Hero

n i n e

The entire group looked around in confusion after the sound of the single gunshot. Lenora looked towards the direction it came from before looking at Daryl. He simply shrugged before gesturing for the group to keep moving forward. 

Lenora hobbled along, trying to put the least amount of pressure on her ankle as possible. They only went about 400 meters before Lori stopped and looked in the direction of the shot once more. 

"You still worrying about it?" Andrea asked her causing Lenora along with the rest of the group to stop.

"It was a gunshot." Lori said staring off into the distance. 

"We all heard it." Daryl said stopping next to Lenora. She put most of the pressure onto the foot that wasn't hurting as he spoke. 

"Why one?" Lori asked bewildered. She was obviously panicking for her husband and son. "Why just one gunshot?"

"Maybe they took down a walker?" Daryl said with a shrug. 

"Please don't patronize me." Lori spoke, anger evident in her voice. "You know Rick wouldn't risk a gunshot to put down one walker. Or Shane, they'd do it quietly."

"Shouldn't they have caught up with us by now?" Carol says agreeing with Lori. Lenora ponders the thought. Carol was right, they said they were only going to explore a little bit more, too long has passed and they should be back with them by now. Especially with the frequent stops they'd been taking. 

"There's nothing we can do about it anyway." Daryl said walking back towards the group so he was in the middle. "Can't run around these woods chasing echoes."

"So what do we do?" Lori asked him. 

"Same as we've been." Daryl was a good leader, Lenora had decided. If something were to ever happen to Rick, he'd be the perfect person to take over. Yes, Shane was there but he was unhinged in a way that scared Lenora. That type of fear typically didn't work well in a leadership position. "Beat the bush for Sophia, work our way back to the highway." 

"I'm sure they'll hook up with us back at the RV." Andrea said attempting to reassure Lori.  Lenora nodded and the group began to walk once more. Only this time Carol and Andrea were the ones who wouldn't walk. 

Andrea muttered some reassuring words to Carol. Carol just muttered a thank you and looked around before a pained expression crossed her face. "The thought of her being out here by herself, it's the not knowing that's killing me. I just keep hoping and praying she doesn't wind up like Amy." 

Lenora's jaw dropped wide open in shock at what the older woman had just said.  Along with everyone else. Carol's eyes quickly widened after she realized what she had said. "Oh god that's the worse thing I ever said." 

"We're all hoping and praying with you." Andrea said swallowing her pain and looking the woman in the eyes. "For what it's worth."

Daryl walked over to the two ladies. "I'll tell you what it's worth. Not a damn thing. It's a waste of time all this hoping and praying. Cause we're gonna locate the little girl and she's gonna be just fine. Am I the only one zen around here? Good lord." 

The group trekked onwards through the woods. Along the way Daryl pointed out random things to Lenora. He showed her how to tell when a walker had been through the area. "The tracks, they drag their feet, it's more of a shuffle than anything. If they were alive  the steps would be clearer." 

"How'd you learn all this?" Lenora asked. She was in awe about how much the man knew. He was going to survive this world. Lenora knew it. If they all died tomorrow he'd be the last one standing.