Who We Are | TWD

.054

Once Carl and I hear the gates closing and Daryl and Rick's car pulling away from Alexandria, we know it was safe to start for the walls. Once reaching that point, Carl begins to look for the rods which are still tucked beneath the bush like they always are. Besides the time Carl and I had gone out together a little while ago, nobody has used them. Enid has been keeping to herself, besides her small visits with Carl and I. When she isn't around, I know I can easily find her in her bedroom. I feel bad for not being able to do something in the efforts of helping her, but she seems to need the alone time to think. I might as well just give it to her.

Suddenly, I hear a shy voice from behind. "You guys leaving?" Enid asks. I turn, nodding.

"You wanna come?" I ask, listening to the sound of Carl placing the first rod into the beam. Enid seems to be considering the idea for a second before slowly shaking her head. "Is everything okay?" I know that is a pathetic question, for I have been asked the same thing way too many times myself when I obviously am far from it.

"Yeah," she replies. I figured she wouldn't speak her mind as easily as I wish she would. She's more than a closed book. Her book is surrounded by a thick mass of duct tape and barbed wire, all of it pulled shut with chains and a thick padlock. You get very little out of her, especially as soon as you'd like to.

"I'll see you later then?" Enid nods, her face wiped of emotion as she watches Carl begin to ascend the wall first. I give her a quick hug before joining Carl.

Carl scales the wall first, me following behind. Since the first time I had climbed this wall, I have gotten stronger, my body no longer feeling extremely fatigued after such simple tasks. I'm pleased with that thought, aware that I'm gradually recovering from the physical toll leaving the prison had taken on me. Well, to be fair, I hadn't been doing exactly great before then, either.

My feet hit the mossy ground, landing beside Carl. "Where to?" I ask, taking a step forward.

Carl shrugs. "Around, I guess." I would be more than down for another long trip like the one Carl and I had taken that one day, a time that feels like it had been centuries ago, but I know he isn't quite ready for that yet, even if he acts like he is.

"Okay." With that, we start walking deeper into the woods, the tall, thin trees that form the grove ahead encompass us like a gauntlet. Leaves have sprouted from the once bare branches, budding out in bright green blades, slicing the rays of sun that shine down on us. A few make it through the maze, dropping puddles of sunlight onto the soft forest floor.

I wade through the dead grass, the fronds reaching past my knees and brushing against my jeans. Lifting my legs as I step through the growth as well as keeping a look out for any walkers is exhausting, but you can never be too alert out here.

The day is cooler than I've become accustomed to as spring has emerged. I ball my sweatshirt sleeves over my hands to keep the chilled breeze from nipping at my fingers. I focus on my feet beneath the fluffy ferns bristling against my boots. While I'm looking down, I almost run straight into Carl who's stopped abruptly right in front of me.

"What?" I ask. I don't get what he's looking at until I take a step forward from behind him to see the glistening color of blue foil. I bend down to pick up a shiny, blue balloon, the item being nothing more than a sheet of aluminum since all the helium has been taken away from it. I hadn't seen it beneath the brush and amongst the camouflage of green at first.

The balloon crackles in my hand as I peel open a plastic bag that's attached to it. Inside is a piece of paper, all folded up like a note. "What's it say?" Carl asks eagerly. I unfold the paper slowly, being careful not to damage it. It's a wonder we even found it, despite the fact it's been kept in a bag.