The Walking Dead: The World We Live In

Chapter 11: Thirty-Eight

One month after Glenn's death Lee was woken up by the calling of his name and the shaking of his bed. He sat up quickly thinking that he and the group was in danger, he then sighed with a small laugh. Clementine was perched on the edge of his bed urging him to wake up with the biggest grin on her young face.

"What's up, Clementine?" Lee asked groggily.

"Bud says he wants to take us swimming!" Clementine exclaimed.

Lee chuckled at Clementine's enthusiasm, "Just us three?"

Clementine nodded, "Yeah he said he wants to leave right now!"

Lee swung his legs over the side of the bed and stretched, "Right now huh?"

Clementine nodded her head excitedly, "Come on, Lee!"

Lee rubbed his hand tiredly over his face and got up, his side had managed to stay persistently sore and was just now finally starting to go away. Clementine didn't seem as though she was waiting for a proper response and took his getting up as the go ahead to lead him to Bud. Lee was just happy that she was keeping herself occupied, what with her parents missing and all.

Both she and Lee hadn't the slightest idea if her parents were okay, Lee tried to stay hopeful for her but he knew they were most likely dead. Just like his parents, he tried not to think about it but he couldn't help it sometimes. No one even had to tell him that they were dead either, he just knew. It was a gut feeling, the feeling he had learned to rely on in the past two months.

Clementine bounded down the stairs and rushed to Bud's side near the black Sedan they had fixed up not two weeks ago. Lee scratched his back as he slowly made his way over to the two. As he looked around he realized that no one but Carley was on watch.

"Hurry up, old man," Bud teased.

"Old man, huh? Well now I'm going to make you wait," Lee said as Clementine gave Bud an annoyed stare for delaying the former professor.

Lee climbed up the ladder and greeted Carley, "Hey, that thing is actually working?" Lee asked gesturing to the two liter soda bottle on the end of Carley's hunting rifle.

"Yeah, I had no idea Mark was that smart," she mused as she looked up at Lee.

Lee scoffed, "Certainly, the peak of intelligence definitely comes to pass when you put an empty bottle of soda over a gun for a suppressor."

Carley rose her eyebrows and her mouth opened slightly as Lee turned to look at the street. She then decided to toy with him, "What's wrong? You think he's smarter than you or something, professor?" Carley sneered.

"Absolutely not! Well, I don't want to sound like a dick, so I'd say we're both smart for different things," Lee said while somewhat tripping over his explanation.

Carley nodded slowly, "Why'd you come up here anyway, Everett?"

Lee put his weight on his right foot and stuffed his hands in his pockets, "Bud called me old, so I came up here."

Carley raised an eyebrow, "He called you old, so you came up here-"

"It's complicated," Lee explained with a nervous half smile.

Carley rolled her green orbs and then smirked, "Well you're not old, you don't even look a day over fifty."

Lee sighed and turned around, "Alright, I've had enough."

Carley laughed, "I'm kidding! Have fun, you little baby."

Lee scoffed at the woman as he slid down the ladder. "Are you quite done flirting?" Bud asked looking at Carley's retreating form as he opens the drivers side door of the Sedan.

Clementine, who was studying the needlework of her ball cap looked up at Bud and Lee, "Flirting?"

Bud chuckled as he pulled out of the camp, "Oh yes, my dear. Your dear friend here is a practiced flirt. You should have seen him in High school, oh man!"

Clementine laughed at Bud's explanation as she curled her legs under her body. Lee rolled his eyes, "I never flirted, Clementine. I was just nice to girls."

Bud scoffed and turned to Clementine who was dragging her thin digits across the smooth black leather, "Don't listen to him, Clem. He knows good and well that he was a flirt back in the day."

"So what if I was, and I wasn't, by the way," Lee said with emphasis like it was going to stop Bud. It didn't.

"So what do you see in her anyway, huh buddy boy?" Bud asked getting into a comfortable position.

Clementine sat in the back observing their conversation and occasionally laughing to herself.

"How about this, what do you see in Lilly, huh 'buddy boy'?" Lee asked with a smirk plastered onto his face.

Clementine, who had remained silent mostly spoke up on Lee's side, "OOOHHHH! Burn!"

Lee turned around with a raised eyebrow and Bud sighed as Clementine's cheeks became flushed. "What? That's what Mark says all the time," she said with her soft, small voice.

Lee grinned and held out his hand for a low five, "Damn right, Clem." Clementine extended her small, soft hand to smack Lee's large, rough hand.

"S-so you're just going to take his side on this, eh? I see how it is, Clem," Bud teased teaching his right hand back and giving her a slight push on her slim shoulder.

"Hey!" she giggled falling back against the seat.

"But really Lee, I don't see anything in her at all, so you can kindly shut up," Bud said matter of factly.

Lee opened his eyes wide in mock surprise, "Clementine, do you hear that? He's in denial!"

Clementine, in her bubbly mood, nodded, "Yup!"

"And you're just going to agree with everything he says now?" Bud asked incredulously.

Clementine was holding onto the edge of the backseat and was swinging her legs back and forth, "Yup!"

Bud rolled his dark brown eyes once more, "Fine, you're not swimming then."

"Oh yes I will! Won't I Lee?" Clementine retaliated with a large grin.

Lee nodded and waited for Bud's reaction, "Oh, I know not!" Bud exclaimed as Lee pinched the bridge of his nose.

"You... know not?" Lee asked shaking his head.

"I have a way with words, man," Bud said looking away from Lee as if he was priding himself.

"Did Lilly tell you that?" Lee asked earning a small laugh from Clementine.

"Because if she did, you know what that means right?" Lee asked teasing his little brother.

Bud stuck his middle finger in Lee's face as he swerved slightly to the left of the road, "You know what that means?"

"No," Clementine piped innocently from the back.

Lee chuckled, "I'll tell you eventually, but it's a swear."

Clementine nodded slowly as she out her cap back on, "Oh."

The rest of the five minute drive to the lake Bud had found was rather quiet. Bud stopped after several twists and turns down a gravel road and got out of the black Sedan as the orange and red leaves circled around his feet. Lee and Clementine got out of the car and walked through the dirt road Bud had already started down.

They arrived at a very clear lake with lush trees and vegetation. "Isn't this place nice?" Bud asked.

Lee looked around as the cool wind brushed against his face and nestled its way through his hair and beard, "Yeah, how'd you find this place anyway?"

Bud shrugged as he walked to the lakeside, "I just like to get out sometimes, you know, go exploring."

Lee put his hands in his pockets and followed his brother, kicking wet rocks into the calm current. Clementine, who had disappeared into the trees, emerged with a dark purple bathing suit. She ran to lee's side, "Lee, will you swim with me?" she asked pulling on his hand.

Lee looked down and then back at his brother, "Did you even bring swimming trunks?"

Bud crossed his arms, "No, we don't have any," he said as he pushed Lee into the water.

The cool water soaked through Lee's clothes as he was plunged into the five feet of water. Lee stood up as the water lapped at his shoulders, "You know, I don't really like you."

Bud shrugged while trying to hide his sneer, "You'll get used to it, c'mon Clem," Bud urged as he jumped into the water.

He emerged with his eyes closed and sputtering, "Water got up my nose!" he whined.

Lee grinned at his brother, "Catch me, Lee!" Clementine shouted from atop the rocks.

Lee looked up as Clementine jumped from the rocky side of the river, he extended his arms to catch the small girl. She crash landed into his arms and noticed her hat flew off, "My hat!"

Lee, holding Clementine in one arm and extending the other for the hat caught in the weak current, grabbed the soaking hat and plopped it onto Clementine's head and slid his fingers across the bridge while laughing.

"There you go, Clem," Lee said proudly as the water cascaded off of the tip of her hat and into the water.

"Hey, Lee, check this out!" Bud exclaimed from behind the two from behind.

Lee turned around and let Clementine go, he carefully watched her to make sure she knew how to float. When Lee was absolutely sure she could swim on her own he turned around fully only to be greeted by a torrent of rushing water thrown into his face. Lee closed his eyes tightly and cursed his brother as he spit the water out of his mouth.

Bud laughed, "It works every time! I got you so goo- agh!" Bud exclaimed as bubbly water was thrown into his face causing him to reel to his right.

Clementine stuck her tongue at Bud causing Lee to laugh heartily, "Oh you know what?" Bud asked before slapping the water.

It flew towards Clementine who pushed herself backwards just barely avoiding the watery blow. She giggled at Bud's disappointment, "Missed me!"

"Well I won't!" Lee proclaimed as he splashed water towards Clementine.

"Oh yeah! That's how it's done bro!" Bud yelled victoriously holding his hand up to receive a high five from Lee.

Lee held his hand up to give a high five to his brother but realized he was being tricked. Bud reached down quickly and scooped water up and chucked it into Lee's face.

This was war.

After spending early an hour fighting an unorganized water war the trio decided to dry off on the smooth gray rocks. The sound of the water flowing over every exposed rock and splashing against the rocky riverbed was soothing to Lee. The warm sunlight filtered through the pine trees and was occasionally accompanied by a cool breeze that kissed the surface of Lee's skin. Clementine and Bud had wandered off back to the car just a moment ago leaving Lee to bask in the sunlight and in his thoughts.

Matters pressed on his mind like a large weight against a slim pane of cracked glass. The group's food supply was just beginning to run short and miniature power struggles of what should and should not be done bubbled up occasionally between Kenny and Lilly. Lee tried to stay out of their arguments and just do what he thought was right. He struggled with doing the right thing as the realization struck him many a time ago that the apocalypse was beginning to mold and shape his actions.

It would have been hard to notice for one, but despite Lee's desperate struggle to do right he was still quick to anger and occasionally to rash actions. He tried his best to suppress his hot-headed mindset he received from his mother and tried to set a good example for Clementine. He tried his damnedest to make sure she stayed pure of heart and kept a good mindset and attitude. Always trying to do good by the girl and show her the world wasn't truly gone just yet, only some of the people. Yet he still slipped in front of her some times, still managed to inadvertently plant a seed of doubt in her young mind that he was wrong and the world truly was gone. Those were times he wished that the girl wasn't so intelligent, he wished she could be carefree like Duck and not so observative and perceptive during those times.

He figured, eventually, that it may be good for her to see things the way they were. It broke his heart, however, to see a little girl watch the world she lived in to be destroyed along with the hope of better days. These thoughts churned in his head as the leaves cracked and Lee sat up ready for action.

It was only Clementine and Bud, though, not a walker in sight. It was weird, Lee thought. Not having any walkers around, he hasn't heard or seen any walkers since the three of them arrived here. He thought that the noise of the vehicle might have drawn attention from the walkers, but strangely it didn't. The air grew cold as a subconscious realization came to him. There had to have been people nearby.

"Happy birthday, Lee!" Clementine chirped interrupting his thoughts and suspicions.

She was carrying that wooden box Lee had seen her with the day Glenn died. Bud walked behind her, hands in his semi dry pockets with a grin, "Happy birthday, man."

"Here, Bud and I got this for you," Clementine said softly, unsure of her gift that she handed to Lee.

He rubbed his hands over the smooth oak wood and opened the box, it was a black and silver wristwatch.

"You always said you needed a watch, so I asked Bud to take me on a short run with him. I didn't know if you would like it so I just picked the one I thought-" she trailed of as Lee observed the boxes contents with an empty expression.

He looked up at Clementine who was biting her lower lip and smiled warmly at the girl before pulling her into a hug, "Thank you so much, sweet pea."

"You like it, then?" Clementine asked with her hands pressed together hopefully.

Lee slipped the shiny watch over his wrist and nodded at the girl, "I love it, Clem. Thank you."

Clementine grinned widely with both relief and joy. Bud on the other hand sneered, "So how does it feel to be old?"

"I don't know, how does it feel to be a smart ass?" Lee asked leaning back on his hands.

Bud scoffed as another round of crackling leaves echoed throughout the forest. All fell silent except for the rushing water.

The trio stepped off of the mid thigh level rocks and walked slowly toward the center of the noise. Lee took out his revolver as Bud did with his colt. The sound of a bolt cutting through the air radiated in Lee's ear drums as a crossbow bolt implanted itself into the ground before Lee's leading foot.

"Don't move, not even a muscle," a gruff voice sounded.

"Don't be a coward, show yourself!" Bud taunted.

Clementine latched onto Lee's shirt tail as two men appeared from behind the trees. The first man was the one who had the crossbow. He looked to be in his early fifties and was growing a gray and black mountain beard, he seemed to be the biggest threat out of the two.

The other, was a younger man who looked to be in his very early twenties. His long hair was shrouded by a blue and black hoodie. His dark green eyes pierced though the shadows of the good as he looked at the three survivors inquisitively. He held his revolver at his side as he licked his lips which was surrounded by a goatee and light stubble.

"The fuck are y'all doing on our land?" the crossbow wielding man asked placing the weapon on his back and pulling out an M4 assault rifle.

Lee just about had a mini heart attack at the sight of the weapon, "What do you mean your land? I don't see any tents," Bud challenged holding his pistol at the man's head.

The green eyed man and Lee met uncertain eye contact which asked the question - friend or for?

"This is our land," the man stated firmly.

He leaned back on one foot and kicked his terribly chapped and cracking lips, "Now maybe we all can come to a compromise, you drop all of your shit and surrender your car, or we kill you three."

He stated it so matter-of-factly that it made Lee's blood run cold. "You fucking try," Bud growled.

Lee spoke up before Bud could earn the three an early death, "Now listen, this is your land, I understand that. Just let us go, we won't come near you again, you'll never see us. It won't turn out well for either of us if you start shooting. Just let is go, man."

The green eyed man looked up to his partner, "Trevor, just let them go. They're not harming anyone, they're good people. I can tell."

Trevor scoffed at the man, "Jacob, you have to learn to not trust peoples bullshit stories. Now you're either with me or not."

Lee put a protective left hand over Clementine's chest as he pushed her behind him in case the man did start shooting.

"I won't stand for this, Trevor. It's not right!" Jacob protested putting his gun down.

Trevor grit his teeth in anger, "Fine," he punched Jacob square in ten jaw and raised his M4 at the three survivors.

"No!" Jacob yelled as Trevor released a volley of bullets at his three targets sending birds flying towards the cloudy sky.

AN:

Hello once again my friends! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, I tried to make it a bit lighter and sprinkle it with a little bit of humor now and then. Of course, up until the end. Also I would like to give a large thank you for the OC Jacob provided by Micidonalboss. Feel free to give any feedback and see if you can spot the Breaking Bad reference in this chapter. Another thing, if you remember how I spoke about crafting a mini universe for this story and its sequel, I have the dates of the five confirmed stories in this universe on my profile so feel free to check that out. Anyway, I'll see you guys in the next chapter!