A/N: Hello again everyone, sorry it's been a while but I'm glad you liked last chapter despite it being a little slow. This chapter will also have a lot of talk and character moments within it, but hopefully it gets the plot moving once again. Hopefully I can finish this fic (and this episode) before Season 3 comes out. Anyway thanks again for following this story for so long and keeping up with everything that's been going on.
Paradoxilla- Glad you're still onboard as much as it's killing you.
ffapathy- As per usual loving your analysis of what happened last chapter and I'm glad the Olivia thing caught you by surprise as I wanted to make her a more dimensional villian rather than another Schulz or Carver clone also yeah I meant to say lobotomised rather than euthanized, thanks for pointing that out and I will try and correct it at some point. Thanks again for reviewing!
JustSomeGuy23- Yep it seems like keeping JJ alive was a bad choice, but this chapter you'll have to wait and see if it really was a bad choice after all... but I'm glad last chapter made you think Olivia was vicious but somewhat likeable to you because that's exactly what I was hoping for, I also hope this chapter continues to entertain you.
Protocol115- Glad to see I'm an inspiration to you in writing, It's fine about the criticism, it's what these reviews are for and It helps me write a better story. About the whole sex thing, I do think I've used it a little too much, In No Going Back it was all behind closed doors and didn't happen often. In Going To Ruin sexual abuse was more common considering the much darker tone of the story. In Ruin to Redemption people have used it to gain power and privileges but I think I may have used it too often and it may detracted from the main plot somewhat, as so far Tim and Stacy slept with each other for that reason, Stef slept with people to help the old group stay financially stable after the first riot and now in Utopia it's happening all over again so I can see where your coming from and will try and focus more on the main plot and events from this point onwards rather than all that stuff.
Also do you hate JJ as in you hate the character for what he has done? Or do you just dislike him as you feel he is a badly written, unlikable, or unrealistic character? I'd like to hear your feedback again, as every review is appreciated and I'm sure you write good characters as well so don't beat yourself up over that. Anyway best of luck with your own story and I'm glad you've enjoyed the trilogy thus far.
TheDomDotCom- "Sex with the vegetables" you can have and keep that as that made me laugh for a while, but I get the point your making. The bomb plan will be a threat indeed but when it occurs, you'll have to wait and see. Yep I'm glad you picked up on the fact it was essentially Luis who saved JJ and everyone else kind of followed Luis. So really a lot of blame and reasons for Luis being a complex character will centre on this choice, I find both Luis and JJ complex characters to write as their personalities are ever changing as they experience loads of different things in the story, but they sure are fun to write regardless! Again thanks for reviewing!
and finally AquaDestinysEmbrace thanks once again for reviewing and staying loyal to this story, so without anymore chit chat, it's back to the story!
"So, this is why you really dragged us out here?"
Clementine wearily asked this of Stephanie, a couple of squirrel's lay dangling in Clementine's muddy fingers, so they had made some process with kills, however as the sun lay in the midpoint in the sky, indicating it was around midday, the raven haired woman had taken Clementine back to the scene of the earlier crime and was now digging up the quick, make-shift grave where Robert, Jasper and Frank had been laid to rest.
"Sort of" Stephanie replied, using her own hands to drag away mounds of soil and grass, she wiped a sheen of sweat off her forehead and crinkled her nose in preparation for the smell of gore and early decay that would smash into her nostrils.
"It feels wrong Stef" Clementine muttered, leaning against a tree and adjusting her cap, so the sun's harsh rays didn't directly reach her eyes.
"I know, but I just need to look" Stephanie persisted "Remember back at Howe's Clem? When Lilly insisted we check the bodies of Randy and Patricia? It helped us identify they'd been murdered and how they died"
"Yeah, but that didn't lead to anything good" Clementine mumbled.
"It lead to something" Stephanie reminded her, yet she too harboured harsh memories of that night and the fact she had attempted to steal the truck and had ultimately destroyed their only form of transport, leaving the group at the mercy of the cult to play it's sick mind games on them all. Well with the group of over 20 which had been at Howe's now reduced to just five. Herself, Clementine, Luke, Nick and Eddie. Molly came later on which still left them as a tiny group of 6 people. Stephanie always hated the fact she knew she could have saved more people and maybe more people would have been here now, maybe more people would have been able to save Rebecca and AJ and…
It was all one great big chain for disaster.
"But maybe we'll find evidence to prove that JJ was innocent" Stephanie said to convince herself more than she was Clementine, "Maybe JJ really did just come across the scene and it broke the guy, hell did you see him at the wall. The state of him? Tom really did some damage to the boy".
"But Tom said JJ was dangerous!" Clementine protested "Maybe Tom was crazy, but JJ was worse. That's why he went for him and I've got a gut feeling that JJ wasn't telling the truth about what happened back there…"
"Whatever happened JJ seemed battered either way" Stephanie argued, "I don't why you're trying to bring him down Clementine, you voted to save him!"
"Only because Luis did!" Clementine blurted out before she could stop herself. Stephanie's eyes widened at this news and Clementine instantly dipped her gaze to the ground feeling ashamed of herself.
"But Sarah liked him" she muttered after the silence grew too loud "So… maybe there is good in him somewhere".
Clementine knew that was flat and thin argument the minute it had left her lips.
"Yeah but don't take this the wrong way Clementine" Stephanie mumbled awkwardly "But… Sarah never had the best judgement when it came to that sort of thing…"
"You don't need to remind me of Arvo" Clementine spat, the Russian teenager had abandoned Sarah when she most needed him. Why did Sarah always fall for the assholes like Arvo and JJ when she was there for her all along? Why couldn't Sarah ever see that!? In light of Sarah's death Clementine felt guilty about feeling mad for Sarah because of this, yet she grew to dislike Arvo and JJ greatly as well.
"Besides why are you criticising him!?" Clementine demanded, "You voted to save him as well!"
"Because…" Stephanie said starting to go red in the face, before her argument dried on her lips and she let out a sigh and returned to digging up the grave.
"Because Nick did?" Clementine finished for her.
"Yeah" Stephanie admitted, not too proud of herself either.
"I guess we're both idiots then" Clementine concluded duly.
"With the baby on the way, I just thought…" Stephanie sighed there and muttered "I know it's stupid Clem to be so clingy to him but it's hard not to be. His going to be the father of my child, he's my husband, he's helped me through so much when I didn't deserve it. I had full faith in him when he said JJ should be spared, but now looking back on it…"
Stephanie felt silent and it remained between the two young women for a while, Stephanie scrunched up her nose as the tip of a bloodied finger came into her line of view and the familiar smell flared in her nostrils.
"Yep, they stink just as predicted". She muffled into the sleeve of her coat.
"Hopefully they give us answers" Clementine said "But, I'm not mad with you Stef for following Nick. You've known him for years now. I haven't known Luis for that long and I still sided with him, just because I worked so damn hard in Wellington to make the guy a tad bit more likeable and optimistic…"
"Did you ever ask yourself, why out of everyone, you decided to focus your attentions on him?" Stephanie asked with a knowing smile.
"Not for that reason" Clementine spat "Just because he was so damn prickly! He argues with me for no reason…!"
"You fall for the bait every time Clem, it's actually gotten cute to watch…"
"Don't ship it like you ship your husband and Luke" Clementine groaned, Stephanie's wider smile told her she was already too late in stopping that from sailing ahead.
"Regardless you still end up married in your weird future" Stephanie mused.
"He probably became brain-dead in that timeline then" Clementine retorted "With Sarah gone as well, I…"
She paused there rather abruptly, Stephanie was now scraping bits of mud from the tattered clothes of the recently deceased, at Clementine's silence the woman snapped her head up to see Clementine looking forlorn at the mention of Sarah's name.
"It still hurts us all you know" Stephanie said "and I understand if you're mad at me because If I hadn't run after Nick that day, things may have been different and both Lilly and Sarah could have lived"
"I was for a while" Clementine admitted honestly "You left them, then you left us. I blamed you, Nick, Rebecca, Luke, hell anyone who left us! But you didn't come back until Nick did and I was happy to have you back, but I was still kind of angry with you…"
"That's understandable" Stephanie mumbled sadly "I wish I could stop following his every word sometimes. Hell I argue with him too, I do actually disagree with him, why didn't I back then? When I needed too?" Stephanie asked this of herself as her muddy fingers flew defensively towards her belly.
"We all just thought it was the right thing" Clementine said "Hell, maybe it is" Clementine continued looking down at the now partly exposed body of Jasper.
"Hopefully" Stephanie muttered uncertainly "If not I hope Nick keeps us safe and I hope he stays safe. I worried about him so much, especially since he's been back I just want us to be a family in this apocalypse. I thought Rebecca did it well, but now she's gone as well and so is AJ, makes me wonder if it really is impossible to survive all of this".
"AJ got through so much though" Clementine reminded her "Rebecca fought her hardest to ensure he'd be safe and she succeeded so many times and I'm sure you'll fight as well"
"Thanks Clem" Stephanie muttered "Still it's a worry being pregnant, but when I was reunited with Nick. I just… well we couldn't keep our hands off each other and one thing lead to another and after near death and Schulz for ages… well… I didn't really plan on starting a family that night but…" she paused there "Sorry, I shouldn't go into specifics".
"Why not?" Clementine inquired.
"Because I still see the same little girl I saw back at Howe's" Stephanie reasoned "Hell, remember the first time we met? I was pregnant that time as well and it right after Becca had died. Now here we are again chatting away after Jasper, Frank and Robert have died".
"It's like a circle" Clementine whispered to herself, her old theory of being stuck in some sort of time-loop resurfaced in those moments and she grew weary that people may have been watching her in the nearby trees. Trying to shudder of this growing unease she felt she decided to continue her conversation with Stephanie.
"I'm older now, I know about all that stuff" Clementine said "So it's fine for you to carry on".
"I just can't, sorry" Stephanie apologised "It's still weird, you being in relationships or having crushes. You know Clem, you're going through a confusing part of your life but I don't think you're attracted to just the one sex. I think what attracts you too people, is how bright and optimistic they are".
"You think that?" Clementine inquired.
"I know that" Stephanie said "Takes a woman to know it, you and Sarah and now you're trying to turn Luis into what Sarah was. Positive, fighting for good all that stuff…"
"I'm not…!" Clementine began angrily, however she found her cheeks were turning red and Stephanie had spoken the truth.
"Well… I didn't mean too…" she gasped "I just thought it would be nicer to have more people like that around…"
"You know you both stare at each other, when the other one isn't looking…"
"I have never done that" Clementine lied.
"These urges come naturally Clem, especially around your age…"
"Pity, I must be a late bloomer then"
"Don't be embarrassed, you can admit it you know"
"Okay, maybe once or twice I've felt those… urges. Towards Sarah" she concluded quickly.
"and Luis?" Stephanie asked.
Clementine skated over the question and decided to try and plough into a new topic.
"Well it's nice having people like that around, the world has too few good people left within it!" she exclaimed passionately "Whether it's Sarah or Luis, maybe that's why I like that type of person because I know what's it like to be in a world without them".
Clementine had spoken the truth and it had hit her then, her second chance had not only saved herself and many people's lives, but had also given her a perspective into the people she needed and liked. Even from her younger age and before those "urges" and physical attraction came into play the loss of Sarah, the group's optimist, is when Clementine felt the world greying around her and she swore not too lose that beacon of hope once again. Unfortunately, she had lost Sarah all over again but not before Sarah had taught her that Clementine's actions alone were enough to stir up optimism all over again.
"I'm glad it was you in the end"
Sarah's last words were replaying in her head, as Clementine smiled to herself.
"Thank you"
"Maybe it is wrong to keep JJ alive" Clementine said "But it's even worse to lose whoever we were because of it. There could have been a way to do that, maybe we chose the easy way, but we've fought against people trying to turn us into monsters before and we're all still here. Hell, we took on the cult and won! If we can fight them and we can fight this!"
"We took on Carver and won" Stephanie recalled, as she inspected the bodies "He tried to break us, stripped us off and beat us and we laughed about that! We actually laughed, it was crazy Clem but it's because of memories like that I'm glad to be going back to Howe's, rather than dread it".
"At least there's no cult anymore" Clementine added.
"No Wellington either but maybe a smaller community is what we need" Stephanie suggested "If it wasn't for the cult we could have held out Howe's for another year or two. Luke rationed wisely to make our supplies last".
"Yeah he was a better leader than his dad by a mile".
"I'm sorry, what?" Stephanie questioned, sure she had heard Clementine misquote something.
"Oh yeah you don't know yet, Luke will tell you later" Clementine passed off causally, Stephanie however was reeling by what she had heard and gazed at Clementine for a full two minutes before returning to inspecting the bodies.
"This is crazy" she said "Absolutely crazy, all this second chance stuff and these secrets and lies. I want to see what happened in my own timeline when I was the last one alive. Might help us make more sense of what the actual hell is going on with all of this".
"It seems like Howe's is where it all started" Clementine said "and Howe's is where it will all end".
"Full circle and all that" Stephanie mumbled "Speaking of that, I have evidence here, under all these bite marks and shit that tell us exactly how Frank and Jasper died. Robert's was hung obviously I didn't find any gunshot wounds on him".
"But Frank and Jasper do?" Clementine said.
"Yep, under all this muck, two bullet marks straight to their hearts. Didn't turn because of the immunity obviously and JJ eating them didn't affect him either as they weren't infected, do you know what this means Clem?" Stephanie asked.
Clementine shook her head.
"It means what are the likelihood of JJ sneaking up to Robert, Frank and Jasper. Stealing Robert's gun the only gun we have in the group and using it to shoot the pair of them while Robert hung himself are un-fucking likely odds. Whatever happened here, JJ seems unlikely to be respon…ARRRGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!"
Stephanie screamed, as there was a giant gasp of air from below her and a muddy hand wrapped itself around her wrist. A head shot up below the mess of tangled corpses as Clementine ran over looking over at the blinking blue eyes of Robert Allen.
"What happened!?" he gasped looking around wildly "I passed out, I didn't…" he was unable to get anymore words out but simply had a violent coughing fit, in which dollops of blood propelled from his mouth. He massaged his neck where a red line ran deeply across it.
"I feel like my windpipe is crushed" he squeaked, his voice much higher pitched than it had been before.
"It probably is damaged considering you fucking hung yourself!" Stephanie exclaimed in shock.
"You… you buried me!?" Robert gasped glancing around and tugging dirt from his nose and ears "You buried me alive! No wonder I can barely breathe here… you got any water…?"
Clementine handed over her canteen and Robert drank greedily, it he coughed out the water and splashed it across his hairs and ruined clothes removing mud from himself, he slowly sat up but it was clear his legs were shaking as Clementine and Stephanie had to pry him from the naked, tangled limbs of Jasper and Frank.
"Didn't you bother to check for a pulse!?" Robert snarled.
"We were in shock, we…" Clementine reasoned, realising then with Frank and Jasper cut open, they had naturally assumed Robert died as well and chucked him in the open grave with the other two. Assuming of course that he was dead and they didn't bother to check a pulse merely cut him down and Luke said he wasn't breathing so that was enough to confirm his death.
"You weren't breathing; we saw you hung!" Stephanie shouted "Hung up from the ground on that tree!"
"Yeah well, I had to do something to ensure that freak with a gun didn't pop one in me next!" Robert affirmed "Fake hanging myself was risky and I must have lost foothold with the ground at some point and blacked out, but he was out of it, I don't think…"
"I'm sorry, what!?" Stephanie imploded "How do you fake hang yourself?"
"Complex process, but…" Robert paused there and looked up at the pair of them "Honestly, burying me though. It was so stupid, please tell me you haven't made anymore stupid decisions since then? Tell me you killed that maniac!"
Stephanie and Clementine looked guilty at one another.
"Oh God no" Robert muttered, his face falling in horror.
"You idiots!"
"They've been a while"
Nick muttered this at Luke as he took a seat next to his best friend, Nick's eyes remained locked upon the distant tree's around them.
"They'll be fine Nick" Luke told him "Clem's with her".
"Doesn't stop me worrying though" Nick said "My wife and a kid on the way out there… maybe I should have gone instead…"
"Your wife's a good hunter, let her have her space Nick. It will be good for her" Luke said, as Nick's eyes narrowed in suspicion.
"You've become very laid back recently" Nick commented "I thought you'd be more affirmative at a time like this".
Luke looked down at his remaining knee and then back at his stump and the soil underneath his feet, he could feel Nick's eyes boring into the side of his head.
"I told them" he said at last "About Carver"
"Told who?" Nick asked, his eyes widening.
"Molly, Clem and Luis overheard as well" Luke muttered "I know it for sure now Nick, Carver was my dad. I was right".
"That's fucking nuts" Nick snarled to himself "But… hell we knew didn't we? So maybe it's for the best you told someone else at last… how did they take it?"
"Shocked, but they accepted it" Luke replied, "All that stuff about Jane as well, you know Molly was great, she spoke me through all of that shit. Everything in my head that I'd been hiding for so long it was…" he smiled there and looked over at where Molly was currently chatting to Maria about something.
"It's easier knowing I have people there for me" Luke mused.
"You know I've had your back since day one man" Nick muttered rather sulkily.
"I know" Luke said gazing at him with his remaining eye "But I was selfish Nick, when we got to Howe's, I wanted to be some big, rebellious hero" he laughed harshly at himself at this point "Hell you, Pete and your mother you were the only one's there that day when I…" he stopped there before continuing "You knew I wasn't the angel I wanted to be".
"My dad was a fucking asshole" Nick spat "He would have killed my mum right there and then and probably me too, hadn't you taken his gun and bludgeoned the fucker to death".
"You looked… horrified though" Luke recounted.
"Man, the dead are rising and my dad pulls a gun on me and my mum and threatens to shoot us if we try and leave the house with you and Uncle Pete, I was horrified about a lot of things that day" Nick informed him "You killing my dad was the least of my problems, In fact I was kind of happy you did it, then I felt bad at myself for thinking that" he shook his head there.
"You might be a piece of shit sometimes, man" Nick said as he massaged his stump "But It was like when I killed those old people after Stef, I just remember telling her I felt like one of those murderers you see on TV. One's you read about in news, or watch in those documentaries and just think how the fuck do you end up that messed up? Then I took a look at myself after that and it hit me, I was that guy, that murderer. Back then you were that guy as well… don't blame yourself entirely because I started to avoid you as well. You were busy being a hero at Howe's, I didn't want to get in your way, I knew what you'd done and I just sort of…"
He shook his head once again and nibbled on the fingers on his remaining hand.
"Avoided you too" Nick finished.
"I was still a dick too you though" Luke acknowledged "Even at the cabin, after Pete died and then Clem shows up. I wasn't there for you, I was too busy trying to be cool with the new girl and trying to be a hero all over again"
"She adores you, you know" Nick said, Luke gave him an odd look before the pair of them burst out laughing.
"Not in that way!" Nick roared in mirth.
"Sure, I don't want paedophile thrown at me, as well as shitbag" Luke chuckled.
"You can keep shitbag and I'll keep dick" Nick guffawed.
"I'll bet you'll keep dick" Luke muttered.
"Shitbag" Nick grinned, punching Luke hard on the arm.
"Dick" Luke retorted with a smile, in all seriousness Luke had been through this scenario, whether in a past life or being accused of it in the timeline they were currently within. Yet right now he was joking about it with his old friend. Luke was glad after everything himself and Nick were back to being the friends they once were, it had been too long since this had occurred.
"But anyway…" Nick continued "She came to save me, because of you"
"Yeah, it's nice to know you both have my back on this" Luke said "Even if like Eddie said, it turns out being the wrong choice".
"We survived against fucking everything thanks to you being leader" Nick praised of his friend "There are times I wish I could be you and go back in time and change everything. But yeah Wellington's fallen but we got a cure out of that! People died, but it brought about the end of the cult once and for all! We've come too far now to go back and I trust your instinct here, we've been kicking the world's ass for too long now to start doubting ourselves and it's too fun to stop". Nick finished there a large smile on his face and Luke felt the smile force it's way onto his face as well.
"Well, thanks man" Luke muttered "But we're not all still kicking the world's ass and I'm not really sure keeping JJ alive was the right choice"
"Well it's the choice we made, we just have to stick with it" Nick encouraged him.
"Yeah, Melanie's questioning him right now and his been guarded by Eddie, Aidan, Jessica and Jason. Those four want him dead so even if he puts a toe out of line, they'll kill him on the spot" Luke reassured himself more than he reassured Nick, because currently this questioning was being conducted at a point beyond his line of sight. But JJ was well guarded and nothing could have gone wrong, Luke had made sure that Eddie and that were there to guard him and make sure he did nothing wrong.
But then, why did he feel so uneasy about it?
Trying to clear his thoughts, Luke gazed back at Nick.
"I guess it's always good to be open ain't it Nick?" he enquired of his friend "Hell I've enjoyed this conversation all right".
"Good to have more man time, like you said before I got hitched" Nick replied "Well if's JJ guarded and Stef and Clem are hunting us food. I suppose we can allow ourselves five minutes of fun, wanna play the spitting game?"
"Who can spit furthest? Old and boring, but why not" Luke said "But before we do, Nick I wanna know honestly, how did you die in the first timeline?"
Nick paused, his face turning a shade whiter than it previously was.
"Which one?" he asked, already knowing full well which timeline his best friend was referring too.
"The very first one, the one before Clem saved us" Luke said "Because while I've been sitting here I remembered something, you said when you died in a past life, there was nothing I could have done and I simply ran for it".
"Yeah" Nick murmured, not liking where this was going.
"Yet from what Clem's told me about, in detail might I add, is that I asked her where you were after her and Jane arrived. If I just ran for it, I should have known you were already dead and apparently I sent you out to go find someone to help Sarah, when I learned you died it was apparently news to me. It doesn't add up Nick, did I lie in that timeline? What the hell happened to you? What did I do?"
Nick sighed, if Luke had figured it out there was no point in trying to hide it.
"I didn't want to tell you man, not so soon after Edward" Nick muttered quietly, so much so that Luke had to lean in close to listen to him "But you killed me in that timeline, by accident like you did with Edward. We were arguing about saving Sarah, you wanted to play the hero again, but I was injured and cranky and I didn't want too. You got mad and shoved me right into a walker, it took a chunk outta my neck and I ended up on the fence bleeding out. You apologised, you were so upset but you had to run and then I imagine you lied about it because you felt guilty…" he paused there too look up at Luke again, whose face was frozen, his expression was impossible to read.
"But that was the old you, you've changed since then!" Nick exclaimed.
Luke finally mustered a tiny smile.
"Leaving Sarah, that doesn't sound like you at all either man" Luke mused "and in my old timeline, I had to put you down because you went crazy. I don't see that now at all and I don't see myself doing what I did too Clementine. If the choice came up again I'd kill myself first like I should have done before, but I was selfish and I wanted to live. Even if that fucking stranger was just fucking with us…" he paused there and patted Nick's shoulder.
"That's not us anymore, like you said we've been kicking the world's ass for too long now, just to give in" Luke told him.
"But we could be those type of people!" Nick muttered "Knowing that in some timeline I went as crazy as JJ and had to be put down. It scares me Luke, what we could become, maybe that's another reason we want to keep JJ alive. Just to convince ourselves that we're good people rather than sensible one's, maybe the world has already broken us…"
"Maybe it did, loads of times and in loads of timelines" Luke said "But we've bounced back, every time and we're here now. Nick, it's like you just said, I don't think I'm going back again to change things and maybe it's for the best. We have a cure; we've come this far. We can only keep on going".
"I guess" Nick muttered "I'm just a little concerned about this whole repeated timeline stuff, people going crazy, power hungry leaders, you killing by accident, hell it sounds stupid but it feels like history just keeps on repeating itself…"
"It doesn't, but people do" Luke muttered
"That's why we have change for the better"
"What happened back there?"
"…Why does she keep on asking questions TT?"
"Hey, JJ or TT whoever's listening, come on just try and talk to me" Melanie insisted, she was crouching near to where the insane boy was currently tied up to a tree, biting his hand rather openly. Behind the peaceful form of Melanie, lay four imposing shadows of people. Jessica, Aiden, Jason and Eddie looked down at JJ with no love in their eyes at all and with their sharp weapons laying at the ready in their fingers.
"…Fuck the bitch! JJ, when you get out of these ropes, fuck the bitch hard and good"
"Now that's not nice" Melanie said gently "JJ we just need to know what happened back there? Did you come across the scene? Had Robert already killed Frank and Jasper when you came across them?"
"She seems nice, should I answer?" JJ questioned of himself "No let me take over!" he spat back at himself more harshly before his eyes found Melanie once again "Hey bitch! Sit on my fucking fat cock! It's had some experience and…"
WHACK!
The butt of a wooden axe smashed across JJ's face, adding another wound to the cobweb of slashes already decorating his face. JJ smiled a blank toothed smile at a random point in the sky.
"Hey! Melanie asked you a question! Answer it you fucking retard!" Aidan snapped at him.
"Ha, ha, ha, ha…" JJ laughed blankly "I used to be handsome once but their hatred has reduced you too this…"
"I was trying to get somewhere with him" Melanie snapped back at Aiden "I can't keep questioning him if you keep hitting him across the face with that axe".
"His fucking crazy!" Aidan snarled "The way he talks to you, how'd you stand that! If he was free he'd rape the shit outta you and probably kill you".
"I dealt with similar threats in Wellington all the time, it hardly bothered me" Melanie lied "Besides you're one to talk, you frequented the strip clubs in Wellington and spoke to women in such a degrading manner from what Jessica told me".
"You might have done!" Jessica said quickly, as Aidan turned on her "But at least you were honest and at least you're sensible here".
"I didn't even mean half that stuff I said!" Aidan retorted "It was just drunken shit coming out of my mouth!"
"I thought that was all that came out of your mouth, Jock Stereotype 32" Jason snarled "The fact you have a brain in there is surprising, but regardless (Jason muttered this quickly, as Aidan opened his mouth to retaliate) you're on the right side here. Mel over here must be living in fantasy land if she thinks she can get through to that crazy fuck".
"You're all so cynical" Melanie snarled "Give it a chance! I can do this!"
"You really can't, it's been two hours now and no fucking progress" Jessica snapped "Give it up already, are you even qualified to do any of this? What we're you in Wellington? A mental health nurse or something?"
"I was a practising Nurse before all this began" Melanie retorted "Maybe not in mental health, but Greg had an anxiety disorder it made it hard for him to go outside. I used to speak to him and after a while he'd be comfortable and he'd…"
"Your spineless husband and this guy are two completely different cases, sweetheart" Jason bluntly told her.
"Greg wasn't spineless!" Melanie snapped, getting angry now as she turned to face the four of them behind her, as she did this TT whispered to JJ "It's kicking off, while they're distracted try and loosen the ropes around your hands and feet…"
"It sounds like he was" Jason said "I mean you being used to those threats, where was he? Sticking up for you? Or Hiding at home with the baby you had? You and him lived in Wellington before all of this, you are the most unqualified person in the world to handle a case like this, because you have no experience!"
"What should it matter!?" Melanie exclaimed.
"It matters a great deal" Eddie muttered speaking up for the first time "It seem harsh Mel, it really does from your perspective and we're probably just assholes to you. But we have to do this for your own good. People go crazy and they just can't be saved. Sometimes you've just got to do the bad thing to save everyone…"
"How would you know!?" Melanie demanded of him.
"I lost my best friend, because I made the same mistake you're making" Eddie told her, while looking her dead in the eyes "Look Mel, you've tried here and I suppose you want to go get Maria or Luis to help out next… but we can't risk that".
"What are you talking about?" Melanie muttered, even though she knew full well what they were planning, as they lifted the weapons in their fingers.
"NO! Y-y-you can't!" Melanie stuttered "It's a-a-against w-w-w-what L-Luke w-w-wanted…"
"Fuck Luke" Eddie spat "He might get pissy with us, but so what? Rather have him pissy with us for a bit, than us all dying. We're all willing to take the risk".
"He has got to go Mel!" Jessica protested "Look, we'll make it quick, we won't…"
"You're going against our leader!" Melanie exclaimed "Are you trying to take over the group!?"
"It's not as dramatic as you think" Jason informed her "We'll just finish the job here. Get our telling off from Luke and then all move on happily ever after to Howe's and whatever lies beyond that".
"If you kill him now, you won't ever know the truth!" Melanie exclaimed, knowing full well she was losing this argument.
"Oh what a shame, truly it is" Jason snarled sarcastically "We already know what happened, it's too damn obvious now move out of the way Mel".
"I w-w-won't!" Melanie protested feebly, stretching out her arms in front of JJ as if this offered him any extra form of potential protection.
"Don't make us hurt you" Eddie snapped "Trust me, we do not want to do that".
"I know you don't!" Melanie now found herself weeping, as they slowly encircled her "But please, just don't…"
She got no further as Jessica snuck up behind her and placed her knife around Melanie's neck "Don't scream or make a noise" Jessica snarled "Not until this is over…"
Then several things happened at once.
Just as Jessica tried to drag Melanie out of the way and Jason instantly swarmed in on JJ, his blunt hatchet already raised for the kill. A desperate JJ struggled against the ropes constraining him, finally freeing his one foot he slammed it at Jason's leg, thrown off balance he fell backwards, nearly hitting Aiden with his hatchet, however the commotion caused Jessica to be thrown off balance and thrust her knife upwards as Melanie opened her mouth to scream in horror.
Thankfully the knife didn't impale Melanie's neck.
But it sliced open her chin and past her open mouth, slicing off part of her exposed tongue and cutting open her bottom and top lip before Jessica managed to tug the knife away. But the damage was done.
Melanie wasn't going to making another noise again.
Melanie was aware of herself spitting out half of her tongue she watched in horrid slow motion as the piece of pink flesh collided with the foliage on the ground, then the pain hit her. The agonising, crushing pain that burned at the lower half of her face and made the torrents of blood already emitting from her mouth and open wounds, feel like molten lava. A shocked Jessica dropped her knife as Melanie retched and dropped to the ground, clutching her face and making loud gasping and sniffing noises, as she cried and silently screamed into her hands.
"JESUS, FUCKING CHRIST!" Eddie exclaimed dropping to his knees next to Melanie and trying too keep her still "WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO!?"
"I didn't… I didn't mean too… I got shoved and…" Jessica mumbled in shell shock, her pretty face a shade of white chalk, as her hands shook violently, blood from Melanie's wounds was still on her hands which made Jessica even more panicked.
"SON OF A BITCH!" Jason roared, getting up to face JJ, just in time to see the teenager manage to rip the last of the constraints from his hands. During the commotion, JJ/TT must have used all of his strength to pry the ropes off himself and now he was already running off into the undergrowth, faster than Jason could have believed possible.
"HE'S GETTING AWAY!" Aidan bellowed.
"NO HE FUCKING ISN'T! WE FINISH THIS, NOW!" Jason snarled "AIDAN! JESSICA WITH ME! EDDIE STAY HERE AND WATCH MEL, TAKE HER TOO MARIA AND WE'LL TAKE CARE OF JJ!"
"JUST GET HIM NOW, YOU'RE WASTING TIME!" Eddie roared.
The three of them bolted off after the insane teenager, as Eddie looked on.
"I knew this would happen, I fucking knew it" he snapped at himself.
"It's just… so crazy…" Miss King was babbling to Maria as they sat there discussing the previous night's events. Maria was comforting the British woman who seemed to have gone into a state of shock over what she had seen. Offering her canteen to the shaken former teacher, Miss King gulped on it greedily before addressing the Mexican woman again.
"I just… couldn't even think of an explanation for it" she muttered "Maybe it was right to keep JJ alive until we could at least find out what happened. As it's been bugging me ever since I saw it…"
"I do hope it was the right choice" Maria said as she looked at where her son had just taken down an approaching walker, tugging his axe from it's skull. He muttered a swear under his breath and proceeded to scout the area for anymore approaching walkers. There weren't many in the area but the occasional threat would sometimes lumber their way towards them, in which Luis could easily handle.
"Shocking kill! 2 out of 10!" Nick roared over at Luis.
"You're a 2 out of 10!" Luis retorted.
Miss King giggled to herself under her breath "Even though I was a teacher, you can never predict who your pupils are going to be friends with. It can surprise you sometimes".
"I'm glad for it though" Maria said gently, as she watched her son drag away the body of the walker, "How he's turned out, he used to have loads of friends back before everything went to hell. Ever since Juan betrayed him though…" she sighed there and looked down at her hands.
"Juan?" Miss King asked.
"Reason my son lost his eye" Maria muttered "In short, that betrayal crushed my boy, hardened him into someone I barely recognised. For a while I thought I'd lost him but now…" she smiled to herself once again "Whether or not sparing JJ was the right choice or not, It makes me proud as a mother to know that I've done right by him".
"Must be nice, having a son" Miss King mumbled dreamily.
"I'd die to protect him" Maria said "I love him that much and he reminds me so much of my late husband… tell me Cristina have you ever wanted children?".
"Maybe" Miss King replied honestly "Well I don't really know. I was still young when this whole apocalypse started and I had a boyfriend who seemed like everything I ever wanted, then…" she sighed there deciding not to venture back into her cult filled past. She decided not even Maria would be too understanding of that, considering the hell the cult gave to her group.
"Well it was like you said, a betrayal that crushed your son. What my boyfriend did, crushed me too I guess… he…" she was unable to continue there, her thoughts of Sam as that cult member, that complete savage that contrasted to that friendly basketball player she had known so long ago. The distant memories of happier times made tears sting at her eyes.
"Sorry…" she wept attempting to wipe her eyes.
"Don't be dear" Maria said offering her a comforting smile "You don't have to say anymore; I understand".
Miss King wanted to say more, to get it all off her chest but she simply couldn't… Maria was too kind too her. This group was too kind too useless old her, who had done nothing so far, other than trip up a few times, gobble away at their food and drink and scream so loud she had nearly drawn walkers to them all. She just wished she could somehow be of more use to them at the moment… then again she had taken down the Wellington Wolf and that was a thought that made her smile whenever she felt down.
"Still, all these forests. I'd love a change in scenery" Maria said gazing around the tall trunks around her "I spend years hiding away in forests, first with Luis and then with my old group and now I'm back here again and I'm already bored by it all".
"A beach would be nice" Miss King agreed "White sand, blue oceans. Zombie apocalypse or not, I'd still build a sandcastle!"
"I'd love to simply lay down and sunbathe" Maria admitted "Before I had Luis, my husband Jorge would take me to those islands in the Caribbean, the most beautiful beaches you'd ever seen. Even in Mexico we had great beaches on the coast, that was how we spent our honeymoon. Just on a beach…" her eyes became distant at this point as she recalled those memories.
"I'd have loved to seen that" Miss King mumbled in mild jealously "Most of the beaches back in the UK were utter shite. Rocky and filled with annoying little kids and that was during the one day of the year it was actually sunny…"
The pair of them laughed at this.
"I'd love to go back to those islands though" Maria murmured "Maybe show Luis them, after our honeymoon my husband lost his fortunes but we managed to live comfortably enough in our little shanty town. But I'd like to go back there… even to Mexico after Howe's…"
"At least the weather will be nicer down there" Miss King said "I miss the UK, I miss my family, but I don't miss the bloody weather"
She sighed there.
"But it would be nice to see it" she uttered "Just one more time"
"I know the feeling dear" Maria said "I pray that we'll see the world again someday. Even if it seems silly, even if everyone thinks I'm silly for still having faith. I've had it ever since I was a little girl and life has been kind to me. Much kinder than it has been for many others, so I continue to pray and hope for the best".
"Don't we all" Miss King replied, before her thoughts switched to JJ once again.
"Even if most of the time, it doesn't turn out well at all" she thought to herself in anxiety.
"You reacted!"
"I felt little to no pain"
"You acknowledged pain though"
"How much longer is this going to continue?"
"A while" Molly grinned, answering Ethan's question, from where himself and Terri had been discussing the potential scenario's for how JJ ended up in that state and what limits to take against him, Molly had come over to them and with nothing to do for the time being (they had collected all the firewood they had needed too earlier on) she decided to play a game with them.
"Who is the most robotic!" she declared "Any grunt of pain escapes your lips, or any laughter and you lose! I'm about to find this group's baddest badass!"
None of Molly's jokes towards herself, anyone else's sexual habits, Nick in general or the world long gone had any effect on the pair of them. So she simply decided to outright attempt to tickle the infamous Wellington Wolf, she got him right under the armpits and he thrust away from her past but not before a low… deep… chuckle emitted from his lips, causing Molly and Terri to stare in awe.
"You… you just laughed" Terri noted duly.
"A natural reaction" Ethan muttered composing himself quickly, yet his cheeks felt warm and red and Terri was gazing directly at him and he was looking back, slowly but very surely (due to the blank look on Ethan's face) Terri began to smile as well, before a small giggle escaped her own lips.
"Now you just laughed" Ethan mused, feeling a warm sensation rise in his throat.
"A natural reaction" Terri said, mimicking Ethan's emotionless tone.
"Are you mocking my voice?" Ethan asked with a playful smile.
"Am I?" Terri replied with a smile of her own "Make me laugh again and I'll tell you"
Ethan did so by forcefully tickling her and with this own hands, Terri was now laughing openly something she hadn't done in a very long time and with the Wellington Wolf of all people. Minutes ago they were discussing serious business, they had always done and never cracked a joke or laughed at one another. Yet in the space of minutes here they were, acting like complete giddy idiots, doing a complete 180, out of character thing for the pair of them.
Ethan eventually stopped tickling her, but by this point Terri was red in the face and her chest was hurting from the fact she had tried to stifle her laughter so the whole group didn't overhear her. But she had laughed regardless and felt like a giant weight had been lifted off her shoulders.
"I was mocking your voice" Terri answered "Happy now?"
"Yes, It's nice to relax" Ethan replied and Terri knew in those moments he felt the exact same as she did. That light feeling that now coursed through both of their veins, the pressure that had been lifted, maybe the pair of them failed to realise how many emotions they had kept concealed inside of them up until this point and this crazy burst of fun was a way to vent out some stress, stress they didn't even know they had.
"I'm a miracle worker, I can't believe this…" Molly muttered in awe, it took her a full minute to recover from the shock of hearing these two laugh. But it told her that these two were human beings despite everything they had done, so with that out of the way she had gotten onto the pain testing, which resulted in her chucking pine cones at the stoic faces of the pair.
Which had led to Ethan asking the question "How much longer is this going to continue?" but in all truth he was rather enjoying this, now openly competing with Terri as Molly continued to chuck pine cone's at their faces. Both of them waiting to see if the other one crack first, it was silly activity but in light of everything maybe it was what they needed.
"Just wait till I start with kicking, punching, mauling…" Molly listed off causally.
"It sounds like you have a secret agenda against us" Terri said.
"What me? Never!" Molly exclaimed.
"Whatever your agenda it will have to wait for just a minute. I need to relieve myself" Ethan informed the two women as he got to his feet and began to walk towards a nearby clump of bushes.
"Can't you just say I need to piss!?" Molly shouted after him.
"Not breaking already are you!?" Terri called.
"Nope!" Ethan called back, he decided to move out of earshot and sight of the pair and finding a distant spot in the bushes to do his business, Ethan undid the zipper on his fly and proceeded to empty his bladder on the side of a tree. When he was finished he zipped his zipper up again and prepared to get back to the game.
When the sound of distant crying met his ears, looking up curiously Ethan located the source of the weeping in a short space of time.
James (who had been absent from the group ever since the vote this morning) was curled up near a log. His whole body heaving with sobs as he wept into the denim of his jeans, Ethan paused awkwardly unsure of how to approach the situation, it seemed as though whatever was bothering the young man. He had tried to hide his emotions from the rest of the group, just as Ethan had done, always focusing on the mission and never letting his emotions get in the way of things.
Deciding to simply leave James where he was, Ethan took a step to retreat and ended up snapping a twig in the undergrowth. The snap sent James' head soaring upwards as he quickly wiped his eyes and turned to face where Ethan was gazing down at him.
"Oh" he snarled in a voice that wasn't friendly at all "It's you".
"Yeah. Me" Ethan muttered, as James rose to his feet, furiously wiping his eyes although it was a pretty useless task, as tears still splashed down his cheeks. His face was flushed red and his eyes were still bloodshot.
"I was just…" James snapped "Just... allergies that's all" he lied.
"Do you…?" Ethan decided to ask, unsure of how to finish the question, before he simply decided to take a deep breath and get it over with.
"Do you require any assistance?" Ethan inquired.
"No!" James bellowed "I don't fucking need anyone in that dumbass group! Especially not fucking you! What could you do to help anyway!? You're just a fucking murdering sociopath!"
Ethan disliked the way James was seething in rage, hated the way he emphasised the word "YOU!" at Ethan as if he was solely to blame for James' current state and his final statement on what Ethan was, eliminated Ethan's good mood and reminded him of who he really was. Yet James had made his discomfort of Ethan being in the group known beforehand although it was not on this scale.
"Maybe I am" Ethan said "But if you're upset about Frank's death then…"
"IT'S NOT JUST THAT!" James exploded, looking totally demented for a few seconds, as strands of spit flew from his mouth. He eventually calmed himself down somewhat to mutter a calmer response.
"It's everything" he said "Just fucking everything"
Ethan was about to follow up on this information when there was a rustling behind him and Eddie emerged from the bushes carrying a limp Melanie. Ethan knew there was trouble instantly because Melanie was coated in blood and Eddie was having trouble carrying the young woman.
"Help!" Eddie panted at Ethan "She's hurt pretty bad!"
Rushing over to assist, Ethan grasped one of Melanie's loose arms.
"We'll get her to Maria, what happened to her?" Ethan asked of the bearded man in front of him.
"Shit got heated, she tried to stop us but…" he sighed there "It doesn't matter, he's escaped! He's fucking escaped, that little shitbag JJ!"
Ethan felt a wave of dread spread through him, JJ wasn't much of a threat by himself but if he had somehow already injured Melanie to this extent, then he worried immensely for the rest of the group and what JJ was capable of next.
James however seemed to laugh upon hearing this, as Eddie and Ethan looked at him oddly.
"Great!" he chuckled.
"Great fucking news guys!" he spat in heavy sarcasm, laughing himself hoarse at the situation they had found themselves within.