TWD: Just Another Boy to Discover (Carl x Reader)

~6~

Chapter 6 // A Welcome Home Surprise

     "A mall?" Rick repeats. "You live in a mall?"
     "Shut up. Just shut up. This ain't 'Simon Says' or 'Repeat After Me'. Yes, we live in a mall. We cleared it ourselves," you respond. You can't stand stupid questions. "We're doing you a huge favor right now so at least appreciate it."
     "We are grateful," a bald man says. From the clothing he was wearing, you could tell he is a priest. "I'm sorry. I haven't introduced myself. I'm Gabriel."
     "Doesn't seem like it," you reply and he sends you a confused look. You stare out the window.
     "Names," your sister says.
     "I'm Carol. This is Sam, Ron, Jessie, Spencer, Deanna, Denise, Tara, Rosita, Abraham, Eugene, Sasha, Morgan, Glenn, Maggie, Daryl, Enid, Rick, Judith and Carl," she says, pointing to each and every person. There were more than you thought. Altogether, it was a group of twenty two. "What's yours?"
     "Classified," your sister responds firmly, keeping her eyes locked on to the road.
     "Well, if we're going to be living with you, we might as well know your names," Maggie says reasonably.
     The bus stops and your sister gets up. Not bothering to say anything, she points towards the door signalling for us to get out. When she notices that no one was moving, she draws her gun and fires. The bullet hits the ceiling creating a hole. You walk over to her, eyes all on you. You need to calm her down. Both of you have always been hot-headed. Ever since the beginning. Even the littlest of things can piss you off.
     "Give them false names," you whisper. "They won't ever find out. It'll conceal our identity."
     "Fine," she says rolling her eyes. "The name's Flare."
     "And your sister?" Tara dares to ask.
     "I've told Rick this and I guess he hasn't told you. Don't bother asking me my name because you won't get an answer," you say.
     With that, your sister sits back down and starts the engine. It spits a couple of times before moving. You make your way back to your seat and look outside. The roads were familiar. You are almost there. The rest of the ride was noisy. Everyone was talking to one another, but you continue taking interest outside. Eventually, the building comes in to view. As soon as the bus stops, you sprint outside and stretch your legs. This leaves Flare to guide everyone. You stop in front of the grand gate.
     "Keys," you yell.
     "Fetch," Flare tosses the keys and you catch them swiftly. You open the gates and wait for everyone to make it inside before closing it. "Welcome home."
     "The walkers," Glenn states. "Where are they?"
     "We built a ditch," Flare begins. "Follow me."
     She leads everyone to the fences. They were electric so no one could touch them. She points to the hole. It was dug deep. About ten feet. The moans and groans of the trapped walkers filled the air.
     "It's in front of all the fences," you say. "Don't touch the fence. It's electric."
     "This was the only way from preventing things to come in," Flare starts. "And out."
     "Let's go inside. I'm hungry," you whine.
     Everyone makes their way inside. Our footsteps echo as we walk without heavy shoes. The place was fairly clean. It was just dusty. Your ear twitches. Something was off. You hold your hand out and everyone stops dead in their tracks.
      "Well, well, well," a rough voice bounces off all the walls of the empty hallways. It was hard to locate where it was coming from. Immediately, everyone draws any weapon they had. "You're finally back."