Lee leads the three of us back to the house, I lag a little behind to make sure we're not followed. I don't think I've ever run so fast in my life, I think I almost got hit by one of those arrows. Hopefully, I managed to hit one of those bastards. We reach the front gate of the St. John's house, Andy immediately sees us and runs over with worry in his eyes.
"Lee, what's wrong?!"
"It was a goddamn ambush out there!"
"Not to mention that your fence came on and trapped us out there!"
"Holy shit!" Danny runs up to us. "Are you okay?!"
"Bandits?! Here, on our property?!"
"Oh, my Lord!" Brenda looks down at us from the front porch of the house. "What happened to you, sweetheart?!"
"It was those bastards in the woods, Mama..." Andy answered her.
"Yeah, I'll be alright once it's out, but, goddamn it hurts..."
I look at Mark's wound. "It doesn't look too bad, just try not to move more than you already-"
"Hey, y'all!"
I turn around at the sound of Kenny's voice, seeing him, his family, and practically everyone in our group minus Carley, Ben, and Doug. Great, everyone's here... Everyone shares the same look of worry as the St. John's.
"Mark! Oh, my God, what happened?!"
"He got shot with an arrow," Lee answered Katjaa.
"Christ!" Lilly exclaimed. "Are you gonna be okay?!"
"Yeah, I'm fine. I should just...pull it out..."
"Oh, no, honey, c'mon, Brenda's got you," She reassures Mark. "C'mon inside now. We'll have you all sorted out," Brenda guides Mark to the house, Katjaa follows to help provide her medical expertise. "Well, you must be the veterinarian..."
"What kind of shit is this?!"
Already complaining when our host is already gone?
Lee answers the old man before I can. "We ran into some people on the way up here...bandits, I guess. I think it was them that attacked us."
"One of them sounded familiar, so I wouldn't be surprised," I add.
"They gave us a lot of problems in the beginning," said Andy. "killed a bunch of our farmhands. We were able to get 'em to stop by makin' a deal."
"You knew about these people?" Kenny questioned with a frown.
"Food for protection. Not like we had much of a choice, but they did stop hasslin' us."
"Goddamn it! Carley and Doug said this place was locked down tight!"
I cross my arms as I look over to Andy. "So much for our 'deal'."
"Those shitheads broke the agreement! Look, I'm sorry, fellas. If I had any inklin' they were gonna give you guys trouble, we woulda gone out there with you!" But ya didn't! "Listen, we may have had an agreement with those people, but we will not stand for this shit."
"Ain't no way we're gonna let those sons o' bitches get away with this!"
"You know where these assholes are?" Kenny asked Danny.
He nods. "They're hard to pin down, but I think I know where at least one of their camps are. When you two are ready to go scope out that bandit camp, come find us." Danny says that last part to me and Lee before he walks away with Andy.
"Bandits? Are you serious? This place isn't safe, we can't stay here." For once, I think I kind of agree with Lilly.
"Not safe?! This place is a hell of a lot safer than that Motor Inn! I think all of us and our guns can handle a couple of punks with bows and arrows!" Tell that to Mark, Kenny. "What we need to do is find a way to get our whole group out here to stay. Take this place over if we have to."
"Whoa! Cool your jets there, Rambo," Larry says. "These are nice people. Let's not do anything to get us thrown out before we eat!"
"Elijah and I will head out and help Danny deal with these bandits," I can already see Sandy look disapproving of Lee's plan. "You guys should try to make friends with Andy and Brenda while we're gone."
"Well, that's easy," Larry smirks. "I got charm coming outta my ass."
"Yeah, that's...real charming, Dad."
I fight the urge to vomit. Kill me now...
"Where's Ben, Carley, and Doug?" Lee asked.
"Since those three ate some of the food on the way back to get us, Carley volunteered to stay behind and watch the Motor Inn until we get back."
I nod. "At least it's not left unattended."
"Hey, kids," Andy comes over to us, pointing to the rope swing. "look what Lee and Elijah here got workin' for ya!"
Both Clementine and Duck beam with happiness at the sight. "A swing! I love swings! Just like at my treehouse! Come on, Duck!" Clementine looks at us smiling even more, my beanie looking cute on her. "Thanks, Lee! Thanks, Elijah! You're the best!"
"Yeah!"
"Still finding ways to one-up me, huh?" Sandy whispers in my ear, slightly startling me. "Fiticio." She leaves and runs over to the swing, Kenny follows after his son. Larry and Lilly leave us and head for the gazebo next to the house.
"Guess we better check on the others, huh?" I ask.
"Yeah, may as well."
Lee and I head over to Kenny who's pushing Duck on the swing. Sandy and Clementine stand nearby waiting for their turn to come. We stand next to him and he looks to us. "Hey, y'all find anything interesting?"
"Well, they lost a lot of their farmhands back when all this started," I start. "Guess those bandits have something to do with it, or the Walkers."
Kenny nods. "Anythin' else?"
"I was talking to Andy a bit earlier," Lee answers. "it doesn't sound like they have too many guns around. They rely mostly on the fence to keep them safe."
"So as long as you're on this side, things are alright. Provided the fence holds out."
"That's the issue," I say. "No more gas means no more fence."
"That's true. Well, it's good to know what we're working with here. Keep looking around and let me know if you find anything else."
We nod, but a better question comes to mind. "How are you holding up?"
"I'm alright, son, I just hope they feed us. Soon. On the way over here, I was gettin' dizzy, hands shakin', cold sweats. Thought I was gonna pass out."
"They've got food here," Lee reassured.
"Yeah, but I'm not just talking about one meal, ya know?"
I nod. "Yeah, I do."
"What about your family?" Asked Lee. "Did Duck and Katjaa get here okay?"
"Well, it wasn't easy. Duck didn't look so good on the walk over to this place."
"What about Clem and Sandy? Did they look alright on the way here?"
"I kept an eye on 'em," Kenny reassured me. "They seem alright, just gotta get a meal in those kids."
"If everything works out, maybe they can all have an easier life here."
Kenny nods at Lee. "I hope you're right. Duck and Clementine deserve a better life than starving to death at some crappy motel," He looks at me. "Even you and your girl deserve better than this."
My girl? Does he mean Sandy? Speaking of... I go over to check on her and Clementine. "Hey, you two."
"Hey, Elijah!"
"Do you like the swing, Clem?" Lee approaches us.
"Yeah, it's fun! Thanks for fixing it! You too, Elijah!"
I chuckle. "It's no problem, kiddo." I pull the beanie over her eyes and Clementine giggles. She adjusts it on her head and looks to Lee.
"Will you push me on it?"
Lee smiles. "Sure, happy to push you on the swing. Mind if Clementine takes a turn?" He asked Kenny.
Kenny nods and stops pushing Duck. "Alright, Duck, let Clementine have a try for a bit."
"Okay," The boy jumps off the swing and sits on a nearby tree stump with Kenny standing beside him. Clementine sits on the swing while Lee pushes her. I smile at the sight, it's so good to see her be a kid again and not worry about survival.
"Someone's happy," Sandy nudges my arm. "I haven't seen you smile like that in a while."
I shrug. "I just like seeing her happy to be a normal kid again, you know?"
"Yeah, I do." Sandy rests her head on my shoulder, smiling along ith me as Lee pushes Clementine on the swing. We listen to their conversation.
"What do you think of the dairy?"
"It's pretty. It reminds me of how things used to look before."
"Yeah, it does."
"Do you think things will ever go back to how they were?"
"...I'm not sure, Clem. I hope so."
"I hope so, too."
We all do, kiddo. At least Lee gave you an honest answer.
"How are you holding up, Clementine?"
"I'm okay, I guess. Are you okay?"
"Yeah. I'm just a little worried about Mark."
"Is Mark going to be okay?"
"He got lucky out there. Could have been a lot worse."
"Are you and Elijah going to find the people who hurt Mark?"
Lee nods. "We have to make sure they don't hurt anyone else."
"Be careful. I want you guys to stay lucky, too."
Lee smiles. "Ever since we met you we've had good luck, so don't worry. We're safe here now."
"As long as the bad people don't get me too, right?"
"I won't let what happened to Mark happen to you."
"Promise?"
Lee nods. "I promise."
"Me too, Kiddo," I add and she looks to me. "I promise too."
The little one returns my smile with one of her own. "Thanks, Elijah."
"Alright, Clem," Lee stops pushing her, and the swing comes to a stop. "that's enough for now."
"Okay. Thanks for pushing me."
Clementine hops off the swing. I was about to follow Lee but I felt a tug on my sleeve stopping me from doing so. Sandy was holding onto me and keeping me from joining Lee. "What's wrong?"
"... Could you push me too?"
"Huh?"
Sandy sheepishly points to the swing. "You know? Like you used to when we were little?"
I chuckle. "Just like old times? Sure, I don't see why not." Sandy beamed at me before I turned to Kenny who was just about to get Duck back on the swing. "Hey, do you think Sandy here could have a turn real quick?"
Kenny tilted his head at me but he soon had a smirk forming under his mustache. He looks like he knows something I don't. "You think you could wait another minute or two, Duck?"
Duck looks like he wants to protest but he minds his father's wish. "Okay..."
Sandy takes a seat on the swing and I stand behind her. I push her gently and she smiles. "Feel like old times, yet?"
She nods. "Definitely. Thanks for this, Elijah. I needed something to take my mind off of...everything."
"Of course. How are you holding up? Did you and Clementine make it here okay?"
"Yeah, Clem's alright. I did feel a little faint on the way over here, thanks for that food you gave me this morning."
"See? I knew you'd need it."
"Shut up. What about you? You got ambushed."
"I'm alright, it's gonna take a lot more than some punks with bows to take me out."
Sandy rolls her eyes. "Always playing the tough guy act... I worry about you, you know?"
"I know, Sandy..."
"And now you're gonna go back out there..."
"...I know. But Lee and I need to make sure that no one else gets hurt, you saw what they did to Mark. I don't want that to happen to you or Clementine."
"I know, but still..." Sand glances back at me. "Don't you ever worry about yourself? You can't just run off into danger just because you want to protect us."
"..."
"I know what you're going to say... 'I promised to keep you two safe and that's what I'm going to do.' And I understand that. But you're allowed to worry about yourself too, you know? I mean...what if you..."
"Hey," I stop her from going on. "It's exactly because I worry that I do these things, that I want to go out there and do my part for this group. I'm not some deadweight that needs to be coddled."
"I know, but Clementine and I aren't like that either, you know? We're not afraid to help you. So just...why don't you just let us every now and then, okay?"
"...Okay."
"You promise?"
I nod. "I promise. You and Clem are more than obligated to give me a hand whenever you feel like it."
"...Thank you."
I continue pushing Sandy on the swing, my mind goes back to this morning. Somehow, I can still feel her warmth on my cheek... Why did she do that? Was it a token of good luck or something? I unfamiliar feeling rings throughout my chest. Why is it beating so fast?
"Okay, I think that's enough," Sandy breaks me out of my thoughts and gets off from the swing. "Thanks for that, I needed it."
"Yeah..." I look over to Kenny and Duck. "It's...all yours now..."
"Yeah!"
"Okay, Duck, don't pop a gasket."
I see Lee come back to the front of the house, we share a nod and I make my way over to him.
Meanwhile with Lee...
Lee leaves Elijah with Sandra and Clementine as he goes to find and check up on Lilly and...unfortunately, Larry. He finds them both by the gazebo next to the house. Lilly sees him approach and shares a look of concern.
"Lee, oh, my, God, I'm so glad you guys didn't get killed out there. Do you think Mark will be okay?"
"Wish I knew," He said. "But I think he's in good hands now."
"Yeah? It's not too bad?"
"He'll be fine," Larry tried to reassure his daughter. "I've seen guys go through worse."
"So, I take it that you and Kenny didn't exactly make up on the way here."
"I tried to see things from his point of view, having a wife and kid and everything. But gambling with your family's life is pretty stupid if you ask me. I know he's your friend, Lee, but you recognize that he's not the right person to lead this group, don't you?"
"Kenny believes there's still hope. That's a good quality to have, maybe it's what we need."
"Well, hope doesn't do any good if we're all dead. I'm focused on keeping us alive."
"Well, survival isn't always everything, Lilly," Lee notices how Larry rolled his eyes at that remark, this reminds him of another topic he wanted to discuss with Lilly. "Hey, Lilly, can I talk to yu in private for a second?"
"Okay."
Lee and Lilly take a few steps away from the gazebo and out of earshot of Larry. "It's been three months, your dad still treats me like some kinda asshole."
"Yeah, well, don't expect that to change. That's just how he is."
"So, he's the asshole."
"Look. My dad can be an ass sometimes, I know that. But he's not a bad guy. He just... He's got a lot of pain. He's been through so much. And lost...pretty much everything. And it's hardened him, ya know? Yeah, he's bitter and hateful, but that's all just to protect himself. And me. All he's got left in the world is me. And that goes both ways. So, yeah, he's probably gonna keep treating you like crap, but that's just because he still has one thing left to care about. So don't judge him. And don't judge me for sticking by him. He's my dad, and I love him."
"...And yet you're aware of what he calls Sandra behind Elijah's back, aren't you?" This makes Lilly stop walking away, she keeps her back to Lee. "Sooner or later, he's going to keep pushing that boy until he does something he might regret. You saw what he did to your dad this morning. Did he deserve it? probably not. But I'm just saying that he needs to start thinking about when he messes with the wrong person."
"...That kid had no right. You need to get him under control, Lee, or I will."
Lilly walks away, leaving Lee with an annoyed sigh. He heads for the front of the house where Andy and Danny are standing. Lee notices Elijah as he finishes pushing Sandra on the swing, they both look at each other and share a nod. They both go to the front of the house and meet up with the St. John brothers.
"Fellas."
"How ya feelin', boys? Look, I'm really sorry you two almost got killed out there. We should've told you how dangerous it was."
"No shit," said Elijah.
"You saw what they did to your buddy," Danny stated. Nobody's safe here until we start to fight back."
"How's that?"
"The three of us should go out and do some recon, then we'll all mout up for some revenge."
"Hell yeah," Andy likes the sound of his brother's plan.
"Who the fuck are these people in the woods?" Lee demanded to know.
"We don't know," Andy answered. "We think some of 'em used to work at the big box up the way."
"You mean Save Lots?" Elijah questioned.
"Yeah, that's it. Anyway, they're nutty as hell. And get mad when they're hungry."
"So, are y'all ready to head out and find their camp?"
Elijah and Lee share a glance and nod, they have done all they can here for their group. "Yeah," Lee answered. "It'll be a good opportunity to find out a bit more about what we're up against. Let's do it."
"I'll stay here and hold down the fort," said Andy.
"Remember: we're just doing reconnaissance for now. No use getting ourselves killed." Danny heads inside the house, eventually coming back with two rifles. He hands one to Lee and he keeps one. All three of them begin to leave, and Clementine and Sandra run up to their protectors.
"Are you guys going now?" The little one asked.
Elijah nodded. "Yeah. We'll be back soon, Clem."
"Just stay safe, you hear me?"
"I'll keep him safe, Sandra," Lee reassured. "Don't worry."
"Please be lucky," Clementine says.
"We will."
Elijah
Lee and I have been following Danny through the words for the past thirty minutes, so far it has been quiet and we haven't seen any sign of any sort of bandits for a while. I don't even think they would be the kind of guys who would just camp out in the middle of the woods, not with how that earlier guy looked. Maybe they could be set up in a remote cabin or a nearby neighborhood.
"See anything?" Danny asks us.
I shake my head. "Nothin'."
"Not yet."
"I know it's around here. It's gotta be close."
Lee stops and kneels down. I step to his side as he nudges an empty can of soup with his rifle. "...Well, at least we know someone was out here." Lee nods and we continue walking a short ways.
"Here!" Lee calls to us in a hushed shout. From what I see, there's a small campsite with one tent, a campfire, and a few tables with loads of boxes on top. I take cover behind a tree as Lee kneels in front of me.
"Oh, shit! You found it?!"
Lee gestures for us to move forward quietly, we sneak up on the camp and ready our weapons. I have my 1911, and Lee and Danny have their rifles. I'm not entirely ready for a fight, but I know I have to be. We continue sneaking forward, using the trees as cover for our approach.
"You see anybody?"
I shake my head. "No one."
"Stay on your guard," Lee says to us.
Danny breaks from his cover, approaching the camp with his rifle in hand. "Watch my back, boys. I'm gonna check out the tent." Danny slowly approaches the tent as Lee and I watch his back, he sighs in defeat. "Clear. This camp's too small. It can't be their main base."
"That's what I was thinking."
"Me too," I add.
"Take a look around anyway. There's probably some shit around here they stole from us."
Danny keeps looking through the tent while Lee and I go through the box-filled tables. So far I see nothing but empty cardboard boxes and a bunch of empty soup cans. I can't believe someone can be so hungry that they'd be willing to have tomato soup as a meal. I mean, I'd have it too, but only so I wouldn't starve to death. I noticed that all these boxes are labeled with the 'Save Lots' logo. I remember how I would have to do grocery runs for me and Mom back before all of this. Such simpler times...
"What's in the boxes?" Danny asks us.
"They're all from Save Lots," Lee says.
"Same over here."
"The first few days they told folks to gather to the Save Lots by the interstate. Anything worth taking?"
"Not unless you need a bunch of empty cans," Lee jokingly says, making me and Danny laugh.
"Heh. I'll pass."
"Guess there was a clearance sale," I add.
"There's also boxes from the dairy here."
"Probably food we've been giving 'em. Fuckers crossed the line."
I go back to searching my table, noticing something odd at the corner of it. I pick it up, realizing that it's some sort of camcorder. "Hmm..."
"What'd you find, boy?"
I look over to Danny as he approaches. "A video camera, I think."
"Lemme see that," I press the 'on' button but nothing happens.
"Battery's dead though."
"Oh. Uh, good," Danny goes to search my table away from the tent. "W-What else they got over here? Let's see if we can find anything useful and get a move on."
"..." Okay...that was strange.
"I see you handle that gun I lent ya pretty well," Danny says to Lee. "You a hunter?"
"No, but Lilly keeps us all on a regular training schedule."
"Lilly? I thought you said you were runnin' things back there?"
"Yeah, but, uh, she's got the combat training."
Nice cover, Lee. "I prefer Carley teaching me how to shoot over Lilly any day. At least she's not condescending." I step beside the tent and so does Lee. "Wanna see of Danny missed anything?"
He nods. "Might as well."
We fully open the tent flap and crouch inside, seeing two sleeping bags, a photo, and a bloodied stuffed rabbit. Damn, there's a kid mixed up in all this? Wait...no. Bandits aren't the type to willingly keep kids in their kinds of groups. This can't be one of their camps. I take a closer look at the photo, It's one of a young girl and her mother. Shit...
Lee notices something off about the sleeping bags, there's an unnatural lump. He reaches underneath and takes out what lied there...and both of our jaws dropped to the floor. It was...Clementine's hat. "The hell?"
"What is that doing-"
"Don't you fucking move!"
A woman's voice shouts at us and Lee and I exit the tent with our weapons drawn.
"Shit!"
"Put your guns down," Lee puts Clementine's hat away and he points his rifle at the woman and I aim my pistol. I get a good look at her, she can't be much older than thirty and she's holding a crossbow at us. Her clothes are filthier than all of ours, but I notice that she's wearing a Save Lots vest. That at least explains all of the boxes. "I ain't going back. You tell 'em Jolene ain't goin' back!"
"Hey, we had a deal! No shooting as long as we gave you food! What the fuck happened?"
"You had a deal with them." She retorted. "I ain't them. I know you. I know what you are, and I know what you do."
"You don't know me!"
"Steal my shit. Steal everything from me!"
"We had a deal! You people broke it first!"
"Why are you alone up here, ma'am?" I ask, wanting to know her situation. "What happened to you? Maybe we can help."
"That's a helluva question, sweetheart. They told me I'd be safe with them... Men who lived here. But it weren't safe. Not for me, and not for my girl," Her voice began to break into sorrow. "They didn't treat her nice. Not at all. They took her away, into the woods. Wouldn't tell me where. And I begged 'em. Every way I could think. They just laughed..." She laughs maniacally. "So I killed 'em. And I'm staying here 'til she comes back to me. One way or another...she'll come back."
"..." Oh...fuck...
"Now, maybe you didn't hear me last time. When I asked you sweet, put your damn guns down! You think I won't kill you? I'm gonna take this here crossbow, and put a nice sharp arrow, right through your eyeball. And into your goddamn brain. You're not men, you're monsters. All men are monsters. Take what they want, and then destroy it all. Take a can of beans, take a little girl... it's all the fucking same to you!"
"Where did you get this hat?" Lee demanded to know.
"The little girl."
"You stole it from her!"
"So what if I did? You stole her from me!"
Lee and I glance at each other. Whatever this woman's been through...it's broken her. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"Forget it, boys," said Danny. "She's batshit loco."
"The crazy lady in the woods brings fresh meat to the farm!"
"You shut it! Now!" Danny yelled.
"You know what? I changed my mind... I'm putting this arrow right through your balls. Yeah! Right through. String 'em up on that tree. Then I'm gonna head down to that farm and shoot every goddamn person I see."
"Ma'am, I saw the picture of you and your girl. I can't imagine what you're feeling, but it must be awful, right? Like a knife in your chest and someone just won't stop twisting... I know that feeling, but you don't have to suffer," I lower my gun, holstering it before I raise my hands. "We can help you, just put your weapon down and you can come with us."
"...While I do appreciate that kind offer, boy, I'm afraid I'm gonna have to decline. I'm already far from bein' 'helped', I don't need to go lookin' for death. It's already found us. Just waitin' to get turned into monsters. Some of us already are!" The woman glances at Danny. "Go on, tell him, boy! Tell him what you had in mind for-"
BANG!
I watch helplessly as Danny shoots the woman in the head, her body falls lifelessly to the ground with the back of her head torn open. "Goddamn it!" He exclaimed.
"You straight-up murdered that woman!" Lee stated.
"Hardly. She had a crossbow pointed at my forehead!"
I feel my knuckles turn white. "You didn't have to shoot! We could've done something!"
Danny just ignores me and towers over the woman's corpse. "It's a clean shot, though. Right through the forehead. That's good shootin' right there. Still, what a waste."
"...So...that's it? We're going back?" Lee asked.
"If they ain't here, I don't know where they are. And it ain't a good idea to go tromping through the woods looking for 'em. So, yeah, we head back. Once they see this... they'll get the message." Danny takes the woman's crossbow. "C'mon."
Lee and I take one last look behind us at the woman before we follow Danny back to the farm. As we walk, I can't stop thinking about what she said to Danny. What did she mean when she said she brought them fresh meat? It's almost as if she knew them...
