Chapter 37: Quick and Painless, like a Bandaid...Yeah... Right.
(DarylPOV)
"Samara! Sophia!" I shouted once again while I was fallowing Sam's tracks. Sophia's were all but gone now and I wondered just how far in the woods they both were.
It was almost dark out now and I wished I grabbed Merle's flash light from the back before I left.
She'd been out here by herself for about an hour now...which meant I probably wouldn't catch up to her for a while, unless she was heading back towards me.
(SPOV)
I was just standing there trying to decide if I should keep going or turn back now, I found something pretty important and I wasn't sure if I should let everyone know about it.
It would probably not end well at all...but there was a chance it could lead to Sophia alive, it was a snowballs chance in hell...but it was a possibility at least.
I took a deep breath and decided I would follow the trail myself tomorrow, let the others look in another direction. If I found her alive everything would be fine...
But if I found her...and she was...if she's been bit or has turned already, it would be better if I was alone. Everyone else knew the little girl more than I did.
I just started walking back when I heard Daryl yelling for me and Sophia. I forgot Rick said he would be sending the brothers after me in an hour.
It didn't take very long for me to get to him; he was fallowing my tracks towards me.
"ya gotta quit with the shoutin Dixon, honestly, I thought u said you were a hunter" I came out between two bushes and laughed when I realized I scared him, coming face to face with the end of his crossbow and his widened blue eyes in the semi-darkness of the woods.
"God damn it Girl, where the hell have ya been?" he sounded slightly angry and I knew it was just cause I scared him.
"Didn't find anythin, decided to pick up the trail in the mornin...what did Rick say to the group?" I didn't really answer his question and I wondered if he would be able to tell I was lying.
"Told em we'd all come out tomorrow...honestly I think me, you and Merle can get the job done faster if the three a us jus look for the girl ourselves. We're the only ones who actually have a chance of findin her if she's still in here" he was looking around while he talked, his voice now quieter since I mentioned his shoutin.
"Well it'll give them somethin to do other then standing up there worryin. We'll let them look around the river...tell them she'd be around there cause it's her only land mark. Last I seen her tracks veered off away from it though" he looked at me at that last point and I inwardly cringed.
"It would be better if none of them found her...if she is out there, we don't know what kinda shape she could be in. she could be fine...but we don't know that for sure. It would be easier if I found her, I don't know her as much" I added and a kept my voice as even and emotionless as I possibly could.
This was still a little girl I was talking about, I may not have known her really...but she was still just an innocent girl.
Lost in a world she's totally unprepared to take on by herself.
I was slightly ashamed I was ready for this world...how easy I can accept that maybe this little girl might be out there right now dead or dying...but with everything in me I was hoping she wasn't, I knew what it meant to this group to find her alive and well.
"Let's jus get back now" Daryl didn't address what I said, but I knew it scared him how I could say that without even batting an eye.
"Merle you didn't have to come with me, you could've taken another route, and we could cover more ground" I said walking a head of the older man.
"Now ya ain't gonna wonder around these woods by yerself Girly, who'd be here ta pick you up when u fall n hit yer head?" he chuckled at the last part and I turned my head to shoot him a glare.
"And 'sides my baby Bro's got the rest of that group tailin him, it'll ease his worryin if we're together anyhow. I'm positive if Officer Friendly hadn't asked Daryl himself to lead their way he'd be walkin right in front of you sweet cheeks" he laughed again and I was getting slightly annoyed at how much he was enjoying this.
The rest of the group besides T-Dog, Dale, and the new girl, were in deed fallowing the youngest Dixon around. Daryl actually only agreed to it because I asked him to take them away from the trail I had found last night...not because Rick asked him.
"I'm not a baby, I can look after myself!" I glared at him again.
I knew that every word he spoke was true though, if Daryl could've chosen he would've came with us instead. He was loyal to everyone in the group sure...but I couldn't deny that his main loyalty was always gonna be with Merle and I.
"And F.Y.I. it's been weeks since I last hit my head on anythin! You jackass" I mumbled the last part as I kept walking towards where I saw the heartbreaking hand print on the tree yesterday.
I heard him clear his throat and snicker lightly, and I jus shook my head and ignored him and was glad he let us walk in silence for a while.
"Can ya believe it's been what...like 4-5 weeks since ya saved my sorry ass out on that roof?" Merles voice was oddly quiet and it made me stop to look back at him.
"Yea...ya alright ther big guy?" I asked slowly, he hadn't looked at me yet...he was lookin around us at the woods.
"I ain't never thanked ya Girly...for that. I don't even wanna think bout what woulda happened to me, would've prolly cut my own damn hand off to get away from those geeks. I wouldn't be here with my brother right now that's for sure." When he looked at me as he spoke I was shocked by the emotion in his eyes.
"I jus wanted ya to know that, Samara" I frowned when he called me by my name.
He sounded so serious and it was somethin I wasn't used to, it sounded like he was trying to say goodbye almost.
"Cut that shit out Merle, you know there's no need in a thank you...it's what we do for each other. Now come on, we're gettin close to where I left off last night" I didn't wanna hear anymore that he had to say.
I wouldn't ever let him leave, and that was final.
He and Daryl were my family now, the whole group was starting to become my family too...but those two brothers were in my heart now. I wouldn't let either of them go and I'd never let them die as long as I could stop it.
"Okay, I wanna be straight with ya here Merle...I made Daryl take the others on a wild goose chase, told him to keep em goin around in the other direction, because I found somethin...somethin that I'm not too sure on yet." I explained while we got up to the tree with the dried fading hand print in blood.
"This why u wanted to come alone?" he asked lookin at the print then to the ground around the tree, just like I had when I first saw it too.
"If she's hurt then I didn't want them to find her, I can bring her back and fix her up...but if she's bit...or turned already...it won't do any good on them findin her like that. Jus hurt em more." I said once again...and I hoped it would be the last time I had to explain that to anyone now.
"A'right, well whats the plan now?" he whirled his machete around once and looked at me.
"Fallow her trail, I stopped here last night cause it got to dark for me to see anythin else. But I can see she went off that way..." as I spoke I started walkin towards where I could see her little tracks left and a print here and there on a tree.
There was some blood drippings among some leaves every once and a while and the feeling in the pit of my stomach got worse.
It seemed she kind of had a sense of direction almost cause her tracks started to veer slowly back around in the direction we started in.
"Girl might actually be where ya sent the others... it looks like that plan May a' back fired on ya huh?" Merle seemed to try joke about it but I wasn't in a laughing mood, and neither was he, so it didn't really work.
"...or she could be in there..." I stopped walking so suddenly after I went through a big bush that Merle ran into me.
There was a tiny shack nestled into the side of a small hill, my heart was beating so loud in my ears as I looked at the little trail of blood along with the tiny tracks on the ground.
Just as I took a step a shot rang out from in the distance and I instantly turned to Merle, as I looked at him wide eyed I knew he could see I was scared.
"Daryl" I breathed and if he hadn't been as close to me as he was I knew he wouldn't have heard it.
"No, he's fine...musta been one of the others...killin a walker" he said and even I could tell he didn't believe his words.
"They wouldn't risk a shot for just one, how come there was just one shot" I was worried now, for the others and for Daryl mostly.
"Let's jus get the Girl and head back, see whats goin on." Merle spoke and his words knocked me back into the situation we were actually standing in.
If she was in there... Who was I kidding...of course she's in there.
I looked at the door to the little shack for a while, it felt like forever but it was only a second or two before I started walking towards it. Making my feet as light as I could so I wouldn't alarm the little girl on the other side of the door.
"I gotta do this alone Merle...you stand guard out here, make sure nothin comes to eat us" I whispered to him behind me and I didn't wait for his response before I moved to open the door.
The old rusted hinges squeaked as I pushed the door open slowly, my eyes darting around the practically empty room before I looked back at Merle quickly who was posed a few feet away with his back to me.
I went forward into the room noting the smell of blood that wafted through the air and keeping my eye out for the small girl.
"Sophia" I spoke softly, the only furniture in the room was an old table n some chairs, a cot in the corner and an old wood stove.
I heard a small shuffle behind a small closed door; I guessed it was a pantry of some sort.
"Sophia, its Sam...I'm here to bring you back to your mom" I said a bit louder, I took Daryl's hunting knife out of my belt just to be safe before I went over to the door.
I looked around the room one more time, noticing the little trail of blood stopped at the table...she must have grabbed the table cloth to wipe herself off.
I reached out and yanked the door open; I was tired of taking things so slowly...this needed to be over with. I needed to know if she was fine or not.
...And there she was...huddled at the bottom of the closet, her big hazel eyes looking out at me. Her breathing was ragged, I could see that she was sweating, and I could tell how scared she was that she was found.
I would've rushed towards her to pull her out...if it had not been for the old white table cloth she held to her neck, half of the thing not even white anymore...it was soaked red, and I couldn't stop the gasp that came out of my mouth and the tears that started welling up in my eyes.
"Don't tell mommy"
okay I am the biggest jerk ever for not posting anything for almost two weeks again -.-
I am also terribly sorry...i'll post the next chapter by saturday or sunday depending on how fast i can write it...I Swear I WILL!
i'm not too sure on this chapter... ^^^^ i did almost cry writting the end of it...so i hope u guys like it...
Also i wanted to mention the time...im not too sure how much space there actually was between season 1 and 2 in the show...so i jus said 4-5 anyways :P