Sweet and Salty ~ Carl Grimes

Kinda Salty - 029

For the trigger warnings summary, go to the bottom of the chapter!!

Yes, I'm breaking from my update schedule and am updating on a Tuesday, for 2 reasons:

1) people in my DMs were getting demanding, you know who you are

2) Tik Tok: SweetAndSaltyWP, my edits are mediocre but you can have some hints into future storylines so

Shane and Rick had failed in taking Randall out. They came back, slightly beaten, Shane being worse off than Rick, and with Randall. The guy they went eighteen miles out to get rid of. For the time being, he would be kept in the shed. That whole day Brooks spent at Daryl's camp with him, she didn't see a single person other than Daryl who was warming up to her easily.

The next morning: Rick, Lori, Carl, Shane, Andrea, Cam, Carol, Sophia, T-dog, Glenn and Dale were around the fire. Merle and Daryl were interrogating Randall. Brooks was sitting away from everyone else, her back to a tree and her stomach growling. Carol had refused to cook her a portion. Sophia had been banned from hanging around with Brooks by Carol, Sophia tried to argue, but her mother was persistent. Brooks had told her its okay, and that she had to do what was best for her mom.

After sitting alone for twenty minutes, Cam came over and sat next to her. He gave her his plate which had some cold eggs and bacon on it. "Here." He said, gently.

"Thanks." Brooks whispered, beginning to eat the food with her one hand which still had nail polish on. It was beginning to peel, and that broke Brooks' heart, because she knew she didn't have anyone who would or could repaint it for her. Besides, it was only on the one hand. Carol never did get to paint the other hand for her.

Cam sighed. "How you holding up, kiddo?"

"Been better." Brooks admitted. "It wasn't even this bad back at the other camp. They really hate me, don't they?"

Cam looked down, he'd heard all the things people had said behind the Dixon family's back. He'd tried to defend her name, but it had fallen on deaf ears. "They'd hate me too if they found out why I lost this arm."

Brooks sighed. "It's really my fault that he's dead, isn't it?"

"You got scared, you're a kid. Kids get scared, it's what you do. Especially in a world like this." Cam responded. "You and Chris were both under a lot of pressure in that moment, nobody can blame you for arguing. Isn't your fault your voice got a little louder than intended. I don't blame you, Brooks. To hell with everyone else. Like you said to me in the other camp. I get why you can't forgive yourself, but I forgive you." Despite the fact Cam had been fed the wrong story through rumours, he still loved and forgave her.

Brooks smiled a little. "Thanks, Cam."

"Hey, how about I give you that fighting lesson later, huh?" He suggested.

She looked up to him with a wide smile. "I think I'd really like that."

Merle and Daryl had come back from their talk with Randall. Brooks and Cam were just close enough that they could hear everything the Dixon brothers said. Daryl started speaking first. "Boy there's got a gang, thirty men. Got heavy artillery and they ain't lookin' to make friends."

"They roll through here? Our boys are dead." Merle stated, continuing. "Our women, they're gonna... They're gonna wish they were."

Carol let out a scared breath, pulling in Sophia for a hug. Carol was a good mom, always has been, always will be. She loved her children more than anything in the world, which is why her grief blinded her judgement. Which is why she came to the conclusion that Brooks was the worst person to exist, and held sole blame for the death of her baby boy.