Teddy Lupin was lost.

He didn't know where he took the wrong turn, but he did, and now he was lost. He shifted, glancing around nervously as his heartbeat quickened in his chest. All he knew was that he had just gone to the bathroom while his gran talked with one of her friends, and then when he came out, she was no longer there.

And now he was lost somewhere in bloody Georgia of all places, all alone with no way to possibly get back home to England.

Gran was going to be so mad at him for getting lost like this! Teddy could feel his face heat up, and his lips form into a quivering frown. His arms wound around his shivering form, tugging his jacket closer as icy droplets of rain began to fall, leaving the small ten-year-old soaked to the bone.

He stood in place for several minutes, glancing around at the quiet neighborhood he had started wandering around in hopes of spotting a glimpse of his grandmother. Or that friend she had been talking too. Either would be fine. He honestly just wanted someone to hug right now, thank you very much.

He was cold, shivering, wet, and terrified. He wanted his gran, she would be safe and warm and kind. He needed his gran. He knew that most ten-year-olds would protest at being coddled by their grandmother, and in most cases, he would too. But right now, all he wanted was to run into gran's arms and never let go, his ten-year-old pride be damned.

He didn't want to move, he didn't want to go look because what if she came by? Harry always told him that if he ever got lost to stay in one place where he, Ginny, gran, or anyone he knew could find him. He had been told to not talk to strangers (not that there were any around) and to not wander off. He had tried to do that, but now he was stuck in the middle of a random neighborhood in the middle of the night with no clue about where to go, and it was so dark, and he was cold and wet, everything was icky, and he just wanted a hug.

He let out a tiny whimper, looking around in his little circle again, and then again, and then again. His little feet splashed into a puddle on the ground, getting his black sneakers all muddy and getting his legs even colder and wetter. His lip quivered, and he wiped at his eyes. He was ten for Merlin's sake, he was not going to cry. He just wanted to go home, he wanted to see his gran.

He didn't like this, not one bit. He didn't mean to get lost, and he was doing everything right! Stay still, don't talk to strangers, but it wasn't working!

Teddy didn't know how long he stood there for, his mind rolling over the thoughts streaming through his head again and again. Eventually, he let his arms fall back to his sides, shivering as cold winds bombarded the spot where his arms just were. It was so dark out, and he felt numb all over. Waiting wasn't working. If his gran was going to find him, she would've done it by now.

Why hadn't she found him yet?

He rubbed at his eyes again, trying to stop the flow of icy tears that trailed down his reddening cheeks. Slowly, he began to walk forward, down the road into the direction that seemed the least scary. The sky above him was a cloudy grey dotted with the darkness of the night, and his eyes were getting heavier. His feet were aching from him continuing to stand, and he was so cold. He wanted his gran, he wanted Harry. But Harry was back in England right now, probably eating dinner with Ginny, James, Al, and newborn little Lily, and he had no clue where his gran was.

While he walked, he was careful not to wander into the road. There didn't seem to be any cars, but he didn't want to risk it. At one point, he slipped over a loose shoelace and had fallen into a puddle of rainwater. Every hair on his body stood on end, and he instantly cried out. Tears began blurring his vision, and he pulls himself to his feet, letting out another cry when his foot screamed in pain, and he fell backward again.

He was lost, cold, wet, and now had probably broken his ankle. It was official, this was the worst day of his life, right up next to the day his parents had died.

He didn't bother trying to get up again as he curled up into a ball and began to cry. He wanted his gran!

He didn't know how long he sat there crying. He might have been there for a few minutes or maybe an hour or two. But he wasn't totally out of his depth, so when a faint groan sounded from somewhere behind him, he heard it and quieted almost instantly.

He wasn't sure if he heard it or not, so he held his breath and waited.

And then, he hears it again, and his head whips to one side towards where the park was located a few feet behind him. Teddy strains his ears, and it takes him a second, but he hears it again. Faint, and he probably wouldn't have even caught it if it weren't for his extra good hearing, courtesy of his father. But he hears it.

Twigs snapping: grass, dirt, and leaves crunching wetly underfoot.

Teddy's breath catches, and he tucks his knees against his chest, but otherwise stays still. His eyes were glued to the foliage of which the sound was coming from. The park wasn't all that far away from where he sat, just a little ways away from the sidewalk he was sitting on. And it wouldn't be the first time people have ventured in there, even at this hour.

It's probably just someone taking a late-night walk, Teddy tells himself, but he doubts it severely. Who would come out in this weather willingly? Or maybe it's a drunk. Drunks could get violent, drunks could be armed. Drunks were dangerous, and he did not want to meet one.

It didn't matter anyway, because, whoever it was, they were getting closer. The footsteps were getting louder, as was their breathing.

It... it sounds weird though, the breathing. There was something wrong with it. There was a hissing quality to it, like something you'd expect to hear out of the mouth of a snake. And tangled through the hissing sound is a strangled kind of moan, like someone in pain.

Something was wrong. Teddy places both his hands on the sidewalk beside him and pushes up, trying to bring himself to his feet. He fails miserably, falling back to the floor with a pained 'oof.'

There was a snarl, and Teddy's head snapped up. He squints, he can't see much in the dark, but as his eyes adjust, what he sees at the coming out of the park were two reaching hands and a dark, gaping mouth headed right toward him.

A/N: So before anyone says anything, I know that TWD starts in 2010, and I know that Teddy should be 12 in 2010. But for plot reasons, I just made him 10, but if it bothers anyone, I am sorry. If it helps, I'd just imagine that the apocalypse started in 2008 instead, but that's up to you.