The afternoon sun beat down on the highway camp. The atmosphere was strained because both Daryl and Arthur had been gone since midnight searching for Sophia.
"This is what you mean by trust, Hermione? How could you not worry about Arthur?" Amy challenged Hermione. Andrea tried to intervene. "Amy, we appreciate your worry about Arthur, but I'm sure he'll survive, just like how he survived in the city," Carol said, trying to calm her.
Amy turned on Carol. "If it weren't for your daughter, Arthur wouldn't—" But before she could finish, Hermione's palm landed squarely on her face—smack! The sound echoed, and Andrea didn't even try to stop it.
"I know you like Arthur, but don't make it an obsession, Amy," Hermione spoke in a cold tone, staring down at a stunned Amy. The girls, Glenn, Dale, and T-Dog fell silent. Hermione continued, "That obsession could lead to this group being in danger."
---
In the forest, Rick, Shane, and Carl continued their fruitless search for Sophia, knowing Arthur and Daryl were also out there.
In front of them, a deer appeared. Shane raised his gun to shoot it, but Rick signaled him to stop. "Let Carl take a closer look," Rick whispered, watching Carl walk slowly toward the deer with a smile.
Just as Shane relaxed his aim, bang! A gunshot echoed through the trees. The deer and Carl dropped simultaneously. Rick and Shane instantly rushed to Carl, finding a gunshot wound in his abdomen.
----
Meanwhile, in the cabin, the gunshot echoed faintly in the distance. Arthur and Daryl shot up instantly. Sophia slowly sat up, rubbing her eyes innocently at the clatter Daryl made. "What happened, Mr. Daryl?"
Arthur smiled and patted her hair. "It's nothing, kiddo, just a gunshot from a distance. It also means we have to move now, since walkers will be passing by here," he said, strapping on his bow and quiver.
After they were ready, Daryl slowly opened the door and peered outside. "It's clear, no walkers yet." Arthur nodded, motioning for Sophia to follow closely. Once outside the cabin, they began trekking through the woods. "Sophia, make sure to follow us slowly. Don't run away without us telling you, alright?" Arthur said, patting her head.
After hiking for a while, they saw the highway ahead. "Looks like we arrived," Daryl smiled, quickening his steps. Sophia practically jogged, excited to see her mother.
"Hey, Carol!" Arthur shouted as they emerged onto the highway. Carol turned, along with the group, and saw Arthur and Daryl, with Sophia sprinting toward them.
"My Sophia!" Carol ran, meeting Sophia in a tearful embrace. Sophia sobbed into her mother's chest. "I was so scared out there, Mom." Carol held her gently. "You're fine, baby, you're fine."
Arthur and Daryl walked past them. Arthur went to Hermione, who was smiling, and asked in a teasing voice, "Were you worried about me?"
Hermione kissed his cheek and replied, "All the time, Kenway." Arthur smiled and kissed her forehead. Amy looked at them with a blank expression.
Arthur then turned to the group and noticed Rick, Shane, and Carl were missing. Before he could ask, Daryl beat him to it. "Where's the Sheriff?" Arthur glanced at Daryl, then at the group.
Suddenly, the sound of galloping echoed as a brown horse appeared, ridden by a short-haired girl. Arthur and Daryl instantly aimed their Magnum 500 and Crossbow at her, and the others became instantly alert.
"Who the fuck are you?" Daryl demanded, keeping his crossbow aimed.
The girl replied hurriedly. "That's not important. Is there a girl called Lori here?"
Arthur stepped forward, still pointing his Magnum 500. "Whoa, it's important to us, girl..." His face turned serious. "Now tell me where you heard that name?"
"Rick told me. Carl has been shot by one of us. The boy needs his mother," the girl said, rolling her eyes in her hurried state. Lori, hearing this, instantly panicked and ran toward the girl.
Arthur stopped her with a restraining hand, then whistled. "Arthur, why are you stopping me? My boy has been shot!" Lori shouted, struggling. "Can't risk it, Lori. We don't know her; she might be lying," Arthur said as a clip clop sounded and Ravenna appeared.
"We all go together in case something happens," he decided, turning to Hermione. "Ride with them." Hermione nodded, climbing onto Ravenna. Arthur then let Lori go, helping her ride behind Hermione.
Arthur nodded to Daryl, who walked to his truck with his brother's bike. With the help of Glenn and T-Dog, Daryl managed to get bike out of the back of the truck. Everyone quickly boarded their vehicles and the RV. Daryl mounted his brother's bike which is now his.
Arthur mounted his Tenere 700 and revved the engine. He drove closer to the girl on the brown horse. "Where can our group's vehicles go?"
"Just turn back from here. You can see a sign that says 'Greene Family Farm' on a diversion off-road," the girl instructed. Arthur turned to Daryl. "You heard that?" Daryl replied, "I ain't deaf, man."
"Good. Now I want you to lead the group. I will be riding with them through the woods," Arthur said, patting his bike. Daryl nodded.
Arthur revved his bike and nodded at the girl, who turned her horse and shouted, "Hyaa!" as they galloped into the woods. Ravenna, with Hermione and Lori on her back, followed, with Arthur riding the Tenere close behind.
As the two horses and one bike sped through the trees, the girl introduced herself. "I forgot to introduce myself, name's Maggie." Hermione, Lori, and Arthur introduced themselves in return.
"How far is it, Maggie?" Arthur asked. Maggie replied, "When we get out at the end of the woods, we could see the farm." But before they could exit, Arthur stopped, and Ravenna halted beside him. Lori asked in a panicked voice, "Why did we stop?" Maggie looked back, questioning.
Arthur ignored them, reaching into the duffel bag strapped to the back of his bike. He took out a Glock 17, checked the magazine, and tossed it to Hermione, who caught it smoothly. Then Arthur pulled out his newly acquired L96A1 Sniper rifle and slowly aimed it toward the farm in the distance.
"What are you doing, Arthur? I just said that we don't mean any harm!" Maggie hurried to say, hopping off her horse. But before she could approach him, a gun muzzle rested on the back of her head.
She froze as Hermione's cold voice spoke. "We appreciate the effort you made, Maggie, but we don't trust you or your group yet." Meanwhile, Lori pleaded, "Arthur, please, I need to see my son!"
Arthur spoke, his eyes still scanning the farm and the Greene house through the scope. "Then what? If this is a trap and something goes down? What will I say to Rick? Should I tell him that I let you go with a stranger?" He then spotted Rick walking out of the house.
"Well, it's confirmed. She didn't lie," Arthur spoke, slinging the sniper rifle onto his back and walking back to his bike. Hermione removed the gun from Maggie's head. "Sorry, we've been out there since all of this went down," she explained, walking back to Ravenna. Lori followed, silent, deeply reflecting on Arthur's words.
Maggie, shaking off the fear from being held at gunpoint, rode her horse again. Then, with Arthur's engine revving, they took off.