I did this one as a request for Moonlight1234. It's supposed to be about when Carl gets shot, but it turned about a bit different. Oh also I'm not very good at writing in third person, I mostly write in first person, so I don't think it's all that good, but I hope ya'll like it anyways :D

Carl's eyes opened slowly as he adjusted to the light that was streaming in through the big window. The pain in his stomach surged through his whole body when he tried to sit up. "Dad? Mom?" He called, but he gets no answer. The room in unfamiliar, everything is.

"Oh you're awake!" A women's voices echo's into the room and Carl catches a glimpse of blonde hair as someone rushed around the corner. Only moments later Rick and Lori enter the room to see their injured son lying on the bed, alive.

"Oh thank God!" Lori says, exasperated as she comes over to sit by her son's side. She looks up at her husband who smiles back down at the two.

"You should have seen it Mom! It was so pretty!" Carl says softly. Lori smiles, his words are just a blur in her head. She's just glad to have her son alive and well.

"Seen what, baby?"

"The deer! I don't think I've ever been that close to a deer before. It was amazing!" Carl's face lights up as he tells the story. "I think…" He trails off and his eyes slowly close again as he drifts back to sleep…


Otis had just finished putting another walker into Hershel's barn. This one was a young girl, couldn't be older than twelve. "I'll tell Hershel 'bout her later. No use in bothering them now." Otis mutters to himself as he heads back out into the woods, planning on doing some hunting. He grabbed his rifle and made sure the barn was secure.

Only a few minutes in he noticed a deer through the trees. It was a long shot, but if he could get it…it'd be worth it times a million.

On the other side of the deer stands Carl, Rick, and Shane. Carl slowly walked towards the deer, fascinated by it. A huge smile was plastered to his face. Otis was unaware of the boy and the boy was unaware of Otis.

If things had happened seconds early, or seconds late everything could have changed. But they happened at just the wrong time and when Otis fired his gun to kill the deer the bullet went straight through it and hit Carl. Carl tumbles to the ground. He didn't even have time to think.

Maybe everything happens for a reason. Without Carl getting shot, the group would have never found the farm, but Carl almost lost his life, and that would never be worth it.

Once at the farm Hershel instructs every one of what they are to do. Carl needs a respirator, so Shane and Otis go to the high school to get one. There, Shane kills Otis. But he gets back and Carl is saved. So one life lost, one saved.


After a long agonizing week of staying in bed, Carl is finally allowed to go explore the farm. Sophia still hasn't been found, but now that he's up and around he's determined to find her. Little does he know that he's too late, they all are.

"I want to learn how to shoot." Carl announces to his mom. "I want to help look for Sophia and I can't do that without a gun." Only days after Carl announces this and does learn to shoot, the barn is opened. The search is over, but it's a new chapter in all their lives. Her death meant something. It changed all of them.

Carl stands at Sophia's grave after everyone has left. "I'm sorry we didn't find you. Maybe if I hadn't gotten shot you would have made it, or maybe you were already dead by then. I don't know." Carl shakes his head and kicks the dirt at his feet. "We tried, we really did…we just weren't fast enough. But we'll be okay, we'll move on, 'cuz I know that's what you'd want." Carl sighs and shakes his head. "I feel like I'm talking to nothing." He mutters and walks away.

Some people hold on and some people let go. One door swings open and one door closes. Everyone will have to walk through that open door eventually.

Thanks for reading! Positive review are appreciated!