WASTE • Carl Grimes

Two

The sadness laced within his words when he asked me to help him bury the girl was enough to convince me to accept and walk back towards him, heart aching when he pulls a knife out and holds it over her now cold blue face.

I stood over him, eyes glued to his trembling hands as he silently sobs, his tears coating the girl's shirt.

After what felt like hours, he still holds the knife in his hand so tightly that his knuckles had turned white, all until I slowly fall down to my knees beside his figure and extend my hand out for him, silently giving him the option to let me do it instead since he looks like he isn't capable of doing it himself.

" no. no, I'll do I-it " He stutters. I look at him and sigh before looking back down at the girl, begging whoever is up there for that girl not to turn while the boy is still deciding whether he is going to do it or not.

He puts the tip of the knife on the side of her head, only a thin layer of skin separating the knife from her brain. But he quickly pulls it away and places the knife on the ground between the both of us as he shakes his head and cries.

" I cant do it, I can't I can- " he shakes his head repeatedly with his head hung low while more tears come streaming down his pale cheeks.

I take the knife that he has thrown on the ground and quickly shove it into her brain before pulling it out and placing it back on the ground again. Only this time, the silver of the knife was coated with the maroon of her blood.

•••

The boy throws his shovel aside and stares down at the grave we had dug and placed the body of the girl in, his eye holding so much anger and sadness that even I had started to feel a little sad when I didn't even know the girl.

As we stand over the girl's grave, I spot a plant with a few flowers blooming on it, the wind blowing against them. I walk over to the yellow flowers and pick about five in my hand before walking back to the girl's grave and placing them over it.

I stand back up straight beside the boy only to hear him let out a small chuckle, surprising me.

" yellow was her favorite color " he says, a sad smile playing on his lips before it quickly falters.

" are you alone? " he turns to look at me with a bloodshot eye and I look back at him, nodding my head.

" are you? " I ask, my voice coming out weak for I haven't spoken in what feels like forever.

I don't even remember when the last time I had spoken to anyone was.

" no. I have a community " he says and I nod, not really giving a shit.

" do you want me to help you with anything else? " I ask the boy, making sure that he didn't need my help anymore as I lean down towards my backpack and pick it up, quickly throwing it over my shoulders.

He shakes his head without looking at me and I nod, not actually believing him.

Although he shook his head, I had a feeling that there was something else that he needed my help with, and it wouldn't take a genius to figure out what that thing is.

I let out a sigh and walk towards one of the dead as it emerges from behind a tree and stumbles towards the boy, it's rotten arms extended out at him in a desperate attempt at pulling him closer and making him its meal for the day.

But the dead one's dreams are crushed when I shove a knife into its head and push it down onto the ground until it's body falls with a soft thud.

I turn around and face the boy again, my eyes focused on him as he stares down at the girl's grave, not bothering to look at me.

" you don't want to go back? " I ask, referring to his community.

" I can't. Not like this " he replies and I immediately get the message, slowly nodding to myself as I make my way towards the body of one of the dead men that I had shot a while ago and take his gun.

I walk back to the boy and take his hand in my own, slowly pushing his fingers away to reveal his palm before placing the gun in it and closing his fingers over it again.

He looks back at me and I nod at him as I take a step back.

" you can tag along until you feel better, just don't try anything stupid " I warn the boy before taking two steps back and turning around, facing the woods ahead of me as I walk away.

" come on, cowboy. I don't bite "