It was hot. The sun beat down mercilessly on the heads of the men as they made their way through the dense forest. They had been searching for hours to no avail and despite their best efforts, their hopes of finding Sophia were beginning to fade.

They came to a halt at a signal from Rick. The former cop looked exhausted from his many responsibilities as leader and the guilt he felt for the loss of the young girl was just adding to the strain.

The others looked to him, silently asking what their next move would be. It was a moment before Glenn spoke.

The young Asian man looked nervous as he asked the question they were all thinking.

"So, should we go back?" His eyes flickered to the other two before settling on Rick.

T-Dog looked to be in silent conflict with himself. On one hand, he wanted to find to find the girl as much as everyone else. Watching the look in her poor mothers eyes everyday as the chances of her daughters well-being dwindled was hell for all of them. However, searching so long in the blistering heat was making them tired and sloppy. They'd already had a close call with a walker who'd got too close for comfort that morning. It would have taken Glenn's arm off while he was looking in the opposite direction but a well placed arrow through the skull from Daryl's crossbow had saved him from a gruesome death.

Daryl. Unlike T-Dog, he showed no emotion and it was almost impossible to tell what he was thinking. He wasn't looking at any of them, choosing instead to comb the surrounding trees with his eyes, looking out for potential threats. He was obviously uncomfortable. Although, in the absence of his brother, the redneck had grown visibly less hostile towards the group, he still preferred to be by himself. He had not forgiven Rick and the others for abandoning his brother, and only kin, in Atlanta handcuffed to a roof. However, he had realized and accepted reluctantly that in his drugged-up state, Merle might have been a danger to the group it still didn't stop the feeling of resentment he felt when he thought of his brother, trapped like a dog in a trap in a city full of the dead.

"Yes" They all looked to Rick as he spoke. Though he obviously hated the idea of abandoning the search once again and heading back to the farm to face Carols disappointed gaze, he had to put the others safety first and he knew that if they continued wandering the woods aimlessly, they would get killed.

Daryl knew this. He knew but that didn't mean he had to like it.

He couldn't explain even to himself, his need to find the child but the prospect of leaving her alone in the wilderness with the dead, again was making his stomach knot.

"Okay, well we should probably…" Rick stopped talking abruptly and they all saw why.

The movement in the trees had been so quick, none of them really had time to register what was happening until they saw the point of the gun held against Ricks head.

They all raised their weapons to point at the figure. Whoever they were was small. That was about the only detail they had about the appearance of the threat as a thick cloak covered their body, a hood hiding their face.

"Don't move" A feminine voice. "Put your weapons down"

They stayed frozen in place and she pushed the gun harder against Ricks skull. Reaching her spare hand to Ricks side, she took the gun from its holster and pointed it at Glenn, as if to show she didn't appreciate their hesitation.

"Put your weapons down, NOW" she ordered.

Rick nodded to them, fear clear in his face and they slowly lowered their weapons, a crossbow, an axe and a hunting knife, to their sides.

"Alright, now we're gonna go for a walk. You three," she barked at Daryl, T-Dog and Glenn. "You go in front and if you try anything" She drove the gun into Ricks head again "I wont hesitate." There was no question to what she was implying and though Daryl hated taking orders from anyone, least of all a women, despite his feelings towards Rick, he didn't want the man dead.

So they walked. And they walked.

Though he hid it well, it was obvious Rick was worried. If this girl had a big group, they were as good as dead. It was everyone for themselves in this world.

Finally, they came to a clearing in the trees.

There were a few tents scattered around and a truck. The group didn't appear to be big but they couldn't afford to misjudge that.

As they approached a fire, placed in the centre of the small camp, they noticed other survivors. They too wore thick hoods, even in the sweltering heat but they looked up as the woman ordered them forward.

They stood swiftly. Each held a weapon of some description, a bow, a knife and a sword included.

Finally, one spoke. Again, it was a woman.

"What is this?" The voice sounded surprised but defensive of the unknown potential threats.

"Trespassers" the women behind them stated.

She circled around them to rejoin her group but she still held her gun pointed at them to show them it would be useless to try running.

"What do you want?" another woman asked.

Rick stepped forward and they stiffened defensively.

Realising he might have made a mistake, he raised his hands in surrender and the others followed his example.

"We're looking for a little girl. She got separated from our group on the highway. Please, we just want to bring her back to her mother."

The group glanced at each other before one of them stepped forward. Before she could speak, however, another voice rang out.

"Rick?"

They whirled around to see another figure stepping through the trees. She was the first one they had met who didn't wear a cloak. She was smaller than the others, barely a child and they all stared in disbelief at the girl who, if they admitted it to themselves they all believed to be dead.

Once again, Rick was the first to speak, just one word, in a choked voice. The women tensed but they were ignored as he uttered the name they had all said so many times over the past few weeks.

"Sophia?"

Okay. Hi. So. I've decided to scrap my other story "Burning" as I just didn't like it. Sorry to anyone who reviewed, favorited or followed the story. Believe me, it was appreciated. However, hopefully you'll enjoy this story. Sophia doesn't die (obviously) and the timing is a little different but I'm going to try to stick as close to the storyline as I can.

This time, I'm going to wait until I get a little feedback before updating again. Not to force people to review but just to see how the idea is taken. So, yeah. Please leave me a quick review. It means a lot. Thanks!

JAGWALFF