Author's Note: Hey everyone, I know it's been ages and ages and ages since I posted a chapter but I'm afraid this is the end. This is the last chapter for this story. After speculating since the summer/September of what would happen in the Mid-Season Finale of season 8 I've honestly just lost the will to keep going with this. It's just too painful to think and write about. I'm honesty still grieving and processing everything but I do plan on writing at least one (possibly two) alternate endings to the TV show story of the Walking Dead. The show is veering so far from where it should be going so the best way for me to be satisfied with it is to write an ending that I myself enjoy. Not sure when I will be posting that but it will be likely sometime in March 2018 so look out for that. Thank you to everyone who has been so patient with this story and given me such love for my writing. I appreciate you more than any of you know!

Chapter 24

The ground was still damp as the dew soaked through Carl's jeans at the knees and shins. This was it, he was going to die now. It would all be over, he just hoped it would be quick. He was afraid it would hurt. He was sure Abraham and Glenn had been in an extraordinary amount of pain when they had died. Carl just didn't want to suffer, if he was going to die he wanted it to be painless, or at the very least quick.

As Negan stood up and walked around behind him he felt a strange sense of clarity fill his mind. He could see so clearly kissing Enid and Judith goodbye the previous day.

"Protect her for me OK?" he had asked Enid quietly.

Enid had touched his check, Judith on her other hip, the diaper bag slung over her one shoulder. "Of course I will," she said, "You'll see her soon, this is just a precaution. You're going to win."

Carl wished in this moment now that he had taken the time to kiss her goodbye. She had had her arms full with Judy and the bag, and his dad had been watching them. He could feel his lips suddenly burn at the thought of how badly he had wanted to kiss her. He should have known it would be the last time. Her fingertips had lingered on his cheek a little longer than necessary.

Carl felt a sudden cool breeze as Negan lifted the hat off his head. His heart was pounding erratically. It was like his heart knew its beats were numbered and was trying to get a lifetime's worth in the few moments he had left.

He felt his eye close and could see his mom's face so clearly he almost started to cry. She was standing in a white dress, her long dark hair curling beautifully around her shoulders. Lori reached out her arms towards him and he felt his hand lift slightly as if to reach her.

His dad was screaming now. The sound of his agony filling Carl's head. Maybe he was already dead? Maybe it had already happened and he was somehow listening from the afterlife.

He would be able to see so many people he loved soon. His mom, Glenn, Beth, Herschel, Shane, Sophia…they would all be waiting for him.

"You said I could do it," Negan said loudly.

Carl's heart stopped, he hadn't died yet after all. The pain was still to come and he braced for it. Every muscle in his body tensed up and his lungs froze.

Judith's bright, sweet face flashed before him in the darkness, he straw coloured curls bouncing as she waved at him. His dad's fiercely proud face was next. He was nodding at him. Michonne and his mom were next to one another smiling at him. Enid was last, her soft mouth curled into a smile and her hazel eyes wide and lovingly gazing at him.

There was a roar in his ears and Carl felt the ground shake and move around him. Like a giant wind had swept past him.

"I'm dead now…I must be. It wasn't so bad…" he thought to himself.

He felt something grab his hand and Carl forced himself to open his eye. He couldn't understand what he was seeing at first.

The chaos was everywhere. Saviours and the trash people were running away or shooting at something behind him. Then he saw it. The giant striped tiger tearing into the throat of the Saviour that had grabbed him and brought him to Negan in the first place.

"Carl!"

Carl whipped his head back around to see his dad with a rifle in his hand. Carl reached out and grabbed it from him. He could see Carol running towards him, her gun raised and shooting with several others he recognized from the Kingdom at the retreating Saviours.

His heart was pounding in his chest so hard he thought it might explode. He lifted the rifle to his face and turned it towards a small group of trash people who were closing in on Carol. He grabbed his hat off the ground next to him to keep the sun out of his eyes and followed his dad towards the gates.

A shot rang out and Carl felt the air rush past his neck. He whipped around to see a trash lady running towards him with her gun drawn. He aimed but before he could pull the trigger she was blown backwards and lay still on the ground.

Carl looked over his shoulder and couldn't help but feel the biggest smile spread across his face as he saw Enid lowering her gun. She smiled at him and ran the few steps over to him.

Before they could even say one word to one another Carl could hear Maggie over the sounds of gunfire.

"Carl! Enid! Come on, down that way!" she called pointing down the alley between two houses.

Enid nodded at him and they both turned and ran down the alley but no one was there. White smoke was billowing out towards them but they couldn't see any more enemies. The sound of gun shots were becoming less and less frequent.

Enid grabbed Carl by the arm, "What's happening?"

He looked all around them, "I think they're retreating…I think we won."

Suddenly he felt his stomach sink.

"What's wrong?" Enid asked, "Are you hurt?"

Carl shook his head, "Michonne…"

He didn't look back as he ran towards the house where Michonne had been perched with the rifle. He could see his dad come out from around a nearby corner and they both looked at each other knowing where the other was going.

As they reached the house Carl could see a body laying covered in blood on the street in front. A woman…a blond woman…

His dad looked up at him as they both realized it was not Michonne who had fallen. Relieved they took the front steps two at a time rushing through the house to find her.

"Michonne?" he heard his dad call.

Carl echoed his dad as they searched the first floor, "Michonne?"

Carl heard a thud from the second floor and they both raced for the stairs.

His dad leaned down over an almost lifeless Michonne. Her faced was bloodied and bruised, her eyes almost completely swollen shut. Her breathing ragged.

"You're alive…" Rick said almost in awe of her.

Carl could see Michonne try to smile but it hurt her face too much, "We…we…we're…"

She couldn't seem to get the words out.

"I know…" his dad whispered back to her.

Carl wrapped his arms around two of the people he loved most in the world. They had won this battle. Everyone he loved was safe. Rick, Michonne, Judith, Enid…they were all still safe, and that was enough for now.

Carl walked slowly back to his house from the infirmary where he had left his dad and Michonne. He felt somewhat disjointed, like he was somehow not really connected with his body. Perhaps it was because he had come so close to death less than an hour ago. He couldn't slow the hammering of his heart no matter how hard he tried. It was like it had been kicked into permanent overdrive.

He found himself staring at his front door and walked inside to get a drink of water. He felt the cool water splash itself over his hands as he filled a cup in the sink, took a long drink that drained the cup and then splashed water onto the side of his face that wasn't bandaged.

As he toweled off his face with the rag by the stove he heard a creak from upstairs. His eye lifted to the ceiling and he instinctively reached for his gun.

"Someone's still here…" he thought. "Probably one of those traitorous garbage people hiding out."

As quietly as he could he pulled out his gun and checked that he still had bullets. Carl made his way to the stairs and one at a time slowly climbed up to the second level, knowing how to avoid the squeaking stairs.

All of the doors on the upper level were closed.

"Fuck…which room are they in…?"

Then he heard it again, a muffled creak from a loose floorboard and he knew exactly which room that trash pile was in…his.

Agonizingly slowly he made his way down the hall towards his bedroom, the door was slightly ajar and he could see a shadow moving along the edge of the door.

Carl leaned against the wall for a moment to collect himself. His heart was still hammering and it was making his hands shake ever so slightly. He placed his free hand on the door frame, took a deep breath and spun forward kicking the door open so hard the door handle went through the dry wall.

Both hands on his gun his breath caught in his throat.

"Enid?"

She smiled, "Hey."

Carl dropped his gun to his side, "I thought you were…I could have…nevermind…"

Enid walked forward a few steps, "Sorry, I knew you'd gone with your dad and Michonne and I didn't want to interrupt so I figured you'd come back here as soon as you were done. I didn't mean to scare…"

But she was cut off by Carl closing his lips around hers. His gun fell to the floor with a loud clatter. He felt her push his hat off his head as her hands pushed themselves into his hair. He grabbed her face with both hands and pulled her face back to look at her.

"I saw your face…" he whispered.

She looked up at him with concern, a small crease forming between her eyes, "What?"

"When Negan was going to kill me…" Carl could see the panic in Enid's eyes, she obviously didn't know about that, "I thought I was going to die. My life flashed before my eyes and you were the last thing I saw."

Enid's eyes had filled with tears and a single drop escaped and ran down her face creating a track in the dust that stuck to her cheeks. "Carl…"

She pulled him forward towards her again and kissed him hard. Carl brushed away the wetness of her tears with his thumb. He heard her sigh against his mouth and he brushed his tongue against her lower lip. Her tongue met his and Carl couldn't help himself any longer.

He felt himself pushing against her, stumbling a little across the bedroom holding Enid's face to his. Enid let out a small noise and Carl realized he had unintentionally pushed her against the far wall of his bedroom.

He steadied himself with his one hand pressed against the wall, the other pulling on Enid's waist so that their hips pressed together. He felt her hands pull on his shirt and then her fingertips were on the skin of his stomach.

He let out a shuddering breath and felt goosebumps spread across his abdomen. His erection quickly grew causing his jeans to become too tight in front. Enid's hands climbed up his chest pulling his shirt up with it.

Carl let her pull the shirt up over his head and for a moment they locked eyes. Neither needed to say anything, they both knew they wanted this, they needed this after today.

Carl's attention turned back to kissing along her jaw and down her neck, pressing his teeth gently against her soft skin. He heard her breath shudder as he tugged on the hem of her shirt. He pulled it off in one fluid motion.

She sighed against his ear as he traced his fingers along her ribcage. Simultaneously they both worked on unbuttoning the others pants and Carl stooped down to pull her pants down to her ankles. She used his shoulders for support as she stepped out of her jeans and Carl kicked his pants to the side.

Carl ran his hands up the side of Enid's soft thighs and grabbed her bottom. Her legs instinctively wrapped around his waist. He walked her slowly over to the pile of blankets he was using as a bed and set her down, her hair spilling out around her face.

She was wearing her black underwear again and for the first time in hours Carl's heart was pounding with a familiar rhythm. The one that only she could cause.

He pulled down her underwear and her back arched as it slid down her legs. In no time his fingers found her wetness and plunged them deep inside.

"Oh god!" she cried out, grabbing his face with both hands and looking right at him, her face flushed, her lips swollen and dark. Carl leaned down and trailed kisses down her chest to her belly button while his fingers worked. Enid's breathing became erratic and shallow, he could see her hands grasping at the bed sheets.

"Carl," she whispered, "take off your boxers."

He nodded, he couldn't wait anymore. He pushed himself over beside her and pulled his boxers off. He quickly grabbed a condom from the box by his makeshift bed and was ready in only a moment.

Carl rolled back overtop of Enid settling his weight between her legs and pushed himself inside of her. They both cried out, the satisfaction that Carl felt being together with her was overwhelming. His brain was finally starting to fire properly as he focused on her.

He loved the feeling of her legs squeezing his hips as he thrust against her over and over. She never looked away from his face, her hands wrapped around the back of his neck.

Their breathing became more and more laboured as they started to tire from the exhaustion of their love making. Carl could see that Enid was close as he eyes finally started to roll back and finally close.

"Oh my God…yes!" she cried out, her back arching up sharply and her muscles tightening and contracting around him. He let himself go and they collapsed together into the mess of blankets on the floor.

"See…I told you, you could do it." Carl said tucking a loose strand of hair behind Enid's ear.

She smiled shyly, "You were right. I didn't even hesitate. I just saw that woman shooting at you and it was over before I could even process it."

They were sitting, half dressed, in the pile of blankets in Carl's room. They had lain together for what had seemed like hours and strangely no one seemed to be looking for them. Carl was grateful for that. They were always rushing or sneaking around for privacy and for once it seemed like they'd finally found it amongst all the chaos that had happened that day.

Carl felt Enid rub the tip of her nose against his shoulder as she turned her face towards him, "How are you feeling?" she asked suddenly serious.

"I'm alright…" he said slightly confused, "why?"

She kissed his shoulder, "No I mean…about what happened with Negan…"

"Oh," he said quietly, "I don't know really. I felt somehow separate from my body as it was happening. Like I was watching myself from far away. I mostly remember seeing all of your faces flash before my eyes. Dad, Judith, Michonne…you. I only had one regret."

Her face looked up at him questioningly, "What's that?"

He placed his hands on either side of her face, "That I hadn't kissed you goodbye."

Enid leaned forward and softly touched her petal like lips against his. When she pulled back her eyes were soft but blazing, "Then always kiss me goodbye."

They smiled lovingly at each other and slowly pushing her back down into the sheets, Carl kissed her.