I had eaten my dinner consisting of soup rather quick that night. It didn't taste that great, but it was all they had and I was hungry. They were just starting to hit a slump on their food supply which is something I never had to deal with at Woodbury.

After I was done eating, I found myself outside wanting some fresh air. The prison was rather stuffy and made me feel somewhat claustrophobic.

I was given a pair of crutches mid-afternoon to help keep pressure off my ankle. It took some time getting used to since I'd never used them before. I was beyond ecstatic, however, since now I could freely wander without any help there or back. Now, I was out in the prison yard, taking in the somewhat cool breeze that blew in with the night. I was sitting on a bench, staring up at the sky with my hands in my lap. The twinkling stars above me danced. I found it soothing to partake in one of the usual things I used to do before everything changed: watch the stars and let my mind wander off to wherever it is it wanted to go.

"Hey," a voice snapped me out outta my focus. I jumped, startled, turning my head towards the noise. The boy stood beside me. I wondered when he got there. "Didn't mean to scare you."

"You're fine," I grinned, turning my attention back to the sky. "I'm alright." I nervously played with my fingers, digging out the dirt from underneath my nails; that was something I seemed to do in times of uncertainty or awkwardness.

"It's a beautiful night," he commented.

"Yeah," I sighed. "I haven't really been out in the dark for some time. I kinda missed it."

"Why not?" he questioned me, a bit confused at what I said.

"Father's rules: lights out, everyone stays inside and doesn't come back out until morning. It's 'safer' that way."

"Is your dad the leader too, like mine," he asked with genuine interest. I felt my stomach drop at the question.

"Um... yeah, I guess," I muttered. He noticed I didn't really wanna talk about it and went silent for a short while as we explored the sky. He hesitated before speaking again.

"I'm Carl," he said happily. "I never got your name."

"Aften."

"I've never heard that before. It's pretty," he grinned to himself. A blush set in my cheeks. No one has ever told me that before. "How old are you?"

"25."

"Oh," Carl muttered, somewhat disappointed. I saw him counting on his fingers; he was subtracting his age from mine. I lightly chuckled to myself. He held up eight fingers and looked kinda sad. I noticed him quickly snap his focus to the large burn on my arm that Merle had seen that one night. "What happened?" I instantly felt sick at the question. I didn't wanna relive the experience.

"It's a long story." My hand flew up to rub it, covering it up as much as I could.

"I've got time," Carl said, turning his full attention to me. I stared at him awkwardly, not wanting to say anything. He caught my mood and quickly apologized. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," I whispered, staring back up at the sky. He began to ramble out of nervousness, but I blocked it out. I was too busy focusing on past memories that plagued my mind whenever they felt the need to suddenly combust like dynamite.

I sat in my room, drawing a picture of a horse. They were my favorite animal at the time; I was going into the third grade soon. I knew my mom had been upset lately so I knew my creation would make her happier. I scribbled down the finishing touches with my forest green crayon: a few more strokes of grass the horse had been galloping across. I smiled, throwing down the crayon and running out of my room. The sloppy colored picture waved like a flag in the wind as I bounded down the hall.

"Mommy," I yelled excitedly. "I have a present for you!" I ran past my parents' room but stopped when I heard harsh voices. I froze, slowly backing up to sneak a peek through the crack in the door. My dad was snarling at my mom who held a strong stance against him.

"If this happens again—"

"Don't you dare," my mom whispered. My dad towered over her.

"I will," he growled at her. "And that's a promise."

"I'll leave you," she fired back. "And I'll take the kids with me."

"You can't take my family away from me." His voice grew louder. I noticed his hand begin to raise as my mom tried to fight back. My eyes widened in fear. I was gonna yell out to warn her, but I was too late. His hand flew through the air, crashing down on my mom's cheek. She yelped, clutching it.

"Mom?" I whispered, blowing my cover. My dad's gaze angrily connected with mine. I shrunk back from the door as he stomped over, flinging it open. Fear surged through my veins. I gripped my picture so hard I could feel it crumbling. He seized my arm and yanked me back over to my room.

"What have I told you, you sneaky little shit," he bellowed. I stumbled, almost falling. "Mind your own fucking business or you'll be punished." He slapped me up alongside the head before shoving me back into my room. He slammed the door in my face, leaving me alone in silence. My lip quivered as I stared down at the crumpled up picture in my hand.

"Aften," Carl questioned, waving his hand in front of my face. I jumped, looking over at him. "You okay?"

"Yeah," I mumbled, picking up my crutches. I breathed heavily, panic rising in my chest. I needed to go back inside, back into seclusion. "I have to go."

"I said something wrong, didn't I? Was it about your dad?" He was beyond worried. I stood up, placing the crutches under my arms. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to—"

"It's not your fault," I assured him. He seemed to relax a bit. "I just remembered I had to go do something," I lied. Carl sadly nodded. "I'll see you around though," I said in an attempt to lighten the mood.

"You too," he somberly called back as I hobbled away, leaving him out in the night by himself. I felt bad that l was doing this, already blowing someone off, but I needed to be by myself again. I needed the silence.