Evelyn awoke so suddenly, it was as if someone had roused her intentionally. Her senses were on high alert - something was wrong. She didn't know how she knew, it was just a feeling, an instinct and her instincts had grown increasingly intense these past few weeks. There was no questioning it. Without further stall, Evelyn untied herself quickly and quietly, strapping her bag tight against her frame. Bow in hand, she crouched, preparing to make a move at any moment when she saw something moving through the brush.

Walker, she thought. Just one if she was lucky, even two she could handle, but if it were a group then things could get nasty. They were like bloodhounds, she swore they could smell her. She could pick them off from her position, but she'd have to be quick about it, if there were others nearby they wouldn't be far behind.

She held her breath, but what she saw turned her blood cold. It wasn't a walker. It was a man. Her pulse quickened. The dead were dumb, people were ruthless. Evelyn pressed herself against the tree and prayed he wouldn't see her. He was a rugged, determined looking man with a crossbow and dead squirrels tied together over his shoulder. This man didn't appear anything like the bandits she'd encountered, all wide-eyed and insane, he was composed, calculated, observant. And that frightened her all the more.

Evelyn watched anxiously as he crouched over the remains of her fire, touching the ashes, before standing up again. "Come on out!" he demanded, holding his crossbow at the ready. She started to panic and tried to blend in with tree. "I know you here!" he called out. Looking around, she saw another branch within reach, if she could just get around to the other side, she might be able to make a break for it. She stood up as gingerly as she could, reaching for the next limb. But just as she put weight on it, it snapped and tumbled down. Evelyn hugged the trunk of the tree, squeezing her eyes closed. Shit, she breathed.

The stranger pointed his weapon to the tree, "if you don't come down, I'll start poppin' off rounds! Ring the dinner bell for the geeks!" Evelyn bit the inside of her cheek, drawing blood before taking a deep breath, "alright! I'm coming down, don't shoot!" But she knew he was just as likely to kill her as soon as she stepped on the ground, but it was a chance she had to take. At least if she were on even ground, there was a chance to get away- she was a sitting duck in that tree.

"Put you hands up," the man demanded. She complied. "You gotta group? How many?"

"No," she kept her voice steady. Show no fear, no weakness, she told herself.

"Take your hood off," he commanded. She did so slowly, making no threatening, sudden moves. Glancing around, she started plotting which direction would be the best to run. "No group?" he asked again.

"No," she shook her head and brought her eyes back to his. He appeared as if he was mulling this over, "and you? Where's your group?" she scanned the brush, hunting for signs of any slight movement.

"Who says I got one?"

"You can't possibly eat all that yourself," she motioned toward the squirrels.

It was quiet for a moment, even the sound of the birds seemed to melt out of existence as they sized one another up. "I'mma put this down, don't even think about trying to pull one over." She nodded, "okay," she said, dropping her hands slowly as he dropped his weapon.

He turned his back on her and started walking, "come on."

"What?" she blinked.

"You deaf?" he called back, "I said let's go." And despite herself, she followed, keeping at a bit of a distance, keeping on high alert as she watched the surrounding forest. What the hell was she doing? She didn't know this man. He could be leading her into a death trap for all she knew. But it was alluring to be in somewhat civil company of another human being after so long. After a few minutes though, her curiosity chewed her out, "Uh, where are we going?"

"Back to my camp," he told her. And with that she stopped and backed away, a hand on the grip of the pistol in her belt. He looked back at her and she knew she couldn't conceal the horror that crept into her eyes as flashbacks of the men she'd seen on the road since she left home resounded in her mind. "We gotta a group. About twenty. Men, women and children. They take in lost causes. You'd be welcomed."

"Oh," was all she managed to say. He headed off again and, while she hesitated, she followed. The prospect of meeting people intimidated her, but it also excited her. Evelyn hadn't had a civil discussion with another person in weeks, hadn't met anyone who wasn't twisted by this new world. She still held onto her suspicions, but for a strange reason, felt a bit reassured. Endowed with new hope, she caught up to the man in front of her, "I'm Evelyn. Evelyn Jade." He simply snorted and kept walking. But the time she'd spent in absolute solitude was catching up with her, "who are you?"

"Daryl," he responded evenly, keeping up his pace. Up close she didn't find him quite as frightening, but he was still rather imposing. His clothes were ragged and his dark blond hair was dirty. However, she found his eyes intriguing, they were set, determined and challenging. In all, it seemed like he was well adapted to this new world. "Quit starin," he said.

Evelyn turned her gaze forward, "sorry," she apologized, "it's just been a long time since…well-"

"Since you've seen anyone look this good?"

"Yes," she confirmed. Daryl smirked and she quickly corrected herself, "No. I mean it's just…it's just been a long time since I've seen anyone, really. At least, anyone not trying to kill me," she added. "Would you like me to carry anything?" She thought being helpful might prove her peaceful nature and willingness to work within a group.

"I want you to shut up." At that, Evelyn scowled but didn't say another word. She was so close to being reunited with something that could hold a since of normalcy. There was still the chance that Daryl was lying to her, but she didn't find it likely. They walked for what seemed like forever before the trees began thinning out and she began to hear voices, the chatter and clatter of actual people. Evelyn's heart pounded and she was suddenly very nervous. She slowed down as Daryl broke the tree line, how could she just melt back into any form of society? What if she said the wrong things, did the wrong things? It seemed as if every possible thing that could go wrong was running through her mind. She also realized that she had not even seen a reflection of herself and no doubt she looked horrid. Daryl turned back to look at her, "you comin'?" he asked.

She took a breath, nodded and came up beside him, "yeah," she said. Before her was a bustling scene of people working, laughing, smiling and talking. She felt entirely overwhelmed, even more so when they began to stop what they were doing and make their way toward her curiously. For a moment they just looked from her to Daryl, who was stone still. No one said anything, as if they were waiting for her to explain herself. She tried to articulate a message of gratitude, of awe, of welcome, but all that she was able to get out was, "hi. I'm Evelyn."