The Walking Dead: Fight for Survival
Chapter 26: going separate ways
Hey, everyone, here's the next chapter like I mentioned would be here today. Like I said, before, not that long to go now until the end. It's sad to see this story coming to an end, but everything has to end unfortunately...Enjoy chapter 26, folks.
Lee practically kicked the door open to the half-built house with Clementine in his arms. He ran inside as fast as he could and immediately darted towards a fireplace and set the young girl down onto a crate and took off her jacket. He quickly ran towards the fireplace, but then he realized he had nothing to make a fire, and this caused him to panic further.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck!" Lee swore multiple times whilst he turned back to the remaining group members ran inside. He did not hesitate to ask for something to light a fire. "Anyone got anything to make a fire?!" he asked in a fast tone. "They're going to freeze to death!"
"Jesus..." Mike whispered, holding the baby in his arms whilst as he and Sarah walked inside together. He stood a few feet away to give everyone else some space and set the duffle bags down on the ground.
"Hold on a second!" Bonnie requested, helping Luke sit down on the same crate Clementine was sitting on. The second she let him go, she immediately searched inside all of her pockets until she found her matches and handed them to Lee. "Here!"
Clementine and Luke were too freezing to say anything further. They kept their arms around their chest in an attempt to keep warm until a fire was lit. It was extremely lucky that they both got out of their in one piece, but no-one could say for certain if they were safe until they were warm.
"Jesus Christ, you were both lucky to escape." Mike admitted from over where he was standing with AJ resting in his arms. He shifted his attention towards a small box that looked just big enough for a baby to fit in. He proceeded towards it and set AJ down inside. "I think we should have found a way around."
"I-I-I'm f-f-freezing. W-w-w-w-w-e n-need a f-f-fire." Clementine requested in a stuttering tone. She tried her best to hold on until that fire was up. She shifted her attention towards Luke who in return turned towards her with a concerned face.
"Just hang on, Clem." Lee assured, grabbing a match that he immediately attempted to light. In an act of panic, he slid the match too hard against the match box and ended up snapping it, and was forced to get a new one. "Shit!"
Luke continued shivering for a few more moments and kept his attention mainly focused on Clementine. He could not believe what she did that could have cost them both of their lives. "C-Clem, w-w-why did you c-come over? I-I told you to shoot the w-w-walkers."
"I-I-I had to, L-Luke." Clementine explained, moving her arms around her chest in order to stay warm. "Y-Y c-c-ould have d-died."
"She did the right thing, Luke." Bonnie reassured, standing beside the duo whilst they waited for Lee to light that fire. "There was just too many walkers to take on, and you couldn't have got out on your own." she only just realized something and ran towards the way they came. She looked out the window towards the frozen lake and was relieved to see the walkers had fallen in. "Whew."
After a couple more attempts, Lee finally got a match lit and got the fire started. He threw the match away and helped Clementine stand up and sit her down in front of the fire. Luke followed and sat down besides Clementine. The two of them rubbed their hands together and sat closely to the fire until they were dry.
With the fire lit and the group inside safe and sound, everyone remained silent and merely stared towards one another inside the room they were in. Due to Clementine's and Luke's condition, they may be here for a while but that would not be a problem. As long as there was food, shelter and no walkers, they were going to be fine.
During their time at the half-built house, the group had been resting up for a while until it was time to keep moving again. Clementine and Luke were looking a lot better, but just to be safe, they both remained where they were. Lee was outside with Sarah, Bonnie was with them but she sat outside whilst smoking a cigarette, and as for Mike, he watched AJ.
Clementine was currently sleeping for a while, but she woke up to see she was still in the same room. She leaned up and studied her surroundings to see it was nighttime. It was only morning not too long ago. How long was she asleep?
"You're awake?"
Clementine turned to her left to see it was no other than Luke, her friend and the only remaining cabin group member. She stood up and decided to sit down beside him and made conversation. "Anything happened?"
"Lee took Sarah to work on some truck he found outside. Mike's watching AJ and Bonnie's on her own." Luke debriefed the current situation whilst he was eating some cheese puffs. He offered one to Clementine but she was not that hungry and kindly declined his offer.
"I'm good, thanks." she replied, trying to make herself comfortable in this half-built house they were in. She was unsure on how long they were staying, but she did not mind.
Luke turned away from the young girl for a couple of moments and stared off into the distance. He just could not take in the fact that he cheated death again today. He was more than grateful to be alive. He turned back towards Clementine and decided to tell her what he needed to tell her for a while now. "Clementine..."
Clementine turned towards him without saying a word.
"...Thank you." Luke smiled. "You helped save my life today. If it weren't for you, I would have drowned or frozen to death. Thank you, Clementine."
Clementine smiled in response and the two of them hugged each other like the close friends they were. Although their time together had been short, Clementine and Luke had bonded a lot and now they were both like brother and sister to one another.
After ending their hug, Mike had returned into the living room to check up on their progress. He looked relieved to see them both looking back to their normal selves again. "You guys feeling all right?" he decided to ask the obvious nevertheless.
"Yeah, feeling much better." Luke assured whilst he leaned back against the wall. "I'm going to rest easy for a while. My leg's starting to act up again."
"You need anything, just let us know." Mike reminded, turning around and marching into the next room to watch AJ for a while."
"I think I'm going to talk to Lee." Clementine said as she stood up and made her way over to the back door and find her guardian to see what he was up to. She was feeling much better and was sure Luke would be okay on his own for a while. She picked up her ski jacket that was now dry and safe to wear again made her way over to the back door and walked outside.
The first thing her eyes met was Lee who was working on a four door truck that was parked outside. He stood in front of the truck with the engine hood off whilst he was working on it. With him was Sarah, who sat in the driver's seat of the truck. There was also an excavator nearby, but they did not look useful. Even if it worked, it would not go very fast. Heck, walking would be faster.
Lee continued doing so for a moment until he leaned back and called out to Sarah. "Okay, Sarah, turn the key."
Sarah obliged and slowly placed her hands upon the key in the ignition, being cautious not to mess anything up. She grabbed the key and turned it a couple of times in an attempt to start the engine, but it were not turning on. "Um, Lee, it's not working."
Lee sighed in response, his tone sounded both disappointed and annoyed. He leaned back into the engine and began messing around with it again. "Okay, just sit back until I tell you to try it again."
Sarah did not respond and merely leaned back in the driver's seat. She turned towards the open car door and smiled when she saw her best friend emerge from out of nowhere and stood beside her. "Hey Clementine!" Sarah greeted in an enthusiastic tone. "How are you feeling?"
"Better, thanks." Clementine answered, observing both the truck and Lee to investigate what they were doing. "What are you guys doing?"
"Lee says he can get this truck started and we won't have to walk anymore." Sarah happily replied. She had been walking for so long and her feet were arching, but with a vehicle, they could make some progress. "Isn't that great? No more walking."
"Sounds good to me." Clementine agreed, but she then decided to go and speak with her guardian for a little while to see if she could help. She stood beside Lee and greeted him, accidently startling him in the progress. "Hey Lee."
Lee leaned his head up a little too fast and ended up banging his head against the hood. He leaned back out and rubbed his hand against his head. "Ow, shit!" he mumbled, standing back up whilst he stood up to full height besides his adoptive daughter. "Oh, hey Clem."
"Did I scare you?" Clementine asked with a slight grin across her face. "Sorry."
"Nah, don't worry about it." Lee assured whilst he continued rubbing his hand up and down his head for a moment or two. He continued doing so until the pain had eased and changed the subject. "How are you feeling, Clementine?"
"I'm doing better than before. I just thought I'd come outside and see what you're up to." Clementine answered, followed by shrugging her shoulders slightly.
"We're trying to get this truck working. I'd save a lot of time." Lee began to explain as he leaned back into the engine and checked inside. He did not have that much experience with repairing cars, but he use to own one before the apocalypse began and would occasionally require help with the engine. He stopped for a moment and turned back towards Clementine. "We're close, Clementine. If I can get this engine running, we can all make it to Wellington without walking in the cold...I know it could have been a lie that day when he found that man who told us about it, but we have nowhere else to go. We should try. What do you think, Clementine?"
"It sounds good to me." Clementine agreed, not willing to go back south after everything that occurred. "If we can make it."
"We'll make it, Clementine." Lee reassured. He had high hopes for finding somewhere safe, somewhere where he and Clementine could finally stay without worrying about the walkers. And he was willing to bring the rest of the group with them. He leaned back up and called out to Sarah. "Okay, Sarah, give it another turn."
Sarah turned her attention back towards the keys and turned them once again, but the engine still refused to start. She tried a couple of more times before informing Lee. "Sorry, it doesn't work."
Lee sighed yet again in response and felt like he wanted to slam his fist against the truck, but he continued his anger. "Shit. There's got to be a way."
"We'll get it working, Lee, trust me." Clementine assured, but she did not worry too much when she knew Lee was never one to just give up.
Lee merely smiled in agreement as he continued trying to get the engine started. He leaned back up and spoke to Clementine. "You're right, we can do it. You can head back inside for a while if you like. I can handle this."
Clementine nodded in agreement and proceeded back towards the half-built house. She still felt quite cold from the effects of the frozen water, but she was fine now and it would not kill her. She passed Bonnie along the way who was sitting on the steps whilst smoking. She gave Bonnie a quick wave to which Bonnie returned with a nod. She decided to sit beside her and make conversation for a while.
"I didn't know you smoked." Clementine spoke up a random sentence. She was unsure on what else to say at this point.
"After everything that's happened, now's a better time than any I suppose." Bonnie replied whilst she took another puff out from her cigarette. She placed her arms upon her knees and thought back to an event that happened a couple of days again when she first met Clementine.
"Do you remember when we first met at the ski lodge? "Walt, I'm not sure". " Bonnie said with a slight grin after she tried to impersonate Clementine. "I liked you when we met..." she took another puff from her cigarette and decided to ask Clementine a serious question. "Have you ever done something that you regretted? Even though you had to do it. It's okay, you can be honest."
"I try not to think about the things I regret." Clementine responded, but she did have something to feel guilty about. She remembered when she first talked to that man on the radio. How stupid she felt to actually believe him when he claimed he found her parents. Well, technically he did but not in the way she imagined him to.
"I wish I could do that." Bonnie admitted as she looked off into the distance. One of the reasons she brought this conversation up was because of the events that happened earlier today. "I shouldn't have sent you to help Luke. He was right; the ice wouldn't have held the both of you up. I panicked, I...I thought he would have died if I didn't do something. I was stupid. I should have just covered him like he said instead of sending you over there. I'm sorry, Clem."
Clementine was slightly surprised to hear this. Bonnie, the same woman who helped capture their group and bring Carver to them was now apologizing again for her actions. She was a changed person. Clementine did not blame her though for sending her over. She was just trying to help. "Don't worry about it, Bonnie. Luke's here and we're all going to be somewhere safe soon."
"I hope so." Bonnie admitted, having some doubts about Wellington if it even existed or not. She eventually finished her cigarette and stood up and proceeded over towards the trees. "I need to go and take a piss."
With Bonnie gone, Clementine had no reason to stay out here any longer and decided to go and head inside. Once she was inside, the first thing she did was enter the nearest room where Mike was sitting inside with AJ beside him in a small box.
"Hey." Mike greeted as he picked up AJ for a moment when the young baby began to cry again. He slowly cradled him side to side.
"Hey." Clementine returned the greeting as she sat down beside him near a window that a full clear view of the outside.
Lee could be seen outside with Sarah, still trying to get the truck started, but by the looks of it, it was not going well. But that was not going to stop him from trying. It was their only hope so far.
"How you feeling?" Mike was the fourth person to ask her this question but she knew everyone was just concerned about her after what happened.
"Better than before." Clementine answered whilst she brought up her legs and sat with them crossed together.
"Glad you're feeling better." Mike admitted with a supportive smile across his face. He shifted his attention back to AJ in an attempt to get him to stop crying. "Shh, shh, come on, little man, don't cry."
Before Mike knew it, AJ had been sick that ended up going on Mike's hoodie. He merely sighed in response and attempted to wipe it off. "Perfect." he frowned.
Clementine could not help but chuckle at the amusing scene. "Here, let me take him." she offered and gently took AJ into her arms. She smiled when AJ was no longer crying when he saw Clementine and now he simply stared at her. Before long, he slowly closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.
Now that he was fed and asleep for the night, Clementine gently and slowly set AJ back down into the box. She sat back down in the same position and watched him sleep.
"It looks like you've got the magic touch." Mike admitted whilst he used a couple of paper towels he found to wipe the puke of his hoodie. "I'm glad you guys are with us. Me, Bonnie and Luke aren't that good with children."
"It's not that difficult, Mike." Clementine assured, slightly surprised that she, a little girl could take care of a baby when a full grown man had trouble. "All you need to do is feed him when he's hungry and cradle him when he's tired. It's not hard."
"I think I'll let you and Lee do all that." Mike responded with a slight grin across his face.
Before the duo discussed any further, they heard an engine roar to life from the outside. Clementine and Mike turned their attention around to see the truck was now up and running. He did it. Lee got the truck working and now they had transport. There were five seats inside, and as luck would have it, there were six of them all together including AJ and he would not take up that much room. This was a perfect opportunity they had.
"He got it working!" Clementine enthusiastically said, immediately darting out of the room and towards the backdoor like a cheetah.
Lee sat in the driver's seat and checked all of the truck's functions to see if they worked such as the gas, the brakes, the gears, and many others. He could not be happier than things were beginning to look their way again. Heck, the gas tank was almost full too.
Clementine, Luke, Bonnie, Mike and Sarah gathered around outside the truck to investigate to situation, but after hearing the truck's engines, that told them everything they needed to.
"The truck works?" Mike asked, in surprised that it work when he had doubts that it actually worked. He never thought he'd see an operational vehicle ever again.
"Yep, works like a charm." Lee answered before he turned off the engine to avoid wasting power and gas. He got back outside the truck and closed the door behind him.
"So, what's the plan?" Mike inquired, folding his arms together across his chest.
"Well, with all the supplies we have, we should keep heading north." Lee suggested, obviously still with the same plan to find Wellington. He noticed Luke, Mike and Bonnie with expressions that looked like they were not one-hundred percent agreeing with his plan. "What's wrong?"
Luke sighed in response whilst he was using a wooden plank he found to keep himself up without putting too much weight on his leg. He was unsure on how he was going to tell Lee about this, but there was no going back now. "Lee...Bonnie, Mike and I were talking earlier, and well...We're not coming..."
"What?" Lee gasped, his eyes widened slightly. He could not believe what he had just heard. They were not coming with him and Clementine? "You guys...Are not coming?"
"Lee, it's nothing personal, but none of us know if Wellington even exists or not. We don't want to take our chances going further north into the cold, so we've decided to head back." Luke explained with a somewhat sad expression across his face. He hated saying this, but now that he got it out, he felt better. "I'm sorry."
"Where are you going to go?" Clementine asked, her too not liking the idea of being separated from the rest of the group.
"We've decided that we're going to head back to Howe's." Bonnie answered, lowering her head down and staring at the ground. "With the herd, either the people there have left and been killed. Either way, we think we're going to head back where it's warmer. We think it's the best."
Lee merely sighed in response as he folded his arms together, remembering when he was put somewhat in a situation like this before. He remembered when Glenn had left their group to try and find his friends, and he remembered when Kenny was so desperate to get that RV working and get out on the road the second he got an opportunity.
Like it or not, Lee had to accept their decision. He did not want to stop them from doing what they wanted to do, but it was what they wanted. "Well, I can't say I'm not going to like it, but if that's what you guys want to do, then good luck."
"Thanks Lee." Luke thanked with a slight smile across his face, but he still looked sad about having to leave like this. "We're all going to stay here for the night, but in the morning, we're going to head back south."
"What about the truck?" Clementine asked, hoping this was not going to cause an argument between them to decide who gets it.
"We know the way back." Mike assured, allowing them to keep the vehicle for themselves. "You two should keep it. You're going to be on a long journey. You'll need it."
Clementine sighed in response, relieved and grateful that they were allowing them to keeping their transportation. She did not feel like walking again, especially in this weather.
Than that settled it. Lee and Clementine were going to keep heading north whilst Luke, Bonnie and Mike were going to head back south. But then it hit everyone that they forgot a something, or better yet, two people that had yet to decide what they were going to do. Sarah and AJ. Who was going to take care of them?
"What about Sarah and AJ?" Lee asked, turning his attention towards the teenaged girl who merely stood there in silence nearby with her hands placed together.
Luke had only just remembered they had a baby in the group now. How could he have forgotten? He must be losing his memory. Nevertheless, he turned towards both Bonnie and Mike who each gave him a supportive nod and agreed with his earlier decision. "We've been thinking about that too. Lee, we think you should take AJ. You're the best one here who's had experience with kids. You should take him. But Sarah..." he trailed off.
Everyone stood in silence and turned towards one another, and all merely shrugged in response once they received a stare from someone.
Lee turned back towards Sarah and slowly approached her. He placed his hand upon her shoulder and waited until she looked towards him. He was going to let this decision be made by her. "Sarah, what do you want to do? You can come with me, Clementine and AJ or you can go back with Luke, Bonnie and Mike. It's up to you."
Now this was a choice Sarah was going to have trouble making. She wanted to get out of the cold as soon as possible, but she also wanted to be safe and had no intention of going back to Howe's after everything that happened there. She made up her mind after a moment or two had passed and turned towards Lee. "I want to stay with you Lee. If that's okay."
"Of course, Sarah." Lee agreed with a slight smile across his face. "You can come. I'll protect you no matter what."
Sarah remembered the last time she heard those words and that was from her father. He always said he would protect her no matter what and he was a man of his word because it was true. He gave his life to keep her safe and now Sarah would not give up hope.
"Well, I guess we should get some sleep for the night." Mike suggested as he made his way back towards the half-built house to watch AJ and get some rest.
Everyone else agreed this would be the best thing to do for now. One by one they walked back towards the half-built house to get some sleep for the night. Before Lee joined them, he went back over to the truck and took the key out of the ignition just in case someone would stumble upon this place during the night. For now, he made his way back into the house to get some sleep for the night.
The next morning, the group woken up at first dawn and gathered outside the truck again with their bags of supplies. It was time for them to go their separate ways. Lee, Clementine and Sarah all stood by the truck whilst Mike and Bonnie brought the two duffle bags outside, and with it were another two bags they found. They had an agreement the group would take one bag whilst the other group took the other.
"Here." Bonnie said as she set down one of the duffle bags and another beige bag in front of Lee. "We found another two bags in the house. And we packed all the baby formula. You'll need all the supplies you need. "
"Thanks Bonnie." Lee thanked with a slight smile across his face. He and Bonnie leaned forward, and shared a hug with one another for a few seconds.
The other members of the group each had bidden each other goodbye with either a hug, a handshake, or even both.
"Sarah, it's been nice having you living at the cabin with us." Luke admitted to the young teenager as he released her from the hug. "You take care now. Lee will keep you safe."
"I will." Sarah nodded with some slight tears in her eyes. She and Luke were really close friends and it saddened her to have to lose him.
Now that they bidden each other goodbye, it was time to go. Lee picked up both bags and placed them into the backseat before he got into the driver's seat. Clementine held AJ in her arms as she sat in the front seat. And as for Sarah, she got in the back seat where she would have more room to herself.
Lee placed the keys into the ignition and with one turn, the engine roared to life. He turned back towards the trio one more time whom waved towards them before he began to drive away from the house. "(Good luck, guys.)" he thought to himself, wishing them the best of luck for whatever the future held for them.
The second they were on the main road, Lee continued driving towards north through the cold weather of the snow, but it would not matter as long as they were inside. This was it. They were finally going to get to somewhere safe once and for all. A place where they wouldn't need to sleep with a gun beside them, a place where they were not alone, and a place where they could live in peace.
It was a dream come true. If Wellington turned out to be true, of course. But Lee had hope that it was there. And together with Clementine, Sarah and AJ they could make it. He was not going to give up no matter what paths he may cross along the way.
And that's it for this chapter, ladies and gentlemen. The groups have splitted up into two groups and have gone their separate ways. It is very sad, I know, but it is for the best. The final chapter will be here soon, everyone, and I would like to thank you all for reading up to this point.