The Boy In The Hat ♡

[5] Day of the party

I stand in Deanna's house alone, watching everyone walk through the door. Carl doesn't seem to be coming...I mean he would be here by now right? The door flys open again and in walks Ron Anderson with his family, he sees me straight away and continues to stare at me from the corner of the room, maybe he wants me to talk to him. I walk through the room towards Ron, passing Rick on my way who smiles at me and waves using the hand he isn't carrying Judith in. Seeing Judith always reminded me of my baby brother Bradley but I managed to keep it together and eventually got to Ron.
"hey" I shout while I add myself to the conversation
I notice Sam staring at my hand "um.. are you okay, Sam?" I ask
"you haven't got a stamp" he says
"I haven't got what?"
before he could repeat himself, my hand was already being stamped. It was a letter A in red.
"what does it stand for?" I ask Sam
"Alexandria" he smiles
"or Anderson" Ron turns around and smirks at me
"but that wouldn't make sense, it's not my name" I say and laugh
"not yet" he replies
wow is Ron Anderson flirting with me? I think to myself.
we continue talking for a while until Ron announces he has to leave and hugs me goodbye, as we both let go of the hug I see him, Carl. He'd just walked into the party, he stares at me looking likes he's about to burst into tears and then runs out.
"Carl!" I shout as I run through the streets chasing him
he hears me and stops
"what's your problem?" I ask him
"Ron. Ron is my problem actually" he mumbles quietly "you and Ron, that's my problem"
"what, why?" I continue questioning him
"I told him to stay away from you, he's not good for anybody. He's just mad because he's weak and we're not, my group IS not, you know Ron has never even been outside these walls? he depends on them"
"then take him out there"
"he wouldn't make it"
"It seems like that's what you want"
Carl stays silent
Suddenly, there's a large bang and the ground shakes, all I can see is smoke. I look up to see the tower fall and hit the ground, taking the wall of Alexandria with it. A huge group of people run in with "w" carved into their heads, not written but physically carved.
"oh shit" I hear Carl shout "get inside, stay safe"
I run as fast as I can back into Deanna's but everyone's gone home.
These "w" people have axes and guns and they are killing people, even their own people. How did this day go so wrong so fast?
I see Rick in the distance run towards a building, I follow him. It's the building where they keep all the guns.
"take this" Rick tells me while handing me a gun
"but... I-"
"don't worry, just pull the trigger and whatever you do, don't stop until they are dead" he reassures me.
I take a deep breath and manage to reply with "okay Rick"
he touches the gun in my hand and leaves.
Instantly after he's gone, I hear someone walk in.
"Rick?" "Carl?" I whisper as quietly as my voice will allow
A woman runs around the corner with a knife, my hands are trembling and I can't move but somehow I manage to raise the gun in front of me, without thinking about it I close my eyes and shoot and not once either. I drop the gun in front of me and stand in shock looking at what I've just done. Rick's words play in my head over and over again "don't stop until they are dead" "don't stop until they are dead" I pick the gun back up and leave, I see Carl being chased by one of the "w" people and suddenly thoughts of losing him fill my mind... I couldn't. In less than a minute I run down from the building and shoot Carl's chaser in the head.
"thank -k you" Carl says while stuttering
"are you okay?" I ask him even though he clearly doesn't look it
"I am now, that was the last one, you ended it and you saved my life. I didn't think you could..."
"you didn't think I could?"
"no! I.. I didn't mean it like that, I'm sorry"
"It's fine Grimes" I say and we both laugh
"Grimes... I like it" he says with the most beautiful smile I've ever seen, I think this is the first time I've seen him smile.
his hand touches my hand as he takes the gun from me, I grab his hand for a few seconds without realising.
"I'll um... I'll take this for you" he says, his face all red.
and then he walks away
"see you tomorrow, Grimes" I think in my head and smile before heading back to the house, Rick's going to send people out on a supply run tomorrow to try find materials for Reg to fix the walls, but for now we pray none of the undead find us.