Always the Quiet Ones

Part II: No Going Back

Chapter 5: One Final Chance

A/N: Sorry guys, my internet's been down for a few days and it's back up so another chapter!

Nick panicked. He heard that they had got Kenny, and thankfully they didn't get Clementine. Nick didn't like Kenny, but he didn't want to leave him to get killed. They were going to find out about where we were eventually, and if they killed Kenny – his death would be for nothing. Nick came out from the closet he was behind, pushing open the secret compartment door, the three men looked towards him.

"You're an idiot." Clay chuckled.

"How good of you to join us." Earl smiled, kicking Kenny away. Earl then walked over to Nick, grabbing his hat and tossing it on the chair.

"I just want one simple answer, then you can go." Earl informed him, smiling again.

"What?" Nick asked, shrugging his arms.

"Why are you here, exactly?" The red haired man asked curiously.

"We…Me and Kenny came across this place, hoping to find something. It seems to be occupied, and I'm sorry about that." Nick lied, hoping Clementine wouldn't give herself up in case Earl decided to hurt Nick or Kenny.

"Just the two of you, huh?" Earl asked.

"Brokeback Mountain. Got the hats and everything." Ian chuckled, scratching the back of his head when receiving a weird look from Clay.

"They had cowboy hats, you stupid motherfucker."

"I see you have a baby with you. I saw it in the other room there, one of you the father?" Earl asked, crossing his arms – the smile fading away.

"The father and the mother died a while back." Nick informed them, an image of Rebecca and Alvin surfaced his brain.

"I'm very sorry to hear that. It's just – I think it's funny that a baby has his own supply bag. There were three." Earl chuckled, suspicion raising.

"Better safe than sorry." Nick chuckled, nervously.

"You seem nervous." Ian inferred.

"I see my friend beaten senseless on the ground, just because we came in your house. I'd say – yeah, I am nervous." Nick crossed his arms.

"You know, I like you. You stood your ground. You admit your nervous. We could have never found you in there, you coulda walked out in the middle of the night. You chose to reveal yourself to save your friend. I like that." Earl chuckled, walking over to his side, grabbing his shoulders and pulling him in.

"Now, your friend there – He's not like that. Sure, he's willin' to risk his life to make sure we don't find you – but he's killing himself there. That is weak." Earl smiled.

"This is Ian, and this is Clay. What's your name, kid?" Earl asked.

"Nick." Nick replied.

"I've known these guys since '93. Ian had a kid named John, a real sharp kid. He didn't make it when all this first started. He was only ten years old. Clay had a wife, named Karina. She was a beauty, Ian's son took a bite out of her, and she turned into one of those things. I reckon the two of them are walkin' around somewhere." Earl explained.

"What about you? Parents?" Earl asked.

"My mother died. Recently. Then my Uncle." Nick explained, trying hard not to shed a tear.

"What about your father?" Earl asked. Nick didn't remember much of his father, only that he was a lazy drunk motherfucker who didn't care about anyone but himself. He cheated on my mom, but at times he did act like he cared for Nick.

"Died when I was sixteen. Got in a car accident." Nick replied.

"I'm sorry to hear that. I'm sure that wasn't easy for you." Earl said, his voice full of empathy.

"Look, let me and Kenny go – I swear we won't come back, please." Nick finally said.

"Excuse me!?" Earl retorted. Nick faced him, a confused look on his face.

"You can't just leave just like THAT! When you make a new friend, do you just LEAVE!? That's NOT how it works." Earl growled. Nick wasn't sure why this guy got so angry so fast. Nick quickly reached for his gun, and quickly pointed it at Earl and the other two men. Nick fired, Earl then ducked at the last moment and the bullet had hit Ian in the head, he fell back, landing right next to Kenny's unconscious body. Clay wanted to attack Nick, but he was afraid he'd get shot.

Earl chuckled, evily – rising up from the ground and began to slowly clap.

"Nice shot. You almost had me convinced that it was only the two of you." Earl grinned, walking over to the air vent, opening it and grabbing Clementine by the leg, she yelped, trying to grasp something so she could crawl back in.

"And look at what we have here…" Earl chuckled, Nick had realized his gun was out of bullets. He could get another clip from the bag of supplies. Clementine struggled to break free, but then Earl finally pinned her down, stepping on her leg, and then she was laying straight on the wooden floorboard.

"That girl knows how to hide." Earl chuckled once again, grabbing a switchblade from his pocket.

"Don't hurt her. Don't fucking touch her!" Nick warned, stepping forward.

"Oh, we're going to have so much fun…" Earl laughed, Nick heard the click of his tongue and he left go of Clementine and then Earl punched Nick in the face, knocking him back. Clementine tried to get up, but was pinned back down again by Clay, he turned her around so she was laying on her back.

"So unfortunate." Earl sighed, coming down with another punch to the face.

"You had so much potential." Earl said with a disappointing tone. He had punched Nick yet again, and again. Clementine squirmed to break free from Clay's dirty fingers, he grabbed her sweatshirt, unzipping it and revealing a pink shirt which then he then began to undo his belt.

"You poor poor summer child." Earl finally said, coming down with a finishing blow, but then Nick blocked it, twisting his hand and then kicking him off. Earl jolted back, landing on his back. Nick got back up, pulling Earl back up and throwing him against the wall. Nick looked at the wall to see a knife stuck to the wall, as if they were playing darts with knives. Nick grabbed the knife, rushing towards Earl and slitting his wrist. Earl grabbed the knife, and tried to hit him but Nick ducked. He then reached for his foot, biting it. Earl groaned, and kicked off Nick. The knife was on the ground now, so Nick quickly ran towards Earl, preparing to tackle him. Clay then tossed his belt over in some empty area. Nick took him to the ground, and then Earl was in control again. Earl threw another punch, hitting Nick hard his vision began to black out. Clay laughed evily, tossing off Clementine's hat and undoing her hair ties.

Nick tried to see but all he saw Earl kicking him in the stomach, making him spit out blood on the floor. Earl had grabbed the knife, beginning to come down with the knife in his hands, at an attempt to stab him in the chest.

"You are one tough bastard. I'll give you that." Earl groaned, pushing down on the knife. Nick then did something he never was able to do before, he grabbed the sharp side of the knife, ignoring the pain as he began to pry the knife from Earl's fingers. Blood tricked down his hand, and Earl gasped as Nick had taken the sharp side of the blade, and then stuck it in his neck, he then began to shove the knife in his neck, repeatedly. Earl groaned, blood spilling all over his shirt. Clay gasped, letting go of Clementine and Clementine looked over to what he was doing.

Nick then pushed Earl's dying body off of him, and then got back up walking over to Clay.

"I – I fuck! Stay away from me!" Clay said, his face full of fear. Nick grabbed Clay, shoving the knife in his stomach, Clay gasped in pain. Nick then rammed him into the wall, shoving the knife into him repeatedly. Nick then sliced the neck of Clay, pushing down with the knife. Clay was dead, but Nick decided to keep going. The knife dug deep into his neck, Nick continuing to push down while blood gushed out of his neck. Nick then stopped finally, regaining control of himself. Nick had cut the man's head off, surprisingly the knife was sharp enough to do just that. Nick was covered in blood, Nick looked over to Clementine, her jacket on the ground and her hat was off her head, and her hair was messy and pulled down, her looking on her face was shock and fear.

"Are… you alright?" Nick said,