Hunters Become the Hunted
Chapter 14
Greene
She was at a loss for words, her jaw slack as she stood there. What she'd seen had been a mockery in itself. It was like the world was playing a trick on them, taunting them with all it had. It wasn't just the walkers that had been inside the church, the bodies resting peacefully in the pews. It wasn't even the bells persay, the sound drawing them from their original trail out to practically nowhere. Even before everything had happened, before the world had gone to shit, Celeste had never quite learned how to properly deal with certain aspects in her life. For her, life had always held its challenges, even as a child. People had come and gone, leaving her empty, her chest aching at the thought.
They'd been so sure of the bells, following after them blindly through the wood. She'd had high hopes in at least finding someone. Now, doubt began to fill her as she set there, along with her old friend. It was bouts of depression that began to push through the cracks, a feeling that she had buried long ago. She began to wonder where she had gone wrong. Would things have played out any differently? If she had paid better attention, maybe Kenzie's parents would still be there with her. The woman had learned too late what a scratch or bite meant from one of the infected. What she was feeling now, was something that had nearly consumed her at one point in her life, but she'd managed to push passed it. Now, it was pounding on her door looking for entrance.
As she began to sink deeper into her thoughts, the world around her seemed to disappear. She could no longer hear the chatter of Shane's confessions, the sound becoming fuzzy. It was like white noise, something that was just there, no true meaning behind it or relevance. Just as quickly, Celeste found her vision blurring, the colors around her fading in and out as her mind began closing itself down. It was something that she hadn't experienced in years. The depression inside her began rising further to the surface as tears broke free and streamed down her heated cheeks. She had been responsible for Kenzie, neglecting her duties in keeping her safe. Would it have been different if the child were hers? Or would she be left in Carol's position, grasping at straws as she tried to hold on to her sanity? She had let them down, she had let Karen down and eventually she would pay the price for it.
Curling up with her knees against her chest, Celeste felt the tears continue to fall, the salty liquid rolling freely down her chin and soaking into the material of her jeans. She was a wreck and no one cared.
T
They'd come so far, only to turn up with nothing. Each had been disappointed when the bells had turned up a dead end. Carol in particular seemed to curl back into herself, seeking refuge inside the long abandoned church. The woman was distraught, her daughter still missing. In all the years she'd spent suffering, Sophia had been her constant. With her gone, Carol was at odds with herself. She was left praying for a miracle from a figure that would not speak.
T
Sighing, Daryl moved outside. He'd never been overly religious, the thought of church sending an uncomfortable feeling running through him. There wasn't much he could do about it though, pushing forward and out onto the open lawn. He was confused when he didn't see Celeste anywhere though. He'd been positive that she had gone back outside, her only option in leaving the bloody scene that had been created inside.
"The hell'd she go?" he grunted, looking around as he tried to spot her.
All he could see was grass and trees, with the exception of Shane and Andrea, the two walking through the grave yard together. He shook his head in distaste, the former causing a bad taste to sprout in his mouth. Still, he brushed it off, rounding the corner of the church. It wasn't until he was half way around the side of the building that Daryl spotted the woman that he was looking for.
She was hunched over, her hands on her head as she buried her face in her knees. At the same time, her shoulders shook causing a frown to form on the man's face.
"Celeste?" he called out, voice hesitant as he made his way toward her.
She didn't seem to have heard him though as he grew closer, boots scraping the ground. Even when he finally came to stand in front of her, she seemed to be oblivious.
"Celeste…" Daryl spoke softly, biting at his lip as she shivered. "Hey."
His hands reached out as he knelt down. He knew exactly what was bothering her as he placed his hands on her shoulders, slightly unsure of himself. He was surprised when she didn't jump though, head still bowed. She hadn't been talking lately and it was starting to bother him. He'd seen what silence did to people, slowly tearing them up on the inside. It was something that he was all too familiar with, swallowing the lump in his throat.
"Celeste," he sighed, hesitantly leaning forward and placing his chin on top of her head.
A gasp ripped through her at the contact as she tried to choke back the tears. Like always, they seemed to disobey, a sniffle escaping her.
"Just try and breathe," Daryl instructed, slowly placing his arms around her.
Once they had encircled her, she seemed to break, everything falling down on her.
"Make it stop," she whimpered, gripping at the back of his shirt.
He was caught off guard at how tightly she held onto him, hands twisted in the fabric of his striped shirt. She had pulled him closer to herself without even meaning too, her head bowed. He didn't know what to do as he held her tighter, closing his eyes as he drew in a breath of his own.
"Just hold on a little longer," Daryl whispered, trying to be of help.
"You don't get it," she choked out, before pushing him away. "You just don't get it!" she snapped, drawing Shane and Andrea's attention for a moment from their spot by the headstones.
For a moment, it was quiet, the only sound coming from the birds above them. Celeste's eyes were closed, lips drawn back as she tried to stop crying.
"I promised her!" she cried. "I made her a promise and I broke it!"
Again, Daryl was confused, carefully reaching out and gripping the woman's upper arms.
"Promise who?" he asked.
"Karen," she managed to choke out. "It was all that she asked."
Karen, the only woman whom had truly ever shown her any care had begged upon her dying breath that Kenzie be taken care of. It was all that she had asked of Celeste when she'd found her laying on the floor in her own blood, a chunk of skin missing from her arm and shoulder. By the time that Celeste had made it to her, she'd already lost too much blood. Still, she'd had the foresight to lock Kenzie in her room prior to the attack, thinking that she could 'talk' things out. She never knew that Kyle was going to attack her, but she knew enough to keep her daughter safe. It was the last thing that she had done for her child, before finally leaving the world behind her.
Realization hit Daryl like a ton of bricks. Celeste was talking about Kenzie's real mother. As a result, it meant that she'd been there when she'd passed, leaving her to take the child and run. She'd be blessed with the burden of premature motherhood, grasping at a child not her own. Daryl couldn't imagine what she was going through, giving another woman her oath in raising and taking care of her child. It was something that no real mother would ever lay upon another without full reassurance that their wishes would be met.
Then the real truth came back to slap him in the face. She'd watched her friend die right before everything finally hit the fan. The confusion that had likely followed leaving her almost hollow. There was no doubt in Daryl's mind now. She'd watched the woman die.
"Hey," Daryl breathed out, finally reaching out and taking her face in his hands. "Breathe," he whispered, trying to steady her. "Just breathe."
Her lip shuttered as she took in a breath, trying to take in Daryl's words. At the same time, Carol had made her way outside, walking in on the scene. Her face fell as the true state of things sunk in. The older woman hadn't even thought to see how Celeste was fairing, too deep in her own grief to realize that her baby girl wasn't the only child out there on their own. While Sophia was 12, Kenzie was only 5. She was far less capable of taking care of herself, where as Sophia at least stood a chance. If Kenzie got separated, then there was no telling if they'd ever manage to find her alive again.
"Please," Carol whispered, before casting her eyes toward the sky. "Bring our babies home."
T
Shane had made his way forward after the group had formed back up, each person dawning their packs. They were starting to lose sunlight and they needed to keep going before they couldn't look anymore.
"Alright, ya'll gonna follow the creek bed back, okay?" Shane said, before looking toward Daryl. "Daryl, yer in charge. Me and Rick, we're just gonna hang back, search this area another hour or so and just be thorough," he said, rifle in hand.
"You're splittin' us up," Daryl said, a look of uncertainty on his face as he held onto his crossbow, the weapon hanging over the back of his shoulder. "You sure?"
"Yeah, we'll catch up to you," Shane said, nodding his head.
"I'm not ready to head back yet," Celeste said firmly, taking a small step forward.
Their eyes met for a moment, Shane and Celeste's. Everyone could see the grimace on the man's face. He didn't want her there.
"Uh-uh," Shane said, shaking his head. "I've seen where your head is lady and I ain't risking my neck for someone that can't even keep it together long enough to hold onto a kid."
Lori gasped at Shane's word, watching as tears formed in the young woman's eyes. He had no right to open his mouth.
"Now, Shane," Lori started.
"Don't Shane, me Lori," he said. "I'm not gonna go around risking my life when she can't even keep her damn head on straight."
For a moment, it was silent, Daryl standing there with a glare on his face. His right hand curled into a fist at his side, itching to swing. The only thing that kept him from doing so was the look on Celeste's face as she turned her back on Shane, walking away from the group, but not before touching Daryl's shoulder to let him know that she'd be okay somehow.
T
Leaves rustled as the group made their way through the trees, Lori reaching out toward Celeste. She just wished that there had been something more that she could have done, but Shane had left her speechless in shock. No doubt, he was still pissed at her for earlier and decided to take it out on the next person on his list that he saw fit to lash out at. True, Celeste was falling apart, but so was Carol. She didn't see him lashing out at her though. No, he took it out on Celeste.
"Honey, wait," Lori called out, lightly gripping the woman's shoulder.
Celeste stopped at her request, slowly turning around to face her. There were still tears in the corner of her eyes, but none fell. No, she wouldn't allow Shane the satisfaction of upsetting her. Instead, she'd hold them in and cry on her own when she felt it appropriate.
"What?" Celeste asked, her voice coming out slightly hoarse.
"I'm sorry about Shane," Lori sighed, slowing down, before coming to a stop.
Picking up on things, the rest of them stopped as well, standing and watching the exchange.
"He had no right to speak to you that way," she said. "Especially, after everything that you've been through."
For a moment, Celeste tensed, backing away from the woman's touch. Her eyes narrowed momentarily, thinking back on everything.
"You have no clue what I've been through," she spoke softly, wrapping her arms around herself. "You can't even begin to imagine."
Her words irritated Lori to a degree, eliciting a reaction that she hadn't quite expected.
"Now look, I may not know exactly what you've been through, but I've been through some pretty rough spots too," Lori pointed out. "It may not be my kid out there, lost in the woods, but I can understand. After all, I love my son, and nothing would stop me from finding him."
She stopped for a moment, looking from Celeste to Carol. She wasn't done yet.
"Both of you though, you need to get a hold of yourselves because otherwise, nothing is gonna change," she pointed out. "Not to mention, the looks I keep getting from everyone," she added, glancing toward Andrea. "All you want is a damn gun. So here, take mine," she said, shoving it against Andrea's chest, shocking the woman in turn. "And you," she started, turning toward Carol. "You need to stop blaming my husband for something that we can't change."
That was what caught the other woman's attention.
"It is in your face every time you look at him," Lori said. "When Sophia ran, he didn't hesitate, did he? Not for a second."
There was a pause for a moment before she continued, glancing up at the others as she spoke, but mainly keeping her eyes on Carol.
"I don't know that any of us would have gone after her the way that he did or made the hard decisions that he had to make or that anybody could have done it any differently," she said, pausing once more, before speaking again. "Anybody?" she asked, slowly looking about.
Her question was answered with silence as the kept quiet, a sigh escaping from Lori.
"Ya'll look to him and then you blame him when he's not perfect. If you think you can do this without him, go right ahead," she said firmly. "No one is stoppin' you."
With that, she brought her bottle of water to her lips, downing a decent amount of water as she had finally finished speaking her peace. Acknowledging her words, Andrea handed the gun back, a sorrowful look upon her face.
"We should keep moving," the blond said, standing to the side so that Lori could pass her.
Glenn followed, Daryl gesturing for the other women to do the same. He stayed to the back until they'd all moved, leaving Celeste last. He could feel his heart go out to her as he stood there, motioning with his hand for her to follow. Luckily, it didn't take much more than that, standing silently as she brushed past and leaving him to trail behind her.
T
It was about half a hour since the group had split, and another fifteen minutes out after they heard it, the loud crack of a gun echoing through the trees. It had made everyone jump, confusion and worry instantly filling Lori's face as she stopped wide eyed, looking around frantically as she tried to pinpoint it.
"That was a gun shot," she gapped, mouth going dry.
For a short time, Celeste stood there, brow furrowed slightly. Perhaps they had found something. Then, her mind came back to reality. If they had found something, then why did they hear a shot? Rick and Shane knew better than to go popping off shots. They wouldn't risk it. That left her wondering what had happened. Was there an accident? Were they in trouble and had no choice? Shaking her head, she looked up, watching as everyone stood there.
"That was a gun shot," Lori said again, worry in her voice even after more time had gone by.
"Yeah, we all heard it," Daryl said, shifting his crossbow to rest on his shoulder.
"Why one? Why just one shot?" Lori asked, running a hand over her face in worry.
"Maybe they took down a walker?" someone suggested, a cross look coming to set up Lori's face as her nose scrunched up.
"Don't patronize me," Lori scowled. "You all know that neither Shane nor Rick would risk a gun for one walker," she pointed out. "They would have taken it down quietly."
Celeste had to nod in agreement, rubbing her eyes for a moment as she looked on at everyone.
"Shouldn't they have caught up to us by now?" Lori asked, speaking up once more.
"There's really nothin' we can do about it anyway," Daryl pointed out. "Besides, can't run around these woods chasin' echoes."
Echoes. Celeste felt like that's all they were doing at the moment, almost running around in circles as they kept to the highway, eyes wide open as they searched for the girls. They were chasing after the hope of finding two little girls intact, one twelve years old, while the other was barely passed the age of five. Celeste wasn't stupid, she knew what the chances of finding them were with every passing minutes. The longer they took, the less of a chance they had of finding them. Still, they had a chance with Daryl leading them, quietly crossing her fingers as she prayed for a miracle. She'd never forgive herself if Kenzie turned up hurt. She wouldn't be able to live with herself, no matter the level of comfort she may be given in the end. In the end, it all boiled down to time.
As they made their way back to the highway, having decided to call it a day, Andrea spoke up.
"How much farther?" she asked, groaning from the heat.
"Not much," Daryl replied. "Maybe a hundred yards as the crow flies."
His expression confused a few of them, but nobody really commented on it, trudging forward.
"Too bad we're not crows," Andrea muttered with her head down.
Before they knew it, they heard screaming, heads up as they looked around. The place Andrea had been just moments ago was empty, fear rising up inside of them as she rushed toward the screaming.
"Andrea!" Lori cried out, climbing over a falling tree as she ran.
The rest followed, Daryl running the fastest as he held is crossbow high, bolt at the ready. Just as they came upon her, they saw a woman on horse back, bat in hand as she knocked the walker to the ground. The group was stunned as she called out for Lori, calling her by name with a sense of urgency in her voice.
"Lori? Lori Grimes?" the mystery woman called, sliding her bat into a holster.
"I'm Lori," Lori responded, stepping forward.
"Rick sent me. You have to come now," she explained.
"What?" Lori's brow furrowed in confusion as did everyone else's.
"There's been an accident. Carl's been shot."
At the sound of her words, Lori looked like she might faint, mouth handing open slightly in shock.
"He's still alive, but you have to come now."
The urgency in the woman's voice is what caught Celeste, the young woman moving forward to place a hand on the mother's shoulder. Carl needed his mother more than they did at the moment.
"Rick needs you, just come," the woman said, getting frustrated.
"Lori, go," Celeste said, taking the pack from her shoulders. "We'll find you," she assured her. "But right now, you need to get to your son."
"Whoa, hey now," Daryl said, stepping forward, the look on his face stating just how crazy they were. "We don't know this girl."
"Daryl, stop," Celeste said firmly, grabbing his arm in order to let Lori pass.
"You can't get on that horse!" Daryl yelled, making to step forward as Celeste grabbed at him again.
As if sensing the problem, the woman looked back toward them.
"Rick said you have others on the highway, that big traffic snarl?" she asked.
Glenn nodded his head in response as he answered her question with a short yes, his mind still shell shocked at what was going on.
"Back track to Fairburn Road," the woman instructed. "Two miles down is our farm. You'll see the mailbox. The name is Greene," she explained quickly before yelling at her horse, Lori already settled on the back.
Before they knew it, Lori was gone, Daryl looking back at Celeste as though she'd lost her mind for a moment. He shook his head though, slowly realizing that Rick must have been the one to send the woman out, knowing that it would have explained the gunshot. He wouldn't admit it though, slightly moving toward the walker as it groaned.
"Shut up," Daryl scoffed, before letting the bolt loss and silencing the thing.
T
"Shot?" Dale called out. "What do you mean shot?"
They had made it back to the highway, each of them stepping over the guardrail in order to get over to the other side.
"I don't know, Dale," Glenn gasped, trying to fill his lungs with much needed air. "I wasn't there."
The group had made it back as quickly as possible in an attempt to inform the others. Glenn unfortunately, wasn't meant for running and was clinging to the first car that he came to.
"All I know is that this chick road up out of nowhere like Zorro on a horse and took Lori," the young Asian explained to the older man.
"You let her?" Dale asked, turning toward Daryl as the redneck moved over the guardrail, Celeste following behind him.
"Climb down outta my ass, old man," Daryl warned, narrowing his eyes slightly. "Rick sent her. She knew Lori's name and Carl's," he explained, brushing right passed Dale as he made his way toward one of the nearby cars.
This time, Dale turned to Andrea, noticing the worn look on her face.
"I heard screams. Was that you?" he asked, looking her over for a moment.
Andrea merely ignored him, heading toward the RV. She didn't want to listen to it. Instead, Glenn came to the rescue and explained the situation.
"She got attacked by a walker," he breathed out, still trying to catch his breath. "It was a close call."
"Andrea, are you alright?" Dale called out as she made it to the door of the RV.
She merely turned to look at him, shaking her head for a moment. More than anything, her pride had been hurt, knowing that she'd been caught off guard. The door slammed behind her without another word.
"Don't take it personally, Dale," Celeste sighed, placing a hand on the man's shoulder. "I think she still a bit shaken up a bit.
From outside, she could hear Andrea yell in frustration, tossing something against the wall. That in itself confirmed what she'd been thinking. Andrea had been embarrassed.
Shaking her head, she looked around, thinking back to what the woman had said. She'd given them specific directions in order to get out of the mess that they were in. The problem would be backing the RV up, knowing that they'd have to turn around in part of the median. Not to mention, some of the cars would have to be moved out of the way in order to do it.
T
"I won't do it. We can't just leave."
It was quiet for a moment as Carol spoke, a slightly trembling in her voice. When Dale had suggested heading out to the farm, she hadn't taken very well.
"Carol, the group is split," Dale sighed, trying to make her understand. "We're scattered and weak."
"What if she comes back?" she countered, desperate to get them to stay. "And we're not here?"
She looked at everyone for a moment, gauging their reactions to her words. A couple of them seemed unconvinced though.
"It could happen," she tried, brows furrowed.
"If Sophia found her way back and we were gone, that would be awful," Andrea said, agreeing with Carol's thinking.
"Okay," Daryl said, sucking in his lower lip for a moment as he nodded his head. "We gotta plan for this."
Everyone nodded in agreement as they listened to what Daryl had to say. Celeste in particular kept her ears open, leaning against a nearby car with her arms followed over her chest. After all of the searching they'd done, she could practically feel the fatigue beating away at her.
"I say tomorrow morning is soon enough to pull up stakes," Daryl said, making gestures with his hands as he continued to speak. "Give us a chance to rig up a big sign, leave 'em some supplies."
Carol nodded her head at Daryl's words, grateful that he was willing to help.
"I'll hold here tonight, stay with the R.V.," he said.
"If the R.V. is staying, I am too," Dale sighed.
Celeste closed her eyes as she drew in a breath, taking her time in letting it out. She knew that she would be staying too, but that was an obvious fact. If Sophia or Kenzie managed to make it back that night, she wanted to be there. She didn't want to miss that chance, even if it was small.
"Thank you," Carol whispered. "Thank you both."
Standing there, Andrea looked between the others, before raising her hand in agreement to stay the night. It wasn't until Glenn began to speak up that Dale stopped him though.
"Not you, Glenn. You're going," Dale said, before pointing toward Carol's Cherokee. "Take Carol's Cherokee."
"Me?" Glenn gapped. "Why is it always me?"
"You have to find this farm, reconnect with our people and see what's going on," Dale said firmly. "But most of all, you have to get T-Dog there. This is not an option."
For a moment, it was quiet, Dale's words sinking in. In all the chaos, they'd managed to forget about T-Dog. In an attempt to run from the hoard, he'd caught his arm on a car door and sliced it open. No doubt it had likely started to get infected due to lack of supplies and conditions.
"That cut has gone from bad to worse," Dale explained. "He has a very serious blood infection."
Upon hearing this, Daryl turned, slowly moving toward Merle's bike. His actions had caught Celeste's eyes, but she didn't say anything as he began rummaging through one of the packs on the bike.
"Get him to that farm. See if they have any antibiotics because if not, T-Dog will die, no joke."
A moment later, Daryl was walking back over, a bag in one hand and a rag in the other as he narrowed his eyes at Dale.
"Keep your oily rags off my brother's motorcycle," he said pointedly, tossing the offending rag at the older man. "Why'd you wait till now to say anything? Got my brother's stash," he said, sounding as though it were the most normal thing that could have been said.
Celeste nearly felt her eyes bug out as she watched Daryl list off medications, slowly taking a step toward him to examine it. She watched as he threw a bottle of painkillers Glenn's way, brows furrowing slightly.
"Oxycycline," Daryl finally said, tossing the bottle into Dale's hand, the pills rattling inside the orange bottle. "Not the generic stuff neither. It's first class."
As he made to move away, he explained the reasoning behind it, causing Celeste to snort in disgust.
"Merle got the clap on occasion."
T
Daryl wasn't really sure how it had happened, Celeste coming to lay next to him in the R.V. They'd already put together some supplies, having gathered it from some of the surrounding vehicles. Celeste had managed to sort through a majority of it, pushing forward in order to take her mind off of things. Even with Carol's help they were still left with a decent pile in the end though.
Once everything had been gone through, night had fallen, and the group had made their way inside. Carol had taken up the bed in the back of the R.V., while Andrea sat at the table, the later sitting and working on picking apart Daryl's gun. Celeste had taken the time to sit down against the wall across from the redneck, shoulders sagging as she tried to stay awake. It had done little good though, head falling to the side every couple of minutes. It had kept up until Daryl had finally pulled her to lay down, grabbing a blanket from the back and balling it up to place under her head. She'd been resistant at first, but eventually caved in, the feeling of her weighted mind becoming too much for her to handle.
From where he was at, Daryl could still see the tip of her nose, the small appendage sticking out ever so slightly behind her bangs. Most everything else was obscured as she lay there in sleep, hair having fallen forward. Her lips were parted slightly as she breathed in, a small snore escaping her due to the damaged that had been done. The bruising was unfortunately still visible and that had bothered him. If they didn't do something about it soon, then her nose would be permanently twisted the way that it was now. As he thought about it, Daryl's mind drifted further, thinking back to when he'd found her in the hallway back at the CDC. It had been a disturbing sight that he hadn't quite grasped at the time. As he looked on, he found that her lip had healed for the most part, though it still had a slight dip in it from where it had been broken. Then came the problem of her neck. Like her lip, the spot had healed mostly, but the reddened spot still stuck out slightly at the neck of her shirt.
Groaning, Celeste shifted, arm stretching out as her hand grasped lightly at Daryl's forearm. Her fingers were warm to the touch, the pads of her fingers soft despite the calluses due to years of using her bow in practice. The touch in it self was something that he hadn't expected, eyes tracing over the features of her face once more. His eyes stopped again at her lips, inhaling a breath of air as he looked around, making sure that no one was watching him. He was relieved when he realized that Andrea was too tied up in the gun to even pick up on anything else.
Looking back, Daryl stared at her again, watching as she slept. He wasn't really sure why he kept looking at her. Well, he had an idea, but he shook that idea from his head. After all, why would anyone ever be interested in him. No, right now, he had to concentrate on finding those girls. Then and only then, could he truly ponder on those possibilities. Those thoughts were the same thing that came to mind a couple of hours later when he woke up, the sound of Carol's crying pulling him from his sleep.
Blinking, Daryl rubbed at his eyes with his hand, grunting slightly. Glancing to his right, he found Celeste still deep in sleep, her snoring still audible. He almost flinched at the sound as it had gotten louder due to the strain on her septum. He then drew his eyes toward the sound of scuffed metal, straining his neck as he spotted Andrea filling his clip back up with bullets. This in itself had surprised him slightly, but he guessed that if it helped take her mind off of things, then he'd let her.
Again, Carol's sobbing shook him, scrunching his eyes shut for a moment before pushing himself up. The movement caused Celeste to stir, eyes cracking open slightly as her hand fell away from his skin.
"Daryl?" she groaned, blinking slowly as she lay there.
The sound of metal had stopped, but Carol's crying had not.
"Shh…" Daryl said, placing a finger to his lips as he carefully brushed the hair from her face with his pointer finger. "Just go back ta sleep," he told her, voice soft as he pulled his hand away from her face, fingers brushing her cheek as he did.
He watched as her eyes fell closed again, a small snore escaping her. He could have laughed, but he didn't, shaking his head as he stood, being careful in stepping over her. When he looked up, he found Andrea staring at him, clip in hand.
"It's finished," Andrea told him, holding the clip out toward him as he dawned his crossed bow, realizing what he was planning on doing.
"I'm gonna walk the road, look for those girls," he said, before glancing back toward Carol for a moment, eyes trailing toward Celeste again afterward.
He then walked outside, grabbing a flashlight and letting it light the ground in front of him. He was surprised when he heard another set of footsteps behind him, turning to find Andrea standing there with her own flashlight in hand.
"I'm coming too," she said, closing the door to the R.V. behind her a little harder than he would have liked.
With a sigh, Daryl turned his head toward Dale, finding the man atop the R.V. keeping watch.
"I'm going for a walk. Shine some light in the forest. If they're out there, it'll give 'em something to look at," he explained, moving to walk away.
"You think that's a good idea right now?" Dale asked, raising an eyebrow in question.
"Dale," came Andrea's voice, cutting the quiet as a means of shutting him up, before walking past Daryl.
The redneck in question merely gave the older man a silent look of apology for Andrea, before turning himself and following the blond. He had to admit, she definitely had backbone.
T
"You really think we're gonna find Sophia?" Andrea asked suddenly. "Or Kenzie for that matter?"
Daryl was quiet for a moment before he scoffed, shaking his head. They'd been walking for a little bit and she was already asking him the question that he didn't want to hear. It was like she didn't have any faith at all.
"You got that look on your face same as everybody else," he finally said, flashing the light in the surrounding bushes. "What the hell's wrong with you people? We just started lookin'."
"Well, do you?" she asked again, ignoring his comment all together.
Her ignorance frustrated him to no end, his voice taking a sharper turn as he looked at her over his shoulder.
"It ain't the mountains of Tibet. It's Georgia," he pointed out.
He swore, it was like these people knew nothing. They were technically in a small space of land than they could be and yet they still thought that it was impossible. At least with the country it was easier to find someone, since there were only so many places to hide. In fact, it was merely a matter of time and looking as they swept the grid. That's all there was to it.
"She could be holed up in a farmhouse somewhere," he pointed out, trying to make a point. "People get lost and they survive. It happens all the time."
"Sophia's only 12," Andrea shot back, before adding to the mess. "And Kenzie, the kid is what, 4?" she questioned, doubting that their age would help them out in the slightest when it came to surviving at all.
"I was younger than Sophia when I got lost," Daryl told her.
He looked at her for a moment, realizing that telling her this might prove his point.
"Nine days in the woods eatin' berries, wipin' my ass with poison oak."
"They found you?" Andrea asked skeptically, raising a brow in question.
Daryl shook his head, continuing his story as he moved the light from side to side.
"My old man was off on a bender with some waitress. Merle was going another stint in juvie," he huffed. "Didn't even know I was gone."
Andrea frowned at this as she listened, finding it hard to believe that no one had been the wiser when he'd disappeared as a child.
"I made my way back though," he breathed out. "Went straight into the kitchen and made myself a sandwich."
Carefully, he stepped over a few fallen branches, making sure not to catch himself on anything.
"No worse for wear," he said, before remembering the itching that he'd had to deal with. "Except my ass itched somethin' awful."
He heard Andrea stifle a laugh beside him, turning his head to look at her as she continued for a moment, unable to stop herself.
"Sorry," she choked out, lips turned up in a smile. "I'm sorry, that is a terrible story."
Again, she laughed, Daryl following after as he laughed at himself in agreement.
"Only difference is, those girls got people looking for 'em. I call that an advantage."
Sorry for the long wait everyone. Anyway, I hope that everyone enjoyed the chapter? Please, let me know what you think? Also, if you have any ideas or quests on what you'd like to see happen, please let me know. It will really help with my writing. Thanks everyone and I hope to hear from you soon!