AN: So, fast forward, Sophia and Ren are a bit older, and run into Rick and Michonne, takes place in Season 7, episode 12. This is when I will start putting them into the story line. Sorry about the wait!
A few years later…
"You know, I'm eighty six percent sure, that you're just a pain in the ass." A white-cream colored owl screeched loudly in reply, waving its wings, trying to argue.
"I don't think yelling at Jack will help any." A black haired boy frowned, looking up from where he sat, perched on a tree branch, looking over the area below them. There were a lot of zombies on the ground. More or less inactive because they were the only living things that had wandered in lately, and thankfully they were ignored.
"Yelling helps in every situation, especially this one." Sophia argued back, all while smiling. "I wasn't yelling." She lowered her voice a bit, before poking the owl next to her. It snapped at her, not breaking skin.
"Yelling is great against zombies, our best weapon." Ren answered, frowning at the other. "Now, have any great ideas Soph?" There was a zombie at the base of the tree, growling at them. So, taking out his slingshot, he hit it, right through the eye.
"I'm full of great ideas. But, none of them can help in the current situation." Sophia sighed. "We need some sort of distraction, so we have enough time to get past those losers, and put something in the way of the fence. That way, we can go in, and grab what we need." Pausing, the blonde took in their surroundings.
Something awful happened here. There were zombies in fatigues, most carried guns. The place was huge, it had been one of those traveling carnivals before the end of the world. Fences everywhere kept the wandering, decomposing bodies in, as they walked past what remained of a ferris wheel, a giant slide, and a bunch of stands.
"If we wait for nightfall, we could set up a fire, maybe about twenty paces that way. Then, take them out as they're attracted to it." Zombies were attracted to light as well as sound, however, they didn't react as quickly.
"Then, when we have enough room, we can close the fence. Whatever idiot left it open, looks like theres still a lock on it." A pair of binoculars hung around Ren's neck, granted, they weren't in the best of shape, but they worked. "See, plan. You have all the great ideas, I just sit here, and look pretty." Ducking, Ren laughed as he avoided a playful slap from his friend. "Now, it's a waiting game."
**Sophia**
Maybe about an hour later, Ren and Sophia were passing the time by using some odd pad of paper they found awhile back.
"Alright. Soph, give me a noun." Ren was leaning against the trunk of the tree, a purple marker in hand. He grinned looking down at the sentence she was about to fill out, it was hilarious.
"That's the animal and place one, right?" She was a branch above Ren, laying on her stomach on the branch, which was quite the balancing act by the way. But, below, she was naming the dead.
"Yeah. I think you can you can use people's names too." Grinning, he wanted her to say something like Sophia, or Ren for this spot, it would be amazing.
"Go with flower." Stifling a laugh, that was her go to, and Ren hated it.
Their attention was drawn, along with all the zombies, to the main building, where some sort of bang originated.
"Looks like we're not the only ones here." Ren murmured, watching curiously, as a man and a woman appeared from behind the dumpsters. The guy had an axe, and with one swing, took out a walker.
"What are they doing?" He ran for the car, while the remaining ten or so zombies went after the woman. "Think he knows someone is in the windshield?"
"He does now." Ren laughed, as the guy jumped back in surprise. "Oh, they're probably gonna try and put the car in the open space of the fence." Ren put the Mad Libs away, before pulling out his slingshot. Sophia sat up, and dropped to Ren's branch so she could have a better vantage point.
"Woah, look, the lady is super badass. Sword and everything." It was true, both teens watched her, amazed as she swung the sword, killing in fluid movements. "Ewww." Groaning, Sophia could only imagine the smell that the guy experienced as he tried to move the zombie, and it pulled apart. "Why would he pull on it?" Blood was squirting everywhere, and she shivered.
"Gross." Ren crinkled his nose in disgust. The pair began pushing the car, talking quietly enough that Sophia and Ren couldn't hear. "Wait, have you seen Jack or King?" Sophia looked around, and shrugged.
"They'll be back." Watching the strangers, Sophia wondered if they could be friendly or not. Most cases said not. And then, gunfire began. "Crap! Do you see the shooter?" Stuck between trying to not get hit, and seeing their adversary, she craned her neck.
"Yeah. Zombie left his safety off." Lining up the shot, he whispered thanks under his breath, that the zombie soldier wasn't wearing a helmet. "Pew." And the shooting stopped.
"Looks like they're as good at driving as you are, Ren." The car drove through the fence, and the sword-lady jumped into the trunk. Only for the car to come to a stop directly below the tree that Sophia and Ren occupied.
"What are the odds? We're gonna help them, right? A couple kids saving some adults. I like it." Taking out his marble pouch, he readied his first shot, waiting for Sophia.
"Hey! Idiots in the car! Don't move!" Humor in her voice, she took out her own weapons. "I'm gonna get more than you."
"You're so on." And, they began counting. There had to be at least twenty surrounding the car, a few more stumbling towards it. Closing her right eye, she loved the feeling of the cool steel in her hands, and let the knife fly. A loud thunk. A zombie dropped, and the snap of rubber, and another dropped. The race was on.
Most of the undead below were soldiers, and a few had helmets, which meant, those were automatically hers, when she ran out of knives. Aiming for one that was trying to break open the windshield, she scoffed as it collapsed before she could throw her knife.
"Gotta be quicker Soph." His cackles filled the air, and she chose a new target, hell bent on getting more than Ren. It didn't take long for the numbers to dwindle, and even less time for Sophia to run out of knives, so she dropped to the ground, a small fence separated her from the car zombies. Getting out her trusty whip (which yes, she really didn't like after what it had been used for) but it got the job done.
It had taken a long time to get used to it, even longer for her to become actually lethal with it. But, with a flick of her wrist, the barbed cord wrapped around the head of a zombie wearing a helmet, and with a quick tug, the head squished. Shivering at the disgusting sound, Sophia ignored it for the moment in favor of grabbing another.
"So gross, imagine all the brains you have on that thing." Ren panted as he dropped to the ground, careful of his ankle. He had rolled it twice in the past couple years, wasn't about to do that again. Now out of targets, they turned to the fence. Hopping over the fence, she knelt down beside the first zombies, and began retrieving her knives. A rusty creak followed, no doubt the strangers deemed it safe enough to leave the car.
"The fence, now that the zombies are dealt with, we can close it, and lock it." She directed that towards the strangers... she was going to ask them for their names to make this all the easier, so she didn't have to call them 'the strangers'. "The lock is open, so close it, and we don't have to worry about the ones making their way over here."
Grabbing her knives, Ren handed her two, making the count seven. Perfect. Shivering at the smells wafting from the steel, she vowed to wash them well when she had a chance, cause it was putrid.
"Let's go help with the fence." The guy was pretty tall, bearded, and shaggy brown-grey hair, and almost sickly pale. The woman was just as tall, her skin a smooth chocolate color, and her hair just screamed badass, or maybe it was just the sword she carried with her.
It took all four to lift and set the fence properly, since one of the hinges were broken. After clicking the lock shut, the adrenaline began to leave her system, and Sophia just laughed. Ren echoed the sentiment, and elbowed her side.
"Looks like we're good, gotta get those crazies in there, but for the most part, shouldn't be too bad, they haven't even seen us yet. How many did you get?"
"Eleven. What'd you get, like four?" Sophia snickered lowly, Ren pushed her shoulder playfully before starting an awful victory dance.
"I got thirteen, not including Mr. Saftey-Off Zombie man. In your face!" Half singing, half shouting, he danced in place, sticking his tongue out at Sophia, before his gaze landed on the two adults, who looked incredibly confused. "Ha ha. Um, what's your guys' names?" If it was just Sophia and Ren, that would be fine, but it had been awhile since they were around adults who didn't shoot first, ask questions later. And now, they were looking at him and Sophia like they were insane.
"I'm Rick, and this is Michonne. Now, what are two kids like you, doing out here all alone?"