Dembe took a step forward, then promptly collapsed to the wood floor. Red dropped his gun and ran towards Dembe then knelt next to him and began checking for injuries. Liz approached them slowly and said quietly, "Was he bitten?"

Red didn't look up at her as he rolled Dembe to his back. Liz was shocked at his appearance. There were cuts, bruises, and blood..blood everywhere. "I'm quite certain he's not, but I can't be absolutely sure until he regains consciousness so I can ask him. Will you find something to dress his wounds with?"

Liz nodded and walked back into the living room and peeled a sheet away from their bed. She tried to tear it into pieces but she wasn't quite strong enough, so she took it back to Red so he could help her. He stood up and took the sheet from her, then began ripping it into strips. After he finished, he handed them to her and knelt back down and began wiping the blood from his face with his handkerchief. It looked as if he'd been beaten, and Liz wondered how Dembe had ever gotten away from his captors.

Red finished dressing his wounds soon after, then turned to Liz and said, "Help me drag him to the living room. I'm worried that he hasn't regained consciousness."

Liz nodded and picked up Dembe's feet as Red put his hands under his armpits and lifted. Liz did what she could, but Dembe was a large man and very heavy, so by the time they laid him on the bed, they were both breathing heavily. She could smell her sweat, and desperately wished for a shower.

Dembe didn't move as Red pulled his dirty shoes and pants off, then pulled a blanket over the top of him. Liz looked at Red with concern and said, "Why isn't he waking up?"

Red ran a sleeve over his forehead to wipe off the sweat. "I'm not certain. He's been badly beaten, and a few broken ribs I suspect. He may never wake up." Liz didn't want to think about that possibility.

Red continued as Liz stared at Dembe's still form. "It looks like we'll be staying here another night at least. We have enough food and water for a few days..maybe a week if we ration, but we need to find some new clothes. Personally I can't stand the way I smell."

She looked up at him and nodded, "I agree. We passed some houses on our way back, should we go look there?"

He worked his jaw for a moment, then nodded. "I don't like leaving Dembe alone, but I have a feeling that it'll be a while until he wakes up. We need to find some more blankets to make another bed, too."

He stepped close to her and ran his unsoiled fingers softly over her temple then down her jaw. "Are you up for that?"

She still had a headache, but the medicine was beginning to help. "I'll be fine. We need to get moving if we want to get back before dark." She'd always hated that it got dark so early this time of year, and it was going to make things even more difficult for them now.

Red led her into the kitchen and picked up his abandoned water bottle that was still half full. He handed it to her and said, "I hate to waste water, but I need to get this blood off of my hands. Will you pour it over hands in the sink?" She nodded and sidled up close to him, putting one hand on his lower back and the other poised over his bloody hands in the dry metal sink. She poured the water slowly as he scrubbed his hands vigorously under the stream until they were relatively clean. After the water was gone, she put the empty bottle next to her on the counter, but didn't move away from him. She felt comforted by his proximity and was loath to lose that comfort, however fleeting.

When she didn't move away from him, he put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her into an all-encompassing hug. She laid her head on his shoulder, wrapped her arms tightly around his lower back, and sighed as he ran his hands up and down her back softly. "Lizzie," he said quietly, "What's wrong?"

She took a shaky breath, then blew it out slowly and said, "I feel like this is how it's going to be for the rest of our lives. I don't see an end or solution in sight. How the hell are we going to survive this?"

He turned his head and kissed her temple. "One day at a time. You can't look at the big picture, Lizzie. You won't want to continue trying to live if you do that." He was right of course, but it was easier said than done.

He tried to pull away, but she grabbed his belt loops on the back of his trousers and pulled him back towards her; she wasn't ready for that comforting feeling to go away. They stayed that way for another few minutes until Liz pulled back finally and grimaced. "Sorry."

He reached forward and cupped her jaw with both of his hands, running his thumbs over her cheeks softly. "You don't need to apologize. I imagine that we'll have a lot of moments like these in the coming days, months, years." He leaned down to kiss her cheek, but she turned her head at the last second and he ended up kissing her lips. He pulled back for a second, surprised, but when he saw acceptance on her face, leaned back down and kissed her fully. He moved his lips over hers, applying firm enough pressure for her to want to open her mouth to him, but before she could, he pulled back and said, "As much as I would love to continue this, we have things we need to do. Perhaps we can finish this tonight?" He smirked and rose his eyebrows playfully, but she shook her head and slapped his chest lightly. Leave it to Red to comfort her and provide the comic relief all in a matter of minutes.

He pulled away from her completely and walked into the living room to check on Dembe. Liz pulled out a few more ibuprofen's and put them in her pocket so she could take them later. Red walked back in just as she was finishing and said, "He hasn't moved." He looked worried, but he was clearly trying to hide from her just how worried he actually was.

Liz nodded and walked towards the garage, "Well then let's go and get back before he wakes up."

OOOOOO

Minutes later, Red pulled the van in front of a single-story home with toys strewn across the front yard; it looked to be abandoned. The area was clear of Walkers at the moment, so they both hurried out of the car and walked up to the front door and turned the handle; it was unlocked. Red pushed the door open and brought his gun up as Liz did the same. They did a sweep of the house, but didn't find any of the previous occupants. Liz was glad, but also heartbroken for whomever had lived there. Going through the house confirmed that there were at least three kids in the family, and Liz wondered if they were still alive.

Red found Liz in the kitchen trying to find whatever food they could use. There wasn't much left, but there was some. "It looks like a single mother lived here. There isn't any men's clothing, but there is quite a lot for you to look through. She looked to be close to the same size as you.

Liz rose her eyebrows at him but didn't say anything; not even going to go there and ask how he knew what size of clothing she wore. It shouldn't surprise her really.

She nodded and said, "Why don't you find anything else we can use while I go find some clothes?"

He nodded and took the bag that she held out to him. She made her way into the master bedroom and began searching through the closets. Red was right, most of them were in her size. She pulled everything down from the hangers and laid them on the bed, then emptied all the drawers full of undergarments and socks. The woman's bra size was a lot smaller than Liz's, so she couldn't use those, but everything else she could use. It didn't matter that the clothes looked drab and boring, they would help keep her warm and feeling somewhat clean. She threw everything in the middle of the bed, then wrapped the comforter on the bed around the clothes and used it like a makeshift bag. She carried it back in the living room and found Red searching through a closet in the hallway for blankets. He had a lot of them in his hands, and Liz was glad that most everything was found in the first house they went to; all they needed was clothes for Red.

When he met her in the living room, she smiled and said, "Are you ready?"

He nodded and picked up the bags, then watched as Liz picked up everything else and walked out the door. That's when he heard her scream.

He dropped everything and ran out to see Liz being closed in on three sides by snarling Walkers that were quickly advancing on her. She turned to look at him fearfully. His heart clenched as he grabbed his gun and shot them all in the head before they could reach her. He walked up to her and pulled her into a fierce hug, "Are you ok?"

She nodded, but her breaths were still coming in gasps as she tried to calm herself down. "You've got to remember to check your surroundings," he said in a exasperated tone.

"I know. It was like the house sheltered everything and I forgot for a moment about the hell that we're living in." She couldn't tear her eyes away from the rotting corpse that was lying at her feet. He ran his hand through her hair once, then pulled away from her and picked up the things he had dropped; she hadn't ever let go of the things she held. They made their way quickly to the van, glad that the gunfire hadn't attracted more of them.

They sat in the van for a few moments, waiting for their adrenaline to wear down a bit before they searched the next house. "We need to find other weapons. I'm down to my last few bullets, and I imagine it's the same for you," Red said in a low voice.

She nodded, "I don't have many left. What can we use though?"

He looked at her, "Anything that will pierce the brain. Hammers, swords, knives etc."

"Let's go to the next house, and we can look for those things too."

He turned the car on and drove until they came to the next house. This one was nicer than the first. Two-storied with a circle drive-way and a well-manicured yard. Red pulled into the circle drive and killed the engine. They both stepped out of the car simultaneously, and jogged to the front door with their guns raised. Red tried the door, but unfortunately it was locked. He pointed behind her and they both ran down the sidewalk and to the side door; that one was locked too.

"Red, I'm sure there are still people here. I don't want to run into anyone if we can help it." She shuddered at the memory of those foul men that almost did unspeakable things to her for the sake of entertainment.

He bit the inside of his cheek, but nodded eventually. "Let's move on to the next one then."

They ran back to the car without incident, then drove to the next house down the line. This one was a lot like the first one, and Liz and Red found what they needed quickly. The men's clothes they found were going to be too big on Red, but no so much that he couldn't make them work. They found a hammer in a work room, and pulled all the knives from the kitchen drawers.

They were in and out in a matter of minutes and ran back to the van. Just as Red pulled away from the curb, a man ran limping towards them, waving his arms. She looked at Red to see if he would stop, but he just shook his head at the man and began driving away. The man reached the van and began hitting the windows while screaming, "Please! You have to help us. My daughter was bitten by one of those monsters!"

Red stomped on the accelerator and left the man behind quickly. She looked in the side-view mirror to see the man on his knees, sobbing; she felt horrible. "Red, maybe we-"

He put his hand on her thigh and shook his head, "We can't help every poor soul that comes along. We have to take care of ourselves." He was right, but she hoped to hell that they never needed help and came upon strangers that refused to help them; that would be the epitome of karma.

OOOOOO

When they returned to the house, they found it undisturbed; Dembe still hadn't moved an inch.

They brought all their new finds into the kitchen and organized everything. They had a lot of clothes and enough food to last the three of them for a few weeks. They had also picked up a first-aid kit and toiletries like deodorant and toilet paper.

They shared a meal of cold beans and stale bread, then went in and dressed Dembe's wounds with Neosporin and sterile bandages. After they finished with him, they made up another bed with the new blankets and pillows they'd found, then changed into a fresh pair of clothes (Her, a pair of short shorts and a tank top, and him just a pair of flannel pants), brushed their teeth and laid down in the bed together.

He ran a hand over her side and looked at her with soft eyes, "Thank you for helping with Dembe."

Liz nodded, "Of course, I consider him a friend, too."

She closed her eyes sleepily, but opened them again when Red began to pull her body closer to his. "What are you doing?"

He smiled, "I told you that I wanted to continue what we started in the kitchen earlier."

"But Red, Dembe is-"

He cut the rest of her sentence off with his mouth as he kissed her and pulled her lower body flush with his. He traced her bottom lip with his tongue, and when she opened her mouth, moved it inside and explored her mouth thoroughly. She moaned when his hand brushed over her abdomen, every nerve suddenly on fire from his touch. The moan seemed to urge him on as he moved his body on top of hers and began to kiss down her neck, nipping and placing open-mouth kisses all the way down to the top of her breasts. She ran her hands over the top of short-cropped hair and scratched his neck lightly with her fingernails as he hit a particularly sensitive spot with his mouth. She could feel how much he wanted her as he moved straddle her, then began to push up her shirt with his hands.

She grabbed his wrists and said, "Red, don't you think we should talk about this first? You acted like hardly even liked me the last few months, and now you do suddenly?"

He sighed and moved his mouth as if to say something, but nothing came out. She ran her thumbs over the top of his wrists and waited for him to explain himself. After a moment, he finally looked her in the eyes and said, "Would you believe me if I told you that I was distancing myself because I felt like I was getting too close to you? I didn't deserve you, still don't, but I hoped that by distancing myself, you would find someone closer to your age that's not a wanted criminal." She believed him.

"Would you believe me if I told you that I don't care about those things? The heart wants, what the heart wants. Who am I to question it?" She pulled on his wrists until he laid himself over the top of her again; he didn't display any reluctance. She kissed his jaw, then his temple as he put his face in her neck and left feather-light kisses there.

Just as he reached her mouth again, they heard a low moan from behind them.

Dembe was awake.

AN: I know it's been a while since I last updated. I apologize for that. This is dedicated to 7ases7years and jessahmewren who pushed me to update this. Thanks for the kick in the butt ladies! Thanks so much for all the reviews/favs/follows, I really do appreciate them. I would love to know if people are still enjoying this, so please let me know what you think! :)