- Oh, fuck... it stings.

Javi grumbled softly as he felt his wounds throbbing against the cold metal of the truck.

- Try getting shot...

Lee said with a distant look and a very unfriendly expression. They took Aj away from him, and he had spent the last few hours trying to control himself from trying to cut a hole in the back of that truck with his bare hands and kill every one of those people.

-... Kate...

Gabe said softly, with his head down and staring at the ground, still with the scenes of Kate being shot in his mind.

- She... she's fine, Gabe... she-

- How the fuck do you know?!

The boy shouted suddenly, and both Javi and Mariana looked at him with wide eyes.

Even Lee and Clementine began to observe the little argument.

- Have you lost your mind, boy?!

Javi shouted back, irritated.

- Have more respect for Javi, Gabe!

Mariana said, looking at him with mildly annoyed and reproachful eyes.

- Kate's been shot! We don't know-

- And you think this shit is helping anyone?! The world doesn't revolve around you! We're all just as affected as you are!

Javi said harshly, looking at the boy rigidly.

He stared at him for a few moments, before returning to stare at the ground with a more embarrassed look.

-... They're not going to kill us, are they?

Mariana asked, looking at Javi with a small glint of fear in her eyes.

- I... I don't think so... they wouldn't have tied us up and thrown us in here.

Javi said with a sigh.

- Who knows...maybe they plan to execute us in a public square.

Lee said in a tired voice. Not just physical fatigue, but mental fatigue from spending so much time just trying not to let his anger take over.

- That didn't help much man.

Javi said, looking at Lee after seeing the slightly tearful expression Mariana made.

- Oh, sorry... I'm used to being realistic with Clem around. Let's say we kill a lot of their people. And if they try to kill us, which could happen, we need a plan.

Lee said, propping his head on the cold metal and sighing tiredly.

He would have to have a lot of willpower not to kill Badger and move in on the woman who was with Aj when that truck stops.

- The problem will be if they decide to do that the moment we get out of this truck. Depending on how many people, we won't be able to do anything.

Clementine said, in the same way as Lee. She even picked up on his habit of always running her hand across her chin whenever she was in a stressful situation.

-... It's a possibility, but I don't think they will kill us right away... well, I hope. Maybe they will put us in some kind of prison, who knows. Unfortunately, there's not much point in arguing here, we have almost no information.

Lee said, running his hand through his beard.

- You seem so calm with all this going on.

Javi said.

- That's because we have been through something like this before, let's say we are used to fucked up situations.

Lee said.

-Swear.

Clementine scolded him, without much energy in her voice, as if she was just doing something that was part of her everyday life.

- Oh, sorry, sweet pea. Add it to my list.

He said, with hundreds of scenes running through his mind, imagining what might happen once they got out of that truck.

Many things could happen, in fact, and he knew it was rather pointless to think about it at the moment, he couldn't predict the future. But he just couldn't stop thinking about the countless ways in which this situation could get even worse.

They were practically in the palm of these people's hands. And he hated that feeling.

- Aren't you worried at all about Aj?

Gabe asked.

- Of course we are! But we can't let our feelings take over, not at a time like this.

Clementine replied, almost immediately.

- Oh, I'll destroy this whole community if they hurt that boy.

Lee said, closing his eyes and raising his head slightly.

- You against an entire community? Good luck.

Gabe said, with a certain irony and nonchalance in his voice.

- Boy, you have to understand something. Chaos begins at the snap of a finger. An opening they didn't see, a blade they didn't foresee. A small flame that turns into a sea of intense fire, swallowing everything in its path. Especially if they really want to kill us.

Lee said, ignoring the boy's tone, and still with his eyes closed, but he could feel Javi staring at him.

- Have you been through something similar?

Javi asked.

- He set fire to a community, near where they stored gas cylinders. A large community reduced to ashes by a lighter, and some alcohol.

Clementine said, not having to look away to know what expressions they were making at the moment.

- Like I said... chaos starts at the snap of a finger. Fires are easy to create.

Lee said, running his hand through his hair.

It was nothing new, and nothing too incredible. A fire could happen with a simple candle, and one careless person.

- Jesus... so... are you planning to set fire to the whole community?

Javi asked, and Lee laughed lightly.

- Come on, Javi. That's a rather stupid thought. It's possible, but come on. Although I can certainly use a fire as a starting point for our escape... if it comes to that.

he said.

Javi stared at him for a while longer, and silence lingered between them.

Lee found himself thinking about the past. He didn't usually dwell on old memories, but occasionally it was irresistible. He couldn't stop himself from comparing himself to his old self.

If the Lee of the past saw him now, he certainly wouldn't recognize him. Those scars were proof of that.

He never thought he would kill so many people to the point of losing count. In all these years, he must have killed dozens, maybe a little over a hundred people. That's a lot of lives that are on his back.

He never thought that this friendly professor would use his knowledge of anatomy to hurt another person. Surely that would scare the old Lee.

Maybe not just himself, but it would certainly scare Carley...maybe even Kenny. Lilly...

A sigh escaped her lips at the thought of the past.

And although he hardly ever mentioned them, he occasionally thought of Doug, Ben, Mark.

Hershel and his farm. Was he still there? Probably not.

He would probably be dead. Or with some group of survivors, a commune, perhaps.

And although the girl didn't show it, Lee knew that she also remembered the past on some occasions.

It was impossible not to remember.

He also wonders, how would his parents react to knowing the things he did? How would they react to seeing him now?

Hm, the same way they reacted when he killed that senator, probably.

They would look at him as if he were a monster. And he definitely couldn't blame them.

He really was a monster.

Not only that, but he turned Clementine into a monster too.

Just like him. Only with the potential to be even worse.

Closing his eyes with those thoughts, Lee continues to wander the world in his mind, until hours pass, and they finally feel the truck stop.

Opening his eyes, Lee sighs once more, mentally preparing himself not to do something stupid. If they hurt Clementine, or Aj, they would be making a big mistake in leaving him alive. And it was with that thought, that he let the restraints on his hands go a little loose. Just in case.

And just as they had done in Prescott, he would be able to fill that place with runners, he just needed a chance. One small chance, even if it meant he wouldn't get out of there unharmed.

The truck's body was opened, and they saw two armed men standing up ahead.

- Okay, girls, let's go.

One of them said, as they both backed away with each step Lee took forward.

The sooner he checked the place out and had knowledge of what he was dealing with, the better.

As he stepped out of the truck, his eyes immediately focused on the huge gates ahead, with metal platforms just above, and what caught his eye the most, were the lamps.

"Do they have power?"

His suspicions were confirmed as he saw the gates opening automatically.

That must be one hell of a community.

- You'd better behave yourself. And remember not to screw it up, you asshole!

Max said with a slightly irritated tone as he got out of the truck, and they could hear Badger complaining loudly.

Looking around once more, Lee focused his eyes on Aj, who raised his arm toward him and Clementine as the woman walked with him in her arms toward the gates.

And just as he predicted, he had to control himself really hard not to kill the guard ahead and take Aj back.

- Really? It took us a fucking long time, we went through so much shit and lost so many people and this is all you have to say?! God damn it! Get out of the way, I'm going to take a bath and get drunk tonight!

Badger's annoying voice caught their attention, and the small group of prisoners looked at the group of people walking towards them.

After a few moments, Clementine and Lee turned away as they heard the surprised gasps of Gabe and Mariana, and arched an eyebrow as they saw the children look with shocked and even slightly tearful eyes toward a man ahead of them.

Lee looked at Javi, and then at the man, both shocked, and he clenched his eyes as he saw a slight resemblance between them.

Not only that, but in Gabe too... a relative?

- Dad!

"Oh..."

Lee couldn't help but feel a little surprised to hear Mariana run toward the man in front of her while calling him dad.

What were the chances? An entire family alive and being reunited? Too good to be true.

And in a way, it really didn't sound too good, since their "father" was along with the new frontier.

Fate was a bitch.

But he couldn't deny that it must feel great to see a loved one again, especially after having thought that person was dead.

Although, at the same time that it could be something great, it could also be something horrible.

And for both Clementine and Lee, this seemed to be the case.

And as Lee himself had thought, fate was a fucking bitch.

Right next to that man, who was now talking to Javi about something while having his two children hugged to his torso, a very familiar man approached.

Lee's chest filled with anger at the same instant, and almost immediately, he stood in front of Clementine, who was staring at the man with wide eyes, in shock and despair, fear and disbelief.

- Oh... is that really who I think-

The man started to say, but Lee undid his restraints and moved quickly toward Ed, so quickly that before the man could reach for the gun in his waistband, Lee punched him.

A strong punch, carried by the anger that dwelled in his chest for so many years. Strong enough to send the man violently to the ground, blood spurting from his mouth, and the sound of Ed's body falling dry to the ground caught the guards' attention.

A few moments of silence passed, with people still trying to understand what had happened, and even Clementine looked at Lee's back, surprised by his action.

It was rare for him to get really angry with someone, or do some irrational action led by his emotions.

As if a snap echoed through the guards' minds, they soon advanced towards Lee and held him by the arms.

- No... no, don't do anything...

Ed said, before the guards began to beat Lee. And amidst a loud groan of pain, he gets up from the ground, still dizzy from the blow.

- Holy shit... Lee... I realize that your punch has gotten stronger... stronger over the years.

Ed said drawlingly, spitting out a tooth mixed with blood.

- You son of a bitch! You should have died and rotted in that place! If I put my hands on you, you'd wish you were dead!

Lee said, almost screaming in anger, violently pushing the guard at his side, who fell to the ground from the force.

- Hey, I missed you too. Trust me, I haven't stopped thinking about you for a second. Especially with what you did to my face.

Ed said cynically, wiping the blood that trickled down the side of his slightly disfigured mouth, and focusing his eyes on Clementine, who took a few steps back from his gaze.

- Although I really want to have a friendly talk with you, Lee. Family comes first.

Ed said, taking a few steps toward Clementine. But Lee punched the guard in the face and pushed him to the ground, placing himself between Ed and the girl, staring deeply into his eyes.

- You're not touching her...

Lee said in a dangerously threatening, cold tone. Ed didn't seem to be intimidated, but he couldn't help but be surprised.

- Wow... your eyes are different... I can see... you are superior to me, far superior I admit, I can see it. Better than I ever was, but, Lee...

Ed said, and soon, five guards surrounded Lee, pointing rifles in his direction, and he couldn't take his eyes off Ed.

- I'm not the same man anymore, just like you. I'm smarter now ... and I'm not alone.

He said, walking past Lee, who had no choice but to stay still, and control the hatred that seemed to grow stronger and stronger in his chest.

That son of a bitch was alive! And Lee's finger was itching to kill him. But he had to be smart, he had to control himself.

His situation was not the best.

Behind him, Clementine took a step back the closer Ed got. Her shocked eyes stared at the man in front of her, who was looking at her warmly.

- Clem... you look beautiful... you're so grown up.

He said, trying to touch the girl's shoulder, who abruptly pulled away.

- No!

she shouted, feeling her arms trembling. Anger, fear, anguish, sadness... and even a little joy surged through her chest and fought fiercely among themselves.

Ed looked surprised for a moment, until he pulled his hand away.

- I know... I know the last time we saw each other we... well, it wasn't in a good situation, but... know that I forgive you for shooting me, for betraying me, and...

- Oh, shut the fuck up, Ed! It was you who betrayed her! You betrayed all of us!

Lee shouted, turning to him with a murderous stare.

- This is a father-daughter conversation, Lee. You don't have much to say on the subject. Don't interrupt us.

- You are not my father...

Clementine said in a low tone, breathing heavily and fearfully. Ed stared at her sadly for a few moments, until a small smile broke out on his lips.

- I know that these years away may have made you think that I wasn't there, but... I'm willing to start over. We can be a family again, and here, in the new frontier, we have that chance, sweetie.

He said, taking a few steps away, still looking at her warmly.

He hadn't changed a bit, he was still a crazy person, but in a different way. A sick, delusional asshole.

Turning, Ed walks towards the gate, but before he does, he stops in front of Lee.

- I admit...I'm surprised you've managed to take care of her for so long...although I suppose she is the one who has kept herself alive by her own strength. She has always been a strong girl.

Ed said, looking at her over his shoulder for a moment.

- You see, we have rules here. This is a community with laws, and we follow them strictly. But you see, I can "break" those laws on certain... occasions.

Ed said, and quickly punched Lee in the stomach.

He bent forward slightly when he was hit, but just ignored the pain. In fact, that punch only made him angrier.

Grabbing Ed by the shoulders, Lee throws him to the side, and quickly tries to punch him as soon as Ed has collided into the metal of the truck with his back.

However, in reflex, mixed with desperation, Ed swerved to the side, and Lee's fist smashed part of the vehicle's bodywork.

- Holy shit!

Ed exclaimed, taking a quick step away, and alternating his gaze between Lee, and the damage he had done.

- Okay, I guess I can't face you head on anymore. Hm, there are many ways to break a man. Anyway. Take them to the prison.

Ed said, turning and walking back into the community.

Lee looked at Clementine, and tried to walk towards her, but the guards stopped him, and forced him to walk.

Grumbling, Lee turns and walks towards the gates.

Fuck the electricity the place had. Fuck the appearance, and the sense of normalcy that the community possessed.

Fuck that the place had lively people, and looked like a little piece of paradise in the world of the dead.

Ed was there...and Lee would do anything to kill him. Even if it meant burning the place to ashes.

Even if it resulted in the death of all those people.

There are several ways to eliminate a pest nest.

After a while of walking, they finally arrived at the place they used as a prison.

- Okay, behave yourselves, if you-

- Oh shut the fuck up.

Lee interrupted the guard and pushed the iron door violently forward. He was not willing to listen to any more of this bullshit.

As soon as he entered, however, his eyes widened again, and he felt his body lock up, at the same time as another wave of emotions formed inside him.

- Carley?!

he called the woman's name, and she stared at him in the same way. And his feelings only grew stronger when he saw the man standing next to her.

That's when he really felt like crying.

- Kenny?!