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14. a worried sister

A bang was heard through the air, just one bullet. Daryl told them not to worry about it and to keep moving. But Lori and Katherine kept looking back. A sinking feeling in the latter's stomach.

"You still worrying about it?" Andrea asked the two.

"It was a gunshot," Lori replied.

"We all heard it" Daryl retorted.

"Why just the one?" Katherine questioned.

"Maybe they took down a walker," Daryl suggested.

"Please don't patronize us" Lori shot back, "You know Rick wouldn't risk a gunshot to put down one walker. Or Shane. They'd do it quietly"

"Shouldn't they have caught up with us by now?" Carol asked.

"Yes" Katherine replied.

"There's nothing we can do about it anyway" Daryl stated, "Can't run around these woods chasing echoes"

"So what do we do?" Lori asked.

"Same as we've been" Daryl replied, "Beat the bush for Sophia, work our way back to the highway"

"I'm sure they'll hook up with us back at the RV" Andrea told the two worried women.

Katherine nodded, "Yeah, I'm sure they're fine" walking to catch up with Glenn.

"Harlow's going to be fine" he assured her.

"How can you be so sure?" Katherine shot back.

"Because, if she's anything like you, then she's a fighter" Glenn stated.

Katherine smiled small, as Andrea talked with Carol, saying how sorry she was for what Carol was going through. Carol smiled small, before her face fell again. "The thought of her out here by herself it's the not knowing that's killing me. I just keep hoping and praying she doesn't wind up like Amy" Carol said, realizing what she said was cruel, "Oh, God. That's the worst thing I ever said"

"We're all hoping and praying with you, for what it's worth" Andrea told her.

"I'll tell you what it's worth– not a damn thing. It's a waste of time all this hoping and praying. 'Cause we're gonna locate that little girl, and she's gonna be just fine" Daryl said, approaching the two women, "Am I the only one zen around here? Good Lord"

Katherine found herself smiling at Daryl's words, as she kept walking beside Glenn, the other's trailing behind them, continuing their trek, looking for Sophia as they did. As the sky began to darken slightly, the group stopped, knowing it's no good looking at night.

"We'll lose the light before too long" Daryl said, "I think we should call it"

"Let's head back," Lori says.

"We'll pick it up again tomorrow?" Carol questioned.

"Of course" Katherine smiled, "We'll find her tomorrow"

Daryl whisted, signaling the group to follow him, in which they did. Katherine, though wasn't 100% about Daryl Dixon, she knew that he knew what he was doing, and that they'd be safe in the woods with him.

"How much farther?" Lori asked.

"Not much. Maybe 100 yards, as the crow flies" Daryl replied.

"Too bad we're not crows" Andrea commented.

They were only walking a few seconds, when Andrea screamed, Katherine turned around to see she wasn't behind them. Katherine was the first to sprint in the direction her screams were coming from. It seemed though, Andrea had a guardian angel. A girl on a horse came out of nowhere, knocking the walker down with a bat. "Lori? Lori Grimes?" the woman looked down at Andrea.

"I'm Lori" Lori told the women.

"Rick sent me" the girl said, "You gotta come now"

"Wait, what happened?" Katherine asked. If Rick sent Lori, that means something bad must've happened, and that meant Harlow might be hurt.

"There's been an accident. Carl's been shot" the girl replied, "He's still alive but you got to come now. Rick needs you. Just come"

"Wait, wait, wait" Katherine panicked, "The other girl that was with them. Is she okay? Is she–?"

"She's fine. Just shaken up. She's with Rick" the girl told her.

Katherine exhaled in relief, hearing that Harlow was okay, but she couldn't imagine what the little girl was going through, seeing one of her friends shot. Katherine knew she had to get to her sister.

Lori dropped her pack, ready to hop on the horse with the stranger, "Whoa, whoah, whoa. We don't know this girl. You can't get on that horse" Daryl stated.

"Rick said you had others on the highway, that big traffic snarl?" the girl spoke.

"Uh-huh" Glenn nodded.

"Backtrack to Fairburn Road. Two miles down is our farm. You'll see the mailbox" the girl informed them, "The names Greene" Without another word, the girl and Lori rode off.

Once a few moments had passed, Katherine felt herself beginning to panic. She held her hand to her chest, to try to ease her breathing. She was so worried about Harlow.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Kat" Glenn caught her, before she hit the ground.

'She's hyperventilating" Carol informed, "Calm her down"

"Kat, hey" Glenn said, grabbing her hands, "Look at me"

Katherine looked at Glenn through her teary eyes, "Harlow's okay, alright? We're going to go this farm, and you're gonna see her again" Katherine nodded, her breathing still heavy, but she was more calm now. Glenn helped her stand back up, "You're okay, you're okay"

The walker that the girl knocked down began to get back up, "Shut up" Daryl said, shooting it out of annoyance.

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Oh no :((

A short chapter but next chapter Kat meets Beth!

I debated on having Harlow shot too, but decided against it. Plenty more time to have Harlow shot ;))

Thanks for reading! And thanks for 2K reads !