Forever Changed (A Carl Grimes Story)

Chapter 13, She's Gone

Carl's P.O.V.

Life had gotten harder at the prison. A flu virus had spread, killing many of our own. Cell block A was reserved for the sick ones and the kids were in solitude so they wouldn't get sick. Of course, I was in charge of watching over the kids, thanks to my dad. I really didn't want to be stuck with a bunch of kids, but you gotta do what you gotta do.

I was pacing the halls of the quarantine when I heard Casey's voice through the hallways. "Carl?" I rushed to the direction her voice came from, wondering if what she needed was urgent. I rounded a corner and she stood right before me.

"Everything ok?" I asked, my words dripping with concern.

"Yea, I'm good," she replied vaguely. We stood in silence for a few long seconds before she added, "I'm going on a run." My eyes widened in shock.

"You can't be serious, Case," I continued, "you could get sick if you leave, or worse, bitten. I wouldn't forgive myself if I let you leave and something happened to you."

"Let me leave? You're making it sound like you're in charge of me. Look, it's just a quick run with Hershel and Michonne, I'll be right back. You don't own me, so I'm going," she started raising her voice, crossing her arms over her chest. Would it be weird to say she looks hot when she's mad? I love the way she furrows her eyebrows and scrunches her nose. Enough Carl, focus.

"I didn't mean to sound controlling, I'm just worried," I spoke softly as I stepped closer to her, taking her hands in mine. She sighed heavily.

"You're always worried, I can take care of myself," she whined. It may be true, but hey, isn't that what a boyfriend is supposed to do?

"Fine, go. Just be careful," I sighed in defeat. Her eyes lit up as she smiled victoriously.

"Alright, I'll be back soon," she smiled as she placed a gentle kiss on my lips.

"Before you go," I said after we pulled away. I grabbed my hat from the top of my head, placing it onto hers. "Take this with you. If I can't be there to protect you, maybe this will keep you safe."

She giggled, tipping the hat up so she could kiss me again without it hitting me in the forehead. "You're cute when you worry," she smiled.

"Glad you think so cause I don't think I'll ever stop worrying about you," I responded sincerely.

"Thank you," she said before giving me one last kiss, this one a little longer then the last. "I'll see you soon."

She soon disappeared down the hallway and I was left to take care of a bunch of kids.

-Hours Later-

"Where the heck are they?!" I yelled as I paced the cement of the prison. Hershel, Michonne, and Casey had been gone for hours when she promised it was a quick run. Most of the group was outside with me, trying to calm me down or figure out why they had been gone so long.

"You shouldn't worry, they should be back any minute," Beth tried to comfort me. It didn't work, obviously.

"You said that two hours ago, Beth. My girlfriend is out there, I can't just stand here and wait for her to hopefully come back," I responded with an annoyed tone.

"Well-" my dad started, but was cut off by a loud grumble of an engine. Hoping they had returned, I looked towards the gates eagerly. My hopes were thoroughly crushed when a tank pulled up, along with army vehicles and more cars than I could count.

"What the-?" I questioned. I had no idea who had pulled up to our gates until a man hopped out of an army truck. He was wearing a long black coat and an eye patch strapped over his right eye. Tons of people filed out of the cars holding machine guns out towards us.

"Rick, we need to talk!" the man yelled from outside the gates. I didn't need another second to recognize his voice. The Governor.

(A/N) Hey walkers! Sorry for not updating in a while. I just logged back into my account and saw that this story is close to 200 reads, which is awesome! Thank you guys for reading and I hope to update more often.