Promise? »» C.G.

Chapter 41««Rick?

(Y/n)

"You still don't get it," Rick said. "None of you do! We know what needs to be done and we do it. We're the ones who live. You, you just sit and plan and hesitate. You pretend like you know when you don't. You wish things weren't what they are. Well, you want to live? You want this place to stay standing? Your way of doing things is done. Things don't get better because you--you want them to. Starting right now, we have to live in the real world. We have to control who lives here."

"That's never been more clear to me than it is right now," Deanna said.

"Me? Me? You--You mean--you mean me? Your way is gonna destroy this place. It's gonna get people killed. It's already gotten people killed. And I'm not gonna stand by and just let it happen. If you don't fight, you die. I'm not gonna stand by--" Rick got cut off by Michonne knocking him out. Carl turned around to me.

"Still think I'm weak?" I asked him. I had pulled out my gun I had hid.

Later that day when Rick wakes up

I hadn't talked to Carl since Rick's outburst. I hadn't talked to anyone since. I sat and waited for Aaron to come back so I could scold him for letting me have hope. I had gotten up and went to see Rick. I heard what they were talking about. I walked away crying. Rick wanted to kill them if things went south at the meeting tonight. Kill. A word I've always hated and I never wanted to do. Ron came up to me and hugged me.

"I'm sorry," I cried into his shoulder.

"Don't cry," Ron said brushing my hair with his fingers. I still cried into his shoulder as he comforted me. After a while, we walked around. Our fingers interlaced. Talking. About nothing. I seen Enid from the side and I stopped.

"Let me go talk to her," I said. He just nodded and I walked to her. She just ran off. I stopped in my tracks as I watched her run. I sighed and turned to Ron, but he was gone. I sighed again. I seen Carl come outside. He looked at me and his eyes lit up like a little kid on Christmas. He ran over to me, but I tried walking away. He grabbed my arm and turned me around.

"What," I snapped.

"You're not weak," he said.

"Then why did you say I was?"

"Because-"

"Because I am? Because I had to survive in my own without my family? Just Enid and I? Is that why I'm weak? Get it through your head, Carl. That's not weakness. I survived without you. I didn't think I could." With that, I stormed off. I ran into Mom and Dad talking. I sat with them.

"So what is it?" Dad asked.

"It's what we thought," Mom replied. "I'm gonna talk to people. I'll talk to everyone I can right up until. I'm gonna try to solve this." Dad and I just stared like we had the same idea.

"What?" Mom asked. "What?" She sat down. Dad put his hand on her leg.

"I love you two," he said. Mom and I smiled.

"We're gonna work it out. I know it," Mom said. Mom held out her hand and I took it. We walked off leaving Dad alone.

Carl

Dad opened the door. I went over and hugged him.

"You okay?" I asked.

"Yeah," he said. "Look, I'm sorry."

"I heard about the meeting."

"You're staying home."

"That's what it is now, right? Home?" I smiled like I did whenever I gave Violet her name.