No, fanfiction is not spitting out duplicate emails. I kind of, sort of missed a chapter. See its supposed to go Bree, Daryl, Bree, Daryl, and so on and so forth but I accidentally Daryl, Daryl-ed, when I was supposed to Daryl, Bree. My bad. My chapter count seemed off and when I realized and I was like OOHHHHHH SHEEEEETTTT! Fixitfixitfixitfixitfixitfix itfixit! And so yah... I'm really sorry but think about it this way. Three new chapters in one day!

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Enjoy!

Three days later

Bree had woken up at four in the morning. A total of four hours of sleep. She sat in the guard tower with Brutus, she had been there since she woke up close to thirteen hours ago. Well she hadn't just sat there, in particular, she had been walking the wall between the different guard towers, since the sun had risen. Her fingers tapped a little beat on her bow. She stood up and leaned against the concrete window sill, taking in the sun's afternoon rays. She had yet to be back to the main house. No one questioned her absence, even Ben hadn't been out to see her. Dr. Erwin was busy analyzing her blood sample and Susan would be too busy learning the way of life to visit. It wasn't that she missed human contact, it was that she missed being physically closer to others. Just having them ten to twenty feet away. Having the human noises, the small chatter, the clatter of pots and the sound of feet hitting the floor as people walked around. It was nice to wear a t-shirt without having to worry about anyone seeing her scars.

"What do you think, Brutus? Shall we go and visit the main house?" She watched as he lifted his head up then lowered it, closing his eyes once again. As if telling her to fuck off because he was sleeping. "I take it that's your answer? Well it's a good one. I wasn't wanting to go either. I prefer it out here." Brutus suddenly jumped to his feet. His hackles rose slightly and a low growl rumbled from his throat. Bree was suddenly tense and ready for anything to jump out at them when she heard it. Muttered curses and the sound of someone struggling through the overgrown prairie roses that grew on this end of the wall. She crouched down and peaked over the wall, waiting for whomever it was that was trying to climb up the hill.

She quickly pulled an arrow from her quiver and gently placed it across the bow so that it would be ready to be drawn back at a second's notice. So much for Dr. Erwin's advice to try and turn off her survival reflexes and relax. Every unfamiliar sound, twig snap or flutter of bird wings put her on immediate alert. Even her sleep was light enough that she could hear a bird land on the skylight. Her life for five months had been fighting, sleeping, and surviving and that didn't just go away with three days of safety. She wondered if it would ever go away.

Another breathless curse caught her attention and she shook free of her thoughts. Brutus's growl grew louder and Bree placed her hand on his head to calm him down. He lay down and his growl just rumbled his chest but his hackles remain raised. She scanned the area near the wall and tightened her grip on her bow. Her muscles tightened as she pull the string back slightly. It took a few slow breaths and then the person appeared. It was a man, he looked like the roses had beaten him. He had red lines across his arms and face, some were bleeding. He leaned forward with his hands on his knees. As if trying to catch his breath. A crossbow hung off his shoulder and he dropped his pack on the ground. By the look of him, he looked like he had been by himself for weeks. His clothes were dirty and heavily warn and he looked like he could do with an actual shower, rather than just a quick dunk in a stream. She watched as he rummaged through his pack. He pulled out a walkie and stood up straight.

"Found it. It's like that rag said. Wasn't expectin' it t' be so big. I mean these walls must be three feet thick." He wiped his forehead on his arm and she bit her tongue, resisting the urge to tell him they were four feet thick at the smallest. "Y'all copy?" She shifted her weight and relaxed her grip on the bow. She could hear the faint crackling of the radio as a reply came through.

"We copy. How far away are you from your last site? We arrived a few hours ago. Had to dump the vehicles so we are on foot." The reply came through and the voice was distinctly feminine. Bree relaxed the pull on the bow string and shifted her weight slightly.

"About a day an'a half from there. I'm gunna try and find a way in tomorrow. I'm jus' glad I found it." He paused and Bree resisted the urge to shout out good luck in trying. "I'm gunna try and hunt summin. No squirrels around so it'll be tough t' find summin easy t' shoot."

"Copy that. We are going to settle down for the night. There are no walkers around so we feel safe enough to make camp. See you in two days, Daryl. Stay safe." The transmission cut out and she waited for his reply. Five months ago she wouldn't have even thought about eavesdropping on anyone. She was that spineless.

"Y'all stay safe too. Don't wanna come back there to save yer asses." The man named Daryl shoved the walkie back in his pack and looked around. "I wonder if there's any critchers around I could eat?" Bree knew there were herds of deer around but he wasn't going to find any this time of year. They were all down south a ways, looking for good foraging. He might get lucky with a rabbit or two but that was about it. He was going to have to really search for anything edible. It was the early parts of spring, where the snow was gone but the days hadn't warmed up enough for anything to really grow. Bree watched as he started to put up a tent and she stood up completely. The angle made it so she was practically invisible to anyone on the ground so she wasn't worried walked over to the stairwell door. She swiped her key card and waited for the blue light to fade to green. Once it did she opened the door and motioned for Brutus to follow. The man wasn't going to go anywhere and she needed time to see if he was alright enough to come into the compound. As much as she wanted to help, she found herself to be wary of everyone around her. Too many close calls to be other than wary. Every survivor group she found she had followed for a minimum of two days. If they showed any risky or dangerous behaviour she passed them over.

Her feet barely made any noise on the stairs, just the occasional scuffing of the rubber soles. She was wearing runners rather than her steel-toed boots. Lighter and easier to move around with. Brutus's panting echoed a bit around them and she swiped her card on the door at the bottom of the stairs. The light faded to green and she pushed through. The sun was low enough that it caused the wall to cast a shadow on her. She started walking and Brutus jumped on the quad she had drove there that morning. She patted her leg and he looked confused.

"No, Brutus. Let's walk." Bree smiled at how excited he looked at the mention of the word walk. His entire body practically vibrated and she smiled as she took off towards the west wall house. Brutus bolted past her and she fought the urge to laugh. The wall grew smaller as she put more distance between her and it. Brutus bounded around her his tongue hanging out and his tail wagging furiously. She grabbed the scruff of his neck and threw herself over him. He yipped excitedly as she wrestled with him on the damp earth. Her left arm twisted and her newest bite mark pulled painfully, the scab breaking. Blood started to leak down her arm and she hissed in pain as she clutched the sore spot. He licked her face as she sat up. She leaned her head against his. "You are a good boy, Brutus." He sat back and panted happily. Bree smirked at him and stood up. Rubbing at the raised scars on her bicep. If she closed her eyes hard enough she could feel the teeth tearing into her skin and muscles. Half the time she was so filled with adrenaline she never truly felt it but the time she did it was one of the worst things in the world. Goose bumps erupted over her exposed skin as a chilly breeze flowed over her. She stood up and both her and Brutus continued walking towards the small house.

She crested the hill and was surprised to see a quad parked in front of the building. Dr. Erwin was busy swiping his key card trying to get the door to open. She smirked slightly. She had changed the locking system so that only her key card could open the door. Like a programmable master key, she could program all the locks on the property to reject certain or all key cards.

"No matter how many times you swipe it, it's not going to open." Bree walked down the hill and Dr. Erwin whirled around clutching his chest. His eyes were wide and she nearly smiled at how startled he looked.

"Goodness, my dear! You startled me. I knocked and when you didn't answer I figured you were still sleeping so I tried to get in but the lock isn't accepting my key card." He adjusted his western shirt and Bree tilted her head slightly. He looked different when he was in normal clothes. His blond hair was starting to grey a bit and he smiled, his blue eyes crinkling at the corners.

"It wouldn't. I changed the key card algorithms. It only accepts my card. I really didn't want to be interrupted." She reached him and the door and swiped her card. The little light faded to green and she pulled the door open. "Come in. I am sure there is a reason for the visit." He walked inside and Brutus hesitated, as if unsure why the man was in their house. Bree sighed and pushed on his hindquarters.

"Inside, Brutus. It's fine." She watched as he slinked into the house. Keeping his eyes on the doctor the entire time. Dr. Erwin removed his boots and Bree kicked off her sneakers and rubbed her scars self-consciously. She motioned for the doctor to come into the kitchen as she poured herself a cup of water. She had snagged some food from the bunker. There were secret entrances to it under all the houses and she used it to her advantage. Bree pulled out a can of fruit and searched for the can opener. Brutus sat between her and the doctor, who sat at the table.

"You are right. I do have a reason for visiting. It's about your blood. You have full blown immunity to the roamer virus as I thought. Not only immunity but around three months ago I made a sobering discovery with the virus. Everyone is infected. Everyone will turn when they die unless they sustain severe brain damage. Everyone is infected but you." He sounded extremely excited and Bree figured he had all right to be. She found the can opener and opened the can of fruit cocktail. She grabbed a can of beef stew for Brutus and opened that as well. After that was done she grabbed a square of paper towel and held it to the bleeding scab on her elbow. She dabbed at it until it stopped bleeding and then threw out the paper towel. "I noticed you lacked the dormant virus cells in your blood. I thought it was a mistake but the more I examined it the more I realized you had been cured." Bree gave a small noise of acknowledgement as she put the bowl of beef stew on the floor for Brutus and carried her can of fruit to the table. She took a spoonful and could hear Brutus gulping down the stew.

"I studied your blood and noticed that you have an interesting blood protein. A protein that is absent in everyone else's blood. It appears to be serving no purpose to the actual biological process or so I thought. When I added the roamer virus into your blood sample, the proteins came to life. They are absorbed by the abnormal white blood cells, I have named them K2 Cells and the proteins I call Martyr proteins. Anyway, the Martyr proteins are absorbed by the K2 Cells and this enables the K2 Cells to function at a higher level, giving them the energy required to split as quickly as they do. The K2 Cells cannot do their job without the Martyr proteins." He gestured with his hands while he talked and Bree took a few more bites of her fruit cocktail. Chewing slowly, finding the fruit almost too sweet. "Now I know that the K2 Cells multiply rapidly as their lifespan is very short but I am trying to figure out how the Martyr proteins are still present. I haven't found anything that could create them and by all rights they should have died off but they are still present. Two to three Martyr proteins to a K2 Cell." Bree finished the fruit and pushed the can away.

"Have you actually witnessed the K2 Cells dying?" She looked at the doctor as Brutus rested his head on her knee. He shook his head and she scratched her nose. "Maybe when the K2 Cells die they are split into simpler forms, as they have to eat the Martyr proteins, the simplest form they could have based on their make-up. Which could be essentially Marty proteins." She wasn't the most knowledgeable about biology but it was worth a guess.

"That makes sense." Dr. Erwin was frowning at her and she shrugged.

"I'm difficult, not stupid. Do you want me to psychoanalyse you and tell you why you act the way you do as well? I used to love to researching topics. Biology was one such subject that I liked to research." She shrugged and stood up, grabbing her can as she did so.

"You are truly a strange individual. I have to kick myself as I should have thought of that theory myself. Now that you mentioned it I can see the direct links towards it." He rubbed his forehead and Bree shrugged. He had bags under his eyes and his face just showed how fatigued he must have been.

"You are probably just tired. Look at something with fresh eyes or whatever the saying is. You should sleep." She put the can in the recycling and picked up Brutus's bowl and put them in the sink before turning on the water.

"I have been taking late nights studying your blood sample. I'm just hoping that we can develop a cure from what we have learned. Having a cure would mean so much to all of us. To humanity. We could be some of the last people out here and we have to try." He rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands and Bree turned back to the sink to wash the spoon and the bowl. She searched the drawers for the tea towels and grabbed the top one before drying the two dishes and putting them away.

"Well it does no good to have you burnt out. You can use the spare bedroom right off the living room. Go there and get some sleep. Maybe you will get some sleep without getting woken up by every little cough and fever." Bree pointed at the living room and he shook his head.

"I do not wish to impose." He stood up and Bree looked at him with an emotionless face that somehow showed her utter irritation. He gave her a strange look but she couldn't help it. She retreated when confronted with people. On the outside world if you got close, you risked losing them and the grief would be great. The less emotional investment she had in the survivors, the easier it was when she lost some. The children were hard though. No child should have had to die that way and no matter how far she removed herself from them, their deaths still affected her greatly.

"If it bothered me I never would have stated it. Get some sleep." She tilted her head and cracked her neck. "You need sleep and you aren't going to get it hunched over your desk in the medical compound." He hesitated but nodded slowly as if too tired to fight with her.

"Thanks, Briana." He walked towards the living room and Bree watched his back.

"It's, Bree, actually." She watched as he stopped and turned around. He looked thoroughly confused.

"What was that?" He looked at her and tilted his head with his eyes narrowing in confusion.

"My name isn't Briana. It's Bree. Briana is gone." She walked past him. "Briana died out there, Dr. Erwin. She's not coming back."

Yah, I completely forgot about this chapter. Sorry guys.