A Second Chance

Chapter 9

Carley's POV

"Lee!" I screeched, falling to the ground beside him.

"What the fuck?! Was he bitten?!" Omid yelled, running over to us. I saw everyone gather around us, worried looks on their faces.

"No! Get the kids away! I don't want them to see this." I responded. I saw Katjaa taking Duck and Clem back to the boxcar. Clementine had tears streaming down her face.

"What do we do?" Kenny asked, his voice cracking.

"We gotta do something! I can't lose him! Not now!" I cried, covering him with my fluffy, purple, quilted coat.

"Carley, let Katjaa take a look. She'll help him." Lilly said. I turned to glare at her.

"If anything happens to him. Anything. It's on your head." I growled. "You shot him. You pulled the trigger. If my baby never gets to meet its father… God help you."

"I know! I don't know what possessed me!" Lilly defended. I attempted to stem the bleeding.

"Come on, sweetie, let Katjaa look." Kenny muttered, pulling me away by the shoulders.

"Carley." I heard Katjaa mutter. I turned to look at her, tears streaming from my eyes. "I'll do my best. I promise."

"Thank you." I said, turning and heading towards the boxcar.

Lee's POV

"Car…Clem…?" I muttered, my head shooting from its position on the ground.

"Well, Lee. You did it." The deep voice called, terrifying me.

"Oh, not you again…" I grumbled, sitting up. I felt no pain in my side and my eyes widened in realization. "Am I dead again?!"

"No, son. You are not. I wanted to talk. Someone else did, too." It replied. I stood shakily and saw the same door appear. "You know the drill."

"Alright, calm down." I muttered, walking towards it. I closed my hand around the doorknob and felt sudden warmth. "What the hell was that?!"

"It's okay, your girlfriend put her coat over you. Trying to stop the bleeding." He explained. Reassured, I gently pushed the bright white door.

"Lee!" A woman cried, running to me.

"Mom!" I shouted, enveloping her in my arms. It felt so good.

"Oh, I've missed you!" She whimpered, kissing my cheek.

"Hey, I'm okay. I promise." I assured, feeling a tear run down my cheek.

"How's it going, son?" I heard. I looked up and saw my Dad. He was there; Cane included.

"I'm great, dad." I stated, walking over to him. I clapped him on the shoulder and beamed at him.

"So… I hear congratulations are in order." He laughed, ruffling my hair.

"Yeah. Carley's amazing. You guys would love her." I confirmed, smiling at my Mom's reaction.

"I'm gonna be a granny!"

"Lee. Time's almost up. Katjaa's almost done." The voice called, pulling me from my happiness.

"I love you guys. Tell Ben that I miss him?" I asked, untangling myself from them.

"Of course, son. Look after that little girl!" Mom called, watching me close the door.

"I will."

Clementine's POV

"Come on, Lee!" I muttered, looking over to his lifeless body.

"It's okay, sweetie." Carley muttered, bringing me into her side. "He'll be fine."

"Yeah." I agreed. Cuddling into her, I thought about everything she's been through. She was like my Mom. The way her and Lee acted was like watching my Mom and Dad again.

"Carley!" Katjaa called. I felt her tense next to me. Looking up, I saw her shift slightly.

"I'll be back in a minute, Clem." She assured, standing. I made to follow her. "Stay there."

"Okay…" I sat back down, encircling my knees with my arms. "Please be okay, Lee…"

Lee's POV

"Ah, fuck!" I muttered, opening my eyes slightly.

"What do we do?" Kenny mumbled, talking to Carley and Katjaa.

"He's lost a lot of blood. I don't think we can move him." Katjaa commented, her hand resting on Carley's shoulder.

"You can't be saying… No. We're not doing that!" She said, backing away from them.

"Carley, I know you're upset but… Goddamn, what if he comes back?" Kenny soothed, running his hands through his hair.

"He's not dead!" Carley growled, raising a hand to her eyes.

"Car…" I croaked, turning my head slightly.

"Lee?" She asked, running to me.

"Hey…" I muttered, raising my hand to touch her cheek.

"You're not dead?" Kenny exclaimed happily.

"No shit." I chuckled, sitting up properly and taking Carley into my arms.

"We almost had a Larry situation." Kenny admitted, looking down.

"Hey!" Lilly shouted, bounding over to us.

"Woah, back down, Ken." I calmed, standing and throwing my arm out to stop her from advancing on him.

"Don't ever mention his name… EVER… Do you understand me?!" She screeched, attempting to get past the human barricade I had set up. Kenny stayed quiet. "I said, DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?"

"Okay! I'm sorry! Let's just… Get this train moving." He spat, kicking some random stones up.

"Come on, Lee. Let's get you rested." Carley insisted, grabbing my hand.

"Yeah." I agreed, allowing myself to be dragged over. I saw Clementine hanging out of the boxcar and immediately, my life got better.

Two Hours Later

"Come on, Ken. We can't stay here." I repeated for what felt like the thousandth time.

"Why not? We got food, water, supplies. Lots of shelter…" He trailed off, pacing in front of me.

"Look at the fucking place! It's crawling with walkers!" I insisted, becoming aggravated.

"I am! It's great! This place still has supplies, though! It hasn't been looted! We can get medicine for you, Omid and for Carley when she needs it!" He explained, stopping his pacing.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it! For now, though, we've got everything we need!" I hissed, running my hand over my face.

"Look, maybe we can find an abandoned house and set up there." Kenny suggested, taking his cap off.

"Yeah… If that doesn't work out though, we're moving on. I'm putting my foot down." I stated, lowering my voice.

"Wouldn't have it any other way, buddy." Kenny laughed as I limped back to the train.

"Alright guys," I started, approaching them slowly. "Kenny and I have decided that we're going to find an abandoned house and set up there. Just for a few months."

"Um… Omids leg is infected. We need to get supplies." Christa piped in, helping the smaller man stand.

"I know… We, me and Kenny, will go and find some once we're settled in." I told her, nodding my head slightly.

"Great." Omid said happily, leaning on his girlfriend for support.

"Lets go…" I muttered, taking Clementine's hand in mine and making my way to the city.