Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead or any of its characters.

Well, this is a very short chapter but I wanted to get something up. For some reason all this free time thats be put upon seems to have me writing less, was for-sure it would be the opposite and I've have loads of chapters written out.

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Enjoy

Danny's POV

I use my knife to cut off the bottom of my dress, I'll use it to bandage up my leg. Blood is flowing freely and heavily from it and it doesn't look like it's going to stop any time soon. I wind the fabric around my thigh and have to bite my lip to hold back my cries of pain that are trying so hard to escape. My blood quickly soaks into the thin material but it'll have to do until I can get it stitched up and properly bandaged.

Sophia sniffles so I reach out, grab her hand and pull her closer. "We're gonna get back to the highway and back to your mum. Okay?". She sniffles again but she does nod her head in understanding. I'm really hoping I can keep my word as I've never been good at directions. Daryl tried to teach me but seeing as I don't know what time of day it is and we're under a canopy of trees I'm not sure I'll be able to use the sun.

"Right, you gotta help me up". I put my hand in hers and using my bat as an aid I slowly get up. It's so painful that it causes tears to start falling down my cheeks.

I look up at the ridge I fell down for some explanation as to what happened to my leg because, thankfully, it doesn't look like a bite. It isn't hard to spot the rusted metal sign that is sticking out of the ground. My blood is dripping from one of its bent up corners. I already needed to get help quickly but the look of that sign has just upped the urgency, it's going to get infected and I have nothing on me. I've stupidly left my backpack on the floor by the car we hid under. The one time I actually need it and I've left it behind.

With my arm wrapped around Sophia's shoulders I realise there is no way I'm going to be able to climb back up that ridge. We're going to have to find someplace where it flattens out.

...

My already slow pace is slowing even more, and more and more of my weight is being put onto Sophia. Neither one of us is going to last much longer. We're both hungry, thirsty and exhausted and my head is starting to swim from the loss of blood. Like I guessed from the start, my makeshift bandages haven't lasted, they are soaked through and blood is now running freely down my leg.

The sound of trickling water is getting louder with each step we take until I finally see the stream. We stop on the edge and Sophia looks up at me. I give a light nod and then she's dropped to her knees and is scooping water into her small hands.

The ridge has finally dropped off where the creek runs through it. I let Sophia take a couple more mouthfuls before telling her we need to move. Together we step down into the water and start our slow walk in, hopefully, the correct direction.

...

I'm not sure how long we've been walking for but it's getting darker under these trees, and it won't be long before the sun has completely set. We've gotta find someplace we can rest for a couple of hours otherwise Sophia may drop from exhaustion.

Her fingers flex against my hip causing me to glance down at her. I can't believe how brave she's being. She's so much stronger than I originally thought, both physically and mentally. She hasn't complained once about how far we've walked or about having to help me. Nor has she panicked or cried about us being lost and away from her mum, although I'm not sure how much longer she'll remain like this for. She hasn't said a word since we started walking and that was most likely more than a few hours ago. In fact her face is void of any sort of emotion.

"Stop, lets rest for a bit". She nods her head once and then helps me sit on a log. She drops to the floor in front of me and starts pulling at the grass. "I don't think we're gonna make it back to the highway tonight". I pause, waiting for a reaction, any reaction at all. All she does is look at me. "We're moving too slow and I don't think I can go much further." I run hand through my now tangled hair. "I will get you back to your mum".

"I know you will."

"Or Daryl and Merle will find us, they are excellent trackers".

Sophia starts picking at strands on her trouser. "They scare me".

Despite all the pain I manage a weak laugh. "They just look scary, I can promise you that they are some of the best people I have ever met. They're so caring and kind and will do anything for the people they care about." I smile at her. "Although don't tell them I said that."

"But they don't care about any of us".

"They wouldn't still be here if they didn't. They just have a weird way of showing it that's all".

Sophia suddenly scrambles to her feet as she stares at something behind me. I instantly know it's not something bad because she's finally wearing a small smile.

"What?" I look behind me the best I can from my seat and that's when I see it. A cabin.

Sophia wraps her arms around my waist and helps me to my feet, although it's getting harder to do it.

As we move closer I see how small it is, it's a shack. It looks like something someone would use for the night if they were out hunting. With me in the state I am in and unable to fight it's hard to make the decision to actually go up to it. Somebody or something could be inside.

We stand and stare at the wide open door. I doubt there's a living person in there, surely they wouldn't leave the door open like that. I pull out my knife and hand it to Sophia. I then bang my bat against the wooden steps. Nothing appears and there are no sounds from inside so I doubt that there's a Walker in there. I'm certain I'd have heard it by now. With a deep uneasy breath we walk into our home for the night.

It only has two rooms, the living space which contains the kitchen and small single bed and then there's the bathroom, but it's door is wide open. I close the door to it as we walk past, I have no desire to use that room, it's smells vile.

With the upmost difficulty, and with the help of Sophia, we push a cabinet in front of the only door that leads outside. That's it, that's all I manage to do before I lean against the wall and slide to the floor. I can't go on, not until I've rested. Sophia keeps moving around the small cabin, opening cupboards and draws, trying to find something worth taking. However it seems this place either hasn't had someone live it for a long time or someone's been through and taken everything of use. All she manages to find are a couple of tins of food and half a bottle of water.

I tilt my head towards the young girl when I hear something scraping against the wooden floor. She's knelt on the floor pulling something out from underneath the bed. I know what it is before she even has it fully out, she's found a rifle. She pulls out a rucksack as well which, as soon as she opens it, is full of ammo. Merle's going to have a field day. Maybe he can teach me how to use it seeing as he's kind of short handed at the moment. Although something tells me that won't mess with his ability to fight.

Sophia's finally finished searching the place the best she can. She drops to the floor beside me and places what supplies we have between us. I nudge one of the cans towards her with my left hand, even that's a struggle.

"Eat". She doesn't need telling twice. She eagerly snatches the can and after using a spoon to open the lid she digs straight in. I knew she was probably hungry but I never thought it was that bad. If I hadn't stupidly left my bag behind she could have had the emergency food I have stored in there. It's nothing big just a couple of cereal bars but it would have been something for her to eat. However despite how hungry she is I have to stop her from eating it all. "Only eat half, you've gotta save some for breakfast". She nods without argument although I'm fairly certain I can see the disappointment on her face.

Even though I know I must eat something, and would have forced someone else in my position, I don't. My body feels like it is shutting down and I'm certain I couldn't even wrap my fingers around a spoon. With the way things are going I'm not sure what to expect. The blood isn't stopping and without antibiotics this infections is just going to get worse.

I close my eyes, although not willingly, and lean my head back against the wall. I shouldn't sleep, I should make sure nothing appears in the night but I can't force my eyes to reopen.

...

I can hear my name being called but it sounds so far away. It's echoing throughout my head, and then it stops allowing me to be in peace again.

I can feel as someone hands are squeezing onto my arms, I can feel as my body is being rattled against the wall. My name is there again, echoing around in my head.

"Wha.." My eyes snap open. My body flinches flooding my body with white hot pain. I don't know how I manage it but instead of crying out like my body so desperately wants I bite down hard on my bottom lip, hard enough that I start to taste blood.

Through it all I realise Sophia isn't next time. My heart starts racing as my mind starts thinking of the worst scenarios. My eyes rapidly move around the cabin until I finally spot her curled in a ball on the small cot. Her head pops up suddenly telling me she wasn't asleep and was in fact watching me.

"Danny". She's off the bed in an instant, flying towards me. She skids to a stop and drops to her knees barely an inch away from me. "You're awake, I thou... I thought you'd gone."

I open my mouth but nothing comes out other than a strangled gasp.

"You've been out for days, you'd open your eyes every once in a while but then you'd just pass out again". She takes in a deep breath, "I didn't know what to do. I'm scared".

Days? No, no, I can't have been out for days. I was supposed to get her back. I will not let my eyes close again. We can't stay here anymore especially with the lack of food. There's only one tin left beside me and even that's been half eaten.

I finally look down at my leg and instantly regret it. Around my now dark red, blood soaked makeshift bandage, my leg is black. I honestly don't think I have another day in me, not out here, and Sophia needs me. Although I haven't done much for her since I followed her off the highway. I am going to make up for that, if I only have one more day left in me then that will be spent getting her back to or as close to as her mother as I can.

...

I have my full weight on Sophia as we ever so slowly move through the woods, she using my bat as a walking stick trying to help her balance. She's struggling and the more we walk the more hunched over she becomes, I'm glad I have the rifle and backpack on as there's no way she could carry those to.

It feels like we've been walking for hours although I doubt we've gotten very far. My passing out has continued however thankfully as my body hits the floor it startles me back awake. Every time I come to Sophia can't stop the apologies but I don't blame her, my limp form is way to heavy for her. I have gained extra scrapes and bruises from the rough floor though.

"...Hear that?" I only hear the end of her question but when I look down at her I notice her scanning her eyes around. She can hear something. With a huge struggle I put my hand on my gun at my hip, but then the sound somehow gets through the constant ringing in my ears.

It's my name.