JLOGO is back, here to bring you all; the GRAND FINALE of Episode 2: What lies beyond? Finally right? Sorry for the long ass delay, I didn't want to submit this chapter, until I was sure it was finished, but after 8 hours of solid writing, its finally done, when I reach the last PART of each episode I'll call them FINALE. I hope all you guys like my story, leave a review, and there is a little bit of a gift at the end, now read on friends.
Along a long stretch of road was an RV with a set destination; that was the CDC; Centre for Disease Control, It was about eight in the morning, the group of survivors from Macon's Motor Inn, which consisted of Lee, Clementine, Kenny, Katjaa, Duck, Carley, Doug, Gus and Ben were all hoping to find answers as to how the supposed 'end of the world' happened.
At the front of the RV; was Kenny, controlling the wheel, though he wasn't too keen on this idea of heading to the CDC, due to the possibility of it being a dead end, but despite his concerns, he also believed the CDC could very well be a safe place for Katjaa and of course Duck, even Clementine deserved better than this.
Right now Katjaa had just looked back to where the couch, by the door was; as Duck was lying on it, with his legs waving in the air, whilst finishing his drawing of batman, the one he started back at the Motor Inn, he smiled while he was drawing, Katjaa was glad to see him so bright and happy during the darkest of days, or grimmest of situations, knowing he was fine back there, she resumed glancing out the window, the view of open green areas, or farms off in the distance was enough to give Katjaa a sense of hope and tranquillity.
While Kenny was driving, he was receiving assistance from Doug; who was holding out a map for the two of them to glance at, they were forced to take a few different roads, because some were blocked off by rows of cars or Walkers or other obstructions in the way. Doug was studying the possible routes to take, trying to figure out the best solution, he quickly realised the best route to take and explained to Kenny "OK, If we take a left up ahead, we'll be 400 miles from our destination, if I've done the math right, that's approximately; five to six hours, maybe more".
Kenny was glad to have Doug offering him help, he was getting turned around, what with so many roads being closed off and all, though he was irritated to hear it would take five or six hours to get to the CDC "Shit! Okay how far from Atlanta?" he asked calmly, despite his irritation, Doug quickly checked the map and route they were taking and after he knew the answer, he responded " 150 miles, so about two hours, but perhaps going around Atlanta could spare time and fuel" Kenny shook his head agreeing with Doug's suggestion "Yeah that's what I was thinking, sooner we make it to the CDC, the sooner we get our golden ticket out of this hellhole" Kenny replied with a set in his ways look.
Doug wasn't sure what Kenny meant by that; was he referring to Georgia altogether or was that the doubt he had regarding whether they were actually going to find answers or safety at the CDC, Doug was confused, but decided to make a mental note of it, and let Lee know later on, he simply responded "Uh yeah okay" Kenny realised Doug would be wondering what he meant by that, because honestly he didn't want to believe the CDC was safe, 'Wait and see' he thought to himself.
At the back of the RV, sitting around the table was Lee, Carley, Ben, Gus and Clementine, what were they doing exactly? Right now they had just finished a game of Go Fish, they were now counting how many pairs they each had, Lee eyed Clementine who had that victory grin on her lips, he smiled, seeing her smile was one of the few things he strived to make happen.
Lee had just finished counting his pairs of cards, he declared aloud to the others "Five", Carley gave a satisfied smile "Six" proud to have beaten Lee, because he would occasionally make jokes when she fell behind in other games, Gus looked slightly displeased "Ah, four" however, Ben was the most disappointed and slightly nervous, he was hesitant to respond "Uh… two".
No-one made fun of Ben when he wasn't doing too well at a game of their choice, mainly because they didn't want Ben to feel left out, and because he was still adjusting to being a new member in their group, beside everyone was looking in Clementine's direction, keen to hear how many pairs of cards she had, she happily replied "Nine!".
Everyone smiled at little Clementine, as they each threw their cards into the centre of the Table, Carley happily smiled at her, Clementine looked at Carley, Clem really liked her, she was always nice to her, Carley held her hand out for a high five and said "Girl Power!" Clementine giggled and didn't hesitate to high five Carley "Yay!" she cried aloud, with the biggest grin on her little face.
Lee was gathering and spreading out the cards, in case they play another game later, he noticed how well Clem and Carley were bonding, he was glad, he chuckled lightly, which got the others attention, before Carley could say something clever and sarcastic, he spoke in soft and joking manner toward Clem "Guess I gotta stop letting you win" he said with a huge smile on his face, Clementine simply giggled.
Gus decided to join in on the jokes and pointed out "I stopped letting her win after the first week, she still beats me" he grinned from ear to ear, which let Clementine know he was messing with her, Clementine looked to Gus like an older brother to her, "Not so easy, when someone removes those tiny black spots you put on the back of every card" Carley remarked, everyone glanced at Gus; suspiciously, his eyes had widened in fright, but in an attempt to remove any suspicion, he quickly responded "I've said it a hundred times; they were like that when I found them a-a-and besides even if there were tiny little black spots on the back of every card, I'd never be able to spot them without being super close to them, my left eye is mostly a blur anyway".
Carley smiled delightfully 'That could not have gone better if I planned it', though they were both joking about, best part was when Clementine reached for a stray card and examined the back of the it, Gus had to cover his mouth, to prevent his huge smile from being seen, it was super adorable, Carley and Ben thought so too, hence their smiles, Lee was shuffling the cards together, he smiled upon seeing Clem staring closely at the back of the cards, that and Gus trying to keep himself from bursting into a fit of laughter.
Clem had a very concentrated look; squinting her eyes, but then she realised there were no tiny dots, only the diamond pattern that was on the back of each card "Nope it's clean" she responded in a bright and colourful voice with a cute little smile. Lee shook his head sideways with a pleased smile, Carley caught sight of this and grinned devilishly, seizing her opportunity to tease Lee a bit "What about you Lee, have you been cheating?" .
Gus leaned forward, resting his arms on the table, eager to hear Lee's response, though he doubted Lee would cheat, Ben was leaning back on the couch beside Gus, his arms crossed, feeling a bit left out, finding it difficult to function well in a group of complete strangers, it was Gus, Lee and Carley who invited him into the game, but his thoughts were still on his friend Travis. Carley had seated herself next to Lee and near Clementine, Lee was smiling as he knew he had nothing to hide; well nothing that involved him cheating; the very word instantly reminded him of his wife, he decided not to think about that and pointed out in a calm fashion "Not likely, I was doing an awful lot of fishing if I was".
Carley raised an eyebrow, looking at Lee suspiciously with a lopsided grin, like she was accusing Lee in a tongue and cheek sort of way; Lee knew Carley was just messing with him as a way of entertaining Gus, Ben and especially Clementine, the RV may be small but it was the one thing that provided them with a hint of safety; to engage in pleasant conversation, sharing a few laughs and even forget what was happening around them, well now that they no longer have the Motor Inn at least, but like most things nowadays; it was always short lived.
Clementine was quick to come to Lee's defence "Lee wouldn't cheat" she spoke positively, no doubt in her voice, Lee was grateful to hear that, it showed him how much trust there was between him and Clem, which was great because he sometimes questioned himself; How much did she trust him? Knowing it would be difficult because he was a complete stranger to her, but over the last four weeks; Clementine grew more trusting around him and the others as well, Clementine saw everyone in the group as like a second family until she found her own.
Lee looked at the little girl, while bearing a gratified smile "Thank you Clem" he responded in a soft tone, though Carley was joking, Clementine didn't look so sure, was Carley joking? She wondered, Clem was glad to make Lee feel better, she looked up at Lee with her cute colourful smile, once she saw the grin on Carley's face, she realised Carley was just playing around, like how Hershel was when he said he was going to shoot Lee.
Lee then eyed the news reporter sitting beside him and since she was teasing him, he decided that it works both ways, so he crossed his arms, putting on a similar devilish smile as Carley did, and asked "What about you Carley?" looking at her with an accusing stare, she quickly took the hint, Carley wasn't at all surprised that Lee would find a way to rebuttal her earlier remark, she knew this was Lee's clever attempt at payback, she thought it best to continue this cat and mouse game, as it was amusing Clementine, who was quietly giggling with her hand covering her mouth, enjoying the back and forth banter between Lee and Carley; perhaps a little too much.
Carley pretended to look shocked over the accusation remark, Lee just made, but she was smiling as she spoke, which made it seem more like a joke than a pretend serious matter, Gus was looking forward to hearing this, Carley spoke aloud, feinting offence as she jokingly questioned "Are you implying that I would cheat at a sacred game like Go Fish? I would never blemish such a tradition by sneaking an extra five of clubs up my sleeve". Just as she waved her left hand along the table, a card did indeed fall out of her sleeve, Gus was the first to react, his jaw dropped, and Ben was leaning back in the seat and his eyes widened, shifted from busy minded to shock, Clementine looked disappointed, Lee's head turned in her direction, she looked very afraid, her eyes were as horrified as they would be if a Walker had jumped her "Oops".
"Jesus Carley" Lee responded, almost to a whisper, looking very unimpressed, mainly because it sent a bad message to Clementine; who seemed quite unhappy, based on the look on her face alone; frowning in Carley's direction, Gus was possibly the most shocked, everyone pegged Carley as a very honest person, he started saying something as he picked up the card "Seriously? I mean how could…".
Gus was hesitant for a moment, his look of shock turned to confusion, Ben became curious, he moved closer to get a glimpse of the card "Oh ha-dee-ha" Gus suddenly responded, a grin formed on Carley's lips, Lee was sure he missed something "What it is?" he asked with a sceptical expression, Clementine had her hands covering her mouth, most likely still shocked that Carley would cheat.
Gus glared at Carley, who just smiled in response, then Ben realised what was so funny, he found himself cracking a smile and upon hearing Lee's question, he pointed out "It's the instructions card, man", Gus had a wide irritated smile; it was a joke, a good one too, he was embarrassed how easily he fell for it, nodding his head from side to side, he felt foolish.
Clementine then let out a soft giggle, catching everyone's attention; a realization came to Lee, a joy felt smile was formed; his arms were crossed, glancing at the young girl, who was trying to keep herself from laughing and blowing her act, though she had, Lee now knew it was all a hoax. "Did you know about this?" Lee asked Clementine softly and sweetly, Clementine couldn't hide it and replied in a bright and happy tone "Carley and I; thought it would be funny, it was" she said with a huge grin.
Lee thought for a second that Carley was indeed a cheater, he was glad to hear it was a little prank, now that he thought about it; it was funny, Gus didn't see it coming, he didn't want to admit but he was fooled quite good, as was Ben and Lee "They got us good, they got us good" he declared, rocking his head up and down, smiling through the embarrassment, Carley was crafty, he gave her that. "Yeah, Man" Ben added with a cheesy smile, Gus didn't expect a smile from Ben, knowing he had a lot on his mind, Gus felt bad for not going out to look for his friend; Travis, when he had the chance, but then again if he had, the others may have not survived the Walker invasion on the Motor Inn, Gus wanted to find a way to make it right with Ben, he wasn't sure how, but he would.
Carley looked quite proud of herself, and Clementine too, the shocked expression on Clem's face, worked like a charm, they all totally bought it, Lee was fooled easiest, among them all, she expected it, he'd never allow someone to corrupt that little girl, lying and cheating were bad, Clem understood that very well, which was an obvious relief for Lee, he didn't want her to subjected to such bad examples, Carley saw Lee as the parent figure that Clementine needed, maybe the only closest thing to a family that Clementine had, if what Lee said was true, but she was glad to see Lee taking such good care of her.
Carley was looking at Lee, who gave her an amused smile, Carley figured it was a good way of teaching Lee a lesson for accusing her of cheating; she and Clem had planned it all out, stringed them all like puppets, but they also did it for a laugh "That's what you get for calling a girl; a cheat".
Lee raised both hands; surrendering and remarking "OK, OK I'll give you that one", they all chuckled, it was a nice change of pace, just to relax, enjoy a laugh and get to know each other's true nature, Carley could read everyone here; Lee; a convicted murderer, but a good man, eager to help and protect people and Clem, but she kept her eyes on him, for obvious reasons, Gus; a wacky but optimistic kid, eager to lighten the mood, when a situation became too dark, and he did his best to always do the right thing and help out.
Clementine; a sweet, kind-hearted little girl; who often worried about the safety of everyone, and she showed a likeness for everyone, even Ben or so far at least, speaking of which, Ben; a very shy, and fidgety type, he seemed to be quite jumpy, but based on how Lee found him, she wasn't surprised, but all and all; he seemed like an okay kid. Katjaa; very kind and supportive of everyone, and a devoted wife and mother, she was quick to lend medical assistance, over even the smallest of injuries, but the decisions she makes always seemed to be whatever Kenny believed, even when at times he was wrong, she sided with him, Carley understood why, but she didn't like Katjaa for that one reason, but Carley did trust her.
Duck; way too hyper, was the word for him, but he was a good hearted kid with a lot of spirit, nothing seemed to bother him, which worried her a bit, mainly because he didn't seem to grasp onto what was happening around him, Kenny; was way too controlling of others, stubborn and stupid at times, only seeming to give a shit about his family and to a lesser extent Lee and Clementine, she worried that Kenny's overprotective nature may jeopardise the safety of others, she has been keeping an eye on Kenny as well. Finally Doug; honest, intelligent, cute but really insecure, and as the events that unfolded on the roof of the RV proved; Self-doubtful, he was never very comfortable around her, well now not so much, she smiled, Doug was desperate to prove himself, even to the extent of helping Kenny with directions, and he wasn't too comfortable around him either, mainly because Kenny was too stubborn to see things straight, and because of his sometimes foul temper.
Overall though; Carley liked everyone, they were good people, she felt safe with them, she wouldn't last long on her own, had it not been for Doug, the evidence would have been completely set in stone, once she started walking around; pale skinned, munchies-ridden, blood craving and more to the point; dead. Carley didn't want to think about that right now, the point was she didn't want to let all that was good about these people, just slip away, she wanted to survive, and she stood a chance with all these good people, she visualised a smile on each one of them, she prayed the CDC had answers.
There was a long relaxing feeling falling upon the group, Lee had packed up the cards, sitting them on the table, they were all just relaxing, Kenny was fixated on the road, not wanting any accidents to occur, though even he was relaxed; his deep love of the road overshadowed the negatives, he considered himself a very country lover, fishing, hunting; it was truly the life he loved.
Ben was laying back in the comfort of these cushioned seats, wandering through his thoughts, he had a lot on his mind, this one week had proven to be especially cruel, he was holed up in a gym; safe and secure; him, Travis, Mr Parker and his classmates, he witnessed Walkers eat some of his friends, Bandits attacked, they… did something, he'd rather forget, but he couldn't.
Ben; witnessing his teacher lose his leg, then die, his best friend abandoning him, and causing these people to leave their safe place, it was all too much, it was weighing him down heavily, though he didn't know what to do about it, he wanted to talk to someone about it, but the fact that everyone was new to him, he was too afraid to.
Lee was just enjoying leaning back on the seats, content with resting, though he wouldn't mind taking a nap, but he didn't think it would be very appropriate; Clementine being wide awake and all, well that and he probably wouldn't manage taking a nap, whilst the RV was moving, every bump in the road, would serve only to keep him awake anyway, though he wouldn't mind reading a book or two, but all there is; was magazines for kids, that himself, Carley, Gus and Kenny had found for Duck and Clem.
Carley was resting back in the seat as well, contemplating the possibility of finding help, or answers at the CDC, it was really bugging her; not knowing the answer. Clementine had pulled out the coloured pencils, Lee found her whilst scrounging abandoned houses, she didn't like that they were stealing, though Lee explained; stealing is wrong, in fact, he didn't enjoy stealing one bit, but food and water were a necessity, and he expressed that a case of pencils was not quite the same level of wrong as stealing a car or a TV, she understood but that didn't mean she liked it, she reminded herself while drawing a unicorn, like the one she started the day, she was attacked by Sandra; her babysitter.
Doug wasn't relaxing, in fact he was searching through the cupboards and taking inventory of all the supplies they had, he felt useful this way, he was writing it down in a notepad he found in one of the motel rooms, he was quite impressed by the amount of food they had managed to stock up on, in fact they had enough food to last four months, and that's including snacks, Carley had a close eye on him, thing was; he knew it, but he had more important matters to deal with, that and he was still struggling to accept whether the moment, he and Carley shared, was real, did she really have affections toward him or was it just a one off.
Gus was resting his arms on the table; bored but relaxed, he observed everyone's content expressions, he sighed, wishing he had something to do to take his mind off some things "Too bad we don't have Scrabble… I would cream you all" he came out and said, almost bragging, just to spark conversation, Clem continued drawing her pretty pink and yellow unicorn, Lee, Ben and Carley heard him, but knew they didn't have very many games apart from Cards, Chutes and Ladder and Chess, though Chess was too hard for people other than Lee, Ben and Doug.
That sound of absolute silence, made Gus embarrassed, he was just itching for a conversation to start, he hated sound silence, especially nowadays, it always seemed to mean something bad was afoot, he was about to lean back in the cushion seat and deal with the silent atmosphere, but Ben was also fed up with sad thoughts, and seeing Gus was the only one trying to lighten the mood with good conversation, Ben explained, forming a slight smile "My parents used to play Scrabble every Friday; I wasn't a big fan though, I just watched my parents argue over the dictionary" it was a humorous and fond memory of his.
Gus was relieved that someone was listening to him and talking, he never expected it to be Ben however, but he was glad nonetheless, although he kind of wished he was, he had plenty of wacky tales to tell, he was curious though "How can you not? It's a test of true intellect, that is why, they call me; The Scrabble Master" putting his hands up, forming two L's with his thumbs and index fingers, and swayed them apart, like he was presenting his name on a banner or something.
Ben's eyes widened, slightly freaked out by his self-proclaimed status as 'The Scrabble Master' averting his eyes in Lee and Carley's general direction, they both looked at one another, unsure of how to respond, they realised Gus was sometimes strange, but not in a bad way, just in an awkward type of way.
Though Gus's Scrabble comment did make Carley think about the lack of entertainment, the one thing she missed; well apart from Coffee was music, any kind of music would do at this point, she glanced at Lee and decided to make a remark on the matter "Shame the radio's busted, could go for some music bout now", Lee agreed, anything to keep their minds occupied, long trips were incredibly dull without books or music, and they had neither.
Gus had a solution however, remembering all those drama classes he took back in High School, he cracked his fingers under the table, and cleared his throat, "Allow me" he commented, the others had their eyes on him, wondering what he was about to do, Clementine ceased her drawing, curious about what Gus was doing, he cleared his throat one more time and before anyone could guess, he began to sing "On the road again, just can't wait to get on the road again, the life I love is making music with my friends, I can't wait to get on the road again".
Everyone recognised that song; Willie Nelson's; On the road again, Lee, Carley, Ben and even Clementine; thought he was pretty good, it wasn't quite the same with the guitar strumming in the background, Gus was about to start the next verse, but a certain someone was not a fan "Kid, keep it down back there, hard enough concentrating on the damn road for Walkers, without having obnoxious crap like that in my head" Kenny shouted harshly to the back of the RV, Katjaa looked at her husband, with a scolding expression, knowing Gus was only trying to lighten the mood, Kenny ignored her, focusing on the road.
Gus was startled at first, but he somehow half expected Kenny to bitch about it, heck he complained the most out of everyone in the group, he was slightly hurt by the words Kenny used 'obnoxious crap', to describe his singing, he didn't take it to heart though, that was just who Kenny was, he formed a slight smile and sarcastically responded "And that is why; we can't have music".
"I thought you were really good" Clementine's sweet little voice commented, Gus felt his cheeks burn red, praise often did that to him, "Thank you Clementine, that's really nice of you to say" Gus thanked, he really appreciated those kind words, Clem simply smiled, she was happy to make someone else feel good.
Lee was proud of Clem for her good kind-hearted deed, "He was pretty good, huh Clem?" he stated, eyeing her with a proud glimmer in his eyes, and smile on his face, "Uh huh" she added kindly, Carley was impressed also, despite what Kenny said, "No argument here" she spoke partially to Lee, and partially to Gus, "Yeah totally, that was awesome, man" Ben remarked with kind words, Gus and Ben shared a friendly smirk.
Gus really did appreciate the praise he received, it was quite an unfamiliar sensation actually, he never did receive much praise from his family, though he understood why; he wasn't exactly a 'hard worker' outside his daily job at the Macon Toy Shop 'Toys & Me', maybe the expectations were too high? He really didn't know, thinking about his family was tough for him, considering everything that happened, he was constantly thinking of his brother and sister; who might still be alive, and anyway he really did appreciate the praise, he smiled at each one of them, which was his way of saying "Thank you".
"Hey guys" Doug's voice called out, Lee, Carley, Ben and Gus looked to him curiosity, "I was doing a little digging around earlier, and I found this in one of the cupboards" he presented what appeared to be an old grey 'ICON' brand Radio of sorts, Lee and Carley were stunned beyond words, Gus leaned forward, closer to the table, to catch a glimpse 'Oh hell' he thought to himself, upon realising it was a radio "God, I forgot all about that thing" he stated, he was somewhat relieved; in a way to see it.
Lee realised how valuable that radio could be, considering they had very little knowledge of what was going on, thinking that maybe there might be like a broadcast update; explaining what's causing the dead to walk, or maybe even a place to go, that would be safe for them and the kids, Lee suggested his idea, mainly to Doug and Carley "If we get it working, we might be able to find out what's going on out there" it was a very logical response, one that they all agreed with.
Doug handed the radio in Lee's direction, but Carley reached for it first "I'll see if I can get it working" she stated, eyeing Doug in a seductive fashion, his cheeks lightly blushed, no one seemed to notice the way Carley was looking at Doug, though Lee realised there was a connection between the two, he thought the two were a good match, for some reason; he believed so, as did Gus; who was actually the only one who noticed the look of temptation she was giving Doug, he was happy to know the two were close, he could tell something happened between the two, but he'd ask Doug later, when his mind wasn't so preoccupied.
Lee had no issue with Carley fixing it, in fact; as a news reporter, she most likely had plenty of experience with radio's "Good idea, I'm gonna check up on Kenny and Katjaa" Lee stood up from his seat and walked to the front of the RV, wanting to inform Kenny of the radio, and find out how long until they reach the CDC, and just see how he and Katjaa were feeling about things in general.
Doug stepped aside to allow Lee to pass, he looked back at Carley; who used the radio to cover her face, from an angle, so Gus, Ben and Clementine, making it look like she was examining the radio up close, so that they couldn't see her seductive smile or her gorgeously attractive and alluring eyes, she was giving Doug, just to see him panic, it was always a cute reaction, he formed a slight smile, one that would go unnoticed, but once again; Gus noticed what was happening, he was tempted to say 'Get a room' but he wouldn't say that in front of Clementine, or Carley; she'd probably throw a shoe at him again.
Gus suddenly clapped both hands together, startling Carley, Clem and Ben, not purposely, and declaring "If you'll excuse me I have to uh relieve myself" he chose those specific words out of consideration for Clementine, he didn't like cursing very much, especially when Kenny opens his mouth, he didn't like that the man had no considerations around Duck, Clementine or anyone in regards to his foul language. Ben shifted his legs to the side of the cushioned seat, in order to allow Gus to squeeze through, and as he headed for the tiny bathroom/toilet, Carley sarcastically responded; with a hint of seriousness in her tone "Thanks for the unwanted information".
Gus didn't look back, he just smiled to himself, and declared in a smug manner "You're Welcome", Carley knew it was all in good fun, just having a joke; she liked that about him.
Gus opened the door to the small toilet, he made sure to close the door behind him, the toilet seat was up when he came in, he gently closed it, before sitting down, he looked at the lock on the door, it was a flip lock, there was a little green indicator, that read 'VACANT', he flipped the lock, turning the knob until it read 'IN USE' in red.
Gus simply sat there, he had a lot on his mind of late, he just wanted a moment to reflect, he was leaning forward with his hands close together, his eyes began to slope, the smile he had on his face seconds ago, faded, after a solid minute not moving, he sat back up, his mouth was slightly open, his facial expression, was not a happy one.
Gus slowly reached into his right pocket in his track pants, only to pull out a wallet, a brown wallet, he stared at it, with a blank expression, slowly he began to unfold it, as he did; he looked as if he didn't want to, at a snail's pace; he reached inside his wallet, he found what he was looking for; a photo, a photo of his family; he missed so much.
Gus placed his wallet back into his pocket, with both hands; he held the photo, his hands were beginning to shake, he looked at his family photo; his breathing became short and sharp; he just looked at the family in his hands. His Dad; tall, messy black hair; like Kenny, he even had a moustache, only smaller, his mother; not quite as tall as his dad, short blond hair, though stripes of her natural hair colour; which was dark brown; was visible. His younger brother; Matt; he looked a lot like a younger version of himself; only skinnier, and of course there was his sister; Jessie; long blond hair; for an eight year old, but her eyes were the same as their Mother's.
Gus's eyes began to tear up, his bottom lip began to quiver, uncontrollably, he tried to stop it by closing his upper lip over his bottom lip, he could feel a sore lump down his throat, he could feel his throat starting to well up, seconds later he could feel his insides jump about, tears were now streaming from his eyes, he couldn't stop himself anymore, he burst into tears, silently sobbing.
As he cried uncontrollably; he decided to take off his glasses; sitting them on a shelf above the toilet, he had to, tears were watering down his cheeks and into his mouth, or down his neck, his throat became numb from crying so much; he missed his family, he wanted to go home; to Macon; and live on as if nothing had ever happened, but realised he'd be fooling himself, his Mom, Dad, Aunts and Uncles; dead, he felt horrible for not mourning them sooner, and not knowing the fate of his brother and sister; served to make him feel that much worse.
Snot began to stream out of his nose from how hard he was crying, he wanted to keep it quiet though, he was a wreck right now and didn't want to concern anyone, and the group had enough on their minds without worrying about him. Gus reached into his other pocket, pulling out a handkerchief; he used it to wipe away the snot running down his noses, but the harder he tried not to cry, the more he did, his vision blurred; pooled with tears, he was scared; scared of losing the only people he now knew as his second family.
The group viewed Gus as a very happy-go-lucky; optimistic type, but as they learned the day he met them, he was quite sensitive and fragile, he's lost everything from the very start, but more than anything; he's lost the most, there was to lose, he felt empty most days, often trying to hide his sorrows with a smile, this group was the only thing keeping him alive.
Gus planted his hands over his entire face, tears falling into the palms of his hands, soaking wet, his body jerked as he produced more tears to cry, his throat was numbing quicker by the second, his cheeks were heating up, he chose to just sit there and sob; breaking down into a fit of sadness, regret and pain, slumping his shoulders, letting all his emotions plummet to the ground, he had lost so much, he often asked himself; why did he survive? He regretted nearly every decision he's ever made.
Ever since he met this group of good people, he saw them as a second chance; a second chance to prove he was a good guy, he wanted to prove to his deceased family; that he could be a better, stronger and smarter person than he ever was before any of this shit started happening.
Gus descended to his deepest darkest sorrows to summon the tears needed to heal his aching heart, hoping to find solace in at least something, but he couldn't; he needed time, reflecting on his past made him realise more of what a total asshole he was, he had so many faults, and upon realising he even deserved the chance to redeem himself, made him sick to his stomach, he deserved nothing, he thought to himself; I have nothing, I deserve nothing, I… am… nothing.
Katjaa was enjoying the ongoing view of the countryside; reminding her of what life was like before everything happened, Kenny felt the same way; his love of the road; overshadowed the negatives of this plan of theirs, Katjaa turned to look over her shoulder; to see Lee in the doorway, his presence gave a positive feeling; she liked Lee; he was a good man, considering all he had done.
"Hey guys" he greeted, the friendship between Lee and Kenny was at an all-time high, despite their differences of opinions from time to time, Kenny was thankful to have met him "What up pal? Something on your mind or ya just bored out of ya mind, I know I would be if I were back there without some whiskey to keep things interesting".
Same old Kenny, Lee thought to himself, before responding in a friendly fashion "Nah just thought I'd check up on you guys, we doing okay?", Kenny was conflicted, quite a bit actually, he doubted how well things would turn out for them, though he did understand where Lee was coming from, Lee wants to find Clementine a safe place, just like he does for Duck and Katjaa, but the CDC sounds too risky.
Kenny had a shifty look, from the corner of his eye, as he looked at the man beside him "Well, honestly? We're on the road to what could be a dead end, with Walkers itchin to chomp our asses, and-" Katjaa intervened, "Kenny…" she retorted, out of annoyance of her husband's overbearing nature, before she looked to Lee with a sweet considerate expression, adding "We're fine Lee", Lee was fond of Katjaa; as a friend, she was always supportive of him, from the very start really, she always looked at him with kind eyes, he liked that about her.
Kenny took a breather, realising how unsupportive, he's been, toward Lee, considering all he had done for him and his family, he decided to calm down, they were all scared; he knew it, he was the only one that clearly showed it.
As he was fixed on driving, he spoke aloud to Lee and Katjaa, seemingly calm "Guess it's not too bad, always was a fan of driving through the countryside, growing up in Florida; makes you appreciate stuff like that, the countryside sure does bring out the hillbilly in people".
Lee was glad to hear something positive come out of his mouth for once, remembering that his attitude was becoming increasingly difficult in the last week, he was constantly looking at Gus, blaming him for some of their problems, Kenny almost flipped his shit when both Gus and Doug; suggested rationing their food, despite the fact that there was clearly enough to keep them going for a while, though they only suggested for when they had to start rationing, precautions, Lee thought it was smart to plan ahead, Kenny felt Gus was trying to run things, bossing him around, even though he wasn't.
Lee didn't really relate to Kenny on the matter, he loved the countryside sure, be never had the time to appreciate it, but Kenny displayed numerous stereotypes of a redneck, which was enough to make him understand, well that and his love of the road "Heh, no kidding" he chuckled in response to his own conclusion.
"How's Clementine doing?" Katjaa suddenly asked, being the caring person that she was, Lee appreciated her concern, Katjaa cared a lot for that little girl, almost as much as she for her own son.
Lee turned to look back at Clem, who was happily occupying herself with her drawings, he noticed Carley was watching her for a second as well, she thought that little girl was a treasure, she smiled; joyful emotions tugging at her heartstrings; seeing this little girl so content with something as simple as drawing a unicorn, it was cute.
Lee simply smiled at the scene, Carley looked in Lee's direction, she was trying to tinker around with the radio, but it seemed as if whatever she was doing to make it work wasn't… you know working, Lee stated whilst turning his head to look down at Katjaa; comfortably seated in the passenger's seat "She's fine, even with everything going on, she's managed to keep her spirit, I worry bout her, but it's nice knowing she hasn't given up hope".
Katjaa acknowledging shook her head, Lee would do anything for that girl; she knew this; remembering the Walker that grabbed Clementine in the Alleyway, he didn't hesitate to save her, risking his own life to preserve that little gem, Kenny had something he wanted to say, but he figured it could wait until later on, when he could have a discreet conversation with Lee about Clementine.
"How long do you think, until we get there?" Lee asked out the blue, Kenny hesitated for a few seconds, he was too busy thinking about that talk he wanted to have, he didn't quite hear all the words, he was quickly piecing together what he did hear, upon realising what Lee said, he regained his calm composure and responded "If Einstein's right; bout five, six hours, that's assuming we don't come across a parade of those dead fuckers, or road blocks made from burning cars, we'll be golden if things go as smooth as they should".
Lee didn't really see that happening, based on previous experiences; heck the day it all started was seeing him being transported to prison; that didn't go so smooth, the Police Officer's decomposed face was a reminder of that, as was the Motor Inn; they fooled themselves into thinking that place was safe; the place they called home now; was more or less the RV, it wasn't all bad, but it wasn't all that great either.
Lee was praying things go as planned, for three weeks at the Motor Inn; it seemed to, except on those days they found nothing whilst hunting, the group was capable; he had faith in that very fact, "Hopefully that won't be a problem" Lee's hopes were quite high, hoping that no one dies, hoping the CDC had answers, hoping the CDC was a safe place to hunker down, hoping to find more survivors; good ones.
"You and me, both Doc" Kenny muttered, as he was rather preoccupied with the road and his thoughts; regarding the safety of his family.
Lee was curious regarding the whole plan, or rather he was curious about what Kenny thought of the group's plan, he seemed none too happy about it, Lee's eyes sloped halfway, looking down at Kenny, who was too busy to notice, Kenny knew Lee was still there, he was always there.
Lee was not too keen to ask this question "So what's the plan?" Lee expected a half-ass remark about the people running the CDC, it was frustrating; knowing he would, Lee just couldn't understand why Kenny couldn't see the logic in this plan, wishing Kenny would back him up this once, he told Kenny yesterday; back at the Motor Inn "The coast does sound like the smartest option", he figured Kenny would return the favour at some point, he didn't take it to heart though, he didn't really have a wife or child, therefore could never truly understand the position Kenny was in.
Kenny already had the plan all thought out, it was quick and simple; just the way Kenny wanted it "We get in, find out what the assholes in lab rat coats know, then we work from there", Lee crossed his arms; looking down; half disappointed, but Kenny then went on to remind Lee of the deal they had established "But I ain't forgetting what we agreed; if this hellhole's a dead end, we hop on the next boat outta here".
Lee could hear bits of anger in the man's tone, he was none too pleased with it, Lee swore Kenny was half glaring at him, Lee half glared also, he wasn't afraid of Kenny, like some of the others; like Doug, Gus claims he's not, but Lee knew otherwise and Ben was clearly afraid of Kenny; especially when he was angry.
Lee could feel a small burning anger at the pit of his stomach, toward Kenny; he was slightly irritated by Kenny's doubt in the plan, and persistence with finding a boat, Lee chose to be the better man, his eyes soften, arms crossed still, as he responded in a calm and understanding manner, with a hint of slight annoyance "I hear you Ken".
Katjaa could see the inner conflict, he was clearly dealing with, she could tell that Lee had some words to say to Kenny, but chose not to say them, Kenny wasn't being very supportive of this plan, of Lee, she wished Kenny would be more supportive, considering the great lengths he was going; in order to protect this group, and she'd never forget what Lee did; to protect their boy, she owed that man more than anything she could give.
Which reminded her; she hadn't even properly thanked Lee for what happened that day, seeing Lee looking rather unimpressed with her husband, felt like the time to bring it up, she smiled "Lee…" she spoke in a kind soft tone of voice, Lee glanced in her direction; curiosity shaping his eyes, Kenny was curious also, wondering what Katjaa had to say "I never did thank you for saving Duck back at Hershel's farm".
Lee never really expected thanks; he did what anyone would've done, Duck is a good kid, he wouldn't be able to live with himself; knowing that a little boy died, when he had the opportunity to do something, he appreciated the thanks regardless, even though Kenny has thanked him plenty times already.
Kenny couldn't begin to show how much he appreciated what Lee did to protect Duck from those monsters "Dunno what woulda happen if you hadn't done otherwise", Kenny had a frightened look in his eyes, as he spoke; in a very bland but gratifying tone, he didn't want to think about it; losing his son; would probably kill him, Lee prevented that from happening, ever since what happened at Herschel's farm, he kept his eyes concentrated on Duck and Katjaa, at nearly every chance he could; thinking back to Herschel's farm was not easy for him, Shawn's death weighed heavily upon him, even after Lee consulted him to 'Let it go', he couldn't.
Lee simply smiled, the thanks was unnecessary he thought, or maybe he was a bit too modest, either way; he appreciated, Kenny and Katjaa's praise "You guys don't need to thank me; I did what anyone woulda done".
Kenny had no doubts about that, Lee was a good man, but the thought of Shawn dying, was all that kept coming to mind when thinking back to Lee saving Duck's life, it was haunting him, he blinked a few times, and lightly shook his head, trying to brush the memory away "Nevertheless Lee, we appreciate it" Lee smiled down at his redneck friend, equally thankful for sticking by him, even if Kenny was doubtful of their CDC plan, he had every right to be, looking at Katjaa with a smile also, and over his shoulder; seeing Duck happily paddling his legs in the air, whilst drawing, Kenny was a lucky man to have a family as great as his.
As Kenny reminded himself of what he was meant to be doing; focusing on the road, he did just that, but his thoughts were jumping back to Shawn; had Shawn not invited them back to the farm; who knows where they would've end up, "KENNY!" Shawn's voice was travelling into his head "HELP ME" Kenny gritted his teeth, 'I'm sorry, I'm sorry, sorry, so… so just… I'm so FUCKIN sorry, Please'.
Kenny was fighting back the memories, he applied pressure on his forehead; with his index and thumb; hoping it might subdue the horrible thoughts, and the addition of thundering ache on his forehead, the guilt-ridden dreams he had on occasion; was enough to deal with; without causing a pounding sensation in his head "Ken?" Katjaa's voice questioned him, looking rather concerned "I'm fine, just a little restless" Katjaa heard what he said, but doubted his answer, Lee wasn't convinced either, but before he could further question his stability; Kenny added "Speaking of which; ya'll gonna wanna think about resting up, we got a long stretch to go, before we hit the CDC".
Lee shook his head, they could all use a rest, then again so could Kenny, but knowing him, he wouldn't be resting anytime soon, if he offered to drive for a bit, Kenny would most likely refuse, then again Lee wasn't ready to rest just yet, the radio was offering a glimmer of hope, he was quite anxious, anxious in a rather cautious sense of course.
Lee decided that maybe he should check back with Carley, thinking that the radio would be working any moment now, and didn't want to miss it, at this point Lee was beginning to think Katjaa had psychic powers, as she looked to him; with a smile and a nod of understanding, he realised there was something very important to be done; getting that radio 'operational' as Doug would put it, he gave her a friendly smirk, a nod; before carefully manoeuvring his way to the back of the RV, past Doug, who was still taking inventory, and to where Carley was seated.
Kenny could sense Lee's presence; no more, he had so much running through his head right now, and Lee seemed like the only one who understood the position he was in, as a family man, he may not admit it, but he trusted Lee; saving Duck, sticking at his side, everything 'God dammit Lee' he mentally cursed the man for being so right about the CDC 'I hope this ain't a wild goose chase… I really do'.
Carley had the radio, lying down on the table, observing the many switches that came with the device, she was sceptical; nothing she did seemed to work, as Lee approached, she found herself looking at the man with soft eyes, placing her hands on her hips, Lee was curious; she looked defeated, Lee was slightly scared, was it busted? He wondered if that was why she was giving him the soft eyes, seconds later; his curiosity turned to words "How's the radio coming along, Carley?".
'Obviously not well' she thought to herself, Carley had tried every possible thought that came to mind, nothing seemed to do the trick, she was thinking of getting Doug to have a peek at the problem, considering how tech suave he was, but Lee was here, so maybe he could, she flashed a smile "Good" she proudly responded, momentarily pausing, before admitting "If I could get it working".
Lee cracked a smile, secretly rolling his eyes "Here, let me have a look at it", Carley didn't seem fussed, knowing Lee had a better chance of fixing it than she did, tech stuff wasn't exactly her forte, Lee didn't hesitate upon being given this opportunity, reaching for the radio, he held it in the palm of both hands, examining it before tinkering about, he wanted to make sure he did not wreck it beyond repair or something.
As Lee studied the radio in his hands, the first thing he did, though quite an obvious reaction to have, and that was pressing the power button "Hmmm nothing" he murmured quietly, sharpening the look in his eyes, for a brief two seconds, before studying the two tiny knobs, one labelling the AM/FM tuner, and other knob was for controlling the volume, 'As loud as it's getting', referring to the volume switch on high, regardless; it ceased to function.
Lee thought to tamper with the tuning, there was a sharp arrow in a rectangle shaped section with numbers, and the arrow was pointing between 94 and 106, he was thinking of tampering with it but considering the volume was on high, and assuming the radio was actually 'On', which it clearly wasn't, he figured he would have at least heard; a feint static sound of sorts by now, so something was wrong, which began to startle Lee, but he hadn't given up hope yet.
The only other logical explanation, Lee could think of; was that maybe the batteries were dead; it seemed the most plausible, though he hoped his assumption was true, he turned the radio around, until he was staring at the back of it, there was a rectangle shaped spot, where the batteries go, eager to get this radio going; he pulled back on the slider, only to reveal "There are no batteries in this thing" Lee responded in dismay.
Carley was baffled upon hearing the problem, her eyes formed confusion "What now?" she blurted out, clearly puzzled by what he just said, "You know that there are no batteries in this thing?" he asked out of sheer curiosity.
Carley's expression was a sceptical one, her natural instincts kicked in; embarrassment, her eyes half closed; her teeth gritting nervously "Yeah, of course" she replied in a cheerful sort of manner, but Lee could hear a hint of uncertainty and denial in her tone and voice, he eyed her suspiciously, Carley noticed the look he had given her, and out of panic and embarrassment; she added "I mean, yeah" Lee bowed his head slightly, staring at Carley; certain now; she really didn't , Carley knew that Lee knew now, she gave a sideways nod, averting her eyes and her tone went completely 180, confessing "No".
Though Lee thought that Carley's lack of knowledge regarding the radio, was somewhat strange, but he didn't judge her for that, instead he decided to assist Carley with getting the radio working, starting with some batteries "I can try to find some, needs two" he explained in a polite and friendly manner, whilst wondering where in the RV, would there be any batteries? if any.
Carley appreciated the fact that Lee didn't make fun of her, for her lack of technological understandings, as a news reporter; all she did was gather the information necessary to cover her stories, her camera crew were responsible for recording equipment, and other stuff like that.
Carley half smiled, before showing her gratitude and further explaining the circumstances she was in "Thanks, I wouldn't even really know what to look for", once again revealing information about herself, she found embarrassing, Lee figured Carley would know all about this sort of equipment, guess not, but now there was a bigger question, where could he find batteries?
Lee's first inkling was to check out Doug, see if he's turned up on batteries, while taking an inventory count, seemed logical enough.
Lee once again, manoeuvred through the RV, until reaching Doug, who was perfectly still, where he was standing; the cupboard's door blocked the way to the front of the RV, Doug was holding what appeared to be a clipboard, and was just finishing writing down the next item on a piece of paper attached to the clipboard, before realising Lee was there.
Doug wasn't at all startled by Lee's sudden appearance, like he was back at the Motor Inn, there were no bells involved to hit his head this time, "Hey Lee" he greeted with a concentrated look, Lee responded in an equally friendly manner "Hey".
Lee stood there, observing the process of taking inventory, writing down the item, and the appropriate amount of that particular item, smart, Lee was glad to have someone like Doug; planning ahead and taking precautions, much like Gus, who made supply runs and hunts; a regular thing; in order to preserve their supplies, Doug, Carley, Gus and Katjaa were the smartest and most level headed of the group, Kenny was far too stubborn, and Ben as a new addition; put him in corner until further notice.
Lee brushed away those thoughts for now, in order to focus on the task at hand; Batteries "You haven't seen any battery's by any chance, have you Doug?" Lee questioned Doug through calm and friendly mannerisms, Doug formed a look of complex thinking, he quickly skimmed through the inventory checklist that he's made so far, and from his recollection of memories, he was thinking to the finest detail, Sherlock style; thumb resting on his cheek, with his index finger resting under his chin, before coming to a steady conclusion "Actually, now that you mention it, that's one thing, I didn't see any while taking inventory, not a single battery".
This piece of information was quite disappointing to hear "Damn" he responded through irritation of the luck they were having, swaying his head to his right, baring his teeth; aggravated and disappointed to say the least. Doug thought it was odd that he hadn't seen a single battery, though he remembered Gus mentioning that he keeps spares on him at all time, mostly at night, encase the generator ran dry of juice; and needed flashlights or lamps, Gus was probably the best bet in that regard then.
Doug came out with this information, by saying "Maybe ask Gus" Lee's head instantly perked up, curiosity getting the better of him, or intrigue more like it, nevertheless he listened to Doug's explanation with full interest "I do recall him mentioning; he had a good supply of them somewhere, might be worth asking him".
Lee figured that was a good idea, Gus knew pretty much all the ins and outs of everything they do, that and he seemed to have far more knowledge about Walkers than any of the others, so he was often prepared for a 'worst of' situation like this, Lee was grateful for this uplifting piece of information "Thanks", Doug was always glad to help, the two; friendly smiled at one another "No problem Lee" the tech guy replied before returning to his inventory setup.
Doug allowed Lee to get past the cupboard door to check out Gus; who's been in the toilet for quite a while now, which concerned him a bit, Gus was like his best friend; albeit younger; himself being thirty-three years old, Gus was what? Twenty-two? Twenty-three? He couldn't remember, regardless; the immense knowledge they had, made them quite the pair of friends.
Just as he opened the cupboard door again, once Lee got through, he found himself looking in Carley's direction, she was resting herself over the table, arms resting against the table top, watching Clementine colouring, he couldn't help but summon a grin to his face, and he still couldn't completely comprehend the fact that Carley; a beautiful, strong, smart news reporter; was falling for him; of all people; she likes the IT Guy.
Carley then turned her head in Doug's direction, a seductive smile was the first thing she mustered, seeing Doug so mesmerised was one of those 'enjoy the little things' moment, Doug realised he was blushing, he wanted to hide it but he found himself so captivated that he couldn't, Carley quietly giggled to herself; finding his nervous behaviour quite alluring, it tickled her fancies, if you know what I mean, but just to see him staggered or better yet; stunned with happy thoughts; she then pulled off a seductive wink in his direction.
Doug's face looked all screwy, like he was trying hard not to smile, but instead his cheeks were becoming as red as tomatoes, much to Carley's delight, Doug knew what she was doing, but he fell for it, nonetheless, it had only been one night, but since then; they were really close, Carley was almost shocked to see Doug adapting to their new relationship, quite well; not once did he try to look at her; get frightened when their eyes met, and look away, this little fact gave her hope for the both of them.
Lee was standing by the bathroom/toilet door, he wasn't sure why; but he found himself leaning his ear against the door, it was quiet, which concerned him greatly, but he heard short sharp breaths, so he didn't assume the worst, he figured Gus might've had stomach aches, after drinking a glass of expired milk, Gus hadn't realised it was expired until Carley pointed it out, Gus might be the only one who could get the radio working, if he has any batteries that is, but even if he doesn't; the CDC was still that glowing light they need to get to.
"Gus, you okay in there?" Lee asked, after knocking on the door, there was a good six seconds of silence, Gus realised his hesitation would attract Lee's concern, so after taking a deep breath, he responded through his joking mannerism, to hide the sadness in his voice "Just swell, there's a tea party in here, care to join?", Lee was disgusted by the invitation, though Gus was only trying to mess with his head, it worked; as Lee quickly replied in a medium tone of voice "No way".
Gus expected a reaction like that, he was using his sleeve to remove the tears that were streaming down his cheeks; he wasn't ready to come out yet "So uh, what can I do for ya Lee? Or can it wait until I'm done?", Lee would wait, but he was far too keen with getting the radio fixed, besides he only needed to know where the batteries were, then he would grab them himself, and plop them into the radio.
The sooner he gave Lee the details as to the whereabouts of the batteries, the sooner he gets a few more minutes to compose himself, he had no intention of letting anyone know; he was having a small mental meltdown, after sighing a breath of air; we said "I keep a bunch of batteries, stockpiled inside my backpack, they're in a white plastic bag, I've got plenty to go around, but try not to rearrange anything, so help yourself. You know where my backpack is right? It's beside where Ben's sitting; I'll be out in a minute anyway".
Lee was pleased to hear that there were in fact some batteries in the RV, he was quite relieved, Doug allowed Lee to get through once again, Doug was close to finishing his inventory checklist, anyway Lee headed to the back of the RV, and beside Ben was Gus's backpack; like he said.
Lee didn't waste time, kneeling down in front of the backpack, he unbuckled the backpack, lifting the flap off the top, he peeked inside; Gus had plenty of stuff inside his back pack, the first thing he saw was a flashlight, two flashlights actually 'Smart' he thought to himself, he didn't move it, just as Gus asked him not to, he reached in deeper, his fingers dragged along; what felt like a hand gun; of sorts, as he dug deeper he found two more, Gus always kept spares encase someone ran out of ammo, whilst hunting, that backpack and Gus were inseparable, but so far they hadn't had to use the spare guns, in fact they rarely raised their guns on Walkers, because Gus insisted they do anything other than fire a gun, he knew what that meant for them, certain Walker invasion.
Gus also kept some snacks at hand; just in case, and as Lee reached deeper into the back pack, he found what he was looking for; a white plastic bag; full of batteries, enough to run forty flashlights, or twenty Walkie-Talkies "Jackpot, now we can get the radio working, hopefully" Lee spoke aloud to himself, with a small bit of doubt in his voice, trying not to think about the uncertainties he had.
Ben had heard Lee's voice, he looked down at him briefly, before looking at the table top, he felt out of place, right now, not knowing anyone was really bugging him, he liked them though, they all seemed quite nice, except that hillbilly dad or whatever; he only knew some of their names, like; Lee, Clementine, Carley, Doug and Gus.
Ben really wanted to talk to someone, get to know them better, but feeling out of place did nothing to boost his confidence, "Do you like what I drew?" a little girl's voice spoke out in a soft and innocent tone, "Huh?" Ben retorted, turning his head slightly to the right, Clementine was holding her drawing out in his direction, Ben's voice creaked, making a quiet "eerrrr" sound, he was trying to figure out how to respond.
Ben never really talked to younger kids; except his sister, of course, but this was a little girl he didn't know, he was scared of doing something wrong and upsetting her, which could result in him being thrown out of the RV, maybe it was the fear of being alone, that made him speak "Oh uh yeah, um it's uh really um nice" or maybe it was the fact that he was an idiot, cause that's how he felt after fumbling his words, the way he did.
Clementine didn't seem to mind though; she simply smiled and showed her gratitude by saying "Thanks" Ben didn't respond, but found himself smiling at the little girl, she really did remind him of his sister, through his head, his voice told him 'Come on, talk to someone, it's not that hard', but despite the guidance; he chose to simply ponder everything that's happened of late.
Clementine hadn't actually finished drawing however, she wanted to add more colours into the background, she started drawing a rainbow, above her unicorn; though limited to blue, yellow, white, black, green and pink, as she was wondering about Lee, worried really; there was a lot of things that the group depended on him for, that scared her; she didn't like Lee going on Supply runs, or Hunting, she really would've like to have gone with Lee at least once, but she knew he would only say 'no' to keep her safe, she just wished he didn't have so much weight on his shoulders.
Lee had carefully tied the plastic bag up, and had gently placed the bag of batteries, back into Gus's back pack, closing the flap, he then turned around until he was looking down at Carley, she was already waiting for Lee to hand her the batteries, aware that he had them, she had been keeping a close watch on him, not because he was a convicted felon, but just to further develop an opinion of him, and lately she questioned herself; wondering whether Lee really could have done what he was accused of doing; murdering a man, or anyone for that matter.
Carley was equally as eager to get the Radio working, she would kill a Walker with her bare hands, for a warn shower, Lee thought the same thing at one point, but for a bottle of Bourbon, or maybe a nice hot cup of Coffee, though killing Walkers wasn't exactly at the top of his main priorities, Lee smiled as he placed the two Batteries into the palm of her hand "Here are the two batteries we need" he spoke with a look of excitement in his eyes, though Lee always seemed focused on the task at hand, Carley knew Lee was eager, as was she "Thanks, Should be able to get it to work now" she stated in a friendly manner, with a gratified smile thrown in for good measure.
Carley was about to start working, by inserting the batteries, not much of a hard task right? But before she did, she eyed Lee, trying to be discreet, Lee was sceptical by this look he was receiving, Carley was giving him a sort of; concerned but serious expression, Lee half opened his mouth to speak, but Carley was one step ahead of him, she shook her head on an angle; directing at Clementine, her expression then became a serious one, Lee beared a look of scepticism, but upon realising what she was getting at, he realised something may be wrong with Clem, perhaps.
As shown on numerous accounts, Lee would always put Clementine above anything, without dismissing the needs of the entire group, if Carley believed there may be something wrong with Clementine, then he was about to do whatever he could to keep her spirits high, though Carley actually didn't know whether there actually was; anything wrong with her, she just figured Lee should check on her anyway, Lee however was going to check on her anyway, the two haven't had a chance to discuss the events of the Motor Inn, it was a scary situation, he worried how that would affect a little girl.
Lee closed his mouth, realising now; what Carley was trying to say, he gave her a nod of understanding, Carley was pleased by his commitment to Clementine, he really was trying to be a good caretaker, and no one could deny that.
Carley allowed Lee, to squeeze on past her, in order to sit beside Clem, he scooted closer to the little girl, until he was right beside her, Clementine temporarily stopped drawing, looking at Lee, the two smiled back at one another, the bond between these two, even from the silent observing eye of the nervous Ben, Lee cared deeply for this little girl, he sneaked a quick peek at Clementine's drawing of a Unicorn 'Pretty good' he told himself.
Clementine was grinning at Lee for some reason, he wasn't quite so sure about what though, but he just smiled back, but his expression softened, remembering why he was there "How are doing, Sweet Pea?" he spoke in a soft but sweet tone, Clementine liked that 'Sweat Pea', the name echoed over, she liked it a lot, her parents would call her 'Cupcake, Sweetie, Clementine-baby or Clemmy', she really missed her parents, but she trusted Lee; about her parents finding her, though she had her doubts; at times.
"I'm okay, what do you think of my drawing?" Clementine responded gleefully, as she held up her picture to Lee, hoping he likes it, Lee may have sneaked a peek seconds ago, but that didn't stop him from liking it any less, as he examined it further, there were yellow birds flying over the rainbow, though the rainbow wasn't quite complete, there were a mixture of blue, white and yellow flowers among the grass, Lee was impressed; Clementine hasn't lost that mannerism that makes children lovable, which was a good thing, he didn't want the apocalypse to change her, that was his worst fear.
Lee thought her drawings were like an inspiration of hope, that's why he liked it "It's really nice Clem" he praised her artistic skills, for an eight year old, it was good, Clementine half blushed, glad to hear Lee likes her drawing "Thanks Lee" the little girl responded through a gratified tone of voice, her eyes brightened with joy upon a good idea she had "I'll do one for you".
Lee never tired of Clementine's sweet, kind-hearted nature, she always knew how to turn a bleak situation into a hopeful one, Clem was gifted, that's for sure, "I'd like that" Lee remarked in his usual calm soft voice, while resting his hand on her back, offering her comfort in a simple gesture like this; was enough to keep that bright hopeful look in her eyes.
A few seconds later, Lee removed his resting hand from Clementine's back, she then happily resumed staring at her own drawing, hoping to do more, to make it as pretty as possible.
Lee stole a quick glimpse of Carley, she was just opening the back of the radio, to insert the batteries, he was awfully keen to hear some news about anything, preferably good news, though despite his eagerness; he remembered why he was sitting beside Clem; he was meant to be checking on how she was feeling about everything, how was she holding up? Considering what happened yesterday.
"So uh what do you think about all this Clem? Leaving the Motor Inn?" Lee asked half-heartedly; knowing the answer wouldn't be a good one, his eyes half open, looking at Clem with a look of concern and slight sadness, as expected, she lowered her head, placing her hand atop the other, her eyes temporarily sloping "It's not good" she responded, worried; clearly evident in her soft tone, Lee agreed with Clementine "No it isn't" he didn't like telling the truth, if it could potentially upset her, but keeping the status of her parents to himself; that was worse.
The Motor Inn was their home, they were all homeless when it all started, Lee wondered; how did such a great bunch of people like; Kenny, Carley, Doug, Gus, Katjaa, Duck and Clementine, do it? Survival-wise, how was it possible for all these people, to cross paths, banding together to survive; 'The End of the World' as floating bits of newspaper have stated, the whole 2012 thing, was far more likely to happen, though it didn't, than anything like this, who could've predicted something like this to happen? Nobody could've, it seemed.
Clementine wasn't the biggest fan of the Motor Inn, but they were safe for a while, it was safe enough to call home, until her parents found her, but being on the road was far scarier; not knowing where they were going "It's kinda scary; it felt like I had two homes", hearing Clem say the Motor Inn was like a home, instantly clicked, he agreed; Macon was his home town, therefore the Motor Inn was the closest thing, he's had to a home, since before the murder he committed "Yeah it did" Lee responded, half smiling, clearly worried; by the look in his eyes it seemed that way.
Clementine could sense there was a bit of doubt in Lee's heart, she rarely, if ever saw him with even the slightest of doubt about anything, he always had a positive outlook on anything, or he could at least think of one, for any circumstance.
Clem didn't want Lee to be sad, or doubtful; she needed Lee to give her strength, to give her hope, to give her protection, if not for Lee; she may have ran out of food, she may not be alive right now; if Lee hadn't come into her life when he did, and for that; Clementine wanted Lee to be happy, Lee had done so much for him, giving Lee some hope; to hold onto; was the least she could do, her face suddenly brightened, a sweet smile formed on her face, her eyes beamed up at Lee, her eyes embodying hope; hope that Lee needed, as she stated through her soft and silky tone "But I think everything's going to be okay, you'll keep us safe".
Lee was about to give Clementine a smile, when she suddenly gave him a look of uncertainty, sceptical about the statement she just made "Won't you?" she asked, though she had no doubt in her mind that Lee would do everything in his power to keep everyone safe, she felt she needed to hear it.
Clem was worried Lee might think she was doubting him, she was starting to regret the question, even more so now; Lee's smile slowly descended into an uncertain frown, and lowering his head, whilst averting his eyes from her, Clementine thought he was saddened by her doubting him, she instantly bit her lip in regret wondering what to do, however Lee wasn't sad at all, he was thinking back to the State Senator; wondering how could he promise to protect anyone, when he himself is a convicted murderer.
Lee then realised; he was given a second chance; a second chance to start over, knowing deep down; that he wasn't a bad guy, he cared about these people, they were like his family now, he wasn't about to lose the second family he had made, since all this began, knowing that he could never take back what did; he was going to do all he could to keep every one of his new family; safe, especially Clementine.
Lee then lifted his head back up, staring at the sweet little girl beside him, he was her caretaker, he thought to himself, and seeing the worried expression on Clem's face, seemed to bring out the nurturing side of his personality, he looked at Clem; forming a serious glimmer in his eyes, as he responded in his soft tone of voice "Of course, I won't let anything happen to any one of us, that includes you too Clementine" as he continued reassuring Clem, a smile slowly formed itself, Clem began to understand "I won't let anything happen to you, you know that, right?".
The promising look in Lee's expression, was enough to relinquish any doubt that Clementine had, the proof was all there; he saved her from starving in her tree house, he saved her in the Alley, he was supportive of Gus, when they found out about his dead friend, he saved Katjaa from that monster that attacked her, he saved Gus from getting bitten, he was a good guy; a bright smile submerged on her small sweet face, and she softly replied "Yeah I do".
Lee and Clementine smiled at one another, they were inseparable, they both needed each other to survive, and they knew this.
Suddenly the sound of water whirling around in a white bowl caught the groups attention, Gus then emerged from the toilet, Doug closed the cupboard door; allowing Gus to get passed, the eyes of Carley, Ben and Lee were set on him for a brief few seconds, Gus smiled as he came closer to the table, he felt very uncomfortable with their eyes on him, and hiding his emotional state from them also.
Gus stretched his arms, crossing them behind his head, as he looked at Lee and asked "Find those batteries?" Lee shook his head in confirmation, "Sure did, Carley has a handle on the radio", Gus looked at Carley, but she wasn't doing anything, just sitting there "Hardly" she responded in a half spoken tone of voice, hinting her irritation, Lee gave her a look of scepticism "It's still not working?".
Carley shrugged her shoulders, giving him a sideways nod and a rather perplexed stare "No I can't figure it out" she stated, this concerned Lee greatly, 'What could be the problem?' he asked himself, as Ben scooted over on his side of the table; allowing Gus to sit himself down, which he did, he felt every muscle in his body give way, as he relaxed into the cushioned seat.
As Lee pondered the problem with the radio, he decided to check it out himself "Let me have a look at that thing" Carley preferred someone else to meddle with the contraption; rather than herself, she didn't have a clue, her hand gently nudged the radio in Lee's direction "Go ahead" she complied, though the others could hear the irritation in her voice, Gus thought to himself 'How hard could it be to fix a radio?'.
Once again the radio was in the palm of Lee's hands; he recalled what he had attempted the first time, the volume was at its highest setting, the AM/FM tuner; didn't matter right now, and out of familiarity; he pressed the 'POWER' button, as hard as he could; without being rough enough to wreck it "Dammit" he cursed, Clementine then pointed at Lee and declared "Swear", Lee hadn't realised he was even on the clock, Clem didn't like hearing people curse, it was wrong, her parents taught her this lesson, Lee stared at Clem with a look of realization, and apologetically replied "Oh sorry".
"He got told huh?" Gus whispered humorously into Ben's ear, Ben didn't think it was all that funny, his own sister, did the same, every time; he swore, a coin would go into a 'swear' jar, Ben rarely swears anyway, Gus lightly chuckled to himself; Lee heard his quiet laughter, and sent a glare in his direction, once Gus realised he was receiving a glare from Lee, he halted the chuckling, and pretended to clear his throat, whilst averting his eyes.
Lee ignored Gus after that, in order to focus on more important things; like the non-functioning radio in his hands, he then proceeded to turn the radio around, until he was staring at the back of it… again, he couldn't guess what the problem was, but once again he assumed it had something to do with the batteries, so he flipped the back slider back, revealing the two batteries; Carley put in… backwards? There was a small image of how to place the batteries in the right way, on the inside of the slider, and Carley had clearly made an error.
Lee was quick to jump the gun, and pulled out one of the batteries, flipped it around and placed it back into the radio, Carley was curious, was that what she did wrong? She asked herself, as she observed carefully as Lee had just finished flipping the other battery around, and finally closing the back of it, and turning the radio around, until he was looking at the front of it.
"Hey Doug" Kenny's voice called to Doug, who wasn't too keen on talking to Kenny; he wasn't exactly someone who you could have a calm conversation with, but regardless he closed the cupboard door and stood at the doorway, once Kenny saw Doug standing there through the corner of his eye, he asked "What's going on in the back?" Doug wasn't sure if he actually knew what was happening, so he decided to explain "Lee's trying to get a radio working, so we are able to learn exactly what's happening elsewhere".
Kenny's eyes instantly widened "We have a goddamn radio that works?" he blurted, with anger brimming in his eyes, Doug's mouth was ajar, he wasn't sure how to respond "Why the fuck didn't anyone tell me this?" Kenny roared ferociously, "Ken" Katjaa intervened; trying to calm her husband, Doug just stood there; flabbergasted, honestly though; Lee was meant to inform the Commercial Fisherman, of this new development, but had forgotten to mention it, Kenny would remember this.
The batteries were now properly arranged, all that was left was pushing the power button "Hopefully this works" Lee commented to the group members; surrounding the table, Gus shook his head in agreement "Yeah" he replied in a soft manner, Carley was possibly the most keen to see that grey box work "Amen to that" she responded in sarcastic tone, though not intentionally trying to be sarcastic.
Lee took a deep breath of air 'The moment of truth, I guess' he thought to himself, Ben's eyes were focused on Lee and the radio in his hands, Gus was leaning on the table with a serious case of anticipation evident in his facial expression, his bottom lip twitched nervously, Lee glanced at Carley; beside him; and she gave him a reassuring stare, then a swift nod 'Do it' it felt like that's what she was trying to say.
Lee didn't hesitate, and in the blink of an eye… pressed the 'POWER' button, the first sound that came to them was booming static, "SSSSSHHHHHHHHHHZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ", and the look of confusion mixed with disappointment became instantly evident on the faces of everyone, including Lee, and even Clementine; whose eyes fell; depressingly, it diminished the hope of finding her parents, a portion of her heart sank.
"You… did it? Carley responded questionably, with a hint of sarcasm in the question, as she stared at the now 'static' box with questionable looks of seriousness in her eyes, she seemed puzzled, "Dang, nothing but static" Gus remarked, clearly disappointed with the long anticipation; twelve minutes; in the end reduced to high expectations; made for poor results, like Duke Nukem Forever "Oh man" Ben commented, shaking his head in disbelief, he was hoping for a voice, just like everyone else.
Kenny heard the static from the front of the RV, he wasn't so disappointed, he half expected such a result as this; given the luck they've had recently, "Figures" he murmured to himself, the static echoing through his head, it was annoying to hear whilst concentrating on the road, which is what he was doing, 'No use crying over a busted cow, ya just get a new one' he thought to himself.
The radio was at the highest of volume capabilities, so everyone heard it, even Duck; who was wide eyed, but lost in confusion, Lee's eyes half closed, as the static echoed behind his disappointing thoughts, he looked to Clementine, who looked equally as let down as he did, he could tell by the saddened look in her eyes, which had more to do with something far more personal; maybe her parents, Lee stared down at Clem, showing a very sympathetic expression, as he leaned his head closer, trying to think of the right words to say, once he did, he softly stated "Clem… it's gonna-" just then Gus's voice shouted "WAIT!".
Everyone's attention and confusion was drawn to Gus; who was hovering over the top half of his body over the table, by the radio in front of him "What is it?" Lee instantly blurted out; through sheer instinct of the circumstances, Gus's expression looked somewhat deranged; wide eyed, jaw ajar with a look of disbelief, he glanced over in Lee's direction "I-I-I-I heard a voice on that thing" Gus stuttered as he revealed a piece of news no one else seemed to believe.
"Gus, I think you imagined it" Carley responded considerately and softly. Doug had closed the cupboard door, wondering what the commotion was all about, staring at the group members around the table, Gus was slightly irritated that she didn't believe him "I-I know I heard a voice, I heard two words 'ease resp' and then nothing" Lee turned to Carley, she gave him a curious stare, Lee wasn't sure what to think, he didn't hear any voice, but he didn't think Gus was just making stuff up, he was a joker; sure, but he wouldn't joke about something so serious, as this.
Ben and Clementine were eyeing between the three people, both feeling awkwardly positioned, Lee then came out and said "Let me see that thing", Gus was pleased that someone was taking him seriously, as he passed the radio to the History Professor, he added "Try messing with the tuning or whatever", that happened to be just what he was thinking.
Lee examined the radio one last time, before grasping his fingers and thumb, over the big tuning knob, he turned the knob to the left, the static became jumpy "SSHHHWWWSSSHHHWWWZZZHHHSSHHHWWWZZZZZZZZZZZZZWWWZZZZSSSHHHWWW" it sounded more sketchy than before, Lee realised this was the case "Try turning it the other way" Carley made a friendly suggestion, "That's what I thinking" Lee responded in a conclusive tone.
The arrow was pointing at 75, slowly going forward, he passed the original spot it was on; which was 100, the static started to slowly settle down, but then out of the blue, once he hit 119 (Reference to the next comic issue to be released) "Atlant…" everyone's eyes widened at the sound of a human beings voice "What the" Lee remarked, "Was that a voice on that damn thing?" Kenny yelled out, looking equally as stunned as everyone else, as he leaned to the side while driving, and looking over his shoulder, looking past Doug; who was frozen in place; shocked.
Lee kept turning the tuning knob, and slowly bits of words started to meld together to form complete words, the static lessened as the knob was turned, everyone was listening intensively, Carley was staring with full concentration, she hadn't blinked in a solid minute; Lee had noticed, Ben leaned forward with his crossed arms resting on the table, looking rather nervous for some odd reason, Gus was by far the most hooked on every word that he managed to hear through the static, his jaw was completely ajar.
Clementine found herself resting up against Lee, as he tinkered with the radio, laying her head on his side, eyeing the radio, Lee was tampering with; with sheer concern written on her face, was she scared? But then the words became clear, the second the arrow on the tuning gage hit 126 (The final issue planned for Volume 21" All Out War – Part Two by Robert Kirkman) a voice began to speak.
"Broadcasting on Emergency Channel, Police will be approaching Atlanta on Highway 85, anybody read? Please respond, Police will be approaching Atlanta on Highway 85, if anybody is out there, please respond…"
The sound of a living breathing person… a cop; alive, there were people alive out there, looking for survivors, to rescue? Lee was now standing up, holding the radio in disbelief, he lightly shook his head sideways, he couldn't believe it, people were alive, and he couldn't come to grips with this astounding piece of news.
The expression on everyone's faces was the same; wide eyed, their jaws ajar, simply stunned; Carley… Clementine… Gus… Ben… Doug… Duck… Katjaa… and especially Kenny, no one expected there to be someone alive, looking to rescue people, was this real? Everyone questioned the reality of this miracle, or would they be digging deeper into the Rabbit Hole.
"SSSSSHHHHHZZZZZ- Hello? Please respond - SSSHHHHHHHZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZSSHHHZZZZZZ"
The voice was gone, engulfed by static, Katjaa turns to look at her husband, his jaw dropped as low as it could, his eyes as wide as ping pong balls, the grip he had on the steering wheel became tighter, he turned his head forward facing the road, the ongoing road.
The final shot was a direct close up of Kenny; wide eyed, jaw ajar, with a look of disbelief, "What the fuck?" he mumbled aloud, his face taking up the right half of the shot, on the left; Doug was looking forward; stunned, Carley staring at the top of the table; wide eyes, as she bit her lip, Clementine was standing up beside Lee, holding onto him for dear life; scared and concerned, Lee just stands there; staring at the grey box; the radio in his hands, completely astounded; mouth dropped and eyes as wide as they could be, he tightened his grip on the radio, and murmured to himself, and the group "We're gonna get through this… We will".
Lee Everett: On the Next episode of AMC; The Walking Dead
"Where are we going?" Clementine asked "Atlanta" Lee responds "Do you think I'll find my parents there?" Clementine asked, Lee becomes silent, lowering his head
As Kenny drives past two survivors, Lee comments "We should've helped them"
Kenny disagrees "They could've been murderers, we can't afford that shit, I ain't having murderers around my family"
Lee averts his eyes, staring at the ground, reminded of the fact that he is a convicted murderer, Carley's hand gently rested on Lee's shoulder; reassuringly
As they drive toward Atlanta, down a completely desolate road, Gus comments "Haven't been here, since I was a kid"
Kenny shouts "Shit! Fuck! Hold on everybody!" as he loses control of the RV
Lee wrestles with a Walker; a gunshot pierces through the monsters brain
Atop a Tank stood a man; wearing police uniform, Sheriff Hat; holding a Colt Python
The group follows the Police Officer, Gus takes the rear, firing his shotgun, keeping Walkers at bay, Carley is running and gunning at Walkers in their path, Lee is holding Clementine's hand as they ran
An Asian kid is climbing a ladder to the rooftops, and shouting "Come on"
"Lee; grab a hold of my hand" Gus shouts, Lee's foot grabbed by a Walker as he tries to climb the ladder, hanging over a mess of Walkers
"Relax there's no need for this" Lee declares, as a big black guy, and a blond girl aim their guns at them, Carley and Kenny follow; aiming their guns also
"Lee, you have to do something… we don't need any more blood to be spilt" Gus begs, the two groups staring each other down, the Police officer backed up against stacked cardboard, with a gun to his head
"Every geek from miles around, heard you folks poppin off rounds" The big black man declares, pointing at the doors; swarmed by Walkers "You just rang the dinner bell" the blond girl adds
"You oughta be more polite to a man holding a gun, only common sense" An older man, wearing a sleeveless vest, holding a rifle remarks with a smile
"Noooo!" Clementine cries, the man known as Merle chuckles hysterically from the ground
Lee looks furious "I'll kill you asshole!" as he wrestles with Merle
Merle is hand cupped, the cop kneels beside him "All I am anymore, is a man looking for his wife and son"
"I'm Lee, and this here is Clementine" Lee introduces "Names Rick; Rick Grimes" the cop responds
"Man I miss robots" Doug comments, "You're a strange guy Doug" Lee responds with a smile
Rick, Glenn and Gus are being covered in Walker Guts
"Let's get the hell outta here" Kenny shouts, as a pickup truck drives toward their location
"You can't leave me here, man, it's not human" Merle begs as the black guy looks conflicted between him and the door
"NNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
A car alarm booms, as the stolen car travels away from Atlanta
BOOM! yeah I hope you guys are excited for the next episode, "Two Birds, One Stone", but sadly you'll have to wait until after the New year, sorry I just need a break, my writing skills are getting bad, and I'm getting lazier from constantly writing, but don't worry; I'll never abandon the Walking Dead, and if I can; I may bring you guys the first chapter of episode 3; before Christmas, but if I don't; it'll be during the first week in January. Also what did you guys think of the distraught Gus scene? are you worried about him? What do you think Kenny wants to talk to Lee about? also good news I have created my own intro theme for the next episode, like what the TV show does, but now is the time to farewell all my reviewers, wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to CREATOR OF AWESOMENESS, super mario 675, The Basedgod, jankmaster 98, jamin 1227 and of course a big Merry Xmas to Guest 1; who has stuck by me since the beginning, and thank you everyone who has followed or favourite my story, and don't forget to check out Guest 1's story's, he has some really good stories, and great ideas, so check them out, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, Adios my friends, Adios with a HO HO HO.
