Chapter Twelve

Summer's POV

We were making some good time driving down the highway trying to find somewhere to go. We finally hit a roadblock with cars abandoned and parked all over the highway. There didn't seem to be any way through. Dale asked Daryl if we could ride ahead and see if there was a way through because the bike was the only vehicle small enough to weave around the mess. We found a way through and doubled back to tell Dale to follow us. Once the caravan was moving again everything seemed like it was going to be ok, until Dale beeped his horn causing us all to stop. Daryl parked the bike and helped me off and we walked over to the others to see what the problem was.

"Radiator hose busted," Dale said, "I told you this would happen."

We agreed to scavenge the cars for supplies and anything else we needed while Dale tore them apart for parts to see if he could find a radiator hose that fit. Daryl and I's first instinct was to try and find things for the baby. Dale had already told us we could store anything we found in his RV. Luckily for us we came across a car seat, some blankets and clothes and most importantly formula. I was still nervous about having the baby out in the road but if that was what I had to do then that was what I would do. I couldn't be picky about things, not when the world is like this. Daryl noticed that I had gone silent.

"Hey, you alright?" he asked me.

"Fine," I replied picking through another bag.

"Summer, don't lie to me," he said, "why are you shutting me out?"

"I'm not shutting you out," I said with a sigh, "I'm just being stupid is all."

"How ya figure?" he replied.

"Because I'm panicking about the baby," I finally said, "what if I have to have him in the middle of the street? What if his cries attract walkers and then the entire group gets killed? What if something happens to him or one of us? What then? I can't ask these people to care for our son!"

I was crying and shaking. I hadn't even realized how much everything was bothering me until I finally let it all out. The funny thing about it was that Daryl was the only person who could get this kind of reaction from me. I mean a real reaction, what I'm really feeling. If I was voicing my concerns to anyone else I would have remained calm and brushed it off. But with Daryl, every single emotion I feel takes over.

"Sum, you know that's not gonna happen," he said pulling me close to him, "Dale said he can sound proof the RV and we can stay in there. You're not gonna have him in the middle of the street. And most importantly nothing is gonna happen to us. None of us. I promise you that. You know damn well I would never let anything happen to you. And if God forbid something did happen? You really think Rick would leave our baby with no one to care for it? He wouldn't. So quit your worrying. Everything will be fine."

I leaned up and kissed him and he wiped the tears from my face before we gathered our findings and brought them over to Dale's RV. I thanked Dale a hundred times over for storing everything for us and he made a joke about a motorcycle not being suitable for a car seat and I knew it was his way of saying not to worry about it. It still amazed me that even though the world had gone to shit there were actually decent people out there. Daryl and I started walking back to the cars to try and find general supplies when Rick grabbed us both by the shoulder and told us to get under the cars.

I began to panic. Daryl and I turned around and I saw the huge walker herd in the distance. We did as we were told. I climbed under one car and Daryl crawled under the one next to mine. He put his finger to his lips letting me know to stay quiet as the herd passed through. For a minute or two it seemed like we were gonna be fine, until I felt a tugging at my leg. I turned and saw one grabbing at me and began kicking frantically. Daryl saw the commotion and got out from under his car, killing a few walkers in the process, and came over and stabbed the one grabbing me through the head. Just then I saw T-Dog fighting one off, blood pouring down his arm. I pointed it out to Daryl. He rushed over and killed the one T-Dog was struggling with and before covering T-Dog with the dead walker to hide the smell of his blood, he checked T-Dog for bites. I could see he wanted to make it back over to me but couldn't and instead grabbed another dead walker and covered himself to not be noticed. It felt like an eternity before the herd finished passing through. And that's when we heard the scream. We all scrambled over to see the commotion and saw Carol's daughter, Sophia, run over the guardrail on the side of the road, two walkers hot on her tail. I ran over to Carol reaching her the same time Lori did. Rick ran into the woods after her and we all stood there in shock.

"Oh God Lori, Summer, there are two walkers going after my baby!" Carol shrieked trying to run after her.

"Rick will save her!" Lori said holding Carol back.

Now all that was left to do was wait for Rick to come back with Sophia in tow. I couldn't help but feel nervous that he wouldn't return for with her but I had to keep optimistic for Carol's sake. I knew if it was my child out there I would be inconsolable. But we knew Rick was a man of his word and if he went out there to find her, he wouldn't stop until she was back safe with the group.