Disclaimer: These characters belong to the Walking Dead game which is the property of Robert Kirkmen and Telltale games.
I just want to start off by saying Thank you! Thank you to all the readers who read this story and left me reviews. It really encouraged me to continue writing. I know that I haven't updated in a while but this chapter took longer for me to finish than any of the others. Warning it is also super long. Although this is the last chapter of this story I do plan on writing Epilogue of sorts later on. Kind of like how Clementine appeared at the end of the credits of episode five of the game. Other than that enjoy this finale of sorts and God bless you all!
All in all it was a pretty successful robbery. Only Kenny had shown any sort of resistance, but a quick and hard blow from Clive had ended that.
It was good the boat was already out of the shed, because now they had a place lock the group as they rolled it out of the yard. They heard Kenny banging the doors, but Vernon knew that he had no chance of breaking out. Not with the shovel they had placed between them.
"Come on Boyd, Let's get this boat out." Said Vernon noticing the man's hesitation.
"Should we let them go?" Boyd asked.
"Oh yeah that's smart." Clive butted in. "Why don't we just ask them to help us push it to the sea while we're at it?"
"What if they can't get out?"
"They'll get out. About half of their crew isn't here. Once they get back I'm sure they'll open the doors." Replied Vernon
"So why don't we get out of here before they return." Stated Clive.
Vernon agreed. "You guys left their guns on the table right?"
"Yeah though we could have used em." Answered Clive.
"Oh yeah that's it." Said Boyd Sarcastically "First steal their boat and then their guns."
"Hey…" Clive began before Vernon cut him off.
"No, Boyd's right, without their weapons they're as good as dead once they get out. We didn't come here to murder people. Now come on let's get this thi…"
*Bang*
"AAHHHHHHHHHHHAA!" Screamed Vernon as he fell to the ground in pain.
"Vernon!" Screamed Joyce as she came over to help him up.
"Wo now boy." Said Boyd to someone Vernon didn't see.
Once he got up he turned around and saw a young boy with one of the guns they had left on the kitchen counter in his hand. To his right Clive had his rifle pointed at the kid, but Vernon waved him down.
"Duck is it?" Vernon said calmly though his lower leg was still in great pain from where the bullet had hit.
"Why don't you put down that gun before you hurt yourself?" He suggested
"Why are you taking our boat?" Asked Duck with the gun still pointed right at Vernon. "I thought you were our friend."
"I am. We're just borrowing it." Vernon lied.
The boy's facial expression didn't change, and his grip on the weapon only tightened.
"Now come on Duck. I'm your friend, you wouldn't wanna hurt a friend now would you?" Vernon asked trying to calm the boy down.
"Let my parents and the others go." Duck demanded.
"Okay, all right." Vernon said as he backed away near the shed. Duck's eyes never left him, but that was the point as Clive sneaked up behind the boy and grabbed the gun from his hand. He then proceeded in grabbing the boy, lifting him off the ground as he did so. Duck protested, but was unable to break free from his grip.
Vernon limped over to the two. "I'm sorry kid. I really am, but it's either you or us."
With that Vernon squeezed tight on the young boy's neck until he lost consciousness.
Lee shot a walker who was in his way. In truth given recent event's probably wasn't the best idea to make large noises, but he was too frustrated to care. He had wanted to continue the search, but with the walkers everywhere and the fact that they had no idea of her current location, it just made sense to head back to the mansion.
Upon reaching there however, Lee noticed how unusually quiet it was. He had half expected to walk into another argument over the boat.
Larry must still be sleeping He thought.
However the lack of an argument was not the only thing that was off. Looking in the yard, Lee saw a practically empty backyard.
Where's the boat? He thought again.
He was sure the others would have brought it out by now.
Suddenly the silence was broken, by the sound of someone banging on the shed doors.
"Let us out!" Lee heard Kenny shout from inside.
Lee went closer to see that the shovel had been placed through both door handles.
He removed the shovel to reveal Kenny, Katjaa, Christa, Omid, and Ben inside the shed. There was no boat to be found.
"About time you guys showed up." Said Kenny.
"What happened!?" Lee asked.
"It was Vernon." Replied Christa. "Him and the cancer survivors. They had guns."
"They took the boat!" Kenny screamed.
"We would have done the same thing." Lee stated trying to calm him down.
"This is coming from a guy who wouldn't take food out of an abandoned station wagon." Kenny stated.
"All right then." Said Lee. "You would have done the same thing. Happy?"
"Why you…. What the hell happened to you?!" Kenny asked while staring at Lee's arm.
"Had to cut it off." Lee stated.
"We figured it might slow down the process." Added Doug.
Lee looked around. There were ten of them when there should have been thirteen.
"Wait where's my dad?" Lilly asked beating Lee to the punch line.
"Probably still sleeping inside." Said Omid. "I'll hop over the fence and open the other side of the shed."
Omid went to do just that.
"This isn't happening…." Kenny kept repeating to himself.
"Clementine's still out there." Christa told him.
"So we get Clementine and then what?" He asked her.
"We get out of cities. I'm done with cities, we find somewhere in the country side and make a go of it."
"That plan sounds good to me." Said Lilly.
"No one was asking you." Kenny rudely butted in.
"What?" Asked Lilly wondering where that sudden hostility had come from.
"If it weren't for you and your "Let's go get Lee" plan this never would have happened." Kenny stated. "We would have had enough people to defend ourselves."
Lilly crossed her arms. She was about to reply, but just then Omid opened the doors on the other side of the shed.
"You guys can fight it out in the yard." Christa stated.
"No bother." Said Lilly "I just need to find my dad."
With that everyone went through the shed to the backyard. Well everyone except Christa and Lee.
"What do we do without a boat?" Christa asked Lee.
"Like you said." He replied. "Get to the country side. Find Clementine and take her somewhere safe."
"Stop that!" Christa snapped, though Lee was unsure why.
"Stop talking like you're already dead. We can find Clementine and make it out of Savannah Together." She stated.
Lee nodded. He took some time to view their current situation. First Clementine had been kidnapped, and now this. It was a lot to take in. He wondered if he could have somehow stopped either event from happening. Perhaps he should have listened to Clem longer and reassured her about finding her parents. However worrying about what he could have done, wouldn't help.
"I knew Vernon was up to something." Lee thought out loud.
"What?" asked Christa
"When he asked me about Clementine I in turn asked him about the train. Why he had mentioned it on our escape from Crawford. I knew something was off, but I never thought he'd steal our boat." Replied Lee.
"Wait, you suspected something and just remained silent!?" Christa accused.
In all honestly Lee was getting tired of her "I have to know everything" attitude. Especially given her situation.
"This has to stop Lee. You and Kenny can't just keep things from the group. Just when are you gonna get it through your head that secrets only hurt the group!?"
"Oh I don't know." Lee replied with a slightly annoyed tone. "Probably around the same time you tell us you're pregnant."
Christa stepped back and shut up really quick after that statement. She looked down at the ground and then back up at Lee.
He didn't push the issue. Then again he didn't have time to, as he heard the distinct sound of what appeared to be thousands of walkers approaching the mansion.
He and Christa both turned in horror to see that his ear's had not deceived him. Just down the road a horde of those things were heading right for them. Lee turned to see that another group was making its way from where they had come.
They were surrounded!
"Inside everyone!" Lee shouted as he, Christa and everyone who had remained in the yard, bolted for the back door.
The attic was spacious at least. It had places to sit, a window for light and few boxes filled with miscellaneous items. However it didn't contain the one thing the group needed at this moment. A way out.
There were hundreds of walkers in the house and even more on the street, but Lee could still thank God that they all made it here safely….. wait a minute!
"Where's Mark?!" Lee suddenly asked
"Beat's me." Kenny replied "Come to think of it…. Haven't seen him since we came back from Crawford."
"Oh my…. You think we left him downstairs?!" Shouted Doug.
"Well no use crying about it now" Stated Kenny "We got more impor…." Kenny's voice was suddenly cut off by a loud wheezing sound.
"What's that?" Asked Ben
Lee looked beyond Kenny to see a fully sleeping Mark lying in the same spot he had been, before they went to Crawford. The group formed a semi-circle around him.
"So he's been here the whole time?" Asked Travis
"Morphine's one powerful drug." Commented Katjaa.
"What?" Lee asked her.
"He was complaining about pain so I gave him some of the morphine you brought back from Crawford this morning." She replied
"So he's gonna be out for a while then?" Kenny asked his wife.
"Normally, but I know one sure way to wake him up."
Katjaa leaned over Mark and held his nose so he couldn't breathe. She then administered what appeared to be a very painful slap to the face.
"Ah what the…..!" Mark shouted as he woke.
"Okay now that we solved that little mystery let's go back to figuring out how to get out of here." Said Kenny. He was looking at Lee while he said it.
"Hey guys." Said Mark in a somewhat hazy voice. "What's… going on?"
"Something wrong with him?" Asked Carley.
"Side effects of the drug." Replied Katjaa.
"Can we get back to the point!?" Kenny suddenly shouted causing everyone, even Mark to turn to him.
"Lee's still bitten." He pointed out.
"Shut up." Christa said.
"I think we need to have an "adult" conversation here." Kenny stated ignoring Christa.
"Let's just focus on getting Clem okay." Lee suggested realizing where his friend was going with this.
"We'll be no good to her if we're attacked." Kenny said. "We may have another lar…. Er um" Kenny stuttered obviously noticing the large man standing next to him.
"Back off Kenny!" Lilly suddenly shouted, most likely realizing what "situation" Kenny was referring too.
"I'm not advocating anything here, but how is this not an issue?"
"Ken please now is not the time to turn on each other." Katjaa urged her husband.
"It's him turning on us we have to worry about." Kenny told her.
"Did that work?" He asked Lee while pointing to where he had cut off his arm.
Lee looked at the bloody stump. It still caused him a great amount of pain, but he no longer felt dizzy.
"I don't know, I hope so." He told Kenny
"Listen guys, we don't have to do this. He seems fine to me." Omid added.
"We will get Clementine with or without you." Kenny threatened as he came within arm length of Lee.
"I said back off Kenny!" Lilly shouted as she stepped in between them.
Lee gently moved her out of the way so he could face his accuser. Getting angry wouldn't help in this situation. Kenny… as usual needed calming down.
"Look" Lee said in a low voice. "If I die you know what you have to do, but until then the only matter is getting Clementine."
Suddenly Kenny grabbed the bust off the shelf and aimed it at Lee. Everyone froze for a few moments, until Kenny turned around and threw the bust against the wall.
There was an awkward silence for a few moments.
"You totally ruined that dude's face" Said Omid breaking the silence.
"Shut up, sweetie." Said Christa as she walked toward the wall.
Kenny approached the wooden barrier and ripped off a broken piece.
"This wall ain't crap." He said.
Noticing a hat rack on his right, Lee immediately grabbed it and gave the wall a few good hits. The wood broke off as if it were thick glass. After just a few strikes Lee was able to form a small whole revealing the adjacent room.
"All right we'll take this down in shifts. I'll go first. Lee you rest." Said Kenny as he grabbed the coat rack and began to destroy the wall.
Lee walked over to the sofa and sat down. Across from him Christa and Omid sat, while Katjaa on his left checking the bandages on his arm. Lilly sat to his right on the arm of the couch, while Doug, Carley and Travis were assisting Mark. Ben was sitting in the corner, seemingly in deep thought. Larry was standing behind Kenny, waiting for his turn to take a crack at the wall.
"You're burning up. You most likely have an infection." Said Katjaa as she felt Lee's forehead.
"Do you two have any more of those antibiotics?" She asked Omid and Christa.
"Yea…. About those… there umm…. Downstairs in my room." Stated Omid.
"Well it doesn't seem too bad right now." Katjaa reassured.
"What about the morphine you gave Mark?" Asked Lee.
"Morphine isn't an antibiotic, it just numbs the pain. Plus it deludes the senses and if we find the guy who got Clem, you'll need all them to be working properly."
"He's going to be okay right mom?" Asked Duck who was sitting on the other arm of the sofa right behind his mother.
"I'll be okay Duck." Lee assured him.
Just then Kenny approached them.
"I'm all out of gas, one of you rested up?" He asked
"I'm good to go." Stated Omid as he grabbed the coat rack.
"Dad what are you doing?" Said Lilly as she got up and walked over to her father who had taken it upon himself to destroy the wall with his bare hands.
Omid walked over and the three began a slight argument. As they did Kenny took his seat on the couch
"This guy tell you much about our past?" Kenny asked Christa.
"Bits and pieces." She replied.
Kenny looked back to where the three were still talking. On the way back he noticed something out of his peripheral vision in the box next to where he was sitting.
"Now this is more like it." He said as he took out the bottle of whiskey from the box.
"You see that woman behind me?" Kenny asked as he gestured toward Lilly. "She came in between me and Lee pretty bad. I spent a lot of nights hating this guy's guts."
"Kenny!" Katjaa shouted.
"What? It's true."
"All water under the bridge." Lee stated.
"Well here's to forgiving and forgetting." Kenny said as he brought the bottle to his mouth. He offered it to Lee who refused. Getting drunk wouldn't help anyone, and just as Katjaa had said, if he found Clementine he would need all his senses intact."
Kenny then offered some to Christa who looked at her stomach for just a moment before yanking the bottle from his hand and downing the alcoholic beverage as though she was dying of thirst.
"Listen I can do this." Said Omid from behind Kenny. Lee looked over to see that the three were still arguing and no progression was being made on the wall.
"Please, with those puny arms?" Replied Larry.
"Dad you need your rest." Lilly pleaded.
"I'll be fine if you'd just let me bust through that wall." He stated.
"Fine!" Omid shouted finally as he stepped out of the way.
Larry approached the wall and cracked his knuckles.
As he did so, Omid offered him the coat rack but Larry waved him off.
"Who said anything about that?" Larry asked as he punch the wall so hard that another small hole formed. One more punch sent wood flying through the other side. About 3 or 4 more punches and kicks caused a hole, large enough for each individual to fit through.
"See all it takes is a little man pow…." Larry stated before clutching his heart.
"Dad!?" Lilly shouted.
"I'm fine," He told her. "Just over did it a bit."
Lilly grabbed his left side and assisted him to the corner so he could lean against the wall.
Lee stood off the couch and addressed the group.
"Rest times over." He stated "Let's get back to finding that girl.
The other mansion wasn't much better. There were zombies roaming the halls, and two dead people lying on the bed. The only benefit was that the lighting was better. This was due to multiple windows and one glass door at the end of the room.
Lee looked at the two on the bed.
"How could they have done this?" He asked to no one in particular.
"This your first time seeing something like that?" Asked Christa.
Lee thought back to the woman at the motor inn.
"No, but that doesn't make it any easier." Lee replied
"Enough small talk." Interrupted Kenny. "Let's find a way out of here."
Lee agreed and walked past the bed to that the windows had been boarded up. Not that they would want to jump out from this height, even if they survived the fall there was an army of the dead just waiting for them on the ground below.
"Find us a way out yet?" Asked a familiar voice from behind.
Lee didn't have to turn around to know who it was.
"I'm working on it." He replied "How's your dad?"
"He's fine… for now." Lilly replied "But his Nitroglycerin pills are back at the other mansion. We'll have to find some more pretty soon or else I….."
Lilly hesitated as Lee realized what would happen if they were unable to acquire any more medicine for her father.
"We'll find some." He assured her.
Lee turned to face her. She gave him a weak smile, and he returned it with one of his own.
"So when do you think we should tell him?" He asked.
"Tell him what?" She asked back
"You know…." Lee answered.
"Oh! That." Lilly replied "Well I'm thinking…. never."
"Come on Lilly." Lee insisted. "If I survive then we can't just avoid him."
"Well we're not gonna just spring it on him now. Wait till he has some pills just in case the news is more than he can handle." Lilly jokingly replied
Lee gave a slight chuckle before noticing the glass doors behind her.
He walked past and opened them revealing a balcony which was just about five feet away from a nearby roof.
Kenny walked beside him and viewed the city. "Looks like we can make it all the way to River street without touching the ground, if we're careful." He said.
"I'll go first." Announced Omid.
Lee watched as the smaller man easily cleared the gap between the balcony and the slightly higher roof.
"I'm next." Said Christa.
As the bodies continued to leap over the balcony, Lee noticed one person leaning against the wall on the other side of the room.
He decided to walk over and see if something was wrong.
"How's it going?" He asked Mark
"You just shooting the breeze, or are you seriously asking me how I'm doing?" Mark asked back.
"Now's not the time to shoot the breeze." Lee replied.
"Then it's going lousy, let's face it man I don't even walk, I just lift my legs up with my thighs. I can't make a jump like that." Mark stated.
"Perhaps we could take some sheets or something, make a stretcher of sorts to holster you across." Lee suggested.
Mark looked down to the ground. "Let's face it Lee I'm not going anywhere." He said.
"Now's not the time to give up." Lee shot back.
"I'm not giving up, but I'm not going to just act like I'm perfectly fine when I'm not. Even if you guys holster me across this gap, what happens at the next one, or at a larger gap. I'll just be slowing the group down and right now you need to make it to Clementine as fast as possible."
Lee thought to himself. Mark was right in part, but he was not willing to leave his friend behind.
"We'll deal with this gap now and if somewhere along the line we meet a large one than we'll get Clem and come back for you." Lee said finally.
Mark nodded though Lee could tell he wasn't completely convinced.
Turning around Lee noticed that three people had already cleared the gap. Lilly, Omid, and Christa were already on the other side. Kenny and Katjaa were arguing about how best to get Duck over while Travis was getting ready for his jump. Doug was doing some mental prep work while Carley was encouraging him. Larry was leaning against the wall.
Travis made the jump with ease and Lee squeezed in-between Kenny and Katjaa.
"Anyway to form some type of stretcher so we could get Mark across?" He asked them.
"A stretcher! That's it." Kenny shouted "We can carry Duck over using that."
"And Mark." Katjaa reminded him.
"Oh yeah of course." He stated.
"All right I'll go back to the other room and grab something we can use." Said Kenny as he went back to the attic in the adjacent mansion.
"Mommy I can make the jump you know." Said Duck.
"I know you can Ducky." She replied in a motherly tone "This is just a precaution."
"I got some bed sheets from the other room." Kenny said as he came back.
"Good we can tie them together and send Mark and Duck across." Replied Katjaa.
"Or I could just tie one to my back and fly across like superman." Duck jokingly added.
"Someone has to go to the other roof and attach one of the sheets to something for this to work properly." Katjaa stated.
"I'll go." Said Lee.
"Please" Noted Kenny "You can't tie a decent knot with one hand. I'll do it."
"No, offense dear but I've seen your knot skills. We might as well just throw them over." She stated "I'll have to do it."
"No, Kat I'll go first to make sure it's safe." Kenny insisted.
"One of us should stay with Duck, just in case." She replied.
Though Kenny was obviously not too thrilled by the idea, he grudgingly agreed to have Kat clear the balcony first. Which she did with not too much effort.
"I'll go next." Said Lee. Using his right hand he carefully placed himself on the top of the railing. He looked back just once to see Duck was the one tying the knots in between the sheets. Kenny looked at him for a moment.
"Learned that from boy scouts." He said while pointing to his son.
Lee turned and leaped off the balcony. He made it, even without the use of his left arm.
"You okay?" Lilly asked as she helped him up.
"I'm fine." He replied.
Looking back he saw Ben was next. The young boy mounted the balcony railing and easily made it over to the other building, though that wasn't surprising given his height.
"Wo, that was close." Ben said as he landed.
"What was?" Asked Lee.
"Well the balcony felt like it was going to fall off, but it didn't so, I guess my luck is turning around huh?"
Lee suddenly grasped the danger of this situation.
"Ben you idio….. Larry no!" He shouted, but was too late as the much larger man stepped onto the balcony which proceeded to give out under his massive weight.
"Dad!" Lilly shouted as her father fell about thirty feet. He landed flat on his back with pieces of the balcony spread all around him.
Looking down, Lee saw his head poking out under a pile of fallen debris. He immediately turned and climbed down a nearby ladder to see if Larry was okay…. Or alive for that matter.
Upon reaching the ground Lee noticed Larry's eyes were open. A good sign.
"Get this stuff off me Everett!" He shouted.
"Dad!" Lilly shouted as she ran past Lee to where Larry was lying down.
"I'm fine, just get this stuff off me." Larry replied.
As Lee removed the last bit a debris he noticed something strange poking out of Larry's midsection.
"O my…" Lee began but Lilly cut him off.
"We can get you up." She stated.
"What is everyone loo…." Larry began before realizing his current predicament.
He attempted to yank out the metal object himself, but it wouldn't budge.
Suddenly Lee noticed a walker across the street. It was staring right at them and began its initial approach. Soon a few more appeared and then more until dozens of them were making their way into the alley.
Lee looked behind him to see that Ben and Travis had made it down.
"Travis grab his front and Ben get his left leg." He told them
The two nodded and as Ben grabbed Larry's left leg, Lee grabbed his right and Travis placed his arms under Larry's armpits.
"Larry I'm not gonna lie this will hurt!" Said Lee.
"On three. One…. Two….Three!"
The three lifted all at once, but Larry's body which was practically a brick wall refused to budge.
The walkers were closing in and they still made no progress in getting the large man free.
"Come on hurry!" Lilly shouted as she moved in to assist them.
Larry's body started to lift slightly, but they were still a long way from separated him from the pole.
"They're closing in!" Called Christa from above.
Lee looked up. They were just a few yards away at most. He yanked with all his strength, but Larry's body still barely moved.
"We gotta go!" Shouted Ben.
"Shut up and pull!" Lilly shouted back.
Then suddenly a loud pop was heard and Larry's body rose off the ground.
"Dad!" Lilly called as she helped her father up.
"Come on!" Shouted Lee as he ran back towards the gate. Travis and Ben came up right behind him and Lilly assisted her dad inside the gate. She shut and locked the gate which the walkers immediately pressed against still trying to obtain their meal.
Lee looked back. Travis and Ben were already on their way up while Lilly was making sure her dad was okay. Lee took a closer look at Larry and realized they had not separated his body from the pole, but rather the pole from the ground. The foreign object still remain jammed inside his stomach.
"Come on dad, I'll help you up." Lilly insisted.
"I'm fine Lilly."
"You're not fine, you have a piece of metal sticking out of your gut." She rebutted.
"I can get up the ladder, I just need a few moments." Larry stated.
Lee heard the gates hinges. They were taking a beating as the mob of the dead still attempted to make its way through.
"That's not gonna hold." He told them
"Lilly get up the ladder. I'll be there shortly." Larry assured her.
"I'm not leaving you." She firmly replied.
"For once just do what you're told!" Larry shouted back.
Lee heard something pop again. Looking back he noticed a screw had come loose for one of the hinges.
"We gotta go now!" He shouted.
Lilly looked at him and then back at his father. She hurried to the ladder and began her ascension.
"You're next Larry." Lee stated as the walkers continued to press on the gate.
"I'm not going Lee." He replied in a much more calm voice.
"What? Now's not the time to be giving up! Now get up the ladder!" Lee shouted back.
"I never give up Lee, but I know when God calls my number. It's been called."
"What are you talking about?"
"I lied. I'm not fine. My hearts been killing me ever since we escaped the mansion. You see this thing sticking out of my stomach. Look's painful right? The thing is I can't feel it….. I can't feel anything."
"Dad! Lee! Get up here!" Lilly shouted from above.
Lee looked up at her and then back at Larry. "What about her?" He asked him.
"Please, I've been more of a burden than a blessing to her ever since this whole mess began. She can take care of herself."
Larry pulled the metal right out of his stomach. He appeared to be in no pain as he did so. He chuckled slightly.
"You knew all along. Saying I'll see you soon." He said to himself.
"What?" Asked Lee.
Larry looked down at him. "Lee what are you still doing here? I'm the bad guy remember?"
"What's taking you so long?!" Lilly once again called from the roof.
Lee let out a large sigh and headed for the ladder. He took one more look at Larry before he began to climb up.
Blood was gushing out of the wound which Larry had just opened up. He clutched the piece of metal tightly in his right hand.
Lee turned and headed back up the ladder leaving Larry behind to face the horde.
"Where's my dad!?" Lilly asked as Lee made his way onto the roof.
He couldn't answer. He instead looked back. The gate wouldn't hold much longer.
"NO!" Lilly shouted. "No! DAD!"
Lilly ran to the ladder and looked down.
"Dad! Get up here!" She screamed.
Larry looked up with the saddest face Lee had ever seen on him. He then looked back at the herd which was just about to break through the gate.
"Dad! Please!" Lilly shouted again. She attempted to go back down the ladder, but Lee held her back.
"Let me go!" She pleaded but he didn't give in.
"AAAAHHHHH!" Larry gave a wary cry as the gate gave in and the horde poured through. Using the piece of metal as a weapon he fought like a wild animal, taking down one walker right after the other. He actually survived longer than Lee thought he would. It wasn't until he grabbed a hold of his heart that they came down on him. There was no more screaming, so Lee assumed it was a heart attack. Hopefully he died before they began tearing at him.
"NOOOOOOOOO!" Lilly shouted as the herd made its way through her father's internal organs.
Lee released her, thinking she wouldn't attempt to climb down now.
"How could you let him stay down there?!" She yelled at him.
He didn't bother explaining. Lilly wouldn't think rational in this moment… No one would after losing a parent like that.
"I'm so sorry Lilly." Was all he said.
Suddenly the tears came out. Lilly buried her head in his chest as they did so.
"Lilly I'm…." Ben began.
"Don't come near me!" She shouted at him "You! You!"
Lilly leaped at him, but Lee held her back.
"I'll kill him!" She shouted as she attempted to break free.
"Which is why I can't let you go right now." Lee stated knowing she was dead serious.
"It's because of him dad died! He knew the balcony was about to fall, but he said nothing!"
"I'm so sorry." Ben stated again.
"That's all I ever hear from you!" Lilly shot back. "Sorry I caused us to lose the motor inn! Sorry I ruined everything at Crawford. Now you're sorry that you forgot to warn my father that the balcony was coming loose!?"
Lilly took a breath. The tears had returned and she sobbed loudly. She returned to weeping on top of Lee's chest. He put his arm around her as she did so.
Lee looked back at the group that had not yet made it over.
"They're distracted!" He called. "Make your way through the house."
"Katjaa!" Kenny called.
"I'll be fine Ken. You all have to hurry!" She replied.
Kenny nodded and turning back steered everyone toward the now only exit. They all disappeared through the hallway of the mansion.
"We gotta go." Said Christa.
Lee looked at her. "Give us a minute." He replied.
She nodded and the rest of the group walked toward River Street leaving he and Lilly alone.
The two remained this way for a few more moments, before Lilly lifted her head off his chest and wiped the tears from her eyes.
"He's gone." She said quietly.
"I'm sorry Lilly, I really am. Listen I know your dad and me didn't exactly get along, but I know he loved you. He was good father."
Lilly looked back down at the horde still engorging themselves on her father's corpse.
"What did he say?" She asked
Lee thought to himself. He didn't have to go into full detail of Larry's last words.
"He didn't think he would make it. Said his heart wasn't strong enough." Lee began before realizing that probably wasn't the best thing to say.
"He also said he knew you could take care of yourself." He added.
Lilly closed her eyes. She was trying not to cry again.
"Listen I know the way it happened…. I can't even begin to think what you're going through right now, but Larry was a soldier….. he deserved a soldier's death." Lee assured her.
Lilly walked closer to him and looked in his eyes.
"You can't die now." She almost whispered. "Promise me you won't die."
He couldn't promise that, especially in his current situation. He had to do something though. Something that showed her she hadn't lost everything. Thinking to himself he knew exactly what he could do. He reached into his pocket and grabbed the exact item needed for this moment.
"Lilly I want you to have this." He said.
The look of udder shock was expected. Even Lee was surprised that he would be giving her this, but in this situation what did he have to lose?
"Lee this is a…." She began
"I know what it is…. If I make it out of here alive we'll need it, and if I don't I want you to have this." He told her.
She looked up at him. Her face was still sad, but it seemed as though his gift had brought her some happiness. She reached forward and the two held each other for another few moments.
"Now you really can't die."
Christa looked back to see that Lilly and Lee we're catching up.
"Maybe you should throw yourself in that hole kid." She said to Ben. "She's coming."
Ben appeared slightly frightened, but remained where he was.
"Why'd you stop?" Lee asked as the two caught up to them.
"We saw this dark room. Looks abandoned, it may be a way down to the ground level."
Lee walked over and looked down. "Nope too dark, can't tell what's really in there."
Suddenly a sound of static was heard. "Lee are you there? I'm where my parents….." Clementine voice stated over the radio.
"Clementine? Clem?" The radio went silent.
"What did that mean?" Christa asked.
"Where her parents were. She's at the Marsh house." He stated.
"That's pretty close to River Street." Said Omid.
"Yeah and we ca….." Lee began, but he felt someone bump him from behind. It was Lilly and the slight tap caused him to drop the walkie talkie inside the dark room.
The group simply stared for a while before Christa broke the silence.
"We need to get that." She said.
"It's not that important." Insisted Lee "We know where she is."
"He may move her." Christa stated.
"The Marsh House isn't that far from here, I doubt he'd be able to move her before we get there." Lee replied.
Christa looked at him and then back at the radio. Without warning she jump down and grabbed the radio.
"Christa!" Shouted Omid.
"I'm fine, just…" She began before noticed a shadowy figure moving in the corner.
"There's something else down here." She whispered.
"Come on." Called Lee "One good jump." Lee stretched his arm out to grab hers.
She attempted many times, but it was no use. She just couldn't reach.
There were now several shadowy figures moving around the room. She heard the all too familiar moan of walkers nearby.
"Guys they're getting closer." She whispered.
"We have to find something to pull her up with." Lee stated.
Before they did however she saw one of them jump down next to her.
It was Ben. He brought his hands together and kneeled down in front of her.
"Come on get up." He said.
Christa obliged him and placed her right foot in his hands.
"Ben what are you doing?" Asked Travis.
"I know I mess up…. A lot but I can do this." Ben replied as he hoisted Christa close enough so Lee and Omid could lift her up.
"Ben!" Travis shouted.
"Go!" he shouted back.
Just then Christa looked back to see several walkers now filling up the space where she and Ben were, but the young man was nowhere to be found.
"Ben!" Called Lee.
"Just go! Il….." Ben called back, but he never finished his sentence.
"Ben!" Shouted Lee. There was no response. Only the constant moans coming from dozens of walkers below.
"Ben!" this time it was Travis who called out. There was still no reply.
The group all went silent as they realized what inevitably happened.
"Come on." Lee said quietly. "We still have to get to Clementine."
The group began to depart. Only Travis stayed behind. Christa still feeling guilty over what had happened walked over and placed her hand on his shoulder.
"I'm sorry." She told him.
Travis looked over to her. He said nothing, instead he simply walked forward to rejoin the group.
Christa moved slowly behind the others. First Clementine gets kidnapped, then Larry falls from the balcony and now Ben sacrificed himself to save her. Not to mention about half of the group got left behind. There was no guarantee they'd find each other.
"Me and my big mouth." Someone said next to her. She looked to her side to see Lilly had slowed down to walk next to her. "The things I said to him." She went on.
"When someone dies they don't have to immediately have their forgiven." Said Christa.
"Yes they do. There's no point in holding grudges against someone who's dead. There's no point in holding grudges at all." Lilly replied "Plus he saved your life."
Christa looked down. The guilt she felt was still there. In truth she hadn't been all that nice to Ben. She had actually advocated for him to be thrown out of the group.
"Look at that!" Shouted Omid from ahead breaking off Christa's chain of thought. She looked down to see a horde of walkers below them. At the end of the road lay their destination. The problem was that the only way to get there other than walking on the street was to cross to the buildings on the next side. A tall but thin sign seemed to be the sole way across.
"Who goes first?" Asked Katjaa.
"Omid's the lightest." Replied Christa.
"I'll go first." Said Lee. "If someone's gonna risk their lives then it's gonna be the guy with the least to lose."
Lilly walked over to Lee. "I'll be right behind you." She stated.
Lee nodded and began his crossing. He moved slow, but in a few moments he was able to make it about halfway. Just then Christa heard the sides of the sign creek. The sign began to fall apart and Lee made a quick hop over to the other side.
"Lee!" Lilly called.
"I'm fine." He replied.
He may have been all right, but now there was no way to get to the Marsh House. At least none that she could see.
"Make your way out of Savannah!" Lee called suddenly.
"What are you talking about?" Omid asked.
"I'm already bitten." Was all Lee said in reply.
"He began climbing down. Within a few seconds he was on the street in front of the horde."
"Lee! You can't!" Lilly shouted down.
He looked back up at her, then to the horde. He took out his butcher knife, and ran right into the crowd of walkers.
Christa kept her eyes on him as long as she could, but soon she was unable to distinguish his body, from the dead that surrounded him.
"Come on, we're almost there." Said Clive as the four attempted to get the boat to the coast.
"Wait… I have to stop again." Vernon complained.
"You can rest your leg when we get out on the water." Clive insisted.
Vernon leaned up against the boat. His wound was still bleeding, but then again he was putting an immense amount of pressure his leg. Boyd walked over to see the damage.
"We can't keep going like this. You're losing too much blood." He stated.
"We have to, you saw all those dead around River Street. Soon they'll be flooding this place." Stated Clive.
"He's right." Vernon said. "Let's keep moving."
Boyd moved back to the side of the boat and helped the others push it closer to the sea. He could see the water, but at the rate they were going, it would be at least fifteen minutes before they reached it. In truth he still felt unsure of this. He was still riddled with guilt over how they had acquired this vessel, but his uncertainty stemmed from someplace else. All around he could hear the moans of nearby walkers, but he saw nothing. There was that large group near River street, but other than that the roads were pretty much clear. Not that he was complaining, but it didn't make sense. Where were all the walkers?
"Pick up the pace." Urged Clive breaking Boyd's train of thought.
"Shh…." Said Boyd. "Keep it down."
"What? Why?" Asked Clive.
Boyd didn't answer. He looked around. There was eerie quiet all of a sudden. Like in those movies right before a predator strikes a prey. Then it hit him! How could he not have seen it before. It was so obvious. Their group was in immense danger, and no one even suspected what was about to happen.
"We need to get out of here now!" He shouted, but alas, he was too late. Suddenly the doors of the buildings surrounding them all popped open at once. As they did dozens of walkers appeared out of all of them. The group all froze for a few moments.
"Forget the boat!" Shouted Boyd. "Let's go!"
Clive and Joyce listened to him, and dropping the boat began to sprint toward the only opening they could see. Boyd couldn't believe they had literally walked into an ambush. He should have known that the hissing was coming from inside the buildings. It was only a matter of time before they sniffed out Vernon's wound.
Wait Vernon!? Thought Boyd as he looked back to see his friend was still standing next to the boat.
"Vernon forget the boat!" he shouted.
"We're dead without this!" Vernon called back.
"You're dead with that." Yelled Clive.
Boyd lifted his rifle and hit the two walkers who were closing in on Vernon. Clive pitched in and took out a couple more.
"Vernon hurry!" Shouted Joyce.
The old man finally realizing that the boat was a lost cause began to limp towards them. Clive and Boyd continued to provide support, but for every walker they killed, two more seemed to appear. Still he was nearly to them, though an army of walkers trailed behind him. However all three men were so busy dealing with the dead that walked, none noticed the dead that was lying down right in-between Vernon and they. One such walker suddenly sat up and grabbed Vernon's wounded Leg. Clive shot it just before it could sink its teeth into him, but the damage was already done. The walker had stunted his progress and given the others behind Vernon just enough time to grab him and tear his body a part limb from limb.
Boyd watched his horror as his friend screamed from the pain.
"Come on let's go!" He shouted as the walkers that weren't occupied with Vernon, made their way to the rest of them.
The three ran down the street. Boyd didn't know where they were headed, but he did know one thing.
That boat had been a death trap from the start.
"I didn't steal from you!" Lee pleaded with the stranger. He had been pleading for about ten minutes to no avail.
"You're people didn't?" The man asked back.
Lee didn't answer, at this point he knew no matter what he said this guy was going to kill him, and take Clementine. It made more sense to remain silent and think of another way to get out of this.
Lee looked back and noticed the rope which had attached the room to the closet door had fallen off. Suddenly Clementine's face appeared out of the doorway.
"Lee I want you to listen to me. I can take care of her, she'll be safe and happy with me. Not like she was with you."
Lee batted his eye toward the butcher knife. Clementine realized his intention and grabbed it off the table.
"Protect her? Please." Lee stated trying to make sure the stranger's tunnel vision would prevent him from noticing the little girl with a knife sneaking up behind him.
"You couldn't even protect your own family."
"Shut up!"
"Your son was lost in the woods because you didn't keep an eye on him."
"I said shut up!"
The man had his gun pointed to him now.
"Your daughter died because you decided it was best to leave your station wagon alone with piles of food and medicine inside."
"You're people took that food! Your people killed my family!"
Clementine was almost there. Lee just needed to make sure he remained distracted just a bit longer.
"Even your wife abandoned you." Lee said Finally.
"That's it! Ah!" The stranger screamed as Clementine jammed the knife into his shoulder. Lee tackled him and the gun flew out of his hand. The two men wrestled for a bit, but even with one arm Lee was the superior fighter. He managed to pin the man against the wall, and began choking him. As the stranger struggled for air, Lee realized how familiar this situation was. Someone took something that was his from him and now he was gripping his neck with all of his strength. It was just like when he caught his wife cheating on him. He had choked the life out of her lover that day as well. It had branded him a murderer and ruined his life.
But he was not who he was that day, and he would never be that again. He released the man's neck, hoping the stranger would return in kind. Unfortunately Lee had no such luck as the man instead began choking him.
*Bang*
Suddenly the man fell lifeless on top of him. His eyes were still, and his head gushed out blood from where the bullet had hit him.
Lee looked to his left to see that it was Clementine who had fired the shot.
"Are you okay?" He asked. "He didn't hurt you did he?"
"No, not really." She answered.
He leaned over and examined her, just to make sure she was okay.
"What happened to your arm?" She asked.
"I got into a little accident." He replied. "Listen we can talk about it later, but we have to get out of here." He stated.
Clementine nodded.
Lee stood up and looked across the room. He stood over the body of the stranger and couldn't help but pity him. He had been through more pain than any of them, and it had been his own group that had caused most of that pain. Lee kneeled over and closed the man's eyes.
He deserved that much.
"Get up! Please get up!" She begged him.
Lee knew it was impossible. He had no strength left in him.
"I'm sorry, so sorry, but I'm not gonna be able to protect you anymore."
"No! I need you!"
"No, …. You don't….. You see what you did to that walker… Your strong Clem." He tried to assure her.
"First my parents, and now you!? Please Lee!" Clementine pleaded in-between the tears.
Lee felt his consciousness abandoning him. He didn't have much time left.
"Clem…" He whispered. "You need… to fi…find the others…."
"Where are they?" She asked.
"The… countryside….. they would….. be in the fields." Lee weakly replied.
Clementine's tears had lessened somewhat. "Maybe I should stop you….. from turning." She suggested.
Lee thought to himself. It was for the best. If he died he didn't want to risk hurting anyone afterward. He didn't want her to have to do this, but she would ultimately be safer if he didn't turn.
"One shot. Then you get out of here." He stated.
Clementine raised the gun to his head. The tears returned as she did so.
Suddenly she became fuzzy. Lee knew his time was up.
"And…. Clem…." He said with his last remaining strength.
"Keep that hair short." He said finally.
"I'll cut it myself." She replied.
With that Lee felt himself passing out. His head drooped against the heater, and his eyes shut tightly. Yet he could still hear as the young girl raised the gun once more…. And pulled the trigger.
I know this one was longer than any of my other chapters, but I wanted this all to be in the finale. Thank you all who have read from beginning to end. It's because of your reviews and encouragement that I kept writing. As said above I plan on writing an epilogue of sorts after this chapter which will most likely only be a few paragraphs. Thanks to all who finished this super long chapter and God bless you all!
