Don't Get Dead | TWD | Volume 1

[14] Guilt

Hesitation settled in my chest the farther I forced my brown stained shoes to walk along the uneven ground of the forest. My feet dragged along the ground as if I was trying to further delay myself from getting back to the group. The walk back was taking so much longer than before because I was completely lost. The sun had moved the longer I walked, and the instructions I had been given were no longer helpful.

There was a twinge in my chest after another ten minutes of walking, and I had to ignore the nagging doubt that was telling me I would never find the group. Would they come looking for me? I hope so. Maybe they would be waiting on the road for me to come back, which meant that they placed way too much faith in my ability to navigate a forest. I was never getting back—at least the woods seemed like a nice place to live.

What was I thinking? I did not have the skillset to live off the land. Also, I didn't have a weapon to kill any walkers with, which was the number one reason I was wandering around in the woods to begin with. If I had any tool I could sharpen a stick, but I had nothing.

I bit the inside of my cheek as the bank came into view, taking one last look around the forest behind me, before climbing up the dirt hill. All my energy was gone, so I clambered over the fence and looked either way to find the group. Still, I had no idea where I was, but this was definitely the same motorway.

The first thing I recognised was the car with a smashed window, the one that had the first aid kit earlier. When I looked to my left, I saw the RV peaking over the top of the surrounding vehicles, which meant that the group would be a little further back than I anticipated. I was just shocked that I even found the highway, let alone the caravan.

The group was all gathered around in front of the motorhome, and none of them looked very happy. They were all too busy talking to each other that they didn't notice when I cornered a car to meet up with them. At least they seemed concerned.

I swallowed hard when I saw Rick kneeling on the ground near a railing, in front of Carol who had her hands buried in her face. Lori was sitting on the railing next to her, pulling her into a hug as Rick spoke, but Carol never lifted her head to look at either of them.

That was enough for me to call out, "Guys?"

They all looked over so fast that I thought each of their necks would simultaneously snap in half, and all of their eyes widened. Some of them ran over to meet me, but they didn't look much happier as they neared.

Rick was one of these people, running over ahead of the others. The crease in his forehead gave me some of the most anxiety I had ever felt. Well, that was until he spoke. "Ace. . . Sophia? Where is she?"

That only confirmed my suspicions. "She . . . she isn't here?"

Rick turned away, exhaling deeply and burying his head in his hands. Shane straightened up and rubbed the back of his neck, and the others awkwardly glanced away to the side. T-Dog, who was holding a rag over his arm, had leaned back against a car and his eyes lowered to the ground.

I noticed that Lori was now tightly hugging Carol, who had sat down on a nearby railing. She only cried louder when she heard me, and my heart sank. I looked back to Rick hopefully, but from his sidewards expression, I knew that she had not been there.

And it suddenly hit me. She wasn't here, Rick didn't find her or bring her back as I anticipated, and I was now the worst human being alive. I left a little girl out in the woods and just expected that Rick would find her in time. Sure, I lured away a walker, but try telling that to me.

My head shook automatically like I was denying accusations that had yet to be thrown my way, "I had to-to lure a walker away, and I told her to wait for you. She wasn't there when I got back, so . . . so I thought you got her."