Something To Fight For

Each Other

I looked up from where I laid on the grass outside the prison to look at Rick and Carl gardening a little plot. Ever since this morning, I had been so tense. Beth's teasing had embarrassed me to hell and back. I looked up into the sky begging our God for answers. Answers for what to do. Answers of why they stopped the car and picked me up. Answers of why Carl made me feel like a giddy teenager. I wondered if I was the only one thinking this hard about what had went down. Had Carl thought anything of it? I kept looking at him but every once in a while I'd look up at the sky. I looked at all of the clouds and tried to decide what picture they made.

When I did look at Carl, every so often he would stop farming and rest on his shovel. I liked when he did that. Because then that gave me a chance to see him in a new light. I was shaken out of my trance when Carl looked over at me. I blushed furiously and looked away quickly. What made it even worse was that I heard Rick laughing. I rubbed my hands over my face and looked back up at the sky. Why was I so attracted to someone I didn't even know? I decided I should go get my mind off things. So I got up and walked back inside the prison. I walked into me and Carl's cell and sat down on Carl's bed. I knew I was the only person in the prison right now; everyone else was outside. So I did one of the only things that helped me clear my mind. Sing. I sung this song by Emily Kinney.

I don't want you anymore
Summer's gone, and now I'm sure
The box behind my bed I've saved
I took out with the trash today

Oh, the truth is: I've met someone new
The truth is: you probably have, too
The truth is: I can't stand your face
When I think of all the love we made

Oh, we took a walk- we took a walk out by the Hudson River,
The human breaks, you need to please, and make my shoulders shiver.

You asked me, "Baby girl, how long until my heart recovers?"

I'm sure the answer's "Never."

You're a top-act shelf, out-of-date, too-late, expired lover

No, I'm not the only girl to save
Items past their expiration date

I sucked you up, 'til my stomach churned
My throat closed, my eyes would burn
Someone told me that love was suppose to hurt
But, now I've learned.

And, I don't want this anymore
Like hand-me-downs, waitin' by my door.
I kept you around, but I don't know what for.
So, I took a walk all by myself from river side to south street.

It's 2 A.M.; I've let you in, and whenever your here, I can't sleep.
Is there anyway to save you and me?
Baby, now that I've discovered, enjoy takin' all my covers, this is your last sleep over.

You're a top-act shelf, out-of-date, too-late, expired lover

You're a top-act shelf, out-of-date, too-late, expired lover.

It had used to be my favorite song. So sweet and simple yet true. And I loved Emily Kinney. She was my favorite singer. A throat clearing shook me from my thoughts. I looked to see Carl standing there. Oh great.

"That was beautiful," Carl praised. I blushed and looked down at the floor.

"You heard that?" I asked embarrassed. I mean, I knew that I was a pretty good singer but I still didn't like singing in front of people. I had always been scared of that. Although, there was this one time.

I was in the eighth grade and I had befriended the new girl. Her name was Samantha and she was the math teachers daughter. When flyers broadcasting this years talent show were hung up on the school bulletin board, Samantha said we just had to do it.

She had said, and I quote,"You have the voice of an angel." I, of course, being the stubborn person that I was didn't believe her. But one day during rehearsal, a group of students staying after school had walked by the classroom and heard us. We didn't know until the whole song was over and they were applauding. The experience had been an overwhelmingly good one. And it would be one that I would never forget.

I had to admit it made me upset to think about before. And every day when I woke up it was difficult to except this reality. Not that I'm upset about meeting these people here with me at the prison because that most definitely was not true. Every chance I got I thanked my lucky stars that I wound up here.

Everyday here held something new. There were always moments with Carl that would leave me flushed and slightly embarrassed. But, those moments were good ones. Every day we grew slightly closer.

I remember the day when Carl had came over to me after farming with his father. He laid down beside me and I was really nervous. Neither one of us had exposed our feelings. Of course, I didn't really know if Carl had any. But when he started telling me about his past, I knew that he was telling me so I could know him better and understand why he did the things he did or acted the way he acted or said the things he said.

*flashback*
"Hey," Carl said as he sat down beside me in the grass. I smiled warmly at him as I tried to fight off the butterflies in my stomach. They continued to make me more nervous by the second.

"How's it going?" He asked me smoothly. How was he always so cool around me? I envied it. I wished I could be like that when talking to him. I nodded and answered him.

"Good as it can be, I guess." He nodded and squinted in the direction of the sun.

"So I wanted to talk to you." When those words escaped his lips, more butterflies presented themselves. What was this about?

"O-Okay," I said, stuttering like a stupid idiot. He noticed and chuckled. Great. Let's just add that to the list of embarrassing moments that have already happened. He took a deep breath and I knew by the look on his face and the way his eyes gleamed in the light that he was about to tell me something serious and important.

"It was me and my mom for the first part of the apocalypse or whatever this is. Then, when a couple of people went on a run to Atlanta, they found him; my dad," I nodded, then he continued.

"Glenn saved him and they brought him back. I didn't believe it at first. Everyone got out of a van; except for Glenn he was in this red stolen sports car. And this man Morales mentioned this new guy who had helped them escape all the walkers in the city. And there he was." It's crazy how I had no knowledge of these things ever happening.

Carl told me everything. He told me of when they went to the CDC and how they almost didn't make it out. About how he got shot and they wound up at this farm; Hershel's farm. He told me they stayed there for quite some time. He told me about how when they found the prison it was overrun. He also told me about how his mom, Lori, had been pregnant at the time but died during childbirth. Judith's childbirth. He started tearing up around that point of the conversation and I felt the urge to comfort him. I scooted closer to him pushing myself up and letting my hands feel the softness of the grass. When I was closer to him, I engulfed him in maybe a bigger hug than he gave me when I told him about my past. The hug didn't feel awkward or uncomfortable. It felt right. Carl hugged me back and we sat like that for a while. But I was fine with it. I would sit here and comfort Carl for as long as he wanted. And I knew that that's all that each of us wanted. Some stability. Someone there by our side to comfort us during these terrible times. I think that's all anyone would ever need now. Each other. And I knew from this point forward that me and Carl would need each other. No matter what.