𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐋 𝐆𝐑𝐈𝐌𝐄𝐒 [ 𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐬 ] ✘

The Kid Sister

I'd seen him once before - faded plaid t-shirt over a grey one underneath and a worn brown Sheriff's hat over a startling blue eye. It had been back at the gas station actually. My brother and I had been scavenging for food and hadn't eaten weeks. That was when we stumbled upon an old gas station. Thinking it possibly had food, we'd stopped. Never did I ever dream I'd meet a boy who'd invade my mind so much - making it oh so hard to think about anything else.

It bothered Saddiq - after all, the boy's father had shot at us. But later...he'd brought us food. And as I kept reminding him, the boy didn't have to do that. He was just being kind. And that was hard to find during the middle of an apocalypse. We kept moving, though.

And I kept thinking about that boy in the Sheriff's hat. It must have been about three weeks later when he showed up again. We were in the middle of the woods actually - killing walkers to set their souls free. Mother had believed it would free them of this world after death. Maybe it was a long shot, maybe not. But one thing that I'd never lost in this mess we called a world now as my faith.

It had never been shaken in the slightest. Just as Saddiq pushed the walker into the pipe harder - bashing its head in as he did - a voice broke the silence that had formed between the two of us.

"Hey!" a deep voice called out and both our heads snapped up at the sound.

Glancing up, my eyes locked onto a piercing blue one and I sucked in a breath when I realized who it was - that boy from the gas station.

"It was my dad. There - there were warning shots above your head. He wasn't shooting at you. I'm Carl," he said, putting his hands up as he walked closer.

My brother was wary as he answered for the both of us, "Siddiq. This is my kid sister, Aayat,"

I elbowed Siddiq in the ribs at the "kid" part and he grumbled, rubbing his side.

"Food and water," Carl offered, holding out a bag to us.

"Why?" he asked him, eyeing it warily.

"I guess you - you were talking about something your mom said about helping people. And my mom told me that you got to do what's right. It's hard to know what that is sometimes, but sometimes it's not," he answered simply, throwing the bag over towards Siddiq.

Slowly, my brother limped to it and began to tear it open hungrily. He quickly uncapped the bottle of water and began to chug it. As I knelt beside him, I slapped him hard on the wrist once.

"Dude, share!" I hissed, snatching it from his hands.

A deep chuckle sounded from above us and I glanced up into that same blue eye as he watched me with a smirk, water dribbling down my chin. Blushing bright pink, I wiped my mouth off with the back of my sleeve.

"Thanks," I told him softly, speaking to him for the first time during this exchange.

"Glad I found you,"

"You were looking for us?"

Carl shifted uncomfortably at the accusation, "Yeah, I-I scavenged the sardines, other stuff. Me and my dad, we're in a community... I'm gonna ask you a few questions. I need you to answer honestly, okay?"

Siddiq and I shared a look but stayed quiet before we both nodded in response.

"How many walkers have you killed? I know it's hard to keep track-" he started to say when my brother cut him off.

"237," he interrupted the boy.

"Really?"

"Give or take a couple,"

"How many people have you killed?"

Siddiq was the one to squirm now and I could see how it pained my sibling to answer,"One,"

"Why?" Carl persisted, asking the final question.

"The dead tried to kill him, but they didn't," I piped up before Siddiq could answer.

I didn't give out any further information and thank goodness, the boy didn't ask.

"You're making walker traps," he noted, glancing behind us briefly, "Is that how you killed so many?"

"It's -it's only part of it. My mom thought...or hoped that killing them would free their souls. You know? Maybe-maybe she was right,"

"Doing that...doesn't that just make things harder for you while you're trying to survive?" Carl asked and this time, I answered him.

"I-I don't know. But you gotta - you gotta honor your parents, right?" I countered and he smirked down at me.

"If I was honoring my dad, we wouldn't be talking right now, Aayat," he replied, making me chuckle before he continued, "And definitely wouldn't bring you back to my community."

Siddiq glanced down at me but before we had time to agree or disagree, Carl began to make his way back the way he'd come through the trees and we had no choice but to follow.

"To this new community we go." I whispered to my brother with a slight smile.

He smiled back at me, wrapping an arm around my short frame as we began to follow the boy in the Sheriff's hat to our new home.