THE WALKING DEAD Imagines

[ "I won't" ] Carl Grimes

Requested by @frafantoTWDG

Daryl was very protective of her, which in turn meant that Carl was made to keep his distance. This was before Rick had turned up at the site and Merle and Daryl were still 'running' the group. (y/n) obeyed Daryl, she respected him. She couldn't say the same about Merle, but he took care of her, they both did, and that was all she wanted and needed.

Before Lori, Carl and Shane showed up, she was the only child. Therefore, they bossed her around a lot. When she looked back she wondered why they weren't keeping a better eye on her. She was always running off. If she hadn't run off that day then she would have never saved Carl, and he wouldn't have his dad back.

Carl couldn't remember that day.

It was day 23, the adults were dwelling on the possibility that they were the only ones left. Of course, Merle had offered a round of beer, they didn't turn it away, (y/n) wasn't sure what they were so upset about. They were on an adventure, she was never allowed to do this with her father, not after her mother died. Her father became very ill, not physically, but mentally. She had to look after him a lot, but, she didn't realise, he was keeping her away from the world. She didn't know where he was, she assumed he was still at home, Merle had taken her away and now she was here. With a bunch of strangers.

(y/n) was bored, she wanted a bigger adventure. So, as the adults passed around some cans of beer, (y/n) headed off. It was too easy to walk down the main road, so she went through the woods.

Something felt strange, she didn't like this feeling. It was dark and she knew someone was following her. Someone was indeed following her, but not intentionally, she was too silent for it to notice her. Until the enviable happened, it was something that she thought it only happened in the books she read. She tripped. She heard a growl, she thought it was a wolf. A werewolf. Only, they didn't exist in this world, far worse creatures walked the earth now. She pulled herself up and ran, this time down onto the main road. She glanced back and realised it wasn't a wolf, but she still kept the idea that it was a werewolf. She was too young to face reality.

She gasped as she crashed into another figure. He was holding a gun, she backed up, but the man pushed her to a woman, who was holding a boy. She pulled her into her embrace, along with the boy. BANG! It was much louder in her head, she will always remember how loud it sounded. How warm the woman's embrace was, how comforting it felt to find people.

"What are you doing out here all alone?" the man with the gun, bent down and asked her. She hid behind the woman's arm. She was suddenly scared of the man with the gun.

The woman bent down and tried, "where are your parents?" she pushed some of (y/n)'s hair out of her face.

"My dad's at home," she said, "but I'm on an adventure with a man, I can show you if you like." The man and woman looked at each other.

(y/n) didn't understand how Carl couldn't remember that day, she used to ask him about it. Shane could remember, so did Lori, even Rick had thanked her for it. But Carl always said he couldn't remember.

Until Lori died, (y/n) found out why Carl ignored the memory. He was jealous of how Lori had treated her that day. Carl had threatened her that day, after killing his mother's corpse, with the same gun. (y/n) had never been more scared in her life, she kept her distance after that, even if Daryl had told Carl to keep his distance.

(y/n) didn't really come out of her house anymore. Daryl had gone, he was taken by a man they called Negan. She wanted to see him, all she wanted to know was that he was alive. The men had come to collect what they could, she stayed hidden away from them, she was frightened they would take her too. If they could take Daryl, they could take anyone. (y/n) never knew what really happened the day Merle took her, she was the only one who didn't know. And it was certainly playing on her mind. She needed to know. Who was better to ask than Rick?