Survive | Daryl Dixon ¹

𝐱𝐱𝐢𝐢. 𝐜𝐡𝐮𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐚𝐛𝐫𝐚

However, frustration and worry still gnawed at Astrid's conscience all that next morning.  She knew agreeing to keep Lori's detrimental secret was a decision that could backfire, and it troubled her deeply knowing that it most likely would. But Astrid also understood that Lori was grappling with her own fears and doubts, and she recognized the immense burden the woman now carried with daring to bring a new little life into a world so dangerous and cruel.  Astrid also knew that revealing the truth on her own could lead to potential chaos within the camp, affecting not only Lori and Rick's relationship but also the overall dynamics of their entire group.

In short, Astrid would not be the one to light that candle and release that bombshell.  Instead, she would simply be Lori's friend, and look out for her in the best ways she could, using the knowledge she had learned from the clinicals she had faced before in her schooling.  Lori could reveal her secret in her own time.

Voices suddenly pulled Astrid from her troubled thoughts.  She turned her attention to a small group gathered around the same map from the day before, planning out regions of unexplored land regarding where to search for Sophia next.

Astrid rose stiffly from her seat by the fire.  She had sat there all night, unable to sleep.  Now, her body was sorely regretting it, as she walked over and positioned herself between Daryl and Rick.  She nodded briefly at them. "Mornin'," The sheriff greeted. The hunter merely grunted in response to her presence.

Rick returned his focus to the map spread on the hood of the vehicle, his eyes tracing the lines of the terrain they would have to scour. "We've got a lot of ground to cover today," He announced. "Everyone is getting new search grids.  Astrid and Daryl found some new leads yesterday. Where was that?"

All eyes turned to Astrid, and she swallowed the lump in her throat.  Gazing at the map, she pointed to a spot, her voice steady.  "There was a farmhouse right about here," She explained. "We found several signs suggesting that Sophia had been hiding there."

"Then she might have gone further east than we've been so far—"

Rick was cut off by the arrival of Jimmy, Beth's boyfriend.  "I'd like to help," The young man said, stepping toward their group with his hands stuffed shyly in his pockets. "I know the area pretty well. Hershel's okay with it. He just said I should ask you first."

"Welcome to the team," Andrea teased.  Astrid smiled her own greeting.

"You know," Shane Walsh addressed as he traveled from the opposing side of the vehicle's hood. "Nothing about what Daryl and Astrid found screams 'Sophia' to me. Anyone could have been holed up in that farmhouse."

Astrid's response was sharp. "Well, unless you know of any other missing children wandering these woods, then it has to be Sophia," She countered.

Daryl's gruff voice cut in next, steeled and firm.  "I'm goin' to borrow a horse and head up this ridge to get a bird's eye view of the whole grid," He decided, gesturing to a corner of the map.  "If she's up there, I'll spot her."

"That's a good idea," T-Dog said.  After receiving medical care from Hershel for his arm, he, too, was back on his feet and eager to join the search.  "Maybe you'll see your Chupacabra up there too."

"Your what?" Astrid asked, eyes flickering suspiciously between the two men.

"You've never heard this story?" T-Dog returned. "Our first night in camp, Daryl tells us that the whole thing reminds him of the time he went squirrel hunting and saw a Chupacabra."

A stifled laugh escaped Jimmy's lips, but Daryl's piercing gaze immediately fell on him, causing the laughter to die in his throat. "What are you brayin' at, jackass?" The hunter snapped, his icy eyes fiery with annoyance.