The Fallen Angel and The Girl Next Door

The deer and the gunshot

A thud sounded throughout the otherwise silent highway as Rick placed the arsenal on a car.

"Everyone takes a weapon."

Andrea scoffed. "These aren't the type of weapons we need!" This received an eye roll from Izzy.

"Say that when you run out of bullets," the brunette muttered from besides Daryl. If the situation was different, he would have laughed. Instead, all he let out was a silent snort.

Izzy smirked at Carl as he managed to convince the adults to let him tag along. "Don't worry, 'mister, I'll make a man out of you."

Carl looked up at the flannel wearing brunette with a suspicious look in his eyes. "Did you just quote Mulan?"

Izzy let out a laugh before pulling a serious face. "It's a secret I'll take to my grave." Once again, Daryl, Rick, and Izzy lead the search. Izzy glanced back and narrowed her eyes as Shane shot down Carl. Then she refocused on the task at hand: finding Sophia.

The group crouched as they got near a tent. Daryl, as per usual, approached first with Izzy right on his tail. Carol called out softly as Daryl pulled back the tent door and both he and Izzy let out a cough. The person in the tent had been dead for quite some time.

"The person did what Jenner said. Opted out." As Daryl finished talking, the ringing of a church bell attracted the groups attention and off they went.

The entire group was running now. Rick. Then Shane. Then Izzy. They all pulled to a stop in front of red church doors. One, two, three! Daryl and Rick opened the door revealing three walkers. Rick and Shane claimed the two men, whilst Izzy stabbed the woman through an eye.

"Yo, JC, you taking requests?" Daryl started and Izzy finished with "we've got one to make." After they shut off the bells, Izzy settled on the steps outside of the church. She didn't feel like she deserved to be in there. Not yet, anyways.

"Ok, y'all are going to follow the creek bed back. Daryl, you're in charge. Rick and I...we're going to search this end a little more."

Izzy stood up as Shane spoke. Shane was all kinds of pent up crazy that was just waiting to be let loose, she could feel it in her gut. "I want to stay, too, if that's alright." Shane's brown eyes bore into Izzy's, but she barely shifted.

"You sure?" Daryl questions but he already knew that he couldn't stop Izzy even if he tried.

"Yeah, I'm sure." Daryl nodded slightly as if to say 'ok.'

"Ok. Anyone else?"

"I want to come too!" Izzy, Shane, and Rick all glanced at each other before glancing at the ground. Carl wasn't Shane or Izzy's, they had no say. And Rick? He feared an angry wife.

"Ok, just be careful," Lori cautiously warns.

"I will Mom!" As Rick headed back inside the church, Izzy started to interrogate Carl.

"Ok, favorite Disney movie." Carl glanced at her.

"What?"

Izzy let out an exasperated huff. "Oh, come on, you obviously have watched enough Disney to understand a reference I allegedly made. Now answer the question."

Carl thought for a moment, maybe two before answering. "I liked The Emperor's New Grove and Meet the Robinsons, but I guess Mulan's pretty cool too."

Izzy let out a fake offended gasp. "You guess?"

Before the Disney themed discussion could continue, Rick walked out of the church. Rick lead the way and Shane was in the back. This left Carl and Izzy side by side, their earlier conversation dropped.

As a twig snapped, all four of them got ready for a fight, only to be greeted by a deer. Carl approached it slowly and Izzy followed closely behind. The boy obviously had great taste in movies, and she wasn't done with their earlier discussion. She wanted Carl alive so that they could finish it.

It had all happened so fast. One second, Izzy was approaching a deer. The next, she was pushing Carl out of the way of a bullet.