SHATTERED | Daryl Dixon [ON HOLD]

5

I stepped out of the RV, beside Andrea to face the group. Rick wasn't there. Carol knelt by the barrier at the edge of the road, sobbing into her hands. "What happened?" I asked Andrea as we edged closer to the distraught looking group of people.

"Carol's daughter, Sophia, was chased into the woods by walkers. Rick went after her," She whispered. I watched as everyone other than Carol paced around anxiously, waiting for Rick to return.

"Jesus - what happened to you?" Glenn asked, appearing in front of me. I tilted my head, confused at his statement until he pointed to the blood coating my arms and face.

"Oh. A walker got into the RV," I explained.

"You didn't find her?" Carol gasped. We turned towards her to see Rick and Daryl on the other side of the railing, no Sophia in sight.

Rick shook his head slowly," Her trail went cold, we'll pick it up again at first light."

"You can't leave my daughter out there on her own to spend the night alone in the woods," She stepped closer to them, tears rolling down her red, puffy cheeks.

Daryl sighed, adjusting his crossbow strap which hung over his shoulder, "Out in the dark's no good. We'd just be tripping over ourselves. More people get lost." He justified. Carol shook her head in disbelief as she choked out a sob.

"Is that blood?" Carol pointed to Daryl and Rick's shirts and hands which were coated in thick, dark blood.

"We took down a walker," Rick explained, his response causing Carol's sobs to grow louder, "There was no sign it was anywhere near Sophia." He reassured.

Andrea stepped forward from beside me, "How can you know that?"

Daryl and Rick exchanged glances before answering, "We cut the son of a bitch open, made sure."

"Oh my God," Carol breathed, being brought into an embrace by Lori, "My little girl is alone in the woods."

* * * * *

We trudged through the woods, everyone minus T-dog and Dale being sent out to search for Sophia. I walked beside Andrea and Glenn, avoiding Cherry who trailed at the back alone. After about ten minutes, our walking was terminated as we reached a large tent in a small clearing. Daryl signalled to us to remain silent as Carol softly called out to her daughter, "Sophia, sweetie? It's okay, Mummy's here."

We waited. Silence.

Lori wrapped her arms around Carol as Daryl stormed into the tent with his crossbow loaded and raised. We waited again. After a few rustles in the tent, from Daryl most likely, he returned empty handed. "Just a couple of dead corpses," He shrugged, leading us further into the woods. I gripped my knife tightly in my hand as we walked, my first up close walker kill setting me on edge. The blood still clung to my hands, dry and crispy on my clothes and face. Like before, we were stopped in the middle of the forest; this time by Shane.