WARNING: This story contains heavy foul language, detailed death, implied sexual content, and an extreme amount of feels. I DO NOT own The Walking Dead, any of the mentioned characters in this story, or "You" (because apparently it's illegal to kidnap people and keep them in your basement).

Chapter Twenty-Nine

The Risks We Take

Your P.O.V.

"What do you want from me? Whatever it is, I'll do it, and you can let her go."

You stared at the Walkie-Talkie as Ryan spoke into it, his words slow, and careful. The whole room was silent except for the conversation going on between him, and the mysterious male voice on the other line. Your head and chest was filled with worry and dread. A stranger... a man, had Clementine, and he had the power to do anything he wanted to her. All you could do was hope and pray that he wouldn't do anything drastic.

"I want you to never hurt anybody again," The voice spoke, after a moment of silence. "This isn't a kidnapping, Ryan."

Ryan's brown brows lightly knitted together to form a confused and irritated frown. His eyes darkened with anger and worry. His voice was low, and soft. "Then what is it?" He asked.

There was several more moments of silence. "A rescue." The man finally replied.

The line went dead.

Ryan slowly lowered the Walkie-Talkie away from his lips, and stared at it a moment, before lifting his blue gaze to meet your [eye color] one. You sent him a look of concern and fear. You'd subconsciously shoved your hands into the pockets of your jacket during the conversation, and had been biting your lip with habit.

The rest of the group stood where they had led themselves before the Talkie had started up, but they stared with wide eyes as they tried to comprehend what just happened. Outside, however many walkers that were out there continued to grumble and groan, their voices rising above the whole dead city.

Ryan finally put the Walkie-Talkie back onto his belt, and looked away. "He better not fucking hurt her." He said softly. "I swear..."

"Don't worry, bro." Felix's voice came from where he stood at the white-board. He gave a reassuring smile, though it looked a little forced. "We'll get her back."

"Felix is right, Cry." Kenny chimed in, taking a few steps closer to the center of the room. "Ain't nothin' gonna stop us from getting that little girl back."

You looked to Kenny and Felix, and then down to Ryan's wrist, as curiosity had you doing. You looked over the bite with concern. You almost reached out to touch it, but then thought otherwise, realizing it could cause a bit of pain if you did. Instead, you reached up and put a hand on his shoulder.

"How's the bite feeling?" You asked gently. He didn't look to you right away. He just thought for a moment... staring at the ground. He took in a deep, slow breath.

"Not too good..." He finally replied. "My hand is hot, and... thumping a little bit."

"You seem okay..." Kenny wearily looked Ryan up and down. "For now."

Omid gave a small smile. "Yeah, Cry. Totally."

"But..." Christa began to point out. "We don't have much time left."

You opened your mouth to announce a statement in agreement, but your sentence was cut short when the sudden sound of close growls brought your attention. Everyone looked to the door they'd come from, and saw walkers beginning to climb through the hole. Kenny grunted with an emotion you didn't understand, but you didn't question him as he ran up to the door, shut it, and braced himself against it.

"Well, we're about to have a lot less time." The redneck mumbled. He looked over his shoulder, to you and Ryan. "We'll all make sure nothing gets in. Ryan and [Your Name] are still the smartest fuckers out of all of us. I want you two to find us another way out of here."

Ryan slowly nodded. "Yes, sir."

OoOoOoO

He passed out.

He literally collapsed onto the ground.

The two of you were so close to finding a way out, and then you'd watched as he groaned and fell to the ground, his eyes shutting as he fell under the waves of unconsciousness. It'd scared you. You screamed, though you knew you shouldn't have, and tried your hardest to wake him up. He hadn't, and the whole group had made it to your side. You'd hoisted Ryan onto a counter, and began debating over what to do.

Then, Christa had come up with the brilliant idea to remove Ryan's arm, in hopes that the virus would slow down, before it completely took Ryan over. You didn't like this idea, but when you'd tried to come up with a reason not to do it, you found yourself empty. You finally decided to let it happen. Felix had put his arms around you for support, and you watched as Kenny grabbed a hack-saw from a different part of the room.

"Okay..." Kenny mumbled. "This has to be done."

He'd walked over to Ryan and grabbed the bitten arm, and placed the saw just above his elbow. You watched as Kenny was getting ready to saw in.

"Sorry, pal..." He mumbled. "I gotta do it."

You closed your eyes and turned away, not wanting to see it happen. It was terrible. Not a good idea. It wasn't-

"WHOA!"

Your eyes widened at Ryan's voice, and you perked your head, looking over to see him leaning up a little bit. He used his good arm to reach out for Kenny. His eyes were wide with fear.

"Wait!" Christa gasped. "He's awake!"

"He's still bitten!" Kenny argued.

"SO?!" You chimed in. "For God's sake, Kenny, take the saw away!"

Kenny sent you a look, before finally taking the saw away, and letting Ryan move into a sitting position. It took him a moment, but the brunette finally got onto his ass on the counter, and looked around. He looked a little pale... and tired. His eyes landed on you and Felix, and he gave you a look of confusion and concern.

"This is about trying to SAVE him!" Kenny continued to argue. "Or at least, buy him some time!"

Ben shook his head. "Do we have to cut it off, though?!"

"Do we know it works?" Omid pointed out.

"We don't know anything." Kenny pointed out.

"Is there gonna be a lot of blood?" Ben asked nervously, crossing his arms across his chest.

Christa gave him a look that pretty much gave away that she thought the teenager was a dumbass. "There's going to be a shitload of blood."

"What if he dies?" You chimed in.

"Then the rest of us go after Clementine," Felix mumbled. "And get the hell out of Savannah."

"Damn right." Kenny started. He turned to Ryan. "Let's do this. If it's a chance to stop you from turning, then we have to take it."

"Hey, guys, I'm right here, you don't have to talk to me like I'm not awake." Ryan told them. HE looked really freaked out now, and eyed the saw in Kenny's hand wearily. It was silent for a moment. Everyone looked to each other with concern.

"Sorry." Kenny mumbled.

"It's not really our call anymore." Christa spoke up, crossing her arms.

Ryan scoffed. "Yeah, no shit." He replied.

"If we take off your arm..." Omid started, speaking slowly as he thought. "And you don't die from pain or blood loss, then... maybe you won't die from the bite?"

Ryan gave a worried groan, and gently slipped off of the counter, and onto his shaky feet. You eyed him worriedly, but you didn't leave your spot from beside Felix. Beside him, Kenny looked the man up and down.

"What do you think?" He asked.

Ryan took a moment as he looked down at his left arm, to where the bite was. You could see it throbbing from where you stood... and it made you want to shudder. You couldn't imagine what Ryan was going through right now. And... if he died because of the bite... you couldn't imagine what you'd be going through in the future. You loved him. It was official. You loved Ryan. Cryaotic. You loved him with every beat of your fucking heart. So if he died...

"Fuck it." Ryan mumbled. "Fucking do it. Cut it off."

Christa blinked, eyes wide. "Seriously?" She asked him.

"Yeah..." Ryan mumbled. "It's my left arm. I'm right-handed. It'll be okay. Plus, it's our only option, and I'm gonna fucking die if we don't do this."

Slowly, Ryan leaned against the counter again, and placed his left arm upon it. Christa and Kenny slowly approached. Ryan looked to you with a helpless look. As much as you wanted to look away, you knew Ryan needed you. You gave Felix a thankful nod before leaving his side, and trotting up to Ryan. You reached forward and rested your hand on his right shoulder and gave it a small squeeze.

"I'm here for you, Ryan..." You whispered.

Ryan softly hummed, and rested his head against yours. "Thanks, princess." He mumbled. He then looked to Kenny and Christa. "Don't cut too high, alright?" He asked softly. "Please?"

Kenny and Christa didn't reply. Instead, they looked down to the saw. You all waited for Kenny to pick it up, but when he didn't, you grew confused. Slowly, he swallowed, and looked to Christa.

"It was easier when I thought he was out." Kenny admitted.

Christa frowned, and rolled her eyes, grabbing the saw. "Jesus..." She muttered. "FINE." After grabbing the saw, she walked over to Ryan. The brunette had taken off his sweater, so it wasn't in the way, and handed it to you. You'd taken it and wrapped it around your waist for the meantime. You then watched as Christa rested the saw upon Ryan's fore-arm, just below the elbow. She looked up to him with a sympathetic stare.

"I'll go as fast as I can." She promised. She received a slow nod from Ryan, who took in a deep, nervous breath. "Do it." He ordered. "You got this. You th- AUGHHHHHGHHHHH!"

You jumped as he screamed when Christa dug the saw into his arm without warning. You then held onto him again, trying to keep him from squirming too much. He thrashed in your hold, continuing to scream and pant from pain. Felix came up to your side and dove down to hold Ryan still as well.

"Ryan!" You gasped. "It's okay! It's fine! She's almost done!"

"OHH MY GODDDDDDD!" Ryan screamed, shutting his eyes as blood spewed from his arm. He cried out, tears running down his face. You grabbed his right hand, and he squeezed yours tightly as he screamed.

"I KNOW!" Christa yelled to him. She hesitated, and then sawed again. Ryan screamed, and then your eyes went wide when he suddenly stopped, and you felt him go limp in your hold. You grunted, worry growing inside you again as you struggled to hold him up. Christa had stopped, but you snapped for her to continue.

So she did, sawing over and over and over again, until finally, his arm was off. Ryan's weight leaned into you, and you nearly fell to the ground. You began to trip, but Felix came behind you and caught you before you fell. Kenny and Christa grabbed Ryan's body and put him back onto the counter. You watched them with wide eyes, watching as they grabbed some medical tape that Ben had found and began to patch the big wound up. Blood was everywhere.

OoOoOoOoO

You'd spent the next hour worrying. Ryan had passed out, and had yet to wake up. His wound had been patched up, but he still wouldn't wake. His chest continued to heave out and in in heavy breaths, but you were concerned that they'd stopped soon. After Ryan had passed out, and they fixed him up, Felix had pointed out the blood that had gotten all over the front of your green jacket.

You felt a pang of guilt for getting the liquid on your boyfriend's jacket, but there was nothing you could do. You wiped it up the best you could with a small amount of napkins you found, but you knew the jacket was stained for good.

After a while, Ryan had finally woken again. He's groaned and rolled onto his side, before sitting up. He'd looked to his arm with a look of horror, and then got to his feet. You'd raced to his side to help him up. He'd noticed the blood on your jacket and became apologetic, but you told him not to fret over it. Now, Kenny and Christa were walking over, looking somewhat relieved.

"Holy shit." Kenny started. "We thought we'd lost you, Cry. You'd been out a while, man."

"It... hurts... so... so bad..." Ryan tried to speak, though his voice was very soft. His face was growing even paler by the second. "But... maybe now I've got more time...?"

"Do you think you'll be able to travel?" Christa asked, her eyes wide. "You lost some blood."

"A lot of it..." You threw in.

Sudden banging sounded on the door that your group had came from. Everyone looked over to the door, and realized that walkers were on the other side, trying to get in. ...You growled. They would never give you a break, would they?

"Yeah..." Ryan finally answered.

"Good!" Kenny replied. "The elevator's open. Let's go!"

Your group took off to the Elevator doors that you and Ryan had opened about an hour and a half ago. You had Ryan lean against you for support as you made your way toward the doors. Felix stayed close to you two, too, just in case you needed any help supporting your boyfriend.

Your group walked through the elevator doors... to find that the elevator wasn't there. You realized that the elevator was up, and could fall down at any moment. This made you feel sick. You didn't want to be smashed today. Your eyes flicked to the latter, and you watched as your group approached it.

"We'll have to be as quiet as possible," Christa suggested. "And see if we can make it to an empty floor... or even a roof." She then looked to Ryan. "Do you think that's possible for you, Cry?"

"Yeah..." Ryan replied without hesitation. "That'll be fine. I'll be the last one to climb, so uh... I don't bleed on anybody." He then looked to the latter, and then to you. "You first, princess."

You nodded, and began to climb the latter that lead to the roof. Kenny followed after you, and then Ben, Omid, Christa, Felix, and finally Ryan. You didn't like to be too far from him, especially under the circumstances, but you didn't want to argue at this point. He was making the decisions... and that was good. He was practically the leader of the group.

As you continued to climb the latter, you listened to the sounds of walkers on the outside. It sent chills down your spine. You began to remember the first day you met Ryan. How you both escaped from your first walker together. And how you met Clementine. And how you helped Shawn and his friend Frank with their car, and made it to Hershel's house.

You began remembering everything you'd been through with Ryan... and sorrow began to well up inside you. If he died, you and Clementine would be the only ones left to share those memories. And if that mysterious man killed Clementine, or took her away forever, you'd feel alone... alone and robbed of your family.

Suddenly, a growl came from above you. You looked up, eyes growing wide, a gasp escaping your lips, as a walker began to fall down the latter. You pushed yourself against the latter and shut your eyes, holding on tightly.

"Look out!" You called down.

There was a series of gasps from the rest of the group, and a loud curse from Ryan. Omid shushed him, and told him to stay quiet. You swallowed as you looked back down. When you were sure everyone was okay, Kenny nodded to you, and you continued on with the climbing.

"Oh man..." Ben whispered nervously. "Oh geeze..."

"Shut the fuck up, Ben!" Kenny snapped.

"Is everything okay up there?" Ryan's voice called.

Ben swallowed. "I think I just peed myself!"

There was a pause. And then a sigh. "So yes, then." Ryan mumbled.

As you continued climbing, you eventually stumbled upon a large window, that showed one of the floors of the hospital. You watched as several walkers walked this way and that, trying to find a source of food. You felt another set of chills run down your back. You tried to stay out of their view and continued climbing, willing yourself to stay quiet.

Cry's P.O.V.

We eventually made it up onto the roof of the hospital. As we walked through the door and onto the roof, the first thing I noticed was the view of the city, which would have been cool or beautiful, if the city wasn't completely swarmed with walkers. The sun was high in the sky, having yet to set behind the towers again. The gentle day's breeze felt nice against my chopped arm. I could feel it through the medical tape. As the rest of the group made it onto the roof, I looked down at my arm, and groaned when I realized that I only had five fingers left.

I turned around and looked up, and on the small building atop the hospital, the words NO HELP were written upon the wall in white paint. I felt my stomach churn with an uncomfortable feeling. This wasn't good. I turned around and looked to the rest of the group. My eyes finally landed on [Your Name]. She was crouched at the edge of the building, looking over. Her facial expression was sad. I curiously trotted over to her, and looked around. Trying to see what she was seeing. All I noticed at first was the street full of walkers, but as I looked closer, I finally saw what she'd seen.

Roses.

"Just stop to smell the roses..." [Your Name]'s voice was soft. She hesitated. I looked to her, and watched as a tear slipped down her cheek. "B-Because even in the worst... in the worst of..." Her voice cracked, and she couldn't finish. I sighed and reached my right arm out to her. She turned and buried her face into my shoulder. I gave her a half-hug (since that was all I could offer now, hugs wise) and gently rubbed her back.

"Remember when Savannah was empty?" Kenny's voice came from a different part of the roof. [Your Name] and I stood and looked over to him, watching as he looked out to the city. Beside him, Christa sighed.

"Those Crawford bastards did one thing right, I guess."

"There must be thousands of them..." Kenny whispered. "Hear them all? See 'em? The fuckers..."

"Did they follow us here?" Ben piped up. "From the railroad?"

Felix cleared his throat as he joined the rest of the group. "It seems like it."

"That's crazy." Christa chimed. "They can't track... they just... roam."

"Is it?" Kenny asked. "That fuckin' train wasn't exactly discrete."

"Well," Omid mumbled. "What do we do now?"
I looked around, and looked back to the streets, where the walkers were roaming. I bit my lip with nervousness.

"Clementine is out there." I added. "Gobbled up in all of that."

Christa sent me a sympathetic look. "We'll get to her, Cry." She told me. "We have to."

"Look..." Kenny sighed. "Let's gather our bearings, and see if we can find a way to make it across town. Good?" He waited. No one replied. He nodded. "Good."

Your P.O.V.

Really, you weren't the one who should be resting, but Ryan had told you to sit down while he looked for a way off of the roof. You told him it should be the opposite, and that he should rest while you searched, but he told you it'd be better for him if he was up and moving. He also pointed out that you looked exhausted. Finally, you'd given in, and sat down against a wall and rested.

You watched everyone while they worked. Felix and Ryan stuck together as they tried to find a way off of the roof. You couldn't help but smile at how they acted toward each other. Like best friends... like on their videos. You missed YouTube... and you missed watching the Pewdiepie and Cry Lets-Play videos. But that was in the past. You had to focus on the present, and the future.

You began to think about Clementine. In situations like these, you were usually holding her close, and telling her things were going to be okay. But she wasn't here. She was gone. When you'd seen the roses, you immediately thought of her, and you began to grow sad. If she were here, you would have pointed them out, and told her that everything was going to be okay. But she was gone. Clementine... someone you considered a daughter, was gone. She was taken from you, or... rescued as that mysterious man put it.

That got you thinking. Rescued from what? The man had told Ryan that he wanted to prevent him from hurting anyone ever again. Who had Ryan hurt? No one. Ryan hadn't hurt anyone. ...Had he? No. No, he hadn't. You couldn't remember a time he hurt someone besides the Saint Johns, and then, he'd only done that to protect his group. To protect you. And Clementine. ...And Duck and Katjaa...

Thinking about them made you think of Kenny, but then made you immediately think of Felix. You knew that Marzia was the Swedish man's girlfriend of several years. They could have gotten engaged. Married. Kids. Way before the world went to shit. You knew Felix loved Marzia so much, and loosing her must have felt awful.

But when you looked at Felix... you didn't see a sad man who had just lost the love of his life. Sure, he looked upset, but now, he looked more determined to save Clementine. You felt like he got over Marzia's death too quickly. Except... maybe he didn't get over Marzia's death. Maybe he's bottling up his emotions to save for later, when things weren't so crazy.

Your eyes widened as you realized Ryan had walked over to the wall beside you, and picked up a giant fucking latter with his one hand. Felix and Kenny watched with amazement, and as Kenny spoke up, it drew Omid, Christa, and Ben's attention.

"Whoa, you need some help with that?"

Ryan shook his head, sending you a look before looking toward the bell-tower. "I got it." The young man replied. "It's all good. I may be handi-capped, but I'm not impaired of lifting latters."

You stood up from where you sat and followed after Ryan, watching as he placed the latter at the edge of the roof, extended it, and pushed the other end onto the ledge of the close-by bell-tower. When that was completed, Ryan turned to the group, in which everyone had gathered around.

"Alright." He started. "I'm going to go across this latter, and ring the bell. When I do, walkers will start coming. We'll bust our asses as he go down the fire-escape, and head back to the mansion."

Kenny raised an eyebrow. "That's a good idea, but..." He paused. "Are you sure you should to be the one to go?"

"My leg is feeling better," Omid chimed in. "Let me do it."

"I'll do it!" Ben suggested.

Kenny's face lit up, and he grinned. "Yeah, Ben will do it!"

"You're just hoping he'll fall." You piped up, glaring in Kenny's direction. You looked back to Ryan. "Cry, you only have one arm." You told him. "It's going to be impossible for you to do this."

"Impossible?" Ryan asked, raising an eyebrow. "Oh, come on, [Your Name]. I can totally do it."

You took a step toward him. "You told me to rest, right? Well, I'm rested now, and I don't want to feel useless. So whether you like it or not, I'm gonna be the one ringing that bell. Ryan opened his mouth to speak. You narrowed your eyes. "Princess' orders." You told him.

Ryan blinked. Then blinked again. He opened his mouth to speak once more, but he had no further argument. So instead, reluctanlty, he told you to be careful, and went to stand next to Felix. You gave the group a small nod, before turning, and putting your hands on the latter.

"Why are we letting a woman do the dangerous stuff...?" Felix mumbled.

You frowned. "Because the woman insists. Now shut up about it."

"Be careful," Kenny called. "That thing looks a little rickety."

You tensed, and looked down, chills going up your spine as you noticed how far away the ground was. You shuddered. "Maybe keep that shit to yourself, next time?" You asked. You then turned back to the latter, and carefully, you began to climb. At first, you thought it'd be easy.

The latter wasn't moving very much, and you considered it to be sturdy. However, about half way up, a screw suddenly fell from the latter, and the whole thing began to slide down. You yelped and climbed quicker, and as the latter gave out from under you, you jumped and grabbed the edge of the bell-tower. Then, you pulled yourself up and over onto the safe side, and looked over the edge. The latter had hit the ground and crushed a walker.

"HOLY SHIT, MAN!" Omid gasped, laughing.

"Are you okay?!" Christa called.

You looked up to your group. Everyone looked relieved and amazed... except for Ryan, who looked like he was just getting over a heart-attack. Felix was patting his shoulder. Ryan lifted his gaze to meet yours, and a small, relieved smile spread across his lips. You smiled back.

"Yeah," You panted, calling back. "I'm fine!"

"Can you try to find another way out of there?" Omid called to you.

You blinked, and then turned around, looking to your surrounding. You were on a plat-form, with a hatch that led to the inside of the bell-tower. You could go through there after you ring the bell, and escape that way. You trotted over to it and leaned over, slipping your hands on the handle and trying to pull it up. ...You discovered it was locked. ...Shit.

"The exit in here's locked!" You called back to your group. No reply. You knew they were trying to think of something else. You stood straight and looked over to the bell, and then to the rope. You frowned, and walked over. You ran your fingers along the rope, and... then, without hesitation, grabbed it and yanked on it three times. A loud ding started in the bell, piercing your ears. Below, walkers began to move toward the bell-tower. You moved away from the rope and walked over to the edge again. Everyone was looking down at the on-coming walkers, and up at you. You studied the situation for a moment, before looking to your group.

"I think I have to jump!" You called to them.

Ryan's eyes widened, and he looked like he was going to have another heart attack. Felix whispered reassuring words to him as the rest looked up to you in surprise. Kenny slowly nodded.

"You can make it!" He told you. "It ain't far!"

You slowly nodded, then looked around again. You blinked. Then blinked again.

"I'm so fucked."

Cry's P.O.V.

I watched with wide eyes as she backed away from the edge... then ran forward, and jumped. She launched herself off of the edge and flew forward. Without thinking, I ran forward, and in just enough time, I leaned over and grabbed her wrist before she could fall to her death. She looked up to me with wide and slightly fearful eyes, but also looked grateful. I smiled at her, before pulling her up with the one arm. When she was over the edge, I pulled her into a tight hug.

"I got you..." He whispered. "You're okay..."

"Thanks, Ryan..." [Your Name] whispered back.

"Good god-damned leap, Princess." Kenny called her by the nick-name I'd given her as he trotted over. I stood, and pulled [Your Name] with me. She smiled at Kenny and lightly chuckled.

"Cry did a good save." She replied. "I would have been walker-food if he didn't catch me."

Kenny nodded, but his smile faded, and he looked to the others. "Alright!" He called. "Let's get the hell off this roof!"

OoOoOoO

Our group walked back to the mansion. It was a longer walk than I'd expected, but we did it. We were now walking along the fence of the back-yard of the house we'd taken over a couple days before. We were on the outside, upon the sidewalk. [Your Name] and I were hand-in-hand, with the rest of the group behind us.

Ahead of us, a walker came stumbling over, and without hesitation, [Your Name] pulled out her gun and shot it right in the face. I watched with amazement and slight amusement at her lack-of-fucks to be given. She put her gun back in her belt, and continued walking. When we were close enough, we turned the corner.

The plan was to open the shed on the outside of the fence, so we could get the boat ready for after we got Clementine. However, when we turned the corner...

"Holy shit..."

The doors to the shed were opened, and... the shed was empty. The boat was gone. Gone. I let go of [Your Name]'s hand as I stared at the emptiness with wide eyes. The boat was gone. Taken. The boat was fucking taken...

"What the fuck?!" Kenny growled, putting his hands behind his head. "C-Come on! Just come the fuck on!"

I watched as Omid began to walk into the shed, leaving the group's side. Kenny looked furious... as if he was about to have his own heart-attack.

"Well, we're not coming back here, till we find Clem..." Christa started.

"WHO?!" Kenny demanded. "Fuck! How could this happen?!"

"C-Clementine..." [Your Name] suddenly whispered. I looked down to her, and noticed her expression. She looked devastated. "Clementine... she... gave them the boat?" She whispered, voice breaking. "...What...?"

Christa shook her head. "I don't think she would do that." She argued.

"Hey... guys..." Omid whispered.

Everyone looked up to see Omid. In his hand, he held a note. He was looking down at it, his eyes flicking back and fourth as he read it, over and over.

"No, Clementine's not with the boat." He confirmed. "Vernon and his crew took it."

My eyes widened. "What?!" I demanded. "Vernon?!"

"No fucking way!" Kenny snarled. He walked forward and snatched the note from Omid's hand, and began to read it. His hands were shaking. He snarled. "THE INVALIDS!" He spat.

"Their actions, uh..." Omid mumbled to Kenny. "Contradict your characterization, but... yeah." He shrugged. "'The Invalids'."

"Omid's right." Christa started. "They're not invalids. They're people. People who have been dealing with shitty situations longer than we have. No wonder they got the jump on us."

"I don't care if their make-a-wish situation was a fucking bullride!" Kenny snarled. "When I find them, I'm going to rip their fucking heads off!"

"We will never find them." Christa mumbled.

Omid took the note from Kenny again. "He feels bad about it," The man said. "Vernon, I mean. He says he feels bad for leaving us... AND Clementine behind."

"They fucked us!" Kenny snarled.

The group gathered around and stood in silence for a moment, while they tried to figure out what to do. At one point, Christa had asked Omid to go over the fence and let the group into the back yard, because it was bad to stay out in the open. Omid was reluctant, but he went and did it.

"This is not happening..." Kenny whispered. "God, everything is so fucked..."

"Clementine is still out there," Christa pointed out to the group.

Kenny sighed. "So we get Clementine, and then what?!"

Christa frowned. "We get the fuck out of cities!" She snapped back. "I'm done with cities. We go into the country-side, and make a go of it."

Ben gave a small smile, and nodded. "Yeah, that seems like a good idea to me."

Kenny frowned again. "Nobody asked you, Ben."

Ben frowned back. "YOU just did!"

"Don't get fucking smart with me, Ben..." Kenny sneered.

"Kenny, what won't help..." [Your Name] mumbled.

"Do you remember we had a boat?!" Kenny asked her. "A boat!"

I sighed. "Everyone, keep it together! Nothing has changed, has it?"

Kenny looked surprised. "Nothing has changed?!" He asked me.

I rolled my eyes at him. "I mean immediately, man! We stay the course. We don't turn on each other."

Ben nodded. "Yeah, chill out, Kenny!"

Kenny glared at the teenager, as if he was ready to kick his ass. The door on the other side of the shed suddenly opened, revealing Omid, finished with the task he was given. Christa looked around, before finally gesturing to the yard.

"We can do this in the yard." She told everyone.

Felix, [Your Name], Kenny, Ben, and Omid went through the shed, and into the yard. Kenny began to growl at Ben, but I toned his snaps out as I turned to Christa, who, beside me, was the only one who hadn't moved from her spot. She looked me up and down, and sighed.

"What do we do without a boat?" She asked me.

I thought for a moment, before slowly nodding. "I liked the country-side idea, honestly." I admitted. "We've dicked around in cities, coastlines, and boats too long." I then paused... and lowered my voice. "Take [Your Name], and Clementine, and keep them safe out there... okay?"

"Look, I agree with you." Christa mumbled. "I think out in the country-side is the safest place to be." She then frowned. "But you're not dead yet. So put a pin in that, okay?"

I blinked, a little taken aback as I watched her turn and walk through the shed, and into the yard. I hesitated a moment... before following after. Ben and Kenny's voices were tuning back in.

"CHILL?!" Kenny snapped. "Cry's bitten and God knows how long HE has left. Clementine is... who the fuck knows, and we're robbed of the only hope we've had!"

The two were only a little ways away from the shed, face-to-face. Omid and [Your Name] and Felix were by the bird-fountain. Christa and I joined them there where they stood, and watched shit go down between the two arguing men.

"So?!" Ben argued.

"So," Kenny continued. "Cry should have left your ass in Crawford. We've got enough problems."

Ben glared, and didn't stop himself from yelling. "FUCK YOU, KENNY!"

Kenny's eyes widened, and he stood still for a moment, his glare completely vanishing as he looked at Ben. Now that I'd seen them together, I realized that Ben was taller than Kenny by several inches, and if he wanted to, he could kick the grown-man's ass. Ben's hands were shaking with rage, and I wasn't sure what was going to happen.

"Whoa... Ben..." [Your Name]'s soft voice sounded from beside me. "Let's not-"

"No." Christa mumbled. I looked over, and watched as she put her hand on [Your Name]'s arm to stop her. She looked [Your Name] in the eyes. "Let him."

"I am so, so, so sorry about Katjaa and Duck..." Ben's voice was normal again. As he brought up the family name's, Kenny began to frown. But Ben continued. "I am. And I know I fucked up, but stop pushing me around, and stop wishing I was dead!"

Kenny opened his mouth to argue, but Ben screamed again.

"NO!" He spat. "You know how they died. You said GOODBYE. I never got to see my family. My parents. My little sister." He stopped, and his voice began to crack. His eyes formed tears. "Do you get that?" He asked the redneck. "My family is gone, but at least you had them to loose. I never made it home. They could be alive, or dead, or WALKERS, OR WORSE, I DON'T KNOW. SO GIVE ME A FUCKING BREAK!"

My eyes were wide, and my jaw was parted in a gasp. I'd never seen Ben act like that before. In front of him, Kenny began to look guilty, and sympathetic. He lightly sighed.

"Oh, Ben..." He whispered. "I'm sor-"

The loud sound of groans cut Kenny off. We all looked to the fence, to see Walkers trying to get through. They'd come across the corner... a lot of them. Fear ran through me, and I felt [Your Name] push closer to me.

"Oh, shit!" Christa gasped. "Here they come!"

I turned around, and watched as Omid ran for the door. He pulled it open, and turned to us. "In the house!" He ordered. "Now!"

We all took off after Omid, piling inside after he'd gone in. When everyone was in, I shut the door, and spun around. Everyone hung out in the kitchen for a moment as they tried to figure out what to do.

"They shouldn't be able to get into the back yard, right?!" Kenny asked. He spoke too soon. The sound of the gate opening was heard, and groans came from a closer point. He swallowed. "Maybe not..."

"We can secure this place!" Christa suggested.

I quickly walked forward. "Christa, get on the front room in the windows! Check the boards!"

"Got it!" Christa nodded. She ran off into the house. I turned to Kenny.

"Kenny, look for weapons!" I told him. "Gather anything you can find!"

"Will do!" Kenny agreed, and ran off into the house. I turned to Ben.

"Ben, move any furniture up against the doors and windows. We don't want any walkers getting into this place!"

"Got it!" Ben replied. He turned and ran off into the house.

I turned to Omid, and called his name, but I noticed his eyes were... very wide as he was staring at something with shock. I rose an eyebrow, and looked to where he was looking. My eyes widened. Across the room, past a set of opened double-doors, a couple walkers were roaming inside the house.

"Oh, fuck!" I gasped. "[Your Name]! Felix! Help Omid!"

They nodded to me, and ran off after Omid. I tried to follow, but a sudden hand latched onto my leg, and I fell. I grunted as I hit the ground, and turned around. A walker had stuck it's hand through the doggie-door, and had grabbed my leg. I gasped, and kicked my leg against the dog door. Then again. And again. And again. Finally, the door came down onto the walker, and cut off it's hand as it shut. I looked at the limb with wide eyes, before hoisting myself to my feet. I turned around and ran further into the house.

"Cry, help!" Felix's voice called.

I looked to where they were. Felix, Omid, and [Your Name] were trying to block the door, but several hands were reaching through, trying to open the doors. The three of them were struggling to keep it closed.

"Cut their fucking arms off!" [Your Name] suggested.

"There should be a knife or something in the kitchen!" Omid hollered.

I spun around and ran back into the kitchen, and looked around. There were no knives on the counters. I gasped and began to look through cabinets and drawers. Finally, I found a knife in a drawer by the microwave. Giving a successful smile, I turned around and bolted back into the living-room. When Felix noticed I'd returned, he shouted, "Take their God-damned arms off!"

I did exactly that, hacking through each arm until they were all gone. The doors shut, and [Your Name] locked it. They turned back to us. Kenny, Christa, and Ben had run over while I was fighting off the arms, and now stood beside me, waiting for their next orders.

"Now, what?!" Felix asked.

I rose a finger to my lips and made a hushing noise. I looked around.

"We hide." I told them. "And then we find a way out."

"Cry's right, this place is secure." Christa mumbled. "We're patient, and then we get going."

Suddenly, a board on a window came undone, and a walker hand smashed through the window, followed by a loud growl. The same happened with another window, and the door (though it was locked...). Walkers began to pile in. I looked back to the group with wide eyes. [Your Name] gasped.

"This place isn't so secure anymore, Christa!" She shrieked.

I grabbed her hand and pulled her close to me, and then looked around. "Fuck!" I exclaimed. "Everybody! Upstairs!"

"Go!" Kenny shouted. We all turned and began to bolt upstairs, but I realized the absence of a member brought my attention. Telling [Your Name] to follow Kenny, I spun around, and saw Felix standing by the door, looking at a walker. I didn't see what the deal was, until I noticed exactly who the walker looked like.

Marzia.

My heart sunk into my stomach. I called Felix's name, but he didn't answer. Instead, I watched with wide eyes as Felix pulled the mini-axe from his pocket, ran toward, and jammed the blade into his dead girlfriend's head. Marzia's walker-form went down immediately. Felix looked down at the poor woman for a second, before turning to me. Tears had been pricking at his eyes. I gave him a sympathetic look, and reached my hand out. Felix slowly nodded and accepted the offer, and together, we ran up the stairs.

Your P.O.V.

Your group stood at the end of the hallway, guns loaded, and aimed toward the beginning of the hall. You were ready to take a stand. A small, long desk had blocked the entrance a little, so that when the walkers showed up, they'd have to trip over it if they were to pass it. Everyone was ready, and the walker's figures began to show.

"We can't let ourselves get trapped." Ryan mumbled to the group.

"Let's get as many as we can." Kenny agreed. "And when we see an opening, we go for it. ...How many bullets do ya'll have?"

Everyone stopped a moment to check their count. You checked yours, and confirmed to the rest of the group that you only had four shots left. The others counted off their small bullet numbers, and when they did, they aimed again. You rose your gun once more, and waited for the walkers.

The first walker came. Ryan's gun went off, and the walker went down. Two more came. Ryan fired another shot, and then Kenny. The two bullets flew through the air and struck the walkers, sending them to the ground. More showed up. You pulled the trigger back, and took a breath, just like Cry had taught Clementine to do. The walker you shot went down. Ryan took another shot, and then Ben. Ben took his final shot (only having two bullets), and then announced that he was empty. After a moment, Christa did too. You fired at two more walkers, and then confirmed that you were out. Ryan had, right after you.

"I'm out, too!" Kenny announced.

"Fuck!" Omid cursed. "Where do we go?!"

The walkers continued coming. You watched them with wide eyes, before looking around. There had to be a way out. Had to be!

"Up!" Christa suddenly suggested. Everyone looked up, and noticed the attic for the first time since they'd arrived in the hall-way. Relief rushed over you. You reached up and pulled the string, and the attic came down. When it did, Kenny rushed up, and you followed. Then Christa. Then Felix. Then Ben. Then Omid, and finally, Ryan was the last to climb up. The brunette shut the door behind him. Everyone got up and began to move around, but you were confused when you found Ben walking up to you.

"Here..." He mumbled, handing you a gun in his hand. "You dropped this on your way up. I'm not good with these."

You nodded to him and took the gun. "Thanks, Ben." You mumbled back.

After a moment of silence, the group gathered into a circle, and Kenny was the first to speak.

"That could have gone better."

"Everyone okay?" Christa asked.

Kenny slowly shook his head. "Cry's still bitten."

Christa frowned. "Shut up." She told him.

Kenny scoffed, and crossed his arms, but Omid spoke before the redneck could.

"Okay. Let's get out of here and keep moving."

"The kid's right. We keep moving." Kenny mumbled. "Any chance we can get Clem and catch up to those God-damned thieves?"

You bit your lip. "I don't know." You admitted. "Maybe."

"Well, we're not going out through this window," Omid gestured to the window on the other side of the room. "No latches, no roof access, and thirty feet straight down."

Kenny huffed. "Anyone have any ideas?"

Omid smirked as he walked over to a desk, and gestured to the statue of a smart-looking gentlemen. "I bet this guy would." Omid laughed. "He's got a resourceful-looking air about him."

Christa frowned. "Knock it off." She mumbled.

Omid bent down to read the statue's title. "Dixon Kent, the third. Industrial-"

"OMID." Christa snapped at her boyfriend. Omid stood straight and looked toward his girlfriend, and frowned. He approached her and roughly sighed.

"Christa! I'm just trying to lighten the fucking tone!" He told her. Christa glared.

"We need SOLUTIONS." She snarled. "Not stupid jokes!"

"So..." Kenny mumbled. "No ideas, then?"

"There's..." Ryan started. He sounded a little... sick. You looked up to him worriedly, and watched as he wiped sweat off of his forehead. "There's got to be another way."

"Check the floors for any other access." Christa suggested. "A vent. Anything."

"Or, we wait for the house to clear-out, and stick to the high-ground." Kenny commented.

You ignored them and put a hand on Ryan's shoulder. He sent his gaze to you. His eye-color had... lessened a bit. His blue eyes were becoming more... gray. His face was nearly while from how pale he was... and dark circles started forming under his eyes. You looked to him, worriedly. He looked miserable.

"How are you feeling?" You softly asked. He looked you over and gave a small, weak hum, before wiping his forehead again. When he didn't answer, you went on. "You're not looking great... and you're warm." You told him. You reached up and pressed the back of your hand to his forehead.

"I-I... I'm..." Ryan groaned. "I'm... okay. I'm okay. Don't-"

"Cry! Cry, I'm okay!"

Your eyes widened at the sound of Clementine's voice going off on the Walkie-Talkie. Before Ryan could, you snatched the Talkie from his belt, and held it to your lips.

"Clementine?!" You spoke.

"[Your Name]!" Clementine's voice gasped. "I'm fine! I'm where my parents-...

...Oh, no!"