ZZZTTT!

"Lee? Elijah?"

The radio crackles from Lee's belt, he grabs it and holds it up to his head. "Clementine, are you alright?! Where are you?!"

"Vernon, you son of a bitch!"

"...Hello, Lee. Hello, Elijah."

That voice... Oh, cono!

"Motherfucker..."

"Who is this?!"

"It's not Vernon if that's what you're thinking."

"I don't give a shit who it is!" I chime in. "Where the fuck is Clementine?!"

"You should really watch your tone, son. Clementine's fine. But if I were you...I'd choose my next words very carefully..."

"What do you want from us? Whatever it is, we'll do it and you can let her go."

"...I want you to never hurt anybody again. This isn't a kidnapping, boys."

"The hell it isn't!" I shout into the radio. "I swear to God when I find you, I'm gonna make sure you can never see the light of day again! You understand me?! You're a dead man!"

"...No I won't. There's an ocean of dead between you two and me and her, and if I can thank God for anything anymore. It's that!"

The radio cuts out. That son of a bitch... Lee puts the walkie-talkie back on his belt. "Just hold on, Clementine. We're coming for you."

"He better not fucking hurt her. I swear..."

"Don't worry, son. We'll get her back."

"Maybe he's not that bad."

Kenny scowled at Ben. "Don't get me fucking started on you and good intentions."

"Easy," Lee said.

Christa eyes down at Lee's arm, more specifically, his bite mark. "How's that feeling?"

Lee lifts up his arm but shakes his head. "I'm fine. Don't worry about it."

"It wasn't a full chomp..."

"No, it wasn't."

"We don't have much time." Christa was about to turn around to the sewer hole...but walkers are already starting to pile in.

"We're about to have a lot less!" Kenny closes the door and starts propping some nearby furniture in front of it. "We'll all make sure nothing gets in. You two are still the smartest fuckers outta all of us. Focus on finding another way out of here."

He didn't need to ask us twice. Lee and I begin searching around the morgue, only finding empty cupboards and shelves. Damn it! This place is picked clean. There are a few surgical tools but they won't do us any good now.

"Hey, Elijah," Lee calls me over to him, I see him looking at some tool he found in a cupboard. "Looks like some sort of car jack."

"That's a rib spreader, Lee," I correct him. "It's designed to separate ribs for surgery."

"Damn...I don't wanna imagine that."

"No shit, could be useful, though." I take it in my hands. "Come on, this is a morgue, so there's gotta be a way in and out of here." Lee and I head to the back area of the morgue, finding an elevator door. I try to open it with my bare hands but it barely opens. "Not gonna open that with my hands." I pull out the rib spreader and place it in between the doors.

"Elijah and I will have these doors open in two seconds!"

I get to cranking and the elevator door starts opening with ease, once it's open we can get the hell out of here. After a few more cranks, I see lee nodding his head...and his eyes are fluttering shut. "Lee?"

"...Ngh...Eli...jah..." He tries to lean against the wall...but he collapses on the floor.

"Lee! Guys! Get the hell over here!" I sling his arm over my shoulder and try to pick Lee off of the floor. The others see me and gasp at the sight of Lee's condition.

"Shit..."

"Fuck! Is he alive?"

"Yeah, he just...passed out."

"This is bad..."

"Fuck!"

"Help me move him!" Kenny takes Lee's other arm and helps me set him up on a table in the middle of the morgue. "Shit..."

"Is he...gonna turn?"

"NO!" I shout at Ben. "We don't know how far the infection has spread. He might still have time."

"So what do we do?"

"...I have an idea," Kenny looks at the rest of us, his breath seething through his teeth. "but y'all ain't gonna like it." I see where Kenny's looking to...right at a bone saw.

"You don't mean..."

"Elijah, don't snap at me now. But...what if we cut off his arm?"

"What?! I...I don't-"

"At least from a medical perspective. What do you think? Is there a chance, a chance that Lee can live if we cut it off?"

"..."

What Kenny's asking me...it's beyond my medical knowledge. Even if we were to cut off his arm, there's no guarantee that he wouldn't pass out and die from the blood loss. He would turn no matter what. No...take a breath. Think Elijah. I look back to the only bite victims I've ever encountered. Duck, that girl Irene...and my mom. When Duck and Mom were bitten, it took over an entire day for them to die from the sickness. Irene had spent a good time in that motel room before she had turned pale by the time we found her. Lee was bitten only over half an hour ago... I think there's a chance, it's slime, but it's there.

"...Hija de puta," I pinch the bridge of my nose and sigh. "...Yes. Yes, there's a chance."

Kenny nods and grabs the bone saw from off the table, I grab some tourniquet and roll up Lee's sleeves. I tie it as tightly as I can near his armpit. Fuck me, fuck me, fuck me! This is gonna be messy. Once I apply the tourniquet, I nod at Kenny.

"Ready?"

He nods back. "Yeah."

"Oh, god, I can't watch this..." Ben looked away.

"Okay..." Kenny sighed, I don't think he's sure about this either. I know I'm not, but there's a chance...and we have to take it. I can't lose Lee. "This has to be done... Sorry, pal, I gotta do it." Kenny pulls back on the saw...

"WHOA!"

"Stop! He's awake!" Christa shouted as Lee leaned up on the table.

"He's still bitten!"

"So?!"

"This is about saving him! At the very least, buy him some time!"

"Do we have to cut it off though?"

"Do we even know if it'll work?"

"In all honesty, Omid, we don't know jack shit," I answer him.

"Is there gonna be a lot of blood?"

"A shitload!" I say.

"...What if he dies?"

"Then the rest of us go after Clementine and get the hell out of Savannah."

"Damn right."

"Why are you talking like he's already dead?" I point at him. "He's right here, hearing all of this."

"No shit, I'm right here." Lee stands up in front of us.

"...Sorry."

"And it's not our call anymore," I add.

"You're right, it's not."

"...Look, Lee," I look straight into his eyes. "If we cut it off, and if you don't die from blood loss, and if we're not too late, there's a slim chance you won't die from the bite."

"..."

"What do you think?"

"..." Lee looks down at his arm, grimacing. "Fuck it. Cut it off.

"..." This is going to hurt...

"Seriously?"

"...Yeah," Lee turns and leans on the table, holding out his bitten arm. "Fuck this... Fuck. Just gotta do it. Goddamn."

Kenny, Christa, and I looked at the bone saw on the ground, Kenny dropped it as Lee woke up. "...It was easier when I thought he was out." He looks at me...

"...Oh, fuck me. Fine."

I reluctantly pick it up, it shakes in my hand. Lord, give me strength. I go over to Lee, saw in hand and uncertainty in my head...but fire in my heart. I placed the saw above where I remember the placement of where the radius and ulna bones connect to the humerus bone. Just go fast and efficiently...

"I'm gonna go as fast as I can, alright?" I look at him directly in the eyes and he nods.

"If I don't live through this, I need you to know you'll- AAAAAUUUUUUGGGGHH!" I didn't even let Lee finish his sentence before I began cutting into his arm. "AAAAUUUUGGGHH!" Lee wriggles around in pain.

"Lee! Stay still! Fuck! Fuck!" I can feel the saw cutting into his bone as I hear Lee's blood dripping on the floor. "I'm halfway there, man! Just hang on!"

"OH, GOD!"

"I know! Just a little bit longer!" I continue sawing, I can't stop now.

"AAAAAAUUUUUUUGGGGHHH!"

Lee's arm falls to the ground and he passes out. "Jesus, Mary, and Joseph... Guys, help me get 'em on the table!" Christa and Kenny help me get Lee up and I tighten the tourniquet around his arm.

"HUUUAGH!"

"Jesus, dude!"

Ben wipes his mouth. "Sorry, sorry..."

Lee's bleeding slows down and Kenny starts taking a few bullets out of his gun. Cauterizing the wound isn't exactly practical, but we don't have the proper meds with us right now. It takes us a while, but Lee's arm is bandaged up. I look at the severed hand on the floor...and I grab Lee's watch from the wrist, I don't want to leave it behind.

"...What do we do now?"

I sigh. "Now...we wait."

It took not as long as I thought, Kenny and I managed to get the elevator door open as we waited for Lee to wake up. After what felt like hours, Lee slowly woke up and I helped him to his feet. "Ugh..fuck..." When he stands, he looks down at his amputated arm, his eyes widening at the absence of his lower left arm. "Ugh... Holy Shit."

"Holy hell," Kenny kept him steady from falling. "we thought we lost you. You been out a while, man."

"...How do you feel?"

"My arm is on fire... I can still feel my fingers. Holy hell..." Lee groaned. "This hurts more than you can believe."

"Do you think you'll be able to travel?" asked Christa. "You lost some blood but Elijah and Kenny did as best they could."

"Yeah," Lee nods. "I'll be alright...I hope."

"Good. The elevator's open. Let's go." We all head inside the elevator shaft, finding an emergency ladder on the side.

"I'll bring up the rear," Lee says. "I don't wanna bleed on anyone."

"It ain't exactly a handicap ramp," Kenny remarked.

"No, it isn't."

"We're going to have to go as quiet as possible and see if we can make it to an empty floor or even the roof. You think it's possible for you?"

"Yeah. Get goin'." Kenny's the first up the ladder, followed by Ben, then Omid and Christa, then me, and Lee follows behind me. We climb up the elevator shaft, I hear Lee groaning underneath me.

"You try climbing with one arm."

Me and my fucking mouth. "You alright, Lee?"

"It's no big deal," He responds. "Another arm would just get in the way."

"Jesus Christ, Lee," Christa exclaimed.

BAM!

I look back to the sound of pounding coming from underneath us, the walkers must've gotten in the morgue. I'm glad we're on this ladder and not back down there. I shrug off the rising chill in my spine and keep going up the ladder, but when I look up...

"Look out!" I call out as I see a walker falling from the top of the ladder, it misses all of us and it collapses onto the ground below.

"Shit!"

"Oh, man, oh, jeez..."

"Shut the fuck up, Ben."

"Everyone okay up there?"

"I think I just peed myself."

"So, yes, then?" Lee got his answer. I'd laugh, but I'm too focused on my main priority right now; Finding Clementine.

We continue climbing, we pass by a few open elevator doors on each floor...and I can hear moaning coming from inside. I lean a little from the ladder and I see... "Jesus, Mary, and Joseph." They're already filling the buildings?

"Keep going."

"...Right." I heed Lee's words and we finally make it to the top of the ladder. I help Lee up and we find ourselves on the roof of a hospital, the morning sun blinding me. I take a look around, finding a few spilled buckets of white paint and a knocked-over ladder. It looks like someone was trying to paint the words, 'NO HELP' on the brick wall. We all head to the edge of the roof, looking down to the street...only to find that they're filled with walkers.

"Remember when Savannah was empty?"

"Yeah," I answer Kenny. "It was a fucking ghost town yesterday."

"There must be thousands of them..."

"Did they follow us here?"

"It sure seems like it."

"That's crazy," Christa exclaims. "they can't track, they just...roam."

"Is it? That fucking train wasn't exactly discreet."

"No shit," I add. "we all saw that herd."

"Well, what do we do now?"

"Clementine's out there," Lee looks out into the city. "somewhere...gobbled up in all of that."

"We'll get her back, Lee," I pat him on his back. "We'll get her."

"He's right," Christa backs me up. "We'll do whatever we have to."

"Look, let's get our bearings and see if we can figure out a way across town. Good?" Kenny looks to the rest of us, seeing no argument being made to his suggestion. "Good."

"I, uh...don't think we can ignore what just happened to Lee," Omid speaks up with concern. "He lost a lot of blood down there."

"He'll be fine," I say...though I'm not sure of that myself.

"Still, If you see yourself getting woozy, or...you know; if it didn't work, just...take it easy."

"It wasn't my favorite hand anyway."

"Really? Without ol' lefty, I'd be done for."

Omid's joke actually managed to get a light chuckle out of me...but not out of Christa. "Shut up, Omid. Now what?"

"We get down and we find a little girl out there," Kenny answered her before he looked at me and Lee. "Right, boys?" We nod in response. "Let's get our bearings."

So far, the only way down to the street is by the fire escape. Now if only half the population of Georgia wasn't down there to eat us alive. We could make a lot of noise on the other side of the building but we didn't want to waste the bullets, I left my duffel bag back at the house and I only have a few rounds left in my 1911. The Desert Eagle in my backpack has only three or four bullets and I don't want to waste it just yet. I look over the edge of the roof, seeing the dead walking through the streets. Now this is the reason we call 'em Walkers, Molly. Not...

"My sister...she was kinda a photography nerd too before...all of this. I think she would want someone to put them to good use, and I wouldn't know what to do with them. She always took better pictures than I ever could."

"Molly..."

"Don't get all mushy on me now, brown eyes. You better promise me to get as many good pictures before you kick the bucket too."

"..." I might as well put it to good use now, I'll keep that promise, Molly...wherever you are.

CLICK!

Wow, Hilda had good taste in cameras, this new one fits like a glove. Thank you, Molly.

"You're still taking pictures?" Ben looks over at me. "I thought you would've ran out by now."

"Same here, but I guess God decided that I still have a lot more moments to capture. You still wanna die?"

"Huh?"

"Back in Crawford, you wanted me to drop you, let you die. Do you still want that?"

"...I'm more afraid of getting someone else killed."

"That's considered normal these days," I sigh. "but I'll make sure that ain't gonna happen."

"...Including me?"

I sigh again. "Look, Ben, you're not a bad kid, you just make stupid decisions. This world doesn't give second chances no more, and you've been given more than that. So you either gotta grow up, or you die."

"I know, I know...I'm gonna try."

"Then that's all that matters, just don't get anybody else killed."

"...Elijah?" I tilt my head. "In any case...those things down there get a hold of me...and I know I'm not getting out of it...that's it, man. I'm just gonna...punch my own ticket."

"'Punch your own ticket'?"

"Yeah...take myself out."

"Don't talk like that, we're making out of this city. We'll get Clementine back and get the fuck out of Savannah, out of Atlanta even."

"..."

I leave Ben alone and go check on Kenny who's checking out the fire escape, Lee joins me. "Hey, Kenny."

"Hey, son, Lee." he nods.

"That looks like Crawford square over there," Lee pointed out.

"Fuck that place. Did fix our boat, though. We get Clementine and get right back..."

"Make sure she wears a life jacket, okay?" Lee gave Kenny a simple request. "Something tells me she's not gonna want to."

I chuckle. "probably not, but she can swim though. You see anything out there, Kenny?"

He shook his head at me. "Nah. I'm just, uh...taking a minute, actually..." Kenny looks at the two of us, he looks like he has something to say but he just shakes his head. "I'm sorry; I know I shouldn't."

"Just...everything," Kenny rubbed his face as he groaned. "Ah, fuck... You know."

Lee nods. "I do."

"Yeah."

"...I can' thank y'all enough for what y'all've done for me in the past few days. Elijah, I don't know how I'd be if you hadn't.."

I shake my head. "Don't dwell on it, Kenny."

"I look at we are, right now, and I can't imagine Kat and Duck in all this mess."

"Ken..."

"No. I'm sorry. We're in a fucking hurry to get off this roof; it's not the time. I'm sorry, boys, I'm okay."

"..." He says so, but I know that's not true. Still, we leave Kenny alone, and Lee and I go check on Omid. He's currently looking up at a bell tower next to the hospital. "Hey, Omid."

"Yo."

"What's up over here?"

Omid smirks at Lee. "Bell tower. That's what's up."

"Hm. Yeah, that could help."

"Hell yeah," We obviously can't jump over to it. First off, it's taller than the roof we're currently on. Second, it's a five-story drop to the alleyway below. Even of the fall doesn't kill us, we'll just be eaten. "How's the leg?" I decide to think about something else momentarily.

"It's doing a lot better. Thanks for going to Crawford for me, even if it wasn't entirely for me. Clementine, too. She's tough as hell."

"Isn't she?"

"Yeah," Omid nodded. "Don't you guys worry more than you should about her, okay?"

"That's practically our job."

"Yeah," Lee added. "We'll see if we can make it out to that bell tower."

"Okay, be careful, though;" Omid says to Lee. "I don't want you going any sooner than you have to."

"Thanks," Lee and I leave Omid alone, making our way over to the spilled paint buckets and collapse ladder. "Looks like this is our only option."

"I got it," I say before Lee can even try to pick it up. I hoist it over my shoulder and bring it over to the edge of the roof, Omid and I extend it and carefully place it over the gap between the hospital roof and the bell tower. "Just a perfect fit."

"Yeah."

The others gather around, Christa sees the bell tower and gets an idea of what we're planning. "The bells..."

"Yeah," Lee says. "could buy us some time. Draw as many as we can this way, get dow off the roof on the opposite side, and bust our asses getting back to the mansion."

"You think you should be the one to go?" Kenny looks at Omid.

"My leg's feeling better, let me do it."

"I'll do it," Ben speaks up.

"Yeah, Ben'll do it."

"That won't be necessary. If we have to decide who takes a risk like this, it should be one of us with the least to lose," I look to the rest. "I mean, what's the worst that can happen, I get bitten too?" Everyone goes silent from my words. "So we're all in agreement, then."

"Elijah..."

"Ain't no time to argue, Lee. I'm going," I step on the edge of the roof...instantly regretting my decision as I see how high we really are. Fuck my life, man, just fuck it. I lean down and grab onto the ladder, my legs are slightly shaking but I keep calm.

"Why the hell are we always letting the boy do all the hard work?"

"Cause the 'boy insisted," I answer Kenny's question. "Now shut up about it."

"That thing looks pretty rickety."

"Maybe keep that to yourself, Ken?"

"...Sorry."

I ignored them as I continued climbing the ladder across the gap. Careful now, one step at a time. That's it, you're gonna make it, yeah!

SNAP!

ME AND MY FUCKING MOUTH!

As soon as I made it to the extension part of the ladder, it began to break and slowly retract. "Oh, shit!" I jump from my position and grab onto the edge of the bell tower. "FUCK! FUCK! FUCK!" I hear the others call out to me as I try to pull myself up, I eventually do and I just lie on my back and gasp for air. "...Hijo de puta."

"Holy shit, dude!"

"Are you okay?!"

I stand back on my feet and dust myself off. "Yeah, I'm fine!"

"You think there's another way out of there?"

"I'll check!" I look around, seeing the rope to ring the bell above me and a small hatch door on the wooden floor. I pull on it and it's fucking locked. Great, just my luck. I decide to not dwell on it for too long and just grab onto the rope. "Here goes nothing..."

GONG! GONG! GONG! GONG! GONG! GONG!

"They're coming this way!"

"Tons of them! Jesus!" I stop ringing the bell after I hear Omid and Christa's calls. "Now get the hell over here, dude!"

"..." I. Fucking. Hate. Heights! "I have to jump! The only way down over here is locked!"

"WHAT?!"

"It's the only way!"

"You can make it, son! It ain't that far!"

"...You got this," I try to hype myself up and ignore my pounding heart. "You got this, mother fucker!" I look over the edge, taking a few exasperated breaths before I calm myself down. I step all the way back to the other side of the bell tower, I'm gonna need a good fucking jump for this. "Fuck it..." I sprint at full speed to the edge and leap across the alleyway, my arms reach out for the edge...and I manage to grab a hold.

"Kenny and Lee pull me up and I get back on my feet. "Good goddamn leap, son!"

"You alright?"

"If I ever have to do something like that again...it'll be too soon."

"You said it, now let's get the hell off this roof!"

Just hold on, Clementine. We're coming for you.