Alice was not worried of the unknown. She was worried of what she already knew. She was worried of the promises that the new people were making to her-the ones bringing the people of a fallen Woodbury into their own settlement. The girl felt sorry t...
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A L I C E
ALICE DUNLAP WAS FINALLY learning about herself, studying the infrastructure that was the entirety of her nervous system. She quickly discovered that there was a lot to learn about the war within. The knowledge requiring a delicate touch to finesse. The girl was finally invested in herself as much as the long list of tasks at hand, becoming something more than the empty, soulless soldier she'd limited herself to being.
Carl might've benefitted the most from the girl's new-found appreciation for herself. She finally allowed herself to be praised, loved, accepted, in the way she never thought possible. In a way that Carl always wanted. Her anger was an asset. She would never forget that. But the realization that multiple feelings could coexist completely changed the game for Alice Dunlap.
The two sat in the cab of a two-door truck that Carl brought back home. It hummed and vibrated as the vehicle did what it was made for. She was the driver. He was the passenger. No seatbelts nor care in the world as the girl took it for a test drive around the block of a town not too far from home.
Shadows ceased to exist as night crept in around them. The girl flicked the headlights off, every detail etched by their yellow radiance fading into nothing.
"You struck gold." Alice tugged the gear-shift into park, her fingers smoothing over the tight leather of the steering wheel as her boot lifted from the brake.
After a few seconds where silence was left to dangle in the air, the girl looked over at the boy. He watched her hands as they delicately felt around the surface of the steering wheel. A stare held intently on a movement the girl hadn't recognized herself carrying out, in amazement. She stopped gawking at the interior of the car, forcing her fingers to halt, wrapping them around the grip. His eye captured the sight of her pleased face.
Carl's face softened, his mouth capturing the silence. "I know."
The boy's eye met hers, his fingers reaching over and freeing the keys from the ignition. One palm met the middle seat and the other contained the jingling of the entire key ring. His sleeved hand brushed one of hers during its retreat. The transfer of heat was not lost on any of her senses.
"It's so quiet here." Alice sat back against the seat, hands dropping to her lap. Her head reclined against the headrest, her eyes closing. A sigh escaped her lips. "Is that why you came out so far? How you found it?"
The girl could feel the truck slightly bounce along with Carl's every movement. He scooted closer to her, not stopping until they were side by side. Her hand found its place—a slow curl around his bicep. His hand planted itself atop her thigh. Thumb-to-pinky spreading over the surface, completely covering the territory where her leg was at its widest.
