graceland. carl grimes

VIII

viii.

far from any road
"the looming shadow grows"

♱

her

Dawn creeps through the trees.

In these woods, the morning sky isn't pink or gold. It's the color of cigarette ash, of peeled bark, of river mud. Mist knots around the tree roots like wet sheets on a deathbed. Somewhere a whippoorwill calls, ragged and lonely, and I wonder if it's singing for us or warning the forest to spit us out.

Even now, I feel them behind us. Like breath still hot on the nape of my neck. Like something rotten buried shallow, waiting to claw out.

My legs are shaking and my lungs heave in ragged bursts. The whole night hast felt like it's been one long blur—Carl's hand in mine, our shadows cutting through the darkness, the chaos of a herd never too far.

Now the quiet is almost too loud.

I always hated the quiet.

We finally stop for a moment of rest. Daryl turns to us, jerking his chin toward the woman with him.

"This is Connie." He tells me. "She's deaf. Reads lips. If she's got somethin' to say, she'll write it down."

I blink at her, taking her in—curly hair pulled back from a pretty face. She doesn't look rattled, even after everything.

Connie raises her hand, giving a little wave, and I wave back.

"Are they coming after us?" Carl asks. "We can't lead them back to Hilltop."

Daryl shakes his head. "We ain't goin' to Hilltop."

I look at Connie again, wondering if she's used to this. The chaos. The chase. The fear. She doesn't seem scared. Like this is just another day. Her eyes are cathedral still and something about that calms my pulse in the slightest amount. She offers me a gentle smile. She seems kind.

Daryl's eyes cut to me, sharp as ever. "How does your group travel? Fight?" He is blunt, no hesitation. He wants answers, and he wants them now.

I freeze for a second. If I tell him, that's it. I'd been freely offering Carl information since day one, but this is different. This is actual knowledge that could get the people I grew up with killed.

Alpha drilled it into me from day one: never betray your own.

If I spill, I'm tearing the last thread that ties me to them. But when I glance at Carl, who's looking at me with that softly determined gaze, something clicks.

I've already made my choice, haven't I?

The second I cut his ropes and pulled him through the pandemonium. The second I left Alpha's world behind.

"We travel in the herd. Usually in groups of five or so, mingled with the walkers. Keeps us hidden. Alpha will send Beta after us."

Daryl's brows furrow. "Who the hell is Beta?"

Beta, the unstoppable force, the brute that keeps everyone in line with nothing more than his presence. I meet Daryl's eyes. "He's the biggest. The best fighter. He's never lost a fight."

"He'll lose this one."

I want to believe him, want to take some comfort in the confidence that rolls off of him. But Beta? The thought alone makes my stomach twist. Still, I can't deny there's something different about Daryl. Maybe Beta will lose this one. Maybe this time, it'll be different.