Spider Monkey

Chapter One - Wrong Kid

Daryl was looking for Sophia.

The woods were silent, and the air was dry as the heat grew worse into the day. He managed to catch a rabbit though, so it wasn't all bad. He was about to give up and go back east when he suddenly saw small footprints in the dirt.

"Sophia!" He called around.

No response.

Daryl clutched his crossbow and carefully followed the tracks. They moved deeper into the trees and as he scanned the area, he could see more tracks - as if a child had been running around in the mud.

"Sophia!" He called again, this time a rustling in the trees gained his attention. He looked up, bow aimed. "Sophia?! It's Daryl!"

More rustling came from the leaves before a head poked out from them. It was a boy, a little younger than Carl, with dirt all over his face and a blue backpack on his shoulders. He had dark messy hair which strands of it was going different directions. He had freckles all over his face and a toothy grin on his lips. He wore a dinosaur t-shirt that had holes in the collar and brown shorts, nothing on his feet as he used his toes to grip the tree branches to keep him steady.

Daryl huffed, "Wrong kid."

The boy then jumped to the next tree with ease, swinging his arms so he could move from branch to branch. The boy looked at Daryl, tilting his head at him as if confused.

"Ya alone?" Daryl asked, looking around.

The boy said nothing.

"Ya hungry?" The hunter pulled out an apple he found from his pocket and lifted it up to show the boy.

The child's eyes lit up, giving Daryl the answer.

"'ere." He got closer to the tree the boy was sitting in and stood on his toes to reach up. The child used his legs to dangle down and grab the apple, holding the fruit in his mouth so he could use his hands to climb back up. He munched happily on the apple, rocking back and forth as he did.

"Staying in the trees. T'at's smart, kid." He said, watching the boy eat, "You see a little girl 'round 'ere? Yay high, blonde 'air?"

The boy said nothing again.

"Ya mom around? Dad?"

Nothing.

"Can't ya talk?"

Nothing. Not even a shrug.

Daryl sighed, frustration blooming in his chest. Then, out of nowhere, the boy got up, half eaten fruit in his mouth, and swung away into the woods.

"Wait! Don't! Shit."

He decided to go back to the farm and when he made it to the camp, he found everyone around the front door of the house talking about something.

"Find anything?" Maggie asked as soon as he was close enough.

Daryl nodded, "Not Sophia but I found a kid."

"A kid?" Shane questioned; arms crossed. "Where is it? You shoot it?"

"Nah. He's alone - as much as I know. He lives in the trees."

"The trees?" Rick raised his eyebrows.

"Yeah. Swingin' around like a monkey."

"He say anything?"

"Nah. He couldn't be no more than eight, Nine. Might be scared to talk."

"What should we do?" T-Dog asked the group.

Lori frowned, hand over her heart, "We can't just leave a child out there on their own."

"So now we're looking for two kids?" Shane groaned. "Rick, we can't keep doing this!"

"We'll find them." Rick snapped, looking back at Daryl, "Where abouts did you see the boy?"

"Out west, few miles out. Near the crossroads."

"Take me there."

Maggie then spoke, "I'll go too. Seeing a woman might get the boy to see us as not a threat."

"I'll go too then." Glenn offered, not subtle when looking at Maggie.

"Whatever, let's go." Daryl said, swinging his crossbow onto his back.

When they make it to where Daryl last saw the kid, he noticed that the boy was back in the same tree he first saw him. He gave the others a gesture to the kid.

Rick stepped forward, "Hey."

The boy flinched, then when he saw Daryl, he grinned, flapping his hands around happily.

Maggie smiled at the boy, waving to him, "Hello there. Are you alone?"

The boy said nothing, but he did swing to another branch. Then another. Then another. Until he was above Daryl. He then dangled down by his legs, so he was upside down.

Daryl couldn't help but smirk slightly, "Ya part monkey or somethin'?"

The boy flapped his hands again when Daryl spoke.

"Think he likes ya, Daryl." Rick grinned.

Glenn then said, "It looks like he's the only one here."

"Maybe his group is looking for him, like we're looking for Sophia?" Maggie said.

"Nah." Daryl shook his head, "This kid can swing from branch to branch like he was runnin', he could easily catch up to his group if he wanna. I think he's alone."

The boy climbed back up then dangled by his hands before grabbing one of Daryl's arrows using his feet then quickly swinging out to the next tree.

"Hey!" Daryl called out, trying to get the bolt from the boy's feet, not succeeding. "Give it 'ere!"

The other adults watched, chuckling at the show. Daryl eventually grabbed the bolt from the boy's feet with a growl. It made the child giggle, flapping his hands again.

"What should we do?" Maggie asked.

Rick looked at the boy, "What's your name?"

The boy said nothing.

"I don't think he can talk." Glenn whispered.

Rick tried again, "I'm a police officer. Do you know what that is?"

No response.

"It means I help people." Rick kept going, "It ain't safe out here all alone. We have a farm, people, other kids. You wanna come with us? Maybe get some food?"

Glenn then pointed at Daryl, "Daryl will be there."

Daryl rolled his eyes, turned around and started walking back to camp.

"Where are you going?" Maggie asked, hands on her hips.

"Just walk back, he'll follow!" The hunter yelled back, not even turning round.

Maggie and Glenn looked at Rick. He shrugged then started walking. Soon followed by Maggie and Glenn. They all smirked when hearing the rustling coming from the trees as the boy journeyed with them from the branches above.