I walked down the streets of Alexandria with Carl. "So, Uhm, is there anything going on with you and Enid?" I asked. Carl looked at me like I was crazy.
"Of course not," he replied.
"You sure? Cause Ron said-" Carl's head snapped towards me.
"What did Ron say? You shouldn't believe him," Carl said before I could finish talking.
"If you would've let me finish talking," I sent him a glare, "I would've said that he told me you wanted to go after Enid. Which I thought was weird since when I tried to go after her, you had a huge fit about it."
"That was because it was dangerous, there were people out there trying to kill us and you didn't even think, you just ran out the door!" Carl exclaimed, stopping to look at me.
"It was just as dangerous as you going out there now! Walkers are surrounding us on all sides and even if you made it past them, they'd follow you. You would've been in danger either way. At least if I made it out I wouldn't have been in danger anymore," I yelled.
"You're kidding, are you that jealous," Carl smirked.
"I am not jealous," I huffed, crossing my arms.
"Yeah, you are jealous and I think it's adorable," Carl said, stepping close to me.
"Stop it. I'm trying to be mad at you and I can't be mad at you if-" I paused, looking into the sky.
"What is it, Rora?" Carl asked, looking confused.
"My dad," I whispered.
"What?" Carl's eyebrows furrowed as he looked at me. I pointed at the sky, where green balloons were floating in the air.
"It's my dad. That's his sign," I replied happily. He was alive. "He's alive!" I smiled at Carl, wrapping my arms around his neck and digging my face into his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around my waist. We looked up as we heard wood cracking. At that moment, my arms around Carl, everything went to hell.
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Everyone ran. One of the only things stopping the walkers from getting in had just crushed part of the wall. Dust clouded the air, making it nearly impossible to see.
"Go, Carl! We've got to get back to the house!" I yelled, shooting some walkers. I heard gunshots in the distance.
"Rori, wait!" Carl yelled behind me. I turned around and grabbed his hand.
"Good, you're safe. Come on," Rick said as we joined him, Gabriel, Michonne, and Deanna who were running from a huge herd. Deanna seemed to be injured, her arm thrown over Rick's shoulder. I stabbed a walker in the head, ripping my knife back out. Some walkers stumbled in front of us, blocking our way. Thankfully, Jesse was there and shot some of the walkers, clearing us away.
"Come on, I have Judith and Theo!" She yelled. We ran up the steps and into the house, away from the herd. Safe. For a few minutes.
"Oh my god, my mom," I breathed out, reaching for the doorknob.
"Rori, you can't go back out there," Carl protested as the adults helped Deanna.
"I have to! It's my mom!"
"Wori? What's going on?" Theo's innocent voice rang through my ears.
"I-" How did I answer him? Tell him the truth that we're all in danger and could die any moment? Instead, I bent down and wrapped my arms around his small frame. "It's alright. It's gonna be just fine."
"Rori," Carl whispered as I stood tall with Theo in my arms. Carl placed his hand on my shoulder as I cried into Theo's frame.
"I'm okay. Go check on Deanna," I said. Carl nodded and walked away. I walked into the kitchen, gently placing Theo on the counter.
"What's going on?" Theo looked confused. I sighed, looking up to meet his eyes.
"Look, Theo-" I watched Ron storm past the kitchen.
"Ron?" Carl called out, walking after him. I focused my attention on the confused Theo.
"Our walls broke and some of the bad people got in," I said.
"The walkers?" Theo asked.
"Yeah," I sniffled, gently placing my hand on his head. "But we'll be okay. I'll protect you." Right then I heard banging coming from the garage. Right, where Ron and Carl were.
"What's that noise?" Theo asked.
"Stay there, Theo. And take this." I handed him one of my knives before speed walking to the garage. I twisted the doorknob, but it was locked. I heard more banging and grunting come from inside and began to freak out.
"Carl!! Ron!" I banged on the door while simultaneously twisting the knob. "Carl!" I heard glass shatter, and then walkers come closer.
"Rori! What's going on?" Rick came running quickly, hearing the banging.
"I don't know! I saw Ron and Carl go in there and the doors locked!" I exclaimed, stepping out of the way.
"Carl!" Rick yelled, banging on the door.
"Ron!" Jesse screamed.
"Let me in! Carl!" Rick said, still banging on the door. Jesse kept yelling Ron's name.
"Carl, open the door!" I quickly stumbled into the kitchen, picking Theo up and placing him on my good hip.
"Ron, open the door right now!" Jesse screamed, also banging on the door.
"Back up!" Rick warned. Jesse stepped back and Rick raised and slammed his axe onto the lock. The lock broke off after many swings, leaving the door easy to open. By now I could hear the walkers.
"Come on!" Rick yelled. Both boys stumbled into the hallways and slammed the door behind them. I placed Theo down on the hardwood and ran to help Carl, Ron, and Jesse keep the door closed. Walkers hungrily banged their hands on the door. I planted my feet firmly on the floor and pushed against the door with my hands.
"Watch out!" Rick yelled, carrying a sofa with Gabriel. They pushed the sofa against the door and their bodies against the sofa. "We need more, and we need to be quiet."
"I'll see what I can find," Michonne whispered.
"Me too," Gabriel said.
"Hey, hey, what happened in there?" Rick asked Carl as the four of us-Rick, Carl, Jesse, and I-helped stop the walkers from getting in.
"I'd like to know that too," I breathed out, giving Carl and look.
"We were looking for tools and knocked over a shelf," Carl explained.
"We heard yelling," Jesse said.
"Yeah, Ron saw them break through the gates. We had to move. That's what happened." I stayed quiet, knowing that was a total lie.
Ron leaned closer to Carl and said, "Carl, there are nightstands in my mom's room. We can brace the couch with them."
"Hey," Jesse touched Ron's shoulder.
"What?" Ron asked, stepping away.
"Hey, it sounded like you were fighting," Jesse said.
"Yeah, we were fighting them," Ron answered quickly, going upstairs.
"Carl. It's okay?" Rick asked, looking at his son as Carl moved to follow Ron.
"It's okay," Carl nodded, following Ron's footsteps up the stairs. I moved closer to Rick so I wasn't completely squishing Jesse.
"Theo! Theo, I want you to sit on the stairs, okay? That's the safest," I paused, groaning slightly, "Place for you."
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"They knocked the sculpture over," Jesse said as the six of us walked into the room with Michonne and Gabriel.
"All that noise, it's drawing more," Michonne said. Suddenly, Judith began to cry. We all turned our heads towards the doorway.
"I'll get her," Rick said, quickly walking out of the room.
"We have to get out of here, it's not safe. There's too many walkers to just sit here," I said, crossing my arms.
"There's also too many to leave. It's better we stay here," Michonne said. We watched the walkers banging on the boarded-up window, hoping and praying they didn't break it. I had one of my throwing knives held tightly in my hand.
"What happens if they get in?" Carl asked.
"Then we fight. We fight until our very last breaths," Michonne replied as the wood on the window started to cave. "Hurry, get something to board this up!"
Jesse and Gabriel quickly grabbed the matrice off the bed and pressed it against the window. I helped Jesse and Gabriel push it so none of the walkers got through. Ron and Carl grabbed the coffee table and pushed it against the open part of the window.
"There's just too many of them!" Gabriel exclaimed as the walkers at the front door started to break in.
"Wori, I'm scared," Theo whimpered, clinging to my leg.
"I know, buddy, I know," I breathed out.
"Everyone get upstairs now!" Michonne yelled from the entryway.
"Back off! Back off!" Rick yelled, ushering us away from the window. I quickly picked up Theo, running towards the stairs. I could feel Carl's hand on my lower back. I rushed up the stairs, a hand on Theo's back and one on his head.
"The couch! Let's block the stairs!" Rick said, helping Michonne pull it to block the stairs. I watched them from where I was, halfway up the stairs. All I could think was, I don't want to die.
"I got this one, you get the one behind it. We're gonna need at least two," Rick said to Michonne. He quickly drove his axe into the walker's head. I heard Theo whimper and pushed his head into my shoulder gently shushing him