A/N: This was a bit rushed, ironic since its been ages since my last update, but I hope you like it!

(There is a long message at the bottom accompanied with everyone's favorite thing: an apology!)

Chapter 4: Guts.

"Even in times of trauma, we try to maintain a sense of normality until we no longer can.

That, my friends, is called surviving. Not healing. We never become whole again... we are survivors. If you are here today... you are a survivor.

But those of us who have made it through hell and are still standing?

We bare a different name: warriors." ― Lori Goodwin

Rose went limp, waiting for the end to make its painful debut. Her arm was a bundle of flames and pain. She was damn sure that this- this feeling in her stomach of complete hopelessness, accompanied by the searing fire in her arm- was what Hell felt like. She wasn't really a religious person; her Doctor was always what she imagined a God would be, but from her standpoint she wasn't too fond of the 'god' of this world. Where was he? What does he think of this his world?

It seemed like years before the rocking motion from the feasting dead ended. Rose dared to peek out from under Otis' corpse. She saw the shuffling feet of the ever-hungry corpses. Rose looked out at various blackened/yellowed calves, ripped pants, and shoes. She felt tears sting in her eyes as she spotted some dingy pink trainers with rhinestones covered in cakes of mud. Her mother had had a pair similar that. She'd bought them at a sale when Rose was younger. Rose ignored the ache starting in her heart that mirrored the throbbing in her arm. She focused. The staggering corpses were walking away from her and towards the clinic. This was good. She needed to work out a plan.

Rose was thinking about running for it when Otis's body began to move again. From her vantage point, Rose didn't see any dead grabbing another bite; although, she began to hear groaning emitting from just above her. With cold spreading through her body, Rose realized that Otis was beginning to squirm off of her, blocking her view with his shifting form. He rolled off of her, gurgling deeply in the back of his throat. It took his glassed over eyes half a second before he realized he had a potential meal in front of him. Rose was paralyzed by fear and pain, still lying on her back.

As Otis' form leered above her, on his knees, grabbing her jacket. Rose pressed against him with her good hand. Her nails dug into exposed organs, covering her arm in blood and bile. Rose frantically looked around for a weapon. Otis snarled and snapped with hungry eyes and bloody teeth.

Rose looked down and she had an idea. She slid her body so that her feet were holding off Otis' advances. The assfault below her scraped against her lower back, but it didn't even register. Her boots, like her arm, entered his open body cavity, and Rose ignored her urge to vomit. If there was one thing Rose learned from her Doctor, it was that time was precious. She reached into her pocket, and pulled out the sonic screwdriver. She pointed it at Otis' body. She closed her eyes and pressed the blood-slicked button. She didn't see what happened to Otis, she heard and felt it. There was a pop- as if a bottle with great pressure was thrown against a hard surface. Something slimy and hot splashed over Rose. She opened her eyes to a scene that looked like a bloody ground zero to an explosion. Where Otis once stood, there was a starburst of blood and guts. Rose threw up when she caught sight of the remains covering her body.

"Oh, Doctor. You're brilliant. And I'm gunna kill ya." She murmured to herself as she stumbled to a standing position. She surveyed her surroundings, without having her sight hindered by Otis' form she was able to see the complete site. Walkers were staggering towards the clinic. To Rose's complete shock, they were completely ignoring her presence. She could only assumed it was because her current hygiene problem.

She spotted Otis' bag a few feet away from where she stood. She grabbed it up, hastily slinging it over her good shoulder and making her way to the street. The weight of both of their bags wasn't helping with her pain, but she ignored the urge to curl up in a ball and cry. She needed to get back to the farm. She could have something they need. And they definitely have something she needs: safety.

She turned down the road, hoping she was remembering correctly. She stuck close to the trees, not trusting being out in the open. It wasn't long before Rose started to feel the events of the day wearing on her further. Her legs began to feel heavier and heavier with each step. She took breaks frequently, wheezing with each breath. Rose decided, as the sun was sinking in the sky, that it was time to rest for the night. She angled her way into the forest, cutting straight, until she spotted a clearing next to a small stream. This would have to do. Dumping the bags beside her, she gently sat down, leaning up against a tree for support. She rummaged through the bag, hoping for something to eat. She managed to scrounge up some peanuts, half a bottled water, and a few bottles of pain medication.

Rose ate some peanuts, rejoicing at having something- no matter how small- to eat. She took two of the pain pills and washed them down with a small swig of water. She took a moment to look down at her injured arm. It was concealed under the sling that Beth had given her, which was now a mixture of crimson, yellowish-green, and black. She pealed back the sling, wincing as she caught sight of the purple skin that was covered in fresh blood from her popped stitches. She dressed the wound with a stiff gauze she found in Otis' bag, biting her lip as the pain reared up. She placed the sling back into its rightful place. It took about 30 minutes before Rose felt the effects of the medicine to kick in. It took about 5 minutes after that for the exhaustion to take over.

"ROSE! Rose, don't let go! Hold on. Don't you dare let go!" Rose felt her body being lifted into the void that had opened up behind her. The air whipped around her, sending countless cybermen into the white hot light behind her. She looked into the eyes of the Doctor and what she saw was devastating. He looked like his hearts were being shredded into pieces.

"Doctor, I can't!" She shouted, shutting her eyes against tears. When she opened then again, the Doctor's form began to shift. His slender frame shuttered into a broad shouldered man with curly hair and a stern face. With shock and wind stealing her breath, Rose's grip began to slip. She began to hurtle towards the void when she became enveloped in someone's arms. She felt a shift and nausea, tell-tell signs of teleportation. When the world solidified around her, she glanced up at her savior. She screamed as she stared up at the face of a dead Otis. Snarling, her lunged down. Rose instinctively put her arm up to protect herself. His teeth tore into her arm. She screamed.

Rose's eyes shot open, she'd woken herself with her screams. She clamped her mouth down, although the screams had stopped with her dream. She couldn't get the image of Otis as a living corpse out of her mind. Nor Shane's very much alive one.

She began to prepare for the day, repacking all the things into the backpacks. She ate a couple more peanuts and downed one more pain pill with what little bit of water she had left. She was just starting to try and navigate the forest when she heard a man's voice yelling from the distance. She tried to follow it, and as she got closer she realized he was yelling a name.

A/N: Hey, all!

Sorry for the SERIOUS hiatus. My only excuse is: college is kicking my ass right now. Not much of an excuse, but it is all I've got. Haha.

Lucky for me, I have about a week off before exams! So, I'll be able to write more. I'm so thankful for Thanksgiving! (Ha-ha. I'm so funny.)

To all those who celebrate: Happy Holidays!

With love,

TakeLifeBytheHand.

(P.S. If any of you would like to talk about were these two lovely shows are going- feel free to shoot me a message! I love discussions!)