Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Carl sometimes had dreams, nothing memorable, just a bunch of random, jumbled bullshit he’d forget literal seconds after waking up.

That night was different. Carl hated change.

In this dream he was coherently, genuinely happy. Ron was back. Alive. Safe. Sound.

And his brain had the nerve to make him remember it when he woke up. Only to be so hopelessly reminded of Ron’s possibly eternal absence, and it was almost like registering his leave all over again. It was fucking miserable, he felt like he was being held underwater, body gasping and pleading for air as it shuts down until he feels like his head is exploding.

Once he pulled himself together and got out of bed, not bothering to get dressed yet before going downstairs, Carl didn’t speak to his dad. Or he wishes he could say he didn’t. He refused to talk to him more than necessary was a more accurate sentence. Rick would have gone insane if Carl just ignored him altogether.

Surprisingly Carl was still allowed to drive himself to school, but when he got in the car he was stumped. Usually he would turn on music that fit his mood. But what even was his mood? I hate my dad but only to a certain extent and I’m probably in love with my best friend who I had a falling out with two years ago but we recently got back in touch and now he’s missing and possibly dead and oh yeah he said he loved me and then kissed me before riding away on his little brothers bike never to be heard from again? What the fuck kind of music do you play for that. So he just put on his typical playlist that he only half listened to during the drive. He took the long route, praying he might find Ron somewhere. Foolish, he knows.

Carl drove around any place he could think of until he knew he would be late for school. It didn’t matter anyway. He had PE that day and he genuinely thought he would puke if he stepped foot in that class without Ron in it again. So he just kept driving. Carl knew his dad would get a notice after first period, but he couldn’t bring himself to give a shit. He had to find Ron. He cared about him, he knew he shouldn’t have to prove that to his dad but he felt like he needed to.

When he heard his phone beep he would have bet ten dollars it was his dad, but at the next red light when he checked it, it was a text from Enid.

“Didn’t see your truck in the lot today. Out looking for Ron again?”

Damn. How the hell did she always know?

Carl wasn’t one to risk his life or other people’s by texting and driving, so when the light turned green he reluctantly had Siri type for him.

“Maybe, period.” he always felt stupid saying punctuation, it was so dumb.

The music blasting the car speakers so loud it vibrated and rattled barely had time to start before another ‘ding!’ broke through the tune.

“Hey, Siri. Read the message from ‘Enid’ out loud.”

“Got it. Now reading; Enid.”

To long of a pause in between. Carl almost checked to see if his Bluetooth was still connected.

“So yes, then? I’m not a snitch, obviously, think I could come with?”

In all honesty it probably would be better to not walk around or drive around alone, and Enid was definitely tougher than she looked. Plus, her company would be nice.

“Reply back; Sure, period. I’m just off of Kingdom Drive right now, comma, wanna meet at the Walmart, question mark.”

Same thing, an almost instant response.

“Hey Siri, read me the message from ‘Enid’.”

“Sure thing. Now reading; Enid.”

And his phone was of course, still lagging.

“Omw. Be there in fifteen.”

This area overall was about a twenty minute drive, the Walmart closer to thirty, but the way Enid drove he wouldn’t be too shocked if she did actually make it in fifteen minutes flat. Yet somehow she’s never gotten a ticket.

She was just one minute over his original estimate, pulling into the parking spot next to Carl just a couple seconds past sixteen minutes. Carl had turned his own music down, now mainly scrolling instagram while he was waiting, but Enid had hers on at full blast, mouthing along to the lyrics even after the song stopped when she turned off the car.

Without missing a beat she had hopped up into his passengers seat, in the same motion clipping on her seatbelt as well.

Carl must have been staring at her, mostly dumbfounded how she got into the car so fast when three seconds ago was she on the other side, because she muttered a “You can drive anyway now, Cowboy.” accompanied by an exaggerated hand gesture before he finally locked in and put the car in gear, pulling out of his parking spot and rolling through the empty parking lot.

It wasn’t the Walmart Ron worked at, but it looked almost exactly the same, down to the shape of the building and the placement of the signs. Obviously retail stores like to keep their image consistent, it was just sleep deprivation making him see every similarity instead of every difference. He missed Ron. God he missed him so much.

Ron wasn’t exactly ‘homeless’, but considering he was a runaway and wasn’t currently living at his house he probably counted, even though as long as Carl was around he would make sure Ron always had a home, hopefully one day Ron would see that to.

But, nonetheless, he wondered if Ron had made his way over to this area. Rick always warned him about it being dangerous, told him that people who lost everything already were the scariest because they had nothing to lose. While he wasn’t completely wrong, they had a difference of opinion, Carl thought the scariest people were crazies with everything to lose — because they would do anything to protect it. He didn’t think of himself as crazy necessarily, but he would do anything to protect what and who he cared about.

It was hardly the time to focus on his moral standpoints, though, Enid had suggested walking around with a picture of Ron to ask if anyone had seen him. Carl honestly didn’t know why he hadn’t come up with that. Well. Mostly. He felt like he needed to do it himself, to try and prove something, but honestly if it helped him find Ron he knew he should probably start accepting ideas.

So, for damn near thirty five minutes they walked around with their most recent picture of Ron asking if anyone had seen him.

When he found someone who seemed to recognize him — it wasn’t who he was expecting, like, at all honestly.

She was around fourty, maybe fifty, smelled like an over burnt cigarette and the discolored, dark teeth to match, with a big mole on the back of her left hand. At least two inches.

“Cry baby? Why sure! I know ‘em!” she replied sweetly, something about it though, something about it seemed off, maybe he was to paranoid. Besides the fact she called Ron a ‘cry baby’.

When she raised her eyebrows, glancing between Carl and his pocket, he got the gist.

“Would… ten dollars get us anywhere?” at very most he had thirty bucks on him. But it was his allowance, anything for Ron he supposed.

“I think twenty would getcha farther,” she replied, the faux innocence leaving her as quickly as it came, she reached up and fiddled with a cross necklace, one Carl didn’t even notice before.

“Fine.” he pulled a twenty out of his pocket, dropping it into her open palm. He didn’t have time for this.

“Now, where is he?” Carl said, patience wearing more than thin, he was surprised Enid hadn’t said anything yet, just staring at the lady with some intense look in her eye. The lady barely cast more than a glance at her, though.

“Right now? Fuck if I know, kid.” she stated with a laugh, placing a cigarette between her thin lips and lighting it.

Carl, however, was fuming, he gave her twenty bucks and for what? Just for her to laugh in his face?!

“You said you knew him you —“ he was unfortunately cut off with a puff of smoke blowing into his face and another disturbingly Cheshire Cat-like cackle.

“Wouldja let me take a hit before grillin’ me, kid?” as if to demonstrate she took another exaggeratively long drag, grin never untwisting her face.

Carl just stayed silent, leaning closer to Enid in discomfort.

“Listen — last time I saw him he was squattin’ at that ol’ house down ‘n Woodbury. Barely spoke a god damn word to anyone, cried a lot though, ‘specially at night, dunno what was the matter.”

That made Carl’s heart hurt. God damn.

“Well was he there when you left?” he felt his first shred of hope since Ron first went missing, it was scary.

“Think so, dunno for sure though, kiddo.”

“Okay,” that was all he needed to hear “Thanks.”

If it turned out to be true this would be the best twenty bucks he ever spent. Enid was still silent, though.