The World We Live In

by narutokid16

The prison has fallen and the former inhabitants scatter to the wind. Carl Grimes is on his own, tired, and exhausted. Where are the others? Who survived? Who died? And who is this weirdo pointing a knife at Carl's throat? Read on to find out. Last chapter is up you guys! I hope you enjoy.

11. The World We Live In

Chapter Eleven: The World We Live In

Carl POV

"We're back!"

"Hey you two, how as your run?" Tay's mother greeted us.

"Great, not much trouble aside from a couple of walkers. Tay took care of them for me."

"Find anything good?"

"Not much, just a couple of cans of God knows what, a gun, and this." Tay produced a full bottle of Kentucky Bourbon and a half full bottle of Bacardi rum. "I know momma likes her rum." He handed his mother the bottle. "Happy birthday."

She rolled her eyes at him. "It's June, but thank you." She hugged him tightly before going to put the bottle away.

I moved to go drop off our finds but Tay pulled me in the direction of the stairs. "What are you doi-" He cut me off with a passionate kiss, letting his hands drift to my hips before he pulled me flush against his body. "Where did that come from?"

"Just a preview of what's to come in a couple of hours. Once the sun sets, you're all mine." He pressed our foreheads together, smiling devilishly at me.

"You got something special planned for me tonight?"

"Maybe. You'll have to wait and see. We finally get to polish off that heating lube you have."

I kissed him happily. "Can't wait. Until then, we finish our chores, and eat."

"Alright, I'll need the energy for later." He smiled cheekily at me before kissing me once more and walking off towards the storeroom.

Brittany and Camille approached me shortly after Tay left. "Sooooo." Brittany began.

"You two got plans for tonight, do ya?" Camille asked.

I turned away from them with a small smile on my face. "Maybe."

"He's finally gonna fuck you good, isn't he?"

"Brittany!" Camille scolded.

"What? You know you were thinking it too."

"Yeah, but I wasn't going to outright ask him that!"

"It's okay, Camille. I think he's finally gonna go all the way with me."

"It's about time." Brittany chuckled as she folded her arms.

"What's it been? Almost a year?" Camille asked happily.

"Yeah…hard to believe it's been a year since I met that lunatic. This is also the same month he left me."

"Hey, don't focus on that, you're finally going to lose your virginity tonight." Camille said reassuringly.

"I know…I'm nervous though. I mean, we've been working me up to it but it's still…"

"Nerve-wracking?" Camille finished.

"Yes. I mean we've been working up to it for a while now and it's kind of long overdue but it's still my first time."

"You'll be fine." Brittany stated flatly.

"For sure, you trust him, don't you?" Camille asked.

"With all my heart."

"Then you should be fine, Tay knows what he's doing." Camille smiled as she patted my shoulder.

They turned to leave, giggling a tiny bit. "Have fun." They both called over their shoulders.

"What was that all about?" Tay asked as he came back over to me.

"Your friends are weird."

"Our friends."

"Fine, our friends are weird."

"That they are."

We had just put everything away after dinner and I was leading Tay to the stairs by his hand. As soon as we began to ascend the stairs when his mother called out to him. "Hey, Asante'."

"Yeah, mom?"

"I need you to help me move a few things before you call it a night?"

Tay looked at our interlaced hands then back at his mom. "Can it wait?"

"It will be quick, the quicker you help the quicker you can go to bed."

Tay sighed heavily before peering up at me with his signature puppy-dog eyes. "Carl?"

I chuckled a bit. "Go ahead."

He quickly kissed me before following his mother to wherever she needed him. I trudged up the stairs and after entering our room, I set about getting myself, as well as the room, ready for what was about to transpire. I tidied up the bed, lit a few candles, and made sure everything was perfect before turning to look at myself in the mirror.

Suddenly I felt incredibly self-conscious. I stripped off my shirts, looking myself over, I found faults in every curve, every dip, every groove in my body. I was still slim but I had more muscle tone layered on top of my skinny figure. I was average for a soon to be 19-year-old, 5.5 inches fully erect, a slightly toned butt from running and training, my abs were showing a bit, and my arms were a bit more built than they were a year ago.

I knew Tay had seen me at my most vulnerable and at my worst before but this felt different. I turned to look more at my back, mood deteriorating even more as I caught sight of the scar running across my skin. I remembered how Tay kissed it every morning when he woke up and every night before he slept, keeping the promise he made to me. I felt a surge of confidence and after shedding all my clothes, I donned his favorite backless red and black underwear. He loved seeing me in them and I knew the mere thought of me sauntering around in them drove him mad. I knew they'd stay on mefor all of 2 seconds once he saw me but I wanted to look good for him.

I put on my over shirt before trying my best to look sexy on the bed. I settled into a mildly comfortable position right before he entered our room. He had his back to me as he stripped off his shoulder holster.

"Sorry for the wait, mom had to talk to me about something while she showed me a new way of caring for the fish and crabs we caught. It honestly could have waited until tomorrow; it was so dark I could barely see anything."

"Tay."

He finally turned around and saw me, the look on his face sort of confused me. "Babe, what are you doing?"

"Trying to be sexy…"

He dropped his shirt in the corner before striding over to me. "You look uncomfortable."

"Kinda am."

He laughed softly, before gesturing for me to move my feet. He sat on the bed and gently caressed my leg. "Just be you. You don't have to try harder just because tonight is special."

I shyly pulled my knees up to my chest before smiling up at him. "That's a bit of a relief." My eyes began to roam over his body, starting at his dark brown eyes before moving to his torso, finally lingering at his tattoos. His hand continued up my shin towards my knee; he bit his lip as his gaze traveled up my body.

"You look amazing…I see you wore that underwear I like."

"Tonight is kind of a special night." I heard him kick off his boots before sliding onto the bed, he parted my legs with his hands before hovering above me. He pressed his forehead against mine as he smiled down at me. Something as simple as this had calmed my nerves from earlier, I felt much more sure and confident.

"I want you."

"You have me." He leaned down, softly pressing his lips to mine. I pulled away slightly. "Wait."

"What's wrong?"

I grabbed his phone and hit play on the playlist he'd made some time ago. "I wanted to set the mood."

His face lit up when the music started. "John Legend over the speakers? Carl Grimes you are one smooth fucker." He winked at me. "In more ways than one."

I laughed nervously. "I haven't heard this song before. I just pressed play."

"It's the perfect song for tonight."

The smooth sound of the singer's voice hung in the air as Tay kissed his way down my face, starting with my cheek, moving to my lips, then taking his time at my jaw line.

"Ah…Tay."

He got to my neck, gently sucking and biting my skin while pulling me closer to him. His hand ran from my hip, up the length of my thigh, then back again. I instinctively bent my leg, surrendering the last bit of myself to his touch. He kissed his way down my chest at an agonizingly slow pace, eventually he reached my underwear, wasting no time in yanking them off me, leaving me completely exposed. He paused, hovering above me before closing the distance between us and kissing me with more passion than I knew dwelled inside of him.

He pulled away from me, looking deeply into my eyes before smiling. "I missed this, I missed seeing you like this, I missed your raw, untamed beauty. I missed…you."

All I could focus on was the gentle music wafting out of the phone's speaker and how well it complimented the moment I was sure to treasure for the rest of my life. 'Tonight, believe that I'll be the best you've ever had.' That line was seared onto my heart, a permanent reminder that the guy currently leaving dark hickies all over my neck was, indeed, the best I'd ever had.

"Prop your legs up." He commanded in a husky tone, sending chills throughout my body.

I obeyed, feeling a bit embarrassed until I felt his tongue circling my exposed hole. "Tay," I gasped "are you sure?"

He answered by gently prodding his tongue past the tight ring of muscle before him. I felt my breath catch in my throat. I didn't hurt like the first few times which made me think I was finally getting used to the feeling. He started pushing in deeper and I couldn't help but grip the sheets tightly, I couldn't believe how great this felt. I was so reluctant the initially when Tay offered but after he showed me how to clean up properly and started going to town on me, I was kind of hooked.

He spread my cheeks a bit wider as he buried his face further into me; I could feel his tongue sliding around inside me, it was difficult to resist moaning but one sharp flick of his tongue made me lose it. I swear I felt him smirk, knowing he had the signature smug look on his face made me want to berate him but a firm slap on the ass distracted me.

"Tay!"

He pulled out of me with that smug smile spread across his face. "You know you like it."

"I-I do not!"

"That's not what you said in your sleep."

"What?!"

His hand trailed up my thigh, stopping at my crotch. He squeezed and fondled my aching hard-on as he smiled sadistically at me. "I know you love it when I slap you on the ass, Carl. I know how it gives you an instant erection. You think I don't see the face you make when I do it then leave you hanging." His grip tightened a bit and he stroked me a bit faster. "I know you love it. You love the way the stinging sensation send bolts of pleasure and pain throughout your body before they pool in your groin."

"Fuck." I groaned. I knew he was right, the first time he did it, it was just to say I'd done well during training and he sort of ran with it as a show of affection. I had never explicitly told him that I liked it so hearing that he'd figured it out was a shock.

"I also know that you wanted me to fuck you slow and deep. You don't want to be pounded into, no, no, no, you, my dear Carl, want slow and sensual. Lucky for you," he leaned in next to my ear "that is my area of expertise."

I had never been more turned on in my life. I felt my heart thudding in my chest, I felt my body heat up, every move he made was amplified to extraordinary levels. "Tay."

"Hmm?"

"Now."

"As you wish." I handed him the lube I had stashed under the pillow, watching as he squirted some onto his fingers and spreading some around my ass. "Ready?" I nodded and he slowly pushed two fingers inside of me. Surprisingly enough they went it relatively easily. "You're really turned on so it helps."

"It feels good. I wasn't sure about it the few times I tried but you make it feel so good." I felt him prod my prostate and my body involuntarily lurched forward.

"I'm adding another one." He added more lube before sliding another finger inside me. It hurt a bit but I quickly got used to the feeling. His fingers kept prodding me in all the right places as he leaned down to kiss me, at this point I was barely keeping it together. With every small movement of his nimble digits, I let out a soft moan. I arched my back higher off the bed, gently pressing into him. I was craving more. I didn't think that my first time would start off like this.

I pulled away to catch my breath. "Tay…am I ready yet?"

He pumped his fingers in and out of me a few more times before pulling them out completely. "Indeed you are. Why? Having trouble waiting?" He reached for my still throbbing erection and slowly began stroking me.

"Fuck, please just do it already."

I felt his lips hovering just above my neck, the warmth from his mouth wafted over my lightly bruised skin. "Say it. Say it. Pretty, pretty, pretty-"

"Please…" I mewled.

"God, you're just so…good." He placed a kiss on my neck before standing up and finally dropping his pants and underwear. My eyes never left that toned, caramel figure that I loved almost as much as the mind and personality that dwelled within it.

He knelt between my legs looking me over once he did. Applying a generous amount of lube to his cock, he leaned forward, doing his best to align himself with my entrance. His face twisted up slightly and I thought something was wrong but he roughly dragged me closer by hooking his hands around my hips.

"Ready?" I hesitated a bit before nodding. "Are you sure? We can stop at any time."

"I don't want to! I'm just…it's a big step. You can only do this once."

"Well…if it makes you feel better…I'm a virgin too."

"What? Babe, you never told me that."

He simply shrugged. "I was embarrassed. You told me how good I was at pleasing you so I didn't think it'd matter or ever be an issue. You never complained so…"

"I wouldn't have cared. This makes me feel a lot better. We're in the same boat."

"I'm glad you're my first…you still want to keep going, right?"

"Of course."

"Okay, I'm moving now." I felt him slowly press his hips forward, as he did, the head of his cock passed the loosened ring of muscle. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, keep going."

"I'm letting you get adjusted first."

"Okay." For a moment, he didn't move, he just stayed there peering into my eyes.

"I'm going to go further, just say when." He started to press deeper inside me, yes there was an occasional twinge of pain but the heat from lube was kicking in and distracting me. Soon he was fully sheathed inside me, I'd never felt so full before, it was a good feeling. "How do you feel?"

"Good. Really good. I think you can start moving now." He nodded before drawing his hips back. "I said you could move, not pull ou-" Suddenly he snapped his hips forward, pressing all the way inside me once again. I didn't even try to stifle the loud moan that found its way out of me.

He slowly pumped in and out of me, allowing me to adjust to the feeling as well as teasing me. I desperately wanted him to go faster but I was enjoying this way too much to rush through it. He gently flipped me onto my side, keeping my left leg straight in the air as he pumped a bit deeper. Clutching the pillow under me, I tried to stifle the moans bubbling out of me, to no avail.

"Don't be so quiet. The music will cover most of the sounds you're making. Let me hear you." He snapped his hips forward again. "Nice and loud for me." Again. He snapped his hips forward, this time hitting my sweet spot. A loud, drawn out moan passed my lips. "There we go."

The pacing of his thrusts increased a bit, as did his precision. The sensitive bundle of nerves inside me was being worked just right. I felt his fingers gently navigate their way through my hair and massage my scalp. Every move he made was amped up 1000 percent at this point, felt everything more intensely and it was more than I'd ever imagined.

"Am I being too rough?"

I shook my head vigorously. I knew he didn't want to trudge up any painful memories but I did want him to grip me a bit harder in certain places. "Grip my hips like you did before. I liked that." I felt myself being spun once more until I was on my hands and knees before his hands firmly grasped my hips.

"Keep your back arched." I did as he instructed and began reaching for my dick but I felt his hand lightly grip mine and place it in front of me. As he stretched to move my hand, he slid deeper into me. "Ah, ah, ah. No touchy." He released me and went back to steadily thrusting into me. With every thrust he grated against my prostate.

I let my face rest on the pillow beneath me as he continued pistoning in and out of me, essentially offering him my body as his personal play thing. No objections were made on my end though, the grip he had on me and the angle of his thrusts combined with the soft groans of pleasure lingering in the air made this just as enjoyable for me.

I felt a pressure building inside me and I knew I was getting closer to climaxing. "Tay…"

"I know."

"Flip me over. I want to see your face." He let me flip onto my back, lacing our fingers together once I was comfortable. I stared into his eyes as he resumed rocking back and forth. "Faster." He obeyed my request, picking up the pace a bit but it wasn't enough. "Faster, please." Sharper and quicker thrusts of his hips began to rock my body as well as the bed, I felt my orgasm building, my body was growing hotter and hotter and with one final thrust against my prostate, I felt myself cum.

The warm liquid shot all over my chest and stomach, almost reaching my neck. I felt my breathing become labored as the euphoric feeling of such an intense orgasm washed over me. Unfortunately, I had no time to recover, as my loving boyfriend decided to keep going, hitting that special bundle of nerves with every thrust. "Tay, fuck, slow down."

"I'm almost there babe, just hold on a little while longer." He sped up a bit more and I did my best to be a good boyfriend and take it but the pleasure was almost overwhelming; I was shaking, my body felt like it was electrified. "I'm gonna cum." He tried to pull out but I locked my legs around him. Before he could protest, I felt him cum inside me, moaning as he finally found his release. "I…I didn't want you to have to empty yourself out." He said through staggered breaths.

"It's okay." I reached up, running the back of my fingers along his cheek.

"How are you feeling? Did I do okay? I didn't hurt you, did I?"

I silenced him with a brief kiss before chuckling a bit. "You were a perfect gentleman. You did great. I'm fine."

He breathed a sigh of relief. "Good. I wasn't sure about how capable I would be. Everyone picture me as a bottom but I always wanted to at least try topping."

"You did a phenomenal job. It feels a lot better than your fingers. It hurt a tiny bit but I'm glad you made sure I was okay."

"Of course. It was our first time. I gotta do it right because I don't get another shot at it."

"If I wasn't so tired I'd want to go again."

He nuzzled my neck, tickling me a bit. "I'm still feeling frisky. We could take a breather and let you recharge before round two." He purred seductively.

"Maybe after a bit of rest but as of right now, I'm spent."

"Hey…umm…Carl?"

"Hmm?"

"I don't want to make a mess of the bed so could you…"

I looked down and realized Tay was still balls deep inside me. I kind of guessed what he wanted me to do so I locked my legs around his waist, letting him hoist me up until he could put a towel down. He placed me on top of it before pulling out. He was still hard as a rock and ready for more, I, on the other hand, was still recovering.

He unlocked his phone and stopped the music from playing before sliding in next to me. "I love you."

"Are you saying that just because you finally got to sleep with me?" I joked.

"Totally." We laughed a bit before settling into an easy silence. A thought that I hadn't had in a while crossed my mind, immediately flipping my jovial mood on its head. "What's wrong?"

"I meant to ask you something after…after your father died."

I saw his expression darken a bit. "What is it?"

"How are you feeling? We didn't really talk about it."

I turned to face him and saw that his blank, expressionless face had a single tear streaming down it. "Nothing to talk about. He's dead. It happens."

"Babe. Talk to me."

"Like I said, there's nothing to talk about. He did something right when he died but that's it."

"I know he wasn't the best father in the world but he was trying from the time we got here, up until he died."

"He's dead now. It doesn't matter." He stared up at the ceiling, tears still silently streaming down his face. "He was a shitty father who tried to make up for lost time and did a shitty job at it."

"Tay…"

"I mean he broke me physically and emotionally then he tried to be all buddy-buddy with me after I saved mom. He disowned my brother when he came out, he put down the framework for the trust issues I have, he broke me so many times, then he up and dies on me. H-he just goes off and dies on me right as we were…"

"As you were what?"

"Forget it!" He swung his legs over the side of the bed and tried to get up but I grabbed his wrist. I felt him shaking as his fist clenched tighter.

"Keep. Talking."

"I WAS STARTING TO FORGIVE HIM AND HE JUST UP AND DIES ON ME! EVEN IN DEATH HE MANAGES TO DISAPPOINT ME ONCE AGAIN!"

An uneasy tension hung in the air; I waited for him to speak again but he just slowly sat down on the bed. He sniffled every so often but didn't say a word for a while. I moved to wrap him in a hug, resting my chin on his shoulder. He eventually settled down enough to speak again, his last few tears dropping onto his hands.

"I was just starting to trust him again."

"I know…and I'm sorry that things ended the way they did for him. However, he did die saving us. He died doing something that was selfless, it doesn't overshadow his past actions but it says a lot about him in the end. He did love you, he cared for you. I am so proud that you began to forgive him and that you decided to talk to me about it."

"He just…died on me, Carl. We were heading down the right path and now he's just gone."

"I know…try and remember some of the good things that you shared, I know there weren't many but there were some." Silence overtook the room once again but I knew we weren't done with this topic just yet. "Tay."

"Hmm?"

"I never told you about my dad…"

"I know…I didn't want to push the issue. It seemed like it was a very sensitive subject so I never brought it up."

"I wanted to tell you ages ago but we were already dealing with so much that it would have been disastrous."

"Are you going to tell me now?"

"If you'll listen."

He turned to face me, clasping one of my hands in his. "Of course I will." We got into comfortable positions before I began to steady myself and collect my thoughts.

"Okay…you know that you found me alone, I wasn't with anyone or anything." He nodded silently. "I hadn't been alone that long, it had been about a month. After the prison fell…my dad and I got as far as we could before his body started to give out. We barely had any supplies because in the rush to escape, we didn't have time to grab our bags."

"Go on."

"We found a house and no sooner did we secure it did my dad pass out on the sofa. He was like that for days. He didn't move, eat, or drink. Naturally I was worried about him and I did my best to care for him but I had to do so with what I found nearby, which wasn't much." I paused, taking in a shaky breath.

"What happened next?"

"Well…after almost two weeks of no movement he finally moved…but it wasn't dad anymore. He had turned."

"Carl…I'm sorry…"

"At first I couldn't accept what had happened. I refused to believe that this had happened again. I shoved him away, yelling at him to stop messing around but after he almost knocked me to the ground, I knew I had to kill him…I managed to grab his revolver and put a bullet in his head. I…I buried him in the backyard of the house and I left after that. I couldn't stay there."

I felt his hand tighten around mine, it offered me a bit of comfort. "I'm so sorry…"

"After about a week of walking, no sleep and barely any food, my mind started playing tricks on me; I was starting to see things and I felt like all encounters with walkers was too strenuous so I avoided conflict. One day, I was trudging through the forest and saw a baby carrier, like the one we put my little sister in. I thought it was just coincidence and pressed forward…after less than 200 yards I saw a walker eating something."

"No…Carl, please don't tell me…" I simply shut my eyes, confirming his fears. My sister, Judith, was saved by someone from the prison…but she didn't make it. I felt him pull me into a hug as tears began streaming down my face.

"She wasn't even a year old, she was born into this god forsaken world and didn't even get a shot to live her life! My dad was a good man, he was hard-ass sometimes but I know he loved his family. He did all he could to protect us…He taught me everything I know…and I had to kill him. I don't have any family left, I'm all alone."

"LIAR!" Tay shouted. He climbed on top of me, gripping my shoulders while he stared down at me. "You have me, my mom, Brittany, Camille, and Michonne. We consider you family; we love you so much and we are here for you. You are not alone and you never will be. Don't…don't disregard us like that…it hurts. I fight every single day for you guys, not for myself. I have accepted the fact that I could be killed at any second but if I died protecting you guys, I could die happily."

"But-"

"No 'buts' damn it! You. Have. Us. You have me…That's all that matters." His intense stare began to bore into my soul, breaking down all my walls in an instant and seeing the real me, the Carl that only my mom and dad ever saw. "Okay? Please…just trust us…trust me."

I saw tears welling up in his eyes and the gravity of how my words made him feel didn't set in until I felt one of his tears land on my cheek. Remorse pooled in my gut, I didn't mean to make him feel like I didn't have his support. I shifted my gaze away from him, feeling even worse than when I began speaking.

"Look at me."

"I can't."

"Yes, you can. Look at me, Carl."

I hesitantly looked up at him and as my eyes refocused on him, I saw him smiling. "Why are you smiling?"

"Because you make me so happy. I know that there's nothing I can do to take away the pain of losing your biological family but you have us, you have your life, and you promised to keep living and fighting for them; you promised to keep their legacy alive. Do just that, and let the people in your life help you." He pressed his forehead to mine, letting his gaze shift for a second. "Okay?"

I nodded hurriedly before wrapping my arms around him. "I'm sorry…I didn't-"

I felt him shake his head next to mine. "Don't apologize for how you felt or what you said. It's okay." We laid there for a while, just holding each other.

"Tay…"

"Yes?"

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

The next morning, rays from the sun paired with the sound of crashing waves eased me out of my uneasy slumber. I slowly sat up, looking over at the still sleeping body draped over me. We fell asleep together after our talk and I felt more tired than ever. I rubbed my eyes free of sleep before feeling the lightly dried areas on my cheeks, indicative of a crying fit. Memories of what was said flooded back to me with vivid clarity and I almost felt like crying again.

Once again my gaze drifted towards the man sleeping next to me but this time I recalled the words he engrained onto my heart. I heard a knock on our door before it slowly opened. "You two decent?" Brittany asked.

I gave Tay and myself a once over, making sure nothing explicit was visible. "Yeah, what's up?"

She slid into the room and closed the door behind her. "Wow, it smells like sex in here." I blushed lightly before looking down at Tay, then back up at Brittany. Her lips curled into a cat like smile. "Ohhhhhh. Was it good?"

"It was amazing."

"We'll talk later about that; I want you to spill all the tea. Anyway, his mom needs us to go on a run."

"Who is 'us' exactly?"

"Me, you, Camille, and sleeping beauty over there."

"Must be a big job if she's asking four people to go."

"We're going to be gone for a couple of days, so gear up for a decently long trip. Camille's already in the armory stocking up and I was going to head over to the pantry to grab some food."

"Alright, we'll be down in a bit." Brittany nodded before exiting the room. I gently kissed Tay's temple before shaking him awake. "Rise and shine. We got work to do."

He groaned before latching onto me, pulling me down onto the bed. "The only thing I have to do is you."

"As much as I'd love to go for another round, we've got to get a move on."

His grip tightened a bit. "A quickie?"

"Babe."

"I'll go down on you."

"Babe."

"You know you want to."

"Of course I do, but we gotta get moving. This is a two-day expedition."

He lightly pushed me down onto the bed, looming over me with his hair dangling down beside his face. The rays of the sun reflected off his caramel skin giving him a gentle glow. I pulled him down by the back of his head, smiling into the tender kiss we shared. I felt him cup my cheek and gently trail his fingers through my hair.

His free hand slowly trailed down my body, causing me gasp a bit. He moved his lips to my neck, beginning to work on leaving a hickey. I moaned his name, trying to tell him that we needed to get ready but it came out less stern than I wanted. He simply chuckled and continued caressing my lower body. I felt him pressing his dick against my thigh, I really did want to fool around but if this run we were going on would take four people and two days it must be important.

"Tay…please."

"I like it when you beg."

"No it's, ah fuck, not that. We-we need to get dressed."

"Let me just finish giving you this hickey."

"Fuck." He was making sure this one stood out more than the others from last night. "Okay. Make it qui- shit." He was giving this one his all. After what seemed like a bliss filled eternity, he pulled away.

"Man that one is dark. It was a struggled to find a clear spot on your neck." He pecked me on the lips a few times before rolling off me. Looking back at me over his shoulder, I saw his signature smile permeating the warm rays forming a thin wall between us. "You okay?"

I slowly got up, shakily making my way over to the drawers our clothes were in. "Yeah, just…you do great things with that mouth of yours, babe." I slipped on some underwear and a pair of jeans before grabbing a shirt. Tay walked up behind me and placed a gentle kiss on my back. I smiled, knowing exactly what he was doing.

He proceeded to get dressed as well, throwing on underwear, his black cargo pants, black combat boots, the shirt he was wearing when we first met, he finished off his ensemble by slipping on thigh and shoulder holsters. I saw that his shoulder holster had a knife sheath on the left side.

"Is that the new one?" I asked while putting on my gun belt.

"Indeed it is."

I turned to face him, adjusting the straps so it sat more comfortably on his shoulders. "Looks good on you."

"Thanks." He said smiling at me. He picked up my hat from its spot on the desk, gently placing it atop my head. "Shall we go?"

"We shall."

We holstered our weapons before heading downstairs. Camille was standing, clipboard in hand, beside a table littered with guns. Brittany was seated next to Michonne eating breakfast. Tay's mom was preparing what we assumed were plates of food for us.

"Good morning you two, I'm sure Brittany told you that you needed to go on a run for a couple of days." She handed us our plates before continuing. "While I was out with Michonne a couple of days ago, we noticed some shady people in the area. We kept an eye on them for a while but eventually decided we should head back here before getting caught. So, what I need you four to do is see if you can find them and tail them, see if they're hostiles or potential allies."

"Understood. But why is this trip going to take two days?" Tay asked her.

"I'm giving you all time to find them, track them, and potentially make a deal with them. If, after two days you've failed to find them, have lost them and failed to find them again, or failed to make a deal, you return here and we go from there." She replied.

"Got it. Guys, we move out in 30, make sure everything is packed."

Tay got up, clearly finished with his food, and headed towards the table Camille was standing at. I leaned over towards Brittany, a smile plastered on my face. "I love it when he takes charge like that."

She choked on her food a little bit before looking over at me. "Carl!" I simply winked at her before setting down my plate and going to load up the car.

Tay POV

"This is the spot, your mom marked it off on the map for us." Carl said, pointing at the map in his lap.

I pulled the car into a secluded spot before killing the engine. "Alright, we're on foot from here. We all know our roles; we all have our weapons. We stay quiet, stay hidden, and most of all, we stay safe."

Carl nodded affirmatively. "Understood."

"Roger that." Camille said.

"Yeah, yeah." Brittany groaned out as she exited the car.

"Brittany, you take care of her."

"Always."

"Camille, stay hidden. We're counting on your skills as a sniper."

"But no, pressure." Carl added.

"You guys can count on me." The pair headed off towards the trees, scouting potential spots to hide.

"Carl, you got me?"

He leaned in and pecked me cheek. "I got you."

"Let's get moving then."

We headed through the trees towards the tree line. We emerged from the forest onto a large grassy plain. We could see for miles from where we were standing; the plain we were on slopped into a valley with a dirt road running through it. There was a pair of buildings along the road but that was it.

"Wow. It's beautiful."

"Yeah, it is." We cast our gaze out onto the horizon, taking in the sights and enjoying the peace that rarely seemed to find us.

"Hey, what's that?" Carl gestured towards a hooded figure clad in red and black bounding out of the trees, followed by at least eight walkers. "They're in trouble."

"Let's go." We slid down the hill before sprinting towards the figure. They drew a pair of hatchets and began dealing out lethal blows to the walkers. By the time we got to them they had just finished the last one.

"Looks like you didn't need our help." Carl said. The figure seemed shocked by our presence and whipped one of its hatchets at Carl. I intercepted it, pushing Carl out of the way. "Chill out, we were just coming to help!"

Our new friend didn't seem like he wanted to chat or thank us because they charged at me, trying to cleave through me. Our blades clashed as I blocked their strike but no sooner did I block their hatchet did I catch an elbow to the face. I stumbled but my resolve didn't weaken. We went blow for blow for a minute or two, I just barely managed to keep up with them but I managed to disarm them. I went in for another strike but they disarmed me before I could land a hit.

We squared up for a second before they threw a lightning fast strike towards my head, I blocked it but they tried to grab my blocking hand and open my guard. I saw through their strategy and tossed them over my shoulder. They rolled to their feet before sinking into an all too familiar stance.

"Monkey style…Wait…are you…Roj?" As soon as I said the name, a couple of bullets came whizzing towards the hooded figure. They got to their feet and did six backhand springs in a row, avoiding what I assumed to be Camille's gunfire. At that point there was no question, the figure I just went toe to toe with was my friend from college.

All the flips he did tired him out and made him dizzy, I could tell once he stopped moving. I knew that if he didn't move again, Camille would kill him, so I threw myself between her line of sight and Roj. "Tay what the hell are you doing?!" Carl yelled, drawing his gun.

"I KNOW HIM!"

"You…you what?"

"Remember the friends from college I told you about? He's one of them." I turned my attention to my old friend, removing his hood. "Roj, you old bastard, you have asthma, why the fuck are you running through the woods and doing so many flips in a row?! Do you want to die?"

He looked up at me, trying to catch his breath. "I-I wouldn't have had to-to do so many flips if your sniper hadn't tried to kill me."

"YOU TRIED TO KILL US FIRST!" Carl shouted.

"Save it. He's being sarcastic." I walked behind Roj and dug through the bag on his back, finding an inhaler in one of the pouches. "Here." I handed him the small pump, watching has he took a couple of hits from it. "Better?"

"Much. Thank you."

He got to his feet, still a bit wobbly but as soon as he regained his balance, I hugged him almost as tight as I hugged my mom when I found her again. "It's good to see you again."

He hugged me back just as hard. "Same goes for you, glad to see you aren't dead."

"Come one, you didn't think I'd die that easily did you?"

"I figured you'd get lured in by some cute guy and get killed."

"Well, cute guy? Yes. Killed? Nah."

Roj pointed at Carl. "This him?"

"Yup." I sauntered over to Carl, lifting him up and spinning him around a couple of times before setting him down. "Carl, meet Roj, a guy I basically consider a brother. Roj, this is Carl, the love of my life."

The two of them shook hands. "Sorry for trying to kill you."

"It's fine, I guess. One of my friends tried to kill Tay when they first met too."

"Did you win?"

"Damn right I did…well okay Carl stopped the fight but I was about to break her sword when he did."

"So you won."

"Yup."

"That's my baby."

"Uh, what?" Carl asked, sounding a bit jealous.

"It's just how he talks to his gay friends, don't think anything of it." Carl didn't look any more convinced but he let it go. "Speaking of which, are the other fuck-wits still alive?"

"As a matter of fact, they are. Robert, Zach, Sam, Amy, Jake, everyone is still in one piece."

"That's a huge relief. Why are you guys in California?"

"Sam and Robert wanted to go someplace warm."

"Is that literally the only reason?"

"Pretty much."

"Jesus Christ…well I guess it worked out for the better."

I heard footsteps and upon looking over my shoulder, I saw Brittany and Camille running towards us. "Hey, Camille, Brittany, this is my friend from college, Roj."

"Hello; which one of you two lovely ladies tried to blow my head off?"

"That would be me." Camille said shyly.

"Don't be nervous, sweetheart. Your aim is incredible. If I hadn't curved my path, you would have gotten me."

"She learned from me. She's damn near surpassed me."

"Ah, stop it."

"Come on, you've saved our asses many times before with shots I'm not sure I could have made."

"Can you still ricochet bullets off metal surfaces?" Roj asked.

"You can do that?!" Camille, Carl, and Brittany asked in unison.

I nervously scratched the back of my head. "This fucker? Oh yeah! Before we got separated, he was an expert marksman. He accidently killed one of those things by ricocheting a bullet off a sheet of metal. From that moment on, he tried to get it down to a science and he eventually did."

"Why didn't you tell us?!" The three of them shouted once again.

"It…never came up and I never needed to use it." I turned towards Roj, getting on with our objective. "Do you recall being tailed by a swordswoman and my mom a couple of days ago?"

"Indeed I do; however, I didn't know the other person was your mother."

"Well we were sent here to see if we could make a couple allies. Looks like we can."

"No way."

"What?"

"We're not siding with you."

"Roj." I shot him a look he knew all too well. A bit of tension hung in the air before he cracked a slight smile.

"I'm fucking with you. Come on, we can go see the others."

"Cheeky cunt."

"Shut up, you know you love me."

"It's a terrible affliction."

"Worse than this zombie virus?"

"Way worse."

We led Roj back to the car, offering to drive him to where the others were. He sat in the front passenger seat to better direct me. I saw Carl was a bit miffed that he had to ride in the back so I pulled him forward by his shirt and kissed him a few times in an attempt to quell any anger he was feeling. When I pulled away I smiled at him and he smiled back before pecking me on the lips once more.

We drove along the dirt road that led through field for a few miles before we came to a locked gate. Roj hopped out of the car and undid the lock before climbing onto the roof of the car. I asked what the fuck he was doing and he assured me that if he was visible, no one would try to kill us. He had a valid point, if some mysterious car rolled up to the docks we'd do the same.

As we drove up the shaded path, we came up to a clearing filled with an assortment of abandoned looking RVs. I saw Zach and Robert patrolling the border and hung my head out of the window, a huge smile on my face.

"DID YOU MISS ME, YOU DIRTY SONS OF BITCHES?"

"Is that…" Zach said squinting in our direction.

"Look who I bumped into!" Roj called out happily.

"It is." Robert said, a bit stunned.

"Tay!" Zach rushed towards us with Robert close behind.

"Jesus Christ, he's back from the dead."

As soon as I hopped out of the car I was tackled to the ground by my old friends. "It's good to see you guys too." I managed to groan out under their combined weight.

After being helped to my feel, I introduced everyone to Zach and Robert and told them why we were here. They led us inside and, once again, I was bombarded with hugs. Everyone from school was here, safe and sound. Sam, Amy, Jake, Mar, both C-Dawg and K-Dawg. I started crying because I was so happy to see everyone. I looked over at Carl who was off by himself, kicking rocks and sticks across the grass.

"I'll be right back." I told Sam and Amy, who were doing their best to make up for lost 'let's annoy Tay' time. "Hey, Mr. Short-Pale-and-Brooding, what's the matter?"

"Everyone you were worried about…is still here. All your friends from college are here with you and…"

"What's all the commotion?" I heard an unfamiliar voice say. Carl and I turned to see three new people walking out from behind a couple of trailers. One man had medium length brown, shaggy hair, the other man had dark hair and was of Asian descent, and the woman, who was holding his hand, had shoulder length brown hair.

"I don't recognize them."

"Glenn? Maggie? Daryl?" Carl said slowly. He caught the attention of the three people he named before bolting towards them. I couldn't help but smile, those three must have been some of the people at the prison with him and Michonne. The three people he'd just named engulfed him in a hug, shortly after I heard sobbing.

"Carl! My God, we're so happy to see you!" Maggie squealed.

"It's been ages, half pint." Daryl stated flatly while smiling.

"We missed you." Glenn said simply.

"I didn't know if you guys made it…"

"Well we did. So did Sasha, Carol, and Beth."

"Michonne's still alive too."

"What about Rick and Judith?" Glenn questioned.

Carl went silent, refusing to meet Glenn's gaze. Glenn simply nodded, patting Carl's back. "I'm sorry." Maggie said solemnly.

"Me too."

"It's…it's okay." Carl looked over at me, Brittany, and Camille. "I still have family." He looked back at them. "New and old."

"Alright, enough sentimentality, we have business to discuss." I interjected.

We all adjourned to one of the larger RVs to discuss things that would go on between our two groups. We agreed that we'd share everything we had and we'd discuss any and all issues we had with each other as well as provide support in times of trouble. As the talk drew to a close, and everyone was about to get up, Zach brought up a more pressing issue.

"We need to discuss…them." I looked around at the people in the room, seeing that several faces had dread written all over them.

"Who exactly are 'them'?"

"The Fallen Angels."

"What?!" Carl and I yelled.

"There's more of them?" Camille questioned incredulously.

"Fuck." Brittany groaned.

"You guys…have faced off with them before?" Robert asked.

"We have. We took down Ronan and everyone in their little compound." I said darkly.

"Wait, you took out Ronan?!" Zach asked, clearly flabbergasted at my statement.

"Yeah, put one between his eyes myself."

"How did you manage to take him down?! We've been after him for ages." Sam questioned.

"Simple." I pulled Carl closer to me. "When you're fighting for someone you love, all bets are off. Michonne, Brittany, my mom, my father, and Camille raided that place after 2 months of surveillance. Camille and my mom stayed outside, covering us, my father set explosives to cause a panic, and me, Brittany, and Michonne were on the inside."

"He cleared two floors by himself." Brittany added.

"Shit…" Zach said quietly.

"But you said there are more?" Camille interjected.

"Unfortunately, there are. You cut off the main head of a hydra. But there are still more."

"How many?" I asked.

"At least four smaller outposts and one compound." Zach answered.

"Fuck."

"It gets worse. There's…another Ronan." Robert added.

"Are you shitting me?" I asked. I couldn't believe that there was another Ronan roaming about this world.

Zach looked up at me, confirming my fears. "They run the other compound and oversee the outposts but we have no clue what they look like."

Carl looked up at me. "We need to tell your mom."

"We do. Who wants to come back with us and explain the situation?"

"Roj and I will go." Zach volunteered.

"Okay. You guys got a ride?" I asked as we stepped outside.

"I still have my Subaru." Zach smirked, jingling his keys.

"I should have known you'd have kept her. Let's get going." We loaded into our respective vehicles before driving towards the docks. Carl sat beside me, holding my hand with a scowl plastered on his face. "What's wrong?" I asked not taking my eyes off the road.

"I'm a tad hungry." Brittany answered.

"Not you, you heathen. Carl, what's the matter?"

"Nothing." He said looking out of the window.

"Is this about Roj riding shotgun?"

"No clue what you're talking about."

"Carl, stop being a baby. Roj is like my brother, the only thing between us are a few scars from trading blows and laughs from doing stupid shit in gymnastics."

He let go of my hand and leaned away from me. "Whatever."

I groaned before pressing down on the accelerator. If Carl wanted to be pissy about Roj and I being all buddy-buddy, I was going to let him. There was nothing going on between us, hell Roj was in a relationship already, he is also straight. I glanced over at him, catching sight of his vibrant blue eyes in the light of the afternoon sun. Sighing to myself, I vowed to reassure him later, but right now, we had business to take care of.

We pulled up to the docks, jumping out of the cars and striding through the entrance. "Mom, we have good news and terrible news."

"I'll take the…is that…ROJ!" My mom pulled Roj into a bone crushing hug. "It's great to see you again."

"Same to you."

"Hello, I'm Zach."

"I've heard a lot about you. Nice to finally meet you."

"Well mom, that was the good news. The bad news…there are more Fallen Angels." Her face darkened. "There's another Ronan and at least 4 outposts and another compound."

"Fuck." That was the first time in the time since I had found my mom that I had heard her curse. "We have much to discuss."

Later that evening, I was lying in bed, waiting for Carl to join me. He was sitting at the desk in his underwear, reading a book. "Hey, gloomy Gus, come here."

"I'm reading." He retorted in a less than favorable tone.

"The book isn't going anywhere. Come here."

"I'm fine. I'll come to bed in a bit." He turned to the next page, still not looking up at me.

"Carl Grimes." I never used his last name unless I was serious.

"What?"

I shifted so I was sitting on the edge of the bed. "Why are you being so difficult?"

"In regards to?"

"You've been acting funny since Roj rode shotgun."

"I don't know what you mean."

"Don't lie to me, I felt it when we kissed. Are you jealous of him?"

"No." Carl said sternly.

"Carl."

"OKAY, I'M JEALOUS. HAPPY?" He yelled, slamming the book closed. "You and that guy are too close for my liking."

"You have nothing to be jealous of. Roj just usually took shotgun when we went out. I should have corrected him but time was of the essence."

"You still should have said something." He muttered.

"Babe, Roj is like a brother to me. A straight brother who has a girlfriend."

"A…a what?" I simply nodded. "Oh."

"Get over here you overly dramatic dummy." Carl uncrossed his arms, slowly walking over to where I was seated on the bed. He stood between my legs and allowed me to take his hands. "You have nothing to worry about. I love you, and only you."

He looked away but still smiled shyly. "I love you too. I'm sorry for being so jealous." He leaned forward, pressing me into the bed.

"I kinda like you between my legs." I said slyly.

"I like being between your legs." I scooted back on the bed, allowing him to find a comfortable spot. "So…about this morning."

"Wanna pick up where we left off?"

"With a bit of role reversal."

I placed my head on the pillows, keeping my legs spread so Carl could work his magic. I loved it when he was confident and flaunted his sex appeal. As much as I liked being in control, I like it when he was firm with me. He roughly gripped my hips before letting his hands roam up the sides of my body, eventually letting them come to rest when he laced our fingers together. He placed a few tender kisses on my lips before letting them trail over to my neck. I smirked lightly, knowing what was coming next.

He bit down on my neck, eliciting a drawn out, pleasure filled groan. My body arched up into his but he pushed me flat against the mattress. I chuckled lightly. "Gonna be rough with me, cowboy?"

"I was thinking of revving my Harley."

"Well you've already started the engine. Where you planning on drivin' me, Puddin'?"

"Crazy." He whispered in a husky tone.

I felt more turned on feeling that seductive tone fill my ears. "Mmm good start."

He went back to working on leaving love bites on my neck and shoulder while one hand roamed from my exposed upper body to my thighs. Carl knew that I loved having my thighs lightly gripped. His hand found its way inside my underwear and started to grope my slightly throbbing dick.

He slowly stroked me underneath the restrictive fabric while still leaving love bites all around my neck. "Christ, you're such a tease. Please just…get on with it."

He began kissing his way down my body before lifting my hips and removing my underwear. No sooner than the fabric had hit the floor was Carl engulfing my dick in his mouth. Threading my fingers through his hair, I controlled his pacing until I felt him gently push my had away. I was prepared to apologize but as I looked down, I saw a mischievous gleam in his eye and knew he could go without my intervention.

After an agonizingly slow, but extremely pleasurable, bout of foreplay and preparation, Carl positioned himself between my legs, ready to press inside me. "You ready?" I nodded before feeling him push inside me. "Jesus Christ."

"Nice and tight, just like you like it."

"I'm not going to last long if you keep this up."

"Come on Puddin'. We've barely gotten started. At least do a lap around the block." I chuckled lightly, clenching even tighter around him.

"Fuck." He drawled out. "You're doing this on purpose."

"No clue what you're talking about." I clenched and unclenched a few times, reveling in the faces he was making. He glared up at me before smirking. One firm snap of his hips almost put me in my place. Almost. "Finally getting some of your fight back?"

His hand glided up towards my neck, grasping it a bit firmly. "Like this right?"

"Just like that." I told Carl that I liked having light pressure on my throat but didn't like to be choked so, after a bit of trial and error, we found a good balance. He was still timid to do so but I reassured him that I'd tell him if he was pressing down too hard.

He began slowly thrusting in and out of me. Carl wasn't hung like a stallion by any means, he was about 5 inches or so, however, it isn't the size of the ship that matters, it's the motion of the ocean. And Carl's motions were just right; he knew how to angle himself properly and knew how to pace his thrusts.

He was more impatient than me though; he gave me enough time to adjust to him moving then quickened his pace. It was different but still put me in the same blissful trance that usually accompanied our love making.

"Tay…"

"Go ahead." I knew he was getting closer with each thrust.

"Fuck." He pulled out of me and a second later, he was shooting hot cum all over my chest. A couple spurts hit my lip before he finished. He smirked down at me, still trying to catch his breath. "You got something on your lip."

I slowly licked my lips, maintaining eye contact with him the entire time. I even dipped my finger in the cum pooled on my stomach and slowly licked it off. "Did I get it?"

"I…uh…umm…"

"Such an adorable dork." Grasping the back of his neck, I pulled him forward, pressing our lips together and letting the simple act devolve into making out. He slowly rubbed my thighs, sides, and eventually stopped at my cheek. He pulled away, smiling at me. "Your hands are magic."

He climbed off me to get a towel, tossing it to me once he found it. "H-how was I?"

"Hmm? You were amazing." I chuckled, cleaning off the rest of my stomach. He looked self-conscious, still unsure of his performance in bed after all this time. "Hey." I turned his chin so he was looking at me. "You do amazing in bed. Don't look so worried. If I hated something you were doing, I'd tell you."

He looked down shyly. "Thanks."

"Oh, and Carl."

"Yeah?" I flipped him onto his back, looming mere inches over him. "Happy birthday."

Almost three months had passed since we found the others. Since that day we had been planning to take out the rest of the Fallen Angels, training our asses off, and collecting supplies for this large-scale operation. We decided to stay our own separate entities due to the fact that there wasn't enough room for everyone one place or the other but when we did see each other, which was quite often, our time was spent preparing. It was rough at first; I would have liked to have had some fun with my friends after such a long time apart but we had a huge task looming on the horizon.

Roj, Zach, Robert, and myself put everyone through the ringer when it came to hand to hand combat, no one got any special treatment. We did avoid harming our trainees too severely because we didn't have time for drawn out recoveries. Carl pushed himself harder than I had ever seen, even going so far as to having the four of us take him on all at once. Of course, the four of us had rehearsed hand to hand strategies developed early on, from an assortment of dicking around and actual training, so it was more than unfair. We overwhelmed Carl right out of the gate but he held his own until Roj and I synchronized our strikes; I distracted Carl with a leg sweep right at Roj aimed a roundhouse at his opposite side. He dodged my sweep but Roj's speed overwhelmed him.

We practiced disarms, joint locks, and breaking techniques, as well as taking a bit of time to develop coordinated attacks. We made sure everyone could fight with anything they were given and could escape if captured. To say the training was grueling is an understatement but after almost three whole months of day in day out practicing, dry runs, and scouting, we felt ready to strike.

Our first missions were to split up and take out the outposts under the cover of night. We split into four teams comprised of a sniper and a guard for them, two people for close quarters combat, and at least three shooters. For my team, I was in command of my usual squad with the addition of our tank, Andrew, our ball of lethal sunshine, Amy, and our brutal backwoods boy, Daryl. Camille and Brittany were covering us from the tree line, I took point, armed with an AKMSU, my Px4, two knives and my bat, Carl was behind me, followed by Andrew, Amy, and Daryl.

We had Camille drop the guards by the door before hiding the bodies and proceeding inside. We all split into pairs, Me with Carl, Amy and Andrew, but since we ran out of people Daryl opted to be the lone wolf. Carl assured me he'd be fine so I let him go. We went about silently executing all the inhabitants and scavenging the supplies they had stashed there. I'd never seen so many guns in one place in my life.

I radioed everyone else to see how they were doing. Zach and Michonne were already done and loading up scavenged supplies, Roj's team however, was having issues. We heard gunfire and saw an explosion from where we were. I radioed everyone at their respective outposts to drop what they were doing and make their way over to Roj and his team. My team loaded into our cars and sped over towards the direction of the explosion.

Upon arrival, we saw unfamiliar vehicles outside. I reasoned that some Fallen Angels must have showed up before Roj's team could finish. We cautiously entered the building, taking out a few hostiles before coming up to the main hallway. Roj and a few others were pinned down and could barely return fire. My team opened fire, eliminating most of our adversaries. Zach radioed us saying that his team was stationed out front and Michonne radioed saying that her team looped around the rear and were cutting off any escape routes.

Not long after we had all arrived, quiet descended upon the building once again. We finished up our operation and headed out to a safe spot, once there I had to play medic because Zach, Roj, and Glenn had gotten hurt. Roj had a few lacerations from being close to the explosion, Glenn was grazed by a few bullets protecting Maggie, Zach had to go toe to toe with a couple of people and got roughed up a bit.

A few of us were banged up…but phase one was complete. In a couple of days, we'd move on to phase two.

Four days after our assault on the outposts, Brittany, Camille, Roj, Zach, Carl, and myself were making our way up a hill to get to a vantage point that overlooked the second Fallen Angels compound. As we reached the top of the hill, I saw Brittany looking down her sights.

"See something?"

"Walker."

"Just one?" She fired a single shot, the sound dampened by her suppressor.

"Nope." We kept walking, eventually passing the body of the walker Brittany took out.

She stopped, looking down at the rotting corpse. I casually strode over to her, peering down at the body. "You know them?"

The blank expression she wore told me all I needed to know. "I used to." She said simply before trudging on. I took one last look down at the body before going to catch up with the others.

We took up a spot that had the best view of the compound, a large string of warehouses. "See anything?" Carl asked me as I peered through my binoculars.

"Gates haven't opened yet." I looked over at Zach. "You said that they were supposed to be headed out at about this time, right?"

"Like clockwork. That's the thing with a schedule, it makes your actions predictable."

"Look, someone's on the balcony of that warehouse." Camille noted.

We all turned our gaze towards the balcony where a pair of people, assumed to be guards, stood. People began to congregate in the courtyard, looking towards the balcony. Not long after a woman, standing about 5'7, with long dark hair, a black leather jacket, sunglasses, dark blue jeans, ankle boots, and a revolver on her hip, sauntered onto the platform.

"No. Fucking. Way."

"What's the matter, babe?"

"I know her."

"You what?!" Everyone harmonized.

"She…she was the one who ended up dating the guy I liked. The same guy I let live when I went to rescue Carl…"

"Babe…is that really-"

"Almira." All the memories we shared came flooding back to me. I failed to notice my grip tightening around the binoculars to the point where the plastic began cracking. I felt a hand on mine, bidding me to try and calm down.

"Who's Almira?" Roj and Zach asked in unison.

"Someone I used to call a friend. But right now, she's our target." I took my rifle off my back, trying to line up a shot. She was between her two guards and I knew that If I put my shot through her first guard's neck, I would tag her in the head but just as I sighted my point of impact she moved behind the wall. "Fuck. Can't get a shot. Brittany?"

"Neither can I. Can you make the bullet rebound off something?"

"It'd fall short."

"Shit." I stood up, trying to get a better view but as I did, the gates opened and a small fleet of vehicles rolled out and down the road.

"Well, things just got more difficult." Roj remarked.

We all just stood there, watching as about 10 vehicles poured through the gates before vanishing into the distance. I hadn't taken my sights off Almira just in case she made herself a target but not long after the last vehicle disappeared, she vanished back inside.

Carl looked over at me. "Can you bring yourself to kill her?"

I hesitated slightly before feeling my resolve strengthen. "Yes."

"So what do we do?" Zach asked. I looked around at the people I trusted more than anything else in the world before squeezing Carl's hand.

"We fight."