The path ahead was illuminated by the light of the full moon, making the surrounding forest look so beautiful and fascinating, but at the same time, so frightening and dark. It was as if the darkness of the night showed both sides of the same coin at the same time, and many different sensations passed through his body, coursing through his veins at the same speed as his blood.
The forest was almost completely silent, except for the footsteps echoing through the trees of the group that was walking along the dirt road with their heads bowed. Maybe it was God, who after seeing what they had all been through, decided to give them a moment's rest, a small moment when they shouldn't worry about dead people trying to tear off a piece of their flesh.
Or maybe it was the noise of the gunshots that rang out through the forest a few minutes ago that drew the decomposing corpses towards the farm where some of the people walking now were made prisoners of a family of cannibals.
Personally, Lee believed in the first option, or at least, he wanted to.
He liked to think that there was some purpose to it all, that what happened, although it was entirely the fault of the human race, could serve as a challenge, a test, that people can be good, even in the most difficult and unbelievable situations.
And it was for these thoughts that Lee, a man who does not like the idea of killing, who always tries to keep people together and do the best for them, spared the lives of the two men who tried to kill them and turn them into food.
Even with that anger burning inside him, trying to convince him to go back to finishing off the men once and for all, he didn't do it, he didn't listen to her, and now, he was thinking of a way to put out that fire of revenge that burned in his chest.
His gaze fell on a little girl, who was walking ahead of him, surrounded by people who would protect her, or at least, Lee liked to imagine that they cared enough about her to go that far.
He had known her for no more than three months, but he already considered her his daughter, she was not his blood, but she was the family he never had, the family his wife, his former wife, had denied him for so long.
She was the reason that he always tried to stay positive, that he got up in the morning and tried to get the best out of the people around him, tried to keep the group together, he promised himself, her, and God, that he would do everything possible to protect her, and he hoped that the group would help him keep this promise, despite the constant fights, involving two specific people, which always ended up with him in the middle, having to decide which side to be on.
But he never gave in to either of them, neither to Kenny's pleas, nor to Lilly's reasoning, because he knew that both of them had good points in their thoughts, and neither of them were wrong in thinking that, but neither were completely right.
He never took anyone's side, maybe Kenny's once, when he protected Duck from Larry's clutches in his family's pharmacy. But other than that, all of his actions and thoughts were done with the group above himself, with the two children they had with them as a total priority.
But it seemed that neither Kenny nor Lilly realized this, not that Lee really cared what they thought of him, if they liked or hated him, he didn't give a damn, but this fight between the two was making them blind, unstable, and they were getting more and more paranoid, more angry, and unfortunately, it was up to Lee to solve this impasse, otherwise the days of this group were numbered.
The problem was, he didn't know how to do it, not in a civilized way, where they didn't get on each other's necks for just saying what they thought. And with each passing day, he found himself more and more forced to use force against them, although it hadn't come to that.
Not yet.
He sighed, watching a few people ahead stop for a while to rest, it had been quite a day, and would surely be marked in their minds for the rest of their lives. But he didn't care if he had nightmares that night, or if the eyes of the St John's haunted him every time he closed his eyes, or if the scene of Mark without his two legs fixed itself in his head every time he looked at the flesh of some animal, he would deal with it, as he always did with the horrible things the world threw at him.
He was worried about Clementine, he knew that she was a strong girl, much stronger than any little eight-year-old girl out there, much stronger than even adults, but, even though she was strong, she was a child, it didn't matter if she had seen enough death to linger in her mind for the rest of her life, or if she had a much higher maturity than children her age, she was just a child.
He shook his head and put his hand on his waist, sighing heavily once again.
Lee looks back, watching Kenny leaning against a tree, groaning in pain, as he kept his hand on the bullet wound he had taken from Andy St John.
Kenny had carelessly advanced toward Andy, who was armed and holding his son Duck hostage. The man could very well have killed them both, but he didn't, for whatever reason, and Kenny should only be grateful for that, Lee knew he would be if it were him in the place of the man in question, but Kenny thought differently, he acted on impulse a lot of the time, and he didn't seem to realize that of all people, he was the one who put his family in the most danger, with his careless actions, and with no analytical thought behind them.
Despite feeling that his relationship with Kenny had changed for the worst, he decided to go check on him, see how he was doing, and show that he cares.
Kenny may no longer see him as a friend, or a companion, but Lee still saw him as one, knew he was a good man, had his problems, like everyone else, and understood them.
He would continue to think that way, even if Kenny didn't do the same.
As he approaches, he notices the look the "friend" gave him, straightening his posture and ignoring the pain in his abdomen.
- Duck, Katjaa, can you leave me alone with Lee for a while? - Kenny said.
His tired eyes looked deep into those of his wife, who was looking at him worriedly, like any other faithful wife. Katjaa was a special woman, Lee felt the love she felt for Kenny, he saw her show it almost every day, and saw how she dealt with her husband's problems, which were many.
Lee thought she was a strong woman, and he respected her as one.
He approached Kenny, leaning on the tree next to him.
-...Things are going to get a lot more complicated.
His tired, irritated tone didn't leave his voice, whether it was hours ago, trapped in a freezer, or now, free, alone in the middle of an empty forest.
- Yeah, I figured they would, the whole situation was fucked up, to say the least.
Lee replied, in an equally tired tone. He was exhausted, in fact, the whole situation, mixed with the constant intrigues between Kenny and Lilly, drained all his energy, leaving him exhausted, every day.
Every. Single. Day.
- I did the right thing, and you know it!
His tone became more irritated, his expressions closed and his eyes became sharper, Lee tried to notice something behind Kenny's harsh words, maybe guilt? Shame? Regret? Anything that would show that, deep down, he knew what he did was wrong. That he should have given Larry a chance, just a chance, to live. But he found nothing, no remorse behind his words, no remorse deep in his eyes. Kenny was sure that he had done the right thing, and this was what made Lee sad, and even a little angry.
- I understand that you thought he was dead, Ken, I really do, all I wanted was to give him a chance, the benefit of the doubt, the same way I always did.
His tired tone didn't leave his voice, only deepened, drawn out. He put his hand on his temple, massaging it, feeling as if he was going to collapse at any moment, not from physical, but mental fatigue.
- And I'm telling you he wouldn't have survived that, I expected you to stand by me Lee, to be a friend who showed that you cared about me or my family, but instead you betrayed me.
He said, now a little louder, attracting the attention of Katjaa, who looked in his direction, confused, not understanding why your husband was fighting with him, they were friends.
Or at least they should be.
Lee couldn't believe his ears, his eyes widened, his mouth hung open, and after so long he finally felt his anger, his frustration, pounding in his chest. All the things he held inside him, all the negative emotions he felt from day to day, emotions he ignored, swallowed, all for the greater good, were now building up in his chest.
He felt his muscles stiffen, his blood boil, his face contort into an angry expression he couldn't control.
- What?
he asked, looking steadily at Kenny, who noticed his irritation, surprised to see him angry for the first time.
- Do you even listen to the things you say?
He moved closer, saying between his teeth, not wanting to shout, or call attention to himself, much less say words too bitter because he knew he would regret them later. But he was angry, he couldn't control himself very well, and felt the urge to just explode, and spit in Kenny's face the beautiful truths he had kept with him all this time.
-Who was it that saved your son on Hershel's farm?
he asked, still controlling himself.
- Who was the first to stand between Larry and Duck in that fucking pharmacy?!
Now with a slightly louder tone, feeling his self-control beginning to lose the fight against his anger.
- Who was it that fed YOUR SON and YOUR WIFE when we were literally starving to death?!
He spoke, as loudly as before, now drawing the attention of the rest of the group, who had curious and confused looks in his direction. But Lee just ignored them, focusing on the man in front of him, who was becoming more and more intimidated by his words.
- I supported you, I helped you, every choice I made, I put Clementine and Duck as a priority, in everything I thought I took into account not only you, but your FUCKING FAMILY!
he shouted his last words, now having the full attention of the group, even Lilly, who a moment ago seemed trapped in her own thoughts, and Clementine, who looked frightened at Lee, due to the sudden scream he gave. A loud, angry, and certainly intimidating scream, due to the man's deep, powerful voice.
- You have the nerve to say that I betrayed you when in fact you betrayed yourself. You say we're friends, but you let Andy almost kill me.
He continued, not giving Kenny room to say a single word, and spitting those sentences in his face, knowing he would regret the way he treated him at that moment, but he couldn't contain those feelings in his chest anymore, not anymore.
- Threatens and advances against Danny who HAD A FUCKING GUN AT DUCK'S HEAD!
He yelled, pushing him backwards, hard enough to make him crash into the tree behind him.
- YOU LOVE YOUR FAMILY, BUT YOU put them both in danger because of your incompetence! PUTS THE WHOLE GROUP AT RISK BECAUSE OF YOUR CARELESSNESS, YOU DON'T GIVE A FUCK IF THE PEOPLE AROUND UOU GET HURT!
He didn't care about anything anymore, not the incredulous looks he felt behind his back, nor the frightened look from the girl who had become his world.
- Do you want to keep with this shit Kenny?! All right, you always said you were going to get that RV and take your family to safety, well why haven't you done that yet?
He stopped yelling, but still spoke loudly, slowly controlling himself, but still wanting to say a lot of things to Kenny's face.
But, the little conscience he still had, prevented him from doing so.
- If you would stop fighting with Lilly over whatever shit happened, maybe, you would have opened your eyes. Nobody out there is going to care about your family as much as I do! Nobody is going to risk their life to save Duck the way I did! No one will give up their own food to feed YOUR wife and YOUR child the way I did! But if you still want out, then go for it! Obviously your family is the most important thing, fuck the rest!
He took a deep breath, walking a few steps away, still incredibly angry, but with more control over his body, and with a little more awareness. And not to make things worse, he decided to walk away, to stop it before it got too far.
- I didn't try to save Larry because I'm on Lilly's side, or to stand against you.
His raspy voice pierced people's ears, with the immense irritation behind every word, all that intensity of feeling that could be felt through the sound waves his voice emitted.
- I tried to save Larry, because if I see someone who needs help, I will help! That's the kind of man I am!
He finished, walking with long, deep strides down the road ahead, past the group of people who looked at him with wide eyes.
But before he got too far away from Kenny, he could still hear the last thing he said, the last words that made Lee sure that his relationship with Kenny was broken forever.
- You're the kind of man who can't do what he has to do when it's needed.
