Hey guys, I'm back, with the longest chapter of the story! For those who have read and enjoy it, I think you. And now, for something new to my stories- responses to reviews.

WDFan: If you think that's bad, wait until you read this chapter! I will note that this was the idea I had all along, once I decided that Jeff would save Mariana at the junkyard. Sure does make Joan have a Carver moment, to me.

Through the Chaos

Previously...

"Look out!" Jeff called, as he shoved himself and Conrad out of the way.

With no time to even think, they both got up and watched the truck narrowly miss Javier, as well. What happened next had everyone frozen in shock. Her vision impaired, Kate couldn't see and crashed hard into the makeshift wall.

"Kate!" Javier called.

"We've gotta get over there before-"

A large explosion under the truck cut Clementine off and knocked some of them off their feet.

"Nooo!" Mariana called.

"Kate!" Javier said, clearly upset at the turn of events.

As they stared, Jeff caught movement beyond the now destroyed wall.

"Looks like Kate's fate is the least of our concerns," he said, pointing to the breach.

Through the fire, came part of the walker herd that had been outside, as Richmond's citizens ran for their lives.

Jeff watched from his new hiding place as Javier slowly got up and realization fully set in.

"No, no!" he called, before making a run for the wrecked truck.

What walkers managed to avoid being scorched in the fire were quickly filling the street, but that didn't slow Javier down. He gunned two down and bashed three on the head with his bat, before being forced to take cover as a pair of New Frontier members opened fire on him. Behind Jeff, a voice nearly made him jump.

"He's going to get himself killed trying to save her!" Mariana said.

"Your uncle's a tough man," Jeff replied. "He'll be alright. Still… I wish I hadn't lost my gun in the act of saving Conrad, so I could help him."

Before he could say anymore, a high-pitched scream interrupted him. Turning toward one of the apartment buildings, he gasped as a cluster of walkers were going after a little girl, who was backed into a corner.

"We have to help her!" Mariana said.

"Now I really want my gun back," Jeff replied. "We can't just charge at them, that'd be- Wait! What are you doing?!"

While Jeff had been speaking, Maraina did what he had been speaking against doing and charged at the walker closest to the girl. Left with no choice, he ran after her. Together, they knocked two of the walkers down, before Jeff found a stray piece of wood and whacked them and the others hard in the head, killing most of them instantly. Seeing one still alive, he hit it a few more times to be sure it was dead, before turning his attention to Mariana.

"That was a reckless move," he said. "You could've been killed."

"It had to be done," she replied. "If I hadn't, we would've watched that girl die."

Suddenly, Jeff remembered the girl they had saved and turned to see her still trembling in the corner she had been trapped in. Slowly, he knelt down to talk to her.

"You're safe, now," he said. "They won't hurt you, anymore."

The girl didn't reply. She only stared at him, as if trying to decide if he was friendly or not. Seeing that she needed proof he was there to help, he slowly reached his right hand toward her.

"It's okay," he said, in a soothing tone. "We're not going to hurt you. If you'll just let me help you, we can get you somewhere safe."

"S-s-somewhere where my mommy and daddy could be?" she asked.

"We'll help you find them," Mariana replied, as a walker behind her was gunned down by Tripp.

Realizing they weren't safe where they stood, Jeff quickly and carefully scooped the girl up in his arms and carried her toward the main entrance of the building, with Mariana, Tripp, and Conrad in tow. Once inside, they realized the others were already there, waiting for them. Once everyone was inside, they quickly barricaded the doors with whatever they could find, until they felt safe enough to relax.

"That should hold, for a while," Javier said.

David looked to his son.

"You put up a good fight out there," he said.

"I don't care what you think," Gabe replied.

"Gabriel, do not take that tone with me!" David said.

"You murdered that man," Gabe replied. "After they let you go. You're a killer. Just like they said."

"You did that?" Kate asked.

"It was them or us!" David replied.

"It was uncalled for!" Jeff said. "Clint was willing to let us all go and you destroyed that."

"That's how you see it," David replied. "I'd do it again."

"Your actions nearly got us all killed!" Gabe said.

"I'm doing what any parent would do to keep you and your sister safe," David replied. "You do not get to judge my actions. Do you hear me?"

Having heard enough, Gabe began to walk toward his uncle.

"Hey, you do not walk away from me!" David said.

"He's not a little boy anymore, David," Javier said.

"He still needs to learn to keep quiet until he knows what he's talking about," David replied. HE then turned to his daughter. "Mariana, I saw what you did out there. Never do that again!"

Mariana jumped behind Jeff, the most convenient adult to use as a shield, and refused to look at him.

"I wish Jeff hadn't saved me at the junkyard," she said.

Everyone gasped at the ten year old's statement, while a look of hurt crossed her father's face.

"Your brother's attitude is rubbing off on you, I see," he said, shaking the shock off. "We'll have to fix that."

"Face it, David," Jeff said. "You've lost the trust of your son….and your daughter."

"I'm just...looking out for them, Jeff," David replied." You've never been a parent, so you wouldn't understand."

"You're wrong," Jeff said. "Taking care of Abby and helping with AJ made me well aware of the demands of parenthood. The need to protect them. It's you who no longer understands."

"Hey," Javier interrupted. "We made it through alive. So let's just be glad about that."

David sighed.

"We need to check the other entrances," he said, changing the subject. "Gabe, wanna help?"

Gabe looked to the floor, then to his uncle.

"Go ahead, Gabe," Javier said. "Just be careful."

"We'll watch each other's backs," David said.

Clementine stepped forward.

"I'll help, too," she said.

"O-okay," Gabe replied, as they followed David.

With the trio gone, everyone relaxed a little.

"He really has lost his mind," Conrad said.

"It's unfortunate it took us this long to realize it," Tripp added.

"I need to focus on something," Kate said. "MY mind's all over the place."

"How about we see what we can do to help," Jeff suggested.

"What can we do?" Mariana asked. "After what's been done, would they be willing to accept our help?"

"Only one way to find out," Javier said.

With that, everyone followed him upstairs.

They reached the floor where the apartment they had set up as their base was and immediately realized the effects of their actions.

"Oh my ***," Kate said, in shock. "This is a ******** nightmare."

As they looked, a little boy spotted them.

"Mommy," he said, as he looked to his mother. "It's them."

His mother looked at them with a glare, as did others who were alerted by the boy's words.

"They really hate us for this," Conrad said.

"I did this to them," Kate said, with a look of remorse. "That hole is there because of me."

"You didn't know that a molotov would be thrown at you, Kate," Jeff said, with a comforting tone. "That made driving hard."

"I could've braked, though." she replied.

"Jeff's right," Javier said. "It was an accident. A bad one, but...not on purpose."

"It's still my fault," Kate replied. "I can't leave until we've fixed this."

"Alright, then," Javier said.

"We'll help you," Tripp said, motioning to himself and Conrad.

"Let's find a way to make things right," Jeff said, as they approached the apartment.

Inside, they found Eleanor treating injuries on a man, while a young woman sat nearby. She looked miserable, with tears in her eyes and a bandage on her arm. Eleanor looked up from her work as they approached.

"You have a lot of nerve coming in here," she said, glaring at them. "These people blame you for this."

"You do realize that this isn't all our fault," Javier replied.

"You let Joan intimidate you until you betrayed us," Jeff added.

"I know," Eleanor replied. "But Joan lied to me! I couldn't see that until it was too late to stop it in time. I never thought it would be like this. You have to believe that. Everyone from Prescott is dead. Everyone but me, Tripp, and Conrad." She sighed and looked to the floor. "What's done is done. I don't have to like it, but I can't change it. But you...you have a lot of nerve showing up here, after the ******* you pulled."

"Hey, calm down, Eleanor," Jeff said, as Javier opened his mouth to speak. "We all have a part in this. We're all to blame. I know you didn't want to leave, but we do. You can stay, if you want, once we've fixed this mess."

"If it can be fixed," she replied.

"I believe it can," Kate said. "It'll just take a lot of work."

"Besides," Tripp added. "We owe it to them to try. If we can save Richmond, then you can stay. I'll even stay with you, so you have someone to talk to, until you get to know people around here."

"And that's all I want," Eleanor replied. "I can save lives here."

"She's making things right, in her own way," Kate said to Javier. "It's worth forgiving, right?"

"I know I forgive her," Tripp said, as he walked over the Eleanor. "She was tricked and we all know it."

"Me too," Jeff said. "Got trapped in a mess I didn't want involved, once before, so I know what she's dealing with."

"Everyone makes mistakes or gets trapped," Conrad added.

Javier thought for a moment, then made his choice.

"You're one of us, Eleanor," he said. "Whether you forgot or not, I haven't. I forgive you."

With the conversation over, Eleanor walked back over to the couch, where the man and woman were.

"What happened to him?" Jeff asked, noticing the bandage on his wrist.

Before Eleanor could reply, David, Gabe, and Clementine walked through the door.

"Fern? Is that you, darlin'?" the man asked, hearing the door.

"I'm here handsome," Fern replied.

"Fern and Rufus," David said, noticing the couple. "What's wrong with him?"

"Bitten," Eleanor replied, with a solemn look on her face. "He's slipping in and out of delirium."

"We have to find Ida," Rufus said, as Fern held his hand. "We have to find our daughter."

Jeff nearly jumped when the little girl he and Mariana had saved walked up beside him and spoke.

"Mommy? Daddy?" she said, recognizing the couple before her.

Fern looked up, in shock.

"Ida?" she said. "You're alive!"

Mother and daughter ran to each other and embraced in a tearful reunion, as nearly everyone else looked on with smiles. David, however, was still thinking about Rufus being bitten. Their reunion over, Fern put Ida behind her and picked up an axe.

"We'll have to cut his arm off," she said. "It should save him. It has to!"

Javier looked at Jeff, then David. Each gave him skeptical looks.

"I've only seen it work once, in the past," Jeff said. "And the guy had long had his arm cut off when I met him. Never found out how he managed to keep from bleeding out."

"Besides," Eleanor added. "It's too far along. Even if we did cut it off, he'll die a more painful death than what he's already going to. Do you want his last moments to be more pain and suffering? Or do you want them to be with you and your daughter?"

Fern lowered the axe, carefully, as she thought it over. After a short wait, she sighed and set the axe down.

"He'd wanna spend it with his family," she said.

Mommy," Ida said, from behind her mother. "Is daddy gonna die?"

Fern knelt down to be eye level with her daughter.

"He is," she said. "I'm sorry you got reunited with us, only to lose him."

Ida burst into tears and fell onto her mother's shoulder crying. Jeff felt her pain. He had seen scenes like this before...and likely would again, if things didn't get better. He turned to Javier, who just looked at him, unsure what to say. Suddenly, there was a gun pointed at him, with Fern holding it.

"We're all going to be dead because of you!" She snapped. "You broke a hole in the wall. Nearly got my little girl killed. Got my husband killed!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Jeff said, stepping in between them. "None of this was supposed to happen. When we came, we were looking for a safe place to stay. Then Joan and Clint kicked us out for previous problems with New Frontier that we didn't even start. We returned to stop her, after we learned she ordered raids, to keep Richmond going. Unfortunately, she caught on to our plans. Yes, we caused some of this, but you need to look to David, if you want to blame anyone for starting this madness."

"Me?!" David replied, clearly offended. "What the **** did I do?"

"Killed Clint," Clementine said.

"Killed Lonnie," Rufus said, weakly, as he lay on the couch.

"Frightened your own children with your words and actions," Kate added.

David glared at his accusers, then turned to his brother.

"Javi, say something," he said. "Tell them they're crazy!"

"I'm sorry, David," Javier replied, shaking his head. "But they're right. Look at your kids. Mari's still hiding behind Jeff and Gabe refuses to look at you. The others are afraid, too. You've messed up, big time."

"So that's it, then," David said. "I'm all alone."

Enraged, David grabbed the gun from Fren's hand and walked over to Rufus.

"David?" the dying man asked. "What's going on?"

"I'm sorry," David replied. "But this has to be done."

"No!" Fern cried. "I'll take care of it! Let us say goodbye, first!"

"It's too late for goodbyes, Fern," David replied.

Before anyone could stop him, he pulled the trigger, ending Rufus' life. He then dropped the gun, turned, and walked out of the apartment, without a word. Everyone stood their in shock, while Fern and Ida cried in the background.

"Such an *******," Gabe said, as he walked away from the door.

Jeff watched Javier move toward the door, where Kate met him.

"I've seen that look in his eyes, before," she said. "You should go after him."

With a nod, Javier disappeared to find his brother. Meanwhile, Jeff, Gabe, Mariana, and Clementine had joined Eleanor in comforting Fern and Ida.

"My dad acted horribly," Gabe said. "I-I've never seen him like that, before."

"I don't think any of us who live here have," Fern replied, with a shaky voice. "I understand that Rufus had to be put down, but…"

"But the way it was done was all wrong," Clementine finished for her.

Feeling the need to say something, Jeff gently put his hand on Fern's shoulder, to get her attention.

"We're going to try to seal the hole in the wall," he said. "Then clear the walkers out, so Richmond can be safe, once more. You and your daughter will be able to continue living… just like Rufus would've wanted."

Fern wiped a tear from her eye, as she and her daughter looked at Jeff.

"Thank you," she said. "Tell Javier I'm sorry for how I acted… In case I never get to do it, myself."

"We will," Clementine promised.

As they talked, Kate walked up, looking concerned.

"We need to find out where Javi and David went," she said.

Immediately, she began to walk out the door, stopping as Clementine spoke up.

"You're not going alone," she said.

"If we're going to save Richmond," Jeff said, as he stood up. "We need to stick together. Collect Javi and David and take care of this mess."

As they left, Eleanor, Tripp, and Conrad wished them good luck, before Eleanor turned her attention to the grieving family, once more. They carefully worked their way upstairs toward the roof...and nearly ran Ava over, as she unexpectedly came around a corner.

"Jeez," she said, jumping back.

"Sorry," Jeff replied. "Were trying to find David and Javi."

"I was trying to find David, myself," Ava replied.

By the time the short conversation was over, Kate was long gone toward the roof, leaving them running to catch up. As they reached the steps to the roof, they heard her call to them.

"I found them!" she said. "They're up here!"

Quickly and carefully, they walked up and through the door. There, near the edge, were the men they were looking for. When Ava walked through the door, Javier stopped and stared at her.

"Before you say anything," she said. "You made the right call. Despite Joan's treachery, you made the right call."

Javier nodded, as a silent 'thank you', then walked toward Kate.

"There's so many," Kate said, as she looked down to the street. "They're pouring in."

"You don't know the half of it," Ava replied. "The herd has taken over Richmond. The streets are overrun with walkers. With that hole in the wall, this city is ******. We're not safe here. No one is."

The statement Kate, who still believed the whole situation was her fault.

"What have we done?" Kate asked.

"So what do we do?" Gabe asked. "I don't want to die up here."

"No one does, Gabe," Jeff replied.

"We take them out," Javier said. "Every single one of them."

"There's construction equipment at the motor pool, over by the water tower," David said, pointing to the location. "We can use the highway overpass to get there."

As his brother finished speaking, Javier walked toward a neighboring building.

"Come on," he said. "Let's jump."

"That's crazy!" Ava said.

"It's just a short gap between this building and the emergency stairs on the other one," Javier said. "We'll be fine."

Without another word, Javier ran for the platform and jumped, landing safely on it, before turning to face them.

"Come on," he said, motioning to the others. "It's an easy jump."

One by one, they all jumped across and climbed to the top. Once there, David and Javier checked to make sure they hadn't left anyone behind.

"Keep your eyes open, stay aware of your surroundings. All of you," David said, as he began to walk. "Let's move out."

Reluctantly, everyone followed David toward the overpass.

"When we found Kate, earlier, David said. "She hugged you. Why do you think that was?"

"Why don't you ask her yourself?" Javier replied.

"She won't even look at me, Javi," David replied.

Soon, they reached a knocked over billboard, that was conveniently leaning against the overpass. As they walked, Jeff heard a man below them. Looking down, they were just in time to see the man be knocked down and become a meal for three walkers.

"We need to be careful up here," David said. "Or else the same thing will happen to one of us. Stay sharp and don't fire your guns. We're gonna be fine. That guy was all alone. We're not."

With that, he resumed his climb to the overpass. Once at the top, David and Javier took out two walkers that had been alerted to their presence, before everyone else joined them. They walked for a while, taking out the occasional walker, as they went. Soon, they came across a spot where part of the overpass hand fallen apart, leaving barely any room between a wrecked car and the ledge.

"There's barely any room," Kate said.

David didn't even bother to reply, as he carefully scooted along, sideways, and made it safely. One by one, they went across, until it was down to Javier, Kate, Jeff, and Ava. Despite her fears, Kate managed to get across, as did Javier. When Jeff took his turn, however, things went south. A walker appeared out of nowhere and attacked him, knocking him over the edge.

"Nooo!" Clementine yelled.

As quickly as Jeff was attacked, a hand reached out and grabbed his wrist, halting his fall. Looking up, he saw Ava, straining to keep her grip.

"Hang in there," she said. "Grab ahold of the ledge and you'll be able to pull yourself up."

Jeff nodded and quickly did as instructed, then began to pull himself up. Finally, he was safely on solid concrete and took a moment to catch his breath. After a moment, he stood up.

"Thanks," he said, as Ava made her way across.

"No problem," she replied. "Just be care- AAAAAH!"

Without warning, another walker appeared and knocked her down.

"Ava!" David called.

Jeff immediately reached out and grabbed her wrist, much like she had done for him.

"Hang on, Ava," he said, as he strained to pull her up.

David ran over and reached out to join the effort to save his Lieutenant.

"I'm slipping!" she called.

"Hang on, Ava," David replied. "We'll pull you up."

As David reached her other hand, she let out a cry of pain. Looking down, they saw the walker that had knocked her down had bit her ankle. Quickly, she kicked it repeatedly and finally knocked it free of her foot. They looked at the deep bite marks and realized what that meant. Knowing her fate was sealed, Ava looked up at her would-be rescuers.

"Let me go," she said.

"No," David replied. "I'm not giving up on you."

"If you save me," she said. "You'll endanger the group. You don't want me to turn and bite your daughter's face off, do you?"

David's head lowered at the question.

"David," Jeff said. "If you don't obey her wishes, we could all become walkers. I've seen it happen to groups, before. We can't risk it and she knows it."

David sighed in defeat.

"Alright," he said, looking down at Ava.

"Goodbye, David," she said.

Reluctantly, David released her left hand while Jeff released her right. For a few seconds, they watched her fall, before they couldn't look anymore. They heard a faint thud, signifying that she had hit the ground, as David dropped back against another car.

"**** it, Ava," he said, fighting tears.

They gave David some time to mourn, while keeping a lookout for anymore walkers, before they had to move on.

"Come on, David," Javier said, helping his brother up.

"She saved my life," Jeff said. "If not for her, I'd be dead. And you know I tried to return the favor, when she fell."

"I know," David said. "Let's go. Ava would kick my *** is she knew I was sitting around crying."

Moving on, they reached a gap in the overpass that would be impossible to get across, due to the gap being so large. However, Jeff saw a solution.

"See the helicopter?" he asked, looking to the group.

"Yeah," David replied.

"We can use the propellers to swing across," Jeff said, using hand motions to get his idea across.

"That's a crazy idea," Gabe said, as he and Clementine approached.

"Anyone have a better idea?" Jeff asked, as he checked the propeller and found it surprisingly sturdy.

.

Everyone shook their heads, confirming what he already knew. "I thought not," he said, as he turned to the kids. "Gabe, Mari, Clem, you three will go first, since you're the lightest of all of us."

Everyone nodded, as Gabe offered to be the one to test the plan. Taking hold, he got a running start and held on, as he ran out of pavement to run on. Reaching the other side of the gap, he landed safely and quickly returned the propeller to the others. Mariana went next, then Clementine, with neither one having trouble, tough Mariana did have to force herself to not look down. One by one, the adults followed suit and made it across, until Javier was the last one to go. As he began to swing, the inevitable happened, as the propeller finally broke from the strain of so much use after years of rusting in the elements.

"Javi!" Kate called, as he held on for dear life.

"Javi, hang on!" David shouted.

Javier assessed the situation, then started to climb back up. However, he encountered half of a walker, that had been dangling from a chord of some sort for years. Thinking fast, he shoved the walker, sending it swinging into a part of the bridge, impaling it. The delay over, he resumed his climb and finally reached the top, and climbed to safety. After letting Javier catch his breath, they continued on their way.

"I miss when all we did was track the herd," Javier said, as they looked down at the motor pool lot. "From a safe distance."

"We need to get down there," Kate said. "We're not getting anywhere without one of those vehicles."

"It's not like we can ask them to move," David said, with a slightly humorous tone.

"How about distracting them with noise," Gabe suggested. "That generator by the building should be enough."

"That's a good idea," Javier said. "Problem is getting to it."

"I have a solution for that," Jeff replied.

"And what's that?" David asked.

Jeff and Clementine gave each other a look that told the others they were thinking the exact same thing.

"Would one of you mind filling us in?" Kate asked.

"Cut open a walker and use its guts to cover yourself in their scent," Clementine replied.

"That's disgusting," Mariana said.

"It is," Jeff replied. "But it works. Clem and I have used that trick several times to get through herds, without having to fight our way out."

"If it works," David said.

"So...who's going to do it?" Clementine asked.

"I'll go," Jeff said. "Best let an expert handle it."

"Expert?" Clementine asked, in a teasing tone. "Remember, I'm the one who taught you that...when I was nine."

"Yeah, yeah," Jeff replied, sarcastically.

Moving slowly, he climbed down and snuck over to a dumpster. Looking from behind it, he spotted an easy kill.

"Guess you'll do," he said.

Acting with stealth, he took his knife out and stabbed the walker in the head, before dragging it out of sight of the others. He then cut it open and began covering himself in the horrible smell. In all the years he'd been surviving, he never managed to get used to it. Finally feeling confident he was well covered, he stood up and slowly began walking into the small gathering before him. Carefully, he navigated his way around them and reached the generator. Opening the hatch, he found the on button and pressed it, before quickly clearing out of the immediate area. As expected, the walkers were attracted to the new sound and went toward it, clearing a path for the rest of the group. Once they were all at the garage, they began to sort out what to do next.

"We need something that will take all the muertos out," Javier said.

"We have a breach to seal, first," Kate replied."All we need is to find the right vehicle."

Turning, she spotting the bulldozer that had been there the night before.

"That'll do," she said.

Jeff, Javier and the kids agreed. David, however, was eyeing the pickup truck nearby.

"That's not gonna do the job," Javier said.

"Yes it is," David replied.

"What are you doing?" Jeff asked.

"The right thing," David replied. "I'm leaving. We're all leaving."

"What?" Javier asked. "And go where? You saw it yourself, we're surrounded by the herd!"

"I'm getting my family out of here," David replied. "Clem and Jeff, you helped keep them safe. You're coming, too. Let's go, everyone!"

"If we leave, everyone here will die!" Jeff said. "I would've saved Ida for nothing! Her last memories will be dying beside her mother, with walkers eating them alive! Is THAT what you want?"

"They don't matter, anymore," David replied, as he raised his voice. "Don't you get it?"

"This all started when we knocked on Richmond's door," Kate said, walking up to David. "We're all to blame. We can't just abandon them, after all we've done!"

David pinched the bridge of his nose, in frustration.

"We're going home, Kate," he said. "Back to the last place we were a family. We're starting over. We're finally all back together. It's time."

"Home is gone!" Mariana snapped. "We can't go back!"

"Don't you take that tone with me, young lady," David warned.

"Lay off, David," Javier said. "She's right. Home is gone, just like everything else."

"I thought you guys were gone, once," David replied. "But I was wrong. Maybe you're wrong, too."

"I'll go with you, dad," Gabe said, shocking everyone but David.

"Gabe…"Clementine said.

"He's my dad, Clem," Gabe replied. "I'm sorry, but… you really wouldn't understand."

"Think about this, Gabe," Javier said.

"Is this really what you want?" Kate asked.

"I know it's scary out there, but… I have to," Gabe replied.

"Come on, Mariana," David said, reaching a hand to his daughter. "We're going home."

Mariana looked from her dad to her uncle several times, unsure what to do. Finally, she sighed and reluctantly went to join her brother at David's side.

"Mari? You too?" Javier asked, clearly hurt.

"I'm sorry," was all she could say.

"I-I understand, kids," Kate said. "But… I'm still going back to help. I won't be able to live with myself if I don't try to help the people of Richmond."

"You won't be able to live at all, if you do that," David scoffed. "Richmond is compromised. It doesn't matter if it's seven of us trying to save it or seven hundred. We'd all die. I know a losing battle, when I see one. We're moving out. Everybody in. That an ord-" SMACK!

Kate slapped David hard, across his face and glared at him.

"How ******* dare you?" Kate said. "What's it gonna take, David? What will it take to show you that you do not get to do that?! We are not your soldiers! Run away. Be a deserter. I am done with you!" She slowly backed up. "Let's go, Javi."

"Why the **** do you think he would go with you?" David asked.

Kate answered by kissing Javier on the lips, in front of everyone. David was in disbelief.

"What the *** is this?!" he asked.

"I love her, David," Javier replied. "We're… in love."

Instantly, anger boiled inside David, as he realized what was happening. Balling up his fists, he let out his anger hate, vocally.

"I should've know, the night Pa died," he said. "When you weren't there. Blood is worthless to you. Just like he was to you. Just like I am to you! Well it's time for you to learn what blood really means!"

With that, he swung his fist and hit Javier's face hard.

"David! Dad!"

Javier staggered back from the blow, as David approached him again.

"What do you have to say for yourself… brother?" he asked.

"I love you, brother," Javier replied, catching David off guard.

"No…" he said, shaking the shock away. "No, you don't get to say that!"

He swung again and again, while his family, Jeff and Clementine pleaded for him to stop. He refused to stop, however, grabbing a pipe wrench and hitting him harder.

"How ******* dare you!" he said.

"I love you," Javier repeated.

"Stop saying that!"

"Dad, no!" Mariana cried, trying to stop him.

David ignored her and swung back, to hit his brother again, only to wack his daughter in her face.

"Mari!" Gabe called, as he and Kate ran to her.

"You're not taking my family from me!" David declared, as he began to use the wreck to suffocate Javier.

"I love you, brother," Javier said, as he felt himself lose consciousness.

Suddenly, David was shot in his shoulder, forcing him to roll off Javier. He looked up to see Clementine holding a gun to him, then turn it to kill a walker that had nearly snuck up on them, while the fight was happening.

Their quarrels temporarily forgotten, David and Javier worked together to take down a few walkers before Kate called them all to the garage. Once inside, Jeff, Clementine, Kate and Javier turned in time to see David grabe the door, from the outside, and pull it down.

"What the **** is he doing?" Javier asked, in shock.

No one had an answer, as they watched David put the kids in the pickup truck and take off in a hurry, leaving walkers trying in vain to follow.

"David took them," Clementine said.

"We can't wait any longer," Kate announced. "We have to go help Richmond." She walked over to the door. "I'm getting on that bulldozer."

"But Gabe!" Clementine objected.

"Gabe wanted to go," Kate replied. "We all heard it. Add to that the fact that Mari decided to go."

"You're- you're right," Clementine said.

"I'm getting on that bulldozer," Kate said.

"I'll help," Jeff replied.

"Me too," Clementine said. "Javi, you should take the motorcycle behind me and go after them."

"Promise me you'll get her back to me, once Richmond is saved," JAvier said.

"Don't worry," Jeff replied. "We'll make sure you lovebirds will be reunited."

"Thank you," Javier said. "Now, let's get this done."

Jeff went to the nearby lockers and picked up a couple of automatic weapons.

"We'll need these, Clem," he said, tossing one to his friend.

The plan set, everyone ran to their respective vehicles and set to work.

I know, I'm terrible. As if making Joan more sadistic was bad enough, now David's worse, too?

That said, only a couple more chapters to go, before this one ends and I take a break from this storyline.

See you in the next chapter!