when Dallas woke up, it was still dark. he felt well rested, so he assumed it was around five thirty or later. he stood, and yawned. he stretched, and walked for the door. Atlas followed behind, and he let him out. he then opened his mothers door, and softly called out for Kara.
she ran out after her brother, and Dallas stood in the doorframe. he started to picture what it would be like if they did go with Carol and her group. they'd have a handful, and surely Rick and Shane wouldn't allow either of the two boys to help make decisions. they'd have to follow the lead of people they hardly knew. for the first time in the past day and a half, Dallas could see why Tyler was being so stubborn.
the dogs ran back up to the steps, and he backed up. he figured he'd let his mom sleep, and if he did get an invitation to stay with them, he would bring it up to her afterwards.
Carol was still asleep, and he decided to wake her at sunrise. at least there would be a bit more light before they headed out.
he sat on the floor, and stared at the ashes at the bottom of the fire pit. he sat there for awhile, lost in thought as he tried to think about their best course of action would be. was Tyler right? would they be better off on their own, as they had been since the beginning?
an hour later, he had cleaned up, washed the dishes they had, and been outside keeping watch. light peered from behind the trees, and the chill that was set the night before, was getting a warm edge to it. he tossed off his jacket, and sat on the ground outside as Kara and Atlas played in the yard.
he turned when he heard the cabin door open. Carol stepped outside, looking much better than the previous day. she didn't look tired and exhausted, but instead she looked determined and well rested.
"are you ready to go?" he asked, standing up. she gave him a nod, and stepped aside so he could let the dogs in. he glanced at his mothers door, waiting to see if Tyler would come out yet.
when he didn't after a few moments of waiting, he walked back outside to join Carol. he opened the gate for her, and locked it behind himself as they started their two mile journey back to the highway. Carol spoke of hope that her daughter would be safe and sound, maybe even sleeping peacefully at the RV. Dallas did not share his doubts, instead told her he hoped as well.
—
it was becoming very bright out when Dallas and Carol reached the group again. at first, he didn't see anybody around. but when they got closer, he could see that Rick, Shane, Carl, Glenn, Andrea, and another man were all standing around a car, pointing at a map and talking.
Rick was the first to notice their arrival, and he immediately excused himself and walked over quickly. Shane gave them no more than a glance before looking back down to the map.
"are you alright?" he asked when he was close enough, eyes scanning Carol for any sign of a physical injury. she nodded, and began to explain that she got lost and Dallas had found her on his way back to the cabin. she told him that he had been nice enough to feed her, and sleep on the floor so she could have the couch.
"it was nothing," he smiled, and gave Rick a small nod. "you're great company."
"thank you," Rick returned the gesture, and looked Dallas up and down as well. "you two didn't happen to run into Sophia at all?"
"she still hasn't come back?" Carol fretted, her gaze shifting to the woods with obvious worry. "we won't leave yet, right?"
"of course not. we'll find her first thing. we were just discussing who is going to search where today," Rick told her reassuringly. she nodded, and Dallas could see all determination she showed earlier, was completely shattered. she looked gloom and lost once again.
"i can help you look," Dallas offered, the words leaving his mouth before he even thought them through. Rick looked surprised for a moment, and glanced at Carol, seemingly to get her opinion.
"really?" she turned to him, a glimmer of hope sparking back up. he nodded intently, and turned back to Rick.
"just tell me where to look. Tyler and my mom expect me gone for most of the day anyways," he spoke, and looked back towards the other people standing around. this could be a chance to get to know them better, if Rick decided to let him help somebody look.
"alright. come over with the rest of us, we'll have you head off with a few of us," Rick nodded, and turned back around to walk over. Carol thanked him, the gratitude clear on her face.
he followed Rick, feeling slightly weird as everyone turned to look at him. nobody spoke up at first, until Andrea did.
"you're here to help search for Sophia?" she asked, slight confusion in her gaze. Dallas nodded, and looked down at the map they had laid out. they seemed to have covered majority of the surrounding area, meaning they'd be walking quite far.
"Dallas, you'll leave with T-Dog, Carol, Lori, and Daryl. Shane, you'll take this path with myself-"
"i want to come," Carl pipped up. he barely seemed to care that there was a stranger in the camp, while everyone else gave him short glances every few seconds.
"Carl-"
"she's my friend," he interrupted his dad. "i want to help. please."
Rick looked to Shane for a quick moment, before finally nodding.
"you will stay with Shane and I, no matter what. understood?"
"got it," Carl nodded, and seemed to suddenly notice Dallas. "weren't you here yesterday too?"
"i had to help bring Carol back," Dallas told him. "and i want to help find her daughter."
Carl nodded again, and looked up to his dad as he continued to explain the plan for the day. Dallas glanced around, eyes landing on the stranger once again. that must have been Daryl, as he was the only one Dallas hadn't recognized.
Carol had spoken about him. apparently he was an amazing hunter and tracker. he seemed to keep to himself, though Carol claimed he had a soft spot. Dallas couldn't see that though. the man looked worse off than Shane first had.
when Rick finished speaking, everybody split up. Dallas followed Daryl, side by side with T-Dog. they followed him into the woods to start looking, the opposite way of Rick, Carl, and Shane. Andrea had gone off with Glenn in a separate direction.
