015
Carl, Evelynn, Rick, and Michonne. The 4 of them we're on a run, for guns, weapons, anything that'd help them. Carl and Evelynn didn't ask to go, Rick wanted them to. They took the small grey car, Michonne behind the wheel.
"Hey!" a voice shouting. Hey! Slow down! Slow down! Slow- I'm begging you!!" It was a man, alone. He needed and wanted help. The man ran toward them but they just drove past him like nothing. Carl and Evelynn looked back but they stayed silent. They knew Rick couldn't trust anyone else right now. It could have been a trap.
They started slowing down since there was cars blocking the road, a wrecked sight. It looked like a car crash and they didn't make it. Michonne went over to the side, driving slowly but got stuck. Walkers came straight up to the car, snarling, trying to get in, scratching on the windows.
"Cover your ears." Rick told the kids, they both listen and do so. Michonne did as well, rick too. He shot a walker, killed the rest and they all stepped out the car. The car was stuck in the mud.
"Yeah, this'll work." rick said, taking a few pieces of cloth from a suitcase.
"Tell me when." Michonne went back inside the car, Evelynn following. Rick picked up a few sticks, placed it under the wheel. Evelynn and Michonne listened into their little conversation, staying silent. Carl didn't want Michonne there, for leaving them alone at Woodbury and Oscar dying in the process.
"Hey! Help me! I'm begging you! Don't leave!" It was the same man, running up the road begging for help. "Please! Don't leave!" he yelled and yelled, still running but he wouldn't get by in time. Michonne started the car, managing to get the car unstuck. The two boys went back inside quickly and they left the man once again.
When they got there, it was the old town. Carl and Evelynn lived around here. They went over to the sheriff's station and everything was just gone. Rick kicked the wall in frustration, the other 3 looking around. It was a small town, there wasn't gonna be another police station but there are a few places to check, atleast that's what Rick said. Evelynn wanted to check her house, see if her mother had been waiting for her.
The small group followed arrows that pointed toward a certain direction. While they were walking they paused, seeing burned walkers, staring at it. After taking a minute, they continued to walk. As the group followed the little arrows, they saw something weird, dangerous even. Rick, carl, evelynn, pulled out their handgun, michonne ready to take her sword out. The place looked booby trapped, for walkers. They all looked around, there were animals in cages, skateboards. They started carefully walking through it, making sure they dont mess anything up or even die in the process. They went under a string, carl pointing to a walker behind them. Michonne heading toward it.
"Wait. She'll get caught." rick said. As soon as the walker touched the string, a bullet went straight through her head. "Hands!" shouted someone from the roof. The group put their hands up swiftly. "Now you drop what you got and you go! Your guns, your shoes, and that sword. All of it. 10 seconds!" he began to count down slowly.
"Run for the car now." rick said.
"Dad." carl turned his head.
"We need that rifle." Michonne added. "I think i can get up there."
"Carl, Evelynn go!" rick went infront of them and began to shoot at the dude. The two kids ran, the man kept shooting and suddenly it stopped. Evelynn looked at carl with a worried face. He was down on the ground, to shoot at them better. As Rick was about to shoot him, carl did. Evelynn looked at the guy on the floor, then at carl.
"You okay?" rick asked his son.
"Yeah." he answered, staring down.
"I told you to run for the car. I didn't want you to have to do that."
"I had to." carl said, rushly. Rick kneeled down and patted the guy on the floor, "He's wearing body armor." he said as he took it off. "He's alive."
"Do we care?" asked Michonne in a cold tone. Rick took of his mask, staring. "Yeah." he replied in disbelief, then getting up. The guy helped Rick, when he woke up in the hospital. He helped him through the whole thing. They placed the dude on some kind of stretcher. He walked toward a house, michonne following. Carl and Evelynn stayed back.
"Carl." she called, him ignoring her. "Carl! He'll be out for awhile. He's not gonna wake up anytime soon." she placed her hand on his gun putting it down.
"Yeah? And what happens if he does. He attacks you?" Carl shook her hand off, continuing to point it at him.
"Well Rick doesn't want him dead."
"And he'll understand if i have to shoot him again."
"Mhm. Alright, whatever you say." she shrugged, standing there. "You know maybe we could go check out the old house."
"Yeah, maybe even find some clothes. Tired of wearing the same thing." carl said, evelynn agreed with him. Rick and Michonne walked over to them, picking Morgan up carefully.
They were taking the guy up the stairs. "Watch the wire" rick said, slightly turning his head toward the two. Carl kept looking back, evelynn stared down carefully walking up. Evelynn fake tripped, startling carl. "Are you okay?" he asked her briskly.
Evelynn chuckling, "Yeah, I'm fine. Should've seen the look on your face." Carl rolled his eyes at her.
"Jesus christ." evelynn mumbled, staring at the bloody axe that could've been in any of their heads.
"Now you should've seen the look on yours." Carl mocked. "Shut up!" she replied, smiling. When they walked in the place was loaded with weapons and the wall was filled with words and drawins.
"I showed him that weapons locker last year." rick said, stopping in his tracks to look around.
"And it had all of this in it?" Michonne trying to catch her breath.
"No, not even half. He's been busy. The cot." Rick placed him on his bed which was just a mattress on the floor.
Carl looked at evelynn, signaling her to put some of the weapons in her bag. Michonne and carl began to put whatever they could find. Ammo, guns, maybe more. Evelynn just stared at the writing on the walls, reading it. Carl used his elbow to sort of tug on Evelynn, hinting her to help. Realization hitting her, she grabs a bag and filled it with weapons that looked good enough to use.
"No," said rick. "We're gonna wait for him to wake up. Make sure he's okay."
"He tried to kill us." Michonne argued.
"He told us to go. He didn't know who we were." rick defending his friend.
"He tried to kill us and we didn't leave him for the walkers. He's had a good day. He doesn't need half of these guns, we do." Michonne was right. One guy didn't need all of this, he was safe enough where he is now.
"We're waiting for him to wake up. That's it." rick replied to her
"Have you taken a look aroynd this place? The axe, the spikes, the walls." michonne listed.
"You think hes crazy?"
"No. I think he's dangerous." Evelynn was pretty interested about the writing on the walls, Carl walked toward what looked like the map of the town, evelynn following. He tilted his head then looked up. One said, "Ricks house" and it was put as burnt out. Evelynn was 1 house away from Carl's, it was burnt. "It's gone." said carl. "Is that why you wanted to come? To see the house?" Rick asked him.
"I just wanted to come." he replied. "I'm going on a run."
"Where?" rick questioned
"I thought, maybe the one thing people didn't loot was cribs. And there's that baby place that Mom's friend Sara ran. It's just around the corner." Evelynn looked at carl thinking Rick would never let him go.
"Carl." rick said in a firm voice.
"It's just around the corner." carl reasoned in a hurried voice. "And there's all those walker traps."
"You're gonna need some help carrying the box." Michonne added.
"What?" he turned his head
"If you're gonna get a crib, you have to get the box. It's big and heavy. You're gonna beed help carrying thhe box. You are getting a crib right?"
"That's what i said."
"I'll go." Evelynn offered. "I'll go too." michonne said, not as an offer she's was just gonna go.
"Right there, that's the deal." Rick got up and raised his eyebrows at Carl. "You get into trouble, you holler, okay? I'll hear it from here." carl agreed, nodding his head. The 3 walked off, carl going in such a hurry. "You didn't have to come with me. I can handle it." carl walking quickly.
"I told your dad I'd help you." michonne said.
"I wanted to see the town again." evelynn reasoned, rolling her eyes.
"Looks like shit." carl looked over at a walker, "Guess we should take care of that." Michonne grabbed her sword, slowly walking toward it and stabbed it right through the head. Carl quickly kept on walking while Michonne was distracted.
"Carl! Wait for Michonne." evelynn paced herself next to him. "She'll catch up. Plus, we have eachother don't we?" he replied, Michonne running over to them tapping Carl's shoulder. He looked at evelynn with an "I told you so" face and then looked back at Michonne. "What the hell was that?" she questioned.
"I wanna do this on my own." Carl continued to walk forward. Evelynn realized where he was going and followed. "You just passed the baby place." Michonne called out, carl paused and turned around.
"I'm getting Judith something else first, okay?" he said, walking down the sidewalk. They walked over to king county cafe. Last time Evelynn was here, she was with Carl and Lori. They went the day before school started again, August 22nd. Carl wiped the dust off the door, looking inside. Just as he was about to open the door, michonne stopped him, pulling him away. Carl tugged him arm out of Michonne's grip then stormed off.
Evelynn ran behind him grabbing his wrist, "Carl, stop acting like your an adult, you're not. Just because you have a gun doesn't mean it's safe." evelynn scolded, michonne staring at her. Carl turned around.
"You think I was gonna let you go in there?" michonne asked.
"I just think it's none of your business. You don't know me. You don't know my dad. You don't-" he was cut off.
"I came out here to help."
"You came out here for common interests! We have the same enemy and the same problem. And that's why you're here. That's it. This is important. I'm going to do it. And I know how I can. You can't stop me." he continued to walk. He was determined for this.
"Carl!" evelynn called out, he turned around once again. Michonne looked at the girl nodding her head, "I can't stop you. But you can't stop me from helping you." Michonne said. The three went back, carl had a plan but he wouldn't say a word about it. He grabbed a skateboard with a mouse attached to it, evelynn grabbed one too. When they came back, he rolled it in to attract the walkers. The walkers get up, heading toward the noise trying to get to the small rodent.
As soon as the walkers were distracted, Carl went over to the bar, standing on top of it. he took two photos, a walker grabbing onto his leg but Michonne quickly stabbed it, right in the head before it could do anything. She struggled to take it out and the 3 swiftly made their way out. A rat managed to get out, they looked down at the floor seeing it and then walkers behind it. The three quickly turned around making their way around the café, killing a few walkers. The pictures were on the floor, of carl with his parents and another with evelynn. "No!" carl shouted as Michonne closes the door behind the, all of it happening so quick.
"I've got to go back in!" carl rushed.
"Where is it?" michonne asked, out of breath.
"We have to go back! We have to. I have to. It's the only one left!" he raised his voice. Evelynn stared at him, understanding why he wanted it. Michonne set up an offer, the 2 kids wait outside while Michonne goes back and gets it. Carl and Evelynn stood at the door, holding it back.
Evelynn looked at him with sorrowful eyes. Lori was dead, he couldn't take any other picture with her, with his family all together again. Michonne came back quickly. "Hey." she said, handing him both photos. He smiled looking at them. He looked so little. Carl gave Evelynn one as well. "I just- I just thought Judith should-- should know what her mom looked like. Thank you." he smiled up at her.
"I was gonna go back in anyway." they began to walk "I just couldn't leave this behind. It's too damn gorgeous." she pulled out a rainbow cat, it was some sort of art. "Ella might like it, too." Evelynn smiled.
The 3 went over to the baby shop. "Which one do you like most?" Evelynn asked carl, "That one." he pointed to an already open one at the front. Evelynn quickly put her hand up, widening her eyes. A faint walker snarling. Evelynn walked toward it, Carl and Michonne behind her.
The walker was almost unrecognizable but, Evelynn knew. She saw the woman's hoops, only her mother had. "Evelynn? Are you taking that one or am I?" carl asked, walking infront of her to see her face. He looked at her eyes which were tearing up, Carl realizing immediately. He turned around, pointing his gun at the walker. Evelynn quickly put her hand on his shoulder, carl took the hint and stepped back.
Evelynn pointed took her gun out, pointing it at her mother. Carl nodded his head at her, standing a few feet away from her. Evelynn shot her mom, right in the head. She tried her best holding in her tears, her lip twitching into a small frown.
"I'm so sorry, Ev." carl walked toward her and gave her a hug. "Let's just- let's just get out of here." he said. The 3 heading back to the front, grabbing a side of the crib and carrying it out.
"Hey. I was just about to look for you guys." Rick said with a bag on his shoulder and 2 in his hands. "Everythin' okay? I heard shots."
"We're fine." michonne said. Carl stared at the blood on his dad's top. "Oh, it's nothin'." he assured them. Michonne took a bag off his hands for him, Rick thanking him.
"Wait. Hey! Morgan." Carl called out. "I had to shoot you. You know I had to, right? I'm sorry." morgan walked toward them.
"Hey son. Don't ever be sorry." he said firmly, continuing to put the walkers on some stretcher. The group made their way back to the car safely. Morgan let them take home a ton of weapons, lucky them.
"Everything okay with her?" Rick asked the two.
"I think she may be one of us." carl replied, smiling.
"What?" rick slightly smiled.
"Everything went okay." carl nodded his head.
"Hop in. I'll throw this in the back." Rick nodded, the 2 kids going inside the car. Evelynn stared at the photo of carl and her. "We we're so young." she said, still staring down at it. Their picture wasn't on a frame like the other one it was just a small little printed out picture.
Carl looked at the girl next to him, "Yeah. I'm so glad I grew out this hair." he joked.
"Oh man, me too." she chuckled, looking up at him. Carl was glad to see her smiling again, feeling better.
"Hey!" he laughed, playfully punching her shoulder. Rick and Michonne hopped back in the car, drove off, back home. Evelynn put the photograph in her pocket.
The man they saw earlier, they drove past his dead, lifeless body. All bloodied up on the floor, his backpack being a couple feet away from him. Michonne reversed the car, carl grabbing the orange backpack he had. Evelynn stared at the bag, knowing they should've saved him somehow, took him in but she also knew that it was too dangerous to trust anyone right now.
She began to fidget with the necklace lori had given her. Carl looked over at her, grabbing her hand and squeezing it. Evelynn quickly turning her head to look at him. He gave her a soft smile and nodded his head then let go.
Evelynn knew he mean't that he was here for her. He'd always been there for her. Back when her dad died in the 4th grade, when her mom began to struggle financially and now, during the end of the world. Carl and Evelynn had always been there for eachother, through thick and thin. Nothing was able to break their friendship, even if it began to be more than a little "friendship".