Is Love Really Worth Dying For? -Carl x Reader-

Chapter 23: Everything happened for a reason.

Me and Carl were running through the woods laughing and holding hands. The group stopped for a bit to figure out where we would go and me and Carl decided just to explore a bit. We reached a clearing and we stood in the middle of it with sunlight beaming through the tops of trees. He held both of my hand and looked in my eyes. He started leaning in closer then stopped when we heard groans and growls. We look around and there are walkers coming from all directions. I started panicking. I tried reaching for my gun but I had no weapons holstered.

"Carl?" I asked him worried.

"It's okay. You'll be fine." Was his answer.

The walkers got closer and closer surrounding us.

"Carl! What do we do?!"

"Nothing."

"What?!"

The walkers were inches away and they walked past me like I wasn't even there. I look back and see Carl. His face expressionless except for sorrow.

"I'm sorry (Y/N)." He looked at the ground and held his arms out.

I tried to shove the walkers away but I was too week and fell back on the ground.

"No! Carl! Wh-why?!" Tears started falling out of my eyes.

I tried everything, kicking, punching, screaming and whatever I would do I just couldn't. They didn't fall. I heard a scream and looked back. There was a walker taking a bite out of his shoulder. I fell to my knees as I heard more screams as more walkers piled onto him.

"Carl!" I intertwine my fingers in my hair crying my eyes out.

"What's going on?!" I faintly heard a voice.

"I don't know! (Y/N)?" Another voice said.

•••••••••••

I open my eyes and everything was blurry from tears. Carl pulled me into a hug. It was just a dream. No, a nightmare.

"You had me worried. You had us worried. What happened?" Carl asked me.

"A nightmare that I never want to experience or think of ever again." I told him drying my tears and hugging him tighter.

"Where are we?" I ask them looking around.

We were by a bridge/dam thing with a campfire. Everyone else looking at me with worry.

"The truck ran out of fuel so we had to stop. You were still asleep so Rick carried you out here." Gabrielle answered.

(Get ready for a cliché move)

"I can tell the season is changing." I said holding my arms.

Carl took off his jacket, placed it on my shoulders and put his arm around me pulling me closer. There were a few awws and smiles from the group. There was a small moment of silence. Until Carol spoke up.

"We're not safe with him." She whispered. "Keeping a secret like that from us?"

"What happened?" I ask her.

"Jenner told Rick that everyone's infected. No matter how we die we turn and there's no way to stop it." Daryl answered me throwing a twig in the fire. "And he decides to tell us now."

"I think we should take our chances." Maggie told us. "Leave him."

"Don't be foolish." Her father told her. "We have no food no fuel no ammo."

We hear a small rustle.

"We need to leave now it could be a walker." Carol said as Rick walked up.

"It was from the direction we came." Glenn told us.

"The last thing we need is to have everyone running in the dark. We don't have the vehicles and we're not traveling by foot." Rick said to the group.

"I'm not sitting here waiting for another herd to blow through." Carol said quietly.

"No one is going anywhere." Rick told her. "I'm keeping this group together. I'm keeping you all alive! No matter what! I didn't ask for this! I killed my best friend for you people!" He paused and sighed." You saw what he was like. How he pushed me. How he threatened us. He staged the whole Randal thing just to get me in the woods so he could plant a bullet in my head." I immediately remembered what I saw back at our original camp. "He was my friend but he came after me." He continued.

"I have something to say also." I mumbled. All eyes were on me. "Back at the camp... When you and Shane were scoping the area... I saw Shane hold his gun up at you. Dale walked behind him and shane made up this bullshit-" every one was a little astonished by my choice of words."-excuse that we needed to wear reflective vests... And that "bunny" I told you about, Gabrielle, I lied. With Jim dying, Andrea turning and planning to head out I didn't want another distraction from the ones we already had... I'm sorry I didn't tell anyone and I should've. Dale even asked me if we should tell you guys and I said no. All we can say now is that everything that happened, happened for a reason. As much as I didn't believe that at the beginning, we shouldn't keep thinking about what happened in the past. It's not important now. We need to move forward." I finished and everyone was silent acknowledging my words.