We Can Survive (Carl Grimes Fanfiction)

Chapter 10- Fan Tan

"I get lost in the beauty of everything I see. The world ain't half as bad as they paint it to be.If all the sons, all the daughters just stopped to take it in, well hopefully the hate subsides, and the love can get in. It might start now. Or maybe I'm just dreamin' out loud." I sang gently before bursting into the chorus passionately. OneRepublic had never been my favorite band, but Come Home had been my favorite song since I'd discovered it. I guess I was kind of stuck with it now, because there wasn't much new music being created. The cammies weren't very good at harmonizing.

I guess the chorus of Come Home was gentle, but strong and almost, I guess, heavy enough to grab my attention. The lyrics seemed to describe how I felt on good days, but they still made my stomach feel hollow and my jaw clench. I was a sucker for deep lyrics, which was strange because I hated poetry. I hated writing it, I hated reading it, and God, did I hate analyzing it.

I lightly finished the song with the slippery oo's, shutting my eyes and letting them drift around. Goosebumps raised on my skin as I remembered the sound of music, and I quickly poured out the dirty dishwater, following Carol's orders. Beth had sung once since I got here, but I still missed instruments.

I swear, I almost had a heart attack when Carl's voice asked, "What song was that?" I spun around, feeling my face grow hot.

"CARL! You scared the shit out of me!" I cried, trembling slightly and laughing at myself, "And I never sing for anyone. I hate singing in front of people. Learn to announce yourself!" I scolded, feeling my face grow warm against my will.

"Well, what song was it?" he asked, smiling at my obvious embarrassment. I rolled my eyes.

"Come Home by OneRepublic. I'd like to add that the real version is much better. I'm completely awful." I said, trying to figure a way out of this. He was blocking the way back to the prison. He pulled his hat down a little to cover his eyes and I immediately stepped forward to push it back up. Carl shrugged. I smiled a little. He was compassionate enough to not admit that I was bad, but also clever enough to know not to lie to me. I may not have been able to read him, but I still had the basic skill of knowing a bluff from the truth.

"Carol sent me out to make sure you weren't being chewed on. C'mon, let's go before she sends my dad." he said, rolling his eyes. I nodded and followed him as he led the way inside. I wanted to say that he should go easier on his dad, but I supposed that Carl had lost his mom. I couldn't really blame him. He still should've noticed that Rick had lost his wife. They should've been driven together, not apart.

Carl and I split up when we got indoors, him going to someone's cell and me padding through to the front of the prison. I jogged out to the fire, where Carol was making dinner. It was deer, a specialty, and green beans.

"Need any help?" I asked, breathing slightly heavy from jogging.

"If you could turn this for a few minutes that would be great. My arm's getting tired." she said, smiling and gesturing to the skewered hunk of meat. I nodded, flashing her a polite smile, and sat on a lawn chair. I didn't really know Carol, but I was totally willing to. She seemed so nice. I stood by my statement about her being permanently tired, though.

"How old are you?" Carol asked, stretching her arms behind her back.

"Fourteen or fifteen. Depends on the date" I said, staring at the meat as it spun.

"It's September sixteenth." she said. I looked at her, surprised, and she just shrugged. "Someone's got to keep track." she justified. I nodded.

"Then I'm fifteen. Turned fifteen on the eleventh." I muttered. I was glad that I had already had my birthday. I didn't want anyone to feel obligated to get me anything. Carol giggled a little.