I just wanted to thank everyone who bothered to read this story!

And give a special thank you to my first reviewer, Leyshla Gisel!

"And then, she just cuts his hand off. Just like that."

Glenn was telling the camp the story of how he met Riley. After he had rested for a few hours, Glenn had wanted some fresh air. He was currently sitting in a lawn chair, his leg stretched out on a log.

Almost everyone was sitting in chairs or on logs around a small fire. Night had fallen, and the group had huddled close together, secretly worried of what might be lurking in the dark.
It was an unspoken agreement that Riley was now a part of the group.

Dinner was passed around, a stew consisting of a few carrot slices, baby mushrooms, a can of kidney beans, and chunks of stringy looking meat. Riley had been informed that she had Daryl to thank for the meat, which was squirrel.

"... then she just throws me over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes."

Riley glanced at everyone around the fire. Many had small smiles on their faces, but none reached their eyes.
She turned her attention to the two Dixion brothers. They had made a fire, roasting several fat squirrels on a stick. She could make out Merle puffing smoke from a cigarette, and his brother, Daryl, was lounging against a fallen log. She wondered if he was as much of a dick as Merle.

"So, where're you from? You don't sound like you're from here."
Snapping out of her thoughts, Riley looked at Jim. "I'm from California."
"You're a long way from home." The camp became quiet, interested in why the tough woman ended up all the way across the country.

"I was over seas, in Pakistan. I was coming home from three tours in the Middle East... and than the world went to shit."

Andrea leaned in closer, "What was it like? Being... over there, I mean." Her voice was quiet, as if the words themselves were heavy on her tongue.
"It's hell." Lori shot Riley a look at her word choice.
"It's like a war movie. You see everything from cowardice to heroism... just people killing people... there's no way you can be ready for it. It just is what it is." She could picture being back in the battle zone. Blood and bodies everywhere. She lowered her gaze and held her arms over her chest.

A silence fell over the group as everyone digested her words.

Lori was the first to get up, saying it was time for her and Carl to go to bed. Soon, more followed, leaving Dale, Riley, Jackie, and T-dog alone at the fire. Shane climbed on top of the camper, taking the first watch.
"Do you need a place to sleep tonight? You could maybe squish in the RV with us." Jackie offered.
Shaking her head, Riley stood and stretched, "Thanks, but I've got a tent in the car."

Finding a nice spot free of any rocks, she got to work setting up her tent. It was small, maybe two people could sleep comfortably in it, but it was a good size for just her. Once she was finished setting it up, Riley grabbed her two bags of belongings, and unzipped the mesh door. Dropping both packs onto the floor of the tent, she could see someone watching her in her peripheries. Straightening, Riley turned her full attention to the observer.

It was Daryl.

He was still sitting on the log, watching her. Merle wasn't with him anymore, probably in his tent licking his wounds.
Riley made a mock salute in hello, and crawled into bed.

Waking from her sleep, Riley got up and got dressed into a pair of cargo pants, a green t shirt, and her boots. Making sure her knife was in it's sheath on her belt, Riley cracked her knuckles and unzipped the mesh door. Stepping out into the morning sun, she was temporarily blinded.
Dale was helping Carol pour water into a large pot over the fire, he smiled when he saw her walk up to them. "Mornin."
"Morning. Can I help?"
Dale shook his head, "We're good here. Maybe Lori could use some help. She's down by the water."

Riley found the small body of water easy enough. Lori, Carol, and Jackie were all busy doing laundry by the waterline. Riley felt silly. She wasn't some housewife, she didn't do anyone else's laundry.
With a sigh, Riley walked over. "You need any help?"

Lori glanced at the woman, "Not with this... but could you help Amy. She's gonna go look for some mushrooms."

Turning and walking back to camp, Riley found the younger blonde stepping out of the RV, a bucket in hand.
"Mind if I join you with the mushrooms? I need to be doing something."
Amy smiled, "Sure! Lemmie get you a bag."

Once the two were ready, they left the safety of camp, and went into the woods.
"We found a nice patch of mushrooms a few days ago, it's not too far."
The two of them walked in a comfortable silence until they found the mushrooms. They busied themselves with the work.
The only noises were the sounds of plants being up-rooted, and birds singing high in the trees.

While picking the fungi, Riley noticed some other useful plants growing nearby. Riley filled her bag with mullein, nettle, and horsetail.
"What is that?"
Riley showed Amy the different plants she had picked up. "These plants all have some great benefits," she held up a fuzzy leaf of mullein. "This is mullein. It's a good substitute for toilet paper, and you can make it into tea." She grabbed the nettle next, "this is nettle. This helps with infections." Then she held the horsetail plant, "and this is called horsetail. This also helps with wounds."

Amy ran her fingers over the soft leaves of the mullein plant, "how do you remember all this stuff? I'd be worried I'd mix up two plants and end up poisoning myself."

Riley gave a small laugh, "You get used to it. When it's a choice between wiping your ass with mullein or a pinecone, you tend to remember which plant is which."

They stood, ready to return to camp, when suddenly it became deathly quiet. The birds had stopped chirping, which only ment something had spooked them.

Grabbing Amy by her elbow, Riley put a finger to her lips, motioning to the girl to stay quiet.

Riley handed Amy the bag full of plants, and unsheathed her knife.
She heard a twig snap to her left, and swiftly angled herself toward the noise. She could hear Amy breathing hard out of fear.

Telling Amy to stay exactly where she was, Riley moved silently to where the noise was heard.
Fulling expecting to find a hungry walker, Riley was ready to do what she must.

Bursting through the thick bushes with her kukri knife held high, Riley was surprised to find a crossbow in her face.
"Jesus! I thought you were a walker!" Riley lowered her knife.
"What tha hell do ya think you're doin? Fuckin woman." He dropped his crossbow so it was aimed at the ground.

Turning from the hunter, Riley scoffed, "Fucking rednecks."
"Everything okay?" Amy was shaking and was gripping the bucket handle so tightly her knuckles were white.
"Yeah. Everything's good. Just an idiot with a crossbow. C'mon, let's get back to camp."

As they walked, Riley took a quick glance behind her and caught a glimpse of Daryl before he disappeared behind the trees.