Born A Hunter

Chapter 12: A Friend

"Bye Glenn, Bye Maggie!" Addison found herself calling out as she shut their front door, the warm farewells falling upon the ears of both persons. The large Leonberger puppy close at her side, not needing a leash to be kept in check. Her smile was prominent upon her lips, this was the first night Rick had said that Addison could keep one of her dogs with her. Unsure whether this was a reward for bring back the deer earlier or if they had finally begun to trust her, she knew deep down she was beginning to trust them and it frightened her.

Although it was dark, Addison and Buck made it back to the house with ease. The moon shined upon the pair, once again providing light for the girl as she entered her home. The dog obeyed every word of hers, never once leaving her side. Addison made sure to greet Rick, Michonne and even Judith before leading Buck upstairs into her room.

"Hey," She softly spoke to Carl as she moved to sit on her bed, Buck instantly jumping up and spreading his weight over her lap. The dog had always been a bit of a loner, she had always preferred her own company over that of others. Tonight though, she was tired, tired of being alone, tired of waking up and wishing she'd never been born. She wanted a friend, and if Carl was willing to accept her, she was going to try. Addison never had friends her age before, in fact she didn't have any friends at all. Spending all her time with her brothers or Uncle Bobby before the apocalypse, the girl had not time to make any friends.

"Hey Addi," Carl whispered softly, as he moved to sit on the end of her brothers bed. The dark still present in the room, the night keeping the child from sleeping despite his excitement to go back to the land of metaphoric dreams.

"You okay Carl?" She asked, her brows creasing in concern. The girl knew he was a lot more mature than anyone would give him credit for but even she could tell that he wasn't happy. "Something I can help with?"

"Uh," Carl stared at Addison, unsure what to say. His eyes spoken for him as he trailed them along her form. At first glance she looked happy, smiling at the fact she was allowed to keep one of the dogs. Carl knew better than to think she was genuinely happy. No one could be that emotionless. "Is it true, y'all and Daryl were out together hunting?"

"Yeah, why?" She could tell by the tone in his voice, that this wasn't the first time he had heard about them going out. Eyes glanced to the floor, unable to look the boy directly in the eyes. He didn't seem to trust her, and if he wasn't going to be honest with her she doubted she could do the same.

"Why didn't you leave then?" Addison's eyes widen at the question, snapping her eyes up to catch his blue gaze. Her lips parted to speak, but not a single word was able to escape. In all honesty, the teenager wasn't too sure why she didn't make a break for it when they were out in the woods. She would like to think it was because she didn't want to leave Kopa or Buck behind, or despite being mad at Castiel she wouldn't leave him behind but she knew that neither of those reasons was why. Deep down she guess it had to do with the fact she was starting to like it in this place, yet Addison couldn't bring herself to admit it. "I'm glad you didn't leave..."

"Why?" She finally, out of breath, forced the word out of her mouth, her voice tightly guarded. Her breath coming in short bursts of air.

"I'm lonely."

"You have everyone in Alexandria."

"I know." Carl kept his eyes focused on the floor, feeling the weight of his words affect him. It wasn't because he was upset, more out of pity at the fact he wasn't as strong as she was as he took in her vulnerability. "I just.... want to be your friend!"

"My friend?"

"Y'know, your friend." The boy looked up, his eyes now catching and holding Addison's. Embarrassment spreading across her face again but this time it was from the truth in his words. Despite the fact she didn't really want too, she couldn't deny the words had a part in her decision. Addison slowly nodded her head, her cheeks slowly seeping with rose colours as she lowered her eyes back to the floor.

"I've never really had a friend before..."

Hey Readers,

Addison has a friend! Yay, this makes me so happy. What do you guys think? If you enjoyed the chapter, feel free to vote and comment to show your support

Ann_Dixon69