026
Gunshots fired in the distance, startling Evelynn. All the smoke she kept inhaling was causing her eyes to blur. She coughed and her throat felt horrible. It was all she kind smell and taste. Smoke.
"Evy!" yelled a male voice. Evy. Carl's favorite nickname for Evelynn. She knew it was him, who else would it be?
Evelynn followed the voice and called out, "Carl! I'm here!" Her voice was hoarse. She walked until she finally reached Carl. He held onto Rick who was limp.
"Thank god, you're okay," Carl sighed in relief.
Evelynn coughed, "Yeah, you too. But we gotta get out of here, c'mon."
"Judith? Where is she?" Rick managed to say with blood dripping down from his mouth and cuts on his face. He was weak and didn't look too good yet all he cared for was his daughter.
Evelynn frowned, Judith wasn't with her family. Their home was gone too and they were separated from everyone. The three of them walked forward. They noticed a baby carrier in the middle of the walkway. Judith. But there were cries or baby noises. Rick's eyes widened, was his youngest daughter okay?
As they walked toward the carrier, there was no baby. It was stained with blood. A tear dropped from Carl's eye, Evelynn looked on the floor in disbelief. Judith was like a baby sister to her, she was like another Lori. Now they were both gone, and they died in the same place.
Evelynn felt even worse for Rick and Carl. They'd lost another person in their family. Rick sobbed and Carl tried his best to keep it in. A walker stepped toward them. Carl took it up and shot at it, again and again even though it was dead.
"Carl. Carl!" Rick wailed as he walked to stop his son from wasting bullets. The young teenager began sobbing. That was his baby sister's car seat. "We- We've gotta get out a' here. We gotta go."
Evelynn ran to the two. No matter how frightened she was, she comforted her best friend. "It's okay, it'll be okay, Carl," she put an arm around him.
The three set off to get the hell out of the prison which was completely overrun.
☆
After a while of walking, all they kept seeing were trees and plants. Evelynn's legs felt sore. Rick was so beaten up he could barely walk. He just limped the whole way. Evelynn kept to his side in case anything might happen. Carl walked in front of the two.
"Carl, stop!" Rick growled, He didn't look back or anything but he did stop. "We needa' stick together. We got a' find a place with food, supplies." They finally caught up to the boy.
Rick put a hand on Carl's shoulder, "Hey." Carl gave his dad the dirtiest stare ever. Evelynn glared at him, What the hell was wrong with him? she thought. He began walking fast again.
"I'll be right back, Rick," Evelynn stated in a kind manner.
He replied, "Don't worry about it. You kids stick together, I'm right behind ya." Evelynn nodded in acknowledgment and ran toward Carl.
"The fuck was that? Why are you so sassy? Are you on your girl thing?" Evelynn asked, referring to a period. She was joking a bit but was also serious. She put a hand on his shoulder, making sure he didn't walk off once again.
Carl sulked, "No, gross! What are you talking about?"
"What's with all the attitude? Especially with your dad. You guys just lost Judith! You'll need each other," Evelynn reasoned, though she foreshadowed herself in her line.
Carl moved his arm out of Evelynn's grasp and walked even faster. She grimaced. Why was he being so weird? Did all that smoke fuck his brain up? Evelynn let out a sigh of relief as they finally found a place. It was a run-down shop called, 'bbq shack.'
Carl and Evelynn had their handgun ready as Rick opened the first door.
"Wait outside, okay? Keep watch," Rick insisted, his voice was all raspy.
Carl replied, "You keep watch." Evelynn sealed her lips trying not to giggle at how sassy he sounded. "You can barely stand. I'm not gonna let you go in there alone." He did care about his father.
"Excuse me?" Rick scoffed in offense. Evelynn just stared watching the father and son bicker.
"We've done this before. I'm gonna help you clear it. You should just let me do it myself."
Rick looked at him and gave in. "Let's go."
He briskly opened the door and the three of them rushed in, pointing their gun and scanning the room. No walkers so far. They split up, and Evelynn followed Carl. She was too nervous to be alone.
"Kitchens clear," Rick called out, following the two young ones. Snarls came from a wall built from furniture. A walker growled at the two but it didn't seem aggressive or strong. It was rather weak.
Carl offered to shoot it but Rick told him he'd draw it out. Evelynn picked up a note, "Please do what I couldn't" - Joe Jr. She nudged on Carl's arm showing it to him. He rolled his eyes and set it down.
Rick ordered, "Stay back." The two kids settled back to the side. Rick knocked down the mount of chairs, stabbing the walker right in the head. It was still alive. Carl pointed his gun at it. "Don't," Rick shouted, yet he fired a shot. The walker's body thuds to the ground "I said not to."
Carl argued, "You couldn't do it with the axe!"
"I had it. Every bullet counts. What if you needed that one later? See what you can find. Then let's move on." Carl stared at his dad. One of his eyes was red and had a big bump on it. He sort of looked like some villain in another person's story.
Finally, Evelynn separated from Carl to find anything the needed. Food, supplies, water, anything that would help them. She found 2 canned foods, everything else was useless.
Rick came back with bottles of water and a bag. "Kitchen wasn't empty after all," he informed. "My haul. You guys?"
Evelynn put her two cans in and Carl placed in a handful of good food. "I win," he bragged. Evelynn scoffed. Then, the three left again to find a better place to stay.
Carl was being a bit of a brat and kept walking ahead.
"Why was he so angry? I get that... they died in all but we're not acting like that?" Evelynn asked the man next to her.
Rick defended him, "Yeah. But he ain't that good with grief like we are ya know?" Evelynn nodded silently. Rick put a hand on her shoulder, "I'm proud of you Ev. You've come so far along with us."
"Haha, yeah. Glad I'm still here with you guys," Evelynn laughed awkwardly. Rick looked at her and scanned her face.
"Jesus, you two are growin' up real fast. It feels like yesterday I was just picking you and Carl up from 6th grade."
"Oh no, let's not-" Rick cut her off and chuckled, "You came back crying because of some girls and Carl was panicking, he had no idea what to do."
Evelynn smiled, "Yeah. I miss that."
"Thanks for bein' Carl's best friend. I'm real glad he's got ya." Evelynn and Rick exchanged smiles and continued quietly walking down the empty road.
They walked across an abandoned train track. Evelynn's feet burned from all the walking. She was ready to take a huge nap as soon as they found a good place to stay. Carl seemed decent, he still wasn't talking much.
"Hey," Rick called to Carl. He stopped, turning around. "That one's as good as any." The two kids nodded and headed up the steps. It seemed the whole neighborhood was empty, with no one living up in one of the houses.
The three did the same protocol as back at the store. Ensure everything is clear and no one has already taken this house for themselves and their group, small or large. Evelynn had been thinking of Ella. She wondered if she was okay and if she was with someone. She expected Ella to be with Maggie or Caleb, maybe both.
Carl continued walking in all around. Rick was fed up, it's like Carl had a death wish. The girl couldn't take all the arguments and headed upstairs by herself. She expected nothing of it. As she walked up the steps she felt a bit nauseous. Probably because she hasn't slept or eaten at all. Evelynn listened as the father and son argued downstairs. Carl had a bit of a mouth on him.
Evelynn held onto her head, shutting her eyes tightly. One hand gripped onto the railing slowly making her way toward Carl. No growls but she didn't feel good at all. Soon, she fell to the floor passing out. Carl heard the body thud and ran toward it.
"Holy shit," Carl whispered. "Dad! Get over here and hurry!" Evelynn had a wound on her thigh this whole time that she never noticed. She'd been losing blood this whole time. Rick couldn't carry her, it was all up to Carl. Could he do it?
Rick stated, "I'll get bandages and food for us. Try to get her on the couch."
Carl took a deep breath and lifted Evelynn. Her figure was quite small, she wasn't that tall so it wasn't impossible but it wasn't totally easy either. As he struggled he got her on the nearest couch possible, only being able to lay her head on it. He began to pant and pushed her body to be more comfortable. It wasn't like Evelynn was heavy but Carl was tired, and he wasn't really muscular.
When Rick came back with bandages he wrapped Evelynn's thigh tightly. "Let's just hope she didn't lose too much," Rick consoled quite horribly. Carl felt upset. He was too busy being mad at his dad he didn't realize Evelynn wasn't okay. It was getting darker, very little light entered the house. Rick and Carl surprisingly worked together to put a couch at the door. That's where Rick was gonna sleep and right across was where Carl would.
Rick laid down on the comforting couch and stayed quiet. Carl stared at his best friend who slept peacefully. She looked somewhat relaxed. Evelynn was a pretty girl, ever since she was young she was always pretty. Her eyes were pale blue and her hair was silky straight. Evelynn's lips were naturally pink and had two little fangs that showed whenever she smiled. Her skin wasn't perfectly clear right now, which is normal because showers weren't a daily thing and she'd been under quite a lot of stress. She was pale from losing blood, yet Carl thought she was the most gorgeous girl he'd seen.
Carl tried to stay up until she was awake to make sure she ate something. He stared at her prominent features as well as ones that wouldn't matter to others. He counted every beauty mark on her face. He didn't want to forget her, he wanted to keep how she looked like engraved into his mind forever. He stayed up until he couldn't and fell asleep thinking about her.
Anyone could tell the two kids were in love with each other. However, Evelynn was a bit oblivious and couldn't tell or believe whether Carl liked her or not. Carl was head over heels for her, the way he looked at her was special.
No sounds of kids playing outside, no sounds of walkers, or the fence being hit to scatter walkers. No adults were talking about serious issues, everything was quiet. Once Evelynn woke up, all she did was stare at the ceiling and think. It's a bit unbelievable to think she stared at it for so long but it'd been a few hours. There were so many things running through her head.
She thought about Ella and Judith. She thought about the prison and Beth. Everything she ever loved and cared for was either dead or just not near her. Evelynn finally looked at the floor and saw the water bottle next to the furniture she rested on. She drank a bunch as if she never had water in years. It felt like that, but it wasn't true.
Finally, Evelynn snapped out of her staring into space mode when Carl woke up. Rick was still asleep which was good because he really needed it. The two quietly slipped into the kitchen, pouring themselves a bowl of cereal.
"Glad you're okay," Carl mumbled. His voice was husky and he still sounded sleepy.
Evelynn chuckled, "Hm. Did I scare ya?" She nudged him at the arm and he smiled at her. The answer was yes. He was scared for her, but he didn't say anything. Carl poured a bowl for his dad.
"You wanna go upstairs? It's kinda cool up there," Carl asked with the delicate bowl in his hand. Evelynn happily agreed and the two made their way up the steps. They sat next to each other on some dead kid's bed without a care in the world. They began reading two separate books silently. Carl snuck little glances at the girl, and so did Evelynn.
After a long period of silence, without saying anything Carl went downstairs to wake his dad up. Rick was still asleep which is abnormal because he usually woke up real early and it was getting late. The sun lit brightly on Evelynn's back. She stayed upstairs reading because of how invested she was in her book. She was reading The Outsiders.
Evelynn heard Carl yelling at Rick to wake up repeatedly. She hurried downstairs in a panic.
"Carl? Are you okay? What happened?" Evelynn questioned. Walkers banged on the door snarling to get a bite out of whatever sounds they heard from inside.
Carl nodded his hand, "Help me clear the walkers, yeah?" Evelynn agreed and the two went around to the back door.
They stood afar watching the two walkers scratch at the door. "I guess that's us in another universe," he joked.
"You dingus, that's so stupid... and weird!" Evelynn nudged at him, smiling.
Carl smiled back at her, "Yeah, yeah. Let's just lead them off." Ev nodded and the two started yelling to attract the walkers. Then they proceeded to walk on the road.
"Aw, they're kinda sweet. Maybe we should keep them."
"You're weird."
Evelynn raised a brow, "Don't act like you aren't."
"Am not!" Carl scoffed.
"Pfft. You're sassy too. You act like me on certain days except for you it's like... every day!" Carl scowled in a joking sort of way. The walkers began getting a bit closer. "Keep your eyes on the walkers, Sheriff Woody," Evelynn smiled.
Carl's eyebrows raised, "You haven't called me that in years, cowgirl Jessie."
"It's only been like one year. Stop exaggerating." Woody and Jessie, the two from Toy Story. As kids, they both had a Woody and Jessie doll. They absolutely loved the movie. They even dressed up as them for Halloween once. That's where the nicknames came from and it just stuck.
"Carl watch out!" Evelynn warned him, seeing the walker right behind him. He tripped on what seemed like the air. Evelynn reached into where she kept her gun but realized she didn't have it on her.
Evelynn grabbed a walker pushing it onto the ground. She quickly scanned the area and found a huge rock. She then smashed the rock into its face. Carl was able to shoot the other two walkers but they were piled up on him. There was still one more. It headed toward Carl.
As Evelynn was about to swoop in, Carl yelled, "Wait, stop! Don't move." Evelynn reluctantly stayed put and Carl had to shoot the walker three times to actually get its head. He groaned.
The girl walked toward her friend and helped him out of the mountain of dead people on top of him. Carl looked absolutely disgusted. He coughed and eventually threw up.
"Are you okay? Are you bit, scratched, anything?" she asked, looking at him with the purest eyes which were full of worry.
Carl responded, "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. Are you?" He wiped his mouth with his sleeve. Evelynn nodded. Carl picked his gun up and the two made their way back inside the house.
The teenage boy caught his father up with what happened, though Rick was still asleep. He didn't even look like he was breathing. Evelynn tried not to listen to what Carl was saying but it was sticking to her like the nicknames.
He kept talking about the rest of the group. Judith, Hershel, Lori, and everyone else. He was saying Rick couldn't protect them. Evelynn frowned wishing she was able to protect everyone, Carl too. He kept screaming at his dad.
"Carl," Evelynn said, but he kept yelling. "Carl," she said again. Still, he hadn't stopped. "Carl! Listen to me, holy shit," she raised her voice. Carl looked at her. "Stop screaming at him damn it. It won't do anything but attract more walkers. We don't even know if he's alive."
Carl grimaced, "If he was dead he'd be a walker." Evelynn stayed quiet. Neither one of them knew how to check a pulse, they never thought they'd need to and they were never taught either. "I'd be fine if he died," he stated, walking off with a bag. Evelynn rolled her eyes at the boy and followed him.
He didn't say a word but just kept walking. They set off to another house which was quite huge. Carl grabbed one of those lights you push into the dirt and held on to it. Evelynn furrowed her eyebrows. At least this time she didn't forget her gun.
Carl walked to the door with Evelynn behind him. He ran toward it, trying to bust it down, and fell.
"What are you doing?" Evelynn couldn't help but laugh at the scene.
Carl rolled his eyes, "Shut up." He got up grumpily and opened the door using the light. They looked around for any signs of life, or well, dead.
"Hey check it out! This kitchen is a literal jackpot," Evelynn smiled brightly seeing the kitchen that was filled with cans of food. Carl came over smiling as well.
Carl insisted, "Evy, start grabbing stuff. I know your starving." Evelynn began to take the cans of food without thinking twice. Even if it could belong to someone else, it seemed the whole neighborhood was gone. Carl climbed up the counter, taking the huge can of pudding. Evelynn's eyes brightened at the sight.
As soon as the two filled the bag up, they headed upstairs. The floorboards creaked like small whispers. Carl opened a door which was only opened halfway. Just a bedroom, it was all clear. Evelynn checked the other room next to it. All clear as well.
The last room was at the end of the hall. The door creaked as it was being opened. A walker began snarling dying to get out of the room. Carl and Evelynn tried pushing the door close but it was too strong.
Carl fell to the floor once again and shot fire twice. Evelynn took her gun out and quickly shot the walker in the shoulder. The walker fell to the floor and Carl tried shooting again. The gun clicked, it was empty.
"Save your ammo!" Carl insisted quickly to the girl who was just about to shoot. She lowered her handgun. The walker crawled its way to Carl.
Evelynn shook her head, pulling the trigger. Her gun clicked too. They were both out of ammo and they were both fucked.
"Just stay back, Evy," Carl bossed. He crawled his way into the bedroom behind him. Once he got up, he tried opening the window but it wouldn't budge. Evelynn's eyes were widened, full of terror. Carl grabbed the lamp, hitting the walker and causing it to fall.
Evelynn reached out for Carl's hand. "Come on. Just shut the door on it, hurry!" Evelynn rushed as panic filled in her tone just like the kitchen was full of food. Carl fell as the walker grabbed onto his leg. No, no, no. He can't get bit. Not today, not now, not ever.
Evelynn grabbed both of Carl's arms and pulled him away from the walker's grip. Though the walker was still able to get Carl's shoe, he didn't get bit. Evelynn tried shutting the door but books were in the way. She kicked them inside and shut it quickly. Finally, she was able to breathe.
"Holy shit," Evelynn breathed quite heavily, Carl too. The walker pounded at the door. Carl picked up a piece of chalk on the ground and wrote on the door.
"Walker inside got my shoe. Didn't get me." That's what he wrote. His handwriting wasn't the best, it was still kiddish because he still is one. Plus, it was a door.
The two walked downstairs without speaking. Carl just grabbed the can of pudding and they both headed back up. They were thinking the same thing.
Evelynn and Carl sat next to each other on a rooftop. Their feet dangled down as they joyfully ate spoonfuls of pudding. It'd been a while since they had something so sweet and delicious as this.
"I miss this," Evelynn sighed.
Carl smiled, "Yeah, me too. Nothing's ever nice like this anymore."
"I know right? Everything is just about death," Evelynn paused. "Are you scared, Carl? Of dying."
"I don't know anymore," he shrugged answering with honesty. "But I do know that when it comes I'll be ready. You always have to be, you know?"
Evelynn looked at him all weirdly. "Wait, what?
"You just have to be ready for death, cause it could come anytime and we wouldn't be able to do anything about it. I just never expected dying like the way others are now," Carl explained, hoping the girl would understand. Evelynn gave him a nod of acknowledgment. She knew what he meant, she just liked hearing his voice and letting him sound all smart.
After a while of staring at the view and having dumb conversations that would always stick to them, the two walked back. The sky looked extra pretty. The pink and blue mixed with some purple and white. It won't be long til it gets dark again.
Once they got back, Evelynn went upstairs and dozed off. It'd been a long day and she needed the rest. She had no idea what was gonna happen next. Both kids were just scared out of their minds and had no idea what they were doing. Maybe one day, they'll be grown up enough to know what everything means and understand better. And they wouldn't be so terrified. But at least, they had each other as always. They stick together.
Author's Note ;;
I love them so much omg. I hope you guys enjoyed a LONGGG Evelynn and Carl chapter because I loved writing them. There was also some father figure rick... Anyway don't forget to comment and vote!!! Thank you for reading <3.