Our Sanctuary

A New Haven

Enid mind went blank. Watching those kids slice and peel the walker skin and then wear it on their shoulders was too much for Enid to handle. She lost focus, eyes rolled back and she could feel everything get darker and further away as she fell back and fainted.

Carl immediately rushed over to her side and shook her trying to wake her up. But Becky and Tom both laughed.

"We've got to help her!" Carl cried.

"Ok, our camp is not too far from here." said Becky. "Seems like she just fainted."

Becky and Tom didn't seem worried at all but Carl was worried and he got up and tried to lift Enid off the ground. He didn't have the strength left now though and when he picked her up, he lost his balance and they both fell back to the ground.

Becky and Tom both laughed again.

"How did you kids survive out here so long?" Becky asked. Carl didn't reply but accepted her hand when she extended it to help him to his feet. Becky then reached down and picked Enid up straight off the ground and tossed her over her shoulder with ease in one fluid motion.

Carl was surprised. Becky didn't look strong. She just seemed like a regular teenage girl, like Enid, not that tall and quite skinny. But the way she carried Enid amazed Carl. He could barely carry her ten metres without stopping to rest. And also the way she took out the walkers was incredible too. Carl wanted to stick around them. He felt safe and protected.

Tom tossed Carl some of the walker skins and told him to carry them. He did. They were heavier than he thought they were going to be and their smell was so putrid that Carl almost fainted too and he staggered back and had to regain his composure and focus hard to keep himself upright.

"You know, Carl, your girlfriend is pretty weak." said Tom. "In this world, the weak die soon."

Carl blushed as Becky caught him staring at Enid.

"She's not my girlfriend!"

"Yeah, right, whatever." said Becky as she winked.

Carl blushed again.

Tom led the way now and they all followed him. Carl was the slowest still well behind the pace of Tom and Becky with Enid on her shoulder. The ground now was steeper than before. The flat plains had been easy to traverse but now Carl was really starting to feel the burn in his thighs.

They followed a paved path as it zigzagged up to a forestry area. The paved path was soon replaced by a muddy one and Carl looked down at his shoes now caked in mud and leaves but they still smelt better than the walker skin he had over his shoulder.

"Are we going to climb this whole mountain?" asked Carl, out of breath.

"Not all the way up." Tom replied. "The gates are nearby."

Carl continued to follow the others up the mountain, up the winding path getting ever stepper and steeper.

"Are you not tired?" Carl asked Becky who was still carrying Enid over her shoulder like she was nothing.

"No, why would I be tired?"

"We've come all this way, carrying Enid and you're not even breaking a sweat. You're not any bigger than me or Enid."

Becky touched Carl on the cheek with the palm of his hand.

"Dear child, you have a lot to learn."

"We train." Tom interjected. "You are weak because you are just protected but you will see that our community is a bit different. There's no cookies and ice cream here which is obviously what you're used to."