𝐍𝐄𝐅𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐎𝐔𝐒 | daryl dixon

- 𝟏𝟐

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     DARYL WHISTLED the dog over and they both hopped into the stream with rick and looked into the makeshift shelter that rick had told sophia to stay under. terribly, she wasn't there and that's when the search for the girl began.

     "you sure this is the spot?" daryl inquired, seeming to doubt that the former sheriff had led them to the right place.

     somewhere deep down, the marksman hoped that they'd find the girl soon. every time he'd see her around camp, sulking around because of her abusive father he was reminded of himself.

     all the pain he had to endure as a child under the hands of his parent.

     sophia knew exactly what that felt like ever since she had first been struck by ed. daryl wanted to beat the shit out of the guy every time the little girl and her mother gave signs that they had been abused physically but he kept to himself - for the sake of everyone else.

     besides, merle had told him that they were the outcasts of the group and they should not include themselves. that's what daryl had chosen to believe the whole time - now merle was gone and he had been asked to contribute more than ever. was it right for him to agree to it?

     "i left her right here," rick pressed on, "i drew the walkers way off in that direction up the creek."

     "without a paddle- seems where we've landed."

     "she was gone by the time I got back here, i figured she just took off and ran back to the group," rick explained, "i told her to go that way and keep the sun on her left shoulder." he pointed towards the direction of the highway.

     what would explanations do for them now? they needed to find the girl; otherwise, she was a goner.

     rhaegar turned around and made his way up to the little ledge back from where they had hopped down from in attempts to follow sophia's scent, but glenn was standing in the way. daryl noticed and came over, "hey, short round, why don't you step off to one side? you're mucking up the trail."

     "assuming she knows her left from her right." shane scoffed, shaking his head whilst glancing around, then back to rick.

     "shane, she understood me fine." rick retorted determined, frowning at him.

     "kid's tired and scared, man. she had her close call with two walkers - got to wonder how much of what you said stuck." his best friend told him, disagreeing.

     rhaegar let out a deep bark and daryl stared at the ground he had signaled to. there were clear, small footprints stuck into the ground pointing towards the direction that sophia had run away to. from what it looked like, she had followed rick's instructions which debunked shane's argument.