"We're here." Clementine opened her eyes to find Sarah standing over her.

"Here?" mumbled Clem as she sat up.

"Valkaria," said Sarah.

"Already?"

"You've been asleep for an hour now."

"Open up," called a familiar voice from outside.

"I'll go talk to him." Sarah headed up front while Clem climbed out of bed. A shower, a good meal, and some much-needed rest while Sarah had driven them back to Valkaria had done a lot to put the horrible thought of Clem's latest near death experience out of mind. But her ankle still hurt. Not nearly as bad as it was earlier, but enough that when Clem put her weight on it, she almost immediately remembered how close she was to her demise.

As she heard Sarah talking with Tanner, Clem dressed herself, electing to wear her smocked top with the butterfly on the chest and a pair of pants she thought went well with it. Since she didn't plan on going anywhere dangerous in the next few minutes, Clem elected to leave her hair unbound and left her hat on the nightstand.

Moving over to the crib, Clementine saw Omid still sleeping soundly. "Not much longer now," whispered Clem. "When you wake up, we'll be in paradise." Leaving the bedroom, Clem watched as Tanner stepped out of the vehicle. "What'd he want this time?"

"He says Chilton is waiting in the building next to the roadblock, and we should bring what we found to her so she can look at it," explained Sarah as she grabbed the red bin. "Just wait here, I'll—"

"No way," said Clem. "I'm coming with you."

"I just figured with your foot, I—"

"You said it's only sprained," reminded Clem.

"I also said I'm not a doctor," reminded Sarah.

"I spent all day getting that stuff," said Clem. "I want to be there when Chilton sees everything I found."

"Omid—"

"He's asleep," said Clem. "Come on, this will only take a minute."

Sarah smiled at Clem. "Okay. But I'm carrying this stuff. I don't want you hurting your foot anymore. And Tanner said to leave our weapons in here."

Clem followed Sarah outside and waited as the older girl locked the Brave. The rain had stopped but it was still overcast, and a flash of lightning was followed several seconds later by a distant thunderclap. Looking over at the barricade made out of cars, she spotted an older man in a blue coat she didn't recognize who seemed to be staring at her.

"This way." Sarah collected their bounty and carried it towards a small house tucked away next to the barricade. Clem's ankle was still bothering her as she limped after Sarah, but not so much she couldn't keep up with the older girl's modest pace. The house was fairly ordinary, being a simple one-story home with a garage.

Clem did think the house was a little odd it had both a flagpole and a basketball hoop bordering the driveway, but it was hardly concerning. She also saw a couple of young man in blue jackets conversing by the garage door. They were much bigger than Deacon, and one of them was smoking. Turning away from them, Clementine spotted a kerosene lantern hanging from the front door of the house and guarding it was a bigger man who looked to be about Tanner's age.

"This is where we bring the stuff we got for Chilton right?" The man nodded slightly and stepped aside. Clementine opened the door for Sarah, and the pair moved inside. The entrance seemed to lead right into a living room that had been repurposed. A long wooden table covered in a blue linen was set by the wall farthest from the door, and seated behind it was Chilton.

Clem hardly recognized her in the low light from the lanterns placed on each side of the table. She was wearing a sharp gray suit, her hair had been pulled back, and she had swapped her soft-rimmed glasses for a pair of thin rectangular ones. Tanner was leaning against the wall near the table while Deacon stood next to him, an anxious look on his face. There was another young man with a blue coat standing in front of the hall to the kitchen and a chill shot up Clem's spine as she heard a bang from behind. Looking over her shoulder, Clem discovered the man who was standing outside had entered and locked the door behind her.

"Is this everything you two have collected today?" asked Chilton without preamble.

"Yes ma'am," said Sarah.

"Set it on the table then have a seat," ordered Tanner as he set up a couple of folding chairs in front of Chilton's table.

"It took almost all day, but I think you'll really like what we got," spoke a cheerful Clem as Sarah set the bin on the table. "I made sure to get a lot of different things."

Chilton didn't respond to Clem, instead electing to open the lid and examine the bin's contents while the girls took their seats. Clem found herself grateful that she wouldn't have to stand, but watching Chilton eye the container's contents made her uneasy. The woman wore a flat expression on her face, almost if she was masking her thoughts as she removed something from the bin.

"I thought Ted would like that," said Clementine as Chilton held up the autographed football. "He said he liked dolphins." Chilton set the ball aside without a word and removed the handbag next. "That has a gun in it."

"What!" growled Tanner.

"It's not loaded," assured a nervous Clem. "I—"

"Just what kind of—" Chilton held up her hand and Tanner went silent. Clem was shocked to see how quickly the man backed down, seemingly averting his eyes as Chilton lowered her hand.

"There's a nice pen in there too," added Clem as Chilton opened the handbag. "I thought you might like…" Chilton set the bag down and removed the wine next, then set aside. Clem watched as she removed item after item, only briefly examining them before placing them on the table. Chilton's face never seemed to change, appearing perpetually unappeased as she cleared out the bin.

There was another clap of thunder in the distance and Clem found herself reaching out for Sarah. She wrapped her fingers around the older girl's hand, afraid that all their hard work wouldn't be enough to live in paradise after all. Feeling Sarah squeeze her hand helped to ease Clem's mind slightly, but seeing Chilton quickly empty the bin without so much as a word filled Clementine with dread.

"Where did you get these things?" asked Chilton as she folded her hands on the desk.

"Titusville," answered Sarah.

"Titusville is extremely dangerous," spoke Chilton. "Why did you choose there of all places?"

"Because, there's still stuff there," said Clem. "We tried to get it before, but—"

"You were unsuccessful then," concluded Chilton. "I assume that was the incident that caused your RV's flat tire that you came here to fix."

"Um, yeah," said Sarah.

"And after that you decided to go back there?" asked Chilton. "Despite what happened?"

"Yeah, we were more careful this time," said Clem. "And it was still really dangerous. I… I almost died… more than once."

"Where in Titusville did you get these things?"

"Well, at a grocery store, a gun shop, and someone's house." Clem watched Chilton's face carefully for a reaction, but she didn't see one. Instead, the woman merely nodded at the young man guarding the entrance to the kitchen. He briefly left the room, and then returned with two people.

"That's our missing cache," said Rhonda as she pointed to the items laid out on the table. "Right Howard?"

"That's definitely it all right," spoke the man in a confident voice.

"It was those people in the RV that stole it, wasn't it?" asked Rhonda as she turned to Chilton. "Just like I told you."

"That remains to be determined."

"What?" Clem suddenly felt a strong hand grasping her shoulders. She tried to twist free, only for a sick feeling to sink into her stomach as she heard Sarah yelp. Turning in place, Clem could see Tanner was gripping Sarah by the shoulders, and whoever was holding Clem forced her to remain in her chair. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the man guarding the kitchen had stepped in close behind Howard and Rhonda, intimidating the former and merely irritating the latter.

"So I have two pairs of people telling me two different things," spoke Chilton as she stood up. "Either there's a misunderstanding, or some of you are lying to me," spoke the women in a cold voice as she crossed her arms.

"I told you it was the people in the RV!" barked Rhonda as the blue coat approached her.

"We didn't steal anything!" retorted Clem. "She's lying!"

"Quiet!" barked Tanner.

"I don't like liars," said Chilton as she turned to Rhonda. "So I'd like to settle this quickly."

"Why are you looking at me then?" snorted Rhonda. "You should get the rest of those RV people in here and ask them why they took one of my caches."

"What rest?" grumbled Tanner. "You're looking at the lot of them."

"Wait, what?" asked a shocked Howard. "You mean it's… just these two girls living in that RV?"

"Yeah, unless you want me to haul their baby in here too," smirked Tanner.

"You leave Omid alone!" ordered Clem as she tried to squirm out of her captor's grip.

"Baby!" repeated a bewildered Rhonda as she turned to Sarah. "You… you have a baby?"

"He's not our baby, I mean, we're not his mother," explained Sarah. "But we are the ones taking care of him."

"I find it interesting you were so quick to accuse the RV's occupants of theft when you returned, insisting it was just the kind of thing they would do," said Chilton. "And yet, you don't seem to know anything about them."

"I saw their RV driving off when I came to collect my cache."

"So you didn't actually see anyone steal it?"

"I saw someone in a raincoat put my bin in their RV. I can't help it if they never introduced themselves before they robbed me," insisted a defensive Rhonda as the blue coat seemed to loom over her from behind.

"Before they got back, you acted like you personally knew the RV's owners," noted Chilton.

"I… I never even met her," stuttered a nervous Sarah.

"I met her." Rhonda pointed at Clem. "And she was the only one I ever saw until now. She wouldn't let me meet the other people inside the RV."

"Because I didn't trust you," retorted Clem. "And I'm glad I didn't, because you're a liar!"

"Why you little—" The blue coat behind Rhonda grabbed her by the arms and yanked her back as she tried to advance.

"Hey!" Howard attempted to put himself between Rhonda and the blue coat, only to be shoved backwards for his trouble.

"Settle down the both of you!" ordered Tanner as he took his hands off Sarah long enough to aim a gun at the couple.

"You're not making much of a case here Rhonda." Chilton stared at Rhonda, quietly judging her. "And you do have a history of causing trouble. Albeit, lying to me would certainly be a bold new step for you."

"I'm not lying," insisted Rhonda in a quieter voice. "They lied to me!"

"No we didn't," retorted Clem.

"Maintaining their privacy doesn't constitute lying in my book," declared Chilton.

"They led me on, they wanted me to think there was more of them," insisted Rhonda, sounding desperate.

"How so?" asked Chilton.

"Well… the blue coat she was with kept saying there were others with her," recalled Chilton. "He never said others meant a baby and one girl slightly older than her."

"Which blue coat said there were others?"

"I don't remember his name. He was one of the younger ones, short, and…" Rhonda suddenly eyed Deacon quietly sulking in the corner. "Him!" Rhonda gestured to Deacon and promptly had her handed grabbed by the blue coat behind her.

"Deacon told you these girls were with others?" asked Chilton.

"When the younger one came to trade ammo for food, I asked if she was the one with the bullets and he said she was with others," recalled Rhonda.

"And I remember when I asked him if she was with Tanner, he said she was with new people," added Howard. "He used those words, and never mentioned it was just another girl with a baby."

"Deacon." Chilton's order forced the boy to reluctantly approach the table. "Is what they are saying true?"

Clementine saw the guilt hanging on Deacon's face as he opened his mouth. "Well… yeah, it is."

"You were misleading them about the RV's occupants?" asked Chilton.

"Well, maybe, I mean, Clementine was with others," reasoned Deacon.

"Don't be obtuse," ordered Chilton. "Why the selective phrasing for when talking about the RV's owners? I've never known you to mince words."

"Well…" Deacon looked over at Clementine, who just subtly shook her head, pleading with Deacon not to tell Chilton what she said. "Clementine was worried that people might hurt her or Sarah if they knew it was just the two of them and their baby in that RV, like they'd be easy targets, so they asked me not to mention it around others."

"You see!" said Rhonda. "And that's not all. The younger one practically strong-armed me into giving her a better deal for her bullets by neglecting to mention she had more for trade until after she had milked me for everything she could get from a single box; a natural born grifter if there ever was one. Is it so hard to believe she's a thief as well?"

"Clementine's not a thief," refuted Sarah, sounding angry. "She never stole anything."

"But it does sound like she has an affinity for misinformation," noted Chilton as she turned back to Clementine. "Why the subtle deception?"

"I just didn't want anyone trying to hurt us, that's all," insisted Clem. "And I thought they wouldn't try it if they didn't know who was in our RV."

"And your negotiating tactics with Rhonda?" asked Chilton. "Was that because you feared she would hurt you?"

"I was just trying to get as much food as I could for Sarah and OJ," insisted Clem. "But I never lied to Rhonda. I never said who was in the RV, and I never said I only had one box of bullets. She wanted it so bad she just took it before I could even mention more."

"It's true, she couldn't wait to get her hands on it," added Deacon.

"The girl's mild obfuscating aside, you still have no evidence to support your claim of thievery, Rhonda," noted Chilton.

"No evidence? That's my bin!" Rhonda gestured to the red container sitting on the table.

"You told us to take it!" accused Clementine.

"I did no such thing! I haven't even seen you since that awful trade."

"You were just outside our RV this morning!" accused Sarah.

"Rhonda was with me all morning," declared Howard.

"Quiet," ordered Chilton in a calm voice. "You don't have a monopoly on red plastic containers Rhonda; how can you prove this was one of yours?"

"Howard's and my name will be painted on the bottom."

Clementine's stomach dropped as Chilton approached the container. The young girl tried to remember if she had ever looked at the bottom of the bin, and couldn't think of a single time she did. And watching Chilton turning the container on its side, Clem was horrified at what she would find.

"It would appear…" Chilton said as she carefully examined the bin. "That this container isn't one of yours, Rhonda." Chilton stepped away from the bin, and Clem could see it was just a blank red space on the bottom.

"They must have painted over it," said Rhonda.

"I think we've heard enough of your excuses," groused Tanner.

"Look at how the bottom doesn't match the rest of the container's color," insisted Rhonda as Tanner approached her.

"I said—"

"Actually," said Chilton. "It does look like it's been painted, and just on the bottom. But that doesn't prove it used to belong to you."

"Let me clean off the new paint, I have some mineral spirits on our boat, it's moored right outside," pleaded Rhonda.

"Wouldn't that remove the lettering underneath?" asked Chilton.

"No. Mineral spirits only remove fresh paint, and they couldn't have painted it sooner than this morning. And I painstakingly label everything important Howard and I own using quality paint so people can't just rub it off with chemicals. Our name's on that bin, and I can prove it."

Chilton rested her hand on her chin. "Tanner?"

"Yes?" he said as he turned to Chilton.

"Go with Rhonda so she can fetch her chemicals."

Tanner marched up to Rhonda and aimed a pistol right at her. "Lead the way." Rhonda and Howard exchanged concerned glances, then parted ways.

"We didn't take anything from Rhonda," said Clem as soon as the woman was marched out of the room.

"I don't suppose you can prove this isn't Rhonda's box?" asked Chilton.

"We found the box in a gas station that Rhonda told us about," said Clem.

"And there was nothing in it when I put it in the Brave," added Sarah.

"Rhonda was the one who told us to take it and use it instead of bags. She must have left it there just so she could say whatever we put in it was hers," realized Clem.

"That's ridiculous," said Howard.

"No it's not, you know she's lying," said Clem. "And you're lying too!"

"I don't appreciate being accused of being a liar," retorted Howard.

"Accusations aren't moving us any further to a conclusion either," added Chilton. "Unless you have some form of evidence to add to your claims, remain quiet until Tanner returns."

Clementine thought to herself for a moment, combing her mind for anything that could prove their innocence.

"Wait…" Clem looked at Howard. "How did Rhonda know we wore raincoats?"

"She saw you take our cache," said Howard as he folded his arms. "She said so herself."

"I never took your box. You…" Clem found herself balling her hands into fists. "You were watching us from your boat, weren't you!" Howard seemed to flinch upon hearing that. "That's why you were out there, you wanted to see if we took that box, so you could do this!"

"That's why they were just floating out there…" realized Sarah. "You couldn't leave until you knew we had it."

"I have no idea what they're talking about," Howard told Chilton. "Your people yourself counted our containers when we left this morning. We had ten then, we came back with nine."

"You must have beat us there and put it in the gas station," said Clem. "That's why she told me to go there, so I'd find it. And that's why she ran off so fast, because you had to get there first, or we wouldn't have found it."

"Unless you actually back up any of these accusations, I'd recommend you stop making them," instructed Chilton in a harsh tone. "It's not helping your case."

"Sarah saw all this too," said Clem.

"I did. I saw their boat, and the box, and Rhonda this morning, and—"

"And you could just be collaborating her lies," concluded Chilton.

"Howard could be lying for Rhonda," retorted Clem.

"Indeed, but he's marking far fewer accusations than you, and they sound far less far-fetched," noted Chilton. "So for the last time, unless you have some evidence, or some other witnesses, remain silent, or I will consider your guilt proven."

Clementine bit her tongue, afraid to speak another word, but then she remembered something else. "Patty!"

"What about Patty?" asked Chilton.

"She saw us at the gas station!" remembered Clem.

Chilton adjusted her glasses and turned to look at Clem. "Patty saw you remove this container from the gas station, and can confirm it was empty at that time?"

Clem saw Howard tense up, clearly afraid his lie was about to be unraveled. "Well…" Clem considered Chilton's question, then sighed. "No, she pulled up on her bike just as we were leaving, so she wasn't there when we found the box."

"Then she can't help you," concluded Chilton. "Just as well, seeing as she hasn't returned yet anyway."

"She's still not back?" Clem slumped over in her seat, quietly wondering if her attempt to rescue Patty had been for nothing. Before she could dwell on it, Rhonda and Tanner reentered, Rhonda now carrying a small metal container.

"I'm waiting Rhonda," said Chilton.

Seeing Rhonda trying to hide her smirk as she expertly applied a dab of liquid to a patch of steel wool, it dawned on Clem that the woman had clearly planned this entire thing out just to frame her and Sarah, right down to painting over her own label just to make Clem and Sarah appear guilty of trying to hide it. And as sickening as it was to see, Clem wasn't surprised when Rhonda scrubbed off enough paint to reveal her and Howard's names on the bottom of the bin.

"Do you think anyone else in this place could paint lettering as fine as that?" bragged Rhonda as she gestured to words on the container. "I—"

"You've proven it's your container Rhonda; I'm not interested in how many years it took you to get your fine arts degree." Chilton looked at Clem and Sarah. "So can you explain how one of Rhonda's containers ended up in your possession? And why you tried to hide that fact?"

Clementine looked over at Sarah, who had a mix of confusion and terror on her face that felt all too familiar to Clem. They both knew Rhonda and Howard were lying, but they didn't know how to prove it, and Clem was afraid to even speak again, thinking whatever she said next would just convince Chilton they were guilty.

"I don't see what we're waiting on," said Tanner. "It was obvious to me it was them when they walked in here. How else could a couple of dumb kids get their hands on all that except to steal it?"

Clementine grimaced as she listened to Tanner, but then she thought of something. "We didn't steal anything, and I can tell you how we got that stuff from Titusville."

"I'm listening," said Chilton as she crossed her arms.

"If… if you cover yourself in the stuff the walkers are made out of, you'll smell like them, and then they won't attack you."

"That's absurd!" accused Rhonda. "Why are we even—"

Chilton held up her hand to silence Rhonda. Clementine noticed the woman appeared curious now. "What do you mean cover yourself?"

"You cut off a piece of rotten meat or use one of their organs, and just rub it on your clothes and smear all the blood and gross stuff until you smell like one of them," explained Clementine. "After that, they don't attack you as long as you're quiet."

"Horseshit," grumbled Tanner.

"It's the truth," said Sarah.

"But can't the dead still see you though?" asked Chilton, sounding genuinely intrigued.

"No. They—"

"Are we really—" Chilton directed a deathly glare at Tanner and the man went silent.

"Now, about the dead detecting you," Chilton said to Clem and Sarah.

"They can smell fresh blood, and they can still hear, but that's it," said Clem. "Even if they hear me, if I get out of the way, and don't make more noise, they don't know where to look next."

"I'm not sure if they can see at all," said Sarah. "They all have that weird white stuff over their eyes, and they bump into things a lot, and each other."

"That would explain why they never chase after each other, seeing as they're still fairly human in appearance," Chilton said to herself. "Like they have another way of identifying their fellow dead."

"It's the smell," insisted Clem.

"And that would explain why they'll chase after animals then," reasoned Chilton. "Seeing as they would smell different."

"You're not just going to accept this without proof are you?" challenged Rhonda.

"We use raincoats, so we don't wreck our clothes," said Clem. "There's one in the RV, covered in gross stuff. If you just—"

"Actually," said Sarah. "The rain washed it all off."

"Rhonda, you mentioned seeing one of them in a raincoat," said Chilton. "Did you see any 'gross stuff' on it?"

"No," answered Rhonda without hesitation.

"And I didn't see any raincoats at all when I checked their RV," added Tanner.

"They were in the fridge, you didn't even check in there," said Clem.

"I checked everything!" barked Tanner. "They're just a couple of liars."

"Deacon." Chilton's call summoned the nervous boy back to the table. "From what I've heard, you've spent more time with these two than anyone, did you ever see or hear anything about them evading the dead?"

"Well Clementine… she did mention something," stuttered Deacon.

"Something?" repeated Chilton.

"When… when we were getting oranges, she said there was something you could do that made the dead easier to deal with," recalled Deacon.

"It's the smell. That's what I was talking about," said Clem.

"And she told you that?"

Clem looked at Deacon, desperately pleading as much as she could without speaking for him to just tell Chilton he knew about using the smell to get past the walkers. Deacon locked eyes with Clem, the fear and horror in her spilling into the young man as she could see the conflict brewing on his face.

"Deacon." Deacon turned to Chilton, who was staring coldly at the young man. "I want an answer; did she tell you any of this before now?"

"She…" Deacon turned away and looked at Clem again. "She…"

"Out with it boy!" barked Tanner.

"She said she'd tell me later…" Deacon looked down at his feet while Clementine felt her heart sink.

"Did she ever tell you later?"

"Well… I don't really like talking about those things," admitted Deacon.

"And you never saw these raincoats they mentioned?" asked Chilton.

"No," spoke Deacon. "But I don't think they'd steal anything. They—"

"I think I've heard enough," concluded Chilton.

"We can prove it!" insisted Clem. "Just find a walker, we'll show you!"

"Or you'll run off the first chance you get," accused Tanner.

"Even if what you're telling me is true," said Chilton. "It seems far more likely you used this tactic to steal one of Rhonda's seven containers than use one of her empty boxes to make your own."

"Seven?" asked Clem. "She brought back seven boxes of stuff?"

"I would have if you haven't stolen one," retorted Rhonda as she crossed her arms.

"You said you came back empty handed the last time you went to Titusville," recalled Clementine. "How did you get so much this…" Clem scowled as she could see a guilty look forming on Howard's face. "You saw me kill that walker near the gas station! You figured out the smell and used it to get that stuff, didn't you!" accused Clem as she tried to pull free from the person holding her shoulders.

"Not that it's any of your business, but I looted areas near the river and left the bins on docks for Howard to pick up later. Of course, you already do know that, since you took one when my back was turned," accused Rhonda.

"How'd you get past the walkers?" asked Clem. "You used the smell, didn't you!"

"Howard sailed along the coast and fired a rifle to draw most of those things away," retorted Rhonda.

"With the bullets I gave you!" yelled Clem.

"You mean the ones you gouged me for because you couldn't get any food on your own?" said Rhonda with a wicked smirk. "I guess you knew I could get more, so you shadowed me all the way back to Titusville."

"You were the one following me!" accused Clem. "You used the smell to get around! You set that house on fire and tried to kill me, didn't you!"

"Tanner, take them outside," ordered an uninterested Chilton.

"No, she's lying!" yelled Clem as she was dragged to the front door.

"We didn't steal anything!" pleaded Sarah as Tanner grabbed her wrists.

"Next time you want something of mine, maybe just trade more bullets for it," mocked Rhonda.

"Bullets…" Clem said to herself. "Rhonda's other boxes don't have any bullets, do they?" asked a desperate Clementine as the man behind her forced her to walk. "That's because she can't get any! How could I steal something she never had!"

"Wait." Chilton's order halted Clem's captor, and the girl found herself being forced back into the chair. Looking at the steely woman, Chilton seemed deep in thought, actually looking unsure for the first time since this conversation had started.

"Rhonda didn't even have any bullets until I came to Valkaria," argued Clem. "And you said she was begging to get into Paradise because it was harder for her to get stuff. Now she can get a ton of stuff in one day and she just gives it to you? But she still couldn't find any bullets?" Howard was practically sweating, and Rhonda's facade was finally starting to crack, the woman visibly nervous now.

"That's because she's lying. She knows the smell works, and she's trying to keep it a secret because as soon as everyone else knows, anyone could get stuff, and you wouldn't need her. And even with it, she still couldn't find any bullets, because she didn't know where to look for them because she never went that far into Titusville, but I have, because I've been using the walker smell to get stuff from dangerous places for a long time."

"Please don't hurt us," pleaded Sarah as Tanner hovered over her chair. "We never stole anything. Clementine worked really hard to get all that stuff because she thought you'd want it. She almost died today because it started raining and the lurker smell got washed away, and one of them almost ate her right in front of me. We just want to live somewhere safe where things like that don't happen, and where we can raise Omid," begged Sarah.

"Chilton?" Tanner's concerned call didn't seem to reach the woman, who appeared lost in thought. Everyone waited silently with bated breath as they anticipated her saying something, but she remained in quiet contemplation. Briefly looking away from the Chilton, Clem could see Howard looked anxious, his eyes kept darting around the room for answers. And Rhonda was biting her lip, clearly trying to think of something, then went wide-eyed when Chilton turned and looked at her.

"You—"

"There weren't any bullets in any of the bins I left for Howard," blurted out Rhonda. "She… she must have put those in the bin she took from me to make it look like she didn't steal it."

"If they're not your bullets then that means I found them." Chilton turned to Clem. "If I could find those, why couldn't I find everything else in there?"

"Because you didn't find them, not recently." Chilton turned back to Rhonda. "This girl traded seven boxes of bullets to me just for some food, probably something they stole from someone else. They probably put their own bullets in the box."

"They… they didn't have these kinds of bullets when I checked their RV this morning," said Deacon as he examined the boxes set out on the table. "I counted them and—"

"And you're the boy who admitted that he was helping them fleece me and Howard," retorted Rhonda in a harsh tone. "Why should we believe you?"

"I wrote down all the bullets they had," said Deacon as Chilton looked at him. "Just like you told me to. And they didn't have any shotgun shells, or… whatever these are." Deacon pointed to a green ammo box.

"That's because I got those later, after we left Valkaria," said Clem. "We don't even have a shotgun, so why would we have shotgun shells?"

"You traded me four different types of rifle bullets, did you have guns for all of them?" challenged Rhonda. "And just how thorough was you friend here?" Rhonda glared at Deacon. "Did he check every compartment on their RV?"

"Well… no," admitted Deacon. "I just asked them where the bullets were and they showed me."

"You what?" growled Tanner.

"They easily could have hidden some bullets away on their RV just to gift them to you later," accused Rhonda. "And then they followed my boat and grabbed one of my bins to up their score. The younger one even told me she saw Howard and I's work area for Titusville before she came here, so she knew where to start looking."

"We never even met you before we came here!" yelled Clem.

"But then you did meet me, and saw what Howard and I had saved up. I saw your face when I showed you my basement, you were thinking about it then," accused Rhonda.

"No I wasn't!" refuted Clem.

"Then Chilton announced her scavenger hunt and you figured it was just the opportunity you needed. But after you took my cache, you realized you could use it to cheat your way to victory. All you had to do was stuff your bullets and some useless junk I'd never waste my time on in my bin, paint over our names, and suddenly you'd have your own ticket to paradise."

"That's not true!" yelled Clem. "You're the one who is lying, and making up all these crazy plans."

"We didn't do anything wrong," sobbed Sarah. "And we're just kids."

"Just kids?" Rhonda narrowed her eyes as she glared at Clem and Sarah. "These are obviously not normal children we're dealing with. They both have holsters on them, the younger one squeezes me for extra food with the help of the blue coat she charmed, and they've concocted some elaborate lies to cover for their schemes; they're a couple of con artists."

"We are not!" barked Clem.

"I bet even their baby is part of their con," reasoned Rhonda. "Something to keep around to get people to feel sorry for them."

"We take care of Omid because we love him!" yelled a distraught Sarah.

"Imagine how much more they could do if they were to stay in Valkaria," said Rhonda as she eyed Deacon. "They conned one of your blue coats into lying for them in less than a day."

"I… I wasn't lying," stuttered Deacon.

"You might as well have been you little bastard," groused Tanner as he approached the boy. "I should have known something was up when I caught you having dinner with them."

"We were just being nice to him," insisted Sarah.

"Because he was being nice to us," added Clem.

"Wish Tanner's people were half as nice to us," griped Rhonda. "Not hold us up while they check every single square inch of our boat."

"I… I just felt bad for them," mumbled a shaking Deacon. "They have a baby and—"

"They were desperate…" Howard speaking caught everyone by surprise. "I mean… that's why you did it, right? Because you were desperate?"

"Or that's what they want us to think now that they've been caught red-handed," suggested Rhonda. "God only knows what else they're planning."

"We didn't do anything!" sobbed Sarah.

"And now this one is breaking out the crocodile tears," scoffed Rhonda.

"You fucking cunt!" barked Clem.

"Listen to that; does anyone really think these are just normal kids?" asked Rhonda. "Tell me Chilton, are you going to let these 'children' make a fool out of you?"

"Quiet!" Chilton's booming declaration silenced the room. Turning to the woman along with everyone else, Clem could see was angry. Her calm demeanor had disappeared, replaced with a seething anger boiling behind her sharp blue eyes. She turned to Tanner, which caused the man to stumble a few steps back.

"Deacon said he just asked these kids where their ammo was," recalled Chilton. "Is that true?"

"I'll straighten him out for that," promised Tanner. "He—"

"Him? Where the fuck were you!" Tanner flinched as Chilton raised her voice. "Did you not hear me!" Tanner stumbled backwards into a wall as Chilton marched right up to him. "I asked you a question and I want an answer," she ordered through clenched teeth. "Where were you when Deacon was doing inventory on their RV?"

"I… I was getting the gate," mumbled Tanner.

"Why the fuck weren't you with him, double checking his tally, like I told you to?"

"I… I thought—"

"No you didn't," growled Chilton in a low voice. "You lazy inbred piece of trailer trash." Chilton suddenly turned to Deacon, who backed into the table, knocking a few items off it. "You little ingrate. You come begging for my help and this is how you repay me!"

"I… I'm—"

"You're sorry? You're damn right you are!" Deacon cowered before Chilton, too afraid to even look at her. "Why don't you tell me something I don't already know?" Rhonda moved closer to Howard, gripping the man for comfort as Chilton stormed up to the couple.

"Congratulations, you two won the big prize, you're Valkaria's official scavengers now!" Rhonda tightened her grip on Howard, and Howard responded in kind. "Aren't you excited? I've got big plans for both of you. After all, you both think you're so clever, just imagine how much you're going to do for Valkaria, and for me."

"Forget it…"

Chilton glared at Howard, inching in close to the man's face. "What did you just say to me?"

"I just said forget it," mumbled the trembling man. "You don't have to make us Valkaria's scavengers. Just keep what we brought and forget the whole thing."

"Forget the whole thing? You mean to tell me, after all this song and dance you just put me through, now you want me to just forget it!" bellowed Chilton. "There's no forgetting it this time, Howard, so let me make this very clear, to both of you; you either work for me, or you can tell me she's telling the truth about you two." Chilton turned and gestured to Clementine. "So which is it?"

"They're lying!" interjected Clem. "They—" Chilton gestured and Clem suddenly felt a strong hand clamped over her mouth.

"Clem!" yelled Sarah. "You let—" Tanner grabbed hold of Sarah and covered her mouth next.

"Well Howard? Rhonda?" snarled Chilton. "Which is it? Are you working for me, or are lying to me?"

"We're working for you," blurted out Rhonda.

"Good to know." Chilton grabbed the handbag off the table. "Why don't you two start by packing up your loot and putting it back on your boat?" Chilton grabbed a box of handgun bullets off the table. "Then the three of us can all talk about your newfound responsibilities to Valkaria."

"Right…" Rhonda rushed over to the table and started hastily throwing things into the red bin while Chilton opened the box of bullets.

"I work so hard to keep order in a time when order is in very short supply," mused Chilton as she removed the handgun from the bag. "But I guess it was foolish for me to expect anyone else here to bother." Clem started shaking as she watched Chilton load the pistol. "It's clear to me now that I'm the only one with the vision to keep order in a place like this, so that's just what I'm going to do."

Clementine felt her heart skip a beat as Chilton cocked the gun. The girl started mumbling through the hand covering her mouth, trying to plead with the woman as she closed in on her, the pistol gripped tightly in her hand.

"What…" Chilton turned and looked at a frightened Howard. "What… what are you going to do with them?" Chilton's eyes narrowed, and Clem watched as her grip on that pistol tightened.

"Howard, let's just leave Chilton to work," insisted a nervous Rhonda as she picked up the red bin. "Come on." Rhonda tugged on Howard's arm as she tried to leave the room, but Howard stood in place. Clementine could see he was staring right at her and Sarah, and Clem started begging for him to tell Chilton the truth, but all that came out were mumbled pleas. "Come on Howard." Howard turned away, and Clem watched her last hope walk out the door.

"Thomas, go with them, and don't let them out of your sight." The man by the kitchen nodded. "I'll be along shortly." Clem watched the young man in the blue coat hurry off, and then looked up at Chilton, who was raising the gun she was holding.

"Hmmpf-mhh!" Panic struck Clem as she helplessly fought against her captor, watching Chilton brandish that pistol. The woman pointed the gun at Clementine's head, prompting the girl to struggle in vain against her captor, trying to pull free of him. Clem closed her eyes as she tried to yank the man's hand off her mouth, but she just wasn't strong enough.

Then Clem heard Sarah making muffled screams. She opened her eyes and started yelling through the hand covering her mouth as she saw Chilton aim the gun at Sarah. Clem was desperate to do anything, and tired bitting the hand covering her mouth, but it was too big, and the person had too solid a grip on her.

"What… what are you doing?" A horrified Tanner released Sarah as Chilton pointed the gun at him next, a deathly look in her eyes. "I…"

Chilton turned in place and aimed the gun at Deacon next. "I'm sorry!" cried the young man as he turned away and held up his arms in surrender. "Please don't… I'm so sorry."

"I assume everyone is paying attention now?" asked Chilton as she turned away from Deacon. "Because I'm sick of repeating myself to the likes of you people, especially when it's clear you can't even follow simple instructions." The woman placed the gun into the handbag. Clem tried to breathe a sigh of relief, but the hand covering her mouth made that hard.

"Tanner?"

"Yeah?" answered the man, a clear hint of fear in his voice.

"Deal with the thieves," ordered Chilton as she threw the handbag over her shoulder. "You do remember how we deal with thieves, don't you?" asked Chilton as she removed a compact mirror from her pocket.

"What about their RV?" Clementine's heart started beating faster as she heard Tanner mention the Brave. "It'd be a shame to let everything in it just roll out of here."

"We don't deal with theft by stealing Tanner," lectured Chilton as she examined her reflection in the compact mirror. "We're civilized."

"It's just… if they come back, with all the bullets they have, they could—" Chilton slammed her compact shut and Tanner went silent as she stared at the man in disbelief.

"Are you telling me you're afraid of retribution… from children?"

"Well, I just thought—"

"No Tanner, you don't think, you never think, that's precisely your problem; I have to do all the thinking for you." Chilton slipped her compact into the handbag, but didn't remove her hand right away. "And if a couple of kids with guns got you so scared, maybe I should just start doing everything around here."

Chilton marched up to Tanner, her hand still tucked in the bag hanging from her shoulder. "Is that what I need to do?" Tanner didn't answer. "Look at me when I'm talking to you!" Tanner reluctantly looked up at the angry woman. "Do I need to find someone else? Someone who won't question my orders and will my follow instructions?"

"No…" said Tanner in a quiet voice.

"No what?" growled Chilton through her teeth.

"No' ma'am," answered Tanner with a hint of resentment.

"Then get to work already, and try not to fuck it up this time." Chilton spun around and headed for the kitchen, but stopped when she noticed a trembling Deacon sitting in the corner. "And make Deacon do it."

"Huh? No! Please don't," begged the young man. "They're… they're just girls. They didn't hurt anyone."

"Five should be adequate, and make sure the other one sees everything." Clementine's heart started beating against her chest as the question of five of what would they be watching gripped her racing mind.

"Which one's getting it?" asked Tanner.

"Your choice," shrugged Chilton.

"Please, Miss Chilton—"

"And if Deacon doesn't go through with it, make it ten, for both of them." Chilton spun around and locked eyes with the young man cowering beside her. "And then throw Deacon out with them."

"No, please don't—" Chilton marched out of the room, paying no heed to the young man's words, and leaving Clementine and Sarah alone with their captors.