(Lee and little Clem are in their season 4 appearance)
Clementine opened her eyes in amazement, standing up suddenly as she sighed in fright.
She was sweaty, her heart was pounding and her hands were shaking from the nightmare she just had.
One of those things had managed to catch her before she reached the pickup truck, and she found herself being dragged away as she screamed for her parents.
She knew she would have nightmares, it was kind of obvious.
In those days she had gotten used to them, so she always hesitated when she went to sleep.
- It was just a bad dream.
Lee's husky voice caught her attention, and the girl looked up at him.
He was still sitting in the same position she had seen him in before she fell asleep, and he was still looking at some random spot outside the barn.
The girl looked to the side, and saw her father sleeping, with his back still propped up on the wooden beam, his head down, and his arm on his knee.
The girl got up and walked slowly forward, trying not to make too much noise so as not to wake the others.
- Can't sleep anymore?
Lee asked, turning his head to the girl and looking at her for a moment.
-... It felt so real.
She said, standing beside him, and looking at the dark farm, being illuminated only by the little light still present in the house, and the weak moonlight.
- It's okay, I have nightmares too.
He said, giving her a slight look, and turning his face away again.
- About the guy you killed, right?
She asked after a while, and slightly widened her eyes when she realized what she had said.
Lee looked at her with an arched eyebrow, but just sighed wearily.
- Yes... I didn't mean to kill him... but I think it would be very hypocritical to say it was an accident.
He said, and the girl stared at him for a moment, hugging her arm in front of her body.
- Do you regret it?
she asked, sitting down next to him and hugging her knees.
He was dangerous, but he had several opportunities to hurt them.
So... he was a good dangerous guy?
-... Yes.
He answered after a while lost in his own thoughts, looking down with a distant gaze.
- How old are you?
he asked, looking curiously at her.
- Eight, I'll be nine in a few months. And you?
- Thirty-seven.
- Thirty-seven? My dad is forty... you don't look that old.
The girl said, tilting her head slightly to the side and looking at his face, which was embellished by a smile.
- Well, thank you.
He thanked her, straightening his posture and resting both arms on his knees.
- You're very young... it's a shame you're going through all this.
He said after a while, bowing his head slightly and sighing.
- What do you do? I mean, what do you do for a living?
The girl asked, looking at the small scar on his arm, just below the wrist.
- I'm a social studies teacher. Well, used to be. What do your parents do?
he said, running his hand through his hair.
- My mother is a doctor, and my father is an engineer.
- Those are good jobs. Which path do you plan to follow?
- I'd like to be a policeman.
She said, and Lee arched an eyebrow, at the same time as a small smile appeared on his lips.
- A policeman is? That's a great job. Makes sense, you're a tough little girl.
he said, and the girl smiled slightly.
- How can you tell?
- Even though you were scared by the whole situation, you didn't cry or whine once. Not even when you had that nightmare. Not to mention that you looked directly at those monsters in the city, instead of avoiding them. It may not seem like much, but these small details can tell a lot about a person.
He said, and the girl stared at him with more intensity, thinking about his words.
- Do you have children?
She asked, and Lee looked at her, staring deep into her eyes for a while.
- No... I always wanted to, but, my ex-wife... well, I guess that was one of the reasons our relationship didn't go so well.
He said, looking back out of the barn.
-... do your parents hate you for killing that guy?
The girl asked, in genuine curiosity.
Despite the small fear of Lee within her, she couldn't help but feel curious about him.
- I wouldn't blame them, I let them down too much.
He replied amidst a tired sigh.
-... They don't hate you... I mean, they might be angry with you, but, they shouldn't hate you.
she said.
- I hope so, Clementine. I hope so.
He said, looking with a faraway look at some random spot outside the barn, and they were silent for a while.
- I think you'd better try to get some sleep, girl. It's been quite a day, you'd better get some rest while you can. And your father wouldn't like to see you talking to me.
he said, breaking the silence and making the girl look at him.
- I heard... but you seem nice, even though you killed someone.
She said, glancing at her father, who was still asleep.
- Is there something wrong between you? I mean, I could tell there was... something.
He asked, and the girl bowed her head, looking at the ground with a sad expression.
- He's been different these last few days... ever since he came back from the airport to Savannah, he doesn't act the same anymore, and every day he changes more. I don't know why.
The girl said, hugging her legs tighter and resting her chin on her knees.
- With everything that's going on, it's understandable. He's just stressed about the whole situation.
- No... not just stressed, he is colder... more distant, and treats me more harshly.
She said, and Lee gave her a sympathetic look.
- Maybe he just saw too much, things he wouldn't see in the normal world. Maybe he did something, or saw someone being devoured in front of him...who knows, maybe he killed someone in the middle of it all.
He said, and the girl widened her eyes in disbelief.
- My father is not like you.
She said, regretting the words that had accidentally come out of her mouth.
Lee looked at her with an arched eyebrow, and she stood there a little awkwardly.
- No... I mean, it's just... sorry...
Lee smiled slightly.
- Don't worry girl, I get what you mean.
He said in a light tone, looking back out of the barn.
- Go on, you need to sleep.
He said, and the girl stood up after a while, but continued to stare at him.
- You're not going to sleep?
- No... I have to make sure those things don't get in here, don't I?
he said, looking at her with an amused expression.
The girl smiled slightly, and turned around, walking back to her bed, and lay down.
The girl closed her eyes, and after a while, finally fell asleep again.
(...)
- Hey, get up. Hershel asked me to wake you up.
A male voice came from the barn, and the girl opened her eyes slowly, scratching them as she stood up.
She yawned and began scratching her arms, looking down at the sheet she was lying on.
- Ahrg, I'm itchy.
She complained lightly, looking at the man just outside the barn entrance.
- Well, you slept in a barn, young lady. You're lucky you didn't wake up with spiders in your hair.
He said, clearly in an amused tone, but one that scared the girl slightly nonetheless.
- But I bet your father scared them all away, huh?
he said, looking at Ed, who stood up and stretched, feeling his body aching from sleeping in a very uncomfortable position.
- You could say that. I'm Ed.
- Are you family too?
he asked, turning to Lee.
- No, we met yesterday. I'm Lee.
He said, getting up and stretching as well.
His body was numb from being in the same position for so long.
- I'm Kenny.
He introduced himself and the girl looked at the boy who had just approached the barn entrance.
- Dad we're going to build a fence! There's a tractor and everything!
The boy shouted excitedly, turning and running off in some other direction.
Kenny sighed lightly.
- We'd better go, or we won't hear the end of this.
He said, and walked out of the barn, with Lee following close behind.
Clementine looked at her father, and then at her mother, waiting for them to leave the barn as well.
- Did you sleep well, Clem?
Diana asked, getting up and scratching her arm lightly, and the girl just nodded.
- What are we going to do? Hershel seems like a good man, but as he said, we can't stay long.
Diana asked, looking at Ed, who sighed and put one of his hands on his head.
Stressed out first thing in the morning.
- We... we can go to my brother's... Macon is not far from here, and there at least we will be in a place where we can stay longer.
ED said, and Diana looked a little distressed for a moment.
-So... are we going with that man, Lee?
She looked hesitant, and the girl arched an eyebrow.
Her mother seemed afraid of him, but, he was a nice guy. Although she was a little afraid of him herself.
- No, we don't have to go today, Hershel himself said we can stay for a while. Look... let's see how things go from today and decide later, okay?
He said, a little harshly, more harshly than he really meant to, and left the barn.
Diana sighed and put her hand on Clementine's back, walking behind him soon after.
Lee glanced back, seeing Ed's somewhat serious, perhaps irritated expression. He seemed to have a strong temper.
- Do you need any help with the car?
Lee asked, walking beside Kenny to the pickup truck, which he hadn't even noticed the day before. Too tired, maybe?
- Nah, I think I got it. The word is that you're going to Macon.
Kenny said, fiddling with some part of the car's engine.
- Yes, my family is there, I hope.
- Well, Macon is on the way. And personally, I would like the help of a guy who can smash some heads if necessary. Shawn said he couldn't have gotten out of Atlanta without your help.
Kenny said, momentarily stopping what he was doing and looking at Lee.
- I should be the one to say that, not everyone would help a guy who was going straight to prison.
He said, and Kenny arched an eyebrow, curious, but at the same time, concerned.
- Prison? For what?
- I killed a guy in a fight...
Lee said, crossing his arms and sighing wearily, looking down.
- I came home after a stressful day at work, you know, grading some papers, organizing some assignments. She was in bed with this guy... I was angry, but, I didn't want to kill him, hurt him a little bit. But after that punch, he fell and hit his neck on the edge of the table.
He said, and plucked up the courage to look into Kenny's judging eyes.
Which to his surprise, were not judging him, in fact, he seemed even a little sympathetic.
- Huh, well, that sucks. I can't say I judge you, if I were in the same situation, I probably would have done the same thing, except I'd want to kill the son of a bitch.
He said, going back to tinkering with the engine, and Lee arched an eyebrow.
- Well, all things considered, and that you are not a child molester, my offer still stands.
He said, and Lee looked at him with a mixture of surprise.
When the news of what he had done spread, he had received many judgmental looks.
- Really?
- The way I see it, you could have shot Shawn and taken the truck for yourself. But, not only did you help them with the car, you went back for that family, at least, that's what Shawn said. That already makes you better than many people within the law that I have met before I got here.
Kenny said, leaning back in the car and shaking his head slightly, amidst a sigh.
- Well... thank you.
Lee thanked him, looking back, and focusing his eyes for a moment on Duck, who was walking with Shawn to the back of the farm.
- Duck seems to be pretty lively, considering everything that is going on.
- Well, there's the name. He's a strong kid, although I still think it's because he's dumber than a bag of hammers.
- He probably has seen a lot, even if he is really dumb, he probably knows that things are wrong. A strong boy, for sure. Just like the girl.
Lee said, and Kenny looked at Clementine, who was talking to Katjaa next to Diana.
- How did you know them, anyway? Neighbor?
- No, I was in a car accident on the way to prison. Those things devoured part of the body of the policeman who was with me. I was lucky, but my leg was injured, so I went to her house for help.
He said, looking at Kenny.
- Hm, things have really gone to hell. Let's hope this situation will be resolved in a few days, maybe a few weeks.
Kenny said, sighing and leaning his body on his car, looking at Lee.
- Man, I hope so. To be honest, I'd rather go to jail than have those things chasing me.
- Huh, tell me about it.
- Nice talking to you, Kenny. I'll see if there's anything I can do to help here.
- Okay, it was interesting talking to you. And, um... thanks for the honesty, I guess. Most people would rather keep quiet about some things.
- Better I tell you now than to go with you and your family and you find out some other way later.
Lee said, and Kenny shook his head.
He walked to the back of the farm, feeling Ed's gaze on him for a while, until it disappeared from his line of sight.
- Hey, Duck. How's it going with the tractor?
he asked, looking at the boy with a small smile.
- Awesome! That's pretty cool! Shawn is going to let me build the fence too!
He said excitedly, turning the wheel of the tractor sideways in a hurry.
Lee's smile widened at the boy, it was comforting to see a scene like that. It took his mind off the things he saw, the things he did, everything that was happening.
- Hey, Shawn. Need some help?
He asked, looking at the young man who was crouched in front of the fence.
- Hey, Lee. Actually, I'd appreciate it if you cut those boards in two for me, it doesn't have to be many.
He said, and Lee walked over to the table in front of him, taking the saw and positioning the boards.
- Man ... my father has no idea how bad things are.
Shawn said after a while.
- Understandably, if I lived in a place like this and you told me that people were turning into monsters in the city, I wouldn't believe it either.
Lee said, taking another board and sawing it in half.
- I saw a guy in Atlanta shoot a kid. He didn't even hesitate, he just turned around, put the revolver between the boy's eyes, and pulled the trigger. You don't see things like that, it's not like in the movies.
Shawn said, turning to Lee.
- Jesus ... was the kid infected or something?
- Man, I don't even know. He was either calling for help or trying to attack him.
Shawn said, and they were silent for a moment.
- I don't know if I could do what you did yesterday. I mean, shoot those things. I know it was necessary and all, but, like I said, you don't see things like that.
Shawn said, and Lee sighed slightly.
- At that moment, I didn't even think. The adrenaline kicked in, and I just wanted to get to the car.
Lee said, stopping sawing for a moment, lost in his thoughts, reviewing that scene from the day before.
-... And I'm glad that happened, I don't know if I could get out of there, not with all those things around the car.
Shawn said, and looked at Lee once more.
- That's all I need for now, Lee. Thanks for the help.
He said, and Lee put the saw on the table again.
- No problem ... I'm the one who should thank you, for the ride, the clothes and all.
Lee said, walking over to the boy.
- Nah, don't sweat it man. My dad said he wanted to talk to you, he's probably in the barn right now.
He said, and Lee nodded, turning and walking towards the barn again.
When he got there, he found Hershel adjusting the hay in the place.
The old man saw him, and let out a nasal grumble, with a certain sneer, causing Lee to arch an eyebrow.
- What were you doing before you found my son?
he asked, and Lee knew right away what the old man meant.
- I... I was on my way to prison. I was in a car accident, the policeman who was with me was killed by those things, the shotgun is his. I went to Ed's house to ask for help, and then I found Shawn.
Lee said, and Hershel sighed.
Now, apparently, a little nicer than before.
- Well... at least you're honest. Shawn said that you killed a man in a fight. Why?
- He... he and my wife... well, you can imagine. I didn't mean to kill him, but after I punched him, he fell and hit his neck on the edge of the table.
He said, not looking away from Hershel, despite the clear shame he felt when he said this.
-... Hm, I'm not going to judge you, if that's what you're thinking, it's not up to me. You seem like a cool guy, and considering what you've done, I'm just going to ignore all that. Besides, when I was younger, I've also been to prison a few times.
Hershel said, crossing his arms, and Lee arched an eyebrow, looking at him with a mixture of surprise and curiosity.
- Ah, drinking. Me and booze used to be great friends, years ago. And I ended up doing a lot of stupid things. I have known cops who could be worse than the inmates themselves, and inmates who were good people, who just made a mistake in the heat of the moment. So my effort to ignore what you did.
Hershel said, and Lee looked at the old man lightly, even appreciatively.
Before he could say anything, however, they both heard two screams, one followed by the other.
They ran out of the barn and looked to where Duck and Shawn were, seeing the tractor over Shawn, and Duck being grabbed by a zombie.
Clementine looked straight ahead, seeing all of this, scared, not knowing what to do.
However, it wasn't only this that caught his attention. In the field behind the fence, two zombies were running quickly towards them.
- Go! I'll get the guns!
Hershel shouted, and Lee ran toward Duck, focusing his eyes on the zombie clutching him.
Running his gaze over the scene, it seemed as if time had gone into slow motion, and he focused his eyes on a screwdriver in one of the toolboxes just behind the tractor.
He ran and grabbed the screwdriver, turning to the zombie that was grabbing Duck, and stuck the screwdriver in his eye, killing him.
- I got you!
Kenny said, taking Duck in his arms and stepping away from the tractor.
- Now...
Lee tried to say, but his eyes focused on the two zombies, who were already right in front of the fence.
They threw themselves so hard that they broke part of the small wooden structure.
Lee ran towards them, trying to buy time for the others to get Shawn out from under that tractor.
One of the zombies looked at him and advanced toward him.
He was fast, as fast as an athlete.
Which might make sense, since they were dead, they didn't get tired, or the muscle fatigue didn't bother them.
But on the bright side, their muscles would deteriorate more and more.
Lee tried to stab the screwdriver into the zombie's head, however, it grabbed his arm, and his shoulder, trying to bite his neck.
Lee put his hand in front of him, and struggled against the zombie, trying to push it away.
Ed approached and looked at the situation.
Although Shawn was down, both zombies seemed focused on Lee.
He had the perfect chance to help the boy.
But he couldn't... he just couldn't.
His body locked up, memories of when he had been knocked down by one of those things flashed through his mind.
He didn't know if it was fear, or if he just didn't want to get involved.
Lee put one hand on the neck of the zombie in front of him, and the other on the neck of the other zombie that had gone towards him, being pushed back further and further by the force of both of them.
He couldn't hold out much longer.
Trying to free himself, he kicks the zombie in front of him in the leg and pushes him back, focusing only on the other one.
What he didn't realize was that the zombie he knocked over focused its eyes on Shawn and advanced towards the boy.
A scream was heard, but only briefly, as his voice was choked with his own blood.
Lee was pushed backwards hard, and was knocked to the ground by the zombie.
However, he took advantage of the fall and moved his arm, shoving the screwdriver into the zombie's mouth until the tip came out through its forehead.
Groaning slightly, he pushes the thing's body to the side, and stands up half out of breath.
His eyes first met on Kenny, who was holding Duck in his arms and looking at him in a mixture of gratitude, fear, and anxiety.
Then he focused on Clementine, who was looking at him, scared, but at the same time, with a strange gleam in her eye.
And finally, he looked at Shawn, or rather, at the zombie that was devouring the boy's neck.
A gunshot was heard, and soon after, Hershel approached his son's body, placing both his double-barreled shotgun and Lee's shotgun on the ground.
The atmosphere became heavy, tense, and an uncomfortable silence hung over the place.
-... Get out...
Hershel said softly, and then turned around angrily.
- Get the fuck out of here!
He shouted angrily, focusing his angry eyes on Ed and Kenny for a while.
-... I'm sorry.
Kenny said, looking down.
- Sorry?! Your son is alive, you don't get to be sorry!
He shouted, and turned to Ed.
- AND YOU! You didn't even try to help... you just stood there looking... what if it was your little girl in there, huh?! Well, I'll tell you what will happen, she will die because you are a fucking coward!
He shouted, pointing his finger at Ed, who was looking at him in a mixture of shock and regret, yet he said nothing.
What could he say.
- I... I'm sorry, I thought I could be faster... help both of them.
Lee said, taking a few steps towards Hershel, who stared at him for a few moments.
- Incredibly, the murderer was the only one who tried to do something! You don't have to worry, I saw it when that thing knocked you down.
He said, now in a lower tone, where his anger was replaced by sadness, and grief.
- Please, just go away... get out, and never come back! You can get the gun, Lee.
He said, kneeling down beside Shawn's body, and closing his eyes tightly.
Lee sighed and picked up his shotgun, which appeared to be reloaded.
He looked ruefully at Hershel, and turned, walking toward Kenny.
The man stared at him for a few moments, and sighed as well, looking at his wife who had a heavy, but also somewhat confused expression.
Probably because she had heard Hershel call Lee a murderer.
And he even looked at Clementine, and at Ed shortly afterwards.
- You... you guys have that ride to Macon, if you want it.
He said in a low voice, turning and walking to the front of the farm.
Lee looked at Clementine, who was staring at him strangely, but not in a bad way.
After a while, he walked behind Kenny, with Hershel's small sobs echoing through his head.