The Girl Next Door • Carl Grimes

Chapter 23: Toughen Up

Hey y'all, just before I start I wanted to let you know that there is maybe some slightly triggering things about food in this chapter. No, Grace does not have an ED. She was just giving her food to the group and not thinking

Grace

It was about 7 months since the fall of the farm. We had been on the road since.

It was not pretty.

We came closer to death every single day.

Whether it was walkers, some crazy hobo in a shack, lack of food or water, or illness.

We only had a small sickness outbreak, I think it was just a cold. Not many of us got it, which was good.

We were hungry, Lori was ready to pop, and we all needed a place to sit.

So when we found that house on the side of the road, we had to go in.

Rick, Daryl, and T-Dog busted through the doors. The others stayed in the cars, and some of them cleared the outside perimeter.

Carl and I followed into the house. We went separate ways.

I cleared a bedroom, where I found one walker that appeared to be melted to its bed. It was a very disturbing sight.

I walked into another room, ah, a bathroom.

A walker turned around and I shot her.

I shut the bathroom door and I used the restroom. I didn't care about it not being able to flush, we were in here for 2 more hours tops.

Then, I noticed a mirror in there that wasn't yet broken.

I looked at myself in the mirror.

God, no way that was me.

My face was dirty, and my cheekbones and jaw stuck out.

You could see all the veins in my neck and arms.

My legs had turned to slim sticks.

I lifted my shirt off to see my shrinking chest, and my ribs stabbing out of my skin.

I looked like one of them.

I had been secretly sneaking more than half of the food I was given onto the rest of the groups plates, particularly Lori's.

I mean, they all really had someone. You know? I didn't. No siblings, and my parents were gone.

I had Carl, yes, and the Grimes' but they had each other. I'd rather them have each other than me.

My shirt was still off, with just a bra that was too big and pants that were falling off of me.

Just as Carl walked in and shot at me!

He missed, or I dodged. Who knows.

"What the hell Carl! Whyd you shoot?" I screamed.

He looked away, and I didn't realize my shirt wasn't still on.

I looked at him with a panic on my face and I quickly pulled my shirt on.

"You- you look like one of them. Have you even been eating anything?" He asked.

"Uh, sure I guess." I told him as I walked out.

He grabbed my wrist and I just pulled away quickly, he couldn't get a good grip on pure bones.

"Jesus, why not? They give you a decent amount, what do you do with it?!" He said, so angrily.

"I put them on your plate, your moms plate, Beth's, and Hershel's mostly." I said.