Sneaky

Chapter 24

Everyone followed Rick and I through the woods, the bells getting louder and louder.

The sound is echoing, it's difficult to tell which way they're coming from but Rick and I seem to have a good ear for the direction.

"What direction?" Shane asked as we slowed.

"I think that way. I'm pretty sure." Rick pointed the direction we were headed.

"Dang, it's hard to tell out here" Shane hopped on a log, as if the 2 feet of height would give him better hearing.

"If we hear them, maybe Sophia does too" for the first time since Sophia went missing, I can hear hope in Carol's voice.

"Someone's ringing those bells. Maybe calling others." Glenn suggested.

"Or signaling that they found her." Andrea spoke between pants.

I glanced at Rick, pointing ahead and he gave a nod of agreement.

"She could be ringin 'em herself." Rick stated. "Come on"

I picked up to a jog, right behind Rick and as we got closer, the sound got louder and louder until it stopped.

-

I followed Rick out of the treeline, going around him so I could see. In the center of the large clearing in front of us, a rundown church stood.

It's been a few minutes since we heard the bells but they were close when they stopped.

I don't know about you guys, but if I was Sophia and found this place, that's definitely where I'd go.

"That can't be it, there's no steeple—Rick!" Shane called after the deputy as he took off towards the building.

He didn't get ten steps before the rest of us were chasing him.

Just like old times, Daryl, Glenn, Shane, and I were hot on his heels right up to the red doors.

I pulled my knives as Daryl moved past me, going up the steps with Rick.

Rick glanced at the rest of us, most of the group was behind us at the bottom of the steps looking around.

Rick looked at Daryl, nodded, and simultaneously they pushed the doors open.

There were 3 walkers inside, sitting on the benches and they turned to look as soon as the doors opened but they didn't move.

Rick and Daryl moved just inside the doors, Shane moving between them.

I've never seen walkers not lunge before. It's creepy how they're just sitting there but they weren't for long.

Rick holstered his gun and reached behind him, his wife handing him her machete.

Shane did the same, taking the weapon from the person behind him and followed Rick inside.

Daryl handed his crossbow to Glenn, who almost dropped it, as he traded for Glenn's hooked machete. As soon as it was in his hand, Daryl looked at it in his hand.

Rick moved to the left side, Shane down the middle, and Daryl to the right.

I turned and looked out behind us, trusting all of them can kill a single walker without supervision. So I didn't stick around, instead I walked past everyone else, moving around the side to do a perimeter sweep of the church, checking the outside.

If there were walkers in there, just sitting there, chances are Sophia wasn't here.

I don't think anyone's been here in a long time. Long enough for cannibalistic dead people to go idle.