Chapter 23: And So It Begins

Things began to go more smoothly than they had ever gone in a long time. While there were still some hiccups here and there, things mostly went according to plan. After Riley and Glenn found the huge pit of walkers, they came back to Alexandria to tell the others only to find that Morgan and Rick were already aware. While they were burying Pete, they'd come across the pit and also ran into Ron. Rick didn't seem very pleased with that aspect, but it was left to be dealt with by Jesse and no one else. She was the mother, after all.

She took the time to head back to the house to get Carl up to speed on what was going while the others had a meeting to plan what to do. Of course, she wasn't fond of not knowing what was going on, but after everything was over, they were told exactly what was going on. They were going to try and lure the walkers away. Every single one of them.

It seemed like an impossible feat, but if the trucks blocking them from escaping the ditch fell, they'd have a real mess on their hands. There wasn't much else they could even do and it was really a bit scary. A long time ago she used to be afraid of walkers, but this brought back the fear. Never before had she, or any of them for that matter, seen such a large herd of them in one spot. Quite literally, there were hundreds.

They were almost ready to get the plan put into action. Today, they were going through a dry run before they'd actually do the impossible within the next week or so. Unfortunately, when she wanted to volunteer, the others quickly turned her down. Rick wanted her to stay behind and help keep the community safe, but she only felt like she was being held back. Even Carl seemed to be a bit relieved that she wasn't going to be going, which only made her more irritable. He was supposed to be on her side, but she had a feeling as to why he didn't want her to go.

Even so, she was intent on at least getting a good look at what was going on. She wasn't the type of person to sit quietly when she knew she could help in some way. Plus, she didn't like not knowing what was going on.

So as soon as they headed out to go and do their dry run, she headed to the armory and sneaked in from the side window, snatching up her gun and then sneaking back out. Enid's little trick of getting over the fence had proven to be quite useful over the past few days and it was useful now as well.

With quick hands, she climbed over the top, letting herself drop to the other side. She landed on her feet with a quiet thud and then took off into the woods. By now, she was beginning to learn her way around these woods, but there was still much to explore. However, she just needed the woods for cover, since she was going to be following the road to the quarry. All she knew was that they were going to be trying to bring the walkers a good twenty miles or more away.

She only got a short way into her journey before she heard an all too familiar voice calling her name. Drawing in a deep breath, she turned her head slightly, spotting Carl jogging up behind her to try and catch up.

"Hey," she greeted, not breaking her pace.

"Where are you going?" he asked, falling into stride next to her.

"Just...going to see what's happening at the quarry."

At this, he let out a small sigh. "That's what I figured."

"I just want to see what's going on... I don't like not knowing the plan, even if I'm not going to be involved."

"I know."

She pressed her lips together, mulling over those two words. It was crazy to her to think how close they'd become and how much they already knew how each other worked. He was the first person she trusted after she'd been abandoned by her group and now she was even comfortable trusting the others. All it took was just him.

"So did you get to see the quarry yet?" she asked, adjusting the backpack on her back.

"Yeah...it was pretty scary. But we can do this. We're smarter than them and we know to control them."

"I know I've just...never seen so many. Even if we can control them...there's just so many."

He remained quiet at that, probably because he either agreed with her or just didn't know how to respond. They continued on walking in silence, but it was a nice silence. One thing she noticed about him was that they got to sit in each others presence and enjoy it. They didn't have to speak or even look at each other, but they were content because they were with each other. She noticed this about a few of the others as well, like Enid and Glenn.

A few miles in, she started to get hungry. It had to be around lunch time. Luckily, she brought along some small tidbits of food. It would be enough to hold them over until dinner later, even if they had to share.

"You want to head a bit further into the woods and find somewhere to sit down and eat?" she asked, startling him out of his thoughts.

He looked around for a moment before smiling a bit. "Yeah but I have a better spot. Come on."

Hand finding hers, he gave her a bit of a tug forward and started to jog toward the road. She rolled her eyes and tried not to smile as he directed her down the road and making a right at the next turn. The further they went, the more she strained to think of where in the world he could be taking her, but it hit her right when she saw it coming into view. A small little park surrounded by a short chain-link fence. Though it was small, it still had all the works, like a slide, a set of swings, and and old jungle gym which was falling apart.

"How did you know this place was here?" she asked, slowing to a stop at the gate and leaning against it.

"You're not the only one who likes to wander," he quipped, smirking lightly and opening up the gate.

With a roll of her eyes, she followed him inside, slipping the backpack off her back and plopping down on the edge of the slide. He took a seat next to her, making it a little bit crammed, but she didn't mind much. Taking two granola bars out of the bag, she handed one to him and then peeled the wrapper off hers. Even though it was a flavor she wasn't particularly fond of, it still satisfied her stomach and made her more content by the time she was done with it. She stuffed the wrapper back in her bag and took a moment to sit quietly, shoulder-to-shoulder with her boyfriend.

Boyfriend.

That word was so weird to her. Even though they were definitely...well dating now, it was still weird to use that word. Even the word "dating" was weird. They couldn't really do all of the normal things couples did anymore and honestly she wasn't sure if she even wanted that. They were just...together. There didn't need to be dates. Or the titles of boyfriend and girlfriend. They just were.

In the middle of her thoughts, her eyes wandered over to the swings. It had been years since she sat on one and she was really tempted to go over. There would be another dry run she could sneak out to, right? And even sitting on the swings for a few minutes wouldn't hold them back much...

Pushing herself off the slide, she shouldered her backpack again and started over. Carl gave her a weird look until he figured out what she was doing and didn't miss a beat before he was in the swing next to her.

"When's the last time you've been on one of these?" she questioned, pushing herself forward to get some momentum to start.

"I dunno... a good four years or so?" he chuckled, following in her example.

Had it really been that long? Maybe not since this whole thing started, but since they were kids. Four years ago, they would have been twelve. Blissfully living in the normal world with the only thing to worry about being homework.

"I kinda...missed this," he admitted as they swung higher, the air blowing her hair back and forth with every swing.

In all honesty, she did too. Rarely did they get the chance to just be themselves and have a good time. Around no one else would she let her guard down like this and it was refreshing and actually nice.

"Yeah...me too." She looked over at him, the corners of her lips curling up in a smile as their gazes connected.

She felt the familiar fluttering sensation in her stomach that she was just starting to get used to. This time, he was the first to look away and she drew in a breath, digging her boots into the dirt so that she'd slow to a stop. Woodchips splattered everywhere until she completely stopped.

"We should get our stuff together," he suggested, stopping just as quickly as she had and standing, using his hands to dust off his jeans.

"Probably best," she murmured, pulling her hair free from its ponytail because it was getting too uncomfortable.

The two of them made it over to the slide where they left all of their wrappers and she let him gather them up while she turned around to give him access to the backpack. As she did so, she caught sight of something she wished she had noticed sooner.

Walkers. A herd of them. Heading right their way.

She swore, reaching back to nudge him and get his attention. His head snapped up and he immediately noticed the serious problem.

"Isn't that...the way we need to head back?" he asked, taking a few steps toward the gate.

"Yes..."

"Okay...come on. We can take cover somewhere until it passes."

His hand found hers in a gentle but firm grip and she didn't hesitate to bolt after him into the woods just outside of the playground. The growling grew distant, but only slightly. It sounded more hungry and desperate, which meant they must have been spotted.

Before she could keep going, she was pulled to an abrupt stop that almost made her tumble into the dirt if it hadn't been for the tree to her left providing support. She didn't even get a chance to ask what he was doing before he was climbing into the hollow of a tree and squishing himself to the side. Inhaling sharply, she clambered inside next to him, pressing herself against the opposite end but finding that there really wasn't much space to keep themselves apart.

The groans grew louder and she got tenser. What if they were spotted anyway? Then they'd be trapped in here and likely eaten. But as the faces came into view, they didn't come toward them. In fact, they kept moving right in the direction they were headed to begin with. She kept her eyes on the little gap to see them and be prepared in case anything happened, but Carl's hand brushing against hers snapped her attention back to his closeness and physical presence just in front of her.

Not again...

Her stomach lurched and she turned her head with a huff, annoyed that her emotions were playing with her in a time as serious as this where they needed to be paying attention to what was going on around them. But she couldn't stop the flush that engulfed her face with fiery red and the fluttery sensation settling in her stomach.

Clenching her fists, she tried to distract herself with anything else, but it was increasingly difficult with him continuing to brush her hand in a teasing way. It was the first time he was actually...well being teasing with affection and of course in the worst timing possible. He was almost testing the boundaries of what he could do - of what he was even comfortable doing.

She squirmed slightly, keeping her eyes locked on the herd outside but her awareness and focus was completely on Carl and the way he traced her hand with his fingers. It made her feel awkward and flustered and she was honestly surprised that he wasn't too, but he always seemed to be the more confident one when it came to these sort of things.

Finally, the walkers started to thin out. As less and less hobbled past them, the relief started to flood in. They waited until several minutes passed and none came around, but before she could even take a step out, she felt the brim of his hat graze her forehead. Her eyes were drawn back to him and she tried to harden her gaze. She tried so much not to fall into his charm that had captured her from the start, but her face softened just enough that he noticed.

Slowly, he bent his head down and brought his lips to hers in a kiss. She squirmed slightly, warmth spreading from her chest to every vein in her body. Her hands lightly scrunched up his t-shirt on his shoulders and she stood on her toes, practically melting even though she had been trying not to. She could almost feel him grinning against her lips and her heart skipped a beat.

Breathlessly, she pulled away and she let her forehead fall gently against his collarbone. He kissed the top of her head briefly and she tried not to blush again.

"Come on. If we're lucky, the rest of the way there should be clear," he murmured into her hair.

Letting out a heavy breath, she pulled away from him, nodding her head slightly and then squeezing out of the hollow tree. She could see the walkers in the distance, but they were too far to notice them. Wouldn't hurt to keep a quick pace, though.

She started with a light jog, her eyes keenly looking ahead of her until they found the road again. The park across the street served as their landmark and it was easy to get back onto the main path from there. The walk there wasn't that long, but it felt way too short with the way they exchanged light conversation and kept a brisk pace. The sign for the shopping mall center was just up ahead, but at the trees thinned, she noticed something not good.

All of the walkers - the thousands of them - were gone. No trace of them. What happened?

"Carl..."

"I know...I didn't think they were going ahead with the plan until next week... I think I remember the route they were taking. If we hurry, we might be able to-"

A loud, earsplitting horn suddenly scared her so bad she nearly jumped down the edge of the cliff. Her boots dug into the ground and she slapped her hands over her ears for a moment, wincing as she adjusted to the loud noise. What was that?!

She shot a glance over at Carl and his face depicted the same confusion that hers had. When her ears adjusted, she removed her hands and squinted, trying to pinpoint the location.

"It sounds like it's coming from..."

"Home," Carl finished for her, his gaze suddenly becoming darker and more intense.

There didn't even need to be any words exchanged for them to know what needed to happen. They needed to get back to Alexandria and help with whatever was happening there.

The two of them started off at a sprint. Possibilities of what was going on rapidly ran through her mind and made her heart beat faster and faster with each breath. Had the walkers gotten back there? Were they just about to come barreling into a scene of blood and bodies? It was these thoughts that kept her running - even when her heart was beating so fast she couldn't even be sure it was there and her lungs were so tight that fire blew through every vein in her chest.

Not once did she slow down. Carl was even faster than her, probably because he knew his sister was back there. If there was one thing in this world he cared about most, it was that bouncing little bundle of happiness.

By the time they finally neared Alexandria, she was covered in sweat from head to toe. Her breaths came out in wheezy gasps, but seeing the state of their new home was what woke her from her exhaustion.

One of the walls had been smashed in by a large truck and walkers were slowly meandering into the large split in the fence.

"Judith. We have to hurry," she spluttered, pulling out her gun and heading right toward the break in the wall, right where the walkers were squeezing through.

Hopefully it wasn't too late.


A/N: Okay guys I'M SO SORRY! Finals were slamming me into the ground and I REALLY needed to focus on those, which didn't give me a chance to write at all. It was horrible and depressing, but it's finally over and I am back to writing! I'm going to try hard to keep my once a week schedule from here on out and the only reasons it might break is because of school. And since I'm back, I do have a question for you guys! I'm thinking about making a Twitter or something similar to keep you guys updated on my stories and to post extra content and such if you'd be interested! I try to keep you guys updated via my profile but it's not instantaneous and it doesn't notify anyone so I think a Twitter might be the best way to go. If you're interested in this, please go and vote on the poll on my profile page and let me know you'd like this! I'm thinking if I get at least ten "yes" responses that I'll go ahead and do that.

As for this chapter, I'm sorry it's a bit on the short side! I'm setting up for some more intense stuff coming up so I wanted a bit of a filler, final fluff chapter before things got bad. I have a huge rollercoaster for you guys for the second half of season 6 and season 7 is going to be a doozy.

Anyway, thank you guys SOOOO much for supporting me even when I was a crap updater! Your kind reviews and feedback has been amazing and I couldn't appreciate it more! I really hope you guys enjoy and for everyone who celebrates, have a MERRY CHRISTMAS! :D

**Also fun fact, if you're caught up on season 7, the song that Carl was singing to Negan that one episode, You Are My Sunshine, is my main theme for Carl and Riley ;)**