A/N- Okay, this story will now run to Chapter 52, (If all goes to plan) thanks to everyone once again for sticking by this story as it draws to it's close.
DarthVader22- Carver's death was pretty gruesome.
Rebloxic- From Carver to Steve... the cycle never seems to end.
Eggomypeggo- You'll see how that plays out during this chapter.
Maximo- I could imagine Luke starting to lose it after ripping Carver to shreds.
Lockdown- I thought Luke needed a moment to shine and it cemented his character arc, from being the good guy who would like to negotiate, to the killer who needs to do, what needs to be done.
Guest T- Thanks! As graphic as his death was, it's nice to know it was written well and I hope you continue to enjoy this story!
apathy- I love your reviews and speculation, I'm glad you pointed out things such as the "metaphorical torch" and Luke's murder of Carver, although it's true, what you picked up on that no one can talk to him about it for a little while. My whole plan during this story was to develop him to this point, and I was supposed to write a sentence on how there was "No Going Back" for Luke after what he did. But I think I'll add that phrase later on anyway.
leafs nation- Well, you can say... he hated Carver's guts. (Bad pun there)
obsessed naruhina fangirl- Thanks for another great review, I'm glad you're hyped for what's coming. Oh and do you mind if I PM you? I've got two ideas on two different scenario's that will play out next chapter, (Chapter 50) and I trust you to give me the best advice on which scenario would play out better.
Emily Carver- I'm glad you found it satisfying, as people have been waiting for 48 chapters for that moment.
AquaDestinysEmbrace- Thank you for another review and the cliffhanger at the end of your story left me worried for Sarah more than anyone else even if she was pushed to the floor.
and finally thank you to Legionary Prime for your review and now onto this chapter...
Everyone seemingly blinked in wonder at this new beings that had appeared in their numb hazy mist. The two men continued to glare at them, shoving the butt of their rifles in their faces.
"ARE YOU FUCKING DEAF!? DROP YOUR WEAPONS!" Steve bellowed, as slowly but surely, hatches, bars and guns clattered on the ground, as Steve smiled and growled "Down the stairs, go!"
Kenny led the way, with his head bowed down, as Steve and the other man followed them down the stairs, as they did, Steve muttered to Nick and Sarah "So we meet again"
Nick glared back at him, before he growled "You god-damn fucking bandits..."
"Who are these people?" Clementine asked bewildered, as Sarah slowly turned to her and gave her the answer she was looking for.
"Their bandits, that were chasing me and Nick through the woods, one of them shot me" Sarah recounted in a small voice, as Steve growled "We were after your meds, girl, surely you could have spared us some?"
"Yeah, like we'd wanna share meds with a bunch of murderous assholes like yourselves" Nick seemed to hiss, his voice growing louder with every word, as the rage inside of him reached it's peak. However Steve simply approached him, and whacked him hard across the face, as he fell to the floor, Sarah screamed "NICK!"
"Get up! Or It'll worse next time" Steve warned as Nick slowly got to his feet and glared silently at Steve.
"Don't hurt my friends!" Sarah snapped up at him, instantly shrinking in his shadow.
"I'd keep quiet missy! Now move!" Steve bellowed again, as the group proceeded forwards and down the stairs, Clementine didn't know what the hell to make of these parasites of bandits, who had clearly been observing the rebellion and had now chosen this moment (when they cleared out Carver) to strike. It was clever a move, but Clementine mind was now buzzing with ways to get out of this new threat.
Damn it, she had not come this far, she had not saved most of her friends and kept this community intact for it to fall now, because of a few leeching bandits!
"Clementine" Steve said.
Confused, Clementine turned around as Steve seemed to whistle.
"So... you are called Clementine, you're the one she kept babbling on about" Steve muttered seemingly impressed, as his black orbs surveyed every inch of the eleven year old.
"Who kept babbling on about me?" Clementine asked, now completely confused. She didn't know any of these people.
"Oh... she'll have an orgasm when she sees you again" Steve joked very crudely, as the man next to him let out some barking laughs that made Clementine's ears sore. Glaring at the pair of them, she was about to proceed into the main part of the store, when a familiar voice stopped her in her tracks.
"Steve, you got them?"
No... it couldn't be. It can't have been! Kenny seemed make a jerking movement, as if he had been electrocuted, as the woman's voice flooded his eardrums an instant look of fury crossed his face, as Clementine felt like she'd been dunked in a vat of ice. All along she had been living by this second chance, knowing full well who was involved. Nothing had prepared her for...
"Well?" Lilly demanded the answer, as she rounded the corner.
... for Lilly to return.
Lilly's voice died in her throat, because her and Kenny were now face to face.
It was too bizarre for Clementine's eyes, to see Kenny and Lilly glaring at each other again. She was suddenly transported back to the motor inn and Lee was walking past as she coloured over a leaf on the ground. Carley was leaning on the railing above her, as Duck ran past her in circles, as she dimly watched Lilly and Kenny get into another argument.
This blast from the past, seemed to last for an age. As Kenny and Lilly both stared at each other in disbelief, with traces of rage etching into their features.
"No fucking way" Kenny finally uttered.
"You're still alive?" Lilly asked in disbelief.
They store at each other once again, before Kenny finally seemed to snap out of his stupor as he angrily growled "So... first you steal our RV!? And now you fucking hunt us down with these murderous fucks!" Kenny finished his sentence, screaming at her, as her face crumpled into an all too familiar scowl.
"Fuck you Kenny! Have you forgotten what you did too me!?" Lilly screamed back.
"What I did to you! That's twice you've screwed us over! Lee should have just left you on the road to die...!" Was Kenny's damming verdict on her, as Lilly once again opened her mouth...
"I don't care about what happens to you Kenny! I came back to help Lee and Clementine!"
"Don't act like you give a shit about them!"
"LEE WAS THE ONLY ONE WHO TREATED ME LIKE A PERSON! AND NOT A PIECE OF SHIT...!"
"YEAH WELL, THANKS TO YOU HIS DEAD NOW!"
Lilly's rage sank as she heard this news as she let out a distant "What?".
Kenny spoke on, "After you left us, we couldn't get the train going. Lee, Ben, Kajtaa and Duck all got bit! They did right there and we had no way to move! Me and Clem got separated and...!"
"THAT WASN'T WHAT HAPPENED KENNY!" Clementine roared, losing her temper. Knowing he was doing this on purpose to make Lilly feel even more guilty over what had happened as she set the record straight "They died later on, It wasn't really your fault" she told Lilly shyly, as Lilly looked down at Clementine as her eyes widened.
"Clem... Clementine!" Lilly stuttered in disbelief, before Clementine could stop her, Lilly hugged the eleven year old, as Clementine struggled to breathe, they pulled apart as Lilly's face was now so close to her own, she could feel the woman's warm breath on her face.
"My God you've changed and yet, you're still wearing that thing?" Lilly mused happily, touching Clementine's all too familiar cap, as if to check if it was real.
"Yeah" Clementine replied, as Lilly suddenly started to tear up, a confused Clementine looked up, as a salty tear hit her face.
"My God... you still wear those" she murmured, pointing at the hair bobbles that Clementine had completely forgotten about that lay nestled into her hair. It took a moment for Clementine to realise, that Lilly had originally gave her the bobbles to help her to sleep at night.
"Yeah" Clementine repeated in the same emotionless tone.
Lilly stood up tall again, wiping away a tear as she returned to her usual hard faced self.
"How the hell did you find us!?" Kenny snapped at her.
"We trailed these two" she gestured at a glowering Nick and Sarah "and I knew Clementine was alive, when I found this on the forest floor" Lilly muttered, pulling out a crumpled piece of paper, that Lilly handed to Clementine who instantly recognised it as...
"My drawing, I lost this in woods!" she exclaimed in shock. Looking down at the shoddy drawing of Kenny's family, as Kenny himself gazed at it with wide eyes.
"You kept that on you?" he asked Clementine, slightly touched by this gesture.
"Every day" Clementine replied.
Kenny was silent, as Clementine decided to hand a glossy eyed Kenny the drawing of himself and his family. He had remembered that Clementine had drew this back when they were on the train and it was the perfect picture of innocence and of when times were easier...
"Alright enough mushy crap, let's round them up Lilly" Steve muttered as Lilly nodded and they proceeded into the main area of the store.
"Well... so much for caring about Clementine, if you're just gonna keep her as your hostage!" Kenny spat towards Lilly once again.
Lilly didn't reply, as she looked ahead of her.
"She shot Sarah! I'm with Kenny on this one" Nick piped up, as Kenny grinned at the support he was receiving, Clementine gazed at Lilly in shock.
"First you shot Carley and now Sarah?" Clementine inquired, she was appalled when Lilly simply nodded.
"I shouldn't have done it" was all she said.
"Oh, you finally just realize that!? Huh!?" Kenny demanded, still openly shooting daggers at the back of her hair, which Lilly ignored, as Clementine was lead into the centre of the store and forced to kneel.
Steve, the man and four others were pointing guns at the group they had managed to round up. The fire had (thankfully) been extinguished, by a soot covered Mike. He and Bonnie were knelt next to a now awake Sarita, who is muttering under her breath and holding her stump. Wyatt faced the floor, with a still unconscious Eddie being supported on his shoulders. Vince was noticeably absent, yet no one seemed to acknowledge this, as well as these people there was also another nameless woman who was rounded up (she looked like the only survivor of the rebellion, whose name Clementine didn't know).
"The fat guy says that's everyone" A woman told Steve, as the others all fell to their knees next to already captured group members. Clementine had noticed that Vince was still absent and Clementine could only hope that the asian man had a plan.
"So, should we get this over with?" Steve asked of his group.
They all nodded, Clementine looked up to see them turn their guns... not on the store survivors.
But on Lilly herself.
Clementine's eyes widened, her head dizzy by everything was blowing up in her face, the brutal slaughter of Carver, seeing Lilly and Kenny again and now watching Lilly's new group seemingly turn on her... too many major events were happening within the space of mere minutes. Leaving little Clementine's head a muddle as she tried to grasp what the hell was going on.
"We promised you, you could have the girl. But we work as a seven Lilly" Steve told her grimly, to further Clementine's confusion, Lilly didn't even seemed shocked about this, instead she simply muttered "I knew all along you just wanted me to lead you here Steve. But I can't let you kill these guys and take their stuff!"
Steve let out a laugh, as Kenny looked up with a mocking glare, almost as if to say "Ha, ha" childishly. Yet Lilly didn't flinch, even though they were six guns trained on her.
"Hey Clementine, If I take these guys out. Would you forgive me?" Lilly suddenly asked of her, as Clementine looked up at her,
"You ain't got a chance Lilly!" Steve bellowed.
"Look, I know I did wrong before! But I want to make it up to you Clementine! You and Lee were the only one's I cared about! I spent two years trying to find you again! I'll die protecting you!" she seemingly begged and screamed for Clementine's forgiveness. As Clementine looked up at her, she had done so many bad things... she had killed Carley and shot Sarah and was running around with these types of people... and yet...
"THAT'S BULLSHIT! DON'T LISTEN TO HER CLEMENTINE!" Nick roared over at the eleven year old. Yet it was Nick's outburst that seemed to sway her mind in the other direction, as she reached her conclusion.
"Remember Matthew, Nick?" Clementine asked, as Nick's face sunk, as he began to gasp... "Well... I didn't know..."
"It's the same" Clementine said, shutting him up "You and Lilly both here shot someone they thought was a danger to the group. So if you don't want me to forgive her, than that's like saying the group shouldn't have forgiven you!" she reasoned, as Nick couldn't muster a word to argue back to her. Because it all rang true to him.
"I agree" Sarah piped up quietly, as all heads turned to her, as Nick looked at her in wonder as she spoke. As Sarah looked up and directly addressed Lilly "I... forgive you Lilly..." she stuttered before continuing "Even if you shot me... I know now, you want to protect us and if we don't forgive her... than were just like Carver" she reasoned as Lilly smiled warmly at the 15 year old.
"Thank you" she said, while aiming her rifle towards the bandits slowly starting to encircle her.
"What!? You folk weren't with her! You don't know how much of a nightmare she can be!" Kenny spat for all to hear.
"Yeah, well you weren't against her either" Nick told him back, as Kenny's lips shut into a near straight line, as Nick exhaled and finally seemed to come to his senses "Clementine's right" he said clearly, "I fucked up, If Walter didn't forgive me, I'd be dead. I can't let that happen someone else!" He reasoned, as Clementine smiled, everything was coming together (as Kenny still scowled) pulling a whimpering Sarita closer to him.
"Promise me, you want leave us again and promise me you'll do the right thing!" Clementine exclaimed to Lilly. Who still stood there aiming her gun, but her eyes flickered back down at Clementine for a second.
"I promise" she said firmly.
Steve let out a guffawing laugh at this, as he shook his head "I don't know what y'all making these deals for! Have you forgotten about ol' Stevie boy here!" he mused as the group circled Lilly "Ain't no way you're gonna win Lilly" he told her "So stop speaking as though you have, because guess what?" he asked, when he received no answer he ploughed on anyhow.
"... ladies and gentlemen!" (he seemed to be addressing his own group, as well as the store's survivors) "I found Russell in there. Dead as a fucking dodo. It just goes to show what happens to whiny, weak, little cowards who try and face us! Russell ran away from us a long time ago! and wasn't that the wrong fucking choice, huh!? We've been going strong for two years! Killing groups larger than yours! Ain't nothin' gonna stop us...!" Clementine found it almost hilarious, that these were Steve's last words, as a gunshot soared through the air and indeed stopped him. As the bullet went clean through his skull.
Steve went wide eyed for a second, before he collapsed onto the floor. Seizing this opportunity, Lilly open fired, on the five remaining bandits, who instantly fired back. As those on the floor instantly scrambled for any sort of cover.
From where he was hidden up in the rafters. Vince put down his smoking pistol, staring at Steve's dead body, he muttered...
"That was for Russell"
Back on the ground, Clementine collided into someone and fell to the floor... in the chaos and gunfire, she looked up to see Kenny desperately trying to drag Sarita into cover. But it was no good, one of the bandits was nearly upon them. He pulled the gun down on them, as Sarita screamed...
BANG!
The bandit fell backwards, clutching his stomach, as another bullet that flew through the air hit him in the cheek, (Clementine was reminded of Carley because of this), she looked above her to see Lilly. Standing there with her smoking rifle, she looked shocked that she saved Kenny and Sarita's lives. (Well more so Kenny, because she didn't know who the hell Sarita was) Kenny looked back at Lilly.
Both of them stared at each other with wide eyes. Clementine was just as shocked that Lilly had indeed repaid them. She may have killed Carley, but as of now, she had just saved the life of the man who murdered her father.
Lilly looked down, before running off to deal with the rest of the bandits, she fired another shot, bringing a young woman down to the floor. Clementine got to her feet, just as a new wave of gunfire met her ears, as she watched the final three bandits fall to the floor.
Luke stood over them, he had acquired a rifle and was gazing at the bodies with a blank face. Even more worrying, is that he wasn't reacting to the bullets in his arm and shoulder that left two red holes in his skin.
"Jesus man! You've been shot!" Nick noted, with wide eyed as Luke tried to brush him off.
"I'm fine Nick" he muttered.
"You're not. They need dealing with" Nick growled, gesturing at the wounds.
Luke simply crouched on the ground, not saying a word, as Nick (slowly and uncertainly) began to treat Luke's wounds. When Luke didn't flinch, Nick managed began to pull out the bullets, he called Sarah over for assistance, as she ran over. The baby (still in Rebecca's arms) started to wail, as Lilly approached the child, Rebecca glared at her and asked cautiously, "Are... you with us now?"
"Who else would I be with?" Lilly replied, as Rebecca's suspicion faded, as she smiled warmly at the woman.
"Are you okay Clementine?" Lilly asked as Clementine walked over to the group, who were now approaching Lilly.
"Yeah, you've haven't been shot have you?" Clementine asked in concern as Lilly shook her head "No, I got lucky, real lucky" she mused, as Clementine remembered how Kenny had said something similar. Even Rebecca seemed to sense some sort of familiarity in this phrase.
"First Kenny and now you. Clem honey, you seem to have connections everywhere" Rebecca mused as Clementine simply smiled. Now she had Lilly with her, the second chance couldn't have gone any better.
"Nice shot by the way" Wyatt told Vince, who approached the group from where he was hidden in the rafters of the store. Descending carefully from the roof, he landed on a still standing shelf, before he jumped down to the ground level and accepted Wyatt's compliment.
"Thanks" he said, he was still saddened by Russell's death. But now he had gotten his revenge... not on Carver but the next best person. Had helped him deal with the loss a lot better.
"Well... welcome to the group Miss...?" Bonnie began as Lilly answered her.
"Miss Caul"
"Miss Lilly Caul, it's pleasure to have you here. We've just overthrew the mad dictator here and as of now. I reckon we can finally relax!" Bonnie exclaimed cheerfully, but Lilly cut her off.
"I wish I could, but this rebellion you had, caused a load of noise" Lilly explained, as she continued "Me and my former group..." she spat this out before once again continuing "We snuck through a whole god-damn herd to get here and they are approaching" she warned them. There was no need to explain any more, Mike quite simply opened the hanger door, as Clementine could now see the first walkers, climbing over the already full trench and stumble towards the hardware store.
"Oh for fuck's sake" Was all Vince could say. Oh for fuck's sake indeed.
"Hang on! We have a flare around here somewhere! That should be able to distract the herd!" Bonnie exclaimed her face lighting up, as she looked wildly around the destroyed store, as her face sunk...
"You guys hold em off while I find it!" Bonnie yelled, as she ran back into the hardware store.
"First Carver and his goons, than a fire, than other bandits and now walkers all over again! Can't they give us a break! What the hell's next? UFO's!?" Wyatt vented in frustration as Stephanie chuckled from beside him.
"I dunno, it's like this night never ends" she said sombrely, her blue eyes gazing at the approaching silhouettes of the walkers, that approached them from the dark night.
"Well then, let's hold them off!" Lilly screamed leading the way for a defence of this store. As the others all readied their guns, Kenny approached Lilly, he didn't say a word, he tried to move his lips but no sound came out. However a still pale Sarita managed to say "Thank you, for saving our lives" as Lilly looked over at her.
"No problem" she brushed Sarita off with. Yet Clementine could tell it had been a problem for her. She could imagine the inner debate Lilly must have had. She could have easily just let Kenny die. In that way there would be no more arguments between him and her, she could avenge her father and she wouldn't have had to kill him. She would be scot free and without Kenny. Yet she had saved him. Was it for Clementine's sake? Or was she finally amending for her past sins?
"I'm glad you saved Kenny, it was the right choice" Clementine told her, as she turned away from the approaching herd for a second and beamed down at Clementine.
"I know, it's great to be back" she mused, as Clementine returned the earlier hug Lilly had given her. Lilly was touched by this gesture, as her resolve to survive only doubled at those moment. Breaking apart from Clementine, she faced the herd, ready to fight until her last breath.
"LET'S GIVE THEM HELL!" She roared, as the group began to open fire.
Unaware, that the dead always won.