Chapter 8
"Dad I'm tired can we rest?"
Carlos looked back over his shoulder at his daughter. Sarah was walking alongside Clementine a few steps behind him with Ellie a few paces further behind them. Sarah's shoulders were slumped with exhaustion and she walked with short steps that every so often dragged along the ground. Clementine, who was more used to the rigors of travel and in better shape than his daughter showed similar signs of weariness and fatigue.
It was understandable that they were tired, they'd been walked for most of the day with hardly any rest just like they had done every other day for the past week. Carlos himself was feeling weary from all the walking they had done. The muscles in his legs ached and the souls of his feets had several blisters on them that hurt with every step he took. Despite the discomfort he felt he never complained about it, it wouldn't be good for the group's moral which was very low already. Besides, he was sure that most if not all of the others had similar discomforts of their own.
"Soon sweaty," Carlos told her. It was the same answer he had given her almost every other time she had asked him that question.
Sarah tried to hide her disappointment at his answer, but she had never been very good at concealing how she felt. The sight of his little girl's crestfallen face made Carlos feel terrible. He wished that he could call for a halt right then and there so that she could rest, but they were on the run and couldn't afford the luxury of taking a break whenever one of them was tired. Carver was still out there hunting for them, and they needed to get as far away from him as fast as they possibly could. He didn't want to think about what Carver would do to them if he caught them. If staying ahead of Carver meant some discomfort for his daughter, then it was a small price to pay.
Carlos was about to return his gaze forward when a string of muttered curses drew his attention to the rear of the group which composed of Pete and Nick. The former had his right arm slung across the latter's shoulder and was using a crutch with his left that he had made from a thick tree branch that Nick had found. Sweat was running down Pete's face from exertion, his teeth were clenched and his eyes staring straight ahead with determination.
Pete's injury had thankfully been nothing more serious than a sprained ankle and he would make a full recovery so long as he didn't use his right foot for a while. But with only one good leg, Pete's fastest pace was a hobbling walk, even with a crutch to support himself with and his nephew helping him along when he became too tired.
Since the groups traveling speed was only as fast as its slowest member they weren't covering as much ground as they should have. None was more concerned or annoyed by their slow pace then Pete himself. He relentlessly pushed for them to walk as long as possible every day to make up for him slowing them down.
Carlos turned his face away from the pair and up to the sky. There were still a few hours until sunset, it would be a good idea for them to try and find a place to spend the night soon before it got to dark, preferably a place with wall's and a roof. According to Luke – who had the map – they should be getting close to a ski resort. Hopefully they could find a house or a cabin where they could spend the night, it would raise the groups spirit. They might even find some food. Carlos hoped so, their food supplies were running dangerously low. By his estimate they only had enough left for a meager supper and breakfast.
He returned his focus from the sky to the trail ahead of him and saw that Luke was looking back over his shoulder at him. Carlos guessed from the expression on the younger man's face that he was thinking along the same line. Luke gave a short nod before he too returned his attention back to what was in front of him.
"We should stop for the night," a voice said suddenly from beside him.
Carlos almost jumped in surprise and his head snapped to the left and found Ellie's concerned face looking back at him. Carlos hadn't heard her approach; the girl could be surprisingly stealthy when she wanted to. Like Clem, Ellie was more used to walking long distances and didn't look as tired as Sarah but also like Clem she showed signs of fatigue. A bead of sweat ran down from Ellie's red-brown hair past the stitched red scab on her forehead. The wound had healed well, so well in fact that he had planned to remove the stitches tonight. The news would make Ellie happy. She had complained about the stitches every time she tried to wipe the sweat from her brow and her sleeve caught and pulled on them.
Ellie glanced backwards and said in a voice now barely above a whisper so only he could hear her, "Pete's exhausted. He needs rest. We all do."
Carlos nodded in agreement. "Believe me, I'd like nothing better than to call a halt. But with Carver hunting us we can't afford to stop whenever we feel like it."
"You think Carver can track us all the way out here?" she asked, her scarred eyebrow raised skeptically. "We've been traveling almost none stop for a week. We must have lost him by now."
If it had been anyone else then Carlos would probably agree, but she didn't know Carver like he did. The man was an intelligent and tenacious bastard. He would not give up that easily, worse, he had proven himself to be a good tracker. He had somehow managed to follow them all the way from Howe's to the forest they were hiding in.
"He managed to track us to the cabin," Carlos stated.
"He got lucky."
Carlos wanted to believe that, but he couldn't. He had thought when they found the cabin that it was the perfect place to hide and lose their pursuers. That belief had come dangerously close to costing his daughter, Ellie and Clementine their lives.
"I'm not willing to bet our lives on that. Are you?"
Ellie didn't answer. She turned her face away from him and slowed down her pace so that she fell in beside Clementine and Sarah. Carlos heard the three girls fall into a whispered conversation, no doubt about what he had just said. Hearing them whisper together made a smile tug at the corners of Carlos's lips. Sarah had never had many friends, even before the dead rose up. Her sensitivity made most children dislike her. After the dead rose and they came to Howe's Carlos had hoped she would find new friends there, but she hadn't. Sarah had been ostracized almost instantly by the few other kids that lived there who saw her as weak and childish. She had felt lonely and depressed when they lived there and her mood hadn't improved much after they had left and came to the cabin, it was therefore good to see that Sarah was getting along so well with Ellie and Clementine.
Carlos hadn't liked the idea of them being around one another at first. Like Rebecca, He had been concerned by Ellie's and Clementine's sudden arrival and had suspected that one or both of them could be working as scouts for Carver. Carlos knew that the girls hadn't been a part of Carver's group when he and the others escaped Howe's. Though it was possible that they had joined up soon after the group had left, Carlos had thought it more likely though that the girls had encountered Carver or one of his scouts in the forest and had been offered protection inside Howe's in return for finding them. Carver was a crafty man who wouldn't hesitate to use any and all means to achieve his goals. He wouldn't lose a wink of sleep over sending two kids into the heart of a lurker infested forest to scout for him.
"You really think their working for him?" Carlos remembered Luke asking him when they had all gathered in the kitchen to discuss what they should do with their two guests in the shed.
Carlos had shrugged. "I don't know, but I wouldn't put it past Carver to use children as spies."
"Yeah, that sounds like something he would do," Alvin had agreed with a snort of contempt, then added quietly to himself, "sneaky son of a bitch."
"And how the hell do we find out if they work for him or not?" Nick had asked. "They're not gonna tell us."
"We'll see if we can dig some information out of them when we bring them their food later," Luka had said. "I think the thing we should focus on right now is what we should do with them if they're telling the truth about the bite and both of them survives the night."
"They stay here," Carlos had answered.
"Stay!" Rebecca burst out. "Isn't it enough that we're feeding them, now you want them to stay as well. Carlos, we have barely enough food for ourselves."
"And what do you think we should do with them then?" Pete had asked. "Kill them? Is that what you want?"
"No," Rebecca had replied, taken aback by his word. "No, of course I don't want that." Her hand had unconsciously moved to stroke her stomach. "But we may not have a choice. The safety of this group takes priority over two strangers, even if they are children."
Alvin had taken Rebecca's hand into his own and given it a gentle squeeze. "We could just let them go back into the forest," he suggested. "That way no one needs to get hurt."
Carlos had shaken his head at that suggestion. "If we do that and it turns out they do work for Carver, they'll lead him strait to us. No, they should stay here where we can keep an eye on them."
"Keep them close so they can't reveal our position," Luke had said with a nod of agreement. "It sounds better than the alternatives."
"And if they don't want to stay?" Rebecca questioned. "What then? We force them?"
"We convince them," Carlos had answered.
The discussion had gone back and forth after that about what choice would be the best one for the group. After almost an hour it was finally – though not unanimously – agreed that the girls should stay. Carlos knew that it was a big risk taking the girls in, but his conscience wouldn't allow him to make any other choice. They couldn't let the girls go and the other alternatives were to take them prisoners or to kill them. Since this whole hell started Carlos had kill many people, but he had never had to kill children before. That was a line he hadn't crossed, and he hoped that he never would.
Although he had been the one to suggest it, Carlos had been concerned about having the girls in the house close to Sarah, especially since one of them was armed. At first it looked like everything would be fine – despite Ellie straining his patience – and that nothing untoward would happen. That was until Pete took the girls to the stream and didn't come back. Carlos had thought his worst fear had been realized then and that one or both of the girls had indeed been working for Carver and had managed to lead Pete and Nick into an ambush. Fortunately, he had been proven wrong the very next day when Clementine, Ellie and Nick returned and explained what had happened. Much of the distrust he had felt towards them was dispelled in that moment and later that very day what doubt he had left about the girl's trustworthiness vanished when they chased Carver from the cabin.
The experience at the river as well as Carver's discovery of the cabin although stressful for all of them had had some positive effects on the group's members. Nick and Ellie didn't argue as much with each other's anymore, in fact they seemed to have become friends. Carlos didn't know exactly what had happened to the two after they were separated from the others to cause this. When asked, all they said was that they had been trapped in a shed by a pack of lurkers. Perhaps it was because they had had to rely on each other to survive that night that had done it. Whatever the case it was a good development.
Rebecca had also buried the war hatchet with the girls after they had left the cabin. Her change towards Clementine was understandable, the girl had put a bullet in Carver's shoulder after all. Clementine – as Carlos had quickly learned – was a forgiving child who didn't like to fight if she could avoid it and had accepted Rebecca's apology without any rankle. The two weren't friends but at least they didn't glare at one another or start an argument every time they were within ten feet of each other.
Ellie on the other hand wasn't as forgiving, but she had other problems to concern herself with then starting fights with Rebecca. Traveling was not doing Ellie's injured head any good. Head wounds could be potentially life threatening so Carlos had been very concerned about her for the first few days after she got injured. He had quietly asked the others to keep a close watch on her. Thankfully, his precaution proved to be unnecessary. Although she suffered headaches several times a day, Ellie said that they were getting less and less painful. This was good, it meant she was recovering.
He suddenly heard giggling coming from behind him and he looked over his shoulder at the three girls. Although obviously still tired, Sarah looked a lot happier. Ellie was holding a small purple book with a yellow spine and was quietly reading out loud to the others. The words No Pun Intended Volume Two was written on the cover and spine of the book, although Carlos had seen the book enough times now that he didn't need to read the cover to know what it said. Ellie had pulled out the joke book at least once every day since they left the cabin and read jokes to the others whenever she felt like the group's mood needed to be lightened.
"What do you get from a pampered cow?" Ellie read. The other two looked thoughtful for a few seconds before they both admitted that they had no idea. "Spoiled milk!" Ellie answered and the trio broke out into a new fit of giggles.
Carlos returned his attention forwards with a chuckle and a smile.
After his first conversation with her outside the cabin, Carlos had concluded that Ellie was stubborn, foul mouthed and hot-tempered. In short, a problem child that needed some serious discipline instilled in her. Now he knew better. Whiles all the above was true, Ellie was also be very loyal and caring about the people she saw as friends. She could be very patient too as seen when she was interacting with Sarah.
Carlos thought back to the short conversation he had had with her after Clementine, Sarah and Luke had left the kitchen. The girl sat on her chair; arms crossed with an annoyed expression on her face.
"I owe you an apology," Carlos had told her after he had cleaned her wound. Ellie had looked up at him in surprise. "I thought you would be nothing but trouble and a bad influence on my daughter. I was wrong. If it wasn't for you and Clementine, Sarah might have been a prisoner now...or worse. Thank you, Ellie, for protecting my little girl."
"I wasn't going to let the piece of shit hurt her," Ellie had responded. "Sarah is my friend."
Her words had made Carlos smile. "I'm very glad to hear you think of her as your friend."
Carlos had placed his medical bag on the table and had been about to pulled out the roll of bandages as well as the needle and thread he would need when Ellie spoke again. "There's a green bag on the living room table with all my medical stuff in it. Since you're the doctor you should have it."
It had been Carlos turn to be surprised then and even more surprised when he opened the bag after fetching it. It held more proper medical supplies then Carlos had seen in a long while. He had no idea where she had got it from, and he wasn't going to ask in case he didn't like the answer. Carlos saw the act as a peace offering as well as a sign that she was fully committing herself to this group and its members welfare. He had thanked her for the supplies as well as the trust she was putting in him, at the same time he also swore to himself that he was going to do what he could to keep her and Clementine out of harm's way.
"Ellie will not like it," he thought.
As a parent Carlos knew that sometimes you had to deny things to the child for their own good. Both Ellie and Clementine had had to grow up much faster and shoulder more responsibilities than children their age should in order to survive. This hard upbringing was without a doubt one of the reasons they were amongst the most capable people in the group. But just because a child was capable didn't mean that they should have to shoulder the responsibilities of an adult and put their life on the line if it could be avoided.
"They still have long lives ahead of them. I will not let Ellie's life be snuffed out just because she wants to prove how capable she is."
Carlos was brought out of his thoughts by the unmistakable sound of rushing water. There was a river somewhere ahead of them. He frowned, that could be a problem. With each step he took the sound grew louder until the forest ended in a sheer drop and he saw that they indeed had a serious problem. The drop would be bad enough on its own, but the river below made it much worse since it was both very wide and had a strong current. On the opposite side of the river the pine forest continued on thickly for almost as far as the eye could see. Only the mountains that made up the distant horizon was free from trees.
"Any idea on how we're gonna get across this?" Carlos heard Ellie ask from behind him.
"There's a bridge over there," Luke said and nodded to the groups left upstream. He pulled out a pair of binoculars and held them out to Clementine. "Clem could you climb those rocks and take a better look?"
"Sure." Clem took the binoculars and walked to the small stone outcropping and started to climb up it.
Seeing that no one knew in which direction they should go most of the group took the opportunity to sit down and take a much-needed rest. Rebecca and Alvin sat down next to each other on a pair of rocks whiles Nick helped Pete sit down against a tree. The older man leaned his head back and closed his eyes with a sigh. Nick sat down beside his uncle and did the same. Although his feets hurt, Carlos elected to remain standing and keep a lookout for danger. Sarah sat down cross-legged by his feet with Ellie beside her.
"Clem how's it looking?" Luke asked Clementine. Like Carlos, Luke remained standing. He had unfolded the map and was studying it intently.
"She better see something. We've been walking for a damn week," Carlos head Alvin mutter to Rebecca.
"The bridge is a bit rundown, but I think it's passable," Clem answered.
"That's good."
"There's a house on the other side of the bridge. It is a bit small but I think we could stay the night there," Clementine continued.
"I'll gladly take a cramped house over spending another cold night outside," Nick said, head still leaning against the tree and eyes firmly shut.
"Amen," Pete said.
"Me to," Rebecca agreed. She rubbed her hand against her upper arms. Her husband wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close.
"Do you see anything else?" Carlos asked.
After several seconds of silence Clementine said, "there's a larger building at the top of the mountain with some kind of lift going up to it."
"It must be the ski resort. Could be a good place to stay the night," Luke said. He looked around at the others to weigh their opinions and got nods of agreement.
Carlos stroked the beard thoughtfully, it had grown very long, he would have to shave it soon. The smaller house by the bridge was closer and would suffice for their needs, but it was also squarely in the path of anyone else crossing the river, be they human or lurker. The ski lodge was larger and better located at the top of the mountain where they would have a good overview of the area. They might be able to see Carver coming if he still was on their trail. When Luke gaze finally came to him Carlos nodded.
"I've never been skiing," Clementine said as she lowered the binoculars from her eyes, her tone slightly downcast.
"Bec and I went ones," Alvin said.
"It wasn't pretty," Rebecca chuckled. The couple shared a smile at the memory of better times.
"Alright everyone, get up," Carlos said. He ushered Sarah and Ellie back to their feet. Ellie was rubbing her head with her hands, a habit she had developed since her injury that told Carlos that she was having another headache. "If we going to stay at the ski resort, we'll need to cross that bridge and get up the mountain before it gets dark."
"Hold on now," Luke said. "We can't all go sprinting across that thing all at once. If we get spotted out there, we'll be trapped."
"Finding another way across will take too long," Carlos pointed out.
"I know, but we have no idea if someone is out there. Me and Nick can sneak across and make sure it's safe before we bring the rest of you over."
"You think splitting up the group is a good idea?" Carlos didn't like the idea of dividing the group – even if it was only by two people – since it would weaken their overall strength in case of an attack. Safety in numbers was a saying for a reason.
"It a hell of a lot better than risking everyone at once," Pete cut in before Luke could answer. "If someone is waiting in ambush, I don't want all of us walking into it."
That was true Carlos had to concede, risking two was better than risking all. If they all crossed at once and there were armed hostiles on the other side of the bridge, they'd be caught in the open and be easy targets for even an unskilled gunman. With great reluctance he nodded his agreement to Luke's plan.
"We'll have a tough time covering them from back here," Alvin warned.
"Yeah," Ellie agreed. "I'm a crack shot but I'm no sniper. At this distance I'm as likely to miss or hit one of you guys as I am an enemy. I could come with you an-"
"Ellie," Carlos cut her off. He rubbed the bridge of his nose and mentally sighed, he should have seen this coming. Every time someone went hunting or when the group encountered lurkers, Ellie always tried to join in, and every time Carlos had had to use his authority as the group doctor to hold her back. It was starting to get old, for both of them. "We have been over this before. Until you are fully recovered yo-"
"Stay close to the group," Ellie finished his sentence with a tone of exasperation. She gave him a sour look, muttered something inaudible and sat down cross legged on the ground.
"I know it's frustrating kid," Pete said, gaining her attention. He patted his wounded leg to show he was in the same boat. "But he's the doctor and has the say of it when it comes to matters like this. Besides, Nick and Luke can handle this."
"Yeah, don't you worry about us. We can take care of ourselves," Nick chimed in. With rifle in hand he rose to his feet and walked over to stand beside Luke. "And if it gets hairy out there, we'll just turn back. Right?"
"Right," Luke agreed. "Everything's gonna be fine. We'll signal you guys when we've checked it's safe. Just watch for a light on the far side." Luke nudged Nick's arm. "Let's go."
"Be careful," Carlos said as they turned to leave. Luke didn't say anything in response but raised his left hand to show that he had heard him. Carlos watched their retreating backs for several seconds then he turned to Clementine. "Clem, can I have the binoculars?"
She handed them to him without a word then walked over and sat down next to a brooding Ellie. Seeing that they were not going anywhere, Sarah did the same and started a whispered conversation with them.
Rather than climb up the outcrop Clementine had previously occupied, Carlos stood to the side of it by a tree and some bushes where he would have a good view but still be hard to see by anyone watching from the other side. Knowing that it could take a couple of minutes for Luke and Nick to reach the bridge, he took the opportunity to check out the area.
Carlos's binocular magnified gaze moved along the other side of the river in search of threats – but saw none – until it landed on the building by the bridge. The small white structure looked to be in good condition, not at all as decrepit as Carlos had expected it to be. It was in a lot better state than the bridge it stood by anyway. He needed only to take one glance at the thing to know that it had been in dire need of repair even before the dead rose. It was falling apart, and Carlos doubted it would survive another decade. He searched the bridge for signs of lurkers or anything else that could be a threat to Nick and Luke, but other than an old flatbed rail cart the bridge looked to be empty.
Carlos heard footsteps approaching from behind. He lowered the binoculars and turned his head to see who it was.
"Carlos, do you have a minute?" Alvin asked as he stopped beside him.
"Yes. What's on your mind?" Carlos answered.
Alvin threw a quick glance over his shoulder then whispered, "It's about Becca. I'm worried about her. All this traveling and stress, it's not good for her and the baby. She's exhausted most of the time now…and the little food she gets isn't enough to keep her strength up."
"Our food is running out Alvin. We have to ration it."
"I know that. The thing is…I was thinking, suppose we find food up there, enough to last awhile, then we could stay there. Becca needs time to rest and recover. The baby is due any time now and she'll need her strength when the time comes.
"I don't think that would be wise. Carver is still after us."
"It's been a week man!" Alvin said, his tone frustrated. "What do you think he is? A bloodhound! There is no way in hell he'd be able to follow us all the way here."
"We though he wouldn't find us in the woods either."
Alvin shook his head. "I think your being paranoid. When we reach the mountain, I'm gonna put it to a vote. I'm sure the others will agree with me."
"Yes, they probably will," Carlos thought frustratedly.
First Ellie and now Alvin, was he the only one who took Carver as a serious threat? Carlos wasn't against the idea of finding a place to call their own, on the contrary he wanted that. But the threat Carver represented to them couldn't be dismissed as quickly as the others seemed to be doing. They seemed to think that just because they had walked for a few days that he would just give up and let them be.
Carlos understand now why Carver found dictatorship so appealing, it would be so much easier if everyone did what you told them to. There would be none of this time-consuming bickering about what to do or where to go. He mentally shook his head in disgust. That was the very reason they had left Carver's group and Carlos would be damned before he tried to emulate him. They ran things as a group and if the others voted to stay – as he was sure they would if they found food – then there was nothing he could do about it but go along and hope for the best.
Alvin turned away from Carlos to lookout at the bridge. He narrowed his eyes and raised his right hand to shield them from the sun. "Is that Luke and Nick?"
Carlos placed the binoculars to his eyes. "It's them," he confirmed.
Luke and Nick were moving over the bridge at a cautious pace. It looked like there would be no problem at all, but when they got halfway the two suddenly stopped in their tracks. The next second Carlos understood why when two lurkers shambled out from behind the train carts. Carlos mentally cursed the universe. The only thing on the entire bridge large enough to obscure a threat and of course a bunch of lurkers had to be hiding behind it.
"Are those lurkers?" Alvin asked.
"Yes," Carlos answered. He saw Luke reached back over his shoulder and pulled his machete from its scabbard and Nick raised his rifle. They could handle two lurkers easily enough when they saw them coming so Carlos wasn't worried.
"What's going on?" Ellie's voice asked and Carlos heard several pairs of feets approach from behind.
"Lurkers," Carlos answered. He lowered the binoculars and turned and found that the entire group had joined them, even Pete was hobbled over to find out what was happening. Sarah was looking at him with worried eyes. "But there is only two of them so there is no need to wor-"
The sound of a gunshot cut of his word and echoed out over the landscape. Carlos felt fear rise inside him. Nick wouldn't have fired his rifle unless the situation was dire, laud noises would only attract more lurkers after all. Carlos whipped around and managed to raise the binoculars just as another gunshot rang out. From the corner of his eye he saw Ellie unslung and raise her rifle to peer through its scope. In the few seconds Carlos had looked away the situation on the bridge had become dire.
Nick was locked in battle with one of the lurkers. The dead thing had managed to grab hold of Nick's shoulders and was doing it's damnedest to pull itself close enough to bite him in the face. Nick was holding the thing off with his rifle and try to push the rotting carcass away from him.
"Where's Luke?" Ellie asked, her tone worried. "I can't see him."
"Oh no," Rebecca whispered.
Carlos tore his focus away from Nick struggle to look for Luke, but found him nowhere, he had disappeared. Carlos didn't know whether his friend had fallen off the bridge or was merely knocked to the ground and out of sight. He prayed that it was the latter. The thought that his friend was dead made Carlos go cold inside and he felt his heart tightened in his chest.
Carlos was about to return his attention to Nick when the binoculars were suddenly ripped away from his eyes and out of hands by Pete. The older man took in the situation at a glance, cursed and asked, "Ellie do you have a shot?"
"They're to close, I'll hit Nick!"
"Dammit. Come on Nick," Pete whispered.
As if he had heard his uncle's imploring words Nick suddenly shove or kick the lurker – without the binoculars it was impossible for Carlos to tell – so hard that it lost it's grip on him and stumbled backwards a few steps. Nick didn't waste any time in using the opening he had created to raise his rifle and fire. The back of the lurkers head exploded in a shower of gore and it collapsed like a marionet with its strings cut.
"Atta boy," Pete said, his voice a combination of relief and pride.
Similar sounds echoed from the other members of the group. Carlos sighed, letting it out a breath he hadn't realize he'd been holding. Whatever relief the group felt diminished when Sarah asked the one thing they all had been wondering a few second earlier.
"What about Luke? Is he okay? Where is he?"
She gripped Carlos's right arm with both hands and her worried eyes stared up at him for reassurance. Carlos felt her hands starting to tremble, the telltale sign of an anxiety attack.
"I'm sure he's fine Sarah," he said gently. He laid his left hand upon her right and gave it a gentle squeeze. Her trembling didn't stop but it thankfully didn't get any worse either.
"I can't see Luke anywhere," Ellie whispered to Pete, but not so quietly that Carlos couldn't hear her.
"Me neither," Pete replied just as quietly.
On the bridge Nick went down on his stomach and disappeared from view only to reappear a few seconds later. As he righted himself, he pulled Luke up with him. It appeared Luke had just fallen down, why he hadn't simply gotten up again Carlos didn't know. Perhaps he had been pinned down by the other lurker or he had fallen over the edge and needed help to get up. Whatever the case he was alive and that was what mattered. Carlos felt a surge of relief well up inside at the sight of him and based on the sounds the other members of the group made they felt the same. He felt the trembling in Sarah's hand fade away.
With the threat gone Nick and Luke took about half a minute rest before they continued their crossing. The group, still on edge from the close call stayed glued to the spot and kept a weary watch on their comrades even though the rest of the way was open and empty. When the duo were about three quarters of the way over, they suddenly halted a second time. Before anyone could ask why they had stopped Ellie gave them the answer.
"Guys! Someone is coming over the bridge...and they look armed."
Carlos trained the binoculars that Pete had returned to him at the end of the bridge and sure enough someone had indeed walked out onto the bridge from the opposite side. The newcomer looked to be a man, but it was impossible to tell for sure at this distance. Man or woman, what was certain was that the person was armed with a rifle of some sort.
"Do you think he's one of Carver's men?" Rebecca asked, her tone fearful.
"I doubt it," Carlos answered. "He couldn't have known in advance that we would take this exact route and gotten ahead of us. This must be someone else. Most likely he's a lone survivor or a member of some other group that lives or is moving through the area."
"Do you think he's friendly?" Carlos heard his daughter asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
"He hasn't raised his weapon or shot at anyone yet, that's a good sign," Ellie answered, her eye never leaving the scope and the potential enemy she saw through it.
"Could be that he's guarding this bridge," Pete suggested. "And he'll only let us pass unmolested if we pay him or trade him something."
"Problem is we don't have much to trade." Alvin pointed out. "Our foods almost out and we don't have much ammo either," Alvin said.
"We have medical supplies. Everyone needs that right?" Clementine said.
"Good point."
"Let us wait and see before we jump to conclusions," Carlos advised, forestalling any further suggestion from the group.
The stranger stopped when he was within a stone's throw from Nick and Luke. They seemed to be eyeing each other for almost a minute then the unknown person moved closer then stopped again. This repeated itself two more times until they were within spitting distance of each other. Carlos assumed they were talking to each other, he hoped that was a good sign. After a few minutes the unknown person turned around and headed back the way they had come. To the groups surprise Luke and Nick followed.
"The hell are they doing?!" Ellie said heatedly. "If they go over there they'll be out of our line of sight!"
"He was probably just a representative and they're going to talk to the group leader now," Pete suggested. Although he tried to put on his impassive poker face and voice, he wasn't quite successful in hiding his worry for Luke and Nick safety.
"That's crazy," Rebecca said.
"What should we do?" Clementine asked.
"There's not much we can do but wait… and hope that they know what they're doing," Pete answered.
With their friends now out of sight the group settled in for a tense waiting. Ellie restlessly started to pace back and forth; her eyes locked onto the other side looking for any signs of their friends. After several minutes Luke walk back onto the bridge. The group watched him intently as he stopped almost halfway back where he was clearly visible to them and a flashlight blinked on and off several times.
"That's the all clear signal," Carlos said. He lowered the binoculars.
"So, it's safe," Sarah said, her tone full of relief.
Carlos hesitated before he answered, pondering whether it was safe or if Luke had been threatened into giving the signal? No, Luke would never sell out the group, of that Carlos was certain. Rather than sending the all clear signal he would have warned them off. But if he had been tricked into believing it was safe… it was a risk they would have to take.
"Luke thinks it's safe. We'll have to trust his judgment. Come on."
At his words the group headed off.
At a distance the Bridge had looked to be painted red, up close it became clear that it wasn't. Whatever color it once had had peeled away a long time ago and the exposed metal had turned reddish brown with rust. Ellie – who was in the lead – stopped right before she walked onto the bridge. She slowly placed her foot on the first railroad plank, the wood creaked ominously under the pressure of her weight.
"That doesn't sound safe to walk on," Sarah said from beside her father. She stared down between the half-rotted planks at the raging river below.
Carlos placed his hand on her shoulder, gave it a reassuring squeeze and said, "if we stick to walking on the metal sections it should be safe enough. I'm sure that's what Luke and Nick did."
Following his advice, the group slowly made their way over the bridge. The walk over was slowed even further by several of the overhead beam's that had rusted lose and fallen down on top of the tracks, forcing the group to crawl under or climb over them to pass. This caused a bit of a problem for Pete and Rebecca. The lurkers Nick and Luke had killed also slowed their progress when the sight and smell of them made Sarah freeze up, thankfully it was nothing an arm around her shoulder and a few comforting words couldn't fix.
Nick and Luke were waiting for them at the end of the bridge. The two were talking to the man – and it was blindingly obvious now that it was a man – with the rifle. The weapon was thankfully slung over his shoulder. The man was of Asian descent. He didn't look that much older than Luke, perhaps in his early thirty's. He was dressed in a black and white hoodie and brown pants that was surprisingly very clean. His face was also clean without a smudge of dirt and his black hair, mustache and bearded chin was neatly cut and washed. At their approach the men broke of their conversation and turned to meet them. It was only then that Carlos saw that Luke was holding three green cans of what he hoped was food.
"Are you two alright?" Carlos asked them when they were within earshot. He cast a quick look around but saw no one else. The man looked to be alone. That was a surprise, but a welcome one.
"We had a close call out there but we're fine," Nick answered.
"We saw it," Pete said. He hobbled over to his nephew and gave him a warm smile. "You did good son." His words of praise made Nick's face light up and he stood up a little straighter.
"Everyone, this is Matthew," Luke said, indicating the man.
"Hi," Matthew greeted them with a friendly voice and an even friendlier smile. Other than one or two nods and a murmured hello from Sarah he didn't get any greeting in return. The cold response didn't seem to discourage him at all though, he kept up the friendly smile.
"He and his three friends live up at the ski lodge and has offered to let us stay the night. He also offered us some food." Luke tossed one of the green cans to Alvin who caught it.
"Peaches," Alvin read aloud, then he chuckled. He turned the can over so the group could see the label. Next to it was a young cartoon girl with black hair tied up into to two pig tails and her tongue sticking out of the corner of her smiling mouth as if she was in the process of licking her lips. "She looks just like you Clem."
Clementine raised an eyebrow and gave him a deadpanned look. She clearly did not see the likeness and in fact appeared offended that he thought there was one.
"Yeah your right. It does look like her," Ellie said teasingly. She playfully poked her elbow into Clementine's arm. Clementine transferred her deadpanned gaze from Alvin to Ellie. Not being deterred by this at all Ellie continued, "all you need to do Clem is smile and stick your tongue out and we won't be able to tell the difference."
Clementine – still with the deadpan look on her face – raised her right fist and unfolded the middle finger in Ellie's direction. This earned a grin from Ellie and few chuckles from the group.
Carlos was not one of them, he had more pressing things that concerned him then Ellie teasing Clementine. "That is very generous of you," Carlos said to Matthew. Although he kept his tone friendly, Carlos was very suspicious of this man's generosity. He had meet generous people before and almost all of them had had an ulterior motive and most of those motives were not good.
"You're not the first people passing through here that I've given food to," Matthew said as if he had read Carlos's mind. "We got plenty of food, it's only right that we share it with those less fortunate then ourselves."
Matthew sincerity looked genuine. Carlos hoped he was, and Luke seemed sure he was, but even so he would watch him closely. From the corner of his eye he saw that Alvin, Rebecca and Sarah had move over to sit down on a fallen log next to the house. Alvin had pulled out the can opener and was busy cutting the tops of the cans of peaches. Only Clem and Ellie had stayed behind and was listening to their conversation with rapt attention.
"Is there a lot of people passing by here?" Pete asked.
"I see at least one group a day." Matthew answered. "It's like a winter migration but of people instead of birds and they're heading north instead of south."
"Have you seen a woman named Crista?" Clementine asked hopefully.
"Clementine was separated from her about a week ago. She was planning for them to head north," Carlos explained.
"She might have passed through here. If she did, she didn't stop to talk," Matthew answered. "Sorry," he added when he saw the expression of hope fall from Clementine's face.
Carlos placed a hand on Clem's shoulder and was about to say something to comfort the girl when Alvin Called out, "hey! If you want anything to eat you better come here before it's all gone."
"Go on," Carlos said and gave her a gentle push.
Clementine walked off without a word, her face still downcast. Ellie was about to follow when suddenly her face contorted into a painful grimace and a hiss escaped her clenched teeth. She shut he eyes tight and pressed her palm against her temple.
"Ellie?" Nick said.
"It's nothing," Ellie answered, her tone frustrated and walked off after Clementine.
"Is she alright?" Matthew asked once she was out of earshot.
"She was hit in the head several days ago," Carlos explained. "It's nothing life threatening, but she gets headaches several times a day and it makes her temper flare up."
"Damn," Matthew said. His eyes quickly moved from Carlos to Ellie to Pete's injured leg before returning to Carlos. "If you guys need time to rest and recover your free to stay a couple of days. I know Walter won't mind."
"Thanks, that is very kind of you," Luke said. He gave him an appreciating smile. "We'll have to talk it over with the others before we can give you an answer, but I'm sure they'll agree."
Carlos threw a glance towards the other members of the group. Rebecca and Alvin were sitting next to each other on the log and was in a quiet discussion. It looked like Alvin was trying to urge his wife to eat more. Ellie was sitting next to Sarah and was nibbled on half a peach, her right hand massaging her temple. Clementine was standing apart from the group and was looking in the direction of the bridge. He wondered if she was just staring into space, looking for threats or if she was hopping to see Crista come over the bridge.
"Going back to the topic of people passing through here," Pete said. "Has a man by the name William Carver pass through here? He sometimes goes by the name Bill or George. He has grey hair and a deep scratchy voice. He's traveling with a group of people."
Matthew though for a few seconds then shook his head. "No, no I don't think so. I can't remember anyone matching that description. He could have passed by when I-"
"Carlos! Walkers!" Clementine called out drawing everyone's attention. She pointed back along the bridge towards a large group of lurkers that were shambling in their direction.
"No rest for the weary it seems," Matthew said. "Everyone! Get up and follow me!"
Matthew led them to a trail that went up the mountain. The trek to the top was arduous for all members of the group, especially Rebecca and Pete who found the steep angle of ascent very taxing. They had to stop several times and allow them a few minutes of rest before they could move on. It was a great relief for all of them when they reached the top.
During the assent Matthew had told them about the lodge as well as his friend Walter who lived there with him. The two had apparently gone on vacation to the ski resort many times so it had only been natural for them to seek shelter there when the dead rose. The two had brought plenty to eat with them and the place was well stocked with food, so they had not gone hungry. The lodge also had electricity thanks to a still functioning wind tower, so all in all they had lived very well these past two years.
As they approached the lodge Carlos took in the state of the building. The walls were undamaged and all the windows he could see was still whole. Matthew and Walter had done a good job maintaining the place. It was rare to find a building this long after the outbreak that wasn't either damaged or completely destroyed, although in this case the remote location might be the reason it hadn't been ransacked. As they passed the balcony on their way to the side of the lodge, Carlos noted that the doors and windows where nailed up with sheets of plywood.
"Fortification in case the dead comes," Carlos thought. "Even up here it's not safe from lurkers."
"It's dark inside. I thought you said there were people living here with you," Ellie said, a suspicious edge to her tone.
"There are," Matthew said, "but we keep most of the light off during the night to avoid drawing unwanted attention. This way." He led them around the building to another set of doors. Unlike the balcony these doors and windows were not nailed up. He opened the door and called out, "I'm back."
Carlos stepped through the glass doors after Matthew and found himself at the bottom of a short staircase. Matthew flipped the light switch on the wall by the door and the lodge was instantly illuminated. With the lights on Carlos could take in the interior of the place. The lodge turned out to be pretty much just one big room with a balcony and a walkway along the wall being it's second floor. Strings of lightbulbs were draped around the six pillars that held up the roof and banners in the colors of different nations hanged across the roof beams. The soft sound of music made by a string instrument could be heard. This along with the crackling sound of a fire burning in the hearth gave the place a warm and welcoming atmosphere.
"Matthew, just in time," friendly male voice answered. Three seconds later a balding man with dark grey hair, long sideburns and a friendly face appeared at the top of the steps. He was dressed in blue jeans and a brown and red woolen jumper. "I see you brought guests." Rather than look surprised or concerned by the armed group accompanying Matthew, the man only gave them a friendly smile. "Your timing is perfect; I was about to start making dinner."
Carlos heard the sound of running footsteps and next second two more people appeared at the top of the stairs, a man and a woman. The woman looked to be in her mid-thirty's. She had light brown skin and brown hair that reached down to her jaw. There was a small piercing in her left nostril that gleamed weakly when it was struck by the light. She was dressed in blue jeans and a light green hoodie jacket.
The man had the look of someone that had been aged by stress and hardship which made it hard for Carlos to guess how old he really was. His hair still had a few streaks of black in it but otherwise had turned salty gray, it was the same with his beard and mustache. He was dressed in light blue jeans, a white shirt and a green jacket. But the most eye-catching thing with the man was the rifle he held in his hands.
"Matthew who are all these people?" The bearded man asked. He hadn't raised his rifle at them, but his posture and his hard tone of voice suggested that that could change quickly if he didn't like the answer he was given.
"Just a group of weary travelers passing through," Matthew answered. "It was getting dark, so I offered them to stay the night here."
The bearded man scowled, tightened his grip on the rifle and glowered down at them. "This isn't a goddamn hotel Matthew! You don't know these people! they could be bandits and murderer! The hell were you thinking?" the man shouted.
"Excuse me, but do I look like a fucking murderer to you?" Rebecca said, pointing to her pregnant stomach.
"Everyone, please, calm down," Walter said. He turned to the bearded man. "They are guests here just like you were once."
The man looked like he was about to shout some more and perhaps he would have if the woman hadn't placing a hand on his shoulder. This along with a brief look seemed to calm him down a little, but he still looked angry.
"My name is Walter, I run this place together with Matthew. This here is Sarita and this is-"
"Kenny?!" Clementine's stunned voice interrupted him.
Carlos felt her hand on his hip as she gently pushed her way past him. Carlos managed to get a brief glimpse of her face as she passed him. Her eyes were wide as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing. Carlos's eyes wandered from the little girl to the bearded man, Kenny. Kenny's mouth fell wide open in slack-jawed disbelief and he stared down at Clementine as if seeing a ghost. To Carlos relief he lowered his rifle until he held it one handed, the barrel pointing down at the floor.
"Clem, you know this guy?" Ellie asked.
"Clementine?!" Kenny said, his dumbfounded voice barely above a whisper.
Clementine let out a strangled sound that was something between a sob and a whimper. She ran up the stairs, taking the steps two at a time and launched herself at him. She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his shirt so violently that her hat fell of her head.
"I thought you were dead," she said, her muffled voice choking with emotion.
