Clementine shot the arrow into the man's shoulder as soon as he entered her field of vision.
Quickly, Lee sticks his axe into the side of his head, and pulls his body into cover, grabbing the rifle he had in hand and throwing his body to the side.
- Here, Luke.
Lee said, tossing the rifle to Luke, crouching down and searching the man's body soon after, satisfied to find a pistol, even though it wasn't enough.
- Clem.
He called to the girl, handing the gun to her, who looked at him confused.
- What about you?
- Just take the gun.
Lee said, and the girl grumbled softly, taking the gun from his hand.
- Can't you see it's useless?! Do us both a favor and just turn yourself in. The sooner we start, the sooner you die, real simple!
Carver shouted again, and this time Lee could hear a scream, a cry muffled by the man's harsh voice. Unlike the baby's cry.
"He must be with the others...but why doesn't he hold them hostage?"
- You're not leaving?! All right then!
Carver shouted once more, and the same cry he had heard before was present again, now much more audible.
- Sarah!
Luke exclaimed as he heard the girl's cry, a worried expression on his face.
"Oh, why did I even think that?"
- You killed another one of my men... that's reason enough for me to kill everyone here! But I won't do it! They'll see you die first! Now get out of there!
Carver shouted again, and Luke stood beside Lee.
- We have to go.
He said, and Lee looked at him incredulously.
- Are you out of your mind?! No way!
- He's going to kill her!
- He'll kill everyone! If we turn ourselves in, it's the end!
Clementine said.
Lee took a few deep breaths, a stressful situation that was.
Looking analytically at his surroundings, he thought of something.
Leaning his body slightly over the edge of the wall he was standing on, he looks at Carver's position.
He was a little behind the statue further ahead, with his back to the road, and to a small part of the wall... if someone could sneak up there, they would catch him in the back.
With him, there were four men, one next to him, and the other three further back, close to the road... maybe that is why they did not advance any further... all of them armed. A bag, probably of ammo, was right at his feet.
They were pointing their guns at Mike and Bonnie's heads...the baby was covered by some cloths, lying on the ground and crying loudly.
They didn't look very well. Bonnie had bruises all over her face, and blood dripping from her lips, just as much as Mike.
- Okay, Luke, give the rifle to Jane.
Lee said, turning to them shortly after, and looking seriously at Luke.
- Do you have a plan?
Clementine asked.
- Yes ... you and Jane are going to go down the river, around the place, and take Carver from behind, through the forest, while Luke and I go to him.
Lee said, and the girl looked at him incredulously.
- Are you crazy?! He could kill you before we get there!
Clementine said, and Lee sighed.
Yes, they might take that risk... but, as usual, he was used in taking risks.
- I know... you just have to be quick.
Lee said, placing his hand gently on the girl's head.
- I agree with her... this is going to leave you both extremely exposed... they might shoot you the moment you leave here.
Jane said, looking at them worriedly.
- I'm going to count to five! And you better get out! One!
Carver shouted again.
- Carver will kill them all... I have no doubt that he will kill that baby too. Neither Rebecca nor Carlos are there.
Lee said.
- Two! - Carver yelled again.
- Lee this is crazy! - Clementine said.
- We don't have much choice!
- Three! - Carver shouted, and the girl's crying got a little louder.
- He's going to kill you! - the girl said, looking at him with a mixture of anger and disbelief.
- Not yet!
- Four! - Carver shouted, and Sarah screamed in despair.
- We're leaving!
Luke shouted, handing the rifle to Jane and stepping out of cover with his arms up, Clementine looked at him in disbelief, and even despair when Lee stood beside him.
- Hurry up.
He said softly, walking toward Carver with his arms up.
Clementine almost grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him back. Those people weren't worth his life, he barely knew them.
But Jane took her by the arm and they both started down the river.
- Are you sure about this?
Luke asked softly on the way, and Lee just sighed.
- No ... we're not going to get out of this unscathed, even if we stay alive.
Lee said, and this time Luke sighed.
Nothing was easy.
Carver threw Sarah aside with some force, staring fixedly at Lee, who was not intimidated by that look.
In fact, Lee had his attention elsewhere at the moment.
Carlos and Rebecca... the bodies of both were lying a few meters past the statue, both shot in the head.
Lee sighed, he imagined that this would be the case, but he couldn't stop himself from getting angry.
Carver had just left two children orphans. Not that he was any different, he destroyed a whole community full of people.
But, Carver killed Carlos in front of Sarah, and killed Rebecca while she was holding the baby.
It was obvious, Lee saw the blood splatter on the child's body.
- Do you have any idea... any idea at all... what you have done?!
Carver asked, as they approached.
Lee arched an eyebrow at him, and smiled cynically.
- I've cleared out a nest of bugs... but there are still a few more to go.
he said.
Carver continued to stare at him, his eyes narrowed, and after a few moments he raised his revolver and fired a shot just below Lee's shoulder, who turned slightly back and immediately put his hand on the spot, gritting his teeth in pain.
- You don't realize it yet in the situation you're in... but you will!
Carver said.
Lee took his hand away from his wound and looked at it for a while.
"It didn't hit the bone... but damn, it hurts like hell... I don't think I can use my arm for things with much movement."
- And you, Luke... you agreed to be a part of it, why?! Because you don't like me?! Because you don't agree with the things I do?!
Carver asked, turning to Luke and punching him hard in the face, causing him to stagger a little to the side.
- Do you know how many people died?!
Carver shouted, and Lee looked at him. A small mocking laugh escaped his lips.
- Really? Come on, Carver, don't you think that's a little hypocritical coming from you?
Lee asked, only to be hit on the head with the stock of a gun by the guard next to Carver.
Lee staggered slightly backwards, feeling dizzy, and feeling blood trickle down the side of his eyebrow.
- I've had enough of you, Lee! Where's the girl?!
Carver asked, punching Luke again, and turning to Lee.
- If she's not here, then she's somewhere else, you know?
Lee said, and Carver punched him in the face, followed by a punch to the stomach.
Lee bent over and groaned slightly in pain, but did not fall to the ground. He wouldn't, that would be the end of him.
- Come on, stop being funny and do something productive in the short time you have to live! Where's the girl?!
Carver asked again, holding him by the shirt and looking deep into his eyes.
Lee didn't answer, but just spat in Carver's face, causing him to let go of the spittle in his eyes.
- Can you see her now, huh?
Lee asked, however, he groaned loudly in pain and was forced to his knees as he was shot again, this time in his leg.
Raising his head, Lee sees a punch coming towards him.
In reflex, he lowers his head slightly and throws it against Carver's fist. There is a part of the skull, just above the forehead, that is thicker than the rest of the bone structure, so it is not uncommon for people to break their hand when trying to punch someone in this area.
Carver groans in pain and retracts his hand hard, looking at his reddened fingers.
- What? As far as I know, I am the one shot here.
Lee says, standing up with his other leg and looking at Carver with a certain superiority.
However, his small smile died when he saw Carver pointing the gun at his head.
- You ... you're the most intriguing man I've ever met, I'll give you that ... but it's about time you realized that you have no chance of winning here.
Carver said, and quickly, he lowered his arm and shot Luke in the abdomen.
A desperate scream from Bonnie echoed through the place, muffling a groan of pain from Luke, who placed both hands on the wound and gritted his teeth in pain.
Lee looked at him with a serious look. Anger began to build in his chest.
- That was your fault.
Carver said.
He grabbed Lee's head and forced him to look away.
- That was your fault! A little girl has just been orphaned because of you...and my son has just lost his mother...all of this is your fault.
Carver said, and Lee pulled back hard from his grasp. He was breathing heavily, trying to contain the anger inside him.
- Do you know something funny?
Lee asked, closing his eyes and taking a few deep breaths before opening them again.
- A dead man left his legacy on the world... someone you considered insignificant left a part of it behind.
Lee said, and Carver stared at him with narrowed eyes, slightly curious about what he was talking about.
- I know you're trying to waste my time, waiting for some miracle to happen. But the point is, it's not gonna happen, and when I deal with you, I'm going after the girl. But all right, let's hear it, what are you talking about?
Carver asked.
- You have done so much, but at the same time, you have done nothing... the baby is Alvin's.
Lee said, smiling slightly at Carver's annoyed expression.
- You don't know what you're talking about!
- I know exactly what I am talking about... he doesn't look anything like you. Isn't he perfect for a man like you, Carver?
Lee asked teasingly.
- What do you mean by that?
- You can't do anything without other people to stand up for you. No wonder this applies to the child. You will be forced to see the face of the man you killed, and you will realize how weak you are.
Lee said, and Carver pointed the gun in his direction with an angry look.
- I think you've said too much already!
he said, and Lee raised an eyebrow.
- You think you're so tough... can you stay that way when you end up alone?
Lee asked, and a gunshot echoed through the room.
People were startled, even Carver was startled when the body of one of his men fell to the ground with a hole in his head.
Quickly, Lee advanced towards him and punched him in the face, sending him to the ground.
More shots echoed through the place, and Lee could see, at a glance, Mike and Bonnie reacting as the bodies of the guards fell to the ground.
Groaning in pain, Lee steps on Carver's hand, at the same time kneeling on his chest with his other leg.
He takes the revolver from the man's hand and punches him a few times in the face, stopping only when he heard, and felt, Carver's nose break.
- Lee!
Clementine called out worriedly, and he turned to the girl, returning the tight hug she gave him.
- You idiot! I told you he could kill you!
the girl said, punching him lightly in the chest.
Lee stared at her for a while, and smiled warmly when he saw that the girl was almost crying.
- What are you looking at?
she asked, rubbing the back of her hands over her eyes.
- I hate to interrupt, but what are we going to do about this guy?
Mike asked.
Lee stared at him for a while, one eyebrow arched at the sight of him holding the baby in his arms, and then glanced at Bonnie and Jane, who were tending to Luke's wound.
Sighing, he looks at Sarah, who was crying beside Charles' body, completely ignoring the bodies of the dead men around her.
- Simple... I will leave him half dead, the runners that will eventually arrive will take care of him.
Lee said, putting Carver's revolver in his waistband, and gritting his teeth slightly as he stood up.
- What? Just put a bullet in his head and be done with it.
Mike said.
- Oh, no... dying is easy... not after all that.
Lee said, looking at Luke, who was being lifted up by the two women.
- We need to get the bullet out and see if he has any internal bleeding.
Bonnie said.
- Can he walk to that building?
Lee asked, stepping hard on Carver's head.
- I can do it...I can do it but we have to go soon.
Luke said amid groans of pain.
- Clem, Mike... can you get the supplies that are hidden in the pile of junk? Jane, can you take the baby?
Lee asked, looking at Clementine, who didn't seem too inclined to leave his side.
- On my way.
Mike said, handing the baby to Jane and walking away.
- You can go...I'm not going anywhere...not even this asshole here.
Lee said, and the girl sighed, turning and following Mike.
Lee removed her foot from Carver's face and stepped on his chest, looking at him with a certain superiority.
- You... son of a bitch!
Carver said, gritting his teeth in pain and anger.
- You know... I've been thinking... do you know what it feels like to be "half dead"?
Lee asked, shooting Carver in both knees, a guarantee that he would not be able to react, or do anything about the pain Lee was about to inflict on his body.
- If we consider destroying the whole body as "a full death", and then separate the lower body from the upper body, the damage on both sides is quite different.
Lee said, taking the axe Clementine had given him, and swinging it at the head of one of the guards beside him.
- You can still live without your lower body, but if your upper body is destroyed, you die... not exactly what I am looking for. So I thought about organs... but this way I have to think about the value of each organ as well.
Lee said, limping over to Carver and taking his right arm.
- To begin with, sorting the organs is difficult. Let's take the brain for example, should I count it as a whole organ? Or should I subdivide it into "cerebrum", "cerebellum", and "hippocampus"?
Lee asked, looking deep into Carver's eyes, a strange gleam in his eyes, almost as if in a restrained animation.
- Clem... this isn't gonna be pretty... I think you'd better stay with the others.
Lee said, without turning to Clementine, just staring into Carver's eyes.
-... What do you intend to do?
the girl asked.
- It will be messy... it will be cruel... stay with the others.
Lee said, and the girl stared at him for a moment.
- No... I'm staying.
She said, and Lee glared at her.
- You have never seen me do anything like this... this is the first time I am going to do something like this out of my own free will.
He said, looking deep into her eyes.
-... All right.
She said, walking to the side, and crouching down while looking at Carver.
The man didn't want to admit it... but he was frightened by that look.
Lee sighed, and turned back to face Carver.
- So, I thought about the bones. There are 206 bones in a person's body. The bones are symmetrical on both sides, so splitting them in "half" is relatively easy, when you have studied anatomy.
Lee said, and a small smile broke out on his lips as he saw Carver's eyes widen. Probably already understanding where he was going with this.
- In other words, from now on, I am going to break 103 bones in your body... let's see if you are strong enough to handle it.
Lee said, and quickly, he broke Carver's arm in the elbow region. A shrill scream escaped from his throat.
- Let's start with the arm. We'll go from the upper arm and forearm first, then the hand. There's one bone called the "humerus" in the upper arm.
Lee said, pulling Carver's arm up and resting it on his shoulder, pulling it down until the sound of breaking bone echoed, and another scream escaped from Carver's throat.
- The forearm is composed of two bones. The one I am going to break now on the pinky finger side is the ulna.
Another crack was heard, and Lee knelt on Carver's chest as he saw him begin to struggle.
- The bone on the thumb side is called the "radius".
He broke another bone.
- The hand bones are split into three different parts: The carpus, metacarpus and the phalanges.
Clementine grimaced as she saw Carver's hand twisting in all directions, and the loud cracks of the breaking bones echoing through her head, as she could see the bones breaking beneath Carver's skin.
- There are eight bones making up the "carpal" group: the pisiform, triquetrum, lunate, scaphoid, hamate, capitate, trapezoid and the trapezium. These bones are all clusters together so they can all be broken together too.
Carver's voice became lower and lower, and his cries were nothing more than agonizing groans, and his struggles were nothing more than a few futile attempts to make the pain stop. His eyes rolled back sharply at the incredible pain spreading through the right side of his body.
- The "metacarpals" are five bones numbered from one to five.
Five more bones were broken, and Lee stopped what he was doing to look at Carver's agonizingly twisted face.
- There are three kinds of bones making up the "phalanges": the proximalis, distalis, and the media. The thumb is the only bone without a distal bone. So there are 14 bones making up the phalanges in one we finish breaking the "humerus", then we have gotten all 30 bones of the arm.
Lee said, and Carver's groans ceased.
He stared at the man's distorted expression for a few moments, and snorted slightly at Carver's pathetic situation.
- He always called himself someone strong... and he could barely stand to have only thirty bones broken from just one of his arms.
Lee said as he saw Carver unconscious. He would not let the shock kill him.
Picking up his axe at his side, Lee plunged it into Carver's chest, without hesitation, and in one swift motion.
Lee sighed once more, and without taking his hand off his axe, he looked at Clementine.
The girl was staring at him with a strange glint in her eye, an expression he hadn't seen before, and this was one of the moments when he couldn't tell what was going on in the girl's head.
But, incredibly, he saw no fear in her eyes... and maybe he should be afraid of that.
Be worried about it.
Perhaps, he was turning the girl into a monster, just like him.
Turning, he faced the incredulous stares of Mike, and Jane, who stood back and stared at him with fear in their eyes.
Laughing humorlessly, Lee pulls his axe hard, and begins limping toward the building ahead.