Healing

After waiting five days, so Rebecca could rest, the group decided to move toward a town Clementine had spotted on the first day, in hopes of finding some supplies they desperately needed. They were exhausted and longed for the rest the town would provide. Clementine struggled with the cold air, lack of food, and the guilt of what had happened with Jeff, as they attacked her viciously. As they walked, she couldn't help but notice Rebecca was tiring faster than everyone else. "You okay, Rebecca?" she asked. "I'm Fine," Rebecca replied, weakly. "I can keep... going…" As she finished the sentence, she started to collapse, only for Bonnie and Mike to catch her. "Let's get you to that tire, over there," Mike told her. "You need rest more than we do." Carefully, they helped Rebecca sit down. The tire wasn't comfortable, but it was something for her to rest on. "I think it's time this little guy got a name," she admitted. "In honor of his daddy's bravery, I'll call him Alvin Junior." "Very fitting," Kenny said. " Little AJ. Like you said, his dad was brave. Sure helped Jeff out when…" He trailed off, at the mention of Jeff. Like Clementine, he too felt guilty at his departure. "Hello?" someone called, in the distance. Everyone looked the direction they had been heading and saw a teenager walking toward them. As he approached, the noticed he was wearing a leg brace on his right leg. "How has he survived with that leg being the way it is?" Kenny asked. "Hello," the teenager said. "You are nice people?" No one could miss his Russian accent, but knew he was trying to speak proper English. "Depends on if you are," Luke replied. "I just need help," the teen said. "My sister is sick and we have nothing to take care of her with. Add to that that others in our group...big trouble." As tough as it could be, at times, Kenny seemed to actually feel some sympathy for the kid. "We might be able to help, a little bit," he said. "Yeah, we'll help as much as we can," Mike added, solidifying the group's stance on the matter. "Thank you," the teen said. Suddenly, three figures walked out of the woods, guns in their hands and pointed right at them. "Now, hold on a minute!" Kenny said. "You just asked for help, and now this?" "I should've said something when I had the chance!" Jane said. She recognized the young woman now standing next to the young man. "You should recognize my sister," the teen said. "You tricked her to steal from us, a few days ago. Now we're returning the favor by taking your group's things." "Now hold on a minute!" Luke said. "No one has to rob anyone. If only one of us robbed you, by her own choice, why punish all of us?" "So you know she made mistake," the teen told him. He then spoke to his sister in Russian, followed by what seemed to be a joke from one of the two men with automatics. "We have a baby with us!" Clementine shouted. "Do you really want to do this to people who have a baby in their group?" "A baby?" The teen said, looking in shock at Alvin Jr, who was crying. He spoke to his allies in Russian, before speaking to them again. "Your things," he said. "Drop them and go. Now!" Clementine looked around, afraid for everyone in her group. Just then, she looked and saw Rebecca had slumped forward, partially over her child. Good, she thought, Rebecca's looking out for her son. Suddenly, Rebecca started moving. Slowly getting up, she looked at everyone with undead eyes. That's not good! Clementine thought, as the shouting match continued. She was about to open her mouth to say something, when Kenny noticed the new walker and shot her in the head, killing Rebecca before she could harm her son or anyone else. Thinking Kenny was shooting at them, Russians opened fire.

I made the biggest mistake of my life, Jeff thought as he slowly walked. He had gone back in the direction of Howe's Hardware, where a few walkers remained, and discovered that Carver was somehow still alive. Due to the rise in guilt and pain of his decision to leave, he took advantage of the opportunity and shot him in the head, before moving on. After spending a few days roaming the area, he had gone back to Parker's Run, only to find that the group had left. Since then, he felt remorse and guilt over his choice like he had never imagined possible. As he walked, he heard a noise. Looking around, he saw nothing and continued on. Soon, the noise came again, this time louder. "What on earth?" Jeff said to himself, as he moved toward the source. Soon, the noise becomes clearer, as gunshots and shouting are heard. Moving closer, Jeff could hear someone shouting in Russian...then he heard a familiar voice.

"Protect the baby!"

Kenny?

"Mike, I need help over here!"

Luke?

The next voice got his full attention, as all he heard was a cry for help. Fear gripped him. "Someone, help me!" Clementine! No, no, no, he thought, He friend was in extreme danger and needed him. I'm coming, Clem! He thought, as he broke into a full run.

This is insane! Clementine thought, as she sought refuge behind a wall, with AJ in her arms. She watched as the Russian siblings fired at her friends. Suddenly, the sister went down, causing her brother to stop shooting. Before he could tend to his sister, however, the teen was grabbed by Kenny, who held a gun to his head. "Stop shooting, or your buddy gets it!" Kenny yelled. Clementine watched, as the teen's friends shouted at Kenny in Russian, earning a demand for English from Kenny. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed movement from the sister. Oh great, she thought. As the sister slowly got up, Clementine gasped. The girl was now a walker and moving toward her. Acting fast, she took her gun and shot the undead teen in the head, halting her in her tracks. "Noooo!" her brother shouted. He forced himself free from Kenny's grip and ran to her, in tears. "Natasha!" Dropping to his knees before his sister's body, he cried. Then, he turned his attention to Clementine, glaring at her. With a yell, he rushed at her, forcing her to run. He knocked her down, with AJ crying in her arms. "You killed my sister!" He yelled. "Someone, help me!" she cried. Kenny saw the situation and started to run to her...only for several bullets to just miss his head. Everyone else was either pinned down or in no shape to help, leaving her on her own. With AJ in her arms, self defense wasn't going to work and the teen had her pinned, with a gun to her face. "I'll kill you!" he said. "I'll kill you for killing my sister! You will suffer for- AAHH!" Clementine looked up and saw the teen on the ground, unconcious. That was way to close! She thought. "Are you okay?" She froze, then looked up. There, before her, was Jeff, reaching a hand toward her, as the others gathered around.

Was she dreaming? Was he really back? Clementine's mind was spinning with questions, as she was helped up. Kenny offered to take AJ, while she and Jeff talked...if there was any conversation made. "Are you okay, Clem?" Jeff repeated. So he really is here, she thought. "Yeah," she said. I'm okay." "Good," Jeff said. Without another word, he picked up his rifle and bag and began to walk away, yet again. She stood there for several seconds, as he walked away, but couldn't stand to see him run off again. "Jeff!" she called. He stopped. "What Clem?" he asked. "Please don't leave, again," she said. Jeff sighed. "You don't need me anymore," he said. "I came back to help, and now I'm in the wind again." A tear escaped Clementine's eye as she watched him resume his walking pace. "You don't believe that," she called, making him stop again. "Don't believe what?" he asked. "You don't believe that I don't need you," she replied. "You proved yourself wrong by coming back and saving my life, again." Jeff turned halfway around and looked at her. "Had I not been here, you would've been fine," he said. "This is a tough group and someone would've made it to you. I know at least two of them would give their lives, to see you live." He started to turn back around, again. Clementine couldn't belive how stubborn he was being in the situation. "I'm sorry!" She called, as he tried a third time to leave. This made him stop, again. "I'm sorry for how I reacted at Carver's," she continued. "I-I can't lose you again. When you made me the offer to tag along with you, outside Savannah, I was afraid. But you taught me to defend myself, and took care of me when I was sick. You've saved my life many times. You got revenge on Carver for what he made you do to me. Even after that, you protected me and saved my 're like family to me. We're a team, and… I don't want to live the rest of my life knowing I threw that away." The tears came in full force, as she finished speaking. Jeff slowly walked up to her and sat on the wall, next to them. "You're right," he said, looking at her. "You're right. We've had each other's backs since that first night we were together. We had everything going right, until Carver messed it up. I-I can't let him win. I can't...keep going, knowing I hurt you by leaving." A tear ran down his face, as he began to see how wrong he had been to take off, instead of listening to her. "I forgive you...if you can forgive a stubborn fool for not listening to you," she said. Her response came in the form of a hug. "I forgive you," she said. As Jeff stood back up, she had one last question for him. "Are you staying?" she asked. "Yes," he said. "I'm staying. We're a team, right?" This earned another hug, as everyone around them cheered and smiled. "Right," she said. The happy moment came to an end, as they heard the teenage boy waking up from the hit to his head. Jeff dragged him to his feet. "Give me a good reason to not kill you where you stand!" he demanded. The young man's response was to spit at him, as he glared. "Be thankful I'm not a cold-blooded killer," Jeff said. "Or I would've made sure you would've never woke up." Moving fast, Kenny tied the young man's hands together. "What will you do with me?" he asked. "Very tempting to just leave you here," Kenny said. "Unless you can prove helpful." "There is a house, some distance from here," the young man said. "There are supplies and food." Kenny was skeptical, but everyone else decided it was worth the effort to try. They gathered around where Rebecca's body still was and said their goodbyes, along with a promise to look after her son. They then set their sights on finding out if the house was real.