Hello everyone! For those author followers out there, it's been a long time coming huh? But I'm back and excited to bring you this new story.

How The Wild Things Survive is a Walking Dead fan fiction based on the TV show, not the comics. It is my first time writing a TWD fan fiction, so my apologies if things aren't true to the story or comics, that's the way it is I'm afraid, nobody is perfect. Also I'm British so please don't hate me if at times that creeps through into the writing style. Breaks in time will be shown with a line if it's not obvious in the writing.

The story is DarylxOC following my character Hayley Carter and maybe some other added OCs. There may be some smut in the future, I'm still deciding to give me a yay or nay in the reviews. And lastly, for the whole of the story, I do not own any Walking Dead characters or plots, it is just a wonderful world that we all wanna enjoy.

And DO please review, it's always that extra push to keep writing.

So with that, enjoy!

Daryl scouted ahead while the rest of their group trotted along behind, doing their best to search for any sign of that little girl. He was positive she'd be found, it was just a matter of time, but all the talk was doing his head in. He'd be better off alone; it was silence he needed. He could still hear the murmurs of Andrea and Lori talking while Glenn would try his best to reassure Carol.

"We'll find her. I know we will," Glenn said, reaching to awkwardly pat her shoulder. Carol meekly smiled at him and nodded.

"Ya'll wanna shut up back there?" Daryl yelled. He muttered under his breath, "God damn Chinaman gonna bring in walkers a mile away."

Andrea spoke up, asking the redneck, "Daryl, maybe we should head back?"

The dark haired man rolled his eyes and stopped, wiping his nose along his arm, looking to the group, "We got a few more hours of light left. We keep goin'."

Daryl moved on ahead to get some space from the group. He'd never been the most sociable man. Even back when he was a kid, he'd speak if he had to or if someone badmouthed him, he'd be happy to take a swing but even now, in this world where numbers were few, he'd still rather keep to himself. If Merle hadn't ditched him back in Atlanta and set a bunch of walkers on their camp, he wouldn't be here, hauling their asses to keep up and shut up. It'd always been him and Merle. Didn't need nobody else. They'd been drifting along when the world turned to shit, no cares or worries about anyone else and now, here he was, without his brother and stuck chasing down some lost little girl in the woods. He'd be happy to find her if only to get some peace. It'd only been a day since the herd came shuffling through their group. A few walkers had gotten to Sophia and she'd ran out into the woods, with Rick not too far behind. The look on her mama's face as she was told he'd left her alone to lead away the walkers was enough to spur Daryl into action. He'd ripped open a walker soon after that, checking that the son bitch hadn't gotten to her first. But they came back that night alone, ready to plan the next day.

The group came across a tent, thinking the girl would hide away in there, but all they'd found was a god awful stench from a guy that'd opted out. The next thing they knew, bells were ringing and Daryl led the way to a small church, but again, no such luck. They'd separated just a few hours back. Officer Rick took Shane and Carl while Daryl, Glenn, Lori, Andrea and Carol headed towards the creek in hope that it was where they'd find her.

"What's the use being out here when all we got are pointy sticks to defend ourselves with?" Andrea eyed Lori. "I mean, what use are we to Sophia when we wind up dead because Rick can't trust some of us with guns."

"You want mine?" Lori bit back. "Cause it's not worth it when I can feel your eyes burning into my back."

Andrea rolled her eyes and stepped forward to keep up with Daryl. Glenn looked away uncomfortably as Lori huffed, straying slightly to the left of their group. She was sick and tired of the snide comments headed her way from the blonde. She suffered Andrea in order to help Carol search for her little girl, but she could only take so much whining. The group looked to Rick for help but she had to stand by as the guilt over Sophia ate at him; watch the looks of blame from Carol or the flashes of jealousy from Shane. And she was sick of it. So she moved away, looking to the floor, hoping to see a trace of that little girl.

A snap of a twig was not enough to warn Lori of the walker on her trail. It growled as its weight fell on her, tearing a shriek from the woman. She'd fallen behind from the group, but could hear their calls. Lori pushed at the walker, its skin falling from its cheek, brushing her face in a gross caress. She held it back, no room to scramble away should it fall on top of her completely and tear into her skin.

"God, help me!" she screamed.

"Lori!"

The walker growled above her. It weighed a ton and in just a few seconds, her arms were already shaking with the strength she had to use. She thought of Carl, her baby, as she kept its teeth away from her skin. She turned her head away from its snapping jaws, yelling out for her closing group, when suddenly the weight was lifted from her body. She looked up, expecting to see Daryl or maybe Glenn, but she only saw the walker fall onto its back, yanked by its clothes by a mess of hair.

The figure shrieked at the walker and just as it reached out, they'd rammed their foot against the walker's head. It carried on growling until the noise from the walker stopped, replaced only by the angered grunts coming from the figure. Again and again, their foot came down against its softening skull until clumps of brain clung to the bottom of their boot. The figure slowed down, panting in anger, eyes on the body until they heard someone break the silence.

"Hands up," Daryl barked. He poised his crossbow on the bushy haired figure, glaring as they looked sharply up at him.

The three women and Glenn gawked at the person before them. It was as if they were seeing a wild animal for the first time; frozen to the spot, intrigued by the thing before you, too interested to leave but too scared to approach. And the first thought that occurred to Daryl was, how wild was this chick?

The girl stared right back, eyes flickering from one person to the other, fearful of who would attack her first. They settled on the dark haired man, the only one pointing a weapon at her. In her eyes, the man's finger was itching to pull the trigger, ready to put down the rabid, wild girl. So a blink later from Daryl and the girl bolted.

"Shit," Daryl cursed and took off after her.

"Daryl!" Lori yelled.

The girl was fast. Real fast, he thought. But as she flashed looks behind her at the sound of Daryl's thumping footsteps, her stride faltered and Daryl grabbed her, plummeting them both to the floor. He could hear the group yelling his name as he threw his crossbow to the side and grabbed the struggling girl's arms. He rolled her onto her back and gripped her wrists firmly, pressing them to the dirt as he straddled her hips. She kicked and growled, yanking her arms as hard as she could to try and get away. She was as difficult to handle as a walker. Daryl almost believed she would be, if it weren't for the clear youthful beauty she had. Under the mess of dark brunette hair that was completely tangled, the redneck took in her features. She had to be young, maybe early twenties. He took in her wolfish eyes, so dark he thought they might see right through to his thoughts. Her jaw line was sharp, with a few flecks along her tanned skin and a beauty spot below her bottom lip. But the girl could handle her own; her arms were strong and from what he'd seen before, she was short but sturdy, broad but gentle. Her face was scraped with raw, red lines as if she'd charged face first through the bushes. Not to mention, she was filthy from head to toe. She'd clearly been out there a while. And she looked too young and lost to be out on her own.

"Daryl, you get off of her!" Lori demanded, giving him a light shove as a warning to do as she said. "Don't be such a brute."

That got Daryl moving. He stood and glared at the officer's woman, then picked up his crossbow.

"Don't you dare point that thing," Lori added shortly, giving him a final warning glance. Daryl gruffed but kept himself ready, should the girl attack in self defence. Lori turned back to the girl on the floor as Carol, Andrea and Glenn stood right behind her. The girl was propped up on her elbows, her dark eyes wide and staring at the man. Lori slowly began to lower herself to the leaf bedded ground.

"Lori-" Glenn started, worried for her safety but Lori's hand sharply came up in a hush motion, shutting the young man up.

The woman crouched before the girl, close enough to touch her but after her quick turn before, she didn't want to spook the poor girl again. She gave the girl a faint smile.

"Are you hurt?" Lori asked.

The girl watched her suspiciously, her eyes flashing to Daryl then back to Lori before slowly shaking her head no. Daryl could be heard from the back, muttering, "Barely touched her…" but the group took no notice.

Lori nodded, "Good. You don't have to be worried about us. We're not gonna hurt you." Lori's eyes soon travelled the small distance behind her, seeking out the dead rotting body before turning back. "You saved me back there. I wanna thank you for that. I doubt every stranger would be that kind," Lori weakly laughed before awkwardly falling into silence. The girl looked the woman up and down, gave a curt nod in recognition, then stared as if waiting to be let go.

"Jeez, ya don't talk much, do yer?" Daryl muttered from beside Andrea.

The woman rolled her eyes and stepped forward, closer to Lori and the girl.

"You got a group? Anyone nearby?" The girl simply looked at Andrea and it brought out her agitation. "We're not gonna hurt them, if that's what you think. We're looking for someone too."

Carol jumped in with newfound hope. "My little girl, Sophia. Have you seen her?" The girl's eyes drew towards the desperate mother. "She's out here somewhere. She's just twelve, and all alone. Have you seen any sign of her?"

The girl continued to watch the mother. She pitied her. Felt that pain, that ever present fear. It was the only thing that conjured her to swallow, wetting her mouth before a dry noise escaped her mouth.

"No."

Carol's breath came out in one swoop, as if she'd been holding it, waiting for some good news having stumbled on this young woman. She looked to Lori then the floor in disappointment. Not long after the girl had spoken, a shot rang out in the distance. Daryl noticed the girl flinch at the sound, her eyes scanning the trees. Daryl knew the shot hadn't been too close to their group and waited to see if there were more to come. When nothing followed for a solid minute, the group looked to each other in worry.

"Maybe Rick or Shane put down a walker?" Glenn offered.

Lori looked up at him. "They're smarter than that. Why just one gunshot? They wouldn't risk making noise over one walker."

"She's right, they'd do it quietly," Andrea added.

"Shouldn't they have caught up to us by now?"

Daryl chewed on his nail bed then pointed lazily to Lori and the wild chick. "Don't help that we're just sittin' here like bait. We beat the bush and work our way back to the highway, they'll be headin' that way. Let's go."

Daryl and Andrea began to move, but Lori stood from her crouch, with Carol and Glenn staying put.

"What about her?" Glenn asked.

Daryl span round, irritated. "What about her?"

Glenn swallowed and looked at the girl on the floor. They were probably close in age, except here he was surrounded by others to keep him sane. He wondered what the hell she'd been through to wind up alone and looking like some wild child.

"We can't leave her here."

"Like hell we can't," the hunter replied. "She ain't with us, we don't owe her anythin'."

Lori glared at the man. "I do." The group turned to Lori, as did the girl on the floor. "She saved me back there. She saved my life. I was this close to not seeing my family again and you're just gonna leave her here?"

Daryl grumbled, "She ain't my problem."

Lori rolled her eyes, "Don't be so heartless, Daryl Dixon." She turned to the girl, standing above her and lowering her hand. "Come on sweetheart."

The girl eyed the hand. The woman above her seemed assertive but gentle, offering to help her in return for her own good deed. What she didn't realise is that the girl had seen the attack. She'd seen the woman fall to the floor, close to being bit and she saw red. Red for her own loss. She stamped on that fucker's head until there was nothing left because how else could you take out your pain, your anger, isolated and surrounded by nothing?

The girl reached for Lori's arm, grasping it to heave herself up. She watched the reaction of who appeared to be their leader, this Daryl, only for him to grunt and look at the girl as if she were dirt, before he led the group forward.

"You just ignore Daryl, OK?" Lori said, rubbing the girl's shoulder in reassurance. "He's not the most sociable one of the lot." Lori nodded to the others. "That's Carol, Glenn and Andrea. I'm Lori. We'll take you back, get you cleaned up, alright? Maybe then you can find your group. It's the least I can do."

The girl watched her for a moment before nodding, slowly shuffling beside Lori as the group carried on moving.

They had no clue. They had no idea that she truly was alone. She had no group, not that camp of perverts and monsters she'd met. She wasn't one of them. She was alone until she found her family again.

Glenn offered the girl a small smile.

"You got a name?"

She looked next to him but stayed mute. He shrugged.

"I get it. Stay quiet while you suss us out. Smart," he smiled. She felt the corner of the mouth pinch slightly. Glenn's eyes travelled over her, taking in her filthy coat and ripped jeans. His eyes bulged at what appeared to be a machete in its sheath strapped to her back, the handle within reach if she quickly went for her shoulder. She carried a rucksack over the one arm, adjusting the weight now and then to relieve herself. "You, er… You know how to use that thing?"

The girl's smile grew. She liked this kid.

"Learning to." Her voice wasn't high pitched but low, sounding older than she looked, but it was dry and rough from having no one to speak to.

Glenn gave a nervous laugh, "Well, remind me never to piss you off with that thing around." Lori smiled at the interaction, walking beside the two. She kept her ears open, hoping to get more from the young woman, leaving it to Glenn to prod and pry.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled. Glenn looked to her confused. She nodded towards Carol. "About your friend?"

Glenn sighed, lowering his voice. "She's just a kid. Barely twelve. I'm just hoping we find her."

"Hey!" Daryl yelled from the front. Glenn jumped; the man had keen ears. "Don't need to hope." He looked to Carol, who'd obviously been listening too. "We're gonna find that lil girl, she's gone be just fine. Lord, am I the only sane one round here?"

Lori smirked at the redneck, knowing he fully believed it. Carol let out a heavy breath and followed on after him.

The group carried on walking for a good while until Daryl whistled for them to halt.

"Better get back, we're losing the light." Carol looked to him in panic but his face softened, explaining, "Can't be out here trippin' over each other."

Carol looked to Lori, "We'll come back tomorrow?"

Lori nodded, "Of course. We'll find her tomorrow."

"How much further?" Andrea asked.

Daryl gestured forwards with his crossbow. "Not much, maybe a hundred yards?"

The woman moved along, muttering under her breath. They were all tired and ratty, desperate to have a moment to stop and rest. Daryl watched the Asian and the girl up ahead. She seemed to have warmed to him, trusting him more than Daryl not to put her down should his temper get the better of him. Daryl scoffed to himself. He wouldn't have shot the girl but he sure was cautious about her. Since their camp, they hadn't exactly come across many strangers. But miraculously some feral girl comes to the rescue, out here all alone and they're just expected to trust her? Na, Chinaman might be all over her but Daryl? He'd watch her like a hawk, waiting to see why she'd suddenly fallen into their lives.

Screams disrupted Daryl's thoughts and the group headed in Andrea's direction.

The girl could see the blonde woman kicking and screaming on the floor. The monster had her by the legs, gaining on her, ready to tear into her tanned flesh. They were too far away. The distance spurred her on, sprinting to the point she was neck and neck with the keen hunter. Her hand reached behind her back and drew her machete.

She watched and her sprint slowed as a woman on a horse galloped over to Andrea, striking the monster down. All eyes were on her in shock.

"Lori? Lori Grimes?" The short brunette asked Andrea.

Lori came to a stop. "I'm Lori."

"There's been an accident; Carl's been shot. Your husband needs you." The news sent Lori reeling, her breath shaking as she regarded the woman. Frozen on the spot at the news, the brunette prompted her, "We gotta go, now. Rick sent me."

At the sound of his name, Lori shoved her bag into Glenn's chest and moved towards the horse.

"Whoa, you can't go with her, we don't know this girl!" Daryl warned.

Lori looked to Glenn. "You keep her with you OK?" Glenn looked to the new addition, nodding in understanding.

"Rick said you have others with you on the highway?"

"A-huh?" Glenn mumbled.

"Backtrack til you get to a farm, the name's Greene." And with that, the woman and Lori were galloping away.

The group watched them leave, dumbfounded by what just happened. But the girl watched differently, feeling uncomfortable that the only one that didn't want shot of her had just galloped away. Frustrated, the girl stepped over to the moving monster, swung her blade and split the top of its skull. It collapsed to the floor and she moved to the nearest tree, wiping as much gunk off of it as she could. When she looked back, they were now all staring at her. Like some crazy lady with a machete, which in all honesty, would describe her to a tee. The only one that didn't look shocked was Daryl, who was marching up to her with a stormy expression. She wanted to flee at that face but stood her ground.

He got into her face, breaching her privacy so that his words would be loud and clear.

"You ain't one of us, girl. You remember that."