〰

〰

Elodie trotted behind Daryl as the group split up to cover more ground in the woods. She kept her eyes trained on his back, trying her best to match his pace. It was hard to do so; her legs were like a thousand times more smaller than his, so she was basically running to keep up with him.

Daryl suddenly stopped in his tracks, causing Elodie to nearly stumble into him. She quickly regained her balance, looking up at him with a puzzled expression. He turned to her, his eyes narrowing.

"What're ya doin'?" he said.

Elodie looked up at him, shrugging. "Stickin' to ya like glue."

Daryl groaned and dragged a hand down his face, looking around to try and find anyone else that was still closeby. He didn't see anyone though, so he looked back at Elodie, who was looking up at him like she was waiting for him to say something.

"I said pick—"

"Pick someone. I did. I pick you," Elodie interrupted, already feeling embarrassed. Did Daryl not want her there? Had she been wrong to think he'd want to protect her?

Daryl's expression hardened as he shook his head. "I ain't your babysitter, kid. Ya should stick with the others."

"Can't," Elodie explained, nervously fiddling with her fingers as she glanced up at Daryl. "I don't wanna go with Shane, 'cause he's bein' mean and I don't know why. Rick and Lori are busy watchin' out for Carl, and I don't wanna make their job harder. I don't wanna go with Andrea either, 'cause I don't really know her. And I like Glenn, but he's still scared of the walkers."

Once she stopped talking, Daryl just stared at her for a few seconds. "Girl, ya talk more than a damn parrot," he muttered under his breath, more to himself than to her. He scratched the back of his head, torn between frustration and a strange sense of responsibility.

Elodie bit her lip, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. She hadn't meant to babble on like that, but the words just spilled out in her nervousness. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, waiting for Daryl's response.

Daryl let out a heavy sigh, looking down at the blonde girl. And she was just that; a little girl—a child—stuck in the mess that was the new world. She was just a kid, lost and scared in this harsh world, looking for someone to lean on. And for some weird reason, she had chosen him.

With a gruff voice, he muttered, "Just stick close, alright?"

Elodie's face lit up with a wide grin, and she nodded eagerly, her blonde curls bouncing with each movement. "Like glue."

Daryl nodded in acknowledgment, gesturing for her to walk alongside him. Elodie obeyed, staying close to Daryl as he tightened his grip on his crossbow, his gaze scanning the trees for any potential threats. Meanwhile, Elodie found herself fascinated by the snapping of twigs beneath her feet. She purposely sought out sticks to step on, enjoying the sound they made.

Spotting a larger stick, she lifted her foot and brought it down forcefully, resulting in a louder snap than before. Suddenly, Daryl tugged at her arm, pulling her back to his side. Confused, Elodie looked up to see she had wandered away from Daryl.

"Stop doin' that. You're attractin' all kinds of things we don't wanna attract," Daryl warned, keeping her close.

"Sorry," Elodie mumbled. She hadn't realized how loud she had been. The snaps didn't sound that loud to her, but she figured Daryl could probably hear them better; so that meant anyone else could hear them better, too. Even the walkers. "Sorry," she repeated, now genuinely realizing her mistake.

Daryl just shook his head, releasing her arm. He kept a close eye on her for the next few minutes while Elodie walked with her head bowed, taking care to avoid stepping on noisy objects.

When he felt certain that she wouldn't stray or cause trouble, Daryl redirected his focus to the surroundings, scanning for signs of Sophia.

"Daryl?" Elodie spoke up after a while.

"Hm?" Daryl responded.

"Am I weird for bein'... I dunno, sad 'bout Jamie?" she asked, her voice catching in her throat as she mentioned the name. She attempted to push down the lump in her throat with her fingers, but it only hurt her throat, so she stopped and let her hands fall.

Daryl looked down at her, screwing his brows together when he noticing her reddened fingers. He observed her nervous habit of tugging at her skin when she was anxious or deep in thought. She was doing it now, using her nails to pinch the skin of her pointer finger.

"Let go of your finger," Daryl instructed, causing Elodie to glance down at her hands in confusion. When she noticed how red they were, her eyes widened, and she quickly stuffed her hands into the pockets of her thin jacket. She then looked up at him, waiting for his response to her question.

Daryl bit the inner of his cheek, not really knowing what to say. How was he supposed to make a child feel better when they had lost their entire family? He didn't know what to do with children. "Who made ya think that?" he decided to ask.

Elodie shrugged. "Carl."

Daryl scoffed. "Carl don't know shit. Ya can be sad 'bout your brother. It's normal."

"But," Elodie started, tilting her head slightly in thought, her feet shuffling over the ground as they walked. "He said he thought I'd be relieved, 'cause Jamie was bad. And mean. Am I supposed to feel relieved?"

Daryl scratched the back of his head, not really knowing what to do with the girl. "Ain't nobody get to tell ya how to feel 'bout losin' family. It's complicated. Sometimes folks ain't the best, but that don't mean ya don't miss 'em. And it sure as hell don't mean ya gotta feel relieved they're gone."

Elodie kicked a leaf away, watching as it drifted back to the ground. What Daryl said seemed to be... right. The words he said felt good to her, so she figured he could be right. "Were ya sad 'bout Merle?"

Daryl's steps faltered for a moment, caught off guard by the unexpected question. At first, he didn't respond. He didn't really know the answer to that question. Explaining what he felt about Merle to a ten year old would be difficult. He doubted Elodie would understand.

"Yeah," he finally muttered, his voice gruff. "Yeah, I was. Angry, too."

Elodie glanced up at him, her eyes searching his face. "Even though he wasn't always nice?"

Daryl nodded slowly, his gaze fixed on the path ahead. "Yeah, even though."

Kicking another leaf as they walked, Elodie nodded thoughtfully. "D'ya miss him?"

Daryl sighed, a mix of sadness and bitterness creeping into his voice. "Yeah, sometimes. But ain't much I can do 'bout it now."

Elodie nodded slowly, seeming to understand. "I guess it's kinda like... even when someone's not good all the time, they can still be important."

Daryl grunted in response, a small nod of acknowledgment. He wasn't used to these kinds of conversations, but with Elodie, it felt... different. Maybe because she was just a kid, like he once was, lost in a world that didn't make sense.

"Daryl?" Elodie spoke up again.

"Hm?"

"Can I turn my hearin' aids off now?"

Daryl huffed, shaking his head. Apparently she was done talking about the topic. "No. Look 'round 'ya. I'll have to keep ya on a leash if ya turn 'em off now so ya don't die."

Elodie grumbled to herself, kicking a pebble out of her path quite harshly. "Ya said I could turn 'em off whenever I feel like it. I feel like it."

"Yeah, and when no one's botherin' ya."

Elodie sighed dramatically, but she didn't protest further. She knew Daryl had a point, even if she didn't like it. She thought about just turning them off anyway, but knew Daryl would get mad at her for her. She didn't want him to ignore her for hours or maybe days, so she kept her hands stuffed in her pocket.

〰

It had been hours of walking through the woods, and they still hadn't found Sophia. Elodie was growing tired, wiping the sweat away from behind her ears, terrified that it would damage her hearing aids. Daryl had said she had to keep them on, so she did. She didn't want to be alone with a bunch of walkers again, so she didn't argue either.

She had taken off her jacket, occasionally using it to give herself some shade as they walked. Everyone had regrouped again, having gone from place to place but to no avail. They had found a tent in a small clearing earlier, but when Daryl had opened the flap, hoping to find Sophia, everyone had recoiled in disgust at the smell of dead coming from the inside of it. No Sophia.

Now, they were running. Racing toward the distant sound of church bells. Rick had said they might find Sophia there, and Elodie really hoped they did. She had started to consider Sophia a friend, a really close one. She really wanted to find her, especially considering Carl's less-than-pleasant company lately.

As they approached the church, their breaths quickened, and they slowed their steps, taking in the sight before them. The church, simple yet beautiful, stood with its faded white exterior and rows of tiny windows. The vibrant red front door contrasted with the aging building.

A chill crept up Elodie's spine as she took in the graveyard surrounding the church. Rows of moss-covered gravestones lay silent. Elodie tilted her head in thought. Those people that laid there were lucky, in a way. They didn't have to experience this world, didn't have to experience the walkers. Didn't have to experience death, loss, and grief.

Suddenly, everyone began to sprint across the graveyard. Elodie hesitated before following, not wanting to run over people's graves. Her mom always said it was disrespectful, and that you'd be disturbing the dead, somehow. So instead of running over the graves, she skirted around them and to the path leading to the church.

She ran over the path to the front door, stopping right behind Lori and Carl to catch her breath. Running around the graveyard had taken longer, and the others were already there, cautiously starting to open the doors.

Rick gestured for Daryl to be quiet before they slowly opened the doors. Elodie had to stand behind Carl to see inside, and her breath hitched in her throat when she did. There were three walkers inside, but they weren't... normal walkers. They were sitting walkers. Would they still be walkers? Maybe these could be called sitters, Elodie thought.

They sat with their backs turned, their eyes fixed on the statue of Jesus at the altar. It could have been a beautiful sight if it wasn't so terrifying.

The three walkers—sitters turned their heads with a snarl upon hearing the doors creak open. They slowly stood up, prompting Rick, Daryl, and Shane to step inside, weapons at the ready. Lori handed Rick his hatchet, and he was the first to walk over to the now-walkers—they were standing again.

Shane and Daryl took out their own weapons and approached the other two walkers. Rick slammed the hatchet on the first walker's head, causing blood to spray out of the skull. Elodie recoiled behind Lori, prompting the woman to pull the girl into her side, an arm around her shoulders. Shane stabbed the next walker with his weapon, which made way less blood spray around, but was still a gross sight to witness.

Daryl crept up behind the woman walker, making kissy noises in an attempt to get its attention. Elodie fought back laughter, scrunching her face in confusion at the absurd sight. She made a mental note to tease Daryl about it later. When the walker turned with a snarl, Daryl swiftly struck it, splattering blood across the white wall beside him.

"Ew," Elodie mouthed to herself, feeling sorry for whoever watched over the church from above. The group entered the church cautiously, searching desperately for Sophia. Elodie split from Lori and Carl, checking under benches for any signs of her friend. Finding nothing, she ignored the blood stain on the carpet and stood back up.

Rick's shout of "Sophia!" startled her, and she watched as he yanked on a door in frustration. Seeing Daryl by the Jesus statue, she tried to hear what he muttered but couldn't make it out. Shane addressed Rick, trying to convince him they were in the wrong place.

"I'm tellin' you, it's the wrong church. It's got no steeple, Rick," Shane insisted, speaking to Rick as if he'd lost his mind, which Elodie thought was weird. Rick just wanted to find Sophia, maybe more than anyone else, because he felt guilty. "There's no steeple."

"What's a steeple?" Elodie wondered out loud, earning an irritated glance from Shane. She shrugged, feeling a bit embarrassed, and looked down at her feet.

The loud sound of bells rang through the church, prompting everyone to rush outside. Elodie followed behind Shane, finding Glenn at a box attached to the wall. She brought up her shoulders, fighting the urge to cover her ears to muffle the annoyingly loud ringing of the bells. She followed the wires attached to the box, her eyes landing on a speaker all the way up by the roof of the church.

The bells were automatic. Sophia wasn't here.

Glenn pulled some wires out of the box in frustration, and the sound immediately stopped. Daryl pointed his weapon up at the speaker, all the while catching his breath. "A timer. It's on a timer."

Elodie bowed her head with a sigh, watching as her dirty hair fell in front of her eyes. She felt dirty, too. She hadn't washed herself since the CDC, so her entire skin was covered in dirt. Her clothes were covered in grass stains, too. She would really like to be back in the CDC again, with Sophia most of all.

"I'm gonna go back in for a bit," Carol said, disappointment lacing her voice.

Everyone quickly followed her, mostly to go and get some rest. They had been walking for hours, so they deserved some rest.

〰

About an hour later, Elodie found herself sprawled out on the grass, feeling the thin blades tickle her skin. She didn't mind—the tree provided a welcome shadow, and a gentle breeze cooled the air. It was a relief from the earlier heat.

Absentmindly, Elodie plucked at the grass underneath her hands, tearing out a few blades and them throwing them away from her. After she had done this a few times, a handful of grass landed on her face, startling her. She spluttered in surprise, quickly slapping her face and swiping the grass off. She pushed herself up in a sitting position, seeing Carl sitting next to her with a wide grin on his face.

She huffed in response, flopping back onto the grass. Carl's grin faded into a frown, his shoulders slumping. "You were throwing the grass at me. I only threw it back," he mumbled, loud enough so Elodie could hear. She didn't respond, so Carl sighed and decided to lay down next to her, whether she wanted him to or not.

Elodie kept her gaze set on the tree branches high above her, not wanting to pay attention to Carl. She didn't want to hear him talk about Jamie again, she had done enough of that today.

"Sorry," was the thing she heard instead, so she turned her head in confusion, looking at Carl's guilt covered face. "I didn't mean to be rude earlier. You're right, I don't understand."

Elodie nodded firmly. She then looked back up at the sky, watching as the branches swayed in the slight breeze. So, Carl felt sorry about being so mean about Jamie on the highway. That was good, right? He wasn't mad at her, that's for sure. Was she mad at him? No, not really. Not anymore.

"It's okay," she said.

"Really?" Carl asked.

"Uh-huh," Elodie confirmed, prompting Carl to grin again. "Sorry for throwin' grass on ya."

She heard Carl chuckle from beside her, making it hard for Elodie not to laugh as well. But the light moment quickly faded when she felt specks of dirt land on her face due to Shane hastily coming back up to the group, stopping himself by digging his foot into the ground. Grimacing, she wiped the dirt off her cheek and sat up, following Carl's lead.

"Y'all gonna follow the creek bed back. Daryl, you're in charge," Shane said, placing a hand on his hip. "Me and Rick, we're just gonna hang back, search this area another hour or so just to be thorough."

"You're splittin' us up?" Daryl spoke up. "You sure?"

"Yeah. We'll catch up to you."

Stepping forward, Carl stood tall. "I want to stay, too. I'm her friend."

Shane looked at Rick, letting out a soft chuckle before looking away, shrugging one shoulder. Rick looked to Lori, silently seeking her decision. She sighed, resting a hand on Carl's back. "Just be careful, okay?"

"I will," Carl said, smiling as Lori cupped her hands on his face, lovingly looking down at him.

She gently rubbed her thumb along Carl's cheek, gently speaking, "When did you start growin' up?" She then pulled her son into a hug, kissing the top of his head.

As Lori lovingly cupped Carl's face in her hands, Elodie's gaze lingered on them, her eyes tracing the gentle movements of her fingers against his cheek. She swallowed hard, feeling a lump form in her throat as she watched the sweet exchange between mother and son.

When Lori pulled Carl into a hug and pressed a kiss to the top of his head, Elodie felt a pang of longing shoot through her chest. It was a gesture she had always secretly craved from her own mother, a simple gesture of love and affection that seemed to come so effortlessly to others.

She blinked, shaking her head. She told herself she'd stop staring so much, so she had to do just that. She pushed herself up from the ground, brushing the grass from her pants with more force than necessary. So to distract herself from the Grimes family lovingly hugging and kissing each other, she turned around to go stand by Daryl.

Daryl watched as Elodie came to stand right next to him, her head bowed down and gaze fixed on the ground. He had seen her stares, even back at camp. He knew what she was thinking. Instead of letting her dwell, he nudged her with his elbow, silently indicating she should walk ahead.

Elodie nodded, quickly walking past everyone and onto the path, once again taking the long way to the woods so to not walk over the graves. She looked back once, seeing Daryl handing Lori a gun before he quickened his pace to catch up to Elodie, making sure she wasn't alone.

"Hey," he said once they were side by side. "Why ain't ya goin' with the rest?"

Elodie shrugged. "I don't wanna disturb the dead."

Daryl scoffed, taken aback, but didn't say anything more. He hadn't thought of it like that, honestly. He didn't even know why Elodie had, but she had, and was avoiding disrespecting people that were no longer here as best as she could. She was pure in a world that wasn't, how cruel it may be.

〰

"We'll lose the light before too long," Daryl finally broke the silence, prompting everyone to stop and look at the seemingly endless trees ahead. "I think we should call it."

They had been walking and searching for what felt like hours, and Elodie's legs were beginning to feel like nothing but jelly. She wasn't used to walking this much at all. It had started to get darker, too. The sky that was once blue was now fading into a warm, orange hue, the golden rays slightly warming up Elodie's skin.

She was really worried about Sophia. They still hadn't found her, and it had been days already. With each day that passed, the chances she was okay got slimmer. She couldn't really talk to anyone while walking to distract herself from her thoughts either, because Carl had gone with Shane and Rick, and the adults wouldn't be able to talk to her like she wanted to be talked to right now.

They'd only look down at her with pity. It was nice to be cared about, Elodie really liked it, but sometimes it was a little too much. She wasn't used to being pitied, she was only used to being treated coldly.

Daryl seemed to be the only adult who didn't look at her in pity, for as far as she knew. He'd look more annoyed than anything half of the time, which—sometimes—was better than pity.

"Let's head back," Lori agreed, tightly grasping the strap of her bag. She kept looking over her shoulder every couple seconds. They had all heard a gunshot earlier, but no one knew what it was.

Elodie really hoped it wasn't Sophia. She didn't have a gun, so that gunshot would be really bad news. If the gunshot was either Shane or Rick, it would have been fine. They probably took down a walker. Maybe they lost their hatchets and were forced to use their guns.

"We'll pick it up again tomorrow?" Carol proposed.

"Yeah, we'll find her tomorrow," Lori agreed with a determined nod.

Daryl whistled and tapped Elodie's arm, nodding his head to signal to head back as she probably didn't hear the quiet whistle. She nodded and quickly turned around, staying close to Glenn as she walked. She really wanted to get back to the RV, because her legs and her feet were insanely tired and she felt like she could barely walk any more. And she also just really wanted to lay down.

〰

"How much longer?" Elodie whined, lazily trudging through the tall grass, almost dragging herself forward. She could feel her eyes closing as she walked.

"Not much," Daryl answered. "Maybe a hundred yards as the crow flies."

"What's that mean?" Elodie asked, the whiny tone still in her voice. "Why d'ya all talk so strange?"

Daryl only huffed in response, followed by a shake of his head. He seemed to be too tired to explain.

"Too bad we're not crows," Andrea huffed.

"I wanna be a crow," Elodie said, followed by a tired breath. She almost had to hop to not trip over the holes in the dirt, and it was tiring.

"Crows are cool," Glenn chimed in. "A little scary, though.

Elodie let out a soft chuckle. "Ya scared of crows?"

"No," Glenn protested, but didn't elaborate further.

After another while of walking, Andrea let out a grunt of discomfort as she stumbled into a large spiderweb, its sticky strands clinging to her sweaty skin and gun. She swatted at the webs, irritated. "As the crow flies, my ass."

Suddenly, a piercing scream cut through the air, causing Elodie to whip her head around. A walker had grabbed onto Andrea, snapping and snarling inches from her face. Elodie's heart raced as she realized everyone else was much farther ahead than they should be. She had unknowingly followed Andrea's path, veering off course.

What do I do, what do I do?

I don't have a weapon!

"Daryl!" Elodie decided to yell, her voice trembling with fear as she watched Andrea struggling with the walker. She plunged her knife into its chest repeatedly, desperately trying to fight it off but missing its head each time.

When Andrea broke free from the walker's grasp, she stumbled backward, tripping over a fallen log and crashing onto her back with a scream. Elodie quickly ran up to her. She couldn't kill the walker, but maybe she could help Andrea to get back up.

Elodie rushed to her side, her heart pounding with panic. She tried to help Andrea up, tugging at her arm with all her strength, but her efforts were in vain—she was just a ten-year-old girl, and Andrea's weight was too much for her. She didn't give up though, she kept pulling and pulling while Andrea used her legs to kick away the walker, still letting out really loud screams. Elodie wished she'd stop screaming and closing her eyes, but she figured Andrea couldn't think clearly because of the fear.

As Elodie struggled, a woman on horseback suddenly charged in, swinging a baseball bat and knocking the walker away from Andrea and Elodie with force as the horse gallopped past. Elodie's jaw dropped, and she let go of Andrea in response, only able to look at the brown-haired woman on the horse.

The woman turned back around with the horse, looking at the rest of the group that was running up to them. "Lori? Lori Grimes?"

How does she know Lori's name?

"I'm Lori," Lori said, her breaths coming in quick gasps as she looked at the woman on the horse in confusion.

"Rick sent me. You've got to come now," she said, urgency lacing her tone.

"What?" Lori exclaimed in pure confusion.

"There's been an accident," the woman continued, holding out a hand for Lori to take. "Carl's been shot."

What?

Elodie's blood ran cold at those three words, and she fully ignored Andrea standing up and huffing beside her, muttering something to her like 'could've helped me'.

Carl's been shot? No, no, no. He can't be. Was he dead? Elodie didn't understand, she only knew she felt her throat tighten up and her stomach making weird and sickening turns. Her mind raced with a mess of thoughts, each one crashing into the next. Fear, worry, confusion—all swirled together in a chaotic whirlwind inside her head. Carl couldn't be hurt. He just couldn't.

"He's still alive, but you've got to come now!" the strange woman said, raising her eyebrows in urgency. "Rick needs you. Just come!"

Lori didn't hesitate for another second before taking off her backpack and throwing it on the ground, ready to get onto the horse with the strange woman. Elodie's gaze darted between Lori and the figure of the woman, desperation clawing at her chest. She wanted to scream, to run after them, to do something—anything—to help Carl. But she was rooted to the spot, paralyzed by fear.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Daryl said, holding out a hand. "We don't know this girl! You can't get on that horse!"

Lori did exactly what Daryl was telling her not to do, as she took the woman's hand and let her hoist her up onto the horse. "Rick said ya had other's on the highway, that big traffic snarl?" the woman asked the rest.

"Uh-huh," Glenn breathed out, looking at the two women in pure shock.

"Backtrack to Fairburn Road. Two miles down is our farm," she instructed. "You'll see the mailbox. The name is Greene. Hyah!" she yelled, tuging on the reins. 

And then, as quickly as the woman had arrived, they were gone, leaving behind a stunned and silent group. Elodie's heart felt like it might burst from her chest, her hands trembling with fear. 

The walker that laid on the ground further away lifted his upper body with groans, but was quickly silenced by a "Shut up," from Daryl and a hit of his bolt. It dropped back down on the grass, only dead this time.

Elodie's breath hitched in her chest as she struggled to process what had just happened. Her mind raced with a thousand questions, each one more urgent than the last. Was Carl going to be okay? Who was this woman? Could they trust her? And what would happen to Lori now?

〰

AUTHOR'S NOTE

This chapter kind of sucks because I'm SO tired
I really wanted to write a chapter though because I want to get to the farm era
that's where the fun starts guys!!

I also did not proof read this so if you see any mistakes, no you didn't...

anyway, love u byebye I hope you liked it anywayyyyyy