Collision

Chapter Eight

~ Chapter Eight ~

Carl's P.O.V.

"Second time around, dad. Let's see what happens next - who it happens to. What did they used to say again? 'Third time's a charm' right? Wow, I can't believe you've cut two people's legs off already," I teased, half-heartedly attempting to lighten up the mood.

"Don't say that, Carl. This isn't something to joke about. A life is on the line here," he replied gruffly. I shrugged and went back to finding food. So far, I found a pack of skittles and a bottle of hand sanitizer. I decided to keep the skittles. Candy was as good as it got these days. Although, it was a shame since we'd never found a toothbrush or toothpaste before. Our teeth were most likely filled with cavities by now from our lack of oral hygiene.

"Find anything useful?" Ellie asked from the aisle behind me. She was also scavenging for anything edible. Probably doing better than me, by the looks of it.

I found my way to the aisle where she was and watched as she picked cans and wrappers from the shelves, inspecting every bit of detail on the nutrition values. It was different how she raised an eyebrow whenever she had a close look at something.

"Useful? No. Good? Yes!" I informed her, holding the pack of skittles close. "What did you find?"

"So far, a bar of soap, some gauze bandages, and best of all, three boxes of apple juice," She replied. "Aaron found a big box of canned sardines, probably expired. It's not the best, but it will get us through."

I scanned through the shelves behind her while I asked, "what's the deal with Aaron anyways? He talks too much, and he's so happy all the time. Does he have a disorder or something, because I've never met someone as happy as him in an environment like this."

"He's just the way he is. I feel bad for him though. I think he's still in denial that this is actually happening. But no matter what, he always focuses on the positive sides, and that's what I like about him," Ellie answered.

"You like him huh?" I asked, finding some maggots behind a rotten piece of apple.

"N-no," She stuttered. I could almost feel her blushing, making me grin from the reaction I got from her. 

"Okay, I'm done looking. Rick and Joel told me to come fetch you guys, says it's time for dinner and all," Finn informed. He was a lean, tall guy. His jaw was defined, and so were his muscles. Aside from his body, his face looked worn out and pale. It must have been a shock for his wife to get bit so suddenly.

I grabbed the hand sanitizer and walked to the pharmacy. Inside, they were still crowded around Quinn. Her bleeding was worse than when Hershel's leg got cut off, and she looked as white as ever. Harvey, her cousin, was right beside her, holding on to her hand. This reminded me so much of Maggie and Beth. It hurt to even think about them. It hurt to think about what might've happened to them. As a matter of fact, it hurt to think at all. My brain was fried.

"Hey Carl, can you give me a hand with this?" Aaron asked, a box of tuna on one hand, and a few jugs of water on the other. I nodded and took the box from him. He continued to speak, "You know, I'm surprised. Ellie's warming up to you so quickly. When I tried getting to know her, she shut me out."

I grinned, "there's nothing to it, don't take it personally. She seems to talk a lot about you, though."

His face lit up, "really?! I thought she hated me..."

I chuckled, "definitely doesn't hate you."

That seemed to make his smile bigger, if that were even possible. We brought the food and water to the group, and they divided it evenly. 

After eating, we bolted the doors with pieces of wood we found in the storage with nails and a hammer. It wasn't the most secure looking door, but it would have to do.

"So much for locking ourselves up in separate rooms," Ellie sighed. She hammered the last nail in - with her only good arm - and went back to the Pharmacy.

A part of me still felt guilty. I was the reason they had to leave their safe haven. Michonne tried reassuring me not to feel bad, not to think about it, but that was all I could do nowadays. This guilt felt all too familiar. As I tried to shut down my thoughts, I couldn't help but think of Dale and the day he got devoured by a walker I was too scared to shoot. With that, I blew out the candles and fell fast asleep.