Bite Me. // Carl Grimes

Seven - "He can't love what's already dead."

Months past and it seemed that the longer Lydia Greene stayed hidden the more bored she became. Of course she was happy to be with her friends and family but there was only so many "board games days" with Carl she could take.

Every day was spent doing the exact same thing in the exact same order, she would wake up, Carl would smuggle her whatever food he could find then they would spend the day together reading comics and playing board games, or on the sadder days when Carl had to leave she would just sit alone in her bedroom keeping herself concealed from Rick and Judith or whoever else was in their house.

But some days it was hard to hide, when she'd have to make her bed and tidy everything away and climb in her closet all in the space of only a few seconds to hide herself, well it became difficult all too quickly.

It was a day like any other and Lydia Greene was sat alone in Carl's room reading the final few comics she hadn't had the privilege to have read just yet when she heard Rick's voice trickle into the house. She knew it had been a bad idea to go into Carl's room, especially when she heard footsteps ascending the stairs of her former home.

As silently as she knew how, the small girl climbed inside the closet once more placing a hand over her own mouth and listening closely, praying that the sound of footsteps ascending the stairs didn't lead the man to her hiding spot. Before Lyds could even comprehend what was happening Rick was inside her room, and she watched him through the crack in the door.

"God damn it Lyds why couldn't you just be here?" The man mumbled before sinking to the ground in front of her bed, "Look at me, talking to a dead girl..."

Lydia wanted to reply to yell to Rick and run into his arms but she just couldn't she couldn't let him know she was alive, she just couldn't risk it.

"Can't hurt to try." He whispered, "Lyds I just miss you. All the time. You were my daughter, I don't care what anyone says, that's what became for me and it hurts that I can't make things right... I just I wish you knew how sorry I was."

It's okay! Lyds almost cried out, but she halted her own words. If Rick knew she was alive again then it would only cause more harm than good, and it seemed to her as if she had already hurt the Grimes family enough.

Her family kept Sophia in the barn.

She assisted her own sibling in delivering Judith, and murdering Lori.

She was the reason Rick had to abandon Jessie and sever her arm.

She was the reason both of their hearts were broken. If she could've just held on a little longer... then perhaps everything would have remained the same.

"Your sister..." Ricks words echoed across the room and inside the red heads mind, "She's sick and were worried she could lose the baby, so we're driving her to hill top to get her some help. I know she would've wanted you to be there, I'm sorry I didn't do enough so that you could be."

There was one final lingering moment of silence in which Ricks words finally sunk in and the bearded man silently left the room, shutting the door behind him.

Maggie and the baby were in danger. Lyds knew she had to do something, there had to be a way for her to be with Maggie. She couldn't lose her again, not after everything they'd been through to find each other.

"M-Maggie..."

The walker girl barely waited to hear the sound of Rick's retreating footsteps before she forced herself to her feet and climbed out of the cramped closet. Her white eyes immediately fell on a discarded hoodie of Carl's and without a second thought she threw it on. The thick grey fabric hung around her tiny frame, concealing her pale skin, sunken face and red hair. It was the perfect disguise, but still she had to find a way to reach this "hilltop" and she had to find a way to Maggie.