Thanks to gaara king of the sand for the help.
It was late afternoon and the remnants of the day were fading by time they got back.
"Man, that was a hell of a ride, huh?" Danny asked.
Shawn sent him a look of disapproval. "That was beyond fucked up." He tossed the gun back to Danny who caught it with ease.
"What? You ain't gettin' soft on them, are you? Not after what they did to your friend!" Danny said.
"Y-You didn't have to shoot her…" Clementine said gently, clinging to the stuffed animal in her arms. "That was so... awful..."
Danny looked to the teen with a smirk. "Thought you said you could handle it, little lady."
Clementine lowered her head, not responding. She hadn't expected to see someone get murdered like that...
"Guess you're not as tough as you make out to be." Danny chuckled.
"What?" Clementine asked.
"You must be sweeter than I thought..." Danny smirked.
Clementine felt so uncomfortable around Danny. The teen shuddered, looking away as Danny continued to stare at her.
Shawn noticed and frowned. He tapped the girl's shoulder causing her to jump slightly. "Clem, why don't you go let Katjaa and Kenny know we're back?"
"Okay…" Clementine said.
Shawn looked to Danny with a raised brow, "What's up, man? Why you staring at her like that?"
"She's pretty." Danny replied.
Shawn crossed his arms, "She's a kid."
"Ain't nothing wrong with cradle snatching." Danny chuckled. "Age is just a number."
Shawn wrinkled his nose in disgust. "Please tell me you're joking."
Danny didn't reply.
Before Shawn could say another word, Brenda called out from the porch. "You're back! What happened?"
"Handled it momma." Danny responded before walking off.
Brenda sat on the stairs and Shawn went up to talk to her.
"This isn't what Terry would've wanted…" Brenda said with a sigh.
"Terry?" Shawn echoed.
"My husband. Miss him every day."
"Then screw it up for everybody then, why don't you?!" Lilly's sudden yelling drew their attention.
Shawn noticed she and Kenny were arguing... Again.
"Oh calm down, princess. I'll do it myself." Kenny said before storming off.
Shawn let out a sigh. Those two couldn't get along for five minutes.
"Wonder what the problem is…" Brenda mused. "Seems like there's a lotta tension with y'all, huh?"
"They… have different ideas about how we should do certain things." Shawn said honestly. "Don't worry about it too much…"
"I understand. It's just tough times. Everyone's hungry and people get stir crazy when their tummy's empty." Brenda said.
Shawn gave a nod in agreement.
"And Shawn, don't worry your head about them bandits. I'm sorry you've seen more violence than I'da thought in your short time, but y'all are safe here. Don't worry." Brenda said
"Thanks. We really appreciate all your hospitality." Shawn said. "…I'm going to go check in on the others."
"Don't wander too far. Dinner will be ready before you know it." Brenda informed. "And thank your friend Katjaa again for me. She and her boy are in the barn with the cow. That woman is a life saver!"
Shawn gave a nod in response before walking away.
"I'm being serious, Kenny. There's something off about him…" Clementine made sure to kept her voice low, just in case anyone else was listening.
"Stop overreacting, Clem." Kenny said, brushing her off.
"I'm not. He gives me the creeps…" Clementine said.
"No offense, darlin', but why would he be looking at you that way?" Kenny asked.
"Why don't you ask him?" Clementine replied, crossing her arms.
"Why don't you settle down?" Kenny retorted.
"But-"
"Clementine, that's enough. I'm paranoid enough as it is. You're going to make me shoot somebody…" Kenny said.
Clementine sighed. "Just forget it…"
With that, she walked away and went to go talk to Lilly. Kenny furrowed her brows, Clementine had him feeling even more paranoid than before.
"Hey Clem. You okay?" Lilly asked. "What happened at the camp? Did you find any more of those guys that hurt Mark?"
Clementine frowned, lowering her head and clutching to the toy she was holding.
"What's wrong?" Lilly asked, noticing the girl's reaction.
"I… It just feels… weird here…" Clementine replied. "Like something's not right."
"What do you mean?" Lilly asked.
"I don't know…" Clementine said truthfully. "Danny was acting really strange at the bandit camp. Like he didn't want Shawn to look around… Then he killed some woman there when she was trying to say something…"
Lilly gasped. "Holy shit… Was she one of those bandits?"
"I don't know…" Clementine said. "He… He just s-shot her, and…"
"Hey, it's okay… I understand…" Lilly cut the girl off.
"I just… don't feel comfortable here." Clementine said. "Especially not around Danny… He gives me the creeps."
"Has he… done anything to you?" Lilly asked with genuine concern.
"No… He's just been staring at me a lot… It's really uncomfortable…" Clementine said.
"I wouldn't worry about that too much. A lot of guys are just pigs…" Lilly said. "Look, we won't be here long."
Clementine gave an unsure nod in response.
"What are you two talking about?" Shawn asked, coming over with a curious look on his face.
"Look... This place may look safe... but who's to say it really is..." Lilly said. "Clementine told me what happened at the camp..."
"Clem..." Shawn said with a frown.
Clementine looked away.
"I don't like this. I say we should go back to the Motor Inn where we at least know what to expect." Lilly said.
Shawn sighed before asking, "What were you and Kenny arguing about when we came back?"
Lilly furrowed her brows, shaking her head. "He's losing it... He comes over and starts talking about searching the barn and that these people are hiding something-"
Larry cut her off, "But you told him to mind his own damn business, right? We are guest here; we don't need to be overstaying our welcome more than we already are."
"So you guys don't think it's weird that they specifically came to us for gas?" Clementine piped up.
"Why would that be weird?" Larry questioned the young girl.
"Think about it. Why come to us now? How would they know we were there, unless they were spying on us...?" Clementine asked.
"Clem, you're starting to sound just as bad as Kenny." Lilly groaned.
"I have a point, and you all know it." Clementine said.
"Okay... Maybe you do..." Lilly said. "The way I see it, we just need to skip the dinner and get our food to go, but Kenny over there seems to have another agenda..."
"Come on now, we don't want to be rude." Larry said.
"We can't be rude if we're dead..." Clementine replied.
"Clem, hush... How about you go see how the cow's doing? Maybe Katjaa could use a hand with something."
"Okay..." Clementine said.
Shawn waited until the girl had walked away before speaking. "She's shaken up over what happened, and uh… Danny didn't really help the situation."
"So… what she said is true?" Lilly huffed. "The guy's a pervert. Damn pedophile."
"Look, he hasn't actually done anything, but… I'm going to keep an eye on him, just in case." Shawn said.
Lilly gave a nod. "Probably for the best…"
"And…If something is wrong here. I'll trying to find out what, but we have to be discreet."
"The longer we stay here, the more trouble we're getting ourselves into." Lilly said firmly.
"What do you want me to do about it?" Shawn asked.
"If you want to go in there and start rooting through people's shit, then fine. But if it's up to me, we should take our food and go." Lilly said. "You and Kenny are just asking for trouble. But if you insist on wandering around, I'd be careful, Shawn."
Shawn gave a nod. "I will."
"Good…" Lilly said.
"Yeah… Anyway, I'm going to check on the others." Shawn said.
"Alright." Lilly said.
Once the conversation ended Shawn made his way over to the barn.
As Shawn entered the barn, he noticed Clementine and Duck petting the cow. He was glad Clementine had calmed down a bit after what happened.
After a quick greeting with the others, Shawn decided to check out the barn. He checked the stalls, which were all pretty much empty. However, the last stall was filled with old clothes. It had a foul smell as well.
Shawn quickly closed it, feeling paranoia hit him. He glanced to the back door, which appeared to be locked up tight.
"You found it too, eh?"
Shawn turned to see Kenny approaching him.
"They're hiding something. Behind this door. I got a quick look. They got boxes of stuff. And something metal and sharp." Kenny's voice was quiet, but urgent.
"Hold on… We don't know that…" Shawn said, although he was starting to think Kenny was right. "Don't get paranoid…"
"It's my JOB to be paranoid. I got my whole family on this farm right now." Kenny said. "And Clem told me about that guy making passes at her. If I have to shoot someone today, I will."
"Kenny, relax…" Shawn said. "Clem's just… anxious…"
"You shouldn't of took her out in the first place." Kenny sounded a bit annoyed. "She didn't even tell me she was going."
"Ken, you're not her dad." Shawn said. "And she's fine…"
"She's not fine. She came back looking traumatized. Telling me that asshole shot someone…" Kenny said.
"Things just got out of control. But she's safe. That's all that matters…" Shawn replied.
"And what if she had gotten hurt?" Kenny asked.
"She didn't… Let's not have this discussion now…" Shawn said. It wasn't the time or the place to be arguing.
"Fine…" Kenny said.
Silence fell for a quick moment before Kenny started to speak again.
"Look, that guy with Katjaa … what's-his-name. He locked it up REAL tight the second we came in. I definitely heard a noise back there, Shawn." Kenny said. "My point is, we gotta know for sure. So go find a hammer, or something and I'll have this thing off in a second. You back me up in case them farmers come running."
Shawn shook his head. As much as he wanted to know what was behind the door, he knew that was a bad idea. "That's a bad call. Think this through. You smash the lock and what if you're wrong? You just blow the chance to get a meal in those kids."
"All right then, professor. What do you have in mind?" Kenny asked
Shawn turned his attention to the lock.
"Well?" Kenny urged.
"Give me a sec." Shawn said as he continued to examine the lock. After a moment he spoke, "Look, see those screws? Instead of breaking the padlock, we can just take off the assembly, have a peek inside, and then replace it all again, like nothing ever happened."
"All right. Sounds like you got a plan. I'll hang around and keep an eye on that guy with the cow." Kenny said.
"Andy." Shawn said.
Kenny looked surprised at that and swore, "Shit. I thought that was Danny. Whatever."
Before Shawn could respond a voice called to them, "Can I help you boys find something?"
Shawn turned quickly to see Andy looking at them.
"Just checking out the barn here. Reminds me of my pop's place." Shawn said.
"I see." Andy simply said. " Okay… Well, don't just roam around without me or Danny. The farm can be a dangerous place … you know, the bandits and all. Sorry about your friend. Hey, uh … do me a favor. Don't fuck around with this door. Just, you know, Mama gets nervous."
"Andrew! I need your help again." Katjaa called out.
"No problem! Right away, doc!" Andy answered
Andy walked back over to the cow.
Kenny and Shawn exchanged a look.
"Now we need a way to distract Andy…" Shawn muttered.
"Right, but we need to get him outside the barn…"
"What's going on?" Clementine's voice drew their attention.
"Uh…" Shawn paused awkwardly. He noticed the teen was still carrying around that stuffed animal.
"I want to help." Clementine said.
"I don't know…" Kenny said, speaking more to Shawn than Clementine. "I don't think it's a smart idea to get a kid involved."
Clementine huffed at that. "What is it, Shawn? What do you want me to do?
"We need to find a way into that door." Shawn whispered motioning toward the door.
"Okay… Why?" Clementine asked.
Kenny rolled his eyes, letting out a groan. "I just said we weren't involving her…"
"We just want to know what's back there." Shawn said, ignoring Kenny. "But we need Andy out of here to do that."
"Maybe… I could do something with the generator…" Clementine suggested.
The two men raised a brow.
"Like what?" Kenny asked.
"Turn it off… Those power the fences, so their important. Andy would have to go fix it." Clementine whispered.
"You know how to work it?" Shawn questioned.
Clementine gave a nod. "Yeah. My dad was an engineer. I can handle it…"
"Alright… Don't get caught." Kenny said.
"I won't." Clementine said.
"I'll watch your back." Shawn offered.
Clementine nodded. "Okay."
Kenny headed back over to his family while Clementine and Shawn made their way outside the barn.
They could see Larry talking to Brenda on the porch, both of them were laughing.
"So what do you need?" Shawn asked Clementine.
"Umm… Hold on…" Clementine said.
Shawn followed the girl over to the generator, keeping an eye out in case someone saw them.
"Well, for starters I need a screwdriver to get this thing open…" Clementine said.
Shawn gave a nod. "I saw a toolbox early, I'm sure there's a screwdriver in there."
"Well, can you get it? I'm not going to turn this thing off yet. I don't want anyone coming over…" Clementine replied.
"Alright." Shawn headed toward the work bench a few feet away and opened up a toolbox. He managed to find a multi-tool inside. "Perfect..."
He returned over to where Clementine was, handing the tool to the girl.
"Thanks." Clementine said.
She took a quick look around, making sure no one was watching.
"I got your back." Shawn assured. "Don't worry."
Shawn moved a bit a way, as not to draw suspicions, but kept an eye out.
"Alright. Thanks…" Clementine wasted no time in powering off the generator.
The light on the electric fence near her turned off.
The teen quickly unscrewed the front of the generator. She used the tool to remove the belt mechanism before closing the generator and quickly screwing it shut. She stood near the fence as Andy came out of the barn.
"Fuckin' Danny. Where did he find this piece of shit?" Andy muttered, kneeling down to check the generator. He opened it up, and groaned. "Fucking thing threw a BELT! Damn it!
Andy continued to swear as he started working on the generator.
Clementine looked to Shawn, who motioned her to come over. He was now standing by the barn. Clementine causally moved from the fence and over to Shawn.
Clementine and Shawn cautiously reentered the barn.
"Did anyone see us?" Clementine asked.
"No, don't worry." Shawn said. "I told you, I would keep an eye out and I did."
Clementine sighed in relief. The teen tried to follow Shawn to the back of the barn, but the man held out a hand to stop her.
Clementine raised a brow, "I want to help. I-"
"You've done enough, Clem. Kenny and I got this." Shawn said.
Clementine frowned, a clear pout on her lips.
Shawn held out his hand for the tool.
Clementine sighed before she passed Shawn the multi-tool.
Shawn made his way to the back door, when suddenly a dinner bell rang out.
"Mom! Dad! Dinner time! It's dinner time!" Duck yelled jumping to his feet.
Katjaa chuckled. "Okay, honey. Let's get Dad."
Duck ran over to Kenny, who had walked up beside Shawn. "Dad! Dad! C'mon, let's EAAATTT!"
"Kenny? Come along, honey. Kenny, c'mon, don't make the kids wait." Katjaa said.
Clementine nearly rolled her eyes. She was starting to hate being addressed as a kid.
"I'll make an excuse for ya. Get that thing off!" Kenny whispered as he turned to leave.
Clementine tried to stay back to help, however Kenny placed a firm hand on the teen's shoulders, steering her forward.
Once they left Shawn turned his attention back to the door. He used to multi-tool to remove four of the screws from door. Shawn slowly opened the door. What he saw inside shocked him.
There was blood EVERYWHERE. On the walls, the floor, the tools. Weapons of all kinds were inside the room…It was a slaughterhouse!
"Boy, didn't you hear the bell?"
Shawn whipped around to see Andy behind him.
"Dinner time." Andy said with a smile.
"What's with all the blood?" Shawn inquired looking horrified by his find.
"Look... We have food here, but Danny and I still gotta do a lot of hunting to keep everyone fed. When we catch something in the woods, we skin it and dress it back there. Mama doesn't like us to make a mess in the house." Andy said.
Shawn wasn't buying that. No way all that blood was from a hunt...
"So you see? Nothing to worry about." Andy continued.
Shawn opted to stay silent.
"Come on... I'm sure you're hungry..." Andy said.
"Staving." Shawn replied, trying to stay cool. Inside he was panicking.
Andy quickly went to lock the door back up before the two headed towards the house.
Inside the house, everyone was excited about having a meal.
"Brenda, you are an angel." Larry chuckled.
"Biscuits! Wow! Oh boy!" Duck exclaimed.
"Excuse the mess. We had to block the back door after a walker got upstairs. Don't worry, that was a while ago and they ain't been back inside since." Andy exclaimed, motioning toward a bookshelf blocking back door.
Shawn gave a nod, noticing that Andy was armed. He frowned, but said nothing.
Andy led him into the dining room where he hesitantly took a seat as everyone else had already done.
"Everybody sit down and I'll go get the meal!" Brenda exclaimed cheerfully. "This is a delight!"
"I could eat a horse." Danny commented.
"Where's Mark?" Clementine suddenly asked, the plush toy still in her lap. She didn't care if she looked like a child carrying that thing around, it made her feel better, if just a tiny bit.
"Now don't you worry about him. I've already brought some food up. You just let him rest." Brenda said, returning with the food.
"Well that's good…" Shawn said.
"The food looks delicious." Clementine complimented.
"Almost as good as you…" Danny said.
The girl shifted slightly in her seat, feeling a bit uncomfortable. She picked up her drink and took a few sips from her cup silently before grimacing.
She placed the cup down and gulped when she noticed Danny send her a smile. She pushed the glass away as she suddenly felt what energy she had leach out of her. The teen was confused, why was she so tired? Her head nodded forward a bit, and Kenny seemed to notice.
"Clem, you alright, hon?" Kenny asked, looking concerned.
"I… I f-fine." The girl slurred. She felt a wave a nausea rush over her.
"You don't look so good." Lilly said. "You sure you're okay.
"I just n-need… I need to use the bathroom." Clementine said.
"Oh, sweetie… Bathroom's right outside in the hall…" Brenda said.
The girl forced herself to her feet, but as soon as she stood a wave of dizziness hit her. Reeling a little she nearly fell back into her chair, the stuffed rabbit falling from her grasp.
Shawn's brows drew together. "Need some help?"
"N-No... I'm okay..." The girl swayed about as she made her way from the room.
She nearly fell for a second time, but was caught in strong arms.
"Careful, honey." Danny's voice whispered in her ear. "You don't want to hurt yourself."
Clementine quickly pulled away, shivers going down her spine. "T-Thanks..."
"Want me to take you to the bathroom?" Danny asked with a smile.
"I-I'm fine..." Clementine said was more. She clumsily made her way out of the dining room.
Clementine quickly made her way to the washroom, with stumbling steps. Upon reaching the bathroom, she lost her stomaching contents. She felt horrible. Flushing the toilet, Clementine made her way to the sink. Turning on the water taps, she cupped her hands, filling them with water before splashing some onto her face, trying to wake herself up.
She had no idea what was going on. She couldn't chalk it up to period troubles. Her period had never made her feel so bad.
…Had she been drugged?
Despite how bad she was feeling; Clementine couldn't help but worry about Mark. Was he okay? She figured it would be fine if she went to check on him.
The teen's curiosity set in and she made her way upstairs,
Her legs were unsteady and she had to practically crawl to the top of the stairs. Once upstairs she caught sight of a closet which she opened, seeing a bunch of used medicine, as well as a power cord on the ground. The teen plugged it up with shaky hands, wondering what it was there for and what it led to.
She was surprised as a light came through a small hole in the wall. Looking around she spotted a closed door. She opened it and found herself in a bedroom.
At first glance the room appeared to be normal, but as she looked to the ground she saw what looked like blood…
The girl looked towards the bookshelf that was against the wall, and gasped when she seeing a light coming from under it. She tried to push it, with the little strength she had, which proved to be difficult, see as she could barely hold walk straight at the moment.
With a bit of struggle, she managed to move the bookshelf to reveal a door. With some hesitation, she opened it…
All of a sudden, terrified with the fear of what she was seeing, Clementine let out a loud scream.
The group sat around the table, looking worried.
Shawn picked up the stuff animal the girl had been carrying around, he decided to hand it back to her once she came back.
Clementine hadn't seemed sick before. Shawn glanced to the girl's drink, could something have been in it?
Shawn quickly shook the thought away, surely he was overthinking it. Clementine was just sick, the girl was good at hiding things, perhaps she had been feeling ill for a while.
Besides, his own drink had been fine... What would be the point of them drugging a teenager?
After several moments of waiting for the teen to return Shawn spoke, "I'm going to go check on her."
"No… Give her some privacy..." Brenda said. "She'll be fine. In fact, I'll go see if she'd like to rest in for one the bedrooms for a bit."
Before anyone could do anything however, a loud scream filled the air.