God Forgive Us

Night Sky-12

Rick's POV
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  We had just gotten back and I entered my shared home to find a girl I had only seen once before; she had been on one of the only standing walls shooting walkers to save the remainder of us outside. I looked the girl up and down and she didn't even flinch. "My brother said I have to talk to you." I gave her a questionable look. "Brother?" She nodded before telling me whom in which she was referring to. "Max, we're related, twins actually." I raised my eyebrows and gave her a quick nod as she starts to look around the room. "How many walkers have you killed?" She stops and turns to look at me. "I didn't know we were supposed to count." I smile at her reply because truthfully, I had ides what number I was at. I just seems so stupid to count something like that. "How many people have you killed?" She takes a minute to think before she starts to laugh. "I have no fucking clue, lost track." I don't join in with her laughing, instead I continue to look at her. "Why." She looks confused before realizing what I asked. "Why does anyone do anything anymore? We do whatever just to stay alive."

Carl's POV
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   "You see that bright one? Yeah, that's the North Star, it's at the end of the Little Dipper. If you ever get lost at night, just find that star." I point out the star knowing that she was just a bay and that none of this would register in her brain. The front door sings open and Mack comes walking out, she stops when she notices me sitting down with Judith and comes over, and sits on the porch railing. "I don't think I'll be sticking around here for much longer." As she talks she keeps her head down and looks at the wooden floor. "Did he ask you the questions?" She just quietly nods keeping her head down in the process. "What was your response." I could tell she was trying to replay what happened moments before in her head. "I didn't count, I have no fucking clue, and I'm just trying to keep living." How do you not know how many people you killed? I've counted, everyone counts. It's how many lives you've taken. "And what did he say after that." She shrugs he shoulders and looks up at me. "He asked about my parents." I smile at her knowing what that means. "He likes you, you're stuck with us now." She smiles back and hopes of the railing. "Thanks Carl, oh and I figured out who you remind me of." I furrow my eyebrows, I remind her of someone? "Woody, from Toy Story. You've got the hat and you're great with kids." I laugh at her, that's definitely something I haven't heard before. "See ya tomorrow Mack." She waves to me before turning to walk off the porch. Michonne comes up on the porch and stands next to me. "Hey." I look at her calmly, "Hey."  She leans against the railing Mack was just on, to face me. "You have a good day." I look back at her and sigh. "I guess so."  Judith begins to quietly mumble something that no one understand. "I'm gonna take her in." I stand up and head to the door. "Carl." I stop and look at her. We both stay silent for a minute before she speaks up. "I saw what you did. With Deanna." I walk back over to her and stand there. "Yeah." She sighs and looks at me. "You should've left her or killed her."  I look at the stars then back at Michonne. "No, that's stupid." Is looks at me and I can tell she's angry and annoyed. "What's stupid is you being out there when you don't have to." At this point I'm the same level of pissed off. "You did the same thing. You didn't- you and Spencer didn't have to go out there, but you did." She looks at me with that look of hers. "That's different." I roll my eye at her. "It's not. I wasn't going to leave her out there like that. You wouldn't. You wouldn't! I know it. I couldn't kill her." I adjust my baby sister in my arms as she goes to say something. "Why not." Again, I look at the sky and her before speaking up. "Because-be-" I sigh at she just looks at me confused. "You could've killed her." I felt that we were just going around in circles right now. "No, I couldn't. I wouldn't." She just refused to understand what I was talking about. "Were you playing some sort of game out there? Did you think that-" I looked down at Judith who continued to make sounds while we were arguing. "No!" She inhales deeply and looks me in my eye. "Then why?" I slowly started to raise my voice because she would listen to me. "Because it should be someone who loved her, someone who's family, and I-I'd do it for you." Her anger drops as she finally understands what I did. "I would." She smiles at me softly before pulling me in for a huge. "Come here." We stay like this for a moment, careful not to crush Judith. "Me too. " We both head inside and say our goodbyes. I open the room and gently lay Judith down into her crib before heading off to my own room. I plop down on the bed and grab a comic book to read before dosing off to a light but calming sleep.