ᴀɴɢᴜɪsʜ » ᴅᴀʀʏʟ ᴅɪxᴏɴ

{22} Step Closer.

"He's wearing ears!" Glenn exclaims.

Rick bites his bottom lip, winking his eyes towards the others who busted down the fields to see what the commotion was all about. Hershel stood just shy from the wooden fence, looking on. His white hair rustled in the cool wind. With his free hand, Rick reaches for the ear necklace and snatched the cheap shoelace from around Daryl's neck. Shoving it deep into his shirt pocket.

"Let's keep that to ourselves."

"Guys, ain't this Sophia's?" T-Dog calls out.

The group snaps their heads back at the bald man. He held what looked like a worn-out rag doll. The same rag doll Sophia cradled before Willow left her back at that creek.

***

"Maybe you should sit down, " Dale sat beside Jodie on the sofa in the Greene's living area. "Remember, your leg."

The aroma of food teased their nostrils. The last time any of them had a decent meal was back at the CDC. Edwin was gracious enough to open his fridge to his guest. Though, the end results only meant he didn't care.

While Hershel, Rick, and Shane worked on Daryl; Willow is forced to wait for any news. She paces back and forth in front of Jodie and Dale with Sophia's rag doll underneath her arms. The others went back to business, while they waited for any news.

The other woman continued with their cooking and preparations. Glenn and T-Dog went back to their chores. And every once a while, Willow will pass the window to see Andrea back on the RV.

She wanted to call out Andrea again with every glance. This outrages emotion made all the respect she held for Andrea fly right out the door. If Dale wasn't there to stop her from doing anything else, fist might have flown.

"Will, sit. There is no point in working yourself up like this, " Jodie pat the empty space next to her. With a sigh, Willow sat beside her sister with a frown.

"How can we just sit here?" Willow spoke swiftly, glaring down at the filthy rag doll.

"There isn't much we can do right now, " Dale admits, twisting his fishing hat between his hands. "Just about all our strong folks are down and everyone else is on edge after Daryl."

"Me and Glenn could go out. I mean, tomorrow we can go back to the highway. Check it out." Volunteers Jodie, tapping the end of her bat against her sneakers.

That's right. The highway still could be a chance. Sophia could have managed to make it back for all they knew. Willow wasn't totally against it. Jodie needed to go out and learn how to deal with the world without Willow holding her hand. It's a logical choice.

With a tray of three large glasses of lemonade, Carol shyly places the refreshments onto the table resting in the middle of the living area. Dale is the first to snatch up a glass, thanking Carol before taking a small sip. As Carol nods her head at Dale, her silver eyes fall onto Willow. The two women gaze at the other until Willow held out the doll.

"I'm sure Sophia will want it back once she is here, " Willow simply says.

The guilt for Sophia still sat on Willow's shoulders. At the end of the day, she couldn't blame anyone else but herself. If she had taken a different route, Sophia might be here now. Carol barely spoke to Willow since after the highway and Willow always kept her distance, but for how long can this go on?