Spider Monkey

Chapter Seventy - Two - Flames Of You And Me

Negan and his men were soon inside Alexandria's walls.

"Well, shit. Solar panels? We coulda used those." Negan was swinging his bat around, not caring about the flames that were growing bigger and bigger around them. "That convoy, they got away, huh? All of 'em? The kid still gotta be here. I think he wanted to go down with the ship. Search the place. Find him, tie him up. Don't kill him. Blow up every other house. I'm gonna go to Rick's, make a little spaghetti. When he shows up, send him my way."

Meanwhile, Hedley noticed that Carl was getting heavier, sloppier. Carl did manage to set off the smoke bombs though, making the two blend into the fog.

"We have to go into the sewers." Carl whispered to Hedley, barely audible.

He was losing a lot of blood.

"Sewers. Sewers." Hedley repeated the word on his tongue then proceeded to drag Carl along.

Another explosion occurred and Hedley stumbled as the ground shook but he refused to fall. Carl reached into his bag to take out another smoke bomb, using his teeth to take out the pin before dropping it behind them. His leg was burning as if it was a log on the fire, his foot numb and his vision blurring at the corners.

Hedley paused, needing a new grip on Carl. He proceeded to swing the boy around and onto his back, grabbing hold on his legs while Carl wrapped his arms around his neck. Hedley now had the balance to run.

The gunshot wound pulsed with pain as Hedley ran but Carl made sure to stifle his screams by biting his lower lip, burying his head into his boyfriend's shoulder.

When Hedley stopped, Carl looked up and saw two men - Negan's men - their guns on them.

"On the ground!"

"Give us the Grimes kid!"

Carl quickly took out a smoke bomb, activated it and soon he and Hedley disappeared into the fog.

They made it to the sewer drain and Hedley jumped into it, the landing making Carl yell out as his wound contracted. Hedley covered the drain.

"Go left." Carl spoke through his teeth, his forehead crinkled with pain, "T-The others should be there."

Hedley nodded and with Carl on his back, he went left and journeyed on through the tunnels in the dark.

Candle light greeted them soon though and they met up with a group of their people. Those in it included Rick, Michonne, Daryl, Carol and Judith. Rick and Michonne ran up to them, seeing Carl hurt. They placed Carl on the ground next to the light and started to inspect the gunshot wound.

Daryl, with Judith on his hip, hugged his son. "Don't ever run off like that again." The archer muffled into Hedley's neck.

"I-I'm sorry for scaring you, Dad."

"Hedley!" Judith cheered and it made Hedley smile, collecting her so he could cradle her to his chest.

"Does anyone have any medical supplies?" Michonne called to the group, desperate.

Rick had managed to take off Carl's jeans and with the wound exposed, it wept with a new round of thick blood. Rick quickly covered it with a strip of his own shirt, pressing down on the wound hard. Carl cried out.

"There's no exit wound, no bullet." Rick said, "Must've popped out at some point."

Hedley gave Judith to his dad before going over, reaching out to grab Carl's hand. He kissed Carl's head and saw the blood drip down his thigh.