» Time Is Dancing « | » Carl Grimes «

» WALK WITH US «

Like Grandfather, Like Mother, Like Me

My skin blistered in the agonising heat, the spitting flames causing my stitches to curl and snap in my cheeks. But I paid no mind to the itching sensation as my wounds peeled open, my horrified gaze stuck on the fire engulfing the whole community.

Windows smashed as flames licked the wooden frames, reaching through the gaping holes and climbing higher and higher until Barrington house had been washed in bright orange, nothing remaining of the old building except the crumbling structure.

My emotions fuelled the adrenaline pumping through my veins, every muscle working together to bring down the advancing walkers. They had made it through the walls now, catching fire as they bumped against the barrier and spreading it further with each step.

I winced as the smell of boiling blood splashed across my face, my sword swiftly slicing through a charred skull with a professional sweep. Brain matter pooled in the dirt, the gray substance soaking into the crops that once grew there. Now it was just burnt grass and dried leaves, the ground too scorched for use.

Through the smoke and fire everyone looked the same, shapeless black figures dancing and sprinting in front of my eyes like a hazy dream. The formation had broken long ago, the group deciding that in the mess and chaos, our only chance of winning was to fight for ourselves. We couldn't protect each other if we were dead.

It didn't take long before the Whisperers arrived, weaving through the pack of walkers with their threatening auras and wrinkled masks. I could pick them out from the mass of people only because they came right at me, arms raised in defence as they gripped rusted weapons.

That's where my sword aimed, the weapon, slicing through the hand it was held in before the stranger could strike. He screamed in pain, clutching the wound close to his chest as blood dribbled between his fingers. With a final swish his neck slit open, the sharp edge of my sword tinted red as it met his skin.

One, two, three more walkers, all reaching towards me with desperately starving hands, waiting to claw and tear at my sooty arms and face. They now lay still in the dust, black blood oozing from the holes in their heads.

I swallowed thickly, the saliva on my tongue laced with smoke and dirt as it coated my mouth. I could feel it swirling around my lungs, darkening my organs with ash and fumes that shouldn't be inside me.

"Lydia!" I screamed, the name ripping at my throat painfully as I breathed in deep, thick breaths. I had to make sure she was safe, I had to keep her away from Alpha. This was all for her, after all.

Well, maybe not all of it, but I couldn't deny my fondness for the girl. She had filled a hole in my chest that I didn't realise could be filled, the raw edges of my losses somehow healing now that I could call her family. Sure, it still hurt, but it was nice to help someone I could understand.

"Lyd-" I choked on my words, my eyes watering from the heat and heaviness of the air. It was suffocating, overwhelming, almost too much for me to handle.

A figure crept through the crowd, one hand brushing his belt and the other curled into a fist, preparing to pounce. I could see his eyes gleaming through the skin mask, narrowed into a glare that I couldn't help but match. It was like he was waiting for me to be ready, begging for a fight that I knew I couldn't lose. I wasn't at my strongest, but my determination kept my feet steady and my eyes focused.

I held my breath as he charged, a scream of exertion releasing from my throat as I swung my sword around. My arms felt heavy in their movements, the speed not quite reaching the one I intended, causing my aim to fall short. The man dodged it easily, darting out with his knife in a messy stab.