Dead Love

Chapter Thirteen: The Grove

Chapter Thirteen

Lizzie

I stay behind with Tyreese, Carl, Rick, and Judith as Carol and Mika go on a walk in the woods. We are sitting on the railroad track, I am next to Carl and Tyreese and Rick sit across from us. We are both joined at the hands but hide it behind our backs. Rick is giving me a death stare but I ignore him. Tyreese is holding Judith. She is asleep and wrapped in a pink blanket. Judith has grown a little bit. Her blonde hair is turning brown and her grey eyes are turning even more blue, like Carl and Ricks.

"When do you think we will be at Terminus?" Carl asks his father.

"Soon. We may need to stop somewhere to rest. Just for a little while." Rick answers.

"Where? We can't keep sleeping on the railroad." I say.

"We'll find somethin'" Rick answers.

"Lizzie! Rick!," I hear Mika yell, "Come here!" I bolt up and let go of Carls hand and run to where I felt she is. I find her and carol smiling.

"Look." She says and points to a big grass field.

On this grass field, there is a medium sized house. Around the house is a wired fence. There are pecan trees surrounding us.

"A grove." Rick says from behind us. I turn to face them all and rick walks to the fence and opens it.

"Carl, Tyreese, Carol, let's clear it. Lizzie and Mika, stay outside with . . . Judith." Rick says. Tyreese hands me Judith and we all go into the field. Mika and I sit on two chairs outside. I rock Judith and she falls asleep.

"Carl knows what they are, Lizzie. You should, too." Mika tells me.

"I know what they are." I tell her.

"No you don't!" She tells.

"You're the one that doesn't understand Mika. You think they're dead. They're alive." I tell her.

"You're so stupid!" She yells. Then, one stumbles off the porch. Mika screams and yells my name. Judith cries when I jump out of my chair. Mika shoots him in the shoulder. Rick runs outside and shoots him in the head. I hyperventilate and Carol takes Judith from me. Carl stands by me and Mika kneels down. I crawl to a chair and sit down.

"Lizzie, I'm sorry," Mika says, "Just look at the flowers like you're supposed to."

We both count to three together.

***

Tyreese starts a fire in the fireplace inside the living room. I sit on the couch and rest my head on a pillow. Carl sits next to me and Carol and Mika are washing and cracking pecans on the dinning room table. Rick is somewhere around the house with Judith.

"Are you okay?" Carl whispers so softly, only I could hear.

"Yeah." I whisper back. I sit up and look at him. The firelight hits the left side of his face and makes his blue eyes pop out. He looks behind me to see Carol and Mika. He looks at Tyreese, who is facing away from us. He looks back at me and kisses me. I could get used to this. A house. Carl. Warmth. Food. It feels like how it used to be, minus Carl kissing me.

"We stay here for a day or two," I hear Rick say and quickly pull away from Carl,"and then we head out to Terminus."

He looks at Carl and I while he talks. There is no doubt in my mind he saw. He is holding Judith in his arms and lies her down on a blanket on the floor. She fiddles around and puts her hand in her mouth.

"Carl." Ricks says. Carl gets up and walks to his father. They both disappear down the hallway.

"This could be a home." Tyreese says.

"Yes, it could." Carol says.

"I'm going to sleep." I say and get up. I walk down the hallway and pass a room where is see Carl and Rick. I pass them and go into the next room. There is an old fashioned bed and two dressers. A vanity is next to a window with long creme coloured curtains.

I sit down on the bed the only light in the room is the light coming from the fire in the living room, which is just enough so I can see.

I cover myself in the blankets and pull them over so only my head is sticking out. I left the door open so I could see the orange light from the fire. I see a shadow approach and pretend I'm asleep. I hear muffled noises and suddenly feel the blankets being pulled over on the other side of the bed. I turn over and see Carl. He is wearing a red shirt with jeans. He gets in the bed and pulls the covers over him. His hat is set on the dresser.

"What happened?" I ask him.

"Nothing. Nothing to be worried about." He says.

He wraps his arm around me and I pick up my head and he places his arm in a position so I could lie on it. The warmth from his body spreads through me and I lie my head on his chest. He rests his chin on the top of my head and I fall asleep in his arms.

The next morning, I wake up and he is gone. Light shines through the window and I sit up. My hair is a mess and I try and comb through it with my hands. I get up and look at myself through the vanity. I make a loose side ponytail and walk out to the living room. I see Carol with Judith and Mika sitting on the couch.

"Where's Carl?" I ask.

"Out hunting with Tyreese and Rick." Carol says.

I walk outside and walk the perimeter of the fence. I see a woman with a long dress on. She seems lost so I let her in.

"Do want to play?" I ask her. I smile as she tries to grab me.

"Tag it is." I say and run. I run to the front of the house. I laugh and run from her. When she catches up to me I run away again. I hear the door from the house open and I see Carol run outside with a gun in her hand.

"Lizzie get away from it!" She yells.

"No! No! Don't hurt her!" I beg.

"Lizzie go!" She says and pushes me. I fall to the ground and see her shoot my friend.

"No! What did you do!" I raspingly scream.

"It wanted to kill you!" She yells.

"She wanted to be my friend! You killed her. You killed her!" I yell.

"It's not the same." She says.

"It's the same thing! What if I killed you! What if I killed you!" I scream. I sob on the ground and Carol watches me. I look up and see Rick standing in front of me. Tyreese and Carl are standing behind him.

"Burn it ." Rick says.

Tyreese drags her out of the field and Carl helps me up. Rick is inside with Carol. I know they're talking.

"It's okay." Carl tells me.

"They are going to send me off." I sob.

"I won't let it happen." He says.

"They will." I say.

"I'll go with you." He tells me.

"Your dad won't let it happen." I say.

"Then he'll have no choice but to let you stay." He says. He hugs me and we go inside. We go into the room we slept in last night.

He kisses me and tells me, "I love you."

"I love you, too." I tell him.

We stand there in our small and perfect moment in each other's arms. I love him. He loves me. That's all I need to know to keep me alive.