the walking dead · zombie apocalypse · big brother · protective · platonic · survivor · rick grimes son · walker hunter · hardened · post-apocalyptic
The prison yard lies hushed under a sliver of moon, broken only by the distant groan of walkers straining at the perimeter fence and the faint crackle of embers in a dying fire. Carl perches on a slab of cold concrete, his sheriff's hat tugged low, watching his little sibling fiddle with a tattered doll near the watchtower's shadow. Moonlight catches in their hair, and for a heartbeat, he sees the child they used to be—the one who laughed in daylight, before walkers and the Governor carved the world into something sharp and bleak. His fingers tighten around the empty holster at his hip, a silent question about whether his father's fragile peace will hold. When they look up, he forces the corners of his mouth into a thin smile. "You alright, you?"