Stay By My Side ||Carl Grimes

Chapter 16

I started galloping into the field where I used to ride. I whistled to tell lightning to start to slow down to a trot. She did as told, I pulled on the reins making her stop. Jumping off the horse, I grabbed an apple giving it to her. I started walking with Carl right on my tail. Knowing this farm was out safe haven, I walked through the non-infested woods taking out my knife. I knew we weren't going to need any weapons so that's all I brought with me.

Beth, Maggie, and I had a clearing in the woods. It was an old cement platform Otis made for us. We would draw on the platform with chalk. Sometimes we would have chalk fights and end up with chalk everywhere. Good times, good times.

"What's all this? " Carl asked curiously. Typical Carl.

"We used to always come here when we were young, draw on this platform and have so much fun. But those were the old days. See those trees with markings?" He nodded his head yes "Whoever came here wrote their initials on there, its your turn." I handed him the knife to carve his initials in the tree.

So many people have been here. At least 30 people have marked this place, it was amazing. The area was decorated too. Fairy lights in the leaves and branches of marked trees. Streamers from parties all over un-marked trees.

"Beautiful isn't it?" I asked him. He turned around after carving into the tree and stepped out of view. Revealing the worst handwriting ever! I started chuckling to myself.

"Is it that bad?" He asked

"Yes Carl, yes it is."

He pouted in a little 5 year old way and I just couldn't hold it in. I started cracking up causing me to fall to the ground in histarics. "Whats so funny" he asked.

I stood up from the ground recovering from my fit of laughter. I nodded my head to him getting ready to burst again. But I held it in.

"Anyway" he paused looking me in the eyes. Somehow we ended up extremely close to each other. "ERM, maybe we should hed back"

I nodded my head and walked over to lighting, fixing her ascessories and hopping on Carl doing the same.

We made it back to the barn. Once we came to a stop Carl hopped off opening the barn doors then walking over to lightning's stall and opening that door too. I lightly kicked her by the chest commanding her to move to go back to her stall. Once in the stall I jumped off her and took everything off leaving the stall and putting everything back.

Carl and I hed back to the house in silence. He opens the door for me and I thank him walking in. "How was it?" I hear Daryl say.Carl and I turn to him with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Good" we both say in unison. We chuckle because of the jinx and make our way to the kitchen seeing beth and Maggie making breakfast. "Hey babe!" I hear beth say. Babe?!?!?

"Where did that come from?" I asked clearly confused. Beth snickered at my remark and gave my a dirty look. What climbed up her pants last night?

"Me and Carl are a couple. Get it right." I can tell Carl isn't really comfortable with this by his face. I scoff and walk back to the living room.

"Alright everyone, Daryl, Glenn and I are going on a run. Volunteers?" Rick says looking at everyone

"I'll go" I say. All eyes turn to me.

"Its too dangerous veronica" He says

"I'm my own person now, I think I can handle myself" with that I walk upstairs to my room getting ready to pack for the run. Its gonna feel good getting out of the property into the infested world we live in.