𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙤𝙣𝙗𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙠 ↠ 𝘤.𝘨𝘳𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴

20: Later

Carl's P.O.V.

It's been 2 months since the farm. Mom's stomach is slightly bigger, but not very noticeable. I told her it was my idea to go after my Dad and Shane, but she won't listen. She thinks it was Elle's fault. But Elle is dead, so why does my mom still care about it?

The other people, besides me, who were affected by Elle's death are Dad and Glenn. Glenn was constantly rubbing some piece of wood Elle gave him. Dad just kept looking at me, then the hat, then he would turn away.

I missed her. We had gotten closer at the farm, not to mention I never told her I liked her. Pretty sure my mom doesn't support me on that anymore though. Its winter, so it's been cold the last couple of months. Food has been scarce, even with Daryl hunting. We've been on the move, no settling. We were all sitting around the fire while I had these thoughts. We all heard a snap in the woods and Daryl was quick to lift his crossbow. We all listened as nothing came out. We then heard what sounded like some one ...vomiting...? Then a thud.

Elle's P.O.V.

2 months. 2 fucking months. Its freezing and I've managed to find a windbreaker that did more than my flannels. I have 4 layers on and I'm still cold. Tshirt, hoodie, flannel, jacket. I haven't found gloves or a beanie. But I did clear out a convenience store like 3 weeks ago.

I was walking through the woods when I came across something.

A frozen pond. Maybe I can break the ice if its thin enough and get water. "Here goes nothing." I said aloud as I stomped on the ice hearing a satisfying crack. I kicked it again and started filling up an empty water bottle I had in my bag. Oh the sweet relief of water. Or any liquid other than bean juice. I went to grab a protein bar from bag but remembered, I ran out of food 3 days ago. "Shit." I mumbled. I looked at my reflection in the ice. My blonde curls were loose and dirty, my face had blood and dirt on it. Some of the blood being my own, rest being walkers. The rips on my jeans revealed my cut up legs. Oh what I would give for a pair of sweatpants. Maybe I can go out and find a clothing store. I grabbed my bag and axe to start my hunt for clothes.

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After about an hour of walking, I made it out of the woods and found a town. Nobody's been here in a long time. I started walking down the street cautiously when my eyes landed on a clothing store.

"Score."

I knocked on the door, nothing. No walkers in sight now that I think about it. A jiggled the doorknob. Locked. I swung my axe down on the handle and the door opened. I opened my bag and started looking for clothes that looked to be my size. Then, I found the sweatpants jackpot. Leggings too. More jeans, everything. I grabbed a few plain, grey hoodies and some flannels, obviously.
"This is gonna be great." I chuckled. After grabbing a sports bra, I went to the changing room. I know the world ended, but I still like my privacy. Once I was sure the changing rooms were clear, I took off all my layers, put on the new bra, tshirt, hoodie, and an orange flannel. I smiled remembering my orange flannel from Atlanta. I put my bag back on my back but heard voices.

"You sure you saw her go in here?" A mans voice asked.

"Yeah. She took an axe to the door knob." Well I'm not going out the front, and I'm not sticking around either. My eyes landed on a ventilator. It was on the bottom of the wall. I grabbed my bobby pin out of my hair and started prying it open. Surprisingly, it didn't make noise. I could hear the men getting closer. I got the vent cover off and slid my bag in, then myself. I grabbed the lid and closed it, sealing it from the inside. Just in time as well because the curtain was pulled back.

"Left her shirt. Maybe she went out the back." The man said. I started crawling through the vent that was surprisingly spacious. After a few minutes, I made it to the roof. How the hell did I get to the roof? I opened the latch and climbed out. I pulled my bag back onto my back. I peered over the edge of the building and saw a small group of men. It was only 5. They didn't look like they were doing too well either. I saw walkers creeping up behind them while they were talking. They noticed too, so I took this opportunity to take out my handgun and put the silencer on it. While they were killing the walkers, I shot them. All of them. I put my gun down shaking. I cant believe I just did that. What made me do that?

I took the fire escape and made my down back to the street. Apparently, there was another guy who was looking for supplies in a store. And let me tell you, he was not happy to see what I did. I bolted for the woods. He was coming after me, I could hear him. Though, I had a head start. It was going to be dark very soon, the sun was already halfway down. And it only sets faster in the winter. I kept running, ignoring the branches and twigs cutting me. It felt as if was back at that night on the farm. Except walkers do not run. WALKers. Kinda self explanatory.
I took a quick glance behind me and could barely see the guy. I looked around frantically for a tree to climb. I found one and was quick to climb to a high branch. I stayed silent as I watched him run right past me, cursing under his breath. I let out a breath I didn't even know I was holding. I climbed down the tree in decided to run straight. So in case the man did turn around, he would not know which direction.

Its completely dark, and I'm still running. I stopped all of a sudden, causing a branch to snap. Next thing I know, I have to vomit. I let it all out. Though, it was more stomach acid than food considering I haven't eaten in 3 or 4 days. I used my hand to wipe my mouth and the moonlight revealed I also puked up some blood. How lovely. I saw everything slowly, very slowly, get darker. I took my bag off hoping to sit down, but all I remember was blacking out.

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How lovely