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Carl's POV
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I kissed her. Of all the times and places it could've happened, I kissed her. In the RV. On the couch. In the middle of everything. In those short seconds when our lips touched, nothing mattered. Not Negan, not the Saviors, not... not even Maggie. It was just me and her. No walkers, no tears, no fear.
Just Enid.
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Enid's POV
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"I'll protect you too," he whispers. And I know that he means it. That's the kind of people we are. He doesn't protect me, I'm not a damsel in distress. He knows that. We protect each other.
That's one of the reasons I care about him so much. If I was helpless, I think we'd both go out of our minds.
We'd both spaced out completely, and I was brought back by Sasha's awkward cough across the RV. I pull away from Carl and turn to see Sasha and Abraham smirking at us.
My cheeks flush bright red, and I glare at them. Carl realizes what's happening, and bursts out laughing uncontrollably.
Well that seems appropriate, considering why we're here in the first place. I punch his arm, "Shut up!"
Carl tries to stop laughing, "Sorry, sorry!"
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Lil bit of a time jump!
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
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Carl's POV
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After I finally stopped laughing, Enid settled back into me, her head on my chest, her knees tucked underneath her. This time though, her hand rests on her hip, where her pistol stays.
Everyone's shaken up by what happened. Even though the two of us were inside the whole time, we could hear what was going on. A man being beaten, death threats from both sides, and frighteningly true sounding promises on following through on them.
We all react differently to it. My dad fumes in the front seat. Eugene sits, silent with fear, in the back of the RV. Aaron and Glenn both stay by Maggie's side. Michonne, always calm, cleans her sword in the seat next to Rick. Sasha pours over the map, seemingly desperate to focus on anything but what happened. And Abraham simply loads and reloads his weapons, counting his ammunition.
But I can't tell with Enid. She seems like she's fine, but I don't think she is. That's her problem. She hides things, but that's why it means so much that she was willing to open up to me, even if it was just a little bit.
God, what am I doing? Now isn't the time to be emotional. But I can't help it. I can't fight myself.
We both know that emotional attachments make you weaker. That happened with her parents and my mom.
When you lose the people you let yourself care about, it feels like you lose a part of yourself. And you either mourn or fume, but neither is good, and both make you vulnerable.
But... maybe they can make you strong too.
I guess I'll find out.
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Enid's POV
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I can feel Carl starting to doze off, but he jolts up when gunfire rings out around us. The RV swerves, and I can see Rick struggling with the wheel.
Abraham and Sasha instantly grab their rifles, firing through the windows. Carl and I follow suit, though we don't know what we're shooting at. I hear screams outside, so we must be hitting something.
Then, all of a sudden, a bullet zips through the window. I can hear it blast past me, nearly deafening.
But it doesn't hit me.
It hits something else.
It hits someone else.
Carl screams.
He falls.
And then Rick loses his grip on the wheel.
The RV veers to the side.
And then it rolls.
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Oh snap! Yup I shot Carl, sorry! Also, where Enid is talking about not being helpless was spurred by reading other fanfics where she is portrayed as such. Let's get one thing straight: Enid is badass. Yes, Carl protects her a lot. But that doesn't mean she would die without his protection.
Anyways, please keep voting and commenting! Sorry about making this chapter so short!
~Katy
