⋆ ★ REQUIEM FOR THE ACCUSED ⋆ ★

NO SURPRISES

"i'll take a quiet life." - radiohead

the night was still, the only sound in the small house being the distant rustling of leaves outside and rick's laboured breathing. carl lay on his bed, staring up at the ceiling, knowing that salem, just a few feet away on her bed, was also wide awake. neither of them spoke, but there was an unspoken understanding between them. sleep wouldn't come easy tonight. carl's eyes kept drifting to his father, lying on the couch, deep in what seemed like restless sleep. his arm twitched suddenly, and a raspy breath escaped rick's lips, startling carl. his heart began to race, and he sat up slowly, his gaze locked on his father. he couldn't shake the fear that had been gnawing at him all night—the fear that his father might not wake up the same man.

salem, sensing carl's distress, quietly watched him from her bed. when she saw carl's eyes widen in terror as rick's hand slowly moved toward him, she shot up, her leg throbbing in pain. the look on carl's face was pure horror, the kind that only came from facing something too terrible to comprehend. rick let out another ragged breath, and carl gasped, his chest tightening as he watched his father slowly sit up. in the darkness, the movement seemed almost unnatural, like something was wrong. tears began to well up in carl's eyes, and his breathing quickened, matching the frantic beat of his heart.

salem limped over to carl, her heart pounding as she grabbed onto him for support. she stumbled over his sleeping bag, nearly falling, but carl caught her. together, they stood there, watching rick with a mix of dread and disbelief. carl's trembling hand reached for his gun, his fingers wrapping around the cold metal as he pointed it at his father. his whole body shook as tears streamed down his face. "i can't do it." he whispered, his voice cracking under the weight of his fear. he handed the gun to salem, his hand trembling as he let it go.

salem's hands shook as she took the gun, the weight of the decision pressing down on her. her eyes were locked on rick, who had now rolled off the couch with a loud bang, reaching out weakly toward carl. she could see the tears in carl's eyes, hear the desperation in his voice, and feel the fear that gripped them both. but then, rick mumbled something, his voice barely a whisper. salem hesitated, the gun heavy in her hand. she strained to hear him, her heart pounding in her chest. rick's hand reached out, trembling, and he muttered carl's name, his voice filled with a weak, desperate plea. 

carl's breath caught in his throat, and he rushed to his father's side, rolling him over. the gun slipped from salem's fingers as she realized rick was alive, still the man they knew, but weak and in need of help. carl's tears flowed freely as he knelt beside rick, his heart aching with relief and fear all at once. salem knelt beside him, her breathing heavy, as they watched rick's chest rise and fall in shallow, but steady breaths.

*:ꔫ:*

the morning sun filtered through the dusty windows, casting a warm glow over the small house. salem and carl stirred from their makeshift beds, the memories of the night before still fresh in their minds. as they slowly opened their eyes, the first thing they noticed was rick, sitting upright on the couch.

his face, once pale and ashen, now had a touch of color. his breathing was steady, no longer the ragged gasps that had filled them with fear. carl blinked in disbelief, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he stared at his father. salem, still feeling the ache in her leg, carefully sat up, her gaze locked on rick. rick offered them a tired but reassuring smile, the weight of the previous night hanging in the air between them. the room was filled with a heavy silence, each of them lost in their thoughts, thankful for this small moment of peace.

without a word, carl reached into his bag and pulled out the food they had found— some cans of beans, some jam, and a few other small items. he handed one of the cans to rick, who accepted it with a nod of thanks. salem took her share quietly, her mind still racing with everything that had happened. as they sat together, eating in silence, the tension of the night slowly began to fade.

"you two shouldn't have risked it--going out there." rick says, quickly eating the beans from the can. "we were careful." carl replies, picking at the jam. rick nods and sniffles. "it's good that you found more food." carl looks over at salem and smirks. "we found even more, but we ate it." "what was it?" rick says, noticing carl's glance at salem. carl laughs slightly through his nose, puffing out air. "one-hundred and twelve ounces of chocolate pudding." rick chuckles a bit, salem smirking as she stirs the spoon around the jar of jam.

"i know...we'll never get things back to the way things used to be." rick says, staring down at his lap. carl looks over at his father. "what?" he asks. "i only clung to that for you. for judith. now she's gone. and you...you're a man, carl. you're a man. i'm sorry." rick replies, turning to face his son. carl shakes his head. "you don't need to be." he smiles and rick slightly nods before taking a sip of water. suddenly a knock bangs on the front door. rick hops up holding his gun tight, slightly looking through the peephole. he laughs and sits back down. "it's for you." he says looking over at carl with a smile plastered on his face.

for a moment salem's heart skips a beat. the thought that jack could be behind this door races through her mind. carl puts his gun down and opens the door revealing michonne standing there with a giant smile on her face. carl wraps his arms around her, hugging her tight.