My Hunter || D. Dixon (On Hold)

Nineteen - Church Bells

The next day we set off into the woods, almost all of us looking for the girl, including Carl. T and Dale decided on staying back. I walked with Caleb and Daryl, taking the lead, my katana was in my right hand as we went.

It was almost like the girl had vanished, turned into thin air. Gods know what happened to her. We turned a corner in the woods, eyes locked on a tent that was pitched in the middle of nowhere. With the motion of a hand, the group stopped and fell silent. "She could be in there," Shane says and I nod my head.

"Could be a whole bunch of things in there," Daryl says, starting to slowly make his way towards the tent. I follow after him, Shane and Rick in toe, Caleb staying back. We get closer and Daryl motions for us to stop as he goes to the tent.

We stop and I keep my bow raised, ready for anything to happen. After a small look around, he shrugs, uncertain on what's inside. I look to Rick, watching him call Carol to us. Carol rushes up and the group moves to follow, stopped by Shane. "Call out softly," Rick tells her. "If she's in there, yours is the first voice she should hear." He explains to her.

Carol nods her head. "Sophia, sweetie, are you in there? Sophia, it's mommy," Carol calls out softly, her voice picking up a bit. "Sophia. We're all here, baby. It's mommy," she says and nothing happens.

We move in, Carol staying there as we do so. Daryl slowly unzips the tent, regretting it when we're hit with the smell of a dead body. Daryl moves inside as Shane, Rick, and I break out coughing at the smell. "Daryl?" Carol calls to him as I nearly puke at the smell along with Rick.

She calls again before he comes out of the tent. "It ain't her." He says and I let out a small breath of relief.

"What's in there?" Andrea asks Daryl.

"Some guy did what Jenner said. Opted out." Daryl says and we look down. "Ain't that what he called it?" He asks before our attention is taken by the sound of church bells in the distance.

We look around for a second before Rick takes the lead, taking us towards the bells, all of us rushing after him. "What direction?" Shane asked Rick after a moment when we find nothing.

Rick points off in a direction. "I think that way." He says and we follow his point. "I'm pretty sure." He adds.

Glenn speaks up from the group. "If we heard them, maybe Sophia did too. Someone's ringing those bells, maybe calling others."

"She could be ringing them herself," Rick says, taking off into a run until we came to a clearing that held a church in the middle of it.

"That can't be it. Got no steeple, no bells." Shane says and I look to him then to Rick, who was looking at it with a look of promise.

"Don't know 'till we look around," I say to him, taking the lead towards the church, Caleb and Rick at my sides.

We get to the front of the church, a set of red double doors. Rick and I hurry up the stairs, hoping that Sophia's in there. Rick stood opposite of me at the doors, ready to open them, Caleb, Daryl, and Shane ready to join us when we go in

We opened the doors, being greeted by a nicely kept church and three walkers, sitting in the pews. We quickly moved in, killing off the three walkers with our melee weapons. "Sophia!" Carol yelled and I flinched a bit as I walked towards the front, looking at the fake Jesus on a cross.

"I'm telling you, it's the wrong church. It's got no steeple, Rick." Shane says and I roll my eyes, sleuthing my katana.

"Oh yeah, what other churches in the woods do you know?" I ask, making Shane shoot me a look. "I'm just sayin' man," I say, holding my hands up.

It only took the bells to start again for us to take off out of the church and towards the mocking sound. Daryl and Caleb were the first people out of the door, Glenn and I following behind them.

Of course, we were met with no real bells, but rather a timer audio version of church bells. Glenn went ahead and shut them off. "It's on a timer," Daryl called out to the others, making me let out a sigh, running a hand through my hair.

"I'm gonna go back in for a bit," Carol says, turning from the group and walking back into the church. This mess suddenly got much worse far too quick.