Hard Candy [Carl Grimes/The Walking Dead]

Two Jealous Cousins

A week or so later, the perpetually rainy weather has cleared up and we decide to take my relatives out to our big back yard for some training in shooting. We start them off with some basic six-shooters, before gradually letting them try silencers. Uncle Kemper was an avid hunter, always bringing home freshly killed game for supper, and predictably caught on immediately. He managed to shoot every makeshift target right on the money without stopping once. Rick looks absolutely tickled.

Aunt Kizzi however is a bit harder to coax. Though Kemp was constantly on her case to just try holding it, just in case you'll ever need to, she never was "fond of weapons" and is more than a little reluctant when Rick hands her a fully loaded automatic. "Just pretend it's like a water gun," Daryl repeats wearily for the squillionth time. "But the water is bullets, and it will kill whoever gets in the way. And aim for the head."

Kizzi shakily raises her pistol and aims it at a target. She shoots every bullet in the chamber within four seconds, missing the target completely every time. Daryl rubs his temples in exhaustion and strides away. We hear him holler, "I give up!" before slamming the side door.

"Don't worry about him," Glenn calls to Kizzi from the other side of the yard.. "He's the shortest-fused son-of-a-bitch you'll ever meet." He then goes back to showing Karel which end of the gun to hold.

Carl and I laugh before we can stop ourselves. Then I notice my aunt's crumpled face, and know she heard us. I immediately feel bad.

You bitch. It's not her fault she never expected to be forced to shoot reanimated humans, I remind myself. You sucked too the first time you had to hold one of those. And she's like sixty years old! Have a little compassion.

I give Carl a meaningful glance as he continues to chuckle. He immediately cuts himself off and gets the hint. Handing his gun to me, he walks over to her and claps a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey now, you're doing good. Better than good, even. At least you know how to hold one," Carl points over his shoulder to Karel, who Glenn is clearly trying not to scream at.

"I'll tell you one more time," I hear Glenn say through clenched teeth. "The round, silver part is never the part you grip. Unless you're looking to lose a hand."

Kizzi surprisingly loosens up and laughs. "That's my boy," She exclaims. "Might have gotten twelve scholarships all over the country, but when it comes to things that really matter, he's almost as clueless as me!"

I'm appalled to hear my aunt talk like that. Isn't education and grades THE most important thing in life? What is life without a brain? Isn't that their motto?

Aunt Kizzi notices me gaping at her. She laughs, a carefree, loose laugh that I've never heard before. "Don't stare, Yara, it's impolite," She scolds. But her face relaxes into a smile. "Maybe, in a world of business and internet and poisoned young minds, getting a good education is a number one priority. But when all that's taken away and replaced with a world where fending for yourself against the people you thought you knew..." She shakes her head. "That list of priorities is gone. Replaced, I should say. Number one is survive. Number two, make the best of it. It's certainly not what I'm used to, but I'm adapting. We all are. It's a work in progress. But we'll get there."

She turns to Carl, as if remembering he's there. He still is, and is looking as impressed as me. She hands her empty gun to him. "Fill this up, why don't you, and help Melly? I'm going to go make some tea with Carol." She makes her way inside. "And be careful!" She calls before the glass door slides shut.

I slowly go up to Carl. He's laughing softly under his breath. I plant my hands on my hips. "Well, what do you think of that!"

"I think your aunt's pretty badass!"