Disclaimer: I don't own The Walking Dead
Just coming off of writing my other first 'Walking Dead' fic and had this idea for another science fiction twist. I'll be taking my time with it, updating when possible. I have some other writing going on, but I felt compelled to go ahead and start this with the new season of 'Walking Dead' on the air and because I'm in 'TWD' mode now.
Chapter 1: "You Don't Understand"
Rick stole a glance at his son in the seat next to him. His face was set and he was staring straight ahead of himself. Silence was wedged between them and Rick didn't know what to do about it. He cursed himself for not seeing that he had been slipping away slowly. The others had seen it. They'd warned him, but he didn't want to believe it. But now he had. It had been the reason he brought him along for a supply run; an attempt to rebuild and wash away the damage.
So far the damage remained.
Carl sighed and looked out the window and Rick decided he'd had enough of the silence.
"Listen, we've got a long way til we get back to the prison. Good time for us to talk."
"What's there to talk about?" Carl asked bitterly.
"I think there's plenty."
"Like what?"
Rick was not fond of the snappy attitude, but he held back his tongue.
"Like you." He looked at Carl again, and saw he was looking down. "I know you might not be happy about some of the decisions I've made, the things that've happened. So, when you have a problem, I think it would benefit us both if we discussed it."
"We have," Carl suddenly cried, sounding almost venomous. "I told you, you shouldn't be the leader anymore. You can't do it."
"Carl."
"You can't take care of us!" he cried as the anger erupted. "You can't keep us safe!"
"I'm doing what's best for us, to keep us safe," Rick tried calmly, while biting back the despair that was trying to rise. He would not believe it was impossible to repair their relationship. "It's no easy task."
"It's pretty simple enough," he argued. "Like now, with the Governor. You don't want to go and kill him. Do you really think he'll leave us alone?"
"We have a whole group to look after," Rick shot back as his own anger began to rise, "and charging them off like soldiers to track him down is suicide."
"Doing nothing is suicide!" he yelled. "You don't know what you're doing. If you did, Axel and Oscar would still be alive."
"Carl."
"Judith wouldn't have nearly gotten bitten!"
"Carl."
"Mom would be alive!"
Rick faced him dead on, anger twisting his face.
"Carl you don't understand!"
"NO YOU DON'T!"
They practically stared daggers at each other, before Carl turned his eyes away and his expression switched to panic.
"DAD!"
Rick barely had a chance to react to the large black SUV that was barreling straight towards them. He jerked the wheel right and the car swerved off the road, through the fence of a bridge he hadn't even realized they were crossing.
The car rolled downward, toward a few straggling walkers, which irked the car's motion even more.
"Hold on!" Rick shouted, as the car bounced and he lost control of the car.
Blood and guts splattered his field of vision as the car ripped through the corpses.
"DAD!"
Rick couldn't see. And before he could answer, the car came to a violent stop as it struck something solid. Then Rick's head came forward across the steering wheel and darkness came instantly.
Rick groaned softly. His turned his head slightly but even such a small motion sent what felt like anvils raining down on his skull and a slight wave a pain running down his back. He grimaced and slowly opened his eyes. He was looking straight up at the sky. He could feel grass under himself.
Slowly his brain pieced together the scene of a black SUV coming his way. He recalled swerving out of the way, only to end up crashing through a bridge.
Slowly he raised a hand to his temple and just tried to breathe away the dazed feeling. Then he blinked a few times and remembered someone very important was in the seat next to him at the time of his accident.
He pushed himself up just as he cried "Carl" and immediately froze afterwards.
He grabbed his throat, confused. Somehow, his voice had changed. It had come out much younger, much unlike himself. But before he could test it further, his eyes fell downward. As his nerves stopped stinging, he felt that something was wrong before he fully registered it.
Upon looking down at his body, he saw he wasn't wearing the beige sheriff like shirt he usually wore. He was wearing a white shirt with some off rocker band name; his son's shirt. He sported light jeans, when he knew he was wearing dark pants. And as baffling as it was to awaken in his son's clothing, which seemed to fit comfortably, he saw something even more unusual.
From his position on the ground, he could see a clear difference in proportion. Rick started to pale without understanding. He tried to form words as he raised his hands up for inspection.
They were not his hands. They were smaller and softer instead of hard. Slowly he pressed those hands against his cheeks and in frenzy began feeling his face.
This wasn't his face!
There was no feeling of a rugged exterior with a growing beard. It was rounder rather than long. And his hair, looser and falling above his eyes.
His breath caught in his throat as he hurried to his feet, stumbling slightly. He just barely managed to make it to the side view mirror of the car…and there…reflecting back at him, was the stunned face of his son - Carl.
Hope you enjoyed the first chapter. I'm leaning towards how the show runs so maybe chapters will be short, cutting off where I imagine it might as a show.
Anyways, Rick just woke up in Carl's body! I'll tell you originally I had this occurring back at the prison, but this way is easier especially since I'm writing as I go. I kind of took Carl's frustrations with his dad from the episode after the prison's destruction and introduced it earlier where they're still staying at the prison and I also incorporated the idea that the Governor attacked more brutally where perhaps a walker nearly got to Judith; all to push Carl to the edge sooner than later. So, little tweaks here and there where I base stuff from an episode is likely to occur in the story.
I know what I want to happen in this story, so keep review and I'll update soon.