The CarLee Compendium
Chapter 1: Snow Angels
After surviving the looming, apocalyptic threat of the walkers, as well as the increasing danger of bandit attacks at the motor inn, the snowfall on a cool December morning presented itself as a minor miracle.
One day of peace. No attacks took place. Supply runs would be rather difficult, as the snow prevented any effective travel, but no one worried. There was a plentiful amount of food for each of the survivors and adequate clothing to protect them from the elements. It seemed as if the dangers of the world had received the same notice, neglecting to bother those at the motel. It didn't matter that Larry and Mark were lost at the dreaded St. John Dairy Farm a while beforehand.
Not to mention that it rarely ever snowed in Macon.
Lilly was camped up in her room, attempting to rest after a long night spent keeping the motor inn safe from nocturnal walkers. Ben was currently keeping watch, perched on top of the RV and scarcely reporting anything out of the ordinary. The rest of the survivors were inside the walls finding ways to pass time.
Lee and Carley had just returned from a supply run, which they had started before the snow began to fall. Kenny, as well as the nascent snow, greeted the two as they entered the walls of the motor inn with food and other miscellaneous materials in hand.
"Thanks, guys."
"No problem, Kenny," replied Lee.
"Next time, you're freezing your balls off for some old country records," said Carley, shoving a worn-out bag of vinyl records into Kenny's arms with a smirk.
"I already said thank you."
"Easy, Car," said Lee, eyeing Clementine and Duck making a snowman. "You don't see that every day."
"Haven't seen it snow like this since Kat and I went on our honeymoon up in Canada."
"Canada?" Lee asked. "What the fuck are you doing honeymooning in Canada?"
"Man, I live in Florida!" exclaimed Kenny. "You get sick and tired of beaches after a while. Can you blame me?"
"That's one more honeymoon than I've ever been on," said Carley, unpacking the last of the food and handing it to Kenny, who hastened to give it to Lilly. "Meet me in front of my room when you've got a chance."
Lee barely had a chance to process Carley's words before a familiar, high-pitched voice beckoned him over.
"Lee! Lee!"
"What's up, sweet pea?" he began as Clementine sprinted to his feet, grabbing mercilessly at his hand without her trademark hat on her head.
"Do you wanna watch us play in the snow?"
"Of course I do."
Clementine's hand connected with Lee's as it dragged him towards a sunny spot of snow, inhabited by Duck and Katjaa. Duck was preoccupied by his snowman, which had been decorated with a straw hat and a comedic t-shirt, and Lee was still holding onto one of the bags he bore with him on the supply run.
"Look at him, Clementine!" Duck bellowed, panting in between words. "He's awesome!"
"Do you like it, Lee?" asked Clementine.
Lee gave a chuckle and responded with, "He looks great, Clementine. One of the best snowmen I've ever seen."
Clementine smiled as Katjaa chimed in, sitting on the sofa. "They've been keeping busy with the snow while you and Carley were away."
"Thanks for watching over them."
"My pleasure, Lee," said Katjaa.
"Did you find my hat?" Clementine intervened.
"No," answered Lee, pulling something out of the bag he was clutching. He proceeded to take off the snowman's straw hat and replace it with a baseball cap. "But I think Mr. Snowman here did."
"Thank you!" Clementine shouted, wrapping her arms around Lee's waist and being met with Lee's own embrace.
The next hour was spent alongside the kids, who decided to christen the snowman with its wildly original name, Frosty. Duck had concluded that Frosty had been a veteran in the violent, cinematic war between the snowmen and the dinosaurs that took place during ancient times. Clementine disagreed, as she believed Frosty was a nice young snowman who enjoyed drinking ice cold coffee and eating ice cream.
They managed to drag Ben into the activities as well, swearing not to tell Lilly that the boy had abandoned his perpetual post on top of the RV. There was a brief snowball fight that Duck claimed victory in, a direct result of his unflinching enthusiasm and dedication to the art of war. Clementine ran and hid behind Lee during the majority of the fight, giggling as snowball after snowball whizzed past her.
At last, Lee left Clementine alone to play with Duck and Ben as Katjaa and Kenny watched on. Lilly had emerged from her room, taking up watch and occasionally engaging in lighthearted conversation. The atmosphere proved apt in lifting everyone's spirits. Even Kenny and Lilly's perennial power struggle was temporarily laid to rest.
Carley was stationed outside of her room on the second floor of the motel, overlooking the scene from her balcony. In accordance with her wishes upon their return, Lee trudged up the stairs to visit.
"You, uh, wanted to talk to me?"
"Yeah, kinda," said Carley.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"I don't know," Carley answered, leaning on the balcony border. "I just wanted to hang out. It's a nice day."
"It's been a while since we've been able to chill."
"We need days like this. I've been worried about the kids recently."
"Christ, man," said Lee. "Some of us damn near got bit during that bandit attack. Ain't seen anyone this happy since then."
"I thought Lilly was gonna take Ben's head off," Carley chuckled.
"She nearly did."
"She would have if you didn't step in, Lee."
"It's nothing," Lee proclaimed. "Just trying to keep our shit together."
"You'd be a good leader. You know how to steer people in the right direction."
"What makes you say that?"
"I see the way you are with Clementine," said Carley. "She's changed. She's stronger now, and a lot of that is thanks to you."
"I can't take all the credit."
"Why not?"
"You've helped her, too. You know she thinks the world of you, right?"
"No, not really," said Carley, turning a slight shade of red. "Does she… know?"
"She's probably figured it out," Lee responded. "Even if it's only been a little while."
"We'll tell everyone soon enough," Carley added, grasping Lee's hand on the railing.
"You won't need to if you keep being this obvious," Lee joked, reflexively pulling his hand away to avoid suspicion.
"I'm tired of pretending."
Lee and Carley fell silent for a moment, peering over the railing and into the scene below, where Clementine was creating a small snow angel with all her might. After her angel was complete, she glanced up at the balcony, met with a thumbs up from Lee and a smile from Carley.
"You wanna get down there and fuck around for a while?" Lee asked. "You look like you could use it."
Carley grinned coyly. "I'd like that."
The two joined the rest of the survivors in the snow, watching as more snowball fights ensued. A fire was lit in due time in order to preserve warmth, which Clementine maintained by staying close to Lee and resting her head on his shoulder. When Lee rose to find extra wood in his room, Clementine settled on switching to Carley's shoulder instead. Both of them were relaxed and smiling, visibly content.
The day inched past as the snow catered itself to various jovial activities. Finally, night had fallen. Lilly, Kenny, Katjaa, Duck, and Ben had all retreated to their rooms to obtain some sleep. Carley was now keeping watch for the next two hours before she would switch out with Kenny, whose turn in the rotation was approaching.
Lee and Clementine remained awake and outside, with the latter dragging her guardian towards a shady spot.
"Let's do it here!" Clementine suggested.
"Do what?" Carley interjected.
"We're gonna make a snow angel together," explained Lee.
"Come with us, Carley!"
The three of them approached their destination and lined up in a row, with Clementine providing quality instructions that would ensure snow angels of the finest caliber would come to fruition.
Carley and Lee stood on either side of Clementine, all three of them then lying in the snow to work on three snow angels with hands interlocked.
Soon, the snow angels were fully formed, appearing to hold hands in the allure of the night's radiant moonlight. Clementine traced their names in the snow above their respective creations, with the survivors standing up to admire the view.
The words Carley, Lee, and Clementine were now engraved in the snow alongside three perfectly crafted snow angels of different sizes.
"It's like a little family," Carley muttered, beaming.
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