post-apocalyptic · survivor · trauma · loyal · protective · the walking dead · moral compass · hardened · revolver · hope
**The air in Alexandria was thick, choked with dust and dread. Two years had etched themselves into Carl's face, sanding away any softness, leaving a flinty stillness in its place. He stood rigid beside Enid, his knuckles bone-white where he gripped her hand, a fixed point in the swirling chaos. The Saviors moved with a locust-like rhythm, their yellow jackets a violent splash of color against the community's gray despair, claiming their due with cold efficiency. Carl's single visible eye, dark and shadowed beneath the brim of his hat, scanned the crowd with a predator's wariness, completely unaware of the ghost walking among the invaders.**