The Monsters Within Us

1. Mystery Girl

| |Before I start off this story, I'd like to mention that the Lydia in my story is similar to Comic!Lydia, but not the exact same.
But anyways, enjoy! :)| |
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Eugene pulled open the gate to Alexandria. I held my baby sister, Judith, in my arms as I watched my dad, Rick, and Daryl drag a girl my age. I couldn't quite tell what she looked like since she had her head down. All I knew was that she had long blonde hair and wore a plain white T-Shirt with a pair of skinny, denim jeans and black combat boots with a grey hoodie tied around her waist.
I handed Judith to Carol and jogged up to my dad, curious as to why this girl was being brought here. She didn't look harmful, but since my dad and Daryl had grabbed a hold of her, it seemed like she wasn't totally innocent.
"Dad? What happened? Who is this?" I asked, raising a brow as I took a quick glance at the girl, who continued to keep her head down.
"Carl, just get back in the house. I'll tell you later."
"But--"
"Coral!"
I sighed and took one last glance at the girl before muttering a "fine" and jogging off back to our house.
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The cloudy sky soon turned pitch black. I sat on the porch steps, reading a Deadpool comic book that was placed onto my lap. I couldn't help but chuckle a little. Deadpool had to be my favorite Marvel character now. He was different than most superheroes. Instead of being the purely good guy that's totally sincere and saves the day, Deadpool was the half good and half bad guy that was a smart-ass and made the most humorous remarks. I kinda wished we had a Deadpool in our group. Daryl's sorta like him, but he didn't really make any smart-ass comments or say humorous things like him. Then again, how could you be funny in this world?
I sighed, closing up the comic book and setting it aside. I stared up at the stars that covered the night sky, specifically looking for the North Star. Once my eye found it, I stared at it for a long time. Every time I stared at it, I just thought of everyone that we've lost in a much better world. This time, I thought about Jessie, Sam, and Ron. Even though Ron had shot my right eye out, I still cared about him and missed him. Ron didn't mean it, anyway. He was just a scared boy, living in the wrong world. Besides, I'd probably react the same way if the rest of my family just died right in front of me. Hopefully that wherever he was now, he was happy. Happy with Jessie. Happy with Sam. And maybe even happy with his dad, despite him being abusive.
"Hey, Carl." Came a feminine voice.
I looked down from the star to see my step-mom, Michonne. Her and my dad had just gotten together almost a week ago. "Hey."
She smiled and sat down next to me. "How you holding up?"
"Alright, I suppose." I chuckled slightly, leaning back a little. "How about you?"
"About the same as you." She grinned.
I smiled. That's when I remembered that girl. That mysterious girl my dad and Daryl had brought in. "Hey Michonne? Who was that girl? You know, the one my dad and Daryl brought in. Did either one of them tell you anything?"
"Well, your dad said that her group attacked them while they were looking for supplies. The girl tried to attack Daryl, but he was quick to restrain her. So they decided to bring her back here to question her." She explained.
"Makes sense, I guess." I shrugged slightly. "But maybe she was just scared and didn't know what to do. I mean, she's just a kid like me after all."
"I don't think age matters anymore, Carl. I mean, you heard what Ron did to you, and he was about your age. That girl could be harmless, but we have to be careful."
I shook my head. "No. Ron wasn't a threat. I get that you killed him to save me, but he wasn't dangerous. He was scared. He didn't know how to cope with the loss of his mom and brother. So he made a mistake that got him killed." I tried to explain. "I was like that, too, when my mom died."
Michonne stayed silent for a moment, taking in what I said. I could tell she tried to understand what I meant, and she did understand what I mean. She sighed softly and spoke up again. "You're right. He was scared. But you still need to be careful no matter how old the person is."
"Yeah...I guess it was the same with Lizzie, huh?" I said, remembering how Carol had told us she killed her own little sister to prove that walkers were just "different". Whatever that meant.
"Exactly." Michonne nodded, smiling sweetly. She stood up. "Come on. Let's head inside. Your dad should be back soon. He can tell you more about that girl."
I nodded and picked up my comic before standing up. We headed inside.
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My dad returned a couple hours later. Apparently, he was keeping that girl in one of the empty houses with Carol to keep an eye on her.
I approached my dad in the living room. The fireplace was lit, it being the only light in the room. I sat down by him. "Hey dad."
"Hey, Carl." He smiled tiredly. It had obviously been a long day for him.
"So, what happened with...her?" I asked.
He knew right away who I was referring to. "Well, she didn't give us too much detail, but apparently the group she's in is dangerous. She said how she wouldn't mind just staying here and how that group scared her. I asked her how come they scared her, but she just shook her head and said she'd rather not say."
I listened closely. "You think she's telling the truth?" I asked.
"Maybe. She did seem pretty serious, but you know, we've gotta be careful with who we trust. Can't have another Gareth or Governor."
I nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Um, think I could talk to her? Maybe I can get her to open up more."
"I don't know, Carl...I don't want you getting hurt or manipulated."
"I won't. I've been through as much as you have. I can tell whether a person is harmful or not." I spoke, looking at him dead in the eye.
He sighed, staying silent for a long moment. "Are you sure?" He finally asked.
"Positive."
He stayed quiet for a bit once again. "All right. But be careful. You can speak with her tomorrow."
I nodded. "Okay."
"Now go on to sleep. If you wanna talk with her, you're gonna have to get up a little early."
"Why? I mean, can't I just talk to her around--"
"Carl. Bed. Now."
I sighed. "Fine." I grumbled, standing up before going up to my room.