DISCLAIMER: READ CHAPTER 1.

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CHAPTER 5 - FAMILIAR FACES AND NEW ONES

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Back to the truck that is driving down a highway road with the forest on the right side and a grassy clearing on the other left side, the teenaged boy at the passenger seat sighed and turned to look at the driver.

"Face it, Merle. We're lost," he said.

"No, we're not!" the adult man protested.

"Yes, …we are. You're driving around in circles, it's making me dizzy and annoyed." The young adult named Colt cursed lightly a bit when Merle ignored him and he swiftly snatched the map away from him and looked over it, and didn't notice that Merle glanced a glare at him.

"Let's see…from the look of this map here, we're somewhere in the area going near to some small town." Colt said as he studied the map and looked at the surroundings they're driving through. He studied the area for a moment before he turned to Merle. "Just keep on going down this road, there should be a turn-off path that leads to this town and we'll head there," he said. Merle nodded begrudgingly, listening to him.

It took only a few hours to get to the turn-off path that Colt said there would be, but then before Merle was about to turn and go down the road that will lead straight to the town, Colt suddenly spotted something and yelled at Merle who was almost startled at the sudden shouting.

"STOP THE CAR! MERLE, STOP THE CAR!"

Merle instantly jerked the car to a revving skidding stop and Colt just burst out from the side seat in a dash and running towards the woods with his crossbow on hand.

Merle yelled after Colt on where he's going but Colt didn't answer as he went off in a hurry into the slightly dark forest he's running into and Merle cursed as he grabbed for his gun with attached silencer, and chased after him, leaving the truck running but brought the car keys with him as he tries to follow after the teenager.

It didn't take long for him to reach Colt as he saw him standing by and shooting arrows from his crossbow at something and there was a small blur that ran at Colt and the young boy almost tripped over his feet when it hit him in the front.

It took a split second for Merle to realize that Colt was rescuing a small kid that was trying to flee from a few Walkers pursuing hungrily after her and he helped Colt to finish off the rest of the slow-moving zombies until they're all dead. After it was done, Merle looked at Colt who lowered his crossbow and comforted the young child clutching at him with little arms around his waist sobbing pitifully. The little kid looked to be a little girl, albeit what Merle could be able to tell because the child looked to have been through a rough wringer, completely messy and dirty from mud, dirt and leaves that she was running through for so long and the girl also looked to be soaking wet as if she had fallen into a water hole in the forest or something.

The young little girl was instantly soothed from Colt's reassuring comfort and she lightly sniffed and rubbed her eyes off her tears with one hand before she blinked them open to look at her rescuers. "Thank you…" she said weakly, as if she hadn't eaten or drink anything for days but still looked healthy enough.

It took for another shocking split-second for Merle to realize again as he suddenly recognized the kid. "Well, I'll be damned! Little rabbit? What the heck are you doing here?! Where's your mousey mama?" he exclaimed incredulously.

Colt glared at him for his language but the 'little rabbit' Merle had dubbed her turned her head to look at him and her eyes almost widened in surprise on seeing him. "Mr. Dixon? You're alive?"

Merle laughed and waved his metal hand to her as if happy to see her, despite that it's not his brother that he's looking for. "Damn tootin' little one! Lookie here, I'm all spick and spankin' fine! And I see that you've been quite through a wringer, kid. I'm surprised you lasted this long-running away from those chompers!"

The girl blushed as if embarrassed by the praise and then Colt asked Merle as if surprised at the familiarity between them. "You know her, Merle?"

Merle nodded. "She's one of the people my little brother might still be with. This rabbit girl's name is Sophia. Her mama is 'Mousey' Carol the one I've been talking about."

Colt cocked a brow at him. "You sure have some interesting choices of nicknames, Merle. Then again, I ain't surprised at the way you've been giving those kinds of names back at Safe Haven." Merle just grinned at this as if being praised by his words and Colt rolled his eyes at him before he looked down at Sophia.

"Hey, girl. I'm Colt. Don't worry, you're safe now. Do you mind telling us where you've been?" he asked in a gentle kind voice.

Sophia sniffed and she looked to be on the verge of tears again as she cried. "I got lost from my mama and the group. I don't know where I am and where I could find them. Please help me!"

Colt and Merle sighed, looking a bit disappointed at her answer but then Colt looked at Merle seriously and said. "We should get her cleaned up and get food and water for her in the town we're about to be heading. In the meantime, I'll try using my 'special' abilities to try to find and track where her group is."

Merle understood what he meant by 'special' that Colt said and he was very glad that he was rescued by these kinds of 'magical' group of survivors that had brought him to Safe Haven and healed him of his injuries and gave him the prosthetic hand.

He nodded and the two went back to where the truck is with Colt carrying Sophia in a piggy-back ride.

After they had reached the truck that was still running and Colt had Sophia sitting on his lap while Merle drove the car down the path to where the town is.

Little did they know that they don't have to use magic to search for Sophia's group for one of them is about to find them first.

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Daryl Dixon, the only redneck among his group was riding on his brother Merle's motorcycle, almost cursing at the noise it's making when he drives to the direction towards a small town to where he believes that he might Sophia, the lost little girl there. Though he could outrun the zombie Walkers that might come upon hearing the noise the motorcycle's making, he'll try to fix that in the future so that he wouldn't be caught unaware.

His thoughts were running darkly over the events that had happened previously ever since Carol's daughter had gotten lost. From the time when his group and he tried to find the lost little girl, to the Sheriff Grimes' boy being shot and treated in the farm, until the group staying there for a while and then finally the Walkers in the barn incident.

Though Shane Walsh had complained a lot on being near distance to a place that had Walkers thanks to a crazy-thinking old farmer man who thought the undead he had locked up were just sick and ill, it didn't take long for the farmer to have a harsh reality check when the seemingly-secure padlock had broken up and the doors burst open, letting the Walkers loose and the victims they had fallen upon and eaten were the two poor people that had come and were about to feed them unknowingly. Those two poor victims that died being eaten alive and witnessed from the old man and his daughters were a boy named Jimmy and a lady named Patricia.

Daryl's group had instantly taken action on killing all of the Walkers as some of the women and children stood back and watched horrified, including the old man as the men had taken out the guns, Shane quickly got it from the gun bag back and they had shot at all of the Walkers until they're all dealt with.

Although the last Walker that Rick Grimes had to painfully take care of was a little child, almost younger than Sophia, all the Walkers were shot dead, including Jimmy and Patricia, to prevent them from turning.

After that Walker barn incident, Carol had started to lose hope even more than her lost daughter Sophia might not be alive out there wherever she is.

Daryl was so angry at this that he couldn't believe that Sophia's mother would be acting and feeling this way even though the only clue left behind was just the little girl's doll.

Even though he still hasn't given up on the lost girl, he saw that the others were starting to lose hope as well and to vent out his anger, he went off without telling anyone on the motorcycle and went on heading the direction of the town he had seen before on the map back at the farm. Now he had reached his destination, stopping the motorcycle immediately to silence its noise and parked it hidden from sight from any living hostiles that might be on the area, and he cautiously sneaked through the area as silent as he could make with his crossbow on hand.

He looked around and searched through building after building outside, not risking the chances of going inside in case there might be dangers within like the Walkers. He was trying to peer through a blurry window at the third building he's going through when he heard the sound of truck revving almost near to the town.

He quickly hid in a corner alley, trying to merge with the shadows as he took a peek and glance on seeing the vehicle approach as it drove and went to park in front of an abandoned clothing store. He almost stumbled forward in surprise and revealed himself when he saw the little lost girl he's been searching for had hopped out from the side seat beside the driver, followed by a hooded dark-clothed stranger that kept a tight hold on her hand.

He frowned intensely at the two strangers that seem to be holding Sophia hostage, though he didn't look closely enough at seeing who the driver was because his back was turned away and looking around vigilantly for any dangers.

Daryl almost gripped his crossbow tighter when he watched that dark stranger touching Sophia's body all over, not knowing that the young teenage boy was just checking her for any injuries or wounds with worried fuss. Then he watched as the stranger that had Sophia led her inside the clothing store and the only weapon he's armed with is a crossbow he's got strapped on his back. At first, he should deal with the driver that stayed by the truck but then he needed to get to Sophia first and deal with the guy that has her and then deal with the second one. He sneaked inside the clothing store building from the back and only dealt with two Walkers that were inside lurking about and then he reached towards the place where he could hear the stranger and Sophia's voice is low tones before he got to them.

Then he was literally seeing red when he heard the hooded stranger telling Sophia to strip and thought that he is a sick pervert preying on little girls, as he didn't notice that the stranger had new girl clothes hanging from his other arm out of his sight.

He raised his crossbow and was about to shoot him in the head when Sophia noticed him and suddenly cried out with wide eyes. "NO!"

With that shout, Daryl shot the arrow but the hooded stranger quickly ducked down to dodge it and ran to hide out on a corner by the side with Sophia running at Daryl trying to stop him.

"Mr. Dixon, stop! No! Don't hurt him!" she cried, her hands feebly pushing and hitting his chest but Daryl ignored the weak hits as he tried to shove the girl behind him.

"Damn it, girl. Get the hell outta' my way!" he tried to move forward to where the stranger's hiding but then he turned his crossbow around to aim at the second guy who had burst inside with a loud slam from the door when he seemed to have heard the noises from outside and was holding a silenced gun at the ready.

Then Daryl blinked shocked upon seeing and recognizing the familiar face that he's known all his life, and also the one he had thought that he died.

"Merle?!"

Merle blinked and turned upon hearing his name called out loud and his eyes widened in shock and then his smile broadened widely when he saw him.

"Well, I'll be damned! Little brother!? Glad to see that you're still alive and well!" He barked happily as he holstered his gun away and went to give him a tight big bear hug.

Daryl quickly shrugged it off and stared at him stupidly shocked. "What the hell are you doing here?!" he exclaimed incredulously.

He snorted. "I should be asking you the same thing, but then I guess that you're here for the kid, eh?" he grinned down at Sophia who looked a bit relieved that Daryl stopped and lowered down his weapon and she was looking to the place where Colt had hidden himself. It didn't take long for Merle to figure out what happened as he hollered aloud. "Hey, Colt! It's alright! This guy's friendly! You won't believe it-but it's my little brother Daryl!"

But 'Colt' didn't come out as they saw that his head slowly peeked out from the side in his hiding place with his eyes looking at them warily from under the dark shade of his hood.

"You sure this guy's a friendly?" he asked sarcastically at Merle. "Coz' I'm pretty sure that he tried to kill me by trying to shoot one of his arrows right at my head."

Merle sighed exasperatedly. "Didn't you hear me the first time, boy? This guy here is my little brother, the one I've been telling you about! Don't be such a chicken and come on out from there and meet him."

Colt growled in annoyance and Sophia giggled as Colt came out and strode towards them, going straight to Sophia again.

"I ain't a chicken. I'm just being cautious that's all." Colt snapped at him as he stood by Sophia's side protectively like he's her older brother which she seemed to bask in this kind of attention happily. Colt glared calmly at Daryl as if daring him to try to shoot him one more time with his own crossbow now at his hands.

Daryl was a bit sheepish and embarrassed about overreacting a little at the situation he thought it might be and said to Colt. "Sorry about that, thought you were a pervert about to stick your grubby hands on the little girl."

"Excuse me!?" Colt cried indignantly offended as Merle burst out laughing at Daryl's statement and Sophia tilted her head confused. "What's a pervert?"

Colt quickly answered before Merle or Daryl could. "A very bad word that you do not want to know about until you're older." She pouted at the answer but accepted it a bit, for now, hearing the stern tone from her rescuer.

Then Daryl cleared his throat and turned to Merle and asked. "So where have you been all this time? How did you get here and how did you find Sophia?"

Merle grinned. "Well, to answer all your questions-I got rescued by some of this boy's people from his safe place. They healed and treated me up, let me stay with them, and then gave me this new hand right here." he waved his metal prosthetic meaningfully and then continued, despite Colt was pointedly glaring at him as if not to impart any more knowledge about the 'safe place'. "Then me and Colt were here doing a run for more supplies or survivors when the boy was the one who noticed the girl running away from Walkers like the little rabbit she is and rescued her from being eaten. We took her here to get her new clothes and give her food and water until you showed up."

Daryl nodded in acceptance and he watched as Colt led Sophia away from the two men's sights and told her to change into new clothes as he handed them over to her. Colt turned away and stood guard as the girl soundly rustled off her messy dirty clothes and changed into the new ones.

"How did she survive after all this time when she got lost?" Daryl asked and Merle shrugged and said. "Hell if I know how, little brother. Colt had asked her before and the little rabbit said that she's been running ever since and had tried to hide in one place before from the chompers but then had to go and leave on trying to find her mama and you guys. She couldn't find her way back as she got busy trying to run away from the Walkers that caught sight of her and tried to catch her. She's been living off on what little water she found from some pond and berries she picked from the forest she's been lost in. She's one lucky girl."

Daryl nodded in agreement at Merle's musing words and Sophia had finished changing and came out from behind Colt in her new clothes that are simple T-shirt and pants and also new running shoes.

Colt looked her over and nodded with satisfaction before he kept by Sophia's side like a guard dog, glaring at Daryl firmly.

Daryl ignored this and Merle also as he put a hand on his younger brother's shoulder and gestured him out. "Come on, little brother. Let's go outside and get the girl some food and water while we big boys talk."

Daryl just nodded in answer and followed them as they went out of the building and walked to another store which is a small food market to get the girl what she needed.

Daryl couldn't believe the day he's been through, but then again he didn't know that the day might be getting into more than what he had expected and bargain for.

And it's something that's going to shock him and his group in the future.

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AUTHOR'S NOTES:

Whew! Another chapter finished.

Sophia is alive and rescued, and Daryl reunites with Merle!

I promise that there will be more chapters and updates soon!

Consider this as the Writer's 2020 New Year's Resolutions!

Enjoy Readers!

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