𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭. carl grimes

17 - PHOTO

With Michonne's signal, I opened the door of the café and she pushed the skateboard in with a rat inside a cage. Walkers started crawling towards the poor thing and Michonne pushes in another skateboard. Once the walkers were preoccupied, the three of us snuck inside.

When we got to the counter, Carl quietly climbs up a stool and stands on the table. My eyes caught a pair of glasses sitting on the table behind Michonne and I grab it, before I turned back to Carl. He grabs a picture frame from the wall and I realized that it was a family photo of him and his parents. My heart got this warm feeling, so that's what he's getting Judith. Carl may have been a bit cold to everyone else lately, but he still cares especially for Judith.

Although, a walker grabs Carl's ankle and I immediately gripped the machete in my hand, driving it into the walker's head. Michonne grabs the head of the walker before it could make any sound, and I slowly remove the machete from its head.

Carl got down quietly and everything was going smooth, until a rat makes an appearance that made us stop. Walkers started appearing as well and we ran away.

"In the kitchen!" Michonne tells us as we run.

When we got to the kitchen, a walker comes out from the doors and Carl immediately shoots it dead. We run around until we got to the main doors, shooting and killing a few walkers, then I flipped a table at a walker. Quickly, I ran out of the café and Carl and Michonne quickly followed.

But Carl dropped the family photo.

"No!" We had no choice but to close the door shut before walkers could get to us. "I've gotta go back in."

"Where is it?" Michonne asked him.

"We have to go back. We have to. I have to." Carl pleads to the both of us. When we don't make a move, Carl snaps. "It's the only one left!"

"Carl." I tried to calm him down by placing my hand on his shoulder. It calmed him down a little, but he's still pissed. He lightly shrugs my hand off his shoulder and was about to go back in. "Fine."

Michonne stops him. "Not like this. I don't know you, I get that. But can you do something for me?" Carl just looks at her. "Wait here."

"I can help." I volunteer but Michone shakes her head.

"No." Then she faces Carl. "And no more bullshit. You wait here. That's how we get it done."

Michonne leaves us alone after that. Carl and I are leaning our backs against the doors, with walkers pounding against it on the other side.

"I'm sorry for snapping," Carl mutters to me, still looking down.

"It's alright." I breathe out. "I get it, it's important. Not just because Judith needs it, you do too."

The only photographical memory of Lori that Carl and Judith will hold onto.

"Hey." Carl and I looked up to see Michonne, holding the family photo.

Carl smiles as he takes it and looks at it. "I just... I just thought Judith should... should know what her mom looked like."

I smiled at Carl before he looks up at Michonne. "Thank you."

We started walking away from the café when Michonne spoke. "I was gonna go back in anyway. I just couldn't leave this behind."

An amused chuckle escapes my lips when she showed us a colorful cat mannequin. "It's too damn gorgeous."

I shook my head, still amused. "Damn right, and so it this." I pulled the glasses out of my jacket pocket and wiped the dusts off the lens, before putting it on. "How do I look?"

"A nerd." Michonne says and I chuckled once again.

"A cute one." Carl blurts out and I looked at him, surprised. "I mean—the glasses! I meant the glasses are cute ones."

I dismissed it and kept the glasses on. I used to wear glasses before, my eyesight wasn't that bad but I couldn't read a damn thing when the letters are too darn small.

"Are we still getting the crib?" I asked Carl, who nods his head. "That is what I told my dad."

We got to this baby place that Carl was talking about. Thankfully, the place was empty. We got a pink baby crib and started carrying it.

When we got back to Morgan's place, he was awake. Rick was putting a bag on his shoulder and I immediately noticed the blood on his shirt.

"Hey," he greets us. "I was just about to look for you."

"Sorry." Carl says but it was alright to Rick. Carl noticed the blood on his dad's shirt too. "Oh, it's nothing."

Michonne grabs the bag full of guns and Rick thanks her. I turned to Michonne and told her to let go of the crib. "We got it."

She nods her head at me before letting me and Carl carry the crib. My eyes are on Morgan as we pass by him.

"He's okay?" Michonne asked.

"No. He's not." Rick answers and I don't question any further.

"Wait." Carl tells us and then calls out to Morgan. "Hey, Morgan!"

Rick tries to stop Carl but he doesn't. Morgan turns to my best friend. "I had to shoot you. You know I had to, right? ...I'm sorry."

Morgan starts walking towards Carl. "Hey son. Don't ever be sorry."

And with that, he walks away and gets back to his business. The thought of the man he was before like Rick told us, crossed my mind. How much did the world take from this man that made him like this now? How bad did he got torn apart?

I guess the questions in my head will never be answered, but it's okay. I can only imagine how much he's lost and what he's been through.

When we got back to the car, Michonne helps me with setting some things down, before I sat on the back seat. I hope my shoulder heals quickly, especially before the Governor decides to attack again. I want to be useful, I don't want to feel helpless and useless.

On our way back, Michonne was driving again. We passed by the same road we went to earlier, and no longer saw the stranger who was begging us not to leave him. Instead, we saw blood at the side of the road, and the stranger's bag.

Michonne stopped the car and Carl got out, taking the bag before setting it down at our feet. As the car ride goes on, all of us sat in silence. I leaned my head on Carl's shoulder and just shut my eye.

—~—

so our school hours is from 7am to 5pm and i'm damn tired everyday :( but thankfully we have no classes every friday :)