morph // C.Grimes

Chapter 22: The Stranger Part 2

Caden joined the company of Noah, the two not conversing hardly since the incident of Beth and Tyrese. The girl focused on her surroundings, gun in her right hand and her knife gripped in her left. Noah seemed distracted, as if taking a casual walk in the woods.

"Why aren't you with your boyfriend?" Noah's tone light, lips curled up at the edges as a teasing smirk threatened to break out.

The girl rolled her shoulders as she exhaled out of her nose, "He's not my boyfriend" she stiffly defended.

Noah then hummed, as his smirk grew further, "You lovebirds get in a fight?" She only spared him a look as her lips pressed together. "Is it about the community?" He furthered questioned.

Caden slowed to a stop, still shifting her gaze through the trees, "You know where I was before I joined this group?" She asked the older boy. Noah shook his head, his eyes settled on her intrigued. "Alone. Because strangers made it that way" pain vibrated in her throat. "My brother and me trusted these people, people like Aaron that promised safety and food. And now Jake is gone and I'm still here" she felt the gloss of tears, verging on releasing. She blinked them away stubbornly. "Your family, I remember what the others described was there. They were murdered because of strangers... I'm sorry" she exhaled, eyes softening apologetically as she brought up the sensitive event.

Noah rocked on his heels, trying to conjure a reply. "I-its okay" he stuttered out, clearing his throat as he tried to shove down his emotions, "What happened to those people you trusted?" He felt he knew the answer, his gut twisted thinking of it.

Caden began walking once more, "I killed them" no emotion laced in her words. A teenager that sounded nothing like one. "And I would do it again if anyone threatens my family" she then craned her head back, giving him an expectant look to get him to follow. "The thing is, Carl is too trusting at times" she finally circled it back to the original question.

Noah forced his feet forward, small limp hutching his body as he sped up to her pace. "Like your brother. You're scared you'll lose him like you did Jake" she met his eyes briefly,

Caden sucked in a breath, "Not just Carl. All of you" she expressed her fear out loud to him. "I've lost to many, and I... I can't go through that again" she exasperated, shaking her head as she reeled her emotions back.

Noah offered a soft close lipped smile, he then held out a fist to her. Caden raising a brow as her eyes lightened, she placed her knife into her waistband. Then met his fist with her own, "You ain't losing me. Least not for a while. I still need to teach you card games, like Rummi and Poker" he loosely smiled, body laxed as he walked in an odd swagger.

"Goodluck, I only know Go Fish sorta" she felt herself loosen up, "Do you even have a deck of cards?"

Noah laughed, reaching in his back pocket and pulled out a worn box of cards. "Never without, if I can help it"

----

The sight of canned Spaghetti O's made her mouth water. Impulsively she grabbed one, holding it in her hands as her stomache growled.

"This" Rick held up a can of food, gesturing to the rest of the pile. "This is ours now" he told the tied up man firmly.

"There's more than enough" Aaron responded, the teen scoffing.

She whispered under her breath, "no one likes a kiss ass" Daryl heard her side comment, grunting a hum of agreement.

Rick gave him a deadpanned look, "It's ours whether we go back to your camp or not"

Carl looked to his father in disbelief, hands falling to his sides, "What do you mean? Why wouldn't we go?" Caden felt that fear resurface, choking her and strangling her. Green eyes spacing out as she stared at the can in her hands.