[Spoilers Ahead -- if you haven't watched to at least "What Lies Ahead", do not read any further unless you do not mind spoilers.]
Personally, I'm very curious as to why Sophia ran from that little cave-like location in the creek in the first place -- and more importantly, why she changed directions and took off farther into the woods.
Rick told her to stay there and wait for him, and that if she absolutely needed to run, to run back toward the highway and keep the sun on her left shoulder. She might have been terrified and afraid for her life, but wouldn't that make her more determined to listen to a trusted adult, even/especially for a child, rather than to just panic for no reason and run off into the forest, for what, shits and giggles?
Immediately after Rick lured and killed the two walkers who had been chasing her, she leaves the hiding spot -- which she saw the two walkers stumble right past without as much as a glance at her, why didn't that make her realize it was safe and reinforce her reasons to stay there and wait for Rick?
As if leaving for no apparent reason wasn't bad enough, then she climbs back up the creek bed and, according to Daryl's admirable tracking skills, promptly takes a left and roams off into the woods. After Rick returns to find her missing and they all begin looking for her, Daryl (after noting that she exited the creek bed and took a detour for reasons unknown) mentions that there are no other tracks in the area aside from the two walkers' and Rick's, so it wasn't as if she saw a third walker and had to veer off-course -- that was specifically stated to not be the case; she just simply chose to disobey and wander off, as far as we know.
Why would she have done this? If she had simply continued in that one direction like she was told in no uncertain terms, she would have met up with her mother and the rest of the group, probably before Rick even returned, so I'm very confused as to why she just seemingly decided to go off on a little adventure, with a herd of walkers having just passed by, no less.
Has anyone heard anything, in commentaries or interviews with the creators, or perhaps something in the show that I somehow missed?
Please comment and let me know.