Thanks to gaara king of the sand for the help.
Hearing the noise outside the others rushed out to see what was going on. When they noticed Molly's body on the girl, Christa felt sick.
"Oh fuck! What happened?" Christa asked.
"Someone shot her…" Vernon said.
"Obviously!" Christa said.
Kenny noticed Clementine's hat on the ground and his stomach dropped as he went to pick it up. "Oh no… Clem! Clementine, where are you?!"
There was no response.
"Shit! That asshole did this! The one who's been following us! He must've taken her!" Kenny said.
Carley frowned at that. "Oh, god."
"We'll get her back, we have to." Christa said.
"Maybe he's not that bad..." Ben said.
Kenny shot him a glare, "Don't get me fucking STARTED on you and good intentions."
They flinched as they heard walkers approaching.
"Oh, shit, here they come. We need to get in the house, now!" Christa said.
The others nodded and they rushed inside.
"We can secure this place! We have to!" Christa exclaimed.
"Carley, what's going on?" Danielle called, from the stairs.
"Not now, Dani. Stay upstairs." Carley replied.
The child frowned at that.
"Christa!" Kenny called. "Get on the windows in the front room. Check the boards."
Christa nodded. "Got it."
"Carley, look for weapons! Gather anything you can find!" Kenny said.
"Will do!" Carley rushed to do so.
"Ben! Help me move anything you can up against the doors and windows!" Kenny said.
Ben nodded.
"Vernon, watch our backs." Kenny called to him as he and Ben went to move furniture.
"I'll do my best…" Vernon huffed.
Everyone went to do their assigned task. Danielle went back upstairs, trembling a bit. She was scared and unsure of what was happening.
As the group manages to block the doors with furniture they around return to the hall.
"Now what?" Vernon asked.
"This place seems sturdy to me. I think we're fine." Christa said.
Suddenly a walker's arm crashes through a nearby window. More walkers break down the door and climb through the windows.
"Get upstairs!" Kenny exclaims. "GO!"
The group starts to rush upstairs, Vernon freezing as he notices a zombified Brie. "B-Brie,"
"Move!" Kenny grabs him and urges him forward.
Carley and Christa rush into the room where Omid and Danielle are. Danielle is clutching to Clementine's walkie talkie that the teen must have left in Omid's room.
"Omid, can you stand?" Christa asked.
"I- I can try, what the hell is going on down there?" Omid asked.
"We got walkers!" Christa said. "Come on."
Christa and Carley went to help him up.
"Dani, stick close to me." Carley said.
Danielle nodded.
They rush to the others who are shooting at the walkers. Kenny is trying to push a desk. "GUYS, help me with this!"
Ben goes over to help Kenny push the desk.
"What do we do now?!" Ben asked.
"Everyone get to the end of the hallway!" Christa orders, her and Carley still helping Omid along.
Kenny pushes the desk into the hallway. "This'll slow 'em down. We get to the end of the hallway...and take a fucking stand."
The group obliges but the walkers continue to approach. Everyone gathers at the end of the hallway with their weapons drawn.
"We can't let ourselves get trapped." Carley said.
Kenny nods in agreement. "Let's get as many as we can. And when we see an opening, we go for it.
The others nodded in response.
"Y'all know where to aim." Kenny said.
"Get ready." Christa said.
Walkers approach the group, and everyone fires at them, eventually running out of ammo.
"I'm out!" Christa said.
"Me too!" Kenny huffed.
"Fuck, where do we go?!" Omid asked.
Kenny looked around. They weren't getting pass the walkers. "There's no goddamn opening!"
Christa looked the attack, "UP!"
Kenny pulls the string that opens the attic door. "GO!"
Everyone runs to the attic; after making sure everyone is there and safe, Kenny quickly shuts the door.
When Clementine stirred awake the girl immediately noticed she was covered in blood. She was laid on some kind of hotel bed and panic hit her as she quickly checked her clothing to make sure it wasn't out of place.
"You're awake." A voice spoke, causing her to jump.
The teen looked to the man. "W-Who are you?"
"Don't worry about that, sweetheart. You're safe now…" The man said.
"Safe?"
"That's right." The man said.
The girl frowned at that. "I was already safe…"
"Not with that group, you weren't… Don't worry… I'll be getting the little one too. Danielle, is it?" The man said.
Clementine frowned, feeling herself shudder a bit. "H-How do you know this?"
"I have my ways… Trust me… I know a lot about you, Clementine." The man replied.
The way he said her name, the fact that he even knew her name made her skin crawl. She had never seen this man in her life.
"We'll be happy… Like a family… I'm sure you miss having a family, sweetheart." He said.
"I- I do…" Clementine said.
"I know you do…" The man said back.
"But my group is my family." Clementine responded.
"They're not a family… They could care less about you." The man stated.
"They do care about me…" Clementine argued.
"Only until it's inconvenient for them to care… They're not coming for you, sweetie. You might as well get comfortable staying with me." The man said.
The girl frowned at that. "…There's blood on me…"
"I know… I had to cover you, so we could get inside easier, the dead are everywhere." The man explained.
Clementine looked confused. "Cover me?"
"In their blood." The man said.
Clementine felt like she would throw up.
"Don't worry, sweetie. I'll get you something to clean up." The man stood. "Stay here. Don't touch anything. And don't try to sneak out. There's nowhere for you to go."
The girl didn't respond, she waited for him to leave then started to search around the room. She noticed a nearby phone book on a table and checked it, realizing she was at the same place her parents would bring her during vacations... The Marsh House.
Her heart clenched as she thought of her family, but she continued searching around until she spotted the man's radio. She quickly grabbed it. "H-Hello? Hello? I don't know if anyone can hear me… B-But I'm okay… I'm at the Marsh House…"
She waited for a response but didn't get one.
"Please, don't leave me here. Kenny? Carley? Anyone?"
Still nothing.
The girl stood up and went to the winter, but it was boarded, and they were way to high up for her to climb down anyway.
There was no way out except the door…
"Hello?"
Clementine's eyes widened as she heard a voice. A child's voice. "Danielle, is that you? I'm at the Marsh House! Tell the others I'm okay and I—"
"What are you doing?"
Fuck…
Clementine jerked away and turned to face him. His eyes burned into her and he bared his teeth charging over to grab the radio.
"I warned you not to touch anything!" The man said. "I didn't want to do this…"
Fear spreads through her and she wonders what he means by those words.
"That could've gone better." Kenny sighed.
"Everyone okay?" Christa asked.
"Clem's still missing." Kenny reminded.
Christa sent him a look. "Shut up."
"Where is Clem?" Danielle asked, looking concerned.
"She… We're gonna find her, Dani." Carley said.
"Find her?" Danielle asked.
"That asshole took her." Kenny said.
"Wh-What?" Danielle stammered.
"We're gonna get her back. We just have to get out of here." Carley said.
"Right, let's get out of here and keep moving." Omid said.
Kenny nodded. "We gotta keep moving, if there's any chance we're gonna save Clem."
The others began looking around the attic, Omid checked a window. "Well, we're not going out through this window. No latches, no roof access, and thirty feet straight down."
"Damn…" Kenny muttered. "Anyone have any ideas?"
Omid looked at a statue bust. "I bet this guy would. He's got a resourceful air about him."
Christa huffed. "Knock it off."
Omid began reading the plaque on the bust, "Dixon Kent the III, industrial—"
"OMID." Christa hissed.
"CHRISTA. I'm just trying to lighten the fucking tone." Omid shot back.
"We need SOLUTIONS, not stupid jokes." Christa retorted then tried to calm herself, "I'm sorry.
Kenny sighed, "So, no ideas, then."
No one responded.
"We need to get the hell out of here. Then we'll get Clementine and then what?" Kenny asked.
"We get the fuck out of cities. I'm done with cities. We go into the countryside and make a go of it.
"Yeah, that seems like a good idea to me.
Kenny glared at him. "Nobody asked you."
"You just did." Ben said.
"Don't get fucking smart with me, Ben." Kenny hissed.
"Chill." Christa said.
"Y-Yeah. Please, chill." Ben said.
Kenny narrowed his eyes. "Where the hell do you get off?"
"I'm just saying we should ALL chill, not just you." Ben said.
"CHILL? "Bandits, hey, CHILL, here's some pills!" Kenny snapped. "What's next asshole?! You gonna throw us to the walker and tell them to chill?"
"This isn't my fault…" Ben said.
"I can't point to one THING that's happened that isn't somehow your fault. Maybe we should've left you in Crawford." Kenny said.
Ben huffed at that. "FUCK YOU, KENNY!"
Danielle gasped and covered her ears.
"Whoa, Ben," Carley said.
Christa stopped her. "No, let him."
"I am so, so, SO sorry about Katjaa and Duck, I AM. And I know I fucked up, but STOP pushing me around and STOP wishing I was dead." Ben snapped.
Kenny tries to speak.
"NO! You know how they died. You've said goodbye, I never got to see my family, my parents, my little sister...do you get that? Your family is gone, but at least you had them to lose. I never made it home. They could be alive or dead or walkers or WORSE and I DON'T KNOW. SO GIVE ME A FUCKING BREAK!" Ben huffed picking up the bust and throwing it at the wall.
Silence filled the area for a bit.
"You ruined that dude's face." Omid commented.
"Shut up, sweetie. Look." Christa motioned to the wall.
Kenny examines the hole in the wall and pulls out another chunk of the wall. "It's corroded to hell."
"What's on the other side of this wall, a thirty-foot drop?" Christa asked.
Omid shook his head. "No, this mansion butts up against the one next door."
"I'll be damned." Kenny said.
"We're not lifers on Alcatraz here; we can't spend the next three months digging through a wall." Christa said.
"If the rest is as dilapidated as this, we might not have to. Let's see..." Kenny picks up a nearby coatrack and smashes the wall with a coat rack. "This wall ain't shit… We can do this. We'll work in shifts. I'll take first shift then come get one of you."
The others nodded in agreement.
"Come on, Dani…" Carley said to the young girl, taking her hand and leading her over to the couch.
Kenny continues breaking the wall with the coat rack.
Ben frowned and looked to Kenny. "I'm sorry."
"I get it. Just… go sit down, kid." Kenny said.
Ben sighs and goes to sit on the floor in the corner.
The others sit on the couch while Danielle sits nearby quietly holding Flopsie, Clementine's radio set beside the young child.
"So when we get this guy...what do you think?" Omid asked the others.
"Make sure he can't come after us again." Carley said.
Vernon shook his head at this.
"You got something to say…" Christa asked, noticing this.
"I'm just wondering if that child is even alive. He kidnapped a little girl, and you think you're gonna get her back unharmed?" Vernon said.
"We'll get her back before he can harm her…" Carley said.
Suddenly the radio beside Danielle goes off. "H-Hello?" The voice breaks up a bit, static coming through. And as the others talk, they don't realize it. Danielle tries to see if the voice will speak again as more static comes through. "…Kenny? Carley? Anyone?"
Danielle realizes that has to be Clementine. "Hello?" The girl calls into the radio.
A moment passes before the girl hears Clementine speak again. "Danielle, is that you? I'm at the Marsh House! Tell the others I'm okay and I—"
The radio suddenly cuts out. Danielle quickly stands and walks toward Carley.
"So… Does the kid lose his shit like that often?" Omid motioned to Ben.
Carley shook her head. "No, that was a first."
"It's good that he did; Kenny couldn't pull that shit on me." Christa said.
"Kenny lost his whole family thanks to what he did." Carley said. "So I don't blame him. We lost a lot of people because of what he did…"
"Really...? What happened?" Omid asked.
"It's not my place to talk about it… Just know, it wasn't good." Carley said.
"Jesus..." Omid said.
"Well, it seems like it got through to Kenny. Whatever that's good for." Christa said.
"Carley, I- I heard Clem!" Danielle grabs their attention.
"What?" Carley asked the child.
"On the radio! She- She said she's at the M something. The Mar… Marsh… something…" Danielle explained.
"The Marsh House?" Vernon asked.
"Yeah," Danielle nodded. "Yeah, that's it!"
Danielle handed the radio to Carley who attempted to talk into it only to get no response.
"That's not far from here." Vernon said.
"Well at least we know where she is now… Now we need to get out of here." Christa said.
Kenny soon approaches the group. "Alright, I'm outta gas." He glanced to Omid. "You look good and rested."
Omid shrugged. "Sure, if you don't count an infected leg."
"You want me to do it?" Christa offered.
Omid shook his head. "Nah, hon, you can hop in after me."
Omid takes over smashing the wall with the coat rack, and Kenny takes his seat on the couch.
"Shouldn't be long now… It's good we're forced to take a breath." Kenny puts his head in his hand.
Christa sends him a concerned look. "How are you?"
"I'm...I don't know how to answer that." Kenny said honestly.
"I'm sorry. You've lost more than anyone. Well, as much as anyone." Christa said.
Kenny looked to Ben and huffed.
Carley follows his gaze. "Maybe take it easy on him from here on out."
"I'm angry as hell." Kenny said.
"Not at him." Carley said.
"Maybe. Maybe not." Kenny said.
"He's a kid, Kenny. He's been through a lot too…"
Kenny sighed. "I never really thought about it that way." Kenny leans down and takes a whiskey bottle out of a cardboard box nearby. "Carley tell you much about what we been through?"
"Bits and pieces…" Christa said.
"Makes sense…" Kenny opens the bottle. "Well, cheers…"
"You're drinking in front of a child?" Vernon scoffed, motioning to Danielle.
"She's seen worse." Kenny said.
Kenny takes a sip and offers the bottle to Carley.
"No thanks…" Carley refuses.
Kenny then offers the bottle to Christa, but the woman refuses as well, not wanting to drink in front of Danielle.
Vernon sighed again. "Carley… I think maybe now's a good time for you and me to have a little talk. In private."
"…Okay…" Carley said. "Dani, stay with Christa, okay?"
"Okay…" Danielle agreed.
Carley and Vernon walked away from the group, out of their earshot.
"About what happened to Brie..."
"That's not what I wanted to talk about." Vernon stopped her. "What happened to Brie, it was awful… but I wanted to talk about your girl… Danielle."
"What about her?"
"You're kidding yourself if you think putting them everyone on a boat is gonna solve anything." Vernon said.
"I know it won't…" Carley said. "As soon as we find Clem, we'll come up with a plan…"
"I hate to say it, but by time you get to her, it might be too late. She'll probably have been raped and murdered." Vernon said.
"That's not true…" Carley argued.
"I'm not trying to upset you, but you need to be realistic. When kids went missing before the outbreak there was a slim chance of the families getting them back. Now with all the fuck up shit in this world…" Vernon sighed. "I don't think Clementine's chances are too high… I know you care about Danielle, which is why I'm going to make you an offer."
"What kind of an offer?" Carley inquired.
Vernon paused, "I'll take Danielle off your hands. Take her back with me, to my people. We're well-supplied, well-hidden, and a lot of us have had kids of our own. And now Crawford's fallen, we got nothing left to fear from them. She'll be safe with us. Safer than she will be if she stays with you, I promise you. That's what you want for her, isn't it? To be safe?"
"I'm gonna pretend you didn't say any of this and give you the chance to walk away." Carley hissed.
"I know you think you're doing what's best for her. But after what happened to Clementine, I can't see that you folks know what you're doing… It would be better this way… You wouldn't have to worry about losing another kid." Vernon said.
"Clementine's not dead. That kid is tougher than you think." Carley retorted.
"Tough or not, I don't think a little teenage girl stands a chance against a grown man. You don't know if this guy is alone. He could have a group. They could've done anything to her by now." Vernon said.
"She's fine!" Carley said. "We're gonna find her and bring her back. So quit trying to convince me that she's dead!"
"I'm sorry if that's hard to hear. But it's the truth. I—"
"Shut up! I don't give a damn what you think, we're not giving up on that girl!" Carley said. "And you're out of your damn mind if you think I'm gonna let you take Danielle!"
Before Vernon could say another word, Omid spoke. "I'm through."
Omid sets down the coat rack and looks through the medium-sized hole in the wall. "No walkers. Things are looking up."
As the others walked through Kenny stopped Carley, "What'd the old man want?"
"He thinks Clem's a goner." Carley replied.
"Like hell she is!" Kenny said.
"And… he offered to take Danielle." Carley added.
"That fucking asshole…" Kenny grumbled.
"Calm down, Kenny…" Carley said.
"He better watch his damn mouth unless he wants me to kick his ass." Kenny said.
"We don't need this right now… We need to focus on finding Clem. That's all." Carley said.
Kenny sighed, "Yeah… Alright."
"Come on, let's catch up with the others." Carley said.
The two go through the wall and drop down into the adjacent mansion where the others are. Danielle, who had been standing with Christa, immediately goes over to Carley and takes her hand.
They noticed the others looking at two corpses holding hands lie in the bed, a gun in one of their hands, and their blood and brains splattered on the pillows.
"Damn, don't look, Dani…" Carley shielded the child's eyes.
"I guess Crawford would've gotten them anyway." Christa muttered.
Omid frowned. "It's sick, but...think of all the pain they avoided."
Kenny shook his head. "It's not right… How- How can people even do a thing like this… You're… You're supposed to stick it out as long as you can. You do whatever you have to. I…I could've done more…"
"You did everything you could, Kenny…" Carley said.
"No, Carley. She left me...my son...the people that cared about us..." Kenny mumbled. "I forgive her, but it don't make it any less wrong. You don't just end it cause it's hard. You stick it out, and you help the folks you care about. So let's figure a way outta here and get that little girl."
"Yeah… We should move." Omid said.
Christa nodded and Kenny went to the bed and took the gun from one of the corpses. He checks it.
"Got at least one shot left." Kenny noted.
The group looks around but finds nothing useful.
Kenny opens the door to a balcony and looks outside. "Looks like we can stay off the streets all the way to River Street if we're careful."
"Let's go." Christa said.
"Actually, I think you two should stay here… And keep an eye on Dani…" Carley said.
"What?" Christa asked.
"Omid leg is still in bad shape, and I can't risk taking Danielle out there." Carley said.
"I'll be fine…" Omid claimed.
"We can't risk it…" Carley said.
"Bu-But I wanna help." Danielle argued.
"Dani, I need you to stay here." Carley said.
Christa sighs, "Are you sure about this? I could go and—"
"No, I need you to stay here and watch her… Please…" Carley said.
Christa finally nodded. "…Okay…"
"We'll get Clem back, and meet back here." Carley said.
"Then we get the hell out of here." Kenny added.
"Sounds good." Omid said.
"I'm not going either… I need to get back to my people… And I'm not going on a rescue mission for a little girl who's probably already dead…" Vernon said.
Most of the group members glared at him.
"We don't need you anyway." Kenny grumbled at him.
"Keep an eye on, Dani, please." Carley said to Christa. "And keep him away from her."
Christa nodded, though she wondered what the two had talked about earlier. "We will.
"Thank you…" Carley knelt to Danielle's level. "You and Flopsie be good, okay? We'll be back soon."
"Okay… Are you gonna bring Clem back?" Danielle asked.
"We will. I promise you…" Carley said.
"I hope so… I hope Clem's okay." Danielle said.
"I'm sure she is." Carley said. "Be good for Christa and Omid."
"Okay." Danielle nodded.
Carley straightened up and looked to Kenny and Ben, "Let's go."
"I didn't want to hurt you, Clementine. I just need you to behave." The man spoke to the teen with a frustrated tone.
"Just… Just let me go." Clementine said, trying to break free from the rope he had used to tie her to the chair.
"I can't do that, sweetie. It's not safe out there…" The man said. "We're a family now… I can't let you put yourself in danger."
"We're not family! I don't even know you!" The girl snapped.
"But I know everything about you…" The man said.
Clementine shook her head. "You don't…"
"Oh, sweetie, I do…" The man claimed. "You're fifteen, you and your group were staying at a motor inn for a while and you were messing around with a young man named Shawn."
Clementine paled at that, her heart clenching at the mention of their old group, at the mention of Shawn. Had this man been stalking them for that long. How did he know all this?
"How do you think Kenny would feel if he found out?" The man asked.
"A-About what?" Clementine questioned back.
"About you and Shawn." The man said.
Hearing this man say his name felt like taking an arrow to the chest. "Don't talk about him!"
"He wouldn't be happy, I'm sure he would be disappointed to hear that Shawn was sleeping with his little angel," The man said.
"Shut up!" Clementine snapped.
"That's why you hid it from him." The man said. "Hid it from everyone."
"SHUT UP!" The girl yelled.
The man suddenly struck her in the face, causing her to whimper a bit. "Watch your tone, Clementine."
"Y-You said you know everything about me…" Clementine mumbled out.
"That's right." The man smirked.
"Well, that's not true…" Clementine said.
"Come again?" The man asked.
"I'm not fifteen." The girl muttered.
"Then how old are you Clementine?" The man asked.
"Sixteen… My birthday was six days ago." Was the girl's reply.
The trio stood on the railing of the balcony, one by one jumping to the adjacent roof.
As they continue to cross rooftop after rooftop, they notice several walkers down below.
"Fuck… this is awful…" Ben mumbled, on the verge of panic.
"Just keep moving." Carley said.
"You got that walkie-talkie?" Kenny asked.
"Yeah, I do." Carley said, showing him the device.
"Good, just in case he tries to move her…" Kenny said.
They reach the end of the roof; a makeshift bridge of planks leads to the next one.
"Careful across here." Kenny muttered.
The group crosses the bridge.
"River Street's just up ahead." Kenny said.
They come across a hole in the roof; they can hear noise below.
"Even the buildings are full..." Ben muttered.
"I don't see any down there." Carley said.
"You can hear them though, right?" Ben asked.
"Let's keep goin', you buncha lollygaggers." Kenny places a hand on Carley's shoulder, making her jump a bit and accidentally drop the radio into the hole.
Kenny's eyes widened. "Oh, fuck. I'm so sorry."
"Shit…" Carley mumbled.
"I am so fucking sorry." Kenny repeated.
"It's fine… We'll… figure something out…"
"Maybe I can reach it." Ben said.
Carley shook her head. "There's no reaching that, Ben."
"Well then, I'll just go in and get it." Ben said.
Before they could say a word, Ben jumped down into the hole.
"Damn it! Ben, what the hell are you doing?" Carley called.
Ben picked up the radio and then called back. "I- I got it, get me up.
Kenny and Carley attempt to reach him, but they are too far away to do so.
"Fuck, we can't reach. Carley, find something, fast!"
Carley nods and began to look for something to help pull the boy up.
"Can you jump? Or… find something to stand on?" Kenny calls to Ben.
"I've tried jumping… And… It- It's too dark in here, I can't see anything…" Ben said.
"Damn it…"
"It's so dark…" Ben muttered to himself but jumped when he heard snarls approaching him. "G-Guys! I hear something!"
"I can't find anything sturdy." Carley rushes back over. "We gotta do something else."
"Fuck it…" Kenny huffed and jumped down into the hole
"Kenny, what are you doing?!" Carley calls to him.
Kenny begins to boost Ben up as walkers start to approach. "Reach, kid! Reach!"
Ben manages to grab the ledge.
Kenny quickly draws his pistol and shoots the approaching walkers as Ben manages to pull himself up.
"Kenny, come on." Carley calls to him.
"Just go!" Kenny replied.
"Are you crazy?!" Carley asked.
"Just get the fuck out of here. Clem needs you," Kenny said.
"She needs you too, Kenny!" Carley said.
"THIS IS NOT A DISCUSSION." Kenny replied.
"What are you gonna do?!" Carley asked.
"JUST FUCKING GO!" Kenny yells to them.
They can hear Kenny yelling as he tries to fight off the walkers.
"Oh fuck… Oh fuck…" Ben muttered.
Walkers continue to swarm him and soon Kenny is nowhere to be seen.
"KENNY?!" Carley yells to him.
There's no response.
"Where...where'd he go?" Ben asked.
"I… I don't know… We… We gotta keep moving…" Carley said with a sigh.
Ben looks down and noticed many of the walkers below are approaching the building, probably drawn by the gunshots. "The gunshots must have drawn them here…"
"Then we can move. The marsh house is around the corner, we can make it inside while they're distracted." Carley said.
Ben gave a sad nod, and the two crossed to the next roof, then proceeded to make their way to the ground.
With most of the walkers distracted, Carley and Ben push forward. Eventually they see the sign for the Marsh House and make their way into the building.
They start searching through the rooms, splitting up to find the girl.
After a while of search, Carley enters a seemingly empty room. However, she quickly spots Clementine tied and gag in a chair.
She starts to approach the young girl but is forced to stop as a strange man points a gun at her.
"Hello" The stranger said. "I wasn't expecting just you to show up."
Carley doesn't respond.
The man gestures with his gun, "Go over there and put your things down."
"You don't have to do this…" Carley said.
"Put your things down, now." The man orders.
Carley puts her gun and the radio on the table.
"Good. Go sit down." The man said.
Carley and the stranger sit in chairs facing opposite each other. The stranger's gun still aimed at her.
"Do you know who I am?" He asked.
"No…"
"You should. I bet you don't even realize what your people TOOK from me?!" The man said.
"I don't know what you're talking about… But you have a lot of nerve to talk about taking from someone..." Carley said.
"I didn't take her from you. I rescued her from you. Don't you get that?" The stranger said. He paused for a moment then asked. "Have you ever hurt somebody you care about?"
"Not on purpose." Carley replied.
"Who?"
"Probably a lot of people… We all do things we don't mean at some point…" Carley said. "What does that have to do with anything?"
"…I hurt her so bad. My son, Adam, went missing. I took him out hunting even though my wife said he was too young. I figured he had to learn. I came back without him and the look on her face said..."You are a MONSTER." We all went out looking for him. We never found him. I hurt her so bad…" The man said. "Then your people took all of our things. Robbed us. I could've earned her trust back… but not after that."
"I'm sorry." Carley said.
"The hungrier we got, the more she blamed me. Until she finally took our daughter, Elizabeth, and left. They didn't get far... I... found them a day later. In the road." The stranger frowned, "Do I look like a monster to you?"
She didn't respond.
He narrowed his eyes. "I'm not like you. You and your people… you're all monsters and thieves and I'm gonna hurt you so bad." The stranger leans down and looks in the bag at his feet. "Hey, honey. I think this is all going to work out."
Carley furrows her brows at that. "What are you—" She stops as she sees Ben open the door. Noticing her predicament, Ben begins to sneak toward the stranger, picking up a glass bottle from the table.
"I'm glad, too. I wish you wouldn't have had to get this bad, but it's all over, hon. Isn't it? I hate seeing you like this. I just miss your smile, honey. I miss you so much, Tess." The stranger said.
Suddenly, Ben hits the stranger in the head with the bottle.
Carley rushes towards her gun as the man quickly recovers from the blow and turns to Ben. He doesn't have time to react before the woman shoots him in the head.
She rushes to Clementine's side. She begins to free the girl from her bindings and remove the gag from her mouth. "Clem, Clem, wake up… It's me…" She frowns seeing the bruises on the young girl's face.
"C-Carley?"
"Yeah…" Carley hugged the girl. "Did he hurt you?"
"…Not much… W-Where's everyone else…?" The girl asked.
Carley sighed. "We'll talk later, Clem… Let's get out of here…"
"I can't…" Ben suddenly speaks.
"Ben, what are you talking about…?" Carley asked.
"When I was out there… I ran into one of those things… I killed it but…" Ben trailed off.
"But what?" Carley urged him to continue.
Ben frowns and lifted his arm to reveal bite.
"No… Fuck no…" Carley muttered.
"I… I didn't mean for it to happen…" Ben frowned. "Please… Don't let me turn… Don't let me become one of them…"
Clementine whimpered a bit and suddenly hugged him. "This is my fault…"
"No Clem. It's not…" Ben said.
"M-Maybe you'll be okay…" Clementine said, and the girl released him from her embrace "Maybe you won't turn…"
"I don't want to chance it… Carley, please." Ben said.
"You can't just… You can't shoot him." Clementine protested.
"Clem… It's okay…" Ben said. "I'm ready."
Clementine turned away, feeling tears fall from her eyes.
"Don't let me turn, Carley…" Ben sent her a pleading gaze.
"…I won't…" Carley frowned. "I'm sorry, Ben…"
Clementine cried harder, turning away until she finally hears the gunshot, followed by Ben's body falling to the ground.
"Let's go, Clem…" Carley said.
Clementine couldn't bring herself to move, she trembled and sobbed.
"Clem,"
"…H-He knew everything. He knew about the motor inn, about the group! He knew about me and Shawn! He knew everything." Clementine cried.
Carley frowned and hugged the girl, "It's gonna be okay, Clem…"
"It's NOT okay…" The girl cried. "He kept saying we were a family, and that he was gonna go back for Dani so we could be together… Wh-Where's Dani?"
"She fine. She's with Christa and Omid." Carley said. "We need to get a move on. We'll get you back to the house, and I'll make sure you're not hurt anywhere."
"I-I'm not…" Clementine said. "I deserve to be hurt… This was all my fault…"
"No, Clem. It's not…" Carley said. "We're gonna get out of here… And you'll be okay…" Carley said. "Can you walk? Are you sure you're not hurt?"
Clementine nodded.
"You're covered in blood, kid…" Carley pointed out.
"It's not mine… H-He said he covered me so we could get inside. The walkers can't tell the difference when you have their blood on you…" Clementine managed to get out through her tears.
That gave Carley an idea.
As the two got outside, Clementine was still shaken up. Carley managed to kill a nearby walker and the woman used a knife that she had taken from the hotel room, to cut the creature opened before they covered themselves in its blood and guts.
As they proceeded to walk through the street, moving through the herd Carley realized that they were in fact going unnoticed by the walkers they passed. Everything was going fine until Clementine suddenly froze, seeing two familiar figures.
"Clem?"
"M-Mom, dad?" The girl stammered out, her heart breaking even move.
Carley wrapped her arms around the girl who was on the verge of tears. The woman ushered the small teen forward. "We have to keep moving, Clem. We have to."
They two manage to walk through the herd and eventually get back to the house where Christa and Omid are at.
When they get inside Christa aims her weapon at them until she realizes it's them.
"Fuck, are you two okay?" Omid asked.
"We're fine…" Carley said.
"You're covered in blood." Christa noticed.
"Where are Kenny and Ben?" Omid asked.
Clementine whimpers a bit at the mention of them.
"Let's… talk later…" Carley said. "Is Danielle okay?"
"She's upstairs, playing with Flopsie." Christa replied.
"And Vernon…?" Carley asked.
"He… took off." Omid said.
"Guess that's for the best." Carley sighed.
"What's with the blood…?" Christa asked again.
"We'll talk later, please." Carley said.
Seeing how shaken up Clementine was Christa nodded. "Okay…"
Danielle soon rushed down into the room, "You're back!"
"Yeah, hon. We are." Carley said.
"I'm glad you're okay." Danielle said, hugging them despite them being covered in walker blood. The child soon broke the hug. "Clem, are you okay?"
Clementine didn't respond.
"She… She just needs some rest, Dani… She'll be okay…" Carley said.
"…Okay…"
"Where are Kenny and Ben?" Danielle asked.
"They're gone, sweetie…" Carley answered sadly.
Omid and Christa frowned at that; Danielle's face dropped as well.
"Oh…" Danielle mumbled.
"Come on, you and Clementine should try to get some rest." Carley said.
"I'll check the house for something clear for Clem and you to wear." Christa offered.
"Thank you." Carley said, before leading the two girls to a room to try to rest.
"So… What the hell happened?" Omid asked Carley.
Clementine and Danielle were both asleep, and Carley and Clementine had changed into some spare clothing that Christa found in the mansion.
"Everything just… went bad… Ben got bit… We got separated from Kenny…" Carley explained.
"But Clem's okay…?" Christa asked. "She… seemed to be in bad shape…"
"Physically, she says she is… But mentally, not at all." Carley said.
"Poor kid…" Omid sighed.
"She'll never get over today… I'm glad we stayed here with Danielle. She didn't need to see any of that." Christa said.
"No she didn't." Carley said. "Look, tomorrow, we get on the boat and we get the hell out of here. No looking back"
"Fuck Savannah…" Omid said.
Carley nodded in agreement. "Fuck Savannah."
"We should try to get some sleep…" Christa said. "It's been a long few days, for everyone."
Carley nodded in agreement. "Yeah… It has…"
The three agreed to try to get some rest, though they knew that would be easier said than done.
When morning came Carley woke the girls up and began to pack up what supplies they had. As Carley continued packing Christa and Omid approached her.
"Carley, we should talk…" Christa said.
"Okay, what is it…?" Carley asked.
"Omid and I had a chat last night…" Christa spoke with some hesitance.
"Okay," Carley said.
"If your plan is to get on the boat… We think it might be best to go our separate ways." Christa said.
"What..." Carley asked.
"We're not coming with you." Christa said.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Carley questioned, hoping she was hearing wrong.
"Omid and I aren't coming you. You have the boat, Kenny got it going, and you got Clementine back, so the way I see it, we're not needed anymore. Omid is healing up fine and we don't feel conformable in the idea staying out at sea for who knows how long..." Christa said.
"It's safer than here." Carley replied.
"Maybe for a while, but how will you get more gas if you run out? How will you get fresh water when supplies run low? You can't really drink sea water without boiling it. And what about food? Any fish you catch will need to be cooked, and—"
"Christa, I think she gets it, babe." Omid cut in.
Christa shakes her head. "All you are doing is avoiding the inevitable. That boat won't help you for very long..."
"Let me guess, Vernon got into your head?" Carley asked.
"Actually, yeah. He did. And for those reasons I gave… we're not sticking around." Christa said. "I don't want to see anything bad happen to those girls… I can't…"
"So that's it then? Why did you stick with us for this long then? Why did you even come to Savannah?" Carley asked.
"It wasn't Christa who decided to come. I wanted to come, but it's not till we saw you had a kid with you that Christa changed her mind..." Omid said.
"And for what it's worth I truly hope you all make it to were ever you plan on going." Christa said.
"We'll go wherever's safe…" Carley said then sighed, "You're really leaving me with two kids."
"We have to focus on ourselves. Clementine's capable. And I know you and her can protect Danielle." Christa said. "We'll say our goodbye to the girls and go our separate ways."
"They're gonna be devastated, you know that…" Carley pointed out.
"That's why we were hesitant to say anything…" Omid said.
"But they deserve to know…" Christa said.
"Know what?" Clementine asked.
"We're leaving, Clem." Christa told her with a sigh.
"Leaving where?" Danielle's voice was heard before Clementine could ask.
"We're just… not sticking around girls… I'm sorry…" Christa said.
"Wh-Where will you go…?" Clementine asked.
"We'll figure that out…" Christa said. "You girls take care of yourselves. I mean that."
Christa hugged both of the girls.
And after a teary goodbye they split ways.
To Clementine it felt like everything was getting worse and worse.
Later into the day Carley, Clementine, and Danielle arrive at the first house the group had been at. They notice a dead walker on the ground but continue on. Carley had to tug Clementine forward as the guilt-ridden girl noticed Molly's corpse.
They decide to check the house for anything useful, all the walkers have cleared out since the last time they had been there. However, Carley quickly notices they're not the only ones in the house as she hears mumbling.
The woman draws her gun, telling the girls to stay back as she goes to see who is there.
She enters the living room and is surprised to see Vernon, sitting on the couch, the bottle of liquor in his hands.
"Vernon?"
Vernon jumped and looked to her.
"What are you doing here…?" Carley asked.
"I made a mistake…" Vernon slurred out.
"What are you talking about?" Carley asked then huffed as he took another drink of the liquor. "I thought you didn't drink."
"I don't…" Vernon said.
"What are you doing here?" Carley asked again.
Vernon is quiet for a while than randomly asked, "Do you believe in Karma?"
"Karma?"
"Yeah… The whole, what goes around comes around…" Vernon said.
"…Yeah… I do…" Carley said.
"Well… I guess it's true…" Vernon said.
"What do you—"
"I got bit, by a damn walker hiding behind a trash can. The thing snuck up on me…" Vernon said. "It's my fault… I should've been more careful…Hell, I shouldn't have tried to steal the damn boat in the first place."
"You tried to steal the boat?" Carley asked, shocked by that.
"I didn't have much of a choice… I wanted to get my people out of here… I felt bad…" Vernon said.
Carley just glared at him.
"You're the only one here? I'm guessing the others are dead?" Vernon asked.
"…Clem and Dani are with me…" Carley said. "Christa and Omid took off, thanks to you."
"Ah, so you saved the girl… Is she broken?" Vernon asked.
"She's fine…" Carley claimed.
"That's good I guess… Better off than I thought she'd be…" Vernon said. "I have… a request to make…"
"What is it?"
"Shoot me… Please…" Vernon asked. "I can't become one of those things… I don't want to hurt anyone…"
"Did your group come with you…?" Carley asked him.
"I told them to go back… Just in case you showed up… The young should be the ones to survive… I'm sure they're not happy that I brought them all this way for nothing. I just hope… they'll be okay…" Vernon said. "Please… It'll be quick. One bullet and it's over… Please."
Carley sighs at this but nods. "…Okay…"
"Thank you…" Vernon said.
Clementine and Danielle stayed put for a while, though Clementine wondered what was taking so long.
"Should we check on her?" Danielle asked.
"I'll check on her…" Clementine said. "Stay here,"
Before the girl could do so, a gunshot rang out.
Eyes wide, Clementine rushed to see what had happened.
Danielle followed the girl.
"CARLEY?! Carley, what—"
Carley lowered her gun, as she turned to them. "Let's go, girls."
"What happened?" Clementine asked.
"Let's just… get the hell out of here." Carley said.
A week had passed since everything… They had been on the boat for a week. However, their days so far were anything but smooth.
Clementine was constantly getting sick and Carley couldn't help but feel worried.
While the woman knew it could just be the teen becoming seasick, the girl's other symptoms had Carley thinking otherwise.
Aside from being hit with random bouts of nausea, Clementine was also experiencing cravings and fatigue. Carley had also realized the teen hadn't said anything about her menstrual cycle for over a month. Back when they were at the motel, the teen would come to her or Lilly for period supplies and pain pills. A month without mention of even a mere cramp also raised alarm bells. Although Carley knew the girl could just have an irregular cycle, especially with the limited amount of food she had been consuming, she wondered if all these symptoms pointed to something else.
She couldn't help but recall what Clementine has said when she found the young girl...
He knew about me and Shawn!
Carley sighed. She couldn't be sure of anything, but she needed to talk to Clementine...
With Danielle fast asleep, Carley decided to ask Clementine some questioned recalling what the girl said about her and Shawn.
"Clem… Were you and Shawn sleeping together?"
"Wh-What?" Clementine choked a bit, eyes wide. "W-Why are you asking me that?"
"I… I don't want you to freak out or anything but…" The woman trailed off for a moment, wondering how the teen would take this...
"But what?" Clementine asked. "What is it?"
"Clem… I think you might be pregnant…" Carley said, causing the teen's heart to drop.