Author's Note: Hey lovelies, I have my first chapter up for my new Vampire Diaries fanfic. Check it out if you'd like. ^^

Theme Song: "One Call Away" - Charlie Puth

I had been in the woods for the better part of an hour now. I'd stopped only once to take a swig of water and rest for a quiet moment. I was back on track now and my hands shook off and on with anticipation and fear. My heart would clench anytime I thought of Glenn or Rick. I knew how angry Glenn would be when he found out I was gone and Rick..he'd be so disappointed.

And Daryl, don't forget about him.

My mind chimed out. Daryl had made it pretty crystal clear he did not want me to come near him again and even though he was angry at yet another loss, a part of me still felt the sting of his words. I felt betrayed almost. I wandered briefly if Sasha had said anything to anyone yet. I surely hoped she hadn't.

The woods had been so quiet and sometimes I heard the shuffling of woodland creatures, but I continued. I had gotten so used to the prison and the shelter that its walls had given me. Being comfortable was coming to bite me in the ass now as my feet started to ache from walking.

I hadn't walked this long since before meeting Rick. I grumbled as a squirrel skidded past me on the trail, reminding me of Daryl and I on our squirrel hunt. It was only when I heard the familiar moaning and reckless footfalls of the undead that I froze. My eyes widened as I saw two walkers ambling towards me. It was the first two I had seen in a while and I couldn't help but notice one of them had hunting gear on and the other was...it was a child.

My stomach flip flopped, but I quickly dodged the man as he came near me and I kicked him in the back, sending him face first on the trail. I quickly jammed my sickle into the side of his skull and then turned back towards the boy who was clawing out towards me. I froze for a moment and looked at what was now not a boy at all. He was a walker. "I'm so sorry this happened to you, kiddo." My voice cracked slightly as I swung and hit my target with a sickening sound.

I wandered on a little ways more and knew I couldn't have been walking for more than forty-five minutes since I left the prison. I hefted my bag up on my shoulders and chewed on my bottom lip as I walked, aimlessly kicking a rock across the trail. I had left with the original clothes I'd came in besides my leather jacket. I couldn't find it before I left and I had to leave in a rush. All the extra clothes Maggie had given me I left on my cot next to the necklace. The necklace.

My heart pulled at the thought of it, but I stopped suddenly in my tracks as a structure stood before me in the woods and it looked like a lot of the trees around it had been cleared out. As I walked closer I realized it was a small shack. It wasn't entirely big, but it was big enough that someone could be held up in there.

I hesitated as I stood silently in my spot staring at the shack. I could go check it out..or I could silently keep forging on. The need to see if there were supplies outweighed the need to move on. I was by myself after all and I needed to scavenge when I could.

I crept silently towards the shack and got my sickles out as a precaution. The entire area was silent and I felt my body go rigid with adrenaline. I swallowed thickly and peeked my head up into the one lone window that lined the front of the shack on the porch. Half of the window looked to be broken so I treaded carefully as I looked inside. The entire place was no bigger than my cell in the prison, maybe two cells put together, if that.

There was a small loveseat that was completely torn apart with stuffing sticking out of it, paper and trash littered the old hardwood floor. The place didn't even have a kitchen, but it had counter space and an old beat up coffee maker that looked broken. I breathed out a sigh of relief as the place was empty.

I decided to go inside to loot and see what I could come up with. I walked towards the door, but stopped suddenly as a twig snapped somewhere out behind me in the woods. I tuned around, scanning the expanse before me, but seeing nothing. I pursed my lips in nervous thought and wondered if there was someone here before, but maybe they had left. Would they be back? I went inside quickly and gave myself a few minutes to look around before I would head back on.

I wandered around silent as a mouse, digging through the junk, but I found nothing. I frowned before standing back up and deciding to head back out. It was no use to stick around if there was nothing here. Which sucked, because I was traveling alone and I'd really wanted to forage for more supplies.

I walked out of the shack and my breath caught in my throat. My entire body froze and my heart hit my stomach in paralyzed fear.

A large dog stood before me defensively and was baring its fangs at me. Its lips were pulled back to expose gnarly canines that looked terrifying. It was no regular dog, it looked to be more wolfish than a dog. Possibly a hybrid. It was hungry and looked deranged. I saw the saliva drip from his mouth, "Oh shit.." I breathed out.

Of all things to accost me, it was an animal. It only took me a split second to size it up and assess the situation. I swallowed nervously and started to inch my left hand towards my Glock, but the dog had already charged towards me at full speed. I whipped the Glock out and fired, but the brute force of the dog knocking into me sent the gun flying from my hands as the bullet flew in a different direction than my intended target.

The dog crashed into my lithe body, but I held its shoulders with all my might, using my legs to push at its stomach as the dog snapped at my neck and face viciously. I looked behind my head to see the gun. I channeled all the strength I could into using both my legs to kick the dog in the gut so hard that it tumbled back. I could feel the ribs of the animal beneath the bottom of my boots and I knew it was starved, but it could not use me as meal.

I had already turned over and started to scramble towards the gun, but I didn't anticipate the teeth that latched onto my ankle, jerking me back so violently I cried out. I started to kick at the dog with my free foot and with one last ditch effort, I reached for my sickles. At the movement, the beast let my ankle go and leaned back on his haunches ready to lunge at me for what I figured would be a killing blow

Everything happened so fast, it was in the blink of an eye. The dog reared back, ready to lunge, and I had my sickles prepared. I was ready to meet it head on, ready to fight tooth and nail. My muscles were tense and my adrenaline surged through my veins.

Except, the moment the dog lunged at me never came. There was a loud snik sound and something protruded out of the dog's neck that wasn't there moments before. The dog hesitated for a moment and I watched as the life from the dog's eyes started to drain slowly. It fell to the side and I peered closer at the object until I realized it was an arrow.

Daryl.

My eyes flew to the direction the arrow had come from and there before me already crossing the distance was Daryl. The breath was taken from me and I sat rooted to my spot on the ground, the pain in my ankle momentarily forgotten as the shock from seeing him over came me.

My first emotion was relief, the second was a swell of something in my belly that I couldn't put my finger on. Next came the confusion. Why was he here?

Sasha.

I swallowed past the lump in my throat as Daryl wasted no time in skidding to my side, dropping his bow, "Vicki." He murmured my name as if he couldn't believe he found me in the nick of time. His eyes were uncharacteristically wide with concern. I looked to him, dumbfounded, my chest rising and falling rapidly as he reached his right hand out and gently grabbed my chin.

His thumb briefly stroked the small space on my chin as he looked me over for a moment, "Why'd ya' leave?" His voice cracked and for the briefest of moments he looked so lost and hurt. I momentarily forgot all the bad things he said to me in that moment. I pushed the memories in the back of my mind and saw before me a man that deeply cared about my well being. Enough to come and look for me. "I had to.." I muttered lowly, looking anywhere but those sad blue eyes.

I wanted to say so much, but the shock of seeing him was still settling in. He changed the subject quickly, "Did he get ya'?" I shook my head mutely as he looked me over again. I breathed out his name in the silence of the woods. Daryl stopped looking and brought his guarded eyes back up to my green ones as I stared at him with a mixture of emotions.

Now, the memories came flooding back. The last time I'd seen him he'd told me to stay away and he'd yelled at me. The hurt was evident in my eyes and he looked away as if looking at me was too much to bear. Yet, here he was, saving my life.

It didn't matter though; I couldn't go back with him. This thought flitted across my mind and I felt a wave of sadness. I knew I could not risk the others if Daniel was lurking around. He continued to stare at me and I saw the guilt behind his blue eyes. Daryl helped me to my feet slowly, but I muffled a small cry of discomfort at the pain in my ankle.

"Thought ya' said he didn't get ya'." He now sounded slightly annoyed as he looked down at my ankle. I shrugged nonchalantly before saying, "It's nothing. I think he got most of my boot and not the skin."

Daryl glanced up at me with eyes that flashed with anger. Daryl could flip from from hot to cold on a dime and I had a feeling he was getting ready to do so. "Why the hell ya' gotta be so stupid, Red? Huh? You coulda' gotten yourself killed out here had I not come along to find ya'."

His voice held disappointment and I looked away from him while I pulled my hand out of his. The warmth from his calloused hand faded now that I wasn't holding his hand. Strangely enough, I found I had liked the warmth of his hand.

I walked a couple steps away from him. Well, walked and kind of hopped. My ankle was killing me, but I turned to face him and shook my head vehemently, "I can't stay, Daryl. If Daniel-" I was abruptly stopped short as Daryl took a step forward to clear the space between us. His eyes were alight with rage and I saw the telltale sign of angry Daryl by his right hand that twitched.

"Tha' hell you thinkin'? Are you tryna' get yourself killed? Jus' gonna walk back to that freak and give yourself up to him? Jus' gonna roll over like a damn dog?" He threw is right hand out behind me in the direction I had been walking for emphasis. Or anger. Probably both. I stared at him head on, despite the corpse of the dog near our feet, and felt the rage bubble up within me.

Daryl faced me right back, his chest rising and falling with his own surge of anger for me leaving and at himself out of guilt. I was so pissed for what he had said to me back at the prison and now it all came tearing to the surface, clawing to get out. "Go screw yourself, Daryl Dixon." My words were but a whisper and I felt my hands involuntarily ball into fists at my sides.

I could practically hear the ding ding ding of the boxing bell in my head. I knew being this loud could attract walkers, but I was doing this here and now. I was pissed and Daryl Dixon was about to get a piece of my damn mind.

Author's Note: These two are something else. I really enjoy writing the interactions between them. lol Enjoy Part II of this chapter. I'm posting both today! ^^