I helped the toddler out from under the bed and sat him in front of me. I started to dust him off while giving him a once over. He had on a blue super man shirt, a pair of blue jeans and little red converse. He looked about 3 or 4, I wonder if he can talk.
"I'm Michonne. What is your name?" I asked carefully, trying not to startle him. He sat quietly, looking at me questioningly.
"Avery." He replied in a soft little voice. I smiled.
"How old are you Avery?" I questioned again.
"Umm" He seemed to be thinking really hard. "Four"
I gave a small smile just as Carl walked into the room.
"Michonne, what is taking-".
I'm assuming he saw Avery because he stopped mid sentence and gawked at him. After a few moments he seemed to snap back to his senses.
"Um. Well I see what was taking so long now. Who is this?" He asked, staring at Avery.
I looked up at him from my position on the floor, "Avery. I found him under one of these beds."
I nod toward the one we are siting in front of. Carl nodded. I breathed in and the stench was hurting my nostrils, so I knew it wouldn't be good for Avery. I also realized there was dead bodies on the beds near us. I quickly stood up and threw some blankets over them. The quick movements of the blanket causes the smell in the air to get worse. I feel like my nose is burning from the inside. I scrunch up my nose and see Carl and Avery plug their noses as well.
"Ewww stinkie!" Avery said covering his nose.
I gave a slight chuckle at the child.
"Avery, do you want to come with us? We will keep you safe. " I say squatting in front of him, so we were eye level.
He looks around for a moment, then looks at Carl, then back at me.
"Okay." I smile.
"Is there anything here you need before we leave?"
He puts a little finger on his chin and looks around the room. His eyes light up and he grins, showing me his little baby teeth. He gets up using his hands to balance himself and runs into the little boys room that we just came from. I get up and follow him, Carl close on my heels. When we enter the room, we see Avery with a little blue book-bag in his hand. He grabs a fuzzy green blanket from the bed and stuffs it inside. Then he grabs a small stuffed bear that looked really old and worn. It was a greyish color and had little button eyes.
"Can't forget you Mr. Bear." He mumbles to himself and hugs the bear.
I smile at the child. He reminds me so much of André. The toddler carefully places the bear in his bag and zips it up.
He looks up at me, "I'm ready."
I give another chuckle. I haven't laughed this much in a long time, Oh the perks of having a child around.
"A blanket and a teddy bear? That's it? What about some clothes?" I questioned with a small smile on my face.
He let out a giggle and nodded. I took the bag out of his hands and go to the dresser and sift through the clothes. Carl goes around the room looking at all the pictures on the wall with a small frown on his face. From Avery's drawer I grabbed a few long and short sleeve shirts, some shorts and jeans, some socks and a pair of tennis shoes. I then spot a puffy light green jacket on the end of the bed post. I grabbed it and tucked it in there as well.
I turned around to see Avery sitting on the race car shaped bed rubbing his eyes and yawning. I placed a few more things in his bag. A book, hot wheel cars, and a toy train. I zipped it up and slung it on my shoulder. I picked up the sleepy toddler and he automatically laid his head on my shoulder and cuddled up close. My heart stopped at the feeling of a child before their nap time. I looked back at Carl who is just standing there looking at me with a hint of a smile. I nodded toward the door and we walked back through the house to the front door. The moment we reached the door I wondered what Rick would say about Avery, would it remind him of Judith?
As soon as that thought popped in my head I remembered the outside world and what it was now. My breath caught in my throat as I thought of all the dangers we had come upon and what was to come.
Crap I thought.
I knew I couldn't let anything happen to this little boy. I was already getting attached. The walls of steel I put up around my heart were starting to melt. I can't get attached because if I did and something happened, I'd be right back to where I was before. I had to protect this child and not get too attached, which would be a challenge because he reminds me so much of André. I mentally shook myself and glanced at Carl before we walked out the door.
A.N. xxMadison143xx- Hey guys! Sorry for such a long wait. I've had a lot on my plate with AP homework and tests. But since it's mid-way through spring break I figured I better finish chapter 1. The next chapter will hopefully be up soon. VampiresandLiars will be writing the next chapter and we write a bit differently so yeah. So I hoped you enjoyed this and sorry if it's a bit short. So if you like it give us some feedback, it's much appreciated. (:
