A/N: *IMPORTANT* *MUST READ* Okay… here's a big step for me. Everyone knows that I always censor the f-bomb, but that's not happening in this Fic. You have been warned.
Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead. All rights reserved to their respective owners.
I do not own Madeline Carver or Talyne Summers. They belong to FanFic Productions. Also, a big shout-out goes to him for helping with many of the new ideas behind this Fic.
Keith, Clementine, and Madeline approached the lurker that was tied up to the tree as Sam continued to growl and bark. "Sh, Sam." Madeline said to the dog, but he ignored her.
Keith's eyes widened. He didn't know why but there was just something that wasn't right about how the man turned lurker was tied up, "Are you okay? Did you know this guy?" Clementine asked.
Keith shook his head to get out of his daze and stuttered, "Uh…no, I….I'm just…shocked. I mean…whoever did this must have had a grudge against this guy."
"What makes you say that?" Clementine asked.
Keith pointed to the ropes and said, "Someone tied him up. There's no way he could have tied himself up."
"Who do you think did this?" Clementine asked.
"I'm not sure but I don't want to find out." Keith said as he drew his pocket knife. The lurker snarled and growled but only for a few seconds. Keith raised his pocket knife and stabbed the lurker in the head which killed the undead creature. After killing the lurker, Keith pulled his pocket knife out of its skull and then pulled the red-handled pocket knife that was sticking out of the lurker's arm. He cleaned both knives on the ground and handed the red-handled pocket knife to Clementine. "Here, that way, you and I are armed." Clementine nodded and took the knife.
"Did you guys happen to find anything to eat? I'm a little hungry." Madeline said.
"Well, there's one place we haven't checked." Clementine said as she looked over to the trach can.
Madeline shuttered and said, "No, please no. That's so gross."
"Well, it's either that or nothing." Keith said. "Don't worry, I'll check it."
Madeline nodded and said, "Okay." Keith walked over to the trash can and pulled his sleeves up on his dark green hooded sweatshirt. He rummaged through the garbage while trying his best not to puke. The contents of the garbage can were quite fowl and disgusting, but eventually he felt a metal cylinder. He pulled it out and was shocked upon weighing it in his hand. "Yes. Thank you." Keith said.
He went over to a log where Clementine and Madeline were seated and he pulled out his pocket knife. "You found something?" Clementine asked.
"Yeah, there's some weight to this can, but I'm not sure if the food is rotten." Keith said. He stabbed the can with his pocket knife and moved the blade across the weak aluminum. Keith pulled out his blade and stabbed the can once again. He took one final stab which allowed him to pull the lid off.
"Looks like it's still good." Clementine said.
"Yeah, okay… I think we should pray over this food." Keith said. "This could have been easily rotten and inedible."
"You're both Christian?" Clementine asked.
"Yeah." Keith said. "I understand if it's not your thing. You know, with the world the way it is, many people give up on their faith, but I know the only way we're alive right now is because of God's grace."
"I was a Christian too." Clementine said. "My family and I would always go to church. I loved being there. When the apocalypse happened, my guardian, Lee, would always teach me some things from the Bible."
"You still are, right?" Madeline asked.
"I… I don't know. I mean, I believe in God and I believe that Jesus came down and died on the cross for my sins, but I haven't seen a Bible for so long and… and I've done things that… I'm not proud of." Clementine said as a frown formed on her lips.
Keith placed a supportive hand on Clementine's shoulder and he said, "We've all done things that we aren't proud of. It's just how the world works now. I hate it too, but we have to do what we must to survive."
"So you think I'm still saved?" Clementine asked as she looked up to the boy.
"Absolutely." Keith said. "So how about we pray for this food and this day." He lowered his hand and held it out for Clementine to accept it. Clementine smiled and took his hand. The three bowed their heads and Keith began his prayer. "Dear Lord, we are thankful that You have kept us all safe. It hasn't been an easy journey for any of us, but with Your grace and Your love, You have made it all possible. Lord, we thank You for the food You have provided and we pray that You will continue to keep us safe. In Jesus' name, amen."
"Amen." Clementine said.
Keith opened his eyes and looked to Madeline. "You get first bite." Keith said.
"Okay." Madeline said. She put her hands out with wide eyes. She didn't break her stare from the beans being placed on her hands. She must have been hungry. As soon as Keith tilted the can up, Madeline started to eat.
Keith turned to Clementine and tilted the can to Clementine's hands. "Thanks." Clementine said as Keith poured some of the beans into her cupped hands as well. Keith decided to feed himself next and ate a couple of the beans.
The three enjoyed their meal until Sam came up to them and whined. "How can I say no to a face like that?" Keith said as he offered a handful of beans to Sam.
Sam snapped at the food and gulfed it down in one bit; however, he wasn't satisfied, and he snapped the can out of Keith's grip.
"Hey, don't eat it all." Clementine said as she grabbed the can from the dog. Sam looked up and brandished a menacing growl. In one quick motion, the dog clamped down on the Clementine's arm and brought her to the ground. The dog lunged for her but Clementine used her arm to keep the dog at a distance.
"Clem!" Keith exclaimed. He ran over and tried to pry the dog off Clementine without much luck. Frustrated, Keith brought out his pocket knife and stabbed it into the dog's skull. The dog let out a loud yelp before it went limp. Keith opened its jaw so that Clementine could get her arm out and then he dropped the dog's corpse to the ground. He went over to Clementine and asked, "Are you alright?"
"Keith, you…you just killed a dog." Clementine said with shock and surprise lacing her voice. She was surprised by Keith's actions.
"I… I had no choice. It was either him or you." Keith said
"Clementine, your arm…" Madeline said. The two looked over to the frightened eight year old and then to Clementine's arm.
Clementine reached for her arm and cringed as she felt the sting of the bite. They looked at each other for a couple of seconds until Keith said, "I-I don't have any medical supplies on me." He sighed and said, "Well, I hate to say it but we're going to have to keep moving until we can find some medical supplies." Keith helped Clementine get to her feet and allowed the girl to lean on him. Keith looked over to Madeline and he said, "Come on, Maddie. You're going to have to keep up with us."
Madeline nodded and Keith walked down the path with Clementine doing her best to drag herself along. Keith would look back to make sure that Madeline was still able to keep up. He noticed that she was able to keep up with him and Clementine, but she was nervous. She kept turning her head in every direction and her whole body shook with fear and anxiety. Keith started to struggle with Clementine. The girl must have been losing consciousness. Seconds passed by until Keith realized that he was dragging Clementine along the road rather than helping her. "We got to stop." Keith said to Madeline. He approached a nearby boulder and laid Clementine next to it. He noticed that her eyes were fluttering and that she was starting to shake.
"Is… Is she alright?" Madeline asked.
Keith placed a hand on her forehead and said, "This weather isn't helping her. We need to find some place that's warmer. Plus, I think that dog was carrying something."
"K-Keith." Madeline said. Keith turned around to see her pointing at something. Her whole body shook in fear and her eyes were wide. Keith turned and saw a lurker heading towards them. He heard more growling and turned his head to see another lurker growling in their direction.
"Come on, Clem. We gotta go." Keith said as he helped her to her feet. He huffed as he tried to get the girl to move with him, but the best she could do was drag her feet. Madeline walked ahead of him and was starting to panic. She had her gun out and looked to Keith. He and Clementine were doing their best to get away from the lurkers, but Keith knew that the lurker was gaining on him. Its growling was only getting louder and the footsteps were only getting closer. "Shoot it." Keith said.
Madeline nodded, and in one quick motion, she took aim with the gun and fired a shot that hit the lurker. It fell to the ground as the echo of the shot was heard. Madeline adjusted her aim and shot at another lurker while Keith stopped and placed his arms under Clementine's back and knees. He was thankful that she was as light as she was. "Okay, we got to move." Keith told his little sister. She nodded and the two ran as fast as they could. Madeline noticed more lurkers heading for her and shot one of them which fell back into the other lurker. Keith trailed behind with Clementine still in his grip.
Suddenly, a lurker grabbed Keith and the momentum of the boy brought him to the ground and the lurker down on top of him. He and Clementine grunted upon hitting the ground but their struggle wasn't over yet. Keith placed his right arm against the lurker's chest as it tried to bite the two children. It kept gnashing its teeth, and it snarled at the two children below it. Keith struggled to keep the lurker at arm's length until the creature jolted back.
Keith and Clementine huffed from the near death experience, and they looked to the lurker to see an arrow bolt in its skull. They looked over to see an older man aim at another lurker, and he shot it with a crossbow. Keith's eyes widened upon seeing him and a younger man. Madeline mirrored her older brother's reaction. She knew the two men. It was Pete who had the crossbow and Luke was the younger man. Pete reloaded his crossbow and shot another walker that was coming towards them. "I'm out." Pete said to Luke. "Grab her and let's go."
Luke nodded and said, "Come on kid." He got lower to the ground and picked Clementine up. He then looked to Keith and Madeline and said, "Try to keep up with us." The two men darted deeper into the woods with Keith and Madeline following close behind. They passed by several lurkers which tried to catch up to them, but the undead creatures were too slow to catch the two adults and two children behind them.
The two men ahead finally stopped and Pete huffed, "I think… I think we lost them."
Luke looked behind and then looked back to his older friend. "Yeah we're good." Luke said. With the lurkers no longer a problem, the two looked down to Clementine as she seemed to relax in his grip. "Hey kid, you alright?"
"I'm fine. Just let me go." Clementine said.
"It's alright, kid. You're safe." Luke said and he started to walk again. Keith and Madeline walked alongside him to keep Clementine calm.
"What are you three doing out here?" Pete asked. "Where are the people you are with?"
"Yeah, because there's no way you three have survived this long on your own." Luke said.
"I was with my friend when we were attacked." Clementine said.
"My sister and I found Clementine in the river and brought her to shore." Keith explained.
"Wait, who attacked you?" Luke asked. "I mean did these men say what they wanted? Were they looking for anyone?"
"They probably wanted the food we had. We were cooking some kind of weasel." Clementine replied.
"They attacked you for a weasel? Man that's low." Luke said. "Well anyway, my name's Luke and this here is Pete." He motioned to the older man before he turned back to Clementine. "And I'm guessing your name is Clementine." Clementine nodded in response and Luke looked to Keith and Madeline. "So what about you two? You look somewhat familiar. I can't place it, but I think I've seen you two before." Luke said as he stared at the brother and sister with a perplexed stare.
"I'm Blake." Keith lied. "And this is my sister, Darlene." Keith gestured to Madeline as Clementine looked at him with a perplexed stare, but Keith stared back to the road and avoided her stare.
"Well it's nice to meet you three." Luke said and he looked down at Clementine. "Pete and I are going to take you back to our group. You look like you could use some-" Luke then stopped himself as he looked down at the bite on Clementine's arm and he jumped back. "Oh shit!" Luke exclaimed as he dropped the girl.
Clementine grunted when she hit the ground and Pete looked at Luke with a questioning stare. "What? What is it?" Pete asked as Keith and Madeline went to check on Clementine
"She's- She's been bit man." Luke said. He began to pace back and forth and exclaimed, "Shit, shit! What are we going to do?"
"No, it was a dog." Clementine said.
"I didn't see no dog, Clementine." Pete said as he crossed his arms over his chest.
"Come on kid! We saw you with all of those lurkers back there." Luke said as he continued to panic.
"No it's true. It was a dog. I-I had to kill the dog with my pocket knife to prevent it from hurting her." Keith said.
"You what?" Luke exclaimed.
"Pease just look at her arm. She's telling you the truth." Madeline pleaded with the two men.
"Oh right, and have her bite down on Pete's neck." Luke said.
"My neck? Why am I the one?" Pete asked.
"Because man, I don't know a dog bite, from a lurker bite, from a mosquito bite!" Luke exclaimed.
Pete looked down at Clementine who sat there hoping that the men would believe her. Her eyes turned to Pete with a begging stare. Madeline mirrored Clementine's movements and hoped that Pete would at least give them a chance. Pete huffed, "Alright, let's take a look."
"Hey man watch yourself." Luke said. Clementine's pleading stare turned into a glare aimed at Luke. "Hey don't look at me like that. You're the one who's bit here." Luke said and he turned around to avoid her stare.
"Please, calm down, Luke. She isn't going to hurt anyone." Keith said.
"And how do you know that?" Luke snapped.
"Well, panicking about it isn't really helping." Keith said. Luke turned away from the boy and started to tap his foot.
Keith turned around to see Pete roll up Clementine's sleeve. He took a couple of moments to examine the wound while Clementine said, "See."
"Is it… Is it as they say?" Luke asked.
"Hmm… I don't know. It could be dog." Pete said. He turned to Keith and asked, "So you killed the dog that did this to her?"
"Yeah." Keith said as he lowered his head with a frown forming on it. "I didn't have a choice."
"So a dog just goes up and bites her and you just kill it!" Luke exclaimed.
"What would you have done?" Pete asked.
"I don't know!" Luke exclaimed.
"I couldn't let that dog kill her." Keith said.
"Still… you don't… you don't kill dogs." Luke said with a frown forming on his face.
"Blake?" Pete asked for the boy. Keith turned to Pete who looked to him with a serious stare. "Are you telling me the truth? You look me in the eye when you answer."
"Yes." Keith said with a confident stare that didn't break off from Pete's.
After a couple of seconds, Pete smiled and he said, "Alright, that's good enough for me."
"Well, what else was he going to say?" Luke inquired. He was still on edge because of Clementine's current condition.
"I got a good bullshit detector, Luke. That's why you can never beat me at poker." Pete said as he helped Clementine to get to her feet.
"You don't always beat me at poker." Luke said. He turned his gaze to Clementine and then back to Pete. "How can you be sure?"
"Well I'm sure that I ain't willing to leave an injured little girl in the wood, when we have a doctor who could make a better call." Pete said.
Luke scowled and he said, "Nick ain't going to like this, not after-"
"You don't need to remind me of that, boy!" Pete snapped.
Luke lost his scowl and apologized, "Yes sir. Sorry sir." Pete put a comforting hand on his shoulder and gestured for them to keep moving. Luke obliged and the two men led the way to a structure through the woods.
"Why did you lie about your names?" Clementine whispered.
Keith looked to her and he said, "Some things are just not that simple anymore."
"Hey, come on you three, keep up." Luke said.
"Come on." Keith said as he went to catch up with Luke and Pete. Madeline walked next to him. He looked to his younger sister and gave her comforting stare. He knew that she was nervous. He was too. He didn't know if the cabin members would hurt them… or worse.
Keith noticed by the rustling of the fall leaves that Clementine's pace was starting to slow. She must have been struggling to walk due to her injury. Keith also noticed a large cabin in the distance. It must have been where Luke and his group were residing.
Pete looked back and he asked, "Clementine, are you feeling alright?"
Luke, Keith, and Madeline turned around to see the girl and she responded, "I'm fine… I'm just… tired…" Keith noticed that the girl was far from fine. She seemed to be struggling to walk. It was a combination of her body being exhausted and trying to fight back whatever the dog was carrying in its mouth.
"Well you better be fine because I ain't carrying you with that bite on your arm." Luke said.
"Do you need help?" Keith asked as he walked forward.
"Hey, man, she's bit." Luke snapped. "Get away from her."
"Why would that matter? Besides, I already told you that she got bit by a dog." Keith said.
Keith turned around just in time to see Clementine's eyes roll back and her body began to slump. He ran to her as Luke exclaimed, "Ah shit." Thanks to Keith's quick reflexes, he was able to catch Clementine before she hit the ground.
Keith grunted as he lifted her up into his arms. Pete, Luke, and Madeline walked up to him as he turned to them. "I got her. Let's just keep going." Keith said
Pete nodded and he said, "Come on, the cabin's not far from here." He led the way while Luke, Keith, and Madeline followed him. Keith huffed as he carried Clementine downhill while Madeline walked next to him.
"You better be right about your friend being bit by a dog." Luke said to Keith. "I don't appreciate being lied to."
"I promise, she was bit by a dog." Keith said. He lowered his head and a frown formed on his lips. "I wouldn't have any reason to lie to you. I already know what it looks like when someone gets bit. I would never want to put someone I care for through that pain."
Madeline looked to Luke with an angry stare and she asked, "Why are you being so mean for?" Keith also wondered why the young man was acting the way he was. It must have been the constant threat of Carver hunting him and his group. It changed him.
"I…" Luke muttered but he paused and walked ahead of the two children.
Keith sighed as the group entered a clearing. "I'm going to go get Carlos." Luke said and he walked ahead of Pete and the children.
They continued to approach closer to the house in silence until Pete said, "Don't mind Luke too much. That boy has a lot on his mind."
The brother and sister remained quiet and only looked down with frowns. They were past the point of no return. They had finally found the place that they've been looking for, but both were on edge over what they should do now.
They finally stopped in front of the house and Pete said, "You can lay her down on the ground. It won't hurt her."
"Okay." Keith said. He got down toward the ground and placed Clementine on it. He got back upright and looked down to her with a worried look. He wasn't sure if bringing her to Luke's group was going to be a safe option. It was evident that Luke was on edge back in the forest. His thoughts were soon interrupted when he heard his sister.
"You like-like her." Madeline said in a teasing voice.
"Wait, what?" Keith asked.
"You like-like her." Madeline said. "It looks like you do."
"Whoa, hang on now. I think it's too soon for you to make assumptions like that. I do like her but as a friend." Keith explained, but Keith could feel himself starting to become red. He was blushing… but he couldn't let his personal feelings get in the way. He already knew that he should stay as her friend…
Madeline smiled and she said, "You're blushing. That means you do like-like her."
"I have to admit son, you look redder than my nephew when he proposed to his wife." Pete said with a smirk on his lips.
Keith rubbed the back of his neck out of nervousness as the other two delighted in messing with him. However, they were soon interrupted from a loud shriek. "What the hell?" A loud woman's voice sounded. Keith stiffened up from the voice and Madeline ran behind him for cover. Keith turned around, and to his horror, he saw the soon-to-be mother, Rebecca, approaching them. A stocky man was walking behind her. He looked confused as to what made her angry. "What the fuck are you doing here?" Rebecca snapped at Keith.
"Now hold on, Rebecca." Pete said and he walked forward to calm the woman. Keith kept his eyes on the woman but he knew that Madeline was behind him. He could feel her grip his sweatshirt out of fear.
"No. I want to know why you thought that bringing them here was a good idea!" Rebecca exclaimed.
"Rebecca, please, I wouldn't have come all the way here if it wasn't important. We need your help." Keith said.
Rebecca turned and looked to the boy with an intimidating stare. "No. Fuck off!" Rebecca snapped.
"Rebecca, they're just a couple of kids." Pete said. "Just calm down."
"Just a couple of kids?" Rebecca inquired. "Do you have any idea who they are?"
"Well, the girl on the ground is Clementine. The boy is Blake and the girl that you're scarin half to death is Darlene." Pete said with a scowl aimed at the soon-to-be mother.
Rebecca turned to Keith and said, "Oh, so you lied to him. Fucking figures."
"I'm sorry but I knew if I told you the truth then you wouldn't have helped us. If anything you would have shot me and my sister." Keith said.
"What is your name, then?" Pete asked.
"Yeah, don't worry. No one's going to get shot." The stocky African-American man said. Keith knew who he was. His name was Alvin. He didn't know Alvin that much, but he knew that he was a kind, gentle man. He didn't have a mean bone in his body. However, Keith also knew that Alvin was Rebecca's husband.
Keith sighed and he said, "It's Keith and my sister's name is Madeline."
Pete and Alvin looked at each other and shrugged. The name had no relevance to them. "Oh for fuck's sakes, Keith Blake Carver and Madeline Darlene Carver!" Rebecca exclaimed to the two men. "They're Carver's kids!"
Pete and Alvin looked to the two children with shocked looks while Rebecca kept a burning glare aimed at Keith. Keith didn't know what to do. He would have to hope that the cabin group could trust him, but it seemed that they were too on edge from being chased for the last few months.
Suddenly, Keith could hear a familiar voice. It was a voice he hadn't heard since he was Madeline's current age. "I wonder what all the commotion is about." A young man said.
Madeline perked up from hearing the voice as well and she walked out from behind Keith. "Not sure. Seems important." A young woman said.
The owners of the two voices walked closer to the group, but it didn't take long for either of the Carver children to realize who the man was. It was their former babysitter. Madeline ran to him and hugged his leg with a tight grip. "Whoa!" Nick exclaimed as he wobbled. He was about to fall but he regained his balance with his other leg.
The woman laughed and she said, "Babe, I knew you were a chick magnet, but this is ridiculous." Keith's eyes widened. He knew who the woman was, but she seemed so different compared to the last time he saw her. It was Talyne. She was wearing a black jacket with a brown shirt underneath, a pair of blue jeans, and a pair of black shoes. She had her signature bow across her body with her quiver full of arrows across her back that was secured by a harness.
"Umm… what's going on here?" Nick asked as he looked to the group members. Pete and Alvin shrugged, so Nick looked down to Madeline for answers.
Madeline looked up to him and asked, "Don't you remember? You used to babysit me, Keith, and Sophia?"
Nick's eyes widened and he looked to Keith and then back to Madeline. "Maddie." Nick said with a smirk forming on his lips. Madeline smiled back to him and released him from the hug. Nick squatted down to her height and pulled her in for a hug. He rocked her back and forth and said, "It's been so long since I've seen you. I didn't even recognize you."
"It's okay. I really missed you." Madeline said.
Nick pulled her back and said, "Look at you… you've grown up so much since I've seen you."
"But I'm not that tall or anything like that." Madeline said.
"That doesn't matter. The last time I saw you, you were still a baby, but now… it's amazing how quick you've grown up." Nick said.
"You know them?" Rebecca inquired with a glare aimed at Nick.
Nick stood upright while Madeline got behind him. She shook in fear of Rebecca, but Keith knew why. Ever since Rebecca became pregnant, she was always mean to him, Madeline, and Sophia. She actually succeeded in making Madeline cry at least once on a week when Luke and his group were still at the community.
"Yeah, I used to babysit them, but I haven't seen them for four years." Nick said.
"How could you have not seen them?" Rebecca inquired. "They were at Howe's with Carver."
"Look, I don't exactly have a good memory, and they've grown up since then. I couldn't tell that it was them." Nick said. A scowl formed on his face and he said, "Besides, why would it matter if they are Bill's kids. I know these two and I know they wouldn't harm a fly."
"You're so stupid and you don't even know it." Rebecca snapped at Nick.
"Back off whore." Talyne snapped and she approached Rebecca with a scowl.
"Excuse me!" Rebecca snapped.
"You heard me. I told you to back off." Talyne said. "I'm not afraid of you."
"Talyne, honey." Nick said as he placed his hands on the young woman's shoulders. Talyne shrugged off his grip and kept her glare aimed at Rebecca.
"Let's just calm down everyone." Alvin said.
"I need a doctor." Keith heard from behind him. He turned to see that Clementine had regained consciousness.
"What's wrong with her? Is she alright?" Talyne asked and she approached Keith and Clementine.
"A dog bit her. It looks really bad too." Keith said.
Talyne nodded and she crouched down in front of Clementine. She wore a friendly smile and said, "Don't worry. I think we can take care of that."
"Wait, are you sure that it's a dog bite?" Nick asked. Keith looked to Nick and saw that Nick seemed tense.
"Yeah, Maddie and I were there with her when it happened." Keith said.
He looked back to see Talyne who was looking at the wound herself. After a few seconds, she finished her assessment and got up. "Well, what is it?" Alvin asked. "Is it a dog bite?"
"Yeah, they're telling the truth. The bite's too long and narrow to be from a human chomp. It looks like a canine of some sort bit her." Talyne said.
Nick looked relieved upon hearing the news. His body wasn't stiff and his facial features seemed to relax. Alvin and Pete accepted the news and nodded. However, Rebecca's scowl deepened and she muttered, "And we're supposed to believe you? You're not a doctor, but Carlos is. I'll take his assessment over yours any day."
Talyne glared at the woman and said, "You know what? Fine, but he's going to tell you the same thing." She walked back over to join her husband who gave her a smile.
The door to the cabin finally opened and Keith could see Luke exit with… Carlos. Carlos was Keith's former teacher and he hated Carver just as much as Rebecca and somehow that hatred was transferred to Keith as well. "Luke explained the situation to me." Carlos said as he walked past the group members. His eyes immediately met Keith's and the older man glared at the boy. "You shouldn't be here." Carlos muttered as he crossed his arms over his chest.
"I didn't have a choice. I'm all out of options and I needed help." Keith said.
"Whoa, wait. Carlos, you know him?" Luke asked.
Carlos turned to Luke and he said, "Yes, he is Keith Carver."
Luke's eyes widened in shock before he turned to Keith and gave the boy a glare. "Why didn't you tell me the truth?" Luke inquired.
"I'm sorry but I didn't have a choice." Keith said with a frown. "I had my little sister with me, and I have to protect her no matter what."
"Come on, Luke. You would have done the same if you were in his shoes. So just save it and quit making him feel bad." Talyne snapped at Luke.
"Alright, alright." Luke said with his arms held up in surrender.
Keith looked up to see Carlos looking over Clementine's bitten arm. The girl shuttered in pain from having it being examined yet again.
"Damn… That must have hurt." Alvin said.
"Whatever it was, it got you good." Carlos said.
"It's a dog bite. I already looked at the wound-" Talyne said.
"I'll be the judge of that." Carlos said to the young woman. Talyne crossed her over her chest in response of the disrespect that Carlos gave her.
"Who are they?" A young girl asked from the porch door. She wore a pair of red thick rimmed glasses, a blue jacket, a pair of blue jeans and a pair of black boots. Keith knew exactly who it was. Her name was Sarah and she was Carlos's fifteen year old daughter. He babied her quite a bit and he didn't like her being anywhere near Keith or his siblings.
"Sarah, what did I say? Stay inside." Carlos snapped. Sarah appeared to be surprised by her father snapping at her and she retreated back into the house.
"We don't want to be any trouble. I just want to stop the bleeding and then we'll go. You'll never see us again." Clementine said to the doctor.
"Clem, you'll need time to recover. You need to give your body enough time to heal and rest." Keith said to the girl.
"He's right, sweetheart." Talyne said. The two children looked to the woman who had a set of caring eyes aimed at Clementine. "I understand if you feel scared, but we aren't out to hurt you."
"And how do we know that they aren't out to hurt us?" Rebecca inquired.
"Will you stop?" Talyne exclaimed. "They're just a couple of kids! They aren't going to hurt us!"
"We don't know about that." Carlos said. He looked to Keith and gave the boy a glare. "After all, we have Carver with us right now."
"I'm not… I'm not with my dad." Keith said.
"They also have Madeline with them." Rebecca said with a distasteful tone in her voice.
Carlos grumbled as he turned back to see the small eight year old hiding behind Nick. "Come over here, now." Carlos demanded.
Madeline jumped from the harshness in the man's voice and she withdrew even further behind Nick. Nick and Talyne sent a glare at the older man before Nick turned to address Madeline. "Hey, I know you're scared, but everything will be okay. Just go over to your brother for a little while." Nick said to the girl with a calm voice.
Madeline was hesitant until Carlos got up from examining Clementine and yelled, "Get over here, now!" Madeline was quick to oblige and she got behind her older brother to avoid the angry doctor.
"What the fuck is wrong with you, Carlos?" Talyne snapped. "Why are you yelling at her?"
"While they're here, they listen and do what they're told. I should have shot her for disobeying, but I only gave her a warning by yelling at her. Next time, I'll shoot her. We need to show them that they aren't in control of us." Carlos said.
"So, what is it?" Luke asked. "Was it a lurker bite?"
"A bit like that could be anything. Only one way to find out." Carlos announced. "We wait."
…To be continued.
A/N: Ohhh… a perfect time to leave yet another cliffhanger. This is going to be the cliffhanger marathon.
By the way, Talyne is 26 in this fic.