End of the World - The Walking Dead

Chapter Four

                                      ℳ𝓎 ℱ𝒶𝓊𝓁𝓉

                  《 "𝘿𝙞𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙢𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙮?."》

I woke really early. It was only 4am. Carl was asleep next to me. I smiled at him, then wrote a note.
"Sorry 4 falling asleep, see u l8r." Was what it read. It was a sticky note, so I put it on his forehead.
I climbed out his window and ran to my house.
Luckily, no one noticed my absence all that much. Dad had to go back out, so Bella was at Deanna's. Ron would've been the only possibility.
I crawled into my room. Nash slept on the bed. "Shit." I said. I poured food in his bowl before crawling in bed.
It was 10 when I woke up again. I walked down to the kitchen. Dad had left a note the day before. "Just in case I don't make it back, I love you and Bella so much. I'll turn my radio on at 8:30 every morning and every night, just in case you want to talk. I won't be too far " It read. I took it and put it in the drawer with the other notes that were always very similar.
I walked outside with Nash.
I did a check in at the infirmary. Everything was healing nicely.
Apparently, Deanna was having a party, so I went to her place to help set up.
I helped set drinks up. "You know.. that Carl boy's pretty cute." She told me. I giggled. "You interested?"
"What- no. No. No." I said.
"Aaron was telling me about how the two of you were dancing in the rain together. You can't tell me that wasn't romantic."
"It was just fun." I said.
"Deny, deny, deny." She said.
I rolled my eyes. Bella played with Nash as we finished setting things up, then Carol came by with cookies.
People started to show up. Rick, Judith, Carl came in. I waved toward them.
Then Rosita and Abraham. They stood awkwardly. Abraham went straight for the alcohol.
Things seemed so normal. Ron and his family showed up too. I smiled at him and waved. He walked over to me.
"Hey." He said, sitting down.
"Hi." I replied. He wrapped his arm around me as I took a sip of my drink.
"You okay?" He asked.
"Yeah. I just missed talk time with Dad this morning." I said.
"Oh." He replied.
I put my head on his shoulder. "Hey, I'm gonna go say hi to Carl and Mikey, okay?"
"Yeah." I responded. He walked away. I looked at the time. 8:15.
I walked out of the house and back to mine, and pulled out a walkie talkie.
I waited until 8:30.
"Hello?" I said into it. "Dad?"
Nothing. I tried again.
I tried until 9 o'clock.
Nothing. I shut the walkie talkie and went back to the party. He must've forgotten.
I walked back inside to the party. Ron pointed at me and made a movement to come over.
I walked over to them. "Hey, Monica wanted to talk to you." He said. I nodded. Monica was Sam's mom.
I walked toward her. "Hey, Ron said you wanted to talk to me?" I asked.
"Yeah." She said. She stood up. "I just wanted to tell you.." She grabbed my face. "You're a fucking monster."
I was rendered speechless.
"You killed my son. You killed my Goddamn son!" She yelled.
Eyes turned toward us. "I, uh, I'm sorry." I said. "But.. he told me to run."
She smacked me. I stumbled back in shock, falling over. "You bitch! You're just like your Goddamn mother!" She yelled. Rick ran to my side and Carl and Ron pulled me away.
"Look, calm down." Rick said.
"Don't tell me to calm down! That bitch killed my son! My Goddamn son! I don't even have a body to bury." She continued.
Michonne stepped in as well as Rosita. "Hey, come on. Let's go." Ron whispered into my ear. I was still on the floor.
"I hate you! I hate you so much! And I pray to God you feel this pain in your life time. I pray to God you feel the guilt of killing my Sam!"
Ron tried to pull me up, but I couldn't move. I was seeing Sam's death on repeat. Instead, I covered my ears. Ron pulled my head to his chest and covered my other hand.
I shut my eyes as tightly as possible.
I could barely hear her, but I still could. "My son!" I heard. "My baby boy."
It stopped. After a minute or two, I opened my eyes and pulled away from Ron. I looked over at her.
"It's because he shot you. He made a mistake and you killed him for it! You left him! You abandoned him!" I covered my ears again, going back to Ron's chest.
"Let's go." He said. Carl and Ron managed to get me up, and they walked me out.
I uncovered my ears and walked across the street. I sat on the sidewalk and put my head in my hands. I heard her screams bouncing around in my brain, as if she was still there. Carl and Ron sat next to me.
After what felt like hours, Michonne walked out and squatted in front of me. "We're gonna take you home, and get you changed, and maybe make you something to eat, and make you forget all about this, okay?" She asked. I nodded silently.
She wiped tears from my face. I hadn't even realized I started to cry.
"Ron, your mom wanted to see you." She said. He looked at me then stood up and walked in.
"Let's go." Carl said.
He wrapped his arm around me and helped me up. "I ruined this, didn't I?" I asked as we walked.
"No." Michonne and Carl said in unison.
"You didn't do anything. Monica.. she's just upset." Michonne said. "But that doesn't excuse her behavior. She shouldn't have hit you."
We walked through the front door to the empty house. Not including Nash.
Carl sat down with me on the couch. "I'll go fix you something." Michonne said.
I nodded once. "It wasn't your fault." Carl said. "She was just looking for someone to blame, and her eyes fell on the only person there."
I touched my cheek. "Does it sting?" He asked. I shook my head. "Hey, do you want to go change?"
"Yeah." I said. "Yeah, I'll be right back."
      I walked up the stairs and changed into one of my dad's t-shirts and a pair of shorts, rhen walked back down.
      Michonne gave me a plate of food. After I ate it, she walked me up the stairs. "You go to sleep, okay?" She asked. I nodded.
      I crawled into bed and fell asleep.
      That night was a repeat of the other nights. The same horrifying dreams.
      I woke up at 8:00. I immediately got out of bed and got ready, running down the stairs and grabbing the walkie talkie.
      I waited until 8:30, and then turned it on. "Hello?" I asked into it. "Dad?"
      Nothing again. Nothing. I waited until 9:30 this time. Still nothing.
      I shut the walkie off and put my head in my hands.
      I sat up and walked to Rick's. I banged on the door. "Carl! Carl Grimes!" I yelled. Silence. "Oh dear God. Why does no one know how to fricken respond." I muttered to myself. "Carl. Grimes!" I yelled.
      I walked off the porch and threw a rock at his window. "Carl!" I yelled again.
      It finally opened. "What?" He yelled down.
      "Get down here!" I yelled.
      "What?" He yelled back.
      "Come here!"
      "Okay!"
      He shut the window. It took him 25 minutes to walk down the damn stairs.
      "Let's go!" I yelled again.
      He opened the door and walked onto the porch. "What?" He asked.
      "Come on." I said. "I wanna take you somewhere." I said.
"Jesus- do I need anything?"
"Nope." I replied.
"All right, where are we going?" He asked.
"You'll see, pretty boy."
"Did you just call me pretty?"
"Yes?"
I heard his smile as he spoke. "You think I'm pretty."
Without looking back at him, I said. "Wipe that smile off your face. I was using an expression, sheriff."
We walked down the road and toward the fence. "We aren't going over, are we?" He asked.
"Yes. Yes, we are." I said.
"I'm not going out there without a gun." He said.
"I have a gun." I replied.
"No, Charlie." He said. "Let's do something in here. Like, literally anything but go out there."
I groaned, then smiled. "Roller skate. I found these roller skates at that store I was talking about. I have, like, no clue if they'll fit you, but we could try."
"Perfect." He said. I grabbed his hand and pulled him toward my house.
Once we got there, I ran inside.
"Hey, are you okay?" He asked. I nodded.
I pulled the roller skates out and tossed a pair to him. "All right, come on." I said.
I sat down on the stairs to the porch and put mine on. Carl just stared at me. "You're not okay." He said.
"What do you mean? Of course I am." I said. "Damn. They're too big." I said. I took them off and put my shoes back on. "We could find something else to do."
"How about we just.. hang out?" He asked. I looked at him and nodded.
"All right." I said.
"Come on." He said. "Maybe Valerie's around. Or Ron, or literally anyone."
I nodded.
We walked for awhile. Just circling. "So, Lizzie, she believed they were still human?" I asked.
"Yeah." He said.
"She's insane." I said.
"Yeah." He replied. "So, have you heard from your Dad?"
"No." I replied. "I'm getting kind of worried. He never misses talk time."
"I'm sure he's okay." He said. "Probably just broke the walkie or something."
I nodded. "Probably." I said. "Hey, can I stay at your place tonight? I just.. kinda really hate going home to such an empty house."
"Sure." He replied. I smiled.
"Thanks." I said.
We went back to his place. I walkied Valerie and asked her to check on Nash before it got too late.
Glenn walked in as we sat at the table. "Noah's dead." He said.
I immediately stood up and walked out of the house.
I took a walk around the block. On my second lap, anger took hold.
I kicked the curb. Letting it all out. I felt like a disaster. I ended up sitting down. Gone. They were all gone. The world was a lost cause.
After awhile, I went back. I silently walked up the stairs and into Carl's room, where he sat on the bed.
I swallowed my tears. "I, uh, I really hate this world." I said. He looked up. I walked toward him and sat next to him.
He grabbed my hand. "We'll get through this." He said.
"I know we will." I said.
I smiled softly at him and squeezed his hand. I laid back on the bed.
A little while later, I heard Carl snore. But I wouldn't go to sleep. I refused to. I didn't want to see what I knew I would.
The next morning I left. I decided to hop the fence again after grabbing my bag. I walked through the woods and into a valley.
There were wildflowers, just how I planned there to be. I picked 5 bouquets and a singular flower for myself. I threw them in the back carefully.
I continued walking. I was aware of the presence following me. I knew exactly who it was. I turned a few sharp turns behind trees, hills, trying to lose him.
I failed. Instead, I spoke out to him.
"Carl." I said. "I know you're following me. Again." He moved away from me. He couldn't see me. "You're going the wrong way."
"You knew?" He asked.
"You're very loud." I said. He stepped on a twig. "Can you go back?" I asked.
"You shouldn't sneak out by yourself. Two people just died." He said. I walked out toward him.
"Oh, come on." I said, walking toward him. "People always die. You know that."
"We should go back." He said.
"Why?"
"What do you do out here anyways?" He asked.
"Same thing as you." I said. I took off running. I heard him run after me.
I ran through the trees, letting out a laugh as he caught up with me.
I abruptly stopped when I heard a walker. I watched it for a second before running the other way.
After a little while, I took my bag off and sat against a log. Carl sat next to me. "We're supposed to be out here." I told him. "Supposed to feel like this. I don't want to forget." I paused. "And running makes me feel better. I told you. I don't like to be stagnant."
"I can't forget." He said. "I dream about it. Being in the forest with them."
"I do too." I said. I stared off.
"Ron's a good guy." He said.
"He is." I said.
"Does he know you come out here?"
"No, he wouldn't understand."
"So, did your Dad reach out?"
"Didn't try." I said, pulling a knife out. I started to carve into a fallen tree.
"Cool knife." He said.
"It was my mom's."
"What happened to her?" He asked.
"Does it matter?"
"It does. I know. You know, I lost my mom, too."
I heard a walker snarl. I shot up.
"We need to go. Sound's like a lot." He said.
I grabbed my bag and went into a hollow tree. Carl followed me.
Our faces were inches apart. "They've taken over." I whispered. "It's their world now, and we're just living in it."
I watched as they walked by, then looked back at him.
He touched my hand lightly, then pulled away. I leaned forward slightly before he turned his head. "Cool. I intimidate you a little bit." I whispered.
He rolled his eyes.
"I wonder what caused all of this." I said.
"Who knows." He replied.
"Someone. Someone out there knows."
"Probably."
I stared at him. "You have blue eyes." I said.
"Yeah." He said. I shut my eyes.
"What color are mine?" I asked. He laughed.
"Green. Sometimes blue, sometimes gray, depending on what's around you." He said. I opened them. "Right now, they're green. With little gold flecks in them."
I smiled at him. "We should head back." I said. He nodded.
We walked back together.
We snuck back over the fence.
A few minutes later, I heard glass shatter. I looked at Carl and we ran toward it.
Rick was on top of Pete, Ron's dad. Blood dripped down his head.
I watched as Pete rolled him over and started to choke him. I grabbed Carl to make sure he wouldn't do something stupid.
I watched as Jessie tried to get Pete off of him. He hit her in the face, which made her fall over. I gasped, covering my mouth.
Rick was able to get back on top. Carl ran for him. "Dad, get off!" He yelled. He was knocked back.
The two men brawled.
"Stop it. Stop it right now." Deanna said.
"Touch them again, and I'll kill you." Rick said.
"Dammit, Rick! I said stop!" Deanna yelled.
"Or what?" He asked, raising his gun. He pointed it at Deanna's husband. "You gonna kick me out?"
"Put the gun down, Rick." She said.
"You still don't get it." He said, lowering his gun. "None of you do!" I flinched slightly as the gun was thrown near me. "We know what needs to be done and we do it. We're the ones who live. You, you just sit and plan and hesitate. You pretend like you know when you don't. You wish things weren't what they are. Well, you want to live? You want this place to stay standing? Your way of doing things is done. Things don't get better because you want them to. Starting right now, we have to live in the real world. We have to control who lives here."
"That's never been more clear to me than it is right now." Deanna said.
"Me? Me? You- you mean me?" He asked. "Your way is gonna destroy this place. It's gonna get people killed. It's already gotten people killed. And I'm not gonna stand by and just let it happen. If you don't fight, you die. I'm not gonna stand by-" Michonne hit him over the head, knocking him to the ground.
Glenn and Abraham helped take him inside his house. Carl followed them. I stood over Pete. "Asshole." I mumbled.
I headed for Rick's house. "Charlie." Valerie said.
"Yea?" I replied.
Carl stopped. "Your dad came back." She said. I smiled. "He was bit."
I stared at her.
"They amputated his leg, but he's still unconscious, and we don't know if it spread or not, or if we were quick enough."
"When will he wake up?" I asked.
"We don't know." She replied. I nodded. "I'm sorry." She hugged me. When she let go, I smiled softly at her before following Carl inside.
"You okay?" He asked. I nodded. I walked into the kitchen and pulled out mason jars. I put some water in them and threw a bouquet of flowers in each.
"Those are pretty. Who are they for?" Carol asked.
"These ones are for Glenn and Maggie. I figured, maybe, that they'd.. I don't know. Just.. with Noah." I said. She nodded.
"I'll give them to them." She said. "And the others?"
"Deanna and her family, you.. Monica." I said.
"Be careful." She said. "Hey, who are the last ones for?"
I smiled. "My mother." I said.
She smiled back at me. "You're a good girl, Charlie." She said.
"Thanks." I said. I took the other two jars full of flowers and then carried the ones intended for my mother.
I stopped at Deanna's first. I knocked on the door.
She opened it. "Oh, Charlie." She said.
"I, uh, brought flowers." I said.
"Oh, thank you." She said. "Would you like to come in?"
"I can't." I said. "But I'll see you soon."
She took them from me. "All right, dear. Bye." She said. I walked down the stairs.
Next was Monica.
The door opened. "What are you doing here?" She asked. I held up the flowers.
She took them from my hand. "I'm really sorry." I said.
She glared at me. "'Sorry' and flowers won't make up for my son's death." She said. She slammed the door in my face.
I stared at it blankly, before turning away and walking off.
I walked toward our cemetery.
I stopped in front of the name "Kiara Hills."
Born 1975, died 2010.
I set the flowers in front. "Hey, Mom. I'm sorry I haven't visited yet." I said. "I just saw these and thought of you." I stood up and walked away.

The next day, I woke up to Valerie banging on my door. I was on the couch. I got up and opened it. "Your dad's awake." She said. "Come on."
I threw on a pair of shoes and we ran.
I ran in. "There she is." He said. I smiled and hugged him. "Hey, guess what."
"What?" I asked.
"I found it." He said.
"Found.. it?" I asked.
"The jackpot, baby." He said.
"What are you talking about?"
"I found a bar." He said. "Oh, and I also, found you a birthday gift. It's in my bag."
For a man that had just lost his leg, he didn't care. "What happened?" I asked.
"We'll talk about it later. Look in the front pocket of my bag." He replied.
I dug the front pocket. I heard the clang of alcohol bottles inside, but I didn't look. I didn't want to know.
I pulled out a smaller stuffed animal. A cow.
"You like it?" He asked. I smiled softly.
"Yeah. It's perfect." I said. He smiled.
"Good." He said. "Now, I'm going to use up this rest time. Say hi to the new people for me."
I nodded. Valerie and I walked out. I looked at the stuffed animal. "That things kinda cute." She said. I nodded. "Hey, uh, you know, I don't think-"
"It doesn't matter." I said. "Whether or not he is. It doesn't matter."
She nodded. I walked to the Grimes'. Carl sat on the front porch. "How is he?" He asked. He looked at the stuffed animal in my hand. "What is that?"
"A gift." I said, blandly. "He's fine."
I looked at the gift. "You seem off." He said. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah." I said. "How's your dad?"
"He's unconscious." He said. I nodded.
"Hey! You just gonna make her stand there or are you gonna invite her inside?" Carol called out.
He laughed a little. "Come on." He said. We walked inside.