The Sharpest Lives

"You sure this is the spot?" Daryl asked, crouching down to look under the bank Rick had said he left Sophia at. Ace was still trying to grasp all of this in her head.

"I told her to stay right here," Rick pointed, the water splashing under his feet as he did. "Ace went after the two walkers from the highway while I went to get Sophia.. More came and I had to take the walkers in that direction, up the creek," Rick was pointing as he talked. This really was not Ace's fault at all, but that's not what she thought. Some how, some way, there was more Ace could have done, and she failed. "She was gone by the time I got back here, I figured she took off and ran back to the group.. I told her; go that way and keep the sun on her left shoulder," Rick pointed to where Ace and Shane were standing, Daryl following his fingers.

They were up on top of the creek bed so it was a giant step up for Daryl to get up there, Ace holding her hand out to help. Daryl just looked at it for a moment, but huffed as he took it, allowing her to help him up. Ace was going to do the same thing for Rick, but Shane beat her to it. "Assuming she knows her left from her right.." Shane said down to him.

"Shane, she understood me fine," Rick stated, breathing hard.

Shane was saying something back, but Ace ignored it. All it was is pessimistic stuff that she didn't want to hear right now. Instead, she followed behind Daryl quietly, watching as he searched the ground for tracks. "Got clear prints right here.. She did what you said, headed back to the highway," Daryl stated, turning around to tell them, surprised to see Ace standing behind him. He hadn't heard her footsteps at all.. "Let's spread out," Daryl tried to ignore it and made a signal with his hand, starting to lead the small group again.

Ace wasn't as good of a tracker as Daryl, but she still had a lot of skills and experience as a veteran. She applied them as best as she could while following being Daryl. He was crouched down, studying the ground like it was the most intricate piece of art that held clues to the mystery they were trying to solve. Ace realized he was real good at tracking, his footsteps light and his skills heavy.

It was discovered that Sophia had been doing just fine, her trails heading right back up to the highway until one spot where she randomly just veered off to the right. Ace didn't know why she'd do that, no other tracks were found, which meant no one spooked her. But Ace did know she was a child, running around scared, so it's hard to expect she knew exactly where or what she was doing.

"It'll be best if you, Ace, and Glenn head back up to the highway before people start panicking," Rick started to Shane, but Ace was not happy with hearing her name. There is no way she's gona stop searching for Sophia.

"Na," Daryl stood up, cutting Rick off for a moment. "She stays. Got the quietest footsteps," Daryl gave that as a reason which was true, she did, and he also suspected she had some kind of skill that could be helpful. But also, he could tell she was beating herself up about Sophia.. He knew she had to be here to look for her. Daryl knows she is just that kind of person.. And if she can't look for her sister, this was the best she's got.

Ace met eyes with Daryl and gave him a thankful nod which he returned quickly. "Okay," Rick agreed. "Let them know we're on her trail, but most importantly, keep everybody calm."

Shane and Glenn agreed, saying they would dig up some chores to keep people busy, then they left, heading back in the direction that Sophia should have gone, leaving Rick, Daryl, and Ace there. "You know how to track?" Daryl barely looked much at Ace as he asked her, walking forward again. Normally he didn't like to, but he could double task while tracking and still do a damn good job.

"Sort of," Ace mumbled, following after him with Rick. Ace didn't dare crouch down like Daryl right now, she only would if it's completely necessary because that will be a bitch on her already aching back. "You know what you're lookin' for?" Daryl asked.

"Sort of," Ace repeated.

"You don't talk much, do you?" Rick snorted a laugh behind her, but Ace barely gave him a look back. She was waiting for the comment that came after that, the more rude one that normally always follows, but instead she got something different.

"Ain't so bad, 'least she ain't blabbin her mouth like most of them idiots," Daryl said, keeping his eyes on the ground he was following.

Rick stayed quiet and a ghost of a smirk came over Ace's face.

They walked on for a little bit more, searching for any signs or dusts up that would give them more of Sophia's path. They were all silent, both Ace and Daryl thankful for that. Rick had tried to ask them how they were seeing anything to follow, but Daryl shushed him up saying he wasn't giving a lesson in tracking, even though he had just been talking to Ace about it.

All was going smoothly until a faint ruffle of branches spooked all three, each immediately crouching way down. Ace bit her tongue when the pain in her lower back started shooting up her spine and silently moved on beside Daryl and Rick. There was a small hill that they were on top of, making them able to see the lone biter shuffling along down below. Ace's heart plummeted at the sight, not because she hated them, but because Sophia could have ran into him..

Daryl signaled motions with his hands towards Ace that she was able to pick up and quickly apprehend. Her job is to quietly run in front of the biter, making sure it's attention was on her so Daryl could take it out. She did this after a nod to Daryl, glad she at least wasn't the one who had to kill it.

Ace let out a sort little bird call type of whistle, causing the biter to turn towards her. It let out a grown that set Ace's body rigid, but before anything else happened, an arrow came through its eye.

Ace took a moment to squeeze her eyes tight at the sight before running back over to the biter, Rick and Daryl doing the same. They all silently stared down at it before looking up and giving each other a look. They know that there is a chance that this came by Sophia.. But only limited ways to find out if it did or not.

Rick took action first, picking under it's finger nails and in between it's teeth, finding flesh. The question was, though; what kind of flesh?

Ace's eyes went wide when Rick ripped open the biters shirt, "there's only one way to know for sure.."

He was going to cut it open? That's not right..

Ace knows it has to be done, but still isn't feeling too good about it.

"Here, I'll do it. How many kills have you skinned and gutted in life? Anyway, mines sharper," Daryl said while taking out his knife, his tone letting Ace know this is nothing like one of his animals he's skinned and gutted..

Ace watched as he lifted his knife up, but wouldn't allow herself to see anymore, looking to the side at Daryl's boot when the disgusting sound of ripping flesh open was loud in her ears. She didn't know if her mind or stomach could handle this, tearing into a person, so she crouched down, ignoring her back pains and focusing hard on Daryl's boot. Ace had no idea how Daryl could do this, but she gave him a ton of credit, even if it was disgusting how he just... dug in.

While sawing down the biters stomach, Daryl took a look back at Ace, having not heard a sound come from her. Well, that is a normal thing, but this time he couldn't even hear the leaves crunch under her feat or the quiet sound of her breathing. She looked like she was unfazed by it and just numb, but on the inside she was going crazy.

It just turned out that she was barely holding onto her breath, either closing her eyes or staring at his leg as she gripped hard onto the grass below her, keeping herself steady. "Here comes the bad part.." Daryl huffed. Ace looked up when he talked, but only completely regretted it when a moment after she saw him shove his hands inside the biters gut.

Ace's hand went up to cover her mouth as she squeezed her eyes shut, trying to get the image out of her head. Was it really so normal to cut open something that once was a person? Why was she the only one struggling so badly with grasping onto that? And she was the one that was supposed to be good at 'adapting'...

"Yeah, hoss had a big meal not long ago.. I feel it in there," Daryl was now mid arm deep in the things stomach.

Ace kept repeating Sophia's name in her head as the sound of Daryl's grunts and the slime of guts were in her ear. It actually helped a lot. Enough for her to regain the composure she once had in time for Daryl to drop the gut bag out.

Rick took over and started cutting that open, both of them making sounds of disgust as they did. Ace was feeling really unhelpful, which made her feel worse about the Sophia situation, but there was nothing she could do. She didn't have a pair of gloves or the stability to do what they have.

"Gross bastard had himself a woodchuck for lunch," Daryl announced.

With this information they all stood up, Ace walking over to the nearest tree and placing a hand on it, letting her head bow down, focusing on her breathing. "At least we know.." Rick said, trying to keep the positive side of this up.

"Ya alright?" Daryl's voice rang out from behind Ace, causing her to peek an eye open to see him standing behind her. "Throw up if ya gotta'," he said, but Ace just shook her head, standing back up straight. "M'good."

Daryl gave her a nod and then soon enough they were back on their search.

*

An hour or so later, spirits were low like the sun that had started to set. They had followed Sophia's track for a while, right up until it went cold. There wasn't anything left to go off of, it being a bad idea to just be wandering around the woods in the dark.

Ace was tearing herself up. She could barely stand the thought of Sophia being out in the woods, alone during night. She couldn't believe that this was happening. That she let it happen..

Carol's whimpers only put Ace down more when they walked back up to the highway, each of them now covered in a fair amount of dirt and grossness. "You... You didn't find her," Carol cried.

Rick came over and started explaining to her that Sophia's trail was gone, but Ace just stayed back by Daryl. "How could you.." Carol cried out, harshness in her voice that was directed straight towards Ace, taking all the blame out on her. "How could you just leave her? You lost my baby girl in the woods!" Carol spat at her. "You should have never come with this group!"

Ace wouldn't even look up as Carol yelled at her. She was glued to her spot in guilt, looking down at her hands that had dried blood from the two biters she killed earlier on them. "I'm sorry," Ace whispered, barely audible. In fact, only a few people were able to make it out. Daryl was one of them and he watched Ace as she looked like an innocent child that was being bullied on the worse matter possible.

"She's just a child... She's just a child," Carol cried and what she said and the way she said it had Ace's whole body shaking. She started taking steps back, not being able to be here anymore. She really wanted to crawl out of her own skin, but that's not an option.

Daryl watched as she started sinking back and he took a step toward, about to say something to her until she turned and started heading away in the opposite direction.

Ace went far off, passing by many cars until her legs grew much too tired. She was nearly hyperventilating, the guilt compressing her chest as she looked down at her hands. The blood from the biters represented more to her. Because metaphorically she really did have so much blood on her hands.

The blood of her buddies from the Marine's, the blood of all the biters she's killed, she believes Frankie's blood, Merle's blood, and now Sophia's blood... Her hands were so dirty.

Growing frantic, Ace went down onto her knees and started quickly rubbing at one hand with the other, trying to scrub off all the dried, crusty blood. But it failed, because how is it possible that she could clean her hands to make them pure again? It's like trying to clean with a dirty rag.

She still kept rubbing and rubbing at her hands, so lost in doing so that she didn't notice anyone come up until a hand grasped one of her wrists, stopping her. Ace now looked up, becoming utterly confused why Daryl was here. Or why he was being nice to her today.

He didn't say a word as he pulled out the red rag that was in his butt pocket and a water bottle he now had. Daryl opened the bottle silently and poured some of the water over her hands, Ace watching while the cold liquid dripped around them and then when Daryl started cleaning her hands with his rag.

She couldn't clean herself up, but Daryl could.

"Carol ain't right for what she's said.. Blamin it on you," Daryl mumbled as he took each of her fingers one by one with the rag, rubbing them clean. Ace was completely aware of him and what he was saying, but as usual, didn't respond, just looked at the cement below her.

Once Daryl had finished with her hands, he stuffed the rag back in his pocket, but still stayed crouched down next to Ace, eyeing her a little bit. After a little bit of silence, Daryl spoke up. "Sorry 'bout bein a dick," his voice was a low, quiet mumble. He was all kinds of shy and not used to his feelings or talking to someone like this in general. Ace knew exactly what that felt like and watched as as soon as he said that, he got up and started heading back.

Ace looked back down on the ground, letting her head spin. This group is a mess, they've really done nothing good for her at this point, but she's not leaving now. Not with Sophia out there. She had to admit to herself what Jenner said was right... Frankie is probably dead. If not, she could be anywhere, nearly impossible to find. And Ace had her cancer.

Sophia's the one she's got to find now that she can't find Frankie.

And Daryl gets that.. He gets her and she gets him. Ace knew that from the first time he offered her a drink, but both not knowing how to handle that, they were assholes to each other. But at the same time they would look out for the other. She didn't know this Daryl Dixon very much, but she knew who he was. And he knew who she was. They're so similar, drawing together because of it.

Ace pushed herself up off the ground and with a few reassuring thoughts, she started to head back to the RV. She didn't say a word or give a glance to anyone, just went straight to Shane's Jeep where her backpack was. Shane was already in here, laying back in his seat with his hat over his face. Ace was being as quiet as she could, luckily being able to snatch her bag with out waking him if he was even asleep.

"Got that bench open inside if you're still in need of a place to sleep," Dale said to Ace when she got back over to the RV.

"Sure," she gave a weak smile. "I'll take watch?"

Dale nodded and handed her his rifle, suspecting that it would be best if she had some alone time. Ace was glad he got that and put her backpack on her shoulders before climbing up to the top of the RV. There was a lawn chair set up at the edge, so Ace made her way over there, sliding her pack off before she sat.

She looked at the sky that was a fiery orange not too long ago start to twinkle with darker colors. Ace let herself get lost in the sight for a while, her thoughts running around in a million different directions. Left, right, up, down, wherever... at the end of each road was nothing good, just pain and loss and guilt.

Letting out a sigh, she moved to reach down to her backpack, digging through it to find all the pill bottles Jenner gave her and the file. She didn't feel like going in depth with the file right now, her head already worn out, but she had spotted a paper inside with info on the medicines earlier. So, taking it out she saw that it was basically the same list of all the drugs, but a small description on what they do next to them, plus, their side effects.

Ace got all the bottles set on the ground in front of her. She looked at each one and compared them with the file. It said to take them once a day, some even twice. But those ones had a red label on them, saying that there are strong side effects. Most of the other ones just made a person either really tired or thirsty, sometimes hungry, but these ones were the bastard ones Ace remembers from before. They make you get constantly sick when you try to eat anything, not able to keep it down. They give you killer headaches, bone deep pain, and other stuff that Ace can't deal with right now.

She put those ones aside, she can't take those now. Not when she needs to focus on finding Sophia and surviving. Maybe one day if she ever finds a place to settle down..

After opening each of the other bottles and taking some from each, swallowing dry, Ace angrily stuffed everything back in her bag. How the hell was she supposed to do this? Survive the zombie apocalypse and cancer?! Even with the pills, she'll be messed up from having to worry about taking them every day and the side effects.. and what happens when she runs out? She can't just avoid the fact that she needs chemo or a risky surgery.. Her survival just isn't supposed to happen!

Rubbing her temples, she put her bag down below her, her head feeling like it might explode from everything. She was stressed out to the max on top of all the guilt and pain and hopelessness, too. Ace knows she's bound to have a panic attack sometime.

She's never been a person to completely give up and lose even with all the close calls she's had. But Ace feels that after she finds Sophia, it will just be a matter of time before she needs to have a bullet for her last meal..