Fight, Love, Live.

XXXIV

"That can't be it. Got no steeple, no bells. Rick!" Shane yelled as we got closer, and I had to agree, but who the fuck knows anymore. When we finally got to the doors, Rick gave Shane and I a look before he shoved them open. I was ready for a swarm, but there were only three. I didn't want to waste any arrows, and risk them getting broken, so I stuck my hand out behind me, and someone put one of the weapons from the car this morning in it. When I pulled my hand back, I saw that it was the hooked one Glenn picked, and I walked forward without a word. 

I clucked at the one that Shane and Rick had left to get its attention, and when it turned around I swung the thing hard at its head, and the hook went straight through the top of its head, and it dropped. Shit, I need to get me one a these! I shoved it back in Glenn's hands as Rick started walking around looking for Sophia. 

When it was obvious that she wasn't here, I went up to the alter, where a large wooden statue of Jesus was sitting. 

"You, J.C., you takin' requests?" I snarled out before leaving the church. This is fuckin' useless. I could get so much more done without all these people following me around. 

I got down the steps before the bells started to ring again. This is definitely the church, the noise was a lot louder than before, but it seemed to be coming from the side of the church. I ran over, right behind Glenn, who was looking up at a megaphone attached to a box. I stormed over, flipped the flap up, and tore out the wires, and the noise immediately stopped. 

"A timer. It's on a timer." Glenn said, turning to look at everyone who had followed us over, but I just threw the wires down before going and sitting up against a tree, away from all these idiots. 

I closed my eyes, and tried to ignore the obviously 'private' conversation going on between Shane and Lori only a few feet away, and the one that went down between Shane and Andrea, before finally everyone came out of the church and Shane moved over to Rick and Lori. 

"Got to move here, man. These people are spent. There's only so many hours of daylight left. We still got a long way back." Shane said, and I couldn't help but think, based on the conversations I definitely didn't hear, that he didn't give one flying shit about this, and just wanted to get back so he could leave. 

"I can't stop yet. We still got a lot of ground to cover, whole other side of the creek bed." Rick argued, and yeah he was right, but we definitely weren't going to find anything over there, unless she crossed over, and I didn't see any footprints that showed her getting in. 

"So we search that on the way back." Shane argued. 

"She would have heard those church bells. She could be nearby."

"She could be a lot of things."

"I can't go back. Her being out here is my fault." Rick whispered, glancing behind him to where everyone else was waiting. 

"That's great. Now they got you doubting yourself, huh?"

"What about you? You doubt me?"

"Hey, we can assign all kinds of blame." So that would be a yes. 

"This means something, finding her."

"Oh man." Shane scoffed, looking away. 

"It would be the miracle we need. We can't give up." Rick said frantically, looking between the three of us, and I agreed with him, I just thought we were looking in the wrong place. Shane didn't say anything, and neither did Lori or I so Rick turned to look at everyone else. 

"Y'all gonna follow the creek bed back, okay? Daryl, you're in charge.Me and Rick, we're just gonna hang back, search this area another hour or so just to be thorough." Shane said to everyone, and I glanced between everyone before deciding to speak up. 

"You're splitting us up. You sure?" Just so Riley wouldn't get on my ass for leaving them out here, I had to be sure. 

"Yeah, we'll catch up to you." Shane said, putting his shotgun up on his shoulder like always. 

"I want to stay too. I'm her friend." Carl argued, looking between his parents as everyone started to get their stuff. 

"Just be careful okay?" Lori said, ruffling his hair, and I was honestly surprised but whatever. 

"I will."

"When did you start growing up?" She whispered to him before turning to look at Rick, and I could tell she was trying to ignore Shane who was glaring at her from behind him. 

"Here, take this. Remember how to use it?" Rick said, trying to shove his gun in her hands, but she didn't take it. 

"I'm not taking your gun and leaving you unarmed." Lori argued, and I huffed before moving over and handing her the gun I grabbed from the tent, I am so ready to get back. 

"Here, got a spare. Take it." Rick and Lori both gave me appreciative smiles, but I just ignored them, moving up to the front of the group to start leading them back. 

It was blissfully silent for several minutes, before it was broken. 

"So this is it? This the whole plan?" Carol raged from behind me. I didn't turn around, but I did decide to answer her when no one else did.

"I guess the plan is to whittle us down into smaller and smaller groups." 

"Carrying knives and pointy sticks. I see you have a gun." Oh for fucks sake Andrea. 

"Why, you want it? Here, take it." Lori said angrily, and I turned to look at her when I heard something, and realized it was her sitting on a log. She was holding her gun out to Andrea, and she took it, but from her face I could tell she knew this was one of those 'well if you really want that cookie then fine' moments you get from your ma before she makes you feel real guilty about whatever it is you just did. 

"I'm sick of the looks you're giving me. All of you. Honey, I can't imagine what you're going through. And I would do anything to stop it. But you have got to stop blaming Rick. It is in your face every time you look at him. When Sophia ran he didn't hesitate, did he? Not for a second. I don't know that any of us would have gone after her the way he did or made the hard decisions that he had to make or that anybody could have done it any differently. Anybody? Y'all look to him and then you blame him when he's not perfect. If you think you can do this without him, go right ahead. Nobody is stopping you." 

It was quiet for a very long time, before Andrea finally gave her the gun back. What'd I tell ya? One of those moments. 

"We should keep moving." I said, and Lori got back up to her feet, and we had taken a couple of steps when we heard it. 

A gunshot.