Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead. All rights reserved to their respective owners.
I do not own Madeline Carver or Talyne Summers. They belong to FanFic Productions.
It was quiet within the vehicle that the group was in. No one wanted to speak. It was a very cold and defeated atmosphere within the back of the truck. Carver had won. He had captured almost everyone. Walter and Johnny were dead. Uncomfortable silence filled the area, but it seemed that there was one person who had not given up. It was Kenny. Keith could see it in the older man's frantic movements and in his grumbles. He hasn't given up, but what could he possibly do to get out of the truck? The vehicle jerked from hitting a couple of bumps. "Alright, we got to do something." Kenny said. "Come on. Anyone got anything sharp? Anything? We need to get these bindings off." Kenny looked to Clementine since he was unsuccessful in finding anyone to assist him. "Hey! Clem, help me find something that will get these off. Anything sharp that can cut these…"
"And what good is that going to do?" Rebecca asked.
"What the hell is wrong with you people?" Kenny inquired. "We got to get out of here."
"Like what?" Clementine asked.
"What do you mean by like what?" Kenny snapped. His impatience and anxiety being directed at Clementine. "Something sharp! Anything that can help! A fucking I don't know. Something!"
"Kenny, be nice to her. She doesn't know what you want her to find." Sarita said in a calm voice.
"Okay, think stupid." Keith said. "Even if you manage to cut those bindings off, you're still stuck in here with us. There's no way out of here."
"I don't want to hear it from you, asshole! The way I see it, this is all your fault!" Kenny snapped. "If it wasn't for you and your sister, that asshole dad of yours would not have taken us."
"Uh, news flash, douchebag, he was after almost all of us. But seeing as you can't think sometimes, you wouldn't get that." Talyne said.
"Excuse me? You fucking ruined everything!" Kenny exclaimed.
"Don't yell at my wife, and you leave Keith and Maddie alone." Nick said.
"Like it or not, we're all in this together now." Keith said. "Feuding is not going to help. So how about you relax?"
"Don't tell me what to do boy!" Kenny snapped.
"He's just trying to help you, you idiot!" Talyne hissed as she glared at the bearded man.
"I don't want his help!" Kenny snapped.
"Fine, go get yourself shot then. See if anyone in this truck gives a shit." Talyne spat.
Fuck you!" Kenny spat. "We're in a fucking precarious position here, and I'm trying to figure out a way out of here! I'm doing more than any of you combined."
Settle down, Kenny." Carlos said. "They took everything from us. We have to keep a level head."
"He's right." Rebecca said. "You don't know Bill like we do."
"Bill?" Kenny inquired. "This whole time it has been Carver, Carver, Carver. And now it's Bill?" The truck bobbed and creaked from hitting another bump from outside. "Oh, I see what it is. Y'all are just getting a ride home, aren't ya? That's what's going on here."
"Say that again." Nick inquired.
"You're delusional." Keith said. "You think we wanted this to happen?"
"I'd stay out of this, assholes." Kenny said as he sent a glare toward Keith and Nick.
They returned the glare as Rebecca explained, "You don't understand. He's different… he's worse."
"The fuck are you talking about?" Kenny snarled.
"Rebecca's right." Keith said with a frown. "Back at the ski lodge, he wanted me to kill him…"
"I-Is he going to kill us?" Clementine asked.
"No, he's going to use us as labor for his community, but after that… I don't know." Madeline explained.
"He's a fucking psychopath!" Kenny exclaimed.
"You have no idea what you are dealing with!" Carlos exclaimed.
"Oh he gave me a pretty damn good idea back at the lodge, and I don't intend to sit around here and let that happen to the rest of us!" Kenny said. The truck bobbed again from hitting another bump outside and Kenny continued, "I'm trying to help!"
"And I'm sure Walter really appreciated that help!" Matthew snapped. "You got my fucking partner killed! We welcomed you and Sarita in with open arms, and this is how you repay us!"
Kenny looked down with a frown at the mention of his friend's name. "Matty, I'm sorry for what happened to Walter, but Kenny did not pull the trigger to kill him."
Matthew looked down with a glare and shook his head. "It's still his fault." Matthew whimpered.
Kenny looked over the truck and said, "Oh shit! Jackpot!" He got up and headed for a metal ribbon that had corroded loose.
"Sit down." Carlos said. "You're going to get us all killed!"
Kenny squatted down in front of the corroded ribbon and started to rub his bindings against it. As he rubbed against the ribbon, the rope started to snap from the sharp piece of metal. "Y'all don't know what you are talking about. We get cooped up in a kennel like a bunch of fucking dogs and it's over!"
"You don't know that." Rebecca said.
"Yeah? Well, I've been in this situation before. You ever been a prisoner?" Kenny asked as he continued to cut his bindings.
"We've all been prisoners. Why do you think we left?" Carlos said.
"Stop fighting!" Clementine exclaimed. "Please…"
"Clem's right." Keith said. "We can't be at each other's throats. I think the best thing we can do now is wait until we get into Howe's, develop a plan inside, and then escape after we're one hundred percent sure that the plan will work."
"I agree with that plan." Talyne said.
"Well I don't." Kenny snapped. "How do you know that there is going to be a way out when we get there?"
"Every structure has its weak points." Keith explained. "Dad's going to put us all on labor duty which means we'll be up close to the buildings and we can find a weak spot easily. Besides, Luke and the rest of these guys managed to escape the first time, so who says we can't do it this time."
"I agree." Clementine said with a smile aimed at Keith. He smiled back and the two looked into each other's eyes.
"Alright, now we're talking." Kenny said; he ignored Keith's suggestion. Keith looked over to the older man to see that his bindings were off. He stood up and used one arm to balance himself in the back of the truck.
"What are you going to do? Carver is going to be on the other side of that door with ten people." Carlos explained.
Suddenly, Sarah started to whimper as the tension and anxiety of the fighting were starting to overwhelm her. "There, there, baby. Everything is going to be fine." Rebecca said to sooth the teenager.
"At this point, maybe Luke is the only hope we have." Carlos said.
"If he was going to do something, he would have done it by now." Kenny spat.
"Who knows what he's dealing with." Rebecca said. "Anything can happen out there."
"I'll tell you what happened." Kenny said. "He abandoned us."
"You don't know that." Nick said.
"I know he's not here." Kenny said.
"He may not be around, but he wouldn't just leave us behind." Rebecca said.
"That guy is a flake. I could tell the second I laid eyes on him." Kenny said.
"Luke will help us." Clementine said to Kenny.
"Oh yeah? When? After that crazy fuck killed us all?" Kenny bellowed at the girl. She reacted by staring at him with fearful eyes.
"You need to take it easy." Keith said. "Snapping at Clem is not going to help us at all."
"I didn't ask for your opinion, asshole!" Kenny yelled at Keith. Kenny turned his gaze to Clementine and said, "Look, Clem…" Suddenly, there was another bump which rocked the truck. This bump was different since the vehicle rocked more.
"We're close." Carlos said.
"Alright, let's do this." Kenny said.
"They have guns." Rebecca said in an attempt to stop Kenny one last time. "What exactly do you expect to do?"
"I'm gonna punch the first sonuvabitch I see. Then I'm going to take his gun and use it to shoot the next sonuvabitch I see." Kenny replied.
"Why don't you use that brain, if you even have one, and think about how stupid your plan is?" Talyne exclaimed.
"You're going to get yourself killed." Keith said. "Just stop and think."
"Shut it, both of you." Kenny barked. "This ain't your call." Kenny turned to Clementine and said, "Hey just… if something happens, just help out, okay? Don't, you know, get yourself hurt but any help'd be good." The vehicle rocked a bit, but it was followed by the truck's sirens sounding which indicating that it was backing up. "Hey Clem, look at me. You trust me right?"
"Kenny, please just…" Sarita pleaded. "Just listen to them. They know him."
"It's a bad plan, Kenny. I agree with what Keith wants to do." Clementine told Kenny.
Kenny was shocked by Clementine's choice and he asked, "What the fuck is wrong with you? I thought you were strong Clem!" She turned away and waited for Carver's men to arrive.
Kenny released an irritated sigh and turned to the door. "Alright, everyone read-" Kenny started to say but the vehicle slammed into the something from outside.
"Kenny!" Sarita exclaimed as he fell to the ground with a thud. Sarita ran over and checked on him. "Kenny, are you okay?"
"Is he okay?" Rebecca asked.
"I think so." Sarita replied.
"Oh…" Kenny moaned as he returned to consciousness. "What hit me?"
"It's probably for the best." Carlos said.
"Damn brakes ain't working for shit!" Troy spat from the other side of the door. A few seconds passed and the door was lifted up. In front of the door stood Troy, Bonnie, and a woman named Tavia. Keith knew who she was. She would scout out for other survivors, but she wasn't very nice to children or prisoners. Each of the three guards were holding an assault rifle.
"Alright, up and at em!" Tavia said. The group members didn't have a choice, so they got up and started to head out of the truck until there was only Keith, Madeline, Clementine, and Kenny left.
Troy looked to Kenny and his eyes widened in anger. "The fuck? How'd you get your restraints off? C'mere." Troy demanded.
Kenny obliged and headed toward Troy, while Keith, Madeline and Clementine headed out of the truck to follow the group. Meanwhile, Carver could be heard over the PA. "We've got some familiar faces back with us tonight." Carver said. Keith turned back upon hearing the shutter door being closed by Troy. He saw Kenny and the guard approaching the group. Keith turned back and looked around the hardware store. He couldn't believe that this place was known as home at some point. "Now, I understand some of you are confused as to why we'd bring some of these people back when they left us as they did." Carver said over the PA.
"I think I got an idea." Tavia muttered.
"It might not come all at once." Carver said. "But time will heal these wounds, so be patient with them until it does…" Bonnie opened a set of double doors and they continued to walk through what appeared to be a hardware store.
"Howe's." Keith said as he looked to Clementine. "Home, sweet home."
"It never really was sweet." Madeline said.
"Yeah, you're right." Keith said.
"…And take solace in knowing that they're here to help us make this home a better place." Carver said. He was still in the middle of his speech. Keith looked around and noticed several guards looking at the group with glares but once their eyes fell on Clementine, Kenny, Matthew, and Sarita, they stopped glaring and only looked to the four with confusion. However, it was when their eyes fell on him and his sister, that he saw sympathy. It was something that he didn't care about.
"They look really sorry for what happened to you." Clementine told Keith and Madeline.
"Maybe." Keith said as he looked to some of the guards. Despite the harsh environment in Howe's, he had made friends with some of the guards. "Our mom was well-known in the community so it was a major loss to the community as a whole when she was killed. For now, I wouldn't trust anyone from within these walls except for the other prisoners."
"All these feelings you have of anger…betrayal….hate… they're all valid." Carver said over the PA. "No one needs to forget what they did… but we have to find it in our hearts to forgive them." Carver was now visible from the office where the PA system was. He looked down to Keith and Madeline with a smirk as the two locked eyes with him.
Keith sighed and ignored his father's smirk. "Look how much food they have…" Clementine said. Keith looked over to see his girlfriend marveling at the food on the shelf. It was Howe's storage of food.
"I hope you ain't saying what I think you're saying." Kenny said.
"Dad's always had an impressive stock pile of food. He's got almost as much food as firepower." Keith explained.
"Come on, we need you for something." Troy said to Carlos.
"Can't it wait until morning?" Carlos asked. "We're all exhausted."
"Just come the fuck on." Troy spat.
Carlos sighed and he followed Troy over to talk to Vera but Sarah stopped and looked over to Carlos. "I need him. I need my dad. He-He takes care of me." Sarah said. Tavia, Clementine, Keith, and Madeline stopped to wait for the teenage girl to keep walking. It didn't take long for Carlos and Vera to walk off and for Troy to return. He sent a glare toward the children and gestured them to move with his assault rifle. Having no choice, the four children kept moving with Tavia and Troy bringing up the rear.
"It's alright, he's going to come back." Madeline said.
"When?" Sarah asked.
"We don't know, but he will be back." Clementine said.
"Yeah, if anything, Vera's probably showing him his workspace." Keith said.
Thanks. I'm glad you guys are here." Sarah said. The four approached the garage door where the rest of the group was. Bonnie was unlocking the door which led to the courtyard. Keith was very familiar with the layout. He and his sister were force to stay out in the courtyard with Erin, Derrick, and Sophia. He dreaded those night, but now, he would do almost anything to be in the courtyard with his family.
"Make sure y'all are off the fence." Bonnie warned. "Bill can see if you're messin with it." She opened the garage door, and the group members entered the yard. It was the same set-up as last time. A fire pit was in the center with lawn chairs surrounding it. Next to the fire pit were a couple of dining tables and furthest from the fire pit was plywood which acted as bedding.
"I thought you were better than this." Talyne hissed at Bonnie. Bonnie looked down with a frown and sighed. She and Troy entered the yard and they started to cut everyone's bindings off.
"Y'all better get some rest, cause there ain't going to much for ya tomorrow. You're going to be working hard." Troy said with a satisfied smirk.
"That's for you." Bonnie gestured to the cot that was adjacent to the garage door.
"Yeah, it would be." Rebecca said with a glare. "F****** Bill. Leaves me out in the cold, but at least I will be comfortable"
"Hey guys." A familiar voice chimed. Keith and Madeline perked up upon hearing the voice. They knew who it was.
Rebecca looked to the man and exclaimed, "Reggie!" She gasped upon seeing him and went up to the man. "I'm so sorry!" Rebecca exclaimed as she hugged him. "I'm so sorry." They separated from the hug and Rebecca saw that he had lost his left arm. "What happened to you?"
"This could have been worse. Trust me." Reggie said to Rebecca. "I'm lucky to be alive."
"Who's that?" Clementine asked.
"That's Reggie." Sarah said. "He was supposed to come with us when we tried to leave."
"What happened to his arm?" Clementine asked.
"I don't know." Sarah said as she looked back to Reggie with a questionable stare. "When we left, he fell, and we had to leave him behind. He still had both arms then."
"Yeah, after trying to escape, Reggie was put on labor. That's when he lost his other arm. A walker bit down on his arm and they amputated it to save his life." Keith explained.
The four children looked back to Reggie as he finished his story. "…A walker must have snuck up on me while I was hammering in something. It's a good thing they took the arm off quickly. Saved my life."
"That's awful." Rebecca said. "I'm so sorry."
"Enough with the apologies already. It was my decision to help you guys." Reggie said.
"Hey, Reggie." Troy said as he approached the man.
"Oh… hey Troy." Reggie said somewhat reluctant to talk to him.
"Don't go fucking up now!" Troy spat. "Bill's real close to letting you out of here. You make sure everything stays nice and quiet out here tonight, and I'll be sure to let Bill know just how helpful you were."
"You would know a lot about fucking up." Talyne hissed at Troy.
The guard turned to her with a glare and said, "I've had about enough of you and your cunt lip." He approached the woman as Talyne readied herself to attack Troy.
"Bring it, asshole." Talyne said.
"Troy enough!" Tavia said as she entered the yard. "We're going to start off on a new leaf starting tomorrow which means your bickering is going to stop tonight."
"I'm not doing shit with him. He killed my fucking brother!" Talyne exclaimed.
"He deserved it! I wish I would have killed him a long time ago!" Troy snapped.
"Enough! Or do you both need to go to Carver?" Tavia said. It was apparent that both adults were reluctant to back down, but they did. Troy hissed and spat to himself as he stomped back into Howe's.
"I don't see why you don't kill that asshole." Nick said.
Tavia sighed and said, "Carver, for some reason, still finds him useful." She turned to Alvin and said, "Alvin, Bill wants you in his office."
"What, why?" Alvin asked.
"Don't make this difficult. It's too late for that." Tavia said.
"No, please!" Rebecca pleaded.
"It's okay, Bec." Alvin said. "Just get some rest. If he wanted to do something to me, he would have done it by now. I'll be fine" Alvin turned to Tavia and said, "Let's see what he wants." The two walked for the garage door while Bonnie looked to the group. She turned away with a saddened look and she headed for the garage door. Once she was on the other side of the door, she closed it.
Keith turned back to Reggie. He was staring at the new group members with a questioning stare. "Oh right. Let me introduce you. We were with them when we got caught." Rebecca explained.
Reggie smiled and he went to greet the newcomers. "Hi, I'm Reggie."
"That's Sarita…" Rebecca introduced the Indian-American woman.
"Hello." Sarita greeted the man.
"That's Kenny." Rebecca continued.
"Hi there." Kenny said with a smile.
"This is Matthew." Rebecca said as she introduced the saddened man.
"Hi." Reggie said to Matthew.
"Hi…" Matthew said before he walked over to one of the plywood beds.
"What's wrong with him?" Reggie asked.
"I'll explain later." Rebecca said with a remorseful stare.
Reggie turned back to the group of newcomers and his eyes fell on Clementine. "Hello, who are you?" Reggie said to Clementine.
"I'm Clementine." The girl introduced herself.
"Otherwise known as Keith's girlfriend." Talyne said with a smirk.
Keith and Clementine rolled their eyes at Talyne, but when Keith saw Kenny's reaction. He knew that Kenny was shocked and there was anger in his features, too. He glared at Keith and grumbled, "I fucking knew this was going to happen. I think it might be best that we keep you two apart."
"Kenny!" Sarita exclaimed.
"I'm not going to let Clementine date a boy who has a psychopath for a dad!" Kenny snarled.
Reggie backed away noticing how the situation was getting tense. Meanwhile, Talyne and Nick glared at Kenny for his unkindness.
"How about you fuck off!" Nick spat.
"Stay out of this asshole." Kenny snapped.
"You can't just tell them what to do." Talyne said.
"The hell I can't. Now that I found Clementine, I'm going to protect her from anything and that includes this asshole kid who has only got one damn thing on his mind." Kenny replied as he glared at Keith.
"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Clementine snapped. Everyone looked at her shocked by her outburst. "I know you think he's just some piece of crap, but I love Keith! You're not my dad, so you can't tell me who I can and can't date! So leave us alone! All you've done is distrust him and treat him like crap! JUST STOP!"
She huffed as she calmed down. Keith's initial surprise turned to worry as he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. Sarah, Sarita, Madeline, and Rebecca remained shocked by the girl's outburst since she always managed to keep a calm and leveled head in tense situations. Nick and Talyne had a proud spark in their eyes. They were glad that Clementine was standing up for herself, instead of being bossed around. However, Kenny's glare intensified and he snarled, "How dare you? You think you can talk to me like that?" Something finally snapped in Kenny, and he slapped Clementine to the ground.
Clementine gasped and cried out in pain as she hit the ground. Upon realizing what he had done, Kenny looked to Clementine with shock. He stepped back a couple of feet and looked to Clementine with a remorseful stare. "Kenny!" Sarita exclaimed.
Keith got down and placed his arms around Clementine in a protective hug. The last thing he wanted to see was to see her get hurt any more than what Kenny did. "Aw Clem, I-" Kenny said.
He was interrupted when Talyne and Nick got between him and Clementine. "I think you've done enough." Talyne snarled.
Kenny frowned and he walked away in defeat. Sarita went to follow him, but she stopped when the eleven year old started to whimper. She shook her head and went back over to Clementine. She squatted down in front of the child. Keith released Clementine from the protective hug that he had her in and allowed Sarita to take over. "It's okay, sweetie." Sarita said as she wrapped her arms around Clementine. "Sh… it's okay." Clementine cried for several seconds, trying to control her tears but to no avail. "Sarah, could you help me get her up. We're going to take her to that cot." Sarita gestured to the bed that Carver had prepared for Rebecca.
Sarah nodded and the two helped Clementine to her feet. They escorted her to the cot as Nick, Reggie, Talyne, Rebecca, Madeline, and Keith watched on. Keith was stunned. He never would have thought that Kenny would physically attack Clementine.
Nick looked over to Kenny and glared at him. "Motherfucker." Nick spat.
"It seems there is a lot of tension with you guys." Reggie said.
"Yeah, no shit." Talyne muttered.
"Can you guys save it for the morning?" An angry exclamation was heard from one of the plywood beds. The group looked over to the source of the yelling to see a lean man who wore a gray and black hooded sweatshirt, blue jeans, and black shoes. He looked to the group with a glare and he continued, "Some of us have to get up early in the morning."
"Who the fuck is that?" Nick asked.
"Mike." Keith said. "He's the same guy who saved Reggie's life."
Nick nodded as Reggie yelled back, "Yeah, sorry about that." Keith watched the lean man use a pillow to cover his ears. However, he turned his head when he heard his sister speak up.
"Is Clem alright?" Madeline asked.
"I-I don't know. I mean she's not hurt and she is calming down now that Sarita is looking after her." Sarah explained.
"She was just surprised and hurt that Kenny would hit her." Talyne said with a sympathetic stare aimed at where Clementine and Sarita were at. "Can't say I blame her. Poor girl."
"Wait, who's that over there?" Madeline asked as she stared at a young woman who was at one of the tables. Keith followed her line of vision and saw the woman, too. He knew that there was something wrong about the woman. She had a glare aimed at the group before she got up and walked to one of the pieces of plywood.
"Oh yeah, her. Okay, so she's fucking weird." Reggie explained. "They found her sneaking around outside of the camp covered in guts and like the grossest shit."
"Ew…" Sarah shuddered at the thought of Reggie's details.
"Freak." Nick muttered as he stared at the woman.
"Anyway, it's good to have you guys back again. It's been a long time since I've seen you all." Reggie said. He looked around the group and his smile faded. "Where's Mary and Pete?"
Nick looked down with a frown on his lips. "They didn't make it. Walkers got them." Talyne sent a pair of sympathetic eyes before she placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that Nick. They were good people." Reggie said. He turned to Rebecca and asked, "What about Carlos?"
"He's inside." Rebecca said.
"Oh okay… that makes sense." Reggie said. His gaze finally rested on Keith and Madeline and he asked, "Where's Erin and Derrick? Weren't they with you?"
Keith shook his head and said, "They're dead. Our dad killed them."
"What?" Reggie asked. "But that doesn't sound right."
"It's the truth, Reggie. We saw it with our own eyes." Madeline said. Keith was surprised by how calm she was. Earlier, she became very emotional at even at the mention of her step-dad and mom.
"It seems like you guys have been through a lot, but I can promise you that all of your troubles and worries are over. We'll be able to do a lot of good with this place." Reggie said.
"What are you talking about?" Talyne asked with a confused stare aimed at Reggie.
"Look, I know that you guys feel like you've been hurt and betrayed, but this place really isn't that bad." Reggie said.
"Reggie…" Rebecca said.
"No, I'm serious!" Reggie exclaimed. "Where else are you going to find food like we have? We've got the canned stuff and now with the greenhouses coming along we've got fresh food. The building's getting more and more secure all the time… mostly through forced labor, but that's only temporary. They've even gotten the solar panels working. When was the last time you've had electricity, huh?"
"We actually came from a place powered by a wind turbine." Madeline said.
"It's not a competition." Reggie said. "I'm just saying that it's not as bad as you think. We're building something great here. A real community and Bill is making it happen."
"That does not make up for what he's done, Reggie." Rebecca said.
"Look, I made mistakes and Bill had every right to kill me, but he didn't and instead he's giving me a shot at redemption." Reggie explained. "I wasn't looking at all of my options earlier, but now with my arm, I'm starting to see what this place has to offer."
Keith looked to the man with a confused stare and he asked, "Did my dad brainwash you or something?"
"What? No, of course not!" Reggie exclaimed.
"Reggie, you hated this place before we left. Now, all of a sudden, you have a change of heart?" Talyne said with an unconvinced stare.
"Things have changed, Talyne. I have changed. Plus, look at what Bill has done for me so far especially since I was ungrateful and tried to leave it all." Reggie explained. "He can do the same for you guys. You can all be forgiven for what you did, and all you have to do is work hard and do what you're told for a couple of months, then you're in."
"Reggie, we don't care about this place. After all that Carver has done, I want him dead." Talyne said.
"I just don't want you guys to mess things up for me. I've worked really hard to get to this point." Reggie explained. "Will you please just try not to cause any trouble?"
"We won't cause you any trouble." Madeline said.
"They're expecting me to keep things in line out here." Reggie said. "We can talk about it in the morning. Let's just have a quiet night and chat again tomorrow."
"I can't believe what I'm hearing." Rebecca said. Suddenly, she grunted in pain. All eyes turned to her as she huffed. "Okay, I'm okay." Rebecca said.
"Are you sure?" Reggie asked.
"Yeah. I just… need to sit down." Rebecca said.
"Uh yeah, of course. There's some water over by the benches." Reggie said as Rebecca dragged herself to one of the chairs with Sarah following close behind. "That didn't go as planned… should've actually made a plan." Reggie remarked as he walked over to the fire pit.
"What happened to him?" Nick asked.
"I did forget to mention that Reggie has changed since you guys left." Keith said. "I just don't know what happened. I guess after he lost his arm, something clicked inside of him."
Talyne sighed and said, "Well, you're going to have to keep an eye on the defenses tomorrow. There might be a way out."
"My thoughts exactly." Nick said.
Suddenly, the garage door was heard being opened. The group members looked over to see Carlos walking into the courtyard with Troy escorting him.
"Dad!" Sarah exclaimed and she ran up to hug her father.
"Alright, the rest of you go the fuck to sleep." Troy barked. "I'm shootin the first of y'all that I see wonderin around before sun-up."
The hostile guard turned and headed for the garage door. "Hey, where's Alvin? Hey, I'm talking to you!" Nick exclaimed. However, Troy ignored him and slammed the garage door down. "Motherfucker." Nick muttered.
"Don't bother, honey. He's a piece of shit anyway." Talyne said. She walked over to Sarita and Clementine. The Indian-American woman had gotten the eleven year old to sleep and she was now trying adjust her body to pick her up and carry her to one of the plywood beds. Keith, Nick, and Madeline followed Talyne. "You need help?" Talyne asked.
Sarita shook her head and said, "No, I got her." She picked up Clementine and started to carry her to one of the plywood beds. However, she didn't go very far from the cot. "Thank you for the talk back at the ski lodge." Sarita said.
Talyne smiled and said, "You're welcome. Just keep everything I said in mind."
"I have and I will." Sarita said. She turned to a couple of the plywood beds and continued to walk over.
"Well, let's hit the hay. We're going to have a long day tomorrow." Nick said.
"Can I sleep with you, mommy?" Madeline asked. Keith was surprised again by his younger sister's behavior. She had adjusted rather quickly to calling Talyne and Nick as her mother and father, but he was having a harder time especially since his biological dad was still alive.
"Of course you can, baby." Talyne said. "Come on." Madeline smiled to Talyne and for the first time since they got off the truck, Madeline released Keith's hand and took Talyne's hand. "Come on, boys. Let's hit the hay." Talyne said to Keith and Nick before she headed over to the plywood beds.
Nick and Keith followed Talyne and Madeline. Keith could already see that everyone else was laying on a plywood bed. He laid down next to Sarita and Clementine. He looked to the girl with worry before he started to shut his eyes. It was a long day, and unfortunately, tomorrow was going to be worse. Keith knew it would be worse.
…To be continued.