Child Of The Future

Episode 56: Onwards Towards

"Find him!!" Rick yelled out, kicking up dust through the corn fields when he saw Glenn, Rosita and Maggie coming up from the road that led towards the lake, the family still hosting them huddled together in slight worry and confusion as to what's going on. "Dammit. Check everywhere! The saw mill next!"

"Spes and Abraham are missing too." Sasha breathes, looking side to side as her expression implied a few possible scenarios as to why they were all missing, Carl being the one to strike a larger panic in Rick than the other two's disappearance, yet all he could hear instead of answers were the early birds chirping happily with little care in the world.

It was a cool morning, the sun was barely in the sky, and the clouds were smearing like paint on a clean canvas, Paradise making the illusion that everything was fine, when it wasn't.

"Rick!!" Michonne yelled through the house, alerting him to her heavily breathing face. "I found him." She nods, her dreads shifting a little before he runs after her, both of them, all of them, except for Carol who stayed behind with Maggie, already drawing towards her since they'd both experienced recent loss, took care of Judith, whilst the others ran down the main road, finding themselves under trees and passed a car, to see the figure of Carl sitting in the middle of the trail, his legs bent a touch, elbows rested on his knees while he kept his head bowed in silence, his body, not even flinching to recognize his father kneeling beside him, trying to deduce what had occurred that night.

"Carl." He shifted, trying to look into his sons blue eyes that didn't blink, didn't do anything, but appear dead and lifeless with his face pale and body slouched. "Carl. What happened?"

"Where's Abe?" Rosita shifted to her left leg, anxiousness in her voice even though it didn't get Carl to react in the slightest.

From the moment he woke up an hour ago, to the time now, knowing that it'd been ages since they left, it was pointless to try and find them right away, futile to organize a search, or race to beat them to D.C. It was all pointless.

She'd gone.

Spes was gone, and Carl was alone.

Alone, and dead inside, with little hope that he'd ever come alive again. Ever see her again.

Little hope at all, to anything.

_______________

-4 Days Later-

"Come on kid! You gonna give up now!?" I frown at the sound of Abe's antagonizing voice, his taunting, the whole fvcking works that just chew at my patience before I stand up straight and aim my sword towards the walkers coming my way. 12 down, 5 to go. Ow, my back.

Fvck is training supposed to be this hard?! It wasn't this bad with Gabby! Then again, we weren't doing this every single freaking day.

My arms are on fire they ache so much. If I get biceps the size of dodge balls I'm stabbing this redheaded slave driver next.

"No sword!"

"What?!" I widen my eyes at him while he sits up in a tree, watching me do my daily sh1tty exercise. "You want me to die?!"

"You've been talking my ear off about your wrestling and fighting skills. Show me what you're made of punk. Or are you scared that I'll find out you're a faker?"

"I'm scared in general!" I squeeze my hand around the handle while the 5 walkers begin to approach me more and more.

"Push your luck! Come on Spes!!"