Sparkling River Rocks

by Austin0425

After the events with Wilmur's father and Carl's father, they're love story continues in the prison. But what if chaos interrupts their love story once again? Will they survive the chaos or will it just separate them? Originally created by Thewalkingdeadisthebestshow Shattered Moonlight Series Part 2

13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Crimson Whispering Rocks

Wilmur had his arms wrapped around Carl's slim form as they kissed and cuddled in the prison fields. Carl had his head rested against Wilmur's shoulder with his soft lips gently presses soft kisses across it. Wilmur rubbed soothing circles on Carl's back through his denim jacket as they cuddled warmly.

The soft breeze gently brushed against their cheeks as their skin shivered. The grey clouds in the lifeless sky grumbled as the sky was colored grey. Drizzling rain drizzled upon their cheeks as it bristled from the lifeless sky. Tiny rain droplets were formed on their jackets as the drizzling rain dropped on them.

Carl's night terrors were finally all over after such a long time of sleeping with worry spreading through them. They could finally relax and enjoy their mornings, afternoons, and evenings. Instead of sitting on the bunker bed all day with their arms wrapped around each other to keep them calm, they can finally have a special moment without any tears.

The younger lover rolled on top of the older with their lips pressed together and their tongues battling as the passion and tenderness ran throughout their veins filled with desire. Wilmur gripped onto Carl's hips to hold him in place as their kiss filled with passion kept growing less innocent.

Droplets of rain bristled in Carl's hair as the rain gently drizzled on his rosy cheeks. Wilmur found it as one of the most beautiful sights he's ever saw in the entire world. The tiny rain droplets sparkled in his eyes. His lips were swollen from the passionate kiss as the tiny rain droplets dripped down them.

"You got really beautiful eyes." Carl complimented him. "Their so crystal blue if you know what I mean."

Wilmur smiled and shook his head as he stroked Carl's soft lips, getting lost in his light blue eyes which sparkled against the rain. "No. You do. They always sparkle."

Carl smiled before capturing Wilmur's warm and soft lips, quickly slipping his tongue inside and battling with his. Wilmur's soft hands slip under Carl's shirt and traveled up his smooth skin. Carl moved his lips to Wilmur's neck, nibbling it gently like how Wilmur taught him. Wilmur moaned in pleasure before grabbing Carl's head gently and pushing his warm lips back toward his.

They flinched and broke apart their lips when they heard the thunder growl in the clouds. The older and younger lover fall to the wet grass, laughing as their arms wrapped around each other again. Their lips brushed together as their sweet breaths breathed onto each other's cheeks with drizzling rain trailing down them.

An engine from a car interrupted their special moment. The two lovers sighed before quickly getting up and rushing to the gate where a black car was sitting outside the fences of the prison, waiting for the orange gate to open.

Rick, Maggie, and Glenn had came back from their run. Lot's of dust and grime were printed over the black car along the windows with some blood hovering over the tires. Through the windows, they could see fresh blood staining their fresh cloths along with some mud, dirt, and dripping sweat.

Wilmur helped Carl open the orange gate by pulling down the stubborn rope while another man on the other side opened the other fence for them. The black, dusty car drove past the fences just before they closed it. They watched as Maggie and Glenn greeted Hershel as they held hands while Rick made their way over to them.

"Any trouble?" Rick asked them.

"No." Carl replied before Wilmur could answer, noticing the fresh blood on his brown shirt. "You had some."

"Yeah." Rick sighed. "A little."

Wilmur smiled weakly before wrapped his strong arm around Carl's waist, pulling him close before walking back toward the field together with the rain drizzling on their cheeks and jackets. The chilly air past their cheeks as it brushed against the jackets covering their shivering skin. They sat back down in the middle of the yellow field together before wrapping their arms around each other.

Carl smiled and pecked his lips against Wilmur's cheeks wet from the drizzling rain. They giggled before pressing their soft and warm lips against their wet cheeks as the rain began to pour down. They simply ignored it and continued to kiss upon the smooth skin and soft lips while they wrapped each other in an embrace.

Carl stirred awake from another nightmare before fluttering his eyes open to greet the sunlight shining through the leafs laying against the brown and dead branches of the trees. Some tears were staining his cheeks while some quiet sobs were escaping his chapped lips. His tearful eyes darted to Rick who was sleeping beside him and then to Michonne who was sleeping across them.

He sighed before rubbing his drooping eyes and lifting himself up on his elbows, causing the branches and dead leafs to crackle. Rick and Michonne immediately stirred awake from the crackling sounds to see Carl awake with stained tears on his cheeks. Michonne sighed groggily before crawling toward Carl, wiping the tears from his dirty cheeks.

"You okay?" She asked, whispering so she wouldn't attract any walkers.

Carl closed his eyes before nodding slowly, crossing his arms and rubbing them for warmth. Michonne reached in the bag which was almost empty for the blue jacket before handing it to Carl, helping him put himself in the warm jacket while he put on his sheriff hat.

Carl zipped the jacket up before helping his father start a fire against the branches for the food they created a trap somewhere in the woods for. The smoke filled the air as the fire sparked against the wood. They picked up their sticks to fry in the burning fire before placing them in it as they listened to the birds chirping and singing in the trees.

"How hungry are you, scale one to ten?" Rick asked them.

The young teen listened to his stomach growl loudly for food. Neither of them had eaten in weeks despite the Big Kat they shared the other day. It wasn't enough and only made them starve more. They had been hunting the woods for any type of food for weeks, but they could hardly find any.

"Fifteen." Car replied, frying his thick stick in the fire.

Rick nodded before darting his head to Michonne who had her sword sitting just behind her along with some cans they didn't need to tie to the wires of their small camp in the middle of the woods.

"Twenty-eight." Michonne replied, frying her stick in the fire as well.

Rick chuckled, turning his attention back to his frying stick before pulling it out of the fire. "Yeah, it's been a while. I'm gonna go check the snares."

Carl pulled his frying, burning stick out of the fire before blowing on it to blow the burning flames away. "Can I go with you?" He asked.

Rick chuckled quietly. "Well, how else are you gonna learn?"

Carl smiled, placing his burning stick against the leafs on the ground before helping his father brush the burning fire out.

Rick's tired eyes darted to Michonne who was still frying her stick. "Hey, you, too." He told the samurai.

Michonne sighed before pulling her frying stick out of the fire and wrapping her sword around her back, following Rick and Carl out of the camp protected by wires and cans. They pushed their way through the branches and leafs as they traveled toward the snares with no walkers interrupting them.

Squirrels nibbled on their nuts as they cautiously watched them walk by while the birds tweeted in the trees. Rabbits rushed in the bushes while groundhogs hid in their holes. Ants and worms crawled under the leafs as they searched for any food they could find on the ground while woodpeckers pecked against the bark on the trees.

There was plenty of animals for them to hunt for, but they either ran or flew off. It was nearly impossible for them to hunt an animal even with the traps and snares. Hardly anything got caught in their traps and if there was, it was too small for either of them to eat.

They made their way down a trail while their eyes scanned for any animal they could hunt on the trail or in the trees. Their stomachs growled for food while their dry tongues screamed for water. They hardly found anything to eat or drink the past few weeks. Barely any water was left in their bag for all of them to share.

Carl was tired of traveling on the road, sprinting every single day from walker herds every time he awoke from a horrifying night terror with no food or water waiting for him in the morning. He just wanted to get to Terminus, get some food and water, and relax with Wilmur so his night terrors could finally disappear.

All three of them were exhausted. They awoke every night from Carl screaming in his sleep, attracting hundreds of herds of walkers for them to run from. Their exhaustion had only gotten worse due to the lack of food, water, sleep, and rest. They wanted to get to Terminus as fast as they could, but they had to take it slow so they wouldn't run into any more trouble.

"We'll stay another day or two." Rick said, his hands tucked in his jacket pockets. "Get some more rest."

"Finish healing up?" Michonne questioned after noticing the healing bruises on his cheeks while her stomach growled from starvation.

"I'm almost there." Rick replied.

A small, few seconds of silence fell between them besides their grumbling stomachs. They were starving nearly to death and dyhration was only causing them to slow down with exhaustion. They were frustrated and desperately wanted to get to Terminus.

Carl especially was desperately wanting to get to Terminus as fast as they could. He needed food in his starving stomach with water on his tongue. He needed Wilmur to calm his night terrors down again so they could finally relax together instead of sitting in fear everyday. They need a normal life to live somewhere.

"We're close now, right?" Carl asked, his stomach growling for food as he forced the frustration out of his voice.

"To Terminus?" Rick questioned.

Carl nodded as his stomach grumbled louder. "Yeah."

"We are." Rick replied.

A small second of silence fell between them again as they tucked their chilly hands in their jacket pockets. Their visions were slightly blurring from the lack of food, water, and rest as they stared blankly ahead.

Carl thought of the dark things they've been put through. He could visibly remember every scene and detail from the violent and bloody war they had with the Governor just like he could remember how he completely tore down their home they fought to protect for so long. Everyone they loved had either died or was separated from them.

"When we get there, are we gonna tell them?" Carl asked.

Michonne furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "Tell them what?"

"Everything that's happened to us." Carl replied. "All the stuff we've done. Are we gonna tell them the truth?"

Rick shrugged. "We're gonna tell them who we are."

"But how do you say that?" Carl asked. "I mean...who are we?"

Before Rick could answer, walker snarls rang out of the trees in the forest. They stepped out and growled as they approached them, their arms held out for their fresh flesh upon their skin. Rick and Carl pulled their pistols out of their holsters wrapped around their legs while Michonne pulled out her sword as they approached the walkers.

Michonne was the first one to take the kill with Carl being the second. They brutally smashed their weapons in their soft skulls before killing their brain as they headed for the next walker. Rick shoved two of the walkers against a sharp branch of one of the trees as it tore it's stomach opened.

Carl smashed the barrel of his pistol against one of the walkers head before slamming it against a tree to demolish it's soft skull. He quickly gripped onto one of the walkers hair while he kept it's sharp teeth from chomping in his face. Michonne quickly slashed the walker's head off with her sword before they rushed over to Rick.

One last walker came out from behind a tree and snarled upon seeing their flesh. Michonne chopped it's head off before wrapping her sword back on her back. Rick and Carl nodded before placing their pistols back in their holsters after scanning their eyes on the walkers dead bodies to make sure they were all dead.

Michonne and Carl followed after Rick as he lead them to the snares with a dead rabbit in it. It had got ran right into the tricky trap Rick had made so no animal could happen to pass by a simple trail. Their stomachs growled as soon as they saw the first food they've seen in weeks. A tiny smile snuck on all of their chapped lips as they quickly rushed over to the hunted food.

"There you go." Rick said, ignoring his growling stomach as he bent down to pull the tiny, dead rabbit out of the trap. "It's a small one. It'll do."

Carl eyes darted to Michonne with a smile on his face upon victory of finally finding food all three of them could share. He looked back at his father as he prepared the trap lesson. His father had taught him a lot of survival skills on the road which he could use in the future. All of the survival skills had became extremely useful to him on the road.

Such as climbing trees when running from herds and creating traps even for the most smallest animals had became very useful. It all helped him survive the long weeks on the devasting and frustrating road. If it wasn't for his father, he wouldn't be there. He was very grateful to have Rick teach him the high survival skills and instincts.

He still regretted what he said to him a month ago. He said he didn't need him and would survive perfectly fine without him, but that wasn't true. If it wasn't for his father, he wouldn't be there at all. He could be one of the walkers or one of the people who just laid dead on the ground because someone ended their life.

Carl's eyes darted to the knot his father had made in the trap to catch an animal. The knot looked simple but it looked complicated to do. He watched as Rick untied the knot and prepare to tie it again to show him how to make the trap.

"So, this is just a simple slipknot." Rick said, preparing to show his son how to tie the knot to make the animal trap. "Tie one on both ends, then you tighten one side to a branch. Now, you see how the ground here is sort of like a funnel shape?"

"It's a trail?" Carl questioned.

Rick nodded. "That's right. That's where you want to set the noose. So you hide it with leafs. Then you put sticks all around it so any animals going by have to run this way right into the trap."

Carl nodded, smiling as he stared upon the new trap his father had just taught him how to make. Maybe when they got to Terminus, he could set traps in the woods for hunted food to help decrease the famine most likely going around the sanctuary. He wanted to do something useful with his time instead relaxing a little too much like they did at the prison.

Suddenly, they heard a man screaming and yelling for help. Carl immediately jumped onto his feet and ran toward the screaming man without thinking as he pulled his pistol out of his holster with his father yelling for him to stop. He rushed through the woods as he listened to the man's screams increase and shriek louder.

Rick and Michonne rushed after the young teen as they called for him to stop with their weapons held in their hands. Carl simply ignored the calls and continued to sprint for the screaming man as walker snarls began to echo in his ears.

Carl could see the man screaming and begging for help with a walker herd surrounding him. He aimed his pistol toward one of the walkers but is yanked back by his father. He desperately tried to fight against his father's tight grip, but failed.

"We can't help him." Rick whispered in his ear as Carl struggled to fight against his tight grip.

Carl watched with sympathy as the man begging and screaming for help got devoured by the herd of walkers. Their sharp teeth ripped into his flesh and teared it from his skin as he screamed and cried in pain. Blood splattered against the green grass and colored it crimson red while some of the blood hovered over the walkers yellow teeth.

The man begged for his life as the walkers ripped his flesh off his skin while pushing him to the ground. All the walkers gathered around the man who had just died and continued to tear his flesh apart.

Suddenly, the walkers turned their heads and snarled at the alive flesh they saw standing before them. They struggled to stand back up as they slowly made their way over to them.

"We've got to go." Michonne whispered.

Rick nodded and tried to pull his son to run with him, but he refused to move. The father growled quietly in effort before yanking his son along with him. They ran just behind Michonne as the walker herd followed them out of the woods. They brutally smashed each walker against a branch that had suddenly jumped in their way as they ran toward the tracks.

Carl was shoved just ahead of Rick in effort to protect him from the walker herd while Michonne rushed ahead to guide them along the tracks. The walkers followed them out of the forest and chased them slowly on the tracks just behind them.

More walkers along the tracks blocked them from sprinting any further. They had been gathering around more flesh left on the dead human skin as they tore it apart with their sharp, bloody teeth. They lifted their heads and growled as soon as they saw their flesh sitting upon their skin.

Rick quickly rushed ahead and brutally smashed the walkers skulls with the end of his pistol. Carl pulled his long gun he found on the run with Michonne and rushed behind his father while Michonne unwrapped her sword from behind her back. Carl shoved the tip of his long gun into through the walkers skulls before kicking them to the ground.

The walker herd behind them approached them quickly while they killed the other walkers in front of them. Blood splattered out of their heads as they stuck the end of their weapons through their brains.

"Let's go." Rick said, noticing the walker herd approaching them from behind.

The young teen rushed behind the father and samurai with his long gun held in his hand as the walker herd chased them down from behind. They sprinted along the tracks as more walkers popped out of the woods. They shoved the walkers out of the way and shoved the tip of their guns through their skulls.

They rushed into the woods with hundreds of little animals rushing passed them. Birds flew out of the trees as they shrieked after they noticed the walker herd stumbling through their territory. Some of the walkers in the herd had wandered off when they noticed an animal sprinting passed them.

Rick shoved his son ahead in effort to protect him from the stumbling herd which was slowly starting to break apart when they noticed the animals. A few walkers suddenly came in front of them before approaching when they saw their fresh flesh. Carl smashed the tip of his long gun against their skulls before sprinting ahead.

Michonne gravitated near Carl as she rushed just behind him to protect him while Rick focused on the walker herd slowly breaking apart. Some of them had grown too close, leaving him no choice but to smash his pistol against their skulls. The walkers growled as they approached Rick with their arms reaching out for his flesh.

He smashed his pistol against their soft skulls before rushing ahead just behind Carl and Michonne. He kept his hand on his son's lower back as he shoved him ahead to protect him. They kept sprinting deeper into the woods as the walker herd broke apart to chase after the tiny animals.

Finally, they stopped sprinting due to the aching in their sore legs. They panted as they placed their sweaty palms over their trembling knees with their heads bowed down. Sweat dripped down from their hair and temples as it soaked into their shirts and jackets. Their damp shirts hiding under their jackets clinged to the sweat on their skin as they felt their breath hitch from panting.

They collapse on their buckling knees from the aching and the trembling in their legs as they panted with their faces pointing toward the sky blocked by leafs and branches on the trees. Their fingers and hands shook from the panting and their legs trembled from the aching in running too fast for too long.

However, Carl ignored the aching in his sore legs and forced himself to stand up. Huffs of frustration escaped his dry throat as he forced his legs to keep standing. They needed to keep going no matter how tired and exhausted they were. If they were going to get to Terminus, then they needed to do everything they could to get to it.

Rick and Michonne sighed before slowly pushing their tired and aching bodies back up. Michonne wrapped her sword on her back while Rick tucked his pistol back in his holster. Carl sighed before doing the same with his long gun as he followed after his father.

"Carl and I will check down at those tracks. See if there's any place we can rest down there." Rick said, pointing to the tracks below the hill before turning to Michonne. "Do you mind if you stay up and here and see if there's anything we can use."

Michonne smiled weakly before nodding, gently grasping her sword on her back as she wandered deeper into the woods. Carl watched her as she disappeared behind the trees before following his father down to the tracks.

The young teen kept his chilly hands tucked in the pockets of his blue jackets as he walked just beside the father. His blue eyes were darted to the tracks as he watched his feet take each step. He could still hear the man screaming in pain as he begged for help while the walkers tore his flesh apart.

Carl remembered how his father used to help anybody who ever called for help in the beginning. It didn't matter how bad of a person they were. He still decided to help them. But now his father had changed. He wasn't as willing to help anybody in anymore if it came to protecting his group or loved ones.

It was just like when he left the man with the man with the orange backpack behind seven or eight months ago. The man had been begging for help and screamed for them to stop their car when they drove passed him. However, Rick wouldn't listen. He simply let Michonne keep driving passed the man.

"Hey, Dad?" Carl said, grabbing his father's attention.

"Yeah?" Rick replied with a tired tone in his hoarse voice.

"When we heard the guy scream, why didn't you go help?"

Rick took a moment to think as he recalled the man begging for help and screaming in pain when the walkers teeth sunk into his flesh while they ripped him apart. If it came to his family or anyone he loved at all, Rick wouldn't help anyone. He wouldn't put his family's life in danger just for a man who was begging for help. He refused to put some stranger before his family again.

"Dad." Carl said when his father didn't answer.

"I might've done that before." Rick replied.

Carl furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "Before what?"

"Before we were out here." Rick replied. "I want you to be safe, Carl. Above everything else. Above everyone else. You understand?"

Carl bowed his head to the ground as his father's words sank into his head. "I guess so." He mummered.

"You didn't think about it. You just did it. That's who you are." Rick said, hoping to make his son feel better. "Carl, you're a man. You're a good man. Your mom would be proud. Wilmur would be proud. I'm proud."

His father's words sunk into his head as each one slowly cracked his broken heart. The lecture he had just given him wasn't true at all. He had done terrible and unforgivable things in his dark past. Some of them he even liked and was proud that he did it when he shouldn't be. How could he be a good man? How could his boyfriend, father, and mother be proud of who he is?

"But I didn't like it." Rick continued, stopping his tracks to look his son in the eyes seriously. "You gotta be careful out here. More careful than before."

"Hey!" Michonne's voice called at them from above, interrupting their serious conversation. "There's a deer trail up ahead! It connects to a road!"

Rick nodded before helping his son climb back up the hill. He kept his hand draped over his lower back as he pushed him up the steep hill in Michonne's direction. Carl grabbed each branch he could find like how his father taught him how to climb trees a while back. As soon as he could reach Michonne, she helped him pull himself up before doing the same with Rick.

They draped their hands over their weapons in case any walkers gave them surprises as they followed the deer trail. They watched as a few animals ran into the trees or back into their holes in fear upon seeing them. They shoved the sharp branches out of the way as they made their way over to the road Michonne had been talking about.

Rick's untruthful words kept repeating over and over in Carl's head as he followed Michonne and his father on the deer trail which would lead to the road. The darkness inside him was something no one should be proud about. He had done monstrous things which caused nothing but horror and regret. He wasn't a good man to the darkness of his horrific heart inside him.

Carl flinched when his foot didn't step on another crackling branch or dead leaf but instead the concrete of a road. The road was filled with fresh leafs with it's color slowly fading away. Tiny rocks laid against the road under the fresh leafs while it cracked as their shoes stepped upon them.

They marched on the road as they stared ahead to see a dirty car covered with grime and dust. Leafs hovered over the surface of the car while some others fell between the dead tires.

"Thought maybe there'd be some houses down this way." Michonne panted as her empty stomach growled for food. "Maybe even a store. There's got to be some food around her somewhere."

Carl squinted his eyes at the blue car ahead of them as his stomach grumbled from starvation. "Hey, look." He said.

They squinted their eyes at the car as they pulled their weapons into the tight grip in their trembling fists while they carefully made their way over to the empty, blue car. Rick and Carl checked the car for any food, weapons, ammo, or walkers while Michonne took care of a walker on the side of the road.

A rotten and disgusting scent filled Rick and Carl's nostrils as soon as they opened the car doors. They gagged at the nasty smell before covering their noses to keep the smell from getting in any longer. Stained blood was stained against the seats and floors of the car with a little bit of skeleton fragments laying right above it.

Pockets laying against the back of the car seats was filled with tiny fragments of skeleton along with a few work papers laying beside children books. No ammo or weapons were hiding anywhere in the dirty car filled with dust and stained blood. Rotten food was hidden in the floor of the front seat as flies and ants crawled over it.

They checked the trunk to see if any walkers, food, or ammo had been hiding in it. Nothing but suitcases filled with cloths and broken electronics were hiding in the trunk. Rick shut and locked it with the keys he found in the car while Carl gravitated near Michonne with his pistol tucked back in his holster.

His stomach growled for food to satisfy his starvation while his dyhrated tongue screamed for water. He placed a hand over his stomach as he moaned and panted from the lack of food. He placed his sweaty palms over his trembling knees with his head bowed down as he panted from his starvation and exhaustion.

"You okay?" Michonne asked him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Carl forced himself to stand up straight before nodding while his stomach grumbled. "I'm fine. Just hungry and tired."

"We all are." Michonne replied, rubbing his shoulder soothingly with her thumb. "That's why we're staying here for today and maybe tomorrow."

The young teen wiped his nose before nodding in agreement. He wiped his hands on his pants in effort to get rid of the blood, dirt, and sweat while he panted in exhaustion. Rick stood next to Michonne and in front of Carl while he wiped the blood and dirt off his sweaty hands.

"I'm gonna go get some wood for the fire." Rick said, rubbing his shivering hands together for warmth. "Y'all stay here."

Michonne was quick to grab strong arm to stop him. "No, Carl and I will go. You still have healing to do."

"You've been saying that since you and Carl went on that run right after the prison fell." Rick said, shaking his head with a small smile on his lips which was covered by his beard.

Michonne chuckled in amusement. "Yeah, but you need to heal if you wanna be strong. Just rest. Carl and I will handle this."

Rick sighed in defeat before nodding in agreement. He handed Michonne a small pistol before patting his son on the back. Michonne tucked the pistol in her belt before motioning Carl to follow her in the dangerous woods.

Rick watched as the mother-and-son like figure disappeared in the forest on the side of the road. Michonne was truly there for Carl more than he ever was in his entire life. He trusted her to protect him and help him feel better when something was wrong or figure out what's bothering him if he was bothered by something.

Michonne was like another mother to Carl.

Wilmur yawned as he awoke with the bright sunlight shining through the bar windows and into their white curtains. His arms were wrapped around Carl's slender form. Carl's eyes were gently closed unlike the times he had night terrors. His night terrors had been gone for a few weeks now, but was bound to come back.

Sleeping together had completely helped Carl. It eased his night terrors and soothed his tears when he woke up wailing from one. Everything had gotten better for them both. It was nice for them to sleep together without a nightmare interrupting it.

As if sensing Wilmur was awake, Carl turned his body so he was facing him and buried his face in his chest. Wilmur smiled before placing a gentle kiss against his soft hair and stroking it. He buried his face in Carl's neck and left gentle kisses against it. Carl smiled in his sleep as he felt the pleasurable, tiny kisses sprinkled on his neck.

Wilmur placed a gentle and warm kiss against Carl's soft lips before pulling himself off the cover. He draped blankets over Carl's now shivering body since his warmth left him. He sat on one of the chairs and put on his tennis shoes, tying the laces before walking out of the cell.

Beth smiled upon Wilmur's appearance while she bumped Judith. "Morning."

"Morning." Wilmur replied with a groggily voice, rubbing his eyes to rub the sleepiness out. "Where's Hershel?"

"Out with Rick." Beth replied, placing a baby bottle in Judith's mouth before gently feeding her. "Is Carl awake?"

Wilmur shook his head, laying against the wall before beginning to eat his cereal that Beth had given him His eyes darted to the morning light shining through the bar windows. His crystal blue eyes bristled in the glistening sunlight as it shined against his pale cheeks.

His bristling eyes darted to the cell Carl was sleeping in to see his relaxed eyes with his damp, brown hair draped over his rosy cheeks and forehead. The peaceful sight was the most adorable and beautiful sight he had ever seen in his life.

Words couldn't even describe how lucky Wilmur was to find Carl. Ever since Penny died, he had shut down and threw everything and everyone he ever cared about in his entire life away. He slammed Justin into his broken heart and shattered it to pieces until there was no feelings or emotions left or scared anywhere.

Yet somehow he still managed to find love and strong desire. Even though every single one of his feelings were all gone and his heart became numb, he was still able to find someone to truly love and care about.

Carl was able to bring him back from all the anger and rage inside Justin's heart. He was able to show him love and care in a world filled with hate and cruelness.

"Slow down!" Joe called from behind Wilmur who was sprinting as they desperately tried to keep up with him.

However, Wilmur simply ignored him and sprinted faster along the tracks which would lead to not only Terminus but Carl as well. His fists were clenching to backpack straps held on his back tightly as he sprinted faster and faster like he was a tiger running after it's prey. His breath was hitched from panting and his legs were aching from sprinting far too fast for way too long. Sweat was dripping down his wet temples and his black hair as the hot sun beamed down on him while he ran.

Daryl and the Claimers struggled to keep up with him the faster he ran in the hot heat. Pounds of sweat was insanely dripping down their temples and hair as it soaked into their skin and shirts. Their hips were hurting from running too fast for too long and their legs screamed as it ached while sweat soaked into their pants and shirts, staining it.

Wilmur jumped over a dead body lying in the middle of the tracks before sprinting even faster, ignoring his aching legs and his sore feet. Joe and Daryl had been calling for him to stop or slow down, but he ignored them and sprinted faster. They could all swore they were going to pass out from dyhration as the hot sun beamed down on their sweating skin.

"Slow down just a little, fella!" Joe called from behind him. "We need to rest!"

Wilmur stopped sprinting before turning to Joe to glare at him, struggling to breathe as he stood still. "Don't you want to get to that man who killed Lou as fast as you can? Wouldn't resting slow us down?"

"We're gonna find this fella." Joe replied, panting as he placed his machine gun against the tracks on the ground. "Whether we rest or not, we'll find him. I know we will. Same with your boyfriend."

Wilmur continued to glare as his fists clenched so tightly that his sweaty palms covered with stained blood were turning purple. He gritted his teeth as he desperately tried to keep his growls from escaping his dry throat.

"Let's just rest for a little while, okay?" Daryl said, hoping it would get his ex-son to agree. "We've been running since sunrise. I know you're tired."

Wilmur softened his glare before sighing, his clenching fists untightening as his anger and frustration calmed down. Slowly, he gave his head a fast nod before throwing his backpack on the ground. The Claimers sighed with relief before dropping their weapons and bags to the ground and falling to it.

Wilmur refused to sit down as he began to take watch. His tired eyes darted to the sun peaking through the green leafs on the silent trees through the fields on the side of the tracks. His aching legs trembled as he struggled to keep standing while his palm shook against the handle of his pistol in his holster wrapped around his leg.

His eyes stared blankly ahead of the tracks which would lead to Carl in Terminus. He wasn't sure if he trusted the sanctuary but he also wasn't sure if he cared or not. All he cared about was finding Carl. It didn't matter if Terminus was real or not because it would lead both of them back to each other.

It was why Wilmur was desperately trying to get to Terminus as fast as he could. Terminus was the direct way toward each other. It was the only big clue they had since the prison fell.

Daryl's hand being placed over Wilmur's shoulder was enough to make Wilmur flinch. He quickly yanked his pistol out of his holster by reflex before pointing it at Daryl, clicking the safety off. He lowered it when he realized it was just his ex-adoptive father and placed it back in his holster.

"You okay?" Daryl asked, his voice hoarse from panting and running too much.

"I'm fine." Wilmur answered, turning around and crossing his arms as he stared ahead of the tracks. "Just tired."

Daryl softened his drooping eyes, draping his sweaty palm over his sweating forehead to block the hot sun from beating down on him any longer. "Then rest. I'll take watch."

Wilmur immediately shook his head after the offer. "No. I'll rest when I find Carl."

"We basically already found him." Daryl stated. "He's goin' to Terminus. It doesn't matter how fast we get there."

The young teen sighed with his trembling breath as he gave his head a shake. He couldn't rest until he found Carl. Once he found Carl, he'll finally rest before doing anything else. Carl would be his only reason to finally relax. He would tuck the violence, blood, and gore away while he rested with Carl.

Although Terminus could likely be an untrustworthy place, it was the only path to lead to Carl. All he and Daryl had to do was follow the tracks until they led to Carl in Terminus. He was just desperate to find Carl and give all the violence a rest while he relaxed with Carl. His frustration was angering him to the tip of the edge as the famine and fear on the road grew more and more every single day without knowing anyone he loved was alive.

Ever since the prison fell, everyone's fates were left unknown. It frustrated him to know everyone he loved was most likely dead or by themselves alone somewhere while he desperately was trying to survive through the famine, fear, countless walkers, and dangerous people. Neither of them could relax without being next to each other with violence surrounding them everywhere they went.

"I just want to get to him as fast as I can." Wilmur said, sighing as his pants slowly began to calm down. "We were in the prison for so long. Even though I was out on runs everyday, we still never left each other's side. But now we're not together, and it's...it's just hard to explain. Like...I don't like feeling like this."

Daryl nodded after understanding exactly what Wilmur meant. They were both tired of running everyday without any breath takers or rests while being without the ones they loved at the same time. Not only physical emptiness inside their stomachs from starvation and tongues from dyhration, but also their loved ones not being with them as well.

"Hey." Daryl said, catching Wilmur's attention again. "We're very close. We don't got that much longer. In just a couple days, all this will be over if that place is still standing."

"Terminus doesn't make the violence over." Wilmur replied. "Carl will. I'll relax when he's in my sight."

Daryl nodded, patting Wilmur on the shoulder. "You need to get all the rest you can get anyway. You needa heal."

"I will when I'm with Carl." Wilmur argued.

"No." Daryl replied. "When you find Carl, you'll have a job to protect him. Get all the rest ya can get right now."

Wilmur shrugged Daryl's dirty, rough hand away from his shoulder before crossing his arms which were covered with bruises under his grey flannel from the car that had hit him a week ago or from his father beating him nearly to death a month ago. His bruises were growing a lighter pink color everyday from healing and his deep cuts were slowly creating scars. Some of his ribcages which were either broken or damaged by his father or the car that had ran over him was slowly healing the cracks they made. His two broken fingers had almost completely recovered along with his sprained ankle.

Wilmur's tired eyes darted to Daryl who was staring blankly at the bruises and cuts plastered over his cheeks. Stained blood was covering almost his entire grey flannel along with his bare hands and cheeks. His two broken, yet recovering fingers were a little swollen along with his sprained ankle.

"Fine. I'll rest." Wilmur sighed in defeat, laying on the ground before placing his head over his backpack with his hand draped over his starving stomach.

Daryl pulled out a few pecans out of his pocket before placing them in Wilmur's palm. He had noticed how skinny Wilmur was growing from starvation and how his stomach growled loudly for food every minute. Wilmur hesitated before accepting the two pecans, stuffing them in his mouth after cracking them open.

Joe gravitated near Wilmur before sitting down beside him, keeping the same mischievous smile over his lips as he chuckled. Wilmur draped his hand over his black machete in his belt as soon as Joe sat beside him.

Wilmur still didn't trust Joe. He still thought there was an evil darkness lurking behind Joe and the Claimers mischievous eyes. There was something to them Wilmur and Daryl just didn't get. Something inside the Claimers triggered a kind of mischievous evilness. Despite helping them to find Carl, their instincts told them not to trust the evil group filled with men.

"You okay?" Joe asked him, still chuckling.

Wilmur sighed deeply in annoyance as he clenched his black machete tightly to control his anger and frustration. Joe's annoying presence irritated him slightly due to the man's secret evil and mischievousness. Each chuckle that escaped Joe's throat only made him more anger and frustrated.

Nothing in the world was funny at all anymore. They weren't in a shelter where they could have enough food, water, and weapons to last them through the day while they laughed and joked around. Instead they were in the middle of nowhere with no shelter, food, water, or enough ammo while they desperately tried to search for loved and hated ones as they survived.

"Yeah. I'm totally fine." Wilmur scoffed with sarcasm in his tone.

Joe chuckled before pulling out a water bottle with barely any water left in it. His hands trembled from starvation as he handed it to the young, starving and thirsty teen.

Wilmur shook his head, pushing the water bottle away with his trembling hands. "I'm fine."

"No you're not." Joe replied, handing the water bottle to him again.

Wilmur sighed deeply before grabbing the water bottle, hesitating while doing so. He shakily pulled the lid off it before taking a few tiny sips, but it wasn't enough to control his thirst. However, it was enough to make him yearn for so much more. He hadn't eaten anything in weeks or drank anything for a long time.

Survival had only gotten harder for him and Daryl. Since they were with a group with selfish rules, it only made it harder. Every time they found food even though it wasn't enough, one of the Claimers would claim it before they could get to it. Len's death didn't make survival any easier despite the insults which came from him.

Wilmur slowly withdrew the water bottle from his dry mouth before handing it back to Joe while he wiped his mouth. He rubbed the sleepiness from his tired eyes as the sweat clinging to his black hair dripped onto his eyelids. Dried blood was staining his eyelashes and cloths while coloring his cheeks. Dirt and blood was all over his skin and cloths with only more coming every single day.

He was tired of feeling too dirty, filthy, and nasty. He hadn't showered since the prison fell and there was hardly any river to bathe himself in. It was either too shallow or too dirty. Walkers and dead frogs would be hiding under big rocks. Leafs from the dead trees would be landing against it.

"So what are you goin' to do when you find your boyfriend?" Joe questioned.

Wilmur shot Joe a glare through his droopy eyes as his fist clenched his machete while his anger and frustration grew. "What do you mean?"

"You, Daryl, and your boyfriend are gonna need a group." Joe answered. "Whether y'all go to Terminus or not, y'all will need a group. Everyone does nowadays."

"Well, we don't." Wilmur replied. "You can't survive without people, but it doesn't have to be a group. As long as my boyfriend and Daryl is with me, I'll be fine."

Joe chuckled, stuffing the almost empty water bottle back in the bag. "Yeah, but y'all do need a group to protect each other. Y'all really think three against a world filled with the dead is enough?"

"It's enough for us." Wilmur shrugged, his frustration growing. "We know what we're doing."

"Yeah, you may know what y'all are doin' but death just happens." Joe replied, chuckling. "It don't matter if ya know how to survive. If you don't have people, you die. I know you've seen it happen."

Wilmur scoffed, crossing his arms in frustration before turning his back to Joe. He knew he was going to try and convince him and Daryl to stay with their group instead of going into Terminus. All evil people ever did was keep their group members prisoners and gave them no choice but to fight with them through the dead in the destroyed world.

The Governor always kept people prisoners since the day the outbreak started. He refused to let them go, and if they escaped, he killed them slowly and painfully. He usually managed to convince people to stay on his side and fight with him even though they saw him as an evil and cruel man but refused to see it.

"I've seen everyone die." Wilmur retorted after a moment of silence. "I've seen from friends to family lose their lives. Believe it or not, most of them were killed by people."

Joe stuttered as he stared upon the young teen who had lost countless people in the hands of one man which was his own father. He knew Wilmur and Daryl had lost a lot of people because they were alone and by themselves before they lost Beth.

"So don't tell me I need people because most of them are bad." Wilmur continued.

Joe chuckled with a slight bit of mischievousness in it. "But we're not."

"Kind of sounds like you are." Wilmur retorted. "You're searching for a man and you're going to kill him just like all the other bad guys."

"He killed Lou." Joe reminded him. "He killed one of our guys. We're not gonna let him go."

Flashes of the Governor flooded through Wilmur's mind as he remembered how he and Andrea escaped Woodbury during the violent war so they could warn about what his father was going to horrifyingly do. However, his father refused to left them go. He managed to catch up to them when they made it to the prison and knocked them both unconscious before taking them back.

It was just like what Joe was doing. Joe and the Governor both refused to let their innocent enemies go. They both chased after them and were both going to kill them.

"You aren't going to let that man go, right?" Wilmur questioned and Joe nodded. "That doesn't mean Daryl and I can't."

"Y'all are one of us." Joe replied. "Y'all should stay with us after you find your boyfriend. After we kill that man, we can leave Terminus together."

"I'm not putting my boyfriend in danger." Wilmur said angrily, his protectiveness kicking in.

Joe chuckled mischievously. "Yeah, but you'll be around him. You'd protect him."

"I meant I'm not putting him danger by staying with this group." Wilmur corrected, growling through his gritted teeth. "I don't want him around either of you."

"Why?" Joe chuckled. "Len's dead. There's nothing to worry about."

"It's not just Len's death." Wilmur growled. "It's something else."

It wasn't Len's death that concerned him and Daryl but the way Len died. Joe and the Claimers had beat up one of their own just like how Carol killed Karen and David. Wilmur didn't want Carl around Joe or the Claimers if they were willing to beat up one of their own members or friends to death. All it took was for Carl to do one little thing for Joe to tell the Claimers to beat him to death.

Wilmur and Daryl couldn't protect Carl from the mischievous Claimers. They had a secret evil inside them which made them mischievous and suspicious. Blood was on their hands which belonged to innocent people who were likely killed because they were once a part of their group or because they didn't like them.

"Look, I can't make y'all stay." Joe said, sighing. "But y'all are gonna realize that you'll need us, but it'll be too late."

Wilmur shot Joe a deadly death glare as he clenched his black machete tighter than ever. "We'll die if we stay with you. Your stupid rules will get us killed, or at least your men will kill one of us because we broke some rule."

"Is that what this is about?" Joe asked, chuckling. "It disturbed you when we killed Len, didn't it? And you don't want the same thing happening to Daryl and your boyfriend, right?"

Wilmur continued to glare as his palm turned purple from clenching his machete too tightly.

"Come on, fella." Joe said, patting Wilmur on the shoulder. "I can tell y'all are good people. I know y'all won't break the rules."

Wilmur scoffed. "It doesn't matter if Len broke the rules or not. You killed your own member! Your own friend! Yeah, I hated him. But he was your friend!"

Joe chuckled, patting Wilmur's shoulder again but is simply shrugged away. "He broke the rules. He lied. He insulted you after I asked him to stop. Hell, he broke a rule a month ago when he kicked Tony off the bed he claimed. You see, that was three rules he broke. He wasn't a part of our group, and he sure as hell wasn't our friend."

"I can't help but wonder how many people you did the same to." Wilmur said, growls escaping through his gritted teeth. "How many walkers have you and your group killed?"

Joe furrowed his eyebrows in confusion but answered the strange question. "More than we could count."

"How many people have you killed?" Wilmur asked the hard question, glaring at Joe while doing so.

Joe hesitated before answering. "I haven't kept track of how many people my men killed, but I killed sixteen. Well, seventeen because of Len."

Wilmur flinched at the big amount of people Joe had killed. He expected him to be a killer, but he hadn't expected him to kill sixteen innocent people. Len had deserved to his death, but he wasn't sure about the other sixteen. Some of them had most likely been a part of the Claimers and had got beat up to death because they broke a rule.

"Why?" Wilmur asked, strengthening his death glare.

"Five of them tried to kill us, so I killed them." Joe answered. "Six of them broke our rules, including Len. And the other six is cause' we didn't trust 'em."

Wilmur scoffed, giving his head a small shake before holstering his black machete but kept his firm grip on it. "I don't trust you. I understand at the people who tried to kill you but the others?"

"It's just the way things are." Joe replied. "It don't matter about what we do cause' it just happens."

"Yes it does." Wilmur retorted with frustration in his tone. "We're still people. Whether we're bad or not, we're still people. A lot of times, we're given no choice. So it does matter about what we do to keep ourselves breathing."

Joe chuckled. "It don't matter about what we do cause' that's what keeps us breathing. That's why I set rules for the road. It just happened. It wasn't anybody's fault."

Wilmur scoffed before laying his head back against his backpack filled with supplies, draping his arm above his head while his other hard was draped over his starving stomach. He closed his drooping eyes in hopes for Joe to leave him alone. He wasn't in the mood for arguing and he certainly didn't want to be with his group.

In certain ways, Joe was right. Despite the Claimers having a secret evilness sparking inside their mischievous eyes, little of the lectures Joe had said was right. However, there was no rules anymore. It was either share and survive or be selfish and die. No rules from their old world existed anymore. Each and every single one of the rules they once had was gone since the day the apocalypse had started.

"Listen, Joe." Wilmur said more calmly with his tired voice. "Daryl, my boyfriend, and I are not staying. We don't want to be here. We just want to survive."

Joe chuckled, patting on Wilmur's shoulder one last time before gravitating near Dan to speak to him. Wilmur sighed at relief of Joe's annoying presence being gone before gently closing his drooping eyes again and drifting off to his own world. He pictured his lover's beautiful face while placing in a sparking river surrounded by sparkling river rocks.

Daryl watched as Wilmur slowly drifted to sleep while he gripped his crossbow tightly. His eyes darted ahead of the tracks which would lead to Terminus. His weak fingers trembled against his crossbow from starvation as he desperately tried to keep his tight grip on it.

They were very close to Terminus. All they had was a few or a bit more miles left and then they'd finally find sanctuary and Carl. If the Terminus Residents were trustworthy, they didn't have to run every single day anymore. They would finally have shelter, food, water, clean cloths, and a bed. They wouldn't have to freeze in the nights, run every single moment, desperately try to find water or food, or hold their breaths and hope they don't die. Terminus could be the answer to everything.

Daryl's eyes darted to Joe who was chuckling along with Dan while Billy, Tony, and Harley slept with their eyes closed tightly. All of their stomachs were growling loudly for food as their tongues screamed for water. Crimson blood was stained all over their filthy cloths and skin along with dry dirt. Bruises and cuts were plastered over Wilmur's injured body.

From inside Wilmur's flannel, Daryl could tell his ribcages were either severely bruised or broken. His wrist was swollen again due to being ran over by a car and using the same hand every single day to kill walkers or carry a bag. One of his shoes was tight against one of his swollen ankles, making the wound much worse. All of his bruises were healing, but more was forming every single day along with new cuts. Wilmur still refused to rest no matter how much wounds he had or how severely injured he was.

Daryl hoped there was a doctor in Terminus. If Wilmur wouldn't heal, his wounds would surely get worse. It wouldn't heal if they were running every single day while killing more than a hundred of walkers along with being paranoid about the Claimers or people.

"You should rest, Daryl." Joe said, interrupting Daryl from his deep thoughts.

The archer simply gave his head a shake, shooting Joe a small glare. He wasn't sure if he trusted Joe or the Claimers just like Wilmur. He had listened to Wilmur ask Joe the three questions about his group. They had killed many innocent people. He wondered if the man they were helping the Claimers track was really proven to be guilty to kill Lou or not.

If so, Daryl and Wilmur knew they couldn't stay much longer. They had already helped the Claimers track enough of the most likely innocent man. If the Claimers fell asleep, they could most likely get to Terminus before they realize they're gone. They wouldn't have to be with a disgusting group anymore but instead with sanctuary who could be good people.

"I'm taking watch." Daryl told Joe with frustration visible in his blue eyes.

Joe chuckled, lifting himself up on his elbows. "Come on, fella. You and Wilmur always take watch. Give it a rest. I can take care of it."

"I said, I got it." Daryl snapped with frustration in his tone. "I ain't resting."

"You don't always have to handle everything." Joe told the archer, chuckling before he stood up. "Let me handle it for once. Get some rest. You deserve it."

Daryl glared, his tight grip on his crossbow growing even tighter. "I said, I got this."

"No, you don't." Joe retorted, chuckling as he patted Daryl's shoulder. "You should your friends in. You and Wilmur should. It's okay to rest right now, fella."

"Y'all ain't my friends." Daryl growled. "And we sure as hell ain't yours."

"That's where y'all are wrong." Joe chuckled, patting him on the back. "We are your friends. That's why we're trying to help."

Daryl clenched his crossbow tighter than ever as his palm turned purple from holding it too tightly. His glare strengthened while he gritted his teeth with growls rippling out of his chest and through his teeth. His other fist clenched tightly as he glared straight into Joe's mischievous eyes.

Tension and rage sped through Daryl's boiling veins as his heart began beating faster with his anger building up inside it. He slowly took a menacing step toward Joe with his deadly glare growing.

Joe was quick to place a hand against Daryl's chest where his growls were rippling from. "Whoa. Whoa. Take it easy. I just want you to rest, okay?"

"Daryl claims taking watch." Wilmur said groggily from almost falling asleep, breaking the strong tension.

Joe sighed in defeat before nodding to Daryl, settling down next to Dan again who was already fast asleep. Daryl softened his eyes at Joe's frustration presence being gone before staring blankly ahead of the tracks again which lead to Terminus.

Wilmur yawned before shifting on his side to sleep better with his hands being under his cheek laying on top of his backpack. He mourned for Carl to be with him so he could wrap his arms around him and soothe not only his lover but himself as well. He needed to hold him again just like he held him in the prison at the secret spot no one hadn't discovered except them.

He missed those special and sweet moments when it was just the two of them in the same room alone together. They always shared rough or gentle kisses while they had their warm and strong arms wrapped around each other. They never needed to talk but share their love instead. He needed the passionate warmth and strong love to keep himself satisfied. Nothing and no one could fill the empty hold Carl had created but could fill in again.

Slowly, Wilmur drifted off to sleep along with the Claimers while he listened to the quiet walker snarling in the far distance of the woods and tracks.

Carl snuck behind Wilmur and wrapped his arms around his back, causing Wilmur to flinch. He placed a kiss against Wilmur's cheek before settling down in a chair next to his. Wilmur smiled and placed his warm lips against Carl's soft ones, sneaking his tongue inside and battling with his.

The younger lover ended up in the older lover's lap, battling his tongue and kissing him strongly with passion and tenderness growing stronger each second. He moved lips to his neck and gently nibbled on it, provoking moans of pleasure from Carl.

Carl's fingers dug into Wilmur's back as he felt his teeth gently nibble into his neck. He moaned in pleasure as the passion and tender grew impossibly even more stronger. He pushed Wilmur's lips away and placed his own against Wilmur's neck, gently nibbling with the experience Wilmur had given him.

Wilmur moaned in pleasure as he felt his younger lover's teeth gently nibble against his neck. He wrapped his arms around his slim form and brought him closer so Carl could deepen the passion and pleasure.

"You guys sure are a couple." A voice interrupted their moment.

Wilmur's eyes darted over Carl's hair as Carl stopped nibbling on his neck to see Patrick stepping into the cellblock. He had the same annoying smile on his lips as he giggled nervously. His cheeks were flustering red and his eyes darted to Carl's legs.

As soon as Patrick took a step closer, Wilmur shoved Carl behind him, glaring upon the teen. He had noticed how Patrick's eyes darted to Carl's legs while he cheeks turned to a shade of light pink. He wouldn't let Patrick take Carl away from him and make him his.

"Do you mind?" Wilmur asked with annoyance, huffing. "We're trying to have a moment."

Patrick giggled as if he was enjoying himself, taking a few steps closer which caused Wilmur to push himself out of the comfortable chair and push Carl back even more. He shot Patrick a death glare as he held Carl's hand from behind and gently stroked his palm to give him reassurance.

"So have you're moment." Patrick chuckled in amusement while shrugging.

Wilmur strengthened his death glare, gritting his teeth and clenching his other fist without Carl's hand in it. "I meant as in alone."

"But why?" Patrick asked, still smiling and giggling. "Can I not stay in here?"

Wilmur took a menacing step toward Patrick, letting go of Carl's hand and clenching both of his fists tightly. His death glare grew along with his tight fists with his teeth gritting to keep the growls from escaping.

"Don't you have something better to do?" Wilmur questioned.

"No." Patrick giggled. "But what about you? Do you have something better to do than hang out with Carl?"

Wilmur failed to hold back his growls and roars of rage as he slammed Patrick against the wall, smashing his foot on his. Patrick yelped in pain, but kept the same smile on his lips and the same giggles escaping them.

Carl quickly rushed to his older lover and wrapped his arms around him, pulling him off Patrick in case things got any worse like they always had in the past. He rested his chin against his shoulder while murmuring comforting things in Wilmur's ear to calm down his rage and anger.

Wilmur relaxed as he closed his eyes with Carl's sweet breath and comforting words reassuring his anger and rage. He let go of the collar of Patrick's shirt before resting against Carl's embrace, listening to each, comforting word slipping passed his lips. He placed his palm over the back of Carl's hand before gently stroking it with his index finger.

Patrick continued to giggle yet blush at the sight of Carl embracing the angry Wilmur. His heart began to beat faster with jealousy while his veins boiled with the same thing. His fingers and hands trembled as he fought the urge to shove Wilmur off and touch every inch of the soft skin exposed on Carl's body.

However, Patrick knew better not to touch Carl in front of Wilmur. He knew it would only result in getting himself either severely injured or painfully killed. He didn't want to hurt the person he mourned to be with, but he wanted so much to touch Carl's soft and smooth skin.

"It's okay." Carl whispered in Wilmur's ear. "Everything's okay. Nothing bad is going on. It's all okay."

Wilmur sighed as he rested his head against Carl's collarbone with each word he mummered into his ear calming him down slowly. His rage and anger slowly was calming down with each word being whispered into his ear and each sweet breath brushing against his neck.

Beth stepped in the cell with Judith being held in her arms as she slept peacefully. She stared at the three boys with concern and worry filling her eyes when she noticed Carl was comforting Wilmur while Patrick was staring at them with his cheeks turning red.

"Is everything okay?" Beth asked with concern in her tone.

Carl nodded. "Yeah, there was just a disagreement."

Beth narrowed her aqua eyes filled with concern and worry. She knew Carl was lying. She knew him far too well to give in to his lie like Rick always did.

"Wilmur?" Beth questioned him, rubbing Judith's back when she cooed.

Like Carl, Wilmur nodded. He didn't want to cause stress throughout everyone in the prison. He could handle Patrick himself just like he was able to handle Milton and Andrea himself.

Beth softened her eyes before nodding, sitting on the stairs with the sleeping Judith still resting against her chest. Her even breath gently brushed against her neck as she slept peacefully, shifting a little at the tension.

"Let's clean our guns." Carl whispered in Wilmur's ear, rubbing circles on the back of his hand with his index finger. "I'm sure Dad will appreciate that."

Wilmur nodded, shooting Patrick one last death glare before following Carl back to the table. He placed his own pistol against the table along with Carl's before pulling out a box filled with guns. He gave he and Carl one pistol at a time before pulling out washrags.

Carl began emptying the chambers while Wilmur wiped the outside of the dirty pistols. Stained blood was splattered against it with old dirt smeared on it. Wilmur did his best to wipe off every inch of blood and dirt he could while Carl took care of the chambers.

It took a moment for both of them to realize Patrick was standing right over them with his hot breath brushing right up against Carl as he admired his clean and smooth skin. He pupils were larger as he stared upon the beautiful, younger teen with his hands threatening to touch him.

"Go away." Wilmur growled before pointing at a box of logos sitting in the corner. "Play with those toys over there if it's the only thing to keep you away from us."

"But I'd rather be with Carl." Patrick whined, still keeping the huge smile on his lips.

Wilmur scoffed, shaking his head in annoyance. "Well, he doesn't want to be near you. Play with those toys, idiot."

"How do you know Carl doesn't want to be near me?" Patrick questioned, giggling.

"Patrick, can you play with the logos?" Carl asked calmly but Wilmur could hear the frustration being blocked in his tone. "Trust me, you don't want to clean the guns."

Patrick sighed in defeat before making his way over to the logos. Wilmur sighed with relief before continuing to clean the guns with a blue and red washrag. He desperately tried to wash off the stained dirt and blood, but it was nearly impossible.

There had been too much blood and violence during the war to wipe the scars of their skin and guns. Too many deaths had happened when the Governor started the violent war and killed many innocent people slowly and painfully.

Wilmur kept his eyes on Patrick while he cleaned each of the guns. He squinted his eyes in irritation and disgust as he studied Patrick's smiling face while he played the logo toys. There was something to Patrick that not only annoyed him but disgusted as well. He knew there was something inside Patrick that made him want Carl, and it disgusted him.

Wilmur had noticed the way Patrick stared at Carl's exposed skin with his wide pupils and his body while his face flustered light pink or red. He wouldn't let Patrick interfere with him and Carl. Carl was his and his only.

Carl turned his head to notice Wilmur was not only staring but glaring at Patrick as well. He took a hold of Wilmur's hand and turned his face to face him. Carl gave him a warm smile to which Wilmur smiled and replaced the glare with love. They leaned in and locked their soft and warm lips together.

It was a kiss as gentle as ever. They didn't want it to grow less innocent due to a jealous Patrick and a sleeping baby being present in the same room. They broke apart and stared into each other's blue eyes before focusing on cleaning their guns again.

Wilmur kept the same smile against his lips as he stared at Carl while cleaning the guns. He very grateful and proud to have Carl as his boyfriend. He wouldn't want his love any other way in his life. No one else would be able to earn his strong love except Carl.

The older lover continued to smile while he gripped the younger's hand, gently stroking his palm and smiling at him while he cleaned a gun with his other hand. Carl smiled warmly back at him while he emptied each chamber and tucked it back in the box filled with other guns.

However, as soon as Rick stepped into the cell, the beautiful smile placed against Carl's soft lips disappeared into a frown. He was still angry at his father for what he done to him, but he was very slowly forgiving him just like Wilmur was.

Rick greeted Patrick who was playing on the floor with the logos. "Hey, Patrick."

"Hey, Mr. Grimes." Patrick greeted formally, looking down at the logos "Thanks for grabbing these."

Rick shrugged as he stared down at the teenage boy blankly. "Well, I thought Carl might want 'em."

Carl rolled his eyes and continued to clean the guns while speeding the pace too fast with anger and rage. Scoffs were slipping out of his mouth as he increased the pace. However, Wilmur rubbed his back to soothe him.

"They were just sitting here." Patrick replied nervously. "I figured it had been a while. I'm not ashamed that they're for ages four to twelve."

"You shouldn't be." Rick replied, patting Patrick on the back before heading over to his son. "Hey."

Wilmur could feel Carl tense from his father's presence by placing a hand on his back. He noticed the frown on his lips grew larger while he nervously continued to clean the guns.

"Hey." Carl said while emptying the chambers of the guns.

Rick turned his head to see Beth waving Judith's tiny hand to greet him. His eyes darted back over to his son and his son's boyfriend to see them continue cleaning guns while Patrick played on the floor with toy logos. He wanted a different life for his son. A life that was happier and more normal for kids to have.

"Carl." Rick said, trying to grab his attention.

"Yes?" Carl replied, refusing to look at his father's face while he emptied and chambers to clean them.

Rick sighed in annoyance at his son's ignorance. "Carl."

The young teen finally lifted his head to look at his father with his hands stopping from cleaning the guns with Wilmur doing the same thing. He wished for Rick to leave so they could have their moments to themselves without a desperate teenager and annoying father to interrupt them.

"I need you're help with somethin'." Rick said, turning his head to Wilmur. "Wilmur, you can help if you want."

Wilmur nodded in agreement, grabbing his pistol along with Carl and placing bullets in it. Rick was quick to stop them while placing a hand on the table. Hershel had told him to help his son, and guns would only result in getting in the way.

"Leave it behind." Rick told them.

Carl furrowed his eyebrows with Wilmur doing the same. "What?" Carl questioned. They never went anywhere without their guns before.

Rick took off his belt which had a gun in it along with different types of sharp knives. He placed it on the table along with his jacket before taking Carl and Wilmur's gun and doing the same.

"It'll just get in the way."

Carl followed Michonne back to the car they would be sleeping and resting in for a day or two with heavy firewood held in his arms. He struggled to keep up with Michonne due to the heaviness of the firewood and his starvation slowing him down. His stomach growled and grumbled loud enough for birds, animals, and insects to fly or run away.

He panted with exhaustion as the hot sun beamed down on his through the leafs hanging from the trees. Sweat dripped down Michonne's temples as she struggled to keep walking through the strong heat. Her eyes darted to the young teen struggling to follow behind her in the steaming heat.

She slowed down a bit to help Carl catch up on his trembling legs. Carl jogged up to her before continuing to follow her throughout the woods. He could see a very small river in the distance, but it was too dirty for them to drink or bathe in. A dead bod laid in it, coloring some of the dirty river crimson red as it's skulls sank deeper into the mud.

"Do you think we can clean that water?" Carl asked desperately while he panted.

Michonne shook her head before wrapping her arm around the young teen. "No, but we'll find some water and food."

Carl bowed his head as he followed after the samurai with the heavy firewood held in his arms which was weakening from starvation. His entire body was growing more and more underweight every day due to starvation and running too much everyday. The black sags under his eyes caused by exhaustion was only growing darker with each night passing by. It was growing harder and harder to run due to exhaustion and starvation. His night terrors had gotten a little bit better from the talk he had with Michonne on the run, but she couldn't help.

Their stomachs growled even louder. Dead leafs fell on top of them and stuck to their brown hair which was soaked with sweat. They were lucky it had been a little bit more chilly, but running everyday without rest was what exhausted and heated them up too much.

"We're back." Michonne told Rick as they made their way over to him.

Rick gave away a tiny smile on his chapped lips which was covered by his beard. "Good. I was about to come look."

"We found more than we need." Carl said. "There's also a small creek or river nearby, but it's dirty."

"Can we not clean it?" Rick asked, focusing more on Michonne than Carl.

Michonne gave her head a small shake. "No. There's a dead body in it too, so..."

Rick sighed before nodding, patting his son on the shoulder but stopped as soon as he felt his bones. They felt too fragile and too weak due to growing skinnier from starvation and lack of rest. They needed to find food before Carl or any of them grew too underweight and water before they passed out from dyhration.

"Maybe that river leads to more fresher water." Rick said desperately. "All we need to do is follow it."

Michonne shrugged. "Maybe, but we need to rest. Especially you and Carl."

Their stomachs suddenly grumbled for food as it grew angrier. All of their visions were spinning and slowly fading to black. Dizziness was greeting their heads as the world spun along with deep exhaustion. The grumbling in their starving stomachs echo's in their ears as they grew more and more dizzy.

"We need to find..." Rick cut himself off as the world spun. "We need to find food."

"We got that rabbit." Michonne reminded him. "That's all we need to hold us over the night."

Rick hesitated before slowly giving his head a small nod to agree as the world stopped spinning and their visions slowly started to come back while their empty stomachs growled. Carl placed the firewood against the ground before pulling out two rocks to spark a small fire with Michonne and Rick watching from behind.

They were both worried for the young teen's night terrors and health. They knew he was too much underweight from starvation and his night terrors was only making it worse. They hoped Terminus would be the place they were told it would be such as having trustworthy people, water, food, weapons, ammunition, and guards just like the prison.

If Terminus wasn't the place it's said to be on the signs, all hope would be lost. Their starvation and dyhration would only increase from the lack of food and water. Bad people would eventually greet and possibly kill one of them. Carl's night terrors would get worse and attract thousands of herds in the dark and dangerous night. Neither one of them would be able to survive in the world filled with endless walkers and horrifying people.

A bright fire sparked against the two rocks Carl had used to start it before throwing it in the firewood. He picked up three sharp sticks big enough for the fire so they could cook the dead rabbit. Rick cut up the rabbit in three, tiny pieces and placed it against each of their sticks before frying it in the fire.

The fire was very small which would cause their rabbits to cook slower than usual. It was finally able to turn the white rabbit into a very light brown color after thirty or forty minutes. Carl draped a hand over the back of his head for a pillow to lay against the concrete on the road as he waited for his rabbit.

They knew the rabbit would take a bit more than a while to cook due to the fire being too small. They hoped it would ease a little bit of their starvation and keep them satisfied until they reach Terminus.

Wilmur helped Carl dig holes for patches Rick and Hershel hoped to plant food in. They were going to start growing their food instead of going on dangerous runs for it. There was pigs wandering around in the woods filled with walkers Daryl and Wilmur had found a few days ago when they were going to check the snares.

Although it was best for Carl to lay back on survival a bit, it was still dangerous and it annoyed Wilmur. Without his gun, Carl wouldn't be able to protect himself if walkers or people attacked their home. There had to be someway for Wilmur to gain it back himself, but he knew it would be futile.

However, Wilmur knew it was best not to argue with Rick at the moment. It would only result in Rick lashing out at Carl for no reason and it was the last thing Wilmur wanted for Carl to be blamed for or upset. He had already seen enough of Carl's tears when he was having his terrifying night terrors. He wasn't going to tolerate anymore tears.

Carl struggled to dig a patch in the stubborn ground, causing Wilmur to try and help him out. However, he couldn't make the patch either due to the ground being too hard. Wilmur bent down and tried to push against it as hard as he could while Carl tried to shove the shovel into the ground.

Rick had noticed the stubborn incident and made his way over to the teens with his shovel held in his hand. "Put it in at more of an angle."

Carl obeyed and angled the shovel into the ground, causing his sheriff hat to fall of his head while doing so. Wilmur giggled before reaching toward it to grab it, but Rick was quicker.

"Gonna have to get you a farming hat." Rick joked, chuckling.

Carl grinned along with Wilmur before giggling quietly at the joke. Rick smiled in amusement and joy before placing the hat on top of Beth's head who was holding Judith as she slept peacefully just like she did when Wilmur and Carl were cleaning the guns.

"There's a new sheriff in town." Rick continued to joke while chuckling.

Wilmur giggled in joy along with Carl and Hershel as he stared upon Beth who was the new sheriff of the prison. "What if I want to be the new sheriff?"

Beth giggled before taking off Carl's sheriff hat and placing it on Wilmur's head. The four of them giggle and laugh as they stared upon their new sheriff who was wearing Carl's hat. They had completely forgotten about the outside world where people die or turn every single day with others trying to survive.

"I'm sheriff Carl Grimes." Wilmur joked, changing his voice to sound more like Carl while Carl blushed with joy. "I'm a man who is very stubborn, gifted, and always right when I say I am."

"Hey!" Carl laughed with the others. "I'm not like that."

Wilmur giggled, holding out his arms to the small group. "I think we all know that's a lie."

Rick, Hershel, and Beth nodded in agreement as they laughed with a joyful grin over their lips. Carl shot them a playful glare, but he failed to keep it in his light blue eyes. He giggled along with them as they stared at Carl's sheriff hat placed against Wilmur's head.

"Give me that." Carl giggled, pulling his sheriff hat off Wilmur's head before placing it back on Beth's. "I prefer Beth to be the new sheriff in town."

Wilmur laughed before pressing his lips against Carl's soft ones but was quick to pull away to ease the discomfort in everyone. He wrapped his arm around his smaller form before continuing to dig while they laughed with joy and amusement.

"It can be like this all the time." Hershel said, still giggling.

Rick stared upon his son who was laughing with Wilmur as they gently and playfully tickled each other and then to Beth who was rocking the sleeping Judith with Carl's sheriff hat placed against her head.

"It's like this now." Rick agreed. "That's enough."

Daryl gently shook Wilmur to wake him up quietly so he wouldn't wake up Joe or the Claimers. It was their perfect time to escape the mischievous group since they were all sleeping. If they could leave now, they could be long gone by the time the Claimers woke up.

Wilmur scrunched his face in displeasing as Daryl shook him awake. He was exhausted and wanted more than anything to sleep a little longer. He had been running ever since the prison fell without any rest and barely any food or water in the heat. He never settled for sleep in the night because of the sound of walker snarls.

The sun shined down through the clouds onto his pale and dirty cheeks. He groaned before draping his hand over his eyes as Daryl continued to shake him awake. A yawn escaped his throat as he pulled his hands away from his drooping eyes and opened them. Daryl's face blocked the sunlight from beaming down on him any longer as he stared down at him blankly.

"Yeah?" Wilmur said with a groggily voice.

"Get up." Daryl replied. "We're leaving. I ain't staying with these people anymore."

Wilmur lifted himself up on his bruised elbows before rubbing his eyes to drain the sleepiness and droopiness. "What about the deal?"

Daryl gave his head a small shake as he reached for his crossbow laying on the ground beside the tracks. "Forget it. These people are bad. I don't want us to get blamed for when they find that man."

"But they said they would help us find Carl." Wilmur argued, his voice still groggily.

"We know where he is now." Daryl replied. "We ain't gonna need them no more."

Wilmur sighed as he reached for his backpack, placing it on his back before picking up his holster with his pistol in it and wrapping it around his leg. He glanced back at the Claimers one last time to make sure they were fast asleep before following Daryl down the tracks which led to Terminus.

Birds chirped in the trees on the side of the tracks while raccoons stayed hidden from the bright sunlight. Squirrels were circling around the woods as they looked for acorns. A few dead bodies laid among the tracks with their skulls appearing more than their bloody skin where black birds were eating from.

Their legs trembled from starvation and exhaustion as they walked among the tracks with a few dead bodies on it. A few walkers stumbled out of the woods and snarled as soon as they saw the fresh flesh. Wilmur pulled out his black machete before shoving it through it's soft skull while Daryl shot the other two walkers dead with his crossbow.

Exhaustion shot through Wilmur's trembling legs before collapsing to the ground along with the dead walker. Daryl offered him a hand to which he accepted, letting Daryl pull him up. He tucked his bloody machete back in his belt before following after Daryl again. A few stained blood droplets laid among the tracks, indicating a walker herd had came through a few days ago.

A few more walker snarls came from inside the woods on the side of the tracks. Wilmur glanced at Daryl to see him with his crossbow already held up. He pulled out his machete again before slashing the walkers in the skulls as soon as they stepped out of the woods. It had been the same herd that came through the tracks a few days ago. It most likely heard something and tried to chase after it, but lost it.

Crimson blood splattered on Wilmur's cheeks and his grey flannel with each stab in the walkers heads. Daryl gravitated near him to make sure there was no trouble while he shot arrows right passed his shoulders. A walker jumped on Wilmur, causing him to stumble to the ground from exhaustion while he roared to fight it off.

Daryl was quick to shoot an arrow through it's skull before pulling it off Wilmur. He offered him another hand up when a walker suddenly jumped on both of them. Wilmur quickly sent his machete through it's skull before doing the same to the one behind it.

All of the walkers laid dead on the ground with blood seeping from either their foreheads or the back of their head. It would leave a track for the Claimers, but they would be long gone by the time they wake up.

"Hey, Daryl?" Wilmur said, panting from exhaustion.

"Yeah?"

"Wouldn't the Claimers find us?" He questioned. "I mean, they know we're going to Terminus. They'll find us there."

Daryl shrugged. "It don't matter. They can't make us go with 'em. Why do ya care?"

"I don't." Wilmur admitted. "I'm just worried. You know how they are."

Daryl shrugged once again before continuing to walk along the tracks. Wilmur sighed, gripping his backpack straps before following after his ex-adoptive father. He kept one hand draped over his black machete in his belt in case any walkers attacked them.

Dead leafs, dirt, and gravel laid between the wooden tracks. Wet dirt stuck to their shoes along with the crunchy leafs. The gravel crackled under their feet while the leafs crunched. It attracted a few walkers, but they were able to kill them. More and more walkers continued to stumble out of the woods before they sent their arrows or knives through their soft skulls.

A few abandoned houses laid on the side of the tracks, but they simply ignored them like they were nothing. They didn't want to do any supply runs because they wanted to get to Terminus as fast as they could so they could reunite with Carl and get away from the Claimers faster.

The sun was setting in the sky slowly, creating beautiful, orange and pink colors in the gorgeous sky. The temperature cooled down a bit along with the dripping sweat dripping from their hair and temples while soaking into their shirts. They had came across another Terminus sign, telling them they were almost there.

Walkers had became more active due to the sun setting in the beautiful sky. More walkers began stumbling out of the woods and growled upon seeing the fresh flesh on Wilmur and Daryl's skin. A herd suddenly came out of the woods and stumbled on the tracks in front of them.

Daryl quickly grabbed Wilmur's flannel by the shoulder and yanked him back before he had the chance to do anything reckless. They rushed the other way they came from as the herd chased them from behind. Exhaustion shot through Wilmur's trembling legs as he desperately tried to keep up with Daryl.

More walkers poured out of the forest and made their way toward them, their arms reached out for their flesh and their teeth chomping together. Daryl brutally smashed the walker out of the way with his crossbow before grabbing Wilmur to help him keep up.

The sky grew darker and darker while Wilmur's exhaustion grew impossibly each minute of sprinting throughout the tracks as they desperately tried to get away from the walker herds. In the dark distance, Daryl could see the Claimers up ahead. Although Wilmur couldn't see them because his vision was slowly fading to black, he knew they were coming.

Gunshots rang in the rotten air as the Claimers shot the walker herd down. The gunshots attracted more walkers to pour out of the dangerous woods and snarled at their fresh flesh, but was immediately shot down by the Claimers. Dead walkers surrounded them with blood seeping out of their thin skin and skulls before sinking on the ground and surrounding their feet.

Wilmur's vision slowly moved more of it's color to black as the Claimers ran over to them. Dan, Billy, and Joe was laughing while Tony and Harley glared with anger and rage with their fists clenched tightly. Their voices echo's in Wilmur's ears as he lost more of his vision and hearing.

Exhaustion and starvation was shooting through Wilmur like when lightning strikes water and electrocutes it. His stomach growls and grumbles echo's in his ringing ears as he gripped onto Daryl to keep himself from collapsing. His fingers trembled as he clinged tightly to Daryl's leather jacket and his legs threatened to buckle.

"Wilmur? You okay there, fella?" Wilmur heard Joe's voice echo in his ears.

Anger and rage sped through Wilmur's boiling veins as he glared upon Joe and the Claimers while they chuckled mischievously. He was sick of the evil group despite them helping him and Daryl find Carl. He had enough of them chasing them around all day and lecturing them about survival just like Daryl was sick of it.

Daryl gripped onto Wilmur tightly to keep him from passing out. He knew the starvation and exhaustion was getting to him from running all day. If they didn't get him food, water, or rest, he would die.

Suddenly, Wilmur collapsed to the ground as the world began to spin around him. His vision was slowly gaining it's color again and the leafs were turning green while the sky turned dark blue. The moon was almost shining in the sky and the sun was almost gone. He could hear his stomach grumbling and growling for food while his tongue shrieked from the lack of water.

Joe quickly pulled out his water bottle and placed it in his mouth. Wilmur hesitated before grabbing the almost empty water bottle and drinking the rest of it. However, it wasn't enough to satisfy his dry tongue and throat.

His vision had completely gained it's color back along with his hearing. Nothing was plain black or echo's anymore. He could hear and see everyone perfectly clearly as his stomach growled. He weakly lifted himself back up by his weak elbows and trembling legs.

Joe was quick to stop him by placing a hand on his shoulder. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Take it easy."

Wilmur slapped Joe's hand away and pulled out his pistol while Daryl pointed his crossbow to his head. The Claimers had been quick to draw their guns and click the safety off while pointing it at he and Daryl's foreheads. Joe was simply chuckling while the other Claimers glared strictly to warn them to put down their weapons.

"Take it easy." Joe warned again, chuckling. "We're suppose to be working together, remember?"

Daryl shot Joe a death glare as he refused to lower his crossbow. "We ain't doin' shit together."

Joe simply chuckled, placing his hands on his hips and shaking his head. "We had a deal, remember, fellas? We help you find his boyfriend and you help us find that man that killed Lou."

Wilmur scoffed, his stomach still grumbling as his head ached. "We basically already found that man and we found my boyfriend. There in Terminus. You don't need us anymore."

"That's where you're wrong." Joe replied, chuckling. "If we're both going to the same place, we might as well go together, right?"

"You're bad." Daryl was quick to say. "I bet almost all of those people you and your group killed done nothing wrong. We don't wanna be a part of your group."

"Now, we killed those people cause' they disobeyed our rules of survival." Joe retorted. "Kinda like y'all are. You aren't suppose to leave the group without permission."

Wilmur glared, moving his index finger closer to the trigger. "Like we said before, we aren't a part of your stupid group. We never were! We just helped you find that man because of a deal we made!"

Joe nodded. "You're right. That deal isn't over yet. We still gotta find him, right?"

"You already did." Daryl growled. "It's over. We're not staying any longer."

Wilmur pressed his hand against Daryl's crossbow and lowered it before doing the same with his pistol. He tucked it in his holster with his trembling hand before taking slow steps away from Joe along with Daryl so they could escape easily. They both knew Joe and the Claimers weren't going to let them go too easily.

However, as soon as they moved, Joe grabbed Wilmur by the shoulder and yanked him back. He was glaring at him as the Claimers raised their machine guns again. Daryl grabbed Wilmur from behind, but he couldn't pull him out of Joe's death grip.

"You're staying with us." Joe said with stern in his voice and glare. "That deal is still on. Unless y'all wanna get teached all the way."

Daryl quickly shot an arrow in Joe's ankle before doing the same to Dan behind him. Wilmur quickly took of sprinting on the tracks behind Daryl. Walkers stumbled out of the woods, but they didn't kill them so they could eat the Claimers who was chasing them down.

Gunshots were ringing in the dead air as they desperately sprinted as fast as they could among the tracks leading to Terminus. Exhaustion was shooting through their trembling legs and starvation was weakening their empty stomachs. Walkers kept pouring out of the woods and snarled when seeing their fresh flesh among their skin, but there attention was quickly turned to the Claimers behind them.

"Get back here, bitches!" Tony yelled from behind them.

However, Wilmur and Daryl simply ignored them. They sprinted even faster on their aching and trembling legs as they clenched their weapons tightly in case the Claimers managed to catch up. They could hardly see anything head due to it being too dark for them to be awake. Walker snarls could be heard surrounding them, but they simply pushed passed them when they heard their growls growing closer and closer.

Their legs ached from sprinting too fast for too long and the starvation in their stomach grew due to no water resting on their tongue to cool them down. Sweat dripped down their hair and temples before soaking into their shirts again and making the blood wet.

Before Wilmur could sprint any further, Daryl grabbed him by the shoulder and yanked him back. "Look."

Wilmur turned his head to see a man sitting down beside a woman with a broken car sitting near them. They had a very small fire and they were tucking tiny pieces of food in their mouths. It was the same man the Claimers had been tracking since they killed Lou along with the woman he was traveling with.

Wilmur squinted his eyes as he tried to get a closer look. He felt like he recognized the man and woman, but he couldn't see well due to it being too dark despite the very small fire the man and woman had. He could hear them whispering to each other, but couldn't hear what they were talking about.

"Is that the man they were looking for?" Wilmur asked.

Daryl shrugged, scooting closer to get a better look while squinting his eyes. "I think so, but I'm not sure of that woman."

"The man was traveling with a woman." Wilmur replied, causing Daryl's eyebrows to furrow at him. "When we were tracking them, I saw a woman's tracks. I forgot to tell you."

Daryl turned his head back toward the man and woman as they quietly moved the leafs and branches to get a better look. He felt like he recognized them as well, but he wasn't sure. They could hear the Claimers footsteps getting closer and closer, but they simply ignored them as they stared upon the man who killed Lou and the woman traveling with him.

The Claimers grabbed Wilmur and Daryl from behind before yanking them backwards by their shirts. Joe took a menacing step toward them and glared as his fists clenched tightly. Daryl tightened the grip on his crossbow while Wilmur slowly pulled his pistol out of his holster.

"We found the man you were looking for." Wilmur spat in Joe's face. "Happy?"

Joe softened his eyes as shock filled them before shoving them out of the way to see the man who killed Lou and a woman who had been traveling with him. His brown eyes darted to Tony who nodded. Tony had been the only one was actually got to see the man's face. Len had been choking him on the floor in a house to see the man hiding under the bed.

Dan began chuckling mischievously before wrapping his machine gun around his back and pulled out one of his most sharpest knives. Billy and Harley prepared their machine guns while Joe and Tony prepared their pistols. They prepared their knives and machetes.

"Tony, you hold woman at gunpoint and I'll tell you when to shoot her." Joe told him, whispering so they wouldn't hear them. "Dan, I need you to make sure no one is in that car. If there is and it's a woman or a young person, rape them. If not, I'll tell you when to stab him to death."

Wilmur and Daryl flinched at their brutality and evilness. They knew the Claimers would be willing to kill the innocent people the man had been traveling with after he killed Lou. Were they really willing to shoot the innocent woman with the man and rape whoever is in the car?

"Billy and Harley, I need you to hold everyone at gunpoint." Joe continued, reloading his pistol. "Let me handle the man. I wanna deal with him."

Wilmur stared through the branches and leafs again to see them shaking as they placed tiny pieces of food in their mouth. He could hear there stomachs rumbling as they whispered words to each other. They were just like regular survivors trying to find shelter, water, and food. They were most likely innocent due to the Claimers being evil and killing more than a dozen of people for no reason.

Joe turned to Wilmur and Daryl, smiling at them both as he chuckled. "I need to apologize for trying to kill you and thank you from helping us find the man. Do you wanna help us kill them?"

"No." Daryl immediately replied. "We're leaving. We're goin' to Terminus right now."

Joe nodded, handing them a fully loaded pistol and a sharp knife. "Y'all be careful on you're own. Come back any time."

Daryl nodded and accepted the pistol, tucking it in his belt along with the knife before giving Joe a handshake. He still didn't trust the evil and mischievous man. The Claimers were about to kill two or three people most likely innocent and even rape one of them. They couldn't be part of an evil and disgusting group like Wilmur was before with the Governor before the violent war.

Meanwhile, Rick and Michonne had been sitting not far from the Claimers as they ate the rabbit they found in the morning with their grumbling stomachs most likely attracting walkers. They were whispering and staring at Carl who was sleeping in the car after Michonne told him to get some rest when he got done eating part of his tiny rabbit.

Carl had been desperately trying to sleep, but he couldn't find the strength to do so despite being exhausted. Although he had a father and surrogate mother there to protect him, he was still being paranoid about walkers, people, the people he lost, and Wilmur. His entire body was tensed from being stressed and worried about Wilmur and his night terrors.

He knew Rick and Michonne were talking about him just outside the car while they ate the tiny rabbit. He could feel their worry and stress as they whispered words to one another while staring at him. Carl did his best to ignore it but he could hardly fall asleep. Even though he was exhausted and could barely keep his drooping eyes opened, he couldn't rest or sleep in all the tension surrounding him.

Unbeknownst, Joe and the Claimers had stepped out of their hiding place and was making there way over to Rick and Michonne. Daryl and Wilmur stayed hidden in the spot as they watched Joe and the Claimers point their pistols to their heads, not knowing it was Rick and Michonne.

"Oh, dearie me." Joe said, pointing the pistol to Rick's head with Tony pointing his pistol to Michonne, kicking her sword away so she couldn't grab it. "You screwed up, asshole. You hear me? You screwed up."

Wilmur squinted his eyes as he moved the leafs and branches to get a closer look with Daryl tugging at his arm. "What is it?" He whispered.

"Shouldn't we get goin'?" Daryl questioned, still tugging at Wilmur's arm.

"Hang on." Wilmur replied, pulling his arm away. "I feel like I've seen these people before."

Daryl sighed before squinting his eyes as well to the recognizable man and woman. He leaned forward a little with Wilmur doing the same to see if they've seen the people in the past or if it was someone who escaped the prison.

"Today is the day of reckoning, sir!" Wilmur and Daryl heard Joe exclaim. "Restitution. A balancing of the whole damn universe."

Dan pounded on the car window when he realized someone was in there. Carl flinched as soon as he saw the fat man and stared at him with fear in his wide eyes. He took in what was happening around them to see his father was held at gunpoint as well as Michonne with two other men pointing machine guns at them.

Slowly, Carl darted his scared eyes back to the fat man banging on his window. The man chuckled mischievously, but the smile was immediately wiped off his chapped lips and replaced with a look of shock when he took in the boy's appearance. Light blue, frightened eyes, long brown hair, rosy cheeks, slim body, flexible legs. He couldn't wait to get his hands on the young teen.

Wilmur narrowed his suspicious eyes at the car when he realized Dan was pounding on it gently with his knife held in his hand. "There's someone in that car." He said.

Daryl's eyes darted to the same car to see Dan pounding on it. They could both hear his gasps of shock along with his uneven breathing upon seeing the sight of most likely a young woman or young teen in the car.

"Shit, and I was thinking of turning in for the night on New Year's Eve." Joe chuckled but it turned into evil laughter. "Now who's gonna count down the ball dropper with me, huh?"

Carl stared with horror as he saw the rage in his father's blue eyes and the anger in Michonne's. Their bodies were tensed up with rage and fear as they listened to the man with grey hair's evil voice. His fists clenched as he desperately tried to contain his fear as the fat man continued to pound on his windows while his eyes scanned his slim body.

Wilmur and Daryl listened to every word coming out of Joe's mouth while he laughed mischievously. The most likely innocent man and woman started getting more and more recognizable every splitting second.

The man who killed Lou had curly brown hair which had grown a bit long along with his beard filled with blood droplets and dirt. He had the color of Carl's blue eyes and the same wounds the Governor had given Wilmur and Rick. There was a plain, silver wedding ring on his index finger which looked exactly like Rick's.

Wilmur stared with shock as he finally realized who the man who killed Lou was. "Is that Rick?"

"Ten Mississippi!" Joe said excitedly.

Wilmur's eyes darted to the woman sitting beside him who had black skin and brown hair with dreadlocks. Her eyes were the same color as Michonne's and a sword was laying beside her.

"That must be Michonne." Wilmur said with shock in his voice.

"Nine Mississippi!" Joe continued to countdown.

Wilmur and Daryl stare into each other's wide eyes filled with shock and fear before quickly jumping out of their hiding place in the woods and rushing to the Claimers where they had Rick and Michonne held at gunpoint. Wilmur's eyes filled with shock quickly scanned the tensed area for Carl as they quickly rushed to the Claimers to stop them.

"Eight Mississippi!" Joe said excitedly with evilness in his mischievous laugh.

Daryl quickly rushed to the Claimers with Wilmur following from behind. "Joe!"

Wilmur's eyes stared with shock upon seeing the man who killed Lou who was actually Rick was held at gunpoint along with his survival partner, Michonne. Their bodies had been tensed with rage and fear from being held at gunpoint but have now softened with shock and love from seeing Daryl and Wilmur.

Rick softened his eyes filled with rage and replaced the expression with shock as he saw the injured Wilmur and the worried Daryl. It had been a month since they last saw each other and they fought so hard to find them, but found Terminus instead. Some bruises from the Governor were still on Wilmur's skin but was almost recovered like his. New bruises and cuts had formed above and under his bloody cloths.

Michonne's eyes filled with love as she stared upon the archer and the Governor's son. She missed going out on runs with Daryl while looking for the Governor at the same time, but they had all changed the moment the Governor marched to the prison fences. They finally had Wilmur back to comfort Carl from his horrifying night terrors. He could finally hold Carl in the night and soothe him from the nightmares which haunt him in the dark night.

Carl's eyes darted from the fat man pounding on his window while chuckling and darted them to Daryl and Wilmur who was now standing outside, staring at Rick and Michonne. Tears of joy filled his eyes at the sight of his boyfriend and surrogate uncle as his arms trembled with excitement and fear at the same time.

He could finally be in Wilmur's arms again after an entire month with their soft and warp lips pressed together while their hands felt around each other's soft and smooth skin. They could finally feel the warmth they gave each other inside the prison again along with the passion running through their veins.

Yet, he terrifying sight of Michonne and his father being held at dangerous gunpoint was horrific. He couldn't lose one of the three people he loved more than anything and anyone else on the entire planet. If he lost one of the three people he truly loved, how was he suppose to go on? He'd be nothing but a weakling facing the brutality of the destroyed world filled evil people and untiring walkers all by himself with no one he loves with him.

"You're stopping me on eight, fellas." Joe told Wilmur and Daryl.

Wilmur's eyes slowly scanned the area for Carl with fear filled inside them from his loved ones being held at gunpoint and was most likely going to die if they didn't do something. His worried eyes came across the car where Dan was pounding on and chuckling as he stared at someone with shock and lust filled in his eyes.

His eyes darted to the windowsill, but he couldn't see anything due to the windows being tented. Fear filled his worried eyes as he slowly darted them back to Joe who was holding Rick at gunpoint.

Daryl took a few steps toward Joe and Rick as he stared at his friends with shock along with Wilmur. "Just hold up."

"This is the guy that killed Lou, so we got nothin' to talk about." Harley growled, holding Rick and Michonne at gunpoint with his machine gun.

"The thing about nowadays is we got nothin' but time." Joe retorted. "Say your piece, fellas."

Daryl's eyes darted to Rick whose eyes was still filled with shock over reuniting with someone he loved after such a long time. Michonne was the exact same except rage and anger was visible in her brown eyes from being held at gunpoint without her sword to protect her. She was clenching her fists tightly while she gritted her teeth to keep herself from making a mistake.

"These people, you're gonna let them go." Daryl said as calmly as he could. "These are good people."

"I'm sure these people we're just scared." Wilmur added. "Maybe Lou made them feel threatened so he-so he killed them."

Joe stared at Wilmur and Daryl with disbelief and betrayal as he continued to hold Rick at gunpoint. "Now, I-I think Lou would disagree with you on that. I'll, of course, have to speak for him and all cause' y'all's friend here strangled him in a bathroom."

Wilmur kept the calm expression on his face as he breathed easily to fight the urge to place a death glare in his calm eyes. His eyes darted back to Rick who was staring at him and Daryl with disbelief of not only reuniting with him but being with a bad group as well. Rick kept his hand placed over the pistol in his belt, but he knew if he moved he would only get himself and others killed.

"You want blood, I get it." Daryl said, putting down his crossbow on the ground and holding out his arms to get shot. "Take it from me, man. C'mon."

Wilmur moved his hand near his pistol in his holster before gently gripping the handle. He wouldn't allow Daryl dying or tolerate him getting severely injured. He had already lost too many people for him to lose another loved one. If the Claimers were going to kill Daryl, they'd have to get through him first.

Joe continued to stare at Wilmur and Daryl with disbelief, betrayal, and hurt in his brown eyes as he held Rick at gunpoint. His fist clenched his pistol tightly to fight the urge to shoot Rick before they could even make him suffer. His eyes darted to Daryl's crossbow on the ground and then to the pistol Wilmur was clenching tightly in his holster.

"This man killed our friend." Joe said with disbelief. "Y'all two say he's good people. See, now that right there is a lie."

Daryl dropped his arms from above his shoulders and sighed in annoyance and defeat with Wilmur doing the same. He gripped the pistol in his holster tighter while his hands threatened to yank it out and shoot Joe.

"It's a lie!" Joe yelled, nodding to Harley and Billy.

Suddenly, Billy hits the back of Daryl's neck with his machine gun and kicked him in the legs to knock him down while Harley smashed his knee against one of Wilmur's broken ribcages which caused them both to collapse to the hard concrete on the leafy road.

"No!" Rick yelled helplessly as soon as Wilmur and Daryl collapsed.

Joe laughed mischievously in joy as he watched Wilmur and Daryl begin to get beat up to death by Harley and Billy. "Teach them, fellas! Teach them all the way!"

Carl stared in horror as he began to watch his own boyfriend begin to get brutally beaten up by a skinny, yet strong man. He could see the crimson blood seeping out of his bruised skin which was creating more dark, purple bruises with each fist and foot smashing against his bruised and fragile body. The man smashed the tip of his machine gun against Wilmur's bruised and broken ribcages before doing the same to his stomach.

Blood splattered out of Wilmur's mouth as soon as the tip of Harley's machine gun smashed against his empty stomach and colored the dead leafs on the road crimson red. A foot smashed against the back of his neck before it was slammed against his bruised back filled with cuts. He desperately tried to reach for his black machete in his belt or pistol in his holster, but he failed when Harley's foot smashed against his swollen wrist, creating a crackling sound in the air filled with evil laughing and moans of pain.

Carl wanted to jump out of the car and suddenly scream no as loud as he could, but the fat man opening the car door and yanking him out stopped him. Carl desperately tried to fight against the fat man's grip, but he failed. The fat man yanked him out of the car and held him in a death grip with a knife pressed against his throat.

Wilmur had noticed Dan had pulled Carl out of the car and was holding him with a very tight grip as Carl cried out in pain while desperately trying to fight against his grip with an knife held to his throat.

"You leave him be!" Rick yelled, trying to stand up but was forced to sit back down by Joe.

"Get your hands off him!" Wilmur yelled, smashing Harley off him as hard as he could but he grabbed his ankle and yanked him back down. "No!"

Wilmur could see the fear written all over Carl's face as Dan licked his neck and earlobe. He remembered when Joe said to rape a woman or a young teen sitting in the car. That young teen turned out to be the love of his entire life.

Carl sat in fear as the fat man shushed him in his ear when he sobbed from being frightened. He desperately tried to fight against the man's grip, but the sharp knife pressing against his throat warned him to not move. His eyes filled with fear darted to his father who had panic and fear in his blue eyes. He darted them from his father to Wilmur who had worry and panic in his eyes not only from getting beat up but also from Carl about to get raped.

"Listen, it was me. It was just me." Rick said with panic in his tone, hoping it would save his son from his horrifying fate.

"See, now that's right. That's not some damn lie." Joe said, chuckling mischievously as he watched Wilmur and Daryl brutally get beat up while Dan molested Carl. "Look, we can settle this. We're reasonable men."

Harley grabbed Wilmur by the hair and smashed him against the hard car after making an attempt to save Carl from getting horrifyingly raped. He punched him in the face and smashed his face against the concrete before stomping on his back more than a dozen times.

Billy slammed Daryl against the car before punching him to the ground and kicking his face brutally as he laughed mischievously. His knuckles crackled each time he slammed his fist against Daryl's bruised and injured body. He smashed his foot against his stomach before doing the same to his wrists and back.

"First, we're gonna beat Daryl and Wilmur to death." Wilmur heard Joe's voice echo in his ringing ears. "Then we'll have the girl. Then the boy. And then I'm gonna shoot you and we'll be square."

Joe's evil laughing echo's in Wilmur and Rick's ears as they listened to Carl cry in fear while Dan held him close, licking his neck and earlobe as he shushed him with his hot breath disturbing Carl's neck. Anger and rage risen in their boiling veins as they watched Carl get pushed to the ground.

Wilmur desperately tried to kick Harley off him, but a punch to his gut weakened him. He could hear Carl's cries of pain in fear echoing in his ringing ears as his rage grew. He roared as he fought against Harley's death grip while trying to dodge his fists and feet. He desperately tried to reach for his pistol, but Harley grabbed his wrist and broke it before smashing his foot against it.

Wilmur yelped in pain as he clutched his broken and swollen wrist before Harley smashed his foot against his ribcage and punched in the nose, creating a nose bleed. His fist met just under his eye and created a dark black sag under it. He dragged him across the sharp rocks on the road and slammed his forehead against the car, creating a dark bruise.

Carl cried in fear as he desperately tried to crawl away from the fat man on top of him. However, the fat man grabbed his arms and pulled them back down as his hands felt all around his slim body. Anger and rage flustered through Rick and Wilmur's veins as they listened to the man molesting Carl.

"Let him go." Rick warned, rage boiling his steaming veins.

Wilmur kicked Harley off by smashing his foot against his cheek before quickly crawling toward Carl on his bruised knees. However, Harley was quick to jump on top of him and kick him in the bruised ribcage.

"Let go of him!" Wilmur yelled toward Dan while watching him molest Carl as shrieks escaped his chapped lips. "Get your hands off him!"

Carl watched in horror as Harley smashed Wilmur's back against the hard car after he tried to save him again, but his attention was quickly brought to the fat man on top of him who was still feeling his body everywhere. He shrieked when his hands slipped under his blue jacket and blue flannel before touching his soft skin. He desperately tried to get out of the fat man's death grip while reaching for the knife Dan had placed on the ground.

"Stop your squirming." Dan said, chuckling as he watched Carl scramble for the knife under his weight.

Rage flustered through Wilmur's veins as he heard Dan's words before noticing he had his hands under Carl's jacket and shirt. Anger filled his eyes before kicking Harley in the balls before desperately trying to save Carl. His heart was beating more faster than it ever did in his entire life as he watched Harley touch his own lover. Growls rippled out of his chest as reached for his black machete in his belt, but Harley punched him in the back of the head.

Wilmur collapsed to the ground again before Harley's foot smashed against his cheeks. He roared loudly as he pressed his fingers to Harley's throat and tried to squeeze it, but Harley was punched him in the lips before smashing his foot against his fragile shoulders.

Blood poured out of Wilmur's bruised body with each punch and kick meeting his injured skin while he desperately tried to fight against Harley. The leafs laying against the road was coloring crimson red with each hit Wilmur and Daryl was taking. It surrounded their fighting bodies as dark bruises formed on their bloody skin.

"Let him go." Rick's voice echo's in Wilmur's ears again.

Suddenly, Rick smashed his head against Joe's. As a reflex, Joe fired his pistol but missed Rick due to getting pushed off as blood pulled down his nose and dripped onto his jacket. The gunshot rang in everyone's ears as moans of pain, whimpering, and fists slamming against bodies echo's in the dead, rotten air.

Rick smashed his fist against Joe's cheek as hard as he could with anger and rage filling his boiling veins and broken knuckles. Blood stained on his wrist as he desperately tried to punch him again, but Joe was quicker. He slammed his fist against Rick's nose and kicked him in the bruised ribcages.

"I got him." Joe said with anger in his tone. "Oh, it's gonna be so much worse now!"

Michonne watched in horror as Joe began to slam his foot against Rick's broken and bruised ribcages while he clenched his pistol tighter than ever in his fist. Her hand quickly reached for her sword and Billy's pistol, but Billy smacked her arm away before slapping her hard in the face. Blood poured down her cheek while it stung when her fingers brushed against it.

Carl cried in pain as he desperately scrambled for the knife Dan had dropped, but Dan yanked him back down and smashed hid cheek against the sharp rocks laying against the road. Blood seeped out of cheek as he cried in pain and fear while Dan's hands felt around his smooth and soft skin with his other hand holding down on his head.

Wilmur could hear the sound of a buckle clicking before he flipped his bruised and injured body to see Dan unbuckling Carl's belt and slowly pulling off his jacket. Rage filled his eyes as it boiled his steaming veins before smashing his foot as hard as he could against Harley's ribcage, breaking it.

Rick quickly stood up again as soon as he heard Dan unbuckle Carl's belt. "You leave him be!"

Joe was quick to stop him from charging after the fat man preparing to rape his son. "What the hell are you gonna do now, sport?"

Suddenly, Rick bit into Joe's jugular in his neck brutally before yanking it out as Joe screaming in pain. Blood splattered out of Joe's neck and planted into Rick's beard, coloring it crimson red. He could taste Joe's flesh and blood in his mouth before spitting it out in rage while Joe collapsed to the ground.

What Rick had done to Joe just showed how much Rick was protective over Carl and how much he loved him. He'd do anything to keep his son safe from the hungry walkers and cruel people. Despite what happened during the war with the Governor and the times Rick overworked his son in the prison, he still was very overprotective and truly loved his son more than anyone and anything in on the planet and in the entire universe.

The Claimers stared in horror while Carl, Wilmur, Daryl, and Michonne stared in shock as they watched Joe's blood soak into Rick's beard while Joe collapsed to the ground screaming in pain as blood spewed out of his neck where Rick had bit him. Slowly, Rick drew out his large and sharp knife out of his belt and prepared to stab Joe to death.

Michonne quickly snapped back into present before grabbing Tony's pistol from his hand when he was distracted and disturbed by what Rick had done before shooting him in the head. Wilmur was the second to act next by quickly yanking his pistol out of his holster and shooting Harley in the head. Daryl slammed his fist against Billy's cheek before smashing his face against the car and letting Michonne shoot him dead.

Wilmur and Michonne quickly pointed their pistols to Dan who had Carl in another death grip with his sharp knife pressed against his throat again.

"I'll-I'll kill him!" Dan yelled, trying to control the squirming teen. "I'll kill him!"

"Let him go!" Wilmur growled, preparing to pull the trigger.

Rick pulled his sharp knife out of Joe's body before making his way over to Dan who was refusing to let go of his son, his light blue eyes filled with more rage he ever had in his entire life.

"He's mine." Rick snarled.

Dan quickly dropped Carl and held his arms above his head, his eyes filled with horror as he begged for his life while Rick made his way over to him with his crimson, bloody knife held in his hand. He screamed as Rick shoved it into his stomach and dragged it up to his chest before yanking it out and stabbing him more than a million times.

Carl quickly rushed to Michonne and jumped into her arms as he glared among the fat man who had tried to rape him while his father stabbed him over an over again without stopping. Wilmur lowered his pistol as he watched blood splatter onto Rick's cheeks, hair, beard, and cloths while he stabbed Dan nonstop without resting.

Wilmur's eyes darted to Carl who was glaring upon Dan as Rick stabbed him millions and millions of times. Carl's eyes did the same and darted to his. Carl's vengeful glare was replaced with love and tears of joy as he stared upon his older lover. All of the rage, anger, and deep frustration inside Wilmur had completely escaped his veins and was replaced with love, desire, and regret as his eyes filled with love and sympathy.

Wilmur dropped his pistol as his bruised knees threatened to buckle while tears of joy filled his eyes filled with love. He made his way over to Carl who was dropped out of Michonne's strong arms before falling into his. Their lips immediately smashed together but collapsed to the road from the strength of their strong kiss.

Their tongues battled strongly with passion, desire, tenderness, and love while it ran through their excited veins. They were finally together again after such a long time. They finally felt their tongues battling and their warm, strong arms trapping them in a warm embrace after being separated.

The passionate kiss filled with desire and love overpowered them as they deepened it, ignoring Daryl and Michonne who was watching them with smiles on their faces while Rick continued to stab Dan hundreds of times. The lovely passion and strong desire traveled across their crimson blood as their tongues continued to battle.

Wilmur deepened the kiss even more gentle nibbled on Carl's tongue before continuing to battle with his. Carl wrapped his arms around his back to deepen the strong kiss. Carl gently bit down on Wilmur's tongue to give him pleasure before battling with his again.

Carl could feel the strong desire fill his blood as the passion sped through his veins like a fast train running against the tracks as it smashed into his heart. He could finally feel the strong love only Wilmur could give to him after feeling empty for too much for too long. All the emptiness he felt inside his mending heart was filling with love Wilmur had given since the day the war with the Governor ended.

Finally, they pulled away and gasped for air before Wilmur lowered his lips to Carl's ear, giving it a gentle kiss. "I told you I would find you."

Carl wrapped his arms around Wilmur's neck and planted it with tiny kisses all the way up to his ear. "I knew you would. Whether we went to Terminus or not."

Wilmur placed his lips against Carl's again and slipped his tongue inside, battling with his as he took in everything. It hadn't been a dream like all the other ones. They were really together this time and were actually holding each other with their sweet breaths brushing against their necks after their warm lips lip locked together with their soft tongues battling.

All of the emptiness Wilmur and Carl had in their hearts for a month was now filled with the same love and desire again as the passion sped through their veins and filled their blood. They wouldn't have to feel empty anymore despite the number of people they lost. They could give each other the strong love and lovely desire they had in the prison after the war with the Governor ended.

Finally, Wilmur pulled himself off Carl and offered him a hand up. Carl smiled and took Wilmur's soft hand, letting the warm surge shoot through him like it always did in the prison. He wrapped his arms around Wilmur's neck and brought him in for another deep kiss before giving him a gentle hug.

Wilmur noticed the wound on Carl's left cheek before gently pressing his lips against it. Instead of bring him pain, it brought him pleasure as Wilmur's lips and tongue drained away the stinging pain. He pulled his lips off it and gently stroked Carl's other cheek before doing the same to his soft lips.

Michonne smiled upon seeing Wilmur and Carl sit in an embrace after such a long time. It made her happy to see the smile return on Carl's lips again like it did at the prison. She knew Wilmur was the only person to make Carl happy even before the prison fell. He was the only would who could soothe his night terrors and place a smile against his lips no matter how hard it was.

Wilmur's eyes darted to Michonne who was standing just behind them. He smiled and gave Carl one last, deep kiss before making his way over to the samurai to hug her. Their arms wrapped around each other's neck waists as they finally embraced. Carl grinned from behind him as he watched his boyfriend and surrogate mother hug.

Carl's tearful eyes filled with tears of joy which was dripping down his cheeks darted to his father who was still stabbing the man who almost raped him. Carl sighed before slowly walking toward him and wrapping his arms around his father's waist to calm him down just like he did with Wilmur when he got too angry or vengeful.

"Dad." Carl said as he whimpered for his father.

Carl's whimpering voice was enough to stop Rick from stabbing the man any longer. He dropped the knife filled with crimson blood and wrapped his arms around his son tightly. He buried his face in his father's chest and sighed as Rick held his son tightly with blood dripping onto his hair and cloths.

"It's over." Carl reassured into Rick's chest. "I'm shocked, too. But it's over. Daryl and Wilmur is here."

Rick trembled as he nodded, pulling away from his son's comforting embrace before making his way over to Daryl, patting him on the back. Daryl smiled at being reunited with his surrogate brother and patted him back before picking up his crossbow stained with blood. Rick gave Daryl a small smile before walking toward Wilmur and wrapping his arms around his bruised and injured body which was covered in blood.

Tears of joy slipped down Wilmur's cheeks as he wrapped his arms around Rick's strong waist. They embraced before nodding to each other. Wilmur turned around to see Carl smiling at him with tears of joy painted over his rosy cheeks. He walked toward him and wrapped his arms around his smaller form before placing his lips against his.

"So what do we do?" Carl asked. "Go to Terminus?"

Wilmur shrugged. "I just want to spend the rest of my life with you which probably won't last long."

Carl shook his head, placing his hand against Wilmur's chest. "I'll protect you just like you protect me."

Wilmur grinned as he pecked Carl on the lips before wrapping his warm arms around him, causing him to flinch. Flashes of the fat man who almost raped him flashed into his mind one by one with each evil laugh. He shook as he stared upon Wilmur's face covered with bruises in fear. Dan's evil laughs echo's in his ringing ears as he felt Wilmur's arms wrap around him tightly just like how Dan held him in a death grip.

Carl began gaping loudly as he stared at Wilmur with fear in his eyes. Wilmur was quick to notice what he was doing and yanked his arms away from his slim body. He quickly grabbed Carl's bloody hands before pulling them to his lips until they were touching them gently.

"It's just me. It's just me." Wilmur reassured as he buried his face in his neck. "I'm not gonna hurt you. I promise."

Carl's breathing slowed down as he wrapped arms around Wilmur's stronger form. He buried his face deeper into his neck before inhaling his sweet scent. Tears of joy slipped down his rosy cheeks as he felt Wilmur's breath gently brush against his brown hair. Wilmur rubbed his back soothingly to calm him down while he buried his face in his soft hair and took in a deep breath upon inhaling Carl's sweet scent.

Tears of joy soaked into Wilmur's grey flannel covered in stained blood as they embraced warmly. They could smell their sweet scents as fell as the fresh and stained blood covering their dirty and sweaty skin as well as cloths. Their eyes were closed as they clinged onto each other tightly with their lips pressing against their skin.

Wilmur's drooping eyes darted above Carl's shoulders to see Rick and Michonne staring at Carl worriedly. Concern was visible in their worried eyes upon seeing the tears on Carl's cheeks along with the wound soaking it in. His arms were trembling against his body from exhaustion as starvation caused him stomach to growl for food.

"Maybe we should sleep." Wilmur whispered in Carl's ear. "I can tell they're worried about you."

Carl sighed before slowly giving his head a small nod. He took Wilmur's hand in his and stroked the back of it as he led them to the car. Their warm arms wrapped around each other to keep themselves warm from the chilly night. However, it was really because they needed to hold each other again. Their lips needed to be touching as their tongues battled with lovely passion and strong love. The Governor had take that beautiful chance away from them the day he destroyed the prison, but they had managed to gain it back and fight against the Governor's ghosts haunting them.

Wilmur rubbed Carl's shoulder affectionately to soothe him to sleep while trailing tiny and gentle kisses up and down his bruised body. He had flinched a few times, but got used to Wilmur's soft kisses and gentle touches. Wilmur gently as ever kissed his eyelids while he slowly drifted off to sleep with Wilmur pushing the dark thoughts he had on the man who almost raped him out of his mind.

As soon as Carl fell asleep, Wilmur pulled a soft blanket from his backpack and settled it on top of Carl to keep him warm. He wrapped his strong arms around him and buried his face in his neck before closing his drooping eyes. As if sensing his presence, Carl snuggled into Wilmur's chest and buried his face in it before inhaling is sweet scent. Wilmur grinned before dropping a gentle kiss on his forehead and stroking his soft hair.

Michonne opened the car door as quietly as she could so she wouldn't disturb Carl from his peaceful sleep. She silently shut it before gravitating near Wilmur with her hand placed over her sword beside her. She gently stroked Carl's hair in his sleep before rubbing soothing circles on Wilmur's back.

"How did you find them?" Wilmur asked while stroking Carl's cheeks as he slept peacefully. "I didn't see you escape with them."

"I didn't." Michonne replied. "I was on my own for a couple of days. Then I found them in a house eating breakfast together."

Wilmur smiled weakly as he stared down at Carl, stroking his hair when he shifted in his sleep. "Daryl and I was with Beth for a while. We held up in a funeral home, but walkers chased us out of there. Daryl told us to go ahead, so we did. But then this car ran over us and they took Beth. Next thing you know, we were with that stupid group."

Michonne softened her eyes as she gently rubbed tiny circles on Wilmur's bruised shoulders with her thumb. "It's not your fault."

"Maybe not." Wilmur shrugged. "But I was with bad people. If Rick didn't do what he did and Carl got r-raped..."

"But he didn't." Michonne replied. "Rick saved him and we killed them all. Now you and Daryl are with us again. That's all that matters."

Wilmur shrugged in response as he continued to admire Carl while he slept peacefully with no nightmares interrupting. He stroked the blood on his palms gently before doing the same to the wound on his cheek. He gently pressed his lips against the wound before licking it as he pulled away and stroked his soft hair.

Michonne sighed as she watched Wilmur cuddle and snuggle into Carl while he left gentle kisses on his bruised cheeks and chapped lips. She knew she would have to tell him about Carl's night terrors. He was the only one who could fix his nightmares and soothe his frightening tears.

"Hey, Wilmur?" She said.

"Yeah?" Wilmur replied quietly so he wouldn't wake Carl.

Michonne sighed as she glanced at Carl with worry and concern filling her eyes. "Carl's been having night terrors again."

Concern and worry immediately filled Wilmur's drooping eyes as they widened with shock and disbelief. He had soothed him through his night terrors when they were in the prison. He got rid of every single one haunting him by holding and whispering comforting things to him in the night while he kept him warm.

However, Wilmur understood why they would come back. The Governor had destroyed their home they worked so hard to build and killed everyone they fought so hard to protect. All they could do now was run every single day without resting due to worrying about walkers, people, food, water, ammo, and shelter.

"We figured out what they were about." Michonne continued. "They're about you and the Governor. You take the Governor's side and try to kill him and everyone he loves."

Wilmur's eyes widened with shock and disbelief as he watched Carl sleep peacefully. His hands shook and his breath trembled while disbelief was expressed in his wide eyes filled with shock. He squeezed Carl's hand gently and stroked the palm softly before pressing his lips against it, leaving tiny and soft kisses. Blood printed over his lips with each soft kiss he gave on Carl's soft palm.

"But why?" Wilmur's voice was muffled into Carl's bloody palm. "I'm not like my father. I would never do anything to hurt him."

"It's not you. It's the fact your the Governor's son." Michonne explained with a sigh. "After what's your father's done, it frightened him. And your the Governor's son. He has the right to be frightened."

"So he's scared of me?" Wilmur asked with disbelief.

Michonne shook her head, rubbing soothing circles on Wilmur's shoulder with her thumb. "He's not scared of you. He's scared that you're the Governor's son."

Wilmur sighed deeply before bowing his head with tears filling his eyes as he stared upon his younger lover. His eyes were gently closed unlike the times he had a night terror. His breathing was even instead of gasping loudly when he had a terrifying nightmare. His brown hair was damp as it stuck to his face and the wound on his cheek.

Tears slowly dripped down Wilmur's bruised cheeks as he watched Carl sleep peacefully with no horrifying nightmares interrupting his peacefulness. His tears landed against his cheeks as well as the wound on the left one before brushing his fingers against it. He stroked Carl's soft hair gently before placing a gentle kiss against his eyelids.

Crimson blood slid down his cheeks from his open cuts and bruises before landing on Carl's injured cheeks and damp hair. The blood slowly dripped down Carl's cheeks and hair as he slept peacefully. He placed his hands over his wound to stop the bleeding, but it dripped through his bruised fingers and soaked in his bloody palms.

He gently brushed his fingers against the bruises and cuts before wincing at the stinging pain. Blood printed over his swollen fingers as he tried to stop the bleeding seeping through his dark bruises. His knuckles were swollen red from trying to fight against Harley and his feet were sprained from kicking Harley off him harshly. Bruises were plastered over his entire injure body along with deep cuts and fresh wounds. His swollen wrist was broken from Harley's foot smashing against it hard.

His legs were aching from sprinting too fast for too long as well as getting them smashed on by Harley's foot and hard knuckles. A headache was screaming in his head from being smashed against the car and his back ached from being slammed against the hard concrete of the leafy road.

Wilmur ignored the screaming and aching pain in his sore muscles and aching bones while he focused on Carl's sleeping form. He stroked his knuckles softly when he noticed they were swollen and blood soaked into the tiny cuts. Tears and blood continued to fall upon his peaceful face and soak into the bloody wound on his left cheek.

"I would never hurt him." Wilmur whispered. "Why would he have night terrors about it?"

Michonne shrugged as she slowly rubbed soothing circles on Wilmur's back. "You need to remind him you would never hurt him."

"How?" Wilmur sobbed silently. "How am I suppose to tell him that?"

"Do what you did in the prison." Michonne replied. "Hold him. Talk to him. Sing to him. Do whatever it takes like you did in the prison."

Wilmur sniffled and nodded before placing his busted lips against Carl's as he laid next to him, wrapping his strong arm around his shoulder and rubbing his arm affectionately. He planted his soft and damp hair with gentle kisses as he rubbed soothing circles on his back. He buried his face in his neck and inhaled his sweet scent as Carl snuggled into his chest.

Carl could sense the warmth Wilmur was giving him in his peaceful sleep as he snuggled into his chest and buried his face deep into it. He could feel Wilmur's sweet breath gently brushing against his neck as it disturbed his damp hair. He felt his warm hand rub soothing circles on his back while he slowly drifted into a deep slumber.

Joe laughed as he slammed his foot against Rick's ribcage, smashing and crackling each one to pieces as he screamed in pain. He punched both of his eyes hard enough to create dark sags under his black eyes. Rick desperately tried to crawl away from the evil man, but Joe smashed his hard boot against Rick's broken ankle. He shot a bullet in his leg with his Beretta and laughed as Rick screamed in fear and pain.

Carl shrieked with hot tears streaming down his rosy cheeks as he watched his beloved father get beaten alive. His father's blood splattered against his cloths and cheeks with each bullet slamming into his body and each foot smashing against his broken bones. Carl desperately tried to fight Dan's death grip wrapped around his slender body, but he failed to.

Dan's hot breath brushed against his neck and disturbed it as he drooled onto his ear while licking it. He could feel him shushing him in his ears as he pressed his knife against his sobbing throat. He pushed Carl to the hard ground and smashed his foot against his spine. He shrieked in pain as blood seeped through his blue hoodie while Dan sat on top of him and slowly unbuckled his belt.

His eyes darted to Wilmur who was standing alongside Daryl, clenching his crimson machete tightly with rage and anger visible his in crystal blue eyes. He desperately tried to fight off the fat man on top of him as he shrieked in fear and cried for help. Dan laughed mischievously as he pinned his arms above his head and yanked down his pants with his greasy and filthy fingers.

"Stop!" Carl begged as he felt Dan's greasy hands feel around his body under his blue hoodie and blue flannel. "Get off!"

Suddenly, Wilmur began laughing as he watched Dan molest Carl while yanking off every inch of his cloths. He threw it into a burning fire while Wilmur laughed mischievously with evil in his tone. Carl stared in horror as tears filled his swollen eyes while beginning to desperately try to pull away from Dan's grip with Wilmur laughing at him.

"Dad!" Carl cried for help, but as soon as he turned his head, he realized Joe had killed his father. "No!"

Tears stream down Carl's bruised cheeks as Dan pulled off his last bit of clothing. He screamed and cried as Wilmur laughed at him while Dan began to rape him violently. His hot tears grew out of control as they streamed down his cheeks like a rushing river and poured out of his eyes like a waterfall.

Wilmur took a menacing step closer and laughed mischievously as he watched Dan rape Carl. He threw his sheriff hat in the burning fire while laughing too hard. He smirked with evil inside of it while he watched each tear stream down Carl's wet cheeks.

Each and every single laugh escaping Wilmur's throat caused more and more tears to stream down Carl's cheeks wet with a rushing river. He had stopped resisting Dan's hands as he watched Wilmur laugh at him mischievously. He took more menacing steps toward him with each evil laugh.

Carl screamed in fear as tears streamed down his wet cheeks. He closed his eyes as Wilmur's machete grew closer and closer to his stomach which was aching from sobbing. Dan and Wilmur laughed too hard with tears of laughter trailing down their red cheeks

However, instead of Wilmur drawing the knife through Carl's aching stomach, he threw it into Dan's. Dan screamed in pain as he collapsed to the hard road while crimson blood surrounded him as Wilmur began stabbing him hundreds of times. Carl watched in horror with each harsh stab into Dan's bleeding chest and severely injured stomach.

Finally, Wilmur dropped the crimson machete and turned to him. Instead of his eyes being filled with rage and anger, they were filled with desire and love. He suddenly wrapped his warm and strong arms around him and buried his face in his soft hair before inhaling his scent.

"It's okay." Wilmur whispered in his ear as he rubbed soothing circles on Carl's bare back. "I'm here. All you need to do is open your eyes."

Carl furrowed his eyebrows in confusion but softened with each comforting word being mummered into his ear. He relaxed against his gentle touches being rubbed up and down his bare back. His sobs slowly went silently as they turned into quiet sniffles with each of Wilmur's comforting words.

"It's okay." Wilmur whispered in his ear as he slowly awoken. "I'm here. No one else is here except me and Michonne."

Carl fluttered his drooping eyes opened and sobbed into Wilmur's chest as his fingers clinged to his grey flannel for life. He buried his face deeper in his chest and inhaled his scent while his hands touched him to make sure he was real. Wilmur rubbed soothing circles on his back while burying his face in his damp hair.

Gentle words were being mummered into his ear as Wilmur's sweet breath brushed against his neck. He sobbed into his chest as his fingers loosed his tight grip on Wilmur's flannel. He wrapped his trembling arms around Wilmur's slim waist as he cried softly in his chest.

"Everything's okay." Wilmur whispered softly. "I'll never hurt you."

Carl slowly pulled away from the warm embrace Wilmur was giving him and wrapped his arms around himself to feel his filthy cloths. He sighed in relief just before Wilmur gently brushed away his tears with his swollen fingers. He flinched under his touch, but relaxed as soon as Wilmur mummered comforting things in his ears.

"You okay now?" Wilmur asked softly, pressing his lips against the tears on his cheeks to kiss them away.

Carl hesitated before slowly giving his head a slow nod while he sniffled. He rested his head against Wilmur's chest again while he began stroking his damp hair. He sniffled and closed his drooping eyes as sleep slowly started to take over him. Despite how exhausted he was, he could barely fall back asleep in Wilmur's warm embrace.

"Go back to sleep." Wilmur whispered. "It's very early."

The younger lover's eyes opened before darting to the window to see the sun was barely in the sky. Stars could still be visible as well as the move which was growing lighter due to the sun rising slowly. Walker snarls could be heard outside the car as Daryl and Rick took watch night long while Michonne was still fast asleep beside them. She could hear every word they were whispering to each other, but chose to stay out of it due to being too exhausted.

Wilmur kept one arm wrapped around Carl's waist while the other was placed against his head to block the small sunlight peeking through the dark sky. He rubbed soothing circles on Carl's back slowly and affectionately while burying his face in his soft hair.

"I'm so tired." Carl admitted. "But I can't."

"Yes, you can." Wilmur whispered, stroking his damp hair. "Just try."

Before Wilmur and Carl could even move, Michonne quickly sat up to stop them from laying down. She could see the black sags under both of their drooping eyes and how pale their faces were due to exhaustion. Stained tears were painted over Carl's dried cheeks as his tears slowly drained from his puffy eyes.

"Lay your head on my lap, Wilmur." Michonne said groggily. "Then Carl can lay on top of you so you both can be comfortable."

Wilmur nodded in agreement before resting his against Michonne's lap. Carl shifted in between Wilmur's bruised legs as his face buried itself in Wilmur's chest. Michonne gently stroked Carl's hair while Wilmur rubbed soothing circles on his back. Slowly, Carl drifted to sleep with Michonne brushing his damp hair from his sweating face while Wilmur watched him sleep peacefully.

He and Michonne could both hear Rick and Daryl talking just outside the car where they had been taking watch all night long without any breaks. Exhaustion could be heard in their groggily and tired, hoarse voices. The two surrogate brothers were not only exhausted from fight against the Claimers last night but from the world as well.

Ever since the day the outbreak started, all they had been doing was running without any breath takes as either a walker herd or a group of terrifying people chased them down. Food became extremely hard to find and water went harsh. No shelter was enough protect them from the chilly nights filled with untiring walkers and horrifying people. Fear and pain had taken the relief and happiness from them.

They were losing everyone they ever loved or cared for one by one in the hands of either sharp teeth or painful bullets. Everyone they loved was losing their suffering lives and creating an empty hole in the hearts of people who cared for them. Pain was the only thing they had left in their normal selves.

Wilmur could see Daryl sitting next to Rick outside the car as they leaned against it while they wiped the blood of their broken knuckles and their crimson palms. He watched each wipe of the washrag against their bloody and swollen hands. He could see the blood dripping from Rick's beard and the blood soaking in Daryl's brown hair.

Carl shifted as Michonne stroked his damp hair while Wilmur rubbed circles on his back. He buried his face deeper in his chest as he listened to his father wipe the wet washrag against his beard filled with blood outside the car. He shivered as he listened to his father's words while he thought about the darkness lurking inside him.

He wanted his father to keep stabbing the man thousands of times. He wanted to watch the crimson blood pour from his body with each stab in the stomach and chest as the man who tried to rape him scream over and over again. His father had said he was a good man the other day, but how could he be good man if he mourned for the most darkest and cruelest things?

"We didn't know what they were." Carl, Wilmur, and Michonne heard Daryl admit about the Claimers.

They could hear the regret in Daryl's hoarse voice. He and Wilmur both regretted agreeing with the evil group to lead them to the person they mourned to kill and be with. In the end, it turned out they had love and hatred for the same person. They were the ones who lead the Claimers to the people they loved.

Daryl and Wilmur's regretful choices resulted in getting themselves almost beaten up to death, close to getting Rick and Michonne shot, and almost having Carl raped. They had caused their own people to almost get brutally killed instead of deciding to leave the evil group as soon as they figured out the cruelty hidden inside them.

"How'd y'all wind up with 'em?" They heard Rick ask Daryl whole he continued to wipe the stained blood from his dirty cheeks and filthy beard.

"We was with Beth." They heard Daryl reply. "The three of us got out together. We were with her for a while."

Carl saddened his eyes as he thought of Beth. The young woman who was like his older sister and comforted him through his toughest times and shined light in his darkness. She and Judith was the only innocent ones left in the cruel and brutal world filled with violence and blood. She was the only one who helped Carl believe in a bright and hopeful future for them.

However, now she was most likely dead. Carl would never see her confident face again or feel the confidence she had given him in the dark past. He would never fill her comfort or hear her sisterly lectures ever again along with her innocence.

"Is she dead?" Rick asked sadly, hoping she was somehow still alive.

"She's just gone." They heard Daryl reply, hearing the sadness and grief in his tone as he thought of one of the people in the world he cared for more than anyone. "After that, that's when they found us. I mean, we knew they were bad, but they had a code. It was simple. Stupid, but it was something'. It was enough."

"And y'all were alone." They heard Rick quickly say.

"Said they were looking for some guy." They heard Daryl shrug off the subject. "They said that-they said that if we helped, they would help us find Carl."

Wilmur sighed deeply with regret visible in his black eyes while he stroked Carl's damp hair who was listening to every word Daryl and Rick were saying. He was shocked that Wilmur was so desperate to find him that he joined an evil group and helped them look for a man they were going to kill just so he could find him.

Carl shivered under Wilmur's soft touches as he thought of the man who had tried to rape him. Wilmur and Daryl had only lead trouble for him and his family. Although he didn't blame them, he couldn't help but think of the darkness they had brought in his cruel and hardened heart. They had only given him dark thoughts upon the Claimers along with a terrifying nightmare which frightened him.

Michonne was in shock as well. She refused to believe two people she truly cared for had lead the Claimers straight to people they mourned to kill only in cold blood so they could find Carl. She knew Wilmur had been desperate to find Carl since the day the Governor separated them after he destroyed the prison.

"Last night they said they spotted him." Daryl continued with regret in his tone. "We were hanging back. We was gonna leave. But we stayed. That's when we saw it was you three. Right when you saw us, we didn't know what they could do."

"It's not on you or Wilmur, Daryl." They heard Rick reply before noticing the disbelief on his face. "Hey. It's not on either of you."

Wilmur knew it was completely and utterly a complete lie. He and Daryl had helped the Claimers track Rick and caused him and Carl and Michonne who was with him nearly to get brutally and horrifyingly killed. Everything was to be blamed upon them since they nearly got their own family killed because they made a selfish deal with the evil Claimers.

"Y'all being back with us here, now, that's everything." Rick continued. "You're my brother, and Wilmur's basically my own son."

Wilmur couldn't help but grin as Rick claimed he was just like his own son. He had been with Rick's son for seven or eight months now. He protected Carl for so long and made him more happier than Rick or anyone else ever could even before the apocalypse. He knew Rick trusted him more than anyone else on the planet to protect his son through all costs and keep a smile over his lips no matter how complicated and frustrating things get.

"Hey, what you did last night..." Daryl started. "Anybody would've done that."

"No, not that." They heard Rick reply.

"Somethin' happened." They heard Daryl say. "That ain't you."

They heard a frustrated sigh escape Rick's hoarse throat. "Daryl, you saw what I did to Tyreese."

Wilmur sighed deeply before closing his drooping eyes and draping a sprained hand over his bruised forehead with a deep cut on it as he thought of Tyreese. He could remember how he insulted his and Carl's relationship on the run to get medicine for the sick people in the prison because he had just lost his girlfriend. He was frustrated with the romance surrounding him in a corner because all it reminded him was of Karen who was killed by Carol.

However, despite having anger for Tyreese since he insulted his relationship, he had nothing but respect for the innocent and vengeful man. He regretted lashing out at Tyreese after he just lost someone he loved more than anything and anyone in the world. Tyreese had no one left in his family except Sasha who was most likely dead due to the Governor destroying the prison while killing everyone who lived in it.

"It ain't all of it, but that's me." Rick continued. "That's why I'm here now. That's why Carl is. I want to keep him safe. That's all that matters."

Realization hit Carl like a fast train running over a person as reality smashed against him. He realized all his father wanted was to shield him from the damaged and horrifying world and give him a normal life to live. Rick never wanted him to be a ruthless killer who did everything it took to survive. All he wanted for him was to live life as if it was normal, but it was all wishful thinking.

Nothing and no one could bring back Carl's childhood into the terrifying world. The kid he once was before the apocalypse was long gone and replaced with a survival machine who had nothing but blood on his hands whether it was from a human, himself, or from a walker.

Rick had finally realized who and what his son was now after the evil man almost raped him last night. No child could be put through something like that in a destroyed world like they were living in today. The very last innocence had been taken from Carl Grimes.

Carl snapped out of his thoughts as Wilmur began rubbing soothing circles through his hoodie and flannel, causing him to flinch. Wilmur sighed sadly before pulling his hand away and looking him in the eyes with sympathy. He brushed strands of hair hanging down his forehead before gently pressing his busted lips against it.

"You need to sleep." Wilmur whispered in his ear soothingly. "I don't think we'll be moving anytime soon.

Carl sighed before resting his head against Wilmur's chest as he felt his soft palm rub his back affectionately. "I can't. Not after that nightmare."

"I'll be right here." Wilmur whispered. "Just remember that. I'm never leaving you again. I promise you that."

Finally, Carl gave in and nodded before burying his face in Wilmur's chest to block the sunrise shining through the windowsill from hitting his drooping eyes. His breathing evened as Michonne stroked his damp hair while Wilmur rubbed his back soothingly.

Slowly, he drifted off to sleep peacefully with no nightmares corrupting it. Wilmur sighed with relief before exhaustion shot through his tired veins and drooping eyes. Blood slowly slid down his bruised cheeks as it stained his pale skin. It landed against Carl's brown hair and dripped onto his blue hoodie, creating damp spots in it.

Michonne's drooping eyes darted to Wilmur as she watched him stare at Carl with love and worry expressed in his tired eyes. She could see the blood sliding down his cheeks with fresh bruises on them before landing against Carl's hair and dripping on his blue hoodie.

She slowly pulled a washrag from his pocket before gently dabbing it on the bleeding wound. Wilmur winced as she harshly rubbed it to stop the bleeding, but let her clean his wound filled with dirt. He squeezed Carl's hand to keep himself from hissing in pain through his gritted teeth.

"You should sleep." Michonne whispered, careful not to wake Carl. "I can tell you're very tired."

"I am." Wilmur chuckled. "But I just can't."

Michonne dragged the rough washrag away from his cut on his cheek before placing it back in her pocket. "That's what Carl just told you, but he fell asleep. So can you."

Wilmur sighed in defeat before burying his face in Carl's hair to inhale his scent as he closed his drooping and tired eyes. He smiled weakly as he held Carl in his arms while rubbing his back soothingly through his jacket and shirt.

Somehow, he still couldn't believe he was finally holding Carl again after their strong love was yanked from their hearts by the Governor and replaced with a huge hole of emptiness. However, their love was now filling their broken hearts and mending the tiny pieces back together.

Michonne smiled weakly as she watched Wilmur and Carl snuggle and cuddle together in their sleep. It warmed her heart to see Carl finally sleeping peacefully as he slept in Wilmur's arms. She could vividly remember how upset Carl was after the fall of the prison because he had doubt he'd be with Wilmur again. But now they were together after the detriment of the prison and through all the violence and blood they were put through on the road.

Despite the amount of evil and disgusting people in the world along with the lack of food and shelter while they survived on the road filled with nothing but danger, blood, and fear, they managed to find each other through all the violence. Although they joined an evil group who wanted to kill them, it managed to bring them all together again even though they brought evil people with them.

Suddenly, the car door quietly opened, causing Carl to shift in his sleep. As if sensing he was uncomfortable, Wilmur tightened his warm grip on him. Daryl quietly stepped in before handing Michonne a machete Billy had in one of his bags. Michonne furrowed her eyebrows before hesitantly accepting the sharp machete.

"Rick and I are goin' on a hunt." Daryl explained. "You need a knife in case anyone else gives us surprises. We're leaving for Terminus when I get back."

Michonne nodded before Daryl stepped out of the car and quietly shut the door to not disturb Wilmur and Carl from their peaceful sleep. Michonne moved the blanket sitting on the window to block the sunlight from getting in as she watched Rick and Daryl disappear into the forest.

She placed the blanket back before pulling the washrag out of her pocket again and dabbed it against the bruises and cuts on Wilmur's bloody cheeks. She removed the dirt from his infected wounds before grabbing Wilmur's bloody knuckles and wiped the crimson blood from them. They were swollen from trying to fight against Harley and his wrist was sprained from trying pull away from his strong arms.

She moved the washrag to the bloody wound on Carl's cheek before beginning to clean it so it wouldn't get infected later on. The rough washrag dragged against the stinging wound as blood and dirt stained against it. She pulled it to his palms which was stained with blood from when Dan injured them.

Birds began chirping in the trees as the sun slowly started rising more and more in the sky, painting it with orange and pink colors. Squirrels started to begin their morning routine as they searched for nuts while bats and raccoons began sleeping. Insects crawled against the leafs on the road and the grass on the side of it as they searched for crumbs to eat.

Like the animals, Rick and Daryl had began their morning routine and searched for any animal in the woods for them to eat. Their stomachs grumbled from starvation and growled for food while their dry tongues begged for water to satisfy it's dyhration. Exhaustion was slowly overpowering them like it overpowered Wilmur and Carl already. Their bodies ached from the wounds the evil Claimers had given them.

Michonne gently stroked Carl's hair one last time before tucking the washrag back in her pocket and stepped out of the car to greet the rising sun. The chilly air hit her exposed skin as the squirrels read back in the woods in fear upon seeing her. She pulled her sword from the car and began cleaning it with the washrag.

Too much blood had colored her sword crimson red from the amount of walkers she killed on the dangerous road. Fresh blood stained against the dirty washrag as she wiped down her sword. After the crimson blood was gone, she wrapped the sword around her back and placed the washrag back in her pocket before sitting against the car.

By the time Rick and Daryl had made it back with no hunted animals, the sun had fully rose in the blue sky speckled with different clouds. Fresh blood was painted over their cloths from when they killed walkers who got in their way. Daryl wiped the blood off his palms with a red washrag while Rick began picking up the Claimers bags.

"Is Carl and Wilmur still asleep?" Rick asked with his hoarse voice.

Michonne nodded. "I'll wake them."

The samurai opened the door to see they cuddled closer together while laying on their sides in a new position. Carl's face was deeply buried in Wilmur's chest as their legs tangled while Wilmur had his face buried deep in his neck. Their breathing was even and their skin was warm from transferring their body warmth to each other.

She sighed with regret in her tone as she began shaking the two boys awake. Wilmur's eyes was the first to flutter open followed by Carl. Black sags were printed under their drooping eyes and despite the wounds they had on their cheeks, it was pale from exhaustion. Carl whined and buried his face deeper into Wilmur's chest before Michonne shook him again.

Wilmur yawned with exhaustion and pushed Carl off him, the warmth once in on his body was hit by the chilly air when he was pushed away. They crawled out of the car weakly with their arms aching from the fight they had with the Claimers. Carl picked up the green bag while Wilmur picked up his own before following behind Michonne who was behind Rick and Daryl.

They made their way back over to the tracks which would lead to Terminus and walked down it in silence. Neither one of them spoke a whisper or word. The birds chirping in the trees on the side of the tracks was the only thing that interrupted the deep silence between them.

Wilmur noticed Carl's shivering hand as the chilly at brushed against it. His eyes darted to his light blue ones to see a slight bit of fear inside them. He knew he was still frightened over what Dan had almost done to him and it made him shudder while he thought about it.

Slowly, Wilmur reached for Carl's hand and gently grasped it, causing him to flinch from the touch while he thought of Dan. The older lover quickly pulled his hand away in regret and bowed his head shamefully. Carl sighed quietly before reaching for his hand and grasping it himself. The warmth of his hand sent a shiver down his spine as the chilly hair was blocked by his warm hand.

The warmth of Wilmur's hand was different than the warmth of Dan's hand. Dan's warmth was too frightening and forceful. It wasn't the warmth of love but the warmth of lust instead. He could still remember the way he laughed mischievously as he pinned him down and unbuckled his belt while his greasy hands felt his body and his hot breath disturbing his neck and hair.

However, Wilmur's warmth was different. His warmth was filled with love instead of lust. It surrounded him in every corner when he was cold, angry, or upset. It comforted him through his most toughest and hardest times through all the blood and gore in the violent world. His warmth cured the pain he had been put through before and replaced it with relief and love.

"You okay?" Wilmur finally interrupted the deep silence.

Carl slowly nodded as he squeezed Wilmur's warm hand for reassurance. "I'm fine. I'm just...glad that man is dead."

Wilmur gently stroked the back of his smooth hand to comfort him while giving it a gentle squeeze. "I'm sorry, Carl. Thanks to me, I put you through that shit."

"No." Carl immediately retorted, squeezing Wilmur's hand. "That's not true. I'm glad we reunited the way we did. I didn't want to go to Terminus without you not knowing if they're bad or not."

"They're probably not." Wilmur replied. "But even if we did reunite at Terminus instead and they were bad, I would protect you. You know that right?"

Carl nodded, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion. "Why wouldn't I?"

"Because of your nightmares." Wilmur replied. "Michonne told me they were coming back, and they were about me killing you."

Carl bowed his head shamefully as he felt Wilmur gently stroke the back of his hand. Each horrifying nightmare he had flashed in his mind with each horrific detail flooding before each terrifying flash. He could hear Wilmur laughing with evil in his tone while killing him or watching someone kill him.

"Why in the hell would you ever think I would hurt you, Carl?" Wilmur asked seriously but whispered so Rick or any walkers wouldn't hear their conversation. "I love you more than anyone and anything in the world. I would do whatever it takes to protect you. So why would you think I would want to hurt you?"

"It's not you. It's the Governor." Carl was quick to say. "After everything he's done, after all the people's he's killed...it's like we can't have a happy ending because of him."

"But I'm not him." Wilmur reminded, stroking Carl's hand softly. "I would never hurt you. Ever. I'd rather die than ever do anything to cause you any harm."

Carl continued to bow his head shamefully as Wilmur's hand gave him a gentle squeeze. "I'm sorry, Wilmur. It's not that I think you're going to hurt me. It's just too hard to explain."

Wilmur snuck his hand up Carl's back and rubbed soothing circles on it before wrapping his arm around his slim waist and pulling him in. His palm rubbed up and down his arm soothingly before he pressed his busted lips against his temple. He dragged his lips up to his soft hair and planted it was tiny and soft kisses.

The younger lover sighed with relief as he felt Wilmur's lips upon his skin before resting his head against his neck while they followed behind the small group. Carl sprinkled Wilmur's neck with soft kisses as his hand snaked up his back and ran his palm up and down it.

"I love you." Wilmur whispered softly in his ear. "More than anyone in the world. Don't ever forget that."

Carl planted a kiss just below Wilmur's ear. "I won't. I love you, too."

They wrapped their strong and warm arms around each other as they continued to walk down the tracks filled with nothing but orange and yellow dead leafs while rocks hid under them. The gravel and crunchy leafs beneath their feet crackled with each step they took.

Kisses were planted up and down their necks while they held hands while following the tracks. Their hands snuck up each other's backs and rubbed soothing circles on it. They had almost forgotten where they were until they came across another Terminus sign laying on the ground with dead leafs hovering over it.

Rick brushed the leafs off the sign with his foot to find the same thing Terminus put on all of their signs just like what Wilmur heard on the radio when he was on a run to get medicine for the ill people in the prison. Like the signs, the radio had said it was a sanctuary and community for all people.

"We're getting close." Daryl said as he held his crossbow over his shoulder. "Be there before sundown."

Rick nodded. "Now we head through the woods. We don't know who they are."

Daryl nodded in agreement before taking the lead and heading into the dangerous woods followed by Rick and Carl. Wilmur pulled his pistol out of his holster before following behind his lover with Michonne just behind him. Wilmur stood over Carl protectively as he clenched his pistol tightly in case any walkers or humans gave them expected surprises. He wasn't going to lose him just after he found him.

The birds san their chorus in the green trees while squirrels chewed on their nuts. Woodpeckers nibbled against the brown bark on the trees while rabbits sprinted across the foods as they searched for food. Insects hid under the dead leafs laying on the ground while spiders hanged in their webs.

A fence could be seen in the distance of the thick trees as they grew closer and closer to Terminus. Cotton webs and green vines were hooked to the fence while cocoons hang from them with a growing butterfly in it. Some stained blood droplets had been printed against the fences from a walker herd when they came through.

Through the fences was a big brick building with the sign Terminus painted on it. Several little buildings laid beside it along with a yellow constructive truck. No people could be seen through the fences surrounding Terminus and protecting it from walkers who could chew their way through.

Rick dropped his blue bag as he stared upon the empty sanctuary. No guards protecting the sanctuary could be seen as well as normal people walking around the buildings. He wasn't sure if people were inside the buildings or dead. He hoped they were somehow still alive and trustworthy because they needed a warm bed, some food, water, weapons, ammo, and a place for his son to rest in and have a normal life along with Wilmur.

"We all spread out, watch for a while, see what we see, and get ready." Rick told his family as he clenched his pistol tightly. "We all stay close."

Daryl nodded and disappeared in the woods as he began to watch Terminus from a certain distance. Wilmur glanced at Carl as he slowly began to walk away from his father who he always wanted to be with. He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion but followed after his boyfriend. There was no way he was going to let Carl out of his sight again.

Rick was quick to notice his son was walking away from him. "You wanna stick with me?" He asked.

"It's all right." Carl replied as he followed after Michonne with Wilmur just behind him.

Carl needed his father more than anyone in the world, but he couldn't be with him after the dark thoughts circled around his head while he watched his father stab the man who tried to rape him last night. His father was proud of he was, but he couldn't be. He wanted his father to keep stabbing the man over and over again as he watched the crimson blood splatter against the dead leafs on the road.

How could his father be proud of he is if he had the most darkest and most cold thoughts out of anyone in the brutal group? He was just another monster like the Claimers who attacked them. He had never wanted to watch someone die so horrifyingly and brutally while they slowly and painfully suffered.

"Why didn't you go with your dad?" Michonne asked and Carl shrugged. "When I told you about Andre, you never asked how he died."

"I knew why." Carl replied.

Michonne nodded. "Yeah, but the how is important."

Wilmur began listening to Michonne's story as well as Carl. He didn't have to guess who Andre was. He somehow knew Michonne had a child before the outbreak started, but he never wanted to talk to her about it since it would only bring depressing memories. It would only remind him of how he lost Penny because of Kevin and then how he lost his father because the evilness inside him ripped him away from who he once was.

All Wilmur could manage to do was fight through the pain and clear room in his heart for more to come. He had already lost everyone he loved except for Carl just like Michonne. They had both lost someone they truly loved because of betrayal and they both shut down until they ran across Carl who brought them both back from the darkness inside them.

"We went to a refugee camp. Andre and my boyfriend, Mike that was Andre's father and our friend Terry." Michonne began her story. "At the camp, it just got worse and worse. People were leaving. People giving up. But I didn't."

Wilmur sighed as he remembered the apartment he and his father stayed in with eight other people with them after Penny died when the outbreak started. They starved nearly to death and almost died from the strong heat surrounding them in the tiny apartment they closed themselves in to be protected from the dead.

Everything had only gotten worse over time before it finally got better. Some of them slowly started leaving the apartment to go on runs for food and water. They began to run across other survivors who were trying to push through the new world. They brought more and more survivors home with them every time some of them went on a dangerous run.

They then slowly left the apartment and traveled to Woodbury to find it empty of people and walkers. Guards watched over it at night while others went on runs to find anything to held them build a wall around the old town. Once they did, they started going on runs to search for more people who could build their town together.

"I was coming back from a run." Michonne continued as tears slowly slid down her cheeks at the memory. "I saw the fences were down. I heard the moans. It was over."

Flashes of the prison falling because they Governor destroyed it flashed one by one in Wilmur's mind. He could remember the day they came back from the run to give medicine to the ill people which saved their lives. However, they all died anyway the very next day because the Governor destroyed everything they had.

He tore down the fences with his tanks and shot canons toward their buildings which demolished it to smoke and fragments. Walkers had busted in and started tearing flesh apart with their sharp teeth while the Governor and his army tore down their innocent people with bullets and canons.

Everything was over the second the Governor marched to their fences. All of the things in the prison they worked so hard to build and all the people they fought so hard to protect was utterly gone. There was nothing they could do to save their home from the evil and violent man as soon as he visited their fences.

"And Mike and Terry, they were high when it happened." Michonne continued with shame in her shuddering tone. "They were bit. I could of stopped it. Could of killed them. But I let them turn. I made it so they couldn't bite, couldn't scratch. I tied chains around their necks. It was insane. It was sick."

Wilmur remembered his father kept Penny after she turned to a walker without him knowing. He tied her to a chain and locked her in a vent in his office because he couldn't face what had happened to her. He fed and brushed her hair everyday even though she was no longer Penny but a monster instead.

Instead of accepting Penny was gone, he told himself she was terribly ill because he couldn't let her go. He let Milton try to figure out a cure so he could use it to cure Penny, but she was dead and gone from the world the day she died although he refused to believe it.

The day Michonne killed the monster Penny had become was when the Governor shoved all the evil into his heart and pushed out everything that made him who he once was. He grew the desire to kill everyone who disagreed with him because he lost his beloved daughter.

"I felt like what I deserved, dragging them around so that I'd always know." Michonne continued while shuddering from the dark memories. "I found out that they kept me safe. They hid me. The walkers didn't see me anymore. I was just another monster. And I was. Me. I was gone for a long time."

Wilmur sighed deeply as he remembered the heartless monster of Justin he turned into after Penny died. He lost all hope in believing in a bright future and threw every one of his feelings away. He created a monstrous shield around him broken heart to block the feelings from getting in.

The real him was gone for a very long time. All of his emotions and feelings were completely and utterly numb in his heartless soul which had only created a dark monster. Nothing could heal him from the endless pain inside his numb and monstrous heart. The strong shield wrapped around him had destroyed everything he once was before the outbreak.

However, the day he Carl told him to open his eyes had changed everything. The monster of Justin had disappeared to the love and care of Wilmur all because Carl had made him realize the truth. After he lost everything and everyone, Carl was the gift he had received after all the evilness inside his heart.

"But then Andrea brought me back." Michonne told Carl. "Your dad brought me back. You did."

Carl bowed his head as Michonne's words sank into his dark head while Wilmur rubbed his shoulder softly from behind. He could remember the monster he had become the day he killed the boy in the woods during the war with the Governor. Ever since then, he had become a monster just like how Michonne did in the past.

"I see how you been looking at your dad." Michonne told Carl. "You don't have to be afraid of me, or Wilmur, or him."

Shame and guilt filled Carl's eyes as they darted to the ground shamefully. "He told me the other day that he was proud of me. That I was a good man. But I'm not."

"Carl." Michonne said but is immediately interrupted.

"I know more now. About what he wanted for me." Carl continued. "And I tried, but...I still have these thoughts. I'm not what he thinks I am. I'm just another monster, too."

Tears slowly slid down Michonne's cheeks as she embraced Carl. She held him tightly in her strong arms as she felt his arms wrap around her waist. Her tears drip onto his jacket, making damp spots as she placed her chin over his soft hair.

Wilmur sighed before making his way over to Carl, wrapping his arms around his slim waist. He buried his face in his neck and inhaled his scent as he rubbed soothing circles over his side. He hated the insulting thoughts Carl had on himself. None of what he thought was true. Despite the dark thoughts Carl had and the terrible things he had done in the past, he wasn't a monster.

"You're not a monster." Wilmur whispered in Carl's ear as he rubbed his side soothingly. "You may have those dark thoughts, but that man deserved every violence he got. Don't be ashamed of it."

Carl shook his head. He refused to be proud of what he was. "Those thoughts are not good, Wilmur. You shouldn't want to watch someone day painfully, right?"

Wilmur stroked Carl's soft hair gently before dropping a kiss in the crook of his neck. "If they're evil, then it's okay to have thoughts like that. It's normal now. If someone killed you, I would want to watch that person suffer."

"He's right." Michonne agreed as she rubbed soothing circles on Carl's back. "Those men were evil. They deserved to die. It's not your fault if you wanted to watch them die. Especially after what they've done."

Unbeknownst, Rick was watching the three of them embrace in the distance. His eyes saddened as when he noticed the regret and sadness in Carl's light blue eyes. Finally, he managed to pull his eyes off them before picking the blue bag he dropped off the ground and began digging a hole for the bag just in case Terminus turned out to be something else than what they say it is on the signs.

Meanwhile, Wilmur, Carl, and Michonne were watching Terminus from a distance like Rick told them to do. Their pistols were clenched tightly in their fists as they stared upon the unknown sanctuary which was empty for an unknown reason. Everyone was either inside or dead. If the people were inside, they wouldn't be able to tell if they're trustworthy or not.

However, whether Terminus was what they wanted it to be or not, Wilmur swore to protect Carl from the strangers hiding inside the buildings. He wasn't going to lose him against like he lost him at the prison when the Governor destroyed their home. He refused to ever let Carl out of his sight again. Wherever Carl went in the dangerous world, he would be right behind him. Nothing and no one was going to hurt his younger lover ever again. He'd kill anyone who try.

Wilmur wrapped his strong arm around Carl's waist, causing him to flinch but relaxed when he saw it was just his older lover. His tight grip on the pistol loosened as the warmth Wilmur gave him slowly calmed him down. His light blue eyes scanned the buildings of Terminus to find it utterly empty with no people, yet no walkers either.

Carl feared the residents in Terminus would be just like the Claimers they had came across last night. He didn't want to deal with another dangerous and evil group again, but he knew they were bound to in the future whether it was Terminus or not. All he could do was hope Terminus was what the sanctuary said it would be on the signs against the track. He was tired of running every single day from walkers herds without any food in their stomachs or water on their tongues as exhaustion shot through them.

He wanted to be able to relax again like he was able to in the prison. He didn't want to live in fear everyday but in relief and happiness instead. The fear and starvation exhausted him from running too much every single moment in everyday. The night terrors had only managed to cause more trouble for them on the road because it attracted thousands of herds.

Terminus could be their solution, but he knew he had to be cautious after last night. The residents who lived in Terminus could be just as evil and disgusting as the Claimers. He knew he had to be prepared for what they could be just like his father was prepared.

Michonne clenched her sword tightly in case any walker appeared while watching Terminus cautiously. She wanted to be prepared just like Rick was in case they turned out to be evil. Although she desperately needed and wanted sanctuary, she knew she had to be cautious in case they turned out to be someone else than what they say on the signs.

"It's time." Daryl's voice rang out of nowhere, causing the three of them to flinch. "We're gonna jump the fence."

The three of them nodded as they followed after the archer who was holding his crossbow tightly. Rick stood in the middle of the woods with all of the bags they collected from the Claimers buried in the ground in case things went bad. His pistol was tucked in his belt along with a couple of sharp knives.

"If things go back, we'll jump the fence again." Rick told them. "No matter what, we stay together. It don't matter what they tell us to do. Stay together."

They gave their heads small nods before following Rick over to the dirty fences. Rick was the first to climb up who was followed by Michonne and then Carl who Wilmur was helping lifting up. Daryl jumped over last as he clenched his crossbow tightly when they landed in Terminus's territory. Nothing but silence was filling the dead, rotten air due to no people seen outside. No walkers could be seen either but the place was clean enough to live in.

Wilmur stood over Carl protectively with his hand clenching his pistol tightly while his other hand was placed against Carl's back as they followed Rick down Terminus. Each of them were clenching their weapons tightly as fear and nervousness filled their veins and spread through their trembling bodies.

They quietly sprinted to a door, hesitating before deciding to run through it. They could hear a woman's voice speaking in a microphone calmly as she said the same thing over and over again like it said on the signs against the tracks when they were on the dangerous road.

Wilmur stood in front of Carl protectively just like he did with Beth before someone kidnapped her before they hesitated while running inside the building. The woman's voice in the microphone grew louder and louder as they snuck down a hallway quietly. They could hear the sounds of quiet chattering behind the woman's voice as she gave the speech about their sanctuary.

"Sanctuary for all. Community for all. Those who arrive survive." They heard the elderly woman say on the microphone when they stepped inside the room filled with people. "Terminus, sanctuary for all. Community for all."

"Hello." Rick stepped toward the woman before interrupting her speech she gave in the microphone while he turned to the people working in front of him. "Hello!"

Wilmur took a step in front of Carl in effort to protect him in case anything happened while the elderly woman took off her headphones and placed them against the table when she noticed strangers had just stepped into their community. He darted his stern eyes forward to see strangers working at grey tables.

One of the people looked familiar to Wilmur. He had recognizable brown hair and noticeable brown eyes when he turned his body as soon as he noticed they were in the same room as them. Shock and worry filled everyone's eyes the second they laid upon them. They had stopped working in the unpleasant presence of strangers before their eyes darted to their leader with brown hair.

"Well, I bet Albert is on perimeter watch." The young man with brown hair and brown eyes scoffed in annoyance before taking a few steps toward them, causing Wilmur to shove Carl behind him protectively although he felt like he recognized the man. "You here to rob us?"

"No." Rick replied. "We wanted to see you before you saw us."

The man with brown hair and brown eyes Wilmur felt like he's seen before grinned as he glanced back at his people who were hesitantly working in the presence of strangers. The man's brown eyes darted to him and squinted just like his did. Wilmur narrowed his eyes as he desperately tried to figure out who the man was as he stood in front of Carl protectively. The man's brown eyes returned to stare upon Rick as he smiled weakly.

"Makes sense. Usually we do this where the tracks meet." The young man said, walking toward them while his eyes continued to narrow at Wilmur, but kept the same smile on his face. "Welcome to Terminus. I'm Gareth. Look's like you've been on the road for a good bit."

"We have." Rick replied with exhaustion in his tone. "Rick. That's Carl, Wilmur, Daryl, Michonne."

Gareth's narrowed eyes filled up with shock as his pupils began to relax. "Wilmur? I thought I recognized you!"

Wilmur's eyebrows furrowed in confusion along with everyone else. Worry filled Carl and Michonne's eyes while suspiciousness filled Daryl and Rick's eyes. Their eyes had been darted between Wilmur and Gareth as their bodies began to tense. They clench their fists tightly as they stared between Wilmur and Gareth who had known each other before the outbreak.

"I'm sorry, who are you?" Wilmur questioned, deciding not to mention he recognized him as well.

Gareth grinned as he took a few steps toward him. "It's Gareth! I knew your mother. We worked in that furniture factory together and she brought you to work with her a few times, remember?"

Shock immediately filled Wilmur's eyes as he finally realized who Gareth was. He could remember when he was younger, his mother would bring him and Penny to work with her sometimes when they had no school and had nothing else to do. Sometimes he helped around the factory. His mother often told him to help Gareth when she was unable to.

After his mother died, he had stopped going to the furniture factory. Ever since then, he hadn't saw Gareth up until now. Although he knew Gareth, he still didn't trust him because they hadn't known each other too much to be friends. His mother was great friends with him, but he still didn't have it in him to trust the young man anymore.

Somehow, he was similar to the Governor. He had tricked people by being nice and friendly while he let people in his community just like Gareth had been doing. In the end, the Governor had lied about who he was and shown the monster he had become. Dozens of people died because of him. Now he was meeting up with another man who appeared to be nice and friendly while he welcomed people in his sanctuary.

"Yeah, I remember you." Wilmur replied, eyes filled with shock. "God, it's been so long."

"I know." Gareth agreed, keeping the same grin on his lips. "You, your mother, and sister stopped coming for some reason. What happened?"

Wilmur sighed deeply as he remembered the day his beloved mother died while tears began to fill his eyes. "She's dead."

Gareth's eyes filled with shock as he stumbled back. He hadn't known Wilmur and Penny well, but he knew their mother who was a very nice and sweet woman. She always strived to stay positive in the factory no matter how harsh and strict their boss was when it came to moving furniture. It always made their sprained wrists exhausted and Gareth always complained, but Wilmur's mother refused to stay negative like he did. She helped people in the factory push through the sore pain in their ankles and wrists from moving heavy stuff too much during the day.

Now she's was dead and could no longer be positive like she once was in the factory. She couldn't be with her children or husband anymore like she once was. All of her positive thoughts and innocent strength was gone from their cruel world and could never come back again.

"What about Penny?" Gareth asked, his eyes still filled with shock.

Wilmur shook as he remembered his younger sister who he loved very much while the tears in his eyes grew harder to fight off. "She's dead, too."

Gareth bowed his head as grief filled his brown eyes. "And your father?"

The tears in Wilmur's eyes immediately disappeared and replaced with rage and anger as his fists clenched while he thought of his evil father who only caused him pain and misery. He had killed almost everyone he loved. It was because of his father, Penny had died because he had sat on the road in shock while Kevin through her on a walker when Wilmur couldn't save her. Then he killed Andrea who became his surrogate mother and then Milton who was innocent to the world. After they're deaths, he marched up to the prison fences seven months later and killed Hershel who saved his life many times and killed everyone he loved who lived in the prison.

He felt nothing but hatred for his father who was long gone the day the apocalypse started. All of his love and care he had for his father left because he placed Justin's heart inside of him and his father had gone completely and utterly evil. The love and care was replaced with hatred and rage the day the outbreak destroyed the world.

"He's dead and I'm glad he is." Wilmur replied coldly.

Gareth furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, but softened them when he noticed the angry tears visible in his eyes. "I'm sorry for your losses. I don't understand how it feels but I know it hurts."

Wilmur fiercely glared as he clenched his fist a fought against the growls trying to ripple passed his gritted teeth. Carl took a step forward and placed his hand over his bruised shoulder, rubbing it gently with his thumb. Wilmur sighed deeply and relaxed his tensed body as he felt Carl rub his shoulder softly. His fists loosened and his chapped lips closed as his anger slowly began to calm down along with his draining tears.

Finally, Gareth turned his attention away from Wilmur and focused on Rick who had a deadly glare in his suspicious eyes. His eyes kept darting between Gareth and Wilmur suspiciously as he clenched his fights too tightly, causing his bloody palms to turn purple. However, passed the glare in Rick's ice cold eyes, he could see the fear and nervousness. Despite Wilmur knowing who Gareth was, he still wasn't sure about the strange man who still smiled even though they were complete strangers to him.

"You're nervous. I get it. We were all the same way." Gareth told Rick with a grin on his lips, taking a few steps forward. "We came here for sanctuary. That what you're here for?"

Rick hesitated before slowly giving his head a nod as his eyes darted between Wilmur and Gareth. "Yes."

"Good. You found it." Gareth replied, turning his head to another man behind him who was still working. "Hey, Alex. This isn't as pretty as the front. We got nothing to hide but the welcome wagon is a whole lot nicer."

Alex stood beside his brother but flinched under Rick's death glare. Nervous sweat dripped down his temples as the glare in Rick's eyes strengthened as he moved behind his brother to block the death glare from surrounding him. Gareth turned his head to see Alex behind him before turning his head back to Rick who was glaring fiercely at his brother. He had noticed the nervous sweat dripping down Alex's cheeks.

Gareth hesitated before turning back to Rick who was glaring upon him along with Wilmur. "Alex will take you, ask you a few questions. Uh, but first, we need to see everyone's weapons. If you could just lay them down in front of you."

Wilmur gritted his teeth again as his fists clenched while his bruised eyes darted to Carl who was standing beside him with worry expressed in his eyes. His thumb was still softly rubbing his bruised shoulder as he stared at his father for permission. Wilmur softened his eyes as he stared upon his younger lover before his protectiveness rushed through his boiling veins.

If Wilmur put down his weapons, he'd have no way to protect Carl if they were dragged into a death trap. He had swore to protect Carl at all costs even if he lost his own life. With no weapons, he was a useless guardian to Carl just like he was back at the prison after the Governor destroyed it. Wilmur wanted refuse to place all of his weapons against the ground where he could no longer grab them, but he knew it would most likely cost their lives.

Rick's eyes darted between Gareth and Wilmur who was tensed under their presences. Like Wilmur, he wasn't sure if he trusted the strangers fully despite knowing one of them. The Governor had been a good man before the outbreak, but he had turned evil and cruel the day everything started. What if Gareth was the same? What if Gareth had lured them into a trap like the Governor did with many of his residents?

Finally, Rick gave his head a hesitated nod while letting out a sigh. "All right."

Each of them hesitated before slowly placing each of their weapons on the floor. They slowly laid down each weapon one by one while hesitating as their breaths trembled from fear. Once their weapons were on the floor, they held their arms above their heads for Alex to check them in case they kept any weapons on them.

Carl's eyes darted to Wilmur with worry expressed in it. He could see the vengeful glare in his crystal blue eyes as he held his arms above his head for Alex to check. He then darted them between him and Gareth as they watched them narrow their suspicious eyes upon staring down one another.

Carl wasn't sure if he trusted Gareth or not even though Wilmur knew who he was. However, almost everybody changed the day the outbreak started just like the Governor changed. If Gareth was just like the Governor, they had been lured into a trap just like the rabbit was lured in Rick's snares yesterday morning.

"I hate to see the other guy." Alex said as he patted down Daryl who had no weapons on him, noticing the bruises plastering over his injured skin.

"You would." Rick replied.

Alex made his way over to Wilmur and began patting him down for any weapons in case he was hiding any. He noticed the dark bruises darkening his pale skin which was covered in his blood. Wilmur shot Alex a glare as he patted him down for weapons he could be hiding.

Wilmur tensed as Alex started patting Carl down. He shot Alex a death glare as a warning while he patted down Carl who was tensing under his touches which was similar to Dan's.

"They deserve it?" Alex questioned Carl when he noticed the wound on his cheek.

"Yes." Carl immediately answered.

Rick furrowed his eyebrows at his son's brutal cruelty to the violent world before continuing to glare at Gareth who kept narrowing his brown eyes toward Wilmur.

"Just so you know, we aren't those kind of people, but aren't not stupid either. And you shouldn't be stupid enough to try anything stupid" Gareth said. "As long as everyone's clear on that, we shouldn't have any problems. Just solutions."

Wilmur shot Gareth a glare as he clenched his fists tightly. How could Gareth trust them despite knowing only him? Everyone in the damaged world had gone brutal, cruel, and evil. You could hardly trust anybody anymore without getting killed or almost getting killed. If they just accepted people in their sanctuary, someone evil would eventually sneak in and destroy everything if the Terminus residents weren't already cruel.

One by one, Alex handed each of their weapons back to them but hesitated while doing so due to the death glares surrounding him. They clenched their weapons tightly as they glared upon the strangers while staring between Wilmur and Gareth. Growls threatened to ripple out of their chests and break through their gritted teeth.

Alex nervously gave them back their weapons as death glares surrounded him. "Follow me."

Wilmur shot Gareth one last death glare before following Alex out of the building. He kept his arm wrapped around Carl's slim waist protectively while rubbing it to give him reassurance as they followed Alex outside.

"So how long's this place been here?" Daryl asked.

"Since almost the start." Alex answered. "When all the camps got overrun, people started finding this place. I think it was instinct, you know? Follow a path. Some folks were heading to the coast, others out west or up north, but they all wound up here."

A strange scent filled their nostrils which didn't smell normal. It wasn't the smell of rotten flesh or a walker's rotten body, nor a dead body. However, the strange smell was unusual although it made their mouths water. As they grew closer, they noticed the strange smell was some kind of meat a woman was cooking on a grill.

Their tongues drooled at the sight of food they hadn't seen in weeks. Their stomachs grumbled in starvation and growled for the food the smiling woman was serving. Their legs began to tremble from the strange smell of the food as drool threatened to spill from their dry mouths.

Wilmur narrowed his eyes at the woman as he stood in front of Carl protectively. His eyes darted to the food which smelled strange as the scent filled his nostrils. He wasn't sure if he wanted to eat it because he didn't trust the residents. His fear and protectiveness over Carl was mixing in his veins as he desperately tried to figure out who the residents were and if Gareth had changed.

All he wanted to do was protect Carl from the evil and cruel people in their brutal world. Trust was one of the most rarest things to find in people. Almost everyone in his past had betrayed him and he was determined not to let it happen to him again. More than anything in the world, he just wanted to protect Carl from the evil and darkness in their damaged world.

"Hi." The woman said with a smile upon her lips. "Heard you came in the back door. Smart. You'll fit right in here."

Alex nodded in agreement. "Hey, Mary, would you fix each of these folks a plate for me?"

While Mary began to fix a plate for each one of them, Wilmur's eyes scanned the area to see an orange backpack he was familiar with. A woman was wearing the same kind of poncho Wilmur and the run team wore when they went on runs back at the prison. Another person was wearing riot gear which had came from the prison.

His eyes began to fill with worry as he began to notice each of the supplies the residents had came directly from the prison. Someone from the prison had came to Terminus, but he couldn't find a single clue of them as his eyes began to scan the area for his friends he was separated from when the prison. None of them could be seen as his eyes slowly darted to the meat Mary was cooking on the grill which gave off a strange scent.

"Why do you do it?" Michonne asked Mary while Wilmur's eyes scanned the strange area. "Why do you let people in?"

Alex shrugged. "The more people become a part of us, we get stronger. That's why we put up the signs, to invite people in. It's how we survive."

Wilmur scoffed at the statement as worry filled his eyes while he stared upon the food which gave off a strange scent he's never smelt before in his life. He watched Mary place the unusual meat on a plate while horror began to fill his worried eyes as they scanned the familiar area.

The meat Mary was grilling on the grill wasn't normal but instead, utterly unusual. No meat had either gave off the strange scent in his entire life. No other smell could compare to the strange scent the meat gave off itself as it grilled. The unusual meat had not only gave off a strange scent but also appeared to be different than most other's.

Horror and shock replaced the worry in his eyes as Alex handed the plate with strange meat on it over to Carl. Just as Carl was about to place the meat on his dry tongue, Wilmur quickly smacked it out of his hand as well as the plate. Worry filled Carl's eyes as well as everyone else's while Wilmur gave them a shocked expression in his eyes which was filled with horror.

"Is there something wrong?" Alex asked as sweat began to trickle down his cheeks while he breath began to tremble.

Wilmur shot him a death glare while Rick suddenly smashed the other plate of the strange meat out of his hands and held him firmly in a tight grip. Carl yanked his pistol out of his holster along with Wilmur before noticing the watch Rick had pulled out of Alex's pocket. The familiar watch had belonged to Glenn after Hershel given it to him to keep track of time.

Not only Gareth had Glenn hostage but other people they knew as well due to the poncho and riot gear they had on them. A death glare was sentenced in their suspicious eyes as they glared upon Glenn's watch which was hidden in Alex's pocket but now held in a firm grip in Rick's fist.

"Where the hell did you get this watch?" Rick growled before noticing all of the heavy guns being aimed toward them.

Wilmur quickly shoved Carl behind him as soon as the suspicious residents pointed fully loaded machine guns toward them. He clenched his pistol tightly as he gritted his teeth to keep the growls from escaping his chest. Carl glared upon the residents as they aimed their guns to his forehead, but was blocked off by Wilmur's shielding body.

A quiet growl managed to ripple out of Wilmur's chest as he shielded Carl's smaller body from the machine guns with their pistols aimed toward one of them while Michonne and Daryl guarded them from behind. A man on top of one of the roofs aimed their sniper rifle down toward Rick who was clenching Alex tightly in a firm grip.

"You want answers? You want anything else? You get 'em when you put down the gun." Alex said with a nervous breath as sweat trickled down his temples and slid down his cheeks.

Rick flustered in anger as his veins boiled with rage while he yanked Alex the other direction and toward the man who was aiming wrong down upon them with his sniper rifle. "Is see your man on the roof with the sniper rifle. How good's his aim? Where'd you get the watch?"

Alex stared upon the man on the roof who had a sniper rifle with worry while nervous sweat trickled down his temples and cheeks as his breath trembled under Rick's tight grip. Fear and worry was expressed in his eyes as Rick's pistol pressed against his sweating temple. His eyes stared upon the sniper rifle with horror and worry when he realized the man was aiming it the wrong way.

"Don't do anything! I have this! You just put it down!" Alex tried to tell the sniper man as calmly as he could, but the man refused to lower it much to his frustration. "You put it down!"

The sniper man finally did as told and lowered the rifle with worry filling his eyes while he stared upon Rick's pistol pressed against Alex's sweating temple and Wilmur who was guarding Carl protectively. Daryl and Michonne were guarding themselves as they stood behind Wilmur and Carl who was aiming their pistols toward the residents with their supplies.

Meanwhile, Alex was trembling with nervous sweat soaking into his cheeks as Rick pressed his pistol against his temple. He tried to fight against his tight grip, but Rick was stronger.

"You want to listen to us." Alex warned. "There's a lot of us."

Rick growled with frustration. "Where did you get the watch?"

"I got it off of a dead one. I didn't think he'd need it." Alex replied nervously.

Rick scoffed as he pointed his body toward the residents who had their supplies from the prison. "What about the riot gear? The poncho?"

Before Alex could say another lie, Gareth had interrupted their tensed situation. A mischievous glare was expressed in his eyes along with his deadly smirk as Wilmur began to aim his pistol toward him with his body still shielding Carl's. He shot Gareth a death glare as he clenched his pistol tightly with growls rippling from his chest. Gareth simply smirked mischievously as his the glare in his eyes darted to Rick. The man obviously was no longer who he once was before the apocalypse.

"Got the riot gear off a dead cop." Gareth told Rick was a mischievous smirk upon his lips. "Found the poncho on a clothesline."

Alex trembled as nervous sweat dripped on his shoulders slowly upon seeing his brother's glare. "Gareth, we can wait."

"Shut up, Alex." Gareth growled.

Rick glared upon Gareth's strange appearance once he noticed the mischievous smirk upon his lips and the vengeful glare in his brown eyes. "You talk to me."

"What's there left to say?" Gareth questioned as he smirked. "You don't trust us anymore. Not even Wilmur."

Wilmur glared as his finger grew closer to the trigger against his pistol before taking one more step closer to Gareth as his entire body covered Carl's smaller one. If they were going to hurt him, they'd have to shoot him down first before they could do anything to Carl at all. He refused to budge when it came to protecting his boyfriend. He'd rather die before he'd let anything terrible happen to Carl.

The younger lover had noticed how Wilmur moved completely in front of him so no bullet could get to him. Worry filled his eyes upon seeing his older lover in danger before taking a tiny step from behind Wilmur's back so he wouldn't be fully shielding him anymore. He couldn't lose him again after he just got him back. He swore to protect Wilmur just like he swore to protect him.

Alex trembled as the smirk on Gareth's lips grew larger. "Gareth."

"Shut up." Gareth growled toward his brother who was held tightly in Rick's firm grip. "It's okay. It's okay."

Wilmur strengthened his glare upon Gareth's lack of care for his brother. He could tell all Gareth wanted was to conquer Rick's group like the Governor wanted to. Just like the Governor, Gareth had tricked people with his nice and friendly side and lured them into a death trap they couldn't escape just like the Governor had done.

Gareth smirked again upon seeing Wilmur's glare strengthen before turning his attention toward Rick. "Rick, what do you want?"

"Where are our people?" Rick questioned as anger and rage boiled his veins.

Gareth simply continued to smirk with his palm held up and bawling into a fist. "You didn't answer the question."

Suddenly, gunshots ring in their ears as soon as Rick threw Alex toward the bullets. Wilmur quickly shoved Carl behind him as he began shooting toward the men with machine guns with Carl and Rick doing the same. Bullets passed their bruised shoulders as they dodge the quick bullets.

Carl shot just above Wilmur's bruised shoulders as he desperately tried to control his panic along with Rick while Wilmur shielded him from the flying bullets. Rick yelled for Carl as she shoved him and Wilmur away from the bullets flying through the dangerous air in effort to protect them.

They quickly rushed away from the shooting residents, but is followed by men on the roof who were shooting toward their sprinting feet. Wilmur shoved Carl ahead as he shot right after his injured shoulders toward the men on the roofs who was shooting down at them. Carl sprinted ahead with Wilmur's hand placed on his lower back as he desperately tried to sprint as fast as he could to keep the bullets from hitting his feet.

Men with fully loaded machine guns surround them as they quickly shot the painful bullets toward their feet. Wilmur shoved Carl the other way along with Rick who was guarding them while Daryl and Michonne sprinted ahead. The Terminates shot down at them above the roofs on the buildings of Terminus as they desperately tried to contain them.

However, they refused to stop sprinting in every direction where they were surrounded no matter how hopeless it was. They continued to sprint down the concrete being shot up by bullets as they quickly rushed into a building while they shot at the men. The garage doors surrounding the building close upon them with no other way out.

Daryl panicked as he darted his angry eyes to a door. "Here!"

They quickly rushed over to the bar door and desperately tried to open it, but it was firmly locked. Rick immediately turned his body to see another door with an A written on it. Wilmur shoved Carl ahead of him in case any other men with machine guns managed to break in.

Gunshots were immediately fired as soon as they stepped out of the building which was shielding them from the bullets. Bullet holes printed against the brick building and the cars surrounding it as they shot against it. Rick placed his hand over Wilmur's lower back to shove him and his son ahead in effort to protect them from the bullets surrounding them in every corner.

They sprinted down an alley of buildings as men from the rooftops shot down at them from above. Wilmur continued to shove Carl ahead as hard as he could to protect him from the dangerous bullets as they sprinted as fast as they could. They sprinted passed a fence filled with bones covered in crimson blood as the bullets shot toward them from above the rooftops.

Train cars flew passed them as they sprinted down the alleys with people begging for help in them. They hesitated as they heard the people cry for any help, but continued to run in effort to protect themselves from the flying bullets in the dangerous and rotten air.

Wilmur shoved Carl ahead of them as he slammed a door shut after they had ran in another building. It had been filled with nothing but lit candles. Names were printed in black under the candles used as graves to honor the memory who died in Terminus.

"What the hell is this place?" Daryl questioned as he stared upon the suspicious graves.

Michonne panted as he narrowed her eyes towards the candles on the floor sitting just above the names. "These people, I don't think they're trying to kill us."

"No, they were aiming at our feet." Rick replied with a pant.

"I think they're trying to eat us. That meat was a human's." Wilmur panted as he turned his head to Carl. "That's why I knocked down your plate."

Carl stared upon the candles sitting above the graves in horror with his fist clenching his pistol tightly. Wilmur quickly rushed back over to Carl protectively when he heard a radio chattering through static outside the building. They followed Rick to a door printed with an A, but a man shut and locked it from the outside.

Daryl quickly turned his body to see another door and rushed to it with them following from behind. They quickly rushed out of the creepy building with graves and candles before stepping outside where more gunshots were being fired into the dangerous and rotten air.

Wilmur shoved Carl ahead of him protectively again as gunshots fired upon them while they rushed down each alley of Terminus. They followed Daryl who was taking the lead passed a couple of train cars filled with innocent people as they rushed to a fence they could climb over.

However, men with machine guns appeared behind the fences and aimed their guns toward them with a death glare printed in their angry and vengeful eyes. They stopped sprinting and stared upon the dangerous men of Terminus before shooting them a deadly glare. They clenched their weapons tightly as growls rippled from their chests and broke through their gritted teeth.

Wilmur shoved Carl behind him protectively as he glared upon the men of Terminus with machine guns behind the fences covered with bacteria. He clenched his pistol tightly as his fist threatened to point at one of the men and pull the trigger, but he knew it would only result in getting themselves killed.

Gareth stood on a building behind them with a vengeful and angry glare plastered in the rage in his eyes. His fists were clenching tightly with his other hand draped over his lap while a woman stood behind him. Rick and Wilmur shot him a deadly glare as they stood protectively in front of Carl. They gritted their teeth to stop the vengeful growls from escaping their chests with their fists clenching too tightly as their palms turned purple.

"Drop your weapons! Now!" Gareth yelled angrily, but they refused to. "Now!"

Finally, they obeyed and dropped each of their weapons from holsters and belts to the concrete of the ground, hesitating while doing so. Despite having no weapons on them, Wilmur still stood in front of Carl in effort to protect him from the cannibals of Terminus. No matter what, he had to protect Carl even if he had absolutely no weapons on him to help. He had to do everything he could to protect him from the evil people in the world even if he had nothing on him to give him any type of help or reassurance.

They glared toward Gareth with their fists clenching tightly as their teeth gritted. Their palms had been turning to a lavender color from clenching them too tightly as they continued to glare while waiting on instructions from Gareth.

"Ringleader, go to your left! The train car, go!" Gareth yelled toward Rick and noticed his hesitation from his son. "You do what we say, the boy goes with you. Anything else, he dies and you end up in there anyway!"

Wilmur shot Gareth another death glare as he clenched his fists too tightly. He growled through his gritted teeth before taking another step in front of Carl in effort to shield him, but it was hopeless because they were surrounded by guns in every corner. His vengeful eyes darted to Rick who was still hesitating about leaving his son.

Rick's hesitating eyes met Wilmur's and gave him a nod to protect Carl in case anything happened before walking toward the traincar. He kept looking back at Wilmur and his son as he drew further and further away from them. Carl stared at him with worry expressed in his eyes as he stood in front of the traincar.

"Now the archer!" Gareth yelled toward Daryl.

Daryl glared upon Gareth's command before hesitantly obeying and following Rick over to the traincar. He clenched his fists tightly and gritted his teeth to stop the growls from escaping while he grew further away from his crossbow where he had never really been separated from in his entire life.

"Now the samurai!" Gareth yelled toward Michonne.

Michonne glared in rage and anger, giving Wilmur and Carl a worried expression before following after Daryl with her fists clenching tightly without her sword on her back. Wilmur took one last step in front of Carl to shield him completely in case anything were to happen. Worry filled Carl's eyes as he watched Michonne disappear to the traincar, leaving him and Wilmur the only ones left.

"Stand at the door, ringleader, archer, samurai, in that order!" Gareth yelled.

Rick's eyes darted to Carl's with worry filling his eyes as Wilmur stood in front of him protectively with a glare visible in his angry eyes. "My son!"

Gareth sighed deeply in annoyance. "Go, kid! Wilmur, you stay."

Carl stared at Wilmur with worry as he gently grasped his hand. Horror, fear, and could be visible in his calm eyes as he gently stroked the back of his hand. He refused to leave without his boyfriend with him. They had just reunited. He couldn't lose him again after he just got him back.

"Go!" Gareth yelled but Carl continued to ignore him.

Wilmur sighed deeply and stroked Carl's palm softly with his index finger to give his reassurance. His eyes softened upon staring into his younger lover's worried, light blue eyes. They stared into each other's softened eyes with worry and fear inside Carl's while Wilmur's was filled with love and reassurance.

"Just go." Wilmur whispered softly. "I'll get you back. I promise."

Carl sighed deeply before closing his eyes and slowly giving his head a small nod. He hesitated before letting go of Wilmur's bruised hand and walking slowly over to the traincar, giving Wilmur one last glance. Wilmur watched him as he slowly made his way over to the cart while his fists clenched and his teeth gritted to keep the growls from rippling out of his chest.

Although Wilmur knew he would get Carl back, he was still worried about what the Terminates could do to him and his family. He couldn't lose them after he just got him back. He refused to ever let go of him ever again in his life.

"Ringleader, open the door and go in!" Gareth told Rick.

Wilmur tensed as the glare in his eyes began to replace with worry and fear. Carl still hadn't made it over to the cart yet, and he'd prefer him to go in with his father because he wasn't there to protect him from the bullets. He wanted to scream no, but he knew it would only result in getting Carl killed. The last thing he wanted was Carl dead. He vowed to himself to protect him no matter what happened to everything and everyone.

"I'll go in with him!" Rick growled.

"Don't make us kill him now!" Gareth threatened.

Wilmur flinched and shot Gareth a deadly glare as growls rippled out of his chest with his fists clenching tightly. His eyes darted to Rick who had worry and fear filling his vengeful eyes. They were both clenching their fists as they watched Carl slowly make his way over to the traincar with his eyes filled with fear blocked by a shield.

Finally, Rick obeyed and opened the door to the traincar before slowly walking inside followed by Michonne and Daryl. Wilmur watched as they disappeared into the darkness of the traincar before darting his worried eyes to Carl who was still slowly making his way over to it.

Carl gave one last glance to Wilmur before slowly disappearing into the darkness of the traincar. His father gripped onto his neck and dragged his palm down, his normal gesture for him. They slowly walked into a dark corner with worry expressed in their eyes as they worried about Wilmur who was still sitting outside the traincar.

Some people were laying in the other corner of the cart. A lot of their faces appeared to be familiar as they stood up and slowly made their way over to them. One of them appeared to be Korean and other appeared to have short brown hair. Another woman had dark skin and brown hair along with another man who had dark skin and not much hair. One last woman had black hair and brown eyes who attacked the prison with the Governor.

One by one, they began to notice who they all were. The Korean man who was Glenn stood in front of the group beside the woman with brown hair who was Maggie. The woman with dark skin appeared to be Sasha and the man with dark skin and hardly any hair appeared to be Bob.

"Rick?" Glenn said as he moved closer to them.

"You're here." Rick said with relief in his tone, but was still worried for Wilmur. "You're here."

Suddenly, three strangers appeared behind Glenn's small group. One of them was a large man with muscles and had red hair along with a red mustache. Another one was a slightly overweight man with black hair which had a mullet in it. The last one was a Hispanic woman with dark hair and a low cut shirt.

Rick, Michonne, and Daryl narrowed their eyes toward the newcomers while Carl stared with worry as he gave small glances to the traincar door where Wilmur was standing outside of.

"They're our friends." Maggie told about the three strangers and the woman who attacked the prison with the Governor. "They helped save us."

Daryl softened his eyes upon the strangers who were friends of his friends. "Yeah. Now they're friends of ours."

"For however long that'll be." The large man with red hair replied.

Rick gave his head a small shake. "No. They're gonna feel pretty stupid when they find out."

Everyone furrowed their eyebrows toward Rick as he made his way over to the locked traincar door and placed his hand against the handle. He narrowed his eyes outside the small crack to hear yelling voices along with Wilmur's voice. His eyes darted to his son who was looking through the crack as well with worry in his eyes.

The man with red hair furrowed his thick eyebrows along with everyone else as he stared upon Rick with curiosity in his blue eyes. "Find out what?"

Rick continued to stare out the small crack in the door to hear the yelling voices growing louder. One of the yelling voices belonged to Wilmur. By the tone in his voice, he could tell Wilmur was frustrated and angry toward Gareth and the Terminates. Somehow in somehow, he will get Wilmur back for his son.

Wilmur was the only thing and person who was able to place even a tiny smile on Carl's lips for one second. He had made his son happy more than anyone else ever could on the entire planet. He wasn't going to tolerate having the smile disappear off his son's lips because of Wilmur's death. He would save Wilmur just like he saved him before when the violent and bloody war with the Governor was over.

"They're fucking with the wrong people."

The Governor stood on top of the tank with his army gathered around it as they held their machine guns with confidence in their angry eyes. He glared with his one evil eyes as he stared upon his army with his pistol clenched tightly in his fist. His girlfriend and the girlfriend's daughter was hiding away by the water somewhere to be kept safe while her sister was fight alongside with him with the army.

"Alright, y'all know what the plan is!" The Governor yelled sternly. "All we gotta do is make the prison feel threatened! Like I said, we most likely don't have to kill anyone, but we need to be prepared to be! We have to scare them out of the prison! They give us the prison after we threaten them and then they give me my son! It's simple! Just don't be afraid!"

The younger sister of the Governor sighed nervously as she struggled to keep the firm grip on her machine gun. "What if things go bad? What if they're strong enough to take us down?"

"They're not." The Governor replied with confidence. "And nothing will go bad! As long as we stick to the plan, the prison should be ours in no time!"

The younger sister of the Governor's girlfriend bowed her head as she followed everyone into the vehicles while the Governor sat on the tank. She watched as the camp disappeared into the trees of the woods as they traveled on the dirt road filled with rocks. She tapped her fingers on her lap to ease her nervousness.

Finally, they pulled up to the fences of the prison. Everyone quietly got out of the car and stared ahead of the field to see everyone doing their afternoon activities. She stood behind the Governor on the side of the tank as they fired a canon into the building to distract everyone from their working duties.

A group of people rushed behind a small brick building and hid behind it with their pistols clenched tightly in their hands. The Governor smirked upon seeing a young teen with black hair and crystal blue eyes. He was finally able to see his son again after being separated for too long. Although he didn't care much for his son, he was still excited to see the anger and rage inside his vengeful eyes along with Rick's worried and scared eyes filled with fear.

"Rick. Justin. Come down here." The Governor yelled across the field. "We need to talk."