Wake the Dead

chapter 9

I was walking back and forth at the tree line, waiting for any sign from Rick or Sophia. Everybody was thinking the worst about what happened to Sophia, but I knew Rick wouldn't let anything happen to her.

I heard movement coming from the trees, so I stepped closer, with my knife ready. Soon enough, I saw Rick emerge from the trees with blood all over his shirt, but no Sophia. 

I ran over to him and he was out of breath. "Sophia, is she okay.?"

"Rick, she never came back. You didn't find her?" 

He bent over and put his hand over his mouth, in guilt and shock. "I found her, I told her to hide and then to run back while I distracted the walkers. She didn't come back?" He wheezed. I helped him back over to the group and ran to get him some water while he explained what happened to the rest of the group. 

Carol put her hand over her mouth and fell into Lori's arms, sobbing. Shane quickly came up and reassured her, "Rick said he took care of the two walkers, so she just must have lost her way, she can't be far. More of us will head back out and follow her trail."

Shane looked at Daryl knowing he was the best tracker here. Rick, Shane, Glenn, and Daryl were going back out to look for her. "I'm coming, too." I told them.

"No, you need to stay here, we don't need ya getting lost in the woods, too." Shane barked at me.

"You don't have to worry about me, I have more experience in tracking than you do so shut it and lets go." I snapped back at him and started to walk into the forest, the guys hesitated, but then followed after me. 

*

We quietly made our way through the forest, following Rick to where he last saw Sophia. 

"Ya sure this is the spot?" Daryl asked, looking into a small hiding place in the creek.

"I left her right here. I took the walkers way up in that direction, up the creek." Rick said pointing ahead of us. "She wasn't here when I got back, I figured she just took off and ran back to the group. I told her, go that way, and keep the sun on her left shoulder." He pointed to the way back to the road.

Daryl walked through the creek, looking around. "Hey short round, would ya step off to one side, ya muckin up the trail." He said to Glenn. 

"Your assuming she knows her left to her right." Shane put in, being negative.

"Shane, she understood me fine." Rick harshly responded to him. 

"She was tired and scared man, she had her a close call, two walkers. Ya have to wonder how much of what ya said stuck." Shane told him, making Rick look more guilty. 

I walked over to the edge of the creek and saw little foot prints. "Got clear prints, right here. She did what you said, headed back to the highway." I told everyone, but was directing it towards Rick.

Daryl walked over and gave me what looked like an impressed look, then looked over my shoulder at the tracks. Shane helped us all out step out of the creek. "Spread out, she couldn't have gotten far." Daryl told the group.

"We're gona find her, she probably tuckered out, hidin in a bush somewhere." Shane reassured us.

Daryl slowly and quietly lead the way, following her tracks. I was close behind him, adding another set of eyes on the trail. The trail was clear and good for a while, but then all of the sudden it was going in the wrong direction. 

Daryl crouched down to get a better look, "She veered off that way." He said pointing to out right. 

"Why would she do that?" Glenn asked.