Undead

Asylum. (315)

MADISON'S POV.

I can hear people talking downstairs, so I know it's morning. The morning light peeks through the boarded window, shining against my lids. It's the first night in a while that I've stayed asleep the whole night, I didn't wake once.

When I finally open my eyes I'm still in Carl's arms from the night before, curled in up in a ball on the rocking chair.
I turn my head and watch as Kara twists in her sleep, just as restless.

Slowly, I wriggle out of Carl's hold and pick her up, holding her close, to sooth her. She goes quiet again and falls back asleep while one of her tiny fists clasp a lock of my hair. I sit back down in Carl's lap, in the same position as before, expecting him to wake, but he just tightens his hold on us both and and continues sleeping.

I wait there happily with our baby and Fangs snoring lightly at our feet. She is the most precious thing I've ever come across. She's finally grown to the size she would've been born at if she wasn't premature, even at that, she's still tiny. She opens her mouth to cry but instead snuffles in distress, reaching her arms out for something and grabbing ahold of my pinky. Her tiny fingers look so dainty against mine and her fingernails are barely the size of a fragment of a pebble.

She starts to stir, kicking her feet about and stretching her other hand into the air.
"Let's get you a bottle." A whisper against her cheek before planting tiny kisses there.
Wow, she's made me soft.

I feel Carl move fractionally and I twist my head slightly to catch him staring at me with a trace of a smile on his lips.
"I could get used to waking up to this." He whispers.
I just smile, I don't want to give the wrong intentions. Maybe letting him stay in my room last night was wrong, but I just needed a friend to vent to and he was there. He's always there.

I stare at him with a smile on my own lips, trying not to get lost in his eyes. I'm quickly distracted when Kara kicks up a fuss and finally I stand up, getting back to reality. Fangs springs to his feet, eagerly.
"It's okay fangs. We're home." I chuckle.
He looks like I woke from a bad dream.

I watch as he shakes himself from head to toe before skipping to the door, waiting for me to open it. Unfortunately, I'm carrying Kara with one hand and she's holding onto my finger on the other hand and I don't want her to let go, not yet.

I look over to Carl who just rolls his eye before standing up to help. He opens the door swiftly and Fangs sprints down the stairs. I know he reached the kitchen when I hear Rick yell about "that stupid, damn dog!"

"Listen Carl, uh, there's something I need to tell you about yesterday."
"Hey, don't sweat it. Nobody knows I spent the night in here, and even if they do, we were just hanging out. As friends." He clarifies.
"Right... but ugh... that's actually not what I mean. Yesterday, I was in the bell tower and-"

"Madison? Carl? Is that you talking up there ? Can you come down here?" Michonne calls up.
"Be down in a minute." Carl responds.
"...what were you saying?"
I hesitate. "Um, Kai-"
"NOW! PLEASE!" Michonne calls louder.
Carl groans. "We better head down."
I nod and sigh in frustration.

I walk slowly down the stairs as Kara starts to cry in my arms.
"I know, I know. We're going to get breakfast now." I assure her.
"I'll be in the sitting room." Carl tells me as I continue for the kitchen. I nod.

Fangs sits patiently at the door waiting for me. His tail starts to wag as I walk towards him.
"Hey, buddy." I pay his head and he follows us into the kitchen.

As I heat up formula milk for Kara, I raid the fridge for something to feed Fangs.
"You better not be feeding that damn dog our food again." Rick yells from the sitting room.
"No." I yell back as I tear off a small leg of chicken from our left over dinner yesterday.
"Shhh." I warn as I bend to feed it to Fangs. He takes it from me and sits quietly in the corner, licking and gnawing at the bone.