Her doll was now muddy and waterlogged. Sophia tried to calm her nerves and listen for clues that it was okay to come out. She could have sworn she heard Rick coming back.
"No! Wait a little longer!" A voice in the back of her head yelled. After waiting for what seemed to her like ten hours, she began making her way out of her hiding spot. She looked around and everything seemed okay. She took a few steps and a walker fell from above her and landed just a few feet to her right. Sophia went into full sprint mode. She screamed, hoping to attract attention from her group but to no avail. As she was running for her life, she realized she had gone the wrong way and was now lost in the woods. She kept running until she found a different creek. It was then that she realized she was alone.
"You did it," she thought, "You actually did it!"
Sophia walked to the water's edge and it was so crystal clear, the rays of sunshine reflecting off the water were somewhat blinding. All of a sudden, she heard a commotion and there was the same walker from before coming towards her. She began running again but there was a shooting pain in her right leg that went from her calf to her thigh. Sophia lost her balance and fell face down hard enough to lose consciousness for a few seconds.
She rolled over on her back and felt the warm sun and the wind on her face. Someone's silhouette was blocking the sun.
"Sophia?" She heard that familiar voice. A cool hand cupped her face and she smiled.
"Mom? I'm tired."
"I know you are, sweetheart. It's okay."
"Really?"
"Yes, of course." Sophia felt her press a kiss by her jaw.
It took less than twenty minutes for her to bleed out from a bite to the neck. She never felt an ounce of pain.