"MAX!", a loud voice yelled in Max's ear.
"WHO THE?!", the girl yelled as her eyes snapped open and she bolted out of the lawn chair and ran forward only to run face first into the RV. This caused nearly everyone to laugh out loud. The teen groaned as she hoisted herself up and clutched her face. "What?", she asked with a hint of annoyance.
"Lee, Mark, and Kenny wanted to know if you wanted to go hunting with them today," Lilly said.
"Yeah, sure. Just give me a minute," she muttered as she went into her hotel room clutching her nose. Ignoring her growling stomach, she grabbed her gun and walked back outside and to the gates, where Lee, Mark, and Kenny were waiting. "You ready?", asked Kenny. Max nodded. "Let's go," she said.
"Be careful," said Carley.
"Aren't we always?", Lee asked with a smile. Carley smiled back. This did not go unnoticed by Max, who simply smirked.
It had been three months since Max had arrived at the motor inn. During those past three months, they had started to grow short on food, so they resorted to hunting.
The four then walked across the street and into the woods. After trekking about fifty feet into the woods and seeing nothing, Mark turned to the other three.
"Let's split up. We'll probably have a better chance of finding food that way," said Mark.
"Good idea. I'll go this way, Max, you stick with Lee and Mark, alright?", said Kenny.
"You got it," she said as they split up. Max looked around the trees hoping to find some sort of food, but had no luck. "Maybe there's something up in the trees," she thought as she looked up at the branches, watching closely for anything resting in the trees, such as squirrels or birds. However, she wasn't looking where she was going and ended up bumping into Mark when he suddenly stopped walking.
"Oof!"
"Shh!", Lee hissed as the trio immediately shut their mouths and heard the sound of growling coming from nearby. Lee gripped the axe in his hand tightly as they turned to where the sound was coming from, which was behind a bush. "I'll take this one," he whispered. Quietly, he snuck up to it and found a walker eating a rabbit. Lee raised the axe high above his head and brought it down chopping into the walker's head.
Mark and Max walked up to him as he pulled the axe out. "So what'd they get this time?", asked Mark.
"Looks like a rabbit," said Lee.
"Great. Another meal lost," Mark groaned as they walked away from the corpse. "I still can't believe we went through all that commissary food in just three months! It seemed like so much at the time."
"Maybe you shouldn't have opened the door," said Lee.
"Yeah, but if I didn't, I'd most likely BE food for the walkers by now. Trust me guys, I have no regrets," said Mark.
Max looked at the man and said, "A rabbit's not much of a meal, Mark, but I'd eat it. All of us are hungry."
"No kidding. When I accidentally grabbed Carley's rations the other night, I thought she was gonna take my hand off!", said Mark. Max sighed, remembering the slightly comedic moment.
"We're all a little on the edge. Just cut her some slack, alright?", asked Lee.
"Yeah, you're right. I just wish I knew how much food we have left," said Mark. "You're gonna have to ask Lilly about that. She's the one handling the rations," said Max. "Or mishandling if you ask Kenny," said Mark. Lee looked back at him and said, "He's just worried about Duck getting enough to eat. I worry about Clementine too."
"Hey guys, you think Kenny's having any better luck than we are?", asked Max. "I hope so," muttered Lee. "Yeah, between the lack of food and Kenny and Lilly fighting all the time, things are getting pretty tense back at the motor inn," said Mark. "You know that Kenny's been talking about taking off with his family if he gets that RV running."
"Kenny won't abandon us. He's a good guy," Max said with a smile.
"I guess you're right, Max," Mark said. "Can't blame him though. Did you hear Larry going off on him last night?"
The girl frowned, remembering how the old man nearly woke everyone up with his shouting in the middle of the night. Max wanted to throw her boot at him to shut him up. "Yeah. What's his deal, anyway?", she asked. "He seems to have a problem with mostly Lee."
"He's an old racist a**hole, that's his deal," said Lee.
"Well, he needs to find a way to get over that and pull his weight. Heart problems or not, all of us should be out here looking for food," said Mark. "I know that Lilly thinks that he's getting weaker, but the guy's all muscle! He's like a walking bulldozer!"
Lee sighed, remembering how he ungratefully punched him in the face, even after getting him nitroglycerin pills for his heart back at the pharmacy.
"No way I wanna be stuck in the same room with that jerk!", said Max. She then heard the sound of wings flapping. She looked up and saw a bird land on a tree branch. Mark immediately hid behind a rock, aimed the rifle at the bird, and looked through the scope. Max quickly walked over to him and said, "Mark, don't. Gunshots will attract walkers. One bird's not worth it, anyway."
Mark sighed. "I know, kid... I'm just so freakin' hungry..."
Suddenly, a loud cry of pain was heard.
"Was that Kenny?!", asked Max. "I don't know! Come on!", Lee yelled as the trio hopped up and bolted through the forest towards the direction the scream came from.
"AAAAAAH!"
"This way!", Lee yelled as they ran towards the left. They found two teenage boys both wearing letterman jackets standing over a man caught in a bear trap. One of the teens watched nervously as the shorter one desperately tried to free the man.
"Oh my...", Max said as she took a step back. The teenagers heard her and gasped.
"Oh sh**! Please don't kill us!", the shorter one of the two said as he jumped up. "We just wanna help our teacher!"
Kenny then came running down a hill and stopped in front of Lee, Max, and Mark. "You guys OK?", he asked.
"Get it off! Get it off!", the teacher cried.
"Travis, maybe these people can help!", the taller teenage boy said. "These guys might be the same ones that raided our camp! Remember, we barely got away from that!", said the other teen.
"Chill out! We're not gonna hurt you!", said Max.
"What the h**l happened?!", asked Lee. The taller boy with brown hair spoke up.
"Mr. Parker said we should stay off the streets! We were trying to be careful, but-"
"Rrrrrggghh!"
"We gotta help these guys!", Mark exclaimed.
"PLEASE!"
"Ben, shut up! My dad was in Special Forces, I know what I'm doing!", said the shorter boy, which they presumed was Travis.
"Please, just see if you can help him out! After that, you can just leave us or whatever!", said the taller boy, now known as Ben.
"We have to get this guy outta there!", said Lee.
"Thank you! Thank you so much!", said the teacher. Mark and Max knelt down and examined the trap. "Lee, this trap's been altered. There's no release switch!", Mark exclaimed. Travis turned around and gasped. "Oh no..."
Max looked over her shoulder and her eyes went wide. Several walkers were staggering towards them.
"Sh**! Walkers!", she exclaimed.
"It's now or never, Lee!", said Kenny.
"Kenny, hold the walkers off! Mark, get the boys back!", Lee ordered as he stepped up to the bear trap. "Max, get back!"
Max backed away from the trap as Lee chopped on the chain, but couldn't get it loose. She then noticed his gaze linger over to the leg.
"Lee, wait, you're not gonna-?!"
"I'm gonna have to cut you out!", the older man said as he raised the axe above his head.
"No, please! Not that!", the teacher cried. Lee then brought the axe down on the leg and chopped into it. Max watched in horror as Lee chopped into the leg four more times before it was completely severed. The teacher then passed out. Kenny, Ben, Mark, and Travis ran over to them and stared in shock. Travis immediately whipped around and vomited. "Holy crap... is he...?", asked Mark.
"He passed out," answered Lee.
"If he's alive, grab him and let's get out of here!", Kenny exclaimed. Mark picked the man up and hoisted him over his shoulder before he and Kenny started running. Max was about to run too when she turned around and saw Travis hunched over wiping his mouth.
"COME ON!", she yelled as she dashed over to him and grabbed him by the jacket, yanking him away from a walker that was about to bite into him.
"Move your a**!", she exclaimed as she dragged him away from the oncoming walkers. They dashed through the forest and ran towards the direction of the motor inn, the only safe place in the area.