The New World 2

The group was on they're way to Fort Benning after the CDC was a bust. They decided to make Rick the official leader and they also got rid of some vehicles, Shane got rid of the Jeep and Daryl got rid of the truck. The traveling arrangements were changed slightly, Andrea, Glenn, T-Dog, Shane, Sabrina and Ana were in Dale's RV while he drove. Rick, Lori, Carl, Carol and Sophia were in the station wagon and Daryl was on his motorcycle. Glenn was sitting up front with Dale, T-Dog was in the back laying down, Shane, Andrea and Ana were sitting at the table.

"Can I learn how to do that?" Ana asked Shane.

"You're gonna have to ask your momma."

"Learn how to do what?" Sabrina asked Ana as she came out of the bathroom.

"I want to learn how to clean a gun."

"Ana don't you think you should know how to fire one first?" She asked as she sat down next to Shane.

Ana's eyes lit up when she heard her mother say that and she asked, "I can learn how to shoot a gun?"

Sabrina shrugged and said, "I don't see why not. I mean you've got to learn how to protect yourself sooner or later."

"Can you teach me?"

"Ana baby, I suck at shooting. Shane will teach you."

"Really?" She asked looking at Shane with hopeful eyes.

"Of course little lady. I've taught kids about your age on how to shoot and gun safety."

"Does my mom know anything about guns?"

"You're momma knows a lot more about guns than she lets on. She just can't shoot her target." Shane said chuckling as he cleaned the gun.

"That looks complicated." Andrea commented.

"That's just the cleaning part. The complicated part is getting it back together." Sabrina mumbled.

"The trick is getting all the pieces back together the same way. I could clean yours, show you how. And I could show you a thing or two Ana-banana."

Shane dug Andrea's gun out of the gun bag and examined it. "Oh, yeah. It's a sweet piece."

"It was a gift from my father. He gave it to me just before Amy and I took off on our road trip. He said two girls on their own should be able to defend themselves."

"Smart man, your father. Look, it's a - it's a limited capacity. See? Only holds seven rounds." Shane started explaining then got cut off by Dale.

"What's wrong Dale?" Sabrina asked getting up from the table and headed to the front. "Well that's not good."

"What's wrong Rina?"

"Blocked. Cars everywhere. Even a semi is turned over."

They heard Daryl's bike coming back and Dale asked, "See a way through?"

Daryl motioned his head as he went to turn back around to weave us through the abandoned vehicles.

"Uh, maybe we should just go back. There's an interstate bypass-"

"We can't spare the fuel."

As they weaved their way through Sabrina went back to Ana and sat by her as they looked out the window. Ana buried her head into her mother's stomach and she hugged her daughter closer while running her fingers through Ana's hair soothingly. Then Ana and Sabrina jumped when a loud clanking noise broke the silence. "Dale?" Sabrina asked worriedly.

"Nothing to worry about it's just the hose." He said turning the RV off.

The group made their way out of the RV as the others got out of the station wagon. "I said it. Didn't I? A thousand times. Dead in the water. " Dale said coming out of the RV and went to the front of it.

"Problem, Dale?"

"Just a small matter of being stuck in the middle of nowhere with no hope of- okay, that was dumb." He said when we all saw Daryl go to a car and started looking through it.

"If you can't find a radiator hose here..."

"There's a whole bunch a stuff we can find." Daryl said.

"I can siphon more fuel from these cars for a start." T-Dog said,

"Maybe some water?" Carol asked.

"Or food?" Glenn asked.

"This is a graveyard." Lori said.

Everyone stopped and looked at her.

"I don't know how I feel about this."

Sabrina went up to her and said, "Lori, I get where you're coming from but if we want to survive. We've got to do this no matter if it's the right thing or the wrong thing to do."

"Alright, alright here we go." T-Dog said.

"Come on, ya'll. Just look around, gather what you can." Shane said.

Sabrina and Ana started to venture from car to car to find something. They finally stopped at a red SUV. She opened the driver door to unlock the trunk. When it popped they went to the trunk and Sabrina started to go through things.

"Mom?"

"What baby?" She asked picking out some canned goods and putting them in an empty laundry basket.

"I'm thirsty."

"Alright, let me see if there's anything here."

Sabrina finally found something for Ana to drink. "Here baby. Now it's going to be hot but at least it's something to drink." She said popping the cap off the apple juice bottle.

Once Sabrina filled the dark green laundry basket up with food her and Ana went back to the RV.

"Can I stay here and go up there with Dale?"

"I don't care if you stay here, you just need to ask Dale if you can go up there with him."

"Dale?"

"Yes Ana?" Dale asked stopping in the middle of the ladder.

"Can I go up there with you?"

"Well I don't see why not? As long as it's ok with your mother."

"It's fine with me. Now Ana be careful." Sabrina said kissing the top of her head and watched her climb the ladder with the help of Dale.

Sabrina took off again to hunt down more food for the group. As she bent into the trunk of her fifth car that she was searching a hand came over her mouth and pulled her back roughly. She let out a scream into the hand and started slapping at the hand.

"Shh! Shorty, get under the car now an' stay quiet." Daryl hissed into her ear.

"Why?" She hissed as soon as his hand was off of her mouth.

"Jus' do it, unless ya wanna get eaten."

Sabrina paled and got under the car as quick as possible.

Ana please be alright and do what Dale says.

Before she had another thought Daryl was right beside her holding his crossbow as close to him as he could. Soon someone came running and stumbling everywhere leaving a blood trail. She moved her head catching a glimpse of T-Dog holding his arm and trying to find a place to hide.

"Why he gotta get himself hurt?" Daryl said with annoyance and got out from under the car to help T-Dog.

When Daryl left, here came slow, stumbling, shuffling footsteps. It took a few minutes for the herd of walkers to pass, even though it felt like an eternity. Sabrina heard a scream and she pushed herself out from under the car to see Rick go into the woods. She also saw Lori holding a crying Carol.

Sophia!

"Rina, don't. Rick's got it!" Shane said holding on to her before she could go over the street guard rails.

"Shane, if you don't let me go so I can help find Sophia I'll rip off your arms."

"Rina, you need to calm down. I'll make ya a deal...if you calm down I'll take Glenn and red-"

She cut him off by growling lowly in warning.

"I'll take Glenn and Daryl with me if you calm down, k?"

"Fine." Shane let her go and motioned his head for Glenn and Daryl to follow.

"Do you think they will find her?" Carol asked.

Sabrina picked Ana up and said softly, "There's two officers, one hunter, and a smart kid looking for her. They'll find her."

While they waited on the guys to get back the group went through a few more cars. Sabrina braided Ana's hair while leaning up against the guard rail. She jumped when she heard some bushing rustling and she turned around pushing Ana behind her and digging out her knife. That's when Shane and Glenn emerged and she relaxed. Before she got a word out Carol asked, "Where's Rick and Daryl?"

"They found Sophia's trail and they're following it. So while they're following the trail we need to get some of the cars out of the way so we can get through." Shane instructed the group.

Sabrina started putting some cars in neutral so they could be pushed. Shane was in the station wagon pushing the cars out of the way with it. She looked up and saw Ana in Shane's lap steering and she heard him say, "There ya go Ana-banana. Keep the wheel straight... Alright, before to long you'll be drivin'."

Sabrina smiled and went to Carol. "Here."

Carol took the bottled water from her and thanked her softly. Carol excused herself politely and went to Dale. Ana went to her mother and said, "Mom, I drove."

"I seen baby, you did a great job too." She said smiling at her then heard Shane say, "Going back's going to be easier than tryin' to get through this mess."

"We're not going anywhere 'till my daughter gets back."

Lori went to Carol and soothed her by saying, "Hey, that goes without saying."

"Rick and Daryl, they're on it, okay? Just a matter of time."

"Can't be soon enough for me. I'm still freaked out from that herd that passed us by, or whatever you'd call it."

"Yeah, what was up with that? All of them marching like that." Glenn said.

"Ana, why don't you go with Carl?" Sabrina said.

"Okay."

Sabrina went to Shane, Glenn and Andrea while Carol walked away from them and back to the railing. "I want to know about that too. I've never seen that many of them all together."

"A herd. That sounds about right. We've seen it. It's like the night camp got attacked. Just a wandering pack, only fewer." Shane said then letting out a breath to get his head back in the game. "Okay. C'mon, people. We still got a lot to do. Let's stay on it. Let's go, come on."

I haven't seen-

"Sabrina." T-Dog said panting and holding his bloody arm.

"What happened?" She asked escorting him to the RV.

"I slipped and one of the car doors cut me open." He explained as she sat him down in the shade.

"Mom."

"What baby?" She asked turning towards Ana.

"Carl found this cool thing. It's got knives and other sharp things."

"Does his mom know about this?"

"He's showing her right now." She said then turned around to find Carl.

"Ana." Sabrina said warningly. "Give it here."

She sighed and took the handgun out of her waistband and handed it to Sabrina. Sabrina checked it then said, "Anabelle, I know I said you could learn how to shoot but that doesn't mean find a loaded gun that has the safety off and put it in the waistband of your pants. Do you know what would happen if this accidentally went off while it was on you?"

"I'd get hurt."

"Hurt or even killed. This is your only warning Anabelle. You do something like this again with any weapon, you're in big trouble. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

"Now go in the RV until I come get you."

"But there's a walker in there."

"The guys took care of it. It's all cleaned up, now go."

Once Ana was in the RV Sabrina turned back to T-Dog and said, "Let's see the wound."

T-Dog took the rag off so she could see. The gash was deep but not to deep to have surgery, just stitches. Sabrina went to get some gauze pads and medical tape to wrap the wound.

"T-Dog, you can't move around to much. The more you move around the faster your blood flow, which means-"

"If I move to much I'll die."

"Bingo. I'll try to find something to stitch you up."

"Thanks Sabrina."

Ssabrina heard a car turn on and someone talking.

"I'll be right back." She said then jogged to where the others were gathering.

"The Emergency Alert System has been activated. The Office of Civil Defense-"

"Asshole." Shane said to the radio as he shut it off. "Okay, let's get back to work."

"I thought everyone agreed on only the station wagon, the RV, and the motorcycle. What are you doing? And don't lie to me."

Shane sighed then said, "Rina, I'm sorry."

"Sorry? Sorry for what?" She asked confused.

"I'm leavin'."

"What? You can't just leave. Ana and Carl like you. If you left, that would devastate them."

"Rina, I don't want to talk about this right now."

"Is this about what's been going on between you and Lori?"

He looked down at the ground and said, "You know about that?"

"It doesn't take a genius to figure it out Shane. I can't believe this, you go after your best friends wife when there's someone standing right in front of you waiting....for you." Sabrina said turning around.

"Rina wait-"

"I'm done waiting Shane. You're so far up her ass it's unbelievable. Yes I liked you Shane but now I can see that it would've never worked out. So go, leave the group, I don't care." She said walking off.

The sun was setting when Sabrina heard Glenn say, "They're back."

Sabrina went over to Carol and started rubbing her back soothingly. "You didn't find her."

"Her trail went cold. We'll pick it up again at first light." Rick explained.

"You can't leave my daughter out there on her own to spend the night in the woods."

"Ou' in the dark's no good. We'd jus' be trippin' over ourselves. More people'd get lost." Daryl said.

"But she's twelve. She can't be out there on her own. You didn't find anything?" Carol asked getting frantic.

"I know this is hard. But I'm asking you not to panic. We know she was out there."

"And we tracked her for a while." Daryl said trying to calm Carol down.

"We have to make this an organized effort. Daryl knows the woods better than anybody. I've asked him to oversee this."

"Is...Is that blood?"

"Carol calm down. I'm sure he has an explanation." Sabrina said to Carol then looked over at Daryl.

"We took down a walker."

"Walker? Oh, my God."

"Shh" She said pulling Carol into her.

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

"How can you that?" Andrea asked.

"Cut the son-of-a-bitch open, made sure." Daryl said with a 'duh' tone to Andrea.

When Daryl said that Carol relaxed a little, sat on the guard rail with Lori by her side then said to Rick, "How could you just leave her out there to begin with? How could you just leave her?"

"Those two walkers were on us. I had to draw them off. It was her best chance."

"Sounds like he didn't have a choice, Carol." Shane said defending Rick.

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

"It was my only option. The only choice I could make."

"I'm sure nobody doubts that."

"My little girl got left in the woods." Carol cried softly.

Andrea and Lori comforted Carol while the others went back to the RV. Sabrina climbed into the RV to tuck Ana in.

"Mommy, are they ever going to find Sophia?"

"I'm sure they will baby." She said even though she had this weird feeling that they wouldn't. "Try to get some sleep, I'll be either right here or right outside the RV ok?" She said kissing Ana's forehead.

"Can you stay until I fall asleep?"

"Sure baby." Sabrina laid next to her and cuddled her. Soon after they both fell to sleep.