Into the Mist: The Search for Carl and Sophia

In the wild, gunfire echoed through the air. The half-tall grass was shredded by bullets, and the men hiding within fell one after another, like lifeless dummies with no ability to resist.

"Stop," Jason ordered from behind the police car, raising his hand.

He noticed there was no one left standing on the opposite side. With his shooting skills, he could have killed every one of them without missing.

"I'll go over and take a look," he said.

To make sure they were all dead, Jason carefully walked across the field. He couldn't remember exactly how many enemies there had been — probably more than ten. Now, he saw over a dozen bodies lying scattered on the ground, riddled with bullet holes. They were more than dead.

Jason didn't care about the weapons they carried. He wasn't interested in taking junk, so he left everything behind, discarded in the wild like scrap metal.

"Ah! Sophia and Carl are missing!" someone suddenly shouted.

Just when everyone thought the danger was over, a new crisis struck.

During the fight, Carl and Sophia had disappeared. When they realized it, the two children were already gone. Based on the clues, it seemed they had run into the forest.

Normally, it wouldn't have been a big deal — the kids often played in the woods — but now, things were different. Zombies roamed the forest, and if Carl and Sophia encountered them, their chances of survival would be almost zero.

"I'm going to find Carl. Nothing must happen to him!" Rick cried, immediately rushing into the forest with his weapon ready.

The others were equally anxious but unsure what to do.

Carol, Sophia's mother, collapsed onto the ground, her eyes wide and empty with fear. She seemed to have already assumed the worst had happened.

"Everyone, stay calm," Jason said firmly. "Wait here. I'll take a team to search for Carl and Sophia. We will find them."

There was no other choice. Jason quickly organized a search party, taking Morgan, Daryl, Jim, and Moore into the woods.

Meanwhile, Shane stayed behind to protect the rest of the camp. With Dale being old and frail, the camp needed someone capable in case more trouble showed up.

By evening, a light mist had started to spread through the jungle. It wasn't too thick yet, but it still blurred the surroundings and limited vision. Fortunately, the area had landmarks and clear trails, so Jason and the others split up, each taking a different direction.

Snap...

Jason moved quickly, stepping over fallen branches while scanning the misty woods with sharp, hawk-like eyes. Any slight movement within his range would be noticed immediately.

"Sophia... Carl? Where are you?" he called softly as he moved forward.

The mist grew heavier. Jason's brow furrowed — if he couldn't find the kids before the fog thickened completely, the odds of finding them would drop sharply.

Finding anyone in a dense mist would be nearly impossible.

Thump!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Jason heard something fall nearby. Spinning around, he spotted a familiar figure struggling in the distance and quickly ran over.

"Shit, asshole!" Rick cursed.

Jason found Rick straddling a zombie, furiously punching it in the face.

"That's enough, Rick," Jason said, shaking his head.

He quickly pulled Rick to his feet and continued, "This isn't the time to vent your anger on a zombie. We have to find Carl. I'm sure they didn't run too far. Maybe the gunshots scared them, or maybe they just wandered off to play. Believe me — they'll be fine."