Sorry to everyone for the delay, my schedule took a busy change.
Big thanks to gaara king of the sand for the help.
And as always, thanks to everyone for reading!
Molly quickly drew her own gun as Vince and Shel followed suit.
Jesus was shocked by this and quickly questioned, "What the hell is going on here?"
The traitors didn't respond. They just silently kept their weapons trained on them.
"Everyone settle down. No one do anything stupid." Jesus said.
There was still no verbal response.
"Luke, what's going on?" Clementine asked, looking confused and nervous. She broke the hug and looked to the man.
"I'm so sorry, kid." Luke muttered, looking guilt ridden.
"What? For what? What's going on?" Clementine asked.
Luke didn't have the chance to respond before one of the men had retrieved a walkie-talkie from his person and spoke, "Move in."
It didn't take long before they could hear vehicles approaching, quickly grabbing their attention.
"Luke," Molly huffed, "What the fuck is going on?"
Luke bit his lip, face full of guilt.
Everyone held fire as a few unknown people stepped from a vehicle. Molly quickly spot the New Frontier symbol on some of the vehicles.
"Fuck…" Molly muttered.
Clementine gasped, and Molly noticed the young girl immediately became tense and the child shakily took a step back upon seeing these people.
"It's nice to see you again, Clementine." A woman said.
The child didn't respond to the woman.
Molly stepped in front of Clementine, protectively shielding the little girl. "Who are you?" Molly inquired.
"My name is Lilly. I'm sure your girl told you a lot about me." The woman said. "You must be Molly. I've heard a lot about you as well."
"Lilly…" Molly frowned, realizing this was the woman who had been the source of so many problems.
"Listen, I don't want to cause trouble…So make things easy for yourselves. Hand the girl over and everything will be fine." Lilly said.
"Not happening." Molly refused.
"I know you're strong. A fighter. I might have a spot for you in my group. Just hand Clementine over, and then we can talk about the possibility of you joining us." Lilly said.
"That's not going to happen. I would never hand my girl over." Molly said.
"Alright then… I'll just have to take her by force." Lilly said.
"Over my dead body." Was Molly's response.
"That can be arranged." Lilly said. The woman lifted her own gun.
"Lilly, no!" Luke quickly moved in front of Molly.
"What are you doing? Stay out of this Luke." Lilly ordered.
"I can't just let you do this." Luke said
"You don't have to let me do anything. Move. I don't want to have to shoot you." Lilly said.
"You don't have to shoot anyone." Luke retorted.
"We had a deal, Luke. You help me, and I let you go." Lilly said.
"I'm not gonna let you kill anyone." Luke argued.
"Fine." Lilly said.
Before anyone could react, gunshots rang out. To everyone's surprise two of the traitors fell to the ground. The others took the opportunity to rush to find cover. Lilly fired a shot towards them, which hit Luke in the back, before she rushed behind cover herself.
Vehicles propelled forward; walkers being released from the back of the trucks.
"What do we do?" Clementine asked.
"We need to go get the others." Molly said.
Molly and Jesus helped the injured Luke behind cover.
"I can hold them off while you guys get your people to safety." Jesus said.
"We have to fight back or this place will end up like Prescott." Molly said.
"Well he's in no condition to fight," Jesus motioned to Luke. "And your group has kids who need to be kept safe. Get them to safety."
Molly sighed but nodded. "You be careful."
"I will." Jesus said.
"I'll stay with you. I can watch your back." Vince said.
"Are you sure?" Jesus asked.
Vince nodded.
"Both of you be careful please." Shel said.
"We will." Vince said.
"Good." Shel said before suddenly kissing Vince to the others' surprise.
"Woah…" Clementine commented.
The kiss broke and Shel said to Vince, "You better stay safe."
"Yes ma'am." Vince replied.
Shel nodded then went over to help Luke along with Molly. Jesus and Vince readied their weapons.
"Luke, can you walk?" Shel asked.
"Y-Yeah. I'm good." Luke stammered.
"Barely." Molly said. "We need to hurry up and get to the others."
"Yeah, Eleanor can look at him." Shel said.
Molly nodded in agreement.
"When did that happen?" Clementine asked, "You and Vince I mean?"
"Clem, now's not the best time." Molly cut in.
"S-Sorry… I was just… wondering…" The child replied.
"We were keeping things quiet." Shel answered nonetheless.
"So you two like-like each other?" Clementine questioned.
"Yeah, I guess we do." Shel said with a slight chuckle at the girl's innocence.
"Wow." Clementine commented, much like when she had seen them kiss.
"Come on, let's get moving." Molly said.
They started towards the building where their other group members were staying.
Kenny huffed as he suddenly stood, "I can't just sit here. I want to go find out what brings that shitbird here."
"You don't need to go causing trouble, Kenny." Christa said.
"I'm not causing trouble. But I'm sure that's what Luke is here to do." Kenny replied.
"We don't know that." Sarita said.
"Of course we do. They joined up with The New Frontier. We can't assume that he's here to do anything other than cause trouble." Kenny said. "Besides, why would he want to see Clementine? She's a damn kid."
"I don't know, Kenny…" Sarita replied.
"Look, I don't know who this guy is, but I'm sure Molly, Vince, and Shel got things under cover. Let them handle it." Omid said.
Kenny sighed. "Maybe but—"
The sound of gunshots from a distance suddenly grabbed their attention.
Everyone was on edge upon hearing that.
"Not here to cause trouble, my ass." Kenny grumbled.
"Conrad, man, just calm down. Take a breath." Tripp said as his friend paced back and forth.
"Fuck that. If those New Frontier assholes are here, I'm gonna make them pay for what they did to Francine." Conrad hissed.
"I know you're pissed, and you have every right to be—"
"I'm a lot more than pissed." Conrad replied.
"And I understand that, but you need to calm down. We can't do anything rash." Tripp said.
"Rash?! After what happened I'll be damned if I don't get to kill every last one of those freaks." Conrad said.
"I know how you feel, man." Tripp sighed. "I'm sick of those Frontier freaks too."
"So don't tell me to calm down then." Conrad replied.
"I just don't want you doing anything reckless." Tripp said. "We haven't heard anything from that group in weeks. And we know the plan we had was well executed. For all we know this Luke guy is a straggler who came here looking for help. Molly and the others know him, they'll handle him."
"I guess we'll see what happens…" Conrad huffed.
Suddenly the sound of gunshots drew their attention.
"What in the hell?" Tripp said.
"What the fuck is going on?" Conrad said.
When they got to the building, they were quickly met by their other group members who were all concerned.
"What the hell is happening out there?" Christa asked.
"We're under attack." Molly replied.
"What?" Patricia asked, looking shocked.
"Fuck! Fuck, I knew something wasn't right." Kenny said.
"This is fucked up…" Randy said.
"I thought they took each other out." Kate said.
"We all thought so." Shel said.
"Looks like we thought wrong." Molly said.
"Fuck." Kenny huffed.
"So what do we do?" Javier asked.
"We gotta fight back." Molly said.
"Where's Vince?" Becca suddenly spoke.
"He stayed back to fight." Shel answered.
"Alone?" Becca asked, looking worried.
"He's not alone. Jesus and some of the guards are with him." Shel said. "He'll be okay."
"Shit… I hope so." Becca said.
"He's tough, he'll be fine." Shel said.
"Yeah… You're right…" Becca nodded.
"Luke…" Sarita frowned as Shel and Molly helped the injured man to the couch. "What happened to him?"
"He was shot…" Shel said. "Eleanor, can you take a look at him?"
"Of course…" Eleanor said with a nod.
"Hold on, if we're under attack, we can't stay here. We need to get the kids somewhere safe." Patricia said.
"They have a bunker in the hospital. We can move everyone there." Ava said.
"Yeah… I can probably treat his injuries better there. But I should still check him out… And at least try to stop the bleeding." Eleanor said.
"Alright." Molly said.
With that agreement, the group began to quickly gather weapons and other needed supplies while Eleanor did her best to tend to Luke for the time being.
Before long the group was on their way to the bunker. The walk there was beyond worrisome. Screams filled the air and people were taking cover from gunshots.
"What do we do? We have to do something to help." Clementine said, feeling awful for all of the people involved.
"Just keep moving. We need to get to the bunker." Molly said.
Gunshots fired in their direction, Christa giving a horrified yell when Omid suddenly fell to the ground. "OMID!" She rushed over to his side with little Genevieve in her arms.
Everyone's hearts were pounding, hoping he was okay.
"I-I'm okay. I'm okay, Christa." Omid reassured her.
"Thank God!" Christa said with relief. "Hurry and get up. We have to keep moving—"
Another bullet whizzed past them. This time the bullet hit Omid in the head, his body fell limp to the ground.
Christa screamed an ear-piercing scream. Patricia quickly moved in front of the distraught Christa and the crying Genevieve, just in case the bullets continued firing. However, Kenny quickly acted, returning fire to the attackers as Patricia went to help Christa.
"Everyone move, NOW!" Kenny ordered.
The group made a dash for the hospital.
"Luke, how're you holding up?" Molly asked.
There was no response from the man.
"Luke?" Molly called again.
Still, there was no response.
"He's not doing good." Eleanor said. "He's lost a lot of blood. We need to do something soon or he's not gonna make it."
"How do you know he's not gonna turn?" Randy suddenly asked.
"He's not." Clementine said.
"We don't know that. We can't bring him with us. It's too much of a risk." Randy said.
"Randy, what are you saying?" Patricia asked.
"We know people turn when they die. We can't risk taking him if he's gonna turn." Randy replied.
"Eleanor can help him." Clementine said.
"I can try my best." Eleanor said to the child.
"I'm not carrying a dead guy. This man is gonna turn." Randy said. "If you think he's not, you're all crazy."
"You don't know that." Molly said.
"Yes I do. And the rest of you would too if you took a good look at him. He's clearly half-dead. I'm not trying to get bit today." Randy grumbled.
"Randy, we don't have time for this." Molly huffed.
"Time for what, Molly?" Randy inquired.
"To stand here and debate." Molly replied.
"There's nothing to debate. I told you how it's gonna be." Randy said. "He's one of them anyway, isn't he? What the hell are we doing helping him."
"Luke's our friend!" Clementine spoke up.
"He's not a friend of mine. I hate to break it to you kid, but your friend here is a goner." Randy said.
"He is not." Sarah said. "Don't say that."
"Look at him!" Randy snapped causing the kids to flinch.
"He's gonna be okay!" Clementine snapped back.
"He's not, kid!" Randy said.
"Dad, stop!" Gill spoke up, feeling angry at his father's behavior.
"Gill, stay out of this." Randy said.
"You're making Clem upset. Just stop." Gill said.
"Look, we need to move. Now. We already lost Omid, if we stay here we're as good as dead." Shel said. "Everyone please stop fighting…"
Everyone's hearts sank as their minds replayed what had happened to Omid.
The groups' arguing was deterred as more gunshots were heard along with screams in the distance.
"So can we get a move on now?" Becca huffed.
Randy remained stubborn, hesitant to help carry Luke.
"Randy, let's go, please." Patricia said.
Randy huffed but didn't respond.
David shook his head, "This is ridiculous." He went over to Luke, "Javi, help me here."
Javier was surprised by this but nodded and went to help his brother carry Luke.
"Let's move." Molly said.
Patricia and Shel both had to ease a distraught Christa forward. Clementine felt her heart clench and she couldn't help but blame herself for this.
They continued on towards the hospital. However, they were forced to another stop as they saw some people being gunned down. They quickly took cover so they wouldn't be seen, waiting for the attackers to pass. They stayed hidden behind cover, watching in horror, knowing they couldn't do much to help the situation.
As the group heard the gunshots and yells cease they proceeded to move from cover and continued towards the hospital. They eventually arrived at their destination and noticed the guards quickly ushering civilians inside. They were soon ushered into the building as well, and everyone was checked for bites before being escorted into the bunker of the hospital.
As they were taken into the bunker everyone was panicking. Eleanor quickly ordered Javier and David to place Luke on an empty cot and she then proceeded to check his injuries.
Kate began to pace as AJ and Genevieve were both whimpering.
Christa seemed to be in almost a daze as she held her daughter in her arms.
"I- I think I'm gonna be sick…" Kate suddenly muttered.
"Kate?" Javier looked to her with concern.
The woman was unable to answer. She rushed over to the trashcan and proceeded to vomit.
A few guards were alarmed by this and looked to her. Javier quickly informed them , "She's not bit. She's pregnant."
The guards seemed to back off at that.
"This… This is fucked… Omid's dead, Luke's fucked up, and who knows if Vince and Jesus are alive or not…" Kenny said.
"This never should have happened…. Omid should be here. He should be alive…" Christa bitterly muttered, snapped out of her daze.
"Dada bye-bye?" Genevieve asked.
"Y-Yeah baby…" Christa sniffled. "Daddy's gone…"
Genevieve began crying upon hearing this. "Want dada!"
Her whimpers made everyone's hearts ache.
"What do we do now?" Clementine asked.
"We stay here and hope for the best…" Shel said.
A while went by and suddenly several guards were forced to respond to a call for back-up. With the bunker left less secure everyone was once again worried.
Kenny felt guilt eating at him. He felt this was his fault. It was as if his past sins were coming back to haunt him, and take down everyone he cared about in the process. He couldn't let that happen. He couldn't lose anyone else. He needed to protect his family at any cost.
"Sarita, I need to talk to you, hon." He said, making sure no one else was listening.
"Fuck…" Kenny muttered. "We know who they're here for…"
"What?" Sarita looked worried. "What are you talking about?"
"We know who they're looking for… I can put an end to this…" Kenny said.
"No, Kenny! No! You can't!" Sarita panicked realizing what he was getting at.
"I have to do something; I can't let anyone else die. I can't let them hurt my family." Kenny said. "I have to do this, hon."
"Kenny, please… Think about what you're saying…" Sarita pleaded, nervous for his safety.
AJ whimpered a bit from the woman's worried tone.
"I have thought about it, Sarita. I don't have time to think anymore." Kenny said. "This has to be done."
"No… No, it doesn't." Sarita shook her head.
"It does. Here, take AJ." Kenny said.
"Kenny, please don't do this." Sarita continued to plead with him, hoping he would change his mind.
"I have to." Kenny replied.
"Why Kenny?" Sarita asked.
The man didn't respond as he handed the baby to the woman
"Kenny…"
"I have to do this, hon. I have to." Kenny said.
"Don't do this…." Sarita said, fighting tears. "You can't do this…"
"I have to… Just keep those kids safe." Kenny said.
Sarita tried to protest but Kenny didn't respond to her words as he moved from behind cover and took off while the others weren't paying attention.
A while had gone by and Eleanor sighed, "Well, he's stable for now."
"That's good…." Molly said.
"Do you think he'll pull through?" Shel asked.
"I hope so…" Eleanor replied.
They heard small sobs from the corner and noticed Sarita was crying.
"Sarita, what's wrong?" Clementine questioned.
The woman didn't respond but Clementine noticed something was off, the child furrowed her brows and spoke, "Where's Kenny?" The man was clearly missing.
When the others heard the child's question, they quickly became worried.
Sarita slowly spoke with tear filled eyes and said, "H-He took off… He- He said he had to stop this…"
"What?" Clementine gasped.
"So he just left?" Molly asked.
Sarita nodded through her tears.
Molly sighed at this. "Damn it, Kenny…"
"What do we do now?" Kate asked.
"We have to go after him!" Clementine said.
"Clem, no," Molly said.
"We have to! She'll kill him!" Clementine exclaimed.
"You'll stay here. I'll go after him…" Molly replied.
"You can't go alone." Ava said. "I'm coming with you."
Molly looked to her, a bit surprised. "Are you sure?"
"Positive." Ava said.
"I can come too." David spoke.
"David?" Ava rose a brow.
"I'm not just gonna sit back while people put their lives on the line. Not when I can fight." David said.
"What about your wife?" Ava asked.
David looked over to Kate who was sitting beside Javier. "She… She doesn't need me…. She has Javi."
"Maybe… But you have two kids who do need you." Molly said.
"What about you? You have your girl." David pointed out.
"My girl will be okay. She has a lot of people here to look out for her." Molly said. "Just stay here with your kids."
David tried to protest but Molly and Ava weren't having it. The two women made sure they were wll armed before heading out with hopes to find Kenny and stop Lilly,
As the gunshots outside continued to blare, Clementine felt sick to her stomach. They had been gone for too long. She didn't know how long, but enough time had passed to leave her in a near panic.
"I can't stay here…. I-I have to go after them. I need to make sure they're okay." Clementine suddenly said.
"Clementine, no. Molly told you to stay put." Christa spoke.
"But I have to go. I need to make sure they're okay." Clementine argued.
"If you go out there, you're gonna end up like Omid." Christa coldly replied.
"Christa," Shel huffed.
"What?" Christa asked.
"Why would you say that?" Shel inquired.
"I'm not saying anything. That's not true." Christa said.
"She's a child, you don't have to talk like that around her." Shel sighed.
"She should know the truth… She's a smart girl. She can handle it." Christa said.
"And I can handle myself too. I need to make sure Molly and Kenny are okay." Clementine said.
"Don't be a stubborn brat." Christa said. "It's stupid."
"I'm not." Clementine said.
"Yes, you are! If you go out there, you're as good as dead! Be smart!" Christa snapped at the young girl who flinched.
"Christa, calm down. I know you're upset, but there's no need to take it out on Clementine." Shel said.
"I'm not taking anything out on her." Christa replied.
"It seems that way to me." Shel said.
"Please don't fight. There's enough going on as it is." Sarita said.
"Look, I'm with Clem. They've been gone for a while, maybe we should go find out what's going on." Becca spoke up.
Shel sent her a look. "Becca—"
"Shel, I'm not a little kid anymore. Please don't go treating me like one." Becca cut her off.
"I just want you to be safe, Becca." Shel said.
"We're not safe here. And we won't be safe until we put an end to this." Clementine cut in.
"Exactly." Becca said. "We have to do this or this will be the end for us. It's already a shitshow and we can't just sit back and wait around to die."
Shel was silent for a few moments then sighed, "Alright… We'll go after them."
"R-Really?" Clementine asked.
"Yes. But listen, you two stick close to me at all times." Shel said.
"Hold on. I can't just let you go out there with two kids." David said. "I'm coming with you."
"Are you sure?" Shel asked him.
David nodded. "Yeah. I'm sure. Ava's one of my closest friends and Molly… I have a lot to make up for with here. I have to do this."
"Well, If you're going I am too!" Gabe spoke up.
"Gabe?" Kate looked concerned.
"Let me come, dad. You know I can handle myself." Gabe said to his father.
"Gabe no…. It's too dangerous." Kate said.
"It's not your decision." Gabe huffed.
"I don't want you getting hurt." Kate said.
"I can protect my own son. You worry about your own baby,and leave my kids alone." David hissed.
Kate couldn't help but feel hurt by those words. "David that's not fair! We care about them. We've been taking care of them for years."
"Regardless, they're my kids. Not yours." David said. "And I'm here now, so let me be their father."
"David, we're not trying to take your kids from you." Javier said.
"Bullshit. You already got my damn wife pregnant. I don't want to hear anything you have to say, Javi." David said.
"But why not? You know what I say is valid." Javier huffed. "Look, David we—"
"Just stay out of this. He's my dad. I want to be with him." Gabe cut his uncle off.
Javier couldn't help but feel hurt by Gabe's words. "I… I can't just let you get hurt… So… I'll go with you."
"What?" David sent him a look.
"No matter what you feel towards me, we're family and I'll be damned if I let you do this alone." Javier said.
"Javi? What are you doing?" Kate asked, "You can't just go…"
"I'll be okay, Kate. I have to help them." Javier said.
Kate frowned but said, "I can help too. I—"
David shook his head and said, "No. You're carrying. You stay here."
Kate narrowed her eyes at him. "You're not in charge of me, David."
"David's right, Kate. You should stay here where it's safe." Javier said.
"I…" Kate paused, wanting to protest.
"Please, Kate…" Javier said.
Kate frowned at this but sighed, "Fine…"
"What do I do?" Mariana asked.
Kate looked to the child. "You stay here with me, honey."
"Yeah. Kate will look after you." Javier said.
"I said, I'll handle my kids. You two stay out of this." David said.
Kate started to protest but Javier shook his head, not wanting to fight.
Mariana innocently looked to her father and asked, "What should I do, daddy?"
"You stay here, sweetie. People here will look out for you." David said to her.
"…Okay…" Mariana nodded.
Kate rolled her eyes at David's childish behavior. "Come on, Mari. You can hang out with me."
Mariana nodded. "Okay, Kate." The child agreed.
David didn't protest.
"Three adults and three kids going to fight a war." Christa sarcastically scoffed. "Sounds like a great idea."
"I know what you mean… Which is why… I'm going with them." Randy said.
"Randy?" Patricia looked to him with surprise.
"I'll do whatever I can to put a stop to this. We can't lose another home." Randy said.
"I can come too, dad." Gill said.
"I... I don't think either of you should go. It's not safe." Patricia said.
"I'll be okay, mom. I promise." Gill reassured her.
"We'll be fine." Randy added.
Patricia frowned but said, "You better be."
"What should I do?" Sarah asked Shel.
"Why don't you see if you can help Eleanor with anything. Your dad was a doctor right, and you mentioned you want to be a doctor too. I'm sure Eleanor would like an assistant." Shel suggested.
"Okay." Sarah agreed.
"Well, I'm tagging along. I want to end all of those assholes for what they did to Francine...For what they did to Prescott." Conrad said.
Tripp paused but sighed, "I'll go too..."
"Are- Are you sure?" Eleanor stammered upon hearing that.
"I'll be fine Eleanor. You just stay safe here..." Tripp said.
Eleanor gave a hesitant nod. "Make sure you come back safe."
"I will." Tripp said.
"All of you come back safe." Sarita said.
The group nodded.
"Alright... Let's get going. Everyone keep your guard up." David said.
The group nodded.
Kenny found himself debating on if he was making the right choice. He knew this was risky, but he wanted to keep his family safe. He couldn't let Lilly hurt them.
Richmond was in a state of hell, and he couldn't help but feel guilty.
He made his way through the town, avoiding guards and coughing through clouds are teargas until he suddenly spots the woman he was looking for.
"Lilly…"
The woman looked to him, several of her men aiming guns to his direction. "Kenny..." Her expression twisted into a look of anger and she ordered to her guards to lower their weapons.
"Don't... He's mine." Lilly's word hit him hard.
"He couldn't have gotten far could he?" Ava asked as her and Molly searched for Kenny.
"I guess we're gonna have to find out." Molly said.
"I guess you're right…" Ava sighed.
"We just need to keep moving…" Molly said.
"Do you think the others will be okay?" Ava asked.
"They're safer in there than we are out here." Molly said.
Ava agreed. "Yeah… That's true…"
"Let's just keep going, alright." Molly said.
Ava nodded.
Their search for Kenny had left them empty handed and before long the two women found themselves in the middle of a gunfight.
"Where the hell could he have gone?" Ava grumbled.
"No fucking idea. I just hope he doesn't do anything stupid." Molly said.
"Yeah... me too..." Ava said.
They just hoped they would find the man alive and okay.
Kenny hadn't expected it when the woman lunged at him, attempting to attack him with a knife. The man moved, dodging the woman. Lilly remained resilient slashing at him numerous times. Kenny managed to grab hold of her wrists only for her to knee him in the groin.
The man crumbled to the ground.
He writhed in pain for a few moments but soon recovered quickly enough to stop the woman's attempt to stab him again.
He struggled against her, for a moment getting the upper hand, only to suddenly yell in pain as a gunshot rang out. The man collapsed to the ground once more, bringing a shaking hand to his bleeding side. He hissed in pain at the injury.
Lilly had no sympathy as she looked down at his injured form. She glared at him, only seeing the man who had brutally murdered her father. A man who deserved to pay for what he did.
She angrily approached him, clutching to the knife. She hovered over him and suddenly stabbed him. Kenny yelled in pain, however Lilly smiled, repeating the action and stabbing the man again and again.
Kenny could only feel the sharp piercing of the knife, inflicting multiple wounds on his body.
Blood soaked the knife and Lilly's hand, but the woman didn't stop, not until Kenny finally laid unmoving.
She then stood up and huffed.
She looked to his body, knowing he would turn soon. She would leave him to do so. After catching her breath, she spoke, "We're looking for the little girl. Clementine. Find her now." She ordered to her guards.
"Everyone stick close." David said to the group as the started their search for the others.
"God… This place is a damn massacre... It's awful..." Shel said.
"Let's just keep moving." David urged the group forward.
As the group walked pass the bodies, David suddenly stopped in place, noticing some of the people.
"Dad?" Gabe furrowed his brows.
David stood frozen, not responding to his son.
"Dad what's wrong?" Gabe asked.
"I just... I knew a lot of these people... they were friends of mine." David said, his mood shifting, and his leader like behavior taking a quick turn.
"David, I understand how you feel. We all lost people. But we have to keep moving or we'll end up like them." Shel said.
David slowly nodded. "Yeah, you're right-"
Suddenly someone grabbed at Clementine's ankle causing the child to yelp.
Shel quickly went to her aim, pulling her free.
"Please..." A man spoke. They were all surprised to see the man was still alive.
"D-Doctor Lingard?" Clementine gasped.
"Please kill me..." Lingard spoke.
David knitted his brows together, and knelt by Lingard's side. "Paul, what are you talking about?"
"Just shoot me... please. End my suffering." Lingard pleaded.
David was hesitant to comply.
"Please... I just... want to die..." Lingard said.
"We can get you help, Paul..." David said.
Lingard gave a weak shake of his head. "David... No... My time here is done..."
"Paul…. don't say that. Whatever way you're hurt, we can get you help." David said. "We have medics."
Doctor Lingard lifted sleeve to reveal a bite on his arm. "This...can't be helped."
"Oh fuck... H-How did this happen?" David asked.
"Gunshots must've brought the dead..." Was Lingard's reply. "I don't wanna turn."
"Fuck… Fuck…" David muttered.
"Before I met you, I didn't care about anything. I was ready to give up on everything, on everyone. But you got me to care again. And for that I thank you." Lingard said.
"Paul..." David felt sick, he didn't want to do this, to kill one of his close friends.
"Don't let me turn…" Lingard said.
David was quiet as he contemplated Lingard's words. He had already lost so many people. Too many people who he cared about. But he also knew he couldn't let his friend turn either. "…Okay…" He reluctantly said. "I'll do it…"
"Are you sure? I can do it if you can't, David." Javier said.
"No… I- I can do it…" David said. "I'll do it…"
The others waited in a solemn silence as David shakily lifted his gun and aimed it at Lingard.
"Thank you…" Lingard said.
David couldn't bring himself to respond. His breathing picked up, his heart pounding, before finally he pulled the trigger.
"Dad… Are you okay?" Gabe asked.
"Let's… Let's just get going." David said.
Molly and Ava didn't know how long they had been caught in the gunfight, however they quickly found themselves getting overwhelmed.
They were clearly outnumbered and out of options.
They waited with masked fear for the inevitable fire of bullets, but it never came.
The group continued on in silence for a while. However, they didn't make it far. The noise of the gunshot had drawn attention, though the group had expected it to. However, they were shocked when a large group of geeks started towards them. Several of these walkers were recognizable as some citizens of Richmond. Including some of the leaders of Richmond. They found themselves being pushed apart as a large herd of undead tried to attack.
As they were all separated, Clementine found herself alone with Randy and Gill. The girl couldn't help but worry about the others.
"We need to find the others. We can't stay split apart like this." Clementine said worriedly.
"No. It should be fine. It's probably smarter to travel in smaller groups rather than large. Plus, we can cover more ground this way." Randy said.
"...Maybe you're right..." Clementine said.
"Come on. Let's keep moving." Randy said.
"Are you okay, Clem?" Gill asked the girl, noticing her worried expression.
"Yeah... I just hope everyone is okay." Clementine said.
"I'm sure they will be..." Gill said.
"I really hope so." Clementine said.
Gill gently took hold of her hand and gave a reassuring squeeze. The girl couldn't help but smile a little. She was glad to be with him.
Gabe quickly felt dread hit him as he realized the walkers had split their entire group up. "Dad? What do we do?"
"Just...Just stay close to me, son." David said.
Gabe gave a nod. He tried to calm his pounding heart as he stuck close to his father. The two made their way through a group of Muertos, David killing them one by one. He was nervous but tried to keep hope that they would make it out of this alive.
"Don't shoot." Both Molly and Ava were surprised to hear Lilly's words. "I'm impressed, you two can hold your own. The both of you are strong women, smart women. Yet you stay with a group of fools and allow them to hold you back. You allow them to hold Clementine back. I don't know much about you or how long you've known that little girl, but I can tell you she's capable of doing so much more. She's a fighter and I can tell she'd make a great solider."
"My girl would never fight for you." Molly said.
"Maybe she just needs some persuading. This can be simple. All I want is to know where the girl is." Lilly said.
"That's none of your business." Ava replied.
"I'm not gonna harm her. If that's what you're worried about." Lilly said.
"Bullshit. What do you want her for then?" Molly asked.
"I just think she'd make a great soldier." Lilly said. "She might need some persuading, but I'm sure she'll come around."
"You're fucking crazy." Molly said.
"No need for the insults. Look, I know you and Clem are close. Which is why I'm willing to make an offer. Join us. Both of you. You're strong, smart, capable women. We could use people like you two." Lilly said.
Ava shook her head. "That's not gonna happen."
"Come again?" Lilly asked.
"We would never work with you." Molly said.
Lilly furrowed her brows then huffed. "Fine then." She paused for a moment then said, "I'll just have to kill you."
Several guards raised their weapons but before they could shoot, two of the guards fell dead as gunshot rang out from a short distance away.
"What the fuck?!" Lilly inquired.
"TAKE COVER!" One of the guards exclaimed.
Conrad, Tripp, and Javier fought against the undead, all concerned for their group members.
Javier was worried about David and Gabe, he needed to find them.
"What do we do now?" Conrad asked.
"I need to find my nephew, and my brother…" Javier said.
"Maybe that could be helpful." Tripp noticed a motorcycle.
"Yeah, maybe for one of us…" Javier said.
"You should take it, Javi. Go find your family." Tripp said.
"A-Are you sure?" Javier asked.
"Positive. We'll hold off the dead assholes. You go find your family." Tripp said.
"Thanks, Tripp…" Javier said.
"Be careful out there." Conrad said.
Javier nodded. "Y-Yeah…. I will…"
As David and Gabe continued forward, searching for their group members, David noticed two familiar people.
Fern and a clearly injured Rufus.
"Dad, they're in trouble. We should help them." Gabe spoke as he spotted them.
David nodded in agreement. They were people he knew, people he cared about.
The two made their way over and they could hear a panicked Fern speaking to Rufus. "Y-You're gonna be okay… You're gonna be okay…"
"Fern, Rufus," David called to them.
The woman flipped around, immediately aiming her gun at him. "Wh-What do you want?"
"Take it easy… I just want to help." David said.
"Help? You want to help us?" Fern scoffed. "Where were you before, David?! We could have used your help a long time ago!"
"Fern—"
"It's too late now!" Fern continued, "Rufus is bit! And Lilly… Everything has been destroyed thanks to her! Thanks to you!"
"Maybe we can help him…" Gabe said.
Fern shook her head. "There's no way…. You know that…"
"This isn't my fault, Fern." David said.
"Like hell it isn't!" Fern spat.
"Fern, listen—"
"I'm done listening!" Fern suddenly pulls her gun and points it towards them.
Gabe's eyes widened. "What the…?"
"Fern, put the gun down." David ordered.
"We're all fucking dead because of you!" Fern snapped.
"Hey... Easy. We're—"
"My baby girl is dead because of you! You left us!" Fern hissed.
"Got my whole fucking family killed!" Fern snapped. "Why did you leave us?!"
"I- I wasn't intending to—"
Fern cut the man off. "Shut up!"
"What happened to Ida wasn't my fault!" David said.
"You were supposed to be our leader. You were supposed to protect us! Ida was my baby!" Fern kept the gun aimed at him, glaring hard.
"Stand down. That's an order." David said.
"I don't take orders from you anymore." Fern said.
"Stop it!" Gabe said. "My dad didn't do anything wrong! I'm sorry about what happened to your daughter, but it wasn't dad's fault!"
Fern's hand begins to shake, and she starts to cry. David takes advantage and grabs her wrist, breaking her arm and taking her gun.
Gabe's eyes widen at this, "Holy shit!"
Rufus's eyes flutter open and he starts to speak, "David—"
David turns the gun on him. "Don't fucking move."
"Let her go…" Rufus pleads.
David does so, but then shoots Rufus.
Gabe's looks on in horror. "Oh, my god! Dad!"
"I'm not letting anyone hurt you, son." David said, and turns the gun on Fern.
"Dad, stop! This isn't right!" Gabe grabs David and gets elbowed backward.
David is quickly filled with regret. "Gabe! Oh, my god, I-I'm so sorry! That was an accident!"
"You were going to kill her!" Gabe snapped at his father.
"She tried to kill us." David reminded.
"Look at her!" Gabe motions to the woman.
David looks at Fern, who is huddled in the corner, crying. David frowned at this and spoke, "Gabe, I'm—"
Gabe didn't care to listen, "She can't even stand up! What the hell is wrong with you?!"
"Gabe... I'm sorry. I-I didn't mean to do that to you... You know that." David said.
"Uncle Javi was right…. You are different…" Gabe mumbled.
"I was only trying to protect you." David replied.
"I can handle myself…" Gabe huffed. "Let just…find the others."
"Alright… Let's go…" David said.
Gabe said nothing but followed his father.
"This is so fucked up... how are we supposed to find the others now?" Becca huffed.
"We'll find them, Becca." Shel spoke in a reassuring tone.
"How?" Becca asked.
"We... we just will... we can't panic." Shel said.
"We're in the middle of a warzone. I think the logical thing to do is panic." Becca said.
Shel disagreed. "No, the logical thing to do is stay calm."
Becca sighed at her sister's words. "I've never been great at that, you know."
"What?"
"Staying calm. It's always been hard for me. I know you can do it a lot easier than me..." Becca said.
"You're getting better at it, Becca." Shel said.
"Doesn't feel like it..." Becca replied.
"Well, with all the shit we've been through, I think it's hard for everyone." Shel said.
"Yeah..."
"Look, everything's gonna be okay." Shel told her. "I promise."
"I want to believe that." Becca said.
"We'll be fine. We've gotten through worse before." Shel said.
"You sure? This might just take the cake." Becca replied.
"We'll be fine, Becca." Shel said.
"Alright. I believe you." Becca said.
"Do... Do you think everyone else will be okay?" Gabe asked.
"We can only hope so, bud…" David muttered.
Gabe nodded. Silence fell over them for a while then he spoke once again. "Can… I ask you something?"
"Go ahead…" David said.
"Do you… hate Uncle Javi?" Gabe asked.
"What?"
"You two haven't been getting along… And I know you're mad about him and Kate, but… do you hate him?" Gabe questioned.
"…I don't." David murmured.
"That doesn't sound too convincing." Gabe replied.
"Well, take it however you feel." David huffed. "Why do you keep bringing him up?"
"I… He's just done so much for us… For me and Mari… I don't like seeing you two fighting… I never liked to see you two fight…" Gabe said.
"We're not fighting… We're just…. Things are just complicated right now…" David said.
"Things are always complicated." Gabe said.
David sighed at this but continued walking.
After a few moments, David catches sight of a truck outside and walks towards it.
Gabe followed his father as the man opened the door to the driver's seat. David jumped as a Muerto jumped out from the driver's seat and attempted to bite him. The man grabbed the creature, yanking it from the car truck and pushing it to the ground.
"DAD!" Gabe gasped as the creature attempted to attack David again, however David acted fast, shooting the Muerto.
"Fuck… That was close." David said.
"Are you okay?" Gabe asked.
"Yeah… I'm fine…" David breathed. He then took a look inside the truck. Fortunately, the key was still there. "Get inside, Gabe."
Gabe obliged. "What are we gonna do?"
"We're going to find Lilly." David said.
"Wh-What?" Gabe stammered.
"We're going to find that woman and put an end to this…" David said.
"Are-Are… you sure that's a good idea?" Gabe asked. "With only the two of us?"
"We'll be fine, Gabe…" David said.
"But…" Gabe trailed off, looking unsure. "Shouldn't we be finding the others."
"They're fine…" David replied.
Gabe didn't know what to think.
"Hey, you trust me, don't you?" David asked.
"I… Yeah… I do…" Gabe said.
"Alright. Buckle up, son." David said.
Gabe obliged, but he could feel a wave a nervousness hit him.
They had been walking for a while when suddenly gunshots were once again heard.
"Clem, watch out!" Gill quickly went to push the girl out of the way. However, he suddenly let out a yell in pain
Randy and Clementine's eyes both widened in horror.
"Gill!" Randy went to his side.
Clementine quickly shot at their attacker. The girl then rushed to her friend. "Oh my God. Oh my God, is he okay?"
"Stay back!" Randy snapped, surprising her.
"Bu-But—"
"Stay back, girl! This is your fault!" Randy hissed.
Clementine felt her heart clench at those words. "Wh-What?"
"You heard me. If he dies, it's on you!" Randy snapped at the young girl.
Clementine frowned, her body shaking as she prayed that her friend would be okay. "M-Maybe Eleanor can help him."
Randy didn't respond to the girl as he started to apply pressure to the boy's wound.
Clementine paused then said in a stern tone, "Get him to Eleanor!"
"And what are you gonna do?" Randy asked the child.
"...I'm going to put an end to this..." Clementine said.
"What?"
"Don't worry about me, I can handle myself." The girl said.
"Yeah right—"
Before Randy could get another word in Clementine turned and ran off, causing the man to inwardly swear to himself.
The truck sped down the road and Gabe felt fear hit him. His father was determined to find Lilly, but he was also angry. Gabe hated seeing him like this, it scared him. His own father scared him… "Dad- Dad slow down!"
David didn't listen as he continued driving down the road, searching for the woman who had destroyed so many lives.
"Dad- Please! Slow down!" Gabe said.
David still gave no response.
"DAD!"
David huffed it looked to the boy briefly, "Gabe, we're fine!" He tried to reassure the boy. "Just—"
Before David could get another word in Gabe yelled, "WATCH OUT!"
David quickly turned his attention back to the road, but it was too late as the vehicle collided into a Muerto.
Clementine didn't know where she was going. However, after walking a few paces the child decided to find the next guard and demand they take her to Lilly.
She knew the woman was looking for her and perhaps she might be able to put an end to all the chaos.
The child just hoped that things would be okay.
The young girl continued walking until she suddenly spotted a familiar figure laid bloody on the ground. Her heart skipped a beat as she slowly approached.
"K-Kenny?" Her body trembled as she recognized the man with several stab marks in his body. The girl felt tears in her eyes as she collapsed by his side, taking his bigger hand into her tiny one. "Kenny? Oh my God...!"
The girl felt tears fall from her eyes as she remained by the man's side, heart aching. First Omid and now Kenny… How could this have happened.
The girl whimpered a bit knowing Sarita would be destroyed when she found out.
As she clutched to his hand, she suddenly felt his fingers twitch.
The child hesitantly looked to him and spoke, "K-Kenny? Are- Are you okay?"
The man didn't respond but she felt him twitch again. The child felt a sense of relief wash over her. "Y-You're okay! You're gonna be okay. Eleanor can fix you..."
The was still no response, just more twitching.
"Kenny?"
Suddenly a snarl fell from his lips and the young girl felt her heart drop.
She quickly tried to pull her hand away, only for the grip he had to tighten on her. The girl gasped. "No, no, no! Let me go!"
Her zombified friend grabbed her, attempting to bite her. The child screamed and did her best to fight him off.
It felt like an eternity before suddenly a gunshot rang out and Kenny's reanimated form collapsed to the ground.
The child stayed beside the man until a cold voice utter to her, "Stand up."
"Your name is Clementine?" One of the guards asked the young girl.
Clementine was a bit surprised by that.
"Is that your name?" The guard asked a bit more aggressively.
The girl looked to the guards and fearlessly uttered out, "Yes... Lilly is looking for me...right?
"That's right..."
"I need to talk to her." Clementine said.
The guards exchanged looks before looking back to the young child.
"I need to talk to her." The child repeated.
She just hoped this worked.
Shel and Becca were both beyond worried about the others.
They wished they hadn't gotten separated, but they knew they just needed to find them.
The sister continued their search until they suddenly noticed two figures. The rushed over, looking worried.
"Randy? What happened?" Shel inquired.
"Is Gill okay?" Becca asked, despite the boy clearly not being okay.
"He's been shot." Randy said.
"Shit. Let me see." Shel said.
Randy nodded and shifted a bit to let her check Gill.
The woman quickly knelt beside the child and looked over the wound. "Bullet went straight through. He should be okay..."
I- I stopped the bleeding but... but he passed out...What am I gonna tell Patricia?" Randy aske.d
"Tell her the truth. We need to get Gill back to Eleanor. He needs a doctor." Shel said.
Randy nodded. "...The girl was with us... She ran off..."
"What?" Becca asked.
"Clementine." Randy said.
"What do you mean she ran off?" Becca asked.
"It was my fault. I snapped at her and…" Randy trailed off.
"Damn it...! Fuck…" Shel huffed.
"Everything is fucked." Becca said.
"...Look, let's just get Gill to Eleanor and then I'll go search for Clem." Shel said.
Randy nodded, looking guilt ridden.
Shel helped him carefully lift the young boy up, both doing their best not to hurt him. "Let's go."
Javier drove the motorcycle through the streets. Hoping to find his family safe and sound. He soon found a trail of walker corpses. He assumed they must have gone this way. He could only hope that the roadkill would lead him right to them.
Javier takes out his bat, ready to fight any of the Muertos. As he continued to drive the motorcycle forward, he decapitates a Muerto with his bat.
As he continues on, he saw more of the creatures, already dead.
Javier eventually reaches a truck, which had clearly been crashed and is surrounded by Muertos. "Oh, god. No!"
"They're everywhere!" He hears Gabe yell.
"Don't let them get you!" David's voice reaches Javier's ears as well.
"Hang on!" Javier calls to them.
Javier kills several of the creatures that are outside the truck. One of the creatures attempt to grab him from behind but he shoots it, disorienting himself due to the gun firing so close to his ear.
After regaining focus, Javier realizes he is out of ammo and proceeds kills the creatures with his bat. "That's right... Focus on me! Come on! Yeah, that's it, that's it!"
Javier leads the Muertos away from the car and kills them. He manages to clear the creatures on the passenger's side door. With the door cleared, Javier opened it, seeing a panicked Gabe inside. "I'm here, Gabe. I got you."
Gabe sighed in relief, hugging his uncle as Javier helped him out of the vehicle. "Okay... Okay."
"Are you okay?! Are you bitten?" Javier asked, checking him over.
"No! They didn't get me!" Gabe replied.
"Oh, thank god!" Javier said, releasing the boy.
"I-I'm fine. It just... It-it hurts.. W-We crashed and- I thought we were dead…" Gabe said. "I-I'm glad you came after us."
"Of course I did. We're family, bud." Javier said.
"But… I was always arguing-always making life harder. And I was a bad son. I wouldn't have come after me." Gabe said.
"Hey, knock that off, buddy. You're a great son." Javier replied.
"I don't feel like one." Gabe said.
"Don't worry. It's not up to you to decide." Javier said.
"I-I'm gonna be better from now on. I swear." Gabe said.
Meanwhile, David made his way out of the passenger's door and looked to the two. "Javi… Surprised to see you."
"Are you okay?" Javier asked him.
"I'm fine… Figured we were done for, brother." David said.
""You have to take care of each other." That's what Pa said to me once." Javier said.
"Yeah... He told me the same thing. I wonder what he'd say to me now. I wonder that a lot, actually. I'm sure you do, too."
"He'd say you fucked up-big time. He'd call you "pendejo". And then he'd ask if you wanted to play dominoes."
"…You're right. That is exactly what he'd do. I wouldn't deserve to play that game with him, though. With either of you."
"Look, let's just find the others… The sooner we find them, the better." Gabe said.
"Yeah, bud. We'll find them." Javier agreed.
"We just need to keep pushing forward." David said.
"Yeah. Let's get a move on."
As they started to walk it was silent for a while, however David soon spoke again. "Thanks… For finding us…"
"You don't have to thank me for that." Javier said.
"I do… I know we haven't been on the best terms. But I do care about you…" David said. "Even if I can't forgive you for sleeping with my wife."
"David… It wasn't like that." Javier said.
"It was just like that. Her pregnancy is proof." David replied.
"We thought you we dead." Javier said.
"Well, big surprise, I'm not. Even though I'm sure you and Kate probably were hoping I was." David scoffed.
"Why would you say something like that? We would never hope that!" Javier said.
"Yeah right," David mumbled.
"I just saved your life, didn't I?" Javier said. "I did that because I care about you…"
"Sure…" David said.
"David—"
"Let's just keep moving…" David said.
Javier sighed but didn't protest.
The trio continued walking, David taking the lead.
"Don't mind him, uncle Javi," Gabe said. "I'm glad you saved us."
"I'm glad too, bud." Javier said.
"We're gonna be okay, right? We'll find the others?" Gabe asked, feeling worried.
"Of course, Gabe, we'll be fine." Javier said.
David turned to them with a stern look, "Pick up the pace."
"We are—"
David's eyes widened as he noticed a group of Muertos approaching, he quickly raised his gun.
Javier and Gabe were both surprised, not realizing the Muertos were behind them.
"D-Dad, what are you doing?" Gabe questioned.
"David, what the hell?!" Javier huffed.
"MOVE!" David ordered.
The two obliged and David began firing at the creatures.
Javier helped him fight against some of the creatures using his bat.
"Javi, watch out!" Gabe exclaimed as one of the Muertos suddenly grabbed his uncle.
David quickly rushed to his rescue, grabbing the creature, pressing the gun to its head and pulling the trigger, only to suddenly be grabbed from behind.
Before anyone could react, David felt a sharp pain in his shoulder and yelled out.
"DAVID!" Javier rushed to his aid, yanking the creature off of his brother and shoving it to the ground, he then proceeded to bash it in the head with his bat several times.
With the undead handled, the two brothers took a moment to catch their breath.
"D-Dad? Uncle Javi… A-Are you okay…?" Gabe asked.
"I'm good… I'm good." Javier said.
David didn't respond.
"Dad?" Gabe called.
David shook his head with frown and then said, "The y got me…"
"Wh-What?" Gabe asked.
David was silent as he revealed the bite mark.
Gabe's and Javier's hearts drop.
"Oh God…" Gabe gasped.
"David…" Javier mumbled in disbelief. "Oh fuck..."
"Wh-What are we gonna do?" Gabe asked.
Clementine felt the gun press into her back, urging her to keep moving forward. The child eventually found herself walked towards the gate. She quickly realized there was no sign of Lilly.
"What's going-? She suddenly received a harsh blow to the back of her head from the butt of a gun. The child crashes to the ground and everything goes black.
Several of the guards had been taken out by Jesus' and Vince's gunfire. Lilly felt dread hit her, knowing things weren't going well.
"It's over, Lilly! You're outnumbered!" Molly snapped.
The woman gritted her teeth trying to think of what to do. Suddenly her radio went of causing her to jump. Despite being in the middle of a gunfight she tuned in.
"We got the girl." A voice said through the walkie talkie.
Lilly felt a small smirk cross her face. It seemed like she could turn this in her favor.
With some hesitation the woman moved from her spot of cover, hands raised in a nonthreatening manner.
As they noticed her move from cover guns were quickly aimed in her direction.
"Don't shoot!" Lilly said.
"Give us one reason why we shouldn't kill you and the rest of your people." Molly said.
Lilly did just that. "...We have your girl."
Everyone's eyes widened at the news.
"What?" Molly asked.
"Clementine. We have Clementine." Lilly said.
"That's a lie!" Molly said.
Lilly shook her head and said, "It's not. My people have your girl."
"You expect us to just believe you?" Vince asked.
Lilly gave a light shrug, "I can prove it." She reached for her radio, slowly and spoke. "Abel, take the girl to the base and wait for us there."
"Got it." A voice came over the radio.
"If you want to see her, you'll come with me." Lilly said.
Molly and the others exchanged looks at her words.
"We could easily just shoot her. Or... you could give up and agree to fight for us." Lilly said.
"...I'll go..." Molly said.
The others slowly but surely nodded, knowing they had no choice but to give up, especially if Clementine was in danger.
"Good. She might be more compliant if people she trusts are there." Lilly smirked. She looked to her remaining guards and said, "Tie them up."
The group found themselves being led to when a few guards were stationed beside some vehicles.
"Load them into the vans. We're done here for now." Lilly ordered.
The group found themselves held at gunpoint by the guards, Molly and Ava quickly recognized Clint as he stepped out of a vehicle.
"Lilly, what are we doing? We came all this way and we're not even gonna stay here." Clint huffed.
"This place is in no condition to stay here. Not now..." Lilly said.
Clint sighed but looked to their hostages, "...What are we gonna do with them?"
"They're coming with us." Lilly replied.
"What makes you think that's a good idea?" Clint asked.
"What makes you think it's smart to question me?" Lilly retorted.
"I'm just wondering... I don't want things to backfire on us. We already lost so many people and... you promised my group things would be better if we worked with you." Clint said.
"Things have been better, Clint. I provided things your people needed to survive." Lilly said.
"And several of my group members are dead now. People I cared about. People who I thought of as family. We had children in the group and now..." Clint trailed off. "Haven't we lost enough people?"
"We aren't gonna lose anyone else. You just have to listen to me." Lilly said.
Clint opened his mouth to speak, but before he could their radios went off.
"I'm coming for you, Lilly. You're gonna pay for what you've done." Clementine's little voice grabbed everyone's attention. Everyone was shocked to hear the child's cold voice over the walkie-talkie.
Lilly hummed at that. "No need. I'll make my way to you."
"Don't you even think of hurting her!" Molly snapped.
"Her getting hurt or not will depend on her." Lilly replied.
"Lilly..." Clint frowned. "She's a child..."
"She's more than that." Lilly said. "Get them into the van."
With that Lilly began to walk off.
Clementine jerked awake, feeling her head ache and throb from the blow that had rendered her unconscious. Fortunately, she felt no blood. The child found her wrists restraint as she had been fighting against. The girl attempted to struggle free.
"Knock it off, kid. No point in fighting." A man's voice spoke.
The child then realized she was in some kind of moving vehicle. How long had she been out? "What the hell is going on? Where am I? Where are my friends?"
"Don't worry about them. Worry about yourself." The man said.
"Where are you taking me?" The girl asked.
"You'll see. You know, if it was up to me, I'd put a bullet in your head, but Lilly says your valuable." The man said.
"Just let me go. Please. You don't have to do this." Clementine said.
"Shut it, kid. It would do you well to keep quiet for the rest of this ride." The man replied.
"But—"
"Shut the hell up already. All your friends and family they're gone. It's just you now." He said.
"No... no. You're lying!" Clementine snapped.
"Why would I lie to you, kid? They're gonna burn that place to the ground." The man told her.
"No..." The child tried to struggle free from her binds, but indeed did struggle. They weren't loosening by any means. The girl needed to escape. She needed to find Lilly and stop this.
Peeking to the rearview mirror she noticed the man's eyes were focused on the road. This was her chance. She couldn't let this opportunity slip away. She brought her bound wrists to her mouth and bit against the rope with her teeth to loosen it.
It took a few tugs, but she eventually managed to successfully undo the rope.
The girl reminded still for a moment, trying her best not to draw attention. She needed a plan, a way to get out of the vehicle.
She scanned the van for anything of use, it would be so much easier if she still had her weapons, however they had obviously taken her gun and knife. The girl racked her brain for a few moments before getting an idea. It was risky, but she hoped it would work.
If it did, she would be home free.
She could stop Lilly and save her friends, well... what remained of them.
She knew she wouldn't be able to grab the man's gun off him as he most likely had it secure on his person.
But she had to do something.
The child suddenly recalled the knife she kept in her bra, she slowly pulled it out then sat up, holding the weapon to his neck. "You're gonna turn around and drive me back." Clementine said in a threatening tone.
Whoa, h-hold on, kid. Don't do anything rash." The man stammered.
"Then listen to what I'm saying to you. You're going to turn the van around and drive back to Richmond. Otherwise, I'll be happy to cut your throat." Clementine said.
The man flinched in fear. "You-You can't be serious, kid."
"I'm dead serious. And if you don't believe me, I'm sure you don't want to find out. Don't test me."
The man huffed but nodded. "Alright... Okay, I'll drive you back."
"Good. Now, you're gonna pull over to the side of the road, and hand me your gun. And if you do anything stupid, you'll regret it." Clementine said.
The man hesitantly began to reach for his gun.
"Good, now hand it over—"
The man slapped the knife from the child's hands and aimed his gun at the little girl.
"You fucking brat! Give me one reason not to put a bullet in you!"
Clementine didn't even flinch. The girl acted fast, grabbing the man's hand and fighting him for the gun. He was stronger and was overpowering her, however the child quickly bit into his arm causing him to scream. The girl managed to grab his gun as it fell from his hand and immediately pointed at him.
"W-Wait. You don't want to do this kid." The man said.
"I warned you not to test me." The child pulled the trigger, not giving the man any time to act.
She then leaned over him, opening the driver's door, she shoved his body out of the vehicle with some slight struggle.
She then seated herself in the driver's seat, looking at the vehicle controls. "Okay... Driving... how hard can it be...?"
Clementine huffed and noticed a walkie-talkie in the passenger's seat. She picked up the device and pressed the button. Without hesitation the young girl spoke, "I'm coming for you, Lilly. You're gonna pay for what you've done."
The girl dropped the device after this and gripped the steering wheel.
She took a deep breath. "Okay... I got this..." She mumbled.
The child gripped the steering wheel, her little feet barely able to reach the pedal. She shifted the car into drive. She knew the basics, but that was it. She had never driven a car before.
The girl did her best to control the vehicle, but she was struggling. She was so focused on the road that she didn't noticed the radio buzz, or a static filled voice speak through.
The child gripped the wheel, trying her best to focus on the road. She noticed a walker in the road and did her best avoid it. However, the girl ended up unable to brake properly and the vehicle collided with the creature. The child jerked forward from the impact, hitting her head in the process.
"What do we do now?" Gabe asked, heart pounding as he awaited the dreaded response.
"…We know what has to be done." David said.
"David no…" Javier said.
"There's no arguing! I'm bit, Javi. And I... I'm not willing to turn." David said.
"But- But—"
"Please don't let me turn, little brother." David said.
"David..." Javier shook his head, his heart aching. Him and his brother hadn't been reunited long, but now… this was happening… The earth could be so cruel…
"We both know what has to be done. Please..." David said.
"Dad..." Gabe felt tears fall from his eyes.
"Take care of them. My kids... take care of them." David said to Javier.
Javier nodded. "Of course I will."
"They look up to you. They're lucky to have you." David said.
"Dad… you can't die… Please… We just got you back… Mari and I need you." Gabe said.
"You'll be fine… You've grown up so much, Gabe. I'm proud of you." David said.
Javier lowered his head and mumbled sadly. "Goddamn it…"
More tears fell from Gabe's eyes, as he knew there wasn't any thing they could do to help his father.
"We know what has to be done… Javi… Don't let me turn…" David said.
"David, maybe we can- do something…" Javier said.
David shook his head. "There's nothing we can do… Not now… I'm ready…"
"Fuck…" Javier said.
"I'm ready, brother…" David repeated.
"I- I can do it…" Gabe said. "I- I can do it for you, dad…"
"Gabe?" Javier looked to the boy.
"G-Give me your gun, Javi. I can do it… If it's what dad wants I- I'll…" Gabe trailed off breaking into sobs.
Javier frowned, his heart breaking even more for the young boy. "Gabe...Gabe, I—I can't let you do this…"
"Y-You shouldn't have to do it either... Just give me the gun, Javi… I- I can…" Gabe said.
"No... No, Gabe. I'll do it." Javier said.
"Thank you, Javi… For everything…" David said.
Javier nodded, feeling tears of his own threatening to spill.
"I love you Gabe. You and Mari. Never forget that." David said.
Gabe only sobbed more. "I- I love you too, dad…"
"Don't watch, bud…" Javier said.
Gabe didn't think he could bring himself to watch in the first place.
"I love you, brother." David said as his brother aimed the gun.
"I love you too…" Javier said, before finally pulling the trigger.
Clementine groaned, feeling her already aching head flood with even more pain. The young girl did her best to ignore the dizziness, but she swore to herself she probably had a concussion. Regardless, she could handle pain, she had been through a lot worse than this in her young years. The heartbreak of those she lost today was worse than the pain in her head.
The child struggled to sit up properly and looked around. She couldn't be too far from Richmond, and she could walk back the rest of the way.
She had to do something. She needed to help her friends, her family.
The girl opened the van door and carefully climbed her way out. She started to walk towards the direction that she thought would lead her to Richmond.
She tried to be hopeful that everything would be okay, but she didn't truly believe it would be. As much as she wanted to believe, she couldn't. Kenny was dead, Gill was injured, Molly, Ava, and the others were who knew where, and she was all alone, with no exact idea of where she was. Everything was NOT okay.
Gunfire echoed through the town as Shel, Becca, and Randy made it back to the hospital. Randy was carrying his barely conscious son as they made it back to the building.
"Wh-What about Clem?" Becca asked, looking worried.
"She'll be fine, Becca. She'll be fine." Shel said.
The small group made their way into the hospital and rushed back to the bunker.
Patricia immediately looked concerned and panicked. "Wh-What happened? Oh my God! What happened to him?"
"He… He was shot…" Randy said.
"Wh-What? I told you! I told you not to bring him out there!"
"I know… I'm so sorry, hon…" Randy said, guilt eating at him.
"I-I'm okay mom…" Gill suddenly mumbled out.
"Gill, oh, baby… Mommy's here. You're gonna be okay…." Patricia said.
"It hurts…." Gill said.
"I know…. I know, but we're gonna fix you up. I promise…" Patricia said.
"Clem? Where is she?" Gill asked. Despite the pain he felt, he was worried about the girl.
"She'll be fine, son." Randy reassured. "We need to make sure you're okay…"
"Eleanor, please… Can you help him?" Patricia asked.
Eleanor nodded. "Here, let me take a look at him." Eleanor went over to check on the young boy's wound.
"Where is Clem?" Christa asked.
"She… She ran off…" Randy said.
"What? What do you mean she ran off?" Christa inquired.
"Ran off to where?" Sarita asked.
"I don't know…" Randy said.
"And you just her go?" Christa asked.
"My son was hurt. I was focused on him. What was I supposed to do?" Randy said.
"How could you people just lose her? She's a child!" Christa snapped.
"Did you find Kenny? Maybe she's with him?" Sarita said.
"What's going on?" Kate asked. "Why didn't everyone come back with you?"
"Where's daddy, Gabe and uncle Javi?" Mariana asked.
"I don't know…" Shel said.
"What? How do you not know?" Kate asked.
"We all got split up." Shel explained.
Eleanor started to speak, "Look, I'm sure everything will be kay… We just gotta—"
A sudden noise from outside grabbed their attention. The group flinched and exchanged looks upon hearing the noises. It wasn't long before a few guards rushed into the bunker, looking panicked.
"What the hell is going on out there?" Christa asked.
"The hospital is under attack. No one leaves or enters this bunker!" One of the guards spoke.
"But- our people are out there." Sarita said.
"Well, they'll have to fend for themselves." The guard replied.
They all felt their hearts drop. Dread filled them and they could only hope that everything would be okay.
Clementine forced herself to continue forward in search of Lilly, the woman responsible for all of this chaos. Clutching the guard's gun in her little hand she continued to trudge forward. She avoided people, shooting anyone who threatened her. The child was determined to find Lilly and make her pay for hurting the people she loved and cared about. She wanted her to pay for destroying so many lives. She hated that all of this had happened, just when they had thought they were all safe. And all because of Lilly, a woman who Clementine had once cared greatly for, a person that the child had considered to be her friend.
"He fought for me, Javi. Everyone's been fighting, but I haven't done anything to help. All I do is fuck up." Gabe said through his tears as Javier tried to comfort him.
Javier disagreed. "You didn't fuck anything up, buddy. Don't say that."
"I-I can't believe he's gone… I can't—"
"It's gonna be okay, bud… We're gonna be okay…" Javier said, pulling the young boy into a hug. He didn't know how to tell Mariana and Kate…
Molly felt anxiety eating at her, she could only hope her girl would be okay.
She and the rest of the group found themselves lined up and held at gunpoint.
"Alright, let's make this easy. Any weapons you have, I'm taking. Then you people get into the van." Clint said.
"Clint, you don't have to do this." Ava said.
Clint didn't respond.
"Just let us go…." Molly said.
"I can't…" Clint replied.
"You can… My girl could be in trouble. Let me go help her." Molly said to him.
Clint remained stubborn and shook his head.
Molly and Ava continued trying to convince him to let them go, but the man clearly was not budging.
The group felt like they were running out of options. And as they were checked for weapons and forced one by one in the van, Molly's mind was racing with thoughts of how to get out of this and help her little girl. Clementine needed her.
As one of the guard's backs was turned, Vince took the opportunity to reach for his gun, despite being tied, he managed to grab the weapon. Noticing this, Jesus grabbed one of the men around the neck, choking him.
"What the fuck?!" One of the guard's inquired. "Let him go!"
"Not happening." Jesus replied.
Vince aimed the gun at a guard who had been about to force Molly into the van.
"Don't do this… There's no need for this." Clint said.
Molly took the chance to kick one of the guards in the knee, sending him to the group.
"You don't have to do this." Clint said.
However, Vince narrowed his eyes and shot one of the guards.
That one gunshot was all it took for a full-blown shootout to erupt among them all. Molly and Ava did their best to fight against the guards, but no one knew what the outcome of the fight would be.
Fire and smoke surrounded the town, the sound of gunfire made her ears hurt. Still the girl pressed forward, despite the fear she felt within her.
It wasn't long before she came to the gate of the town. She felt her heart pounding as she stood still.
Before long she noticed a figure approach her and felt her anger increase tenfold.
If the girl wanted to act tough, Lilly would just see how tough the child really was.
It wasn't long before the woman got outside of the gate and noticed the young girl.
Clementine was filled with anger as she glared at the woman.
"Clementine…"
"Why? Why did you do this?!" Clementine screamed at the woman. "Why would you hurt so many people?!"
"Sometimes it's necessary. You'll understand eventually, Clementine." Lilly said.
"No… No, I won't…" Clementine said.
"Look, you can make this easy… Just come with me…" Lilly said.
"I will never go with you!" Clementine snapped.
"Don't you want to be a soldier?" Lilly asked the girl.
"I don't want to fight for you!" Clementine hissed.
"Why not? Look around you, this place isn't worth staying." Lilly said.
"You killed my friends! Kenny and Omid are dead because of you! Luke's hurt and Gill…" The child trailed off.
"I did what I had to, Clem. And Kenny… He got what he deserved… You know what he did at the dairy. You saw it with your own eyes." Lilly said.
Clementine lowered her head.
"I couldn't forgive him." Lilly added.
"Like I can't forgive you." Clementine said.
"You don't have to… But I want you to consider my offer. Come with me… Everyone you know… Everyone you care about, they're dead… We could give you a comfortable life. Make sure you're safe… We'll take care of you." Lilly said.
Clementine froze at those words; everyone couldn't be dead… Molly and the others had to be alive… "Y-You're a monster!"
"A monster?" Lilly huffed. "I lost people as well, Clementine. We all have. This war isn't a win-win for anyone. But it needed to happen."
The girl glared at her angrily through tear filled eyes. So many people were dead. And it was all because of Lilly.
The child lifted her gun angrily, aiming the weapon at the woman who she once looked at as family, tears now in her eyes as she held it tightly.
"You've changed." Lilly said.
"I grew up." Clementine said.
Lilly huffed, "I can see that. God, you are just like him. Lee would've been heartbroken, knowing he taught you all the wrong things. That the sweet little girl he protected turned out like this."
"You're right, Lilly. I am just like him. And if he saw me now, he'd be proud of who I am."
"Why?" Lilly asked, "Because you pick fights you can't win? I'm sure that made all his sacrifices worth it."
Clementine huffed but kept the weaponed aimed at her.
"You won't do it." Lilly said.
"I killed your man… What makes you think I won't kill you!" The girl gritted her tear as tears spilled from her eyes.
"You won't…" Lilly simply repeated. "You can't…"
The child moved her finger to the trigger, her little body shaking.
"I'm sorry, Clem. I wish it didn't come to this…" Lilly said.
They could both hear gunshots from inside. And Lilly realized Clementine was right, so many people had died… Too many people.
"I don't want to die, Clementine… Not here…" Lilly said.
"Kenny didn't want to die either! Neither did Omid!"
"Just put the gun down… You said we were family… Family will never stop being family." Lilly said.
Clementine felt her little body trembling as she struggled to get herself to pull the trigger.
"Don't do this Clem…" Lilly said. "I never stopped caring about you… No matter what Kenny, or Lee, or anyone else did, I never put anything on you. You were just a child…"
"Don't say their names! You have no right…" Clementine snapped.
"Don't do this, Clem."
"SHUT UP!" Clementine snapped.
"Don't do this…" The woman repeated.
The child tried to pull the trigger, but to her surprised the gun clicked. The young girl then tried again. And again. But nothing happened.
Lilly sighed in relief, though she was shocked that the child had the guts to even pull the trigger. She had clearly underestimated the girl. Knowing that changes that her group members survived where low, the woman knew she didn't have much of a choice but to throw in the towel. Her time here was done…
"Nothing lasts, Clementine. Not friends. Not love. Not the place you call home. They'll all fall eventually. Never forget that, or they'll drag you down too." Lilly said.
The girl didn't respond to the woman's word.
"I'm sorry, Clementine." Lilly said again.
With that, the woman began to walk away, and the child felt her shatter into pieces.
Clementine stood there, shaking and sobbing. The child sank to her knees, feeling devastated by all that had happened.
