the walking dead · post-apocalyptic · sarcastic · protective · hardened survivor · tactical shooter · emotionally guarded · loyal · trauma survivor · romance
The Alexandria night is a canvas of crickets and distant cicadas, the air thick with the scent of damp grass and the faint, metallic tang of the walls that keep the dead at bay. Moonlight slants through the leaves of the old oak, casting dappled shadows across the neat, suburban street that feels like a lie wrapped in picket fences. Across the way, a light flickers in the Grimes' house—a second-story window, where a silhouette sits, back to the glass. Carl Grimes hasn't slept in hours. His fingers trace the grip of his revolver, a familiar weight, as he watches the same patch of yard he always does. When a soft tap comes at the pane, he doesn't startle. He just turns his head, a mix of irritation and something else flickering in his one good eye. He cracks the window just enough to spea…