Rick: I guess I’m losing hope that you can hear me. But there’s always that chance, isn’t there? That slim chance. It’s all about slim chances now, I try to do everything right, keep people safe. I tried Morgan. I tried. Our group’s smaller now, we lost another, day before last. It was her choice. I won’t say I blame her, she lost faith. The CDC was a d*ad end. I met a man there, a scientist, he told me something, he told me. It doesn’t matter. What matters is we’re moving on. Atlanta’s done. We’re going to try Fort Bennet. We’re facing a long, hard journey. Maybe harder than I can ever imagine, but it can’t be harder than our journey so far. Can it? 125 miles, that’s what lies ahead and I’m trying hard to not lose faith. I can’t, if I do the others, my family, my wife, my son, there’s just a few of us now. So we gotta stick together, fight for each other, we gotta be willing to lay down our lives for each other if it comes to that.

Dale: Son, let’s saddle up.

Rick: It’s the only chance we got.

[Engine starts and the RV and the car drives behind it]

Rick: Be careful out there Morgan. I hope you and Duane are okay. Stay off the road, keep moving, keep your eyes open. I don’t know, just- just be safe. Maybe we’ll see you in Fort Benning some day. Rick, signing off.

[Intro Music play, scene changes to the RV and car driving down a road. While birds chirp and the sounds of a motorcycle are heard. It focuses in on the Grimes' car.]

Lori: We were just thinking about our trip to the Grand Canyon with Carl.

[Rick laughs]

Carl: I don’t remember that.

Lori: No, you wouldn’t. You were just a baby. And besides, we never made it past Fort Worth.

Rick: No, you got sick. I never knew a baby could throw up so much.

Carl: Ick.

Lori: Yeah, ick. The doctor in Texas said you’d live. Then we turned and drove home.

Carl: That sucks.

Lori: No, it was a good trip.

Rick: The best.

Carl: Can we go see it? The Grand Canyon? I’d like to.

Sophia: I would too. Can we go?

Rick: We’d never go without you or your mom. That’s a promise.

[Scene changes from inside the car to inside the RV.]

Andrea: Looks complicated.

Shane: The trick is getting all these pieces back together the same way. I could clean yours. Show you how. Oh yeah. It’s a sweet piece.

Andrea: It was a gift from my father. He gave it to me just before Amy and I took off on our road trip. He said two girls on their own should be able to defend themselves.

Shane: Smart man, your father. Look, it's a- it's a limited capacity. See? Only holds seven rounds.

Dale: Oh jeez. Aw no. See a way through?

Glenn: Uh, maybe we should just go back. There’s an interstate bypass-

Dale: We can’t spare the fuel.

Glenn: Jeez.

Unknown: Can we get through here?

[Radiator hose breaks and the RV comes to a stop.]

Dale: I said it. Didn’t I say it? A thousand times d*ad in the water.

Shane: Problem Dale?

Dale: Oh, just a small matter of being stuck in the middle of nowhere, with no hope of- Okay, that was dumb.

Shane: Can’t find a radiator hose here.

Daryl: There’s a whole bunch of stuff we can find.

T-Dog: Can siphon more fuel from these cars for a start.

Carol: Maybe some water.

Glenn: Or food.

Lori: This is a graveyard.I don’t know how I feel about this.

Unknown: Alright, alright. Here we go.

Shane: Come on y’all. Look around, gather what you can.

[The group splits to go look through cars, Lori, Carol, Carl and Sophia pass a car that has a d*ad female in the passenger seat, there are flies buzzing around her.]

Carol: Kids, don’t look.

[The scene changes back to the camper, with Glenn and Dale.]

Glenn: Hey, which one?

Dale: Flathead. Radiator hose clamp is always a flathead. Here, you do it. Learn something.

[Scene changes back to Carol, Lori and the kids.]

Carol: Ed never let me wear nice things like this. We’re going to need clothes.

Lori: Hey Carl? Always within my sight, okay?

Carol: You too, Sophia.

[Scene changes back to the camper, Dale is on top being a lookout.]

Dale: It’s all good.

Andrea: Okay. Alright.

Glenn: Come on.

Shane: Glenn. Were we short on water?

Glenn: Hey, save me some.

Shane: It’s like being baptized man.

Rick: Oh, Christ. Lori under the cars. Under the cars. Get down now.

Lori: Shh.

Glenn: What?

Lori: Shh.

[The group gets under cars and stays silent as a horde of walkers go past them. All you can hear is the shuffling of feet, groans of walkers and the cries of Carol. Andrea is inside the bathroom of the RV while a walker is also inside, she is trying to put her g*n back together, and ends up dropping a piece.]

Andrea: Okay, okay. Oh, shit. Ahh!

Daryl: Shh.

Carol: Lori. There’s two walkers after my baby.

Lori: Shh, shh.

[Scene changes to two walkers chasing after Sophia in the woods. Rick follows after them.]

Rick: Shh, shh. Are you alright? Are you okay?

Sophia: sh**t them!

Rick: No, no. Those walkers on the road will hear it. Then it wouldn’t just be two, it’d be hundreds. Alright, come on. Alright, just hold here, you stay there. Wait. Come on. Sophia, you have to do exactly as I say. Hide in there. Squeeze in tight. I'll draw them away from you.

Sophia: No no, don't leave me. 

Rick: Listen listen listen listen. They don't get winded. I do. I can only deal with them one at a time. I wouldn't be able to protect you. This is how we both survive. You understand? Okay? Go go go go. If I don't make it back, run back to the highway, back to the others straight the way we came. Keep the sun on your left shoulder. Come on! You ugly son of a bitch. Come on! Come on! Come on! Come on! Come on!

[Scene changes to Daryl, Rick, Glenn and Shane at the spot where Rick left Sophia.]

Daryl: Sure this is the spot?

Rick: I left her right here. I drew the walkers way off in that direction up the creek. 

Daryl: Without a paddle- seems where we've landed. 

Rick: She was gone by the time I got back here. I figured she just took off and ran back to the group. I told her to go that way and keep the sun on her left shoulder. 

Daryl: Hey, short round, why don't you step off to one side? You're mucking up the trail. 

Shane: Assuming she knows her left from her right. 

Rick: Shane, she understood me fine.

Shan: Kid's tired and scared, man. She had her a close call with two walkers. Got to wonder how much of what you said stuck.

Daryl: Got clear prints right here. She did like you said, headed back to the highway. Let's spread out, make our way back. 

Rick: She couldn't have gone far. Hey, we're gonna find her.

Shane: She'll be tuckered out hiding in a bush somewhere. 

Daryl: She was doing just fine till right here. All she had to do was keep going. She veered off that way. 

Glenn: Why would she do that? 

Shane: Maybe she saw something that spooked her, made her run off. 

Glenn: A walker?

Daryl: I don't see any other footprints. Just hers. 

Shane: So what do we do? All of us press on? 

Rick: No, better if you and Glenn get back up to the highway. People are gonna start panicking. Let them know we're on her trail doing everything we can. But most of all, keep everybody calm. 

Shane: I'll keep 'em busy scavenging cars. Think up a few other chores. I'll keep 'em occupied. Come on.

[Scene changes from the wooks back to the highway.]

Carol: Why aren't we all out there looking? Why are we moving cars? 

Dale: We have to clear enough room so I can get the R.V. turned around as soon as it's running. Now that we have fuel we can double back to a bypass that Glenn flagged on the map.

Shane: Going back's going to be easier than trying to get through this mess. 

Carol: We're not going anywhere till my daughter gets back.

Lori: Hey, that goes without saying.

Shane: Rick and Daryl, they're on it, okay? Just a matter of time. 

Andrea: Can't be soon enough for me. I'm still freaked out from that herd that passed us by, or whatever you'd call it. 

Glenn: Yeah, what was that? All of them just marching along like that. 

Shane: A herd. That sounds about right. We've seen it. It's like the night camp got att*cked. Some wandering pack, only fewer. Okay. Come on, people. We still got a lot to do. Let's stay on it. Let's go, come on. 

[Scene changes from the highway back to the woods.]

Rick: Tracks are gone. 

Daryl: No, they're faint, but they ain't gone. She came through here. 

Rick: How can you tell? I don't see anything. Dirt, grass. 

Daryl: You want a lesson in tracking or you want to find that girl and get our ass off that interstate? 

[Scene changes back to the highway again.]

Carl: Shane.

Lori: Carl, what happened? 

Carl: Mom, I found something cool. Shane, check it out. It's an arsenal. 

Shane: That's cool, bud. Go give 'em to Dale. 

Carl: Check this one out. Whoa, it's a hatchet. 

Lori: Be careful. Don't play with those. 

Carl: They're really sharp. 

Lori: What did I just say? 

Carl: Can I keep one? 

Lori: Are you crazy? 

Carl: No way. Shane. Shane, tell her to let me keep one. 

Shane: Hey, man, go give them all to Dale now. Go. 

Lori: What was that? 

Shane: What was what? 

Lori: The way you blew him off just now. You crushed him. I don't believe you. You're giving me the cold shoulder? 

Shane: Isn't that what you want? Aren't you the one who said stay the hell away from him and you? 

Lori: You forget what happened at the CDC? Your little meltdown in the rec room slip your mind? When you tried-- 

Shane: When I tried to what? What do you think that was? 

Lori: I think it is pretty plain what that was. 

Shane: A mistake. One that I admit to. I have a few mistakes under my belt, Lori. So do you. 

Lori: No debate there. But Shane, we need to stop this. 

Shane: Why do you think I'm prepping my new ride? I'm leaving. 

Lori: Leaving? 

Shane: As in gone for good. Gonna quietly slip away first chance I get.

Radio: The emergency alert system has been activated. The Office of Civil Defense has issued the following message: Normal broadcasting will cease immediately. This is a civil emergency. 

Glenn: Is that a local signal? 

Dale: It's got to be within 50 miles of here. 

Radio: Avoid anyone infected at all costs. Remain calm. Help is on the way. The emergency alert system has been activated. 

Shane: assh*le. Okay, let's get back to work. 

[The scene changes back into the woods, there is rustling in a bush.]

Daryl: Sophia! What are you looking for? 

Rick: Skin under the fingernails. It fed recently. There's flesh caught in its teeth. 

Daryl: Yeah, what kind of flesh? 

Rick: Only one way to know for sure. 

Daryl: Here, I'll do it. How many kills you skin and gut in your life? Anyway, mine is sharper. Now comes the bad part.. Yeah, Hoss had a big meal not long ago. I feel it in there. Here's the gut bag. 

Rick: I got this. 

Daryl: This gross bastard had himself a woodchuck for lunch.

Rick: At least we know.

Daryl: At least we know. 

[Scene changes back to the highway.]

Carol: It's late. Gonna be dark soon. 

Andrea: They'll find her. Where's my g*n? You have no right to take it. 

Dale: You don't need that just now, do you? 

Andea: My father gave it to me. It's mine. 

Dale: I can hold onto it for you. 

Andrea: Or you can give it back to me. 

Shane: Everything cool? 

Andrea: No, I want my g*n back. 

Dale: I don't think it's a good idea right now. 

Shane: Why not? 

Dale: I'm not comfortable with it. 

Shane: The truth is, less g*n we have floating around camp the better. 

Andrea: You turning over your w*apon?

Shane: No. But I'm trained in its use. That's what the rest of y'all need is proper training. But until that time I think it's best if Dale keeps them all accounted for. 

Andrea: Uh-huh. 

Shane: Mind telling me what that's about? 

Glenn: Oh God, they're back. 

Carol: You didn't find her? 

Rick: Her trail went cold. We'll pick it up again at first light. 

Carol: You can't leave my daughter out there on her own to spend the night alone in the woods. 

Daryl: Out in the dark's no good. We'd just be tripping over ourselves. More people get lost. 

Carol: But she's 12. She can't be out there on her own. You didn't find anything? 

Rick: I know this is hard. But I'm asking you not to panic. We know she was out there. 

Daryl: And we tracked her for a while. 

Rick: We have to make this an organized effort. Daryl knows the woods better than anybody. I've asked him to oversee this. 

Carol: Is that blood? 

Rick: We took down a walker. 

Carol: Walker? Oh my God. 

Rick: There was no sign it was ever anywhere near Sophia.

Andrea: How can you know that? 

Daryl: We cut the son of a bitch open, made sure. 

Carol: Oh God. How could you just leave her out there to begin with? How could you just leave her? 

Rick: Those two walkers were on us. I had to draw them off. It was her best chance. 

Shane: Sounds like he didn't have a choice, Carol. 

Carol: How was she supposed to find her way back on her own? She's just a child. She's just a child.

Rick: It was my only option. The only choice I could make.

Shane: I'm sure nobody doubts that. 

Carol: My little girl got left in the woods. 

Rick: Everybody takes a w*apon. 

Andrea: These aren't the kind of w*apon we need. What about the g*n? 

Shane: We've been over that. Daryl, Rick and I are carrying. We can't have people popping off rounds every time a tree rustles. 

Andrea: It's not the trees I'm worried about. 

Shane: 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. 

Daryl: 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. 

Rick: Stay quiet and stay sharp. Keep space between you but always stay within sight of each other. 

Shane: Everybody assemble your packs. Keep on those repairs. We've got to get this R.V. ready to move. 

Dale: We won't stay here a minute longer than we have to. Good luck out there. Bring Sophia back.

Rick: Keep an eye on Carl while we're gone. 

Carl: I'm going with you. You need people, right? To cover as much ground as possible. 

Loi: Your call. I can't always be the bad guy. 

Dale: Well, he has all of you to look after him. I'd say he's in good hands. 

Rick: Okay. Okay. But always within our sight, no exceptions. 

Dale: Andrea, I'm begging you. Don't put me in this position. 

Andrea: I'm not going out there without my g*n. I'll even say please. 

Dale: I'm doing this for you. 

Andrea: No, Dale, you're doing it for you. You need to stop. What do you think's gonna happen? I'm gonna stick it in my mouth and pull the trigger the moment you hand it to me? 

Dale: I know you're angry at me. That much is clear. But if I hadn't done what I did, you'd be d*ad now. 

Andrea: Jenner gave us an option. I chose to stay. 

Dale: You chose su1c1de. 

Andrea: So what's that to you? You barely know me. 

Dale: I know Amy's death devastated you. 

Andrea: Keep her out of this. This is not about Amy. This is about us. And if I decided that I had nothing left to live for, who the hell are you to tell me otherwise? To force my hand like that?

Dale: I saved your life.

Andrea: No, Dale. I saved yours. You forced that on me. I didn't want your blood on my hands and that is the only reason I left that building. What did you expect? What, I'd have some kind of epiphany? Some life-affirming catharsis? 

Dale: Maybe just a little gratitude. 

Andrea: Gratitude? I wanted to die my way, not torn apart by drooling freaks. That was my choice. You took that away from me, Dale. 

Dale: But-

Andrea: But you know better? All I wanted after my sister died was to get out of this endless horrific nightmare we live every day. I wasn't hurting anyone else. You took my choice away, Dale. And you expect gratitude? 

Dale: I don't know what to say. 

Andrea: I'm not your little girl. I'm not your wife. And I am sure as hell not your problem. That's all there is to say. 

Carl: Shane, look. Dad said I could carry it and mom said as long as I was-

Shane: Keep it down. We're looking for Sophia. You need to focus on the task. 

Lori: Got to keep up. 

Carl: I am. 

Lori: You okay? 

Carl: I think Shane's mad at me. Did I do something wrong? 

Lori: No. No, honey, I promise you. He's just--he's worried about Sophia, that's all. Come on. 

Shane: She could be in there. 

Daryl: Could be a whole bunch of things in there. 

Rick: Carol. Call out softly. If she's in there, yours is the first voice she should hear. 

Carol: Sophia, sweetie, are you in there? Sophia, it's mommy. Sophia. We're all here, baby. It's mommy. Daryl? Daryl? 

Daryl: It ain't her. What's in there? Some guy. Did what Jenner said. Opted out. Ain't that what he called it? 

[Church bells ring in the distance and the group runs towards the sound.]

Shane: What direction? 

Rick: I think that way. I'm pretty sure. 

Shane: Damn, it's hard to tell out here. 

Carol: If we heard them, maybe Sophia did too.

Glenn: Someone's ringing those bells, maybe calling others. 

Andrea: Or signaling they found her. 

Rick: She could be ringing them herself. Come on. 

[Scene changes to the highway, Dale is standing on top of the RV.]

T-Dog: Ain't you supposed to be fixing that radiator? What if they come back with Sophia and Rick wants to move on right away?

Dale: I had it fixed yesterday. 

T-Dog: What? What was all that rubbing and sanding for then? That just bullshit? 

Dale: Yeah, that's one word. Another word would be pantomime-- just for show. No one else needs to know that. 

T-Dog: Pantomime. 

Dale: If the others know we're mobile, they'll want to mobilize and move on. 

T-Dog: So you don't think they're gonna find Sophia, that it? 

Dale: I'm just guarding against the worst. Sooner or later, if she's not found, people will start doing math. I want to hold off the needs-of-the-many-versus-the-needs-of-the-few arguments as long as I can. 

T-Dog: That is one tricky hose, huh? 

Dale: Very. 

[Scene changes to the church where the bells were ringing.]

Shane: That can't be it. Got no steeple, no bells. Rick. 

[Inside the church, there are walkers sitting down looking at the cross. They rise when the group enters the building. The group takes the walkers out.]

Rick: Sophia! 

Daryl: Yo, J.C., you taking requests? 

Shane: I'm telling you, it's the wrong church. It's got no steeple, Rick. There's no steeple.

Daryl: A timer. It's on a timer. 

Carol: I'm gonna go back in for a bit. 

Lori: Are you really leaving? 

Shane: Don't you think it's best for all of us? 

Lori: I think it is. What made you decide? 

Shane: 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. 

Lori: You're just gonna disappear? You're not even gonna tell Rick? 

Shane: He'd 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. 

Lori: And Carl? We dragged him into this. 

Shane: I love Carl. 

Lori: He thinks you hate him. 

Shane: 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. 

[Inside the church.]

Carol: Father, forgive me. I don't deserve your mercy. I prayed for safe passage from Atlanta and you provided. I prayed for Ed to be punished for laying his hands on me and for looking at his own daughter with whatever sickness was growing in his soul. I prayed you'd put a stop to it, give me a chance to raise her right, help her not make my mistakes. She's so fearful. She's so young in her way. She hasn't had a chance. Praying for Ed's death was a sin. Please, don't let this be my punishment. Let her be safe, alive and safe. Please, lord. Punish me however you want, but show mercy on her. 

[Outside the church.]

Andrea: I'm coming with you. 

Shane: I don't know what the hell you're talking about. 

Andrea: I'm not stupid and I'm certainly not deaf. Look, I don't know the story. 

Shane: There is no story. 

Andrea: Fine, I don't care. Don't confuse me with someone who does. Look, all I care about is getting out of here as far away as I can, like you. 

Shane: We're gonna sail off into the sunset together? We gonna hold hands? 

Andrea: I'm not asking you to go steady, Shane. I'm asking for a ride, a chance to start over somewhere else. You observe this group lately? I have. I see two people who don't belong. We're the odd men out. Between the two of us, we make a great third wheel. 

Shane: So what? Say we do, we just run off. What's in it for me except for the extra ass I got to cover? 

Andrea: The chance to do something for someone else. Yeah. And a door that swings both ways. Put a g*n in my hand, I'll cover your ass too. Think it over.

Shane: Got to move here, man. These people are spent. There's only so many hours of daylight left. We still got a long way back. 

Rick: I can't stop yet. 

Shane: We still got a lot of ground to cover, whole other side of the Creek Bed. So we search that on the way back. 

Rick: She would have heard those church bells. She could be nearby. 

Shane: She could be a lot of things. 

Rick: I can't go back. Her being out here is my fault. 

Shane: That's great. Now they got you doubting yourself, huh? 

Rick: What about you? You doubt me? 

Shane: Hey, we can assign all kinds of blame. 

Rick: This means something, finding her. 

Shane: Oh man. 

Rick: It would be the miracle we need. We can't give up. ( Sighs ) 

Shane: Mmm. Ahem. Y'all gonna follow the Creek Bed back, okay? Daryl, you're in charge. Me and Rick, we're just gonna hang back, search this area another hour or so just to be thorough. 

Daryl: You're splitting us up. You sure? 

Shane: Yeah, we'll catch up to you. 

Carl: I want to stay too. I'm her friend. 

Lori: Just be careful, okay? 

Carl: I will. When did you start growing up? 

Rick: I'll be along soon enough. Here, take this. Remember how to use it? 

Lori: I'm not taking your g*n and leaving you unarmed. 

Daryl: Here, got a spare. Take it. 

Rick: Give me a minute? 

Shane: Yeah. Come on. 

[The group heads back to the highway. Rick, Shane and Carl stay behind to keep looking for Sophia. Rick heads Inside the church.]

Rick: I don't know if you're looking at me with what? Sadness? Scorn? Pity? Love? Maybe it's just indifference. I guess you already know I'm not much of a believer. I guess I just chose to put my faith elsewhere. My family, mostly. My friends. My job. The thing is, we- I could use a little something to help keep us going. Some kind of.. acknowledgment. Some indication I'm doing the right thing. You don't know how hard that is to know. Well, maybe you do- Hey look, I don't need all the answers. Just a little nudge. A sign. Any sign will do. 

[Rick walks outside of the church.]

Shane: Get what you needed? 

Rick: Guess I'll find out. 

Shane: Come on.

[Scene changes to the group that is making their way back to the highway, they are in the woods.]

Carol: So this is it? This the whole plan? 

Daryl: I guess the plan is to whittle us down into smaller and smaller groups.

Andrea: Carrying knives and pointy sticks. I see you have a g*n. 

Lori: Why, you want it? Here, take it. I'm sick of the looks you're giving me. 

[Lori hands Andrea the g*n and she takes it.]

Lori: 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.

[Andrea hands the g*n back to Lori.]

Andrea: We should keep moving. 

[Scene changes back to Rick, they are walking in the woods. Carl spots a deer standing there and goes to touch it.]

Rick: Shane. 

[Carl walks closer to it and is standing a foot away, the deer looks at him but doesn’t run away. There is silence then a sudden g*n, Carl hits the ground with a thud. Rick and Shane look stunned as they race towards the boy.]

Rick: Oh no. No. No, no, no, no!

[Outro music and credits play.]
{"type": "series", "show": "The Walking Dead", "episode": "02x01 - What Lies Ahead"}