Complicated ✔

Ch. 15 - The Search For Sophia

KATHRYN'S POV

To say I was disappointed when Daryl and I got back to where our vehicles were after not finding Sophia like I had hoped we would was an understatement. I wanted more than anything to find her and bring her back safe and sound, but I guess God had other plans right now for her and we'd just have to keep looking until we could find her. That night, after getting back unnoticed by Dale, I didn't sleep to well because I worried about the poor girl out there all alone in the darkness. That next morning, I was up with everyone else as they got ready to head out in a search party. "Dad please let me come with y'all," I begged from by Carol's Cherokee were we'd slept last night. Lori had walked over to the others with Carl and I was currently pulling my mess you'd call hair back into a ponytail.

"I almost lost you yesterday," he said looking at me with an exasperated look, "and you're also injured Kathryn. I want you to stay here with Dale." "Dad I'm fine," I said crossing my arms to look up at him, "I went walking through the woods last night. I'll be okay." "You what," he asked looking at me. "Daryl was with me," I said before he thought I went alone, "and I was fine. Dad please don't make me just sit around here." "She'd be able to keep up," a voice said from behind me causing me to turn around quickly to see Daryl standing there, "we wouldn't be goin' too fast and she'd have all of us to look out for her if anythin' should happen." I looked back to Dad and started batting my eye lashes up at him to get him to agree. "Please Daddy," I said with a small smile as I begged him to let me come along. "Alright fine," Dad said lifting his hand up slightly, "here you're taking this too."

I didn't even know he had taken my gun from me until he held it out towards me. Taking it I stuck it in the back of my shorts and pulled my shirt down over it before following him and Daryl towards were everyone was meeting up at to hear the plan for searching for Sophia. "Everyone takes a weapon," Dad said as he rolled out a case that held machetes and other sharp objects in it that Carl found yesterday while Dad and Daryl looked for Sophia. "These aren't the kind of weapons we need," Andrea said looking down skeptically at the items in front of her on the hood of the car, "what about the guns." I rolled my eyes as I looked to Dad and Shane to see which one would speak up. "Daryl, Rick and I are carrying," Shane said looking up at her as everyone grabbed something, "we can't have people popping off rounds every time a tree rustles."

"It's not the trees I'm worried about," she said completely ignoring the point Shane was making. "Say somebody fires at the wrong moment," Shane said obviously annoyed, "a herd happens to be passing by. See then it's game over for all of us. So you need to get over it, and get over it now." It was quiet for a few minutes after that, Andrea finally getting the point. "The idea is to take the creak up about five miles," Daryl said looking around at us all, "then we'll turn around and come back down the other side. Chances are she'll be by the creak, it's her only landmark out there." "Keep quiet and stay sharp," Dad said as he looked around at everyone before placing his hand on Carl's head and walking over towards the RV. "Everybody assemble your packs," I heard Shane call out as I pulled my gun out from behind me and checked the clip to see how much ammo was in it. The second I placed the clip back into the gun and checked to make sure the safety was still on, I heard a scoff come from my left.

DARYL'S POV

I turned my attention to Andrea to see what the hell her problem was, but not before noticing the gun in Kathryn's hand as she too looked to Andrea. "If only you, Rick, and Daryl are carrying then how come she has a gun," Andrea said glaring at Shane then over at Kathryn. "She's been trained in how to use one and to think before pulling the trigger," Shane said glaring right back at Andrea, "her dad's been taking her to the shooting range for a few years before this shit happened. She keeps the gun." Andrea scoffed again before glaring at Kathryn again as she walked off towards where we were going to enter the woods at. I looked over to Kathryn once more before everyone began following behind Andrea, Kathryn placing her hand on Carl's shoulder as she limped with him right beside her.

KATHRNYN'S POV

I kept my hand on Carl's shoulder as we trekked through the woods, going along the same path Daryl and I took the night before. "How's your leg," Glenn asked walking up beside me where I was still limping along beside my little brother. "It's fine," I said looking over at him before my attention went up ahead towards were Daryl was walking up front with Dad and Shane. I could feel Glenn's eyes on me as I watched the men up front but he didn't say a word as the group rounded some trees to see a tent set up. Everyone stopped as Daryl and Dad stepped up towards the tent, Shane following behind slightly with Carol beside him. I could faintly hear Carol calling out softly for Sophia as I kept my arm around Carl while we waited to see if she was in there.

With no luck on her coming out, Daryl disappeared inside to have a look around before he finally came back out. "It ain't her," he said as he picked back up his crossbow that I didn't even realize he had sat down. "What's in there," I asked stepping forward with Carl, causing Daryl to look over at me. "Some guy," Daryl said as he placed his knife back into it's holster, "did what Jenner said, opted out. Ain't that what he called it?" I sighted as I ran my hands up and down Carl's shoulders, causing him to look up at me with said eyes as I looked down at her. "We'll find her," I said trying to comfort him, hoping that we truly would find her. In that second, we heard what sounded like church bells and a number of things ran through my mind as we headed off towards the sound with me being left behind because of my limp.

When I finally caught up, Dad and Shane were arguing about the church spotted not being the one because there was no steeple on it. Dad didn't seem to care though, as he hauled ass down towards the church anyway to search inside it. As the others went up to the doors of the church, and Dad, Daryl, and Shane went inside, I walked over to the tree out front and sat down in the shade as I leaned against it to rest. After trying to run with the others, my leg was starting to throb a little. If I wanted to stay out here and look for Sophia, I couldn't let anyone else know it was hurting me. I had closed my eyes as I rested, but I soon opened them again when I heard someone approaching me and when I looked up it was Glenn just as he knelt down in front of me where my injured leg was stretched out.

"It's hurting you isn't it," he asked looking at me. I looked away, because it was hurting some but not enough to make me want to give up looking for Sophia. "You should tell your dad," he said when I wasn't going to answer. "No," I said sharply as I quickly turned my head to look at him, "I want to stay out and continue to help look for Sophia. Please don't say anything Glenn." I gave him a pleading look before he sighed and nodded as he stood back up and helped me up as everyone gathered around the tree I had been resting against and Dad dished out a plan. Splitting the group up while me, him, Shane, and Carl stayed behind to sweep the area a bit more incase Sophia heard the bells.

So now here we are, walking in the woods heading the opposite way our group went, looking for Sophia and hoping for the best. Dad did something in the church before we headed out, giving me time to rest my leg before we pushed on. After Dad came out of the church, we headed off into the woods, him in front with me and Carl in the middle and Shane bringing up the rear. The sound of a branch snapping had us all stopping to see what it was. Instead of a walker or Sophia, it was a deer, a buck. Smiling at the sight, I looked down to see Carl moving slowly towards it. As Shane lifted his gun, Dad call his name out to stop him as I placed my hands on Carl's shoulders and followed him up closer to the deer.

Keeping a slow pace, we edged our way closer to the deer in front of us until I finally pulled us to a stop so that we didn't get to close and spook it. After a few minutes, I glanced back at Dad with an unspoken question. Seeming to catch on, he nodded before I turned my attention back to my brother. Cautiously stepping around him and kneeling in front of him, I continued to keep my hands on his shoulder as I now had to look up slightly from my position. "Okay bud," I whispered smiling, "time to keep moving on." Before he had a chance to answer me, the sound of a gunshot could be heard just as I felt a sudden pain erupt in my left shoulder sending me and Carl falling to the ground with me over him slightly just as I lost consciousness from the sudden pain I felt.

Okay y'all I'm dedicating this chapter to a reader who left me message on my wall the other day and it seriously brought me to years. :') I love seeing messages on my wall and in my inbox from you guys say that y'all love my writing or that I inspire you. It means a lot to me so don't hesitate if you wanna say something like that to me. I'll try and reply to your messages when I can.
- Kenz