All Out War

Chapter 17

I felt hot. Like I'd been sweating for hours. I looked around and saw my family sitting around me. It looked like we were in an underground tunnel of some sort. I was sitting next to Daryl and Judith. He looked sad.

"Hey. What is it?" I asked.

He wouldn't look at me. He just tightened his hold on Judith. I looked up and then saw Michonne and Rick walk past us.

"I brought him here. That's how it happened," I heard Carl say.

I stood up and walked to where Rick and Michonne were. Michonne suddenly dropped to her knees. It was then that I saw the reason behind it. Carl had revealed a walker bite on his side. I couldn't comprehend what I was seeing. Rick and I knelt down next to him.

"Carl...no..." I said getting choked up.

He looked very pale and weak. He was sweating immensely. This couldn't be. This had to be a nightmare. Why was this happening? How was I supposed to live knowing that he couldn't? He and Judith were two of the reasons why I was fighting so hard. So that they could have a future. They were the future of all of us. It couldn't end like this. The scene then started to fade. 

***

I sat up and felt out of breath. I inhaled and exhaled to calm myself. I wiped away the still fresh tears that were still falling. I stood up and looked out the window. It looked to be late afternoon. I had to find Carl. He looked fine when we came home. In that nightmare he looked clammy and sick. It may have been a nightmare but the feeling of heartache was very real. I had to find him. I quickly put on my boots and headed downstairs. Daryl and Judith were both asleep. He was sitting on the sofa and she was in his arms. He rested his head on hers. He looked so comfortable. I didn't want to wake him. I quietly made my way out of the house. I ran into Rosita first.

"Amelia. Michonne told me the good news. Congratulations. You and Daryl are gonna make wonderful parents," she said.

"Thanks, Rosita. You haven't seen Carl around by chance have you?" I asked.

"He just got off guard duty. I think he was headed to the pantry. Why? Is something wrong?" she asked.

"No. I just need to talk to him. Thanks again," I said.

I quickly made my way to the pantry. He was just heading out the door when I got there. He saw me and smiled.

"Hey. Daryl said you were napping. You feel rested?" he asked.

I didn't answer. Instead I went up and hugged him. I held him tightly as if this was the last time I was gonna see him.

"Whoa. Hey Amelia, what's wrong?" he said.

I pulled away from him and looked him in the eye.

"When you went out the other day, did you run into walkers?" I asked.

"Yeah. A few. But we handled it. What...why are you asking?" he said.

"Lift your shirt, please," I said.

"Amelia...what..." he started.

"Carl just do as I say. I need to check for something. Just do it, please," I said growing anxious.

"Okay," he said.

He lifted his shirt and I got closer. I made him turn while I checked for any sort of bite. I was relieved when I didn't see any. I hugged him again. He was okay.

"Are you gonna tell me what the hell that was all about?" he asked.

"I had a nightmare," I said.

He leaned back and looked at me.

"What about?" he asked.

I sat down on the steps and he joined me.

"You were bit, on your side. I knew the end had come for you. I...Carl...the thought of you no longer being here...I just can't imagine life without you. Are you sure you weren't bit? Anywhere?" I said, the tears streaming down once again.

"Yes. I'm sure. That's a hell of a nightmare," he said trying to lighten the mood.

I chuckled and wiped away the tears.

"You're telling me. You can't die, Carl. You just can't. We'd all die. Don't you ever put us through that, you understand?" I said.

"Well we all eventually die, Amelia. Especially nowadays. It's not always guaranteed," he said.

"Boy, do I know. But you can't die before us. You're supposed to grow old, your hair is supposed to turn white and your death is to come peacefully. Not while you're still young. Not during all this," I said not looking at him.

He nudged me with his elbow. I looked at him.

"Tell you what, I'll keep on fighting my hardest if you promise not to fight so much that you put yourself along with your baby in danger," he said.

I wiped my eyes.

"When the hell did you get smarter than me?" I asked teasingly.

"I've been here for a while. You're just finally taking notice," he said.

I shoved him playfully and he started laughing. Eventually, I did too. When he had finished, I leaned over and hugged him.

"I love you, kid. With all my heart," I whispered.

"I love you too," he said.

"So what did you get from the pantry. Are you hungry?" I asked noticing of a bag he had with him.

"Not really," he said.

"Then what's the bag for?" I asked.

Before he could answer, Tara came up to us. She was carrying a load of stuff. Carl and I quickly stood back up.

"You need help with that, Tara?" I asked.

"Nope. It's cool. I got it," she said.

Carl went and opened the door for her.

"Thanks, Carl," she said.

I went up the steps.

"We'll talk later, okay? I'm gonna check to see how we are on ammunition," I said to Carl.

"How come?" he asked.

"Just in case," I said.

He nodded and took off. I still had him here with me. I was gonna make sure it stayed that way. I joined Tara at the armory.

"What's all this stuff?" I asked.

"That warehouse Rosita and Michonne had been at. Rosita stopped by and took what she could," Tara answered.

"Anything good?" I asked.

"Smoke grenades, a few regular grenades. An air horn. We could use that to redirect the walkers," she said.

"That's a good idea," I said.

"How are you feeling?" she asked.

"I'm fine. Now that I know the truth and Daryl knows it too," I answered.

"That's good. Cause when it gets dark, we're gonna finish it," she said.

"Rick's still not back yet? I was hoping he'd be here before we took off," I said.

"Not yet. But he will be. He'll meet us there. Don't worry. Two days is almost up. We should get ready," she said.

"Yeah. That's why I came in here. Check to see how we are with ammunition. You know we should hide a few extra guns near the sewer. Prepare for worst case scenario, you know," I said.

"Good idea. I'll get on it," she said.

"I'll reload the guns that need it," I said.

"Sounds good," she said.

She left and I got to work. I grabbed a bag and started loading them with handguns. I made sure to pack spare ammo too.