- You know what? You drive. I'm going to take a look at my shoulder.
Lee said through a pained sigh, parking the car on the shoulder.
- Really? I can?!
the girl asked excitedly, unable to stop the small smile from forming on her lips.
- Yes, when was the last time you practiced?
Lee asked, opening the car door.
- About a year ago. Ahm... could you hold Aj for a moment?
Clementine asked, turning back and handing the boy to Kate, who smiled warmly as she held Aj in her arms.
Although Clementine could see a certain hesitant gleam in her eyes... fear?
Was she afraid of a baby?
Well, if that was the case, she couldn't really blame her. At first, Lee was a little hesitant to take care of him too.
The girl got out of the car and made room for Lee to sit down, circling the vehicle and getting into the driver's seat.
- She already knows how to drive?
The boy, whom they learned was named Gabriel, or Gabe, asked, alternating his surprised eyes between the two of them.
- Yes, I taught her some time ago.
Lee said, closing the door and taking off his jacket. It would be a pain in the ass to get that bullet lodged in his shoulder.
Just like the last few times.
- Don't forget, take it easy on the gears. And this car's clutch is a little heavier, so be careful on the way out.
Lee said, taking off his shirt and picking up the bag that was just under his seat.
- Doesn't that hurt?
Mariana asked, looking at Lee with a grimace as she saw his blood-stained shoulder.
- It hurts like hell. But let's just say I'm used to it.
He said, taking a pair of tweezers and some bandages, putting the bag back on the floor soon after.
- Are you... are you used to being shot?
Gabe asked, somewhat incredulously.
- Yeah, life on the road. Bandits all the time.
Lee said, looking at Clementine analytically as soon as she had driven off, and then focusing again on his wound when he saw that she had gotten the hang of it.
- We've faced some bandits before too... but not many.
Mariana said, and Lee gritted his teeth as he felt the tweezers stirring in his flesh.
- So... consider yourselves lucky.
Lee said through a groan of pain, just after removing the bullet.
Sighing, he throws the capsule out the window and puts the forceps in the glove compartment. He would wash that thing later, when he get the chance. And soon, he began to bandage his arm.
- You... are full of scars...
Kate said, looking somewhat surprised at Lee's torso. Bullets, cuts, some small, some large, all over his arms and chest.
- Yeah, memories of past encounters. Near-death events.
He said, finishing bandaging his arm and putting the bandages back in his bag.
- Okay, how many guns do you have?
Lee asked, putting on his shirt, and his jacket again.
- Guns? None at the moment. Not firearms.
Kate said, and Lee arched an eyebrow.
- And how did you manage to get this far?
he asked, leaning his axe on his chest and propping his back on the seat.
- We were in and out of places fast. We dealt with the muertos only when necessary.
She said, and this time Clementine was the one who raised an eyebrow.
- Muertos? Is that what you call them?
- Yes. And what about you?
- Zombies/walkers... the ones who run, we just call them runners.
She answered, dodging a zombie on the road.
The silence lasted for a few moments, with Lee focused on ignoring the pain in his shoulder. It was always like this. That pain was going to continue for a while longer, and moving his arm without feeling the affected area throbbing was almost impossible.
On the bright side, it didn't seem to have hit any bones.
-... When are we going to find Uncle Javi?
Gabe asked after a while, looking at Kate, who sighed.
- I... I don't know, Gabe...
- We have to go after him! Richmond, right?
He said.
- Gabe... it's not that easy-
- What do you mean it's not?! We just have to go there! Maybe they can help!
He said, and both Lee and Clementine arched a suggestive eyebrow.
- Gabriel! We mustn't bother them any more than we already have.
- I'm serious! Didn't you see what they did back there?!
- And what exactly do you plan to do?
Clementine asked, looking at him in the rearview mirror.
- You saw it. They have people, weapons, vehicles... it must be a huge community. Plus they didn't hesitate to shoot a little girl. How do you really plan to get him out of there?
Lee asked, looking at the trees through the window.
-... I... I don't know! But I can't just abandon him.
Lee looked over his shoulder as he noticed the boy's temper, and sighed slightly.
- You have to make a plan. Especially if it's a large community. You can't just go in there and ask them to let him go. They might as well lock you up with him for being together.
Clementine said, staring for a moment at an overturned car at the beginning of the forest.
-... You knew that guy, the bald one, right? How did you know him?
Mariana asked in a very nice tone compared to the boy.
- We don't know him well. We only saw him a few years ago, he was with a group and recruited some people we knew. But a herd of runners showed up and he left us behind.
Lee said, resting his rifle on the floor of the car as he recognized the road. They weren't very far from Prescott at that point.
- Luke...Jane...do you think they're still with them?
Clementine asked.
- I honestly don't know. But if they are, then Luke has become a big hypocrite. He complained when I killed that boy who tried to kill you, and now he has no problem shooting little girls.
Lee said, snorting as he remembered that day. He should have let Mike get a little more desperate before he saved him.
He was a pain in the ass when he wanted to be.
-... Are you thinking of paying them a visit?
Lee asked after a while, and the girl just sighed.
- I don't know... after today, a part of me doesn't want to... but when was the last time we saw someone we knew? I mean, besides each other? We weren't very close, but... we went through things together.
The girl said, and Lee ran his hand through his beard, thoughtfully. Honestly, he didn't have enough information to know if it was worth it or not.
Badger was from the new frontier, as far as he knew, so if the whole community is like that, it wasn't really an inviting place.
It had the possibility that he was no longer with the new frontier.
It also had the possibility that Luke and the others weren't even there anymore.
The chances were many for each of these possibilities, and that didn't make him very inclined to go.
However, it also had the possibility that the community was a good place, with decent people. Although he couldn't believe that one hundred percent.
- Do we have anywhere else to go?
Clementine asked, spotting the walls of Prescott up ahead.
- No... not really. The question is, is it worth it for both of us to go there?
He asked in response, grimacing as he saw some guards pointing guns in his direction from a platform above the gates.
- Well, here we are.
He got out of the car and put his shotgun in the back, while at the same time he took his axe and closed the door with his torso.
- Hey, don't you recognize us anymore, big guy?
Clementine shouted to a blond man among the guards, who, as soon as he recognized them, lowered his gun and walked down the platform.
A few moments later, the gates were opened, and he stopped a few steps forward accompanied by some guards.
- Lee, Clementine and Aj, right? Decided to stay this time?
He asked, putting a hand on her waist and alternating his gaze between the two, only to focus his curious eyes on the people behind them.
- No. We are just helping some people. They had a hard time with some crazy people, they had nowhere else to go.
Lee said, turning slightly toward Kate and the two children, who approached soon after.
- Hm, well, they are welcome here, especially a woman alone with two children. As long as they don't make a mess.
- Oh, thank you very much. I am Kate. This is Gabriel and Mariana.
The woman introduced herself, standing right next to Clementine, and handing Aj to her.
- I'm Tripp. This is my community, Prescott. Come on in. Make yourselves at home.
He said, turning and walking through the gates, and they followed shortly after.
- Are you sure you don't plan to stay? Prescott isn't the best place in the world, I admit, but it's much better for the boy to stay here. Much safer, at least.
Tripp said, looking at Aj, who was hugging Clementine's neck tightly.
- Nah, we're used to being on the road. And don't take this the wrong way, but we are looking for a... better place, so to speak. And no community we have passed through so far has guaranteed it.
Lee said, leaning his axe on his shoulder and looking at the people there.
Many of them were frowning, but decent enough not to go around looking for a fight, or thinking they owned something.
- I understand, but... you could at least think of one of our affiliates.
Tripp said, and Kate arched an eyebrow.
- Affiliates?
- Yes, there are a few other communities nearby. We made a deal, and we help each other with just about everything. Food, weapons, people, vehicles, gasoline... literally everything. And because of that, not only Prescott, but all these other communities are growing a lot.
Tripp explained.
Lee stared at him for a moment. He and Clementine, due to an incident with some bullets that did not fire, have not yet gone to these neighboring communities. But, as Tripp explained, they were not that far from there.
Maybe, they would check these places out later. With respect to Tripp, he is a decent guy. Despite his always grumpy face.
- Maybe we can get some help from them.
Gabe said, drawing Tripp's attention to himself.
- Help? With what? If you want a place to stay, like I said, you are welcome to stay here.
- We appreciate it, but that's not it. The man we were with, their uncle, was taken away by the people who attacked us earlier.
Kate explained.
- Taken? Kidnapped? What kind of person would do that? And why?
Tripp asked, stopping walking and turning toward them.
- The same guy who shot a little girl without hesitation.
Lee said, pointing with his head to Mariana, and Tripp's eyes widened.
- Are you serious?!
- We found food at a junkyard last night, ate a little, just a bit of pudding, and were on our way out. Then these people came and said we were stealing. Javi was taken with them.
Kate said, and Tripp arched a thoughtful eyebrow.
- Javi? Javier Garcia?
Tripp asked, and all three of them widened their eyes in surprise.
- How did you-
- Our guys found him earlier today, in a truck overturned on the road. They would have left him there, since he had killed the man who was with him. However, the man was part of a group of crazy people who mark themselves. Javi is in that tent we use as a hospital now.
Tripp said, pointing to a tent just behind him, and almost immediately, the three of them ran to it.
- Thank you... thank you very much!
Kate thanked him before walking away, and they stared at the woman for a while, until they heard their happy voices as they found this Javi guy.
- Have you met with these people before?
Lee asked after a while.
- Yes, one of our affiliated communities had problems with some of them and asked us for help.
He explained.
- Do you know anything else about them?
Clementine asked.
- No. I just know that they might not be that friendly. They say they have laws and all that bullshit, but they don't seem to follow them.
Tripp said, sighing soon after.
- Yeah, we had a good idea... anyway, is that guy still here? He sold us bullets that don't shoot, and that could have killed one of us.
Lee said, putting a hand on his waist, and Tripp sighed slightly annoyed.
- Argh, that asshole. Yes, he is here. I don't like him at all, but remember, don't start fights, or use your weapons, if you make too much trouble, I'll be forced to kick you out.
Tripp said.
- Don't worry. We don't plan to use weapons... just fists.
Lee said, and Tripp stared at him.
- Just take it easy, don't let this conflict between you affect the rest of the community.
Tripp said, turning and walking somewhere that neither of them was curious enough to look.
- So... what do we do now?
Clementine asked, looking at some of the people staring at her. She didn't like strangers staring at her, and ended up making an angry expression that caused them to look away.
- It's already night. Let's spend the night here and leave at dawn. Let's see if the other communities have people a little nicer than these. And now that they have some good news about that Javi guy, we can say goodbye.
Lee said, glaring at a man, who sputtered as he stared at him. But when he saw that Lee was staring at him in a rather threatening way, the stranger looked away.
Nothing that a little fear couldn't do the trick.
- Hm, they seem nice.
- I agree. The girl reminded me of you when you were younger.
- In what?
- In being a sweet little girl who didn't boss me around all the time like you do. Ah, I miss her.
He joked, getting a light punch in the arm in response.
- Ow! Just kidding, I love you no matter how you act.
He said, and the girl gave him a look as if to say, "You better."
- Hey, Lee, Clem, this is Javier, but we call him Javi.
Kate's voice caught the attention of both of them, who turned to the woman and stared at the man walking next to them.
- Javi sounds more charming...Kate said what you guys did. I don't know how to thank you.
He said, extending his hand, and Lee shook it shortly after.
- I'm Lee, this is Clementine and Aj.
- Hey there, little guy.
Javi said, gently patting Aj on the head, who looked at him curiously.
- Careful, he bites.
As soon as Clementine said so, Aj bit Javi's hand, who groaned slightly in pain and pulled his arm back in some pain.
- Ouch! Jesus, you almost bit my fingers off... reminds me of someone.
Javi said, looking amused at Gabe, who grumbled loudly.
- I have to admit, when Kate said you were young, I didn't think you were that young. How old are you?
Javi asked, looking at Clementine.
- Fourteen.
she said.
The girl has been counting the days to her birthday since she got that bow.
- The same age as Gabe, well, practically. You were quite young when it all happened. I must say I am a little surprised, father and daughter together in the apocalypse, most people have already lost their loved ones.
- We can say the same for you.
Clementine said, slightly confused by the way Kate was looking at her.
- You guys are father and daughter? I mean, you don't look much alike.
- We're not related by blood. But Lee has taken care of me since everything happened.
- Oh, I see. Taking care of a child that is not yours. It seems we have something in common.
Javi said, looking somewhat sympathetically at Lee.
Before anyone else could say anything, however, their attention was drawn by the sound of a car engine... actually, several engines.
And as they turned back, they looked confusedly at the headlights of the vehicles that stopped just in front of the gates.