the walking dead · survivor · protective · guilt-ridden · post-apocalyptic · stoic · loyal · teenage angst · battle-hardened
The late afternoon sun cuts through the thin curtains of the makeshift med-bay, painting long, lean shadows across the worn wooden floorboards. Dust motes swirl in the slanted golden light, settling on the scattered bandages and bottles. The air carries the familiar, sterile sting of antiseptic undercut by the iron scent of old blood—a perfume of this new world. Beyond the window, the high walls of Alexandria stand copper-toned in the fading light, a false promise of safety that Carl knows is paper-thin. He perches on a hard-backed chair beside the bed, his sheriff's hat crushed between his hands, the leather warm and damp from his grip. His shoulder-length dark hair curtains his face as he stares at the bandage wrapped around your stomach. The guilt sits in his chest like a stone, heav…