How to save a life.
Carl Grimes had felt the sting of loss before. Time and time again. He had lost his biological mother. He had lost friends, people he had considered family. Hell, he had even lost his eye. But, losing his father was the hardest by far. He had been there for him since the beginning. He had led the group, never relenting. Always offering to go the extra mile. Together they had walked into the valley of the shadow of death, looking evil in the eye and defeating it every single time…But not anymore. Carl had to continue on his legacy without any instructions. Protect the name of his father. But how does a teenage boy do that? Sure, he was on the elder side of a teenager. Closer to being an adult than a child…But that didn’t make the pain hurt any less. On Top of that, he had to find the words to tell his baby sister. The very thought of it…It pained her.
Sitting on the cliff edge, Carl let his legs dangle while he stared out into the horizon. He had no plans to do anything stupid, or rash. But, he always found teetering on the edge to be a place of comfort for him. It brought the boy a sense of control. Something he had lost long ago. Honestly, he had been so lost in his thoughts he hadn’t even noticed footsteps coming from behind him. That was until he saw the male take a seat next to him. He glanced momentarily, realising it was Negan before looking back out into the horizon.
Admittedly, Carl didn’t get on too well with the male, still finding it difficult to forgive him for the crimes he had committed. But, he would take any company over none right now. Allowing the silence to linger for a moment longer, Carl finally decided to end it.
”I thought you would have been with Judith or Maggie.” It was clear to hear by the boy’s tone that he had been crying. His throat hurt making his words sound hoarse, voice cracking ever so slightly; though he tried to hide it with the facade of clearing his throat.
The silence lingered again, comforting the boy until he knew what he had to say. He knew Negan was here. As much of an asshole as the guy was. He did care deep down somewhere in that heart of iron. Part of him hated him for it…But part of him was thankful. ”I’m…Guessing you heard about Dad.” He managed to get out, though his words were barely above a whisper. Tears once again rolled down his cheeks, staining his face with the memories. ”I’m fine. Just, don’t do tellin’ Judith. I need to be the one to do it. She’ll take it easier from me.” He finished, inhaling deeply to try and stop the pain that was blossoming inside his chest. Hoping that maybe, this was all just a bad dream and soon he would wake up.
