The metal door creaked loudly as I opened it and a little breeze blew my hair lightly. It was pitch black in the garage. I started walking in.

"Did you hear that?" Carl asked putting his hand on my arm to stop me.

"Yeah. Trust me, Carl. I know already."

"Can you just tell me? Going in there doesn't seem too safe." He said sounding a little aggravated.

"Your going to have to trust me." I said walking inside.

"Carmen..."

"Carl, you hear that? That right there, are walkers. The dang living dead that's snapping at us right now, is Lizzie and Carol's "army". When no one expects its, they're gonna set these things out in the middle of the night and pretty much destroy the group, the council, the everybody. The us. The 'rebellions' or what ever." I said shaking my head in disgust and walking back into the hallway shutting the garage door tightly.

"We're screwed." Carl said with an expression I couldn't read.

"No, we're not. Remember what everyone's been saying about us seven? They think we'll be the ones to stop it. To stop Carol and Lizzie from trying to tear this group into pieces. Literally. These people are sick. Even more mental than me."

"Your not-" Carl started to say, but I cut him off with a 'don't argue, you know its true' glare. He put his hands up surrender.

"Right. So what do we do? The council expects us to stop this. I mean, come on, where were we when they decided that?"

"We could...I have an idea!" Carl said excitedly.

"Well spill." I said impatiently. But before he could answer, two voices were getting closer and closer.

"Carol and Lizzie." I mouthed to Carl. We both ran down the opposite hall to avoid contact with them. It sounded as if they were arguing at what time to let the walkers out. Unfortunately that time was now. We waited in the hallway for some sort of noise once the two voices fell silent. A loud creaking noise opened and suddenly growling filled my ears. We didn't have anything on us, not even guns.

"Run." Carl hissed at me. I ran down the hall, but soon realized that Carl went down the other hall. What did he do that for? I wondered. I had to find someone. Anyone. Which I did, but it wasn't the most ideal person to be meeting with at the time. I stopped abruptly in my tracks as the growling grew closer. Carol stood in front of me with her arms crossed and a devious smile on her face. What happened to her?

"Hello, Carmen. How's that stomach wound of yours? All stitched up? Careful, might not wanna re-open that." She said mockingly. I glared at her and backed up toward the growling. No gun, no knife, no nothing. What now?

"I-its fine. Its better now." I said.

"Is it? I heard your mother had to stitch it up about ten times during your coma. That must mean, that it can rip right open again." She said. I looked at her disgusted.

"What do you want Carol?"

"Nothing...just revenge for what you people did to me..."

"On who Carol? Rick? Or me? 'Cause killing me, wont get you very far." I said crossing my arms, trying to think of a way around her before the walkers caught up.

"Oh, I think it will, actually. I saw how Rick's son was affected when you nearly died. It was absolutely terrible. I wonder what would happen if it was...permanent for once." She said smiling sweetly. I gagged a little.

"Your sick." I said. She shrugged and grabbed my arm roughly. If she pulled any harder my arm would come out of its socket. She dragged me down the hall as I tried to break free.

"What are you doing?!" I yelled at her.

"Bringing you to your trial."

"Trial?!"

"Yes. You really think we would let this be our fault?" She said. Of course. It was all a trap, they knew me and Carl would find out and see for ourselves what they had planned, and once we did, they would catch us right in the moment and blame the walker run on all seven of us. The grip she had on my arm was painful, but was replaced with a new pain. Carol was wrapping a rope about 4 inches thick around my wrists so tightly that my blood circulation was coming to a stop.

"N-no. You can't do this!" I screamed trying hard to let go but by the time we reached two double doors, it was too late. She swung them open and shoved me to the ground in a room I had never seen before. It looked like an auditorium, because I was on my knees on a stage in front of maybe, 100 people at the most. The people I didn't recognize that had recently joined the group looked at me with shock and anger. The blaming had already started. But looks of sympathy and a different kind of anger was plastered on the people I knew for years.

There were too many people on Carol and Lizzie's side for me to count and I could tell by the looks of it, that I was big time screwed. Carl, Indie, Chloë, Kai, Hunter, and Mika were in the front of the group tightened in a choke hold by some of Carol and Lizzie's other minions. My friends looked the most angry and Indie was looking deadlier than ever. She was trying to bite the man that had his arm wrapped around her neck. Along with the choke holds they were in, they had thick rope tied too tightly around their wrists. I swallowed hard waiting for something to happen.

"Lets get this over with." Lizzie said walking up the steps to the stage, and stood beside me. I didn't move, just sat on my knees on the stage like a wimp scared that if she saw me breath she would pull the trigger.

"Who votes that Indie Montez, Kai Coleman, Carl Grimes, Chloe Coleman, M-mika Peletier, Hunter Coleman, and Carmen Hanchittle who tried to kill us all should have a death penalty now." She said putting her hands on her hips expectantly. Over 80 people rose their hands. Everyone on the council just glared at all of them. Rick stood up from his seat.

"Listen everyone, I am the leader here. We all are." Rick said indicating the other council members, "I think we should be the ones to choose whether these seven kids...and...and my son deserve a death penalty or not." Rick said. I looked over at Carl who was giving me that same unreadable look from earlier.

"That's not fair, Rick. What about the people? Don't they get a vote?" Lizzie taunted him.

"This isn't a democracy anymore, Lizzie." He said. She sighed then rolled her eyes.

"I guess we shouldn't kill them just yet." She mumbled so that they wouldn't hear. I had, had enough. I stood up and Lizzie shot me a death stare.

"Alright, people, I want to know what exactly we're being accused for. We should at least be able to know that." I said.

"You guys killed three of our people. You may be children, but I know I don't want my kids around you." A woman said glaring at me.

"We didn't kill anyone! Its these two you should be afraid of! I mean come on, you may not know it, but when you step out of these doors, you'll be face to face walkers that they let into the house. To tear us apart." I said. I mentally slapped myself. I just trapped us again.

"How do you know this?" A man said crossing his arms. Crap.

"They just dragged me here, in a hall full of walkers, what do you think I am? Stupid? Cause if you don't believe me, and you're not running to your kids' safety who are most likely in danger now, then they're the ones you should be worried about. Not about where we are, or how we may sneak out every now in that to just talk like normal people." I said glaring daggers at the man. He stared at me in disbelief and fear. I scoffed. He got up and ran out the doors. We heard yell for help, and everyone's faces went from confident to complete shock.

Half of the auditorium was screaming and running as the place filled with more than enough walkers to eat us all in one bite. In the middle of the chaos, I took the opportunity to kick Lizzie hard in the side and jump off the stage. I ran over to the others and turned my back to Carl.

"Untie me." I said quickly. He did his best to untie the ropes that were cutting into my wrists blood circulation. I untied the thick ropes off his wrists as well. Then I went left untying Chloë, Indie, and Hunter's ropes, while he untied Mika and Kai's. Soon we were all running to the back doors again and threw open a linen closet full of ammo and weapons. We all took a gun and a knife just in case. We ran back into the auditorium, some of the people who wanted us dead were dying, as the seven of us killed as many walkers as possible. Rick was busy getting the council weapons while we open fired. The auditorium was full of chaos and everyone was busy either running, screaming, shooting, stabbing, or all of the above. I was so busy I hadn't noticed a certain person leave my side.

"CARMEN!" A voice screamed loudly to my right. I turned just in time to see Lizzie trying to shut Carl up and she held a knife threateningly close to his face. His gun was about thirty yards away from where she was dragging him; too far. My head spun with fear and nerves as I ran closer to the door that Lizzie and a struggling Carl disappeared behind.

I ran through a dark hallway and into another room where a set of stairs going down led to a basement. I hated basements so much. I ran down the steps quickly hoping to reach him in time. When I got to the bottom step I stood there shocked that the basement was full of yet another batch of about forty walkers.

I searched around for a sign of Carl, even a sign of a dead Carl anywhere. Then I spotted an open door to a small dark room. I stabbed a few walkers trying to get past them all. Which was hard since all of them were trying to take a bite out of me.

I finally made it to the room to see Carl panting with his mouth open on the floor. An enormous gash bled across his forehead, losing too much blood. He was pale and was sitting a bit sleepily on the ground with eyes half closed. This confused me more than ever. There was no sign of Lizzie, yet there Carl was on the ground with a deadly looking gash on his forehead and he was fainting right on the spot. I dropped my gun and sat across from him on my knees.

"Carl, you have to stay awake okay? If you fall asleep...you could have a concussion...please, please stay awake. For now, okay? We're gonna get you out of here." I said. He stared straight on through me with the same half asleep look on his face. What did she do to him?

"Carl, please talk to me...you have to tell me what you're feeling." I said easily ripping off a piece of my cheap plaid fabric long-sleeved shirt and pressed it up on his gash to stop the bleeding a bit. I heard him stop breathing for a few seconds and then start panting again. His eyes closed completely and his body slumped forward unconsciously and his head landed in my lap with a small thump.

"P-please, please. Don't fall as-asleep. Please. Carl. Carl." I said, tears welling up in my eyes. I shook him lightly, then I shook him harder, but it was no use.

"I hope you get eaten alive, Lizzie! Wherever you are..." I yelled, the tears falling out of my eyes. Carl wasn't responding. I flipped him over so that his face was facing upwards on my lap so that he could breathe. I ran a hand through his hair and realized his breathing was becoming slower. I screamed and started cussing out Lizzie hoping she heard me, but knowing my chances were slim.

I couldn't carry him, and dragging him would just make things worse. I shook my head in disbelief as I cried out gasping for air. I leaned my head down on top of his and between sobs said,

"P-please. D-don't leave me. Don't leave me. Please. Don't. You can't" I kept my forehead on top of his head and sobbed.

"Carmen?" A girl's voice asked behind me. The voice was so quiet and unrecognizable that whoever it was, knew something was wrong. I didn't answer. The person sat beside me on her knees as well and I could see with my peripheral vision that she was observing me and Carl. I didn't look at her, or what she was doing. I just kept my eyes closed and my forehead on his head. I held his head in my hands as I let tears spill out of my eyes again.

"Carmen, its okay. Hey, he's still breathing. He's going to be okay. That gash is pretty messed up, but Maggie can fix it or something. I'm sure of it. We might need one of the those breathing supporter things too. He's breathing a little slowly. Carmen, hey? Stop crying please. Its gonna be alright. The walker break out is over and we're all here." The voice said putting a gentle hand on my back.

Then I realized it was Chloë talking to me and I knew by everybody, she meant the others. I finally realized that we were a group. and no matter what Lizzie or Carol did would tear us apart...that is if Carl lives through this. He was losing too much blood for comfort. Why was it always either me or him?

I felt hand on my shoulder.

"Dude, you kicked butt out there. It was pretty awesome, actually." Kai said letting go of my shoulder. I sighed and finally lifted my head. I didn't dare move Carl from my lap though, I was afraid it would do something wrong to him.

"Kid, you did do pretty awesome. We all did. Even the little kids." Indie said giving me a half-smile.

"We are not little kids!" Mika exclaimed angrily. I sniffled and rubbed my eye. I promised that I wouldn't let any of these guys see me cry.

"This is really embarrassing." I said with a hoarse voice.

"Why dude? you're boyfriends pretty much dying." Indie said shrugging. Mika elbowed Indie's side for saying that he was dying.

"Watch it twit." Indie said pointing her knife at her. Mika just rolled her eyes, knowing that Indie would never hurt her or any of us.

I knew Indie cared about Carl and about all of us like family. She just didn't like showing it. She especially had some feelings for Kai. It was too obvious to ignore. We heard a few gun shots go off in the basement and turned to see Rick, Michonne, and Elena standing in the doorway. I tried to wipe away all of the tears on my cheeks but I knew my eyes were too red to hide it. Rick walked over slowly. Don't go crazy, I begged him in my mind.

"W-what happened?" Rick asked shakily kneeling down beside his son and me. I felt myself stop breathing and I stared at Rick with out answering him. I started gasping for air again as I started to cry harder. Surprisingly, Rick just ordered Elena and Michonne to get the first aid kit and some other stuff, then he hugged me tightly. Everyone but Indie, me and Rick left.

Indie, occupied herself by throwing knives successful at the wall like she always did, while Rick finished killing the last of the walkers in the basement. I felt my feet and legs get numb from sitting on my knees too long. No one had even asked me to move his head from my lap. It was almost like they expected it which I found weird. Luckily, Carl's breathing hadn't stopped, but it was still shallow. I leaned my forehead gently on his head again and closed my eyes. I felt myself drift off into a deep, deep sleep as my world turned peacefully dark.