- Lee, why don't you and Mark go and check if the place is real?
Lilly asked, looking at Lee, who couldn't take his eyes off the two men in front of him.
He had a bad feeling about them. Despite their friendly, nice and even harmless appearance, those two men had a dangerous air around them.
Maybe not dangerous per se, but different... uncomfortable.
As if they were sick people.
- Kenny and Carley can come, cover us in case something happens. Instead of Mark, I'll take Ed. Don't get me wrong Mark, you haven't eaten in a long time, do you think you can run in case the situation gets dangerous?
Lee asked, turning to the man.
- Definitely not. I didn't get offended, don't worry, I don't trust myself to lift a box at the moment.
Ed just stared at him.
He really was like a puppy, he didn't even retort to Lilly's idea. Or questioned the woman.
But, in a way, Ed could understand. They were in a rather desperate situation.
They were not far from being like the man Lee had killed.
- You haven't eaten in a long time either.
Carley said, looking at him with some concern. She was oblivious to Lilly, who was staring at her with a strange glare.
- But I'll be fine.
He said, opening the gates, not before picking up his trusty axe.
Ed sighed and checked the gun he had.
They didn't have much ammo. But, if it was just those two men on that farm, maybe they wouldn't have to worry too much.
- Dad?
Clementine's sweet voice caught his attention, and he looked at the girl. With each passing day she seemed to resemble an angel more and more.
And compared to most of the people there, she looked very healthy. Fruit of food sacrificed both on his part and on Lee's, who occasionally gave some of his food to her and to Duck.
- You'll be fine.
she said, and Ed arched an eyebrow.
That wasn't a question.
- I know I'll be fine. But, just out of curiosity, weren't you supposed to tell me to be careful?
He asked with a slight smile, squatting down to the girl's height.
- Yeah, but you don't have to, you'll be fine.
She said, looking up into his eyes.
- Why are you so sure of that?
- Because Lee is with you.
She said, and Ed's smile died, causing the girl to arch a confused eyebrow at his sudden seriousness.
He knew that the girl and Lee had grown closer, that was rather obvious, everyone there must have noticed, even Diana.
But he didn't know that it had grown to that point, where she had more faith in Lee, than in him.
"...You knew that Lee is a liar, why are you surprised that he fooled your daughter?"
Ed bowed his head, why hadn't he realized this before?
It was so in his face, right in front of him this whole time.
He was as stupid as those people, as blind as they were.
If he couldn't see something like that, then he was no better than useless people like Doug, or like Ben.
He had to get better... or, just get rid of the problem.
And in this case, Lee was the problem.
- Hey, Ed, are you coming or what?
Lee asked, waiting for the man at the gate.
Ed stared at him and stood up, walking toward him soon after.
He was not stupid, Lee was not a man who would be easy to kill, he was smart, and he left the motel to hunt or for supplies almost every day with Kenny.
Plus Lee was big, not to the point where he was intimidated, but still, he was a big man, and carrying that axe every single day certainly helped his brute strength.
He couldn't kill Lee, not without suffering consequences, without suffering injuries that could be serious, so he would have to take a more... intelligent approach.
He would just have to show Clementine that he was better than Lee, that he could protect her just as well.
Yeah, it was easy to do that.
And he hoped that those people were dangerous, so it would be the perfect opportunity for him to show that to the girl.
(...)
- Where are you from Lee?
One of the brothers, Danny or some shit like that, asked, walking alongside Lee, who slowed down a bit and stood to his right, he felt a little uncomfortable being between the two brothers.
If they tried to do something, they would probably succeed with him in the middle.
- I moved around a lot. Hard to call any place home.
He said, looking at Danny with a friendly smile.
Quite convincing, by the way.
"He's a good liar...not as good as me."
Ed clinked his eyes slightly as he saw the small conversation forming up ahead.
- And what about you guys, how many people in total?
Lee asked, returning his focus to the road.
- Counting mom, just the three of us.
"Three people? Aren't they afraid of strangers? How have they not been robbed yet? And how are they still alive?"
He clenched his eyes as he looked at the St John's, from the things they were saying, they should have lost that farm a long time ago.
And they were being strangely honest...maybe they were like Lee.
That's why they were so inclined to know more about him.
"Yeah... they might be like me."
- They think Lee is the leader.
Kenny said, a little further behind Ed, who although not turning around, began to pay attention to what he and Carley were talking about.
- It seems so. I don't blame them. He looks like one.
Carley said, staring at Lee's back.
- You know, it's not much of a secret the way you look at him.
Kenny said, looking a little amused at the woman, who widened her eyes and stared at him.
- You're kidding, right?
she asked, and Kenny laughed softly.
- Yes, I am, I just had my suspicions, thanks for confirming them.
He said, and the woman sighed, looking at him with narrowed eyes.
- It's just that I've seen you standing there, staring at him for a while, a couple of times. I don't know if anyone else has noticed too.
Kenny said, and the woman alternated her gaze between him and Lee.
- Did he notice too?
- I don't know, I don't think so.I cover that guy's back every single day, I see things he doesn't, and that's exactly the purpose of the two of us running for supplies. We keep doing this even in the motel. We're used to covering each other's backs, I guess.
Kenny replied, running his hand through his hair.
Ed rolled his eyes at the conversation, a rather pointless topic.
It reflected on the situation of the group, they were more concerned with romantic nonsense than survival.
He himself has already distanced himself from Diana, he barely talks to her now and he feels as if he has a better chance of survival now. Without a burden like his wife getting in his way.
Though he finds her medical knowledge useful.
It wasn't long before they arrived at said farm, and they had to admit that the place was impressive.
The electric fence ran the entire length of the farm, and the place was beautiful. A piece of the world that has not yet been ravaged by death.
But sooner or later it would be.
His eyes focused on the woman who had just stepped away from one of the second floor windows. Probably the mother they had mentioned earlier.
Ed ran his eyes around the place, ignoring the questions Lee was asking the two of them, and consequently the woman who had approached them. The same one he had seen in the window.
"It's a pretty big area...this place looks like a great base...and it's relatively easy to take by force if I need to, there's only three people here"
- Hopefully, Maybelle will make it through whatever disease is plaguing her.
He looked at the woman hearing her mention that name. There wasn't another person there, was there?
Only then did he go to notice the loaves of bread in a basket she was holding.
- Your cow is sick?
Lee asked, and Ed arched an eyebrow.
"Hey...Kenny's wife is a vet...if she comes, everyone can come...and if these people are dangerous, Clementine might know that I can protect her as much as Lee can"
Ed cracked a small smile, his madness already overpowering his rational thoughts.
- We have a vet. We can bring her here. We can bring all our people, if it's all right with you.
Ed said, ignoring the scolding glances that both Lee and Kenny cast in his direction.
- A vet? How wonderful! Of course you can bring your group. You can take your vet friend and I will prepare dinner. A feast for us all.
The woman said, and both Ed and Lee noticed the two men staring behind the woman.
There was something wrong in those eyes, and only someone who was paying attention would notice.
In fact, only someone who could read people.
Ed had to admit that Lee was good at that, but not as good as he was.
He could see things that Lee could not.
Just as he knew the new reality of the world, knew how things should be at that moment, he knew that those people were all dangerous.
As he himself had thought earlier, the perfect opportunity.
Although they seemed more crazy than dangerous in themselves. In a fight, he doubted that they would be much of a threat.
- That... sounds like a good idea... excuse me for a few minutes.
Lee said, turning and walking away with Kenny, looking at Ed with a certain disapproval.
The man just smiled dismissively and walked over to them, leaving Carley to talk to the woman he hadn't even bothered to hear the name of.
- What the hell is wrong with you? My wife has become a fucking bargaining chip now?
Kenny asked with some irritation, crossing his arms and glaring at Ed.
- No, just imagine. Three people with a cow. Milk and butter, alone on a farm. Imagine the amount of food. We can all eat well tonight. Think of the children, Lee and I always sacrifice some of our food for them.
Ed quickly made up an excuse, putting his hands on his waist and alternating his gaze between the two of them.
Kenny softened his expression, but didn't look very convinced, although he didn't seem to notice his lie.
However, Lee was different, of course he would be.
They were alike in some ways.
One liar would recognize the other.
- Still, it was dangerous, and if-
- We are more in number, and we have more weapons, definitely more ammo. What can they do?
Ed interrupted Lee, now looking more intently at Kenny, who scratched the back of his head.
- He has a point...we can take that place if we need to.
Kenny said, and Lee sighed, looking at Ed with narrowed eyes, but he decided not to say anything.
-...Okay, you and Carley go back to the motel, Ed and I will stay here and try to find out more about the place. Don't bring everyone, see who's best to let take care of the motel while we're gone.
Lee said, and Kenny sighed, nodding to him and walking toward Carley.
Lee stared at Ed for a while, until he looked away and returned to the St. John's.
Ed smiled slightly at this.
It wasn't difficult to manipulate a whole group. Just manipulate the right people, and the rest would follow like ducklings.
"You're the worst."
"Don't listen to him, you're doing fine... Clementine will be very impressed to see the way you handle threats, she'll feel safe, don't worry"
Ed looked down the dirt road he came down, and then walked back to the farm gate.