Infection ; carl grimes

5 [rematch]

NOTHING FELT REAL after the events of this morning, its as if i was watching my life go by from the back of my head. Nothing feels safe anymore, it felt like at any moment anyone here could drop dead. many people have begun to drop after catching Patricks flu, proving how little control we actually had over the situation.

     Beth was out helping with baby Judith so i had the cell all to myself, though i normally enjoyed being alone, it began to feel like the loneliness was suffocating me as much as i hated to admit it, i really needed somebody right now.

    Tears streamed down my cold cheeks and bloodstained as i buried my head into my hands,
Quiet sobs escaping my lips as i curled my body into a ball, leaning my back against the cold wall as i positioned myself in the corner of my bunk.

    ~

I wiped the tears from my glossy eyes and stretched out my tired limbs, taking a deep breath before standing up and heading out the cell door.
As i creep through the halls, it was hard to avoid hearing the grieving families weeping in their cells, my heart aching with every sob echoing throughout the halls.

As i entered a seemingly empty open room, i spotted a boy on the floor hammering at a cross i assumed he was constructing on the floor, he looked up at me with a saddened expression.

"Do you know if Patrick was catholic?" He sighs, all the spark from his eyes reduced to a blown out flame clearly product from this morning.
"Im pretty sure he was an atheist." I answer, my voice quiet and meek as i avoided eye contact at all cost.

"Don't say was." He ordered with a small huff, turning away and deconstructing the wooden cross below him, his head shaking slowly as he worked away.
"Sorry." I apologize quickly, my voice beginning to crack.

I nervously sat my body next to him but he paid me no attention.
"Im sorry for punching you." I apologize, tilting my head to get a better view of his bruised nose, guilt streaming through my body.

"It's fine, i was being a jerk." He sighed, looking up at me with a slightly guilty expression.

"You wanna... go play soccer?" I suggest, nervously biting at the inside of my cheek. He furrows his eyebrows as his expression goes from guilty to confused.
"Why would we do that?" He scoffed as i took a second to understand my reasoning.

"Just to make things feel normal i guess, to take our mind off everything." I explain with a shrug of the shoulders.
"And you were the one who requested a rematch." I shrug as i bumped my shoulder into his as a hint of a smile tugs at my lips.

He rolls his eyes before agreeing, his tone annoyed though i knew he wanted to. I stand myself up as the both of us head outside.

As we approached our makeshift field, i grabbed the slightly deflated soccer ball that sat itself below one of the trees we used as a goal.
I tossed it onto the ground as i kicked it towards him with all my force.

Laughter filled the air as the ball was kicked across the field back and forth.
Until eventually i slipped up and the ball blasted between the trees before i could stop it and finally my winning streak came to an end.

"Ha!" He exclaimed as he jogged across our 'field', a smile evident on his face as he had finally beat me at something.
"I let you win." I scoff as i cross my arms against my chest, my head tilted to the side.

He picked up the ball and held it to his side.
"Yeah, right." He replied, mockery in his voice as i roll my eyes.
"I gotta go check on my sister." I inform him as i gesture back to the prison.

    "So do i." He shrugs before walking ahead of me, i follow close behind him.

~

"Last time we were walking together you punched me." He speaks, breaking the silence as we walked through the eerily quiet halls together.
"I'll try not to this time." I snicker.
"But i cant make any promises.." i continue, humor in my voice as i earn a small smile from Carl

"Thats reassuring." He states blankly before looking away. Then it hit me, everything I've been trying to distract myself from.
My smile drops and i go quiet, tears well up in my eyes but i did everything to keep them in.

I turn to him and assume the same thing just occurred to him, he simply stared ahead with a blank expression on his face, chewing on the insides of his cheek.

"This is my stop." I announce, my voice almost reduced to a whisper as i turn to face Rosies cell, instead of saying goodbye he simply nodded his head quietly and walked away.

When Rosie noticed me, she instantly sniffed away all her tears as more began to produce in my eyes. Without a word i wrap my arms around her, i had been so focused over Patrick i had forgotten she has lost her best friend as well, it made me feel so shitty.

"I love you." I whisper to the young girl as she soaked my shoulder with her salty tears, i cant even imagine how bad she must feel right now, watching her own roommate die in front of her at the low age of six. I wish i could go back in time and stop her from seeing all she did, protect her.

As i released myself from the hug, i placed my hand behind her back and rubbed it up and down just as our mother used to do to us. She was truly the only family i had left and i had to savor every moment with her, before inevitably one of us leaves this earth.

    After an hour or two, the sun inevitably began to fall and Rosie and I stayed in the same spot. I brought her up onto her feet and laid her down in her bunk next to me as she fell asleep in my arms. A singular tear falling from my eyes as they began to flutter shut and i was swallowed by the darkness of sleep.

AN: i swear i have like 6 different versions of this chapter because i honestly had no idea what to do with it lol. Yes i know its rlly short and pretty shitty but i wrote this at three am so u cant rlly blame me. Hope u enjoyed reading anyways !