Author Note: I do not own The Walking Dead or any of its characters.

I own Axel Dixon and Cath Carver

Emily Carver belong to HiddenTruthandsLies2

Benjamin "Ben" Rugby and Timothy "Tim" Rugby belongs to AquaDestinysEmbrace

Chapter 67: Got Your Back

Axel's POV

The sun has set down and it's getting dark now.

But I can still see with my hunter eyes.

Then I approaching the edge on the other side of the building and down on the street, there was a herd right on the way to March House for Lee of course.

Shit, so many! That guy has really lucky that he got hundred of watch dogs, but at least he's probably trapped in the hotel with Clementine.

I look around and try to find Lee.

Damn it, where is he?

Then I saw a person with one arm right on the street, right at the below. LEE!

I wish I could yell to him, but that will attract the herd on me and him too. How the hell should he get through the herd to the hotel?

Suddenly, I saw Lee pulled out a meat clever, the same one I cut his arm off... Wait, is he going to... ?!

Then he start going straight to the herd with no doubt!

No, Lee! Don't do... this...

I see Lee has stabbed several walkers with the meat cleaver while still heading to the hotel...

I'm amazed by his crazy-man-actions! Jesus, that guy's really insane as hell... Wonder who's going to win if it's between him and my grandfather.

I saw Lee getting little tire now, but refuse to give up and continue to the hotel while stab some more walkers on his way.

Wow, no one will stop that guy...

But I realize that I can't just watching this awesome scene, I've gotta go down and help him.

There was a fire escape right next to me as I jumped off the roof and landed on it. I start climbing down.

When I was on the ground in alleyway, I saw a walker attack me from behind, but I noticed it in the last second and grab both of the arms.

Ugghh... So you wanna have a piece of me or this!

I stabbed it quickly with my hidden blade, right through the skull.

Then I got out of the alleyway, I couldn't see Lee anymore, but hear his range screams.

Still fine and fight like hell.

I look at the hotel and it's dark inside that I see through the windows. But Clementine must be in there somewhere along with that fucking stalker... Then I take a breath and prepare for my hidden blades as blades pulled out of bracelets. I dashing into the street and fight against the walkers on my own way to the hotel.

First two walkers noticed me and are limping to me as I stabbed them both of them with hidden blades at the same time. Then another one heading for me as I stabbed through the skull. Then another, another, another and another. During fighting against them, I was splattered by walkers's blood in my shirt and my arms... Ugh, smells gross!

I was in the herd now and then found something really odd here.

What's going on? Most of walkers ain't trying get to me? I wonder...

Then I got attention by a high-weight walker with red t-shirt that it's growling towards me and-

Before I could react, the head was chomped immediately into two parts between top of the head to the mouth... Holy Crap!

"Axel?" It was Lee who chomped the walker with his meat clever. "Why... are you doing in here?"

I see Lee got blood of walkers over his shirt and pants. Ehh...

"Got your back." I stabbed quickly a walker who were behind of Lee and was going to attack him. "Let's get in the hotel."

"Okay..." Lee said weakly and tired as I grab his arm and have it over my shoulders before we heading to the hotel's entrance.

"We're almost there." I says.

While I help Lee to get us in the hotel, I saw a vehicle where parked next to the entrance, but I didn't take a good look at it when we reached for the door. I opened and getting both of us in.

I closed the door after and take a breath...

Man, what ruckus out there...

"Are you okay? You don't smells pretty well." I joked little as Lee take some deep breaths.

"Speak for yourself. Why are you here?" Lee said as I sighed. "Look, I'm should have go with the others, but you can't save Clementine alone and I trust brothers and the others to save Cath, I really do."

Lee sighed and understand.

"I'm glad that you came here and help me, even it risks your life." Lee said with an appreciated smile. "Thank you."

"No sweat. Come on, let's get your little girl back and give some medicine to that guy." I ordered as Lee nodded and we walk into hallway.

Hang on little girl, we're coming for you.

We have passed so many doors in the hall, but I've got instinct that we're on the right way.

I take a look at Lee for a couple seconds and the at his stomp. His eyes looks little different and he getting little slowly, probably after fought up back there outside.

We turned to the next corner and heading to one of doors.

Okay...

We're standing against the door.

It must be this room. I look at the name of it. "Mrs D. Hutchison & Mr E. Hutchison"

I raised a eyebrow. "Wait a minute." I mention.

"What?" Lee ask.

"Chidike's initial of his last name is H." I figured out. "Do you know her parents's names?"

Lee poke his head in a few seconds and widened his eyes then. "Diana and... Ed."

My eyes widened after what he just said and look at the sign of the door again. It must really be her parents's room.

Then I lean my head, my ear against the door to listen something from inside, but nothing.

"Let's get in." I says as Lee nodded and open the door.

In the room there was two chairs, a stool right next of one of them, a little table, a drawer, a bed for two persons, but no sign of Clementine or her parents either, at least not that guy on the radio either too.

Then we caught a white rope that it tied from a handle of a wardrobe to a door right next to it..

Hmm...

Me and Lee looked at each other and then he nodded. I nod back that we both agreed to checking out, but before I could reach for the rope, I heard a sound from behind us as I grab my crossbow on my back and turned around.

But it was too late as there was a man who standing right front of us with a pistol that aiming at us, especially at me. The stranger looked over thirty, wearing brown jacket, blue jeans and a pair of shoes. His clothes looks almost dirty, not much like Chuck's. The stranger has brown hair, light brown eyes and he looks little skinny like he hasn't eat much everyday.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." The man threaten me while I still holding my crossbow, but I lay out and glaring at him.

I'm going to kill him...

"Where is she?" Lee hissed lowly and looked angry at the man.

"I've already told that she's fine." The man replied.

Fine?! Not around with you.

"Then why is a rope there?" I retort with sarcastically as the man didn't answer instead glare at me. "You shouldn't be here. All I want is Lee here, not you." The man snap gently.

"You should have said that earlier, but it's too late. Besides, I don't wanna have anything from you, not even your permission too." I growled as the man sighed.

"Go over there." Stranger said while held his gun at us as we move closer to a near drawer. "Put your things down."

"Let me out!" We heard a voice of a young girl from the door as we widened our eyes.

Clementine!

"Who's out there?" Clementine asked as Lee open his mouth to say something, but the man pointing with his at his head and hush to the teacher as I sighed. I open my mouth as the man aiming at my face too, but I says, "It's us, Clem. Axel and Lee. We'll get you soon." I called back to her and turned around with an anger look at the man who looks very angry at me while Lee looked little amaze by my courage.

"You should watch your mouth. I have a gun here." Stranger hiss. "Do you think you can scare me just because you have your own gunpoint on us?" I shot back as stranger just sulking and repeat, "Your things, there."

Lee and I turned to the drawer and put my crossbow along with the bolts and Desert Eagle on the drawer. "This is all I got." Lee says as I notice Lee put Clementine's radio down and his meat clever. He and I sharing us with a know stare that we both know I've got still my hidden blades, but I wonder if Clementine did told him about them through the radio even she barely know about them.

Stranger take a closer look at our weapons. "Your arrows looks clean and I didn't heard any gunshots from outside. Which means you didn't have use any of them, so how did you travel all this way to here the end?" Stranger pointed out.

I'm get to being annoying by his fucking cunning, but it beats up then.

"I lost my other weapon and it calls bolts." I lied as stranger didn't look happy by my "answer". "Do you think I care about any of your damn guns?" Stranger inquired as I sighed.

Of course not you do which it will be your mistake later.

"Whatever. And if you don't believe me, fine. Go search me around." I held up my hands. "No, I'm not touching you or him either. Just sit down." Stranger ordered us as I lay my hands down.

Stranger escort me to two chairs and stool as Lee taking the right one and I taking the stool right next to him while the guy still held his gunpoint on us and take his own seat on the other chair right across from us with a little table.

Then he stop aiming us but still keep his eyes on us. "Do you know who I am?" Stranger asked as I shook my head because it doesn't matter for me, anymore...

"No, we don't know anything about you." Lee reply as his sounds little weak and not normally loud, but though he's tired, he still be on his guard.

"You wouldn't. People like you two don't." The guy criticize us as I shoot a glare towards him. "And why if we do? Why shouldn't we know any shit about you? All we know about you is that you're just a fucking creepy stalker who have followed us all the time to Savannah, starring at me back in the backyard and put a wedge between us and Clementine which it's caused a pair of lives from our group who didn't have something wrong with you." I spat right at him as he gives me a creepy smile.

"Really? Then how about this one, "Who would have it out for me, huh?" Stranger scoffed.

I raised a eyebrow. Have it out for me? What the hell is he talking about?

"A few weeks back, there might have been a station wagon in the forest." By his words, me and Lee widened our eyes in surprised. A station wagon in the forest?! But that's... "Full all sorts of food, water, things you need to survive." The guy completed his statement.

I was going to drop my jaws, but I hold it back. No way... this guy is... the owner of that car with full of supplies we found in the forest after the conflict with St Johns?!

"Yeah. I'm not some cannibal, Lee, Axel. Some bully in a school. Some criminal. Some killers out in the woods. Some v... villain. I'm just a... dad. I coach little league." Stranger talk little about himself and mentioned about people that we have fought against, including from my past too. Amanda, Steven, The Pack and the other criminals, St Johns, Bandits and... well, Crawford too, even that place was already death to the bottom when we arrived there.

But I shake those memories off my head now and focus to talk with the stranger.

"Everything was just out there, for the taking. We were starving. Do you- "Lee tried to explain about our actions back in the forest, but cut off by stranger who looked angry now. "For the taking?! Do you know what you took from me?!" Stranger snap out.

I narrows my eyes in anger. Took?! You took Clementine from us, asshole!

"Speak for yourself, you idiot. I don't know what happened with you after we took your supplies, but we can shares with our mistakes." I say so cold.

"I didn't take her from Lee. I rescue her from him, you and your people too, don't you get that?" Stranger retort.

I and Lee stare so frustration at the man. Rescue her?!

Then stranger sighed and looked down. He look at Lee with a calm and regretful face while still have the gun in his hand. "Have you ever hurt somebody you care about?" Stranger asked.

I raised a eyebrow in doubt. What's he up to now?

Lee just stare at the stranger with a sad look. Then he lower his head and after some seconds later, he look back to him and say, "Yes of course."

"Who?" Stranger asked.

Lee was quiet in a moment to think who in the world that he ever hurt so bad? Maybe... his wife.

"My wife." Lee replied so gloomy as stranger looked little doubtfully. "Clementine said she wasn't with you." Stranger said.

"I hurt her a long time ago." Lee said.

"How?" Stranger asked.

"In a lot of ways." Lee said as me and the guy start listened him. "She traveled for work. I didn't like that. I wanted a family."

"A reasonable thing to want." Stranger said.

For this situation, I agree with an asshole.

"So we fought. And it made my biggest fear come true." Lee said. "I got sick one day on my way to class. Cancelled it and went home. Found her with someone else. Killed him."

I raised my eyes in a bit surprised.

Oh my god... Lee...

"I was so mad at her so long and can't imagine how mush pain she felt." Lee said as stranger look at him so concernedly before he stare at me.

"What about you, boy? Have you hurt someone you love?" Stranger asked as I glare at him, but sink my head down.

I start to think about people who I cared and loved have felt so much pain that I've caused. Officer Davidson, Ashley, Chidike... Olivia... Jessica... Chris... mom...

I placed my hands over my head and say, "Yes. Some of people I've loved didn't make it, something I could have done more to save them... but... I just couldn't..."

Stranger looked little sad about me. "I see. And what is between you and that Chris boy that Clementine mentioned about her "friend" Cath's brother? Why did you put your own weight on him than your own family?"

I narrows my eyes at him, but then I sighed and shake my head.

"Because he and I are friends." I said as Stranger and Lee didn't looked so understandingly by my short answer. "Back to my young age, I did have everything what Lee didn't have, family. But sometimes I was kind of... a malcontent person back there. I didn't any friends there or in the other word; I didn't know what a friendship really is."

"So you were searching for somebody who can understand about you?" Stranger guessed as I nod little.

"Family is all matters, but friendship is a part of it too. Friends respects each others, shares their opinions, advances and feelings too sometimes. Protecting each others. I meet my second cousin who understands me. Then Chris and another friend of him. Then another friend of my second cousin. We all were just five of us. Got some serious problems with some bullies who think we're just a bunch of freaks or morons. I haven't forget these times that we have ever been through and never will forget them."

Then I look at the stranger who looked sad about me and Lee too.

"How about you?" I asked as stranger looked down and getting more sad and gloomy.

"I hurt her... so bad." Stranger said as Lee and I listened his own story. "My son, Adam, went missing. I took him out hunting even though my wife said he was too young. I figured he had to learn. I came back without him and then look on her face said... "You are a MONSTER."

Damn... He and his family must have been through so much than anyone can imagine.

"We all went out looking for him. We never found him. I hurt her so bad." Stranger said and then he look at us with an intense glare. "Then you guys took all of our things. You robbed us. I could've earned her trust back, Lee. But not after that."

I look at him little sympathetic, but angry too for blaming us for all what happened to him.

It wasn't all our fault! Everything of this problem started when he lost his own son by his stupidity and recklessly.

"I'm sorry for your lost, but that wasn't our fault and that was before we found your car." Lee said with a calm and sympathy tone in his voice.

But it seems like the guy just ignored Lee's statement and resume his story, "The hungrier we got the more she blamed me. Until she finally took our daughter, Elizabeth, and left."

Lee and I looked down sadly over that sad story. God...

"They didn't get far... I... found them a day later. In the road." Stranger said while his voice gets cranky.

We widened our eyes in shock.

Oh shit.

Then the guy's sympathy look are gone and turned into serious one.

"Do I look like a monster to both of you?" Stranger inquired.

I narrows my eyes at him. I don't how I gonna answer that, but I'd like to say yes, but...

"We all do." Lee answer the question.

I stare at him and his words. I guess he's right. We all have done some awful things.

"Some more than others." The Stranger said and glare so intense at us. "I might have done some mistakes, but still I'm not like any of you two."

The guy leaned little towards us so his head was almost over of the little table and look at me with an anger look.

"You refused to give any food from your hunt to an old man with heart-problem." Stranger spat and referred about Larry as I glare at him.

"He left my father behind, trapped on the roof with the walkers and made him to cut off his own arm to free himself." I hissed angrily.

"You guys walked Clementine into a dairy full of sick people and let them get their hands on her." Stranger exclaimed and referred about St Johns.

"If we knew what they were, I wouldn't let Clementine or anyone go near of them." Lee said as I nodded.

"Yeah, and how the hell would we know in the first place? You would've done the same thing." I added as the guy glare at me before he continue about our other actions.

"You abandoned a defenseless, grieving woman." Stranger grumbled and referred about Lilly.

"She deserved it. She got a teenager killed and she didn't feel any remorse over it." I say so icily.

"The sweatshirt she's wearing was my boy's. You STOLE that from us!" Stranger bellowed forward Lee who looked shame out now.

"We were starved. It was so cold." Lee tried to reason with the guy who looked now so angry by his words. "SO MY FAMILY STARVED IN THE COLD?!" Stranger bellowed as he raised up his gun at us and looks going to shoot, but after a moment he lower it down while look calm down and take a deep breath.

This guy is not right in the head. Even he lost his whole family, he can't just blaming and judging about our actions.

But how the hell did he know all about things me and the group have been through?

"How could you know all this?" Lee asked.

The guy just give us a creepy smirk towards us and pulled out something from his pocket. He lay it down on the table and it was his own walke-talkie!

Lee gasp lowly in shock while I widened my eyes on that thing.

Every mysteries is solved now.

Then we look at the man who looked so intense now. "You two are monsters, criminals, murders and thieves, and I'm going to hurt both of you so bad."

I narrows my eyes on him as Lee did the same thing.

We'll see about this...

"It doesn't have to be this way." Lee tried to reason with the guy as he got a disgusted expression on his face. "You guys can't take care of anyone." Stranger spat.

I getting so angry of him as I grip on chair's arms with my hands so hard.

Like you couldn't take care of your own son!

"After I heard Clementine on the radio and realized who you folks were, I came after you purely for revenge." Stranger explained with cold tones in his voice. "But the more I heard about the things you guys did and the danger she was in... our plan changed."

What?

"Changed?" I ask.

"Yeah, and that's now what I wanna you guys hear this before what happens next. I can take care of her. We can have a family." Stranger said as Lee and I widened our eyes in shock and disgusted by his "family plan"?!

Have a family with HIM?!

NO FUCKING WAY! This guy is fucking mad!

"I bet you don't even know how old she is." Stranger scoff.

"She's eight." Lee replied.

"Wrong. She's nine." Stranger said.

I widened my eyes in shock again by that info.

What? She's nine now?! But when-

"Her birthday was six days ago." Stranger explain to us. "I know how to be a dad, you know. She wouldn't be exposed to what she has been with you."

I feel so disgusted by this fucker and his stupid, sick "family plans". Clementine wouldn't be safe around of with that monster. Not after he caused Kenny's and Ben's deaths!

Lee looked so horrified and worry about Clementine and going to say something when he open his mouth, but I spoke up quickly, "That's NOT ever happening." I hissed at the guy who looked little surprised by my outburst.

"I've spook with another who offered to take care of Cath and Clementine earlier before you took her. I declined because he was delusional as much you are yourself." I said so coldly as the stranger glaring at me.

"You better watch your ass. You think I'm crazy cause I'm not except yourself." Stranger spat.

Suddenly, I noticed the door behind of the guy opened gently and then the white chord between the doors goes off. Then someone get out of the door through the door.

Clementine!

I keep the first eye on the man while second one on the little girl as Lee did with his both. The guy didn't seems noticed her... yet and he still glares at me.

I'm gotta distract him so she can sneak up to him and give a surprise without he notice. Lee gesture to Clem to say to sneak up on the guy while I resume to talk with the guy.

I look at the guy again and say, "Then what about your son?"

The man widened his eyes by mentioned about his lost son while Clementine start sneaking to him so gently.

"That's right, you fool. We might took your shit, but that wasn't when your problem with your family started. It was when you LOST your own son because of you were reckless and stupid!" I snap as the guy getting angry at me now.

"That's not true!" Stranger hissed.

"And more than that; you left the keys behind in your unlocked car with full of supplies! We wouldn't probably take the risk to smash through the windows of your car which it would alarm for you and the dead of course, stupid!" I exclaimed.

"SHUT UP!" Stranger shouted angrily as he sink his head and shaking itself out of control by the range.

Clementine is almost there.

Keep going, keep going...

"And you think you really love Clementine, do you?! No! You have just USED her as a goddamn important object for us, in the other word; one of our main priorities! The only reason why she trust you is that you have her parents which you don't have any of them! SHE WILL SEE YOU AS A LIAR, MURDER, PSYCHO AND MONSTER!" I bellowed out so angry as the man look back on me and looked very pissed out.

"SHUT UP! I WILL FUCKING KILL YOU! I WILL-" But stranger got a little punch at his head by Clementine.

It wasn't good enough because of Clementine's little like she's not strong and little for an adult.

The stranger start take a look behind of him which lose his eyes on me and Lee too, and saw Clementine has just escaped from the other room and standing right next to him.

There's my chance!

I get up on my feet quickly and raised my hand up as hidden blade pulled out the bracelet to kill that crazy man. But the man saw me in the last second when I jumped over the little table to attack him as he place his foot on my stomach.

"Off!" I huffed as the man was trying to kick me off himself, but his chair fell backwards which I and he fell on the floor to the left side of it.

Damn it... Before I could react, the man was already on his feet and grip on me to keep me laying on the floor. He still have his gun in his other hand as he start trying to pull it on my face, but I GRAB the gun fast and push it away from my face. Stranger keeps struggling to get the gun on my face.

NNnnnnngg... I gritted my teeth and still holding the gun away from my face!

Suddenly, Lee appeared right behind of the man and grab him. He holding stranger's arm to help me while have his bleeding stomp around of the throat. Lee has yanked the man off me, but both of men hit right on the edge of the bed which Lee lost his grips on the man.

I take my eyes on his gun that he still holding it which I make a kick right at his hand which the gun fly away from the hand and landed on the floor, right near of the door of the wardrobe.

Gotta get it!

I stand up quickly as the man start rushing for the gun, I make a rush for it too, but-

Stranger pick up his gun and turned around to me, and-

BANG

"ARGH!" I yelled in pain.

I feel the pain in my left shoulder as it start bleeding out some blood.

He hit me in my shoulder...!

I limping backwards from the man to try take a cover while place a hand on the bullet hole in my shoulder to try stop the bleeding.

Then I feel something behind of me. My back was right at the drawer where Lee and I give up our weapons there.

Ugh, fuck...! I see the man holding his gun at me and getting closer to me. I groaning at him, but he wasn't scared of me instead he still angry and feels so insulted about what I told to him. About his reckless actions. About his family.

When he was going to pull on the trigger, Lee came to straight on him and slam with that guy towards the wardrobe. Then Lee start chock that guy as he placed his hand on the throat. Lee groaning while keeping choking the stranger as I trying reach my arm for any of our weapons on the drawer from behind.

Must... get any damn a weapon to kill that fucker...

But after several seconds, Lee lost his grips on the stranger's throat as the guy struggling back and punch Lee down, then start strangling Lee so savage.

"Lee!" I exclaimed as I hurry for trying get a weapon, but I'm just touch some of them by the tops of my fingers and can't grab any of them.

"You sons of bitches!" Stranger say so angrily. "Just go away...! DIE!"

Hang on, Lee... I almost have...

Before I could react to that guy-

BANG

Another gunshot loud out and saw the guy got bullet in his head as he stop moving and lose his grips on Lee.

What the...!

I widened my eyes in shock.

Who...?

Lee push the dead guy off from himself as I look at the direction where gunshot come from.

Tim's POV

Me and Benny has walked over the rooftop and headed to the corner of the street where Vernon and his crew where going to turn on to the river street.

Benny jumped off the rooftop and landed on the fire escape as I did the same thing.

When I landed on the fire escape, we heard the engine of our dad's car as we both bends down in case from being seen of them.

What happens now?

"What's going down there?" I ask as Benny look down at the streets before he responds back. "We gotta hurry up. Most of geeks down there on the street has moved away from the way to the river street. Those fuckers getting a chance now."

I sighed. Great...

"Any signs of Molly and the others?" I ask and getting little worry about them.

Shouldn't them be here soon?

"No, I don't see anything of 'em." Benny replied.

No way. Where the hell are you, Molly?

"Are you sure? You always never have sense of direc-" I joking little, but Benny cut me off. "I said I don't see anything except geeks and those fuckers in the car." Benny snap with a annoying look.

I shook my head. Obliviously, he has no sense of direction.

I join with him and take a look down on the street. I see the car with the boat is heading for river while passed through some geeks, but too slow so Vernon and his people won't give geeks any attentions on them.

"Okay, we probably have less than ten minutes if they keep going like that." I stated.

"Damn right." Benny agree and start to climb down. "Come on, let's get them."

I nodded and follow him.

"Get ready, bro. This is gonna be intense." I warned him.

To be continued

A/N:

I chose to kept the weapons, but in Dixon Saga, they surrendered their weapons except Axel's hidden blades. XD

I chose Clementine killed the stranger.

Letter Hacks:

Axel didn't understand what friendship is when he was little until he became seven years old.

Please preview. :)

I hope you fans are really enjoyed of this chapter. ;)