Dixon's Daughter • The Walking Dead

84: Whistle

I gulped, "I'm so sorry."

It's okay.

I looked out the front windshield and my heart skipped a beat. I was in a position where no one on the outside could see me.

I dropped to the floor, I didn't want to risk being seen.

At this point, everyone except Carl had stepped outside.

"I can't go out there." I said.

"Why not?" Carl said.

"Those are Negan's people. I can't go out there or they'll make me go with them." I explained.

"Then, we'll stay right here." Carl sat on the floor with me.

"Don't do this." I said, with a crack in my voice.

He chuckled, "Do what?"

"Carl, you know what you're doing." I stated.

He looked at me, in a way I can't describe.

"I can't keep loving you." I whispered.

Soon, everyone walked back in, looking extremely upset.

They explained what had happened and how these people had tried to "take control of them". I only say these people because I don't want to be associated with them, or tied to them in anyway.

Carl just stared at me.

Soon we were back on the road and everyone was quite.

"You remember?" Carl whispered.

"Of course I do. How could I forget? I never forgot you, Carl. I might not have remembered your name, but you're like no other." I explained.

"What does that mean?" He asked.

"The way I feel when I'm around you, just the contentment I feel. It's like no other. I can barely imagine my life without you in it. That's why I got to stop loving you. You're with Enid now, I want to at least keep you as a friend." I explained.

Carl stayed silent.

Soon, we stopped once more. The others got out.

I sat on the floor again, and Carl joined me. Except this time we were silent.

I looked at him, "What?" He asked.

"Do you ever get the feeling that somethings going to go really really wrong?.. Like even if things are already going bad, they're just gonna get worse?" I asked.

"Sometimes, but in the world today, do things ever really go right?" Carl retorted.

"Fair point." I concluded.

It was silent for a quick moment.

"I'm gonna tell you this, I don't know why. Maybe it's for some form of closure for either of us." Carl paused, all I could do was stare at him, every single one of his perfect features. "Emma-" My breathing hitched. I had this feeling he was going to tell me he was done with me.

"Before you do, just let me say this." I cut him off. He nodded, giving me a signal to proceed. "Carl, I love you. I can't say I'll ever stop loving you. I know I lost my chance, and I'm so sorry if I hurt you. I never meant to. I'm so sorry if this messes anything up between us. I seriously wouldn't have traded the world going to shit for anything. Without it, I wouldn't have met you or my dad or my real family. Basically, what I'm trying to say is. I love you, you don't have to say it back, but I just feel like you should know."

"...Emma, I love you too." Carl said.

My breathing hitched. I wanted to pull him in to a kiss, but I couldn't. He wasn't mine anymore. Congrats to Enid for being the only girl who ever successfully stole Carl from me.

Carl began, "That's what I wanted to tell you from the start. I wanted to tell you I still love you. I know why I'm telling you this, that feeling of things going more wrong than usual, I've got it too. I don't know what it is, but you need to know that I love you... truthfully, I fell for Enid because she was there for me... but she wasn't you. If I'm being honest, Emma, I would trade her for you in the blink of an eye... I know how horrible that sounds, but our time wasn't over."

I looked at him, and proceed to study his perfect features. I smiled at him.

"Our time is over Carl, whether we want to face it or not." I said.

Everyone came back in.

They had found an arrow of my dad's and a dread lock from Michonne's hair along with a line of walkers.

We proceeded to drive and it became dark. We ran into them once more, but this time no one got out. We just pulled back and tried to hide ourselves while we came up with another plan.

"Could we go back?" Carl proposed.

"They'd have people on every road, just to make sure we don't get through." I explained.

"What are we supposed to do then?" Abraham said.

Eugene came up with a whole plan. He was going to take the RV, and we would walk carrying Maggie.

Carl and I were the designated walker killers.

All worked out well until we heard that stupid whistle.

Once I heard their stupid whistle, I knew it was over.

We tried to make a run for it, but we were only lured deeper into their trap.

Lights exploded into the deep darkness of the night.

They made us kneel down in a form of line up. From left to right, it was Eugene, Carl, Aaron, Sasha, Rick, Me, Maggie, Abraham, Michonne, Daryl, Rosita, and Glenn.

I looked around at everyone. My dad had been shot. Eugene had been beaten. When Glenn realized Maggie was there, he tried to go up to her and hug her, but he was held down by some of the men.

Then, even brighter lights were brought up, and the camper was revealed.

I watched as the man I had easily began to hate walked out of the camper, carrying the barbed wire bat that I had made.

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I'm so sorry. Don't hate me, please. Just... Brace yourselves.