Sorry for the late post of the new chapter, but school has been keeping me busy lately. I'll try to write the new chapter as soon as possible, though.
I got dressed and quietly left the room, hoping not to meet anyone on my way out. I took one last look at Daryl, who was sleeping soundly on the back.
It was still dark outside, the sun was just starting to come out. I went for a walk, breathing in the cold breeze. This was the only time I could get some, since the days were so damn hot.
I walked around the house and reached the stalls, hesitating whether I should walk inside. If I did, maybe I'd do the same as Daryl, take a horse and dash into the forest. Daryl brought back Sophia's doll, that was a lead to follow. But with every day that passed, the chances of finding her alive were getting slim. I couldn't stand that hopeless feeling inside me. I wanted to do something so badly.
Before I'd express my rage on the stalls, I headed back to the camp, just outside the house and waited for the rest of the group to wake up.
They were all fully awake in an hour or so, I stopped counting after fifteen minutes of waiting. We had a quick breakfast, before we started the serious talk.
Rick was holding Sophia's doll in his hand, placing it on the hood of the truck. I watched it, picturing Sophia holding it, standing here with us. We waited a few more minutes until Daryl joined us. I averted his eyes, but he seemed to be doing the same. Before raising suspicious, I quickly cut into chase.
"So, we have a proper lead now, it's only a matter of time before we find her."
"If we find her, I mean one doll doesn't mean anything. It could've been lying there for days." said Shane, obviously uninterested in the whole situation. I ignored his comment.
"I'll go look for her today." I said, but Rick shook his head.
"No, it's too dangerous to go alone."
"You think I care if it's dangerous? Don't you see were wasting our time here? We have a better chance if we split up, or are you scared of being alone in the forest?" I grinned at him. His expression was stayed cold.
"We split up and what? More of us get lost, it's not worth it." Shane raised his voice, aiming his annoyance at me. I gave him a disgusted look, he was starting to piss me off.
"Not worth it? You mean it's not worth looking for her anymore?" I asked, calmly. He turned his eyes away, refusing to answer. "Your silence proves my point."
"There is no point. She could be already dead, for what we know, or she could turned into one of those things. I say we let it go, focus on what we do from now." as he finished I was already standing only inches apart from him, But before my fist could reach his face, Rick's grip stopped me. I tried to pull my arm from his hold, but it only made him hold stronger.
Suddenly, Shane was trying to keep his balance, as Daryl punched him from the other side. I couldn't hide a grin on my face as I watched Shane wiping the blood of his lip. Daryl stumbled as well, groaning in pain. I caught him halfway from falling to his knees. He pushed my hand away.
"Nobody asked for your help anyway. We'll find her on our own." said Daryl, turning around to walk away.
I was glad that Carol didn't see this whole scene, it would probably break her heart even more. She's trying to be tough for the group, but I know how hard it is to lose family.
I caught up to Daryl as he walked towards the stalls. I could only guess what his plan was, but whatever it was, I intended to stop him.
"I hope you're not planning on going."
He gave me a questioning look. "Who'll go if not me?"
"I will and you know that. You're wounded, how far do you think you'll get?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"You can't track her in the forest without me."
"I intend to try. I'm not giving up on her Daryl, not me, not anymore." I tried to sound calm and reasonable. He finally turned to face me. His eyes were cold, piercing through mine as if trying to see what's going on inside my head.
"I won't let you go alone." he said after a while and his expression changed. He looked concerned.
"Thanks for your concern, but I'll be just fine. I promise I won't get lost." I said with a bit of sarcasm in my voice.
"I didn't mean that." his voice became soft, quiet.
"Walkers are my least concern, Daryl." I replied with a laugh. Actually, if I met a walker on the way, I wouldn't be satisfied until I saw its rotting corpse on the ground, its head pierced by my bullet.
Daryl opened his mouth as to say something, but he couldn't find the right words. Then, he reached his hand to his back, taking his crossbow.
"Take this, conserve the ammo." he said, handing me his crossbow. For a few seconds, I stood there without a word, my eyes wide open, staring at his weapon of choice. Was he actually giving me his crossbow? "Take it or leave it."
I reached my hand to take it, and then I tried its balance and aim. Satisfied, I nodded my head.
"Thanks, this will help." I looked at him for the last time, before leaving. I decided to go on my own, I was faster that way. I considered taking a horse though, but I'd have to ask Hershel first. Better than nothing, though. "I'll be on my way then."
I turned on my heels, walking out.
"Wait." shouted Daryl to my back. I quickly turned around, my heart started beating faster for some reason. "Just, be careful."
I nodded and look down to the ground, a slight disappointed flashed on my face so I tried to hide it by turning away once again. But before I knew it, he grabbed my elbow and spun me around, then without a warning pressed his lips against mine. Desire and urge reflected in his kiss. I wrapped my free arm around his neck, kissing him back.
After a while, I pulled away, worried that if I didn't stop, I wouldn't leave anytime today. He gave out a disappointed sigh, but he let go of my hand and I walked away, looking behind my shoulder to meet his eyes as he stood there, watching me until I was out of his sight.
I get into a bit of disagreement with Hershel, when I asked him for a horse. It seemed like he didn't trust anyone of us anymore, but my arguments were convincing enough.
It's been a while since I've ridden a horse, but I got a hang of it pretty quickly. I tried not to think about the past, the time when my parents were still alive. I shook my head, focusing on the path ahead. After half an hour, I reached the spot where Daryl found Sophia's doll. I rode around it, going further into the forest.
I couldn't see any visible tracks. Maybe Daryl would have more luck, but he wasn't here.
After another hour or so, I had to stop to take a break. My muscles were sore from riding for so long. I leaned against a tree, while drinking some water. The horse got uneasy all of a sudden. I patted him on the back, trying to calm him down. But then I realized why he was like this. I listened for a few seconds and then I finally caught the sound of footsteps approaching. Someone was running near here. I turned after the sound, thinking while sitting back on the saddle. I couldn't be sure, but my instincts were telling me that it wasn't a walker. By the sound, it could be Sophia, the steps were too soft for an adult, but I could be wrong. Still, I didn't hesitate and rushed my horse after the lead. Whoever it was, this couldn't be a walker.
