There is nothing anyone can do to stop the doctor from spilling down the slope and landing hard on one leg at the bottom. His pained cry is audible all the way up on the highway, and even though Carl cannot see, he winces, trembling against his mother's side.
"Goddamnit," Daryl mutters, coming over from where he left T-Dog by the RV. "Glenn, give me a hand. Looks like our 'doctor' decided to get himself hurt."
Daryl jumps over the divider as Glenn starts forward. Carl glances up at his mom, and seeing her absorbed with comforting Carol, he slips over to see what's going on.
Daryl helps the scientist up, but Jenner isn't cooperating. "I— I'm fine," he whimpers, struggling to stand on his own even though he gasps out in pain whenever his foot comes down. "No, I— Mouse— She— I have to—"
"Rick'll bring 'em back," Daryl growls, hoisting Jenner's arm over his shoulder. "Stop making such a fuss, s'just the woods."
Jenner tries to pull away as Glenn starts down the incline, and with an irritated look, Daryl finally gives the doctor what he wants. Jenner's leg gives out the moment he's released, and the man begins to sob.
Glenn crouches beside him, but Carl can't hear what he's saying. After a moment, the doctor nods, allowing the Korean to help him to his feet. Together, he and Daryl guide Jenner back to the highway.
Carl follows along as they half carry Doctor Jenner to the RV where Dale is cleaning a vicious looking cut on T-Dog's arm. Carl's chest tightens with horror and fascination as he takes in the blood staining T-Dog's clothes. The broad-shouldered man is gray-faced and shaking.
Jenner stops in place, staring at T-Dog's arm with wide eyes. "He— He isn't—"
"Ain't bit," Daryl grunts, forcing the scientist forward and guiding him to the ground against the RV's side. "Cut his arm is all."
"Car door…" T-Dog shakes his head. "World ends… A goddamn car door…"
Carl hovers nearby, listening in as the adults speak without reservation. Nobody notices him peeking around the front of the RV, and with a glance, he confirms that his mom is too busy holding Carol to notice what he's doing.
"What happened?" Andrea emerges from the RV with clean rags.
"Doctor threw himself off a fuckin' cliff. Sprained ankle probably," Daryl explains. "Gonna make sure none of them walkers is circlin' back."
As Daryl heads off, Dale shakes his head at Dr. Jenner. "What did you go and do that for?" He grabs the rags from Andrea to replace the already soaked ones on T-Dog's arm. "Rick will be right back, you don't need to worry."
"Back?" Andrea looks around. "Why is Carol—" Her gaze drops to Jenner, and then her eyes widen. "Oh, God…"
"Quit fussing! Both of you," Dale insists. "Andrea, could you see if there's something we can brace the doctor's ankle with? I should still have some sports wraps in there somewhere…"
"I'll get it!" Carl pops around the side of the RV, ducking under Andrea's arm. He sprained his ankle his first week at the quarry, and Dale leant them some gear to support it. He kept aggravating it because he wanted to be out running around until his mom made him stay inside the RV for a few days straight. At least Sophia hung around and played cards with him.
He hurries into the RV's bathroom and climbs on top of the toilet, jerking open the topmost cupboard and rummaging around until he finds the right box. Andrea has just caught up as Carl climbs down, passing the box over to the startled woman.
"Here you go!" Carl grins at her. She produces a faint smile, and he follows her back out of the RV, pleased that he was able to help.
"Carl!"
He sighs, easily recognizing his mom's voice and that tone. With a scowl, he twists around, turning to face her.
"Yeah, Mom?" He wasn't even doing anything wrong! He was only out of her line of sight to get something out of the RV. She can't be mad when he goes in the RV to help someone, right?
"Come over here," Lori says, holding a hand out to him. "I don't want you so far away."
Carl rolls his eyes. "Mom, I just went in the RV to get the ankle brace. I was only in there for like—"
"Do as your mom says, Carl." Shane comes around the side of the RV, glowering at Jenner as Dale applies the brace to his ankle.
Carl ducks his head, heading over to his mom. He doesn't understand what he did. He knows he doesn't always listen, but he's just trying to help.
"Thanks, Sweetie," his mom says, running a hand over his hair. "Just stay close to me, okay?"
Carl does what his mom wants, bored and anxious as they wait for his dad to come back. Shane brings them water, as well as tissues for Carol to clean her face. Glenn drops by to pass out food, but Carol puts hers away for Sophia.
Eventually, Doctor Jenner joins them and suddenly his mom has schoolwork for him. Frustrated that she's thinking about that now, Carl complies nevertheless. Still, he refuses to do homework inside the RV, so his mom lays out packets on the front of an abandoned car, and Carl's attention splits between math problems and glancing at the forest.
He isn't the first to spot Rick emerging from the woods. It's Carol's distraught whine that alerts him. Carl sprints to the divider, his eyes lighting on his dad as he struggles up the steep hill.
"Dad!" He scrambles over the metal rail, falling into his father's arms as Rick makes it to the top. His dad hugs him loosely, but his attention is on something else. He scans the road, his eyes widening with growing alarm.
"You didn't find 'em?" Shane demands as he approaches.
"No," Rick denies, his grip on Carl tightening. "They— I had 'em hide from— from the walkers while I— They should be here!"
Daryl comes forward at once, hefting his crossbow. "What are we waiting for? Let's go already. Come on!"
Jenner turns away from the woods, wandering off with a noticeable limp. His mom hugs Carol, telling her everything is going to be fine. Carl lets go of his father reluctantly, watching him vanish back into the woods now with Shane, Daryl and Glenn to back him up. They'll be back soon though, with Sophia and Mouse both.
With his mom distracted, he wanders into the cars. Jenner has pulled a suitcase from one of them, slowly filling it with odd items. Clothing, food, anything that looks useful and not too badly damaged. The doctor drags it along with him to the next car, freezing when he opens the back and finds a plush unicorn toy on top of the jumble of packed belongings.
Sophia has that doll Eliza gave her, but Carl doesn't think Mouse has anything at all. Whenever he sees her, all she does is cling to Jenner, that and the edge of the too-big sweater Dale put her in. She rubs the hem between her fingers, and sometimes sucks on the collar unless someone tells her to stop.
"Hey— Um, Mr. Jenner?" Carl steps forward, startling the doctor out of whatever thoughts he was having. His gaze flickers to Carl, before drifting back down to the unicorn in front of him.
"Do you think Mouse'd want like a teddy-bear?" Carl picks up the unicorn, then tosses it back onto the pile. "What's her favorite animal?"
The doctor doesn't respond, staring down at the toy for so long that Carl almost repeats himself.
"Lions."
Carl is surprised; Mouse doesn't seem like lions would be her favorite animal. Still, he figures people can have unexpected favorites. He really liked horses growing up, until someone told him that was a girl animal. He still likes horses though, he just keeps it to himself.
"Charlotte loved lions." Jenner continues, his voice toneless. "She'd pretend to be Simba or Kiara. The Lion King was her favorite film."
Carl frowns. He thought they didn't know Mouse's name. After a moment, he works up the courage to ask, "Who's Charlotte?"
Jenner twitches and looks at Carl in a daze, eyes wet with tears.
"My daughter." Jenner returns to staring at the unicorn.
Carl hesitates. He thought that the doctor was alone. He knows Mouse isn't Jenner's real daughter, but he's taking care of her now. It's why the group didn't want to kick him out after the CDC. He had another child?
"Carl!"
He sighs, his shoulders deflating. With a shake of his head, he says, "I'll talk to you later." He can't tell if the doctor heard him but he heads back to his mom regardless.
It doesn't take long for Shane and Glenn to return without Daryl or his dad. Carol is distraught, and even though he isn't as loud, Carl thinks that Jenner is as well. The doctor heads into the RV while Carol stays glued against the edge of the highway. Shane assigns everyone chores, conspicuously leaving Carol and Jenner out even though they aren't hurt as bad as T-Dog.
Carl wanders between the cars, looking for something cool while the others go through them systematically. He's about to dismiss one when he spots something sticking out from behind a child's car seat. He pulls the door open, ignoring the smell of death from the corpse in the front. He leans in, grabbing the tail he spotted and pulling out a plush lion that would probably be most appropriate for a toddler.
It's not new, but it's not in tatters. The eyes are missing, but it has a soft black nose, and a raggedy mane and tail with a cute puff. With a grin, he runs back to the RV, practically jumping up the stairs.
Jenner is sitting on the couch hunched over, his breath hitching audibly. Carl hesitates in the doorway, steeling himself before taking those last few steps and holding out the lion.
"Here."
The doctor looks up, that same dazed expression on his face. He eyes the plushy uncomprehendingly.
"Um," Carl shifts on his feet. "I know you didn't tell me Mouse's favorite animal, but I figure it doesn't really matter. You can give this to her when my dad and Daryl bring her and Sophia back. I bet she'll really like it, even if it isn't her favorite, because it's gonna be you giving it to her."
Jenner accepts the plushy without a word, stroking the ragged mane. He makes a choked sound that could have been a 'thank you', but sounds closer to a sob. Carl shrugs his shoulders, and mutters that it's no big deal. As he heads back to the front, he can hear Jenner breaking down in tears.
Carl understands why Jenner is upset. If he didn't know his dad the way he does, Carl thinks he'd be scared too. But his dad can do anything. He came back from the dead. Carl is disappointed when they return alone, but he knows that they'll find Sophia and Mouse eventually.
"Out in the dark's no good," Daryl tries to explain to Carol. She just cries and glares at Rick, her lips trembling with anger. Although he'd deny it if anyone asked, Carl is starting to get scared himself. He doesn't want to think about sleeping out there in the woods with just another kid beside him.
"How could you leave her?"
His dad walks away, his head down and expression desolate. Carl wants to go after him, to tell him it's not his fault, no one else tried to go except Doctor Jenner, and he just tripped and hurt himself. His mom holds him back, the grip on his shoulder resolute.
"Come on," she says, guiding him back towards the Cherokee. "We need to get some rest."
"It's not that late," Carl protests, but his mother insists. He can only sigh as he's drawn along and tucked up into the back of the car.
His dad comes back eventually, when the moon is low on the horizon. Carl pretends to be asleep as his parents whisper to one another.
"We had a trail," he says under his breath, his voice thick with tears. "We had it, but the dark… Daryl said it was better to start in the morning. They— They'd stick by the stream. It's the only landmark. He said that…"
"You did everything you could," Lori reassures him. "No one else tried to go."
Carl frowns, stopping himself from correcting them. He's asleep, or supposed to be. They'll be mad if they realize he's listening in.
"I shouldn't have left them…" Rick whispers, his voice trembling. "Maybe—"
"Rick, you'll drive yourself mad with the 'what ifs'," Lori says firmly. "We'll all go out tomorrow, and we'll find them."
If his parents talk more, Carl doesn't hear it. He wakes up uncomfortable, tired, and sick of being in the car. It's barely light out, but when he squirms in place his dad sits up. He offers his dad a small wave, careful not to jostle his still sleeping mom, and his dad nods towards the door.
They get out, careful not to wake his mom up. Outside, the air is crisp, the cars covered in thin droplets of water. Carl stretches his back, reaching down for his toes with a groan. His dad comes around the car yawning, waving up towards the top of the RV. Daryl is up there on watch. He gives them a nod, before turning his gaze back towards the woods.
"When are we gonna head out?" Carl asks immediately after finishing the dry cheerios and water his dad passes him for breakfast.
"Soon as everyone is up and armed," Rick responds. "Don't worry, we'll find them today."
"I know," Carl rolls his eyes. "Everyone's scared, but they're fine."
Rick nods, ducking his head and not meeting Carl's eyes. After a moment, he looks back up and smiles. "You're right. They are."
It feels like forever before everyone finally gets up. Jenner limps over to sit on the steps of the RV, listening in with blank eyes as Shane and Rick explain what the plan is. Daryl will take the lead, they're all to arm themselves with the arsenal Carl found yesterday. Andrea is upset that most of them won't have guns, and Carl gets it, but his dad and Shane know best.
Rick comes over to talk to Dale, and Carl listens with half an ear. He leans into his father's side, shivering as he rubs a hand over his shoulders. Sometimes he wakes up and he's certain his dad won't be there. He knows he should be sad about everyone they lost at the quarry, and Jacqui, but it's hard. If someone had asked him to give all of them up just so he could have his dad back, he thinks he'd have said yes.
"Keep an eye on Carl while we're gone."
"What?" Carl looks at his dad incredulously. "No, I'm going with you." He hardens his expression at the disbelieving look in his dad's eyes. "You need people, right? To cover as much ground as possible."
His mother raises her eyebrows, but she shrugs and leaves it to his dad. Carl already knows he's won from the way his father sighs. He heads over towards the weapons, excitement building in his chest. Maybe his dad will even let him carry one?
Carl ends up with a wicked looking hunting knife he has to keep strapped to his belt. His mother looked uncomfortable, but in the end even she agreed that if he behaves himself today he can wear it all the time. He's determined to make her proud because if he wants to be ready to protect his family, he needs this knife.
They hike for hours. Morning passes into afternoon with only snacks and sips of water. He tries to hide how tired he is, but he's not the only one flagging. Glenn, Shane and Rick keep up Daryl's pace the easiest, but the rest of them are unused to such rough terrain with no rest. The church bell ringing is the first real clue they get, until they arrive to find nothing but a battery run timer and a trio of walkers that his dad, Shane and Daryl put down.
The break they take there is longer than any before, though not enough to really catch their breath. At this point the sun is well past the middle of the sky, and although the adults try to keep their voices down, Carl doesn't miss the worried conversations.
Shane returns after talking to his dad, his expression determined. "Alright, y'all gonna follow the creek bed back, okay? Daryl, you're in charge. Me and Rick, we're just gonna hang back, search this area another hour or so just to be thorough."
Daryl raises his eyebrows. "You're splitting us up. You sure?"
"Yeah," Shane nods as Rick comes to join them. "We'll catch up to you."
"I want to stay too." Carl insists, looking first to his dad then his mom. "I'm Sophia's friend."
He doesn't know Mouse yet, but she seems okay. Weird but not bad or anything. Sophia was the only one close to his age in camp, Louis was only six, and Eliza was barely nine. He and Sophia did almost everything together, unless Shane was around to play.
His mom takes a long look at him before pulling him into a hug. "Just be careful, okay?"
"I will." He hugs her as hard as he can. He gets why she's scared, but he'll be with his dad and Shane. He doesn't want to leave when he's sure they're going to find them. They're going to find them and bring Sophia back to her mom and Mouse back to Jenner.
After the others leave, his dad heads back into the church while he and Shane wait for him on the steps. Carl feels antsy. He's tired but he wants to get out there.
"You doing alright, bud?" Shane asks, bumping their shoulders together.
"Yeah," Carl grins at him. "I'm good."
"That's good," Shane nods, some of the exhaustion in his face fading. "That's good. We got this."
They head out into the woods, searching even as the shadows stretch longer and longer. No one says anything about heading back for a long time, and Carl is glad. They aren't going back until they find them.
Shane stops, lowering his gun and letting out a tired breath. "Maybe we should think about heading back."
Carl frowns, turning back to tell him they can't.
The report of a gunshot tears through the silence. Birds screech, fluttering off into the sky. His father and Shane straighten up, their expressions hardening.
"Carl, stay behind me." His dad snaps, letting Shane take the lead. They run through the woods, Carl staying just on his father's heels. His heart hammers in his throat. Was that his mom? Are the other's okay, are—
"Oh, God— Missy, Miss can you— can you hear me? Oh, God— No. Come on…"
They come upon a clearing, and come to a stop. There is a dead buck laying in the center, a clean shot through its torso. Just beside it, a large man hovers, his rifle laying on the ground by his feet. His hands are busy putting pressure down onto the middle of a little blond girl's chest. Sophia.
He shot Sophia.
END NOTE: As always any comments and/or thoughts are appreciated, including politely worded critique! If you're not sure what to say, here are some questions to inspire you!
What would you do if two children from your group went missing in the apocalypse? Would you look for them like Rick wants to, or move on? Would it make a difference if they were your children? Would you have left Sophia and Mouse alone like Rick did, or found some other way to handle the two walkers that were following them?