Finding Sophia (The Walking Dead Fanfiction)

Eight: Highway

I didn't even realize I was pulling the trigger until she fell limp on the ground and Sophia sidestepped, looking at the woman who took her. My eyes were wide and my breathing hitched. I finally let out a breath of air I didn't know I was keeping in. My eyes flickered from the dead psychopath to Sophia and I holstered my gun, running over to them.

"Did she hurt you?" I ask her, virtually ignoring the dead crazy lady who just tried to kill us.

She shakes her head, "She hit me once. But I'm ok." She promises. I hug her and hold her there for just a second. I was so terrified that I'd actually lost her. "I'm ok." She repeats, hugging me tighter.

I pull away and ask, "What did she say?"

"She...she said I was her daughter. She took me here...and made me stay in there...I tried to get out, but she hit me. There wasn't any other way out...she took my gun and knives, and the geeks were outside...She kept going on about wood and berries." She pauses a second, "I didn't understand that."

"Woodbury?" I ask. She nods.

"What is that?" She asks. We can hear the door giving way, so I know we need to go soon. I look back at the lady, hoping she would turn soon. I'd shot her in the chest for a reason.

Thank God, I can hear her moaning before she sits up. Her eyes open, revealing milky grey orbs of death, and before she can reach out to us, I plant my hatchet in her head. In one drag, I cut her stomach open. It was scary how quick you could turn...or how long it could take. The longest I've seen is a day or so.

I apply some more onto me and then I rub Sophia with the guts. I can feel her tense as I rub it on her, but she doesn't complain. She looks at me and I rub it on her cheeks and forehead and nose, and hopefully it'd be enough to get through this crowd.

I opened the door and as we came face to face with a geek, Sophia took my hand. I put my arm around her shoulders and led her through the group. We moved slowly but steadily, careful not to touch any geeks. We just needed to make it back to the house to get my bag, then get in the car and drive, and we'd be fine.

The crowd wasn't as large around the house, so I got in with ease. Sophia got in the car and sat in the passenger seat as I went to search for my bag. I found it rather quickly, at the foot of the bed where I left it. I grabbed the keys to the car and smiled softly. My thoughts wouldn't drift away from the woman. How did she know my name? And how did she know about Woodbury?

I sigh and walk over to the car, getting in the driver's seat. I start the car, and thankfully, it still starts like a charm. We drive. We just...drive. We don't say much, just passing by the geeks.

I don't know how long were on the road before we run out of gas. We're in the middle of a highway, full of cars with a clear shot through.

"I'll siphon some gas in the morning." I told Sophia, looking up at the Cheshire Cat moon. "Then we can keep on." I look over at her, but her eyes are wide. She unclips the seatbelt and looks out the window. "What is it?" I ask, unbuckling my own seatbelt.

"This is it." She mutters. "This is the highway." She opens the car door and in a flash, she's out of the car and running through the graveyard of cars.

"Sophia!" I yell chasing after her. I lose sight of her, the night only adding to the difficulty of the situation. "Sophia!" I call again. I can't lose her...not again.

I finally find her, standing in front of a car, looking at the little purple crap car. "What were you thinking?" I tell her, my voice rising a few decibels. She looks over at me and says nothing. "Don't ever run from me like that again." I feel like I'm talking to myself, because when I bend down, I'm hugging her for the second time that day. And then I realize she's crying. I look at her and ask, "What's wrong?"

"They were here..." She says, "They're gone." She looks back at the car and I finally see it.

SOPHIA STAY HERE WE WILL COME EVERY DAY

It's written in big white letters across the back with that crap people used to put on their cars when they got engaged or graduated or something. There were a few empty jars on the hood, showing someone had raided this after they left it.

"What if they're dead?" She asks. "What if they're really gone?" She sobs and hugs me. I hold onto her, looking at the letters. "What if they're dead?" She repeats.

"They're not." I promise, rubbing her hair. "They're not."

"How do you know?" She asks.

"If they're anything like you, they're still here." I promise, looking into her blue doe eyes. "Let's get some sleep." I offer.