Mercedes Warren was only thirteen when the world ended. The only people she had left was her dad and her teenaged neighbor, Ross. Together the three found people held up in a quarry outside Atlanta. Every since then they've survived together and soo...
A sickness has taken over more than half of the prison. A very deadly sickness. Mercedes and Carl's friend Patrick was the first to get sick. No one knew about it until the boy died and turned into a walker and well that was what all the shooting was about.
Even now, a few day later people continue to get sick. The council made the decision to have the people who were most at threat by the new flu going around to stay in the admin building. It was the kids mainly and a few old people.
Mercedes and Carl walked the halls quietly. There was nothing else to do besides read or draw. Keeping an eye out for danger was way more fun then sitting around doing either of those things.
Down the hall ahead of the two Hershel walked out of the office he had taken over. He made his way towards the exit.
"Where are you going?" Carl asked and Hershel stopped and looked over at the two.
"I'm down here away from y'all 'cause you kids are supposed to stay away from me." Hershel told the two.
Carl and Mercedes walked a little closer to him. "We've been walking the halls." Mercedes informed, nodding over at Carl.
"My dad told us to look out for everyone." Carl added.
Hershel hels his hand up. "Well, you should keep your distance."
The two young teenagers stopped a few feet away from the old man. "You're walking towards the exit." Carl pointed out.
"I need to go out there." Hershel responded.
Mercedes tilted her head. "To the cellblocks?" She asked, raising her eyebrows.
"To the woods." Hershel answered with a slight nod of his head.
"So you're sneaking out?" Carl said, nodding his head.
"Don't need anyone worrying about me and I damn sure don't want someone telling me I can't go." Hershel told the two.
"We can't just let you go out into the woods by yourself." Carl stressed a little.
Hershel tilted his head. "Let me?"
Mercedes crossed her arms and Carl sighed. "We can't stop you. But I have to tell my dad." Carl told him.
"Go ahead, then. I'll be out there by the time you find him." Hershel said and walked away.
Carl and Mercedes followed him. "Hershel." Carl said and the man looked back at them.
"If you're going, So are we." Mercedes said determined to not let Hershel go out in the woods by himself.
"Mercedes." Hershel warned getting impatient.
"We have to." Carl stressed narrowing his eyes a little.
Hershel finally gave in realizing that they could stand there all day arguing about it and lose the daylight or they could hurry up and leave so they can get back before anyone notices they left.
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Carl and Mercedes stood a few feet from each other both facing opposite ways with their guns drawn watching for walkers, while Hershel collected the berries he needed.
"When did your dad give it back?" Hershel asked Carl. Rick and Carl went through this little phase where Rick didn't carry a gun and didn't allow Carl to either. But things are different since the 'flu' outbreak.
"Yesterday." Carl said, glancing over his shoulder. "After everything happened."
"The both of you have grown a lot these last few months. There's a responsibility about you." Hershel spoke picking more berries. "I think it's done you good, Carl to step back."
Carl nodded. "Yeah. It was alright. Can't be like that all the time."
"I would've been fine on my own. It's peaceful out here." Hershel said looking at the sky through the tops of the trees.
Mercedes nodded watching as a butterfly flew around by a bush. "Yeah. It is." She softly mumbled tilting her head.
"These last couple days, we might be safer outside those walls than in." Hershel said, looking around.
Carl spotted something. "No, we're not." He gestured towards a tent with his gun.
He and Mercedes slowly headed over to it with Hershel right behind them.
A walker's growled causes the three to look over towards a tree. Walking closer to it they see a walker that is layed against the tree. Nature had taken over and it's like the walker is now part of the tree.
The walker turns its head in the three's direction. It snarls, the only thought in it's undead mind is tearing into some flesh. Like a predictor animal in the wild would a defenseless rabit or some other small critter.
"Let's wrap this up." Hershel said, holding his bag of berries over his shoulder.
The two teens looked at him but their attention is torn away from Hershel when they hear a rattling sound. Both of their guns point in the direction and soon a female walker walked out from behind a tree.
She's moving slower then a normal walker would, due to the trap that is clamped around one of her legs.
Carl stepped froward and got ready to shoot it. "Don't." Hershel told him and the boy looks back at him. "You don't need to."
Carl lowered his gun and Mercedes slowly did the same. The three then headed back to the prison.
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As soon as Carl and Mercedes entered the admin building Ross ran over to the two. He stared down at Mercedes and crossed his arms. "Where the hell have you two been?" He asked mainly directed at Mercedes.
"We went and help Hershel with some things. It's no big deal." Mercedes shrugged blowing a strand of her hair out of her face.
Ross shook his head. "You didn't think to tell me? Jesse told me I had to watch you. It's kinda hard to do that when I have no idea where you're at."
Mercedes sighed and looked over at Carl. She nodded for him to go on, she'd catch up. Carl nodded before leaving the two to argue or whatever Ross was gonna do.
"I don't need a babysitter, Ross." The girl said crossing her arms.
The older boy nodded, licking his lips. "I agree. Totally. But--"
"Dad put you in charge, yeah, yeah." Mercedes rolled her eyes, shrugging her shoulders. "I'm sorry, I guess."
Ross sighed nodding his head. "Yeah. I guess I should probably tell you he left." He told her.
"Left?" Mercedes asked tilting her head. "Where did he go?"
Ross uncrossed his arms. "Out with Rick and Carol. He didn't say when he'd be back."
The girl nodded "I guess I'll just see him when they get back." She said and Ross put one of his arms on her shoulder.
"C'mon. I made a can of skettio's for the other kids. There's some left for you and Carl." He told her and the two head off towards the room down the hall.
