Perfect Storm || Daryl Dixon

19: guess who-ri?

"Trust gets you killed, love gets you hurt and being real gets you hated." - Ritu Ghatourey

--)->

After another kilometre of trekking though the woods with no sign of finding Sophia, the pair eventually and reluctantly began to head back. Erin had stubbornly insisted on continuing the search for as long as possible alone if he wanted to go back to camp, but when Daryl pointed out that there was no point hunting in the dark, she caved.

"It's not safe for her, though," she told him, trying to reason with the man while keeping her eyes on the path they'd created to find their way back easily, "She'll be scared stiff..."

Daryl seemed to agree in truth, but he shook his head, "No point us gettin' lost, too. Then who'd find her?"

As much as she despised the idea, she knew deep down that he was right. If they got lost in the depths of the forest at night, the rest of camp would then have three missing people rather than just the one, meaning they would have to split their efforts into numerous searches, each one with less hope of finding them than the previous.

"How'd ya really know so much about trackin'? Ain't no one can learn that much by teachin' 'emself..." He turned to her momentarily before pushing ahead through the undergrowth and trees that insisted on pulling at their skin and clothes. His silence that followed suggested that he anticipated an answer and when he didn't receive one, he stopped and turned on his heel, the leafy canopy above casting shadows across his face.

Erin looked up at him, a meek feeling burrowing itself into her spirit. In the dying light, she could barely see his features, but the intensity of his glare couldn't be missed amongst them. She sighed, "Do you want a lesson in tracking or do you want to get back to the group?"

His eyes narrowed at her, but he didn't make any remark in response, instead choosing to change the subject slightly, "We'll pick it up again tomorrow, first light... The rest ain't gonna be too happy about leavin' Sophia in the woods overnight..."

"They'll blame me," she concluded, walking past him since he didn't make any effort to continue heading back, "Don't be surprised if I'm not here by first light..."

There was no doubt in her mind that she would be the one all fingers pointed to when it came to deciding who's fault it was that Sophia was missing. She knew how it looked - she was just some random person who walked into camp and, as soon as she did, one of their children was in danger. If she hadn't been the person in question, she was fully aware which way she would swing...

"They won't kick ya out... They've seen ya weapons..." Daryl pointed out, following her but keeping a comfortable distance between them. This was one of the things she'd seen as a striking difference between the two brothers - Daryl seemed to value personal space more than most people, whilst Merle didn't respect anything anyone valued.

"Oh, so they'll rob me blind and then kick me out. That's so much better..." She knew it wasn't his fault, but the anger and anxiety building up inside her felt like it would blow if she held onto it any longer. Weirdly, he was the only one not taking the offensive against her, "Why don't you hate me? I was the one that got her lost."

He shrugged as she looked at him over her shoulder and figured she wasn't going to get anything else out of him, but he proved her assumption wrong, speaking up, "Ya didn't do it on purpose. Ya ain't a monster."

He had a point, but Erin's mood wasn't going to be improved by it, "Yeah, well, you try arguing that to them... They won't see it that way..."

"Whole reason I'm still here is 'cause I know huntin'. If I weren't so damn useful, Rick woulda left me with Merle..."

Up ahead, she could just see the creek they'd first been at coming into view, "So I've gotta be useful, huh? I guess I'll have to try and seduce Rick or something, cause I'm sure as hell not giving away my weapons to a bunch of strangers."

She tried to laugh before it dawned on her that her current situation really had no places to be optimistic. Everyone probably hated her guts, Merle had hit her in the face and it still hurt like a bitch and if she was kicked out, she had no idea where to go - they'd driven over an hour to get where she was now... wherever exactly this was.

"His wife's already cheatin' on him so maybe he'd go for it..." Erin whipped around, wide-eyed at this news as Daryl nodded earnestly, "I ain't kiddin'..."

"No way... With who?"

"Shane. Keep ya trap shut about it, though." She shook her head in disbelief as he spoke. Seriously, how much more messed up could this group get? "Gettin' close now. Be prepared..."

Something about the way he said the last two words told her he didn't mean for strays. If it had been, she wouldn't have felt any fear - who would have thought humans would scare her more than the dead walking? It was a crazy world...

As they drew closer to the roadside, she could hear voices. An argument seemed to be occurring among the group. They soon came into view, not seeing her and Daryl at first, but the conversation soon died out as, one by one, all eyes fell on Erin.

"You didn't find her?" Rick was the first to speak, breaking the silence that had soaked in around them and stuck like thick blood.

Daryl shook his head solemnly, laying his crossbow on the barrier they were perched against, "We'll head out again, first light tomorrow-"

"Tomorrow?" He was cut off by the short-haired woman whom Erin had identified earlier as Sophia's mother, "You're gonna leave my little girl in the woods overnight? She's only twelve! She'll be so scared..."

"There's no point searchin' in the dark. I ain't puttin' more people in danger," Daryl tried to reason with her, but she wasn't having it as she turned to Erin, eyes wild with the same worry and anger she'd seen in Daryl's eyes earlier.

"Why can't she go and find her? She knows how to use weapons - Rick told us that. She's the one who lost my Sophia..." Erin took a step back instinctively as they all turned to her again, "She just rocked up here and now my baby's gone... She should have to search for my little girl!"

"I-I..." Erin tried to fight her own case, but found herself agreeing with this woman. Every word she'd said was true; it was her who had taken the girl into the creek, her who ran off and left her, her who got her lost...

"No one's going out in the dark," Rick said firmly, covering for her as best he could. She didn't know why. "We'll go out in the morning. Daryl knows more about the terrain than any one of us so his word will be final." Daryl nodded distractedly as the Sheriff turned to the distraught woman, "She's strong, she'll make it. We will find her."

Erin wished she could share his optimism, but the hatred in her mind ate away at her spirit, leaving her torn and frayed at the seams. She felt empty, knowing how this woman felt after having felt the same pain herself of losing a family member. Todd had been strong, but he still hadn't made it and, oh... she found him alright...

Those images would haunt her nightmares for the rest of her inevitably short life...