Almost Broken: Carl Grimes fanfic

Chapter 14

Rylie's POV

"Rylie?" Carl asks from on top of a roof across the street.
Is that....Is that pudding?
Does he really have pudding?! What the hell is he doing?!

As he jumps down from the roof I laugh. I actually laugh. But after a few seconds of me laughing, I feel tears coming down my cheek. Not tears of joy... Tears of relief? Yeah...
It's not that I'm not happy to see him, because I am, but I'm just so confused.

"Hey," he says and takes hold of my shoulders to calm me, and looks into my eyes. "Are you okay?" He asks. I just chuckle a bit more and sniffle, wiping a tear from my eye.

"I- I uhh... Yeah." I nod. "Yeah I'm okay." I chuckle slightly at the words coming out of my mouth, knowing they're a lie.
"No... You laughed when you saw me and now you're crying. What's wrong Ry?" He tries to catch my gaze again, but this time I push his hands off my shoulders and take a step away from him.

"Why were you such a dick to me before I left? Why didn't you even say goodbye? You know I care about you! I didn't want to leave but I had to! And what even happened to the prison?! What the hell is going on?" I yell at him, and then I see tears in his eyes.

Well shit.

"Carl I'm sor-"

"I was a dick because I didn't want you to go." He sniffles, and it silences me.

"I didn't say goodbye because I didn't want to watch you leave and risk your life." He says, taking a small step towards me, and I don't move, with still 3 feet between us.
"I care about you too. And I know you had to leave- no, you wanted to leave." He says and takes a small step closer again. By this time, I'm tearing up for a second time.

"The governor tore down the fences. Came in with a mini army and shot up the place." He said.
"That's what happened to the prison." He looked down at his feet and this time I took a step towards him and I lift his head up by his chin, our faces just inches apart.

"And everyone there? Your dad? Hershel? Daryl? Michonne?" I ask quietly, both our glossy eyes looking at each other.

He shook his head and chills shoot down my spine, goosebumps running all over my body.

"Who?" My voice cracks when I ask.

"Hershel." He says, barely getting the word out, another tear rolling down his face, and my heart breaks.

"My dad-"

"What?" My voice cracks again.
"He's okay. Well he's not okay but he's alive. He got the shit beat out of him. He fought back but ..." He shakes his head and chuckles.
"It's his fault this even happened. He just wanted to stay and pretend to be a fucking farmer rather than going out there and killing the governor in the first place." He says, and it seems he says it more to himself than to me.

"Hey...no." I shake my head and move his face to look at me.
"He was just doing what he thought was best for you and Judith.... Judith?" I ask when I see his face fall at the mention of her name.

He pursed his lips and shook his head, mouthed the word 'no' and started crying again.
I hug him tightly, my arms wrapped around his neck and upper back. At first he doesn't hug back, then he brings his hands up to my waist, pulling us close enough, and I can hear his muffled sobs, and feel the shaking of his breath against my chest.

I can't believe she's gone...
That gorgeous baby girl, the little girl I felt connected to, gone. And the little girl that looked like Molly? There's no way she made it. That thought alone made me break down too, and when he feels me start crying, he hugs tighter. Both of us just standing there, holding onto each other like our lives depended on it. Honestly if he weren't hugging me right now, I think I would die of heart break. I was only with that group for 3 days, but losing them feels like I'm losing my own family all over again. Once I calm down, I back up, but keep my hands on his shoulders, and his on my hips.

"Where is your dad?" I ask and sniffle. He chuckles slightly and then speaks.

"He passed out on a couch in a house down the street. I yelled at him and told him he was worthless, left, found pudding, had a close call with a walker, then ate the pudding on the roof. He's still at the house." He looks down at his feet.

"You left him there alone? What if walkers get to him! What if-" I back away from him.

"He's okay. Sort of. I have the windows boarded up, the door is tied shut, he's safe." Carl whispers.

"Can we-"

"Go back to him?" Carl finishes my sentence and I nod.

"Yeah. Please?" I say, voice shaky and eyes puffy.
I pick up my bag from the porch and start walking down the steps. I feel Carl place his hand on the small of my back, guiding me, and then it's gone. I don't say anything though even though it leaves me feeling empty. I don't have the energy to say anything.

We get to a two story house and we jump over the fence, and to the unlocked back door. It's so dark outside, and the stars are clear in the sky. Carl opens the sliding door and leads me to the living room where Rick is passed out, beat up on the couch that's pushed against the front door.

"Oh damn." Is all I manage to say through my scratchy throat.
"Yeah." Carl says and sets down his bag down on the kitchen table. He moves past me as I stand in the doorway and watch him kneel down beside Rick. It's so dark inside the house that I can barely see Rick's or Carl's face.
"I'm gonna head upstairs, if that's okay, I'll sleep in a room up there." I whisper to Carl and he nods. I step carefully up the stairs, my book bag on my back full of basically nothing but my shirt, a water bottle and some knives. The first room I go into looks like it would've been a teenage boys room, and I chuckle to myself. I set my bag down and sit down at the bed, which is through another door way that looks like a large closet without the door. I lay my head back and close my eyes. I feel myself start to drift asleep when I hear a muffled sob, I think from Carl downstairs. I tip toe as quietly as possible down the stairs and look to where they are. When I see Rick on the floor, and Carl leaning over him, I stop. There's a gun to Carl's side- what the hell happened? I listen a little closer.

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry I can't." Carl mumbles through his sobs and has his head against Rick's.