▎SAFE HAVEN ▎
»»————　act two. on the hunt
CHAPTER TEN ━━ CHURCH BELLS

Rick laid out weapons for everyone and cleared his throat. "Everybody takes a weapon." He informs everyone. Tiffany held her knife in her hands whilst josie puts her swords in her sheath and her gun in her waist belt.

Andrea looks down at the weapons and scoff. "These aren't the kind of weapons we need. What about the guns?" She asks, hands on hip.

"We've been over that. Daryl, Rick, Jj and I are carrying. We can't have people popping off rounds every time a tree rustles." Shane informed her, looking up from the floor.

"It's not the trees I'm worried about." Andrea tilts her head at Shane, glaring at him. Josie watched the pair with a raised brow, finding the conversation a little bit petty.

"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 snapped at her, glaring at her. 

Josie turned to Glenn, who was mesmerised by the weapon he picked up. Josie grinned as she looked at him and Glenn caught her stare. "Cool right?" He asked with a grin. 

"Not better than mine." She pointed to the sword on her back

Tiff let out a chuckle, watching the two. "I have a weapon too, just a knife." She told them, showing them the knife in her hands. 

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

"Stay quiet and stay sharp. Keep space between you but always stay within sight of each other." Rick turned to Dale when Shane tells everyone to sort out their packs.

Josie turns to tiff. "You got everything tiff?" Josie asks with a slight grin.

Tiffany nodded her head, putting her knife in her waist band. "Yep." She replied, popping the p. 

Josie, tiff and glenn followed the group through the woods, Daryl in the lead whilst josie was behind Rick who was behind Daryl.

The group came up to a tent and everyone crouched down, following Ricks command. Daryl took the lead, his crossbow raised high whilst Shane and Rick followed him.  Daryl pulled out his knife and walked closer to the tent, slowly unzipping the tent.

Carol started to softly call her daughters name and Daryl walked into the tent. The three started to cough and cover their faces. Carol called out Daryl's name, worried about the man. "Ain't her." Daryl said as he walked out of the tent, giving Carol a sorry look.

Carol dipped her head and Lori and josie rubbed her forearms gently.

"What's in there?" Andrea asked. Daryl shook his head before replying.

"Some guy. Did what Jenner said. Opted out. Ain't that what he called it?" Daryl told her, taunting her slightly.

Church bells rang in the distance making everyone turn. Rick pointed into the direction and everyone followed after him. 

"What direction?" Shane asks, clutching onto his shotgun.

"I think that way. I'm pretty sure." Rick told him, pointing into the direction here he thought. Josie bit her lip nervously as she watched. "Damn, it's hard to tell out here." Shane sighed.

Tiff stepped forward slightly. "If we heard them, maybe Sophia did too." Tiff suggests, with a sad smile.

"Someone's ringing those bells, maybe calling others." Glenn also suggested, agreeing with Tiffany.

"Or signaling they found her." Andrea was next to suggest.

Josie let out a deep sigh before turning to the group. "She could be ringing them herself, maybe." 

Rick nodded at josie. "Come on." He told the group and everyone started to run, following after Rick, who was leading the way.

Rick, Daryl and Shane cautiously opened the door slowly and josie gripped onto her sword that was in her sheath. Inside revealed four walkers. The four walked in and walked to each Walker, quietly. Josie pulled out her sword and kicked the feet from underneath the Walker, making it fall and she took the opportunity to plunge the blade though it's left eye.

She was quick to pull her sword out and let out a deep breath. Daryl watched her take down the Walker and she met his gaze. He sent her a nod before signalling everyone in. Tiff was quick to stand next to josie, scrunching her nose at the Walker that was by their feet.

They both turned away from the Walker and to Daryl, who was standing at the front of the church. "Yo, J.C., you taking requests?" He joked which made tiff cover her mouth and laugh into her hand.

Josie shook her head at the girl when suddenly, bells started to ring again and everyone bolted outside to find the noise. They looked up to see it was automatic. Glenn shut it off and Daryl let out a sigh. "A timer. It's on a timer." He told them, pointing behind him.

"I'm gonna go back in for a bit." Carol said gently. Josie looked at the woman, gently rubbing her back. Carol sent her a sad smile before walking into the church.

Josie turned to Tiff with a sigh. "Go in their with Carol, keep an eye on her." Josie asked and tiff sent her a nod. Tiffany walked into the church and Andrea watched the two from where she sat.

Josie let out a sigh as she turned around and sat next to Andrea. Andrea tried giving the woman a smile but it didn't fully turn into a smile, which josie understood and sent one back to her.

It was a comfortable silence for a bit until Andrea spoke up. "How you holding up?" Andrea asked josie gently.

"Good, good. You?" Josie turned to the blonde, gently laying her head on the blondes shoulder.

"Fine." Andrea shrugged slightly, looking down at her lap. There was silence again until the pair heard a voice which made Josie lift her head up from Andreas shoulder.

"Are you really leaving? What about josie?" The voice asked. Josie immediately understood it was Loris voice.

"Don't you think it's best for all of us?" The other voice asked. Shane. Was her brother going to leave without her? The pair looked each other before standing up and watching the conversation.

"I think it is. What made you decide?" Lori asked him, standing away from him.

"Gotta back away. Just trying to be the good guy here, Lori, even if you don't see it. None of this was intended. I hope you know that. Well, don't matter. As long as I said it." Shane told her which makes josie raise an eyebrow.

"You're just gonna disappear? You're not even gonna tell Rick? Not even josie, your sister?" She asked, Walking closer to him and pointing to the church. Josie stiffened at the mention of herself

"Both of them will only try to stop me. No, that's on you. You tell him what you want. Or tell him nothing at all. You're his wife. And just tell jj I had to." Shane told her, calmly.

"And Carl? We dragged him into this." Lori asked, on the verge of tears. Everyone knew about Shane and Loris relationship back at the quarry.

It wasn't no secret either when Merle and Daryl had told Josie what they had saw in the woods. Merle couldn't even say what they saw because he was to busy laughing. The Dixon's knew that josie had been close with Lori due to the fact she was like a sister to josie.

"I love Carl." Shane was quick to say.

"He thinks you hate him." Lori spat right back at him.

"I'm trying to put some distance. I'm trying to make this easier. This ain't easy on any of us, least of all me. I'm the one who loses you." Shane said.

Lori shook her head in disbelief, before walking away from Shane and back into the church where everyone was. Shane shook his head and spun around, watching Lori walk into the church and his eyes landed on the two figures who had just watched all of their conversation. His heart dropped as he saw his sister.

The younger walsh scoffed as she spun around, wanting to be anywhere else where shane wasn't. "Jj!" She heard him call, but she didn't turn back.

Josie breathed out slightly as she reached the woods, leaning against the tree. She felt her breath become un even as she placed her hand on her heart. Her brother was going to leave her. "Jo, you okay?" She looked up to see a worried glenn.

She gave him a thumbs up as she leaned over. "I feel like I'm going to be sick." She spoke, her hand still on her chest as she tried to control her breathing.

"Are you having a panic attack?" Glenn's eyes widened.

"Uh, I don't know." She answered honestly as glenn crouched down, hand on her back. "What the fuck do I do?" She panicked, her hands shaking.

"Just try and control your breathing, in and out." He tried to help control her breathing, breathing in and out with her. "Good good. Just calm down jo."

"Okay, okay, okay." She spoke quickly as she gripped onto his hand. After a few minuets of calming down, josie and glenn sat side by side. "Shane's leaving." She blurted out, eyes remaining on a tree in front of them.

"What?" Glenn asked, confused.

"I over heard him and Lori talking, he was going to leave. Leave without me, without saying goodbye." Josies voice croaked, lowering her head down.

"Wait, really?" Glenn asked as she nodded. He looked down at the girl with sadness. He thought for a second before pulling the girl into a hug, josie melting into his touch.

Rick and Shane walked back to the group who was watching them have a conversation. "Mmm. Ahem. Y'all gonna follow the Creek Bed back, okay? Daryl, jj, you're in charge. Me and Rick, we're just gonna hang back, search this area another hour or so just to be thorough." Shane told them.

Josie didn't look up at her brother as she stayed firmly beside tiff and Glenn. "You're splitting us up. You sure?" Daryl asked, raising a brow.

"Yeah, we'll catch up to you." Shane insisted.

Carl stepped forward, looking at Shane. "I want to stay too. I'm her friend."

Shane and Rick smiled at the boy and looked at Lori. Lori went to Carl and they spoke until Rick offered his gun to Lori but she shook her head. Daryl walked in and gave Lori his spare gun. Carl, Shane and Rick walked into a different direction and josie followed Andrea.

She couldn't help but feel a pit in her stomach, like something bad was going to happen but she ignored it as she carried on waking.

Josie walked side by side with Andrea, walking through the forest, it was peaceful and calm. Andrea every now and then turned to the girl, checking that she was still there. "So this is it? This the whole plan?" Carol asks, sitting down.

"I guess the plan is to whittle us down into smaller and smaller groups." Daryl suggested and tiff agreed with him.

Josie took her place next to Glenn, back against the tree. "Carrying knives and pointy sticks. I see you have a gun." Andrea tilts her head towards Lori. Josie had also had a gun but Andrea understood that.

"Why, you want it? Here, take it. I'm sick of the looks you're giving me." Lori held out the gun for her to take and Andrea took it. Lori sat herself back down on the tree. "All of you. Honey, I can't imagine what you're going through. And I would do anything to stop it. But you have got to stop blaming Rick. It is in your face every time you look at him. When Sophia ran he didn't hesitate, did he? Not for a second. I don't know that any of us would have gone after her the way he did or made the hard decisions that he had to make or that anybody could have done it any differently. Anybody? Y'all look to him and then you blame him when he's not perfect. If you think you can do this without him, go right ahead. Nobody is stopping you." Lori spoke which made josie smile slightly.

Rick had tried his hardest for Carol and her little girl. Andrea gave Lori her gun back and Lori takes it. "We should keep moving." Andrea suggests and Lori throws her bag on her back again and the group start to walk again.

Josie gave Lori a smile, nodding her head. Lori nodded back, squeezing josies shoulder.

- MADDIES NOTES.
4th sept 2023

RILEY IS NEXT CHAPTER, GET IN!!
I feel bad for josie in this chapter :(
girly is going through a lot bless, my little cutie pie!! deserves so much better! Shane and her bonds just gonna go downhill from here....

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