The Walking Dead Imagines -REQUESTS OPEN-

Carl Grimes- I Can't Sleep

            She was awake. 'No change there,' she thought bitterly. She had been trying to slip into oblivion ever since her brother, Patrick, had died. Yet the second she closed her eyes, flashes of her poor brother, choking to death on his own blood, invaded her mind. The first night, she'd had a nightmare so vivid that she'd woken up with painful scratches on her arms. It had taken her a minute to realize that she had, in fact, done it to herself. She hadn't slept for more than a few minutes per night in over five days, and it was taking it's toll.

            Currently, she was sitting on the top bunk in her cell, listening to Beth's soft snores as she slept. With a small sigh, she pushed off her bed, landing lightly on the balls of her feet. Not wishing to wake her sleeping friend, she squeezed through the ajar door, and padded quietly down the hallway. Turning the corner she almost missed the hunched figure that was shuffling to the bathrooms. Is that... "Glenn?" she inquired softly.

            "Stay back Alyssa....you'll get...sick." he croaked, stifled coughs interrupting his warning. "Glenn...you need help. I've been exposed anyway, with Pat and all..." she trailed quietly, walking over to her friend. "C-can you get...Maggie?" he rasped, a shuddering cough ripping through his shaking form. "Yeah...yeah, of course. But you need to sit down. Stay right here." Alyssa replied, voice shaking. She put his arm over her shoulder, supporting some of his weight as he slid to the floor, back against the wall.

            She was running now, bare feet slapping against the ground as her urgency increased. Finally, she reached Maggie and Glenn's shared cell. Shoving against the heavy door, she immediately went to Maggie's bed. She put a hand on Maggie's shoulder and shook lightly, stepping back when her eyes shot open. "Alyssa? What's wrong?" she asked with a small yawn. "We need to help Glenn. He's not doing too well." she said quietly. Maggie immediately sat up, tossing aside her blanket. "Follow me." Alyssa said.

             She raced down the hall once more, Maggie following with an urgency that almost scared Alyssa. "Oh...Glenn."  she breathed when they came upon his huddled form. "Sh-should I get somebody?" Alyssa asked softly, shaking slightly. Maggie shook her head no, and said "Let's just get him to Cell Block A." She nodded, and stooped down to help him to his feet. With their combined efforts, they managed to haul him into Block A in a matter of minutes.

               When Maggie had started crying, Hershal had turned to comfort her, motioning for Alyssa to leave. Nodding slightly, she turned on her heel, eager to escape the sounds of her dying peers. When she again reached the hallway where she had discovered Glenn, she could hold it in no longer. The trembling had started out of nowhere, an uncontrollable shaking that concerned her to say the least. A hot tear slipped silently down her cheek, and she bit her lip to stifle any sounds she may make. But the oncoming flood of tears never came. She inhaled deeply, scrubbing at her face with her hands, and trudged back to her cell, awaiting the sunrise.

                  When at last the sun was shining in through the barred windows of the prison, Alyssa tried to step gracefully off of the top bunk like she usually did, but everything seemed sluggish to her. As if the world was moving through molasses. She shook her head to clear the momentary dizziness, and exited the cell to begin her chores. A voice stopped her as she was about to step outside towards the animals. "You're on fence duty today Alyssa." Rick said, his face gaunt, no doubt from learning of Glenn's current state.

                    She nodded, and began the slow walk to the fences, poker in hand. When she arrived, Carl was there, impaling one of the corpses with a knife. Alyssa and Carl had been friends since he had helped her back at the farm. She had been running from a corpse, or rather, a walker, when she had stumbled. If he hadn't been there to help her up, likely, she'd be shambling through the woods as well. She had been ten at the time, and she'd almost never left his side for the first few days. But eventually, she had warmed up to the rest of the group, forming a strong bond with her friends.