She ran through the words, her small feet crunching the leaves that she ran over, Eliza's doll clutched in her small trembling hand. I can picture it in my head. Her running, dropping the doll without even realizing it. Her running for what must have seemed like forever. A single bite. That was all it took. A single bite on a shoulder, and my best friend in the world of the dead, became on of them.
Sophia.
It still hurt to think about. My best friend, running off, and getting lost in the woods. We searched for so long. When some of us, namely Shane, were beginning to give up hope, there she was. I had just stared at her, and for a second, it seemed like those empty white eyes were staring back. Looking back, remembering the face I had looked at so many times, turned Walker, I can almost blur it, and see her face, happy, smiling, alive. I had told my mother that I would've shot her myself. It was a lie. I could've never done it. Maybe if it was Glenn, or Maggie, or even Shane. Hell, I shot my own mother! But I could've never shot her. I just didn't want everyone to worry. I wanted all of them to think I was strong.
I remembered, before Shane busted the padlock off the door, I remember the words he said, the ones about searching for a girl who would never be found, and something in me snapped. Loathing filled my veins, and I felt my blood run cold. I tried to step forward, but my mom put a hand on my shoulder. She must have known what I was thinking, what I was feeling about that son of a bitch. I hated him so much right then. A few minutes later, and there she was. Suddenly, I didn't know what to do, or what to feel. Horrified? Overjoyed? I felt cold, empty. My best friend was dead. I had shown no emotion, but inside, I was falling apart.
I'd do anything to bring her back, but I can't. Now, she's just a memory. A memory that haunts me. Sometimes, I wake up at night, and the only thing I can see is her eyes, staring into mine. No. Not her eyes. The eyes of something, something else. That wasn't Sophia, it was a walker. Yet, it was her. She didn't rush towards us with anger or blood lust. She acted almost as if she didn't want to hurt us.
Did I really mean what I said to Carol? Is heaven real? Is there a God up there? It seems unlikely. If such a figure did exist, why would something so cruel happen to this world? If he did exist, why would he take such an innocent little girl? She'd never done anything wrong.
Although, I know that if there really is a heaven somewhere, Sophia's there, too. She deserves it.