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The Hunter Within

Nebraska

The world turned terrifyingly still as the sound of the bullet ripping through the little girl’s skull died off to leave everyone shocked. Only Carol was moving, her sobs gradually getting louder and louder with the understanding of what had just happened. Sophie couldn’t bring herself to let go of the older lady, like she would fall apart with the absence of a comforting touch.
“Don’t look.” Daryl whispered softly, pulling her up onto her feet. Sophie turned her gaze from the girl’s limp body, focusing on what was in front of her. “Don’t look.”
Carol did exactly that; she turned from Daryl and pulled away from Sophie’s grasp, turning for the camp to leave the rest of them in a stunned silence. Sophie’s eyes brushed over the Greene’s, Hershel was still in his knelt position, hands to his mouth as he tried to make sense of the massacre. Beth was crying in her boyfriend’s arms, her tiny frame shaking with grief. As she untangled herself and took a shaky step forward, Sophie tried to reach out for her.
Rick had the same idea, grabbing at her forearm with a delicate hand. He looked back at the bodies nervously but the girl pulled herself from his grip as she searched the rotting faces. As she pulled a limp body from atop of what appeared to be her mothers, Sophie looked to Daryl, his eyes glued angrily on the little girl’s lifeless form.
“You did everything you could.” Sophie whispered, just loud enough for him to hear. His eyes snapped to hers, a sea of angry blue. She reached out for his clenched fist, only brushing them with the tips of her fingers before Daryl pulled away.
“Wasn’t enough.” He mumbled so quietly that Sophie wondered if he was talking to her, or just to himself. With a cautious hand, she tried to reach out to him again, her efforts being cut short by desperate screaming.
Sophie turned to see Beth’s mother grabbing at her blonde hair, hissing hungrily as her grieving daughter tried to keep herself away from the chomping teeth. Abandoning Daryl’s side, Sophie rushed to the young girls aid, looping her hands under Beth’s armpits to pull her from the rotter as T-Dog worked at kicking in the skull. It wasn’t brittle enough, however, still strong from being sheltered from the elements all this time. It was Andrea that delivered the final blow, swinging a hay knife over her shoulder to pierce the back of Mrs Greene’s skull. Sophie watched the horror sweep onto the faces of their hosts, their eyes glued on the pointed end that exited through the middle of her forehead. Brutal, Sophie almost laughed, only to be ashamed of herself for finding amusement in such an awful situation.
The shouting made way for a solemn silence, it seemed as though everyone didn’t really know where to go after this. With Sophia found there was no push for a search party, so everyone just seemed stagnate for the moment, trying to find direction. Sophie turned to where she had left Daryl, not entirely surprised to see him gone. She scanned the area, looking for any sign of the man.
Sophie’s eyes flickered back to the movement of the Greene’s turning for the safety of their home. As Shane made a move to follow, she couldn’t help but roll her eyes at what was to come. Curiousity drove her forward, along with Glenn and Rick as the older man stalked the family.
“We’ve been out… We’ve been combing these woods looking for her and she was in there all along?” Shane almost laughed, as if it was all a big joke. “You all knew about this.”
“Leave them alone.” Sophie moaned, the intention for her words to be spoken quietly being left for dead as Shane turned to her with deadly eyes.
“I knew you were up to something.” He seethed in her face, looking down at her with dangerous eyes both jabbing an accusing finger at Maggie. “I saw you both talking. I saw.”
“Shane.” Rick warned, pulling the man from Sophie’s face. “Just stop, man.”
His partner shrugged off Rick’s grip and continued to follow the Greene’s to the steps of the farmhouse. Rick shot Sophie a worried glance, only turning back when she nodded softly, silently telling him that she was fine.
“You knew!” Shane rattled on. “And you kept it from us.”
“I didn’t know.” Hershel sputtered, his voice thick with grief as he tried to find the space to morn.
“That’s bullshit.” Shane laughed. “I think ya’ll knew.”
Sophie didn’t miss Shane’s cold, directed stare her way. She lifted her chin stubbornly, refusing to let him scare her. Hershel denied Shane accusations again, his voice cracking under the sorrow he was feeling.
“Why was she there then!?” Shane called out, louder this time as Rick tried another attempt at calming his friend.
“I… Otis was the one that put those people in the barn." The old man spoke, as if he owed Shane an explanation. “Maybe he found her. Put her in there before he was killed.”
“You expect me to believe that?” Shane scoffed. “Do I look like an idiot?”
“Yes.” Sophie laughed, fully intending for the wound up man to hear it this time. She smiled to herself as he flinched at her word, but otherwise chose to ignore it. You’ll pay for it later, she told herself as Rick once again begged for him to stop.
“I don’t care what you believe!” Hershel yelled this time, his voice more angry than sad. Rick stepped in between the two men, his arms raised as he tried to calm the situation. Panicked voices plagued the area as Sophie hung back, biting down the urge to get further involved. “Get him off my land!” Hershel was yelling at Rick now, through with addressing the other man before him. Shane stepped forward, reaching out to grab at farmer's shirt like he was some criminal, like he needed to be pushed around.
“Don’t touch him!” Maggie cried, extending her hand to slap Shane across the face before Sophie could even make a move. She stared down the larger man for a moment, daring him to try again. “Haven’t you done enough?”
The slap seemed to be what Shane needed, he stood down, watching the family enter the house. Hershel stopped at the door to address Rick alone once again, his eyes deadly serious. “I mean it… Off my land.”
Glenn followed the Greene’s inside, looking to be of comfort for Maggie. Sophie wrestled with herself for a moment, unsure with what she should do. Part of her wanted to go and find Daryl, to make sure that he was all right, but something told her that he needed his space. She looked to the close door and drew a deep breath, uneasily making her way up the stairs.
“Told you, Rick.” Shane laughed loudly, making it obvious that Sophie was intended to hear his words. “Maybe Glenn’s in on it too.”
“Shane…”
Sophie turned on her heel, crossing her arms as she faced the men. Shane had a sense of amusement playing in his dark eyes, daring her to take the bait. She knew that was what he wanted, that he was looking for a reaction, for a fight. Setting her jaw, Sophie lumbered back down the steps, keeping Shane’s gaze as she did. “Fuck you.” She seethed as her eyes came to level with his.
Shane cocked his head, a menacing smile adoring his face as Sophie raised her chin, keeping her stance. As she looked into his dangerous eyes, Sophie felt as if she was almost daring him to make a move in return, to give her an excuse to drive her sheathed knife into his beating heart.
“Hey, hey.” Rick interrupted, sensing the wrath between the two. Sophie kept Shane’s eye until he looked to his partner before taking a step back, slightly taken aback by her thoughts. “What are you doing?”
She looked to his chest, puffed and coursing with testosterone and wondered if she did have it in her to do something so dangerous. She shook her head, hoping to shake any of the dark thoughts out with it. This is not you, Sophie stated internally as she turned back for the door.
“What are you doing?” Shane spat back. “Daryl almost died looking for that girl, Rick. Anyone of us could have. I’m telling you right now that…”
The man looked to Sophie and she felt the anger rise again inside of her as she reached for the door handle; she turned back to the pair with venomous eyes. “That what?”
“I’ll tell you right now that she had something to do with this.” She shoved an angry finger in Sophie’s direction, one that Rick ignored. “And that the son of a bitch in there, he knew.”
“She didn’t.” Rick shook his head, turning his gaze to Sophie and meeting her eyes with a trusting gaze. “He didn’t. He isn’t like that, he opened his home to us.”
“He put us all in danger, man!” Shane spoke with an unbelieving tone. “He kept a barn full of walkers!”
“So what?” Rick matched his partner’s tone. “So you start an insurrection? Hand out the guns and massacre his family?”
“His family is dead, Rick.”
“He hasn’t been out there, he doesn’t know.” Sophie spat, letting her hand fall from the door handle and crossed the porch back to the top of the stairs. “To him, to all of them, you just murdered their family in cold blood! You have no clue, you walk around pretending that you have everyone’s best interest at heart, but you have no fucking clue!”
“It needed to be done.” He hissed, setting a single foot on the bottom step.
“Not like this.” She fumed; fists clenched and chin set.
“She’s right.” Rick stepped in nervously. “Hershel thinks that-”
“No, man.” Shane laughed, turning on his feet.
“I was handling it brother.”
“Nah, nah… I was handling it and you just… You had us out in those woods looking for a little girl that every single one of us knew was dead! That’s what you did. You’re just as delusional as that guy.” Shane shook his head with disbelief, shooting Sophie another daring look from his lowered position before turning on his feet. The pair watched him go in silence as Shane mumbled to himself. “You handling it, huh?”
Sophie felt Rick’s stare replace Shane’s own. She turned to him with a sigh and found that he only met her with compassion. Under his gaze, Sophie’s anger wavered, not entirely sure how to feel. Without saying anything, she made a slow decent down the stairs to stand by the older man’s side. There was no way that she would be any means of comfort to the Greene family now that she was worked up, that would have to be a job for Glenn alone.
“I know that you weren’t involved in this.” Rick spoke quietly, running a hand along the top of his head to look back up with sad eyes. “It’s been a long day and Shane just did what he thought was right.”
“It seems that is all Shane does.” Sophie huffed stubbornly, crossing her arms as she watched the man across the yard. “And that would be okay if he didn’t fail to realise that sometimes his wrong.”
“He usually has my family’s best interest at heart.” Rick sighed sadly. “So I can’t really complain.”
“Like when he killed Otis?” Sophie snorted, too worked up to see the fault in her approach.
“Excuse me?” Rick stuttered, cocking his head and raising his eyebrows seriously. “You can’t possibly think that Shane killed Otis?”
Sophie nodded, feeling a sense of guilt consume the places that anger had previous resided. “And I’m not the only one.” She spoke softly, turning to look at the man before taking a step forward, taking her leave.
“There… There were walkers, he sacrificed himself…” Rick stumbled over his words, reaching out to stop Sophie with an unsteady hand.
Sophie shrugged, accepting that it was a possibility. “All I know is that something is off about him since that night, I can see it in his eyes. His dangerous and I’m sure that I don’t need to tell you about dangerous men.” She raised an eyebrow before slipping from Rick’s grip, deciding selfishly that Daryl had been given more than enough time to calm down.
As she walked, Sophie looked to the forest that surrounded the farm, hoping that she wouldn’t have to spend the afternoon searching for him out there. Being a tracker himself, Sophie felt that Daryl knew exactly how to disappear without a trace. As she passed the barn, she saw that the others were still there, standing around with hands on their hips as they possibly discussed what to do with the mass of bodies. Sophie knew it was selfish, but she pushed on after a moment of hesitation, the longing to make sure that Daryl wasn’t doing anything stupid was much greater.
“You come to boast?” A familiar southern drawl taunted her from the trees as she passed in search for their camp.
Sophie turned to him, confusion etched into her face as she closed the space between them, approaching quickly only to have him step away from her. Narrowing her eyes, Sophie crossed her arms over her chest. “What are you talking ab-”
“You knew she was dead, said it yourself.” Daryl’s blue eyes were hard, closed off and angry. “Congratulations, you were right.”
“You think I wanted to be?” She almost laughed at the confrontation, tired of the constant back and forth motion between their relationship. “I told you that I wanted to believe that she was. I told you that. You accepted that.”
“That was my first mistake.” He hissed, fidgeting with something under his nails awkwardly. Sophie looked up at him, void of any angry, void of anything all together. With empty eyes she simply nodded, turning her back on the man in search of something that served as a distraction.
The only acknowledgement she received from the others as she approached the digging was a soft smile from T as he wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead. Sophie grabbed at a shovel eagerly, thrusting it into the thankfully soft dirt in search of a distraction. As she threw the dirt to the side, she caught a glance at the farmhouse and watched as Rick entered somewhat uneasily. She wondered if he would speak to Hershel, she wondered if they would actually be leaving tonight. Sophie let herself look towards where Daryl had been, hidden in the trees and wondered if she would go.
With the sun beating down on them and the group eager to have the burial behind them, the work was finished quickly. As Sophie stood and wiped the sweat from her brow, she couldn’t help but meet Shane’s eyes for the briefest moment. Feeling suddenly very self-conscious and out of place, she mumbled something about getting Carol to the others before turning for the RV.
As she crossed to the camp, Sophie watched Lori head towards the house in search of the others. When she arrived at the vehicle, Sophie knocked nervously at the open door, surprised to find Daryl perched alongside the opening. After a moment of awkward eye contact, Sophie stepped into the small area, scared to make a noise as she took in the hunched figure sitting by the window.
“They’re ready.” Sophie whispered, shooting Daryl a confused glance as the older woman shook her head. He shrugged, picking at his fingernails nervously. “I know it’s hard, but you can do this.”
The RV fell silent as the pair waited for Carol’s reaction. Her eyes were dropped and she refused any eye contact before shaking her head again, speaking so softly that Sophie couldn’t be sure if she had spoken at all. “Why?”
“’Cause that’s your little girl.” Daryl huffed, confirming that she had actually spoken. His tone was gentle, a hint of anger threatening to burst through.
“That’s not my little girl.” She spoke, looking up at Daryl with grief stricken eyes. “That’s some… Some other thing. My Sophia was alone in the woods and all this time I thought… She didn’t cry herself to sleep. She didn’t go hungry. She didn’t try to find her way back… Sophia died a long time ago.”
Sophie could see the logic behind her words, despite the fact that she thought Carol should be there anyway. She was never given the chance to bury her mother or father, and that was something that haunted her each and every night. Without another word, Sophie stepped from the RV, knowing that she could never force Carol to be there at the funeral.
As she crossed the yard to the graves, a set of heavy footsteps caught up with her. A rough hand reached out for her own, grabbing at it to pull her to a halt, away from unwanted gazes. She looked up at Daryl with damp eyes, tears finally threatening to pour over. The day had taken its toll on her, leaving her exhausted mind to wrestle with an array of emotions.
“You aight?” He murmured softly, shuffling on his feet as Sophie wiped away the tears with her grubby arm. She nodded softly, his earlier harsh tone still fresh in her mind as she turned for the impending funeral.
Daryl kept by her side as they approached, neither one saying anything as Sophie shook her head, answering the silent question on everyone’s lips. There were no words at this service, only stillness as everyone took a moment to morn those lost to the virus. Hershel kept his eyes glued to the graves of his wife and son, drained of any life that had allowed him to speak at the last funeral. They are becoming much to common, Sophie realised, looking to those around her. Which one of us won’t be here for the next one?
As if by instruction, the large group diverged, each going off to gather their thoughts. Sophie stayed where she was, unsure with herself and where she belonged. Daryl hesitated by her side, both of them refusing to be the first to speak.
“What happens now?” He finally spoke, sounding somewhat lost. Sophie turned to him, taking in the way that he was looking to her for direction. She almost laughed at the fact; she doesn’t even know where she was going.
Instead, she shrugged. “Hershel wants everyone gone by tonight.”
“Rick will sort it out.” Daryl spoke surely, placing too much faith in Rick.
“And if he doesn’t?”
It was Daryl’s turn to shrug, his brow furrowing together as he leant back on the butt of his crossbow. “Then we leave.”
Sophie looked to her feet, chewing at her lip as she considered his words. Shane had already expressed the motion of her siding with the Greene’s and maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad idea. She would be safe here, fed and looked after. This couldn’t be about Daryl, or the others. It had to be about her, she realised, remembering what her father had told her as he died. Me before you, he had uttered the words that her mom had drilled into her as a young girl. She came before those around her, her own safety was paramount. That’s how she survived.
But that survival method sounds lonely, she wrestled as she looked up into Daryl’s calculating eyes. Sophie wasn’t sure what he saw within her own eyes, but his hardened, shutting her out. He stood straight, grasping at the handle of his crossbow as he leaned in slightly.
“You said that you’d always side with me.”
Sophie nodded, not denying her words. “Who knows what we’ll find out there. There is food here, shelter and protection. That’s how we survive.” She hissed, mocking his earlier words in regards to busting the barn open, throwing them in his face.
“But…” His eyes softened for a moment, allowing her to see the fear buried within them before he threw his walls back up. “But, you said.”
“Yeah…” She shrugged, remembering their fight from earlier, all the back and forth between them. Sophie dropped her gaze slowly and turned for the house. You can’t afford to feel sorry for him. “That was my first mistake.”
Sophie pretended that she couldn’t feel the older man’s eyes watching her as she made the journey to the house, or the scuff of his boots as Daryl kicked at the dirt beneath him. Part of her felt terrible, despite the darkness that seemed to encompass her judgement. Me before you, she repeated, rubbing at her hands nervously as she tried to get ride of the blood that seemly stained them. As she reached out to knock on the wooden door, Sophie observed the clean hand and took a deep breath before twisting the handle instead.
She entered cautiously; heading straight for the kitchen, slipping silently passed Maggie and Glenn. They were so engrossed within their own conversation that they hadn’t noticed her anyway. She couldn’t be entirely sure, but Sophie thought she could hear a whisper of wanting Glenn to stay, a notion that leant hope to maybe swaying Daryl’s decision.
“Hey, Beth.” She spoke, shaking any thought of Daryl from mind. The young girl stood at the sink, hands in the warm water as she gazed out the window. There was no reaction to Sophie’s words, so she went to the girls’ side, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Beth. Have you seen your dad?”
Beth turned to look at Sophie with empty eyes, her mouth hanging open slightly. Her face was dangerously pale and Sophie concluded that it could very well be the first sign of shock. She wasn’t given long to debate the idea internally as Beth slipped from her grasp and fell to the kitchen floor, pulling the dish rack down with her.
Sophie’s eyes snapped to Maggie’s own as she turned at the noise, rushing to her side as she realised what had happened. She was in a panic, talking softly to Beth as she checked for a pulse, for any bites that they hadn’t seen. Sophie looked to Glenn, nodding at him to take Maggie and Beth upstairs.
“I’ll find your dad.” Sophie touched at Maggie’s shoulder, earning herself a frantic nod as Glenn lifted her from the ground.
Sophie burst through the wooden door, throwing her hand up to cover her eyes from the sun as she searched the area for Hershel. Not knowing where to start, she rushed for Rick, knowing that he wouldn’t risk going far with Shane worked up.
It didn’t take her long to find him, speaking in a hushed tone to Lori. She hung back awkwardly, not really wanting to disrupt what was being said. God knows they need a chat, she almost laughed, remembering that Glenn had told her that Rick was still in the dark about the pregnancy. A lot has happened since then, she mused as Rick broke away from the conversation to look at Sophie questioningly.
“It’s Beth…” She managed, feeling like a child in need of guidance. “We need Hershel and I don’t know… I don’t know where he is.”
He just nodded, looking back to Lori in a silent question. The woman stepped towards Sophie, smiling politely as she headed for the house. After a moment of uncertainty, Sophie followed suit, suddenly realising that they two women had spent very little time alone together; if any.
They reached the house quickly, bounding up the stairs into a part of the house that Sophie had never been before. She ducked her head into open doors, searching for the others as Glenn appeared at the end of the hallway, nodding into the room before him. The pair rushed forward, entering the room to find Maggie talking to an unresponsive Beth. Sophie lowered herself down onto the bed next to the sisters and tucked the younger girls hair behind her ears.
“Rick’s gone looking for your dad.” She told Maggie hopefully, smiling at the girl as she did, taking her hand in her own. The room fell quiet as Maggie tried to coax her sister into doing anything but stare at the ceiling. Lori ducked back out the door, probably in search of Rick, realising that there was nothing that she could do.
Sophie sat back and let Maggie fuss over her sister, stealing a quick glance to where Glenn looked on from the opposite side of the room. Minutes seemed to drag by as they waited and Sophie fought the urge to head out in search of Rick herself with the tapping of her foot.
Footsteps finally sounded the arrival of help, heavy against the wooden flooring. Sophie ducked out into the hallway to see that Lori had managed to find Rick and Shane, but not Hershel. She shuffled back into the room as Lori entered and Rick poked his head through the doorframe. Shane hung back, leant against the walls with his chest puffed like something about the situation offended him.
“Can we talk to you?” Rick spoke softly to Maggie, eyeing off Beth’s unresponsive frame. During her training to be a paramedic, Sophie had sometimes worked closely with the Police and could sense the years of training within the man’s gruff voice.
Maggie nodded, stepping out into the hallway and leaving Lori to watch Beth, Sophie followed suit, leaning against the doorframe as everyone congested in the much too narrow hallway. “Your dad, we can’t find him anywhere.”
“Is his truck here?”
Rick just shook his head at Maggie, his eyes full of confusion. Sophie’s eyes flickered to Shane’s sulked figure and guessed that he didn’t really care if Hershel had just disappeared. Maggie was lost in thought for a moment, her eyes on the ground as she searched for any indication of where he may of gone. She looked to Glenn, gesturing with a nod for him to move away from the closed door he blocked.
The rest of the hallway party poured into what seemed to be Hershel’s own room, following Maggie as she lifted pieces of clothing from boxes, examining them. Rick and Shane went straight to work, silently searching for clues. It was interesting to see them so in sync after constantly butting heads.
“Your stepmothers things?” Shane asked, peering into one of the cardboard boxes. Sophie did the same, lightly touching a photo frame sitting on top of the packed clothing. A slightly younger Hershel sat with a woman upon his knee, smiling contently at the camera.
“He was so sure that she’d recover.” Maggie sighed, her sideways glance at Shane not going unnoticed to Sophie. “And they’d just pick up where they left off.”
Everyone watched on in silence as Shane lifted a flask with a gentle hand, narrowing his eyes at the surface for a moment before throwing it to the box, towards Rick for inspection. “Looks like he found an old friend.”
“That belonged to my grandfather.” Maggie nodded, her eyes brushing over the flask. “Gave it to dad when he died.”
“I didn’t take Hershel for a drinker.” Shane continued as Sophie leant back against the doorframe.
“No.” Maggie shook her head, crossing the room to pick up the family flask. “He gave it up on the day I was born. He didn’t even allow liquor in the house.”
“What’s the bar in town?” Rick spoke before Sophie could open her mouth to ask the same. If there wasn’t any alcohol left here, she was sure that a man in his state would have gone looking elsewhere. A lump formed in the bottom of her stomach at the thought of Hershel being in town grief stricken and intoxicated with the dead roaming around.
“Hatlin’s.” Maggie suggested and Sophie vaguely remembered the name, having seen it adorn one of the stores on the way to the pharmacy. “He practically lived there in his drinking days.”
“Betting that’s where I’ll find him.” Rick spoke quietly, glancing at the faces in the room. Sophie chewed at her lip, unsure with herself. It was something she would like to do, to try and make up for what had happened at the barn that morning, but she remembered the pharmacy. She remembered what it was like out there.
“Yeah, I’ve seen the place.” Glenn spoke up, much more sure with himself. Out of the corner of her eye, Sophie noticed Maggie shooting the boy worried looks. “I’ll take you.”
Rick nodded, accepting Glenn’s offer. Sophie wasn’t oblivious to the looks of anxiety from the others in the room, but it seemed that both Glenn and Rick were. The later made a move for the door and Sophie pulled her tired body up from its moment of rest. The more the merrier, she considered, deciding to tag along on the rescue mission.
“No.” Maggie’s shaky voice spoke up as the trio made a move towards the door. All eyes snapped to her, but she was only looking at Glenn. Rick shot Sophie a questioning look, and she in turn just shrugged.
“It’s an easy run.” Glenn tried to be of reassurance.
“Just like the pharmacy?” She counteracted, crossing her arms stubbornly, as her thoughts mirrored Sophie's previous ones.
“That was different.”
“Hey, Maggie?” Rick backed up Glenn from the doorway, his figure already half outside, eager to leave. “I’ll bring him back.”
Sophie watched as Glenn moved closer to the girl, talking quietly with her. Lori stared after Rick with disbelief for a moment before following him out the door, Shane on her heels. Standing awkwardly, Sophie was unsure with what to do. She glanced at couple before her, eager to give them a moment of privacy, while her fear of the tense dynamics between the other three kept her where she was.
Without eavesdropping, Sophie listened to the hushed voices outside the room, waiting for her chance to escape. As the voices died off to be replaced with hurried footsteps, Sophie rounded the corner to find Rick pinching the bridge of his nose, eyes squeezed closed. She chewed on her lip with consideration, taking in the man that had unwillingly taken on the roll as leader. For a moment, she could feel the weight of the conflict he shared with Shane, Lori’s pregnancy, the struggle with Hershel atop of her shoulders.
The older man looked up, realising he wasn’t alone. His eyes brushed over Sophie’s uneasy figure before smiling slightly, nodding his head for her to follow. As they passed down the stairs in silence, Sophie realised how self centred she might have been recently. If Rick, with all the weight on his shoulders can keep the darkness away, why can’t you?
“Rick.” Her voice was so quiet that she thought that maybe he hadn’t heard it. The older man turned to look at her from the bottom of the steps, his eyes narrowed as if he wasn’t even sure that he had heard her. “Thank you. For everything.”
He cocked his head, turning to look at her fully, taking a moment to consider her words. Sophie watched the realisation etch into his skin as he understood that someone had taken a moment to appreciate the toll his position as leader held, rather than criticize his everyone move. He smiled again, this time the notion reached his eyes. Sophie smiled back, her heart swelling at the glimmer of old Sophie.
“I don’t want you coming into town with us.” Rick sighed, stopping at the open door to let Sophie through. She eyed him off, searching for any hints as to why on his face. He looked out towards the camp for a moment, a single hand on his hip. “I need someone to keep an eye on things around here...”





Notes

You all know the drill; comment, rate, subscribe. Thanks for reading x

Comments

Who's here on 2020 for a re-read? :D

Tee- Tee-
4/17/20

@QueenUchi

New readers make my heart sing, especially when they start this journey ten months after I ended it (abit abruptly but we won’t get into that because it’ll make me sad again).

Thank you you so much for leaving a comment. Nothing is more motivating for the unmotivated than a little bit of love. Whenever I get a comment from someone new all I find myself wanting to sit down and grill them with a million different questions.

If youre chasing updates about any eventual stories I write, please follow me on instagram @ sophyl_

Thanks a million again!! xx

aryaaa aryaaa
11/28/18

thank you @sanders151 for recomending me this fanfic

Your fanfic has been in the center of my life for the whole month November. Let me just tell you that im in love with everything about this story. Im even at loss of words about how amazing this journey has been.

There have been moments when i actually had to get up and calm down from all the feelings may they be joy sadness or just extreme suffering. Ive been cheering, i've been crying to the point of ugly sobbing, ive been screaming while reading this all.

I dont even know how to tell you how i feel about this fanfic there arent any words for it so ima just AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH about it cause thats the closets that i can think off "insert all the feelings i cant express here"

I am just so thank full for all your time and effort and everything youve put into this story. Cause WOW youre an amazing writer and when you do make your original story please do know that I WOULD LOVE TO READ THAT TOO.

This journey has ended but it will forever be in my heart.

QueenUchi QueenUchi
11/27/18

@Sanders151

I was so surprised to see a new notification on this story after all these months. Thank you so much for taking the time
to comment, I hope you’ve enjoyed what you’ve read since. Please feel free to leave me updated on your thoughts xx

aryaaa aryaaa
11/25/18

Hello,

It's been a looong time since i've read this story. Life got busy and i totally forgot to finish it.

SO i decided to reread everything and lemme tell you...I STILL LOVE IT AS MUCH AS THE FIRST TIME.
Im currently at chapter 62 (right after fort hill) and i can't wait for what is to come.


Sanders151 Sanders151
11/15/18