61: The Next World

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Since the walker invasion of Alexandria about three weeks earlier, the atmosphere has been differentโ€” in a positive way. Believing that any major threats were out of the way, people could go on with their lives and sleep peacefully at night. Most people.

Elle's eyes shot open as she woke up from yet another nightmare. She was covered in a thin layer of sweat and she seemed almost out of breath. She looked over at the digital clock that sat in her bedside table, 1:49. It was barely two in the morning, yet that's the longest she's slept in the last week and a half. She lifted the bottom of her tee-shirt, using it to wipe her face before getting up to go to the bathroom.

She quietly crept through the hallway and into the bathroom, turning on the light as she closed and locked the door. When she turned around, she was met by her reflection in the mirrorโ€” which wasn't exactly flattering. Her hair was frizzy and her eye bags dark, evident of the fact that when she did sleep, it wasn't very well. She sighed and decided to just get her business done and attempt to go to sleep again.

She washed her hands before leaving the bathroom, drying them on the hand towel that hung on the wall. She turned off the light and quietly made her way toward her room when she heard a small thump come from Carl's room. Whether or not Carl was good at hiding it, he was sleeping worse than Elle. Ever since his accident, nights have been rough. He has nightmares every night, but it's the same nightmare every time, and every time he wakes up at the same part. Like most nightmares, you wake up right before some big dramatic moment that shocks you awake to the point where you're sweating and your chest feels heavy, Carl had that every night. Except tonight, it seemed to be worse.

Elle walked as quietly as her socked feet would let her as she walked towards Carl's room. She softly knocked on the door, not wanting to disturb anyone else in the house. She didn't get a response, so she pressed her ear up to the door. She could hear heavy breathing and sniffles, so she slowly opened the door. "Hey, you okay?" She asked, seeing Carl sitting up in his bed.

He shook his head. Elle walked in and quietly closed the door behind her. She walked over to his bed and lied next to him, in the spot she usually slept in whenever she slept in his room. Carl shifted around to lay back down, facing her. The moonlight cast on his face, showing that he had been crying. "Sorry." He said, wiping his face. She shook her head.

"It's okay to cry, sometimes it helps." She spoke in a whisper. Carl looked away from her, still trying not to cry. He pulled the blanket closer to him, the room getting colder as a breeze made its way through the open window. Elle copied his actions, and they moved closer together, their foreheads mere inches from each other. "They're just nightmares, they can't hurt you."

Carl finally looked up at her, his eye meeting hers as it quickly began flooding with tears. She wrapped an arm under his, hugging him as he began crying again. His head settled into her neck, wetting her shirt. She didn't care about that, she just wished there was something she could do to actually help. You can't protect someone from nightmares.



The sun came through the blinds at just the right angle to wake Elle up. She rubbed her eyes and yawned while trying to avoid blinding herself. She looked around to process her surroundings. She remembered going into Carl's room several hours prior, but she didn't remember falling asleep. She noticed that she was laying down and Carl's head was lied against her chest while he slept soundly, his head slowly moving with each breath she took.

Deciding it was for the best, she easily fell back asleep.

"Elle, Carl." Elle quickly woke up when someone shook her shoulder. She looked to see Rick and relaxed. Then she realized it was Rick, and her and his son were currently sleeping in the same bed, on top of each other. She mentally face palmed herself as Rick shook Carl awake. "How'd you sleep?" He was terrible at hiding the smirk that sat on his lips.

"Fine." Carl yawned, sitting up.

"Well breakfast is downstairs when you're hungry, don't forget to get your bandage changed at ten." Rick reminded. Carl gave him a thumbs up, giving him a hint to leave, as embarrassment crept up on his cheeks.

"I hate him." Carl laughed, moving out from under the blankets.

"He's gonna tell everyone." Elle groaned, getting out of bed as well. She stretched and cracked her neck. "I'm gonna go get dressed." She told him, leaving the room and making her way back to her own.

She closed the door behind her and walked over to her dresser. She opened the drawers and grabbed what was on top, resulting in a pair of jeans and a green tee-shirt. She slipped her sweatpants off and put the jeans on, buttoning them before changing her shirt. She pulled her hair out from the back and walked to the bathroom to deal with her hair.

Grabbing a comb, Elle ran it under the water before running it through her hair, detangling it. When she finished feeling like she had gotten all of the knots out, she tossed the comb into a drawer and made her way downstairs to eat.

When she entered the kitchen, all eyes were on her and all conversations came to a halt. "What?"

"How'd you sleep?" Daryl asked, a hint of amusement in his tone. She looked at Rick, who was failing miserably at hiding the fact that he didn't hesitate to tell everybody about what he saw.

"I hate you." She groaned in embarrassment, earning laughs from some of the group.

"We're not at all surprised." Tara chimed in, taking a bite of eggs. Everyone seemed to agree with her. Elle rolled her eyes playfully and got a plate to serve herself breakfast. Carl then came downstairs, also wanting some breakfast.

"Run while you still can." Elle warned. Carl tried to run down the hall, not wanting to face the group after what his father discovered. Although, Jack and his knack for perfect timing stopped him. Jack had just come out of the bathroom and Carl ran right into him.

"No, no. Come on, champ. Let's eat." He turned Carl around and walked him into the kitchen with his hands on his shoulders. "Now, my dad isn't here to give you the scary 'stay away from my daughter' talk, not that he would even give two shits, but I'm here to give you the friendly 'I'm cool with it as long as she is' brother talk." Jack sat for a moment. "Well that was pretty much it, great talk." He gave him a slap on the back.

"Please tell me you guys just," Rick started, thinking of how to word the rest of his sentence. "Slept."

Elle and Carl began defending themselves like their lives depended on it. "Ew, gross."

"We're like fifteen." Elle said, getting a fork from the silverware drawer. Everyone in the group seemed to share a look amongst themselves.

"Most of us were probably sixteen." Maggie chuckled, causing Elle and Carl to groan out in embarrassment.

"I'm not even hungry anymore." Elle claimed, wanting to leave the room.



Ryder knocked on Elle's open door, announcing his presence. She looked up from her book. "What's up?"

"Oh nothing." He said in a teasing tone. "I heard that you slept pretty well last night." He sat on the end of her bed, shooting her a wink.

She threw the book at him, hitting him in the shoulder. "Shut up." He put his hands up in defense.

"Alright, I'm just saying that I know I never cuddled with my friends in bed." Her eyes widened.

"It was barely cuddling, I was helping him after he had a nightmare." She shrugged. She couldn't deny the fact that since Ryder had said something weeks ago about 'something going on' between them, she thought about it. She questioned whether or not she had feelings toward the boy, it was hard because even before anyone mentioned anything, they were really close. For a while, they were the only kids in the group, it being completely natural for them to get close. At the time, she never questioned if her feelings were anything more than just caring for him.

"You are so blind." Ryder rolled his eyes. Elle furrowed her eyebrows, clearly offended by what he said. "I'm not having this conversation again."

"You're the one who keeps bringing it up." Elle argued, not wanting to have the conversation either.

"You're the one who keeps sleeping in his bed." He laughed. She gasped dramatically and started shoving him off the bed.

"Get out." She laughed while pushing him towards the door. He put his hands up in surrender and walked out. She walked over and picked up her book from the floor, trying to find her page again as she sat down on her bed.

She skimmed over each page, seeing if the words were familiar or read recently. As she felt that she was getting closer, she flipped each page, quickly reviewing them. Just as she found her page, there was a knock at her door. She didn't look up from the book and continued reading where she left off while responding. "Go away, Ryder."

"Not Ryder." The voice responded, causing her to look up from the page. Carl stood in the doorway, with obviously clean bandages. "My dad and Daryl left a little bit ago on a run, Enid and I were going to go out into the woods if you wanted to join us." He offered.

"Sure, I'll be down in a second." She folded the corner of the page down and closed the book, not wanting to lose her place again, and set the book on her bedside table. She pulled her shoes on and grabbed her knife from her dresser, closing her door behind her.

She quickly made her way down the stairs in attempt to not get held back by anyone asking where she was going. When she reached the living room, Carl and Enid were sitting there waiting for her. She gave them a small smile, letting them know she was all set.



Elle trailed a little behind Carl and Enid, trying to enjoy their walk in the crowded woods. They had gotten to a point where the trees were slender and spaced out, but weeds and bushes took over the forest floor, not allowing them to travel as quietly as they would have liked. With each step, they had to pick their feet up a little higher and they were met with a soft crunch when it was back on the ground.

"Look." Enid spoke softly, gaining the attention of the other two kids. Carl stopped walking, letting Enid step in front of him to grab whatever it was she saw on the ground. Elle caught up to see her holding a shiny, yet deflated ballon with a paper attached to it.

"What's it say?" Carl asked as Enid separated the note and the balloon. She unfolded the paper and looked over it, seeing if she could read any of the writing.

"It got wet, it's all gone." Elle looked over Enid's shoulder, seeing the paper with no ink left on it. Any that was left was running.

"Come on." Carl was quick to move on as Enid looked over the paper again. The girls began to follow, keeping the found items.

"It doesn't look that old," Elle suggested. "I mean, we can't read what they wrote but they wrote something."

"Writing a note alone is saying something." Enid added.

"Like what?" Carl asked. He didn't seem to be as interested in their findings as they were.

"'We're not alone.'" Enid answered, followed by a small laugh.

"We knew that, we saw it. People died." Carl's tone suggested that it was a serious topic.

"Why are we coming out here?" Enid asked, folding the note along the creases it was previously folded on.

"Because we're kids, it's what they do." He sounded like he was trying to convince himself of that. Age wise? Yes, they were children. Mentally and maturity wise? Far from it.

"We're not kids." Elle responded, her voice showing no distinct emotion as she picked a leaf off of a bush before quickly dropping it to her side.



The three of them were sitting in the ground, against a log. By the looks of it, Carl and Enid came here often, probably when Elle never knew where he was. They were reading comics, enjoying the fresh air. Enid had a bag of jerky she was snacking on and offered a piece to Carl, who graciously took it. Elle declined a piece as she continued reading.

The noise of a bush caught their attention, all of them quickly looking in the direction of the sound. "Come on." Enid spoke quietly, picking up her belongings as well as the balloon as she started making her way elsewhere, Elle standing up to follow her.

Carl pulled out his gun, not moving from his spot as he watched closely. Elle wondered what he was looking at, so she followed his gaze and saw two figures moving not very far away from them. She quickly recognized them. "It's just Michonne and Spencer." He said her thoughts out loud, putting his gun away.

"What were they doing?"ย 

"Walking. I don't know." He shrugged, sitting back down and flipping through his comic, trying to find where he left off.

Enid looked down at her feet, clearly thinking about something. Elle began slowly making her way back to Alexandria, only making it a couple of feet before Enid spoke again. "I don't want to come out here anymore." Elle turned back to see Carl close the comic book and put it into the wooden box they hid stuff in, placing his hat back on his head.

"Okay." He said, not looking back as he started walking away. Elle was surprised that he accepted what Enid said. Usually, he would ask questions. No, instead he just accepted it and moved on.

They had only walked for a few minutes before they heard the familiar sound of a walker. A single walker. Carl pulled out his gun, already seeing the undead creature in front of them, hidden behind bushes and branches.

"Carl," Elle thought it was odd he pulled a gun on a single walker instead of a knife.

"Michonne's out here, I'm not leaving it." He seemed to be in a much different mood than just an hour ago. He blew a soft whistle, causing the walker to turn around and face him. Elle mumbled under her breath, calling him an idiot and a moron.

The walker began shuffling closer, a little faster at the sight of food. They quickly realized who they were looking at, Deanna. "God damnit." Elle groaned to herself.

"Hey, come on." Carl spoke at a normal volume, obviously trying to get the attention of Deanna, or what was Deanna.

"What are you doing?" Enid asked, not liking whatever it was the boy had planned to do. Carl ignored her questioning and continued calling out for Deanna.

"What are you doing?" Elle repeated Enid's question, except she had a more stern tone, wanting an answer.

"Just go." He dismissed them. Deanna continued growling as she inches closer and closer. Enid pulled out her knife.

"We should kill it." Her voice was still soft and cautious.

"Go home." Carl turned to her, gun still up. Elle was confused as to why Carl was acting this way, and why he thinks he can talk to them like that.

"This is bullshit." Enid argued. "It should be dead." She took a step in front of him. Carl was quick to grab her arm to try and pull her back. "Let go." She tried pulling her arm from his grasp.

"Just leave."

"Shit." Elle said out loud, as Deanna came up behind Enid, grabbing her shoulder. Carl shoved Enid behind him and Deanna to the ground, pressing his foot to her chest.

"You're not killing it." Elle realized why he was acting this way. Maggie had told her what happened when Lori, Carl's mother, died giving birth to Judith. Carl was the one to put a bullet in his mother's head so she wouldn't turn. He said that it had to be him. Now, he knows Spencer is out here, he should be the one who end Deanna's suffering.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Enid asked.

"You wouldn't understand." He mumbled. Enid stayed quiet and looked away from him. Elle was in that awkward position where she couldn't step in but she couldn't leave, as both would announce that she was actually still there. "You don't want to be out here. You said it. So go home." He didn't look back at them once, keeping his eye on the struggling walker beneath him. Enid didn't speak before she left.

"Carl," Elle spoke, letting him know she was still there. "I know why you're doing thisโ€”"

"Do you?" He used the same tone with her that he did Enid.

"Yeah, I do. But, I'm not going to help you. A small part of me wants to, but I can't." She paused, taking a deep breath. "Just be careful." She turned around and began walking in the same direction as Enid, back to Alexandria. "And watch your tone." She called back.


Elle put her tooth brush back into the toothbrush holder, wiping her mouth. As delicious as Carol's dinner was, she didn't want it stuck in her teeth. She opened the bathroom door, turning off the light behind her before she walked back to her room. She had gotten a bit of a late start in getting ready to go to sleep for the nightโ€” or stare at the ceiling all night due to not being able to fall asleep.

She closed her door and turned off the light, the only light source being the moonlight coming through the window. She walked over to her bed, crawling under the covers as nights began to get cooler. She looked at the clock on her bed side table. 11:32

She closed her eyes, trying to relax and hopefully drift off to sleep.

The slight creak of her door was enough to wake her up. She sat up, rubbing her eyes, trying to see who it was. "Sorry." The soft whisper belonged to Carl. She relaxed a little, a small part of her thought it was some stranger in her room.

"Are you okay?" She asked, really asking why he came to her room.

"Yeah, um. Can we talk?" He asked, sitting on the end of the bed. She yawned as she nodded, patting the spot beside her on the bed. "Actually can we go outside?" It was a weird request, but it's not like she would fall back asleep anytime. She pushed the blankets off of her, grabbing a sweater that lied on the floor and pulling it over her head as she stood up.

Carl took the lead and quietly crept down the stairs, surprisingly not causing a single step to make any sort of noise, Elle doing the same. Nobody else was awake, that they knew of, and they planned to keep it that way.

He quietly and slowly opened the front door, holding it open for her to step out and onto the porch. The wood was cool even through her socks as she walked and sat down on the first step. Carl closed the door and took a seat next to her. "What did you want to talk about?"

"I'm sorry about earlier." He spoke quietly and looked down at the street.

"I know you were thinking about your mom." Elle admitted. He looked up at her.

"I think about her every day, especially whenever I see Judith." He didn't seem sad when talking about her. "Do you think about your mom?"

Elle thought for a moment, realizing she never really did think about either of her parents. They were emotionally absent, and physically. They were always working and whenever they weren't, they were "too tired" to do anything with their kids. They adopted a fourth child, only for him to be the one to take care of the kids they already had.

"Every once in a while. Whenever I see the tattoo, really. I still can't believe I got a tattoo." She groaned, causing the boy to laugh. "I thought I was so cool."

"It's badass." He reassured her.

"They're butterflies."

"Butterflies can be badass." He scoffed. She let out a small laugh. "Since we're admitting 'deep stuff,' I have to tell you something."

Elle got a little excited, "Is it the super embarrassing

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