The Light at the End of a Tunnel: Book One
Disclaimer: I don't own Walking Dead or any of its characters. All rights go to Skybound, AMC, Telltale, and Robert Kirkman.
Chapter 4: When The Dead Come To Suffer
Update: ALTERNATE VERSION OF STORY ON WATTPAD MRSHYGUY45 user/MRSHYGUY45
A/N: Hey guys, I'm back with another chapter! No new news this time, since I've been very happy with how this story is planning out. I'm excited for the new A New Frontier episode which will be released on April 25th. I'm excited because this episode looks promising and I hope no one major dies this episode. Well, I hope Clem or AJ don't die this season. I honestly wouldn't care if Javi or his family die. It sounds awful but it's the truth.
I'm currently working on the next chapter of my Clem x OC story so maybe if you're interested you can check it out and give it some love!
"You've ever read Science Dog?" Carl asks, carrying a stack of comics in his hands. He and Clem were walking around the prison, trying to kill time and find out more about each other. So far, Clem had only told him bits and pieces about her past; she stayed in her treehouse when everything first started, she met a man named Lee, they stayed with a group, and her parents were dead. Carl knew there was more to her story but he didn't want to be nosy. He wanted to wait for the right time to ask.
Clementine shook her head and said, "No…I haven't really read comics that much."
There wasn't much Clem knew about Carl except that he shot his Mom after giving birth to his sister and he was shot. Besides that, there wasn't much left. She didn't know if he was hiding anything or if he was saying everything that happened.
Carl gave her a surprised look. "Oh man! You're gonna love them!" He exclaims.
"I have a feeling I will." She says with a giggle.
The two quickly became friends ever since Clem entered the prison. It was nice, Carl thought, having someone his own age to talk to. After Sophia's death, he thought he'd be stuck talking with grownups for the rest of his life. It got boring. The only person closer to his age was Beth, but she's always with the baby now. When he met Clementine, he knew they'd become good friends just by looking at her.
"Wanna go to my cell later and read some?" He asks, smiling warmly at the girl. "I'll let you pick whatever you want."
"Sure, if no one forces me to go on a run with them." She replies, smiling back.
They walked past Daryl and Beth, who were watching the two the whole time. Beth smiled at the two while Daryl started to laugh lightly. Surprisingly, both Clementine and Carl didn't hear him.
"Those two are adorable." Beth says while cradling Rick's daughter in her arms. "Maybe they'll hit it off…"
Daryl smirked at the two kids before chuckling again. "I hope so. I haven't seen Carl smile that much since…y'know."
"It's good to talk to someone your own age." Beth declared, looking up at the youngest Dixon brother. "Carl needs a friend to support him. I don't know about Clementine, but she might need one as well. They'll care for each other, I just know it."
Daryl nodded in agreement. "Yeah, she's been through a lot of shit. Her parents and her guardian are dead and her friends were raided. At least Carl has Rick and Lil Asskicker over here." He smiled down at the baby.
"She's got you." Beth comments. The redneck gave her a confused look. "C'mon, Daryl, it's obvious you care about her. The way you praised her yesterday and not to mention you said you trust her with your life. Don't act like you don't care."
She was right, He really did care for her. After hearing her story, something in his head told him to look out for her. Not as a member of the group, but as a friend…even a guardian.
"Clementine can take care of herself." He grumbles. "She don't need Lil ol' me lookin' after her."
"She doesn't," Beth says. "But it'll be nice of you to be there for her when things get tough; Carl has his Dad, me and Maggie have ours, it'll be sweet of you to be there for her." The youngest daughter of Hershel flashed Daryl a small smile before standing up. "I'm going to check on my Dad."
With that, she left Daryl alone to be in his thoughts.
Clem and Carl had exited the prison and entered the yard, sharing a laugh. She told him some jokes she learned from Omid and was glad he enjoyed them. They were corny as hell, but that's what made them funny. She didn't show it but she missed the man dearly. Him and Christa. They were the only people from Lee's group that were alive. Ben, Duck, Katjaa, Carley, Larry, Mark, Kenny…they were all dead.
Their laughter died down before Carl points out, "Jeez, Glenn and Maggie have been gone for a while. I hope they're okay."
The couple went on a supply run to get baby formula and diapers for Carl's sister. They've been gone for almost a day and she started to get worried. Glenn was part of Lee's group too and losing him will only make her list of dead friends grow.
"Me too." Clementine nods in agreement before glancing at the boy next to her. "Oh, you finally have a name for your sister? Daryl told me her name was Lil Asskicker." She chuckled. "I'm not gonna lie, but I like it."
Carl laughed again then shrugs. "I've been trying to think about a name all day. I was thinking maybe…" His voice died down when he spotted his Dad at the gate, staring at someone carrying a red basket and surrounded by walkers. "What the hell?"
"What?" Clem asks before following his gaze to also see the figure. "W-Who's that?"
"I don't know." Carl replies before setting the comic books down on the ground. "C'mon! Let's see!"
Clementine nods and ran with Carl through the field. As they approached closer to the mysterious figure, Clementine can finally make out its appearance. It was a dark-skinned woman with long dreads and she was covered with dried blood. She also wielded a katana on her back and had a pained look on her face. In her hand was a red, shopping basket filled with baby formula and diapers, the stuff Maggie and Glenn were supposed to get…
She grew even more worried as she stared at the woman in shock. Where were Maggie and Glenn? Did she kill them? The woman made eye contact at her as if she was studying her soul. Her head titled to the side at Clementine, who took a step back nervously. Carl quickly stepped in front of her, shielding her. The walkers snarled and growled at Rick and the kids but ignored the woman in front of them.
She hissed while grabbing onto the side of her leg. Clementine noticed the wound before she covered it up and turned to Rick and exclaimed, "She's hurt!"
Rick rose his eyebrows at her then turned back to the woman as he bit the inside of his cheek. Hershel and Beth walked out and were as shocked as the rest at the woman. Hershel was more concerned about Rick though. Hopefully he wouldn't do anything drastic that'll get her killed.
One of the walkers finally noticed her and turned its soulless eyes at her. She gave Rick a deadly glare and limped back from the walker, taking out her katana during the process. She plunged the sword between the undead creature's eyes, blood splattering on her.
Carl turned to his Dad. "Should we help her?" He asks, placing his hand on his gun.
Rick gave his son a dull look then stomped away. Carl watched his Dad leave in shock as Clementine watched the wounded woman slice at the walkers. She wanted to help her in some sort of way. That's what Lee taught her after all.
"Carl, we have to do something." Clem states, a serious expression on her face.
"I know!" He exclaims, looking back at his Dad's disappearing figure. "But Dad's not going to do anything!"
Clementine looked back to the woman, watching nervously as more walkers started to swarm around her. Her wound made it worse for her to move making her drop to the ground, panting. She must be passing out from the pain…
Seeing enough, Clem pulled out her Glock and fired at a few of the walkers closest to the woman. They dropped dead in an instant. Rick heard the shots and ran over to the sliding gate. Carl took out his gun as well and fired at the creatures.
"Carl!" Rick held out his hand. "Keys!"
Carl nods and tossed his Dad the keys with Clementine still firing at the walkers. Rick slid the gate open, a pissed look on his face, before shooting at the walkers with his Python. Carl and Clem followed, sticking close to the sheriff. A few shots later, most of the walkers were gone so Carl ran and got the basket while Rick kicked the woman's weapon out of her reach.
"Is she bit?" Hershel asks from the other side of the gate.
Rick searched the woman for her wound but Clementine beat him to it. "She's been shot!" She replies.
The sheriff gave a short nod to the old farmer and lifted the injured woman, with the help of Clementine, and hurried back inside the cellblock. Carl was in front of them, opening the gates that led to the cellblock. Clementine could feel the side of her shirt get wet from the woman's blood and made a disgusted look.
"Carl, get a blanket." Carl nodded and followed his Dad's orders. "Beth, water and a towel." Said girl nods and ran over to the sink.
Carl grabbed the nearest blanket from a bin and spread it out in front of him. Rick and Clementine grunted as they set the woman down on the blanket, her blood already soaking it. The woman was barely conscious so she only made groaning noises in protest.
"She's not coming in the cellblocks." Rick declares before being handed a cup of water. "Thank you." He poured the water onto her chest and spread it around. "It's alright. It's alright." The woman started to stir like she was experiencing a nightmare. "Who are you?"
The woman blinked a few times until opening her eyes. She let out a gasp and quickly reached for her katana. Rick was faster than she was and kicked the weapon away from her reach while still coaxing her to talk.
"Rick." Daryl's gruff voice caught the sheriff's attention. He entered the room, crossbow in hand as he watched the scene in confusion. "Who the hell is this?" He gestured to the woman on the floor.
Clementine walked up to the redneck and said, "We found her outside with walkers. She was carrying a basket with baby stuff in it." Daryl looked down at the young girl and smirked. Beth giggled at him, finding it amusing that Clem can break through Daryl's toughness.
"Thanks, darlin'." He nods, placing his hand on her shoulder.
Rick returned back to the woman. "You wanna tell us your name?" He asks softly.
The woman only stared at him, feeling both threatened and uneasy. Despite saving her, just by looking at his eyes she could tell this man was dangerous. She felt her body start to shake from the pain of the gunshot and gripped the cage behind her.
Daryl shot the woman a cold look and said to the group, "Y'all come on in here." He gestured to the cellblock behind him.
"Why?" Clementine asks innocently, shrugging her shoulders at him.
Rick stood up and faced the redneck. "Everything all right?" He asks, raising his eyebrows as a look of concern on his face.
Daryl fixed his head to look at Rick, his expression hardening. "You're gonna wanna see this."
Clementine looked back at the group behind her, hoping to find an answer to what was going on. The response she got was the group's confused and nervous faces as well. She turned her gaze to Carl, who shrugged his shoulders at her.
"Go on now." Rick commanded, gesturing the group to the cellblock. He then turned to his son and pointed at the bag across the room. "Carl, get the bag. Clem, go get the basket." Both kids obliged and carried the items while looking at the wounded woman curiously. Rick held up the katana and said, "We'll keep this safe and sound. The doors are all locked. You'll be safe here. And we can treat that."
The woman looked at her surroundings before glaring up at the sheriff and seethed, "I didn't need your help."
"Doesn't matter." Rick simply states before turning his back at her. "Can't let you leave."
With that, Daryl shut the gate and led the group to one of the cellblocks. He stopped at one of the cells and Clem saw Rick go in and bend over as if he was hugging someone. The sheriff stepped back and a woman with short, blackish-grey hair and rosy skin. There was bags under her eyes and spots of blood on her face. Despite all that, she was still smiling at the group as she hugged them one by one.
Clementine walked towards Carl, confusion on her face. "Who's she?" She asks.
"That's Carol." He replies, grinning at her. "That's the woman who Daryl mentioned when we were cleaning out the boiler room."
The woman named Carol started to sob as she rejoiced with the group. Clementine could see her eyes well up when she saw the baby. She turned to Rick but the sheriff hung his head. Carol gasped and her eyes became wet then hugged him, crying onto his shoulder. Clem frowned at the scene, feeling the sadness in the air. She never knew Rick's wife, but even she found herself sad at her death. From the things Carl said about her, she must've been a good mother.
Carol started to sob. "I'm sorry." She whispers, pressing her forehead against Rick's, who eyes were starting to get wet too. "Oh, god." Her gaze then turned to Carl. "I'm sorry."
Carl felt his heart sink and the tears start to form in the corner of his eyes. The memory of his mother's death replayed in his head. He felt sick to his stomach but there was nothing he could do. Before he knew it, he was crying. Not crying, but sobbing.
Clementine glanced at her friend and softly gripped his wrist, trying to comfort him. She didn't know how to respond to these types of things, so she figured at least soothing him can calm him down. Despite crying and turning red from it, Carl blushed as her smooth hand touched his freckled skin. His heart nearly throbbed out of his chest at her touch.
He never wanted her to let go of him. He wanted her to stay holding him for a while. Her embrace made him feel warm inside like whenever his Mom was around to comfort him. That's what Moms were supposed to do, right? Comfort you doing bad times? With Clementine, it felt a little weird. Maybe it was because she was only a friend.
Carol spotted the young girl holding Carl's wrist and turned to Rick, "Who's she?" She asks, her voice cracking from crying.
"Her name's Clementine." Rick replies, wiping the tears from his now red and puffy eyes. "Daryl found her in the woods…alone."
Carol looked at the young girl and bent down to her height. "That's a sweet name you got." She gave her a sweet smile. "How long have you been here for?"
"Not long." She says, still holding onto Carl's wrist. "You know, Daryl talks a lot about you…"
"Clem!" Daryl snaps, feeling his face get hot. Said girl looked up at the redneck and giggled with mischief. Watching him blush in embarrassment was amusing to her. In a way, it was payback for all the times he'll make fun of her and Carl together.
Carol chuckled while averting her eyes to the young Dixon brother. "Does he?" Daryl opened his mouth, but no words left. Instead, he shut his jaw and faced the other direction as if he didn't hear her. "Well, I missed him too."
While the others caught up with Carol, Clementine turned her head to see the woman from before staring at them. She scanned each member of their group until her eyes landed on the young girl. When their eyes met, the woman quickly looked down at the ground with Clementine catching the look of empathy on her face. She wanted to tell everyone she was looking, but kept her mouth shut. It wasn't like she was going to harm them.
"You saw her too?" Carl's voice made Clem jump in surprise. His face wasn't red anymore and so weren't his eyes.
Clementine nods. "Yeah. What'd you think she's up to?"
"Nothing, I guess." Carl shrugs. "If she was going to do something, she would've done it by now."
Hershel overheard their conversation and approached the two while cautiously glancing at the woman. "Well, you're right about that, Carl. She would've done something already, unless she's plotting."
It was Daryl's turn to step in. "I doubt it. Who'd be stupid enough to injure themselves just to scout us out?"
Rick walked over to them, running his hand through his hair. "We'll find out in a second. I want you two to come with me." Daryl and Hershel both nod in unison. "And as for you two," He looked down at the two kids. "Go back to your cells and read some comics. I don't want y'all to be here incase anything goes bad."
"But Dad…" Carl protested, releasing Clem's hand from his wrist. He ignored the sudden feeling of emptiness as Clem's hand was removed from his wrist.
Rick scowled at his son. "No "buts"! Just do what I say."
Carl scoffed before walking off, leaving Clementine behind. Rick sighed, rubbing his forehead. Ever since Lori died, Carl was slowly losing his innocence. At first, he was worried but now he finally accepted the fact that it was happening. Not only that, but he was becoming more rebellious as well. Rebellious and quiet, both were unusual for a kid his age.
"He's a handful." Daryl says before giving Clem's back a pat. "But Clem here can help sort him out."
The young girl's cheeks turned pink. "W-What?"
Rick picked up on the redneck's tone and laughed. "Cut it, Daryl. You're embarrassing her." His laughing stopped and he pointed down the hall with his thumb. "Go on now, Clementine. We'll get you both if anything happens."
"Okay." She nods before walking off.
Clementine looked outside at the entrance to the prison, hoping for Daryl and the others to return. Michonne, the woman they found outside the gate, told them Maggie and Glenn were kidnapped and taken to a town called Woodbury. Rick, Daryl, Michonne, and Oscar went to go bring them back. They've been gone for a while now. It was night and she knew how dangerous it can get when it was dark out. Hopefully they'll be back in one piece.
She bit her lower lip, the sudden thought of Glenn and Daryl and Rick being killed or eaten made her worries grow. She didn't want to lose more friends again, not after Christa and Omid. Especially not to bad people again.
"Clementine?" She turned her head to see Hershel approaching her with a worried look. "You know it ain't safe standing out here at night."
"I know." She says, nodding her head. "I'm just worried about them. What if they never come back?"
Hershel sighed. He was worried about them too, everyone was but he knew Clem would be the most concerned. She's been through hell, losing her friends left and right. He couldn't imagine the things she'll have to go through if she found out Daryl and the others were dead. Both her and Carl.
"They'll come back." He reassures her. "They're tough, Clementine. I'm sure they will find a way out of there if things get sticky." He then smiled to himself. "Rick always does."
Clementine looked up at the farmer with a small smile. "Lee always found a way out of things too. This one time, we were staying at a Motor Inn when bandits attacked us. I thought we were gonna die, but Lee saved us." Her smile then dropped. "Well…not everyone."
Hershel bowed his head in respect for her late friend. "Lee was a good man, Clementine. I'm sorry." There was a short silence between the two until Hershel huffs as lifted himself up with his crutches. "C'mon. Let's head back inside."
The girl obliged and followed the elderly man inside. It was quiet inside, so that meant Carl's baby sister, Judith, is asleep. Carl was the one to pick out her name, remembering his Mom telling Rick that she always loved that name. It wasn't the first name that was brought up, though. He and Clem were brainstorming names for her with Clem suggesting the names Carley and Brianna. Carl disliked those names, saying they didn't 'match' her. So, he suggested Judith and they both liked it.
"Judith is asleep." Clem sighs out in relief.
Hershel chuckled at her. "About time."
When they entered their cellblock, Carl and Beth were sitting on the steps, looking down at the ground in boredom. When Beth heard her Dad, she rose her head up and smiled. Carl rose his head and gave Clem a small nod, which she found a bit odd.
"How're we doing on baby formula?" Carl asks quickly.
Hershel looked over his shoulder at the cell where Judith was sleeping. "We have enough to last us another month."
Carl quickly nods and starts to fidget with the pistol in his hands. "I'll take Carol…and Clementine for some more at the end of the week."
Clementine was rather surprised by him. Not only was it going to be her first run, but it was going to be with Carol and Carl? She always pictured her first run was going to be with Daryl or Glenn, since she felt the safest with the two. She's still a little weary about Carol, since she just met her a few hours ago. She was nice, but she doesn't fully trust her yet.
Beth glanced at Clem's surprised look and said to Carl, "I'm sure your dad and the others will be back by then."
Carl looked at her with a cold look and shook his head. "You don't know that." He mumbles. "Right now, Judith is the only family I got."
Hershel nods in understanding at him until they heard a woman scream from a distance. Their heads snapped towards the direction of the scream with Carl and Clementine readying their guns.
"What was that?" Beth asks.
The scream came back again. "That was from the inside." Hershel points out, looking back at them with a worried expression on his face.
"Was that Carol?" Clementine asks, her eyes wide.
Hershel shook his head which was relieving for her. "She's out keeping watch in the guard tower with Axel."
"What if they came back for something?" Beth asks in concern, her eyes wide. "What if they're in trouble?"
Clementine's eyes narrowed at the direction where the scream came from. Whoever it was, they needed help. She took a step forward but was stopped by Hershel's crutch blocking her path. The old farmer shook his head at her.
"Stay put, Clementine." He says sternly.
"But someone's in trouble." She argued, scowling at him.
Hershel shook his head again. "We don't know if they're a threat or not."
She hung her head in defeat before looking back up at the farmer. "Lee would've went." She grumbles, low enough for only Hershel to hear. The sudden mention of her friend made Hershel hurt. If Lee was indeed here, he would've went to see what was going on. He wasn't going to argue with her and hurt her feelings. She was right.
"Fine." He sighs out, lowering one of his crutches to allow Clementine through.
Carl quickly screwed on the silencer to the barrel of his pistol. "I'm going to." He declares and followed Clementine before Hershel can stop him.
They walked through the hot and dusty hallway that led to the tombs. Carl's flashlight was their only source of light as they made their way towards the screaming, which got louder the closer they got. Clementine was on edge and Carl knew that. He noticed how nervous she looked as she saw a corpse wrapped in a white suit. The corpse, at this point, was nothing but bone. Clem shook her head in disgust at it.
As they were walking near the boiler room, Carl noticed how close Clementine was to him. Literally, they walked shoulder to shoulder together through the dark hall. Despite being on edge himself, he didn't mind Clem sticking so close to him. In fact, it felt rather nice.
He heard Clem gasp before quickly spinning around and fired at a walker behind them. The creature dropped dead and Carl shook his head.
"Thanks for covering me." Carl teases as they continued their search for the screaming.
Clementine rolled her eyes. "Hey, I don't have anything to silence my gun with. You do."
Carl turned his head at her and flashed her a small smile. "Well, I guess we gotta fix that."
Before Clementine can speak back, they heard a woman cry out, "No, No, No!" They ran towards the voice and their eyes went wide at the scene in front of them. There was a woman on the ground, crying with a bite mark on her arm while a man was cradling her. A teenager that reminded Clem of Ben stood over them, pacing back and forth nervously. Meanwhile, a large, African-American man with a beard and beanie was crushing walker skulls with a hammer while another woman with dark-skin was using a shovel to deal with them.
"We have to help them!" Clementine exclaimed, running over near the group and pulling out her Glock. She fired at a walker that the dark-skinned woman was struggling with. The woman turned and looked at her in awe.
By now, the whole group was looking at the two kids in shock. Where the hell did they come from? And why were they firing weapons?
"Come on!" Carl had broken them out of their awed state. "Hurry!"
Without hesitation, the two hurried out of the room with the group of 5 following. The man that was cradling the other woman fell from exhaustion. The others stopped and checked on him while Carl and Clem dealt with the walkers behind them. The larger man lifted the bitten woman from the man's grasp.
"Look out!" The woman Clementine saved yelled out to Carl.
Before he could react, Clementine shot the walker in the head. She flashed him a smug smirk, saying, "I guess we're even now."
Carl rolled his eyes and safely led the group back to the cellblock opposite of theirs. The large man set the injured woman on the ground as the man that was cradling her began to sob. Clementine looked at them with her eyes wide when she saw the bite mark on her arm.
"Is she dead?" The man's voice was shaky and he started to shake as well. "Baby? Can you hear me?" The woman didn't respond, instead she was staring up at the ceiling, her eyes becoming lifeless. The man started to cry again while Carl and Clem approached the dead woman.
"She's been bit." Clementine declared to Carl, who nodded.
The boy rose his gun to angle it with her head. "I'll take care of it." He huffs.
"Whoa!" The large man stopped him after seeing his gun. "Whoa, kid. Wait a minute."
"She doesn't have much time left." Clementine says, looking at the large African-American man with narrowed eyes.
The woman from before walked up to the two kids, her face written with confusion. "Who the hell are you? How did you get in here? Who are you with?" She bombarded the two with questions and that started to annoy Carl.
After seeing his annoyed face, Clementine spoke for him. "Look, we can help you." Her eyes averted to the dead woman. "But she's dead. If we don't do anything soon, she'll come back as one of them." She met Carl's eyes and the boy read her signal.
"No," The large man stopped Carl again. "We take care of our own." He turned and snatched the hammer from the weeping teenager's hands. After seeing him, Clementine immediately thought of Ben again. He was always a nervous wreck for no reason.
The man who cried over her body looked up at the larger man and turned pale. "No, Tyreese!" He cried out.
Tyreese looked down at him with an apologetic look. "I gotta do it." He says firmly. "Look, just take Ben and lean against the wall."
Clementine nearly smacked herself at the teen's name. Now he REALLY reminded her of Ben. What were the odds of those two sharing the same name?
Carl looked back towards the entrance to their cellblock to see Beth and Hershel looking through the bars. He gave them a nod and tapped on Clem's arm to follow. The girl gave him a questionable look until also noticing Beth and Hershel. Carl led her back to the cellblock and quickly shut the door and locked it.
"Hey!"
Clementine watched the woman she saved stomp her way over there, a deadly glare fixed at her group. Beth looked at her in shock while Carl and Clem simply stood there and awaited her outburst to happen.
Tyreese also walked towards them, his head tilted in confusion. "Kid, did you just lock us in here?"
"Open the door." The woman demanded, her grip tightening on the shovel in her hand.
Carl shook his head at them. "This room is secure. You'll be safe. You have food and water."
The woman approached the door and grabbed one of the bars. "Open this door." She repeats sternly. Clementine could tell she was both exhausted and annoyed. She knew those two things don't mix well together. Just ask Lily.
"I can't." Carl simply says.
She shook her head in denial, giving them a pleading look. "Come on, man. We're not animals." She pleads as Tyreese moved closer to her. "Don't do this." Her eyes then landed on Clementine. "Please, we're good people. Honey, you have to trust us."
Clementine looked at the ground sadly. "It's not my call." She says quietly, feeling bad for them. She knew they were good people after what they saw, but it wasn't her call. It was Rick's and he wasn't here. Not to mention they found their way in here.
"Don't do this." The woman whispers before she spotted Hershel peeking his head from one of the cells. Her expression changed and she glared at the farmer while hitting the door, which rattled loudly. "Hey! You can't just leave us in here! Open this door! Open it now!"
She banged on the door one last time before Tyreese stopped her. "Sasha! Back away from their door and let the man go." The woman named Sasha did as she was told and backed away. "Look around you. This is the best we've had in weeks. His house."
Clementine found her smiling at Tyreese. She could tell he was one of those people who care deeply for his friends, like most people in her group. Despite his size, he was nice, unlike Larry who was the complete opposite of him. He was always rambling and cursing and yelling, unlike Tyreese so far.
Speaking of Tyreese, he looked back at them and said, "We don't want any trouble." Carl nodded and Tyreese led Sasha back to their group.
"Shouldn't we help them?" Beth asks.
Clementine looked up at her and nodded. "We already did. Like Carl said, they have food and water. If anything happens, they can defend themselves." Beth stared at the young girl for a moment and nodded, understanding what she meant.
"We'll let them sleep there for tonight." Hershel says, his voice low so the other group can't hear them. "In the morning, I'll see if they need any patching up. We'll feed them too. We still got any noodles left?" He turned to his Daughter for an answer. Beth nods. "Good. We'll let them eat that."
"What about Rick?" Clem asks.
Hershel looked down at her. "What about him?"
"What'll he say about all this?" Her question earned worried glances between Hershel and his daughter. Carl, however, stood next to her, nodding his head in agreement. It's his Dad's decision to either let them stay or leave. If everything goes well, maybe he can let them stay.
Hershel grumbled to himself, completely forgetting about the sheriff. "The least we can do is feed them. We're not monsters. I'm sure Rick will understand that."
She hopes he did.