The Last Flame

Chapter 3

Once Rick and Bell went back to see if Sophia was at the spot he had left her in and saw she wasn't there, Rick headed back to the highway to see if Sophia had made it back to the group. In the meantime, Bell stayed around the area that Rick had left her just in case the young girl hadn't made it back to the highway and was still around the area.

Bell had been hunting with her older brother and father when she was a bit younger, and even picked up some skills in the army, so when it came to tracking people and things she was could sometimes be helpful. Although her skills were a bit rusty at the moment.

She squatted and stared at the earthy ground, having noticed small foot prints going a certain direction, towards the highway, before they seemed to veer off suddenly and go a completely different direction.

She stood up and took a deep sigh and placed her hands on her hips while letting out a heavy sigh. As she did Rick returned with Daryl, Glenn, and Shane.

As Rick started to explain to the others what he had already told her, she wandered off a small distance, still close enough where she could hear the conversation. As they talked she leaned up against a tree and put her hands to her face in frustration.

Once again, this little girl disappearing in the woods reminded her of things she longed to forget, things she thought she had put behind her. But as she rest her head against the scratchy bark she leaned on, she couldn't help but feel like the universe was playing some cruel joke on her. Like it was taunting her, telling her she would never escape the trauma she endured only a year ago today.

"I'm just saying man, makes you wonder how much of what you said stuck." 

Shane's words snapped Bell out of her unwanted trance, as she turned to face the small group before her. "Hey, we're all worried and shook up after what just happened, but our priority right now is finding Sophia. Rick did what he thought was best, this is no time to be going around placing blame and making it worse. If you wanna blame anyone, blame the Hollows."

Everyone looked to her with silence but all seemed to agree with their eyes, Ricks gave a certain look of thanks. While Shane's gave one of annoyance. The man simply scoffed and turned away from her without any other word.

Daryl spoke up next. "She did like ya said, headed back to the highway."

Bell nodded her head and replied to him. "Ya I saw that as well, I examined her tracks for a bit. It's like you say, she did as Rick told her, but her prints veered off suddenly in a different direction."

Glenn scrunched up his face as he looked between the two trackers. "Why would she do that?"

Shane, shocking Bell, spoke up. "Maybe she saw something that spooked her, made her run off. Maybe a walker."

Daryl shook his head in disagreement. "Nah, don't see any other footprints. Just hers."

"So what now? We all press on?" Shane asked.

The small group stayed silent for a minute before Rick spoke up. "No, better you, Glenn, and Bella head back to the highway. People are gonna start panicking. Let 'em know know we're on her trail and doing everything we can." He decided definitively.

Shane agreed and said he would find some other tasks to keep the group busy so the were occupied and not so worried.

But Bell couldn't just go back, she had made a promise to that girl, she felt like she owed it to not only Sophia, but to Carol.

"I'm stayin', helping y'all look." She decided. "I promised her I would look out for her and her mama if something happened."

Shane mumbled a bit in the background, but clearly wanted to be heard. "Yeah, look how well that turned out."