Chapter 3: Humanity

Disclaimer: I do not own Tell Tales Walking Dead.

I don't know how long we've been sitting here but the dim orange lights seeping through the cracks of the windows. Everyone was getting a little antsy at this point, especially when a small group tried to break into a hardware store across the street. The damn fools made such a racket that they alerted every damn walker to them. They didn't last two minutes before their screams died down.

Carley, Doug and I wanted to go and help, but of course Lily and Larry freaked out on us and told us not too.

'We don't know them.' Lily said or 'They'll get us all eaten alive.' Larry growled.

'Fuck'em,' I thought. 'Next time something like this happens, I'm helping them. I am a cop after all.' But I do need to think about the safety of these people as well.

We needed to get somewhere more secure. My truck was close and the path was looking pretty clear. If I was quick I could get to it and get everyone out of here.

That was until a blue pickup truck cruised up and made a lot of noise. I knew that sound anywhere, they were out of gas. Great, just when the fuckers had calmed down.

They all stepped out and I got a good look at them. One was a middle aged man with a black beard and orange trucker hat. He was followed by a blonde woman who had her arm around a young boys shoulder, probably her son. The other two was a little girl with a baseball hat and black shaggy hair. She was accompanied by another man.

Wait, that's Lee Everett. That poor bastard was guilty for killing a senator who was banging his woman. What are the odds that he would be here, guess he caught a break.

"Aw shit!" We both say simultaneously. Everyone gathers up around me and watches as the family starts to get swarmed by the walkers.

I grabbed my shotgun and headed to the doors. Carley soon followed me, gun ready and everything.

"What do you guys think you're doing?" Lily snaps.

"Take a guess." I shot back as I pulled the door open. Lily and Larry shouted at us but I didn't listen.

I rushed outside and bashed the butt of my gun into the face of the first walker I see. He went down easily as another one started staggering me towards me. I raised my gun and blew its face off.

I heard screaming and whipped my gun around to see the boy being tackled by a walker. I went to go and help him when Carley went and put a bullet in its head. His mother and father quickly grabbed him and helped him up.

"Get in the pharmacy!" I shouted as I shot down three more walkers.

Once they were in, Carley and I quickly rushed in while Glenn shut the gate on the outside of the door and snapped a lock on it. Carley and I shut and bar the pharmacy door all the while Lily and Larry are on our asses the second we arrive.

"We can't take risks like that." She warned us. Carley and I rolled our eyes and turned to her with exhausted expressions.

"And we can't just let people die, either." She shot back.

"When I say 'that door stays shut no matter what' I fucking mean it." Lily barked, she looked at our new friends and grimaced. "We don't know who these people are; they could be dangerous!"

"Worse they could have led them right to us." Larry snarled. I stepped up to him.

"I'm a fucking cop asshole, if I say we save them, we save them." I said to his stupid gruff face.

"We have kids with us." Lee pleaded. I nodded at that.

"If I let those kids die I might as well throw myself out there with the rest of those soulless monsters." I said. Larry looked down at the little girl with the ball cap and yellow dress. She had the right idea to hide behind Lee. Larry's face would give any small child nightmares.

"I see one little girl…" He pointed out. I nodded over at the little boy, who is being treated by his mother.

"And there is one little boy!" Glenn steps in between me and the two thugs I have had the misfortune of being with.

"They have kids, Lily!" He snapped and of course Lilly doesn't care.

"Those things outside don't care."

"Maybe you should go join'em, then. You'll have something in common." The man snaps back.

"It's not like he is wrong." I say, crossing my arms over my chest. "You seem to forget that you were a stranger to my friend and she didn't hesitate to take you two into her home and treat your father."

"God dammit Lily, you have got to control these people." Larry snapped at Lily. She looked unappreciated as her eyes drifted to the floor.

"Carley, Devon and Glenn just ran out there!"

"I don't give a flying fuck. We're in a war zone."

"She's the leader here. But it looks like she's losing control of her people." Lee snapped at the two. I looked at him and noticed that the girl had made her way over to the bathroom.

"She's not much of a leader, she just thinks she is." I remarked with a smug grin.

"I didn't see you stepping up and making the hard decisions." She growled at me. I was now face to face with her.

"You mean by abandoning people?"

"Holy shit!" Larry gasped.

We all followed his gaze towards the boy and mother who were sitting at the small concession stand. The boy looked like he was in shock while his mother wiped the walker's blood and grime off of his forehead with a wet towel.

"What?' I asked.

"Son of a bitch, one of them is bitten!" He snarled through his teeth.

"I didn't see him get bitten." I didn't either. I saw him get tackled but Carley shot the walker before he even got that close. Lee spoke out before I could.

"He wasn't bitten."

"Hell he wasn't." He starts to walk over to the boy. I didn't like that look in his eyes. "We have to end this, now."

The boy's father stood before him. Murderous intent in his eyes as well.

"Over my dead body." He said in a low growl.

"We'll dig one hole." Larry smirked.

"Back the fuck off right now Larry. This is your only warning." I growled. His mother soon pleaded with him.

"No, I'm cleaning him up! There is no bite! He's fine!" She begged.

"Don't you fucking people get it?" He snapped. He motioned between me and him. "We've already seen this happened. We let someone with a bite stay and-and we all end up bitten!"

"Shut up!" His father warned.

"We gotta throw him out! Or smash his head in!"

"Kenny, stop him!"

"Lee, what do we do about this guy?" He asked Lee.

"We reason with him." He said. I never thought he would be so diplomatic in a situation like this. I paid them no attention and stomped over to Larry. I grabbed him by the collar of his shirt.

"Let's get one thing fucking straight, you do not fucking touch this boy, understand?" I shouted. I never felt so angry before in all my life. "If you touch this boy I will kick your god damn teeth out!"

"Everyone just chill the fuck out!" Carley screamed. Larry shoved me off of him and I crashed up against a shelf.

"You keep your fucking hands off me." He glanced over at Carley. "And you. Shut the fuck up. They will find us and they will get in here, and none of this will fucking matter. But right now we're about to be trapped in here with one of those things."

"What are you talking about?" Kenny asked.

"He's bitten, that's how you turn!"

"He's not bitten." His mother argued before looking to Lee. "Lee, stop this! It's upsetting him!"

"Sit down, or that's it!" Lee threatened.

"You gonna whoop me?" He laughed. "You and what homo parade?"

"This one!" Kenny threatened.

"Larry this is your last chance sit down and shut up!" I snapped.

"Lee." The little girl called over from the end of the store, near the bathroom.

"Yeah?" He asked.

"There's someone in there." She said. This got my attention. Everyone else was still here. Lee shrugged it off.

"It's just locked. Key's behind the counter. Probably."

I walked over to the girl and she was startled when she saw me aiming my shotgun. I placed a hand on her shoulder and gently led her away from the door.

"Stay back kiddo." I warned. She nodded and took a few steps back.

I slowly reached my left hand towards the door knob. I squeeze it and slowly twist it open it and was soon attacked by a walker. I squeeze the trigger only to be met with the hollow 'click' of an empty chamber.

The walker lunged at me and I quickly bring up the shot gun between us and fend him off. His jaw was snapping at me before Lee managed to get him off. Carley quickly rushed over with her gun and shot the bastard in the head.

"You guys okay?" She panted. I rolled my eyes and gave her the thumbs up.

"Just great, thanks." Lee says skeptically.

That shot must have alerted the walker, because the walkers started to claw at the walls.

"Everyone stay down and be quiet." Lily warned.

We all remained quiet as mice. They were still clawing at the windows and doors. Hopefully they will hold.

It wasn't long before we all heard the sound of gun fire and screaming from out in the distance. It could either be military from the sounds of those automatic weapons or some trigger happy civilians. Either way they managed to lure the walkers away from us.

"Looks like we're in the clear for now." I said. Everyone breathed a sigh, well almost everyone.

"We almost died because of this bitch and her itchy trigger finger!" He snapped. I lower my hand to my nightstick. I gotta good view on the back of his head. All it would take is one strike and I could-no, not an option. I couldn't let myself slip away like that. I was so lost in my thoughts I didn't even realize that Larry was having a heart attack.

Lily was at his side in an instant. We explained to the group how he needed his pills, but we were locked out of the medicine cabinet. Lee assured Lily that they would get the pills.

"Everyone else should get comfy and look for anything useful. We could be in here a while." Kenny said. Glenn walked over to Kenny.

"I'm starting to think this drugstore isn't a permanent solution." Glenn stated. Kenny nodded.

"You're right, this ain't exactly Ft. Knox."

Glenn suggested that he would make a run for some gas. Lee gave him a walkie-talkie before heading outside. I walked over to the window and sat down next to Lily. I pulled out a handful of shells and started loading my shotgun. Lily gave me a stern look.

"What the hell was that?" She snapped in a whisper. I paid no attention to her and kept loading. "You almost got my father killed."

"No, he did a good enough job of doing that himself." I argued calmly. I glared right back at her and lowered my shotgun down on my lap. She eyed the barrel that was closely pointing at her. "I think we both know what will happen if he tried something like that again."

"You'll kill him?" She barked.

"I'll beat him within an inch of his life." I warned. She narrowed her eyes at me. "I don't give a shit who he is, or if he is trying to keep you safe. No one kills anyone without my say so. If I see a bite we wait for them to turn, unless they want us to kill them."

"My dad-"

"I don't care!" I growl through my teeth. "If he ever does anything like that again while I'm around I'll break his fucking skull open. Understood?"

She doesn't say anything and just nobs before turning back to her father. I scoff and just walk over to Kenny and his family. They don't say anything as I examine the boy.

"How is he doing?" I asked.

"Fine, no bite or anything his is just scared." The woman explains.

"I can't say I blame him." I looked over at Larry and shook my head in disgust. "Fucking Larry."

"What the hell is his problem?" Kenny asked aggressively

"Even god doesn't know, I'm Devon." I introduce. The man smile at me and offers me his hand. I reach mine out and shake it.

"I'm Kenny, that's my wife Katjaa and my son Duck." He nods over at his family. They don't seem like a band of criminals. So I try and break the ice.

"Are those your friends over there?" I asked acting as curious as I could.

"Nah, well I guess they are." He points over at Lee, who is talking to Carley and then to the girl sitting by the register, holding a walkie-talkie. "That's Lee and that is his, well I don't know who she is to him, but she is Clementine."

"Cute kid, so where did you guys come from?" A grim look spread across his face.

"We were up at a farm fixing up my truck." He started. I leaned against the counter and listened to his story. "The owner's son was fixing up his fence and let my son play on a tractor. He must have accidently turned the wheel, because the poor guy had his ankle run over. Then walkers came…there was nothing we could have done."

"Shit, sorry."

"Yeah, look I think your friend wants to talk to you." He nodded behind me over towards Carley. She gave me a curt nod and I walked over to her.

"Kay, talk to you later." I said to Kenny as I approached Carley.

"What is it?" I asked. She looked more worried than she did before. Her eyes drifted over at Lee who had just walked into the back room, Clementine followed him in as well.

"Okay, so I think I might know that guy from somewhere, but I can't have you freak out." She whispered. I shrugged my shoulders and pointed at Lee.

"He is the guy who killed that senator." I told her. She didn't look surprised. I think what she really wanted to talk about was what we were going to do with him. "You can breathe easy, I doubt he is going to do anything to us. It isn't like he is a serial killer."

"Still though…" She still looked uneasy. I tapped her shoulder.

"C'mon, let's go talk to him then."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

We both walked into the back of the room and into the office. I spotted Lee standing in the middle of the room. He was looking down at a photo in his hands, I couldn't see it though, but the look remorse was spread across his face. Carley spoke up and broke him from his trance.

"Find anything?" She asked. Lee jumped and turned over to us. He quickly held up the photo of the old couple that I had killed earlier.

"It's a photo of the family who owned this place. It might help us track down the keys to the office." He handed me the photo. I looked down at the photo of the old couple and a young man in scrubs. Funny, the side of the photo is torn off.

"Lee, we already know who you are." I said, handing him the photo back. He looked back at us with a skeptical look.

"You're Lee Everett. You're a professor at Athens who killed a State Senator who was sleeping with your wife. This is your parent's store; folks around town know the owners son got himself a life sentence, but I'm a reporter for WABE in Atlanta."

"The point is, we know you are a murderer and we don't really care to be honest we could use someone with dirty hands. We just want to know if you're going to be a problem or if anyone else knows?" He shook his head.

"No. I've been sticking to first names for a reason."

"Well you don't have any other records and you seem like an okay guy, so I think we can keep this all to ourselves."

"Not to mention we don't need the drama out there. You've got this girl to take care of, and look, don't make us wrong on this." She pleaded. Lee stepped forward and looked us both in the eye.

"I don't plan too."

"Good, then we have nothing to worry about." I chuckle and make my way out the door.

I felt a little tired after today and decided that this would be a good time to catch a few Z's. I tuck myself behind a small counter next to the sunglasses rack, shotgun in lap and slowly feel myself drift off to sleep.

I woke up a short time later to the feeling of being kicked. I was still half asleep, but I managed to make out the blurry image of Kenny.

"Hey, Glenn is back with the gas." He said. I let out a yawn and slowly got to my feet.

"Great, what's the plan now?" I asked.

"I'll take care of my family and everyone else. If I can get to my truck I can fil it up and we gan get everyone out of here quickly."

"My truck still has gas so let's just focus on your truck, but what do we do after, I mean where do we go?"

"Lee said there was an inn on the outskirts of town that looked pretty secure. So I guess we'll head there."

"Sounds good."

"Go and see Lee, he said he has a way to get the old man his medicine."

I nodded and headed over to Lee who was standing next to Doug by the main door. I noticed Lee had a bloodied axe in his hand and was covered it walker blood.

"What happened?"

"Glenn got stuck at the Inn." He explained. "Carley and I had to go and get him, that's where I got this." He held up his axe.

"Cool, so what is the plan?"

"Just follow us and keep quiet." Doug said in a hushed tone.

I nodded and slowly followed the two outside. The gate was still locked, but the walkers were still fumbling around in the dark. I looked over at where Lee was staring and saw a walker wearing scrubs. The poor bastard was Lee's brother, now a walker trapped under a power line.

I gripped my shotgun and Lee handed a TV remote to Doug. Doug fumbled with the buttons on the remote for a second before pointing at the TV's across the street in an electronic store and turns them all on.

Lee quickly breaks the lock off with his axe and grabs a nearby brick. He carefully steps outside, holds his arm back and chucks the brick through the window. The TV's let out loud ringing noises, drawing all the walkers towards them.

"Now's the time." Lee said as he gripped his axe.

"Be quick and be careful." I warned.

"Keep an eye out." He quickly sprinted over towards his brother. Doug and I kept an eye out for Lee. I looked over at Doug who looked nervous.

"So how do you feel about Lee?" I asked.

"I think he is a good guy, he is helping that asshole Larry isn't he?"

"Yeah." I smile. Lee was a good man who was dealt a bad hand.

I looked over at him as he brought his axe down into his brother's face. This action caused all of the walkers to take notice of him.

"Lee, move it!" I shouted.

Lee quickly sprinted over to us and made it back inside. Doug and I shut the gate and ran back inside before locking the door. Doug and I barred the door while Lee tended to Lilly and Larry. I looked over at Doug who was still panicking.

"Hey don't worry buddy, we're gonna get the hell out here real soon." I reassured.

"Y-Yeah, the sooner the better."

Just as he finally started to calm down, the damn alarm starts going off. Everyone quickly gets on their feet and get ready to leave. Lily tends to her father. Katjaa takes Duck and Carley grabs her gun. I grab my shotgun and a pair of aviators of the sunglasses rack.

Doug, Carley, Lee and I cover the front of the store. The four of us hold the door shut as best as we could before they started to get in. I hear Kenny shout out to me.

"Devon, we need your help they're getting in!" He shouted from the office. I looked over at Carley and Lee.

"Go, we got this!" Carley shouts.

I nodded and quickly run back into the office. I noticed a few walkers getting in and take them out with my shotgun.

"Go!" I shouted.

Kenny nodded and swung the axe Lee gave him earlier into a nearby walkers head. Katjaa and Lilly shut the doors behind us while we made our way to Kenny's truck. Glenn was already there filling it up.

I kept him covered and blasted my shotgun into the faces of every walker that came our way. I tried to reload after firing my last shell, but they just kept coming. I bashed he butt of my gun into the face of one walker before throwing my gun into the back of Kenny's truck and pulled out my pistol and nightstick.

I swung my stick into the head of a walker and sent him into the ground before striking him again, crushing his skull. I aimed my berretta at a few more walkers and popped a round into each and every one of their heads. I was starting to get nervous; they just kept coming and coming.

"Kenny!" I shouted, instead of a response I hear his trucks engine revving.

"We got it!" Glenn shouted as he rushed over to his car. Kenny laid on his horn and Lilly escorted everyone out, everyone except Lee and Doug.

"Where are Lee and Doug?" I asked. Larry looked over at me.

"They are both dead!" He shouted as he hopped into the driver's seat of my truck. I was shocked for a moment before hearing Clementine cry out.

"No, Lee was right next to me before that guy stopped him."

"Stopped him…god damn you Larry!" I shouted. I quickly rushed inside, Kenny as well. I rushed through the office and back into the store. Lee was on the ground unconscious as a walker started crawling towards him.

Kenny rushed in front of me and brought the axe down into the walker's skull.

"I'm not letting anyone else get eaten today," He held his handout to Lee who quickly took it and was helped to his feet. "Especially a good friend."

We quickly rushed out of the store and we all piled into the back of Kenny's truck and drove out of Macon. It took some time but we made our way to the hotel.

Lilly didn't waste any time cleaning up the place. Kenny was going over the supplies and Carley was mourning over Doug's death. I couldn't help but feel guilty. I should have let a gun for them. No, Doug didn't know how to use one, it wouldn't have mattered.

I look over at Larry and he is still scowling. I rushed over to him and quickly wrap my hands around his collar.

"I should kill you right now!"

"You can't, you're a cop!" He chokes.

Lily and Lee both rush over to me begging me too stop.

"Larry, this is your last warning. I don't give a shit if your daughter gets mad at me and I don't care what your intentions are. If you ever do something that endangers anyone in the group again and I will fucking end you!"

I push him away and shove my way past Lily and Lee. I take my back of guns and ammo into my new room and lock myself in for the night. I really didn't want to be bothered. I flop down on my bed and load my shotgun furiously.

'How could a man be so quick to kill a man who helped him?' I thought. 'This guy is making me fucking crazy. This whole crisis is making me crazy. I just don't know what to do anymore.'

I lay down on my bed and wonder how bad this is all going to get before getting better. I needed to calm down so I pulled out one of my books from my bag and try to relax. I opened my book right before the power went out in the entire Inn.

"God dammit!"