Author's Note: Tonight everyone! Walking Dead! SDGDSJNDDFJDSPFIUWNSMFN I'm so exciteddddd! Now, I don't really know where to go with this one, but we'll see where my fingers take me. I never really know what's gonna happen; my mind is more of a free-spirit, let's do what we feel like doing kind of thing.
AN2: So my brother's girlfriend's mom is an author and she's gonna take one of my books to her agent and we'll see if she likes it! :O What if they want to become my agent?! Dkndsjgn;odsijsdfknl;dsgdgjldkldgkjsd!
AN3: I really want Norman Reedus to follow me on Twitter. But I don't want to be like hey you should follow me cuz I lurrrve yououuuouou lol.
Disclaimer: I don't own the Walking Dead. It's unfortunate, because I love it so much. And Daryl ;D
Chapter Twenty-Three: Down to the River
Suddenly, a guttural moan sounded nearby; immediately, I stiffened and turned quickly, my gun in hand before I realized what was happening. The air stilled in my lungs and my body tensed, eyes searching wildly for the source of the sound. There, just a few hundred yards away, I caught sight of the horrifyingly familiar awkward stagger of a walker caught my eye.
Along with another five or six.
Shit.
Peering quickly over my shoulder, I could see Dale standing on the roof of the RV, binoculars casually brimming over the cars, searching for a threat.
Well I fucking found one! My mind screamed, urging me to either flip the shit out or run silently back toward the safety of the RV.
Rick had his rifle pointed in my direction, peering through the scope; waving wildly at him, I watched him glance up at me, curiosity furrowing his brow. Wide-eyed, I waved my arms at the walkers headed our way, begging myself not to let out a nervous hum that threatened to escape.
He quickly lifted the rifle back up, seeing now what I had seen; panic etched across his face as he waved me back toward the others. He didn't need to tell me twice; crouching low to the ground, I made quick work of most of the distance.
Suddenly, a walker growled, incredibly close to where I was; instinctively, I dropped to the ground and rolled beneath a car, praying that they wouldn't be clever enough to look beneath the shelter and drag me out.
Heart pounding loudly in my ears, my chest heaved, gun clasped to my chest as I stared up at the undercarriage of a small Ford. It was a tight fit, one that made me mildly claustrophobic, but I preferred my chances beneath the vehicle than wandering through the cars, just hoping a walker wouldn't grab me.
Eyes everywhere, I tried my chest to keep sight of all angles of the car; I didn't want to be caught off guard, but it was ridiculously hard to maneuver underneath it, trying to see a million places at once.
Please let them have gotten under cars, I begged, eyes wide, staring almost through the car, at the sky, hoping my prayers would be answered, everyone… Jake, Danny, Riley… Daryl… everybody… please let them find cover. Please, please, please… oh God, please…
Soon, the telltale shuffling of the walkers reached my ears. The first one wandered by the car, unaware of my presence beneath it; watching it wander by, I caught sight of a startling amount of legs. There were dozens of them! What were they doing, moving together in a herd like that? Was that normal? How many were there?
Gnawing on my lip to keep from making a single goddamn sound, I took slow, steady breaths through my nostrils, focusing on nothing other than the walkers. I wanted to be aware of them, as aware as they weren't about me.
What seemed like an eternity passed until only a few stragglers were moving by my hideout. They walked with a horrible stagger, feet dragging awkwardly – painfully, if they were alive – along the ground. Some were barefoot, others with tatters of shoes left on their feet. Some had pants, skirts, even pajamas on, though they were all a mottled gray or brown from blood, mud, and exposure to the elements.
Shifting awkwardly, I had hoped to roll myself over, onto my stomach, and perhaps get a better angle on what was happening toward the RV. A sharp, sudden sting burst through my arm and I clutched it to my chest, examining it as best I could.
The skin had shredded slightly, blood trickling out at a steady pace, down my elbow and onto the pavement, from one of the many pieces of metal beneath the car. Freezing, I watched as a walker stopped beside the car, moaning lowly, gutturally. Eyes wide, I watched as it shifted its body, readying to crouch.
Without a word, I shimmied out from beneath the car, on the other side, and peered around quickly. The walker had just dropped and I had no other shelter. The window to the sedan was busted out, the glass in shards that I'd probably just rolled through on the ground.
Scrambling inside, I slid into the driver's seat, peering out of the window at the legs of the walker as it sought me out beneath the car. Checking the backseat for any sign of a walker – lots of blood but no bodies – I reached instinctively for the keys.
Still in the ignition, I hurriedly tested the engine; to my surprise and delight, it revved to life, the gas light pinging but still alive. Hurriedly shifting into reverse, I backed the car up, the trunk slamming into the Hummer behind it. Jolting at the impact, I felt the telltale bump of something beneath the front tires. Growling, I threw the car back into drive and ran forward, the back tires now jumping over something.
Carrying out the process a time or two again, I panted as I flung the car into park. Yanking the door open, I retrieved my gun from the console and peered slowly, disconcertedly, beneath the vehicle.
The thing reeked to high heaven, let me tell you. Fighting the urge to gag, I saw its legs twitch, an involuntary movement as not a single sound escaped the monster.
Shouldn't, I mused, mildly delighted, ran over its head, like, five times…
Leaning back in the seat, I allowed my eyes to drift shut, relief flooding through me. Survival mode, yay! A scream tore suddenly through the air, high and terrified, distinctly feminine.
Oh Lord, Sophia…
Slipping out of the now smoking vehicle, I kept my gun held high, ready to shoot at any walker that might have stood in my path. Or at least beat the bastard over the head a time or two.
As I neared the RV, I saw two walkers climb over the steel railing along the highway, their paces quick, their minds set on one thing. Racing toward the edge, I took a running leap, pushing off of the railing and promptly tumbling down the hill.
My body screamed as I hit something, rolling and flailing, a ferocious growl startlingly close. Oh God, I was tangled up with a walker. As we tumbled through the dirt and underbrush, I struggled and scrambled, praying those teeth wouldn't find me.
We skidded to a halt, our legs intertwined, our bodies facing away from each other. Thankfully it didn't take long for me to disentangle myself from it, checking myself over wildly for any bites as I scrambled backwards through the dirt.
Momentarily terrified at the blood on my arm, I reminded myself of the scrape and promptly did my best to curbstomp the zombie. It didn't work completely; half his skull was caved in, but he still reached, grabbed, bit at me.
Breathlessly, I could hear the others calling for both Sophia and I, drawing my attention to the very reason I leapt into the woods in the first place. Spinning, I tried to see through the trees, hoping for a flash of blue. That's what she was wearing, right? Blue? With a little rainbow… yeah, that's what it was…
Suddenly, the snapping of branches and twigs caught my attention; spinning, I skidded to my knees, scrambling for a rock or something. I needn't have worried, though; it was only Rick. He was wild-eyed, panting heavily as he dropped to the ground, "Are you okay? Cat? Cat, are you alright? Were you bit?"
"No, nonono," I breathed, staring down at the walker, drawing my lower lip into my mouth and gnawing, "I'm alright… Where'd she go? Where's Sophia?"
"Go back to the road," he stated, catching my shoulders and drawing me to my feet, stroking my hair as if to calm me down. I guess I could see why; I was covered in blood, especially my right boot and leg where I'd stomped in the walker's skull. "Cat, go back; Daryl's looking for you. I'll go find Sophia."
"Like hell you're going alone," I scoffed, watching as he destroyed the rest of the walker's skull, "Daryl's a big boy; he can handle himself without me. Let's go."
Retrieving my gun, I flipped it around in my hand, holding the barrel like the base of a club. The former sheriff's lips pursed in a thin line, obviously unhappy with my decision even as we heard Daryl bellowing my name, cursing up a storm, but it wasn't his decision to make.
Which way to go, though?
The sound of growling echoed through the woods – it was our best bet. Taking off through the bushes, I heard Rick follow quickly behind, overtaking me easily and darting ahead. Veering left, he guided me through the trees; neither of us knew where to go, but any decision was better than none at all.
Leaves and branches slapped at my arms and face, leaving small cuts, I assumed, with each sting. Following Rick's dirtied white shirt, I glanced hastily from side to side, trying desperately to catch sight of the little girl and her pursuers.
How many were there? Was she being chased down by a mob or had there been only the two that I'd seen originally go over the barrier?
Suddenly, I could see two walkers through the branches, their awkward gait recognizable from miles away. Rick skidded to a halt; nearly stumbling into his back, I latched onto his arms, muttering quietly, "What? What? Why'd you stop?"
"There's Sophia," he gestured to the young girl, her blonde hair flashing through the trees. A quick glance at the sheriff told me that I was to go after her; he'd take care of the walkers.
Nodding silently, I raced ahead, leaving the man behind and trying desperately to catch up with the little girl. She was like lightning, though, the cat dangling from her arm as she darted through the bushes.
Huffing, I put a little extra oomph into my step and raced through the trees, pushing off from a particularly massive oak. Breathlessly, I tried to call out for the girl; it came out in pants, nearly inaudible, "So… Soph! Sophia! Hey! Hey!"
Casting a quick glane over her shoulder, she nearly tripped over her own feet at the sight of me. Skidding to a halt, I nearly plowed her down in the process.
"Good… Lord!" I squeaked, tripping and catching the girl's arm, hoping to keep her from flailing and escaping by drawing her to my chest. She trembled something awful, trying to dislodge me as though I were…
"I'm not a walker, sweetie," I shushed her, even as she sobbed and shuddered, crouching down to her level and forcing her to look at me. With wide, chocolate eyes, I raked a hand through my shaggy, chestnut hair, "Listen to me, Sophia. Me and Rick are here; there're only a few walkers, but I don't know if he can handle them both himself. Why don't you climb a tree and I'll come back for you after I help him out?"
"Please don't leave me," she cried, her dark eyes terrified, clinging to me for dear life, "please. I want to go back. Where's my mama? I want to go back to the RV."
"I know, hun," I cooed, stroking her hair and pulling her into a tight hug, even as branches cracked and snapped around us. I couldn't hear Rick, so I could only assume it was a walker. Urging her toward the nearest tree, I tried to get her to climb, going so far as to try and push her up the trunk.
No go.
Of course.
She refused, claiming she didn't know how. I didn't have the time to give her the basics, knowing she probably wasn't comprehending a word I was saying. So I simply turned her around and pushed her deeper into the woods, my hands itching for the gun at my hip; it wouldn't do me any good to fire off a shot, either at a walker or to draw Rick's attention. There were so many of them; I couldn't believe how many there had been. What were they doing in a pack?
A snap. A growl. Three walkers approaching, their mangled arms outstretched, their mouths dirtied with blood and gore.
Ushering Sophia ahead of me, I quickened our pace, wishing I could pick up the girl and carry her back to camp. I even tried, but, small as I was, even a burst of adrenaline wouldn't help me lift her.
So we ran into the small stream, where a tree's root system stood high out of the water. It was small enough that she could fit, she could hide. The water might even have been able to throw the walkers off of her scent, if they caught her again.
Tucking her into it, I bent to her level. My heart ached for the terrified child; God only knows what I would do in her situation, at that age, but I did what I could to assure her I would be back. Stroking her cheek, I pressed a kiss to her forehead, "Do not leave this spot. Don't. Not until I come back to get you. You see Rick, you flag him down, you hear me. Me or him; no one else. Unless they talk, unless you know it's one of us and not a walker, you don't move. You understand me, Sophia?"
The walkers were getting closer; she gasped and nodded, eyes screwed shut tightly in fear. I inhaled sharply, lungs burning from the running, from the fear, but I had to push on. Draw them away. I'd do it for any of them; I'd do it for her now.
!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!
"What if they come back?" Lori inquired, her tone loud but lacking conviction. She didn't trust Daryl Dixon as much as Cat did, no matter what she said. Especially when he was rampaging between the cars, crossbow clenched tightly in one fist, his face ablaze with a fiery frustration, with disgust and, most importantly, concern. "If they come back and some of us are missing, it's gonna be worse than it is now…"
"Please go find my baby!" Carol sobbed, her face in her hands even as she faced the forest, waiting for any sign of Cat or Rick with her daughter safely in tow.
Daryl kicked a muddied boot against the flat tire of an old, beat up sedan, muscles taut, jaw clenched. He lifted the crossbow, taking aim at, well, no one was quite sure, but if getting a shot off made him feel any better, they'd let him do it. Better at a car or a fallen walker than one of them.
His dark hair jutted off in odd directions, darkened with sweat, mud and blood tracking streaks down his face. He didn't bother to spare a glance at T-Dog as he got patched up by Glenn and Dale. Sure, he saved his life, but he hadn't been paying close enough attention to Cat. He hadn't seen where she wandered off to, hadn't been thinking to watch her.
Hadn't he sworn to her that he would keep her safe? Wasn't that his new goal in life? Her and her family? The kid, the two teenagers she'd dragged along, the ones that had survived anyways. He had practically thrown the boy, Jake, into the trunk of a car, slamming it shut with the assurance that he'd be back for him when the hoard had passed.
So where was she now?
Lost in the woods, looking for a little girl.
He wanted to go after her strictly on the principle that he was, what?, her boyfriend? Her lover? He didn't know what to call himself and in that goddamn moment, he didn't care. All he cared about was finding her.
She was shit in the woods, he knew that. She couldn't find her way out of a paper bag unless she knew the area. And she didn't know the woods, not at all. Not like he did.
Carol was right; he should've been out there, looking for them both. The only thing that kept him back was the thought that Rick would probably be with her, hot on her heels as they scoured the area for the missing girl, and the twelve year old currently inching his way toward the burly hunter.
"Daryl… please, can't you go look for her?" he inquired, emerald eyes wide, glossy with tears as his lower lip jutted out just a bit. Daryl wasn't a fan of kids, he'd be the first to admit it, but he knew the feeling, losing someone close to you. Hell, even if he and Merle weren't the best of friends, it had hardened his heart to know that he'd been left for dead. That he wasn't there to protect him. Which one protecting the other, he didn't know, but he knew it hurt like hell and Cat was all this kid had left. He may not have liked the idea of this boy following him around, of being another person to keep an eye on who couldn't protect himself, but he'd be damned if he didn't keep an eye on him. For Kit.
She'd beat his ass black and blue if she knew he left the boy to his own defenses.
Lip curling in mild apprehension, Daryl dropped down to the ground, eye level to the kid. He wouldn't hug him, if that's what the boy was looking for, but he did place a calloused hand on his shoulder, giving him a rough, reassuring shake.
He needed to calm himself down a bit, if only to keep the kid from panicking. The others weren't doing so hot either; Danny and Riley. They were clinging to each other, the girl with clear streaks down her face where the tears had wiped away the dirt and grime. The boy was muttering something, he didn't really care to know.
Quelling his rage for the moment, he squinted at the kid, nodding slowly, making certain that there wasn't a hint of doubt in his low, rough tone, "She's gonna be fine. She'll be back in no time. Gotta watch your ass, make sure you're here when she gets back."
"But…"
"Shut up, kid, and listen to me," Daryl practically growled, consciously making an effort not to dig his fingers into the kid's bony shoulder, his fear and anxiety threatening to well through his sturdy, solid frame, "she's fine. I ain't gonna say it again. You wanna tell her you thought she wasn't comin' back?"
Mutely, Jake shook his head, his trepidation palpable, evident, as he peered over the railing, into the softly swaying trees.
Peering up at the rest of the group, who all stood back but watched the goings-on with confusion, with pity, he stood swiftly, patting the boy's chest roughly, and snarled, "What the hell you lookin' at? All of 'em are gonna be alright."
Turning sharply, he stalked off a bit, away from the others, and pounded his fist into the side of the nearest car.
Why didn't his words make him feel any better?
~~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!
Even the coolest theme song in the world, not even the Mission Impossible music, could not make this chase any better. Powering through the trees, I didn't have to stop and think: there was no doubt about it, me being lost.
But the walkers were still chasing me, ergo the need to keep running was dire. Leaping over fallen logs and hollowed out tree trunks, I tried to spy the proper tree. It needed to be big, sturdy, something that wouldn't give under my weight. If I got up there, I could wait it out; maybe they wouldn't see where I had gone to and they would wander off into the darkness.
I needed to get them alone, but every time I looked back, there seemed to be one or two more than last time. By now, there had to be seven? Eight? I couldn't tell, nor did I want to actually stop and take a head count.
Unless it was with my gun.
Where the hell was my bow? Back with the RV. Why I'd only taken my gun, I'd never know and probably wouldn't live long enough to fully regret it anyway. The sun was sinking, lower and lower, and my heart only leapt to my throat at the thought of being in the woods, alone, in the dark, with who knows how many walkers around me?
Cursing, I stumbled over a pebble, my heart pounding in my chest, as the fingers of a walker brushed along my back. Fighting the urge to scream, I picked my tree; it was close, it was tall, it didn't matter if it wasn't wide around. I needed shelter and I needed it immediately.
Leaping up, I caught a branch, hauling myself up and propelling my feet up along the trunk. Bark gave way under foot, showering the walkers below, but I made it up with little problem. Now, if only the walkers couldn't climb.
If they could, I'd be fucked.
~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~
"I don't know where they are."
Even if it was quiet, everyone in their little powwow heard it. Thank God Lori had ushered Carol away; she seemed to be the only one unaware of Rick's confession. Shane gaped at his partner, glancing quickly toward Daryl, who remained absolutely motionless, his crossbow propped against his shoulder.
"I lost sight of 'em, both of 'em, but last I knew, Cat had her," Rick breathed, stroking his chin and glancing nervously toward the hunter. If he put a bolt through his skull, he wouldn't necessarily blame him. If Cat's and Lori's positions were shifted around… Jaw clenched, he raked a hand through his dampened hair, "She had her. No doubt about it. She prob'ly told her to hide. Prob'ly tried to take her back here, but got lost."
The group shifted anxiously from foot to foot, most eyes darting toward Daryl or Carol, wondering who would have the worst meltdown. To his surprise, though, Daryl simply nodded once, slinging the crossbow before him, "She may be small, but I told her b'fore. She's like a cow out there. I'll find her. I'll find her tracks an' find her. Find both of 'em and bring 'em back."
"Well we're coming with you," Glenn announced, glancing hurriedly toward Sane, who simply nodded and retrieved his weapon. They could leave the others for the moment, especially with Dale and his rifle watching over the group. He wasn't as good a shot as the others, but he knew how to handle a weapon. How to keep them safe.
Without another word, Glenn, Shane, Rick, Danny, and Daryl began scouring the forest for any sign of either Cat or Sophia. It wasn't hard for Daryl to pick up their tracks, carrying on together for a point until they hit the water.
The rock that had formed in the pit of his stomach early on still settled, hard and heavy, in his gut. Hitting the water was both smart and stupid; the walkers may have lost track of them, but so did he. They could have gone for miles, following the water, but it wouldn't matter if they didn't know which way to go.
"Kit!" he called, the others picking up on the slight catch in his voice but keeping silent. It wouldn't do them any good to tease the big bad hunter; he'd beat them bloody, just like Rick had done with the other walkers. "Sophia!"
"Look!" Danny pointed out a small grove of roots, where a small, blue swatch of cloth floated beneath it, snagged on the bark. Turning it over in his hands, he nodded to himself, "This is part of Sophia's shirt."
"They both couldn't fit under there," Glenn noted anxiously, knuckles white as he clenched the gun to his chest, "that's… I mean, maybe Sophia was down there, but Cat couldn't have been. Not both of them."
Daryl growled low under his breath. The Asian was right. He coulda lifted Kit with one hand, but she couldn't bend her five foot frame to fit beneath that, especially with a tall, skinny little girl under there too. So where did she go?
"Prob'ly drew off some walkers, if there were any," he noted gruffly, clearing his throat of the stinging lump at its base. What the hell was that? Was he gonna cry? Hell no, he wouldn't, 'specially not in front of the assholes around him.
"Let's look for more tracks," Rick suggested, sighing heavily as he lowered his gaze. Why hadn't he kept them in his sights? They probably could have avoided the walkers if they tried; made their way back to the others. Now he had two missing people, two friends, on his hands. How in God's name were they going to find them?
Daryl trudged out of the water, slinging his bow over his shoulders as he searched the ground. There were tracks, a few sets. Some were small, too small to be a walker's; Sophia's. They went off in one direction, the freshest of them all. Another, a booted set, still small but a bit bigger than the child's, went off in another direction. Some of the prints were covered over by the long skid marks. Walker tracks.
There were at least five of them on her.
"SHIT!" he bellowed, yanking a knife from his boot and hurling it at a tree, chest heaving. The blade was buried to the hilt within the bark, giving Glenn a rough time as he tried to yank it out.
Rick was on him before he could say another word, hands on his shoulders, jaw tensed as though ready for a hit.
He was tempted.
Good Lord was he tempted.
But he clenched his fists, opting to save his ire for the walkers after Kit. There wouldn't be much left of them, once he'd gotten through with them. They would be in pieces, scattered around the forest for the scavengers, if they wanted them.
"You need to calm down," Rick stated, his tone soothing but firm, "this does Cat no good. She's probably back at camp already; why don't we just follow her tracks, see where they went? You have your bow; it'll be easier to take them down without any more noticing."
"She don't have hers," Daryl bit out, teeth bared, an ugly sneer on his face. At Rick's confusion, he continued, each word like acid on his tongue, "She don't have her bow. She can't shoot 'em if she don't have her bow. She's just runnin'."
"Then we'll have to be quick to catch up," the sheriff replied, patting his shoulder and releasing him quickly, noticing the hunter's muscles, his fists, clench, "Glenn, I want you to come with me. We'll go after Sophia."
"I'll head back to camp, distract everyone for a bit," Shane suggested, raking a hand through his thick, curly hair, "give 'em something to do. Little chores."
Rick nodded, glancing quickly at Danny, whose nostrils flared and eyes flashed, "You wanna go with Daryl?"
"I don't need to watch some punk-ass kid's back," Daryl snarled, his tone low, dangerous. To his credit, Danny didn't back down; he simply shirked back a bit but noted forcefully, "I'm looking for her. I'll watch your back when you're taking out the walkers."
"Fine," Daryl noted, disgust evident as he looked over the boy. He'd look out for him, but like the kid, he didn't have to like him.
~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~
A walker wandered through the trees, alone, stumbling over its feet and running into tree trunks. Danny wanted to shoot it, a stupid idea, but Daryl simply cocked his bow and let loose a bolt. It went clean through its skull, downing the walker immediately.
Rick had joined him once more, informing him that it seemed like Sophia's footprints had turned at some point; maybe she'd gone looking for Cat, because they ran parallel, a little further up on what seemed like a foot path through the woods.
Crouching down, Rick grimaced, peering at the walker's teeth. Flesh clung to them, but, as he pulled some out, he couldn't be sure what kind it was.
"It ate something recently," he muttered, running the back of his hand over his forehead, swiping the sweat away with a frustrated sigh.
"You don't think it was… Cat or Sophia, do you?" Danny muttered, looking a little more than green around the gills.
"Only one way to find out," Daryl noted, more than willing to slice open the bastard. He had probably been one of the ones after Kit; his footprints mingled with the ones already there, no real pattern to the tracks from the walkers.
Rick slipped on a pair of gardening gloves, flexing his fingers and reaching for his large hunting knife. Daryl shook his head, his own gloves already on, and pushed the sheriff's deputy out of the way, "I got this. You prob'ly ain't never gutted anything b'fore anyways. Plus," he retrieved his butchering knife, the one Kit called his machete, "mine's bigger."
Without much talk, he drove the knife into the walker's gut. Once. Twice. Three times. He cast a quick glance at the others, failing to fight a smirk as both looked ready to upchuck. The kid did, just behind Rick, who looked less than enthused at the newest mess.
Heart pounding in his ears, he could feel the skin on his neck, his ears, warming. And it wasn't from the effort. He didn't know what to expect, in the walker's stomach, but if it even remotely resembled anything either girl was wearing…
Tossing bits and pieces of the walker aside, he took some sadistic glee in tearing apart something that could have torn apart his girl. When he reached the stomach, he held it in both hands, dropping it onto the ground before Rick, "Gut sack."
Grimacing, Rick sliced it open, two sets of eyes focused on him. It didn't take long to root through the small balloon.
With some relief, Daryl lifted the skull of a groundhog with his knife, examining it and muttering, "Ugly bastard had himself a woodchuck for lunch."
With that, Danny promptly tossed his cookies yet again.
Daryl shook his head, the sight disgusting him. He worked better alone.
Rick stood tall, yanking his gloves off and tucking them in his belt. Staring dejectedly at the corpse, he shook his head, resolution in his tone as he stated, "We'll keep looking. Until the sun goes down."
"What if we don't find them tonight?" Danny queried breathlessly, hoarsely, as he sat himself back on his ass.
Daryl was in his face in an instant, ignoring the bile and grabbing his collar. The boy looked terrified, and rightly so; the intensity in Daryl's gaze was unbelievable. It was hard to believe that Cat was so in love with him, but those feelings, it seemed, were mutual.
"Say that again and I'll kick your ass," he avowed, lip curling in frustration.
Rick caught his shoulder, dragging the hunter back and putting some distance between him and Cat's young friend, "If we don't find them tonight, we start again tomorrow." A quick glance at Daryl – the hunter, lips pursed in a thin, almost invisible line only nodded – and he straightened himself out, "We just keep looking. We find a walker, we check its stomach. We keep going. We'll find them both."
Tucking his knife into its holster, Daryl rolled his shoulders, retrieving his bow and continuing on the hunt. Jaw set in determination, he silently assured himself that he'd find Kit. He'd find her before it got dark.
Her and Sophia.
~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~
"Dear Lord, please let Sophia have gotten back to camp," I breathed, rubbing my nose to get some heat back to it. It was like ice beneath my fingers; it was still summer, but Lord knew it wasn't always warm at night, especially in the dark. "Let her be there. Not bitten. Don't let her be bitten. Let her be back with Carol, with the others. I'll be alright here, just… don't hurt her. She's just a baby."
Silence echoed around me, no voice responding to my call. That's okay, it was out there, the request was placed, the hope, the feeling behind it. I'd just have to hope it'd be answered.
One of the walkers below growled, a low, scratchy sound that grated on my already spiked nerves. I was going to go nuts, sitting up there by myself, just waiting for the walkers to realize that they could probably climb, even if it was overtop one another, and pull me from the branches.
The night was black, pitch black; I couldn't see a thing around me. Critters moved about in the tree, probably an owl or squirrel or something. But I tried my best not to be startled, to stand my ground if something came swooping at my face. I wouldn't be pushed to the ground, to be eaten alive, by some stupid, little chipmunk.
Peering down, I was able to count the walkers now. Seven of them. Even if I had enough rounds in my gun, the sound would only draw more. The others probably weren't close – they probably weren't out looking, not in the dark – enough to come to my rescue, to staunch the flow of endless walkers from surrounding my tree.
If there were enough of them, would they be able to knock it over?
"Lord, just… uh, just real quick," I muttered, eyes drifting up, catching a few of the stars through the canopy overhead, "could You keep the tree from… not falling down? I'd appreciate it. A lot."
Burrowing into myself, goose bumps cropping up along my skin, I nestled against the tree trunk, hoping to keep a little warmth to myself. Man, if I died of exposure, I'd be so pissed. Made it through months and months of walkers only to be taken down by the cold? That would suck so bad…
Each time the tree swayed – I was a good fifteen feet up and the branches weren't quite as steady as I would have liked them to be – I clung to the branch, a mini heart attack striking me. I didn't think I could survive a drop like that, especially into the small hoard at the base of the tree.
Too exhausted to fight it, I found myself drifting off tentatively to the hoots of owls and the growls of the walkers below.
!~!~!~!~!~!~!
Ta da! Back and better than ever, just like the show! Please read and review, I love it when you guys do! I can't update without responses lol ;D What did you think of tonight's episode? Crazy? Intense? Awesome?
Also, please check out my books on Amazon. They're like this but not lol!
Leyshla Gisel: Yes! No they can't; it's horrible! Haha yeah he's sexy, but he got ca-razy lol! Haha thanks, so glad you liked it!
Nelle07: yes!
Zeppelin: I know, after I wrote it I regretted it but didn't feel like changing it lol. She's stupid sometimes haha.
Dalonega Noquisi: Aw thanks! I loved that part personally :D Yeah, how could he do that? That's Daryl's special name. I got another name in store for her from him; it'll be cute!
Sdwafford; Thanks! I know, it was quite quick lol! Haha yeah, Shane deserved it!
Cocoa85715: Hmm, I don't remember if I did or not. So just for you, I put a bit in here. I'll add more later; I honestly can't remember through all these chapters lol. Thank you! I really appreciate hearing that; it's hard to write someone into a show, but I can't see her doing everything right every time. She tries her best and sometimes it blows up in her face.
JTellersOldLady: Thank ya! Lots of people seemed to like that part, myself included :D
xXx Tinkies xXx: haha yes! He needed to be punched. I was rewatching the episodes, Shane gets sooo crazy near the end. Ridiculous.
LovelySpecter: Thanks! Wow, I'm so glad you think so! I know, reading some of my old stuff, I'm like ewwww did I write that haha. But I'm really glad you think it's getting better. I do try! Yeah, this one was crazy! I liked this chapter personally haha
ErikaLynne: Haha well thank you! Glad you liked it and sorry if it took you away from more important things; that happens to me sometimes when I read, I get so distracted by it!
DeviantDames: Thanks so much for the PM! I got nervous at first; when they're long and not reviews, I tend to think they're gonna be flames haha. I can't believe you read it all in a day! I'm glad you like Daryl; he's kinda hard to write, but then again not. I get worried he's OOC sometimes, but he is a sweetie in the show, especially in the second season. I'm glad you think they work well together; so do I! also, so glad your friend pointed you in this direction!