Surviving As One {A TWD fanfic}

11. Friends

My eyes open slowly as a sharp cold breath is inhaled, I force myself to my feet. My ankle throbs with pain but so does my head, I sit back down on my bed. The suns only just coming up, the prison is silent... I try to swallow but my mouth is dry, and I'm in desperate need of a drink. I force myself to stand once more, ignoring the pain that throbbed in my ankle and head. I limp painfully and slowly toward the kitchen where the water is kept, I stumble quietly a few times but force myself to keep moving. I manage to reach the kitchen and grab a bottle of water. I drink about half of it before limping my way over to a seat, I sigh in relief as my leg hurts less with the pressure off of it.

"Bella?" Carl says sleepily as he walks into the kitchen, rubbing his eyes.

"Yeah, sorry. Did I wake you?" I ask as I glance over toward him.

"No, I couldn't sleep" He says as he sits across from me

"Couldn't sleep?" I question "You're half asleep" I almost giggle.

"Alright, I heard ya stumble a few times back there... Are ya alright?" He asks tilting his head slightly

I nod, pressing my lips together "Yeah, just needed a drink" I say quietly looking down at the bottle in my hand.

"How's ya ankle?" Carl ask, looking down at my ankle.

"It's fine" I mutter, moving my ankle out of his view.

"Ya need help getting back to your cell?" He stands and holds out a hand.

I take a deep breath and smile, looking up to him as I nod "Yeah, thanks" I bite down on my lower lip and take his hand, he helps me up, wrapping his arm around me and helping me walk.

"Don't be shy, lean on me. It'll hurt less" He whispers holding me tighter.

I half chuckled and do as he says, leaning half my weight on him, and his right. It hurts less, he smiles helping me without struggle. Once back to my cell I sit on my bed, swinging my leg up so it lays flat. "Thank you, Carl"

"Yer welcome Bella, seriously don't mention it" he smiles sitting beside me.

"Ya know, you're probably the only friend I have these days" I take a deep breath and chew on my lower lip.

"Hey, least ya got one" He smirks and nudges me lightly and I can't help but giggle

"Right, now go back to bed" I ruffle his hair playfully as he looks down and stands.

"Alright, I'm going!" He laughs quietly and starts walking out

"Oh and goodnight-ish Carl" I giggle watching him leave

"Yeah, night-ish Bella" he chuckles and leaves, I watch him fade as he gets further away with a smile planted on my face. I chuckle as I lay back on my bed, staring up at the roof and that begins today, it started off filled with pain but has now filled me with laughter and happiness. The rest of the day is like a breeze, I laid there in my bed for what must have been an hour or two. Just thinking, thinking about my past. About how happy I was, how I could keep a conversation going for hours, and still have so much to tell. Those hours I spent in my room memorising song lyrics and just writing. Those moment with friends and my family, the ones I tried so hard to forget but clearly failed. I glance over at my door as Hershel stood in the doorway, a small smile on his face as always. I sat back up and smiled.

"Morning Hershel" I say softly and a confused but happy expression crosses his face.

"Morning Bella, what has you in a good mood" He asks walking in and kneeling down looking at my ankle.

"Life, realises who I was and who I am can still be friends... They can still be one" I nod, hearing myself say the words making them so much more real but it also makes the fact that I had let myself change so much that I consider the person I was and the person I am as two different people.

Hershel nods, feeling my ankle "Swellings gone done which is good, and Bella who you are and who you were are the same person... This world has shown you more of that person, a side you that didn't existed inside you but it did. It was always there" He says before standing and leaving, something Hershel always did. He'd tell you something and leave, but it wasn't just anything he'd tell you. He'd tell you what you knew all along but were to afraid to listen and agree with it. Until he said it, everything he said made sense, made you think for hour about it. Made you want to grab him and have him tell you more because you were simply afraid to tell yourself and I wasn't any better than the rest. I wasn't any wiser, I wasn't anything more than Isabelle. And Hershel knew that, Hershel knew all my fears, my doubts and my dreams. He knew everything just by looking at me.

"Bella" Carl calls out and everything goes real slow as I turned my head, my smile faded as Carl ran toward me. Than BANG!!