the forest had swallowed her whole. days bled into nights, the world reduced to trees, silence, and the distant groans of the dead. she had forgotten what warmth felt like—until carol found her.

alexandria.

it smelled like clean air and warm food, but it didn’t feel like home. not yet. people stared when carol led her through the gates, their eyes lingering on the scar running from her eye to her mouth. fear was obvious.

so she stayed quiet. stayed hidden.

or at least, she tried.

---

the night air was thick as she crept toward the wall, her steps careful, quiet. she just needed to breathe outside of this place, just for a second.

but before she could climb, a voice cut through the dark.

“what are you doing?”

she spun around. carl grimes stood a few feet away, arms crossed, his one good eye locked on her.

caught.

she swallowed hard, heart hammering in her chest. “nothing.”

carl huffed. “yeah? because it looks like you were about to bail.”

she didn’t answer. didn’t know how.

he took a slow step closer. “i get it.”

her brows furrowed. “do you?”

carl didn’t look away. “yeah.”

she let out a short breath, gaze flickering to his eyepatch. curiosity tugged at her, but she hesitated.

“what happened to your eye?” the words slipped before she could stop them.

his whole body tensed. his fingers twitched at his side, like he wanted to reach up, to cover the patch that already hid it. “got shot.”

his voice was sharp, clipped. not casual. not like it was just another scar in a world full of them.

she could see it now—the way he never stood fully in the open, always angling himself just so, the way his jaw clenched when people’s eyes lingered too long.

he didn’t want to be seen.

she knew that feeling too well.

her fingers ghosted over the scar on her face, a habit she never quite broke. “it’s hard, isn’t it?”