The Light in my Storm

Lost (10)

We were following the track just fine. Then it disappeared.

"Wait, are they gone?" I asked.

"Nah, they're just faint, look right there," He stated, there was a slight, barely noticeable shoe mark.

"I don't see anything," Rick stated, looking closely. I could barely see it, but Daryl seems to know what he was doing.

"You want a lesson in trackin or you wanna find this girl and get our ass of that interstate?" Daryl remarked.

*

As we were following the track we came along a walker.

Daryl started giving signals on where to go to kill this thing. I picked out my throwing knife and killed it.

"That works too," Daryl stated as we jogged to it.

"Sophia!" I yelled, "Sophia!"

Rick put gloves on and began inspecting the walker.

"What the hell are you doing?" I asked.

"Checkin for skin, under the fingernails," He answered, then he opened it's mouth.

"It fed recently," He announced, he pulled a chunk of skin out of it's teeth.

"You don't think that it...." I muttered not wanting to think about it as Katie flooded my mind for the umpteenth time today.

"Only one way to know for sure," Rick said opening it's shirt, the walker was very bloated. Rick was about to cut him open, but Daryl stopped him.

"Let me do it, how many kills have you skinned and gutted? Anyways, my knife is sharper," Daryl stated as he took over. I looked around, seeing if there were anymore walkers.

"Sophia!" I called. Daryl split it's stomach open and the smell was awful. Just terrible.

He pulled out a small skull.

"Had a woodchuck for lunch," Daryl stated.

"So no little girl? Right?" I asked.

"Nah," Daryl answered.

"At least we know," Rick said. I nodded.

*

"It's gettin late, we can't track in the dark," Daryl stated.

"Yeah," I muttered looking up at the sky.

We headed back to the highway, when we got there, everyone came rushing for news.

"You didn't find her?" Carol cried.

"Her trail went cold," Rick stated.

"We can always start looking first thing tomorrow," I told her, "I understand what you're dealing with."

"You don't have a daughter! How would y-" She started, she put her hand over her mouth in regret, "Oh my god, I forgot, I'm so sorry."

I bit my inner cheek.

"Yeah, but at least I looked for my own damn daughter, I didn't have any help, it was just me," I snapped, and I did. I spent weeks trying to find her and Theo. Then Glenn found me, I always kept hope, but I couldn't just run through the city....

"Bella, I didn't mea-" Carol tried again, but I stopped her.

"Leave. Me. Alone," I told her.

I stormed off down the highway. Someone grabbed my arm, it was Daryl.

"No sense in gettin' lost. It's gettin dark, walkers are out there," He stated, I stayed quiet.

"I know the risk, and if something happens, don't waste your time looking for me," I told him turning around.