Waking up suddenly, Lee's eyes widen as he lets out a startled sigh.
Looking around, he relaxes his body and sighs once again, feeling more tired than the day before.
He didn't even notice when he fell asleep, he was probably more tired than he really felt.
Scratching his eyes, he slowly gets up, feeling his body a little numb from the position he had slept in.
Yawning and stretching, he looks around, picking up his axe at his side. It was still dawning, the timid rays of sunlight slowly advancing over the horizon against the darkness of the sky.
Looking around, Lee arches his eyebrows slightly when he sees Ben and Doug, lying next to each other, their backs to him.
By the moment, Doug should be awake, fulfilling his shift.
Lee huffed, that was careless, someone could have died because of that. But, he couldn't really blame the man, he himself hadn't even noticed when he slept.
Walking at a slow pace, he headed toward the two.
There was something strange about it.
Normally, he loved the feeling that the morning brought him, there was something unique about seeing the sunrise. But, he didn't feel what he always felt at that time of day.
The weather seemed colder than usual, maybe... an uncomfortable air.
He couldn't explain it.
As he approached, he gently touched Doug's shoulder, and only then did he realize the reason for that strange morning, and he widened his eyes.
A pool of blood had formed just below the man's body, his throat slit, and from the state, it had not been long ago.
Looking to the side, he curses softly when he sees that Ben looks the same way, only wide-eyed.
As if he had looked into the eyes of the person who had cut his throat.
Getting up quickly, he runs his eyes around, and misses a person.
His eyes become colder, and he feels his feelings begin to fight within himself as he walks at a quick pace towards the RV.
As he enters the vehicle, Lee clenches his fists tightly and growls slightly when he sees that Clementine was not there.
The worry, anger, anxiety, disbelief... all these feelings and sensations running furiously through his body.
He looked to the side, and saw that his shotgun was not there.
- Everybody wake up!
Lee shouted, stepping out of the vehicle with the axe in his hand.
- Ahm... ham? What...?
Carley stood up a little startled, scratching her eyes.
- That son of a bitch Ed killed Doug and Ben, and kidnapped Clementine!
Lee shouted again, walking over to the bodies of the two men next to him and pushing them forward, revealing the bodies around their necks.
- What the fuck?!
Kenny shouted, getting up suddenly and putting his hand on the gun that was in his waistband.
- What?! He took my daughter?!
Diana asked, getting up quickly and looking at Lee with some desperation, running towards the RV soon after.
- Crazy bastard!
Kenny shouted, putting his hand on his head as he saw Doug and Ben dead.
- We have to go after them! He...he took my daughter...Oh God, Clem...
Diana said, looking at Lee in despair, walking around with restless, staggering steps, looking everywhere anxiously and running her hands through her hair nervously.
- Where could he have gone?
Carley asked, staring at Doug's body with a certain amount of regret, and something else in the glint of his eyes, but which she quickly disguised.
- That asshole could have gone anywhere! We're in a fucking forest!
Kenny said, putting his hands on his waist and looking at the trees angrily.
- What?! We can't leave my daughter!
Diana exclaimed in agony, looking almost pleadingly at Lee.
- And we won't! Ed wouldn't go around not knowing where to go, not with Clementine by his side... the map!
Lee said, getting back into the RV and walking to the front, cursing softly when he saw that the map was no longer there.
- Of course he took it.
He rolled his eyes, getting out of the vehicle again.
- I have an extra one in my backpack... just in case.
Carley said, running into the vehicle.
- Damn it! We're lucky he didn't decide to kill us in our sleep!
Kenny shouted, pacing back and forth with heavy steps.
- He wouldn't be stupid to try to take our guns so close to us! Besides, he doesn't know how to use a shotgun very well, so even if he shot someone he would be killed by the next person.
Lee said, crossing his arms and facing the forest with a scowl, putting a hand to his chin, thoughtful.
He should have killed ED... why only now did he realize this?
He thought so many times that the man was a lost cause, and stubbornly did nothing.
Great, Everett... well done, congratulations.
- Here.
Carley returned after a while, crouching down and stretching the map out on the floor.
- There are not many places he might have gone around here. But, there are some buildings nearby.
She said, running her finger over the likely places he might have gone.
- The closest ones are this farm... and the fishing spot downriver. The river is not far away, but it might take a while to get there... we will have to split up.
Lee said with a tired sigh. Splitting up, in this situation, was a horrible idea.
For several reasons.
First, they didn't have many people, six people, one of whom was a child, and only three of these people were experienced in dealing with zombies.
Second, they didn't have many weapons. Ed had taken a pistol, and his shotgun, this left them with only Carley's gun, Kenny's gun, and Diana's pistol that Lee had given her as a form of security in case Ed tried something against the woman.
Third, they were in an unfamiliar place, not used to those forests, so it wasn't that hard to get lost if they weren't careful.
Fourth, one of them would have to go alone, and that meant that the chances of Ed killing whoever it was, were high.
Fifth, he could have gone anywhere, even just wandered off into the forest towards somewhere further away. However, since the blood on Doug and Ben's bodies was still very fresh, he shouldn't be far away. Both bodies were still warm when Lee woke up.
Sixth, Ed could have simply not gone anywhere, and was simply waiting for them to come after him, to get the RV. He could have been nearby, just watching them.
- Ah, shit! We don't have many guns!
Kenny said, running his hands through his hair.
- It's too risky.
Carley said with a sigh.
- Here's what we're going to do. I'll go to that farm, it's the closest place. You get in the RV and drive to the fishing spot, it should be a few minutes, tops.
Lee said, standing up and leaning his axe on his shoulder.
- What?! Lee, it's too dangerous for you to go alone, even if we give you one of our guns! For all we know, that son of a bitch could be waiting for you right now!
Kenny said, turning to Lee.
- I know, but you have your family here! Katjaa, Duck and Diana have no experience with the dead, what if they run into a runner? Or worse, runners?!
- But we will have more weapons, and a vehicle. If you go alone you will be exposed to things twice as bad as runners.
Carley said, looking at him with a worried expression, putting one of her hands on his waist.
- I'm going with you, Lee. No way you're going alone!
Kenny said, and Lee realized that he didn't have much of an opinion on the matter.
Staring at his friend for a moment, he sighs in defeat, and agrees.
- Okay, all right! It's still early, he can't have gotten far. If we don't find anything, we'll meet at this crossroads further on, by ten o'clock.
Lee said, pointing to a specific spot on the map, before swinging his axe at both Ben's and Doug's head, whispering an "I'm sorry", and a "rest in peace" to both of them.
- Okay, what if one of us doesn't get there?
Carley asked.
- If Kenny and I get there and you don't show up by ten o'clock, we'll go after you. It's not hard to get to that fishing spot. But if you get there, and we don't show up, then you're out of here.
Lee said, and all the women looked at him with a frown, incredulous.
- What?! You can't be serious!
Carley said indignantly, putting both hands on her waist and taking a more rigid stance.
- Are you telling us to abandon Clem?!
Diana asked, in the same way as Carley.
- Kenny! We can't leave you behind! None of you!
Katjaa exclaimed, and Lee even raised an eyebrow.
This was the first time he had seen the woman react in a strong way; she was always so well behaved.
- Honey, look, I agree with Lee. If that guy somehow manages to kill both of us, imagine what he will do to you? If we don't come back, you'll have to get as far away from here as you can.
Kenny said, looking at Katjaa's disbelieving expression.
- So you're saying that we should just abandon the two of you?! Would you abandon us?!
Carley asked, crossing her arms.
- No, but-
- And neither will we!
- Carley, I know you are capable women, but the point is, Ed is too dangerous. Kenny and I are used to going out into the woods together, looking for supplies, we're used to dealing with runners, with the dead, we cover each other's backs. Don't get me wrong, but you have no experience in dealing with situations like this.
Lee said, in a calm tone, trying to be as reasonable as possible, without malice in his voice.
But it didn't seem to have the desired effect.
- Are you kidding me, Lee?! I can handle them as much as you can!
- We don't doubt that, but... ah, come on, Carley. Now is not the time! You guys have a child to worry about now!
Lee said, wanting to get out of there before things got worse for him.
- Look, if we don't show up at the meeting point on time, you will keep moving. Go far away, somewhere safe. I'm serious.
He said, turning and walking towards the forest, it shouldn't take long to get to that farm.
Kenny ran after a while and stood beside him, occasionally looking back. His wife didn't seem very convinced when he said he would be fine.
And Duck didn't even want him to go.
- That was... interesting.
Kenny said after a while, looking forward.
- Man, it reminded me of the beginning of my marriage.
- Oh, I hear you... no matter what you say, you are always wrong... and she will find a way to twist your words... so what do we do when we find this guy?
Kenny asked, and Lee turned to his friend with a raised eyebrow.
The way he had said it, he seemed sure that they would find him.
Maybe it was good to think positively like that, but Lee was limiting himself to rational thinking. The chances were not many, there was no telling what would happen from then on.
- When we find him, we kill him, fast and simple...which is a shame, Clementine still had hopes that he could be a good man. That he could change.
Lee said, shaking his head slightly as he sighed ruefully.
- She is a sweet little girl...what this son of a bitch is doing to her... it makes me mad.
- A sick person...I should have killed him last night...it was the perfect opportunity, no one would care if he suddenly disappeared.
Lee said, looking around, closing his eyes because he hadn't seen a zombie in a while.
- Don't blame yourself, pal. Unlike that asshole, you're still human, it's not your fault for trying to be civilized.
Kenny said, placing his hand gently on Lee's shoulder, who smiled gently at him, grateful for his friend's concern.
It didn't take long before they finally reached that farm.
They were both hiding behind two trees not far from the entrance. Leaning their bodies slightly to the side and observing the place.
It was a big farm, a huge barn, and the house was right next to it and had a small garage next to the house.
- Do you see anything?
- Nothing... a perfect place for someone who wants to hide, don't you think?
They looked at each other, and came out from behind the trees. Lee looked around, there was no way to get close without being seen in case there was someone inside, the entrance to the farm was wide open.
Leaping over the fence, the two walked with cautious steps towards the barn, which was closer to them.
However, the closer they got, the louder those grunts became.
They looked at each other again, the barn, from the noise, was packed with zombies... and maybe, even some runners in between.
Walking away slowly, Lee sighs with relief when he sees that the barn doors are closed, and walks towards the house, checking the windows as he approaches.
The interior was ransacked, destroyed furniture littered the floor, but otherwise, the place seemed untouched for some time, you could see the dust covering the floor and the shattered furniture.
However, his eyes focused on footprints due to the large amount of dust, barely visible on the floor.
- Someone has been here... or it might have been a zombie.
Lee said, turning away from the window and walking to the back door.
Kenny leaned against the next wall with his gun in hand, and Lee slowly turned the doorknob.
The door was open. Squeezing the handle of his axe hard, he cautiously entered the house, running his eyes around, and following where the footprints went.
Walking slowly through the kitchen, he goes towards the living room, checking the whole mess more closely.
If there had been a zombie in there, the smell of carrion and decay would have permeated the place, but they couldn't smell anything that strong in there.
In other words, those footprints were those of a living person.
- No use sneaking in, Lee... I know you're in there.
They hear Ed's voice coming from the second floor, and they look at each other.
Lee turns and points to the stairs, Kenny nods to him and goes up the steps first, pointing his gun forward and looking up all the time.
- I knew you would come after me, it was obvious...you're not the type to leave a job half done...and my stupid wife must have told you to go after my little girl right?
They hear Ed's voice again, and Lee walks back up the stairs, making sure the man doesn't come up behind them, it smells like a trap.
- Ah, well, I was waiting for you... I'm not going after the other women, not now, if that's what you're thinking, they don't interest me.
Arriving at the second floor, he runs his eyes down the corridor, and through the open doors of the rooms ahead.
Leaning his body over the edge, he follows the footprints with his eyes, focusing on a door at the end of the hall.
Kenny turns and points to Lee, who nods to him and begins walking toward the door, checking each room he passes in front of.
They were silent for a few moments, trying to hear any more noise that might come from the room ahead.
Both stood on opposite sides of the door. Lee raised his hand and counted down to one with his fingers.
Kenny turned and kicked the door hard, breaking down the wooden object and pointing his gun into the room, but he arched his eyebrows in confusion when he saw that there was no one there.
Just some furniture propped up against the wall, a stereo box on a table in the middle of the room.
No place for anyone to hide.
They both entered the room, running their eyes around the place.
Lee closed his eyes, the footprints ended there, then the table... wait.
- Oh, Lee... you must be thinking of a thousand things by now, right? I'll make your job easier...
Ed's voice came out of the sound box ahead. Kenny grumbled softly, making a frown, and Lee closed his eyes...
Where did he get a sound box? From the barn it couldn't have been...from the garage, probably.
A sound box with a microphone... why would he need that? If he knew they were going into the house, he would have just gone the other way.
And... why would he leave a sound box there? Making sure they could see it?
- Lee, please stop thinking, I said it would make your job easier, didn't I?
Ed said, and Lee looked back, suspicious, having a bad feeling.
However, that bad feeling didn't come from behind his back, but merged with the sound of the window shattering and something bouncing around inside the room.
As he looks forward, his eyes widen when he sees a grenade lying right next to the speaker.
- Oh shit!
Screaming, he grabs Kenny by the shoulders and pulls him back, at the same time throwing his body to the side of the door just as the explosion happened.
Both men fell out of the room, feeling the debris crash against their legs, and their ears ringing slightly from being so close to the explosion.
- Son of a...bitch!
Kenny grumbled loudly, getting up with some difficulty and putting one of his hands to his ear.
Lee stood up and looked at the destruction in the room, thoughtful... suspicious.
Something was not right.
- Hey, Lee, are you still alive?!
He heard Ed shout from downstairs, and walked to the window.
- Oh, you are! Good! Just know that grenade wasn't meant to kill you! I'll be waiting for you!
Ed shouted, and Lee could catch a glimpse of him running to the right, into the forest.
He closed his eyes, and then reality hit him.
Turning to the side, he stared wide-eyed as he saw the barn door open and the zombies, along with the runners, coming out of the barn and heading for the house.
- Kenny, we have to go!
Lee exclaimed, running toward the stairs, with Kenny right behind him.
They ran down the steps as fast as they could, but were forced to stop when they saw both the front and back windows being smashed and runners entering the place.
- Oh, shit!
Lee shouted, pushing Kenny back up, hearing only the screams of the runners just behind them, and their fast, heavy footsteps chasing them.
As soon as they reached the last step, both men turned around.
Lee drove his axe into the head of one of the runners, while Kenny shot the one just behind.
Lee leaned his leg on the runner's body and pushed him down the stairs, slowing the others coming up behind.
- There are too many of them! The attic!
Kenny said, shooting at the runners trying to climb the stairs as Lee ran down the hallway and down the attic stairs.
- Let's go!
He shouted, widening his eyes when he saw the runners too close to Kenny.
Running towards his friend, Lee planted his axe on the head of one of them and pushed him backwards, knocking over the small pile that had formed at the very end of the stairs.
Kenny pulled Lee up and they both ran toward the ladder.
- Oh, shit! I'm out!
Kenny yelled, throwing his pistol at the head of one of the runners who came too close.
Turning, he grabbed the closet next to him and knocked it down in front of him, crushing a few runners in the process, and giving him enough time to get up the stairs.
Once they were up, they pulled the ladder up again, blocking access to the attic.
They crawled back, panting, but relieved that they had made it that far.
- Holy... shit!
Kenny said slowly, leaning his arms on his knees and feeling the adrenaline leaving his body.
- That was close... too close.
Lee said, leaning on his axe handle and standing up, starting to look around.
- Tell me about it.
Kenny said, getting up and running his eyes around the attic, trying to ignore the screams coming from just below his feet.
- Let's search the place...we can get out the window, I think.
Lee said, walking to the window and looking around.
- We can walk on the roof, jump over the garage, and get out of here... well, we'll have to run when we do, the zombies are all over the farm... who put so many dead people inside that barn?
Lee said, running his eyes over the large amount of bodies that wandered around, probably looking for the source of the noise they had heard a while ago.
Or, they must have forgotten about that noise by now and were simply doing what brainless corpses did... wandering around.
- Hey, look what I found.
Kenny said, and Lee turned around, arching an eyebrow at the sight of a double-barreled shotgun in his friend's hands.
- This little beauty can do some damage.
- I wonder if it still works. It's pretty dusty.
- Well... let's hope it works... I will clean it as fast as I can, and we will get out of here, we can't let that asshole get too far away.
- I agree...I doubt he went after the others.
Lee said, leaning against the window and crossing his arms.
- Why do you say that?
- Because he ran in the opposite direction from where we came, and he himself said he had no interest in them, not yet.
- Hmpf, I no longer believe anything that asshole says, so the sooner we get out of here, the happier I am.
Kenny said, and Lee tried to answer.
But a knock on the stairs caught his attention. Not only that, but smoke began to drift through the gaps in the stairway.
- What the...?
The ladder suddenly opened, and a runner ran into the attic.
Lee quickly took his axe and stabbed it into the runner's head, pushing his body backwards.
His eyes widened when he saw fire downstairs, and the smoke began to rise with more intensity.
- Oh, that son of a bitch!
he growled, turning and smashing the window with his axe.
- Let's go!
he said, jumping to the roof, turning and helping Kenny to do the same.
- Oh, I swear I'm going to beat this guy to death when I find him!
Kenny growled, starting to walk carefully across the roof toward the next garage.
Lee looked around. Most of the zombies were heading for the house, and the runners were already inside, so they had a chance to get out of there and run into the woods.
Lee looks back, grumbling softly as he sees a runner climbing onto the roof through the window.
Turning, he jumped off the roof and landed on the garage, groaning slightly in pain from the impact. It wasn't high enough to break his legs, but it was high enough to hurt anyone who fell the wrong way.
- Oh, shit! What are you, jackass or something?! Shit, I'm old!
Kenny grumbled, looking at Lee.
- If the jackass guys survived, so will you, jump!
Lee said, and Kenny rolled his eyes, at the same time he sighed angrily.
- Goddammit!
He shouted, jumping off the roof, moments before nearly being grabbed by the runner.
Kenny landed just in front of Lee, groaning in pain shortly after.
- Fuck... my knees!
- Come on, Grandpa, you're still alive.
Lee joked.
- Oh, fuck you. You're as old as me, smartass.
Kenny said, and just as he finished speaking, he let out a startled scream as he felt something fall on his back.
Lee's eyes widened and he ran towards his friend, who staggered backwards, trying to get rid of the runner that fell on him.
- Kenny, look out!
Lee shouted, trying to grab his friend's hand, but Kenny didn't see where he was going, and fell off the roof of the garage.
- Kenny!
Lee shouted, looking desperately at his friend.
Looking around, he positioned himself at the edge of the garage, preparing to climb down.
- Don't even think about it, Lee!
Kenny shouted amidst his groans as he struggled to keep that runner off his neck, and Lee locked in place.
- What?! You need help!
Lee shouted, becoming more anxious and agonized as he saw a few more runners coming out of the burning house.
- No...! No way! That son of a bitch...has to die!
Kenny shouted, and a gunshot echoed through the place, along with the muffled sound of the runner's head exploding. The creature's body lay over his friend, making it impossible for him to see how Kenny was doing.
Lee was distressed as he looked away, his heart was beating hard and there was desperation in his eyes.
- Kenny!
He screamed in desperation, and soon after, the other runners caught up to Kenny, and Lee could only hear his friend's screams.
Lee's eyes widened as he saw that pile of bodies forming on top of Kenny.
He stood there static, paralyzed, unable to take his eyes off the scene.
Anger and sadness surged through his chest, and he gritted his teeth as he closed his eyes, where heavy tears began to stream down his face.
- Fuck... fuck! Ken...
He cried out his friend's name, sinking his face into the hollow of his arm, and squeezing hard on the handle of his axe.
Memories of the past flooded his mind.
Kenny had been with him from the beginning, and didn't judge him when he said he had already killed someone. Considering, Kenny was quite friendly with him, even though he knew he was a murderer.
They starved together, fought together, almost died numerous times together, and covered each other's backs, always...
A valued, and loyal friend... that he just lost because of a maniac.
Standing up, while wiping the tears from his face. Lee looks once more at the pile of bodies below him, and turns around.
Ed will die... no matter how, no matter where...
Even if he has to kill the man with his bare hands.
He was going to die.