Ya'll, I got 5+ reviews, and like I promised, here's the next update!
I got such a great turn out on reviews and followers for the first chapter that I just want to take this time to thank you all! I know, it's not easy having to wait for my busy ass to update, but I'm grateful nonetheless for those of you who have stuck with me this far. It's not easy lmao I know.
Anyway, like I did last season, which I want to continue, is replying to reviews at the start of each chapter. Hope that's alright with you. If not, don't really give a damn what you think lol:
UmiNight Angel Neko: You were the first review I got about 10 minutes after posting the story! So THANK YOU for that, and I'd very much like to dedicate this chapter out to you (-virtual hug-) Anyways, back to your review, yes, Ana and Sophia are safe, for now, lol but let's be honest about Daryl here. That man is always on edge, especially when it has to do with Ana. Like, he cannot get a break lol poor guy :( Thank you so much for your QUICK review and support!
Lavendor Queen: You are a quick read! lol glad you liked the first season, it was a spur of the moment kind of thing that a friend and I were messing with. Didn't think it would get the number of followers it did. Thank you so much for your kind review and yes, I'm also extremely happy that Ana found Sophia when she did. I have some plans for Sophia, so we'll see how it goes this Season!
KyraNoelle: Heyyyyyyy! Yes, I used your title cause it was just too fuckin' perfect that I couldn't turn it down! I'm so glad you liked the first chapter, honestly, in my opinion, the first chapter is always the most nerve-wrecking. I was over here biting my nails while I wrote it and then before long, realized how long it ended up coming out lol Honestly, I had planned on Ana being the one to save Sophia from the very beginning. I have some plans for that little girl that people are either going to fuck with or hate, but I guess ya'll will have to wait till either this Season or the next to see what I'm talking about. Still thinking about where to put this particular event in. Yes, badass Carol is my kryptonite. She frustrated me to no end in the first season and second, but once she got into that badass mind frame, I realized how much I loved her character growth! Even in the most recent season, most of the group wouldn't be there had Carol not grown a pair and kicked ass. But I do also know, that the main reason she flipped a new leaf was Sophia, so we'll see where this takes her. You and me both on the Shane issue, even writing him that man pisses me off lol
Kaikitty165: Awww, I'm so glad to be back as well! So so fuckin' happy that you are enjoying it so far, and like I always say, I really hope I can live up to your expectations. Thank you so much for supporting me!
DudettRin101: Honestly, I have up to about 7 chapters typed out for this season, it's just about going back and re-reading them for errors or what not, that is holding me back. Thank you for binge reading my first season, really hope you'll enjoy this season as well!
And before we get into the next chapter, I just want to thank those who have favorited/followed this story from last season. Honestly, you are the reason I write this shit and put up with the stress of chapters lol I also appreciate you 'ghost readers' out there. I know you are out there, reading in the shadows, but thank you for reading this nonetheless. (Pssst, it won't kill you to leave me a review, I feed off that shit)
Disclaimer: I do not own AMC's The Walking Dead or its plotlines/characters, just my OFC Anaiah.
Warning: I don't even know why I still put this up, this is Ana we're talking about. One season hasn't changed her potty mouth lol SWEARING YA'LL!
Ana's POV...
I hadn't slept at all night. Sophia grew cold about 20 minutes into falling asleep which led me to squeezing myself into the small space to block off the breeze and sharing my warmth with her.
Walkers bypassed us during the night, moaning and snarling 20 feet below us as I shut my eyes, attempting to shut the sounds out and comfort Sophia who clung to my shirt throughout the entire night.
By the time the first signs of sunlight began to peer through the trees, I was dead exhausted. It had been a long time since I had gone through the night without sleeping. Going on about 24+ hours with no sleep, all I wanted to do was return to the highway and sleep till I was dead.
But I couldn't.
Not now.
Before anything, I needed to find water and food for the little girl. There was no way we were going anywhere without a drink of water especially since I knew we had walked at least another 30 minutes last night before coming up on this tree. I had doubled the distance back to the highway unintentionally.
Making sure that Sophia was still sleeping, I pried her fingers free from my shirt before scooting away from her. My eyes instantly peered around the forest, looking for any sign of movement before turning back to make sure she was still asleep.
I knew there was a stream somewhere nearby, I just had to find it.
Not seeing any movement and danger nearby, I scooted out of the crevasse and into view, turning to pass Sophia one more look. I had half a mind to wake up the little girl and at least let her know where I was going, but I knew, without a doubt, she could break down in hysterics if I left her alone even for a minute.
So for the time being, this was the best bet. Find the river quickly, find a way to collect water and bring it back for her.
Climbing back out of the tree had been easier without a child clung to my back as I dropped to the ground with a heavy thud. No time to waste, I immediately began tracking the sound of running water all while keeping my eyes peeled for any danger nearby. I cursed as I reached over my shoulders, grabbing my lone machete in the realization that I had lost my other one in the neck of a walker before it tumbled down a hill.
"Fuckin' hell." I hissed, honestly so pissed off by the thought of losing any of my weapons as I quietly trekked through the brush.
"Maybe I can go find that fucker later." I muttered to myself as I pinned my back to a tree, hearing the snarling of a water about 20 feet from me as I peered around the trunk to see a pair of walkers heading in the opposite direction I was, thankfully. With a lone machete and a gun, that I had no intention of using any time soon, for fear of attracting even more attention then I was looking for, I didn't think it was safe to go against two walkers.
Once they were out of sight, I continued on my way another 10 minutes before I glanced over a short trench to see fresh water flowing past.
Okay, water found. Check.
Now to find a way to get it back to Sophia.
I spent another 5 minutes searching both the treeline and shoreline of the river before I found what looked to be a piece of old bark, shaped like a bowl. Dusting off the few specks of bugs and dirt, I decided this was as good as it was going to get. Slipping down the hill towards the river where I tested the bark bowl, filling it before holding it up to see that it would hold enough for me to get the water back safely to Sophia. Taking a gulp myself, I refilled the bark before fighting to climb back up the hillside and into the forest.
Two minutes into my walk back to our tree, I froze, the sound of tons of footfall echoing from somewhere in front of me. Quickly, I dodged to the side, planting my back firmly against the nearest tree while attempting to not spill a drop of water from my bark bowl.
"Shit." I whispered, hearing the sound of snarling and moaning followed by dozens of footfall.
A horde.
Swallowing heavily, I peered around the bend of the tree, just wanting to make sure they were not heading towards me, I was relieved to see that they were heading east of my current location and away from the direction of our tree.
Letting out a breath of relief, knowing I had to stay hidden for a few minutes from the 50+ walkers heading in that direction, I didn't have time to think any further as a familiar blood-curdling scream echoed through the forest from the same direction those walkers were heading.
"Sophia!" I tossed the bowl to the ground, not caring one bit about the water anymore or the fact that the walkers probably heard me, I took off running a dozen feet beside the horde, sliding and tumbling down hills as I watched Sophia about 100 feet ahead, scurry between trees and boulders, screaming for me.
Shit. I shouldn't have left her.
I continued to run after her, ignoring the familiar sound of church bells ringing echoing somewhere behind me.
Author's POV...
After venturing from the highway and into the forest once the sun had risen, the group had their hope immediately shot down as they ran across a tent, no Sophia or Ana is sight, just a man that had opted out of this horrible way of life. Before anyone could linger too long on the way the man had opted out, the sound of church bells began to echo through the trees, startling everyone as they took off running through the trees with a new sense of hope in their minds.
"What direction?" Rick frantically asked as he tried to pinpoint the sound.
"I think that way. I'm pretty sure." Glenn didn't sound too sure himself as he pointed in a random direction.
"Damn, it's hard to tell out here." Shane complained in frustration.
"If we heard them, maybe Sophia did too." Lori offered innocently, attempting to rekindle the small amount of hope in everyone.
"Someone's ringing those bells, maybe calling others." Rick muttered to everyone.
"Or signalin' they found her, maybe it's Ana." Daryl added as everyone began nodding, wanting to agree with the smallest things.
"She could be ringing them herself." Carol sniffled as Rick picked a random direction, signaling everyone to follow him as they ran through the brush, emerging from the forest into a clearing where a lone church sat.
"Sophia! Ana!" Rick shouted as a few of the guys ran up the steps of the church into the chapel where a trio of walkers was waiting. Disposing of said walkers, everyone began to inspect every inch of the place while Daryl strolled up the aisle towards the statue of Christ against the back wall.
"Yo, J.C., you takin' requests?" He sarcastically asked though he hoped he'd answer his silent prayer.
"I'm telling you, it's the wrong church!" Shane shouted as they began to search for what was making that bell noise.
"It's got no steeple, Rick." Shane pointed out as he ran back out of the church with everyone trailing behind him.
"There's no steeple." Rick whispered in realization just as the bell ringing stopped. They ran around the corner to see Glenn digging into what looked to be a power box of sorts.
"A timer. It's on a timer." Glenn sighed in discouragement while Carol turned back to the church.
"I'm gonna go back in for a bit."
Ana's POV...
It literally felt like I had been running for hours before something happened, that I hadn't been expecting.
I had taken down about a dozen of the horde of walkers with my lone machete, Sophia was in reach before one of the said walkers jumped out at me, pushing me away from her and down a hill, I had not seen. Pain erupted up my form as I tumbled, keeping a tight clutch on my machete before a lightning of pain shot from my right shoulder, all the way down my arm. I screamed. I couldn't keep it in, even if I tried, as I lost my machete rolling down the muddy hill before finally coming to a stop.
I could easily pinpoint the bumps and bruises littering my form along with immense pain in my right arm. Thankfully, the only bright side to this was the walker that had jumped me, was now currently impaled to what had been a broken tree trunk, about 50 feet back up the hill.
"Shit." I moaned, as I tried to lift my right arm, the pain so bad that my head immediately began swimming, black dots flooding my vision as I listened to the echoed screams of Sophia, somewhere in the distance.
I hadn't saved her. I had left her alone for 10 minutes and I had lost her. It was all my fault. I should have stayed with her, kept her safe like I promised, yet I couldn't. I was a failure as a person and a failure as someone I thought Sophia could depend on.
I had failed.
Ana's POV...
Moments, minutes, hours, days had passed before the sound of something shook me from my consciousness. My eyes snapped open as my cold form immediately began to feel the pain of my fall earlier.
Biting down into my lip, ignoring what had yanked me out of my unconscious state, I realized that while I had been down, I had also lost most of the days light.
"Shit." I cursed quietly, letting out a whimper of pain as I attempted to pry my dirty self off the ground with only one good arm. At that point, I was positive that I had either dislocated my shoulder or broke something. But with how exhausted I was, and completely drained, there was no way I could do a minor check on my arm, no matter how much I wanted to right now. I didn't have the time or energy.
Finally pushing myself to sit up, I did a quick once over on my bare legs, seeing a few scrapes that had already healed, a few bruises here and there. My arms were pretty bumped up from what I could see through the mud and my injured arm was lying limp in my lap.
"Fuck, my machete." I hissed quietly as I realized that I was machete-less and glanced up to where the single walker was still growling from where he was impaled.
I had to get it back. Aside from the gun that had miraculously stayed wedged in the back of my shorts, that single machete was the only thing I had left to defend myself without drawing too much attention. But with a potentially broken arm, it was a lot easier said than done.
Author's POV...
Ana had fought with a broken arm to climb that muddy hill and retrieve her lone machete that had been sitting feet from the still moaning walker. After almost blacking out from the pain a few hundred times, she snatched up the machete and cut the walkers head clean off only to tumble back down the hill into the same muddy puddle she had been lying in earlier.
She laid there for a few minutes, panting heavily through the pain before she began to pry herself, with difficulty off the ground and back on her feet.
She had to find Sophia. She had to.
But first, she needed to find something to make a sling for her arm. There was no way she was going to trek through the woods, broken arm hanging freely beside her. She knew if she did that, she would only injure it more to the point that it would be beyond help for her.
Wobbling through the mud, keeping her foggy eyes peeled for any sight of either Sophia or that horde from earlier, she pushed herself, through exhaustion and pain to keep going. Luckily for her, about an hour after she started walking, she found a lone backpack, tied to a tree trunk and hidden in a bush. Digging through it, she was happy to find a pair of flannels, one of which she tied around her waist for later, the other, she fought through tears to wedge around her waist and over her shoulder, whipping up a makeshift splint to hold her arm up and leveled.
After that, hours passed, the sun lowering more and more before the sunset sat as the only nightlight for her.
Searching for Sophia for hours, following the tracks left by the walkers and keeping an eye out for any other tracks, she knew, that there was no way she could track through the night, especially with no light and injured.
Trekking along the dried out river, a few miles away from where Rick and hid Sophia, Ana found a similar hiding place for the night as she burrowed in, sighing in defeat.
If her granddad and dad could see her now. She was pitiful. Not only had she promised a little girl to protect her with everything she got, in that same instance, she had lost that little girl, no idea if she was still alive or what. To top it all off, she was injured. And not just something like a sprain, she was positive she had dislocated her shoulder. Remembering a few things from medical school, she attempted to pop it back in with one working arm only to realize how difficult that ended up being and how bad it had backfired. She bit down into her borrowed flannel, screaming out in pain as she felt the bones crunch as they were forced somewhere they didn't belong, spiking intense pain up her shoulder into her head.
"Fuck." She hissed out of breath, realizing how stupid of a move that had been.
A few days later...Greene Farm..
"Daryl, she's fine. You gotta stop worrying like this, it's not healthy." A voice ripped through his consciousness as he peeled his eyes from the stick he had been hacking at, which was more of a toothpick now, then to the Asian standing a few feet from him.
"Whatcha say?" Daryl hissed, tossing the stick down before standing as Glenn took a hesitant step back, his hands up.
"I'm just saying, this is Ana we're talking about. Out of all the women here, she is the most likely to last, probably longer than most men too, out there, alone." Glenn hesitantly added as Daryl's eyes darkened, his grip tightening on his knife.
"Ya think I need to hear ya assholes say stuff like that?" Daryl took a threatening step forward as Glenn swallowed heavily, taking another step back in fear.
"Daryl, I'm sorry. I'm worried too. I care about Ana too." Glenn meekly admitted as a different sort of fire lit deep in Daryl's stomach at the Asian's words.
"Shut the fuck up and stay out of my face." Daryl hissed into Glenn's face before pushing forcefully past said man, making a beeline across the field towards the forest while the majority of the camp silently watched.
"Where is he headin' off to?" T-Dog slid up beside Glenn who sighed, glancing over at the taller man briefly before turning back to the forest.
"Looking for Sophia and Ana, I'm assuming."
A week had passed as Skylar slid behind another tree, completely caked in dried walker blood and mud, her machete tight in her uninjured hand as another dozen walkers slipped past just feet behind her tree.
She had been running, for hours now. And with no time to stop for food and little time to search for water, she wasn't sure how far she was going to get, especially with her arm.
Once they had safely passed, she sighed, licking her chapped lips before stumbling away from her tree, in the opposite direction the horde was heading in. She needed to find Sophia. Even days after losing her, she had faith that the little girl was still alive and she had a hunch where she was. Hopefully, that little girl had taken her advice when they had been hiding out in that tree a week ago.
Flashback...
"I will protect you, with everything I have Sophia. You have to trust me. Okay?" Ana whispered down to the little girl that was still sobbing into her shirt.
"I want my mommy." She sniffled as Ana sighed, nodding in understanding as she rubbed the girls back.
"I know. I know. We'll see her soon enough, and the others too." Ana promised as Sophia pulled back far enough to wipe at her eyes, the moon shining down on them through the trees.
"Ana..." Sophia whispered as Ana glanced down at the child who had spoken her name for the first time.
"Hm?" She answered as Sophia glanced out the small hole of the tree before scooting closer to Ana's side.
"How do you know so much about this place?" She innocently asked as Ana swallowed heavily, not expecting that question of all to come out of the girl's mouth.
"What do you mean?" Ana whispered, attempting to play dumb as Sophia glanced back up at her.
"You told mom to grab our bags back at that building before anyone knew it was going to blow up." Okay, this girl was a lot more observant that Ana gave her credit for. Ana chuckled, glancing away in thought, wondering what she should tell the girl before turning back to her with a sigh.
"Hey Sophia, let me tell you something, promise you'll listen?" Ana asked as Sophia looked up at her confused.
"It's something important that I need you to remember if anything happens, okay?" Ana added as Sophia slowly nodded, unsure what Ana was talking about.
"See those trees far out there, the ones that are shaped like an arch?" Ana pointed out of the tree and into the dark forest where the moon was offering the best nightlight.
"After you pass those trees, you'll find a river with a large boulder in the middle of it. Once you climb across, keep going straight towards the sunrise, you'll find an abandoned farmhouse. If anything happens and we get separated, go there and hide out on the roof. I'll find you."
Ana knew she could have just explained the way to the Greene's but knew that with how far away from the Greene's they were, there was no way that she'd be able to explain to Sophia how to get there without her getting lost. It was better for her to hide somewhere she could find until Ana could reach her.
Daryl silently hid, after 3 days of tracking tracks he hoped were Sophia's or Ana's, he stumbled upon a lone walker standing aimlessly in the middle of an open field. He was confused, to say the least as he never saw a walker stand so still for so long before he saw one of its arms move slightly, it's head tilting slightly from side to side. He didn't waste any more time, figuring it had picked up on his smell or heard him string up his arrow as he shot at it.
To his surprise, as if hearing him, the figure attempted to dodge out of the way of his arrow, though sluggishly as the arrow embedded itself into its right shoulder, sending it screaming in pain as he collapsed to the ground.
Wait.
Screaming in pain?
Daryl's eyes widened as he realized it screamed too and shot to his feet, hurdling over the bush he had been hiding behind before making a mad dash towards the figure now squirming in the high grass.
Ana stood silently in the center of a small clearing, still pushing herself to head in the direction of that farmhouse she had told Sophia to head to but for the moment, she felt the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end as she stood alone. Something or someone was watching her, she knew. Even through her exhausted state, her instincts were telling her to keep alert as she slowly pulled her machete free of her belt, her eyes shooting around the forest line in front of her.
That's when she heard it.
The ever familiar sound of an arrow being released as she attempted to quickly get out of the way of the arrow. Unfortunately, due to her weakened state, that same arrow shot into her right injured shoulder, sending another bout of unimaginable pain skyrocketing through her form. Unable to stop herself from screaming, she grabbed at the arrow poking through the front part of her shoulder, collapsing into the high grass, she whimpered, sobbing out as the week of stress and exhaustion finally crept into her bones, sending her emotions reeling. If she was meant to die here, fine.
She had given up.
Weakened and immensely injured, there was no way she was going to be able to continue on.
And now with the potential enemy shooting at her, knowing she had been shot, it was only a matter of time before they sought her out and continued what they had started.
Sophia. She apologized silently for leaving the little girl alone to fend herself when she had promised to protect her.
Glenn. She thanked the man for always taking her side, for looking after her when no one else had wanted to.
Carol. She sobbed out at the thought of the mother who she had owed so much to yet failed.
Daryl. Her heart hurt at the thought of the redneck. How much he had done for her, how hard he had fought to protect her though he didn't know her. She felt connected to the man, though he had first begun as a fictional character, in the end, he became the light in the darkness of this nightmare she had awoken in.
"Ana? Fuck! Ana! Shit! Come on!"
And just like that, unable to connect the voice screaming her name, she welcomed darkness like an old friend.
Dun-Dun-DUNNNNNNNNNNNN!
So, how was it? Good? Bad? So-So?
Let me know how much you liked it or hated it! I seriously live off ya'lls reviews, honestly.
No promises on when I'll get the next chapter up, alright? I have up to 6 chapters written out already but i'm double checking them and re-reading them just to be sure. Plus I'm not finding myself changing things or rearranging things as well, so send in those reviews everyone!
Until next time~
A/N: So, things are about to get incredibly hairy at home. I don't know if ya'll follow the news or even catch our side of the rivers news where you all are from, but I currently live in Maui, Hawaii and within the next 48+ hours, we are expected to be hit/brushed by a Category 4 Hurricane, Hurricane Lane. I have done all I can to prepare, water, food, emergency supplies, but we are still not sure what sort of damages will come out of this storm or how bad it will get. They are expecting it to weaken before getting to us, but Mother Nature has had other plans and has actually strengthened into a dangerous Category 4. Weather people are predicting it to get up to Category 5 in the net day, which I'm praying it doesn't. I live on a small little island in the middle of the pacific with my little family, if such a thing does happen, I do not know when I will be able to update. We have recently been warned about the possibilities of tornadoes as well, which is an unheard of thing in Hawaii.
Please keep us all in your prayers and thoughts!