(A/N): I intended for this thing to be only one part, but you guys seem to like it so I'll give it a second part. If you guys think I should continue this, I'll give it a part three after this one. This was gonna be a one shot but I guess I'm having a lot of fun with this so I'll keep it going a little. I'll probably just wrap up to the point where they leave the house in town or something. Don't really intend on writing an alternate ending to the story or anything, just a story that has a lot more Carley in it!
By the way, do let me know if you guys would be interested in doing a season esque type of thing here. If you're interested in the project, go ahead and shoot me a message. To start with, I'd say we get a cast similar in size to the cast in Season One and then we work from there. I've already got a storyline worked out in my head, so all we need are some characters to give it personality.
Anyway, let's get back to it.
Provisionary Reactions
...
"We got something up ahead," said Kenny.
I held onto the railing above me as Kenny slowly brought the RV to a stop.
"Now we gotta deal with this..." he sighed.
He got to his feet, as did Ben as they made their way outside. From what I could tell, Katjaa was still asleep.
"Gimme a second Ken, I'm gonna see if Carley's feeling better," I said.
He turned back to me and smiled.
"No problem man," he replied.
My eyes then hovered over Carley's sleeping form. She probably didn't sleep very well through the night because she was still tired. I approached her once everyone exited the RV, save Clementine who was also asleep and slowly nudged her awake. She stirred, yawning softly before rubbing her right eye.
"What's going on?" asked Carley.
I shook my head slowly and sighed.
"There's a train blocking the way...we've gotta figure out a way to move it," I replied.
Carley got to her feet and nodded.
"Let's figure it out," she said.
I notice how red her eyes were and I shook my head firmly.
"You need to get some rest...stay in the RV until I come back with the others?" I asked.
"But...it could be dangerous," she retorted.
I shook my head again.
"You're still very tired...we need you at your best with that gun of yours because you're still our best shot, so just get some rest okay? I'll come back in an hour and then we can handle things accordingly," I explained.
She looked very reluctant to let me go out there...and her eyes showed how conflicted she was with my plan of action.
"I'll be careful, you know that," I assured.
With a deep sigh, she conceded before handing me her gun.
"There's a full magazine in my purse, take it with you," she said.
I nodded but before I could walk out of the RV, she grabbed my hand. I turned back, only for her to pull me down to her so that her mouth was at my ear.
"If that train still works, maybe we can get more privacy instead of the back of this thing huh?" she whispered.
I snickered to myself for a moment before shrugging.
"Let's just hope it still works...it'll be a hell of a lot faster in that compared to the RV," I said.
She gave me a kiss on the cheek before letting me go, turning her back and going back to sleep. I wanted to kiss her, but I knew we had to get the train moving before we had any real cause to celebrate. Judging from how derelict it looked, we could be here for a little while.
I exited the RV and joined the others, who were approaching the train.
"Is there any way to get around it?" I asked.
Kenny shook his head.
"Doesn't look like it. On foot maybe. Can't really afford to do that now," he replied.
I looked around at the area, noticing how thick the vegetation was.
"This looks like a safe area. All this brush will stop anything from creeping up on us," I mused.
Kenny nodded in agreement.
"We'll check in on Clem and Carley every now and again because this could take a while...how's she doing Lee?" he asked.
"She looks very tired...eyes red and everything," I replied.
"Can't imagine anyone sleeping comfortably when someone you thought was a friend tried to kill you," interjected Ben.
I nodded in agreement as I heard the RV door open. I turned to see that Clementine had woken up and had now come outside. Katjaa had also awakened and was carrying Duck over to a fallen tree to sit on. Kenny had taken a seat as well, clearly tired from the all night driving. Ben approached me.
"Why don't you and I go look around?" he asked.
I shrugged before turning back to look at the others.
"Yeah, everyone else relax." I said as I looked down at Clem.
I crouched down as she walked up to me.
"Clem, stay close to Ken and Kat okay?" I asked.
The girl nodded and turned to join them but I touched her shoulder, causing her to turn back.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
My thoughts lingered on Carley, who didn't come out of the RV.
"Could you do me a favor and check on Carley every now and again?" he asked.
"So you talked to her!" she whispered excitedly.
I rolled my eyes and smiled.
"She's really tired...probably didn't sleep too good considering what happened yesterday," I said.
She nodded with a smile of her own.
"I'll keep an eye on her!" she cheered.
I gently patted her on the head.
"Thanks sweet pea," I said.
I got back to my feet and looked at Ben.
"Lee, if you come across anything to drink, if there's a dining car or something, I think Duck's a bit dehydrated," said Katjaa.
"It's a freighter hon..." sighed Kenny.
He then looked at me and nodded.
"Be careful in there," he said.
I rolled my eyes and began to make my way towards the train.
"What, you think there might be something dangerous inside of an abandoned locomotive? Hadn't crossed my mind..." I sighed.
I approached one of the cars before climbing up the ladder and entering it through the boxcar door. I noticed that it looked like someone was living here; there was a mattress on the floor along with scattered items. A few discarded boxes, some leftover snack wrappers, a few bottles...this looked pretty recent. As if someone was already here but may have just gone out for a little while. The sidecar door opened as Ben got into the car with me.
"Whoa," he exclaimed.
"Somebody's been livin' in here," I said.
"Yeah man...shit, think they're gone?" he asked.
"I hope so, but this looks recently used. Be on the look-out and have your guard up," I instructed.
Ben nodded at me before getting out of the car. I looked around and noticed two bottles of water. I lifted one and much to my pleasure, it was full. The second one was about half way filled. I took them both before examining a clipboard. It looked like some kind of map. Upon closer inspection, I noticed that it was a map of the train tracks. I took it with me before getting out of the car. I returned to Katjaa and handed her the half-filled bottle of water.
"Here, found some water," I said.
She gratefully accepted it from me.
"Ah, thank you. Perfect." she said with a smile.
She placed it down next to her before looking back at me.
"He's allergic to bees," she said.
"Is that right?" I asked raising an eyebrow.
Her face went from relieved to slightly disheartened.
"It's all I keep thinking about. Like somehow it matters." she said.
I sighed softly.
"It doesn't," I said firmly.
As cold as it was for me to say that, I knew that we had to be realistic when it came to this because sooner or later, Duck would have to be dealt with and the sooner she was alright with the idea, the better.
"I know...well, I don't. But you're probably right." she sighed.
I got to my feet before turning back to the RV.
"Better make sure she's alright...but I better get back to looking at the train and not waste any time,"
I made my way over to Clem, who looked happy to see that I was unharmed when I entered the train.
"Hey sweet pea...could you do me a favor?" I asked.
"Sure Lee!" she replied with enthusiasm.
I handed her the other bottle of water.
"You can have some if you're thirsty, but could you give whatever you don't have to Carley? I'm sure she needs some right about now," I asked.
Clementine shook her head and took the bottle from me.
"I'm not thirsty, she can have all of it!" she replied.
I smiled and patted her head again.
"Thanks sweet pea," I said.
Clementine got to her feet and hurried into the RV. Feeling more relieved that Carley would feel better after a drink, I made my way back to the train, looking at the front in the hopes of seeing if there was something we could do about getting it running. I reached the door, but noticed that there was a body in the chair where the conductor would ordinarily sit. I noticed Ben come up behind me and I raised a hand.
"We got one. Walker, sitting in the chair. We got 'im" I said.
I took out Carley's pistol before opening the door. I then took aim for the back of his head and continued edging forward...until the body slumped onto the controls. Didn't look alive at all. I turned to Ben, who looked just as puzzled.
"Suppose we oughta look him over," I said.
I dragged the body out of the chair before dropping it to the floor. The man was clearly the previous conductor of the train...who had his head smashed violently against the glass. He must've stopped the train suddenly and didn't prepare himself for the collision. Judging from all the damage to his brain, not to mention the blood and gore that was on the glass, he probably didn't come back as a Walker.
"...I don't think this guy came back," mused Ben.
My eyes then took notice to a flashing light.
"That light is blinking," I said.
"Push it!" said Ben.
"Why?" I replied.
"Why not?" retorted Ben.
"Are you fucking serious?" I snapped at Ben.
"Here. Look." he said.
He immediately pressed the button, causing the train to spring to life. Evidently however, the brakes were locked up.
"It's just the brakes," said Ben.
Even though what he did could've gone a million different ways in my head, I sighed and smiled.
"Okay, I'll give you that one," I said.
Kenny suddenly appeared in the car.
"This fucker WORKS?" he said in disbelief.
I folded my arms and shrugged.
"Seems like it," I replied.
Kenny then quickly took a seat where the dead man had just been.
"I'll be damned. How the hell do we get it movin'?"
"Why don't we ask Mister Amtrak over here," I said looking at Ben.
He had turned away from us and was now dragging the body out of the car.
"No clue," said Ben.
I suddenly remembered the map I found in the car earlier and I handed it to Kenny.
"We found this in the boxcar back there," I said.
"Whoa. Is this what it looks like?" he asked.
I smiled at his now more hopeful voice.
"Looks like it," I replied.
He examined the map and began to look over the controls.
"This hoss will take us right to Savannah. A hundred tons of steel. Put a thousand walkers between us and the ocean and we don't have to give a shit!" cheered Kenny.
He let out a heavy breath.
"...I can't believe it," he gasped.
I nodded in agreement.
"We just have to figure out how to get it started," I said.
"I'm sure we can figure it out. How tough can it be?" replied Kenny.
"No idea. But we'll find out," I said with a smile.
"That's the spirit," said Kenny.
Ben came back into the car.
"Ben, if you could keep an eye on the girls and Duck, I'd appreciate it. I'm going to make sense of these controls," asked Kenny.
Ben nodded before making his way back to the others.
"Man...this could be exactly what we need," said Kenny.
I looked around for a little while until I came across a notepad.
"Starter Instructions...this is it!"
I then looked below the heading...to see that the page was missing. I cursed under my breath.
"I can still see the indentations though...maybe I can find a pencil or something to shade it all in so I can read it,"
My thoughts then shifted back to the others. It's been a while since we had something to eat...Kenny and Katjaa would never allow Clem and Duck to eat after them and Carley was probably the one who was in the worst condition...apart from Duck of course.
"Let's see if we can find something around here..."
I left Kenny to his devices and climbed down the ladder...only to have my spirit try to leave my body when a Walker suddenly groaned loudly. I looked to see that it was trapped in the car, the seatbelt keeping it pinned down. I took a quick look around the car and much to my astonishment, I noticed a bag full of what appeared to be snacks. A box of animal crackers was on the floor and from what I could tell at this angle, there was more of them in the bag. Before I could reach for it safely however...I had to deal with the Walker. I examined the rest of the car before opening the door. Not wanting to waste any ammo, I gave the door a solid slam and smiled.
"This door 's gonna hurt," I said to myself.
I then reached for the seatbelt buckle and quickly pressed it before retreating back to the safety of the door. Once the Walker got close enough, I slammed the door violently into its head. The first hit wasn't enough so I immediately did it again, causing its head to collapse and smash inwards. Once I was done, it was only a pile of gore and smashed brains. Satisfied, I reached into the back and pulled out the sack. I whistled softly.
"It's a little heavy...guess I hit paydirt here,"
I carried the sack towards Katjaa and smiled as I handed her a box of crackers.
"Here, I found these...if Duck's up for it," I said.
She accepted it with a grateful smile.
"Thank you, that's very thoughtful." she said.
She took a breath before looking up at me.
"He's not fussy you know?" she asked.
"What?" I replied.
I honestly didn't pay attention to the fact that she was talking to me until I realized her eyes were focused on mine.
"Most kids, they're really fussy about what they'll eat. Hate vegetables. That kind of thing," she said.
Feeling a little happiness coming my way now that she was more talkative than before, I smiled at her.
"Not Duck huh?" I asked.
"No, the most trouble I ever have is making him use a fork," she replied.
She looked back at the crackers again before she noticed the sack I placed down next to me.
"Going to share those with the others?" she asked.
"Yeah...just thought Duck should get the first one is all," I replied.
Katjaa nodded.
"Thank you Lee," she said.
"No problem," I replied.
I got to my feet before carrying the sack over to Clementine and handing her a box.
"You hungry sweet pea?" I asked.
"A little...Carley was still asleep so I left the bottle on the seat," she said.
I smiled and nodded gratefully.
"Thanks, I'll go check on her, go ahead and hang onto the sack in case Ben and Kenny need some too, I'll be right back," I said.
"Okay!" she replied with a smile.
She was clearly in much higher spirits now that we had some food to work with. The train coming to life earlier probably gave her a lot of hope as well. I reached into the sack and pulled out two boxes, noting that there was five left in it as I made my way back to the RV. Just as Clementine said, Carley was laying on the chair but was not sleeping. She was barely awake though.
"Still feeling tired I take it?" I asked.
She shook her head.
"...I've been trying to forget what happened yesterday but I just can't..." she replied.
I sat next to her before handing her a box of animal crackers and handing the water bottle to her.
"You should eat something," I said.
She slowly nodded and began to dig in.
"...I've seen some crazy shit since the start of this whole thing...but that was the first time someone I considered a friend tried to kill me," she said.
"Paranoia makes people do horrible things...but you're still here," I said.
Carley nodded slowly before taking the bottle from me and having a big gulp. She sighed softly in relief; clearly the crackers and water took some of the edge off.
"Thanks Lee," she said.
"No problem," I replied with a smile.
I quickly finished my box of crackers until she handed me the bottle.
"You should have some too," she said.
I accepted it and took a gulp of my own before handing it back to her.
"I'm good, you need it more than I do," I replied.
She blushed slightly and finished the bottle before placing all of the garbage in a small bin at her feet.
"So what's the situation with the train?" she asked.
"It's working...we just gotta figure out how to start it," I replied.
She put a hand to her chin.
"Well, I don't know the first thing about trains...did you find a manual or something?" she asked.
I shook my head but then suddenly remembered the notepad I saw next to Kenny.
"I saw a notepad that contained instructions...but the page got torn out," I said.
Carley cursed under her breath.
"If I had a pencil or something...maybe I could shade over the indentations enough to be able to read it," I said.
Carley pointed towards the dashboard.
"I saw a pencil up there when I got on the RV last night," she said.
I looked up to see that she was indeed right. I grabbed it and smiled before rejoining her.
"Good catch...now here's hoping we can get that train started," I said.
Carley looked down at the floor.
"Lee...there's something I want to talk to you about," she said.
I nodded solemnly.
"What's on your mind?" I asked.
"It's...about Savannah...do you have any plans once we get there?" she asked.
"First thing I'm gonna do is try and find Clem's parents, after that I guess we try to find a boat like Kenny's been saying before," I replied.
Carley nodded slowly.
"Do you think she's ready for what may be coming there?" she asked.
I paused for a moment before shaking my head.
"Maybe on the way there, we could teach her how to defend herself. Teach her how to use a gun and maybe, we could trim her hair down a little bit so that she doesn't get grabbed as easily," said Carley.
I nodded in agreement.
"Good plan," I replied.
She smiled before placing a hand on mine.
"...Maybe a little later tonight...we can have a talk? Just the two of us?" she asked.
I nodded once more.
"Let me know when and I'll be there," I replied.
She leaned up and kissed my cheek Though it was a bit evil of me, I snickered.
"Shorty," I teased.
"I'm not small!" she whined.
I laughed softly before I kissed her forehead.
"Let's see if we can get this thing up and running shall we?"