A Dead World.. • G. Rhee

Chapter Twenty-Three

(Tough Decisions)

"How's he looking?" Lori asked Hershel as I entered the room Daryl had been taken into.

"I had no idea we'd be going through the antibiotics so quickly." Hershel shook his head and exhaled a breath. "Any idea what happened to my horse?"

"Yeah, the one who almost killed me?" Daryl piped up from his position on the bed. "If it's smart, it left the country"

"We call that one Nelly." The older man told him. "As in nervous Nelly. I could've told you she'd throw you if you'd bothered to ask."

"It's a wonder how you people survived this long." I turned my head to Hershel in confusion. At least we can handle walkers, I saw Maggie's face when they were lowering me into that well. She'd never seen one that close before, makes me wonder if the rest of them even know how to kill them.

"I hate to say it, but I'm with Hershel on this one." Here we go. I should've figured Shane would have something to say.

"Can't keep going out there. Not after this." He placed his hands on his hips as if to make his point clearer.

"So we just quit now? Daryl just risked his life to bring back the first piece of hard evidence we've had." I stated in disbelief as I looked at Shane.

"That's one point of view."

"That's not a point of view man, that's a fact!" I reiterated to him as he clearly wasn't getting the point

"The way I see it, Daryl almost died today for a doll." He scoffed and Lori shook her head. "Yeah, we know how you see it."

"I'm not out to be a hard case. Just being realistic." Shane said as if he didn't just tell us to give up looking for a little girl. A little girl who is alive and who we are going to find. I refuse to hear anything different.

"He's just got to start making the tough decisions." Shane said and I honestly couldn't believe him right now.

"Rick can make hard decisions. And as much as I might not agree with everything he does, he's done alright so far." I told Shane, taking a step closer to him. "He's done more this week than you did in six months." I didn't give him much time to answer back as I pushed by him and out the door.

There's no way I'm going to stop looking for Sophia. Not when we've finally got a good lead, it may just be a doll but that doll provides Carol along with the rest of us that little piece of hope that she is alive. And that we're going to find her. After all, if we don't have hope what do we have?

I walked out the house, giving a small smile to Beth as I passed her in the living room.

I walked right through our camp, ignoring anyone around about me, even the person that was following behind me and calling out my name. I entered into the R.V, feeling absolutely overwhelmed with everything. Sophia's disappearance. Daryl's whole situation. Shane wanting to stop the search. All of it is becoming too much.

I was barely in the R.V two minutes before someone else came rushing through the door.

"Hey, I've uh- been meaning to talk to you. Are you okay?"

Glenn. Of course it'd be Glenn, it's always Glenn. He's the only person that cares enough to follow me, except for maybe Carl, or Rick. But ever since we first met on that goddamn traffic-jam it's always been him asking me if I'm okay and making sure I haven't been bitten or scratched after going on runs. It was always him.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I turned around to see his concerned expression as he stood by the door.

"Are you sure? Because you don't look 'fine'." He spoke in either concern or confusion.