asked anxiously, biting on her lip.
"Stolen car is my guess." He replied. I rolled my eyes. I know it's been about a month or so, but it's still not hard to mistake that sound. Of course it's a car alarm. The question was, who was gutsy enough to have stolen it? And even more of a pressing question, Why?
A few seconds passed as I watched the dirt cloud rise up behind a shiny, bright cherry red car. It came to a quick stop, the door opening to reveal a young Asian boy, around my age, or perhaps a bit younger. He was grinning from ear to ear. I walked a few steps closer, to hear what was going on more clearly, the sound of the alarm echoing over the hills of Georigia.
"Holy crap, turn that damn thing off!" Dale yelled. The Asian boy raised his hands up, still grinning.
"I dunno how!" His smile gave off a sort of lack of concern. The next few moments were filled with chaos.
"Pop the hood." Shane replied, pointing his gun at the hood of the car. Amy raced up to the boy, and started pestering him for questions.

"Where is she, where is Andrea?"
"Will you just pop the damn thing?"

"Okay, okay!" The boy slid into the seat, and popped the hood.
"Is she okay? Is she Alive? Did she make it out?"

"Yeah, Yeah, she's okay!" The boy yelled, exasperated and still trying to make himself heard over the cacophonous alarm. Dale had climbed down from his spot on the RV, listening for the news the boy would bring.
"Is she coming back? Why isn't she with you?" I glanced at Amy, silently telling her to shut up. If she would just listen for a moment, then she might actually learn something. Jim, the quiet one, raised the hood up and reached in, removing a small chip. I assumed it was the fuse, but I didn't quite know. No matter how much my father tried to teach me, it was one of the things I never understood.

"Where is she? Is she okay?" She continued, staring at the boy through tearful eyes.
"Yes!" he replied, sighing. Yeah, they're fine, everybody is." He replied, looking around at everyone. I caught his eye for a minute, and he quickly looked away at the others, most of them standing behind me. Mason had his hands on his hips, looking at the boy and his car.

"Well… Merle, not so much." He replied, looking away, his eyes squinting in the sun.
"Are you crazy? Driving this thing up here? Are you trying to draw every walker for miles?" Shane asked, still leaning over the car.
"I think we're okay." Dale replied, looking around.
"You call bein' stupid okay?" Shane replied back at him, standing up solidly. I stared at him in silence, glancing at the others with a slight bit of fear.

"Well, the alarm was echoing all over these hills, it'd be hard to pinpoint the source." Dale replied, still looking around at the hills. Shane gave him a menacing look, his hands on his hips. Mason folded his arms over his chest, staring at the two men.

"I wasn't arguing, I'm just saying… It wouldn't hurt you to think things through a little more carefully next time, though would it?" Dale turned his attention from Shane back to the Asian boy, point a finger. The boy looked down, properly chastised. He murmured a small apology.
"Got a cool car…" He gestured to the cherry red vehicle. For sure, it was truly a beautiful car. My father would have been jealous. I saw Julio and Sam looking at it, a smile on both of their faces. They weren't car freaks back in the day, but they certainly could appreciate a nice car better than anyone else in the group. The rest of the people shuffled around awkwardly, not saying anything, Just nodding slightly in acknowledgement.

A truck emerged around the bend slowly, the low rumbling of the engine heard from around the corner. The Asian boy smiled slightly at the people, looking towards the truck.

The first to emerge from the back was another blonde girl.
"Amy?" She replied, jogging toward what I assumed to be her sister. I couldn't remember her name now, for the life of me. I'd be sure to get it later, I hated not knowing the names of those around me, especially in this time. One false syllable could mean that warning someone from impending doom was going to be a lot harder and much more risky. Amy began to jog to meet her, about to break into tears. I had to stop myself from rolling my eyes. I just suppose I had never really been attached to anyone enough, nor separated without much hope of seeing them again to truly worry about their safety.
"Andrea!" Amy replied as she was jogging. I nodded, filing the name in the back of my mind.

The next to file out of the back was a larger black man, with a bald head and a patterned shirt. He walked slowly, looking over the camp. His eyes fell on Mason, and then the rest of the group standing silently behind me. I glanced away, not wanting to meet this mans eye's. He looked just as world weary as the rest of us, if not more. My eyes landed on Shane, who had been looking away. I watched, catching what he was looking at. In the distance, slightly away from the group, Lori was talking with her son. She had knelt down, taking his hands. He looked about to cry. I contemplated this. I wonder if Merle had been with them, and they were waiting on him?

"You are a welcome sight!" Dale replied, giving a quick hug to the black man. "I thought we had lost you folks for sure." Dale shook his head up at him.
"How'd you all get outta there, anyway?" Shane asked, looking away from the emotional scene.
"New guy." The Asian boy replied. "He got us out." I watched Amy and Andrea, their heads huddled together, crying, as they walked through the group.
"New guy?" Shane asked, glancing for a fleeting second at me and the ragtag group around me.
"Yeah. Crazy asshole just got into town. Hey, Helicopter boy!" The black man yelled over his shoulder back at the truck. "Come say hello!"
I watched as a figure emerged. I could see he wore a police officer's uniform, the different shades of tan and brown clashing against each other, the badge on his chest gleaming brightly. "He's a cop, just like you." I watched as the man ahead paused for a moment, his mouth forming the words, "Holy shit."
I looked up at Shane, who held nearly the same look of surprise on his face as the other man. He backed away slightly, shifting his weight from side to side. The other man pointed for a second, the shock registering on his face. He began to walk quickly towards the group as I heard the boy, Carl yelling behind me. I turned around, registering the word he was repeating. "Dad! Dad! Dad!" I watched as Lori ran behind her son as the man reached Carl, nearly crying. It was like the scene from some sort of movie, and I felt like cheeky sappy music should have been playing in the background. The others looked on in shock as the family hugged, for the first time in who knows how long. I looked away, not feeling like I should be in the midst of this private moment. It was so tense and filled with joy… I felt like an intruder. I stood there awkwardly for a few long moments.

"Oh, thank god." The man replied. "I… I was so worried about you." He said, his words muffled in Lori's thick black hair.
"It's good to see you, man." Shane replied with a grin.
Lori cleared her throat, and wiped away the tears that were rolling down her cheeks. "He helped us… get here. We wouldn't have made it without him." She replied, grinning at him.
"I guess I owe you more than I could ever repay."
"It was nothin'." Shane shrugged the man off. "I had to make up for getting you shot like that."

"Man that wasn't your fault. Besides, I'm perfectly fine now." Rick replied, hugging his wife and son tightly.
I stared at the reunited family, jealously aching in my chest. I was so happy for them, I felt as if I could burst. But I was bitter at my own memories of the family I never had.

I was eleven years old at the time my father died. I had spoken my final words to him just a few hours prior to his death.
"Listen, little ladybug. I'm all you have. And one day, maybe even soon, you may not have me, either. But you gotta raise hell. Don't ever stop. This world is harsh, and you have to constantly learn to adapt, and survive. Learn new skills. Sharpen your old ones. There are mundane things here that you can use to help you. Look and listen, and always be aware of your surroundings." He said, taking my small chin into his massive, worn and calloused hands. I don't even remember what he did for a living.
"Yes, papa."
"Take a look at the room. I'm going to change something here, and you have to tell me what it is." He replied, his brown eyes staring into my light blues ones. I looked around the sparsely decorated living room. Moonlight poured through the dusty shutters, sending steams of white over the worn grey tile floor. There was a small television, and a large desk covered in papers. The door in the corner led to the kitchen, while the hallway led to the two bedrooms and the bathroom. The only picture on the wall was of a smiling woman, holding wildflowers up to her nose. She had blonde hair and blue eyes, and was the most beautiful women I had ever seen. My father would point up there every once in a while and say, "Do you see that pretty lady? That's your mother. She disappeared when you were real young. But one day, we'll find her. Promise?" I'd promise. Like always.
"Now, shut your eyes." He'd stood up and was by the door. I shut my eyes and covered them with my hands, still standing in the middle of the room. I hear a few rustled papers, and something heavy being set down on a hard surface.
"Open them. Tell me what you see."
I looked for ten minutes. I tried to remember the papers, and the heavy thing. I didn't see anything different for a few moments, until I spotted it. On the desk, buried beneath a newspaper was a small bulge that hadn't been there before.
"Right there, on the desk!" I pointed, starting to walk over to it. As I picked up the papers, I looked up at my father. He was smiling down at me.
There, nestled amongst the different folders and papers was a square box wrapped in white paper. I picked it up, surprised to find that it was heavy in my hands. I looked up at my father, unsure. He nodded silently at me.
I quickly opened the package, revealing a heavy silver pocket watch and chain. The engraving on the front was of a ship with billowing sails, with water crashing against a rocky shore.
"It's so pretty!" I replied. I opened it carefully, the weight of it cool and heavy in the palm of my hand. It was a simple watch, with numerals instead of numbers on the face. Engraved on the other side of the front was my name in cursive writing.
"Happy birthday, little Aaliyah." He replied, stroking my hair. "Now you have to keep care of this. If you lose it, I will be very angry." He said, chastising me. But this was the most precious gift I had ever held. "It's not even my birthday yet, daddy. Not for a whole month!"
"I know, sweet pea. But I couldn't wait to surprise you." He replied with a smile. "Now, bedtime. God brush your teeth, Aali." He said, pushing me towards the hallway.

When I woke up in the morning, I spent a solid twenty minutes staring at the face of my new pocket watch. I could sort of read it, but it always was much more difficult. When my eyes adjusted in the bright sunlight that was streaming through my windows, I finally read the time on my new watch. Around 11:40 in the morning.
I started to panic slightly. My father had always gotten my up early in the morning, at eight o'clock, so I could go to school and he could get to work.
I jumped out of bed and quickly walked towards my fathers room.
I jumped up on the bed, lookin to rouse my sleeping father… When I realized that he was not sleeping. His hands were cool to the touch, and I saw a small puddle of crimson red blood formind around his head, a thin stream leaking out of him mouth. His eyes were open, and he held a small black gun under a pillow with a bullet hole in his. His left temple had a hole in it, where it was still leaking blood. The only window to the room was wide open, a slight breeze wafting through the thick white curtains.

The police closed the case the same day, ruling it a suicide.
But my father sure as hell wouldn't have killed himself, for any reason, not leaving me behind. But I knew that something had happened. My father was not left handed. But who would listen to a blubbering eleven year old?
I shook my head, ridding myself of the dark thoughts.

The worst part was, I had the pocket watch up until last year, when somehow, it had gotten stolen while I was just starting working. I had scoured my house three times before I admitted it was gone. I know it had to have been stolen, because my television, and two game consoles were taken, as well and the window being smashed.

"And this is Aaliyah." I heard Mason say, his hand motioned towards me. I blinked a couple times, realizing that I must have wandered off into memory lane so hard, I missed the introductions. I gave a small smile, and a slight wave. Rick nodded his head at me.

The day passed quickly. With the chores mostly done, or else being ignored from all of the excitement, I wasn't really busy. Normally, our group would be on the road. Moving slowly through cars, picking through old houses and killed a couple dozen fuckers. Now, sitting in the same place, I realized there wasn't anything to do. I decided to sit on the edge of the cliff overlooking the small body of water, simply relaxing and enjoying nature.
The daylight faded and left us staring at orange skylines fading into blue over the sunset. A couple of fires were started, growing as the darkness fell. I finally joined the others in my main group around a small campfire. People were pairing off, or going to the fires closest to their tents.
"Some crazy shit, huh?" Sam asked, walking up to the group and sitting down with a huff.
"Yeah. You know what's even weirder? We haven't seen a fucker all day today. I think this is literally the first day that we haven't seen them." Caleb responded, looking around to see if one would magically appear to ambush us unexpectedly.
"Hush. There are little kids around here. Besides, they call them walkers. I think it's a more fitting name." Katy was sitting next to Caleb, though they weren't holding hands.
"Walkers? Huh. I guess that's what they do… but I think shambling is a more appropriate term." Julio said, shrugging his shoulders. "To each their own, I suppose."
"Did you hear about what those guys went through in Atlanta?" Mason asked the group, nodding back towards the other fires."
"Yeah. That's some shit." Julio replied, shaking his head. "I haven't had much time to talk to the guy, Rick, but I've been talking to Glenn most of the day. I hear that Rick was in a coma, got out, and went to Atlanta. Only woke up a few days ago."
"Damn." Sam replied, his eyes wide.
"What's with you, Aaliyah? You've been really quiet for the last two days. Something wrong? Katy asked, concern written on her face. I glanced at Mason, getting the others attention.
"Nah. Just waiting for the other shoe to drop, you know? When something seems too good to be true, it probably is." I replied, mostly honest. I was still a bit flustered about what had happened with Mason the other day, but I didn't know how to approach it. It wasn't that I didn't like him, it was just… so out of the blue. I had no real indication he even liked me like that before… I had to admit, he was attractive. Especially in that uniform. But well… I was socially awkward before the end of the world. How was someone supposed to approach a relationship now? You're alive, I'm alive, let's get together and kill dead things? It wasn't as simple as that.
We sat around the fire for the better part of two hours, just talking about random bullshit. Reminiscing old times, better conditions, playing in the rain, and a good nights sleep.
"Hey, Ed?" I heard Shane's voice raised just loud enough to reach the campfire about twenty feet from us. Ed sat in a lawn chair while Sophia and her mother Carol sat quietly on the ground. I furrowed my eyes at his behavior, having just watched him in the corner of my eye take a large log and toss it onto his fire.

"Wanna rethink that log?" Shane called out. The group was now all staring at Ed and his meager fire.
"It's cold, man." Ed replied, his head resting on the back of his chair.
"Cold don't change the rules, does it?" Shane replied sternly. "We keep our fires low, just embers, so we can't be seen from a distance. Right?"
"I said it's cold. Why don't you mind your own business for once?" Ed called over his shoulder. I watched Carol and Sophia's faces, embarrassed but unwilling to do anything. They lived in fear of the man. My hands shook with rage. This also angered Shane. He stood, and walked over to Ed's fire site. I watched, huddling my jacket closer to my own body, holding in my heat as best I could. Though the days were hot and humid, the nights were colder. Autumn was fast approaching, and soon enough we might even be able to see our breath on the air. I couldn't fault the man for being cold, but Shane was adamant on this fact. Low fire. Stay safe.
I couldn't hear exactly what Shane was saying. He had lowered his voice, talking directly to Ed.
"Go on. Put the whole damn thing out. Go on!" Ed replied, passive aggressively. I watched as Shane took out the log and stomped on it, putting out the fire that had emerged, crackling at the bark. Sophia looked down at the ground silently as Shane crouched down. They talked for a few minutes in low voices. Shane walked back over to his fire, and I looked away from the scene.
"Well, I think I'm about ready for bed." Julio said, breaking the silence. I could hear thunder rumbling in the sky above, threatening to pour down over the camp.
"I'm with you. I wouldn't like to be out in this rain." Sam replied, looking up at the RV, where whoever would be on watch would be staying.
"We're turning in, too. See you tomorrow morning!" Katy replied to them, standing up and stretching. Caleb smiled and yawned. "Night, guys."
The others left, leaving Mason sitting next to me, alone.

I smiled awkwardly, unsure of what to expect from him.
"Look…" I started sheepishly. "Sharing a tent isn't a big deal. I'm fine with it. I just… I don't want things to get weird between us, alright? So let's just go on, and keep doing what we've been doing." I said softly, not meeting his eyes.
I looked up at him, and he gave an unexpected smile. "What else would we do?" He replied quickly.

"Alright… Well, I'm going to hit the proverbial hay. So, I'll see you in the morning?"
"Yeah. Just a warning though… I've been told I snore." He said coyly.
"Oh, god I already know."
The first week, we all realized this fact. Every night, without fail, he snored like a propeller was stuck up his nose, or he was starting a chainsaw. He insisted on keeping watch, so others could get sleep – and he wouldn't attract any walkers.
He laughed at me as I walked away.
"Sleep tight. See you in the morning." Mason replied with a small wave.