Into The Fray | TWD (Male Reader x Clementine)

| 11 | - We All Carry It

It's daytime. Rick decided to stop by the highway where the RV used to be, where the sign for Sophia was. Hopefully your friends would get the same idea and regroup there.

Carl: Where's mom? You said she'd be here. We gotta go back for her!

Rick: Carl....

Carl: No! Why are we running? What are you doing? It's mom. We need to get her and not be safe a mile away.

Rick hushes Carl and puts a hand in his shoulder.

Rick: You need to be quiet, all right? Please.

Carl: Please? It's mom.

Rick: Look, Carl, listen—

Carl: No.

Carl storms off. You stand there holding your rifle as you look at him walking away.

You: I'll go talk with him.

Rick gives a nod as Hershel starts to talk with him.

You walk over to Carl, who's sitting against the hood of a car.

You: Your old man knows what he's going.

Carl: He doesn't. He doesn't even know where mom is.

You: No, we don't.

Carl: Everybody we know is gone.

You lean against the hood of the car with him. You look on in the distance.

You: I don't know where my mom is either.

Carl looks up at you.

Carl: What?

You: She can be in Ohio still....at a camp in Michigan....or somewhere across the country by now. I will never know.

You look down.

You: As long as she's not with him.

Carl: Who?

You look at Carl, then back at the road.

You: My dad, or stepdad....whatever. He never treated us right. Always beat my mom....my sister....me. Back when I beat Ed at the quarry, that's who I saw. Him.

Carl: Where's your real dad?

You: Your guess is as good as mine. My mom had me pretty young, my guess is that my dad was young too. He probably doesn't even know I exist.

You look back at Carl.

You: Be grateful you have a dad that cares about you, Carl. He loves you. What you have with him is something I wish I had.

Carl nods.

Carl: I'm sorry.

You pat his back.

You: Don't worry about it, Carl.

••

After a while of waiting at the highway, you hear a motorcycle rolling up. It's Daryl and Carol.

Then an SUV follows close behind. It's Glenn and Maggie.

Finally, a truck pulls up. It's T-Dog, Lori, Beth, and Clementine.

You clasp hands with Daryl, and Rick does too.

Lori: Oh thank god!

Lori hugs both Rick and Carl.