For 7 days, Carl moved supplies from the camp to the base. It was a tough route. He often had to wait for small hordes to move on, and more than once he had to clear his path by himself.
After gathering the supplies, Carl began to think about where to hide them all. He didn't want them all in one place. The safe in his base was too small to store just the weapons, let alone the heavy equipment and all the ammunition. But for now, he had other plans. He locked everything in the garage. He secured the garage in such a way that it couldn't be opened from the outside without tools and significant force.
As he had planned earlier, he decided to visit his father in the hospital. Carl knew that the route to the hospital could be dangerous. Nevertheless, he set off for the city. He took a pistol, a baseball bat, and a backpack with supplies and a well-hidden M67 grenade.
Moving through King County, Carl had to avoid many clusters of infected and managed to spot a few survivors. After a long march, Carl reached the treehouse he liked to stay in and the place where he had jokingly left a note for Shane. He recalled many funny memories associated with this place and the stories of the old man who used to live there. This old man had once been a soldier and served in Vietnam. But Carl's attention was drawn to a grave under the cherry tree. He approached the grave and started laughing. "Haaa haaaa. So Shane, you found this place and did as I wrote," Carl said to himself. He never suspected that Shane would do this. Now he knew that Shane was ruthless. He decided to continue his way to the hospital.
As he slowly approached the hospital, Carl ran into another survivor. This survivor looked like he hadn't slept in a long time. He was dressed in fairly practical clothing that allowed for a wide range of movement. He had a regular hunting rifle slung over his back.
"What are you doing here, boy? Where are your parents?" the stranger began to ask questions.
"And who are you, old man?" Carl replied.
The stranger's face showed surprise because the boy in front of him didn't seem lost or scared at all; rather, he seemed indifferent.
"I'm not that old. My name is Morgan, and you, boy, what's your name?" Morgan asked. He wanted to know where Carl's parents were, as it was too dangerous for such a young person to be on the streets. But something in the back of his mind told him that this kid was dangerous, so he watched him closely.
"My name is Carl, and I'm going my way, old man, and I advise you to do the same," Carl replied. This answer surprised Morgan. The boy in front of him didn't seem to care at all and began to walk away. The boy seemed to be about the age of his son, so he felt obligated to help him.
"Carl, you still haven't told me where you're going and where your parents are," Morgan asked. He still hoped for an answer from Carl. He didn't want to leave him because he didn't want to feel guilty for leaving him behind, but he knew that if Carl didn't want to stay with him, he would have to let him go.
"My parents are having morning tea with Lucifer in hell," Carl answered with a smile on his face. This response surprised and slightly amused Morgan. He didn't expect Carl to joke. Morgan was also convinced that no kid should be acting like this.
"But seriously, Carl, where are your parents?" Morgan asked again.
"You're not going to give up, old man, until I answer your question," Carl said.
"No, I won't give up. I'm waiting for your answer, Carl," Morgan insisted.
Carl just sighed. He didn't feel like killing anyone today. He just wanted to find out if his father was alive or dead. Besides, a shot in the city center would be very dangerous. If he did, hundreds of infected would gather here. So, he decided to answer Morgan.
"My mother is probably screwing her lover somewhere near Atlanta, and as for my father, I'm going to visit him in the hospital, or rather, find out if he's alive. Does that answer satisfy you, Mr. Morgan?"
Morgan didn't expect that kind of answer; he expected Carl to break down and say that his parenst are dead or something like that. But Carl was more irritated. However, one word piqued Morgan's curiosity: hospital. For several hours, he had been looking for a pharmacy, and seeing that Carl must have lived here, he decided to ask him about it.
"No, but let it be. Besides, you don't know where the pharmacy is." The sudden change of question surprised Carl a bit, but he still answered.
"Behind you. In the building with the car crashed into it." Morgan immediately turned around and noticed the building he was talking about. What he didn't know was that Carl took the opportunity and escaped.
"Are you sure there's a pharmacy in that building?" Morgan asked. Carl didn't respond. When Morgan glanced back, Carl was already gone. "He's quick," Morgan thought. So he decided to check out the building, which turned out to be a grocery store with a small pharmacy.
In the vicinity of the hospital. "Interesting old man, but too soft for this world. If he doesn't change, he won't last long," Carl thought. In front of him stood the hospital. He slowly and cautiously made his way to the third floor to find his father's room. He knew it was on the third floor but couldn't remember the room number. So he checked each room one by one. Carl found many patients who were still alive, as if someone was taking care of them. Finally, he stumbled upon the ward where his father lay. Rick was still alive but remained in a coma. On the table by his bed were already dried flowers and a letter from Lori.
The letter was no surprise to Carl; he knew its contents well. After all, he wrote it with his mother two weeks after his father's accident. The letter was a simple account of his day at school along with Lori lamenting how hard it was for her without him. But there was also a note on the table that indicated where they had gone and the sad fate of Carl, along with information about where he was buried. After seeing this, Carl wanted to add that it wasn't true, but he didn't. Instead, he recounted to the unconscious Rick the story of his escape as well as Lori's treacherous nature. At that moment, Rick had a faint glimmer of consciousness, but it was too weak to remember what was being said, though he did remember part of Carl's statement, especially the part where Carl said that Lori had cheated on him with Shane. However, whether Rick would remember the earlier part of Carl's statement would remain a big unknown for a long time.
After spending a few minutes with his father, Carl said goodbye. He knew he might never see him again. Carl planned to better secure the supplies, modify Mrs. Park's car so he could reach the pedals, and set off on a journey to Savannah to the officer's house to secure the supplies, and who knows, maybe even settle down if the location of the house was appropriate.
After a cautious yet quick march, Carl returned to the base. On the way, he entered the forest to make it harder for other survivors to track him. Upon returning, he immediately began planning how to secure his supplies and home during his absence.