Alice was not worried of the unknown. She was worried of what she already knew. She was worried of the promises that the new people were making to her-the ones bringing the people of a fallen Woodbury into their own settlement. The girl felt sorry t...
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A L I C E
ALICE DUNLAP DIDN'T KNOW how badly she'd needed a taste of the outside world, until she'd finally gotten it. The girl had been somewhat trapped inside of those fences for several months, not having been outside since her father went missing and the governor had taken her in.
With Elliot in quarantine and the community hanging on by a thread, the sound of the tree-leaves gently whirling in the damp wind was music to Alice's ears. But the girl wasn't alone. And, after a sudden change in heart, she didn't quite mind the company—Carl's company—either. The two were chaperoning Hershel together, from a distance, as he inspected his elderberry bush, relentlessly searching for anything ripened enough to pick.
When Carl had caught Hershel sneaking out of quarantine, he made the promise to help the man who'd been blatantly disobeying his father. But he didn't leave the safety of the fences before following through with another attempt to get the saddened girl to leave her cell. And because Alice was ready to begin forgetting about what was happening right in front of her eyes, once again, Carl's invitation was accepted.
What resonated with Alice wasn't just an opportunity to get some fresh air—it was who was presenting the opportunity to her. She'd been comforted that there was someone around, other than Elliot, who'd shown concern for her well-being. Of all the people who could've rolled that soccer ball underneath her curtain a few days ago, or come knocking on her cell wall that morning to retrieve her for a brief escape, she never would've guessed that it would've been Carl Grimes.
The two stood far away from Hershel and his bush, taking guard against the open forest. Carl had finally gotten his gun back, that of which Alice knew had been used to kill. And the boy just looked a little weird holding it. Similarly to Alice, it felt foreign for the girl to have to turn the safety off of hers, as the two were getting into position.
"Have you always had that?" Carl briefly looked over his shoulder, at the girl, before returning his stare back down the aim of his own gun.
"My gun?" Alice weakly nodded, knowing that she wasn't within the boy's line of sight. She turned the gun over, in her palm, and studied it for a few seconds. It was now heavier than before, carrying the weight of an entire chamber's-worth of bullets. "I never let it out of my sight."
The girl fastened her aim towards the trees, extending her arms out in front of her. Though her gaze was casted straight ahead, she could see the boy take a another glance at her, out of the corner of her eye. "Did you think you would still need it?"
