Carl Comes With Me

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Seeing that the point had landed, Evan nodded with satisfaction.

He raised one finger.

"One week."

"For one week, everyone who hasn't personally killed a walker trains. Adults and older kids all need a way to protect themselves."

"Daryl, Glenn, Maggie, Rick, and Shane will handle the basic training for everyone else: firearms, escape drills, and defense. Keep it safe and controlled."

"As for Carl..."

A smile touched Evan's face.

"Carl comes with me."

There was a reason Evan did not include Merle.

He did not want to end up with a bunch of little troublemakers who opened their mouths and threatened to shove heads where heads absolutely did not belong.

The others probably would not be eager to learn from Merle either.

Putting him in charge of camp security was a better idea.

They could also use this week to get familiar with one another and learn how to work together.

That way, when they reached the Prison, they could move more safely and more effectively.

He had pushed Shane, challenged Lori's assumptions, and given the group a reason to train together.

'Three problems handled at once.'

Evan grinned at Carl.

The boy looked excited and nervous at the same time.

No surprise there. Evan had pushed the meeting too hard.

If the adults had struggled under it, the children might have burst into tears without their families beside them.

After the morning meeting broke up and everyone went to prepare, Rick and Hershel approached Evan.

"You should have discussed that with us first," Hershel said, still angry. "You scared me half to death."

He did not know Evan's whole past. For a moment, Hershel had truly believed Evan might attack someone in front of everyone.

After all, Hershel had not seen what happened to the survivors in the town east of here, but he had guessed enough.

When Evan dragged that hammer forward, Hershel had nearly panicked.

"Hershel, I think Evan is right," Rick said.

His brow furrowed as he looked toward the sharp morning sun rising in the east.

"We don't have time to wait forever."

"What do you mean?" Hershel asked.

Rick glanced at Evan.

Evan nodded slightly and answered for him.

"Hershel, like I told you before, the walkers are starting to move."

"Millions from the cities are spreading in every direction."

"You know what Rick's group ran into before they reached the farm. That horde alone could have wiped Greene Farm off the map."

"We need the Prison, and we need it soon."

"That means we have to help the others grow fast enough to face what is inside."

"This..." Hershel still looked reluctant.

The crops on the farm had not finished growing. The barn still held walkers he had not found a way to cure.

If Evan had known what he was thinking, he might have laughed.

"Don't worry," Evan said. "A full week is plenty. Shane will help you deal with it."

On that, at least, Evan trusted Shane's ability.

It would also serve as the group's graduation ceremony.

Only after they killed walkers with their own hands, only after they faced the dead themselves, would they truly graduate.

If the results were not good enough, Evan would catch a few walkers and make them finish the lesson that way.

The dead inside the Prison would not be a joke.

Hershel turned away, worry heavy on his shoulders.

Watching him go, Evan smiled faintly.

"What about you? Not comfortable leaving your son with me?"

Rick had not left.

After a moment of silence, he nodded.

"No father is comfortable putting his child in another man's hands."

The words were measured, but the meaning beneath them was clear.

Rick did not fully trust Evan with Carl.

They had not known each other long. And after seeing the way Evan killed walkers, Rick would be lying if he said the thought did not chill him.

What if Evan pushed Carl too hard or taught him to take risks he wasn't ready for?

Evan lifted a hand and patted Rick's shoulder.

"Relax. I won't let Carl get hurt. If there's danger, I'll put myself between him and it."

Sophia was alive because Evan had kept that same promise to someone else's child. Rick held on to that.

"And kids can't stay beside their parents forever. Sooner or later, they leave us, right?"

Evan looked at Rick as he said it. There was no trick in his voice.

While training Carl, Evan would keep his attention on the boy. If walkers appeared, he would put his own body between Carl and their teeth.

He had antibiotics. As long as he stopped the spread quickly, he would not truly be infected.

Strictly speaking, Evan might be the only human in this world without the virus lying dormant in his body.

The antibiotics had cleared it completely.

When Evan said kids eventually left their parents, Rick flinched.

He looked at Evan with an expression that seemed to say several creative curses at once.

In the end, Rick let out a breath.

"A kid has to learn to stand on his own eventually."

He pinched the front of his shirt and rubbed his thumb over the second button from the bottom.

Then, abruptly, he changed the subject.

"Carl sewed this button on for me the first time he tried making something with his hands."

"Like my hat, it's been with me ever since."

Rick lifted his head and looked at Evan again.

Stubble shadowed his face. His eyes were deep enough to seem as if they could see straight through a man.

Rick said nothing more, but Evan understood.

Evan raised the Stone Sledgehammer onto his shoulder and faced him with a bright, confident smile.

"Carl won't get hurt. I won't let him."

Rick studied him for a long moment.

Then he waved Carl over.

Carl jogged across the grass.

At his age, Carl was still small and slight, though the determination in his face made him look older.

When Carl reached them, Rick crouched to his son's height and looked him in the eye.

"Stay with Evan. Talk less. Watch more. Think. Do what he tells you during training. If anything feels wrong, come straight to me."

Rick left no room for misunderstanding.

Rick was willing to trust Evan with the training, but not blindly.

If Evan had hesitated for even one second, Rick would never have agreed, even if refusing meant risking a fight with him.

That was Rick Grimes.

He could extend trust without surrendering judgment.

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