sleepless club ▸ c.g [ 𝐈 ]

𝚐𝚑𝚘𝚜𝚝𝚜 ⇢ 𝟶𝟷𝟾

"You don't have to pretend that you're asleep anymore."

Flickering her lashes back, the brunette groaned before pressing her hands to the mattress; forcing her body upright. Upon doing so, she rubbed her tired eyes with the back of her free hand before blurred vision ease in to the clear figure laying on the bed beside her, head somewhat propped up on a pillow.

The young, injured boy remained still─ strands of his short locks sticking against the sweat on his forehead. He had a fever, that was easy to perceive.

"Carl?" Anais mumbled, tilting her head just a tad to study the boy's more youthful appearance. Her eyes continued to scan downward, catching the bandage plastered by his ribs in little to no delay.

In a hesitant manner, her arm raised, but Williams had to double take before her mind could completely register to the sight before her.

Five fingers. .

Stuck in disbelief, she turned her hand─ both brows raised to find not a scratch, stain, nor mark on her smooth layer of skin, "Wha─."

Her head cocked up swiftly, catching a glance of her own appearance. Quivered digits trace over the features on her face that made such a drastic change. Carl wasn't the only one that regained the look of innocence.

"You're being weird."

Those words were quick to zone this new world's reality back to Anais.

"Excuse me?"

"I said that you're being weird. . Why are you touching your face like that?" The young Grimes boy asked, eyes slightly squinted in confusion.

The female fell into some brief silence before giving a simple shrug of her shoulders in return. Surprisingly, that was a good enough response for Carl.

Watching as the boy focused on his fidgeting fingers; lightly tangling with little loose threading on the duvet─ Anais sighed out, crossing her legs over comfortably.

"What happened to you? ─The wound, I mean."

Glancing aside, almost in an anxious manner, Grimes gave a clear of his throat before shyly guiding eyes back up to meet William's lingering gaze.

"I got shot. ." He quietly replied under his breath, "It was an accident. I'm okay."

"Does it hurt bad?"

Rolling his shoulders back with ease, he released a heavy exhale, "No. It's not that bad now. . What about yours?"

"Wha─ What do you mean?" Brims parting slightly agape, a cold chill slithered down her arched spine─ the feeling of warmth, rapidly reduced to the cold, unsettling discomfort that comes with utter horror.

Droplets of ivory raced down the throat possessed by the female─ pooling down her chest, allowing her lungs very little oxygen to inhale.

Bringing hands up to her throat, Anais pressed both shivering hands against the slash inflicted across her throat─ gasping and coughing out mouthfuls of blood as she did so.

There, the young boy willingly watched─ unfazed by the image of a little girl choking on her own mix of saliva and blood.

Orbs roll to the back of her skull; lashes fluttering quickly before eyes finally fall into a lifeless state of white.

  Before her world would fall into total oblivion, the vision now blurred with tears flicker; instantly grasping glimpse of a few platinum blonde tresses.

  September 8th ┆09:21 pm

"You're one strong dog."

Carl groaned, squeezing the dog's leash a little bit tighter in an attempt to gain more control─ inevitably failing to do just that. A gasp could be heard from the male as the dog pulled against his resistance, almost resulting in quite the stumble from the one eyed teen.

  "Okay─ Okay, you're the boss." He huffed out in defeat, giving a slight shake of his head before scanning his one good orb around the area; the moon beaming down being his only light source along the dark silhouettes within his surroundings.

   After the events that occurred before in such an open area, Carl felt rather uneasy. He didn't wish for similar situations to play themselves on repeat, so he hoped this little mission he set upon himself to complete would run smoothly.

  "So, do you like. . stuff?" Looking down at the dog clearly occupied by tracking down Williams' scent, Carl awkwardly pursed his lips.

   "I mean─ If you don't feel like talking, that's cool, too."

After a moment or so, a gentle sigh escaped from between his lips; meeting the night's cold air. All hope that he contained was threading slim, but that was until Ash suddenly stopped on his trail─ glancing back at Carl to let out a soft whine.

   Snapping from his daze, the adolescent set focus ahead; his only pair of lids squinted to receive a clearer picture of the shadows dancing in the horizon.

   "Holy fuck. ."

September 8th ┆09:34 pm

In that moment, a rational focus was nonexistent in the mind of Anais Williams. It was merely a void, sending the form into the kind of numbness that most would call disturbing.

    Standing in the centre of the quiet road, the teen would stare above─ watching as the structure of the burning home finally collapsed onto the tarmac.

  Lips parting, a quivered breath was brought out to meet the cold air before yet another sniffle followed. Dry tears stained her flushed cheeks, even a fresh layer threatened to fall from her eyes, but she miraculously managed to contain it.

   "Ana?"

For a split second, Anais held her breath before she proceeded to slowly turn─ settling puffy, red eyes to meet Carl Grimes' gaze. The two merely stood and stared at each other, Carl more shocked by the minimal emotion he found in her blank stare.

  "I─." Before Grimes could bring out any words, he paused as the brunette abruptly closed the space between them to drape her arms around him; face hidden by the crook of his neck.

    He didn't know how to react, but when his eardrums heard the quiet sobs Anais found such difficulty in silencing, he snaked his arms back around her─ his eye shielding over at the warmth from her tight embrace. The crackling sound from the strong flames from across the street gave some help to that, too. Strangely, it even offered a sense of comfort to Anais.

  "It's okay. ." Carl began in a mumble, giving the small of her back a slow, comforting rub.

  "I got you."