Chapter 15
The figure's face was shadowed in darkness, and it reached a gloved hand back to unsheathe a samurai sword. Carol cocked the pistol, and Daryl took a step toward the figure.
"Put it down. Now." His voice was unwavering, and the figure tossed the sword to the ground. Carol took a step forward. "Stay back," Daryl warned.
"Wait," she whispered, giving him an encouraging nod before turning to look at the stranger. "Please," Carol said softly. "My daughter. We're looking for my daughter. She's twelve. She has blonde hair, and she's about this tall." Carol motioned with her hand. "We mean no harm. We just want to find my girl. We think she's somewhere here…in the woods." The figure reached into its pocket and brought out a small charm bracelet. Carol gasped softly. "That's Sophia's. Where did you get it?"
"Where's she at?" Daryl asked, his voice rough, his eyes narrow. The figure moved its hands up and pushed back on the hood of the cloak, revealing the face of a woman with dark eye and a mysterious gaze. She had long, thick braids pulled back with a bandana. The woman handed the bracelet to Carol.
"I can show you where I found it," she offered. "If you want to call off your dog here." Carol put her hand on Daryl's shoulder, and he lowered his weapon. Carol put her gun away. "May I have my sword back?" Daryl nodded toward the sword, allowing her to pick it up. She brushed off a few stray leaves from the hilt and put it back in its sheath. "I'm Michonne."
"I'm Carol," Carol said softly. "This is Daryl. My daughter went missing a few days ago. We had a fire, and…"
"I saw the smoke," Michonne murmured. "I stayed clear it, didn't know if it was looters or what." Michonne glanced from Carol to Daryl. "You have a group?"
"We're it," Daryl said flatly. "Ain't got nobody else."
"Do you?" Carol asked quietly.
"No. Just me." The woman's voice was tense, as if she was holding back showing any kind of emotion whatsoever. "I can take you where I found the bracelet."
"Why'd you take it?" Daryl asked. "Ain't no value to it." Michonne shot him a look.
"Reminded me of someone," she said quietly. Her gaze went to Carol. "What's her name?"
"Sophia," Carol murmured, her lip trembling. Michonne nodded.
"Okay." Michonne's eyes settled on Daryl's, and he got the idea that she didn't quite trust him, though of course, he'd kept his crossbow trained on her and hadn't exactly been very hospitable to her. Still, he had no use for making new friends. All he cared about was helping Carol get her girl back, and if this woman could help in any way, he was willing to accept her help.
They walked for a good half hour, and Carol was beginning to get anxious. They were getting so deep into the woods that not only was she worried about getting back to the truck, she was worried about how Sophia had managed to get all the way out there.
When Michonne finally stopped, Carol and Daryl shared a glance before watching the woman take a right turn and move to the base of an old pine tree.
"Here," she murmured. "I found it here."
"Nothing else?" Carol asked, daring not to hope.
"That's it. But see here?" She moved away from the tree and scooted her foot across a pile of dirt, where burnt sticks and a few stones had been covered. "Somebody made a fire." Daryl crouched down next to it, touching the damp ashes. It was impossible to tell how long ago the fire had been put out. The rain had drenched the earth, and it made him uneasy to think that Sophia could be anywhere out there.
"There's a river about a mile up. She could be there," Michonne offered. "Fresh water. And if she knew how to fish…"
"She knows," Carol spoke up. "Her grandfather taught her. But that was a long time ago, and I'm sure there aren't any fishing poles out here."
"Soph's smart," Daryl pointed out. "She'd figure out a way. Think it's our best shot." Michonne pointed in the direction they needed to go.
"Follow that path, and you'll be there in about an hour," she offered.
"You're not coming with us?"
"I do better on my own," she murmured, her eyes downcast. "I hope you find your daughter."
"Thank you for your help, Michonne. I won't forget it," Carol said softly, her eyes welling with tears.
"I hope you find her. Children are the most vulnerable out here." She shivered a little, pulling her cloak around her shoulders. She turned to walk off.
"Hey. Thanks," Daryl called after her. She turned and gave him a nod before disappearing into the trees. Carol sighed heavily and dragged her fingers through her short curls.
"We weren't even going in the right direction."
"We got a lead. That's somethin'. If this is even where she found it. Don't know if we can trust her."
"What have we got to lose?" Carol asked, her voice above a whisper. "It's something."
"Maybe we should have gone back for the truck," Daryl murmured, peeking up at the darkening clouds above them. "Gonna rain."
"We'll find shelter," Carol said quietly, folding her arms across her chest, looking down, searching the ground for any sign of Sophia. They'd walked maybe a half-hour, and the thunder had begun in the distance. Each time, it grew a little closer, and Daryl hated the idea of Carol getting soaked in the rain.
"Closer we get to the river, we ought to start findin' some cabins or somethin'. Can't be too far from somethin'."
"Do you hear that?" Carol asked, stopping suddenly. Daryl stopped in his tracks, and they listened. Sure enough, they could hear the faint sound of water washing over rocks. "We're close." She gave him a hopeful smile and continued walking in the direction Michonne had pointed them in. Daryl took a few big strides to catch up to her and walk at her side. Her fingers brushed over his as they walked, and she wrapped her fingers around his. He brushed his thumb over her knuckles and kept his eyes on the path ahead of them.
"We'll spread out when we get there. Walk the banks and look for her. Stay quiet, keep your weapons ready." Carol nodded at Daryl's instructions. "You run into walkers, put 'em down with the knife first. You find a herd, you start shootin' and you run back toward me. How many bullets you got?"
"Six in the chamber. Eight spare."
"Use 'em careful, alright?" He slung the crossbow over his shoulder and grabbed his pistol, counting the bullets in the chamber. He and Carol shared a glance just as a walker came stumbling into their path.
"I got it," she said calmly, lacing her fingers through the handle of her knuckle-knife and sticking it right into the skull of the walker. She fell with it, and tugged roughly to dislodge the blade from its skull. Daryl helped her up, and she wiped the blade on the walker's clothes.
"Thanks," she murmured, sticking her knife back into her belt. She brushed her hands off on her pants and took the lead again. It was amazing the transformation he'd seen in her since the night he'd met her. Then, she'd just been a frightened mother trying to protect her daughter. Now, she was a frightened mother trying to find her daughter, and it had brought out a strength in her that he admired. Watching her was like watching lightning strike a tree. She was a calm, easy person, but given the right motivation, she could bring hell to protect those she loved.
"Here!" she called from up ahead. "Daryl!" Daryl picked up the pace and joined her, climbing up a small incline before stepping between a few large boulders to reach a cliff that overlooked the river. Down below, a craggy shore-line wound around and disappeared in the distance in both directions. "So—" She stopped herself from calling out after her daughter, and she swallowed hard, adjusting her pack on her shoulder.
"I'll go right, you go left?" Daryl suggested.
"Ok."
"It's gonna pour rain any second," he murmured, sniffing the air. "We work fast. Ten minutes and then turn back and meet back here. Find shelter for the storm and start fresh when it passes." He could see the apprehension in her face, but it was the only way. The only thing searching in the rain would achieve was a case of pneumonia.
"Be safe," Carol urged, gripping the sleeve of his jacket. He nodded.
"Always am." He gripped her hand momentarily, giving it a little squeeze, and then they took off in opposite directions as the storm pulled closer, threatening to end their search before they even got started.
Carol moved along the river bank, knife in hand, stepping careful to try and avoid making any noise. On the other side of the river, a walker started across, only to fall face first into the water and be carried off downstream. Carol breathed a sigh of relief, though her heart pounded in her chest. At least they had the water as a natural defense against the walkers, should they run out of other options.
There was no sign of Sophia. The only foot prints were from some sort of wild animal, which made Carol uneasy. The longer they went without finding Sophia, the longer Sophia stayed exposed to the weather, the animals and walkers. Her stomach tightened, and swallowed hard, taking a few deep breaths as a cold sweat broke out all over her.
She realized she'd been walking quite a while, and it was probably time to turn back around and meet up with Daryl. It was at that moment that she heard something, a faint laugh. She pulled her knife into her hand and climbed up the steep bank to investigate the noise. As she pulled herself up using the strong roots of an old tree, she crawled behind a large bush, using her hand to push aside some leaves so she could see. It was then that she saw two people, a woman with blonde hair and a man with dark hair rolling around together as their clothes lay scattered about the ground.
She crouched low, keeping out of sight and peering around to see if they had weapons or vehicles of any kind. She saw a shotgun leaning against a tree behind them and a holster with a couple of guns sticking out of it. She worried her lip between her teeth for a moment before she ducked back out from the bushes and scrambled down the ravine. Tucking her knife back into her belt, she took off to join up with Daryl to let him know what she'd found.