- Well... it looks like we cut it off too late.
Clementine said ruefully, crouching down beside Bonnie and looking at her ruefully.
The woman coughed a little, wiping away the blood that came out with her cough, and shoring her back against the wall.
- It's all right... I appreciate you at least trying.
She said in a low, slurred voice, practically forcing herself to say those simple words.
The woman focused her eyes with a yellow tint on Lee, who crouched down in front of her with Alvin in his arms.
- I am sorry... for judging you.
she said, and Lee sighed slightly.
- Don't worry about it. You had your reasons. It doesn't matter anymore.
He said, looking back over his shoulder.
It was a shame for the woman to be in that situation. But at least she had been bitten protecting the baby, so that was worth something.
- I want it done fast. I don't have much time left.
The woman said, and with a sigh, Clementine picked up her knife.
- Give it to me, Clem. I'll do it.
Lee said, handing the baby to the girl as she handed him the knife.
The skull of a living person was very hard, a certain amount of force was required to pierce it. If Clementine didn't use enough force, even on the sides, which are the most fragile areas, it would only make Bonnie suffer a little more.
- Take care of him... huh, he'll grow up to be a good kid.
She said, looking at the baby in Clementine's arms, who nodded at her.
- Close your eyes. It won't hurt a bit.
Lee said, and Bonnie did so. He held her head firmly, but with a certain gentleness in his touch.
In one swift, strong motion, he drove the blade into the side of Bonnie's head, and quickly pulled his arm away.
Clementine sighed beside him, standing up soon after.
Lee continued to stare at her pale face for a few more moments, until he too stood up and returned the knife to Clementine, after wiping the blood from the blade.
-... What do we do with her?
the girl asked.
- We will bury her, pay our respects. It's not the best place for her grave, but... it's what we can do.
Lee said, staring at the hand that held the knife to Bonnie's head. It was a little strange, he wanted to feel that bad feeling he had felt before when taking a life.
But he had gotten so used to it by now that this sensation was almost imperceptible.
- Next to Carlos and Rebecca?
Clementine asked, and he nodded.
- I'll leave her body next to the stairs ... we'll do it at dawn.
Lee said, leaning down and taking Bonnie in his arms.
-... How many people we know died in total?
Clementine asked, leaning on the wall just outside the small store, watching the moon in the sky with a distant gaze.
- Too many... I think that's too many to count.
She heard Lee say, and her eyes focused on Carver, or rather, on Carver's reanimated body. She hated him, not only for what he did, but because he reminded her so much of her father.
It was hard to look at him and not think about Ed.
-... Do you regret leaving some people alive?
She asked as soon as Lee came closer, and he stared at her for a moment. He understood what she meant, he knew that look.
-... Yes... If I had killed Carver before, maybe Aj's mother, and that girl's father, Sarah, would still be alive.
He said, sitting down near the doorway and leaning his back against the wall.
-... Do you think it could happen again?
The girl asked without looking at him, and Lee arched a confused eyebrow.
- What?
- You didn't kill my fa... Ed... do you think something like what happened to Carver could happen again?
The girl sat down beside him, looking ruefully at Alvin, who was sound asleep in her arms.
Lee sighed and thought for a moment. He had considered this possibility a few times. But if he saw Ed again, he would kill him on the spot. No matter the situation, no matter the place, no matter if he was sorry or not.
He would kill him.
But, he was badly wounded that time. Fortunately, he would have died in that hotel.
- If he is alive, maybe. But even if that is the case, the chances of seeing him again are low.
Lee said, leaning his arm on his knee and closing his eyes.
What a stressful day.
- Do you regret not killing him?
The girl asked, and Lee didn't have to open his eyes to know that she was staring at him.
- Honestly... yes.
He said, and the girl was silent for a while, trapped in her own thoughts.
- Yeah, me too.
She said softly, wrapping Aj in her arms.
The silence lasted for a while, and despite their quiet breathing, neither of them felt like they were going to sleep.
Not anytime soon, anyway.
- So, have you decided yet?
the girl asked suddenly, and Lee opened his eyes.
- Decided what?
He knew what she was talking about, he just didn't know how to feel about it.
- Come on, Lee. Don't play dumb. Teach me how to be like that... how to do that.
The girl said, and he sighed, bowing his head.
It was a little uncomfortable to hear her talk like that, but at the same time, he didn't see much problem in teaching her.
And that's what concerned him. He no longer saw any problems in teaching the girl how to frighten others. How to cause suffering.
-... Which type of person do you think is more dangerous?
Lee asked, and looked deep into the girl's confused eyes.
- Crazy people like Carver?
- Nah, those are easy to deal with. Just show them what real fear is, and they'll turn out to be nothing but frightened little boys.
-... Ahm... a guy with no fear?
- I don't think so, easy to fool. Fear is an important feeling, if you know how to control it, a "fearless" person becomes extremely careless.
-... a person with many weapons?
- No, it's no use having many weapons if you are not smart enough to use them.
- Ah, come on... an insane person?
- They are definitely dangerous, and very difficult to deal with, but no, there is another type that is just as special.
- Argh, I give up.
- Come on, Clem. An intelligent person, cautious, and above all, who knows everything about the body, and/or the mind of his enemy.
Lee said, and the girl made a confused face when she heard this, causing him to give a small amused smile.
- A doctor, Clem. Who is more dangerous to a human than one who knows everything about the human body? Instead of using this knowledge to heal, he can use it for the opposite purpose.
Lee said, and the girl arched her eyebrows in understanding.
- I studied anatomy for a while. Before I decided to become a history teacher. I know a lot about the human body, and I can use this knowledge to break every bone in someone's body if necessary. Of course, in a fight to the death, or in a gunfight, this knowledge is somewhat limited, but I can still use it to try to hit the weak points of my enemy's body.
He took off his jacket and let his arm show. Clementine looked at him intently, curious.
- Cut here, and the person will be unable to use their arm effectively, or maybe not even move it properly, depending on how deep the cut is...
He said, showing on his own arm where she should cut, depending on the situation.
- Cut here, and the person will bleed heavily. Not only here, but there is an artery in the thigh, femoral artery, cut it, and this person will be screwed, really screwed.
He said, pointing to his own thigh.
- Important arteries and muscles are great to attack. Bones, however, are a little different. You have parts of your body that are extremely tough, so breaking them is not so easy. But there are some techniques for this. The femur for example, I couldn't break it, not without my axe, that thing is stronger than concrete.
He explained, and as he said it, the more in doubt he became.
Was he doing the right thing teaching the girl this?
Well... as Kenny once told him, no one gets a manual on how to be a parent. Especially in the apocalypse.
Maybe he was doing the right thing. Making others suffer was a method for survival sometimes.
A dirty, low and cruel method, but necessary.