Back at the farm, it was once again Duck's turn on the swing after a few minutes, Kenny getting up to push him again. Sarah and Clementine sat on the tree stump and chatted together while Carlos looked on. He was glad that his daughter now had some new friends.
The sky was beginning to change color, and for once, things were peaceful. Carlos was lost in thought when he saw Mark and Travis approaching them.
"Hey, Katjaa says you guys can come into the barn now," Mark offered, giving the doctor a light smile.
Kenny heard this and turned his attention to Duck. "You want to go see the cow, boy?"
"Yeah!" Duck eagerly cried, and jumped off of the swing. Sarah saw that everyone was beginning to walk in the barn's direction and ran over to Carlos, knowing what was going on.
"Did you hear that, Dad?" she asked excitedly. "There's a cow! A real animal!"
Carlos chuckled, "I know sweetie. Do you want to go see it?" he asked.
"Yeah, right now!" Sarah nearly yelled, and she grabbed Carlos' hand and ran to the barn to catch up with the others. Once they were at the door, Sarah was holding her breath because of excitement. It had been a while since she had actually gotten to see a real animal, and she couldn't contain her happiness.
Kenny opened the door to the barn, and the small group saw Katjaa sitting beside the cow. "You figure out what was wrong with it?" Kenny asked his wife.
"Yes, it turns out that there was nothing wrong with her at all," Katjaa replied. She turned and smiled softly at the kids. "She's just heavily pregnant, and could have her baby tonight. We'll see, though."
At that, both Clementine and Sarah's eyes lit up in delight. They both sat down in front of the cow, Maybelle, and looked at her in admiration. Duck turned, and saw something that made him curious, and the little boy frowned.
"What's that?" he asked his father, pointing.
Kenny looked where his son was pointing, and raised his eyebrows. "Those are called salt licks, Duck. They're for horses."
"Salt licks?" Clementine inquired. She got up and walked over to them with a questioning expression.
Without hesitation, she picked one up and gingerly stuck her tongue to it. "Ew, gross!" she yelled, blowing raspberries and trying to get the strong taste out of her mouth. The others in the barn were trying to hold back their laughter.
"I guess we know why they're for horses now," Duck said with a small smile.
"You kids can pet her if you want," Katjaa said, referring to the cow.
"Really?" Sarah asked excitedly.
Katjaa nodded. "Just be careful."
Sarah crawled a little closer, and began to gently stroke Maybelle's head. She gasped in amazement; the cow was so soft! She looked over to Carlos and smiled widely. "Maybelle's really soft, Daddy. And pretty, too!"
"I'm sure she is, Sarah," Carlos nodded.
Andy walked in then, and gave the group a nod. He walked over to the back of the barn and inspected the door, and felt around. This caused both Kenny and Carlos to frown; what was he doing? Hopefully nothing suspicious.
"Clementine, can you close the door, please?" Katjaa requested kindly.
Clementine nodded and went to oblige her request, but not before she looked outside and waved. This meant that Lee was back as well. Mark walked forward and looked at the cow. "For a pregnant cow, she's pretty skinny."
"That could be from malnutrition," Katjaa pointed out as Clementine once again loomed over the cow.
The door to the barn opened, and Lee stepped in.
"Lee!" Clementine smiled at her guardian's return.
"Hey Clem," Lee replied. The salt licks though, also caught his attention. "What's this thing?"
"Daddy says it's called a salt lick," Duck answered.
"Yeah, but don't lick it. It's gross," Clementine said.
"Did you lick it?" Lee asked, amused.
Clem hesitated, "...I don't know."
"Also," Lee started, reaching into his pocket. "I got something for you," he said, pulling out Clementine's hat.
"My hat!" she exclaimed, grabbing it and putting it on her head. "Thank you! I knew you would find it." Once he was done talking to Clementine, Lee made sure the rest of the group in the barn was okay, but after that, Kenny and Carlos pulled him over to the side.
"Lee?" Carlos asked once the kids weren't paying attention. "Can we talk to you for a second?"
"Sure," Lee nodded, walking over to the two men.
"Lee, they're hiding something here," Kenny said lowly, and Carlos nodded towards the door. "I got a peek inside," Kenny continued. "There's a bunch of boxes and metal and stuff, and something sharp."
"We saw Andy come in and check it multiple times," Carlos added.
"Don't get paranoid now," Lee chided.
"It's our job to paranoid," Kenny replied. "Our families are here, and we gotta look out for them. So if these assholes are hiding something from us, we need to figure out what it is." He paused. "What about you? What about Clem?"
"I'll protect her, no matter what," Lee said with a determined nod.
"I know you will," Kenny responded. "Look, that guy with Katjaa, what's-his-name. He was checking around the door, as if he didn't want us pokin' around that area. I definitely heard a noise back there, Lee."
"We have to know for sure," Carlos added quietly.
"So go find a hammer, and I'll have this thing off in a second," Kenny continued. "You back us up in case them farmers come running."
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Carlos wanted to know.
"He's right, you might want to think this through," Lee told Kenny. "What if it turns out you're wrong? You just fucked your chance of getting a good meal in those kids you're trying to protect. Use your head, Kenny."
"Alright, professor, what did you have in mind?"
"Let me have a look at what we're dealing with first." Lee turned to the barn door.
"Hey, Lee?" Kenny asked. "You know how to pick a lock, right?"
"No. No! Why would you say that?" Lee asked.
"Well, you're...you know...urban?"
"What?" Carlos asked, raising a thick eyebrow.
"Oh, you are not saying what I think you're saying," Lee added.
"Jesus, man, I'm from Florida! Crazy shit just comes out of my mouth sometimes, sorry," Kenny tried to defend himself.
"See those screws?" Lee asked to Carlos and Kenny. "Instead of breaking the lock, we can just unscrew those screws to get in the door and peek inside, then put the lock back on," he suggested.
"That sounds like a good plan to me," Carlos nodded.
"All right," Kenny said. "I'll hang around and watch that guy with the cow while you get the lock unscrewed."
"Can I help you boys find something?" Andy asked, interrupting their conversation.
Lee hurried and made an excuse, "We're just checking out the barn. I've never been to a dairy farm before," he said with a small shrug.
"Okay, well don't just roam around without me or Danny. The farm can be a dangerous place," Andy replied. "You know, with the bandits and all. Also, don't fuck around with that door. Mama gets nervous."
"Andy, I need your help again!" Katjaa called.
"No problem, doc," he answered, and turned around to leave Carlos, Kenny, and Lee alone again.
"If you need help with anything, let me know," Carlos whispered to Lee, before going to stand back by the cow with all the others. Lee nodded, and went back to carrying out the plan. He knew he was going to have to find a screwdriver or something to get the lock unscrewed, so now he had to go look around for some stuff.
He exited the barn and heard laughter. Larry and Brenda were at the steps of the house, having some old folks' conversation about God-knows-what. Lee shook his head, slightly amused, and went off to find a distraction.
He noticed the generator running just outside the gate, and it gave him an idea. Hopefully there was something in the toolbox on the table nearby that would be useful, so he decided to check it out. He opened up the toolbox, and much to his luck, there was a multitool sitting there, out of place.
Lee raised his eyebrows in satisfaction and picked it up, walking over to the generator. He opened up the panel and worked his magic, causing the generator to shut off. He heard the barn door open and decided that it was best to move away now.
"Fuckin' Danny. Where did he find this piece of shit?" Andy muttered as he knelt by the generator. "Fuckin' thing threw a belt...damn it all to the...son of a...fuuuuck!"
Lee walked back inside the barn where nearly everyone else was. He couldn't help but smile when he saw the kids still admiring the cow, and nodded in Mark and Travis' direction. He was about to head to the door when, suddenly, a bell rang, signaling that it was time for dinner.
"Mom! Dad! Dinnertime! It's dinnertime!" Duck cried excitedly, standing up.
"Okay, honey, let's get Dad," Katjaa replied with a small smile.
Duck obliged, running over to where Kenny was standing with Carlos and Lee. "Dad! Dad! Come on, let's EEEEAT!"
"Kenny, come along, honey," Katjaa said, standing up. "Kenny, come on, don't make the children wait."
Sarah stood up too, smiling widely. She walked over to Carlos and took his hand. "Come on, Daddy. I'm really hungry!"
"Okay, sweetie, I'm coming," Carlos replied, walking out of the barn with his daughter, glancing back at Lee.
"I'll make an excuse for you," Kenny told Lee as he exited the barn as well. "Get that thing off!"
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