SARAH
They had been walking for an hour when Sarah looked behind her back. All she could see were trees. They had walked straight, then turned left on a small path. They had been following a brook with clear water, then crossed in and turned right again. Then they had... then they... where had they walked?
Looking back, nothing was familiar, just trees. She took a deep breath as she turned to be sure Daryl was still there, and she felt so much relief seeing him walking ahead.
She wasn't alone; she was not going to get lost.
But then she felt the need to look back. How was it possible for her to not recognize where they came from?
"Ya 'right?" Daryl's voice made her stop with a gasp.
"What?"
"What is it?" he asked, looking around, making sure no walkers were around.
Walkers.
Right, there were walkers, too. What if one came out? What if she was bitten? What of Nicki, then? And what if Daryl got bitten because of her?
"Sarah," he called her, stepping closer and observing her as the girl forced herself to take a deep breath, not getting enough oxygen.
"It is alright," Sarah said, starting to pace back and forth as Daryl kept his gaze fixed on her movements.
"Don' look like it," Daryl said as she put her hands on her hips and tried to take a deep breath.
"Just a panic attack," she said, gasping once again. He immediately walked closer, but she shook her head. "It's alright. It's alright."
Then Sarah leaned her back against the bunk of a tree.
"Give me a minute," she said, taking another deep breath, finally starting to feel a bit of air entering her lungs. "It is already better," she added.
In her head, she counted to three before taking another breath. She was feeling so much better; it felt good to breathe.
"It happens a lot?" Daryl's voice made her look up. He had a small frown on his face, his blue eyes scanning her up and down.
"Remember the mall episode?"
"When ya got lost?" Sarah nodded her head with a frustrated chuckle.
"It happens when I get lost."
It had always been like that—the sensation of feeling lost, not knowing anything and anyone, and not being able to figure out the right way to make it back.
"Yar not lost," he told her, making a smile.
That was true. She wasn't alone. Daryl was there. Nothing would have happened. They would keep searching for Sophia, find her, and then come back to Nicki and the others.
"I'm sorry," she said, stepping away from the tree. Daryl lightly shook his head, chewing his lips.
"It's alrigh'," he said before gesturing to her to walk ahead.
Sarah adjusted her backpack on her shoulders and started to walk. They were silent as they walked, but she could feel Daryl's eyes on her, making her bit her lips. She had made a fool of herself.
"You are probably thinking you've made a mistake," she said, chuckling nervously. "Bringing me with you. A stupid girl who gets a freaking panic attack just by walking in the woods."
"Yar not stupid," he said from behind her, making Sarah turn with wide eyes.
"You always call me stupid," he snorted at her words and walked past her, just a few feet ahead of her. She really couldn't understand that man, but she found herself smiling wide as she followed behind.
"How did ya find yar way back?" he asked suddenly as they kept looking around for Sophia "When ya got lost?"
Sarah felt shy thinking about every time she got lost. Since she was a child, in supermarkets and the beach or in a crowded street. She had always liked to wander around, but it had always been so difficult to make it back. Once, she went with her family on a camping trip with a group of people, and she managed to get lost in the woods for four hours; then her father found her.
"Someone always found me," she answered, thinking about her parents. "First, my father, then my friends or my boyfriend, well, ex-boyfriend, actually." He turned slightly towards her, chewing his lip before looking ahead once again.
"Ya miss them?"
"Immensely," she said, taking a breath. She was worried for her parents, wondering how things in San Francisco were going. She had seen what had happened in Atlanta; what if it had been like that? Her grandparents, would they make it? Her friends? They were always so happy, so lively. What was of them? And their families? And she thought about David too. He had been her first boyfriend, her first kiss, and her date to the prom. He had been very important to her, but since they would have headed for two different colleges, they had decided to break up. She just hoped that he was alright.
"And you?" she asked, making him frown.
"Me what?" Sarah frowned a bit at his harsher tone than before.
"Well," she said, shrugging her shoulders. "You're in the woods a lot. Have you ever gotten lost?"
"I have," he answered, looking around, prompting the girl to quicken her pace and walk next to him.
"How did you make it back?" she asked curiously.
"On ma own," he answered simply, making Sarah observe him.
"For how long?"
"Nine days," he said, turning to her for a moment.
"How old were you?" Daryl shrugged his shoulders at her question.
"Younger than Sophia."
He had been younger than Sophia, and no one had found him? From the look on his face, she could guess that no one had even gone to look for him. How did he manage to get back?
"Don't look at me like tha,'" he said in a small growl.
"Like what?" she asked with a frown.
"Like pity," he said, but she stopped him, putting her hand on his forearm and making him turn to her.
"I don't know why you seem to believe that," she said, thinking back on their conversation that night in the CDC. "But, Daryl, I do not pity you."
Daryl glared at her for a moment.
"Whatever," he scoffed before turning to walk again.
She couldn't understand why he would think that. If anything, pity was the least she felt for him.
"It is true, though," she said, starting to follow him. "I've been scared of you," he glared at her. "Don't look at me like that; you were quite frightening at first," she smiled at the memory. She felt so silly thinking about that. "But then, I've seen how you cared for your brother when he went missing. You've saved my life more than once." She still remembered when the walkers invaded their camp back in Atlanta. How she was scared and surrounded by walkers, and then Daryl came, bringing her to safety. And in the CDC, he made sure that she got out.
"And then the way you're helping with this girl," she kept saying. "Many are already losing hope, but not you." He observed her chewing the side of his cheek as she spoke. "There's nothing to pity you for," she finished before starting to walk again.
They hadn't talked much as they kept walking. They looked around, searching for Sophia, but there was no sign of her. Even Daryl didn't seem to have found any trace of the girl.
Luckily, they hadn't met many walkers on their path. At some point, there were three of them just a few meters away. They didn't spot them, so as Daryl shot his first arrow into one of the three's heads, Sarah took a large rock and threw it to a side, making the other two walkers follow the noise. She saw Daryl observe her for a moment before shooting another arrow. At this point, the last one turned, but it was too far away to harm them. Daryl loaded his crossbow once again before shooting again. As the corps went limp, Daryl turned towards her.
"Good move?" she asked with a small smile. He observed before nodding and chewing his lip. Sarah smiled at him, feeling a bit proud.
"Next time," he said with a little smirk, "Ya'll try 'n kill one," Sarah chuckled before they started to walk again.
It wasn't long before they found a wooden house. It was just a house in the middle of the forest. Sarah wondered who would have lived there before all of that. There was nothing around. But what once could have been a strange place to live in was perfect as a hiding spot.
"Could she be here?" she asked, looking up towards Daryl, who was observing the house.
"Let's find out," he said, stepping forward.
As they arrived at the door, Daryl put a hand on the handle before turning to Sarah.
"Ya stay back," he said. "Look 'round an' be ready. If there's a walker, ya hit it in the head." Sarah nodded her head, holding Daryl's knife close.
Daryl opened the door, which made an awful cracking sound that made Sarah's heart a bit faster. If a walker was in there, it would have surely heard it and come that way. He stepped inside, looking around carefully. Sarah made his exact same moves, not wanting to mess up, but she cringed every time the wooden floor made a sound.
They looked in the living room, which was nice but just a little bit ruined. It didn't seem that someone had slept there, and there was no walker around. Sarah and Daryl shared a look before moving to another room. They came across a bathroom, but that was empty, too. Sarah decided to take the bandages left inside the drawer. She thought for a moment if someone maybe lived there, and she was taking away something from them, but her group needed supplies.
"Ya a'right?" Daryl asked in a whisper, making Sarah nod.
"I was just thinking," she whispered back. "I never thought that I would have found myself stealing band-aids inside a bathroom." Then she took a breath. "Well, there are many things I had never thought of doing." Sarah found him observing her before she smiled a little and exited the bathroom.
Then they arrived in the kitchen. No one was there. Again.
Sarah walked around the kitchen, as she noticed Daryl walk closer to the garbage can and she frowned noticing him picking up an open tin, someone had eaten it recently. Suddenly, a cracking noise behind her made Sarah jump and turn in that direction. Daryl stepped towards her, who was now looking at the closed door of the food storage. The two of them looked at each other before Daryl raised his crossbow and carefully opened the door.
There was nothing inside.
"Look," he muttered, pointing at the ground.
A thin sheet lay in the narrow space of the food storage. There was even a pillow, but only a child could have fit in there.
"Do you think it was her?" she asked as she knelt down.
"It could," he answered, looking around. "We should look outside." Sarah nodded her head, getting up and following Daryl outside.
"Sophia!" he called once they stepped outside.
"Sophia!" Sarah called, too, but no answer came.
If she had been there, why would she leave? It seemed quite a safe place. So maybe if she had moved, she would probably have been around there. Or maybe she was trying to get back to the highway. Sarah took a breath; she just hoped that they would have crossed paths at some point. It was the only way to find her. But there weren't many, and that area was big. Then she turned towards Daryl, who had been walking a few feet away from her. She frowned curiously as she saw him touching a white flower.
"This is so pretty," she said, stopping next to Daryl, who looked towards her. "What is it?" she asked curiously, observing the flower.
"A Cherokee rose," he muttered, making her repeat the name with a smile. She didn't know he was interested in flowers. Since he had probably been outside in the woods so much, he might have had some experience with plants.
"I've never seen one," she said, caressing one.
"There's a story behind it," he muttered from next to her, making Sarah widen her eyes.
"Truly?" she asked as he nodded, biting his lips. "Tell me." she said, smiling. Daryl observed her for a moment before speaking again.
"When American soldiers were moving Indians off their land on the Trail of Tears, the Cherokee mothers were grieving and crying so much 'cause they were losing their little ones along the way," he started saying as she touched the white petal again "A lot of them just disappeared." at that Sarah looked up to him, that was observing the flower.
"So the elders, they said a prayer, asked for a sign to uplift the mothers' spirits" Daryl said "The next day this rose started to grow right where the mothers' tears fell."
Sarah couldn't take her eyes away from Daryl. He was really a difficult man to understand; he was so rough and grumpy, but seeing him being so sweet was something that she never thought she would have seen.
When he turned towards her, Sarah noticed him averting his eyes when he saw her staring.
"It is beautiful, Daryl," she said with a smile, making him shrug his shoulders. She would have never believed to witness this, but she was glad.
"Do ya believe in signs?" he asked suddenly, making her blinking curiously.
"Like what?" she asked softly, but it made Daryl shake his head.
"Nah, never mind," he said, but she took his forearm in her hands to prevent him from moving away.
"Daryl," she said with an encouraging smile. The man looked down at her, biting his lips; his eyes moved from her to the flower.
"Maybe..." he began unsurely, and when he stopped, she gripped him a little tighter to try to encourage him. Daryl took a breath. "What if it's for tha' girl? And her mother?" Sarah couldn't help but smile again.
"You want to bring it to Carol," she said, looking at him, but he turned his eyes away, almost with shyness. But there was no reason. That was probably the most thoughtful thing someone had done for Carol in all that situation.
"I think she would love it," she said without stopping smiling as he turned towards her, always biting his lip.
They had been out for another hour or so when Daryl decided that it was better to be back on the farm before dark. The way seemed way shorter than before. They had seen a walker, and as he had promised, he made Sarah kill it. It was mostly thanks to Daryl if she managed since he blocked the walker to let her hit it in the head with the knife. She was just sad that they didn't manage to find Sophia.
When they arrived at the farm, Sarah noticed Nicolette hitting a tree with her arrows.
"She's still there?" she asked out loud, a bit concerned. Daryl followed her gaze, stopping next to her to see Nicki groan as she missed her target.
"She's getting impatient," Sarah said, noticing how her sister's bow arm trembled a bit.
"Do ya want her to go out there?" Daryl asked, making Sarah take a breath.
"I don't think she would listen to me anyway," she said. She knew her sister; she was stubborn and closed off. If she had decided to do something, she would have done it. What kept her there was her still not being able to kill moving targets.
"Would you teach her?" Sarah asked, turning to Daryl. "Like she asked?" The man studied her quietly before looking towards Nicki.
"If ya'r okay with tha'," he said, making Sarah feel relieved.
"If I'm not able to keep her here, I want to be sure she can take care of herself," Sarah said, nodding her head toward him and biting his lips.
"Alright," he said softly.
"Really?" she asked, turning to him.
"Mm, mm" Daryl muttered biting his lips "But Imma need ya help" Sarah looked at Daryl in confusion.
"My help?"
"I need targets," he explained. "Somethin' that moves. Ya can do that?" Sarah couldn't help but smile, maybe he remembered her idea about the 'allarm system' she had made back at the camp in Atlanta and her mind started to wonder, looking around to find anything that could be useful.
"I can do that," she said, nodding her head.
"A'right," he said, nodding his head. "Wake her up early; I ain't got all day."
Sarah smiled. "Thank you," and he nodded his head in silence. "Not only for this but for today. I feel a bit better." Daryl looked down, hiding a smirk.
"It was nothin'," he said as she smiled. Then she looked at the flower in his hand. She didn't want to keep him from bringing the rose to Carol, so she put a hand on his forearm before thanking him again and walking away.
Daryl Dixon was really an interesting man, more sensitive than he liked to let out.
She was walking towards her tent when she noticed Glenn sitting with his back against a tree and a dreamy expression on his face.
"What's with that smile?" she asked as she walked closer. Glenn looked up towards her, shielding his eyes from the sun.
"I could ask you the same thing," he said as she sat down next to him.
"I went to look for Sophia with Daryl, and it went better than I thought, actually," she said, turning to her friend.
"No fight?" he asked with raised eyebrows.
"Absolutely no fights," she said, looking at the grown taking a breath. "We didn't find Sophia, though." It was the only bad thing about the day.
"We will," he said, nudging her knees with his. She really hoped they would.
Then she turned to Glenn.
"But tell me about you," she said. "What happened?"
"I've been on a run," Glenn said, putting his fingers on his lips, hiding a grin, which made her frown.
"You seem far too happy about it," she said suspiciously. Glenn looked around before turning to her and whispering.
"I went with Maggie." Sarah remembered the name. Nicki had mentioned her when she went to get Lori.
"Isn't she the brunette girl?" Sarah asked, making Glenn nod his head. There was a strange light in his eyes, almost mischief.
"She is," he said, nodding his head.
"Have you...?" Sarah said unsurely, "Have the two of you...?" Glenn's smile widened, and he nodded his head.
"No way!" Sarah whisper-yelled with a smile before hitting his arm.
"Sarah!"
"Isn't she the doctor's daughter?" she asked.
"Well, yes," he answered, confused, making her laugh.
"You are so dead, my friend," she said, making him frown.
"Why?" and that made her laugh again.
"Fathers always want to kill whoever goes to bed with their daughters." That made Glenn get pale as he looked around, making sure Hershel wasn't around.
"Well, so now I have to have a chat with this girl," she said, trying to lighten up the mood.
"What? Why?" Glenn asked with a big frown.
"Glenn," she said, turning to her, "I am your best friend; I have to know her if you are dating," but his silence made her frown a bit.
"We are... not..." he said unsurely.
"Not dating?" she asked as he shook his head. "At all?" he shook his head again sadly. "Well, then tell it to your face," she said with a smile, nudging his arm, making Glenn chuckle.
"But seriously, Glenn," Sarah said, "If you like her, you should tell her." He took a breath and leaned back.
"You make it too easy." He wasn't wrong. But a situation seemed always a lot easier on the outside than from the inside. Even if living in a world like that surely made it clearer that all those many difficult decisions were actually easier.
"We should make it easy," she said, leaning back against the tree before turning to Glenn with a smile.