Till I Die (TWD/Carl Grimes)

Chapter 45: Here They Come!

"Carl. Wake up" I smiled, sitting next to him on the bed. He just groaned as he buried his face deeper into his pillow. "wake up sleepy" I whispered into his ear. "what.." he mumbled. "I'm going with Michonne to look for Phillip, I'll see you later" I whispered before hopping off the bed and out the cell door, hearing Carl mumble then the creaking of his bed. "Maxie!" he called after me, sleep still in his voice. Crap! I knew he'd talk me out of it, so why'd I tell him? "yes?" I said sweetly, stoping to look him in the eyes. "You ain't going" he said strictly. "Yeppers I am" I smiled at him and began walking to my cell before he grabbed my wrist. "No Maxie you'd not, its unsafe" he said, worried. I just smiled slightly and walked right up to him and grabbed a fistful of his shirt with both hands. "Carl, I've gone through a lot worse than a horse back ride" I said before pecking his lips, "your sure thats all it is?" he asked. "I'm positive, Michonne says its usually a bust anyways" I smiled, letting go of his shirt and taking half a step back. "Why do you wanna go then?" he asked. I don't know what made me decide I wanted to so I just answered with "to get some fresh air, it's tired of being in the prison" "Promise you'll be safe?" "yes Carl, I promise" I smirked and turned on my heals and continued proceeding to my cell were my bag sat with everything I needed, my handgun, ammo, three water bottles and some granola bars. Once I was in my cell I let out a sigh of relief, can't believe that worked! I mentally fist pumped myself and grabbed my backpack and looked at myself in the small desk mirror I had and sighed again. I mean I changed my look a little today, my hair is up in a nice lazy bun with a small black clip to hold my bangs back instead of a braid, I'm not wearing my beanie but I did toss it in my backpack. And instead of my grey jeans, whatever shirt, and boots, I have overalls that are cut at the knee to make them shorts, red high-tops and a green long sleeve shirt. The outfit reminded me of the first day in the apocalypse. The day I became alone.

"Maxie! lets go!" Michonne called at me from where she stood at the bottom of the stairs. "Coming!" I yelled back. I grabbed my leather jacket and jogged out of my cell well I slipped my backpack on. "Ready?" She asked. I nodded my head and we walked outside. "Why you wanna come so bad?" she asked. "Same reason you keep going" I said, and apparently it was a good enough answer because she gave a head tilt and began untying the horse from the post. While I was waiting I looked around at everything, the pig pen, garden, walkers pushing the fence down. "We should do something about that face hey?" Michonne said suddenly beside me. "Hu? yeah..." I sighed. "Lets go" Michonne said after a short second. After she was on the horse, she retched for my hand to pull me up, just as I began to retch for it, Merle called me. "Maxie!" he shouted. "Son of a Dixon" I muttered under my breath. "yes?" I said sweetly, turning to face him. "You ain't leave'n. Daryl told me to watch ya well he's gone" Merle said, his accent loud and clear. "Daryl's been gone for almost three days, if its so important, why am I just seeing you today?" I asked. "Ain't nothing important till now" he shrugged. "I almost died from a Sophia walker the other day" I spat at him. "That's who's funeral we were at?" he asked. "Ate you fucking kidding me?" I snapped. "Whatever. Need help with the gates?" he asked. "I thought- yeah" I said. What's with the change in mind? "oh hey Mags! help me with the gate will ya doll?" he shouted as Maggie was in her way to the watch tower. "Sure Merle anything for you" she said sarcastically. Once I was on the horse, Maggie and Merle opened the gates and we began heading out- or we were before the walkers attacked us.

"Shit!" I shouted as I fell from the horse, hitting my head hard on the ground. My vision was blurred as I tried to stand up but everything was shaky. I could hear my name being repeated while I stumbled around, blinking my eyes continually. Once regaining my vision, a walker behind me that was stabbed into our guard system of wooden stakes, pulled me to him where a stake facing me began skinning the side of my leg a bit. "Maxie!" Maggie shouted as she ran through the gate. "Help Michonne" I said to her as I looked at the fallen Michonne, ankle twisted. "Ok, Merle help Maxie!" Maggie shouted back at him. He ran up to me and slammed his metal fist into the walkers face, killing it then and there. He grabbed my hand and help pull me up and regain my balance before I could fall back into the stakes. We all rushed in the gates and yanked them close, I collapsed to the ground and took deep breaths before laughing slightly. "That was shorter than I thought it would be, hey Michonne?" She chuckled slightly and continued limping with Maggie at her side to the prison. "Coming?" Merle said from behind then, about five feet away from me. "Should have Hershel check your leg out" he said. I chuckled at how funny/wrong that sounded, but got up anyways. I hissed in pain and looked down at the blood that was trickling down my right leg. "Yeah" I sighed as I walked with him, the girls already a quarter of the way to the doors.

"You said you'd be safe!" Carl snapped at me. "It's not a big deal Carl" I said, frustrated because that was like the fifth time he said that. "Not a big deal? You almost died Maxie!" he shouted. "But I didn't- ow" I said as Hershel wrapped the bandage on my leg. "Lucky it wasn't deeper than it was, but you'll be ok" Hershel said, finishing tapping the bandage in place and getting up and walked back to the sick bay. "Maxie" Carl Whispered after Hershel was out of sight. "I just want you safe" "I know Carl, and what just happened out there, I have no excuse ffor" I sighed. I turned from were I sat at the table and grabbed his chin, kissing his lips softly. "I just want you safe" he repeated, pulling me close in a tight hug. "I don't want to loss you" he whispered into my natural chestnut hair, the dyed copper slowly fading. "And you won't" I smiled at him, pulling away from the hug to face him. "I'm not going anywhere" I smiled.

But boy, was I dead wrong. I had no idea for what lied ahead.