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▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ 𝘿𝘼𝙍𝙆𝙎𝙄𝘿𝙀
❝ CHAPTER THREE—"we find
ourselves in pain" ❝

▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ WHEN BLYTHE WOKE UP, SHE WAS IN COMPLETE PAIN. her lower back ached from yesterday night when liam pushed her into the countertop.

she noticed liam fast asleep beside her, snoring.

bly rolled her eyes and threw the sheets off from her. she quickly got dresses, messily throwing on her clothes. she rushed out of the bedroom being as quiet as possible.

when she got to the bathroom she lifted her shirt, looking over at her spine. the entirety of her lower back was bruised purple.

"shit," she said, feeling every movement she made.

blythe washed her teeth as quick as she could and headed for her shoes.

walking far away from the house, she made her way towards the Andersons home.

when she knocked, jessie opened the door with a smile, "oh! blythe bradley, it's great to see you!"

"yeah, you too," she answered, "uh, is ron here?"

"of course," she answered, "up in his room."

jessie let the girl inside, letting her run up into rons room.

blythe bursted into his room, tears in her eyes.

ron looked up from his bed, confused on why blythe bradley was crying in his room at seven in the morning.

"bly? you good?" he asked, sitting up.

the bridge overflowed, sobs escaped her body as she fell into the wall.

ron got up, now worried, "bly, what happened."

"liam—he," she paused, "it got bad again last night."

ron frowned, "he hurt you?"

she nodded, not wanting to say it.

"bly, how bad?" he asked.

blythe felt her head fall, "really bad."

"what do you mean?" she heard. bly looked up at none other than carl grimes. those same blue eyes looked at her curiously.

"oh, uh," ron tilted his head at the boy, "carl stopped by asking about school."

she nodded, understanding.

carl knelt down beside her, "bradley, you okay?"

what could she say, her boyfriend physically hurt her and forced himself on her. yeah, that's the truth.

"liam and I got into a fight," she began, "he-hit me, I pushed him, he pushed me."

carl looked at the big red mark on her face that had a hint of purple.

"he hit you?" he asked.

she nodded, "to be fair, I was being a bitch."

"bitch or not, no man should hit his girl," carl said with pain in his voice.

ron grew up in the same environment, being beaten by his own father. ron knew the pain, but didn't know any different. neither did blythe.

she shrugged, "it wasn't as bad as the last time he lost his cool."

"what happened last time?" carl asked, nervously.

ron scoffed, "her face was covered in blood."

carl's mouth fell open, "by liam?" they both nodded.

"that is fucked up," he admitted.

blythe would have agreed, but she remembered that liam was drunk and high.

"anyways," she looked at ron, "can I have your help?"

ron nodded, helping her stand up, "come on."

they entered the bathroom, carl curiously followed.

she leaned her hips against the counter before pulling her shirt over her head, leaving herself in her bra.

embarrassed, carl looked away, not expecting her to take her shirt off.

blythe on the other hand was comfortable with her body. I mean, it's just a body.

ron didn't mind either, he just wanted to help his friend.

the boy walked over, observing the large purple bruise above her pants.

carl's eyes traveled back towards blythe, looking exactly where rons eyes were.

ron and carls eyes met, before looking back to bly.

"he did this?" ron asked.

bly nodded, "shoved me into the counter."

carl walked closer, his eyes glued on the painful painting displayed on the young girls body.

not only was her face bruised too, but both of her wrists were wrapped in a red bracelet.

"why'd he do this?" carl asked.

bly turned around, holding her shirt up to cover her chest.

because of you bly thought.

instead she shrugged, "I was rude."

"he hit you because you were being rude?" carl asked, confused.

"I dunno grimes," she said, "he's-you know . . . temperamental."

ron scoffed, "that's one way to put it."

walking to the cabinet, ron grabbed out a few bottles.

"over here carl," he said, "you're gonna help me."

carl looked at ron with panicking eyes, "what?"

ron rolled his eyes, "get the fuck over here."

carl strided over standing awkwardly by the two teens.

ron grabbed carls wrist, holding his hand out, "this is aloe vera, helps with the bruises."

he poured some of the aloe in carl's hand.

carl stood there for a second, his hand stuck out.

ron gave him a glance, "what are you doing? rub it over the bruise."

carl sighed, looking at blythe who shrugged, "go for it, grimes."

ron picked out a few vitamins and put them in a stone grinder. he crushed them down into dust.

carl brought his hand over to blythe's back, just above her pants.

bly gasped when she felt the cold aloe touch her skin, making carl jump away, "sorry."

"no, you're fine," she said, "i didn't expect it, that's all."

carl let out a quick breath as he rubbed the aloe across the bruise. he smoothed the gel out as it melted into her warm skin.

"awesome," ron spoke, "now gimme your hand again."

ron dumped the vitamin power into his hand and poured some numbing lotion on top.

"there," he said, "go ahead."

carl did so again, rubbing his hand across her back.

after he was done, he still had a lot of extra aloe and lotion on his hands.

"uh, here, give me your wrists," he said lightly.

blythe turned around, raising her wrists.

carl wrapped his hand around one wrist, then the other, coding her skin in the same solution.

"thanks," bly said.

"right, no problem," he answered.

ron patted blys shoulder, "I'll be right back."

she nodded at him with a smile.

carl dropped her wrists then raised his hand, placing it on the side of her face. bly flinched from the pressure, her face still hurt like a bitch.

"sorry," he said again, frowning.

"it's okay, carl," she said lightly.

carl smiled staring down at her while putting all his attention into her bruised face.

"carl?" he asked.

she laughed at her mistake but played it off, "I meant grimes."

his head fell with a chuckle, "I like carl better, grimes makes me sound like my dad."

she smiled fondly, "I felt that way too, but I'd rather be called bradley by strangers."

carl tilted his head, "so, I'm still a stranger?"

bly hummed, "perhaps. who knows, you could be a murder."

carl looked away with a nervous chuckle, bly caught on. 

"I mean, it's fine," she backtracked, "out there you do what you must to survive."

carl's smile faded with a long silence, "yeah."

bly frowned, "how long were you out there?"

he shrugged, "I think I was seven when the apocolypse started."

she breathed out heavily with a whistle, "you must be pretty fucked up then."

he chuckled, "yeah, pretty much."

realizing his hand was still resting in her face, he dropped his arm.

"when, uh, when I was twelve," bly began, "I watched my moms get torn to shreds."

"I had to kill them, to put them out of their misery," she said, "I still hear them screaming."

carl looked down at her, he noticed how she gazed at her hands when she was sad.

"I killed my mom," carl spoke, "after she was cut open to birth my little sister."

bly looked back at him, "oh my god, that's horrifying."

carl shrugged, "you do what you must to survive."

bly frowned, letting out a sigh, "I guess we're both a little fucked up."

carl snickered, "a little?"

she punched his shoulder, "don't push it, I'm not that screwed in the head."

carl's head fell down with laughter, his sheriff's hat hid his face.

ron peeped his head back in, "okay, I'm back."

he lifted his hand to show a few ice packs.

bly followed him back into his room and she laid down on his bed on her stomach.

ron placed the ice pack on her skin making her yell in surprise.

"fuck," he pulled them off, "shit, sorry-i forgot to grab a cloth."

"yeah, no shit!" she exclaimed, "that was cold!"

carl took off his flannel, "will this help?"

ron shrugged, "yeah," he grabbed the flannel, placing it over her back.

when the ice packs were placed back down, she sighed with relief, "that's better."

"let that sit for half an hour," ron said, "then I'll replace it with a heat pack."

bly nodded, resting her head in her hands.

"how do you know this much?" carl asked.

bly looked up, answering for ron, "his daddy is a dick."

they fell silent again, not going into detail.

"so," ron sat down beside her, "is this all that he did? give you bruises?"

blythe was quiet for a moment, not really having an answer.

carl watched curiously, sitting down on a single sofa.

ron basked in the silence, "blythe," he repeated.

she looked up, tears forming in her eyes, "like what?"

"did he fucking rape you?" ron spouted.

carl's face fell, completely clueless at the situation until now.

bly looked at ron, "I—told him no."

you'll tear into rons throat, eating him alive. then enids, as she stares terrified at the edge of death. then finally, carl, you'll kill him, ripping his insides out.

"I told him no," she repeated, "I said it so many times," she choked on a sob.

carl felt his bottom lip quiver upon hearing the pain in her voice.

"I couldn't say anything, he muffled my screams," she said in almost a whisper.

blythe had never seen ron stand up so fast, "I'm gonna fucking kill him," he sped out of his room with determination.

carl stood up, essentially wanting to murder this asshole as well.

blythe rolled off the bed, running after him, "ron! no!"

carl snatched his flannel that fell to the ground and ran after the girl, "bradley!"

bly ran after ron, it fucking hurt.

when carl caught up, he handed her the flannel, trying to avoid gazing at her chest.

bly grabbed the flannel, tossing it over her shoulders.

once they made it to her liams house, she yanked ron from the door, "stop!"

"let go, blythe," he shook her off from him. entering the house.

bly and carl followed suit as ron slammed himself through the bedroom door, seeing a shirtless liam who was fastening his belt.

liams eyes found blythe's, she looked terrified.

"ron? bly? what are you—" ron waist no time before sending a punch into liams face.

the boy went flying back into the wall, surprise written on his face.

"you fucking raped her!" He shouted.

liam recoiled, "w-what?"

ron yanked his arm, shoving him down on the bed, "this the bed you fucked her on? when she was telling you no? when you ignored her screams?" ron was fuming.

liam stuttered, "I—I don't," he paused, and instead looked at carl, "is that carl fucking grimes?"

carl glared at him, "answer the question asshole, did you, or did you not rape blythe."

hearing her own name leave carls lips made her weak, she felt vulnerable all the sudden.

liam stood up straight, "she enjoyed it, fucking slut didn't say no."

bly felt her stomach churn.

ron attacked him again, but liam was ready, he threw ron into the wall, giving him a punch in the face.

"knock it off!" bly screamed, "all of you, stop it!"

liam let go of rons shirt, standing up, "he attacked me baby."

liam left a dizzy ron and walked towards bly, who slowly backed up into carl.

she felt carls hand slip around her wrist.

liam stopped, "is that his fucking flannel?"

he pulled bly away from carl then ripped the flannel of from her.

liam tossed it at the floor, "you're such a whore!" he exclaimed.

carl stepped forward, an angered expression on his face.

bly raised a hand, "carl don't!" she cried.

"just—just take ron and go." she said.

"hell no," carl refused, "I'm not leaving you with him."

"she said leave, dickhead," liam snapped.

carl looked at blythe who was pleading with her eyes, "just go."

having no other choice, carl walked to ron, helping the boy up, before walking out of the room.

carl glanced back at blythe one more time, he could see the fear in her face.

"don't you come back, grimes, I'll fucking kill you," liam shouted, making bly flinch.

when they heard the door close, liam turned to face bly, "think I raped you? baby, I was showing you my love."

his eyes darkened, "see that carl kid again, I'll give you something to cry about. I'll have you wishing you were dead."

blythe felt her body pulse with every heartbeat, she had to get out of this.

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