MONSTER
In an unexpected move, the man with the bat uses the weapon to guide my head up. I can feel the nails against my chin, and I do nothing but stare.
"I asked your name," He tells me harshly.
"I heard you."
Carl squeezes my hand, roughly. His calloused hands scratched mine gently, he was only there to help he doesn't know he was hurting me.
"It's Alora," Carl says quietly.
This little bitch, loves to say my name to strangers.
"Alora, Alora Borealis." I cringe as the man repeats my name. He smiles at me and moves the bat from my chin.
The man pushes past me and walks into the house, "Clean place for a few street rats."
Carl wouldn't let go of my hand even if I moved quickly to break his grip. He held it like it was life or death, maybe to him this was life or death but to me, this man was not a threat.
"Stop fidgeting, Alora," Carl whispers into my ear.
The man sits roughly on our couch, Carl and I stood.
"Well I'm Negan and clearly your boyfriend didn't tell you about who I was."
Sainte and Rowan were crawling out of their skin, you could feel the thick air. A loud crash happens over our heads, something from Sainte's room. She sprung up and booked it upstairs to find the source of the noise.
Rowan stood too but Negan's men stopped him.
"No, you don't understand she's mute, if it's something bad she'll need help," Rowan pleads.
"You're here for me, not my friend. So let's talk."
Negan nods to his men and they step aside allowing Rowan to help Sainte upstairs. I didn't hear any more commotion from my two friends after they made their escape.
I don't like the looks of this man, he reminds me of the leader at the high school in Georgia. Negan has an ugly expression on his face, he looks like a predator looking at its prey.
"How old are you, Alora?" He grins.
I glare at him, looking him up and down with distaste, a leather jacket with a red handkerchief this man got his fashion from a Harley Davidson biker ad in 2008.
"Nineteen."
He cocks his head to the side, "You look older, I was gonna offer you a better life but maybe in a few years."
He's exactly how Michael was, Michael was the leader of the high school. He was some middle-aged guy who lived a 'bachelor's life' I know now that means all the girls his age were repulsed by him. He went after me when I first got there, even though I was around 12. Elowen put a quick stop to that, she preoccupied him so he couldn't get to me. That girl did so much for me, only for me to fuck it up.
"What, a life as a private slut?" I snarl at him.
"Wife."
I let out a laugh which quickly turned to a repulsed look, "You are funny, old man. You're what cusping on 89?"
Carl smacked my back lightly.
"Oh c'mon Carl, we're just having a little fun. I'd never take your muse away, buddy. Keep her on a leash though she'll get people in trouble. See, Stevie here almost put a bullet into your sweetheart."
Carl nods softly, "I'm sorry for her."
I look up at Carl, irritated that he's apologizing for my intentional actions.
"Stevie feels that threatened by a girl with a broken ankle, sounds like he's a pussy if you ask me."
Negan laughs, he laughs like my dad on the times he wasn't drunk. Negan was never a dad, I can tell by the way he presents himself. Just like I know Daryl never had any kids just by the way he presents himself and his actions.
Steve has his hand on his gun, waiting for the okay from his boss.
"Shit kid, you're funny. Stevie is just emotional so take it easy. For real though, do not slam doors in our faces, and don't lock us out. We own everything in this town, shit we own you too now," Negan tells me.
Very few words are shared before Negan picks his shit up and leaves.
Carl shuts the door behind the man, he turns to me. He looks enraged, and that looks scares me.
That's when he does the thing, he raises his hands. Quickly I flinch back and throw my wrist up to cover my face from his hit. It never came, instead, he stared at me with blue eyes filled with sorrow.
"Fuck, Alora. I'm so sorry, I made you a promise. I will never hurt you, I'm sorry if you thought I was going to." He takes me in with a hug.
He rubs my back gently, he held me tightly not wanting me to leave him. I slid my hands beneath his hoodie so they sat on his t-shirt.
"Let's get you off your foot, c'mon." Carl breaks the hug but joins at my side as a crutch to help me get upstairs to my room.
He helps me to my bare room, all I had was a bed and a closet. He helps me sit on my bed, even though I don't need his help. I like him being here, I feel like I'm betraying the Alora that was locked in a cell because of his shitty girlfriend.
He goes to leave but I reach out my hand, "Stay please."
A soft smile appears on his freckled face. He sits on the edge of my bed, he doesn't look at me.
"I have feelings for you, Alora."
I look over at him, I don't say anything to him. I know better than to speak. He lost his girlfriend or crush or whatever the fuck they were, I should've felt repulsed by his feelings but after everything I don't.
"I know you do, Carl."
He looks almost relieved, "I just wanted to say that."
I don't know if the neurons in my brain went bad or if Negan really scared me that much but I kissed him. I kissed Carl and he kissed me back. It was much better than the first and I'm not sure if that's correlated to Emma or if he feels more comfortable around me. I smile as we break away, I feel something and I don't know if that's good or bad.
I'm not sure how it happened but hours seemed to fly by and Carl fell asleep in my lap as I played with his long hair. Sainte appeared in my doorway, she smiled softly at me.
"Doing alright?" She asks me.
I nod, looking down at the sleeping boy whose head was in my lap. His hair was sprayed over my thighs, he looks so peaceful.
"I'm gonna get some sleep, goodnight Alora," She says quietly while shutting my bedroom door.
I'm not sure if Rick has realized his son is missing, I don't know if he cares a whole lot, to be honest. Rick seems to have bigger issues with people like Negan and Emma in existence.
This group initially came off as stable and secure but the more I see the more issues I figure out. I don't know how Elowen would feel about how I've become. She would tell me I was a light in the dark night, always making her happy with my odd jokes and smiles. She made me unbelievably happy, the same happiness that she gave me I returned.
Elowen came from a good family that was out of the country when the shit hit. She never cried about it, she showed me how to be strong.
Carl twitches in my lap, I glance down with gentle eyes. His whole body was tensed up, his face blushed with what appeared as stress.
He let out a whine, he was having a nightmare, I don't know how to help him. I don't like to be helped with my night terrors, they're my own problem.
I stroke his hair to calm him, but it doesn't work.
"Don't go," He cries out.
I frown at this, I wonder how many people have left him. Carl cares he just has a weird way of showing it. If he didn't care about me why would he defend me in front of a man who threatened to kill him?
"Please," He whines.
"Hey Carl, I'm right here. I'm not leaving you," I say quietly.
His eye flickers open and his face blushes, he looks terrified. I don't say anything I just hug him, I know he needs it. He sits up and hugs me back, "I feel pathetic. I don't have nightmares normally."
I chuckle softly, "It's okay, shit happens."
His face was tear-stained, this poor kid as annoying as he is, he doesn't deserve that.
We fall asleep in each other's arms, I call my home people, I can safely call Carl my home.