Clementine looked out the greenhouse window, eyes slightly wide and a little concerned watching Carver walking toward the place.
- Oh, shit... how did you girls go?
Reggie asked, with a spark of fear in his eyes as he saw Carver approaching. Turning around, he analyzes the work of both girls.
Clementine had done enough cutting, there was still a little left to do, but she was practically finished.
Sarah had also done some of the work, but not as much as Clementine, although she had done everything correctly.
The greenhouse door was opened, and they looked at Carver.
- Oh, hey Bill.
Reggie said, turning to him.
- Just checking in... seeing how the new girls are doing.
Carver said, walking into the place and looking at the two tables on either side of him. Stopping his gaze on Sarah's still incomplete work for a moment.
- Hm... a little slower than I expected... are you sure you taught them well, Reggie?
Carver said, narrowing his eyes slightly and crossing his arms at Reggie, who although he had not been threatened or anything like that, was a little terrified by the looks he was getting.
- Ahm, I... yes, Bill, I... I made sure to explain to them, and... and I said that if they have any questions they can come and ask me, I...
He explained, stammering slightly and alternating his nervous eyes between Carver, the girls and the tables.
- Reggie... how can you expect to do a good job if you're freaking out like that? I could barely understand what you said...you didn't explain it to them like that, did you?
Carver said, walking a few steps to the side as he ran his eyes around the place.
- Oh, I... n-no, Bill... I explained it to them clearly, offered to help... I think they understood, it's just... they're new and not used to the job.
Reggie explained again, now a little calmer, but you could still see the panic in his eyes.
Clementine noticed... and she was sure that Carver did too.
- Come on, Reggie, stop making excuses. Don't screw things up now that you're so close to being back with the group.
Carver said, looking at Reggie with a rigid expression, and the man cringed a little at the look he was receiving.
After a while, Carver looked at Clementine and Sarah, and walked out of the greenhouse.
- I'll be back later...you better teach them well, Reggie, I don't want to see an incomplete work when I get back.
Carver said, closing the greenhouse door.
Clementine arched an eyebrow at Reggie's relieved sigh. It was obvious how terrified he was of Carver, which made her curious, to say the least.
What had he done to make people fear him so much? Or respect him the way Bonnie seemed to?
The woman had said that Carver was a decent man before, although now she herself didn't seem to believe her own words.
Before Rebecca, now Reggie... the others say he's cruel and bloodthirsty and all that.
She also felt afraid with him around, but it wasn't so different from the fear she felt when she was around some zombie, or some runner.
- Look, girls, I know you're not used to this, but if you were having trouble, you could have called me.
Reggie said, turning to the two girls, who stared at him.
- If you realized that Sarah was having trouble, Clem, you should have helped her, you learned how to do it.
Reggie said, alternating his gaze between her, and the table at which she did her work.
The girl arched an eyebrow at him. Reggie didn't seem like a bad man, but he was... weird... Was he okay being a slave?
Maybe because he had a part of his body ripped off?
- Sorry, I'll try to be happier with my forced labor.
She said in a neutral way, she wasn't angry with Reggie or anything like that, but she wouldn't act well being forced to work.
And she wouldn't take orders from someone else, let alone that person being Reggie, she just did her job so as not to draw attention to herself.
Keeping a low profile was better than getting unwanted attention.
- Don't be like that, Clem. Don't you see? This is fresh food. Look where we are, in a paradise in the middle of the apocalypse.
Reggie said, and the girl sighed. This was yet another of the man's numerous attempts to convince her that this place was good.
The place itself was indeed promising, but the people on the other hand...
- A paradise that forces people to work, kidnaps survivors, kills those who oppose its ideals... what a beautiful paradise, Reggie. I won't get in your way, but I won't help you either. Just tell me what my job is, and that's it.
She said in a calm, even gentle tone.
Reggie, to her, didn't matter much. It was a life, sure, that was important, but he was a man who just didn't seem to want to fight for himself, and who was fine with being a slave, obeying any and all orders from others just to pretend to be part of something.
Could she blame him? It's a tough world out there, especially for someone who didn't have one of his arms.
So, in a way, maybe she could understand him.
-... Ok... but one day you will realize that this place is really worth it, the forced labor is only temporary.
Reggie said, and the girl disguised her incredulity.
He really was okay with forced labor. Gee...
- Look, just... just get back to work, okay? We still have some things to do.
He said, turning and walking to some corner of the greenhouse, leaving the two girls standing in front of the door.
Clementine sighed and shook her head slightly. She didn't like that place. And being under the orders of a crazy person was not really an option.
- I feel like this was my fault.
Sarah's voice caught Clementine's attention and she turned to the girl with an arched eyebrow.
- What do you mean?
- Reggie could have been hurt because I didn't do my job, I...I kept thinking about my father. Carver called him into his office, and... I couldn't stop thinking about it.
Sarah said, bowing her head slightly and pressing her arms against her body.
- You are very close to your father...that's great.
Clementine said, and Sarah looked at her.
- But, Sarah, you are very dependent on your father...to the point that this can cause problems for others.
The girl said, trying to use a gentle tone.
- You also seem to be very close to that man, Lee. And you were worried about him back at the cabin.
- Yes, but that was different, we were separated by a herd. And I managed to survive. Besides that I helped Nick and Luke... my point is, if you rely on your father for everything, you'll only get in his way, you have to start taking care of yourself, on your own.
She said, looking at Sarah for a few more moments, before turning and walking to the next table.
As Reggie himself said, she had some more time of forced labor.
At least it was something easy.
Some time passed, and Clementine stared at her table, now filled with baskets full of berries, it didn't take long for her to finish all that.
A pity she had to do it under rather unpleasant circumstances, she was sure she could have had a more pleasant time with this work if she hadn't been kidnapped by a madman and taken to a camp of like-minded people.
Looking away, the girl sighed as she saw that there were still a few baskets left for Sarah to complete, she still didn't seem very focused on her work.
It was a shame that Sarah didn't think the same way she did. It was better to simply do the job, even begrudgingly, than to attract attention, or be scolded by someone like Carver.
As she had realized back at the cabin, Sarah was still very innocent, even though she was older.
At first, she thought it was cool, but now she realizes that this could cause problems.
Just as it almost did in the yard earlier.
The greenhouse door was opened, and the girl looked back at Tavia.
- Carver wants you in his office. Now.
The woman said, and the girl sighed, looking at Sarah for a few moments before leaving the greenhouse.
- Reggie... Carver asked me to report to him on the progress of the work in the greenhouse, this girl finished the job, apparently, but the other...
The woman said, looking disinterestedly at Sarah, who was a little frightened by the whole thing.
- Oh, I know, Tavia, it's just... she's not used to the work yet, you know how she is, Carlos told us several times that-
- Reggie!
Tavia interrupted him.
- I can be here two minutes at most, before I report back to him on the radio. So finish the job quickly. I'm giving you a chance.
The woman said, and Reggie nodded, heading toward the girl.
- Go to his office.
Tavia said, looking at Clementine, who turned and walked toward the roof exit.
As she descended the stairs, she looked around as she walked, seeing some guards with plates of food in their hands.
She had heard something about prisoners being fed at different times. So there was a schedule for the guards to eat.
Hm, did Lee already know this?
Shaking her head slightly, she walks up the stairs to Carver's office, arching an eyebrow as she sees Rebecca walk past her crying.
- She is a strong woman surrounded by weak men. I won't let my kid be raised around that. Come in here.
Carver said in a serious voice, leaning on the door to the entrance of his office.
The girl felt a shiver run through her body when she heard Carver's harsh and uncomfortable voice, but she hid her feelings well and entered the office.
Clementine's eyes widened slightly when she saw Alvin sitting on a chair in the corner of the office, blood all over his clothes and splattered across his face, with several visible bruises along his length.
- Alvin?
The girl called out, in a futile attempt to check whether he was still alive or not.
His chest was still rising and falling slightly, and she was a little more relaxed to see that he was still alive.
It's not like she cared much about him, but he was a good man, and he seemed quite gentle for the short time she had been by his side.
- He passed out hours ago. He can hear nothing.
Carver said, and the girl looked over her shoulder at him.
- You're just a bully.
she said, turning to him.
- Come again?
- You're a bully. I know it wasn't a fair fight.
she said. Alvin was a very large man. He might not be very good in a fight, but he certainly had good strength.
- Yeah, I guess it wasn't. But life isn't fair most of the time. I wouldn't be so concerned about his well-being if I were you. Not with you being so close to the fire yourself.
He said, pointing to a nearby chair across from his desk.
The girl stared at him for a moment, then walked over to the table and sat down in the chair.
- You be sure to tell me the truth while you sit where you are... and you won't end up in that chair.
he said, looking at where Alvin was standing.
The girl stared at him for a while, scared on the inside, but neutral on the outside.
From what she had heard from Carver up to that point, he might actually beat her up, which would be bad for both of them.
She was not in the mood to look like a rotten fruit, and suffer restrictive consequences due to the beating.
And she knew that Carver still didn't want to die, because that was what would happen if he beat her. Lee would repay that for sure.
And with the options he told her the night before, he wouldn't mind destroying the community.
- I'll use our dear friend Reggie as an example. He is a funny guy, and I like him. But he has a record of screw-ups lately. And I am not happy with what Tavia has just reported to me. But his biggest flaw is that he is weak.
he said, walking around the table and sitting down in his chair.
- And I don't mean that because he is maimed, that's not his problem. He is weak in will, in character. And we can't have that around here, not anymore.
he said, and the girl arched an eyebrow.
She even thought she was going crazy, but she agreed with Carver on something.
- Reggie really does seem weak-willed.
She thought out loud, grimacing as she realized that she had said something she didn't intend to.
-...I know you noticed...would you mind telling me the details?
Carver said, leaning his torso forward slightly, while keeping his arms resting on the arms of the chair.
- Well... he seems... he seems very comfortable being a puppet... a slave to someone. He has more fear than will.
She said, searching for the right words to say as she ran her hand over her head, a small act of nervousness that would go unnoticed by many.
-... That's all the proof I needed right there. You understand... think about the following situation. You are with a group of people, all of whom contribute in some way and make the group stronger.
He began, leaning his back in his chair.
- But there is this one person, he is a funny guy, a nice fellow, but he doesn't contribute, and constantly fails in his tasks, this could put the whole group at risk. You teach him once, twice, and he keeps making mistakes, putting us all at risk. What do you do?
he asked, and the girl stared at him for a while, confused by the question, and rather annoyed by the way he was looking at her.
As if she were a find.
A rare object he found in the mud.
- I... I would kick this person out.
- That person knows the weaknesses of others, knows their plans. What if he didn't accept this decision well?
-... I would kill him.
She said, and Carver smiled. A cheerful, almost happy smile.
- See? I don't need any more proof.
He said, getting up and sitting down on the table in front of her.
- Killing one to save many is part of survival. It is one of the toughest decisions that a weaker person couldn't make. That's why it falls to people like us to lead them to safety. And you understand this.
He said, staring deep into the girl's confused eyes.
- Luke, Carlos, Reggie... they couldn't make that decision. They are weak, and we are strong. It is their nature to follow, not to lead.
He said, and the girl blinked a few times.
- You're saying that... I'm not like you.
Clementine said, narrowing her eyes at him.
- I know it when I see it. And we're more alike than you think. In fact, you realize it already, you're just not comfortable with it yet. There's no way you could have lasted this long otherwise.
He said, leaning his arm on her leg.
- I survived this long because Lee protected me, and he taught me to kill only if necessary, not because others are weak. People don't deserve to die because of that.
She said, crossing her arms and returning her gaze to him.
- Lee, that guy who killed my people, huh? Yeah, Troy mentioned that you two seem to be close. I saw it in his eyes... he raised you the right way, he raised you to lead, to survive whatever the world throws at you, and he's done a great job so far. But you need something more, something he can't give you. You are special, you have incredible potential... and I can give you exactly what you lack.
He said, and the girl's eyes widened.
She hated the tone of voice in his words, and was hesitant about what he had in mind.
What he meant by that.
- Kids like you, raised the right way, will be the key to getting us out of this 's not the hordes that keep me up at night, it's not knowing if I have someone to pass it all on to... but I ain't worried about that anymore.
He said, getting up and walking around the table again.
- Okay, now-
- Bill? You there?
He was interrupted by Tavia's voice on the radio.
- Yes?
- That guy has already finished his work in the cafeteria, Troy told him to deal with runners at work, so he's going to clean up first.
Tavia said, and the girl arched an eyebrow as she saw Carver grumble.
- What was that idiot thinking?!
- Oh, and, the loading bay door is jacked. Troy really knocked the shit out of it. I don't think it's an emergency or anything, but it's something Stan should take a look at.
The girl listened, and looked around the office, focusing her eyes on the skylight just above her head.
- Go back to the yard. It's almost dinner time.
he said, and the girl stood up. She looked at Alvin for a few more moments before leaving the office.