Lee looked ruefully at the grave just beside the bloodstained flowers. He didn't know how long he had been there, how long it had been since he had killed a child...

But with each passing second, the more that horrible feeling in his chest spread through his body, and the more it seemed to want to dominate him.

His hand was still shaky, his breathing was still strong, his heart seemed to bleed in his chest.

He felt like a piece of shit, he felt horrible, like the scum of humanity. He felt just like the people he had killed.

He had never imagined that this day would come... He had imagined several times that he would kill people of different ages to survive, but never a person so young.

In spite of everything he felt, deep down he knew he had done the right thing.

Alice had already suffered too much, and had changed in a way that could no longer be helped, she would live her life in suffering without even realizing it, disguised by a sickly smile.

Lee blamed himself for taking her life, that was clear, but he also blamed those who had done this to the girl. The people in that community were the main culprits, and in a way, Lee had just saved Alice from a life of suffering.

Now she was at peace. She could be the child she never was, and there would be no one to stop it.

God wouldn't let them.

After a while of just looking at the grave, he heard some footsteps approaching from his side. He picked up his pistol and turned his face, watching Brenda walk toward him with a sad, even broken look on her face.

She stopped right beside him, also looking at the grave, focusing her eyes for a few moments on the bloody flowers.

-I... never thought that she...

Brenda tried to say, but couldn't seem to find the right words. She wiped away a lone tear that ran down her face and hugged her own body, looking sadly at the girl's grave.

-She was not normal, Brenda. She may have looked normal, but she wasn't.

Lee said, his raspy voice causing shivers to run down the girl's body.

- I don't know what normal is, Lee. She may have seemed strange to you, but to me, she and I were the same. There was nothing normal about that camp.

Brenda said, lowering her head and closing her eyes, remembering all the "normal" conversations she had with the girl, without having the slightest idea that she would be going through such dark things inside.

-... It's not your fault.

Lee said, raising his head and looking up at the sky. There were still several hours of sunlight left, but he never wanted the night to come as fast as he wanted it to at that moment.

- I... I don't know, maybe if I had paid more attention I could have helped, or I don't know, done something.

The girl said with a sad tone, crouching down in front of Alice's grave, plucking one of the flowers that was not stained red and placed it on the slightly protruding earth.

- There was nothing you could do. You want to blame someone? Blame whoever did this to her, to you.

Lee said, bowing his head and looking at the flower on the grave. He remembered when he had beaten Badger and how good it felt to do that, he almost wished Badger were still alive to beat him again.

However, he still had anger. That camp was still standing, still had members, still had people like that. If he were alone, he would go to that camp and finish it off, kill everyone, without caring.

He had done this before, he might as well do it again. Especially now that he had accepted the fact that he was a pretty damn good killer.

And he had already chosen his next victims.

But he wouldn't risk going to that camp, not with Brenda by his side.

Deep down, he just hoped that he would cross paths with those people again, so that they would save him the trouble of hunting them down from so far away.

-She was my friend... at least I think she was. We went through some horrible things in that camp together. I was the one who gave her the idea to kill everyone there, I was the one who put it in her head.

Brenda said, standing up and running her hand over her face, breathing heavily.

- No, Brenda. It wasn't you. Like I said, blame whoever did this to you two.

Lee said in a serious tone, his voice was huskier, deeper than usual, a reflection of the mixture of sadness, and anger within him.

They stood there for a while longer, and even though he didn't want to, Lee turned around. It was time for them to leave.

He was thankful that the place where he had buried Alice was a beautiful field, at least that much.

-We have to go, Brenda.

He said, placing his hand gently on the girl's shoulder, and she turned her head in his direction. Like him, she didn't want to leave.

For once they left, they would never return to that place. It would be just another tomb forgotten by time.

It hurt to think about it, but Lee had faith that Alice was in a better place, and this, even if only a little, calmed him down.

Brenda turned around after a few more moments, and the two walked back into the forest.

The whole way, Lee replayed, in his mind, the moment when he had shot Alice. That would be marked in him for the rest of his life, something he would never forget.

The day he met a sweet but broken girl... and the day he took her out of her misery.

He didn't want to pull that trigger, and he regretted it, but it was necessary.

Doing the right thing was not always so easy. He just wanted things to be different.

He imagined Clementine in Alice's place, and that was what hurt the most.

That world changed people, and what if it had changed Clementine too? What if she had become like Alice?

He was sure he wouldn't have the strength to do what he did to Alice, not with Clementine.

It wasn't long before they reached the trucks.

Lilly was the first to approach the two, looking at them with a sympathetic expression.

The others were further back, all with heavy, sad expressions. Nobody there would want things to get to that point, nobody wanted this to happen.

Lee noticed the few people there, a few were missing. But he ignored it when he saw that the car was no longer there either

- It's done.

Lee said, passing Lilly with a heavy look on his face, walking with furious and desperate steps to the container.

He never wanted zombies to appear as much as he wanted them to at that moment, he had to relieve that anger, get that frustration out of his chest.

And what better way to do this than to kill some already dead people?

- We... while you were there, we sent Victor, Zoey, Nicole out to get gas in the city... you... need some time.

Lilly said, choosing her words carefully. She knew he needed his grief.

Especially after he had killed a little girl he was so attached to.

He looked at Lilly for a few moments, and nodded slightly to the woman.

Lee sat down in the container, with Brenda right beside him. Those memories would haunt him for a while, until they were replaced by even worse memories in the future, because he knew things would only get worse.

He just hoped that there would be a reward at the end of it all, something that would be worth going through all the suffering.

A few footsteps approached his side, and they both looked at the people walking towards them.

Scott, and that woman, Amanda.

Lee hadn't talked to her yet, and that other one, Nicole.

She was a rather tall woman, a little bigger than Lilly, about the same height as Scott. She had short brown hair, light brown eyes, serious yet delicate features. She didn't look older than 30.

She had a small scar on her neck, some cut made by a knife, or some very sharp blade.

- Hey man, and... and girl, it's... I just wanted to say that I'm sorry... especially for the way I spoke before, I... I was agitated by the whole situation.

Scott said, a little awkwardly, stumbling over his own words. He had a downcast, even slightly embarrassed expression.

-It's all right, Scott. The situation was... somewhat new, and... delicate, for all of us.

Lee said, looking sympathetically at Scott, who nodded, still a little embarrassed.

- Hey, we haven't spoken yet. I'm sorry about... well, about everything. I'm Amanda.

The woman said, also with a bit of regret in her expression. She held up her hand, and Lee squeezed it firmly, despite how little he felt like moving.

- Lee.

He said simply, looking at Brenda, who also shook the woman's hand, unwillingly.

-... Brenda.

The girl said simply, without looking up, her eyes just focused on the ground, with her thoughts messed up in her mind.

- Well, we''ll leave you two alone.

Scott said, turning and walking towards the other truck, next to Amanda.

Lee saw that boy, Zack, wanted to approach and say something, but he was hesitant, unsure if he should really do something, until he gave up and bowed his head.

Lee took a deep breath, feeling his chest burn and his stomach turn.

But these feelings were inhibited, at least a little, when Brenda laid her head on his shoulder.

This was the first time the girl had allowed herself to be so close to him.

(A few hours later...)

Lee opened his eye as he felt the truck stop, and several muffled voices catch his attention.

He looked down, feeling happy to see Brenda lying against his chest. The girl had not wanted to move away from him the entire way, ever since the others had returned with gasoline.

Maybe, the neediness she had always felt was beating stronger now that her only friend had died.

Or maybe she just needed a comfort, something to make that horrible pain in her chest subside.

Maybe both.

The container was opened, and Lee blinked his eyes a few times to get used to the brightness as Brenda wriggled on his lap.

- Well, here we are.

Scott's somewhat despondent but relieved voice caught his attention.

Brenda wriggled a little more until she stood up slowly. Lee stood up shortly after, fixing the machete at his waist, which was stubbornly loose.

They got out of the container and looked at the community.

It was a small village, but with large wooden stakes around it, which served as walls, and a large gate in front of it.

Some armed people were standing next to Victor, apparently very surprised by the enormous amount of supplies in the other truck. They were talking loudly and animatedly, and Lee could see the small smiles on the lips around them.

He looked at Lilly further ahead, and walked towards her, watching the unknown people around him, while being watched by them as well.

- Where did you find all this?

A woman's voice caught Lee's attention. The same woman who was talking to Lilly.

She was tall, dark hair tied up in a bun, dark tired eyes, although lively at the moment. She had a scar on her mouth, serious expressions, and already somewhat advanced, in her early forties, maybe.

- Long story, we can talk inside.

Lilly said, looking at the other people, who were already starting to pick up their boxes of supplies and take them to the community.

- Who are they?

The woman asked, looking seriously, and even a little suspiciously at Lee and Brenda, who didn't even seem to notice her gaze.

- We met them on the road, they helped our group. They are trustworthy, Victor said he is only alive because of them.

Lilly answered, looking at Lee and waving to him to come closer.

- This is Lee, that Lee, from the motel.

Lilly explained, and the woman looked at her with an arched eyebrow, surprised.

- Well, what are the chances? I'm Ellen. I run the community.

The woman introduced herself, extending her hand to Lee, who shook it firmly. They stared at each other for a while, Ellen seemed to test Lee with her gaze alone.

An intense look, perhaps to discover his intentions, or as a form of warning, Lee knew he could be a very intimidating man, especially with his appearance.

But he returned the gaze with the same intensity, causing Ellen to arch an eyebrow, perhaps in surprise.

The woman's strong gaze fell on the girl next to Lee, and softened a bit when she saw her downcast expression.

- She's been through a lot... they've both lost someone... recently.

Lilly explained, looking at Lee, who was pulling Brenda into a small hug. The girl said nothing, just contributed by hugging his torso.

- Oh, I'm sorry to hear that.

She said softly, still looking at the girl for a few moments. Her dark eyes focused on Scott, who approached her slightly excitedly with a box of supplies in hand.

- Hey boss, I see you met our dear friend Lee. Don't worry, he may look like a caveman, but he's a great guy! Victor and Zoey said he saved their lives, a tough guy! I missed you, you know.

Scott said, smiling slightly at Ellen as he passed her, walking quickly into the compound.

Ellen smiled slightly and shook her head, looking at Scott's back.

- Okay, I'll talk to Victor, as soon as we finish getting these supplies to the compound, come meet me in my office. And show these two a spare room, they need a bath.

Ellen explained, looking at Lilly, who just nodded as she turned to Lee.

- Leave your weapons here.

Lilly said, and Lee quickly undid the hug, taking the machete from his waist and handing it to Ellen, who stared at the blood marks on the blade for a while, taking the pistol Lee held out to her shortly after.

-Call Zoey to come with you, Lilly. Ask her to fix that hair, and that beard.

Ellen said, looking at Lee's face for a while, before walking towards Victor.

- I can do this myself, you know.

Lee said, walking beside Lilly as he looked inside the community. It was large, they probably occupied the entire village. There were several people walking around, reminding him slightly of how things were before all this.

- I don't doubt it, but it must be extremely awkward to do this with only one hand, and it will take longer. Don't worry, Zoey will love cutting your hair.

Lilly said, entering a building, about three stories high, as far as Lee could tell. Lilly grabbed some keys from the counter in front of them. They walked up a few flights of stairs until they finally reached the room.

- Make yourselves comfortable, I'll have them bring some clothes for you. There are towels in the closets. And Zoey will be coming in a while.

Lilly explained, closing the door and leaving the two of them to observe the room.

Lee felt a bit nostalgic, it had been a while since he had seen a tidy bed, a tidy room, in fact.

A pleasant change from the dirty, muddy places in the outside world.

It didn't even look like the dead were walking the earth.

His eye focused on the double bed further ahead with an arched eyebrow, but he couldn't complain.

(think of Alexandria, but a little more rustic and a lot less comfortable)

- You... can shower first.

Lee said, putting his backpack in the corner of the room, and walking to the window, watching the streets, and the people below, with a certain kind of normality.

Brenda looked at him for a few moments, before grabbing a towel and going towards the bathroom, closing the door soon after.

(Some time later...)

Lee was leaning in front of the window, still looking at the place as if he couldn't believe his eyes. Was Wellington like that?

He even felt strange for wearing clean clothes, and for feeling clean after his bath. The closest he had come to this was bathing in the river or lake he occasionally came across.

He looked at his body again, hardly believing that he was wearing jeans in good condition, still wearing the same sneakers. He was wearing a black polo shirt. He liked clothes like that, it reminded him of a time when everything was normal.

It also reminded him of the shirt he wore when he was going to prison, despite the different colors.

He looked at the girl behind him. She was lying on the bed with a distant look on her face.

She was wearing a gray blouse and jeans, her tennis shoes were on the side of the bed. She hadn't said anything the whole time, she just lay down on the bed right after she got dressed, and had stayed that way ever since.

Lee just sighed, each dealing with the loss in his own way.

Three knocks on the door caught his attention, and Lee startled slightly, making the same movement he did when he picked up his machete. However, he remembered that he didn't have his blade at the moment, and that the place was safe, no one was going to come shooting in his direction.

At least, not at the moment.

He opened the door and looked at Zoey, who was holding a small purse.

The woman was wearing dark blue jeans, black sneakers, a white shirt under a burgundy jacket.

- Hey Lee, settling in okay?

The woman asked, entering the room and looking around, focusing her eyes for a while on the girl lying on the bed. A certain sadness in her gaze.

- Yes, thank you. It doesn't even seem real, after getting used to more... hostile surroundings.

He replied with a slight smile, closing the door behind him.

- Yeah, I understand you. You'll get used to it. Well, I've been asked to cut your hair, if you don't mind.

She said, pointing to the bathroom as she took some items out of her purse, and placed it between the bed and the bathroom door.

- Oh, sure. Thank you.

He said, walking towards the bathroom while grabbing a nearby chair.

- So... ahm, we didn't have much time to talk after... you know. It didn't make for a very good atmosphere.

She said, running her hand over Lee's still wet hair.

- Yeah, yeah, it was a little... different, for all of us.

Lee said, watching some of his hair slowly start to fall to the ground.

-To say the least... how did you...?

She tried to ask, but interrupted herself before she regretted asking something stupid.

- How do I manage to shoot a little girl in the head?

Lee finished the question for her, who just sighed heavily as she listened.

-I'm sorry, I wasn't supposed to think of asking something like that.

Zoey said, slightly embarrassed.

- Don't worry, it's something I'll get over. But in answer to your question, it wasn't easy. Holding the gun to her head, her back to me not knowing what would happen, not knowing what would interrupt our conversation. It was worse than cutting off my own arm, or losing an eye.

He answered, taking a deep breath as soon as he finished saying it, still feeling the sensation of having pulled that trigger, still distinctly hearing the sound of the girl's body falling to the grass, as if he had done it a few moments ago.

-It must have been terrible... I don't know if I could do something like that, I don't know if I could live with that weight.

She said after a few moments of silence, picking up her hair comb from the sink beside her.

-It was necessary. Alice... deserved peace. And with the thought that she is in a better place, I think I can live with it. At least well enough, even though I didn't want to pull that trigger.

He answered with a sigh, feeling that feeling of crying stuck in his throat.

- What happened makes me wonder what kind of thing a child must have suffered to get to that point.

Zoey said, shaking her head softly.

- A lot of bad stuff. And I blame her actions on the people who made her that way. People I will feel no remorse, no regret in killing, should I ever see them again.

He said with a faint spark of anger in his voice, and Zoey couldn't blame him for thinking that way, for feeling that way.

Deep down, maybe she would even help him.

-What about Brenda? What do you intend to do with her?

she asked, walking in front of Lee and starting to cut his beard. Lee arched an eyebrow.

He had not yet thought about what he would do with the girl, he would protect her as far as he could, but he still had his own quest, his own goal.

- I... I still have someone to find... if she wants to stay here, and if she can, I would feel much more relieved than if she went with me. We don't even know if Wellington really exists, and it might be too risky with those people around.

He answered after being thoughtful for a while.

Zoey looked at him enigmatically, wanting to tell him to stay there, in the community, but she also listened well when he said that he was only alive because he had to find his little girl.

She couldn't help but feel a little conflicted, but kept quiet.

-Brenda needs you... you saw how she is, you are the only thing she has right now. How will she be if you decide to leave?

she asked, and Lee closed his eye tightly at the thought.

Taking the girl with him was too dangerous, and that place looked too good, even more so with all the food they had found, she would be fine there.

There were more people around, decent people, she could be a little happier in that community. Safer, at least.

-I'll... talk to her... when she feels better.

He answered, looking at Zoey, who turned away from him a little, looking up at his face with an arched eyebrow.

A smile broke out on the woman's lips, and Lee stared at her in confusion.

- I have to say, you are much better looking than I thought you would be.

She said, and Lee stood up, leaning over and looking into the mirror.

He arched his eyebrows, surprised at his own appearance. It had been a long time since his beard had been that short, or his hair that neat.

He could not even recognize himself, it was as if he saw a different man. A more dignified, more handsome man, even a little younger, despite the many scars scattered across his face.

(Think of him looking like he did in season 4, only without an eye, with scars all over his face and without an arm... and physically different)

-I feel like I'm looking at someone else.

He said, still surprised by his appearance as he ran his hand along his chin, feeling his soft beard for the first time in a long time.

- Zoey, you're great at this. Thank you very much.

He said appreciatively, looking at the woman beside him with a smile on her face.

She waved the scissors in one hand and put the other at her waist, looking at Lee with a silly smile. It wasn't every day that someone thanked her like that.

- You' re welcome.