Chapter 2
Daryl snapped out of memory mode, began to collect his thoughts and write.
Lost track of time. Can't bother to count the days anymore cause it's just a reminder of how long I've had to live without you so far. Been looking for a group member, a little girl. Still no sign of Merle either but I know he's out there. I know he can find me if he tries. Doubt he's up to any good, wherever he is. He never dealt with losing you well either. Wish he was here. World's gone to shit. Don't know how much longer I can do this, Lena. Don't even know who I am anymore. You were my life. Never believed in ghosts but I feel like you can see this. Just give me a sign.
Daryl felt tears begin to burn his eyes and before giving them a chance to fall, he quickly stood up, grabbed his crossbow and headed into the woods to distract himself. He already caught enough food to last the group for another day, but hunting was what kept his only sense of sanity intact. He felt a jolt of pain and held on to his side. He scoffed at the fact his recent injuries were preventing him from performing simple tasks such as standing, but it didn't stop him.
Lorena's POV
She awoke abruptly, due to yet another nightmare. She hoped she would quickly adjust to this new horrific change, just like she adjusted to every change in her life, but to no avail. Being alone for months wasn't really helping either. During the first month, she settled with a small group she stumbled upon while hunting, but the camp was quickly overrun and she was the only one who made it out.
Since then, she's been living like a nomad, quickly packing up her things once every few days and finding abandoned houses, trailers, small stores to rest her head. At times, she would even have to spend a night in a tree in the woods when she couldn't seek enclosed shelter. It still came as a shock to her that she was even alive after all this time traveling alone. She doesn't even know how she made it out alive on Day 1. As she gathered her bags and prepared herself to head out yet again, she thought back to that terrible day.
After entering her Chevy Impala, she quickly glanced through her rearview only to discover a herd of frantic people, followed by another herd of whatever it was that literally ate her co-worker a few minutes prior. She sped off and attempted to enter the main highway only to be stopped by bumper to traffic, which would have been okay with her if not given the circumstances.
Cops all around were peering into every car, checking every passenger for bites or signs of fever. She knew this disease was in fact serious, but she had no idea it was going to prevent her from quickly gathering necessities from her home, grabbing Daryl and Merle, and finding refuge from whatever this sickness was. Not wanting to waste even more time waiting in a line she'd be able to pass anyway nor risk being shot dead by frantic police officers, she exited her vehicle without a fight and ran towards Atlanta. She was stopped by a cop, who quickly checked her for bites, threw her a 9mm Glock, said "you'll need it," and sent her on her way.
Lorena walked at a fast pace, disregarding the harsh heat Georgia brings. It must have been late summer, because the humidity was more unbearable than the actual heat itself. Even after months of traveling as quickly as possible, she was almost positive she didn't even reach Atlanta yet. She wasn't even sure if she headed in the right direction anymore. She knew everyone she ever loved was more than likely dead, but if she was going to die too, she was going to die in Atlanta, where her life was left behind.
Daryl's POV
After returning from yet another successful hunting trip in the woods, Daryl approached Hershel with a significant amount of squirrel. Collecting the squirrels from Daryl, he firmly but worryingly told him, "you know, we all appreciate the hard work you do around here, Daryl, but you still need to be resting a lot more than you are. Your injuries need extensive care and whether you choose to believe that or not, you need much more than a day to recover from that." Blatantly disregarding Hershel's statement, Daryl simply huffed and said "Gotta go look for Sophia in a bit. Y'all gonna eat or what?" And walked up the steps and headed into the farmhouse. Hershel simply sighed as a way of surrendering to the stubborn, but helpful man, and followed Daryl inside.
He didn't join the rest of the group for dinner. Instead, he got himself ready to do a final check for Sophia for the day. He came downstairs, grabbed a handful of squirrel jerky and headed for the door when Carol stopped him. The look of doubt on her face was enough for Daryl to understand. "Daryl, you need to rest. We're not going to find her.." Astonished, he slowly began to turn around to fire a remark when Lori chimed in, "Won't do us any good if you injure yourself some more. But we can't give up like this, Carol - someone needs to find her, and fast. Who else is going to do it?" Already fired up from Carol's words, he walked up to Lori until he was nose to nose with her. "Won't do YOU any good? This comin' from a woman who can't even keep track of the one kid she already got AND got one on the way! I suppose you got yourself knocked up just in case you lose Carl for the umpteenth time today, yeah? Do us all a favor and keep your eyes on your own kid. Lord knows I'd have to go search for him too!" He turned his heel and stormed out of the farmhouse, crossbow slung off his shoulder.
Lorena's POV
Lorena had been walking for a few hours now, and she knew she should have stopped to find some shelter by now. However, the determination in her was pumping through her veins, and although she was growing weary, she refused to stop. She had wasted enough time stopping. As she begun to slow down her pace, she heard nearby rustling. She was quickly relieved because she could easily identify a walker's movements, and the sounds she heard were far from walker. In fact, the steps were so loud that she didn't even identify them as human at all, alive or undead. She head in the direction of the footsteps and hoped she suspected correctly.
Lorena didn't have to walk for long; directly in front of her was a beautiful horse, all decked out with a brown leather saddle. A gleaming smile formed on her lips, her first smile in months. She loved animals in all aspects, and besides that, she knew this specific animal was linked to someone, given the saddle alone that proved ownership. She silently prayed that she would find other survivors. She also figured this horse hasn't been alone for very long at all. If it was, it more than likely would've been walker bait by now. Lorena eased her way towards the horse and gently assured her that she came in peace. After the horse seemed to recognize the friendly tone, Lorena hopped on, gave her a little kick, and let the horse lead the way.
They weren't even galloping for five minutes when the horse stopped. Alerted by this, Lorena reached into one of her bags and pulled out one of her knives. She listened closely for any signs of walker movement. None.
However, as they came to a complete stop, she was able to hear what made the horse come to a stop - she heard the soft cries of a little girl.