My Hunter || D. Dixon (On Hold)

Eighteen - Missing

Sophia was gone, no longer in her hiding spot in the creek. Surely she went back to the highway like I had told her. I wish I could be right for once cause when I got there everyone was looking at me, expecting the girl to be with me.

I locked eyes with Daryl and Caleb before I looked to Carol. She looked to me then around for Sophia. "You didn't find her?" Carol asks me and I look her right in the eyes.

I shake my head. "I did find her. I had to kill the walkers that were chasing her and told her to hide. When I got back she was gone, I thought she made it back here." I explain, watching Carol's eyes fill with a mixture of emotion before I was slapped across the face.

I froze up, listening to Carol cry about her daughter, blaming me for what had happened to her. I looked to the ground, taking everything that she sent my way as Lori and Andrea tried to get her to stop and to back up.

"We'll go look for her," Rick says, looking around at the group. I feel his gaze on me as I nod my head. "Luna'll show us where and we'll go from there. The rest of you stay here." He says and I look up to him and the small group that was coming with us.

Shane, Daryl, and Glenn, Caleb decided to stay back to watch the group just in case. Once more, I jumped the railing, leading the small group to the creek. I didn't say a word, following my tracks to the creek and into the water to the place that I left her to hide. "Sure this is the spot?" Daryl asked me as he walked ahead, looking at the hiding spot. I met his gaze before he turned and locked eyes with me.

I nodded my head, "I left her right there." I say, walking up beside him and pointing off to where I had ran and led the walkers. "I drew the walkers way off in that direction up the creek," I tell them, replaying it in my head again.

Daryl stood up straight, walking past me, Rick now standing in the creek with us. "Without a paddle -- seems where we've landed," Daryl says and I let out a sigh.

I look around at the small group with me. "She was gone by the time I got back here. I figured she just took off and ran back to the group." I tell them, wanting them to believe me. "I told her to go that way. And to keep the sun on her left." I tell Daryl and Rick, wanting them to believe me more than anything.

Daryl walked past us, looking to Glenn and Shane. "Hey, short round," Daryl calls to Glenn, almost making me smile. "Why don't you step off to one side? You're mucking up the trail." Daryl tells him.

"Assuming she knows her left from her right." Shane pipes in, making me glare at him.

"She understood me just fine." I almost snapped at him. I looked down after that, feeling slightly out of place to be snapping at him.

Shane shakes his head. "Kid's tired and scared, Luna. She had her a close call with two walkers. Got to wonder how much of what you said stuck." He says, making me look to him then to Daryl.

Daryl points at the ground. "Got clear prints right here," Daryl says, making me walk up to him. "She did like you said, headed back to the highway. Let's spread out, make our way back." He says, going up the side of the creek.

"She couldn't have gone far," Rick says, his hand squeezing my shoulder.

"Hey, We're gonna find her," Shane says, helping me up the side of the creek after Rick went up. "She'll be tuckered out hiding in a bush somewhere," Shane assures me, making me smile for a moment before dropping it.

Daryl took the lead, following the tracks away from the creek. He crouches down, "She was doin' just fine till right here." He says, me looking over his shoulder at the tracks on the ground. "All she had to do was keep going, she veered off that way."

For the first time since being out here, Glenn spoke up. "Why would she do that?" He asks and I shrug my shoulders.

Shane looked off into the woods, "Maybe she saw something that spooked her, made her run off." He suggested

"A walker?" Glenn asked as I looked at the ground.

"I don't see any other footprints." I point out, Daryl nodding in agreement with me. "Just hers."

"So what do we do? All of us press on?" Shane asks and I shake my head. Leaving the group that unattended was giving me a bad feeling as is.

I look to him then to Glenn. "No, better if you and Glenn get back up to the highway," I tell Shane. "People are gonna start panicking."

Rick looks to Shane with a small nod. "Let them know we're on her trail, doing everything we can," Rick says after I go quiet. "But most of all, keep everybody calm." He adds.

Shane nods his head in agreement with the two of us. "I'll keep 'em busy, scavenging cars. Think up a few other chores. I'll keep 'em occupied." Shane tells us and I give him a small smile, mouthing a "thank you". He nods, motioning for Glenn to follow him.

The two leave and I run a hand through my hair. Daryl takes the lead once again, following the trail. Must've been twenty minutes of us silently walking till we come to a stop. I look to Daryl then to the ground in front of us. "The tracks are gone." Rick breathes out and I shake my head along with Daryl.

It's comforting to know that Daryl sees what I see so I don't look like I'm the only one on a wild goose chase. "No, they're faint," I tell him, scanning the ground for the tracks that barely scratched the surface. "They ain't gone," I assure Rick.

"She came through here," Daryl says, pointing his knife at the tracks that could only be made out by the trained eye.

"How can you tell?" Rick asks as Daryl starts to move forward. "I don't see anything. Dirt, grass." Rick says and I roll my eyes a bit.

"You want a lesson in tracking or you want to find that girl and get our ass off that interstate?" Daryl asks and I lower my head a bit, my stomach turning a bit at the thought of not finding her. But if anyone was going to find her it was going to be me or Daryl, that's for damn sure.