CHAPTER TEN:
LOST AND FOUND!
"She's been out a while, maybe we should wake her up. What if she's hurt?" Glen's voice broke through the black fog of Alex's mind.
"Just let her sleep," said Rick's voice. "She'll wake up when she's ready."
"If she doesn't wake up?" Lori whispered.
"She will," came T-Dog's deep rumble. "She's needed this rest. Just leave her alone…"
"I'm awake," Alex said, her voice coming out in a gravelly rasp. She blinked her eyes clear and found herself lying in the backseat of her truck, the group huddled around her.
I told you," T said, a grin splitting his face.
Alex pushed herself into a sitting position and rubbed her head.
"How long have I been out?' she asked, grimacing at the dryness of her mouth.
"About 36 hours," Rick answered. He turned and gestured to someone to come over.
"Did all of us make it?" She waved the crowd back and slid out of the vehicle, her feet hitting the blacktop of a highway. She looked around, wondering where they were. "Do we have a new plan?"
"Jacque's gone," said T-Dog quietly. "She decided to stay."
"Fort Benning," said Shane dryly. "We're going with my plan this time."
"We should get going," said Rick, shutting the back door to Carol's hatchback. He handed Alex and Shane small handheld radios. "Daryl, will you ride up ahead and keep us updated on any roadblocks or hazards?"
"I can do that," Daryl said, slinging a leg over Merle's motorcycle. He met Alex's eye and she nodded, climbing into the passenger seat of her truck.
Jake hopped in the back, waving to Carl and Sophia. After a few minutes, T-Dog hopped in the driver's seat and Glen joined Jake in the back.
"Have a good nap?" said Glen, grinning at Alex through the rearview.
Alex snorted. "It's just what I needed."
T laughed and pulled onto the road behind Daryl. He looked out at the woods, sighing. "You know, before all this, I'd never gone camping. I don't even think I knew we had woods anywhere nearby."
"I did when I was twelve," said Glen. "My dad went on this rustic kick. He got pissed the first night because the fire kept going out." The group laughed. "That put an end to that."
"I may as well have lived in the woods as a kid," said Alex. "I didn't like being home much, so I invested in a quality tent as soon as I could." She grinned. "I had so much trouble setting it up the first few times."
"My dad took me hunting one year." Jake's voice was quiet, and the truck went silent as everyone looked at him. "We caught a rabbit. I let it go, and he got really mad." He lay his head against the window. "That was the last time I saw him."
"Dads, huh?" T-Dog snorted. "I met my dad twice."
Alex lay her head back but said nothing.
"I loved my dad," said Glen. He ruffled Jake's hair. "But he was a real hard ass."
T-Dog braked suddenly, jolting everyone from their memories. Alex glanced out the windshield to see Daryl pulling back around. She leaned around T as he rolled down the window.
"A lot of cars up ahead," said Daryl. He nodded back at Dale's RV. "Could be a tight fit."
See a way through?" came Dale's voice from behind.
Daryl nodded and cocked his head. He locked eyes with Alex for a second, then he returned to the road. "Stay close," he called back.
T rolled up the window and crept forward into a maze of parked cars, carefully switching lanes between them.
"If we come to a blockage, we'll be sitting ducks," said Glen, watching and clinging to T's headrest.
Alex looked back to see Dale make a close lane change, just narrowly avoiding the other car. She released a breath.
"Come in, Alex." The small, handheld radio on the dash squawked. She grabbed it, pushing the button.
"Go ahead, Shane."
"The RV's getting pretty hot, we might have to-Shit!"
As one, the group twisted in their seats to see smoke coming from the RV's hood. T pulled over, flashing the high beams. Then, they climbed out of the truck. Daryl pulled up beside the truck and switched off the engine.
"I said it. Didn't I say it?" Dale stomped around toward the front of the vehicle. "A thousand times. Dead in the water."
"Problem, Dale?" asked Rick, leading Lori, Carol, and the kids into the fray.
"Just a matter of being stuck in the middle of nowhere with no hope of-"
Alex turned, looking over the nearest car. Its trunk was open, and she rifled through the owner's belongings.
"This is a graveyard," Lori said disapprovingly. "I don't know how I feel about this."
"C'mon, ya'll," said T-Dog. "Look around, gather what you can."
Alex pulled out a bottle of pills, turning them over in her hands. Amoxycillin. Daryl approached, carrying a crowbar.
"How are you feeling?" He used the bar to pries open the gas tank, then crooked his head toward a large van quite a bit away.
She glanced back at Jake, who followed T around, holding an empty gas can while T siphoned the fuel. Daryl took her hand, pressing her fingers to his lips, and she smiled, following him back.
Once out of eyesight, Alex spun to face him, grabbing his collar, and pulling his lips to her own. He obliged, setting the crowbar on the hood of the van and traced his hands up the back of her thighs, lifting her up against the van. She wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled her head back. He met her gaze and smiled. She swooned at this smile, one he showed to no one else.
She cupped his face, stroking his strong jawline. "Daryl," she murmured before pressing her lips against his. He hugged her closer.
"Lori, under the cars," came Rick's voice in a rushed panic. "Carl, Sophia-Jake."
"Alex!" Jake cried.
Alex slipped from Daryl's grasp and raced back out into the street, waving for Jake to hide. He spotted her and dropped into the street, crawling beneath a Buick. Loud groaning and wheezing filled the air as the horde of walkers drew closer.
"Alex," Daryl hissed, dragging her back toward an old Jeep. "Get under here."
She dropped down and shuffled under, gripping Daryl's hand as she stared at the kids. Shuffling feet passed her face, and she covered her mouth, stifling her breaths. Daryl squeezed her hand, stroking the back of it with her thumb.
She took a deep breath and willed Jake to be fine. Then, she spotted movement, her eyes drawn toward a figure behind a car door. T-Dog met her gaze, and he shifted forward to assure her he was fine. However, he slipped, and a jagged sheet of metal ripped open his forearm.
He visibly paled and snatched his arm to his chest. The walkers must have smelled the blood, because they began to shuffle over to where he hid.
"Shit," Alex breathed. She shifted toward the front of the Jeep, ready to crawl out. Daryl's hand tightened on hers, and he shook his head, peeking out at T-Dog, who'd managed to hobble toward a truck, keeping low to the ground. A trail of blood, however, kept the walkers on his tail.
Alex pulled out of Daryl's grip and snagged the crowbar from the ground between them.
"Wait," Daryl hissed as she slid out and slinked around to the back of the Jeep.
Alex looked around. Most of the walkers were following T's blood trail. She slipped around the other way, looking for a clear path. Ahead, two walkers shambled far behind the others. She gripped the crowbar and stepped into range behind them.
She thrust forward, piercing the skull of the first with ease. She pulled her weapon back as it collapsed. The other turned, gnashing its teeth. The stench of rotting meat filled her nostrils, and she scowled, gagging.
It lurched forward and she side-stepped, ramming her crowbar through the side of its head. Finished, she swept her hair back, out of her face and looked up. T slumped onto the ground, clutching at his arm.
Her heart stopped as a walker rounded the corner, much closer to T-Dog than she was. Before she could take so much as a step, a bolt struck the monster from behind. Daryl darted forward, his finger to his lips, and dragged T into the road. Then, he pulled the dead walker over him. Pulling a second over himself, Daryl lay back as a large group stumbled over them.
Alex sighed with relief and drew back against a car. The sounds of shuffling feet lessened, then faded, and Alex swept over the men, shoving the corpse off T-Dog, who looked very green.
"Shit," Alex said, hurriedly ripping off her t-shirt and binding his forearm tightly. "Look at me, can you see me?"
"I see you," T said, his head lolling to the side. "I feel sick. "He swallowed hard. "How bad is it?"
"It's just a scratch," she said, sitting him up. "You're okay. You'll be fine."
"Hell of a scratch," Daryl mumbled, tugging off his belt. He handed it to Alex, who quickly cinched it over his arm. Then, to T-Dog, he said, "What's your blood type?"
But T faded again, going limp in Alex's arms. Then, the sound of a child whimpering reached them. And she and Daryl looked at one another with panic.
"I'll go," said Daryl. "Don't worry."
Alex watched him race off, biting her lip. Then, he shook her head, returning her attention to T's unconscious form.
"I'm fine, Alex," said T, cradling his bandaged arm to his chest. "You're smothering me."
Alex rolled her eyes. "You nearly bled out back there. You should get back to bed." She glanced over to the tailgate where Jake sat, red-eyed, watching the tree line.
"I'm fine."
"Rick's back," Jake called, hopping off the tailgate and running toward the cop as he climbed over the railing of the highway.
"Where's Sophia?" Carol cried.
The man's exhausted face paled. "She's not here?"
"Oh!" Carol wailed and fell to her knees. "My baby's lost in the woods alone-Oh God, Sophia!"
"What happened out there, Rick?" said Shane.
Frowning, Alex wandered toward the group.
Rick's hands trembled slightly, and he nervously glanced at Carol. "I hid her in a dam and led the walkers away. She wasn't there when I came back so I figured she came back."
No one moved except for Carol, who turned her tear-streaked face up to Alex. "Please," she begged. "Help her. She's just a little girl."
Alex ran a hand through her hair and looked up at Daryl. "If we go to where he left her, do you think you can track her?"
His eyes softened as he stared at her, and he nodded. Then, he looked at Rick. "Take us there."
"I want to go, too," Jake called, rushing from T-Dog's side. "I wanna help find Sophia."
Alex shook her head. "We need to keep our party small, so we don't mess up the trail. Stay with T, keep an eye on his wound, okay?" She smiled down at him and stroked his head. Then she nudged him back toward T-Dog.
"We'll find her," Rick said. He nodded to Alex and Daryl and clambered back over the railing.
The moment they tread through the tree line, it grew eerily silent. There were no bird calls. No insects.
"Must be a predator nearby," said Daryl. "Keep your eyes open."
Water reached the middle of her shins as she bent to peer into the thicket. "Sophia?"
"Sure this is the spot?" said Daryl, shouldering his crossbow and looking around for signs of the girl.
"I drew the walkers way off in that direction up the creek." He pointed deeper into the trees.
"Without a paddle," Daryl said with a snort.
"Seems where we've landed," said Shane, standing up on a grassy hill.
"She was gone by the time I got back here." He rubbed his hand over his face, letting out a long breath. "I figured she just took off and ran back to the group. I told her to go that way and keep the sun on her left shoulder."
Alex straightened, striding back toward the bank where Shane and Glen stood.
"Hey!" Daryl yelled at Glen. "Short round, why don't you step off to one side? You're mucking up the trail."
Shane grumbled. "Assuming she knows her left from her right."
"Shane, she understood me fine."
Shane rolled his eyes and sighed. "Kid's tired and scared, man. She had her a close call with two walkers, got to wonder how much of what you said stuck."
Alex touched a footprint on the edge of the bank. "Looks like she did what you said, Rick," she said, pointing to a set of tracks, "and headed back to the highway."
Shane frowned. "Then, lets spread out-make our way back. She couldn't have gone far."