The Girl Next Door • Carl Grimes

Chapter 38: Live Kill

Grace

I turned around to see Carl behind me, with a look of disapproval on his face.

"Why are you separating the people like this? And treating them like that, you know that's not what this place is about." He continued.

"No Carl, I found this place. And we've all fought to protect it. I'm sorry, but I won't let our people go down like this. I made the mistake of distancing myself from our group once, and I'm not doing it again!" I shouted.

"If you don't like it, or you think I'm mean, that's fine. I'll do what I need to protect the people I care about. And I'm still trying to help these people here in case you can't see that." I finished.

He nodded and walked away. I don't care that he can't understand me right now, because in time he will.

I heard a scream come from the fenced-off section where I put all of the bit people. Someone had turned.

I ran over there, and quickly shot the freshly turned person in the head. The people inside the fences wailed. "I'm so sorry." I sniffed, "I just want you all to live for as long as you can."

I stayed there for the rest of the day, shaking the fence attracting each freshly turned person and stabbing them. By the time there were only two people left it was dark out. The pile of bodies was growing.

I sat against the brick wall and began to sob. It was a hard job, having to watch them all die like this and then having to kill them. My tears continued as I heard one of the people in the cage weakly call out, "Grace,"

I looked up, "he's turning," the woman coughed.

I stifled my tears and stood up, pulling my knife from my pocket. I rattled the fence once again as the familiar growls returned. "I'm sorry," I muttered as my knife buried deep into his skull.

I pulled out my knife and I fell to my knees, dropping the knife, and clutching my face.

"Grace?" the woman asked.

I tried to catch my breath as I shakily stood up, I'd had nothing to eat or drink all day and I'd been under the beating sun watching people die.

"Yes?" I replied.

"I feel so sick. I'm the last one left, would you please end it for me? My arm is too bitten, otherwise, I'd do it myself. I don't want to turn into one of them.. please." she begged.

A lone tear fell from my eyes as I tried to smile, "of course," I muttered.

The woman dragged herself to the fence and laid her head against the wires. "I'm ready." she cried.

I closed my eyes and went through her skull. I leaned back to remove the knife from her skull, but with that pull, I fell backward. I was so weak, so sad.

I laid out on the pavement and stretched my arms out to my sides, in a starfish position. I just began to cry loudly.

I couldn't do it. It was all too much, and then a scream emerged from my lungs.

I began to cry again when I heard Maggie run outside and shout, "Grace!"

She ran to get me while I was still lying on the ground. "Grace, are you okay?" she asked.

"I killed them all. It was horrible. I even killed her while she was alive." I cried out as I pointed to the woman I just killed.

"You didn't kill her, you put her out of her misery. And I'm sorry we didn't know you were still out here, it's been so crazy given all that happened. Let's get you inside, cleaned up, and fed," she said.