WASTE • Carl Grimes

Seven

2 WEEKS LATER...

" Your legs, Luna " Carl says as his eyes watch my every move, his voice calm and collected with his arms folded against his chest, face concentrated.

I roll my eyes and huff, pushing my legs a little further away from each other.

" it's always my legs " I say under my breath as I take in a deep breath and aim at a walker. Dead one, I mean.

Goddammit, Grimes.

Carl and I have learned how to tolerate one another now. We still can't stand each other, but being around each other all the time isn't much of a problem to either of us. We go hunting together, we talk when we're bored, we kind of enjoy each other's company if I'm being honest.

Doesn't mean I don't want his annoying ass gone, though.

" not bad, I can still do better though " Carl's remark on the shot I had just made on the walker that's now on the ground, brings me back from my stance.

I turn around and furrow my eyebrows at him.

" ' i can still do better? ' "

Carl shrugs, a smug smirk of his playing on his lips when he hears the annoyance twisted into my tone and takes it upon himself to further darken my mood.

" yeah, I'm the one teaching you, aren't I? " he asks, eyebrows drawn together as his smirk only grows wider.

" only because you won't leave " I roll my eyes and push my way past him and into the house we had taken shelter in for the past week.

Carl and I found this house last week and made a few traps around it to give us more time here. We're always on the run, house to house, but last week, we were both so exhausted to the point where we even shared our rations with one another.

And before last week, Carl and I barely even said a word or two to each other.

In a way, going through that did bring us slightly closer to each other. Not tied to the hip closer, just people closer, if that makes any sense.

" do you want to stay here tonight? " I ask Carl, who's sitting on the couch ahead of my own, a can of beets in his hand. He looks up from the can and at me before looking back down at the can and shoving a beet into his mouth. He wrinkles his nose at the taste invading his mouth, but continues to chew it anyway.

" do you? " he questions, still not looking up at me.

I keep my eyes on him, arms folded over my chest in an attempt at warming my body down, but it obviously doesn't work, considering the fact that it's way too cold outside and I'm wearing a short sleeved shirt trashed in blood and flesh.

" yeah, we need to look for some winter clothing, I'm freezing my tits off " I admit as I get up and start walking around the dusty living room, looking through the cabinets and shelves one last time Incase something had magically appeared inside of them once again.

Carl doesn't say anything, but instead, he silently puts his can down and gets up. He collects his belongings and starts shoving them into his backpack, along with his hat that he hasn't been wearing for days now, which is so unlike him.

Even though we don't talk that much and we have just met a few weeks ago, I did spot that hat on his head every single day, covering his head.

It was weird that he didn't have it on, but I didn't question it.

" is your stuff packed? " Carl comes up from behind me, eyebrows furrowed as he awaits my answer.

" yeah, wh- " before I get the chance to finish my sentence, I turn around only to be handed my backpack that I had left in one of the rooms upstairs. Carl places it in my hand and walks backwards towards the door, facing me.

" there's nothing in these cabinets, come on, it's already dark outside " He says before turning away and opening the door.

I sigh and blow out the candle I had set on one of the cabinets before picking it up and throwing it into my backpack.

I walk outside and leave the door open, not really giving a shit if walkers were to walk in there, we're probably never coming back to this area anyway.

And I don't give a shit if there are other people who would've wanted to stay in there, walkers would have gotten in one way or another.

My body shivers and goosebumps start to rise on my body at the cold wind blowing against me.

I would say the weather is good, but right now, it's anything but because I'm fucking freezing.

" Carl? " I call out for the boy who is no where to be seen, leaving me alone in the freezing cold when he was the one who rushed my ass outside at such a time.

" I'm here " he responds a few seconds before coming up to me with a jacket in his hand. I cant tell what the color of the jacket is due to how dark it is, but I could tell that it had fur around its collar, fur that's screaming my name.

He hands me the jacket and fixes the one he had thrown over his shoulders. We silently put the jackets over our shoulders and walk by each other's side further down a dark highway, flesh, blood, and leaves left from spring trashing the cemented ground.

" where'd you get these jackets? " I ask. He keeps his eye ahead of him. gun in his right hand and left hand in the pocket of his jacket.

" found them on walkers on my way out of the house " he plainly replies, calm as ever.

I nod, the thought of them being on rotten bodies slightly bothering me, but so does everything else nowadays, so I really cannot complain or do anything other than to be grateful.

" but where'd you find them? There were barely any walkers around that place " I draw my eyebrows together in confusion.

" remember that store we found on our way to that dried out river? " he asks and I nod, eyes on him as I step on a few plastic bags.

" there "

" you went in there alone? Wasn't it packed with walkers? " Carl chuckles before looking back at me, his visible eyebrow perked up.

" yeah, you worry about me? " he sarcastically asks and I couldn't help but chuckle at his expression, shaking my head.

" a lot " I reply sarcastically, pretending to cry as I place my hand on his arm. He lets out a laugh at my actions.

He doesn't laugh like that a lot, considering what he's been through recently, so whenever he does, I somehow feel like I have done something good for the first time in years.

And it kind of is a nice feeling.