'The Walking Dead' season 2 premiere 'What Lies...

The Walking Dead season 2 premiere is finally here. "What Lies Ahead" picks up where "TS-19" left off: the survivors looking for safety after the CDC was destroyed.

Atlanta belongs to the walkers, as Rick tells Morgan about the CDC and their next plan: to head for Fort Benning. There aren't many survivors left, and because of that, Rick's trying not to lose faith. Daryl leads the caravan on a motorbike, and inside the RV, Shane's about to show Andrea how to clean a gun (and put it back together) when Daryl has to guide them through a maze of carsÂ—until the RV breaks down.

The survivors begin gathering supplies and fuel from the cars, while Glenn works on the RV and Dale climbs up top to keep watch. Andrea's inside trying to put together a gun and Shane's rejoicing in finding a truck of water jugs when Dale and Rick spot a "herd" of walkers heading their way.

Dale lies down on the RV roof, while Rick tells everyone to get under the cars. Andrea ducks down when she sees them, and T-Dog cuts his arm in his hurry to hide. One walker does board the RV, and Andrea rushes into the bathroom. Dale sees the walker trying to get into the bathroom from above and drops Andrea a screwdriver. Meanwhile, Daryl saves T-Dog from a walker, then covers him and himself with dead ones as walkers shuffle by. When it appears the walkers are gone, Sophia begins moving and one spots her. Two chase her into the woods, and Rick follows. When he catches up to her, he hides her before drawing the walkers away. She heads back when they're gone. Rick kills both with a rock, but when he returns to the others, Sophia's not there.

Daryl finds tracks that show she did head back but then veered off. He and Rick continue the search while Shane and Glenn join the others in clearing the road for the RV to turn around so they can double back. Good thing Daryl's an excellent tracker. Meanwhile, Carl takes an arsenal off a body in a car, but Shane brushes him off when he tries to show it to him. Lori confronts Shane about giving them the cold shoulder, but he reveals he's packing his own car. He's leaving as soon as he gets the chance.

Rick plays bait when they come across a walker so Daryl can kill it. Rick notices it fed recently, and Daryl cuts it open so they can check what it ate. It was a woodchuck. Andrea confronts Dale about taking her gun, but Shane points out that everyone needs proper training. Rick and Daryl return, without Sophia. Nightfall means it's too dangerous to keep looking, but they'll pick up again at first light under a search party organized by Daryl. Rick had no choice but to leave Sophia, but Carol wants her daughter back.

Though Rick wants Carl to stay behind, he wants to join the search and gets his way. Andrea turns to Dale to get her gun back. She's still angry he took her choice between life and death away because she didn't want his blood on her hands. The search party sets out, leaving Dale (to fix the RV) and T-Dog behind. Shane continues to give Carl the cold shoulder, and Lori tells him Shane's just worried about Sophia. They do find a tent, but there's only a dead body inside. When they hear bells, they take off running.

Dale reveals to T-Dog that the RV was fixed the day before. He's just making sure no one tries to move forward without Sophia. Meanwhile, the survivors find a church, but no steeple or bells. Inside are three walkers, which Rick, Shane, and Daryl kill. The bells start up again, but they're just playing over an intercom on a timer. While everyone heads back inside, Andrea stays outside and overhears Lori and Shane talking about him leaving. He's being the good guy and backing away. She can tell Rick what she wants, and he's trying to put distance between himself and Carl. When she heads inside, where Carol's praying for Sophia's safety, Shane sees Andrea. She wants to go with Shane, but he's not in the mood to have someone else along. He turns to Rick about where they'll go next, but Rick can't just go back because Sophia being out there is his fault. Shane sends the others ahead with Daryl in charge, while he and Rick stay behind to search the area more. Carl insists on staying with them. Before they separate, Rick tries to give Lori his gun, but she ends up taking Daryl's spare.

Rick does his own praying inside the church. He may not be much of a believer, but he needs a sign to keep them going. Meanwhile, Andrea notices Lori's gun, and she gives it to her. Lori tells Carol to stop blaming Rick. He was the one who went after Sophia and made the decisions he had to. Go Lori, defend your husband! Andrea gives her back the gun. Rick, Carl, and Shane have set out as well and come across a deer. Shane's going to shoot it, but Carl walks over. Suddenly there's a gunshot, and the deer and Carl go down.