I know, I know, its been months but I just couldn't get to grips with writing, I couldn't get it how I wanted. I don't think this is perfect but at least its up here now! Thanks for sticking with me through this! Please let me know what you think :) Review, review, review!

Rachel x

Chapter 10

Daryl and I were relieved at five in the morning by Dale and Glenn. I was pretty tired by that point so I practically fell onto the sofa beside T-Dog, I was asleep within seconds. When I woke again it was a little after eight and everyone else was already up and about. It seemed that they had let me have a bit of a lie-in. I quickly changed my top and sprayed on some deodorant before reporting to my dad and Daryl who were instructing everyone on what was to happen today in the search for Sophia.

Dale was staying on the highway to work on repairing the RV, and since T-Dog was injured he was going to stay back too. He was worse today, his face was pale and he was glistening in a sheen of sweat. I was getting pretty worried about him. If his arm was infected then he'd need some decent antibiotics, a few aspirin and a bandage just weren't going to cut it. I gave him a hug and set him down on a chair with a bottle of water, there wasn't much I could really do for him.

We all got ready to move out. I tied my hair back and slipped my backpack on. I'd put in a couple of bottles of water and a first aid kit just in case, along with a few granola bars. We all set off, traipsing down the side of the road into the trees. We weren't properly armed. My dad and Shane had guns, Daryl had his crossbow. A few of us had knives, including me. At some point we really needed to all get trained to use the guns, it would make us all so much safer.

We trekked through the woods for what felt like hours. We were all quiet, nobody in the mood to speak. I just focused on looking for Sophia. I kept the knife held firmly in my hand, I wasn't going to run the risk of getting caught off guard by a walker. We came across a tent in the middle of the trees. Dad beckoned for us all to stay back.

"Sophia" Carol called out, hoping that her daughter was in there, "Sophia, it's mom, come on out sweetie"

My heart clenched in my chest. God, I hoped she was in there, and that she was safe. There was no answer. Slowly, Daryl approached the tent. My heart was hammering like crazy. It was like I was in a horror movie or something, except it was real. My hand clenched tightly around Carl's hand. He gave me a reassuring smile but I could tell he was just as nervous about this as I was.

"Do you think she is in there?" I whispered.

Carl just shrugged, focused on Daryl who was unzipping the tent. I held my breath as Daryl poked his cross bow inside followed by his head. A second later he was out, shaking his head.

"Some dead guy…shot himself…opted out" he muttered.

Carol began silently crying again as we carried on with our search through the woods. I felt so bad for her. I really hoped we would find Sophia.

A bell rang out, echoing through the woods. We all stopped abruptly, glancing around trying to pinpoint where the sound was coming from. I cocked my head, trying to get a fix.

"It could be Sophia, trying to let us know where she is" my dad said.

"And its, a God damn dinner bell for all the walkers around here" Shane replied, running a hand through his hair.

"We can't leave her" dad interjected.

Shane nodded his agreement and we all set off towards the sound of the ringing bell. It sounded like a church bell. It seemed strange to me that someone would ring a bell, it just made no sense. I mean surely it would draw the attention of all the walkers in the area. Who would be dumb enough to do that? I was sure that even Sophia wouldn't be silly enough to do something like that. She'd been taught in camp that she had to stay quiet, that loud noises attract the walkers, loud noises bring danger to your doorstep.

"I really hope we find her, Daisy" Carl said quietly from beside me.

I glanced down at him, dad had given him a knife to protect himself while we searched. I knew it was necessary for him to keep himself safe, but I hated the sight of my little brother armed. I hated knowing that he felt unsafe in the world. I wrapped my arm around his shoulder and squeezed him tight. I knew he and Sophia were friends. I could tell he was pretty shaken up by all of this.

"I'm sure we will, let's just check out this bell first, yeah? I'm sure she'll be fine" I told him, trying to reassure him .

"She must be scared" he said, confessing his worries.

"Yes I'm sure she is" I sighed "but she knows we'll be looking for her, it's only going to be a matter of time before we find her"

We walked out of the woods into a clearing, I presumed it must lead out to a small town or something. In the clearing there was this quaint little church, white wooden walls, stained glass windows; it was really pretty. Shane made it clear that there was no actual bell here, there was no steeple to house it. We discovered an automated system that rang the bell every day.

"Just because Sophia didn't ring the bell, doesn't mean she won't come here…she'd have heard it just like us" I told them.

"We'll check it out" dad agreed.

Dad, Daryl and Shane entered the church first. The rest of us followed on behind them. There were three walkers inside, sat on the pews at the front, and still dressed in their Sunday best. I guessed that they'd come here to pray before they died It was sad but quite lovely really that they chose to spend their final hours here in church. I can't say that prayer would really help me but I suppose for some it would have provided some comfort.

The three walkers were disposed of easily and we searched the small church for Sophia. Unfortunately, we didn't find any sign of her. We were all pretty gutted. Carol slumped down in a pew in the front row, crying. My mom sat down beside her. I filed back outside and sat down on the grass. I'd had a feeling that Sophia wouldn't be here but I'd hoped she was.

"You ok?" Shane asked me.

"Yeah" I sighed.

He sat down next to me and slung an arm around me, pulling me to his side.

"It's just so sad" I murmured before sucking in a deep breath "I think she is dead…Sophia…I think she's dead"

Shane didn't say anything, he just hugged me against him.

"I feel so bad" I admitted "because I care for Sophia…I do…but she couldn't survive out here Shane. I think we all are getting our hopes up, and we're all going to be so devastated"

"You don't think we should look?" he asked me quietly so nobody could hear.

"I think we should look, we owe it to Sophia to look…I just don't want…oh I don't know what I'm saying, just ignore me I'm being silly"

"You're not being silly" Shane sighed, pressing a kiss to my temple, "this world, it's gone to shit, you can't help that"

Dad came over to us, I extended my hand and made him pull me to my feet. Mom and Carol had left the church. We all gathered round to find out what we were going to do next.

"It'll be getting dark soon" Mom said "we don't want get caught out here by the walkers"

"Ok, Shane and I will keep on searching, the rest of you will go back to the highway" dad suggested.

"Split up?" I interjected.

"Not for long, Daisy"

"Fine" mom sighed "but don't be too long"

We all packed back up, and my dad gave my mom a gun, just in case she needed it. I hugged my dad and Shane and told them they better be careful or else! Carl turned to mom with this sheepish smile on his face.

"Can I stay with dad and Shane, mom?" Carl asked sweetly.

He was so putting on that 'I'm so lovely, do whatever I ask of you' look which usually frustrated me to no end. Mom glanced at my dad and Shane with a little purse in her lips.

"Fine, but you do everything they tell you to, ok?" mom ordered.

"I will" he grinned before trotting over to Shane and my dad like a little puppy.

The rest of us headed back the way we had walked earlier. Daryl took point, his crossbow at the ready. I jogged ahead so I could walk beside him. He glanced at me out of the corner of his eye.

"What's up?" he grunted.

"Jeez Daryl, I just thought I'd hang with you…have a natter…become best friends...bond as campmates" I grinned.

"Huh"

God this guy wasn't exactly one for conversation but I loved trying to make him talk. He may not have said a word but I could see the corner of his mouth twitching slightly. I bounded along next to him.

"How can you act like that?" Carol called out, there was hitch in her voice that told me she was on the verge of tears. I didn't realise who she was talking to at first till she called out my name. I stopped and turned to face her.

"I don't understand" I replied quietly.

"Acting all happy, jumping around Shane and Daryl, laughing! My daughter is missing!" Carol cried.

"I'm not trying to be insensitive, Carol, really, I'm trying to find Sophia just as much as the rest of us are…I'm sorry if you feel I'm not taking this seriously" I apologised, tears were welling up in my eyes.

"You and your dad, both of you…you don't care..." Carol sobbed but was quickly interrupted by my mom.

"Don't you dare start on my family, Carol! When those walkers spooked Sophia, Rick was running down that bank on her heels, so was my daughter! I know you're hurting right now, but can anyone say they would have done what they did? I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't upset Daisy again"

Carol took in a shaky breath and nodded. She turned back to me, stepped forward so she was right in front of me.

"I'm sorry, Daisy…I just want my baby girl back"

"It's ok" I sighed before wrapping my arms around her and hugging her.

We carried on walking, I could hear Carol sniffling a little behind me. I was still walking just behind Daryl but I didn't speak to him. Nobody spoke. We were just walking along when we heard some groaning. A couple of walkers ambled out of the woods behind my mom. She spun around and I grabbed her around the waist, pulling her away from them. I lost my footing and stumbled slightly, my ankle knocking itself out to the side painfully. I yelped and dropped to the floor. We were on a bit of a bank so I rolled sideways and down. I rolled for a good six metres before slamming into a tree. I grunted on impact. I rolled over and into a sitting position. I saw Daryl and Glenn put down the walkers quickly and with ease. Mom and Daryl jogged down the bank to help me back up onto my feet. Daryl pulled me up and mom slipped her arm around my waist to hold me up. I tested my weight on my foot but a flash of pain rushed through my ankle. I yelped a little.

"Ok, honey, let's get you back to the highway" mom told me.

Mom helped me hop/limp up the bank to the others. Daryl hovered around us, his hands flapping at his sides every time I started to wobble in case he had to catch me. We kept our eyes peeled for any sign of Sophia as we headed back towards the highway but to no avail. Suddenly, a shot rang out. We all stopped abruptly and glanced around. It must have been dad, Shane and Carl.

"Oh no, something must have happened" mom gasped.

"Dad can look after himself mom" I said, trying to reassure her even though my heart was pounding like crazy in my chest.

"No…Rick wouldn't have fired if he wasn't in danger, he knows it draws in walkers"

"We head back to the highway" Daryl grunted, "no more shots, they're fine"

I wasn't so sure and I could tell mom and the others weren't either. But Daryl was right, only one shot was fired and if dad, Shane and Carl had come across walkers then surely there would have been more shots. I set my jaw and we carried on through the woods, mom still helping me walk. We walked for another half hour or so and we weren't too far from the highway.

Out of nowhere came this big brown horse, cantering through the woods towards us. A girl with wavy brown hair was riding. She eased back on the reins and the horse skidded to a stop beside us. Daryl immediately whipped up his crossbow and pointed it at the woman on the horse.

"One of you Lori? And Daisy?" the woman asked, glaring at Daryl and the crossbow.

"Yes" mom answered.

"It's your son, Carl, he's been shot. Your husband and his friend are at our farm. You need to come quickly"

Mom let go of me, passing me to Daryl who slipped his arm around my waist to help me stand. Mom stepped forward and the woman helped pull her onto the horse behind her.

"I can only carry one" the woman explained "off the highway look for the farm, it'll have Greene on the mailbox"

With slight dig of her heels, the horse took off with my mom and the woman. I gasped, the shock of what we'd just been told settling in. My brother had been shot. My little brother. Was he alive? Would he be ok? What had happened? Oh god I was crying. I turned to face Daryl.

"We've got to go to that farm!" I told him, "I need to find my brother, to make sure he is ok"

"He'll be ok" Glenn told me.

I just nodded, tears rolling down my cheeks. We quickly walked back up to the highway, me hobbling and clinging to Daryl's side in an attempt not to fall over as I tried to get up there quicker. When we reached the highway I practically fell into Dale's arms, crying and sobbing my heart out. The others hovered around awkwardly.

"What's happened, Daisy? Shh don't cry" Dale sighed, rubbing my back.

"Carl….Carl" I sobbed but I couldn't get my words out "my brother"

"What's happened to him, honey?"

"Some chick on a horse told us he's been shot!" Glenn explained "asked for Lori then took off. Told us to go to the farm with a mailbox with 'Greene' on it"

"I need to see my brother" I cried "I need to make sure he is ok! We need to go to that farm"

"We can't leave!" Carol insisted "we can't leave Sophia behind!"

"And I can't stay here knowing my brother has been shot!" I yelled.

Carol turned away, wiping at tears. I felt awful for her but I couldn't just leave my brother. My family and Shane were with him but I wasn't, I needed to be there!

"Ok, ok, ladies!" Dale interrupted "Daisy needs to see her brother, and T-Dog needs to go too, I'm pretty sure his arm is infected"

"We can't leave Sophia!" Carol retaliated.

"And we won't! Glenn will take Daisy and T-Dog to the farm and we'll head there in the morning…we can leave a sign and food for Sophia and we'll come back for her everyday"

"What's up with T-dog?" Daryl grunted.

"I think it's a blood infection…somehow I don't think the aspirin is working"

"Should have said" Daryl muttered before heading over to Merle's bike and pulled out a bag full to bursting with bottles of pills, he shrugged, "Merle got the clap on occasion, this is quality stuff"

He handed a bottle of pills to T-Dog and threw back a couple. I smiled faintly at Daryl, he was a good guy. Dale's peace making seemed to have worked as Carol nodded. She was still crying but she looked slightly more at ease about the situation. I hugged Dale and thanked Daryl for helping me with my ankle before Glenn helped me into the car. He and Daryl then shuffled T-Dog into the car beside me.

Glenn climbed into the driver's seat and we headed up and off the highway. I kept my eyes peeled for turn off on the highway. Glenn turned off and we zipped along the road till we reached the mailbox with 'Greene' on it. I leapt forwards in my seat, pointing at it.

"There it is Glenn!" I yelled.

"I know, I've seen it, calm down, Daisy, we're nearly there" Glenn placated.

He opened the gate, drove on through, got back out closed the gate, got back in and drove up the long driveway. I was tapping my good foot and biting my nails nervously. Couldn't he drive any faster? Did he really have to faff about with the gate? When we pulled up in front of the house, I hopped out, trying to keep the weight off my bad ankle. Glenn slipped his arm around my waist and helped me ascend the steps to the house. T-Dog slowly walked up the steps behind us.

"Do we ring the doorbell?" Glenn murmured.

"Ain't no point nowadays" T-Dog replied reaching to open the door.

"Did you shut the gate?" a voice asked.

We turned to the side to see the woman from the woods sitting on the porch in a little wooden chair. She stood up, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear and smiled at us.

"Yep" I replied "can I go see my family please? Is my brother ok?"

"Yeah go on in, your family is inside" she nodded.

"Thanks, oh, T has an infection, any chance you've got a clean bandage or something for him?"

"No problem, I'll get Patricia to have a look at him"

"Ok thanks"

I opened the door and hobbled inside, using the wall as a crutch. I could hear talking coming from a room to the left of me. I hopped to the entrance way and stopped. There was my mom and my dad sat around a makeshift surgery table/bed with Carl lying on top, covered in a sheet up to the middle of his chest. He was covered in sweat and he was sleeping. I rushed forwards as best I could and was enveloped into the arms of my parents.