The Next World

Chapter 15

Rick was holding onto Carl's hand when I entered. I went and sat on the other side. I grabbed Carl's other hand and held onto it tightly. We both sat there. No words were spoken. We just watched Carl, waiting for him to show us that he was here. That truly no major organs were severed. Denise meant well and I'm sure she truly believed that Carl would in fact be all right. But seeing him on that bed, motionless, it was hard to tell. But I hoped. I hoped with everything I had in me. Dawn was breaking. Carl still hadn't moved. I was going in and out of sleep.

"Hey," Rick whispered.

I looked over at him.

"Why don't you go and get some sleep," he said.

I rubbed my eyes.

"I'm good. I don't want to leave you alone," I said.

"I need a moment alone with him. Please," he said.

I looked at him. He needed a minute with his son. More than likely to exchange a few important words.

"All right. I'll be just outside the door," I said getting up.

Before I left, I walked over to him and hugged him tightly.

"I'm sorry I went off by myself," I whispered.

"I'm just glad you came back. That you, Glenn and Enid are all okay," he whispered back.

I kissed his forehead and took off closing the door behind me. Michonne was standing by the door holding Judith.

"Hey, Judy," I said kissing her cheek.

"How's Carl?" Michonne asked.

"He's still the same. Rick needed a minute alone with him. How are you holding up?" I asked her.

"I was there after it happened. It...it was a good thing you weren't," she said.

She got real quiet afterwards.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry you had to see it. But you're still here. We all are. And when he wakes up, he'll be happy to see that. I just want him to wake up soon," I said.

"You and me both," she said.

I placed my hand on her shoulder.

"Where's Deanna? I haven't seen her around," I said.

"She didn't make it either. She was bit," Michonne replied.

"Dammit. Does Spencer know?" I asked, placing my fingers on the bridge of my nose.

"Not yet. We'll tell him later," she said.

"All right," I said.

I turned around and saw Daryl fast asleep on the bed he was on before I went into the room. Maggie was asleep too. Glenn watching over her intently. I looked over at him. He nodded at me. I nodded back. I turned around and saw Denise cleaning up her work area.

"How long has he been like that?" I whispered signaling to Daryl.

"About an hour. Maggie fell asleep soon after I patched her leg up," she whispered back.

I gave her a hug.

"We'll never be able to thank you enough for what you did here. You know that don't you?" I said once we parted.

"I got lucky," she said.

"Luck had nothing to do with it, Denise. You're smart. You can do this," I said.

She half smiled at me.

"Thank you, Amelia," she said.

"We all believe in you," I said.

She nodded. I went out to the others that were waiting on the porch. Every single one of them was covered in blood.

"Is everyone okay?" I asked.

They all nodded.

"How's Carl?" Tara came up and asked me.

"No change. Rick's in there with him now," I said.

"He's a tough kid," Abraham said.

"That he is. It's good to have you back Sergeant Ford. You too Sasha," I said.

I went up and hugged her.

"What are we gonna do with all these bodies?" she asked.

"Burn them. We'll do it together. The same way we did taking them out. Start over. As a real community. But not right now. We'll rest up a bit. It was one hell of a night," I said crossing my arms and looking out at the dozens of bodies that filled the streets.

"We'll need to regain our strength to do it. But I know we can," she said.

"So do I. I'll be back. I need a minute," I told her.

She nodded and I started walking down the street. A lot of them had gotten through. It was gonna take a long time to get them to one place and burn them. But it was doable. Together. I had stopped by where the tower had fallen. Deanna had said that there would be civilization again in this place. I understood it now. This was the next world. Everything that has happened to us until now, was preparing us for that next world that would come after. We had fought and won. As long as we did that together, there was nothing we couldn't do. It was as if all the hardships we'd all suffered and all the loved ones we had lost was leading us to this place. Like Glenn had said, staying who we are is how we keep our loved ones alive. They are a part of us. We keep fighting, for them. If we stopped, then they would've died for nothing. I grabbed my necklace and held onto it tightly, closing my eyes. Flashes of them all played before me. Mom, dad, Max. Lori, Hershel, Beth, Tyreese and Noah. The fact that I was still here was because of them. The thought of them not wanting me to give up is what has kept me breathing for all this time. I'd never stop fighting. I wiped away the tears that had fallen as I thought about all of them. I opened my eyes and sniffled. Just then, his arms wrapped around me. My heart skipped a beat as he tightened his hold on me.

"How come you didn't wake me?" he asked, resting his chin on my shoulder.

"You looked like you could use it," I said resting my head against his chest.

"You good?" he asked.

I looked into the distance.

"Yeah. I will be," I said.

I turned and kissed him. He lifted me up off the ground and I wrapped my legs around him. We parted and pressed our foreheads together.

"I missed you," he whispered.

"You shitting me, Dixon?" I asked pulling back and looking into his eyes.

"I did," he said.

"You have no idea," I said leaning in and kissing him once more.

We parted and I held him close.

"Amelia," Michonne called.

I looked over at her, still in Daryl's arms.

"He's gaining consciousness," she said with a huge smile on her face.

Daryl placed me on the ground. I grabbed his hand and followed Michonne back to the infirmary.