"Katt! God! Are you okay?!" It was Kenny's concern that captured the beginning of the tension in the whole mess that in a few minutes they struggled to escape. His gaze still on the steering wheel and the road in front of him, but his attention between manoeuvres for the adrenaline rush was towards his doubts regarding the state of his family.
Narrowly making it was a challenge, but it was because the reaction led by Lee and Kenny allowed everyone to get out in one piece.
"I'm fine, I'm fine!" his wife responds effusively, in between trying to calm herself, as if to keep her husband's attention on the steering wheel, where everything required his precision and excellent control. In her lap rests their son, who took the brunt of the situation amidst the blood and parts of the Walker that the ex-con crumbled from a precise head shot when he lunged at them.
"Oh, shit. Oh, shit. Oh shit..." Stammers Ben in panic at all that has happened. His desperate glance goes to Lily, who is standing right next to him, staring at the window with thoughtful semblance. "I'm sorry..." He says with resounding regret.
"It's all right, Ben." Carley tells him in an attempt to reassure him, and perhaps her of another of the exhausted fits over Lily's aggressive habits.
This catches the attention of the then, protagonist of our story, Lee Everett. He looks at her, leaning against the door of the vehicle as gently as possible so as not to fall backwards. She notices him and returns his gaze, smiling softly at him. They both know they have a quiet talk, pending, and that they hoped it would take their minds off this situation.
Clementine is at his side, taking his arm to calm down from the whole situation. He returns her grip on her cold hand with a reassuring smile, which Carley notices and smiles at how good a caretaker Lee is trying so hard to be. Lily, however, doesn't hesitate to elaborate regarding the incident.
"Everything is NOT fine. We have to figure out how this happened. We just lost everything." Attacks the woman with noticeable disgust and suspicion. It was clear that she didn't trust any of them now and it bothers Kenny, as he remembers arguing with Lee how he never doubted her despite their fights.
"Well we're damn lucky we still have the RV!" he mentions flatly, as he seeks to lighten the mood, despite his usual attitude of being against Lily always playing against him and leading him to look like he's going to explode at her again. However, being the driver, hardly anyone pays attention to him so nothing bad comes of it all.
"And that no one died." Carley added for everyone. Clementine walks over to her and sits down next to her, being greeted by the woman with a reassuring hug.
Lee walks over to the conversation, noticing then that everything is so tense and fucked up that he just starts to think about how the group has decreased so much... In numbers, as Carley had mentioned earlier at the Motel, as well as morally, where the friction and differences were huge at this point.
"Kat's head is half open!" Kenny exasperated as a reminder that yes there was an injury, but everyone assumed it was an exaggeration when she herself reminded him that she was fine almost immediately.
"Someone here caused this..." Lily said, solemnly, but firmly. She wouldn't let the subject go so easily.
"Calm down everyone back there! The bandits have known about us for weeks, ever since the dairy, when we found out you were doing business with them!" Kenny reminds her, who being the only one discussing the subject seems to be the one with the voice of reason at the moment.
She denied, reluctant to accept that possibility. Her gaze at the window still held some understanding, but no one knew which one... That made it frightening. "This is different..." She said in resolution. "Someone has been working with them. Whoever it was, they've been giving them our best medicine. Lee intercepted their last package, and when they didn't get it, they attacked."
"Calm down back there! That's crazy!" Kenny expressed, utterly incredulous.
"It would be if Lee hadn't been the one who found the bag of drugs on a grate outside the hotel."
Carley was about to object, but the look on Lee's face made her desist. "That's true." He conceded, which made her resign herself.
"So, CARLEY, is there anything you have to say?"
So it was that Lee, who was serious and analytical of the situation, was surprised by such a call and rearranged himself as he looked at the situation, ready to act quickly when the alluded one was annoyed by his mention.
"Please..." The brunette woman said in an exhausted tone. She didn't want to know about all of this. But her serious look determined that she would defend herself even on her last breath.
"So we'll have to get it out of you?"
Was that an atrocious, visceral joke?! What the hell was Lily implying by that?! Lee stood up straight, drawing everyone's attention by his considerable height and steady gaze in accusation. Even Kenny looked up from the rearview mirror, in expectation of what his partner would do.
"Lily..." Warned the man with no compunction about demonstrating his intention to stop this situation, even if physical violence was available.
"Back off." Carley firmly expelled in the face of the aggressive intentions of her, now in doubt, partner. She felt better with Lee's support, which made her feel more confident in her assertiveness, Clementine being the one who shied away from it all and approached Duck and Katjaa for not being able to turn to Lee. However, she watched it all.
"You are in no position to make demands." Lily explained in a threatening tone. She looked ready to do anything with her arms crossed, which alerted Ben to anything in a panic.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa... You just pointed a finger!" She chided the defendant with obvious hardening in her words.
"It's not something I just came up with, I've had my suspicions." She defended herself.
"Probably not the best time to discuss it, Lily." Kenny reminded them as they stood in the vehicle. "Lee, come on, stop this at once!"
"Carley's been with us from the beginning, Lily. She's trustworthy... She's not a traitor." Lee replies, almost mirroring what Kenny says.
"Thank you..." He snorts as if it's a truism, between appreciation for Lee being the one who takes the word respectfully and supportively, as well as for also being the one who seems to be the most level-headed in the conversation.
"She can fight her own battles... Unless something is going on that involves both of them." Lily mutters with annoyance and suspicion. Carley looks at her with annoyance, as she quickly notices that she is the one she doubts.
"Don't be ridiculous." The brunette replies quickly and defensively.
Ben looks uneasy and nervous, but out of fear of the situation he can't help but intervene.
"Hey, look! Maybe we should, uh, vote or something!"
"Vote? What?" asks Lily at Ben's strange initiative.
"Look, Carley's a trustworthy girl and maybe this is all a mistake!" Defends Ben as he tries to huddle in on himself further and further away from Lily.
"We have to look at the facts!" Confirms Carley confidently. "Let's just calm down, let's eat and we'll figure this out!"
Lee agrees with her. It's not worth doing this, let alone now. Wake up from it all, what would they gain? Everything was a mess and, fortunately, they were alive, what more do you need?
"Let's leave it at that." He remarks, knowing that Lily would kill her with her eyes for saying that. He sighs, knowing what it means, and continues. "People make mistakes and, yes, this is really shitty, but it's not worth it anymore, Lily..."
"So, what can we NOT forgive? Honestly, tell me. Kenny kills my dad; Carley can steal from us? Where's the line?!" Despairs Lily with anger in her voice. Lee can't attack that fact.
"No one was stealing ANYTHING!" Exclaims Ben in despair.
"Was it you two?" Implies the accuser to the two sitting down, something that already makes Lee desperate and makes him reassert himself in his place, ready for anything.
"WHAT?!" Ben asks, dumbfounded.
"I've seen them both together. Was it both of you?" She asks again, menacingly. Lee already takes a step to stop her, interceding between Lily and the others.
"Look, just let me go. I didn't do it, but I don't like this; and I don't like where it's going." Ben pleads desperately.
"Look me in the eye and tell me you had nothing to do with it." Lily orders as she corners the boy with suspicion.
"Lily, let him go." Carley asks tiredly.
"I..." Ben says as this one trails off a bit and the boy shows a complicated expression.
The RV catches something in the road. Kenny doesn't lose control as he feels it affect him, but despairs because he doesn't want to lose the vehicle.
"Shit!" he declares.
"What's going on up ahead?" Lily asks in surprise.
"I hit something. We need to pull over." Declares Kenny as he pulls over to the side of the road.
"Alright. Well, now we can deal with this now, then." Says Lily to Ben with suspicion and even menace.
"Kenny, is it safe?" Asks Lee to make sure.
"It should be." He confirms.
"Everyone out." Lily orders, which causes Lee to stop her as he gets in the way.
"Lily!" This one declares, knowing full well what would come in the process.
"Everyone out!" She exclaims louder, pushing the man out of the way. This one is annoyed, denoted in his expression as he watches everything turn into this.
...
They all get out of the RV, and as that happens, Lee is keeping an eye on Lily after securing the perimeter. She looks under the vehicle to make sure what they went through, with Kenny looking on the other side.
"Kenny, the RV has superficial damage but there is a walker trapped underneath." Reports the woman with unusual calmness.
"Goddamn it." He replies wearily as he crouches down to confirm. "Everyone, keep your eyes peeled."
Lily takes advantage of seeing everyone gathered together and it doesn't take long to catch up with the earlier conversation. Lee is a little further behind the group, mainly because he wants to see that Kenny is safe too; the walker underneath was still alive.
"You know what, we shouldn't just kick you out, we should hear what everyone thinks." She reaffirms, now at last with a chance for everyone to stop the discussion.
"I think you should chill out!" Ben exclaims, desperate.
"I can't accept this. You can screw Ben, but you can't force me into this." Confronts Carley in disgust.
"I'm really sorry you feel that way. Now I'm starting to think maybe you both were."
Lee can't stand it. He's been defending Carley all night and Lily sounds like a broken record. He approaches in disgust, fed up with the conversation... He pays no attention to the RV, where Clementine is watching from the doorway.
"Lily, that's enough! I've been telling you all night that Carley had nothing to do with it, damn it! It could have been someone sneaking into our camp!"
"That's ridiculous. Is that what you think?"
Opinions. Lee, of all of them, has never given his opinion concretely; he's always been the quiet, reserved one who followed orders and rarely gave them.
"You know what?" He exclaims angrily. "No, that's not what I think! I think everyone here is tired! I just used up everything I had to get us out safely, just like everyone else who helped! I haven't asked for anything this whole time, and that's how it goes! I'm sick of it! I want you to shut up, to anyone to shut up, to just let me rest! Carley didn't fucking did it!"
"Okay, fine then. We don't need you in the chat anymore." Dismisses Lily, only listening to what interests her. "Kenny?"
"I don't know! Goddamn it! Just stop it! Will you!" Exclaims this one with his effort put into the walker he was supposed to take out.
"Well then, the vote counts for you and Katjaa." He reaffirms in disgust at no one taking the situation seriously.
"No one needs these votes! What do I have to do to get you to trust me! I'll do anything! I'll do lookouts for months!" Ben exclaims terrified and worried.
"Ha! You absolutely will not!" Confirms Lily with annoyance.
"I'll get more food, more medicine! Anything! I'll just...!"
"You think any of that is good now!" She exclaims angrily.
"Just let me stay! Please! God, please!" he pleads in desperation.
"You're pathetic. Look at you." She notes with disgust.
"Lily, it's broken! Stop!" Lee exclaims stepping forward, now finally in front of her and gaining her attention.
"I noticed... Do we need any more evidence than this?!" She states confidently.
"Fuck your evidence! Stop treating him like this!" Carley angrily defends.
"Shut up, Carley! Ngh! I've heard enough from you and Lee! Kenny, decide!"
"Just give me a minute!" Exhaustedly declares the mustachioed one.
"Ben, you have until Kenny gets the walker out to tell me it was her and not you." She ordered.
"Stop! You're torturing him!" Carley exclaims in desperation.
"I did it!" Lee suddenly exclaims, gaining everyone's attention.
"What?!"
"Yes, it was me... Now, will you leave the boy alone? Lily, this is enough. You're not even listening..."
"I know you're incapable of being a shit, I know it wasn't you. Much less with her by your side." She stresses, noting that Clementine was standing in the doorway to Lee's distress.
"Clem, please. Go back inside." He asks as he goes to the entrance and pulls her away from the scene, enough to turn around and get an angle on everyone but Kenny, who has managed to get the walker out of the vehicle.
"Please, let's just go back to the RV!"
"That's not going to happen!"
"Look at you, damn it! You don't even listen to Lee, who respects you enough! You really think you're a tough bitch! Don't you? That nothing can hurt you, but you're just a scared little girl? Get the fuck over it!" Carley spits with hatred. "Take a fucking page out of Lee's book and try to help someone for once!"
Kenny steps over the corpse, gaining everyone's attention as he is relieved to get the job done. Lee glances sideways at him, just long enough to notice Lily stir from her spot, becoming overwhelmed as he sees her draw her gun.
"Lily! What the fuck?!"
For the first time, perhaps outright, Lee confronted a partner. He didn't reason as he lunged at Lily and wrestled with her the gun pointed at Carley.
"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING, LILY?!" Lee exclaims in his struggles, recognising the difficulty as he sees Lily battle him while still trying to aim.
Everyone freaks out sufficiently, quickly backing away as best they can, with Carley being the one to make Lily react with intentions of shooting her.
And then, a shot rings out. Lee doesn't know where it went, but the shot took both of them by surprise, causing Lily to stop struggling and Lee is able to subdue her against the RV.
"Drop it!" He exclaims in a dark commanding tone he's never let go before. It is then that horror overcomes him as he notices her disfigured face. "What...?"
He breaks off, causing Lily to fall to the side, inert, as the gun slides to the ground. The horror of what happened, as he notices the shot hit her face, is stronger than Lee, who looks down at his hands as images come to his mind of a situation similar to this.
"No... No..." He mutters in utter despair. Memories of the murder that once ruined his life come back to haunt him. Clementine...
His gaze goes to her, who is shown with a sad expression, plus no apparent reaction. Ben falls to his knees beside her, totally overwhelmed by what he has seen.
Kenny is quick to walk over to him and grab him by the shoulders. Lee expects the worst of this, after all he's told him he was a convicted murderer, but it doesn't take him long to get his attention with the important thing.
"We must go! Now!"
Lee is too stunned to pay attention. The blood on his face and body has him too overwhelmed to even notice the tears forming in his eyes. He is utterly broken. The walkers are soon on their way, which is why Kenny and Carley are quick to make a decision.
"In! We have to go!" Kenny exclaims in a commanding voice, readying the vehicle. "Leave the corpse for the walkers!"
Carley can't do much, even though she manages to get Lee inside and set him down on a seat, he's too mentally destroyed to notice anything but his hands. She tries to get his attention, even Clementine's, but he's so overwhelmed he doesn't know what to do or think.
"Lee, this isn't like the senator! It's not your fault!"
He manages to hear that from Carley, who he looks at just as his tears won't stop coming. She hugs him, knowing how much she needs him, which is why he doesn't fight and clings on as much as possible. Clementine watching from the seat as Lee, her protector and guide, falls apart before her.
"Why did she do that?" the little girl asks in confusion. Kenny is quick to spit out the words of hatred he had against her tucked deep inside him.
"Because she's crazy, Clem! After her father died, she lost her mind! I told Lee this would happen! But he's too good for his own good! Damn it, Lee! It's not your fault!"
After that, however, everyone remains silent. Lee's sobs, covered by Carley's shirt, cover the area. Clementine, who was trying to understand what had happened, had gone to hug Lee, hoping he could cope with his grief knowing she was by his side.
Now they had a long road ahead of them.
[ Hi xd. I know it's One-Shot, but I like the idea and maybe I'll follow it. Btw, I've been playing a lot of stuff so expect more new stuff as well as old stuff. I'm catching up on the years I've been away from the platform. Thank you all for the patience and for reading. It means a lot to me this. ]