I Promise (Carl Grimes)

Not What it Seems

They led us into this dome-shaped building with a trail of dried blood along the endless side walk. As we entered, I couldn't help but notice all of the fake smiles plastered on a few peoples faces. We entered a hallway, and as we walked down I peeked into each room. One room was what looked to be like a classroom filled with about ten to fifteen kids. "Never again. Never trust. We first, always." They repeated as if they were being tranced. In another, there were a bunch of scientist in what looks to be the remains of a laboratory. "Where are we going?" Tyresse asked. "Are you folks hungry? Care for some canned soup?" Asked a familiar voice. That Martinez guy! Lizzie must've been playing us this whole time! "Let me ask you something... You're all obviously tired of running, surviving. Why not stay here? We have everything you'll ever need. No need to make supply runs anymore. We have people who do that for us." He said calmly with a genuine smile. "Do your people also go around killing ours?" He sighed heavily. "They drew on us first-" Maggie cut him off. "You pointed a gun in their faces!" Carl nudged my shoulder, and I shot him a glare. He rolled his eyes and nodded his head to his right. I looked over his shoulder and noticed another hallway. Down it was a man who looked as if he were trying to sneak out. "Hey! You there! Stop! Guards!" Martinez shouted. I'm guessing he noticed me staring. Out of no where, a guard ran up to the man and stabbed him in his right temple. He then dragged his lifeless body through the wooden doors, never to be seen again. "Sorry about that." Martinez apologized. "We want our people back." Beth spoke up, her voice shaking. "Don't worry. We have a few of our men searching for them as we speak." I didn't know if I should be relieved or horrified. "Let me take you to your apartment."

He led us up a few flights of stairs before we reached another long hallway. About five doors down was our 'apartment.' It was nicely in tact, and had light green walls. The kitchen was small and had a tea kettle on the stove. The living room had a single couch with a large window on the left side of it. There were three bedrooms and two bathrooms. Both were rather small. "I'll be back soon with-" An all to familiar voice cut him off.

"Brooke?" Rosita asked, shocked of course. She frowned when she noticed our, now, small group, but when Martinez glanced at her she put on a million dollar smile. A fake one that is. "You'll love it here." She reassured, but her eyes were telling a different story than her mouth. "Where's Eugene and Abraham?" Maggie asked. "Abraham's on watch, and Eugene's... busy." She slouched a tad, but once again, Martinez glanced at her and she stood straight up. Weird? I noticed Carl who was focused on something outside the window. I walked over to it and was shocked at the sight. A graveyard that had to be at least ten miles long. There has to be at least over 400 hundred graves. But that doesn't compare to the world we live in- a graveyard. "I'll leave you all alone so you can... catch up." Martinez gave Rosita a glare before closing the door.

"Okay what the hell is going on?" I finally asked her once he shut the door. "What do you mean?" She asked with the same fake smile, glancing at owl statue on the other side of the room. "I mean why is everyone walking around with a stupid smile and acting as if the world hasn't turned into complete hell. Didn't they get the memo that the world was ending?" I asked with a hint of sarcasm in my voice. "I don't know what you're talking about. Here, everyone is genuinely happy. We have all we could've ever wanted. We're safe." Again, she looked over at the owl. "You're lying." Carl piped in. "I assure you I am not lying." Once again, she glanced at that stupid owl. I let out a grown, turning towards the owl and inspecting it. I could've swore I saw it's left eye move, and that's when I knew we were being watched.

I slammed the owl statute on the ground, causing it to shatter into pieces. "Do you realize what you've just done?!" Rosita finally showed her true colors. "These people will kill you Brooke! All of you! You have to act like.. like.. All of those bastards out there just to survive in here! I'd rather be out there, with the walkers." The pointed her finger out the window, breathing heavily. Foot steps approached the door, and I instinctively stood behind Carl. I guess it's just a habit. The door flew open, relieving Martinez and a few other dangerous looking men. "We know what kind of people you are." Beth hissed through her teeth. "Yeah and we're not going down without a fight. We will never stop fighting." I stepped out in front of Carl, showing off my courage and bravery. "As long as you're here, there will be no intended violence." The bald headed man demanded sternly. I glanced down at his pistol in his holster but then back up to his face, trying not to seem suspicious. Carl must've noticed it to because he nodded at me and started asking questions. "Who are those graves for?" I could already tell this would be a long conversation so I waited a moment before making my move.

After about two minutes of non-stop sob stories, I snatched the bald man's gun and shot him in the face.

I have now officially killed two people.

The others grabbed anything they could- lamps, kitchen knives, Michonne even broke a leg off of the coffee table. While I was just standing there in awe of what I'd done, large hands swooped me up and drug me out of the room. More people rushed up the stairs, grabbing Carl and the others, including Rosita. I screamed and punched, but that only made the man squeeze me harder. He dashed down the stairs with the others following. Everyone ignored our screams as if it were rehearsed or a daily routine. They just continued to do their 'work.' We were brought through the same wooden doors the man that was killed was brought to. On the other side were cages filled with walkers and some with people. The man stopped and turned me around to face my group. "Whose it gonna be first?" I knew what he meant. We all did, and I was not ready to die. I looked into Carl's hypnotizing blue eyes and mouthed 'I love you.' He did the same only to be pushed to the ground in a kneeling position. "No!" I tried to run but was stopped when I felt the cold blade of a knife pushed against my throat. "Any final words?" He asked pushing the knife harder on my skin. "Go to hell." I gritted through my teeth. Just as he was about to slice, a girl pushed her way through my group who was now kneeling. I gasped when I realized who it was.

The way her brown hair framed her perfect face. The way her eyes glistened when she spoke with me. The way we'd stay up all night watching reruns of Duck Dynasty. The way we would fall asleep in the church pews on Sunday mornings. The way we'd always go down to that little ice cream parlor...

"Bo?"