NO WAY BACK | carl grimes | ON PAUSE

twenty - six: idle ghosts

"She's got guts."

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THE DREARY FEELING OF SADNESS spread around camp like a plague. Elaina hovered around a tree, far away from where the events had taken place. She fiddled with her bracelet, and thought about the walkers. Their beady eyes, their torn limbs, their mangled teeth that flashed with flesh when they snarled at the group. After pacing, Elaina sat down by the tree, taking in the grey sky that surrounded her.

Elaina thought about Hershel and his beliefs. The idea that, one day, the walkers would be better again. That they would return to their natural state. That they would be able to think, and feel, and be themselves again. The thought only saddened Elaina, who would've loved to have believed that too. Heaven only knows it would've saved her a lot of pain if she knew that the walkers could've been brought back by a cure. Elaina imagined giving a tiny little vial of liquid to Sophia and soon after, she returned to her normal self. A little sickly, but the same warm, lovely girl who Elaina was fond of. What a nice thought it was, but it was time for Elaina to wake up. There was no magic vial. Sophia was dead. Nobody knew enough about the virus to bring it to an end.

Then, something flashed in Elaina's mind.

Immunity.

Imagine if every person she knew became immune to the virus? One simple injection, or vaccination, and the body built up protection to whatever thing entered the body once you were bitten.

She imagined herself in a lab coat, administering little doses to children and mothers and fathers across communities, and a new generation of survivors born with natural immune abilities. As Elaina thought of the possibilities, Sophia's beady eyes kept flashing in her mind.

You couldn't save her, her brain reminded her.

Elaina frowned, looking up at the sky. Was Sophia up there? In the clouds? Hidden from harm? She thought about their conversation on the Highway about clouds. Maybe Sophia was up there? Amongst them? She didn't know what to believe. All she knew was that she missed Sophia. She missed having someone who understood. Even though they were both kids, Elaina felt as far away from Carl as humanly possible. As showcased from their most recent conversation, they didn't understand one another. Elaina was fine about that. Except, her mind did think about how things would've been easier if Sophia was around. Then, the distance between her and Carl wouldn't have felt so big.

"Hi, Laina," a familiar voice said to her. She looked up to see Wayne looking down at her with a gentle look in his eyes. It took Elaina all the strength she could muster just to give him a half smile.

"We are holding a service for Sophia soon," he said, sitting down beside her. "Say goodbye, properly, you know?"

Elaina nodded. "I think everyone would want that."