» Time Is Dancing « | » Carl Grimes «

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Healer, Leader, Candlestick Maker?

It's like I was frozen as the cloud of dust plumed up from the crash, the snarls of walkers filling my ears. But I couldn't move. Not until I felt a body crash into mine, fingers linking around my arm and dragging me with them. My gaze broke from the watch tower and I realised it was Carl, shouting over to me to follow him. I let my feet keep track, my eyes going back to the herd. It was leaking through the new hole in the wall, all stumbling bodies and raspy growls.

I was forced up some porch steps and into a house as the walkers spread through the community like a plague. "M-Maggie, where's Maggie?" I muttered, but no one seemed to hear me. She was right there by my side, and now I couldn't see her. I felt a hand on my shoulder, shaking me slightly and it felt like I was waking up.

"Belle? You're okay, right?" Carl urgently asked, looking in my eyes with concern. My bewildered expression was quickly replaced with one of determination and I nodded firmly, scanning the room. We were in Jessie's house, the woman herself checking Ron for injuries. Rick and Michonne carried Deanna up the stairs, a bloody wound on her leg. Gabriel stood with panic clear in his features, pushing chairs and furniture against the door. I could hear crying from upstairs and realised Judith was here, too.

"I should help Deanna." I took the stairs two at a time as I followed them into a bedroom, seeing the woman's pale, drained face and getting to work immediately. I ripped the hole in her trousers slightly, giving me better access as I mopped up as much blood as possible before wrapping a bandage around it. "It's okay for now, but we need to go to the infirmary." I admitted to Rick. I knew that would be impossible, however, and the injury would only get worse.

"It's okay? I couldn't tell with how much it hurts." Deanna weakly joked, and I moved up to the blood on her shirt. I lifted it up and wiped the blood away before stopping in horror. There was a bite directly on her ribs, clear as day. Deanna noticed, her lip trembling slightly as she held back tears.

"Well...shit."

Rick left, presumably to tell the others and I started patching up the wound, causing Deanna to hold a hand out. I smiled sadly, knowing she wouldn't have long left. "Save them. You might need them later." I put the bandages down at her words.

"I'm sorry this happened to you. You don't deserve this." Me and Deanna didn't know each other well, in fact the few times we had interacted usually went badly. But this was too harsh.

"No one deserves this." She sourly told me. She didn't seem sad, just mildly irritated. It was a strange way to react to your own death. "I know we've never seen eye to eye, you and me, but that never bothered me. It's not uncommon for leaders to butt heads like that."

I furrowed my eyebrows, which she seemed to notice. "You're outspoken, even if no one agrees with you. You take risks for the good of the good of the community. You see a future here, I know it. These are all important qualities a leader should have." Her hand found mine and gripped it tightly.

"But, I'm not- Rick, he's-"

"Rick's the leader, I know. But there always has to be someone after." She smiled gently. I knew her words would stay with me, even after she was gone. She dropped my hand and rested her head back, drifting off into a rough sleep. Michonne came in and I thought they should have some privacy, so I got to my feet and went downstairs. I peered out the window, seeing nothing but walkers, my view of the infirmary blocked. I absentmindedly tugged at my cast, noticing blood had seeped into the fabric. That was never coming out.

A crash from the opposite room alerted me and I followed the noise, watching as Rick took an axe to door handle. I could hear Ron and Carl behind the door, glass smashing and voices yelling. The door was bust open and the boys were pulled out, relief washing over them.