Chapter Seven: Don't Look Back

WARNING: I sadly don't own QAF or WD:(

AUTHOR'S NOTE: PLEASE READ: so I missed walking dead! What a great/sad way of starting off this show! I've been looking forward to writing these chapters and I hope I still have all my followers of this story!:) sit back, relax, and welcome back to The Walking Dead:)

"Talk"

'Thoughts'

Dreams

Chapter Seven: Don't Look Back

Daryl's POV:

Everyone was walking in silence, as everyone was still in shock, and Carl was walking a little more ahead of us. Rick was leaning on me for support and keeping an eye on Carl the whole time.

"Carl slow down." Rick tried to yell but it came out hoarse and pain filled. "Carl stop." he tried again his voice a little stronger and Carl stopped then.

"We have to stay together." he said and left my side to walk to Carl. He placed a hand on Carl's shoulder and turned him to look at him and all there was in Carl's eyes was anger and sadness. Rick let Carl go then and he took off ahead of us as I walked back to Rick's side and let him lean on me again.

I looked over at Brian and saw that he was just staring at Carl before before looking at us.

"Where should we go" he asked and I could here the dullness in his voice despite him acting tough. I shook my head at him and looked at Rick when he coughed some.

"I don't know Bri. Mich, catch up to him and don't let him get to far ahead." I told her and she nodded and jogged up to Carl. I sighed and looked back at Rick who looked ready to pass out. "Wherever we're going we need to get there soon. Rick needs to rest." I said and he nodded and walked up to Carl and Michonne.

"We-we need to get food and supplies." Rick said and I looked back at him.

"We will babe, we just need to find a place for you to rest." I told him and walked up to the others as we continued on.

We came across a Joe's barbecue place and stopped in front of it. "Carl keep watch, we'll clear it out." Rick said and Carl glared at him.

"You keep watch. You can barely stand, no way am I letting you go in there." he said and Rick got a hard look as did I.

"What did you say." Rick asked and Carl looked at him.

"We've done this before. I'm helping clear it out. Should let me just do it myself." he said and we all stared at him. He looked at all of us then back at the door and waited for it to be opened. I sighed and opened the door and we all charged in.

There was one walker that was trapped by chairs and tables piled on top of each other.

"I got him." Carl said and aimed his gun but Rick stopped him.

"No, he's weak. We'll lure him out." he said and grabbed a ax that was on a note asking someone to finish what he couldn't. Brian and I readied ourselves at the pile and yanked them apart when Rick gave the signal. He stabbed the walker in the head only he was to weak to do real damage and it was still going for him.

Carl then held up his gun and aimed for the walker. "Carl no!" Rick and the rest of us yelled but he fired any. The walker fell and we all looked at him.

"We said no." Rick said and Carl just starred at him. "Every bullet counts. We could've used that later." he said and walked into the kitchen to look for supplies as did the rest of us.

When we got back together we all had a few things of food and Carl had a good amount. He placed it in the bag and smirked at us.

"I win." he said and walked off. The four of us looked at each other before Brian picked up the bag and we all followed him out.

We walked for a few more hours before Rick called to Carl.

"Hey." he said but Carl kept walking.

"Carl stop right now." I said sternly and he stopped instantly.

We walked up to him and Rick nodded at a house. "Here's as good as any." he said and we walked up to it. Michonne broke the door open and we swarmed in guns and weapons ready.

We walked around looking for walkers and Carl went down a hallway by himself. "Carl stop." Rick said and Carl looked back at him but kept walking.

"It's ok, all the doors are open door here." he said.

"I said stop." Rick said sternly and Carl stopped and turned and glared at him.

"Hey asshole! Hey shit face! Hey asshole!" Carl kept repeating loudly while hitting the wall beside him hard.

"Watch your language!" Rick said and Carl just stared at him.

"Are you kidding me? If they were down there they'd have already come out." he said and walked upstairs leaving the rest of us alone. He came back at few minutes later with a cord and walked to the door. Rick was working on getting a couch pushed to the door while Carl was tying the cord to the door shut and he stopped and looked at Rick.

"It's a strong knot you don't have to do that." he said and Rick kept pushing the couch and I walked over to help as did Brian.

"Just to be extra safe." he said and Carl glared at him.

"It's a strong knot. Shane taught it to me, remember him?" Carl asked and I stood up real fast at that.

"That's enough Carl! You don't speak to him like that!" I said and Rick's hand stopped me as he still looked at Carl.

"Ya I remember him, everyday. You have something else to say to me?" Rick asked Carl and Carl moved out of the way and we got the couch at the door.

"Get some sleep." Rick said and Carl walked out of the room.

I sighed and helped Rick laying down on the couch and kissed him gently. "Get some rest, I'm right here if you need me." I told him and he nodded and fell asleep.

I looked over and saw that Michonne had fallen asleep on a chair and Brian had moved to the window and just looked outside. Carl came back with a mattress and laid down with his back to us and fell asleep. I sighed and stood up and walked over to Brian.

"How you holding up?" I asked and he sighed.

"Honestly, I feeling as if half of me was taken away. Everything we've known as safe for so long is gone and our family is split up." he said and I nodded and looked outside.

"Not to mention Justin now once again in James' hands." I said and instantly regretted it when Brian stiffened. "Sorry." I said and he shook his head.

"It's ok. He maybe the love of my life, but he's important to all of you as well. We'll get him back though, and I'll have James' life with him." he said in a growl and I smiled at him and patted his shoulder.

"Let's get some sleep." I said and he nodded and we both walked over and laid down on the floor by the couch.

Neither of us knew Carl was really listening to us.

Carl's POV:

The next morning I was the first one to wake and I turned and just looked at everyone. 'How can they act like everything's fine?' I asked myself and stood up to get the cereal bag we had found and just stared at dad who was sleeping on the couch. I shook my head and walked into the kitchen to pour my a bowl and began to eat. As I ate I looked back at were the others were and sighed before pouring them all a bowl for when they woke up. I walked upstairs with my bowl and read a book that I had found for a little while.

After a while I got bored and walked back down stairs to if anyone was awake. No one was and I looked back at dad and got the feeling that something was wrong. I walked over to him and just stared. "Dad?" I said and he didn't move. I nudged him a little but he didn't move. I knelt down and began to shake him harder. "Wake up!" I yelled and repeated it as I shook him more and more.

My yells must have woken the others because the next thing I knew I was being pushed to Brian and Daryl was taking my place on the couch.

"Rick? Rick baby open your eyes." Daryl begged and shook him a little yet he did nothing. Daryl checked his pulse and sighed in relief. "He's alive, I think his wounds just caught up with him is all." he said and everyone, besides me, sighed in relief.

I gently pulled from Brian's arms and everyone jumped a little when banging and growling came from the front door. Before anyone could move I was heading for the back door.

"I'll get them." I said quietly and Brian's hands on my shoulder stopped me.

"I'll go with you." he said and I turned and glared at him.

"I got it, just let me do this alone." I said and yanked away from him and walked out the door ignoring the others calling me.

I walked outside and quietly walked around the house while looking to see if there were more. When I got to the front door I saw that only two were there and no others were around which was good. I smirked and walked up behind them then checked one last time that no other walkers were around then turned back to them.

"Hey you!" I yelled and they turned to me growling. "Fresh meat, come this way." I said and backed up as they came to me. "That's it, come on, this way, just keep looking at me." I kept saying as I backed up more from the house with them following me. I eventually got far enough from the house and turned a corner only to find a third walker coming at me.

Freaked at this point I looked between them all and began to shoot them. One came at me and I shot its head just as it went to bite me and it fell on top of me. The next one came up and I was able to shoot it a little easier only it fell on me as well. The third was harder to kill but I was able to and it too fell on top of me.

Once they were all dead I laid there for a moment trying to catch my breath then I slowly pulled myself out from under them. Once I was free I stood up then threw up what little I had in my stomach then walked back to the walkers.

"I win." I said then walked back to the house.

When I got back I noticed that no one was around and my dad was still laying on the couch with no sign of waking up soon. "I killed two walkers, they were at the door." I told him and glared. "I still know how to survive. I didn't forget while you had us playing farmer. You just froze." I told him and moved to stand beside him. "I don't need you. I don't need you to protect me anymore. You probably couldn't have anyway! You couldn't protect anyone! You couldn't protect..." I stopped and took a breath to keep the tears at bay then looked back at him. "Glenn, Maggie, Em, Linds, Mel... Or Justin." I yelled at him. "All you wanted to do is plant vegetables. You wanted to hide. You knew they knew where we were and you didn't care! You just hid behind those fences and..." Once again I had to pause to to calm down.

"They're all gone now, because of you! They counted on you, you were their leader!" I yelled and stared at him before sitting down on the floor and leaned against the couch with my legs pulled to me. "And now you're nothing." I said then started to cry. I whipped the tears away and stood up and emptied our bag and looked at him. "I'd be fine if you died." I said then turned to leave only to see the others starring at me.

I just starred at them for a moment before pushing past them and out the door. Not really caring if I got followed or not.

Brian's POV:

"He's so grounded when he gets back!" Daryl yelled and I chuckled a little and looked at him.

"I think he just needed to let off some steam is all. We all keep forgetting he's still a kid, this whole thing's affected him differently than it did for us. He knows this wasn't Rick's fault. The prison taken and the family divided to God knows where and Justin going throw God knows what right now, none of it's his fault." I said and Daryl sighed but nodded and looked at me.

"You know, I thought we'd lose you within yourself again after this." he said and I smirked a little at that and looked at Rick.

"Apart of me wants to, but I know that won't be good right now and of no help. I just keep thinking of seeing everyone, seeing him, again and it helps me move forward." I said and Daryl patted my shoulder.

"We'll see everyone again. I know we will." he said and I smiled at him and nodded.

"You go to Rick, I'll go bring Carl back." I said and Daryl looked ready to argue but I stopped him. "Carl's not going to listen to you right now because you're his other father. Right now he needs someone else, like an uncle." I said smirking and he laughed.

"Alright, but you both come back safely." he said and I nodded and made to follow Carl.

Carl's POV:

I was sitting on a roof eating 120 oz of pudding after just escaping a walker who was currently trying to reach me from the barely opened window.

I looked toward the house we were staying at and saw Brian walking to me. I sighed and looked away though I knew he was walking up closer to me.

"What are you doing up there?" he asked and I looked at him and held the pudding can up and he laughed. "Can I come up?" he asked and I looked at him before nodding and pointing at the window he could use safely. Not long after that was Brian sitting down beside me holding a spoon and got himself a spoonful of pudding.

"I like pudding." he said and I laughed a little at that before looking back out at the trees. "Mind telling me why you just went off on your very injured dad?" he asked and I sighed.

"Are you asking me, or just making seem like a question?" I asked and his arm went around my shoulders.

"You tell me." he said and I looked at him then sighed yet again.

"I went off because I'm angry. I'm angry our home got taken, angry our family is split up for the first time, and I hate knowing Justin's in more danger than any of us. I'm angry at the Governor and James for causing this, and I guess I'm angry at dad. Angry that he didn't see any of this coming." I said and looked down. Brian grabbed my chin to make me look at him and I saw him smiling softly.

"First off, Justin, along with all the others, will be alright and I know all of us will find each other again. I don't when or how, but we will and each of us stronger than ever. Second off, don't blame Rick for this. He didn't know this would happen, none of us did. He loves you and wants to keep you safe. We all love you Carl, but you've turned into a brat lately and I know Justin wouldn't you acting this way. He loved Rick as a father and you a little brother. Don't shut us out Carl, I know what it's like and it'll slowly kill you if you don't come back. You have Rick and Daryl here, and they love you. You also have me and Mich who love you too." he said and I stared at him in shock before leaning into him and he held me closer.

"It's ok to be angry, we all are, but be angry for the right things." he said and I nodded and just stayed in his protective hold.

We stayed like that for a while before I sifted and looked back at the trees. "Do you think Justin's ok?" I asked and Brian stiffened before relaxing and sighing.

"I don't think, I know. James won't let him die, not while he still needs him." he said and I nodded and felt tears at the thought of my brother. He, if I were honest with myself, is what's what really got me angry and hurt. I know the others can fend for themselves and so can Justin, but not how he was before this. I just want him here, he'd know what to do, he'd be able to help me.

"Let's get back to your fathers, I'm sure they're worried by now." he said and I nodded and let him help me up and out of the house back to our family.

LATER THAT NIGHT

Carl's POV:

Later that night the others went to find more food while I stayed and watched dad. I guess I had fallen asleep at some point because I was woken up by something, though I don't know what. I looked to dad and realized he was the cause. His hand moved some and I jumped away and got my gun out as he started to move more then moan. I started to cry as I watched him fall to the floor and crawl to me while groaning. His hand landed on my foot and I dropped my gun and turned my head from him and cried harder.

"I can't, I just can't." I said and cried harder when he leaned up. I expected a bite but I was shocked with something else.

"C-Carl, stay inside, stay safe." dad rasped out before falling onto his back and I crawled right to him and placed his head on my knees and cried. Dad's breathing was labored but he was alive and that's what I cared about.

"I'm scared." I admitted and put my head on his. "I'm scared." I repeated and cried holding my dad.

A little while later dad woke up and I helped him to the couch. "That was brave of you to go and get food for us." he said and I smiled at him.

"I did find more, but I ate it." I said and he looked at me.

"And what was it?" he asked and I laughed and looked at him.

"120 oz of pudding." I said and he chuckled. I felt his hand on my shoulder and I turned to see him looking at me with fondness, pride, and love.

"You've become a man right before me." he said and I smiled brightly at his compliment. We sat there for a while in comfortable silence when we heard the others come back.

"Rick!" they all yelled happily and pop came running to him and knelt right in front of dad and held his face in his hands.

"Thank God you're ok!" he said and dad smiled at him.

"I'm not easily defeated." he said and pop laughed and leaned up and kissed on every inch of his face.

I smiled at them then looked at Brian and Michonne and smiled at them as well.

'Maybe there really is hope.'

And that's it!:) WD is officially back people!:) hope you guys liked this chapter and still like the story:) I'll see you next Sunday and in the mean time I'm getting me some chocolate pudding:)