In the Very End: Book One

Chapter 6

*WARNING: Please be advised that this chapter contains mature content and strong language.*

Chapter 6
Quinn's POV

I was sitting at the table in the RV, playing with an arrow while listening to Carol cry and watching Andrea clean her gun. Daryl was lying on the ground, clearly not getting any sleep because I couldn't hear his light snoring.

Daryl stood up and I knew I was right, he couldn't sleep either. I handed him his arrow.

"I'm gonna need my clip now," he told Andrea. He grabbed his bow and swung it over his shoulder. "I'm gonna walk the road, look for the girl."

"Take me with you?" I asked, almost begging.

He nodded. He couldn't have stopped me from going anyway. We stepped out the door and a light immediately shined down on us.

"We're gonna take a walk," Daryl informed Dale. "Shine some light in the forest. If she's out there, give her somethin' to look at."

"You think that's a good idea right now?" Dale asked.

"We'll be okay," I assured.

"If you see anything, holler. I'll come running."

I smiled and we started down the road. We were walking in the woods when a question popped up. I knew Daryl probably wouldn't like it, but I asked anyway.

"Do you really think we're gonna find Sophia?"

He shined the light in my eyes. "You got that look on your face, same as everybody else. What the hell is wrong with you people? We just started looking."

"It's just a question."

"It ain't the mountains of Tibet, it's Georgia. She could be holed up in a farm house somewhere. People get lost and they survive. Happens all the time."

"She's only twelve."

"Hell, I was younger than her and I got lost. Nine days in the woods eatin' berries, wipin' my ass with poison oak," Daryl started. "My old man was off on a bender with some waitress. Merle was doin' another stint in juvie. They didn't even know I was gone. I made my way back, though. Went straight to the kitchen, made myself a sandwich. No worse for wear. Except my ass itched somethin' awful."

I held in a laugh. "I'm sorry."

He even laughed a little. "The difference is, Sophia's got people lookin' for her...I'd call that an advantage."

We walked for about ten more minutes. Suddenly, the bushes moved. Instinctively, we both crouched and pointed our flashlights. We slowly walked over to the source.

"What the hell?" Daryl mumbled as a walker hanging in a tree came into view. Daryl then recited the note on the stump: "Got bit, fever hit, world gone to shit, might as well quit."

"Dumbass didn't know enough to shoot himself in the head. Turned himself into a big swinging piece of bait," I said, disgust in my voice.

"And a mess," Daryl added, looking at the bottom of his legs that had been gnawed on by some passing walkers. 

Then the stench hit me and I felt nauseous. I coughed.

"You alright?" Daryl called.

"Tryin' not to puke."

"Go ahead if ya gotta."

"I'm fine, let's just talk about somethin' else for a moment...how did you learn to shoot?"

"Ya gotta eat. That's one thing these walkers and us have in common. I think this is the closest he's been to food since he turned. Look at him, hangin' up there like a big piñata. The other geeks came and ate all the flesh off his legs."