Hey guys! Sorry for the long ass wait, I've been really inactive lately due to two deaths in the family. A lot of shits been happening in my life and I lost inspiration for a bit, but it's come back, so here's part 2 to Little Girl.
"Is it safe where we're going, now?"
You were in the truck with Rick and the other survivors you'd recently met. They had saved your lives and they were even being generous enough to bring you back to their camp, where they had food, water and supplies. They even mentioned a few other children there who would be excited to meet you, especially two little girls called Eliza and Sophia. You were a little embarrassed to meet them; all you had on was your sleeping shorts, a grimy shirt, muddy bunny slippers and an equaly dirty bathrobe. And let's not forget your teddy bear, Mr Snuffles.
You giggled as Glenn, one of the friendly survivors, drove past in a red and black sports car, the alarm going off loudly and him whooping like he was having the time of his life. "At least someone's enjoying themselves..." Mr Morales muttered from his seat next to Rick.
Eventually, we made it to the camp and the truck rolled to a slow stop. Nervousness filled your stomach at the thought of meeting new people. What if they were mean? What if they kicked you and Rick out? What if Eliza and Sophia didn't want to be your friends? Mr Morales got out of the truck and Rick followed, lifting you out from your seat since it was quite the amount of distance between the truck and the ground that you were carefully placed on.
"Amy!" the woman you now knew as Andrea ran up to her sister, a pretty young girl with straight blonde hair, hugging her tightly and kissing her face.
Two small children and a woman ran up to Mr Morales, embracing him tightly. You watched as families reunited with slight jealousy. You'd never see your parents again. You'd never see your family again. But you were forced to watch everyone be all happy and tearful while you were still broken. "Helicopter boy, come say hello!" Mr Morales yelled to Rick. You grabbed onto his hand tightly and he smiled reassuringly at you, tugging you along as you walked towards the group of people who watched you curiously.
"Dad? DAD!" suddenly, a young boy came running up to Rick, a large grin on his face. You stepped to the side as you watched Rick's face fill with disbelief, and then absolute joy. They embraced each other tightly as they cried, a woman with long brown hair soon coming to join them. You felt more than a little awkward watching the family reunite, but you couldn't help but smile. On your way to the city, Rick had explained to you that he was searching for his wife and son and that when you did find them, you'd be a new edition to the family. He had described Carl to you, saying that he was a happy boy who always smiled through the hardest of times. He had promised the two of you would get along.
"Lori, Carl, I want you to meet Y/N," Rick said finally releasing them. You felt your face heat up as Lori and Carl looked at you with very different expressions. Lori seemed sad to see you in the terrible state you were in, a motherly look in her brown eyes. Carl, however, looked incredibly excited, barely even noticing your current state. He had a new play mate. "I found her, just before I met the others. She was all on her own, so I took her in. I want-"
"So you're my new sister? Cool!" your face nearly burst into flames when Carl ran up to you and hugged you. "Thanks for bringing my dad back," he whispered to you. Awkwardly hugging him back, you responded, "I didn't do anything, your dad saved me,"
"Y/N, right?" Lori kneeled next to you, taking a tight hold of both of your hands. She smiled warmly and you were reminded of how your mother used to smile at you. "As far as I'm concerned, you're part of my family."
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"Y/N, do you think these would fit you?" Sophia ran up to you, a pile of neatly folded clothes in her arms. Dale introduced you to all the other children and you and the blonde girl hit it off almost immediately. She was pretty and shy, but she quickly grew comfortable with you. "They should, I think," you said, taking the clothes from her. You knew they would be a bit baggy, considering that Sophia was quite tall for a ten-year-old girl, but anything would be better than your ruined bed clothes. "Good, I can come down to the river with you so you can wash up if you want? Don't worry, no one else is down there," she said.
"Okay, I'll just tell Rick where I'm going," you said, running over to the dark-haired man.
"Rick, I'm going down to the river with Sophia to get washed up," you said, smiling shyly at Carl and Lori. "Just to the river, alright?" he said. You nodded quickly and scampered off to Sophia, following her to the fresh-water stream. "So how did Mr Grimes find you?" she asked.
"I was alone for a few days. My mommy and daddy got bit by the monsters, so they didn't make it. I was just wondering around and then Rick saw me and told me he was a cop, and then I went with him," you explained.
"Would you have gone with him if he wasn't a cop?" Sophia asked curiously. You shook your head.
"No, probably not," you said. You were at the stream now and Sophia kept guard as you washed the shocking amount of dirt and dried blood from your body and hair. Finally, you got changed into the denim dungaree dress and pink long-sleeved shirt along with the pair of shoes she'd given you. You had no idea how Sophia could be so nice to someone she barely knew, but then you realised it was probably because of her parents. You hadn't met them yet, but you could only guess they were nice people if they raised such a sweet daughter.
"I'm done!" you yelled and Sophia turned around.
"You look cute," she smiled, making you smile in return. Together, you walked back to the camp quickly, as it was quickly darkening and the dark honestly terrified you both. "Wow, you look like a new person," Rick joked as he saw you, making you giggle.
"They're Sophia's," you said.
"She's super nice, isn't she?" Carl said, making said girl grin brightly. So far, you were really liking it here. Sophia was all smiles and sunshine, Carl was as friendly as ever and Lori kept on smiling warmly at you. You could really see a potential future with these people.
"Do you like comic books?" Carl asked excitedly. Darkness had fallen over the camp and everyone was gathered around a large fire, eating dinner and talking amongst themselves. Rick and Lori sat on a log behind you and Carl, Rick having his arm protectively wrapped around his son and Lori playing with strands of your hair. "I never really read comics about superheroes, but I always read manga," you said.
"Manga? What's that?" Carl asked.
"Did you ever watch Pokémon? Or Dragon Ball Z?" you asked. You watched as Carl's face lit up with excitement and he nodded eagerly. "Well, manga's like the illustrated adaptations of them. Kind of like comic books, in a way, but you have to read them back to front." you said.
"Back to front? Why?" Carl asked.
"Because that's how they read in Japan," you informed, feeling smart for your little knowledge of anime and manga.
"That's so cool! Mom, can we move to Japan?" Carl asked. Lori cracked a smile.
"Maybe one day, sweetie. For now, we're staying in Atlanta," she said.
"Aww," you and Carl said in unison, disappointed.
"Who's your favourite Pokémon?" Carl asked.
"Pikachu!" you exclaimed. Carl crinkled his nose.
"Pikachu? He's so mainstream! I like Charmander better," he said.
Rick and Lori listened into your conversation fondly, happy with how well the two of you were getting on. "You made the right call," Lori murmured to her husband.
"With what?" he asked quietly, for he was listening to their debate on whether or not Pidgie the Pokémon was useful, and they had some pretty valid points. "Y/N," Lori whispered. "You did the right thing, bringing her here. She's a sweet little girl,"
"Yeah...I'm happy I found her, too." Rick said.
"No, that's a lie! How dare you insult Jigglypuff?" you cried.
"I didn't, I just said Bulbasaur's cooler," Carl stated. Your jaw dropped and you looked to Louis, Mr Morales' son for help. "Louis, who's cooler - Jigglypuff or Bulbasaur?" you demanded.
"Jigglypuff is for girls, it's pink," he answered. His sister shrugged.
"I've never watched Pokémon," Eliza said, playing with her doll's hair.
"Told you," Carl said smugly. Your only response was poking your tongue out at him playfully.
"Alright, you two, get ready for bed," Lori chided, patting your backs. You both groaned and began to complain. "But it's too early!" Carl said.
"I'm not sleepy!" you said.
"Guys, you won't be able to wake up tomorrow. Bed, now. Carl, show Y/N where our tent is, okay?" Lori said, a note of finality in her tone. Huffing, Carl stood up and you did the same. "Goodnight, everyone," Carl said and you waved to say the same. Everyone bid their goodbyes and Carl led you far from the fire and to a large blue tent. He unzipped it and crawled in, turning on a lamp so there was a dim light. I went in after him and blushed when I saw there were only two sleeping bags.
"I'm guessing my mom and dad are sleeping together, so we can share," he said casually. You were more than a little awkward sharing a tight space with a boy, but he didn't seem to mind so you forced yourself not to mind. Carl squeezed into the red sleeping bag and you squished yourself in after, zipping it up at the side and laying as still as ever.
"Aren't you sleepy?" Carl yawned, squirming to make himself comfortable.
"I thought you weren't," you giggled, remembering his defiance to go to bed a few minutes ago.
"I thought so too, but now I am...It must be because you're so comfy," he suggested, wrapping his arms around your waist and snuggling into you more. Your face felt very hot, but you just shook it off and allowed him to cuddle with you. "Thanks," you said, your lids beginning to feel heavy.
"Goodnight, Y/N. Thanks for bringing my daddy back home," he murmured, half asleep.
*****************************************
"Y/N! Wake up, let's go play!" you were shaken to attention the next morning, peering through your eyelids to see none other than the energetic brunette boy hovering over you, an excited smile on his face. "Huh? Carl, I'm sleepy still," you moaned, but sitting up and rubbing your eyes nonetheless.
"C'mon, Mom said we can go play in the woods!" he said, as if he was trying to tempt you. You really wanted to roll over and go back to sleep, but you didn't want to disappoint your new friend. "Okay, let's go," you agreed, you and Carl leaving a sleeping Rick behind in the tent. The boy led you over to the edge of the where the camp met the treeline, Sophia, Louis and Eliza already standing there, waiting. "I got her!" Carl called out.
"Finally," Louis said, rolling his eyes.
"Good morning, Y/N," Sophia greeted quietly, Eliza waving at you as well.
"What game we playing?" Louis asked.
"Can we play hide and seek?" Eliza asked, but Sophia shook her head quickly.
"That's dangerous! I don't wanna get lost in the woods," she said.
"Baby!" Louis sang, taunting Sophia.
"Don't make fun of other people!" Carl chided, glaring at the younger boy.
"How about tag?" you tried, gripping onto Mr Snuffles.
"Who's it?" Sophia asked. Carl grinned and pointed a finger at everyone in turn, including himself while chanting, "Eenie, meenie, minie, moe! Catch a tiger by the toe! If it hollers, let it go, eenie, meenie, minie, moe! My mother said to pick the very best one and you...are...IT! EVERYONE, RUN AWAY FROM ELIZA!"
You all shrieked with laughter and ran away from the Hispanic girl, who chased everyone with equal enthusiasm. "Sophia, I got you! You're it!"
Unfortunately for you, you was right next to Sophia when she got tagged, so you were next. You eventually caught up to Carl and tapped his shoulder lightly. "You're it!"
This went on a cycle for a while, and you were having so much fun, you didn't realise how deep you were going into the forest until it was too late. "Carl, no fair! I got you!" Louis exclaimed. Your friend stuck out his tongue playfully and ran away. "You'll never catch me alive!"
Naturally, you all followed Carl, until he suddenly stopped dead in his tracks.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Sophia asked, but then you caught sight of what was before you.
One of the monsters knelt with its back towards you, the corpse of a buck under it. You could hear the gushing wet sounds of meat and guts being devoured and the hungered snarling of the creature.
You screamed in absolute terror.
Everyone ran away but you were frozen in fright. Carl gripped your hand, trying to tow you away from the scene as you continued to cry and scream. "Dad!" Carl yelled, desperate for help. "Mom! Come on, Y/N, we gotta go!" he shouted. All you could do was cry louder when the monster turned its head towards you, attracted by the noise. Finally, you could move your feet again and ran away while holding onto Carl's hand, screaming and sobbing.
The other children shouted for their parents and you all met them half way, each and every adult looking scared beyond belief. "Carl, Y/N! Are you both okay?!" Lori hugged you both and wiped away your tears. "There-there was a monster out in the woods!" Carl explained shakily.
"Did anyone get hurt?" Lori asked, her voice becoming higher. You shook your head.
"N-no, Carl made sure I didn't g-get hurt," you said, voice muffled by the woman's shirt. Lori cradled you both close as the men killed the walker, not wanting you to see the violence. "We should take the children back to camp," Jacqui suggested, and the other mothers agreed in a heartbeat. You were all ushered back to the RV, where you were told to sit and play in there.
"They never come up here," Sophia whispered, hugging her knees to her chest.
"Why now?" you asked, (e/c) wide and fearful.
"I don't know," Carl said. "But the more important thing is, what are we supposed to play now?" you almost laughed at how distressed the boy sounded over the fact they could no longer run around. "What about I Spy?" Eliza suggested.
"That's boring," her brother commented.
"You got any better ideas?" she demanded, and he shut up immediately. So there you sat for the next half an hour or so, playing the undeniably boring game until you heard shouting from outside the RV.
"You mean to tell me, you left my brother handcuffed to a roof and LEFT HIM THERE?"
You all jumped and looked out the windows nervously, to see a fight unfolding between an unknown man and Rick. Eventually, words were spoken and the man seemed to calm down some, though he looked really sad. You then remembered that he was probably the brother of the man Rick left on the roof back in the city and felt guilt consume you. Sure, you hadn't done anything to him personally, but you felt as if you could've done something to make it better.
A while later, Rick, Glenn, T-Dog and Merle's brother came up with a plan to go back and retrieve the man. You were happy that no one else had to die, but you were also afraid that not everyone would make it back. Lori wasn't all that enthusiastic about the idea either, but once Rick had set his mind to something, there was no stopping him.
And so, the next morning the four men took the truck and drove off into the city in sear of Merle Dixon, praying he was still handcuffed to that roof. "I want you kids to stay nearby, okay?" Lori ordered, you and Carl nodding quickly. She didn't want another incident like yesterday. No one did.
"What should we play today?" Eliza asked, sitting cross-legged on the dirt in plain view of the adults.
"Can we play with our dolls?" Sophia asked excitedly, eyeing your Mr Snuffles and Eliza's red-headed fabric doll. You grinned at the idea, but Carl and Louis automatically shied away. "Well, you girls do that. We're gonna go..." the Hispanic boy looked around frantically for an excuse.
"Help Jacqui! We're gonna go help Jacqui! Bye!" the two took off and left the three of you laughing. Sophia, Eliza and yourself all had wild imaginations and so when they were put together, Mr Snuffles was no longer a simple teddy bear, but a magical space guardian of Princess Galatica, also known as Eliza's doll. You went all out, imitating their voices nad making them run around. The adults couldn't help but chuckle when they overheard some of your conversation, reminiscing in their own youthful days.
Andrea and Amy came back, carrying a huge amount of fish on hooks. The other members of camp applauded them. "Would you look at that!" Mr Morales walked towards the two girls, graciously taking the fish from them. "Thanks to you, my children will eat tonight!"
"Thank Dale, it's his boating gear," Andrea said, grinning.
"Mom, look! Look at all the fish!" Carl was tapping Lori on the shoulder, pointing excitedly at the salmon. "I know, sweetie, I can see," she laughed as he poked the dead fish with wide eyes. "Where did you learn to do that?" she asked the sisters.
"Our dad," Amy answered casually, taking a sip from her water.
"Can you teach me how to do that?" Carl asked hopefully.
"Sure! I'll teach you all about nail knots, and stuff!" Amy answered, earning an amused look from Andrea. "What about us, Amy?" Eliza asked.
"Yeah, can we learn too?" you added.
"I'll teach all of you kids, don't worry!" the blonde girl laughed. "Just ask your parents fir-"
"Papa!" Eliza looked at her father, who nodded at her. Sophia swung her head around.
Carol threw her a thumbs up. "Of course sweetie,"
You almost looked around in search of your own parents, but then you remembered that they were gone. Your bottom lip began to tremble and Lori, along with the other adults seemed to notice this. But before they could offer any comforting words, you promptly burst into tears. Carl was by your side in a second, wrapping you in a hug. "Aw, what's wrong, Y/N?" Sophia asked, rubbing your back as Eliza looked at you in concern.
"I-I want my mommy and daddy b-back!" you sobbed, voice muffled by Carl's shoulder.
"Oh, Honey," you suddenly heard Lori's voice and she wrapped both you and Carl in a motherly bear hug, stroking your hair. "I know it hurts and I know they're gone...But you have a family right here," she whispered.
"We'll look after you!" Eliza said, offering a gentle smile. Their words made you feel slightly better, but there was still a hole in your heart. "Y/N, if it makes you feel any better, I'll kiss a fish!"
Carl's random statement made you halt your crying and look at him in question. He had managed to get up, pick up a salmon and sit back down next to you. "Wha?" you asked, wiping your tears.
"I'll kiss a fish! It'll be funny!" he cheered, holding the animal up to his face. Lori bit her lip to hold back laughter and the other children began to giggle. You allowed a smile to form on your face. "You don't have to-"
"Nonsense!" and with that, he planted a firm kiss on the fish, only to gag and throw it to the floor, coughing and spluttering while wiping his mouth. "Ewwww! It's all gross!"
You began to laugh hysterically, tears of sadness becoming tears of laughter. "You feel better now?" Lori asked. You nodded. "Yeah, I'm okay."
"Hey, Dale? When was the last time you oiled those fishing rods? They were a disgrace!" Andrea joked as the elderly man appeared, but he looked far from amused. He had a look of worry on his wrinkled face and his brown eyes looked around at everyone. "I...Don't mean to alarm anyone, but...we may have a bit of a problem."
Joe, an older member of the group, had what the grown ups called sunstroke. I meant he wasn't able to think straight, so he needed to have a time-out by the tree. He was behaving quite erratically, which scared you children, but that didn't stop you from having to do the school work Carol made for you.
"Sorry if I scared you kids," he apologised from his time-out area. "The sun just cooked my head, is all."
"You had sunstroke, nobody's blaming you," Lori smiled at him.
"You kids aren't stills cared, are you?" he asked apprehensively.
You, Sofia and Carl all looked at each other before shaking your heads. "No sir," you said. Joe smiled and nodded. "Joe?" Dale asked. "Did you have a reason for digging so much?"
"I did, can't remember it." Joe said, but quite rushed. He then looked down and sighed, then saying, "It was something I dreamt last night." he looked at Carl. "It had you and your dad in it. You was worried 'bout him."
Carl looked fairly shocked, but then glued his eyes back to his work. "Are you worried 'bout your dad?" Joe asked. Carl shrugged, answering in a quiet voice. "They aren't back yet..."
"We don't need to talk about that," Lori said pointedly to Joe, patting her son's back. Joe ignored her.
"Your dad's a police officer, kid. He helps people - probably just came across some folks that need help, that's all. That man, he's tough as nails. I don't know him well, but I can see it in him. Am I right?"
Joe looked up at Shane who nodded. "Oh, yeah."
"Ain't nothin' gonna stop him from getting back to you and your mom, I can promise you that."
There was a moment of silence, and then Shane spoke again. "Right, who wants to come help me clean some fish?"
"Sweet! C'mon, guys!" Carl said, shooting up and dashing after shane with you and Sophia hot on his tail.
The next chapter will be up soon! 💖
