𝙘𝙧𝙮 𝙗𝙖𝙗𝙮¹ ━ 𝙩𝙬𝙙

ii.

╔═══*.·:·.★ ✦ ★･:･:*═══╗

They were still in the woods after Lori's outburst and they were beginning to lose light. Paola swung Glenn's arm as high she could after a failed attempt to get him to skip with him. The man watched with a faint smile and helped her jump over fallen branches and orange leaves.

A while back, they had heard a gunshot, a single gunshot. "You still worrying about it?" Andrea asked, Lori stopped and had her back to the group.

"It was a gunshot." She says, her hand still on her own gun.

Daryl nods, "we all heard it."

"Why one? Why just one gunshot?"

"Maybe they took down a walker." The redneck shrugs.

"please don't patronise me." Lori snaps, her head swinging to look at him. "You know Rick wouldn't risk a gunshot to take down one walker. Or Shane. They'd do it quietly."

"Shouldn't they have caught up with us by now?" Carol asks, hand on her satchel.

"There's nothing we can do about it anyway. Can't run around these woods chasing echoes." Daryl says, moving towards the women with his crossbow in hand.

"So what do we do?" Lori asks.

"Same as we've been. Beat the bush from Sophia and work our way back to the highway."

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

The Grimes woman nods and on her way past, Paola slips away from Glenn and wiggles her hand into Lori's sending her a warm smile. The girl could tell she was worried about Carl and she was too, so the small gesture brought a sense of security for the two of them.

"I'm sorry for what you're going through," Andrea sighs, "I know how you feel."

"I suppose you do." Carol smiles sadly, "thank you. The thought of her out here by herself... it's the not knowing that's killing me." The womans voice breaks when talking about her daughter, "I just keep hoping and praying she doesn't wind up like Amy."

Andrea's face falls and it looked as though she was holding back tear instantly. Carol realises what she did, "oh god, that's the worst thing I've ever said."

The blonde shakes her head, "we're all hoping and praying with you. For what it's worth."

"i'll tell you what it's worth. Not a damn thing." Daryl intervenes, "it's a waste of time all this damn hoping and praying. 'Cause we're gonna locate that little girl and she's gonna be just fine. Am I the only zen around here? Good lord."

Paola stiffles a small giggle before she joins Glenn again, she goes back to the small past time of jumping over branches with his help and swinging his arm to as high as she could take it.

|

"We'll lose the light before too long. Think we should call it." Daryl says. The Lakatos girl had soon turned tired and Glenn was now giving her a piggyback ride. She fiddled with frays of his baseball cap as she lay her head on his shoulder. Slowly her dark eyes were shutting and breathing more docile.