I Saw The Lights Go Out - Carl Grimes

Twigs snapped beneath the weight of my boots as I trudged through the forest with a scowl still smeared across my lips. Getting as far away from Alexandria was all that was on my mind and I was determined to do so. I tried my best to cool my head but flashes of the community kept coming back to mind.

Carl squeezed my hand in his, bringing me back for a moment. A sigh escaped me and breathing in the night's air was something I didn't know I needed until know. The smell of pine trees and molting leaves filled my lungs, but still, I craved more.

Carl and I pushed through spiderwebs and spindling branches walking in the direction of nowhere; exactly where I wanted to be. Crickets chirped loudly in the distance and quieted as we got close, the sound soothed my anger and I slowed my pace to a comfortable one.

I couldn't tell how long we walked for, but I wasn't worried about getting lost. These trees were home enough and could guide us anywhere we needed to be; and they did just that.

Standing torn apart and abandoned, we spotted a small white paneled house through a row of eastern redbuds and maple trees. A quaint brown shed stood next to it in even worse condition. A graffitied letter W dripped from the open shed door. Suddenly, a familiar feeling chipped at my mind. Shivers ran down my bare arms as I stared, concentrating on the red paint. The feeling I got worried me which only drew me closer.

Coming up to the house, a path began to form hidden under pine needles and overgrown grass. It wrapped around the house leading to the shed and off through another long row of trees. Taking a moment to listen for walkers, I looked to Carl, a relaxed and curious expression on both of our faces.

Carl took the lead, drawing out his knife from under his dress shirt covering his sheath. I smirked realizing he had it with him even in a preppy house party.

Bracing myself behind Carl, I raised my hands to my face as we entered. The house was incredibly small with narrow halls that lead to closed rooms. We walked the main hall with a thin staircase leading to the upper level to our right. Two archways were open on either side of us, one leading to a dining room, and the other to a living room. Both had been ransacked and upturned, whether from the initial outbreak or scavengers throughout the years.

Each and every wall was made of dark wood paneling making the whole experience a clumsy one from the dark. Our eyes adjusted to the shadows as we scanned the rooms and continued further down the hallway. At the end we found a kitchen with cabinets left open and half on their hinges. The sink was filled with broken dishes and a small table was flipped into the corner.

We moved upstairs next, the wooden stairs creaking loudly as we ascended them. Carl waited just before the top steps and looked around through the banister. He gave me a nod and I followed behind him. Carl then opened a door at the top of the stairs and scanned his head inside before turning around and proceeding down the hall in serious concentration.

I watched him pass by through the banisters, his shadow slipping against my skin from the moonlight peering through the open window. I followed up the last steps, placed my hand on the banister, and turned to follow. He gingerly opened another door, its hinges creaking from the rust. He stepped into the room, his silhouette cautiously moving about before reemerging from the darkness.

Carl looked to me in the doorway, his blue eyes reflecting the light of the moon. He offered me a kind smile before tucking his hand around my waist and leading me back into the hall.