𝗙𝗥𝗜𝗘𝗡𝗗 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗗𝗜𝗫𝗢𝗡𝗦

𝐗𝐈𝐈𝐈. SAVE THE LAST ONE

"You think that's a good idea right now?" The old man questioned.

"Dale." The strawberry blonde warned, walking down the road and towards the woods as Daryl and Taylor stared awkwardly at the situation before following behind her into the forest.

•••

THE THREE HAD BEEN WALKING
through the dark woods for a while now, the only light being the rays from the moon high up in the sky and the beams from their flashlights shining down on the forest floor.

"You really think we're gonna find Sophia?" Andrea then asked Daryl.

The redneck shined his flashlight at her face before back down at the forest floor, "Ye got that look on yer face; same as everybody else. What the hell's wrong wit' ye people? We jus' started lookin'.".

"Well, do you? Do you guys think we'll find Sophia?" The strawberry blonde pressed on.

"It ain't the mountains of Tibet." The Dixon remarked, "It's Georgia. She could be holed up in a farmhouse somewhere. People get los' an' they survive. It happens all the time.".

"She's only 12." She pointed out.

"I'm thirteen and I'm doing fine." Taylor protested.

"Well that's because you're harder than she is. She's highly sensitive; you've seen her around camp." The strawberry blonde countered.

The young teen furrowed her eyebrows, "I'm a Pisces. I'm as sensitive as they come. All I do is fucking cry twenty four seven.".

The redneck shrugged, "I mean, she ain't wrong.".

Andrea looked up at him like he was crazy and Taylor smirked up at him, "You've been reading that zodiac book I gave you, haven't you?".

The Dixon coughed awkwardly, "Shut the fuck up, Anyway, I was younger than her an' I got los'. Nine days in the woods eatin' berries, wipin' my ass wit' poison oak.".

     "They found you?" Andrea asked, turning to face him.

      "My ol' man was off on a bender wit' some waitress. Merle was doin' another stint in juvie. Taylor's Dad was down in Florida visitin' his Grandma wit' his family an' my two friends Joel an' Tommy were off havin' te do summer school. Didn't even know I was gone. I made my way back though. Went straight into the kitchen an' made myself a sandwich. No worse for wear. Except my ass itched somethin' awful." The redneck replied.

       Andrea and Taylor both laughed as he turned to the two.

     "I'm sorry." The strawberry blonde apologized, holding back her giggles, "I'm sorry, that is a terrible story.

     "Yes, it's truly tragic about your itchy ass. Poor you having posion ivy on your ass for weeks, probably hurt to shit." The young teen remarked, and the three all laughed.

     "Only difference is Sophia's got people lookin' for her. I call that an advantage." Daryl said.

      Taylor felt bad no one had bothered to go searching for Daryl when he went missing when he was a child, and he was right, Sophia had a large advantage that so many people are looking for her, so there was still hope...there had to be...