I'll Be Here, Always ~A Carl Grimes Love Story/Fan Fiction~

Chapter 12

Rick eyed Scout during the walk, I could see it. Scout stayed next to me, and in between Carl and I. His tongue lolled out of his mouth the further we walked, and drool dribbled down onto the hot tar. I slightly giggled as I watched him. The group stopped walking. "Alright, we need to split into partners and look for food, stay close," Rick said. Everyone broke into groups, and Carl and I looked at each other. We both smiled and started to walk into the woods, Scout by my side the whole time.
        We started to jog, Scout following by a trot. I stopped behind a tree, seeing men. I looked over at Carl, and he looked at me. He shook his head. "Don't do it," he whispered. I sighed, put kept my sword ready. The people stood and left the fire for a second, and I saw a whole rabbit ready to be cooked. Carl looked away from me, and I ran over to the fire. I took the rabbit, and Scout followed. I ran back, and watched as the men went back. They looked around, and I smirked. Carl looked back over. His eyes widened a bit, as I held the rabbit in my hand.
        The men saw as Scout's tail, and snuck over. "Alright, let's get back," Carl said. I nodded and we started to walk back. Scout trotted in front of us, but turned around and growled. Carl and I stopped, and quickly turned, seeing the men. I quickly got my sword. Scout started to snarl, and stayed in front of me. Suddenly he pounced, landing on top of one of the men. The other man pointed a gun at Scout, about to shoot him. I jumped on the man, making him shoot at the sky. Carl quickly came over, as I tried to get my knife to stab the man. He pulled me off, and the man stood angrily. "Scout, come!" I yelled. Scout perked his ears up and came next to me.
        I eyed the man I jumped on, then walked away. Carl stayed behind me, as I angrily walked back to the road. "Abby, wait up," Carl said as he jogged over. He stepped in front of me, making me stop. "What are you so mad about? They didn't hurt any of us," he questioned. "I know, but they tried to," I answered, as I stepped to the side of him and kept walking. I heard him sigh, as he continued to walk behind me.
        We got to the road, meeting the rest of the group there. I handed Rick the deer, then sat against a tree. Scout lay next to me, and I pet him. I started to worry. The men aren't dead. What if they come back and try to kill Scout? Or Carl? Or anyone?! I thought. I sighed as night started to fall. Rick handed me some food, and I ate it, leaving some for Scout. I leaned against a tree, and Scout lay next to me. Carl came over, and sat on the side of the tree. I looked over and smiled. I closed my eyes, falling into a deep sleep.
        I woke up, and looked around. I put my hand on the ground to get up, when I felt a pain in the top of my pointer finger. I quickly lifted up my finger, and saw blood pouring out. I squinted and wiped the blood off, revealing a small yet pain full cut. I looked where I placed my hand, and saw a sharp stick. I slowly stood, and covered my finger. I looked over to where Carl was, and saw he was at the small fire. I walked over and sat next to him, keeping my finger covered.
        "You okay?" he asked, and I looked at blood coming through my fingers. "Oh, um, yeah i'm fine," I lied. He tilted his head slightly. He gently took my hands, and looked at my finger. "Yikes," he said. He went through his dads pouch, finding bandages. He got the last bottle of water. "No, Carl, save it for people to drink," I insisted. He looked at my hand. The blood had slowed down. "I have to clean the cut out," he answered. I sighed and he poured water on my hand. It cleaned the cut, and he bandaged it. "Thanks," I said. He nodded, as he wiped the blood off of my hands.
        I stared into the fire, thoughts swarming into my head, like bees. What if those men come? What if they do hurt them? What am I supposed to do? Run? Fight them? Risk my life, or even the groups? I thought. "You okay?" Carl asked, breaking my thoughts. I quickly lifted my head. "Oh, yeah, I have just been thinking about something a lot lately," I answered. "About what?" he asked. I sighed slightly. "Well, about those men we saw yesterday," I answered. "We'll be fine," he answered. "I doubt that," I said honestly. He shrugged his shoulders. "We didn't hurt them. They might leave us alone," he said. "Might," I mumbled.
        I finally started to think better. I saw everyone looking away, and tapped my hip for Scout to follow. I snuck into the woods. "I can't let anyone hurt any of them," I whispered as I kept walking. I heard footsteps behind me, and turned to see Carl. "What are you doing?!" He whispered. I looked over quickly. "I have to find those guys," I said, as I kept walking. Carl grabbed a hold of my shoulder, pulling me back towards him. Scout slightly growled, and Carl kept a hold of my wrist. "You can't just go out there and try to find them," he said. I sighed angrily, and pulled away from him. "I can go if I want!" I exclaimed, and ran.
        I heard Carl behind me. "Abby! Get back here!" he yelled. I kept running, Scout by my side. Carl caught up and grabbed my wrist, forcing me to stop. I tried to pull, and fell onto my knees crying. I couldn't hold it in after everything that has happened. He kneeled next to me, and held my face against his chest. He brushed through my hair, and Scout tilted his head. Scout sat in front of me, and licked my face. I slightly smiled, and sniffled. "You're okay," Carl assured me, as he held me. 
        We walked back, and Carl stayed by my side, making sure I stayed calm. No matter what I did, I couldn't get the thoughts to go away. I miss mom, and Molly, and dad, I thought as we walked.
        We got back to the road. "Alright, we have to keep moving tomorrow," Rick said. I nodded and Carl leaned against a tree, I walked over, and rested my head on his shoulder. He brushed my hair back, and I slowly closed my eyes. "Night," he whispered. "Night," I answered, as I fell into a deep sleep.
        I woke up, to see Carl awake, but still sitting with me. I lifted my head slightly, and opened my eyes. I squinted as I looked around, seeing the group getting ready to move on. I sat up slowly, and stood. Carl stood after me, and we started to walk with the group.
        We walked into the woods, hoping to find a safe place. We found a little log cabin, and examined it. There were no walkers, and so we all went in it. "Alright, we'll stay here for a couple of days. There's a river about a mile away," Rick said. We all nodded, and found a spot to rest. I put my bag on the couch. "I call the couch," I said. Carl looked over, and grinned. I tilted my head slightly. "Fine, we can both claim the couch," I said, giggling. He nodded. I sat on the couch, and pet Scout as he sat by my feet. Carl came over, and dumped water on my head.