The Boy Next door || Carl Grimes x Male OC

I | New Setting

I was always pretty good at running, and that skill came handy in the apocalypse. But dragging along an 11 year old didn't exactly give me a speed boost. Don't get me wrong, I didn't think of my little sister as a burden, if anything she was the only thing that kept me going. Although when I was fleeing a crazy man with a barbed wire wrapped bat and his equally crazy fan cub, having to constantly remind an 11 year old to keep running was a little annoying.

"Lily c'mon!" I shout. As I was running I yelped and fell back when a rotter leaped out from behind a tree and lunged at me. I heard Lily scream as I reached for my knife that fell out of my hand. I found it in a pile of leaves and I stabbed the rotter in the side of its head. It fell limply on top of me and it's blood splattered onto me. I muttered a 'gross' as Lily helped pull it off. "C'mon Lils we gotta get as far as we can from those sickos." I say as I catch my breath. I wipe the blood on my knife onto the clothes of the recently defeated rotter. "I miss mom" Lily says sadly. I frown as I look down at her. I sigh before speaking, "I do too, but she wanted us to escape, we can't make her sacrifice be for nothing." I say as I squat down to look my sister in the eyes. I put my hand on her cheek and kiss the top of her head. "We have to go now, it's getting dark and we've got to find some sort of shelter." I explain before standing back up and looking around.

She sniffles before nodding her head and grabbing my hand again. I rub the back of her hand with my thumb before setting off yet again. I had to make this work. Lily and I had to survive after our moms sacrifice. I wouldn't let it be for nothing and I would honor her wish to take care of my sister.

—

It had been around three days of Lily and I walking around and scavenging random buildings. We had found barely even scraps of water and food but it was enough to keep going. Everything had been stripped of anything of remote use which I assume was Negan's doing. He was a greedy man with pigs as his servants. Even after escaping him we still seemed to be screwed over by him.

"Natty I'm thirsty" My sister whispered to me. "I know, I am too but we have to ration what we have." I explained to her sadly. I couldn't stand seeing her like this, I was supposed to protect her and I couldn't even provide water.

"C'mon we've got to keep moving, we won't find anything just sitting here." I say to her. I watch as she gets up and I put my backpack back on. We walked back out of the forest and onto the road. I kept my knife in my hand with a firm grip, I wasn't going to risk anything. As we kept walking ahead I started to see something appear in the distance. As we walked for a bit more I saw that it looked like a community. It had a gate and a sign that I couldn't quite read from the distance we were at. My sister tugged at my sleeve, "What's that? Is it another community?" She asks. "I could be another outpost of Negan's but we're farther out than the other ones." I think aloud. "Can we go check it out?" She asks with pleading eyes. I purse my lips as I look at her and think. "Please please please? They might have water and my throats hurting like a bitch" She pleads.

"First off, language. Secondly, I'm not taking you into a potential death trap." I say sternly. She has a frown on her face, "I think I'm old enough to swear and I think we should go. It's not like we've got anywhere else to go." She says. "Jeez, when did you start talking back?" I say with a sigh. I bite my lip in thought, "If you remember what I taught you then I guess we can check it out. And stay in my sight at all times." I say with a serious tone. "Yeah okay mom" She jokes. "Lily, I'm serious." I say. She looks me in the eyes this time, "Yeah I'll do what you say" She says. I smile at her now, "Alright then, let's check it out." I announce.