Hi all! Hope you are enjoying this story so far. Still trying to get a hand on how to do this all this story telling! Review please! Here is Chapter 3:

Chapter 3

When Blake returned to camp her brother was already milling around. Tan still had a bit of a limp. "Tan, grab a seat. What do you need?" she asked. She predicted he was going to say no.

"Nah. I'm good, I'm fine. Just going through what we have? The heat is really going to mess up a bit of our food supply. I wouldn't even suggest we drink or use this milk anymore; it'll curdle," he said as he put two cans of condensed milk in a black garbage bag.

"Not all of it though, right?" Blake asked nervously.

"No, not all of it, thank god. We have a lot of rice and pasta to last a bit. I think we can push it on the canned fruit too. I definitely wouldn't trust the milk. Oh! And of course your favorite…" Tan turned around to face her with his hands full. "Ramen!"

"I hate you," Blake said to her brother jokingly, knowing he knew that she hated Ramen noodles. Ramen was her diet for three years in college. Blake stared at the Ramen and finally felt a wave of emotion wash over her. All her friends, professors, all the work she had done….was gone. What she would give to live on a Ramen and soda diet again. She thought she was struggling to survive then.

Tan noticed the brightness leave her hazel eyes as he put the Ramen back. He limped over to her and pulled her in for a hug. Blake relaxed into her brother's arms as he stroked her back. This was all the family she had left and she swore to herself to keep them together as long as possible.

"We'll be ok," he said to her. Blake knew he wanted to believe it but wasn't so sure

"I know, Tan," she said as she gave her brother one final squeeze. "Enough of this mushy shit, lets make some breakfast," Blake said as she let go of her brother and moved to the bed of their truck. She picked up the Ramen noodles and said, "Here's to Ramen noodles, for always being a reliable source of food." She grabbed two packages and went to the pit to make a college breakfast.

It had been a couple days of milling around the camp and hunting for Blake and Tan. Tan's ankle was doing a lot better, he was going hunting with Blake now that he could walk. She didn't let him push it though, he couldn't make it too far yet.

Blake and Tan returned back to camp late afternoon. Tan had a long day on his feet and was starting to limp once more. Blake sat him down by the campfire on their lawn chair and helped him elevate his foot.

"Bea? Do you mind grabbing me some water from the bucket please?," he asked with big puppy dog eyes

"You are so needy," Blake said as she jokingly rolled her eyes and made her way to the water bucket. "God dammit," Blake announced.

"What's wrong?" Tan said as he turned in the chair.

"Some animals knocked over the water buckets. We have to remember to keep these inside. I hope one of those assholes gets caught in my snares," Blake said as she picked up the two buckets.

"Where are you going," Tan asked. "It's going to be getting dark soon. You shouldn't be going out alone," he said as he began to stand up from the lawn chair. He was a bit wobbly once he put pressure on his foot but Blake was there by his side immediately

"Tan, the sun isn't setting for another hour and a half at least. I'm just running to the quarry. I'm going to take the other route on the way down to check the snares, but I'll be on the normal trail on my way back," Blake said as she began to pack her brown knapsack.

"Bea, you know this doesn't make me comfortable," Tan said.

"I know. I know it doesn't. But you pulled your weight today and now you need to rest. We don't want to re-damage your ankle or we're going to be stuck in this suck-ass RV forever," Blake said.

Tan took a deep breath and started making a fire for the night. "Yeah, I guess" he said. "You know I hate this, right? I know you're right also," he paused. "Holler' if you need me. I'll wobble my way down," he said with a smile. Blake gave her brother a hug and a kiss on the cheek before her departure.

Blake stomped through the brush of the forest, grateful that the sun was going to be setting soon. Thank god for the shade of all the tress or she would have melted. With bow and arrow on her back and her knapsack she stopped at her snares. Nothing. Blake said to herself. She continued her journey to the quarry and stopped when she saw a familiar pair of wings.

Blake watched him from a distance as he sat on the bank of the quarry, his crossbow at his side. She took one step forward and got her shirt caught on a bush. Daryl immediately turned around with his crossbow aimed at her.

"Oh. It's you. Almost put an arrow in ya face," Daryl said as he threw his crossbow back on his back.

"Well, I'm glad you didn't," Blake said as she moved closer to him. Daryl's eyes squinted at her as she walked towards him. Daryl watched her suspiciously as she moved closer to the bank of the quarry. "How's your week been," she asked as she slid off her socks and boots and rolled up her green denim. She waited for a response and ducked the bucket under water. Blake looked behind her to catch Daryl looking at her ass.

When they made eye contact Daryl coughed and answered her question, "Uh- been alrigh' I guess. Haven't seen any walkers in over a week." Blake finished up getting the water and made her way back to land.

"Yeah. Same. The most peace I've felt since this whole thing hit," Blake said.

"There's no such thing as peace anymore," Daryl said, his eyes suddenly seeming sunken and agitated.

"The whole world could be chaos around you, put as long as there is peace in your heart, that's all that really matters," Blake said as she patted her feet and legs with a rag in her backpack.

"That's some stupid shit," Daryl said and Blake flinched at his words.

"Yeah. I guess. A lot of what we have to deal with is some stupid shit," Blake said as she strapped on her boots roughly. "Doesn't mean you have to sit around and wallow in the horror around you. You might as well be dead if you think that way," she said. Daryl didn't respond to her. He was about to tie up a line of squirrels to his belt loop and head out before Blake stopped him.

"Hey…Daryl?" she asked

"What," he answered gruffly, ready to move on.

"I never thanked you for the other day. For the rabbit and having control over your brother," she said. Blake felt her cheeks turning a little red and thought it best she bend over to get her bow and arrow.

"Yeah. Sure," Daryl said, his eyes softening. Nobody ever really thanked him for anything. Maybe when he paid hookers and shit, but nothing as genuine as how Blake was thanking him right now.

"It really did mean a lot. My brother would have been devastated if something happened to me while he was injured," Blake added. "He's the only family I got left," she said as she finished off the sentence. Not understanding why she was feeling emotional around Daryl.

"My brother is an asshole but hes all I got too. ," he said, his shoulders seeming to relax a bit more as stayed rooted to his spot.

"Is it still just you and him? Have you found any newcomers?" Blake asked.

"No. It's just me and him still. Haven't seen nobody in these forests. Didn't think nobody else would want to come up here," Daryl said, immediately looking uncomfortable.

"Well, it's nice knowing the only neighbors I have now-a-days," Blake said with a smile. Daryl caught sight of her nice white teeth and responded, "Yeah. Hopin' it stays that way. I don' need to be watchin' out for too many people."

Blake looked at him with an unreadable expression on her face. Daryl started to feel awkward again and then immediately wanted to back out of the conversation. He started to take some steps back.

"Stay safe." Daryl said as he turned away.

"Wait!," Blake announced, Daryl turned around and faced her once more as she strapped on her fingerless gloves. "Maybe I'll see you around?" she asked.

"Maybe. Can't garuntee nothin' now a days." Daryl replied quietly.

"Yeah. I guess. Well…bye Daryl." Blake said to him one last time before turning away to face the quarry to grab her water buckets. By the time Blake turned around, he was gone.