10:47 AM - August 3, 2025 - Highway out of Jackson
King Caw [Carl Grimes]
So just like that, for most of the community, the visit was over and they all left. Only he and a few select people knew that Ellie was the cure, so no one really cared. Carl supposed that caring himself wouldn't matter - it had happened, so why dwell on it? It wasn't up to him, he wasn't there. He should have known those girls would do something, but apparently it was so drastic that Andrea let them go. They wouldn't tell him why.
But, some things were up to him, and Lydia was his friend and it would stay that way. They couldn't stay mad at each other forever. Today, he was told to find food to eat in the woods and catch any animals could, which usually meant a mostly relaxing day in the forest. Perfect setting to lay it on her. So out of the gates they went, but it was a little uncomfortable. He had to apologize somehow without spilling what the whole insane situation was about, but it hadn't worried him so much. The tension already existing made it hard, but he knew they couldn't just walk silently to the highway. At least it's a great day for a walk.
So, ignoring the sun glaring in his eyes, Carl tried to start a conversation. "Thanks for coming out with me today." When she didn't say anything, he nudged her elbow with his. "Did that game finally rot your brain?"
LadyLedge [Lydia]
It felt, liberating almost. Like a giant fat boulder blocking her way had finally been moved and left behind to be forgotten. Now that she could finally breathe, the next step was obviously trying to patch things up with Carl, it was pretty clear that's what he wanted when he invited her out. Granted, she was in a much better mood now that the she-devils weren't in her face every day, of course she wouldn't show that to Carl just yet.
She wouldn't let him off that easy, she was still mad as hell at him for not siding with her. Make no mistake. The fact that Carl tried to sit on the fence when it came to backing her up in Tommy's office, in her mind it was almost like… fucking treason. Maybe it was because she was so used to getting her own way with Carl, everything was on her terms… even when she ended their relationship. And the one time it hadn't gone her way with him last week … it was enough to just make her snap. He'd put up with a lot from her, she knew that.
When he nudged her, she didn't look at him, simply keeping her gaze forward as they continued to walk, not giving him much to work with purposefully. All the while concealing a smile at the playful jab. "I haven't been playing, since you didn't visit all week." She spoke in a dry tone, knowing he knew they usually played on the console when he came over.
King Caw [Carl Grimes]
Success! Carl had gotten at least a response, which meant she was at least willing to try. "Hey, it's a box of evil. Every time I play, my eye hurts, but I can't stop playing it whenever I can." Sparing the chuckle he was prompted to make, he continued right onward. "But, you're right. I've been pretty cold lately, and I'm sorry. We've all just… had a lot on our minds." Fading off, his hand scratched the back of his head as he tried to continue awkwardly. "But, they've caused their trouble and now they're gone."
He wasn't sure if he should say something more. She had started a fight - she had the cold shoulder coming. It wouldn't help his case to dog Lydia on it, but it was true. When he didn't take her side, she had, no doubt, been very upset, but even friends disagree. At this point, he was hoping she'd be willing to forgive and move on.
There was an oak tree planted in a ring of dirt in the sidewalk that had long since grown to move the concrete aside, right at the intersection of the highway. It was a landmark that he liked to use to find the road to the community from the main road; besides, the mighty trunk of the huge tree, moving new pieces of cement every season, was a sight to behold. It was here that he stopped and faced Lydia, letting his grin escape. "I'd rather go back to our normal routes to school."
LadyLedge [Lydia]
He was trying, he really was. It only made it harder to keep up the facade, she supposed it was time she started trying too. They were still friends, after all. Lydia couldn't lie to herself, she felt a slight tinge of satisfaction when he was the first one to apologize. Maybe that was all she wanted. Getting past that stage of awkwardness after a fight… it wasn't really her forte, admittedly Carl was a lot better at breaking the ice than her.
She knew what he was implying with that last remark, the fact that they weren't even walking to school together anymore. They'd barely interacted the entire week, which was why she'd been so pissed. Finally, she decided to let it go.
"Yeah." Lydia finally turned to Carl, flashing him a small smile, agreeing with him. "Me too."
She looked away immediately, eyeing off the large main road that led back towards Jackson, her eyes lit up as soon as an idea struck her. What better way to say sorry? "Um, I don't think we need to be back yet… and since we still got time."
"How about we go and see if the hangout is still intact?" She proposed, facing him as she took a few steps backwards, urging him to follow. It'd been so long since they'd been there, but Lydia was still curious to find out if it was still untouched. Her and Carl had made it a while back, just a secluded place they found in the woods not far from Jackson that they decided to modify into their personal playground, as childish as it sounded. The girl still remembered that tree they'd throw the knives at, as well as that tire swing they made from the stuff they found in the garage back at Jackson.
"We uh... haven't been in a while, it'll be fun. Better than taking the boring way back home."
King Caw [Carl Grimes]
There was an anxious moment of silence, but Carl knew Lydia well enough to watch her emotions play out on her face. Of course, Lydia faced the highway while she thought, leaving him to guess all of the worst things before she responded to him. Eventually, however, he finally got that smile he was looking for, and it was infectious. His own grin returning, a few short steps brought him to her side as she looked back out over the road.
Her eyes twinkled like no one else's did when she had a fun idea, so he readied himself to say yes to whatever it was. Much to his relief, it was something that enabled him to work. The path to the hangout was littered with places for mushrooms and berries to grow, and they'd long since determined that something liked to hunt along the path. Maybe he'd catch some hares or even a deer! "Sounds good!" Cheerfully, he bounded after her, and they moved past the gnarled oak.
The hangout was always a place where he and Lydia could relax. No one else knew about it, as far as they were sure, so it gave them a place to stash anything they didn't want found. Things that would be confiscated for the armory, such as Lydia's throwing knives, or the materials to make traps that Carl didn't feel like hauling all the way out there each day. As unsure as he was beforehand, now he was confident that it would be a great day. Still smiling, he spoke again. "When was the last time we'd gone out there together? It feels like it's been ages." It had been since the last snowfall, if he wasn't mistaken.
LadyLedge [Lydia]
"It has." The girl confirmed, her tone blunt yet rather faint. Lydia was trying to tread carefully here, wanting to avoid the topic of the memories associated with the place, like the fact that their relationship just wasn't what it used to be since the last time they were there. Still, in her mind, that didn't warrant pretending the place never existed like they'd been doing lately, more so her.
Luckily for them, they were just about as quick to mend their problems as they were to create them, even if Lydia always made it harder than it had to be. It'd be great to just.. ease up and slow down for once, make some time to enjoy herself. You need to, badly.
They trudged onwards, boots crunching against the dead leaves combined with the damp mud from the rain that had only recently ceased. The both of them practically had the secret location memorized by now, and it didn't take too long to reach. It wasn't long before they passed through the thick brush, having to duck and weave over the branches that jutted out from every direction, until they saw an opening.
Lydia's eyes darted around the place, half scanning for infected or undead. Things were all over the place, and the weather had assisted in its deterioration. However she almost shrieked when an old object came into sight.
Yes!
The girl's eyes lit up as soon as she spotted the contraption hanging from the tree they'd chosen a long while back. A yellow rope accompanied by a large tire. She placed her pistol into her side holster as she darted over. Lydia placed her foot on the tire and tugged on the rope, testing its strength, before slipping her legs through and sitting down.Still works.
The blonde averted her gaze to Carl, who was still standing there like a scarecrow. "So, uh… you gonna push me or what?" She ordered, calling out with a tiny smirk on her face.
King Caw [Carl Grimes]
As Carl followed Lydia through the dampened forest, he tried to look back on the way to little playground. It was nestled safely in the dense forest, right inside a grove of aspen trees. There was a big, rotten stump that could be seen from a part of the trail, and that was how he liked to remember where it was. Not like he needed it, the two had spent so much time there, he was sure he could find it from a mile off the trail. Now, the stump served a different purpose. Walking past it led to the hideout, but he'd never had a reason to go farther as of late. He kept ropes and baskets inside the hollow wood, and the once-exciting relics beyond lay forgotten. Until today, that is.
They trekked past the musky stump and further into the woods, pushing through the creeping branches and thick scrub oak. Until, with enough persistence, the forest gave way to grassy undergrowth and a cluster of nearly identical white, black-speckled trees. Dust and pollen hung in the air without wind to push it along, and beams of light shone down through the air and illuminated the little diamond patch amidst the rough forest. He turned his eyes to the sky and smiled at the bright green canopy above. God, I've missed it here.
Lydia wasted no time plunging into the field, and he was swift to follow. She beelined for the tire swing, and his smile only grew. It was almost like old times. He looked around, but scarcely anything besides the tire swing was still in place. A foldable table and two plastic chairs that had been painstakingly carried out lie consumed by the undergrowth, and the ancient drink cooler had long since flipped and disposed its contents into the muck. He held back a grimace as he examined the damage, until a familiar request met his ears.
She sat in the degrading tire swing, gazing at him with those sweet, expectant eyes. How could he withstand such powers of persuasion? Carl strode over and took up position, just like he had so many times before, and gave her a gentle push. There was a serenity about the entire moment, but he couldn't fight the urge to interrupt it. "Why did we even stop coming out here?" He thought aloud.
LadyLedge [Lydia]
Lydia swung her legs forward, using Carl's push to ever so slightly propel herself onwards. The swing had probably seen the worst of the climate by now, but it held strong. She just wanted to let herself get lost in it, the tranquility of this place. But it wasn't just that, it was a hideout that fostered so many awesome memories, from better days. It was hard not to get all nostalgic about it, maybe trying to relive those feelings by coming here was stupid… but it was better than just leaving it behind completely, right?
She was brought out of her thoughts at the sound of Carl's voice, which caused her to let out a faint sigh in response. "I didn't think we… had a reason to, lately." She trailed off, her voice growing meek as she failed to continue, not wanting to make things awkward by bringing up the past. Instead she opted towards asking a question of her own, after a slight pause.
"Did you miss it a lot, too? Coming out here?"
King Caw [Carl Grimes]
Carl heard her strained response, and elected to be silent for fear of upsetting her. Sometimes, it felt like Lydia's thoughts were unimaginable. He hadn't been the one to end their relationship - which he knew, in turn, led to them abandoning this place - but ever since it had happened, she was different. A new person, although not a better person; he saw how confused and unsettled she was, without the slightest idea about how to help her. As conflicted as he was, as confused as she made him, it felt like he was still taking it better than she was. Did she dwell on the past as much as he did?
His question was unanswered and forgotten as she moved on without too much hesitation, and he was glad for the respite from his thoughts. The question was certainly a no-brainer. "This place might as well be the Garden of Eden." He said truthfully, letting his gaze sweep across the grove of trees, an almost angelic hue cast through the shadows of the leaves above. It wasn't the same coming out here alone, but this was still indisputably the most beautiful part of the forest. "Coming out here with you was the best part of living in Jackson."
He was unable to stop himself from flinching at the words; a slip up that he sincerely hoped she didn't take too heavy-handedly. As hard as Carl tried to hide it, such sweetremarks often danced at the tip of his tongue, but now he'd made the mistake of saying it aloud. As he admired the field and the gorgeous nostalgia of the moment, however, he knew it was still true.
LadyLedge [Lydia]
I can't...
That was it. Suddenly she planted her feet into the ground, her shoes grinding and skidding on the dirt below her as the swing came to a halt. Lydia's head sunk downwards, and by now it was fairly obvious she didn't want to be pushed anymore. Carl's words triggered the immeasurable guilt she felt to start bubbling up to the surface, and it was hard to keep her emotions in check when she got like this.
"Carl… enough." She begged, the girl just couldn't bear it anymore. She'd ruined things between them, kept her distance… and even tried to stop him from making other friends. As much as she couldn't stand them… It didn't mean she had to deprive him of enjoying himself. The fact that he was being so nice to her, still, was just appalling to her; there was no way she deserved this.
"I came here because…" She managed to turn her head around just enough to see him, promising herself that she wasn't going to cry, it was already hard enough to keep herself from getting misty-eyed just by talking to him. "I wanted to give you back this. " The girl spoke before reaching up to the sheriff's hat on top of her head, taking it off. She let it sit in her lap for a moment, staring at it in shame as she looked away from him.
"It's your dad's, and… it's just not right for me to have it. I don't even know why you let me keep it after everything that happened." Lydia admitted, deciding to finally let her thoughts drift out into the open. Exposed.
"I've been so horrible to you, Carl. It's the truth." Her voice quivered, the tears threatening to burst out and spill down her face at any moment. Lydia held out her arm with the hat in it towards him, continuing to look away from him so she wouldn't break down. "Just take it... please."
King Caw [Carl Grimes]
Lydia skidded to a stop, and Carl felt something heavy settle in his stomach. When she spoke, however, there was a very different tension there. She almost sounded… sad.He bit back his tongue, not daring to even apologize. Turning back to him, she began again - very tediously. He wasn't sure where she was going with this, but it couldn't be good. When Lydia was angry with him, at least he got to be defensive. When more complicated emotions flew, he was in over his head.
There was nothing that could prepare him for what happened next.
As if it were a heavy burden, she lifted the stetson off of her head. Why would she want to give it back? Carl was unsure if he should feel hurt, but as she rattled off her reasoning, he knew he couldn't be upset with her. Or, perhaps he could, but him being offended wouldn't make the situation any better. Now, they had not one confused teenager, but two.
So there she stood, holding the hat out to him. Carl didn't take it. He began softly, but faltered before he said something he regretted. "Lydia, I…" What was he to say about something he hadn't given thought since he gifted it away? He once loved Lydia - no, he still loved Lydia - and to him, an old hat was a small price to pay to get the message across. "I gave that to you. It's not mine, it's not my Dad's. It's yours. I made that decision when I gave it to you, and I won't take that back." He said finally.
He took a deep breath and continued quickly, so she couldn't interject. "And it doesn't matter what you've done to me. Or, it does, but do the things that already happened have more impact than what we do now?" Reaching out a hand, he took the hat from her grasp and placed it back on her head. It had always looked better amidst her blonde locks than on himself; at least, he thought so. Now it was his turn to adorn a little smile. "There, right where it belongs." As he finalized his words, he leveled his gaze with Lydia's. "Now don't think I'll let you go so easily. It would be too quiet without you around."
Shadow Dot [Narrator]
In the midst of Carl and Lydia's conversation, a faint sound slowly began to come into focus in the distance, drawing ever closer to the clearing the two had found themselves in.
As Carl placed the sheriff's hat back on Lydia's head, the lull in the conversation allowed a moment of silence, long enough for the sound to become clear. By the time they could react, though, the foul creature stumbled its way into the clearing, jerking its head side to side as if looking for prey.
It was clear that it didn't know where the two teenagers were, based on its feral clicking and search pattern, though it wouldn't be long before it would be able to pinpoint their location. All it'd take is a single misstep.
LadyLedge [Lydia]
For once, Lydia had been left absolutely stunned by Carl's actions. She couldn't think of any excuse, or any retort she could fire back. She opened her mouth as if to speak, nothing but air managed to croak out. Instead she averted her gaze to her feet again, feeling the familiar embrace of that hat as he placed it back on top of her head. She didn't want it back by any means, but it didn't change the fact that she still let him do it.
Why did he have to be so good to her? He was always like this, for as long as she could remember, still willing to look past everything... even if he'd been hurt. And hurt him is always what she managed to do, every time. Lydia knew she'd been nothing but a toxic influence on him… seeing what life was like outside of the Whisperers, what a real family looked like inside of Jackson... it was easy to grow resentful of the fact that 'family' was never really what her mother raised her to believe it was. The girl just wanted to stand on her own two feet now… make up for lost time and rebuild her life. She wanted to do that without needing Carl around… at least that's what she wanted to believe. A guy that'd only serve as a constant reminder of how vulnerable she used to be… or still was.
Yet, his smile was too contagious, and Lydia found herself faintly returning it when she eventually forced herself to look back up at him. A tantalizing thought she couldn't quite control began to cloud her judgement as the silence ensued, one that she felt stupid for even thinking. It was selfish of her, it'd go against everything she'd done as of late, but oh boy... did she want to right then and there. And that was that, there was nothing else to be said as her eyes slowly began to drift down towards his lips.
However, a sound was quick to snap Lydia out of her trance. The pained and contorted clicking causing her head to jolt towards some nearby trees, something had heard them.
Oh fuck.
She panicked, hauling herself off the swing as she left the tire dangling there. " Get down. " She whispered, instinctively dragging Carl to crouch behind some of the nearby brush as the blind fungus-infected creature stumbled out into the open, searching for the noise.
King Caw [Carl Grimes]
There was an odd tension in the air as he waited for her to say something. Carl hoped that he'd said the right thing; he thought he understood her, but he never knew with Lydia. She was a book written in some language that was unknown to him. Trying to study her expressions to figure out what she was thinking proved fruitless - she obviously didn't expect such a response. Maybe… I should just give her a little space.
When he went to take a step away, however, he was pulled down behind some scrub oak with little more than a whisper to warn him. He locked eyes with Lydia, but before he could say anything, he heard it: clicking. There was a tense moment as the nicely-aged clicker lumbered blindly, and he grimaced at his companion. Like so many times before, he combed the ground with his eyes till he found a decently-sized stick among the grass, and every sway of the undergrowth as he rummaged around for it made him hold his breath. Standing up shakily, he drew back an arm and hurled the stick across the field.
The forest seemed to go silent as the piece of wood soared, until it crashed down into the bushes like thunder. The infected snapped around to face the sound, clicking erratically and moving in the opposite direction quickly. Flashing Lydia a grin, he stepped around the oak and pulled his knife from his belt, prepared to finish the pest off. You are not welcome here. Trying his damndest to be silent, he crept up on the Clicker.
Shadow Dot [Narrator]
Noise. Rustling in the bushes nearby. The clicker stumbled towards the bush with a guttural growl, only stopping mere inches away as the perceived threat remained out of sight. However, the sound of crunching leaves alerted its attention to something behind it, and its head snapped around to look towards the new threat with enough speed to snap a normal human's neck. It bared its teeth, clicking violently as it swiveled around, rushing towards him with a deafening roar.
King Caw [Carl Grimes]
In the true fashion of a living nightmare, the clicker spun around as if it were yanked on a string. Shit! The thing paused only long enough to sneer with uneven, gray teeth and click violently before it rushed at him. Carl knew there was no way he could wrestle the thing down head-on, so he stepped to the side - only for his foot to connect hard with something heavy, and he didn't have the field of vision to see what it was without losing sight of the clicker. As gravity claimed him, he glanced downward just in time to see that it was the broken table before he was taken off of his feet by the infected. The thing bowled into him full-speed, sending them both tumbling to the ground.
Carl lunged to his feet, but the clicker was faster. He faced it and was forced to dodge a mottled hand as it swung at him, only for another to connect with his blind spot. Flashes of light appeared in the darkness, and he desperately tried to grab his knife before it was upon him. Kicking at it to keep it at bay, he pulled the knife from its sheath and was horrified to feel a heavy pressure on his shoe. "Fuck!" He yanked his foot out of the boot, leaving it behind in the clicker's teeth. He saw the tiniest bit of one eye hidden in the folds of its face, and thrust the knife forward with that target in mind. Just a little more luck! As a cold iron grip caught his wrist and flung the knife away, he knew the luck had run out.
LadyLedge [Lydia]
"What are you-?!" Lydia harshly whispered towards the stubborn boy. Let's just fucking leave! She wanted to scream at him, to let him know that he didn't need to let his pride get in the way just because an infected had wandered into their makeshift hideout. But, without a moment's notice, Carl had already flashed her a grin, indicating that his stupid mind had been made up. He was already out of arm's reach, trying to sneak up on the thing. She couldn't grab him or get to him without making a bunch of noise, all she was reduced to doing was watching in horror, hoping he'd be able to take care of it.
There was no way she'd be able to predict just how wrong she was.
"Carl!" Lydia shrieked in terror, pushing herself to her feet, feeling her heart thump and a certain adrenaline rush she couldn't quite control run through her. It happened so fast, that abomination heard him try to sneak up, and before she knew it... the clicker was already over him. It was too late to be mad at him for botching things up, right now the priority was saving his life.
Having foolishly packed very little for what was supposed to be a short expedition, the only weapon she'd brought along was her Walther P99. She withdrew her pistol in an attempt to aim it towards the fungus-infected freak, but they were both thrashing around so damn much. There was no way she could fire without the risk of hitting the boy, nor could she forgive herself if she did.
Every second that went by was just one more opportunity for Carl to get bitten, and she was done wasting time. She gritted her teeth whilst she holstered her weapon, and while the clicker was occupied with Carl, the girl charged at it as fast as her legs would carry her. The diseased beast almost had no time to react as Lydia pounced on its back, the infected screeched and writhed in response, trying to throw her off. She cursed under her breath, tightening her grip on the thing as it flailed around, attempting to divert its attention off of Carl.
Shadow Dot [Narrator]
Another threat. Its weight was threatening to bring the clicker to its knees. The clicker jerked, growling violently as it tried to rip the living being off its back, succeeding finally as the human was thrown backwards, back colliding with a nearby tree. The boy forgotten, the clicker turned its attention on the girl, letting out a croak that could likely be heard for miles.
It rushed towards the human with inhuman speed, intent on sinking its sharp fangs into the girl's neck.
King Caw [Carl Grimes]
Right when his desperate mind turned to Lydia, the Clicker leapt off of him with a terrible groan. The call for help hadn't left his lips. As if a switch had been flipped, the beast had turned its attention to Lydia, grabbing her with an iron grip. They twisted violently, the ghoul losing balance for one moment and then nearly throwing her off in the next. He was on his hands and knees in an instant, crawling along swiftly to find his knife in the brush and fallen leaves.
As this proved fruitless, he jumped to his feet. Stars danced once again in the emptiness where his right eye used to be, and a sudden wave of vertigo came over him. Trying to ignore the throbbing in his face, he breathed deeply and focused his eye on the clicker as it pinned Lydia against the tree. Carl froze for a split second, feeling as if someone had trickled cold water from the nape of his neck all the way down to the base of his spine as he saw its teeth snap so close to her freckled nose.
His dizziness was forgotten, and he strode forward while pulling his gun from its home in his waistband. There was no way that he rode a rollercoaster of emotions just to watch it be taken away by the snapping of teeth. Without an instant's hesitation, he pointed his gun up against the nape of the clicker's neck and pulled the trigger. A shower of brain matter, skull, and spores poured down around them. Covering his nose with a grimace, he pulled Lydia away from the cloud of deadly growths. "Are you okay?" He asked her, his voice hushed and worried.
LadyLedge [Lydia]
A shot rang out, piercing the air not a moment before the clicker's gnashing teeth were brought to a halt. Blood and brains from the creature splattered onto her face, her eyes wide in panic as the revolting thick goop trickled down her forehead. The infected body went limp, its lifeless carcass now slumping onto her. Lydia was hyperventilating at this point, quick and hysterical huffs of breath leaving her, the thought of it still being alive was enough for the girl to frantically kick it away and scramble backwards on her hands and knees, Carl tugged her arm for support until she was finally at a safe distance.
Everything around her seemed to come to a halt as she sat there, trembling whilst she looked at her now dispatched aggressor, its mangled and deformed body lying against the tree. Lydia tried her best to regulate her breathing, but to no avail. It felt like her heart was going to burst out of her chest at any moment. She felt sick, a horrifying sensation in her gut threatening to send her over the edge.
The girl continued to stare at the corpse in shock. It was fucking scary, how close they'd came to joining that thing in its suffering, and all it would've taken was one bite… one second too late for either of them. This was too much, things were already hard enough. The last thing she needed was this kind of shit on her conscience. Almost as a reflex, a quick surge of aggression spontaneously overcome her.
"Fuck!" Lydia screamed at herself as she sat there, before balling up her fists and grabbing whatever her hands were resting on, which so happened to be a bunch of leaves. She pegged them forward at the dickhead clicker, not managing to hit it by a long shot, each individual leaflet slowly fluttering back down to the ground. A futile and pathetic attempt at expressing her frustration. And to top it off, Carl was asking if she was okay.
Fuck this. Fuck this. Fuck this. The girl wiped the blood off her eyes, only serving to get the sleeve of her shirt dirty and smear the blood elsewhere on her face. She stood up, crossing her arms and facing away from Carl so he wouldn't see the look on her face.
"We never should've come back here." The girl deadpanned, face towards the ground, her tone dry, and back still turned to him. Whatever sense of joy she had that was associated with this place, it was long gone after that thorough reminder; she was done with this shit. "I want to go." She spoke up again, and it wasn't a request, it was a fucking order.
"Now."
Dot [Dwight]
What the hell were they doing out here? There was nothing for hundreds of miles around Paradise, let alone nearly a thousand miles away. Negan, of course, couldn't stop searching for communities to exploit, like the leech he'd become, so there Dwight was, fumbling his way through the forest to meet back up with the rest of his contingent.
Of course, he didn't have the luxury of going on this scouting run alone. Brooks walked alongside him. At least he kept the silence going, so he wasn't all that bad. Being out here with an asshat like Negan, though… that'd be a torture he wouldn't wish on anyone.
They were nearing the road when a gunshot pierced the air, forcing the two Saviors to look towards each other before rushing off towards the noise. If their men had run into something, they needed to be there.
They came to a clearing soon after. However, instead of finding their men, they were met with two teenagers, a boy and a girl, the latter shouting at the boy for them to leave. Dwight hesitated, looking towards Brooks with squinted eyes before finally reaching for his revolver. Like it or not, he was going to have to do this. Being with the Saviors left no other choice.
He raised it towards them, his harsh voice being the thing that caught their attention. "Hands up, and don't make any sudden moves."
Don't force me to kill you.
It was then that he finally saw the boy's face. He only had one eye, the other being a sunken mess of a hole. Under normal circumstances, the sight would leave him feeling disgusted, but it was surprise that ultimately overwhelmed him.
Surprise to see that the kid was Carl Grimes. The last time he saw the kid, he was just that, a kid. Gunning down a bunch of Saviors after sneaking into one of their vans, waiting for his chance to strike once he arrived at the Sanctuary. That was before Dwight had gone to the Kingdom, before he decided to join the war against Negan.
A lost cause, in the end.
King Caw [Carl Grimes]
Well, suffice to say, Lydia was not okay. Now, the corpse at his feet was the least of Carl's problems. There was a heavy silence as he decided that he should just agree with her and go; she was right, after all. The clearing now held a much more sinister likeness. The scrub oak swayed in the breeze, and every shuffle of the leaves put him on edge. The pale trees bore threatening faces in their bark. With a sigh, he realized that playtime was over for good this time.
He stuck his gun back in his waistband and spoke. "Well, then let's get to it. It would be a shame to get caught out in the open like this." Lydia was right, after all - someone or something definitely heard that gunshot. He'd probably have some explaining to do when they got back, and he could practically hear the first questions… "Who shot first? Who did they work for? Who got hurt?" Sometimes, Tommy acted like one bullet was worth more than one life. As if.
Suddenly, there was a voice that didn't belong to him or Lydia, or anyone he knew. Me and my big fucking mouth… he did not like the voice. Complying, he turned slowly to see who exactly it belonged to. His hands raised in an attempt to be non-threatening, he saw the man's face.
It was as if Carl had been thrown back in time. To a time when guns were a lot heavier, his family a lot closer, but faces like that were no harder to forget. One half of his face was a scruffy, aging man, the other a warped and scarred piece of scar tissue, with an intense eye and half of a slit that might have resembled a smile. Negan's dog. There was altogether too much going on behind those eyes, because the gruesome man locked his gaze with Carl and didn't let go. He recognizes me!
Crossing his arms, he tried to ignore the gun being pointed at him. What was he supposed to say? Could he do anything? This was it, they had finally hunted down the son of Rick Grimes. Stand a firm ground, Carl. "I know you." He started, matter-of-factly. He was almost proud that he didn't sound like he was scared shitless. "Whatever it is you're looking for here, you should find it somewhere else." I'll kill you both before I let you find Jackson.
Dot [Dwight]
Dwight narrowed his eyes in response to Carl's threat. He hadn't changed a bit. Older, but still the same kid that gunned down half a dozen men without remorse. His eyes bounced between Carl and the girl with him, before settling on Brooks next to him, who kept his weapon trained on the two kids.
A thought lingered at the back of his head, seeing this situation as an opportunity, one that he'd been looking for for years . A chance to get away from the Saviors. But was it a bet worth taking? That he'd finally be able to get away from Negan? That Carl wouldn't just shoot him as soon as the tables turned? He resisted the urge to sigh, deciding to feel out the situation first.
He kept his weapon raised, finger off the trigger. "Then you know that we can't do that. Take us to your community, and we'll talk things out there." Don't make this difficult, Carl.
LadyLedge [Lydia]
Dammit..! Her heart jumped at the sound of the unknown voice. Two men, each with guns pointed directly at their heads. Lydia knew the stakes here, one wrong move could mean a bullet getting sent their way. The girl slowly turned around, mimicking Carl as she raised her hands, deciding to comply for now. Carl and the guy with the half burned face started to talk, Lydia sending a mixture of stern yet confused glances between them as she listened.
They... know each other? That was what it fucking seemed like, at least. And that was when Lydia began to connect the dots. Carl and Andrea didn't talk about them a lot, but she'd heard enough about it… about some group that forced them to run away from their previous community. Was it really them? Were these the people that Carl told her about? The way the man demanded to see their community, Lydia only had to assume.
"Is this what you guys do…?" She butted in, staring at the man with the gross scars. "Run around the woods looking for kids to harass? We don't have anywhere to take you. So why don't you just look the other way and leave us alone..."
Shadow Boy [Brooks]
Brooks could feel his scruffy beard stir in the wind, hiding the scowl lying underneath. Now this was a find, wasn't it? Carl Grimes in the flesh, or lack thereof. Man, he'd heard stories about that fucking hole in his head, but neither of them even remotely made it justice. Boy was lucky to be alive.
The blonde was new. She had one helluva stare, little too razor-sharp for her own good. He'd put a good scare on her. "Oh, we don't just harass 'em, darlin'," said Dwight's company, the man carefully leaning forward with a faint smile, matching her height.
"Trust me."
The shotgun Brooks held in his arms, he now gripped it with only a single hand, using the free one to take a worn pistol out of its holster. "Here's how this is gonna play out." He spoke matter-of-factly, shifting his tired eyes between the two children. He didn't wanna kill a couple o'runts, no. Neither did Dwight, he was pretty damn certain. They just had to put on a little show, get the pipsqueak to run his mouth.
But then again, he was his father's son.
"You're a smart kid, ain'tcha? Y'know we only need one of y'all breathing to find out where you live." Brooks pressed the pistol against Lydia's nose bridge, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly.
"Make the right call, Little Grimes. No one's gotta die."
King Caw [Carl Grimes]
There it was again; like a wet piece of ice was slowly making its way down the back of his shirt, leaving a trail of cold misery behind it. What… What do I do? For the first time in a long time, Carl was stunned. He didn't expect to see Negan's lackeys so far out of their way - or maybe, finally, they had reached all the way out here. Is there no stopping these monsters?! He couldn't hide the fear he felt anymore as his gaze swept between Lydia and the man who he didn't recognize, but who still bore the same sinister look in his eyes as every Savior he'd known. He felt his hand twitch involuntarily, but he had to stop himself from retaliating. A short, tense second passed as he came to terms with the gun in Lydia's face.
Finally, Carl let out a resigned sigh. "I guess you don't leave me much of a choice," he muttered angrily. He uncrossed his arms and took one final glance at the field behind him. Goodbye for good, fantasy land. With a hesitant glance at Lydia, he walked over to where the wall of oak thinned and waved for the rest to follow. "The trail is this way. Let's get this over with." He gave them a moment to follow, and as he looked past the hollow stump he was already trying to formulate a plan.
He ground his teeth in frustration, thoroughly offended that they were so close to intruding in his home. They have no right! As harsh as the predicament they were in was, there still was one thing he was sure of: they were wrong. They said that no one was going to die, but he knew better. It wouldn't be either him or Lydia, however - theywould be the ones to die. Carl refused to accept any other outcome.
Dot [Dwight]
So, there they were again, holding up a couple kids just to get to their community. It only made matters more troubling that Carl was the one on the other end of the gun. Though they never worked together during the last war with Negan, Dwight had come to respect his father, even if his ideas had been foolhardy in the end. Now that same man rotted in a cell and would probably remain there until he died. Negan would make sure of that.
Brooks kept his shotgun trained on the two kids as they led them down the trail, away from the clearing. The trees began to constrict their movements, almost claustrophobically so. The chirping of birds filled the air… about the only thing filling the air, really. Silence reigned between them and the kids, giving Dwight plenty of time to think. About what they were doing here. About what path they were about to go down, again.
Did he really want to go through this again? To bring an evil bastard like Negan to a place filled with innocent people?
He'd already had enough months ago. He pulled strings to get the people at Paradise to rise up against Negan and failed. Whoever was left had gone into hiding, which was to be expected. The captured remained tight lipped about who was leading them, giving Dwight all the reason in the world to volunteer for this expedition west. It kept him away from Negan if someone did talk.
Now that he thought about it, what was the chance that someone had already?
He lagged behind Brooks, taking in a deep, quiet breath. What was about to happen would ultimately change everything. This was his chance to start again, to find a life for himself that wasn't at the heel of a man he wanted dead. All he had to do was…
It took little effort to aim his pistol at the back of Brooks's head, firing a shot that rang for miles around. The man's head jerked forward, blood and brain matter splattering the nearby trees and Dwight as Brooks collapsed to the ground, still clutching his shotgun tightly. The two kids stopped, and Dwight immediately raised his hands into the air, keeping his finger off the trigger.
Now was the hard part.
"Carl, I need you to listen to me," he started quickly, trying desperately to get every word in before either kid could try to kill him. He needed to give them a reason not to. "The Saviors are expanding, heading out west. We're just the scouting party. There's three others out here. Brooks and I were supposed to meet back up with 'em. If we kill 'em before they can get back to Negan, then we got a shot at keeping that asshole away from here. You understand?"
King Caw [Carl Grimes]
A gunshot rang out, sending a cloud of birds into the air around them. For a second, Carl saw red, and his hand grabbed at the empty air where his gun should have been. Pivoting around, he was once again shocked to see the stranger on the ground with a serious chunk missing from their head. "What the fuck?!" He exclaimed, before he could stop himself. He felt a knot in his stomach, expecting Two-Face to shoot them next, but today was truly a day for surprises. Dwight raised two shaky hands in the air. His finger wasn't on the trigger.
He had to force himself to stand still as the grotesque man tried to explain himself; the other men, the expansion, none of it surprised him. What angle Dwight was playing at was the only thing lost to him. Do you understand? His question was met with a scowl from Carl, who instead dove for the gun Brooks had dropped at his feet. Clambering back up, he held the shotgun to his chest and keeping his own finger off the trigger. He didn't point it at Two-Face, but he wasn't going to be the one without a gun in this discussion. Finally, he put together his retort. "What are you playing at? I'm surprised Negan hasn't melted the other half of your face, based on this shit." What possible reason could Dwight have to betray Negan? It had always been apparent that crazy attracted more crazy; was he wrong about this guy?
Dot [Dwight]
"I want Negan gone. Same as you," Dwight replied instantly, shaking his head slightly as he realized Carl wasn't going to accept this easily. Who would? He just had them up at gunpoint not ten minutes ago. "I wanted him gone," he continued. "Then Rick shows up one day and plans a revolution, and I saw my ticket out. Your father really had a chance, and I wanted him to win. I went against my people to help Alexandria, but then your place was gone, and the rest of the communities fell apart after."
He took in a deep breath, letting out in a sigh. "Believe me or not, you don't want them knocking on your door, and it's only gonna be a matter of time unless we take them out now ."
LadyLedge [Lydia]
Lydia's shoulders jolted upwards as a bullet pierced the air, her heart nearly jumped out of her chest, feeling it beating like a drum. She could've sworn that bullet was for her or Carl, that these two assholes were just gonna say 'to hell with it' and shoot them. But to her surprise, that dickhead that'd shoved the gun in her face slumped to the ground. It only made sense once the man began to explain himself to Carl, only causing Lydia's eyes to widen further in disbelief.
"Carl, don't fucking listen to him. H - He's crazy!" She yelled out in frustration, gesturing towards the guy that was currently leaking brain juice out of the hole in his head. The idiot shot his own guy, and part of her was hoping Carl would just shoot him too. And now the man was asking them to go on some culling mission with him? This was insane.
"They'll just send more to look for the ones that don't come back. A - And if one of them sees you and gets away…" Lydia knew the Savior leader was the reason why Carl ran so far in the first place. There was no doubt in the girl's mind that once this 'Negan' heard a Grimes was still alive and was here, he'd come to find him… then it'd be over for them and all of Jackson.
King Caw [Carl Grimes]
Lydia's words fell heavily on his judgement, but Carl was still unsure. Why should he be unsure? The man was obviously not trustworthy - he'd just killed someone from his own group. He eyed the man's gruesome face; was it really the face of a person he could trust? No one needed to tell him the answer, because this dog obviously had a very rabid bite. So why, then, couldn't he bring himself to dispatch the threat and go on with his day?
Unlike Lydia, the mere words that Two-Face spoke were enough to make him hesitate. If they killed them, Negan might come looking or - and this was much more likely - he wouldn't care, assuming that they got killed because of their own stupidity. If they saw Carl, however, they'd return with the news. Negan would come up here personally. If they saw the dam, they'd return with the news. Negan might not care as much, but it was still a brilliant find; a hydroelectric dam that they didn't even have to fix up themselves! As much as he hated to admit it, even to himself, the dog might be their only way of making sure no one got back to Negan.
If they had to kill him too, once things were said and done, so be it.
Carl turned to Lydia, trying to put on a reassuring face. "I know we can't trust him. They're all brainwashed maniacs." He told her; Lydia was still the only one on his side in this situation. Then, he turned to face Dwight, and let the gun fall to his hip. "But that doesn't mean he isn't right. We don't know where these other Saviors might be, and he does." Carl furrowed his brow at their temporary ally, giving him a critical stare. "You have one chance to prove yourself; otherwise, we'll grind you up and you'll be nothing but squirrel bait." He threatened, but he didn't point his gun at the man. Trust was take and receive, after all.
Dot [Dwight]
Dwight had expected this reaction, though it still made him want to sigh in frustration. He knew that they were just kids, but surely by now they understood how the world worked? Killing a couple Saviors was the equivalent of killing a couple flies, insignificant in the grand scheme of things but at least it gets rid of a pest. Being a Savior and being loyal to them were two entirely different things, and it'd been nearly a decade since he'd been loyal to them. It took Rick Grimes and his 'revolution' to finally get him off his ass, though, but even then, it turned out to be futile. Maybe he had a chance here, far away from Negan's sphere of influence, and that was only if they found the other Saviors and took care of them.
When Carl called him a brainwashed maniac, Dwight kept quiet, deciding that picking a fight with the teenager wouldn't end well. They had to work together, like it or not, so he'd deal with the insults as they came. Sighing, he slipped his pistol back into its holster, eying the two teenagers before brushing past them.
"C'mon. They're probably not far."