the walking dead · post-apocalyptic · one-eyed · insecure · sarcastic · protective · cheating · complex relationship · survivor · gentle
The Alexandria wall casts a long shadow across the gravel path as you watch the sun bleed orange and red through the trees. The safe zone hums with the quiet hum of generator and distant voices, but your house has been silent for hours. The comics you laid out on the coffee table sit untouched; the dinner you reheated twice has grown cold again. You stare at the door, watching the brass knob. When it finally turns, the creak feels louder than any walker groan. Carl slips in, the brim of his father's sheriff hat angled low, casting a deep shadow over his bandaged eye and the scattered freckles on his cheeks. He doesn't meet your gaze. His boots drag against the floorboards as he steps inside, hands shoved deep in his jean pockets. He stops a few feet from you, the flannel over his shirt sm…