Over the past year, Lauren had learned a lot about herself. Carl had too. They gained strengths and uncovered weaknesses, lost and gained friends, broken themselves only to pick up the pieces and go again. They had lived.
Lauren watched as Carl walked, his beat up old Sherrifs hat bouncing ever so slightly with each step he took. She never found herself a very sentimental person, but she loved how he always had that hat with him, like she had her machete and backpack. Her time with him had been an adventure, and she desperately hoped that their adventure had many more chapters to come.
"I suppose we could try going back the direction I came," Carl said, scratching the back of his neck and he stared, bewildered at the crumpled map in his hands, "I know abouts where the house was, and maybe they haven't left."
"I think that's our best bet," Lauren replied, sighing softly to herself. She was happy that they had taken a break from Greenview, but finding Rick would be like searching for a needle in a haystack.
"We'll find them," Carl reassured, sensing the doubt that Lauren held, "I found you after all, luck might help us yet."
"Ah, luck," Lauren chuckled, "That word always seems to come at a price."
"You're a very cryptic person, y'know."
Lauren laughed softly.
"I suppose it makes me more interesting," She replied, a smile still lingering on her pink lips, "Don't you think?"
"I think the fact that you can kick ass like a pro is pretty interesting on its own," Carl chuckled, bumping hips with Lauren who rolled her eyes but smiled regardless.
"I'm just the full package," She joked, "You're a lucky guy, Grimes."
"Believe me," He grinned, "I know."
~•~
Buildings dotted the horizon as the evening sun shone dimly through the sky. Lauren hoisted her bag higher on her back and let out a soft, tired sigh. Carl fumbelled with the map, his brow furrowed in concentration.
"How big is this town?" Lauren asked and Carl clicked his tongue, his eyes searching the faded map.
"It's only a couple of streets," Carl answered, "We could clear out a shop or house. I doubt there will be too many Walkers around it."
"We'll set up for the night and decide where to go from here in the morning."
As the town grew closer, the buildings took shape. Small shops stood, windows cracked, dusted or broken. Litter and wreckage adorned the streets, decayed bodies lay along the sides of the streets. Cars stood idle, blood splattered along the windshield. Carl found it hard to imagine what it was like before, when he was just a kid, going too and fro from school, listening to his dad speaking the stories that he collected as a police officer.
A large school stood tall on the outskirts of the town, the red bricks walls that once closed around students almost every day, now deserted.
"We should go search that clinic," Carl offered, "We could pick up some more supplies."
Lauren nodded with a smile and she jogged up to the front door of the white-walled clinic, cursing when the handle stood stiff.
"Locked."
"This door is open," Carl called from around the corner. He pushed open the side-door and stepped inside, his flashlight illuminating the deserted hallway. Lauren followed, checking each door for any sign of supplies.
They passed offices, a staff room and the waiting room. Decayed Walkers lay beside the entrance and they covered their noses at the rancid smell that came off the rotting corpses.
"This town is too quiet," Lauren mumbelled through her shirt sleeve, "It's making me nervous."
"Yeah," Carl agreed, "It looks like someone cleared the whole place out."
"Let's hope they aren't still here."
They passed the front door, leaving the bodies and the smell as they progressed down a hallway, the pastel orange walls feeling as they were closing in on them both.
"Here's the store," Carl murmered, pushing open another door, his handgun poised and ready for a shot. He relaxed when the room proved to be clear and he stepped inside, shining his flashlight through the various shelves. "It looks like someone cleared this place out but there is still some good stuff left."
"Loads of bandages, disinfectant, stitches," Lauren scanned the shelves, "Most of the medication has been cleared but there is still some painkillers and generic antibiotics."
"Help me pack this up and we'll see what else we can find in this town before dark."
Carl stuffed supplies into Lauren's backpack as she held it open, he cleared the shelves and nodded to her when he was finished. They packed up and left as they came.
"We have about an hour or two before dark so what should we do?" Lauren asked and Carl shrugged.
"I don't know about you but I could do with some less.. shreaded and dirt-caked clothes."
Lauren chuckled and pointed to a small charity shop.
"We can look in there."
The door chimed as they walked in, dust and abandonment lingered in the air and Lauren coughed. She let her hand run over the clothes as she walked past rack after rack. She laughed as she pulled out a black prom dress, decorated with tiny sparkling diamonds. She held the dress up to her and turned to Carl.
"What do you think?" She asked with a smile, wiggling her eyebrows.
"I would totally love that if I was your prom date," Carl flirted, and Lauren shook her head, chuckling.
"I'll try this on and we can pretend it's prom for like five minutes," She smiled, biting her lip. She never saw herself as a prom kind of girl but she was spontaneous, and she wanted to feel a superficial kind of beautiful for just a short while before she went back out into the world of decay.
"I'll pick up some clothes while you're changing."
Carl collected various band t-shirts, jeans, hoodies, and a jacket in both his and Lauren's size. He smiled at a large black and white checkered flannel he knew Lauren would love. He tossed it onto the top of the mounting pile and grabbed some clean socks and underwear for himself, deciding with a chuckle to leave Lauren's choice to herself.
"Can you help me zip this up?" Lauren called from behind the curtain in the tiny one-person cubicle. He gently placed the pile of clothes on a leather chair and stepped into the changing room. His hand brushed against her back as he zipped up the silky material. "I feel so stupid wearing this."
"Show me," Carl said softly and Lauren's cheeks tinted pink as she turned around.
Carl smiled brightly at the sight of her. Even with the dirt that covered her face and skin, she was still the most beautiful person he had ever laid eyes on. The dress reached the floor, a silver, diamond covered belt held the dress tightly to her waist. The neckline fell in a V, the rim covered in the same sparkling diamonds. It was simple yet beautiful.
He took both of her forearms in his hands, her wrists were covered in a less, thick bandage than before and scars ran down her arms, each a memoriam from the battles she faced. The wound on her shoulder peeked out from under the cover of the straps, the scar just more red than the others. He ran his fingers over the faded white lines and smiled softly.
"You're beautiful."
Lauren blushed, smiling softly as she took both Carl's hands and placed one on each of her hips.
"Dance with me, lover boy," She laughed, wrapping her arms around his neck.
Even though they had no music, they still swayed as if a slow song was playing. Spontaneous moments like these were what Lauren cherished the most, she would remember them above all else.
"This is better than any prom," Lauren smiled, looking at the boy she loved directly in his crystal blue eyes, "Thank you for everything."
"You look amazing," He grinned down at her, "I'm sure you'd win prom queen. But you don't need to win it."
"Why?" Lauren laughed, raising an eyebrow at Carl.
"Because you're already my queen."
Before Lauren could make fun of him for being so cheesy he had captured her lips with his, leaning forward so he was holding her upright. She let her fingers tangle in his hair as they kissed like they weren't standing in an desolate charity shop. Neither of them cared where they were as long as they were together.
"And I was looking for the right time to give you this back," Carl said breathlessly. He dipped his hand into his jeans pocket and pulled out the small gold claddagh ring that Lauren thought she'd never see again. "When I gave this to you it was a promise forever and I always want you to have it. Mom would have wanted that too."
He held the ring in his hand and smiled.
"I thought it was lost when I.. threw it at you."
"You had a right to be pissed," Carl laughed, "I kept it, looking for the right time to give it back."
"Sorry about that by the way," Lauren chuckled and pressed her lips to Carl's in a chaste kiss.
"And I never got the chance to ask you this either," Carl laughed, his cheeks staining crimson.
Lauren looked up at him suspiciously, her brows furrowed in confusion.
"Will you Lauren Dixon be my girlfriend.. again?"
Lauren laughed and nodded.
"Of course I will. I love you, idiot."
Carl slipped the golden ring onto the fourth finger on her right hand. He kissed her knuckles and smiled up at her.
"I love you more."
~•~
Lauren had folded the dress and placed it at the bottom of her bag, she couldn't bring herself to leave it behind.
"I picked out clothes for us, so we can get rid of some of the old ones," Carl said, grabbing the half of the new pile of clothes that belonged to him. He stepped into the changing room and emerged a few minutes later dressed in a plain white t-shirt, a new pair of denim jeans and a thin grey hoodie.
Lauren had picked up some new underwear and a couple of clean bras, she laughed and wiggled her eyebrows at Carl as she held up lacy red underwear, he rolled his eyes and chuckled at his girlfriend.
When Lauren emerged from the dressing room, she had changed her black jeans for a pair of black cargo pants. She wore a navy blue tank and a dark grey hoodie. Her hair was brushed and pulled into a high ponytail.
"Ready?"
Carl nodded and Lauren rolled up her new clothes and stuffed them into her backpack that was almost busting at the seams. She pulled on her signature black boots and tucked the bottoms of her cargo pants into her boots.
"Where should we go now?"
"Grocery store?"
Lauren nodded and they left, with only an hour of daylight left. The store haden't bared much, but they left with some water and a few cans of non-perishable foods. She couldn't ignore the odd feeling she got about this town, it was too quiet, too clear.
"Where should we stay?" Lauren asked and Carl looked around.
"I think it would be best to go to the resteraunt, we could stay in a booth. At least it would be hard for someone to walk in and see us if this town is regularly searched."
"Good idea," Lauren agreed, starting towards the resteraunt that sat in the centre of the small town. She pushed open the door without a problem and stepped inside, her machete ready.
Carl shone in his flashlight, illuminating the otherwise dull lighting. They walked to the back of the empty resteraunt and dumped their belongings in a corner booth. Anyone who came in the door wouldn't be able see them unless they were searching it.
Lauren yawned and streatched out her arms.
"I'm pretty beat and we need to get moving early tomorrow."
Carl nodded, lying down on one of the large couches. He opened his arms, beckoning Lauren into his embrace. She smiled and kicked off her boots, snuggling in next to him.
It wasn't long until she fell asleep to the rhythm of his heart.
~•~
"-towns nearly cleared out of all supplies."
Lauren woke to the sound of voices, deep and rough. She tensed and gently shook Carl. He woke to the sight of Lauren, her finger pressed tightly to her lips. He nodded and quietly grabbed his gun.
"I know, man," A voice sighed, "We just have to take everything and see if any people have been through."
"We already have enough damn people captive," The first grumbled, "And that kid won't stop crying. How did a baby even survive in this shit? And what does he still have those people, why not just kill them and be done with it?"
Lauren peeked over the edge of the couch, but she was unable to catch a glimpse of the men.
"I suppose he'll try and get information out of them or something," The second replied, "I hope they keep some of the girls that Maggie is a looker."
Maggie?
"I hear ya'" The first chuckled, "And Eric seems pretty taken with that redhead, Kirsty?"
"Yeah," The second mumbelled, "We should go, there's nothing here."
The door opened and closed and the footsteps disappeared.
"Shit."
~•~
You guys should all go check out Kayleigh_rose99 's fanfics and click the follow button, she's amazeballs XD
I highly recommend Broken and Beyond Georgia!
I have some pretty intense chapers planned so enjoy that fluffy chapter because it's action from here on out!
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