A/N: I think the rest of the story will be a little more original because I have a lot more to work with in Long Road Ahead as well as Around Every Corner. Aside from the fact that you get to hear a little more about Marianne, there really isn't too much to say for this chapter so I best let y'all read. Enjoy! Oh, and also, in case you guys aren't really looking up Scottish slang and jargon and the like, 'Hoot' is the word for "what" - just in case you thought Marianne was turning into an owl or something ;) and the word "Whit" is also for 'what' but in different context - not a spelling error.

EDIT: I went through the chapter on my phone and I didn't realize how many typos there were in this chapter! I had been typing this up later in the evening and then I had typed the rest of it early in the morning so my typing skills weren't the best (cuz I was tired). Anyways, they're all fixed.

Chapter Genre: Friendship, Tragedy, Action, Angst

Chapter Rating: T

Rating Content: Coarse Language, Brief Violence, Mild Blood

"IT'S NOT GOING TO BE EASIER OUT ON THE ROAD!"

Marianne quickly sat up, startled by the sudden shout. She rubbed her eyes and looked around her small room. It was getting getting dark, so she must have slept in quite a fair bit.

"How do you know...?"

"WHAT I KNOW? I know you're not above murder! I know there's somebody that's been stealing our supplies!"

Marianne got up from her bed and stretched out her limbs, putting her backpack over her shoulder. I swear, if Kenneth was the one who started her outburst...

"That's right, STEALING! And I know that the list of people I can trust gets smaller every day!"

She left her room and leaned against the railing, looking across the motor inn. Ben was on watch, Clementine was off drawing, Travis was playing cards with Duck. She saw that Carley, Kenny, Lee and Katjaa had all gathered at Lilly's room. Probably heard them yelling... She thought.

"Now everybody get out!"

Everyone left Lilly's room with tense looks on their faces. Lee just shrugged and crossed his arms, saying something to Kenny, who shook his head. "All I know is," he said with a loud voice, "when this shit happens, I'm the fucking bad guy!" He turned around and left Lee and the group. "All I would like is a 'thank you' for once. FOR ONCE!"

Marianne sighed. "Ye know, Kenneth, maybe ye would get a 'thank ye' if ye would stop bein' so rude!"

Kenny looked up at her and glared. "How the hell were you able to hear that?"

"Ah may be part deaf, Kenneth, but tha' does no' mean Ah cannae hear ye when yer hollarin' at th' top o' yer voice when yer almost directly below me!" She shouted. Taking a deep breath she walked down the stairs, rubbing her eyes again.

It had been almost two weeks since the incident at the dairy and life had been a living nightmare for the group. Lilly was on edge, Kenny wasn't any better. The food they had taken from the car was starting to become limited, the bandits were constantly attacking them and now apparently there was a thief on the loose.

About two days after they had gotten back from the dairy, Lee and Carley both went back to see if there were any supplies left over. They came back with a load of medical supplies and weapons, something that they all needed (some more than others). They were able to properly stitch up Kenny's wounds and they patched up Marianne's ear. Some of her hearing was starting to come back in her right ear but her partial deafness could still cause some minor communication problems. The worst was during the first week after the dairy; she hadn't been paying close attention when she went out with Carley and Lee for supplies and she had nearly gotten bitten by a Chomper... Again.

Marianne rubbed her forearm, remembering when she had first been bitten. It was when they were hiding out in the gym, when Jenny had committed suicide. She had heard a scream coming from the girls room and she ran, finding a reanimated Jenny chomping onto her friend, Maxine. In a panic, Marianne had pulled the Chomper off of her which, in turn, caused her to get bitten. The group of high school students really didn't know what to do with two bite victims and they decided to wait it out. She and Maxine knew better.

She still didn't understand how she didn't turn and Maxine did; they were both bitten by the same Chomper and yet they both got different results. The only thing that Marianne went through was a fever that lasted for about a week. Then, nothing. It was as if she was never bitten in the first place. She was a 'walking miracle', as David had put it.

"Hey, Maria?"

Marianne looked up at Carley, who looked almost confused. "You okay? You've been standing there for a couple of minutes..."

"Ahm fine, Carley; just a wee bit tired." She replied.

After a moment Carley shrugged and walked up the stairs, leaving Marianne back to her own thoughts. She didn't really know if she was infected or not. Well, technically they all were, but she didn't know if the bite had activated the infection or not, if it was slowly killing her or if it wasn't even there but either way, she was treasuring each and every breath she took. She never knew if it would be her last.

She grabbed the Cross around her neck, rubbing her thumb across the silver. The memories that the Cross brought her would often pain her, seeing that she wouldn't be able to see her family again. Marianne didn't know if her family was dead, if they were one of the Chompers. She didn't know that, if they were alive, if they would try to find her. On the verge of tears, Marianne took a deep breath and repeated a verse;

'Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved. -Psalms 55:22'

That was the verse she had used for her Baptism. Marianne was a God fearing girl, but even then she could still have pains and struggles. "No human is ever perfect," she had said.

"Hey, Maria?"

Marianne sniffled, wiping a tear that had just fallen down her cheek. "Aye, Travis, what is it?"

He put his hands in his pockets. "You've just been standing here for a little while; you okay?"

She shrugged, letting go of the Cross. "Just takin' a wee stroll down memory lane, is all."

"Before all," he gestured around them, "this happened?"

"Aye, ye could say tha'."

A brief pause, and then, "How can you believe in that?"

She blinked, cocking her head to the side. "Hoot now?"

Travis gestured to Marianne's cross. "That? With everything that's been happening, how can you still believe in something like that? And don't go and use that 'He always has a plan' stuff."

This took Marianne completely by surprise. Travis had never been so forward with her about her religion, before, and she wasn't prepared for his sudden question. She quickly gathered her thoughts. "Well, Ah dinnae know why yer suddenly interested in this discussion."

Travis sighed and shook his head. "Look, Maria, how can there be an 'all loving God' when the dead are walking on the Earth? How can an 'all loving God' let this happen, let so many people die and let so many people suffer. He has let so many people die-"

Marianne held up a hand. "Ahm gonna stop ye right there, Travis." She jabbed a finger at him. "The Lord does nae' let 'bad things' happen! The Lord is nothing but good an' gracious! God wants nothing but good things fer people, Sin is th' thing tha' gets in th' way o' His plans!"

Travis, once again, gestured around them. "So, tell me, did 'sin' make this happen, Maria? Did 'sin' make the dead walk?!"

She shook her head, displeased with how the conversation had turned. "Ah dinnae have an answer fer ye, Travis, because Ah cannae answer tha' question." And she was honest, she didn't have an answer. Some questions often required someone with a little more knowledge of the Bible and Christ, but even then most questions could never be answered. Sometimes it was best if some questions weren't answered.

"That's what I thought." Travis scoffed at her.

Despite the anger that filled Marianne at his statement, she remained as calm as she could. Taking a breath, she fixed a deathly glare at Travis. "Ye listen here, an' ye listen well; Ben an' Ah are alive, yer alive," she rapidly rolled up her sleeve, exposing the bite mark, "this has no' made me into a Chomper. We could have died oot in the woods, but we were found by Lee. Brenda or Andy could have shot me, but Ah was spared. What ye got t' say about that?"

Travis scoffed again, taking his hands out from his pockets and crossing his arms. "God has one hell of a sense of humour."

He walked past her and up the stairs, presumably to go to his room. Marianne shook her head, upset over the conversation that had just taken place between she and her friend. They had been best friends for nearly five years and never once had they had a fight or argument. He respected her beliefs and she didn't try to force them or even discuss them with him. Under normal circumstances, if things were turning sour then either she or Travis would try and change the subject or approach topics in a different way. Then again, these weren't normal circumstances.

Surviving in a world where the Dead ruled and the Living were everyone's worst possible nightmares, nearly starving, no hope of staying warm during the Winter, thieves and thugs on their tails, stress and mistrust was a constant and you were more than lucky to even see the light of the next day. These were anything but normal circumstances. Although Marianne understood Travis and his questioning her religion, he still did not have the right or the reason to act in such a manner.

She lightly tapped her foot in irritation. "Bloody little scunner..." She cursed.

"Something up, Maria?"

She looked up to Lee. "Ah was just about t' go an' gather some arrows." She replied, quickly avoiding another conversation with another person. Marianne walked past Lee, which earned a confused look from him.

Marianne pulled roughly on one of the dumpsters, causing it to grind harshly against the ground. She squeezed in between them and started pulling arrows out from the boards. When the bandits had first attacked the group, they were completely unprepared. Everyone had to dive behind some sort of cover before they ended up with arrows in their skulls. One of the bandits had gotten stupid and he came out from behind cover and was shot by Lilly. Some time after the attack was over Marianne had decided to go and search the body in case the bandit had something of worth on him. All he had was a crossbow but that was a score for Marianne as she had preferred to work with crossbows compared to using a gun. After the first attack Lilly had said that they needed to fortify the wall so they would have better cover to go behind and this helped Marianne to get arrows more easily for the crossbow. Of course, Lilly had confiscated the weapon and she would confiscate any arrows Marianne would gather but at least she had a weapon to use.

Some rustling could be heard and Marianne stopped dead in her tracks, looking out to the bush. Her eyes darted across the edge of the coloured forest, scanning for any signs of life (or death, in this case). Seeing none, she resumed her work.

Her hands eventually became full and she squeezed in between the dumpsters, pushing them back into place. She walked to Lilly's room to 'deposit' the arrows.

"-mess but I'm not stupid, I know what happens if I start a witch hunt."

"So you want me to start one?"

Marianne had gently kicked the door so there was no way of stopping it from opening and she cringed as it squeaked.

"How long have you been standing there?!"

Marianne, slowly, poked her head in the door and smiled nervously. "Ah was no' there fer long..."

Lilly eyed up the pile of arrows that Marianne carried and sighed. "Look, you're fine, just put the arrows on the bed."

Closing the door behind her, Marianne cautiously placed the arrows on the bed behind Lilly and then quickly left the room, closing the door behind her. Whatever mess Lee was getting into, she wanted no part of it.

Marianne decided to go an talk to Clementine, who appeared to be drawing another picture. She approached Clementine and sat down across from her, taking off her backpack and setting it down. "What ye doing, lass?"

"It's called a 'leaf rubbing' - my art teacher taught us how to do it when we went to the botanical gardens!"

Marianne leaned forward to get a better look at the drawing. "Now tha' is truly something!" She exclaimed. "Ye got quite th' talent, Clementine."

"Thanks."

She continued to watch Clementine work on her leaf rubbing, watching as the shape of the leaf came into view. So many veins, she thought, so many lines and bumps and edges. It was amazing how much detail there was in a single leaf. From far away, they looked like almost nothing but a jagged shape, but once you got a closer look, you could see there was a lot more to the leaf than what meets the eye. Almost like people, in a sense. From a distance, they look like just about anyone and everyone. Even up close they didn't look much different. It wasn't until you really got to know the person that you actually understood more about them and who they were, what they did, why they talked or acted in such a specific way. However, you would never know until you actually took the time to know.

Since when could a leaf give you such a philosophical lesson?

"Hey, girls."

They both looked up at Lee. "Hey, Lee!" Clementine said.

"Did either of you happen to accidentally break a flashlight at all? You're not in trouble if you did."

Marianne shook her head along with Clementine, who asked Lee, "No. Did Duck say that I did?"

"No, did Duck break the flashlight?"

She shook her head. "No, I don't think so. He's just always blaming me for stuff."

"Like what?"

"Putting a bug on his pillow..."

"Did you do it?" Lee asked her.

A small grin spread across Clementine's lips. "Yes."

Marianne snorted and covered her mouth, trying hard not to laugh. She could give some people quite a laugh, sometimes.

Lee's demeanor suddenly turned serious. "Hey, uh, Maria? Can I talk to you for a minute? Privately."

Marianne cleared her throat and stood up, straightening out her jacket and crossing her arms. Lee took her off to the side. "Is there somethin' wrong?"

Lee looked almost hesitant to speak to her, which concerned her. He was never hesitant when speaking. Never. "Listen, there's something I need to tell you about myself. Before all of this started, I was on my way to prison."

He was direct, which was good. No beating around the bush. However, it went completely over her head. "Aye, there was probably more than a few lads off t' th' slammer before this."

Lee suppressed a sigh. "I was on my way to prison because I had murdered someone, before all of this started."

Marianne's eyes widened at his words and her arms fell to her sides. "Hoot now?"

Lee stood there and stared, not understanding what she said. Marianne decided not to bother with explaining it. "Well, Ahm glad ye told me, Lee. Ye did no' have any obligation t', but ye did, an' Ah thank ye fer tha'."

Lee nodded, clearing his throat. "Thanks for, you know, understanding and not... Freaking out."

She shrugged. "No problem. Now, oan yer trolley."

Lee, once again, fixed a blank stare on her and she sighed. "Off ye go, Lee."

He nodded and left her alone with Clementine, who quickly resumed her leaf rubbing. Marianne assumed, hoped, that Lee had told the girl, at some point. She sat back down and watched Clementine work on her picture.

"Would you like to try it?" She asked, looking up at Marianne with big eyes. "I've got more leaves!"

Marianne was about to say no but after staring into Clementine's eyes, she couldn't help herself. "Ah may no' be quite as good as ye, Clementine, but Ah can give it a shot."

Clementine smiled and handed Marianne a piece of paper, a leaf and a pencil. "It's really easy!" She exclaimed.

/ / /

Marianne didn't have an affinity for the visual arts, but she had to admit, the leaf rubbing was better than she had previously anticipated.

"Yours looks really nice!" Said Clementine. This made Marianne chuckle.

"Ye think so?"

"Yeah!"

Marianne smiled at the young girl. It was good that Clementine was able to find a small amount of joy in these darker times. Clementine suddenly handed her leaf rubbing to Marianne. "Here, you can have this one!"

"Och, ye should keep it, Clementine-"

"I want you to have this one."

One look at her big, soft eyes and Marianne, once again, caved in. Taking the picture she looked at it and smiled. "Ah will put this in my pack fer safe keepin'. Thank ye, Clementine."

She barely had gotten it into her back pack when suddenly there was a shout. "YOU DON'T FUCKING STEAL FROM US!"

Marianne's head was snapped back as someone grabbed her hair. "Get up!"

She stood and she was lead over to where Carley, Ken, Katjaa, Duck, Ben and Travis were kneeling. Where is Lilly and Lee? She was forced onto her knees beside Travis, who gave her an angry glance. "So where were ye, then, Travis?"

Someone hit the back of her head with a gun. "Shut up!" He snapped at her.

"YOU JUST MADE THE BIGGEST MISTAKE OF YOUR LIVES!"

Everyone cast worried glances at one another, wanting to say calming words but not wanting to get shot.

"Hold it there, asshole!"

"Take it easy..."

Marianne was relieved to see Lee, unharmed. "Why the hell are you doing this?" He asked. "Just leave us all alone!"

"WHY?! Because we oughta, that's why!" The bandit yelled at him.

"What will it take to reach a deal?" Lee asked, slowly approaching the bandits.

"About twice as much as you've been giving us!"

"You got it, done!"

"Is that so?" The bandit lowered his gun, thinking about the deal. He then agreed. "Well alright, but I suppose we oughta hash out some terms."

"I don't like no hash!" The bandit beside him said.

"Man, shut up, or I'll-"

The bandit was cut off as a gunshot rang out. The bandit fell dead beside Marianne, a bullet wound in his head. "CHRIST!" A bandit exclaimed.

Everyone took this as an opportunity to run and hide, so Marianne made a beeline for her pack and then straight into Lilly's room. She quickly grabbed the crossbow underneath Lilly's bed and then loaded it up with one arrow. Marianne put the rest in her pack and ran back outside. She heard a sharp whistle as she dove behind the overturned skid, which rested against two barrels, right beside Ben and Carley.

Ben, for whatever reason, suddenly ran out in an attempt to get behind the RV but skidded as someone shot at him. He dove back and crawled back behind the skid. Marianne slapped the back of his head. "What'd ye go an' do that fer, ye wanker?!" She asked him.

"I thought I could make it but there are a lot more bandits than I thought..."

Marianne took a quick peek over the top of the skid and fired an arrow, also finding that Ben was right; there were a lot more bandits! This wasn't like their normal attacks; they had walls down, the gates opened, guns firing from inside and outside the Motor Inn. This wasn't an attack; this was a full on raid.

Marianne ducked down as a bullet cracked the wood beside her head. "Where the hell did you get that?!" Carley asked her, pointing to the crossbow.

"No' important!" She said, loading another arrow into the crossbow.

Marianne looked to the RV to see that he was busy covering Katjaa, Duck and Travis. She looked back to Ben and Carley. "Listen, Ahm gonna cover ye an' when Ah tell ye t' run, ye make a beeline fer the RV!"

"WHAT?!" Ben shouted, obviously not please with the idea.

Marianne took a breath. "GO!" She stood and paused before firing the arrow, making sure the bandit's eyes were on her. She fired, nailing a bandit right in his head.

She did a double take. That is not a bandit...

The body that dropped was, indeed, not a bandit. The flesh was decayed and the blood that stained the ground was dark, almost black. The Chompers had heard all of the commotion and were getting into the Motor Inn!

Another bullet hit the skid and she ducked back down. "MARIA!" Lee shouted at her. "Get moving!"

Nodding, she tightened the zipper on her pack and slung it across her shoulder and dashing for the RV, skidding as a bullet landed by her feet. Once she was in front of the door she was pulled in by Travis, who smacked her arm. "Why did you do that? You could've killed yourself!" He snapped at her.

She didn't give him the satisfaction of an answer and just sat down on the seat between Ben and Carley, crossing her arms.

"LILLY! Get in the RV!" Lee shouted.

"Screw her!" Said Kenny as he jumped into the RV. "Let her stay!"

"LEE! Walkers!" Carley shouted at him, firing her own gun.

Marianne plugged her one ear, seeing that the other one was still bandaged and she could barely hear anything from it anyways. She never really liked guns; they were always so loud!

In a few moments the RV was suddenly moving and she reached out to steady herself. "Is everyone here?!" Lee called out.

"Katjaa, are you okay?!"

"I'm fine!"

Ben had his head in his hands, a string of curses flowing from his mouth. He regained his composure and sat back up. "I'm sorry..." He said.

"Everything is fine, Ben." Carley tried to reassure him.

"Everything is not fine!" Lilly snapped at her. "We need to figure out why this happened. We just lost everything!"

"Well, we're lucky as shit to have this RV!"

"And nobody died." Carley added in.

"Kat's head is split open!" Kenny snapped.

"Somebody in this RV caused this." Lilly said, a menacing tone in her voice.

"Settle down, back there!" Kenny shouted. "The bandits have had our number for weeks!"

Lilly shook her head. "No, this was different. Somebody in here was working with the bandits; whoever it was was slipping them our meds. They didn't get their last package, so they attacked."

"Calm down, back there; that's just crazy!"

"Lee found a bag hidden outside the wall."

Lee almost looked remorseful as he nodded his head. "It's true."

Lilly seemed to have a satisfied smirk at Lee's confirmation. "So," she turned her head to Marianne. "Maria; is there something you want to say?"

Marianne's blood boiled at Lilly's accusation. "Aye, Ah got something t' say; yer a hackit!"

She leaned down towards her. "So, we'll have to force it out of you, then."

"Back off, yer just paranoid!"

Lilly snapped at her. "You are in no position to make demands!"

Marianne did not like where this was headed. Lilly was already a paranoid woman, but this situation just made it worse. She had enough evidence to say that there was someone working from the inside, but not enough to say who it was. That would make things a lot worse if the situation wasn't defused right away. "Now, ye just hold oan! Yer just pointing fingers at people; what evidence do ye have?!"

Lee quickly interjected. "Maria is a trustworthy girl, Lilly! She can't be a traitor! Think about her religion; she wouldn't be one to lie."

"Thank ye, Lee!"

Lilly was having none of what Lee was saying to here. "Maria is a strong girl, she can fight her own battles." She crossed her arms. "Unless, of course, there's something that implicates the both of you."

"Don't you be ridiculous, Lilly!" Carley said. "Neither of them could have done it!"

"Look, maybe we should just vote!"

Lilly turned around and fixed a menacing glare on Travis. "What?"

"Look, I can tell you from experience that Maria is a stand-up girl. Maybe this was all a simple mistake or misunderstanding." Travis tried to reason with the woman.

"Look, Lilly," Lee said, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder, "we should just let it go. People do make mistakes and yeah, this one is a huge fucking doozy, but we can't let it get to us."

"Then what do we NOT forgive? Seriously; Kenny can kill my dad, Maria can steal from us." She hit the wall of the RV with her fist. "Where's the line?!"

Despite her anger Marianne was shocked at Lilly's words. Kenny killed her father? When? Why; what did the man do?!

"Look, nobody was stealing anything!" Ben said.

"Yeah, Lilly, just lay off of Maria! What did she do to you to deserve this?!" Travis yelled at her.

Lilly considered all of them for a moment. "Was it all three of you?"

"WHAT?!" They shouted in unison.

"I've seen you three together; was it all of you?! You all would've had enough time to slip out and deliver the meds."

Ben was beginning to panic. "Look, just let me out. I didn't do it, but I really don't like this! I don't like where it's headed!"

Lilly leaned down, staring menacingly at Ben. "Then look me in the eyes and tell me it wasn't you!"

"Lilly, just leave Benjamin alone!" Marianne hissed.

Ben seemed to be at ends with himself, looking almost conflicted as Lilly stared him down. Marianne wasn't sure why he looked so nervous, aside from the obvious of course. Unless he did have something to do with it, then there wasn't really anything he should be worried about.

Ben stared right back into her eyes. "I-"

The RV suddenly lurched forward, making everyone grab something to hold them up. "SHIT!" Kenny cursed.

"What's going on, up there?"

"I hit something," Kenny looked back to the group. "We gotta stop!"

Lilly looked please with their current situation. "Well, we can deal with this now then."

Kenny pulled the RV over and turned it off. The lack of noise was making Marianne extremely nervous. Lilly, at this point, was a broken woman; her father murdered, someone stealing from the supplies, and then the raid happened. One thing that Marianne knew for certain was that broken people could get reckless.

"Everyone out!"

Lee stepped in front of her, placing a gentle hand on her arm. "Lilly..."

"OUT!" She shoved past him and went outside the RV, everyone followed right behind her. Clamentine stood right inside the door with Lee sstanding close to it, just in case he needed to protect her. Carley just stood off to the side of the road by the ditch and Marianne placed herself right beside her. Ben was as close to the door as possible and Travis planted himself in between his friends, arms crossed and a face that said 'you mess with me, I bite your face off!'. She had never seen Travis so angry in her life, even when being accused. Well, if his friends were accused of something he knew they wouldn't do, then he could get very defensive; he once had gotten suspended from school because of his bullheadedness. If he decided to act up now, with Lilly acting so out-of-control, he might just end up getting hurt.

"Kenny, the RV has some surface damage, but there's a Walker trapped underneath."

Kenny knelt down to inspect the Walker. "God dammit..." He cursed. "Everyone, keep your eyes peeled!"

Lilly stood beside Lee, but closer to the door so nobody would try to get back in. She was hell-bent on finding out whoever gave the bandits supplies. "You know what, we shouldn't just kick you all out; we should hear what everyone thinks."

"I think you should chill out!" Ben said.

Travis agreed with his friend. "Yeah, there's no need for all of this bullshit."

"Aye, tha' Ah agree with." Marianne said. "Listen, they can fight their own battles, but ye cannae push me around so easily!"

Lilly crossed her arms. "Well, I'm sorry you feel that way. But now I'm really thinking it was all three of you!"

"No way!" Lee exclaimed. "It had to have been somebody else! There's no way that Maria did it! It could've easily been someone sneaking into our camp."

Lilly shook her head at Lee, obviously not buying it. "That's just crazy; that's what you think?"

"Yes."

"Okay fine, then; Kenny?"

Kenny looked up from under the RV. "I dunno... Fuck! Just... Stop it, would you?! I'm busy!"

"Well your vote counts for both you and Katjaa!"

Marianne finally lost it. It was one thing to be accused of stealing, but it was another thing to have her friends accused when she knew they were innocent. "We dinnae need all of these votes! Whit do Ah have tae do fer ye tae trust me?!" She shouted, her brogue becoming thicker and vocabulary becoming less discernible the more she panicked.

"Maria!" Lee shouted at her. "Stop panicking! You're only making it worse."

"Nae, ye stop flappin', ye bampot!" She shouted back, voice cracking.

Lilly shook her head and pointed at Marianne. "Do we need any more evidence than this?!"

"Lay off of her, Lilly! She's broken, what more do you want?!" Carley snapped at the woman.

"Shut up Carley! I've heard enough out of you!" She looked back to the fron of the RV. "Kenny! What's it going to be?"

"Just gimme a damn minute!"

"Marianne..."

Marianne's blood froze and she flinched as Lilly said her full name. Nobody had ever said her full name except for her mother, and she wasn't kidding when she said that people would be seeing her running the opposite direction when her mother did use her full name. This time, though, it wasn't her mother. It was a very pissed off, itching-to-kill-someone, paranoid and nearly psychopathic Lilly. "You have until that Walker is dealt with to tell me it was Ben and not YOU!"

"Stop this, Lilly!" Carley said. "You're torturing her!"

"Nae, I did nae do it!"

"MARIANNE!"

"Stop!"

"I did it!"

Everyone stopped and looked at Lee with shocked expressions. He crossed his arms defiantly. "I'm the one who slipped the supplies to the bandits. That get you to lay off of her?"

Lilly contemplated his words but shook her head. "No. You can be a real piece of shit, Lee, but I know it wasn't you. You wouldn't do that." She then looked to Clementine. "Not with her in your life."

Everyone heard a small grunt as Kenny pulled the Walker from under the RV. "Can we please just get back in the RV" Ben begged Lilly.

"That is not happening!"

Marianne finally had had enough of this. She was terrified of the woman, granted, but she would never stand for Lilly pushing her friends and anyone else around. It was about time someone other than Kenny took a stand against her. "Now, ye listen..." Marianne started. "An' ye listen well, Lilly."

Lilly fixed a deathly glare on her and she flinched, but did not falter. "Ye may think yer some tough lass, Lilly, but yer nothing more than a feart wean who cannae stand it when ye get put down. An' ye know what? Nobody gives a flying fack!"

Travis suddenly put his hand on Marianne's arm. Never once had he heard her curse so strongly. She was really beginning to lose it. "Maria..."

She shook his hand off. "How's about ye try an' take a look into Lee's book an' actually try helping people fer a change!?"

A loud crack was heard and Kenny gave a satisfied huff. "There!"

Everyone's attention was turned to Kenny, so nobody was able to see Lilly reach behind her.

"Now, what the fuck's the problem?"

"Maria!" Clementine shouted.

Travis suddenly grabbed Marianne's arms and spun her around, pulling her away from her previous spot. For a brief moment, their eyes met and Marianne saw the most saddest expressions she had ever seen. A gun shot rang out, blood splattered across Marianne, and then Travis fell over onto the grass.

Blood poured from the bullet wound on his head, staining the ground. Marianne's breathing became shallow and her hands began to shake. "T-Travis?..." She said, her voice suddenly hoarse.

She knelt down beside his body and lifted him up, brushing back his hair. "Travis? Please, Travis!"

His eyes, open, yet void of life. Bleeding, not breathing, completely motionless. He couldn't be dead. He couldn't be!

Marianne pressed her head against Travis's and her shoulders began to shake vigorously, tears flowing down her cheeks. "Come oan! Travis, please... Can ye hear me?" Her words soon became indistinguishable as she began to sob heavily.

The words spoken from the others flew completely past her. She didn't really care what they said, all she cared about was that her friend, her best friend, lay dead in her hands. Bitterness and anger filled her heart as a name flew through Marianne's brain.

"Get in, we'll figure out what to do with you."

"She's a murderer, Lee!"

Lilly...

"I'm a murderer?! You've had Lee with you this whole time!"

Closing his eyes, Marianne gently set Travis back down and stood. "Ye know, Lilly..."

Everyone was suddenly quiet as she spoke. Turning around, she wiped the tears off from her cheek. "There has been... A lot of things... Tha' Ah have forgiven in my life..."

"Maria..." She snapped at Lee. "Shut yer geggie an' let me speak!"

She took a deep breath and continued. "Ah forgave my sister when she lied t' me... Ah forgave my maw when she had hit me... Ah even forgave my da when he had t' put th' family dog down..." She took threatening steps towards Lilly. "This... Ah cannae ever forgive!"

Without warning Marianne's fist flung towards Lilly, delivering a strong punch to her jaw. Lee quickly restrained her, pinning her arms behind her back. Marianne struggled against him, spouting curses. "Ye murdered him, ye hoor! Ye bloody scunner! Ah will see tae it tha' ye suffer!"

Lee continued to restrain her as she struggled and cursed at Lilly. She eventually slipped into some other language as she started to calm down, muttering words he couldn't understand. "Ye murdered him..."

Marianne fell to her knees and Lee released his grip on her. Once again, Marianne broke down into sobs, not bothering to muffle them. "Ben... Help Maria into the RV..."

"Sure..."

Marianne was lifted and taken into the RV, where she was placed on the couch. She hugged her knees to her chest and rested her head against the wall, the tears not wanting to stop. She had lost her best friend, one of the only people who she could truly trust. He was dead. There was no way of bringing him back.

Eventually, her tears dried and nothing but small whimpers could be heard from Marianne as she continued to huddle on the couch. Soon, her breathing slowed, her whimpers stopped, and her eyes remained closed as she was pulled into a deep sleep.