Thank you to all of you reviewers out there, I mean, I got thirty reviews at five chapters... That has never happened to me before... I love you all guys... You make me happy. In fact, here is your reward... A chapter! And a fun one no less! :)
Well... I have to say, I enjoy this chapter. I really do. Hehehe... I was laughing towards the end of this while writing because... Well, you'll in a couple of minutes. I promised you the first major change in this story that definitely didn't happen in the game, and it's here. Will you like it? I do. Actually, I'm a bit nervous about posting it... Hmm...
Don't make me keep you waiting. Read on.
Disclaimer: I don't own 'The Walking Dead'.
Chapter 6: You Cruel Animals…
Travis watched as Lucy dashed blindly into the forest, disappearing into the thick woodland, her eyes streaming as she did so. Travis was just shell-shocked over what had happened and what had just been revealed. So much was happening at the time, they had just lost people, and now they're losing another person, and a child no less! What the hell's happening to us? Why is this happening…?
Travis never saw Lucy that mad. The only other time Lucy had truly snapped and raged was when Carley was killed and she beat Lilly's face in, but this time? It was her own father… While he did support beating Lilly, he could understand a bit how Kenny couldn't tell her. If he did, it would've broken her, it would've left her depressed and right after Carley's death? He could understand Kenny's side, but he also understood Lucy's side. Maybe it was just the way Duck's bite was revealed that pissed Lucy off, he didn't really know, all he knew was that punching your dad was probably not the best way to deal with things.
Kenny had just stared after her, not even trying to stop her. He just hung his head in shame, as if accepting this like punishment. Kenny had a noticeable yet small bruise on his cheek, where Lucy had delivered the blow. Kenny put a hand to it, his eyes soft and sad.
"Ken… We need to go after her… Walkers…" Kat murmured.
"I know hon… I just… I…" Kenny shook his head. "Maybe she doesn't want to see me now, maybe we should just leave her alone. Give her some time. I… I fucked up…" He moaned, looking up at the train.
"Maybe I should go get her." Ben suggested quietly, surprising Travis that he would suggest that. "It's not safe out in the forest alone."
"Yeah, you should." Lee said, "What about it Ken? You trust Ben to get her?"
Kenny nodded, a blank look on his face. Katjaa agreed too, staring at Ben pleadingly. Travis was a bit surprised that they trusted him so easily. "Please, get her." Kat whispered.
"Yeah. Ben gulped. "I'll do my best."
"I'll come too." Travis said, earning him a surprised look from the group. He shrugged, "Hey, someone's go to watch their backs right?" Lee nodded, agreeing.
"All right then, but don't take too long, if you're not back in half an hour, we're going to send someone to fetch you guys, all right?"
"No problem." Ben said. "We'll find her. Come on Trav." Ben motioned for Travis to follow. Travis took one last glance at Kenny and his family, the atmosphere somber, before running into the forest after Ben. As soon as they were out of earshot of the group, Ben released a shaky breath.
"Geez," He murmured, "That was intense for me to handle… I mean, so much shit is happening, I don't even know how to deal with it, I… I…" Ben shuddered, not finishing his sentence.
"Relax Ben, it'll be fine." Travis reassured, "It'll be hard, but it should get better… It should…"
"You really think that?" Ben asked, sounding a bit skeptical "Weren't you the one who said that you didn't have much hope or something?"
"Hey, I said I don't have hope for the world getting better, not that I had no hope about everything."
"But you really think our group can overcome this?"
Travis hesitated, "Well… I don't know. We'll just have to wait and see, you know?" Ben looked down, as if not happy with that answer. Well, what else could I have said? Sighing, Travis looked through the trees, searching for any sign of Lucy. Damn… There's no trace… How are we going to find her?
"Travis…" Ben whispered, his eyes wide and his ears twitching. Travis strained to hear, wondering what Ben might've picked up. A soft scraping noise was heard, just a bit beyond them. Ben turned to him. "You hear that?"
"It could be a walker." Travis warned. Ben looked uneasy, looking at his empty hands. Travis pulled out his pick, "Don't worry, I got you covered."
Nodding, Ben took the first steps forward, edging closer towards the sound. Travis, staying close behind his friend, held out his pick, just in case. Ben pushed away a few bushes, revealing the source of the noise.
Just sitting there, not noticing them at all was a little squirrel, holding a leaf in its small paws. Ben sighed in relief. The squirrel heard that, took a look at the two boys and dashed away. Travis groaned, lowering his weapon. "Well, great, no leads or Lucy around here."
"Well hold on, she couldn't have gotten far, right? She's got to be around here somewhere, right?" Ben asked.
"Well… I don't know." Travis eyes strayed from Ben and watched the squirrel scampering away. It ran up to a large, thick oak tree, up the branches. Travis blinked, and suddenly spotted a splotch of brown curls sticking out from behind the tree. Travis nudged Ben and pointed towards the figure. Ben stared over at it.
"That's her?" He asked softly.
"One way to find out." Travis said, clenching his pick in caution."Stay back just in case it's a walker." Ben did as he was told, rubbing his hands nervously. He was just a few steps away from the person. "Lucy? That you?" Travis said cautiously.
The brown curls bobbed, and slowly they turned, revealing a familiar face appeared. Lucy's expression looked as empty as her father's, her green eyes emotionless. She opened her mouth to speak, but she hesitated. She blinked, looking down at her feet, her eyes conflicted. She ended up looking away, sitting against the tree and looking up at the sky.
"Lu?" Ben whispered, taking a step forward. Her hand suddenly whipped out, indicating for them to stop.
"Don't… I… I think I'd rather be alone." Her voice sounded drained of emotion.
"We can't just leave you here, by yourself." Travis said.
Lucy didn't respond. Maybe its better just to wait it out, let her deal with it her own way before dragging her back. Although, that might take a while. Sensing this might take time, Travis sat down on the opposite end of the tree, opposite from Lucy. Ben, looking a bit lost, just awkwardly leaned against the tree, his arms folded. Travis crossed his legs, looking around the forest, waiting for the girl to recover. He smiled a bit to himself, taken in by the sights around him. He never really appreciated the beauty of nature until this apocalypse begun. It's like for the first time, his eyes are open and he's starting to notice the small, pretty wonders in the world. The crisp orange leaves hanged delicately on branches swaying in the breeze, birds tweeting a little tune now and then, little critters scuttling around, their life not affected at all by this. Sights like this helped Travis forget about all the shit that was happening now. Travis even noticed not too far away a beehive in the distance, the little yellow and black striped bugs buzzing around their home.
He heard Lucy chuckle. "Heh… bees." She murmured, her voice sounding far and dreamy.
"Bees?" Travis repeated, wondering if she was going off the deep end or something.
"Yeah bees, Duck's allergic to them." Lucy explained her voice still far away and blank, "His face would get all red and puffy when he got stung." She laughed dryly again. "This one time, we were at the park, and Duck had somehow found a beehive in a tree. This was before we knew he was allergic. Anyways, we thought it'd be fun to see which one of us could knock down the hive first. We were pretty immature back then… So anyway, we started throwing rocks and sticks and pebbles and such at it. Duck finally had hit it, and the hive moved from its place. The bees must've felt that because they got out of their hive and started swarming us. We both ran away and got back to mom, but we also both got stung, but Duck was reacting more severely then me. He looked like red puffy snowman, he just seemed so… bloated. It was hard not to laugh at him, which might've been cruel, but I couldn't help myself at the time. Of course I got in trouble out of all that, but seeing Duck like that was funny, we actually have a picture… somewhere…" Her voice died away, growing silent once more after she finished telling her tale. Ben and Travis exchanged a worried look.
"Lu… We have to go back soon." Ben said, "The others, your family, they're worried about you."
She didn't answer. "Come on Lu, we got to go back at some point, they're all worried sick about you." Travis insisted.
"They're all probably pissed off at me now." Lucy sighed, "I… hit him. My dad, I mean, he deserved it, he was being a dick, but…" Out of his peripheral vision, Travis could catch Lucy burying her head into her knees, bring them close to her body.
"He was trying to protect you." Ben said, "I mean, I guess he didn't have the heart to tell you about your brother."
"He was being selfish… Not telling me… I mean… I understand why, but it still angers me." Lucy muttered.
"You're not the only one dealing with this." Travis said softly, careful of what he's saying. "I mean, I know you care about your brother, and this is hard for you, but now, your parents are dealing with it now, the same situation, without you there. They may be older than you, but that doesn't mean they know how to deal with this better then you. You're all suffering about this right now, and not just your family, us too. Me, Ben, Lee and Clem, you think it's easy for any us to see a kid bit? You guys are a family, you should probably deal with this together. We should deal with this together." Ben's eyes grew round at Travis little speech. Lucy was silent for a moment, as if soaking in what Travis had just said.
A minute had passed and Lucy hadn't said a word. Travis was about to prompt her again when he heard her. The noise was muffled, quiet, but in the near-silent forest, the sound was loud enough to hear. Her cries sounded pained, her voice cracking and her whimpering soft. Is she... crying? Travis stood up, slowly approaching her. Ben followed, looking nervous as usual.
Lucy had her head buried in her arms, resting them in her knees. Her shoulders were shaking, her hands tightening their grip in her jeans. She didn't even seem to notice Ben and Travis at her side. She continued to sob, taking an unsteady breath as each sob got a little higher in pitch, her voice already sounding dry and exhausted. Travis could see how wet her jeans were becoming, the water starting to leak down her knees.
Then slowly, gently, Ben lowered himself until he was sitting right beside the crying girl. His cheeks were red as he stiffly put a hand on her back, patting it in almost a mechanical pattern. How awkward can this guy get? The thought flew briefly in Travis's mind. Travis crouched in front of her and just waited for her to settle down. He would've patted her too or something if Ben wasn't already, even though his movements were rigid and odd. "Just take as long as you need, 'kay?" Travis murmured, making his voice sympathetic yet not looking directly at her.
Then suddenly Lucy's head delved into Ben's chest, clutching at him desperately, her cry's growing loud and beginning to hiccup. Ben flinched, trembling, before his shaky arms wrapped around her. A familiar warm, fiery feeling ignited in Travis, but he swallowed it down quickly, ignoring it. He gave her a minute to recover.
"You think you can move out? Back to the train?" Travis asked her after a while, putting a light hand on her shoulder. Lucy lifter her head, her red rimmed eyes meeting his. She wiped her nose, her cheeks turning rose.
"Y-Yes… I'm… I'm sorry about this… I… I…"
"Don't worry about it." Travis said, helping her up. Lucy had let go of Ben, her head bowed as she apologised to him repeatedly, saying how she didn't know what came over her when that happened. Ben blushed and smiled, saying it was no big deal. Travis waited impatiently as they finished up their interaction.
Lucy took a deep breath, her face down, her ears burning red. She gave both the boys a nod before she began to take unsteady, uncertain step out of the forest. Travis grimaced, she looked as if she would fall over at any moment! He quickly went to her side, grabbing her hand. Ben did the same on the other side. "You need help? You look like you'll fall over."
The girl opened her mouth, her eyes flashing with anger, but that anger quickly subsided. Her cheeks were cherry red and the light in her green eyes faltered. "Fine…" She said, her voice stiff.
Taking their time, Travis and Ben made sure Lucy didn't trip or tumble during the way back. She looked as if she were on the verge of tears and that'd she'd fall down and just start sobbing at any moment. Travis held her hand tighter, putting his hand on her back to support her. Ben mirrored Travis's movements, and at a light pace, they were beginning to see glimpses of the train through the trees. Travis saw Lucy gulp, her steps turning heavier as they got closer. "They're not mad." Travis said softly, "They looked like they understood. Your dad's even blaming himself for what happened with you."
Lucy looked a bit hurt, her face twisting up in misery. She gently shook off Travis's and Ben's grasp and walked on her own, looking steadier as she walked. They boys let her take the lead as they finally got back to their site.
Clem was back to sitting down on that log, munching on a candy bar. Huh, where'd the candy come from? Kat was there too, sitting in the same place, holding a very weak looking Duck in her arms. Her eyes widened as Lucy emerged from the forest with Travis and Ben.
Lucy walked up to her, not meeting her mother's eyes. She put a finger in her curly hair and twirled it, her voice low. "I'm… I'm sorry."
"I should be the one apologising." Kat murmured, "I should've told you straight away the moment we found out. I'm sorry too."
Lucy gave her a soft smile, leaning down and hugging her mother and brother, the embrace tight and long. Kat smiled, her eyes shining with salty tears. "Mom… Where's dad?" She asked.
"In the train… He wants to get it working as soon as possible, so we can get moving."
"I'm going to talk to him." Lucy said, letting her mom go and putting on a brave face.
"You do that." Katjaa said. Lucy smiled sadly, ruffling Duck's hair before she walked towards the train. She gave them all one last look before she hopped onto the train and made her way to the engine room to face her father. Kat looked at the two boys. "Thank you so much." Her voice was full of appreciation.
"No problem." Travis said, looking at Duck. When he last saw the kid, he was in and out of consciousness, his movements sluggish. Now he just seemed half-there, not in and out, more like in the middle… His eyes were glazed but his pupils moved around. His hands also did little waves sometimes too. Fuck... The kid's not doing so well…
Ben, not even looking at Duck, had taken a seat beside Clem, looking at the food in her hands curiously. "I don't remember ever having a candy bar in our supplies." He said.
"Yeah, where'd you get it? I'm kind of starved." Travis smacked his lips in hunger.
"Oh… Um, a nice man called Chuck gave it to me." Clem answered, nibbling the snack some more.
Travis raised an eyebrow. "You took candy from a stranger? Isn't it universally known that you shouldn't ever do that?"
"Chuck's nice! He gave Duck some too, and the candy tastes good!" She tore off two blocks of chocolate and extended it to Ben and Travis. "Here, try it!"
Ben eagerly took the food and popped into his mouth. "Damn Ben, if that was drugged or something…"
"Sorry…" Ben mumbled, "But, it tastes fine Trav, it tastes like regular chocolate."
"Do you want some Travis?" Clementine asked, holding out the piece to him. Travis hesitated, before finally snatching it from Clem's hand. He examined it carefully, looking for any weird or odd substances that you usually wouldn't find in chocolate.
"Boy, don't worry, I didn't poison it."
Travis bolted upwards, his eyes meeting an old man. He wore a dirty brown coat, dirty brown pants, gloves, and a dark reddish-brown shirt. He had white-gray hair, a little moustache and some facial hair on his chin area. His brown eyes were soft, a small grin on his face. "That's Chuck!" Clementine piped in, waving 'hi' to him. The old man waved back, and then focused his attention on Travis, who still hadn't eaten his food.
"Clem… You trusted and took food from this man?" Travis asked slowly, eyeing him suspiciously. She took food from this homeless creep… Yeah sure, that's not weird at all…
"He's a good man, he introduced himself the moment he saw us." Kat said, defending the elder.
Chuck chuckled a bit at Travis's cautiousness. "I wouldn't dare try to poison a child, especially in these kinds of times. I'm Chuck, Charles if you're fancy." He held out his hand in front of Travis and Ben. Ben tentatively took his hand, shaking it. When Chuck offered his hand to Travis, Travis gave the old man a look of disbelief.
"How am I supposed to know you're not some insane lunatic or murderer or something?" Travis growled.
Chuck shrugged, "If I were going to kill ya, I would've done it already, wouldn't I?"
"Good point…" Travis, still doubtful about this new man, shook his hand regardless. "I'm Travis, and this guy beside me is Ben."
"Pleasure to meet you all." Chuck smiled. Travis noticed the guitar in his hands.
"You play guitar?" Travis asked, intrigued.
"Yup, taught it to myself. I'm not awful, but then again, I'm not the best."
"Travis and I know how to play!" Ben sounded like an excited child. "Well, Travis knows more than me, he taught me about it after all…"
"Is that so?" Chuck said, an amused look on his face. "Well then, mind showing us a thing or two then?"
"Yeah Travis, play something!" Clementine urged. Ben looked hopefully at Travis, his eyes begging him to do so. Travis rolled his eyes.
"Well… I guess I can. It's been awhile though…" Chuck handed him the guitar, a look of interested. Travis put it on his knees, positioning himself. Kat smiled and rocked Duck gently as Travis started strumming a few chords.
Lucy shook, her hand close to opening the door to the engine room. She paused, just standing there, frozen. She peered through the cracked window. Her father sat in the conductor's chair, fiddling around with the controls. She hesitated, unsure if she actually wanted to go in or not. I have to… I need to apologise to him… Is he upset with me? Maybe he's really pissed… I don't even know anymore… No… I have to do this, just take a breath… Breathing one last inhale, Lucy noisily opened the door on purpose, alerting her father of her presence.
Kenny jumped, turning the chair. His eyes widened at the sight of his daughter. A wave of guilt hit Lucy as she noticed the small brown bruise on her father's pale cheek. His blips trembled, his eyes were tired. He stood up, looking at Lucy, his face full of sadness.
"Hey dad…" Lucy whispered.
"Hey." He responded, his face lighting up a bit, regaining a bit of life. They were silent for a moment, both of them shifting uncomfortably and not looking at one another. Come on Lu… Apologise to him! She opened her mouth.
"Lu, I'm sorry about all that shit I said, and all the shit I didn't say to you." He suddenly said, taking away her opportunity. "You're right, I should've told ya before earlier, you had the right to know and-"
"That didn't give me the right to hit you." Lucy interrupted, trying to keep her voice stable even though she felt like it'd crack at any moment. "I hit you dad, that's bad, horrible. I'm sorry. I kind of understand why you did it, but I was angry at the time, and we were fighting, and I just felt so frustrated…" She put a hand in front of her face, at a loss for words.
"You were right to be angry." Kenny said, going up to her.
"But I didn't have the right to hit you."
"Hell, you were angry! If I was any less of a father and a man, I might've done the same if I were in a situation like yours. Look," Kenny scratched his head, "I haven't been exactly treating ya right. I've been too busy trying to shield you from all of this, that you barely know how to handle yourself out here, when there's danger. You're right, I have to prepare ya, train ya for all this shit, so you can protect yourself."
"Really?" Lucy looked at him, amazed.
"Of course." He smiled, ruffling her hair, "Ya got to be ready. I can start training ya soon."
"What about…" She lowered her voice. "What about Duck?" Her voice quavered, "What are we going to do with him? What's our plan?"
Kenny's face hardened. "We're going to travel to the coast. Get a boat. We might meet people who can help him. He'll be fine, don't worry about him."
"Dad… He's bit." Lucy said, her voice barely audible.
"So? That doesn't mean he's dead!" Her father snapped. He quickly regained himself and bit his lip, silencing himself. "No, sorry about that, I didn't mean to yell."
"It's fine." Lucy answered.
"What I think," Her father began, "Is that we're going to book it to Savannah, get there as fast as we can. Find a doctor or someone who can fix him, cure him. He'll be okay, he has to be okay." Lucy's teeth softly grazed her lips in nervousness. Well… If we're quick enough… We can save him, can't we? Duck doesn't have to die, he'll be okay! He'll live! It's just a bite, right? He won't die, he's strong! Stronger than any other kid out there, right?
"You're right dad, I think that's a good idea." Her eyes watered a bit as she walked up to him and hugged him. Kenny stiffened at first, but then hugged her back, combing a hand through her brown curled hair.
"It'll be fine Lu… We just got to get to the coast and everything will be fine…"
"Yeah… Okay." Lucy sniffled, restraining his tears. She took a moment to take in her father's warmth before letting him go, smiling.
"How about we go check on your mom and brother? The train's actually ready to go now."
"Really? This thing will actually move?"
"Yeah, straight to Savannah, to the boats." Kenny walked over to the door and opened it. As Lucy and Kenny got off the train, Lucy noticed something she hadn't seen before. There was an old man, probably about fifty, talking to her mom. She scowled, Who the hell? Who is this guy?
"Oh yeah, this here is Chuck. He actually lived in this train for quite a while." Kenny informed her. "I talked to him, and he doesn't seem like a bad guy so far."
"So far?" Her voice was too quiet for him to hear. Lucy still didn't feel reassured by that, she wasn't really in the mood for new people, the last new people she had met, they were crazy cannibals that locked her in a shed.
As they approached this 'Chuck', Lucy could hear him chatting with her mom. "Well, with a little TLC, I'm sure he'll be fit as a fiddle in no time." His eyes and voice were soft as he said that, giving the mother and son a warm look. "And I can offer y'all whatever I got, although it ain't much."
"Thank you… We'd like to do the same." Katjaa said. Kenny got between the two.
"Why don't we hold on…"
"Stay with us." Katjaa said, looking at Kenny, "We'd like the company." Kenny returned the look, but didn't argue. Mom already trusts the guy… Hmm… Maybe he isn't so bad…
Chuck noticed Lucy and waved to her. "I'm afraid I haven't met you yet. My name's Chuck, or Charles, if you prefer that."
"I'm Lucy." She replied, waving back. "Um, nice to meet you, I guess."
"Pleasure to make your acquaintance, young lady." Chuck said kindly, "I haven't seen this much folks in a while, been quite lonely in that train by myself. Your friends here are pretty entertaining though, this one's teaching them how to play the guitar right now." He motioned to Travis, who was teaching Clem about the guitar. He adjusted her fingers on the strings, gently telling her how it went. Ben watched, looking happy.
"Your crew's full of young folk, about five kids and three adults?" Chuck asked.
"I'm not a kid." Lucy said, "I'm grown up. A teenager."
"That's still considered a kid, ain't it?" Lucy pouted, unhappy at being called a kid. Chuck smiled. "I'm sorry your brother isn't feeling well, but I get the feeling that he'll be better in no time."
"Thank you." Lucy blinked, surprised by the sudden comment. "That's really nice." She noticed her father and Lee walking up towards the group.
"We don't got much left, so just gather whatever you have." Kenny said."Let's go."
We're leaving? Already? But… She looked at Duck, a flash of realization hitting her.
"Oh wait! I forgot something in the RV!" Lucy ran into the vehicle quickly, ignoring the question stares. She crouched down and opened the cupboard below the sink. She smiled to herself. Well, it's still here. Good. She grabbed the blue kite and brought it out with her. Her parents were already at the train with Chuck, Lee, and Clem. Ben and Travis stayed a bit behind, looking out for her. Their eyes grew round as they noticed the blue kite in her hands.
"Hey Lu… What's with the kite?" Ben asked.
"Is it the same one we got that day?" Travis added.
"Yeah… It is. I want to bring it with us."
"Why?"
"In case Duck wants to fly it later on, you know? I mean… Once he gets better, he'll want to fly it at one point, right?"
Ben rubbed his knuckles together, looking down. Travis frowned, "But Lu… He's bit." Travis said.
"We're going to Savannah, we're going to find someone and he'll get better." Lucy insisted, repeating her father's plan.
"Um…" Ben started but Lucy trudged towards the train, not wanting to hear it.
As her mother carried Duck into the train, Kenny noticed the blue kite in Lucy's hands."You're bringing that thing with us?"
"For Duck." Lucy said stubbornly. Kenny didn't argue, so she climbed aboard the train, taking a seat beside her mother. Her heart dropped.
Her brother was barely awake, she could feel the heat from the fever radiating from his sticky, sweaty skin, which had become pale at this point, deathly pale. She whimpered as he let out a hacking cough. Kat rubbed his back, trying to soothe him. "Hey Duck…" Lucy murmured, showing off the kite in her hands, "Look, it's your kite; we're going to fly it soon. We're going to Savannah, where we'll find someone for you, and then we'll fly this kite together, okay?" Duck didn't even lift his head to look at her, in fact, his head just seemed pretty limp, looking heavy.
"Don't worry hon… He's just tired… He's… He's…" Her mom gulped, unable to talk further. Lucy leaned her head on her mom's shoulder, watching Duck's sweat covered face, his half-lidded eyes, his laboured breathing… Lucy shivered, shutting her eyes, shutting Duck and his disease out of her mind.
Lucy didn't mean to doze off, it just sort of happened. When she woke up, before she opened her eyes, she could hear faint voices in the background.
"…We need to stop this train." Mom? Stop the train? Why?
"Okay." Is that Lee? I… My hearing's all fuzzy at the moment…
"Please." Yes… That's definitely my mom's voice. Why does she want to stop this train?
Lucy eyes gradually opened, her vision taking it's time to readjust. She blinked, confused by the atmosphere. Everyone was eerily quiet, the air full of their depression. Travis was sitting in the corner, his face down, clenching his fist over and over. Clem was still, a distant look in her eyes. Ben was looking pretty glum, his lips pressed against one another. Chuck stared out the train, watching the scenery, keeping quiet. Why? What's happening?
She looked at her mother. Her head was bowed, her lips quivering, her eyes moist with tears. "Mom?" Lucy whispered. "What's wrong? What's happening?" Her mother looked at her. When she spoke, her voice was trembling with despair.
"You're brother... He's run out of time."
A series of chills danced up Lucy's spine. She shook her head. "Mom, no… No! He'll get better, he has to!"
"Lucy…"
"I mean, we'll find a doctor… We can find a cure, or someone who knows how to handle this, someone who can save his life! We just have to push! We can't… We can't just give up!" Lucy shook her head again, refusing to believe it. Gently, her mom put her rough hand in Lucy's hair, combing her fingers through it.
"Lucy, I know this is hard, this is tough, but look at you brother. Just a moment ago… He was coughing up blood. And now, he's not even awake right now, he's barely with us, just hanging on weakly. Look at him Lu… Look." Her mother gently turned Duck her way.
Lucy forced herself to look at him. She was right, there were faint blood stains around his mouth, staining his sickly pale skin. His eyes were still half-open and it sounded like it was hard for him to breathe, that each breath took an extreme amount of energy and effort. "No… No… He can't…" Her voice cracked.
"I love you Lu, I love you a lot, but Duck… Duck is dying. We have to deal with it now. Please… Understand what I'm saying." Her mother spoke softly.
"Is that why you told Lee to stop the train?" Lucy asked, unable to sound calm anymore, her voice was growing shrill and panicky.
"Your father has to be here with us, to deal with this with us." Kat nuzzled her daughter, trying to comfort her. "Don't worry Lucy, it'll be all right… It'll be okay…" No it won't! Duck is dying! He can't be… This isn't…
The train started to squeak loudly, the gears beginning to slow down. Their speed started to decrease, the train beginning to halt. Lucy's breath hitched. Oh god… this is actually happening… This is… This…
"Come on sweetie, let's get off the train." Kat nudged her daughter to her feet before hauling Duck up with her.
"Do you need help?" Lucy asked, her voice beginning to show hints of fear and sadness.
"No… It's okay. How about, we just lie him down, just here. Kat laid her brother down near the edge of the opening of the train cart. She got down, Lucy and the rest of the gang following. Clem sat at the edge, her eyes pained as she watched Duck. Ben, Travis and Chuck said nothing, just stood out beside the train, keeping to themselves. Kat rubbed her son's head, holding him. She closed her eyes, bringing her head down to him. Lucy felt tears beginning to form in her eyes, but she restrained it the best she could.
She didn't even notice her father approaching with Lee, his footsteps slow, as if he were trying to take the longest amount of time he could to not reach his son. When he finally did arrive beside Lucy and his wife, Kat broke out of her trance, staring at him with a bleak look. "Ken. It's… I think it's time."
Kenny looked at his son, his gaze lingering on him. There were no arguments this time about how he would get better this time.
Because he wouldn't. Everyone could see that at this point.
Kenny looked at Lucy sorrowfully, like an apology for what is about to happen. He gazed at the other three males, who were a little far-off, not intruding in their business. "The boy's been bit. In case you haven't figured that out." His words were directed to Chuck, who looked at him before looking away, his eyes looking at the ground.
"We shouldn't waste time." Lee murmured.
"There ain't no time to waste." Kenny replied hoarsely.
"I'm saying we shouldn't stay put." Lee clarified, looking sympathetic.
Kenny turned from Lee, facing his family. "What are we going to do?" Lucy trembled, her dad's voice had never sounded as scared as it was now.
Kat stared, her eyes wide, before turning to her son. She bit her lip. "We can't allow him to become one of those things."
"But… He won't… He can't!" Lucy cried, butting into the conversation. Those damned tears she promised she wouldn't shed were staring to slip out.
"Yeah… What if he doesn't?" Kenny asked.
"Ken… I love you all so very much, I love our children more than life itself," Her mother sobbed a bit before continuing, "but you guys need to hear me. I need you to hear me. What you are saying, that he may not turn, is foolish."
"But mom-"
"No Lu… No." her mother shook her head, her eyes shut tight. Kenny faced down, unable to even speak for a moment.
"Come on Kat…" He finally rasped.
"If you think of one, you let me know." She said.
"Isn't there some sort of pill, or something we can give him…?" Her dad asked desperately, trying to keep his composure but failing miserably.
"Stop it." Kat said.
"He can just drift off to sleep, right hon? I mean, Jesus, this is our son." Kenny buried his head in his hands, shaking violently from side to side.
"I know!" Kat suddenly said, "But we know it's here," She pointed to the side of her head, towards her brain, "Or nothing."
"Wait… You mean… We have to…" Destroy the brain? She couldn't finish the sentence, but her mom knew exactly what she intended to say. "We… No…" Lucy gasped, "Mom…" She begged.
"Lucy… I'm sorry, but there's no other way. If there were, we'd gladly take it… But…" Her mother trailed off, wiping a stray tear from her eye.
Kenny put his hands on his cheeks, trying to process everything, trying to understand. "Well… fuck… just... Who then? You want me to?"
"Dad, no." Lucy hiccupped, her tears beginning to fall.
"You don't have to." Kat said.
"I'll do it." Kenny insisted.
"You don't have to." Kat repeated, her eyes widening at her husband's repeated proposal.
"Katjaa, fuck, I can!" I can do this!" His voice was breaking.
"I'll do it."
The family turned and saw the firm face of Lee, staring at them with a stone gaze.
"No. It should be a parent." Kat said, looking at Lee in stunned yet mournful eyes.
"No parent should have to do something like this." Lee said quietly, looking at the poor child.
"But… so soon? Right after you had to shoot Carley?" Lucy's words came out in a small peep.
Lee's eyes flashed with doubt, but that didn't last. "Don't worry… I can… I can do it."
"Yeah, Lee can do it…" Kenny agreed numbly, "Just say our goodbyes and just let that be it."
"I don't know…" Kat mumbled. She looked up at him. "Lee, you'd be doing this family a great service." Lee nodded. Kat looked over Duck. Her eyes drifted towards the little girl sitting close by. "Why don't we take him out into the forest, so Clementine doesn't have to see."
Kenny agreed. "Yeah." The word was short and breathless.
"Give us a moment." Kat told Lee, "To say goodbye."
"Of course." Lee said.
"Am… Am I coming too? Lucy asked timidly. Kat and Kenny traded a look of doubt. "Please… I want to go. He's my brother, I want to say goodbye too."
"Of course sweetie, you can." Kat replied. Kenny's arm swung itself around Lucy's neck, holding her close. Lucy leaned into him, another sob beginning to form in her throat.
Kat walked over to Duck, running a hand over his head before grabbing him gently and propping him up against her, carrying the frail child. She began to walk ahead, not slowing down, not waiting for Kenny and Lucy to catch up. She seemed determined to get this done.
"Dad…" Lucy whimpered. Her dad tenderly rubbed her back as he began to walk forwards, forcing her to join along for the ride. Lucy didn't resist, she wanted to do this, to say goodbye, but she didn't want him to leave. She didn't want him to go. He's just a kid! No kid should have to die like this! This is horrible! I can't… I can't even…
In silence, the depressed family walked through the forest. No words could comfort them, nothing could comfort them at all. The situation just seemed too… unlikely to ever actually happen. Lucy was still having a hard time digesting it all.
"Here… This is far enough." Kat said, placing her son carefully on the base of a tree. Lucy wriggled out of her father's grasp, holding her hands close to her chest. Duck was unconscious, his breathing even slower and deeper this time. Kat shivered. "I… I can't…"
Kenny sighed, taking slow, painful breaths. "Me too hon. None of us, none of us can handle this…"
Lucy sniffed, wiping her eyes.
Kat looked at Kenny at Lucy. "No, I mean I can't deal with this anymore. I can't bear to just… lose our son like this, in this cruel world. And I don't think I can bear seeing it happen to our daughter next. I just… I don't want to see my children dead. I can't live with that. I want us to be together." Those last words broke off in a sob. Her mother was starting to cry, sniffing up snot.
"It won't happen mom… I promise you, it won't." The words came out in a squeak.
"I know it won't… I'm sorry."
"Mom-?" Lucy froze. There was a gun in her mom's hand. It was pointed at her head.
Lucy's head.
"Kat!?" Kenny gasped.
"Please understand… I can't let them get you… This is the best way out… I…I love you so much." A crazed glint was in her eyes as she spoke. She closed them not wanting to see. Her finger pulled the trigger.
"MOM WAIT!"
"NO!"
Bang!
Blood splashed Lucy's shirt and the ground. Her eyes were round, wide, watering. Kat opened one eye and gasped. Lucy quivered as her father clutched his side before collapsing to the ground, withering in pain. He… He jumped… in front of me! He let out a weak howl, his movements ceasing.
"DAD!" Lucy shrieked, leaning down to his side. He had stopped moving, his breathing weakening. NO! No no no!
"MOM HELP ME!" Lucy screamed, whipping around to face her mother, her tears dripping from her cheeks as she tried to put pressure on the wound. But it wouldn't stop bleeding... It wouldn't stop bleeding!
Kat was staring at Kenny, quaking at what she had just done. She stared at the gun in her hand in a state of shock. "What… What have I…?" Her mother gasped, taking a step backwards in horror.
"Help me! Save him!" Lucy pleaded desperately.
Her mother took a shaky breath. "I'm sorry… I didn't mean… I wanted you… all of us… to be together…"
"Mom, please!" Lucy begged, her voice piercing and demanding. "Help me… Save dad!"
Her mother hesitated, her soft blue eyes shedding bitter tears. "I… I'm sorry. I can't." She repeated. "I'm so sorry Lu… Please understand… Join us when you're ready." She closed her eyes and put the gun to her forehead.
"MOM NO!"
As the shot rang out through the woods, so did the wet 'thunk' of a body slapping the forest floor. Lucy kneeled, paralysed, her knees starting to get soaked in her father's pooling blood. Her hands were soaked in crimson when she attempted to put pressure on the wound. There was a blood splatter on her cheek, not her father's blood, it was a splash of her mother's. Lucy opened her jaw, trying to speak, but no one was really there to listen. Besides, what could she say? What could she do? She just sat there, unable to comprehend anything anymore. What? What? What's…? What is…? I… What? Her gaze shifted to each body before her, trying to asses the situation.
Her dad was shot and bleeding out.
Her brother was bit and wheezing his life away on the base of the tree.
Her mother had committed suicide right before her eyes.
And Lucy was alive, healthy and alone.
...
We have a lot to discuss... don't we?
I was honestly laughing like while I wrote this last scene here, because I felt like an evil bastard. Were you hoping that I'd spare Kat from her suicide? I thought about that, I thought carefully about doing this. You don't have to read the next paragraph, it'll just be me explaining the reasoning behind Kat's actions if you're a little confused about it, because I probably should take the time to explain it.
In my mind, there were two ways we could go with this. The way we all wanted, is that Kat decides to live and protect her daughter and stay with her remaining family. Of course I chose the worst possible approach I can with this. What I think happens in Kat's mind at that moment, is that she's losing Duck. She's losing her youngest child to the walkers. Would she rather live on, waiting until either her or her family gets killed by either a walker or something else, or would she rather end it all? She'd rather end it all. So... Why point the gun at Lucy? Good question... well, she states that she loved her children more than life itself, which is a lot. I don't think she wants to leave her children alone in this dangerous world, she wants them to be safe... happy... like a mother would wish for her children, right? Sadly, Kat decided that shooting Lucy was the one way to truly keep her safe from the walkers. I figured if it went according to her plan, she'd have shot Lucy, and then possibly Kenny... and then herself. That's how I see it. But then again, that's my opinion based on my knowledge, so if this seems a bit out of character for Kat, then I'm sorry you had to read that, even though I enjoyed writing that twist... :| Hey, don't worry, I'm a good person in real life, not some evil bastard! :)
Besides... I needed Kat gone, one way or the other. Duck's bit so... you know. :( And Kenny... Hmm... Kenny... :p
On the bright side, at least we finally got around to seeing Chuck! :) And Travis can play guitar! How great is that guys? :)
I also like the title for this chapter you know? 'You Cruel Animals...' That title could reference a lot. It could reference to the walkers, how cruel they are, Kat, for the cruel act she accidentally did, maybe Duck, for some reason I can think of right now. :| Maybe even the bees, because they stung Duck up so bad. :p
All right, until next time guys... Until then, why don't you figure out the meaning behind this chapter's name? :p
Next chapter: 'Lost and Found'