End of the World - The Walking Dead

Chapter 8

                             
                                  𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝒦𝒾𝓃𝑔𝒹𝑜𝓂
        

                《𝙄'𝙢 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡 𝙨𝙤𝙧𝙧𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮'𝙧𝙚 𝙜𝙤𝙣𝙚.》

        I was worried about Carl. I knew he didn't go home. I knew he was in danger. I knew Negan would kill him in a heartbeat. I knew I wouldn't know what to do if he did. If he died.
       I knew I'd miss him. I'd miss his voice and his stupid hat. His soft touch. Him.
       I'd miss dancing in the rain, and doing things teenagers normally did. He was the only one who'd do them with me.
       If Carl died, I'd have one person left to live for. Bella.
       And when she went, I'd continue to live. Because it was too cowardly to kill myself. Too cowardly to end it all because I was scared of being alone.
       I couldn't sacrifice myself to walkers either. That'd be the same thing as killing myself.
       I knew I'd feel guilty for not being there. For letting him go alone.
       I didn't sleep that night.
The next morning, I made breakfast and took a walk around the Hilltop.
        After looking around, I made lunch.
        Sasha walked in. "Is that an apple pie?" Maggie asked. I looked to see her holding something with a towel over it.
       She took the towel off. "How did you do that?" Sasha asked.
       "I could smell it from outside the door." She said, taking it.
       I laughed. "Did you bake it?" I asked.
       "Some guy gave it to us for what we did." She replied. "His little girl said that you should run for president of Hilltop."
       I giggled. "Maggie for President." I said.
       Maggie dug into the pie. "Oh, do you want a plate?" I asked her.
       "No, I'm good." She replied. "Did Jesus give you those?" She asked Sasha, who was holding two knives. "Is he still around? There's some things I wanna add to his list before he goes out. The kids need something to write with. Pens, pencils."
       "Are you already president?" I asked. She chuckled.
       "I've just been talking to people." She said.
       "Jesus left this morning." Sasha said. "He told me to tell you, but I forgot."
       "Okay, next time." She said. "I'm gonna get some milk."
       "Let me." Sasha said.
       "No, I'm good." She walked out the door,
       I looked at Sasha. "What?" She asked.
       "You're lying to Maggie about Jesus." I said.
       "What makes you say that?" She asked.
       "A girl in the house. She told me about everyone. Said Jesus is a runner and that he left yesterday, not this morning."
       "It's for her own good."
       "Why?"
       "Because I need to do something, and she'll want to help me."
"You want to kill Negan." She said nothing. "What if you had help?"
"If we had help - a lot of people - then I wouldn't be afraid to tell her because she'd know it wasn't on her to do it. But if it's just me-"
"It isn't just you. You and Maggie aren't the only ones who want to kill that bastard. There's-"
"No, Charlie. That's not happening. And if you care about her, you don't say anything about this. We have to keep her safe. You have to keep her safe."
"It isn't just you."
She walked away. "It sure looks like it."
She walked out of the house.
To be entirely honest, I wish I had gone with Carl. To be there, and make sure he was safe.
        I didn't know exactly what he was getting in to, but I could see sick things. Things Negan would do to him.
        I could imagine his screams. I winced slightly when I imagined his face. His pretty face. His long hair clinging to his head and his neck, wet and covered in blood.
       I imagined Daryl watching it happen, then trying to do something about it and meeting the same fate.

       "Charlie!" Maggie yelled. I ran out of the trailer.
       "Maggie?" I called out. I ran toward the gate.
       When I reached the clearing, I saw Jesus. Jesus and Daryl.
        "Holy shit." I said. I ran down to the gate and ran into his arms.
        "Kid." He said. "Hey."
        "Holy shit. You're alive." I said. "You look like shit, but you're alive."
        "Thanks." He said.
        I looked at both of them. "Carl?" I mouthed.
        "Kid's fine. I think. He made it. Killed 2 of Negan's men though." Daryl said. "Think he said they were going to Alexandria."
        I nodded and smiled. "God, I thought you were dead." I said.
        "Can't kill a Dixon that easily. Come on." He said. We walked up the road with the others.
        We caught up. He said they gave him a newfound hatred of the song Easy Street. He ate what he assumed was dog food, worked with Walkers, and met a woman who gave him the key to get out.
       He found my mothers knife.
       I rested a little better that night. And that morning, I was met with another surprise.
       I ran down toward the gate.
       I saw Rick and Daryl hugging. I saw Michonne. I saw Enid and Carl. I ran down to them and hugged Carl. "Thank God." I whispered. "You're okay."
       He smiled at me. I hugged Enid next. "Hey, Charlie." She said. "There's something we have to tell you."
       I looked at Carl, then her again. "What is it?" I asked.
       "Spencer and Olivia. Negan killed them. He took Eugene, too." Carl said.
       I nodded once and looked at the ground. "Well, I think we'll just have to make sure they don't die in vain. Except for Spencer. Fucking hated Spencer." I said.
       Carl smiled at me. "Yeah. We'll make sure." He said.
       I smiled and hugged the others. Tara, Rosita, Rick, Michonne, then we walked up the hill and to the house.
       Carl took my hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.