Kenny slowly stood up, groaning softly at the strange sensation that spread through his body.

He was dazed by the noise of the explosion, his vision was slightly blurred, but after a while he recovered and stood up properly.

He looked around, focusing his eyes on the large hole in the wall, where numerous zombies were entering the community.

He turned to the side and focused his eyes on Duck, walking over to the boy and helping him up, feeling the worry in his chest ease when he saw that he was all right.

- We have to get out of here.

he said, looking at David and Javi, who were already standing and observing the situation.

Some of the guards started shooting in the direction of the zombies, while others ran off in random directions.

Kenny's eyes widened when he saw that some people were throwing grenades not only at the walls, but at the buildings as well.

- David... Kate, Gabe and Mariana, we need to go after them!

Javi said in a desperate tone, starting to run towards the car next to him and taking the girl in his arms, running towards the building next to the park with David right behind him.

Kenny looked at Clementine and put his hand gently on her shoulder as she stared at the hole in the wall.

- Clementine... we need to get out of here.

He said, looking at the building David and Javi had just entered. The streets were blocked off with guards who started shooting at people, and throwing grenades at the buildings.

Kenny cursed softly as he saw the chaos that had spread through the community.

Clementine looked at him as if she had just come out of a trance, then turned and looked around.

- Those guys went that way! We can't get past those guards, come on!

Kenny said, starting to run towards the building ahead. Duck and Clementine were running right behind him.

On the way, he looked at all the people being shot and wondered why this was happening, they were from the same community, weren't they?

They arrived at the building and Kenny opened the door with some violence, closing it quickly as Clementine and Duck passed by.

They heard the muffled shouts of David and Javi, calling for Kate and Gabe a few hallways away.

They ran toward their voices, and Kenny couldn't stop himself from looking at the rooms across the hallway.

Several people were standing there, scared, some even confused, not knowing what was happening. People were hurt and crying.

- Mom, are you okay?

Kenny heard a boy ask as he passed in front of a door, and he felt his body stop running, looking at the scene of the boy lightly shaking his mother, who had a bullet wound in her chest.

That must have been a desperate situation for someone so young, and Kenny couldn't help but feel guilty, even though it wasn't his fault.

From what little he had understood, not everyone in that community was a bad person, and for an innocent person to be caught in the crossfire was heartbreaking.

However, the new frontier was to blame for the horrible things they did, and that, resulted in the involvement of people who had nothing to do with it.

He shook his head and shook off those thoughts, running back toward the voices ahead.

Before he could get much further, however, the door through which they had entered was abruptly opened, causing Kenny to turn around.

His eyes widened as he saw some people come in with guns in hand and start shooting in the direction of the rooms.

He quickly takes the pistol from his waistband and shoots in the direction of these people while striding forward.

The guards were startled by the bodies that began to fall and retreated, firing in Kenny's direction, who hid in a nearby room, taking advantage and reloading his pistol.

He heard a low cry coming from behind him, and a boy was crouched in the corner of the room with a little girl in his arms, surrounding her protectively, like a good big brother.

Kenny sighed heavily and looked at him sympathetically.

- I'm not going to hurt you.

he said, turning toward the door as he heard the footsteps of the guards approaching.

- As soon as I give the signal, take the girl and get out of here. Follow the corridor, you'll find some good people.

Kenny said, raising his pistol and preparing to leave the room. But first, he turned his head slightly to the side, looking at the boy as if expecting an answer.

The boy was confused for a few moments, but nodded to him, whispering a low, almost inaudible "thank you."

Kenny turned forward as he softened his expression upon hearing the boy's thanks.

When the guards got too close, he came out of the room, already shooting the first person he saw. Stepping forward, he grabs the man by the shirt and pushes him back while shooting over his shoulder, using his body as a shield until he gets close enough to the room ahead.

- Now, kid!

he shouted, pushing the guard forward and grabbing his rifle, starting to shoot in the direction of the guards, who were hit as they retreated to the exit.

The boy did as he said. He picked up his sister and ran down the hall.

Kenny heard the boy's footsteps moving away and ran to the nearest door, grabbing another rifle from the body of one of the guards on the way and entering the room.

His eyes focused on a few people shrinking in front of him. Men, women, all looking at him with fear in their eyes, fearing that he would hurt them.

Kenny tried to say something, however, an explosion happened in the hallway, causing him to lose his balance and fall to the ground from the impact.

He shook his head, feeling his ear ringing from the noise. Just as he recovered, a boy's cry echoed through the hall.

His mind went back to the boy he had seen in one of the rooms earlier. He stood up quickly and grabbed his rifle, walking down the hallway destroyed by the grenade while firing toward the door.

He entered the room where the boy was, and looked ruefully at the child, who was crying loudly as he tried in vain to get his mother to move. But, unfortunately, she was already dead.

Kenny put the rifle on his back and walked over to the boy, crouching down at his height.

- Hey, kid. We have to get out of here... we have to get your mother out of here.

He said, placing his hand gently on the boy's shoulder, and the boy looked up at him startled, tears streaming down his face.

The boy just ignored him, and continued to cry, turning to his mother's body and burying his face in the hollow of her throat.

Kenny looked at the door, worried that the guards might have come in.

- Look, kid, I know your dad, okay? He's out there waiting for you.

He tried again, and this time the boy looked up at him in surprise, sobbing hard as he tried to find some form of comfort in Kenny's words.

- M-m-my... f-father...?

The boy asked through sobs, drying the excess tears streaming down his face, and trying to get a clearer look at Kenny.

- Yes, he's out there. So we need to...

He tried to say, but the sound of something bouncing behind him caught his attention.

His eyes widened, he felt the air being forced out of his lungs, the room became cold, and everything seemed to go into slow motion.

His eyes focused on the grenade in front of the destroyed wall of the room. His heart beat faster, and the adrenaline kicked in.

His body moved automatically toward the boy. His arms encircled his small body and he pulled him against his chest in a protective manner, completely covering the boy with his own body.

Kenny closed his eyes, and waited for the explosion of the grenade.

At first, he felt nothing, only a strong impact that threw his body forward. His ears were ringing loudly and he was stunned by the noise.

As he recovered, the pain increased. It became so strong that it was almost impossible for Kenny to move without feeling as if his flesh was being torn apart.

He lifted his head with difficulty, lowering his eyes and looking at the boy, a little relieved to see that he was all right.

Kenny didn't even have time to think, the footsteps of the approaching guards echoed through his ears.

He turned around, screaming in pain as he moved, grabbed the rifle next to him and aimed it at the shattered walls of the room, almost crying from the excruciating pain in his back and sides.

Kenny pulled the trigger and killed all the guards that appeared in his line of sight, not stopping firing until he ran out of ammo.

He breathed heavily, desperate for air as he felt that his body was about to collapse.

Kenny fell to the ground, wanting to scream as he felt his body crash against the cold concrete. At that point, he couldn't even cry, or scream, or move anymore.

Pain, that was the only thing he felt at the moment.

His eyes glanced at the next guard who appeared in the hall. The man aimed his rifle in his direction in slow motion, and put his finger on the trigger.

However, the guard's body fell to the side, with blood spurting from the newly formed hole in his head.

- Father!

Duck's voice echoed in his ears, and Kenny watched with some desperation as Duck ran towards him with a worried look on his face.

- Oh no... Dad... Oh God, no...

The boy was desperate, staring at the huge wound on Kenny's back, and watching the blood drain from his body.

-... Get... Out...

Kenny said with difficulty, his voice didn't seem to come out of his throat.

Duck looked at him with tears forming in his eyes, and Kenny could see all the feelings that were conflicting inside the boy.

Fear, anger, sadness, despair... all mixed up in his eyes.

Kenny lifted his arm with some difficulty and pointed at the boy behind him.

-The... Boy... There are other... other people...

He said, and Duck looked at the boy.

He grimaced in pain as he tried to stop the tears from streaming down his face. His chest hurt, his heart burned, he felt as if he were bleeding inside.

Duck closed his eyes tightly, feeling the heavy tears streaming down his cheeks. He stood up and took the boy in his arms, running down the hall as fast as he could.

Kenny was breathing weakly, but greatly relieved.

He didn't care about the excruciating pain in his back, or the cold filthy floor he was lying on...

Or about dying in that community full of crazy people.

As long as Duck was safe and well, Kenny didn't care what happened to himself.

In fact, he was surprised that he had lived this long. It was one of the things he thought about most.

He swore that he would die from a bullet to the head of some thug, or from a mistake he made that resulted in him being bitten. Or even in a car accident on an empty road while teaching someone to drive.

That would be a stupid way to die, but one in which he always imagined would happen, and much sooner.

(...)

Duck was running down the corridor with the boy in his arms, looking back all the time.

- Duck, what happened? Where's Kenny?

Clementine asked further ahead, right next to Gabe and Mariana. Duck ignored her question, and her worried face.

He just put the boy on the ground in front of her and gasped heavily.

- Get him out of here! Now!

he said, turning and taking the rifle from his back again, causing Clementine to look at him in disbelief and confusion.

- Duck...

She called out to him and walked toward him, but he turned sharply with an angry look on his face, tears streaming down his cheeks furiously, scaring the girl.

- Get him out of here, Clementine!

he said, hearing the structure of the building creak as he took quick steps toward the door ahead.

Duck shot at the guards who tried to enter, and walked into the room, looking at the people cowering in the corner with a certain anger on his face.

- Go! Get out of here!

He said loudly, giving them enough space to pass, but none of them moved, and they all looked at him with uncertain and frightened looks.

- I said get the fuck out!

He said it again, louder than before, which resulted in the people shrinking a little more.

Annoyed, Duck aimed for the wall, right next to one of the men standing there, and shot.

As soon as he did, the people got up and started running from there, following the corridor.

Duck looked at them for a moment, if they didn't go for good, they would go in fear.

One of the guards entered the building, shooting the group of people running down the corridor, hitting a woman in the leg.

The woman groaned in pain and fell to the ground. Duck turned quickly and shot at the guard, who backed away and left the building again.

The boy walked toward the woman and helped her up.

The structure of the building creaked again, and Duck felt something fall on his head. As he looked up, his eyes widened when he saw the crack in the roof. That floor was collapsing.

In one swift movement, he pushes the woman forward and jumps back, preventing them both from being crushed when the ceiling collapsed.

- Duck!

Clementine shouted, looking at him worriedly over the remains of the roof.

Javi stepped up behind the girl and pulled her back when another part of the roof collapsed.

- Get the fuck out of here!

The boy shouted, turning and walking toward the room where Kenny was lying, shooting toward the doorway along the way and tossing the rifle aside as he ran out of ammo.

Kenny was still awake, and his eyes widened at seeing Duck there again. He ignored the agonizing pain he was feeling and tried to get up.

Duck looked at him worriedly and held him by the shoulders, helping him to sit up, even though he thought he should stay down.

- Try not to move, Dad.

He said, looking around for anything useful, but doubting that he would find anything besides the weapons of the guards that both he and Kenny had killed.

- Get out... Get out of here, Duck...

Kenny said in a tired voice, mixed with the despair he felt at seeing his son still in that place.

- Don't start that shit!

Duck said, turning around and picking up one of the rifles from the ground, watching another part of the roof collapse.

He jumped back, falling on his back to the ground as he gasped slightly from almost being crushed.

Kenny shook his head in frustration, and closed his face in anger, and fear.

- Duck... please... please... get out of here...

He said, in a tone as weary as before, but the boy just ignored him, shooting toward the entrance.

His eyes widened as another grenade was thrown in his direction. Duck cursed softly and turned around, throwing himself forward when the explosion happened.

His body was thrown toward the wall from the impact, and Kenny looked at him desperately, tears streaming down his face.

Dripping on the floor at the same rate as the blood trickling from Duck's forehead.

- Duck!

Kenny shouted, crawling toward Duck, who stood up dazed, placing a hand on his throbbing head.

The Kid straightened his posture and picked up his rifle again. His eyes widened as he saw some people aiming rifles in his direction through the window.

He raised his gun and fired first, killing some of the people before being hit in the upper chest.

Duck groaned in pain and fell backwards, hearing the cry of despair and terror that Kenny gave as he saw him fall to the ground.

Kenny gritted his teeth and used all the strength he had to get up, enough to walk crouched toward Duck, who groaned in pain pressing on the bullet wound.

He cried softly beside the boy, taking the rifle from his hands and screaming as he stood up, turning to the window soon after and shooting at the rest of the people, stopping firing only when he ran out of ammo.

A shot echoed from further away, and Kenny cried out in pain once more as he felt his shoulder being hit, falling to his knees on the ground, feeling his consciousness trying to leave him.

Duck crawled to the side and grabbed his pistol, firing at the guards who insisted on entering through the front door.

However, there were too many guards for him to kill at once, and both he and Kenny were hit. In the abdomen, and in the back, respectively.

Duck groaned in pain once more, but continued shooting, only stopping when he saw the bodies of the two men lying on the ground, with bullet holes scattered across their chests.

Another part of the roof collapsed, making it impossible to get in, and out of that room.

Duck gasped heavily, groaning loudly in pain as he crawled toward the wall.

He stood up with pain, crying out in agony as he sat up. Then he leaned his body forward, and helped his father do the same.

They sat down next to each other, both wounded, shot, tired...

They both stared with distant eyes at the wall of the destroyed room, listening to the explosions going on around them and feeling the building shaking.

-You... you should... you should have left.

Kenny said beside him, almost in a whisper, bowing his head and looking at his pitiful state.

Duck turned his head towards him and gave a small smile, propping his head against the wall.

- I... I had to help those people... right?

He said weakly, spitting out a small amount of blood as he leaned his body forward, shoring his back against the wall again soon after.

- Besides... I wouldn't fucking leave you here... in this state, in this shitty place... no way.

Duck said with a tired sigh, feeling the blood dripping from his mouth over his arm that covered the wound in his abdomen.

Kenny, despite the heavy tears streaming down his face, also gave a small smile, and propped his head on the wall, feeling that he would pass out at any second.

His body became weaker and weaker, more and more numb, and his eyes grew heavier and heavier.

- Hmpf... you... you're as stubborn as a damn mule.

Kenny said, closing his eyes and waiting for the darkness to embrace his body.

Duck giggled softly at the comment, and placed his hand over his father's one.

-Mom used to say the same thing about you.

He said in a whisper, looking at the grenade that had just been thrown through the window, falling at his feet.