After hours of limping in silence, church bells sounded off in the distance. It startled Nicole, who was on the verge of passing out. She hadn't slept in over twenty-four hours and her ankle was throbbing something awful each step she took.
Nicole didn't know what to do. Sophia wanted to race toward the sound, but Nicole shot her down. The bells echoed through the trees; it would have been difficult to find it, especially with her ankle. Georgia's heat was not helping her predicament.
"I need to sit down," Nicole uttered in pain before sliding down a tree. Her ankle was throbbing worse than it was moments ago. Nicole could deal with pain, but at that moment, she wished she could revert back to her old self. She wished she could have a gram of weed to ease her pain. Nicole mentally scolded herself for thinking about that -- she hadn't thought about that for years.
"Are you okay?" Sophia whispered to her friend.
Nicole nodded as her green eyes started to droop from the lack of sleep. "I just need a break," she whispered back.
"Nikki, please don't go to sleep," Sophia pleaded nervously. Both of them were getting dehydrated and hungry. They would need to find a place to stay for the night -- they needed to rest up.
Nicole deeply exhaled and opened her eyes. They were bloodshot and watery. The back of them ached. Nicole wanted to sleep, but she couldn't. She knew that she had to get Sophia somewhere safe for the night.
With a groan, Nicole pushed herself up using the tree and her bat. "C'mon," she rasped. Sophia wrapped her arm around Nicole's waist, helping her again.
"Do you think we'll make it back tonight?" Sophia questioned, glancing up to a tired Nicole for half a second. She didn't know what else to say.
"I don't know, Sophia," Nicole snapped. "I don't know, okay?" Nicole felt tears rise in the back of her throat. She wanted her daughter. She wanted to sleep. She wanted her family. She wanted Daryl.
Nicole flinched when a single gunshot rang through the trees. "What the hell?" she whispered, pausing for a moment.
"Maybe it's Rick or Shane!" Sophia exclaimed in excitement. Nicole scolded her for being so loud.
"Maybe," Nicole murmured. "We need to find a place to stay. I can't walk much longer." Sophia's eyes pleaded for her to keep going. She missed her mom.
"You can't keep going?" Sophia asked as they continued limping forward.
Nicole looked up to the sky. The sun was no longer shining above them. That's what told Nicole that nightfall was not too far away. "By the time we get to the highway, Sophia, it will be pitch black," Nicole tried to explain. "We'll find a place for the night and we will get home in the morning."
Sophia stared her for a moment. "Promise?" she asked, holding out her pinky.
Nicole chuckled before taking the girl's pinky with her own. "I promise."
The two found a small rock formation. It was basically a miniature cave. "We can stay here for the night," Nicole told the girl.
"There's nowhere else?" Sophia whispered. The crickets started to chirp as the sun set below the treeline.
Nicole sighed and limped inside it. "There is nowhere else unless you want to trip over yourself all night," she sighed as she slid down the inside.
Sophia hesitated, glancing out toward the direction they were going. She huffed, before wandering inside. She sat down across from Nicole.
"I'm sorry," Sophia whispered. She pulled her knees up to her chest and tucked her chin into her kneecaps.
"Why're you sorry, love?" Nicole questioned, pulling her bat across her legs. She was trying to keep her ankle as straight as possible.
"For running off," Sophia replied. Tears filled her big brown eyes. "If I hadn't run off, we wouldn't be lost."
"Sweetie, it's not your fault." Nicole wanted to move closer to the girl, but she couldn't get up. "We would have been home if I hadn't been a klutz." They both giggled at each other.
"Nikki," Sophia chirped as she glanced up to the older woman. "Thank you for protecting me."
A smile crossed Nicole's face. "It's what we do, love. We're family." Sophia smiled. She had never had someone say that to her before. It had always been her mom that was her family; she never considered how the rest of her group was her family now.
"Get some rest, Sophia," Nicole uttered out, wiping her eyes. It was going to be a struggle to stay awake. "We are getting home in the morning."
Sophia didn't hesitate to curl in a ball and fall asleep. Nicole listened to the crickets singing and some flies buzzing outside. Nicole could see some moths flying around through the moonlight.
Little by little, Nicole slipped from consciousness. She tried to fight it, constantly jerking herself awake. She did that until it became too much and she fell asleep.
"Nicole!"
That scream jerked Nicole awake; she frantically looked around confused. Until she saw it. A walker held onto Sophia's shoe, tugging it. Nicole scrambled up through the pain, grabbing her bat. By the time she got up, the monster pulled himself on top of Sophia.
A loud scream erupted from her vocal cords just as Nicole's bat swung at the monster's head. It fell off of Sophia and Nicole climbed on top of it, beating its head in, one time after another. "Sophia!" she cried, scrambling and turning around to the younger girl.
Sophia laid there on the ground, holding her hands to her left jugular. "No, no, no, no," Nicole cried, placing her hands onto the wound as it gushed out the red consistency.
Tears started to fall from Nicole's eyes. Sophia looked so scared. "I'm sorry," Nicole sobbed as her hands covered with blood. "I'm so sorry!"
Sophia's brown eyes filled with fear and pain. A tear slipped from her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Sophia," Nicole sobbed, continuing to try and stop the bleeding. She knew it was no use. Nicole and Sophia's eyes met for the final time. Sophia's small hands loosened from her neck and her eyes faded from life. "No!" Nicole screamed as she leaned down and sobbed into Sophia's shirt.
Nicole knew that she had failed. It was her duty to keep this little girl safe and she couldn't even do that. She promised Sophia that she would get her home to her mother. Now, Sophia would never get to say goodbye. Nicole knew that it was all her fault.
Nicole sat up and she wiped tears from her cheeks with shaky hands. Sophia's blood spread across them; Nicole's eyes watered again when she felt it smear. "Oh my god," she whispered to herself. Nicole peered down to Sophia's dead body, her faded brown eyes stared up at the top of the rocks.
Nicole sniffled as she dragged her hand over Sophia's eyes, hoping to close them. They only closed halfway. Nicole choked on the tears in her throat and she put her hands on her thighs. She took a deep breath, before drawing the knife that Cheyanne found.
Nicole honestly forgot that she had it. Right now, she wished that she could have given it to Sophia. Then maybe she would have stood a chance with the monster that killed her. Nicole heard very shallow breathing and wanted to cry. She knew. Sophia was starting to turn. With a shaky hand, she leaned up and drove the knife into the little girl's skull.
"I'm sorry..." she cried.
"I'm so sorry."
hey y'all! how's your dayweek gone? mine's been okay, i guess. other than school and junior year being freaking exhausting and only a week in. so much has happened, not only to me but to people around me and i got pulled in (like legit, if what happened gets to court, i could have to testify against my friend -who's like my brother- and i don't really want to do that even if he did do it and i can't lie under oath). anyway, my weeks been excited to say the least. how's y'all's gone? better than mine i hope. how'd you guys like the chapter? i debated on whether to keep sophia alive or not but ultimately that's what i came to and now it's nicole's fault. how do you think that going to effect the story? i'm excited for next chapter because a new character is being introduced and i love her so much. okay enough lol, i love you guys! i hope you have a fantastic rest of your day/night. kiss your parents goodnight and smile at a stranger. i shall see you guys on Monday. bye babiesssss :) -erin