Carl walked down the quiet street lined by abandoned houses on one side, and trees on the other. He imagined that it was probably a nice area to live in before the world went to shit, but the tragedy, devastation, and lack of upkeep was beginning to show on the homes. Some houses had busted windows, others had broken doors, and there were a few with both.

It was too silent for Carl's liking, but he figured he was just too used to hearing gunshots, the groaning of zombies, and general chaos. He was accustomed to the sound of people talking and coming up with strategies for the next run. The sound of people in their group trading and taking shifts. The sound of his baby sister happily babbling even though there was so much bad in the world. That thought pained Carl significantly. He had no idea if his little sister, Judith, was even still alive.

Carl shook his head angrily. He thought back to the moment where he and his father saw her little car seat covered in blood. Thinking about it made Carl's stomach flip, and he felt the need to cry, scream, and vomit at the same time.

Carl couldn't believe the events that took place just a couple of days ago. He knew that the Governor was a bad guy; he knew that eventually, they'd probably have to kill him. He didn't know that absolute hell would break loose and he'd lose people that he considered family. Hershel's death, for instance, was one that he figured he would never forget.

Carl decided that he just needed to stop thinking about it. For now, the focus needed to be on getting food, water and, if he got lucky, a first aid kit for his father, Rick. Carl walked a little further until he saw a house that seemed to be in relatively good condition. He slowly stepped onto the porch before reaching the door, and he paused for a moment to listen to his surroundings. All that could be heard was the wind in the air and the rustle of the leaves. He twisted the doorknob, and he was happy to see that it was locked. That meant that there was a better possibility of finding items that he needed in the house. Carl pulled out his knife and stuck the blade between the door and its frame, and after a couple of tedious minutes, he was able to get it open.

He pulled his gun out and opened the door cautiously. Stepping over the threshold, he noticed that the home was in decent shape. The furniture wasn't destroyed or toppled over, the smell of rotting food wasn't present, and it was pretty clean considering the state the world was in. Carl walked in, slowly and quietly closing the door behind him. He pulled out his knife again and cautiously checked each room on the bottom floor. He didn't find anything useful in the family room, the office, or the dining room. He did manage to find an almost full roll of tissue in the bathroom, but nothing that would heal and sterilize his father's wounds.

Carl made his way to the kitchen and hoped that something would be there. He looked around each corner of the kitchen before deeming it safe to search. He looked over and right in front of his blue eyes was a huge can of chocolate pudding sitting on the counter. Carl remembered when his mother would pack chocolate pudding in his lunchbox before everything happened. He remembered wanting to save the best part of his lunch for last, but always eating it first. It was one of his favorite treats. The memory brought a little smile to Carl's face despite his overall sadness.

Carl took a little moment to remember what it was like when his mother was alive, when his parents were in love, and when his father felt more like a 'dad' than a leader of a group of survivors in the zombie apocalypse. It was nice then. Things were easy… simple. His only concerns in those days were trying to get good grades and finishing his homework quickly enough to go ride bikes with his friends.

No point in dwelling in the past right now, he thought.

Carl knew it would be smarter to check the second floor before trying to open the can in front of him, but he didn't hear anything the whole time he was in the house. He figured it would be okay to take a minute or two to open the can and get a taste. He stuck his knife through the metal and began cutting away at the lid as quietly as he could. The chocolatey smell hit his nose and his stomach growled. He didn't realize how hungry he was because he was worried about his father, sister, and the rest of their group. Carl managed to get the lid off and he looked at the chocolate treat. He was surprised at how something so simple could make his mood a little bit better, and he decided it was because there was nothing in this new world that could really make anyone happy. Carl knew it'd be a good idea to find a spoon first, but he decided that he'd just use his finger for the first taste since he couldn't wait. He took his index finger and dipped it into the pudding.

"You know, I was planning on eating some of that chocolate pudding for breakfast, but I see you've already gotten to it first," Carl heard an unfamiliar voice say.

"Lori? Lori!" Rick yelled as he chased his wife down the tunnels of the prison. She wasn't moving, but the hallway seemed to get longer each time his foot pounded the cement. He was gasping for air, but he didn't stop. He wouldn't stop until he could reach her.

"Stop chasing me, Rick! You can't keep doing this! We can't keep doing this!" she cried, staring at Rick with tears and pity in her eyes.

"But… I love you, Lori," Rick said in between pants while taking a moment to catch his breath.

"You might love me, Rick, but you're not in love with me. Not anymore. You haven't been for a long time." Lori shook her head sadly, upset for the man that she once knew so well.

"I can't do this without you. Carl and Judith need you. I can't do this alone," Rick professed as tears were starting to pool in his eyes.

"You don't have to," she said, smiling sadly. "It's time to let me go."

"I can't lose you ag-," Rick started, but Lori turned around and began to walk away from him, further down the never-ending tunnel. Rick began to run again. "Lori, please! Wait!" He was starting to catch up to her, but he tripped over something that was in his path and hit the floor. He looked over to see what it was, and the sight made him sick. Judith's car seat was now toppled over, blood spilling out of it. The sounds of Judith crying and screaming bounced off of the walls around Rick, and he began to feel faint.

Walkers were coming from around the corners and closing in on Rick. He tried to get up, but he felt too weak and ended up on his back. He was emotionally and physically drained. Rick remained on the floor, looking up and inviting death. A walker ahead of the herd approached Rick slowly before dropping to the floor and opening its jaw-

Rick woke up with a start, sweating profusely and breathing heavily. He sat up slowly and looked around the room, checking his surroundings. Rick was confused at first, but the memories of the past few days bombarded him. He started to feel nauseous, and swallowed hard before realizing that Carl wasn't in the living room with him.

"Carl?" Rick called out weakly. He paused for a second, waiting for a response. When there wasn't one, Rick felt his stomach drop and his heart seized with panic. He attempted to stand up, but he didn't have enough strength and ended up hitting the floor with his knees.

"Carl," Rick called out one more time before he saw black and fainted.

Author's Note: So, this is my first fanfic and I'm more than a little nervous. I'm not the best writer out there, but it's something that I really enjoy doing, and hopefully I can improve over time. I'm not the best at keeping a schedule or making sure I have something written by a certain time. I'm thinking about posting once, maybe (read as: unlikely) twice a week. Don't hold me to that, though! I have no clue where this story is going right now, but I have some ideas, and I couldn't help but start writing as soon as the idea of this story popped into my head. I have another idea for a story, but I'm going to focus on this one for right now. I don't think every chapter is going to be this long, but who knows. Anyway, enough with my rambling! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. Next, we'll meet Michonne!