A teenage girl by the name of Ayla Meadows is held against her will and experimented on by a crazed scientist. Although she manages to escape the horrors with the help of a sheriff and his group, she is forever haunted by the memories of her torture...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
———
"What is a friend? A single soul dwelling in two bodies." - Aristotle
———
Ayla doesn't leave Carl's bedside over the next couple of days.
The rest of the group arrive at the farm and she watches them silently from the window in Carl's room as he sleeps. She see's the worried looks on their faces as they adress Rick and Lori and then the bright grins as they're informed that Carl will be okay. The happiness she feels from their joy is quickly diminished when they begin to thank Shane for his heroics with handshakes, hugs, and words of appreciation. Her mood becomes mellow once more.
"Ayla?" A soft voice speaks from behind her. Ayla turns to look behind her and is met with Carls sleepy face. It's not the first time he's awoken from his long slumber, but it is the first time he has looked like he will stay awake for more than a couple of minutes. "Where is everyone?" He questions. "Has something happened?"
Ayla moves slowly towards him and sits in the chair beside his bed. "Nothings wrong, don't worry." She assures. "The rest of the group have arrived, everyone's just outside greeting them."
Noticing that Carls face is damp with sweat from the temperature of the room, Ayla ushers him to lie back as she grabs a damp washcloth and begins to caress his forehead with it.
Carl gives her a confused look. "Why aren't you outside with the rest of the group?"
The eyes which were holding Carls so strongly avert themselves to the floor. "I just thought I'd stay with you, keep you company." It's not a complete lie but Ayla knows it's not the whole truth and the feeling of keeping something from him makes her feel nauseous. "The worst part about being sick is doing it alone."
The boy shakes his head. "I don't want to be a burden. Go and greet them, I'll still be here when you get back." Ayla just shakes her head.
The thought of going outside and seeing all their smiling faces while she pretends like nothing is wrong pains her. Putting on a facade as if she isn't frightened to speak a word to anyone in case Shane takes it as a threat and attacks her again is simply not an option. Not unless it is necessary.
And so Ayla sticks by Carl's side like glue.
While he's awake and they are left alone they laugh, play card games, and discuss their lives before all of this. And when someone comes to visit Carl, Ayla seems to coincidentally always be asleep. If Ayla leaves his room for whatever reason - whether it be for the toilet or to grab them both a snack - and someone spots her and tries to engage in conversation, she makes polite small talk before slipping away from the chat in a quick and precise way.
She's pretty sure that some people have picked up on this ('people' meaning Maggie, Dale, and Rick) as they keep seeking her out and will not let her slip away from conversation as easily as the others do. However, not even they can keep her around for long when Shane always seems to be lurking in corners, waiting to pounce. The second Ayla notices him she is stuttering some excuse and storming away.
Ayla becomes the ghost that haunts the Greene family farm. The girl glides by the residents of the home and although they think they see her true form, they do not know that it's a mask which hides an empty shell of the girl she used to be. The only person that manages to spark any light from the flame burning inside of her is Carl.
The days they spend together are some of the most precious Ayla has had in her entire lifetime. It is like they have their own little bubble where they are free to live as they please and act like kids again. But as always, every bubble must pop.
———
"He's free to go?" Rick asks with a large smile on his face.
Hershel nods along. "I believe so." He states. "His condition has improved significantly in the past couple of days. I see no reason to keep him confined to this room, let alone this bed. Let the boy wander about and continue his life."
Carl excitedly tries to jump up out of bed but is quickly stopped by his mother. "Woah there. You're free to walk about and stay with us in the tents outside but you gotta take it easy for a while." Lori says sternly. "Which means nothing dangerous, alright?"
The boy nods his head at his mums worrying. "Yes mum." He agrees.
"Good." Lori says happily. "Right, on you go then." She helps Carl out of bed and steadies him on his feet. Once Carl is adjusted, he turns to Ayla happily.
"Let's go explore Ayla! You've practically been stuck in here with me, we'll experience everything together." Ayla plasters a smile on her face at his excitement and tries to quell the worried pit in her stomach.
The reality is, although she's happy that Carl is healthy enough to get out of bed and do as he pleases, she is also sad that they will no longer be confined to the one room and instead will have to venture out to the rest of the group. They'll have to venture out to him.
Carl leads the way out of the room and Ayla follows slowly, prepared to catch or steady him if anything goes wrong. However, he seems to be perfectly fine. They make their way through the house and towards the front door. Just as they are about to leave, she feels a hand clamp around her wrist. Immediately, she goes into survival mode. Her eyes flit around the room for a way out and she whips around to grab the hand off of hers when she notices it's just Rick.
He does not miss her reaction to his grasp and so although he quickly removes his hand, he notes the information down in his head. "Ayla." He says gruffly.
When he pauses she looks at him questioningly. "Yes?"
Rick looks at her meaningfully. "Take care of him for me?" He asks pleadingly.
Ayla looks at him in shock, isn't it obvious I'd do anything for him?
"Of course, Rick." She replies with a smile. "I wouldn't dream of doing anything else." She continues to walk towards the door but is stopped once again by Ricks voice.
"Take care of yourself as well, Ayla." He insists.
Ayla continues facing away from him, not daring to move a muscle or let him see the emotion played on her face. The only indication of her even hearing his words is the slight way her hands curl by her sides like she is longing to grip onto something for balance.
"I always do." She whispers softly and then follows Carl out of the house and into the world beyond.
