» Time Is Dancing « | » Carl Grimes «

» ADAPTATION PT.1 «

Don't Make Me Hurt You, I'm Surprisingly Willing

The next morning was surprisingly comfortable, even if it was mostly spent in silence. There were the few reassuring mutters to each other as we got dressed, Siddiq leaving first. He offered to take care of Heather for the day while I handled things around the community. It must've been obvious I was still worried about Jesus not returning yet.

With a brief, meaningful kiss he closed the door behind him, allowing me to tidy the room in peace. I quickly picked up the discarded items of clothing crumpled on the carpet, folding them onto a chair neatly. The sheets were a tangle, half hanging off the bed and I knew they needed washing. It didn't take long before the place was spotless, my feet hurrying out the door and into the sunlight.

I could see the concern on Tara's face from here, her hand waving over a map as she gave orders to the surrounding people.

"Look, Jesus isn't back yet and neither is Michonne. She's been gone for a few hours, sure, but it's been a full day since they set out to find Eugene." I leaned against the table with my eyebrows drawn in concentration. "We gotta think about what they could've run into out there."

"The walkers?" Enid suggested, meeting my hard stare.

"She said they spoke." I still hadn't quite accepted this, but I trusted Rosita. "What if they're changing, remembering things? We can handle walkers and we can handle people, but dead bodies with strategies and thoughts? This is something else."

I wasn't sure how we would deal with a new threat like this, but hopefully we could gain more information once the group returned.

"Marco?" Tara turned to the man by her side, his mouth already moving as he spoke his plan.

"Maybe we have two two-person teams loop around their part of the grid, see what we see." He suggested.

"Okay. I'll go." I agreed, Tara immediately shutting it down. With Jesus gone, it was better if at least one us stayed behind. "But we need a fourth person." I insisted.

"I'll do it." A jolly voice offered. I knew who it was but I couldn't quite put my finger on it until I turned and found Luke. He waved awkwardly, a lopsided smile on his face. "Uh, just said you need an extra hand? 'Cause I got two."

Me and Tara shared a reluctant stare. We had let these people in but I wasn't sure how much I trusted them yet. But maybe this could be an opportunity for him to prove himself.

"He can ride with me." Alden assured the group. I knew it was something he could handle. The two men seemed to be hitting off already as they paced over to the stables, joking around.

"Belle." Enid nudged me, her lip between her teeth as she hesitated. "Something happened last night."

I frowned with worry, my hands on my hips as I faced her. "What?"

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"You really blew your shot, huh?" I leaned against the metal bars, looking into the cell with scolding eyes.

Henry sat up on the bed, his hand immediately going to his head as it thudded painfully. The door squealed as I pushed it open, the latch clicking behind me.

"You can't pull this shit, Henry. What happened?" I asked firmly as I settled beside him, my back pressed on the cold stone wall.

He sighed deeply, shame written in his features. "I was...I just wanted to fit in somewhere. I'm new here and it's like you already know everyone and these guys came up to me and I thought, I don't know, maybe we could be friends."