"Ma'am, you need to get some sleep" A stoic voice resounded, emanating from the burly guard leaning near the door.
"I don't need any damn sleep Max. I slept enough yesterday" The young woman snapped, leaning drowsily against an old wooden desk.
"You slept for two hours yesterday Maddie. You need to stop working and go sleep. You can pick it up again tomorrow" Max replied calmly.
"B-But I'm so close! I've found a way to-" Maddie tried to argue, only to get cut off.
"Mads, if you keep working, you'll be too worked up on finishing to check everything. I don't care how close you are, go get some sleep. Wake up tomorrow and look at your work with fresh eyes" Max reasoned.
"… fine. You can be really annoying when you want to be" Maddie grumbled, sitting up and walking out of the small laboratory.
"If it keeps you healthy, so be it" Max shrugged, leading the woman to her room.
"Now, get some sleep. I'll come get you tomorrow morning and escort you back to the lab" Max smiled, closing the door behind him as Maddie rolled her eyes. She quickly stripped out of her lab gear and threw a set of sleepwear on before sliding into her bed, forgoing the thick woollen blanket and instead opting to sleep on top.
"It'll work… it has to…" Maddie whispered to herself before sleep took over.
"Alrighty everyone, up and at em! We got a big day ahead of us!" Kenny's voice carried over the lodge, rousing everyone from where they slept. Most people were asleep on the couches or on beds, save for the two Australian boys, who for whatever reason decided sleeping on the tables would be more comfortable.
"It's too fucking early to be waking up…" Jake grumbled, rubbing his head.
"It's nearly noon" Kenny smirked.
"Still too early" Jake groaned once again, before sitting up and stretching his aching back.
"We had extra beds, you guys could've slept on one of those, you realise that right" Kenny chuckled, seeing the dirty glare from Kris.
"Believe me, I tried those beds of yours. These tables were more comfortable, even if they're wooden pieces of shit" Kris grumbled, having a similar hard start in the morning.
"Quit your moaning and get up. We're leaving in half an hour" The two groaned, before both getting off the tables and walking away towards the kitchen. Most of the group was busy packing what supplies they had into an assortment of bags, while a few cleared up the area to make it seem as though no-one was here.
"Dad? Are we going to eat before we go?" Jen piped up, her stomach rumbling slightly.
"You guys think we have time for breakfast?" Sam asked openly.
"We aren't on a schedule or anything, there's no rush" Kris shrugged, grabbing a can of peaches out of a large duffel bag and placing the rest on one of the tables alongside a knife.
"Get a feed in while we're here. We got a long trek waiting for us" Kris shouted, before walking outside with his can.
"He ok?" Kenny asked of Jake, who simply shrugged.
"He's a farm boy. He always eats outdoors, at least when he can" Jake explained, grabbing a can of beans for himself and following his friend out the door. Kenny rolled his eyes at this, before deciding it was best to leave the two alone, and simply opted to sit down and enjoy his food.
Jake let the door softly shut behind him as he stepped out of the lodge, his eyes adjusting to the still rising sun. He spotted Kris sitting on the railing in front of him and walked up behind the other man. He hopped the ledge and sat down, adjusting his footing to hold himself up.
"I'll tell you what; I may have been in the city for the last couple years, but nothing beats the tranquillity of a quiet sunrise" Kris sighed, eating a spoonful of peaches.
"Can't argue with that. Mind if I borrow your knife?" Kris quickly spun the blade out of its sheath and handed the curved blade to the man, who accepted it happily.
"Hey, I was thinking…" Kris started, before hesitating.
"Thinking about what?" Jake asked through a mouthful of beans, earning a chuckle from the other survivor.
"About the group. Like, what's gonna happen when we reach this "settlement" everyone's on about?" Jake pondered for a second, before shrugging.
"I don't know man, I really don't know" Kris sighed at his response.
"Well, from what I know, Sam and Randy are staying with their families. And as much as I want to join them, I don't think it's safe to be in one place for too long" Kris reasoned.
"I know, but we may as well stay for a few days, right? Get back on our feet, get some food and water before we get back on the road" Jake explained.
"Then what? Just the two of us, off on an expedition again? Jake, we barely survived making it to that hardware store" Kris whispered.
"Well, you said Randy and Sam are staying. I'm sure Kenny will probably go with us, same as Clementine. Not to mention Winter" Jake reasoned.
"I guess…" Kris sighed, eating the last spoonful of peaches and tossing the can out at a bandit corpse. Jake's can followed soon after.
"C'mon, we'll work this out later. Let's get on the road first"
"Alright everyone, gather around!" Kris called out, dragging everyone over to the table near them. Once everyone was seated, he continued: "Now, from here is all uncharted territory. Once we leave here, I don't know where we'll go"
"I know where to go" Clementine piped up.
"Really?" Kris asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yeah, when I came here the first time with my last group, we came from a cabin about 5 days away" Everyone's heart sunk to hear this.
"Did you find anything else… I don't know, closer on the way here?" Kenny asked.
"Nu-uh. There's a few good areas for camping out, but no buildings. At least if we take the forest way" Clementine shot down.
"Well, 5 days trek isn't too bad. Once we reach that cabin, is there anything good in the area?" Kris asked, facing towards the map.
"There's a river nearby, that's about it" Clementine recalled.
"Alright, what about after that?" Jake asked this time.
"Well, from what I know, it's about a 2-week journey to a small rest stop near Savannah, then another 2 or so weeks to the city, and that's being generous" Clementine explained.
"Wait, weren't you with Christa for a few months Clem?" Kenny questioned.
"Actually, we never really moved that fast. We constantly took breaks because of Christa's pregnancy. After about a month or two, we reached a rest stop. That's where we lost Omid. After we left, Christa lost her baby and was too depressed and tired to move fast" Clem explained solemnly.
"Sorry to hear that Clem" Jake smiled lightly.
"Thanks…" Clem mumbled.
"Well, now that we have that settled, next comes something marginally important" Kris sighed.
"Now Kris?" Jake whispered.
"Yes, now. I'm not going all that way to just turn around" Kris whispered back.
"Here's the run down. Jake and I discussed, and this will be our final stop. We aren't going to Savannah, we're heading out east, through Mississippi and beyond" Kris explained.
"Wait, for real? You're just gonna up and leave, just like that?" Kenny questioned.
"I looked over some files and notes in that hardware store. There's a settlement in the city, supposedly. 'Crawford' or something like that" Kris explained. Clementine and Kenny both heard this and immediately looked at each other with a worried expression.
"Crawford. That's the place we were headed" Randy explained.
"Well, that's a bad idea then…" Kenny muttered.
"How so?" Patricia wondered aloud.
"Because Clem n I have been to Crawford. It was months ago" Kenny explained grimly.
"S-So we were chasing something that doesn't exist?" Sam asked.
"That we have. The entire place is picked clean, nothing will be left" Kenny sighed.
"Well, what do we do then? We've come all this way and the one thing we needed is gone" Randy sighed defeatedly.
"Well, there's a few places marked on this map that the previous leader must've seen as a good location for a 'forward operating base'" Kris explained, unrolling a thick paper map from his backpack.
"That's Crawford there, by the riverside. There's a train by the outskirts, we can probably take it out of the city if need be" Kenny pointed out.
"We could take the train and find somewhere to set up shop" Randy noted.
"Sounds good. Alright, everyone ready to head out?" Jake asked this time.
"Actually, I need to speak to Clementine alone for a moment" Kenny piped up. Confused, Clementine followed as Kenny wandered away from the group, still clutching a sleeping AJ.
"What's wrong?" Clementine asked once they were a fair distance away.
"Well, if I'm being honest, I think I'm agreeing with Kris' idea. It might be best if we went with them" Kenny sighed.
"But what about Savannah? That train could really help us!" Clementine shouted.
"I know darlin'. But, well, I think it's best if we avoid that direction. We've already been down that track, and we know there's nothing there. And I don't think I can go back there knowing my wife and son are out there somewhere in the forest, probably eaten by a stray walker" Kenny grimaced.
"But…" Clementine couldn't think of a reply, instead nodding.
"Everything alright Kenny?" Kris called out.
"Yeah, everything's fine" Kenny called back. The two returned to the group silently, Clementine looking down at the ground.
"Well, guys. Seems this is it. Me and Clem ain't going to Savannah, we're going with Kris and heading out eastward" Kenny announced.
"Are you sure Kenny? You can't guarantee you'll find anything that way" Lily warned.
"Better than reliving the nightmare of that city. Sorry y'all, but it just aint happening" Kenny sighed.
"Well, I'm going to Savannah. If there's a chance of a safe haven for my family, I cant pass that up" Randy announced.
"Same here. Especially with Sarah and Jen to take care of, I can't risk it" Sam explained glumly.
"Well, that leaves Lily and Winter to decide" Kris glanced over to the women who had stood off to the sidelines during the entire planning situation.
"Personally, I want to go with Randy's group. I think it'd be better to find a safe haven than continue this strenuous scavenging life" Lily moved towards Randy's group, standing to the side.
"So, that leaves you Winter. What's your choice?" Winter stood rigidly, eyeing down both groups. She looked torn, staring intently at both groups, trying to make a decision.
"I… I'm going with Kenny. I don't trust Savannah in the slightest" Winter sighed, glancing up to Lily.
"Are you sure Winter?" Lily asked softly, staring on at her companion.
"I'm sure. You guys will be fine" Winter smiled warmly, moving over to Kenny's group.
"Well, I guess it's settled then." Kenny lugged two large duffel bags off a nearby table, handing one to Kris.
"There's two more behind me. It's got enough supplies to last you till Savannah. And good luck, you'll need it" Randy thanked the other group, lugging one bag over his shoulder. The two looked on at each other, before shaking hands and leading both groups out the door.
"Hey, Kris. I need to talk to you" Sam piped up as soon as both groups had exited the lodge.
"Sure" Kris shrugged, following the failed bandit around the back of the lodge.
"Good luck you lot. If Savannah doesn't work out, you're welcome to come find us" Jake noted, smirking.
"Same to you guys. And Winter, please. Be careful" Lily warned, embracing the younger survivor.
"I will. Don't be going crazy on me, ok? And if I find out you died in Savannah, I'm going to find you, bring you back to life then kill you myself" Winter grinned cheekily, losing her balance as Lily shoved her.
"Whatever. Get out of here, before I drag you to Savannah with me" Lily smiled, watching Winter pick herself up. The two laughed, forgetting momentarily they were both leaving.
"Alright guys, it's about time we get going" Kris announced, standing next to Jake.
"Kris is right. If we don't leave now, we aren't going to leave for a while" Randy sighed, giving the other group one last lookover.
"Well, I'm no good with goodbyes. So, uh, don't die?" Jake chuckled at Kris' blunt answer, smiling.
"We'll try. Let's hope our paths cross in the future" Maria smiled, having been quiet the entire time.
"C'mon, let's go" Kenny led the group away, leaving Randy to lead the others the opposite direction, Kris' words echoing in his mind.
''Don't die…''
*A.N.
Yeah yeah, I know. I took a long time to update. Again. I swear, my update schedule is more consistent than a wonky line. Anywho, this chapter is noticeably shorter than normal, purely because I didn't want to shove too much down your throats at once.
So, the groups split up. It was a decision I mulled over for quite a while, but ultimately decided to go with, due to the fact I introduced too many characters too fast. I had a group of like 13 or something dumb like that, and I was constantly forgetting that characters existed.
So, the groups.
East-bound Group: Kenny, Kris, Jake, Winter, Clementine, AJ
Savannah-Bound Group: Randy, Patricia, Sam, Jen, Sara, Jerome, Maria, Gill, Lily
Don't think though I'm going to ignore the groups for too long. The focus will be on the east-bound group, but I do plan to put snippets of the other group in here and there. However, with everything happening with school, personal issues and other commitments, I may take a bit to upload new chapters. I am trying though, don't worry.
Enjoy life I guess?
~ Exfinity