11 // The Search

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"Oh God, they're back." Glenn said setting down his box when he saw Daryl and Rick returning. Harley and I stepped out of the RV, noticing my dad returning with Rick.

"You didn't find her?" Carols voice broke when the two men walked up, no little girl with them.

"Her trail went cold. We'll pick it up again at first light." Rick promised climbing over the guardrail. Harley held me back when Emily pointed to her, knowing the worried woman would need space. Emily went to comfort Carol while I watched, not knowing that she would snap at my dad in her rush of concern.

"You can't leave my daughter out there on her own to spend the night alone in the woods." Carol grew worried turning to my dad.

"Out in the dark's no good. We'd just be tripping over ourselves. More people get lost." Daryl shook his head apologetically knowing how he would be if it was me lost in the woods instead, not that I would have gotten lost with all he had taught me.

"But she's 12. She can't be out there on her own. You didn't find anything?" Carol started to cry, Emily gently holding her shoulders.

"I know this is hard. But I'm asking you not to panic. We know she was out there." Rick told Carol as gently as he could hoping to help ease the woman's pain.

"And we tracked her for a while." Daryl added, Emily rubbing her back.

"We have to make this an organized effort. Daryl knows the woods better than anybody. I've asked him to oversee this." Rick started with his plan.

"Is that blood?" Carol looked to Daryl seeing blood on him and growing more worried as Harley squeezed my shoulders, sensing my growing concern for what they had run into out there.

"We took down a walker." Rick explained to her.

"Walker? Oh my God." Carol looked away trying to catch her breath.

"There was no sign it was ever anywhere near Sophia." Rick promised again.

"How can you know that?" Andrea asked voicing her negativity.

"Andrea" Harley scolded her, despite being younger.

"We cut the son of a bitch open, made sure." Daryl told Carol to ease her worry. Carol sat on the guardrail, Emily beside her continuing to rub her back gently.

"Oh God. How could you just leave her out there to begin with? How could you just leave her?" Carol turned her emotions back on Rick harshly.

"Those two walkers were on us. I had to draw them off. It was her best chance." He tried to explain himself while Carol grew tense.

"Sounds like he didn't have a choice, Carol." Shane stepped in to speak to her.

"How was she supposed to find her way back on her own? She's just a child. She's just a child." Carol cried to Rick who knelt in front of her.

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