VPOV

"Vickie, stop." Zach sighed from behind as I kept walking through the woods, Aly in my arms, Houdini by my side. "Victoria!"

I stopped, turning to him. "We can't. We have to keep going. We have to find the bus."

"The bus is gone." he dropped his bag on the ground. "And you're bleeding."

He was right, my shoulder, where I had been shot the other day, was bleeding again. Carrying Aly wasn't really helping. In fact it was just causing more pain. But we couldn't stop. I had to find the others. I just knew they got out.

Turning I started to walk again but stopped as Aly began to wiggle on my back, sliding from my grasp.

Placing her down, I crouched in front of her. "We gotta keep going sweetie. You gotta stay on my back, we'll move faster that way."

But she just shook her head. "You're hurt." her finger pointed to my shoulder.

She looked so scared and fragile. Her free hand moved to Houdini absentmindedly, grasping his collar as he sat next to her. The two of them looked at me with sad eyes. I knew that look all too well.

"The bus is gone, Vickie. They're all gone." Zach came to stand next to us. "So the best thing for us to do is to find somewhere to sleep. It's gonna get dark real soon."

I knew he was right, I didn't want to believe it, but chances of us finding the bus were very slim. The plan was to drive East, and keep going until they found somewhere to stop and gather themselves. That stop could be anywhere. They'd get there, get sorted, and probably leave before we even got close. If they were alive, they were long gone. For now, we should concentrate on surviving, and then we could head East.

I nodded slowly, still looking at Aly as she stood in front of me, her eyes locked on to mine.

"Okay. We look for somewhere to camp for the night. But I'm not giving up."

...

We had found an abandoned cabin that looked as if it would fall to the ground with a gentle tap. But behind it was an old,broken down RV...

I had Zach stay with Aly in the RV, getting it ready for the night. While Houdini and I carefully made our way into the cabin to look for food. I moved as softly and carefully as I could, looking through the cupboards. I found a few tins of spaghetti o's and some crackers. There was some soups, a couple of muesli bars, and some porridge. That's it. Enough for two nights, but after that we'd need to get more.

"It'll have to do." I sighed to Houdini as we made our way out, still being careful.

I opened the RV door, poking my head in. Aly sat on the one bed, playing with her two stuffed toys. Zach had a box on the ground, filling it with everything we could use. Like plate, boles, tines, rope, string, cable.

"Ready?"

He nodded, handing the box over. "That's all I could find."

Taking the box, I stepped back from the door, moving to start making our boarder security fence. I used the ropes and cables to tie the other bits and pieces along a tree, to a pole and the to the front of the RV. Pressing on the rope and shaking it slightly the cups, plate, tins and things all clanged together.

"Look good?" Zach asked as he stepped out of the RV.

I nodded, pleased with my work. "Anything comes along, we'll here it." I told him as I turned to walk inside.

It was sunset and getting dark. I knew we should be getting something to eat, so I grabbed the spaghetti o's and crackers before setting them out on the table. I wasn't going to start a fire to warm them or anything, we'd just eat it all like this for tonight.

"Aly, dinner."

I heard her shuffling around on the bed before her little feet started this way. She sat by the window, the curtains covering any view just incase some walkers went by.

I sat next to her, Zach across from us while Houdini sat on the ground. I placed one of the paper plates on the ground- Zach had found them- and scooped half of my tin on to it for the dog.

"What are we gonna do about sleeping? Do we take shifts?" Zach asked with a mouth full of cracker.

I shook my head looking into my tin of food as I ate. "No need. Houdini will wake us if there's any noise outside."

He looked behind my shoulder to the bed. "So..."

I could see the uncomfortable and nervous feeling growing inside him. I had realised pretty much as soon as we got into the RV earlier that there's only one bed. It was big enough so all three of us could sleep on it, but... well, Zach was scared.

"We'll deal with it later." I told him, thinking about Aly and not wanting to talk to her about Daryl right now.

He nodded and went back to eating, which I then did the same. But now my mind was on Daryl, and the others.

I wondered who got out, and who with. What they were doing? Were they all heading for the bus? Were some giving up all together? Were they camping for the night? Did anyone die? Was anyone hurt? I hoped and prayed they were all okay...

...

I tucked Aly in under the blanket on the bed. It was thin, and wouldn't do much to fight the cold, but it was the only thing we had.

"Night." she looked up at me, looking so scared and tired.

I sighed, sitting next to her. "Talk to me sweetie." I brushed some hair behind her ears. "Tell me what's on your mind."

She sniffled, hugging her two toys to her chest. "Is everyone dead?"

"Oh, no." I shook my head. "No, no."

"But how do you know?" she was on the edge of tears, I could see how bad she was feeling.

Sighing I looked over my shoulder at Houdini, where he sat on the short couch. "Come here." I called.

He lifted his head before heading over, jumping up next to Aly and lying down. His head dropping on her chest with a sad sigh. He was feeling it too.

"Look." I started as Aly began patting Houdini. "I may not know where everyone is but I do know we can't be the only people that got out. The bus made it, so there are people out there. Okay?"

She nodded, wriggling under the blankets and closing her eyes. "Okay mummy."

I froze. Mummy. She had never called me that before. It warmed my heart, even when it was still aching from losing everyone else. And it had sounded so sweet and right coming from her...

It was no secret that I treated Aly as if she were my own. I may not have had a kid before- I may never have one- but that didn't mean I was clueless as to how a child should be raised and treated and loved. She needed someone, especially in a world like this. I was more than willing to be that someone the moment I saw her.

I kissed her forehead before getting up, watching her for a moment longer.

Turning I headed back to the table where Zach sat. He fiddled with a fork, obviously in deep thought. It wasn't really hard to think about what was on his mind, because we were all thinking the same thing. Except his thoughts were on Beth.

I sat across from him, watching as he sighed.

"You know, I knew, from the moment I got to the camp, chances of survival were pretty low. It's not like I'm a hunter like Daryl. Or a leader like Rick. Or a fighter like Michonne. I mean look at Maggie, Carol and Glenn.

"I can just tell they had to change to be the way they are now. But I never did change. I tried to stay the way I always was. I never wanted to lose that. You know?" he put the fork down, sitting back as he looked to me. "I bet you changed too. Right?"

I thought about the person I had been before. College student fooling around with my dad's best friend. I had been studying to become a teacher. Something simple and easy. I had never planned on leaving my home town.

I always thought I'd graduate, marry Shane, become a teacher, have kids, get a house. My life would be a step by step, simple affair. Nothing too exciting. I hadn't wanted that. I just wanted, peace and simplicity.

Yet here I was, stuck in an RV, about three years since the dead started rising. The guy I had been seeing before the world turned to shit was killed by my dad, and then rekilled by me. The guy I was now in love with was a redneck hunter with a crossbow. And I had sort of adopted a little girl and a dog.

I laughed lightly, shaking my head. "Simple college student. I had everything planned and knew what I wanted from life." I looked up at the roof, smiling half heartedly. "I didn't know how to kill an animal and skin it or anything like that. But I knew how many kids I wanted, and what they're names would be.

"Annabell, Travis, Hazel and Jayden." I nodded to myself. "I wanted two cats, and a white picket fence. My parents would come over on weekends; Carl would come too with his family. We'd all sit and have dinner together. It'd be perfect." My smile fell as I looked to him again, the happiness draining from my face as it turned plain and emotionless. "You don't get to think like that anymore. There's no happy ending, just survival."

I was being harsh, but he needed to hear it. "You say we need to find sanctuary. Well, there is none. All the safe places are taken, or gone. We can't trust anyone we don't know. Not out here. It's do or die. Survival of the fittest. Out here, the one thing you should rely on- the only thing you can rely on- is your instincts." I pointed to the door. "Out there, everything either wants to kill you, or take from you."

His eyes were wide as he swallowed hard, taking it all in. I could tell I was scaring him, but I needed to. He can't slow me down. He can't be the weak link that puts us in danger. Because if it came down to it. I would kill him. If I had to, I'd do it.

My hand fell as I gave a short nod. "Trust me. I've been out here on my own more than once. Both times changed me, but both times I came out alive. And that's all that matters." I stood, moving to grab one of the water bottles, taking a drink as he continued to sit there, watching me with wide eyes. Putting the bottle down I sighed. "We should get some rest." I turned to move to the bed.

"Where will I sleep?" he asked, causing me to stop.

I didn't look at him, just kept my eyes on the only bed in the RV. "Where do you think?" I asked, not harshly or cruel, just simply.

I could feel him go to answer before he stopped himself. It took a moment before he finally spoke. "What about Beth and Daryl."

Looking to him then, I let out a breath of frustration as the sound of Daryl's name broke my heart just a little more.

"Beth and Daryl aren't here. But unless you want to freeze your ass of, lying on that crappy lounge- then I suggest you come sleep on the bed with the rest of us." I shrugged lightly. "It's not like we're gonna spoon or something, Zach. It's just a bed and it's just sleep."

With that I turned back around and moved to join Aly and Houdini, the both of them already fast asleep.

It didn't take long for Zach to get up and cautiously come over to join us. He slid in next to me, making sure we didn't touch. I grinned to myself, amused, as he turned his back.

Even when he wasn't around to be a threat, Daryl still scared the crap out of people...

BaMbY