Two chapters in one day, correct? I'm doing that, although, you'll have to wait at least 12-24 hours for the next chapter, because I want to touch it up and stuff. :p Just wait patiently, if you can. :D
This is the start of episode 4, and I will say that a lot of fun stuff start in episode and fun for me, anyways. When I say fun, I mean it's fun writing for me. There are a few scenes that will be fun for me to write, fluffy moments, happy moments, sad moments, moments that I will laugh while writing... Hehehe... :p
As always, thank you for the support, and read on, and I'll explain why you get 2 chapters in one day after all this. :)
Disclaimer: I don't own 'The Walking Dead'.
Chapter 9: What Advice?
Lucy hovered at her father's side, his steps ragged and a bit sluggish. He seemed fine, he recovered quicker then she expected, but this wasn't the first time he was shot, so maybe that's why he's getting better quicker then she thought he would. He seemed able, but Lucy was worried if he was still able to outrun walkers in his condition.
It felt like months, but in reality, it was just a day since her mother's and Duck's death, just a single, slow, agonising day. She had with her, in a backpack she opted to keep, Duck's blue kite. She didn't want to leave it on the train, she needed it. It just made her feel… safer, better. She couldn't really grasp the feeling, but she needed the kite. It was her last connection to Duck.
After that training session with Travis, she was about to check on her father when Ben suddenly alarmed every one of a horrendous sight. A huge fucking horde of walkers, trailing after the train tracks. The noise the train made… The noise must've attracted them… They were pretty lucky that they got that tanker out-of-the-way so quickly, but she supposed that not every victory came easy. That nice new guy, Omid, he fell off the bridge, bounced off the train, and must've twisted his leg because he was walking with a limp similar to her father's. She pitied him, she had her doubts about him, but he turned out to be a pretty cool guy. His girlfriend Christa was okay too, she could be a bit snappy, but Lucy didn't really mind right now, she wasn't focused on them. She was focused on her dad right now.
They were exploring the abandoned dead city of Savannah, which was eerily empty and quiet. The whole group had left the train to finally get to River Street and find the boats, the boats that her dad had continually said was the best thing to do. Lucy didn't argue with him, she didn't want to. If the boats were really the best way to go, then they should do it. Open water, no threat of walkers… It seemed okay.
As she stayed close to her father's side, Travis was walking alongside her, with Ben lagging a bit behind. She scowled, Ben… She still wasn't sure what to think about him. There was an intense burning passion, anger in her, something fiery and ready to lash out, but she wasn't sure if she should lash it out all on Ben. She… she liked the guy, he was nice, and he was great…. But he was stupid, he made the deal! He's the reason for every crappy thing so far! She didn't know if she could forgive him, if she wanted to forgive him, it was all too much right now, too much stuff was going on…
Travis on the other hand was acting a bit odd around her suddenly, giving her the cold shoulder ever since that training session. She wondered why, did she do something wrong? Was it because she started to get over emotional? She hated not having control over her damned feelings, she didn't want to seem weak, but the gun… her mom's pistol… It just gave her a sick feeling in her stomach, that she'd use the tool that injured her father and killed her mother… It was gut wrenching.
Ignoring the thoughts, her green gaze shifted to Lee and Clem, walking side by side. She frowned, staring at the walkie-talkie on Lee's belt.
"Can't wait for you to get to Savannah Clementine. I got your parents right here. And you be sure find me, whether Lee wants you to or not."
She was just helping her dad to walk and get on his feet when she, Lee and Kenny heard the static transmission from her supposed dead walkie-talkie. She couldn't believe that even the little girl, the cute, innocent lovable girl was also keeping secrets from everybody! Lucy was getting sick of secrets, secrets literally could get someone killed, and Clem might've done something dumb if they hadn't overheard. She wanted to tell the rest of the group, but Lee and Kenny told her not to, that they didn't need to. It took convincing, but she begrudgingly agreed not to tell anyone.
Besides… she couldn't blame the girl for trusting the man. She was young, naïve, and wanting to find her long-lost parents. She understood Clem, but…
"Can't I just hold it?" Lucy turned her head and saw the young girl asking Lee, staring at his waist where the walkie-talkie hanged. Lee looked from Clem's big eyes to Lucy's disapproving head shaking. "Just for a little while?" Clem continued to begged, "We're getting real close to where my mom and dad are, maybe I can-"
"Not now Clementine, maybe later, okay?" Lee said.
Clementine didn't look too happy, but obeyed. "Okay." She said in disappointment.
Lee smiled at her reassuringly. "How's Omid?" Lee asked Christa, taking a look at the limping man.
"His leg's pretty bad." Christa said, watching her boyfriend struggle.
"I'm fine." Omid butted in, an angry determined look planted on his face.
"You're not fine." Christa hissed, "You need to rest." She turned to Lee. "He needs to rest." She repeated harshly.
Lee examined the man. "Kenny, how much farther to the river front?"
"Should be just a few more blocks up ahead." Lucy hated the way how her father's voice just seemed so drained, so empty of the energy he used to have, but he's lost his family too. He wasn't exactly in the best shape.
"And there'll be boats there?" Christa asked.
"There sure as hell better be." Lee said.
"There'll be boats. Have to be." Kenny looked at Lucy, his hand finding hers and squeezing it protectively. "Have to be."
"It's going to be okay, Kenny knows what he's doing." Ben supported her father. A familiar burning sensation sparked in Lucy.
"Shut up, no one asked you." Lucy muttered quietly, but it was loud enough for everyone to hear, including Ben, who just instantly looked down, reddening. The group gave her a funny look.
"Hey, lay off. Ben's just being nice, ya know?" Travis defended, giving Lucy a nudge. "Why'd you have to put him down?"
Lucy didn't answer, just turned her head away from both of them. Travis raised an eyebrow, looking from Lucy to Ben, unsure what to make of it all.
Then, out of nowhere, a bell started to ring. Everyone locked gazes with the nearest church, a bell hanging right at its front. It was definitely moving, swinging, causing all the noise. "What the hell?" Ben gasped.
"Maybe this city's not so dead after all…" Christa remarked.
"Keep moving." Kenny ordered, turning to face the group. "No one's ringing that bell, it's automatic, on a timer."
Lee looked down at his wristwatch. Lucy found it a bit funny how the man still kept time after all of this crap, it wasn't something people wouldn't focus on. "What kind of church bell goes off twenty past the hour?" Lee questioned.
"Well, come on, it's been months since this whole shit-fest started, who keeps time? Your watch could be wrong, it could be automatic, it could be anything! Now let's just keep moving. I don't like it, staying out in the open like this…" Travis trailed off, looking a bit anxious to move.
"Someone's up there!" Lee suddenly cried, looking up at the church roof. The group scanned the roof, searching for the person.
"Are you sure? I don't see anything." Ben said.
"Why the hell would he be making this up?" Lucy growled at Ben.
Ben squirmed, "I was just saying…"
"Hey, quit it you guys!" Travis intervened.
"Hey! Hey you up there!" Lee called loudly, waving his arms. Christa whirled to face him.
"Dammit Lee, keep quiet!" She said in an angered whisper. "You're gonna-"
The hum and squeal of static fizzed through the air, emanating from the 'dead' walkie-talkie. Everyone stared at it, wide-eyed as an unfamiliar voice spoke though the blurred noise.
"If I were you, I'd get out the street. Now." The voice warned in a menacing tone.
"I thought you said that thing didn't work!" Christa accused, glaring at Lee. Lee looked at her, but focused on the talkie. He pressed the button.
"Who the hell is this?" Lee demanded in a very forceful voice. White noise answered him back. "Hello? Hello?! I said answer me dammit!" Lee cursed. Clementine bowed her head, looking regretful. The man on the radio didn't answer.
As the bells ceased to ring, Omid looked very baffled. "What the hell? Is someone trying to fuck with us?"
"Sounded more like a warning." Ben murmured.
"Who the hell would try to warn us? We just got here! That's stupid." Lucy hissed, making Ben look more downcast.
"Chill out Lu, stop picking on Ben here, he didn't do anything!" Travis started to sound annoyed.
Lucy clenched her fists, about to retaliate.
"Ask not for whom the bell tolls…" Chuck's soft voice made her direct her attention to him.
"What are you yammering on about it?" Kenny sounded pretty annoyed and turned to see what Chuck was staring at. Lucy followed his gaze too. She forgot to breath for a moment as dread began to make her bones tingle. She whimpered.
"It tolls for thee…" Chuck finished quietly.
Walkers. A whole fucking group of walkers were coming, swarming the area. Their dead eyes took one look at the group and began to shamble their way towards them, arms extended, jaws snapping, slowly padding their way. There must be a hundred, or even more… Holy shit…
"Everybody, RUN!" Lee screeched.
Kenny squeezed Lucy's hand one last time before pulling out his gun and started to sprint. Lucy squeaked, jogging beside her dad, worried he might fall over. "Dad! Are you sure you can run?! Are you okay?!"
"I'm fine!" He snarled, shooting a walker in front of them as they ran. "Move Lu! Don't slow down at all!" He barked. A dark feeling cast over her when he said that.
She had to admit, she was never the best when it came to sports and athletics. She was average at least, so she wasn't confident in her running abilities. But it didn't take too much to outrun a walker, so she wasn't too worried, except that there were a lot of them, and she didn't know if she could outrun all of them... No, stop thinking about that!
She searched the streets for her group. Chuck had his shovel he found, whacking walkers in his way while Christa shot one nearby, checking on Omid before all three of them booked it. Ben and Travis sped past Lee, who paused to make sure Clem was close to him before continuing to run.
A sudden thud made Lucy concentrate back on her father. "No!" She shrieked as he fell, a walker with a strong hold on his ankle. Kenny fell on his stomach. He stared at the creature, which was trapped under a car, still yanking him. Kenny grappled onto a nearby pole, using it to resist the walker as his outstretched hand tried to grab the gun in front of him which he dropped.
Lucy pulled out the pistol, aiming at the head of the walker.
"He's already well on his way… He's going to join us…" Her mom's voice kept ringing in her ears.
Stop it mom… Stop it! She looked through the notch and pulled the trigger, blocking out her mom's voice, the picture of Duck's corpse animating to life.
Bang! The walker's hands loosened, its movements forever ceased. Kenny scrambled away, grabbing his gun back and staring at Lucy. She ran to him and pulled him up to his feet. "You fucker! What the hell, stop trying to get yourself killed!" She wailed.
Kenny looked at her with tender eyes and tousled with her hair, his eyes soft. "I'm sorry Lu, it's okay, I'm still here…"
"Ben!"
Lee, who was pulling out his own gun to help Kenny out, was distracted and didn't notice that Clementine had somehow gotten surrounded with Ben against a brick wall, walkers surrounding them. "No! Ben, help her!" Lee pleaded, his voice full of panic.
Ben cowered, leaning away from the walkers. He looked at Clem, who was twitching, gasping, breathing in fear, staring at Ben with huge scared brown eyes, begging for help. Ben looked as afraid as she was, staring back at the walkers who were closing in, starting to close up any gaps to escape through. Ben closed his eyes, frowning, and then ran through a gap in the walkers, abandoning Clementine. She gawked at him, shock in her expression, before it melted away quickly in fear as the walkers loomed closer.
"Goddammit!" Lee cursed, bringing his gun up to kill.
"Clem!" Lucy cried, bringing her pistol up.
Duck's face flashed in her mind, the bloody splatter around his head. His face flashed, suddenly switching to look more female, more delicate. Duck's face transformed into Clem's, her eyes dull and her skin pale.
She tightened her grip, ignoring everything, the thoughts, the nightmares... She took a look through the notch.
"Lucy… come join us…. When you're ready…"
She took in a shaky breath, her vision wet and blurry as she fired. She just grazed the neck of the monster. "Fuck…" She muttered.
Travis, running though suddenly, had his pick out and was stabbing quickly, one by one, the walkers fell, clearing a path towards Clem. Like an expert, he masterfully swerved away from dangerous snapping jaws, avoided clawed, jagged fingers, his shirt starting to stain with blood. "Watch out!" Travis warned the little girl, pointing behind her.
Clementine yelped as a walker behind her was suddenly looming above her. A shovel waved around its head before coming into contact with its skull, knocking it to the ground. Clem backed away, petrified. Lee and Travis ran up to Clem. Clementine ran into Lee's arms for a hug. As Lee returned it, Travis stabbed the walker that Chuck was holding down with his pick in the head, killing it.
"All of you, move!" Travis yelled, pushing Chuck in front of him. Chuck, Lee, Clem and Travis ran ahead, barely avoiding the walker's hands.
"Come on Lu, move!" Kenny urged her, grabbing her hand and leading her up ahead. "Everyone, move your asses! River Street's right up ahead!"
"That's not all…" Ben warned. More walkers were that way, blocking their path.
"Oh, give me a fucking break!" Kenny said in outrage.
"That path's not blocked, head that way!" Chuck pointed to an empty street. Kenny hesitated, giving one last longing look at River Street before taking the lead, following Chuck's directions and going down the street, with Lucy and the whole group following.
Her father suddenly made a sharp turn, leading to the backyard of one of the mansions. He started to slow down and opened the gate, "I'll get the door!" He said, running up to the houses back door. As they all ran in, Omid tumbled to the ground.
"Gaaaaaah!" He moaned, clutching his leg. Christa went to his side, examining him. Lee closed the gate, looking for walkers. Clem was rigid with fear, staring at the house, at Omid, at the gate, as if expecting something to happen. As Lee went to check on her, Chuck was panting, taking a breather.
"I'm… I'm not exactly fit to run these days…" He said in between breaths, leaning, his hands on his knees. Travis laughed a bit, a breathless laugh, smirking.
"Old man, you're lucky I saved you ass. I could've left you hanging there for the dead!"
"Boy, that'd be another stupid mistake you'd be doing." Chuck said teasingly. Travis scoffed, rolling his eyes. Another stupid mistake? Has Travis even ever made a stupid mistake?
Speaking of mistakes… Lucy found Ben, who was helping her father trying to open the door. A heated rage lit up in her as she saw him. She paced towards him, biting her lip.
"You fucking cowardly little bitch! What the hell?! Why did you abandon a little girl in the middle of a horde of dead?!" She yelled, making him flinch and face her. She didn't just catch his attention, she caught everyone else's attention, who gaped at her furious outburst.
"Lu… I…" Ben tried to defend himself but Lucy didn't want to give him the chance. He didn't deserve the chance.
"What happened if we didn't get to her? That blood would be on your hands! You get that?! Do you really want that?!"
"Hey Lucy…" Her father put a hand on her shoulder, looking at Ben pitifully and his daughter in puzzlement, but she shrugged him off, too into her rant.
"Chuck, Lee and Travis risked their lives! What if they died?! That's more death, and we already lost a lot! What the fuck's wrong with you, you stupid asshole?!"
"Hey, chill the fuck out!" Travis slipped in between them. "What Ben did was a little stupid, no offense." Travis patted Ben's rigid back, "But we don't have to scream at him! What the hell's your problem Lu?" Travis demanded, "What has Ben ever done to you?"
Lucy opened her mouth, about to tell him exactly why, but caught sight of Ben's shameful eyes, looking defeated, ready for the group to know his secret. Something stirred in her heart.
"I… It doesn't matter. Fuck… Never mind." She stalked away, hanging at the edge of the group beside the fence, her arms crossed and pouting. She stood next to an abandoned doghouse with a grave next to it. Out of the corner of her vision, she could see the group casting worried looks at her. She could hear her father asking Ben a few questions, but he just sputtered out some sort of nervous nonsense. Finally, her dad began to walk towards her while Lee, Chuck, Ben, and Travis worked to get in. As her father approached, she let out a weary sigh.
"Am I in trouble or anything?" She asked.
"No… No Lu, you're not." He gave her a stern look. "But, you do got some explaining to do."
Lucy hesitated. She was lucky her father didn't hear her spill Ben's secret while she rambled to his unconscious body. She wanted to tell him, he has the right to know, but she wasn't sure how badly he's react. She knew her father, and it felt like he'd snap just like she did if he found out, only worse. Yet, she couldn't bring herself to tell him. Maybe it was because she just didn't have the balls to tell him, or that it wasn't her secret to tell, but she just couldn't. She may dislike Ben right now, but not enough to curse him with her father's rage.
"Look," Her father said when she said nothing in response, looking a bit red in the cheeks, not meeting her eyes. "I know you're a teenage girl, and, well, girls get mood swings, and maybe, it's that special time of the month, or it will be soon, and, um, well… Maybe you need or you have to… Well, I'm not sure but…"
"Stop it!" Lucy yelped, putting a hand up. "Dad, no! Don't, just don't! It has nothing to do with that!"
"Yeah… Sorry Lu…" He apologised, "It's just that… I worry about you Lu. I… Lu, you're all that's left." His voice cracked.
"Dad…?" Lucy blinked as her father began to shiver, wiping his eyes.
"Sorry, I… I don't know what happened there," He tried to look a bit tougher, hardening his eyes, "Let's just… Lu… We're both screwed up right now, but please, don't start picking fights with people, all right?"
"Dad…" Lucy murmured, "You don't have to act all tough in front of me, you can cry or anything if you want…" Her dad only cried when she broke the news to him. Ever since then, he's been putting up a mask of roughness, a hardened, colder version of himself, trying to be strong. Lucy had a good guess it was for her sake, keeping strong in order to protect her, but she knew how much her dad loved Kat and Duck, she didn't want him to keep those sad feelings in him too long. He had to release them eventually, right?
"No, I'm fine Lu." Her dad brushed away her concerns, "Let's just get back to what we're doing. Getting into this damned house so you can be safe."
"Yeah… Okay." Lucy agreed. Her dad gave her a quick hug before leading her to rejoin the group. Lee was crouched in front of the door while Clementine, Christa and Omid were sitting near the gate, watching for any walkers. As Lucy approached, Ben cautiously backed away from her while Travis just watched from beside him, his eyes unreadable. Chuck was the only one who smiled and waved to her. Lucy waved back, half-smiling back.
"Hey, how are we doing with the door?" Kenny asked Lee.
"Well, I found this pet door over here, but it's locked." Lee scratched his head.
"Locked?" Kenny repeated, "Who the hell ever heard of a locked doggy door?" He snorted.
"I have." Omid piped in from where he was sitting. "My neighbour had one just like that. It's radio-controlled, the dog wears a collar with a chip in it so the door only opens when the dog gets close to it."
"Well, shit. Every day's a school day." Kenny rolled his eyes.
"All right, so… Where's the dog?" Ben asked.
Sick feelings in her gut made her turn around, turn to that grave right beside that dog house. "Oh crap…" She groaned. The group looked at what she saw.
"Are you fucking kidding me…?" Travis moaned, "That's disgusting!"
Chuck sighed, pulling out his shovel. "Here, I'll do it."
"You sure?" Lee asked, "I found a shovel too, just against the shed there, I can if you want."
"No, it's all right." Chuck denied the offer, "Besides, at least I'm wearing gloves. Wouldn't want to get yer hands dirty, now would ya?"
Lee looked a bit reluctant, but let Chuck do so anyways. The elderly man walked to the grave, shovel ready.
"Hey, be careful." Omid warned Chuck. "Digging up dead things isn't what it used to be, know what I mean?"
"Yeah, I hear ya son." Chuck said before plowing his shovel into the dirt, beginning to dig his way through. Kenny, Travis, Ben, Lee, Clementine and Lucy gathered around Chuck, watching intently.
"What's buried down there?" Clementine asked, looking curious. Chuck shoveled up more dirt, a mouldy dirt crusted bone starting to appear.
"Nothing." Lee answered, holding Clem's shoulder. "Clem, go over and sit with Christa and Omid, okay?" Lee began to usher her away.
"But I want to-" She started to protest.
"Just do what I say, okay?" Lee insisted. Clementine frowned, looking a bit hurt, before walking to Christa and Omid, sitting down.
As Chuck continued, the carcass of the dead mutt started to form. Its fur was a dark brownish red, splotches of fur and raw flesh and bone all in a jumbled mess in the dirt. It laid there, eerily, as its stench began to rise from its hole. Ben backed away, looking utterly disgusted. "Oh God, the smell…"
Chuck closed his eyes for moment, bowing his head towards the dead creature, before kneeling down beside its grave. He extended one of his gloved hands and then, with a bit of hesitation, picked up the red collar of the dog. Chuck tried to shake the collar loose, but it wouldn't loosen up. "Ugh, It won't come off…" Chuck muttered.
Chuck was about to grab hold of the dog's hanging head when it suddenly slouched down unnaturally, swaying dangerously, before a little wet rip occurred and the head fell off, a long, red organ hanging, probably the organ the kept the head attached.
Lucy gagged, coughing, looking away. Her father held her, patting her back. "It's all right, it's all right…" He said comfortingly.
"Okay, that is not cool!" Ben exclaimed, looking terrified.
A hacking sound was heard. Lucy turned and saw both Travis and Christa simultaneously throw up, both of them leaning against the brick wall to gag. "Are you guys okay?" Clementine asked.
"Yeah, it's just… Shit… That was fucking disgusting!" Travis gasped, wiping his mouth.
"Swear." Clementine mumbled.
"Sorry." Travis smiled.
"How about you hon?" Omid questioned his girlfriend, "Are you all right?"
"Yeah… It was just the smell." Christa reassured.
"All right now…" Chuck held up the putrid collar and walked it to the doggy door. Lucy watched as he simply just waved it in front of the pet door. A mechanical whirl sounded and then suddenly a green light shone.
"Yes! Goddamn!" Kenny cheered. The gathered around the door, watching as Chuck tried to wave his arm in, hoping to reach the doorknob or something.
"You see anything in there?" Ben asked.
"No… It's empty. Seems like it's been that way for quite a while now." Chuck informed, getting back to his feet, unable to reach in properly.
A chorus of guttural growls and roars started to approach fast, sounding louder and louder by the second. Christa looked at Omid to the house, gulping. "Whatever you're going to do, do it fast…"
"Okay, let me see if I can reach up in there." Lee offered, taking Chuck's place ah he got on his knees and putting his arm through the door. He grunted, his arm swinging. "Urgh, it's no good, I can't get it." Lee got back up, looking puzzled.
"Here, let me try." Ben suggested, "I think I can-"
In an instant, Clem was on her hands and knees and just crawled on into the house. Lucy gasped, looking at Lee for his reaction. He stared with round eyes at the door, his jaw dropped. "Clem! Are you okay? Say something!" Lee pleaded.
There was no response. Everyone just stared dumbly in front of them at the door, not sure what to do. Oh shit! Is she-? A little click was heard from the other side and the door quickly creaked open. Clementine popped out, waving her hands. "Ta-da!" She sang, a big grin on her face.
Lee blinked a few times, looking a bit conflicted before he finally said, "Good job, Clem!"
"Yeah, way to go!" Ben praised. Lucy and Kenny smiled and the young girl while Travis gave her a thumbs-up.
Clementine folded her arms, looking happy with all the credit. "I did good, right?"
"Yes you did. You did good." Lee smiled back.
"Can we maybe have this conversation inside?" Omid asked, a bit of pain in his face. "My leg's starting to hurt like hell." Kenny peered through the door and entered the house, scanning it quickly. Lucy was right behind him, just in case.
"Look okay from here." Her dad reported, "Everybody in." He guided Lucy inside, lightly pushing her forward. Lucy let him and examined their new temporary home. It was definitely big and roomy, a nice kitchen area, a large living room and dining table, and a grand staircase that led upstairs. Wow… this is great! It's not small or cramped or anything… Way better than those lousy rooms at The Motor Inn…
As Ben shut the door behind him, Christa helped Omid lie down on the couch, trying to make him comfortable. Omid winced. "Argh!"
"Sorry! Sorry!" Christa apologised, looking worried at Omid's pain.
"No, it's okay. I'm good." Omid said quickly, even though his facial expressions said otherwise. "Feel better just being off my feet. Thanks babe." Christa smiled.
"Hey Lu, why don't you check on Omid, see how bad that wound of his is?" Kenny told her as Christa began to walk towards him.
"Sure." Lucy responded, leaving him, Christa, Lee and Chuck to converse. She walked over to Omid, who was lying on the couch. Omid brightened as he saw Lucy.
"Hey, how are you Lu?" He greeted cheerfully. She smiled back. This guy was always in such a good mood, it was contagious.
"I'm fine, well, I guess…" She mumbled, looking at his leg.
"Oh yeah, um, I'm sorry if you're going through anything right now…" Omid said meekly. Lucy focused on his wound.
"No, it's fine… I'm okay." She said.
"You sure? Because you seem a bit, well, I don't know, grouchy." Omid remarked, sounding a bit uncomfortable.
"I'm fine, I'm fine… Please, don't worry." She said.
"Well, if you ever need someone to cheer ya up or anything, I'm your guy!" Omid grinned widely. She laughed at his facial expression, it was funny how his face twisted up and made these weird looks.
"I'll keep that in mind." She frowned as she looked at the wound carefully. "Well, it stopped bleeding, but it's opened up. Who knows what kind of infections it's got, if it has any for that matter."
"Well doctor, do you know what can help me out here?" Omid said lightly.
"Heh… I don't know, maybe a real doctor?" Like mom... She'd know what to do... She pushed away the thought.
"Well, it's okay. You seem to know fair bit of healing anyways. Lucky for me, right?" Omid joked.
"Yeah, sure." Lucy smiled.
Christa returned, sitting next to her as she examined Omid. "Do you know anything to make him feel better?" She asked, sounding a bit desperate.
"Sorry." Lucy murmured, "I only know how to treat the minor stuff, like cuts and bruises."
Christa grimaced, holding Omid's hand. "Well, thanks anyways." Christa said.
"Yeah, no problem." Lucy said. She saw Clem was sitting on the chair beside the couple. Lucy was about to go and sit with her when a hand grabbed her shoulder and pulled her up.
"What? Hey, what are you doing?" Lucy asked as Travis dragged her away from the others, leading her to the kitchen. He let her go, making her stand with him behind the kitchen counter. She scoffed, glaring at him. "What the hell was that?" She looked around, "Hey, where'd my dad go?"
"He went upstairs with Ben to make sure this place is secure." Travis said. Lucy didn't like the way he sounded, he sounded a bit intense, his eyes a bit cold as he gave Lucy a stare. "So, you going to finally tell me what the hell is wrong with you and Ben?"
"Nothing's wrong." Lucy said quickly. Travis laughed a dry, mocking sound.
"Yeah fucking right there's nothing going on! Usually, it's Ben who breaks up the fights between you and me, not me breaking it up between you both! Something happened, didn't it?" He pressed, "And you're both keeping it from me, from everybody!"
"Shouldn't Ben tell you, not me?" Lucy muttered.
"The guy's as slippery as a snake, he always knows how to avoid me, like just right now, he volunteered to help Kenny so I wouldn't be able to ask him questions." Travis laughed again. "That sneaky little bastard."
"Well, you should ask him, because I won't say anything!" Lucy declared, starting to strut away from Travis. He grabbed her wrist, hard. She whipped around to face him.
"You're not leaving until you tell me." He said darkly, but that failed to intimidate her.
"The hell I will!" Lucy snapped, trying to tug away from Travis, but was unable to. "Dammit Trav, let go!"
"No." He said stubbornly.
"I swear Travis if you don't…" She warned.
"Not until you tell me what's going on!" He said in a cheeky voice, taunting her like a child.
"I'm not saying anything!" She hissed.
"Come on Lu, tell me!" Travis begged. Lucy's heart started to beat faster, Travis's words sounding disturbingly familiar.
"Come on Lu! Tell me!" Duck said excitedly, tugging at her wrist. Lucy laughed, pulling away from the kid.
"It's not for me to tell, you got to ask mom and dad!" She chided him gently.
"Come on Lu, you're my big sister!" Duck whined, "You have to tell me!"
"But that's ruining your birthday surprise, and it won't be a surprise if I tell you, duh!" Lucy smirked.
"Please Lucy? Pretty please?" Duck begged, starting to turn his eyes into huge, over animated cute eyes. "Super duper pretty please with sugar and sprinkles on top? Pleeasssee Lu?"
"Lu!? Lulu! Hey!"
Lucy blinked, Duck's young, pudgy face disappearing into her hazy memories once more. It was replaced with Travis's wide, confused eyes. "Lulu! Fuck! What the hell? You dazed out on me! Are you okay?" Travis asked, still holding her wrist.
"I hope you didn't tell him the surprise." Her mom had said as she walked in on Duck begging Lucy to spill the goods. Duck grinned, running up to his mother.
"Moommm! I want to know! What's my present?!" He wailed annoyingly, making Lucy sigh.
"Well, why don't you follow me, and we'll see?" She grabbed Duck's hand and they both began to walk. "Come on Lu, let's go."
"Lu… Are you… Are you dozing out because of your claustrophobia or something? But this house is pretty big so I don't understand why you would get claustrophobic, but still… Maybe it's… Could it be something else...? Come on Lulu, wake up!" His voice was barely in Lucy's mind right now, she was too focused with other things.
"Yeah, mom, I'm coming!" Lucy began to run after them. As she started to run though, chills made her slow down, making her start to feel uncomfortable. There figures were starting to disappear as they got farther away. "Hey, wait up!"
"Lucy… come join us…."
She stopped complacently as her mother's voice echoed ominously around her. Dark shadows engulfed her surroundings. "N-no…. Mom….?"
"Duck and I are waiting… Please… Join us…" Her mom said softly, begging her.
Lucy fist tightened. "Mom… You left us. You left me and dad! You didn't have to leave me! Youd didn't have to leave us! You should've stayed with us!" Lucy cried, her heart aching.
"…"
"Mom?"
It was dead quiet as Lucy just floated in the midst of darkness, the oppressing darkness, feeling smaller, more cramped, less air…. She kept waiting for a reply. "Mom! Answer me!"
"Lulu you wake the fuck up now before I start to beat the hell out of you!"
Lucy breathed in a ragged puff of air, panting heavily as if she just ran a marathon. She met Travis's alarmed eyes, his hand still gripping Lucy's wrist. "Shit! You're still with me! You were fucking daydreaming back there Lu!" Travis huffed, looking at her carefully. "You okay?"
"Lucy… come join us…." Her mother chanted repeatedly. But I can't just leave everybody...
A lone tear slipped down her cheek, dripping down her face. Travis immediately let go of her, waving his hand in distress, his eyes wide and his face covered in shock and regret. "Hell! Did I-I-I… Shit! Lu, uh, hey, I didn't mean to make you cry or anything, I just… I… Geez… I'm sorry! Sorry I asked!"
"No! No… No, it's not you…" Lucy sniffed, chuckling uneasily as she wiped her eyes. "I… My mom… Duck… I just… They…" She started to retreat, but Travis stopped her, pulling her back in.
"Are you… all right? Is this…Is this connected to whatever Ben did? He said he did something stupid to you."
"He… He did, he did! So stupid..." Lucy said through the tears. She stared at him, her eyes in both dread and distress. They began to water more.
Travis frowned, looking down, able to understand. "I see… What did Ben…? What did he do now?"
Feeling empty, defeated, she finally spilled the truth. "He made… The… The bandits… The deal…" She hiccupped, trying not to cry anymore. Too many tears were already shed.
Travis stared at her, confused. "The bandits? The deal? What the hell does that..!" His eyes lit up in horror as the realization hit him. He shook his head, his mouth dropping. "No, no fucking way in hell." He sounded like he was punched in the gut.
"He… made the deal…" Lucy whispered, more tears starting to drip down.
"But Ben… No, he couldn't have…" Travis face twisted, his skin turning cold and numb, unable to believe that his best friend that he constantly defended didn't tell him this dark secret. "He never told me… Why?" He appeared to be lost in thought for a moment.
Lucy couldn't talk to him anymore, she was too busy starting to sob silently, putting a hand to cover her mouth. She turned away, head bowed. Warm tears kept dripping from her eyes, and she couldn't stop it! Fuck! Why am I crying? There's no reason to cry!
Travis snapped out if his daze and saw her tears and panicked a bit, waving his hands. "Hey now! Hey! I didn't mean to make you cry! Hey, Lulu, come on, there's no need for this, right? Right?" He laughed uneasily, playfully punching her shoulder.
Lucy tried to say something positive, tried to tell him not to worry, but the tears kept falling, one by one.
Travis groaned, looking dejected, "Lulu… Come on… I'm sorry I made you do this and for everything else… Come on… Stop crying…"
"I'm trying!" Lucy squeaked out, "But… Do you… Know how… How hard it is? To stop? Crying?" She spluttered out the words, each word tattered and raspy. Once she started to cry, it was pretty difficult to stop. She had to run her tears dry before she'd be able to stop.
"Well… I... Uh… No." Travis looked awkward.
Lucy continued to shed tears, her body quivering. Travis watched, suddenly looking determined. Something in his face changed, whether it was the way his mouth twitched, how his eyes swelled with some unknown emotion, or the light pink shade on his cheeks. "Well… Actually, I heard of one way to make someone stop…" His voice sounded a bit deeper than usual.
His hand suddenly grabbed her cheeks, pulling her in close. Lucy gasped, stiffening as Travis invaded her personal space. His thumb gently brushed her face, brushing off the tears. She could feel his warm breath on her face, steady, not nervous. His eyes were half-closed, a little evil grin began to form on his face.
"Trav-?!" Lucy was cut off as Travis's lips suddenly collided with hers, making her hush. She blinked wildly, unsure what to do. Her hands flew up to hold his shoulders, weakly trying to push him off, but she couldn't. The hand the held her face went into her hair while the other one held her back, helping with her balance. Lucy trembled at the warmth of Travis's lips, she didn't think it'd be this warm… this… good… to kiss someone. It was a soft, light kiss, like a butterfly landing on a delicate flower. She figured Travis was the type of guy who'd be rough, be he was actually being gentle, his lips tasted metallic, like blood, but that taste was overshadowed by how soft and moist they were as they pressed against Lucy's. This is… My first kiss…And it's… not… so bad… She slowly started to give up resisting him, giving in. Her hands fell limply at her side as she hesitantly leaned slightly in, unsure what to do.
As his fingers gently curled in her hair, he slowly parted away from Lucy. He stared at her, and she stared back. She could feel the warm blush on her cheeks as she looked away, no clue on how to act. Travis, he… He…! I mean, I liked it, I won't lie to myself, but… I… I don't…
"Uh… So…" Travis started, taking his hand out of her hair, rubbing the back of his neck, his face as equally as red as Lucy's. "I guess that worked, didn't it? You stopped bawling."
Lucy didn't even notice her dried up tears. She just nodded back stupidly, still feeling his lips on hers. "Uh, yeah, I stopped."
Travis smiled, looking down and embarrassed. "… Good, that's good." Lucy looked away too.
"Hey, I just remembered, I better, uh, check on Clem!" Lucy made the excuse quickly and dashed away from Travis. He didn't make any attempt to stop her, just watched her dash off. And as Lucy escaped, a million thoughts began to traverse her mind.
What the hell was that?! What just happened?! Why did that happen? What do I do now?! What about dad? What if he finds out? Ben too? The whole group? What about Travis? Why'd he do that? Is he teasing or joking with me?! What the fuck?! Does he like me?!
…
Do I like him?
Hmm... So...
I saved Chuck, I don't see why to kill him right now, he's actually having a nice big role here in this story, :D Besides, I don't want Chuck to die, (Yet?) let's see how he affects the rest of the story...
And that ending... hmm...
So.. TravisxLucy supporters... don't get too comfy. BenxLucy supporters, read the next chapter when it's out, trust me, it gets more fun. :D
Next Chapter: 'It Starts Here'.
