Three against the world

22

He was beaten up pretty badly, setting the flashlight down so I could work properly. I pulled out the first aid kit and worked on his face first, a broken nose and a few cuts needed stitches. For the most part, he was fine, so I moved to his stomach, there just above his right hip was a scratch, it was too small to be from a knife at close range and just deep enough that it drew a fair bit of blood.

The hot tears escaped down my cheeks, and slowly I dropped to sit on the floor completely. The first thing I thought about was Rick, he wouldn't be here to say goodbye. I let grief consume me for five minutes before I checked to see if he had a fever, he didn't yet.

The rest of the night I sat with my back against the wall, my knife in hand. I don't think I have it in me to put him down. If only our walkies would work this far out a moan snapped me out of my trance. And the waterworks hit again, he didn't move to get up just his hand twitched. I readied my knife over his forehead, just as the first rays of sunlight peeked through the window

"I'm sorry"

Rick pov

She should have been back by now "she probably found a safe place to camp for the night" Michonne came out of nowhere. Like always "you need sleep, I'll take your watch" I went to speak but she beat me to it "I'll call you the second I see them" she healed up her walkie I just nodded and went to the room I set up, it was actually Daryl's idea to have our room in the warden's office.

"We should have our room off to the side" I looked up from the crops I was planting to see Daryl covered in deer blood "there's really nowhere else" we had a cell off to the back, one of us was always on the watch so it was just two of us sleeping in it at a time "wardens office, Carl and Lil ass kicker can have the room little ways down"

It was a good idea but I didn't like being that far away from everyone else "it'd make 'her more comfortable" he did have a point, y/n wasn't one to talk about her sex life, she wasn't too keen on people hearing her "I'll check it out"

The bed was big enough for the three of us but now it was too big. Judith slept in the crib Daryl built beside our bed. so Carl could have the night off and get some decent hours. Sleep wasn't going to happen but there wasn't much I could do in the dark besides taking a watch and I didn't feel like arguing with Michonne, she scares me. So I was left here thinking about life before the dead started walking.

The sound of the door slowly opening pulled me from my mind, and the bed dipped beside me it couldn't have been them, Michonne would have said something "there alive'' it was Carl, it had been a while since he's crawled into our bed "they're tough, they'll pull thru anything" I didn't know if I was talking to Carl or myself. All I knew is that the words needed to be said.

The both of us just lay there in comfortable silence, "do you think I'll find mine?" I felt my heart breaking, I already told him about Sophia, it was hard enough before the world ended but now? Nearly impossible "it's not impossible, but you can't just wait around" he held up his wrist, the soft light from the lantern he lit lightly lit the turtle mark "I know, I just... I just want to protect them like I couldn't Sophia" my heart completely shattered.

"It wasn't our fault, it was no one's. We can't protect everyone in this world" the moon shined through the small wino and i traces the cracks in the ceiling with my eyes ''I can try'' i chuckled softly "Don't lose yourself in the process" I wasn't good with these types of talks, he always went to y/n when he thought these things, it was a time like this that I wish I was there for him more "she came back to us with one foot in the grave before, she won't let anything stop her from getting back to us"

"I thought I was supposed to be comforting you" he turned to face me instead of looking at the ceiling "you need comforting too, you don't have to be strong all the time" I pulled Carl in for a hug and we stayed like that until we fell asleep.