Whispers (Carl Grimes AU)

Chapter 1

I awaken from my nightmare with a start, nearly falling off the tree I was in. Dazed, and a bit confused, I looked around me. When my eyes adjusted, landing on the source of the nose that woke me up, I was instantly up and alert.
I had no time to think about my dream. I would deal with that later.
I quickly grabbed my bow, one I made myself, with handmade arrows as well.
Making arrows for my bow was a hobby of mine. I had to find something to do in this shitty world. And every once in a while, when I'm walking through the stores, making sweeps and gathering supplies, I'll see a feather. (A fake one, of course.) Not only can I use these to make really good fletchings for my arrows, but I like to consider it good luck, and maybe even a sign from my mother.
I grabbed my quiver, basically a rinky dink little cloth bag, throwing it and my bow over my shoulder before dropping to the ground and running from the huge herd of walkers coming straight for me.
I ran as fast as my legs could carry me, tripping over multiple tree roots and stumbling countless times. I didn't know where I was going, but I knew I had to keep running, so that's what I did.
Unfortunately, running was never my specialty, and there were a lot of damn hills in these woods. I panted heavily, stopping to rest against a tree. Looking behind me, I realized I was no further away from the dead than I was before. I sighed. They were only getting closer.
Something white catches the corner of my eye, and I look off in the distance to see a young woman in a white dress, her long, dark hair blowing in the breeze. At first, I was captivated by her beauty, so angelic and seemingly innocent. But then, suddenly, she was too close for comfort, and I stumbled backwards in surprise.
Her eyes were dark brown, like big doe eyes. She reminded me of a white-tailed deer, a beautiful animal I used to see a lot back in the day. Now, they were really rare to come by, and if you did, it wouldn't be a beautiful thing anymore. It would be dinner.
Something about the woman gave me a sense of comfort, which I found odd, because usually I didn't get that vibe from the others. That's what I called the dead people.
"Follow me," she whispered, her voice seemingly echoing throughout the entire forest. I drew in a raspy breath, unsure whether or not I should listen. But looking back at the herd, now way too close for comfort, I decided that "lady in white" sounded much safer.
I looked back to the spot where she was standing, only to find that she was back off in the distance, where I had first seen her. Her hair still blowing in the wind as she looked at me with expectant eyes.
Now in a full sprint, I reached her tree rather quickly. But by the time I got there, she had disappeared again, forcing me to stop and look for her again.
There, in the distance, by another tree. It continued like this for minutes, and soon, I was out of the herd's path completely.
But, the lady in white didn't stop there. She kept going, leading me deeper into the forest, into a part I had never ventured before.
Then, suddenly she was gone again Puzzled, I looked around. But this time, she really had disappeared for good. I huffed.
"Could've at least led me somewhere familiar," I muttered.
Just then, I hear a twig snap behind me, causing me to spin around. There was absolutely nothing there, which sent an uncomfortable chill down my spine. Instinctively, I took off in the other direction, sending me straight into a collision with another person's chest, and causing us both to fall on the ground. I groaned.
"Watch where you're-" I cut myself off when my eyes met a pair of baby blues, more beautiful than any pair of eyes I'd ever seen before.
It was a boy, probably around my age. He had long, dark brown hair that frizzed and curled wildly at the ends, which came all the way down to his shoulders. It was long, and the dark color complimented his blue eyes and pale complexion nicely.
He seemed just about as awestruck as I was, but that could've been because I'd just knocked him on his ass and then tried to blame it on him.
"Sorry, it was my fault," I mumbled. He shook his head.
"Don't worry about it. What were you running from?" My lips parted as his question registered.
"Uh," I stalled, looking back the way I came. I didn't really want to tell this complete stranger that I see dead people, and I was running from a ghost. "I don't know," I finally answered. It wasn't really a lie. I didn't see it, I only felt its malignant presence.
He didn't look convinced, but he let it go, looking down before widening his eyes.
"You're bleeding," he said.
"What," I gasped, looking down at my knee and sighing. "Damn tree roots. I didn't even realize. I didn't hurt you, did I?" He chuckled, giving me a confused look.
"What? No. Here, let me help you," he offered, his tone soft and caring and he rose to his feet. But I couldn't help but flinch as he held his hand out to me, looking him over with suspicious eyes.
"Trust him," a voice echoed in my head. It was the lady in white, she was standing behind him. I tried not to look at her, afraid that he might notice as I considered her words. I wanted to trust him, and he seemed alright...
I looked into his baby blues again, offering him a shy smile, along with my hand. He smiled back at me warmly, pulling me to my feet. I was now very close to him, and he was staring into my soul. He smirked.
"I'm Carl, Carl Grimes." I blushed. I had a strange feeling that name would become an important part of my life, somehow.
"I'm Ellie."