Everyone followed Rick and I through the woods, the bells getting louder and louder.

The sound is echoing, it's difficult to tell which way they're coming from but Rick and I seem to have a good ear for the direction.

"What direction?" Shane asked as we slowed.

"I think that way. I'm pretty sure." Rick pointed the direction we were headed.

"Dang, it's hard to tell out here" Shane hopped on a log, as if the 2 feet of height would give him better hearing.

"If we hear them, maybe Sophia does too" for the first time since Sophia went missing, I can hear hope in Carol's voice.

"Someone's ringing those bells. Maybe calling others." Glenn suggested.

"Or signaling that they found her." Andrea spoke between pants.

I glanced at Rick, pointing ahead and he gave a nod of agreement.

"She could be ringin 'em herself." Rick stated. "Come on"

I picked up to a jog, right behind Rick and as we got closer, the sound got louder and louder until it stopped.

I followed Rick out of the treeline, going around him so I could see. In the center of the large clearing in front of us, a rundown church stood.

It's been a few minutes since we heard the bells but they were close when they stopped.

I don't know about you guys, but if I was Sophia and found this place, that's definitely where I'd go.

"That can't be it, there's no steeple—Rick!" Shane called after the deputy as he took off towards the building.

He didn't get ten steps before the rest of us were chasing him.

Just like old times, Daryl, Glenn, Shane, and I were hot on his heels right up to the red doors.

I pulled my knives as Daryl moved past me, going up the steps with Rick.

Rick glanced at the rest of us, most of the group was behind us at the bottom of the steps looking around.

Rick looked at Daryl, nodded, and simultaneously they pushed the doors open.

There were 3 walkers inside, sitting on the benches and they turned to look as soon as the doors opened but they didn't move.

Rick and Daryl moved just inside the doors, Shane moving between them.

I've never seen walkers not lunge before. It's creepy how they're just sitting there but they weren't for long.

Rick holstered his gun and reached behind him, his wife handing him her machete.

Shane did the same, taking the weapon from the person behind him and followed Rick inside.

Daryl handed his crossbow to Glenn, who almost dropped it, as he traded for Glenn's hooked machete. As soon as it was in his hand, Daryl looked at it in his hand.

Rick moved to the left side, Shane down the middle, and Daryl to the right.

I turned and looked out behind us, trusting all of them can kill a single walker without supervision. So I didn't stick around, instead I walked past everyone else, moving around the side to do a perimeter sweep of the church, checking the outside.

If there were walkers in there, just sitting there, chances are Sophia wasn't here.

I don't think anyone's been here in a long time. Long enough for cannibalistic dead people to go idle.

"Sophia!"

A door swung open in front of me and Rick came this close to a knife in the forehead.

So much for being difficult to sneak up on.

He put his hand up as sort of an apology, and a request to lower my blade. I shook my head, lowering my knife and threw him a look.

Jesus Rick, be more careful. He's lucky it was just me out here.

I watched him go back inside before continuing my sweep.

I moved around the backside of the church, looking out at the woods. They're closer to the church back here but still far enough we shouldn't have to worry too much.

We've been walking all day non-stop, this is a good place to take a 5-10 minute break. Reevaluate our strategy a little cause so far we've found two major things Sophia didn't.

Call it intuition but something tells me we're not going the same way she did.

I reached far back corner, about to move around the side, when the bells went off again, startling me into a run.

I ran around the side, seeing Glenn and Daryl at the end, running towards me but looking up at the roof.

I followed their gaze up to a speaker under the lip of the roof. I stopped right next to them, and watched Glenn pull at a box on the side of the church, dismantling the speaker a second later.

"Timer" Daryl panted, out of breath, turning back to the others who just joined us. "It's on a timer"

I sighed, running my hands through my hair, pulling it away from my face. I can practically taste the disappointment.

Cheesus, can you imagine if we found her here? In a church of all places.

I'm not religious, never have been and probably never will be but that...that just might have swayed me to believe there is a god.

"I'm gonna go back in for a bit." Carol went back inside, along with most of the others, and Andrea came over and sat down against the building.

I leaned against the wall next to her, keeping her company. I don't want her to be alone out here either. Just in case.

"Are you really leaving?" That's Lori's voice.

I looked over, but she wasn't in sight. Granted the corner of the church is blocking most of my view.

"Don't you think it's best for all of us" Shane.

"I think it is. What made you decide?"

"Gotta back away. Just tryin' to be the good guy here Lori, even if you don't see it. None of this was intended. I hope you know that. Don't matter as long as I said it."

Am I hearing this right?

"You're just gonna disappear? You're not even gonna tell Rick" Lori's voice got quieter and I moved around Andrea, closer to the edge to hear better.

I never thought of myself as an eavesdropper before, but this isn't the first time I've been a fly on the wall.

"He'd only try to stop me— that's on you. You tell him what you want, or tell him nothing at all. You're his wife."

"And Carl? We dragged him into this" Lori's voice strained.

"I love Carl"

"He thinks you hate him"

"I'm tryna put some distance. I'm tryna make this easier. This ain't easy on any of us Lori; least of all me. I'm the one who loses you." Shane's voice cracked on the last words.

I waited a few seconds, but all I got was footsteps. Sounds like someone's walking away, not sure who though.

I peeked around the corner, spotting Shane standing there alone. So I was right. Lori must've walked away.

I didn't think their...relations were still having kickback like this, after Rick showed up alive back at camp. I mean, I knew things would get complicated sooner or later, but I didn't expect Shane to run away.

Andrea walked past me, out from the side and as soon as I noticed her I did the opposite. I moved back, pressing into the building so Shane wouldn't see me.

I don't think he sees me, but he definitely sees her.

Andrea went after him, after watching him walk away and I quietly slipped into the church.

Inside, I stood against the back wall next to Daryl. Carl looked over at me while Carol prayed to a statue.

In my experience, asking someone else to fix your problems never works, but I can see why some need to.

I've always done things by myself, never asked for someone to be a savior, least of all from a deity I'm not even sure is there. But if I had been religious before this, I don't think I would still be now. Not after this.

Daryl elbowed me as Rick went outside, and we followed him out just a few seconds before everyone else decided to.

I stopped next to a gravestone near the tree everyone else -aside from Daryl- had gathered under.

I'm tempted to hop up and sit on the stone but even I'm not that disrespectful of the dead.

I mean, I don't think the dead care what the living do. They're dead. Why would they give a damn?

But then again, most of them are still walking around, so...it's probably better to show some respect.

Everyone was gathered up outside now.

Daryl next to me, checking his crossbow. I pulled my pack off my shoulder and set it down on top of the stone. I won't sit on it, even though it looks like a freaking bench, but I don't see any harm in setting my backpack down for a minute.

I dug through it until I pulled my water bottle out. I took a few swallows, watching the light shimmer off the clear liquid while I drank. I've always liked how water looks in light. Sunlight in particular.

It's amazing how bright the rays become with just a little bit of translucent liquid.

When I was finished, I screwed the cap back on and raised it up to look at them for a bit longer.

One second it was just beautiful, the next my nose stung and my entire upper body whipped down as I sneezed.

Daryl jumped next to me, nearly aiming his crossbow at me while I recovered.

I looked at him with a smile, trying not to smile too much, or risk actually getting shot with that thing.

Daryl snorted, shaking his head at me.

I tilted my head back a bit, looking over his shoulder, to see several others looking at me, with smiles, a few openly grinning.

I'm glad you all find my sneeze so amusing, but if this is what it takes to get you lot to smile, we're in serious morale trouble.

Shane & Rick have been talking several feet from the rest of us for a while and chose now, after I made half the group almost pee themselves with an innocent biological reaction to sunlight, to come over to everyone with that group meeting vibe.

I don't know how they do that, but now I know what it's like for the others, talking to me.

I moved with Daryl closer to the group, as Shane and Rick stopped in front of everyone.

"Y'all gotta follow the creek bed back. Okay Daryl, you're in charge. Me and Rick are just gonna hang back. Search this area another hour or so, just to be thorough." Shane announced

"Splittin' us up. You sure?" Daryl shifted.

Oh yeah, this is gonna go well.

"Yeah, we'll catch up to you" Shane confirmed

"I wanna stay too." Carl stepped forward. "I'm her friend."

Rick and Shane looked at each other before Rick looked to Lori for a verdict.

"Just be careful, okay?"

"I will" Lori cupped Carl's cheeks.

"When did you start growing up?" she hugged her son, kissing the top of his head.

Rick came forward and kissed his wife, before holding his gun out to her. "You remember how to use it?"

"I'm not taking your gun and leavin' you unarmed" Lori refused the python

"Here. Got a spare" Daryl came forward with another gun, "Take it"

Where did he get that? That's not one of ours.

I didn't realize I'd followed him forward until Lori took the gun and everyone started moving out, me at the back.

I smiled at Carl and gave a small wave, which he returned before we went our separate ways. Be careful, kid.

We hadn't walked 10 feet before Andrea threw a dirty look at Lori. She's not exactly good at hiding her disdain, is she.

This is gonna be a fun walk. All we need now, is awkward sexual tension, some loathing, an argument between best friends, and a dash of betrayal. Then we can bake a drama cake and crown someone Queen.