❛ YOU PROMISED. ❜
07. Sophia...
SEASON 02 EPISODE 01
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One hundred twenty five miles— that's what lies ahead. It was hard to not lose faith, to lose hope. I could do it, I did it once and I could just as easily do it again. I wouldn't, not for the people I love, for the person that saved my life and now took care of me. Glenn was my family and now that I have searched the deeper definition of it, there was nothing that would make me turn against him. I was willing to lay down my life for him, to do anything for him, I owed him that much.
I wasn't willing to turn my back on him, not again.
"Kendall." Glenn called for me, my eyes snapping away from my journal to give him my focus. The man gestured for me to come here and I did as I was told.
"Glenn. I don't want to do it." I groaned, shaking my head at him. "The world has ended and you guys want me to learn."
"You learned how to kill, now learn how to read and write better."
"I can write!" I gasped in hurt. "I write in my journal everyday."
"Yeah, I've seen the way you write, you could do better." Glenn laughed, causing me to raise a fist and slam it into his arm.
"Get me a high school level book and I'll read."
"Geez." Dale says, catching our attention. "Aw no." He slowed the van to a stop.
A highway, filled with cars. Many were flipped over, all were opened and the problem was that they were all in the way, no way through for us at the moment. It was like a highway filled with supplies, with things we probably needed and didn't know at the moment.
"Uh, maybe we should just go back." Glenn looked down at the map. "There's an interstate bypass—"
"We can't spare the fuel." Dale cut him off, watching Daryl zoom through the cars ahead.
We were slowly maneuvering our way through but it wouldn't last long. There were far too many cars and the van was too huge. Each of us looked around, staring into the distance and into the cars beside us and before we could say anything about getting through all the guys— just as I predicted— it didn't last long. The engine blew and a screeching sound filled the van as it stopped.
"I said it." Dale exasperated, jumping out of the van. "Didn't I say it. A thousand times. Dead in the water."
"Problem, Dale?" Rick asks.
"Just a small matter of being stuck in the middle of nowhere with no hope of— okay, that was dumb." He cut himself off, searching around our area.
"If you can't find a radiator hose here..." Shane trailed off.
"There's a whole bunch of stuff we can find."
"I can siphon more fuel from these cars for a start."
"Maybe some water."
"Or food."
"This is a graveyard." Lori dumped on us, not a hint of optimism in her voice. "I don't know how I feel about this."
"Well, let's not feel anything. There are supplies we need in these cars and we can search through them and get the hell out of here." That statement alone got me a slap on the shoulder, a hiss passing my lips on impact.
Everyone had parted away from each other, searching and rifling through the closest cars. It may have been a graveyard but it was the most packed-of-supplies graveyard I have ever seen.
"Kids don't look." Lori says, pushing us forward to stop us from looking inside the car where a dead body resided.
I looked through cars on the way, just poking my head in to see if there was anything good in them. A few more tapes, clothes, jewelry, food... it may not be everything but I still filled a bag full of anything I wanted. I made sure to stay in sight of the two women— as they ordered me to— when separating from them.
At some point, it was just useless things being shoved in my bag— non-necessities.
"Yes, more Michael Jackson." I say under my breath, punching the air in excitement.
"Carl, Sophia, Kendall, get down now!" Ricks voice whispered, rushingly; and because I was panicking, I grab the hand closest to mine and slide under the car right beside me. I ended up with Sophia.
Our deep and terrified breaths grew quicker when the sound of walkers became louder. Their footsteps passing by us and out of fear we scoot closer to one another— making sure we were not seen at all. Her hand tightened, if possible, and a whimper left her lips in the process.
Tears began to blur the young girls eyes and I covered her mouth once her crying got a bit too loud for my taste. It was too dangerous to let any sound escape either one of us. Her eyes lock with mine before she raises her available hand to wipe her tears, wrapping that same hand around her dolly. Her crying causes a bile to rise in my throat, tears burning my lids and blurring my vision.
Seconds after the sound of shuffled feet and groans stopped, the two of us searching around and trying to see if there were more. Sophia nodded at me, the two of us shuffling from under the cars only to be met with the feet of another walker. I let out a panicked gasp, pushing her out from the other side when it bent down to get us. I screamed as it swung its hand at me, the blonde behind me screaming as well.
"Come on, Sophia!" I shout, a sob racking through my body.
We finally got from under the car, crawling under the railing beside it as we were met with another walker. I grabbed onto the girls hand again, pulling her down the hill and running into the forest as the monsters chased us.
Sophia and I got split up. I was too quick for her and she was too slow for me. Her hand slipped from mine as she went a different direction, I didn't even notice but when I turned around and nobody was there, a frown deepened on my lips and I kept running.
I didn't wanna get caught by anything hiding in the woods.
The sound of leaves and grass cracking underneath me made me whimper, the sound of distant growling not too far behind. I pulled my other bag strap over my shoulder, my headphones bouncing against my neck as I tried to push my legs to run faster. I paused my steps, listening to the steps that only grow closer. I picked up the hugest and heaviest thing closest to me, which happened to be a rock, before throwing it in the opposite direction.
I lean against a tree, softening my ragged breathing after the walker made itself known. It looks around, sniffing the air before passing by me and heading in the direction of the noise I made.
I couldn't do this on my own, I didn't want to do this on my own; not again. I needed a backbone, someone to help and convince me to live. I didn't want to die alone.
Dead leaves crunch underneath the soles of my shoes and my back bounces against my back, causing me to slow my steps into a walk so that any of the passerby's couldn't hear me. I make sure to keep aware of my surroundings, keeping my eyes and ears open and paying attention to anything out to get me.
It was growing darker by the minute, the sun falling from its axis and spinning to the other side of the world. I pray there were no walkers around, killing would not make me feel better, it was only going to make me realize just how alone I was at the moment.
The only thing I can do is hope. Hope they were searching for me, hope Sophia is still alive and well, hope I stay alive and well.
At some point I thought it'd be pretty useless trying to get back to the highway. It wasn't because I didn't want to, it was because there was no way for me to find my way out of these woods.
I didn't like being alone, maybe it was trauma or a fear, but being alone shook me to my core. It was part of the reason why I was talking to my dead nanny through a locked door in an abandoned store in Atlanta. It wasn't great being alone during a time like this— especially since the dead were walking among us and eating us alive, it wasn't a good idea to be alone... ever.
A clearing came into my sights, almost the luckiest thing that has happened today. A farmhouse a little far in the distance, but close enough to make me wanna scream out for anyone there. A large smile tilted on my lips as I rushed toward the home, the view of woman walking in front of the house and talking to one another making my heart burst with relief and joy.
I ran through the field, swiping my hands against the long grass— possible wheat, trying to get to them quick enough. As soon as I reached the fence, the two women looked over at me, a look of shock spreading across their expressions. I noticed how crazy I could possibly look, my hands gripping the top of the fence and my eyes wide, just like the smile on my lips.
"Uh, excuse me!" I shout, climbing over it slowly trying not to scare them as much as I am now. "I— I need help."
"I'm sorry but you need to turn around and leave." One of the women spoke, grabbing the brunette by her arm and stepping back.
"I just need help finding my way back to the highway." I spoke softly, fiddling with my fingers.
"You mean that deathtrap?" The brunette questioned, raising a brow.
"Yes, the deathtrap. I lost my way and got separated from my group, I just need help back and I'll be out of your hair."
"Your name?"
"Kendall."
"Maggie; how about you come in and sit down, we'll get you fed and send you off to your group in the morning, is that alright?"
"I don't know."
"It's about to be nightfall and you don't want to be out there and become walker bait, now do you?"
"I'll come in." I spoke awfully fast, trailing behind the women as they led me in the house.
It was quiet and awkward, it didn't take a genius to figure out how uncomfortable they were with my arrival— especially the head of the house, Hershel. He wasn't so hellbent on me being here, if anything it seemed to me that he wanted me to leave first thing the morning.
I understood him, I didn't fight with him or get upset with his shade or questions. I was a stranger who so happened to stumble upon their farm— a timid and almost harmless little girl that lost her group in the woods. If I was on the other side of the table listening to my story, I'd call bullshit as well. Hershel was protective of his family and it was something that I honored and respected; and I did nothing to upset him, nothing that disrespected or ticked him off.
All I did was listen, listen to them laugh and joke with one another; converse and chat, it was something I haven't gotten used to. It made me realize how much I missed my group, and just that thought brought me into a world of darkness, my conversations and laughs ending along with it.
The brunette woman from earlier, Maggie, had brought me clothes— that were far too big for me— to sleep in, a wave of comfiness crowding over me once my back hit the couch. It was nice to finally sleep on something that was warm and comfortable, something that would help me go to sleep a bit quicker.
Albeit, I was a safe and as comfortable as one could be during an apocalypse, there was no way that I'd be getting sleep any time soon tonight. My mind was on my group, hoping that they were as safe as me, that they haven't given up on me either. As my mind raced, I stared up at the ceiling with my eyebrows pinching together and my lips pursed.
I just hoped they weren't dead.