Hero

s e v e n t e e n

Lenora didn't remember the moments that followed. She didn't remember Daryl helping her to her feet, or leading her back to the tent. She didn't remember sitting on her sleeping bag, staring at the ground for what felt like hours until Daryl had come and gone. She only looked up at him when he squatted down in front of her. Brushing a stray piece of hair from her face. 

"You alright?" He asked. Despite him knowing the answer already, he figured she had a lot on her mind. Not all of it being Sophia. 

"It should've been me." She whispered, choking the words out one by one. Her small body was racked with guilt, especially seeing Sophia dead on the ground. They were the same age, same size, same everything. 

"You're wrong." Daryl said, pulling the young girl into a hug where she began to sob once more. He delicately brushed through her hair, holding her head under his chin. He let her wet his shirt with her tears as he waited for her to calm down. "You're wrong Lee." 

"She was loved. She had a family. A mom that loves her." Lenora sobbed. "I'm just some girl you found in the woods, there's a reason my parents left me, I'm better off dead." 

"Hey, your parents, they were sacks of shit thats why they left." Daryl said, holding the girl at arms length. He wiped the tears from her face, she couldn't meet his eyes. She refused to. She didn't want the pity she knew would be there. "You're family now, my family whether you like it or not." 

Lenora, finally let herself meet the rednecks eyes. He was looking at her, every word that left his mouth had been dead serious. No pity present. He hated the way she undermined herself, Lenora Drake deserved the world and he'd give it to her if he could. She embraced him in another hug, squeezing him so tight he felt like he couldn't breathe. The young girl felt the redneck's arms squeeze her back and he didn't let go until she was ready. 

"You're tough as shit Lenora." Daryl spoke gruffly, patting the young girls back in support. "You're here because you're a survivor. Because you deserve to be." 

Lenora's cries slowly stopped as she gently pulled away from Daryl. Clearly, she had needed the pep talk more than anything. The redneck had shown her more love in a few minutes than she'd ever received her entire life. He was her family too. Not the one she was born into, but the one she chose, and she reckoned that family was more important than anything else. 

"Thank you Daryl." She said, sniffling once and wiping her nose on the back of her hand. Daryl said nothing as he stood up from his squatted position and held out a hand for her to stand as well. 

Lenora grabbed the man's hand and the two exited the tent. She knew her eyes were swollen but she hoped no one would notice how bad they were. The two were headed towards the RV where Carol resided, sitting silently and staring out the window. The woman was in shock, seeing her daughter dead was something none of them had wanted for the poor woman. 

Daryl took a seat on the counter, and Lenora stood beside him watching the woman carefully. Daryl knew that in this case silence was optimal. Carol didn't need words, they wouldn't bring her daughter back. Instead, she just needed to know that she had a support system behind her. 

Lori quietly knocked on the door of the RV, alerting them all of her presence. Carol still remained staring out the window. She never looked up once,  as the woman entered the RV. 

"They're ready." Lori spoke gently, watching as Carol shook her head no mouthing words but no sound ever came out. "Come on."

"Why?" Carol asked. The older woman was defeated. All this effort to find her daughter, only to be met with a walking corpse wearing her daughters face. 

"Cause that's your little girl." Daryl spoke up from behind her.  

"That's not my little girl." Carol told him, finally looking back at the three sitting behind her. Her eyes were filled with multiple emotions. There was spite, there was grief, and pain, and sadness."That's some other thing. My Sophia was alone in the woods, 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."