We Found Love in a World Like This- Carl Grimes (Chandler Riggs) Fanfic

15. Happiness Can Be Found In Dark Places

Jade's POV

The walkers had stopped scratching on the door almost as soon as Carl left. I decided to raid the house. There was a girl’s room down the hall from the teenage boys. The girl would’ve been about my age when this started. I found a little diary on the desk piled with homework. I started to read it.

Dear Diary,

Mom and I were watching the news this afternoon and apparently some people are biting each other. By biting I mean literally biting flesh off other people’s arms. The Centre of Disease Control is trying to find a cure for this but in the meantime, they’re evacuating people to Atlanta. I’ve tried to convince Mom and Dad to let us go to Atlanta but they said that this is just trying to scare us. What if it’s true? What if they’re zombies?

-Stacey

So the girl’s name was Stacey. My situation was the opposite of her’s. My parents wanted to go with Lori and Shane to Atlanta but Ashton and I refused. We said that it might not be safe and we were right. Luckily Lori, Shane and Carl stopped outside Atlanta. If they didn’t I wouldn’t have my lovely boyfriend.

I went back to see if there were any more diary entries but that was it. I wonder if they escaped. I picked up a pencil  that was on the table and started to write in Stacey’s diary.

Dear Diary,

A lot has happened. The governor over run the prison but he’s dead now. He isn’t the only one that’s dead. Hershel’s dead. The Governor beheaded him with Michonne’s Katana. I’m currently on the run with Rick and Carl. We ran from the prison. Although, Carl is angry… we found Judith’s baby carrier covered in blood, with no Judith inside. Rick is currently in hibernation. He was overtired and won’t awaken, but he is alive.

I sure do miss Michonne, Maggie, Glenn, Carol, Tyreese, Daryl, (kind of Lizzie), Mika, Bob, Sasha and those deceased. They’re all my family and I don’t know how I’d live without any of them. I’ve gotta find them. Once Rick rehabilitates, that is my goal. I love them all too much to let them go.

I must admit something… something personal. I miss the old Carl. As I’ve said, Carl is acting out and it’s irritating me. I love him and I’m sure I always will, but he needs to realise what he’s doing. Rick is the only family he had left and he’s treating him poorly.

I hope we make it out of this mess safe and sound or at least alive.

I wrote before I put down the pen I had found. I sighed and went back downstairs. Rick was still sleeping so I decided to read again until I heard the door slam. I immediately jumped at the sound and looked up to see Carl. “You alright?” I asked. He sighed before he snapped, “I’m fine”. I nodded before returning to the book.

He walked over to his dad and started talking to him, even though he was asleep. I guess he thought that if he spoke, Rick would awaken from his deep slumber. “I killed three walkers. They were at the door. They were gonna get in but I lured them away. I killed them. I saved you, I saved you. I didn’t forget while you had us playing farmer. I still know how to survive, lucky for us. I don’t need you anymore. I don’t need you to protect me anymore. I can protect myself. I can protect Jade. You probably wouldn’t have been able to protect me anyway. You couldn’t even protect Judith”, he paused before continuing, “You couldn’t protect… Hershel, or Glenn, Maggie, Michonne, Daryl, Jade or Mom. You-you just wanted to plant vegetables. You just wanted to hide. He knew where we were and you didn’t care! You just hid behind those fences and waited. They’re all gone now, because of you! They counted on you! You were their leader!”

He sighed and sat down. I silently crept over and sat next to him. I slyly put my arm over his shoulders and pulled him in. He started to talk to Rick again, “But now you’re nothing”. He sniffled and let out a few tears before quickly wiping them away and getting out of my grip. “I’d be fine if you died”, he said harshly before storming into the kitchen. I looked over at Rick. He hadn’t moved but I could hear his breathing. He looked so helpless. I couldn’t believe that Carl had said things like that to his Father. “I’m going to find some food. I’ll be back soon. Stay here”, he commanded before leaving.

 Hours had passed and Carl soon came back. It was dark so I lied down next to Carl. Suddenly Rick started to move. Carl grabbed my arm and pulled me away, not knowing if his father was a walker or not. We both pulled out our guns as a safety precaution. “Carl”, he said softly before dropping to the ground.

~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~

Carl started talking to Rick once he had properly woken up. He was telling him about that little trip he took into town. “You shouldn’t have risked it. It’s dangerous”, Rick said with strain in his voice.
“I was careful and I made sure Jade stayed here”, Carl replied.

“That’s good”, he said, “You found more food”.
“I found even more but I ate it”, he said quietly.
“What was it?” Rick and I asked at the same time.

“112 ounces of pudding”, he replied with a chucked.
I gasped before exclaiming, “You had pudding! I’m so jealous!”
We chuckled before Rick started to talk seriously, “Look, I know that we’ll never be able to get things to the way they used to be”, Rick said, “Carl, you’re a man now. You’re a man. I’m sorry”.
“You don’t need to be”, Carl replied. I sat there with a smile on my face. We  had the old Carl back and that was something to be grateful for.

Suddenly we heard something outside. Rick got up and looked through the peep hole in the door. His face suddenly light up and he looked down in disbelief. He started to laugh with the biggest smile I’d seen in a while. “It’s for you two”, he said to us. We looked through the hole and saw… Michonne! We quickly undid the rope and moved the couch so that we could open the door. As soon as we did so I engulfed Michonne in a hug which she immediately returned. She had a grin and a few tears trickled down her cheeks. “Jade, Carl, Rick I’m so happy to see you”, she exclaimed.
“I thought you were dead”, I said in disbelief, “I didn’t see you after you stabbed the Governor”.
“Well, I’m alive. Let’s quickly get inside. We don’t wanna attract any walkers”, she said. We nodded and went inside before quickly tying everything up again. We would leave in the morning.