Author's notes: Hey hey, everyone, it's been a really long time since this story was up anywhere (in fact, the last time it was, I was still going by TheDomdotCom), but now it's going back up again. I won't be continuing this story, but I am about to put up a sequel that'll continue on Dom's story into the Final Season era. More info will be posted about that when the new story gets put up, but for now, if you haven't read LIAWOF before, I would definitely do so before reading the new story! You'll be pretty lost on who's who, and what the heck's going on, so even though I'm not at all proud of this story and how it's written, it's necessary to tell the story I wanna tell now, so... please bear with me :'). With that said, let's continue on!
SPOILER WARNING: THIS STORY WILL INVOLVE SPOILERS FOR WALKING DEAD SEASON 1 AND 2, WALKING DEAD: MICHONNE, THE TV SHOW, AND THE COMICS.
Living In A World Of Fiction
Season 1: Episode 1 - Displaced
Chapter 1: A New Day
July 18, 2015
"Nice hat."
Clementine looked over blankly at the boy she had only just met, silently mulling over the events that had transpired over the past couple of weeks in her mind, before finally replying in a half-sigh.
"Yeah. Thanks."
The scene faded to black as Clementine stared down at little AJ in her arms, leaving a rather depressed Dominic staring blankly at his computer screen. Every orifice of his heart felt completely drained from the rollercoaster of emotions he had just endured. This was his first time playing through the Walking Dead, and he found himself hooked the moment he started the game as Lee a mere twelve or thirteen hours prior. He didn't expect to be playing for so long, but the sheer brilliance of the game kept him going through the night, and the horrific events scarred him for life. He couldn't believe his eyes. First, he had to watch as Clementine put down Lee, possibly one of his favorite characters of all time, and now, Kenny. Having to kill the Floridian left him speechless, and on the verge of tears. Thinking back to that moment, he wasn't sure whether he had made the right decision for Clementine to forgive Jane and go back to Howe's. But, he knew that Kenny had gone off the deep end, and he couldn't let him kill Jane, even if she did hide the baby from them.
He took off his glasses before rubbing his eyes gingerly, the credits rolling by before returning to the main menu as he slipped them back on. His eyes were half-open, as if closing by their own accord, as he closed the game and switched off his computer. He stretched his muscles before heading for bed, yawning as his mind wandered. He's had enough of zombies and feelings for one night. He slumped into in bed with a thump, staring up at the ceiling through his thin-rimmed, black glasses. The memories of Clementine's adventures forced him to have a minor case of insomnia as the events played back in his head like a drawn-out movie, not to mention the splotches of sunlight filtering through the curtains just above him. After what feeling like hours had passed, he fell into a strange, deep sleep, dead to the world around him.
Dominic groaned as a peculiar, wretched smell brought him out of his slumber. He felt his back scorching in pain as his senses slowly returned to him, making him quickly jump up and open his eyes, only to be met with the blinding sun. Shielding his foggy vision from the glare, he took in his surroundings, only to see a blurry blue sky and a long stretch of road ahead of him. He blinked rapidly, shaking off his dizziness before looking behind him. The blurry shape of a police cruiser beneath him met his gaze.
What the hell?
Why was he sleeping on top of a police car? That sentence alone was enough to baffle him. His glasses sat next to him on the hood of the car, which he instantly picked up and put on. He scanned his surroundings carefully, a deserted street lay in front of him. Litter scattered the pavement, and abandoned cars stretched the road as far as Dominic could see through the piercing sun. On the other side of the road, he could see evidence of ransacking and personal belongings hastily packed up and left abandoned in the front yards. Windows were broken, doors left ajar, and blood left in messy puddles along the sidewalk. He glanced toward the road itself as a wrinkled, barely legible MISSING poster flew between the wheels, and beyond the back of the cruiser. Some sort of crisis had occurred, that was the only explanation that he could come up with. Hurricane? No. That wouldn't explain the blood. Holy shit, that looks fresh…
"Where the hell am I?" He croaked as the blistering heat of the sun continued to beat down on him, only adding to the wretched smell of blood and whatever the hell else was mixing in with it. Jesus, it's got to be like ninety degrees. He mused. It's never been this hot since I've moved to Ohio. Feels more like… His thoughts trailed off as he noticed the license plate of the car parked in front of the cruiser. Georgia.
"What the fuck?" Dominic's body shook as fear took over, pulling himself off of the cruiser, hissing with pain as the super-heated concrete beneath him burned his bare feet before he examined the other cars around the road, including the cruiser itself. Georgia, all of them. What? How? I can't- He panicked, reaching into the pockets of his black pajama pants for his cellphone, only to come up empty handed. No no no no! This can't be happening. Goddamn it! His breathing grew shallower with each passing second, every fibre of his being telling him that none of this made any sense. Finding yourself sleeping on the top of a police car, almost eight hundred miles away from home… His head was spinning, it was as if he was placed into some sort of fucked up version of The Hangover. This has to be a dream, right? How did I get here? None of this is adding up!
He got his answer when, well, less of an answer, and more of an inhuman moan, almost as if someone was gurgling some sort of thick liquid, had reached his ears from behind him. He knew the sound all too well.
Zombies.
With his heart racing, he turned to see where the moaning was coming from. And there it was, a zombie. A motherfucking zombie. It's eyes were a freaky white; the skin almost alien grey, with rotten, crimson red bite marks lining its body under the sunlight. The smell was enough to make Dominic want to hurl, reeking with the smell of molded urine and decayed flesh. Raw meat like an aroma fit for the mentally insane. It was absolutely hideous, far worse than anything he could've imagined. The Walking Dead couldn't have prepared him for the real thing.
"H-hey there, um… yeah, I'll, uh, I'll be going now," He stammered out to the zombie, backing away as it began to growl at him. He yelped at the noise, tripping and falling onto the burning asphalt. His heart raced faster, hardly feeling the pain from the fall as adrenaline took over. He was not about to die to a fucking zombie.
"Please be a dream, please be a dream…" he pleaded as he struggled to get back onto his feet and run away from the decaying monster. As soon as he found his footing, he booked it, breathing heavily as the world became a blur around him. Tears began to burn his eyes, each house like waves of unnoticable scenery as yard after yard passed by on both sides. As he sprinted down the road, another two zombies stumbled in his direction, as if coming out of the woodwork of the abandoned residences. The sight of them stopped him in his tracks. Think… Think…! He turned around, a yard enclosed behind a large brown gate catching his attention. Tearing across the street, he pulled on the gate to no avail, whoever lived here had locked it. As the growls drew closer, he hopped onto the fence, struggling to climb over. He turned back just in time to see the zombies closing in, stepping off of the pavement and clawing for him. Giving one hard jerk, he swung his legs over the gate, falling hard onto the rough concrete within, and scraping his knee in the process. Luckily the gate seemed to be pretty solid, so at least he was safe from the zombies for the time being, as they continued to growl at him and push against the gate with all of their might, with nowhere near enough strength to force their way through.
He sighed with relief and turned around to go deeper into the backyard. The further he ventured down the concrete path though, the more he recognized where he was. To his right was a large, beige garage, and to his left, a two-story house sat, with a porch leading up to a glass sliding door. Then there was the fence in the back, and finally… the treehouse. The treehouse especially caught his attention. It can't be. This is Clementine's backyard. From the game. I've GOT to be fucking dreaming. He fell to the ground, with a rather painful thud, as it all sunk in. Somehow, he had been transported into the world of The Walking Dead. And the worst part is, he had no idea how he got there, or if he could even get back.
He couldn't help but to slap himself on the spot.
"Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!" He shouted, a tear dripping off his cheek as a red handprint slowly materialized over the wetted skin. Gunshots in the distance brought him out of his stupor however, forcing him back to his feet. The thought of some asshole out there killing people had him glued to the spot. He definitely didn't want to become the next victim on the list.
"HELP!" A voice called from beyond the fence across the yard from him, coming from the forest behind Clementine's home, and making Dominic pause with his palm an inch from his face, ready for another wake up call. Oh my god… He ran toward the fence, climbing and peering over it to see a dark-skinned man with a blue shirt limping towards the fence, growls and snarls following his escape.
As Dominic dropped back to the ground, he hit himself again, but he was still here. And now, his face was starting to hurt like hell. Looking down at the ground, he quickly considered what could be in store.
Well, he never saw himself being able to survive a zombie apocalypse, if one ever occurred. He knew that he was too weak, and he loved to eat. No doubt having a slight belly would make living off canned beans and soups difficult for him. So, he found himself feeling like curling up into a ball and dying where he laid, knowing well enough that either way he would end up dead anyway.
"HELP!" The voice that obviously belonged to none other than Lee Everett cried again, forcing Dominic's eyes open. He couldn't miss this opportunity, no matter how much he wanted to give up right then and there. This was his chance to set things straight. Without a second thought, he sprung to his feet and raced to the fence. With one last burst of energy, he leaped, grabbing a hold of the fence and pulling himself onto the ledge before peering over to see Lee limping towards him, his eyes locking with Dominic's. The young man reached out for Lee.
"Grab my hand!" He shouted to the older man. "I'll pull you over the fence!"
Lee did as he was told, and grabbed the younger man's hand, who, with a noticeable grunt, struggled to pull him onto the fence. In sync, they turned around and hopped off into the backyard. Lee nearly doubled over in pain as the wounds he received from the car crash shot up his leg.
He spent several seconds trying to catch his breath before turning to the younger man that saved his life, and simply said "Thanks."
"No problem," the boy muttered in awe. He sounded much younger than he looked, which forced Lee take a good look at his savior. Well, he certainly looked young, at least high school age. Short hair, which at that moment, was ruffled in different spots. A pair of glasses sat on his slightly large nose, and his blue eyes seem to smile back at him. The most peculiar thing about him was his clothes. He wore a shrinking black T-Shirt, with what looked liked an old British Police Box on it. Lee wasn't exactly a TV show extraordinaire, but he would be an idiot if he didn't recognize the phone booth. Then there were his pants, which were actually pajamas, and on top of that, he was barefoot. The kid looked like he literally just got out of bed.
"Did I interrupt your nap?" Lee asked, probing the boy for information. After all, maybe the kid lived here, so if he had anything in his house to help with Lee's leg, it was better to get on the kid's good side.
"What?" The kid stared at him incredulously for a second before looking down at his clothes. It finally clicked in his mind, making him laugh uncontrollably. "Oh, yeah. Pajamas. Right. Sorry, it's been a really weird day. Let's just say, I was asleep when all of this began."
"Obviously," Lee deadpanned, now even more curious about the stranger in front of him. "What's your name, kid?"
"Dominic," He instantly replied, shrugging his shoulders. "What's yours?" The question felt ridiculous, like asking sand for a glass of water.
"My name's Lee," The man spoke in his deep, articulate voice. His right eyebrow raised as he examined Dominic. "And judging by your accent, you aren't from around here, are you?"
"Hah. No. Born in Texas actually. But I've lived in Ohio for a few months now. Now... well, I'm down here in Georgia." Something about the way he said that made Lee raise an eyebrow. At least he figured out whether or not the kid lived in the house they found themselves at, but why was this kid so far from home, in his pajamas no less? It didn't make any sense. Perhaps a vacation?
"Do you have any idea what's going on?" Lee asked instead, glancing around at his surroundings. "People have been trying to eat me. And this police officer earlier was… just dead. But he came back and tried to bite me. Have you ever seen such a thing?"
Dominic froze slightly, trying to think of what to say that wouldn't give him away. Yup. He's here. If he really was in the game now, he shouldn't go around publicising that he didn't belong there. Even if he did want to tell Lee what comes next.
"Looks like zombies," he said matter-of-factly, shrugging. "You know. Like from the video games." Dominic looked up at Lee, as if he half-expected him to agree excitedly towards his brilliant suggestion.
Lee's eyebrows shot up, not quite sure what the boy was talking about before turning back towards house. "This house belong to a relative of yours then?"
"No," Dominic replied, shrugging as he took in the large home alongside his hero. "Got trapped back here when some of those things started chasing me in the street."
Lee nodded his understanding before narrowing his eyes, looking for any sign of life within the abode. He found none. "Well, let's see if anyone's home who can help, then."
"Right."
They made their way up the steps of the porch, Lee knocking on the glass sliding door, which appeared to lead into the living room of the house. It looked empty, but he decided to knock on the glass anyway. Common courtesy was a staple of the South, and just because some strange things were happening around them, didn't mean that hospitality should disappear.
"Hello? Anybody home? We need a little help," Lee shouted through the looking glass, squinting his eyes to make out any figures in the darkness within the home.
No answer. Not even a hint of movement inside.
"Try the door," Dominic added from over Lee's shoulder before glancing behind them and checking for walkers that might be trying to claw their way into the backyard. He didn't want to be outside any longer than he had to.
Lee looked back at the younger man, raising an eyebrow. "You sure that's a good idea? I don't exactly want to be shot today."
"If anyone is in there, they could use our help," Dominic reasoned, his mind jumping to Clementine. He hadn't seen her enter or leave the area since he came into the backyard. Perhaps she was still in the treehouse, but they would need that radio to contact her.
"Alright, alright," Lee sighed, trying the door. It was stuck at first, but he was able force it open with a pull. One last time before entering, he yelled "We're coming in. Don't shoot, okay?"
They cautiously entered the house one step at a time, Lee gasping as pain shot up his leg. "Ahh, shit," he muttered under his breath. "Hello? We're not intruders… or one of them."
Dominic gazed around the room, noticing the dried blood on the floor, whispering to Lee, "Jesus, it's like a murder scene in here." He knew full well that there was going to be blood in the kitchen, but the eerie feeling of seeing it in real life sent shivers down his spine. His eyes darted across the room, looking for any sign of the walker that was supposed to be here. Beyond the blood, there were no signs it was ever in the house, which forced a frown to purse on his lips.
"Take a look around, see if you can find anything useful," Lee replied, heading towards the phone on the table, which continued to beep as several voice messages were left behind on it, between the kitchen and the stairs at the other side of the living room.
Dominic felt a tear well up in his eyes as he anticipated the voicemails Lee was about to start. He slipped around the puddle in between the island and the wall of the kitchen, a look of disgust on his face, before rummaging through the kitchen drawers, looking for anything useful while trying to ignore the messages that began to play on the answering machine.
"Three new messages," The answering machine began in it's signature monotone voice, echoing into the room before reaching his ears. "Message one. Left at 5:43 PM."
He braced himself to hear Clementine's mother on the answering machine, half wanting to put his hands over his ears to prevent the pain it would bring, but he couldn't do it. He couldn't let all of the emotions of his time playing The Walking Dead get to him. He was living it now, and that meant he had to be strong, at any cost.
"Hey, Sandra, this is Diana. We're still in Savannah. Ed had a little 'incident' with some crazy guy near the hotel, so we had to get him back to the ER and have it checked out. Anyway, he's not feeling well enough to drive back tonight, so we're staying an extra day. Thanks so much for looking after Clementine, and I promise we'll be back in time before your spring break!"
Dominic continued to rummage through the kitchen, finding a few things here and there, pocketing the walkie-talkie from the drawer to the left of the oven, since that would be his lifeline to Clementine later on. He tried to ignore the message, but the imagery it created in his mind was enough to force a grimace to twitch across his face. A walker, not yet known by the world, taking a bite out of Clementine's father. Her mother, horrified. A crowd getting involved, pulling the 'crazy man' away from her father. And finally, the rush to the hospital, only for the father to die, and come back to life as the very thing that bit him.
"Message two. Left at 11:19 PM."
"Oh my God, finally! I don't know if you've tried to reach us; all the calls are getting dropped. They're not letting us leave and aren't telling us anything about Atlanta. Please, please, just leave the city and take Clementine with you back to Marietta! I - I've got to get back to the hospital. Please let me know that you're safe."
He sniffled, trying to keep the waterworks from coming as he is almost blinded by the tears welling up in his eyes. He continued to rummage through the drawers, trying his best to block out the crying voice on the other end of the phone. Clementine was his favorite character from The Walking Dead, hands down, and he always wanted to protect her from the horrors that she would experience. He knew just how much learning the true fate of her parents will devastate her in the future.
"Message three. Left at 6:51 AM."
"Clementine? Baby, if you can hear this, call the police. That's 911. We love you… we love you… we love y-"
The message ended abruptly, leaving Dominic to quickly wipe his face and force himself to stare at the now hazy drawer. Dead silence filled the room as he sniffed, trying to cover up any hint he felt anything from the recording.
"That was a bit painful to listen to," he croaked out, breaking the silence. He turned to look at Lee, who was staring at him with an empathetic look on his face. With a sigh, he slipped around the pool of blood and entered the kitchen.
After a brief pause, Lee asked "How old are you anyway, kid?", trying to figure out just who the enigmatic boy in front of him was. Dominic stared down at the drawer before closing it with a slam.
"Nineteen," Dominic gave bluntly, not really wanting to talk about his age to someone who could easily be around his father's age.
"I see."
"Daddy?" A little voice crackled from the radio in Dominic's pocket. Lee's eyes fell to the walkie-talkie bulging out of Dominic's back pocket, where the voice had come from. Dominic reached and pulled the radio out, looking over at Lee before walking over to the sliding door.
After taking a deep breath, he held down the transmit button. "Hello?"
"You need to be quiet." The voice replied in a hissed whisper, making both men exchange wide-eyed glances.
"Who is this?" He rolled his eyes at his question. It felt absurd to pretend that he didn't know her.
"I'm Clementine. This is my house," she answered. Her voice sounded exactly like it did in the game, which freaked Dominic out a little. Lee's was actually a little bit deeper than it was in the game, now that he thought about it. I guess not everything can be spot on.
His lips perked up into a small smile, "Hello, Clementine. I'm Dominic."
"You're not my daddy," came the reply, making Dominic snicker under his breath.
"No, I'm not," he laughed at the thought. Being a father felt ludicrous, no matter how old he got. "Although I am here with a friend; his name's Lee."
"I heard you two talking outside," she mumbled.
Dominic turned back towards Lee, asking Clementine the next absurd question on this list, "so… uh, how old are you anyway?"
"Eight."
"And you're all alone?" He continued, the absurdity slowly reaching maximum absurdness.
"Yes, I don't know where anybody is," she mumbled softly before asking her own question. "How old are you?"
"I'm nineteen. And Lee here, he's… uh..." Dominic glanced up at Lee, hoping he would answer for him.
"I'm, uh, I'm thirty-seven," he added after taking the radio from the boy.
"Okay," She mumbled, her tone sounding fearful when she realized someone else was on the radio.
"Where are your parents?" Lee asked, looking around the living room before heading back into the kitchen. Dominic watched him for a moment before following him, his eyes glancing around the room for any sign of life, once again. Still no sign of Sandra. Where was the undead bitch hiding?
"They took a trip and left me with Sandra. They're in Savannah, I think. Where the boats are."
"Are you safe?" Lee added, looking out the window above the sink. Dominic decided to continue rummaging through the kitchen, hoping to find something, a weapon of some sort, awaiting his next cue, but the only thing he could find was a flimsy knife. He held it in his hands for a moment, keeping it at hip level so Lee wouldn't see.
"I'm outside in my treehouse. They can't get in."
"That's smart," Lee said, almost in envy of the girl's craftiness.
"See?" Lee and Dominic noticed the treehouse door open slightly through the window, a young girl looking back at them. "Can you see me? I can see you two through the window." She waved at them, both men waving back.
Before either man could move, she screamed into the radio, and ducked her head back inside the treehouse. They both turned around to see a young women approaching them. Sandra. She tried to grab onto Lee, but he pushed her back into the stove with as much force as he could muster, letting out a panicked scream in the process. Dominic hesitated, glancing from Lee to the walker, to Lee again. No, he can't die!
Dominic rushed towards the woman, raising the knife into the air before jabbing it towards the woman. As the blade came to the bottom of its arc, the zombie grabbed a hold of him, causing the blade to miss and bury itself into her shoulder. He let out a shriek before kicking the zombie frantically in the leg, tripping the walker backward as it clawed at him. They fell to the ground in unison, Dominic's screams starting to hurt his throat as he tried to rip the knife out of the woman's shoulder.
Lee attempted to grab onto the woman's shoulders and force her off of the boy, but her strength knocked him off balance, the zombie landing on top of Lee. He tried to choke it to no avail; it only gave him the challenge of avoiding its teeth. He kicked her away, her head smacking against the stove with a resonating clank, before he retreated into the living room; his back to the sliding door.
Dominic struggled to get up, his legs swimming with paralysis as he watched a life or death struggle before his eyes. He tried to fight his fear, but could only watch as the walker crawled on top of Lee, trying to bite his neck.
Out of the corner of his eye, Lee saw a small figure opening the sliding door. Clementine, shaking with fear, standing above them with a hammer in hand.
"Here!" She squealed.
Lee reached out and grabbed the hammer from her hands, turning around just in time to kick the woman in the face, knocking it across the room. He lunged, knocking it to the ground, before repeatedly smashed the zombie's face in until it stopped moving. He felt vomit rising in his throat as he gazed down at its gutted face, blood pouring out like water. Panting, he turned to look at the frightened Clementine, and the wild-eyed Dominic.
"Holy shit, dude…" The younger boy breathed.
"Swear," the girl said sternly to Dominic, her brows furrowing, which made the boy giggle.
"Thanks for the help," Lee breathed to Clementine, reaching out his hand as Dominic helped him back onto his feet.
"Did… did you kill it?" She squeaked, looking down at the young women he just killed.
"I think something else killed her, before me," he guessed, barely hearing Dominic's mutter of "fucking zombies…" behind him.
Ignoring his whispers, Clementine added "I heard her scream two nights ago, maybe one of the monsters got her."
"Sure seems that way," Lee whispered before getting down on a knee, looking over the newcomer with scrutiny. "You've been all by yourself through this?"
"Yeah. I want my parents to come home now," she mumbled, looking towards the ground as Lee and Dominic exchanged knowing glances, before turning back to the little girl.
Lee fought back a cough as he rested his hand on her shoulder. "Yeah… I, uh, think that might be a little while, you know?"
"Oh."
Dominic let out a soft sigh before looking down at Clementine with a mixture of guilt and sadness as she continued to look down at her feet. "Look, we don't know what happened. But we'll look after you until then."
He watched her eyes, silently wishing he had prepared for this moment before this. Using Lee's words from the game seemed to make her feel better though, as she looked around the room for a moment before returning her eyes to them.
"What should we do now?" Dominic glanced towards Lee, given that this was his forte.
"I think we should go find some help before it gets dark," the older man replied.
"Agreed, it's safer to move about while it's still daylight outside," Dominic nodded his head, peering out the door and into the woods behind the house. The sounds of walkers moaning still surrounded them in the distance. He turned back to Lee. "The yard looks clear, perhaps we can escape the way I came in?"
"Sounds like a plan," Lee agreed, Clementine grabbing his hand. "Let's go."
Dominic shuddered as they left the house and walked towards the front gate; he was walking next to Lee and Clementine in the fucking zombie apocalypse; the thought raced through his mind on an endless loop. Even though he had to live in a perilous world, and a gut-wrenching one at that, he had two of his favorite characters to watch his back, and he would definitely make sure to watch theirs. Maybe he could save Lee from dying? Or Carley? He could change events, and make the world better, the thoughts and ideas were never ending.
But would saving Lee really make the world better? It's a very important lesson for Clem later on… But perhaps she could still be strong even if he survives? Dominic couldn't answer his hypothetical question. As the Doctor would say, Lee's death may be a fixed point in the timeline. He could try to change it all he wants, but it's likely he would die anyway, whether he saved Lee from getting bit or not.
They rounded the corner and stopped when they noticed two men trying to push a car out of the way on the street beyond the gate. They didn't notice the trio approaching them. They stopped pushing for a moment, the taller one groaning, "Man, I ain't never gettin' home to mama at this rate."
"That's new," Dominic muttered, wondering where they had come from, given that it had only been about ten minutes since he entered Clementine's backyard.
As Dominic watched the men he ultimately knew to be Shawn Greene and his friend, Clementine tugged on Lee's hand, causing him to look back at her. "What's the matter?"
"Should I stay?" She asked him, looking down at the ground again shyly.
"What?"
"I don't want to sleep in the treehouse tonight, but I don't know if I should leave. What if my parents come home?" She glanced at her house, uncertain.
Dominic knelt down and patted her on the shoulder, adding softly, "We won't leave you alone." She smiled, it was the first time he had seen her smile since they met her.
"Let's go somewhere safe that's close, okay?"
"That's a good idea," Lee replied, standing up once again, fumbling with the lock on the gate. The zombies Dominic originally found were nowhere to be seen, maybe taken out by the Shawn and his friend while they were busy inside the house.
"Hey, man!" Lee called over to the two men, causing them to turn around and look at them with wide eyes.
"Holy shit! Don't eat us!" The taller one pleaded, waving his hands around, shaking.
"Whoa, calm down. We're not going to hurt you," Dominic assured, raising his hands into the air as if his very presence would set off the men.
"Phew, thought for a second you two and the little one were all going to give us the chomp," the shorter man, Shawn, replied, chuckling with relief.
"Do you know what the hell this is?!" Lee found himself asking, still trying to make sense of the situation, and hoping they had a logical reason. They didn't seem to have one though, as the shorter man shrugged.
"No idea. So, you've seen them then?" Shawn asked, raising an eyebrow.
"We've done more than just see them," Dominic chipped in quietly, folding his arms around his chest.
"Yeah. Same here," Shawn laughed nervously. "Well, I'm Shawn, Shawn Greene," he introduced, walking over to the trio and shaking their hands.
"I'm Lee. This is Dominic. And this one," Lee pointed to the little girl, "is Clementine."
The taller one got down on one knee and waved at the little girl, a small smile on his lips, "I'm Chet."
Clementine smiled before hiding behind Lee and Dominic, who put a hand on her shoulder for comfort, hoping that the gesture would make her a little more outgoing with their new friends.
"We shouldn't be out in the open like this. How about you help us clear the way and we'll take you two and your daughter out of here, and down to my family's farm. It should be safer there," Shawn offered, glancing at the task at hand.
"I'm not her dad… we're… just some guys," Lee stuttered, trying to explain the situation as best he could, without revealing the fact he was in a police car not too long ago.
"Some guys?" Shawn echoed, his eyebrow raising, a frown etched across his face.
"Yeah," Dominic explained, "We're taking care of her until we can find her parents."
"Oh," Shawn said, looking down at the little girl with sadness in his eyes. "She's alone? Damn. Well, let's get going. Staying put for too long is a mistake."
Night had fallen by the time they hit the road. Dominic and Lee had to help their new friends push the car blocking Shawn's truck out of the way as quickly as possible when more zombies showed up to the scene. Now, Chet and Dominic sat quietly in the back of the pickup truck as they sped down a long stretch of country road, Dominic watching the trees passing by like statues, acres of farmland filling in the gaps between the stretches of Georgian forest.
"So, how'd ya meet them two?" Chet asked, finally breaking the silence, his southern twang bringing a smile to Dominic's face.
"Well, I saved Lee's life by helping him climb over the fence and into Clementine's backyard. He was being chased by a shit-ton of those things," Dominic started after a moment, replaying the events of the day in his head. "We met Clementine shortly after we tried finding help inside her house. Her babysitter was dead, turned into one of them. Lee had to kill it to save everyone."
"Must'a been exciting. I'd rather stay the hell away from 'em if I can," Chet chuckled before offering Dominic a beer from a pack he had in the flatbed. Dominic accepted it without question. At least, in this new world, being nineteen didn't mean shit anymore, but, after his first gulp from the can, he half-wanted to give Chet the drink back. It was warm and tasted like shit.
"God, I forgot how terrible beer tastes. No offense," Dominic groaned between making disgusted faces, which made Chet roar with laughter.
"It tastes like shit, but sure can make a bad day better!" The man breathed between fits of laughter, taking a moment to calm himself down before gulping another swig of the horrid drink. Out of the corner of their eyes, they saw a particular farmhouse surrounded by a fence appear in the distance. The southern man took another quick swig before stretching his legs. "Looks like we've made it to Shawn's place."
Dominic held onto the side of the pickup as the road grew a bit bumpy, the truck coming to a halt within the fence. He took a moment to pull himself to his feet before hopping out of the truck. He watched as Lee opened the passenger-side door and stepped out, helping Clementine out of the truck. After everyone gathered at the front of the truck, the newcomers examined their surroundings carefully. Towards the edge of the property, a red barn stood in the evening light. In the center was the two-story farmhouse, hardly affected by the dying world around it. Grass stretched for acres around, with a cow pen on the east side, followed by a tractor beside the fence towards the back of the property.
"Hey, Shawn… I'm a' run on home. My mama's gonna be in a snit," Dominic overheard Chet say, but he didn't listen in on the conversation further. He remembered this farm well from both the game and the TV show, and it almost brought back flashbacks from the show through his head. Rick having to kill Shane. Carl being shot. All of it would happen here. He turned back to the group as Lee's voice echoed beside him.
"Let's get inside, I really need to get this leg looked at." He grunted as he tried inspecting it on his own, but failed horribly as pain shot up his nerves.
"On that, we can agree," Dominic replied, concerned for his newfound friend. They both turned to look at the farmhouse as an older man stepped out, looking towards Shawn with relief.
"Thank God, you're okay."
"I was worried it'd be bad here, too," Shawn admitted as he approached the home, hugging his father.
"Been quiet as usual the past couple days. Ol' Breckon down the way thinks his mare's gone lame but that ain't nothing new."
"I wouldn't have made it back without Chet," Shawn added softly, happy that he and his friend were able to get out of Atlanta alive.
"Well, I'm glad you took him with you then," his father said, before turning his attention to the three strangers now on his farm, eying them. "And you've brought a couple guests."
"Your boy's a lifesaver," Lee interjected.
"Glad he could be of help to somebody," the older man muttered. "So… it's just you two, and your daughter then?" The older man glanced between the two men and the young girl, raising his nose.
Shawn piped in, correcting his father, "Oh, not his daughter, they're… well… just some guys who found her alone."
The older man's eyebrow raised slightly before getting down on one knee and questioning Clementine. "Honey, do you know these men?"
Clementine hesitated. She didn't know much about these two, but she liked them, even if the younger one had a potty-mouth on him. "Yes," she squeaked. Dominic rolled his eyes at the question. Obviously if they had only just met her, she wouldn't know them.
"Okay, then," Hershel stated, nodding his head before turning his attention back to the two men, his eyes focusing on Lee's leg. "Well, looks like you hurt your leg pretty bad there," he deadpanned.
Lee nodded slightly, wincing. "Yeah… it's not doing so good."
The older man nodded. "I can help you out. Shawn, run on in and check on your sister. You," He looked back at Lee, "take a seat up on the porch and I'll go see what I have. And you," his eyes rested upon Dominic, "come with me. I'll need some help grabbing the supplies."
"Okay," Dominic agreed, following the man inside to the medicine cabinet. As they weaved through the rooms of the farmhouse, Hershel (at least, that's what Dominic thought his name was, he couldn't quite remember) stopped in place, turning around to look at the boy and narrowing his eyes as he slowly looked over Dominic from head to toe.
"How much do you know about that man?" He questioned, staring at Dominic like a scolding parent.
"We only met today. But he's a good man, if that's what you're asking." Dominic shifted his footing uncomfortably as he listened to the man. He didn't quite like the way he treated Lee, even in the game. Seemed like there was more there than what met the eye, as if-
"It's not. I don't know who he is or what he's done, but something about him just rubs me the wrong way," He admitted, glancing at the door before grabbing a large box from a nearby closet, a large icon stamped right in the middle of it, indicating that it was a first aid kit.
"He's a good man," Dominic retorted, trying to keep his voice civil. "Saved my life, and the girl's. We wouldn't be here without him, and he probably wouldn't be here without me."
The older man nodded before returning to where Lee was sitting on a bench outside, the man gazing down at his hurt leg. Hershel shook his head slightly at Clementine, who leaned against the railing and peered up at the night sky, before he finally tended to Lee.
"Let's have a look…" He sighed as he grabbed Lee's leg, examining the bloodied wound with a skeptical eye. "Yeah, this is swollen to hell."
"It hurts like hell," Lee groaned, holding back pained grunts from the older man's prodding of the wound.
"I bet it does," Hershel chuckled, looking up at the man. "What'd you say your name was?"
"It's Lee."
"Nice to meet you, Lee," he said, returning his eye to the wound. "I'm Hershel Greene."
He wrapped the bandages around his leg with swift motions, a concerned look on his face as he asked his next question. "How'd this happen?"
Lee and Dominic exchanged glances before the older man replied. "Car accident."
"That so?" Hershel prodded, keeping his eyes on his work with the bandages. "Where were you headed? Before the car accident."
"I was getting out of Atlanta," Lee deadpanned, not really wanting to talk about it.
"The news says stay," he muttered, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah, well that's a mistake," Dominic chimed in, making Hershel look back at him.
"And what's your name, son?"
"Dominic," the boy stated, crossing his arms against his chest.
"You don't sound like you're from around here," He added, gazing at the boy, "and you're in your pajamas. Where're you from?" He charged, each detail not really adding up in his mind.
"Born in Texas. Been living in Ohio for the past couple of months now. Now I'm down here in Georgia, visiting family. I didn't really have time to change when this all started," Dominic lied, not wanting to go into detail about how he actually got there. He didn't even know how he actually got there in the first place.
"Uh huh," he muttered, raising his eyebrow before turning back to Lee.
"We hit a guy," Lee added, "One of those things you've been hearing about, on the road."
"Who were you with, Dominic and the girl?"
"No, I…" Lee's voice trailed off, trying to figure out what to say.
"He was with me," Dominic interjected. "We met up in Atlanta when it all went down, I pulled his ass out of the car accident when we crashed. We were with my uncle, who was driving us and... died in the, uh, accident…" Dominic lied, hoping that Hershel would buy it. Behind him, he heard Clementine mutter "swear,", instantly apologizing to her before turning back to Hershel.
"Sorry to hear that," he muttered, staring at the boy with narrowed eyes, suspicion seething in his voice. "but you left the city, in your PJ's?"
"Like I said, I didn't exactly have a lot of time to change when it all went down," Dominic pressed, sarcasm seeping into his tone.
"Is that so?" Hershel sighed after a moment, returning his gaze to Lee. "Anyway, house is full up with mine. We've got another displaced family of three sleeping in the barn. You three are welcome to rest there, when we're done here," He turned around to look at Clementine and asked in a gentler voice, "I didn't catch your name, darlin'."
"Clem- Clementine," she muttered shyly, looking between Lee and Dominic. She could tell that the two men were lying about being together when it all started, but she didn't want to contradict what they were saying and cause trouble.
"Can't imagine what you've been through, Clementine," he sighed.
"More than any other eight-year-old has been through before," Dominic muttered to himself, barely audible to everyone else.
"We're looking after her until we find her parents," Lee added, reassuring Hershel that they had good intentions.
Shawn walked out the farmhouse door, looking towards the fence surrounding the property before cutting into their conversation, "Hey dad, so I'm thinking, first thing tomorrow, we gotta reinforce the fence around the farm."
"That doesn't seem necessary," Hershel shook his head, refusing to believe that whatever is happening out there would make its way to his farm.
"I don't know what you saw on TV, or heard on the radio, but there's some…" He glanced back at Clementine and Dominic before adding, "serious shit hitting the fan."
Clementine said nothing to scold the man, which made Dominic scoff. "Oh, so he gets to swear?"
"I don't think anyone knows how big it is yet," Shawn added, after Dominic's brief interruption.
"Your son's right. You're going to want to fortify this place," Lee concurred.
"And fortify it well, I doubt a simple fence will keep them out for long," Dominic grumbled, letting out a heavy sigh.
"Stuff like that doesn't happen around here, Shawn," Hershel said, shrugging off their comments.
"Dad, I'm serious. Guys, come on, tell him what you saw out there!" Shawn looked desperately at the two men, praying they'd save him from the embarrassment.
"I got chased by a couple of dead people," Lee added, the images of those horrific monsters scarring him as he recalled the events.
"And I've nearly gotten eaten twice now," Dominic interjected, hating how stubborn Hershel could be. If he didn't listen to them, it would be the downfall of his family, and his farm.
Finally, with a lofty sigh, Hershel gave in.
"Well, do what you think you should. We've got plenty of chores as it is," Hershel declared, not even bothering to look back at his son to acknowledge the decision.
"These guys and those folks in the barn can help out in the morning. We gotta do it, really," Shawn insisted, eagerness filling his eyes.
"I already said okay," Hershel groaned, annoyed by his son's persistence. "Well, Lee. I'm all done here. It should start to feel better tomorrow." He patted the leg, either for good luck or to encourage irritation, Lee couldn't tell.
"Thanks," He mumbled.
"If your leg gets hot or the swelling doesn't go down; you're probably dealing with an infection," Hershel continued after a moment.
"I'm sure he'll be fine," Dominic muttered, knowing full well he will be.
"What do we do then? If I don't get better?" Lee asked, curious, as medicine was not exactly his forte.
"We'll probably just have to shoot you," Hershel cheered, which earned him a lot of scared and exasperated looks from the guests.
He sighed, before adding in a less cheerful tone, "We'll clean it, re-dress it, and you'll be fine."
"Okay, that'd be preferable," Lee settled.
"I don't know, man. I'd love to see him-" Dominic started, laughter breaking at his lips.
"Dominic…"
"Sorry, just trying to lighten the mood here," Dominic defended instantly, regretting his previous joke.
"Anyway," Hershel interrupted, "There's blankets and such in the barn. We'll be seeing you bright and early. Come tomorrow, which way you think you're headed?"
"Towards Macon, I guess," Lee shrugged. He had no idea where to go really, but anywhere that wasn't Atlanta was preferable. With his bad leg, he was hoping Hershel would let them stay on the farm for a few days, but that appeared to be out of the question. Hershel nodded before heading back into the house, giving Clementine a short nod as he disappeared inside.
"I suppose we should go sleep now. It's been a long day," Dominic finished, looking down at Clementine, "Let's go, Clem."
Dominic and Clementine strolled off, Lee following shortly behind them. He still didn't understand why the boy tried to lie for him. He doesn't even know who Lee was, or what he did. Either the kid was extremely naive, or knew more about him than he let on. He decided not to dwell on it too much as they reached the barn and stepped inside. Three blankets and pillows lay down on the barn floor, ready and waiting for the new arrivals.
Once they were in bed, Dominic heard Clementine mumble something under her breath, her nose wrinkled as she sniffed the air. "It smells like…"
"Manure," The two older men said at the same time, looking at each other.
"Jinx, man," Dominic laughed.
"Manure? Like when a horse… plops?" Clementine asked.
"Just like that," Lee chuckled, closing his eyes. It had been a long day, and he was just glad to finally be getting some sleep.
"I miss my mom and dad," He heard her say from beside him, a wave of sadness coming across her like a storm over the sea.
"I bet, Clem," was all that he could say.
"Anyway guys, we should doze off," Dominic finally added, laying on his side, looking over at Clementine and Lee beside him.
"Yeah, big day tomorrow," Lee agreed before closing his eyes again.
Dominic's thoughts resided with his old life as he tried to fall asleep. He missed it already; his best friends, his apartment, his mother. He missed that life so much. He found himself wondering if anyone would even notice he was gone. Images of missing person posters stamped throughout his city flew through his head; his mother's grieving face; his friends crying, thinking that he was dead. He stifled a cry as he rolled over on his side, only to be bombarded by more thoughts. A tear forced its way out and onto his face, before dropping onto the soft blanket he slept on. He was never going to see any of them again.
His thoughts were interrupted as Lee let out a quiet, terrified "Gah!"
Dominic opened his eyes, finding Lee in the darkness. "Bad dream?" He asked quietly, trying not to wake Clementine up.
"Yeah…"
Dominic decided not to comment on it, instead he forced himself to close his eyes, hoping that sleep would come quickly. A smile rested on his face, because he knew that tomorrow was a new day, and he had gotten to meet Clementine and Lee. Something that he never would've dreamed would happen. Silently, he found himself wishing that this really wasn't a dream, that he wouldn't just wake up again in his bed in Ohio. This was his chance to set things right in this new world, and he wasn't going to waste it.