They were walking again in the middle of the morning. No one talked. Rick hugged both the kids and kissed their heads, but didn't say anything. Skylar didn't felt that little bit of hope she used to when he did it. She felt like a robot as she walked down the track beside Carl, behind the rest of them. She had only looked at Carl once during their walk, and when she saw his scraped face she quickly turned away. Both of them were put into uncomfortable positions last night, and if she was feeling like a robot, she could only imagine how Carl was feeling.
"How are you?" Carl asked at a whisper after being on the tracks for a while.
"I don't know. Alive." She kept her head down, watching her feet as she walked ahead.
"Same." Then they continued on. Skylar didn't know what she wanted to say to Carl. She didn't have anything to say. She didn't sleep at all last night; she sat up with Carl on her shoulder. It was nice to have his presence after what happened but she also didn't want to be with anyone. She wanted to be alone again. She didn't have to deal with almost being raped when it was just her and her parents.
Rick had stopped at a sign that was covered with dirt and leaves on the ground and told them to head into the woods so they wouldn't run straight into Terminus without a look at who these people are. The didn't have to crunch along for long when they came to a fence. Behind the fence, there seemed to be a brick building that kind of looked like a factory. It was large, but not as big as the prison and didn't have a field like the prison to grow crops.
"We'll spread out, watch them for a while," Rick said. Skylar was getting ready to follow Michonne when Rick asked Carl if he wanted to stay with him.
"I'm going with Skylar," he said and pulled Skylar in the opposite direction. Skylar looked back at Rick to see him watching them with a sad expression in his eyes. Skylar didn't like seeing rick upset.
"Why didn't you go with Rick?" Skylar asked after they had walked the fence long enough to be away from the others. He didn't speak though, just putting a hand inside his jacket. She sighed.
"How did your parents die?" His question took her by surprise. She had never said how out loud and had no idea why it was being brought up now.
"My...My dad went on a supply run and never returned." Skylar watched her step so she wouldn't trip over any branches. "Mom walked out of the house to be bitten, I had-" She couldn't finish it. She didn't want to have to see her mom's face again.
"I had to with my mom as well." Skylar knew Lori had died during birth but had no idea Carl was a part of it. "She lost too much blood from having Judith and I shot her before she turned into a walker." Skylar stopped walking and took a good look at her old friend. She didn't realize how much their lives in this new world were almost similar. They both had to kill their moms but Carl had to deal with the torment of trying to figure out who to trust and not trust much earlier than her.
"You're dad was my hero when he got me. I only had one can of food left and wasn't getting much on my traps. I was ready to die." Skylar didn't realize what she had been feeling at the time until she spoke it out to Carl. "I was so alone and suddenly I wasn't. I had people around me and I was going to see you. It was almost a fairytale." As she spoke she realized why Carl was saying those mean things at their prison. She did act as if nothing was wrong as if they could just be friends after what they had both been through.
"Skylar, I'm not a good person." Carl looked as if he had been wanting to say that for a long time. "Dad told me he's proud of me, that I'm a good man. But I'm not. I have these... thoughts that make me feel like I'm a monster. Skylar, I'm a monster and I'm afraid if you get too close to me I'm going to hurt you." Carl had tears forming through his talk and they were dropping by the time he finished. Skylar reached out to take him in for a hug. She held him tight and decided she wouldn't let go. She didn't think of him as a monster, she still saw her best friend but he was older now. He's still her Carl. Even if he was a little mean to her. He apologized and she took it as him thinking he's a monster as to why he was so mean to her.
"I'm sorry," Carl said. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry." She held her dear friend as he wept, but never shed a tear for herself.
YOU ARE READING
Darker Skies *The Walking Dead*
Fanfiction"Carl." The girl breathed. Her legs shook from pain, excitement, surprise, happiness. "Skylar?" The boy who was once called her friend tilted his head in confusion. Two years of separation finally broken. ~~EDITED
