Thinking Out Loud

Rock City Boy [TWD][Carl Grimes]

This was a strange combo and I will admit that I cheated a little bit when it came to fitting the song in haha. Oops. Still, I hope you enjoy it regardless!

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                You walked through the abandoned room casually. Maybe if you had entered this broken, torn apart room a year ago you would’ve reacted differently. The blood stains on the wall would have put ice in your veins. The destroyed furniture would’ve made you pause. The ransacked closet would have made you do a double take. Today it didn’t even faze you though. This is just what the world looked like now.

The room you were currently walking through looked like it might’ve belonged to you a year ago. Torn posters with the recognizable faces of your favorite video games and shows hung on the walls. The similarities were eerie and that was the only thing that made you pause.

                You spotted an iPod sitting in a small, portable dock. A smile crossed your lips, there was little chance it worked. The dock ran off batteries though so those could be salvageable possibly. You set your finger at the top and held down the on button. Unbelievably, the small thing turned on and for the first time in a year you saw the bright screen of a technological device. You set down your gun in a chair beside you and knelt down in front of the dock.

You unlocked the iPod and luckily the owner hadn’t put on a lock. The moment the iPod unlocked though a song began to blare. The tune was familiar and it was also loud. You stumbled back onto your butt as the lyrics blared in the small room.

“Yea, yea, yea, the rock city boy”, You jumped to your feet, “Yea, yea, yea, the rock city boy!”

You ripped the iPod off the dock and the music became much quieter. The notes drifted softly from the built in speakers on the device, barely audible. You breathed a sigh of relief.

The door behind you swung open as a familiar face rushed in with gun raised. He cleared the room with his eyes before lowering his weapon and giving you a look of disbelief.

“Look, Carl.” You said sheepishly and held up the iPod, “It works.”

“You could’ve brought on a hoard of walkers.” Carl replied and walked over to the windows to peek out them.

You paused the song from your past and set the iPod down, “I didn’t do it on purpose.”

“Whatever”, He breathed and you watched as his shoulders relaxed. He turned his gaze to you, “Are you alright?”

You gave him a small smile, “I’m fine. The iPod didn’t attack me if that’s what you’re asking.”

Carl tried to glare at you, but the tips of his lips twitched upwards breaking through his macho man façade. He nodded toward you, “What was that song anyways?”

“Rock City Boy.” You replied with a chuckle, “I used to listen to it all the time. God, that seems like a million years ago. Sometimes I forget that stuff even really existed. It just seems like it was all a dream and this is all the world ever was.”

“I know what you mean.” He breathed and let his eyes travel over the room. Carl glanced out the window again, “My dad and Michonne are heading this way. Maybe they heard your music.”

You rolled your eyes at his teasing voice, “It wasn’t that loud.”

A second of hesitation passed before you tossed the iPod on the bed, grabbed your gun, and turned to leave the room. It was time to get back to your new reality. You quickly walked down the stairs and was joined by Carl when you reached the front door. As you stepped out onto the porch, Rick and Michonne stepped onto the lawn.

“Find anything?” Rick asked.

You sighed, “Nothing. This place was already ransacked. You guys?”

“A couple bottles of water and half a snicker’s bar.” Michonne let out a light chuckle near the end of the sentence, “And I’ll arm wrestle anyone who thinks they can take it from me.”

“You’re on.” Carl challenged.

The four of you walked back to the car parked at the end of the street. It was just a quick run to see if any essential supplies could be found. Others had gone in different directions to look, but when the whole gang met back up at the prison the supplies still remained low.

You helped Carol with preparing dinner, but halfway through, when Maggie came by to help, you slipped away. It wasn’t a habit of yours sneaking away from responsibilities and chores, but the run today had tired you out a bit more than you originally thought. Your cell was on the second floor of the C-block at the end closest to the door. It felt strange to call a prison your home, to call a jail cell your bedroom, but you would take what you could get. As you stepped into room of cells you heard a familiar beat.

You rushed up the metal stairs, taking two at a time, and then turned to walk toward your cell. Your cell was empty, nobody was there except you now, but sitting on top of your bed was the battery powered dock with the iPod sitting in it playing ‘Rock City Boy’. You stepped toward it and picked up a piece of ripped paper lying beside it. On the paper, in Carl’s chicken scratch handwriting were the words, ‘The song’s not too bad, I guess.’

A laugh bubbled from your chest as you set the paper down and took a seat on your cot. The song echoed in your cell on a low volume. The notes bouncing off your concrete walls made your jail cell seem a little cozier and it made it seem like your past wasn’t so far away.