The Walking Dead: The Shifting Dead
Season 2
Episode 6: Tears
His eyes opened. And he knew it was just before dawn. That it'd only been a handful of hours since he closed his eyes. He sat up and grabbed his crossbow. He walked over to the window and pulled the curtain back. Sun wasn't up yet, but it wouldn't be long. It was at least light enough he could see. He pressed closer to the window and waited, watching. But there was nothing. He stepped back and let the curtain fall. Confident the coast was still clear, he set his crossbow down for a moment. He closed his eyes and lifted his hands over his head.
He stretched his arms and rolled his neck. He was still a bit tired and sore from the medicine debacle with Otis. Thinking of it, he turned slightly and looked back. He pulled his tail up and breathed out loudly. The bandage on his torn skin was gone. He knew it wouldn't last. Couldn't even remember when it had fallen off. His tail twitched in his hands and he dropped it. Then he grabbed his crossbow and turned for the door.
He checked the next house, and then the next, and made his way down the street. The sun was slowly popping up over the horizon as stepped out in front of the third house. He let out a sigh and plopped down on the front porch. Maybe he'd been wrong the night before. He shook his head and pulled out his cigarettes. He pulled one out and put it in his mouth. Then he pulled out his lighter. But before he could light it, the wind shifted. He stopped. It was faint, but it was there. Sophia had been on this porch. He jumped up and turned, the cigarettes falling and forgotten instantly.
The door was locked tight. He moved to the window and looked inside. There was a single walker standing in the center of the living room. It wasn't really moving. Just standing there, occasionally twitching. Sophia probably hadn't even seen it. But Daryl just knew the kid was inside. Or at least had been there.
Daryl went back to the door and let out a sigh. He glanced down. There was a tiny door cut into the door. A tiny pet door. It was a really small pet door, too small for a dog. He shook his head. It was a cat door.
It wasn't exactly that he hated his animal self. Not exactly. It was more that he was conditioned to hate it. And he honestly couldn't remember the last time he'd been on all fours. It just wasn't something he let out, his cat self. Daryl let out a sigh as he set his crossbow down. But he couldn't just go smashing into the house. If Sophia was inside, she probably didn't know about the walker inside. He needed to sneak in and take care of it before he searched for her.
He pulled out his knife and set it down beside the door. He wasn't like Rick, who anyone could tell spent as much time in his other skin as he did his human. Rick was comfortable as a dog. Hell, Rick was a fucking dog to his core. But Daryl wasn't like that. His shift was clunky and awkward and took entirely too long. His spine popped and he flinched. He'd seen Rick shift and it never looked like the dog even felt the twisting bones. But Daryl did. He gritted his teeth and shut his eyes and then suddenly, it was over.
He poked his head out from under his pile of clothes. He snorted and shook his head, hating the way his whiskered brushed against his leather vest. He jumped out and landed a foot away. And slipped. It had been a really long time. And he really hated the too long fur. He fell in a heap, tangling his own paws up. He was so glad Rick wasn't there to see him. Because he was such a mess on his paws.
Daryl scrambled up and placed his paws flat on the ground. He took a moment and lifted each of his legs one at a time. Just like riding a bike. He hoped. He turned and stepped towards the door. He stared at the tiny door for a moment. He was larger than the average housecat. He pushed his head into the door. He stopped and listened. He heard nothing. He gritted his teeth and pushed farther in. It was a really tight squeeze and for a moment, he thought he was actually stuck. But he turned slightly and placed his paws on the door and pushed. He finally slipped inside and paused again, listening. Then he turned and slunk into the living room. The walker was still standing there, not moving.
Daryl slunk back to the door. He popped his head out and reached for his knife. It was a stretch, but he was able to grab the edge of the hilt with his teeth. He pulled it inside the house and set it silently on the floor. He bent over it and grabbed it between his teeth. Then he turned and slunk, once again, into the living room.
The walker was standing in front of a couch, his back to it. Daryl padded into the room. He hopped up on the arm of the couch. But the added weight of the knife threw him off and he slipped down. For a split second, the cat in him panicked and his claws came out. He scratched at the upholstery and scrambled back up.
But the noise made the walker turn. It moved slow and Daryl saw it start to turn. He didn't have time to think or hide. He had to move. He jumped clear across the couch and moved in right behind it. The walker continued to turn and Daryl leapt up at it. His claws found purchase in the thing's shirt and Daryl twisted his head. He drove the knife clean through the walker's eye. Then he twisted again and pulled the knife free and sprang away. He landed with a thud on the floor, the knife clattering beside him. Daryl held his breath for a moment. But the walker fell back against the couch, unmoving. Daryl let out a snort and nodded his head. His ears flicked back, catching light steps behind him. Daryl spun around.
And Sophia was standing in the doorway. She was wearing a large man's shirt like a dress. Her hair was matted and her skin was streaked with mud. She was standing on her toes, looking ready to bolt at any second. But she was alive. Her eyes were wide but bright. She looked at the walker and swallowed. "I saw him." She said softly, her voice a tad hoarse. "But he didn't hear me when I came in. And I thought... no one would come in if he was here... so I'd be safe from bad people..." She looked back at the cat and blinked. "I locked the door and locked myself in the kitchen."
Daryl nodded his head and turned to grab his knife. Then he turned back and walked towards her.
Sophia looked down, watching him. "Is my mom okay?"
Daryl nodded his head.
"Did you find Amy?"
Daryl shook his head.
Sophia looked down at her shirt dress. She pulled the collar away for a moment and pulled out the unicorn necklace. "Amy asked me to hang onto it." She said softly. "Can you take me home now?"
Daryl nodded again and stepped around her. Sophia followed and unlocked the door. Daryl stepped out the door in front of her and dropped his knife on the ground by his clothes. Sophia followed and closed the door behind them. Then she turned and grabbed his knife. She moved towards the steps and stepped down. She kept her back to him. "I'll watch." She said softly.
Daryl glanced around. The street had been quiet a few minutes ago. He tried to shift fast, like he'd seen Rick do. But it felt like it took hours. He knew it wasn't that long. The sun was still rather low in the sky. But he was exhausted to his core when he pulled on his vest. He let out a grunt and grabbed his crossbow. "Les'go." He mumbled.
Sophia turned slightly. She ran back up the stairs and threw her arms around his waist. Daryl lifted his arms and looked down at her. He felt vaguely lost. He cleared his throat and Sophia pulled away. She held up his knife and Daryl shook his head. "Hang on'ta it." He said.
They moved down the street, down the line of houses and towards the trees where Daryl had come the night before. Sophia kept close to him, brushing against him as she moved. A few times when she stumbled, she reached over and grabbed the bottom of his vest. It was hard for him not to flinch away from her. He got the feeling she wanted to hold his hand or something. But that was too much for him.
-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-
Daryl was almost smiling when he stepped into the RV. Almost. Lori was there, sitting beside Carol. Daryl fought his urge to flee or hiss at the woman. Yeah. He mostly hated her. Sure, she'd been... oddly nice and overly talkative to him the past couple days. But Daryl had a feeling it was fake. He cleared his throat. "Need ta' talk to Carol."
Lori looked over at him and smiled stiffly. Then she turned to Carol and the woman nodded. "I'll go see if Andrea needs any help."
Daryl stepped aside and let Lori pass. Then he stepped up into the RV. "Carol, its Sophia…" He started softly.
"Stop." She said loudly, not looking at him. "Really. Stop. You're never going to find her, Daryl."
"Carol!" Her said her name louder but she kept going on, like she wasn't even hearing him.
"You're wasting your time."
"Carol, I did…"
"My baby girl…" Carol cried, shaking her head. "She was so shy and timid. She wasn't made for this world. She's dead. She's dead, Daryl. I've known it the whole time."
Daryl stepped closer to her. "But Carol…"
"I'd glad." Carol wiped at her eyes. "She doesn't have to fight anymore. She's lucky."
Daryl's eyes widened. He turned and glanced over his shoulder. Sophia was standing just behind him, her eyes wet. "I hate you!" She hissed. "I wish I was dead too."
Carol's eyes widened. "Sophia?"
Daryl glanced at Carol. The woman looked petrified He turned back but Sophia was gone. He stepped down off the RV and stopped. The shirt she'd been wearing as a dress lay on the ground. "Shit." He breathed out and shook his head. He glanced around. But he could see no sign of her. He let out a sign and pulled off his vest.
-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-
It was still rather early. And everyone had been up late last night. So it wasn't exactly weird when he looked out and didn't see anyone. Rick stepped down off the porch. And stopped. He could smell Daryl. A smile slowly spread across his face. Daryl was okay. Rick turned and looked around. Daryl was near, he was sure, but Rick couldn't see him. "Daryl?" He stepped back up the porch and stopped. He swore he heard something... that sounded like... a meow. Rick moved back down the porch and then bent down. He peered under the porch steps.
The brown cat glanced up at him as Rick came into view. It's blue eyes narrowed slightly. Rick watched for a moment and noticed the black piece of clothed tied to the base of the animal's tail. His eyes widened. "Daryl?" He whispered.
The cat nodded.
Rick smiled widely. Rick wanted to reach out under the porch and pet the fluffy hunter. Daryl was really fluffy. Like absurdly fluffy. But Rick was certain he'd get bitten. He looked over at the tiny white and yellow kitten tucked against Daryl's side, noticing her for the first time. Rick's eyes widened more. "Sophia!" He gasped. "You found Sophia!"
Daryl's ears flicked back and he nodded.
Rick breathed out and glanced around. His eyes settled on the RV for a moment. Then he looked back at cats. "Carol know?"
Daryl nodded his head.
"Something happen there?"
He nodded again.
Rick sighed. That was about as much information as he could get out of the cats in their current state. "Right." He said with a nod. "I'll go find your clothes and… some blankets or something."
Daryl's whiskers twitched and he wrapped his tail protectively around Sophia. Her tiny body was nearly hidden under the long tuffs of fur. It was pathetic how tiny she was. She flinched suddenly and tucked her nose harder against Daryl's belly.
Rick ran back to their cluster of tents. He noticed right away the pile of discarded clothes next to the RV. Daryl. He picked them up and peaked inside. Carol sat, unmoving, in the back. She didn't say anything as he stepped inside and grabbed a blanket. She didn't even seem to see him. He hurried back to Daryl and Sophia. Daryl's head was bent over Sophia, running his raspy tongue over her ears. Utterly adorable. But Rick wasn't about to tell Daryl that.
Daryl flicked an ear towards him, catching the sound of his approach. Then he slowly nudged Sophia. She pulled her nose out from Daryl's belly and looked up at Rick with those pretty blue eyes.
And Rick was so relieved. He bent down and set Daryl's clothes on the ground gently and pulled out the blanket. "You hungry?"
Sophia nodded her tiny head.
"We'll get your fed and cleaned up." Rick smiled and tilted his head. "How's that sound?"
She looked back at Daryl.
Rick nodded his head quickly. "Daryl too."
Sophia turned back around. She stepped towards Rick and let him cover her with the blanket. The blanket shifted and moved, and a moment later, human fingers popped out to grip the edges. She pulled the blanket tight around herself before poking her head out. "Thank you." She said very softly.
Rick was certain that had he been human, he wouldn't have heard her words. He put his arm around her and steered her away. A few minutes later, Daryl let out a grunt behind them. Rick glanced back at him and smiled. He wanted to ask what had happened to render Carol catatonic. But he'd wait until later.
Sophia immediately turned and latched onto Daryl's arm. Daryl looked at Rick for help.
Rick nodded towards the house. "We'll take her inside. Maybe Hershel will check her out, make sure she's okay."
Daryl nodded stiffly. They walked, side by side with Sophia in the middle, up the porch steps to the farm house. They were attempting to hide her from view. Glenn came out of his tent. He spotted them and his eyes widened. Rick waved him back and he nodded, still smiling widely, and went back to whatever he was doing.
"What do we have here?" Hershel asked as the trio stepped up on the porch.
Sophia ducked behind Daryl and looked at the ground. Rick watched her. "This is Sophia." The dog said with a smile.
Hershel slowly smiled. "You found her."
Rick glanced at Daryl and he nodded. "Yes, sir. We did."
Hershel studied the group for a moment longer. Then he nodded and stepped back. He opened the door and led them inside.
Patricia appeared, smiling brightly. "Beth!" She called loudly.
The young girl appeared at the top of the stairs. She looked shy and timid for a moment, then she smiled and waved at Daryl. "Yes?"
Patricia didn't seem to notice. She beckoned Beth forward. "Draw a bath for me, please."
Sophia clung to Daryl's arm and Rick smiled sideways at him. The hunter had been the one who fought the hardest to bring the little girl home. Now that he had, he looked completely out of his comfort zone.
"Follow me." Beth said.
Hershel stepped back. "Get her cleaned up and I'll take a look at her while Patricia gets her something to eat."
Beth smiled at her and finally convinced Sophia to let go of Daryl. "We'll be right outside." Rick promised. Daryl nodded, his nostrils flaring and eyes wide. And then promptly fled from the house. Rick cracked a smile as he thanked Hershel and Patricia. Then he went outside to find Daryl. He needn't go far though. Daryl was sitting on the steps of the front porch, his head in his hands. Rick sat down near but not quite beside him. He made sure to give the man ample room. "You did what I couldn't do." Rick said softly. "You brought that little girl home. In one piece. You did that."
Daryl lifted his head slowly. He didn't say anything.
Rick smiled. "You did."
Daryl grunted and looked away.
Rick spoke again after a moment. "What happened with Carol?"
Daryl leaned back a bit and chewed on his thumb. "Was tryin'ta surprise her." He said gruffly. "Make a show outta it. An' Carol started sayin' this stuff... 'bout how she was glad Sophia was dead. 'N Sophia heard her."
Rick breathed out and shook his head. "Carol didn't mean it." He said softly.
Daryl look back at Rick. "She did."
Rick looked down at the ground. "Lori said the same thing... 'bout Carl an' the baby. She said this world wasn't meant for kids anymore."
"I get that." Daryl nodded his head. "But ya'll gots kids. Everyone had kids before. An' some 'er havin' kids now. Wha'er we supposed ta do? Jus' leave 'em?"
Rick sighed and shook his head. "No." He said softly. "They deserve a chance."
Beth stepped outside on the porch and they turned towards her. She smiled and looked at Daryl. "She's asking for you."
Daryl breathed out loudly and looked at Rick. "I ain't good at kids." He said, shaking his head.
Rick smiled and stood up. "Suck it up. Because that little girl trusts you now."
Daryl rolled his eyes and stood up. They followed Beth inside. She pointed them towards the room and then left them to get some lunch. Daryl and Rick stood in the doorway. Sophia was sitting on the edge of a bed. Hershel stood up. "She's fine." Hershel said. "A bit scraped up but she'll heal up fine."
Rick smiled at the doctor. "Thanks Hershel. For everything."
Hershel nodded and stepped between them.
Rick glanced at Daryl. "I'll be right back." Daryl's eyes widened and Rick smiled at him. "You'll be fine for a couple minutes." Rick turned to follow after Hershel. "Hershel." He said softly. "I need to talk to you."
Hershel stopped in the hall and turned. "Rick, I'm tired. I don't want to talk about this again."
Rick stepped closer to him. "Please!" He said softly. "I need you to reconsider. You don't what it's like out there. If you did... you wouldn't make us leave."
Hershel sighed and shook his head. "You put me on the spot."
Rick shook his head. "I don't mean to... but... those people... they all look to me for answers. They count on me to keep them safe. And Lori... she's pregnant. You can't... you can't send us out there again."
"There's other places, other farms."
"Please... just... think about it... consider it..."
Hershel sighed deeply and turned. Beth was walking towards them, holding a tray. Hershel turned back to Rick. "Look... I won't promise anything more than I'll think about it... if you and your people respect my rules."
Rick was quick to nod his head. "We will." He said.
"Shane, too."
Rick nodded again. "I'll talk to him."
Hershel stepped closer and dropped his voice. "And that fox of yours. Keep him away from my daughter."
Rick frowned for a moment. He didn't know what Hershel meant about that. What had Glenn done? But he nodded anyways. He'd promise Hershel almost anything if it meant they could stay.
Beth came closer and Hershel walked past her. "I brought lunch for all of you." She said softly. "Carl, too."
Rick nodded and stepped towards her. "Let me help." He took the tray from her and she smiled. And then he followed her down the hall. Daryl was still standing in the doorway still, looking at the floor. Sophia was still on the bed, also staring at the floor. Rick let out a laugh. "Beth made us some lunch. Let's go sit in Carl's room."
Daryl nodded and stepped away from the door. Sophia hurried to catch up with him. They settled themselves in Carl's room, sitting on the bed with the injured pup. He was smiling as he ate. Sophia sat beside him, a little more timidly. Once they all finished, Beth appeared and cleared away all the dishes. Rick eased off the bed and sat in his chair. Daryl moved towards the opposite side of the room and leaned against the wall.
"Sophia." Rick said her name softly. "What happened?"
Sophia looked down at her lap. She fingered the hem of the too big dress Beth had given her. "I don't know what happened." She said softly. "Amy was just gone... I tried to follow her, but she was too fast..." She shrugged, looking broken. "I'm sorry I lost her." She said softly.
"No." Rick leaned forward. "No, no. You did great." He said with a smile. "You got yourself somewhere safe and you waited."
She looked up at him and smiled meekly. But then the smile fell and she looked away. "Mom didn't want me to come back."
Rick shook his head quickly. "That's not true..."
"I heard what she said." Sophia continued on, her voice a bit louder. "Daddy didn't want me either. No one wants me."
"We do." Rick glanced at Daryl. "Daryl does. You know how hard he looked for you?"
Daryl squirmed a bit and looked at the ground. Suddenly they were all looking at him. He wanted to downplay it. He hadn't really done anything important. But he'd seen the look on Sophia's face. He'd been the hurt and lost little kid once, in the woods for days. Merle had found him. And when Daryl had echoed words similar to Sophia, Merle had smacked him and told him to suck it up. But something told him that wouldn't help the young girl. So he nodded his head.
"You can stay here with me." Carl said, then looked at Rick. "Right, dad?"
Rick smiled and nodded. "That's right. You stay with us... until your mom... feels better."
Sophia swallowed and looked down at her lap again. She didn't say anything.
Rick stood up. "Okay, you two, both of you, get some rest. We'll be right outside."
Daryl pushed off the wall and practically bolted from the room. Rick looked at the kids once more, smiling, and followed.