SHANE DRAGGED THE dryness of his palm across the cool plastic of the water containers, the hairpin of his lips suddenly greeted by menace. He swallowed hard at his success, suddenly choked by his vision that had been coming true by the second.
Shane Walsh, the hero of everybody's story, where he was the one they had relied on. He was to be their saviour, their opportunistic guardian sent to raise them from the ashes of burned memories up into the thrones of Gods. Though, arguably, his vision had seemed more like delusion than determination.
The quasi-saviour whirled to face Glenn and Dale at the RV, and boomed eagerly, "Uh, Glenn? Were we short on water?"
His words had entirely enticed Glenn from his hunched position, drawing home over in a brisk jog, his eyes suddenly widening as such a sight. Shane did not hesitate to firmly grasp the first container in his hand, yanking the cap off to sprinkle the hydrating water down his thirsty skin.
His cries of pleasure enticed Ellie to join him at his side, overwhelmed with the purified water ahead of her, abundant in its supply. The memory of water had lingered only at the back of their minds, with only remnants behind, until that very moment. Shane's saving grace. Containers of water in their glory, relieving the fear of starvation and dehydration that the group simply drowned in. As Glenn approached the delight, he released a slight squeal. Happiness became him.
As her attention fell upon the scene, Ellie followed after the men, and immediately tore the container from Shane's rough hands. She took a gargantuan swig, allowing the clean water to consume her whole as it battled against all pressing lumps of sorrow in the back of her throat; all distant fears of not making it suddenly seemed so far away.
The aqua pools trailed down her pale skin; leaving patches against the dirty patches she had accumulated as a survivor, decorating her body with small goosebumps. She let out an involuntary squeal as the water trickled down the back of her clothes, leaving droplets against the ridges of her starving spine. Despite the unity amongst the trio, Dale shot a disapproving glare from his stance above the RV, entirely baffled at their childish behaviour. His sniper rifle hung loosely around his rigid shoulders as his scowl remained on the plight.
Dale hadn't felt disappointed in the very group often, but wasting valuable water had been where he drew the line.
"It's like being baptised, man!" a small, joyous squeal escaped Shane's chapped lips as his eyes landed upon Ellie as she laughed freely, for a fleeting moment.
After shifting his scowl upwards towards his handy par of binoculars, Dale proceeded with his duty of being on watch, and peeked through the small glass windows, to observe his usual perimeter surrounding him. Only this time, his observation proved an anomaly.
Approaching the group had been stumbling walkers with sunken eyes of tireless hunting; shreds of skin dangling through bloodied teeth from a succulent meal of delicious human flesh. Dale felt the hairs begin to rise on the map of his skin, instantly losing grip on his binoculars as he stumbled backward.
Alerted from beneath the RV, Rick had instantly acknowledged Dale's incessant breathing as he stared out towards the long road, resulting in Rick inquiring, "Dale?"
With no indication of a reply, Rick peeked through the extended scope of his rifle and glanced outward at the road. The leader's breath hitched in his throat as his eyes caught sight of the disaster that followed, and immediately dropped his rifle, his skin paling over at the chaos. Both of the men's breath became labored as they stared down the road, and then turned to face the group, their void eyes meeting one another's.
Rick connected his eyes with Ellie's as her heart sunk, her voice only managing to weekly squeak out, "Rick?"
"Get under the cars! There's walkers!" Rick quietly decreed, motioning for Ellie to conceal herself under the cars, though, stubbornly, she remained rooted in the ground as anxiety encapsulated her.
Glenn chanced to yank at the frozen women, attempting to free her from the stance she had fallen under, only to receive no result. He observed as her emotionless eyes darted back and forth as they searched endlessly for Coda, only to no avail. She had been nowhere in sight, far from the safety
of her arms at such a plight. After releasing a slight whimper, the woman scampered off as she neared the area she had last seen Daryl and Coda together.
Rick connected his eyes with Ellie's as her misery wafted in Rick's direction, causing him to screech, "Ellie, Lori, get under the cars, now!"
As Lori slipped herself gently under the cars with Carol and Carl glued to her side, Ellie proceeded to count beads as she endeavoured fo discover Coda, only she discovered neither Daryl nor her daughter were anywhere to be seen. As a panic rode up the crests of her spine, she immediately stumbled backwards, only to be knocked by the force of a heavy pair of arms snaking around her torso. The hands slithered upwards to her mouth, and muffled her battles as she fought against the grip.
Momentarily, the strong force pulled the woman backwards, and all she could feel was bits of broken glass and the roughness of tarmac scuffing against her skin as it yanked her beneath the car. With anger soaring through her, she roughly elbowed the body behind her and escaped from the tight grasp as the stranger swivelled to reveal themselves as Daryl. He groaned in pain and clutched his aching ribs as their eyes connected. Ellie felt her chest release the air it had safely accumulated, and immediately allowed her body to relax as she gripped onto the man's arm.
"Coda!" Ellie mouthed to Daryl, observing as his ocean eyes searched hers, "I didn't see her."
The realisation of Coda's absence hit Daryl like a thunderbolt, and clenched his eyes shut as guilt began to creep onto the scowl on his face. He let out a shaky breath, and peeked out from underneath the cars as he searched endlessly for Andrea, who he knew had been with Coda last. Upon discovering they had been nowhere to be seen, Daryl dropped his gaze down to Ellie, who held her trembling hands over her chapped lips to conceal the cry that dared escape.
Through teary eyes, Ellie connected her orbs with Shane from across the car opposite her, and nodded in relief at his safety, along with Glenn beside him. The disturbance came as the dreaded walker feet came stumbling past, leaving only trails of blood and echoes of snarls behind them as they scavenged for their next meal.
Their insatiable desire to eat is what ultimately led them from one place to the next, and it was only a matter of time before they'd find it.
After her sobs managed to subside, a nonchalance encapsulated Ellie as she turned to face Daryl, and merely muttered, "This is on you, Dixon."
Baffled by her statement, Daryl frowned, his forehead creased with distress. As he connected his eyes with the abyss that were her orbs, all he could do, was nod in agreement.
>>>
Nearby, Andrea had been cooped up peacefully inside the RV as she attempted to reassemble the gun that Shane had unassembled previously. She felt pride deep within her as she stuck her tongue out of her lips in concentration, and began to piece together the steel puzzle. On the seat next to her, Coda had been napping peacefully; her sapphire eyes clenched shut; her pacifier dangling at the tips of her lips, and all Andrea could do was smile down at the girl. She knew that the little girl brought hope to those in the group that struggled to find determination to live.
With one slam on the front door of the RV, Andrea's attention averted to a walker that had clambered inside the RV; her breath hitched in her throat as she concluded that she'd have to safeguard Coda, despite her difficulty in reassembling her pistol. Without her pistol, Andrea felt defenceless.
Fear drove her backwards as she collapsed onto the ground with a thud, which alerted the sleeping child. Soft whimpers escaped Coda's lips as she observed the walker nearing with each heavy footstep. A thud. A claw.
A scream.
"Coda, come to me!" Andrea called, and flailed her arms in an enraged panic as the child wailed. Coda leapt from the small chair that she had been confined to, and landed in the warmth of Andrea's arms, "I'll keep you safe."
Andrea's eyes rapidly darted between the walker in its pursuit and the small child as she sobbed, and released a sob of frustration. Gradually, she pressed backwards, and worriedly began to fumble with the pieces of the pistol as she attempted to assemble the weapon once again, whimpering with each heavy step the walker took, until she ultimately threw the pieces on the ground in frustration. Collectively, the two began to pace backwards, forcing themselves in a panic to enter the small bathroom.
Andrea slammed the bathroom door shut, pushing her legs against it as she let out the a scream, leaving Coda to bury her face in her palms as she wailed. The blonde leaned out with her trembling hand and connected it with the child's as she reassured her softly through panicked breaths. Her gentle whispers soothed the child, until the walker commenced to thump against the thin plastic of the bathroom door.
"It's going to hurt us!" Coda sobbed, her small frame visibly trembling as she hid under the small sink.
Andrea leaned her head back in frustration as she pushed against the door with all of her might, until she tilted her head. From above, Dale could be spotted through the small hatch above, and his pained eyes connected with the blonde's as they acknowledged one another's presence. The child immediately glanced upwards, and beamed through gentle tears as she spotted Dale above.
"Dale!" she whispered, and jumped lightly upwards as she attempted to reach for him, despite the evident distance.
Dale clenched his eyes shut as he innocence of Coda melted his panic, and immediately tore open the mesh lining of the hatch with a screwdriver. He dropped the weapon down into the RV, watching as it clattered against the dusty floor, until Coda hurriedly reached for it. Andrea subsequently snatched the screwdriver from the child's hands and felt the pressure of the thin door quickly begin to increase, until she finally allowed the walker to enter the bathroom.
As Andrea raised the screwdriver, her knuckles grew white from the intensity of her grip, until she shakily raised it above her head. Coda managed to scream out, "Kill it, now!" which successfully startled both Dale and Andrea at her sudden outburst of violence.
A child's reaction to killing had been so smooth, so natural that Andrea contemplated whether the world had moulded the child into a monster. She was slipping.
Andrea finally lunged forward, and forced he sharp edge of the screwdriver through the skull of the walker, and released a grunt of satisfaction once it fell to the ground in a heap. Coda mirrored her actions, and kicked at the walker beneath her, her small eyebrows furrowed as she released the rage she had inside her. A small entity rattling with a rage she should never have been able to identify.
"Coda," Andrea warned, holding her hand out in front of the child to refrain her from kicking once again, "it can't hurt you, now."
Coda froze, feeling her sapphire eyes begin to pool with tears as the adrenaline slowly seeped out of her body, and she immediately lunged to hold Andrea. Andrea scooped Coda in her arms, and cracked her close as she pursued the exit of the RV. As her feet touched the dusty ground beneath her, Andrea instantly recognised the sight of four stumbling walkers as they pursued them, leaving Coda to bury her face deep in the ridge of Andrea's bony chest.
"Run!" Coda screamed, and gestured outward towards the large opening into the wooded area. Andrea contemplated their exit, concerned that their safety would be jeopardised further by travelling outward. "Andrea!"
The walkers had neared close enough for the two to feel the stench of rotting flesh running through their noses, until Andrea did the only thing she could — she ran. The trees surrounding them arched over their heads like protective arms, only they had only themselves to protect one another. Andrea whirled around in a confused daze as she lost her footing. She stumbled slightly, and whizzed back to where she had deemed the exit, only to find herself truly lost in the heart of the maze of the forest.
"Are we lost?" Coda inquired, her eyes bubbling with hot tears as she felt her heart yearning for her mother's arms.
"We'll get back, don't worry," Andrea reassured, only Coda knew better than to trust her words.
The child clenched her eyes shut as she felt the woman whiz around once again, until she finally paused. She remained silent as she prayed internally for the security of her mother's arms, and finally allowed a cry to escape her lips – "Mommy!"
>>>
A clamour echoed loudly through the wispy branches of the forest, which immediately alerted both Ellie and Daryl as they stood with Rick on the highway in a confused daze. As the cry echoed through their ears, the group ultimately joined one another in the centre of the road, with Rick connecting his eyes with Ellie's flooded irises.
"That was Coda!" Ellie screamed, the ache formulating in her chest increasing as she gripped at her temples with trembling hands.
"You can't know that!" Rick called out, shaking his head in disbelief as he rubbed at his chin.
Ellie whimpered softly as she whirled around, clutching at her aching head. She pushed forward, and shoved roughly against Daryl's chest, "This is your fault!"
Daryl scowled as he gripped at the woman's wrists to halt her punches, and shoved her backwards, "Calm down, she's—"
"Don't you dare tell me to calm down!" Ellie screamed at Daryl as Shane and Rick endeavoured to steady the enraged woman, "My daughter is missing because somebody failed to look after her efficiently!"
"Shut the fuck up, Ellie," Daryl hissed, pulling at her arm firmly as he held his index finger to her lips, "You'll draw them back."
Ellie instantly swatted away his condescending finger, scoffing loudly as she tore her arm away from his hold. She viciously spat, "God forbid! My daughter is missing; I don't care if I attract a thousand of those things — we find her now."
"I was above the RV," Dale stated, his voice a mere squeak as he entered the conversation. "Coda was with Andrea, but they got overrun."
Ellie felt her blood run cold as she clasped her and over her mouth in disbelief, "Did they—"
"They went into the woods," Dale announced, bowing his head down as his own eyes dared to flood with tears, "I know Andrea will keep her safe for as long as she can."
"All of you," Ellie begun, gripping their attention with her husky voice, "all of you will join this search. We go into the woods." She immediately left the group in their shock, and stormed inside the RV as she observed the massacred walker on the ground.
Heavy footsteps behind her alerted her, but she remained silent as her eyes fell upon the dismantled pieces of the gun on the ground. She remained staring ahead at the chaotic scene before her, with only remnants of her daughter left behind in the tiny teddy left on the ground.
Shane materialised as himself, and placed his arm around her, "If it's any consolation, Sophia's missing too."
"Why on earth would that be a consolation?" Ellie spat, scoffing at Shane's attempt of cheering her up, "Someone needs to keep a better eye on that kid."
"We're looking for them," Shane kindly reassured her, pulling her closer as he felt her wriggle away from him.
In an uncomfortable silence, Shane quietly shuffled forward, reaching for the bloodied teddy as it laid strewn in a puddle of crimson waves. He shakily held his hand out to Ellie with the teddy in his palm, and watched as her once vivid eyes cloud over with a rage he, himself, didn't recognise. The undisturbed silence remained over the two like a thick blanket, until she finally snapped.
"He endangered my fucking child!" Ellie cried, her eyes widening as she allowed them to overflow with acrimonious tears. The storm within her carried her out of the RV, and forced her to lunge at Daryl, and punched his chest with her might. "Coda is gone because of you!"
"Ellie!" Daryl snapped, throwing the woman off him and shoved her against a car, ensuring he didn't hurt her. He glared deep into her eyes, and shook his head as he hoarsely retorted, "You think I did this on purpose? We find Andrea, this is on her! I was busy!"
Ellie froze. Her throat dared allow a wry laugh to viciously clamber from her throat to which Rick and Shane gulped at. Ellie raised her hand and slapped Daryl across his face, anger slowly flowed inwards and into her chest as she shrieked, "You were busy?" She commenced to slap him once again, but Rick pulled her back to avoid another, prompting her to cry, "You were too busy to look after your own daughter! Why did I ever trust you, you jackass?"
Daryl frowned and let out a shaky breath, suddenly overwhelmed with the concept of Coda being missing. He blinked repeatedly while quietly muttering, "I didn't know the damn walkers would come. Andrea offered to help."
"It is always a risk," Ellie hissed, wiping away the tears in her eyes, "And you have ruined everything. You better find her, or I will kill you with my bare fucking hands."
Despite the silence that settled over them and the group behind them, Daryl lunged forth, and did the one thing he knew to do. He engulfed Ellie into an embrace; his muscular arms snaked around her as she sobbed into puffed chest. Her small fists curled around the damp fabric of his shirt until her knuckles grew white, as she released inaudible sobs from her sore throat. She didn't have any tears left.
Daryl held her head in his hand and leaned down, leaning his lips against her forehead, "I'm not going to leave them out there, Ellie."
Disrupting the moment came Dale, standing awkwardly behind the embracing duo. He cleared his throat, and smiled sadly, "She was stuck in the bathroom, a walker came in. I managed to get a screwdriver down to her. She did everything for Coda's safety."
"Was–was she hurt?" Ellie whimpered, her crystalline eyes flooding with tears of sorrow.
Dale shook his head, his lip quivering slightly addictive he reported, "They managed to get out, I don't know where she went from there, but it was through the woods."
Ellie nodded in understanding, and released Daryl slowly. She stumbled over to the RV, and collapsed into the bed, feeling the hot tears drip down her face. Daryl had followed after her, sat down next to her, and cupped her face and lovingly declared, "I'll find her. I have to." Ellie remained silent, but he leaned down to kiss her on the forehead, mumbling against her skin, "I'll start now."
Ellie's sobs grew louder as Daryl stood to his feet and exited the RV, but not before looking back at Ellie with fear in his eyes. The redneck battled intensely with the notion that he had felt his eyes begin to well at the thought of letting down the only beacon of light he owned in his life, but he simply blinked them away as quickly as the formed. Nothing mattered until Coda had been back in the safety of their arms, forever secure in their love.
Now, Daryl burned with the determination to find his little girl, even if it was the very last thing he did.
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