Joseph had lost track of time, but he was certain that it had been nearly a year since the start of the outbreak. His hair had grown a few inches, the longest strands reaching past the base of his neck, was greased with blood, sweat, and anything else that dirtied his body. He had somehow managed to keep himself alive, along with Sara and the little girl she had saved. Joseph had learned that the little girl's name was Lilly and that her parents had turned into the creatures that had been trapped in the house with her.

"Papa! Over there!" Lilly's soft voice called out to Joseph as she pointed to a tall and sturdy wall that stood in front of them.

"Sanctuary?" Sara asked, pulling Lilly closer to her and looking over at Joseph.

"Could be. I'll check it out first. Who knows what's behind that wall?" Joseph whispered.

Sara took Lilly's hand and guided her back in the direction they had came. Joseph checked the pistol he had holstered to his hip, satisfied to see that he had a full magazine. He slid his pocket knife into his shoe, figuring that the less visible his weapons were the better if there were humans on the other side of the wall. He was cautious as he walked toward the wall. He wasn't surprised when a few people peeked over the wall and aimed there weapons at him. He very quickly put his hands up in the air.

"Are you Human?" One of the gunmen questioned.

"Define Human." Joseph replied.

"Do you become one of the Shifters at night?"

Joseph tilted his head at the man's words, and he realized that the man was referring to the Sufferers.

"Yes. I turn into one of them. I have others that help me stay with them so I don't wander off." He explained.

"There are others with you?" The gunman replied, lowering his gun very slightly.

"Yes. A woman I met at the start and a girl we saved."

"They hiding out there?"

"I wanted to check to see if this really is a Sanctuary or if it was riddled with those creatures before I brought them here."

Joseph whistled, the high note causing the birds in the area to flee. It was only a few minutes later that Sara was standing beside him, Lilly standing in front of her. Sara had Lilly hold her arms up like Joseph before she did the same.

"Let them in. Heath will know what to do about them." The gunman ordered.

Each of the men on the wall disappeared, and Joseph lowered his arms. He lifted Lilly up in his arms and watched as a large gate opened. The man who had spoken to him stood on the other side, and he motioned with his gun for them to follow. Sara looked up at Joseph, and he nodded once. The pair of them walked forward.

"So you three were just looking for shelter?"

"Yes. We've been on the road since the start. We had actually been in the heart of the outbreak when it first started in Washington."

"And the little girl isn't your child?"

"No. We found her in one of the houses while we were searching it."

Joseph watched as the leader of the sanctuary paced back and forth. He was sitting on a couch in an office, Sara beside him with Lilly asleep in her lap. All of their weapons laid on the coffee table in front of them, including Joseph's pocket knife.

"We do have a house that currently isn't occupied, but this community doesn't just take in outsiders. If you do join us, you will all be taking part in the jobs we do. Lilly, of course, will be attending classes with the other children her age." Heath muttered as he looked at Joseph and Sara.

"What kind of jobs?" Joseph questioned.

"We only have one doctor in the sanctuary, and this is the time of the year when all types of illnesses spread from person to person. It would be helpful if one of you knew anything about medicine."

Joseph's entire body stiffened, and he looked down at his feet. Sara placed her hand on his leg, and he looked at her before clearing his throat and looking at Heath.

"I'm a doctor." He whispered.

"That's perfect!" Heath smiled at Joseph and looked at Sara. "What's your best skill?"

"I don't really have any skills. At least, not one that I'm particularly good at. What exactly do you need me to do?" Sara asked.

Heath's expression went from a bright smile to deep in thought. Joseph's anxiety began to worsen as he thought about his new position, and he ran his hand through his hair as he tried to calm down. Sara watched as Lilly stirred in her lap, and she wasn't surprised when the small child climbed over her lap to get to Joseph. She had always been able to tell when Joseph was having a hard time, even if she was in a deep sleep.

"We need someone to watch the children once classes are over if their parents are still working." Heath stated.

Joseph chuckled when Lilly got in his lap and hugged him. He relaxed as he sat back and held onto her. He hummed along as she sang a nursery rhyme to him, tuning out what Heath and Sara were saying.

The rest of the day was a blur. Joseph could hardly remember going to the house that was now theirs, and he had kept a knife in his hand nearly the entire night. Sara had taken her time in the bathroom, taking a warm shower and bathing Lilly right after she was done. It had been a long time since Joseph had seen the woman freshly clean, the day after the outbreak occurred being the last time.

"Go and clean up. I'm going to take Lilly to get a haircut down the street. We all could use one, honestly." Sara muttered when she stood in their bedroom door.

Joseph was sitting on the bed, his head in his hands. Sara frowned as she walked up to him, startling him as she laid her hand on his back. His dark blue eyes were wide open as he jumped and looked up at her.

"Go take a shower. I'll wait for you so we can go get haircuts." Sara mended what she had said moments before.

"O-Okay." Joseph's voice was shaky, and he was silent as he got to his feet and headed for the bathroom.

The hot water felt nice on Joseph's skin. He was able to scrub away the layers of dirt and blood that was caked onto his pale skin, and he washed his hair three times before deciding that it was clean enough. He got out and changed into a pair of clothes that Sara must have laid on the bathroom counter for him while he was showering. He looked in the bathroom mirror once he was dressed, running a comb through his hair.

"Papa!" Lilly cheered as he opened the bathroom door.

Joseph stumbled back as the small child threw herself at him, her arms locking around his legs. He smiled and messed with her hair.

"Hey there, squirt." He smiled as he picked her up.

"Mama said we're going to get haircuts!" Lilly smiled.

"Yeah? You really want to get your pretty hair cut?"

"Mama said it's better to have short hair so the monsters can't grab me!"

Joseph hummed and carried her down the stairs. Sara was peeking out of the front window.

"Ready to go?" Joseph asked, setting Lilly down.

Sara turned to look at him, and she smiled. "Yeah."

Lilly ran to Sara and giggled as the three headed outside. The community was small, and there were several houses in the small enclosure. A portion of the open area where glass was had been turned into small gardens for fresh fruits and vegetables. Joseph had learned from Heath that the wall was made of sheets of metal nailed together.

"Which house is it?" Joseph muttered as they started walking down the sidewalk.

Sara pointed to a house down the street, and the three walked in silence. Joseph was taken by surprise when Sara slipped her hand in his, and he followed her gaze to find a woman was staring at him from across the street.

"Are you honestly jealous?" Joseph chuckled, squeezing Sara's hand. "I thought you didn't like me that way."

Joseph and Sara had been together for nearly a year, and their relationship had never been defined. They were like parents to Lilly, but there was nothing going on between them beyond that. Sara had even once told Joseph that she didn't want to be with anyone that way. The two always, however, did simple affectionate actions toward each other.

"Of course not!" Sara snapped.

"The look on your face says otherwise."