- Holy... shit...
Kenny whispered, not believing what his own eyes were seeing.
Carley, right next to him, was just as shocked as he was, even more so looking at how grown up Clementine was.
The sound of the door closing was like a bell, which served to snap them back to reality and recover from the initial shock.
Quickly, relieved and happy smiles broke out. Lee walked over to Kenny and hugged his old friend, while Clementine did the same with Carley.
- Holy crap... how...?
Lee couldn't even formulate a sentence, and Carley's tight embrace didn't let him.
- Jesus... is this really Clem?
Kenny asked dumbfounded, taking a few steps away from the girl after hugging her, and looking her up and down.
- You didn't have so much gray hair the last time we saw each other.
The girl said with a warm smile, and Kenny smiled with amusement.
- We... ah, God... it is so good to see you... Clem, you are so big.
Carley said with a few sighs, drying some tears with her trembling hands, and looking happily at the girl.
- Compared to how she was before. She is small for her age.
Lee said amused, and the girl looked at him with narrowed eyes.
- This feels like a dream.
Carley said, sniffling slightly.
- How did you get out of that? I heard your screams and thought you had been eaten.
Lee said, staring at Kenny with many mixed feelings, it was hard to pinpoint each one.
- Old Kenny here was lucky, very lucky. The runners started to eat the one that fell on me, but that didn't stop them from pulling on my arms. I found a hole in the wall of that garage, and waited for things to smooth out.
He explained, smiling brightly when he saw his old friend with him. They both dreamed about that moment, although, unlike Lee, Kenny still had some hope of seeing him again.
-... Where's Duck?
Lee asked, a slight worried tone appearing on his face, but it softened when he saw the man's calm expression.
- He was in a neighboring community when I was brought here. He's fine... gee, he'll be so excited to see you again. He missed you, Clem.
Kenny said, looking warmly at the girl.
- Actually, we all did.
Carley said, looking at Lee with her hands on her waist.
- And what about you? I saw the wrecked RV, runners all over the place.
Lee asked.
- Well, unfortunately, after a while, we ran into a herd of runners. Katjaa and Diana... well... things got bad pretty fast, but I managed to get out of there with Duck.
The woman said, looking at Clementine sympathetically as she said about her mother, but the girl just sighed slightly.
She had thought several times that maybe her mother, as well as everyone else, was also dead. That subject didn't affect her much anymore.
- What about you two? I mean, you seem fine. Clem will become a fine woman, that's a fact. But, we saw that asshole Ed alive... we immediately thought the worst.
Kenny said, crossing his arms and looking at the ground for a moment.
- Lee found me a while later. He and Ed fought for a while... Lee was going to kill him, but... I stopped him.
Clementine said with some regret, and the girl's regret at having done such a thing was remarkable.
- I should have let Lee finish the job.
she said with a sigh.
- Don't blame yourself for stopping him, Clem. You were just a child, and despite the things he did, he is still your father.
Carley said.
- My father is right over here, and has been for years. I don't know that guy.
The girl said, crossing her arms and looking to a corner of the cell.
- That guy will die soon. The people from the community we were in should be coming after us by now.
Kenny said, and Lee raised an eyebrow.
- Are you guys in the same community?
He asked, alternating his eyes between the two of them.
- Yes. After I left that garage, I started looking for them. I thought about looking for you too, but, I knew you could handle it. I was desperate when I saw the wrecked RV... especially when I saw Katjaa as one of those things.
Kenny said ruefully, shaking his head as he felt his mind being flooded with memories.
- Oh... I'm sorry.
Lee said in respect, though he had already suspected it.
- Thanks. Well, I wandered around for quite a while looking for Duck. After a few months, I think, I found him and Carley near a river. After that, we found this community and have been in it ever since.
He finished explaining, focusing his eyes on the bloodstained hole in Lee's jacket.
- Hm... looks like you had quite an adventure too.
Kenny said, pointing to Lee's shoulder.
- Is that... is that a gunshot wound?
Carley asked, staring at the wound.
- There's a lot more where that came from. Over the years, Lee and I have been shot, cut, kicked, beaten... fuck, all kinds of things.
Clementine said, bracing her back against the wall beside the door and crossing her arms, while both Carley and Kenny's eyes widened.
- Jesus... you must have been through a lot. What kind of community were you in?
Carley asked.
- Community? We were on the road the whole time.
Lee replied.
- What?! Really?!
Kenny asked, in disbelief, and moved a few steps closer to him.
- How are you still alive?! It's horrible on the road! Everything and anything dies out there!
Carley said, somewhat uneasily, alternating her nervous eyes between the two of them.
- Well... we help each other. Clem and I are quite a team.
Lee said, smiling slightly. Those years on the road had been hard, he had to admit. And it was really almost a miracle that they were alive.
- Lee taught me how to survive shortly after he saved me. And with some of the things we learned during those years, we kind of became a great team. Although I am still far from paying for the times he saved my life.
The girl said, and Lee sighed slightly.
Occasionally she would come up with this talk that she had to pay him back for everything he had done.
- You don't have to repay anything, and you know it. Just do the same for Aj.
Lee said, watching the slightly confused and curious expressions of the two adults beside him.
- Aj?
Kenny asked.
- We met some people a few years ago, among them a pregnant woman.
Clementine began, drawing their attention to herself.
- They were being chased by this crazy guy, a boy pretending to be a tough guy in a man's body. Anyway, this man thought he was the father of the child and managed to find us after we ran away from his camp.
Lee continued, standing next to Clementine.
- The woman had given birth before she ended up with a bullet in her head. Lee killed him, some things happened, some people were taken to be part of this place, and we ended up taking care of a newborn baby. We named him Alvin Jr, in memory of his father, Alvin.
Clementine finished.
- And he was taken away from us by the assholes in this place.
Lee said, shaking his head slightly.
- Jesus... well, I am no longer surprised by the horrible things that happen in the world, but, I don't know if I have really gotten used to it.
Carley said.
- So... I haven't seen my friend Lee for a few years, and he has already become the father of two children. I certainly missed a lot.
Kenny said mockingly, and Lee laughed lightly.
- You have no idea how good it is to see you again. It was always just me and Clem on the road. Well, with Aj along the way, but still.
Lee said, and really, it felt like a dream.
He was even afraid that he would wake up and find himself on a branch, or in an abandoned roadside gas station. Seeing them there really gave him another feeling.
He missed someone he could trust other than Clementine.
- After our boys arrive, we will take you with us. Boy, I can't wait to see Duck's reaction. There are some kids there but... he hasn't opened up much. And him acting so adult is always stressing him out a lot.
Kenny said, and as soon as he finished speaking, the cell door was opened, and two armed guards walked through.
- You, Lee, come with us. Ed wants to see you.
One of the guards said, and Lee raised an eyebrow.
- Why only him?
Clementine asked, standing right next to him, only to have a rifle pointed in her direction.
Lee quickly stood in front of the girl and stared coldly at the two guards. It would be a mistake to shoot the girl.
- It's all right. It's just that asshole Ed, and he ain't shit. While you guys are here... well, try to catch up on things. It will certainly do you some good.
Lee said, looking over his shoulder at the three of them, and walking out of the cell, hearing the door close behind him soon after.
As he climbed the stairs, Lee paid more attention to the community. It really was a huge place, with many people, in which he could already tell that not all of them were guards, or fighters.
Not all of them were armed, or seemed to be on rounds. A community of that size certainly had several areas for the people there. Even more so with electricity.
- Hey, stop daydreaming and walk faster.
The guard behind him said, and Lee sighed in irritation. He really wasn't willing to listen to that shit, or obey the orders of someone who was used to being comfortable.
- Do us both a favor and just shut up. You're not scaring anyone here.
Lee said as he walked through the site's park, and was met with stares from all sorts of people around. Hm, he really did have an intimidating face.
- Don't you realize the situation you're in, asshole?! I can shoot you right here and now!
The guard said angrily, and Lee stopped walking. Turning around, he looked the guard deeply in the eye.
- Shoot me with all these kids around? On Ed's direct orders? I assume, that since he gave you orders, he is some kind of authority in this fucking place, right? So, what's the penalty for disobeying orders? Death? Beating? Maybe getting your ass kicked out of here?
Lee said, taking a step forward and feeling the barrel of the rifle against his chest.
- Like I said, you're not scaring anyone here. So cut the bullshit and tell me where I have to go in this fucking place.
- I can't kill you, indeed. But nothing's stopping me from beating the shit out of you!
The guard said, and Lee laughed cynically.
- Go ahead, try it.
He said, opening his arms and waiting for the man to throw the first punch, which never came.
- Tsk, if all the guards are like you, it's a surprise that this place is still standing.
He said, turning around and walking back into the place. Was this risky? Yes.
But then again, everything was risky in those days. Plus he had a good eye for people. And those guards, like most people out there, just played tough in front of the others.
After some time walking through those streets, he finally arrived at a building, only about five minutes, maybe a little more, away from the prison.
In the dead of night, someone could sneak in there without difficulty if necessary. And depending on how many guards they have on the street.
After climbing a few flights of stairs, he stood just in front of a double door. An office, it seemed.
The two guards opened the door, and he entered the place, noticing Ed propped up in the corner of the room with a wounded man at his feet.
- Ah, Lee. I hope you forgive me for calling you so early, especially since I know that you want to catch up with our two friends in prison. But as I said, not a day has gone by that I haven't thought of you, old friend.
Ed said, kicking the man's face into the ground, and walking a few steps toward him. The guards behind Lee closed the doors, and stood on either side of the entrance.
- I am flattered. First of all, where is the boy that woman brought? You know, a dark-skinned baby?
Lee asked, looking at the man on the floor for a moment, before looking at Ed.
- Is he with you? I have to say, he looks nothing like you.
Ed said cynically, and Lee smiled.
- That's because he's not my blood, even though he is mine.
Lee answered, and Ed smiled faintly.
- Ah, Lee. As usual, stealing other people's children, huh?
Ed said, and Lee arched an eyebrow.
- I didn't steal anyone's children. His mother died, and as far as I remember, it was you who drove Clementine away. It's not my fault if I'm a better father.
Lee said, smiling as he saw Ed's serious and offended look, but it was disguised by the man's cynical smile.
- You don't know what it is to be a father. You've never had children.
- And yet, I'm doing a better job than you. Ironic.
Lee teased again, crossing his arms.
- Bullshit. You have corrupted Clementine with your lies, and you plan to do the same to the boy. You always were a good liar, Lee.
Ed said, a little more seriously, showing that Lee's teasing had paid off.
- Did you call me here to talk a bunch of nonsense? If not, do us both a favor and just say what the fuck you want.
Lee said. That joke lost its fun very quickly.
- Impatient... maybe it's better this way. I understand. Well, Lee, as you can see, you have left my face somewhat... deformed. Clementine left my torso with hideous scars... all your fault. So, from now on, day by day, I'm going to leave you, a little more mutilated.
Ed said, and just as he finished, one of the guards grabbed Lee from behind and knocked him to the ground.
But Lee was no fool. He hadn't survived this long out there to simply be overpowered this easily.
Using his legs, Lee kicked the guard aside and stood up before he could kneel on his chest.
Rolling his eyes slightly, he dodges a punch that Ed tried to throw at him, and countered with a punch to the stomach, followed by a kick to the leg.
Looking to the side, Lee is hit by a punch from the guard, but recovers quickly. Swerving to the side, he launches the guard forward with a kick to the chest, causing the man to crash into a cabinet further into the corner, breaking the glass of it.
Gritting his teeth as he feels a sharp pain in his abdomen, Lee grabs Ed's arm and punches him hard in the face, followed by one more hit.
And another.
Before he could continue beating Ed, however, the other guard appeared and hit him with a baseball bat, sending Lee to the ground.
- Holy shit...
Ed grunted in pain, getting up with difficulty, and looking at the blood dripping on the carpet.
- Argh... do you have concrete on your hands or something? Fucking hell...
Ed said, limping and grabbing a knife from the table, as both guards knelt over Lee's chest.
- Well... I thought... ow! I thought about taking it easy on you at first... but fuck... you already made me lose a tooth... and give me new bruises in just a few hours... so, I'll start with one eye for today.
Ed said, and quickly plunged the knife into Lee's eye.
A loud scream of pain echoed through the room, and Lee cursed the day he had spared Ed's life.
Especially as he saw with his one and only eye the smile on the man's lips.
Ah, he would get what he deserved. Sooner or later.