- Are you guys okay?
The boy next to him asked, and Ed turned to him.
Although still clearly affected by everything that had happened, the boy seemed a little calmer, but one could see his hands trembling, his eyes restlessly checking the rearview mirror all the time, and the failed attempts to try not to let the nervousness take over his body.
-... We just lost our home... but yes... we're fine.
Ed said, putting a hand on his face and sighing tiredly. In the days he had been locked up in his house, he hadn't encountered any of those runners, only the slow ones.
If he had been chased by any of those running ones, he probably wouldn't be there.
They looked as dead as the others, with internal parts of their bodies exposed, blood dripping from their mouths, or open wounds, but they could run.
How? Were they not dead?
Or were they actually living people, but infected with some kind of virus?
If they were alive... then Lee killed a lot of people...
He helped them, but the coldness with which he killed those... things, were somewhat disturbing.
Although shocked by the whole situation, he didn't hesitate to pull the trigger of that shotgun.
Maybe it was a killer instinct. Ed knew very well that he would not act that way.
He couldn't look one of those things in the face and just pull the trigger, not that easily.
Or maybe it was just the adrenaline in his body that made him act without hesitation. The heat of the moment.
But still, he had killed before... it meant that now, he had some experience. He was getting used to it.
Ed grumbled softly, the whole situation was a pain in the ass, to say the least.
He had lost his home, the town was taken over by people who turned into monsters, he had helped a murderer, and this same murderer was in the bucket in the same car he was in.
What if the police sees him as an accomplice?
Well... he saved his life, so... a, fuck, who's to say that he won't cause other problems in the future? Especially with a shotgun in hand.
Clementine hugged her own knees as she stared fixedly at some random point in the car, her mind wandering on everything that had gone on in the past few days.
She wasn't sure how to feel, too many mixed feelings inside her, and her confused mind didn't help much.
At least she had her parents, she wasn't alone against those things.
Her mind wandered to the bodies she saw just now, men and women who had turned into monsters, their deformed, bruised and bloody bodies falling to the ground as the bullets from that shotgun pierced their skulls and exploded their brains.
She knew those things would attack them, try to kill them, or worse, so Lee doing that was... necessary.
But still, until a few days ago, she was playing with her father with her walkie talkie, watching movies on TV in her living room.
She couldn't imagine that people would start attacking each other.
- I'm Shawn, Shawn Greene, that's Chet in the back, you guys?
The boy introduced himself, taking them out of their thoughts, and out of their worries for a while.
- Ed... this is Diana, and Clementine.
The girl looked for a moment at Shawn, and then turned her gaze to the road. It was already dark and she didn't even notice.
- Man... do any of you know what's going on?
- No idea. The news said that some kind of virus had escaped from a lab or something. Then they asked everyone to stay home... we were following that warning... until that happened.
Ed glanced over his shoulder, seeing Lee talking about something with the other guy in the bucket.
- Jesus...those things are all over the city. And those ones running...God, I've never been so terrified before...good thing Lee showed up with that shotgun.
Shawn said, looking in the rearview mirror once again, sighing with relief.
Both for getting out of town, and for not having any of those things chasing them.
-... Yeah... good thing he showed up... it's not often that a murderer saves your ass.
Ed said.
Although he was grateful that Lee had saved his life, he couldn't help but doubt his actions, distrust him.
- What? Murderer?
Shawn asked, taking a quick look at Ed, and then at Lee, slightly confused.
- Yes. He told me he was going to jail for killing a guy in a fight.
Shawn was silent for a few moments, apparently thoughtful.
- Well... the world really is full of surprises. He saved our lives, well, whatever, I have to pay him back.
The boy said, shaking his head slightly and looking back once more.
Ed stared at him for a moment, then turned his gaze back to the road as Shawn turned the wheel and drove down a dirt road that led to a farm up ahead.
As soon as he parked the pickup truck, Chet and Lee jumped out of the bucket, and they stepped out of the car, looking at an old man who had just opened the door and was walking towards them.
- Hey, Shawn. I better get home, Mom must be worried sick.
- No sweat, man. Thanks for the help.
- It was nice to meet you guys. I hope you find your family, Lee. It was nice talking to you.
Chet said, waving to them, and smiling slightly at Lee, who waved back.
Clementine alternated her gaze between the two of them, and focused on Lee for a few moments.
He was a murderer, right? But, he saved her father...and helped them get out of Atlanta, so, technically, he was cool, right?
Oddly enough, even with that dried blood on his clothes, he didn't scare her as much as the monsters she saw earlier.
- I'm glad you came back in one piece.
You said, hugging Shawn for a moment.
- It's good to be back, I couldn't have done it without Chet's help.
- Good thing you took him then.
The man said, and turned to them.
- You brought some guests.
He said gently, putting his hands on his waist, and passed his gaze over them, stopping for a moment at Lee, where his gaze became a little more serious, and attentive.
- Your son is a lifesaver.
Lee said, smiling at the old man in a friendly way, trying not to make him so suspicious, or uncomfortable with his presence.
-... Glad he could be of help to someone.
- I can say the same for Lee. He might look a little... strange... with all the blood and the gun, but, he saved our lives back in town.
Shawn said, and the old man stared at Lee for a few moments, until his expression relaxed.
- This is Ed, Diana, and the little girl is Clementine.
Shawn introduced them, and the man ran his eyes over them.
- It's a pleasure to meet you, sir. I'm...sorry if...we're disturbing you or something.
Diana said, looking at him with a mixture of weariness and kindness.
- Well, I'm Hershel Greene. And you don't have to worry about that, it's always nice to know that my son is helping other people in need. Especially a family.
He said, crouching down and looking at Clementine sympathetically.
- I can't imagine the things this little girl has seen. If the situation in the city is as bad as the news reports say, it must have been horrible.
Hershel stood up, and faced Lee once more.
- Although I am grateful that you saved my son, as he said, I am going to have to ask you to give me the gun... I hope you understand.
He said, and Lee held the shotgun horizontally, with the barrel facing away from the other people, and limped slightly toward Hershel.
- I completely understand, and looking at my appearance, I wouldn't trust myself either. Besides, I'm kind of out of ammo.
He said with a small smile, handing the gun to the older man, who nodded slightly at him.
- I'd give you Shawn's clothes, but, you're a pretty big guy... I don't know if they'll fit.
Hershel said, looking at de Lee from bottom to top.
- Don't worry about it, your son has already helped a lot in town, and so have you, letting me stay on your farm and all...
- Don't worry about it, Lee. I must have some clothes that should fit you.
Shawn said, waving to him and going into the house.
- Since you are already going in, check on your sister.
Hershel said, before Shawn closed the door again.
- I hope you don't mind taking a shower out here. You know, I can't let you in with all this blood on your clothes.
Hershel said.
- You're already doing far more than I could ask, Hershel. I appreciate it.
Lee said, looking at the genuinely grateful old man, with a small smile on his lips.
Hershel stared at him for a few moments, until he smiled a little, and looked at the others.
- Do you need anything? Are you hungry?
he asked, looking at Ed, and focusing his eyes for a moment on Clementine.
- No, we're fine, thank you.
- The house already has my family, you can stay in the barn, there's already a family there, but, it's big enough for all of you.
- We appreciate it.
Diana said, and Hershel nodded to her, watching Shawn hand some clothes to Lee.
- So, where are you heading tomorrow?
- Toward Macon, I suppose.
Lee said, as soon as Shawn told him where he could shower and change his clothes.
- We... we don't know... we lost our home in Atlanta... we have nowhere else to go... not now.
Diana said, looking at the floor, with a certain desperation in her gaze.
- Well, I am sorry to hear that... I don't know what I would do if I lost this farm... you can stay here for a while, but... at some point or another, you have to leave, I... I hope you understand.
Hershel said with some regret in his voice, and Ed sighed lightly, running his hand over his head.
- I understand... thank you so much... for everything.
Diana said, and soon they were walking towards the barn, while Lee went the other way.
Time passed, and they lay down, but none of them felt sleepy, they couldn't sleep.
Even though they were tired, their bodies just didn't feel safe enough to rest.
Diana just kept her eyes closed, hoping that she would sleep soon.
Ed was sitting up, his back propped up on one of the only wooden beams that were not hidden by the hay in the place.
He couldn't sleep even if he was exhausted, he had lost everything.
His home, his old life, friends... and even a part of himself in such a short time.
Days, it took only a few days for him to change, and he himself noticed this change.
He was different, colder, more easily irritated.
It wasn't just stress.
Clementine was lying down, staring at the dark ceiling of the barn, with the little light that came into the place.
She didn't really want to sleep, she knew that those things she saw earlier would appear in her dreams, making them nightmares.
Her eyes focused on a shadow that formed in the place, and she looked at Lee, who was calmly walking towards a sheet not far from there, which would serve as his bed.
He was looking much better, all that blood was hiding the "normal" way he looked.
He was wearing a black shirt, with a standard pair of jeans, and the same shoes.
The clothes had gotten a little tight on him, outlining his physique, but it was much better than having blood smeared all over his body.
He sat up, and stared at some random spot in the barn, not looking like he could sleep either.
The girl sighed slightly and turned away, trying to concentrate on something else.
She felt that some monster would come out of some of the corners she looked into, that some monster would come into the barn at night and get her while she slept.
- Dad?
The girl called out to him, and Ed looked at her with an unchanged face.
- Are those things going to get us?
she asked, her voice a little low, and a downcast, fearful look came over her face.
- Just go to sleep, Clementine.
He said, a little harder than he really wanted to, but he couldn't help it.
He was stressed, irritated, scared, lost, disoriented... and many other feelings he couldn't identify.
The girl stared at him for a few moments, and then looked down sadly, hugging her own body and trying not to think about those creatures.
- Don't worry, kid. They won't catch anyone here.
Lee's thick voice caught her attention, and the girl stared at him for a while.
It was safe to talk to him, right? He wouldn't hurt them... he didn't hurt them before.
- Are you sure?
She asked after a while, and Lee smiled at her, in an attempt to comfort her.
- Your dad and I will stay awake, they won't be able to get in here.
He said, and Ed stared at him, but Lee just ignored him, maintaining eye contact with the girl.
- All night?
- All night.
The girl stretched out on the sheet and closed her eyes, trying to believe his words and calm her body.
Some time had passed since then, and Lee kept his gaze outside the barn.
Strange as it was, he was not sleepy.
-Can't you sleep too?
Ed asked softly after a while, and Lee looked at him for a few moments, until he looked back outside the barn.
- Yes... nightmares.
- Nightmares? Of what, those creatures?
- Strange as it may seem, not about them... but about the guy I killed... he seems to scare me more than those things.
He said, and they were both silent, trapped in their own thoughts.
- Look... I appreciate what you did for me and all...
Ed began, and Lee looked at him.
- But I have to tell you not to talk to my daughter... or my wife...
he said, and Lee continued to stare at him for a while.
A smile broke out on his lips, and he gave a nasal laugh, looking back out of the barn.
- Don't worry, man...
And again, they were silent, not noticing the little girl who alternated her gaze with the two of them.