Updated before the end of the month so yay:) This chapter is about as long as the last one. I'm trying to make them all this long now.
Did you guys watch the finale last night? Hooolyyy shit 0.o
Enjoy this chapter!
Terror flooded her body. Her blood felt like ice in her veins, and she suddenly felt numb, numb to everything surrounding her.
"Ashley!"
The familiar, panicked voice pierced her, and she swiveled her head to the left. Nothing. There was nothing to her right either.
"Dylan!" she shrieked into the night. The darkness felt tangible, smothering her in its eerie blackness. She was drowning in it.
The world shifted, making her dizzy. Once she could open her eyes again, he was standing there, right in front of her.
"Dyl?" the words came out as a whisper.
The stormy eyes that matched her own were wide with terror, bloodshot. His clothes were dirty, caked with dirt and blood. He looked just like he had the last time she saw him.
When he spoke, it sounded like an echo in her mind. She could barely make out his voice in the blaring silence, something that baffled her.
"The basement, Ash. Don't go in the basement."
Suddenly, he was ripped away, and it was only darkness again. Always darkness.
She shot up with a gasp. Sweat glistened on her temples, and she wiped away the perspiration with a trembling hand. A dream. Just another dream.
They were nightly now. The same one every single day, with her trapped in an endless emptiness. Once in a while she'd get a glimpse of the last time she had seen her parents, but that last one…it was the first time she dreamed of him.
"Who's Dylan?"
Ashley squeaked in surprise, turning her head to see Carl sitting on the couch across the room, eyes trained steadily on her in curiosity.
She scrubbed at her face tiredly. "Sorry. I didn't mean to talk in my sleep again."
His eyebrows furrowed in his studying of her, something that made her skin tickle with goose bumps.
She purposefully avoided his question. Fortunately, he seemed to realize that as well, and dropped the subject.
"I'm gonna find something to eat," she announced, standing up and striding toward the kitchen. Carl nodded and leaned back on the couch, eyes shut.
The tiles in the kitchen felt cold, even through her dirty socks. Sunlight breached past the half-drawn curtains, warming her cheeks. It was getting warmer outside.
"Morning," Rick greeted at her arrival. He was leaning against the counter, spooning some soup into his mouth while looking out into the front yard with watchful eyes. He turned to face her. "Sleep well?"
"Yeah," she lied.
It was like a routine now. Rick was an early riser, Ashley noticed right away. He'd get up at practically sunrise; setting up whatever food they had for everyone's breakfast. Michonne would usually get up next, so Ashley figured she was either upstairs or in the backyard or something.
They had been residing in the house for a week now, simply living on cans of soup and bottles of water without getting into trouble with any Zacks. A few wandered out in the front, but luckily, none came close enough to be a problem.
Ashley opened up the cabinet they kept the food in, feeling her belly grumble with hunger. "No food?"
Rick shrugged. "There's not much left. I was gonna go out with Mich-"
"I'll go," she interrupted. "I need to get out of this house for a bit. It's getting a little stuffy, don't you think?"
His lips quirked up a bit, but he nodded. "Alright. When are you ready to go?"
Ashley grinned wryly. "Now."
"That one?" Ashley suggested, motioning toward a simple, pale yellow house that seemed safe enough.
"Looks as good as any. Let's check it out," Rick nodded. His gaze drifted over the empty street as a precaution, and they quickly hurried up the steps.
She was used to this, scavenging, searching for food. Hell, she'd done it on her own for weeks. Now, though, it was nice to know she wasn't alone. She felt better knowing someone had her back.
They checked upstairs first. The last thing they needed was a Zack to sneak up on them while looking for food.
Her knives we secure in hand as she opened a pink painted door at the end of the hall.
Her mouth ran dry and her heart stopped.
"Shit," she muttered.
It was a baby's room. A girl, by the looks of it. An innocent, little baby, stuck in a world that went to hell. Blood was splattered on the floor, next to the little crib in the center of the room.
A crib her little baby sister or brother could have slept in if this world hadn't happened.
"Ashley."
She jumped at the hand on her shoulder, making her blink the tears that unknowingly formed away. Rick's saddened blue eyes met her own. "I know it's sad to see such new life get taken away-"
"You don't know anything," she spat. A shaky hand wiped away the tears spilling down her cheeks. Something sharp pierced her chest, suddenly making it hard to breathe.
Calm down.
She couldn't.
The sight of the crib triggered an unwanted memory stored deep in her mind. It was something she tried so hard to forget. She couldn't let herself think about it.
Then why were the words spilling from her mouth?
"I was supposed to have a baby sibling, did you know that?"
Rick shook his head.
Ashley sniffed, her heart heavy, and continued. "A beautiful, little baby."
"Honey, get away from the edge!"
Ashley nodded frantically, crawling closer to the center of the roof of the van. The groans were deafening around them, and fingers reached out for her feet.
"Mom," she screamed over the lifeless moans. The van was shaking beneath her, making her off-balance. "Come here!"
Her mother tried to crawl closer, her very pregnant belly making the feat a little more difficult. They needed to keep her safe. They had to keep the baby safe.
Her father was fending off the dead hands reaching for him with a bloody, metal bat. The sickening cracks as it crunched their skulls made Ashley's stomach roll, but it was barely audible over the loud growls.
"Damn it!" her dad shouted, One of them got a hold of his shoe, pulling him down and closer to the edge. His bat was missing.
"John!" her mom called out in a panic.
He was being pulled down, until his legs were completely over the edge. Screams ripped from his throat as they tore into the flesh of his calves and feet. He gripped frantically for anything to save him.
Including her mom's foot.
Ashley curled into a ball, watching in horror as he dragged her mother down with him, into the endless mass of flesh-eating monsters.
"Mom!" she screamed.
The world would not stop shaking.
"And my asshole of a father killed both of them," she finished off bitingly; her clenched fists left crescent moon shapes into her fleshy palms. She raised her gaze to meet Rick's. "So don't tell me you understand."
It took a few moments to catch her breath and calm down. All that bottled up emotion and hate, spilling out to a man she only met a week prior. She always tried so hard to forget it. Ashley knew you could only survive if you put your past behind you and carried on with a stony face. She knew she'd be able to do it.
Until she opened the door to that damn crib.
"Carl had a baby sister."
Her eyes rose again, wide with surprise. "What?" she whispered.
He bit his lip, looking out the window next to him. Ashley suddenly noticed how weary he looked. How sad and broken of a man he was. Rick did a better job at hiding it than she ever could.
"My wife died in labor. We've been taking care of my daughter ever since," continued. His tone was quiet. "Walkers got to her about a month ago."
His blue gaze burned into hers. "So yeah, I actually do understand."
All she could do was slowly nod. Suddenly, her face crumpled, and she rushed forward, hugging him.
She felt the jolt of surprise running through him at the feeling of her arms wrapped around him, but it quickly passed. He slowly raised his arms, covering her shoulders loosely.
"I guess we've all been through hell, huh?" she pulled back, wiping away her runny nose.
He smiled softly. "Wouldn't be the apocalypse if we hadn't."
It was about noon when Ashley and Rick came across the tree on their way back to the house.
Her arms were already tired from the bags of food she was carrying, a complaint she wouldn't dare make. They hit the jackpot in that house. A whole cabinet, stock full of unrefrigerated foods that had no expiration date passed. Cookies, pretzels, Gatorades, chocolate bars, more soup…
Ashley couldn't wait to get home and share the chocolate with Carl.
"Look at that," Rick pointed out. She glanced up, squinting through the sunlight trickling through the leaves and branches.
He reached out and plucked something from a low branch, holding it out for her to observe. A shining, deep red fruit. "Apple tree."
It was something so small, such a little, insignificant object, that Ashley saw as something akin to a miracle now. They both grinned.
"I'd pick a bunch to add to our stash, but my arms already feel like jelly," Ashley chuckled.
Rick's eyes hardened, looking at something over her shoulder. "We'll come back later, we've got company anyway."
She looked over, seeing the lone, hobbling Zack limping down the street. It was far enough away to not be a threat.
"We've gotta show Carl this," Ashley spoke as they jogged down the street again. She glanced back to steal another look at the beautiful apple tree. "Michonne, too."
She didn't miss the smirk cross over his features. "Seems like you two get along now."
Ashley prayed her cheeks weren't burning as she replied. "We had a lot more in common than we thought."
"I've noticed," he nodded. "I'm glad he has you, Ashley. He's needed a friend his age."
His tone bordered on suggestive, but she fought to ignore it.
Ashley peered at Rick from the corner of her eye as they neared their designated home. He still limped from a recent injury, but he carried on strongly. She could see the good in him still, and goodness was something that deteriorated quickly in this world, but she could see it.
Carl was lucky to have a father like him.
Carl and Michonne's conversation in the kitchen froze to a halt when Ashley unloaded her duffel bag onto the table, spilling its contents across it. She was delighted to see the look of awe cross over their faces, especially Carl's.
It was a cute look on him.
"Well, I'll be damned," Michonne murmured, picking up a container of Oreos. "That girl should go on all the runs from now on."
"All this from one house?" Carl asked with wide eyes. His father nodded.
"Looks like whoever was last there didn't grab everything."
"I don't know about you, but I'm eating this entire thing in the living room and you can't stop me," Michonne smiled, picking up the Oreos and a Gatorade before heading out of the room.
"We ain't stopping you," Rick chuckled. He patted Carl's shoulder, a gesture Ashley found sweet, before walking out himself.
Then, it was just the two of them.
She wasn't sure if she should say something first. It wasn't often Ashley found herself being nervous. Who could worry about boys when you had to watch your back for flesh eating Zacks? Nevertheless, her chest tightened with something when he glanced up at her under the brim of his hat.
"Do you wear that thing everywhere?" she motioned toward his head awkwardly, internally cringing. Smooth, Ash.
The corner of his mouth lifted in a crooked smile. "Usually."
She couldn't contain the relief when their conversations had stopped being strained. For days, it was difficult to get anything other than a disapproving glare from the kid. He'd seemingly hated her ever since she arrived. It was until they sat at this very table a week prior and talked about their old life did Carl seem to lighten up.
Like she told his father, they did have a lot in common. She could see them being friends if the world were normal.
"I have a surprise for you," she sat down across from him, hands busying themselves in a pocket of her duffel. He looked on curiously.
"Seriously?" he gasped. She watched his cyan eyes light up with glee before he slowly held a hand out for the chocolate bar.
"Seriously."
He laughed, a genuine, wholehearted laugh that made the coil in her chest tighten even more.
He bit into the rich chocolate, a moan escaping his throat from the taste. Ashley enjoyed the look of pure happiness radiating from him.
"Thanks, Ashley," he smiled through the mess of chocolate in his teeth.
"Wipe your face, dork," she shook her head.
She waited as he finished up his snack.
"Oh, by the way," she began. "Your dad and I passed this apple tree on our run. Wanna check it out tomorrow?"
Carl wiped the melted chocolate before peering out the window. The sun was still up. Noon.
He looked back with a wry grin. "Who says we can't go now?"
The damn coil in her chest was starting to piss her off.
"I can't believe your dad let us go," Ashley commented as she pulled her knife from the Zack's punctured skull. It was the same one hobbling after her and Rick earlier that morning.
"He knows we can take care of ourselves," Carl replied stiffly. "He doesn't control me."
She noticed he changed the subject to himself.
Ashley could always sense the tension between the two. Their relationship was stressed, and despite the care Rick had for his son, Carl was not as responsive.
"Don't be so hard on him," she said, thinking of her own father. She'd give anything to have a better one, anything to have one like Rick. "You're lucky."
She could feel his gaze on her.
"Wh-"
"Look!" she interrupted. "The tree."
She grabbed his arm and tugged him so they were beside the bark of the medium-sized tree. Glancing up through the patches of sunlight, Ashley could stop for a moment and forget everything. It was so peaceful; standing in the sun, smelling the sweet scent of ripe apples, the warmth of Carl right beside her…
"No way…"
Her eyes popped open at Carl's low voice, filled with disbelief.
"What? What is it?"
He pointed across the street. "Did you see that this morning?"
Ashley raised a hand to her forehead to block out the bright afternoon sun. A building unlike the other homes was there.
"'Sandy's Candy'," he read the faint words painted on the sign over the door.
"Corny," she scoffed.
"Come on!" he called out like a little kid. "There's probably more chocolate in there!"
He gripped her hand, pulling her along and across the street. Ashley couldn't pause to appreciate the warmth it brought to her palm; she was filled with a strange feeling. Something sat in the pit of her stomach.
Dread.
Ashley shook it off. She liked seeing Carl so happy. She did what she could to stay on his good side. It was a miracle she had gotten on it in the first place.
They peered in through the windows. The curtains were drawn shut, but little cracks in them made it possible to peer through. It was seemingly empty.
Carl gave her a warning look before taking a breath and bracing himself before the door, muttering, "Let's try this again."
"What are you-"
He charged at it with his shoulder, knocking open the slab of wood with a thunderous crack. The lock gave away, flinging open to reveal the small, empty shop. She glanced at him with a raised brow, and he shrugged.
They didn't need words. They both entered the musty store, weapons raised. They weren't needed, either.
Unfortunately, the entire place was empty of candy in addition to Zacks. It had been raided not too long ago, so the two were faced with empty containers of crumbs.
"This sucks," Ashley sighed placing her multiple knives on the counter top.
"Wait," Carl held up a hand. "I bet there's a back storage thing or basement with more."
She felt the uneasiness grow, and Carl could obviously see it.
"Hey," he said softly. "I'll be fine. What could go wrong in a candy shop, right?"
"Right," she forced a smile. He gave her one last lingering, undecipherable look before turning to slip through the 'Employees Only' door.
"Basement! I called it," Carl announced through the door. Ashley giggled a little, looking around the empty shop. She could imagine how nice it would be to have a place like this around here. All the kids coming after school, eager for an afternoon treat. Various colored pictures lined the walls, all done by children around the neighborhood. Some were splattered with blood.
Don't go in the basement, Ash.
She sucked in a breath and felt her eyes blow wide at the memory of her dream. Her heart dropped in sudden panic. No. Carl.
With a burst of terror, Ashley sprinted toward the back door, just as a boyish scream rang out from below.
Apparently everything could go wrong in a candy shop.
Uh ohh what's in the basement? :o Hope you liked this chapter. I know I didn't get any of Carl's POV, but he'll start off the next one:)
Review pretty please?
Love you all 3
