Night came quickly for the group. Slower than some would have liked, although they appreciated the silence. It gave more clarity to their confused thoughts.

Lee kept his head down, ignoring the pain in his body from being in that uncomfortable position for so long. His eyes stared at the floor, barely visible from the only candle in the room.

A few steps away, Carley was leaning on the wall with her arms crossed and a pistol at her waist.

Katjaa and the children were sleeping in one of the only beds there. Kenny was lying on the floor next to them. Lilly and Larry shared the other bed, this one a little torn up and quite old, but not as if they cared much.

Despite the silence and the cool weather, Lee couldn't sleep. He felt tired, not only from everything that had happened that day, but also from being in that unpleasant position. His arms were tied up and his body was slightly tilted to the side, with no chance for him to try to straighten his posture.

Not only that, but hunger also bothered him. He wasn't starving or anything, but going the whole day without eating or drinking anything, after all that running earlier, didn't really do much for his body.

His mind was thinking about the boy, Ben. He hoped that he was all right. Not just because he cared about the boy's life, but for his own sake. If the group saw that Ben was alive, maybe they would give him a little more food. Or better yet, that asshole Larry would stop being such a pain in the ass.

Lee let out a slight nasal laugh. He was pathetic.

He heard Carley moving beside him, but thought it best to be quiet. Of everyone there, she was the least likely to stick a knife in the back of his head without anyone noticing.

Well, at least, he hoped so.

"Hey." The woman's low voice caught his attention, and slightly surprised, he raised his head toward her.

Lee blinked a few times in confusion at the sight of a bottle of water and a protein bar in her hand, and again, he looked her in the eye in a silent question.

"Don't make a sound. You haven't eaten anything all day." She said, opening the water bottle. "Look, you helped me, no way I am forgetting that. This doesn't change anything, so just look at it as a form of gratitude." Carley said, placing the bottle against Lee's lips, who drank as much as he could, leaving the bottle almost empty.

"Don't make me regret this." Carley said, quietly opening the package of the protein bar.

"I don't plan to. Thanks." Lee thanked him genuinely, just before he started running.

"Good. Because if shit hits the fan, have no doubt that everyone here will abandon you to save themselves." The woman said, arching an eyebrow at the speed with which Lee ate, but soon picking up the mess and standing up.

"Yeah, I figured." Lee muttered to himself as Carley walked over to throw the thing in the trash.

Well, at least the hunger and thirst no longer bothered him as much, and despite the somewhat uncomfortable position, Lee was able to sleep for a while.

Morning came faster than they wanted, to tell the truth.

Carley had changed with Kenny in the middle of the night, and the man was standing with his arms crossed with his back against the wall watching the sun come up through the window.

That was a good spot. The fence was strong enough to protect them from the infected. Well, at least from the common infected.

The tower was tall and spacious, which allowed them to have a wide view of the surrounding area. Nothing could get through those fences without them noticing.

One by one the people in the group were awakened. Lee awoke to the sound of Larry's footsteps nearby.

He had the impression that the old man stepped harder on the ground as he walked purposefully.

Blinking a few times, Lee takes a deep breath just before yawning. He grunts slightly as he feels his upper body aching and almost sighs in relief when Larry releases him and he can straighten his posture.

Geez.

He stood up slowly and stretched, hearing his bones crack and feeling the almost immediate relief in his back.

Well, that was until Larry forced his arms down and tied him up again. It was nice while it lasted. At least he was no longer in an uncomfortable position.

"So, what's the plan?" Carley asked, scratching her eyes and running her eyes around wearily. She, like some there, had not had a very good night's sleep. Not just because of her night shift, but because of the whole situation.

Lilly walked over to the table in front of a window in front and opened the map as the others approached, except for Larry who stood beside Lee.

"We're already in South Carolina. About here." Lilly said, pointing to a point on the map. "A few more hours of driving and we would have arrived in Virginia today."

"Well, that's our other problem. That thing back there destroyed our van. What kind of creature was that? I've seen animals spit out weird stuff, but acid is on another level." Kenny said, massaging his neck while keeping his other hand on his waist, staring at the map.

"I don't know. And let's hope we don't run into another thing like that." Lilly replied.

"Or that thing in Atlanta. I don't see a reason for us not to talk about it. A blind creature that can jump great distances and split humans in half with ease and a woman who spits extremely corrosive acid... I... Jesus, I don't even know what to say about that." Carley said, a worried expression on his face.

"What is there to say? Should we stand here shaking in our boots?" Larry asked, trying to make light of it, but they knew the old man was just as concerned.

"I'm just trying to say that... what if there are more of these things? We're without a vehicle in a forest in the middle of nowhere and we don't have much ammo, we're low on people... what are we going to do if we run into that kind of creature again?" Carley asked.

"What can we do? You said it yourself, we don't have much ammo. For now, I think we'd better just focus on finding another vehicle. Or at least get out of here. That monster from yesterday might still be around." Kenny said, turning to Katjaa for a few moments when she informed him that she would accompany Duck to the bathroom.

Well, to a random corner that would serve as a bathroom.

"And that's exactly why we need to have this conversation, that thing might still be around." Carley insisted.

"Well, if it is, we're fucked. Besides spitting acid, which is bad enough, that thing also attracts other infected." Kenny said, crossing his arms.

"Look, the thing is, whether we find that creature or not doesn't change the fact that we can't stay here. As much as that fence grants us some protection, that acid would make it useless in moments. We're running out of food and we're still a long way from our objective." Lilly said, putting both hands on her waist.

"All the more reason not to go out there without a destination in mind. We should stick around for at least a little while longer. Maybe we can hunt, or fish. I don't know, I just know we need a vehicle, ammo, and more food. And to go off aimlessly out there would just be suicide." Carley said, and Kenny sighed slightly.

"Well... that's true. Still, I don't like the idea of us staying here any longer than necessary. We're not far from the main road. Maybe, we'll find some wheels over there." Kenny said, shaking his head soon after. "That, of course, is just me being very positive."

"Well, we'll see. But I agree with Carley. We can't just go walking around hoping to find something. This place isn't exactly a fortress, but for lack of better places, we can stay here for now." Lilly said, staring at the map again.

"We can't stay long. We still have to get this asshole to Virginia. No chance of me losing our key." Larry said, drawing the attention of the others and Lee just rolled his eyes.

"Look, old man, for now, we're just going to have to forget about it. And as much as I hate to think what I'm thinking, we should consider taking his restraints off. At least for a few moments of the day." Kenny said, maintaining eye contact with Lee for only a few moments, before staring at Larry's slightly angry face.

By this point, they didn't know if the old man could make any expression other than that.

"What?! Oh, you're crazy if you think we're going to let this guy walk around freely!"

"Someone will keep an eye on him. Like it or not, he needs to help. Not least because he's another mouth to feed, and food is one of our priorities. It doesn't matter if the idea is good or not, but in our situation, it's what has to be done." Carley said, ignoring Larry's grimace.

"...Argh, they have a point, Dad." Lilly said, and this time, the old man got an expression of indignation.

"Oh, not you, Lilly!"

"I don't like it either. But either we make him work with us, or we send him away, him being stuck in one place, sitting around doing nothing and drinking our water and eating our food is not an option." Lilly said, looking steadily into Larry's dark eyes.

The old man then stared at Lee with a rigid expression, just before looking at his daughter again, until he sighed in defeat.

"Okay, all right, dammit!" He turned to Lee. "Just give me a reason, Everett." He warned, and in response, Lee just sighed.

"Okay... with that out of the way... what do we do about Ben?" Carley asked, alternating her gaze between Lilly and Kenny.

"What? The boy? You really believe what Everett said?! God damn it, Carley!" Larry grunted, shaking his head in denial.

"I believe something like what he said may have happened. And if Ben is out there alone, we have to help him." Carley replied, looking at the old man with a certain amount of disdain.

"I understand you, Carley. But look, if Ben really is alive, and he's out there alone, the chances of the kid surviving are... pretty damn low." Kenny said, choosing his words somewhat carefully.

He might have been a little rude to the boy, but he had nothing against Ben. Not least because, although he didn't say anything, everyone there, even Larry, knew that Ben was just a kid.

"Oh, so we're just going to abandon him?" Calrley asked.

"What other option do we have? We don't know where he might have gone. To go out looking for him in the dark would be suicide. What we can do is hope that he finds this place, or, that we meet him on the way the next time we go out." Lilly said, and after being silent for a while processing the information, Carley sighed in defeat, with a clear expression of disgust over the whole situation.

"Right. Now we need to-" Lilly started to say, however, she was soon cut off by Katjaa's startled scream from outside the tower.

The group there looked at each other for only a few moments, with Kenny being the first to leave the tower almost immediately upon hearing his wife's scream.

Lee grunted slightly when Larry grabbed him by the arm and forced him out of the tower, that's when his eyes focused on Katjaa, who had her arms around Duck as she moved away from the fence that was quickly corroded by acid.

The boy in her arms was screaming and smoke was emanating from the side of his arm. Despite being far away, Lee saw that some of the acid splashed on the boy's arm.

"Oh shit! Duck!" Kenny shouted his name as he came down the stairs and shot at the woman a few dozen yards away from the fence.

Lee breathed harder, biting his tongue lightly as he watched Kenny shoot. He realized the day before, that woman only screamed and attracted the other infected because Ben shot her. Maybe there was no connection. Maybe that woman would attract the infected all the same, however, that would be a good enough reason not to act so desperate.

And just as he had expected, the woman screamed. A scream so loud that it bothered his ear even at that distance.

"Ah for fuck's sake! Move your ass, Everett!" Larry shouted, pushing Lee toward the stairs with some force.

"Get this out of my fucking hands!" Lee shouted back, turning to the old man just after they came down the stairs.

"Don't even think about it! Let's get out-" The old man was interrupted by more gunfire, and the two men looked at the situation ahead. The fence was destroyed due to the acid, and the infected who were attracted by the scream went through the fence, ignoring the acid that splattered on their bare feet and running towards Katjaa and Duck, they being the closest to the fence.

"God damn it, cut it off already, asshole!" Lee shouted angrily, however, he was ignored by Larry, who walked forward and shot at the approaching infected.

Kenny ran to his wife and helped her to her feet, looking at Duck all the time.

"Duck! Oh God!" He exclaimed, looking at the boy's arm in living flesh. Not much acid splashed on Duck, otherwise his arm would have literally melted, however, in the moment of desperation, Kenny didn't even think about that fact and desperation was consuming him to the point that he almost couldn't react when an infected advanced towards him, but before he got attacked, Carley killed it with a clear shot to the head.

"Kenny! Pull yourself together! We have to get out of here!" Carley shouted, and soon Kenny started backing up next to his wife.

To the dismay of everyone there, more and more infected were approaching, as fierce as any they had ever seen. Maybe because of hunger, or maybe because the woman's scream served to motivate them or something.

The reason didn't matter, the thing was that they were in a fucked up situation.

Carley fired as she retreated towards the exit she had mentioned, but the more she fired, no matter how many Infected she hit, they still came dangerously close, and she could only curse softly when she ran out of bullets in her pistol and was knocked to the ground by an Infected.

Lilly, not far away, was shooting at those she could, covering Kenny who was walking away with his wife. Seeing Carley's situation, she turned and aimed her gun at the infected man over the woman. However, to her dismay, she was also attacked, and before she could shoot, she grunted as she felt her arm being grabbed by another infected. Reacting, she put her elbow against the infected's neck and began a physical fight to get away.

"Lilly!" Larry yelled, running up to his daughter.

"Dammit, old man!" Lee grumbled loudly as he watched Larry walk away without removing those restraints from him. However, the anger he felt was temporary, as soon his gaze fell on that girl, Clementine.

Katjaa was holding Duck in her arms. Kenny was shooting at the infected who were advancing towards him, and his pistol was running out of bullets. Carley and Lilly were fighting the Infected that were trying to bite them, and Larry was shooting the Infected that were running towards his daughter.

In other words, the girl was vulnerable.

Fucking hell!

Lee ran to the girl, keeping his eyes fixed on the infected that was advancing towards her. Before the infected could grab her, he pushed him aside, knocking the infected over and giving it a strong stomp on the head.

He quickly stepped back and turned to the girl, knowing that the infected was not dead, but making sure that she was not hurt.

However, the moment he turns around again, his eyes widen and he momentarily forgets to breathe.

That woman spat again. This was something Lee already knew. He noticed that after spitting once, the woman took a while before spitting again, and internally he scolded himself for having forgotten this for a few moments.

He turned to the girl and pulled her to the side, dodging the large amount of acid that would surely kill them both.

And although they had escaped certain death by the acid, they were still not safe. The acid hit the base of the watch tower, and soon, everyone there could hear the noise of the tower giving way as the acid advanced.

"Ah shit... lets go, girl!" Lee shouted, helping the girl up and out of the impact area.

The watch tower collapsed, causing a huge noise, crushing some of the infected and causing some pieces of metal to be thrown all around.

One of these pieces hit Clementine in the shoulder, and the girl cried out in pain as she felt her flesh being pierced.

The fallen tower separated them from the rest of the group, raising a small cloud of dust, but it was still possible to see through the debris to the situation ahead.

Carley seemed to have managed to get up and Lilly was getting rid of the infected that had attacked her.

"Ah shit! We have to get out of here!" They heard Kenny shout.

Lee ran his eyes around. The infected were approaching, the tower had separated them. With no choices, Lee gritted his teeth, turned around, took the girl by the arm, and started running toward the forest.

There was no way they could join the rest of the group, not without the infected catching up. Lee could deal with one or the other at best, but a whole group? No chance.

"Hang in there, girl!" Lee said as he saw some of the infected chasing them. There weren't many, but not only were his hands tied, he had an injured little girl accompanying him.

"Shit..." He grunted as he tried to free himself from the restraints while running. What a great time for his hands to be tied.

Fucking old man!

His heart was pounding hard, he could hear the low grunts of the girl beside him, and he could hear the roars of the infected approaching. Not good.

Alternating his eyes between the restraints and the path they were following, he arched his eyebrows slightly as he saw a hollow log fallen further ahead.

"There, girl! Hide over there!" He said, not receiving a response, but glad to see the girl begin to move away from him and toward the fallen log.

However, the infected were much faster than the girl, and one of them came dangerously close to Clementine.

Grunting slightly, Lee rushes over to the infected and hits it with all his strength with his body, sending the infected to the ground and almost falling in the process, but ensuring that the girl could reach the log.

Lee gave the infected a strong stomp on the head just before throwing himself backwards when another one appeared. In doing so, he tripped over a tree root and fell backwards onto the ground. But Lee didn't even have time to process the pain of the fall, as his eyes soon focused on the infected in front of him.

For a few moments, he almost thought that that was it, he was gone. However, he saw a branch on the ground in his peripheral vision, and didn't even think, he just acted. He picked up the branch and placed it in front of his body as the infected threw itself in his direction.

The branch stuck against the neck of the infected, who was salivating and bleeding on Lee, who tried to push the infected away, without much success.

And the situation got even worse when Lee heard and saw the infected from before getting up. Not to mention the other three who were not far behind.

Grunting loudly, Lee headbutts the infected in front of him, opening the opportunity to strike the side of the creature's head with the branch, knocking the infected out of him.

Getting up, Lee spins his body around and hits the other infected in the head, sending it to the ground again.

Without letting them get up, Lee hits both infected in the head with the branch a few more times, making sure they were no longer a problem, just before the other infected finally catch up to him.

The next infected threw itself in his direction, and in reflex, Lee put the branch in front of his body again, grunting as he was pushed back a few steps and almost fell in the process. A small power struggle formed there, with the infected trying at all costs to tear off a piece of his flesh and Lee trying to push it away, to gain some opening.

Hitting the side of the infected's chin with the side of the branch, Lee pushes the infected aside and knocks it down, just before being knocked down by the next infected.

Again, the only thing preventing the creature in front of him from killing him was the branch. Lee grunted louder for his situation.

Above him was an Infected, a few steps away, another one already getting up, and not far away, yet another. His chances of getting out of there alive were minimal.

That is, of course, until when the infected above him got hit with a table leg to the head.

Lee gasps as he pushes the infected aside, and looks, for a few moments, at his savior. Ben, the boy had really made it.

The boy looked frightened, but held the table leg firmly. He also looked at Lee with an almost relieved, but still worried look.

Ben gave a brief nod in his direction, before walking over to the infected man on the floor and hitting the table leg on the head a few times.

Lee then stood up and lifted the branch, hitting the infected in the head next to him, knocking it down, and soon, he turned and faced the approaching infected, leaving Ben to take care of his back.

As soon as the infected got close enough, Lee hit it with all his might on the side of the head, sending the infected to the ground, and soon began hitting the branch several times until the head of what had once been a man became nothing but a heap of brain, blood, and crushed bones.

Gasping for breath, he looks around for a few moments, making sure there were no other infected nearby, before turning to Ben, who stared at the bodies on the ground a little startled.

"Jesus, kid... it's good to see you again. Thanks." Lee thanked him, sighing in a relieved way as he finally managed to free himself from his restraints.

"... Don't mention it. You helped me before." Ben said, looking at Lee in a slightly awkward, but far less frightened way than before, which was already a big improvement.

"What happened? I... I heard shots... I was hoping it was you guys, but I didn't know if I should go and..." The boy stuttered slightly, and Lee just shook his head as he walked over to the log that Clementine was hiding.

"Things got out of hand. That woman from before found us in a watch tower. The fence was destroyed, the acid made the tower fall. We got separated in the commotion." Lee said, ducking down in front of the log and looking inward. "You can come out, girl. It's all clear now."

Ben walked toward it, and couldn't help but be surprised to see Clementine come out from inside the log, and his eyes soon went to the piece of metal stuck in her shoulder.

"Jesus, Clem. Are you okay?" Clementine, slightly out of breath, looked at him with a pained expression and just nodded her head in response, alternating her gaze between Ben and Lee a few times shortly thereafter.

"We need to find the others. But first, we have to take care of this wound. We have no medicine, no food, no water... nothing." Lee said, standing up and straightening his posture, before looking at Ben. "Where did you spend the night? Where were you?"

"I... I found a small building not far from here. The place looked clean, but there was no one there." Ben replied.

"Did you find anything useful there?"

"No... well, it depends. I found this table leg."

"Is it too far? In our situation, it'll have to do." Lee said, bowing his head slightly and sighing with a certain weariness.

"No, it's close."

"Get us there then, the sooner we take care of this wound, the sooner we can look for the others. Not to mention that those shots must have attracted infected from all over the forest. It's not safe to go now." Lee said, and soon, arched an eyebrow when Ben stared at him for a while.

"Why are you doing this?" The boy asked, and alternated his gaze between Lee and Clementine when he saw the man's confused expression. "I mean, you helped us back in Atlanta, you helped me when we were attacked yesterday, and now you're helping Clem... you don't... you know... have some ulterior motive, right?"

"Look, kid. I may have done what I did, but that doesn't mean I want to kill everyone I meet or screw anyone I meet. I screwed up, I screwed up bad, I know. I bitterly regret what I did and I have to live with it for the rest of my life, whether it be short or long. I just want to do the right thing, okay? I've done a lot of bad things before the world went to shit." Lee said, a small vent, more to himself than to the boy, but one that made Ben look at him differently.

It might not be worth much, but it was a start.

"Let's get going then. I'd rather not stay out here any longer than necessary." Ben said, taking the lead.

"Can you walk?" He asked.

"... Yes." Clementine replied, looking at him for a few moments of following Ben with her eyes.

"Okay then. Stay close." Lee said, looking a little lost for a few moments. "Ahm... stay close to Ben, at least, you know, if you feel... uncomfortable." He said between pauses, choosing the best words.

Clementine said nothing, just started walking along with them, without moving too far away, but also without getting too close.

Well, that was good enough.

"Did the group agree on a place to meet?" Ben asked along the way, looking back for a few moments as he walked.

"No. They barely had time. The most they did was mention that we're not that far from the road and that they would try to find some vehicle there. Hopefully, we'll find them." Lee replied, never stopping to look around.

"Man, I hope so." Ben said, and they were silent for a while. "So... what do you plan to do now?" He asked, and Lee arched an eyebrow.

"What?"

"I mean... with this whole situation. You're practically free now, and when we find the others, I imagine you won't agree to be tied up again... right?" Ben asked, and Lee stared at Ben's back for a few moments.

Hm... the guy is a little different than the others made him out to be. Maybe a night alone in an unfamiliar forest with murderous creatures roaming around made the kid change.

"You're right. I don't know what to do, to be honest. I'm not going to just wander around alone without a vehicle, food, or a goal in mind. So for now, I'll just focus on getting you two back to the group." Lee replied, sighing slightly in the middle of his speech.

"So... you really don't want to hurt anyone there?" Ben asked somewhat carefully, and Lee clicked his tongue.

"No, kid. If I wanted to, I would have done it already."

"Okay, fine. Sorry about... you know, it's just that..."

"I understand, kid. You're just being cautious. I know, relax." Lee cut him off. "I'll just give you a little advice. If you're so worried that I'm going to do something to you guys, you should have let me go ahead. The way we're going, it wouldn't be hard for me to hit your head with this branch. You have to think about these things. Right now, you're totally vulnerable." Lee said, and Ben looked at him for a few moments with slightly wide eyes.

Even Clementine was staring at him.

"Oh... ahhh... I... I didn't think of that." Ben admitted slightly embarrassed, and Lee just sighed lightly.

"Well, you'd better do it from now on. Let's say things don't get better, or they get worse before they do. Desperation will make people act in ways you can't even imagine, and if you're not careful, it won't be the infected you have to worry about. You have to be able to take care of yourself, your group won't always be watching your back." Lee said, stopping beside a tree as he saw a small wooden building up ahead.

"Is this the place?" Lee asked, running his eyes around.

"Yes. Like I said, the place is clean. It doesn't look like anyone has been there for a while." Ben replied, and at a slow pace, they approached the building, with Lee this time taking the lead.

Ben looked at Clementine after hearing a small groan of pain from the girl, and he looked at her sympathetically when he saw her pained expression.

Lee opened the double door and ran his eyes around the inside of the place. It looked like a small warehouse. There were some empty shelves in front with some empty boxes.

The place was not very big, but it was spacious enough. It was a bit dusty, but not dusty enough to indicate that it had been abandoned for long. From the things rummaged through, Lee would say that someone had gone there a few days ago, grabbed a few things in a hurry, and left. Probably when all the madness started.

There was a door at the back of the place, but before going to it, Lee turned around, picked up a box that was on the floor, and pushed it toward Clementine.

"Sit down there, girl. I'm going to check the back to see if there's anything we can use." He said.

"I already told you, man. I already checked the place out. There's nothing." Ben said after closing the double door.

"I'm not doubting you, Ben. But anything, even a simple rag, will do." Lee said, walking to the door and opening it.

A small closet, also empty.

He arched his eyebrows and sighed softly. However, his gaze soon fell to the floor and he clenched his eyes slightly.

Bending down, he slowly runs his fingers over the loose wood on the floor.

Removing a large section of the wooden floor, he picks up a hidden camping bag. Well, well, people really do hide things in places that others can't even imagine.

He opens the backpack and runs his eyes over the items inside. A few protein bars. Not many, but it was better than nothing. There was a small flashlight still in the package, a pocket knife, lighter, a pocket compass, a thermos, batteries for the flashlight, duct tape, a small first aid kit, and a hatchet with a fiber handle.

A find.

Getting up, he walks back to where the two were and hands the backpack to Ben.

"Huh? Where did you find this?" The boy asked, looking at the items inside the backpack.

"False floor in the closet. You have to check every corner, kid. Whoever came through here was getting ready to camp. Something happened, this person hid the backpack with the intention of coming back and picking it up later. There is little food, but at least there is a first aid kit, which is already great." Lee said, taking the first aid kit and turning to Clementine, who was staring at the backpack.

"...Is it really a good idea to take that? I mean, what if the owner comes back for it?" The girl asked, looking at Lee, who in turn arched her eyebrow slightly.

That was the first time she had spoken to him.

"I agree with Clementine. These things are not ours... but at the same time, I know that if this person hasn't come back by now, they probably won't come back again." Ben said, placing the backpack on the floor beside him.

"I mean, not to sound negative or anything, but, things are pretty bad out there."

"Exactly. And right now, we need these things. I know this is awful, and I don't want to steal either, but in our situation, we don't really have a choice." Lee said, kneeling in front of the girl after putting the first aid kit aside.

Clementine looked at him for a few moments, then shifted her gaze to Ben, and finally just sighed in defeat.

"Look... Clementine, right? Now I'm going to have to take this off your shoulder, and I don't mean to scare you, but it's going to hurt a little, okay?" Lee said as softly as he could, receiving a shake of the girl's head in response.

"You don't have to lie... this is going to hurt like hell," she said, and Lee smiled half-heartedly.

"Hey, you said it, not me." He smiled slightly. "I'll be as quick as I can."

Lee gently placed a hand on her shoulder, and Clementine took a few deep breaths, nodding appreciatively to Ben after he offered his hand for her to hold.

Lee held the piece of metal with his other hand and began to pull, slowly but firmly. Clementine grunted softly and lowered her head, squeezing Ben's hand hard from the pain. Blood trickled down her clothes, mixing with the blood that had already stained her shirt.

After a while, Lee removed the piece of metal completely, trying to ignore the low cry of pain the girl gave.

Taking a deep breath, he takes the antiseptic next to him and apologizes to the girl mentally, that was gonna hurt.

As soon as he poured some of the liquid over the wound, Clementine's eyes widened and she couldn't hold back the cry of pain and surprise. It wasn't very loud, most of her reaction was from the wave of pain she wasn't expecting, and Ben held her hand tighter, keeping her from moving too much.

"Just relax. It's all right. The worst part is over. Luckily, although deep, the cut wasn't wide. So you're good to go." Lee said, beginning to bandage the girl's shoulder, who was breathing somewhat heavily.

"My shoulder is burning." Clementine said, still with her head down.

"That's the way it is. I cleaned the wound. The feeling will linger for a while, but you'll be fine. One brave girl." He said, tying the bands around her shoulder and stepping back a little to get a better look.

"There. Good thing the injury isn't as bad as it looked." He said, putting the things back in the first aid kit and handing it to Ben.

"Are you sure that, I don't know, you don't need to give stitches or anything?" Ben asked.

"Well, no, I'm not sure. I'm not a doctor. I've done what I can. I can guarantee it won't get any worse, if it helps in any way." Lee said, and Clementine looked at him with a small grimace. In response, he just held his hands up in the air.

"Well, Katjaa can take a look at her when we find them. She's a vet." Ben said.

"Ah, great then." Lee said, moving a few steps away and sitting down near another wall, facing the two of them.

Ben stared at him for a few moments, blinking in mild confusion.

"So... um... what's the plan?"

"You wouldn't have a map lying around, would you?" Lee asked.

"No... there wasn't one in the backpack?"

"No. As I said before, our only way to meet up with the group again is to go to the road. But it's still like a long shot. It would be good to get acquainted with the surroundings and see which place they would most likely go." Lee said, running his hand through his hair and lowering his head.

Now that he takes a better look at himself, his clothes were totally dirty. Blood stained his shirt almost completely, and he didn't smell very nice.

Well, all things considered, no one there smelled like roses.

"The mural at the gas station." Clementine said, drawing the attention of both of them.

"What?" Ben asked.

"The mural showed the surrounding area. The nearest gas stations, hotels. Duck and I looked around a bit." The girl said.

"That, actually, is not a bad idea. Maybe the group will even decide to go back there at some point, considering it's the only place around that we all know of." Lee said, leaning his body forward and pulling the backpack toward him.

"... How do you know they are looking for us?" Ben asked, and Lee looked at the boy for a while. He had a worried expression, and seemed in an internal conflict with himself.

"...Honestly, I have no idea. They thought I killed you, you know?" Lee said, shaking his head slightly. "Maybe they think the same thing about the girl. That I killed her and used the opportunity to escape. I don't know, but I don't doubt it." He said, opening the backpack and rummaging through its interior for a while.

"... I knew you weren't lying. If... if it helps." Clementine said, and slightly surprised, and a little curious, Lee looks at her for a while.

"Well... that's good to hear, girl." He thanked her, smiling slightly at Clementine, who was losing more and more of her fear about him.

"Here." He picked up the protein bars and tossed one to each of them. "We'd better rest as much as we can, we don't know what to expect when we get out of here." Lee said, biting off a piece of his protein bar.

They were silent for a while, each concentrating on their food, or simply restless with their own thoughts, nervous about the situation.

"...Why did you do what you did?" Ben broke that silence with this question, and Lee stopped chewing for a few moments, his eyes focused on the floor. "I mean... I had friends who studied at UGA. I saw the news. You seem like a totally different guy from anything I've heard."

Lee took a few deep breaths and lowered his head, staying silent for a while, making Ben somewhat uncomfortable over the question.

"...Everyone has a breaking point, kid. It doesn't matter if you're a good person or not, there's a limit to what you can take." He shook his head slightly, closing his eyes. "I'm not making an excuse for what I did. There's no excuse for something like that, but... I just... reached my breaking point, I guess."

Lee kept his eyes closed, trying not to let memories of that day occupy his mind. Ben and Clementine stared at him for a while, each with different thoughts about the vicious killer in front of them, and although neither of them knew exactly what to think about Lee yet, it was undeniable that the fear they had at first, subsided.

Maybe it was a plan of his. A plan to make them let their guard down, to make them trust him, who knows.

But, well, that was a risk the two of them were willing to ignore.