Hush Baby Im here

Chapter 26

This chapter really shows the friendship between Beth and Carl. I really love them as friends. So that's what they're going to be in my story. Thanks for reading! ~kristy.

Aaron showed us to two large white houses standing side by side to each other. Rick looked perplexed, the rest of us stunned.

"They're both ours?" He asked once more, the houses were quite big and looked like something you would see on the cover of one of those garden magazines.

"Yes they're both yours. Just give me a call if you need me." Aaron says nonchalantly. Carl stared in disbelief.

"Not that we have phones. I just meant I live down the street from here." He looked around awkwardly, not knowing what to say.

"See ya around I guess." He finished, heading in the direction of his house.

Slowly we all started looking at the first house. I felt like being alone so I started towards the second.

"Hey where are you going?" Someone asked behind me quietly. Carl stood a few feet from me.

"I was just gonna check out the other house." I shrug, turning back and starting to walk again.

I heard his footsteps behind me, but I didn't turn around. When we got to the front porch he stood beside me.

"Not alone." he casually says under his breath, following me. I just nodded and opened the door slowly, it creaked open to reveal a large clean living room. There were three large plush sofas surrounding a brick fire place. Pictures and art littered the walls. The floor was a dark shiny wood but there were area rugs scattered among the rooms. It was an open console, and you could see the dining room from inside the living room. There was a large oak table, and next to it a glass counter. The cupboards were white with silver handles.

Me and Carl gaped at the house, as we walked down a short hallway into a large bath room.

From the living room arose carpeted stairs towards the roof, and I started to ascend the stairs, leaving Carl on his own.

Upstairs was a basic plan, a space where a couch, bookshelf, and a small table sat by a window when you first reached the floor. Then a hallway with two doors on either side, and another set at the end.

I opened the first door to reveal a bedroom, a young males room, everything was blue and model air planes hung from the ceiling. The next was another bedroom, this was more girly with lilac accents, but clean and professional nothing showing any creativity from the past residence.

The door at the end was a smaller bath room. When I opened another, my breath stopped in my throat.

A white crib sat in the corner by a rocking chair. Thee walls were yellow and green, but a dulled down, calming shade. Stuffed animals lined the crib, and shelves inside the and room.

There was a dresser/changing table by the window, overlooking the front yard. When I opened the dresser, pink, purple, yellow, lacy and soft dresses were packed inside.

My heart ached when I looked at picture collages on the wall. Inside a white wooden frame stood a dark haired women with a wide smile and sharp nose, and a curly haired man with glasses placed crookedly on his face. Between them they held a young little baby girl who had a hint of a smile on her face. Little black hairs sprouted from her flower bandanna and her chubby legs swung from the bottom of her frilly dress.

I hadn't even realized the tears that came down my face, I didn't know these people, and I was living in they're house.

This was a place where Lori deserved to be with Judith, where daddy deserved to be with me and Maggie. Where Shawn deserved to be with us. Where everyone, who was good, deserved to be. Yet here we were, murderers, and we were ungratefully skeptical. Debating to stay.

The floor creaked behind me and I spun in a flash. Carl stood, expressionless, as I frantically wiped tears from my eyes.

"Find anything?" He asked.

"No." I shove the picture back in its place and exit the room. Shouldering passed him.

"I figured this should be your room." He offered pointing to the last door. Inside I gawked at the room. There was an isle on the side of the room with a stool next to it. The ceiling was painted a purple and blue galaxy and one whole wall was a bookshelf.

A closet and a dresser were on another wall and the dresser was full of CD's. A large stereo sat on a shelf placed on the wall. I ran my hand along the keys of a piano that I know was meant to be down stairs. But the person living in this room must have used it to much, they just brought it up here. 

"Yes." I say, giving Carl a large hug as we both smiled greatly. My head was on his shoulder which was odd, because I didn't realize he had gotten taller then me. He lightly slid a piece of white powdery chalk into my hand.

"Write it on the door so no one steals it." He whispers, just as we hear the front door being opened.

I shut the door as we entered the hallway and lifted my hand to the door.
THIS NOW BELONGS TO
BETH GREENE.

It read, Carl looked up at the roof, there was another shuffle. It wasn't the front door we had heard. It was something else.

I searched the rooms for people in the closets, but none were found. Carl did the same, but when he met me in the hall his face told me he had found something different.

"Attic." He stated, and I removed my knife from my belt. His was already in his hand. I followed him into the other bedroom's closet. In the roof was a cut out square with a small rope attached. I brought the point of my knife up and tapped it loudly a few times. There was no response.

Slowly Carl pulled on the string and a ladder slowly folded out. I started up the wooden steps immediately and was relieved to find an empty room. Other than some comics littering the wooden floor. I pulled myself completely up and waited for Carl to join me. His hand wrapped around my ankle unexpectedly as he lost his footing on the latter. I jumped up in surprise and my heel landed on his finger.

"Fuck!" He swore as his finally rolled onto the floor.

I couldn't contain my laughter as he started to suck on his finger. And soon he was laughing too. We laid there for a while and his picked up a single comic book. Recognition lighting up his eyes. We headed back down stairs, and reached the bottom of the stairs in laughter just as the group entered. Rick eyes us curiously and Daryl did the same.

I smiled at the group as they walked up the stairs, eager to show them my new room.