you drew stars around my scars
and now i'm bleeding.
><
carl never used to believe that everything
happened for a reason. but he now knows
that sofia espinosa came into his life for
one reason. she made him feel alive again.
after his mother died...
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————✧⋆✧————
"SOFIA." RICK CALLS through the closed door of Sofia's bedroom. She's been in there for around three days. Door locked. Curtains drawn. Rick is worried, Rosita hasn't spoken to any of them much. In fact, none of them have spoken to each other much. All too consumed by the weight of grieving their fallen family.
"It's open." Sofia's weak and hoarse voice says and Rick's face relaxes in pleasant surprise because she's been ignoring them all every time they do their hourly round of checking in on them. And now she's inviting him in. Progress.
Rick opens the door slowly, furrowing his eyebrows as he does, "what're you doing?"
Sofia is sat in the ground, surrounded by sketches of men and women's faces as well as multiple maps with red ink scrawled all over them. She's wearing baggy grey shorts and a large black tshirt that is unmistakably Glenn's. Her dark hair is tied back in a knot like bun at the back of her head and her switchblade is stuck into the wooden floor beside her.
"Just. . .close the door." She mutters, not even looking over at him and he looks at her hesitantly before gently shutting the door. "I got this." Sofia mutters, holding up the walkie from beside her and Rick stares at her with his lips agape and an expression on his face that Sofia cannot bear to see. As if she's unrecognisable. Because she probably is, with dark circles beneath her puffy eyes and the stitches on her cheek in desperate need of removing, her opposite cheekbone still bruised and purple.
"Sofia. . ."
"I've been listening—I've sketched the face that I can remember, the guy that shot me and the guy I cut—the woman that pinned me down—"
"Sof—"
"I'm pretty sure I have an idea of where two outposts are." She points to one of the maps. "And I've marked Hilltop over here." She drags her finger across the paper.
"Sofia!" Rick says sharply and she looks at him. "Stop. You need to stop." He says in a gentler tone. "This—it ain't good for you, ain't good for anyone—"
"But—"
"No buts, Sofia, if they come in here and find this what do you think is gonna happen?" Rick says, knowing she needs to hear it. "They're gonna kill another one of us. Maybe more. They might kill Carl. Or Rosita. Or Michonne—we can't do this."
Sofia shakes her head, remembering how it felt to be pinned to the ground and forced to watch the kind man who saved her be brutally beat to death. Her hand shakes gently on her lap and she clenches her fist to stop its incessant motion.
