Together ~ A Carl Grimes Fanfiction

Chapter Eleven

I return to my cell and Carl is there. "What's wrong?" he asks. I think he can see how mad I am. I don't want to complain about my mum, because I'm lucky enough to have her, when he isn't.

"It doesn't matter," I say. "I'm going to sleep."

"Yeah me too," he says as I crawl up to my bunk. I lay on my back, glaring at the ceiling. How can my mother say what she did about Carl, when she doesn't even know him. And who hasn't become dangerous in the last 18 months? I've killed three men, and countless walkers, but it was all to protect my family. That's what Carl has done. He shot his mum because she would've come back. At first, I was confused as to how she'd come back, but Carl explained that even if someone dies of natural causes or in a way that doesn't affect the brain, they'd come back. I found that the hardest to hear, because if we hadn't moved away, those men I killed would've come back and hurt Mum, Sammy and I in a whole other way.

"Hey, Kaitlyn," says Carl, interrupting my thoughts.

"Yeah?" I say.

"Have you ever drunk alcohol?" he asks. What? Why is he asking me that? I think to myself.

"Well, uh, a few times," I say. "Why?"

"Um, well, I found this," he says, pulling a bottle of vodka out from under his bed. "I don't know what it tastes like. I was wondering if you did."

"I've tasted it once before, by accident. I picked up my aunt's drink thinking it was mine. From what I remember, it's not very nice." I say.

"Oh. Okay," Carl says.

"If you want we can try it now. Maybe it tastes okay?" I ask Carl. He climbs up on my bunk. He opens the bottle. "You first," I say, "I've already tried it." Carl takes a large gulp from the bottle.

"Ugh!" he coughs. "That's disgusting!" he says a little too loudly. I take a drink of the clear liquid.

"Ew!" I splutter. "Nope. Still as disgusting as I remember. In fact it's worse. When I tried it, it was diluted with Coca-Cola."

"I think we'll keep it for later," he says climbing down again. He puts the glass bottle back under the bed. "Hey, Kaitlyn, why were you so mad when you came back from your mom's cell?" he asks.

"When we were at that town, I told her about you and I. You know, kissing and stuff." I say blushing, "And when we got back, she said that I 'can't be as close to you as I am'. She said you were dangerous and unruly," I say, "I told her that I was the happiest I've been in months and that she's trying to take it away from me."

"Oh. Do you really mean it? That you're the happiest you've been?" he asks shyly.

"Well, yes. We're safe. Sammy's happy. We've had food in our stomachs, every day, for the first time in months. We were eating raw squirrels, mostly, when we were out in the woods. And of course, now I have you." I say. He looks happy when I say the last bit. He leans in and kisses me.

"I'm happy too. Since I met you, nothing has seemed as bad. And you're great with Judith." He says when we stop. "I'm tired. Let's go to sleep." We sleep in my bed that night. I feel safe again.