A/N: Quick and go follow my twitter for daily updates/pictures/songs/other cool stuff for this fic and any of my others!: twitter . c.o.m. / . ThatWriterGirl5 (no spaces or periods)

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But I found in you what was lost in me in a world so cold and empty. I could lie awake just to watch you breathe. In the dead of night, you went dark on me. - Dark On Me, Starset


Chapter 26: Eye For An Eye

Walking through a herd of the dead was...jarring to say the least. Riley knew that the plan would work because she trusted Rick, but it still didn't lessen the anxiety that she felt as they walked slowly in between the wandering bodies. As long as they stayed quiet, it was easy to walk right through. A few times, Sam had tried talking to his mother, but was quickly told to be quiet. If he didn't, he'd get them all killed.

The overwhelming death stench didn't bother her as much as she thought it would. Most likely because she was already draped with a sheet covered in walker gore. She had no idea how Rick had come up with this idea in the past, but she was grateful he had. There would have been no way to escape if it wasn't for this idea.

Their steps were slow and calculated, though eventually they got to a small break in the heard by the pond. Rick stopped and each of them grouped around him.

"Alright, new plan. Flares and a few guns aren't enough. Too many walkers, too spread out. We're not going to the armory. We need out vehicles back at the quarry. All of us drive, we'll need to round them up. We leave, we come back," he decided, his voice low.

Her stomach twisted anxiously at the thought of walking like this all the way to the quarry. How long would they even be safe for?

"Alright, but Judith...," Jesse sighed, shaking her head.

The woman was right. The heat of the day was intense and it was only so long before the little girl started to cry for one reason or another. One noise out of her and they'd all be dead.

"I'll take her," Gabriel decided, his features crinkled in determination. "Keep her safe in my church until you all lead the walkers away."

The preacher had never stepped up like this before and it was easy to feel everyone's hesitation.

"Maybe I can?" Riley suggested, though she hated the fact that she would be separated from Carl.

"No. No you're not," Carl replied hastily. "You're not going by yourself. Staying with us. Helping."

She caught his eye, steeling herself slightly. There was no way she wanted to leave him but if it meant keeping Judith safe and helping the plan move smoother than she was willing. "This is helping."

"Can you do it?" Michonne asked, though directing her question to Gabriel instead.

Part of her wanted to scream in frustration. She was trying to offer her help, but they weren't letting her. She wanted their safety. Judith's safety.

"I'm supposed to," Gabriel responded with a slight nod. "I have to. I will."

There was something in the man's voice that spurred Carl and Rick into agreeing. She watched, lips puckering into a frown as he transferred Judith from underneath his shawl to the preacher's. Carl locked his eyes with hers, and she could see his own steely stubbornness. She knew it was because he didn't want her to be alone.

"Take Sam," Jesse said suddenly, only to be met with the young boy's disapproval. "Sam, it'll be safer."

"I'm not leaving you," Sam blubbered. "I can keep going. Please. Let's just go."

A bit of back and forth later, the mother had to give in to her son's wishes. Riley knew Sam wasn't the bravest kid, but she had to respect him in that moment. With a final promise to keep Rick's daughter safe, Gabriel slowly turned and headed back into the herd. Even still, the look of honest terror in Rick's eyes as his daughter was put into someone else's hands made her heart ache. He was trusting a man he didn't trust with one of his own flesh and blood.

She bowed her head, connecting her hand with Carl's once more and leaving her other hand open to whoever was behind her, which happened to be Ron. It felt wrong, but she ignored it and tuned her attention in on her surroundings and her own actions. The more things went right, the more tense she got. She didn't get comfortable like everyone else; she felt more uncomfortable, as if something was bound to go wrong.

The feeling got even worse as the sun slowly descended and left them in the darkness. By then, they were so close to the fence that the anticipation started growing. She was ready to be out of this place and on the way to the quarry. But that's when Sam stopped and wouldn't move.

Jesse tried to urge him forward, but he stayed rooted to the spot, tears forming in his eyes. She kept her grip firmly on both Carl's and Ron's hands, not wanting to break formation and hoping that the boy would just continue to move along.

"Sam. Hey you can do this. Just look at mom," Ron encouraged.

But it seemed like no matter what they said, he remained stationary. Her heart began to thud rapidly in her chest and her grip on Carl's hand tightened. What was she supposed to do? What were they supposed to do? He was just a kid; a kid afraid of the walkers around him and what they might do to him.

The pleads got more frantic and she swayed slightly on the spot, unable to keep still as the anxiety began to rise. They couldn't stay like this. He was starting to cry, to make more noise. Swearing under her breath, she looked around desperately for the closest building they might be able to duck into, but it was too late.

A walker came up behind the boy and latched its teeth into his face, causing her to jump in shock. The adrenaline and anxiety spread through her skin, causing an uncomfortable sensation and the need to want to run. Jesse was screaming, Ron was crying, and Carl was trying to urge the mother away before they attracted more walkers.

At this point, Ron had let go of her hand and she gave him a light shove as she whisper-shouted, "you need to get your mom!"

He didn't even acknowledge her. His eyes were focused solely on his mother as three walkers ganged up on her and took her down. Everything seemed to slow down for a moment and then speed up. The air got caught in her lungs and her throat constricted as overwhelming dread and panic began to wrap its arms around her.

Her eyes flickered briefly down to Carl's wrist, which was locked in Jesse's grip. This moment seemed to snap her out of her stupor and make her realize that he was in trouble. Her free hand scrambled to reach her gun, but Rick spurred into action before she even touched the handle.

The blade of his hatchet came down hard and fast on Jesse's wrist, causing blood to spurt from the wound. Two more hacks cut through the bone and he was free. The two of them fell backwards and she landed slightly beneath him with the feet of walkers in her face. He scrambled to get up and she caught sight of Carl's gun that had fallen into the grass. She reached to grab it, but someone else reached it first. That someone being Ron.

"What the hell are you doing?" she hissed, finally getting to her feet as he jumped back and raised the gun up.

Riley couldn't breathe. He was pointing the gun at Carl and Rick. No. No, no, no, no. She lurched forward to grab onto him, but a walker nabbed her arm and pulled it toward its mouth. A startled cry escaped her lips and she could barely see Michonne slicing through the teen as she pried her arm from the dead and shoved it back. A gunshot barely registered in her mind and she was spinning around, prepared to run with the others to the fence if that's what had to be done.

But her eyes jumped up at just the wrong moment and everything came rushing to her so fast she felt like she was going to pass out.

Carl looked up slowly, blood spilling down the side of his face and a gaping wound where his eye should have been. The gunshot...

"Dad...?" he managed, looking up at his father before he plummeted to the ground.

"NO!" the scream tore through her throat, leaving it raw and throbbing as her knees buckled.

She crawled to him, shaking him lightly as her shoulders jolted back and forth with an unreleased sob. Everything hurt and she was pulled roughly to her feet before she could even get the chance to see if he was even alive. Rick scooped his son up, not hesitating to lunge forward through the crowd of monsters. Her feet tripped up as she followed, her heart throbbing painfully as hot, salty tears branded themselves into her skin.

What if he was dead? He can't be. He's not dead. He's going to be okay...

Her vision was blurred with tears and she could barely see in front of her, but the looming figure of Rick cradling Carl in his arms kept her moving. She couldn't fall behind. She needed him. Needed him like oxygen. Needed him like water. She couldn't lose him.

The door ahead of them to the infirmary opened up and was promptly shut behind them. Words were said, but she couldn't hear anything. Her body was wracking with sobs as she overlooked him on the gurney.

"P-p-please," she choked, a hand practically crushing her heart in her chest as she looked at his broken body.

Michonne pulled her tightly to her chest and she didn't protest, slumping in defeat against the woman and staining her shirt with tears. Gosh, she hated crying. She hated it so much but her body refused to keep her anxiety inside. It was all to brief a moment that she was being comforted by the woman before she pulled away.

Riley didn't know what was going on as she and Rick rushed outside and she was shoved aside so they could save Carl's life. Her feet shuffled backwards until her back hit the wall lightly and she slowly slid down to the floor. Everything felt numb and tingly and her lungs carried a weight as if she was underwater. She bent her head low, covering her face with her knees.

Please. Whatever you do, be alive. I don't care if you never remember me. Just be alive.

Everything rushed around her in a blur. People were scrambling around and distinct gunshots echoed in her mind as she sat perfectly still. She didn't know how long she sat there or what even happened during that time period, but everything suddenly went silent. The gunshots ceased. The shouting ceased. Everything became quiet.

Slowly, she looked up, bringing her surroundings into focus. The area where Carl had been on the gurney was now clear and the only person remaining was Michonne. Her limbs moved of their own accord and she stood, her stiff body groaning in protest. The woman looked up, seeming somewhat relieved at the sight of her standing.

"Hey, hey...," she murmured softly, coming over.

The first words that left her lips were, "is he...?"

"Yes he's... He's alive. I told you earlier but...you wouldn't move. I don't think you heard me. Denise said that you were in shock. No one could get you to move."

Her breath hitched and she racked her brain for the memories of that event. She couldn't even remember them telling her he was alive. All she could remember was him falling to the ground and rushing in here for help and the overwhelming feeling of despair. But hearing that he was alive...her shoulders slumped and exhaustion slapped her right in the face. Every inch of her body felt drained of energy.

"Where is he?" she asked, taking a wobbly step to the left.

Michonne promptly reached out to steady her and shook her head. "You need to rest. Denise said you'd be exhausted when you snapped out of it."

"Where is he?" she repeated, determined to see him even if she was about to fall over.

The woman drew in a deep breath, realizing that there was no way she was going to convince her not to go. "Come on."

Riley dipped her head slightly as a silent thanks and shakily followed after the woman. All of her strength seemed to have left her and she knew that as soon as she finished seeing Carl, she would probably pass out for the rest of the day. She just needed to see him, make sure he was really alive. The image of him collapsing to the ground kept replaying in her head and she had to make sure. She had to know.

Michonne opened the door to a room in the back and she slowly entered, her breath hitching as soon as she saw him laying in the bed. A bandage covered most of his face, but otherwise he just looked like the same Carl she knew, sleeping rather peacefully. Her gaze shifted to his bare chest, focusing on the regular rhythm as he breathed. It was almost like she was trying to convince herself that he was alive even though it was so very obvious.

"Rick will probably be back soon. Denise made him go and rest. When he gets back, it's your turn," Michonne said, giving her shoulder a squeeze before backing out of the room.

She was met with silence that seemed to stew time for thought. Gently, she placed her hand on the mattress to support herself as she made her way over to the chair next to the bed. For a long while, she just sat there and stared at him, trying to make sure he was real and that it wasn't a dream. It was stupid, but she had just been so afraid. She saw him get shot in the face. And yet somehow he was alright.

"I thought you were dead," she croaked suddenly, drinking in his peaceful features. "You just... There wasn't anything I could do and I..."

She drew in a shaky breath to try and keep herself together. When he turned with his face all bloodied and fell to the ground, she could practically feel him slipping through her fingertips. Everything in that one moment had crumbled around her.

"You remember when we first met? I hated you. You were annoying and liked to go against everything I said. But I only hated you guys because I was afraid of getting too close. And you know what I told myself when I agreed to come along? I told myself not to get attached." A trembling laugh escaped her lips and she shook her head lightly. "Now look at me. I'm a crying mess. I need you. I need all of you. I was so afraid to let you in, but now that I have...I can't let you go..."

She'd been so hurt before. Dylan abandoned her. Her parents died. Everything she knew was left behind. She didn't want this kind of pain, but it was too late for that. She was clinging to him, clinging to this group more than ever.

Gingerly, she leaned back in the chair and rested her head against the wall, mulling over her next words. There was so much she wanted to say, but her mind was starting to catch up with her exhausted body. Before she could even formulate her next words, her eyes were shutting and her body slumped in the chair as sleep cradled her in a blanket of black.


A/N: Alright so quick announcement before the author's note. I made a twitter specifically for sharing extra content with you guys (ThatWriterGirl5 or twitter . c.o.m. /. ThatWriterGirl5 without spaces and periods if you breezed over the quick note at the beginning). I will be posting aesthetics, picture edits, songs, videos, basically anything extra that pertains to any of my stories (including this one!) over there. I will also be posting updates on chapters, for example if I cannot post a chapter that week or anything of that sort. School has started up for me so updates might be a bit more irregular.

Anyway, so we finally got to Carl's big moment. I've been so excited and ready to get to this because for me, not only does it mean emotionally torturing poor Riley (lol oops xD), it also means that the two months between episode 9 and 10 can be filled in with my own material. I have A LOT planned and it's going to go in a very different direction than many of you may think, so be ready for some intense stuff!

So I figured out exactly what I'm going to give you guys as a special treat for hitting 100 reviews! I'll tell you this much: it will be a chapter in Carl's POV. BUT! But I can't exactly tell you what it'll be about because it's something to do with a plot I have coming up and it would totally spoil it. So a Carl chapter will come eventually, but I can't tell you what it is yet and I'm most likely going to post it as a separate one-shot and not as a chapter here since it would ruin the flow of the story. I'm also going to make a photo edit for you guys as well, but that might take a bit more time depending on the pictures I can work with.

I hope that waiting an extra week was worth it! Thank you guys so much for all of the support, reviews, favorites, etc and I hope that you guys liked the chapter and have a fantastic day! :)