Clementine walked at a slow pace through the lodge, running her eyes around and at the people in there in an attempt to distract her mind from her angry thoughts.

Until proven otherwise, who Nick killed was just a stranger to them... and that although it was a horrible and somewhat cruel and unfair situation for the dead man, she hoped that it really was just a stranger.

Clearing her throat, the girl walks over to Walter further ahead.

"Hey, Clementine. Settling in well enough?" He asked with his sweet voice and a gentle tone, making the girl's insides twitch. She shook her head and forced a small smile.

"Yes. Thank you."

"Great. Would you like to help me prepare dinner? Behold Walter's soup." He joked, and the girl leaned forward slightly, arching an eyebrow as she saw the inside of the large pot.

"So, how do you know Kenny and Duck?" He asked before she could say anything, already stirring the food in the pot.

"We're old friends, so to speak. We met right after everything happened." She said low, looking away for a few moments.

"When they were with this Lee guy? Yeah, they only told us some parts, but they almost always mentioned him." Walter said, noticing the slight change in the girl's gaze, as well as the way in which she cringed at hearing him mention that name.

"Connecting with people is very important. I don't know what I would do without Matthew. He is everything to me, and we have saved ourselves from things worse than death exactly because of that. By being connected." Walter said, putting some salt on the beans after a somewhat wistful sigh. "Gee, you remind me of my students."

He said with a smile, and Clementine arched an eyebrow, though she also smiled slightly. Although a simple phrase, it reminded her of how normal things once were.

"I can't imagine what it's like growing up in the middle of all this." He said, now with a sadder tone.

"It's not easy. But I manage just fine." Clementine said, crossing her arms and making a confident expression at Walter, who laughed a little.

"Now you really remind me of my students." He said, putting some food in his hand and tasting it. "Hm, almost done. Would you do me the honor of getting the first taste, madam?"

He asked, watching as Clementine stood on tiptoe and observed the inside of the pot with a quizzical expression.

"It looks... good." She said, and he smiled slightly.

"As an artist, there's nothing I hate more than a friendly criticism. It looks awful." He said, and Clementine sighed slightly. He seemed like a pretty nice guy.

Geez, Nick.

She was a little confused about what to do. Both sides were nice, both sides had their points.

If her suspicions were really right, she would have to tell Walter. The bad thing was that she didn't know what he would do when he found out. Walter seemed like a good man, and Kenny seemed to trust him, but even though he was a good man, it didn't mean he couldn't be cruel.

Especially about the death of a loved one.

"Well, thanks honey. I'll take care of the rest. Make yourself at home, Clem. It's nice to see our two hardheads lighten up a bit for a change. They're pretty reserved, even too much so." Walter said, nodding with a genuine smile at the girl, just before he picked up the pot and walked away from there.

Clementine bit her lip lightly and turned around. Luke was off helping Kenny with something, so she would have to wait to talk to him.

Walking at a loose pace, she didn't even notice when she approached Sarita and Sarah. Both women were focused on the Christmas tree ahead.

"Ah, Clem. We could use a hand here, if it doesn't bother you. Just take this and tie it over there." She explained, pointing to a spot on the tree.

Clementine shrugged and moved closer to help. Thinking about it too much wouldn't do any good.

"You met Kenny and Duck before. It must be amazing to see them again." Sarita said, smiling at her as she tied something to the tree. "When I met them, well...they were quite different from now."

"It's great to see them again. I really missed them." Clementine replied, bowing her head slightly. "So, how did you meet them?" she asked, bending down and picking up more of the things she was to tie to one of the branches of the tree.

"They were wrapped up in an old restaurant, if you can believe it." She replied, turning to the girl.

" Wrapped up?"

"You should have seen his beard before. He was trying to shave with scissors while Duck was trying to cut his own hair." She laughed lightly, turning to the tree and moving a few steps away. "Perfect, now we just need something on top."

"My family always put an angel at the top of our tree." Sarah said, smiling slightly as she admired the Christmas tree.

"My family didn't celebrate Christmas. But I like the decorations." Sarita replied, and Clementine snuck away from there as the woman became entertained in a conversation with Sarah.

The girl ran her eyes around once more until she sighed. Voices came from upstairs, and as she turned, she walked up the stairs.

"That's crazy. Why would he follow us up here? "She heard Rebecca say, and her eyes ran between the three people ahead. Alvin and Carlos were standing one on each side of the woman.

"It's been a week, man. We have to be out of the woods." Alvin said, putting his hands in his jacket pockets after watching Clementine calmly approach.

"We can't be sure. They could be tracking us." Carlos replied, running his hand down her neck.

"Tracking? What do you think they are, ninjas?" Alvin asked, somewhat incredulously.

"I don't doubt it. I saw some lights right near the bridge." Clementine said, drawing the attention of the three adults to herself.

" Are you serious?" Rebecca asked, already becoming a little more alert than before, despite her clear fatigue.

"Down there? How?" Alvin asked.

"With the binoculars. I saw several lights. It could have been anyone...which also means it could have been them." She answered, bowing her head slightly and hearing Carlos sigh.

"We can't take any chances. We leave at dawn." Carlos said.

"But what if they advance during the night? They could be here in just a few hours." Clementine asked, alternating her gaze between Carlos and Alvin.

"We're not going out there in the middle of the night. We can't. We'll have to stay here until tomorrow." Carlos said.

Clementine nodded in understanding, but still. They would stay to rest, but if Carver had been after them for quite a while, now that he is already close, he will take advantage of the moment when they were resting to advance.

"Clem, you talked to that man, Walter, right? What did he say? You didn't tell him anything about us, did you?" he asked, somewhat seriously.

"We talked more about Kenny, but... they mentioned someone. A man named Matthew." She replied, looking at Walter from upstairs.

"Man, I don't care what that man said. We're staying here for the night." Alvin said.

"...But Clementine has a point. Whoever those people are in the woods, they are close. We should at least help stand guard for the night." Carlos said, stepping away from the second floor fence and turning around.

"Just talk to the rest of them. They trust you. See what you can find out." He said, looking at Clementine, who arched an eyebrow.

"...I'll do what I can." She replied, watching Carlos walk away, and soon after, looking at Rebecca who groaned slightly.

"Honey, I don't feel too good." She said, and Alvin crouched down beside her.

"What's wrong?" He asked worriedly.

"I think I just need something to drink." She replied and he nodded, getting up and walking away from there in stride.

Clementine looked around now that she had been left alone with Rebecca until her gaze focused on a small box propped on the fence in front of her, towards the Christmas tree.

She approached the box and crouched down, picking up a gold star and placing it on top of the tree. She was not religious, not because she didn't believe or anything, but because she simply didn't know much about religion. She just knew that "Jesus" and the angels were the "good guys" in the story... or something like that.

" It looks cool, I guess." Sarah said from downstairs, and Clementine smiled slightly.

Turning around, she arched an eyebrow when she saw Rebecca with her elbows propped up on her thighs and approached the woman.

"I just got a little dizzy." She said as she noticed the girl approaching, straightening her posture. "I can't even take care of myself. How am I supposed to take care of a child?" She asked, and Clementine blinked a few times, curious.

"I mean, how could anyone now?"

"I think it's possible, though difficult." Clementine said, and Rebecca looked at her curiously.

"How do you know?"

"Well... because I'm still here. I wasn't a baby when all this started, but, I was pretty young." She replied, smiling slightly as she saw the understanding in the woman's eyes.

"I think so... I know it will be hard." Rebecca said, placing her hand gently on her belly. "But at the same time, I already feel a little less lonely knowing that I will meet someone new."

They were silent for a while, until Rebecca seemed to be struck by something.

"She kicked. Do you want to hear it?" The question caught Clementine off guard, and she slightly widened her eyes.

"I... ahm... I don't know." The answer made Rebecca laugh lightly, still with her hand on her belly.

"It's all right, Clem. She'll be a runner." Rebecca had a smile on her face, and Clementine smiled as well. However, her smile slowly died as she saw that the woman had started to cry, and for a few moments, she was lost with the thought that she was to blame for making Rebecca cry.

"If he finds out that the baby isn't his, he'll kill me." She said between sobs, and Clementine made a confused face.

"What? He who?"

"Alvin. There's a chance the baby is Carver's." Rebecca confessed, and Clementine blinked a few times, as lost as before.

She simply remained silent, not knowing what to say. She didn't know if she really had anything to say in that situation.

"I can't believe I'm asking a little girl for advice. I don't think anything else is weird." The woman said as she noticed the girl's silence, chuckling humorlessly as she faced the floor.

"...Alvin...won't kill you." That was the only thing Clementine managed to say before said man appeared. She alternated her gaze between the two adults, especially on Rebecca, who hid all those feelings and sensations behind a sweet smile.

It wasn't her problem, she didn't have to do anything.

But she felt as if a huge weight had fallen on her back.

"Thank you for staying with her, Clem." Alvin thanked her with a sweet smile, and Clementine forced the best smile she could.

What was she supposed to do?

"Well, everyone. Dinner is ready." Walter's voice caught their attention, and she mentally thanked the man, moving away from there with hurried steps.

"Oh, Clem. Before dinner, I wanted to ask you something. "Sarita called out to her, and Clementine diverted her way to the tables ahead to approach the woman. Watching out of the corner of her eye, Alvin and Rebecca went their separate ways.

"You've met Kenny before. Does he seem... different to you?" Sarita asked, and the girl arched an eyebrow. "It's just that he doesn't tell me much about his past. Neither does Duck. And I want to know more about him, but he never gives me an opening for a conversation. Duck always avoids my questions and... I don't know. I just wanted to hear it from someone who's met them." She explained, and Clementine looked at the two said men.

"...They really are different, but that's to be expected. In general, they are mostly the same as before. I can't say exactly because I haven't been around them long enough." She explained, putting her hands in her pockets and facing the woman, who sighed slightly.

"...They are two strong men, but when I met them, they could barely lift a fly. They opened up to me a little after a while, and everything got better when we found Walter and Matthew." She sighed as she looked at Kenny. A fondness in her gaze that reminded Clementine vaguely of Katjaa.

"Walter and Matthew are such sweethearts. It's even dangerous, being that good. Hm, you'll love Matthew." Sarita said, and again, Clementine's insides flipped.

"...What's he like? Why isn't he here?" Clementine asked. That was her chance to have her suspicions confirmed.

"Oh, he's a great person. He's not very tall, has light skin, dark straight hair, a small goatee, part Asian. He's as good as Walter. He likes to go out on long walks, even though it's dangerous. He and Walter used to spend their vacations here." Sarita said, and Clementine stared at the ground with slightly wide eyes.

She needed no more confirmation than that.

She had seen that man close enough to remember his face in detail. Not too tall, dark hair, light skin, and he was the only person in that entire group who went out far away.

"You two. Come on, dinner's gonna get cold." Walter's voice brought Clementine out of her thoughts, and she took a deep breath before turning to the dinner table.

Everyone was already seated and eating, all well pleased with the hot food. Especially Rebecca.

"Good. Let's go. We can talk more at dinner." Sarita said, smiling slightly at Clementine as she walked towards the table.

The girl shook her head slightly. Luke and Kenny were already eating. After dinner, she would talk to Luke and they would tell Walter together.

"Here, Clem." She heard Kenny call her, and walked over to him with a small smile. On the way, she noticed, out of the corner of her eye, Luke's somewhat frustrated expression.

"Thank you." She thanked Walter after he placed a bowl of food in front of her, and the man nodded in response.

"So, Clem, we were talking. It's great to have you back. And your people seem like nice people. That boy, Luke, he seems to be friendly. Whereas Nick has a more... explosive temperament, so to speak. Is this Luke the leader?" Kenny asked, eating some of his food soon after.

Clementine looked at him analytically for a while, remembering Sarita's words. Kenny was different, he seemed calmer, less impulsive. Maybe it was because of Duck. Although she could still notice that same spontaneous Kenny from years ago behind that more mature face.

"They're nice, yeah. They helped me when I got separated from Omid and Christa. I can't tell if Luke is really the leader, but they see him as one." She replied.

"Do you trust him?" Duck asked, sitting just in front of her, next to Kenny.

Clemetine was thoughtful for a while.

"...I'm not going to say I trust him with my life, because I don't. But I see myself trusting him to that extent in the future. They are good people." She replied after a while.

"It takes a while to get to know a man for real." Kenny said, and Clementine stopped eating for a few moments.

"Lee said that when he taught me how to shoot." She mentioned, and Kenny stared at her for a while, a certain regret in his eyes. The girl just shook her head and went back to eating. "I've been with them for a while, I can say with certainty that they are good people. They just have their problems, like everyone else."

"That big guy, Alvin? I'll call him Big Al. He said they were on the run." Duck mentioned in a low voice, alternating his gaze between Kenny and Clementine.

"Some people are after them." Clementine replied in an equally low tone.

"Oh, honey, you won't have to worry about that anymore." Kenny said with a genuine smile, and Clementine stared at him, feeling her chest warm up.

It would be great to be there with them, in that place. God knows how much she dreamed of it.

It wasn't everything she wanted, but it was more than enough.

But the reality was different.

"It would be great, Kenny, I would love to stay. But the thing is, I don't know if I can." She said, lowering her gaze to the table, feeling their gazes on her. "This man who is chasing them. He is dangerous. They said he is a cruel and manipulative dictator. And he has been chasing them for a while now. Even though I didn't mean to, he saw me, and I ended up getting involved."

She explained the situation, watching understanding run through Kenny's eyes.

"Whatever it is. Maybe we can help." Duck said, staring at Clementine with a determined, even hopeful gleam in his eyes.

"I don't know about that. For all I know, his camp is pretty big. And, not for nothing, but I think he would be able to follow us here. I'm worried. Especially with this Matthew you guys mentioned." She said, alternating her gaze between the four of them there at the table.

"...Don't worry about Matthew, he's cautious." Walter said, although both Clementine and the others there noticed the slight nervous tone in his voice.

"Luke and that guy with the girl, Carlos, have volunteered to stand guard tonight. I guess that makes sense." Kenny said, eating some more of his food. "So, this guy who's chasing you guys...is he really close? You think he'll get here any time soon?"

Clementine stared at him for a few moments, conflicted with herself.

"I... I don't know. If they don't stop to rest tonight and run here, it's possible. The community seems to be large, maybe they even have vehicles." She replied, sighing slightly as she felt her head hurt from the situation.

"Look, we can discuss this matter later. We're having dinner, and Clem, you're tired. I can see it in your face." Walter said, smiling slightly at the girl, who just nodded at him, focusing on her food until she finished eating.

Walter stood up a short time later and picked up her bowl. "Thank you." She thanked him, receiving a sweet smile from the man.

It was even strange to see someone smile so much like that, even more so with that tenderness. Not that Clementine was finding it bad, she could certainly get used to it.

And his kindness just made things that much harder for her.

"Well, I'm going to help Walter. I'll take the opportunity and cover some of our blind spots. Although Matthew knows how to take care of himself, he'd better get back soon." Duck said, getting up shortly after Walter and following behind the man.

As soon as he did, however, Nick and Luke sat down next to Clementine and Kenny, respectively.

Kenny alternated his gaze between the two, arching an eyebrow as he saw the nervousness in both of them. Especially in Nick.

"So... Luke and Nick, right? I guess I should thank you guys for taking care of Clem. She's a precious little girl." He said gently, trying to start a conversation. Something that wasn't exactly his forte, and Clementine knew it.

But, that changed when the subject involved her, apparently.

"Oh, it was nothing. Actually, we're the ones who should be thankful, you know? For the food, the beds, everything." Luke said, a little uneasy, as if he had just come out of a trance. "Not to mention I think she's the one who took care of us. A strong little girl, I tell you." Luke said with a smile, and Kenny stared at her suggestively.

"Heh, I'm going to say it was expected. She's always been a strong little girl." Clementine looked away as she felt her cheeks heat up. It was nice to be complimented for a change, but damn, compliments put her off.

Maybe it was because it had been a while since anyone had last complimented her.

"So. What's your plan? Hold out until winter?" Luke asked, eating some of his food.

"That's a possibility. We have plenty of supplies here. But we're torn between staying, or leaving for a place up north. Have you heard of a place called Wellington?" he asked, alternating his gaze between the two men and catching Clementine's eye.

"Wellington? What's that?" Nick asked.

"From what the rumors say, it's a big camp up north near Michigan. They say it's a big, safe community with lots of people. But honestly, the winters in this place are bad enough. I won't say I'm too inclined to head even further north." He said, finishing eating and smiling at Sarita, who stood up after taking both her bowl and Kenny's.

"We were planning to go there. We were on our way before we got separated." Clementine said, drawing the three men's attention to herself.

"So, what about you guys? I was talking to Clem, and, well, I'd really like to know who I'm harboring. Why are you being chased?" He asked, and Clementine blinked a few times as she saw the look that both Luke, and Nick, sent in her direction. Something that did not go unnoticed by Kenny. "Don't look at her like that, I heard that Alvin guy mention something like that. I was already planning to ask anyway."

Luke sighed.

"It's a long story. If Clem told you enough, you should know that this guy is a crazy psychopath." He replied, resting his head on his arm on the table.

"Well, she mentioned something similar. Although she didn't tell me about the psycho part." Kenny said.

"We didn't agree on a lot of things. And when he showed who he really was, we wanted no part of it. We ran away and, well, that's what it came to." He said, pushing his empty bowl slightly away from himself.

"I... ahm... hope that doesn't make you kick us out." Luke said a little nervously, and Kenny stared at him somewhat seriously.

"Honestly, I want to kick you out." He said, startling the two men, and even Clementine, who was worried. "But who would I be if I kicked a pregnant woman out of here? Especially in the middle of the night, in this cold. Not to mention that Clem spoke very highly of you. You can stay. But on the watch we'll have to have a better talk about it." Kenny said, nodding to Duck who called him over and already getting up.

Luke and Nick followed him, casting a few glances toward Clementine, who did the same.

"We appreciate it. We really do." Luke said, and Kenny stared at him with an arched eyebrow.

"Don't worry, we have plenty anyway. It's nice to help someone out for a change." He said, nodding to Clementine just before walking toward Duck.

"...I don't feel so good man. I need a break." Nick said, turning and walking away from there before either of them could say anything.

Luke sighed as he watched his friend, shifting his gaze to Clementine soon after.

"Someone's been talking about us." He said, no anger in his voice, just a slight concern.

"I had to talk, we're in their house."

"But you must be careful not to say too much. If it were anyone else, we would have been kicked out by now."

"If it were someone else, I wouldn't say anything. I trust Kenny." She said with firmness in her voice, staring at Luke with a strong unblinking stare.

The young man sighed in defeat and scratched the back of his neck.

"Well...I guess in that case...I'll go prepare for my shift. I'll go talk to Carlos." He said, already preparing to walk away.

"Wait, that guy from the bridge earlier today..." Clementine started, catching his attention, who looked around a few times before approaching her.

"What about him? Nick's been dwelling on that thing all day. He's bad." He said.

Clementine lowered her head and sighed in regret. Nothing was ever easy.

"I think he was this Matthew guy they mentioned. Pretty close to Walter, apparently." She said, and Luke widened his eyes.

"What?! Really?!"

"All the signs are there."

He was silent for a few moments, incredulous. Until a sigh in mixture with a growl escaped his throat, and he put his hand over his forehead.

"Ah, damn, another one now. Clem, are you sure?" He asked.

"Yes. Sarita described him perfectly. Not too tall, dark straight hair, light skin, part Asian, small goatee. Not to mention that he's the only person we met outside, and in here, they mentioned only one man. It can't be a coincidence." She said in a whisper as she saw Sarita walking with Sarah just off to the side not far from there.

"Fuck...fuck! Things were bad enough... I knew something was wrong, I was planning to ask Sarita about this man. They are getting worried that he hasn't come back yet." He said, walking to a slightly more secluded spot as he saw that the lights were slowly fading, with only a few lit candles left in the place.

"I don't think Walter knows yet. So we won't tell him anything. I mean, there's no telling what he'll do." Luke said, and Clementine slightly widened her eyes in clear protest.

"Luke, he needs to know."

"He's going to ask who did it, and you're just going to tell him?" He asked, putting his hands on his waist as he became a little more nervous.

"It's the right thing to do."

"Is it the right thing to get Nick killed? Because that's what's going to happen."

"Luke, if I had accidentally killed Nick, you would want to know who did it too. It's not fair to Walter, or anyone else here. He has the right to know." She tried, rolling her eyes as she saw him sigh in weariness.

"Walter is a good man. From what little I've seen, he's also quite considerate. Maybe he won't do something extreme. Whatever it is, we have to tell him." Clementine insisted, and Luke took a few steps back and forth as he looked up thoughtfully.

"... Damn it. Don't say anything yet, okay? Not yet. Now, do you still have that knife? Because the initials match the names. If it's Matthew's and Walter sees it, he'll realize it." Luke said. Clementine soon turned around and looked at the entrance to the inn.

"It's in my backpack, with the other weapons."

"Okay, fine, go get rid of it. And keep an eye out for Nick." He said, not even noticing the sound of approaching footsteps due to his nervousness.

And Clementine, by the time she realized it, was too late to warn.

"I'm right here. What's wrong?" he asked, startling Luke, who quickly turned to his friend and tried to recover.

"Oh, ahm, it's nothing man. I just wanted to check on you to see if everything is okay. You've been down all day." Luke said, making up an excuse, but from the nervous way in which he had said and acted, it was clear that Nick had not believed him.

"Hah, come on. I know I look a little weird, but, I'll be fine. If there's something going on, I want to know." Nick said, smiling at first, but a smile that slowly died as he said it.

"Nah, relax. Just go to sleep, Nick. It's been an exhausting day for all of us." Luke said.

"Luke, you know I can tell when you're nervous, right? What? I'm serious, you can tell me." Nick insisted.

"I know. I'm not nervous, just tired."

"You're lying really bad, partner. What? Don't you trust me now?" Nick insisted again, and Clementine sighed.

"`Sorry, Luke, but I just can't hide it. Not that." Clementine said, looking at Luke sympathetically for a few moments, before turning to Nick, who was staring at her in confusion and curiosity.

"What? You guys are freaking me out now." Nick said, alternating his gaze between the two.

"Nick, no matter what you hear, stay calm. The guy you killed today, on the bridge...well, he was Walter's friend. The Matthew they all mentioned." She said, staring at Nick's expressions.

At first, he just laughed in embarrassment, thinking it was some kind of joke, but after seeing the expressions of both of them, his dull smile died and despair took over his expression.

"You guys... you guys are joking, right? I mean, you can't..." He tried, alternating his gaze between the two now with clear nervousness and uneasiness.

"Oh jesus... Oh God, no... no... I don't..." He began to stagger backwards, shaking his head as his body moved and looking at the two in search of seeing some denial on their faces.

But he only saw the painful, raw truth.

"Nick, Nick! Calm the fuck down! I know it's a lot to digest, but shut the fuck up!" Luke said, sounding as nervous as Nick himself.

"I can't, man. I... I can't. Luke, these people are good and I... I just..." Nick tried, not being able to finish his own speech, putting his two hands over his face.

"Don't blow this up." Luke said.

"Blow it up? It's over, Luke. I have to tell him." Nick said, looking around and running his eyes around the inside of the place looking for Walter.

"No! You, are you fucking crazy?!"

"I have to do this. I can't live with that. Not after the way he treated me. Fuck!"

"Nick, I understand, okay? But... fuck, I mean... fuck! Do you even have any idea what he's gonna do?"

"We don't know if he'll actually do anything, man. You see, we helped him earlier, he's a good man."

"Are you kidding me, Nick?! You killed his friend."

"Either way, both options are risky." Clementine said, putting an end to the little discussion ahead.

"Exactly. I... look, I just don't want things to get any worse than they already are, okay? Telling him might be as bad an idea as not saying anything." Luke said, alternating his gaze between the two of them.

"I can't do it, man. I can't take this" Nick said, turning and walking away from there at a quick pace, much to Luke's dismay.

"Nick!" he almost shouted, walking towards his friend, before turning to Clementine. "Clem, just go take care of what I said, okay?" He said, just before running towards Nick.

The girl sighed slightly as she walked towards the entrance of the inn. As soon as she arrived, she bent down in front of her backpack and looked for the knife.

Which to her dismay, was not there.

"Oh, great." She muttered softly as she stood up, running her eyes around until she saw Walter with his back to the door outside the lodge, something in his hands.

Clementine ran her hand down the side of her neck and took a deep breath before opening the doors and approaching the man cautiously.

"Walter...?" She called softly, stopping a few steps away from him.

"... I've always liked that knife." He replied after a while, taking a drag on his cigarette and pulling the knife from its sheath. "I gave it to Matthew when all this happened...I know he's dead." He took the cigarette from his mouth and leaned on the fence in front of him, without turning to the girl.

Clementine winced slightly. There was no turning back now.

"Who did it? Was it that boy? What was his name... ahm, Nick? I heard him say something about shooting a man." He asked, but Clementine didn't answer.

Not out of fear, but because it was obvious he already knew the answer. More out of shame.

"I could see it. In his eyes. I wasn't sure before, but now..."

"We did." She said, lowering her head after watching the man stay silent for a while after the confession. "Nick shot him." She looked at him again analytically. Noticing the way he straightened his posture with shock, only to then shrink his body with realization.

"Jesus...I...I don't feel good." He said, taking another drag of his cigarette, just before squeezing the handle of the knife with some force.

"Tell me...Nick, is he a good man? Or is he just like everyone else?" Walter asked, without turning to the girl.

"... He's a good man, Walter. It was an accident." Clementine said, moving a few steps closer, but still staying away.

Clementine turned as she saw Nick open the door, and they both stared at each other for a few moments.

Walter leaned on the fence, lowering his head between his shoulders. "I told him something like this would happen. He always went out alone. I warned him. But he never listened to me. No, Matt always knew better."

"What's going on?" Nick asked in a whisper, without taking his eyes off Walter.

"He already knows it was us. You have to tell him." Clementine whispered back, watching Nick's wide-eyed and somewhat nervous eyes.

Especially when Walter turned and faced him in a mixture of anger and pain, still holding the knife firmly.

"Tell me what you did. Just tell me, son." Walter asked, almost in a plea, despite his obvious anger.

"I...from the distance it looked like anyone else. He had a gun, and I thought he was holding my friends hostage, and... I... I shot Matthew." Nick confessed, taking a step back as he saw Walter clutching the knife even harder and raising his hands up. "That wasn't supposed to happen, it was an accident. I didn't even think I hit him, but I did and...it's not going to fix what I did, but, I'm sorry, Walter."

The three of them were silent for a while. Walter digesting all that information. Clementine and Nick just watching the man, fearing what he would do, even though they knew he was a good man.

"Do you know what you did to me? Do you have any idea what you did?" Walter asked low, holding the knife with both of his hands and running his fingers gently along the blade.

"I... I know. I'm sorry, Walter. It's the most I can do." Nick said, lowering his arms, but still alert.

Walter stared at him analytically for a while, checking to see how reliable his words were, or how guilty Nick was feeling.

Until, to their surprise and relief, he just turned and threw the knife aside.

Clementine and Nick looked at each other and even tried to say something to Walter, but before they could, they were both startled when the doors were opened by a somewhat uneasy Luke.

"Clem, Nick. We-" He cut off his own speech as he focused his gaze on Walter, and soon his eyes widened. "What the fuck happened?" he asked in a whisper, moving closer to the two.

"I told him." Nick said simply, ignoring Luke's incredulous look in his direction.

"Oh, fuck... so?"

"I don't know. He looks pretty shocked, but he won't do anything." He replied.

"Okay, fine. We have other things to worry about now." Luke said, waving for them to come in.

Clementine and Nick stared at Walter's back for a while longer, until they both followed Luke into the inn.

"Okay, look, I got the binoculars and took a look at the path we used to get here, and we need to get out of here now. There are people approaching, and they are all armed." Luke said quickly, but in a low voice. Well, as low as he could get because of his nervousness.

"Oh, shit. Who else knows?" Nick asked.

"Just you guys. I just saw them approaching. They went into the forest further down, we need to get out." Luke said. "I'll let Kenny and the others know, okay? They...they have to know. In the meantime, you take care of getting our people out of here. Alvin and Rebecca are upstairs. Carlos and Sarah are in the room next to where we had dinner." The young man said, not waiting for an answer and already heading off in the direction of where he last saw Kenny.

"Damn. I'll go warn Carlos and get the guns." Nick said, also not waiting for a response.

Clementine ran to her backpack and put it on her back, tucking her hunting knife into her waistband as she ran upstairs.

As she approached the windows, her eyes widened slightly when she saw some people at the base of the forest, and she hurried her pace.

As soon as she climbed the stairs, her eyes ran over the two people lying on the bed in front of her, sleeping peacefully.

"Alvin, Rebecca. Wake up." He called them softly, rocking Alvin's body slightly. But to no avail. They were in a deep sleep due to fatigue.

" Darn it. Alvin!" She called louder and rocked him harder, watching the man get up slightly startled and confused.

"What? Clem? What...?" Alvin asked confused, causing Rebecca to wake up next to him.

"Luke saw people coming up the mountain, we have to leave." The sentence seemed to scare away all the sleep the two adults had, and Alvin suddenly got up.

"What? Are you sure? Is it them?" Rebecca asked, sitting up on the edge of the bed.

"Yes, get up. We have to leave now." Clementine said, approaching the stairs.

She heard muffled voices coming from outside, but they evidenced a change in tone. Irritation even, or an attempt at intimidation.

Along with those voices, she heard Walter's voice and her desperation grew.

"We're going to have to go out through the back." Clementine said, looking for a few seconds at the two adults who already had their things in their backpacks.

"Where's Luke?" Alvin asked.

"He went to talk to Kenny. Nick went to warn Carlos and get the guns." She replied, walking in silent steps through the lodge room and trying not to draw attention to herself. More voices echoed around her. Too many voices for her to identify.

Sure enough, she could identify Duck, who started yelling at someone outside. It seemed that Kenny's explosive temper had carried over to the boy.

"Nick." Clementine called out for the young man, and waited a few moments for him, but no answers.

With hurried steps, he goes to Carlos' room, but sees no one. "Where the dang are they?" She asked, more to herself than to some other person.

"Clementine, they'll be in any minute." Alvin said, and the girl turned around. She couldn't wait for Nick, and since Carlos and Sarah's things were no longer in the room, she just assumed they had already left.

Nodding to Alvin, she took the lead and walked to the back door, which was already open.

As soon as she stepped out of the lodge, however, her body locked up and she stared wide-eyed when she saw two unknown men standing right beside her.

"Hold it right there, girl." One of the men said, pointing a pistol at Clementine. The girl breathed heavily as she saw the man turn to call out to the others, however, he was soon interrupted by a punch coming from Alvin, strong enough to knock him to the ground and drop the pistol, knocked out.

The other man's eyes widened in surprise and acted against Alvin, hitting a punch to his face and a kick to his leg, sending the big man to the ground.

"Alvin!" Rebecca almost screamed, and even tried to go to him, but stopped when the man pointed a gun in her direction.

Alvin reacted, he grabbed the man's arm, punched him in the face and pushed him backwards.

The man groaned, but did not let go, and soon he headbutted Alvin in the face, breaking his glasses and disorienting him.

The man pushed Alvin to the ground and pointed the gun in his direction, already with his finger on the trigger. From the look on his face, he was going to shoot.

However, before he could do so, Clementine acted and stuck her knife in the first place she could, right in the middle of the man's chest.

The man's eyes widened and he groaned a silent scream, looking with some desperation at the knife in his chest. Clementine grabbed the gun from his hand before he accidentally pulled the trigger and just watched him go to the ground with heavy eyes.

She didn't like killing.

But she wouldn't hesitate if she had to.

Alvin was alive. Hurt, but alive. And she was happy for that.

"Alvin, are you okay?" She asked with concern in her voice, moving closer to the man's body and picking up her knife again, just before turning to him.

As she did so, however, gunshots were heard, followed by shouting, swearing and orders.

Rebecca helped Alvin to his feet, but it wasn't long before they were met by Carver's men and were surrounded.

A man in a dark cap and jacket approached Clementine and took the gun from her hands as well as her knife and pushed the girl forward, forcing her to walk right behind Alvin with her hands up.

"I warned you! This was supposed to be something quite simple! I told you the mistake you were making! Was it worth it?!" She heard Carver's voice further ahead, and soon, Luke came into her line of sight. He had his lip cut and some bruises across his face, he was on his knees in front of Carver.

"Ah, Rebecca. There you are." He said, approaching the woman as soon as she appeared. "Are you all right?" He asked, running his hand gently over the woman's face.

"Fuck you, Bill," she growled, but that didn't have the slightest effect on Carver, who just kept smiling.

"Alvin, Alvin. How are you? I see you're hurt pretty bad. I've missed you." He said as he saw the man being pushed forward. And soon, his eyes stopped on Clementine.

He stared at her with that strange glint in his eyes that she had seen when she first met him in that cabin. That same way that caused her body to tremble.

His dark eyes ran down her body, until they stopped for a moment at the blood that stained her fingers. He arched an eyebrow.

"She killed one of ours, sir." The man in the cap said, handing Carver the knife still stained with blood.

Carver stared at the blade for a few moments, and then, immediately, returned to staring Clementine in the eye.

"Did she do it? Did you saw it?" he asked the man, but not with disbelief in his voice. He just wanted confirmation.

"Yes, sir. She pierced his chest." The man replied, and Carver wiped the blood from the knife with the bar of Clementine's shirt.

The girl controlled herself not to cringe at the sudden approach, or to make her discomfort clear.

At no point did Carver take his eyes away from hers.

"...I realized in that cabin." He said, straightening his posture shortly after cleaning the knife. "You're different. You're not like those idiots." Carver turned away, averting his eyes from hers for the first time since he found her.

Clementine, instead of being relieved, was in despair as Carver, as he turned away from her, approached Walter with his revolver in hand and shot him in the head.

Sarita screamed, the others groaned in fright. Luke and Nick looked wide-eyed at Walter's body, and Clementine soon felt a lump forming in her throat as she saw the man's body on the ground.

"That was for my man. I didn't want to do this, i didn't want to kill, so I brought more people than I originally thought...but I confess I should have expected something similar." He said, staring at Clementine, who just stared at Walter's body on the floor.

Carver's words raced through her mind, and little by little, that familiar guilt rippled through her chest. She didn't even feel it when she was forced to her knees right next to Carlos.

"Now. Behave yourselves and things won't have to get any worse than they already are." Carver said, and just as he finished saying it, another shot was heard. The window was broken and the glass shattered into thousands of pieces, falling next to the body of the man in the cap who had pushed Clementine there.

Carver and his men were startled and hid behind the columns of the place, watching where the shot came from. Until Carver turned around, pointed the gun at Nick, and pulled the trigger.

"Nick!" Luke shouted in desperation, watching his friend's body fall right beside his feet. Blood splattered on his clothes, and his eyes could see nothing but that.

Clementine closed her eyes tightly, lowering her head and refusing to look at the body of yet another good person dead.

Nick had his faults, of course. But he was good, anyway.

"That was for our man! Now, I said I didn't want to do this! But you're not giving me much choice!" Carver shouted, hiding just behind another column as he watched the window ahead. "If you give up now, the killing will stop! Or we can keep doing this all night long! Your choice!" He shouted, shrinking his body as another shot hit the column in which he was hiding.

Carver sighed and walked over to Alvin, much to Rebecca's dismay.

"Me and you again, Alvin." He said, forcing the man to stand.

"Bill, no! Please, someone ask Kenny to stop!" Rebecca screamed in desperation, trying to move, but being stopped by Bill's men.

"Do you remember George, Alvin? See, I remember. I remember a guy who was your friend named George. I remember that you murdered him in cold blood. And why was that? Because you don't like me, is that it? He stopped walking right next to Walter's body, right in front of the window. "You could have complained. You could have at least tried to be civil."

Clementine ran her eyes around, noting the state of people. Sarah was crying hard, Carlos was nervous, scared and with remorse in his eyes. Luke was crying beside Nick's body... Duck!

Her eyes stopped at Duck. The boy was sneaking up behind one of the men there with a knife in his hands. They stared at each other, and after a while Clementine nodded.

Duck moved in quickly and stabbed the man in the neck, taking his pistol and shooting another man soon after.

The people there were startled, and Carver turned around, giving Clementine the opportunity to run up to him and push him forward, causing him to let go of Alvin and stagger a few steps.

Another shot was heard, and Carver's body fell to the ground.

For a few moments, Clementine thought it was over. Especially as she watched Alvin prepare to attack one of the men next to him.

However, she comes back to reality as quickly as the bullet that pierced Alvin's skull. Her eyes followed the man's body falling to the ground, already lifeless, and soon after focused on Carver, who stood up quickly and kicked her in the stomach. Clementine gasped and fell to the floor.

"No!" Rebecca shouted, as did Carlos.

Duck groaned loudly as he was hit by a punch to the face, and soon after. Carver grabbed him and used him as a hostage.

"I could kill the boy and the girl right now! Last chance!" he shouted angrily, pointing the revolver at Duck's head while stepping on Clementine's back, forcing her to the ground.

Some time later, the doors were opened, and Kenny approached with his hands up.