Without A Voice

Chapter 13: Chupacabra

~word count: 1482~

~ Jane's POV ~

Yesterday ended on a good note. Daryl found an old house that looked like somebody had holed up in it. A small space fit for a child. Sophia. It made me feel good knowing it was most likely her.

"Everybody is getting a new search grid today."
Rick set down the map. "If she made it as far as the farmhouse Daryl found, she might've gone further East than we've been so far."

"I'd like to help." Beth's boyfriend, Jimmy, caught his attention. "I know the area pretty well."

"Hershel's okay with this?" Rick questioned the boy.

"Yeah." The boy answered confidently. "He said I should ask you."

"Alright then." Rick nodded to the boy. "Thanks."

"Nothing 'bout what Daryl found screams 'Sophia' to me." Shane added. "Anyone could've been holed up in that farmhouse."

God why does he have to be so pessimistic all the time.

"Anybody includes her, right?" Andrea looked over to him.

"Whoever slept in that cupboard wasn't more than yay-high." Daryl held out his hand to a height no taller than his waist.

I made a face as I scribbled on my notepad.

HAVE A LITTLE HOPE

He just shook his head dismissively. I looked up at Daryl. I've been getting better at reading lips since joining this group.

"I'm gonna borrow a horse." He leaned over the truck, trailing his finger along the map. "Head up to this ridge right here, take a bird's-eye view of the whole grid. If she's up there, I'll spot her."

I looked at Daryl, "I'll go too."

"Good idea." T-Dog said. "Maybe you'll see your chupacabra up there too."

"Chupacabra?" Rick asked. I shared the same look of confusion on my face.

"You never heard this?" Dale rummaged through the bag of guns, "Our first night in camp, Daryl tells us that the whole thing reminds him of a time he went squirrel hunting and he saw a chupacabra."

I looked up at him, giggling at the story. The chupacabra was just a story but I have no doubt Daryl truly believed he saw it.

"You believe in a blood-sucking dog?" Jimmy asked in disbelief.

"You believe dead people walking around?" Daryl shut him up real quick.

We grabbed our weapons. I adjusted my quiver before handing my bow to him and climbed onto the horse. I'd never ridden a horse before. It was higher up than I thought. After he handed me my bow we set off into the forest. As we got deeper in it reminded me of my old way of life. My eyes searched for any clues. We rode for what felt like forever before suddenly stopping. Daryl quickly hopped off and I followed. He ran over to a small creek. When I saw what he did I gasped. Sophia's doll. It was floating in a river stuck against a log. I took it out of his hand and took in a deep breath. He called out to her multiple times before turning to me.

"This is a good sign right?" I gazed at him with hope.

He nodded, "Let's keep looking".

I put the doll in the bag Daryl brought. We hopped back onto the horse and continued on, searching for any sign of Sophia. The horse became jumpy. I watched as he tried to calm it. It seemed to work for a moment. Then suddenly a snake slithered in front of the horse, causing it to freak out. It threw the both of us off. Plummeting down the cliff, I felt my body hit the many rocks and branches covering the dirt floor. There was a sharp pain in my head then everything went dark.

When I opened my eyes I was laying on my side in leaves and mud. A sharp pain drove through my ribs. I couldn't breathe. All I could do was lay there and try to compose myself. That's when I saw her. Sophia. My eyes widened and I pulled myself off the floor. Blood dripped off the side of my face onto the back of my hand. I stood, nearly falling over due to the world spinning around me. God my head was pounding. I clutched my side and began making my way towards Sophia.

"Sophia?" I couldn't exactly tell if I was saying her name right but I didn't care. I just wanted to hug her.

She just kept walking further and further into the woods. I dredged through puddles of mud trying to get to her. She was so fast. I could see her mouth moving. Telling me to follow her. What the hell was going on? One of my hands was pressing on the gash on my head while the other held my ribs. That's when I fell again, tripping over a branch and rolling down a hill. I took deep breaths before crawling on my hands and knees. I don't know how long I stayed sitting like that before I threw up. It was painful. I have no doubt I broke some ribs. Praying they didn't puncture any thing I stood up. The sun was setting? How long was I sitting like that? Wait. Daryl. Where is Daryl?

I looked around but had no idea where I was. I was lost. My bow was missing too. At least I still had my pocket knife. I needed to get somewhere safe. The only place I could think of was up in a tree. There was one with a thick trunk. Easy to climb. I grabbed onto the branches and pulled myself up trying not to yell out in pain. The sun was going down and I finally got myself high enough where the walkers couldn't get me. I rested my head on the mossy branch. My eyes wouldn't stay open no matter how hard I tried.

I woke up to the sun beaming down on me. Even in the morning it was hot. At least I think it was morning. I winced as I wiped the sweat off my forehead. All I could think about was Daryl. What happened to him? Where did he go? I looked around the forest before climbing back down. My head was still pounding and my ribs stung with every move. I made my way through the forest trying to remember the map Rick gave Daryl. I felt eyes on me as I stumbled into the brush. Before I could turn around someone grabbed my arm. It was a man. He was older, wearing hunting gear. I backed up, bumping right into another one. He had on something similar. They were both tall and skinny. Probably out hunting. They were smiling and trying to talk to me.

I looked at the older one, "I'm deaf." Then looked towards the other one, "I can't understand you."

The younger one got it. He pointed at me then to his ear. I reached for my notepad and pen but they weren't there. They must have fallen out when I got knocked off the horse. I just hope I didn't lose them forever

I spelt out the word LOST with my fingers praying they would help me. But they had other plans. The older man pushed me to the ground. He shooed the younger one away as I landed on my back. With the wind knocked out of me I couldn't move.
I was already injured as is. The man straddled me and held me down with one hand. I was so weak. I couldn't do anything. He took out a knife and cut the straps of my tank top, ripping the rest of it off. My bruised skin now exposed. I struggled to push him off but he was stronger than me. It was hard to breath with him sitting on my chest. I pretended to give in. Give up. I looked around slowly as the man was focused on removing my bra. There it was. My out. Right next to me was a thick branch. I quickly grabbed it, slamming it into his head. He fell over onto his back. I took in a deep breath and slammed the stick into his head, knocking him out cold.

Then there was the younger man. He came up behind me, pulling my bra strap so hard it ripped causing it to partly fall off. He got on top of me and began squeezing his hands around my throat. I guess he thought I killed his friend. I could feel the bones in my neck crack under pressure. My life was going to end. I was dead. No! I don't want to die this way. My hands reached out grabbing onto anything and everything on the forest floor. Thats when I touched the cold metal of my pocket knife. It had fallen out when he pulled me to the ground.