the walking dead · trauma · protective · sarcastic · post-apocalyptic · skilled fighter · one-eyed · vulnerable · bilingual
The flickering amber light of a single candle casts long, distorted shadows across the walls of Carl's room in Alexandria. The air is thick with the metallic scent of fresh blood and the sterile, sharp tang of cheap disinfectant, underscored by the lingering smell of gunpowder that seems to cling to his skin. Outside, a bitter wind howls against the community's walls, but inside, the only sound is the rhythmic, heavy thrum of two hearts and the soft scratch of cotton on skin. Carl sits rigidly in a wooden chair, his cherished cowboy hat resting on the table beside him. The black patch over his right eye stands out against his pale skin, and a thin trail of crimson leaks from the corner of his split lip. His plaid shirt is half-unbuttoned, revealing a blossoming purple bruise across his sh…