Gasping for breath, Lee removes his axe from the head of the dead runner at his feet, wiping away the excess blood that ended up staining his clothes.
Which was okay; he had just found new clothes, anyway.
His worried eyes fell on Clementine, who was lying on the floor beside him, with a knife near her feet, and a pistol in her hands. Like him, she was panting and blood stained her clothes.
Looking around once more, Lee walks over to the girl and extends his hand to her.
- Are you all right?
he asked, and the girl stared at him for a moment, accepting his hand and standing up with his help.
- Yes... I think so.
She said, picking up her knife from the ground and wiping the blade on her clothes.
- Well... what did we learn from this?
Lee asked, leaning on the axe and bending down to the girl's height.
A few months had passed since they had started wandering together. When they arrived at that fishing spot, the RV was filled with runners, and no sign of the others.
At that moment, Lee felt lost, and Clementine felt even worse.
With no choices, they were practically forced to walk the deserted roads, struggling to survive each day.
It was like a test for Lee, he had to admit.
It was incredibly hard, he was injured, so he could barely hunt, and he was not as efficient at killing the infected, especially the runners. Which was even worse when there were more than one of them.
So he was practically forced to teach Clementine to defend herself, to use a gun at least, and a knife.
- That I'm too weak to handle these things.
The girl replied gloomily, and Lee sighed. It was to be expected that the girl was colder. But that self-deprecation, that so little confidence she had in herself, was a problem.
And it could become a huge problem if she keeps that up.
- No, Clem. You are pretty strong, you just refuse to see it. What we have learned from this is that everything we will ever do is dangerous. We'll get stronger, faster and smarter together.
He said, placing his hand gently on the girl's shoulder, and she stared at him for a moment.
- You already are.
She said, and Lee stood up.
- So are you, but like I said, you refuse to see it. Actually, you're better than me, and maybe you've already realized it, you're just not comfortable with it yet.
He smiled warmly, turning and running his eyes around the clothing store they were in. Amazingly enough, it still had some clothes left.
- Better than you? I only killed two.
She said, staring at him.
- It's not about quantity, Clem. You see, I have my advantages, and you do the best you can with yours. Considering that, you are much better than me, you just have to realize it.
He said, placing his hand gently on the girl's head, covered by the hat.
She hadn't been able to get rid of that thing, and didn't seem to want to, even though it was from someone she despised... but at the same time, she had very happy memories with her father.
If she threw away the hat, it would be as if she threw away those good memories too, leaving only the bad ones.
Lee understood this.
- Okay, let's get the clothes we can, and we'll go to that lake. How many bullets do you have?
Lee asked, turning and walking over to one of the fallen shelves in the corner of the store.
- Twelve.
The girl answered, turning and looking around.
- Good... you already know what to do when entering an unknown place, right?
he asked, turning to the girl and raising an eyebrow.
Clementine nodded at him and walked down the next hallway, checking every corner before going in, making sure that the bodies on the floor were dead.
- There are none of them... and the entrance is the only way out.
She said after a while, returning to where Lee was standing, with a pile of clothes in her hands, which she placed on the counter and began to pack into her backpack.
- I found some tape, nails, and some batteries on the floor.
She said, walking over to Lee and handing them to him.
- Great, my flashlight was on its last legs.
He said, putting the items in his pocket and picking up his backpack.
- Ready to go?
He asked, turning to the girl, who was arranging her backpack.
- Yes.
The girl replied, and they both left the clothing store.
Lee crouched down and walked quickly to the abandoned car ahead, running his eyes down the deserted street, where he caught a glimpse of a zombie entering an alley ahead. Great, the opposite way from where they were going.
Holding his axe steady and checking on Clementine, he crosses the street at a quick pace and walks to the corner.
Leaning his body slightly forward, he makes a mental map of where the runners were. Two of them, roughly in the middle of the street, about five, maybe six, steps away from each other.
Cars all around, but too far apart for them to use as cover to get to the city exit.
Running his eyes along the ground, Lee picks up a rock that was just in front of his feet and walks over to the abandoned pickup truck, next to a body lying on the ground, with very little flesh still attached to its bones.
Although it was a rather gruesome sight, Lee knew that Clementine would just ignore it, unaffected by the grotesque image.
Sometimes he was surprised at how quickly the girl seemed to get used to things, or how mature she seemed at times.
Leaning his body forward, he throws the stone across the street, which crashes into something made of wood inside a restaurant.
The noise was loud enough to echo through the street, and get the attention of the two runners, who started running towards the restaurant.
Lee waved to Clementine, and they both walked at a fast pace behind the cars until they reached the next street, which, like many others, was deserted.
Getting out of town wasn't that difficult, country towns were usually a little easier to sneak around than big cities, metropolises just weren't worth it.
Getting up, Lee looked back, making sure they weren't spotted by any of those things, and walked through the trees.
- It will be dark soon.
Clementine said, and Lee looked at her with an arched eyebrow.
- What? Did I say that wrong?
She said, and Lee smiled slightly.
- Nope, you got that right. We'll have to look for a place to spend the night right after we get cleaned up.
He said, looking around. In the forest, from a distance, everything looked like a runner, for example.
Or maybe it was just his paranoia... well, they were alive because he was paranoid, so it was good that he was that way.
- Maybe at that gas station?
the girl asked, looking at him.
- Too exposed, and it's close to concentrations of those things, so if anything happens, we'll be surrounded quickly.
He said.
- In that hotel?
- Too cramped, we wouldn't have a good view of where they might be coming from, plus we would be at great risk of being caught by surprise.
He said, looking at the girl with an amused smile as he saw her frown.
-... Ah, in that cabin by the lake.
She said, and Lee nodded.
- Yep. From what I noticed, three exits, two downstairs, and you can get out through the upstairs window. It's not too big, and the surrounding area is open, so you would see anything that came near it, and have time to get out of there if necessary. Plus there are some good places for a trap, for example.
He explained, putting his backpack on the ground when they reached the lake.
It was a relatively nice place, if you didn't count the destroyed parts of the fence in front, or the blood that stained the entrance to the cabin not far from there.
-... And the zombies are more in town...
Clementine said, placing her backpack right next to Lee's.
- Exactly... you can clean up first, I'll stand guard.
He said, taking the rifle that was strapped to the side of his backpack, and looking at the forest while Clementine walked towards the lake.
He would use that moment to set some traps. That way, if something or someone approached, they would know about it.
Once they had both cleaned themselves up, they headed toward the cabin. When they had passed by earlier, they had found nothing in there, but better safe than sorry.
They checked the place out, and Lee covered all the blind spots with the dusty furniture that was still in good condition.
Clementine walked slowly through the kitchen, checking the cabinets in the place, although she doubted there was anything useful there.
Sighing slightly, she looks up, and her eyes focus on two dusty cans right on top of the cabinets nailed to the wall.
- Lee.
She called out to him, turning towards the hallway as she heard his footsteps approaching, and he appeared in the kitchen with a wary look on his face, thinking she had found some zombie in there.
- I think they're still good.
She said, pointing to the two cans above.
Lee arched his eyebrows and stood beside her, tiptoeing over to pick up the cans.
- Too high for me to reach...how about I put you on my shoulders?
he asked, turning to the girl, who also arched an eyebrow.
He could pick it up, all he had to do was use the axe and knock over the cans.
Or just jump, he was tall, and barely missed the cans.
But she just ignored it, she liked to climb on Lee's shoulders, she had a little experience in what it was like to be tall.
Lee took her by the waist and sat her on his shoulders.
The girl raised her arm to pick up the cans, but let out a little startled yelp as she felt Lee rock her body backwards.
- Lee!
She scolded him, faking a frown as she looked down.
- What?
he asked cynically, playing dumb.
The girl shook her head and reached for the cans. Once again, however, she let out a small, startled yelp as she felt her body being thrown backwards, and then return to normal again.
Slightly blushing, she pinches Lee's ear.
- Ow, ow! What was that for? I didn't do anything.
He said, looking at her with an arched eyebrow, and a small amused smile.
- Neither did I!
She said, returning the cynical tone, and picking up the two cans of beans.
- Touché.
He said, crouching down and putting her down again.
A few hours had passed since then, and they were both in front of the cabin, sitting by a low fire, watching the mesmerizing movement of the flames.
Clementine was wearing a long-sleeved pink shirt, with a small yellow print and design in the middle. A pair of dark jeans, much to her chagrin, and a pair of small sneakers.
Clementine was a very girly girl, so to speak. So, an outfit like that was not the best outfit for her.
- We have eaten the last two cans.
She said, looking at the empty cans both beside her and beside Lee.
- Yeah... tomorrow, back to hunting... I'll teach you how to skin animals.
He said, smiling slightly when he saw the girl's disgusted expression.
- Do i have to?
- Yep... it may sound a bit gross, but it is necessary... hmpf, you made the same face my brother made when our grandfather showed it to us.
He said, looking up at the starry sky with a nostalgic expression.
- Did you learn to hunt from your grandfather?
she asked, curious. There wasn't much entertainment these days, so a new conversation was always interesting to her.
- I learned the basics, Kenny corrected the flaws and taught me new tricks... Hm, Bud turned pale as a sheet when he saw Grandpa skin that rabbit.
He said, smiling slightly, letting out a nasal laugh.
-... Were you close? I always heard my classmates say how much they fought with their brothers.
The girl asked, hugging her knees and looking at Lee.
- Brothers fight a lot, but they are closer than they want others to know. Bud and I were no different, but we had our moments... besides, we became closer when we went to college together, before I just pushed everyone around.
He said, running his hand through his beard, which was already starting to bother him because of its size.
- Why don't people want to seem united with their brothers?
the girl asked, arching a confused eyebrow.
- Honestly, I don't know... several reasons, maybe. They don't want to show others their soft side, maybe... that's how he and I were, for a while.
- I always wanted a sister.
She said, and Lee looked at her with a slight expression.
- Good...despite the fights, having a sibling is great...the playing together makes up for the fights.
He said, momentarily losing himself in his thoughts.
- What kind of fun?
she asked.
- Have you ever had a caramel apple?
He asked, and the girl nodded.
- So... there was a party at one of our relatives' houses, I don't remember what we were celebrating... my aunt asked me, him and my uncle to prepare some of them.
He began, smiling slightly at the memory.
- We prepared them for most of the guests, until he called me and said he had an idea. I smiled. We both walked to the kitchen and got some onions, peeled them, and replaced the apples. Ah, my uncle's face was the best.
He said, laughing softly as he remembered the scolding they both got soon after.
Who knew he would miss hearing his mother yelling at him.
- That was stupid.
The girl said with a small smile, mixed with a slight expression of disgust, probably because of the onions.
- Yeah... it was. We did a lot of stupid exchanged our father's deodorant for cream cheese, exchanged the filling in the cookies for toothpaste and gave it to our cousin... tied a rope around our own ankles, and climbed on different floats on one of those huge waterslides, threw firecrackers into the bathroom while my uncle took a shower, put powder in my mother's hair dryer, and the best of all, he and I took the bed with a friend of ours who was fast asleep and abandoned him in the lake.
He said, the girl laughed at the image in her head.
- Why?
She asked, still laughing some more.
- I don't know... back then, doing stupid things was fun, no one would die for a simple joke... ah, the college pranks were the best... I' ll tell you about them when you get older.
He said, running his hand through his hair, sighing in a mixture of nostalgia and sadness.
The silence lasted for a while, with both of them staring at the flames ahead.
- Do you think anyone made it out of there?
The girl asked after a while, and Lee looked at her.
He knew what she was talking about, her sad look said it all. And she had asked that question on previous occasions.
- I think so... we haven't found anyone's bodies... so it might be likely.
He answered, leaning his body slightly forward and resting his arms on his knees.
-... The RV was destroyed... and there were many of them there...
The girl said, almost in a whisper.
- I know, but... we have been through some similar situations and made it out alive... they may have survived, and who knows... maybe we will meet again.
He said, and just as he finished saying this, one of his traps was triggered to his left.
Turning quickly, Lee picks up his shotgun that was propped up on the doorstep of the cabin just behind him and turns toward the direction of the noise, at the same time Clementine picks up her gun and does the same.
From the forest, four people appeared, walking slowly towards them, all of them armed.
- You better calm down there, partner... we just want your things, and we'll let you live.
The man who took the lead said. He was not very tall, bald, with a scraggly beard, and a scar over his mouth. A little over thirty years old.
Behind him were two women, and another man.
The woman didn't look as old as the man, had messy brown hair, no distinguishing features.
The other was younger, had straw blond hair, a dirty face, and stiff features, she was bigger than the other woman, but not very tall.
The other man was the youngest, mid-twenties, maybe. Black hair, no beard, taller than the man in front.
"Common bandits...they don't look like family...not that it would make any difference"
- Put that down, if you shoot one of us, you die.
The man spoke again. Lee turned slightly to the side and looked at Clementine, nodding to the girl, who like him, slowly lowered the gun, and tossed it aside.
- Great... like I said, we just want your stuff.
The man said, approaching them both.
- We don't have any food, if that's what you're looking for.
Lee said, putting his arms up.
- Bullshit.
The younger man said, walking over to Lee's backpack and opening it.
- Why would I lie if you are going to check everything anyway?
Lee said, focusing his eyes on the bald man, ignoring the other two who were going through his things.
-... Hm, you know, a man and a little girl, in the middle of nowhere... alone? Where is your group? If you tell me, we...
The man was interrupted by a punch to the face, causing him to stagger back a few steps.
Seizing the opportunity, Lee grabbed the pistol from the man's hand and fired at the man and the woman, while pushing the man forward, knocking the blonde to the ground.
Turning around, he throws his body back when he sees that the brown-haired woman aimed the gun in his direction, even though she was hit in the chest.
Crawling with some force, Lee fires two more shots at the woman and stands up.
As soon as he has done so, he is forced to sidestep as he sees the man running toward him.
Lee takes advantage of the opening and punches him in the face, and tries to shoot him, but complains softly when he sees that he had run out of bullets.
Looking to the side, he sees the blond woman running toward Clementine, who was looking at the whole thing in fright.
Lee runs towards the woman immediately, knocking her violently to the ground and falling on top of her, grabbing her gun in the process.
He aims the pistol at her head and fires.
A noise made itself present behind him, and Lee felt a chill run down his back as his instincts screamed.
Before he could turn around, however, another shot echoed, and this time right beside him.
Turning, he looks at Clementine, who had just shot the man who had picked up his shotgun from the ground.
He is shocked for a few moments, as shocked as the girl was to have taken a life for the first time.
Looking around, he stood up from the woman's body and walked over to the girl, who still had her gun raised and her eyes fixed on the man's body.
Bending down to her height, he put his hand on the girl's arms and slowly lowered the gun, pulling her into an embrace soon after.
Her body trembled slightly, and Lee knew it was not from fear.
The girl had seen him kill countless times before, he had had enough of dealing with bandits. Zombies were bad enough.
But, as he always said, killing was a heavy burden. And although he had an aversion to that thought, he always knew it was only a matter of time before the girl killed as well.
He just didn't want it to be so soon.
Gently patting the girl's back, he pulled away slightly from the hug and looked deep into her eyes.
-... Thank you... it was him or me.
He says softly, and though still shocked, she nods to him.
Lee sighs ruefully and gives her a small kiss on the forehead, getting up soon after and walking towards his shotgun.
He hated meeting with bandits, not only because both his and Clementine's lives were in danger, but also because he hated killing them.
Four people had just lost their lives, so simply, and so quickly.
People who had been through unimaginable things, who had done horrible things, and who had survived all that time.
He didn't even know anymore how many people he had killed at that point, from the many times they had already tried to rob him. A little more than a dozen, maybe.
Or how many people he had wounded.
Or how many shots he barely managed to escape with Clementine in his arms...
That had become practically normal, it was their reality now.
-... Let's go... I'll get their weapons, and see what they have... get your things, we can't stay here any longer.
Lee said, turning and walking towards the bodies.