"What the hell are we supposed to do now?!"
Alex's eyes slowly opened, feeling as if he hadn't slept at all. Slowly raising his head, he looked down at his side to check on the little girl, but Clementine was nowhere in sight. He glanced around and seeing no one, got up, cracked his neck, checked his gun, put it in the back of his pants and stepped out of the RV into bright sunlight, causing him to shield his eyes for a moment.
As his eyes adjusted, he noticed that what had impeded the progress of their vehicle: a locomotive, wrecked on the tracks. It looked as if the train itself was fine, along with the first boxcars, but the rest of the cars following it looked like someone had picked them up and tossed 'em all over the place. On either side of the road, heavy brush and trees denied any way of going around it.
The rest of the group was assembled in front of the train, trying to figure out what to do. While Lee and Kenny discussed/argued about what they were going to do, Ben appeared to be studying the train, looking as if he had just hit the jackpot. Clementine was sitting on a nearby log, just swinging her feet, watching the rest of them.
Alex was about to walk over to go sit by Clementine, when Ben glanced around a moment, his eyes stopping when they saw his fellow teen. Ben hurried over to Alex, who when he saw the other teen coming, met him halfway.
"Oh, hey Alex. Glad to see your awake," Ben said, looking almost nervous about something.
"What's going on? I mean, beside the train parked in front of the RV," Alex asked, feeling as if he already knew the answer was going to be not good. Besides, he thought, since when have we ever had good luck?
Ben glanced over at the adults, before taking a hold of Alex's arm and pulling him a good distance away. As soon as he felt they were far enough away, he lowered his voice. "Apparently, there is something wrong with the radiator. Kenny isn't sure he can fix it with the supplies we have, and got really upset when Lee proposed leaving the RV behind. They're trying to figure out what to do now."
"Alright, well, he fixed it once; I'm sure he can do it again." Alex said, trying to sound confident, so that Ben wouldn't worry too much. He's got enough on his plate as it is.
"I've been thinking...," the teen started, causing Alex to pause as he moved to go to the adults, "maybe I should tell the leaders about the what happened with the bandits." Alex froze, slowly turning back toward Ben as the teen continued.
"I mean, it's only right that they know what happened, especially Kenny. After what happened to his family..."
Alex was stunned, probably looking like a deer in the headlights. If Ben tells them, he will end up getting himself killed! Alex felt anger rise up inside at the lack of thought that Ben was showing.
"Are you crazy!?" Alex whispered angrily, glancing over to make sure that the adults weren't paying them any attention. Ben flinched back in surprise, confused by the look of anger on Alex's face. "What do you think will happen if you tell them?!" Alex continued, turning to glare at Ben. "Best case scenario: they kick you out of the group and leave you to fend for yourself; worst case: Kenny shoots you in the head and leaves your corpse by the side of the road. Either way, you die."
"But I thought...," Ben stammered, looking as if he was trying to understand.
Alex jabbed a finger at his chest. "You thought what?! They would just forgive you? That everything would just go back to the way it was, as if nothing happened? Well, guess what: you put everyone's lives in danger, and caused the death of not one, but two people!"
Ben looked as if he was going to be physically sick from that, making Alex feel bad about what he just did. But it was the only to make sure he understood, right? Or, am I just taking my anger out on him for what happened? Damn, I don't know...
"I'm sorry Ben." Alex apologized gently, reaching around and placing an arm across Ben's shoulders."I get that you want to come clean; it shows that you haven't been corrupted by this screwed up world yet. Guilt is a bitch, but now is not the time to reveal your secret. If you told Lee, I think he might understand, but Kenny...with the way he is right now, there is no telling what he would do. So, it would probably be better, if for the time being, you kept your this to yourself, alright?"
Alex gazed at Ben to see if the teen actually understood. Ben glanced up at Alex, nodded, then removed Alex's arm from his shoulder before walking to look at the train some more. Alex sighed, feeling guilty about being so hard on his 'friend,' but he knew he was doing the right thing, right? Then why do I feel like I just kicked a puppy?
"I'm going to go see if we can find anything to fix the RV," Kenny called out gruffly, to no one in particular, as he headed toward the train. Lee sighed, watching him head out before joining Alex.
"Kenny is determined to get the RV up and running again, but while we're waiting, we should go look for some supplies. Alex, would you mind coming with me to go check?"
Alex thought fast, trying to figure out how to get out of it. Not that I don't mind helping Lee; I just need some time to think about some things. And, I really don't like spending too much time with him alone. Too many bad memories...
"Actually, maybe you should take Ben." Lee glanced at him in surprise, caught off guard by the offer. "I mean, Ben seems to be really interested in the train; maybe, if you find something useful, he might know what it does."
Lee looked over to where Ben was, staring forlornly at the train, as if it could help with his problems. He turned back to Alex, who just shrugged, as if it was Ben was the obvious choice. Lee, being the perceptive person he was, seemed to realize that something else was going on, but didn't say anything.
"In that case, would you mind watching Clementine?" The man asked as he started walking toward Ben.
"Yeah sure."
When Alex headed toward the little girl, she was holding her walkie-talkie in her hands, looking at it as if she was waiting for something. Alex was used to seeing her have it, especially after Lee had him about what it meant to her and that it didn't work, so it didn't bother him at all to see it in her hands.
As Alex sat down, he must have surprised Clementine, because she jumped, turning away from him before clipping the device to her side. Alex thought he heard the crackle of static coming from it, but it must have been his imagination.
"Hey Clem, how are you?" He asked, allowing himself to relax. Man, this feels good.
"I'm alright," she replied, finally turning back to him, a smile on her face, "just waiting for us to go."
He smiled back, always happier when he was around the little girl. She just has that effect on people, he thought.
"So, what do you think about that train? Pretty cool, right?"
"Yeah, it's okay, I guess."
Alex suddenly felt Clementine stiffen beside him. Turning to look at her, she seemed to be staring at something. Following her gaze, he didn't see anything at first, until a man dressed in well-worn clothing walked out of the woods and started making his way over toward them. Without hesitating, Alex lept to his feet while pulling out his gun, aiming it at the man's head. The man, seeing what was in Alex's hands, slowly raised his hands, in a nonthreatening manner.
"Easy now, I ain't gonna hurt ya," the man said, still continuing to walk toward them, having not changed his pace at all. Alex kept his gun pointed at the man, as he felt Clem move behind him.
"Who are you? And what do you want?" Alex asked, trying to sound tougher and older than he really was.
"Well, my name is Charles, though most people just call me Chuck, and I don't want anything; I was simply going back to my train and noticed you folks all around. Figured I'd wait a bit before intoducin' myself, see what kind of folks y'all were." The man answered patiently, as if he had expected this kind of response. He finally came to a stop a few feet away, far enough that he wouldn't be able to do anything without getting a new hole in his head.
Finally, after a minute of standing there, motionless, Alex, going with a feeling that the man meant them no harm, slowly lowered the gun, keeping it in his hand just in case Chuck tried anything funny. Chuck gave him a smile that seemed genuine, before putting down his hands. Alex expected the man to come closer, but he seemed content to stay where he was.
"Well now, who's this young lady?" Chuck asked, catching sight of Clem as she peeked around Alex.
"This is Clementine, and I'm Alex," he responded, tensely, trying to emphasize that if the hobo wanted to mess with her, he would have to go through him first. Chuck, seeming to understand, gave a small nod, before continuing to speak.
"I have some candy that she might be interested in. I'm going to reach into my pocket and get it, alright?"
Alex gave a small nod, and the man pulled out a bag of Skittles, never been opened. Clementine's eyes lit up, eager to have some, but before she could move, as if sensing her planned movement, Alex put his free hand out, stopping her. He then proceeded to walk over, to which Chuck handed them over, without a word.
"There's nothing wrong with them?" Alex asked suspiciously, as he studied the bag, checking for anything strange.
Chuck shook his head. "I don't blame you for not trustin' me; in this kind of world, trust is one commodity one can't afford. There's nothin' wrong with the candy; I found 'em and thought it'd be a waste to leave 'em."
Though Alex was still a little cautious, Clementine seemed to think that they were just fine as she ripped the package open and dug in, grabbing a handful of the candy and stuffing it in her mouth. Alex laughed at the look of pure bliss on her face, making her blush. Chuck smiled also, but to Alex, it seemed almost sad in a way.
"Thank you!" Clementine exclaimed, after she managed to swallow the massive glob of candy. Chuck just nodded back, and Alex, trusting his gut, put away his gun, and offered the man a seat on the log, which he immediately took.
Chuck let out a sigh of contentment as he leaned back against the wood, which Alex quickly followed suit. The man watched Clem for a bit, almost as if trying to figure out something before turning to Alex.
"Does she know how to shoot?" Chuck asked softly.
"I don't think so," Alex said thoughtfully, "I mean, I've never seen her with a gun or shoot one, so no, I don't think so."
The hobo sighed, then muttered something about getting her killed. Alex pretended not to hear, remembering when he had thought the same thing not too long ago. They sat there in silence for a few moments, the only sound coming from Clementine chewing the candy.
"I know there's more to the group than you two." Chuck stated suddenly, glancing at the RV, and then the locomotive. "Are they on my train?"
"Yeah, sorry. We didn't know anyone lived on it." The man waved off the apology and Alex continued. "Kenny is in the front, trying to move the train, while Lee and Ben are checking the boxcar for anything useful."
Chuck nodded, before getting up and heading toward the boxcar, mentioning something about not wanting them to touch his stuff. Alex smiled as he shook his head, thinking about how even in the short time he knew the man, Chuck seemed to be an alright guy.
"Alex, do you want some?" He heard Clem ask, as he turned and saw her offering him some Skittles. He nodded, and she carefully poured some into his hand, trying to not allow any to fall on the ground.
Wow, it's hard to imagine that it has only been a few months since the last time I had some of these, he thought as he ate a few, enjoying the candy immensely. It seems like it has been years. Really, long years.
"Hey Clementine," he asked, as a thought suddenly popped into his head, "has anyone ever taught you how to shoot?"
"No, I've never learned how," she said, seeming a little sad at the thought.
"Do you want to learn?" Alex asked, watching her reaction. She sat for a moment, pondering the idea, when she nodded at him.
"I do," Clementine answered seriously, looking as if she was remembering something that had happened to her.
Alex gave her a quick smile, before getting up and stretching. "Alright then. Let's get started."
AN: Hey there folks! I've gotten over 1500 views, 16 reviews, 8 follows, and 8 favorites. And all for my first story! You don't know how excited that makes me! So thanks guys, for everything.
Don't forget to review, fav/follow, and thanks for reading!
PS: If you feel like being depressed, go check out my other Walking Dead Fanfic, The Final Moments. It's just a short oneshot, but it gets the point I want to make across.