A/N: I DO NOT own any part of TWD. Sorry for my absence, unfortunately school has been extremely busy. Though with the arrival of Season 5 if I have some readers I will certainly try to continue this story.

Dead or Alive

Scarlett watched as the sun set over the Appalachian mountains, night clouds slowly rolling in. Swatting a fly away from her ear she turned her head and smiled as Michael waited beside the truck, arms and legs crossed in the commanding way of his. Without a word he stood quietly, chewing on a piece of tobacco before spitting and calling out to Scarlett.

"Better get going before it gets too dark out!"

Running to him, she suddenly became aware of how foolish she looked. Clad in a pair of denim shorts and a flannel shirt, Scarlett bounced in cowboy boots as she reached up and ran her fingers through two thick pigtails which shifted back and forth with the wind. As she grabbed the plaited hair she noticed how far away Michael and the truck were and cupped her hands over her mouth, calling out to him as he fell into shadow.

"MICHAEL!" she screamed, and he responded back, his voice a distant echo. Quickening her pace, Scarlett began to run quickly up a gradually steep slope as birds called overhead. A subtle breeze blew by and as she scrambled for breath she finally approached Michael as he looked up, his face suddenly different.

He was no longer Michael—he was Daryl. Pushing dark hair out of his face Daryl spit then opened his mouth to speak, Michael's voice coming out.

"You need to be more careful." He breathed, before brandishing his crossbow and letting an arrow fly so close to Scarlett's ear that the wind stung. Spinning around she watched as several rotting corpses made their way slowly, the stench of death overpowering so much that Scarlett wanted to vomit. Backing against the car she reached down for the gun holstered to her thigh but found nothing there. Instead, she clung to Daryl as he fired shot after shot, hitting his targets yet still unable to deter them.

Suddenly, a hand clamped around her ankle and Scarlett looked down as pale flesh crept up her skin. Screaming as terror exploded in her heart, she helplessly tried to shake her assailant as a decomposing Merle crawled out from under the truck, eyes yellow with disease as he snapped his bloodied teeth at her.

Turning, she found Daryl was no longer there and looked around, suddenly abandoned. As Merle pulled himself to his feet his fingernails tore into the skin of her calves causing her to cry out in pain as he pulled away strips of living flesh which mingled with his dead ones.

"PLEASE, SOMEBODY HELP!" Scarlett screamed, knowing it was in vain. She was the only one left, she knew it. There was no one and nothing to save her from the bitter and frightening approach of death in its most physical manifestation.

Merle only gurgled, lunging forward as he tore into a chunk off her leg. Falling to the ground Scarlett screamed, choking on the stench as hands and fingers clasped around her, the sky overhead exploding into fiery clouds that seemed to set the very atmosphere on fire.

Scarlett gasped as her eyes snapped open, twitching wildly as she flailed with skin on fire. Looking around in the darkness confusion overtook her as she remembered once more she was not home comfortable in Michael's bed, but in a tent in the Georgian wilderness waiting for danger to overtake her.

"Shit." She murmured, wiping her eyes and sniffing as she glanced down at the gun beside her. Suddenly, a sound caught her attention and she looked through the dark to find a figure sitting solitary in the corner.

"W-what are you doing in here?" Scarlett choked, aware she was in nothing but a bra and pair of panties. The moonlight pierced through the trees bearing down on the tent though still it was dark Daryl would have to look intently to see her.

"You kept saying 'Merle' in your sleep." He muttered, pushing aside her question and Scarlett reached for a water bottle, taking several deep gulps before splashing a little on her chest and neck. Crawling across the tent she unzipped it slightly then crawled back onto her sleeping bag,

"Nightmare." She said then leaned back, sitting up so that her eyes found Daryl in the darkness. It was hard to ignore how much safer with him watching over her, for whatever reason that may be.

After a long silence Daryl cleared his throat and rustled around, kneeling as he crossed the tent.

"Where are you going?" Scarlett voiced and he said nothing as he unzipped it quietly.

"Stay…come to bed." She continued, her heart pacing as she thought about the comfort of another human being. Silently she thought about how wonderful it would feel for him to pierce her depths, letting her forget about the grim world around them if only for a few moments.

"Can't." he grumbled, though she sensed the hesitation in his voice. Before Scarlett could say anything else Daryl had left and she wrestled with sleep for the rest of the night.

"Okay now what?"

Scarlett stared down at her poorly made trap as she glanced at Daryl's and frowned in frustration as she compared the two. Biting her lip, she eyed the thing carefully as she went over all his instructions in her head then glanced up at him where he stood, pulling down several dead squirrels.

Daryl opened his mouth as though preparing to say something but decided against something.

"Yeah, I know it's shit." Scarlett shrugged then threw it down noting that from the expression on his face he agreed. Making no attempt to console her he continued pulling down rabbits and Scarlett glanced back as the sound of footsteps caught her attention.

Daryl froze, and Scarlett pulled the gun from the waistband of her pants then rushed towards the sound on silent feet, ready to aim and fire the moment she came in view of her enemy.

And much to her surprise a strangled cry stopped her in her steps. Peering around a tree she stopped, quickly lowering her gun as a small boy of around 10 or 11 stared up at her, head cocked to the side. Pushing his dark brown hair out of his face he stared at Scarlett and she glanced around at the isolated area then strode towards him carefully.

"You really shouldn't be out here alone." She said and the boy only shrugged, taking several steps as he stared at her gun cautiously then glanced past her into the forest. Turning her head Scarlett saw Daryl watching from between two trees and met his eyes for a moment then returned to the boy.

"That's the same gun my dad has." He said, then leaned down and picked up a large rock, turning it over in his hands curiously then tossing it around before throwing it into the depths of the woods.

"Your dad…?" Scarlett thought as she shook her head in confusion.

"Shane's not my dad…my dad died in the hospital he got shot and Shane came and picked us up. It's kind of weird but he's been around on my life." He spoke casually as though Scarlett was not a stranger and she looked around once more, furrowing her brow.

"Where are you from kid? I mean who are you here with?"

"My mom and Shane." He repeated irritably, looking at Scarlett as though she was stupid. Opening her mouth she thought carefully as she prayed to whatever god there was that their secret camp was not growing. She knew in the back of her mind that Dale would never keep it a secret but would the old man really be so stupid as to set up a small community while they were trying to keep their presence in the wild unknown?

"How did they-" she began but her question was cut off by a shrill voice.

"CARL!" a woman screamed, running into the small clearing and grabbing him. He struggled against her but she forced him into her arms pressing his head to her chest with a pained expression as she exhaled a sigh of relief.

"I told you not to go anywhere without me or Shane!" she exclaimed and he rolled his eyes.

"It wasn't that far." He argued but the furious expression on her face seemed to have suppressed anymore words.

"Get back to the camp, now. You leave again by yourself you're going to be in big trouble." She growled and he shrugged away from her mumbling under his breath and made for the direction which she had come. Turning to Scarlett, she prepared for an uncomfortable thanks only to find herself facing the fury of the brunette herself.

"And you…stay away from my boy!" she exclaimed and Scarlett raised her eyebrows, face flushing.

"Excuse me? I found him walking around maybe if you'd keep a better eye on him-"

"Are you saying I can't look after my child?!" she hissed, and Scarlett knew she disliked this woman more than anyone she had ever met.

"I'm saying you let him go wandering around you don't know what'll happen. He's lucky he ran into us-"

"Everything alright Lori?" came another voice and Scarlett gritted her teeth as she did everything in her power not to haul off and knock the woman right off her feet.

"It's fine Shane let's go." She turned around and stormed off. The man gave one last glance to Scarlett then followed her as she stood in the clearing pondering what had happened. Turning to Daryl she barely glanced at him before taking off.

Daryl exhaled as he splashed water onto his heated skin, rubbing the liquid into his flesh as small black beads of dirt formed and rolled down his arm.

Turning his head slightly, he peered into the trees behind the quarry to assure once more he was not being watched, before settling into the water as best he could.

Immediately he became aware of the stiffness of his muscles, the subtle aches and pains that twinged from day after day of running around the forest.

Of course, he should have been accustomed. He certainly had food, shelter, more than he could have said than when he was a kid. Stepping on grainy sand he hovered in the water for a moment then began to wash himself once more, intent on getting in and out of the water as quickly as possible.

Dunking his head quickly, he wildly combed at his hair then gave himself another quick scrub before rushing back to the shoreline. Dressing himself, Daryl stuffed his feet into boots then grabbed his crossbow, slinging it across his back.

Already during their short time there, the increase of human presence showed itself. A small foot worn path began to form towards the central camp, and the small pieces of discarded trash and human litter decorated the earth like ugly cigarette burns on a painting.

As he made his way towards the area where he stayed with Scarlett and Merle, he saw a flash of dark curls, bouncing in the air as Scarlett disappeared through the tree line.

Immediately, Daryl's head turned in the direction which she had disappeared to. The way her long curls trailed behind her, heavy booted feet crunching quickly over dead leaves, it was apparent that she was in a hurry.

In their short time together it was easy to notice small habits and behaviors that hinted at perhaps a little more about her.

For one, Scarlett always wore her hair up. In a bun, in a ponytail, tied up some crazy way. Whichever it may be, it was unlikely to see her with her hair down unless she was relaxing, and that particular detail guided him as he rushed behind her.

Following her direction, he cupped his hands over his mouth as he watched her rush downhill, two guns holstered to her hips like some action heroine and a rifle in her hands.

"SCARLETT!" Daryl screamed at the top of his lungs and immediately she stopped, scanning the horizon before spotting him.

Breathing heavily, she ran back towards him, struggling against roots and small hills that were easier running down.

Daryl reached out for her, pulling her by her wrists up as she adjusted the flannel shirt tied around her waist.

"Where are you-?" Daryl began, immediately interrupted by a series of gunshots quickly followed by the sound of a small explosion and screams. Before he could speak again Scarlett was headed towards the direction of the sound—the highway and Daryl had no choice but the follow her.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" he screamed, struggling to catch up with her.

"THAT'S OUR LAST CHANCE AT SUPPLIES!" she responded then stopped, ducking behind a tree as the sounds grew louder.

Daryl finally stopped beside her, breathing heavily as he bent over never having sprinted so far before. Beside him, Scarlett neck beaded with sweat and he was momentarily taken out of focus as he stared at the back of her neck. Her long curved swan's neck which looked so soft to the touch.

He wanted to reach out and grab her by her neck, pushing her flat onto the ground and—

Another explosion interrupted his thoughts and Daryl's heart jumped. Standing up, she grabbed the gun than began to creep forward, even as he reached out to grab her and pull her back.

"Hey get the hell back here!" he hissed and she sank down to her knees, crawling forward. Daryl followed her, sinking to his stomach as well, crawling to meet her at the guardrail. Immediately he grabbed her by her upper arm.

"Get off of me!" she whispered as they both involuntarily twitched at the sound of gunfire.

"No! If there's chaos down here this may be our last shot to get what's in those cars."

"We've got supplies!" he exclaimed angrily and she shook her head.

"Yeah? For how long? We can't get in the city. We can't get onto the highway not for miles. In case you haven't noticed there's more people moving into the area. It's going to be really hard to catch rabbits when you've got Modern Family over there trampling across the land."

As Daryl opened his mouth to argue a blood-curdling scream rent through the hair. Looking up, he watched as a woman sat on her knees, surrounded by three others. Holding a baby in her hands she cried, shaking a headful of curls as a group of soldiers stood above the group, guns cocked.

She shrieked in Spanish, the baby crying in her arms. Beside her, others also begged and pleaded, shaking where they kneeled and looking around as all around them people fled the soldiers, only to get gunned down.

"They're killing everyone now." Scarlett breathed beside him and Daryl swallowed.

A blonde woman of about 25 or so ran towards their direction. As Daryl jerked up a bullet tore through her head and she fell to the group in a heap, unmoving. Beside him, Scarlett tensed and he instinctively reached out to push her down.

Suddenly, a man was yelling.

"GODDAMN SONS OF BITCHES. FUCKING COCKSUCKERS!"

A small group was drawing near. The man who continued to scream obscenities, as well as a frail-looking woman with short grey hair and a little red-headed girl. They were evidently together save for the two young black men beside them, both with their hands in the air.

A few yards away, a misdirected bullet collided with a motorcycle which immediately exploded into an impressive fireball, pieces of metal flying into the air.

They landed with loud fiery thuds, sending breaking glass and even more cars into fiery infernos. In the seconds it all took to happen Scarlett moved beside him in a blur, holding the rifle as she peered through the scope.

"NO!" Daryl screamed, but he was too late. With expert quickness Scarlett had found her target and pressed the trigger, sending a bullet sending for the nearest shoulder.

It tore through his cheek, sending his entire face into a pulpy mash of blood, muscle, and bone. Falling sideways his death sent the hostages scattering in every which way direction, and Scarlett stepped over the guardrail, running into the chaos.

Chasing behind her Daryl armed himself and heard Scarlett yell over the fire, grabbing the white-haired woman.

"GO BACK STRAIGHT UP THE HILLS NORTH FOR A HALF MILE YOU'LL GET TO A CAMP. GO BEFORE THEY SEE YOU!" She screamed, pointing her in the direction she had Daryl had come from.

The man pushed past them all and the woman grabbed the girl and cried, following him. As Darryl caught up with Scarlett he was forced to throw her to the ground just as several bullets soared past them.

"See how many there were?" she breathed, grabbing the two handguns at her sides.

"What? No?! We gotta go back there's fucking soldiers out there."

"Soldiers that are now gunning down civilians. That means they're taking down everyone they can find. We have to kill them before they kill us." She whispered darkly, a frantic look appearing in her eyes.

"Kill them….that's the goddamn U.S. Army." Daryl responded, unsure whether he could believe the words coming out of his mouth.

Of course Daryl despised the government. And while he had been in his fair share of trouble, he'd never be the one to gun down a cop.

"You think that fucking matters? The minute they start killing people the government is gone. How else would they cover this up?" she pushed Daryl and he slowly crept towards one side of the car as the shower of bullets continued. Scarlett moved to the other side then peered between two cars.

Peeking, she rose to her feet slightly and Daryl grabbed his crossbow, heart pounding in his ears as he got one of the men in his sights.

"COMING FROM THERE!" a man screamed as a bullet tore into his throat. Daryl followed suit, releasing an area and the men all shouted directions at once, turning in both directions.

At once, Scarlett began to fire off shots, taking two more men down as she reloaded.

Static, pressing deafness filled Daryl's ears and no longer was he thinking. He was only shooting, taking down soldiers as Scarlett defended her own side a few yards away. Aiming at burning carcass of a minivan she shoot several times, hitting nothing but metal until finally rewarding them another small explosion.

The remaining soldiers fell back and Daryl sank into himself once more. Running forward he grabbed Scarlett, pressing down onto her wrist so that she cried in pain then half-dragged her back to the trees, even as she struggled.

"LET GO OFF ME! WE….NEED…..!" she panted and Daryl clamped his hand over his mouth so that her chest heaved angrily as he dragged her uphill.

At no point did she stop kicking and screaming, and it was not until they were on the outskirts of their camp that Daryl let Scarlett go.

Immediately she roared and lunged at him, taking him to the ground with impressive strength.

"STOP IT!" he screamed as she began to hit him, each time harder and harder as her palm turned into a fist. Sitting up Daryl threw her onto the ground so hard that the breath escaped her throat and she simply stared up at the canopy of trees with a blank stare.

Sitting up he leaned forward cautiously, wondering if her had killed her then finally her face crumpled as she began to cry.

"God damnit." Daryl mumbled, unsure which he would have been able to deal with better.

Reaching out Scarlett flinched and rolled over as she screamed "don't touch me!" and stumbled, falling to the ground again. Now, she sobbed openly, choking as Daryl did all he could not to reach out and slap her across the face.

"That's it…they're killing everyone….k-killing…." She shook her head then fell backwards, screaming loudly so that Daryl was forced to reach for her again to keep her quiet. Wrestling her to the ground he placed a hand over her mouth and pressed down, whispering in her ear.

"You're going to bring everything alive and dead if you don't shut the hell up."

Immediately, her cries softened and she looked up at him, eyes filled with genuine fright.

After several moments Daryl lifted his hand and Scarlett inhaled, looking up again.

"I've got to hold it together now." She said softly, her eyes moving towards Daryl again. This time, he felt the monster within him shrink and he wanted nothing more than to comfort her. Her eyes were so large, so wonderful, and so sad he wanted to save her. Even drenched in pathetic tears which shined with weakness.

"Yeah." He whispered, nodding and she nodded back.

After a long moment she began to sit up slowly then got to her feet, looking around.

"We need to see if they made it. That couple from down there. And we'll have to tell the others. Set up some sort of perimeter to get either enemy from sneaking in."

With that she turned, and Daryl reached out to grab at her hand, catching her fingers. For a brief moment she turned her head then softly pushed his hand back and began to walk towards the camp.

"How many were there?"

Scarlett stared at her boots, listening to the fire crackle before her. Eyeing it quietly she contemplated running forth and kicking the dirt on it before the smoke rose too high.

"I don't know. A group of seven or eight maybe? There could've have been way more down the highway though."

She sat stiffly, barely looking at the man Shane who sat beside her, staring into the fire as well. Not long after they had arrived to the camp he had approached Scarlett and told her that the family from the highway had arrived and named her and Daryl as their saviors.

Still, she was more than uncomfortable. There was an uneasiness about the way he questioned her, as if interrogating her.

"You killed a group of U.S. soldiers. Do you even know what that means?" he said softly and Scarlett couldn't stop herself from scoffing.

"I know what it would have meant. This is the end of it all man. None of that matters. It's just surviving as long as we can until we evolve past this." She said aloud, the words which had been running through her head since her emotional storm outside the camp.

"Yeah? How do you know that?"

"Look around. How long has it been? A few days and the whole world has gone to hell. We've never seen a disease like this in the history of mankind. Nothing is going to go back to normal."

"So what it's okay to kill now?"

"What would you have done? Who do you think you are for that matter to even judge me?" Scarlett spat, suddenly standing up. Instead of getting up as she thought, she remained where he sat.

"I'm an officer of the law and when this blows up it'll be up to me whether to make this public. Yeah you saved those people but you killed U.S. military. That's a crime that goes way up further than you can even imagine. Especially with what's happening."

"So what are you saying? I have to convince you to keep quiet?" Scarlett shook her head in disbelief as she realized what he was going for.

"I'm saying you do something for me I'll do something for you?"

For the first time, Scarlett looked at him. Really looked at him, and she realized just how young he looked. Despite his frame he had the face of a boy, dark eyes wavering as he looked Scarlett up and down.

Glancing around the forest she nodded, noting the secluded location he had led her to.

"And what'll that something be?" she rolled her eyes, pursing her lips as she stared down at him.

With one swift moment he reached down and unbuckled his pants, pulling down his zipper and pulling himself free.

"Come over here and suck my cock." He demanded and Scarlett merely stood there, crossing her arms. Stroking himself for a few moments he looked at her expectedly then raised his voice.

"Get over her and suck my dick or you and you're Redneck boyfriend are going to jail."

Scarlett jerked her head then felt her knees bend forward. Kneeling before him she reached forward weakly and wrapped her hand around his shaft, closing her eyes and imagining all the one-night stands and emotionless sex she had ever had.

Without warning, he grabbed her back the back of her head and her himself down her throat, causing her to gag momentarily.

"You're going to call me Officer Walsh."

Daryl sat up, grabbing his crossbow as a figure stood over him.

"What is it?" he said, alert as Scarlett walked towards him and she said nothing, getting onto the ground and pulling her shirt up over her head.

"Who-whoa what the hell are you doing?" Daryl asked as he began to remove her bra. Turning his head he chanced a glance back as her bare breasts. Reaching down, she began to fiddle with the buttons on her jeans and Daryl reached up and grabbed her hands.

"Stop…stop this." He whispered but she leaned forward and kissed him.

Immediately he groaned into her mouth, feeling himself harden. Taking this small omission for granted Scarlett grabbed him, rubbing his shaft through his jeans and Daryl tilted his head back.

Never had he been with a girl who took such charge, and it amazed him. He was so used to the monotone mews of dive bar whores and easy college-age girls. For once there was no doubt in his mind that she wanted him.

Reaching down, Scarlett quickly eased down her shorts then went for Daryl's zipper, pulling him free from his pants. As he looked up at her she climbed on top of him and he groaned loudly as her tightness surrounded him.

Reaching up, he grabbed the back of Scarlett's head and pulled her down, kissing her as he began to pump inside of her sharply. She countered, falling back onto him with each thrust so that he entered her to the base of his cock.

And each time her firm round behind pressed against him, causing Daryl to shove his tongue into Scarlett's mouth. He didn't care about pleasing her. Right now he just cared about feeling her wet pussy which gripped him tightly like a glove.

"Tell me I'm yours." She whimpered, grinding into him as she pressed her lips to his neck. Wrapping his arms around her waist Daryl continued to pound into her, listening to the sound of her pants against his neck.

"You're mine." He breathed into her ear, clutching her tightly and clutched him, nails digging into his skin.

Unable to take it, Daryl grabbed Scarlett and rolled over so that he was on top of her. Immediately she hooked her legs around his neck and he began to thrust into her violently, hitting her cervix.

Each time she twitched and let out a loud moan of pleasure, placing her hands on each side of Daryl's face. Forced to stare into her eyes he looked at pupils which had dilated impressively.

Suddenly, Scarlett turned her head and covered her face, letting out a shuddering cry which echoed throughout her entire body. Daryl grimaced as she tightened around him, several sobs leaving her mouth as she came intensely.

"Fuck I can feel you." He mumbled into her ear as she clutched him, limbs shaking. Finally she turned her head, tears streaming down her face and laughed. Placing his hands on either side of her Daryl gave forth all restraint and began to pump into Scarlett quickly, his pleasure building up until his finally came.

Finishing with a final thrust Daryl pulled out and collapsed onto his back, gasping for breath. Glancing down he was amazed to see himself glistening from Scarlett's wetness and glanced at her large breasts which he had neglected to admire during their tryst.

And they were beautiful. Her skin was soft and her nipples hardened from arousal. She arched her back, as if begging to be touched. Spreading her legs he saw a mixture of her juices and his semen spread on her inner thigh as she began to rub herself.

Reaching down Daryl found her clit easily and rubbed it lightly, feeling Scarlett squirm beneath him. With his other fingers he dug deep inside of her, enjoying how tight she was all over again as his wet fingers glided in and out of her.

Spreading her legs further Scarlett began to thrust her thighs, licking her lips as she moaned and panted, her beautiful mouth wide open.

As her cries mounted she once again covered her face, letting out several small sobs as her ribs pressed against her skin. Her entire body tensed and Daryl felt her tighten around him before releasing. Pilling his finger out he leaned forward, watching as Scarlett moved her hands to show tears once more. Turning her head she sniffled quietly then offered a small watery smile.

"Thank you." She finally said after several long moments as she got up.

"For what?" Daryl asked, still in disbelief.

"You're now the last man I was ever with." She said then began to redress herself. Standing up she walked away and Daryl continued to lay there, completely naked. A rustle in the trees caught his attention and he sat up, glancing around as he caught the pale face of Merle peering through the trees.