It's been a while since Keny started inspecting the boat, the sun's beginning to set now. We've all gathered in the living room minus Clementine who wanted to rest a bit upstairs. Molly, Christa, and I sat in the living room as Lee paced around. Vernon eventually comes downstairs and joins us.

I look up and stop sharpening my sickle. "How's Omid doing?"

"As well as can be expected under the circumstances. I did what I could for him, clean out the wound. You were right about the tetanus, you studied to be a doctor?"

I shake my head. "No, I wanted to be a photographer."

"Will you quit pacing?" Molly said to Lee. "You're making everyone nervous."

"Why are you even still here?"

"Hey, if your friend really can get that boat working, you're taking me with you as payment for saving your asses. I figure that's fair enough."

Fine with me; we could use someone like her.

Kenny and Ben come back inside and meet us in the living room. "Well? How are we looking, Kenny?"

He sighs. "You want the good news...or the bad news."

"I think we all could use some good news."

"No shit."

"Good news is, the boat's seaworthy enough. In pretty good shape, mostly."

"Mostly?" Christa inclined.

"That's the bad news. Gas tank's empty and her battery's dead. We need to fix both before she's taking us any place."

"Well, how are we supposed to get that stuff?"

"Hmm..." Well, the streets are empty and any car or vehicle has been stripped down for parts and I imagine all gas would've been siphoned as well. And...there's only one place in Savannah where I think it would all be...

"Sounds like Crawford is the one place that has everything we need," Lee says. "Maybe we should try there."

"That's exactly what I was thinking."

Vernon looks at me and Lee like we're crazy. "Now hold on a minute."

"Surely, we have to try!" Christa seems in favor of our plan. "If there are people left in this city who are still alive, who still have supplies, what harm can it do to ask?"

"Trust me," Vernon stands with us. "you don't know these people. I do. You showing up with a wounded man? Might as well put a noose around his neck. They don't exactly welcome children with open arms, either."

"What the hell kind of place are we talking about here?"

"The worst kind," Molly answers Christa. "But I don't see what other choice we have."

"And just how exactly do you figure we do this?" Kenny asks. "Because from what I've heard, that place ain't exactly friendly to outsiders."

"That's putting it mildly."

"...What about sneaking our way in?" Everyone looks at me, waiting to elaborate on my suggestion. "Well, Vernon, didn't you say the sewers run all over the city? Then surely they go under Crawford, right? So, we wait until nightfall, come right from underneath 'em by surprise, grab whatever we need, and get out before they knew what hit 'em."

"Huh. That's...actually not the worst idea I've ever heard," Molly punches my arm and smiles. "Not bad."

I rub my arm and offer a small smile of my own. "Thanks."

"I know the sewer system like the back of my hand," Vernon adds. "Y'all wouldn't happen to have a map by chance?"

"Yeah, we do, actually," I grab the map of Savannah from my backpack and unfold it onto the coffee table. Vernon looks over the map and smirks.

"Yeah, I think I could lead us through so we could pass under the perimeter and right into the center, where they keep the supplies. I've thought about it before, just never had the people to do it. But I think if we all work together, we could pull it off."

"Damn fine thinkin', son!" Kenny pats my shoulder before he looks at Vernon. "And what do you want in return for all this help you're giving us?"

"Crawford doesn't just have what you need for your boat, they're also well-stocked with medical supplies. Medicine that my people could use, just as yours could."

"We can do this, we have to!"

"So, it's decided then? We're going to Crawford?"

"We can do this. I know it." Lee smiles.

"Hell yeah, we can."

"We'll give those sick fucks hell," I add.

"Are we seriously talking about this?" Ben asks. I mean, what about the risk?"

"I don't know about you, kid, but I'd rather take a chance on doing something than just sitting around here waiting to die. That boat out there is an answered prayer, we just gotta push a little bit farther. Are you in or out?"

"..."

"We should go tonight," Vernon suggests. "under the cover of dark. I'll go let my people know, give you all a chance to prepare. I'll be back before tonight," He turns and heads to the backdoor.

"Be careful."

"That's how I'm still alive."

The group goes their separate ways to prepare for tonight, Lee and I start heading for the stairs so we can tell Clementine what's going on. But instead of finding her in the study, she's sitting on the edge of the stairs, waiting for us.

"I thought you were resting in your room," Lee says. "How long have you been there?"

"...Is it going to be dangerous?"

"Is what gonna be dangerous?" I ask.

"...Crawford."

"We can't lie to you, Clem. Yeah, it's gonna be dangerous. But it's the only way to get the things we need to make Omid better and get the boat working."

"And that's why we have to do such dangerous things," I add. "Do you understand, kiddo?"

"...I don't want anyone else to die."

"Neither do we, clem. But sometimes we have to take that kind of risk."

"And death is something that's sometimes beyond our control, we can't always save everyone."

"..." Clem nods in understanding before she gets back on her feet. "I guess I should go get ready."

"Uh, say what now?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You said that you guys need all of us to do this, Lee. And Elijah said that I help all the time, remember?"

"Clem...I don't think-"

"Molly said Crawford is the only place left in Savannah that still has people. That means it must be where my mom and dad are, right?"

"I don't think I'll find them in Crawford, sweet pea."

"Why not?"

"Because they're good people. And Crawford is a bad place, run by bad people. I don't think they would have stayed in a place like that."

"And where Lee and I are going is a very dangerous place," I add. "For children especially. These are people who won't hesitate to kill you if they get the chance."

"You said I'm supposed to always stay close to you!"

"..."

"..."

"...Can't I come with you?"

This little girl is probably the bravest person I know, willing to risk her very life to find the two most important people in her life...besides me and Lee. I know we probably shouldn't, but part of me feels like that no matter what we say, she'll make up her mind all on her own...if she already hasn't. She's growing up way too fast...and I couldn't be any more proud. I look at Lee and nod slightly, silently telling him that no matter what he chooses, I'm with him until the end.

"...Okay, you can come. But you have to promise me and Elijah to stay quiet and to do exactly what you're told the whole time we're there."

"Okay," Clementine nods and smiles. "I'm gonna go get ready."

She runs back upstairs. I pinch the bridge of my nose and sigh. "...What the hell are we doing, Lee?"

He chuckles as he pats my shoulder. "I was hoping you had the answer to that."

One Hour Later...

The sun has set beyond the horizon and the moon has risen into the sky, It's time we go forth with our plan. Kenny searches the shed while the rest of us get prepared, my sickle is cleaned and sharpened, my pistol is loaded, and I have my extra magazines at the ready.

"Check out what I found in the garage," Kenny brings over a few tools to me and Lee. "Hatchet, hacksaw, screwdriver some other tools. Might come in handy on this little break-in."

"Nice."

"Hell yeah," Kenny hands Lee the hatchet and me the screwdriver, I walk over to Clementine and hand it to her. "Here, Clem, you might need this."

She takes it in my hand. "Thank you."

"Remember," I hold my sickle, showing her how to properly hold a melee weapon. "Don't try to hold it upside down, your grip won't be as firm."

Clem nods at my words. "Got it."

I smile. "Good," I leave her to check on Lee. "Hey, man, you ready for this?"

He nods. "Just about."

"Can I talk to you two for a minute?" Kenny says to us as he comes over.

"What's up?"

"I took another look at the boat. She's a thirty-footer."

"So?"

"What does that mean?"

"It means we're gonna have a capacity problem. Boat that size ain't gonna hold more than six people, even with one of them a kid."

"Me, you, Elijah, Clem, Christa, Omid, Molly, Ben..."

"Assuming everyone makes it back alive, that's still one too many, even if we cut Molly loose."

"Hell no," I say. "She helped us even when she clearly didn't have to, Molly's coming with us."

"Don't matter what you want, son. Before this is over, we're gonna have to make a decision."

"You're not serious," Lee says in disbelief.

"Look, I'm just saying, if we want the best chance of-" Kenny stops talking mid-sentence when he hears the backyard gate open, we see that Vernon has come back...and he wasn't alone. Great, you brought extra weight, emphasis on extra. "Who the hell is this?"

"This is Bre, she can help us."

"How? Only thing I've seen this woman do is jump to conclusions, you sure her cancer is gone from her brain?"

"Hey!"

"Easy, Elijah," Lee warns me. "Look, we appreciate the help, let's just get it done."

"I was a student at the school where Crawford keeps their supplies. I know the layout."

"With her help, we're in and out faster," Vernon insisted. "Anyone got a problem with that?"

"...As long as she knows when and how to keep her mouth shut."

"We don't," Lee said a more proper response.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Molly asks all of us. "Let's get moving."

"Hold on a second," Lee said before he checked on Clementine. "You ready?"

The little one smiles and nods. "Ready."

"Before we go," Lee pulls out Chuck's old revolver and hands it to Clementine who hesitantly takes it. "Only use this when you have to, okay?"

"I will."

"Whoa, hold on a minute," Vernon says, walking over to us. "You're not taking her with us, are you? Did you two not hear anything I said about the kind of place Crawford is? If you take her in there and they find her-"

"Shut up," I say. "this 'little girl' is way more capable than three grown men combined. She's not afraid, she knows how to listen, she's not excess baggage, and she knows how to survive."

"She's coming," Lee adds. "Deal with it."

"You heard the men," Kenny said putting his hand on his hip. "Let's move out."

"For what it's worth," Molly whispers to me. "I don't think it's a great idea either."

"Clementine snuck out on her own to find us on River Street and managed to not get a scratch on her. Besides, Lee and I will not let anything happen to her. "

"...Well, if you say so."

Underneath Crawford...

Vernon leads us through the sewers of the past nearly half-hour, I swear I'm never gonna get used to the smell. We finally reach a ladder and we come to a stop. "This should be it. We're right underneath the center of Crawford, the old school should be directly above us."

"Okay, people, this is it," Lee turns to all of us. "Remember the plan. We stay quiet, we stay hidden, and we stay together. We find what we need and we get the hell out before anyone even knows we're there. Got it?" We all nod, Lee looks down at Clementine. "And that part about staying close? That goes double for you."

"Might wanna make that triple," I add.

Lee is the first to climb the ladder, I follow second and the rest follow me. Lee removes the manhole cover and climbs out onto the street. "Let's go," I follow him behind some bushes near a building, everyone else comes up behind me with their weapons ready. I can't help but notice that...it's too quiet.

"Where is everybody?" Vernon mutters. "There should be guards patrolling."

"What, are you disappointed?" Kenny asks sarcastically.

"It's just strange, is all..."

"I think I see one," Christa points to a man walking by the front of the school. "Over there."

"Okay, me and Elijha will sneak up, and try to take him out quietly," Lee looks back at Kenny who's readying his rifle. "Kenny, you watch our backs in case we run into trouble."

He nods. "Right behind you boys."

"The rest of you wait here and wait for our signal to follow us over," I add. "No shooting until we have no choice."

Lee and I sneak up on the man, He has his hatchet and I have my sickle at the ready. When we finally get closer, I get a whiff of the man's body odor. Eugh, that fucking...wait, that's not B.O... That's rotting flesh!

"What the fuck?!"

The 'man' turns around...and it's a walker. "RAAAAH!"

"Cono!" I stab it in the side of the head, and the walker falls to the concrete ground, dead.

"What the fuck is a walker doing inside here?!" The others come out of hiding and see the dead walker on the floor, they're just as confused as we are...but that was the least of our problems. More walkers have come out of their hiding places and started roaming. "Get inside, fast!"

We all run into the main school building, Lee and I wait for everyone to go in first before we shut the door behind us. We run up several flights of stairs before we burst through some glass doors and into a hallway full of lockers. Vernon and Brie close the doors behind us.

"Fuck. Fuck! Do you think they saw us?"

"I don't think so," Lee answers Kenny. "I think we're good, for now, at least."

"It's alright, Kiddo," Clementine had covered her ears when we came in here, I tried to calm her down by placing my hand on her shoulder. "We're fine, we're fine."

"What the hell happened here?" Christa is beyond confused about the state of this place. "O thought this place was supposed to be secure!"

"What always happens, I guess," Molly says. "In the end, the dead always win."

"Oh man," Ben paced around the hall with his hands on his head. "we are so screwed..."

"No," Vernon said. "This is good."

"Yeah," I say. "Now we don't have to deal with being shot at."

"We can deal with walkers easier than armed guards," Lee agrees.

"I agree," Kenny added. "So long as we don't let 'em box us in, we can still do this. The plan hasn't changed."

"The plan hasn't changed?" Ben argues. "Every time walkers show up, the plan changes! Do you have any idea how many of them are out there?!"

"Well, if you keep up that shouting, we're gonna find out!" I retort. "Now get your shit together so we can get what we need and get the fuck out."

"Come on," Brie has already gone ahead of us. "I think I know which way to head."

"...I got a bad feeling about this."

I scoff. "You're not Solo, now come the fuck on."

We follow Brie down the hall, and after a minute, we see a boarded-up door marked with an 'X'. We can hear several Walkers behind it. What the fuck happened to this place?

"Just...keep moving," Molly says and we comply, Brie eventually leads us to a door at the end of a hallway.

"Here," She pointed out.

Lee cautiously opens the door and looks inside. "Looks okay. Everybody in," We all go inside, I take a look around and it took no time to see that this was an elementary school. Hmph. You don't allow children yet your base of operations was a fucking school? The fucking irony. In the back of the classroom, there's a door marked 'armory'. Lee tries to open it but it doesn't dudge. "Figures."

"Looks like they were using this room as some kind of command center," Kenny inquired.

"Okay, so now what?" Molly asked. "Where do we start looking?"

I look at the chalkboard, it has an entire map drawn in chalk. Beside it, is another small map, this one is labeled. "Here, there's at least a map we can look at." Alright, what's first?

"Any idea where we could find a battery?"

"Maybe at the auto shop?" Vernon points at the map. "There used to be one in the alley outside the fire escape."

"Yup," Bries confirms. "It's called Herman's, you can't miss it."

"What about gas?" I ask.

"There's a maintenance shed across from the playground here," Brie points at the map. "if they were storing fuel that's probably where it'll be."

"Then that leaves the medicine," I add.

"Where can we find it?"

"Right here," Molly walks up to the map and points to it. "Nurse's station, they were using it as a medical facility."

"...How do you know that?" I asked her.

"...just...makes sense, doesn't it?"

"..." I mean, yeah. But still...

"Okay, I'll make the run to the maintenance shed for the fuel," Kenny takes on the duty of getting the gas.

"It'll be faster if I go with you," Brie volunteers. "I can take you right to it."

"I'm with you, Kenny," Lee says.

"I'll come too."

"No, three people's enough, Ben. You stay here, see if you can use any of those tools we brought to get that armory door open. We might need to shoot our way out of here."

"I'll go for the medicine," Christa says.

"I'll come with you," said Vernon. "I know what to take."

"That leaves me with the battery," I say.

"I'll go with you," Molly says. "watch your back."

Fucking awesome.

"Okay, we've got a plan. Everyone be careful, stay close to one another, we'll all meet back here. Good luck." The group splits up. Ben gets to work on the armory door and Molly waits for me by the door. Lee and I check on Clementine before we head out.

"What about me? What can I do?"

"I need you to stay here with Ben and watch over our command center. Elijah and I putting you in charge of it. Okay?"

"..." Clementine looks over at Ben with a slightly annoyed expression. "You guys are leaving me with Ben?"

"Oh, that's not what we're doing," I say. "We're leaving him with you."

I can hear Molly laugh behind me as Clementine takes a second to understand what I meant. "Oh..." She smiles and nods. "Okay."

"That's our girl," I pat her head. Lee and I look at each other and share a nod. "See you soon, careful out there."

"You too."

Lee leaves the classroom, Molly pulls her hood over her head and puts on her medical mask. "You comin' or not."

"Right behind you."

Molly leads the way and I follow close, but not too close. I take in the state of the school around me. The floors are completely filthy, there are even a few blood spots, most of the lockers have been left open, and there's even a giant gaping hole in the roof.

"Damn... What do you think happened here?"

"..."

"Molly?"

"Don't know, don't care. As far as I'm concerned these fuckers got what was coming to them."

"I get that. Not a lot of sympathy you have for these guys, huh?"

"I have about as much for them as they did for the sick and the old and anyone else they didn't think was fit to belong in their little paradise. So, yeah, fuck 'em."

"Heh, yeah. Fuck 'em. So...why did you decide to help us?"

"Like I said, I'm expecting a ride on that boat once that hillbilly friend of yours has got it running."

"Yeah, I know. But you definitely know how to take care of yourself, why help us?"

"Look, I have my reasons, you definitely have yours. Let's just get this done, okay?"

"...Yeah, right."

"While we're interrogating each other, what's with that girly necklace you wear?" She points to the gold pendant around my neck. "And that beanie, too."

"...Both belonged to some people important to me, let's just leave it at that."

"...Oh," Looks like Molly wasn't expecting my answer. "I won't indulge And, uh, I'm sorry."

"For what?" Molly points at my cheek, specifically, the bandaged cut she inflicted on me. "Oh, it's alright. Don't worry about it."

"I'll tell you something. You sure know how to punch, knocked me flat."

"Oh...sorry about that."

"It's alright, Brown Eyes." Molly chuckles and punches my arm. Brown eyes? We reach the fire escape and head outside, I hear a few Walkers below us. "I count two."

"I see 'em."

"Well, then, show me what you can do."

"Huh?"

"You've seen me in action, I want to see what you can do.

"..." Is this some kind of test or something? Regardless of her intent, I pull out my sickle and we reach the bottom of the fire escape.

"A sickle?" Molly chuckles. "Were you a farm boy before all of this?"

I ignore her as I head up the alleyway. I walk up to the two walkers, and I see a sign on the side of a brick wall that says 'deliveries made in rear' with an arrow pointing to the left. Great, there's the auto shop. The first Walker notices me and growls. I grip my sickle tightly and swing it into the Walker's temple, killing it instantly.

"Not bad," Molly whispers before she moves on ahead of me. "But watch this," Molly takes out her ice pick. But instead of directly using it to kill the second walker, Molly kicks behind its knee and the walker falls to the floor. That's when she stabs the walker in the back of its head with her ice pick.

"Woah...that was-"

"These things go down pretty easy," She cuts me off. "Go for the back of the knees so they don't fall on you, then just stab them in the back of the head."

Fucking badass... "That's pretty handy." We keep heading down the alley. "So...who were you before all of this?"

"..."

"Sorry," I take her silence as an answer. "I shouldn't pry." Further into the alleyway, We eventually come up to a wire fence with barbed wire on top. "Shit, what do we-" I heard shuffling behind me, I turned around and saw that Molly had jumped against the wall and used her pick to climb to the roof. "Damn, you gotta teach me how to do that."

"Next time, now get your ass moving."

I look around and see a shed. Inside, I see that there's a hole in the ceiling. Huh, that could be my way up. I use the shelves to climb up and get to the roof. "Molly, I'm..." I look around for her but she's...gone. "Where the fuck...?" Maybe she went to the auto shop already? I see the fence from earlier, I can jump down to the other side from here.

I land and dust myself off, I see the garage door a few feet in front of me. Alright, now we're getting somewhere. Now where the hell is Molly? I try to open the garage door but it stops after a few inches. "Damn, jammed pretty tight." I wonder if there's something around her to help me pry it open. I check down the alleyway, seeing a fence that's nearly knocked over. I can hear a few walkers on the other side. "Better not get too close to that."

SPLAT!

"The fuck?" I turn around and see...a walker has appeared in the middle of the alleyway. Did that thing...fall from the roof? How many people have died here? I get a better look at the walker, it looks like it's wearing scrubs.

"Leave him!" Molly appears after jumping down from the roof and taking out her ice pick. "He's mine..."

"Where the hell did you go?" Molly walks straight passed me and starts kicking the walker in anger, even going as far as stabbing it multiple times in its back. "Molly?"

"HA...HA!"

"Molly!"

"What?!"

"Calm the fuck down! I think you got him."

"..." Molly stops herself from continuing on. "What's the matter, never seen someone kill a geek before?"

"Not like that. Who was this guy, one of Crawford's old doctors or something?"

"Yeah, well, he ain't shit now!" Molly kicks the walker in the head, bending over to catch her breath.

"Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine!" Molly insisted. "Did you find us a way in, at least?"

"Yeah, but the garage door's jammed tight."

"Not a problem," Molly grabs something from out of her backpack. "Look what I found," She hands me a carjack with a turning crank.

"Oh, yeah," I smirk. "That'll work," But where the hell did she even- The half-collapsed fence starts rattling, Molly and I look and see that Walkers have started clawing at it...and more are showing up by the second. "Shit!"

"Come on!"

I place the carjack under the garage door and start turning the crank, the walkers have knocked down the fence by the time I manage to get enough space for me and Molly to crawl through. She goes first and I watch her back, I follow once she's inside.

"Take a look around. I'll make sure no stragglers get under this door."

I nod. "On it."

Inside was half of what I expected. The auto shop had two vehicles stored in it, a semi truck and a car that was lifted onto a hydraulic lift. I check the truck first, finding where the battery should be completely empty. Damn, better check the next car. But how the hell am I supposed to get that car down?

"Hmm..." I take a closer look at the lift, there's gotta be some kind of control panel around here. I follow some wires that eventually lead me to a small box. with small hoses.

"You find that battery?"

"I think so, just gotta get that car down," If I cut the hose, the lift should be lowered. "Only one way to find out," I mutter as I pull out my sickle and cut the hose, the hydraulic fluid leaks out and the lift lowers the car down. "There we go..." Hold on, that's going too fast! "Whoa, shit, shit!"

CRASH!

BEEP! BEEP!

"That's probably not good!"

"No shit!"

Walkers start clawing under the door. Molly pulls out her pick and gets ready. "I'll try to hold 'em off! Hurry!"

"There's the battery. Finally, something's going right!" I unscrew the terminals in no time and pull the battery out of the engine. "I got it!"

"Yeah, but we still got a problem here!" Molly tries kicking the car jack out from underneath the garage door but it's stuck there, Walkers are beginning to come from underneath the door. "Put it in my bag, I'll carry it!" I do as she says and put the battery in her bag. "Okay, follow me!"

I follow Molly to the top of the semi-truck, the Walkers have us surrounded and begin rocking the vehicle. "Great, now what?!"

"Skylight!"

I look up, seeing our way out, and I pull out my pistol. "Watch yourself!"

BANG!

I cover my face from falling glass, Molly climbs up using her ice pick. She gets to the roof and reaches her hand down to me. "Come on!"

I jump and Molly pulls me up to the roof, I stand up straight and look back down into the garage. "Phew... That was close."

"Come on, we're not out of the woods yet." Molly runs to the edge of the roof, jumps across the alleyway, and uses her hook to help her climb to the building. She looks back at me and smirks. "What are you, chicken? Come on!"

The hell did she call me? I look over the edge and I'm reminded of my fear. Well, now that she mentions it...

"What, you afraid of heights or something?"

"Yes. I had to jump off a bridge the other day!"

Molly just laughs at me "Alright, alright. Take this." She tosses me her ice pick and I catch it. "I guess it's time for lesson number two. Just get a running start, use the ledge as your jumping point, and keep a good grip on Hilda."

"Hilda?"

"That's what I call her. Don't judge."

I chuckle. "Never said I was."

"Just be careful with her, we've been through a lot together."

I nod. "Not a scratch, got it." I walk back to the other end of the roof. This is crazy... I keep Hilda firmly in my hand...and I run. I plant my foot on the edge of the roof and leap across the alley, using Hilda to hook myself to the edge. Molly chuckles before she helps me up to the roof.

"Not bad, I'd give you a solid seven. A little more practice and you'll be just fine."

I laugh. "Thanks. We make a pretty good team, huh?"

"Slow down there, Rambo," Molly chuckles as I give her back Hilda. "There's a hole over there, let's get moving."

"Hold up," I grab Molly by the wrist, stopping her. I know this is probably not the best time, but I can't help but be curious. "That Walker you killed in the alley, what was that all about?"

"He came at me earlier on the roof, tried to take a bite out me, so I took care of business. What, you got a problem with me killing geeks?"

"No," I shake my head. "you just seemed angrier than you needed to be, not to mention a little excessive."

"Hey, you never really know when those things are all the way dead. I was just making sure. Look, we got the battery, can we stop talking about this already? Time's wasting."

"Right, sorry." Molly and I head to the hole in the roof of the school, it should lead us back into that hallway where we all split up from. "...Whoa."

I take a look at the area...this vantage point from up here is perfect, I can practically see everything from up here. I know I shouldn't, but I can't help it.

"What the hell are you doing?" Molly looks at me like I'm crazy as I get my camera out of my bag. "A camera?"

CLICK!

"Perfect..." I put it back in my backpack and continued on.

"Were you a photographer?"

"No, but I wanted to be."

"...I see."

Molly and I finally get to the hole in the roof, I hop into it first and look back up at Molly. "Come on."

"Later. Something I gotta do first."

"Huh?"

"I'll see you later, brown eyes."

"Hold on, you still have the battery!"

"Yeaaah," Molly smirks. "I think I'll hold onto it, make sure you and your people don't leave without me. See you back in class!" She winks at me before running off.

"Molly? Molly!" What the fuck? Where is she...? I shake my head and start walking back to the classroom. "Shit...now I gotta go back empty-"

"Little help here?!" I watch as Kenny, Lee, and that cancer woman burst through the glass doors they all have gas cans in their hands...and walkers not too far behind them.

"Oh, shit!" I help them try to close the doors, the walkers keep pushing us back but we push harder.

"Fuck, the doors won't close all the way!"

"Somebody, do something!"

"Lee! you still got that hatchet?!"

He nods at me. "I had the same thought!" He uses his tool and jams it between the handles. We back up as the walkers continue pounding on the door. "Think that'll hold?"

"It damn well better."

"No shit."

"There's so many of them..."

"I see that you guys got the fuel. Hell yeah!"

"Let's not start high-fiving each other just yet. Let's get the hell back to the classroom."

Kanny and Brie go on ahead of me and Lee. I raise my hand to him and he just stares at me. "You can't leave me hanging."

He rolls his eyes at me and chuckles...but he still gives me a high five. "Nice work."

"You're back!" Clementine gets up from her desk and walks up to all of us with a smile.

"Yeah," Kenny smiles back at the little one. "and we made out pretty good too."

"Great work, Kenny!" Ben looks back from the armory door.

"How're you doing with that door?" Kenny asked him.

"Not so good."

"Here, let me give you a hand," Kenny looks to me. "You and that girl get that battery yet?"

"Yeah," I nod. "Molly's got it, she should be here soon."

"She'd better be." Kenny goes to help Ben with the armory door, and Lee and I check on Clementine.

"You okay, sweet pea?"

"Yeah," She nods. "I'm glad you all made it back okay."

"Me too, kiddo. Won't be long until we're out of here and this damned city."

"Swear."

"Sorry."

"You know, this desk is just like the ones we have in my school. I know it's weird, but I kinda miss it. Being in school."

"Yeah..."

"Me too. I used to be a teacher, remember? Tell you what, when we find ourselves a safe place, we'll set up a little classroom. Just you and me, Elijah can tutor every now and then."

"Heck yeah, kiddo."

"...Will there be homework?"

Lee and I smile at her. "No homework."

"...Do you guys think things will ever be normal again? Just like they were before?"

Why does she have to ask the hardest questions, there's really no sure answer to that.

"I don't think anybody knows the answer to that, Clem. Maybe there's somebody out there working on a way to fix this. Some kind of cure, maybe. There's just no way to know."

"I hope so."

"That's good," I add. "That's the one thing we need to hold onto. Hope is what keeps us alive, and this whole thing can't take it from us." Clementine smiles, finding comfort in our words. "Hey, Lee?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm gonna check on how Christa and Vernon are getting the meds, wanna tag along?"

He nods. "Right behind you."

Lee and I leave the classroom. If I remember correctly, the nurse's office should be at the end of the hall and around the corner on the left side. I lead the way and Lee follows close. We pass by the glass doors, the walkers continue pounding on the glass with their grimy hands. Thankfully, the hatchet is staying in place and keeping the door shut, but who knows how long that glass will hold? We need to get those meds so we can get the fuck out of here. We turn the corner and see...

"Shit!"

"Over there!"

We duck down behind a knocked-over desk, several Walkers have surrounded the nurse's office door. I think I counted at least five or six. Lee pulls out his gun and so do I, I don't want to have to use mine, but we don't have the time to take them out quietly. We stand and aim our pistols.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

"Nicely done."

"Beautiful."

With the walkers now dead, Lee and I head inside the nurse's office. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Christa point her pistol at me but she lowers it once she recognizes me. "Elijah? Lee?"

"What the hell happened?"

"They wandered into the hallway after we got inside. I think they must've heard us rooting around in here. The whole place is infested, they're everywhere!"

"Calm down. Elijah and I took care of them."

"Did we find the meds we need?"

"Yeah, that's our problem," Vernon says. "Take a look," He shows Lee and me a wardrobe-sized safe. "Looks like they were keeping all the prescription meds in that safe. Locked up tight."

"Is there no way to bust it open?"

"Maybe with enough time. But I don't know how much of that we have. Be hell of a lot quicker if we just knew the four-digit combination."

"Well, I doubt they just wrote it down and left it here for us to find," Christa remarked. "We should try busting it open, we don't have any other choice."

"Okay, you guys get started. Elijah and I will take a look around and see if we can find anything useful."

Lee and I begin our search. This place is a wreck, no wonder Vernon and Christa haven't found anything yet. I notice a few droplets of blood on the floor that lead to the office door. Something must've happened in here. A while ago as well, the blood's pretty dry. The real question is...what exactly happened? I also notice a camcorder in the middle of the room, pointing at the middle bed. Were they documenting their patients or something? If that's the case...then there's gotta be some sort of files of each recording, right?

I search the desk by the corner of the room, Christa... "Woah, Chirsta, you okay?" She looks back at me, rubbing her eyes.

"I'm fine, Elijah. Why are you asking me that?"

"..." This is something I wanted to address her about since she practically brushed me off about Omid being excited about kids. "It's just that you've been looking pale for the past couple of days. You even threw up this morning."

"Oh, come on," She shouts at me in a whisper. "Lee just dug up a rotting dog carcass! I'm surprised we weren't all throwing up. Elijah, I'm fine."

"..." I know I'm jumping the gun a bit, but... "Christa," I make sure I whisper so that Lee and Vernon don't hear me. "You're pregnant...aren't you?"

She widened her eyes and her jaw was practically on the floor. "Who told-"

"No one, but I know the signs. Your morning sickness, your sudden dizziness just now, you've looked exhausted, not to mention that you or Omid would've said something if it wasn't anything minimal. Plus, he was excited when he saw an actual kid in God knows how long."

"...Alright," She sighed. "It's true."

"Don't worry," I reassure her with a smile. "your secret is safe with me. And the rest of us are gonna do everything we can to help you two and your future kid."

"...Thank you," Christa nods at me.

I go back to searching the desk, eventually finding a medical file marked 'Anna Correa'. Inside, there are a few papers...along with a videotape. This could be what we're looking for. I go to the camcorder in the middle of the room, it takes me a minute to figure out how to play the tape but I got it.

"Vernon, Christa, Lee," I call them over. "Come check this out."

The video begins with a woman sitting on a medical bed looking distraught, and a man's voice speaks. "This is day eighty-two since the outbreak...fifteen forty-seven. Doctor Logan in consultation with patient Anna Correa."

"Why are you recording this?"

"Regulations,"The man walks into the camera's view...and I immediately recognize him. That's the walker from outside, the one that Molly freaked out on. "Oberson has ordered me to keep records of all medical examinations and consultations. I need you to brace yourself, Anna. The sonogram confirms that you're pregnant."

The woman named Anna lowers her head into her hands, and her voice starts to break. "Oh, God, oh, God, oh, God..."

"As you know, the rules are very clear. The termination is mandatory."

"You don't have to tell them," Anna looks at the man in desperation. "Tell them it was just nausea, that you gave me something for it and it went away. This is my problem, not yours."

"If Oberson finds out that I concealed evidence of a pregnancy," The doctor shook his head. "I'm sorry, but these are the rules. I'm gonna give you a sedative. It'll make the procedure easier on you." He was about to open the safe in the corner but Anna's screams stopped him.

"I don't want the procedure! I want my baby!" She holds her head in her hands again and sobs. "I can't do this! I can't do this!"

"Anna, you don't have a choice," Logan says without even looking at her. Fucking monster. "Now, if you like, you can take some time with this, but I need you to come back no later than tomorrow. Or I'll have no choice but to inform Oberson myself. I'm sorry. Anna runs out of the nurse's office crying, Logan goes behind the camcorder, and the video ends.

"Damn it," Vernon exclaimed. "we almost had it!"

"What the hell kind of place was this?"

"Like Molly said," I answer Christa. "The worst kind."

"Do you think there are more tapes?" Lee asked.

"I recognize that doctor. He was one of the walkers Molly and I ran into on the way to the auto shop."

"How about you go search him?" Vernon suggests what I was already thinking about doing. "See what he's got on him."

"I'm on it. I'll be back soon.

I leave the nurse's office and head back to the fire escape. Once I'm outside, I see a walker in the way of the shed that I need to climb so I can get over the barbed fence. I grab my sickle and...Wait a minute. Instead of attacking it like I normally do, I use Molly's technique to take the walker down. It's down on the ground dead before I could even count to three. Damn...that's effective.

I climb the shelves of the shed again, get to the roof, and jump over the barbed fence. I can hear the walkers from earlier trapped inside the garage moaning. I'm glad we got out of there, now where's that... I look around for that dead doctor, only finding a trail of blood.

"Where the fuck did it... Oh." I find the walker desperately trying to crawl over the knocked-over fence. How does it feel to be the helpless one, you sick fuck?

SQUELCH!

I stomped my boot into his school, splattering his blood all over the concrete. I pick up my foot, there's a little bit of brain at the end of it. Well, thank you very much, cowboy. I begin searching his body, checking each pocket until I find something worth taking back. What I found is not the combination code, but it might help us.

"Another tape," There's also a slip of paper that says, 'Logan 6-26-30'. "It's definitely a code, but Vernon said the safe combination was only four numbers." I hear some walkers around the corner, queuing my time to get back inside. But I can't exactly climb back over the fence. "Hmm..."

An idea pops into my mind...and I'm not sure it's a good one. I pull out my sickle and look up at the roof above me. Second time's a charm...I hope. I look to the garage adjacent to the building I want to climb, It's not that far of a distance if I give myself a good jump. I back up, and I remember what tried to do before. I take a deep breath...and I run towards the wall. I plant my foot against it and push myself upward. Using my sickle, I swing it above my head and it goes over the edge of the adjacent roof. I prepare myself for the initial impact of the fall...but my sickle doesn't move. Yes! I pull myself up and use my feet to help climb and I get to the rooftop.

"Yes! Hell yeah!"

I use the fire escape to get myself back inside the main school building, I feel a lot safer in here than out there. I head back to the nurse's office. On the way...a locker catches my eye. Unlike the others, this one is plastered with blood. The name 'Logan' is written on a piece of white tape next to the combination lock.

"Logan... That guy from the tape. This must've been his locker." I memorize the combination from that slip of paper I found and I open the locker in seconds. Inside I find a few more folders...and another tape. "Sweet. One of these has gotta have the combination code."

I walk around the corner and back into the nurse's office, Lee and the others are waiting for me inside. "Guys, I found two more tapes. One of them is dated October tenth."

"That's the day after the first one we watched."

"Nice work," Lee pats my back.

"Put it in," Christa says. We surround the camcorder again and I put in the tape, in plays in seconds and Logan's deep raspy voice annoys my eardrums.

"Have you made a decision?"

"I thought you said I didn't have a choice."

"Well, technically, you do. You can terminate the pregnancy or leave Crawford. Of course, that would be a death sentence for both you and your child."

"Maybe that's best. I stayed up all night thinking about this. Why are we even trying to survive, to keep on living, if this is what it takes? If this is what it's turned us into..."

"I don't make the rules, Anna." Fuck you, we always have a choice.

"Doctor, I'm begging you. Please help me."

"Maybe one data, when things are different, you can try again. But for now, today, we have to do this," Logan goes over to the safe and puts in the combination. Three, seven, nine, two. Alright, we got the- Anna runs across the camcorder's view, grabs a scalpel from a table...and stabs Logan in the side, twisting the medical tool. "AUGH!" Anna takes the gun from his side and runs out of the office. "No...no...no..." Logan falls to the floor and out of view as gunshots can be heard in the background of the video. The last second of the video is Logan's hand coming up to the camcorder lens.

"I think I know what happened to Crawford.'

"Jesus, Mary, and Joseph..."

"What's more important is that we got the combination." More like I did, but whatever, old man.

"Christa?" I watch as the colored woman goes to the corner of the room and begins to sob. God...she must've put herself in that poor woman's shoes.

"I'm fine...I'm fine."

"Well, good riddance, I say," Lee states. "The system these bastards cooked up to protect themselves wound up destroying them."

I nod. "Sick fucks had it coming."

"Can't say I'll shed too many tears over it," Vernon added before he went to the safe and input the code, it's opened in seconds. "We're in business," Vernon starts packing the duffel bag I brought. "Antibiotics, morphine...we'll take as much of this as we can carry. This is more than enough for you're people and mine. Let's go."

"I found a third tape in a locker out in the hall, I'm gonna check it and see if there's anything worth knowing."

"We got the meds for Omid, that's all I care about."

"We'll head back to the classroom, don't take too long."

"Be careful, Elijah," Lee adds before he leaves with Vernon and Christa.

Once I'm alone in the room, I put in the third tape and it begins playing. It starts with Logan...zipping up his pants. What the fuck? He moves out of the way of the camcorder...and Molly is in the room with him, buttoning up her jacket. Hijo de puta...

"Listen. As much fun as this was, I have to put a stop to this little arrangement. This is the last I can give you." Logan hands Molly a bottle of...Insulin?

"Why?!"

"Oberson had someone down here yesterday taking inventory, he's really cracking down. I just can't risk it."

"We had a deal!"

"Yes, we had a deal. We don't anymore."

"My sister needs this medicine. Without it, she'll die. Or she'll start showing symptoms and they'll take her away! I can't let that happen."

"I'm sorry, Molly. I've done all I can. but I have to look out for myself."

Molly scoffs. "Yeah, that's the Crawford way, isn't it?" She leaves, purposefully bumping into logan on her way out and the video ends.

"Jesus..." I knew I had my suspicions, but I never imagined she had to go through something like that. I leave the nurse's office and I head back to the classroom. That sick fucker...glad he got what was coming-

THUMP!

"Cono!" I turn around at the sudden noise behind me, seeing Molly had jumped down from the hole in the roof. "You scared the hell outa me. Where the hell have you been?"

"Sightseeing." She shrugs.

"...You still got the battery, right?"

"Oh...yeah, about that..."

"Molly..." I cross my arms.

"I'm just messin' with you, man," Molly takes the battery out of her backpack and holds it out to me. "Here ya go."

I take the battery from her and put it in my backpack. When I sling it over my shoulder, I see Molly holding something in her right hand. "What's that?"

"Nothing," She tries hiding it from me.

"You can stop with the act, Molly," I decide to confront her now. "I know you're from Crawford."

"What? Who told you that?"

"No one, but I found...a medical tape that showed me..." I shake my head at the reminder of what I watched. "But you lied to me, to us."

"Look, I said there were stories about Crawford, I never said that's how I knew about it. I never lied to you. And even if I did, so what?"

"You saved my life, Molly. Not just mine but Lee's, Kenny's, and Clementine's. Do you think you at least owe me the truth?"

"...Are we really gonna do this now?"

"Yes."

"..." Molly sighs, seeing that I won't budge about this. "I used to live here with my sister. She was fourteen years old. When the dead started walking and Crawford shut itself in, it seemed like a pretty good deal at first. We were safe, we had everything we needed to survive. Then the rules started coming down. No one who couldn't justify their place, earn their keep. No one who required special care. My sister was diabetic, and by Crawford's rules, that made her a liability. I kept it a secret. Kept her safe for as long as I could..." Molly's voice begins to break and tears form in the corner of her blue eyes.

"Molly..."

"But in the end, I couldn't protect her. That's when I got out. Crawford, they always talked about how their system worked, how anything was better than becoming "one of them". But I saw what they'd already become. I just wished I could have seen it before it was too late. Before they came and took my sister away," She took a second to wipe her eyes and calm herself down. "This is all I have left of her," She showed me what she had in her hand, a picture of a young woman with short brown hair smiling. "I didn't have time to take it before I got out of Crawford. I just...wanted it, okay?"

"It's okay, I understand. What's her name?"

"...Hilda."

"..." She named her weapon after her... "I know it's probably not any consolation, but...I know what it's like to lose someone you hold dear."

"...Who did you have?"

"...You know how you asked about my beanie and this pendant I wear around my neck?" Molly nods at me...as I feel my heart twist at the thought of who they remind me of. "The beanie belonged to my mom, I...I lost her when this whole thing started. She was bitten by a patient during her shift, got sick the next morning, and when I came back from class...she tried to eat me."

"Damn, I'm...really sorry, Elijah."

"The pendant," I hold it between my fingers, rubbing my thumb against the floral pattern. "It belonged to my best friend. We were together since day one of the outbreak, we thought we could make it out of this together..."

"What...happened to her?" Molly hesitantly asked me

"...She was shot by a fucking cannibal."

"Holy shit..."

"She died in my arms, telling me that she loved me...and to not forget her. That's why I wear them, and that's also why I keep taking photos. Someone has to remember what this thing is doing to us. I know it's not ideal, but I don't care what anyone says. I'm capturing every moment of what this world is turning into."

"..." what Molly did next, I didn't expect. Instead of a snarky comment of just silence, she hugs me. "I'm...not good at this kinda thing, but I'm really sorry, Elijah."

"..." I allow myself to return her hug, and I wrap my arms around her shoulders. "...Thanks."

GONG! GONG!

"What the hell?" Molly beaks our hug and looks around at the sound of a bell.

"I think that's our queue to get the fuck out of here." Molly and I ran back in the direction of the classroom, we were just about to turn the corner when Ben jumped out at us with a weapon raised over his shoulder. "Cono!"

"Jesus!"

He stops as he sees that it's us. "Sorry, sorry. I just got spooked by those bells, and then I heard someone coming."

"Calm down, what the fuck are you doing out here?"

"Kenny and I still can't get the door open to the armory. He sent me to look for something we can use to bust it open," Ben showed me the weapon he was holding. "I found this."

"..." I immediately recognized it and my eyes widened, it was Lee's hatchet. "Uh, Ben...where did you get that?"

"I just found it. It was stuck in the door handle at the end of the hallway back there."

"Oh, shit!"

As if it was on queue, Walkers busted through the glass doors and started putting into the hallway. I pull out my pistol and Molly swings her ice pick into one of the Walkers. She then swings Hilda up into another walker's chin, killing it. I try to shoot but I don't want to hit her, Molly tries killing another but it grabs her arm and she tries to wrestle away from it.

"Elijah! Shoot this fucker!" She called me. Damn it, I can't get-

BANG!

The walker falls dead to the floor and Molly runs over to me, smiling gratefully. "Thanks!"

"...That wasn't me."

I looked behind me, Clementine was holding the revolver Lee gave her. "Good going kid," Molly said to her. "nice shot!"

"Thanks!"

"Holy shit..." I mutter. She's already better than I hoped. I take her hand and we all run back to the classroom. Once we're inside, Brie holds the door behind us.

"What the fuck is goin' on?!" Kenny yelled.

"They're coming!"

"Oh, shit..."

"How the fuck do we get outa here?!" Brie shouts from the door.

"Through the armory if we can just get this damn door open!" Kenny tries to break the door down with his shoulder, Ben hands Lee back his hatchet, he immediately recognizes it and snatches it from Ben angrily. "Come on, damn you!"

"This is my fault, all my fault..."

"What the hell's he babbling about?" Christa questioned.

"Ben, shut up!" I order him.

"No, I want to know what he meant. What do you mean, 'this is your fault'?"

"Kenny, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry, man..." Shit, he isn't gonna...

"Kid, this ain't the best time! Whatever you did, save it for later!"

"Ben, for the love of God, shit the fuck up!"

"We don't have time for this now, Ben!" Lee added.

"I'm sorry, guys. I can't do this anymore. He's got a right to know."

"Know what?" Christa asked getting more angry.

"It's been me all along, putting all of us in danger! Katjaa and Duck, it was me! It was all me!"

Kenny finally breaks the armory door open...but he turns back to Ben. "Wait a minute, what are you saying?"

"It was me who made the deal with the bandits at the motor inn, slipping them supplies! I thought maybe I could keep them off our backs! When it got discovered, that's when they attacked. That's when Duck..."

"..." I didn't need a second glance to see the murderous intent in his eyes, and as much as I think he should...we don't have time for this. Kenny lunges at Ben but me and Lee hold him back, fighting our grip.

"Kenny! Calm the fuck down!"

"We don't have time for this!" Lee adds. "We need to get the fuck out of here!"

"You little pissant! You are fucking dead, you hear me?! My wife and child...you got 'em both FUCKING KILLED!"

"Kenny, I said calm the fuck down!" He stops struggling in our grip and we release him... but he still has something to say.

"If this asshole thinks he's getting on my boat after what he did, he's out of his motherfucking mind!" Kenny shoves Ben. "You hear me, shitbrd?! You can stay here and fucking...ROT!"

"We don't have time for this!" I shout. "We'll deal with it later!"

"Kenny, I know you're upset, I understand, but you don't get to make a decision like that on your own. We're all in this together. We're a group!"

"Sure! Take a vote! This is America, fuck it! But before you all decide, there's something you oughta know. The boat's not big enough for all of us! Somebody's gotta get left behind! Might as well be this piece of shit right here!"

"Well, I vote we leave him," Christa voices her opinion. "I'm sorry, Ben. I know you mean well, but all I want to do is get back to Omid. And you put that at risk." I'm sure you're thinking about more than just Omid.

"Wait!" Clementine speaks up. "Don't I get a vote?"

"Of course you do."

"You're part of this group just as much as the rest of us,' I add.

"Ben's nice. He's my friend," Clementine scowls at all of us as she crosses her arms. "We don't leave friends behind. That's my vote!"

"...On second thought, I think I'm gonna abstain. Lee? Elijah?"

"I've seen enough of Crawford to know that becoming like them is the beginning of the end. I vote Ben stays with us."

"I'm with you," I add. "We can't keep turning on each other." I see Clem smile at me and Lee out of the corner of my eye.

"What about the rest of us?" Bries asks. "don't we get a say in-"

CRASH!

"AAHH!" Brie screamed as a Walker broke through the window of the door and grabbed Brie, biting into her arm. "AAAUUUGH!" Another walker shows up...and tears her intestines out with its hands.

"BRIE!"

"Now can we go?!"

"Damn right!" I nod at Molly.

"Vernon, come on!"

We all run into the armory...and it's not exactly what I hoped. It looks like they made it from the bell tower, there are a few lockers inside. Hopefully, we can find some... "No...fucking...way..."

I can't even believe what I was holding in my hands, a forty-four caliber...Desert Eagle. I had only ever seen these on television or in my old video games, but I never held a real one in my hands. It's a helluva lot bigger than I thought, but man does it feel fucking awesome. Oh, you are coming with me! I slip my new pistol into my bag and I find a few extra rounds for my 1911 but that's the only other thing in the locker.

"So much for the armory," I hear Lee say.

"What's left of it..." Kenny added.

"A few rounds, that's it."

Lee tries to close the door behind us...but it won't stay closed. "You didn't close that door behind us?"

"I couldn't, the lock was busted!"

"Great, just fucking great. Come on," Kenny starts heading down the stairs. "there's gotta be a way out down here!"

"Go! Go! Go!" I make sure I'm the last down the stairs as everyone goes on ahead. We get to the bottom and Lee opens a door...and there are countless Walkers on the other side.

"FUCK!

"CONO!"

Lee slams the door shut, but I imagine it won't hold for long. "That's not gonna hold! Back upstairs!"

The group heads back upstairs, Kenny walks over to a nearby corpse at the bottom of the stairs and picks up a shotgun from its cold dead hands. "Lee, look!" Kenny tosses him the shotgun and he aims it at the door.

I pull out my pistol as well. "I got your back!"

The walkers break the door down, Lee and I shoot as many as we can as we back up the stairs, and I kill at least five before I have to reload. Lee has shot over six. How many shells does that shotgun have?! We make it up back to where we first came into the armory...and walkers are cutting us off. I turn to shoot them but Christa has me covered from the stairs above us. I take out my sickle and holster my pistol as Lee and I continue up the stairs, he covers my back as I will take out the walkers in front of us. I slice through a few of them, I even kicked one off of the staircase before we finally reached the top of the tower. Clementine sees us, runs over to both me and Lee, and hugs us. We hug her back really quickly.

"It's alright, Clem. We're fine."

"No bites?"

I nod. "No bites."

"Not bad, Brown Eyes."

"Is there any way out of here?"

"This leads to the roof," Christa points to a nearby ladder going down outside. "we might be able to find a way down from there."

"You didn't come into town from the railroad," Vernon was leaning out of the tower, looking off into the distance. "did you?"

"Yeah," Kenny answered him. "why?"

"...Never mind! I can see the sewer where we came in from here. I think we can do this."

"Well, what are we waiting for? Go! Go!"

I watch as everyone heads down the ladder, Lee takes Clementine and the only ones left are me, Kenny, and Ben. I can hear the walkers below us getting closer. "Ben, come on!"

GONG! GONG!

I cover my ears at the sound of the bell next to us. That is so fucking loud! I look at the bell...and I see what was causing it to ring. A man had been hung from the clapper, causing him to become a walker. On his jacket, there was a nametag that said...'M. Crawford'. The walker grabs Ben and tries to bite him, I manage to shoot it in the head but the rope around his neck snaps and falls...and Ben breaks through the railing. Before he could fall, I grabbed his arm.

"Hang on, Ben! I got ya!" I try to pull him up but Ben doesn't even try to move at all. "Climb! You got this!"

"There's no time! You have to go, now!"

"Stop fucking around and come on!"

"Let go, damn it! Get Clem and the others out of here!"

"Elijah," I managed to look back at Kenny as he called my name, He's hanging from the ladder...and he nods at me, implying what I should do. Then he leaves.

"Elijah, we both know..." Ben loosens his grip but I continue to hold onto his wrist. "Let me go!"

"Shut..." I begin pulling harder, I feel like my arm is gonna pop out of its socket. "the fuck...UP!" I finally manage to pull Ben up to me, he begrudgingly climbs up and looks up at me.

"...Why?"

"Move your ass!" I practically pushed him to the ladder as the walkers reached the top of the stairs. I'm the last one out as a walker nearly came three inches away from my nose as I got onto the ladder.

Finally...now let's get the fuck out of this damn place!