The Great War -.r.g

Act 2 - Highway - Chapter 14

Shane and Rick advanced forward with Daryl, scoping out the tent for any sign of life. They were careful to be as quiet as possible, not wanting to startle Sophia if she was indeed in there or get any more Walkers on their trail.

"Carol," Rick called quietly, Carol looked up on him with glossy eyes. She rushed to his side, as fast as she could. "Call softly, if she's in there, yours is the first voice she hear."

"Sophia, sweetie? Are you in there? Sophia, it's Mommy," she crouched down lower as she spoke,
"Sophia, we're all here, baby. It's Mommy."

Nothing.

Daryl seized the zip of the tent and slowly pulled it down, he had a knife held in the other hand - just in case it was necessary. Rick and Shane stuck close to him, guns held tightly between their hands.

When the tent was opened, Daryl turned away coughing, using his forearm as a shield for whatever foul odour was infiltrating his nasal passage. It must've smelt truly awful for Daryl to be affected by it.

Daryl wandered inside and the flap closed over behind him, concealing him from the group's vision. Ten seconds passed, then twenty, thirty - sixty. He hadn't offered a single response and it was putting everybody on edge.

"Daryl?" Lori called in concern, taking a cautious step forward. "D-"

Daryl stuck his head out of the tent first, and then his body followed. "It ain't her."

"What's in there?" Andrea queried, craning her neck in an attempt to steal a glimpse.

"Some guy," Daryl said, slinging his crossbow over his shoulders.
"Did what Jenner said 'opted out', ain't what he called it?"

The distinct chiming of church bells reverberated through the seemingly endless woods, Lana turned around on that sound. Deep down she knew that this wasn't Sophia who was ringing the bell.
But hope was still there.

Rick stopped his track, he couldn't believe that this was maybe their chance to get Sophia back.
His brain stopped working as he broke into a sudden sprint that everyone else followed.

"What direction?" Shane asked out of breath.
Rick jabbed a finger North. "I think that way. I'm pretty sure."

Carol let out a hopeful laugh while her eyes were tearing up with hope.
"If we hear them, maybe does Sophia too."

"Someone is ringing those bells," Glenn stated, his eyes showed worries.
"Maybe calling others."

Rick breath in, not wanting to hear anything else but that Sophia was ringing these bells.
"Or Sophia could be ringing them herself. Come On."

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The church wasn't empty when they found it.
A few walkers were sitting on the benches. From behind it looked like they weren't dead, just sitting there in piece.
But when they turned around, nobody could deny that they were anything but at piece.
The walkers didn't wasted a second to stand up, and opening their mouths, groaning for their next meal.

Lana spanned her bow, and shot a walker. When she looked around, for a new walker to kill Lana stopped spanning her bow for a second.
The walker was a woman, a woman in a wedding dress.
It wasn't white anymore, it was more bloody and all over with dirt.
The Dixon girl let out a sigh, as she spanned her bow again. And now shot the walker right in the head.
The walker felled on the ground, Lana saw how Rick, Shane and Glenn fought Walkers too.
Daryl stood in the doorframe and shot also a walker with his crossbow.

"There's no steeple!" Shane's voice sounded panicking, and full with frustration.
Lana's eyes widen, as the bells started up again.
They ran out to see who was ringing the bells, hopefully Sophia.
They came in a sudden, disappointed halt.
It wasn't Sophia who was ringing the bells, no it was a sound system that emitted the sound of ringing bells through a speaker and it was on a timer, one that had more than likely been set before everything went downhill.

It was almost night again, hope fell with every minute.

They didn't knew if they'd ever find Sophia again.

Maybe it was too late, maybe she already turned or maybe some people took her in their group in.

Maybe they will never find out what happened to her...

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I'm so sorry that I updated the last chapter so often😭

But I didn't had time to over - write it
(this one also not :/)

Love y'all<3

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