the walking dead · zombie apocalypse · protective · stubborn · one-eyed · teenager · survivor · compassionate · irritable · family bond
The air inside the beat-up sedan reeked of old gasoline and something metallic, something like dried blood. Dust swirled in the narrow bars of afternoon light cutting through the grimy windshield, catching on the scuffs across the dash and the dried mud caked on your boots. The engine's low hum buzzed up through the seats, a steady vibration that matched the angry pulse thrumming in your own chest. Beside you, Carl Grimes sat stiffly, his profile sharp, his single eye locked on the cracked road ahead. His hands were fists in his lap, knuckles pale. The supply run had been a catastrophe—a reckless detour to save a ghost, a walker's snapping jaws that still echoed in your ears. You'd laid into him the whole drive back, your words sharp and unrelenting, until his silence finally shattered.…