The Walking Dead: Season Two

Episode III: Behind Closed Doors

Chapter Seven: Campfire Song

Previously on The Walking Dead: Having escaped the Sheriff and his men at the Robins Air Force Base, Clementine, Johnny and Danny met Dick and Harold, who offered to take them to a nearby settlement - Old Jack's Farm. There, they met Old Jack, who explained that him and his family have also suffered a lot at the hands of The Sheriff. He explains that they're ready for payback as he shows the three of them the Tank he has hidden in his Barn. Back at Robins, Lilly comes face-to-face with The Sheriff, who showed just how dangerous he is when he slit one of his own men's throat for disobeying him. But what could he possible want from Lilly?

"So, obviously you've met my cousins, Harold and Dick," Old Jack told Johnny from the across the campfire as he gestured to his right, where Dick and Harold sat on a tree stump. Dick sat and cleaned his gun whilst his brother began to play a soft tune on an old, acoustic guitar. "Let me introduce you to my son, Michael, his wife, Sara, and his son, Danny," he said as he gestured to his left. Michael sat on a wooden bench in-between his wife and eight year-old son. He gave Johnny a friendly and courteous nod. Sara offered Donald, who sat beside Johnny, a warm smile, one he eventually returned. Danny waved at Clementine, who sat between Johnny's feet. She waved back excitedly. In all her time out here, she'd only met one other kid her age. That was when she noticed how alike Danny and Duck looked.

"Sorry I'm late," another voice said from somewhere not too distant. Another person stepped out of the dark , his features exposed by the blaze of the campfire. He looked a little younger than Michael, and fairly similar looking. Only, his hair was blonde instead of brown, and he didn't wear glasses like Michael. He was also clean-shaven, unlike Michael who wore a 5 o'clock shadow. He sat beside Danny, hiding his hands in the sleeves of his hoodie that was two sizes too big for him.

"That's quite alright son," Old Jack reassured him. "Johnny, Donald, Clementine," he said, grabbing the trio's attention once more, "this is my son, Jimmy."

"Hi," Jimmy greeted them warmly, "I'm the other son," he said awkwardly as he held out a hand to shake. He had been the first person since Old Jack to offer handshake.

"Good to meet you," Johnny told him as he shook his hand kindly. Clementine and Donald only smiled at Jimmy. His hands were soft and warm, like Alex's. "Sorry," Johnny said when he realised how long he's been holding Alex's hand for. He gave him his hand back finally, and the two giggled.

"Well," Old Jack, picking up the awkward vibe that followed, "this is it," he concluded.

"Wait," Johnny stopped for a minute, counting the heads around him. There couldn't have been more than ten people there, and that was including two children and a man who couldn't even walk. "You mean, this is everyone? There's nobody else?"

"I'm afraid not," Old Jack admitted. "But, you know, The Sheriff doesn't have that many men himself. And we have one thing they don't," he explained to Johnny, who was now lost.

"What's that?" Johnny asked, unconvinced by Old Jack's reassuring words.

"A Tank," he said nonchalantly, "and someone who can drive it."

"Don't look at me," Johnny told him. "I already told you I can't drive a tank!"

"Obviously, you don't know a joke when you hear one, son." Old Jack stood up. "As a matter of fact, I was talking about my son," he explained. That was when all eyes turned on Michael. He looked around him, flabbergasted. "Not him," Old Jack said, "my other son," he explained, directing everyone's attention to Jimmy, who looked back at the group and took a loud, nervous gulp.

"I'm sorry you had to see that," Jerry apologised as he studied his reflection in the pool of blood Jackson had left behind. "It's something I had to do, but that don't make it right. And it damn well don't mean I'm proud of it," Jerry explained, his head bowed.

"Who is he?" Lilly blurted out suddenly, surprising even herself. "This… 'Quesada' guy."

"Jason Quesada," Jerry reflected. He sighed and then chuckled slightly. "He's dangerous. That's all you need to know," Jerry said coldly. He turned his back on Lilly.

"No," she told him, a little too firmly. She stepped forwards. Adrenaline filled her and shook her voice. "I need to know a helluva lot more than that. Like why I'm here, for starters."

Jerry turned around. He looked almost impressed by Lilly's courage to speak up like that. "Alright," he decided. "You're here because I don't want to hand you over to Quesada with your friends. I need you for something else," he explained, his eyes never left Lilly's.

"For what?" she asked, almost scared to hear his answer.

Jerry stepped back, allowing Lilly to see the entire Chopper. The Military Helicopter was large in size and slick in colour and shape. I appeared capable of carrying at least half a dozen people, and perhaps more. But by the amount of dust the Chopper had collected, Lilly guessed it hadn't seen action in a long time. "You know how to pilot one of these, don't you?" Jerry asked, though it sounded more like a matter of fact than a question.

"I… I wouldn't know where to start…" Lilly stumbled, avoiding The Sheriff's eyes.

"DON'T!" Jerry bellowed, making Lilly jump. He calmed himself, took a deep breath, and tried again. "Don't lie to me," he told her. "I don't like liars."

Lilly's heart began to race. "I don't know that I could fix her up if she needs repairs, but I might be able to fly her, yeah," Lilly admitted, scared to even talk. "My Dad taught me."

"Your Dad, huh?" Jerry asked her. He smiled. "That's sweet," he said sadistically. "Where's your Dad now?" he asked her.

Upon remembering her father, Lilly began to tear up. She tried not to let it show, to show no weakness in front of Jerry, but he saw her wipe a tear away.

"I'm sorry," Jerry said with what sounded like genuine remorse. When he took Lilly's hand, she didn't pull away. "Although, I gotta admit, I kinda figured. The walkers get him?"

Lilly shook her head as she wiped the last tear away. Just the thought of that terrible night in the Meat Locker at the St. John's Dairy Farm sent a cold chill down her spine.

Jerry understood immediately. "I see," he said. "I lost my wife," he confessed, his head bowed in regret. "But not to the walkers, to us, people – the only real monsters."

"What happened?" Lilly asked, not because she felt she had to, but because she cared.

Jerry sighed as he rubbed his throbbing head. The thought alone, Lilly could see, brought enough regret and sorrow to end the man. He squeezed her hand. "Lilly," he said looking into her eyes. "Have you ever head of a town called Crawford?"

"We can't win this war," Johnny told Old Jack with certainty from across the campfire.

"Son, who said anything about a war?" Old Jack asked. "The last thing I want is for people to start dying. It's my family we're talking about here! What do you take me for?"

An old fool, Johnny thought but chose to keep to himself. "So, what is your plan?" he asked.

"We simply talk to the man," Old Jack said, "and we try to work something out."

Silence followed. Eventually, Johnny spoke up. "Have you not heard a word I've said? This man kidnapped my friends! For all we know, he could have killed them all by now!" he told the group, not noticing how much that hurt Clementine. The thought of anything bad happening to Omid, Christa, Molly or anyone back there made her heart sink and her eyes well with tears. "There is no 'working it out' with these people, do you understand?"

"Dad," a voice said from opposite them. Michael sat between his wife and son. "I'm sorry, but he's right. This is the only way," he assured his father.

"Tell me," Johnny said to Old Jack, ignoring Michael completely, "how exactly does a Tank fit into your 'working it out' plan?" he asked sarcastically. The group went silent again.

"The Tank is there just in case things do get out of hand," Old Jack explained firmly with a hint of venom in his voice. "We can't go in there guns blazing. We're civilized people!"

This made Harold laugh out loud as he continued to play O When the Saints Go Marching In on his acoustic guitar. "Something funny, brother?" Dick asked from beside Harold.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Harold apologised, "I thought he was kidding about the civilised thing."

"Look, maybe it would be better if we did just try to talk to this guy," Jimmy said, being the only person on Old Jack's side. "I'm not sure I'm cut out for this anyway," he tried to say, though he could barely be heard over all of the voices speaking over each other.

"Daddy, I don't want you to go," Danny told his father as he wrapped his arms around him, desperate for him not to leave. "Please don't go."

Michael held his son tight. "I'm sorry, Danny," he told him. "I have to." He looked at the chaos that had erupted around him. He couldn't hear what Old Jack was saying anymore. Not over Johnny's protests, the argument between Harold and Dick and Jimmy's complaints.

Finally, Old Jack stood up. "SHUT UP!" he bellowed, and the group fell silent. "Look, I know you're all angry, and eager for payback. And nobody can blame us for that after what this man did to us," Old Jack bowed his head in remorse of what he'd lost at the hands of The Sheriff. "But I won't let us turn into monsters like him, like them," he shouted as he pointed beyond the horizon, where hundreds of walker were no doubt lurking. "These people showed up on our doorstep one morning, guns blazing, with threats to kill and destroy, and now you're talking about doing the very same!" Old Jack said, and he couldn't have been more right. "Now, everybody get some sleep. We leave at sunrise." And with that, Old Jack was gone. He left to let his words sit with the group. Silence fell upon them once again.

"Helluva group you've got here," Donald said sarcastically under his breath as he pushed himself up and hopped away on his crutches.

"They took my wife from me," Jerry confided in Lilly, "my son too." His head still bowed, Jerry closed his eyes as he thought back to days gone by. Days spent with his wife; the dreams they'd made and the love they'd shared. Days spent with Anna; woman who had once made his heart race, but now made his blood boil in furious hatred.

"Jesus," Lilly cursed. Jerry's story of Crawford and how the town's sheriff had lost everything truly shook her to her core. "I'm sorry," was all she could think to say.

"Me too," Jerry said. Jerry felt a giant weight leave his shoulders. Perhaps having told Lilly everything had actually helped. After all, the only woman in his life he would ever have dreamed of sharing such dark secrets with was gone. And he'd never spoken to anybody about hat night in Crawford. Not even Tommy or Jackson, who were both likely too scared to even bring it up. "You know, a part of me understands why Oberson did what he did," Jerry told her. He noticed Lilly's confusion. "Let me be clear: that man was a monster. But he did what he did for the good of his people. He was trying to survive. And that's where he went wrong." Jerry noticed Lilly was still hopelessly confused. "Lilly, do you know why I want to fly this Chopper?" he asked her, but she only shrugged her shoulders. She watched him suspiciously as Jerry paced up and down in front of her. "I want to leave Savannah," he explained coldly. "I want to leave this place behind and never come back. Why? Because there's no hope left here. It's too late for Savannah, but not for the rest of the world. We're going to Washington. You and me," he told her. Lilly's heart raced.

"What?" she asked, hopelessly lost. Was this some kind of sick joke? "Why me?"

"Because you're a survivor. A leader. Like me," he told her. "You proved it back there," he said talking about her actions in the armoury where she had destroyed Tom's brain to prevent him from turning, saving her and the rest of the group. "You were born to lead. We were born to lead. Together."

"I don't understand," Lilly said. Was he flirting with her? Or did he truly need her?

"Oberson was trying to survive, and he did for a long time. Longer than a lot of people anyway. But in the end, he still ended up like all the rest: dead and walking." Lilly nodded, she was starting to see the man's point. "Sometimes I wonder: why even bother? With so much death around us, why go on? We've lost our families, wives, fathers, and yet, we carry on. This is why," Jerry said, gesturing towards the Helicopter. "This is our destiny," he told her, sounding only slightly insane. "So, you and me, we go to Washington. We find ourselves a group – an army. We do what we both do best. We lead. We rebuild. We don't just survive. We start living," he said, his hands on her shoulders. "Isn't that what you want?"

Yes, was all Lilly could think. She wanted to shout it. More than anything.

The RV hummed as Johnny led it down the road out of the woods and back towards the Air Force Base, carrying Clementine, Donald, and the entirety of Old Jack's family, including the old man himself, who had insisted on a moment to speak to The Sheriff himself, believing there was enough sanity left in the man for Old Jack to talk him down. Whether he was right or not, the men were ready for battle. Clementine couldn't help but watch as Dick cleaned his rifle, her eyes following his hand as he wiped down the gun butt to barrel. Her eyes bounced up and down as they followed Dick wiping the gun from top to bottom with an old, dirtied rag. Dick's eyes caught hers, and he offered her a pitiful smile. It was more than could be expected under the circumstances – the group were essentially headed toward their doom – so Clementine gave him a smile back. Harold had fallen asleep beside Dick, his head back against the sofa's cushion, bouncing like a bobble head every time the RV hit a bump in the road. Harold's snores were the only sound to be heard that morning in the RV – the only thing breaking the silence. That was except for the odd direction Michael offered Johnny as he sat in the passenger seat beside him, directing him back to the Air Force Base through a quicker route that would get them there within a couple of hours. At the back of the RV, Old Jack had also fallen into slumber, joining his cousin in the peaceful paradise of sleep. It was almost a shame that the old man would have to wake up from whatever dream he might be dreaming to be reminded of the hell the world had become. Unlike his cousin, however, Old Jack slept silently. Sara sat beside him with young Danny wrapped up in her arms. When Danny caught eyes with Clementine, she quickly turned away out of shyness, embarrassment or an awkward mixture of both. When she turned back, she saw the boy whispering something in his mother's ear, his hand guarding his mouth and his words. Now, the boy had leapt out of his mother's arms and off his seat, and was walking towards Clementine.

"You mind if I sit here?" Danny asked, gesturing towards the empty spot besides Clementine. She shook her head, and so the boy pulled himself up to the seat next to her. He sat on his hands for a short while before opening his mouth again. "I'm sorry," he apologised, "what was your name again?" Danny asked Clementine, looking at her with his mouth open. It had obviously been a while since the boy had seen another child his own age, let alone a girl.

"Clementine," she told him with a warm and inviting smile as she twiddled her thumbs.

"Clementine?" Danny asked as he looked at her quizzically. "Like the fruit?" He asked her.

"Yeah," she agreed, nodding. "Like the fruit." They two of them giggled together, waking up Old Jack who sat nearby.

The old man wiped the sleep out of his eyes as he struggled to remember where he was. He soon recalled climbing inside the RV at the first sigh of the sun that morning and swallowed nervously when he remembered in which direction they were headed. When he heard the two children giggled together again, Old Jack looked back at Clem and Danny. Seeing them laugh together was enough to force a smile out of the old man.

"Look at that," Jack told Sara, nodding towards the two children playing together. "Looking at those two getting along like that, laughing together; you'd almost think the world hadn't ended." Old Jack felt a tear well up in his eye, but he wiped it away hurriedly.

"Yeah," Sara agreed, smiling when she saw her son doing the same. She had missed seeing Danny's innocent, freckled face light up like that. Apparently, all it had taken was another child in his life to remember how to smile. "If only that were true," she said with regret.

"Things were okay on the farm before," Danny explained to Clementine, his voice low with regret and misery. She noticed the boy was avoiding looking into her eyes. "But then the man in the sheriff's hat showed up," he went on. Clementine could tell simply by the way the boy spoke that he had seen his share of death and felt his share of pain, but he was doing everything he could to avoid speaking a word of it. "He did some bad things," Danny explained ambiguously, unwilling - or perhaps simply unable - to speak of The Sheriff's actions that were not doubt beyond evil. "People got scared. They started to leave the farm," Danny said. He paused, playing with his hands and continuing to avoid Clementine's eyes as his mind no doubt flooded with images of the wicked cruelties The Sheriff and his men had inflicted upon the Farm and its people. "Eventually, it was just us left," he concluded, his head bowed.

Clementine now had more questions than when Danny had begun. But she knew how carefully she had to tread. "What did he do?" She asked simply, though it could have been enough for the boy to burst into tears with the trauma he'd undoubtedly experienced.

"He crossed the line is what he did," a hoarse, grizzly voice from across the RV explained, its suddenness frightening Clementine. She spun her head round from Danny to see that the voice belonged to Dick, who still sat with his gun between his legs wiping the rifle down with a worn out rag. Beside him, his brother still slept, as did the majority of the RV. Old Jack had also returned to his slumber at the back of the RV, and Sara had drifted off to sleep on his shoulder.

Dick took a deep breath as he stuffed the dirty rag in one of the pockets of his old, muddy trench coat that fell to his knees. He cleared his throat as he set his rifle to one side with ease. "You see, Old Jack, my cousin…" Dick paused, a pained look showed on his old and tired face. "He had a wife. Maggie, her name was. Sweetest little thing you could imagine. Like a bird. They were inseparable. They raised this farm together. They had a family together. They lived together," Dick went on, his eyes never leaving Clementine. "Like I said," he paused, taking his eyes off Clem for a single second as he dwelled on his words. "inseparable," he said with remorse. His cold, war-torn eyes were back on Clem. "That was until the day The Sheriff rolled into town. You remember Johnny asked why Old Jack accepted this deal that involved handing over 60% of everything we made here over to Jeremiah and his boys? Well, at first he did. That didn't go down well," he explained, shaking his head as the toughest part of the story to tell came his way, "not at all." Dick smacked his tongue against his lips anxiously as he struggled to string together the next sentence. "He killed her. Maggie," Dick told Clementine, who immediately turned to Danny. The boy's head was bowed in remorse for his grandmother. "Old Jack's wife – she was the price he had to pay for turning their deal down… Now you understand why my cousin is so quick to follow this guy's orders," Dick said as he laid back in his seat. "Till now," he muttered.

"But why now?" Clementine asked, taking both Dick and Danny by surprise. They both sat forwards in their seats, and Clementine went quite. "I mean… why wait until now to act?"

Dick thought carefully about her question, smacking his tongue against his lips once again. "I don't know," he admitted. "Maybe my cousin's finally ready for some good old fashioned revenge. Maybe he really does just wanna talk to the guy. Or maybe…" Clementine and Danny leaned closer to Dick, eager to hear the man's response. He looked up at them both, his face dead with seriousness. "Maybe he's just tired of life without his Maggie," he said. Dick pulled the rag out of his pocket, grabbed the rifle sat beside his feet, and began to wipe the weapon down again. Clementine sat back in her seat, silent once again.

"I'm ready," Lilly told him sternly as she studied her reflection in the Helicopter's windshield. She hardly recognised that tired, dirty and bloody war torn face of hers. Behind the damage this new world had done to her, she hoped the innocent, brunette with the freckles and beauty spots still remained. She looked down at her blood-soaked hands, a reminder of the person she'd become. The kind of person who wouldn't fail to kill if it meant protecting herself or those she cared about. The kind of person Jerry Winters was looking for.

"Good," Jerry replied from behind her, his boots sticking in Jackson's blood like quicksand as he walked through the puddle of red. "We leave within the hour," he told her.

"That soon?" He took Lilly by surprise. What was the rush?

"I finally have exactly what I've been looking for. I've done my waiting," he told her as he stepped closer to her. He took her soft, gentle hands in his. "I'm ready too."

"You'd just leave your men like that? Aren't they relying on you?" She asked, still confused.

"They're ready to make a go of it on their own. They don't need me anymore," he assured her. "And if they decide they do need someone to lead them, I know I can trust Tommy to do exactly that. The boy's ready," he told her confidently.

Lilly stared deep into Jerry blue eyes that glistened with passion. She felt her heart race excitedly, the thought of climbing inside that Chopper and leaving this place behind was almost enough to make her smile.

"Ahem," a man coughed from behind Jerry as to get his leader's attention. Tommy stood awkwardly and cowardly, his eyes on the ground beneath his feet.

"Tommy? Good," he told the boy assuredly. "Just the man I need to talk to…"

"Sheriff, if I may, there's something that requires your immediate attention. More pressing concerns," he remarked, noticing The Sheriff and Lilly holding hands.

Jerry took his hands off Lilly embarrassedly. "What's the problem?" Jerry asked dutifully.

"It's Old Jack," Tommy explained sheepishly, his voice breaking with fear. "He's here."

"What the fuck does he want?" Jerry bellowed, his voice shaking Tommy to his core.

"He says…" Tommy struggled, still shaking. "He says he just wants to talk."

"Well then," Jerry said as he followed Tommy out of the hangar, "I guess we better go give him something to talk about. Have that Chopper ready for when I get back, Lilly," he shouted back at her. "This shouldn't take long," he uttered as he marched beside Tommy.

Next time on The Walking Dead: In the final chapter of Episode Three: Behind Closed Doors, the battle for Robins begins as Old Jack confronts The Sheriff and his men, demanding he free Clementine's friends. Meanwhile, Lilly is forced to make a decision that will change everything, and the fate of Clementine's friends are revealed. All in Chapter Eight: All Out War, coming soon!

Hey guys. Thanks for reading Chapter Seven: Campfire Song, a chapter I'm particularly proud of and I hope you all enjoyed! The final chapter is ready to be uploaded, so show me some reviews and it'll be up! Just let me know what you think of this chapter, this episode, the entire story or really anything you want! So, REVIEW/FAVOURITE/FOLLOW and wait patiently for ALL OUT WAR!

-George