Thanks to gaara king of the sand for the help.
"Ray... Where are we going to go?" Sarah asked in a small voice.
"We just gotta keep moving. We'll find some place safe soon." Ray replied.
"Like what?" Sarah asked.
"I don't know." Ray said honestly with a sigh.
"Maybe we can go to Wellington?" Clementine suggested.
It wasn't the first time that the young girl had suggested Wellington, but Ray didn't know if it was a good idea to head there. "Clem..."
"It could be safe there." Clementine said. "And we might find Christa."
"Clem, it's risky." Ray said.
"But everything's risky. We should at least try to find Wellington. It's better than wandering around aimlessly." Clementine said.
"We head north... and if we stumble upon this Wellington place, fine. But we're not going to search it out." Ray replied.
Clementine crossed her arms and asked, "Why?"
"Because there's a chance it might not exist, Clem." Ray said.
"It does too. Christa says it does." Clementine said.
"How could Christa know for sure?" Ray asked.
"We ran into a couple people who were heading there. Christa didn't believe it at first, but after hearing about it over and over again, it just seemed like it had to be true." Clementine said.
"Or too good to be true." Ray muttered.
Clementine shook her head.
"Look, my only concern right now is making sure you two stay safe, and that means we have to be smart and careful." Ray said.
"So where are we going then?" Clementine asked.
Ray reached into his bag, grabbing a map that he had picked up from the cabin. "There's a ski lodge up in the mountains. We keep heading north and we'll get there. It's a bit of a walk, but it might be safe there.
"How much of a walk?" Sarah asked.
"Depending on our pace, probably four or five days." Ray replied.
The girls looked surprised.
"What about my dad... And Rebecca, and the others?" Sarah asked. "We should wait for them."
"We can't." Ray shook his head. "I... Hopefully they catch up to us."
"But why can't we wait?" Sarah asked.
"We need to keep moving, just in case we're being trailed." Ray replied. "Your dad and the other might find us eventually."
Sarah gave a slow nod. "I hope they do soon."
"Right now, let's just focus on getting somewhere safe. I'm sure the others are fine." Ray said.
"Okay..." Sarah said.
Clementine gave a reluctant nod as well. She hoped this ski lodge would be safe.
"I'm starting to have second thoughts..." Rebecca mumbled.
"Yeah. Same, but our people are in trouble. We'll be fine." Luke said.
"You... You don't think Bill hurt anyone, do you?" Rebecca asked.
"With him, you can never tell what he's gonna do." Luke huffed.
"He's after me... I've put everyone in danger." Rebecca said with a frown.
Luke disagreed. "That's not true, Bec. None of this is your fault. Carver's crazy and we all know it."
"...So what's our plan?" Rebecca asked.
"We play it cool. Turn ourselves in, and strike when the time is right." Luke said.
Carlos however shook his head. "No..."
"What's wrong?" Luke asked.
"If all of us get captured, it'll be harder to escape. You need to hang back." Carlos said.
Luke's eyes grew wide. "What? No way. I-"
"He's right. You'll be able to help us from the other side. You know once we're in the pen it's going to be hard to get out." Rebecca said.
"So what? You want me to stand there and let you guys get captured?" Luke asked in disbelief. "That's not happening.
"No." Carlos said. "I'm going to allow myself to get captured. And you two are going to stay back."
Rebecca and Luke were both floored by his words.
"Carlos, don't be stupid." Rebecca said.
"I'm not. You're pregnant. We can't put you and the baby at risk." Carlos said.
"But he'll just keep looking for me. This won't end until he finds me..." Rebecca pointed out.
"I know... I have a plan for that..." Carlos said.
"What?" Luke asked.
"If you recall, we had a conversation a while ago about heading north, if things didn't work out at the cabin." Carlos reminded them.
Luke gave a nod, "Yeah..."
"On the map, it showed a ski lodge... I can lead Carver there... You two can trail us, and we'll attack when his guard is down." Carlos suggested.
There was a brief silence.
"That's... not a bad idea..." Luke said.
"But are you sure it's going to work?" Rebecca asked.
"I can't guarantee anything, but this is our best plan..." Carlos said. "There's not much more we can do when he has half our people held hostage."
Rebecca and Luke exchanged looks then sighed.
"Alright..." Luke said.
"So that cabin, it was empty when I got there. I'm gonna take it that your people cut and run." Carver said. "So where are they?"
Nick and Alvin both remained silent, refusing to answer the question. Not that they knew exactly where their people were currently.
"I'm not going to ask again. Tell me where Rebecca is, or else I'm going to get real angry." Carver grumbled.
"That not happening. I'm not going to let you go anywhere near my wife or my baby." Alvin said.
"I think you mean MY baby." Carver replied.
"That's my family. And I ain't letting you go anywhere near them." Alvin said.
"Unfortunately, you don't have much of a choice in the matter." Carver said with a smirk.
Alvin and Nick were both surprised when he drew his gun.
"One more chance. Where's Rebecca?"
Nick looked away, not responding.
"Fuck you." Alvin said.
Carver scoffed and aimed his gun. "Wrong answer."
He didn't hesitate before he pulled the trigger.
"So since we're out here... I'm thinking it's crucial that you two learn how to protect yourselves." Ray said.
"I know how to shoot a gun." Clementine replied. "My friend Lee taught me."
"When's the last time you shot one?" Ray asked.
"Back when I was with Christa." Clementine said. "She only let me use it if I really had to... after what happened with Omid..."
"Who's Omid?" Ray asked.
"What happened?" Sarah questioned.
Clementine frowned. "I... I don't want to talk about it..."
"Okay, Clem... That's alright." Ray said before looking to Sarah. "Have you learned how to defend yourself?"
"Well… Kind of…" Sarah said.
"What do you mean?" Ray asked.
"Clementine taught me." Sarah said.
Ray raised a brow. "You did?"
"I actually just explained to her how to use a gun. We didn't actually get to practice." Clementine said.
"Yeah. She just told me how to shoot." Sarah said.
"That was a bold move, Clem. Carlos would've been pissed." Ray said to the girl in a strict tone.
Clementine lowered her head for a moment before looking back up. "I know, but it's important. She should know how to shoot. Carlos can't protect her from everything."
"Yeah… You're right…" Ray sighed. "You both need to be able to protect yourselves. Just in case."
"In case of what?" Sarah asked.
"In case something bad were to happen." Ray said. Considering things were already bad, he meant if things got worse.
"My… My dad is good at protecting me." Sarah stated.
"He's not here." Clementine pointed out. "He can't protect you if he's not here."
"But… He's going to find us." Sarah claimed.
"I thought Christa was going to find me, but she hasn't yet." Clementine said sadly.
"But you think she's still out there, right?" Sarah asked.
"Yeah…. Well… At least I hope she is…" Clementine replied. "I really don't know what to think. I can't know for sure… I hope she got to Wellington, or maybe she could be at that ski lodge… Wherever she is, I hope she's safe."
"My dad will find us." Sarah said in a confident way. "He's looking for us right now."
"Even if that is true, it could take days or even weeks for him to find us." Clementine said.
Sarah frowned at that.
"Clem's right." Ray said. "You need to learn how to protect yourself now, just in case something was to happen. If we get separated, you should know what to do…"
Sarah still remained hesitant. "My dad might get upset… I don't like to disappoint him."
"Your dad wants you to be safe, and knowing how to shoot is step one to survival." Ray said.
Sarah sighed. "…Okay…"
After discussing the plan, Luke led the way to when he had last seen Carver's group.
When Carver and his people were visible through the trees, they noticed a few things. Sarah, Clementine, and Ray were nowhere to be seen. And both Nick and Alvin appeared to be injured.
"Alvin…" Rebecca gasped, as she spotted her husband laid upon the ground. "He… He's…"
"Rebecca, calm down." Luke said.
"Don't tell me to calm down." Rebecca shot him a glare, struggling to keep her voice low. "Alvin's hurt."
"I'll take care of him. We stick to the plan." Carlos said.
Rebecca started to protest. "But-"
"This is our best chance at saving Alvin's life." Carlos said.
"He's right, Rebecca. We gotta be smart about this."
Rebecca sighed. "O-Okay… Be careful."
"I will…" Carlos said. His heart was pounding, he only wanted to see his daughter again. He hoped she was alright. With a brief hesitation he stepped out of the clearing.
The second the group spotted him, he was held at gun point.
Carlos quickly surrendered.
"Nice to see you again, Carlos." Carver smirked. "Where's Rebecca."
"Where's Sarah?" Carlos looked around the area.
"Sarah?" Carver raised a brow. "I thought she'd be with you."
Carlos's eyes grew wide. He didn't know where his daughter could be.
"Now answer my question. Where's Rebecca?"
"You… You know where my daughter is! Tell me now!" Carlos ordered.
Carver glared at him. "You're not in the position to make demands. Not unless you want to end up like Alvin."
Carlos glanced to Alvin with a concerned look.
"Don't worry, he's not dead. Just unconscious. He took quite a beating and a bullet only hit his shoulder." Carver said. "Now, make this easy for yourself. Take me to Rebecca."
Carlos responded by spatting in Carver's face.
Carver wiped his face clean and punched the doctor in the stomach. "Alright then." He turned to Troy. "Tie him up."
"Hold on, Bill." Lance spoke. "We've helped you out, but you still haven't helped us find out folks yet."
"Our work here's not done. We're still missing, Luke, Sarah, and most importantly Rebecca." Carver said. "Once we find the pregnant woman, I'll help you. She's my main concern."
"The longer we wait, the further Ray gets with my girl." Lance grumbled.
"Ray…?" Carlos asked.
"Yeah, Ray." Lance said. "You know him?"
"I… might…" Carlos said.
Lance took a few steps to wards him. "You have to tell me where he is…"
Carlos stayed silent.
"He's a dangerous person… He's… He's been sexually abusing a young girl…" Lance said. "A young girl I promised to look after."
Carlos felt his stomach drop. If Ray was with Sarah, who knew what might happen to his daughter. He knew he shouldn't have trusted that boy.
"Please… Tell me where he is." Lance said.
"I… I don't know for sure, but I may have an idea..." Carlos said.
"Is that right? What about Rebecca?" Carver demanded. "Where is she?"
"I... I'll take you to her... If you let me treat Alvin's wound..." Carlos said. He didn't want Alvin to bleed to death, or catch an infection.
"Whoa, what are you doing, Carlos?" Nick asked.
Carlos ignored him.
"Fair enough." Carver agreed. He motioned for Troy to untie Carlos.
Troy groaned. "You're kidding, right?"
"Now, Troy." Carver said.
"How do we know this ain't a trap." Troy asked as he started untying Carlos.
"If it is, we'll be ready." Carver simply replied.