Soon: ...Yeah, it seems that some of you found that last one to be pretty tough going, huh? Hey, I warned you that it was gonna be rough, didn't I? ;p
Reply to leafs nation: You seem to be a little conflicted on your ideal scenario there, buddy. Haha!
"this fruit just got squished." - Clever.
Huh, I kind of figured that you'd want to leave Ben, if I'm honest. Let's see if you still maintain your stance after this chapter, shall we?
"she's one badass girl who I'd be over the moon to see possibly in season 3 or in a DLC type of deal." - Yeah ... not gonna happen. PM me if you wanna know why. I'm not about to discuss it here. As for Lilly in general, I also won't be discussing her too much on this story. There will be plenty of chances to do that in my future stories and updates, trust me - her theft of the RV (even if you agree to leave with her) in particular. Needless to say, she's a ridiculously complex woman. Arguably the most complex character in the entire game, in fact.
Although, I can't help but notice a slight logical fallacy at play here. You said that you don't want to leave Ben behind in this story, and yet you were apparently quite happy to agree to abandon Ben (along with Kenny, Katjaa and their dying son) in the game when Lilly requested it? Heck, she hadn't even mentioned Clementine at that point either, meaning that you could just as easily have been agreeing to abandon her as well. That strikes me as being a little odd. :3
As for Kenny, you have to understand that the man still has his family out there somewhere, lost in the wilderness. Unlike Lee (who was practically broken) and Carley (who was feeling guilty and helpless), Kenny still had a clear target waiting for him out there - and that target was obviously driving him to carry on living. It's not so much that he wasn't sad about Clementine's death, it was more that he had bigger things on his mind. Kenny is a man who lives for his family and/or loved ones, and pretty much everything else in the world (including Lee & Clementine) is ultimately expendable to him when it comes to his goal of protecting those he cares about most. If he had the fate of the world in one hand, and the fate of his family in another, then he would choose to save his family every single time. That's just the kind of man Kenny is. You see the way that you (and many of the others) casually forfeited the safety of Kenny & Carley in order to save Clementine (and Lilly, although she seemed to be immaterial in the minds of most people)? Well, that's exactly the way that Kenny thinks, too - help who you can, but not at the expense of family. You just have to look at the whole meat locker scenario to see that Kenny has very little concern for the welfare and feelings of others when his family is in jeopardy.
He was trying to remain strong for Lee's sake (since he knew that Lee was on the verge of breaking down), while also ensuring that they all made it off of the mountain safely. I can tell that you obviously don't like Kenny very much, but try not to let it blind you to his better qualities, yeah? ;)
Reply to ZombieSlayer995: Yeah, I ain't afraid of courting controversy, my friend. She's a fine woman, is that there controversy. And yes, you're correct - this outcome certainly isn't going to be "all rainbows and butterflies". As for your actual theory, well ... hmm. We'll just have to wait and see, won't we?
Also, no constructive criticism, eh? ... Aw. I'm pretty sure that I could've picked fault with something or other in the last chapter. :P
Reply to Guest: Thanks. Correct characterisation has always been a bit of pet peeve of mine, to be honest. I'd argue to the death to defend many of my decisions (though I'll also be the first to admit when something is a personal interpretation). I often find it a trying task reading other people's fan-fiction for this self-same reason, as there's usually at least one thing which either bugs me, or is just flat-out wrong, hehe.
As for "Salvation Lost", I'll be talking about it a little bit more when I post the final part of this story (which will probably be tomorrow, I should think). Writing is pretty low down on my priority list at the moment, though. As an entertainer at heart, I obviously get more motivated to produce "the goods" when I've got more of an audience, and ... the first chapter of Salvation Lost received a pretty "eh" response, on the whole. Not too bad, but far from fantastic. The fact that this story has already surpassed the other's review count (despite only being three chapters in) pretty much demonstrates that fact.
So, I dunno... I'm not really too thrilled about the idea of bumping it up on my "to-do list" when my target audience is so small, y'know?
And I'm sorry if I made you cry. Funnily enough, that should actually be considered a victory for me (as a writer), but ... I'm not about to do the happy dance at your expense, haha! Hopefully you won't find this upcoming part quite so depressing. Still, as you've said, this is The Walking Dead that we're talking about here, and pretty much the whole point of this franchise is to depress you and play with your emotions...
You're in the wrong fan-base if you hate the idea of feeling sad. XD
Reply to DarkStar35: Oh, I wasn't criticising you, as such. I was more getting frustrated at myself for not balancing the choice a little more, since I already had a hunch that the current version could end up being a little too one-sided.
Also, I think that you may find yourself to be in the minority when it comes to people who would choose to save Duck over both Kenny & Carley, especially if Duck was in slightly less danger than the other two. Just sayin'. ;P
Still, I hear what you're saying (about always putting the children first) and that's fine by me. That's your personal stance and there's honestly nothing wrong with it. Like I said, I wasn't really critcising you at all.
Thanks for reviewing again.
Reply to smeake: Hey, man, what can I say? It's The Walking Dead - not everyone you like is going to survive, y'know? Besides, Lilly is a trained military woman who just so happened to be assigned to the Air Force (meaning that she'd obviously know all about utilising your own body weight to your advantage while falling), whereas Clementine is an inexperienced, fragile, nine year-old girl. I'd have probably called bullshit on my own story-telling abilities if I'd had Clementine survive, while Lilly had plummeted to her death, haha! And I couldn't have them both live, could I? Like I said before - The Walking Dead an' all that. It's supposed to be depressing. :D
Soon: Okay, here we go. This is second of the three different outcomes for the short-story, "A Perilous Choice". If you're reading this, then that means that you've probably decided to go with the [Help Lilly] option for the previous choice ... either that, or you're merely curious about what will happen if you elect to go the opposite way instead. Maybe you weren't entirely proud of the results yesterday?
Yet again, there will be an additional choice to make later on in the chapter. And if you've taken the time to read yesterday's entry, then I'm fairly sure that you can guess what it is. ;)
This one could again prove to be a rough ride for some of you, so ... make sure that you properly prepare yourselves before diving in, won't you?
Outcome 2: Help Lilly (& Clementine)
Lee had made his decision. Clenching his fists tightly and momentarily clamping his eyes shut, he summoned up his resolve and forced his body to move to the right, tearing off across the ledge towards Lilly & Clementine's location, all caution for the stability of the ground apparently forgotten. He needed to move fast.
"Lee! What the fuck, man?!" he heard Kenny cry out from behind him, the shock and anger in his voice unmistakable. Lee felt a pang of guilt and remorse as he ran, though he refused to look back. He knew that his actions were quite possibly dooming both of them, but he simply couldn't afford to take the risk - he needed to prioritise Clementine's safety, at any cost. If he were able to do this quickly enough then maybe, maybe, he'd have enough time to go back for the others. That was his only hope at this point. There was nothing else that he could do. After all, Clementine's life was in danger.
He saw the relief flood Lilly's face as he raced over to help them. Tilting her head back, she whispered gently, "We're okay now, Clementine. Lee's coming to help us", to the girl, who was still dangling helplessly over the side of the cliff, the firm grip of Lilly's right hand acting as her one and only lifeline. Clementine snivelled slightly, the tears still streaming down her cheeks, but otherwise said nothing.
Lee made a desperate lunge as he reached the southern edge, fiercely latching both of his hands onto Lilly's left arm, and beginning the gruelling task of pulling them both towards safety. Thankfully, Lilly made this task slightly easier by using her feet (which were still planted into the rock face) to gain leverage, and thus improving her rate of climb.
As he was about halfway through his attempts to drag both of the ladies back onto firmer ground, Lee heard the voice of yet another lady, Carley, call out from the opposite side of the ledge. "Kenny, what's - what's happening?!"
"I'm slippin'!" Kenny gasped, clearly exhausted with the effort of maintaining his grip on the uneven surface. "I'm slip- F-Fuck!"
Lee looked worriedly back over his shoulder as he heard Kenny's sudden exclamation, and horror and sadness tore at his insides in equal measure, as he saw the rocks which Kenny had been so desperately clinging to break apart like the rest. Kenny's wild, startled eyes made contact with Lee's for just a fraction of a second, and then he was gone, vanishing into the night like the many broken pieces of rock and dirt before him.
A shout of shock and fear from Kenny was quickly drowned out by Carley's scream, as the pair of them plummeted, helpless, down the cliff face. It was a scream unlike anything that Lee had ever heard in his life - like something taken from an old-school horror movie. It was a scream of purest dread. And then it was cut abruptly short, as a loud series of crashes and bangs signalled that the falling objects had all made contact with the ground below.
Lee clamped his eyes shut for a second, trying to fend off the distressing images that his mind was painting for him - images which were probably somewhat close to the horrible truth of what had just happened to his long-time comrades. He had to focus. He needed to save the people before him first, then he could try and come to terms with the probable loss of his other friends' lives.
Turning back to his current mission, Lee briefly locked eyes with Lilly (who was looking quite fearful again herself), sharing a silent confirmation with her as to what had just taken place on the opposite side of the ledge. He then put all of his remaining strength into pulling them up, digging his heels into the unstable ground at his feet as he attempted to back up. The rock which Lilly had previously been clutching snapped clean in two as he pulled them both safely onto solid ground. Lee tried his best not to entertain the idea of what might have happened had Lilly still been holding it at the time.
Finally, with a little help from Lilly herself, he succeeded in yanking both her and Clementine away from the deadly drop, the girl still clinging onto Lilly's hand with all of her might. Lilly collapsed onto all fours, digging her fingers gratefully into the earth and panting heavily, as though she had just completed a marathon run. Lee noticed that she was trembling slightly - despite how well she had appeared to keep herself together when hanging from the cliff, it was clear now that the whole ordeal had severely shaken her up. She released Clementine at last, whose left hand was now red and swollen from how tightly Lilly had been grasping her.
The girl plopped to the ground with a dull thud, peering confusedly from left to right, as though actually unable to believe that she was still alive. After taking a few seconds to get her bearings, Clementine's eyes welled up once again as they fell upon Lee, who was sitting just a few feet in front of her, panting even more heavily than Lilly was, and looking just as shaken up. Clementine's features quivered in both sadness and delight as Lee looked over at her, and before he knew it, she had hurried forwards and thrown herself into his arms, sobbing uncontrollably.
It was a moment of sheer bliss for the pair of them. Clementine was safe - Lee had saved her again. For a moment, nothing else in the world mattered to either of them. No matter what may happen next, at least they still had each other.
Lilly tried to push herself to her feet, but seemed to think better of it after realising how unsteady she still was. Instead, she allowed herself to collapse backwards into a sitting position, running both of her hands through her hair as she attempted to rediscover her composure. She glanced up at Lee and Clementine, a few feet to her right, and couldn't help but give a small, saddened smile, upon seeing the affection contained within their embrace.
As he looked at her, Lee suddenly remembered what had just happened on the opposite side of the ledge, and the moment of magic they had just experienced was shattered like a hammer onto glass. Lee released Clementine and leapt hurriedly to his feet, staggering off towards the northern side of the ledge before he'd even properly regained his balance.
"Wh-What's the matter?" Clementine murmured anxiously, looking slightly apprehensive again.
Lilly stared after Lee for a few seconds, her expression pensive, and then forced herself to her feet, motioning for Clementine to follow her with a simple, "Come on, sweetie."
As Lee approached the fractured, northern most point of the plateau, he slowed his progress, not wanting to stumble and fall on the unstable ground - a mistake that would surely result in his death. He crept as close to the edge as he dared, and then cautiously leaned forwards to scan the terrain below. His eyes locked onto something within seconds, and what he saw made his heart sink past his knees, his expression becoming that of an agonised grimace.
Lilly reached him soon after, with little Clementine hot on her heels. As soon as her eyes fell upon Lee's tormented face, Lilly instinctively threw out her left hand to keep Clementine back. The girl looked momentarily affronted, but then confusion set in as she, too, attempted to catch a glimpse of Lee's expression, hoping to discover the truth from his face alone.
After several seconds of silence (Lee's eyes seemingly fixated on whatever he had seen below), Lilly followed the man's gaze down the length of the steep drop. She immediately spotted what was causing him such pain; Carley's body was visible, some fifty or sixty feet below them - her fall having been broken by a small ledge that was poking out of the cliff face. Unfortunately for her, however, this ledge was also littered with sharp, pointed rocks, one of which had seemingly plunged straight through Carley's back as she had fallen onto it, and was now sticking gruesomely out of her abdomen. Needless to say, there was a lot of blood. Her eyes were still open too, visible even from this height, staring wide and blankly up into the starry sky above them, as though she were merely daydreaming. But there was no longer any life stirring within those dulled orbs. There was no question about it - Carley was dead.
Lilly closed her eyes briefly, biting her lip as she did so, and then looked sadly back at Lee. The man looked numb. As though all of his energy had suddenly been sapped straight from his muscles. She didn't really know what to say to him, and so she decided that silence was probably the best policy.
"What's going on?" asked Clementine from behind them, still pinned back by Lilly's arm and clearly desperate for some manner of explanation. She noticed the solemn expression on Lilly's face, then glanced at the frayed edge in front of them, and the realisation struck her like a lightning bolt. "What - No", she squeaked, more tears threatening to fall, as the truth of what had just happened to their friends suddenly hit home. "N-No!"
Lilly spared Clementine a sympathetic glance, but Lee seemed not to hear her. "…Is there any sign of Kenny?" he asked Lilly quietly, his voice rather more than constricted than usual.
"…No", Lilly replied briefly, once again joining Lee in scanning the many ledges and rocky outcrops below them. "I don't see 'im anywhere."
Lee brought his right hand up to his face, gently rubbing his eyes as he uttered a single, "Fuck", in a strained voice. He could hear that Clementine was sobbing again behind him, but she had apparently decided not to bother the two adults while they were still busy searching for their missing friends. Lee wasn't sure if he had it in him to comfort her at the moment. He wasn't sure if he even had it in him to face her right now. After all, they wouldn't have even been up here in the first place, were it not for his own foolish decision making. "We shouldn't have come up here", he whispered hoarsely, his voice barely audible in the blustery night-time wind.
Lilly blinked once, sympathy for the man before her plastered all over her face. And yet she didn't seem to have any comforting words on hand to offer him in response to that rather damning statement, so she once again chose the wisdom of silence, glancing off to the side instead, with her right hand now cupping her left elbow nervously.
"…You can say it if you want", mumbled Lee in a defeated voice, now removing his hand from his face, so that he could speak more freely, and fully come to terms with the mistakes that he'd made. However, when Lilly merely frowned at him questioningly, Lee added, "You told me this was a bad idea and I didn't listen to you. Now our friends are dead … and it's all my fault." He hung his head in apparent shame, the weight of his own guilt now pressing down upon him.
Lilly studied his features closely, blinking rather rapidly, as she tried to decide how best to go about soothing and dismissing the man's regrets. Comforting other people had never been a strong point of hers. "You … You couldn't have known that this would happen", she muttered awkwardly, attempting to add a note of empathy and sincerity into her tender words. "I have to shoulder some of the blame as well. I mean, if I'd been a better leader to you all, then maybe I could have persuaded you not to go through with this", she added dispiritedly, clearly feeling some degree of inadequacy herself. Then she looked directly into Lee's eyes and said, "You only did what you thought was best … for all of us. I understand that. And so does Clementine."
Lee twisted his head briefly to glance at the girl behind him, the tears still wet on her face, before turning back to Lilly. He could tell that she was trying her hardest to be magnanimous about it all, which couldn't have been easy for her. He knew that Lilly would normally never pass up an opportunity to say "I told you so", and so it was a perhaps a mark of the seriousness of the situation that she was instead choosing to swallow such thoughts, presumably for his sake … as well as Clementine's. He wanted to allow that knowledge to help ease his own misgivings, but he just couldn't shake the feeling that he could have done more to save them. To save everyone. It seemed to him that there were so many ways that this all could have been prevented, looking back on it now.
When no words seemed forthcoming from Lee, Lilly pressed on earnestly, "Listen, there was nothing you could have done to save them. If you'd just left me and Clementine hanging there, then who knows what could have happened? You saved her, which is all you could really do in that situation. And-", she hesitated, a sudden surge of emotion seeming to strip her of her voice momentarily. "…you saved me, too."
Lee looked up at her again. Was this gratitude he was seeing? She certainly didn't seem too happy about it. On the contrary, he had rarely seen Lilly looking so glum. Whatever it may have been, he quickly saw through her disguised attempt to paint him as some kind of hero, rather than the misguided fool that he really was.
"You didn't need my help", he muttered dismissively, giving a delicate shake of his head. "You could'a pulled yourself up any time you wanted. All you needed to do was let go of Clementine … and you'd have been fine."
Lilly's gaze slowly fell to the ground as she pondered these words, apparently evaluating their truthfulness. "…Maybe", she conceded at last. "But-", she looked into his face once more, that familiar fierceness seeming to come alive within her eyes again. "-you know that wasn't ever going to happen … don't you?"
Lee could tell, by the mere ferocity in her eyes alone, that she was effectively daring him to question her integrity. And yet, he found himself wanting to do nothing of the sort. He knew all too well that she had risked her very life by attempting to save Clementine like that. He also realised that, had it not been for Lilly's speedy actions, the girl who meant so much to him would surely already be dead. "…Thank you", he said softly, genuinely feeling the sentiment that accompanied his words. "I mean it, Lilly", he added seriously. "Thank you. I'm … glad that you're here with us."
Lilly stared at him for a moment, carefully taking in the emotion beneath his words, but then blinked and looked off to the side again, as though she feared that maintaining eye contact with him for too long might actually blind her. She cleared her throat awkwardly. "Don't mention it", she mumbled stiffly, brushing some dust off of her jeans - probably to give herself something to do aside from looking at Lee.
Had the circumstances been altogether different, Lee thought that he might have actually smiled at the sight. He couldn't say that he'd ever seen Lilly acting so bashful before. It was a rather strange experience, in truth. However, with the weight of what had just happened still pressing down upon him like heavy rain, he was quickly robbed of his moment of mirth. He turned back towards the drop, scanning the rocks below in closer detail - although, he deliberately allowed his eyes to drift over Carley's body, as he found it was far too painful to look directly at her. "…Do you think that Kenny made it?" he asked Lilly slowly, without looking at her.
She appeared to consider him for a moment, the grave comprehension on her face clearly evident. She knew why Lee was so desperate for one of them to have survived the fall, as she herself felt similarly. Although Lilly would have hesitated in referring to either of the pair as "friends", the deaths of Carley and Kenny had still brought her absolutely no joy. Neither of them had deserved their fate. She turned her gaze towards the lower ledges as well, apparently still contemplating her answer. "…It's possible, I suppose", she admitted finally, the gentle shrug of her shoulders betraying her uncertainty. "He might have fallen somewhere out of sight. Maybe he grabbed onto one of the ledges there or something…"
"…Yeah, I guess", muttered Lee thoughtfully, feeling the slightest spark of hope rekindled inside of him. "He could be just fine, for all we know."
The desperation in his voice made Lilly cringe slightly. True, she had intended her words to give him some manner of consolation, but she didn't really want him to go getting his hopes up, either. After all, the chances of Kenny having actually survived his fall were slim at best, improbable at worst. "Yeah, but … why wouldn't he have done something to let us know that he was alright by now? I mean, he could have called out to us, at least…"
"Well, maybe he was chased off by something before he got the chance."
"Chased off by wha-?" Lilly's question died in her throat. She had heard it - they had all heard it - the ominous groans of the dead, sounding out across the vast forest below them. The sound of the rocks tumbling down the cliff face seemed to have echoed off into the surrounding trees, and thus alerted their rotting pursuers to the presence of a potential meal at the summit.
The walkers were on the move.
"…We should move", said Lilly swiftly, her wild eyes darting restlessly over the darkened landscape below, as she attempted to discern just how many of the undead were now on their way up to them - although, such an estimate was obviously impossible to make from this height. "Now."
"But … what about Kenny?" Lee's question was hesitant.
Lilly gave a slightly impatient shrug in response. "Look, if he did make it, then the first thing he'd do is try and find a way off this rock. We can always meet up with him later..."
Lee could tell that Lilly was humouring him, but he nodded his agreement with the plan all the same. After all, what good would staying here do now? Besides potentially getting them all trapped and killed by the approaching walkers? Even if Kenny was still alive, surely he would be sensible enough to head down the cliff, rather than up again?
The guttural moans of the walking dead were growing ever closer - now was not really the time to be lost in thought. It was time for decisive action. Snapping himself out of his reverie, Lee summoned up what little focus remained in his weary mind and turned, wrenching his eyes away from the drop, and the place where Carley's body still lay, motionless, some distance below them. He put a tender arm on Clementine's right shoulder, guiding her towards their only known escape route with a simple, "Come on, Clem."
Lilly watched the pair of them go, then took one last sombre look back down the cliff. As she made to leave, however, she caught sight of a sudden movement out of the corner of her eye. She immediately did a double take, thinking of Kenny, but then felt all of the remaining air get sapped from her lungs by the terrible sight before her.
Carley was moving again. However, these were not the jolting, pained movements of a living woman impaled upon a spike, but instead the sluggish, clumsy movements that Lilly saw every night in her dreams. She had become one of them. Her brain had obviously not been damaged by the fall and the resulting impact against the rocks, and so she had reanimated.
Her arms flailed pointlessly against the rock which had impaled her - a rock which she had no strength to free herself from. A gentle moan escaped Carley's throat, as she continued pounding against the rock in a repetitive motion, her eyes glazed over and unseeing, fresh blood still dripping from her mouth, which was now hanging slightly agape. It was a pathetic sight, in truth. Lilly tore her eyes away from the scene, unable to bear anymore. She may not have particularly liked the woman, but Lilly would not have wished this fate on anyone - not even her most hated enemies.
"Wait! What about Ben?" She heard Clementine whimper from somewhere close by.
"Clem, hold on! I told you not to run off like that", came Lee's rather stern reply. Then she caught the sound her own name instead, "Lilly! Are you comin' or not? We're supposed to be in a hurry here, remember?" He sounded impatient, and there was even a note of accusation present in his tone ... not that Lilly could really blame him, after all that had just happened. Even so, it wasn't like she was dawdling for no reason…
"Y-Yeah, I'll be there in a sec", Lilly called back to him hesitantly, her mind clearly still reeling from what she had just witnessed. Her eyes gave one last sweep of the lower ledges, apparently still looking for Kenny - though perhaps more in hope than expectation - and then she, too, turned on her heel and stalked off after her companions, the feeble groans of Carley's now-active corpse following her as she went. She suspected that they would continue to follow her for some time to come…
As she wandered over towards the others, she noticed that they were now standing over by the fallen rock formation, rather than the mountain trail that they were set to use as their getaway. "Ben! Ben!" Clementine was saying frantically, her tiny hands now placed on the boy's back, as she shook him with all of her might.
Noticing the troubled expression on Lilly's face, Lee said, "What's wrong?", and then, in a slightly more apprehensive tone, "What did you see down there?"
Lilly didn't answer Lee immediately, but merely shifted her stance awkwardly on the spot. "…No. It's nothing", she said dismissively, eventually finding her voice again. "I didn't see anything. I was just taking one last sweep, that's all."
One glance up at Lee's face told Lilly that he wasn't entirely convinced by her lie, but she wasn't about to elaborate any further. No good could possibly come from giving him such information. There was simply no need for Lee to know about that right now. In fact, he'd probably be happier if he never found out about it at all. Yes, she thought. Perhaps she would just keep it to herself…
"Lee!" Clementine exclaimed suddenly. "Lee, come quick! I - I think he's still alive!"
"He's just unconscious, sweet pea", Lee assured her soothingly. "And we'll have to get some o' these rocks off of 'im before we can even think about gettin' him up…"
Clementine had already begun her desperate attempt to free Ben's legs, hurriedly pushing both of her hands against the larger rocks which held him prisoner. "C'mon, Lee! Help me move them! We've gotta get him out!"
Lilly glanced down at the teenager's unconscious form, considering him intently. Her expression wasn't exactly what you would call forgiving, however. "Why bother?" she said finally, causing both Lee & Clementine's heads to turn abruptly in her direction. "He's only going to slow us down, anyway", she concluded evenly, seeming entirely unabashed by the harsh nature of her comments.
"What?" whispered Clementine in a scared little voice. "L-Lilly? What - What are you saying?"
Lee merely frowned, apparently doing some thinking of his own. And it was to him that Lilly turned as she added seriously, "We're in bad enough shape here as it is. If the three of us make a break for it now, together, then we've got a shot. But if we have to bring him-", she tossed her head in Ben's direction, "-with us? Well … let's just say that I wouldn't fancy our chances."
"That - That isn't true!" Clementine wailed, becoming upset at the very suggestion of abandoning a friend in need. "We can all make it together, if we try! I - I know we can!"
Lilly merely stared at the girl sadly and said nothing, and so Clementine turned her pleading eyes onto her guardian instead. "Lee, please! We can't just leave him here! He'll - he'll die without us!"
Lee blinked rather rapidly, and Lilly could see that he was yet again struggling to come to a decision. Leaning in towards him, she said, "Look, we have to be practical here. Are you really willing to risk our lives - her life - just to save this fuck-up?" She shot another venomous glance down at Ben. "He's the one responsible for us losing the others in the first place! This was his doing, Lee. He caused the rockslide. Is that really the kind of person you want to have by your side?"
"B-But he didn't mean to, though", Clementine protested, her high-pitched squeak at the midway point between anger and distress. "He was only trying to help, Lee, you know he was! Ben's … Ben's a good person."
Both Lilly and Lee glanced at each other at the same time. It had always been hard to refuse the child, especially when she put on a passionate defence like this. Lilly could see that Lee's head was already being swayed by the girl's words, and she honestly couldn't blame him - even she was starting to second guess herself now. She cleared her throat and bent down to Clementine's level, "No one's saying that he's a bad guy, Clem. He just-"
Clementine cut across her, tears in her eyes. "Then why won't you help him, Lilly? Why do you want him to die?"
"I don't want him to-", Lilly began, but then she broke off, scratching her head irritably. Trying to explain this to a child was so difficult, especially a child as good-natured and loving as Clementine was. "Look, sometimes we have to make tough decisions, sweetie. It's a part of surviving in this world now. Nobody's saying that you have to like it, you just have to accept that that's the way things have gotta be-"
"NO!" screamed Clementine fiercely, taking both Lilly and Lee by surprise. Lilly looked as shocked as if she'd just seen Clementine bite the head off of a live rabbit. "That's just an excuse!" Clementine continued boldly. "Admit it - you're just too scared to help him!"
Lilly's face drained of what little colour it had left. She felt as though Clementine had just driven a knife into her chest. She closed her eyes and swallowed bitterly, then rose back to her full height, her expression towards the girl souring somewhat.
Clementine turned to Lee once more. "You're gonna help him, right, Lee? You're not afraid! ... A-Are you?"
Lee grimaced slightly, then looked towards Lilly for some additional input. She turned her piercing eyes on him and hissed fiercely, "If we take him, he's gonna be nothing more than dead weight, and you know it. The boy can't even move right now, for Christ's sake. How are the two of us supposed to protect both of them, on top of protecting ourselves? …Be smart about this, Lee."
Clementine's eyes squinted suspiciously, as she strained her ears to try and make out what Lilly had just said, but to no avail. She shot Lilly another resentful glare, before turning her large, saddened eyes onto Lee again, uttering tearfully, "Lee, please, don't do this… I know that Ben messed up, but that doesn't mean that he deserves to die. He'll be all alone up here…"
Lee looked from one face to the other - Clementine, standing with her hands cupped together and her eyes upon his face, nervous and pleading; Lilly, her right hand now resting impatiently on her hip, frowning at Lee in a calculating manner, as though trying to deduce which decision he was about to make, before he had even made it. Lee allowed his gaze to fall back towards the unconscious boy at their feet, thinking hard. He had heard both Clementine's soulful pleas for mercy, as well as Lilly's cold, but reasoned argument, and now the only question was … which one was he going to listen to?
Take Ben
Lee's chest expanded momentarily as he drew breath, and then contracted again as he released it into the night-time air. "It's okay, Clem", he reassured her, bending down to aid the young girl in her faltering efforts to shift some of the heavier rocks that were pinning Ben's feet to the floor. "Of course we're gonna help him."
Clementine simply beamed at him, the tears still shining in her eyes. She nodded happily, then quickly busied herself with the task at hand, assisting Lee as much as her small muscles would allow. Lilly, however, averted her eyes from their efforts entirely, releasing a powerful blast of air through her nostrils to indicate her displeasure at Lee's decision. "This is so fucking stupid…" she muttered under her breath.
"Yeah, well it's happenin'", said Lee flatly. "So deal with it."
Lilly's expression became grim and distasteful at this - almost like she'd just thrown up in her mouth and been forced to swallow the sick again. "…If she dies, then this is on your head", she whispered harshly, as Clementine looked nervously from one adult to the other.
Lee paused for a moment, his breathing becoming suddenly shallow. He blinked twice, then forced down the anger that had just flared up inside of him. Now was not the time for petty squabbling, after all.
As he succeeded in flinging the final few rocks away from Ben's legs - and thus, freeing him - Lee hoisted the youth partway out of the rubble with a pained grunt of effort, then turned to Lilly once again, now sweating profusely, and said irritably, "You gonna give me a hand here or not?"
He saw Lilly's haughty eyes flash in his direction, briefly glancing him up and down. Her somewhat sedated expression, along with her complete inaction, already told Lee all that he needed to know, but Lilly decided to give him verbal confirmation anyway, uttering unashamedly, "I'm not willing to put my life at risk for him", her frigid aura remaining firmly in place as she did so.
"…Fine", grumbled Lee darkly, as he pulled Ben safely out of the rubble by himself.
It wasn't going to be easy to carry him down the mountainside, he had to admit. Just holding the boy's unconscious body upright like this was already exhausting the limited strength reserves that Lee had left. Ben was by no means a body builder, but he was very long and lanky, which made it awkward to support his weight evenly. It would certainly have been an easier task with another person here to assist him though, he thought sullenly, shooting Lilly an irritated glance out of the corner of his eye. She seemed to be completely unmoved by events, however. He also knew better than to think that he could guilt-trip her into helping. Once Lilly had made her mind up about something, it was always incredibly difficult to get her to shift her stance on the matter, sometimes even by a single iota. Even when she did reluctantly agree to go along with other people's plans, she rarely ever stopped truly believing that her original stance was the correct one … and the fact that she had been right, about it being far too dangerous for them to all come up here during night-time hours, had surely only served to reinforce this immense self-belief in her own her decision-making abilities.
"Can - Can I help?" asked Clementine uncertainly, holding out her hands behind Ben, as Lee started to drag the teen towards the mountain trail, perhaps because she intended to try and catch him, should he fall.
"No, honey. You just stay close to Lilly, alright?" Lee managed to grunt, in between the large breaths he was drawing every time that he shifted Ben forwards slightly.
"Oh. O-Okay…"
Finally, Lee managed to single-handedly drag Ben over to their planned escape route. Then he paused for a moment, partly to regain his breath before starting the daunting descent, and partly because he needed time to think this all through. With Ben weighing him down, he would - at best - only have one free hand to fend off the walkers with. Clementine, while incredibly smart and brave for her age, was also small and powerless. She would be unable to defend herself for long, were she to get attacked, and he would be unable to defend her, while also having to take care of Ben's well-being, on top of his own. He had to admit that Lilly may have had a point, as hard as that was for him to accept right now…
Lilly then arrived on the scene, having been slowly bringing up the rear, and Lee could tell by her expression that she was still distinctly unamused by the whole charade. She peered down the mountain side, glancing first to the left, and then to the right. She didn't seem too keen to lock eyes with Lee, however.
The calls of the undead were getting louder, and so much clearer now, as the terrifying creatures made their way clumsily towards the base of the rocky structure. Clementine was starting to look panicked again now, her breathing picking up pace as her frightened eyes darted about in their sockets. "H-How are we gonna get through them all?" she asked shakily, clearly trying to keep her high-pitched voice calm, but failing miserably. "Th-There are so many of them…"
"Hey!" Lee called to her, harsh and sudden. "Look at me…" She did as she was told, and his voice became far softer as he said, "No else is gonna die today. You hear me?"
Clementine's scared eyes traversed his features, clearly searching for comfort that his words could not give her. Any hope that he'd had of successfully consoling the girl was ruined a second later, however, as Lilly uttered dryly, "…Except maybe us", from somewhere behind him. Clementine flinched in fright, and then turned her terrified gaze onto Lilly instead, as though hoping that she would cry "April Fools" or something.
Lee clamped his eyes shut tight, praying for patience. He could understand why Lilly was angry, but her current attitude was only serving to make a bad situation even worse. He knew that shouting her down or attempting to issue commands would be futile, though. This was Lilly, after all … if it had been anyone else, he might have had a shot. But this was serious. He needed Lilly on side. Without her, he and Clementine would both be completely fucked, and he knew it. He turned his head purposefully in her direction, wanting her to know that his eyes were upon her.
She continued to stare stubbornly in the opposite direction for several more seconds, before it became impossible her to avoid looking at him any longer, and so she reluctantly met his gaze. "…I told you, I'm not going to help you carry him", she stated coldly, apparently misinterpreting Lee's silent plea. "It wasn't my decision to bring him along. I'm not about to let you drag me down with the ship, Lee."
"I'm not asking you to", said Lee tolerantly. "This was my choice, and I'm gonna have to live with the consequences. I fully accept that."
"…Then what's with the guilt-trip?" Lilly asked bluntly, gesturing impatiently with her right hand.
"You-", said Lee seriously, pointing the index finger of his free hand at Lilly. "-keep her-", he now pointed towards Clementine instead. "-safe. Got it? I won't be able to look after both her and Ben, so this job falls to you." He looked at her gravely. "Can you handle that?"
He hoped that by questioning her ability to keep Clementine safe, he could perhaps taunt her into helping him. He knew that it was a pointless affair, however. Lilly wasn't the type to fall for cheap tricks like that. If she was going to help him, she would do so regardless. And if she refused, then there wasn't much that he could do about it. Nevertheless, he summoned up as much sincerity as he could muster, trying to convey the sheer desperation behind his request.
Lilly took a good few seconds to consider him, seeming to drink in the passion on his face for a moment. He could tell that she was thinking hard, but he hadn't the faintest clue what her thoughts might entail. Her expression was almost completely passive - she could be a real enigma at times, this woman.
"…You don't have to worry about that", she said finally, her tone low and heavy, which sent a slight tingle up his spine. "I'll keep you and her safe", she glanced meaningfully at Clementine, and then back at Lee again as she added quietly, "I swear it."
Lee stared at her, surprised. In truth, her passion had caught him completely off guard. He hadn't expected that at all. However, it hadn't completely escaped his attention that Ben had once again been excluded from the list of people she was willing to protect - no surprises there, at least. Nevertheless, he returned the fierceness of her gaze, as he once again uttered a profound, "Thank you."
Lilly nodded her head once, then turned to stare at Clementine instead. The girl gave her a shaky little smile, clearly feeling guilty for the things she had said to the woman earlier on. Lilly put a strong hand on her small shoulder and drew the girl towards her, saying firmly, "You, stay close."
"U-Uh-huh."
Lee smiled slightly at the sight, feeling his jaw ache from the strain of it. Such a simple act, and yet it felt so foreign to him now. It would probably be a while before he'd feel comfortable smiling again…
"Alright", he said bracingly, turning around and lowering Ben onto the platform below - the boy's body collapsing into a heap, like a ragdoll, as he hit the ground. "Let's go!" Lee clambered down after him.
"Come on", said Lilly, grabbing Clementine around the midriff and quite effortlessly picking her up. She handed the girl down to Lee, then swiftly jumped down herself, her heavy boots crashing against the solid rock with a thump.
In truth, Lee was dreading what was to come. He would have been a fool not to be, really. He knew that Lilly was an extremely capable individual, but was she really capable of keeping two, maybe even three, people safe, as well as herself? He supposed he was about to find out. And if things were to go bad down there, would she fight with them until the end, or would she simply flee and save herself? She had given him her word, but … well, he wasn't sure what to think anymore. What would he do, if his decision to bring Ben along cost someone their life? What if it was Lilly? What if it was Clementine? How would he even go about trying to cope with such a nightmare scenario?
He thought of Carley, speared upon a rock - her cold, dead eyes staring at a sky they could no longer see. He thought of Kenny, conspicuous by his absence, possibly still living, possibly dead … or possibly even somewhere in-between.
…No, was his final thought. He wouldn't be forced to watch anymore of his companions die this night. Any of them. Because he would fight with every last breath in his body to make sure that what remained of this group survived this. Carley may be gone, and Kenny may be missing, but he still had Lilly … and he still had Clementine by his side. He would die before seeing his own hands smeared with anymore of their blood.
And with this promise acting as his guide, his hampered stride seemed to strengthen, dragging Ben's limp form along in his wake, as he made his way purposefully down towards the battle that awaited them below.
Leave Ben
Lee's chest expanded momentarily as he drew breath, and then contracted again as he released it into the night-time air. "Come on, Clem", he uttered finally, reaching out to gently lay his hand on the girl's left shoulder. "It's time to go…"
Lilly, having realised which decision Lee had made, drew a steady breath in through her nostrils. She then nodded her head ever-so-slightly, before averting her eyes again completely.
"H-Huh?" stammered Clementine, confused and afraid. "But … but Ben-?"
"There's just no time, sweet pea", said Lee bracingly, knowing fully well how difficult it was going to be to try and explain this decision to her young and innocent mind. "We've gotta go…"
"But he's right here!" Clementine pleaded tearfully. "We can help him! We can help him together!"
"Look, Clem, sometimes you've just gotta look at the bigger picture, okay?" said Lee quietly, bending down, as Lilly had before him, to try and communicate with the girl better. "It's like Lilly says, honey - this is for the good of all of us."
"All of who?" Clementine demanded accusingly, her tone becoming steadily more hysterical with every word spoken. "Not Ben! He needs our help and you're turning your backs on him! That's not what friends do! Friends look after each other! Friends forgive each other!"
Lee looked absolutely powerless before Clementine's tirade, his wide eyes clearly displaying both his pain and his regret at having to go against the child's wishes. Lilly, now watching the back-and-forth closely, decided to step in again - Lee obviously required some help with this one. "We're not doing this because we want to, Clementine", she explained, trying to keep her voice as tender as possible, given her previous exchange with the girl. "We're doing this because we have to. Lee's just trying to protect you."
Clementine shot Lilly another tearful glare, then turned back to Lee with resentment in her young eyes. "You told me that you weren't bad, Lee."
"I - I'm not, Clem. I promise", said Lee hopelessly, stuttering slightly, as he noted the contempt in Clementine's voice. She'd never looked at him like this before. "I just-"
"Then why are you doing bad things?!" Clementine shouted angrily, all the while trying to prevent the tears in her eyes from falling, but rapidly losing said battle. Lee reached out a gentle hand to try and comfort her, but she shrugged him off in a tearful rage, viciously pushing his hand away with her own. She gave him one last reproachful look, and then stormed off past him on her way back towards their getaway trail, the tears now streaming down her face in earnest.
Lee was momentarily frozen in place, his outstretched arm still hovering where Clementine had rejected his act of compassion. He blinked back his discomfort, drawing said hand up to run it over his short hair in frustration. That conversation had not gone at all how he had intended it to go. He slowly rose back to his full height, his body now aching like a man twice his age. He took a moment to try and gather his thoughts, then looked to Lilly again for guidance. What he was hoping that she would say or do to console him, however, even he didn't really know…
Lilly studied his face carefully, taking in all of the unease and the regret that resided there. She released a weary sigh, and then gave a rather hopeless shrug of her shoulders, saying shortly, "There's nothing to be done. Let's just get out of here, while we still can."
Lee nodded his consent and, without even feeling sure what he was doing, he turned and walked with her, as the pair of them headed off after Clementine. The girl was waiting for them over by the exit, and her despairing sobs were still carrying over to them quite clearly on the night-time air. She looked absolutely distraught. Lee hated to see her like this. He hadn't even realised that she had grown so attached to Ben. Then again, Lee thought gloomily, Clementine had a tendency to grow attached to everyone. That was just the kind of girl she was…
"I don't even have the slightest idea how to go about explaining this to her", Lee admitted quietly, causing Lilly's eyes to flick in his direction as they walked.
"...She'll understand why you did it ... eventually", Lilly reassured him, her voice no more than the hoarsest whisper. "Yeah, she might be pissed at us for a while, but … This is just the world that we live in now. And you have to adapt if you want to survive out here." Lilly shook her head sadly, clearly trying to rid herself of some unwanted feelings of her own. "She'll learn. In time", she continued solemnly. "…She'll have to, if she wants to gain the tools that she needs in order to live through this."
Lee watched her glumly as she spoke, thinking over her words. Perhaps she was right, but that didn't make the overall sentiment any easier to accept. As Lilly had said, this was not something that Lee had wanted to do at all. He merely felt like it was something that needed to be done, if the three of them were going to be able to make it out of this alive. A calculated sacrifice … And one which made Lee's insides clench painfully with guilt. He didn't feel that he was cut out for making these kinds of decisions.
"I just hope that we're doin' the right thing", he uttered finally, his fears creeping out of his mouth, uninvited.
"…Yeah, me too", said Lilly in a small, remorseful voice. Lee looked at her rather suddenly. So, she was questioning the wisdom of this decision as well, was she? Lilly always seemed so assured to Lee - her various opinions and stances so set in stone - that it shocked him a little, to see these apparent insecurities seeping out of her. Noticing Lee's reaction, Lilly frowned accusingly at the man and added sharply, "What?"
"Nothing", said Lee hastily, breaking the eye contact between them, for fear of being burned by her gaze. "I just … thought that this is what you wanted, that's all."
"What kind of monster do you take me for, Lee?" hissed Lilly dangerously. "Who would enjoy something like this?"
"That wasn't what I was-", Lee began awkwardly, but then he cut himself off with a sigh of his own. He tried to compose himself before speaking again. He didn't really need to go upsetting both of the women in his life … especially as they were all that he had left now. "Look, I'm sorry, alright?" he mumbled apologetically, his despondency clearly distinguishable in both his voice and his expression. "I shouldn't have…"
He shook his head, his voice tailing away into nothingness.
Lilly observed him with one eyebrow raised. Apparently, she had been steeling herself for yet another argument, and so had been entirely unprepared for his apology. Sympathy mingled with a twinge of guilt, as she lowered her head and said, "It's fine, Lee. I'm … I'm sorry, too. Things are just … difficult right now, y'know?"
Yes, thought Lee, as he looked over at Clementine again, who was now frantically rubbing her eyes to try and rid herself of her tears. Things certainly were difficult right now.
"And for what it's worth", Lilly pressed on, thus directing Lee's attention back onto her again. "I meant what I said to Clem back there. I don't really have anything against the kid." Then she shrugged and added. "This is just something that had to happen, that's all."
Lee wanted to believe that. He wanted to be able to accept that their decision was made out of necessity, rather than any kind of lasting grudge against the boy, but … Clementine's reaction was making such a notion that much harder to adopt and abide by. Nevertheless, he nodded slowly at Lilly's statement, as the pair of them finally caught up with Clementine at last. The girl looked utterly miserable, and she didn't so much as glance at either of her adult companions as they arrived. It made Lee's heart ache to see her giving him the cold shoulder like this. He really didn't need to be dealing with this right now, if truth be told. He had quite enough guilt and regrets to contend with as it was.
He knew that he had to be gentle and kind with her, however. The girl was already seeing a darker side of him that he would rather not have displayed for her, and the last thing that he wanted was to frighten her, or else drive her away even further.
"Come on, sweet pea", he said softly, offering her his hand again, so as to help her down to the ledge below them. "It's time to go now."
Clementine merely sniffed at this, still biting back further tears. She looked torn between two different extremes - sadness and resentment - and couldn't seem to decide which of the two she would rather display towards her guardian. She then seemed to settle for gazing past Lee instead, back to where they had come from … towards Ben. He could see her large, round eyes shaking with suppressed emotion.
"Look, may - maybe Ben will catch up to us later on", Lee invented wildly, knowing full-well that he was talking utter nonsense, but still desperately trying to find some way of getting the girl back on side. "We can try and lead the walkers away from here. Maybe give 'im at shot at making it, y'know?"
He smiled hopefully, trying to convey some modicum of warmth and comfort for the girl. Doing so wasn't easy, however, as Lee himself was experiencing no such feelings in earnest. Clementine locked eyes with him momentarily, and he found it extremely difficult to maintain the eye contact - he hated giving the girl false hope. Instead, he looked to Lilly for some back up. Maybe they could convince her together. "I-Isn't that right, Lilly?"
Lilly started. Apparently, she hadn't expected to be asked her opinion on such a foolish masquerade. She hesitated slightly before muttering, "Uh… Y-Yeah", and then turned to stare awkwardly off in the opposite direction again, adding only, "…Maybe."
Lee snapped his eyes shut tight, resisting the urge to slap his own forehead in exasperation. If he'd known that Lilly was such a terrible liar, then he wouldn't have sought her help on the matter in the first place. She was even worse than he was at telling fibs, and that in itself was an achievement. He took a deep breath, then turned back to Clementine to gauge her reaction. Sure enough, she didn't seem to have been taken in by their deception at all - her suspicious eyes travelling from one guilty face to the next. And who could honestly blame her? That little farce would probably have failed to fool your average five year-old, never mind a child as clever and astute as Clem was.
Deciding that the game was up, Lee threw caution to the wind and tried one last, desperate tactic. "Ben would want us to go, Clem. He wouldn't want us to die for his sake. You … You know that, right?"
In truth, this was almost certainly yet another bare-faced lie. Lee was fairly sure that Ben wouldn't have wanted to be left behind at all, under any circumstances, but … hopefully Clementine wouldn't work that out. She certainly seemed to be considering Lee's words at least, her eyes searching his tired and desperate face for some sign of sincerity.
"We're not bad people, Clem", Lilly chipped in from Lee's right. "We're just … trying to survive. And sometimes, that means having to do things that we don't really want to do."
Clementine glanced first at Lilly, pausing briefly to take in her saddened expression, and then turned back to Lee, who determinedly met her sombre gaze with one of his own, his heart feeling heavy and weak. Then her head dropped to stare at her own feet instead, and he saw her give a shaky, despairing little nod.
And so the deed was done.
"Okay, Clem", Lee murmured quietly, his tone one of understanding. "Let's get you out of here." He offered her his hand for the third time, and this time she took it, though only after a moment's hesitation. Lee lifted her up, and then helped to guide her down onto the level below, taking care that she didn't accidentally catch herself on any of the rocks. As he straightened up again, he turned to Lilly to see that she was now readjusting the strap of the rifle on her shoulders, presumably trying to make the gun easier to access when needed. It was a welcome sign, as her expert marksmanship was sure to be needed in the battle to come. "You good?" Lee enquired of her watchfully.
Lilly nodded her head, but then instantly contradicted herself by uttering, "Not really", which caught Lee slightly off guard. Talk about the art of misdirection. She then moved to remedy this a moment later, however, by adding, "But let's do this", her expression now set and determined, her face as hard as stone.
Taking confidence from her steel and resolve, Lee clenched his own fists tight, and then jumped down to the next level after Clementine, with Lilly soon to follow him.
The trip down the mountain would be treacherous, and the fight against the walkers after that would no doubt be even worse. He had lost Carley this night, and Kenny might be dead as well, for all he knew. He had also just chosen to sacrifice Ben, no more than a boy himself, so that they could all stand the best chance of living through this. And yet, despite all of this heart ache and guilt that was swelling within of him, the light of hope was still burning strong inside of Lee's chest.
Clementine was alive. Her young life had almost been snatched from his grasp tonight, and yet he had managed to drag both her and Lilly back from the abyss, with his own two hands. Despite the sadness and the regret that was still threatening to overpower him from within, he could at least take pride in that fact - his main reason for continuing to live was still here beside him, and wasn't going anywhere any time soon. Not if he could help it, at least.
He looked again towards Lilly, who met his gaze unflinchingly. She was ready. He then looked down at Clementine, who glanced at him nervously, as the groans of the undead grew steadily louder beneath them. He smiled at her sadly, closing his right hand tenderly around her left shoulder, in an attempt to ease her fears.
Whatever was about to happen next, Lee knew at least one thing for sure - that girl was going to make it through this. And if he had to fight until his last breath to make that desire become a reality, then so be it. But Clementine was going to survive.
And with his heart and mind now set on this singular goal, Lee slowly drew out his gun from the back of his jeans, as he and his two remaining companions continued their descent towards the approaching horde.
Soon: Yo! ... And that's what happens if you choose to help Lilly instead of Kenny - Lilly & Clementine are both still fit and firing (in Lilly's case, at least), but poor old Carley has now died and reanimated. Kenny is now MIA (a status he is well accustomed to, of course), and could just as easily be dead as alive. Nobody knows!
This one actually turned out slightly longer than expected (both Clementine & Lilly needed to be talked round if you chose to side against them with the Ben decision, after all), and has now easily become my longest single chapter to date. Wow... This was a big one, wasn't it?
So, keeping in with what I was saying yesterday - how do all of you who made this choice feel about it now? I mean, I would assume that you knew full well coming into this what to expect (I made it quite clear that both Kenny & Carley were likely fucked if you left them hanging there), so ... satisfied? Any regrets? Or are you just relieved that you chose the option which allowed you to keep Clementine alive?
And what about the Ben decision? ... Yeah, it was a little bit trickier this time (with Clementine involved), wasn't it? I had a lot of fun writing that part, as the contrast between Clementine's and Lilly's view points was so stark, but both also produced a pretty convincing case for their defence as well, don't you think? Question is - which one did you listen to? And how did you feel about the reaction of your two remaining companions to your choice? Lemme know, won't ya?
Now comes the part where I trample all over the tragedy produced in the chapter above with yet another set of Skits - two, to be precise. Take a look...
Skit 5 (Speaking Walker)
Lilly: *peering over the edge of the cliff*
Walker-Carley: *gurgling moan*
Lilly: "…What did you just say to me?"
Walker-Carley: *series of rasping coughs*
Lilly: "Say that one more time. I fucking dare you!"
Walker-Carley: "blood bubble forms*
Lilly: "Oh, you did not just-"
Walker-Carley: *blood bubble pops*
Lilly: "…Alright, that does it. I'm going down there. She's not gonna get away with saying shit like that to me!"
Clementine: "Wow… I didn't know that Lilly could speak the walker's language."
Lee: "Neither did I. Uh ... Lilly? Hey, Lilly! Where are you goin'?"
Lilly: "To give that little scamp a piece of my mind! You two wait here!"
Lee: *sighs*
*Kenny suddenly levitates into view*
Lee: "…What the fuck?"
Kenny: "Hey, guys! Check it out! Looks like I have the ability to float in mid-air. Who'da thunk it, huh?"
Clementine: "That's so cool, Kenny!" :D
Kenny: "It sure is, darlin'. It sure is."
Lilly: "Hmph. See, Lee? Didn't I always tell you that he was full of hot air?"
Kenny: "Ah, you're jus' jealous!"
Lilly: "Like hell I am!"
Kenny: "Oh, yeah? Do you have the power of flight, Lilly?"
Lilly: "I-"
Kenny: "Do ya?"
Lilly: "…No." :(
Kenny: "Well, then. Quit wit' the sour grapes, will ya?"
Walker-Carley: *lengthy wheezing noise*
Lilly: "Oh, she is so dead when I get down there! ... Uh … y'know … more than she already is, I mean."
Lee: "…I don't even know what's going on anymore."
Skit 6 (Fluffy)
Clementine: *bites the head off of a live rabbit, then spits it out onto the ground*
Lilly: *dramatic gasp* ... "FLUFFY, NOOOOOOOO~!"
Lee: "What the-? Where the hell did that rabbit come from all of a sudden?"
Lilly: "H-He was my bunny..." ToT
Lee: "Man... Clementine, now look what you've gone and done - you killed Lilly's pet rabbit."
Clementine: "I don't care! She's trying to kill my pet Ben!
Lilly: "Fine, you know what? I'm biting his head off too! Fair is fair!"
Clementine: "No! You stay away from him, you bully!"
Lee: "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Now, hold on a minute, Lilly..."
Ben: *groans and wakes up* "Lee? Cl-Clem? Wha - What's going on?"
Clementine: "Ben, RUN! Lilly's trying to eat you!"
Ben: *depressed sigh* "...Somehow, I always knew that this day would come."
Lee & Clem: "...Huh?"
Lilly: "You bet your ass it was gonna - ... wait, what?"
Soon: Hyuk hyuk hyuk! Will Ben get his head bitten off? Will Lilly really get to give Walker-Carley a piece of her mind? Will we ever get the answer to these questions?! ... No. No, we won't.
Just one last part to go now. Tomorrow will be dedicated to all of you who are in the "I CAN'T CHOOSE! DON'T MAKE ME CHOOSE!" club, so look forward to that. I ain't promising a happy ending, but parts of it should certainly make for interesting reading, at least. I'll also be wrapping the whole thing up by talking about these choices and their consequences (as well as how and why I designed this story) in a little greater detail, which will hopefully serve to inspire a little debate among the readers.
See you tomorrow, guys.