forever and always ///// Carl Grimes

17. Family

Chapter 17
Through the eyes of Anne

Slowly walking the familiar halls of the prison with Beth and Charlie, we talk about the normal things that teenage girls would usually talk about, if the world hadn't gone to shit. This newly sprung conversation helps me completly forget about our predicament. It was nice not having to think about the dead. Just being kids for a while.

Charlie is still growing and getting bigger and bigger by the day, his weight slightly makes my wrists hurt but I brush off the pain swapping him to my other hip. I haven't seen Charlie in a long time and am trying to spend all my time with him making up for the time I was absent.

Beth and I make it to the door and for the first time in ages I will be going outside. The bright light hits my face and the georgian heat making me sweat. I see carol, Glenn, Maggie, hershel and Daryl talking in the feild. Their conversation is interupted by the obnoxious squeak of the door. That can be heard from where they are.

They take a moment to process what they are seeing leaving us in a moment of silence, which inevitably makes me think that they are mad at me. I mean, I was selfish and left them with a baby in an apocalypse, not even thinking about if they could handle it. They probaly want me to leave, maybe their thinking of how to tell me without me crying. Before I could get another worrying thought out I am interupted by Glenn running, running up to me. He doesn't stop until he makes it and wraps his arms around me.

"I thought you were going to leave us" he whispered in my ears. I know I cry a lot nowadays but I can't help it. Glenn is always there for me. We hug tightly eventually being joined by Maggie. She joins our hug making us like a family. Full of love and happiness, giving us a moment to forget about the world, time freezes. We hug it eventually stopping while Maggie quietly makes me promise to never make them worry like that again.

I'm glad they didn't make a big deal about it and just welcome me back like nothing had happened.

These guys are my true family

------------------------

During dinner I found out that the govener has already attached us once thankfully failing. Someone had told him and he has found out where the prison was located. This makes me stop, what else had I missed while I was MIA. We now need to secure the prison even more using many security measures. It was honestly a rather sad topic but I couldn't help but feel happy that we were all together again. We now have people in the gaurd tower at all times. Carl and I are partners, watching over the prison together. Our first watch starts in two days on a continuous cycle.

-----------------------

As I was putting Charlie to bed Glenn came and knocked on my cell door. "Hey Anne, how are you doing?" " I'm fine" I say slightly avoiding the truth. Glenn study's the features on my face sending that something was wrong and he gives me a look as if he knows that I was slightly lying. Eventually I break under his stare giving him the truth. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to it it's just that I couldnt stop thinking about what he did to me and-and it all just came crashing down" I blurt out speaking very fast.

By now I was fiddling with the little butterfly charm on my necklace which is a thing I did when nevous. "I didn't mean to go that far just hurt myself a little so that I could control the pain and.." I stopped talking, I couldn't talk anymore.

Glenn looks at me for a few moments and then hugs me again. "It's all over now." He says and those 4 words make me feel so much better until he says " I love you" I couldn't be happier. Glenn has a special place in my heart and is a father like figure to me and it heats my heart knowing that he thinks of me like a daughter.

I think we might be able to make it in this world. Just maybe