Author's Note:
Hey there! Thanks for clicking on my fanfiction, Sophia's Lost Days. This is an idea that I've had floating around in my head for some time- and since I've been rewatching the series, I figured it was time to give it a shot.
This should be around 13 chapters, each one titled after the respective Season 2 episodes so you have an idea of where the story is in the timeline. The chapters will link to the episode title in one way or another.
If this story does well, I will do a sequel following the events of the season 2 and the following seasons.
A quick heads up- this Chapter includes a lot of swearing, as well as gore, and references to mature themes.
Please enjoy this seventh chapter of Sophia's Lost Days. I will be referencing that flashback scene where we see Shayne and Lori back at the start watching as Atlanta is bombed.
As always, reviews are appreciated- feedback is essential. Helps me know what to change and/or improve upon. Whilst I am of course immensely grateful for those who review already, it would be great if more of you left feedback- what I write might not be for everyone, and I want everyone to enjoy what I write!
If I haven't replied to your review, please let me know! I reply to every review I receive! As always, let me know if you spy any grammatical or spelling errors!
An additional note: I am pleased that people weren't too upset by the implication of sexual assault in the previous chapter. It isn't a nice subject in any way, but in a dying world people would do crazy things. I also took the idea from the scene with Carl. It is a difficult subject and if anyone wants someone to talk to about that, I am always here to listen. I will be going into that theme again, so here is an official trigger warning.
Another thing- I'd like to thank thedarkpokemaster for giving me some fantastic ideas that I will be using in the coming chapters. I actually wanted to go a different way for the ending of the previous chapter, and an idea that thedarkpokemaster gave me means I can kind of expand on that original idea without having to retcon an entire chapter! I also want to thank thedarkpokemaster for reading this chapter before I published it, to see if it was alright!
One last thing- a user named Dezzal left me the following review: Your characters get hurt so much that it takes away from the story. It comes to the point where your no longer associating with the character and just being annoyed by how epic everything has to be, from getting glass stuck in her face then having to sow it herself to her knees needing stitches then getting shot and for fucks sake next thing you know she will be losing limbs because she got bit. It's just too much.
I am not upset by the above review in any way- I stand by my saying that all criticism is good criticism, as it helps you know what to change and improve. However I received this review when I had already written 90% of this chapter. Whilst there is more injuries to my OC in this chapter- I'm unfortunately a sucker for injury fics- as reflected in my writing. But they are the last injuries for some time. I only plan to inflict pain on other main characters at some point-when the situation calls for it.
So yes, user Dezzal, there are more injuries in this chapter- but after that it's just recovery. And now we will have more characters to play off of. Please excuse the copious amounts of 'epic injuries'. I will be including more about other characters. This review made me realize that I did title the fic 'Sophia's Lost Days' and have kind of made it all about my OC. There will be more focus on a broader range of characters after this chapter. Dezzal, I hope you at least enjoy it a little bit regardless of the injuries.
Please keep in mind that when two people are all that's in a group, they are at a disadvantage in the apocalypse- so more injuries are a given.
For the rest of you: Do you feel the same as Dezzal? How can I change and/or improve this story? I am always open to ideas and constructive criticism!
Food for thought: This story is dark, as I have mentioned before. There is a great deal of injuries in the comics- and even torture/sexual assault...and I am drawing more from the comics for inspiration.
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Thanks to all who have reviewed so far!
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Word count: 9,045!
Last Edited: 18/3/18 (Grammatical errors corrected)
Chapter 7 -
Pretty Much Dead Already -
She watches as Shane walks away- before taking advantage of her Mom and Dad's argument to follow after him. As she catches up with him, the noise of her parents' argument fading away, Sophia sees Shane smile warmly at her- and offers out a hand. Taking it, she follows the man up the hill, where his friend Lori is waiting- with her son Carl. In the dim moonlight, the four of them stand atop the hill- watching Atlanta in the distance. It seems so close, and simultaneously so far away. Being in the city seems like a lifetime away- when in reality, they'd only left a few days ago.
Things had been slow at the start, with a steady stream of news reports and radio broadcasts that they'd initially had trouble believing. But then...in the space of a week, everything had gone to hell. Weeks of panic consumption had led to shortages of practically every major resource- causing riots to break out across the country. After the situation escalated, practically every city in America had been placed under martial law- with military pouring in from every direction.
Even from their position on the hill now, they could hear people screaming, and gunshots in the distance. They were quite literally watching as the city fell apart- and it seemed to be bringing tears to everyone's eyes. After all, nothing about this was right. People shouldn't have been getting up from the dead to eat their own. People shouldn't have been fighting or looting. None of this should have happened. And yet it was happening- the literal end of the world was occurring right before their eyes...and they were powerless to stop it.
Even the most hardened soldier was powerless against the hordes of 'walkers' as the last news broadcast had named them.
"How're we all doing?" Shane finally asked, breaking the silent.
"I don't rightly know how to answer that." Lori sighed sadly.
"It's...sad." Carl sniffed.
"I know, baby." Lori spoke soothingly.
"At least we're out here…" Shane cleared his throat. "And not back there, in the city."
A moment of tense silence passed, before all of them began looking around wildly- as they heard the rumbling of an airplane engine overhead. As the noise got louder, they could hear people on the road behind them cheering and hollering- willing the planes onto victory. They all watched in wonder as a series of fighter jets streaked across the air above- shining silver in the night sky. With speed unlike anything Sophia had ever seen, the jets headed straight for the city.
"Maybe they can win this thing." Shane spoke hopefully.
Before anyone else could speak up, the planes dived…
And time seemed to slow down…
Before it sped up mercilessly…
And a series of explosions cascaded down over the city.
As Atlanta went up in flames, smoke billowing up into the clouds, Sophia felt tears begin to stream down her face. The noise alone was deafening, even at the distance they stood at- and the heat of the fire could be felt even where they were. The damage...looked devastating. Starting to cry, Sophia let go of Shane's hand, and began running back towards her Mom. Whilst her Dad stood, looking at the burning sky in shock, her Mom stretched out her arms- and pulled Sophia into a warm, comforting embrace.
"Mom…" Sophia cried.
"I know, baby. I know." her Mom spoke soothingly.
With Jasper and Sophia…
Slowly, Sophia began to wake- hearing an almost eerie silence, permeated only by the sound of a gentle rainfall. The worst of the storm had long since passed, but the rain still lingered. The sound of the rain, gently pattering on the windows was...strangely...almost soothing- until Sophia remembered where she was...and what had happened. Everything came back to her in a rush, bringing tears to her eyes. After what she had seen and heard the day before, sleep had not come easily- even though she'd been exhausted by the time she could finally sit down and take a breath. A near death experience, coupled with the very real fear of sexual assault would send anyone into a nervous frenzy. Even the toughest human being couldn't remain unaffected by such an experience. Add to that with the fact that Sophia had killed a living, breathing human for the first time...and it had been a long night- to say the least.
Opening her eyes, Sophia blinked rapidly to clear the sleep from her eyes- before reaching for the pocket knife in her lap. Taking comfort in the now familiar feel of the blade in her hands, Sophia allowed herself a moment to fully wake up, taking deep breaths to calm her nerves. She was still immensely exhausted, and on edge- but Sophia knew had to remain calm. For the moment, she was safe, and so was…
Jasper!
Rapidly, Sophia turned around to look at her companion. She'd somehow managed to drag the older, unconscious woman into a nearby car- something that had definitely torn a few of the stitches on Sophia's still tender leg wound. The older woman lay in an uncomfortable looking position on the back seat- Sophia hadn't wanted to move her around too much. It had taken longer than the young girl hoped for the bleeding to slow to a stop- so she didn't want to move her companion unless it was absolutely necessary. After all, neither of them were up to fighting. They hadn't been up to it the day before, really...but somehow, they'd managed to survive the ordeal. By the skin of their teeth- Sophia was exhausted and overtired, and Jasper was still uncomfortably pale and shivering...though her face was dripping with sweat. Sophia wished her new friend was awake, to tell her how she could help...but she wasn't. So Sophia had to improvise. She'd covered the car windows with the old blankets from their supplies- whilst they were crusted with dry blood, they kept walkers from seeing into the vehicle. Sophia had used another blanket, less damaged, to drape over Jasper. The hiking pack was under the woman's head like a makeshift cushion.
Sophia was proud of herself for getting them into the car- if hadn't been easy, mentally or physically. She'd wanted to go down to the farm, and see her Mom...get help...but that just hadn't been possible. Sophia could still only just about limp on her bad leg-and Jasper wasn't going anywhere fast either. And she couldn't leave Jasper on the road whilst she went to get help- the woman was definitely not in fighting shape. The situation was bad- but for now, they were out of harm's way.
Just as Sophia was reaching out to check on Jasper, she heard the sound of cars approaching- along with the all too familiar sound of rumbling motorbikes. As the noise drew closer, getting louder with each passing second, Sophia reluctantly reached out a hand to gently shake Jasper. She didn't want to try waking her yet- but if Jasper suddenly woke and alerted whoever was approaching them outside...it'd be disastrous.
So Sophia kept trying, until she saw her new friend's eyes start to open. Fumbling around, Sophia reached for the lighter she'd taken off the wiry mans body. Keeping an eye on the approaching vehicles through a tear in the blankets, Sophia watched as they stopped further down the highway- likely having seen the carnage from Sophia and Jasper's clash with the motorcyclists. As Sophia moved the dim light from the small flame closer to Jasper, she felt her heart skip a beat. The older woman was deathly pale- paler than earlier, skin clammy with sweat. Coupled with the red rings under her eyes- tell tale signs of exhaustion, the woman looked like death warmed up.
"Sophia?" Jasper cleared her throat. "Where-"
"There's people on the highway." Sophia kept her throat down. "Are you-"
"I'm…" Jasper coughed. "I'm fine."
"No, you're not…" Sophia shook her head.
Gritting her teeth, Jasper pulled herself upwards- grimacing as the motion tugged at her wound, feeling a sharp pain in her back. Looking around, she saw how hard Sophia had worked to get them safe- and turned to face her young companion. The girl had saved Jasper's life by getting her into the car- and she'd stayed with her, when Sophia could just as easily have run to the farm...where her Mom was hopefully waiting for her.
"You didn't go...to your Mom?" Jasper sat back up, leaning against the tattered car seat.
"I didn't want to leave you." Sophia passed Jasper's hunting knife back to her.
Smiling slightly, Jasper turned the knife in her hands, comforted by the familiar blade- before speaking up again.
"You did good." Jasper reassured Sophia.
"I did?" Sophia picked up her own pocket knife.
"We're still here, aren't we?"
"Yeah...we are."
As the sound of several voices drew closer, Jasper's eyes widened in alarm. Noting the older woman's expression, Sophia quickly rummaged through Jasper's hiking pack- stashed on the other front seat. After a tense moment of searching, she produced one of the stolen guns. Taking a deep breath before handing it to Jasper, she watched as the woman struggled to open the magazine- examining with shaking hands what bullets were left.
"Six bullets. What about the others?" Jasper tucked her hunting knife into her belt, before reloading the gun.
As Sophia handed her the others, Jasper examined them- only to find two were empty...and another had one single clip left. So they had twelve bullets. And judging by the number of different voices outside, twelve bullets wasn't going to be enough. Twelve bullets and two knives- not near enough. Not even close.
"Hey, do you guys see that?" a voice sounded from outside.
"Some kind of light?" another sounded confused.
"They saw the lighter." Jasper tucked the spare magazine into her belt. "So they'll see...the bodies."
A moment of silence passed, the tension rising until it was thick in the air. Sophia trembled as she closed the lighter- desperate to reach out to her new friend for comfort. The events of earlier had shaken Sophia to her core- but now that they were in danger, there was no time for comforting. No time to really digest what had happened. No time to think about the fact that they'd both killed breathing, living humans. After all, the undead were one thing. The living, however, were entirely different.
"Shit! Is that Dave?" a new voice spoke up, shattering the silence. "And the other scouts?"
"What the fuck happened?" another voice swore.
As the realization hit them, Sophia and Jasper looked at each other. These new men outside knew the name of one of the dead men, which meant that they were with the men on the motorcycles. Jasper cursed, knowing that the connection between the two groups meant that they would want payback for what Jasper and Sophia had done. Knowing that it was only a matter of time before they were discovered, Jasper thought hard- fighting the pounding in her head. Once again, they were running out of time. Looking around the car, dimly lit by some kind of light coming from outside, Jasper desperately tried to come up with a solution.
"Hey, Randall. Wasn't that the car you saw that light in?" another new voice spoke up.
"I think so." a distinctly younger voice answered.
"Check it out, while we figure out what the fuck happened here." someone else spoke.
"Why do I have to do it?" Randall complained.
"Why're you being such a pussy?" Another voice scoffed.
"I just…" Randall sighed.
"Fine. I'll do it." Another voice spoke up.
A set of footsteps grew closer to their hiding place in the car.
"Fuck." Jasper swore.
The sheer volume of different voices told her and Sophia that there were far more men outside than there had been on the motorcycles- meaning that they were outnumbered. Desperately outnumbered, and likely outgunned to boot. And there wasn't going to be a lucky break like last time- their luck, it seemed, had finally run out. But they couldn't afford to focus on the negatives- they had to stay calm and figure a way out...if there was one.
"Sophia." Jasper kept her voice down. "Can you get out of the car on your side?"
"Yeah. I think so." Sophia whispered.
Considering their limited options, Jasper came up with a plan. It was risky- and something she'd hate herself for doing...but it would have to be done. Sophia was more important than anything...or anyone else. It didn't matter how Jasper's plan was going to play with her conscience. As long as it got Sophia away safely, the older woman didn't care how it made her feel.
"Put the hiking pack on." Jasper instructed, checking her borrowed gun.
"Okay." Sophia slipped the straps over her shoulders before tightening them- keeping a tight grip on her pocket knife. "What're you going to do?"
Jasper didn't even have time to answer, before the door opposite her flung open, revealing a man in a jacket not unlike the ones worn on the men on the motorbikes. Sophia crouched down, shaking as she sunk further down in her seat. Standing tall, the man stared at Jasper and Sophia, wide-eyed. Taking advantage of the man's shock, Jasper mustered all the strength she had left- and bolted upwards, even as the motion caused blood to seep from her wounds once more. Kicking the man in the chest as hard as she could, she clambered out after him, as he collapsed to his knees. As the other men turned to face her, having heard the commotion, she reacted quickly- turning the kneeling man until he had his back to her, putting her borrowed gun to his head...whilst holding her hunting knife to his throat.
"The fuck?" One of the men, a short but bulky man, cursed.
As each man raised a gun and moved to point it at her, Jasper took as deep a breath as she could. She had a hostage, so for now- she had the advantage. She just had to buy Sophia enough time to get away safely.
"Back the fuck off." She pulled her knife closer to her hostage's throat.
"Shit. Shit shit shit." The youngest of the men stepped back.
A few seconds of silence ticked by, neither side knowing what to say, before the tallest of the strange men spoke up.
"You do this?" He gestured to the dead bodies strewn across the ground.
"They had it coming." Jasper smirked, faking confidence.
"Why?" The tall man spoke.
"They…" Jasper realised that they couldn't see Sophia, and felt her heart lift slightly. "Came across a woman travelling all by herself. Figured they could get something out of me."
"The hell are you getting at?"
"They tried to get in my pants. I wasn't going to let that happen."
"So you killed them. All of them."
"You're damn right I did."
"What about…" the man Jasper had taken hostage started.
"You shut up!" Jasper brought her blade even closer to the man's throat, enough to draw out a few drops of blood.
At the sight, the other men took a few steps backward, clearly understanding Jasper's conviction. Some at least seemed to realise that there was weight behind Jasper's words, that she'd follow through on the threats if she had to.
"They just wanted to have a little fun, lady." The tallest man spoke up. "I mean, there aren't many ladies left out here."
"I don't give a shit about what they want." Jasper practically spat, covertly glancing back at Sophia, looking at the car door behind the young girl.
When Sophia nodded, Jasper quickly turned back.
"Seems we got a feisty one." The tall man joked.
"I'm not in the mood for jokes." Jasper spoke bluntly.
"Alright, alright." The tall man stepped backwards, raising his hands in surrender.
"Get up." Jasper ordered her hostage as she saw Sophia slowly opening her car door.
Rising to her feet, Jasper smiled slightly when she saw she stood taller than her hostage, knowing it'd give her a bigger advantage- but still kept her gun at his head, and her hunting knife at his throat. She couldn't afford to let her guard down. Not yet.
"So." The tall man spoke up again. "How do we handle this? I mean, you killed our friends here."
"They tried to-" Jasper swallowed.
Glancing to her left, she saw the young man- who she figured was Randall judging by how young he had sounded, look down in shame. Randall seemed a lot more subdued than the other men- and compared to them...he looked like a young boy. He didn't seem comfortable with these men- but he wasn't running away either. Shaking her head, she re-focused, just barely catching the sound of Sophia's door closing again. The girl was out. So Jasper just had to buy her a little more time.
"You're going to let me go." Jasper spoke confidently.
"And why is that?" The tall man took a step forward.
"If you don't, I'll slit his throat." Jasper looked at each of the men in turn, her heart sinking as the sheer number of them kept climbing up.
Thirty men...that she could see.
"Oh, will you now?" The tall man taunted.
"I killed your friends there." Jasper swallowed. "Think I won't do it again?"
The tall man sighed heavily, clearly not happy with how the situation was progressing.
"Oh, I believe you." He spoke up.
"So you know I'll kill this man to get away from you all." Jasper frowned.
"I know. Problem is, you really have no idea who you're dealing with." The tall man licked his lips.
"The hell do you-" Jasper was cut off, as the tall man pointed his gun at her.
"You wouldn't shoot. You'd have to go through him." Jasper glanced down at her hostage.
As the tall man began laughing, Jasper felt her blood run cold. These men were all just as bad as the men on the motorbikes...if not worse. Noting movement on her left, she quietly glanced in that direction- and saw Sophia crouched behind another car, looking straight at Jasper. Dread filled Jasper's heart as she realised her only option. It wasn't ideal...but there was no other way out of this for Sophia.
"Go." She mouthed silently, keeping an eye on the gun pointed in her direction.
Sophia shook her head, eyes filling with tears as she trembled with fear. It was obvious that the young girl didn't want to leave her new friend- but Jasper didn't have much of a choice. She thought the hostage would give her leverage...but after what the tall man had said, she knew there truly was no way out of this. She'd underestimated how low these men were willing to sink.
"Go to the farm." Jasper mouthed.
As Sophia quietly rose to her feet, tears streaming down her face, Jasper felt her own heart break. She didn't want to send the girl away, and into the dark by herself...but it couldn't be helped. Even as her young companion crept away, she kept turning back to look at Jasper.
Once Sophia was sufficiently far away, her quiet steps not alerting the men, Jasper turned back to face the men- who...thankfully...remained unaware of her young charge.
"Now, where were we-" Jasper started.
A shot escaped loudly from the tall man's gun, echoing loudly in every direction. Jasper saw the bullet before she felt it- saw the bullet tear through her hostage's head, spraying fragments of brains and bone across her torso...before it buried itself in her right collarbone. Crying out, Jasper fell backwards, into the car- losing her grip on her gun...and her hunting knife. As the weapons clattered to the ground, Jasper gasped, struggling to catch her breath. The shot was powerful- and it had knocked all the breath out of her, bringing with it an entirely new pain, which began radiating throughout her whole body...like fire in her veins.
As the world blurred above her, Jasper continued to gasp for breath…
A million thoughts swirling in her head.
'Again? How many times am I going to get shot? Someone has a warped sense of humour.'
As she gave into the darkness, Jaspse finally closed her eyes- hoping that Sophia had gotten away safely.
With Sophia…
As the shot rang out, Sophia froze in her tracks. Looking back, she watched as the world seemed to shift in slow motion. The young girl had turned just in time to see her older companion fall back- and the men close in on her. Sophia wanted to cry out, to scream, to run back- but she couldn't. No matter how much she wanted to run back to her new friend, she couldn't. Jasper had made sure that Sophia could get away- so she couldn't let that sacrifice be in vain. Now Sophia's only option was to walk...or rather, limp towards the farm...where she hoped her Mom would be waiting for her. The young girl picked up the pace as much as she could, though it hurt her heart to put more distance between herself and Jasper- because she hoped that the group would let Sophia lead them back to her older companion. To help Jasper. It was a stretch- they'd find it hard to justify risking their lives for a stranger, but Sophia hoped her own words would convince them.
Even if it was too late for her companion to be saved...she still had to try and get help...
Even if all they'd be doing was burying the older woman.
Sophia owed her new friend that much, at least.
With Jasper…
Silent as she woke, Jasper watched as the men closed in on her, each wearing an eerie and lecherous grin. Internally cursing, she willed her body to move...but found that she just couldn't. Her whole body ached with a pain unlike anything she'd ever felt before. After all the fighting, all the nights with barely any sleep...everything had finally caught up with her- at the worst possible time. It was like some cruel joke. As sweat began dripping down her, her body beginning to tremble, Jasper was forced to lie motionless, as the tall man crept into the car after her. She knew what these men wanted- and knew from them executing their own man that they'd stop at nothing to get what they desired. Even if it meant sacrificing what was left of their humanity to do so.
With Sophia…
Tears still streaming silently down her face, Sophia limped forwards- using her borrowed lighter in her left hand to light the way. Constantly looking all around her, the young girl soldiered onwards, pocket knife clutched tightly in her right hand- heart pounding as the pitch blackness around her seemed to close in. Even in the pale moonlight, and with the lighter, Sophia could still barely see two feet in front of her- meaning that any number of dangerous things could be lurking in the shadows.
With Jasper…
Chills of fear ran down Jasper's spine, as the tall man reached out to her. Face stretched into a psychotic grin, he leaned down- until his face hovered above her own. Gritting her teeth, as the man's cold hands slid down her body, Jasper knew she had two options. Either she could lie down and comply, and hope they'd leave her alive once they were done using her...or she could fight back. Fight back and go down fighting. Neither option was ideal, particularly the first, but it was all she had. There was no third option, no easy way out. Not this time.
As she felt the man undoing her belt, his eyes still locked on hers, Jasper steeled herself...and made her decision.
She was going down fighting.
With Sophia…
Sophia paused, when she heard movement to her right. Trembling with exhaustion and fear, she shakily raised the lighter to illuminate the area. When she saw nothing, Sophia took a few more steps forward- only to be faced with two walkers, emerging from the shadows to lunge at her. Crying out, the young girl backed away- glancing backwards to ensure that no surprises lay in wait behind her. After a moment, her heart pounding ever faster, she turned back to face the approaching walkers- and found herself dry heaving. The walkers were old- easily the most decrepit, stinking, and shambling corpses that Sophia had seen. Their bodies were grotesque, mangled messes of peeling flesh. One of the walkers eyes had been seemingly gouged out, and it's jaw hung open, tongue lolling in the open wound. The others guts had been pulled from its body, trailing behind it to leave smears of dark blood and gore on the ground. Each was as terrifying as the other- and although she had killed before, Sophia still found her hands shaking.
With Jasper…
Jasper forced herself to remain still and silent as the man pulled off her belt- chucking it carelessly behind him. Heart pounding, she kept her eyes on the man in front of her, even as he began tugging her jeans down. She hated this, hating playing the helpless act- but it was all she could do until she saw an opportunity to fight back. As the cool night air hit her legs, Jasper watched as the tall man gave one last tug, pulling her jeans off completely. Passing the trousers to a man behind him, he chuckled as the man jeered and laughed- chucking the jeans to each other in turns...as if this were all some twisted game. Gritting her teeth, Jasper watched as the man moved down, until his head was parallel with her knees. Seizing the opportunity, she drew on the last dregs of strength that she had left- moving her legs to drive her knees into the man's face. As the man cursed, stumbling backwards and out of the car, Jasper let out a relieved laugh.
The relief was short lived, however, as the tall man was helped up by his companions. Spitting blood from a split lip, the man pushed away his friends to stand on his own two feet. Eyes wide with rage, he crawled into the car again, climbing on top of Jasper. As he leant down, close enough that she could feel his breath on her skin, Jasper spat- the spittle hitting the man in between his eyes. Cursing, the tall man moved backwards- before reaching out a hand to slap her hard across the face.
Spitting out blood, Jasper reacted quickly again- using her last burst of energy to headbutt him. Reeling, the man screamed with fury- clenching his hands into fists.
The last thing Jasper saw before everything went black…
Was the tall man tearing her shirt open.
With Sophia…
Breathing heavily, Sophia continued backing away from the walkers. Heart beating faster, so much so that she almost could have sworn she'd heard it begging, Sophia took another deep breath. Gripping her pocket knife tightly, Sophia stopped backing away- planting herself firmly where she stood. Even though her nerves were on a shaking edge, she gathered all the energy she had left- and swept her good leg under the closest walkers knees...remembering what Jasper had told her the night before. Moving as quickly as she could, limping on her bad leg, Sophia jabbed her pocket knife into the other walkers skull. Her whole body shook from fear, but she still managed to pull the knife back out. As the other corpse lunged at her, Sophia dodged- before letting out a cry and driving the pocket knife deep into the base of the shambling walker's skull.
Pulling the blade out again, she watched as both walkers crumpled into the heap on the floor...letting out a sigh of relief. After allowing herself a moment to catch her breath- and check the space around her, Sophia set off again.
As she recollected the directions on the sign that her Mom and the others had left, Sophia picked up the pace.
Sophia, we're at a farm 2 miles down the road. There's a sign on the right of the road. We'll come back to this sign every day to see if you're here.
There wasn't far to go now.
Sophia just hoped that...Jasper would be alive when she came back.
Later, at Hershel's Farm...
The group looked in stunned silence at the carnage before them- the now dead walkers from the barn strewn across the bloodied ground in a grisly display, illuminated by the dawning sun. Dark blood and chunks of gore littered the now drenched grass- the stench of it all making their stomachs churn. After all, none of them had been prepared for the sheer volume of corpses inside, and neither had they been ready to deal with them. The tension between Hershel and Shane had been bad enough before all this- both men sharing wildly different views of how they should run things. Rick had hoped that the two men would be able to get along someday...but after this? They'd killed all the barn walkers- some being Hershel's own flesh and blood. Rick knew they could never repair the damage that Shane had done. Sure, it was wrong to have the walkers so close to where they slept, but it was Hershel's farm- and he'd been kind enough to let them stay as long as they had.
Just as Rick was preparing to speak up, to say something...anything...to relieve the tension,the group heard more moaning coming from within the barn. As they all turned to look at the barn's entrance...their blood collectively ran cold.
A walker...a child corpse...was stumbling out into the daylight. The poor child was footless, clothed in only some singed, torn shorts. But that wasn't the worst part. The rest of the walker had been burned to hell- it's eyes melted in their now gaping sockets.
And the kid...the kid was...going by height...around Sophia's age.
As a single terrible thought crossed their minds, the group turned to look at Carol- who had frozen where she stood to look at the child corpse...eyes brimming with tears.
Carol took a few tentative steps forward, all eyes on her.
But, before she could go any further...she heard someone shouting.
"MOM!" a voice called out.
Heart skipping a beat, Carol turned to look in the direction of the familiar voice…
And saw Sophia…
Her Sophia, in the near distance...
Limping towards her.
"SOPHIA!" Carol screamed at the top of her lungs, ignoring the tragic sound of Rick shooting the child walker behind her.
With Sophia…
Hearing her Mom's voice, Sophia found a renewed strength within herself- and picked up the pace even more. Her heart pounded as she desperately began closing the distance between them- watching as her Mom drew ever closer. Tears streaming down her face, Sophia took a final few steps- and found herself embraced in her Mom's arms. The two of them collapsed to the ground in relief- Sophia dropping her pocket knife to return her Moms embrace. As they cried into each other's shoulders, the rest of the world seemed to fade away- giving them a few blissful moments of peace.
"Oh, my baby girl." Carol sniffed, tears running down her face. "My baby girl."
"Mom…" Sophia choked out.
Even the sound of the rest of the group running towards them couldn't shatter the tender moment. As the seconds ticked by in near silence, it seemed like they'd been apart for lifetimes- when it had only been a matter of days. They'd all spent so many nights sleepless, worrying about Sophia...and now...here she was. Keeping their distance, the rest of the group watched on with wide smiles on their faces.
"I'm so glad you're okay." Carol sniffed. "I love you...so...so much."
"I love you too." Sophia sobbed.
After everything she'd gone through in her lost days, Sophia wanted nothing more than to stay safe and warn in her Mom's arms. So she did, and for a few blissful moments, it was almost as if the world hadn't ended around them. It was just the two of them- in their own little bubble...and for a little while...it felt as if the bubble couldn't burst, and that they would be safe as long as they stayed there.
"You've been so brave." Carol shook from the sheer relief. "My brave little girl."
"I'm so glad you're okay." Sophia sniffed.
"Me too, baby. Me too." Carol smiled for the first time in days. "Oh, I'm so proud of you."
"Why?"
"Because you made it through all by yourself."
As her Mom hugged her tighter, Sophia found her mine drifting to that night so many weeks ago...when she'd seen the bombs drop on Atlanta.
Her whole body shakes as the smell of sulphur and smoke fills the air- and she hugs her Mom tighter.
"All those people…" she cries.
"Baby, look at me." her Mom speaks firmly, though her own eyes glisten with tears.
Her Mom puts her hands on her shoulders, looking her in the eyes.
"It's going to be okay." her Mom speaks.
"How do you know?" she sniffs.
"Because you're still here. And I'm still here. We're both still here"
Part of Sophia wanted to just stay there and enjoy the peace and quiet...but she couldn't. Although every part of her just wanted to hug her Mom and never let go again...she knew she couldn't. It took every ounce of Sophia's remaining strength to pull away from her Mom's embrace. But she did it, her heart breaking at the confusion in her Mom's eyes. As she searched for the right words to say, Sophia noticed her Mom staring at the bandages on her leg.
"Your leg…" Carol noticed the bandages.
"I'm not bitten." Sophia spoke quickly. "I just hurt it when I was running. My new friend helped me."
"New friend?" Carol frowned.
"Her name is Jasper. She's a doctor. And she's in trouble!" Sophia stressed.
The group exchanged concerned glances- remembering the bloodstained doctors coat that Daryl had brought back...the one dripping with pieces of walker guts.
"Trouble? Baby, what are you talking about?" Carol put her hands on Sophia's shoulders.
"There was these men...on the highway. They tried to hurt us, so...so she distracted them...we have to go back for her!" Sophia got to her feet.
"Slow down." Rick tried to calm her. "We're all glad you're alright. Just calm down."
Taking a deep breath, Sophia kept glancing at the path leading into the farm.
"Now tell us what happened." Rick moved closer.
Knowing that they'd likely not move until they had the whole story, Sophia steeled herself- before starting to tell the story of her lost days...right from the very beginning.
"Mr Grimes hid me from the walkers...but I thought he wasn't coming back." Sophia started.
Rick stepped back a little, avoiding Carol's gaze.
"So I ran." Sophia continued. "And I fell down this hill."
"By the water?" Daryl stepped forward.
"Yeah." Sophia nodded.
"Found your doll there." Daryl realized.
"You did?" Sophia smiled.
When Daryl nodded, Sophia smiled wider- but continued talking, knowing time was of the essence for her friend.
"I hurt my leg, and the walkers almost got me. But this lady, a doctor- her names Jasper- she helped me." Sophia explained. "We have go to help her!"
"Slow down, now." Rick tried reasoning.
"No!" Sophia spoke adamantly.
"Sophia!" Carol was surprised by the young girl's tone.
"I need to go back for her- we have to go back for her!" Sophia scrambled to her feet.
"Just tell us what happened." Rick pursued.
Sophia sighed, exasperated- but explained herself, knowing the group would not risk anything unless they had some idea of what was going on.
"There were these men, and Jasper talked to them. Then she wanted me to get away on the horse." Sophia spoke rapidly. "She said they were bad men...they kept asking how old I was."
Carol paled, taking in just what her daughter was implying.
"She tried talking, so I could get away...but they shot her." Sophia swallowed. "Then they shot the horse. I fell off."
Carol took Sophia's hands in her own, listening intently.
"One of the men...he came after me. The way he looked at me was...really weird." Sophia shuddered. "He was going to hurt me, so...I…"
"Take your time, Sophia." Rick stepped forward.
"I took my knife, and I…" Sophia shivered again. "I killed him."
Everyone froze, looking at the little girl in front of them. Mere days ago, they'd known her as meek and quiet, and now...she just told them that she'd killed a man. How had she matured so much in a matter of days?
"Baby...you killed someone?" Carol spoke slowly.
"I...I had to. Jasper said it was the right thing...because he hurt me." Sophia kept looking back at the road leading into the farm anxiously. "Then she killed the rest."
""She did?" Rick frowned. ""How many?"
""Five." Sophia answered. "She shot them'"
"Didn't you hear shots last night?" Rick turned to Shane.
"Shit." Shane shook his head.
Frustrated, Sophia spoke up again.
"Look, more of them came- I think they shot her again." Sophia spoke quickly. "We have to go back for her."
Unsure of what to say, reeling from everything she'd just heard, Carol rose to her feet- and turned round to face the others. Each of them was looking at her and Sophia- none of them knowing quite what to say.
"We should check it out." Rick reasoned.
"We really going to?" Shane shook his head. "Risk lives- our lives- for a stranger?"
"Sophia said this woman helped her." Rick glanced at Sophia. "You said she was a doctor?"
"A surgeon." Sophia reaffirmed.
"Come on." Rick spoke up again. "Shane, this woman saved Sophia. And a surgeon? She could keep an eye on Carl."
"I don't like it." Shane shook his head.
"You never do." Rick spoke back.
With Jasper…
When she finally began to wake up, Jasper became acutely aware of the burning pain coursing through her body- along with a tired ache in her legs. As the events of the night before slowly began to come back to her, Jasper forced her eyes open- to find herself greeted by the sight of the car roof. She soon realized that they hadn't moved her...but judging by how much she hurt...they'd done far worse. Swallowing to calm her rising nerves, she looked around her- relieved when she saw no one in the car with her. After a moment, leaning heavily on her elbows, she pulled herself up into a sitting position-grimacing when she saw blood seeping from her gunshot wounds once more. Seeing the bruises on her legs and inner thighs, it took all she had not to scream. Yes, it seemed like someone had cleaned her up- but other than that, she just been left in the car...discarded. Shaking her head, she listened carefully, trying to grasp what was happening outside. When she was met with silence, she found herself confused.
Struggling forwards, she peeled back a corner of one of the blankets- and saw several trucks parked outside- the bodies of the men she'd killed stacked in the back of the vehicles. The men were all still there- and had clearly left her alone either because they were done using her, or because they believed she had no fight in her. They'd underestimated her- something that may must have saved her life. Body shaking, she fought back the tears that threatened to flow. Whilst she'd been out cold all night, the bruises on her inner thighs and the aches told her what those men had done to her. They'd used her. With silent tears streaming down her face, Jasper took as deep a breath as she could- she couldn't break down now. She was still alive- that meant something, at least.
But she was still unarmed. Looking around, she found nothing of use- and she couldn't exactly shatter the windows...it'd likely wake all the men up. As she poured over the possible ways of escape, Jasper pulled one of the blankets off of the window- using it to cover herself...only to be met by a walker staring through the window. Covering her mouth to muffle her cry of surprise, Jasper observed the corpse. It had clearly smelled the blood from her wounds- but hadn't been able to see her until she revealed herself. Locking eyes with Jasper, the walker began banging on the window. As the shambler feebly bashed at the glass, Jasper noticed that the walker seemed familiar. It was tall, wiry….and was fully clothed in biker leathers. The wiry man! But he'd...they'd not seen any bites of scratches on him. So how had he turned?!
Still reeling from confusion and shock, Jasper watched as more walkers began pushing on her window- all wearing the same biker leathers as the men she and Sophia had killed. Somehow, despite not being bitten- at least she hadn't seen any bites- the men had all reanimated. Was it the bite that did it, then? Or was it just…
"WHAT THE FUCK?" a man shouting from one of the trucks startled Jasper out of her thoughts.
The sound of gunshots soon filled the air- and a few of the walkers began moving away from the car window. As they shuffled out of view, attention on the loud shots, Jasper could hear some of the men screaming- and found herself smiling slightly at the cruel kick of karma. She wouldn't normally wish death at a walker's hands upon anyone, but these vile men deserved everything that was coming to them. Even as sweat beaded on her face, she crawled across to the window- watching as the men struggled to get away from the walkers...clearly as shocked as she had been. Keeping out of sight, Jasper peered out through the window.
Soon after the shooting had begun, the men began scrambling back into their trucks- and onto their motorcycles. In amongst all the chaos, Jasper caught the youngest man, Randall, looking her way- pale faced, before hopping into a truck. With copious amounts of shouting and swearing, the men drove straight over some of the bodies of their dead comrades- until their vehicles were nothing but dark spots in the distance.
Barely able to believe what had happened, Jasper gave herself a few more moments to breathe- ducking down out of sight for a moment just to be safe...before looking up again to survey the situation outside. The walkers seemed to be heading after the vehicles- drawn by the noise. And those left...hadn't gotten up yet. Taking a deep breath, Jasper discarded the blanket- ignoring the pain as blood began seeping from her wounds once more. Reaching forward with trembling arms, she cautiously opened the door. Looking all around her, she only saw the fresh bodies- thankfully still lying on the ground.
Shifting forward, she cautiously placed her bare feet on the ground- leaning heavily on the car. Taking a deep breath, she used the door to pull herself to her feet. Trembling, she took a careful step forward- only to have her legs give out beneath her. Crumpling unceremoniously into a heap on the floor, she landed right on top of one of the bodied...the body of the tall man that had been in the car with her. It'd been hard to spot him in all the confusion, despite his height- but now his body lay underneath her, clear as day.
Struggling to fight back the tears that threatened to fall, Jasper managed to crawl away from his body. Though she ached all over,she knew she had to get moving- if people could reanimate without bites, like the men on the motorcycles...then these corpses were ticking time bombs.
Taking deep breaths, Jasper hauled herself upwards- watching with morbid curiosity as blood from her wounds began dripping down her body. Constantly looking all around her, she eventually found her clothes...each piece of clothing on a different man. Grimacing, she inspected each item- and thankfully found them untouched.
Shuddering, she reached down- to attempt to dress herself…
Only to see her vision blurring once more.
Her whole body beginning to shake, Jasper looked blearily at the horizon…
Watching as two trucks approached…
Before finally giving in to the darkness…
And blacking out.
With Sophia…
After a heated argument between Rick and Shane- over whether or not they should risk their lives for a stranger, the group finally decided upon sending Rick, Daryl, Shane, and Carol. Along with a very insistent Sophia. They left everyone else behind to deal with the fallout of the barn- something no one was looking forward to confronting when they got back. After all, it'd been a shock to all of them. Whilst they'd known about the walkers for some time, none of them knew just how many were in there...or that there was a child corpse among them. Add to that this rescue mission for an unknown stranger...and tensions were running high. As the group approached the blockade on the highway, each of them prepared their weapons- but nothing could have prepared them for what they saw.
At least a dozen bodies lined the highway, torn up and mangled...blood lying in huge, congealed pools. Severed limbs littered the ground- chewed deep enough to expose the torn muscles and splintered bone beneath...and guts lay strewn on the ground, shimmering grotesquely in the sunlight.
"Those the men you were talking about?" Rick kept his hands on the steering wheel, glancing at Sophia in the passenger seat.
"Some of them." Sophia answered, before pushing her door open.
"You wait here, alright?" Rick undid his seatbelt, checking his gun...before getting out of the truck.
"I need to go with him." Sophia struggled with her own seatbelt.
"Sophia, sweetie." Carol spoke softly, leaning forward from her seat in the back. "Just wait in the truck."
"My friend is out there." Sophia protested, watching as Daryl and Shane followed after Rick.
"I know." Carol sighed.
"So I have to go!" Sophia finally managed to undo her seatbelt.
"Wait here. Please, baby. It's not safe." Carol pleaded.
Sophia wanted nothing more than to run after the others- to see her new friend again. Taking one look at her Mom's face, so weary and pale, she reluctantly sat back down- watching intently as the others made their way down the highway.
With Rick, Shane, and Daryl…
As they stepped over body after body, the men looked at each other silently. After all, with each mangled body they passed, the likelihood of finding Sophia's friend alive decreased. None of them spoke- none of them knew what to say. They'd all seen their fair share of death since the world ended...but they'd never seen quite such fresh and graphic carnage. Nothing on this scale...at least...not since Atlanta. They hoped they'd never get used to seeing so much blood and gore- even though it had become their . Cautiously, they pressed forward- until they came to a pile up of a further half dozen bodies- some even more mangled than the rest.
Weapons at the ready, the three of them came to a stop...when they spotted a body different from all the others.
The body of a woman…
Bruised and bleeding out.
