ɢʜᴏsᴛs ~ 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚆𝚊𝚕𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝙳𝚎𝚊𝚍¹

(1) Talk if you want

Pre-Season 1 - Original Episode

"CARL!"

Rory glanced over at said boy. He was running from one of the Morales kids, Louis, laughing gleefully. Rory sat with Sophia, sharing a confused glance with each other.

"Probably Carl being his usual self," Sophia giggled softly.

Rory smiled softly. She doesn't smile much, but when she does, it's usually a soft one. She feels comfortable around Sophia, though. They're both quiet.

"And Louis," Rory said, rolling her eyes.

Carl was the complete opposite of Sophia. He was loud and talkative. Rory didn't find it bad, but sometimes she wanted quiet time. Carl was one of her friends, though she preferred Sophia Peletier.

Carl Grimes had lost his father at the start of all of this. Rick Grimes was absolutely lucky—he didn't have to see any of this. Not the world like it was before. Shane took on the fatherly role for Carl. Rory wouldn't want anyone to replace her own father. Carl looked up to Shane greatly, and Rory would respect that.

Sophia Peletier—Rory wouldn't admit it to her, but she wished death upon her father. Sophia's father was absolutely horrid. He was completely abusive to both his wife and daughter, and he would touch his daughter in inappropriate ways. He should have been Rick Grimes. Rick should be here. Carl had so many good things to say about him.

Louis and Eliza still had their parents. Somehow, that family remained unscathed. They were lucky. Rory envied them. They were her friends as well, but they were loud and fought all the time.

She was so lost in thought that she didn't notice Carl running straight towards her, though he was unaware because his head was turned back to Louis.

She yelped and ducked. Carl noticed her and immediately tried to stop, but his speed was too fast that he ended up tripping over her knee. Louis cackled at him, grinning widely.

"Serves you right!"

Carl growled and stood up, looking at Rory who was massaging her knee. "You okay?"

Rory nodded, quiet as usual. She only spoke when she felt like she needed to, or when it was her and someone else in a conversation. Sophia crawled over to Rory, not feeling the need to stand since they were rather close.

"Are you hurt?" Sophia asked quietly, timidly.

Rory shook her head and stood up, glancing at Carl and Louis. "Please—pl–please be careful n–next time. . ."

Carl and Louis nodded, both having guilty expressions on their faces.

Rory sighed and walked into the RV. She didn't have a tent, so she lived in the RV with Dale. He was like an Uncle to her, or a Grandfather. He always told stories that Rory never understood but respected.

Rory walked to her room in the RV and sat beside her cat. "Hi, Kat. . ."

Kat meowed in confusion and nuzzled her head on Rory's hand. Rory laughed gently and started petting the cat.

"Everyone is crazy," Rory said, looking at the cat. "Sophia is nice. I like her. Carl is okay, but he's clumsy. Louis and Eliza always argue. Mr. Morales is friendly. Ms. Grimes is like a mother to me. . . Mr. Horvath is kind and has nice stories. Ms. Amy Harrison is kind, I like her. Ms. Andrea Harrison is. . . She's weird, but she's okay, I guess. Mr. Walsh is protective of this camp. He's the leader. Mrs. Morales is okay. . ." She sighed, thinking for a moment. "Mr. Peletier is mean. Mrs. Peletier is nice."

Kat meowed and curled onto Rory's lap. Rory giggled and petted the cat before noticing Dale and stopped laughing.

"Hey, kiddo," Dale said softly, sitting beside her. "How's it going?"

Rory shrugged, looking at Dale. "I'm running out of cat food. . ."

Dale hummed and looked at the small cat who meowed. "I'll ask Glenn if he can find some on the next run."

"Glenn tried last time," Rory mumbled, stroking her cat. "He said he didn't find any."

"It's alright, Ro," Dale responded calmly. "Cats have natural survival instinct. If she's hungry, she'll find some food I'm sure."

"Okay," Rory said softly.

She knew that about cats—they could survive on their own, but it wasn't just that. It was about finding animals to eat. Animals were becoming scarce even Daryl—the group's best hunter—was having trouble getting anything. Squirrels became common food. Rory always shared with Kat, even though there's not much. She wasn't about to let her best friend starve.

"What are you thinking about?"

Rory snapped her head to Dale, confused.

Dale paused, licking his lips. "You have that face you always have when you're thinking about something." Rory slouched down as if she was in trouble. Dale glanced at her, confused. "Kid, I—Are you okay? Why are you always so nervous?"

"I'm sorry," Rory spoke softly.

Dale sighed and shook his head, putting his arm over her shoulder and pulling her in. "Nothing to be sorry about, kid. Talk when you want. If you want."

Rory nodded and rested her head against his shoulder.

He was nice.