When Rick returned a short while later, Sophia was nowhere in sight and he looked just as surprised as the rest did when he came to the realization that she wasn't with the group. Daryl was elected to go back into the woods with Rick due to his skills as a tracker. Shane and Glenn also joined the search, however, they returned a few hours later to move around the cars that blocked their path so when Rick and Daryl came back with Sophia, they could get off the highway right away. Everyone seemed to be optimistic that the two would return with Sophia or at least they were putting on a good front for Carol's sake.
In the meantime, Dale seemed to have given himself the title of Andrea's protector, something the blonde didn't seem to want or appreciate.
"Where's my gun, Dale?" Serafina looked up from her spot on a nearby tailgate as she heard the demanding tone in Andrea's voice.
Dale tried to calm her, "I think it's best if I hold onto it."
"It's my gun, Dale. Give it to me."
Upon hearing the start of an argument, Serafina immediately busied herself with something that was just out of hearing range. For now, she would not voice her opinion on the subject matter of who should carry a gun and who should not. This group had already been well formed by the time she even met them and it was not her place to get in between two of the group members fighting.
However, when she saw Andrea storm away from Dale and Shane, who had joined in the argument, Serafina approached Andrea who was steaming at this point. "I could teach you how to shoot." She told the woman who had a surprised look on her face at the offer. "If you wanted to." She added.
Andrea visibly deflated and she regarded the Russian with a faint smile. "Thank you."
Serafina gave a shrug. "It is not a problem. You will need to learn at some point. When we make it off the highway, we will start your training. Until then, try to be patient." She was not aware of the deputy standing nearby who overheard her conversation with Andrea.
"You think you're qualified to teach anyone how to shoot?" Shane asked.
Serafina glared at the bulky man. "I am more than qualified enough." She did not allow him the opportunity to retort. "If you want to have a pissing contest you are going to lose. Had the world not gone to shit, I would have more authority over you even being foreign and now with the world the way it is, you still do not have a authority over me, so I would appreciate if you would remove your head from your backside and leave me the hell alone." Serafina turned away from him and stormed off, ignoring his 'Now, wait a minute'.
She was not going to be treated how the other women in this group were. She had faced enough discrimination back home while she was in the Ground Forces and she was not going to be treated like a second rate citizen when there wasn't even a concept of society left.
Glenn looked startled when she clambered up the Winnebago and sat down next to him none too gracefully. "Shane piss you off?" He asked having seen her little tiff with the deputy.
"Is he always a.. a…" She struggled to think of a word to describe the man and eventually settled on one, "… asshole?"
Glenn laughed at the strange way the insult seemed to roll off her tongue, but he could understand her frustration. The man had shown nothing but contempt for her since the moment they met and there was no doubt that this would not be the last time the two bumped heads.
"He doesn't get any easier to get along with." Glenn told her and she let out a groan and a sarcastic 'great'.
Her annoyance faded rather quickly and she turned to Glenn. "You are not bothered by my presence in the group, are you?"
Glenn looked at her as though she had five heads. "No, why would you think that?"
"I have a feeling that Shane does not like me being here. I wanted to be sure that he is the only one to not want me here."
Glenn gave her a reassuring smile. "Nah, I think he's the only one that has a problem with you, but don't take it so personally."
"It is hard not to." She mumbled, her eyes settled on glaring at the ground below them.
"So, how long were you in the Army for?" Glenn asked and effectively changed the subject.
"Ground Forces," She corrected, but answered, "I had joined Basic when I was sixteen. It was not until I was eighteen that I was deployed, so it has been a little over thirteen years since I signed my life away."
Glenn laughed and questioned, "So, you're twenty-nine?"
Serafina nodded. "I believe so. My birthday is in June and it is probably July now."
"Happy belated Birthday, then." Glenn congratulated and looked up with a thoughtful expression. "My birthday is coming up, then. It's in August." He looked over at Andrea who was a ways from them. "Andrea had been keeping track of the days, but after her sister, Amy, died, she stopped."
Serafina gave him a thoughtful glance. "That is smart." She noted. "Keeping track of the days would help to know what weather we may be expecting, but I suppose we will just have to roll with the punches."
Glenn sighed. "I don't think anyone was expecting this to be as large scaled as it was."
Serafina for the first time since they left the CDC felt guilt swirl in her belly and she looked down, muttering. "Yes, how could anyone have predicted this would happen…"
This is what humanity is capable of.
The thought of trekking through the woods immediately set Serafina into a foul mood and she had no desire to do so. She was not much of a wilderness person and even as she ventured from New York to Georgia, she never strayed into the woods, always keeping to the roads no matter how much more dangerous it might have been.
"You sure you wanna hang back?" Rick asked her as the group readied to head out.
Serafina nodded. "Do not worry. I will stay and make sure these two are not harmed." Her eyes first glanced at Dale who was in his usual spot on top of the RV and then to T-Dog who looked worse for wear after having sliced his arm open when the herd came through.
It was not that she thought the two men could not protect themselves, but with T-Dog having injured himself, she did not think it would be wise to leave Dale by himself to protect two people.
Rick understood her concerns, though he knew it was not the sole reason. "All right. Stay safe."
"You too." Serafina said.
It was a rather dull afternoon and had this been pre-Apocalypse, Serafina would have been itching with boredom but now it seemed to be a reprieve and even welcomed. T-Dog was in the RV, bundled up in blankets despite the immense heat of the Summer day. Serafina continued to check on him despite his protests and insistence that he was fine. She kept cleaning and redressing the cut on his arm, but the infection had already taken place most likely due to the fact he cut himself on a rusty piece of metal.
"We need antibiotic for you." She said as she wrapped bandages around his arm. "The infection could kill you."
T-Dog groaned. "That's good news."
Serafina's mouth tightened. "I do not want to sugarcoat it." She told him. "This is not a mere paper cut."
"I know." He wheezed. "Trust me, I know."
With a frown, she taped up the bandages and gave him a pat on his uninjured arm. "Try to rest. I am going to see if I can find some antibiotics."
"Don't have to tell me twice." He grumbled and laid back wincing as the movement irritated his arm.
When she exited the RV she called put to Dale who had not moved from his spot on top of the Winnebago since the group went off into the woods. "I am going to see if I can find some medicine for him. He is getting worse, please keep an ear out."
Dale nodded and told her to be careful as she ventured to the cars that they had not yet searched, first looking in glove compartments and purses first. It was nearly a half an hour of searching before she happened upon some extra strength Tylenol. She shook the bottle, hearing the pleasing sound of pills rattling around in it.
Serafina hurried back to the RV and shook T-Dog from his fever induced sleep. "Come on." She whispered. "I found Tylenol. It will not do much in terms of the infection, but it will help make sure that the fever does not kill you."
T-Dog let out an airy laugh and grabbed the pills and bottle of water she had gotten for him. "Yeah, I'd like that." He downed the pills with no problem." Thanks." He said and Serafina just gave him a nod.
"Get some sleep." She told him.
Dale gave the woman a curious glance as she joined him on top of the RV, but said nothing as she sat down in the chair beside where he was standing. The binoculars were glued to his hands as he looked out in all directions. The herd that roamed through here had set everyone on edge and it was unsettling to know that such a large amount of the walking dead would congregate and act as though they were a singular unit.
It is what animals do in the wild.
"When everything we have is gone and we are left with nothing, what will become of us?" She asked.
Dale looked as though he was contemplating her words as though she had hid a meaning behind them. "I'm not sure what you mean." He told her.
She inhaled as she tried to sort out her thoughts. "I suppose it does not matter." She mumbled.
Dale mustered a smile for her. "Try not to be so grim. It doesn't suit you."
Serafina gave him an attempted smile of her own, but she could not help the way her heart sank bit by bit into the mass of guilt swirling around in her. However, these thoughts seemed to leave her when she heard something in the distance.
Dale noticed how her body grew rigid and she stared in the direction where she thought the noise came from. "What is it?" He asked.
"I could have sworn I heard a gunshot."