The Ones We Lose ⏐ The Walking Dead

15. Ava

 The sun was slowly setting as they gathered themselves near the RV. Ava set the crate of food down on the ground before looking over the supplies they managed to scavenge. It was more than she expected they would find. She bit down on her lip as she continued to look the items over—two crates of food, plenty of water and three bags of clothes. It should last them for a while, hopefully long enough to get to Fort Benning. Ava looked around quickly spotting Carol standing to the side looking out on the forest. It was starting to get dark and Rick and Daryl haven't come back yet. Sophia was somewhere out there Ava was sure of it, what she wasn't sure of was whether or not she was still alive.

She continued to watch Carol shifting nervously on her feet as she scanned the edge of the forest for any movement. Suddenly she spotted movement in the trees and soon enough she saw Daryl and Rick emerge from the forest. No Sophia in sight. She hadn't expected them to find her, yet she still felt a tinge of disappointment tug at her. She wished that they would have a miracle and bring the girl back unharmed but it seemed there were not to be granted anything of the sort.

"You didn't find her?" Carol said, her voice breaking. Ava moved closer. She looked Rick over as he approached, he looked dirty and tired but most of all he looked guilty.

"Her trail went cold. We'll pick it up again at first light," he said as he stopped before Carol.

"You can't leave my daughter out there on her own to spend the night alone in the woods," Ava could see the tears building in Carol's eyes.

"Out in the dark's no good," Daryl chimed in, "We'd just be tripping over ourselves. More people get lost."

"But she's twelve. She can't be out there on he own. You didn't find anything?" as Carol spoke Joan stepped forward quickly closing the distance between her and the woman. She placed a hand on her back trying her best to calm her down.

"I know this is hard. But I'm asking you not to panic. We know she was out there," Rick stepped closer keeping his voice as calm and collected as he could.

"And we tracked her for a while," Daryl said. Ava could tell he was doing his best to sound reassuring but his voice still sounded awkward and a bit harsh.

"We have to make this an organised effort. Daryl knows the woods better than anybody. I've asked him to oversee it," Rick looked over all of them explaining his plan. His voice was now steady and commanding as he slipped back into his element.

"We will find her. We are not leaving until we do, okay?" Joan kept moving her arm over Carol's back as she spoke. Carol was still visibly tense but she was slowly starting to calm herself, the gentle gesture giving her a grounding point. She looked between Rick and Daryl shaking her head slightly. She suddenly stopped as she fixed her gaze on Daryl's leg, his pants had a big, fresh blood stain on them.

"Is that blood?" Carol asked her breathing becoming ragged once more.

"We took down a walker," Rick said.

"Walker? Oh, my God," Carol shifted nervously on her feet as she shook her head.

"There was no sign it was ever anywhere near Sophia," Ava furrowed her eyebrows at Rick's words.

"How can you know that?" Andrea asked. Rick and Daryl stayed quiet for a while, they exchanged a glance before Daryl stepped forward.

"We cut the son of a bitch open, made sure," Carol let out a low whimper as she sat down on the guardrails. Ava let out a deep sigh as she shook her head.

She stepped away from the group as she felt her stomach turn at the thought. She sat behind one of the cars away from everyone. She crouched down and tried to calm her breathing, her mind was filled with images of all the horrible things Sophia might be experiencing. The idea of her getting chased and ripped apart by walkers. Ava's hands were starting to shake as she tried to focus on anything else. She cursed herself for being this weak, for letting everything affect her so much. After the CDC she thought that she could do it, that she could be strong. Yet here she was losing her mind over this whole situation.