Daughter of the Fallen

The Next World

2 Months Later

I suppressed a yawn as I started gate watch. I was planning on helping rebuild the wall for the rest of the day but I knew I could squeeze in a shift.

"Hey. Bree." I turned around to see Carl walk over to me, making me smile. He had woken up a few hours after I left the room and though he was disoriented and had a little memory loss at first, he was really recovering. The only permanent effects were the eyepatch he always wore and his slightly colder attitude. Luckily, that attitude rarely shown when he was with me.

"Hey," I breathed as he came to stand next to me.

"Didn't you end your shift an hour ago?" he asked.

I nodded. "Yeah, but I still have an hour until I start helping with wall rebuilding so I decided I could do another shift."

He gave me a worried look. "You really should get some rest, Bree. You've been working nonstop since the walker invade. Why?"

I sighed. "Because I like to work. It helps clear my head. It helps me feel like I'm contributing. And since Deanna's gone, I feel like I should help out more. And I wanna give my parents a break."

He stared at me before chuckling. "Bree Ford, you are a force to be reckoned with."

A little smile came on my face as I nudged him. "Carl Grimes, you are a liar."

We stood there laughing for a little bit but my laughter trailed off pretty quickly.

Carl noticed. "What is it?"

I sighed and shook my head. "It's nothing," I lied, smiling to try to convince.

He raised his eyebrows. "Bree, was that your honest attempt at a lie? It's not nothing."

I took a deep breath and told him about our interaction with the group on the road. "It's still really bothering me."

He looked interested. "Who's this Negan guy?"

I shook my head. "I don't know. But I have a bad feeling that we'll find out sooner or later."

He nodded. "Well, if we do, we'll be ready for him.

"Yeah," I whispered. I knew neither of us really believed that.

He checked his watch. "I gotta go. But promise me something."

I stared out at the world beyond Alexandria. "What?"

To me surprise, he leaned down and kissed my cheek. "Get some rest."

My fave heating up about 100 degrees, I nodded and he left.

As I watched him go, I couldn't help feeling that everything, not just me and Carl, was about to change.

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AN: sorry i'm updating so much. i'm just really feeling super inspired for this story right now