Carl Horton

> I have many flaws, weaknesses and insecurities but please tell me, yes, do name ONE people here who doesn't have flaws nor weaknesses and insecurities like I do, like we all do! And I--
>
> **Carl Horton** to Captain Firelet, Collaboration (Ch.37), Arc 1

Carl Horton is one of the main characters of Gun Wounds. He is a very shy boy and lacks self-confidence but he's kind and friendly to everyone. He also shares a brother-sister relationship with the spicy Ally Spellman and is the nephew of Elvis Firelet.

## Appearance

Carl Horton is a short and thin man with no muscles at all. He has medium-long dark blue hair and struggles to brush them correctly. He has very dark blue eyes that many mistake for black eyes. He has however a very sensitive skin and seems to take care of it quite well. He is not very proud of his height and is often mocked for, he even appears to be one of the smallest characters within the Boston Police Department as well as the weakest (physically) and the youngest.

He usually tends to wear simple outfits and almost always soft colors such as light yellow, blue or green. Most of his outfits are common but especially cute, he wears these types of outfits with the goal to remain unnoticed in crowds. Even if for some people pastel colors are seen as girly and feminine, Carl keeps on wearing these colors despite the look of his surroundings and he wears it well.

## Personality

Carl is a very sensitive boy, he has a soft heart and innocent mind. He is also awfully shy, defenseless and tends to give in easily when faced to a huge issue. He doesn't draw attention and does not desire to be seen or talked about, he mostly remains quiet and hidden somewhere far from gossips but even if he tries to stay on the low, people are still chatting about him.

However, his unexpected courage in a few situations surprised many of his acquaintances. Eventually, he can prove himself as an important member and qualified ally.

## Story

**Early Life**

It is said in **Chapter 19: Nice Nice Days** that Carl has an uncle and then revealed in **Chapter 37: Collaboration** that Elvis Firelet is Carl's uncle. Carl says to him: *"[...]I know you offered me this job here after my mom's death earlier this year and you're my only true family remaining."* which explains why he has been working at the Police Station even though he doesn't occupy a "real" job.

Also, in the same chapter, Carl reveals that he completely dropped school after graduation because he doesn't care about studies even though he knows that he'll eventually need them to have a real job as he says. Firelet states himself that he considers himself as Carl's pseudo-father (which might imply that Carl doesn't have a father).

**Toxic Girlfriend**

One of the first things that is said about Carl (in **Chapter 1: Encounter**) is that he has an abusive girlfriend. Her name is Stacy Cook and according to him, she's been "selling" him to David Martinez and his crew in exchange of being cleared out of her debts. Carl is thus used to have bruises on his body and sting marks on his arms whenever he goes to work.

Everyone in the police station is aware of this situation, including Alexander Quinn, Michael Blake and Owen Patland, but they don't seem to do much to help him. They don't intefere in his life but Quinn, Michael and Patland showed signs of worries concerning his case and are willing to help him. Michael discovers all of his marks in **Chapter 8: Second Round** when he called Carl to his office.

**Ally as a Big Sister**

As time pass by, Ally is growing to be a very healthy big sister figure to Carl, something that he really lacks of. Their relationship was a coincidence in the beginning but grew to a very strong one. Ally needed someone to take care of, Carl needed to be taken care of, they found each other.

## Prologue

Carl appears in a sneak peek in **Chapter 1: Encounter** to give Michael Blake files about Nick Carter's case. At the same time, Michael notices Carl's bruises again and talks about it to Alexander Quinn but then Carl disappears in the Police Station.

### Arc 1: Welcome to DrugCity

In the middle of **Chapter 8: Second Round**, Michael texts Carl to ask him to come to his office. Michael questions him about his bruises and his stings, implying that his ex-girlfriend Stacy did them, but Carl claims that the stings are not from her but from David Martinez' gang, however he confesses that the bruises were made by Stacy. Then, Carl reveals him that David is searching for new "workers" which is why Stacy sold him to them but when Michael asks for further information, Carl replies he doesn't know any more. Before seeing him off, Michael tells him to stay at Quinn's place for a while in order to settle things with David without getting Carl in danger.

## Relationships

* Michael Blake - Carl seems to be terrified by Michael in some ways but he still trust him a lot. It took him a lot of courage to confess the abuses he's been victim of for a long time and Carl believes in Michael to help him out. Actually, their relationship status is mostly vague but we can suppose they consider each other as friends (at least a bit).

* Alexander Quinn - Quinn always act kind and friendly with Carl and their relationship is good and healthy. As many of the police station, Quinn is concerned about Carl's situation and got named in charge of his protection by Michael. Carl admires Quinn a lot.

* Owen Patland - Carl and Patland seem to be friends, they tend to text each other despite the lack of scenes of the two but their relationship is nowhere near close.

* Maddie Wilson - Maddie is one of Carl's colleague but their relationship remains mainly professional.

* Captain Firelet - Carl is Firelet's nephew, it is thanks to him that he got a job at the Police Station with him.

* Ally Spellman - Carl seemed to get really close to Ally and he likes her a lot. He kind of considers her as his big sister and he respects her a lot. Their relationship is natural and fluid, Carl feels at ease with her.

## Trivia

* Carl was meant to be a side character but because his backstory related to his ex-girlfriend touched Bleakeas and she had ideas for him, Carl became a part of the main characters alongside Ally Spellman.

* His character (mostly personality) was inspired by Carl Karl from *Phineas&Ferb* but also Tōru Fujisaki from *Yarichin Bitch Club*.

* His hairstyle changed during the writing first Arc. Originally his hair was light brown and looked like a bush but after the change, his hair turned blue and longer. It was a choice made by Taido404.

* Carl's favorite food is cotton candy, he's almost addicted to it. However, he despises carrots.

## Gallery

(Old Design of Carl Horton)(New Design of Carl Horton)