Don't Let Me Go ~ A Carl Grimes Fanfiction

Chapter Seventeen

The next day, Rick, Michonne, Glenn, Noah and Tyreese set off and we follow behind. We’re stopping a hundred miles behind them so that we’re within range with the walkies. There’s a buzz on the walkie that has been left on top of the car. “Carol?” She picks it up.

“Here,” she answers.

“We made it…” the voice starts. “It’s gone.”

The day seems so long and tiresome, and for some reason, it’s extremely hot. I climb into the back of the car so that I can change into some shorts. I take my shirt off, leaving me in my tank top. I stuff all of my things into my bag. When I get back out of the car, I don’t really know what to do.  I lean in the window of the van and I grab three of my smaller knives, and a few sharpened butter knives. They’re sharpened into a point.

There’s a large tree at the side of the road and there’s no one beside it. I take my machete from my belt loop, and I walk over to it. I feel eyes on me but I ignore them and keep going. On the tree, I carve a small circle, then a larger one around it, and then another again, to make a target. I always wanted to learn how to throw knives but I never actually tried. I take ten paces back from the tree.

I start throwing. After about an hour, it becomes obvious that I suck at throwing knives. Daryl spots me and heads over. “You know you’re doing that wrong, right?” he says. He outstretches his hand for a knife. I roll my eyes and pass him one. Daryl positions himself and I copy his stance. He pulls his arm back and holds the knife in a certain way. He breathes in and sends it whirring at the tree. It sinks into the dead centre of my "target". “Your turn,” Daryl says turning to me. “But hang on. I’ll get Sammy and Carl and they can learn too.” Daryl jogs over to Carl and says something to him, pointing at me. He then goes to Sammy and puts her on his shoulders as Carl makes his way over to me. A few moments later, they’re standing next to me. I try to repeat Daryl’s stance, and I pull my arm back the way he did. I breathe in and throw when I breathe out. The knife lodges itself in the outer ring of my target.

“Well, it’s better than before,” I shrug. Daryl starts to show Sammy how to do it, and I stand next to Carl as we both watch.

“I told you,” Carl says.

“What?” I ask.

“Daryl cares about you both. Maybe not like a daughter, I mean I don’t think many dads would let their daughters learn how to throw knives, but maybe you’re like nieces or sisters to him. He’s so protective of you both,” Carl explains. I smile at Carl then I look back at Daryl. Sammy brings out the best in him and right now, she’s keeping his mind off of the whole Beth situation.

Suddenly, a message buzzes through the walkie that’s on the roof of the car. “Hey?! Anyone?!” says a frantic voice. “Come in!” I sprint over.

“Here. It’s Kaitlyn,” I answer.

“Kaitlyn, give the walkie to Carol,” the voice says. It sounds like Rick. I toss the walkie to Carol who catches it.

“Rick?” she asks.

“Tyreese has been bit. We got the arm off, but he’s bleedin’ out. We need to cauterize the arm, ASAP,” he answers. The shock jolts through me. Not another one, I think. Please, God, not another one. “Get Sasha and the kids outta there. They don’t need to see this.” Rick hesitates for a moment. “Wait, get Kaitlyn to stay. She might be able to help.”

“Are you sure?” Carol turns to me. I nod my head.

******

Fifteen minutes later, a buzz comes through the walkie. “He’s gone,” I hear Michonne say. Sasha, who refused to leave, collapses in a heap on the ground. We all hang our heads. It seems so surreal.

I crawl into the back of the car and soon Carl, Sammy and Judith join me. Tears start to fall from Sammy’s eyes and I pull her into my arms. After she cries for a while, she falls asleep with me stroking her hair. I rest my head on Carl’s shoulder. “I’m so sick of this shit. We keep losing people and I can’t deal with it,” I say.

“I know,” Carl whispers. Then, the other car returns. Sammy stirs as I lift her from my lap and over onto the seat. Carl, Judith and I go to see the rest of the group. It’s just getting dark. Rick, Michonne and Glenn get out of the car looking defeated, while Noah sits in the front passenger seat, his tear-stained face staring blankly into the distance.

“What happened?” I ask.

“He was bit, in Noah’s house. Noah blames himself, because Tyreese followed him to his old house and then it was Noah’s brother who bit him. Noah had to put his own brother down,” Glenn says. A pang shoots through me. No one should have to do that. “We’ll bury him at first light, then we go back on the road.”

******

The next day, Rick digs Tyreese’s grave and everyone just sits about. Sammy pulls on my sleeve. “I want to get Tyreese flowers. Like you did for Beth,” she says. I nod. I take her out into the trees, hand in hand. She picks a handful of wildflowers in varying colours. We walk back in silence again. I stop Sammy and hold out my hand for a flower from her. She tentatively places one in my palm. I sweep the hair from her eyes behind her ear then I gently place the flower behind her ear. She smiles a little and I bend down, lifting her into a piggyback ride. I gallop back to the camp and Sammy tries to suppress her giggles so that she doesn’t attract walkers. When we get back, I see Abraham and Glenn roll Tyreese into the grave. I get it. He was a large man.

Rick spreads a white sheet over his body. I see Sammy scoot over to the road and pick up a pile of rocks, like I did. Gabriel speaks from the same bible, and we all bow our head. Tyreese was a good guy. After we all take turns shovelling the soil in. Daryl scoops his in and he slowly hands the shovel to Sasha who half-heartedly dumps some dirt in and then Rick finishes filling in the grave. Sammy stands with him until he’s finishes. She drapes Tyreese’s hat over the cross which stands above his grave. She lays the flowers down and starts to arrange the rocks.

‘TIREESSE’she writes. ‘REST IN PEECE’

At least half of us can’t help but smile at her adorable spelling mistakes.

“Where are we going next?” I ask Glenn.

“No one told you?” he asks. “Washington. We’re not that far. We’re going to Washington.”