The Walking Dead (2010–…): Season 2, Episode 1 - What Lies Ahead - full transcript

The group's plan to head for Fort Benning is put on hold when Sophia goes missing.

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 tried to do everything right,

keep people safe.

I tried, Morgan.

(SNARLING)

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 dead 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 gonna try
for Fort Benning.

We're facing a long, hard journey,
maybe even harder than I can imagine.



But it can't be harder than our
journey's been so far. Can it?

Hundred and twenty-five miles.

That's what lies ahead.

And I'm trying hard
not to 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've got to stick together,

fight for each other,

be willing to lay down our lives for
each other if it comes to that.

Son, let's saddle up.

It's the only chance we've got.

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 be safe.

Maybe we'll see you in
Fort Benning someday.

Rick signing off.

I was just thinking about our trip
to the Grand Canyon with Carl.

(LAUGHS)

I don't remember that.

No, you wouldn't. You
were just a baby.

And besides, we never
made it past Fort Worth.

No, you got sick.

I never knew a baby
could throw up so much.

(CHUCKLING) CARL: Ick.

Yeah, ick.

The doctor in Texas
said you'd live.

Then we turned around
and drove home.

CARL: That sucks.

- No, it was a good trip.
- The best.

Can we go see it?
The Grand Canyon?

I'd like to.

SOPHIA: I would, too.

Can we go?

We'd never go without
you and your mom.

That's a promise.

Looks complicated.

The trick is getting all these
pieces back together the same way.

I could clean yours,
show you how.

(COCKS GUN)

Oh, yeah.

It's a sweet piece.

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.

Smart man, your father.

So, look,

it's a limited capacity. See?

Only holds seven rounds.

DALE: Oh, jeez.

Oh, no.

(SIGHS)

See a way through?

Uh... Maybe we should just go back.
There's an interstate bypass...

We can't spare the fuel.

Jeez.

GLENN: Can we get through here?

(CLANKING)

(GROANS)

(ENGINE SPUTTERING)

I said it. Didn't I say it?

Thousand times.
Dead in the water.

Problem, Dale?

Just a small matter of being stuck in the
middle of nowhere with no hope of...

Okay, that was dumb.

If you can't find a
radiator hose here...

There's a whole bunch
of stuff we can find.

I can siphon more fuel from
these cars for a start.

- Maybe some water.
- GLENN: Or food.

This is a graveyard.

I don't know how I
feel about this.

T-DOG: All right, all
right, here we go.

Come on, y'all.
Just look around,

gather what you can.

(FLIES BUZZING)

CAROL: Kids, don't look.

(HISSING)

- Which one?
- The flathead.

Radiator hose clamp
is always a flathead.

Here, you do it.
Learn something.

(COUGHS)

Ed never let me wear
nice things like this.

We're gonna need clothes.

Hey, Carl.

Always within my sight, okay?

You, too, Sophia.

It's all good.

(SOFTLY) Okay.

All right.

Come on.

Glenn.

Were we short on water?

(LAUGHING)

- Hey, save me some!
- It's like being baptized, man.

Oh, Christ.

Lori, under the cars.

Carl, Sophia, get down now.

- Carl, come on.
- (SHUSHING) Sophia.

Ow!

What?

(WHIMPERING)

(LORI SHUSHING)

(WALKERS SNARLING)

(RIPPING)

(MUFFLED GROANING)

(SOFTLY) Okay.

(CLATTERING)

Shit.

(SCREAMS)

(GRUNTS)

(SOBBING)

Shh.

(MOANING)

(WHIMPERING)

(GROANING)

(SNARLING)

(SCREAMING)

(EXCLAIMS) (SHUSHING)

(SNARLING)

(GRUNTS)

Lori. Those two walkers
are after my baby.

(PANTING)

(SHUSHING)

- Are you all right? Are you okay?
- Shoot them!

No. No!

Those walkers on the
road would hear it.

Then it wouldn't be just two, it'd
be hundreds. Come here. Come on.

(WHISPERING) All right, 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.
- No, no, don't leave me.

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.

(SNARLING)

Come on!

You ugly son of a bitch.
Come on!

Come on!

Come on!

Come on!

(GRUNTS)

(WALKER GASPING)

You sure this is the spot?

I left her right here.

I drew the walkers away off in
that direction up the creek.

Without a paddle... Seems
where we've landed.

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.

Hey, short round, why don't
you step off to one side?

You're mucking up the trail.

Assuming she knows her
left from her right.

Shane, she understood me fine.

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.
- Let's go. She couldn't have gone far.

Hey, we gonna find her.

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

She was doing just
fine till right here.

All she had to do
was keep going.

She veered off that way.

Why would she do that?

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

A walker?

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

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

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.

I'll keep 'em busy
scavenging cars.

Think up a few other chores.
I'll keep 'em occupied. Come on.

(ENGINE RUMBLING)

(REVVING)

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

We have to clear enough room

so I can get the RV 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.

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

But we're not going anywhere
till my daughter gets back.

Hey, that goes without saying.

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

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.
- Yeah, what was that?

All of them just marching
along like that.

A herd. That sounds about right.

We've seen it. It's like the
night camp got attacked.

Just some wandering
pack, only fewer.

Okay. (CLEARS THROAT)

Come on, people. We still got a lot to do.
Let's stay on it. Let's go, come on.

Tracks are gone.

They're faint, but
they ain't gone.

- She came through here.
- How can you tell?

I don't see anything.
Dirt, grass.

You want a lesson in tracking
or you want to find that girl

and get our ass off
that interstate?

(GRUNTS)

(SCREAMS)

Shane!

Carl, what happened?

Mom, I found something cool.

Shane, check it out.

It's an arsenal.

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

Check this one out.

Whoa! It's a hatchet.

- Be careful. Don't play with those.
- CARL: They're really sharp.

What did I just say?

- Can I keep one?
- Are you crazy?

No way.

Shane. Shane, tell her
to let me keep one.

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

- What was that?
- What was what?

The way you blew him off just now.
You crushed him.

I don't believe you. You're
giving me the cold shoulder?

Isn't that what you want?

Weren't you the one who said stay
the hell away from him and you?

You forget what
happened at the CDC?

Your little meltdown in the
rec room slip your mind?

- When you tried...
- When I tried to what?

What do you think that was?

I think it is pretty
plain what that was.

A mistake. One that I admit to.

I have a few mistakes
under my belt, Lori.

So do you.

No debate there.

But, Shane, we
need to stop this.

Why do you think I'm
prepping my new ride?

I'm leaving.

Leaving?

As in gone for good.

Gonna quietly slip away
first chance I get.

(ENGINE STARTS)

MAN: (ON 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.
- Is that a local signal?

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

Avoid anyone infected at all costs.
Remain calm. Help is on the way.

The emergency alert system
has been activated.

The Office of Civil Defense...
(TURNS RADIO OFF)

Asshole.

Okay, let's get back to work.

(RUSTLING)

(WHISTLES)

(ROARS)

Sophia!

What are you looking for?

Skin under the fingernails.

It fed recently.

There's flesh caught
in its teeth.

Yeah, what kind of flesh?

Only one way to know for sure.

Here, I'll do it.

How many kills you skin and gut in
your life? Anyway, mine is sharper.

(FLESH RIPPING)

(GRUNTS)

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.

This gross bastard had himself
a woodchuck for lunch.

- At least we know.
- At least we know.

It's late. Gonna be dark soon.

They'll find her.

Where's my gun?

You have no right to take it.

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

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

I can hold onto it for you.

Or you can give it back to me.

- Everything cool?
- No, I want my gun back.

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

Why not?

I'm not comfortable with it.

(SCOFFS)

The truth is,

less guns we have floating
around camp, the better.

You turning over your weapon?

(CHUCKLES)

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.

Mmm-hmm.

Mind telling me
what that's about?

Oh, God, they're back.

You didn't find her?

Her trail went cold.

We'll pick it up again
at first light.

You can't leave my daughter
out there on her own

to spend the night
alone in the woods.

Out in the dark's no good.

We'd just be tripping over ourselves.
More people get lost.

But she's 12. She can't
be out there on her own.

- You didn't find anything?
- I know this is hard.

But I'm asking you not to panic.
We know she was out there.

And we tracked her for a while.

We have to make this
an organized effort.

Daryl knows the woods
better than anybody.

I've asked him to oversee this.

Is that blood?

- We took down a walker.
- (SOFTLY) Walker? Oh, my God.

There was no sign it was
ever anywhere near Sophia.

How can you know that?

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

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.

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

How was she supposed to find
her way back on her own?

She's just a child.
She's just a child.

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

I'm sure nobody doubts that.

My little girl got
left in the woods.

Everybody takes a weapon.

These aren't the kind of weapons we need.
What about the guns?

We've been over that. Daryl,
Rick and I are carrying.

We can't have people popping off
rounds every time a tree rustles.

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

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.

Stay quiet and stay sharp.

Keep space between you but always
stay within sight of each other.

SHANE: Everybody
assemble your packs.

Dale, keep on those repairs. We've
got to get this RV ready to move.

We won't stay here a minute
longer than we have to.

Good luck out there.

Bring Sophia back.

Keep an eye on Carl
while we're gone.

I'm going with you.

You need people, right? To cover
as much ground as possible.

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

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

Okay. Okay.

But always within our
sight, no exceptions.

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

I'm not going out
there without my gun.

I'll even say, "Please."

I'm doing this for you.

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 dead now.

Jenner gave us an option.
I chose to stay.

You chose suicide.

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

- I know Amy's death devastated you.
- 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?

- I saved your life.
- 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?

Maybe just a little gratitude.

Gratitude?

I wanted to die my way,

not torn apart by drooling freaks.
That was my choice.

You took that away
from me, Dale.

- But...
- 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?

I don't know what to say.

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.

Shane, look.

Dad said I could carry it and
mom said as long as I was...

Keep it down. We're
looking for Sophia.

You need to focus on the task.

- Got to keep up.
- I am.

You okay?

I think Shane's mad at me.

- Did I do something wrong?
- No. No, honey, I promise you.

He's just worried about
Sophia, that's all. Come on.

She could be in there.

Could be a whole bunch
of things in there.

(WHISPERING) Carol.

Call out softly.

If she's in there, yours is the
first voice she should hear.

Sophia, sweetie,

are you in there?

Sophia, it's Mommy.

Sophia. We're all here, baby.

It's Mommy.

(COUGHS)

(RICK COUGHING)

Daryl?

Daryl?

It ain't her.

- What's in there?
- DARYL: Some guy.

Did what Jenner said. Opted out.

Ain't that what he called it?

(CHURCH BELLS RINGING)

What direction?

I think that way.
I'm pretty sure.

Damn, it's hard
to tell out here.

If we heard them, then
maybe Sophia does, too.

Someone's ringing those
bells, maybe calling others.

Or signaling that
they found her.

She could be ringing them herself.
Come on.

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?

I had it fixed yesterday.

What?

What was all that rubbing and sanding
for then? That just bullshit?

Yeah, that's one word.

Another word would be pantomime.
Just for show.

No one else needs to know that.

Pantomime.

If the others know we're mobile,

they'll want to
mobilize and move on.

So you don't think they're
gonna find Sophia, that it?

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.

That is one tricky hose, huh?

Very.

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

Rick.

(GRUNTS)

(MOANING)

(MAKES KISSING NOISE)

(PANTING)

RICK: Sophia!

Yo, J.C.,

You taking requests?

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

There's no steeple.

(BELLS TOLLING)

(PANTING) A timer.
It's on a timer.

I'm gonna go back in for a bit.

(SIGHS)

LORI: Are you really leaving?

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

I think it is. What
made you decide?

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.

Don't matter. As
long as I said it.

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

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.
- And Carl? We dragged him into this.

- I love Carl.
- He thinks you hate 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.

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.

I'm coming with you.

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

I'm not stupid and I'm
certainly not deaf.

- Look, I don't know the story.
- There is no story.

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.

We're gonna sail off into
the sunset together?

We gonna hold hands?

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.

So what? Say we do,
we just run off.

What's in it for me except for
the extra ass I got to cover?

The chance to do something
for someone else.

And a door that
swings both ways.

Put a gun in my hand,
I'll cover your ass, too.

Think it over.

(SIGHS)

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.

I can't stop yet.

We still got a lot of ground to cover,
whole other side of the creek bed.

So we search that
on the way back.

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

- She could be a lot of things.
- I can't go back.

Her being out here is my fault.

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

What about you? You doubt me?

Hey, we can assign
all kinds of blame.

This means something,
finding her.

Oh, man.

It would be the miracle we need.
We can't give up.

(SIGHS)

(CLEARS THROAT)

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.

You're splitting us up.
You sure?

Yeah, we'll catch up to you.

CARL: I want to stay, too.

I'm her friend.

- Just be careful, okay?
- I will.

When did you start growing up?

I'll be along soon enough.

RICK: Here, take this.

- Remember how to use it?
- I'm not taking your gun

and leaving you unarmed.

Here, got a spare. Take it.

(SIGHS)

- Give me a minute?
- Yeah.

(SOFTLY) Come on.

I don't know if you're
looking at me with, what?

Sadness?

Scorn?

Pity?

Love?

(SIGHS)

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.

(SIGHS)

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.

(WHISPERS) 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.

- You get what you needed?
- Guess I'll find out.

(SOFTLY) Come on.

So this is it?

This the whole plan?

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

Carrying knives and
pointy sticks.

I see you have a gun.

Why, you want it?

Here, take it.

I'm sick of the looks
you're giving me.

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.

We should keep moving.

(TWIGS SNAPPING)

Shane.

(GUN FIRES)

No. No. No. No.

(SCREAMS) No!