A Hard Lesson to Learn

Chapter 13

Within a few weeks after she woke up, Kali finally got her sling off. Rick tried to convince her to stay in Alexandria during the winter, but Kali was not willing to negotiate. Instead, Rick gave in to letting her live in a house about five miles away from Alexandria. Michonne had helped talk him into it, because she could see that Kali simply was not happy there.

She tried to be independent without Alexandria's help, but Rick and Michonne still sent her supplies to help her get by. It never was much. Just some fresh eggs from the chickens from the Kingdom or some canned goods they had found on a recent run. Sometimes Rick dropped them off and stayed around to talk, Michonne came to occasionally, other times it was Daryl.

Her favorite on to see standing on her porch out of all of them was Carl. The young man was wise beyond his years and more caring than he should be.

Today, she was in the backyard cutting firewood to keep the house warm when she looked up to see Carl standing in the doorway. She gave him a smile. "What are you doing here," she asked putting the ax down and gathering the firewood she had just split.

"Dad and Daryl just got back from a run and I volunteered to bring you some," he said raising the bag in his hand for her to see.

"You are just so sweet," she teased him making a face.

The boy rolled his one good eye. "Don't call me sweet."

"Is that reserved for Enid?"

"No. We don't...I don't like her. We're just friends," he tried to defend.

Kali gave him a look with her eyebrows slightly raised and a smirk on her face as she passed by him and into the house. "Sure," she said drawing out the word much longer than was needed.

"We're friends," the boy defended.

"Carl, I was a high school teacher when the world went to shit. I know the look of love-struck teenagers when I see it." Kali sat the wood down on the floor close to the fireplace before poking the burning logs with her stick.

The two settled into a comfortable silence for a while listening to the wood crackle and pop. The sun was starting to set when Kali spoke again, "Are you going to tell me why you're actually here this time or do I have to guess?"

"What makes you think I want something?"

"You have that look on your face like you want something, but you don't know how to ask for it," she said. "Like last time when you wanted me to come back. So, what is this time?"

"Why won't you come back," he asked looking at the woman across the room.

Kali chuckled leaning against the wall. "I'm not coming back, Carl."

"But why?"

"There is nothing there for me, Carl. I needed to leave. After the winter, I am gone. Your dad asked me to stay around until spring and it's time for me to move on from here," she tried to explain to the boy.

"How can you just leave people that care about you," Carl asked, his voice barely reaching her ears.

"Carl," she paused thinking how to word what she wanted to say. "I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Negan. He saved me. He...He cared about me. Alexandria, you, your dad, Michonne, they don't. It might seem like you do, that you want me to stay, but Carl, I can't stay here. Not with his memory hanging over me every time someone mentions his name or when I see what's left of the saviors and the way everyone looks at me. I can't stay here Carl."

The house grew silent again for a while. Kali tended to the fire making sure it was burning to keep the house warm. "You mind if I stay," he asked as the sun started to settle beneath the horizon.