"You sure this is the spot?" Daryl asked Rick, looking under a fallen tree in the creek bed Rick's lead us to.
"I left her right here." Rick stated.
"I drew the walkers way off in that direction up the creek." he motioned, before bracing his hands on his knees.
"Without a paddle— seems where we've landed." the water lapped at the back of my legs as Daryl moved behind me, looking off into the forest.
How did this happen? How did we let this happen? Why did you run for the forest, Sophia?
6 people less than 50 feet from her, she was right smack in the middle of the majority of the group and she still gets chased into the forest.
It took us longer to get out here than expected. She could be getting farther and farther away every second we waste.
The water swished around my calves as I moved, keeping a sharp look out of the other side of the creek, so Daryl and Rick can focus on tracking.
I chewed on my lip, tightening and loosening my grip on my knives as I scanned the treeline; every small movement I caught having two separate reactions. One, hope that it's Sophia. The other, dread that it's a walker.
Shane and Glenn are up on the bank, keeping watch from the way we came.
It's almost unsettling how quiet it is out here after what's happened in the last hour alone. Even more so with how dangerous these woods are. I wouldn't have expected them to be so infested with walkers but the numbers are dwindling every minute. Like they're deserting the area.
If only that were true. Although any place where not even walker's would stick around, I'm not sure I'd like to be at the center of.
"She was gone by the time I got back here." Rick's boots swished the water around and splashed the back of my legs as he came up next to me.
"I figured she just took off and ran back to the group. I told her, go that way. And keep the sun on her left shoulder." I glanced over my shoulder to see where he was pointing; almost directly at Glenn.
I took a couple steps back towards them as Daryl went over to the bank.
"Hey, short round, why don't you step off to one side? You're muckin' up the trail"
"Assumin' she knows her left from her right." Shane chimed in.
"Shane, she understood me fine." Rick went on the defensive.
I stepped back again and put my hand on Rick's shoulder.
I know you feel this is your fault, Rick, but fighting won't help us find her. She doesn't need that right now, she needs us to work together.
"Kid's tired and scared, man. She had her a close call with two walkers. Gotta wonder how much of what ya said, stuck."
"Got clear prints right here. She did like you said, headed back to the highway." Daryl spoke up before this could turn into a full blown argument.
"Let's spread out, make our way back." Daryl reached up, taking Shane's outstretched hand.
"She couldn't have gotten far." Shane helped him up out of the creek.
My boots splashed in the water as I went over and Daryl held out his hand for me, helping me up the 4 foot muddy ledge before he took point.
"Hey, we gonna find her. She'll be tuckered out, hidin' in a bush somewhere." Shane helped Rick behind me as we started moving again.
I kept a lookout for walkers with Glenn just behind Daryl so he could focus on tracking, while Shane and Rick watched our 6.
It feels a little strange, watching the front and them watching the back. It's like our roles have reversed.
How is it though, that between every one of us, Daryl is the only one who can actually track? How is that possible?
This is Georgia for cripes sake. We have a total of 1 person who has this skill?
Daryl crouched in front of me, leaning on his crossbow.
"She was doin' just fine till right here. All she had to do was keep goin'" he looked up, following some invisible line the rest of us can't see. At least, I hope I'm not the only one who can't see it.
"She veered off that way" he pointed into the trees.
"Why would she do that?" I glanced over my shoulder at Glenn.
I love you Glenn, but sometimes you can be pretty thick.
"Maybe she saw something, spooked her, made her run off." Shane suggested, crouching next to Daryl.
"Walker?" Glenn asked, gripping his/Shane's shotgun a little tighter and moving half a step closer to Rick.
"I don' see any other footprints. Just hers" Daryl shook his head, not taking his eyes off the dirt.
I looked around, doing a sweep of the woods around us again. I don't know whether or not I should be relieved or worried that we haven't seen any walkers since we left the highway, but it's becoming a nauseating mix of both in my gut.
"So what do we do? All of us press on?" Shane looked to Rick.
"No, better if you, Glenn, and Eve get back up to the highway. People are gonna start panicking."
Shane stood up, giving Rick his full attention.
"Let them know we're on her trail doing everything we can. But most of all, keep everybody calm." Rick emphasized with his hand.
"I'll keep 'em busy scavenging cars. Think up a few other chores. I'll keep 'em occupied." Shane reassured, before looking at me and Glenn and mumbling "Come on"
I looked down at Daryl as Glenn moved past us, and gave him a 'be careful' look. Last thing we need is our only tracker doing something stupid. We can't afford to lose Sophia, Daryl, and Rick all in the same day. Let alone hours apart.
Daryl nodded as he stood up, giving me almost an identical look before I started after Glenn and Shane, and we split up. Him and Rick through the trees after the trail, and me & the other two back to the highway.
As soon as we got back, Shane started giving out chores.
Carol was stood at the guard rail and didn't look too thrilled when we came back but Shane was quick to tell her, almost word for word what Rick told him to say.
She looked a little less anxious after hearing Daryl and Rick were still out there, and I don't blame her. If anyone can find Sophia and bring her back safely, it's those two.
Shane recruited Andrea, T, and Glenn to help move cars off the road; clearing enough space so the RV will be able to flip a Uey.
I opted for continuing the search through cars with Lori. I can't handle any task right now that'll let my mind wander. I'll end up in places I shouldn't, and can't afford to be in.
I pulled myself up into the bed of a truck not too far from where Daryl's motorcycle is parked, and started digging through the stuff in the back.
Lori chose a car right behind it, and after glancing at her, I don't think it's for resource purposes.
"Carl"
The boy turned at his mother's voice, halting in his attempt to wander to a car on the other side of the one she was about to raid.
"I want you to stay where I or Eve can see you, okay? I don't want you leaving either of our sides."
I can't blame her for wanting to stick close after the day we've had. In all honesty, it's wise for Carl to be glued to someone's hip for awhile.
"Yes, mom."
Well this truck's a dud. There's nothing but a couple of melted sticks of gum, torn garbage bags, and twigs.
I jumped out of the bed and moved on to the next car, staying close to Lori. Carl stuck closer to me, seeing as how I was going farther out than he was being "allowed" to.
However it doesn't take a psychologist to see how nervous Lori got when I went just a little too far, so I opted for a closer car instead of the truck I'd been tracking towards.
I ruffled Carl's hair as I walked past him, making him swat at my hands but it's the first time I've seen him smile since the walker power-walk marathon that blew through here earlier.
Just as I got the door open, Lori came up to the bumper.
"Eve, Carl, could you come help me with these?"
I nodded and closed the door, following Carl and his mother back to a hood where she'd piled supplies into crates.
Son of the Riddler, where did she find all this? There must be 6 crates here.
Am I just bad at picking cars?
Lori stacked a crate on top of another and handed them to me carefully. They aren't heavy but heavier than I thought they'd be. I waited until Carl and she both had their hands full too before weaving between cars, heading back towards the RV.
When we got back, I set the crates down in the large space the other's have managed to clear; just opposite of where Dale's working on the RV engine.
I watched as Andrea and Shane used the Cherokee to move a red sudan off the road, into the ditch between the highways. It hit another car's bumper with a loud grating of metal, triggering my instinct look around and make sure it wasn't heard by anything.
I'm not liking this location so much. It's too exposed, we've already been attacked here once. As far as I'm concerned it's proved how dangerous it is to be here, more than enough.
I don't fancy the idea of being here any longer than we need to.
"Why aren't we all out there looking? Why are we moving cars?" I looked over at Carol, next to the RV.
When did she leave the guard rail?
"We have to clear enough room so I can get the RV turned around as soon as it's running." Dale answered. "Now that we have fuel, we can doubleback to a bypass that Glenn flagged on the map."
"Going back's gonna be easier than trynna get through this mess." Shane came up, tossing his shotgun into his other hand and spinning it till the barrel tapped the back of his elbow.
He really likes to do that. I've never seen him hold that shotgun without doing that. Not once.
"We're not going anywhere till my daughter gets back." Carol stepped forward.
"Hey, that goes without saying." Couldn't have said it better myself, Lori.
"Look, Rick and Daryl, they're on it, okay? Just a matter of time." Sometimes I forget Shane was a cop, but just now, it really showed.
Glenn came and stood next to me and Andrea tossed him a water bottle as she came up behind Carol.
"Can't be soon enough for me. I'm still freaked out from that herd that passed us by, or whatever you'd call it." she unscrewed her bottle and took a drink.
I watched Carol walk back to the guardrail to continue staring at the treeline.
"Yeah, what was that? All of them just marching along like that." Glenn glanced at me as if I'd have the answer.
"Herd. That sounds about right." Shane zoned out on the asphalt for a moment.
"Oh we've seen it. It's like the night camp got attacked. Just a wandering pack only fewer."
I glanced at Andrea who shifted with her gaze trained on the ground. I gave Shane a look and he glanced over, realizing what he'd said.
"Okay" he let a stiff exhale slip. Shane cleared his throat, "Come on, people. We still got a lot to do. Let's stay on it. Let's go, come on." he started moving and just like that all the busy bees went back to work.