HEART FOR BRAINS • the walking dead

008: baby

"Okay well, thanks anyway." Rio said before climbing into Glenn's tent. He poked his head out from the zip bidding her goodnight, before lying down under the thin blanket. He considered stealing Glenn's sleeping bag but it felt wrong, he wasn't here. After what felt like hours, but was probably only minutes, maybe even seconds, Rio got out of the tent. He wandered around, blanket wrapped over his shoulders, walking slowly not to strain his leg. Maggie would know he'd gotten out if anything happened.

Everyone was together, gathered under the collection of trees.

Rio stood next to Carl, who wrapped himself under the blanket too. "Hey!" Rio whispered, pretending to be annoyed.

"Come on it's cold." Carl complained.

"Fine."

"Are you okay?" The other boy asked, looking for an honest answer.

"Yeah..." Rio sighed, not sounding really okay. "Yeah I'm okay."

Carl flashed him a warm smile before huddling closer to him. Rio didn't mind at all.

"Are you sure?"

Rio nodded nervously. "Are you?" He asked, changing the subject.

"Yeah."

Shane came jogging over seconds later, "She's not at the barn."

"I checked the yards." T-dog added.

"Well, where is she?" Carl asked, panic growing in his voice.

"She asked Daryl to go into town." Carol ran over, breathless as she explained. "Must've gone herself."

Carl let out a small cry before turning away. Andrea tried to comfort him, reaching out but he left.

"Did you know about this?" Shane asked Dale.

"No." He protested.

"Look, Just— Did she take a gun?"

"I don't know." Dale insisted, "I wouldn't let her go out there alone." Shane stormed off, something Rio found he was good at and the boy sighed before deciding to try and find Carl.

He was heading to the farm house and Rio had only made it half way when the car started, they both froze, turning to watch Shane drive away.

Carl jogged over, heading straight past Rio as he stared down Shane as he left. Rio stood still and waited for the boy to walk back to him, which he did.

"Let's go." He grumbled, heading back to the tents. They sat there and talked, awaiting anybody's arrival. Rick, Glenn, Hershel, Shane, Lori, any of them.

Carl talked to distract himself, it was something he'd grown good at. He'd first done it the other day, when Rio grew silent at the thought of something he wouldn't share. He seemed to like filling silences of fear with useless talking, random facts about a random comic or a dinosaur that he thought the other boy might find interesting.

He didn't do it tonight. Rio tried to take his place, trying to cheer him up but it was so hard when he wasn't happy himself. He was so far from it. He didn't even want to talk and he was scared it was showing.

It was and Carl noticed. He told him it was okay and that he was okay. That only made Rio try harder to speak.

Half way through their conversation he just plucked Carl's hat off of his head and placed it on his own.

"You look cool." Carl admired.

"I think I look stupid." Rio replied, reaching to take it off. Carl shook his head.

"You can't even see yourself." He laughed.

"Gut feeling." Rio shrugged, lowering his hand. They continued their boring game of twenty questions, right now they were on 'favourite colour'. Rio left the blanket behind when they heard the skid of tires, rushing outside to see who had returned. It was Shane. Shane and Lori.