Lee and Carlos walked out of the boxcar and to the front cab, passing Kenny who was in undeniable grief. Chuck was standing at the front, watching the long road ahead. Both men were furious that he would even look at their girls the wrong way.
"Hey," Lee was the first to speak, and he was not the least bit happy.
"How're you folks doin'?" Chuck asked, seemingly oblivious that he had done something wrong.
"We don't care what reasons you had for doing it, no reason to go and tell our girls they're gonna end up dead!" Lee reprimanded, folding his arms.
"What you said was inexcusable," Carlos added. "You especially scared my daughter in particular."
"I meant what I said, 'cause they are," Chuck said, not sounding even the least bit sorry. "Now I don't know much about you folks, but I can tell you, sure as the sun's gonna come up tomorrow, that if y'all keep goin' on like this, and those girls ain't gonna make it."
"What do you know?" Lee asked, still a little angry.
"I will protect Sarah no matter what," Carlos added.
Chuck sighed, "I know that you don't have damn plan. What happens when we get to Savannah?" he questioned.
"We'll do what's best for the girls," Lee answered simply.
Chuck laughed, "Oh! So you do have it all figured out," he said sarcastically. "Look, I don't care if you take my advice or not, but you two need to sit down with those girls, hash it out, come up with some kind of damn plan if y'all want to survive. And somebody needs to teach 'em how to use a weapon for Christ's sake," he said, a little too nonchalantly as he looked up at the two men.
"Sarah will never have to touch a gun as long as I'm around," Carlos replied.
"Oh yeah? And what if you're not around?" Chuck retorted, which caught Carlos off guard.
"Nothing like that will happen to either of us," Lee shot back.
"But if it were to happen," Chuck interrupted, "you gotta prepare the girls. Teach them to use a weapon, and for criminy, cut their hair."
"They're little girls," Carlos replied bitterly, none too happy that this old man was basically dissing his parenting skills.
"They'll die little girls if you treat them that way," Chuck answered. "You gotta consider them living people. That's it. You're either living or you're not. You ain't little, you ain't a girl, you ain't a boy; you ain't strong or smart. You're alive." There was an uneasy pause. "Look at their hair. Find some scissors in my pack and take care of it before a walker does it for you. And then show them how to use a gun, because that's what saves your life from here on out."
Carlos looked away and scratched his chin, looking very stressed. No doubt he was feeling conflicted about the whole situation. While Chuck's words made complete sense, he didn't want his daughter to lose her innocence.
"Look, I don't mean to tell y'all how to do your job, but too many people have died already," Chuck pointed out.
"They have," Lee agreed.
"And seein' another little girl die might just do me in."
"It's good advice..." Lee trailed off, "Don't you think so, Carlos?" he asked, but Carlos was still too busy thinking about Sarah. Would she even want to learn how to use a gun? Because he definitely didn't want to force her. And he knew already that he was going to have problems with the haircut.
"Huh?" Carlos asked.
"It's good advice," Lee repeated.
"For you, maybe," Carlos replied. "But my daughter, she is not like Clementine."
"But she's still a human being," Chuck pointed out, "You can't just leave her helpless forever, she's gotta learn how to deal with things on her own," he added with a shrug.
Carlos scoffed, "I apologize, but I don't think I should be taking parenting advice from a homeless man and a murderer."
"Suit yourself," Chuck shrugged.
"Yeah," Lee added. "Do what you want."
Carlos sighed, and turned back around. "I will meet you halfway," he said. "I'll give Sarah a haircut, but a gun...I just don't think she's ready. As her father, I would know." Without waiting for a reply, he exited the front and began making his way back to the boxcar.
Lee shook his head, and decided to make small conversation with Chuck "So, where you headed?"
"Uh, that way," Chuck nodded forward.
"I mean, when we get to Savannah."
"Got a few ideas," Chuck answered. "We'll have a talk when we get there about whether or not you folks want company."
Lee decided that he would talk with Chuck later, and that he would begin teaching Clementine the basics of survival. "Be safe up here," he said, and turned to exit. He debated on talking to Kenny, but decided that it was best to leave him alone for now.
He was about to enter the boxcar when he heard another voice. "It was me."
"Huh?" Lee asked, turning around to look at Ben.
"I was the one giving the bandits supplies," Ben confessed, his head still in his hands.
Lee's eyes went wide. "WHAT?" he asked again.
"It's all my fault," he continued to talk.
Lee's eyes went wide once more, and he didn't know what to say except, "Jesus, Ben..."
"I know," Ben said sadly. "They sad he had my friend, said that he was with them." he tried to explain.
Lee shook his head, "Just, stop...can we even trust you?"
"Yes!" Ben nodded.
"Why'd you have to go and tell me that?" Lee asked, shaking his head.
Ben hesitated before he answered, "...I just-"
"No!" Lee almost yelled. "Just don't tell anybody," he warned. "You can't take it back, so just don't."
"Okay," Ben nodded solemnly.
Lee turned around, not wanting to say anymore, and headed back into the boxcar. Carlos apparently hadn't said anything to Sarah about the haircut yet, because she didn't appear to look upset...yet. Surprisingly, things were quiet.
"Hey, Clem," he greeted, standing over her nearby.
"Did you talk to him?" Clem asked.
"I did. He explained himself, and, uh, made some good points," he explained. "Look, we're not gonna let anything bad happen to you or Sarah, but there are some precautions we have to take."
"Okay, yeah, that makes sense," Clementine replied. She seemed to understand.
"Precautions?" Sarah asked, looking over at Carlos.
"We need a plan for when we get to Savannah," Lee said to Clem, "teach you how to protect yourself, and, uh, tidy you up a bit so you can't get grabbed so easily."
"I'd like that," Clementine smiled.
Carlos looked over at his daughter seated beside him, knowing that she wasn't going to handle the next words too well. "Sweetie..." He took out a pair of scissors. "I'm afraid you're not going to like this, but...we need to cut your hair."
Sarah's eyes widened. "But...why?" she asked. She began patting all around her hair, a little afraid. "Is my hair stupid? Is it ugly?"
Everyone else in the boxcar thought that Sarah's words were funny, well, except Larry. Carlos chuckled. "No sweetie, it just needs to be short so bad people can't grab it to hurt you. Clem is going to get hers cut too."
"I am?" Clementine asked, grabbing her head.
Lee nodded, "Remember when Andy St. John grabbed it, and I got mad?" he asked.
Clem nodded. "Yeah."
"Well, I don't want that to happen anymore."
Sarah whined again, "We're going to look like boys, Clem!"
Lilly chimed in, "No you won't. There are lots of girls with short haircuts," she informed them.
"And you'll be safe," Carlos reminded her. "It won't be that bad, okay? I promise."
"Fine," Sarah huffed.
"Who's going first?" Lee asked.
Clementine looked at the ground and pouted, but gave in. "I'll go. Just a trim, right?"
"I need to cut it short enough so that it can't get grabbed," Lee told her.
Clementine sighed. "Okay."
"Mind if we do this now?"
"I guess not," Clementine said sullenly.
"Don't mope. It's a good thing."
Lee turned to Carlos and held his hand out for the scissors, and the Hispanic man handed them over. Clementine got into a comfortable position before Lee began trimming. "Do you know how to do this?" she inquired.
"How hard can it be?" Lee answered as he snipped a few times.
"So you did kill someone before," Clementine said, trying to make conversation. "I'm glad you finally told me."
"Me too, Clem," Lee said almost nonchalantly.
"You've killed lots of things now; it doesn't even matter."
"Killing is bad, no matter what."
"But you do it now, to protect yourself, and to protect me," she replied.
"It doesn't make it good," Lee said, and little did he know, Carlos was listening in on his conversation. The Hispanic man decided that Lee wasn't so bad after all. Hell, he was good around Clementine, and she was younger than Sarah, so maybe he could trust him around Sarah.
"But you have to," Clem pointed out.
"I do it, because it's necessary. And walkers aren't people," he answered while still cutting her hair. It was really short now. "Okay, I think I'm about done. I can tie these pieces up with something." He said, finishing up.
"Here," Clem said, reaching into her pocket, "I have some hair thingies." She handed a few to Lee. "Sarah can use some, too." Clem then reached up to feel her hair, and her eyes widened at how short it was. "Does it look dumb?" she turned to Lee and asked.
"You look cute," Lee replied, "and a lot harder to grab."
"It looks good, Clem," Carley told her with a small smile.
"Yeah, you look awesome!" Sarah added.
"Alright, Sarah, it's your turn," Carlos said, taking the scissors back from Lee.
Sarah had nearly forgotten that she was also getting her hair trimmed, and looked down sullenly. She briefly turned around to face her father. "You won't cut it too short, will you, Dad?" she asked.
"It won't be too short, but like we said, this is for your safety," Carlos assured her. He took a lock of her hair and began snipping. Sarah sat crisscross style in front of him with her arms folded. She wasn't happy about having her hair cut, but she would do it if she wanted to be safe.
A couple of minutes passed before Carlos was finally done. Like Clementine, Sarah had two very small pigtails on either side. Her hair was still slightly longer than her friend's, though.
"Now we match!" she said to Clem excitedly.
"So what's next?" Clementine asked, looking up at Lee.
"We need to have a plan when the train stops," Lee said.
"That sounds like a good idea," Clementine nodded. "Are we still going to look for my parents?" she asked.
Lee nodded. "We can."
He stood up. Finding the map could wait, but now it was time to teach Clementine how to use a gun. "You need to know how to protect yourself," he said firmly.
"About fuckin' time," Larry grumbled under his breath.
"Like, hiding or running away? Got it," Clementine nodded.
Lee turned to Carley. "Car, do you mind if I borrow your weapon for a bit?"
Carley seemed to know what he wanted to do, and fetched it from next to her. "If you need any tips, let me know," she offered.
Lee nodded, and showed Clementine the gun. "I mean with one of these," he told her. When he noticed her apprehensive look, he continued. "First, don't be afraid of it, it's just a thing. Take it. But know where your finger is all the time, and don't put it on the trigger unless you want to hurt somebody."
"Should I listen too, Dad?" Sarah asked Carlos quietly.
Lilly looked over at Carlos. "She should know this too, Carlos...You're not going to be here to protect her forever," she pointed out. Carlos sighed, and he knew Lilly was right. As much as he hated the idea, he knew that Sarah was going to have to learn to use a weapon sooner or later. So what if it was sooner rather than later?
Carlos looked down at his daughter. "Do you really want to learn?" he asked her.
She nodded. "It is a little scary, but kinda..." she trailed off.
"Then I will teach you," he replied. "But you have to be really careful."
"Okay," Sarah said, and she watched as Lee gave Clementine a gun.
"See?" Lee asked. "It's not so scary."
"It's heavy!" Clem said.
"You'll get stronger," Lee replied. He bent down to her level. "To aim, you look right down the top, through that notch." Clementine turned around, and Lee stood up. "Line up the site of the end with your target."
"Is there anything else I should know?"
"When you're ready to shoot, make sure you're not breathing too hard, and then hold your breath right before you pull the trigger," Lee instructed.
"Like, when I'm swimming?" Clem asked.
"No, just for a quick second. I found that if I did that, I was a lot more accurate. It's tough, but it'll help."
Lee walked over and pulled out an empty wine bottle, setting it on top of a box. Clementine was already trying to aim, and Lee walked behind her. Everyone else watched intently with the exception of Larry.
"Good. Don't lock your elbows," Lee instructed, loosening her said body part. "Okay, let's take your first shot. Squeeze the trigger smoothly, and I'll cover your ears. Nice and easy."
"Nice and easy..." Clementine repeated slowly. She fired a shot, which missed and caused her to squeak. "EEK!"
"You okay?" Lee asked.
"My hands hurt," Clem answered. "I don't like this, let Sarah go."
"We have to stick with it, okay?" he replied with a small smile.
"Do I have to?" she pouted slightly.
"Yeah, you do," Lee replied. "Let's try again," he said, and she turned around to aim at the bottle once more. "Aim left," Lee said, guiding her. She held her breath momentarily, and fired the gun again, this time, hitting the bottle, causing it to shatter.
"I got it!" she said excitedly.
"Good shot," Lee praised.
"Good job Clem!" Carley congratulated.
"Okay, let's do it one more time," Lee said. He walked over and placed another bottle onto the box, and walked back over to Clementine. "Aim to the right this time," he instructed. "Okay, now a little higher."
Clementine fired the gun again, and the bottle shattered.
"There you go, nice!"
He placed yet another bottle onto the box, and this time, Clementine shattered it without any instructions. She turned around and grinned at Lee. "I did it!"
"Yes you did, good job!" Lee praised.
"I just pretended they were walker heads," Clementine told him.
"Good, just like you should."
"They're not walkers, though."
"No, far from it. But now you know how these things work. We'll graduate you to walkers one day."
She handed Lee the gun back. "Is Sarah going to go now?" she asked.
Lee shrugged. "That's up to Carlos." He looked over to Carlos, who then nodded.
"You ready?" Carlos asked Sarah.
Sarah nodded, "If Clem can do it, I can do it," she said determinedly. Lee then handed the gun to Carlos, and he gave Sarah the same instructions.
"You watched Clem, right?" Carlos asked.
"Yes," Sarah nodded.
"Then do it just like her, okay?" Carlos ordered as he went to go stack a another bottle up. He then handed Sarah the gun, and lined her aim up. "Shoot when you're ready, okay?" he told her as he covered his daughter's ears.
Sarah took a short breath and aimed carefully, then squeezed the trigger. She missed, but the bottle did fall over to the side, meaning that she was very close for her first try. She looked up at her father with panicked eyes. "I...I missed..."
"That's alright. You were very close, and making a mistake is part of learning," Carlos told her. He returned the bottle to its standing position before walking back over to her. "Try again now. Aim higher, a little more to the right."
Sarah obliged, and much to everyone's surprise, the bottle shattered the second time she pulled the trigger.
"Did you see that?" she exclaimed, looking at Carlos excitedly. Carlos still didn't like doing this, but he hoped it would ensure that his daughter would be safe.
"Good job," Carlos praised. "Let's try a few more," he said and stacked up a couple more bottles. Much to his surprise, Sarah was able to aim and shoot them on her own. "Wow, I'm surprised you're so good at this," he chuckled, "But remember, you only have to do this if someone is hurting you, okay?"
Sarah nodded, "Okay, Dad."
"But you did good," he praised once more.
"She's a natural," Carley added, causing Sarah to beam.
They stopped right there, which was a good thing because there were only a few bullets left. Lee exited the boxcar and returned a couple of minutes later with a map. He sat down with Clementine and began to discuss their plans for when they got to Savannah.
"OH, SHIT! HOLD ON, EVERYBODY!" Kenny yelled, and the train stopped almost abruptly, with Carlos and Lee grabbing their respective child and protectively keeping them steady.
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