Chapter 7

Roslyn followed closely behind Kenny and Lee as they rushed through Macon, looking around cautiously for any stray walkers. They'd ran into a few earlier, Roslyn dealing with it with her army knife, and now their run for supplies seemed all the more urgent. They eventually slowed down beside a wrecked hardware store, Lee peeking around the corner with his rifle in hand. He nodded, signaling the coast was clear and they turned the corner, headed straight for the pharmacy.

"Looks like this is our lucky day." Kenny commented, glancing up at the crashed helicopter that had gone through the pharmacy roof.

"Maybe. They tend to sneak up on us." Lee said as the trio walked towards the store.

"Yeah, nothing takes you by surprise like a groaning dead guy who walks a meter per hour." Roslyn muttered.

"Still, the less I see, the happier I am." Kenny remarked. As they walked, Roslyn noticed Kenny flinching with each step, the gunshot he'd received from the dairy still hurting like heck, despite the time that and passed. 'Lucky it didn't puncture anything vital.' She thought, frowning slightly. 'Heh, lucky he stole the supplies from the car.' Oh. How Roslyn remembered the moment. Walking back to the motel when they had found a supposedly abandoned vehicle, the trunk filled with food, clothes, and supplies they desperately needed. Clementine had refused to take a thing, knowing it was stealing. Roslyn's frown depend as she remembered her own opinion on the situation…she'd wanted to take it. Every last box. Yes, she knew the car was on. She knew it belonged to someone. Heck, she knew deep within that that someone would come back for it soon. Still, as she listened to her rumbling stomach, Clementine's timid voice was what she had heard. Lee had taken the girl's side, saying the thievery was wrong, and stood beside her as the rest of them took the supplies…all except Roslyn. As the teen looked into Clementine's soft, glowing eyes, her sad plea to do the right thing…she couldn't bring herself to steal. Even as her stomach hissed and growled, her body ached, her mind dark and dreary, she walked to Clementine and Lee. Her guilt rushed back at the thought of that very night.

"Okay, just like last time. Over the rig, into the pharmacy, and scrape together whatever supplies are left." Kenny stated.

"We didn't leave much in there." Lee pointed out.

"We're out of options."

"Something's better than nothing." Roslyn agreed as Kenny climbed the ladder attached to a truck against the side of the drugstore. Once he made it, Roslyn went up nervously as the ladder shook slightly under her weight. A rung snapped, finally giving out from all the trips it'd endured and Roslyn scrambled up onto the truck's roof.

"Well, that option's gone." Roslyn stated as Lee grabbed the ladder and it broke free easily.

"What now?"

"I'll find another way. Don't worry." Lee assured, Roslyn nodding. Lee walked towards a jeep paired nearby and grabbed the winch, pulling towards the truck.

"What are you doing?"

"Finding a way up." Lee replied, hauling the winch behind him as the cable stretched from the jeep.

"Lilly's not doing too good, is she?" Kenny said after a moment.

"You slaughtered her dad." Roslyn pointed out, a scowl on her face. Kenny seemed ready to shout at her when Lee interrupted.

"It's not good. I'm worried."

"If only this one was." Kenny gestured to Roslyn and her frown deepened.

"And yeah, there's a lot to be worried about. Lilly's gonna snap."

"SHE'S gonna snap?!" Roslyn proclaimed. "You murdered her dad with a salt lick right in front of her eyes!"

"I did what I had to!"

"He took a breath! I saw him! Lee saw him! Lilly saw him! He took a breath right before his face was smashed in!"

"Not true. Right Lee?"

"I…well, I don't know what I saw. We were all doing what we thought was right." Lee answered, staying neutral as he attached the winch to the truck.

"I can accept that, at least." Roslyn mumbled, taking a deep breath as she turned away from a pretty ticked Kenny. Going back to the jeep, Lee flicked the winch control on and the jeep was pulled gradually towards the truck until stopped beside it.

"Duck was asking about the kid from Hershel's farm last night." Kenny said as Lee climbed into the hood of the jeep and looked up at Kenny.

"Really? I wasn't sure it phased him." Lee said in response.

"Hey, death does that to people." Roslyn pointed out with a lazy shrug of her shoulders.

"She's right, for once. Of course it phased him."

"What'd he say?" Lee asked.

"He wanted to know if Hershel's son somehow made it. Pretty sure he knows he didn't. Don't worry, you made out like a hero in his eyes."

"What happened at that farm, anyway? You two never told me." Roslyn said, watching as Kenny and Lee exchanged a look.

"A group of walkers snuck up on a man who saved Clementine and me…Duck made it out okay, he…didn't." Lee explained, head turned to the ground.

"Oh. Did you try to help him?"

"I did. Kenny had to save Duck."

"That's good. At least you both tried, right?"

"Yeah." Lee looked back up and Kenny held his arm out, ready to hoist him onto the truck's roof.

"You sure you're up for this? You DID get shot in the side a couple weeks back…" Roslyn inquired.

"Don't worry, I've got this. Lee, gimme your hand." Lee reached up (hesitantly) and grasped Kenny's hand, making it halfway up before Kenny released him and held his side. Lee's eyes widened and Roslyn flinched as she heard him fall back onto the hood of the jeep.

"I thought you said you could handle it!" Lee exclaimed.

"You ever been shot before? I'm sorry…ugh, you'd think you–" Kenny was interrupted by an ear-splitting shriek.

"The heck…?" Roslyn murmured as a woman burst from one of the surrounding stores, screaming her head off as a walker followed closely behind. Her screams brought more corpses from other shops and they began to surround her almost instantly, her cries for help a dinner bell to them.

"It's a girl!" Lee stated, looking up at Roslyn and Kenny.

"We have to help her!" Roslyn decided.

"How? There's no getting to her." Kenny remarked.

"We gotta do something!" Lee turned back to look at the girl as they all watched a crawling walker sink its teeth into her ankle.

"We gotta shoot her. Put her out of this misery." Lee said.

"They don't know we're here."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, we leave her alive and she draws them all to her, buying us time."

"Ken…"

"Think about it! We're always worrying about the ones we can't see. She stays alive and she'll bring them all out in the open!" Lee turned away, looking over at the girl in silence. 'Not again…not again…not again!' Roslyn thought as she watched the woman scream and shout as she ran around, desperate to escape. 'She can't go on like this!' Roslyn looked down at a contemplating Lee, his face filled with different emotions as he tried to make up his mind.

"Let's get this over with!" Roslyn pulled out her gun and aimed, closing her eyes as the gullet flew from her pistol and into the woman's head. Kenny swore as some of the walkers shuffled their way towards them and glared at Roslyn.

"This was Lee's choice, not yours!"

"He was too slow to make one." Roslyn muttered.

"Look what ya did. Ugh…let's move." Kenny helped Lee up and the three of them hurried inside the pharmacy. Roslyn shut the door behind them and they rushed further inside to where the medicine was kept, shutting another door as walkers groaned from the other side.

"It's sturdy, but we ain't got much time!" They split off separately and began to grab as many supplies as the could, shoving them into their bags as the walkers began to pound on the door. Roslyn grabbed as much as she could, shoving the medical supplies into her bag as Kenny urged them to hurry. The walkers began reaching through a hole in the wall and their pounding began to shake the door.

"Incoming! C'mon!" Kenny shouted, Lee and Roslyn standing up with backpacks filled with what they could scavenge. They hopped over the counter one by one and ran for the exit. Unfortunately, the door gave way and trapped Roslyn beneath it as she struggled to hold it above her.

"Kenny! Lee! Help!" She cried, panting as she tried to push the door off of her. She looked up and immediately saw Kenny looking back and forth between her and the exit, much to her dismay. Meanwhile, Lee kept his morality. He shot the walkers on the collapsed door, easing the weight and force enough for Roslyn to push he door off of her. She scrambled back, panting and looking at the oncoming walkers with wide, fearful eyes. Lee ran around her and pushed the fridge near the door down, right onto one walker and successfully stalling the rest.

"Out! Let's get out!" Kenny shouted as he shot down some of the incoming walkers.

"C'mon!" Lex urged, grabbing Roslyn by the arm and helping her up before they ran towards Kenny. A walker (the deceased pilot of the helicopter) growled as it grabbed Lee with its jaws wide open. Roslyn shot at it, using two bullets before the corpse hit the ground.

"The heck was that?!" Roslyn asked angrily, turning to Kenny.

"They're everywhere! Lee saved your sorry behind, didn't he?"

"Yeah, no thanks to you!"

"You're alive! You should be thankful!"

"Thankful?! You nearly got me killed!"

"We don't have time for his!" Lee groaned, pushing Roslyn through the exit before going through as well, Kenny close behind. They kept on running after that, sprinting through the streets as walkers shuffled and growled behind them.

*Later at the Motor Inn…*

The trio walked in absolute silence as the motel creeped into view before them. Roslyn stayed as far from Kenny as possible, still agitated at his contemplating leaving her for dead. 'I can't believe it…' She glared down at the road as they walked on and pushed open the gate to the motel, entering silently. Roslyn looked up, noticing Ben on watch above the RV. She waved to him, faking a smile as he waved his greeting in return.

"You're back!" Roslyn turned to see Clementine rushing towards Lee and her, walkie-talkie in hand.

"Ben found some stickers I a drawer and I put them on my walkie! See?" She said, holding it out for them to look.

"Hey sweet pea. That's neat. I'll find ya in a minute." Lee said, smiling softly at Clementine, who nodded as he walked back to Kenny towards Lilly's room.

"I saved you some!"

"Did you now?" Roslyn smiled, kneeling down to Clementine's height.

"Yeah! I thought you'd want one."

"That's sweet, Clem. Thanks." Roslyn let the little girl put a small sunflower sticker on her sweatshirt.

"You're welcome!" Roslyn smiled again, patting Clementine's hat before standing up.

"I'm gonna talk to Ben for a bit, okay? Make sure he's doing okay."

"Okay. If you want anymore stickers, I have some."

"Got it." Roslyn gently smiled as Clementine walked away to finish coloring a picture and glanced up at Ben. He noticed her and she waved again as she walked in front of the RV, looking up at him.

"Hey Ben."

"Hey Roslyn. How was the trip?"

"Awful."

"It couldn't have been that bad."

"No?" Roslyn sighed and climbed the ladder to the roof of the RV, taking a seat beside Ben.

"I saw a woman die today."

"No kidding?"

"What's worse…" Roslyn looked down at her hands, "…I killed her."

"You did not!"

"Yep…she was bitten…they were swarming her…Lee didn't know what to do, so I…put her out of her misery. I stopped her suffering."

"Wow…"

"To top it off, Kenny nearly left me to die out there today."

"What?!"

"Yeah. Walkers trapped me under a door and he stood and watched."

"How'd you get out?"

"Lee saved me, luckily. I'd be dead if it wasn't for him."

"So would I."

"That is true. Lilly was seriously ticked when they brought you into the group."

"You, Lee, and Carley stood up for me."

"Only 'cause we knew you'd die on your own." Roslyn teased, smirking.

"Hey, I could make it out there as well as you could!"

"Keep telling yourself that, Benny."

"That's not my name."

"I know, but it bothers you so much and makes it fun!" "I'll never understand you."

"Same here, Benny boy. Same here…" Roslyn chuckled lightly, looking down at their group walking around, talking/arguing, trying to relax. She looked down at Clementine and Duck and smiled to herself. Her eyes drifted to Carley, who was on the motel's second floor and talking seriously to Lee. For a moment, at least. She leaned in and whispered something to him before kissing his cheek. 'I always thought they'd be cute together…' Roslyn thought, smirking slightly.

"What're you looking at?" Ben asked, peering over Roslyn's shoulder.

"Hmm…? Oh! Nothing…" Ben didn't believe her and looked in the direction she'd been facing, his gaze instantly catching sight of Carley and Lee.

"Aren't they a couple?"

"It'd be adorable, but no."

"I don't see why not."

"We're in the middle of an apocalypse, Ben. There's no time for romance."

"That does make sense…" Roslyn looked over at a somewhat somber Ben and set a hand on his shoulder.

"Something wrong, Ben?" She asked softly.

"No…it's nothing…" He mumbled in reply, shaking her hand off of his shoulder.

"Most people would say the same thing. Especially in these times. It's not nothing."

"Just forget about it, okay?"

"Ben, you know you can trust me."

"Okay?"

"…okay."

"Thanks." Roslyn nodded and the two of them sat in since for a while, keeping watch as the group went about their business.

"Hey." Lee greeted as he walked up to the RV, Roslyn giving a small wave.

"A flashlight was broken. Was it you?" He asked, the question directed to Ben.

"No." Ben replied, somewhat confused.

"You're not in trouble if it was. I know you get nervous and maybe you went out to go to the bathroom, broke it, got worried and tossed it."

"What's with the third degree? I didn't break any flashlight."

"…okay then." Lee turned his attention to Roslyn, holding up the broken flashlight.

"Roslyn, do you have any idea what happened to it?"

"Nope, why?"

"Someone's been stealing supplies. We need to know and this is our best lead."

"Seriously? That's horrible…we need those, whether we stay here for the winter or not."

"Any clue as to how the light broke?"

"Dunno. You could check out the broken glass near the rooms. Katjaa asked for help cleaning it, but we never got to it."

"Thanks."

"Anytime." Roslyn nodded and Lee walked away to investigate further, a smile tugging at her lips when she saw Duck race to follow him.

"How come I'm suspicious, but he treats you like a regular person?" Ben asked.

"Who knows? He knew me longer and we've known you for a month or so. Could be a trust issue."

"Could be."

"…so…"

"So?"

"…did you break the flashlight?"

"For the third time, no!" Roslyn laughed and Ben frowned.

"I'm sorry, okay? Just messing with ya."

"Jeez, Roslyn…"

"Don't judge me. Not my fault…I didn't break the light."

"You know what? I'm not even gonna acknowledge that."

"Aww, c'mon Benny!"

"Stop with the nickname!"

"But your reactions are funny."

"Doesn't matter!" They both stopped talking at the sound of bushes rustling an awful lot. They both stood up, squinting as they tried to see through the thick brush and leaves.

"What…was that?" Roslyn questioned, keeping her voice low.

"Walker?" Ben suggested.

"Couldn't be. We'd have noticed by now."

"Survivor?"

"That could be good or disastrous." A gunshot went off and Roslyn felt a bullet nick her ear.

"Get down!" Roslyn shouted, pushing Ben onto the RV's roof as a few more bullets zoomed above their heads.

"Who are they?!" Ben asked as Roslyn practically shoved him down the ladder.

"Bandits." She growled, putting a couple extra bullets in her gun.

"Lee said someone stole supplies…my guess is that a trade was made. They didn't get their latest package…so they plan to take it."

"Hands up!" A bandit yelled and Roslyn swore as she watched them push open the gate. She fired a shot and it hit one bandit in the shoulder. He screamed profanities at her and another shot Roslyn twice in the arm, casing her to cry out in pain as she crouched down on the pavement.

"Roslyn!" She heard Clementine and Duck's terrified voices as the bandits headed them to the rest of the group.

"YOU DON'T STEAL FROM US!" A bandit yelled, grabbing Roslyn and tossing her beside Carley. The bandits held guns and crossbows to their heads as the leader shouted orders and kicked at the group.

"YOU MADE THE BIGGEST MISTAKE OF YOUR LIVES!" He yelled, his tone irritated and impatient.

"Enough of this! Drew, start putting your boot to these doors."

"Hold it!" The head bandit pointed his gun to Lee as he walked slowly out of one of the rooms with his hands up.

"Take it easy…" Lee said calmly, "We have more supplies. We can keep the deal going." 'What?' Roslyn was now confused as she soared a look towards Lee. He looked like he was just playing random cards, hoping to get lucky.

"It's too late for that! We ain't giving second chances!"

"It was a mix-up! We'll make it worth your while!"

"…I'm listening."

"What will it take to reach a deal?"

"About twice as much as you've been giving us!" Roslyn zoned out as they continued speaking and her gaze wandered to a room on the upper level of the motel. Around the corner, she just barely saw the barrel of a very familiar rifle. 'Lilly…?' That's when it hit her. 'He's stalling them…'

"What're you gawking at?!" A bandit kicked Roslyn in the back and she winced, falling forward as he pressed the gun barrel into her temple. Soon enough, two shot went off as the bandit near Roslyn and his leader fell dead. The group scrambled to hide as the bandits ran for cover, one of the few left alive whistling a signal. Plenty more bandits rushed from the woods and through the gate as bullets and arrows alike whizzed through the air. Carley dragged Roslyn behind the couch left outside and began firing under its cover.

"Roslyn?! Are you okay? Talk to me!" Carey shouted whilst she shot.

"I'm…I'm fine…" Roslyn gingerly held her arm, hissing at the pain of the two bullet wounds as blood seeped through the fabric of her sweatshirt.

"You need help!" Lee finished off the bandits near them and Carley lifted Roslyn up as Ben ran behind them towards the RV.

"Get inside and stay there, both of you! I'm gonna help Lee!" Carley ordered.

"No…no! I need to help!" Roslyn said, still grasping her arm.

"Roslyn, they're gonna kill you!" Ben shrieked, holding the girl back from leaving the safety of the RV.

"No! I have to help the kids and Katjaa! Someone has to help Lee and Carley!" As she squirmed and screamed in Ben's grip, Clementine soon entered the RV.

"Roslyn?"

"Clem!" Pushing Ben back, Roslyn let Clementine jump into her arms and hug her, despite the pain it caused.

"Thank goodness you're safe. Where's Duck?"

"I don't know! Katjaa and Duck were running over here, but I don't see them!"

"Clem, stay here!" Roslyn tried to leave, but this time both Ben and Clementine stopped her.

"No! What of they shoot you again?!" Roslyn stopped struggling to look down at Clementine, the child's eyes large and brimming with tears. Katjaa was next to run into the RV with Duck held protectively in her arms as she hopped into the passenger seat. Roslyn sat down at the table near the back of the RV and nodded. Soon enough, Carley and Lee joined them just as the RV started up. Kenny's foot hit the accelerator the moment Lilly jumped in the RV, the door slamming shut as they drove through the fence and over the remaining bodies of bandits and walkers. Roslyn looked out the back window and watched as the motel became smaller and smaller until it was completely out of sight.

Okay! I'm gonna give you guys some scenarios on the shooting the girl/letting her suffer option. If you shoot her, Roslyn's gonna like you/Lee more and Kenny's gonna throw a hissy fit. If you don't, Roslyn's gonna hold a grudge and give you the silent treatment, especially with the flashlight. If you don't do anything, well, she chooses for you. There's also taking her or Kenny's side with the saving Larry situation. You can guess what would happen. Until next time, we'll see how our group is doing!