Carley pressed a nervous thumb on the communication button, the two girls behind her waiting anxiously for an answer to the strangers question from the reporter. "Where are you?" Were her words. The Stranger took a few seconds to answer before finally replying.
"Ask Lee, if he's been paying attention to Clementine at all, he'll know. Don't come looking for us, though. She's happy without you." Radio silence. Static filled her ears. Pissed beyond belief, Carley almost slammed the thing against the ground, but her common sense made her calm down. 'I need this thing, let's focus here.'
Christa and Molly noticed, looking at each other with worry. "Hey.. You good?" Molly asked slowly, not entirely the best with this stuff.
"I-I'm fine. Just on edge." Carley answered, pacing around the room.
"I know how you feel." Molly replied. Suddenly, groans came from outside of the morgue.
"Guys, walkers!" Christa announced, pulling out her gun and running to the door, barricading it. Molly helped by using Hilda to cut down any walkers too close for comfort.
"Shit. Alright, looks like we'll have to find another way out." Carley looked around, spotting an elevator shaft rather quickly.
"Well, hurry it up. Times wasting and if Vernon and his group aren't here, I don't wanna know what scared them off." Christa stressed, her back against the objects they cluttered around the door for extra protection.
"Maybe nothing did. Maybe they realized this place is doomed to fail and they jumped ship. The city IS tapped after all." Molly suggested, doing the same.
"Whatever the case, I do hope they're alright. Without them, Omid and Travis would be.." Christa looked down. Strangely, not at the floor, but at her stomach. Molly gave her a weird look.
"I got something!" Carley announced. She had cracked open the elevator doors with an item she found whilst poking around: A car jack.
"Sweet, let's get the hell out of here." Molly enthused, leaving the barricade to sprint toward the elevator.
"And fast, for some reason there are a ton of walkers down here." Christa added.
"Maybe they followed us into the city.. We did take a train." Carley informed, knowing Molly would get a kick out of it.
"You did what? Man, that's fucking sick!" She was right. They found a ladder that led to an opening and began climbing.
"Everyone be careful, hold on tight and call out if you see anything dangerous." Carley told them, allowing Christa to pass her since she had the 'most to lose.'
"Aye aye, boss." Molly replied, gripping to the bars. She was at the bottom, whilst the other two were ahead of her. Christa rolled her eyes at her response before climbing.
Meanwhile, Lee had just woken up from his black out. Last thing he remembered was getting bit, learning Clementine had been taken and having his arm cut.. Holy shit. "Ah! M-my fucking arm! It's on fire! C-Carley? Christa, Chuck? Where are you?" The leader got up, Clem's hat falling to the carpet as well as a bottle of painkillers from Crawford. He kneeled down, grabbed the bottle with his arm and placed it on the table.
"How the hell do I open this thing without two hands? There's gotta be someone around here.." Lee pocketed the pills and put Clementine's hat back in his pocket, looking around the house. He called names, checked bathrooms and listened for anyone around him, but nothing. Upon looking out the kitchen door however, he finally found Chuck and Omid standing outside. It looked like Chuck had taken Lee's assault rifle and Omid had his gun out, which was rather uncommon in a passive situation for the shortie. Nevertheless, he left the house, closing the door behind him.
The two looked at Lee and smiled. Omid ran up to him and hugged the crap out of him. "Holy shit, you're okay! Thank fucking god, I thought you died from blood loss or something!"
"I didn't, you're tough. How do you feel though?" Chuck asked, his smile never fading until he looked at the man's left arm, or nub.
"Uh.. Honestly? I feel like hell. But I don't feel 'bitten' if you know what I mean?" Lee tried to explain.
"Ah, sorta. Like when you're recovering from a hangover?" Chuck asked.
"Exactly. Only way more painful and you're dehydrated as hell."
"You need some water, man?" Omid asked, concerned as he stepped out of the hug.
"Yeah, thanks.. Could you open these, too?" Lee grabbed the pills as Omid ran to get some water from Lee's rations bag.
"Of course." Chuck replied, grabbing the pills and opening them up easily. It made Lee twitch at how easily it was done. He looked down at good ol' leftie and cringed, emotions piling up consisting of rage and sadness. Omid came back just as Lee downed two pills, the pain slowly being alleviated.
"Thanks, guys.. Where's everyone else?" Lee asked, opening up the bottle of water on the window sill. God, he was gonna have to get used to this in case he lived.
"Carley, Christa and Molly went looking for Vernon and Clementine." Chuck answered quickly.
"And everyone else..?" Lee asked, receiving looks of silence from the group.
"They uh.. They left." Omid answered, scratching the back of his head awkwardly.
"Huh? You mean with the boat?" Lee asked, shocked that they just abandoned ship so quickly.
"Yeah.. Sorry you didn't get to say goodbye. Kenny seemed pretty torn up about it. I think he wanted to help find your girl." Chuck looked down at the floor. He had to admit, he missed the highwayman and those cool kids, especially Duck.
"It's.. It's fine. They're safer this way. Especially Duck and the kids. I just wish I could have said something to Kenny." Lee tightened his fist, taking a long sip of water.
"Like what?" Omid asked, leaning against the house. Lee put down the bottle to answer.
"That he was a son of a bitch. And that I loved the guy. He was a pain in the ass, a violent individual a lot of the time. But shit, we were together through thick and thin for months. I'll.. Miss him in a weird way." Lee sighed.
"Damn.. One day, you gotta tell us a story or two about your old group before babe and I made it forty percent better." The three shared a laugh as Lee finished the bottle.
"You took the AK?" Lee asked the older male amongst them.
"Oh yeah, sorry 'bout that. Just.. Guarding the house in case that stranger guy or walkers come through." Chuck answered.
"Keep it, I don't have any use for it now." Lee smiled, if he couldn't have both arms he had no need for an assault weapon. Wait.. What about the axe? Shit.
"..You got it, boss." Chuck shrugged.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.
"What the..? Walkers?" Omid whispered. The sound came from the shed.
"No.. That's too slow and controlled to be a walker. Besides, I didn't see any pass through here yet." Lee replied, taking out his pistol.
"I'll check, you two watch my back." Omid said, getting a nod from both men as they pointed at the shed behind him. Omid slowly opened the shed's front door. Nobody was inside but the knocking persisted. They must be at the back. The two behind him got closer as Omid approached the back door.
Before he could open the door, it was kicked open by none other than Vernon, the cancer survivors behind him. Omid was knocked on his ass. Vernon aimed his gun at Omid whilst the other survivors cowered behind him. Lee and Chuck aimed down hard on them, Lee especially pissed. "Vernon, where the fuck is Clementine!?" He demanded, his voice raspy out of pure anger, even after the water.
"What do you- Lee? W-what happened to your arm?" Vernon asked, his hands shaky from nervousness as usual.
"Vernon, come on! Where is the boat?" An older woman, Joyce asked.
"I-it's gone! Where's the boat?" Vernon asked.
"It's gone, Kenny and the kids left with it.." Omid answered, slowly getting up and pulling his gun out on Vernon. "And thanks for hitting my bad leg, dude. Real nice."
"I.." Vernon hesitated, lowering the gun as he watched the man stand somewhat tall.
"Last chance, you old fuck, where is my Clementine?!" Lee yelled, pointing directly at his knee.
"I don't have her! I thought she was with you!" Vernon snapped back, rising his gun to his head to smack himself lightly with it. "Damnit, damnit.."
"Vernon, I told you this was wrong, all wrong!" Brie yelled, quietly enough to not attract attention.
"I.. I thought I was doing the right thing." Vernon tried to defend himself, his whole group pissed.
"By robbing us?!" Omid questioned.
"Yes. By stealing that boat and taking the kids before you could get them hurt yourself. From what it sounds, that's already happened." Vernon stated.
"So.. It wasn't you who stole Clementine?" Chuck asked slowly, lowering the assault rifle.
"No. I don't know who did. What about that guy on your radio." Vernon suggested, causing something to click in the men's brains.
"You're right! The stranger.. That fucker has Clementine." Lee became even angrier, but dropped his gun anyways, feeling extremely sad as well.
"Look, we don't have time for this." Boyd said, rolling his eyes.
"Yes we do. Lee," Brie walked toward Lee, a bag over her shoulder. "Let's make a trade, right here right now. You've clearly gone through enough today."
"Brie, what the fuck? That's your rations!" Boyd pointed out furiously.
"We tried to steal from them, Boyd! It's the least I can do." Brie scolded her fellow survivor, glaring something fierce at him.
"Whatever, we'll be outside." Vernon informed, glaring harshly at Lee. "Goodbye, Lee. I hope you find Clementine soon." He then left with the rest of his group.
"Please, Lee.. I.. I'm not like them. I want to help you, so let me do so by trading with you. I got food, water and ammo, your choice. I'll take whatever you can offer." Brie stated, opening her bag. Lee wasn't so sure about this, or if he even wanted to give anything away.
Choices:
A: I'll take the water
B: I'll take the ammo
C: I'll take the food.
D: No thanks. Brie.
(Note, you have to specify what you will trade. Here is our inventory:
Axe
Wrench
Pistol (Two mags, twenty bullets)
Twelve cans of food
Three bags of chips
Six water bottles
Condoms
Pain Killers
Car gas (Half a gallon)
Relationships:
Carley saved your life. 10/10
Clementine is out there, somewhere. You have to find her. 9/10
Chuck has your back indefinitely. 10/10
Christa is in the process of trying to save Clementine. You're forever in her debt. 9/10
Omid will do anything to protect Clementine. He owes you after Crawford. 9/10
Molly has got your back, this group is growing on her like mold. 9/10
Vernon does not like you anymore, but doesn't hate you. 5/10
Brie feels incredibly bad about what they were planning on doing. How will you react? 8/10
The Stranger is still out there, with Clementine. 3/10
((Question of the chapter: Any thoughts on Vernon and his group? Personally, I loved writing this chapter haha. Wanted to know if you guys liked how I changed this never before existing scene. Cheers!))