Curative

By Kaimaler

So here we go, the big trip! We're going to follow Carol and Laura's trip around the herd to find the ATL crew. So good luck to them! IT'S TIME TO PARTY

Also, I think college essays have been destroying my ability to write... kinda like my work is 'less' with the knowledge of essays behind me now. It's really weird.

Two months later...

Laura sat at the fire, it was small and built inside a small fireplace. It was all they could manage, but it was warmer than sitting outside in the cold. She figured it was dangerous inside this shelter, other people could find it easy, walkers might hear them. Though it was only for a moment to give Carol a much needed break.

Carol wore a large coat at all times now, it was lined with fur and did well to keep her warm while the cold wind outside was kept at bay. Usually they would have to build a fire outside in the woods, walkers never really bothered them much, but Carol was always with Laura and was kept safe from their hunger.

The hunger Laura was worried about more so was her own. Just as she had started to put on weight to cover her bones, she had lost it. Over the last two months Laura had turned into more of a walker than she ever realized she could. Her skin no longer was natural with a slight of blue, she was completely corpse-blue. Her hair went flat and lost its shine. Her nails were longer than before and capable of doing some level of damage in a fight now.

Laura knew she looked sickly and dangerous to any survivor. No one would be able to tell her between a walker anymore, even she struggled with it. She knew Carol was worried, she would give her a motherly look every now and then.

She had not let Carol near her since they started this journey. She couldn't, it was too risky. The hunger was only getting worse as the time went on and Carol's attempts to be close to Laura did not help. No matter how bad it got, she could not tell Carol yet. She could not bear the woman being worried about being eaten by the only other person she had right now.

It hurt to know that she was a risk to Carol and the others. They would not be safe when she watched them, when she was near. Carol did not understand yet, Laura would keep her in the dark as long as she could so that, in the end, Carol would not know about this suffering. She would want to help make it better, but there was nothing to be done.

Laura loved the woman who slept quietly on the far side of the room. She was a good person, a kind survivor in this hellish landscape. Whatever came to them, Laura wanted to protect her. In the end, what Carol wanted most was to have her daughter around and Laura knew it. She missed Sophia so much, Carol would try to resist the tears when she thought about it; about how they would ever find the group.

With the distance they covered, Laura still had no idea if this was the right direction. There were walkers, woods, and the occasional building to shelter them. They managed to scrape up some food from picnic sights and abandoned buildings along the way. A small family-owned gas station proved to be the greatest source they had yet to come across.

Laura now carried a hooded long coat and a dufflebag slung across her back. The pistol she carried so far was in order, she had only used it once so far. Carol and Laura both carried melee weapons now, it was a safer, quieter option.

She always kept the machete in her hand and Carol had a hatchet and a hunting knife. It was for all situations, walkers were easier to take down if they did not know you were coming. So in the heat of it all, Laura had shown Carol how to handle herself in a situation where avoiding walkers was not an option.

Sometimes there would be too many and Laura could not keep Carol safe from them all. A herd packed tight around a fence that they had to go through for instance. It was tricky, Carol's pant leg had gotten stuck and Laura ended up cutting the piece off so that they could run for it. Carol handled herself well and did not panic. The walkers were down and they were in the clear soon after it.

Right now though, there were only a few stragglers hanging around outside the house. Laura and Carol had already cleared every inch of the building before they sat down to rest. Carol was fast asleep once the fire was started, the woman had done so much on foot travelling that Laura was sure she would pass out at any minute of these days.

Yet she held on tightly to the hope of finding her daughter again. Laura respected that and only worried about whether or not she could actually get Carol back. The older woman seemed not to doubt this either, it was baffling to Laura.

Laura looked outside, more walkers were approaching. She sighed and stood up. Stepping across the creaky floor, Laura tapped Carol. After a quick moment, the woman stirred to see Laura standing above her, a serious look on her face. "It's time to go, they're coming."

A tired groan from Carol and she pushed herself up. Laura turned back to the fireplace, she would leave it going. It would attract some walkers and maybe slow them down for a bit.

Laura went around through the hallway with Carol running up behind her. Before they left, Laura grabbed the old dead toaster from the kitchen and Carol stayed by the back door. "Get ready." Carol put her hand on the doorknob, ready to run.

Chucking the toaster out the front window, the walkers started their path to the house. Laura rushed up behind Carol, slamming the back door behind her as they fled into the woods again. Giving something for the herd to investigate always gave them the time they needed to get away safely. It was better than nothing even though it would only slow them down for a few hours.

As they broke through the other side of the woods, they were met with the road again. No walkers as far as they saw. Laura was leading Carol down the highway again, hoping to find something that suggested the others came through this area. As per usual though, there was nothing moved. The derelict cars were still covered in dirt and remained untouched.

Laura wondered that, if the others came this way, how come they passed so many cars without checking them? Laura and Carol had found food and even water bottles inside some of them, it was not often, but it was enough to keep them going. That little gas station was a goldmine though, at least, comparative to the rest of their scavenges.

They were carrying several boxes of dried goods, sealed and canned food. They managed to get in the back after breaking the lock and found a mini-fridge with water in it. Ignoring the stench of the other, bad food in it of course.

"Laura." Carol interrupted Laura's thoughts, the woman behind her had an intuitive look on her face. Laura just glanced to her, she was busy keeping an eye out. "What's happened to you?"

She blinked, she had asked the same to Rick. Only now, whatever was changing Laura, had already come. She looked away from Carol; there was no answer fitting enough.

"You don't talk anymore." Carol spoke softly, an obvious sadness in her voice. "I've tried to understand, with the farm... Daryl. I just... I need you to come back to me." It was sorrow and Laura felt a pain in her chest grow as Carol spoke to her. As much as Laura cared about Carol, there was nothing more powerful than Carol's gratefulness to Laura for bringing Sophia back.

"I miss you, like I miss the others. You always have this... look on your face. Like you're thinking about something bad all the time, you just... you've changed so much. I don't even recognize you anymore." Carol was watching the back of Laura's head as they walked on. There was no reply, no acknowledgement from Laura that she was listening.

She heard Carol let out a deep breath she had been holding. "Every night we sit around a fire, just staring at it. We'll find them, you know that right? We'll see them again."

Laura turned her eyes to the road at her feet. She had many doubts, there was no way to be certain.

"Laura... please, just talk to me sometime? I... Andrea told me about-" Laura stopped dead still, "Did Andrea really?" She gulped, she did not want people to look at her like that. She was fine now, Laura did not even wear that old leg brace anymore. She was completely capable of defending herself now, no more relying on that scrap of metal.

But she refused to be seen as a damaged victim. She suffered her first few months alone, but she had made it out and enjoyed her time with the group. Carol was trying to figure out what was keeping Laura and she was pulling at straws.

"I'm just... I'm sorry that happened to you." Carol could sense the shift in Laura's mood, she was rather good at recognizing other peoples temperaments and when they changed. "I don't want you to think that- I won't let anything happen to you out here, I can defend myself and watch out for you too. I don't want you to be scared."

"Carol..." Laura's voice was on edge for certain, she just didn't understand why Laura was this way. She did not want to hear about her time with the men in Atlanta, it was personal and Laura was moving on. There were more important things to do, such as keeping Carol alive. "I... It's not that."

"Than what is it? Please talk to me. We've been on the road for months and I can barely get anything out of you. Frankly- well, frankly I'm tired of being alone out here." Carol was upset now, not a lot, but she was pushing for Laura to explain herself to some degree. All that went through Laura's head to say is; "Part of me wants to kill and eat you, sorry about that!"

She dared not be so casual with this though. Laura was stressed out, ever since they left the town she has had to use an increasing amount of self-control just to not hurt Carol. "It's not that- I'm fine. We just need to keep moving."

"Laura, please. Please just... tell me why you won't talk to me. Like we used to or like you do with Rick. We're all we have out here and I feel like you've just become a brick wall." Carol put her hand on Laura's shoulder, "Just tell me, if nothing else; why won't you talk to me?"

Laura sneered, "I can't- I just can't-"

"Can't what, Laura? I want you back, with me. Are you afraid of something? Are you tired or sick?" Carol insisted as she flustered over Laura.

"No- I'm- Dammit, Carol; I can't tell you." Laura bit her tongue as Carol gave her an offended look, she didn't mean to insult Carol. She was not saying she couldn't for a reason other than to protect the woman.

"Can't tell me... why not? I'm not stupid, I'm can take it. Just tell me, why don't you trust me?" She released Laura's shoulder and, through the woman's pleas, Laura put her hand up to her face.

"Because I can't stop it, Carol..." She looked away, trying to keep herself locked away from Carol who was not accepting this attempt for distance.

"Then let me help, I can do it. Trust me, please. I can take care of us too, you're not the only one." Carol took another few steps towards Laura, who shook her head.

"Carol... I can't- I mean. I've been trying to find a way to tell you, but I just didn't want you to worry." She kept space between them both, unsure of how well she could keep herself at bay. "I'm not doing alright here, Carol. I... I left the group."

Carol stood still as stone, "You what? Why?"

"I can't stay with them anymore, I couldn't. Not knowing that... I could hurt them." Laura stepped back from Carol again, not looking up to see the confusion on Carol's face.

"What do you mean? Why would you hurt anyone?" She was such a worrisome woman. Cautious, but protected at all times if she could manage it. Carol did not understand and Laura almost did not want her to. It was such a terrifying prospect that any of the group could face Laura as an enemy.

"I can't... control myself sometimes. I'm losing the part of me that's still human." Laura had a hitch in her voice, she had to help Carol and yet she feared the scorn and rejection of her makeshift-survival family.

Carol's mouth hung open, trying to form words of denial. Laura was claiming to be unsafe, but Carol had never seen anything from Laura except friendliness and how much she wanted to help them. When she first joined them, it did appear to be a difficult for her to try and fit in. Carol would admit that she never really looked into their new member a lot back then.

Once she came out of her shell though, Laura quickly did all she could to be an asset to the group. She volunteered for anything she could, went hunting for food, learned how to handle the people they cared about to keep them in good spirits. Laura was just like the others, she cared and to Carol, she was a good person.

"How can that happen? You said, before, that you didn't... want to hurt people." Carol was not sure if she had to stand away from Laura or get closer to her. There was just too many questions surrounding the idea of the walkers, the science behind it was lost to them. Whatever caused it was never made clear and its effects never truly known.

"I don't..." Laura choked down her frustration, "I don't know. I just... I have been. It's getting harder and harder as time goes on. Everyday it's worse and I feel it. I can feel it even now, trying to get out of me. I told Rick before the herd came. I was scared that I couldn't stop myself from hurting any of you. I didn't want to, I still don't want to. It's just... it hurts so much now."

Carol felt sorry for Laura, not pity, but the knowledge that she was in pain made her want to comfort the blue-skinned woman. The moment she tried though, Laura jumped back.

"Just... please don't. I can't tell you how thin I'm stretched now. I can control it for now, I don't know for how long. I won't let myself hurt you, Carol." Laura finally stared at the concerned woman's eyes. "I wouldn't, not while I'm still alive in here. I'd... stop myself." Carol's eyes glanced down to the gun on Laura's waist and she felt her breath quicken. Laura would not allow her hunger to overpower Carol, she would end it before it began.

"Laura, I'm so sorry." Carol was about in tears. Laura was their friend, part of the family group they had made for themselves. It was hurting Carol just to listen to how far down Laura was falling. "Is there anything I can do? I had no idea, we all thought that you were just... you."

The walker-esque woman only raised her hand. "Try not to... be too close. It's harder if you're too near. I'm trying to keep myself together, Carol. I-" She gave Carol a begging look, "I think I hurt Sophia..."

"What?" Carol was quick to pick up on that though, Sophia was her shining light in this infected world. "What... did you do?"

Laura knew her body was not working, but she felt the crushing weight of guilt on her heart. "I... when I woke up. I wasn't in control, I lost it. Sophia cut the ties that held me down and... I..." She ran her hand through her hair, pulling through the knots viciously. "I grabbed her... by the neck. I couldn't control myself, but she wasn't... I dropped her and fell down the stairs. When I got up, I was back and then... you guys come in the door."

For moment, Laura wasn't sure if Carol was going to do something drastic. Laura had harmed Sophia, probably bruised her neck which the others would have seen by now. Every time Laura thought about it her hands shook and she wanted nothing more than to hide. She had done something detestable to an innocent girl, something Laura never was capable of without this new part of her.

"I can't... I'm just sorry. I couldn't stop it, I lost myself. I fought for it though and when I stopped, I knew I couldn't stay any longer. I was a danger to the group." Laura ran an angry hand over her face, wiping away the tears she felt burning down her face. "I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have done that I know. I saw it happening and I tried... but it was too late. I hurt her and I can't ever change that."

Carol had a lump in her throat, she did not even notice that Sophia was holding something like that. She had fetched her from upstairs, but she thought she was hiding in the bathroom from all the noise and worry about Randall and the herd. Sophia wasn't scared of that, Carol had no time to explain to Sophia what was happening anyways. She was with Carl upstairs, where she had told her to go.

Sophia was hiding from Laura.

"Laura..."

The older woman came up to Laura, who resisted any hunger she felt for this moment. She knew she had done something terrible to this woman's daughter; letting Carol through her defenses for this was the least she could do to make up for it.

"I'm sorry." She offered again, but was stopped by Carol shushing her.

"It's alright. I may not understand, but..." Carol looked down to Laura's own healing throat and the bruises still evident on her face. "You told us a lot about you. About what happened to you. I don't think I could believe that you would ever hurt a child knowing what it felt like to be in that position. That doesn't mean I understand though. I don't. I just can't bring myself to accuse you of something I know you would not do."

Carol was placing a lot of trust in Laura. From her point of view, Laura had given Sophia back to her when she could have just ignored that part of her. She was beaten by Shane more than once. Explained the experiments done on her while she was alive. Andrea told her about the men in Atlanta. Through it all, Carol could not see how someone who had always been on the receiving end could turn around and do it to someone else.

Laura was so skittish when she first joined the group. Carol would have related her to a mouse back then, but she had really stepped out of her comfort zone in the last few weeks which made her happy to see. The pain they all struggled with, before and during the infection, was always clear on how the group acted. Laura was just too scarred to trust them easily and when she did come around, Carol saw how alike they had been. At the farmhouse, Carol felt capable and free. The walkers might still want to kill them, but her beatings had ended.

Laura reminded her so much of herself when she lived under her husbands shadow. Now they were both out in the open and they could fend for themselves. Carol could only imagine what her daughter had felt when her friend turned on her. It was not something Carol could help now; the only thing she could do it find the group and comfort her daughter.

Through all of this, Laura was too close and had shown too much kindness to be a vicious person.

"Carol... I would never hurt anyone, especially Sophia or Carl. I couldn't control my actions, the hunger... it's back and I wasn't me anymore." Laura collapsed onto Carol's shoulder, she knew she shouldn't be doing this; it was too close. She felt so guilty for that look on Sophia's face when she realized what was happening, it broke Laura's heart.

Carol held her close, "Shh, it's okay. We'll make it back to them and you can apologize to Sophia yourself."

Laura pulled back, "I can't go to them, even if we find them. I'm taking you to them... I won't be able to stay with them like I did before." All Carol did was smile, though she was having a hard time trying to rationalize everything in her head.

"We'll figure this out, Laura. You won't be alone again. We won't let you go without a fight." Carol let out a shaky deep breath, "Come on now, we still have a lot of ground to cover."

All Laura managed to do is nod. She knew Carol was upset about Sophia and what happened, but Carol knew Laura better than to assume she would just go around hurting children. This would not be solved easily though, she would never be able to stay with the living for long again. Not after everything.

One week later...

It had never been easy out on the road. Carol had to take it easy a lot when the rations were low and now that she knew about Laura; it was even more of a safety concern for Carol to know how to fight back against people.

The dead were unintelligent and often shambled in all sorts of objects, getting close to kill them was not really hard. However, there was a difference between fighting a few walkers off and having to defend themselves against another living person. Sometimes Laura worried that Carol was too comfortable with their life on the road so far, as if the few times they ever did have to fight a walker, was diminishing the fact that Carol was always in extreme danger out here.

This is why Laura was still with her sitting here at the fire between them as they had done almost every night. Even though Laura was as much a danger to Carol as the rest of the walkers now. She restrained herself, always kept a close eye on herself.

The Voice inside Laura's head was also smart, it was not the brainless zombie that the living had come to understand. Not this one, Laura feared of becoming a new kind of walker; capable of hunting the living instead of just shuffling at them. There was always a crippling fear that Laura had when she thought about Carol out in the open like this.

In Laura's head, she knew the Voice had worked out how to go about it. Carol was armed, but she had to sleep sometime and Laura was on constant watch. That one night at the farm was not her sleeping, her body had just died and this unfortunately meant that the Voice had only gotten worse. She could tell between her thoughts and the Voice's own ideas though, there was no way the Voice could trick her into believing something that was not true anymore.

Somehow, that part of the Voice's control died and was replaced by physical strength. Neither option was good or bad, but Laura would prefer that the Voice messed with her memory still and never got the ability to cause harm to her friends. It would make these last few months much easier.

As they traveled though, Laura noticed that the Voice had rarely spoken to her the way it used to. Most of the time it just stayed silent, sending the hunger pain when she looked at Carol or was close to her. It was trying to torture her into submission, to drive her into madness trying to live with the hunger. It was not working, but it did cause Laura quite a bit of pain.

Carol knew about this now and she was careful about where she was to Laura. Regardless of the struggles they both faced to find the rest of their group and the difficulty Carol and Laura experienced as they both tried to figure out Laura's tolerance levels; Carol still wanted to help Laura and possibly gave her too much freedom as they traveled together.

Laura almost viewed this as a weakness on Carol's part, but she realized it was just Carol trying to be considerate. She was not treating Laura like a dangerous animal, she was letting Laura try to work this problem out before she acted on anything. It was kind and Laura did not know how long she could keep it up.

"Up ahead." Laura's voice went mostly unused and started to sound huskier, it was quiet and they never spoke loudly out here. Laura pointed to a two storey building through some trees. It had a porch both upstairs and downstairs, it could help keep an eye out for any walkers or survivors that made their way to the building. They would just have to be careful about it.

Carol followed intently behind Laura as they made their way to the dilapidated old home. It looked like there had been a fence around it at one point, the metal wire fence was hidden beneath the fall leaves. Laura stepped on a piece and it shook under their feet, revealing that something had tore down this fence months ago, as it began to rust. This place was abandoned before walkers appeared, it was unfit to live it.

As they approached the door, Laura could see a paper slip nailed to the door. It was condemned for poor structure, something about this house was unstable. They would only need it for one night.

Laura tried to open the door, but it had been deadlocked shut. Heaving an annoyed sigh, Laura went around to check for unlocked windows, but it had been secured tightly.

Taking off her coat, she wrapped her hand in the thick jacket and punched a window open. The shatter would attract walkers if there were any nearby, though Laura and Carol seemed to be in luck as they had not seen any as of yet.

She reached up to flick the latch open and slide the window up. Careful of the glass on the inside of the window, Laura stepped through. Thankfully, it had been a rather large window and was easy to enter through. Holding out her hand, Laura reached to help Carol inside. Who tentatively made her way through the open window as well.

Laura's grip increased a little, her stomach growled quietly. She released Carol's hand immediately though Carol did not hear her hungry growl. When Carol was inside, Laura closed the window and latched it locked again in the off chance something did try to get through. The broken window would still be a way in for other people, but she'd be able to keep an eye out. The broken glass inside would be an alarm if someone did try to sneak in.

They pulled out their weapons respectively and went around to check the house, Laura would check the upstairs and Carol covered the downstairs. They had been able to clear out more places the same way and Carol proved effective in this measure so Laura would trust her to be sure. After all, it would not be Laura who would be bitten. Carol was thorough just as she needed to be and could deal with a walker if she came across one.

Though as Laura checked the rooms, it looked like nothing had been in this house for a very long time. Aside from the dust collection on everything, most of the furniture had been moved out of the house and the rest was covered with white sheets. Laura had been right, aside from the notice on the door suggesting so, there was no one in this house even before the outbreak.

When they were done, Carol came up stairs with Laura. She watched carefully where Laura was and never snuck up on her; Carol had her own concerns about Laura's condition.

"Come on, you need rest." Laura gestured to Carol, offering only a tired smile that did not reach her eyes. Carol came up behind her, it was the bedroom with a door out to the second floor porch. It would serve their purpose tonight. "Sleep in here, I got watch."

Laura always had watch, she just liked to say it to reassure Carol who knew Laura would not fail on watch. She was awake all times of the day and night, she never tired out. This was proving useful though Carol would admit that she felt a little guilty that Laura could not rest like she could. It was not in human nature to stay awake all the time, sometimes Laura thought it would be nice to sleep again.

Then she remembered that the undead were hunting Carol and the group. She knows why it was fortunate for them both that Laura did not have to sleep; it was safer for them both.

As Carol threw down her pack and investigated the bed, she found it was covered in a heavy layer of dirt like everything else in the house.

Laura watched her as she grabbed the white sheet on top of the bed and shook it out. Dust flew to every corner of the room, the cloud hit them both instantly. The two went into a coughing fit and Carol continued until the sheet seemed clean enough to sleep on well.

The two continued to cough and try to fan away the dust which obscured the entire room with thick grey dirt. Laura blew what dust she could from away from her face and out of her mouth before developing a sneezing fit too. "Jeez, Carol!" She laughed, still coughing away the dust. She opened the door to the porch, hoping to air out the room.

Carol struggled her own laughter through her coughs. "I didn't think-" She tried to wipe dust off her face, "-there was that much!" She giggled, the dust was settling now. Laura stepped onto the porch, taking in a breath of the cold, fresh air.

"Sorry!" Carol laughed as she reached the porch too, waiting for the room to clear. Taking in a deep breath of clean air, their coughs died down until they just had to clear their throats. "It was just so dirty, I thought it would help and it looked harmless enough!"

Laura smiled at her, "This house has been empty for a long, long time. I'm sure most of the house is made out of dust now."

Carol looked to Laura who was leaning on the railing of the porch. She felt a strong need to speak to her almost everyday, but she had no idea what to say. "Laura...?" She caught her attention easily, just could never keep it for long.

Laura turned to see Carol eyeing her cautiously. She did not reply, just let Carol know that she was listening.

"It's going to be alright. You'll see." The kindly woman offered Laura a bittersweet smile, she knew she could not touch Laura much anymore. Instead of trying to keep Laura's attention, Carol turned to go back inside to sleep. It was cold and late, they would have to leave early in the morning again.

Carol closed the door from the hallway to the bedroom and locked it. There was no chair in the room, but there was a nightstand that she put in front of the door. It would not stop intruders, but it would help to alert them if anything tried to get in.

As Carol laid down to rest, Laura wanted to badly for Carol's deepest hopes to be true. Laura was aware that Carol thought they could fix her, to help repair whatever part of her stopped working and make her as human as she ever was.

Andrea once told Laura that she used to call people humans instead of just other people. Laura did not feel as though she was different from walkers and did not fit into the category of human. It was a struggle no doubt, but Laura realizes that she had been wrong. She was still human back then, capable of reasonable thought and self-preservation like anyone.

That all changed though, she knew she was an odd one out, but she did belong with them at the time. If she had known then what she knew now, Laura would have spent more time with them; just being near them to be a part of their lives.

It could not be like that anymore. Even now, as Laura overlooked the house and the trees surrounding them, she could feel a violent side to her. It wanted to rip and tear and shred, to hunt and eat whatever came her way. She knew how too, the lessons she had been taught were doing her well. Her skills in tracking and hunting had only improved over the last few weeks; even without a crossbow to hunt, she could still manage it.

Laura was faster, more aware than she had ever been. Before her senses had been sharpened, she would relate it to a heightened sensitivity. Now, through it all, Laura could feel how acute her senses had become. She could hear animals in the bushes, the creaking of the house, she could tell even from a distance where that single singing bird was right down to what tree and what branch it was sitting on.

The world around her was slowing down and she did not know whether to be scared or take advantage of it. She feared that if she did try to use all the tools at her new arsenal, that she would begin to slip down the path that the Voice wanted her to go down. Part of herself was wrapped up, bound as if with a ball and chain. It would not stop it, but it would slow it down.

At least until they found the others, after that Laura could let herself go. Almost like releasing a wild animal; she would just bolt off and accept that this was what she turned into. She was not human for much longer, she held onto it so hard because Carol needed her. Laura was ready to give the fight up and embrace a new kind of survival.

Though as she thought more on it so did more of these senses make themselves known. Laura just noticed she could hear Carol's breathing down to the second, she could hear her heart beating as she focused harder on the sound. The smell of Carol's jacket, of her shirt and hair, to the heat of her skin and sweat. Had she been more aware of herself, Laura might have caught her turning in the direction of Carol's sleeping form.

The white sheet and wool blanket they had kept with them may have insulated Carol from the cold outside, but it did nothing to stop the unique scent that she emitted. Laura was never a person to drink or have an addiction of any sort, legal or not, but the smell enraptured her mind. It made her hunger cease, but not her willingness to satisfy the hunger.

For a moment, Laura's body coiled up, the muscles beneath the skin tense and her steps meticulous. She did not make a sound as she approached, gently moving the glass door out of her way as she entered the bedroom.

Her mouth was dry; she licked her lips and ran her tongue across her teeth. Her jaw muscles were clenching, twitching as they prepared for chewing. Laura's mind was blank, all there was is the smell of Carol in the room; human meat. It overpowered everything else, not even the sweet smell of the pine trees outside or the cedar wood of the dresser beside her could even influence the stench.

It stood out so strongly, Laura wondered how she never noticed it before.

The floor creaked beneath her foot, it was unintended, an accident. It did not stir the human on the bed, but it did stir Laura's mind. The smell was so strong, she could not wait to taste the source. Her mouth was watering and her the painful hunger in her stomach flared to life. She needed to eat, she was so hungry.

A gun cocked next to her temple, Laura's finger was on the trigger. She fought back and was doing what she could. Carol was on the bed sleeping soundly, she never heard a thing.

The only thing that Laura did was put her own pistol to her head. It was a threat and brought her back to life; sobered her up even while the smell was still in the air it had diminished significantly.

She did not realized she was crouched down until she finally straightened up. Laura carefully, with the gun still to her own head, walked back outside and closed the glass door leading to the bedroom. It was too much, it was too close this time. She had never experienced a feeling so strong in her life like the need to hunt down that smell. It was delicious, like all of her dreams of food and thirst had come straight to her.

Laura slid down on the wall next to the doors, she would not remove the gun from her own head all night. It was the only thing keeping her between Carol and her hunger now.

There was no parting between Laura and her walker side anymore, they were joining and Carol was stuck at the worst possible place. Laura would not hurt Carol without a fight though.

So as she sat in the cold all night, Laura considered how long she would have to watch Carol sleep while she put the barrel of a gun to her own head just so Carol would not have to sleep wondering if that night would be the night Laura snapped.

Some part of her still recognized the gun as a stopping force without reason. All it had to do was listen to Laura and the gun would remain docile; push Laura and there would be nothing anymore.

There she stayed all night, the cool barrel pressed firmly to her head. Laura had to stick around though, she needed to help Carol. "It will keep Carol safe..." Laura chanted, "Do it for her."

Kira Tsumi: Well, here ya go! More of a depressing-traveling chapter. Not much goes on except we explore Laura's walker side a bit more.

Just a Wonderland: I wonder if a lot of what's going to be happening could be deemed "transition" too. We're going place to place with Carol and Laura, not day to day... That's like... It took about 7 months for Rick and the ATL gang to find the prison. Doing a day-to-day on seven months is not possible soooo yeah. We'll be skipping around occasionally, just stopping at parts that will further the interaction between Carol and Laura while also showing more of Laura's fall to the walker-side of life.
Yeah, kinda updating a lot now I realized. Oh well, it's been fun! So I don't feel like stopping. x3
Like, before in Atlanta, we did see that the Voice was helping Laura and also that it's agenda usually lines up with Laura's own. So it's not... evil-evil. It's just walker-evil. So where it goes, what happens to it, and when Laura will listen to it is up to the later chapters! :D
We'll be jumping between Laura, Carol, and Daryl. Being that Laura is the main character and thus is the only one we get proper, in depth insight to, while Daryl and Carol are part of that so we get some detail on them. I intend it mostly to be Laura's story though, people have interpretations of Daryl/Carol/etc all canon characters, and a lot of that is good so I won't ruin that for them.
However, while we watch very, very closely on what's going on with Laura and her fall to the walker-dark-side: we'll also be viewing how other characters view it and how they progress around her.
So here's your next update! Things are getting pretty dark around here. :x