EIGHTEEN. IF WE SURVIVE THE GREAT WAR

Mia reached her hand out but there was nothing there. When she opened her eyes, Carl was gone. The sun shined through her window replacing the moon. Her hand was tingling. When she walked downstairs, she saw Rick and Carl sitting in the floor by the couch. "Morning, Mia." Rick said to her. His voice was still scratch but it was seemingly getting better.

She smiled briefly. "Morning."

Carl looked her way and his lips curled into a shy smile. She smiled back. He looked down at his hands. She came and sat on the other side of his father.

"Thank you, Mia, for last night." Said Rick, his eyes full of kindness.

She looked up at him and smiled again. "It's no problem."

He looked to his son. "You shouldn't have risked it, going out there. It was dangerous."

Carl nodded. "I was careful." He responded, not arguing like before.

"Well, it's good that you found more food." Rick mentioned.

He nodded again. "Yeah. I found more, but. . . I ate it."

"What was it?"

Carl smiled again. "A hundred and twelve ounces of pudding."

A laugh slipped past Mia's lips. "And you ate all of it?" She asked.

"I was hungry!" He laughed back.

Rick chuckled to himself and he looked down at his lap. "I know that we'll never get things back to the way they used to be." He stated, heartfelt.

Carl looked to his father. "What?"

"I only clunged to that for you. For Judith. Now she's gone," Rick continued. His voice lightened at the mention of Judith. Mia kept quiet, letting them have their moment. "And you. . . you're a man now, Carl. You're a man. I'm sorry."

"You don't need to be."  

The quiet girl smiled briefly. It was a long awaited conversation. They only had each other. Mia was glad they were able to overcome everything.

"And you," Rick added and nudged her arm. "You're just as important."

She went red and laughed. "Not really."

"Yeah, you are." Carl butted in. "And I'm sorry for how I treated you. It won't happen again. I promise."

She glanced at him and grinned, her eyes gleaming.

Rick smiled to himself.

A sudden knock on the door and all three of them jumped. Mia's eyes widened. Rick took out of gun and got up from the ground with a grunt. 

Mia clutched the knife that she had in her pocket. She stood close to Carl and he took his gun out and held it up. They watched him peer into the peep hole on the door. Mia narrowed her eyes when she heard him laugh. "Are you sure he doesn't have a concussion?" She asked Carl.

Carl smiled with amusement and looked at his dad again. "What?"

Rick grinned at them. "It's for you."

The teenagers glanced at each other briefly, not understanding. He stood up from the couch and had them held move it. When he opened the door, Mia gasped. Michonne stood on the other side of the door with her eyes full of tears.

Carl immediately ran to her. They crashed into each other. Mia held her heart in complete shock. It was like she was in a dream. Michonne smiled tearfully and opened her arm. "Come here."

With no hesitation, Mia ran into her arms. She wrapped hers tightly around her torso. "You're alive. How are you alive?"

Michonne's hands rested on the back of their heads. "I followed a trail. I never gave up." She cried.

"I never thought I would see you again."

Mia was slowly starting to give up any chance that she would get to see her friends again. Every second, minute, and hour that passed by, she thought they could be dead. It haunted her but Michonne gave her hope. She gave her hope that one day she would see them all again. She just had to hold onto that hope a little longer. 

"Did you know I used to eat cereal without milk before the apocalypse hit?"

Carl pulled a weird face. "What?"

Mia nodded. "Yeah, I hate milk." She picked a piece of cereal out of her bowl and ate it.

"You are so weird. There's no flavor in that," he stated dramatically.

"There's plenty of flavor!"

Michonne looked between them and grinned. "Well, I wish we had some soy milk." She said while pouring herself a bowl of cereal.

Mia pointed at her. "Now that's disgusting."

"Seriously?" Said Carl.

"Yes, seriously. Have you ever tried it?" She asked with an amusement grin.

"My best friend in the third grade, he was allergic to dairy. And everyday he would bring this soy stuff to lunch," he told them. "I tried it. . ."

"And?"

"I threw up!"

Mia bursted out laughing. "You're such a liar!"

"Okay, okay, I almost threw up." Carl chuckled. "I was like. . ." He made a fake puking sound.

She rolled her eyes. "Jesus, you're so dramatic,"

"it was so gross! I mean, I would rather have powdered milk than to have to drink that stuff again. I would rather have Judith's f—"

Mia tensed up. Carl's face stilled into sadness. Michonne didn't eye contact with them. She stared at the bottom of her bowl. "I'm gonna go finish my book."  He muttered and got up from his chair.

Mia watched him leave the kitchen and run upstairs. She looked across the table at Michonne. They sat in silence. She picked at her nails. "I never thought I would see you again,"

Mia lifted her head. "What happened to you?" She uttered.

Michonne leaned forward slightly and tapped her fingers on the table. "I got separated from everyone. I was alone. I looked for all of you every single day. Day and night."

"I'm happy you found us."

She smiled and reached her hand forward, palm up.  Mia put her hand and hers and she squeezed it. They sat in silence for a while longer.

She got deja vu when she walked into Carl's room. She leaned against the doorframe and smiled, seeing him on his bed reading Little Women. "Hi."

Carl lifted his head. "Hey." He replied in a hush tone.

"Are you okay?"

He only shrugged and looked down at the book again. Mia walked further into his room. She sat on the bed with him and leaned her back against the wall. "Y'know, when I found out that my mom was pregnant with Paris, I was so mad,"

He looked her way with raised eyebrows. "Really?"

Mia nodded with a small hum. "I was the baby and the only girl of the family. I was afraid all the attention they gave me would go to her. But after she was born,  I told myself that I would do everything in my power to protect her."

Paris was always a happy baby. Mia dreamed of her growing up to be just like herself. To be the maid of honor at her wedding. To watch her have children and gain nieces and nephews. But that dream wasn't reality and Paris was gone.

"I did everything with her and Lucas. I didn't have many friends in school but it was always the three of us. We were best friends," Mia continued and started to space out as she thought about her siblings. "I think about them every day. I think that I should've done more to keep them safe."

"It's not your fault, Mia," said Carl.

She turned her head to look at him. "It's not yours either. What happened to Judith isn't your fault or your dad's." She spoke softly.

He looked at her sadly, his blue eyes somber. "I should've done more. I should've have killed them before they had the chance to attack." He spoke his feelings.

Mia grabbed his hand. "You're just a kid, Carl. You don't have all the answers. There's only so much we can do in a world like this. But I promise you, we're gonna survive all of this. We'll avenge Judith, Lucas,  Paris, my father, your mother. . . Everyone we've ever lost on the way. We'll survive together."

Carl was speechless. His eyes scanned her face and stared into her large eyes a little longer than normal. He nodded. "Together." He almost whispered.

She smiled at him and squeezed his hand.