Badlands || Carl Grimes *on the hiatus*

5. Drive

Eliza
(All we do is think about the feelings that we hide.)
-
I wiped away my tears one last time as I saw the sky beginning to change colors.
I told Carl I would meet him at sundown.
I would be betraying Ron if I did this. But Ron doesn't want me any longer.
I've got nothing to lose.
I've lost everything.
My family.
My boyfriend.
My mind...
I sniff and wipe my nose on the sleeve of my sweater. I get off my bed that I've been crying in since this morning.
I walk to my bathroom and look in the mirror. My skin is pale and my eyes are bloodshot.
I smile at the mirror.
Only a psychopath could find me pretty this way.
I don't bother fixing my appearance as I walk on the crunchy leaves outside.
I continue to walk until Carl Grimes comes into my vision.
"I thought we could do something different tonight." Carl says, dangling shiny car keys in front of my face.
I thought all my emotions had been numbed out by sadness but when I see the keys I light up inside.
"Let's get out here, what are you waiting for?" I say, grabbing Carl's free hand and leading him to the gate.
I begin to climb and he goes right behind me.
"Where is it? The car." I ask as we get to the ground.
"Follow me Eliza." He says, extending his hand to me. I stare at it for a second.
Should I take it?
Carl Grimes has always intrigued me.
I smile and set my hand in his.
He pulls me through the trees until I see a small green car.
"Do you know how to drive?" I ask.
"Does it matter?" He smirks at me.
I shake my head and get into the passenger seat.
"So I heard you and Ron broke up," He says once we're on the open road.
"How do you know that?" I ask,
"News flies fast in that town," Carl says, his eyes never leaving the pavement.
"I hate that town." I say.
"I never thought I would but what has that place ever given me? Diana just tugged me along with her. I was naive, and young, and I hate the people especially Ron Anderson." I blurt out all at once.
"I don't think the people are too fond of you either," Carl says.
"What?" I ask.
Carl shrugs.
"Don't listen to me. All we're going to do is drive."
I gulp and look over at him, then out the window.
I can't believe Ron could just let it all go after...everything he put me through.
"Don't think too much it'll kill your mind." Carl says smiling. I look over at everything.
He has the prettiest eyes.
But I can't let him know that.
I don't speak as I look at the highway in front of me.
"I hate that town. And I hate this city. It's just never felt like home." I say.
"Let me show you a place where it does." Carl says.
"Where is it?"
"It's a little place I like to call the Badlands."
-
We pulled up to a blue house. Strange color.
It was strange almost all the houses were blue.
Everything was blue.
"Me and a girl named Al used to come here just to live without the fake safe havens and socially awkward hypocrites." Carl says, taking the keys out of the ignition. I laugh at little and get out of the car.
I follow him up to the door and he opens it with a key.
We step inside and he speaks again.
"Now I come here to get away from the place that doesn't feel like home to you and Ron Anderson."
I watch as he picks up cigarettes off the desk near the couch. He puts one in his mouth and lights it.
"Those can kill you, you know." I say crossing my arms.
"It's weird..." Carl starts, taking the cigarette out of his mouth.
"That girl I mentioned, Al, used to say the same thing. She would bitch about how deadly these things are but really she was more addictive than the nicotine." He says before putting the cigarette to his lips again.
"She wasn't wrong." I say.
"I know. But..I could die tomorrow by walker. I'm not too worried about a cigarette."
"Where is she?" I ask.
"Who?"
"That girl...Al?"
He chuckles a little bit.
"She's gone in a way that's too hard to explain. Here take one." He says, throwing the box of cigarettes at me.
/
Hahahaha sorry for the shit chapter