Sonder • TWD

° Survival °

"Sophia!" Rex cried, her knees buckling underneath her as she hit the dirt next to her friend. Sophia's cries were incoherent, her mind slipping as her body succumbed to the effects of blood loss. The source of which resided in her shoulder, from which a large chunk of flesh had been torn off by the pitiless teeth of a walker. Sophia gripped Rex's arm desperately, her eyes pleading and fearful as tears rolled down the girls cheeks and landing on the ground below. "You're OK, You're OK" Rex stuttered, pulling Sophia onto her lap, so the girl's head was resting on her legs. Rex didn't know what to do, if the blood loss didn't kill her, the walker bite certainly would. Sophia was going to die, she was going to die in the forest, without her mother by her side, with only an equally terrified preteen to soothe her.

Rex attempted to put pressure on the girls wound, but this action made Sophia cry out in pain even louder than before. Hopeless and defeated, Rex was forced to give up on any attempt to save the little girl and simply sat there, holding her hand as tears streamed down her face.

 ----- 🦖-----

Back at the highway, Claire and Carol were inconsolable. Andrea was holding Carol up to prevent her dropping onto the concrete as she sobbed. Claire was anxiously pacing back and forth along the highway barrier, the group's words of comfort completely lost on her. Hunter attempted to talk to her, to calm her down, but she had brushed him off in her state. The boy didn't take it personally, he simply went and sat on the hood of a car, biting his nails and nervously watching the woods for any signs of life. Rick had been the adult to step up and chase after the girls when they had fled, but it had been fifteen minutes and he had yet to return. Lori broke free from her son's grasp and tentatively approached the panicking woman. "Claire, honey why don't you take a seat? The pacing isn't going to help anyone. Cmon just sit down and take a breath to calm d-" the woman was cut off by Claire shooting her a piercing look.

"Don't you fucking dare tell me to calm down, don't you even think about it. My daughter is out there, in the dark and cold and she's scared, I can feel it, I can feel her terror Lori. Imagine if it was your son, you would be in exactly the same state I am right now. I appreciate your husband going to out looking for her, really, I'm beyond grateful, but if you so much as try and tell me to relax I will beat you into next week. I won't calm down, I physically can't, not until my daughter is safe in my arms again." Claire drew a sharp breath, placing a hand on her chest as she felt her thumping heart beneath her palm, the blood rushing in her ears now drowning out any response from the woman. She closed her eyes, attempting to shake away the horrific images of her only child being brutally torn apart by the undead, but it was no use. Claire let out a small whimper, bringing a hand to cover her face as she sunk down beside the highway barrier. She felt a pair of arms wrap around her and opened her eyes to see Dale, his soft expression visible through her blurry vision.

"She'll be OK, that kiddo is strong!" Dale attempted to reassure her, but his tone indicated he was trying to convince the both of them that his statement held any truth. Claire nodded, though she didn't entirely believe that her daughter would be OK. She was strong, that was undoubtedly true, but even she was no match for grown adult walkers, who could easily overpower her small frame. Claire was hit with another wave of nausea inducing anxiety as she raised her head to look at the now darkening sky. Rex wouldn't have a chance in hell of survival once darkness fell, nobody can survive a night in the woods with the risk of walkers around every corner. 

The tension was broken as a figure emerged from the woods, out of breath and stumbling up the hill. As the person got closer, the group relaxed upon realising it was Rick, but simultaneously panicked as they realised he was all alone, there was no sign of the missing girls. After leaning against the highway barrier to catch his breath for a moment, all the group gathered around the man as he explained that he had attempted to track the girls, but had lost their trail after only a few minutes. Claire shakily pushed herself up to a standing position, despite Dale's protests that she should sit and rest, and approached Rick. His eyes were apologetic and full of sympathy as he met her gaze, he put a hand on her arm gently before turning to face the group again. "I think our best shot of finding them is if we take the night, start up at dawn and split into groups" he explained. "You can't just leave our girls out there overnight!" Carol sobbed, clutching her chest. Claire wanted to open her mouth to agree, but she knew that Rick was right, looking for Rex and Sophia in darkness would be like looking for a needle in a haystack. If they went out now, they risked losing even more of their people. The woman took a deep breath and nodded, her lip trembling, before making her way back over to Dale.