The Ruined Path (Carl Grimes Gay Fanfiction)

Bitter

-Riley-

The overcast sky had rapidly escalated into a thunderstorm, which matched our mood as we trudged heavily toward the hamlet, which appeared only slightly closer than it had a few hours ago.

The sky was a foreboding soot-black, illuminated occasionally only by equally menacing bolts of lightning that scarred the thick darkness.

They also lit up the walkers that roamed throughout the town.

Half a dozen walkers prowled outside the village, shambling around the place in search of a meal.

This was the first time since I had sought refuge in the forest that I had encountered more than a couple of walkers in a single place. The vast army of trees would always disperse them, allowing me to tackle them individually with ease. In the countryside, however - in the open fields - such a luxury was unavailable, and I daresay I found them rather daunting.

As I noticed Carl and Rick stood beside me, however, this fear faded slightly. I needed to prove myself to my new-found companions, and this was a decent opportunity. My hand gripped the handle of my katana strongly as I prepared for conflict.

"Carl and I will take two each," Rick explained, facing his son in confirmation of his plan,  before turning to me, "you are gonna take three, okay?" 

I nodded hastily, in a combination of anxiety and anticipation.

I needed to prove to Rick that I wasn't afraid of the dangers that lie ahead (I was, but he didn't need to know that).

Rick's whistle was masked briefly by a huge crack of lightning, but the walker's heard their dinner bell none the less, and their heads quickly snapped in our direction, eager for a meal.

Not today.

As I walked toward them, two shots from both Rick and Carl's weapons informed me that their job had been tackled with ease. This was also beneficial as it gave them opportunity to watch me.

It was time to prove myself to Rick.

I raised my katana high above my head, and thrust it down in a powerful motion, instantaneously bringing down the first walker. Reclaiming my blade, I spun around to the second walker, who was less than a meter away, and in the single swift motion the walker crumpled to the ground.

Two down. One to go.

I quickly locked my eyes with the ghastly white pupils of the final walker, who had advanced slower than the others, and was a few feet away. Instead of allowing it to close any more distance, I rushed forward, swinging my blade up in an uppercut motion. The katana travelled up from beneath the walker's jaw. Almost instantaneously, the creature died for a second time, bringing the fight to a close.

The adrenaline kick was unlike that of anything I had experienced in quite a while, and although Rick's expression was masked by the darkness, I could tell it was one of shock and - although he would never bring himself to admit it - one of pride.

"Michonne might have a match after all," Carl smirked to his dad, who showed no indication of humour. Rick was becoming increasingly tough to judge. I couldn't determine whether he was proud of my skills, or somewhat irritated by them. Perhaps it had just become more difficult for Rick to get rid of me, which would explain his lack of a positive expression.

Judging by a subtle grimace afterward, it erred on the side of the latter suspicion.

"Who's Michonne?" I changed the topic due to the increasingly unsettling silence. Rick sighed at the mention of her name, which indicated to me that she was clearly a member of their previous group of companions. I regretted asking the question upon the realization that it had clearly tugged at a personal string, but Carl answered it regardless.

"A member of a group," he explained, confirming my latter suspicions, "she... she's probably dea-"

"You don't know that Carl," Rick intervened bitterly, threatening his son with a warning glance.

"We haven't seen her in God knows how long dad - dead or not, we won't see her again."

"You saw me again after 3 months."

"Yeah, well I wish I-" Carl began, and I squeezed my eyes shut in the anticipation of Carl's very uncalled-for remark.

Fortunately, his own restraint saved all of us from a very deadly father/son moment, but Rick was still highly aware of his son's anger, and another silence loomed as we walked into the hamlet.