The Search

The next morning, everyone gathered around prepared to continue searching for Sophia. Damian arrived taking a bite on a jerky he picked from a can.

"Everybody takes a weapon", Shane said indicating towards an arsenal of weapons in a Gerber gear, containing knives and hatchets.

"These aren't the kind of weapons we need. We have guns?", Andrea said showing off her gun.

"No one uses the gun. Only Damian, Daryl, Rick and I will be carrying them", Shane said looking at her.

"We can't have people popping off rounds every time a tree rustles", Rick said.

"It's not the trees I'm worried about. Say somebody fires at the wrong moment, a herd happens to be passing by. See, then it's game over for all of us. So, you need to get over it", Shane further added, getting a nod from most of the people.

That made Andrea put back the gun in her holster she found somewhere. Amy looked at Damian with worry as no one else knew she was carrying a gun. Damian looked at her for a moment, smiled at her then after remembering something, looked at Andrea and Dale who were busy talking among themselves. He then turned his head and moved towards Glenn.

"Hey, wanna pair up with me?", Damian asked. Glenn looked at him suspiciously but nodded.

Daryl continued the instructions, "The idea is to take the creek up about five miles, turn around and come back down the other side", and Rick added, "Chances are she'll be by the creek. It's her only landmark".

Shane looked at everyone and said, "Stay quiet and stay sharp. Keep space between you but always stay within sight of each other".

"Everybody assemble your packs", Rick ordered everyone, and everyone split up getting their bags while Rick turned to Dale and said, "Dale, keep on those repairs. We've got to get this RV ready to move. We won't stay here a minute longer than we have to".

Damian heard Dale as he was walking away, saying, "Good luck out there. Bring Sophia back".

"Hey, Good Morning", Amy came towards Damian who replied, "Good morning. You prepared?", and she nodded.

"Is it a good idea to keep the gun?", she asked not sure about it.

"Yes. Keep it with you just in case. You might need it", he said. Then he heard Glenn calling him, and he walked away from Amy. 

Everyone head out to search the forest for Sophia except Dale and T-Dog, whose arm had been bandaged. As they searched the forest, they maintained a close distance from each other. The day wore on, and everyone got tired from a long and fruitless search. They came upon a campsite where Carol hoped that her daughter could have hidden, but all they found inside was a man who had committed suicide with a gun. Daryl took the gun from his hand. 

As they went further in, they suddenly heard the sound of the church bells in the woods. They ran towards the sound following Rick.

"What direction?", Rick asked stopping at a place looking confused as the bell sound came from every direction. 

"The sound came from this way", Damian said as he looked towards the direction, he thought the sound came from.

"No. It came from that way. I'm pretty sure", Lori said.

"Damn, it's hard to tell out here", Glenn said as he heard the sound coming from every direction.

"If we heard them, then maybe Sofia does, too", Carol said.

"Someone's ringing those bells, maybe calling others.", Shane said. "Or signaling that they found her", Andrea added.

"She could be ringing them herself. Come on", Rick said as he started running again. Others followed behind as Shane and Damian followed last looking out for the group covering their back.

As they came out of the forest, they entered a graveyard that lead to a Baptist church.

"That can't be it. Got no steeple, no bells. Rick.", Shane said. But the group still ran towards the church gates quietly. 

Rick and Daryl climbed up and stopped near the door before Rick prompted everyone to keep quiet. Damian decided to go check the sound coming from the back as he left the group.

He turned left and saw that it was a timer run bell. He quickly opened the control box and pulled out the controller or device attached to the wires cutting the connection. He looked around and then started checking out the back of the church. Just as he turned left, he saw a head coming out from a gate, groaning looking at him. The gate was locked with a chain that had made the person get struck in the door. Damian pulled out his knife and inserted it through his temple quietly. The stuck head fell off on the ground. Suddenly, a gasp came from the back and Damian saw Amy as he turned around raising his hands in defence. 

"Oh, it's you. It was struck here. I killed it. Did they find anything inside?", Damian asked.

"No, only walkers, sitting inside", Amy replied.

"What? Were they praying?", Damian asked laughing. "Looked like it. But we disturbed them", she said as she too laughed.

Damian unlocked the chain and opened the door. Dragging the body out, he entered the church from the back. As he entered inside, he saw others coming in. Carol came in, sat in the third row and started praying to Jesus. Rick and Carl went back and stood with their back taking support on wall while looking at Carol. 

Carol started praying, " Father, forgive me. I don't deserve your mercy. I prayed for safe passage from Atlanta and you provided. I prayed for Ed to be punished for laying his hands on me and for looking at his own daughter with whatever sickness was growing in his soul. I prayed you'd put a stop to it, give me a chance to raise her right, help her not make my mistakes. She's so fearful. She's so young in her way. She hasn't had a chance. Praying for Ed's death was a sin. Please don't let this be my punishment. Let her be safe, alive and safe. Please, Lord. Punish me however you want but show mercy on her".

Seeing Carol weeping sitting there helplessly, Damian stood up from his place and walked out quickly. Amy followed him outside, and asked, "Where are you going?". 

"I'm gonna look for her in that direction. You, stay with the group. I'll meet you back at the RV", he told her.

"No. Let me come with you. I'll also help", she said. Damian looked around and found them alone. "Alright, go inform someone that we're going to search in this direction. I'll wait here", Damian told Amy. She nodded and walked inside the church to quickly inform Rick. But when she came out, she found out that Damian was already gone. 

"Damian!", She shouted but no one responded. She dejectedly went back in. 

Damian who saw her going inside from the bushes, started walking away and look around. He walked and walked looking for her for a long while before he suddenly heard gunshots in a faraway distance. He stealthily ran towards the sound with the Berreta in his hand, prepare to shoot at any moment. As he reached the end of forest, he saw a car driving away in a hurry, while five-six men were firing at it. "Fuck, I'll fucking kill that bitch. Let's go behind her", a man said in anger while one of the guys was crying in pain holding his thigh that was bleeding. "Jim, Bran is shot, man. We need to take him back to the base. Let her go man. She ain't worth it", another man said while desperately trying to press the bullet wound. The man called Jim looked at the injured one then back at the leaving car. "Fuck. That bitch fucking stabbed me. Fuck, Fuck. Let's go. Let's go back", the man hesitantly walked back to his car and drove away in opposite direction after everyone else sat inside.

Damian who was observing them from behind a tree, saw them leave and lowered his gun. He went out on the road and felt a Deja vu. He looked around and felt like he had been through this place before but couldn't quite remember. But he quickly came out of his thoughts as he thought of the group he saw and started running back in the direction he came from. 'I gotta alert them. We're not alone in these woods', he thought while running.