After Shane and Daryl had torn the bottom off the leg of my jeans we had set off away from the CDC. Daryl back in Merles jeep, scrambler on the back and Shane and I in his vehicle.
"You scared us, Nic." Shane sighed as we followed the caravan along the deserted roads.
"Scared myself." I smiled slightly to him as I rolled my foot, testing out the pain in my ankle. It niggled a little bit but it didn't seem to be too sore.
"I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to any of you. You, Carl, your Mom, Rick."
I froze slightly at Shane's words, resentment bubbling in my blood again.
"Did you really think Dad was dead?" My voice was quiet as I focused on the dash in front of me. I felt Shane's gaze on my face as he considered my words.
"There was no doubt in my head that he was gone, I swear it." Swallowing thickly I looked over to him to see his jaw clenched, his grip tight on the wheel. I reached my hand over to his and took it gently.
I had grown up with Shane around me, there was no way I could hate him but that didn't mean I had to like some of the choices he made. Shane had babysat Carl and I, he had been at our house every Christmas, never missed a birthday.
We came to a stop on the side of a secluded road. Trees were scattered on the edge of a forest, the perfect place to park the cars up as we refueled and sorted everything out.
"I'm okay." I laughed slightly as my family and Glenn rushed over to me when out vehicle came to a stop. Mom hugged me tight before dropped to exam my ankle. "It's not that sore, I don't think there's as much damage done as we thought."
"We'll bandage it up with some clothes to give it some support." Dad muttered, mostly to himself. After I had insisted they use the sleeves of my own shirt so as not to waste any clothes on anyone my ankle was soon bandaged up.
I put my now sleeveless check shirt back on over my white vest top and hobbled my way over to the car Mom Dad and Carl were sharing with Carol and Sophia.
After I had called shotgun and we all filed into the vehicle it was time to move on once more.
"I was just thinking about the trip we took to the Grand Canyon with the kids." Mum said, laughter in her voice.
"What a disaster." I smiled, remembering the family trip.
"I don't remember that." Carl spoke up from the back seat.
"No you wouldn't you were just a baby."
"You got sick all over the place." I laughed, Dad had been stressed out and Mom had been disappointed that we had to turn around.
"I never knew a baby could throw up so much." Dad chuckled.
"Can we go see it?" Carl asked, causing the smile to slip from my face. "I'd like to see the Grand Canyon."
"I would too." Sophie spoke up thoughtfully.
"We'd never go without you and your Mom." Dad reassured her, smiling slightly.
After a while I noticed the caravan in front beginning to slow down. My mouth opened slightly as I realized I was looking at what could only be described as a graveyard of vehicles.
We were on the highway which was littered with abandoned cars, the caravan was now weaving through them as best as it could, Daryl was ahead of us on his bike, doing a better job of making it through than we were.
I watched in horror as cars were overturned, doors left open, some even looked as though they were crushed in some way. It was haunting to look at.
We finally came to a stop after the caravan gave out, steam coming from the front grille.
"There's a whole bunch of stuff we could find here." Daryl muttered as he searched through the contents of a nearby trunk.
After we had decided we'd try and siphon fuel from the cars we all began to spread out.
"Nikki, take your gun." I heard Dad calling, I turned and caught the rifle he had thrown to me. "I don't want you wondering around here unarmed, and stick close to your brother too."
After a few minutes of walking shouts of delight from Shane made me turn towards him. He had the side shutter of a truck open, gallons of water bottles were stocked in the side.
I smiled to myself before making my way over, opening another bottle and sticking my head under the flow of fresh water.
"Almost feels better than the shower at the CDC." I laughed along with Shane.
"Shane, Nikki, under the cars." Dads whisper shout made my heart begin to race as I turned to see the panic in his eyes.
"Shane, get Glenn." I whispered as he shoved me to the ground. Glenn was nearby looking for a hose for the caravan. I watched as Shane shoved Glenn to the pavement before I rolled under the water truck, hopefully out of sight.
Panic flooded me and I almost feared that the sound of my heart beating was loud enough for the walkers to hear.
Their feet shuffled past the truck I was hiding under, there was too many to count.
I tried my best to hold my breath as they filed past, groaning as they went. My heart was beating hard against my chest as I clutched to the rifle in my hands with all I had.
After what seemed like an hour but was probably only a few minutes it looked like they had moved on. No more feet passed my truck, I rolled over onto my stomach to see Shane and Glenn under a nearby van.
They both nodded to me as I let out a breath, no one was daring to move or speak.
Once I saw Shane and Glenn rolling out from underneath their vehicle I decided it had to be safe to move. As carefully as I could I crawled back out onto the open road. Standing up and brushing myself off I wiped the sweat off my forehead as I straightened up.
Suddenly, Carol's cries made us all turn in the direction we had previously come in. I saw Dad jump over the side railing and disappear down the drop beyond it.
My heart began to pick up speed again as I rushed over to where he had disappeared. As I neared the barrier arms circled around me, Shane was pulling me back from the edge, struggling as I fought against him.
"We can't let him go off alone!" I whisper shouted back to Shane, still aware that there could be more walkers around.
"He's gone after Sophia we wouldn't be able to follow him now." Mom spoke up, hugging me to her.
"Daryl can," I whipped around to find the archer stood behind the rest of us. "You can track Daryl we can follow him out."
Daryl shifted uncomfortably as he seemed to be considering my idea.
"No it's madness, you don't know how many walkers are in those woods, you could get killed in the process." Dale tried to reason. I shrugged out of my Moms grip as frustration coursed through me. How come no one else could understand that we can't leave Dad out there by himself?
"If he comes back before you and Daryl track him down then you would have risked your lives for nothing." Mom spoke gently.
"Or we could go out there and save him." My teeth gritted as I walked around in a circle, not knowing what to do.
After what seemed like hours of waiting Dad had finally emerged from the woods. Relief washed over me but sadness was quick to replace it as I realized he was alone.
He explained to us quickly that he had found Sophia and told her to hide while he led the walkers away from her but when he returned she was nowhere to be seen.
"We'll go out after her." He reassuered Carol as she began to sob.
"Yeah, we'll get her back, Carol." I nodded.
"You're not coming." Dad turned towards me, his voice stern.
"I wasn't asking." I glared back to him, my gaze determined. I checked the ammo in my rifle before starting off after Glenn and Daryl towards the fence. I heard Dad sigh from behind me before following us out.
"There's clear prints right here." Daryl muttered almost to himself before turning to Dad. "She did what you said and headed back to the highway."
We followed Daryl carefully through the bush, creeping along and checking around us as we went. Dad had made me stay between him and Shane in the line, stubbornness set in but I decided not to argue with him seeing as I had made it this far into the woods with them.
"She was doing just fine until she got to here." Daryl spoke up, looking to tracks the rest of us couldn't see. "All she had to do was keep going straight but then she veered off this way."
"Why would she do that?" Glenn asked the group at large.
"Maybe she saw something," Shane was the one to answer. "Spooked her."
"Best thing to do is for you, Nikki and Glenn to head back to the highway and let everyone know we're on her trail." Dad spoke to Shane quietly.
"I'm not leaving you." I rolled my eyes. "What's the point of arguing about this every time when you know I'm not going to give in?"
I watched Dads jaw jump as he stared me down, considering what I had said.
"Fine, but you stay between Daryl and me." He warned, pointing to me.
After Glenn and Shane had left to go back to the highway we began following Sophia's trail through the woods again. Dad shoving me in front of him.
After a while of stepping carefully through the bush we came to a halt as Daryl shoved an arm out in front of us to stop us in our tracks. He turned to us, finger on his lips before pointing in the direction of the walker he had spotted limping around close by.
I watched as he raised his arrow, a second later an arrow had entered the walker's skull.
We rushed towards the walker, stepping as lightly as we could. Dad began to examine the now lifeless body, turning it over onto its back.
"It fed recently." He muttered. "There's flesh caught in its teeth."
I felt my stomach somersault before shaking my head. I refused to throw up right now.
My eyes widened in horror as Dad pulled out his knife, ripping open the walkers shirt. "Here, I'll do it." Daryl muttered stepping over the body. "How many kills have you skinned and gutted in your life, anyway?"
I watched as Daryl's knife cut through the walker's flesh as though it were butter. The smell making me crinkle my nose as he pulled the intestines out of his way.
Bile rose in my stomach as I swallowed thickly, determined not to throw up.
"Had a big meal not long ago," Daryl muttered, his hands now deep in the walkers gut. "I can feel it in there."
Daryl had cut open the stomach and was now examining what looked like a bone he had pulled from it.
"Had a woodchuck for lunch." He informed us, squinting at the marred bone.
"Good news." I nodded, looking away from the sight before me.
"Yeah, it is." Dad muttered, before turning towards me. "Feeling okay, Nic?"
I nodded before turning away from the gutted Walker.
When it began to get dark we decided to make our way back to the highway. Shoulders slumped at the thought of telling Carol that her little girl would have to spend the night in the woods.
