☆ All the Stars ☆ (rarl)

Vol. 6 | Tears

2 years ago
-
Ron sat leaned on a tree, waiting to succumb to his bites.
I'll be with them soon. He thought to himself, thinking of his family.
He had watch them die just about an hour earlier.

"I mean, is it though?" A man said off in the distance.
Must have been a hallucination.
"I don't fucking know. I've never fucking tried that shit before." Another man replied, definitely heading in Ron's direction.
They definitely weren't from Alexandria. He didn't recognize the voices.
"Maybe it is better." A different man said.

Ron stayed quiet, hoping they wouldn't notice him. He didn't want to deal with that.

"I highly fucking doubt it. Why don't you- hey! Hey! There's a kid over here!" The man who talked the second time said.
He came into Ron's view, aiming a flashlight at him.
"Hey. Are you ok kiddo? Is that your blood?" The man in a leather jacket asked, leaning down to Ron's level.

Ron coughed, trying to talk.
"He's all bit up. Let's just go." A man with a mustache said, his hands on his hips.
"No! He's just a kid. He's coming with us!" The man with the leather jacket stated.
"Hey, my name's Negan. You all alone out here?" He said softly, putting his hand on Ron's arm.
Ron nodded, he definitely was alone now.
"Come on. Let's get him back to the sanctuary." Negan said as Ron started to slip out of consciousness.

——

The next day

Ron opened his eyes, taking in his surroundings.
He was in a room that looked like a makeshift doctors office with concrete walls.
Was that all real? Ron thought to himself, questioning the previous night.
"He's awake." A man who appeared to be the doctor said calmly.

"Hey. How do you feel?" Negan said, sitting in the chair next to Ron's bed.
"Who are you?" Ron said, still not sure if this was real.
"I told you. I'm Negan. Who are you?" Negan asked, wanting some information on this boy.
"I.." Ron said, breaking down into tears over the previous night.
"It's ok. You're safe here." Negan said, remembering his stab wound.

Negan sat patiently waiting for quite some time for one to be calm enough to talk.

"You have a name kid? I'll give you one myself if you don't. And with those bites? It'll be on your grave soon. So what's the name I should actually put on your grave?" Negan said, leaning towards Ron.
"Ron." He whispered, looking down.

"Hm. Ron. What happened to you?" Negan asked, wanting answers.
Crying. More crying. Negan had to admit, he was getting a little bit tired of this.
"Ok. You don't have to talk about it. We can talk about something else. How about... your hair. I like it. Blonde is.. well it's not my favorite. But that's Dwight's fault. He just really pisses me off sometimes. But for you? It's better on you for sure." Negan rambled, already getting attached to Ron even though he knew he would die soon.

Ron wiped the tears off his face, shivering from the fever he had because of his bites.

"You want a blanket?" Negan said, feeling a parental need to care for the boy.
Ron shook his head.
"Get him a blanket. And something to eat. What do you like? Any allergies or anything?" Negan said softly at the end.
"Peanuts." Ron said quietly.
"You like peanuts? Or you're allergic to peanuts?" Negan said, not wanting to mix that up.
"Allergic." Ron said, feeling quite sick now.
"Ok. Get him something to eat that's not anywhere near any fucking peanuts. And bring an epipen too. He might need it sometime." Negan said to the doctor.
"But sir.. he's-" the doctor started.
"He's what!? He's one of us now. Do as I say. Now." Negan said, not wanting hear about how Ron's bit.
"Yes sir." The doctor said, leaving the room.

"What is this place?" Ron asked, finally saying a full sentence again.
"This? This is the sanctuary. We're the saviors." Negan said proudly.
"Oh. Is that... why you saved me?" Ron said, wiping sweat off his face from his fever.
"No. We don't usually go around picking up random people in the woods. But I can't leave a kid out there alone." Negan explained.
"You are a kid right?" Negan said, thinking this could be awkward.
"I'm eighteen." Ron said, leaning back.
"Ok so you are a kid." Negan said, honestly trying not to cry that someone so young was going to die.

"Here. It's soup. Should be safe for him." The doctor said, handing Negan a bowl.
"Great! You like soup Ron?" Negan said with a smile.
"Yeah." Ron said.
"Here you go. Be careful. It's hot." Negan said, handing him the bowl.
"Thanks." Ron said, wincing in pain from his shoulder injury.
"That has to hurt. Get him some medicine doc." Negan said, a few new people entering the room.
Ron looked at them.
One had blonde hair and the other was the man with the mustache.
That must be Dwight then. Ron thought to himself.
"Medicine? He's bit." One of the new men said.
"Simon I swear to god. He'll have medicine, food, and whatever the hell else he wants! He's a fucking dying kid!" Negan said, getting angry.
"Ok sorry! Just seems like a bit of a waste." Simon replied.
"If it makes him more comfortable for his last day on earth it's not a fucking waste. Get the fuck out." Negan said, done with Simon.

"Ok man. Good luck with that." Simon said, leaving the room as Dwight followed him out.

"Hey, do you think.. do you think negan is getting a little attached to that kid?" Dr. Carson said, catching up with Dwight and Simon in the hallway.
"Yeah. We all knew he would." Dwight said, pulling out a cigarette.
"He always does." Simon said, shaking his head.

——

"He's awake!" Denise exclaimed, seeing Carl with his eye open.
"Carl!" Rick exclaimed, running in.
"What.. where's Ron?" Carl said, looking around the room.
Rick and Michonne looked at each other, confused.
"Why?" Rick said, not knowing about their relationship.
"Where is he?!" Carl asked frantically, in tears now.
"He's dead Carl." Michonne said, believing it to be true.
"No! Ron!" Carl screamed, freaking out.
"Hey, take a breath." Rick said as Carl hyperventilated.
There was no consoling Carl though.

——

One month later

"No. It sucks." Ron said, sitting at the table with Negan and his lieutenants.
"Yeah? Well I think I'd rather be sick all the time then dead." Dwight replied, leaning back in his chair.
They were discussing how Ron feels now.
"You know what? You should bite someone. I want to see what happens." Negan said with a smile.
"I don't know." Ron whispered. He didn't want to be responsible for someone's death. He had never killed anyone before.
"Oh come on. It'd be so fucking cool if you could infect people!" Negan exclaimed, excited with the idea.

Ron put his face in his hands, breaking down into tears.
He did this often.

Negan sighed.
"You don't have to. It's ok." Negan said, putting his hand on Ron's back.
Ron wasn't crying about biting someone.
He was thinking of Carl.
His beautiful boy.
Would he ever see his love again?
Probably not, he believed.

——

"Carl? Why don't you come sit on the porch with us?" Rick said, knocking on his door.
Carl had barely left his room since he had been released from the infirmary.
Rick and Michonne had come to learn about Carl and Ron's relationship.
They never told him that michonne had stabbed him though.
"I don't want to." Carl replied.
"Are you ok?" Rick said, opening the door.
Carl was sat on his bed with Ron's jacket on.
"No." Carl said, breaking down into tears.
"I miss him so much." He said.
Rick sat next to him, hugging him.
"I know." Rick said, remembering how he felt when Lori had died.

——