What Now? (Carl grimes fanfic)

Chapter 15 - Les Misérables

We were walking through a neighborhood. Searching for a house to stay in for the night. Like before, Carl stayed a good distance ahead of us. I didn't call for him or try to stop him. I didn't even want to speak to him again.

Rick walked next to me, limping every step of the way. He looked to a house ahead and then focused his attention on his son.

"Hey." his rugged whisper came out. "Hey." he tried again when Carl didn't turn around. Finally paying some attention to his desperate father. I kept my stare on the ground. Avoiding any eye contact with him.

"This one's as good as any." Rick told us. Turning to a big white house and walking up the path to the steps.

Rick busted open the door and I immediately was up on my guard. Securing the living room and then the kitchen, I followed Carl down the hallway. Before hearing Rick whisper yell at us to stop.

Carl whipped around to face his father. An annoyed look on his face. I stood between the two. 

"The doors are all open." Carl pointed down the hall.

Rick stared at him with a tired look. I could tell he was tired of all the arguing. Carl snapped, banging his fist on the wall beside him. He yelled, "Hey asshole! Hey shitface!" Rick fired words back, "Watch your language!"

I stood by the steps. Looking back and forth between the two. "Seriously, if there were any down there, they would have come out." Rick turned on his heel and headed towards the kitchen.

That left me and Carl alone. I glanced up at him and found his stare on me. I rolled my eyes and walked up the stairs. Listening to his feet stomp up behind me. I entered the first room there.

By the looks of it, it was previously a boys room. Everything in here was guy heaven. Carl came in and examined the room. His mouth forming a smirk as I sat on the bed with a smile.

He walked infront of me and stood at the tv. I looked around him in the reflection of the flatscreen to see his smirk disappear. He knocked a stack of games over and yanked a cord from the tv. Sending a look to me before walking out.

I sighed, falling back on the bed. Then hearing the argues of the father and son downstairs.

****

I walked downstairs and sat on a chair across the room from the couch where Carl sat. Rick grabbed a bag of cereal out of the food bag and threw it to Carl. "Here eat, both of you." he said looking at me. Before I could answer, Carl blurted out, " I'm not hungry. We should save it." I huffed. "Well Im hungry and We should eat it." I argued.

"We should save it." Carl said with a more stern voice. "Im hungry." I shot back. "You're always hungry!" Carl yelled standing up from his spot.

"And you're always a jerk!" I jumped up too. " Well maybe if you weren't all the time annoying me, I would be a little nicer." His face showed no emotion. "Oh so I annoy you?" I looked at him offenced. He didn't reply.

"Well you get on my last fucking nerves!" I yelled then walked back up to the room upstairs. I decided to sleep there tonight instead of seeing Carl again.

******

I woke up feeling someone's stare. I opened my eyes to see Carl standing at the door with two bowls. I sat up and stretched, yawning in the process. He walked over and sat next to me. Handing me a bowl of cereal.

"Thanks" I mumbled. He gave a small nod and ate his cereal. We sat in silence eating for awhile until I looked over and saw he had a book in his lap. I picked it up, 'Les Misérables' it read. It was one of my favorite stories. Carl knew since I told him during one of our small talk conversations back at the prison. He watched intently. The smile forming on my face then disappearing.

"I found it downstairs in a drawer. I remembered you telling me of this story. It reminded me of you." he said and I quickly looked at him. "Yeah, It describes the world today perfectly in a way. The battle between good and evil." I told him rubbing the cover and flipping through the pages.

"Keep it. I know you want it." he said eating another bite of cereal. "Why are you being nice to me now?" he sighed setting the bowl down next to him.  "I know I've been a jerk lately but I thought you would have liked that book." He didn't even tell me sorry.

"Whatever." I said, nose in the book. He grabbed it from my face. "Whats wrong?" he asked and I threw the book on the bed. Turning next to me to look at him.

"What's wrong! What's wrong is that you have been a jerk to me and your dad ever since things happened back at the prison! And it doesn't make anything easier that you broke up with me before the fight! So I don't know what to do, because I need you most right now and I can't because we're not together anymore!" tears were coming from my eyes at this point.

He didnt say anything as I grabbed the book and my bowl and headed downstairs. Rick was most likely up from hearing our argument. I walked through the kitchen to find Rick still laying on the couch.

"Hey rick." I called but he didnt move. "Riiicck." I called again in a singing voice. I walked over and tapped his shoulder whispering his name. He didnt budge. I gulped.

"CARL!!"