I love Carol and I love Morgan. I am not as fond of Daryl right now but still love Caryl. So I am writing a few chapters exploring a Carol and Morgan friendship. Both characters are complex and layered. Both have done things that others can't understand. Morgan is cured of his desire to "clear" and he and Carol are going to forge a friendship that nurtures them both.
Different Schools Together
Carol had spent her first night of banishment in a state of shock. In her heart she was expecting Daryl to find her and somehow make this right. She had found a steel building to stay in that first night and she fell asleep for a few hours that first night and woke up to face her new reality. She was alone and this time Daryl wasn't going to rescue her. She had to face that Daryl would never go against anything Rick decreed; she needed to concentrate on staying alive in her own. Rick had promised to take care of Lizzie and Mika and that wasn't too comforting considering that Judith was being raised by committee. She could only pray that Lizzie had a light case of the flu and that Mika would not get it all.
The next morning Carol got up and drove until she found an almost new extended cabin truck that started when she "jumped" it. She moved her things into the new truck and filled the gas tank. She had found a map in the shitty car and she sat down with it to plan the rest of her life. Carol decided to go west and north away from Atlanta. She had family in the North Carolina mountains but she wasn't going that far.
The day was going to be hot and she drove and scavenged during the day. Carol had always been out with a group, somebody always had her back and now it was just her. She stayed that night in a garage. She got some sleep but not much. She wondered how long she could survive with so little sleep; one mistake and she was gone.
Carol knew she was looking for a safe place in a world that was fundamentally unsafe. She had since evidence of other groups but avoided them. She didn't want to join another group; she had given her heart and soul to a group and she had gone too far to keep them safe. She wanted to be alone.
She finally found a farmhouse outside a little town in the North Carolina foothills. There was an old couple in the farmhouse who had committed suicide sometime after their world fell apart. She dragged their bodies outside and dug one grave. She buried them together and said a few words over their single grave. The farmhouse had never been looted probably because it was in an isolated area. Carol slept in a steel outbuilding. There was a well pump in the yard and she had access to clean water. She cleaned the house and opened the windows to let the fresh air blow the smells away.
The old couple had canned food in the basement and a shotgun and a rifle. There was ammo for the two weapons. They could have lasted she thought until she saw the medications in their bathroom. The old man had been taking chemo and the old woman was a diabetic. They had made their choice and she respected what they had done. There were no photos of children and she wondered if they had any children of their own. There was a wedding picture of a young happy couple and beside it a photo of an old happy couple. That seemed to be their story.
Carol had books, food, water, and she decided to stay here. She had worked to make the road up to the hilltop look as unappealing as possible. She rarely left the hill but had scavenged the local stores occasionally and laughed at herself for getting all the medical supplies that she could find. She was getting enough medical supplies to take care of a large group. She couldn't use that much stuff in fifty years.
Gradually she began to spend more time inside the house and less in the steel building. Carol hooked up the generator and ran the washer and washed the sheets and blankets in the house. She hung everything in the barn so that it wouldn't be noticed. The generator made a lot of noise and she had done everything she could to keep it quieter. She scavenged new clothes in town and in a matter of weeks she was almost adjusted to her new life. Carol had created a container garden and planted vegetables. There was an orchard behind the farmhouse and she planned to harvest the fruit. She was so busy during the day that she had little time to think but the nights were long and lonely.
Carol decided to check out another town close by and she checked her weapons before she went. She kept her weapons clean and ready to use and she didn't want to get overconfident. She drove the highway that connected the two towns cautiously. This was a larger town than the one she closest to her and she decided to check out the strip mall off the highway.
There were two access roads back to the highway and less chance of being blocked in. Carol parked her truck and looked the situation over. Her instincts were screaming to abort this mission. She could see a truck with a door open and a man lying on the pavement. She didn't see anyone close; it looked as if the man had driven in and opened the door and fallen out. It might be a trap, but the likelihood that anyone would show up was high. The man was probably dead but there might be something she could use in his truck. She drove slowly toward the man and saw that there wasn't anyone else in his truck.
The first thing Carol noticed was that the man wasn't dead or hadn't turned anyway. He was a Black man close to her age and there was blood on his leg. He hadn't attracted walkers yet so he couldn't have been here long. She got out of her truck and moved closer to the man with her pistol cocked and ready to shoot. He wasn't dead and she looked over his wound. She had seen enough bites and gunshot wounds to tell the difference; he had been shot in the leg and had passed out. Carol stood up and looked over his truck. There were weapons, food, and water. She quickly moved the weapons and food to her truck. She took one more look at the man; the smart thing would be to leave him here as walker chow and go home. Instead she dragged him to the bed of her truck and he woke up enough to help her get him in the truck. She shut the gate of the truck and noticed that there were walkers coming their way. Carol locked the truck doors and grabbed the keys. She took off in a hurry and went back to the farm watching the side roads and behind her to see if there was anyone following her.
Carol put the man in the steel building. She had moved a bed out there when she slept out there and she put him down on the bed. She chained him to the building foundation and cut his clothes off. She checked his body for bites but she couldn't find anything but the wound in his leg. He had been shot in the leg and she was glad to see an exit wound. The wound was not yet infected and she cleaned it and bandaged it. She gave him a shot of an antibiotic to keep down infection all the time second guessing this act of altruism. This man would probably turn on her like a rabid dog.
He had passed out while she was digging around his leg but she could see that he was coming around. She dug out some pain killers and gave him a couple with some water. "Thank you, that water tastes good, "he murmured. Carol figured that her rabid dog was at least polite. She checked his vitals and he seemed to be in good shape. She found some clean clothes that had belonged to the old man and helped him into a pair of briefs way too big for him. The man went back to sleep and she stood watching him sleep and wondering if she could load him up and take him back to his truck and leave him there. Instead, she checked his bonds and made certain that he would stay put.
Carol went back to the main house and heated up some soup on the propane stove. She fixed him a bowl and brought it back. He looked like he might be slightly dehydrated and he would have to get as much fluid in as possible. He was drifting off to sleep but she made him eat and drink before he did.
He wasn't a big man but he looked strong enough. He was clean shaven and had worn cargo pants, boots, and a beige safari type shirt. He might be military, she thought. Carol kept watch over him and the surrounding area. She was uneasy. Having someone else here felt all wrong to her; she was better off alone.
He needed to use a bed pan and she improvised with a pan from the house. He ate and drank some more and went back to sleep. She couldn't complain about him being too talky. She decided to sleep that night in the steel building in case he woke up and needed something. He got down another pain pill and went back to sleep. Carol figured that she wouldn't go to sleep but found that she kept drifting off. Finally, she just gave and went to sleep.
Carol woke up the next morning and was at first disconcerted to find herself being observed by the man. He was awake and alert and watching her sleep. He had made no attempt to free himself from his bonds and said, "Good morning" to her as if they were old friends. He needed the bed pan and she guessed that sort of intimacy made you closer than mere acquaintances.
"How are you feeling this morning?" she asked. Carol was hoping that he would get well quickly so that she could take him back to his truck and to his life. She would blindfold him and drop him off at his truck with his keys. This would be over and she could go back to her quiet life on the hill.
"My leg hurts but my head is much clearer than it was yesterday." He had a nice voice she thought. It was low pitched and sounded educated. He didn't sound threatening but Carol was determined not to trust him. "I would like to sit up".
Carol helped him up but she realized that he was much stronger than her and that he could have overpowered her before if he wanted. She needed to be more careful she thought.
The man seemed larger and more threatening sitting up than he had lying down. He looked at his bonds and said, "I understand why I am tied up, and you are smart not to trust me. I trust you, you could have left me there but you didn't. I wouldn't have lasted very long out there. So, unless you want me to call you my guardian angel you better tell me your name". He smiled and he didn't seem so threatening.
Carol frowned at him. She didn't want to tell him her name. He would tell her his and then there would be a connection. She didn't want any connections. Still, she couldn't bear to be called a guardian angel, not after what she had done. "It's Carol".
He smiled again and held out his hand, "My name is Morgan Jones and I want to thank you. You saved my life, Carol. "
Carol ignored his hand. "I am going to go make some breakfast. I'll bring you something to eat in a little while". Carol went over to the kitchen. He was better but she didn't think he would be well enough to fend for himself for a few more days.
She made some oatmeal and added some berries that she had picked along a fence yesterday morning. She picked up a couple of books for him. Carol brought the food to Morgan and another glass of water. He was still sitting up and she examined his wound. It looked like it was healing well and he didn't have a fever. He ate everything on the plate. He would be out of her soon. That thought made her so cheery that she smiled at him. "You are a good patient".
Morgan smiled back, "You are a good nurse". He liked her smile; it lit up her somber face. "You are a good cook, too".
Carol dismissed his flattery; she wanted some answers. "How did you get yourself shot?"
Morgan sighed, "I was on my own a long time and I finally left where I was holed up and I met some good people who let me join their group. We have been traveling around looking for a place to settle down. I was out scouting for a new place; my group is east of here about 40 miles or so. I was looking for some gas and stopped at a parked car along the highway. Somebody shot me and I got myself back in the truck and saw a truck behind me. I took off heading west and they didn't chase me. I think they just wanted me out of there. I was bleeding and in pain. I pulled into that lot and got out. The pain was so bad that I passed out."
Carol asked, "Will your group come looking for you?"
Morgan said, "They wouldn't know where to look. They don't even know which highway I took. They are good people but they won't waste too much time looking for me. The plan is to find a place and try to get supplies in before next winter."
Carol asked, "Why did you leave where you were holed up? Maybe you can go back there if you can't find them."
Morgan shook his head, "T stayed there too long and there are too many bad memories there. I won't go back there. Are you from here?"
Carol got up abruptly and left the building. Morgan thought about her for a while. She was alone here and was afraid of him. She wanted him gone as soon as possible and he couldn't blame her. A woman in this world needed to be careful and lucky. His group would take her in and he would ask her if she wanted to join them. He looked at the books and picked the one about local history. The subject matter interested him but then he had taught history at a small college before the world went to shit.
Carol stayed away until lunch time. She always had plenty to do and she couldn't neglect her chores just because she had a man chained up in her outbuilding. She made spaghetti with marinara sauce for lunch and made some sweet tea. Morgan was engrossed in the book when she went in and he looked up with a slightly distracted look.
He talked about what he had been reading and they talked about the book as he ate. They kept the conversation light and she checked his leg again. She knew that he needed to move around more but she was still reluctant to take off his bonds.
She kept busy until dinner time. Dinner was still spaghetti but she grilled some vegetables to go with it. Carol realized that she wanted to go talk to Morgan; she was lonesome for someone to talk to. She had been too busy at the prison to just hang out and talk to anyone even Daryl who was equally busy.
Dinner was fun. Morgan didn't want any pain pills and began calling her Annie Wilkes because she was keeping him a prisoner. Carol had read "Misery" years ago and had to laugh with him. "I'll let you go after you finish the book, but only if I like it, "she threatened.
Morgan teased, "I'll write it anyway you want, just let me go".
Carol said, "I am afraid".
Morgan answered, "Carol, I promise never to hurt you".
Carol looked at him. He was chained up like an animal and that wasn't right. He needed to get back to his group before they moved on. What if something happened to her? He would die out here of dehydration. She might be making a mistake but she left outside the door and unchained him.