Clementine pondered about this 'Carver' guy. From what she could hear, it sounded like they were scared of him or something. "Who's Carver?" She asked. Molly and Chuck were wondering the same thing. Luke and Pete looked at each other as if to ask 'the hell do we say to that?'
"Uh.. Let's just say he's not a good guy. We had a run in with him and.. It's complicated." Luke tried to explain. It sounded like he was walking on eggshells with his words, carefully determining every word.
"We heard y'all were headed up north to some big group. Mind telling us about it?" Pete questioned in an attempt to change the topic. The three noticed, but decided to drop it. Last thing they needed was a fight in the middle of the woods.
"Sure thing. It's called Wellington, supposed to have big walls and be freezing cold so walkers get even slower." Chuck explained.
"I'm honestly kinda skeptical, but after all the shit we've been through I'll do anything for a solid place to call home." Molly stated.
"We understand that. Oh, and you guys aren't uh.. Bit or anything, right?" Luke asked, turning back to look at them. They rolled up their sleeves to prove they weren't.
"Nope, we've survived this long." Chuck told them.
"Well, Lee did. But he took the arm off quickly." Clementine pointed out.
"I noticed. I had a cousin down in Ainsworth who did the same thing. Must have scared the piss outta him." The gray haired man sympathized, shaking his head at the thought.
"He was screaming pretty loud." Molly joked.
"Who wouldn't be? I'd pass out from fear alone." Luke shivered at the thought, sharing Pete's uncomfort with the topic.
"'Course you would." Pete teased the younger man. Luke rolled his eyes.
"At least you're honest. Lee's a strong man." The eleven year old said.
"I could tell. He looks like hell." The young, brown haired man replied.
"Tch, you could say that about anyone in our group at this point." Molly mumbled, folding her arms to warm herself up. They continued walking for a few seconds until they reached a part of the woods with less trees on a hill. The hill led to a dirt path, which led to more trees before the base of this new group. It was a cozy looking cabin with a shed a couple meters away. They couldn't see anyone from here, but they figured Lee, Carley and Christa were there.
"That's our place, and as long as our group votes on it, yours for at least a week until you can figure things out." Pete said, pointing toward the cabin.
"Thank you. Really." Chuck spoke softly and earnestly.
"It's too good to be true. You're really going to be this generous?" Clem questioned, looking around for any traps. So far so good, but if the St. John's taught her anything, it's to stay on guard.
"We're not all so nice, sweetheart. C'mon, let's not keep 'em waiting." Pete responded, leading the group towards the cabin. Clementine took a look up at the sky, which was turning gray. A storm was coming. How long had they been out? It must be one PM by now..
The walk to the cabin was quiet, save for the chirping of birds and the sounds of boots against the autumn leaves, crunching with every step. Finally, there they were. Lee, Christa and Carley were all standing outside, without their bags though. There were three men and a woman outside with them, standing on the porch of the cabin. Clementine, overjoyed to see them again, rushed up to Lee the second he noticed her arrival. The two shared a hug that nearly knocked Lee over. "Hey, girl!"
"Lee! Thank god, I was so worried.." She sighed in relief, holding him tight.
"I'm alright, sweet pea. Everything is fine.." His calm, slightly gravelly voice replied gently.
"Carley, what's up?" Molly held her fist out for a fist bump, but Carley looked at her with a glare. Molly raised her brows before disregarding her fist. "What's wrong? Are you o-"
"It's not about me, Molly, it's about her. It's about Omid, who we lost yesterday. I'm not in a good mood, especially because of how he died. So please, have more respect." Carley demanded, walking away from the playful woman. Luke and Pete shrugged.
"Hey, I'm sorry, but I seriously doubt he would want us grieving him for too long. He liked a lightened up mood."
"You think you knew what he wanted?" Christa whispered, tightening her fist.
"Christa.. How are you?" Chuck muttered back, stepping forward hesitantly. The people near the cabin just watched awkwardly.
"How am I? I'm great, Chuck. How are you?" Christa asked sarcastically, staring him directly in his eyes. Her own eyes were bloodshot and she looked like she hadn't slept in years.
"Uh.. I-I'm sorry."
"Don't be. Just stop talking about him and leave me alone." Her voice was beginning to break, so Carley took her hand and led her away from the others.
"Geez.. She's been a mess since yesterday." Lee muttered as they distanced away, dividing the group.
"Can't exactly blame her." Clem replied.
"No, no you can't." He shook his head, sighing.
"She needs to stop, that attitude isn't going to get us anywhere." Molly stated frustratedly, rolling her eyes.
"Molly, just give her some time." Clementine suggested which helped her calm down a bit.
"I know, I.. I know, kid." Molly sighed, patting the girls hat gently.
"Luke, Pete, do you want to introduce us to the new stragglers you found on the streets and adopted, or..?" A woman, who looked pregnant, asked rudely. Christa ignored her for obvious reasons.
"Rebecca, please. They're with the group from yesterday." Pete said, trying to defend them.
"That's exactly why they can't be here. What if they're working with him?" Must be referring to that Carver guy Luke seemed so afraid of.
"I seriously doubt it. You saw how they greeted each other." The presumed leader of the group talked back. Lee certainly felt a comfort from this guy, he seemed nice enough. "Besides, not one communication device, map or even a pencil were on them. How could they relay anything to him?"
"C'mon, Bec, they're-" A chubby, brown man said, being cut off by Rebecca. His name was Alvin.
"You never defend me anymore, do you?" Rebecca turned her head away from him, he appeared to be her husband. He shook his head quickly, causing his glasses to shake.
"I-it's not like that." He muttered with a sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration.
"Whatever. Just don't put your guard down around them." Rebecca told her fellow survivors, waddling back inside the cabin like she was straight out of a teen drama.
"Thanks for the intro, lady! Geez.." Molly called out distastefully, getting a bird back from Rebecca, who was followed by her bigger, somehow softer husband.
"Rebecca's just.. Cautious." Luke spoke with gritted teeth.
"Reasonably enough. Luke, you know we can't afford to trust anyone after what happened." A Spanish man, Carlos, butted in, folding his arms as he crowded around the main group of survivors we had come to know. Lee was beginning to understand the issue, and honestly he couldn't blame the men for thinking like this. Lee and his people had been through a somewhat similar situation with Ben and Travis a long time ago.
"Besides, even if they're not with Carver, they could still be dangerous." A tan man with a ball cap and a slight southern accent added, weighing on the side of caution. Molly was getting sick of this charade and Lee was just about ready to surrender again.
"Weren't you taught any respect, son? God." Pete rolled his eyes.
"I taught myself to be smart before being some noble hero. Looks can be deceiving, Uncle Pete." The young man replied, holding his rifle close to his chest. He kept his finger off the trigger due to events transpiring earlier that morning that warranted everyone to be suspicious of the man holding a weapon of the calibur. Carley and Lee glared at his hand, and he glared back, shaking his head.
"You don't have to remind me. I know you're smart, just.. Leave me to this, alright? Go help someone do something." Pete pleaded, pointing his nephew toward the cabin.
"I'm an adult now. I'll keep watch." The stubborn young adult protested, stepping back a few steps but staying his ground anyways. Pete rolled his eyes.
"Fine. Just relax, Nick."
Suddenly, the door to the cabin opened. Clementine took notice and looked toward it. A girl poked her head out. She was tan, had short black hair and wore red glasses. She looked young. "..Who are they?"
Carlos whipped his head back along with everyone else. "Sarah, what did I say? Stay inside!" She followed his instructions with sadness, the door slowly closing as she left. Carlos sighed, turned back to the group and looked them over. "Come here, you three who just joined. We have to see if you're bitten or hurt in some way, or if you're carrying anything suspicious."
"Uh, sure." Clementine muttered, stepping forward. Carlos checked the three over, confiscating any weapons. Molly glared at Pete as he accepted them. Pete could only frown.
"You will get your weapons back, I assure you. We're just being overly cautious." Pete explained.
"As we should be." Nick cut off.
"Nick! Enough!" Pete scolded, his nephew ignoring him.
"Look, we're sorry to disturb you folks. We just needed a place to rest, then we'd be on our way up north." Lee explained, stepping up above the rest of his group.
"Hey, that's fine." Luke assured. Lee and Molly both liked this guy. He seemed nice, which was quite rare. Same with Pete.
"Or, and this is just a proposition, but you could also stay with us for a while. You'd have to stay in the shed for the day until our house meeting is over, but then you'd be free to stay until your group recuperates from.. Well.. Everything." Pete proposed. Nick didn't like the idea but Carlos wasn't opposed to it.
"We should get going as soon as possible, we can't idle!" Christa urged Lee to side with her, but maybe she was the one who needed a rest most. She already looked like she was ready to weep again.
"A break would be nice. We could all use it." Chuck was obviously always about chilling out, not shortcuts though. Maybe shortcuts to success weren't the true way to success..
"Hm.."
You are playing Lee. Choices:
A: Stay at the cabin.
B: Move on.
Relationships (Lee):
Clementine is extremely happy you're okay. 10/10
Carley isn't focused on you. She appreciates you staying with her, but she's guilty about Omid and worried for Christa. 10/10
Christa is a mess. She's still happy you stayed with her and hopes you'll have sense to move away from these sensitive bastards. 10/10
Molly kinda wants to stay here. She doesn't like a lot of these people, but the group could use a roof, you've been on the route of Wellington without a vehicle for months. 10/10
Chuck shares the same mindset as his best friend. 10/10
Luke likes you, he thinks you're a smart leader, but he'd be lying if he said he wasn't scared of you. 6/10
Pete respects you and your group. He'd like you to stick around. 6/10
Carlos isn't too sure about you. 5/10
Sarah barely knows you. 5/10
Nick doesn't seem to want you around. Could be another Larry situation. 5/10
Rebecca's feelings toward you are petty and angry. She doesn't like you or your group at all. 3/10
Alvin seems sympathetic toward you. 5/10
((Sorry for the uh, long wait. Writer's block nipped me along with serious school work. QOTC: Was the cabin group good or trash to you? I liked them a lot and felt like they deserved waaayyyy better.))