One Last Whisper [c.g]

[5]

The car bumps up and down, everyone in the small black car jolts up. I grip the handle of the door. Whether I do it to steady myself or make a quick escape?...I don't know.

As the car jolts up once more, Carl's sheriff hat falls off of his head and down onto my lap.
"Sorry." he quickly says, panic setting over his face.
"Its okay." I give him a hopeful smile and hand him the hat back. I guess pouncing on him in the convenience store meant we weren't on great terms. No need to have my claws out anyway.
"You never did tell me you or your dads name." I raise my eyebrow at him. His lips curl at the ends and bloom into a smile.
"I'm Carl and my dad is Rick." He doesn't look at me, instead he focuses outside the window, at the passing trees and ruined streets.
"And you?"
I have a mind blank, I too, distracted by the outside world.
"Its Y/n L/n. I guess last names don't matter anymore but you can have it anyway." I glance at him for a second, then look away as our eyes meet.
"Where exactly is this camp of yours again?" I ask him, growing suspicious of the trees and forests passing by the car.
This time Rick answers.
"We've made camp in a prison not far from here. It's just a little further." He tells me, his voice thick and southern.
Rick's eyes are fixated on the road, just like his son.
"Okay. My old camp used to be in a trailer park. Folks had it set up so we had guards over the perimeter. It was good." I start. Then Carl interrupts me, an eager look on his face.
"Then what happened?" He questions, looking over at me.
It was only now that I realized what beautiful eyes he had. I knew they were bright blue- but they were really cool.
"Same thing that happens to everyone eventually." I keep his eye contact until the car screeches to a halt and we pull up. In front of us is a towering prison.

The prison looks civilized and popular. People roam around safely. Everyone looks healthy. This is it.

Rick drives through the gates and we enter the prison. It looks good. Plants grow wildly across the front. Two fences protect the place. Kids run along the grass. They'd forgot to mention just how many people they had.

I open the car door and get out, as well and Rick and Carl.
I stand there with my jaw dropped.
This was impressive.

Carl looks at me.
"Like what you see?" He asks, dipping his hat.
I blink at him, absolutely speechless.
"I've got to be dreaming." I laugh.
The three of us walk further up the path. An old man who could be a great Santa Claus one day, walks up to us. He has a limp, which I soon come to realise is because of his peg leg.
"And who is this young lady?" He asks, smiling. He's got the kind of face that's friendly. He's the strong soul that was never moulded into a hardened apocalypse survivor.
"My name is Y/n. Nice to meet you. I can't stay for long though, I have to keep looking for my friends" I say, frowning slightly. He chuckles.
"It's nice to meet you too. My name is Hershel Greene and you are welcome for as long as you like" he grins and I smile back. I over at Carl, who watches Hershel and I.
"What next?" I question, tilting my head. He shrugs.
"Guess I gotta show you to your cell" He quickly replies.
I nod, turning to look at the prison before me. It's so amazing.

Carl trudges along the soil and through an abundance of crops. Numerous amounts of people are farming, playing or working on some kind of construction. Others are underneath a large shaded area, eating or chilling.
Carl walks into the prison entrance and I follow, scanning the walls around me. It reeks of sweat and mould but its a welcome scent- I was getting a little sick of burnt flesh.
As we walk in I see corridors with rows of cells, most of them draped in belongings. They were made into bedrooms. Smart.
He takes me into Block B and turns towards a clean cell.
"You can stay here" He tells me, poking his head into the room and scanning to see that it's not taken.
"Thanks Carl. I'll bunk for the night...but tomorrow morning I have to find my friends..."
Carl raises an eyebrow.
"You should stay. It's safer here."
I nod, scratching my arm. Something about his presence was unsettling. I guess I just wasn't use to seeing a boy my age that wasn't Ron. Carl's energy was different to Hockey's, which made me feel out of my comfort zone. I only wished that I could have found this place with Hockey. With Ron and Sissy. They deserved to have a cell of there own and be out of harms way for a while.

"I know...but I can't. This place is amazing but my friends might be in trouble. I mean who knows, maybe I could bring them back here?" I say. My heart is beating fast. Deep down inside I want to curl up in the bed and fall fast asleep. Part of me never wants to leave this cell.
Except I owe it to Hockey, Ron and Sissy to at least try. I know they would try and find me.
"I tell you what," Carl begins, leaning against the cell wall. "You stay here and I'll help you look for them myself. Just you and me and the great big world." He gives me an inviting smile. I'm not sure what to say.
"Can I sleep on it?" I ask, plopping down on the bed.
"Of course. Night." He says and with that, Carl begins to walk away.
I open my mouth to ask him a question but quickly shut it. He was long gone.

In fact, I was going to ask him why he wanted me to stay so bad. Oh well.

I slump down on the bed. Placing my knives on the side-table. I wince. My stomach is really getting to me. I don't feel like bad news, so I refuse to look at my wound.

    Instead I try to get some god damn sleep.