"Where's my gun?" Andrea questioned, "You have no right to take it."
"You don't need that just now, do you?" Dale argued as Andrea stepped forward.
"My father gave it to me." Andrea said, "It's mine."
"I can hold onto it for you." Dale replied.
"Or you can give it back to me." Andrea responded upset.
"Everything cool?" Shane strolled up noticing the debate between them.
"No, I want my gun back." Andrea held out her hand angrily. Shane could tell she wasn't in the right headspace as he stood next to Dale.
"I don't think it's a good idea right now."
"Why not?" Andrea snapped.
"I'm not comfortable with it." Shane said and Andrea scoffed, "The truth is, less guns we have floating around camp the better."
"You turning over your weapon?" Andrea responded as Shane chuckled.
"No. But I'm trained in its use." He said, "That's what the rest of y'all need is proper training. But until that time I think it's best if Dale keeps them all accounted for."
Andrea scoffed again shaking her head, "Uh-huh."
"Mind telling me what that's about?-"
"Oh God, they're back. You didn't find her?"
"Their 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." Carol was visibly upset as Lori held her.
"Out in the dark's no good." Shane told them, "We'd just be tripping over ourselves. More people get lost."
"But she's 12." Carol replied, "She can't be out there on her own."
"-And Indigo is eight." Rick replied, "As long as they're together, they have a better chance of finding their way back."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Indigos P.O.V.
"Sophia, slow down." Indigo whimpered out of breath.
"W-we...we're lost..." Sophia stuttered as Indigo slipped her hand into hers. She looked down guiltily, she shouldn't have moved from the cave. Indigo bit her lip trying to find something to say.
"Uh...um, it's okay." Indigo pulled her along, "we just have to keep the sun on our...left shoulder." The two girls trudged through the woods as the sun began to slip from their sight.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ricks P.O.V
"We took down a walker." Rick said finally.
"Walker? Oh my God."
"There was no sign it was ever anywhere near the kids." He said relieved himself.
"How can you know that?" Andrea asked. Daryl held up the bloody knife.
"We cut the son of a bitch open, made sure."
"Oh God. How could you just leave them out there to begin with?" Carol choked over her tears, "How could you just leave them?"
"Those two walkers were on us." Rick said guiltily, "I had to draw them off. It was their best chance."
"Sounds like he didn't have a choice, Carol."
"How was an eight and twelve year old supposed to find their way back on their own?" Carol whimpered, "They're just children. Just children."
Rick looked away, "It was my only option. The only choice I could make."
"I'm sure nobody doubts that."
"My little girl got left in the woods." Carol snapped, "Indigo was left in the woods."
Rick eyed the devastated woman. He wiped his forehead walking away, "We'll go straight back out in the morning."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Indigos P.O.V.
Indigo sat next to the older girl who was clearly distressed. The small girl felt her heart race at every sound that echoed throughout the forest. She was paranoid and wished every second that Rick, Daryl or Glenn were here with her and Sophia. Indigo stood up shakily hearing a walker stumble towards them growling.
"Monster..." She mumbled, "Sophia, we gotta go!" The older girl jumped up as they ran through the forest scared.
"Ow!" Sophia yelled out as she fell to the ground with a heavy thump. Indigo stopped turning around to see the walker close in on her friend. She grabbed a thick stick shakily running back. Sophia screamed as the walker growled over her.
"Get away from her stupid!" Indigo screamed smacking the walker across its head. It's attention turned towards her as it snapped its jaws violently. Sophia managed to crawl away as Indigo pulled her arm roughly, "Run, Sophia!"
The walker managed to grab Indigo by her foot tripping the small girl. She clawed at the ground trying to get away screaming in fear, her arms were muddy and exhausted from fighting off the walker. Sophia came back into sight however kicking it off of her just before the walker could take a bite out of her. The two girls ran through the woods clumsily as walkers came from around them. Indigo turned to a sharp left avoiding a walker which had its arm ripped off and it's organs dangling outside of its stomach. Before she knew it, she couldn't see Sophia anywhere. She began to cry uncontrollably as she did the only thing she could do to get away, she climbed a tree. She was alone.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Andrea, I'm begging you." Dale whispered defeated, "Don't put me in this position."
"I'm not going out there without my gun." Andrea replied.
"I'll even say please." Dale grabbed her arm, "I'm doing this for you."
Andrea pulled away from him angrily, "No, Dale, you're doing it for you. You need to stop. What do you think's gonna happen? I'm gonna stick it in my mouth and pull the trigger the moment you hand it to me?"
"I know you're angry at me. That much is clear." Dale said, his voice low, "But if I hadn't done what I did, you'd be dead now."
Andrea gestured towards him aggressively, "Jenner gave us an option. I chose to stay."
"You chose suicide." Dale replied his voice rough.
She shrugged upset, "So what's that to you? You barely know me."
"I know Amy's death devastated you." Dale told her softly but Andrea wasn't having it.
"Keep her out of this. This is not about Amy." She snapped, "This is about us. And if I decided that I had nothing left to live for, who the hell are you to tell me otherwise? To force my hand like that?"
"I saved your life." Dale yelled. Her hand travelled across her exhausted face sighing.
"No, Dale. I saved yours. You forced that on me." She responded aggravated, "I didn't want your blood on my hand, let alone Indigos, and that is the only reason I left that building. What did you expect? What, I'd have some kind of epiphany? Some life-affirming catharsis?"
"Maybe just a little gratitude." Dale said, his thick eyebrows expressing his anger.
"Gratitude? I wanted to die my way, not torn apart by drooling freaks. That was my choice. You took that away from me, Dale. You and that little girl, had no right." Andrea mumbled visibly upset now, "But-- But you know better? All I wanted after my sister died was to get out of this endless horrific nightmare we live every day. I wasn't hurting anyone else. You took my choice away, Dale. And you expect gratitude? I don't know what to say. I'm not your little girl. I'm not your wife. And I am sure as hell not your problem. That's all there is to say."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Indigos P.O.V.
Indigo buried her face into her knees as she readjusted her grip on one of the branches she was hauled up in. It was cold and she had lost track on how long she had been up there for. Walkers growled violently beneath her as she whimpered in fear.
"Please find me..." She whispered looking up through the branches. Stars twinkled like a blanket across the sky. It was a full moon tonight so thankfully she had light.
She had never gone a night without Bear, however. Indigo hugged herself anxiously trying to at least pretend that her stuffed bear was here. She hoped that Sophia was okay wondering where she had gone, she blamed herself for not being brave enough. Her eyes drifted closed softly, her arms and legs beginning to relax, she was so exhausted and before she knew it, she was asleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Shane, look. Dad said I could carry it and mom said as long as I was--"
"Keep it down." Shane told the boy, "We're looking for Sophia and Indi. You need to focus on the task. Got to keep up."
"I am." Carl replied, his lip quivering moving back towards Lori who looked at him in concern.
"You okay?" She questioned.
"I think Shane's mad at me." Carl mumbled looking up at her, sadness filling his eyes, "Did I do something wrong?"
"No. No, honey, I promise you." Lori hugged her son eyeing Shane, anger in her eyes, "He's just--he's worried about Sophia and Indigo, that's all."
Rick lifted his handgun as an old tent caught their attention. Shane moved forward near it but just enough that a Walker couldn't catch him off guard.
"They could be in there." He said as Rick cocked his gun.
"Could be a whole bunch of things in there." Daryl muttered.
"Carol. Call out softly. If your daughters in there, yours is the first voice she should hear." Shane said, "Indi will follow."
Carol stepped forward in all hopes that her blonde little girl would come out of that tent, "Sophia, sweetie, are you in there? Sophia, it's mommy. Sophia. We're all here, baby. It's mommy." Silence was all that responded as Daryl moved forward quietly unzipping the tent open slowly. He gagged and coughed placing his hand over his face.
"Daryl? Daryl?"
"It ain't them." Daryl choked out as they all sighed in relief.
"What's in there?" Rick asked.
"Some guy." Daryl responded, "Did what Jenner said. Opted out." The group stared at him as he shrugged, "Ain't that what he called it?"
The sound of church bells ringing caught them off guard as they all tried to figure out which direction they were coming from.
"What direction?"
"I think that way. I'm pretty sure."
"Damn, it's hard to tell out here."
"If we heard them, maybe Sophia and Indigo did too." Rick stated aloud as they all turned towards the noise each time it rung.
"Someone's ringing those bells, maybe calling others."
"Or signaling they found her."
"She could be ringing them herself."
The group made their way across the woods moving at a fast speed both aware and in high hopes that the kids would be within distance. A small white church greeted them as it rung aloud across a small quiet field. They searched around the building both in out confused.
"That can't be it." Shane said, "Got no steeple, no bells."
"Yo, J.C., you taking requests?"
"Sophia!" Carol called out.
"Indigo?" Carl yelled looking into the church. He was worried about her and Sophia.
"I'm telling you, it's the wrong church." Shane said, "It's got no steeple, Rick. There's no steeple."
The bells of the church rung out again as they all made their way around the church only for it to stop again. Rick paused in thought.
"A timer."
They all looked at him.
"It's on a timer." He repeated
"I'm gonna go back in for a bit." Carol said quietly.
Lori walked up to Shane who was trying to figure out the church. He instantly tried to give her the cold shoulder, "Are you really leaving?"
Shane sighed turning towards her, "Don't you think it's best for all of us?"
"I think it is." Lori said, "What made you decide?"
"Gotta back away." Shane responded, his eyes narrowing to the ground, "Just trying to be the good guy here, Lori, even if you don't see it. None of this was intended. I hope you know that."
"Well, don't matter." Lori replied crossing her arms.
"As long as I said it." Shane muttered.
"You're just gonna disappear?" Lori shook her head, "You're not even gonna tell Rick?"
"He'd only try to stop me." Shane stated.
"No, that's on you." Lori said.
"You tell him what you want." Shane snapped, "Or tell him nothing at all. You're his wife."
Lori eyed the lonely boy, "And Carl? We dragged him into this."
"I love Carl." Shane whispered angrily. Lori placed her hands on her hips.
"He thinks you hate him."
"I'm trying to put some distance. I'm trying to make this easier. This ain't easy on any of us, least of all me. I'm the one who loses you.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Carol kneeled down as she looked up towards the statue of the church,
"Father, forgive me. I don't deserve your mercy. I prayed for safe passage from Atlanta and you provided. I prayed for Ed to be punished for laying his hands on me and for looking at his own daughter with whatever sickness was growing in his soul. I prayed you'd put a stop to it, give me a chance to raise her right, help her not make my mistakes." Carol cried uncontrollably going quiet, "She's so fearful. She's so young in her way. She hasn't had a chance. Praying for Ed's death was a sin. Please, don't let this be my punishment. Let her be safe, alive and safe. Please, lord. Punish me however you want, but show mercy on her. Show mercy on Ricks little girl. They have been through so much, please don't take them from us."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I'm coming with you." Andrea leaned against the door way crossing her arms. Shane turned his attention towards the woman.
"I don't know what the hell you're talking about."
"I'm not stupid and I'm certainly not deaf." She stated moving towards him, "Look, I don't know the story."
"There is no story." Shane responded. Andrea shrugged.
"Fine, I don't care. "
"Don't confuse me with someone who does." Shane muttered.
"Look, all I care about is getting out of here as far away as I can, like you."
"We're gonna sail off into the sunset together?" He told her sarcastically, "We gonna hold hands?"
"I'm not asking you to go steady, Shane." Andrea rolled her eyes, "I'm asking for a ride, a chance to start over somewhere else. You observe this group lately? I have. I see two people who don't belong. We're the odd men out. Between the two of us, we make a great third wheel."
"So what? Say we do, we just run off." Shane replied, "What's in it for me except for the extra ass I got to cover?"
"The chance to do something for someone else."
"Yeah. And a door that swings both ways."
"Put a gun in my hand, I'll cover your ass too." Andrea responds annoyed by the man. Shane scoffs as she sighs, "Think it over."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rick rubbed his forehead in frustration as Shane waled up to him.
"Got to move here, man. These people are spent." Shane told him, "There's only so many hours of daylight left. We still got a long way back."
"I can't stop yet." Rick stated, "We still got a lot of ground to cover, whole other side of the Creek Bed."
"So we search that on the way back." Shane responded, "They would have heard those church bells. They could be nearby."
"They could be a lot of things." Tears threatened to escape Ricks eyes as he looked up at Shane, "I can't go back. Her being out here is my fault."
"That's great." He sighed, "Now they got you doubting yourself, huh?"
"What about you? You doubt me?" Rick questioned.
"Hey, we can assign all kinds of blame."
"This means something, finding them."
"Oh man. It would be the miracle we need."
"We can't give up." Rick tells him as Shane sighs, "I made a promise to that little girl that I would never leave her." Shane nods softly holding out his hand as Rick takes it. They make their way back, the group waiting for them at the front doors of the church.
"Y'all gonna follow the Creek Bed back, okay? Daryl, you're in charge." Shane states, "Me and Rick, we're just gonna hang back, search this area another hour or so just to be thorough."
"You're splitting us up." He states, "You sure?"
"Yeah, we'll catch up to you." Shane replies eyeing Carl who moved towards Rick.
He grabbed his fathers hand, "I want to stay too. I'm her friend."
"Just be careful, okay?" Lori placed a hand on her sons head smiling.
"I will." He replied.
"When did you start growing up?" Rick chuckled.
Rick kissed his wife's cheek, "I'll be along soon enough." He passed her a gun as she took it, "Here, take this. Remember how to use it?"
"I'm not taking your gun and leaving you unarmed." Lori told him.
"Here, got a spare. Take it."
"Come on. I don't know if you're looking at me with what?" Rick sighed, "Sadness? Scorn? Pity? Love?"
"Maybe it's just indifference."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ricks P.O.V.
Rick looked up at the statue quietly bending down on his knees. He placed his face in between his arms.
"I guess you already know I'm not much of a believer. I guess I just chose to put my faith elsewhere. My family, mostly. My friends. My job. The thing is, we-- I could use a little something to help keep us going. Some kind of...acknowledgment. Some indication I'm doing the right thing. You don't know how hard that is to know. Well, maybe you do. Hey look, I don't need all the answers. Just a little nudge. A sign. Any sign will do.
"Get what you needed?"
"Guess I'll find out."
Rick took one last glance back up at the statue who stared back into his soul. He nodded softly walking back out of the doors of the church.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Carol threw her hands in the air, "So this is it? This the whole plan?" They watched the trio disappear from view as Daryl shrugged.
"I guess the plan is to whittle us down into smaller and smaller groups." Daryl stated staring at his knife, "Carrying knives and pointy sticks."
"I see you have a gun." Andrea muttered as Lori turned towards her in disbelief.
"Why, you want it?" She snapped pushing it towards Andrea, "Here, take it. I'm sick of the looks you're giving me." She turned to the entire group, "All of you." Lori peered towards Carol, "Honey, I can't imagine what you're going through. And I would do anything to stop it. But you have got to stop blaming Rick. It is in your face every time you look at him. When Sophia and Indigo ran he didn't hesitate, did he? Not for a second. I don't know that any of us would have gone after her the way he did or made the hard decisions that he had to make or that anybody could have done it any differently. Anybody? Y'all look to him and then you blame him when he's not perfect. If you think you can do this without him, go right ahead. Nobody is stopping you."
Before anyone could respond, a shot rang out from a distance as Lori froze in her place, "Oh...oh god."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Indigos P.O.V.
The small girls feet threatened to fail on her as she wiped her exhausted eyes. Thankfully, the walkers decided she wasn't worth their time any longer and had gone somewhere else. She decided that finding her own way back was her only chance now. She couldn't sit there any longer feeling sorry for herself. As she moved through the thick woods she grew more and more tired from the scorching heat of the sun when she all of a sudden heard voices.
"Is anybody there?" She whimpered, her voice quiet. Twigs snapped from nearby as she followed the noise.
"We should keep moving."
Indigo felt her heart beat at that. Someone was nearby, she was sure of it. Her boots crunched beneath the leaves as she got closer and closer to whatever it was. As she pushed her way through thick branches she was greeted by the most beautiful animal she had ever seen, it was a deer. Her eyes seemed to freeze on the animal as it eyed her. She reached out towards it slowly as it moved slightly revealing faces she never thought she would find again. Carl held his hand out towards the deer just as she was doing as Rick stumbled over himself eyeing the small girl, "I-Indi?"
Indigo stepped forward slowly, "Rick?" She breathed out when a shot fired out as everything slowed down. The small girl shakily moved her small hands down to her stomach feeling herself get dizzy. She looked down seeing blood drenching her clothes. Carl looked into her blue eyes as he stumbled to the ground, blood smothered across his body. Indigo began to cry unable to speak as she reached out towards Carl.
"Oh no. No. No, no, no, no!"
"Carl...I-Indigo?! Jesus!"
"H-Help...me." She fell to the ground finding it hard to breathe as darkness consumed her.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
a/n: *feels bad about having one child shot*
Also me: *adds a second child to the mix*
Also me again: *cries in guilt*
Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Cya all Wednesday. ;)