One Last Whisper [c.g]

[9]

As soon as my eyes open I am flooded with memories from last night.
Searching for Hockey with Carl and... the moment with Carl up at the gaurd tower. I also wake with a painful stomach. I pull off my shirt and look down at my stomach. It's pretty infected, that much I know. I rummage through my bag and pull out a fresh bandage. I am halfway through wrapping it around myself when Carl walks in.
"Oh!" He exclaims, darting out of the cell.
I quickly pull my shirt over my head, blushing.
"It's okay Carl. I'm decent" I call out to him. He walks in again.
"Sorry about that." He apoligises. I smile, shaking my head.
"No worries, Cowboy." I reply, sitting up straighter. "Anything I can help you with?"
He sits at the foot of my bed, peering over at me.
"So I was wondering...are we going to search in that same street a little more today or do you have somewhere else in mind?" He asks.
I am happy he is still keen to join me. I look at the floor, shrugging.
"We could try the house we were staying at before I left?" I brainstorm, thinking out all the possible places he could be. Carl nods.
"How about we leave after breakfast?" He asks.
I smile. "Whatever you want Carl." I say, watching as he gets up to leave.
Half of me wants him to kiss me like last night and the other half is telling myself to get real. I lie back down and try wrapping my bandage again~ without any beautiful interuptions.

Once I have showered and had breakfast I meet Carl at the fence. Once everything is in check, we do the same as yesterday, leaving through the front fence.
We pass the dead walker that Carl killed yesterday and I know that we're on the right track. Nobody speaks. It Is somewhat awkward.
"So..." I say, just to make it even more awkward
"So....you like the group?" He asks. I smile, nodding.
"I like them all. I'm so happy to be surrounded by such nice people. Except Lizzie. I mean, don't get me wrong- she could be awesome... it's just there isn't really a time where she isn't tapping her foot or rolling her eyes at me." I complain. Carl laughs.
"Shes just like that. She will warm up to you sooner or later. Trust me, I've been there."
We walk through the street we searched yesterday and keep walking until we pass the conveniance store.
"How far are we?" Carl asks.
"Not long."

Finally I pass the sign that says 'Steer Clear Juliet'. Carl looks around, searching the houses.
"Y/n...wait up. We should search that house." He points to a small house at the end of the street.

Once I have picked the lock and Carl has checked for walkers, we close the door behind us and explore.
I'm halfway through a hallway when I feel fingers intwine with mine. I squeeze Carl's hand.
He exhales loudly.
"Y/n. Is it wrong of me to want to kiss you right now?!" He pants. I shrug. He says it so casually. I lean against the wall, smirking at him.
"Not at all-" I casually reply- and before I can finish my sentence I am pushed harder against the wall. Carl holds my hand as he does so, continuing to make out with me. I kiss him because it feels nice to be close to someone. To feel protected.
He pulls away .
"Sorry" Carl breaths out. I smirk.
"Don't be" I look him up and down, wearing a goofy grin. "What next?"
He looks down at the ground.
"Well if we weren't in the apocalypse... I'd probably ask you out... but since we are that seems so dumb. I guess, I don't know...we do whatever feels right?" He was so hopeless, so new to this kind of stuff. Don't get me wrong, I was too. It was just amusing to see him like this.
"You've never done this before...have you?" I ask.
He blushes. "Erm...no"
I laugh, reaching over and taking his hand.

We leave the house with few canned goods and keep walking. I get a big rush of excitement when I see the house Hockey and I stayed at. I see the car Hockey was using parked outside. I am overjoyed. He has to be inside. He has to.
"Hockey!" I yell, running into the house. Carl behind me.
I throw open the door to see a bunch of guts and gore. I see Hockey's sleeping bag sprawled out in the middle of the room. Even though there is blood everywhere, I can't seem to find the source.
"Hockey?" I call. No answer. I look back at Carl .
"Where is he?! That's his stuff! HOCKEY!?!" I call. Now I'm flustered and angry. I collapse down onto the ground. "Hockey" I murmur, clawing at the ground. Carl kneels down beside me, comforting me.
"Y/n. This doesn't mean he's dead," he whispers. "We wont stop looking. We won't." Carl rubs my back. I hug him tightly, curling up in a ball on his lap.

When I have gathered my feelings and thoughts, Carl and I leave for the day. We walk back up the road, ignoring the fact that tonight would be another night that my friends wouldn't have a roof over their heads.
"Sofia" Carl softly says, deep in thought.
"Huh?"
"My best friends name was Sofia." Carl whispers.
"Carl? How did it really happen? I mean, I know what happens in the end but...how did it come to this?" I ask. I don't know if I should but I try my luck.
He sighs.
"We stopped on the highway of Atlanta, when we thought it was safe. Soon a bunch of walkers came and we hid under cars because we didn't have enough ammo. After a while she stuck her head out from underneath and two walkers spotted her. It was downhill from then on. She had gotten lost in the forests from running and so we sent groups to look. Dad tried...he really did." Carl frowns. "I was so focused on finding her that I went with my dad on a search for her. We ended up spotting a deer. It was amazing- then all I remember was the pop of a gun and I was out. I'd been shot."
I was amazed. How was he living?!?
Carl continued. "We met Hershel who performed surgery on me and as well as that, had been keeping walkers in his farms barn. Sofia was in there all along." Carl wipes away a tear as soon as it falls. It's like he doesn't want me to see him cry.
"I don't know how it happened, I don't think I could even imagine what pain she woulda went through in that forest. I don't want to end up like that. Nobody deserves that. Least of all Sofia." We walk in silence. Hand in hand. All is quiet until I hear faint footsteps from the house ahead. Carl and I take out our knives. We walk towards the house and look at the figure.

I stop dead in my path, studying the figure in front of me with pure disbelief.