Sophia jolts awake, her skull pounding as if something's clawing at her mind. The sensation is so intense it nearly knocks her back into the thin mattress. Groggily, she sits up, clutching her temple, the night's stillness surrounding her like a thick blanket. The RV is eerily quiet. Her instincts scream at her that something's wrong, terribly wrong. The silence feels wrong, too heavy, and her heart begins to race.
Throwing off her blanket, she scrambles out of bed, feet moving before her mind fully registers what's happening. The night air slaps her face, icy and unforgiving, her breath misting in the chill. The tingling in her skull sharpens as a scream rips through the darkness, and her heart lurches at the familiar, piercing cry.
"Ah!" Her pulse quickens, a rush of panic propelling her forward. She skids to a stop as she reaches the camp, her eyes wide with horror at the sight before her.
Carol is on her knees beside Dale, her hands desperately pressing against his throat. Blood gushes between her fingers, staining her clothes. Dale's body convulses once, twice, and then it stills, lifeless.
T-Dog is already there, trying to pull Carol away. His face is a mask of anguish, his hands firm yet gentle as he struggles with her, trying to wrestle her from Dale's side. Her legs feel like lead as she stares at the scene unfolding before her. Her mind spins, unable to process the sight of her mother in such agony, her hands slick with Dale's blood.
The scream she heard, the one that had woken her, had been Dale's final cry.
"Where's Harry?" Her voice trembles as she looks around wildly, searching for any sign of her brother. Her mother's hands, slick with blood, tremble as she sobs uncontrollably over the man she had come to care for.
"What the hell is going on-" Andrea's voice breaks through the chaos, her tone panicked as she rushes over, Lori close behind. Her eyes fall on Dale's body, and she gasps, stumbling to a halt. "Oh my God!"
Lori's voice cuts through the commotion as she scans the dark camp. "Has anyone seen Carl? Rick?" Her voice is a desperate plea, her eyes darting around as if expecting Carl and Rick to magically appear.
T-Dog exchanges a tense look with Glenn, who has arrived with the Greenes. His face is grim, the urgency of the situation weighing heavily on him. "Glenn, did Harry tell you where the hell he and the Dixons went?"
Glenn looks confused, shaking his head. "Harry's not here?"
"Where is my family!" Lori's scream cuts through the night, raw and desperate. Her eyes are wild with fear as she clutches her chest, her gaze darting from person to person.
"I don't know!" Carol wails, her voice cracking as she continues to struggle in T-Dog's grip.
"Dale screamed, and then…this!" Sophia's head spins, the night's events crashing down on her like a tidal wave. The terror that had initially driven her out of the RV now intensifies, her body trembling as she tries to make sense of the chaos around her.
'Where's Harry? Where's Daryl and Merle?' Her mind races with questions, but there are no answers in the frantic crowd.
Lori's voice breaks again. "Where's Rick?!"
They ignore her, and T-Dog looks around, his face etched with grief and frustration. He gently tries to guide Carol away from Dale, his voice soft but firm.
"Come on, Carol, you shouldn't see this." He turns to Sophia, his expression sympathetic. "Neither should you, tiny."
Sophia snaps out of her haze, stumbling to her mother's side. She gently cradles Carol's tear-streaked face, tilting her head away from the gruesome scene.
"Mama, it's okay," she whispers, her voice soft but insistent. "Come on. Let's get you cleaned up."
At that, Andrea is immediately at Carol's side, her expression a mix of pity and determination. "Let them take care of Dale, Carol. You know they'll treat him right."
Andrea helps lift her mother, offering a supportive arm. "Come on, Mama Bear." And they both guide Carol to her feet. Carol leans heavily against Angela, her body wracked with sobs.
Sophia's gaze is drawn to the edge of the woods as if by force, a gnawing fear in her chest. The tingling in her skull has been growing stronger, it's pulsing sync in time with her pounding heart.
It's in the corner of her eye that she catches the movement as she looks toward the treeline.
There…In the shadows.
Her breath hitches as she spots them, walkers.
Dozens of them, maybe more. Emerging from the woods in a slow, relentless wave. Their grotesque forms are outlined against the dark backdrop of the forest, their eyes glinting with a predatory hunger.
"Oh no," Sophia breathes, her blood running cold as her eyes widen.
Andrea follows her gaze, her eyes going wide with terror. "Walkers!"
Panic hits the camp like a crashing wave, screams erupt as more people see the incoming horde. Hershel, Glenn, and Maggie rush toward the barn, but the walkers are already too close. They pour out of the trees, driven by an insatiable hunger, their groans filling the air.
Sophia shivers in dread, closing her eyes while taking a deep breath. Harry's voice echoes in her head, his calm, firm insistence: "If anything ever goes wrong, don't stay. The farm isn't worth your life."
Sophia's eyes snap open, filled with new determination. "We have to leave."
Seeing everyone standing like deer in a headlight she growls out, "Now!"
Andrea turns to her, eyes wide with fear and confusion. "What? We can't-"
"We have to!" Sophia insists, her voice rising. "Harry always said the farm isn't safe."
"We all need to go. Now. Before it's too late."
"What about Harry and his Dixons? And Rick, Shane, and Carl are missing!"
"We have to worry for ourselves, first," Sophia says, she has faith in Harry, she is more worried for Carl, but they can't do anything. The walkers are getting closer. She can hear the snapping of twigs, and the shuffling of dead feet.
There's no time to argue.
Sophia grabs her mother's arm, pulling her towards the RV. "Mama, we can't stay!"
When her mother doesn't respond she shakes her, "We have to go now!" Carol is just numb in shock, allowing herself to be dragged along, her face pale.
The others are shouting orders, trying to mount a defense, but the wave of walkers is relentless. It's chaos. The Greenes are yelling, trying to save their livestock. Glenn and Maggie are shouting at Hershel to get in the truck, but the older man is firing his rifle, determined to protect his land.
Sophia pulls her mother harder, dragging her toward the RV as walkers begin spilling into the yard, their grotesque forms bathed in the moonlight.
"Look at the barn- Oh god!"
"Carl!" Lori cries out.
"Why are they on the roof!" They look to see Rick and Carl standing on top of the burning barn. The flames from the barn light up the night, casting flickering shadows on the chaos around them.
Carl clings to Rick, both silhouetted against the blaze as they try to fend off the walkers swarming below. Sophia's heart lurches.
"We can't," She choked on her words as more walkers surged out of the darkness, their dead eyes locking onto the group.
Lori's scream pierces the air. "Carl!" Without thinking, Andrea fires off a round, picking off a walker that's too close for comfort.
"We have to move!" she shouts, already pushing Sophia and Carol toward the RV.
"We can't save them from here!"
They had to run, had to leave.
Lori, eyes wide with terror, starts to push past Andrea, ignoring her words. "We need to get to Rick and Carl! We need to-"
A guttural growl interrupts her. A walker, no more than a few feet away, stumbles from the shadows. Sophia acts on instinct, grabbing Lori's arm. "No time!"
"We have to get to the truck!" Lori resists for a moment, her gaze locked on her son and husband on the roof. the growing horde surging toward the barn shakes her resolve.
The decision is clear.
With herding movements, the group stumbles toward the vehicles, Andrea taking the lead, firing methodically to clear a path. The air is thick with the stench of burning flesh, and the relentless groans of the walkers echo through the night.
Turing as T-dog grabs Lori, Sophia pulls her mom up the RV's steps, her heart racing, the sensation of danger still prickling at the back of her mind.
"Where's Andrea?" Sophia calls out, her voice breaking.
"Right behind you!" Andrea's shout comes from behind, just as she kicks the door shut after them. The sound of fists and bodies slamming against the RV's metal frame makes everyone freeze.
Sophia peers through the window, her breath hitching. The walkers are everywhere now, surrounding the barn, the RV, and the house. Even as the barn roof collapses in flames, the horde presses forward, drawn by the noise and scent of the living.
"We're trapped," Carol breathes, her voice hollow with dread.
"No, we're not." Andrea's tone is firm. "We're getting out of here. We're going to circle and get the idiots." Sophia holds onto the sides of the RV as Andrea wildly swerves the vehicle crushing over the dead as she reroutes to the barn.
She winces at the noise and braces when the RV pulls to a stop, she gets to the roof exit just as Andrea reaches the lever opens the latch, and lifts herself.
Rick's heart pounds in his chest as he looks down from the roof of the barn, his arms tight around Carl. Below them, the walkers swarm like ants, relentless, snarling, their dead eyes hungry for flesh. The barn creaks beneath them, the flames roaring higher, licking at the night sky. The heat is unbearable, sweat dripping down Rick's face as he shields his son.
"We need to move, Carl," Rick says, his voice tight but steady. He forces calm into his tone for Carl's sake, even though his own heart is racing. "Stay close, don't look down."
Carl clutches his side, his wide eyes flicking between his father and the mass of walkers below. "Dad, what are we gonna do?" His voice is barely a whisper, trembling with fear.
Rick looks around, scanning the area. His heart is elated when he sees the RV rearing back towards them.
"Carl, get ready!" Rick yelled over the din of groaning walkers. The RV screeched to a halt, with Andrea already on the roof, helping to guide Rick and Carl down from the collapsing barn. Sophia held onto the edge, her eyes wide with fear, but her heart steady with purpose. They could make it.
As Carl began to lower himself down toward Andrea's outstretched hand, the RV suddenly jerked, metal groaned under the weight of the dead, the vehicle swaying dangerously as walkers piled against its sides.
"Go, Carl! Now!" Rick urged, just as the barn roof gave a deafening crack, a large chunk collapsing in flames behind them. Carl's hand slipped from Rick's grasp as the RV swayed once again, but Andrea caught him, pulling him onto the roof with her.
But then it happened.
The RV lurched forward violently as the weight of the walkers proved too much. A chorus of snapping metal and glass shattering filled the air, and before they could react, the RV's rear axle snapped under the pressure. The vehicle tilted, its wheels stuck in the mud, rendering it immobile.
"Shit!" Andrea cursed, grabbing Sophia's arm. "We've gotta jump down, now!"
Sophia's grip slipped as she felt the RV swaying again. Her eyes darted around for her mother, and there, Carol, frozen in place below, her hands trembling, eyes wide with terror.
"Mama!" Sophia screamed.
Rick grabbed Carl and pushed him toward Andrea. "Go!" he yelled. But as Carl climbed down from the roof, the swarm of walkers began closing in faster.
Sophia's heart is pounding as she drags her mother, but something catches her eye, a small familiar shape darting from beneath the porch.
The puppy, without thinking, Sophia stops dead in her tracks, her grip loosening on Carol's arm. "The puppy!" she cries, her voice cracking with panic.
Andrea, a few steps ahead, turns back. "Sophia, no! We don't have time!"
But it's too late. Sophia breaks for it, her legs carrying her toward the porch where the puppy cowers. The little dog yips as she scoops it into her arms, trembling in her grip.
She turns to run back to her mother.
In the confusion, Carol is left behind, still in shock, standing frozen as walkers close in. Andrea shouts after her, but Sophia's eyes are locked on her mother, the realization hitting her too late.
Rick dropped down, but walkers surged between them.
Carol stood there, frozen, oblivious to the horror closing in around her. She didn't even scream as a walker's hand latched onto her shoulder, pulling her down into the mass of rotting flesh.
"No!" Sophia cried, trying to push through the chaos, but Andrea pulled her back.
"We can't, there's too many!" Andrea's voice was strained as she struggled to keep Sophia from running straight into the swarm. "We need to move!"
Sophia fought her, her heart shattering as she saw the walkers dragging Carol down, her mother's arms flailing uselessly. The last sound she heard before Carol disappeared beneath the horde was a single, blood-curdling scream.
"Mom!" Sophia shrieked, tears streaming down her face as she tried to break free from Andrea's grip.
But they were out of time.
Rick and Carl were cut off by a new wave of walkers, separating them from Andrea and Sophia. Rick shouted something, his voice drowned out by the deafening groans of the dead. The RV was swarming, and they were surrounded. There was no way to reach each other now.
Andrea grabbed Sophia's hand, her face tight with panic. "We have to run! Now!"
Sophia hesitated, eyes still fixed on where her mother had vanished. But there was no choice, her mamma was gone.
The image of Harry enters her mind and she feels herself steel as they run, Rick and Carl are nowhere to be seen. Just as they seemed to have broken free from the chaos, more walkers burst through the trees, cutting off their escape.
Sophia's heart dropped as she realized they were surrounded, her breath coming in ragged gasps.
"We're trapped!" Andrea shouted, raising her gun, but there were too many, too many of them closing in, their dead eyes locking onto the living. Sophia's vision blurred as she prepared for the end, the weight of loss and exhaustion crashing down on her.
She stumbles, falling to her knees, tears blinding her as the walkers come closer.
But then, out of the darkness, a figure appeared. A swift blade flashed in the moonlight, cutting through the horde with deadly precision.
Walkers fell like leaves, their bodies collapsing into the snow with sickening thuds. The stranger moved with inhuman speed, cutting down the dead as if they were nothing.
"Get up!" a voice commanded, strong and fierce. Sophia blinked, her tears clearing enough for her to see the woman standing over her, tall, with dreadlocks, and a katana in her hand.
The woman sliced through another walker, her movements fluid and controlled.
"Now!" she ordered again, pulling Sophia to her feet.
A/n:
So… carol is dead. As much as I love show Carol, I just couldn't see her being in the story.
Basically it was like comic canon where she doesn't become baddie "look at the flowers"
Michonne has entered the chat!
Also… I caught Covid 0-o (thanks dad)