» Time Is Dancing « | » Carl Grimes «

» THE TOWER «

Ding, Dong, The Bitch Is Dead

"We were right. The horde is in Alexandria, they're making their way out now." Alden's voice crackled through the speaker, a hint of panic in his words.

I clicked the button down in response, raising the walkie to my lips. "Stay close. Don't let them see you. Update me every twenty minutes." I stuffed it in my pocket after receiving confirmation, my gaze returning to the landscape.

The view from the Tower wasn't much, mostly just a dead space of dirt and gravel, but compared to the state of my home right now it was Heaven.

My boots scuffed the thick layer of dust on the ground as I paced along the wall, my brain focused on our daring plan until my eyes landed on something else.

Lydia crouched low to the floor, her hand reaching out to scratch the ears of a stray cat as it wriggled and purred under her touch. The Tower had once been full of them, but apparently this was the only one left.

With my back against the wall I sunk down by her side, the silence between us full of mutual comfort and a twinge of tension. I hadn't spoken to her since Alpha was killed, not even when she came back to Alexandria. In fact, she hadn't spoken to most people since the death of her mother.

"I know how you feel." I mumbled quietly, her head whipping up at the sound of my voice. "To lose someone close to you, even if you hate them. You're not sure if you're allowed to feel sad or miss them because they were a shitty person, but it still feels like somethings missing, you know?"

Lydia shrugged but I could see the glint in her eye that told me she understood. Just because a person did something bad, losing them didn't have to make you feel guilty.

"Are you happy now?" She grumbled, her eyes remaining on the animal under her palm. I knew she was referring to Alpha's death, something that made me sigh with hesitance.

"Do you want the truth?" I returned, proceeding when she nodded. "Your mother got what she deserved, but you didn't. And if it means anything, I'm sorry."

"It doesn't." Lydia shook her head, meeting my concerned stare. There was air of bitterness to her, but I wasn't sure if she was mad at me or just everything. "You would've killed her yourself if you got the chance."

I lowered my eyes to my tangled fingers, unable to deny what she said. Although I was glad the villain was finally gone, a part of me was slightly bitter that Negan got there before I did. What made it even worse was that he had done it to help Alexandria. Everything he did with the Whisperers, he did it for us.

I brushed off the harshness of her voice, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder before standing up. "Get something to eat. We're gonna be here a while."

»« »« »« »«

"They're headed toward Oceanside, as expected." Aaron reported back from the horde, his words broken up by bursts of static.

"Any sign of slowing?" I peered through the curtain of blankets, my eyes squinting past the buildings and trees. I couldn't see the walkers from here, which I supposed was a good sign.

I could practically see Aaron shaking his head as he cut off the fuzzy sound, his voice replacing it. "Not yet. We'll stay on them. If anything changes, we'll send word."

"Okay, stay safe." I breathed, turning the dial of the radio until the noise fizzled out.

I noticed two small hands curling around the window frame, Judith's braided brown hair coming into view as she leaned toward the open space curiously. "See anything?" She wondered, tumbling back as she lost her balance.