THREE MONTHS LATER
In the quiet daytime forest was Lee Everett. He was crouched to the ground, sneaking up on a walker with his trusty fire axe. He struck it in the head, killing it instantly. Instead of his blue button-up shirt and grey jeans, Lee wore a dark grey jacket over a red button-up shirt, and blue jeans.
Another man then walked to Lee's side, who had black hair, a five o'clock shadow, and glasses, and he wore a dark green jacket, camo cargo pants, and military boots. This man's name was Mark; he was fairly lean, but didn't have a great deal of muscle when compared to Lee. He was armed with a scoped hunting rifle.
Shortly after Lee's group had settled at the motel, some of the members had found him alone inside the Airforce base where Lilly used to work. Since he had lots of food with him at the time, Lilly allowed him to join the group at the motor-inn.
"Dammit." Said Mark. "What they get this time?" He asked.
Lee examined the thing that the walker was feasting on, which looked to be a half-eaten rabbit. "Uh, looks like a rabbit." Lee lamented.
Mark sighed. "Well, that's another meal lost." Mark complained, before they walked off. "I still can't believe we went through ALL that commissary food in three months. It seemed like so much at the time."
"Maybe you shouldn't have opened the door." Lee remarked.
"Yeah… except then, I'd probably BE food by now. Trust me; I have no regrets." Said Mark.
"A rabbit's hardly a meal, Mark, but… I'd take it. We're all hungry." Said Lee.
"No kidding." Agreed Mark. "When I accidentally grabbed for Carley's rations the other night, I thought she was gonna take off my hand."
"We're all on edge. Just… cut her some slack." Lee defended Carley.
"Last night, I heard your friend Doug laying in bed, just naming types of pie. It was driving me nuts. I think he's starting to lose it." Said Mark.
"He's not the only one. Why don't you cut him some slack." Lee defended Doug.
"Yeah… you're right." Mark admitted to Lee. "I wish I knew for sure how much food we have left."
"Not enough." Said Lee, shaking his head sadly. "According to Lilly, we've just about hit the last of our food reserves. Some people might have to go without, tonight."
"You mean 'Lilly's Lottery' again?" Mark retorted. "Kenny's gonna be pissed."
"She thinks everyone should have an equal chance of missin' a meal." Lee explained.
"You think Kenny's having any more luck than we are out here?" Mark asked Lee.
"I sure hope so." He answered.
"Yeah… between the lack of food, and Kenny & Lilly fighting all the time, things are getting pretty tense back at the motor-inn. You know, Kenny's been talking about taking off if he can get that RV running." Mark pondered.
"He's got a wife and son to look out for." Argued Lee.
"And they're safest in a big group. Going out on his own will get them ALL killed." Mark voiced his opinion.
"Kenny won't abandon us. He's a good man." Lee defended Kenny.
"Eh. I guess we'll see." Said Mark. "Can't blame him, though. Did you hear Larry goin' off on him last night? What's the old guy's deal, anyway?" Mark asked. "Seems like he's got a problem with you in particular." He noted.
"He thinks I'm a danger to the group… and Clementine." Said Lee.
"I think HE'S the one putting us in danger. The way Lilly worries about his health? I wouldn't be surprised if she's been skimming rations for him." Said Mark.
"Larry's just, uh… lookin' out for his daughter." Lee defended Larry.
"Hey; I know Lilly. She can take care of herself. He needs to take that energy, and put it towards finding us some more food." Argued Mark.
"And I KNOW Lilly thinks he's getting weaker, but the guy's all muscle. He's a walking piledriver. I know I wouldn't wanna be stuck in a room with him." Mark added. "And, didn't he punch you in the face one time?" He asked.
"Knocked me flat..." Lee admitted, shaking his head at himself. He remembered that night; that same night he met Larry - along with Lilly, Carley, Doug, and Glenn - in the Macon drugstore, when Larry left Lee to get massacred by the invading horde after knocking him to the floor.
A crow then flew past the two men, and settled on a tree branch. Mark then crouched behind a rock and aimed at it. "Don't." Lee advised. "Gunshot'll bring walkers. One bird's not worth it."
"Yeah, I know. I'm just… really… frickin' hungry." Said Mark. At that moment, a man's screaming was heard. "Shit! Was that Kenny?" Asked Mark.
"I don't know! Come on!" The two men got up and followed the noise. As they ran for about 20 seconds, they eventually found the source; a middle-aged man had caught his leg in a bear trap.
Two teenage boys were also trying to help him. One of the boys was very lanky, and had brown hair. The other boy was shorter, and had black hair. They both looked about 18 years old, and both wore blue letterman jackets, with white sleeves, and their highschool's logo over the heart area.
As Lee and Mark saw the scene, their eyes widened in horror. "Jesus Christ…" Said Mark.
The boys looked at the two armed men. "Oh, shit! No, no! Please don't kill us!" The shorter boy pleaded. "We just wanna help our teacher; we'll leave, I swear!"
At this point, Kenny had found his way there. "Lee! You guys okay?!" He asked.
The man caught in the bear trap begged. "G-Get it off! Get it off, goddammit, ge-get it off me!"
The taller boy turned to the shorter boy. "Travis!" He said. "Maybe they can help!" He hurriedly suggested.
"These might be the same guys that raided our camp, and… we barely got away from that!" Travis argued.
"WHAT guys?" Asked Mark.
"Why the FUCK is there a bear trap out HERE?" Kenny wondered angrily.
"I don't know, man!" Said the tall boy, sounding terrified.
"What the hell happened?!" Lee asked the boys.
The tall boy answered. "Mr. Parker said we should stay off the streets! We were trying to be careful, but…"
"It's okay!" Lee assured the boys. "We're not gonna hurt you!"
Travis turned to his friend. "Don't listen to them, Ben!" Travis turned back to Lee, Mark, and Kenny. "Please, just let us go" We're not a threat to you!
"Kid, chill out!" Kenny snapped back. "We'll try to help you, but you gotta shut the FUCK up!"
"Who raided your camp?" Asked Lee.
"I-I don't know! Guys with guns!" Answered Ben.
Travis spoke up again. "Please! We won't bother you, I swear!"
Mark spoke up. "Lee, this is FUCKED up; we GOTTA help them."
"Please!" Ben pleaded.
"Ben, shut UP!" Travis snapped back. "My dad was special forces; I know what I'm doing!"
"Just see if you can get him out!" Ben pleaded. "After that, you can leave us, or WHATEVER; I don't care! Please!"
After Lee thought for a few seconds, Mark snapped. "Lee, what is there to think about? We gotta try!" He urged.
"This isn't our problem; we should go!" Lee told Kenny and Mark.
This frightened Ben. "NO, no, PLEASE! At least just LLOK at the trap! Just look at it, and maybe you can… TELL us how to get it off!" Ben pleaded.
"Please help me…" Mr. Parker begged.
"Was he bitten?" Asked Lee.
"Bitten? NO, I swear!" Answered Ben.
Lee thought for a moment, and had a change of heart. "We gotta get him out of there!" He said.
"Oh GOD, thank you!" Said Mr. Parker.
"Fine, but you gotta hurry!" Kenny urged.
"Hurry PLEASE, hurry." Said Mr. Parker.
Mark crouched next to the trap and examined it. "Lee! This trap's been altered; there's no release latch." He concluded.
Travis then heard some groaning, which made him turn around in fear. "Oh no!" He said.
Walkers were seen approaching the six men. "Shit! Walkers!" Said Kenny. "It's now or never, Lee!"
"Please!" Parker begged. "Get me out of this!"
Lee approached the bear trap and readied his axe. "Mark, get the boys back! Kenny, keep those walkers off me!"
"Oh man, Oh man!" Blurted Ben.
Lee looked at Parker's trapped left leg. "Dammit, this is bad… really bad…"
"Lee, do SOMETHING!" Mark urged.
"All that blood and screamin'?! We're gonna be surrounded any minute!" Kenny urged.
"Please!" Parker kept begging. "Get me out!"
"There's gotta be something we can do!" Said Ben. "Please hurry!"
The trap was connected to a thick chain, which was tied around a tree. "Try to cut the chain!" Travis suggested.
"Oh God, Oh God, Oh God…" Ben murmured.
"Hurry! Aarrrggghhh!" Parker cried.
"Let's go, let's go!" Kenny urged, still dispatching walkers that came too close.
"You have to get him out." Said Ben "You HAVE to."
As Lee was attempting to chop the chain, it had no effect. "Forget it!" Said Mark. "We used chain like that at the Airforce base to lift ordinance. You're NOT cutting through that!" He explained, before going back to defending with Kenny.
"Why is this happening to us?" Ben asked himself. "Come on, DO something!"
"Lee, it has to be NOW." Mark urged.
Lee then spotted a smooth rock, roughly half the size of a football, which he picked up and threw at the chain. The chain still did not break.
"There has to be a way out of this." Ben urged.
"DAMMIT Lee, just CUT off his FUCKIN' leg!" Mark snapped.
"There's gotta be another way!" Parker begged.
"There's no time for that!" Said Kenny. "I'm sorry, but we have to go. Now!"
"This is bad." Ben said to himself. "This is so bad."
Lee tried to open the trap with his hands, but to no avail, and to Parker's agony. "AARRGGGHHH STOP STOP STOP!" Parker screamed.
"So much blood…" Ben whined.
Lee then tried to pry open the trap with the blade of his axe. "Lee!" Kenny shouted. "I can't keep 'em back forever!"
"Oh GOD, he can't die!" Whimpered Ben.
Kenny then stopped shooting. "Fuck, I'm just wastin' ammo, now. We gotta go!"
"He's lost so much blood already!" Said Ben. "Please, hurry up!"
"Oh God, there's so many of 'em!" Said Travis.
"Calm down, kid; we'll get him outta this!" Lee tried to reassure Ben.
"This can't be happening…" Parker murmured in disbelief and disorientation. "Please, please, please…!"
"Is he… Is he gonna make it?" Asked Ben.
"How the FUCK do you get these THINGS OPEN?!" Lee shouted in frustration.
"We don't know!" Answered Parker. "AAHHH, GOD!"
"It's impossible!" Said Ben. "It locks, or something. Hurry!"
"COME ON! GET IT OFF!" Parker begged Lee.
"Oh, God! Please, save him!" Ben begged. Lee then had the idea to cut down the tree that the chain was tied around. "D'ya think ya can get it open?" Asked Ben. "Please! We can't just leave him like this!" After Lee struck the tree once, Kenny ran up to him.
Kenny pulled Lee's arm. "Come on! We gotta go! Now!" Kenny urged Lee.
"NO!" Parker pleaded. "No, don't leave me!"
"Dammit, Lee!" Mark shouted in frustration and guilt.
"I-I'm sorry." Said Lee, closing his eyes and shaking his head.
"NO!" Travis begged. "We can't leave Mr. Parker like that!"
Lee looked down at Parker. "We're gonna have to cut you out…"
"NO NO NO! Try the trap again! Anything, PLEASE!" Parker begged. "Come on… Just try something… There's gotta be another way… I want my leg, I want my leg. Jesus! I need to walk!"
"I'm sorry… There's no other choice…" Said Lee, before he stood upright and readied his axe for swinging at Parker's leg.
"Lee, it has to be NOW!" Mark urged.
Lee swung for Parker's shin - just above where it was trapped - and managed to cut halfway through. Parker let out a scream of agony like Lee had never heard - not even when Shawn was chewed into. He struck the same spot once more, and it cut through all the way. Parker looked at his leg stump in a mixture of horror and screeching pain, before passing out.
As Mark, Ben, and Travis walked up to Lee to gaze at the scene, Travis wretched in disgust, before moving away and vomiting.
"Shit… Is he…?" Mark attempted to ask.
"He passed out." Said Lee.
Kenny then approached hurriedly. "If he's alive, grab him and let's go!" He ordered. Mark then picked up Parker and followed Kenny outta the forest, and towards the motel.
As Lee and Ben were about to leave, Lee saw that Travis was lagging behind. "Behind you!" Lee shouted to Travis, who was only just done vomiting.
"TRAVIS!" Ben shouted to his friend.
Travis then turned around to see a walker closing in on him. "AHH!" Travis shouted in fear, before retreating backwards. "Help! Ohmygod! No! Ahhh! Help me!" He wailed as he ran through the forest, losing sight of the other survivors. Lee and Ben saw Travis disappear into the forest, and had no choice but to ditch him.