No your eyes do not deceive you, I AM STILL ALIVE! The pandemic has so far failed to take me and I pray that all of you and your family's are safe as well. Your probably wondering why it has taken me almost a year to finish a measly six thousand word chapter. Two things. First, the chapter was so long I had to cut it in two or else it wouldn't be out for another couple of month. Second, I played the Last of Us 2. If you liked the game then I'm happy for you. Personally, it bummed me out so much that I couldn't bring myself to even think about it without getting depressed. But enough about me and my excuses, on with the story.


"You sure we can all fit up here?" Nick asked. He waved his hand in the direction of the two folding beds as well as the numerus sleeping bags stacked in the corner that would – ones they were unfolded – take up most of the balcony's limited floor space.

"It might be a little cramped but I'm sure we can all squeeze in," answered Matthew.

"Me and Nick can sleep downstairs. Make more room for the rest of you," Luke suggested. "We used to do that all the time in the cabin where we lived. Pete will probably do the same, his leg being injured and all."

Sarita said something in response but Ellie's brain never registered the words. She was hardly listening to the conversation at all, being too preoccupied with trying to massage the stabbing pain out of her head. Her latest headache had come upon her halfway up the stairs. It wasn't as bad as some of the others she had had, but it was bad enough that she had sat down on the closest of the folding beds the moment she reached the top.

Seeing her discomfort, Sarah had plopped down next to her. She didn't say anything, but offered her hand for Ellie to take, which she did. Not that she needed any hand holding, it was just a headache for fuck's sake. The gesture was appreciated, and it made Sarah feel needed.

Ellie closed her eyes and her world turned almost completely black. She had found early on that having her eyes closed sometimes made the headaches slightly less painful. She guessed that it had something to do with decreasing the information bombarding her brain. She wished she could shut out all the noise as well, but that was impossible.

"Ellie, how bad is it?" Carlos concerned voice broke through her pained thoughts. She opened her eyes and found the doctor standing over her.

"It hurts, but it's not as bad as the one this morning," she answered. That one had been like hammers beating the inside of her skull in comparison to the needles stabbing her now.

"That's good. I need to take a look at your stitches." He sat down on the bed and gently took her head in his hands and gently turned it this way and that, studying her wound all the while. Ellie didn't resist, they had done this so many times now it had become procedure. After what felt like a minute Carlos nodded and let go. "It looks good. I think it's safe to remove them now."

"Yes! About fucking time!"

Over the past week Ellie had grown sick and tired of the motherfucking sutures. Either they itched like hell, got stuck in her sleeve every time she whipped her forehead or hurt whenever she so much as raised an eyebrow.

Carlos unstrapped the medical bag and was about to open it when the woman, Sarita, approached them, the corners of her lips pulled into a warm and friendly smile. "Carlos, right? Mind if I take the girls for a secret mission?"

"What kind of mission?" Ellie asked before Carlos could, suspicion dripping off every word. Ellie had lived through and seen too much shit to not be paranoid about a smiling stranger who wanted to lead her away somewhere.

If Ellie's distrust offended her, Sarita didn't show it. "I was decorating the tree before you arrived." She gestured towards the tree crown that stuck up over the railing by the stairs. "And I could use some help."

Sarah's face lit up with excitement. "Can we dad? Please."

Ellie wasn't surprise by Sarah's reaction; she had been ecstatic about the tree from the moment she laid eyes on it. She had whispered to Ellie when they walk past it that she thought decorating the tree was the best thing about Christmas, after presents of course. A sentiment that Ellie wholeheartedly agreed with. Thanks to Mrs. Hale she had many good memories of Christmas and the ones where they decorated the tree was some of the best.

To his credit Carlos only hesitated for two seconds before he answered, "yes, but Ellie needs to remain here until I've removed her stitches. She can join you once that's done."

"Thank you, dad," Sarah jumped up with glee, hugged her father and hurried after Sarita to the stairs. Matthew, Luke and Nick followed after them, leaving Ellie, Carlos, Alvin and Rebecca up top.

Carlos extracted what he needed from the medical bag and started to carefully cut the threads and pulled them out one by one. The muscles in Ellie's cheek twitched when the first one came out. The sensation she felt was an odd one. The skin around the stitches was still sore so it hurt when a thread was pulled out, but at the same time there was a sense of relief, as if something that had constricted her was finally gone and she was free to move again.

"There," Carlos said ones the last thread was pulled. "It will still be sore for a while so try not to rub it."

"Okay. Thanks doc."

Carlos nodded, packed up his bag and walked down the stairs, no doubt to check on Pete and keep an eye on Sarah. Rather than follow him Ellie remained seated. Her headache had subsided a lot over the past few minutes and she wanted to give it a chance to disappear entirely before she joined Clem and the others. From down below Sarita's voice drifted up. From the sound of it, she was singing a Christmas carol.

"Honey, I don't feel so good," Rebecca said suddenly. She was seated on the other folding bed and was swaying lightly back and forth as if dizzy, her index and middle finger massaging her temple.

Alvin was down on one knee at his wife's side in an instance. "Bec, what's wrong?" His tone was calm, but his face showed his concern.

"Just a little dizzy. Could you get me something to drink?"

"You got it. I'll be right back." And with that said he marched for the stairs.

As soon as he was out of sight Rebecca's back and shoulders slumped as if deflated. She looked absolutely exhausted, like she hadn't slept in days. Ellie and Rebecca weren't on good terms even after she had apologized, but even so Ellie couldn't help worrying in that moment for her wellbeing. If something bad were to happen to Rebecca, then it would affect the baby as well. She…he… whichever it turned out to be didn't deserve that.

"Look at me," Rebecca said, sounding as exhausted as she looked. "I can't even take care of myself. How am I supposed to raise a child?" Her tired gaze moved away from the floor to Ellie. "How can anyone now when everything is so fucked up."

Ellie didn't know if her question was a rhetorical one or if Rebecca genuinely wanted an answer from her. After a few seconds of contemplation, Ellie decided to try to answer. "It'll be difficult, but I don't think it's impossible,"

"And how wh-" Rebecca started to say but halted mid-sentence. "Boston?!"

"Yeah. I hate Spears and his methods, but even I won't deny that the guy managed to bring order to the chaos that Boston was before. Sure, food's always scarce within the QZ and your freedom of movement and speech are heavily restricted, but the place has high walls, trained doctors and nurses, clean water, electricity and everything else you'd need to raise a family in relative safety." Ellie massaged the side of her head when a spike of pain throbbed through it, it seemed the headache was trying to make a comeback. "Why won't you just fuck off!"

"In case you haven't noticed we don't have those kinds of resources and facilities."

Rebecca's tone hadn't been dismissive or disrespectful, but her words sent a fiery spike of anger through Ellie. Before she could stop herself, she snapped, "then why did you go and get yourself pregnant then?"

Rebecca recoiled as if she had been slapped in the face. Ellie felt her anger ebb away as fast as it had come and was replaced by shame. She hadn't meant to lash out like that. Ever since she was hit in the head her temper had been flaring and she had lost control several times and lashed out at the others over minor things.

"Sorry," Ellie apologized. "It's just…you say you don't think you could raise a kid with how fucked up the world is and yet you decided to have one anyway. Why? I don't understand."

"It wasn't exactly planned," Rebecca chuckled humorlessly. "Believe me, I had no intension of becoming a mother."

"Do you…regret it?"

"I'd be lying if I said no. But as much as I may regret it, I'm also glad." Rebecca smiled and gently stroked her belly. "Because no matter what happens, I'll get to meet someone new."

"That's a very nice way of looking at it," Ellie thought.

It made being pregnant sound slightly less scary. Rebecca's words reminded Ellie of the first three sentences in the letter that was stored securely in one of the books in her backpack. The letter from her mother, Anna.

"Ellie, I'm going to share a secret with you, I'm not a big fan of kids and I hate babies. And yet... I'm staring at you and I'm just awestruck. You're not even a day old and holding you is the most incredible thing I've done in my life - a life that is about to get cut a little short."

The thought of those words dampened Ellie's mood. Would this child cut Rebecca's life short like Ellie had done to her own mother? She hoped not, growing up an orphan was not something she would wish on any child. She'd just have to cross her fingers and hope that never happened. The dangers of childbirths were thankfully not something Ellie herself would ever need to worry about though, seeing as she was never going to get herself pregnant.

"I think you're going to be a good mom," Ellie said. That was a lie. She had no idea if Rebecca was going to be a good mother or not, but her heart seemed to be in the right place, and that was what was important, right? "I sure as hell ain't never gonna be a mother that's for sure."

"I said the same thing when I was your age, now look at me." Rebecca let out a short laugh and her lips widened into a knowing smile. "But when you find a boy you really like, and your feelings for one another is true, I promise you that will change."

"Not fucking likely. I'm not interested in boys." Ellie didn't voice this thought though since she had no idea of what Rebecca's view on the matter was. Unlike many other things, bigotry hadn't died with the old world and some people had extraordinarily strong opinions about which gender a girl should be romantically interested in. "Not like that's any of their goddamn business who I chose to like."

Thankfully, before Ellie had to think up a response, Alvin returned with a bottle of water. "You all right baby?"

"I'm fine, you big dope," Rebecca replied with a smile and took the offered bottle.

Seeing this as a chance to escape the conversation, Ellie got to her feet and headed towards the banister that looked out over the Christmas tree. Her head still hurt, but it was so weak now that she could ignore it.

"Hey Ellie!" Alvin called. Ellie halted and half turned, wondering what he wanted. "Thanks for staying with her whiles I was gone. Oh, and can you ask that Walter guy when we're gonna eat?"

"Yeah, sure. No problem."

With a smile on his lips, Alvin returned to fussing over his wife.

Reaching the banister, Ellie looked down and saw that Clementine, Sarah and Sarita had been very busy in the time she had been resting and talking. At this pace they would be finished with the decorations in no time. Ellie felt a twinge of disappointment that she wouldn't be able to do much decorating herself.

"How's it going?" Ellie called down.

"We're almost finished, I think," Clem answered. She carefully hung a red bauble on one of the branches.

"There's a few things left to do, the topper for one." Sarita said. "I think it's in a box up there with you. If you would?"

Ellie blinked in surprise, then grinned, her spirit lifted. Back at the orphanage she had always wanted to put up the topper – most of the kids did – but had never been allowed to. It was always one of the adults that got to do it. Looking around she quickly spotted the box. Inside she found not one but two toppers, an angel with its palms pressed together in prayer and a golden star. Unsure as to which one Sarita wanted, Ellie shouted "Eh…there's two toppers. An angel and a star. Which one do you want?"

"Pick which ever you think is best," Sarita called back.

"We always had an angel on top of our tree," Ellie heard Sarah say.

Ellie eyed the angel for a second then shook her head. "Yeah, no. I'm not impaling an angel's ass on top of the Christmas tree."

Ellie picked up the star and her mouth stretch into a wide smile and a wave of nostalgia welled up inside her. The star looked almost identical to the one they used to have at the orphanage. She walked over and with great care placed the star on top of the tree. Ellie felt a fluttering feeling of excitement in her stomach as she watched the light reflect of its golden surface. It was as if she was a little girl again, watching for the first time in amazement as the Christmas tree was being decorated.

From below with undisguised disappointment Sarah said, "That's nice…I guess."

Her words broke the magic of the moment and Ellie felt a twinge of annoyance at Sarah for killing the mood. Ellie threw a dirty look down at the Hispanic girl, but Sarah was too preoccupied with her own disappointment to notice.

"I think it looks great," Clementine said with a wide smile.

Sarita – who's head was buried amongst the branches – untangled herself and looked up. "Beautiful," she said with a smile. She turned to face Ellie, who was walking down the stairs to joined them. "You know, now that you all are here this place is starting to feel like a real home. Matthew and Walter are amazing people. Honestly, it's dangerous to be this kind. But they can't help themselves."

"Dangerous to be kind. That must be one of the biggest fucking understatements of the decade," Ellie thought as she approached the older woman. "No kidding. If they had been in Boston at the height of the outbreak, they would have been killed within a day." Ellie spoke in a low voice so that Sarah wouldn't hear.

Serita's smile faltered and her eyes became sad and sympathetic. "It was bad enough in the town where I lived. In a city as big as Boston, it must have been terrible."

"It was," Ellie said with a tone of finality.

She didn't want to talk about it, it was bad enough remembering it. The people descending into barbarity, turning on one another in a mad desperation for food and water. The days when you couldn't go outside to scavenge because the herds of stalkers packed the streets shoulder to shoulder as far as the eye could see. The agony of sitting inside in complete silence, praying that the dead would move on and not take notice of them, listening all the while to the sea of moans and growls.

Sarita laid her arm around Ellie's shoulder and pulled her close so that her head almost touched Sarita's shoulder. It felt comforting. "I understand. Kenny doesn't like to talk about the past either, so we won't. It's over now anyway and you're here where it's safe." She looked up at the tree. "You can help us finish the decorating, but there's not much left to do I'm afraid."

Ellie threw a glance at the boxes of decoration, almost all of them were empty. "I think I'll go and see how dinner is coming along. Alvin wanted me to ask Walter when it was ready anyway." She threw a sideways look at Sarah who was talking to Clementine excitedly about a silver bird decoration and where in the tree it should be placed. "Plus, I don't feel like being around Sarah at the moment."

Ellie headed over to the reception counter that the group had converted into a kitchen. Walter was standing behind the counter, stirring a ladle into a pot on a portable stove. Pete had moved from the bench by the table where she had last seen him and was now seated on a chair by the counter. The two men were talking and from the sound of it they were having a good time. As she got closer, she sniffed the air, the smell wasn't bad, but it wasn't mouthwatering either. She wondered what it was that Walter was cooking.

The two men broke off their conversation when they saw her approach. "Hey Ellie," Walter greeted. "You settling in well enough?"

"Yeah." Ellie leaned against the desk by the cash register. "Thanks for letting us stay here."

"No thanks are needed, I'm happy to help." Walter gave her a wide smile.

"How's your head feeling kid?" Pete asked.

Ellie raised an eyebrow, wondering how he knew about her latest headache. "Carlos or Nick probably told him," she concluded. "It's good. The headache's gone now."

"Glad to hear it. Ain't the only thing that's gone I see." Pete gestured towards her forehead. "Finally got them removed huh."

"Yeah." Ellie touched her scar; the skin still felt sore. "For a while I thought he was never gonna take them out. Anyway, what have you two old geezers been up to?"

Walter let out a short laugh. "Watch it kid or you'll be doing the dishes tonight," Pete said, but his tone betrayed his own amusement.

"We were just trading stories like us old timers do," Walter said. "Connecting with people is very important, especially with new people." Walter dipped a small spoon into the pots content and tasted it. He made a sound of approval then added a pinch of salt.

"Speaking of connecting with people, Alvin wanted me to ask about when dinner's ready."

"It's almost done," Walter answered. "Would you do me the honor of tasting the first course, madam?"

Ellie leaned forward to have a look at the pot's content. All she saw was a brown soup with what looked like bean's floating in it and something round in shape that she couldn't identify. "What is it? Bean soup?"

"It's le Walter surprise. An autumnal legume salad with a peach roux."

Ellie gave him a blank stare. "And that translates to?"

"Peaches and beans. It's all we've got." Walter smiled knowingly and gave an apologetic shrug.

"Thanks for the offer, but I think I can wait." Ellie said.

"It tastes better than it looks, I promise," Walter chuckled. He picked up the pot from the stove and walked around the reception desk in the direction of the tables. As he past her he said, "if you have time, you can help me get the tables ready." He nodded in the direction of several stacked bowls next to a bunch of spoons.

"Yeah, sure."

It didn't take Ellie more than two minutes to make the two tables ready. By that point Walter was calling everyone to gather for dinner. Ellie and Nick helped Pete to the closest table where the cabin group congregated. Ellie sat down between Pete and Sarah. Luke took the seat opposite her with Nick sitting on his right and Carlos on his left.

"You okay?" Luke asked her.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she answered. She took a spoonful of food into her mouth and started chewing. Walter wasn't wrong, it tasted better then it looked.

She had just taken another spoon full when she noticed that Clementine was still by the Christmas tree. She seemed to have been doing some last-minute decorating but was now moving towards the tables. Although every one of the cabin group had sat down at their table, there was still enough room for Clem to squeeze in next to Ellie if Sarah shuffled over a bit. Ellie raised her hand to wave her over.

"Right here Clem!" Kenny called out from the other table and patted the seat beside him.

Clementine froze in her tracks and her head moved back and forth between the two tables: conflict written clear on her face. At first Ellie felt a level of certainty that Clem would choose to come sit with her, but with every moment that past that certainty diminished and was replaced with trepidation. After several seconds of indecision, Clem hesitantly walked over and sat down next to Kenny, who smiled happily.

With a sinking feeling in her chest, Ellie lowered her hand back to the table. "Stupid," she thought. What had she expected? That Clementine would just ignore the friend from her old group that she had thought dead for two years and sit with her new one instead. "So, fucking stupid."

Ellie was happy for her friend, she really was, but she also felt a twinge of jealousy. She imagined briefly what it would be like if she found Marlene again and not for the first time wondered what had happened to her. Was she still alive or was she dead? The latter was the most likely outcome. If she was dead, then Ellie hoped that she had been given the final death. Better that then wandering around as a stalker.

Ellie watched the two's interaction with envious eyes. Kenny, his greying beard split by a smile and talking jovially. Clementine, her hesitation quickly washed away by the happiness of being together with her old friend said something back. Kenny let out a laugh and ruffled her head, leaving her cap askew. Their interaction reminded Ellie of a father and daughter or an uncle with his favorite niece.

"They looked so happy together."

Ellie felt her heart tighten painfully in her chest as a foreboding thought struck her. What if Clementine didn't want to leave with them when the group moved on, what if she chose to stay with Kenny. Ellie had grown close to Clementine. Clem was… well… the best friend Ellie had and the thought of leaving without her was disquieting. Maybe Ellie should stay with Clementine, but that meant leaving Pete and the others and that didn't sit right with her either.

Her gloomy thoughts were interrupted by a hand gripping her shoulder. "Cheer up kid," Pete said. "She just wants to spend some time catching up with an old friend."

"I'm not sad," Ellie lied. She shoved a spoon full of beans into her mouth as an excuse to not talk and found that it didn't taste as good as it had a few seconds ago. She could tell that Pete didn't believe her, but he didn't call her out on the lie. Luke too held his silence. Nick on the other hand had no such restraint.

"Well, somethings obviously bothering you. Is your head hurting again?"

Ellie had no intention of answering him at first, but the thought of Clem staying behind was gnawing at her insides and in the end, she couldn't hold the terrible thought contained. "It's just…what if Clementine doesn't want to come with us when we leave? What if she wants to stay with Kenny?"

The three men traded glances. Both Luke and Nick seemed slightly concerned by the thought.

"She wouldn't do that," Sarah cut in before any of the men could speak. "Clementine is our friend. She wouldn't abandoned us. Right dad?"

Before Carlos could respond, Pete said, "that's her decision to make, not ours. We're NOT her parents. I don't want her to leave us anymore than the rest of you do, but if Clem chooses to stay, we'll have to respect that even if we don't like it."

Sarah hung her head and her shoulders deflated. She stared down into her half full bowl with sad eyes that looked on the boarder of tears. Urged by a glance from Carlos, Ellie put her arm around the other girl and pulled her close in an effort to comfort her, but since Ellie felt just as miserable about the whole thing, she couldn't even muster a smile or word of reassurance and therefor wasn't very successful.

Ellie focused her attention on the other table. Kenny was no longer smiling and seemed to be deep in a serious conversation with Clementine. They were both speaking in low voices, so Ellie had no chance of hearing even a single word of what was being said. Whatever it was they were talking about it seemed to be making Clem uncomfortable. Ellie didn't like that, not one bit.

"What are you saying to her?"

"Ellie." Carlos's voice broke through her thoughts. "What has Clementine told you about this Kenny?" He threw a backwards glance at the man.

"Nothing more than what she told us in the shed the day we met," Ellie answered. She didn't like talking about her own past, so she had decided not to press Clem on the matter of her own after what she had already said. That was something she regretted now.

Carlos nodded, disappointed.

"I heard from Walter he lost his family within the first couple of months of the outbreak," Pete said, his voice low enough that the people at the other table wouldn't hear.

"That's awful," Sarah said, horrified.

"His whole family died?" Alvin asked.

"His wife and son," Pete confirmed. "Kid was about Clem's age."

"Damn," Alvin murmured. Both he and Rebecca bore expressions of pity.

Knowing the pain of losing someone you love; a twinge of sympathy broke through the distrust Ellie felt for the man. "Sarita told me he doesn't like talking about his past."

"I don't blame him." Luke said, his face and tone sad. "A thing like that is not something you'd want to be reminded of." He threw a glance at the other table. "Look, let's try to avoid talking about family and stuff when he's close. No reason to open old wounds."

He received nods of agreement from everyone.

The conversation broke off after that and the rest of the group's dinner was spent in contemplative silence. Ellie threw occasional glances at the other table and noted that the conversation had mostly died down there too. As she ate, she felt her head starting to get cloudy and her eyelids heavy with fatigue. When most had finished eating, Walter and Matthew rose from the other table. The former walked around with the pot, offering what little was left as a second helping, whiles the latter took the empty bowls from those who did not take him up on the offer.

Her stomach now full of warm food, Ellie handed her bowl to Matthew. "Thanks for the food," she said with a yawn.

"You look like you need to lay down for a bit," Walter said with a smile.

"That sounds like a great idea," Matthew said. "All the running and heavy lifting I've done today has really taken its toll on me. Some rest would be good."

"Oh no you don't. It's your turn to do the dishes today remember?" Walter said with a chuckle. Matthew let out an exaggerated sigh and mumbled something that sounded like slave labor. This earned a few laughs from the rest of the table. Returning his attention to Ellie, Walter said, "I'd recommend the sofa by the fire. It might not be a five-star bed but it's a close second."

"Thanks. I think I'll do that." Ellie tried and failed to stifle another yawn. Damn she was tired, it would be good to get some sleep. "But before that I need to talk to Clementine."

She rose and headed towards the other table. Behind her she heard the sound of wood scraping against wood as others in the group rose from their seats. As Ellie approached, Sarita stood up and walked away leaving only Kenny and Clementine at the table. Clementine smiled when she saw her approach.

"You must be Ellie," Kenny said with a friendly smile. He reached out his hand to her. Ellie hesitated for only a second before shaking it. The palm of his hand was rough and his grip firm. "Clem told me you saved her life. Ain't to many people left out there that would help a complete stranger the way you did. You have a good heart in you kid. Thank you. You don't know how much it means to me to see her again."

"I can imagine," Ellie thought but said, "Thanks. Eh… do you mind if I borrow Clem for a few minutes?"

Kenny glanced at Clementine before he answered, "Of course not. Go on Clem, we can talk more later."

Maybe it was Ellie's imagination, but she thought Kenny sounded slightly less jovial. Clem seemed to think that something was off to, for as they walked past the Christmas tree, she threw a backwards glance at Kenny.

Ellie turned her head to the other girl and asked, "everything okay?" From the corner of her eye, Ellie saw Kenny briefly watching them before his attention was drawn toward Luke and Nick, who had just sat down opposite him.

"Yeah," Clem answered.

"Must be good see an old familiar face again, huh?" The two stopped by one of the chairs in front of the fireplace.

"It is." Clem smiled.

"Has he change much since last you saw him?"

"Well, he didn't have a beard back then and his hair was black instead of grey."

"Anything else?" Ellie asked. "Like… is his personality the same?"

"Well, he seems a little… different," Clementine answered. Her eyebrows knitted and she crossed her arms. "Why do you ask?"

"I heard what happened to his family. A thing like that changes people… and not for the best." Ellie noted the discomfort and pain in Clem's demeanor. "During dinner it looked like something was bothering you whiles you two were talking. I just want to know if everything's okay."

"He…" Clementine hesitated. "He wants me to leave the group and stay here with him."

It was as Ellie had feared then. The same painful constriction of her heart that she had felt during dinner returned. With growing trepidation, she asked, "What did yo-"

"Listen, Vanilla Ice! I don't know what your deal is, but you're more than welcome to take off in the morning," Kenny's raised voice cut through their conversation. Kenny was leaning over the table, his hands clenched into fists and his mouth twisted into a snarl.

"Well, that'd be just fine by me!" Nick snapped back.

"Please! Don't fight!" Clementine shouted as she rushed towards the table with Ellie in hot pursuit. Before any of the girls could ask what was going on, Walter stepped in to break up the argument.

"Gentlemen, please. There's no need for this. This day promised to end on a joyous note, let's not ruin it by starting a fight."

Nick – his mouth set in a stubborn scowl – neither said nor showed any sign of remorse. Kenny directed one last simmering glare at the younger man before he left the table and stormed towards Ellie and Clementine.

"Come on Duck," he said.

He had barely taken another step when he froze in place. He let out a gasp and his eyes grew wide as dinner plates. His gaze fell to the floor.

"Duck? Who's duck?" Luke asked.

"Is that your nickname Clem?" Ellie asked. When Clem didn't answer, Ellie nudged her with an elbow. It was only then that she noticed the sadness radiated off the younger girl.

Clementine closed her eyes and spoke with a voice that was barely above a whisper, "Duck was his son."

Silence cut through the air like a knife and killed all sound. All members of the cabin group precent stared with wide eyes at Clementine, then at Kenny. Ellie felt her heart tighten in her chest when she saw the pain and regret that weighed down on him. In that moment Kenny looked like the oldest man alive.

Clementine gently took Kenny by the arm. With slow heavy steps he let her gently lead him away to the other side of the lodge, his eyes never leaving the ground. Walter followed them; concern written on his face. Ellie, Nick and Luke watched them until they were out of earshot.

"That guy has some serious problems," Nick said.

"He lost his wife and son," Luke retorted and gave Nick a disapproving look.

"What set him off anyways?" Ellie asked. "What were you guy's arguing about?"

"Wellington." Luke answered.

"Oh, that place." Ellie felt a small twinge of annoyance when the memory of how thoroughly out voted she had been when they had decided on what direction to take after leaving the cabin. "Let me guess, he thought it was a load of bullshit."

Luke shook his head. "No, Nick's the one who thought it was bullshit. Kenny believes in it whole heartedly; he's planning to go there."

Ellie looked to Nick with a raised eyebrow. "What?" The cap wearing man said. "I've been thinking about what you and Alvin said and I've changed my mind. I still want to go there, but this isn't the best time of the year to go looking for the place. I told Kenny so, said to him that if he wanted to go looking for it, he'd have to wait until spring or else he'd freeze to death walking through knee deep snow, that's when he flipped out on me."

"You also told him to fuck off before that," Luke added.

"Did he say anything about taking Clementine with him?" Ellie asked before Nick had a chance to retort.

"No. Has she said something? Is she gonna stay with him?" Luke asked.

Ellie shrugged. "He's asked her, but she never had the chance to tell me what her answer was before this happened."

"Fuck," Nick cursed.

"Hey, she might not have made up her mind yet," Luke suggested.

Ellie looked in the direction her friend had gone. Kenny was now seated on a chair by the wall, still looking miserable. Clementine, Walter and Sarita had gathered around him, no doubt trying to cheer him up.

"I hope so," Ellie said. "I'm not sure he'll be able to keep her safe." She let out a sigh and rubbed her head, god she was so tired. "I'm going to lay down."

"Good night." The two men said in unison and she responded in kind.

Ellie collapsed onto the sofa by the hearth and shut her eyes. She snuggled into a comfortable position; her head almost buried in the pillow. It felt good to be able to lay down on something soft and warm for a change, after a week of sleeping on the cold hard dirt she had almost forgotten the feeling. She closed her eyes and let out a sight of contentment. With all that had happened, Ellie hadn't been sure she would be able to sleep, but now it seemed inevitable.