8:12 PM

Ledge [Lee Everett]

His eyes flickered open, dark shades of black slowly blurred into a blinding white. Lee didn't know how much time had passed, only that he was staring at a large white ceiling. Unlike where he'd previously been accommodated by the Hunters, whatever bed he was laying on, it felt soft. The brief few seconds of drowsiness were soon interrupted by a fiery jolt of pain, serving as a reminder.

"Ohh. Ugh. Holy fuck…" Lee groaned out, his eye squinting from the discomfort and soreness. His head slowly twisted towards his side, lifting up his arm to to bear what was… left over. The stump had been heavily bandaged, still soaked with his blood. But stable, nonetheless.

The girls! What am I doing here? Panic and disquiet soon took the reigns as each profoundly disgusting memory of Henry's atrocities flooded back into his mind. He couldn't kill that man if he was lying here in this bed. Clementine and Ellie were alone with him… he had to get out of here. He had to. The man violently launched himself up to leave, but was promptly halted by a harsh tug on his other side.

Lee cursed under his breath, turning to see that those vile fuckers had cuffed his right hand onto the bed, effectively pinning him down here. His unbeaten eye fanned the room, spotting a roller tray holding some surgical equipment and knives he could possibly use to arm himself on his right side, it was presumably the same equipment that was used on him while he was out. The man groaned, it was out of arm's reach… though maybe he could reach it with his leg.

Just as he was about to try, movement from the hallway in the form of what sounded like footsteps forced him to cease… and they were fast approaching. Lee couldn't afford to get caught, not now.

Shadow Boy [Ed]

Ed ran as fast as he could, away from the gunfire, from all the death. He'd already seen two of his friends go down near the entrance, rifle rounds clean through their heads before anyone could do anything to stop it. That guy from the university was back, the same fucking one, and he was killing everyone. Every son of a bitch standing in his way. Those two little girls were with him, and Ed couldn't believe his damned eyes. Where the fuck was Simmons?! His instinct was to sprint for the infirmary. There were fewer of them on watch, but they had guns there. Unarmed and scared for his life, it seemed like his only shot at making it out of that place without a hole in his head.

One of 'em was in the infirmary, John, sitting on top of a wooden chair, half asleep. Ed frantically slapped him in the shoulder, hauling him to get off his ass. "They're coming! Wake the hell up!" Ed didn't have time to check and see if he did. He didn't have time to do much of anything. The room down the hall where they were keeping the guy missing a hand: that's where he went. There had to be something there, and he was too desperate to be able to think otherwise.

Ed burst through the door, nearly dropping to his knees in the process. The one-handed asshole was awake, it turned out, trying to get out of the cuffs. "Don't fucking move!" Ed cried as he made a run for the cabinet, opening drawer after the next, looking for a weapon of any kind. "There's gotta be somethin'... C'mon...!" Another gunshot, loud and lingering. Only a brief scream to follow it before it was silenced. Ed was sweating, practically pulling his own hair out of his head…

Until he found a knife, stashed away in the case of an emergency.

His features softened in some form of relief, and he began to turn around, knife in hand. It wouldn't be there for long. There was a third gunshot. Closer, this time. Much closer. The knife flew out of his hand, making way for a bloody crater. He cried in pain, squirming on the floor, but there was no bullet to the head to follow it. In fact, there was no bullet to follow at all.

Art [Clementine]

Clem hated being back there, peering over the rows of corpses waiting to be chopped up and eaten. She pushed fear to the back of her mind, reminding herself that they were there for Lee, that those people would never do what they'd done ever again. Not once they were done with them.

Trying not to faint as they advanced onward was the most challenging part, the girl taking pauses to rest while Joel bashed skulls in, shot, choked, sliced and murdered. Neither her or Ellie were in much shape to help, but he didn't need any. Most of those hunters could barely point a gun straight. Inside the infirmary, there was a hallway leading to a single door; half open and swinging back and forth. She staggered toward it while the other two checked different rooms, thankful that her revolver was finally back within reach.

That's when she found Lee, along with a man. He looked scared, looking for something. Clementine didn't hesitate.

She pulled her gun out, and its trigger with it, firing at the man's hand. The knife he had slid across the floor, far away from him, and she snatched it, stuffing it into the empty sheath on her belt. He was done. Clem noticed the handcuffs first, even from a distance, and her mind immediately went into search. Something sharp? Keys?

The girl could hear metal flapping below, almost like a little chime. The guy she'd shot had a keychain on the back of his jeans, and Clementine immediately went to grab it, rushing toward Lee the moment after. "I'm gonna get you out of here..." Clem assured him through paced, pained breaths, struggling to open the fucking thing using only the hand that wasn't hurting.

Then, the handcuffs clicked, before falling to the floor. Lee didn't have anything to hold him back anymore.

Shadow Dot [Derek]

Taking care of his patient had left Derek mentally exhausted. He'd never seen the man before, and immediately assumed he was a 'prisoner' of Simmons's. What the higher ups did in this godforsaken place had never really been any of his business. He knew about the cannibalism, of course, and starvation eventually forced him to partake in it himself, but the violent acts that this man had endured at the hands of his leader were verging on inhumane.

The first step had been to cauterize the wound, ensure that the bleeding stopped before he could die. It'd been enough to wake his patient, though he doubted that he wasconscious enough to realize what was going on other than the fact his stump was being burned. He promptly passed out again anyway.

After everything was said and done, and he wrapped clean bandages around the stump, Derek retired to his office at the back of the room, taking in a deep breath before running a shaking hand through his beard.

He was getting sick of this shit. Sick of cleaning up Simmons's messes, and imagining the horrors he inflicted upon these people. It wasn't enough for him to choose to leave, especially during the early stages of winter, but he entertained the thought for longer each time he was in this room.

When a gunshot went off in the next room, he nearly jumped out of his skin, fumbling towards the door to open it. Beyond, he was met with one of Simmons's soldiers being held at gunpoint by a young girl, who was helping his patient off of the bed.

He took a step forward. "Wait!" He called out, stopping in place when both of their attentions focused on him. "He's still recovering. Any excessive movements is just going to open his wounds."

He glanced towards the patient, who seemed to be barely clinging on to consciousness. "Please. Haven't enough people died already?"

Ledge [Lee Everett]

"Clem-"

" I'm gonna get you out of here. " She interrupted him, determined, like a renewed fire was burning in her eyes. Lee was baffled at the sounds of gunshots in the hallways, frantic screaming echoing into the room… somehow, they must've escaped. With the way she handled that man, without an ounce of hesitation… He knew she was here for one reason, and he wasn't about to waste his breath telling her to leave him and focus on getting out of here herself. Luckily enough, he didn't need to, with ease she'd grabbed the keys off the guy flailing on the floor. And with a small click, those accursed handcuffs fell to the ground. He was free.

Not a second later, as he slowly wobbled to his feet. They were interrupted… a frail looking man had appeared from the back room of the infirmary. Now they were the ones on the back foot, and of course… the bullshit always followed, the part about them not having a choice. In Lee's mind there was always a fucking choice. Make no mistake, Lee was still seething on the inside, for what they'd done to himself and Clementine, irreversible damage that'd never heal itself. He was going to finish this, he wasn't going to let them off, he wasn't going to make the same mistake he did with the St. John's. Not again.

And with that, he signalled for Clementine to keep her gun trained on the fucker bleeding from his hand, he'd deal with him next.

" Please. Haven't enough people died already? " The doctor pleaded. Lee ignored him, paying no mind to him as he nonchalantly limped over towards the roller tray, digging around until he found what he was looking for. A small scalpel was the most efficient weapon that was in there, he took it into his hand, gripping it tightly, his wild eye locking with the other man's as he slowly began to walk towards him. Lee wasn't going to let this one escape to warn the others, they weren't getting captured again.

Shadow Dot [Derek]

Derek's eyes went wide as the man grabbed a scalpel off of a roller tray nearby, heading towards him. The look in his eyes was wild, pissed off, and Derek found himself backing into the wall like a trapped animal.

"Please man, I was only trying to help…! Whatever they did to you, I wasn't a part of that…!" He was practically begging now, hoping that something would get through to him. He had to believe that this man wasn't like Simmons, that he still had a heart somewhere in there. Or, maybe… whatever Henry did to them had taken that away.

"I'm just a doctor…!"

Ledge [Lee Everett]

Bullshit. Bullshit. Bullshit.

Lee wasn't falling for it, or rather. He truly didn't care what this guy was… they were all under the same roof. Sick cannibal fucks that wouldn't grant him the same mercy if it were the other way around. When he'd begged for Henry to not hurt Clem… pleaded with the man to show a sliver of compassion, he'd refused. And now the damage was done, he'd had gotten himself mutilated, had failed to protect Clementine in that moment, and Lee hated himself for it. There was nothing more to lose now, no moral ground to bother upholding; they deserved this. They all did for what Henry had done.

Lee drove the scalpel straight into the doctor's eye, hearing the gooey squelch of the knife digging through his pupil. Blood spurted out of the man's now leaking socket as he fell to his knees, still begging and sobbing out inaudible pleads, with the scalpel still wedged in his eye. Lee stood over the man, balling up his fists as he sent a boot flying to the doctor's head, effectively knocking him off his knees and sending him to the ground. His breaths were heavy, nostrils flaring… he was still weak, but he'd finish him off.

The doctor clutched at his mutilated face, his soft sobs beginning to die down as the blood loss did the rest of the work. Without hesitation, the enraged man cried out as he slowly lifted up his leg and forcefully dug the sole of his boot into the man's frontal lobe. Again. And again. And again. He felt the mixture of muscle, bone and skin all squelch and crack underneath him, until there was nothing left but a twisted and contorted form of what used to be a head.

That was when Lee ceased, wobbling on his feet as he took a step back, huffing and puffing as he examined what he'd done. Beginning to feel light headed again, he stumbled slightly, but caught himself on the wall next to him, outstretching his right hand and using it as support to keep himself standing.

He looked back towards Clementine now, but more so his attention was focused on the man she still had her gun drawn on. Lee noticed the gun that'd slipped out of his hands, walking over and kneeling down, fumbling with it before picking it up. His face was stagnant, void of any feeling or remorse other than just wanting to get it over with. Deeming that this time it'd be better to let him turn, Lee rose the pistol to the man's abdomen, quickly sending four excessive shots into his gut, his scowl didn't waver, watching the man violently thrash and clutch at his shredded stomach, before finally going limp.

Lee's tattered and torn clothes were absolutely drenched in their blood. His hand twitched slightly as he lowered his gun. Before long, the room fell silent as he turned towards Clementine. His breaths were raspy, his mind felt numb, a stale shell of himself. She was here, but he didn't see her best friend. He just had to hope she wasn't-

"Where's Ellie…?"

Art [Clementine]

Clementine kept her revolver aimed toward the man bleeding on the floor, just as Lee'd warned her to. He didn't budge at all, not an inch. Could've been he'd just gone into shock, or was simply too scared to move. He was right to be frightened... after all, so was she.

Lee walked past her as though the girl wasn't there at all, his frenzied glare focused only on the man claiming to be a doctor. Clementine didn't watch the rest. Couldn't. Her eyelids drooped against her will, shortly before the sounds of steel ripping through muscle rang in her ears, the stomping of what surrounded it being what followed. Clem's head went amok on the spot, trying desperately to make up excuses, a long list of reasons why Lee had to kill that man. Why they couldn't just let him leave.

All of them vanished at the sight of his corpse, barely recognizable if not for the fact that he lived mere seconds before.

Clem could hardly hold her gun steady anymore, letting it steer downward while her eyes followed its course. Lee must've noticed it, that hint of unwillingness, for the man Clementine was meant to keep watch on was the next to die.

"Let me go, man! I didn't do nothin'!" He tried reason, only for it to fall on deaf ears. Clem braced herself for what was to come, shoulders leaping at the four consecutive gunshots that pierced his stomach.

When she finally opened her eyes, they met Lee under a thick layer of dark red, watching over her with an expression somber enough to match the blood dripping from his shirt. She didn't think to answer him, not at first. Clem couldn't find the strength to use her voice. Her gaze fell on his bandage-covered wrist, dressed by both crimson and white. Clementine almost choked at the sight, covering her mouth with the hand that lacked the burden holding a weapon. The girl's voice was inaudible, almost, weak and terror-stricken all at the same time. "Your hand...!"

Kentucky [Joel]

Joel pushed into the infirmary. The incantation that told him that Lee was here confused him. He led Ellie along with him, Clementine rushing in before them. It was too cold outside; too snowy for any of them to see, besides that. Joel walked through the hallway, still making sure Ellie was behind him and okay. Judging by what these people had done to two little girls, he could only imagine what they would do to a grown man.

He stepped into the room, hearing four gunshots just moments before. Fear paralyzed Joel as he walked in, eyes scanning the room.

"Jesus... Lee." He mumbled, looking at the corpse and keeping his hand on Ellie's back. "Oh... oh God." He muttered, eyes falling on Lee's missing hand just as Clementine did. He breathed heavily, not approaching. Clementine was doing her best; she was all Lee needed now, he presumed. Joel couldn't say anything else; he couldn't find the words to escape. He had never seen Lee or Ellie kill; never so brutally.

Oh God, what had happened here?

Ledge [Lee Everett]

Clementine's comment forced the man's gaze to drift towards his stump, looking at the ragged bandages that were soaked in his own blood. It cramped and stabbed away at him, like his wrist was on fire. The worst part was the lingering sensation that his hand was still there, he could almost- no, he could still feel it. Lee refused to look any longer at it, his somber glare again meeting hers.

"I know…" He spoke in a dull hush, before falling silent. His hand was gone, and he'd failed Clementine in the process. What's done was done, any sort of regret or discussion on that topic could be saved for later. Right now, the focus was getting the hell out of here. Clementine's finger… his hand. That was probably Henry on a good day, they were simply lucky to not have gotten worse. That was about the only thing Lee could feel glad for, not that he felt much of anything at this moment.

"Jesus... Lee."

A familiar voice filled out the now silent room, Lee turning around to face a man he thought he'd never be seeing again. There he was, looking a little worse for wear and paler in the face. But it was definitely him. His question from before had answered itself, as Ellie was under his arm, right next to him.

The girls had managed escape that sick maniac. It filled Lee with a grim sense of disappointment that he wasn't the one to finish him off. But Lee wasn't stupid, starting a witch hunt for Henry was just going to get everyone killed.

"Joel... You're here?" Lee spoke in near confusion, disbelief. He was relieved of course, but he'd been so sure that damned university would be the last he saw of the Texan. They were all here. Together. If there was ever a time more important to cut their losses and book it, that time was now. Lee still felt weak on his knees, but strong enough to travel. He assumed the same for the girls and Joel. Above all, the only thing plaguing his mind was the possibility of them getting recaptured, and the paranoia of going through the whole damn thing again. Disregarding the bodies that lay behind him, Lee spoke as if they weren't even there, his mind drifting to the task at hand.

"We need to leave. Before more come."

Dot [Ellie]

The infirmary had been quiet, nearly empty, but that only lasted as long as she and Joel were searching through it room-to-room. When the gunshots went off at the end of the hallway, where Clementine went to search, Ellie's heart jumped into her chest. She wanted to rush in there and make sure her friend was okay, but stuck close to Joel instead as he escorted her there.

They were met with a gruesome sight, though thankfully Clementine wasn't on the receiving end of it. Lee held a gun in his hand, lowered to his side, and beneath him, a body laid against the wall, clutching at his wounds as they bled all over the floor. Behind him, another man laid prostrate on the ground, his head looking more like a crushed meatloaf.

Ellie turned away, clenching her eyes shut. She took in a deep breath, trying to rid herself of the image. She'd never seen Lee do something like that, never even thought he was capable of it, but…

…she also didn't blame him for it. What she did to… it was just as bad, right? She couldn't look at him any differently because she knew what it was like. A part of her hated that fact, but there was no going back. Not now.

She choked when her eyes fell onto Lee's stump of a hand, tears already threatening to burst out of their ducts. Those screams she'd heard before… the things she caused to happen…

She wouldn't have time to dwell on it, as the older man suggested they should leave. She gave him a slow nod of understanding, in part towards the idea of leaving, and in part towards accepting what he'd done. Despite what had happened, everyone was okay , and that's what mattered.

With Joel guiding her around, the four pushed on, back out into the snowstorm. She only wished it'd stop. It'd make this escape a whole lot easier.