So it's two updates a week from now on. I'm thinking Mondays and Fridays? I hope that's good with you all. Thank you again for your reviews, I hope you enjoy the chapter!

After a few days resting, we set off through the snow to head to Wellington. I'd hardly slept, and having to lean on a thick branch as a walking stick was more uncomfortable than I had imagined. I was so tired.

Jane had left us. She made her exit in the middle of the night, leaving Clementine with a nail file to remember her by. I couldn't say I missed her since I'd hardly gotten to know her.

Sarah, who had still hardly spoken, walked near Luke as if he was her protector. I knew she needed time to recover from what she had seen, but I worried she would never get over that. I knew what nightmares I had, and I knew how Clem had been forced to grow up so quickly after what she'd experienced back in Savannah. Sarah would never be the same innocent child again, but at this rate she wasn't growing up either.

Kenny charged ahead of the group, plodding through the snow like we were in a race. Sure, we wanted to get out of the cold fast but with injured, recovering and troubled people, we needed to take our time.

Bonnie walked beside Rebecca, holding her arm in support. I worried the new mother would collapse under the strain of our travelling, and her skin had adopted a sick colour that I knew wasn't right.

Clementine, Travis and I stuck together near the back of the group- mainly because I was slowing us down while limping.

"Go on up ahead, I'll catch up," I said as I stopped walking to rest.

"Clem, would you tell Kenny we need to take a break soon? I think Rebecca needs to stop too," Travis asked the little girl, who nodded and ran to talk with the man.

"No, we didn't need to do that," I shivered. "If we stop we'll freeze."

"Marcey's right," Kenny spoke up, "we coulda been some place warm now had we not waited."

"Rebecca's exhausted," Luke interrupted him harshly. "We all are. She would have been even more tired if we'd gone immediately. She was in no condition to move."

"She's worse now," Kenny snapped back.

"Arguing isn't solving anything," Travis shot in. "Let's just have it your way and keep going. The faster we move, the sooner we can rest."

"Right. Everybody hang in there. We've got to keep moving if we're to get to that town before nightfall," Kenny instructed.

I began to walk again as Travis wrapped an arm around me for support, taking the weight off my injured leg a bit.

"You're going to get cramp in your arm if you keep tryna hold me up," I chuckled to lighten the mood.

"You kidding?" He smiled back. "I could carry you you're so light."

"Don't you dare," I laughed.

I laughed too soon.

"Put me down!" I gasped as I was lifted into his arms. "I still have the use of one leg, you know."

"No, this is easier."

"Travis," I muttered angrily as Luke and Sarah both looked back at us.

He rolled his eyes with a grin and placed me back on my feet, helping me again as I hobbled along with my walking stick.

"Oh," Rebecca said suddenly as she fell to the floor.

"Rebecca!" I panicked.

Bonnie crouched down with her, checking that both she and the baby were okay as the child began to cry.

"Over here," Mike called. "There's a place to sit."

"Go help Rebecca," I told Travis, who then aided Bonnie in guiding the woman to her seat.

I limped over with Clem holding onto one of my arms and we all gathered around the woman.

"Rebecca, let me take the baby," Kenny suggested.

"He's okay," she assured. "I've got him."

"No, you rest for a minute. I'll watch him."

"Back off, Kenny! She said she doesn't want you to take the baby, don't be weird about it, okay?" Luke argued.

"I ain't bein' weird about it!" Kenny retaliated.

"Yeah, you kind of have been. And not just now."

"He's not your baby," Clementine interjected.

Kenny calmed. "I was just tryna help."

I sat down near Rebecca to rest my leg. "Look, us all snapping at each other's throats is doing no good. We need to be civil, all cooperate. Unless it's really necessary, Rebecca gets to decide where her baby is. And we all need to listen to one another- if we need a break, we take a break."

Nobody replied but Travis nodded in agreement.

"So, we take this little rest and then-"

"Hello?!"

All our heads turned to the voice in the distance. Something about the voice was almost comical, since I couldn't see where it's owner was in the snow, although it was no laughing matter considering our state.

"Who's this?" Mike asked.

The voice shouted again, only this time in a language I didn't understand.

Clementine did. "Arvo?"

"Arvo?" I repeated. "Who the hell is Arvo?"

"That kid that Jane tried to rob from," Travis answered, his back straightening as he suddenly seemed tense.

"You know this sonuvabitch?" Kenny asked him and Clem. "What's he want?"

Bonnie squinted her eyes to look at the young man. "He doesn't look like much."

"Seems like he's got a bad leg like me, too," I noticed. "I'd better keep this stick."

"He has a sick sister," Clem told us. "They might be in trouble."

"Yeah, but where is she?" Travis muttered sceptically.

The group moved forward a bit as if to shelter Rebecca and her baby, but also blocking my view. Travis stood in front of me, one hand behind his back like he was holding it out to me or hiding me from Arvo.

"Hello," he said, the Russian accent prominent in his voice. "Your name is Clementine, yes?"

"Hi, Arvo," Clem greeted in a confused tone.

"These are your friends?"

I drew my eyebrows together. This kid was either hoping we'd let him join our group, or he was stalling for something else.

"I'm hoping you can help me now, not like before," he continued. "All of you can help."

"What do you need?" Clem wondered. "How can we help?"

"I need...a... things for... bandages! I need bandages."

"Are you hurt?"

My hand flew to Travis' that he was holding out. He was stalling.

"No."

The voices came from behind me, a whole group of them.

Travis turned and grabbed onto my arms, moving close as the Russian people ambushed us. My heart raced at the sight of their guns.

They started talking amongst themselves and Travis and I stared at each other. I could feel the panic rising in my chest, my breathing becoming difficult and my hands trembling.

"You're okay," he whispered to me before talking to the others. "We have nothing. We don't want any trouble here."

"I told them you're the one who robbed me. They think it's funny that you're just a little girl," Arvo explained to Clementine, ignoring Travis. "And they want you and your friends to put down your guns so we can take your things."

"Woah, woah, hang on now!"

"What the hell?"

"Calm down," Travis whispered to me again.

All I could think about was how someone was going to be shot- and Rebecca and I couldn't run.

"I don't see that other woman who was with you."

"Jane's gone," Travis told him, looking away from me for a second. "She was the one who took your stuff and she's gone."

"It's a trap!" Arvo exclaimed.

Trap!? He was the one who tried to trap us!

The guns clicked around us and my heart felt like it was going to burst through my chest.

"Travis," I mumbled. "Keep Clem safe."

"All of you, just put your guns down. This will be fine," Arvo commanded.

"We have a baby!" Clem shouted.

"You have a baby with you?" Arvo suddenly sounded interested or... guilty.

The voices began to shout over one another, and Travis now just held onto one of my hands while he joined in trying to negotiate with the gang.

All I could hear then was the cry of the baby, and I realised Rebecca was no longer comforting it beside me.

I looked up and my eyes met Clementine's, who were full of worry as they moved to look at Rebecca... who grunted next to me and began to move.

"Oh my God," I whispered in realisation. "Travis!"

Clem had already raised the gun, firing it right at Rebecca's head to protect us and the baby.

And that started our war.