Submerged

                                    

                                          
RAYS OF SUNLIGHT SHONE DOWN through the leaves, but were slowly diminishing as the sun lowered in the sky. The sound of insects hummed through the air and was only accompanied by the crunching of leaves as Skye and the others made their way back to the highway.

                          
"So this is it? This the whole plan?" Carol sat down on a fallen tree.
                          
Daryl leaned against a tree behind her. "I guess the plan is to whittle us down to smaller and smaller groups." 
                          
"Carrying knives and pointy sticks." Andrea looked over to Lori and Skye knew she was going to start on her. "I see you have a gun."
                          
"Why? You want it?" Lori stepped over the trunk to Andrea, holding the gun out in her hand. "Here, take it." Skye was amused to see Lori was having none of Andrea's attitude. "I'm sick of the looks you're givin' me."
                          
Andrea stared back at her as she had just been smacked in the face and yet she took the gun. 
                          
"All of you," Lori added as she sat down. She glanced up at Skye and gave her an apologetic look, but Skye knew she wasn't talking about her. Skye knew Rick was doing everything he could, and then some. Lori cocked her head to the side and spoke to Carol, "Honey, I can't imagine what you're going through and I would do anything to stop it, but you've got to stop blaming Rick. It is in your face every time you look at him. And when Sophia ran he didn't hesitate, did he? Not for a second. I don't know if any of us would've gone after her the way that he did or made the hard decisions that he had to make, or that any of us could have done it any differently." Lori waited, but no one said anything. "Anybody?"
                          
Daryl looked down at her, then up to Skye who was looking down into the leaves while Lori continued on. He knew he would have gone after her had he been near and deep in his gut he knew Skye would have, too. After seeing her the way she was back at the church he knew she had a heart. She wasn't as cold as everyone else thought she was. 
                          
Shaking her head, Lori went on, "Ya'll look to him and then you blame him, but he's not perfect. If you think you can do this without him, go right ahead. Nobody is stopping you." 
                          
Skye sat back wanting to say something, to tell her she had no doubt Rick was a good leader. But she didn't. Instead, she watched as Andrea handed the gun back to Lori saying, "We should keep moving."
                          
Everyone grabbed up their things and they were on the move again. Lori's rant had everyone walking in silence and while the other's walked in front of her Skye couldn't help but let her mind wander to just two hours before. In her absent-minded state she had let herself go and Daryl had been there to witness it. She wasn't comfortable knowing someone had seen her weak side, but of all people she wouldn't have expected him to be so understanding and comforting. He had just let her cry while he held onto her and it was something she had so desperately needed. Now she didn't know how to act around him. Glancing up to the front she saw him look at her over his shoulder. What if he looked down on her now knowing she wasn't as tough as she pretended to be?
                          
	A gunshot cracked through the air, interrupting her thoughts entirely. She spun to look behind them. What if Rick had run into trouble? No, there would be more than one gunshot if it had been that bad and they know better to use a gun in the first place. Lori stepped up in front of Skye, staring into the direction the shot had been fired from. "What on earth was that?"
                          
	"Gunshot," Daryl answered, stopping next to Skye.
                          
	"I know, but why?" She hid the worry in her voice, but it was plain as day on her face.
                          
	"Come on," Daryl urged Lori, who still stared out into the woods. Skye was sure all sorts of scenarios were running through her mind, not one of them good. She gave Daryl a look. Shifting with unease, Daryl changed his tone to a much softer one, just above a whisper. "I'm sure they're fine. We don't even know it was them." Lori turned to face him. "We need to keep moving."