TWD Chapter 13 – A Long Journey Back.

It didn't take long before the group were hoarded in to a truck, after taking some time out for Carlos to patch up Joel. As Olivia was being shoved down in between Nick and Kenny, she was kind of hoping that Carlos did a botched up job of it, but knew it was just wishful thinking. Carlos wouldn't risk getting himself in trouble when he had Sarah to look after.

The truck Carver had stashed them in had been left just before the bridge, along with another vehicle for 'the boss' and his group. Obviously they couldn't pass the bridge with the vehicles so they must have walked the rest of the way to the ski lodge, which is where Clementine spotted the flash lights. Just thinking about what had happened made her numb. Olly felt exhausted physically and emotionally. All that sadness and anger she had experienced had left her drained, and now... she felt nothing but contempt.

As the truck pulled away she sighed. Her only hope now was Luke and she didn't even know if he was alive. Stubbornly, Kenny had refused to tell her anything about why he wasn't with him, which made her worry all the more. She had kissed him for this very reason and now she kind of regretted it, because it did almost feel like that was a goodbye. When she had done it, it was for the fear of never seeing him again and now, she really may never see him again.

Then, there was Joel. How did she feel about him, truly? Honestly, she had no idea. She hated him for hurting her, beating her... betraying her. All that time searching for him, she hadn't done it on a whim. Olly had never given up on him, not once. Sometimes her faith wavered to a point were she began to debate whether he was in fact alive, but she still continued searching and in that moment, her eyes falling on his, she felt complete again. Her father had raised her alone, never getting over the death of her mother. She remembered watching him fish on their boat, always trying to get her to join in and her always stubbornly refusing. She would always say 'I'd much rather just read, thanks.' Then, there were the times he'd come home late from work and he'd smile at her when he realised that she'd cleaned the house for him because she knew he'd be too tired to do it. But, knowing she'd need the company, he'd stay up a little longer with her and they'd just chat about stuff. Growing up, he'd been her father, her mother and her best friend.

Now what was he?

That first smack to the face broke her inside. Not once, not even when she had been especially nasty to him growing up during her teen years, had he hit her. Not once. He hadn't even shown her any emotion as he had done it. Then, when she had head butted Carver and Joel had slammed her down on the counter, the brute force he had used terrified her. At the time, she just wanted him dead... perhaps she still did.

"Are you all right, Olivia?" The young girl looked up at Carlos, an unsure expression graced her no longer lovely features.

At first she said nothing, hardly having the energy to speak... the fact it hurt to was an added bonus. She dreaded to think what her face looked like. "Peachy."

The doctor sighed. "I'm sorry. If I had known he was your father-"

Olly scowled. "Wait, what?! You knew him!"

He nodded. "Of course, he has been with Carver for a very long time."

His daughter shuddered beside him. "He scares me."

"You decide to tell me this now!" The anger she had felt returned in a storm, as did the pain. The bruising on her face did not help matters.

"Like Carlos said, we would have told you sooner that your father was a sonuvabitch had we known. It's not like you really look like him. Your hair is totally different." Nick defended him.

The revelation that her dad had been like this when they were with Carver before somehow made it hurt more. Had he... hurt them too? "So, he has always been like this?"

Carlos shook his head. "No. He had been our friend once." The sad tone in his voice told her that maybe Joel had meant a lot to them once.

Olly's curious mind couldn't stop herself from asking. "...What changed?"

"It doesn't fuckin' matter about all this shit! We need to figure out how the hell we're going to get outta here!"

"Kenny..." Sarita's attempted soothing voice did nothing to calm him down as he continued to scowl at the group.

Olly wasn't going to take that lying down, though. "It may not be a big fucking deal to you, but that man out there is my father and I loved him once! I dedicated my life to finding him again after this shit started and I want to know why the man I once knew, has become a fucking monster!" The whole truck had gone silent. During her rant, Olivia had stood up to glower down at Kenny and it was obvious he felt intimidated by her 'death glare', as Luke would have called it. When the man had finally broken eye contact with her, she sat herself back down and looked over at Carlos patiently. "What changed?"

Carlos coughed, still nervous by her outbreak of hostility. "When we escaped, well, it hadn't been the first time we had attempted it. A few months before, after Rebecca discovered she was pregnant..." Olly managed a glance towards said pregnant lady, who had been crying in to Alvin for a while before falling asleep in his arms. They both must have been truly exhausted to have not woken up by her shouting. "...Luke and Joel instigated a plan for us all to escape, but it went wrong. Joel took the blame for the whole thing, saving Luke, and the rest of us from the fate he had to endure. Carver tortured him. We're not sure for how long but the next time we saw your father, he was... different." Carlos stopped and shook his head sadly, his eyes tightly shut, as if trying to prevent the images from coming forward.

Nick continued for him and Olly listened intently. "We tried to make sure he was okay, talk to 'im, ya know. For weeks he wouldn't even look at us. We're still not sure what Carver did to him. We all agreed to wait until he was better before trying to get out again. Well, that's what we would have done. Except, he changed. When he finally started responding to us, he was aggressive. He'd do anything Carver told him to do, no matter what it cost his so-called fuckin' friends. When we told him ideas for our next escape, he went and told Carver, who then made an example of us all! He took away our meals and shoved us outside in the cold! Your father, whatever he was before, is no longer that person. He enjoys the violence and the death! I mean, look at what he did to you!"

"Just... shut up, Nick. I get it." A single tear drop rolled down Olly's cheek. The knowing that Carver was the creator of the monster she called 'Dad', killed her. When Carlos told her that they had once been friends and he had taken the wrap for everything they had done... a glimmer of hope flashed in her heart. That was the man she remembered.

"I'm sorry, Olly. It must be... hard."

Olly looked over at Clementine who was sharing her most sympathetic look. She gently wiped the tear off on her shoulder, her hands being bound making it impossible to use them. "Thank you, Clem. I'm sure I'll be fine... once I've had the opportunity to pierce Carver's heart with my sword, that is." More nervous glances were shared amongst the group, plainly concerned for her state of mind.

"As long as I get an invite to watch." Kenny seemed to be the only one vocally sharing her thoughts and feelings. Then again, Carver had killed his friend, Walter... everybody powerless to stop it, him especially.

Olivia sighed again and looked to Carlos. "How long will it take to get there?"

"A day, at least."

She nodded and turned to Nick. "D'ya mind if I... lean on you? I'm exhausted and my head kills."

He shook his head, and allowed her to rest her head on his shoulder. It wasn't comfortable, him being a little skinnier than she liked, but it was reassuring all the same. Allowing herself to close her eyes was the best possible feeling she could have managed at that point. If her body allowed her rest, it would be welcomed gratefully. Any period of time where the pain could be forgotten would be precious indeed.

The truck jerked as it came to a stop causing Olivia to jolt awake. She wasn't sure how long she had been asleep or why they had stopped... surely they couldn't be there already?

"It's a toilet break, nothing more." Carlos spoke as if realising her confusion and she nodded in return. A toilet break was the last thing on her mind right now. The shutters to the truck, were pulled up quickly, releasing sunlight inside of the vehicle and causing everyone's eyes to squint as they adjusted to the intrusion.

"Alright, who ever needs to go, get fuckin' gone." Troy appeared at the shutter opening, his figure blocking out the sunlight and causing a black silhouette that reached to the other side, making him much intimidating that he actually was.

Sarah looked over at her dad. "I need to go." Carlos looked down at his daughter, a sad look in his eyes.

"Right, then let's fuckin' go."

Sarah didn't budge. "...I'm afraid to go alone."

Troy groaned to himself. "I ain't got time for this shit. If you need to go, you'll fuckin' go!"

"Please, just let me or someone else go with her." Carlos pleaded.

He reluctantly agreed. "Fine. The other girl will go. Move it!" Clementine looked across at the rest of the group, before getting herself up off the ground.

"Clementine." She looked across at the sound of the broken red haired girl. "Be careful." She nodded and followed Sarah out of the vehicle. Before they could even gather a glimpse of the direction they had been heading in, the shutters were slammed shut and the darkness consumed them once again.

"You seem to really care about her." It wasn't a question. Olivia turned to Sarita who was studying her profusely. Kenny was doing the same, more so in fact.

"I'm not too sure what I'm supposed to say? I do?"

"Well, what's the story? How did you meet?" Kennys turn to interrogate apparently.

Olly scowled at him. "Is this really the time?"

"I just want to know why you you seem to give more of a fuck about her than the others, that's all."

"Hey, that's not fair, man. We all care for Clementine." Alvin spoke for the first time. Olly hadn't even realised that Rebecca and him had awoken.

"Sure, it may seem that way, but it looked to me as if me and her where the only ones willin' to put our lives on the line for her." Kenny had pointed towards Olivia at that moment, instantaneously making her feel uncomfortable.

"I have a name, Kenny."

He ignored her. "The rest of you didn't seem to be doin' fuck all actually. In fact, even when your friend was being beat to a fuckin' pulp, you did nothin'!" Olivia was too tired for these petty arguments... she didn't need this.

"What could we have done? We were bound. It would have achieved nothing." Carlos spoke calmly, a conflicting tone to Kenny's aggressive one.

"Oh, I don't know, maybe she'd be able to see out of both eyes, instead of one!"

"All of you, just stop. I do not have the energy for this." Looks like Rebecca's feeling the strain too.

Suddenly, the shutters were yanked open again and both figures of the girls came in to view. "Are you okay, Clem?" Olly's maternal intonation returned, but the girl said nothing and just sat back down in her previous spot.

That's when the red bruise on her cheek came in to view. "The hell did he do to you?" Kenny wasn't the only one flipping out. "Did he hurt you? Hey. Hey!" The shutter slammed shut, preventing his rage from travelling.

"You stupid fuck!" Olly clambered over to the shutters and kicked them once.

"Hey, cut that shit out, Olly. You'll get us in to trouble."

Nick promptly received the 'death glare', but her features quickly calmed. She turned to Clementine and sat in front of her, checking out the bruise that had formed on her cheek.

"Is she okay?" Kenny appeared from behind her, an angry vibe emitting from him.

"I'm fine!" Clementine assured them. They didn't look appeased however.

"Did that little pissant do this to you?" Slowly, Clementine nodded to him. It looked like it hurt.

"She didn't answer him, so he hit her!" Sarah's childish voice appeared from beside Carlos who was now sitting considerably closer to his daughter. Instead of moving back to her original spot, Olly stayed beside Clementine in an obvious attempt to comfort her, not that she needed it. As Pete had put it once; 'kid is tough as nails'. Kenny decided that Olivia knew what she was doing so moved back beside his... partner, Sarita.

There was a lot of pent up anger inside the truck which certainly gave it a heavy atmosphere. For a long time, everybody was silent. Nobody knew what to say or think. Every second that passed, they got closer to their new prison and this wasn't lost on anyone. What scared Olly the most was the unknown. Carlos, Alvin, Rebecca, Sarah, Nick... they all knew what to expect! But she was in the dark.

The first to speak was Kenny, who had been gazing around the truck for a long time. "All right, we gotta do something. Com'on. Anyone got anything sharp? Anything? We need to get these bindings off." Nobody answered. "Hey! Clem, help me find something to get these off. Anything sharp that could cut these..."

"And what good is that gonna do?" The feisty spark that Rebecca once possessed was gone. To her, they had already lost.

"The hell is wrong with you people? We gotta get out of here."

"Kenny, there's nothing here! I want to get out as much as you do, but there's fuckin' nothing!" The red head glared through her hair, too tired to lift her head fully to look at him.

"Look, we're in a fuckin' precarious situation here. We gotta do something about it!"

"Settle down, Kenny. Olivia is right. They took everything. We have to keep a level head." Carlos attempted his typical calm demeanour, but Olly no longer believed it.

"He's right. You don't know Bill like we do." Rebecca reasoned.

"Bill? This whole time he's Carver, Carver, Carver, now he's fuckin' Bill? Oh I see how it is. Y'all are just getting' a ride home, aren't ya? That's what's goin' on here." Kenny did have a point. Where the fuck had 'Bill' come from?

"Say that again." Nick's attempt at being 'tough' was pathetic. She had seen that when they first met.

"I'd stay out of this boy."

"Will both of you just shut the fuck up?" Olly's tired eyes didn't even care to scowl at them this time. It felt like that was all she had done since getting in this claustrophic metal can. Apparently, nobody was listening to her, though.

"You don't understand, Kenny. He's different... he's worse."

"The fuck are you talkin' about?"

"He wants to punish us."

Olivia flipped out. "What? He hasn't done enough? He's already turned my damn dad in to a fuckin' robot and got him to beat me for his fucked up pleasure! There's nothing else he could do to me!"

"So you agree with me, then. That we need to break the fuck outta here?" Kenny turned to her hopefully.

"Of course I do! But I ain't leaving until I see him lying dead in a puddle of his own blood." More worried looks were exchanged, but she didn't care. Her heart was set on it.

Carlos turned to her. "You have no idea what you're dealing with!"

Before she could answer, Kenny took her response straight out of her mouth. "Oh, he gave me a pretty good goddamn idea back at the lodge. He killed Walter, beat her..."

"Again with the name thing."

"... and he's already hit Clementine! I'm not about to let anything else happen to the rest of us. I'm trying to help!"

"I'm sure Walter really appreciated your help!" Frustrated Carlos, making another appearance. I miss the good ol' days of trying to fend off Rebecca and having Luke by my side all the time... I miss him. I can't deal with these people with out him. Olly had to sniff up to prevent herself crying at the thought.

"That's not fair! You're blaming him for the actions of a madman." Seeing Sarita defend Kenny made her feel more sick... Would Luke have defended her back at the lodge? Somehow, she imagined he would have, and she managed a smile.

"I am pointing out that, regardless of intent, there are consequences to rash action. Something that he seems to be misreading as capitulation."

"I don't know what the fuck you're saying, but I know that it's bullshit! We have to do something!"

"Kenny, you know that I agree with you, but we have to play this smart! I don't want to end up dead before I get the chance to bring Carver with me." Olly appealed.

"Nobody here is going to end up dead!" Kenny looked behind Olivia's head after glancing away from her for a second. "Oh shit, jackpot!" Kenny staggered across the truck, narrowly missing hitting Olly in the face.

"Sit down! You're going to get us all killed." If we haven't managed to talk him down yet, nothing will... Why can't Carlos see that?

"Ya'll don't know what you're talking about. We get cooped up in some kennel like a buncha fuckin' dogs, it's over."

"You don't know that."

"Kenny, please... calm down. I think everyone is just tired and cranky."

"She's right, we should all take it down a bit." You know it's fucked when loud mouth Rebecca gives in to a little girl, even if it is Clementine.

"All right, now we're talkin'." The rope that bound Kenny's hands together fell to the floor with a thud as he stroked his wrists.

"Carver will be on the other side of that door with ten people." Sarah began crying at Carlos' side as he spoke causing him to sigh. "At this point, maybe Luke is the only hope we have." Just at the mention of his name Olly's heart fluttered, beating a little faster.

"If he was gonna do something he'd've done it by now."

Oh, hell no. Olivia rose to meet Kenny's towering form. She was smaller than him, she was smaller than everyone apart from the kids, but she stood proud. "Luke wouldn't abandon us! He's not like that! Don't fuckin' dare to even question him when you don't know a thing about him."

"Oh, yeah. How well do you know lover boy? Truly, how well?" A slight stutter gave Kenny all the clarification he needed. "Exactly my point! He ain't fuckin' coming."

"Olivia's right. Who knows what he's dealing with out there. Anything can happen out there."

"I'll tell you what happened: he abandoned us."

"Screw you, Kenny. You don't know that." Olly got a little closer to him.

"Well, I know he ain't here."

"He may not be around, but he wouldn't just leave us behind." Rebecca glared at Kenny from where she sat on the ground. It didn't faze him in the slightest.

"Luke will help us." The fact that Clementine also believed in him gave Olly a lot of pride... and relief.

"Oh, yeah? When? After that crazy fuck's killed us all?!" A lot of shocked expressions greeted him, Clementine's especially. Kenny was quite frightening when he got going. Once he realised, he managed to lower his volume and calm himself a little, but it did not deter him. "Hey, look, Clem..." Another jolt of the truck interrupted him and told them they were almost there. "Okay, let's do this."

Rebecca glanced at him with disbelief. "They have guns. What exactly do you expect to do?"

"I'm gonna punch the first sonuvabitch I see. Then I'm gonna take his gun and shoot the NEXT sonuvabitch I see."

"Brilliant plan! Fuckin' flawless. How didn't I come up with that?" For a few seconds, Olivia and Kenny glowered at one another, neither of them flinching, neither of them backing down. "Look, I already told you that I'm gonna kill that fucker, but you're just going to get us all killed by being a god damn idiot."

Kenny didn't answer her. "Hey, Clem... uh, just if something happens, just help out, okay? Don't, you know, get yourself hurt or nothin', but any help'd be good."

"Don't get her involved! Are you crazy?!"

Kenny didn't even acknowledge her, just awaited Clem's response who looked nervous enough as it is. "Hey, Clem... Look at me. You trust me, right?"

"I'm scared." Those simple words broke Olly's heart. She knelt before Clem and placed a bound hand on her knee.

"Okay, hon. That's okay... that's okay." Kenny turned around to face the shutters. "All right. Everybody re-" The truck came to a shuddering halt causing the man to fall forward and hit his head as he he flung forward, then backwards.

"Kenny!" Sarita ran to her lover's side who was now dazed and out of it. "Kenny? Are you okay?"

Olivia smiled slightly. "Well, if the truck hadn't of done it, I would have."

"That's not funny!" Sarita growled at her.

"Oh... what hit me?" Kenny raised a hand to rub against the throbbing in his head.

"Probably for the best."

A few seconds later, the shutters screeched open once again. Relief washed over everyone, if only for a second, at the thought of escaping the confined space they had been left in. It was soon replaced with a large amount of dread at the prospect of being stuck in another prison.

Three people greeted them on the other side. Troy, the girl Bonnie and another woman. "Com'on. Up and at 'em."

They all exited the vehicle in single file, Nick leading the way. It wasn't long before Troy noticed Kenny's lack of restraints. "The fuck? How'd you get your restraints off? C'mere." Kenny glanced at Clem before strolling off after Troy. Olivia stayed beside the girl. If they were going to go through this, they'd do it together.

As they were being marched, to where Olivia assumed they would be staying, Carver was voicing some bullshit over some kind of intercom. It was something about 'time healing wounds' and some other crap. She wasn't paying attention, she didn't care enough to listen. She was more interested in where they were going. They were obviously in some kind of tool hardware store or warehouse?

"Look at how much food they have..." It was true, they had quite a lot of food. They probably scavenged all the surrounding areas.

"I do hope you ain't saying what I think you're saying." Olly rolled her eyes at him. He could be such a jerk.

"Com'on Carlos, we need ya for something." Troy tempted him forward with his finger.

"Can it wait until morning? We're all exhausted."

"Just come the fuck on." The doctor sighed before following the violent, aggressive man who Olly couldn't despise more if she tried.

"I need him. I need my dad. I can't... he... looks after me." Sarah's pleas fell on deaf ears. At this point, Olly really couldn't be bothered to put up with Sarah's childish nature. It was awful because she was just a kid, but Carlos shielding her from the truth of the world hadn't done her any favours.

Apparently Clementine had more patience than she did. "He'll be back."

"When?"

"I don't know. But he will come back."

Sarah paused. "Thanks."

It wasn't long before the group were faced with another damn shutter. Bonnie knelt before it and unlocked it. "Make sure y'all stay off the fence. Bill can see if you're messin' with it." It was promptly opened after that, allowing them passage inside. The only thing Olly could think about was how much she wanted Carver to shut up. His voice was still blasting away for everybody to hear... how much she'd love to be the one to quieten him.

The place they were guided in to certainly wasn't paradise, it was to be expected of course. Bill Carver could spout that bullshit about being their 'guests', but they wasn't! They were prisoners, fair and square. Guests have the option to leave.

Quickly, their bindings were removed and they all slowly turned their wrists to get movement in them again. "Ya'll better get some rest, 'cause there ain't gonna be much for you tomorrow. You're gonna be workin' hard." Pff, we'll see about that.

"That's for you." Bonnie pointed to a mattress in the far corner.

Rebecca huffed. "Yeah, it would be. Fuckin' Bill. Keeps me out in the cold, but at least I'll be comfortable."

Olivia shook her head at the commotion. She didn't understand Rebecca. Not. One. Bit.

"Hey, guys."

"Reggie?!"

Olly did NOT have the energy for this. She could be called fucking rude all they liked, she didn't want to meet anyone, talk to anyone... They could have their little reunion, but she would not be a part of that. The red head strolled over to one of the shitty makeshift 'beds', if they could be called that and threw herself on the 'top-bunk' of one. The looks she received did not go unnoticed. They were talking about her, well let them talk.

"Alvin. Carver wants you in his office." Her ears perked up at that. She even allowed her head to lift up slightly.

"What? Why?"

"Don't make this difficult. It's too late for that."

"No! Please!" When had pleading ever worked, Rebecca.

"It's okay, Bec. Just get some rest. If he wanted to do somethin' to me, he'd have done it already." Bullshit. Alvin knows what he's in for. So did my Dad. We just have to hope to find him before Carver goes too far and kills him.

Alvin was quickly escorted out by an armed guard, nobody able to do anything. Olly slammed her head back down on the 'bed'. Her mind mulled over possible ways to get to Carver. His office had to be where that damn intercom thing came from, right? Maybe she could sneak in there tomorrow...

"My name's Clementine."

"It's very nice to meet you, Clementine... and who's that? She doesn't seem too... friendly." Olivia's mind was failing to block them out and now she had to listen to them talk about her.

"She's been through some shit." That's putting it mildly, Rebecca. "It's kinda a long story."

"Hm. Well, you'll have to tell me about it sometime."

Olly immediately rolled over and pulled her 'pillow', or sack of straw as it should have been renamed, over her head. Once she had sufficiently blocked out their voices to a muffle, she brought her thoughts back to the issue at hand. Carver. She wondered how she'd kill him. Would she kill him quickly, or let him linger? Would she make him feel exactly what he had done to her deep inside? Would she give a speech before ending his life? How would she do it?

"Hey, Olly! You awake?"

Olly sighed before removing the pillow from her head and popped her head down over the side. Nick had laid himself on the bottom 'bed' below her. "Yeah, I'm awake."

"Can I ask you something?" She nodded. "Do you think Luke's coming? Because, I think he is. All these years I've known him and I just can't see him leavin' us. What do you think?"

"It sounds like you're trying to convince yourself."

"I don't know. Maybe I am. It'd be easier if you convinced me, though. You've gotten pretty... close to him since you met, what do you think?"

"I think you should believe in him a bit more. He's coming."

"You're right. Sorry." Olly laid herself back down, her head on top of the pillow this time. She tried to think about Luke. It made everything easier when she did. She was less angry at everything when she did. Luke would have had a plan... if he was here, he'd have gotten them out. "So, are you okay, Olly? It got pretty heated in the truck and I'm worried about you... I've never seen you be like that, not even at me when I-"

"I'm fine. Just tired. Go to sleep, Nick." He sighed. They both shut their eyes tightly, trying to let sleep take them. With Olly being as exhausted as she was, it didn't take as long as she thought it would... but sweet dreams never came. Instead, she was plagued by nightmares.

Okay, so I know this was kind of a filler chapter, but it's essential in seeing where Olly's state of mind is. I promise, we'll see more Joel in the next chapter which will hopefully be up pretty quickly. Thanks again for all those lovely reviews. I am not a very motivated person because I am so easily distracted, but your reviews motivate me, so thanks. I'm sure the next chapter will be much more enjoyable and I'm REALLY looking forward to writing the 'father/daughter' interaction. Oh, the feels! Thanks to 'clemetargaryen ', 'jennn18', 'Mythical Annie-Rose', 'Hdawg', 'RWBYJNPRCRDL' and 'OtherLikeofELMO' for reviewing the last chapter. I've come to a decision about what path this story is going to take and it's going to be one heck of a bumpy ride. I hope you stick around for it!