I was running as fast as my legs would take me....There were a dozen of those infected people chasing after me through this deserted town. I had run into a drug store to see what supplies I could find, and little did I know there were surprises waiting for me....and not good ones. I ran track in high school and college so i was pretty fast, but that was a while ago, it had been almost 10 years since I graduated college and took off for med school. But i felt as fast as i did back then...

My feet were loud against the pavement and I was hoping it wasn't attracting any more attention then necessary.These things were too quick for me to attempt to shoot them with my bow, and the knife in my hand would be gone once I threw it, and I wouldn't have enough time to get another out of my bag. I felt screwed as they were slowly gaining on me, and I felt this day would be my last....surely I would die right here in this street being torn apart by drooling freaks.....and I hated calling them that, being a doctor I felt there could be a cure out there somewhere for them..

But I wouldn't go down without a fight...I lasted this long without anyone to help me, why should now be any different...I started running backwards so I could face them, but it slowed me down slightly. I threw my knife at the infected that was coming the closest, and hit him right between the eyes, he landed on the ground with a thud, and was then trampled over by the ones behind him. I turned around and sprinted towards the end of town. 

I tuned between two buildings, in a wide alley way and smiled when I found a ladder that was enclosed leading to the roof. I hopped on the closed dumpster and jumped up grabbing the edge of the ladder by inches. But I needed to hoist myself up quickly as the freaks were now running down the alley towards me. I climbed up two more steps hoping to be able to reach my legs soon, but one of the freaks grabbed my boot trying to make me his breakfast.

"Get off you fucker" I shouted and wiggled out of his grasp, kicking him in the face in the process. I used all the strengh I had in me and hoisted myself up a couple more steps where I could finally get my feet on the ladder. I took a breath for a second before climbing up the rest of the way...I layed down on the ground of the roof for what felt like hours before getting up again. I had been running and trying to get away from those things for hours, and I was rather exhausted. 

I looked over the ledge carefully, I didn't want falling off a roof to be the way I go in this world, And the freaks were still clawing at the wall trying to get to me....But thankfully the ladder was up higher and they couldn't reach it, even the dumpster was a ways away, one of the freaks was standing on it and looking around aimlessly. I was low on food, had barely any water....and this was where I spent the next four days, stuck on a roof waiting for the freaks to move on.....which they finally did when I heard a gunshot sound out in the woods somewhere. I would have died had they not moved on, and I hate to say i was grateful for whoever was getting shot at...

My eyes opened wide, my breathing quickening as another memory of what has happened to me came to me in my sleep. It was barely light outside, signifying it was very early morning. I pulled the sleeping bag around me tighter and rolled to my side to face away from the window. I figured Daryl would still be sleeping, but no he was looking in my direction while laying on his back, his eyebrows raised. 

"Sorry, did I wake you" i mumbled while shivering slightly when a breeze blew in through the window. "Nah, been up for a while" He said playing with one of his arrows. "No sleeping in for us then huh?" I asked stretching my arms out above my head. Daryl just grunted me a response and tossed his arrow on the ground. "Bad dream?" He asked sitting up and slipping his feet into his boots, and quickly lacing them up. I looked at him confused. "You were mumbling in your sleep, kicking you legs a lot" he said putting his jacket on and standing up, pushing some of his long brown locks away from his face in the process. 

"Bad memory" I said sitting up and trying to tame my wild hair that was sticking up in all directions. I ended up just putting it in a messy bun on the top of my head. "Ya cold?" Daryl asked me, I didn't even realize i had started shivering again. I nodded once and Daryl started searching for something in his bag. He pulled out a jacket that was way too small for him....it was black and leather, and had a cotton hood which looked attached to a separate jacket on the inside...it looked warm.

"Here" He said tossing it to me. "Found it in town last week, was gonna give it to one of the other women but they all got jackets" He said shrugging, leaving the tent without letting me thank him for it....

I was right, the jacket was very warm, and it fit me perfectly. It was strange how before all of this happened your routine for the day was showering, paying bills and getting ready for work.....and now it consisted of equipping yourself with as many weapons as possible. I had a knife strapped to my belt, a knife in my boot, and a pistol strapped to my thigh that Dale had given me a few days ago. My bow and arrows were on my back and I felt like more of a modern day Laura Croft then myself now adays....

"Good morning " Caro said passing by me when I exited our tent. "Morning carol" I said politely, ecstatic that she wasn't mad at me any more. She handed me a plate with eggs and what looked like rabbit and went back to stirring something in a pot. I sat down next to Shane, who gave me a small nod and ate our breakfast in silence. Lori and Carl were standing off to the side looking nervous and Lori looked like she got beat with a bat across the face. I poured my remaining food onto Shane's plate before running over to her. 

"Lori, what the hell happened to you" I asked looking over her wounds. "Car accident" she said quietly looking to the ground. "When??" I asked frantically, I had seen her hours prior and she looked fine. "Last night" She answered, and I felt a ping of guilt when she said that. She must have gone out to look for Rick and Hershel last night and gotten hurt in the process. "I sorry Lori" I said pulling her into a hug. "Its not your fault Emma" She said.

"Why didn't anyone wake me up? Im a damn doctor for God's sake!" I said yelling across the yard, mainly to Shane who I felt had something to do with this. "Lets get a look at ya" I said pulling her towards the Green's house....

Lori was fine, just a few bumps and scrapes and I feel the baby was fine since she wasn't having any pain...But  a doctor is only as good as the tools they are given and with a pregnancy i would have to wait and see how she was doing. And shortly after I made sure she was ok, a truck pulled up the dirt driveway, and Lori and Carl took off running towards it.

Rick stepped out first, greeted by his wife and son. I couldn't help but feel jealous of them...I never got my chance at love, never got to feel those butterfly's when you kissed someone you truly loved. I had two boyfriends total in college, and that was when I was a senior....I graduated High school a year early, so I was sixteen when i went to college, too young for most of the guys on campus. And work kept me busy after that....

Rick had someone who would run into his arms after he went on a dangerous run, and I saw the love between them even before the world ended. I had always wanted children, and Rick had a son and another on the way....and i felt a tear in my eye as I leaned against the railing of the house watching them closely. Even Glenn found someone after all of this, as Maggie was now running past her father into his arms. The whole of the group was surrounding them asking them question about this and that, and I just nodded to him when his eyes met mine. 

Daryl soon appeared and was leaning against the pole with me. And I don't know why but I feel something special about that crazy fuck with the crossbow...We were on the outskirts of this group it felt like...and even with the dead rising up to eat the living, I felt safe when he was around. "Ya alright?" He asked quietly, shifting his crossbow strap over his angel wing vest. "Ya, gets to me sometimes that no one will really care if I come home or not" I said kicking up some dirt and crossing my arms. 

"I'd care" he whispered in my ear as he leaned down closer to me. And I felt my breathing pick up as his   lips were so close to my skin. "No one here will really watch my back like you will" He said standing back up to his full height. "How do you know I'll even be good at watching your back" I said with a raised eyebrow looking back at him. He was biting him thumbnail and looked like he was thinking about something important. 

"You could have just let me die in that ravine, ya didn't.....plus you lasted this long alone, I give you points for that one...I know if I need you, you'll be there" he said and then walked off to be with the rest of the group. Rick still had his arm around Lori, and Shane was standing off to the side scowling at the two of them....I knew something was off with them...

"Who the hell is that?!" T-Dog yelled pointing into the back of the truck. that's when I saw the young man who was blindfolded asleep in the backseat. "That's Randall....He needs surgery" Glenn said.

And that's when all eyes shifted to me...