*Daryl's POV*
Glen and I stood in the little clearing, staring after Carol. I could tell by the grim look on his face that he didn't think this was going to end well.
"Let's go.", I said.
We followed the tracks through the trees. Sapphire and Carl must be putting up quite the fight, ort trying to anyway. In front of the foot prints, there were scuff marks, almost like they were being dragged.
Rage burned in my chest. I didn't want to lose her. I didn't want to lose Carl, either. I remembered what it was like to see Rick so damaged after his wife died.
I could only imagine what would happen if he lost one of the only things that still attached him to Lori. After all, he didn't even know that Judith was still alive.
After a while, we came to the edge of another clearing. Or, what I thought was a clearing.
The stench was unreal. There were groans of the undead everywhere, sending chills up my spine. My body froze, every nerve telling me to run. Telling me to forget Sapphire and Carl. Telling me to save myself.
But that's why I always listened to my heart, not my body. They needed my help. There was no way I was letting them get killed. There was no way I was gonna lose them. Ever.
*Sapphire's POV*
John and Sharptooth dragged me and Carl further into the camp. I bit down on my lip hard, trying to clear my head.
These people were crazy. Absolutely nuts. What kind of people strung up walker parts like they were Christmas decorations?
They dragged us up onto the porch of one of the cabins they had either found or built. Sharptooth opened the cabin door, motioning to the man that held Carl.
He moved forward, keeping his arm around Carl's throat. I could see the fear and the anger burning behind his bright blue eyes.
I kicked myself again. How could I let this happen?
"I wouldn't keep doing that, if I were you, sweetheart.," John growled in my ear. "I don't really fancy women with bruises."
Sharptooth motioned for us to follow Carl's captor through the door. Once we were in, Sharptooth closed the door behind us and walked in front of us.
He smiled again, showing his needle-sharp teeth. I sucked in another breath as he walked toward me and lifted my chin so I was looking him in the eyes.
"You really are gorgeous. Its a shame that John found you first."
I snapped my head to the side, jerking my chin away from his fingers. All he did was chuckle and smirk.
"Have fun, boys."
He walked out of the cabin, leaving me and Carl alone with his goons.
*Carol's POV*
I finally made it back to Hershel's farm, out of breath and stumbling over my own feet.
I didn't even know why. I hated thinking it, but to be honest, I couldn't care less about what happened to Sapphire.
Then again, she wasn't the only one in danger. Carl was too. He was part of my family. I would die for my family.
Plus, Rick didn't deserve that pain. He already thought Judith was dead. I could only imagine what would happen if he lost Carl.
I burst through the back door of the ranch house, nearly bumping straight into Beth.
"Carol!", she screamed. "You scared me!"
"Sorry. Beth, where's Maggie?"
"She's in the living room. Rick just woke up."
Her face was grim. Great. How were we supposed to explain this one?
I walked into the living room, only to see an exasperated Maggie trying to push an extremely pale Rick back onto the pillows.
"How could you-Carol?"
The surprise on his face colored his voice. He obviously hadn't expected me to be there. Why would he? He had basically left me for dead.
"Hey, Rick."
He kept staring at me. Well, at least he wasn't trying to get up anymore.
"How are you....? What are you...?"
"I just got back from following Glen and Daryl into the woods to look for Sapphire and Carl. We found a dead walker. From the scene around it, it was one hell of a fight."
Somehow, he managed to go paler. He tried standing up again, only to have a scream rip out of his lungs.
"Rick. You can't go. You can't. You're gonna have to stay here and rest. Something bad could happen if we take you with us. They would hear you faster than they would hear us."
"What's your point?," he asked.
"My point is that if they hear you, they will slit Carl's throat.," I said. "Rick you can't take that chance."
For a minute, he looked like he was gonna argue. Finally, he just leaned back against his pillows.
"Fine.", Rick growled. "What's the plan?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Hopefully this story continues to get better and better. Thank you again for everything.
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~Breanna
