Chapter Two:
"You sure this is the spot?"
"I left her right here; I drew the walkers away in that direction, up the creek. She was gone by the time I got back here, I figured she jus' took off and went back to the group." Rick paced around in the water with Daryl thinking back to when he left Sophia here, wondering where she could have gone.
"I told her to head back in that direction and to keep the sun on her left shoulder" Rick reiterated, determined to prove he had done all he could to keep Sophia safe.
"Assuming she knew her left from her right" Shane retorted causing Rick to glare at him.
"Shane she understood me fine"
"Kids tired and scared man, she had her close call, two walkers, gotta wonder how much o' what you said stuck" Shanes words were not helping Rick feel any better about the situation, was he trying to blame Rick for what happened?
"Got clear prints right here, she did what you said, headed back to the highway" Rick looked over at Daryl to see him looking at the tracks and he smiled. Daryl was proving Shane wrong, Sophia had understood his words fine, she was probably back there now safe in her mother's arms. Daryl gave Rick a reassuring smile, probably knowing the thoughts going round in his head.
"Let's spread out" Daryl said slinging his crossbow over his shoulder already following Sophia's tracks.
"Let's go she can't of got far" Rick already following Daryl, hoping he was going to find Sophia safe.
Everyone started to follow Daryl, no one really knowing what they were looking for except for Daryl. Even after all these years of being with Daryl the ground still just looked like a bunch of messed up leaves and sticks.
"She was doin' fine up until here" Daryl crouched down to look at the tracks better. "All she had to do was keep goin'" Rick filled with dread, Sophia had been so close to home and something had made her disappear. "She veered off that way" Daryl added pointing back down deeper into the trees.
"Why would she do that?" Glenn asked confused.
"Maybe she saw summin' that spooked her?" Shane replied helpfully
"Walker" Glenn blurted out with wide eyes looking at Rick worryingly.
"Nah there's no other foot prints, just hers" Daryl replied still studying the ground trying to look for more clues that would help them find out why Sophia veered off course.
"Okay Shane, Glenn you guys go back to the group, tell 'em what's going on, people are gonna start panicking, tell 'em we're doing everything we can, but most of all keep 'em calm." He was not giving up on Sophia yet.
"I'll get 'em moving cars and other chores that'll keep 'em occupied" Shane replied gruffly, clearly not happy being told to leave, but he was getting on Ricks nerves, he needed some space.
Once Glenn and Shane have left Rick turned round to Daryl who's still studying the area. "Do you think it's my fault?"
"What?" Daryl turns round to look at Rick, confusion written all over his face.
"Do you think it's my fault Sophia's missing?"
"Course not, you told her clearly what ta do 'nd she followed 'em fine till now, somethin' else caused her to veer off, probably heard summin'" Daryl replied walking over to Rick and pulled him into a tight embrace. Rick sank into the embrace and placed his head into the crook of Daryl's neck trying to get as much contact as possible. Eventually Daryl pulled back and placed Ricks head into his heads forcing Rick to look at him.
"'s not your fault 'kay, nah matter what Shane says, I got the evidence ta prove it okay, 's get ya head back in it, 'nd lets go find her 'kay?" Daryl says sternly, all Rick can is nod and is rewarded with a smile and a peck on the lips.
With Daryl in the lead they follow the tracks deeper into the woods. The sun light was getting less and Rick knew that soon they were both going to have to turn around soon and prayed they got some more answers before that time came. He was dreading having to Carol that all they knew was that Sophia ran off further into the woods, that was not going to give the mother any comfort.
"Shit" Daryl muttered walking over to some trees.
"What?"
"Think I know why she ran off"
"Why?" Rick asked already dreading the answer.
"Looks like there was more walkers in the woods, 'bout five of 'em by the looks of it" Daryl replied studying the ground by the trees.
"Looks like Sophia was running away from 'em, she kept goin' that way" Daryl stated pointing up towards the left.
"She's still trying to the highway, not going to deep" Rick replied, hope filling in his chest, perhaps she's just further along the highway. Then a thought came to him, she better not have come across the heard, and dread filled him again.
They carried further along following the tracks which Rick could now kind of see as the ground had more defined marks were the walkers had shuffled along the ground. Daryl suddenly stopped in his tracks and seemed to just be looking around in confusion.
"Daryl?"
"There's another pair of tracks, they came from that direction" Daryl pointed up towards the highway.
"You sayin' someone already found her and taken her back?"
"No they go head off that way" he replied pointing back down, further into the trees"
"So someone's taken her?" Rick asked trying to process what Daryl was saying.
"Dunno, she's at least come across someone and they've both run off away from the walkers"
"Shit, well we can't stay out here any longer, hopefully Sophia's safe with whoever she ran into, we need to head back to the highway maybe we can then work out who she's with"
"Yeah 'kay" Daryl muttered clearly not wanting to leave the search but knows they can't stay out when it gets dark as tracking would be hopeless.
….
"So you're telling me you've left my baby out in the woods with Merle of all people" Carol cried out horrified at thought.
"Merle might seem like an ass most of the time but he wouldn't leave Sophia by herself against walkers, he would help, look after her" Daryl replied determined to stick up for his brother.
"Merle's a racist criminal, how are we supposed to trust him with a child" Shane replied, seemingly determined to stir things up.
"He's been fine with me" Carl piped up quietly causing Daryl to smile and ruffle the kid's hair.
"Like Carl said, he's fine with kids, he looks out for 'em, looked after me when we were kids cause me dad was a useless pr-"he looks down at Carl "parent" he finishes lamely.
"My baby's out in the dark being chased by walkers and now has Merle looking after her" Carol mutters to herself, not seeming any less worried than she was before.
"Look I know Merle may not seem like it but he can be carin', trust me when I say he'll get your baby back here in one piece, or at least look after her for ya" Daryl said walking over to Carol desperate to give her some kind of comfort.
"But Merle-"
"Merle looked after me when we were kids, ma dad liked beatin' us up and whenever Merle was home he would always step in the way and let ma dad beat 'im up stead of me. He seems like an ass but that's just a cover, a way of coping" Daryl told Carol, he hated bringing up his childhood but he knew it was the only way for Carol to understood Merle wasn't as bad as he seemed.
"So he'll look after my baby?" Carol asked weakly, finally looking like she might trust Merle.
"He will"
…
After looking in the tent and realising Merle and Sophia weren't in there everybody stood in silence, they had all got their hopes up in thinking they had just camped out in the tent for the night. Rick came up by the side of Daryl and put his arm around Daryl's waist and pulled him in to a hug.
"We'll find 'em"
"I know 'es a tough son a bitch, jus' hope Sophia's okay I know Merle can seem intimidatin' but 'e wouldn' hurt her"
"I know"
While they were all stood around wondering where to look next church bells rang through the forest causing everyone to look round at each other, and then run off towards the sound of the bells.
"That can't be it there's no steeple or bells" Shane comments when they come across a church. Rick ignores the comment and just runs towards hoping to prove Shane wrong.
Opening the door all they find is a few walkers sat in the pews which Shane, Rick and Daryl quickly take out.
"I'm telling ya Rick it's the wrong church, there aint no steeple" Shane shouts out.
"Sophia" Daryl calls out hoping that she was just hiding somewhere in the church waiting for them to come and get here. When they don't hear anything everyone's hope fades a little bit. At that moment they hear the bells ring again and everyone rushes back outside. Rounding the corner they see Amy flicking the switch on some speakers and the noise dies.
"It was on timer" she says quietly looking dejected knowing that it probably means they are back to square one of finding the rest of their group.
…
"I wanna stay to, to help Uncle Rick and Shane, she was my friend" Carl pipes up after Shane explained how the group was going to split up, Rick and Shane hang back while Daryl takes the rest of the group back to the highway.
"Jus' be careful okay" Lori replies giving her son a brief hug before letting him go.
"I will"
"When did you get all grown up" giving her son a ruffle of the hair, Rick then pulls her into a hug. Rick then goes over to Daryl and pulls him into a hug and kisses him on the lips.
"Look after yourself and keep 'em safe for me"
"Ya know I will"
After saying their good byes the two groups head off into their different directions. Rick, Shane and Carl head out further into the woods when they hear something moving in the tree's up ahead. They all stop to watch to see whether it was walker or not. It turns out to only be a deer that has yet to actually notice the three of them. Rick notices Shane line his gun up to shoot it, but also notices Carl head towards the deer.
"Shane" Rick whispers and nods his head towards Carl letting Shane know Carl wanted to get closer. Shane nods his head in understanding and watches Carl creep closer.
Half way towards the deer the deer still had yet to notice them, up until Carl snapped a twig under his foot. The deer looked up in shock but surprisingly didn't run off; it just stood there and let Carl get closer. Carl looked back at Rick and Shane with a massive grin on his face, he looked so happy and Rick was glad that even in an apocalypse they were still aloud these little moments of happiness. Carl reached his hand to see if the deer would get any closer, maybe even touch it; the deer looked at the hand as if debating its next movement.
BANG!
Rick watched in horror as both the deer and Carl fell to the ground.