Ch.1

Sam stared out at the woods and grimaced as he saw another Walker stumbling through the trees. It trudged through the bushes and the trees making a series of grunting noises with every step it took.

He could see the torn and bloody clothes of it. A hiker by the looks of the boots and shredded backpack that was clinging to the Walker's body by a thread.

It wasn't a threat. He could just leave it and keep going. But it had been awhile since he had used his machete and letting his skills get rusty was definitely something that he wanted to avoid.

"Oh to hell with it," he muttered to himself as he unsheathed his blade. Just as he was about to rush it he heard the faintest of gasps. He looked just a bit farther in front of the the Walker and saw a little girl. She couldn't have been more than eleven. There she was though, stumbling in front of a Walker in the middle of the woods.

Sam charged the Walker and sunk his machete deep into it's skull. The blade was pulled out and a small amount of blood squirted out of the deep cut in the Walker's skull.

The little girl screamed and stumbled back. She lost her balance and fell down to the ground.

A snarl alerted Sam that there was another Walker. He spun around and saw what looked to be a Ranger with it's pants down, shriveled and slightly decayed manhood on display, stumbling toward him.

Sam swung his machete at a downward arch and sliced the Walkers calf and sent it to the one quick motion he sliced its head in half.

He heard the girl scream again. He turned and saw her panting heavily and with a look of pure fear in her eyes.

"Are you ok?" Sam took a step forward and the girl slip back as he reached out.

Sam looked down at his hand. Blood. Fresh blood.

He must've looked quite scary to the poor girl.

"I'm not gonna hurt ya'." he told her gently.

She gave him a strange look. "You talk funny."

I just save her life and she says that I talk funny. "Uh, yeah I suppose I do. But are you ok?" She nodded and got to her feet. "Can you tell me your name?"

She nodded. "I-I'm Sophia."

"Hello Sofia my name's Samuel, Samuel Conall, but you can call me Sam. Now if you don't mind me asking, are you all alone out here?"

She shook her head and Sam looked around as if to say, Well where are your parents?

"I got separated. Rick told me to keep the sun on my left shoulder. They're at the highway."

Sam had no idea where the highway was and he didn't exactly have a map on hand but he couldn't exactly leave the poor girl.

"Do you know which way the highway is Sophia?" She shook her head. "Do you know if this fellow named Rick is close by?" Another shake. "Ok, alright then uhh…"

Sam grabbed a rag from his pack and began wiping the blood from his hands and machete. "Well I can't exactly leave you here can I?"

Sophia didn't say anything.

"So how about you stick with me for a bit. I'll try and help you find your parents-"

"My mom," Sophia interrupted, "My dad died."

"My condolences," she just shrugged. "Well anyway, since there's no highway that way," Sam pointed from the direction he had been walking from, "I'm willing to bet that it's from the direction you came from."

Sophia nodded uneasily.

"Look, we only got about two hours of sunlight left, how long have you been out here?"

"All day." Shit.

"Ok well… shit. Hopefully you didn't wander too far."


They hadn't found anything in those two hours other than the occasional Walker that cane stumbling out of the woods. Sam took care of them quickly and quietly. He tried not to use his gun unless he absolutely had too.

Sophia had managed to keep up with him through the time that they were together but she was just so damn loud.

She stopped around the woods and her breathing was so loud. Sam was sure that they would be discovered by a group of Walkers at one point but Sophia had managed to calm her breathing enough so that they weren't discovered.

Now the two of them were sitting around a small fire that Sam had made eating out of one of his cans of beans.

As far as nights go Sam had worse ones. He had definitely had better ones, but most certainly worse ones.

"Sam, do you think we'll find my mom?" Sophia asked as she took another mouthful of food.

He nodded. "Course. I mean as long as we keep going that way then I'm sure we'll find 'em by tomorrow. Now come on, we need to get some sleep," Sam told her as he got off the ground and stomped out the fire.

Sam slowly began climbing the nearest tree and when he reached the top he held his hand out to Sophia.

"What are you doing?"

"What you want to sleep on the ground? What if one of 'em comes around while we're sleeping? No it's best to sleep in the trees. Not as comfortable, but definitely safer than the ground."

She seemed to see the logic in Sam's statement since she took his hand.

Sam put her on one of the higher branches and reached into his pack and pulled out what looked like seatbelts.

"I'm just gonna strap you in. We don't want you falling out do we?" Sophia laughed as he wrapped the straps around her legs.

"Why do you talk funny?"

Sam smiled as he finished strapping her into the tree. "I'm from Ireland Sophia. I was over here when everything happened. So that's why I talk funny to you. Now you're all strapped in, don't worry you won't fall, I've been using these for awhile and I haven't fallen out."

Sophia smiled and adjusted herself. "Thank you Sam, good night."

"Night Sophia."


The sun had managed to peek through the trees, and the birds were beginning to sing. If it wasn't for the fact Sam had a machete, and was sleeping in a tree with a lost little girl, then it would have been a great morning. But unfortunately for Sam he did have a machete, and was sleeping in a tree with a lost little girl that he had to get to her mother.

Sam undid the buckled that kept him in the tree and moved toward Sophia.

"Sophia, time to wake up, come on. Long day's march and all that." Sophia woke up and Sam undid the straps for her.

After each of them had used the bathroom, which consisted of bushes that were a respectful distance from each other, they began walking.

If it wasn't for the abundance of trees and the nice breeze, then Sam was sure that he would have passed out in the hot Georgia sun.

"So why were you over here?" Sophia asked me as we crossed a creek.

"What do you mean?"

"Well you said you were from Ireland, what are you doing here?"

Sam shrugged. "School trip, we were sent here to see what life was like in the south during the eighteen hundreds. It was pretty cool, at least until the dead began walking and all hell broke loose."

"Are any of your classmate still alive?"

"I don't know, my friends and I split off from the class early on, we didn't last very long," Sam said sparing her the details.

"Where'd you get that?" She pointed at his machete.

"You'd be surprised at what you can find when society collapses."

"What about that?" She pointed at the gun on his hip and the rifle slung on the side of his backpack.

"Dead soldier. He had the rifle and the pistol. Not much ammo but enough in case I get into any problems."


Sam heard Sophia's stomach growl again.

"Uh Mr. Conall, do we have anything to eat?"

"Call me Sam Sophia, and as for the food situation, I do have a few granola bars left over but if you want I could set up a few snare traps."

"What are those?"

Sam grinned. "Come on, I'll show you."

So for the better part of an hour Sam showed Sophia how to set up snare traps. And although the snares wouldn't catch anything right away they would still be useful and maybe they would bear some fruit… figuratively.


BANG

Sam whipped his head around at the sound of a gunshot.

He waited.

Only one. Weird. It was strange that someone would waste a bullet on a single Walker. Unless they were hunting. Or maybe…

"Sophia you said your people had guns right?" She nodded. "Do you think they'd of fired that shot?"

"I don't know. Daryl might've used his crossbow." Crossbow? "But they might've used their guns."

They decided that the best course of action would to probably make our way to the gunshot. Even if it wasn't them, the chances of finding a dead guy with a gun was high and every bullet mattered now.


Trekking through the woods was hard and slow work.

By the time night fell Sophia and Sam were so tired that Sam wasn't sure if he could climb up a tree so they could sleep.

But luckily Sam had seen a house. It wasn't in the best shape. Part of the roof had caved in on the second floor and it could definitely use a fresh coat of paint, but other that that it looked perfect.

Sam had told Sophia to stay outside while he made sure that the house was clear.

"If any of 'em show up just yell and I'll come running," Sam had told her before going into the house with his machete in one hand and a small flashlight in the other.

Luckily it had been empty and after making sure that the house was secure so they wouldn't get any visitors in the night, the two had fallen straight to sleep.

The next day they had begun their journey to find the source of the gunshot. Sophia had named their journey.

Sam actually liked that. She was a cute kid. Despite being separated from her mom and group she seemed to be cheerful and optimistic. Two things that Sam had actually missed seeing since the beginning of it all.


"We gotta get the hell out of here!" Sam shouted as he hacked the head of a walker in half.

He didn't know where they had come from. One moment they had been checking the snares, the next dozens of Walkers had begun stumbling through the woods.

Sam had tried fighting them. He had snunk the blade of his machete into the skulls of many Walkers before he realized that he was outnumbered. So he did what he knew do. He grabbed Sophia and ran like hell.

He could hear the snarls of the Walkers behind him and Sophia whimpering in his ear.

Their footsteps thundered against the forest floor. It was as if there were hundreds of thousands of Walkers all trying to get him.

"Their getting closer" Sophia cried clutching the doll she had when Sam had found her.

"Can you swim?" Sam demanded.

"W-why?"

"Can you swim?!"

"Yes!"

"Good. Hold onto me! If you lose your grip then start kicking and follow me!" Before she could answer Sam sped up and jumped into the fast flowing creek he was running besides.

The water was refreshingly cold considering that he had been just running in the hot Georgia sun with a little girl on his shoulder.

Speaking of which, Sam didn't feel Sophia on his shoulder anymore. In fact, he didn't even hear her. He didn't hear anything other than the sound of the water. And he felt his heart began to race faster.

What if something had happened to Sophia? What if she had drowned? What if she had washed up on the bank and was caught by a walker?

Sam whipped his head around rapidly as he kicked against the current.

"Sophia!" He screamed, desperately looking for her in the rushing water. "Sophia are you there?!"

Still no answer.

"Shit!" Sam kicked towards the bank and slowly pulled himself and his wet belongings out of the river.

He scanned the rushing water for any sign of the little girl but there was nothing.

"Oh fuck me! SOPHIA! Are you out there?!"

"Mr. Conall!" He looked down the river. "Mr. Conall are you there?!"

"Sophia?!" He sprinted through the trees and mud, lugging the more heavier than usual gear with him.

"Over here!" He sprung though the brush and came face to face with the little girl. He smiled and scooped her up in his arms.

"Oh thank God you're ok!" He laughed. "I thought I lost you for a second there."

He put her on the ground and saw her smile brightly.

"I'm alright Mr. Conall, I just… I lost Missy." She looked down at her shoes.

"Missy?"

"My doll. My mom got her for me and I dropped her in the river."

I lifted her head. "Hey Sophia, what do you think your mom's gonna be more glad to have? A doll or you?"

"Me," she said after a moment.

"Damn right. Now come on. We need to find out where we are."


"Truth or dare?"

"Do I have to pick Sophia?"

"Yup!"

"Alright… truth."

"Have you ever had a girlfriend?"

Sam raised an eyebrow at that. "No I haven't. Too busy trying to keep my grades up. Not a lot of time for that sort of thing."

Sophia seemed to accept that answer. "Your turn."

"What?"

"You have to ask me truth or dare."

Sam smiled and shook his head. "I don't remember wanting to play this game if I remember correctly."

"Come on, please? It gets boring when we just walk," she whined.

"Alright alright, truth or dare?"

"Truth!"

Sam thought it over for a minute. "Have you…. ever been outside of Georgia?"

"No. Truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"Hmmm, how do you know how to set up those snare traps?"

"A friend of mine taught me."

"Who was he?"

Sam smiled, "I thought it was my turn."

"Come on!"

"Alright, alright fine. Michael was his name. His dad taught him, when everything went to shit, he taught me and a few others so we could all survive."

"Where is he now?"

He shrugged. "Dead probably. My friends and I got separated by a big group of 'em about a month ago. Haven't seen anyone since."

"I'm sure you'll find them."

"I hope so."


Sophia Stay Here We Will Come Every Day.

Andrea could honestly say that she didn't see the point of coming out to the highway and waiting for a girl that wasn't going to show up. Honestly what was the point. Humoring a widow who probably lost her daughter as well? It didn't make any sense.

They had much better things to do. But no one wanted to see what was so painfully obvious. Well no one except Shane and her. But no one listened to them. They were the odd ones out.

Andrea looked up to the sky. It was a mixture of oranges and fading dark blue. The sun was beginning to disappear. There was probably only an hour before the sun went away for the night.

She placed a hand on Carol's shoulder, "We'll come again tomorrow."

Carol nodded.

"You know there's always a chance-" then Carol walked away.

Andrea just didn't get it. Everyone knew that Sophia was dead. But no one wanted to admit it.

They began packing up.

Everyone got into the car, Carol ore slowly. Desperately looking out to the woods for any sign of her daughter.

Andrea was about to tell her to get in the car when she heard it.

A whistle. A high pitched long whistle through the air.

"Sophia?" Carol whispered. "Sophia! Is that you?!

"Carol, we don't know who's-"

"Mom?!" a voice called from the woods. "Mom are you there?!"

Holy shit! She's alive! Andrea got out of the car and rushed to the guard rail of the highway.

The trees rustled and Sophia came running out of the woods and into her mother's arms, both of them had tears in their eyes. Then a boy with jet black hair came out of the woods after Sophia.

Andrea's hand went for her gun. The boy's eye widened and he raised his hands. He didn't go for the gun on his hip or the rifle slung on his backpack.

"Whoa! Uh I don't want any trouble!" He had an Irish accent. Weren't many of those in Georgia.

"Who are you?!" Andrea demanded from him, gun still raised.

"I'm Samuel Conall, but uh, you can call me Sam," he said, his hands lowering.

"He saved me!" Sophia spoke up. "He took care of me!"

Well shit. What do I do now?


AN: Well my friends here is another side project of mine. Updates will vary since I am still fully working on other projects of mine, but I just had to get this out there or else I never would have. I have a list of Fics that have never been put out there because I always say that I will post them when I'm done with my other story but then they never get published. Anyway here is a Walking Dead fic and I hope you guys like it. Don't forget to drop a review and I'll see you next time. ~ Pacco1