Echos in the Dark

Chapter 12

"If we don't make it back, run back to the highway, back to the others straight the way we came. Keep the sun on your left shoulder." Rick instructed her.

"Rick!" The two walkers found us and we lead them away screaming at them. Rick followed the river while I went on ground. I grabbed my knife and I heard a growl from behind me. "Two?!" I backed away from them. As I was backing away I tripped over a rock. Causing one of them to land on me.

"Shit!" I pushed away its head before stabbing it. I rolled it off me and crawled away as the second walked fell down to chew on my leg but grabbed my shoe instead. I pulled away and kicked his face. I sat up quickly and stabbed his head. Huffing, I stood up and ran back to the river to find Rick looking around.

"Rick-"

"She's gone!" I began to worry.

"Let's see if she made it back to the highway!" Rick said. I nodded as we ran back to the others. When we came back we had learned that she didn't return. Ace ran and hugged me as I looked at Carol. She had the face filled with terror. I held Ace close to me and the others decided to go check the place where Sophia was hiding in.

"Mommy is Sophia going to be okay?" My heart dropped.

"I- I'm sure Ace..." I faked a smile. We sat on the guard rail, waiting for the others. Shane came back and told us to continue scavenging the cars. Me and Ace stayed with Carol as I hugged her, whispering apologies. 

She walked off to talk to Dale. I assume talking about the moving of cars instead of searching. She came back still looking to see if maybe her child had or will come back.

"Carol, it's going to be okay, we need to stay strong for her. Sophia's a smart girl. I'm sure she's hiding somewhere." I hugged her again and she hugged back. I let go and we kept watch.

-/-

The sun set and we continued to scavenge rebought the cars. We didn't find anything weapons but Ace did find a book or two for us to read. We walked back and I saw Andrea, Shane, and Dale talking.

"And she gets to have one?" I heard her say as she pointed at me. I raised a brow.

"Have what?" I asked.

"A gun." Shane said.

"I've used a gun multiple times, I know how to use it, I've been trained." I glared at her. She scoffed and rolled her eyes before turning and walking away. I sighed. Glenn came and spotted Rick and Daryl.

We walked to them. "Her trail went cold, we'll pick it up at first light." I looked at Carol who's eyes widen.

"You can't leave my daughter out there on her own to spend the night alone in the woods!" She said on the verge of tears.

"Out in the dark's no good. We'd just be tripping over ourselves. More people get lost." Daryl said

"But she's 12! She can't be out there on her own. You didn't find anything?!"

"I know this is hard. But I'm asking you not to panic. We know she's out there and we tracked her for a while. We have to make this an organized effort. Daryl knows the woods better than anybody. I've asked him to oversee this." Rick said trying to calm her and the others down. I had Ace go into the RV.

"Is that blood?" She asked with fear in her voice.

"We took down a walker."

"A walker? Oh my god." 

"There was no sign it was ever anywhere near Sophia."

"How can you know that?" Andrea asked. Rick hesitated to answer do Daryl did it for him.

"We cut the son of a bitch open. Made sure." I was surprised but not disgusted like the others.

It's not that bad...I've done worse than cut up someone's stomach. I thought.

Carol slowly sat herself down. Lori sitting next to her and hugging her. "How could you just leave her out there to begin with?" she said looking at me and Rick. I flinched and looked away with guilt. "How could you just leave her?!"

"There were four walkers were on us. We had to draw them away. It was her best chance."

"Sounds like they didn't have a choice Carol."

"How was she supposed to find her way back on her own? She's just a child. She's just a child..." she began to cry.