I Saw The Lights Go Out - Carl Grimes

"Hey, lovebirds! Let's go, we're outta here." Glenn's voice shouted from the other side of the store window.

I jumped from Carl's arms stepping back slightly but he kept a tight hold on my waist not letting me go too far. I turned to face Glenn over my shoulder, a blush flowing across my cheeks as he grinned proudly and walked away from our view. I turned to Carl again and rested my head in his chest with an embarrassed sigh.

"Come on, let's go." He chuckled and moved me back slightly. He grabbed hold of my hand, intertwining our fingers before tugging me through the door. I bit my lip at the small gesture as we headed to join the others.

As we step outside under the lowering sunlight I noticed the abundance of supplies Rick's group was able to obtain down the street. They all stood completely soaked to the bone before us, even with the absence of rain. However they got wet, a little water was worth it for all the food and supplies they lugged out of there.

With my jaw dropped in shock, Carl and I walked to the large plastic bins presumably filled with canned foods. Standing before us was more than a dozen crates full to the brim. They all rested on two trollies currently being pushed by Rick and Michonne. Bob rolled a garbage bin behind him as well, which I assumed was filled with food and not trash.

As we approached, the overwhelming smell of decaying rotten bodies hit the two of us like a brick. I immediately pulled Carl back away from the bins and gagged dropping his hand from mine. Although the feeling of his hand missing from mine pained me, the stench of the group stung more.

"What the hell happened to you guys?" I coughed as Carl covered his face with his elbow to look inside the bins without suffering from the smell of boiling walker meat. I continued to keep my distance looking around at the drenched members of my group.

"You guys don't wanna know." Sasha remarked with a wave of her hand and the look of disgust across her face. I was surprised none of them had puked already.

Carl handed me a red flannel handkerchief to breathe through knowing Rick wouldn't want us to stray far from their side on the way back. I took it greedily, eager to get away from the decaying stench. I folded it a few times before placing it over my nose and mouth to peer inside of the bins safely.

From their expressions of discomfort I didn't bring up the smell and their wet state again and neither did anyone else. Instead, I walked alongside Carl back to the church while the shaking cold priest guided our way leaving puddles as a trial.

~

I took in the chill air blowing by through the trees, the sun had set behind us as we walked. As much as I loved being outside in the fresh air on a beautiful day, I didn't love the three walkers I had to kill on our journey. Either way, I happily chew on my gum to offset it, as did half of our group on our trek back home. A small reward for all of their trouble.

The hike to our new home had a comfortable silence to it. With the abundance of food the others found and my feelings for Carl shown back to me, a smile stayed lingering on my lips. Carl walked close but not enough to crowd me, or gain the attention of others. We had only just kissed and yelled at each other, we'd still need to figure the rest out later.

Carl and I trailed at the back of the group allowing us to be together without all eyes our way, all the while to keep the others safe. We kept our distance from each other for awhile at the beginning of the walk, not wanting to cross any lines, but as time went on the distance between us grew smaller.

It started off by Carl bumping into me a few times, to which he blamed on the uneven ground and having to step closer to me so he wouldn't trip. I still didn't believe him, but then I started brushing my shoulder against his like I'd done a hundred times before.