Closer Than Strangers//Carl Grimes

Chapter 12: Footprints

"Adalyn, grab this. We're taking the fight to them!" Rick tosses me my rifle and I catch it, loading it. Rick crouched down cracking the door. Me and Carol crouched down ready to intrude the intruders. Rick looked back at me and nodded. I took a deep breath and everything just slowed down. My heart was pumping I didn't know what was going to happen after the door opened. I could die? Or I could live? But either way. I was going to fight. Rick busted the door down and shots fired. Carol went one way but me and Rick sticked together. We cleared out the ones closest to us before the enemies noticed us and started firing. We ducked for cover.

"Cover me." I said.

"Wait Adaly-" before Rick could stop me I ran up to one of the attackers ramming my gun into their head and grabbing them hostage. She struggled to get loose but I wasnt letting her go. I shot her friends in front of her before killing her as well. I ran to Rick and banged on the bucket he was hiding behind.

"It's clear!" I said. There was no answer. I looked behind the bucket to find it empty.

"Rick?" I asked. But I didn't have time to think as a bullet nearly hit me. I ran away before I could get hit. I came up on the tank and just seeing it sparked something in me. I climbed on it and opened the top door. Revealing a man in a marine cap. I grabbed him and yanked him out of the tank. He hit me in the face sending me rolling back almost off the tank. As he crawled over to me I kicked his face giving me enough time to break his leg with the force of my kick. I grabbed him and threw him off the tank injuring him bad. I jumped off the tank and shot him in the head. A lot of people seen me kill him. I wiped blood off my lip and walked towards them before they ran away. I dropped my gun as it ran out of ammo. I was down to only a pistol and my knife, but I wasn't giving up.
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Flashback

"Adalyn. We have to go on a run. Mind taking of care of things here while we're gone?" Rick asked politely.

"Sure Rick I don't mind." I said nodding.

"Okay come on Carl." He said nudging him. Carl hugged me tightly and pecked my lips.

"I love you."

"I love you too. Be careful." I smiled and they left. I was rarely ever alone. I at least had Rick around so it was the first time I actually didn't have much to do. I walked outside and just took watch.

"I'll take watch Carol." I smiled.

"Thank you. I'm so tired." She smiled.

"Go get some rest." I said and she walked down the tower. I leaned my gun on the wall and rested my eyes in the palms of my hands.
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Still flashback

It was night time before they came back. But they came back. With friends. I ran down the tower and to the cars. I ran to Carl hugging him and kissing his lips.

"What's this?" I asked referring to buses full of people.

"We found them. They were captured by that guy Joseph just like you and Carl. We saved them." Rick said. I smiled. We rarely have anything good happen. But this was good.

"This is Michonne." He introduced me to a beautiful black women with a katana on her back.

"Hi! I'm Adalyn." I smiled and shook her hand.

"She helped us." Rick said. He didn't have to say anything else besides that. I knew what he meant.

For the next month or so, everything was amazing. The walker's weren't as heavy and everyone did so good at earning their keep. The world didn't seem as empty now that there was more people. The world didn't seem as dead. Michonne became Rick's right hand man, or women. Her and Carl were very close. Me and her had some pretty secret conversations too.

"Adalyn you didn't!" Michonne laughed.

"We do it all the time. It's no big deal." I smile and shrugged my shoulders.

"Does Rick know?" She asked.

"Probably. If he doesn't know me and Carl have sex by now I don't think he ever will." Michonne busted out laughing.

"Why are you laughing?"

"Because I can't see Carl like that. Because he seems like such a virgin."

"Trust me, Michonne. He's not. He knows more about what my body wants than I do." I laughed.

"Oh my gosh stop." She laughed.

"It's true."

Me and Michonne got along like two peas in a pod. I could be honest with her and talk to her about anything. She was like my best friend.
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Now

I ran into the field and seen Joseph fighting Rick. He was on top of him strangling him. I ran as fast as I could to Rick and tackled Joseph. I punched him repeatedly across the face bruising him causing him to bleed. I kicked his stomach but somehow he threw me off him. I hit the ground hard knocking my breath out.

"You little bitch!" He said climbing on top of me.

"You escaped last time. But now, I'm gonna teach you a lesson." He started unbuckling his belt and my heart raced. His knees were on my wrists so I couldn't move. I was stuck.

"I don't care what you do to me. It won't change the fact that guys like you. They die." I said calmly.

"So do what you're gonna do." I said closing my eyes. I waited for something to happen. But nothing happened. Until something did. I heard a gunshot and opened my eyes to see Joseph's lifeless body fall on top of me. It hurt when he fell on me but I threw him off. And Rick helped me up, I let him lean on me because he was near death.

"Carl." I could barely make out what he said.

"Go find Carl." He said again.

"No, I'm not leaving you." I yelled.

"Go find Carl!" He yelled. I pasued before leaving to find Carl. I ran in the prison yelling his name.

"Carl!" I screamed.

"Carl!" I yelled once more, but there was no answer. I ran back outside and seen walker's flooding the prison. Rick was gone and so was everyone else. I had to leave. I ran past the walkers into the woods where I kept running and running and running. Until I came up on a small mud road. With footprints.

Rick's footprints.