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Almost Like Zig Zags

I sat again the metal of the train track, my T-shirt pulled up as I cleaned the wound. We were on our way to a place called 'Terminus', following the tracks like the map told us to.

'SANCTUARY FOR ALL, COMMUNITY FOR ALL. THOSE WHO ARRIVE, SURVIVE."

That's what the signs said, anyway.

"What happened?" Carl asked, his eyes finding my stomach.

"I'm an idiot, that's what happened." I replied, dabbing the damp cloth along the cut. It wasn't bleeding anymore, but I could take any chances as I stuck a bandage against it. "I fell on my sword when a walker came at me."

"What about there?" He pointed to my arm, where blood was dripping from the sleeve.

"Shit." I shook the jacket off, checking the gunshot on my arm. The bandage was completely soaked and starting to drip, staining the lining of the jacket. I unravelled the once white material, seeing the hole in my arm.

"Shit." Carl repeated. His eyes were wide as he examined my arm. "Is that a gunshot?"

"Yeah, it happened at the prison." I started mopping up the blood with the cloth, the bleeding slowing. "We got a needle and thread?"

I couldn't hold the wound shut and stitch it at the same time, so I reluctantly asked Carl for help. He had done stitches before, but never for a wound this big. I knew the scar would end up as a jagged line instead of a neat, straight one. The truth is, I'm glad I wasn't doing it myself. The thought of stabbing myself with a needle make me feel sick all over again.

"Okay, and then pierce the needle into this side, make sure the thread is long enough." I told him what to do and he followed my instructions.

"Are you okay?" Carl's voice was barely above a whisper.

"Yeah, I'm fine. You're almost done." I winced as the wound was sealed shut.

"No, I mean- I haven't seen you since the prison fell. Since Hershel..." He didn't want to say it. He knew I was close with the man and it caused me a lot of pain to even think about, so I avoided it as best as I could.

"I'm not, but I will be. It was hard, Carl." I whispered, my eyes stinging. "The last time I was alone like that was after my sister died. That was years ago. I couldn't- I didn't have anyone to talk to, I felt like I was going crazy. I thought I lost you."

He cut the end of the thread, wiping it clean of blood before wrapping a bandage around my arm. "You're here now. You're not alone." He comforted me. I smiled at him gratefully. I don't know what I did to deserve a friend like this.

"Kids, the soups ready." Rick called from the small campfire, Michonne placing hot cans of soup on the track for us. We went to sit by them, holding the can by the cloth wrapped around it.

"Did anyone see what happened to the Governor?" I said as I finished my soup. Rick and Michonne shared a thoughtful look.

"He's dead." Michonne finally answered.

I nodded my head. "Good. He deserved it." I coldly added. He didn't deserve to live after what he did to Hershel, in front of his own daughters.

"I'm sorry that happened to you." Rick placed a hand on my shoulder. He had thought about how traumatic it would be seeing someone decapitated right in front of you, let alone a close friend and mentor.

"I'm sorry, too." I smiled sadly. Hershel was the reason Rick managed to come back after Lori's death, the reason Carl came back from killing that boy. He owed him a lot and he would never get to pay it back.

"If we found each other, we have to assume other people got out, too." Michonne considered.

"If anyone got out, it's Daryl." I thought, knowing his survival skills were way above the rest of the community's.

"If he did, he's probably out looking for you right now." Carl added.

"Did anyone see Glenn? He was still recovering when it happened?" My worries for Glenn were only increasing the further away we got from the prison. No one answered, confirming my suspicions.

"You are, too." Rick pointed out.

My skin was still not back to full color yet, and my eyes had dark circles beneath them, but I had been so much worse.

I grinned at Rick. "Nope, I'm as fit as a fiddle."

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I love the episode where it's just Rick and Carl and I wanted to put her there but I just couldn't like the whole point was that Carl was alone and he needed to protect himself