Safe haven | Rick Grimes

064. THREE DAYS FULL OF WORRYING

Chapter sixty four

"Three days full of worrying."

The next day, the looming threat of the Saviors forced everyone to face reality: they needed supplies, and they needed them fast. Inside Carl's room, the air was thick with unspoken tension. Scarlett, Rick, and Aaron stood near the threshold, watching Carl throw darts. He threw them with a vicious, desperate force, but without his right eye, his depth perception was gone. He missed the board entirely, the darts embedding themselves into the wooden door with a hollow crack.

"You should come with us," Rick said, his voice heavy with a father's worry.

Carl didn't look at them. He squeezed his eyes shut for a brief second, adjusting his grip on the next dart. "Someone's gotta stay here for Judith."

"I will," Scarlett offered gently, stepping forward. "Carl, you're too angry to just sit in here, trapped with your own thoughts. It isn't good for you."

"We'll only be gone for a few days at the most," Rick added, trying to ground him.

Carl threw another dart. It missed wide, striking the doorframe. The failure visibly irritated him, his shoulders tightening.

"We need supplies. They're gonna be coming back soon." Rick stated.

Finally, Carl turned to face them. His lone eye scanned his father, then Scarlett, searching for the fighters they used to be. "Is this how it's gonna be now? We just work for them?"

"Yes," Scarlett and Rick said in unison.

"It is," Rick insisted, his tone rigid, masking his own heartbreak. "You know that."

Carl swallowed hard, the reality choking him. He threw his last dart blindly, not care where it hit, just wanting it out of his hand. It struck the door with a sharp thud. Walking past them to pull the darts from the wood, he kept his head down, hiding the raw vulnerability in his face.

"See you in a few days," he muttered to the wall.

"We should get going," Rick said quietly, unable to bear the sight of his son's defeat. He turned to walk out.

Aaron followed, offering Rick a small, reassuring nod, though his own eyes were filled with pity. "He'll come around." At the hallway, Aaron paused, sensing the couple needed a moment. "I'll, uh, meet you downstairs.""

Once Aaron headed off, the heavy silence of the hallway settled between them. Rick turned back to Scarlett, his expression worn and shadowed with anxiety. He held out a black walkie-talkie, his hand trembling slightly.

"If you change your mind, or if you just wanna check in..." Rick's voice cracked slightly, losing its usual authority. "We're headed north."

Scarlett took the cold plastic from his hand, her fingers brushing his. The weight of the device felt like an anchor. "Be safe," she whispered, the words sounding more like a desperate plea than a casual farewell.

"Yeah. I'll see you soon," Rick murmured, though his eyes held a terrifying flicker of uncertainty.

He didn't just lean in; he pulled her to him with a sudden, fierce desperation. He kissed her as if trying to memorize the taste of her, a raw, fearful edge cutting through the intimacy. Scarlett wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, burying herself in his warmth, terrified of the world waiting outside their gates. When the kiss finally ended, Rick didn't pull away completely. He kept his arms locked around her waist, leaning his forehead against hers, their shared, shaky breaths the only sound in the corridor.