Chapter 25

Author note at the end. Enjoy.

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As the day wore on, the group fell back onto their rhythm of chores around the farm. Hershel discussed with Rick and others places that were good for setting up the greenhouse and a couple of hours later, they had a greenhouse, with seeds planted in the dirt from the retail chain they found.

Alex, despite his aching body from the beating, threw himself into the work alongside others. This time chatting with Shawn about possibility setting more greenhouse for type of vegetables that wouldn't grow in the open air with Alex agreeing.

Hershel observing from nearby, nodded in approval alongside the older man in their group, Dale. "It's good to see him engaged again." Dale commented, to which Hershel simply smiled. "It's good that he has a good friend." Was the comment after a moment of silence between them.

They wanted to get another run back into town, to which Daryl decided to go once more, alongside Shane and Shawn. They decided to hit the opposite corner of the town so the horde that had formed wouldn't pick up on them or surprise them.

As evening fell, Alex found himself on night watch duty. He sat atop the RV, rifle across his lap, scanning the darkened fields. The events of the day played through his mind, and for the first time in weeks, he felt a sense of clarity and calm. He felt more present instead of going through the flow.

"Mind if I join you?"

Alex turned to see Carol climbing up the ladder already. He nodded, even though she was already beside him, sitting next to him on the picnic chair. "They sat in comfortable silence for a while, the night air cooling them a little.

"I wanted to say thank you." She started, surprising Alex. "I… Don't think you-"

"I do." She stated firmly, her eyes looked more alive than a day ago, whilst there was still grief in them. "It's okay to let people in. To care. Even with everything we've lost." She continued, now looking lost and depressed. As if she was talking to herself, trying to convince herself of what she was saying.

"Maybe especially because of it." She finished with a sigh, wiping unshed tears from her eyes. Alex turned to looking forward, thoughts racing. "I'm sorry we couldn't find your daughter."

That was the only answer Alex could give. He didn't have any excuse for shutting out everyone or denying her words. He didn't lose anything close to him. He didn't lose a loved one, except for Sarah, who at best was a simple acquaintance. The guilt of losing her simply came for not being able to save her for Glenn.

But here was someone that did lose someone extremely loved. More than her own life. Her daughter. And she was taking her time to console him. Breaking him out of his thoughts was her hand wrapping around his, giving him a gentle squeeze. "Thank you for being there for me." She whispered, a lump in her throat.

"For listening to me."

Alex immediately took her hand in between both of his. It trembled in grief as Carol finally cried, to which Alex stood up and wrapped her in a tight hug. He made sure to not squeeze hard, in fear of hurting her, but he held her tight as she cried in his chest. He said nothing and simply held her.

As Carol's sobs subsided, Alex gently pulled back, keeping a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry," Carol whispered, wiping her eyes. "I didn't mean to break down like that."

Alex shook his head, his voice soft. "Don't apologize. You've been so strong for so long. It's okay to let it out sometimes." The words felt empty as even he hadn't taken that advice before Glenn beat him. To which Carol must've figured out as she softly laughed in amusement.

Carol nodded, taking a deep breath. "It's just... some days, the weight of it all feels too much to bear." Alex nodded in understanding, even just a fraction of what she was feeling. Carol wiped her eyes, composing herself. "You know, Sophia used to love nights like this. She'd beg me to let her stay up late, just to look at the stars."

Alex smiled softly, looking up at the night sky. "She sounds like a wonderful girl." Carol, again, softly laughed as Alex sat back down on his picnic chair after a glance to the surroundings. Though, he never left her hand, to show her his support.

"You would have made a wonderful doctor," Carol said, patting his hand. "You have a caring heart, even if you try to hide it sometimes." Alex felt a warmth spread through his chest at her words. It had been a long time since anyone had spoken to him with such maternal warmth as far as he could "remember". "Thank you," he said softly. "That means a lot coming from you."

For another moment, they stayed in their comfortable silent moment, before Alex stood up. "I'll check the perimeters and come back." Carol looked up in surprise. "Do you want me to come with?" She asked but Alex shook his head with a soft smile. "No, I'll be fine. I'll be back soon." Nodding at his words, Alex climbed down as did as he said, before coming back to the RV.

"Before all of-" She gestured in front of them with her hand, "This. What was your life like?" She asked to pass time and Alex pondered. "Nothing special, College, study, and sleep." He told her, eyes lost as memories placed themselves in their correct order. "No parents, siblings, friends?" She probed and Alex's eyes darkened a little.

"Sorry-"

"My parents, they died in a car accident when I was 15." He started, interrupting her. "After that, I was in the system until I found myself a guardian and stayed in the same high school to finish my studies."

With a shrug, Alex leaned back into the chair, eyes looking at the stars. "No siblings, and the few friends I had in high school, they all went in the military." Letting out a sigh, he scratched his head in how to continue. "Though before they went, we went on a road trip, that's how I found this farm." Alex pointed to outside the fence, with Carol following his direction. "Our car broke down right there and us being four teenagers, didn't know how to fix it until Hershel decided to approach and help us."

"He's a good man." She stated and Alex couldn't help but agree. "He is. Welp, after that, he invited us for food and we went on our way." He finished with another shrug. "Where were you going?" she asked and Alex had to find for a moment.

Immediately, the memory appeared, and Alex shivered. "Sky diving."

"Sky diving?" She repeated and Alex chuckled in amusement with her. "Yep, sky diving. After that, we came back, they registered in the military and I went to college to study to become a doctor, at least a nurse."

"And where are they now?" She asked curiously and Alex lost his smile as he "remembered" all of it once more. "They all died during their tour. One after the another." He whispered, eyes lost in grief.

The system really was unfair.

He now knew when people said memory doesn't matter to people who forgot theirs, they didn't know what they were talking about. Memory mattered extremely. They are experiences of a human being. Their personality, their mindset. Losing it has consequences that only those who lost it feel and no one else.

The same can be said when new ones are implemented in the brain without warning. Alex knew his high school friends as if they were his brothers. After he lost his parents, they took care of him. Every lunch and dinner were shared amongst them. It was the lose of his parents that made him a cheapskate, not wanting to spend his money willy nilly.

And they understood his situation. Every form of entertainment's spending was shared amongst the other three so Alex could join them. They invited him in their homes to sleep with them whenever he wanted. He had spare keys of all three of their houses. The only reason he wasn't adopted by any of their parents was because they didn't have the finance to do it.

He remembered every silly little thing they did. Starting a food fight in the school's cafeteria, getting suspended for a week, two of them fighting over a girl that they liked, rough housing. Heck, even starting a school fight with another school and watching the chaos from the side. They reshaped him as he "remembered" and he had to endure the grief of losing those loved ones all over again. Even when they didn't exist.

Carol's hand on his arm brought Alex back to the present. Her eyes were filled with understanding and compassion. "I'm so sorry, Alex. That's a lot of loss for someone so young." Alex nodded, swallowing hard. "Yeah, it... it wasn't easy. But I guess it prepared me for this world, in a way." He paused, then added softly, "Still doesn't make it hurt any less, though."

"Thank you, Carol," he said, his voice thick with emotion. "That means more than you know." They sat in companionable silence for a while, watching the stars. Alex found himself wondering what Sophia would have thought of this night sky, and he felt a pang of sadness for the little girl he'd never met.

"Tell me about Sophia again," Alex said suddenly, surprising himself. "If you want to, I mean. I'd like to know more about her." Carol's eyes misted over, but there was a small smile on her face. "She was... she was everything to me. My little girl. She had this laugh that could light up a room. And she was so kind, always wanting to help others."

As Carol spoke about Sophia, Alex listened intently. He could hear the love in her voice, see the pride in her eyes as she recalled memories of her daughter. It made him think of his own mother, of the memories he had of her before the accident. The memories that were lies and fabricated, but real to him now.

Alex said softly when Carol paused. "I wish I could have met her." Carol nodded, wiping a tear from her cheek. "She would have liked you, I think. She always had a soft spot for the quiet, thoughtful types." At a thought he chuckled. "I think Clem and her would have been best friends."

Carol laughed softly, and Alex felt a warmth in his chest at the sound. It felt good to bring a moment of lightness to her, even in the midst of her grief. "Oh yes, I think so too. Not to spread bad words, but that boy, Duck, was it?"

Alex nodded with a grin, already knowing what she was talking about. "He talks and talks and talks. It's like he doesn't have a rest option in there at all." She toiled a finger to her temple and whistled and Alex laughed alongside her.

As their laughter subsided, a comfortable silence fell between them. The night was peaceful, with only the occasional rustle of leaves in the breeze breaking the quiet. "You know," Carol began, her voice thoughtful, "in some ways, you remind me of Sophia."

Alex turned to her, surprised. "I do?" Carol nodded, a soft smile on her face. "You both have this... gentleness about you. A kindness that this world hasn't managed to stamp out yet. But there's strength there too, just beneath the surface." She softly jumped a finger on his chest.

Alex felt a lump form in his throat, touched by her words. "I... thank you, Carol. That means a lot."

"It's true," she continued. "I've seen how you are with Clementine, with Carl. You have a way with children. Sophia would have loved you." Alex smiled, though there was a hint of sadness in it. "I always wanted siblings," he admitted. "Being an only child is… very lonely. You don't have anyone to mess with or annoy or even drive your parents mad."

"Hey now, I don't think those are reasons why you should wish to have a sibling in the first place." Carol interrupted, making Alex grin at her. As they continued their watch, Alex found himself opening up more to Carol.

He told her about his dreams of becoming a doctor and reasons, about the fears and doubts that plagued him before this new world. Carol listened attentively, offering words of encouragement and understanding. In turn, Carol shared more stories about Sophia, about her life before the outbreak. Alex was mad at her dead husband for the abuse she and Sophia endured, but it also showed her care for him to defend him in the same breath.

Though Alex knew the real reason and the syndrome, he still saw her kindness through her words and small gestures as she continued to talk about their past. As the night wore on, their conversation drifted to lighter topics. Carol told Alex about her favorite books, and they discovered a shared love of romance novels. Alex was very embarrassed to admit it to her and the only reason she even found out was due to blurting out it out in surprise.

Though she teased him a little, she knew not to push him too much, which Alex greatly appreciated. In an attempt to change topics, Alex shared funny stories from his college days, making Carol laugh with tales of dorm room mishaps and exam week panics.

"You know," Carol said, stifling a yawn, "I haven't laughed like this in... I can't even remember how long." Alex nodded, feeling a warmth in his chest. "Me neither. It's... it's nice." As the first hints of dawn began to color the sky, Alex realized their shift was nearly over. "We should probably head in soon," he said, stretching.

Carol nodded, but made no move to get up. "Just a few more minutes," she said softly. "It's peaceful up here." Alex agreed, settling back in his chair. They watched in companionable silence as the sun slowly peeked over the horizon, painting the sky in shades of pink and gold.

"Beautiful," Carol murmured. "Yeah," Alex agreed, he remembered a little fan fact that he had read. "Did you know, sunrise and sunsets are extremely beneficial to your eyes. I forgot most of the complicated terms, but in short the rays of sunset and sunrise stimulate a part of your eyes and better your eyesight."

As he was saying that, Carol turned to look at Alex, to really look at him and her smile turned a little sad. He looked excited to share the little fun fact and while he didn't notice it himself as he was talking, Carol could see him leaning forward a little in excitement, as if he was a kid getting a gift. A childlike innocence.

In that moment, she hoped and wished for that little quirk of his to remain until as long as he lived. To be able to smile like that and to be excited over things like it. And while she regretted to not meeting him sooner or to not be able to help him before today due to her own grief, she was happy to be able to spend the night talking like it. It helped her and it looked like it helped him immensely.

As they climbed down from the RV after their shift ended, Carol surprised Alex by pulling him into a hug. "Thank you," she whispered. "For listening, for sharing. It... it helped more than you know."

Alex returned the hug, feeling a surge of affection for this strong, kind woman. "Anytime, Carol. I mean it." He felt… like a kid in her warm hug and he wanted to sleep like this, but that was just the fatigue talking he assumed. Though they broke the hug, both seemed reluctant to.

As they parted ways to get some rest before the day's chores began, Alex felt a sense of peace he hadn't experienced in a long time. The weight on his shoulders felt a little lighter, and for the first time in weeks, he looked forward to what the new day might bring.

The following days, the group as a whole saw subtle shift between Alex and Carol. The older woman seemed to be more light and smile and greet others. Though she still didn't seem to get over her daughter possibly been death, she didn't seem to blame Rick for it or anyone else.

She seemingly just accepted it and was trying to move forward with her life, trying her best to help with the chores. And during those moments, every time she seemed to try to do more than she could, Alex was already by her side and taking over before she could get hurt.

At first, she seemed to refuse but Alex, being stubborn, would force her to let him, but a day later, she seemed to simply give up. Instead, she would instead do it purposely just to spend more time with Alex and talk about anything really.

The one afternoon which Beth had finally convinced him to help out with the horses, to tend to them, he spotted Carol struggling with a heavy bucket of water. Without hesitation, he jogged over to her, freeing her from the task.

"Here, let me help with that," he offered, reaching for the bucket. Carol smiled gratefully. "Thank you, Alex. These old arms aren't what they used to be." As they walked together, Alex carrying the bucket with ease, Carol studied him for a moment. "You know, if you spend so much time with me, Beth might get jealous." She remarked and Alex scoffed in ridicule.

"And why's that?" He shot back, reaching their destination, the chicken coop. Gently pushing Alex to the side, she refiled their water with a soft knowing laugh that made Alex wait for the explanation and while she threw them food from the bucket next to the coop.

From around the corner, she could see the blonde girl getting annoyed at her older sister and Glenn teasing her. She laughed again at the normalcy of it all. On the other side of the farm, she could see Duck learning some things from his dad while Clementine was on the porch, sitting in front of Annette and drawing something.

The whole farm looked like one giant family from everywhere and she loved the warmth feeling spreading through her. "You don't know?" She softly asked, with a tilt of her head that Alex mimicked unconsciously. "I… No?" He unsurely asked, eyes darted to the chickens and then to her.

"Alex!" Shawn's voice broke their conversation and turning to the older man, he gestured to Alex to follow him for some work, to which Alex nodded. "Gotta go." He told her, to which, she grinned, giving him permission.

"Hey, city boy! Come give me a hand with the greenhouses, will ya?" Alex jogged over, staring at him weirdly. "Really? City boy? That's the cliché of cliché." Alex stated mockingly, raising an eyebrow as he reached Shawn. 

Shawn grinned, gesturing at Alex to hold the frame. "Oh, I've got plenty more where that came from. Now make yourself useful and hold this steady while I screw them together." As they worked side by side, Shawn and Alex fell into an easy rhythm. Their banter flowed naturally, with Shawn teasing Alex about his "delicate city hands" and Alex shooting back, "At least I don't look like I've been dipped in a bucket of dirt and left to bake in the sun."

"You know," Shawn said, wiping sweat from his brow, "for a guy who probably never saw a cow up close before all this, you're not half bad at farm work." Alex snorted, "What do you mean, there's a cow right there." Alex pointed towards the open field as half a dozen cows were eating the grass.

Shawn chuckled, then his tone turned more serious. "Listen, I wanted to say... I'm glad you're here, man. You've brought a lot to this group, even if you don't realize it. Don't sell yourself short." Alex felt a warmth in his chest at Shawn's words, awkwardly kicking dust with his embarrassed kicks. "Okay, I take that back. Stop acting like a schoolgirl and kicking up dust in my face!"

"Wha- in that case, eat this!" Alex shot back, kicking more dust while Shawn was on the ground, making him cough. For his efforts, he received a punch right on his outside thigh, in a certain area that immediately brought him down to the dust air ground, clutching his leg. "I certainly didn't this miss." He whispered to himself, remembering Mike, his high school friend, kicking him on the side of his leg for a stupid challenge. Same result.

As they went back to working, their conversation drifted to Shawn's childhood on this farm, what he did, his own friends and school and life projects he had before the incidents with the walkers. In return, Alex shared his own stupid adventures with his high school friends, opening up to another person beside Carol.

From the porch, Maggie and Glenn watched the two men working and laughing together. "Well, would you look at that," Maggie said, a smile playing on her lips. "Seems like your friend is finally coming out of his shell."

Glenn nodded, relief evident in his expression. "Yeah, it's good to see it. I worried about him." Maggie squeezed Glenn's hand, a gesture that wasn't missed by him as he turned a little red. "He's lucky to have a friend like you."

As they watched, Beth emerged from the house with a canteen, her eyes immediately finding Alex with her brother. Maggie nudged Glenn, a mischievous glint in her eye. "Speaking of coming out of shells... watch this."

"Not another word. Please." She begged, passing them by. Instead, Maggie darkly chuckled to herself. As she made her way towards Alex and Shawn, too busy with their discussion, Maggie called out, "Hey Bethy! Bringing some water to the hard-working men?" Her words had broken them from their talks and instead watched the spectacle. While both young men watched in amusement, it was for different reasons.

Beth blushed furiously, nearly stumbling. "I... I just thought they might be thirsty," she mumbled. Glenn caught on to Maggie's game, adding with a grin, "That's very thoughtful of you, Beth. But what about us." He pointed to himself and Maggie, who gave her a toothy grin.

As Beth approached Alex and Shawn, her cheeks still pink, Maggie and Glenn exchanged amused glances. "My dinner says she'll hit the brick," Glenn whispered. Maggie smirked. "Now that's not a fair deal."

As evening approached, Rick called a group meeting to discuss their progress and future plans before dinner. As everyone gathered, Alex found himself sandwiched between Carol and Glenn, then Maggie, and finally Beth, who was glaring at the two. He couldn't help but notice the knowing smile Carol sent his way, or the way Glenn's arm wrapped around his shoulder, snickering alongside Maggie.

The meeting ended with Daryl finding a bee hive up on a tree back at the forest, though they needed the hive to move them at the farm. Another new strategy was developed as well. Instead of trios going for scavenging, it would be a group of four at least or five. With two going to the other side of the town to make noises, such as setting up the church bells or car alarms.

With that, the majority of walkers in the area would turn their attention to the noise, while the rest of the group would take anything they could from their target location, stripping it empty.

The ones who set the distraction would hide until the scavenge team finished. Once finished, they would in turn set off distraction and alarm to draw the horde towards them. That way, the distraction team would flee from the area and meet up at the predetermined location.

The strategy was developed by Daryl, who surprised most people in the group in his smart thinking. Though they were also cursed out by him once he saw them thinking he was smart instead of dumb. The first ones to test it out was Daryl, Shane, Lee, Kenny, Rick, and even Carley.

The former reporter had insisted that she wanted to accompany Lee no matter what and Clementine was in Alex's hands during those runs. Once they perfected the strategy, dealing with the undead had became easy. Even the runners, the most dangerous. The ones that hadn't woken up from the distraction, all would get a beautiful axe or another sharp weapon on their head for being smart.

Once everyone on the team learned their roles, they started to slowly replace each other one by one. On the runs after, it was Glenn who volunteered and replaced Kenny. Once he learned it, Carley was replaced by Shawn, then Lee with Alex, Rick with Meggie. Shane and Daryl always stayed as leaders of both teams.

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Author Note:

I really enjoyed writing this chapter because it was more light and fluffy and... honestly, it was peaceful to write. What do you think think of it?

as you read, this chapter's goal was to develop Alex emotionally and create bonds with other character. In this, it was Carol, alongside small bits of Shawn, Beth, and some teasing from Maggie and Glenn. 

Thanks to... I forgot your name man. But the most active of you, you told me the strategy of how the main cast dealt with walkers in the show, thank you very much. I was worried on how do I deal with them due to the new variants I added.

If you have more ideas, don't hesitate to comment them and I'll implement them. Gotta ask though, is Carol loved in the series? Or is she hated?

I almost forgot, I have a piece of news. My college will restart tomorrow. So, I will be getting busy with last semester projects and meetings and if things go well after tomorrow, I'll be getting an internship as well. Let's hope I get it.

Otherwise, I'll have to get a job alongside an unpaid internship from the college and work on the project. So two jobs and one big ass project. Meaning, I'll have no time to write at all and will lose the momentum and plans of what I want to write. I want to at least finish this arc and start the next one while not worrying about if I can even write it halfway.

If I beg for money, know that I've hit rock bottom.

This also means that the update schedule will change as you can already notice. I'll try to upload at least two big chapters per week. Something like 5k or 6k words at best and 4k at worst. I'll try to build as much chapters as I can. So when I do start begging money like homeless, I can at least give you guys something back in return.

Anyway, that is all from me tonight. I hope all of you stay safe and well.

Author out.

Funniest cat meme here.