I decided to post another chapter today! Yay! I'm not good with geography so if my knowledge of the land is off, my bad. Let me know what you think! Enjoy Chapter 4.

ilovebotdf111 : I really appreciated your kind words! I hope the other chapters and future chapters will keep you thinking the same thing! Thank you thank you!

CHAPTER 4

Blake and Tanyon have been camping out for a couple weeks now in the forest. They had very rare encounters with the dead. Food wasn't too much of a concern just yet, but soon all they were going to be living off of was game and water. The pasta was running a bit low and they were down to their last few cans of assorted fruits. Blake had been marking the days on the inside of the RV. It was almost her birthday from what she knew; her 21st. But it also meant, in a few more months the woods were going to be scarce for food. Hopefully, things will be better by then.

Tanyon was up and about again. He got stronger every day since the accident and was soon back to his strong self. Tan was sitting near the RV sharpening their knives for when they were out hunting, or for killing the undead. "Bea! Come on over here and check this out." Blake stepped out of the RV and walked over to Tanyon. "You can skin any animal in these woods, now," Tanyon announced with pride as he held up Blake's hunting knife, cleaned and sharpened.

"Damn. This looks sweet Tanyon," Blake held the knife in her hands, inspecting it's design along the handle and the now razor sharp blade. "I might just have to go and try this out." Blake said as she sheathed her knife and grabbed her brown bag.

"Bea. You are always leaving. Where are you going?" Tanyon said, "I know you aren't going to test out the knife."

Blake had been getting bombarded with questions every time she wanted to leave the camp for the past two weeks. It was getting extremely aggravating getting questioned every time she wanted to go for a walk. "Tanyon, can you stop?"

"Stop what?" Tanyon said without even looking up at her.

"Questioning my whereabouts. This isn't high school anymore. You're not mom and dad. I always come back. Just let me do what I have to do," Blake said, getting angry at herself for getting so easily annoyed at her brother. She loved him to death but god, sometimes he was a little too protective.

"You know how I feel Blake, we need to stick together. You can't just keep wandering off. What are you going to look at? The skyline? It's a graveyard, Bea," Tanyon said. His words punching Blake right in the gut, she turned around and looked him straight in the eye.

"It's not the reason I leave, Tan," Blake said, her voice very tight.

"Then what is it, Bea?" he pleaded.

"I…I guess I'm just looking. I don't know what for. I want to find survivors, anybody to help us move along." She said, her back to her brother, her head hanging down.

"You saw how people were in the streets, Bea…Everyone is a different person now. I don't have to meet other people to know that they have changed. You've changed. I've changed. Some people will change for the worst. People will do anything to stay alive, to keep their families alive; even if its at the expense of others," Tanyon said sadly. "The world is a different place and we are just going to have to evolve with it."

"Exactly, Tan. The world keeps turning, and there's nothing we can do about it. That's why I'm making the most of my time, right now. And right now, I want to go for a walk. I won't wander off too far. Please, the farthest I'll go is the quarry. I'll be back before dusk," Blake said as she looked at her watch.

"Ok, Bea. Listen, I know you love your bow and arrows but please, for my sanity, just take this," Tanyon said as he stood and walked over to Blake. From his back he pulled out his Ruger and presented it to Blake. "Please take it. I know you know how to use it—"

"Tan-" Blake interrupted

"No. Blake! No debate. You want to go out there? Fine. I really can't stop you and I wont force you. But for the love of Christ, just take the gun. I have spares in the RV, please. If you have problems, I'll hear the gun. If you need to scream for help, do so. I'll come running. I promise," Tanyon said as he put the revolver in Blake's hands.

Blake looked up at him and said, "You really are a pain in the ass," as she shoved the revolver in the waistband of her pants.

"You're way worse than me, kid. Now get outta here so you'll be back before the sun goes down. Go. Before I change my mind and lock you in the RV," Tanyon spoke.

"Fine, fine. I'm going. Love you," she said as she made her way off the campsite.

"Love you too, sis. Be safe," Tanyon said as his sister vanished into the brush of the Georgia trees.

It had been a couple weeks since Blake last saw Daryl at the quarry. Every other day she would try and make a journey to the water to see if he was there. He never was, and every time she was disappointed. She didn't understand why she had this urge to talk with Daryl, he wasn't even that much of a talker. He was very interesting…he was a mystery.

Blake arrived to the quarry not too much later after leaving the campsite. When she stepped out of the forest she felt her shoulders slumped. She thought today was the day. She sighed and walked to the shore, deciding to dip her toes in the cool blue water. She made her way over to the rocks and started to remove her boots and socks. She kept the Ruger and her bow close to her side as she finally felt the cool fresh water lap at her red toes. Blake wondered if there would ever be a day where she could get her nails done. She saw the chips of the red polish flaking from her nails. It pained her to look at it, as it seemed to symbolize the flaking of her life pre-apocalypse. Blake hung her head down and felt a ton of emotions wash over her. Everything really started to hit her even harder. She and her brother were all alone, the only people she actually had found had disappeared. Who knew where they were, if they were alive or dead. Her parents were gone, her brother, Carl ,gone too. Her friends, her job, her dreams, all gone. She could never live a normal life now; not after what she had seen in downtown Atlanta.

Dammit Bea. Stop being a pussy. Accept the fact that things are changing…and definitely stop sitting around and crying about it or you're going to drive yourself crazy. Blake stood up from her spot by the water and made her way to her brown knapsack. Picking it up to sit on the rock, she started rummaging through the few supplies she kept on her. Blake took out a map she found near the entrance of the trail and started skimming over it. She scanned the map for a few minutes and found just a few miles West from this location was another quarry. It was worth checking out. Maybe she could find a better campsite, just to keep her and her brother moving along if it came down to it. Attached to Blake's belt loop and hidden in her pocket was a compass. She took it out and ran her fingers over the engravings. Blake flipped it back over, and started heading West.

Blake had been walking for about an hour when she finally found herself coming across the quarry. She breathed a sigh of relief, happy that she was able to use the compass to her advantage and still not get herself lost. Blake then heard the sound of laughter and splashing. Blake's heart began to race.

People.

But, not just adults, kids. She could hear children laughing.

Survivors. Children made it out of the city.

Blake wanted to run to them, wanted to talk to parents, immediately wanting to seek refuge but knew that she couldn't do that. Blake instead observed from a distance making sure to watch her back so there weren't any surprises and keeping an eye on the quarry. As she moved through the forest she got a better view. There were women and the once laughing children were being led back up the side of the quarry.

The remaining folk, the women, started laughing as they cleaned laundry when a big bulky man strolled up to them from the bed of a station wagon. With a cigarette in his mouth he said something to the ladies when a young blonde woman then threw some wet clothes into the man's arms. The man threw the clothes back in her face and a slight quarrel ensued until Blake watched the man strike a small short-haired woman across the face.

Blake was stunned. She wanted to run. If this was how the men in this group acted, then definitely for her sake…. and her brother's, she was not going to put herself in that position. Her and Tan were better off on their own. As she went to turn away, a shorter, well-built man with dark hair came hustling through the trees toward the commotion. He walked with power in his strides and grabbed the abusive man by his button up and dragged him away from the ladies. He then started to throw punches. Punch after punch. Blake couldn't hear the words that were being spoken; but from the stunned faces, the wails of the woman who was struck, and the cracking of bone she knew she didn't want to see much more. Blake wanted to hurry back to camp and talk to her brother.

There were survivors. But was it worth the risk checking them out. She thought maybe it was.