Amanda woke up the next morning as the sun began to rise. She rubbed her eyes, sighing softly as she climbed out of the sleeping bag. Most of the group was still asleep. Amanda grabbed her toothbrush and a water bottle and walked over to the railing and brushed her teeth. She looked at the woods before spitting out her toothpaste on the grass. She rinsed her mouth before walking back over to the group.
Carl was babbling on excitedly about a sheath full of weapons he found, "Carl!" Shane snapped, "Go take them to your mom. NOW!" Shane shouted at him as he cleaned out one of the cars.
Amanda looked at him in disbelief, "Shane, Carl is not your son. Don't ever talk to someone else's kid like that." Amanda said, feeling her heart race, "That's a really good find, Carl. Maybe one day i'll teach you how to use one of these." Amanda said, kneeling down, picking up a machete, "Lemme see your knife." Amanda said, watching as Carl handed her a dull pocket knife, "Let's trade you out, this one won't peel the skin off a soft apple." Amanda said, handing him a knife, "Make sure it's closed at all times, unless you're using it." Amanda said, folding the blade of the pocket knife into its handle, "push the side when you wanna pop the blade out." Amanda explained, "Keep the knife tucked in front of your shirt, so you can grab it faster." She explained, watching as Carl held the handle of the knife, carefully, "Thank you." Carl beamed, "My mom said you're the reason our family is falling apart." Carl said, mindlessly. Amanda laughed softly, "Tell your mom to leave children out of adult business." She smiled softly. She looked over at Lori, giving her a polite smile. Amanda stood back up, squeezing Carls shoulder before walking over to Daryl.
Daryl looked up at her, "We going out again?" he questioned. Amanda nodded, "Yeah, everyone. Except the weak, mothers and children. Carol comes, though. Dale won't leave his RV behind, so he can hang out and provide security of the area." Amanda said
"I'm coming too." Carl said, walking over to Amanda, "Sophia is my friend, I wanna help find her."
Amanda sucked on her teeth, "Ahhhh... That's not up to me, Carl." Amanda said, looking over at Lori and Rick.
Lori rolled her eyes, looking at Rick, "I can't always be the bad guy." she explained. Rick nodded, "alright, you can come." Rick smiled at Carl, "Stick by Amanda or I at all times." He warned him.
Carl laughed excitedly and hugged Amanda, "Thank you!" He beamed
Lori scoffed angrily, "That's not what I meant by me being the bad guy all the time." She said angrily at Rick.
"He's 12. He needs to know how to take care of himself." Rick said. Rick looked at the group, "Gather your items, We head out in 5." He said, walking over to the RV.
Amanda walked over to Shane's truck, grabbing her water and taking a sip. She looked as Rick came over and she smiled, offering him the bottle. Rick took a sip and leaned against the car, "I say we follow the track she was on yesterday." he said, "Daryl takes the lead. He calls the shots on this thing." He recommended.
Amanda nodded, "Sounds like a good plan to me." She said, smiling at him. She looked up as Daryl walked over, "Hey, are you okay with taking the lead?" She questioned, smiling as he nodded.
Amanda looked up and watched as Lori picked up a knife, examining it carefully. Lori glanced over at Amanda, "If my son is coming, so am i." she said. Amanda nodded, "no problem." She said, ignoring Lori's scowl.
The group took off into the woods, following Daryl's lead. Daryl stopped the group, pointing at a tent, "She could be in there." He said, "Carol, call out to her. The first voice she should hear is yours."
"Sophia? Honey? It's mommy." Carol said gently, "Are you in there?"
Amanda inhaled, "Daryl, open the zipper." Amanda said. She stood on the other side, holding her knife up. She dug her feet into the ground a little bit for more stability, in case anything came out.
Daryl opened the zipper, pulling up his crossbow to cover amanda.
Amanda inhaled sharply, holding her breath as she walked inside the tent.
Rick watched cautiously, perking up when he heard Amanda gag.
Amanda came out the tent, shaking her head, "Not her." She gasped out.
Daryl fanned her gently with his hand, "What was in there?" He asked
"Not sure. Something nasty. It smelled like burnt flesh and shit." Amanda said, "Whatever was in there, has been dead a while." She said, wiping her hands on her jeans, "Let's keep moving."
The group carried on until they heard bells chiming.
"That way!" Glenn yelled, running in the direction of the noise, "Could be her! Letting us know she's alive!" He said, running to the church.
Amanda stopped once they arrived, looking at Rick. She nodded as he stood behind her.
"You open, I go in." Rick said to her.
Amanda exhaled as she tried to jiggle the knob open, "it's locked." she whispered
Shane stepped up, kicking the door in. He held his gun up, "Sophia!" He shouted, looking around.
Daryl walked in, "walkers." He announced.
Amanda walked over to an older woman, sighing softly as she dug her knife into her skull. Amanda looked up as an arrow flew past her, into the eye of another walker. Amanda reached over the pew, grabbing the arrow and wiping it on her jeans before handing it back to Daryl. Daryl nodded a 'thank you' before watching Rick take down the final walker.
Glenn came back to the main area of the church, "No bells." He announced, "I don't know where that noise is coming from." He said as the bells went off again.
The group ran outside hearing the noise again. Carol let out a loud sob as she saw a speaker outside, on a timer.
Amanda inhaled sharply as she grabbed her gun, shooting the speaker to silence it.
Carol let out a heavy sob as she fell to her knees. She sat on the ground for a moment, "I'm gonna go inside." She sniffled, walking towards the church.
Amanda watched her walk away, "I don't think Carol should be out here anymore." Amanda whispered to Rick.
Rick leaned closer to Amanda, placing a hand on the small of her back, "What do you think we should do?" He whispered
"Split up. Shane, you and I keep going. Daryl takes the group back. I can track a little, you two would just provide support." Amanda mumbled, looking up at him, "You guys are cops and good at looking for clues."
Rick nodded, rubbing her back gently before looking over at Daryl, using his other hand to flag him down. Once Daryl came over, Rick told him the plan.
Daryl looked concerned at the idea of leaving amanda with rick and shane. He glanced down at her, "you okay with this?" he asked
Amanda nodded, "I'm okay. I don't trust anyone more than i trust you. You lead while we look. If we aren't back by tomorrow afternoon, take the group and start heading to Fort Benning." Amanda said
Daryl looked unsure but nodded, walking over to the group, "We're heading back. Too many bodies out here. Amanda and the cops are going to keep looking." he said
Carl shook his head, "I'm staying too. Three is an odd number, a fourth man can help keep watch." he bargained
Amanda exhaled deeply looking at Rick.
"No." Lori said firmly
"Mom, I'm not a kid, I'm going. Sophia is MY friend." Carl argued
Lori looked at Rick for backup but Rick just shook his head, "Alright, come on buddy." he said, ignoring Lori's death glares.
Amanda, Shane, Rick and Carl took off.
Amanda and Carl were leading, talking quietly. Carl was asking Amanda about her time in the army.
Amanda laughed softly, "I think my favorite quote i ever heard came from my drill sergeant. he would always bark at us 'you're either gonna be jacked or you're gonna be disciplined', he would always say that whenever we messed up. He would make us do push-ups and run laps
until he got tired of watching.I kinda carried that sentiment with me. Whenever i was upset or sad, i would go for runs. you don't have time to be sad when there's physical things going on." amanda explained, "that's how i got these mailman calves." amanda joked, flexing her legs
carl laughed, "i always wanted to join the army." he said, "it would be so cool being in a tank." he said, "the uniform is also so cool." he said
Rick watched Amanda and Carl with a smile on his face, his heart feeling full, knowing they got along
Amanda heard a crunch in the woods and she grabbed Carl, pulling him into her body as she looked around.
Rick pulled out his gun, looking around.
Carl gasped loudly, looking at the deer in front of him. He looked up at Amanda, who loosened her grip on his body. She slid her hands away from him, looking over at Rick.
Rick smiled softly, watching we Carl walked up to the deer. Carl extended his hand out, showing he meant no harm to the animal. He laughed softly, looking joyful.
It all happened within a single moment. One gunshot fired off, a bullet flying through the deer and into Carls abdomen.
Carl dropped to the floor, his eyes welling up as he wheezed loudly in pain. He fell to his knees, doubled over as he cried out for his dad.
"No. No!" Rick screamed loudly as he ran over to Carls side.
"Shane, find out where the fuck that bullet came from!" Amanda screamed as she ran over to Carls aid. Amanda lifted up Carls shirt, "Rick, back up!" Amanda screamed. She ripped the bottom of Carls shirt off, folding up the cloth and began packing the wound to try and stop the bleeding but it was too much.
Shane came over, dragging along an obese man with him. Shane threw him to the ground, "Look at what you did!" He screamed
The man cried, "I'm sorry! I was aiming for the deer! I have a farm up the road! A couple miles away! We can help him." The man said, pointing in the direction the man pointed, "Follow the path until you hit the stream. Keep going north and there will be an open field. A single house will be there. Tell them Otis sent you." The man panicked
Rick scooped up Carl and began running in the direction the man informed him to.
Amanda sprinted after Rick, leading the path as she shot walkers. After carrying Carl for two miles, Rick began to get tired but kept going. Amanda ran over, prying Carl from his arms, "Keep moving!" Amanda barked at him, carrying Carl as she ran into the open field.
Rick was on Amanda's trail as he ran behind her, holding onto his gun holster to stop it from bouncing against his hip.
Ananda ran up the long driveway and stopped when she saw a young woman, "A man named Otis sent us." Amanda breathed out
"He shot my son." Rick said, a heavy sob escaping his lips.
An older gentleman with white hair came out, "bring him in!" he shouted, opening the door for Amanda and Rick, "Patricia! Set up the room!" He said, "grab my hospital bag." he said, leading them into the bedroom
Amanda laid Carl down on the bed carefully, "I packed the wound, but it's there's too much blood." Amanda said
The old man nodded, "He may need a blood transfusion." He said
"I'm a universal donor." Amanda said quickly
"I have the same blood type as him." Rick said, looking over at Amanda
"Neither of you go far, I may need to operate." He said.
"Rick, we need to tell Lori." Amanda said
"My daughter can go." The man said, "Maggie!" he called, watching ad the young girl came inside
"We have a group of people on the highway. My wife's name is Lori Grimes. Tell her Carl was shot." Rick said. Rick watched as the woman ran off, going to the stable to get the horse.
Amanda sat down on the couch, her muscles screaming at her after carrying Carl.
"I shouldn't have let him come. Lori is never going to let me hear the end of it. All I'm ever going to hear from her for the rest of history is how horrible of a father i am." Rick said, sitting on the couch besides Amanda
"Stop it. Your kid is in there dying and you're thinking about Lori's negativity? Focus on Carl." Amanda said as she pulled Rick into her embrace
"Thank you. Thank you for helping me carry him. For packing his wound." Rick said, resting his head on her chest.
Amanda nodded, looking up as the older gentleman walked into the room.
"We need blood." The man said, looking at Amanda and Rick.
"I'll go, you stay here and talk to Lori when she comes." Amanda said softly as she stroked Ricks cheek before walking after the older man.
After about 30 minutes, Rick walked into the room with Lori. Amanda was asleep on a chair, a needle in her arm for the transfusion. Amanda was pale and looked weak.
"She's given a lot of blood. I keep telling her to switch out with you, but she didn't want to disturb you." The man said. He shook Lori's hand, "Names Hershel." He said
"How lucky are we that a doctor is here?" Lori praised him
"I'm a vet." Hershel said awkwardly
"A veteran?" Lori asked
"Veterinarian..." Hershel said
Lori looked at Rick in disbelief, "you are unbelievable." She said angrily.
"Shane and Otis went to a local high school that served as a refugee center. They went to get supplies for a surgery, If they don't return soon, Carl may die without this operation." Hershel spoke, "But... If i do this operation without the necessary supplies, he has a low chance of survival."
"So basically no matter what, Carl might die?" Lori laughed in disbelief, "Maybe this is all for a reason. At the CDC, we should've all just opted out like Jacqui." Lori said, "Maybe this is the sign we need. A sign that Carl doesn't need to grow up in a cold world like this." Lori said
Rick looked at Lori in disgust, "How could you even believe that? How could you say that about our son?" He whispered
Amanda had woken up and was watching Rick and Lori. Amanda was looking at Lori with a horrified look, "Oh my god, who says that about their child?" Amanda spoke in a hoarse voice
Rick looked over, "You look like shit." Rick admitted, walking over to Amanda's side
Amanda laughed softly, watching as Hershel pulled out the needle. Amanda held onto the sides of the chair for stability. Amanda inhaled as her knees buckled.
Rick caught Amanda, "Let's get you on the couch." He said softly as he scooped her up, carrying her towards the living room. Rick looked back at Carl as he walked out, causing Amanda to bump her head on the wall. Rick looked down at her sheepishly, "Sorry." He said
"It's okay. Just salt on the wound." Amanda laughed softly as Rick laid her down on the couch.
Patricia came over, handing Amanda a plate with a sandwich, apple slices and milk, "you need your strength." She said
Amanda thanked her, watching her walk away. Amanda pushed the food towards Rick, "I can't eat." She said softly as she closed her eyes.
"At least drink the milk." Rick encouraged
"I'll poop my pants." Amanda said, half asleep
"You can't have dairy? Might be a deal breaker between us." Rick sighed
Amanda laughed as she kept her eyes closed. She smiled as she felt Rick lift her head up and place it on his lap.
Rick stroked her hair soothingly, watching as Glenn and T-Dog walked in. T-Dog followed Patricia into the kitchen so she could stitch him up.
"Carl got shot?" Glenn asked Rick in disbelief
"Yeah. He was admiring a deer. Hunting accident." Rick said, "I carried him two miles and amanda carried him a mile and a half. we sprinted here, some man named hershel is taking care of him." Rick sighed softly
Hershel came into the living room as Shane limped inside. Shane dropped the bags on the floor.
"Otis?" Hershel asked quietly
Shane shook his head
"Nobody tell Patricia until after the surgery. I need her." Hershel said, taking the bags and walking into Carls room. Hershel and Patricia began the operation on Carl.
Lori walked out of the living room and went over to Shane, "what happened out there?" She whispered
"We got stuff to save Carl. That's all that matters. Carls safe. I told you, I would do whatever I need to do to keep y'all safe." Shane said, looking at Lori with cold eyes. Shane and Lori were still intimate together, but just hid their affection for each other better than Amanda and Rick.
Shane and Lori looked over at Rick and Amanda.
Amanda was sound asleep, her head on Ricks lap. Rick was stroking her hair, talking to Glenn quietly.
Everyone was quiet as the night went on, waiting in anticipation for the results of Carls surgery.