Without A Voice

Chapter 16: Little Girl

~word count: 974~

Jane followed close behind Dale as they stalked through the woods. Suddenly someone grabbed her arm, pinning it behind her. The pain made her drop her bow. Shane. She could feel his breathing on her neck as Dale stared at the both of them. He had his arm around her neck, similar to a chokehold.

He snickered, "Man, this is a good hiding place.
We ain't been in the swamps much, huh?"

"Imagine if you applied your tracking skills to finding Sophia." Dale retorted.

"How about you just give me that bag, huh?"

"I'm not gonna do that."

Shane tightened his grip around Jane's already sore neck causing her to yelp, "Yeah, you are, Dale."

Dale remained calm, "What, you gonna kill her like you did Otis? Tell another story?"

He watched as Jane squirmed trying to breathe as her airway was being crushed, "Just give me the guns. Do it now."

"You think this is gonna keep us safe?" Dale continued pushing him, hoping he would stop.

"I know it is." Shane held her tighter and tighter until finally, Dale gave in.

As Dale threw the bag over to him he dropped Jane. She collapsed on the dirt coughing and wheezing.

"This is where you belong, Shane." Dale scoffed.

"How's that, Dale?"

"This world, what it is now, this is where you belong. And I may not have what it takes to last for long, but that's okay. 'Cause at least I can say when the world goes to shit, I didn't let it take me down with it."

Shane just turned and walked away, leaving Jane and Dale alone in the forest. Dale helped her to her feet. She had involuntary tears coming out of her eyes from the pain. Once she caught her breath she looked up at him.

"Let's go." She completely ignored what had just happened, not wanting to talk about it.

When they got back to the farm everyone was crowded around a hill. Running over they didn't want to attract any attention but Jane soon realized that wasn't possible. Rick and Hershel were heading to the barn with walkers pulled by snare poles. What the hell? Shane was yelling and pointing a gun at the walker held by Hershel. Rick was pleading for him to stop while everyone clutched onto their guns.

"Hey, Hershel man, let me ask you something.
Could a living breathing person, could they walk away from this?" Shane questioned firing two rounds into the walker

"Shane, stop!" Rick shouted

"That's three rounds in the chest. Could someone who is alive, could they just take that? Why is it still coming?" Shane kept firing. "That's its heart, its lungs. Why is it still coming?"

"Shane, enough!" Rick yelled.

"Yeah, you're right, man. That is enough."

Finally shooting the walker in the head, killing it.

~ Jane's POV ~

I watched as Shane finally lost it. He was screaming at everyone. Ranting about wanting to live. I didn't like sleeping next to a barn full of walkers but this was wrong. Rick kept everyone in check but Shane was dangerous. I knew that just as much as Otis. My throat was still burning but I knew there was nothing I could do. Hershel was out of it. Gone to another world. Rick kept trying to get him to take the snare pole but he couldn't. Shane grabbed a pickaxe before rushing to the barn. He rammed the lock over and over until it finally broke. The doors swung open and everyone raised their guns. Shane, Daryl, Andrea, T-Dog, and Glenn started shooting as the rest of us held back. I stood in front of Lori and Carl to keep them safe and stayed next to Carol. Eventually, it was over and everyone just stood there. Beth was frozen in shock. Shane was angry. Maggie was wiping her tears away. But then someone stumbled out. No. It can't be.

I tried to hold on to Carol but my grip was too weak. Sophia. She was there the whole time. My chest tightened and I couldn't breathe. I couldn't move. I couldn't do anything but watch as Daryl held Carol back. My hand was over my mouth.

"Don't look. Don't look." He repeated to her over and over, glancing at me the whole time.

I read his lips but I didn't stop looking. I watched as Rick put a bullet through her brain. I watched as her tiny body hit the ground. A sickness formed inside of me. My stomach knotted. I fell to the floor in pain as I threw up. Everything hurt.

Dale took me to the RV. I just sat there. Thinking. Waiting. Carol joined shortly after. I'm not sure how long I was staring into nothing for. I was brought out of my state when someone opened the RV door. It was Daryl. They were holding the funeral for Sophia. I couldn't bring myself to go but I was confused as to why Carol didn't.

"Why aren't you going? That's your little girl." I asked.

She signed blankly, "That's not my little girl. That's some other thing. My Sophia was alone in the woods. All this time I thought, she didn't cry herself to sleep. She didn't go hungry. She didn't try to find her way back. Sophia died a long time ago."

I didn't respond. I wasn't sure how. What do I say? That I'm sorry? Convince her to go see her daughter and say goodbye? I felt numb. But we got closure. That was the best we could ask for. All the small signs we found. The shed and the doll, it was just some cruel joke played by God. Or the universe. Or whatever being caused the world to go to shit. I needed to get out. To go do something.