Sweet and Salty ~ Carl Grimes

Bells - 019

That night was awful. Carol sobbed herself to sleep in the bed of the RV, Brooks and Carl had shared the sofa, but neither of them could sleep. Both worried about their friends. Daryl and Merle had taken turns walking the perimeter of the forest, shining their torches in. Give the kids something to look at, in case they were wandering in the dark. Nobody really slept, mostly because everyone was worried about Sophia and Chris, T-dog also had a really painful arm injury. 

As soon as the sun was up, Brooks was shouting at everyone to wake up. She didn't care that it was half passed five in the morning, she didn't change from wearing the shirt that she had matching with Sophia. In fact, she refused to change it until they found Sophia, so, she knew it wouldn't be long.

Rick rolled out the weapons onto the hood of a car. "Everybody takes a weapon."

Brooks and Carl reached, but Merle had been standing between them. He grabbed each of their little wrists and pulled them back. "Not the two of you."

"Awh." Brooks and Carl said in sync, before glaring at each other. Both thinking how much audacity the other had to say the same thing that they said.

"These aren't the kind of weapons we need." Andrea argued, noticing there were no guns. "What about the guns?"

"We've been over this." Shane pointed out. "Daryl, Merle, Rick and I are carrying. Can't have people popping off rounds every time they hear a tree rustle."

"It's not the trees I'm worried about." Andrea raised her eyebrows.

"Say somebody fires at the wrong moment. A herd happens to be passing by. See, then it's game over for all of us. So, you need to get over it." Shane bitterly responded.

"But, I can shoot." Brooks argued. "Bet I'm better than you, Walsh."

Shane scoffed. "In your dreams, Dixon."

"The idea is to take the creek up about five miles, turn around take it back the other side." Daryl announced, changing the subject. "Chances are they'll be by the creek. It's their only landmark."

"You could be tellin' us this while we're movin'. Come on, people, hurry your damn asses." Brooks complained as everyone was way too slow taking their weapons for her liking. 

"Alright." Rick nodded. "We stay quiet and we stay sharp. Keep space between you, but always stay within sight of each other."

"Everybody assemble your packs." Shane ordered.

Brooks scoffed. "What, y'all haven't done that already? Come on, people, I've got a grandma that moves faster than y'all combined and she's been dead twenty years!" Brooks loudly complained, going over to wait by the barrier where they'd be leaving from. The exact place that Sophia was forced to run down. Merle and Daryl couldn't help but grin at Brooks, but they quickly wiped it from their faces, not wanting to be seen as worse parental figures than they already were.

Carl suddenly walked up to Brooks after a conversation between his parents and Dale. "You think you can keep up, River?"

Brooks scoffed. "Isn't your mommy and daddy makin' you stay back with a babysitter?"

"Not anymore, I'm coming too. And, I'm gonna be the one to find both of them, you'll see." Carl nodded.

Brooks rolled her eyes. "Boy, I've killed buck bigger than you, don't be thinkin' you're some tough guy just cause your dad's a damn cop."

"I am tough, unlike you. We all heard you crying and yelling yesterday. You shouldn't talk to Daryl that way." Carl said.

Brooks took a step towards him. "I can talk to Daryl however I damn want, and the same goes for you. So, you best watch your mouth before I tell you the ugly truth."