Harley woke from a deep, much needed sleep by a loud voice. Normally she'd get up and check out the problem, but she wasn't outside right now and could hear clearly that it was Carl venting angrily to his father. Whether or not he was awake for it was beyond her and she decided to leave it be.

She lifted herself up, pain shooting through her leg into her entire body. She was getting feeling back in her leg as well, although it was faint. She grunted and moaned as she brought her legs over the edge of the bed, holding on to it as she attempted to stand up. She wobbled a bit before getting her balance and limped out of the room.

She heard the door open and close, making her limp faster to see what was going on. She saw the boy's father still out cold on the couch, but he was nowhere to be found. Assuming he was the one who used the door, she hurried out of it and saw him walking off down the road with a bag.

"Carl!" she called out. She tried to catch up to him, but the pain was too much and she had to slow down. He heard her and turned around, waiting for her to catch up to him. "Why are you following me?" his voice was filled with pain.

"I- I heard you. Yelling at your dad," she began through breaths. "You really shouldn't be out here by yourself." Sometimes she forgot that people living in this new world, whether they were a teenager or adult, knew what they were up against.

"I can take care of myself," he retorted. She sighed, putting her hands on her hips, "I'm sure you can, I wouldn't doubt that. I guess I still have that motherly instinct."

"I'm just going to check out a house. You can come if you want," he said as he started to walk. She followed slowly behind. She stayed back a little ways and let him walk ahead.

"So, what's his name? Your dad," she asked him, catching up. "Rick," he answered. She nodded, looking around at the houses.

"You seem pretty mad at him." She looked at him, hoping to get some kind of response. He didn't say anything.

They walked a little longer and they reached the house Carl wanted to see. It was fairly large, white and grey. They stopped in front of it and Carl looked around. He walked over to a light in the ground and pulled it out. She watched as he walked up to the door, gun in one hand and light in the other and ran into the door to try to bust it open. He flew back and landed on the ground. Harley couldn't help but laugh at the sight. He got back on his feet and she limped over to him with a smile on her face.

"I initially thought you were going to use that to open the door," she looked to the light. He stuck the end into the crack of the door and began pushing until it successfully opened. She let him scope the place out before she went in, knowing she was of no use without a weapon. She left her knife back at the house they were staying at.

When he walked in, she soon followed. It was a mess, cluttered with things. He grabbed some cans of food that were left and he paused, looking up at something. She raised a brow, noticing a smile appear on his face. She looked and saw a large can of chocolate pudding.

"Mmmmm," she said as he pushed a bench over and climbed up to get it, "you hit the jackpot!" He smiled, grabbing it down and placing it next to the other cans of food.

"I'm going to check upstairs," he told her and she nodded, waiting downstairs for him. She heard his footsteps up the stairs and they grew quiet once he made it all the heard rustling that grew louder and then gunshots making her jump and run towards the stairs, forgetting her pain. She ran up, tripping, almost falling down all the stairs. Blood started to pool around her pants and on the strip of shirt around her leg. "Fuck!" she yelled in a whisper, getting up as quickly as she could. She followed the sounds and found Carl in a room with a walker. He picked up a lamp and swung it. He fell to the ground, trying to get away. "Carl!" Harley yelled and came in, kicking it in the head. It grabbed Carl's shoe and she kicked it again, allowing him to get free. She picked him up and pushed him out the door, kicking one more time the walker's head and running out of the door herself, closing it behind her.

Both were breathing heavily, the walker in the room trying to get through the door.

"Thank you," Carl said as he picked up a piece of chalk and wrote on the door. It read "WALKER INSIDE GOT MY SHOE DIDN'T GET ME." They both laughed and went back downstairs.

"Let's eat this," Carl said to Harley. He was holding the can of pudding with a smile on his face. She was happy that he wasn't angry anymore. At least not at the moment.

Harley grabbed spoons and followed him upstairs. He led them into the room adjacent to the walker's and they climbed out of the window. Harley knew her stitches were ripped open but her adrenaline had eased most of the pain for now.

They hung their feet over the edge of the roof and opened up the can, taking spoonfuls into their mouth and laughing about it. There was a quiet moment, just the sound of the walker trying to get out the window.

"We were at a prison. We were safe, for a long time," Carl began, taking another scoop of pudding. "All of our friends, family. We were happy and surviving. I should have known that it wouldn't last. None of it ever does." She listened to his story. She hated that this was the life kids had to grow up with, however many kids there were left.

"Now it's just you and your dad?" she asked. He nodded. "He could have stopped it all. He could have saved everyone, but now they're dead." Anger started to rise in his voice again.

"He looks barely alive himself. Whatever happened, he must have been trying his best," she said, fiddling with her spoon. "For you." She sighed, getting up, "we should get back."

The two walked back to the house, it was getting dark and she didn't want them to be out without any weapons.

When they arrived back, Rick was still in the same spot. Harley was beginning to worry if he was ever going to wake up, for Carl's sake. She decided to give it until morning to see if he will wake up.

"Goodnight, Carl. Keep an eye on your dad," she said and walked back to the room she was staying in. She grabbed her bag and sat on the bed. She untied the shirt, knowing it wasn't going to be a pretty sight. A dark, gaping hole in her leg. Blood all over and it was swollen on the edges. She sighed, stitching it back up the best she could.

After calming her nerves she relaxed in the bed, looking up at the ceiling. The room was dark, only the light of the moon coming in through the shades of the window. She closed her eyes and slowly drifted off.

A man in a lab coat stood over a woman lying on a table, wrists and ankles tied down. She was alive, tears rolling down her face. She didn't flinch when they scraped skin from a bloodied wound on her arm. It was an uneven, circular shape; like a bite. The man placed the scraping in a test tube and put a label on it, "Test 1: Epidermis", placing it on a rack. He grabbed a new tool to scrape and returned to her body, sticking it just a little deeper and pulling bloody tissue out. He placed it in a second tube, "Test 2: Subcutaneous", and put it next to the first tube in the rack.

"The drug will wear off soon and you will regain your motor skills," the man spoke before leaving her alone in the room with the samples.

A second man entered shortly after the other left, also in a lab coat. He had different motives, hovering over her helpless body, sadistic smile plastered on his face.

Her body shot up, covered in sweat from head to toe. Her breaths were heavy and her heart was pounding out of her chest. She sat up, catching her breath, wiping her head.

She heard rustling in the other room, and Carl's voice. This time he wasn't angry, but upset. He was whimpering, apologizing.

She got up, limping out of the room. She peeked inside and Rick was now on the floor with his head in Carl's lap. Harley watched the moment, not wanting to interrupt. Carl was in a state of relief. Harley knew he needed his father, no matter how mad he was at him.

She turned around, quietly heading back to the room. She got back in bed and tried to fall asleep. Many thoughts kept her awake, many memories. She wondered what was in store for her when Rick was up. She imagined what kind of person he was, only knowing as much as Carl told her.

Hope you enjoyed! I made sure my character got to know Carl because I find it's important for her to be friends with him in order for her and Rick's relationship to eventually grow. It's obvious that single parents would find it easier to know someone who their kid is happy to be around.

Review and let me know if you like the story so far. Follow/ Favorite if you'd like.