Shadow (TWD Carl)

~Chapter 34~

We filed into the car, Glenn in the back with Rick and Michonne, Noah in the front with Tyreese, and I chose the very back of the SUV. I didn't look out the window as I could feel a few pairs of eyes staring at me. I knew who they belonged to, but I didn't want to look up.

Tyreese turned the car on and began driving to Shirewilt Estates. I had my Dark Repulser in my hands as I fiddled around with it. It was a long drive and I didn't have anything to keep me occupied. I wasn't in the mood for talking with anyone either and I guess the others could see that too.

After a couple of hours, Rick picked up the receiver he brought with him, he had given the other to Carol. "How far left, Noah?" He asked the male.

"Five miles." Noah responded.

"Hey, Carol."

After a few static sounds, Carol picked up on her side and spoke. "I'm here."

"We're halfway there. Just wanted to check the range."

"Everybody's holding tight."

"We've made it 500 miles. Maybe this can be the easy part."

"Got to think we're due. Give us 20 minutes to check in."

"We don't hear from you, we'll come looking."

"Copy that."

I placed my head against the side of the SUV and sighed. I just want to get this over and done with. It's going to be in a reck, I just know it. Every community out there won't be standing forever. At one stage, they'll all come tumbling down. Just like the prison, Woodbury and Terminus...

"I never wanted to kill anybody before." Noah declared to Tyreese. I gazed over to them and listened to their conversation. Probably about Dawn...

"I've wanted that. But it just made it so I didn't see anything except what I wanted. I wasn't facing it."

"Facing what?"

"What happened, what's going on. My dad always told Sasha and me that it was our duty as citizens of the world to keep up with the news. When I was little and I was in his car, there were always those stories on the radio. Something happens 1,000 miles away or down the block. Some kind of horror I couldn't even wrap my head around. But he didn't change the channel. He didn't turn it off. He just kept listening. To face it. Keeping your eyes open. My dad always called that paying the high cost of living." Tyreese paused and smiled at Noah.

Sounds like my dad. Telling me I had to face things. Face my fears. To keep moving forward no matter what. To stay strong through the hard times. Not to let the fears or mishaps bring you down. He always said for every problem there is a solution, and that when you fall down 7 times, you should always get up 8."

"I don't like change. It ruins everything for me." I heard my younger self speak.

"Well, Ty, the world's changing whether you like it or not. People change, and they won't be waiting around for you to do the same. You must learn to accept change, otherwise you'll be left behind." My dad replied to her.

I smiled a bit at the memory. I miss him. And mom.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Two more miles." Noah reminded Rick.

"All right. Let's pull into the woods. We'll go on foot. Stay off the road." Rick planned.

"We don't need to."

"Just in case."

Tyreese understood and drove into the trees, finding a few other broken cars with walkers inside. Tyreese slowed the car to a stop and we started to hop out. "This is good. Through the trees, it might just look like part of the wreck."