She's Gonna Beat This World (twd fanfic)

40. Sophia?

       Since Daryl's taking first watch I'm having to sleep in the RV's couch, and Carl gets the bed cause he's bigger. The adults are outside talking, I think some of them are gonna sleep in here too, for safety reasons. Carl is crashin' hard, but I can't stop thinking about Sophia, and what Merle said about it being my fault. Luckily I haven't seen him since at the truck a few hours ago.
     Shane found a water truck, and Glenn and Lori found a bunch of food. It wasn't as good as the feast at the CDC, but at least we didn't almost die after eating.
I slowly get off the couch, and go towards the window of the RV. It's pretty dark, Sophia must be terrified. The door opens, and I try to run to the couch before they came in.
"Mason? What are you doing still awake?" I sigh in relief when I realize it's Carol, and not Daryl.
"I can't sleep."
"Come here sweetheart." She sits on the couch, and I sit next to her.
"Are you thinking about Sophia?"
I nod my head.
"Me too, their gonna find her. Everybody is going out to look for her tomorrow."
"Daryl said I have to stay here." I reply dejectedly, and she sighs.
"Well, if she comes here while we're gone, she's gonna want a little friend to help her, not some old goat in fishing hat." She says cheekily. I can't help but let out a quiet giggle, to which Carol smiles lightly.
"Come on, crawl in." She lifts the blanket up, and let's me crawl in, and covers me back up.
"Goodnight Mason."
"Goodnight Carol..." she lays on the bed in the other room,
"Goodnight Sophia."

"Mason wake up." I hear Daryl as he shakes me.
"Morning." I groan, and he snorts,
"Come on, a bunch of us are goin' to look for Sophia, but you're stayin' here with Dale and T-dog."
"Okay," I say in a whisper, and he sighs.
"Mason, I just think it's best for you to stay, we don't wanna lose another little girl."
"Is Carl goin'?"
"That doesn't matter, he's older and both his parents are goin'."
"Your goin..."
"I ain't your parent."
"But your in charge of me. I heard Rick say so." I plea,
"Enough! I said no, and I meant it. You could be out there this very minute running around scared, but lucky for you your here not out there."
I don't say anything, just get off the couch, and storm out of the RV.
"Come on boy," I call Apollo tearfully. This is all my fault, and even Daryl knows it. That's the reason he won't let me go I bet. He just doesn't want me to ruin anything else. I let a few tears of anger slip out of my eyes. I go to the truck, and sit on the roof.
Apollo jumps into the bucket, and is about to jump on the roof next to me, but we hear a stern voice that makes even my dog stay down,
"If ya scratch up my truck I'm gonna shoot and eat ya for dinner!"
"Get down, boy," I sigh.
"Masie, um I didn't mean ya hurt your feelings... So come on down, and let's go over to the RV." I just look over at him,
"Would ya really kill my dog?" He scoffs, and starts to walks away,
"No."
      I slide down the window, and onto the hood. That's when I see her.
"SOPHIA!" She gives me a scared look, and runs into the woods
"No wait! Come back it's alright now we're safe."
"Mason!" Daryl yells at me, but Sophia's look makes me get the urge to follow her. So I do, I run after her. It's all my fault anyway, so I'll just be making amends.
"Mason what are you doing?"
"We gotta help her!"
"Hey!" Daryl yells trying to get me to stop. I jump over the guard rail, and run into the woods to follow Sophia
"Mason git back here!"
"Sophia!" I hear Daryl closing in on me, but I keep running. I have to catch up with Sophia. Out of nowhere I see a flash of blonde hair on my left. It's Sophia!
"Sophia your okay! We were so worried!" She just gives me a small smile, then she disappears... I didn't even see the direction she went in.
     Maybe she went straight, I go to run to find her again, but am stopped dead in my tracks by a large hand with a strong grip.
"Mason! What's wrong with you! Why didn't you obey when I called you, huh! What are ya thinking 'bout girl!" He shakes me hard, but I don't even feel it. I'm to shocked, why didn't he care about finding Sophia she was almost right in front of him.
"Daryl! Let me go! We gotta find her... please, she's around here somewhere... I just talked to her!" He looks at me shocked,
"Daryl let me... SOPHIA! Please come back!" I sob trying to fight against Daryl.
"Mason." His voice isn't mad, it's more confused.
"Stop it! We gotta find her... don't you even care!" I hit his chest, and push him away from me.
"Masie, Stop it, it's alright now."
"No it isn't! Sophia!" I turn around, to try to run, but Daryl wraps his strong forearm around my tiny waist. He pulls me into him, and rubs my back soothingly.
"She wasn't there Masie."
"But... but I saw her she was there! I wouldn't lie to you!" I'm full on crying, but Daryl just keeps holding me.
"Mason listen to me..." I cut him off,
"Let's go! Let's go find her right now! Then Carol would be happy, and you wouldn't think I was useless... and everybody would be alright again." I'm chocking on my tears as they run down my dirty face.
"Hey now, that's enough," Daryl orders soothingly.
"Mason look at me."
"But she's gonna go even further into the woods." He turns me to look at him forcefully.
"Mason!" I snap out of it when he yells at me.
"It isn't her. It was your imagination... that's all."
"But it wasn't I saw her."
Out of nowhere I turn around, and throw everything I've eaten over the past few days up.
"Daryl I feel so sick. My stomach hurts real bad," I moan out.
That's the last thing I remember before I pass out in Daryl's arms.
(Daryl's POV)
"Mason!" I try to shake her awake... the heck's going on with her... she's seeing Sophia... and I know she was talking to something yesterday, but what. I swoop her up effortlessly, and run back to the others. Lori is the first to notice us, and she yells for Rick, who runs towards us.
"What happened?!" He questions.
"I don't know... she said she saw Sophia. I had to chase her into the woods, by the time I got there she was talkin' crazy... then she passed out."
"She's sweating, but feel her skin." Lori says.
"She's cold... and has goosebumps?"
"What how can that be... must be in the eighties?" Dale comes over too, and everybody is starting to swarm us.
"Did she complain about anything?" He asks.
"She threw up, and right before she passed out she told me that she was hurting."
"I've seen this before... get her into the RV, quick... Shane get a jug of water."
When we get to the RV I lay her onto the bed. Dale takes off her shoes, and socks, and goes for her shirt.
"Why are you doing that?"
"We need to get rid of any loose clothing... and sponge her down with water as cold as we can get it."
Mason would never talk to anybody again if they saw her back.
"Everybody except dale out... she needs her space... and you need to find Sophia."
"You do to Daryl... Mason will be fine. I know what I'm doing."
I show Dale why I asked everybody to leave.
"Who would do this to a little girl?"
"Whoever he is let's hope he's dead already... for his sake," I reply dryly.
"When she wakes up tell her where we went, and act like you don't know anything about the scars."
"I won't tell any of the others... it's none of their concern."
"I'd appreciate that."
With that I exit the RV, and start to walk towards the others. We gotta find this little girl... kids ain't supposed to die.