Long Way Home (A Carl Grimes Fanfic)

7: The Definition of Safe

A week had passed, and life became a chance of survival, as if deaths were picked out of a hat at random.

But our names? Our deaths? It seems we still remained in the hat, for how long? I don't know. Why? Same answer.

Me and Carl had become close to Sophia, Carol's daughter. She was our age, 15. Young, bubbly, beautiful.

Food wasn't a problem, Daryl would go out and capture squirrels, we'd roast them over a fire. It was nice, Merle was an ass though, and to be honest, he'd disappear for a few hours each day. No trace.

Although, this campsite. It felt like the definition of a safe haven.

But one night, it seemed the world was no longer safe, as if lives were wasted, like they had no meaning, and we all watched it, in ore, the horror in the city below.

"10:04. Andrea, your on watch." Dale says, lifting his watch to the faint moonlight, to read the clock face.

"Sure, I'll go get my-"

But before Andrea had time to even complete her sentence, 3 fighter jets is what I'd guess they were, flew over our heads, sending a rumble through the atmosphere, and a sense of fear to us all.

"What's happening?" Sophia asked.

"I honestly don't know." I reply, my jaw open as a plane dispenses a bomb, and it exploded in the city.

"What the-" I hear Carl say, and the explosion and flames, brightens the dark night sky.

"The city. Atlanta!" Rick says.

"it's safe up here, we'll be fine." Glenn says.

"And what if it isn't?" Amy asked.

"We don't die being torn apart by monsters. I like to look at the positives of life." Glenn says, a cheeky grin forming across his face.

I walk to mine, Carl and Sophia's tent. Carol shared with her husband, Ed. But he isn't all that he seems, I get a weird feel of him, like he bottles up his anger, then let's it out on Carol. I noticed a bruise on her shoulder yesterday, but I didn't speak up, I didn't have the courage too.

"Sophia, are you okay?" I ask, sitting next to her.

She had a small photo album in her hand, and she sits there, flicking through past memories.

"I'm just thinking about my family and friends, what about them?" She asks, a tear rolled off her freckled cheek.

"It's natural to want to help people, like you want to now, but what isn't natural is realising everyone can't be saved. Like them, I lost my friends and family in the city too. But we are our own family now." I say, pulling her into a tight hug.

"Lauren?" She mutters in my shoulder.

"Yeah?" I say to her, her head still in my shoulder, until it rose and her teary eyes met mine.

"My dad hit me last night."