The New World 2

Morning came way too quick for Sabrina's liking. She gave Ana a strawberry fruit bar then ran her fingers through her hair to get the knots out. Once the two were done in the RV they came out and were greeted by the group. Rick layed out some weapons on the hood of a car and Sabrina went to Shane and asked softly, "Going to look for Sophia?"

"Yeah. You gonna stay here?"

"No, me and Ana are coming along."

"Yer sure that's a good idea?" Daryl asked.

"What's wrong Daryl? You think a woman can't fight?" He scoffed and turned back to Rick.

"Everybody takes a weapon." Rick said.

"These aren't the kind of weapons we need. What about the guns?" Andrea asked.

"Did you forget that sound attracts walkers?" Sabrina asked.

"Thank you Rina. Daryl, Rick, and I are carrying. We can't have people popping off rounds every time a tree rustles." Shane said.

"It's not the trees I'm worried about."

"Say somebody fires at the wrong moment, a herd happens to be passin' by. See, then it's game over for all of us."

"So you need to get over it Andrea, hell you don't even know how to shoot a damn gun do you?" She asked.

Andrea stayed quiet glaring at Sabrina before Daryl spoke, "The idea is ta take the creek up 'bout five miles, turn 'round an' come back down the other side. Chances are she'll be by the creek. It's her only landmark."

"Stay quiet and stay sharp Keep space between you but always stay within sight of each other." Rick instructed.

The group got ready and Sabrina went to check up on T-Dog while Andrea had her little spat with Dale, again. She told him to take it easy and be careful with his arm. When she turned around to head with the group she saw Ana tuck something into her jean pocket.

What does she have?

The group made it into the woods to start their search with Daryl leading them. Sabrina heard Shane snap at Carl so she looked over her shoulder with an eyebrow raised then shook her head and continued forward. The group came to a little clearing in the woods and found a small yellow tent.

"You think she went in there?" Sabrina asked Daryl lowly.

"There could be a whole buncha things in there. Only one way ta find out though."

Daryl went to the tent to examine it and couldn't figure out if anybody was in there or not. Rick called for Carol and instructed her to call for Sophia.

"Baby stay close." Sabrina whispered to Ana.

"Sophia, sweetie, are you in there?" Carol asked softly, "Sophia, it's mommy. Sophia. We're all here, baby. It's mommy."

Rick and Shane went to Daryl slowly and Daryl finally opened the flap and went inside. Shane and Rick started coughing and gagging at the smell coming from inside the tent.

"Daryl?" Carol asked.

Nothing.

"Daryl, everything ok?" Sabrina asked.

A few seconds later he emerged from the tent and said, "It ain't her."

"What's in there?" Andrea asked.

"Some guy. Did wha' Jenner said. Opted out. Ain't tha' what he called it?"

Before anyone could speak another word bells went off in the distance.

"It sounds like church bells. But which way?" Sabrina asked looking around slowly.

Rick motioned and ran and the others followed. They reached another clearing and Shane asked Rick which direction and Rick started going to the right a little then picked up his pace. The group finally made it to the tree line and saw a cemetery with a church.

"That can't be it. Got no steeple, no bells."

"But this is the only building for miles Shane. I'm sure it's got some kind of bell." She said as she started running after Rick.

They finally made it to the front of Southern Baptist Church. Rick, Daryl, and Shane went inside first then motioned for the others to follow.

"Come on baby." Sabrina said as she put her hand on Ana's head and led her inside.

The church was beautiful on the inside, except for the walkers laying lifeless on the floor. Once it was clear Shane started talking to Rick then bells went off again. The group ran outside but Sabrina and Ana stayed put, sitting in the very last pew. Soon the ringing stopped and the group slowly trickled back in.

"It was a damn timer." Daryl said gruffly while leaning on the wall next to Sabrina and Ana.

Everyone got quiet as Carol started praying for Sophia and confessing her sins. Once she was done they waited a few minutes before they left the church. Rick and Shane talked for a few minutes before Shane instructed that Daryl was going to lead the group back to the highway as him and Rick were going to stay to search a little more.

"Yer splittin' us up. Ya sure?"

"Yeah, we'll catch up to you."

"I wanna stay, too. I'm her friend." Carl piped up.

Lori gave the ok to Carl as the group started heading back to the woods.

"Mom, can I stay with Carl?"

"Ana, I know how much you want to find Sophia but it's best if you come with me. Ok?"

"Fine."

The walk back to the highway was pretty quiet and tense. The group came to a clearing and rested for a few moments.

"So this is it? This the whole plan?" Carol asked with frustration.

"I guess the plan is ta whittle us down inta smaller an' smaller groups."

"Carrying knives and pointy sticks. I see you have a gun?"

Andrea will you quit being a stuck up bitch!

"Why, you want it? Here, take it. I'm sick of the looks you're giving me." Lori said agitated while handing the gun over to Andrea. "All you, except you Sabrina. Honey, I can't imagine what you're going through. And I would do anything to stop it. But you've got to stop blaming Rick. It is in your face every time you look at him. When Sophia ran he didn't hesitate, did he? Not for a second. I don't know that any of us would have gone after her the way he did or made the hard decisions that he had to make or that anybody could have done it any differently. Anybody?"

No answers. "Y'all look to him and then you blame him when he's not perfect. If you think you can do this without him, go right ahead. Nobody is stopping you."

Lori took a drink from her water bottle and when she was shoving it back in the backpack Andrea handed the gun back over.

Something finally sank into her head.

"We should keep moving."

The group got back up and headed back to the highway. They were a few hundred yards away when a piercing sound came echoing to them.

"Carl." Lori said worriedly with the look of horror on her face.

"I'm sure everything's fine. Carl's got Rick and Shane with him." Sabrina said softly trying to reassure her, even though she knew what happened.

They started walking in silence again for a few minutes until Lori stopped again.

"You still worrying about it?"

"It was a gunshot."

"We all heard it."

"Why one? Why just one gunshot?"

"Maybe they took down a walker."

"Please don't patronize me. 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 asked.

"There's nothin' we can do 'bout it anyway. Can't run 'round these woods chasing echoes." Daryl said with slight irritation.

"So what do we do?"

"Same as we been. Beat the bush fer Sophia, work our way back to the highway."

"I'm sure they'll hook up with us back at the RV." Andrea said.

Lori reluctantly started walking with the rest of the group. Andrea started comforting Carol the best she could.

Andrea's not being a bitch? Put a mark up on the tree.

Daryl got annoyed and approached them. "I'll tell ya what it's worth- not a damn thing. It's a waste of time all this hopin' an' prayin'. 'Casue we're gonna locate tha' liddle girl, she's gonna be just fine. Am I the only one zen 'round here? Good Lord."

The small group started again and Daryl told the girls that they were losing light so they needed to get back to the highway. The girls debated and agreed then Daryl whistled for them to follow. Ana was close to Daryl and Sabrina was lagging behind with Carol.

"Seems like you two are getting along."

"Who?"

"You and Daryl, even Ana likes him."

"Carol I have no idea what you're talking about."

"I'm sure you'll see it one day." Carol said with a small smile.

Suddenly Andrea screamed and the group ran towards her only to find a woman riding a horse and hit the attacking walker with a baseball bat. She stopped the horse and asked urgently, "Lori? Lori Grimes?"

"I'm Lori."

"Rick sent me. You gotta come now."

"What?"

"There's been an accident. Carl's been shot. He's still alive but you've got to come now. Rick needs you. Just come."

Lori took her backpack off and handed it to Sabrina and went to the horse.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. We don't know this girl."

"Daryl...."

"You can't on that horse."

"Rick said you had others on the highway, that big traffic snarl?" The woman asked.

"Uh-huh." Glenn said.

"Backtrack to Fairburn Road. Two miles down is our farm. You'll see the mailbox. The name is Greene. Hyah!" She said then the horse took off running.

The walker got back up and Daryl said, "Shut up." Then shot an arrow through it's head.

"Daryl. If that woman was dangerous she would've killed us all. Besides she knew Lori's, Carl's, and Rick's name so--"

"Shorty--"

Sabrina growled while she glared at him and he smirked at her. "We're s'posed ta be in a group an' everyone's fleein'. I'm jus' tryin' ta get us back ta the highway."

The group finally made it back to the highway and over the guard rail when Dale came over. "Where's the others?"

"Long story." Daryl said.

"Rick, Shane and Carl stayed behind to search for Sophia. Lori went with some woman on a horse because she said Carl got shot." Sabrina said summing up the events.

"Shot? What do you mean shot?" Dale asked worriedly. "And you let Lori go?"

"Climb down outa my ass, old man. Rick sent her. She knew Lori's name and Carl's." Daryl said getting defensive and walking to the RV.

"I heard screams. Was that you?" Dale asked Andrea, in return no response as she walked off.

"She got attacked by a walker. It was a close call." Glenn explained.

"Andrea, are you alright?"

She gave Dale a dirty look and slammed the RV door.

And the bitchy Andrea is back.

"Don't let it get to you Dale, we've all had a long day." She said with her hand on his left shoulder. "Let's go baby and get you something to eat and clean you up a bit."

Sabrina took Ana to the RV to get the sweat and dirt off of them. When that was done Sabrina opened up a can of Navy beans and put some in a bowl for Ana to eat.

"Do you want some bread?"

Ana nodded and Sabrina gave her a piece of bread. While Ana was eating Sabrina asked, "So what did Daryl give you before we went into the woods?"

"Nothing."

"Ana."

She pulled out a little pocket knife from her pants and said, "He gave it to me to protect myself incase I got split up from the group."

"Oh, ok. Just don't forget to give it back to him."

"He said I could keep it."

"Really? Ana just be careful with it. If you use it in any dangerous way I'm taking it away."

"Ok. Alright, I've got to go see what the others are talking about and I have to check up on T-Dog ok?"

"Ok."

Sabrina got out of the RV and headed to T-Dog first. "How'a feeling?"

"My arm hurts like hell."

"I need to check it--"

"Dale checked it earlier. He said somethin' about the vein being dark--"

"You need some kinda of antibiotic, your blood's getting infected."

Sabrina's head shot up at the sudden movement of Daryl going to his motorcycle.

What'd Dale say to piss him off that bad?

Daryl pulled out a gallon baggie of different prescription pills. "Keep yer oily rags off my brother's motorcycle. Why'd you wait 'til now ta say anythin'?"

Sabrina went to Daryl to look at the pills. "Whose are these?"

"My brother's." He said as he dug through the bag. "Crystal. X. Don't need that. Got some kick ass painkillers." He said handing it over to Sabrina. "Oxycycline. Not the generic stuff neither. It's first class." He said while handing it over to her.

"Oxycycline, that's kind of what T-Dog needs. Do I even want to know?"

"Merle got the clap on occasion."

"And that I didn't need to know. Thanks Daryl."

Sabrina went to T-Dog and handed him the bottles. "Man I'm not taking that Oxy whatever."

"If you don't want to die from infection you'd take it. So what's the plan?" She asked turning back to the others.

"Glenn and T-Dog are going to that farm since T-Dog needs help." Andrea said.

"Glenn do you think you can take Ana with you guys?"

"Sure Sabrina, she can come along."

"Why don't you go with her?" Dale asked.

"Because I'm staying here to look for Sophia with you guys."

Sabrina walked into the RV and told Ana that she was going to go with T-Dog and Glenn. Once she got Ana's things they left the RV and loaded it into the station wagon.

"Mommy will be at the house tomorrow ok Ana?"

"Why aren't you coming?"

"Because I'm going to stay here and look for Sophia some more and I want you to be somewhere safe ok?"

"Ok."

Sabrina gave Ana a tight hug and kissed the top of her head.

"Now when you meet these people that's helping Carl out please mind your manners."

"I will mom. I promise."

"Ok. I'll see you tomorrow."

She waved to Ana as the station wagon drove away. She sighed and went into the RV with Carol, Daryl, and Andrea while Dale kept watch on top of the RV.

I wonder how nice those people are and I wonder if we'll ever find Sophia...