| Darren POV |

Two weeks have passed. Me and Carina have been on the road ever since that day. We have been too scared to stay in one place too long. Can't wait for shit to go rotten.

I crouched behind a wall as two Infected snuck up on me. Where the hell was Carina!? When the Infected came she bolted! As they reached for me suddenly a blade came out from behind them and took off both their heads. Carina nodded to me.

"Thanks. Guess I was a distraction, huh?" I grinned. She didn't reply and just walked off. I followed.

After a minute or so of walking, she stopped and turned to me.

"Why do you insist on chasing down your buds?" She looked at me. "It's useless. Their dead. We are all alone."

"Guess I'm a hopeful fool, Carina. I believe their alive. And I'll die trying to find them. Their my family, yours too now." I looked her dead in the eyes. She took a few moments to reply.

"Your such an idiot." She mumbled. I shrugged and walked off, what she screamed after me, made me stop. "Why are you so suicidal!?"

"Their my family. And family dies for each other." I didn't turn.

"Their not your blood!" She called again.

"When I met Riley and the others I was a nobody!" I suddenly lost my cool for one of the first times ever, I got pissed to hell and back. "A hopeful trying to make it in this god damn fucking shit of a world! They took me in! Taught me what family is really about! Being there for each other! Even when you don't see eye to eye! Even when you're at each others throats! Riley is a son to me. I told him that myself. I have to save him! And everyone! It's the weight I carry, Carina! Riley, Violet, Dylan, Emily - the whole lot of the,! They never gave up on me, so I sure as hell won't give up on them! and i swear to god their looking for me. So I will keep looking for them."

"I'm sorry Darren... I...I didn't know..." Carina frowned.

"It's okay... I told you just so you'd know. Your family is out there too, Carina. Blake and Sky." I looked at her.

"Blake and Sky... Yeah they are my family I guess..." Carina looked down. "You sure their okay?"

"I'm almost certain." I smiled And began walking off. "Before I met them, I never really had a family - or a home. Not really. Not honestly. So don't you see why I have to do this, Carina?"

"I do." She followed.

:: ::

I knelt down a few hours later by a bear trap we set up the previous day. A bear was caught in it. I looked at Carina, who gulped and closed her eyes. She swung her blade and killed the creature in one swing.

I undid the trap and dragged the body back to our camp, setting it near a fire we started.

"Got us a good catch huh?" I grinned.

"Yeah. We did. I'm never gonna get used to having to kill our own food." Carina sighed and shivered, Fall was just turning into Winter, and it was cold out.

I took my sweat jacket off and handed her it.

"Here. As sorry for flipping at you before." I nodded and she mumbled a thanks as she put it on. "I'm gonna go out for a bit, kay? To clear my head. Keep your eyes and ears open. You see another human other than me, kill them, don't take chances. Same if you see an animal or an Infected."

"Okay..." She mumbled as I walked off.

:: ::

I crouched behind a bush and rubbed my long hair back. I looked out and saw the deer I was stalking. I aimed my pistol at its brain. I haD one shot - found the bullet in the pocket of a dead one a few days back.

Suddenly Carina'a scream echoed. She was calling my name! I saw the deer bolt. To hell with that deer!

I ran back to our camp and saw her, pinned to a tree by a man. He was pinning her arms so she couldn't struggle, and had his legs pressed against hers, so she couldn't kick him in the nuts. Her eyes widened when she saw me. She mouthed: help me!

"No one can you help you, pretty girl..." He whispered in her ear.

"Bite me." She spat, and spit in his face.

"Oh, I'm gonna do more than that." He hissed. "A lot more."

I came up behind him, swung the butt of my gun against the back of his head. He groaned loudly in pain as he dropped to a knee. He turned to me and glared.

"What are you doing here, old man!?" He spat at me. He pulled out a knife and swung at me, but last moment Carina grabbed her sword and stabbed him clean through the back. She then spun and took his head clean off.

"What the hell happened?" My eyes widened.

"He tried to rape me, what the hell do you think happened!?" She fell to one knee, tearing up.

"Let's get going. It's not safe here anymore." I helped her up and walked to where the bear lay, and started dragging it away as she followed.

That was a close call. I need to be more careful. I won't leave her alone anymore. Not anymore. I can't lose the last family I have left.