Hello there reader! Welcome to my fanfiction! This is my first Walking Dead fanfic and first fanfic in general. I don't own the Walking Dead or any of its characters (I only made this story) all rights go to Robert Kirkman, and his talented team.
Enjoy~
Sophia wandered through the forest cold, alone, and hungry. She thought of her mother. She had been right there with her on the highway, at least until a hoard of the flesh hungry undead came shambling through. She kicked a small stone as she walked.
"Those stupid walkers they ruin everything". She thought bitterly.
When the walkers came though Rick, the leader of the group, yelled for everyone to hide under the abandoned cars littering the highway.
Sophia remembered lying on the hot tar, trying to hold still, but that was so hard. She could see her mother hiding under the car across from her. She wanted to be with her mother, she needed to be with her mother.
After she was sure all the walkers had past she had stuck her head out from under the safety of the car. But instead for seeing her mother's sweet face she was meet with a pair of rotting legs. She tried to retreat back under the car, but it was too late. The walker had seen her. It dropped to it's hands and knees. Sophia backed up as a pair of rotted, foul smelling arms reached towards her. She crawled out of the other side of the car as the first walker was joined by another.
As soon as she was freed she heard her mother call out, but Sophia didn't care in the moment. She ran. Her legs carried her away from the walkers, away from the highway, away from the group, away from her mother.
Sophia sighed coming to a rest against a tree. Sliding down it until she was sitting on the leafy ground.
"Why'd I have to run? Why couldn't I have stayed under the car like I was told"? "This is all my fault".
She drew her knees up to her chest and buried her blonde head into them feeling tears starting to fall. She didn't want to cry right now, but what other options did she have? She was alone in the woods with night fast approaching. Her chances of survival as a young girl alone weren't good.
After a while her racking sobs turned into shaking breaths as she slowly calmed herself down. She didn't know what to do now. The sun was going down and her mother's words of caution about the dark began to drift into her mind.
"Always be aware of the darkness. You never know what could be hiding under its cover". Carol had warned one night, as she put her daughter to bed.
"I know mom" Sophia smiled up at her mother's warm, inviting, face.
Looking into her mother's soft blue eyes, eyes like her own, made her feel safe. Like she was a small part of something bigger, something that would protect her.
"I love you my wise little owl". Carol said ruffling her short blonde hair.
"I love you too mom".
Seeing no other option Sophia got up, wiping the damp and dirt left from the ground off her pants, and began to shuffle along. She looked for any kind of landmark that could tell her where she is or even where she had come from. After hours of searching she found nothing, other than a river with a trail of footprints in the muddy bank. She deemed the tracks too large to be her own.
"Are you a walker or a person?" She wondered aloud, putting her sneaker in the large boot print to compare the sizes.
Sophia slipped her shoes and socks off and stood bare foot in the river, feeling the refreshing coldness splashing against her legs. She cupped some of the water in her hands and took a long slow drink. She could practically hear her mother's lecture about unsanitized water, but she was so parched from her day of running around that she didn't care.
A tingle of fear ran down her spine as she heard twigs snapping behind her. The small girl spun around to see a tall figure ambling in the brush. She squinted trying to make out its face in the darkening forest, but couldn't see any features that might tell her whether this visitor was living or dead.
Sophia started to shake and clutched her ragdoll tight . What would someone brave do in this situation?
"What would Mr. Dixon do?"
WWMDD. That was something she found herself wondering a lot in these scary situations that seem to have become somewhat of a daily occurrence. To her the hunter of the group, Daryl Dixon, was also the protector. Sure Rick was the leader and Dale gave the best advice, but she could see the way Daryl always seemed to be looking out for her and her mother out of the corner of his eye. Watching to make sure Ed would treat them right, not that he was a problem anymore.
She sucked in a deep breath, stopping her shaking, and gathered her courage. She drew herself up in an attempt to appear less afraid.
"Hello?" Sophia called. Her voice shook, betraying her confident stance.
The figure stopped and stood with its back turned to the girl. Sophia clambered out of the water and set her beloved doll next to her shoes, for safe keeping, she began to creep closer. She knew it was stupid to move closer without knowing if it was safe, but she was sick of being alone. And she really didn't want to spend the night on her own. Now she was only a few yards away and could tell whoever this was is male.
"S-sir?" Sophia whispered timidly, reaching out to tap the mans shoulder.
She suddenly drew her arm back as the man let out a low, rasping, moan. He turned to face the girl that had dared disturb him and let out another, louder, moan. Time seemed to stop as Sophia stood staring at the walkers disfigured face. Every shaking breath it took came from a jaw that had been unhinged, his tongue resting on his chest. His whole face look ripped up and torn apart. She doubted it could even see.
Time started again as the walker lunged forward. Sophia screamed and fell backwards into the river. She scrambled to her feet as she heard the sound of a body splashing into the water behind her. She clumsily made her way across the river, slipping on every stone. She let out a whimper as her bare foot came down hard on an extra sharp rock. Bright red blood swirled in the water as a hot stinging feeling ran up the injured foot. The smell of fresh blood drove Sophia's pursuer crazy. Sophia become more desperate to get away, as the walker become more desperate to get his meal.
Sophia grabbed the edge of the bank and hauled herself up onto the land. A cold hand wrapped around her long, slender, leg and tried to pull her back into the water. The frightened girl acted on instinct and lashed out. She began to kick and yell. Her foot landed a strong blow to the dead man's rotted head. His already hanging jaw came flying off. The walker fell back into the river with a splash, releasing his grip on his prey.
Sophia's foot sent waves of pain through her body as she ran. Small rocks and dirt pressed into her wound with every step, and worked their way under her skin. But she didn't stop. She couldn't stop. God knows what would happen if she did. She just ran and ran, not knowing if it was tree branches or walker arms tugging at her shirt.
The last rays of sun were sinking below the Georgian sky when the lost girl lost hope. She was forced to slow to a limping walk as her foot swelled up. She wandered blindly thinking of her mother, and all the other people she would never see again. The image of a lively looking boy with short brown hair crossed her mind. Carl.
Carl Grimes had been Sophia's rock through all of this. Her abusive past made it hard for her to connect with people, especially people her own age .Most kids would just shrug her uninterested attitude off as being shy or even rude. But Sophia was far from rude, and Carl knew that. He knew that she just needed someone willing to talk to her. Someone willing to take the time to break through her outer layer of fear and insecurity. Carl could make Sophia come out of her shell, and make her be who she was meant to be, not what her father made her into.
Her wandering brought her to a small abandoned house. She crept around the side of the house. On high alert for walkers after her earlier close call. She pushed open the creaking door, sending a shower of dust down onto herself. Coughing she stepped into the room looking around. Her eyes came to rest on a small cabinet. The door was unhinged, but it looked like it could still close. She figured it would be a safe and hidden place to spend the night.
Sophia curled her long thin frame into the small space. She examined her hurt foot in the fading light. Her skin felt tight and the cut was bigger than she originally thought. It was more of a gash, split open and dirt smeared from all her running. The skin around the wound turned a pale red color and felt softer than normal. Almost like one of Georgia's famous peaches.
"Not...good…" She whispered to herself, as she drifted off into an uneasy sleep.
Thank for reading! New chapter soon~
