Chapter: Making a Point

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….. Continuing: …..

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The gunshot that had echo throughout the woods earlier has everyone on the edge. They were trying to not show any sign of fear because they didn't know who had shot a gun. They kept walking through the woods in silence, following after Daryl and Nakkita as they were leading everyone back towards the highway.

In everyone's mind, many questions were flying around in everyone's head, trying to figure out if it was a gunshot by one of their own or someone else.

The questions that were jumbling around in Nakkita's head were mostly focus on Rick or Shane and did they find something. Something being Sophia and that she wasn't a human anymore. Did they find a walker and shot it because it was a last resort? Was there someone else in the woods with them?

There were so many questions, but none could be answer unless they find the situation themselves. But they wouldn't do that because they might find something that would be bad or could put them in danger. Thus, they continue to venture through the woods in silence.

Walking over stumps, they were coming into a part of the woods where it was clearer and a lot more room to spread out from one another.

"You still are worrying about it?" Andrea asks.

They stop walking when the question was ask and they turn to see that Lori had stop walking and was staring around the woods with concern.

"It was a gunshot." She says, not getting over the fact that it was a gunshot that had echo throughout the woods.

"Well, we all heard it." Daryl turns around to face the group, but still staring around to keep watch for any walkers or something. He knew that the gunshot had most likely drew attention; thus, he wants to get everyone out of the woods, especially his wife and son.

"Why one? Why just one gunshot?" Lori turns around to face all of them, asking.

"Maybe they took down a walker." Daryl replies, shrugging his shoulders as he didn't have any other answer to her question.

"Please don't patronize me. You know Rick wouldn't risk a gunshot to put down one walker. Or Shane. They'd do it quietly." Lori snaps, looking away and staring around the woods once again.

"Shouldn't they have caught up with us by now?" Carol lowly asks.

"There's nothing we can do about it anyway. Can't run around these woods chasing echoes." Daryl tells them.

"And those echoes could be drawing unwanted attention to the woods." Nakkita adds in making Glenn and Carol to nod their heads in agreement.

Daryl glances at Nakkita to which she looks back at him to see his eyes were showing that he agrees with her words too. His eyes cast down to Xavier, who was playing with a black bandana that Daryl given to him to keep him occupy.

"So what do we do?"

"Same as we've been. Beat the bush for Sophia, work our way back to the highway." Daryl tells her the truth of their only option.

They couldn't risk going deeper into the woods to find the others as they would be wasting daylight. They didn't need to be walking through the woods at nighttime.

"I'm sure they'll hook up with us back at the RV." Andrea tries to assure everyone.

They all nods and start making their way back again, but stop again as Andrea and Carol were standing a bit behind.

"I'm sorry for what you're going through. I know how you feel." Andrea steps to Carol softly saying.

"I suppose you do. Thank you. The thought of her out here by herself…it's the not knowing that's killing me. I just keep hoping and praying she doesn't wind up like Amy." Carol softly says, looking at them but then realize that the last thing she had said has made Andrea look at her with slight disbelief.

Nakkita looks away, staring around the surroundings and wanting to get back to the highway. She was still wild up from flipping out at Andrea and now listening to Carol, the older woman pulling out the tear jerker card was actually making Nakkita get a headache. Nakkita understands of what being a mother was, but to hear Carol blame Rick and now everything seems to be pressure on Daryl for his tracking ways, Nakkita knew she might be having another flipping out episode soon.

"Oh, God. That's the worst thing I ever said." Carol gently resting her hands on Andrea shoulders to which Andrea shakes her head for Carol to drop her hands.

"We're all hoping and praying with you, for what it's worth." Andrea quickly says.

Nakkita jumps a bit as her husband brushes by her and walks right up to the two women.

"I'll tell you what it's worth, not a damn thing. It's a waste of time all this hoping and praying. Cause we're gonna locate that little girl, she's gonna be just fine." Daryl looks in between the two before turning a bit away, but still staring them both down.

"Am I the only one Zen around here? Good Lord." Daryl mutters, walking away and coming back to stand beside Nakkita.

He looks down at Nakkita to which she quickly glances away with amusement in her eyes for his comment. Though, she was wondering just how much responsibility does Daryl think he has on his shoulders about finding this little girl.

Daryl eyes scans over his Nakkita, seeing her not looking him in the eyes but her amusement expression turn to a deep thinking expression now. He was wondering what she was thinking about and so he was going to question her about it when they get out of the woods and have some privacy.

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They were making progress of moving through the woods, but they take note of how the sunlight was dimming through the woods. It was going to be sunset soon and they knew they have to get out of the woods as soon as possible.

"We'll lose the light before too long. I think we should call it." Daryl says, glancing at them as they come to a sudden stop.

"Let's head back." Lori says, glancing at them for a brief second and then away.

"We'll pick it back up again tomorrow?" Carol weakly asks.

"Yeah, we'll find her tomorrow." Lori nods.

Daryl whistles at them to move forwards again. Seeing his wife's expression was still the same; thus, his eyes still had curiosity. Daryl moves quicker up ahead making Nakkita to keep up with his pace, the others kept with their pace but glance up at the two Dixon's.

"What's the matter?"

"Nothing is the matter."

"I can tell when something is bugging you, Nakkita. I can see that thinking face on, but you seem like you are mad about something."

"Just wild up still."

"It's more than that, isn't it?" Daryl looks at her causing her to glance at him then down at their child.

Her eyes glances over her shoulder to stare at Carol making Daryl to look back to see what she was looking at too. Then they were looking at each other.

"I know that it's hard as a mother—"

"I know about what it feels like being a mother. But I'm so pissed off right now from earlier and just listening to all the whining still—"

"She lost her little girl." Daryl lowly hisses at her.

"And you find it your responsibility to take it all on your own." Nakkita fires right back.

"Nakkita—"

"No, Daryl. I know you, and I know how you are going to take this whole thing. And if worse comes, I feel like I'm going to be that spouse who is sleeping on the couch for the night because you just shut everything out." Nakkita growls, turning away and storming ahead of him.

Daryl runs his right hand through his hair with a sigh and glances back at everyone, trudging along with tire faces.

"Oh…Oh!" Andrea gasps, causing them to glance at her to see that she had moved a bit away from the group. But she was waving her hands around as she had just walked right into a spider web. She gets it off her before tripping over a fallen tree with a frustrated look.

"As the crow flies, my ass." Andrea mutters.

As Andrea had said that, a walker appears from out of nowhere behind a tree and tries to make a grab at her. This causes Andrea to scream and the rest of the group to turn around to see that she really had veered off a good distance from them.

"Shit." Nakkita says, jogging forwards while pulling out one of her throwing knives.

"Help me!" Andrea screams, falling to the ground and using her feet to kick the walker away from her.

That is when the thudding sound comes out of nowhere and the group to turn to see a young female adult on a horse and use a wooden bat to smash it across the walker's face. The power and momentum causes the walker to fly about five feet from Andrea and onto its back. Tears tracking down Andrea face with mix of fear and relief.

"Lori? Lori Grimes?" The young woman on the horse turns the horse around to stare at them as they all came running over.

"I'm Lori." Lori steps forwards saying.

"Rick sent me. You've got to come now."

"What?" Lori questions, wondering who the hell this young woman was.

Better yet, they were all wondering who this woman was and why she had wanted Lori too.

"There's been an accident. Carl's been shot. He's still alive but you've got to come now. Rick needs you. Just come." The young woman quickly explains, patting the back of the saddle.

Now knowing why this young woman was here, Lori quickly throws off her backpack and went towards the young woman. She was help up onto the horse and she wraps her thin arms around the young woman's waist.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. We don't know this girl. You can't get on that horse and ride off." Daryl waves his right hand about while putting his crossbow in his left hand.

"Rick said you had others on the highway, that big traffic snarl?"

"Uh-huh." Glenn dumbly replies.

"Backtrack to Fairburn Road. Two miles down is our farm. You'll see the mailbox. The name is Greene. Hyah!" The young woman tells them, turning the horse around and then quickly riding off with Lori holding on.

They all just stand there watching as the young woman rides away with Lori on the back. They just couldn't believe that that just had happen.

Hearing a soft growl, they turn to see the walker that the young woman had hit wasn't dead yet. It was sitting up now and slowly turns to face them with mouth opening wide while growling.

"Shut up." Daryl growls, shooting it while walking by it.

"Let's move now." Nakkita said, turning away and she begin making her way back in the direction that they had been walking on.

Everyone quickly follow after while shaking their heads at what just happen.

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…..Sunset: …..

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"Shot? What do you mean shot?" Dale asks them, watching as they were coming out of the woods and making their way over the highway guardrail.

When they gotten back, they had told Dale the news that Lori had gone off to this farm where Rick, Shane and Carl were at because Carl had been shot.

"I don't know, Dale. I wasn't there. All I know is this chick ridden out of nowhere like Zorro on a horse and took Lori." Glenn replies, panting a bit and swinging his leg over the guardrail, setting his feet back on the highway.

"You let her?"

"Climb down out of my ass, old man. Rick sent her. She knew Lori's name and Carl's." Daryl snaps, walking away from the group.

Nakkita walks off in the opposite direction of Daryl with a piss off expression. But she stop as she turns back to the RV and went inside after Andrea slam the door. Nakkita went to a cabinet and gets a jar of baby food. She grabs the spoon from the sink that she had washed earlier and sits down at the table.

Unstrapping Xavier from the harness, she opens up a jar then begins to feed him. She fed him for a while before cleaning him up and the area around them. Picking him up, Nakkita holds him close while walking out of the RV with the harness in her left hand.

Upon exiting the RV, she sees that everyone was standing around in a circle outside of the RV.

"What's going on?" Nakkita lowly mumbles.

"I can't do it. I'm not leaving." Carol blurts out.

With Carol saying that, Nakkita knew that they were suggesting moving on and getting to this Greene household because it was probably much safer than the highway. But also, the others were there.

"Carol, the group is split. We're scattered and weak." Dale points out.

"What if she comes back and we're not here? It could happen." Carol says, seeing their faces slightly staring at her with raise eyebrows.

"If Sophia found her way back and were gone, that would be awful." Andrea says to which Carol nods her head in agreement.

"Okay. We got to plan for this. I say tomorrow morning is soon enough to pull up stakes. Give us a chance to rig a big sign, leave her some supplies. I'll hold here tonight, stay with the RV." Daryl explains, pointing to the RV.

"Till death do us apart, Daryl. I'm staying too." Nakkita says causing some of them to smile at her comment. Daryl nods at her as he rather have her close to him anyways.

"If the RV is staying, I am too." Dale says.

"Thank you. Thank you guys." Carol tells them in a soft voice.

"I'm in." Andrea raise her hand up as they glances at her for her answer.

"Well, if you're all staying then I'm—"Glenn was saying but was cut off by Dale, who looked at him and held his hand out to him.

"Not you, Glenn. You're going. Take Carol's Cherokee."

"Me? Why is it always me?" Glenn points at himself.

"You have to find this farm, reconnect with our people and see what's going on. But most important, you have to get T-Dog there. This is not an option. That cut has gone from bad to worse. He has a very serious blood infection. Get him to that farm. See if they have any antibiotics. Because if not, T-Dog will die no joke." Dale was explaining, but as he was explaining, Nakkita watches Daryl turn away from the group and went to his Triumph motorcycle. He was digging through the saddles until he found what he was looking for and he pulls out a foggy baggie out, filled with small bags with pills and pill bottles.

"Oh god." Nakkita whispers, knowing what the bag was. She was smirking and she ducks her head down to lay her lips against the top of Xavier's head to not laugh.

Daryl comes back over and throws a white rag at Dale with a slight glare.

"Keep your oily rags off my brother's motorcycle. Why'd you wait till now to say anything? Got my brother's stash." Daryl says, placing the bag of pills on the hood of a car.

They all were crowded around him, watching as he opens the bag and begins digging through it, trying to find something that would help T-Dog situation.

"Crystal, X. Don't need that. Got some kick ass painkillers." Daryl pulls out a bottle and throws it underhand to Glenn, who catches it and stares at it with raised eyebrows.

"Oxycycline. Not the generic stuff neither. It's first class." Daryl pulls out a large bottle and tosses it to Dale, to which the older man stares at it with awe then a dumb smile comes onto his lips.

"Merle got the clap on occasion." Daryl says, zipping up the bag and walking back over to the motorcycle to put it back in the saddlebags.

They look after Daryl then look at her with raised eyebrows. Nakkita gives them a shrug of her shoulders and she walks away. She heads towards the water truck that Shane found and had manage to break open the sides to show jugs of water, earlier. There was a few more still within the truck making her to step up to one.

"How about wiping ourselves down, little man?" Nakkita softly says, turning to a car nearby them and opening the driver's door.

She sets Xavier gently down on it to put the harness back on before he re-picks him back up and placing him within the harness. She moves back over to the water jugs, pulling out her hunting knife and stabs one in the side, causing water to run out. She sheaths the hunting knife and steps forwards.

Using her hands, she runs the water over her then she would gently sprinkle some down on Xavier. He squeals with excitement, kicking his feet about and waving his arms. Nakkita gently laughs at how excited Xavier gets when it's bath time.

"We are getting all clean up, my little man." Nakkita coos to him, gently dripping water onto him. She splashes water onto her some more and she can feel the dirt and sweat running down her body. Xavier face seems to brighten up as he stares over her shoulder.

She turns to see Daryl stepping up behind her and resting his left hand on her waist. He moves them forwards and the water from the jug splash all over the three of them. Nakkita makes sure to block the water from hitting Xavier in the face as he doesn't need to inhale any water or choke on it.

Nakkita turns and begins to cup water to wipe her hand on Daryl's face and chest. He shuts his eyes as she splashes water into his face. He spits some out and gives her a playful glare to which she flashes him a small grin.

"We need to talk."

"I know." Nakkita steps away from the water truck to walk to a vehicle.

Daryl opens the bed of a truck and helps her up to sit in the truck bed gate. He hops up and sits down beside her, their feet swinging in mid-air.

"Can I…"

"He's your son. You don't have to ask for permission." Nakkita softly tells him, letting him take Xavier from the harness.

Xavier smiles up at Daryl causing a smirk to appear on Daryl's lips.

"You're getting big little man." Daryl says, gently caressing his thumb on Xavier's smooth cheeks.

They sit in silence, listening to Xavier gurgle and make sounds with his lips.

"I know that today was a day you were wild up."

"Yep."

"But I feel like that you are giving up on finding that little girl."

"I'm not, Daryl. It's just I can see it now. Everyone is going to give up and you're still going to be the one out there, searching for her. I know what it feels like to be a mother and I don't ever want to experience what Carol is going through, but she can't play the damsel in distress and let everyone do her work. This world isn't the same anymore."

"Is that how you see it?"

"Yes. If I was in her shoes, I would be out there searching for my little boy with or without the group. All I am saying, Daryl is don't get all bent out of shape if we don't get what we want. You're a good man for what you are doing. I love that. I love your determination attitude."

Daryl bows his head, staring at Xavier with an emotionless expression. He knew his wife was right as she was usually right about his actions all the time. Ever since they had been going out up to their marriage, she was very good with reading him.

"But please, don't let people use you to their advantage. I know we are a group, we are in this together, but there is a line that has to be drawn sometimes on when to stop. Just remember that." Nakkita softly tells him, reaching out to caress his cheek before leaning forwards and giving his cheek a peck.

Nakkita turn her head and rest it on his shoulder, both staring down at Xavier, who let out a cute yawn and stares up at them with tire eyes.

"He's too precious." Nakkita smiles.

"No, he isn't."

Nakkita looks up at him with raise eyebrows. He turns his head to stare at her with a small smile.

"He's perfect." Daryl tells her making her to gently laugh and nods her head.

Daryl leans forwards and he lays his lips against hers making her to gladly kiss her him back.

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