Hymn for the Missing (CLOSED)

Shade just about had a heart attack as Robert came up on her. "Shit! Jesus fucking Christ Robert. Don't do that!" She flustered. She'd already been acquainted with few of the prison folk, Robert including one of them. She sniffled, the chill breeze, left tiny ripples on her skin like waves of an ocean.

"No, no I haven't...but I've been tracking her for about a mile in account." Shade leaned and held up her small, slim, feminine hand. Signaling for him to wait than reached into her jeans pocket pulling out a small blemished handkerchief. unfolding it tenderly, revealing a small snippet of young Mia's hair.

"For some reason her footing is spaced out, which means she's been running for quite a ways. There's no reason to her motive, seeing there's no other tracks around hers. I recon she's begin to panic...but I'm close to finding her! Alright? So don't worry."

 Shade's tone contained the rawest amount of just sympathy. Even her eyes held a poetic sympathetic quality.

She than averted her gaze and motioned back to tracking. Her pupils deeply focused on the earth, which in some cases wasn't a safe habit. Especially if she were to be alone, it would be easy to sneak up on her. One of her many, fatal flaws. Eventually she came across something that made her loose that concentration. Her expression no longer held it's calm and concentrated grade.

In front of her view was a 'faint' yet soft set of many separate footprints, most larger than Mia's in the most particular way. She looked up and down the path. Her lips parted to speak, after about five heavy seconds she managed to speak and the first word that came to mind...

"Shit."

Shade sighed in relief when Robert killed that walker. It was reassuring that he was there, it's hard to track and watch your own back at the same time. Her whole life just about flashed before her very eyes the second it had came out of the bushes. In their current situation, she would've probably have climbed a tree and waited it out. But due to the fact Mia was out there, alone and afraid...she held her ground. It was obvious she cared something for the girl otherwise she wouldn't have gone after her in the first place. She'd made a one-sided bond with few of the prison folk, it was hard not too since she had nothing better to-do in her spare time.

Shade raised her pant-leg and reached down her boot, pulling out a sheathed hunting knife. "We need to find her as quickly as possible, but carefully. Because if were dead, it'll do none of us any good, especially not Mia." She clutched the knife tightly and furrowed her eyebrows in thought.

After a few seconds she looked up at Robert. "Alright, Mia seems to be headed Northeast, and as stupid as it seems. I don't wanna take a dozen walkers head on. So the safest and quickest rout to Mia is through those trees and around."

She paused...

"There's a cabin...about five minutes away from here...Mia was through here a while ago... but the dead were here recently."

"If Mia is anywhere, I'm willing to bet she's there..."

Shade went into full battle mode as they began moving, she half crouched, knife in hand and eyes focused on the path before her. She naturally wasn't much of a fighter, truthfully Shade would admit she's better with words than with weapons. Of course they probably couldn't avoid all fights, some are wound in the strings of fate.

Her knuckles turned ghostly white, as her grip on the knife became unrefined as they steadied closer and closer towards their destination. She turned to look at Robert, noticing the unsettling look on his face. It made her heart pang and her mind wither with despondency, knowing how much he reminded her of the dreadful past.

That same look had been on her fathers pitiful face, deep in those aged eyes, when he was listening to Becky's final breaths. And again on her mothers death-bed, he'd had the same petrified but furious look. It was the kind of déjà vu you didn't want to relive. It brought back so many dreaded memories...

"Hey Robert...She's gonna be alright. It's only natural for you too worry, I know, but she's ok. I can feel it." She said solicitously, but at the same time held a firm determined look.

The only thing that was keeping her alive nowadays was her hope. And as it was true she somehow felt Mia was alive, she had the same pang he did.

Her eyes yet weren't ready to face the scene if Mia were to be dead...or worse. Her eyes still held the innocence she'd left Atlanta with and Shade wasn't ready to let that go...

Mia needs to be okay, not just for Daryl's sake, but for Roberts and hers as well...

Shade watched Robert swing into action, she didn't hesitate either and went to aid Robert. She forcibly kicked the back of the walkers legs. It fell face forward, that's when she took the opportunity and sprung, lodging her knife precisely into the crown of it's skull. It was a common move used in the Military, mostly to stun unaware enemies. Her father had taught her that trick, and it served her well.

She wound her fingers tightly around the handle of her blade. Eager to keep moving before something else jumped out at them. "Comeon, the cabins right there." She glanced at Robert, her eyes alert but fearful. She crouched, brushing some hair from her eyes as she set her sights upon the cabin. From the outside it seemed pretty lifeless, but where there's one walker. There's usually more of em waiting right around the corner.

Shade just hoped she didn't end up crapping her pants, she still hadn't gotten use to the whole 'dead coming back to life' thing.

Shade gulped, but didn't hesitate to move forward, keeping low and silent as she approached the cabin. Coming around the corner, she abruptly stopped. "Oh shit!" She hissed and slunk back. Point proven she turned to Robert.

"There's two of them by the door and one wandering around the front...I only see them but there could be more."

"I'm out of ideas on this one. Got any brilliant plans?"

"If so, now would be the time to share with the class."

Shade was impressed with how quickly Robert had devised a plan, and taken out those walkers. Though it was to be expected from someone with a determined goal. And right now, his goal was finding Mia. She respected men like that, cause she was indeed like that herself. Shade tailed Robert, her knife was still in-hand. Just incase, something were to go horribly wrong. She prayed to God that nothing would, but it was a high risk at the current moment.

She shot Robert an anticipated look, as they approached the door. She hoped that Mia was alive, and Shade wished that ounce of hope was enough to even their chances.

"After you..." She spoke, her voice was slightly on the trembling side. It wasn't fear for what not might be there. It was fear for what was, she inhaled a breath, as she waited for Robert to open that door.

She feared what might lay on the other side, Shade knew that if anything were to happen to Mia. Robert would most certainly kill Daryl, and despite what attempts she might make to stop him.

There was little to no chance she would succeed...

A wave of relief hit Shade as Mia came crashing into Robert. She managed a smile and sheathed her blade, she was glad Mia was okay. Whenever she looked at Mia it reminded her of Becky. It was a sad, but hopeful memory, that she'd allowed herself to hold onto...

Walking back with Robert, she was relieved the issue was done and over with. Yet she was still concerned how he'd react once back at the prison. He wouldn't kill Daryl which was better than nothing.

She looked up as Robert spoke to her, "Yeah don't mention it. We all need someone to lean on here and than." Shade said that with a fragile smile. And what she said was indeed true, If anything she'd been leaning on Robert more than he had her. Shade was just glad not to be alone for once. It got lonely, with just herself around. That's one of the things she missed about before. "I'm not gonna lie, I just about shit myself back there." She chuckled lightly.

As he asked the final question, that outgoingness quickly dispersed. She went deathly silent, a dejected look washed upon her face. It took her a while before she finally had the guts to answer that particular question.

"M-my Dad...he was a Military Officer and my Uncle taught combat training. My dad got into the outdoors when he retired. We used to go camping, and he taught me things like tracking, hunting, climbing, swimming, a few self defense moves...shit like that." She looked forward as she spoke, her face was completely emotionless. Usually when talking about her parents she would've cried, or wouldn't have been able to mention them at all. But by now, she'd cried all the tears she was humanly able to cry.

"He taught me a crapload of other things but I mostly caught on with tracking, hunting and climbing. It's enough to keep me alive for now."

It may have been enough to keep her alive in that moment...but she lacked a lot of things required to survive. Especially whilst she was on her own.

 As long as it kept her alive for just that one more day, that one more minute, that one lasting second...Shade was happy with what she had.