We Can Survive (Carl Grimes Fanfiction)

Chapter 12- A Puddle to Mop Up

"Um, I believe that's the part where you say 'Oh no, dearest Nikki. I'd much rather remain in your wonderful company for a while than enjoy the desirable comforts of my bed!' and make me swoon with yearning." I informed him without showing a hint of humor.

"Um, how 'bout no?" he suggested, raising his eyebrows and smirking before walking briskly away and down the hall. I giggled as he left before turning to my bed.

I pulled my knees up to my chest and started braiding my hair, despite not having any kind of talent with hair. I guess I kind of missed out on that girly gene. I was so completely focused on my hair that when the bed sank slightly beside me, I cried out in surprise. He snorted at my reaction and I glared playfully back at him.

"Your hair looks pretty like that," he informed me, glancing down at his lap. I followed his eyes to find Gatsby sitting on his lap, waiting to be read. I smiled at him when he looked up again, then got under the covers. I wanted him to come under the covers and keep me warm but I knew I couldn't. We were practically in the open. So he sat at the foot of my bed and read a chapter of the book. I drifted into a state of semi-consciousness, lost in the book and Carl's voice. When the chapter he was reading was over, my eyes snapped open in protest.

"One more?" I begged, hoping he would give in.

"Nah. It's almost time for lunch anyway." he teased.

"Please please please please?" I cried, tugging at his arm as he stood to leave.

"I have to keep you wanting more, don't I?" he asked, tugging his arm away.

"No! You don't! You could be nice and NOT keep me wanting more!" I assured him, smiling innocently.

"Mind if I ask what you're talking about?" a very low and very familiar voice asked from the door. I shut my eyes, covering my face with my right hand.

"Daryl, how do you always manage to walk by at the worst times?" I asked quietly, uncovering my face. He grinned cheekily.

"I just got a talent, I guess." he informed me, before strolling away, Carl following behind him. I sighed and got up, noticing how hungry I was. I followed quietly a few yards behind them to the main room. Carol handed me two granola bars and smiled lightly.

"Lunch." she said shortly before going off to deliver some more granola bars. I opened my granola bars and chewed one quickly before choking down the other. I'd grown to hate granola bars after so many months of eating them constantly. After I'd finished my unappetizing meal, I quickly mopped up the floor with a rag, avoiding the dirt. I did not need to take another rain shower. My hair hadn't yet dried from the previous one.

I wandered off to find Beth when the floor was dry and no longer a hazard. When I found her washing clothes she looked happier than lately, so I announced my arrival and went to help her. I'd learned since I got here that you should tell people when you're near them if you're similar to a ninja like me. Otherwise, you'd usually end up getting hurt.

"Why so happy?" I asked curiously. Her grin grew wider and she scrubbed the shirt in her hands roughly.

"You'll never guess what I saw!" she squealed, throwing down the wash brush and dunking the shirt into a bucket of water.

"What did you see?" I asked, a smile similar to hers growing across my face. Beth empasized greatly her glances to check that no one was around. I couldn't help but play along. She was such a sweet heart.

"Daryl. And Carol. Together. They kissed! It was gross, but still adorable!" she peeped. Now my excitement was genuine. I jumped up and down a little.

"I ship it! I've been shipping it for a while now! They're perfect! I'd still rather not see them kiss! But that's okay!" I whisper-shouted, dancing a little. Beth laughed at me and danced along with me, the blonde from her head twirling through the air.

When we finished doing our happy dances, we went back to laundry, quickly scrubbing and rinsing the clothes. We hung them to dry over a section of the floor with a nearby drain, chatting about movies and hot actors from before. When we'd finished hanging the clothes, I said goodbye to Beth and trotted off to find Carol. I had to confirm the exciting news from Beth.

I found Carol in her cell, reading a thick book.

"Well?" I asked, placing my hands on my hips.

"Well what?" she asked, folding the corner of her page and setting the book on her crate.

I glanced behind me into the hall before running over next to her and asking,"Did you and Daryl kiss?"

"Absolutely not!" she exclaimed. She was a pretty good liar, but not good enough to get past me.

"I feel like I probably forgot to mention to you that I always know when people are lying." I mused, raising my eyebrows. Carol looked down and smiled in defeat.

"Okay, so maybe we kissed a little..." she admitted. I did yet another happy dance as Carol chuckled at me.

"Yay!" I whispered over and over.

"Now get out of here! I'm busy!" she laughed, shooing me away and snatching her book off of her empty crate. I grinned at her and skipped away. I was elated that Carol had someone to love, but I was mostly ecstatic because I had something to tease Daryl about.

I wandered around the prison, wondering what to do. My only real option was to hang out with Carl. I didn't want to seem clingy, though. So I went out to the fence to kill a few walkers. I grabbed a long stick with a sharp, serrated blade tied firmly to the end. As I approached the fence, I picked out a walker, the skinny remains of a young man. He was wearing a blood-stained t-shirt that read, "I can explain it for you, but I can't understand it for you." I giggled a little at his snarky shirt. He had a pair of black-framed sunglasses tucked into the v-neck of his shirt. He seemed like the kind of guy I could've been friends with if Trinity dated him or something. That's what I thought as I slid the blade through the fence and into his head through his left eye.

After the initial kill, I didn't focus on them anymore. I hummed "Words" by Train as I mindlessly stabbed walkers. After killing about 25 walkers that had lined up along the fence, my arm got tired and I took a break. I sat in the refreshingly cool grass, leaned against the still-standing base of one of the demolished guard towers, and sipped lukewarm water from a reusable water bottle. As I stared around at the outside of the gates, I noticed a large dog staring at me from the forest. I squinted at the dog, realizing how unusual it was to see dogs anymore. I stood quickly and crept toward the fence, looking past the walkers at the dog.

As I stared at the dog, it occurred to me that what I was looking at was no dog. I was locking eyes with a wolf. I'd never even heard of wolves in Georgia. The wolf's head turned smoothly and gracefully to glance behind it, before it trotted away.

"Wait," I whispered,"Wait come back," I cried, my voice cracking. I sprinted over to the gates, tugging at the door. I managed to push the door open enough that I could squeeze through. I crept past the walkers that were further down the fence without being noticed. I gripped my blade tightly, my palms itching with sweat.

I followed the wolf's swishing tail, far ahead of me, into the woods. The wolf seemed to saunter aimlessly, changing directions occasionally. When I tried to catch up, it somehow managed to keep an equal distance between us. I noticed that it had begun to get dark from the thick foliage and glanced up to look at my surroundings. When I glanced back down, the majestic creature was gone and I was forced to realize how impulsive my actions had been. I was alone in the forest, the sun probably sinking. And the fear slipped icily in through my skin, tendrils and wisps gradually chilling me to the bone.

~Author's Note~

Oh my gosh. 3,500 reads?!?!? I love you guys so much! THANK YOU!

I finally thought of something! I felt like this chapter had just been fluff so far, so I wanted to add something interesting and unique... weird plot twist huh? ;] HAVE A LOVELY DAY/NIGHT/YEAR/LIFE!