Make it Till You Don't

First Solid Evidence

"(Y/N)?" I heard someone calling out. "(Y/N)?" They spoke up again, this time shaking my shoulder. I fluttered my eyes open, staring up at whoever was in front of me. As my vision began to clear up, I noticed it was Carol. "Sweety, what are you doing out here?" She asked with concern in her voice.

I glanced around, noticing it was early in the day as everyone began scrambling out of their tents. "I-I uh... slept here." I replied, still attempting to wake up.

"Why'd you sleep outside? What if a Walker came by?" She asked, worried at the mention of a Walker.

"I don't have anything with me and don't want to bother you guys..." I replied before looking down, shyly.

She let out a small chuckle, I looked up to see she was giving me a small smile. "You could've asked, I'm sure one of us wouldn't mind sharing a tent until we can get you one." She held out her hands and helped me stand up. "We can ask around when everyone's up and going. In the meantime, would you mind helping me with the laundry?"

I shook my head. "I don't mind at all." I received a nod in reply and began to help her, light chatter going between the two of us.

As we began to hang the laundry onto the clothes line, Lori walked out of her tent towards us. "I can't believe I slept in."

"You must've needed it." Carol replied, looking at Lori. "Feeling alright?"

"Next time wake me up, alright? Especially on laundry day." Lori ignored Carol's question, as I assumed she didn't want to talk about it.

"I can manage." Carol replied, seeming to pick up on it as well as she looked towards me. "Besides, I had (Y/N) here to help me so you could rest."

I nodded my head in agreement. "It's the least I could do, besides, you have your plate full with Carl's recovery." I gave her a small smile, receiving one in return.

While Lori took my place with the laundry, I gathered around the map with the others to explain the plan Rick has in mind. "Alright, everyone's getting new search grids today. If she made it as far as the farmhouse Daryl and (Y/N) found, she might've gone further east than we've been so far."

"I'd like to help." We looked over to see one of Hershel's people, Jimmy, walking forward. I know the area pretty well and stuff."

Rick looked to Jimmy, unsure. "Hershel's okay with this?"

"Yeah, yeah. He said I should ask you." Jimmy answered.

"Alright then, thanks." Rick replied, glancing back to the map.

"Nothing about what they found screams Sophia to me." Shane spoke up from his seat in the car. "Anyone could've been holed up in that farmhouse."

I rolled my eyes at him. "Oh, I forgot, you must've been there to see it yourself." I retorted, crossing my arms. Why is he so negative? He hasn't done anything as far as I know.

"Anybody includes her, right?" Andrea looked from me to Shane, who was glaring in my direction.

"Whoever slept in that cupboard was no bigger than yay-high." Daryl spoke up, throwing his arm up to the height of a little girl, assuming Sophia's height.

Andrea nodded her head to the both of us. "It's a good lead."

"Maybe we'll pick up her trail again." Rick added on.

"No 'maybe' about it. I'm gonna borrow a horse, head up this ridge right here. Take a bird's-eye view of the whole grid. If she's up there, I'll spot 'er." Daryl explained his plan, pointing out the ridge on the map.

"Good idea." T-Dog spoke up. "Maybe you'll see your Chupacabra up there too."

I raised a brow in interest, looking at the hunter as Rick questioned him in amusement. "Chupacabra?"

"You never heard this?" Dale asked, messing with the weapon bag. "Our first night in camp, Daryl tells us that the whole thing reminds him of a time when he went squirrel hunting and he saw a Chupacabra."

I stifled a chuckle, while Jimmy failed to confine his own. "What are you braying at, jackass?" Daryl asked defensively, looking at the boy.

"So you believe in a blood-sucking dog?" Jimmy asked in disbelief.

"Do you believe in dead people walking around?" Daryl retorted, wiping the smirk off Jimmy's face.

"He got you there." I giggled, looking between the two. "If you told me that a few months ago, I would've called you crazy but look where we are."

Ignoring my comment, Jimmy went to grab the rifle off the car. "Hey, hey. Ever fired one before?" Rick asks, taking the gun away.

"Well, if I'm going out, I want one." Jimmy told Rick.

"Yeah, and people in hell want slurpees." Daryl fired back, swinging his crossbow behind his shoulder and walking off. At that, I couldn't hold back my laugh.

—

After a while of searching, Andrea, T-dog, and I had decided it was best to call it a day. Now, everyone was hanging around camp, waiting for Carol and Lori to finish with the dinner inside the house with Beth, Patricia, and Maggie.

I sat near the RV, playing with the knife in my hand when Andrea began to shout. "Walker!"

"Just the one?" Rick asked as everyone shot up in alarm.

Andrea didn't reply as she looked through the binoculars before turning to her gun. "I bet I can nail it from here."

"No. no. Andrea, put the gun down." Rick told her as everyone grabbed a weapon.

Shane came out of his tent, limping with a weapon in hand. "You best let us handle this." He told her, walking next to T-Dog.

"Shane, hold up. Hershel wants to deal with Walkers." Rick told Shane, walking to him.

"What for, man? We got it covered." Shane brushed Rick off, walking out into the field. Glenn, T-Dog, and Rick followed as the four of them ran towards the Walker.

I was watching them get closer as I heard Dale tell Andrea not to fire, only for her to tell him to back off. I noticed they stopped in their tracks, not moving to kill the Walker. "Somethings not right... Andrea, hold on! I don't thi-"

I was cut off by the sound of a gun going on. I turned to Andrea, seeing her move the rifle away, smiling.

"NO!"

I whipped my head back towards the others, seeing them rush towards the fallen body.

"NO!"

"Damnit Andrea, I said to hold on!" I shouted, looking over to her. "I don't think that's a Walker!"

I watched as the smirk left her face. "Oh god."

"RICK!" I heard footsteps behind us as Lori shouted, seeing everyone from the house running over.

"What on Earth's going on out here?!" Hershel shouted, waiting for a response. Not replying, Andrea, Dale, and I ran off into the field to see what happened.

As we got close enough, we realized it was Daryl she shot. "Oh my god, oh my god! Is he dead?" Andrea shouted.

"Unconscious. You just grazed him." Rick replied as he and Shane began dragging him back to the house.

"But look at him. What the hell happened?" Glenn shouted, pointing to Daryl, freaking out. "He's wearing ears!"

I glanced at said ears, seeing he wore a makeshift necklace out of them. "Probably to ward off any Walkers nearby is my guess." I replied, walking alongside them.

Rick looked down before ripping the ears off Daryl's neck. "Let's keep that to ourselves."

"Guys." T-Dog spoke up, causing all of us to stop walking and turn to him. "Isn't this Sophia's?"

A look crossed over everyone's features, mixed between worry and disbelief. I glanced in his hand, seeing a doll, caked in dirt. I glanced from the doll to Daryl. How the hell did he find that?

———
Published: 02/19/2024