>Daryl<
I walked towards Carl as Sophia bit her lip.
"Carl let's go for a walk"
I walked outside the building, Carl following me.
"So what did you want to talk about?" Carl stopped in his tracks.
"Sophia"
"What about her?" Carl asks in an awkward voice.
A bird was lightly singing in the background, it sounded like it was coming from someone's rooftop
I looked at him as we continued walking.
"You like her right?"
Carl continued to express nothing but awkwardness.
"That's ridiculous, she's been gone for almost five years" Carl began to raise his voice.
"But you did like her, back then, didn't you?" I stopped as Carl remained silent.
"Carl?"
"That doesn't matter now" Carls voice began to break.
I shifted, unsure of what to say next.
"Carl we only get things, people, for a limited amount of time, don't loose them before you need to"
Carl's face fell "But, she left me"
I looked to the ground.
"Sometimes we leave people behind, because it's easier than facing them leaving another way"
Carl stopped walking and looked up at me. He played with a loose thread on his beige checked shirt, "What do I say to her? How do I act?"
I shrugged "You say what you're thinking and you act how you did before"
Carl nodded. I watch him walk back to the house, he said he needs to sleep on it.
I continue to stroll the neighbourhood.
Sophia is back, she's safe but all I keep thinking is when will this Blake guy find her? And will he have more people when that happens? If it happens.
After about twenty minutes of walking, thinking, I headed back home. I walked in the house quietly, everybody was sleeping. But one thing I noticed was, Sophia was asleep on the couch, in a fetel position. I draped a blanket on her and stroked her head, whispering:
"You're safe now, you're here with us now"
I sneaked up stairs and fell on the bed, within seconds I was sleeping, but I didn't stop thinking.
How safe are we?
