CHAPTER THIRTEEN » HOPE
"Oh, zen master, teach me your zen ways."

♔

The sound of the gunshot rattled through my body, causing my heart to jump. My frantic eyes fluttered around, trying to pinpoint the sound, which seemed to be echoing around us. The sickening worry for those who were back at the church was rising in my stomach. I glanced at the trees around us, trying to control my heavy breathing. "You guys heard that, right?"

Glenn's eyes flickered to mine and he nodded, his chest rising and falling with each panicked breath he took. There was a thick atmosphere of fear in the air. "Yeah."

"Come on, keep going," Daryl said, heading past me and taking the lead. I shared a look with Glenn before reluctantly following, keeping my eyes open for a sign of anything.

The fact that it was only one gunshot worried me. Why just one? Neither Rick or Shane would shoot a single bullet, especially in such an open space. It would have been too stupid to take down a walker like that. It was way too risky and they both knew that. So where did it come from?

"Are you still worrying about it?" I snapped my head up to see Andrea looking at Lori, who had stopped a couple of feet back to stare in the direction we'd just come from.

"It was a gunshot," Lori stated. "We all heard it. Why one? Why just one?"

"Maybe they took down a walker."

Even I scoffed at that comment. Lori shook her head. "Please don't patronize me."

"Rick wouldn't risk a gunshot to put down a walker," I chimed in. "Neither would Shane. But I don't think there's anything we can do about it now. If we go back, they might not even still be at the church. We don't wanna get lost out there, especially now it's getting later. Plus, it might not have even been them."

Lori sighed and looked back in the direction we'd heard the shot come from again. This time, it was Carol who spoke up. "Shouldn't they have caught up with us by now?"

"Like Blaire said, there's nothing we can do about it," Daryl said, almost impatiently. "Can't run around these woods chasing echoes."

"So what do we do?"

He turned towards Lori. "Same as we've been. Beat the bush for Sophia, work our way back to the highway."

I sighed, still mildly unsure of the plan. But, deep down, I knew there was no point heading back into the woods.

"I'm sure they'll hook up with us back at the RV," Andrea said as we all started walking again. I manoeuvred around a couple of trees, walking beside Glenn, Daryl and Lori. Glancing behind me, I noticed Andrea and Carol together. "I'm sorry for what you're going through," I heard Andrea state. "I know how you feel."

"I suppose you do," Carol muttered before smiling at her. "Thank you. The thought of her, out here by herself-" she cut off, eyes wandering over to the four of us stood waiting. "It's the not knowing that's killin' me. I just keep hopin' and prayin' she doesn't wind up like Amy." The air around us suddenly became thick with awkwardness and Carol's eyes widened. "Oh, God!" She grabbed Andrea's arms, pulling her towards her. "That's the worst thing I ever said."

Andrea shook her head blankly. "We're all hoping and praying with you, for what it's worth."

"I'll tell ya what it's worth-" Daryl snapped as he stomped over to the two of them, showing no remorse despite the whole conversation that had just happened. "Not a damn thing. It's a waste of time, all this hopin' and prayin'. We're gonna locate that little girl. She's gonna be just fine," he said, his eyes meeting Carol's. He glanced between her and Andrea before turning back around and walking away. "Am I the only one zen around here? Good lord."

I chuckled, sharing a look with Lori who had a small smile on her face now. I caught up to Daryl, letting out an over exaggerated sigh. "Oh zen master, teach me your zen ways."

I looked up at him with a grin but he didn't seem amused. He looked at me with a scowl, before turning away. "Shut up, Blaire."

~

"How much farther?" Andrea asked, looking absolutely exhausted. She lifted her hand up, wiping away the sweat from her forehead.

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

"Too bad we're not crows," she muttered. I rubbed my hand down my face, a tired groan escaping me. "Oh, Oh!" Upon hearing the exclamations, I turned around, biting back a laugh as I saw Andrea tangled in a web. She started pulling the white webs away in disgust. "As the crow flies, my ass."

I chuckled, turning back around, only to stop in my tracks when I heard someone frantically call out her name.

"Andrea?!"

I heard the low moaning first and instinctively grabbed the knife out of my belt loop. As I glanced over, Andrea was on the ground, screaming and moving backwards. My breath caught in my throat and I completely froze on the spot, my heart pounding viciously.

"No, no! Oh, no!"

Andrea's yells of desperation snapped my out of my daze and I moved forwards, only to be stopped by a woman who came riding past on a horse. She swung a baseball bat, crushing it into the walker's skull. Blood and brains splurged from it, covering the ground. "Lori?" She spoke with a thick country accent, looking at Andrea with wide eyes. "Lori Grimes?"

I glanced up at the brunette, before turning to face Lori, wondering what the hell was going on. "I'm Lori," Lori said, grabbing horse girl's attention.

She leaned back to face her, her words coming out desperately. "Rick sent me. You've got to come now."

"What?"

The girl sighed in frustration. "There's been an accident. Carl's been shot. He's still alive but you've gotta come now. Rick needs you. Just come!"

I swallowed thickly, my heart racing. Carl had been shot? My eyes widened as I suddenly remembered the single gunshot from earlier. It must have happened then.

Horse girl held out her hand and Lori instantly took it, pulling herself up onto the back of the horse. She dropped her bag in a heap on the floor beside Carol.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Daryl practically yelled, holding his crossbow up. "We don't know this girl. You can't get on that horse."

"Rick said you had others on the highway, that big traffic snarl?" I looked up, noticing the girl's yes were piercing mine. I nodded, still trying to wrap my mind around the whole situation. "Backtrack to Fairburn road. Two miles down is our farm. You'll see the mailbox - names Greene. Hi-yah!" She kicked her heels into the horse's sides and took off, the gallops of the horse becoming quieter and quieter as they disappeared out of sight.

I glanced around at the rest of the group, my chest heaving with each heavy breath I took. Everybody was wearing the same expression of confusion. I shook my head, finally resting my gaze on Glenn, who shared a bemused look with me.

"Who was that?"

~

"Where is everyone?" Dale asked as we approached him, his eyes flitting between all of us.

I sighed in exhaustion, swinging my leg over the railings. "Rick, Shane and Carl stayed back to look for Sophia. But Carl-" I cut off, shaking my head as I neared closer to him. He was taking in all the sudden information with curious, wide eyes. "Carl got shot." 

"Shot?" Dale cried out, looking between us again before his eyes rested on Glenn, who was a step behind me. "What do you mean shot?"

"I don't know, Dale," Glenn answered, shaking his head. "I wasn't there. All I know is this chick rode out of nowhere like Zorro on a horse and took Lori."

"You let her?" Dale asked in disbelief, now watching Daryl as he approached him.

"Climb down out of my asshole, man," Daryl replied, shoving past Dale to the RV. "Rick sent her. She knew Lori's name, and Carl's."

Dale's eyes drifted behind us and I watched Andrea stepping onto the road, still looking shaken from the walker attack. "I heard screams-was that you?" Andrea merely shoved past him, like Daryl had done moments before.

"She got attacked by a walker," I informed. "It was a close call."

"Andrea," Dale called out before she could head into the RV. "Are you alright?"

In response, he earned an icy glare and a shake of the head from her. I stepped between Dale and the RV. "Just leave her for now, ok?"

I decided not to bother Andrea and Daryl and piss them off further, so avoided the RV and headed over to a car instead. I sighed, letting my rucksack fall to the ground before hoisting myself up onto the hood of the car, my aching legs dangling just above the ground. Rubbing my eyes tiredly, I glanced over at Carol, who was still by the railing, staring into the woods.

"You alright?" I looked over, offering Glenn a small smile.

"I'm fine," I replied, avoiding his eyes. I wasn't entirely fine. We still hadn't found Sophia, I was incredibly worried about Carl and I was still slightly on edge from the close call Andrea had with the walker. The whole day had been a complete mess, we hadn't achieved anything at all. "Do you think Carl's gonna be okay?"

Glenn leaned back against the car before turning to look at me. "He's a strong kid."

"But he's only a kid," I reminded, closing my eyes as I looked up at the sky. "We can't lose him. We can't lose anyone else."

"Hey," Glenn reached out, his hand brushing over mine supportively. "He'll be okay. We just have to have hope."

Hope. It's a funny thing, hope. I never used to think about it. I used to wake up every day and just go through life normally. But hope is something we've always had inside us, we just have to believe in it. Back in the CDC, when I thought all hope was lost, I realised something. It wasn't. There truly is always hope. And Glenn was right, we just had to have it. Otherwise, we wouldn't survive without it.

~

"We can't just leave!" Carol exclaimed, looking at all of us with a judging expression. The sun was giving off a golden, hazy glow, but it was still quite warm. It was getting later in the evening though, and we'd been discussing about going to the Greene farm. The only bad thing would be that the decision to go would mean leaving opportunities to find Sophia.

"Carol, the group is split," Dale commented, his hand on the door of the RV. "We're scattered and weak."

"What if she comes back and we're not here?" Carol asked, more hopeful about the situation than I'd ever seen her. "It could happen."

She was right, of course, if Sophia did come back and we weren't here she'd be left to fend for herself again. Carol would never see her daughter again. We couldn't let that happen.

Carol was staring at Andrea, as if she wanted her to speak up about the situation. Andrea looked up at Dale firmly. "If Sophia found her way back and we were gone, that would be awful."

"Okay," Daryl nodded. "We gotta plan for this. I say tomorrow morning is soon enough to pull up stakes. Give us a chance to rig a big sign, leave her some supplies. I'll hold here tonight, stay with the RV," he said, earning a grateful smile from Carol.

"If the RV is stayin', I am too," Dale stated.

Carol looked between the two men, tears in her eyes. "Thank you. Thank you both."

Andrea gave a sudden nod. "I'm in."

"Well, if you're all staying then I'm-" Glenn started, only to be cut off.

"Not you, Glenn. You're going," Dale said, then pointing at Carol. "Take Carol's cherokee."

My friend scoffed. "Me?" He placed his hand on his chest in disbelief. "Why is it always me?"

"You have to find this farm, reconnect with our people and see what's going on-"

Glenn appeared to stop listening to Dale and turned to me instead, shaking his head like he couldn't believe that this was happening again. I couldn't believe it either; not only did it piss Glenn off, but it pissed me off too. Half of the group seriously took him for granted, constantly making him do things for them. It was becoming ridiculous.

"-But most important, you have to get T-Dog there. This is not an option," I glanced over, looking at T-Dog who was sat on the bumper of the RV, a blanket around his shoulders. "That cut has gone from bad to worse. He has a very serious blood infection. Get him to that farm. See if they have any antibiotics. Because if not, T-Dog will die, no joke."

"I'll go instead," I offered. "It doesn't always have to be Glenn."

"It's fine," Glenn said, an undertone of annoyance still in his voice. I started to protest again but he interjected. "Blaire."

I inhaled sharply, looking between each member of the group. "I'll go too then. We can both go. Unless anybody really needs me here." Nobody spoke up so I took that as a sign of approval. "It's sorted then. I'll go pack my bag."

Infuriated, I headed into the RV, but I was aware of another presence behind me. "You didn't have to do that," Glenn said, pushing the door shut behind him, making quite a loud slamming sound.

"Someone had to stick up for you," I replied harshly as I reached over to get my bag. I then groaned in frustration with myself, realising what I'd said, and wishing I hadn't spoken at all. I turned around, sighing at the hurt look on Glenn's face. "I'm sorry-"

"It doesn't matter," he dismissed, looking away from me as he packed some of his own things.

I straightened up, crossing my arms over my chest. Glenn turned around, until his eyes had to meet mine. "It does matter, Glenn. I'm fed up of everybody taking advantage of you. Just because you're good at what you do, doesn't mean you have to obey to their every order."

He didn't respond and instead just continued to pack supplies, as did I. An awkward silence lapsed between us for a while until I had the urge to speak up again.

"Glenn-"

"Can we just drop it, okay?" He shook his head, swinging his bag over his shoulder. "I'll meet you in the car."

The RV door slammed shut behind him and I ran my hands through my hair, slapping the wall beside me in anger. I hadn't meant to offend him, but I'd stupidly let my annoyance about the others affect me. It wasn't even my place to comment on it. 

"Y'all alright?" I rolled my eyes upon hearing Daryl's voice as he entered the RV. "Ye looked pissed back there and Chinaman-"

I whipped around, narrowing my eyes at Daryl. "Are you serious right now? All you guys do is treat Glenn like some- some kind of lapdog. Making him do all the dirty work, all the hard jobs, just to save your own asses. And then you have the nerve to be derogatory towards him? You complete asshole."

"That ain't-"

"Don't bother denying it. It's totally clear what the intention of having him in this group is. And I won't stand for it anymore. Get your own damn shit together and stop taking advantages of others." I zipped up my rucksack and slid the strap over my shoulder, pushing past Daryl.

"Blaire-"

I stepped out of the RV, turning around to face him. "Shove it. I don't care anymore." I spotted Glenn waiting by the car and headed over, ignoring everyone else. I pulled open the backseat door and slid in, placing my bag beside me and taking a deep breath. "Hey, T," I greeted, plastering on a small and reassuring smile, despite the inner urge to just scream.

"Hey," he said, returning the gesture as best as he could. It was obvious the pain he was in, and had been suffering with all day, was becoming worse.

"Ready to go?" Glenn asked, looking back but barely even glancing at me.

"Ready."

The car moved forwards and I leaned my head back against the seat, watching out of the window. Andrea was by one of the cars, her whole body tense. Dale and Carol were stood beside each other, caught in some kind of conversation. And Daryl was still stood by the RV, his face emotionless as he watched us leave.

The thought crossed my mind that it may be the last time I saw them, but I just pushed it away.

❃

Words: 2843
Published: 17th June 2016

Ooh tensions tensions tensions...

I'm very sorry for not updating in a while, I've been busy with a lot of schoolwork.

I also have some important exams coming up over the next 2-3 weeks, which means that most of my time is going to be spent revising. I don't think I'm going to be able to update in that time, there's a possibility but I'm really not sure. However, as soon as I've got opportunities to write I will. Once again, very sorry about that but school does unfortunately come first.

Thank you for reading :)