𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑮𝑶𝑶𝑫 𝑮𝑼𝒀 ❦ Rick Grimes

- six

— ACT ONE OF THREE —
THE BEGINNING OF THE END

chapter six | carl
* edited

SADIE kept watch that night. She had no desire to sleep in case another attack ensued on them.

Lori was right. In a sense, that it was her and Daryl's fault. The two of them should have went alone into Atlanta rather than having Rick go with them.

Maybe their losses wouldn't have been as great as they were had they stayed. She wasn't sure where Merle was now. Or if he was even alive. Her eldest brother had lived over a dozen lives in his lifetime, but she never expected this to be the one to take him out.

A rustling amongst the tree's brought her out of her thoughts. She immediately grabbed her flashlight and gun. As she hopped down from the top of the RV, she slowly walked towards the sound.

Suddenly, a small child ran into her and fell on his rear end.

"What the hell, kid?!" Sadie exclaimed. "What are you doing out there? You could have gotten hurt!"

In the midst of her shouting, Sadie hadn't noticed he had been crying. "Carl. . . I didn't mean to yell, I'm sorry."

She dropped the flashlight and knelt down to his level. "What's going on? Why aren't you in bed?"

"M-My mom. . ." He cried, "I followed her into the woods and–"

Sadie listened to the boy as he told her what he had seen. How he saw his mother and Shane with their lips glued to each other. He even mentioned how his father was asleep, unaware of the events that unfolded tonight.

"Do you want to tell him?" Sadie asked him.

Unbeknownst to Sadie and Carl, Rick already knew. Him and Lori had already had a long conversation about their relationship, ultimately deciding it was in their best interest to split.

Carl nodded slowly, "I think so."

Sadie huffed, "Okay."

Carl grabbed ahold of Sadie's hand tightly as the two of them walked to Rick's tent. They found him sound asleep as Sadie quietly unzipped the tent.

"Rick?" Sadie asked in a low whisper. "Rick?" She asked once more, louder this time.

She grabbed a pillow with her free hand and threw it at him. He groggily sat up from the sleeping bag, surprised to see Sadie standing there with his son.

"Carl? Are you alright?"

The young boy shook his head, his grip tightening against Sadie's hand.

"Maybe I should go. . . Let the two of you talk alone." Sadie offered, to which Rick agreed, needing to talk to his son alone.

But it was Carl who begged her to stay.

&&

SADIE slung her duffel bag over her shoulder. She threw the dark grey bag into Daryl's pick up truck. They were leaving the quarry. For good.