All Nightmare Long

Chapter 423

Author's Note: I'm excited to get my Summer back with her family. Even though this wasn't the way that I had it planned, it'll make it a little easier. And I can skip some more time, and back to the regularly scheduled program. Well, we've got some more time before that, you aren't complaining are you? Didn't think so. I'm going to show what happened to David in one chapter, consisting of a few days. Please review, it means a lot. I love to here feed back.

Alexandria search party POV:

Jes got out of the RV and walked up to the spot that David had approached her. "He came from over there, said that they were attacked, separated by the herd," she explained.

"He wouldn't let us look at the wound," Axel said.

"His body language wasn't what you would expect from someone who had been out on his own for so long. He was hiding something, but we didn't have time to look for a body. We've been back and haven't found any sign of her or walker version of her," Jes said.

Daryl bent down. "The trail is mucked up, by the walkers' and humans," he said as he stood up.

"It could have been the same bunch of idiots that attacked us on the road," Abraham said.

"If we believe that they were attacked," Jewel said.

"You said David came from that way? Over the hill?" Daryl asked as he started walking toward that way.

"Yeah," Jes said. "Where are you going?" she called after him.

"Just wait there," Daryl yelled back.

Glenn and Rick both looked at each other as they followed him.

"Any idea what he's thinking?" Michonne questioned Jewel.

"You're guess is as good as mine," Jewel answered.

Rick, Glenn and Daryl's POV:

Rick took out his hatchet and killed a walker as he walked with Daryl and Glenn. "Daryl, brother, what are you thinking?" he asked Daryl.

"I've been up in this area several times and found nothing," Glenn told him.

"Fresh eyes and all that," Daryl said. He bent down by the tree and picked up the remains of an arrow. He held it up and looked at it. "It's not one that she uses, never saw one like it. It looks like it was dug out of a wound, it's got the remains of blood on it and residue of jeans on the point," he said as he got up and started back toward the group.

"Did any of those men you ran into have bow and arrows?" Glenn questioned.

"Didn't notice," Daryl answered as they came back to the group.

Jewel looked up as she leaned against the RV. "Did you find something?"

"A broken off arrow, not a kind that we use. Looks like it was dug out of a wound,"Daryl said.

"So what's our next step?" Mar asked.

Jes looked at Rick. "We'll take groups, work our way in different areas. Daryl you take a group and work backwards from where you found the arrow, see what else you can find," she instructed.

"Mar, Gus, Aaron, Beth, with me," Daryl said as he started leading the group away. "We'll walk, maybe we'll get lucky to find an unmucked trail," he said. He squeezed Jewel's shoulder as he passed.

"She wouldn't have went that way, Lexi, Enid and I would have ran into her," Glenn responded as he nodding the direction he was talking about.

"We would have crossed her path if she came over the tracks, up over the hill," Axel said.

"She would have tried to get back to Alexandria, if she heard the beeping of the horn," Jewel responded.

"She would have avoided the herd," Glenn said.

Michonne and Tara looked at the map. "So if we rule out those two ways, that still leaves three possible routes," Michonne said.

"One of which was smack dab in the middle of the herd that broke off," Rick said. "She didn't make it back to Alexandria, so something must have happened in one of those two spots," he said as he rubbed Jewel's thumb with his.

"If she aint dead, and not a walker, she could be hid out somewhere injured, or taken by those assholes we ran into on the road," Abraham said.

"Abraham," both Rosita and Sasha said as they looked at Jewel and Rick quickly then back to him.

Jewel looked at them. "He's just stating the truth. It's the fact of life now, no matter how much we hate it. And not saying it, isn't going to make it any less true. That's why we are out here, finding the truth, no matter what it is. I'm going to work one of the routes by foot," Jewel said.

"Not alone, you aren't," Jes told her.

"I'll go with you," Rick said.

"You take the RV, I'll go with her," Abraham said.

"Keep in touch with the walkie's," Jes instructed.

"Contact us if you run into any trouble,"Rick said as he kissed her. "You gonna be OK?"

"Got to be," Jewel said as she squeezed his hand. "Let's go," Jewel told Abraham.

"Shouldn't more of us go with them?" Tara asked.

"We're lucky that she didn't put up a fit for Abraham to go with her," Rick answered.

Abraham and Jewel's POV:

Jewel bent down and looked at the tracks touching dried blood. "There's walker's with her arrows, so she came this way, at least at first," she said. She looked up at him. "OK, what are you thinking Abraham? You've been uncharacteristically quiet and to be honest, it's a little unsettling," she told him.

"I was trying to think of how to remove my foot out of my mouth," Abraham said.

Jewel arched an eyebrow as she stood up. "Ok who are you and what have you done with Abraham?" she questioned.

Abraham gave a smirk. "It's still me. Just shouldn't have said, wasn't thinking. And I shouldn't have said anything, I mean it's Summer, your daughter," he said.

"Everyone is someone's child, someone daughter, someone's son, someone's husband and someone's wife. And don't apologize Abraham, you said the truth and you didn't ask me to stay behind," Jewel said. "It's been six days, I know I know the risks."

"But she bit the odds before right? You all did. When I met up with Glenn, Mitch and Tara, and Glenn was sure that he'd find Maggie, Mitch was sure that he'd find you, everyone. I was sure you were all dead, no way that you'd all survive, reunite," Abraham told her.

"You said that before, that you underestimated us. But you're one of us now," Jewel said.

"And, I'm not going to do that again," Abraham said. "Didn't know you all then, but now I do and if anyone is going to beat the odds, it's Summer. She's your daughter, so she's one tough chick," he told her as he bumped her shoulder.

"She's a Dixon, she didn't have a choice to be tough," Jewel told him. "Another one of her arrows, it's off the path," she said as she picked walkie talkie. "I'm finding Summer's arrows in walkers, it's venturing off path," she said over the radio.

"We're heading over the hill," Rick said.

"We've found some of her arrows up this way, in fresh walkers'," Daryl said. "It's a straight path of fire from where the broken arrow was found," he said.

"Glenn and I are taking a group a little further up past the hill, there's some buildings," Joey informed them.

"We'll be heading back," Jewel said.

Abraham stabbed a a walker as she was on the radio. "Let's go," Abraham said.

Jewel nodded as she stood up. "If I had a choice of her being gone and being captured, I'd rather her be gone. I don't want to think of the other option," she said. "I won't think of the other option. It's to much to think of, I won't think of it," she said.

"She'll be alright," Abraham said.

"I'm going to keep thinking that, but it's good to hear it," Jewel said.

"And, I'll keep telling you that then," Abraham said. "And, I won't tell you not to stop looking or stay behind. You have a right to be the one that looks for her, you and Rick," Abraham said.

"If we weren't around, I'd be fine with any of you doing it. You are family, all of you," Jewel said as she squeezed his arm.

Abraham nodded as he stopped "Do you hear that?"

Jewel stopped and listened. "It sounds like a car horn. It's not coming from Alexandria, thank goodness. Come on lets go," she said.

"That's going to attract walkers," Abraham said.

"It may mean someone's in trouble," Jewel said.

TBC