Prepare for some pretty disgusting stuff later on as we wrap up episode 3.
TWD Chapter 17 – The Escape Plan
"Is she okay?" Olivia asked Bonnie, panicking that Clementine seemed to be unconscious. The older woman had already picked the little girl up and placed her on one of the beds.
"I-I don't know. Carlos?"
The doctor who was currently focusing his attention on Kenny, nodded. "Let her rest." That's all he said before returning mute as he prioritised the man bleeding profusely. It had taken a lot of effort for Rebecca to pry Sarita away from the man and allow Carlos enough room to do his job. Nick was currently hunched over in a chair, not saying too much, probably trying to wrap his head around everything that had happened. Sarah was wandering from person to person, trying to find some comfort whilst her Dad worked... and Luke was propped against a wall, looking very defeated.
Olly made her way over to him, restraining herself to stop herself from sprinting. Luke saw her coming and removed himself from the wall. Once she reached him, she wrapped her arms around his neck, tighter than what she should have, causing him to wince. "Ouch. Ouch." She didn't let go, but just loosened her grip slightly and Luke folded his arms around her in return.
"Sorry." He nodded against her and allowed the hug to carry on, giving her the opportunity to dip her face in the crook of his neck and he responded in kind. "I was so afraid." Her words were muffled due to her remaining as close to him as she could manage. Before she knew it, tears were rolling down her cheeks again and she tutted, annoyed that it was happening once more.
"We have a lot to talk about." And with that, Luke pryed her away from him and pulled her as far away from everyone else as he could manage. Olly was too worked up to realise how strange this was and honestly, she wanted to be alone with him, at least for a little while. "I think I'm due an explanation about-"
Now Olivia was done crying, she actually took in Luke's appearance fully and he didn't look great. "-You genuinely look terrible."
He sighed. "I haven't eaten in... I don't even know how long. Haven't really slept neither."
Olly nodded. "Let me handle it." She was about to make her way towards Bonnie, but Luke pulled her back.
"What are you doin'? We need to talk."
Olivia contemplated continuing, but Luke's adamant gaze told her to do otherwise. "Fine. Talk. What's bothering you?"
He scoffed. "A lot of things are botherin' me right now. Hell, I've lost count. But if you want specifics... Joel." Now she understood. "You said back at that store that those-" he gestured to the cuts and bruises on her face. "-weren't what they seemed. He hit you again-"
"-No he didn't! ...Not really. I moved so it didn't hurt so much. He pre-warned me he was going to do it and I moved." Luke didn't seem to be getting it. "Look, he's not Carver and he's no way near like him. I was being stupid back at the lodge, impulsive. If my Dad hadn't been there, I'd be dead!"
He shook his head lightly, his eyes tightly shut... a few seconds later, he opened them and nodded. "I think I understand. He still messed it all up for the rest of us last time. Do you know about that?"
"Yes... Carlos told me. So did he. Look, I won't tell you what he said because it's not my place, but can you at least trust me enough to believe me when I say he won't do that again?"
"Did you tell him about this plan?!" Luke's eyes widened in shock.
"No! Not exactly... It doesn't even matter... he wouldn't come with us anyway." The raw heartache echoing from her eyes as she spoke showed Luke the truth, instantly making him feel bad for her. "Now are we done? I need to speak to Bonnie before-"
"-No. There's something else." He seemed reluctant to continue, which made the situation more intriguing for her, but not in a good way. "After you left yesterday, I heard... Troy was talkin' to someone about you and he said..." He paused, turning away and clenching his eyes shut. Olivia knew exactly what he was trying to say. The man had been bragging about it. It took a lot of effort, but Luke gathered the strength to look back at her. "Has he hurt you?" His hand reached up to stroke her cheek, her face now reflecting fear at the thought of her previous encounters with the vile man.
"If you are trying to ask if he... touched me, no he didn't... thanks to my Dad. Not that he didn't try."
He gulped heavily, before a dominant scowl demonstrated his anger at the discovery, his hands clenched in to tight fists. "That bastard."
She nodded. "It's okay. My Dad said he'd deal with it. Nobody else knows so let's just keep it shtum. It's not something I want to keep repeating."
He sighed. "If you say so. If he tries anythin' again, though..."
"Pff. He won't have time to by the sound of things." There was a comfortable silence between the pair, Olly taking the time to fully take in his worn out features and his new bruises and looking at him now, she was worried. "You should let Carlos take a look at you once he's done with Kenny."
"I'll be okay... but I'm starting to think maybe we shouldn't leave right away. Kenny's in no shape to go anywhere, neither is Sarita and Clementine hasn't even woken up yet."
Olivia nodded. "I agree. You need rest too... and food." With that, Olly jogged off towards Bonnie who was just about to leave the compound. "Bonnie!"
The woman turned around, a confused expression greeting her ragged features. "Yeah?"
"I need you to get my Dad for me. Just bring him here to the compound."
"What? Why?" Bonnie's scowl told Olly that even she didn't trust Joel.
"Just get him... please."
She paused, her eyes drifting away slightly before looking back. "Alright." Then she left and Olly patiently waited for him to arrive by the gate.
Luke soon came by her side giving her an inquisitive look. "What are you doing?"
She smiled. "Looking after you."
He crossed his arms and stared her down. "What does that even mean?"
Olivia just shook her head and then dipped it towards Nick. "You should go talk to him. I know he was worried about you."
Luke looked at his best friend and then back to the young red head who had made such a huge impact on his life. "I missed you, ya know. It was odd not having y'all around-" he paused. "... not having you around." Olivia couldn't help but release another smile at the revelation and the awkwardness of how it sounded.
Then she leaned forward and gave him a quick peck on the lips, straight away him checking to see if anyone had noticed. If they had, they didn't make it known. "I missed you, too." He smiled and then left to go talk to Nick as suggested, who seemed more than happy to speak to his friend.
A few seconds later, two knocks were sounded at the gate and Olly turned to see her father looking through the holes. He didn't seem happy. "Olly, you can't be askin' me to come here. The gates are always watched."
"But I need your help-"
Joel sighed. "I can't help you... What am I supposed to do? Bust you out?"
She shook her head. "No, no. Nothing like that. I need you to get me some food. That's all."
He chuckled darkly. "'That's all' she says. You can't go one day with out food?"
Exasperated, she continued. "It's not for me. It's... for Luke." The look of disdain she received told her she'd need to do some serious convincing... and the look he gave Luke from over her shoulder was one that said 'I don't like that guy'.
"Why would I do anythin' for him?"
"You're not doing it for him, you're doing it for me." Olivia attempted her best 'puppy dog' face, but it was evidently out of practice.
"No."
"Dad, please! He can't go another day with out food! I'm afraid of what'll happen otherwise."
He spent a minute investigating every emotion in her face and finally came to a conclusion. "You love him."
Her mouth fell open... then closed... then open again. "I-uh..."
"I'll try." Then he was gone and Olly was left, mouth gaping open. She turned around to see Luke staring at her, obviously awaiting a response to whatever she had been doing. Nobody else was really paying attention. Sarita was still crying with Rebecca attempting to comfort her, Carlos was still busy trying to save Kenny, Clementine still sleeping, Jane was still being anti-social and Mike was just wandering around trying to get his head straight.
It wasn't long before the gates were clattering open and in came Joel. "Come with me." Now everyone's questioning eyes had turned on the father/daughter duo as they left the compound and the gates were locked behind them.
"Where are we going?"
"The garage."
"Why there?" He didn't reply.
Once their destination had been reached, he yanked it open and let Olly go inside first. Then he was off in to some side room that lead from the main area. "You never answered me. Why here?" No response. In fact the only sound she could hear was the sound of rummaging and moving objects. About two minutes later, the aging man appeared from the room with what looked like a packet of crackers.
"About the only thing left eatable in here. I've had this secret stash of stuff for a while... just in case." He held out the packet to her and Olivia took them gratefully before pulling her father in to a loving hug.
"Thank you! Maybe people will start trusting you-"
"No! Tell nobody they came from me. Say you found them... I want nothing more to do with this." With that, Joel plonked himself in a chair and placed his head in his hands.
"Aren't you going to take me back?"
"No... not yet. The only reason I could get you here was because I told Bill I needed your help with some extra work, that I wouldn't be able to get done with out you. Apparently he believes that the maintenance I've got done these past couple of days, you actually helped with."
"Oh. How long we gonna be here for?"
He laughed humourlessly to himself. "Don't worry. You'll be back with loverboy shortly."
She rolled her eyes. "Why does everyone call him that? He has a name..." Joel just gave a criticizing grunt. "You disapprove?"
"I'll admit I'm struggling to see what you do in him."
She scowled at him. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
"I mean that boy has no backbone, no willpower, no strength and he puts his morals before anything else. He won't be able to keep you safe."
It was Olly's turn to laugh humourlessly now. "What? And you could?! You put yourself before anyone! At least Luke would try and save me if I was in danger! You wouldn't! You'd just piss off in the opposite direction and save yourself."
Joel was no longer seated. In fact, he was hovering over his daughter, a furious expression on his face, his hands flailing in the air. "Oh, would I?! Then why the fuck am I here right now? Huh? I'm here to satisfy your stupid crush, that's what!"
"It's not a stupid crush! And I need this food because Luke is in a shitty state and I want to help him. Something you no nothing about! You'd much rather just follow orders. You know what your problem is? You have no morals and you're jealous that Luke is actually capable of caring about me!"
Joel was shocked in to silence and Olivia immediately regretted what she had said. "Leave."
"But I-"
"You can make your own way back. If you get caught, that's your problem." Then his back was turned. The room suddenly felt very cold and unwelcoming. She thought about apologizing... but her stubborness demanded she didn't. Knowing if she got caught outside the compound with out her father she would be punished, Olly ran as fast as she could, the crackers disguised inside her top as best as it would enable.
Luckily for her, Bonnie was on guard duty. "Pst. Bonnie." Olivia had hidden in the shadows as she quietly tried to grab the woman's attention and luckily, she had managed it.
"What are you doing?"
"Just let me in, please." She nodded, unlocking the gates and allowing her through.
"Tell Luke I need to speak with him as soon as it turns dark." Bonnie commanded and Olly assumed it was about the escape plan, so she nodded.
"You're back." The man in question was the first to notice her return. "Where'd you go?"
"Uh... Could we go talk in some corner or something?..." Everyone gave her questioning, shocked stares and that's when it struck her how bad that sounded. "No, no, no. I didn't mean it like that. I just need to speak to you... about something... erm." The sentence finished with an awkward neck scratch, her cheeks painted red with embarrassment.
Luke managed a chuckle at the demonstration. "Sure." Then he rose from his seat beside Nick who wiggled his eyebrows at his friend and gave him a thumbs up, which Luke responded with a roll of his eyes. "What is it, Olly?"
"I have something for you." Checking to see that nobody was looking, she held out the crackers. "I know it's not much..."
His eyes widened at the sight of food and his mouth started watering. "I... How did you...? That's where you went with Joel, isn't it?" She nodded, her eyes betraying her as they glazed with sadness. "Thank you, truly. I didn't realize Joel had it in him... maybe he does care about us afterall."
Olly scoffed. "Yeah, sure... You should eat up, though."
Luke shook his head. "We need to share these. Everyone is hungry."
"B-but..." She thought about this for a second. She was right about Luke, he had decent morals and would never let everyone else go hungry whilst he ate. There was no point arguing the fact that he hadn't eaten longer than the rest of them because he'd still want to share and feel bad if he didn't. "Fine. But you eat first. And don't tell them where I got them from... basically don't mention Joel. He wouldn't like that... in fear of getting in to trouble." The disdain she spoke with sent of alarm bells for Luke.
"You okay?" He asked with genuine concern.
"Yeah. I'm fine. Oh! I almost forgot. Bonnie said that she wants to talk to you later, so I'd stay by the gate." He nodded, shoving a cracker in to his mouth hungrily. "If you do decide to share those, be discreet about holding them around."
"I'm not stupid." He spat, his mouth still full of cracker, the image making Olly laugh.
"Of course not, Lucy."
Luke gave her a half smile before offering the packet out to her. "Want one, Oliver?"
"Uh... No, I'm okay. I'm gonna go check on Clementine... sit with her a bit. I'm getting worried that she hasn't woken up yet." He agreed and allowed her to go sit by the bed.
Looking at the girl, she seemed so peaceful and it sent Olivia in to a trance. Before she knew it, day had turned to night and Bonnie had called Luke over, who had generously been serving out crackers to people as discreetly as he could muster.
"Huh... ouch." Olly turned to see Clementine rising from her 'laying down' position and her hand instinctively reaching to her face. "dang it."
"I'm glad to see you're awake. I was getting worried." Olivia placed a hand on Clem's who smiled affectionately.
"I'm okay. Kenny?"
Olivia looked over at the corpse-like looking man over at the table, that Carlos had converted in to his personnal operating table. "Carlos hasn't said anything yet. He's still working on him. I'm sure he'll be fine, though. Kenny maybe an asshole sometimes, but he's a tough asshole." Clem got out of the bed and Olly allowed her room to maneouver. Them both silently deciding to go join the other's at the campfire to wait for what news Luke and Mike would bring after speaking to Bonnie.
It wasn't long before the two turned around and joined everyone else around the fire. "What'd she say?" Rebecca asked Mike impatiently.
"She said she can get us out of the pen if we can get the PA system going. Second she hears it, she'll run over and spring us."
"That's great."
"It's not great." Luke's angrier voice sounded beside Olly.
"What're you talking about?" Rebecca asked confrontationally.
He sighed. "Look, I know part of this is my fault, I- I know."
Olivia shook her head. "It's isn't your fault-"
"No, Olly! It is... I was hungry, and I got reckless trying to steal some food, and I got caught. That's on me and I-"
"Why isn't it great?" Clementine questioned.
"Because most of us are beat to shit. Or pregnant! And besides that it's risky as hell." Luke exhaled, his hands running through his hair, his body language shouting 'stressed'.
"It is pretty damn risky, guys." Nick agreed and so did Olly.
"Luke's right. I've been telling everyone this since I saw Luke yesterday! Now with Kenny..."
"But risky? Did you see what that sonuvabitch just did? Look, the plan works. Nothing needs to change. The plan's all set up. That hard part is done. This guy's fucking crazy. Who knows what he'll do next." Mike attempted to reason.
"Yeah, but now we're dealin' with a guy beat to shit, Sarita in no shape to do anything, and I'm a goddamn mess. Look, we should rest up, okay? We should bide our time, and we should wait for an opening." Luke countered.
"Bonnie's agreeing to help us tonight."
"And that doesn't mean she can't do it some OTHER night."
"I don't know, guys... Luke's makin' sense. Maybe we should wait." Nick said, continuing to stick by his friend, which Olivia really admired.
"We're NOT waiting."
"Be reasonable, Rebecca." Olivia pleaded.
Luke looked over at her and nodded in thanks before turning back to the group. "Ain't nothing out there, guys. Trust me, I looked! There's no food, there's no supplies. They picked everything clean. I'm just saying we gotta be sensible about this."
"This is being sensible!" Mike stated adamantly, but Olivia just thought he was a fool.
Everyone turned around at the sound of Carlos coming towards them, Clementine and Sarita especially focused. There was a long pause were nobody said anything, just shared sorrowful glances.
"Can I see him?" Clem asked quietly.
The doctor shook his head. "I... don't think that's a good idea. His orbital is crushed... I don't think there's much hope for the eye. I got him as stable as I could, cleaned it, got some of the swelling down, bandaged it as best I could... but until he wakes up, we won't know if there's any damage to the brain." At the tragic news, Sarita began crying once again, even heavier than before and everyone else's faces dropped in to complete melancholy.
"Okay, look... maybe I'm just playin' devil's advocate here, but if... dammit if ya'll are serious about goin' tonight, then we're gonna have to start talkin' about maybe... leavin' some folks behind."
"No!" Even Olivia was shocked to hear Luke say that. Kenny was in that state because he wanted to protect Clementine. This wasn't the man she had bigoted up earlier, no way.
"There is no other way."
"Would you be saying that if it was Nick, Luke? Or... me?" The man stared at Olivia, as if trying to send some silent message. "Would you?!"
He shook his head. "It isn't. Look, I don't like it either, but guess what? It's where we're at."
"Kenny and I are only here because of you people... and now you intend to leave us behind." Sarita sobbed.
"No! We're not leaving Kenny!" Clementine demanded. "That's not fair. We stay together."
"Life ain't fair, Clem. We're just tryin' to make the best of a bad situation, here. No one wants to leave Kenny behind."
A strong wheezing sounded behind them. "Good, 'cause... you won't have to." Everyone turned to the source of the sound and shocked faces viewed the sight of a very messed up looking man doing his best to stand up straight. Sarita was the first to hug him, grateful he was going to be okay... or as okay as expected. "I'm all right, hon." He quickly let her go to address the rest of the group. "We leave tonight... plan don't change."
"Not bad, old man." Nick said, a hint of amusement in his voice.
"Thanks, asshole."
Olly smiled. "You're even tougher than you pretend to be."
"Ha. Tough guys get their asses kicked in front of everyone?" Kenny's eyes turned to Clementine who was slowly making her way over to him, a very guilty looking expression gracing her features. "You alright?" Clem didn't say anything, just looked to the ground. "That wasn't your fault, okay? So don't go blamin' yourself." With a whimper, the young girl pulled the man in to a crushing hug. "It's all right." The embrace lasted a few seconds before they both separated.
"All right... Well then, what now?" Luke asked.
"We get the hell outta here." Kenny stated simply, as if it was obvious.
"Like now, now?"
"Yes!" Rebecca replied adamantly, her arms crossing over to make her point clear.
"Where are we goin'? In case things get squirrely and we gotta make a break for it, we need a place to meet up." Kenny questioned, trying very badly not to touch his damaged, painful looking eye.
"We could meet up at Parker's Run." Mike suggested.
"The hell is that?"
"It's a Civil War site a few miles north. Tourist trap. Got signs all over. Just follow the road."
"We stopped there after we escaped the first time. Luke and Carlos know where it is. It's not that far." Rebecca explained calmly.
"Well, at least if a few folks know where it's at, it'll be easier to find if we're all split up. All right, that works."
Luke looked from one member of the group to the other, confused as to what the actual plan was. "Then we just need someone to go set off the PA system, right? I mean, you never bothered to explain who's supposed to do that."
All eyes had suddenly turned on Clementine. All eyes apart from Olly's and Luke's, who quickly caught on to why everyone was looking at her.
"You guys can't be serious! Hasn't Clem done enough putting herself in danger?!" Nobody seemed to be paying any attention. "I'll do it!"
Kenny shook his head. "Clementine's faster, smaller and lighter than you."
"I'm gonna need a boost." The little girl interjected.
"Clem, you don't have to do this. You know that, right?" Olly couldn't help the worry she expressed for her. It just came out.
"I know. I got this." She finished with a reassuring smile and Olivia backed down politely. Luke quickly placed a comforting arm around her which she had to restrain from tucking herself in to.
"Be sure to remember to flip the switch for the outdoor speakers. Just the indoor speakers might not draw the herd. It's right on the microphone box. By default it's set to music, so you should just have to turn it on, right? Then climb back up and drop in to the stock room. We'll meet you there." Rebecca explained as fully as she could, her voice wavering slightly with anticipation and nerves.
"I got it."
"Good." Then Mike was promptly pulling her up and Olly was watching her go. "Oh and Clem! Make sure you bring Alvin." The girl nodded in response and that was the last thing Olivia saw before she vanished from view.
"Make sure you grab everything of value from this shithole." Kenny ordered the group, but there wasn't much of anything.
The group was afraid. That was obvious. And they dealt with it the only way humanity do, with a lot of 'good lucks' and 'we'll make it through's.
Luke turned to Olly and gave her the tightest hug he could manage with his injuries and a quick kiss to the temple. "That's insurance."
She smiled and winked. "I'd much rather take the payment now... just in case."
"Yeah well... that ain't how it works. You want the payment, you'll just have to come out of this alive."
"There's a time and a place for that shit. Get it together." Kenny scorned the couple who were now looking very sheepish.
Then it happened. The PA system sounded, it wasn't playing music as planned, but it was loud enough to gather attention and Bonnie was sprinting towards them. The whole situation felt unreal... and if it was done effectively, she wouldn't be keeping her vow of taking Carver with her... not that she didn't want to. The shutter gate that had kept them imprisoned was soon released and they all made a run for it.
"We gotta hurry, Clem'll be waiting for us." Bonnie stated and everyone picked up their speed. As they passed the armory, the woman went inside and pulled out a few guns to take with them, not really having time to grab extra ammo.
"Is my katana in there?"
"I don't see it. I'm sorry." Olly's eyebrows burrowed at the revelation, before shaking her head and getting herself together. It was just an object... at least everyone else was alive.
Before they knew it, they were off again and with a lot of dodging and weaving, the group made it to the stockroom, only to be stopped by Carver... and Joel. Oh no, no, no, no, no. Not you.
"I thought you said you never told your Dad the plan." Luke demanded through gritted teeth.
"I never did! I swear!" Olly pleaded on deaf ears. "Dad! Please! Don't do this."
"Shut up!" Carver shouted, holding up his gun at the group, Joel just behind him who didn't seem to be showing any emotion at his daughter's pleas. Had she really upset him this much? "Put your weapons on the floor... NOW!" Out of fear of him doing something stupid, the group obeyed, slowly placing said weapons on the ground in front of them and their hands in the air. So much for our great escape. "You wanna disrespect me, fine. You wanna throw away the life... I'm trying to build for us all... then fuckin' fine! You wanna run off with the dogshit group of crippled fucks, then fine. Be my guest!" That's when Olly felt a quick nudge in her side from Luke and turned to see Clementine sliding across the top above Carver. "But I will put a bullet in you and that baby-" Before Clementine could even do anything, Joel had throttled Carver across the head with the butt of his gun, allowing Luke to reach forward for the man's gun and aim it right back at him.
Relief washed over Olivia as she helped Clem down from the top. Her father had chosen her.
The weapons that had been dropped, were back in peoples' hands and the tides had turned. It was Carver's time to cower. "Huh. I expected better from you, Joel. Turning on me again? Tut tut." He then turned to Luke who was still pointing his gun at him. "Come on, Luke. This ain't none of your business."
"Clem where... why isn't Alvin with you? Where is he?" Rebecca pleaded, already knowing the answer. When Clementine said nothing, she had all the verification she needed. "Alvin..." She allowed herself a second to mourn, before her eyes turned violent. "Kill him." Luke's shocked stare was all the proof needed that he wouldn't do it.
"Rebecca, Rebecca sweetie, my god. How did we get here, you and me?" Carver's gravelly voice sounded, sending shivers down Olly's spine. She hated that voice almost as much as Troy's. Almost. "This's just a bit of a custody battle we got on our hands, here."
"Let's just go." Clementine breathed out, evidently sick of the situation.
Olivia glowered at the monster, referred to as 'Bill', in front of her. "Sorry Clem... I'm with Rebecca on this one."
Luke stared at her, his mouth wide open. "What?! What the hell has gotten in to you?"
Joel smirked. "What? My daughter too immoral for you?"
"Not now, dad-"
Kenny had obviously grown impatient and a gunshot sounded... and then another. The man had put two bullets in Carver's kneecaps, crashing him to the floor. "Arrrrrrrrgh!" The room was silent... the only movement was Kenny who had pocketed his gun in favour for a crowbar. "Go on and wait outside." His voice sounded rusky in its foreboding quietness. The group looked at one another worriedly, Jane being the first to actually leave.
Carlos looked to Sarita. "We have to go."
She didn't seem to be listening. "Kenny, please."
"I only need a minute." The broken man was patting the crowbar in to the palm of his hand menacingly, then turned his head towards Clementine. "Go on. You don't need to see this."
"That girl's already seen more than you can imagine." Carver rasped out from the ground.
"Shut your mouth, Bill!" Luke searched the group. "You're all just gonna let him do this?"
"Yes." Rebecca stated defiantly.
"There ain't no part of that son of a bitch I don't hate, but that does not make this right!"
Olly sighed. "Then let's go. Com'on Clem... Dad?" Joel hesitated, taking a second to look at the man that had ordered him around for so long... then nodded.
"What? Leaving so soon, Olivia? I thought you'd be the first to want me dead after what I did... Oh didn't Joel tell you? I was the one who ordered Troy to do all that stuff to ya." Olly's feet automatically stuck themselves to the ground and her heart skipped a beat... before going in to overdrive. "I knew it would break you. I knew it was a fitting punishment for you."
Joel attempted to shove his daughter forward, but she burned with fury. "Take Clem out of here."
Luke turned around to the death glare he feared seeing so much. "No, Olly! Don't let him bait you. Let's just go." It took a few seconds of watching her in that state to comprehend that she wasn't budging, so opted for doing as he was bid, a flash of look like disappointment in his face as he left.
"You shouldn't stay here, Olly." Joel spoke softly. "If you do... I'll have to as well."
"Then stay." With that said, she joined Kenny's side with a nod of acknowledgement from the man. Allowing everyone time to leave before they took advantage of their power. "Mind if I have the first hit?" She asked casually.
"Be my guest." He held out the crowbar to her which she took thankfully... preparing herself to earn her reward.
"You can't protect her from everything. That little girl would do better on her own-"Olivia silenced the man by pushing her foot in to his throat and squishing downwards.
"Time to play." Quickly, she pulled her arm back and then thrust it forward at twice the speed, the crowbar whipping his face to the side, blood gushing down his face... little sounds emanating from him as he attempted to disguise the pain. "He's all yours." The weapon was quickly thrust back in to Kenny's hand.
"You won't see anything." Kenny promised.
"Ha. That's funny comin' from you. How's that eye? Just follow my voice... it'll get ya there. You got a thick fuckin' skull, Kenneth. Should've put you out of your misery right then... now look at ya. You're a mess-" Kenny had heard enough and Carver never got the chance to say another word as his head was split open from the impact of his constant blows.
"Let's go." Kenny said dryly, physical exhaustion taking its toll.
"There's something I've got to do." Joel stated matter-of-factly.
Olly turned round, her mouth open and her eyebrows risen. "...What?"
"I don't remember inviting him anyway." Kenny scowled, which Olivia quickly returned.
"And I don't remember asking for permission."
Joel looked from his daughter back to the older man, then shook his head. "I'll meet you outside. I promise. Just hurry up and get outta here." Olly looked on as her father ran off out of the room, unable to stop him. Please come back...
Luke had been waiting for them by the exit, a frown featured on his face... but she didn't care. He didn't get it. "Where's Clem?" She asked calmly.
"With Carlos." He stated, not even taking the time to look at her.
Kenny leaped down first, the pain causing him to cripple over slightly and Sarita to come to his aid. "No, no, I'm- I'm- I'm all right. Come on... we got enough to worry about."
Nick's tormented eyes gazed over the horizons oncoming roamers. "Man, we're never gonna make it through this."
Luke stared in disbelief. "You kidding me? If Clem can handle it, you can."
"Shit. I thought they were comin' in from the South." Kenny looked just as worried as Nick, now.
"We're not leavin' until my dad gets here." Olly declared.
The old man groaned. "We can't stay here, sunshine."
"He's right. We have to get covered now and go... otherwise people are going to die." The anti-social woman told her. "I'm sorry."
"Who the hell are you anyway?"
"Jane. Not that that matters right now." With that, the woman took down a walker that had gotten pretty close and started ripping it apart with a combat knife.
"What if he isn't coming, Olly?" Luke spoke sincerely. "What if that was just a rouse to get you away? We all know what he can be like..."
"No! He wouldn't do that!-"
"Would you kindly shut the fuck up?" Kenny glared at her as he attempted to cover himself in guts.
After giving Clementine something to defend herself, Luke joined Olly's side. "We have to get you covered." She shook her head.
"Please, Olly!" Clem begged, leaving Carlos to cover her in the gore of a roamer. One look at the little girl's face left her defeated.
"Fine." With that, Luke was rubbing his hands all over, making her feel more uncomfortable that she expected. When he was done he turned back to his friend Nick who began the same job.
"What the actual fuck is goin' on here?!" Troy the bastard had emerged, assault rifle in hand, instantly leaving Olivia weak. Luke's calm demeanour had also vanished at the sight of him and with an angry scowl began walking towards him, Olly unable to pull him back. "What is this sick shit? Someone say something before I start-" Before Luke could swing a fist in his direction, a sword was pushed through the back of Troy's skull out to the front, his eyes twisting upwards as he was kicked down, dead. It was Joel.
"Dad..." Olivia gasped, releasing a smile at the sight of him... it grew even bigger when she realised what he was carrying. "My katana."
He nodded and held it out to her. "Thought you might need it." A tear of happiness fell from her eye as she sheathed the weapon and then pulled her father in to a loving hug which he return gratefully.
"We don't have time for that." Jane grumbled. "They're almost on us."
She was right. "We need to get you covered, Dad." He dipped his head in approval, allowing Olivia to cover her dad as much as she could.
"Don't make any noise, got it? They might hear something they don't like. And for fuck's sake, WALK. Act like you belong and you will belong." That was all Jane had time to say before the walkers were on them.
Joel stumbled slightly in front of his daughter, who was constantly glancing over at Clementine and Luke. She should have stayed closer to them... but they had already started walking as she was hugging her dad and it wasn't like she could just run to them.
Gunshots sounded from the top of Howe's as they fired upon the oncoming herd and Olly prayed they wouldn't decide to start firing on them too. A few seconds later, screams were heard coming from Sarah. "DAD!" Carlos hadn't made it and Joel restrained her from going over there by placing an arm around her waist and pulling her through. She managed to catch a glimpse of the panicking girl running through the herd.
"Sarah!" Luke's voice echoed through the crowd as he bolted after her.
"Dad, they need our help." But he only held on to her tighter. "Dad, stop!"
Okay so... excuse my French, but that was a bitch to write! I promised you it would be long and it turned out to be the longest one yet. I really wanted to get this to you guys before I went on holiday so you'd have something whilst I'm away for a little while. Seriously though, this was so hard to write because I just wasn't happy with a lot of it... I hope you guys like it at least a little!
A lot of stuff happened this chapter... a lot of feels. Also, a bit of rewriting to incorporate my OC's, not much, but a little. Some original scenes as well! Got a teensy bit serious at the end too... I regret nothing.
Thanks for all the reviews, guys! Especially to those people who keep coming back and keep making this story better. Thank you so much.
Until next time!
UPDATE: Hey guys! First of all, I'm really sorry for not updating these past couple of weeks. I've literally just started my A-levels now and the amount of work I'm receiving is going to take some getting used to. Next, the observant bunch of you will notice the new cover image for the story. A lovely reader sent me some fanart of Olivia and Luke and I can't honestly say I've never been more touched. Definitely check them out. miamaha. deviantart
Oh and just so you know, the ending has finally been mapped out and planned... and I think you'll all be pleasantly surprised ;) Watch out for Chapter 18 - coming soon.