Ephemeral - Alia Dixon

20

One of us has been killed outside, so Maggie killed one of the prisoners. My wound looks good, same for my face. 
The people remaining from the Kingdom arrived in the night, now we're only waiting for my dad and the others.

I smile as I see my dad walking through the gates later that day with Judith in his arms and a few Alexandrians following him. My face drops though as I notice a few people missing. 
"Where's Carl?" I ask, tears already forming in my eyes as my dad shakes his head. Enid behind me drops to the ground sobbing. My brother's arms wrap around me tightly, holding me as tight as he can, while I start sobbing for my other brother. For Carl. Everyone moves past us, their footsteps echoing off the gravel around me. I look around, trying to spot Rick but I can't. He's not here. 
I have halfways found myself again and notice Enid still crying behind me. Her sobs are still loud and uneven. I crawl over to her and hug her tightly, taking in Maggie's place now.

I remember the day I first met Carl. I was fourteen and he was twelve. We were just kids. It was a few weeks after the world went shit. Allen and I were a bit sceptical at first because my dad and Merle told us not to trust these people. They were all very nice though. Carl and Sophia were the firsts to try and talk to us. Then Lori joined, too. Over the years we've grown into a family. We aren't by blood but we chose to be. Carl was my brother and he will forever be and I know, by the look on Allen's face, that he thinks the same. 

Carl died too early. He would've been a great leader. He definitely would've. Like Rick. After his mom's death Carl was never the same. He was tougher and less sensitive. But he never lost his sense for justice. His kindness. I wish I could be as kind and understanding as Carl is. He always tries to fix things on his own and find a solution where no one has to die. Not anymore. Now, nothing is left of him. Someone had said, walking by, that Alexandria went up in flames. 
Everything we've had the past few months, the place I've finally begun calling home, gone. Everything gone. All of Carl's comics. His clothes. Never would I be able to see his smiles again.

I hug Enid even tighter as her sobs stop and we both sit there, silently crying.
I know how much she liked him. It was complicated sometimes but they liked and cared for eachother very much. They often went out with eachother, just to read comics and spend some time. It was nice seeing them enjoy their company so much. To see them falling in love? I don't know if they were. Maybe they weren't. Maybe they were. Maybe something would've happened between them and they would've been happy. Maybe they wouldn't have. 

"Come on" my dad says, grabbing me from the floor and pulling me towards the stairs infront of the huge house in the middle of the Hilltop. I sit down, wiping a few of the remaining tears off of my face with my sleeve. I take a look at all the people here. Everyone came here after their communities went to shit. First the Kingdom and now Alexandria. All of them are here, fighting for a better world. Carl would've wanted.
"How did it happen?" I ask my dad, not looking at him. I let my head fall down, my arms resting on my knees, stretched out, my fingers fidgeting with a few strands of grass I have just pulled out of the ground. 
My dad takes a deep breath. "He saved someone"
I turn my head, looking at his face. A tear runns down his dirty cheeks. "He saved a guy from a few walkers"
"Do I know him?"
My dad shakes his head. "No, Carl didn't either. He saved him and brought him back here"
My eyes widen. "He's here?"
My dad nods slowly. "Yes, he's here. Carl wanted us to give him a chance. He's a doctor"
I move my view back to the grass between my legs and my shoes. "That's good for Maggie. We need a doctor" I state sadly. Of course Carl would die for a stranger. Sounds exactly like him, actually. 
He died saving someone else. How heroic. 
My dad chuckles. "Typical Carl, huh?"
I chuckle sadly. "Yeah" I say, my voice breaking and a few other tears making their way down my face. My dad moves closer and puts an arm around me. He pulls me close as I rest my head on his shoulder. My tears beginn staining his shirt as I revive every moment with Carl in my head. As I recall all my memories I have of him.