"Lee?"
"Yeah, sweet pea?"
"What did you do before all this?" Clementine asks shyly as we drive away from my parent's pharmacy. "I mean, uh, what kind of job did you have?"
"Well," I pause, trying to put this into words that she'd understand. Carley glances back at us from the front seat, probably waiting for me to blurt out how I killed the state senator, but I'm not that stupid. "I used to teach up at the university – I taught history and things like that."
"Oh, like social studies?"
"Just like that."
"That's so cool!" she exclaims excitedly as Glenn chuckles in the front seat. I've gotta say, the kid's pretty cute when she gets into something. "That was my second favourite class of all! The best one was probably science, but I liked recess and lunch too. I hope I can go see my friends again soon."
I don't have the heart to tell her that her friends and teachers are most likely dead, so I say nothing and rub my hand over my tired face. After having just seen my brother like that… god. I just wish that I could've been there more often, instead of just making up excuses all the time for when he asked me to come visit.
Why the hell am I even still here? Don't get me wrong, Clementine's a great kid and all, but I'm not her dad, and these seem like okay people to me. In fact, if it wasn't for her looking for her parents, I probably would've just moved on from her house. We don't really have much of a relationship at all – I'm just some stranger who came into her house and took her with me.
Jesus, when I say it like that it sounds like I kidnapped the poor girl.
"What did you want to be when you grew up, Clementine?" I ask after a few minutes of silence.
"Umm… it might be dumb, but… I wanted to be a police officer," she responds meekly, twirling her hair around her finger.
"That's not dumb at all, Clem. A police officer would be a perfect job for you."
"You think so?" she asks as we pull into the parking lot of the motor-inn. Hopefully we can fix this place up a little, since the memories of that poor bitten girl are still fresh in our minds. It's easy to just say you can't give up when times are tough, but when it actually happens to you – that's when you really have to buckle down and see if you've got the willpower to pull through. In that girl's case though, it didn't matter what her options were. She was bitten, and there was no coming back.
"Yep, Officer Clementine," I joke as she giggles a little bit, but the both of us stop when we notice Carley's downtrodden expression. Doug died not even an hour ago, and here I am trying to make jokes. Not the time, Everett. Not the time at all.
It's kind of funny now looking at how things have changed – I went from thinking of moving on from her to not being able to live without her. Clementine literally is my life. If I ever lost her, then I don't know what I'd have to live for. The only person I'd even consider to really be a friend to me is Lilly, and even so we haven't always been on the greatest terms.
Looking over, I notice that Eddie still hasn't moved or said anything for quite some time. He must still be grieving over the loss of his friend – poor guy. Arvo honestly looked like he wouldn't hurt a fly, and to be shot down out of nowhere like that… it just isn't right.
I'm expecting to see that prick Nate soon enough, or at least one of his followers if he's too lazy to come get us himself. I'm really surprised that these people are going along with this asshole – I mean, isn't it bad enough that people are dying from walkers all the time? Why would they want to partake in this messed up shit? This is no better than organized dog fighting that you'd hear about on the news.
And, as if right on cue, the door opens and in comes an Asian guy with long, dark hair, a shorter black guy who really looks like he'd rather be anywhere else, and a big, well-built white man with a beard. If I had to take a guess, I'd say these are our chauffeurs.
"Up and at 'em," the white man orders, forcing Eddie to his feet while starting to unlock his handcuffs. The Asian guy undoes mine while the shorter guy watches on with a gun in his hand. What does he think I'm going to do in this situation, honestly? "It's Judgement Day, assholes. You better pray while you've still got the chance."
"Fuck you."
"No thanks," he responds to me like a smart ass, before turning to his companions. "Vince, Russell, make sure he doesn't try to escape. Tavia's counting on us to do this shit right."
"Come on, Hank," Vince sighs, shaking his head, "You know this is a democracy – nobody's in total control of anything. You don't have to look up to Tavia."
"Some fucking democracy," I spit, snarling my words violently. "Sounds to me like you punks are getting whipped by Nate. What? Is he too scary for you guys? Didn't want him chopping your head off so you just do what he says?"
"You'd best shut your mouth before I put this rifle straight up your ass," Russell warns, not scaring me in the slightest. I don't think neither he nor Vince want to be doing this right now, but obviously they don't have much of a say in the matter.
"If you fuckers were going to do anything, then you'd have done it a long time ago. Now are we going or what?!"
The three of them look at each other for a moment before shaking their heads and leading us out into the cold. They know I'm right, of course. And they probably figure that I'm as good as dead anyway, so they can just ignore what I'm saying and watch as I plant myself in the snowy ground.
But Eddie and I aren't playing this game.
The snow bats against our faces as we walk into the middle of the valley; surrounded by a junkyard of auto parts with armed women and men. They don't look too happy to see us, and I can only imagine what brainwashing techniques Nate must have used to convince them of this. Or maybe they're just an angry, stupid mob who feels like causing some mayhem… I don't know, nor do I really care. There's no way he can make me do this.
"And here come our two lovely competitors!" Nate calls out, "The prize they'll be fighting for today is… their lives! That's right folks! No fancy fucking refrigerators or shiny, new cars for our challengers today!"
That gets a laugh out of most of the crowd, which kind of freaks me out a little bit. They honestly think this is some kind of game we're playing – like it's a boxing match and they've all got front row seats!
"Now, you're probably wondering why we're doing this in the first place. Well, here's the thing," Nate bellows, nodding as Tavia and a handful of others join him, "One of these douches took off with a whole lot of shit from our old camp – valuable shit that you need to survive out here! And the other guy killed one of our own people last night! But apparently… that's not all."
What? What else could we have done to this moron? I've only ever seen him twice!
"Apparently, a whole bunch of you were at some… hardware store, was it? And your leader was straight-up murdered! That's right, in cold blood! The same man who gave you shelter from all the crazy, walker-eating shit that's going on out here! Killed by someone in their group!"
Gee, someone in our group must've had a bad day… You know, if I had to take a guess, I'd say that Kenny just went ape shit on the guy and murdered him in his sleep. The man probably had it coming, but that's just the sort of thing I'd expect Kenny to do.
I mean, who else would be able to pull something like that off?
"Are we going to let a bunch of murderers and thieves roam around?! Stalking us like the creepy bastards they are, and putting your safety at risk?! Do you want to have to sleep with one eye open for the rest of your miserable lives?!"
"NO!"
"Isn't it better this way?! We let them kill each other, so that our hands are perfectly clean!" Tavia chimes in, putting her gun in the air to rally the troops, so to speak. "Will we have retribution and justice?!"
"YEAH!"
"Ladies and gentlemen," Nate announces like a sports broadcaster, "LET'S GET READY TO RUMBLE!"
"WOOHOO! YEAH! WRAGH!"
"….no."
"That's not exactly the answer I'm looking for," Nate sighs as he adjusts his hat over his head, "This isn't an option for you – kill each other already! We've got the popcorn in the back and everything!"
"No!" I say as if these are the dumbest people in the world, "You've given us absolutely no reason to do anything like that to each other. Why would we ever listen to you? You're nothing but a cocky, little prick of a man who clearly got dropped on the head as a baby. You people don't have jack shit on us!"
"Well then… how about we up the stakes?" Nate smirks menacingly, "If you two don't fight, then not only are we going to kill the both of you, but we'll also go over to Wellington and burn the place to the ground, along with everyone inside of it."
"We're smarter, and we've got the terrain advantage," I point out, glaring at the sleazy little man, "I'd say you people are in way over your head."
"Not exactly…" Tavia mentions as she whistles to two men crouching on the upper deck of their camp site. They've got their guns out, but what the hell are they aiming at…
No.
You… you fucking bastards….
"I'll kill every last one of you with my bare hand…" I threaten, angrier than I've ever been before, "Nate and Tavia… I swear to god if they even think about pulling that trigger, I'll rip your heads off of your shoulders. I couldn't be more fucking serious."
"Then you'd better start with the show before that happens," Tavia comments dryly, making my blood run cold with her calculating stare. She's just as bad (if not worse) than Nate, simply because she's organized. She's a schemer, a planner – Nate may talk a big game, but I'm almost certain that it's Tavia who's pulling the strings behind this operation.
I glance around me as my world starts spinning, with the faces of strangers staring back at me and waiting for us to tear each other to pieces. I can't stand a single one of these people – suddenly, I don't give a damn about the families and friends they've lost, or the lives they've had to leave behind. My sympathy is all but gone, as it was buried in the dirt of Savannah. After that day, I'd all but given up hope for humanity. If I couldn't find it in Kenny, a person who although was a huge dick still managed to be loyal to his family, then I for sure wouldn't find it anywhere else.
The only place I have hope for… is with that twelve year old girl they've got up on the upper deck.
My dark brown orbs stare into her amber ones as she silently begs me not to do this, but there is no other option. One of Eddie's buddies must have just showed up, because he doesn't seem to be willing to hurt her or allow any of this to happen, but everyone else looks like they're ready for the entertainment to begin. My gaze softens as it concentrates on Clementine… but I've already made up my mind, and not even she can change it now. There's no getting out of this. I've said it before and I'll say it again.
I will do whatever it takes to protect Clementine.
The arena roars in anticipation, placing their bets on who's going to win as well as assaulting us with verbal abuse and spewing out hateful remarks. "Burn in hell", "You screwed us for the last time", and "Make this quick" are all tossed about our way, and Nate looks on in anticipation. He's probably getting a kick out of watching all of this unfold.
"Wyatt, man," Eddie practically begs while shaking violently, "You've got to get them to stop this shit! We're brothers for life, man! We look out for each other!"
"This isn't going to do anything but start more fights, Nate!" a woman named Shel belts out, not enjoying this idea in the slightest. "Becca and I want no part of this! Just let them go already!"
"You've got twenty seconds before we kill ya both and burn your property!" Nate yells among the cheers of the mob. "So, what's it gonna be?"
Sound is drowned out in my head as I look upon Clementine one last time, lowering my head in shame. I haven't felt this sick to my stomach since the second after I killed the senator and my ex-wife. If there is an afterlife, then I'm pretty sure I know where I'm going to end up. Straight at the bottom.
"Fuck…" I mutter, turning towards the beanie-wearing man whom I've kind of grown fond of a little bit. "I'm so sorry, Eddie."
"Fuck you man!" Eddie sputters, his eyes wide and fearful. Wow, does everyone think that I'm some kind of monster? "I – I ain't dying, Lee! Not here! Not like this!"
Taking one step forward, Eddie immediately puts his hands up as we begin our dance; slowly moving in a circle like a couple of sumo wrestlers. Maybe if we keep this up, then they'll somehow either magically lose interest or…
"FIGHT OR DIE! YOUR CHOICE!" Well, so much for that.
"LEE! NOOO!" Clementine screeches as I move closer to him. Her heart's in the right place, but I don't have any choice. Eddie punches me once in the jaw as I counteract with a kick in the shin. The battle's on.
It's rather difficult with one hand, but I've still got the weight and muscle advantage on him, which means that I can pretty much snap him like a twig. He's rather skinny (most likely from his heavy drug use), so he's a little bit faster than me as he dodges and sends a swift punch to my side.
But I've got a fire inside of me, and the monster's breaking out.
We both notice that that Wyatt character is trying to step into the ring, but a whole group of amused patrons is blocking his attempt. Sick fucks…
I land a punch to the chest that causes him to wheeze slightly, and then I smack him around a bit as he tries to regain his composure. He manages to kick me square in the junk (cheap shot) and then uppercut me when I'm incapacitated, but I quickly recover and trip his legs. Very reluctantly, I punch him several times in the face as his nose breaks and blood slowly comes trickling down, but he notices the weak spot on my amputated arm and hits me really hard on the left stump. God damn it, Kenny!
The bull starts to rage in my veins, but it cools down a little bit after I realize just who it is I have to kill here. That doesn't mean that I can take it easy however, as Clementine's life is still very much on the line. So, as hard as I can, I charge forward and tackle him to the ground – both of us rolling around in the snow like a couple of young brothers. I just wish that's what it was.
Landing a few more shots to his face, I lift the guy up by the scruff of his coat and hold him in a one-armed chokehold. This isn't going to be pretty…
"Just close your eyes, Eddie," I murmur, my insides getting crushed with grief and regret at what I'm about to do. "It'll be over soon enough. Just think of Arvo."
"Go… to hell…" Eddie chokes, clawing at my arm while trying to breathe.
Now, this is one of those moments that you wish you could take back… but no matter how hard you try, it just keeps coming back into your head.
Grasping near his jawline on the left side of his head, I pull to the right as hard as I possibly can…
…and hear the most sickening crack of all time.
Nobody cheers. Nobody claps. Nobody even speaks at all. The only sounds I can hear are the heavy breaths and Clementine's shrill gasp, which cuts through the air like a knife. Instantly horrified at what I've done, I collapse near a snow pile and violently puke my guts out; wishing that somehow I could absolve this guilt. Eddie's on the ground, covered in blood and snow… with a neck that's completely out of shape. His eyes are glazed over and wide, as if even in death he's asking me how I could do something like this to him.
For as long as I live, I'll never forget today.
Extremely wobbly, I stand up and scream my heart out as my voice carries throughout the valley like a war cry – signalling to these monsters that I'm done. I'm finished with all of them and their sick, twisted games. Somehow, some way I will make these villains pay for what they made me do. I'm like Frankenstein's monster seeking revenge, and I will not be broken. Not as long as I have something to fight for.
"You let her go…" I snarl venomously, clenching my fist and practically daring anyone to try and take me down. Nobody seems to want to at this point. "You keep your part of the deal. Clementine comes with me, and you never go near us again."
"Well, holy shit…" Nate shakes his head in shock, putting his hand on his chin. "You're even more of a threat than I thought you were, sonny boy."
He wouldn't…
"YOU LET CLEMENTINE GO RIGHT FUCKING NOW – "
Suddenly, a number of gunshots go off from behind me, killing several crowd members and putting a bullet in Nate's shoulder. Tavia's spared by mere inches as a bullet goes whizzing past her face.
Walkers aren't too far behind, as is to be expected. Although slow-moving in this weather, they're still a threat, and with a group this size, their feeding frenzy is about to begin. Two men go down before they even knew the things were coming for them, but I instantly run through the crowd and over towards Clementine. In the chaos, nobody seems to give a damn that we're trying to escape.
Clementine's POV
Oh my god… Eddie… he… he killed him…. Luke was right – Lee's not the same guy I remember! He's… I don't even know right now! He didn't have a choice, that's for certain, but… That wasn't normal. All I can do is to try and get back to Wellington in one piece – that's the only thing that matters.
The gun shots had to have come from Lilly and the rest of them, but I'm surprised that they managed to get everyone out here so quickly. I grab both of our backpacks from one of the storage units nearby, and I turn around to see Lee standing right in front of me.
"Oh god, Clem… I'm… I'm…"
"We need to get out of here," I inform him, tossing the bag towards the older man and ushering for him to follow behind. I'm not so sure he's in the right mindset to be travelling right now, but too bad. We didn't go through all of that just to die because Lee is traumatized.
I'm still unable to run, but I can move quickly enough among the chaos that we shouldn't be in that tight of a spot. Descending the steps, we make our way onto the trees and away from the warzone – that's the only word I can describe it with.
Their camp is getting flipped upside down. What started as a few walkers has turned into a few dozen. The gunfire from our group has stopped, but it was enough to draw the herd in, and that was probably the plan all along. You can't see Eddie anymore, but I do see his blonde-haired, bespectacled friend who's weeping near his corpse. I didn't really get to talk with him or any of these other people who were at Carver's main camp, but they seemed like ordinary, decent people who just wanted to wear this whole thing out. Unfortunately, their leaders have both turned out to be crazy, psychopathic maniacs who twist your words and convince you to join them. And since we've left the camp in such disarray, I'm pretty sure any attempt on our part to patch things up would be a waste of time.
With that scene behind us, we hobble over to Luke, who's situated nearby, and quickly make our escape. I've got a feeling the group dynamics are about to change dramatically.
AN: Sooooo… that happened. Please don't hate me because I killed off Eddie! But once again, I need to ask you this: did he make the right choice? Was there really any chance of escaping this with Clem's life at risk, and Wyatt (as well as the other 400 Days characters) not in a position to help? What do you guys think?
Anyway, hopefully that wasn't too brutal of a read, but I'll try to post the next chapter soon! Until then, thanks for reading :)