Soon: Aw, no one made any guesses, did they? Oh, well...

Reply to ZombieSlayer995: I'd settle for "above average", honestly, but "very good" works, too. ;P And yes, the dreaded choice (*lightning strike*) is coming up right now.

Reply to leafs nation: Funny you should say that, because "thesaurus" happens to be my middle name - Soon The Thesaurus Apocalypse, don't you know? Pleased to meet your acquaintance. Haha!

Anyway, it's strange that you should compliment me on my writing vocabulary, as I actually consider that to be comfortably the weakest aspect of my work. I'd probably only rate myself about a 5 or 6 out of 10 on that side of things. Still, I suppose it's all relative, isn't it? It really depends on who you're comparing me to, at the end of the day. As for the detail and descriptiveness, this is actually me toning it down, believe it or not. You should have seen my writing when I was a teenager, then I'd show you detail, hehe. After all, I didn't really give much in the way of descriptions for the character's current physical conditions, did I? Nor the general layout of their current location. Now that would have been detailed. ;)

"Are you sure you don't work for Telltale?" - I used to, but they kicked me out for being a walking thesaurus. They don't take too kindly to animate books in that part of the world ... prejudice bastards. I tried to sue for unfair dismissal, but the courts were having none of it... *sigh*

"Pride Rock"? ... I laughed, not gonna lie. XD You're not far off, in truth, but this rock is a fair bit larger than the one you're thinking of. Consider more a mini-mountain, and then you should be right on the money.

Anyway, if this really is Pride Rock, does that mean that whoever gets to the top and roars across the landscape first is now considered the Royal Monarch of the Pride Lands? ... If so, then my money's on Lilly. All hail the Queen!

"Hmph... I guess that's just life though, isn't it?" ... That's deep, bruh.

Reply to DarkStar35: Interesting use of the term "shitbird". Hopefully you're not friends with any of the other authors on here, or else they may come after you in a lynch mob after reading that. :P

And wow - one of your favourite stories? After only the set-up chapter? Thanks a lot. If you really liked the exposition chapter that much then be sure to stick around, as there's much better than that to come, I can promise you.

Soon: Anyway, let's get back on track, shall we?

Here comes the big one~! Are you all ready for this? Well, you better be, because you're gonna be expected to make a crucial decision by the time this chapter is done. You better get your thinking caps at the ready, peeps. Just remember - keep calm and don't panic. Hehe.

Chapter 2: The Choice

Lilly reached the top first, climbing nimbly onto the flat platform of rock that marked the summit of the plateau. She was panting, but only slightly, and significantly less than Kenny, who had clambered up after directly her. "Don't bother helpin' me up, then", muttered Kenny irritably, but Lilly ignored him. Wary eyes darted around for signs of danger, but nothing living (or indeed, dead) appeared to be moving in the immediate vicinity.

Next up came Lee, who, after casting a quick glance at their surroundings, turned to help Clementine up, then Ben (who almost succeeded in pulling Lee back down to the level below by accident), and finally Carley, who was now bringing up the rear. Carley smiled warmly as Lee pulled her towards him, then set off to exploring the ledge with the others. Ben was awkwardly trying to adjust the straps of the bag digging into his shoulders, and was now obviously feeling the strain of having been forced to carry it for so long. Lee had to give credit where it was due, however, as he had not started belly-aching about it … yet.

Lee patted Clementine on the head as she brushed some dust from her clothing, saying softly, "Come on, sweat pea", to her as he did so.

"S-So, what do we do now?" asked Ben nervously, still fiddling with the straps of his bag.

"We spread out across the ledge an' try an' see if we can make out some kinda structure down in the forest", said Kenny confidently, turning from one face to another. "Lee said that the place we're lookin' for is the only buildin' in the area, so … it shouldn't be too hard to find."

"I dunno, man", muttered Lee uncertainly. "It's kinda dark up here now that the sun's gone down."

Lilly narrowed her eyes at this, but said nothing, turning to stare moodily in the opposite direction instead.

"Well then, we better get a move on", replied Kenny placidly, rotating on the spot, as he tried to decide which direction he ought to start looking in first.

"I'll take the north side", said Carley.

"Awright, good. I'll take the next space along from you, then", Kenny confirmed with a smile, apparently grateful that Carley, at least, seemed to be buying into the plan.

"I'll look over here!" squeaked Clementine happily, hurrying off towards the southern side of the plateau.

"Cl-Clem, wait a minute!" called Lee worriedly. "Don't just go runnin' off by yourself-"

"It's okay. I'll watch her", came Lilly's voice from his immediate right, her tone slightly frosty, as she stalked past him and headed off after Clementine. He could tell that she was still unhappy with him for siding with Kenny's plan in the first place, but he also recognised that her offer to look after Clementine was a show of solidarity, which he greatly appreciated … given the circumstances.

"Thank you", he murmured gratefully. Lilly glanced back at him, and for a split second he almost thought that he saw her flash him a smile. The next second he was wondering whether or not he'd imagined it, however, as she was back to wearing her more familiar deadpan expression again. He sighed. Truthfully, he was beginning to question whether or not he'd made the right choice in dragging them all up here. In fact, he'd been dwelling on that thought ever since he'd made the decision. He would never be able to live with himself if one of them got hurt up here … and he knew for sure that Lilly would never let him forgot it, either.

"Having second thoughts?" whispered Carley's voice in his other ear. Sure enough, she had been watching him carefully.

"…Yeah, a little bit", Lee admitted ruefully. "I jus' can't shake the feeling that something bad's gonna happen…"

"Well, no matter what happens, you know I'll support you." She reached up to touch Lee's face gently with her right hand. "You did what you thought was best, and that's all that anybody can ask of you. True, some people may not like it-", her eyes drifted briefly in Lilly's direction. "-but you can't expect to please everyone all the time."

Lee took a moment to digest what she was saying to him, noting her encouraging smile as he did so. "Thanks, Carley", he said finally, his troubled expression clearing somewhat. "That means a-"

"She's right, ya know", Kenny interrupted loudly from his right, causing Lee to jump a little in alarm - he had not realised that Kenny was eavesdropping on their conversation. "What's done is done. Far as I'm concerned, you made the right choice, in the moment."

Lee turned to look at Kenny, whose moustache had twitched upwards in the form of a lop-sided smile. "It's you an' me, pal", said Kenny earnestly, his chest seeming to swell with emotion as he said it. "It's bin that way from the very beginnin', right?"

Kenny extended his left fist forwards, which caught Lee slightly by surprise. After a few moments pause, Lee sent his right fist out to bump into Kenny's, returning the man's smile as he said, "Yeah. Yeah, I guess it has…"

"An' that's the way it gunna stay, too", Kenny motioned, pointing a firm finger in Lee's direction to let him know that the matter was closed. "Now le's get on with findin' this little love nest, shall we?"

With a hearty chuckle, Kenny turned to stride off towards the north-eastern side of the ledge, now with a slight spring in his step, having reaffirmed his bond with his friend. Lee shook his head slowly as he watched him go. "I really do worry about that man sometimes", he muttered under his breath.

"Don't worry. I'll keep an eye on him for you", Carley sighed. "Make sure that he doesn't do anything too reckless, you know?"

"Heh. Yeah. Good idea", said Lee appreciatively, as Carley wandered off after Kenny.

Lee twisted his upper torso to peer around him, wondering which direction he ought to start looking in. He figured that he and Ben should probably handle the eastern side, since both the northern and southern edges were now covered, and they had already thoroughly scanned the western side while climbing, but … he noticed that the view of the east was largely obstructed by several large boulders, along with the few crooked trees that were growing amongst them. Clambering over that lot wasn't going to be an easy task. Typical, Lee thought, that he would be the one left to navigate the trickiest vantage point … with Ben for company, no less.

It was only then that he noticed the bizarre mound of rocks which were collected a few metres to the right of the spot where they'd first climbed up. He took a few steps towards it, frowning. It looked like some kind of old-fashioned monument - the kind of burial ritual that people used to give to celebrated soldiers or warriors who had fallen in combat. He racked his brains to try and think of any historical battles that may have taken place in this area, but this burial site (if that's indeed what it was) seemed to be extremely old - well over a hundred years or more, looking at the state of the many rocks that were piled there. The handle of some kind of weapon, possibly a spear, was also sticking out from between the rocks. The weapon of a long-deceased war hero, perhaps?

Normally, Lee would have loved to examine something like this further, but he knew that they had other priorities to focus on right now.

He noticed that Ben was also showing an interest in the mound, which brought a slight smile to his lips. None of the others seemed to have paid much attention to the monument (Lilly and Clementine had merely glanced at it as they went by), but perhaps Ben was keen on history as well? He momentarily thought of his students back at the university, but promptly stopped himself, as he felt the familiar pangs of sadness and regret tugging at his heart. He tore himself back to reality and muttered, "Come on, kid. We've got work to do", to Ben, as he determinedly turned his back on the burial site, and headed off towards the opposite side of the ledge.

"Whooooa", came Clementine's awe-struck voice from a short distance away. "We're so high up…"

"Not too close to the edge, Clem, okay?" said Lilly's voice immediately afterwards, her tone slightly softer than it usually was, but still firm.

"It's fine, Lilly, I'm not gonna fall", Clementine consoled her patiently. "It's just kinda hard to see from up here. I've gotta lean out a little bit so I can try and make stuff ou - Oooh, I think I've found it!" Her sudden exclamation made everyone look around. "I think I've found it, look! Is that it?" Clementine continued excitably.

A few moments passed in silence, as all of them waited with baited breath. Then they heard Lilly say flatly, "…No. No, I'm pretty sure that's just another cluster of rocks, Clem."

"…Oh. Hehehe! Oops."

Lee shook his head, smiling, then set to climbing to the top of the boulder pile, from where he hoped to get a good lay of the landscape. He slipped slightly as he made his ascent, but managed to clutch onto one of the crooked little trees as he fell, hoisting himself back up in the process. He looked back to see if Ben was following him, only to find that the teen was still standing over by that ancient memorial.

"Hey, kid! You helpin' us look for this place or not?" Lee shouted over his shoulder, his voice a little harsher than he'd intended, as he struggled to maintain his grip on the tree.

"Y-Yeah", Ben called back, without looking at him. "I'll be there in a minute."

He seemed to be momentarily mesmerised by the mound of rocks for some reason. Even Lee himself hadn't found it that captivating. When Ben stood gawking at the burial site for a further few seconds, Lee merely rolled his eyes and continued to climb. Some help Ben had turned out to be … as usual, he thought snidely.

"So, Lee", Kenny called out suddenly. "This place we're goin' - is it any good?"

"It's pretty fancy, yeah", Lee grunted, still busying himself with trying to clamber over the many boulders in his way. "If it's still in good shape, then it'll definitely have plenty o' safe places for us to hunker down for th' night."

"…And you said that you went there with your wife?" prompted Carley curiously, though there was a pointed tenderness to her question. She knew only too well that talking to Lee about his wife was always a sore subject.

"…Yeah", said Lee, after an awkward pause. "We spent a couple o' nights there on our honeymoon. It was pretty fun … you know, for what it was."

"Sounds swanky", quipped Kenny, with a telling grin.

"God, I wish one of my bonehead exes would've taken me somewhere like that every once in a while", said Carley, not bothering to conceal the jealousy in her voice. "I mean, I went to do a report at a place like that once, but … it's not really the same as going there for leisure purposes, you know?"

"Well, I don't imagine we'll be gettin' much pleasure out of our stay this time, that's for sure", panted Lee, having finally reached the top of the boulder pile. He clutched onto the tree that was rooted there, while he attempted to catch his breath.

Carley smiled at him, her eyes twinkling slightly. Apparently, she had other ideas in mind. Then she glanced over to the opposite side of the ledge. She seemed to ponder something for a second or two, then she called out, "How about you, Lilly? You ever been taken to a place like that before?"

A few seconds of tense silence passed yet again, perhaps because Lilly was silently debating whether or not to dignify that question with a response. Eventually, she seemed to decide that it was worthy of a reply, as she gave a long-overdue snort and said, "No. I'd hope that any guy I was dating would have a little more sense in his head than that. I can't stand those places. They're so corny."

"…Huh. I always thought it was kind of romantic, actually", mused Carley unashamedly.

"Yeah, well, you would, wouldn't you?" said Lilly, turning to face Carley with an exasperated expression. "Places like that are built for one thing and one thing only. Why pay to go and use a place like that, when you can just stay and do it in the comfort of your own home?"

"Well, that's not very exotic now, is it?" smirked Carley, clearly enjoying the banter now.

"If you wanna be surrounded by rose petals and lavender while you make out, then you might as well go and roll around in the bushes or something", said Lilly bluntly. "Those places are nothing but a scam to fleece love-sick couples who've got too much money, and not enough active brain cells." She finished her rant, then hesitated slightly before adding, "Uh … no offence or anything, Lee."

Lee shook his head, looking distinctly unamused. How was he not supposed to take offence to that? "…Not in front of Clem, you guys", he muttered pointedly, hoping to try and steer the conversation in a different direction.

Carley sniggered quietly, then turned back to scan the dark horizon again, as Lilly gave an unconcerned shrug and added, "I was vague enough."

"…What are you guys talking about?" enquired Clementine curiously, looking from one adult to another. When no one gave her an answer (Lilly merely tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear), Clementine gave an impatient huff and turned to Ben instead, who was still over by the old stone memorial. "Ben, do you know what they're talking about?"

Ben appeared to be quite flustered by the question, the blush on his cheeks visible even in the dim evening light, and he took a few moments to compose himself before answering. "They're talking about, er … flowers?" was apparently the best he could come up with.

A brief ripple of laughter ran around the adults at this.

"No, they're not!" pouted Clementine crossly, her voice rising slightly in her anger. "I'm not stupid, you know!"

"Maybe when you're a little older, kiddo", said Lilly tactfully, clipping Clementine's hat playfully with her right hand. "Now let's get back to searching. Let's see if we can find this place before they do", at this point she jerked her head unkindly in the direction of the others, as though she were referring to a disgusting cluster of cockroaches or something. "That way we can brag about it later, okay?"

"…Fine", grumbled Clementine, folding her arms grumpily. However, as she turned back towards the darkened landscape, she added in an undertone, "Geez, you guys never tell me anything."

Kenny wiped a tear of mirth from his eye (having unleashed a shout of laughter at Clementine's exchange with Ben), and the smile remained on his face as he said, "Kat and I visited a place like that once, you know."

"Oh, yeah?" said Lee conversationally, clearly still half-focused on what he was doing.

"Yeah. On our trip to, uh … Cyprus, I think it was", he muttered thoughtfully, staring dreamily into space, as he attempted to recall the memories. "It was while we were on our cruise around the European isles. This was years ago, mind you. Before we had Duc-"

Once again, he cut himself off as he arrived at the topic of his missing wife and son. And just as before, his head and shoulders seemed to sink several inches, and his cheerful smile was replaced with a look of deepest anguish. The mood of the group seemed to take a nosedive immediately, as everyone started fidgeting around, unsure of what to say to Kenny.

"…We'll find 'em, man", Lee reassured him, having turned around in confusion when Kenny's fond reminiscence had tailed off into silence.

When Lee's words seemed to have little-to-no effect on Kenny's depressive state, Lilly shifted her stance awkwardly, then said, "Lee's right. You should try not to dwell on it too much. I'm sure they're all OK. I mean, they've got my dad with them, right?"

"…Yeah, that's what's worryin' me", Kenny muttered under his breath.

Lee grimaced slightly, but thankfully Lilly didn't seem to have heard Kenny's comment. It would have been a sure-fire way to start another argument, that was for sure. Turning back towards Kenny, he added reasonably, "Y'know, Mark's with them too, Kenny."

Lilly looked towards Lee, then paused for a fraction of a second, before murmuring, "…Yeah. Mark, too." By the hesitation in her voice, Lee could tell that Lilly's faith in Mark's survival capabilities was not as strong as the faith she had in her father's.

Apparently, Kenny felt similarly about the situation, as he said, "Yeah, look - I know that Mark's a good guy an' all, but…"

However, they never got to discover what this "but" may have entailed, because Carley's loud, excitable voice drowned out the remainder of Kenny's sentence.

"Guys, I think I've found it!" she cried happily.

"Where?" demanded Kenny and Lee together, as Ben, Lilly and Clementine all turned towards the sound of Carley's voice.

"Right there!" Carley exclaimed, pointing out into the forest with her left hand. "Looks like it'll only be a couple of hours walk from here, if we make good time!"

Lee began to hastily climb back down from his lofty perch, as Kenny joined Carley over by her corner of the ledge. His eyes followed the direction of her index finger. Squinting into the distance, he attempted to distinguish the blackened shapes down in the forest. "…Holy shit", he muttered a few moments later, an element of wonder to his voice. There was indeed a collection of structures directly northwest of their current location, and they certainly seemed to resemble buildings. "You know, I think she's gone an' done it. I think she's actually gone an' found the place!"

"Wow, way to go, Carley!" Ben applauded.

"She's always had a good eye", said Lee with an appreciative smile.

"Oh", huffed Clementine disappointedly. "I wanted to be the one who found it…"

Lilly said nothing, but took a few steps forwards to try and see where they were now headed. When she got close enough to get an idea of the general direction that Carley was pointing in, her eyes flashed dangerously once again. "Are you fucking kidding me?! That's the direction we just came from!" she shouted, her tone rapidly becoming outraged. "We couldn't have been more than a half-kilometre away from that shithole - before you guys decided to drag our asses up a goddamn mountain, that is! If we'd just stuck to the plan and kept combing the area like I suggested, then we'd probably already be there by now!"

"Yeah, or you could have led us in entirely the wrong direction again, an' we'd have been lost in the woods on some wild goose chase all night", Kenny countered tauntingly. "At least this way we know f'sure, which is exactly what I was tryin' to tell y'all back there."

Lilly looked momentarily like she had a rather severe case of lockjaw, but Lee could sense that a storm was brewing beneath the surface, so he decided to quickly intervene again before it struck. "Come on, guys, let's not fight", he pleaded, looking from Kenny to Lilly with his arms raised in a calming gesture. "We know where we're goin' now, right? That's a positive thing! Good job, Carley," he added, turning to smile genially in her direction.

Carley waved Lee's praise away with good grace, gesturing vaguely with her right hand, as though to say that it was nothing. Lilly, however, turned to stare aggressively in the opposite direction, muttering something that sounded suspiciously like, "Pointless waste of time."

Meanwhile, as the others were celebrating Carley's discovery (or standing in irritable silence, in Lilly's case), Ben turned back towards the ancient burial site once again. The thing that had been fascinating him so greatly was the protrusion sticking out of the aged and moss-covered rock pile. It looked to Ben like it was the handle of some kind of weapon - maybe a spear or something. He glanced towards the others - Lilly and Clementine still on his left, Lee, Carley and Kenny on his right - and a glum expression momentarily settled upon his face. He knew that they all (or rather, most of them) saw him as both a coward and a liability, and that several of them (two in particular) would probably quite happily see him kicked out of the group. He couldn't much blame them, either. When it came to what this world had become, and what he was now required to do, Ben could only really describe himself as … well, a failure. No matter how hard he tried to pitch in for the team and win the other members' approval, he always seemed to find a way a messing up and ruining any positive contribution that he may have managed to achieve through his efforts.

They were all going to set off again soon, in the direction of this kinky hotel or … whatever it was. And on the way, Ben was sure that they were probably going to have to fight their way through the numerous stray walkers that were now roaming the forest below. And what was he going to do? Hide in the bushes while his companions did all the dirty work for him? Remain cringing in fear, while his fellows did the jobs that were necessary in order to ensure their survival? … Probably.

But that wasn't what he wanted to do at all. He was an adult now, after all, just like everyone else. And if they could do it, why couldn't he?

Perhaps it was time to step up. Turning back towards the ancient rock pile, Ben once again allowed his eyes to linger on the spear-like object that was wedged in amongst the neatly stacked stones. He gave himself a moment to allow his imagination to wander, and a fantastic scene was painted before his mind's eye…

There he was, standing in the midst of about twelve advancing corpses, each one of them lumbering purposefully towards him, hungry for his flesh. He fearlessly raises his deadly new weapon, swinging it powerfully this way and that, as he begins to cut the beasts down, one by one. And there was Lee, fighting by his side, a fierce pride burning in his eyes. Clementine and Carley were cheering him on from the side lines, while Kenny looked on astonished, saying humbly, "He's a better man than me." After the battle, with his enemies all slain, Lilly approaches him sheepishly from behind, muttering awkwardly, "I'm so sorry for the way I've treated you, Ben. Can you please find it in your heart to forgive me?"

A contented smile crept onto Ben's face at the very thought of it. Yeah, he thought. That would be awesome.

The others were all discussing something around him (probably planning how best to go about making their now treacherous descent in the dark), but he wasn't really listening. He had eyes only for the spear - soon to be his new travelling companion. He'd be like King Arthur from the stories he'd heard about as a child, and pull the legendary blade from the stone … or something. He did ponder the fact that one of the others would probably try and take the weapon from him once he was able to remove it (wanting to hog the glory for themselves, as they always did), but he would just have to cross that bridge when he came to it. He could probably come up with a convincing argument in his favour, if he tried hard enough, and in any case … he had to get the damn thing out first.

He loosened up his shoulders and flexed his long fingers and arms, wanting to warm his body up a little, before he began what was sure to be a long and difficult battle. He had to do it quickly though, otherwise one of the others was bound to come and remove it for him, which would totally steal his thunder. Finally, he clutched the handle of the spear with both hands, spacing them out evenly to give himself the best possible grip on the weapon. And then, feeling the glow of destiny upon him, he started to pull.

"So, how're we gonna go about doin' this, folks?" Kenny was saying, looking questioningly from Carley to Lee (his eyes curiously passing over Lilly entirely).

"Couldn't we just go back down the way we came up?" Carley suggested hopefully.

"Nah, I wouldn't feel comfortable with that", said Lee with a concerned frown. "That was pretty steep on the way up. I wouldn't even wanna think about how bad it'd be on the way down. And if we can't even see where we're puttin' our feet…"

"So, what? Do we try goin' down some other way an' risk gettin' ourselves into an even worse mess?" Kenny asked incredulously, throwing his hands up in a gesture of impatience.

Lee folded his arms, thinking. He debated with himself for a few seconds, then turned and began to say, "Lilly, what do you think we should-", but he was suddenly distracted by something else that had caught his eye. "…Ben, what're you doin'?"

"Hang on!" said Ben through gritted teeth, now placing his right foot onto the stone monument, as he continued to desperately tug at the wooden handle of the spear with all his might. "I'll - I'll be with you in a minute!"

"…Stop playin' around with that and pay attention to the conversation, kid", Lee advised him sternly, unfolding his arms and taking a step in Ben's direction.

"Ju - Just a minute! I've … almost … got it!" panted Ben desperately, uttering each word in between frantic yanks of the wooden pole protruding from the burial site.

"Ben, come away from there. That's dangerous", said Lee seriously.

"It's - It's okay, Lee! I've got this! Trust me!"

"I said stop playin' around with that! Now. If you pull that out, it could cause a rocksli-"

"It's … OUT!" Ben yelled, cutting across Lee's final warning, as he gave the weapon he so-craved one last fateful tug. The wood splintered clean in two, clearly weakened from having been exposed to the elements for however many years it had been up here.

The rock pile from which the "spear" had come gave an almighty wobble, and then came crumbling down. Ben sat there on the ground for a moment, still clutching the useless half of his desired weapon, and watching on in wide-eyed horror as the rocks began to tumble towards him. Then he gave a high-pitched scream and turned tail, attempting to scamper frantically away before he was buried alive by the falling rubble. He was only able to make it a few feet before he was struck over the head by one of the large stones, which knocked him unconscious instantly. His body crashed painfully into the hard, rocky ground, but luckily the bulk of the rocks seemed to fall around him, rather than on top of him. Only his legs were trapped by the time the pile had collapsed completely.

"Ben!" Lee, Carley and Clementine all called out, with varying degrees of concern in their voices. "Shit!" was all that Kenny managed to utter, his eyes almost as wide and shocked as Ben's had been.

Before any of them had managed to take more than a tentative step towards Ben's location however, the ledge they were all standing on gave a tremendous shudder. No, in fact … it felt like the entire landmass itself was shaking. The collapse of the old monument seemed to have set off some kind of chain reaction on the layers of earth beneath their feet, and that didn't bode well for the group at all.

"Alright… Nobody panic", said Lee, in what he hoped was a calm and commanding voice, though he was honestly struggling not to panic himself.

"…I fucking knew it!" Lilly shouted angrily, raising her voice above the growing rumbling and quaking noises, her arms spread wide to try and brace herself against the continued tremors. "This whole goddamn structure is unstable! Nice going, Kenny! You've led us into a fucking death trap!"

"Yeah, yeah!" Kenny retorted, equally furious. "Save yer bitchin' for later, will ya?! We gotta get outta here! An' fast!"

"But what about Ben?!" Carley shouted over the din, her hands raised to clutch either side of her head - whether this was a measure designed to protect her ears from the now deafening racket, or an act of sheer fright, wasn't entirely clear.

"There ain't time!" yelled Kenny harshly. "We gotta go!"

"What?!" Carley gasped, gaping at Kenny in disbelief. She looked desperately in Lee's direction, hoping that he had some kind of plan to get them all out of this, but Lee seemed to be just as shaken and lost as everyone else. Thinking quickly, Carley briefly licked her dry lips before saying, "Well, maybe we can - A-AAAGH!"

She was cut off by her own shriek, as the ground beneath her began to give way. "H-Help!" she screamed, trying desperately (and failing) to maintain her balance, as the northern most edge of the ledge began to break away from the rest, cascading down the cliff face to the forest below.

Kenny acted fasted, dashing over towards Carley and latching firmly onto her left arm, catching her before she fell. However, as Kenny reached her, his feet slipped on the unstable ground, and he skidded further towards the edge, losing his grip on Carley in the process. Carley gave another scream as she toppled helplessly out of sight, with Kenny soon to follow.

Thankfully, Kenny managed to swing his body around as he fell, enabling him to dig both of his elbows into the surface, and prevent the rest of his body from following his legs over the edge. No sooner had he managed to do this, however, then his body gave an unwelcome lurch backwards, as though something heavy had just latched itself onto his midriff. "F-Fuck!" he sputtered, while struggling desperately to cling onto what little remained of the ledge.

Lee was momentarily frozen in shock. Then suddenly, his voice returning to him, he shouted, "Carley! Kenny! Hold on! I'm comin' to help you!"

He had just taken a purposeful step in Kenny's direction when another scream reached his ears, one which made his blood run cold. He whirled around to see that the southern side of the ledge was also beginning to break apart, and just like Carley before her, Clementine was being dragged helplessly over the edge, as the ground beneath her began to disintegrate.

"CLEMENTINE!" shouted Lee desperately, his vocal chords straining painfully in his throat.

Lilly reacted like lightning as Clementine fell backwards, throwing out a long right arm and clamping her fingers down on Clementine's left hand. Unfortunately, as with Kenny, Lilly's sudden motion seemed to have hastened the earth's collapse and, sure enough, the ground beneath her boots also began to give way. "Oh, fuck!" Lilly cursed, frantically trying to back pedal while also maintaining her hold on Clementine's tiny fingers. The attempt was a lost cause, however, and she too slipped over as her foothold crumbled away, dragging both her and Clementine towards the abyss. With once last desperate burst of strength, Lilly thrust out her left hand as she slipped over the edge, managing to lock her firm fingers onto a fairly sturdy-looking stone that had not, yet, broken away from the rest. She then immediately dug her thick-toed boots into the cliff face in front of her, thus giving herself a much better grip on the rock.

Lee took a few frightened steps in their direction, fear and adrenaline flooding his body in equal measure. "L-Lilly?!" he cried uncertainly, unable to see the fingers that were still clutched onto the side of the ledge.

"I-It's alright!" Lilly called back, starting to hoist herself, one-handed, back onto the ledge. "I've got 'er!"

A wave of relief surging through him, Lee once again swivelled his body around towards the opposite side of the ledge, where Kenny was still clinging on for dear life. "Kenny! Pull yourself up, man!" Lee encouraged, calling out to him desperately. After all, he had both arms still on solid ground. If Lilly could do it…

"T-Trust me, I'm … tryin'!" Kenny yelled back in a pained voice. "But somethin's weighin' me down here!"

"Kenny, hold on! Whatever you do, don't let go!" came Carley's fearful voice from out of sight, causing yet another wave of blissful relief to explode inside Lee's chest. They were alive. They were all still alive.

"F-Fuckin' hell!" grunted Kenny gruffly, as his elbows began to slip even further towards the edge. "It's no good! You're too heavy! I can't pull us both up!"

"Well, you're gonna have to, 'cause I'm not letting go!" shrieked Carley, her voice slightly hysterical now. "I'll die if I do!"

"Goddammit!" yelled Kenny, his frustration somewhat masking his panic, as he tried, and failed, to once again scramble his way to safety using only his elbows. "This is gettin' us nowhere! Lee!" he called out, his eyes seeking out the man. "Can I get a little help here? 'Cause that'd be swell right about now!"

Lee hesitated. Any wrong move now could cause the whole structure to collapse, and yet he couldn't very well stand here and do nothing, either. He could feel every fibre of his body shaking with dread. He turned again to look towards Lilly's side of the ledge, hoping that she was making better progress at saving herself than Kenny was. Mercifully, she seemed to be fairing a little better on her end, as he could now clearly see her head and shoulders, with her having somehow mustered the strength to pull both herself and Clementine a foot or two closer to safety.

"Lilly, don't let go!" he heard Clementine sob, causing a spasm of fear to shoot across his chest again. "Please don't let go! I - I don't wanna die!"

"It's okay, Clem. I've got you", Lilly murmured stiffly, her face now shining with sweat from the effort of trying to pull the pair of them up, one-handed. "We're gonna be fine." She tried to smile reassuringly down at the girl, but it unfortunately came across as more of a painful grimace.

Clementine blinked up at Lilly in confusion, then took the dreaded look down. She screamed again, tearing her eyes away from the drop and clinging even more intently to Lilly's hand. "H-Hurry!" she squeaked.

"We're … almost … there!" Lilly panted, baring her teeth with the sheer determination to succeed. The rifle strapped to her back seemed to be weighing her down somewhat. "Not here", she growled fiercely, apparently more to herself than anyone else. "Not like this…" She summoned all of her remaining strength, then, with a cry of agony born from her aching muscles, she hoisted herself a little further onto the ledge, so that her upper torso was now almost entirely visible. "We're fine!" she shouted at Lee, seeming surprisingly composed for someone in her predicament, rather like she did this every day.

Lee nodded, Lilly's anger and focus strangely filling him with confidence. He took a few hasty steps back towards Kenny and Carley's location, careful not to cause the ledge to crumble away any more than it already had. But then he heard it - an ominous cracking sound from behind him.

A single bead of sweat trickled down Lilly's temple, her eyes widening in fear for the first time. The rock that she had been so firmly clutching onto was slowly starting to splinter, threatening to break away from the surface.

"Uh… Lee", she called out, a note of panic now penetrating the forced calm of her voice. "Whatever you're gonna do, do it fast."

Before Lee even had the chance to turn around again, he heard Carley scream, "Oh, god! Oh, fuck! K-Kenny! Hurry up! I'm slipping!"

"Yeah, an' you're damn well pullin' me down with ya!" Kenny hollered back, his face gradually turning red with the effort of keeping them both from falling.

Sure enough, Carley's arms, which were locked around Kenny's midriff, were beginning to give out on her. She tried to fight back the tears, as terror flooded her face. Was she really going to die here? She made a desperate attempt to hoist herself more firmly onto Kenny's waist, but in doing so, accidentally dislodged the handgun that had been stowed away within her jeans. "Oh, no!" she cried, watching on helplessly, as her trusty Glock tumbled out of her reach and down the steep drop of the cliff face. "Now I've lost my fucking gun!"

"Yeah, well we've got bigger things to be worryin' about right now! Lee!" Kenny bellowed again. "Get over here, pal! We need ya!"

"Please, Lee, hurry!" sobbed Carley, now blatantly on the verge of tears.

"Lee, I don't know how much longer I can hold on here!" came Lilly's strained voice from the opposite side of the ledge. "Make a fucking move already!"

"Lee, help!" squealed Clementine, the tears now streaming down her face.

Lee stood there, paralyzed, in the centre of the ledge. He was watching one of his worst nightmares play out before his eyes. On both sides there were people desperately fighting for their lives, and on both sides there were people he cared for dearly … people he couldn't afford to lose. Time seemed to be standing still. All ability to distinguish sounds left him.

He turned his head slowly to the right. He could see Kenny's mouth moving, his eyes fixed firmly on Lee's face, clearly begging his friend for assistance. Carley's despairing sobs were still clouding his thoughts. The pair of them were going to fall at any moment. He was slightly closer to them than we was to Lilly. He could get there quicker.

He turned his head slowly to the left. He could see that Lilly was now fighting a losing battle, struggling to hold onto the solitary rock that could no longer support both hers and Clementine's weight. Her eyes momentarily locked onto his - still fierce, still fiery and, despite her obvious fear, he could see that she was practically demanding him to take action. Clementine's terrified screams were still penetrating his heart like arrows. Could Lilly hold on long enough for him to save the others first? … Possibly. But he wasn't sure about that at all.

Lee looked down at his own shaking hands, his head spinning with a thousand terrible thoughts in a single moment. He didn't know what to do. He didn't know which choice was right. His decision had led them to this point, and now the lives of his friends and loved ones were in his hands. Make the wrong choice now, and someone he cared for would surely die … or perhaps someone he cared for was about to die, either way.

The only prevailing thought in his mind was that the time for indecision had passed. He had to make a choice. Now.

The only question was … what was he going to choose?

[Help Kenny]

[Help Lilly]

Soon: Well, there you have it, folks - the big choice that you've all been dreading/waiting for! So, do you agree with Carley? Are these "love hotels" a genuinely romantic getaway for loved-up couples to go and spend a few unforgettable nights in each other's company? Or do you agree with Lilly's more cynical approach? Are they just a con, designed to try and prey on gullible, soppy-minded fools? ... MAKE YOUR CHOICE!

...

What? ... Oh. Okay, then...

Er, my sponsors are telling me that what I've just written above isn't the actual choice. Apparently, the choice is whether you want to help either Kenny (& Carley) or Lilly (& Clementine). Well, that was kind of ... predictable. It's merely yet another "who do you save?" type of choice. And it's another "Kenny or Lilly" choice to boot! It's like the meat locker all over again! ... Only different. Ah, well... It is what it is, I guess. So, you know... MAKE YOUR CHOICE!

I'll leave you guys to mull this one over for yourselves. Everything you need to make your decision is already contained within the chapter above. I shan't be giving away what will happen in either scenario. It could be that there's a "correct choice" - one where everyone lives - or it could be that someone is destined to die here no matter what, in which case, your only input would then be to decide who it is that lives and dies. Are you willing to gamble for a better outcome? Or will you choose to play it safe, and lose two of your group members for certain? Whatever you decide to do, make sure that you go with your gut instinct. You're gonna be the one who has to live with the consequences, after all. This is life and death that we're talking about here, man! ;P

Also, if you're reading this after all of the outcomes have already been posted, I can say only this - DON'T YOU DARE CHEAT, YA BATTY! Don't go checking the outcomes before posting your choice! Make your choice first and then read on. That was my intent when I was designing this particular fan-fiction, and you'll get far more emotional payoff from the various conclusions to the story if you make your mind up prior to reading them.

Needless to say that at least two (or possibly all three) of the following three chapters will contain some character deaths, so ... brace yourselves for that, if you're gonna be sticking around for the grim finale to this little tale.

While you're busy thinking about which decision you're going to make, how about a nice Skit to lighten the tone a bit? That shouldn't distract you at all, should it? Haha.

Skit 2 (Spear of Destiny)

Ben: *yanks the spear effortlessly from the stone monument*

Everyone: :o

Ben: *strangled battle cry* … "Bow before me, weaklings, for I have pulled forth the Spear of Destiny!"

Everyone: O_O

Ben: *begins stylishly twirling the spear in his hands* … "I am the defender of the weak! I am the master of all that is just and good! I am the blade that will strike down evil, and forever vanquish the-" *knocks himself out with the spear's handle*

Kenny: "...Welp. That happened."

Carley: "Oh, Ben…" *shakes head ruefully*

Clementine: "What a goof…"

Lee: "Hmm… I wonder?" *walks over and retrieves the spear from beside Ben's body*

Carley: "…Lee, what are you-?"

Lee: *begins stylishly twirling the spear in his hands* … "Watch on in awe, ye mortals, for I have obtained the Spear of Destiny! I shall cut through the darkness, and strike fear into the hearts of-"

Lilly: "Stop that right now."

Lee: "…Spoil sport." -_-

Soon: I'll probably see you guys tomorrow with the first of the three outcomes to this choice. I hope you're all ready for it, 'cause (depending on your decision) this could end up being pretty rough ... or you could find it rough either way. I mean, who knows, right? :P

Be sure to post your decision prior to reading the outcomes, won't you? I wanna know how you guys are gonna try and reason this one out. And no changing your minds afterwards! Once you've made your decision, you stand by it like a man ... or woman ... or whatever it is that you identify as! You hear me?

You will also be asked to make a choice within a choice while reading through whichever outcome you've selected, so you can look forward to more tough decisions after this. Yes, I know - I'm evil. This has been well established. :P

Let me hear from you, people. After all, the whole point of this short story is to gather user feedback, and hopefully inspire a little debate among the readers. If I'm not satisfied with the level of interest shown over the next twenty-four hours or so, then I may end up simply postponing the conclusion to this story indefinitely. So, if you're reading this, and would like to see how this story ends, then make sure that you take the time to actually get involved, won't you? "A Perilous Choice" was intended to be an interactive experience, not something that you can just watch on from the sidelines, y'know? So, I hope to hear from you soon...