Authors' Note: Hello everyone. This is my second fanfiction titled Second Wind. If you somehow end up finding this end of the fanfiction website, go ahead and leave a review on what you liked, didn't like, writing suggestions, etc. Anyways, let's get on with it eh?
Disclaimer: I don't own Halo or TWD as they belong to Microsoft/343 Industries and Skybound.
"Quotes."
"Radio Messages."
Thoughts and/or reading
Unknown Planet, Old Ruins
July 19th, 1124 Hours, 2544
Holding a data chip up to Cortez, the ODST on her right, she said, "It's the data on the ruins." Taking his hand, she placed the chip into it before closing it into a fist. "Tell them...to get it to Halsey. She'll know." she said as she groaned in severe pain from the blunt force head trauma she had taken.
"No, you give it to her," He simply stated in response to the dying Spartan.
With her dying breath, she told him something that shattered his view of Spartans being invincible. "We both know that's not gonna be possible."
As her body fell limp in ruins of the unknown, ancient civilization, a darkness encompassed her. Opening her eyes, she found herself in a black void, feeling cold and weightless.
Is this what death is like? An empty void we're eternally trapped in? she thought.
Almost as soon as she was done thinking about her current situation, the temperature became warmer and the air got heavier. She felt nauseous and like she was being compressed, similar to that of a Warthog crushing her. The feeling suddenly ended as she woke up underneath some trees.
Blinking to alleviate the sunlight breaking through the leaves and shining in her eyes, she rolled over in order to get up. She barely got to her knees as she began heaving, the nausea from the unknown void getting to her. Once she was done, she got up to her feet and wiped her mouth off with her arm. It was then she noticed what she was wearing. Looking down, she saw that her Mjolnir Mark IV was gone and she was left wearing her undersuit. She scoffed at this, feeling naked without her armor, but at the same time relieved that she still had her undersuit to provide quite substantial protection.
Looking around at her surroundings, she saw that she was in a ditch within a forest of some kind. Walking around, she searched for a clearing in the trees in order to see the sun. Finally finding a small pocket where she could see the sky, she watched the sun for a few seconds and saw that it was still rising in the air.
Ok, forest on some planet and it's some time in the morning hours. Next is to find a water source because who knows - BOOM. Hearing a gunshot, she turned to face the source of the shot, and it seemed nearby. Slowly making her way through the trees, she eventually saw a crashed police car roughly 50 yards away. This was a huge win for her as she had studied police and military equipment in her spare time.
Looking at the make and model of the car thanks to her augmented vision, she saw that it was a Ford Taurus Police Cruiser, something she found very odd as those were phased out by almost every police force on Earth by the mid - 2050s.
No no, that can't be right. This model of police vehicle was phased out before the UEG had even formed in 2075! Does that mean? No, it can't be. Gotta find a computer, calendar, something to tell me that I'm worrying over nothing.
She began to approach the police cruiser, making her way around the front of the car. She saw that the interior was vacant, but the front passenger door was open, meaning someone was here. As she rounded the front, she saw a person in an old county sheriff's uniform lying on the ground, and a black man leaning against the door breathing heavily with a shotgun next to him.
Before the man was even aware of her presence, she rushed to grab the shotgun from his side and aimed it at him. The man, clearly stunned, raised his hands over his head and yelled "Don't shoot!"
Backing away to put some distance between herself and him, Cal yelled "You have two seconds to explain before I put a shell through your chest!"
The man, now deathly afraid, stammered "I - I - I was getting a ride from him and - and - there was a person - on uhhh - on the road and he ran into them! We crashed and - I - I woke up and found him ly - lying on the ground and then he just started crawling towards me groaning!"
Not believing his story for a second, she yelled even louder this time "Bullshit! Explain yourself right fucking NOW!"
The man's eyes went wide as he felt death was about to give him a swift end. What saved him however was the sheriff's body, with a half destroyed head, came back to life and began crawling once more to the man.
"Holy shit!" he yelled.
"What the in the fuck!?" Cal questioned as she turned the shotgun onto the somehow undead sheriff. Pulling the trigger, she heard a click of the firing pin moving forward and hitting nothing but air.
Shit, no ammo! she thought. Thinking quickly, she turned the shotgun around and grabbed it by the barrel. Running up to the undead sheriff, she swung the gun like a club and smashed his head against the stock of the weapon, completely demolishing it.
The man was in total shock at the events that had just occurred. Here was this six foot something woman in a skin - tight black suit of some kind that had just clubbed a man's head off right in front of him. He stared at the body for a few seconds before looking at the woman who was now glaring daggers at him before the unexpected happened.
Cal was glaring at the man, determining he told at least some kind of truth about the events that had transpired previously. Slinging the shotgun over her shoulder, she then held her hand out to the man, acknowledging that he was innocent in this incident. The man reluctantly took her hand as she pulled him up from the floor, which was not a good experience for him.
"Oh shit! Son - of - a - bitch!" he exclaimed.
"What's wrong?" Cal asked him.
"My - my leg, oh fuck!. He yelled in pain.
She propped him up against the side of the crashed police cruiser before kneeling down and taking a look at both of his legs. Sure enough, there was an injury above one of his knees. When she went to pull his pants leg up to further assess the injury, she heard him say something.
"Look! A person, right over there. Hey! We need some help down here! There's been a shooting!"
Cal looked behind her and up the slope of the ditch, seeing the edge of someone walking away from them. She didn't get to look long before several groans and mumbles came through the forest, and they were close. Looking behind the man, she saw several rotting people stumbling their way towards them.
Zombies?! How in the hell?! She quickly thought.
In fear, the man pushed her aside and tried to limp away, but tripped and fell over the corpse of the sheriff, worsening his already injured leg. Cal quickly ran up behind him, picked him up, and threw him over her shoulders. She then ran faster than he had ever seen across the several yards of forest and up the slope of the ditch.
Eventually, she found herself in front of a fence. Seeing this opportunity, she threw the man over before easily climbing over it herself. She found herself in someone's backyard and saw that the man was leaning against a patio. The banging of wood caught her attention as she realized the zombies were trying to break it down, that was until several gunshots from an unknown location seemed to have begun drawing them away.
With a sigh of relief, she looked at the man and finally asked him, "What's your name?"
"It's Lee. Lee Everette. Thank you for sparing and saving my life," He said with gratitude.
"Call me Cal. And look, I'm not your friend, we're just… partners for now until I can find the nearest military installation, understand?"
She got her answer in the form of a nod. Satisfied, she looked up and saw that the house had glass doors leading inside. Taking a peek, she saw that the interior was destroyed with furniture strewn across the living room and several spots of blood littering the floor and walls.
"Whoever was here didn't make it out. I'm fairly sure this gives us the opportunity to find some supplies. Lee, you stay out here just in case it's not all roses and rainbows in there."
"Ok, just don't take long. And please find some medicine, my leg hurts like a bitch."
"Understood. If I'm not back in ten, assume the worst."
She opened the door and walked in, leaving it open in case she needed to make a quick exit. Her first visit was to the kitchen, in which she noticed on the counter a child coloring book and backpack.
Damn. Always hard when a child's involved. Especially for the new Marines. I hope whatever is happening here hasn't spread out too far. she sadly thought. Those thoughts quickly went away thanks to her mental fortitude before she began searching the rest of the kitchen.
Grabbing the backpack in order to have something to carry around anything useful she finds, she began searching the cabinets and pantry. Finding several cans of food, she was able to nearly fill the whole bag with whatever was left available. Afterwards, she looked for any spare weapons: knives, baseball bats, or tools, of which she found three knives..
Her next visit was to the bathroom to look for medicine for Lee. Making her way upstairs, she held one of the knives in a reverse grip. Reaching the top, she rounded the corner and saw three sets of doors. Opening the first one on the left, she saw that it was a kids bedroom and closed the door, thinking that it held nothing of value. She then opened the second door on the left and it was a parents bedroom. Heading in, she looked around for a gun and/or ammo for her shotgun. She ended up finding two shells for her 12 gauge Remington 870, which she loaded into the weapon.
Heading back into the hallway, she closed the door behind her before making her way to the last door on the right side. Opening it revealed that it was a family sized bathroom. She nodded to herself at this and searched every nook and cranny for any medicine that could be left. Unfortunately she wouldn't be so lucky this time, as anything useful was either too damaged to use or had already been taken by prior looters.
Making her way back downstairs, she heard the floor creak beneath something's weight. Not taking chances, she drew her knife once more and peeked around the corner. There she saw someone standing in the middle of the kitchen, starting a radio. To get a friend or foe confirmation, she took out a can of food and tossed it to the other side of the room. This got the attention of whoever it was, and when she got a good look at their face, she identified them as foe.
Quickly, she rushed the side of the zombie and stuck her knife into the side of its head, killing it. She then walked over to pick up the can she used as a diversion and began making her way to the radio, thinking it could be useful. Picking it up, she heard static start to come through it before a voice of someone that she could tell was no older than twelve came alive.
"Mommy?" they asked.
"Hello? Who is this?" Cal replied.
"Shhhh you need to be quiet. It could still be in there." the child's voice responded worried.
"If you're talking about the zombie, I've already dispatched it in the living room. It's clear in here, where are you?" Cal asked.
"I'm in the tree house outside, look."
Cal looked out of the window that faced the backyard and up at the tree house. She saw it open and a young girl poked her head out of the small doorway. The girl waved at her and she gave a nod back to her.
"Say kid, what's your name? And where are your parents?"
"My name's Clementine, and my parents - I've been waiting for them to come home for a while now."
"If they're gone, then do you know who was in the living room?"
"That was my babysitter. When those monsters came, she told me to get into the tree house where I'd be safe. That was two nights ago."
"I see. Have you already seen my compatriot in the backyard?"
"Yeah, the big man leaning against the patio holding his leg. Is he ok?"
"No, no he's not Clementine. He's hurt and I'm trying to get him some medicine, which I was unsuccessful in doing. Would you mind coming out of the treehouse so we can talk face to face?"
"Uhhh - I guess so."
Cal saw the door to the treehouse fully open and Clementine began to climb down the makeshift ladder. Making her way outside, she greeted Lee and now Clementine.
"Lee, I was unable to find any useful meds in the house. Everything was either destroyed or gone, sorry. I was able to find some food and weapons though, so we at least have some protection," she said, handing him one of the knives.
He took the knife gratefully. "Good news and bad news. I think I can survive a little longer without medicine." he responded confidently.
Cal then shifted her attention to the girl she just met, Clementine.
"So Clementine, you said that you parents were away and you were being looked after by a babysitter, right?"
"Yeah. I want them to come home now." she said saddened.
"I doubt they'll be coming home anytime soon. Especially if whatever is happening here can be assumed to be happening even further away."
"Well, what do we do now Cal? Have any plans for us to get out of here?" Lee asked.
She thought for a minute, devising a strategy on how to get out of the neighborhood and find a better shelter. She then reached into her pack and grabbed two cans of food before handing one to each of them
"We'll wait until night so we can move under the cover of dark. If my theory is correct, they rely mainly on sight and hearing. As long as we're slow and steady, they won't be able to catch us. Go ahead and eat up then get some rest, you'll need it in case we need to walk out of here."
Earth, Suburban Neighborhood
Date Unknown, 2200 Hours, 2012
Several hours had gone by and the sun had fallen. Cal went to where Lee and Clementine had been sleeping and tapped them both on the shoulder.
"Wake up you two, it's time to move."
Lee woke up easily while Clementine needed a little more encouragement in the form of more shaking. Once they were both finally up and moving, Cal motioned them to follow her as she made her way to the large side gate. Opening it, she took a look around and stepped into the street with Lee and Clementine close behind. As soon as she moved by the hood of the car, a gunshot rang out and hit the car. She dove back into cover behind the car with Lee and Clemenetine doing to same.
"Are you going to die?" Clementine asked in a panicked state.
"No, we're going to be just fine. I'll deal with this," Cal assured the girl.
"Stay where you are, you bastard!" an unknown man shouted.
Cal then used an age old idea. Bringing her shotgun to bear, she used the barrel and pushed the side mirror to try and see if she could identify where the shooter was coming from. Another shot rang out, this time hitting the mirror and shattering it.
"Georgia State Patrol! Don't you try anything!" the man called out.
State Patrol? Ok, I can work with this.
"Blue on blue, friendly!" Cal called out to the officer.
"Show yourself then!" the officer ordered.
Cal began standing up to show that she was, indeed, friendly to the officer. Once he was able to get a good look at her and confirm that she was human, the officer lowered his weapon.
"I have two others with me, and one of them is injured and the other is a child. Do you happen to have any medicine for an injured leg?"
"I'm afraid not. That would be a job for EMT's, but with how everything is right now, I doubt they're available." the officer responded.
Cal then saw another man in a green shirt coming up behind the officer. "Andre, have you found Chet?!" another man called out.
"Keep your voice Shawn. Whatever these things are will hear you," the officer named Andre said in disdain.
Cal sighed at the pair. If they were going to make any more noise, the attention it would draw would probably leave them surrounded. Thankfully, officer Andre was able to quiet Shawn down enough to stay relatively safe, or as safe one can be out in the open.
"Oh you find other people? Good." Shawn said. He looked back and forth between Cal and Lee and asked them, "Have you guys seen any of those things? One got our buddy Chet and we're trying to find it."
"Negative. The last we saw any were several hours ago in the forest behind the neighborhood," Cal responded.
Shawn then gave them both a further look and noticed the blood on Lee's right leg.
"Oh shit, you must have hurt your leg pretty bad. Is that what I overheard her ask Andre about a minute ago?"
"Yeah, but don't worry. I wasn't injured by one of those things."
"That's good to know," Shawn paused for a moment. "Look, can you guys help us find our buddy Chet? If you do, I can take you two and your daughter to my dad's farm where you can have some shelter and get patched up."
"We're not her parents," Lee responded. "She and I only just met today too."
After that statement, a groaning, limping, sickly green figure rounded the fence behind them, and Shawn quickly identified it as his friend.
"Oh shit, it's Chet!" he exclaimed.
"Go! Get inside my car!" officer Andre ordered.
Officer Andre and Cal both raised their guns at the infected man while Shawn, Lee, and Clementine ran into the police cruiser.
"I said get in the car! Don't risk yourself out here."
Deciding not to waste any supplies against just one zombie, Cal ran for the car and climbed into the back. Surprisingly, officer Andre was right behind her and he jumped into the driver seat, starting the car and driving away.
Hershel Family Farm
Unknown Date, 0132 hours, 2012
The car pulled into the driveway of the Greene Family Farm. As they came to a stop, the group began exiting the vehicle with Shawn staying behind to quickly say goodbye to officer Andre. Cal, Lee, and Clementine wasted no time and went up to the front door where Cal knocked and held a hand over her shotgun just in case.
When the door swung open, they were greeted with an old man in a green jumpsuit. He looked at them stunned before trying to look behind them to see if his son had arrived home safely. As Shawn walked up the porch steps, he was greeted by his dad.
"Thank god you're ok," the old Greene welcomed.
"Yeah, if it weren't for Andre I wouldn't have made it back," Shawn replied.
"And I see that you have brought some guests," Greene said, motioning his head back to the trio.
"Before we do anything, do you have any medical supplies to patch his leg up? He took a rough beating and can't move very well," Cal asked, pointing to Lee.
"I'm sure I do. Let me go and check if I have anything that could help, take a seat on the porch. Meanwhile, Shawn, I want you to head inside and see if your sister needs any help," Greene stated before walking inside.
Lee took a seat on the bench with Clementine joining him and Cal standing off to his side.
"So Lee, what were you before all of this?" Cal asked.
"Well… I was a history professor at the University of Georgia. And you?"
"I was a special forces soldier for the Navy. That's all I can say without giving up classified information. I doubt any of it is relevant now that the apocalypse has fucked everything over. But I still have my secrets from the force," Cal responded vaguely.
"I see. So were you part of some super secret Navy SEAL team or?" Lee tried digging.
"Nope, sorry. Can't answer that," Cal shouldered. "I also happen to have a question for you professor," she said, walking over to Clementine and covering her ears. "What were those handcuffs doing outside the police cruiser yesterday hmm? I doubt they were on the officer at the time," Cal hinted at.
Seeing no way out of having to reveal why, Lee sighed before responding as calmly as he could, "I was arrested for murdering the Georgia State Governor after he slept with my wife."
Cal could see him tense up after saying that one statement. He probably thought she would hurt, or even worse, kill him because of what he did. Instead she just gave him a nod.
"You expect me to do something to you after hearing that information, don't you?" she asked, to which she got a nod in reply.
"Well under normal circumstances I would have you arrested and sent to court, but these aren't normal circumstances. What that tells me now is that you probably know how to fight and kill which I'm betting will be useful in these coming days," Cal told him, letting go of Clementine's ears.
Lee breathed a sigh of relief. It was the perfect time too, as Greene came out holding a bundle of bandages and a bottle of alcohol. He went to work with Lee while Cal and Clementine stood by and watched.
"So, what would your family's name be?" he asked them.
"Oh we're not a family. In fact, the three of us just met yesterday and decided that sticking together was the best course of action," Cal answered.
"I see, so what are each of your name's then?"
"My name's Lee, the tall, badass one is Cal, and the girl's name is Clementine," Lee responded politely.
"Well, good to meet ya Lee, Cal, and Clementine. My names' Hershel Greene, and I see that you've already met my son Shawn." He then looked up to Lee and asked, "So how did you injure your leg this badly?"
"I got into a car accident on my way out of Atlanta."
"Why were you leaving Atlanta? The news says to stay and wait for the military to arrive."
"Well the news is full of shit if it's already gotten this bad," Cal answered for him.
"I can't argue with that I suppose," Hershel agreed.
"Yeah, and the actual cause of the accident was that we hit someone, or rather something, on the road. One of those…" He turned to Cal to ask, "What was it that you call them?"
"Zombies,' she responded.
"Yeah, zombies."
"You said we, so that means someone else was with you in the car. Who was it, either of these two?" he asked, pointing to Cal and Clem.
"No, it was a police officer. He was giving me a ride since I was already making my way out of the city."
"Well that's awful nice of him. What happened to him?"
"He… didn't survive the crash," Lee lied with sorrow.
"Well that's too bad," Hershel said, finishing up dressing the wound. "If you need a place to stay, you'll have to sleep in the barn. My house is already filled with my own and there's a family of three already in there so they can keep you company."
"Thanks, we really need it after what's happened," Lee smiled, taking up the offer.
Hershel then finished dressing Lee's wound just as the sounds of footsteps hitting wood came from within the house. Stepping out, Shawn began to address his dad.
"Hey dad, I've been thinkin', first thing tomorrow, we should reinforce the fence around the farm," he suggested.
"That doesn't seem necessary. You don't get that type of emergency all the way out here."
'Dad, I'm serious. I don't know what you heard from the news, but it's nothing like what we saw out there. I doubt any of us know how big it is, but if it's anything like what we saw, shit is hitting the fan," Shawn cautioned.
"He's right you know. The kid's got a good head on his shoulders. We need to make this place as defensible as possible if we're going to be here for the long term," Cal stated.
"No. We are nowhere near any population centers. I do not think that it will be necessary."
"Ugh, Lee and Call can tell you all about what's going on out there. It's not pretty and I don't want to take any chances!"
"Ok then, Lee, Cal, what did you two see out there that has my son all riled up?"
"I had to shoot one of those things in the head. It dropped momentarily, but came back and nearly got me before Cal saved me by hitting it again."
"Well we have enough to do around here already. If you guys think that it's the best thing to do, then go ahead and do it. Those folks already in the barn can help you first thing tomorrow morning," Hershel finally relented.
Satisfied, Shawn went back inside, presumably to get ready for the night. Hershel got up and followed his son inside, bidding the trio a goodnight.
The three of them stepped into the barn with Cal making an immediate note of the three sleeping bags hanging over the floor of the second story. In front of them laid three vacant bags for them to sleep on. Taking one each, they laid down and Cal could catch some not - so - needed sleep.
Hershel Family Farm, The Barn
Unknown Date, 0532 hours, 2012
Cal's eyes fluttered open in the darkness of the barn. Sitting up, she looked around and realized that her internal clock told her to wake up at such an hour.
Being up early with the undead roaming around will probably prove to be one of the most valuable traits.
Getting up, she headed to the small barn door and exited the building. Walking out onto Hershel's farm, she saw that there was no activity, presumably because of how early it was in the morning. Looking at the moon, she assumed it was anywhere from 0500 - 0600. There was a slight breeze that, while not doing any real harm, annoyed her. Deciding to get some real clothes, she went to the front door of the Greene's house and knocked.
Receiving no answer at first, she knocked again, and this time heard some shuffling from inside. After about a minute of waiting, she saw Shawn answer the door in a groggy state.
"Oh it's you, I never expected anyone to get up this early. Is there something you need?" he asked quietly.
"Do you guys have any large spare clothes I can wear? Preferably something long to have as an extra layer of protection over the suit," she requested.
"We might. Give me a minute and I'll check."
After a couple of minutes, he was back carrying a leather jacket, a loose pair of jeans, and some tactical boots.
"Let me guess the story of these. You or your old man used to ride a motorcycle?"
"Yeah, how'd you know?"
"Consider it a lucky guess. Anyways, thanks. I'll let you get some more sleep to be ready for the morning," she said, taking the clothes.
"Yeah, see you around," Shawn finished the conversation with and closed the door.
Stepping back, she first put on the tan - colored leather jacket. At her height, its base reached only to the upper part of her midsection. Putting on the jeans had a similar result, except that it covered just up to her waist. The boots, surprisingly, were the best fit, as they slid right on and a little bit of room.
Satisfied she began walking back to the barn before deciding against it. Knowing that it would be about an hour or two before anyone woke up, she began exercising and working on her close quarters combat techniques. She started out with a twenty five mile run, after sweating through it, she began push - ups and sit - ups, flipping between one hundred at a time. She then worked on planks, and to finish it off, pull - ups. All of this took about an hour and a half, and by that time, the sun had come over the horizon and two others had woken up.
A man and a woman walked out of the barn and was surprised to see someone already outside. With sweat coming down her face, she walked up to them and gave them both a nod before continuing to the well. Cupping some water in her hands, she splashed it onto her face to clean it.
After getting some fresh water, she finally got a look at her reflection. Staring back at her was not a long haired, 34 year old spartan, but more along the lines of when she was a cadet. Her hair, while still puffy, was about shoulder length and her face appeared younger than it did when she last looked into a mirror onboard the UNSC Kronstadt.
A/N: Think similar to Daisy - 023.
I must have been so distracted with staying alive and getting to a safe area that I didn't even notice I looked any different!
She continued staring at her reflection, encapsulated in it, taking in every detail of her younger look, so much so that she didn't notice the couple that came out of the barn earlier walking up right behind her.
"Hey uhhh miss, are you ok?" the male said.
Leaning back and turning around, she made eye contact with the man and replied, "Yeah, yeah I'm fine. Is there something you need?"
"Yeah I couldn't help but notice you were staring at something in the well. Are you sure everything is alright? I can tell when someone is distrubed by something."
"Look, I'm fine. I just haven't a good night's sleep in two days, and since the last time I saw myself I look younger and more full of energy is all," she lied.
"A good night's sleep is the best therapy I like to say," the female said.
"Anyway, what's your name miss? And where are you from? White hair and golden eyes surely ain't a normal thing in the U.S." the male questioned.
"Call me Cal. As for where I'm from, I can't say anything other than it's classified until I'm ordered to do so or I can confirm a collapse of the military."
"So you're a soldier? Well, that's good enough for me. I like having someone who is tough, and from the looks of you, you know how to knock some heads together. Anyways, I'm Kenny, and this here is my wife Katjaa," Kenny said with enthusiasm.
The sound of a large door scraping something brought the three of them out of their conversation. Looking over, they saw that the barn was opening and Lee and Clementine walked out followed by a boy who ran to Kenny and Katjaa.
"And this here is my son Ken Jr., but we call him Duck," Kenny said.
"Dad who's this! She's so tall and looks so cool!" Duck practically yelled with enthusiasm.
This got a laugh out of Kenny. "Duck, this is Cal. She used to be a soldier before all of this went down."
"A soldier!? That's awesome! I want to learn how to do all the cool things you guys do!" Duck said, directing his attention to Cal.
"Some other time kid. It looks like everyone else is waking up so I should help with reinforcing the area. I'll see you around Kenny," Cal left him with.
Cal walked off and stood in front of the porch, waiting for Hershel and Shawn to come outside. Once they eventually did, she nodded to each of them before walking off to the barn to grab some plywood and 2x4's. Grabbing the first round of wood, she made her way over to where Shawn was working with Duck sitting on the tractor.
"So, what do you have in mind in reinforcing this fence?" she asked, placing the materials down next to Shawn's workbench. "I doubt that this will hold for the long term. You may have to eventually head into the city in order to get metal sheets, concrete, and sandbags to have a long term, sturdy structure."
"Yeah well, this is only step one. You need a foundation before you can build anything right?" Shawn rebutted.
Walking back to the barn to grab more materials, she replied, "You're not wrong there."
The rest of her trips were made in relative silence as no one came to talk to her. As she passed by Kenny and Lee carrying what could be assumed to be well over a hundred pounds of wood in each arm, they stared in awe that a single person could be carrying so much so often without even breaking a sweat.
Eventually on one of her runs, she ran into Hershel who had started to shovel hay. Upon entering during his chore, he turned to face her and asked, "How did you and Lee meet?"
"I was there when the police car he was in got wrecked. I found the sheriff dead but Lee was still alive so I dragged him out."
"Good on you to save an injured man's life."
"Well, it's something drilled into you the day you join the service."
"Hmph, military then I supposed."
"Yeah. I can't say much more, but I was in the military. This is a nice, secluded area of land you own. Tactically speaking it's one of the better options in a scenario like this."
"Heh, if you told me twenty years ago that I'd still be here, I'd say you're full of crap, but I'm still here. This place was in the family and I guess so was I. Family's important; it's what matters most in the world. Do you agree with that?"
"Well, I never had a proper family before I joined the service," Cal lied. "But once I was finally in, those around me became my brothers and sisters through blood and arms."
"It's good that you eventually found one. Those that bleed with you are the strongest of them. Do you know where any of them are now?"
"My best guess is that they're on a ship being anywhere but here."
"That's a shame. Too bad you aren't with them, a family isn't complete without everyone being together. But now you have this little girl to take care of, what was her name again?"
"Clementine."
"Ahh right, right. So what's your story with her? After you rescued Lee from that wreck, did you two just stumble upon her?"
"More or less. After rescuing Lee, a group of zombies came wandering out of the forest. I grabbed him and ran until we came across a house. I went inside searching for supplies, all of which I still have on my pack." Pulling out the radio she used to talk with Clem with, she continued, "When I was just about done with my search, she hailed me over this radio and well, that was that."
"Hmph. Can I give you some advice?"
"What do you have in mind?"
"If you go out and venture into the cities and find that they are in an even worse state than right now, you're going to have to depend on the honesty of strangers. If those same people begin to question yours or Lee's, there's going to be trouble."
"Don't you worry about us old man. If there is trouble, I'm perfectly capable of handling whatever comes our way."
The sudden shouts of pain and engine of a tractor ended the conversation. Looking back, Cal could see that Shawn was in distress and some undead were leaning against the wooden fence.
"Go, help him! I'll get my shotgun and be right with you!" Hershel yelled at her.
Running to the trapped man, she passed by Lee who was running to help too. She saw him withdraw his knife and try to stab the two zombies, but they were too close for comfort.
"Lee, 2x4! Keep them off me while I try to get this tractor moved!"
At the same time, another zombie had walked up and grabbed Duck who Kenny immediately began running over to.
Cal began to put her weight into pushing the tractor. The feat was much harder than she would have liked, as the fifteen thousand pound vehicle was put into drive by Duck. Pushing with all of her strength, it began to move backwards slowly, but it wasn't enough. The fence holding the two zombies at bay finally broke, they then fell into Shawn. The closest of the two met its fate as Cal swung her leg with such force that its head caved in and its lifeless body flew backwards, but it was still too late. The second zombie bit into Shawn's neck, severely injuring him. Hershel finally got to their location and shot the remaining two undead.
Kneeling down, he said, "It's ok boy, you're going to be ok. We'll stitch you right up and you'll be alright."
"They… they almost got me. Lee and Cal, they tried to save me," Shawn replied smiling at them.
"I know son. I know what they did and they tried."
Shawn then breathed his last breath, dying on the spot. Kenny, Katjaa, Duck, and Clementine arrived at the scene of Hershel grieving before going on an angry tirade.
"Get. The Fuck. OUTTA HERE!" he cried out.
"I'm… I'm sorry," Kenny tried apologizing.
"Sorry!? Your son is alive and you didn't even make an effort to save mine, you don't get to be sorry!" Turning to Cal and Lee, he said, "You two tried helping him, but this sorry excuse of a shitbag let him die."
"Look, Hershel, it's my fault. I wasn't strong enough to move the tractor. I wasn't strong enough to save him."
If only whatever fucking force brought me here game me my Mjolnir, this wouldn't have been a god damned problem!
"Oh yeah? Then you better be strong next time, because if you're not strong enough, it might be your kid who dies next! Now, please, just leave. Go and never come back!"
The now six man group began walking away from the broken man. As Lee passed by Kenny, Cal heard him say, "You got that ride to Macon if you want it."
Not another word was said as Kenny and Katjaa got into the front seats, Clem, Duck, and Lee got into the rear passenger seats, and Cal threw her shotgun and bag of food into bed and climbed in after. Once they were all settled, Kenny started his truck and began the long drive to Macon, Georgia.
