"Good morning, beautiful."

Sunlight was shining through the semi-transparent curtain of her small home's bedroom, creating a soft glow within the cluttered room that made her smile. Constance Graves slowly opened her eyes at the feeling of someone all-too-familiar pressing sweet kisses to the back of her bare shoulder. A comfortable warmth spread through her chest and she smiled faintly into her pillow, feeling happy and light with the warmth of the Georgia sun on her face. "Morning, Dustin," Connie smiled, finally opening her bright blue eyes.

Her fiancé, Dustin Pincher, stared at her with a soft smile on his face as he pressed another kiss to her forehead. His dark skin looked as if it were glowing in the light, and his deep brown eyes were like liquid gold as he looked at her with what could only be described as complete and utter devotion. "Do you want me to get you breakfast, baby?" he asked her sweetly, warm hands on her sides, and she rolled over to stretch out her arms and back.

It was strange for him to be in her bed again, as it was the fourth time they'd gotten engaged since knowing each other; but something always got in the way, and it never worked out. But even in the ten years of struggles and fights and frustration and hostility, they always came back to each other, and they felt that was what mattered. But looking at him, she couldn't understand why things refused out.

She never could. "No, I'll grab something on my way to work after I drop Holly off at school," Connie yawned as she sat up.

Part of her wished she could just lay in that bed with him forever and never have to leave and just relish in the peaceful serenity that always appeared in mornings like this, but she knew she couldn't. Her daughter needed to be at school in an hour, she had to make it into the shop and Dustin had a long day of construction work ahead of them, so there was no time for day's off. Especially if they were planning to buy a bigger house after their court-house marriage.

She pulled her pajama shirt and pants off the floor and threw them in the hamper before wandering naked over to her dresser. She pulled on a red bra with a matching pair of panties, then grabbed a pair of well-worn blue jeans and old grey tee shirt that V'ed nicely down her chest. Her swirling black tattoos peaked out from the sleeves and collar of her shirt, but her boss didn't mind them.

She truly loved working on cars.

Connie loved it the most because whenever someone asked her profession and she told them, they were always startled; and those expressions never failed to make her day.

"I'll go wake her up," Dustin smiled, pressing a kiss to his fiancé's cheek before wandering down the hallway.

She closed the bathroom behind her and had a quick shower before dressing herself and wrapping a towel around her hair to wring it dry, then dropped it in the hamper. Connie smiled faintly as she slid the engagement ring onto her finger. They were the couple who constantly fought and screamed and made each other cry more times then they'd like to admit. Connie had thrown thing at him, and Dustin had destroyed a motel room the first time they'd broken up. But they always came back to each other.

The hard-wood floors were cold beneath her bare feet as she walked down the hall of their small home and into the kitchen, finger combing her straight brown hair. Their home had just one floor, the small family practically living off of the money Dustin made in construction and Connie's extra money she earned looking after the neighbourhood kids every once and a while, but they made it work.

"Morning momma," the tired voice of her eight year old daughter, Holly, yawned as she shuffled into the kitchen in her pajamas. Connie smiled faintly and pressed a kiss to her Holly's curly head then lifted her sleepy body onto one of the kitchen chairs.

"Good morning Baby," Connie smiled. "Do you know what you want to eat? Or do you want momma to choose for you?"

Holly made a face as she yawned and rubbed her eyes before answering. "Eggs...please," she mumbled tiredly, and Connie nodded. After getting Holly her breakfast, she quickly got her bag packed and ready for work.

She vaguely heard Dustin clear his throat from around the corner at the front door. "Connie!" he hollered, and she could practically hear the smile in his voice.

Connie smiled faintly at the sound. "Yeah?" She yelled back, ruffling Holly's hair.

"I forgot something in the car last night, I'll be back in a minute." Connie nodded and heard Dustin go out the front door. She swore she heard strange hissing noises outside, but she thought nothing of it.

Georgia was strange as it was; their neighbourhood was no exception.

More often than not the neighbourhood kids that she frequently baby sat and held sleepover for when their parents had to pick up extra shifts like to bike around while pretending they were planes, or racecars, or soldiers in the army. Aside from that they lived a good hour away from the nearest police station which mean lots of meth and coke addicts liked to wander the streets because they wouldn't get caught, and they weren't quiet either.

As she packed Holly's bag for school, she heard the noises again, except much louder this time.

"Momma, what's going on outside?" Connie looked out her window, confused by her daughters words.

What she found was not something anyone would expect outside of a horror movie.

There were two women — both wearing torn and bloodied clothes — hunched over the body of a man on her front lawn. Blood mixed with chunks of something had pooled around his torso from what looked like...no...from the gaping hole in his abdomen. Connie stomach heave as she realized the man was Dustin."

"Holly, sweetheart, I need you to go grab Peanut and pack some clothes in a suitcase for me, alright?" Connie spoke gently, forcing a smile for her daughters sake while she twisted her wedding band around her finger. Her chest ached and she wanted to burst into tears

Holly shuffled towards her room, much to her relief, and Connie soon moved into action.

She ran into her own room and turned the radio on, hearing the frantic news reporter mention something about a sanctuary in Atlanta as she threw some of her own clothes into a rather large backpack that she knew would be more helpful in the long run, along with toiletries — tooth brush, tooth paste, shampoo, hair brush, etc. — before she took one long look around her house for something to defend them with.

In the end, all she could find was one of Dustin's high school lacrosse stick.

Not knowing what else to do, she spent a good few minutes trying to yank the head off it before she finally succeeded, and was left with a metal pole. It felt foreign in her hands as she'd never been a fan of this sport — she was a cheerleader in high school but that was essentially it — but she knew that it could mean life or death for then when they left the house. "Holly, sweet heart, we need to go!" She called out nervously. Holly yelled back, saying she would be done in a minute, and Connie couldn't help but smile.

Soon enough, Holly came sliding down the hall with her shoes on the wrong feet. "I did it by myself Momma,"  she stated proudly, a wide grin on her face. Connie smiled and praised her for a short moment. She then grabbed her daughters hand after tugging on her old pair of brown hunting boots, though she wasn't wearing the right socks for them and would end up with blisters.

At this point, however, that wasn't even remotely important.

"I need you to run to the car as fast as you can, alright?" Connie whispered, looking Holly in the eye. The young girl nodded. Nervously, Connie handed her daughter a short golf club. "Only use it if you have to."

Holly nodded smartly.

As the pair made their way to the Graves family's old black pick up truck, Connie hastily threw their bags in behind the drivers seat before buckling Holly into her car seat.

She only had to hit one of those things with her stick, much to her distaste. It left blood on her stick that made her want to throw up, but she didn't have any time for that.

It would have to wait until later.

Before she knew it, Connie was driving through the chaotic city of Atlanta.

People were running through the streets, being taken down by those things  one by one. What caught her attention, however, was a young Korean man standing off to the side of the road, frantically waving his arms.

She pointed just up the road, silently saying that she'd meet him there where it was slightly less hectic, then watched him dodge people as he ran up the street. When she finally pulled over next to him, she rolled down her window.

"Can I help you?" Connie asked with pursed lips, her steel blue eyes narrowed uncertainly.

The man gulped, panting while scratching the back of his neck. He eyed the street around him nervously. "Could you give me a ride out of the city? Please? I don't want to be here when everything goes to sh—pieces."

Connie smiled faintly when she realized he noticed Holly — who was happily colouring in her colouring book — and corrected himself before nodding. "There's not enough room in here, so you'll have to sit on the bed."

Without another word, the man climbed over the side and the three were speeding through the streets of Atlanta.

🧠🏹🦠

"I'm Glenn, by the way. Glenn Rhee."

Constance glanced in her rear view mirror. She had opened the small window in the back that was roughly the size of a textbook, just in case the man needed to tell her anything.

By now, they were inching along the highway, the hot sun that had been beating down on them now slowly setting.

The two had made it through the day solely on casual comments, though they never attempted to learn anything important about each other.

Connie had discovered that he had been a pizza delivery man, and was only twenty three years old. She had told him little things about herself, having decided that he was indeed a good man.

"I'm Constance, but I guess most people just end up calling me Connie," she smiled, and Glenn nodded tiredly.

"Is she your daughter?" He asked while pointing at Holly through the small window. Connie smiled when she looked at the small girl trying to hold a handful of crayons and nodded. She had already made Holly fix her shoes so they were on the right feet.

"That's—"

"I'm Holly," the young girl introduced herself. "I'm eight years old." Glenn raised his brows in mild amusement as Connie inched her truck down the seemingly endless road of traffic.

"Are you really?" He asked in fake shock, and Connie couldn't help but smile. It was obvious that Glenn was a good man; anyone could see it. The two continued to talk with Holly butting in the odd time to state her opinion, and Connie grew to like Glenn.

They had figured out that at some point, Dustin had somehow turned the large tool box on the back of the truck, into a cooler. It had at least three cases of bottled water, a few snacks and such, along with a few other essential items.

Glenn and Holly played road trip games for a while, seeing as Holly loved to play 'I Spy'.

As the sun set, Connie noticed people getting out of their cars and grouping towards the side of the road. One man — he had messy black hair and had a large build — waved in an offering for the three to come and join them.

"I'll go and see what they want, you stay with Holly." Before she could even respond, Glenn had hopped out of the truck bed and moved towards the group.

Connie watched carefully as they conversed for a short moment, then Glenn jogged back up to her truck. "So?" She asked with raised brows. Glenn ran a hand through his hair and leaned somewhat through Holly's window. She let out a quiet giggle as he poked her stomach, making Connie smiled again.

"They were thinking we could make a fire and maybe pool food together so we all have something. I didn't think that it would be a problem, but I told them it was up to you."

Connie smiled faintly while she nodded, letting out a tired sigh. "I think it'll be fine," she told him with a tight lipped smiled.

Glenn offered her an encouraging smile. "You don't need to trust them, Connie," he told her quietly so the other people wouldn't hear. "You don't even have to like them. But we're all just trying to get by here, so maybe we could get to know them, give them a chance, and maybe join them. But like it said; it's all up to you."

"I'll think about it," Connie told him honestly while running a hand through her sweaty hair. "Can you help me get Holly out of her car seat? She seems to like you for some odd reason." Glenn smiled widely and wasted no time unbuckling Holly from of her car seat and helping her stand.

"This is Shane," Glenn introduced as Holly held onto her mothers hand. Connie studied the large man for a moment — the one she had seen Glenn talk to before — before holding her hand out for him to shake.

"I'm Constance, you can just call me Connie," she told him confidently. He gripped her hand gently, and she almost laughed at his shocked expression when she gave it a rough shake.

"Who's this little one?" A woman with long dark hair asked, staring down at Holly with a soft smile. She hand her arms wrapped around a younger boy who must have been her son. Holly looked up at her mother, as if asking for permission to talk, before introducing herself.

"I'm Holly and I'm eight." The woman smiled and bent down so she could see her eye to eye.

"It's very nice to meet you, Holly. I'm Lori, and this is my son, Carl." Holly waved before burying her face shyly into Connie's leg. Glenn ruffled her hair causing Holly to let out a quiet squeal.

"I don't mean to intrude," an older man spoke up as he stepped forward. "But would you happen to have any water? None of us have any and we're all quite thirsty." Connie smiled faintly as she nodded, and lead Shane and another man to her car, with Holly moving to play with another younger girl and Glenn in tow.

🧠🏹🦠

"Connie! Can you come and help us for a second?" Connie pushed her sweat filled hair away from her face and sauntered towards Shane.

Nearly three weeks after meeting on the highway, Constance, Holly, Glenn, and the rest of the group they had met had made their way to the Quarry just outside of Atlanta after using up almost all of her bottled water. Tents had been pitched, Dale had parked his RV, and some people even slept in their cars. She had long since been introduced to everyone, thankfully, and had been given the task of fixing things when they broke; exclusively the RV.

Because of the excessive amount of effort she put into fixing it, Dale, Andrea, and Amy had made enough room to fit Holly in the driver's bunk. Glenn had earned himself a tent after being dubbed the supplies runner, but Connie preferred to sleep in the bed of her truck. Glenn had found her extra blankets — even a worn out pillow — and she made herself at home.

"What's up Shane?" She asked while rubbing her greasy hands on her jeans. Connie had previously been working on one of the cars they took out for supply runs and had felt she was close to finishing it.

"Holly wont listen to anyone," he sighed, and it was then that she could hear her daughter throwing a tantrum.

Connie closed her eyes and let out a breath through her nose before quietly thanking Shane and following the sounds of a crying girl. "Holly, sweetheart, what's going on?" She asked gently as she stepped into the RV and approached Andrea, who was doing her best to get the girl dressed. Holly only scowled in response. Connie pursed her lips and set her hands on her hips. "If you don't tell me what's going on, honey, I can't help you."

"I'm tired, and I miss Daddy," she whined. Connie sucked in a sharp breath at the mention of her late fiancé. Holly had never brought him up, so she had managed to keep what happened to him a secret, but now Connie wasn't sure what to do.

"Daddy isn't here anymore, baby," Connie whispered while bending down to her daughters height.

"Did he go to Heaven?" Holly asked, her brown eyes innocently wide. "Like the one he always told us about?" Connie nodded faintly, forcing away tears.

"Yeah, baby, he did," she whispered, inhaling sharply. "Now, you know how much he hated it when you didn't listen and got upset, right?"

"Yeah," Holly whispered quietly while looking down at her bare feet.

"Now will you let Andrea help you get dressed? For daddy?" Holly sighed and nodded, throwing her arms around Connie's neck.

"Okay Momma." With that, Holly was out of the RV and in search of Andrea.

Connie let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding and walked swiftly out of the RV and through the camp. When she felt she was a good distance into the forest, she allowed her resolve to break.

"Dear god, Dustin, please give me strength," she whispered quietly to herself as she held back tears, tugging harshly on her dark hair. The crack of a twig behind her caught her attention, and she quickly rubbed the tears from her eyes before turning around.

Standing just a few feet away was the younger of the two Dixon brothers, Daryl; the one her daughter had taken a liking to.

Connie wasn't sure what it was about him, but Holly was all over him when ever she had the chance; asking him questions about the animals in the woods, why there were no sleeves on his shirt, etc.

Daryl was patient with her. He snapped at everyone else, and didn't seem to like anyone other then his brother, but Connie appreciated the fact that he tolerated her daughter.

"You're good with her," Daryl mumbled awkwardly as he kicked up dirt with the toe of his boot.

"Thanks, Connie whispered letting out a shaky breath as she finally managed to pull herself together. "But, uh, I would appreciate it if—"

"It ain't my place to say anything."

Connie smiled thankfully at him, and the two went their separate ways.

🧠🏹🦠

"Glenn!" Constance called as she jogged forwards, her black tattoos on full display because of her tank top. Glenn turned around before he climbed into the car, chewing on his lower lip nervously at how intimidating she looked.

"Hey, Connie," he breathed out awkwardly, rubbing his palms together. "What's up?" As Connie slowed her jog to a stop, she ran a hand through her hair that hung over her shoulders.

"Would you be able to pick up crayons?" She asked him quietly while glancing back at Holly. "It isn't a necessity, but if you get the chance, could you? Holly is running out and you know how much she loves to draw, and—"

Glenn smiled faintly and nodded, patting her shoulder. "I'll do what I can, Connie," he told her and pulled her in for a hug. "I always do."

"Thank you," she whispered into his shoulder.

"Do I get me a that kind o' goodbye, Angel?" The loud and obnoxious voice of Merle Dixon drawled as he sauntered towards the pair.

Connie rolled her eyes as she pulled away, turning to look at the man. "You would if I actually liked you," she spoke dryly, and Merle let out a quiet chuckle.

This was their 'relationship'.

While Merle flirted relentlessly, Connie quipped back with smart ass remarks or dry humor; sometimes both at once.

"I'll take that as a maybe," he told her while pointing. Connie rolled her eyes, but she couldn't help her laughter. She bumped his arm with her shoulder as she walked past.

Holly ran up to give everyone a hug before they left; even Merle. As they drove away, Connie watched as Holly hopped onto Carl's back and waved frantically before the two were off playing with Morales' children.

Connie sucked in a breath as she pulled her hair up into a loose ponytail, allowing herself to stretch before continuing her work on the RV.