Author's Notes:
Hey hey, everyone. It's been a minute since an upload from me (especially on this project). If you managed to find this from the original Something to Fight For fic on my normal profile, this is what's going to be replacing it from now on. With how taxing editing everything into a single POV turned out to be, it ended up being much easier to post the original content for the story in its original format. Thus, the RP Edition was born (and has been regularly updated over on Archive of Our Own). From this point on, this'll be the only version I work on and publish, with solo projects and other things going over on my main account, PunctuationPoint.
That all being said, the original format for the roleplay server may be confusing at first, but I hope that you guys will like it anyway :)
I'll be publishing all of the original chapters published over on the Novelization version here in their new formats, then I'll be tossing in two additional new chapters to give the folks that have been around for a while some new content to read. I'll be posting a new chapter every day until I get caught up with the AO3 version (which is sitting at 25 chapters as of this posting), then it'll get simultaneous updates. In terms of new stuff in these earlier chapters, one major thing you'll notice in this one is that Ben has been replaced by a 'shadowed' OC. This is due to the fact that since the novelization's inception, the RPer that played Ben left the server and asked us to not use his stuff.
Oh, and to clarify the timeline, the crossover takes place in 2025 instead of 2033, with the apocalypse starting in 2011 instead. This was the timeline we decided upon back when we first started the RP, having characters like Ellie and Clementine be born near the start of the apocalypse.
Anyway, without further ado, enjoy the chaos!
2:25 PM - March 11, 2025 – Abandoned Apartment – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Art [Clementine]
Clementine's breath came out in small spurts, her body running on pure adrenaline as Lee tugged her down the street by her left arm. Everything happened in what felt like a split-second, a moment guided entirely by decisions and careless judgments made in the heat of said moment. She sprinted alongside Lee without looking back, hearing the harsh sound of shouting and gunfire following them like a shadow. The only thing going through her mind was the where the next alley or doorway was, her eyes widened in fear. They had to find somewhere to hide, they had to.
Once the gunfire ceased, and the yelling faded into the dense cityscape behind them, they stopped running, slowing down to catch their breath. Her feet burned with the strain, and her face was flushed red while she tried to breathe, only receiving short gasps, verging on hyperventilation. For a moment, all she could do was lean against the side of a brick building, listening to the sound of Lee's and her erratic breathing.
"L - Lee…?" She called out, stuttering, the words nearly lost in her throat amidst her heavy panting. Lee, however, not unlike the dozens of other times since the day she'd met him, was already one step ahead, trying to force open the front door of an abandoned apartment. It took several kicks, giving her the necessary time to get her breathing under some semblance of control before the wooden door finally gave in. Lee ushered her inside, and she did so with little to no hesitation, closing the broken door behind her.
The interior wasn't much to write home about, between old, dust-covered furniture and a decaying structure. She wouldn't be surprised if the whole building collapsed on top of them at any moment, but that little factoid hardly mattered, not when they were so close to the fire already. Clementine's gaze was focused on Lee, and never wavered, as the older man searched the house in a rushed manner. Her eyes fell to the floor for a single instant as she helplessly struggled to think of what to say to him. Was there anything she could? It was all her fault. He knew it, she knew it, and there was no denying it this time. She fucked up. Words failed her as she choked on them, taking in a deep breath before closing her eyes. I'm sorry.
Finally, she managed to force the mental blockage out of the way, calling out Lee's name again, continuing to stand near the door they'd entered through. She waited silently, almost praying for Lee to answer her calling.
Ledge [Lee Everett]
With his heart pounding and his mind running a million miles a minute, he closed the door behind them without haste. Lee began to slide an old couch immediately after to use as a barricade for the door, making sure that if anyone planned to follow them, they'd have to get through that first.
He gave one final definitive grunt as he pushed the old furniture against the door, pausing with heavy breath for a moment, hoping to catch it and recompose himself. His hands stayed in place on the couch as he leaned on it, sighing as he closed his eyes and arched his head in the direction of the floor, avoiding eye contact with Clem.
The only thoughts he could muster were something along the lines of 'how did that go so wrong?' Everything happened so fast. Those men had practically shown up out of nowhere, and once they'd caught on that they intended to rob them… Clem didn't hesitate in firing back, ultimately giving them a window to escape. Perhaps it was panic, or instinct... but it could've gone a lot worse, or a lot better. It didn't matter now. They were both still here, alive.
Whatever group those people were a part of, they clearly weren't friendly. This whole town was dangerous. Maybe passing through here wasn't the best idea after all.
After taking a few seconds to catch his breath he let go of the furniture, confident it would hold against the door, he heard a soft voice call out to him, picking up a tinge of guilt in her tone as he tilted his head towards her, offering her a reassuring glance.
"You okay Clem?" That wasn't your fault. "We're fine. They're not gonna follow us through here, that's for sure," he spoke reassuringly in an attempt to brighten the mood, somewhat, but these days that proved difficult with the teen.
Art [Clementine]
Clementine answered Lee's question with a slight, quiet nod while helping him push the old couch against the door. She wasn't okay in the least, but just as Lee said, they were fine… or so it seemed. After a few short seconds of silence went by, neither of them failed to notice Clem's right arm, and how its sleeve had been noticeably soaked in blood right above her forearm. A bullet graze, easily identified by a sharp, messy cut in her shirt and skin respectively, yet despite its small size, it bled enough to become apparent even at a distance. Clementine covered the dripping wound with her left hand as soon as she noticed it, trying to hide it from Lee despite knowing for sure he saw it before she could. "It's okay, it's - I didn't even feel it…!" Clementine assured him, sounding almost panicked while attempting to conceal it. "They just grazed me. That's it."
The girl's gaze fell in a mixture of shame and embarrassment, fully aware that the entire thing was her fault. The grip on her right arm gradually softened, much like her expression. "He looked like he was reaching for a gun. I thought…" she tried to explain, her voice shaky. She clenched her eyes shut as words once again failed her, trying desperately to muster the strength to say anything else. They never came.
Ledge [Lee Everett]
"Hey, it's okay… No use running all of those what-if scenarios through your head. You did what you thought was right. We don't get to know what could've happened. That's just not how it works. All that matters is that we're both okay, and together." He placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to relieve any guilt she may have been feeling from earlier.
He glanced down at her arm, examining the blood that was seeping through. "Now… let's take a look at that arm you were trying to hide from me." He knelt down, taking her forearm into his hand as he rolled up her sleeve. He glanced at it, relief evident on his face. "Lucky for us, it is just a graze, easily fixable." He untangled his backpack from his shoulders, letting it plop to the ground, digging around until he pulled out some disinfectant to clean the wound. He grabbed a clean rag and dipped it, also applying it to the arm with slight pressure to stop the bleeding. Once it had stopped, he began to wrap it.
Reminds me of that time back in my parents' drugstore, when her finger was hurt… except now she's a lot bigger… Time just really gets ahead of you. He pondered with a slight smirk as he began to wrap her arm, finishing the process.
He then met her gaze, remaining on one knee. "We'll find a way out of this town, I promise you." It was a given that the bridge was their only way out of the town and the only way to where the supposed Fireflies were situated. They'd have to improvise, bide their time and come up with a plan on how they were going to get past the guards.
Art [Clementine]
Clementine endured the harsh sting stemming from her wound valiantly, simply looking the other way with a pout. The girl had long since gotten used to it, to that kind lifestyle… to that kind of pain. Yet even so, for Clementine not a day passed in which she didn't miss her parents, and the farm she used to live on as a small kid. That craving only ever fueled her desire to meet the Fireflies, to finally be able to live peacefully again with Lee by her side.
"I know we will," Clementine responded fearlessly. A scratch like that wouldn't be enough to stop her. Some days, her devotion was strong enough for it to often seem like nothing could.
She walked past Lee almost as soon as he was done patching her up, way too quick to even bother lowering her sleeve once more, the thought of thanking him simply slipping her mind. The girl went straight to the window to her right, leaning on the glass as she scanned through the barren streets of Pittsburgh, seeing nothing but broken-down cars, decaying buildings and utterly desolate streets.
"I don't see them, but I bet they're close," she said, refusing to drop her guard. Backing away from the window, Clementine sat opposed to it, taking off her backpack and placing it on the dusty wooden floor to grab a candy bar from its interior. "We should figure out a plan," she told him decisively while gleefully munching on the sweet. 'Staying here for the night is trouble for sure' was the girl's only thought, lost in the scenery as her eyes were naturally drawn to the window.
Ledge [Lee Everett]
She was just as determined as he was to get out of here, which was a good sign. With the door barricaded, they were at the point where there wasn't any other choice but to navigate through the dingy and dark apartments to try and get back down to the bottom level and the streets. They're going to have to find a safe place to hunker down and make a plan, and soon.
He zipped up his backpack and placed it back over his shoulders, chancing a glance out of the window to observe the lushly green overgrown streets. It was almost beautiful, if you took out the part about humanity falling. Almost felt like they were free. Being cramped up in a FEDRA safe zone, it was easy to forget what they were protecting the citizens from… until you left the zone and remembered what was truly out here.
He took a moment to gather his thoughts, focusing his attention on Clementine now. "Alright, a plan… I'm thinking we-"
At that moment, Lee's head jolted to the dingy and dark hallway. A disturbing sound unlike anything he had ever heard echoed through the apartment halls. With a very worried gaze he outstretched his hand towards Clem, signaling her to stay back and be silent.
Art [Clementine]
Clementine's gaze rapidly moved away from the window opposed to her, staring incessantly at the dark hallway located in the corner of the apartment building. It echoed, as though piercing her ears, this very much sudden and equally disturbing sound…
It sounded like someone, or something, choking in agony. Clem didn't know how to react, or what to say even, and Lee's gesture made sure that she didn't have the chance to. 'Is it… a walker?' the girl wondered, complying to Lee's instructions for the time being, but not without unsheathing her knife in watchfulness.
Ledge [Lee Everett]
Lee stood, his hand still outstretched and his body frozen stiff as he waited to see what would come of the sound.
What the fuck could that be? Doesn't sound like anything I've ever heard.
It wasn't long before he could hear it getting closer. He deemed it would be best to let it come to them instead of venturing deeper into the dingy halls. What he expected to see was a walker enter the room, which they would dispatch easily enough, but what he emerged horrified him more than he cared to admit.
Holy fucking shit...
Lee's eyes widened in fear as a grotesque creature stood at the doorway. What looked to be some sort of fungus was coming out of its head, and its jerky movements were unlike any walker he'd ever seen. In fact, he'd seen nothing like it before. He'd heard rumors back in the safe zone of a different strain, but there was never any evidence of it. Walkers infested entire states surrounding the zone, and nothing else.
This thing was making some sort of clicking sound, which made Lee's body tense up immediately, expecting it to attack. It stayed still, though, croaking. Whatever it was, it couldn't see them.
Lee took a single step back.
Shadowman [Narrator]
The Clicker stood at the doorway as it emitted a croaking sound, scanning the area for any potential prey. When it sensed a noise, a familiar sound of what it assumed to be the footstep of a survivor, it immediately growled, lunging forward with its arms flailing as it screeched.
Ledge [Lee Everett]
"Oh fuck- Oh!" Lee cried out as the grotesque creature charged towards him. With almost no time to react, it had already grabbed him. He fought against it, but it was strong, a lot stronger and more aggressive than any walker he had dealt with. That sheer strength had caught him off guard, causing him to lose his footing as he tripped, the gruesome thing falling on top of him as it gnashed its teeth. "Jesus!" He yelled out in an almost panicked state.
Art [Clementine]
"Oh shit," Clementine muttered, just as frozen as Lee was, and somehow even more terrified. That thing charged out of the hallway before either of them could react, pouncing on Lee with a blaring and horrific screech. Clem couldn't even think, giving into her most dominant impulse and rushing as fast as she could towards Lee and the disgusting creature trying to rip him apart, panic and adrenaline crushing her so profoundly that she struggled not to fall over whilst standing up from beside the window.
The creature moved his jaw madly, desperately trying to tear Lee's face with his teeth. Clementine gripped the handle of her knife with both hands, focusing every ounce of her strength towards burying it in the creature's skull. The knife went straight through its temple, a gush of blood flowing from its head and covering everything in its immediate surroundings. Clementine didn't stop, nearly unable to in a fit of rage, kicking its dead corpse away from Lee and stabbing it in the head again, again, again and again, until it was dead for good… until she knew for sure that it was dead for good. By then, it looked as though no part of Clementine's body remained not stained in blood. The girl laid breathless on top of the creature's dead corpse.
Ledge [Lee Everett]
It all happened in a blur. Before he knew it, it was over. Clementine had killed… whatever it was. He sat up, more shocked at how brutal she had been at taking down that thing rather than the corpse itself. It took him a moment to catch his breath as he sat up, his body still shaking from the panic as his heart wouldn't stop racing from that encounter.
Without haste, he crawled to his feet and made his way over to Clem, quickly ushering her off the dead corpse while keeping an eye on the hallway. Though it seemed quiet, he didn't want to speak yet, just in case. "That was… I don't even know what that thing was," he admitted in a hushed tone, his tone still harboring slight shock as he stared at the dead corpse, turning his attention to Clem. "You alright?"
Art [Clementine]
Clearing away the blood from her face, Clementine falteringly stood up, immensely grateful for making it in time as she leaned against the wall with a sigh. "I don't – I don't know either," the girl conceded, moving the thick, untidy hair slipping out of her baseball cap away from her face. As for Lee's question, the girl didn't bother answering, shrugging her shoulders before sliding down the wall into a sitting position. The blood from the Clicker was particularly rancid, running down her face all the way to the sole of her boots and causing her muscles to stiffen in discomfort. Gross…
Lee himself looked fine, which brought her a sense of relief unlike any other. Clem shuffled over to where her backpack was, picking up a tiny piece of cloth along with a bottle of water in order to clean herself the best she could. "I'm alright…" she finally told him with a soft smile, putting the cloth back in its place once it did the extent of what it was able to do when paired up with a chunk of clean water. She still smelled really bad, her clothes and hair in particular, resulting in a sullen, dreary look. There was however very little that the girl could do about it aside from frowning and moving on, which is exactly what she did.
Her eyes were fixed on the Clicker's corpse, never before having seen anything quite like it. By the time the adrenaline wore off, all that lingered was the feeling of dread and unease in the air, as well as the strong stench of death. "We shouldn't wait here long," she quietly reminded Lee while keeping her head down, hoping he'd come up with some sort of plan.
Lee always did.
Ledge [Lee Everett]
"As soon as we get out of this place, we'll figure out a plan... and get you some new clothes," he spoke as he eyed off her bloody attire that has been caused by that... thing. In all of the eight years he had spent in the safe zone, walkers were the only thing he had the displeasure of coming across or seeing. This was the same case in the last 4 or so years on the road. They knew walkers inside and out... but not whatever these things were. Those rumors came to mind when looking at the creature, talks about that different strain affected places further out west, and he deemed these things must have been what the soldiers were talking about. He couldn't lie to himself… they had exceeded his expectations as to how terrifying they were said to be.
"Let's scoot. You know the gig. Take it slow and watch your blind spots when we're going down here," he spoke as he past her, heading for the hall as he pulled out a small flashlight, shining it down the corridor. He couldn't hear anything, but if these things were anything like walkers, he knew they could still be hiding around every corner of this place. As they made their way through the complex, they took care to check the blind spots of the building while they made their way through. As they reached the bottom level, Lee approached the window leading out towards the streets, peeking out of it to examine both sides of the road. After giving Clem a nod signaling the all clear, he vaulted over the window, waiting for Clem to follow along before pointing out a specific building where they would be able to get their bearings and make a plan.
As they hurried along, approaching the new building, Lee used a tactic he usually did on walkers: knocking a few times on the door to see if anything would be attracted, and after no response, he entered. After perusing the place, it seemed clear and relatively safe. He made sure nothing would be able to get in by barring the door.
"Alright…" Lee sighed as he took off his backpack, sprawling out a map he had on a vacant desk. "We're not alone in this city, that much is clear enough. There's a lot of them guarding that bridge. What I'm thinking is maybe we could take the backstreets to an apartment overlooking the bridge... around here," he spoke as he pointed to the area on the map.
"We can observe their shifts. What times of the day they're guarding it. Early hours of the morning, there's bound to be less of them there… could be our chance to sneak right past. What do you think Clem?"
Art [Clementine]
Clementine followed the same steps as before, pushing an old couch against the front door and turning her flashlight on once inside the dark building, helping Lee clear the place of any possible threats while being careful not to trip over anything. Once Lee sprawled the map on the desk by the living room, Clem aimed the flashlight towards the map, analyzing every street corner in order to single out the very best route to the bridge. Got it. Clem slid her finger across the map, poking its edge right across the fifth avenue. "There's a coffee shop thing right around here, next to the university... star something. I saw it on the way to the bridge. We can get a good view from there, I'm sure of it."
Ledge [Lee Everett]
"One of the old Starbucks stores. Good idea. From there, we should be able to see what we're up against and plan accordingly."
After all this time… still can't stay away from coffee, can I? Back when he was teaching at UGA that was about the only thing keeping him running sometimes.
He rolled up the map on the desk, placing it into his backpack, nodding reassuringly. "Sounds like it's a deal then, Starbucks it is."
2:30 PM – Highway
Kentucky [Joel]
Joel was nodding off.
The first tolls of sleep had called to him with a few blinks that had gone on for too long. He shuffled in his seat, readjusting his back until he was finally comfortable, and continued staring out the windshield. Ellie, the girl, was asleep in the passenger seat, having finally done so after a while. The radio still crooned, Joel laying a finger on his temple and resting his shoulder against the door. His right hand was still on the wheel, eyes staring straight ahead… straight ahead… straight… ahead… ahead…
The brakes squealed, as his brain sent a jolt through his body, in awe of the mess before him. "Oh, no, no, no no no…"
A graveyard of cars rested before them, skeletons trapped in a perpetual traffic jam. Joel frowned, swallowing as his mind raced.
Dot [Ellie]
As the car slowed to a stop, and Joel's voice filled the air, Ellie stirred from the sleep she'd been fighting off for a while. Her eyes opened as she let out a long yawn, taking a look around the car. The country road they'd been on before was now replaced by large buildings and trees running along the highway they've been driving down. She managed to make out what had Joel so worked up through half-open eyes, a traffic jam that blocked off the exit they presumably had to take. Damn.
"Now what?" She asked, turning towards Joel. With how things looked, they'd have to head deeper into the city, which would only slow them down. She wasn't even sure if they had enough gas to get them around all of this shit. Probably should've stole more gas and less comics... nah, those comics were cool.
Kentucky [Joel]
Joel frowned, looking off into the road that led further into Pittsburgh. Bad stuff went on in the major cities. Factions of bandits had taken control and pillaged and hassled – and killed – many a survivor looking to get by. Joel supposed he knew what had happened because of... because of...
"Screw it." He turned the wheel, speeding off onto the second road and towards inner Pittsburgh.
Dot [Ellie]
Ellie watched with her elbow sat upon the windowsill and her hand resting against her face as building after building passed them by, the highway turning into a densely packed street. Dilapidated cars lined the road, torn apart, abandoned, some even upside down, but they all shared one common theme. They squeezed the truck into a narrow path, almost too narrow to get through. Her eyes were constantly searching the windows of the buildings, searching for any sign of the infected. So far, nothing. As they passed an overturned armored truck, something came into view ahead, leading to Joel to bring the truck to a sudden stop.
Jerking forward, Ellie turned towards Joel, her tone one of annoyance. "Easy." She followed his gaze, a man, probably no older than eighteen or nineteen judging by how he appeared, was in the middle of the road ahead, seemingly alone.
"A – Are we going to help him?" She returned her gaze to Joel briefly. The teenager appeared to be injured and stumbled towards them.
Shadow Dot [Narrator]
"Hey! Over here! I need some help!" Jackson screamed as he stumbled towards the truck. He clutched his stomach with blood on his hands, though the blood wasn't really his. The infected corpse Henry Simmons had gutted to cover Jackson in the blood was hidden behind a dumpster on the side of the road, right where the older man lied in wait to ambush the truck.
Kentucky [Joel]
Joel squinted, the silence of their car ride broken with the arrival of the teen in the road. The muscles in Joel's hand tightened, the back of his head getting hot and his hairs standing up. Why? Why? Joel swallowed again, mouth sticky and warm with fright. His face showed no such thing; rather revealing clenched teeth behind old lips and wrinkles in his forehead straining.
"Ellie, put on your seatbelt. He ain't even hurt."
The boy approached, saying something. He was getting too close. Joel's foot tipped onto the pedal, slamming down on the gas and speeding forward, just narrowly missing the boy.
Shadow Dot [Narrator]
As Joel sent the truck barreling forward, Simmons cursed and came out of his hiding spot, firing off a couple shots with his pistol towards the truck. Neither connected, but one managed to find its way through the front windshield and out the back of the truck. As they sped down the road, swerving around cars, Simmons aimed for the wheels of the car, managing to send the car spiraling out of control and plough through a metal sliding gate for what appeared to be some sort of mechanic shop. Ellie and Joel jerked in their seats as the truck crashed into the wall of the shop, bringing the car to a sudden stop. Simmons glared towards Jackson before rushing towards the building, putting away his pistol in exchange for the rifle. These folks were obviously too defiant to be left alive, they had to be put down.
Dot [Ellie]
Ellie took in a deep breath as she struggled against her seatbelt, looking towards the damage that their truck's sustained. It was totaled, completely. She let out a sigh of relief as she searched herself for any injuries, finding none. "I'm okay, I'm okay." Jesus, that was close.
Kentucky [Joel]
Joel squirmed in his seat belt, finally unlatching it and taking in a breath. "Come, on!" He bit down on his tongue, a red bruise stained his forehead. "We – we gotta get outta here, Ellie," he said, beginning to get out of the truck.
TheDomdotCom [Henry Simmons]
Cursing under his breath, Simmons gestured for Jackson to follow him. He couldn't do this alone, not with the pair of them. One was just a girl, but that didn't mean shit. These days, anyone was capable of anything. If he knew this kind of person well enough, the asshole driving is gonna try and hide, or escape, and would only try to kill them if confronted. This meant they had to take a different approach. The one fucking time I bring a kid. He returned his gaze towards Jackson, letting out a slew of curses before finally addressing the boy. "Come on, kid. These assholes got the advantage on us here, we're gonna have to wait 'em out. Maybe they'll leave their shit behind in the truck. For now, fuck 'em. Ain't risking our lives to confront 'em."
Shadow Dot [Narrator]
The younger bandit looked towards Simmons with wide eyes, shock freezing him in place after nearly being ran over by the truck. He wasn't about to argue with Simmons, following the older man away from the scene to wait them out.
If they're lucky, this won't be a botched mission after all.
Dot [Ellie]
Ellie struggled to remove her seatbelt, her hands shaking from the adrenaline running through her system. As she managed to unbuckle the seatbelt, she immediately opened her door, stumbling out into the shop they've found themselves in. Whoever was shooting at them hasn't followed them in, yet, which meant there was a chance that they could escape. Her eyes followed Joel for a moment as she grabbed her backpack from the truck, slinging it over her shoulder quickly. Her eyes darted to where they ploughed into the building, the metal gate was bent inwards, in the shape of their truck. Taking a deep breath, she stepped around the truck to join Joel. "Jesus, that was – that was intense."
Kentucky [Joel]
Joel didn't say a word, just grabbing his bag from the car and wrapping it around his shoulders. His hands shook as he stumbled past the open truck door. He was too busy, too busy with his shaky breaths and his hands fumbling over his revolver. Checking it for ammo, taking note of the six bullets he had left in the cylinder of the gun. "God... goddamnit." He muttered, pulling his revolver up and pulling the hammer back.
Dot [Ellie]
As Joel checked his revolver for ammunition, Ellie searched around the store, looking for another exit. Going back the way they came wasn't an option, and they had to get out of here soon. Her eyes landed on a door on the other side of the room, quickly jogging towards it as she took one last look back towards the hole they made into the shop. She pushed on the door, but it remained in place. Fuck! She kept pushing, her ears picking up a faint noise on the other side, something was being moved out of the way as she pushed. They've blocked this entrance off.
"Joel, need some help here!" She called, continuing to push on the door with as much force as she could muster. This was their only way out, and they weren't about to be trapped by some psycho with a gun and a teenager. "Joel, c'mon!"
Kentucky [Joel]
He glanced down at his hands, closing his eyes. His head throbbed with pain, pounding away at his psyche as best as it could, only making him angrier with each burst. He reopened his eyes, holstering the pistol and backing away from the truck. Hank Williams still lingered in the air, echoing off the rotting walls in the store.
Joel approached the door at a light jog, taking notice of Ellie's poor attempts to open it. With any luck, the guys who had crashed them would likely descend upon the store in one minute. With no luck, it would be right now. He grunted, prepping his shoulder.
"Watch out," he told Ellie, taking the next moment to throw his shoulder against the door. Pain seared through his arm as the door shifted. He tried again, the door opening slightly more. Backing up about three feet, he threw his weight into the door one last time.
Dot [Ellie]
The door finally swung open as a shelf on the other side fell onto the ground, making a loud clattering sound as various objects littered the floor. Ellie clenched her teeth, the sound so loud that she was sure the bandits outside and any infected in the nearby area heard it loud and clear. Despite this, she squeezed through the half-open door, pulling her knife out, just in case someone had barricaded themselves in here and died. She found nothing inside but found a broken window at the back of the room, overlooking another empty street, out of view of the bandits. Hopefully.
Wasting no time, she stepped around the fallen shelf and darted towards the window. "Looks like we've got a clearing here," she called back towards Joel, taking a moment to knock a few glass shards off the windowsill before climbing over it and landing on the grassy concrete beyond.
Kentucky [Joel]
After the door's fall, Joel leaned against the wall, rubbing his shoulder. Now his arm and his head hurt; truly an invigorating combo. He watched as Ellie cleaned out the window, to which he shook his head.
"Don't cut yourself!" He cried before pulling back, a grunt of pain sizing him back down. His head was still sizzling, likely from the slap against the steering wheel. Joel hoped it wasn't a concussion. He hoped desperately that it wasn't a concussion. Then, Ellie had begun to climb through, to which he protested with great vigor. "Don't do that!"
He got off the wall, having taken his time resting. "Goddammit..." He let out a sigh before following suit, dropping down, flaring stings nabbing at his ankles. His vision went blurry for a moment as he took in his surroundings, albeit a bit dizzy. "Wait for me next time. Are you trying to get yourself killed?!" He pointed an accusing finger at her, before resting on his knees.
Dot [Ellie]
Ellie resisted the urge to sigh, putting a hand against her hip as she pocketed her knife. "It looked clear to me, I thought it was safe. Jesus, I'm sorry."
While Joel had a point, she didn't want to admit it. She was more than capable of handling herself, and the infected could be dealt with. If there were other bandits around, they'd have shown themselves by now. Nevertheless, she let out a sigh, nodding her head, knowing that Joel wasn't going to change his mind about this.
"Fine. Next time, I'll follow you, okay?" With those words out, she finally took a good look around her.
Kentucky [Joel]
Joel looked down the road, nodding at Ellie. "Okay," he muttered, eyes falling on the arches of the bridge. "Come on, let's get going. I can see the bridge from here, we can try and get back on the road there." He adjusted his backpack straps, feeling Bill's shotgun implant itself in his back. "And stay close. I don't know how many more of them there are." His voice, gruff and Texan, fell through the air. Joel began his walk down the greenery-endowed road, checking to make sure Ellie would follow.
Dot [Ellie]
The young girl followed closely behind Joel as they traversed the street, luckily devoid of any more bandits or infected. The last thing she wanted to deal with was another situation like that. Her heart was still beating at a rapid rate, leading to her taking in several deep breaths to try and calm herself down. Things could've gone worse They could've had more guys. They made it out alright. As they walked past a large truck overturned in the middle of the road, she glanced towards Joel, keeping her voice down, just in case those bandits were still nearby. So far, they haven't shown their faces, either biding their time, or they lost interest in chasing them. Once they were a decent distance away from the crash site, she finally asked the question she'd been wondering since they tried to escape that situation.
"How'd you know? About it being an ambush?"
Kentucky [Joel]
Joel approached the overturned freighter, blocking them from continuing on their path. He swore under his breath before she had asked her question. He answered abruptly. "I've been on both sides."
Walking towards the monster of a truck, he glanced it up and down, unsure if he could lift Ellie up past it. Joel wasn't sure about that; he wasn't sure if his answer was sufficient either. Grimacing, he continued to size the truck up before looking at the concrete walls surrounding them. Vines stretched up them, pulling the walls down to crumbles before them all. It was a bittersweet sight, the verdant imagery abound in Joel's life now. He almost missed the gray cities from before. Not almost, he supposed. He did.
Dot [Ellie]
As Joel sized up the truck, Ellie mulled over what he'd told her. 'I've been on both sides.' "Oh," she replied softly, her eyes on the large truck. "So, uh... you kill a lot of innocent people?" She wasn't sure if that was the right question to ask, but it was the only thing that crossed her mind. The idea of Joel being the aggressor in a similar situation just didn't fit, at least, not the way she imagined him.
He wasn't the pinnacle of good, either, but he seemed alright. Not bad enough to do something like that. Maybe that's just something this world made you do, and she was the one who was inexperienced. Safe to say that's true.
Kentucky [Joel]
Joel listened intently to what she had to say. The older man followed it with a dismissful sigh, not bothering to look at her. He brought a hand to his forehead, dabbing at it with his fingers and returning to his eyes... no blood. That was good. His tongue ran along his upper row of teeth, attention brought back to the young girl behind him. "It doesn't matter. Just, c'mere. I'm gonna try and hoist you up over the truck." He backed up against the truck, crouching down and holding his hands together. He looked up at Ellie; she had been a thorn in his side ever since Boston. Ever since Tess died. Even before then. But she was a likable thorn in his side, even if he would never admit it to her face.
Shadowman [Narrator]
A gunshot rang through the air from the opposite end of the truck before Joel could boost Ellie over, a flock of birds flying up into the air as footsteps echoed through the buildings and voices could be heard coming from the opposite end of the truck.
"You missed, a whole flock of birds just sitting there, and you still hit nothing," a man could be heard chuckling, followed by another voice.
"I'm about to hit you."
"Wow you're really upset," the other man chuckled. "Y'know, if you want some lessons, I'm more than willing to help you out."
"Yeah, whatever," the second man spoke as he brushed off the comment. "Let's just get up and over this truck."
"Where the hell are the rest? They're meant to be here," a third man spoke.
"They split off. One group's on the highway shift and the other went to go and search for those two tourists that fired at our guys. This spot's been a goldmine for tourists lately."
Dot [Ellie]
Oh, fuck! Ellie's eyes darted towards Joel the moment the gunshot went off, instinctively flinching and ducking her head at the sound. It took a lot of effort to keep quiet as the two men on the other side of the truck conversed. In unison, they pushed away from the truck, heading for the nearest building they could that appeared to be open. The large metal gate had been left halfway up, allowing the two to duck under and take cover inside what appeared to be some sort of... food store? She wasn't sure what the word was. Shelves that laid completely barren lined the store, along with what appeared to be shelves with glass in front of it along the far wall. If she could hazard a guess, they were meant to be used for keeping stuff cold. Refrigerators, that's the word.
As they quietly took cover inside the building, Ellie's foot found a bottle lying in the darkness, which rolled across the room before clattering to a stop against a nearby shelf. The resulting clatter was loud enough to echo inside the small space, which made her heart jump into her throat.
"Shit!" She hissed the word as she hastily hid behind one of the shelves towards the back of the store, next to Joel.
I really fucking hope they didn't hear that.
Shadowman [Narrator]
One of the men that had been climbing over the truck immediately stopped in his tracks as he heard a sound come from one of the buildings, an all-too-familiar sound of a bottle rolling "You hear that?"
"Hear what?" The second man responded, sighing and shrugging. "Could just be clickers, not worth spending our time on."
"No, I heard it too," the third man interrupted, "or it could be the tourists. Go check it out." He spoke with authority as the three of them advanced with caution, casually strolling towards the direction of the noise.
Kentucky [Joel]
Joel had rushed into the grocery store upon hearing the gunshot, Ellie right beside him as they took shelter inside. The two men, obviously hunters, had clambered over the truck and to their side of the street. He frowned, sliding under the metal guard with the young girl and taking cover behind a shelf. He had heard her foot kicking into a bottle clumsily - sure to be their doom now - and the three men lumbered towards their location like moths to a flame.
Joel reached around the shelf, grabbing the bottle. With that in his left hand, and his revolver in his right, he got next to Ellie and peered through a sharp crack in the shelf, waiting for one of them to get closer.
Shadowman [Narrator]
"Fan out… make sure we check every inch. Remember, orders are to take in every tourist we see alive." One of the three men called out to the others as they entered the building.
"Yeah... but no one said anything about beating the fuck out of them first," another spoke. They were raggedly dressed, and their boots crunched on pieces of broken glass on the ground. One man was armed with a rifle and the other one held a pipe in his hand. The third man held a machete with a tight grip as the three of them spread out, the man with the rifle unknowingly approaching Joel.
Dot [Ellie]
Ellie stayed close behind Joel, clutching her knife tightly in her right hand. She struggled to maintain her breathing at a near-silent level. It was one thing when they were on the run from those military jackoffs back in Boston, but this... this is different. Worse.
Ever since they'd entered Pittsburgh, it'd been one intense shitshow after another, in rapid succession. She had a feeling this place was crawling with these guys, based on the way they talked about the city, and 'tourists'. They weren't the first ones these fuckers have attacked, and the mention of another couple of survivors had her wondering just how many people were in this city, being hunted by these assholes.
Ellie waited for Joel to make the first move; there was no other way out but through them.
Shadow Boy [Narrator]
The three men spread out, each covering one side of the building in an effort to find the trespassers. With them moving so close, Joel and Ellie could easily get a glimpse of their faces and behavior. Two of the men seemed to be in their early to mid-forties, the first, more stoic-looking one, was carrying a rifle, perhaps due to his greater skill and position in his group's hierarchy. The third one was a kid, barely out of his teens and carrying a large metal pipe, approaching by Ellie's side. Despite his age and fairly frightened demeanor, he looked ready to bash whoever tried to stand in his way. The second man was much harder to place, lighting up a cigar while carrying a hatchet. He looked laid back in contrast to the other two, but his location far away from his group meant he had the larger field of view of the three.
Taking out the man with the rifle first would require confidence in Ellie's capability to defend herself from the boy with a pipe, as well as Joel's ability to fight the most dangerous of the three men on his own. Taking out the boy with the pipe first would be a simple effort for Joel, however, leaving the man with the rifle unattended could prove to be dangerous if he's not taken care of with haste. Alternatively, Joel and Ellie could move from their hiding spot and attempt to take out the man with the hatchet first, ensuring a stealthier approach if done successfully.
Kentucky [Joel]
Joel's mind raced, the man with the hunting rifle getting ever so closer, and the boy with the pipe circling around, headed for Ellie. He looked out, seeing the man with the rifle looking to the side for a second; all he needed. Joel clenched his teeth, grabbing Ellie's back and leading her along with him to the next shelf. His eyes gleamed with fear and anger, hoping to successfully sneak around the man with the hatchet. The possibilities were endless; the man could see them, catching Joel's throat with the hatchet. Ellie's face could get bashed in with the pipe. Joel's heart pierced by the hunting rifle. Ellie suffocated. These men would do anything to survive, anything to kill all of them. Joel couldn't let that happen; of course he couldn't let that happen.
Shadow Boy [Narrator]
The man with the rifle stopped dead in his tracks upon spotting two shadows moving across the building's interior, smiling ever so slightly before signaling the kid with the pipe to move onward.
"What's up, Johnny?" The kid asked in a hushed tone, clueless. The man with the rifle let out a soft sigh, pointing his two fingers towards the counter near the fridges, and thus the boy nodded back.
"I got you, you son of a bitch…" The man with the rifle said before raising his gun above his head and hitting Joel with the butt of his rifle, dragging him out of his hiding spot. The kid with the pipe followed his steps, grabbing Ellie's left arm and yanking her towards him. Taking advantage of Joel's stunned state, the man with the rifle continued to drag him by the neck, throwing him against one of the refrigerators and smashing his face on the glass. "You two the tourists who fired at our guy? Huh!?" He shouted furiously, pulling Joel's head back and struggling to keep him still. Amidst their scuffle, the boy with the pipe dragged Ellie away with the help of the man with the hatchet, who had since spat out his cigarette in favor of focusing on the task at hand.
"Let's make it quick, knock 'em out!" The man with the hatchet cried out, hoping the guy, Joel, wouldn't put up much of a fight.
Kentucky [Joel]
Joel nearly screamed as the man with the rifle hit him then grabbed him with meaty hands. His head continued throbbing, Joel screaming and trying his best to push the man off him, but it was no use. He smashed his face through the glass, shards of it poking into Joel's fleshy cheeks. The man was screaming at him, blood trickling down Joel's face and onto a broken shard of glass sticking out. Joel continued struggling against the man's weight, before one final Hail Mary blow against him. He threw his elbow at his stomach, attempting to grab the man and throw his neck into the glass knife gleaming on the fridge's edge.
Shadowman [Narrator]
The man saw the elbow coming, but as he tried to come back, he was caught in the chin by the elbow, stunning him for a moment. Before he knew it, he was thrown against the glass. He let out a gurgle as a shard sticking out from the broken window pierced his neck and he fell to the floor, choking on his own blood.
The two other men could be seen a half dozen feet away, attempting to drag Ellie away as she struggled against them. "Stay still you little bitch!" A man screamed.
"Grab her other arm!" The second man yelled out as they both tried to restrain her.
Kentucky [Joel]
The man with the hunting rifle was dying. His blood joined Joel's in the significant pool on the floor. Joel wiped glass dustings from his eyelids, before opening them again to reveal two splotchy red eyes. Anger. Fury.
They were on Ellie, tossing her around as if she were a ragdoll to their whims. Joel brushed past the bleeding old man, sprinting forward blind.
Blind. He couldn't see. He couldn't see anything, but he knew he was headed for the older one. He slammed into the man, grabbing his waist in an attempt to throw him against the counter and bash his skull in against the hard metal.
Dot [Ellie]
"Agh, let go of me, you little chickenshit!" Ellie screamed as she tried desperately to get away from the two assholes, but they were too strong for her. She watched helplessly as Joel was sent headfirst into the refrigerator, glass covering the floor. As Joel killed the man with the rifle, and headed towards the bigger guy holding her back, Ellie tried the last thing she could, biting the guy with the pipe on the arm, hard. He screamed in pain, cursing as he tried to get her off, but she wouldn't let go, not until he let go of her. She was worried about Joel and the beefier guy, but she knew that he'd be able to take care of himself. She hoped, anyway.
Shadowman [Narrator]
The third man felt a piercing pain in his forearm as he realized the kid was biting down on his arm. He let out a loud scream as he tried to wrestle his arm out of her mouth. When he realized his two companions were down, he began to panic, pure fury keeping him going as he raised his other hand and delivered a swift backhand to the girl's face, knocking her off his arm. Once she was down, he turned around. "Jerry!" he yelled out as it was too late, the elder man had already smashed his head in. He charged at Joel.
"Motherfucker!" The man yelled as he grabbed a piece of debris from the ground as he charged, smashing Joel across the face with it as he grabbed his throat, wrestling him to the ground, getting on top of him. The man then edged Joel's face into a puddle on the ground, attempting to slowly drown him as he pushed his head deeper into the pool of water, holding it there. The revolver that Joel had dropped in the skirmish glistened on the ground several feet away from Ellie's feet.
Kentucky [Joel]
Joel felt the – satisfying, it was satisfying, just say it, Joel – crunch of the man's head against the counter, his skull fracturing and shards piercing his brain while his eyeballs drowned in blood. 'Jerry' had been killed instantly. Joel's eyes were still red, and he turned to face the boy who had slapped Ellie before being tossed to the ground himself. The boy was tougher than Joel had realized. He'd been caught off guard, his head now under the water as his hand fumbled out for the gun. He emerged for a second, punching the boy in the shoulder, but then he flipped around and got pushed face first in. Life was fading, life was fading so fast... if only he could reach his revolver...
Dot [Ellie]
Ellie let out a pained yelp as the fucker with the pipe managed to knock her off of him and backhanded her onto the ground. With Joel dealing with his buddy, the bandit focused his efforts on him. She took in several deep breaths, the air in her lungs having rushed out due to the blow, before trying to pull herself back onto her feet using the register counter. Before she was even halfway up, the bandit had Joel's head underwater in a puddle, leading to Ellie's heart leaping into her throat. She charged towards the man, grabbing the revolver Joel had dropped and aimed it towards the man.
She clenched her eyes shut for a fraction of a second, bracing herself for what was to come, and the resulting jolt that'd travel through her arm. She pulled the trigger, yelping ever so slightly as the bullet burrowed its way into the man's head. As he fell to the ground with a thud, releasing Joel from underneath the water, Ellie lowered the gun, a small puff of smoke escaping the barrel. Jesus...
"I - I, shit, I shot the hell out of that guy, huh?" She was at a loss for words, the fact that she'd just murdered somebody starting to weigh her down. Her arms were shaking, and she tried to control it as she stepped towards Joel, trying to help him up. Oh, fuck. This... this whole thing's just... so fucked.
Kentucky [Joel]
Joel was still going. His vision blurred, the murky water turning red with streaks of blood piercing through it. He grew weaker, his mouth still clamped tight to prevent...
BAM!
He was freed, rising from the puddle with so much force he threw the boy's body off of him. Emerging from the pool of now red liquid, Joel sucked in a deep breath and coughed, before leaning up and onto his knees. Shaky gasps for air still echoed through the store, as he turned to look at Ellie approaching him. "Yeah, you sure did."
He stood up uneasily, before snatching the revolver from her hands and putting it in his pocket as a makeshift holster. "I told you not to touch any of these guns." He spoke, firm and abrupt anger flowing through him. Joel took a few steps back, sitting down on the counter where he had burst the Hunter's skull just moments before, a ringing sensation in his ears.
Dot [Ellie]
"'Oh, and thanks Ellie.' It's not like I had a choice," Ellie replied, annoyed. She knew that he was just trying to make sure she didn't end up shooting herself on accident or something - or just didn't trust her to use a gun, which was probably more likely - but it was either that or try to stab the guy. At least shooting him meant that there wasn't any risk, the threat was over... for now. Sighing, she looked towards Joel as he sat down on the counter. Clearing her throat, she spoke up once more. "We should... probably get moving. Before more show up. Right?" He probably just needs a minute to catch his breath. I don't blame him.
Kentucky [Joel]
Joel stared at his feet, rubbing a hand over his eyes and then through his hair. The stress was compounding on him; he was sure the girl had her own layer of it coalescing on her brain by now, and he wasn't sure if he had done the right thing. Pride was a nasty thing, and it was sure to not let Joel out of its clutches anytime soon.
"Yeah, let's get going," Joel said, grabbing the hatchet and the hunting rifle from the floor. He slung the rifle over his back and stuck the hatchet through one of his belt loops, trapped by his belt now. He began to make his way back towards the freighter, where he waited to hoist Ellie up again.
Dot [Ellie]
Ellie followed Joel over to the overturned truck, her eyes examining the large vehicle with awe. She couldn't see much of the truck itself from this side, except for the wheels and the underbelly of the vehicle, but it seemed huge. She wondered what they were even used for. Was there that much stuff needed to be hauled around that they needed behemoths like this? The thought baffled her.
As Joel positioned himself in the middle of the truck, Ellie approached him, the older man hoisting her up until she could reach the ledge. Once she'd gotten her hands on the ledge, she pulled herself up, grunting from the exertion. As she got to her feet, she took a cautious glance over to the other side, her breath hitching.
Holy shit.
In a large pile in the middle of the street laid about a couple dozen bodies mangled together, charred black and still smoking ever so slightly. The smell washed over her like a wave, causing her to gag uncontrollably. She forced herself to look away and find something to help Joel climb the truck. Her eyes found a ladder leaning against the other side of the truck, presumably for the bandits to use to climb over.
"Uh, Joel, there's some... pretty fucking gnarly stuff over here," she called back to the man, forcing her eyes to look away from the pile as they had once again drifted towards it, before pulling the ladder up onto the side of the overturned truck.
Kentucky [Joel]
Joel waited. Tapping his foot impatiently, he heard Ellie's call and the muscles in his face tensed. "Just get me a ladder!" He called back, just as said ladder dropped over the side of the freighter and down to him. He clambered up, pulling the ladder up with him in an attempt to deter anybody who would follow. He grunted, eyes struck with a brief moment of awe and fear, before returning to their confrontational state. He said nothing for a moment, looking at the ash pile, steamy smoke rising from the ashes. Recent.
As the smell of fire wafted through his nostrils, he jumped off of the freighter. "It doesn't matter. Let's keep moving."
2:55 PM – Starbucks - Downtown Pittsburgh
Ledge [Lee Everett]
After taking a bit to gather their bearings and search the place they were at prior, the two survivors made their way towards their new destination, staying off of the main streets and sticking to the back avenues in an effort not to be spotted. It was peak time and it seemed the group that was hunting them were out in force near that bridge. It wasn't long until they stumbled up on their destination.
Art [Clementine]
Clementine's head perked up at the sight of the awesomely large coffee shop standing in front of them, poking Lee in the shoulder whilst pointing her forefinger in its direction... their destination. "That's it… that's the one! Starbucks." She read aloud the big letters on its storefront in an almost mocking tone, jogging inside and urging Lee to follow behind. Needless to say, the place was in terrible condition after being out of business for nearly fifteen years, but for a kid who hadn't ever seen something as ordinary as a coffee place before, it failed to do anything less than fill Clem with adventurous wonder. The girl's decision to go to that place was far from a coincidence after all, but Lee didn't need to know that.
She occupied herself with the weird, wonky old stuff inside the shop while Lee looked for a roof access. First and foremost, there was the ancient menu under a pile of rubble, which she read and re-read hysterically. Hot chocolate… Iced coffee with… Vanilla or Caramel. Oh man… Next, and not at all less compelling, were the coffee machines behind the counter. They were all smashed up, probably didn't work by the time she was born, but that didn't stop her from poking all over in odd excitement. Lee eventually found a way up, much to Clementine's dismay, but it was so worth it.
The two sat on the edge of the rooftop, watching the empty city from above and feeling the soft afternoon wind blow against them.
Ledge [Lee Everett]
The urge to just close his eyes and relax for a few seconds eventually came over Lee as they sat there. He glanced over towards Clementine, seeing that this place had brought out the curiosity in her. He wondered what she would make of the old world, and if there would ever come a time where kids could just be kids again… Clementine deserved that much at least.
Just forget the infected… the bandits… just imagine the sound of hundreds of cars down below… and I'm right back to where I was fourteen years ago. About to head off to class… grabbing myself a cup of coffee... Jesus…
Deciding that the moment's peace had its time to shine, Lee once again reached for his backpack, pulling out a pair of binoculars. He decided to let Clem do it this time, since this would be something she'd need to refine her skills in as she grew older.
He held out the binoculars to her with a reassuring gaze. "Go on, tell us what you see." He nudged his head towards the direction of the bridge, hoping to get eyes on how guarded it was and what exactly was happening down there.
Art [Clementine]
Taking the binoculars from Lee's hands with mild enthusiasm, Clementine held the two eyepieces in front of her in order to scan the golden bridge below. "I see a truck," she called out worryingly. "Two trucks. That's probably them." She subsequently pointed out, handing the binoculars back to Lee in frustration. "Damn it…" From the looks of it, their only choice was to wait them out for who knows how long, so that they could finally get out of Pittsburgh.
Clementine set her heavy backpack down on the floor, leaning against one of the air vents whilst hugging her knees. The streets below were unexceptionally quiet that day, just like her… silent and downright unresponsive. After a few long minutes of dead air, she spoke up falteringly, calling Lee's attention to her. "Here, take it…"
Clementine held her revolver in front of her with a single hand, looking away, disgruntled. The revolver's muzzle faced down so that Lee could easily snatch it away by its grip. The girl didn't say anything else, half-expecting Lee to ask for it back himself eventually.
Ledge [Lee Everett]
They're guarding that bridge good... these guys probably have some claim over this city. Damn it. If only we'd known before getting here… only way to know for sure is to see if their ranks on that bridge thin out by nightfall.
When Clementine called out to him, he raised an eyebrow, definitely picking up on some bottled-up guilt in her overall demeanor. He'd been around her enough to know that when she sat like that, with her knees hugged, something was on her mind. When she held out the gun he just looked at it, not making a move to take it back.
"I'm good, keep it," he finally spoke up, his tone shifting into a lighthearted one. "Let's just say I'm glad you were the one that had it when we ran into those guys." We might not be here if it'd been me.
Art [Clementine]
What…? Clementine's eyes widened in surprise, her head turning to face Lee in a quick, confused motion. "You don't… want it back?" She asked, brows furrowed, unsure of how to even react to that. After she shot that guy on the bridge… killed that guy on the bridge... for no good reason, she could barely trust herself with a gun around her.
So how could Lee…? How could he do it so… lightheartedly? The girl struggled to wrap her head around it. The fact that he was so quick to brush it off after she nearly got them both killed only making her feel even guiltier. "But…" Clem tried to argue, like somehow she had to after Lee spent so many years doing just that… always adamant on the thought of taking a life. Ultimately, she said nothing, lowering her gaze along with the revolver.
Ledge [Lee Everett]
"The deal was you were going to be hanging onto the gun for the whole day. I'm not about to go back on that, regardless of what happened back there." He tried to sound firm about it, but as always, he fell a bit flat from the mark, his expression hardening slightly. The gun was her responsibility, and so were the choices she had made with it today. She's not eight anymore, Lee.
"Some decisions... we make them in a split second... and then we live with them. That's never going to change… but what we can change is how we react to what happens around us and how we make those decisions." He kept his eyes on the bridge, feeling the wind on his face for a moment before turning his head slightly to meet her gaze.
"Knowing how to shoot is one thing, you're a professional at that, but knowing when is never easy… that's something we're gonna keep working on, okay?"
Art [Clementine]
Clementine listened intently to Lee's words, promising herself that she'd do better moving forward, no matter how difficult things got. "Okay, Lee." She said in a soft tone, hesitantly holstering the revolver in its place. Together, the two patiently waited for the Saviors to make a move… waiting for their chance to leave the city.
3:00 PM – Fort Duquesne Bridge
TheDomdotCom [Henry Simmons]
The road back to the bridge was mostly uneventful, Simmons too busy trying to make the rendezvous to bother listening to the sound of gunfire in the distance. Presumably, the rest of his squad had found the same fuckers he'd run into earlier. Hopefully that meant those fucktards would be taken care of, and they'd only have to deal with one shithole father and daughter pair. Nevertheless, he kept going, hoping to reach the bridge before Negan got there. Best to be punctual, even if you're traveling through a dangerous place like Pittsburgh. This side of the river was a hellhole, filled with infected, but so far, they've gotten lucky and missed them. Last thing he wanted was a fucking clicker slowing him down.
As the checkpoint on the bridge appeared in the distance, Simmons picked up the pace, hurrying Jackson along as they passed through the checkpoint, Henry taking a moment to grunt a greeting to the bridge guards before going on their way. It wasn't long before he could make out Negan driving up to the checkpoint in a large vehicle, at least a dozen men filling the back of the repurposed army transport. As the truck came to a stop next to them, Simmons glanced up towards Negan in the driver's seat.
He bowed his head, feeling that kneeling while the guy was in the truck would be a tad too much. Still fucking too much having to do this shit in the first place.
"Negan," he greeted, returning his gaze to the man. If Negan was going to come out there himself, then that meant that he meant fucking business. These poor fucks don't know what's coming. Should've fucking given us your shit.
PeePeePantsCity [Negan]
Negan greeted Simmons with a nod as he weaseled his way out of the truck and to the ground, feet crunching along the floor. He took a minute to observe the area as if expecting the shits to be around and well.
"Alright, where are the fucks hiding?" Negan swung Lucille over his shoulder with a confident grin, ready to make an appearance. He enjoyed the whole talking and greeting bit of these confrontations, in fact it was his absolute favorite being able to make them piss their pants with just a wave of Lucille.
Shadow Dot [Narrator]
"Uh, they… ran off… sir," Jackson was the one that spoke up, nervously scratching at the back of his neck while his gaze focused on the barbed bat Negan held. He'd seen first-hand what Negan was capable of, and he definitely didn't want to be next. "But, uhm – I think they left their stuff in their truck! Just need to send a crew to salvage it."
PeePeePantsCity [Negan]
Negan ripped his gaze away from their surrounding area and faced the scrawny teenager before him. Jackson was something, alright, and sometimes that something was a pain in the ass.
"They ran off or did you let them go?" Negan squinted his eyes menacingly down at him with a frown. "Why the hell am I here, then? What kind of bullshit is this? I swear to fuck if I don't get to kick someone's ass then it'll be yours, kid."
Shadow Dot [Narrator]
Shitshitshitshit.
Sweat threatened to burst from the pores on his forehead, and his gaze bounced between Negan and Simmons rapidly, deciding which one scared him more.
If I tell Negan we let them get away, he's gonna kill me. If I tell him that it was Simmons, then Simmons is gonna kill me. Can't lie my way out of this one. Fuck me, right?
"W – We were gonna chase 'em, but Simmons said that we needed to fall back. Get more guys to chase 'em down," he stumbled over his words, trying to come up with an excuse that would make sense with what Simmons had told him earlier.
PeePeePantsCity [Negan]
"Am I going to have to fucking kill you? Seriously?" Negan kicked at the ground a bit before swinging Lucille into the air. At this point, Negan felt like his time had been wasted and now there really was nothing fun to look forward to. He turned his focus back to the kid and pointed with a gloved finger. "I'm joking, but Jesus fucking capital Christ you're making it hard to make jokes right now." He tossed a hand into the air with frustration, trying to think of something else instead of using Lucille on some poor innocent shit.
"I thought this shit was handled."
TheDomdotCom [Henry Simmons]
"They're not getting out of Pittsburgh alive," Simmons added, sending a short glare in Jackson's direction. Fucking kid needs to learn when to shut the fuck up. "As we were headin' here, seems like another one of our patrols ran into 'em. Those assholes are probably already dead, but we still got the girl with the hat and her father to deal with. Gimme a squad, and I'll take care of 'em, sir." I swear, if this fucking kid gets me killed, I'm going to rip out his throat when I turn.
PeePeePantsCity [Negan]
Negan chewed on his lip as Simmons spoke, mentally toying with idea of just drop kicking the both of them into another dimension. Abruptly, Negan shook his head and shoved Simmons slightly with a gloved hand. "I'll give you a group of apes, but the first batch got fucked or did you already forget?" He tilted his head to the side briefly before a wide grin took its place. "I'm fucking going too, so round it up and suck it up."
Shadow Dot [Narrator]
Well, this just got about ten times worse…
Jackson gulped, burying the crippling fear now coursing through his veins. Having to work with Simmons was terrifying enough without adding their leader to the mix. He wasn't exactly going to get out of it now, though.
"So… uh… where do we go from here, then?" He decided to ask, to try and seem that he's interested in taking down these tourists.
TheDomdotCom [Henry Simmons]
"Well, if these assholes are trying to get out of the city, they're most likely heading here. We should tighten up security around the bridge, let them come to us. Lay a trap. Only one way out of this city besides the ambush zone, and they've already shown that they're not looking to go back," Simmons suggested, crossing his arms over his chest.
PeePeePantsCity [Negan]
He only blinked as Simmons formulated a plan of action against whoever the ballsy tourists were. "Don't have to fucking tell me twice. Get it set up then, and Simmons..." Negan trailed off with eyes narrowed as he pointed loosely at him. "Don't screw this up."
With that Negan sidestepped, waving a hand onward as if gesturing them to get to work. He wasn't very patient, but Negan liked to claim himself as being reasonable in situations.
Shadow Dot [Narrator]
As Negan left, Jackson turned to Simmons, scratching at the side of his neck. He had a feeling the older man wasn't going to be very pleased with him, but he had to do something for the group. So, instead of standing around like his usual awkward self, he cleared his throat.
"So, uh… need me to do anything? Like… load magazines or something?" He asked.
Shadowman [Narrator]
"They're fucking dead!" Raymond suddenly emerged from the distance as his figure could be seen sprinting up to the group of Saviors. He passed Jackson and Henry, stopping as soon as he reached Negan, his hands on his knees as he hunched over, coughing and out of breath. The man seemed heavily distressed and panicked.
"Negan, sir..." he tried to address him formally but fell short as the panic was seeping through, visibly upset because one of his close friends had been one of the victims. "Jerry… Tobias… Johnny… they were on their way to meet up with the highway shift group. They... never made it to the meeting spot. We found them dead in some grocery store... all of them." He looked at the ground in despair, not daring to look Negan in the eye.
"Some fucking tourist must've killed them, sir." First, we lost a man near the bridge, then the truck slips through our fingers… now this?
Shadow Boy [Narrator]
"You're fucking shitting me…" Another man who solely called himself Brooks said in bewilderment, nearly falling to his knees at the sudden realization, covering his mouth, shaking. "T – They killed Toby too? Christ." The four of them… they knew each other for years, everyone in the Saviors was aware of that. To hear that they were gone just like that, it was… crushing, more than anything.
Brooks rushed to Raymond's side with a scowl, enraged. "We're not gonna let this go, you hear me? I'm not gonna fucking rest until whoever did this is dead." In that moment, Brooks could hardly care about acting reverent in front of Negan. After they were gone... it didn't matter anymore. Nothing mattered, except getting justice for them.
PeePeePantsCity [Negan]
It was a wild turn of events from shitty to shittier and Negan was not taking it lightly as he stayed silent for a moment. Head swinging back and forth as if a hammer was smacking into the core of his head, which at the moment seemed a lot better than this. Eyes took in the men around him before finally falling on Raymond that was knelt before him like some pissy infant. Within seconds, Negan's gloved hand came swinging down onto the man's collar and grasped it, yanking it upward harshly without hesitation. "And you fucking came crawling back to fucking cry about it on your knees in front of me?" Negan snarled as he pressed his face closer to Raymond's.
"You motherfucking bastard, you better know where the hell they went and what color their piss fucking is to think about even coming back here to tell me like this." Negan tossed him backwards and lifted Lucille up as if about to swing mercilessly but paused to look at everyone else around him.
"Someone better fucking get something done around here right now or I swear to dick and balls that each one of you will get a big ol' kiss from Lucille!"
TheDomdotCom [Henry Simmons]
"You heard the fucking man," Simmons shouted, directing his next words to everyone on the bridge. "Get this bridge locked down!"
Without another word, Simmons went to work, helping coordinate the planning for their trap. These assholes won't know what hit them, he'd make sure of that.