Chapter 6: What it means to be Hungry.

Murky eyes rolled nearly up to the skull, gazed up on both Arthur and Lee. Danny St. John was dead, and Arthur had put the crossbow bolt right through his forehead. "Clean shot." Arthur snorted out a laugh, grabbing onto the bolt he yanked it out from Danny's forehead. Blood continuing to splatter onto his agape face. Lee however, was absolutely shocked at Arthur's attitude. "What the hell… Did Danny just try and…" Lee had noticed Danny going for his rifle, but it all happened so fast he still sounded unsure of himself in disbelief.

"Yep." Arthur simply replied as he grabbed Danny's rifle. Danny had indeed tried to raise his rifle and kill Arthur, as Arthur had caught onto his scheme. "Bastards were hiding something from us. That woman knew too much… that's why Dan killed her." Arthur gazed over at Jolene's dead body.

"A-Are you sure? I mean, she was rambling about a lot of crazy stuff… How can you be so sure she was telling the truth?" Lee lacked something crucial Arthur had, Arthur knew how criminals think. And Dan was clearly guilty of something.

"I've met a lot of bad people Lee… they always get jumpy when they think they are about to get caught. Besides, Danny tried to kill me, so I killed him. Either way, I am right that we can't trust the St. John's. I knew something about that dairy didn't feel right. They claim we'll have a feast… A feast of what? Bread? Cheese? They are a dairy, not a ranch. And they only have one cow. And I know for a fact, there is little to no game to hunt out in these woods." As Arthur says this, Lee widens his eyes and groans.

"Aw, please don't tell me what I think you're saying." Lee winched with a look of disgust on his face.

Arthur just shrugs. "I've seen crazier things… Once I was tricked and drugged by these pig farmers… but that's another story. But yeah, that woman tried to warn us, so Danny killed her before she could spill his little secret. Luckily this works out for us." Arthur notes as he looks at the two bodies.

"How do you mean?" Lee asks a little confused.

"Like I told Danny, rifles are loud. We're not that far away from the dairy. And we've probably attracted a few walkers towards us, or worse, bandits. But odds are people at the dairy heard the shot Danny took. Which means, we have our story ready." Arthur says while looking at Lee's rifle. "Danny and us, walked into this supposed bandit camp. Found a few things, and a crazy woman walked in, and shot Danny in the head with her crossbow. And then you, shot her with your rifle." Arthur pointed out, as Lee and Danny's rifles were identical. "It will buy us time with the St. John's until we find out what is really going on. Dinner might get cancelled, but hey… at this point I wouldn't want to eat anything they offer."

Lee looks a little amazed, amazed at how efficient Arthur was in creating such a story. And the calmness about him as he went down to pick up Danny's body and throwing it over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. "Arthur… this isn't the first time you've killed a man, is it?" At Lee's question, Arthur goes quiet.

"… No, it's not." Arthur knew he could trust Lee, besides Arthur wasn't one to shy away from his sins. Not anymore.

"… Were they bad people too?"

"Sometimes." Arthur's reply was chilling, and had Lee look down to his feet where a puddle of Danny's blood was reaching out for his boot. "I've done a lot of things I ain't proud of Lee… Let's just leave it at that. You understand, right?"

"Yeah man, yeah I do…" Lee somberly nodded, as he wasn't free of sin himself. But he knew he trusted Arthur with his and Clementine's life right now, and that was enough for Lee. "I didn't mean to bring up any bad memories man…"

"… Remember those two mentors I told you about?" Arthur mentioned, turning around to look Lee in the eye. "They were crooks, Lee. We did bad things. Robbed a lot of rich folk, gave some to the poor every now and then. But in the end… we were nothing more than thieves. One of my mentors… Dutch, he preached about a free America. Heh, he preached a whole lot of nonsense. He taught me how to read, shoot a gun, he raised me… My other mentor, Hosea… he was a conman, taught me how to fish, hunt. They both raised me… they were my father figures growing up. I stuck around with them for more than 20 years. I've done a lot of bad things in life… convinced myself it was all for my gang. But then… I one day woke up, I guess." Arthur felt a lump in his throat at remembering his lost friends and family, shaking his head he lightly chuckled to himself. "Ah, long time ago now… Hosea, he once said a thing that stuck with me. He told me there were good people in our gang. Good and bad. But… that the sad thing was, that good people do bad things. Point is Lee, even though I think I am far away from a good man… I think you are a good man."

"… Eh, sounds like you didn't have it easy. But Arthur, for what it's worth, I think you are a good man. Or, at the very least not a bad one." Arthur cracked a smile and shook his head.

"Argh, enough sentimental stuff, alright? Now pick that woman's body up and let's go." Arthur groaned awkwardly, he didn't much like being called a good man. But this time, he would allow it.

"… Man, good or bad, sometimes you scare me with how calm you are about these things." Lee went down to pick up Jolene's body, carrying her in his arms.

"You should be." Arthur shrugs with a light humorous chuckle as they walk away from the campsite carrying the two bodies with them.

They walked back to the dairy farm, and as the two of them walked over the hill and came into view for everyone else. People got worried, especially as the two people walking in appeared to be carrying bodies of two others. The sight had Kenny and Lilly quickly up on their feet, and sprinting towards the gate to see what had happened.

"Oh my! Andrew! Get down here!" Brenda St. Johns called from the porch of the house where she was sitting talking to Larry. And attending to his mother's call, Andy came sprinting out the front door. Drying his hands with a white cloth from the looks of it, that he quickly stuffed in his pockets afterwards. "Shit! What happened?"

The St. Johns gasped as once Arthur and Lee entered the gate, they noticed Arthur carrying Dan over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Arthur and Lee paused, as Arthur threw down Dan's body, revealing Dan's bloodied face with the punctured hole of an arrow through his skull. Lee then dropped the body of a woman, who had been shot right through the forehead.

"D-Danny…" Brenda pushed Larry and Andy aside as she went on all fours crawling towards her dead son. "My boy! My little boy! What happened?!" Brenda shouted through hysterical cries of anguish at the death of her son.

"Danny… Shit! Arthur! Lee! What did you do?!" Andy grew visibly agitated and instantly threw the blame on them. Well, he was right as Arthur did kill him. But Arthur put on his best mourning face, and titled his head down to look at the dead woman. "She ambushed us in the woods. She got Danny. Lee got her." Arthur swiftly explained, holding out the crossbow he took from the woman as proof. "I was checking the tent in the campsite, and before I even got out Danny was dead."

Andrew looked at the woman's body, and rage overcame him as he kicked the dead body several times to vent out his aggression. "Fuck! Fuck! Shit! Fucking bitch! She with those bandit fuckers?! If so! We gotta get them back for this!"

"Don't know. She rambled a lot of crazy stuff after she shot Danny… Didn't really think of listening more to her, so I shot her…" Turns out Lee was pretty good at lying as well.

"She has the Save-Lots uniform on. She's with them!" Brenda hissed with venom in her voice, and spat on the woman's body. Before weeping over her dead son again. "I'm sorry ya'll… dinner will be pushed back for a bit." She sniffled and cradled Danny's dead body in her arms.

"Of course…" Larry of all people put a comforting hand on Brenda's shoulder. "Here, let me help you guys dig a grave for the kid."

"Oh, thank you Larry. You sweet man." Brenda looked in appreciation, as Andy and Larry together lifted Danny's body and carried him away.

"What about her? Just toss her out?" Arthur asked as he lightly kicked Jolene's body.

"Burn her for all I care!" Brenda hissed in anger and stormed after Larry and Andy carrying Dan's body.

"Jesus, what the hell happened out there?" With the St. Johns out of listening range, Kenny began asking questions as he and Lilly stuck around.

"Danny tried to kill us." Arthur whispered back, and both Kenny and Lilly's faces dropped. "Danny killed this woman before she could spill the secrets of this dairy. Tried to kill me too, so I killed him." Lee nodded to confirm Arthur's story.

"Shit…I told you! I told you we weren't safe here!" Lilly scolded them in a hushed whisper.

"Now hang on. Now we know something really is up. And Arthur and Lee's story has bought us a little time. We figure out what. And then, we take this place over." Kenny suggested, this place was a whole lot nicer than the motor inn.

"Nah, wouldn't be that good of an idea. Bandits already know about this dairy. The perimeter is too wide, too hard for all of us to defend. Even with that electric fence, I say we get Mark, cut our looses and move on." Arthur did agree that the property looked nice, but at the same time the area was too hot for trouble from them bandits. Didn't seem like the best place to make camp. "Besides… I think I might have an idea what the St. John's are up to. But I ain't quite sure just yet."

"Well, don't keep us in suspense, what is it?" Kenny sounded eager to find out.

"You don't want to know man." Lee on the other hand having heard the theory already, shook his head.

"They claim we'll have a feast. Where do they get their meat? They have one cow. And I know for a fact, that there is little to no game out in these woods." Arthur filled them in on his theory, and already Lilly and Kenny both looked disturbed.

"Please don't tell me what I think you're saying…" Lilly sounded sick to her stomach.

"Hey, I've seen a lot of crazy folks out there. Ain't that farfetched that someone would give in to hunger that easily. Plus, I also noticed, that they said they used to have a lot of farmhands that died to walkers. Well, I get the feeling the last ones didn't get eaten by dead people." Arthur's morbid theory started to hold some truth to it, which only further disturbed them. But Kenny was quick to act.

"Then I will get my family the hell out of here. Or kill the rest of these sick bastards."

"Where are Katjaa and the kids?" Lee asked.

"In the barn, looking at the pregnant cow they got in there. You know what, speaking off, there was a door in the barn. That Andy guy was really quick to close it up as we walked in. Think whatever they are hiding might be in there." Kenny suggested, as now would be the perfect time to check it out. With Andy and Brenda both being busy burying Danny's body.

"Alright, let's go take a look. Lilly, you stay as a lookout. Come one." Arthur said as they all moved towards the barn. Once they entered, the kids were quick to greet them.

"You are back!" Clementine greeted both Arthur and Lee, giving them a quick cow. "Look, a cow… isn't she pretty?"

"Yeah, dad. Mom says she can give birth any day now!" Duck sounded exited as he gently patted the cow.

"That's nice son. How you doin' Kat?" Kenny checked on his wife really quick.

"Oh, doing fine. I think she will pull through." Katjaa lightheartedly smiled as she patted the cow. "But what was all that shouting going on outside?"

"Just… ran into some trouble at the bandit camp. Keep the kids close, okay?" Arthur didn't want to cause panic, so he told Katjaa as subtly as he could that they might be in trouble. And she seemed to get the message.

"Whoa…" Lee then nearly stumbled and fell, as he walked into a giant brick on the ground. "What is that?"

"It's a salt lick." Duck pointed out.

"Yeah, don't lick it, it's gross." Clementine and Duck shared a little chuckle.

Lee on the other hand, looked at Clementine with a raised brow. "Did you lick it?" What followed was one of the funniest moments Arthur had experienced in a long time. Clementine stared at them with wide eyes as she quietly mumbled. "I don't know…"

Arthur held back a chuckle. "Well, have fun. And stick close to Katjaa, alright?" Arthur instructed, and Clementine gave a small nod. Though she looked slightly embarrassed. "Atta girl." Arthur ruffled her hair a little.

"Oh, that reminds me." Lee reached into his pocket, and brought out Clementine's hat that they found in Jolene's campsite.

"My hat! You found it! I knew you would find it! You said you would!" Clementine looked as happy as she could be, as she put her hat on with a big smile on her face.

"Listen Clem, did you give your hat to anyone?" Lee whispered to her, and the smile vanished and turned into a look of confusion. "Did you see anyone strange around the motor inn?"

"No." Clementine shook her head.

"Alright, just checking." Lee smiled warmly at her, and gently patted her shoulders.

"Arthur, Lee, come on let's check this door." Kenny guided them to the back of the barn, where there was a giant door with a lock on it. "Hey Lee, you know how to pick locks, right?"

"No, why would you ask me that?" Lee stood up straight, looking at Kenny with a somewhat confused and slightly offended look.

"Well… you are… you know… urban." Kenny innocently mumbled to which Lee shook his head in disappointment.

"Oh, you better not be saying what I think you saying."

"Shit man, I'm from Florida. Sometimes shit just comes out of my mouth."

"I can do it." Arthur lightly chuckled at their bickering, and went to pick to the lock.

"You know how to pick a lock?" Kenny looked shocked. "But you are not…"

"Urban?" Arthur looked up at Kenny with a wide smirk on his face. Shaking his head, the three men ended up sharing a brief chuckle.

"Man, you two are fucked in the head." Lee chuckled and backed up a little.

"Ain't that the truth." Kenny snickered.

"You don't know the half of it." Arthur said as he finally got the lock open. "Alright, let's see what we got in here." Pushing the door open, the three men stopped their snickering and turned pale in the face. Inside was a straight up slaughter house. Bloodied saws and blades, puddles and pools of blood.

"What the fuck…" Kenny mumbled as he walked in. "The fuck is this?!" Kenny started to get a little worried that Arthur was right about the St. Johns.

"What's that?" Duck had heard his father's confusion, and gone to investigate what was going on.

"Back away Duck. This… this ain't safe." Kenny moved to guide Duck back to his mother and Clementine. Lee also went to make sure Clementine didn't see what was in there, but was a little late as she saw the bloodied walls.

"Lee, what's going on?" Clementine sounded scared.

"Just sit tight sweet pea. Arthur is taking a look now." Lee shushed her and held Clementine tightly in his arms.

Arthur walked through this inbuild slaughterhouse, seeing boxes of meat and he didn't want to know what kind. But then, he spotted something that really pushed him over the edge. Bear traps, or more specifically modified bear traps missing the release latch. "Those goddamn bastards…" Having seen enough, Arthur walked out of the slaughterhouse and closed the door behind him.

"Make sure the kids stay in here. When you hear me shooting, come out. I'm getting Mark, and then we're leaving this place. These crazy bastards are the ones that put them bear traps in the woods, the ones that got Ben's teacher. Once I start shooting, go to the farmhouse. Should be over and dealt with in no time." Arthur walked out of the barn, now was the time to make his move and sneak over to the main house.

With Andy and Brenda distracted outside burying Dan, Arthur is able to sneak alongside the house. Jumping over its fence, and crouch walking towards the back entrance. Going through the backdoor of the house, Arthur noticed it was locked. Once again taking his lockpicking skills into use, Arthur pried the door open and gently moved in. The floorboards of the house creaked underneath his feet, as Arthur gently tried to move around as quietly as he could. Revolver drawn Arthur began checking the rooms.

Noticing nothing out of the ordinary, but he smelt something cooking. Moving towards the kitchen, Arthur noticed the oven was on. And inside, a tray dish of nicely chopped thin pieces of meat being cooked. But what kind of meat Arthur wondered? It certainly was a lot, enough for a whole party. But there weren't any animals in the area that big. The pots on the stow were boiling, and Arthur popped the lid open half expecting more meat or even an eyeball. But to his relief it was just vegetables boiling.

Looking around the kitchen, Arthur noticed a bloodied knife that had been used to scrape something from the meat and cut it. And also, small pieces of skin and tiny pieces of hair on the floor. Opening the cabinets by the sink, Arthur found a trash can. And what was inside had him raise a brow in suspicion. It was long like a shed snake skin, but it looked different and had hair on it. This was skin alright, carved up pieces of skin. But hard to tell from what at first glance.

With a disgruntled face, Arthur threw the trash bin with the skin out onto the floor. There wasn't anything telling in the trash, but Arthur had his suspicions. "Mark…" Arthur whispered as he began making his way to the stairs going upstairs. "Mark?" Arthur whispered, and as he got to the second floor, he heard a bump. Sneaking against the side of the reeling, Arthur reached a supply closet. Opening it, he found a ton of medicine stashed in there. Along with a bunch of towels and cleaning supplies. And at the lowest shelf, a cord going through a hole in the wall where a light shined through. "The hell?" Sneaking to the bedroom, Arthur found it empty and no sign of Mark. But the bookshelf at the end of the room, was glowing with light from underneath.

"Alright you crazy bastards… what have you done to Mark?" Arthur grew wearier of what he was going to find, but also angrier. He pushed the bookshelf aside and found a hidden door. Opening the door with his gun aimed and ready, Arthur found a bathroom with the metallic stench of blood in the air. Looking into the tub, Arthur's mouth went a gasp. "My god…" There was Mark, legless, laying in a bath of his own blood.

"A-Arthur…" Mark shakingly whispered to him. "B-Brothers… don't… eat… dinner…" Mark groaned, trying to warn Arthur of what he already suspected and knew.

"Yeah, I know…" Arthur knelt down by the side of the tub, staring at Mark who was missing his glasses. "Those goddamn bastards won't get away with this." Mark's eyes looked at Arthur, he looked so afraid. His face pale as blood continued to drip from his legs.

"I… I'm not going to…" Mark struggled to get the words out, he was disoriented from all the blood loss and the pain medication. "Remember… what Ben said." Mark with his fearful looking eyes, gazed up at Arthur who had a knowing look.

Mark wasn't going to make it. He had lost too much blood and wouldn't make it back to the Motor inn. Hell, he wouldn't even make it out of the house. Arthur reached down, and grabbed onto the shaking hand of Mark, holding on tightly. Mark's shaking seized slightly, and his eyes less fearful as he locked eyes with Arthur. "I know…" Arthur lifted up his Python, and put the barrel of the revolver right before Mark's head.

Mark groaned, pushing his body up, so that his forehead was directly against the barrel of Arthur's gun. Arthur continued to hold onto Mark's hand tightly, and pulled the hammer back on his revolver. The two looked at each other in a deafening silence, that broke the second Arthur pulled the trigger and a thundering crackle echoed through the house. As Mark's brains splatter against the bathroom walls.

Everyone outside had heard the shot, Andy and Brenda were the first ones in disbelief to rush towards their house. While everyone else followed shortly after. Brenda went in first, and the sight that greeted her was Arthur walking down the stairs, with the lifeless and legless body of Mark thrown over his shoulder. "Now listen here boy-!" As Brenda is about to say something, a second crackling shot rings through the night and her body is thrown backwards.

"Momma!" Andy shouts in shock seeing Arthur coldly stare at them, his gun drawn and smoke coming from the barrel as he pointed it directly where Brenda had stood. "You son of a bitch!" Andy reaches for his gun in the back pocket of his pants, but Arthur shoots Andy straight in the chest before Andy even has a chance to pull his gun out.

"Holy shit…" Kenny mumbles as he sees Arthur spin his gun around his finger for a second, as he holsters it back. But Kenny and the rest were mainly focused on who Arthur was carrying. "Mark… what… what happened to his legs?" Lee sounded shocked and in disbelief of what he was seeing.

"Dinner's cancelled." Arthur coldly replied as he walked over Brenda, who was bleeding all over her floor, hissing and groaning as she weakly reached towards Arthur. "Oh, and miss St. Johns. I killed your son Dan." Arthur told the cannibal woman, and walked towards Andy's body who was out on the porch.

"You! You fucker!" Andy although shot, still reached for his gun and was about to fire. But Lee quickly sprinted up, and kicked the gun out of Andy's hand.

"You're the fucker here!" Lee got on top of Andy, and started wailing his fist into the cannibal's face.

"The… The fuck are you bastards doing?!" Larry of all people was also in disbelief and even outraged. "You killed these people! They were going to feed us you crazy fuck!"

"Feed us Mark's legs. They were going to feed us, Mark's legs!" Arthur quickly shut him up, and he wasn't going to sugarcoat it. "I found, Mark's laying in a tub of blood. His legs hacked off! And him telling me! The St. Johns did it! And told me to not eat the dinner! I held his goddamn hand as I had to put him down old man! So, you best watch your goddamn mouth around me!" Arthur ranted out at Larry, who was so spooked from Arthur suddenly screaming that he fell over on his back.

While everyone else, were just shellshocked over what they had just heard. "A person… they wanted us… to eat a person?" Clementine shakingly mumbled as she hid behind Katjaa along with Duck. Despite being children, they even understood the situation by seeing Arthur carrying Mark's legless body over his shoulder.

Lee let out a war cry as he threw Andy off the porch and rolling down the grass field until he hit the wooden fence around the house and broke through. "Fuck you…" Andy coughed up a few teeth, his face bruised and swollen to hell. "The fuck are you looking at?! This is about survival! Y'all don't understand! Y'all don't understand what it means to be hungry!" As Andy goes on his crazy rant, another shot is fired and hits Andy in the chest, but this time not from Arthur.

Kenny held his gun up, and had taken the shot and executed Andy. The shot hitting Andy straight through the heart, killing him instantly. "Damn fucker…" Kenny shook his head and put his gun away as he went to tend to his family. "Well… at least we have this place now."

"No." Arthur quickly interjected in Kenny's plan to move in. As Arthur pointed towards an incoming herd of walkers from the fields. All those gun shots must have drawn them in. "This place deserves to burn anyway. Take whatever food they have that isn't meat, and let's go." Arthur instructs the group, as they all move in towards the house to raid the kitchen of what they could find that wasn't meat.

Kenny and Lee came out carrying loafs of bread, and some bottles of milk. While Larry, Lilly and Katjaa came out carrying some butter, cheese and some medicine even. "There wasn't much else." Lilly pointed out as suddenly the generator to the electric fence gave out.

The groaning sound of the walker heard approaching closer had everyone hightail it out of the dairy and back onto the pathway they came from. Arthur took a look around, as he noticed the body of Andy St. John twitching. Pulling out his Glock, Arthur ferociously stared forward.

Andy St. John looked up at him with bleak dead eyes, and groaned and snarled at him like a feral beast. Then there was Brenda St. John, like her son she had turned and was limping down the porch from her house. Arthur took a moment, as this to him proved that Ben was telling the truth. Everyone was infected. Aiming his Glock, Arthur fired off two quick shots nailing both Andy and Brenda St. John through the forehead.

Arthur then began walking down the pathway everyone else had, ignoring the sound of the crying cow that had been found by the walker herd as he walked away. The dairy farm was destroyed and overrun. And Arthur and his group left in the dead of the night, as rain started pouring down.

The walk back was a silent one, with only the critters echoing in the dark as they marched through the dark woods. "Stay close Clementine." Lee made sure to keep Clementine close. Arthur stayed at the rear of the group, keeping an eye for anything that might try and ambush them. Bandits or walkers.

"You okay there?" Kenny snapped Arthur out from his focus, the two sharing a look. "Listen, what went down back there… Thank you. Without you, we would probably have-"

"Yeah, I understand." Arthur didn't want to think about it right now.

"Still, you were quite the detective back there. Figuring out what the St. John's were up to. Do you have experience in that sort of business?" Kenny asked out of genuine curiosity, as Arthur's usefulness to the group must have gone up quite a bit.

"Not really… Just, dealt with a lot of suspicious folks on the road is all." Arthur had met people trying to hold him up and rob him on the road, walked into ambushes from rival gangs or just getting ambushed by psychos in general.

"Listen, Arthur… when it comes to the world as it is. I think you and me, are the only few ones in our group that understands what needs to be done. Even if you got to kill people, as long as it keeps our loved ones save, we will do it. You feel me?"

"Yeah, I hear you. But be careful Kenny… get too used to killing and you might go crazy. You see, killing someone is easy. It's living with it that is hard." Arthur in particular thought of Dutch. Whether his old mentor had gone insane, or just became more of what he truly was, Arthur wasn't sure. But he knew killing too many people, can change a man.

Kenny gave Arthur a silent nod, and moved up the road to be with his family. Having overheard them talking, a small voice called out. "Arthur… did you have to kill those people?" Clementine asked, looking a little spooked especially since Arthur was also carrying Mark's body.

"They were bad people Clem." Lee went to defend Arthur.

"They were bad, sure… But we also could have walked away. I chose to kill them, for what they did to Mark. So that they wouldn't do it to anyone else. So that they wouldn't attack us." Arthur didn't want to sugarcoat anything to Clementine, so he decided to be as direct as possible. "I don't like killin' folk, Clem. But if I got to, I got to. You understand?"

"Yes… I think so." Clementine seemed to be deep in thought on the subject. Whatever was to come, Arthur wanted Clementine to be ready for it.

"Dad, what's that noise?" Duck said from further up front, as they were walking closer to what sounded like the humming of a car engine.

"Sounds like a car…" Kenny mumbled, and the whole group went to investigate the source. As they made it to a dirt road, they found a car parked there. Engine still running, lights still blazing, and the door open.

After tonight, they weren't taking any chances. Lee approached the car slowly with his hammer, and Kenny being his backup with his gun at hand. Arthur, Lilly and Larry kept an eye on the tree line while Katjaa held Duck and Clementine close. As Lee investigated the driver's seat, Kenny went for the back. "It's outta gas." Lee pointed out.

"Oh crap. Baby, you gotta see this." Kenny looked amazed as he looked into the back of the car seeing loads of supplies. Food, medicine and clothes.

"This food could save all of us." Katjaa stood next to her husband, looking like they just found a goldmine.

"Where are the owners?" Arthur asked, as he continued to keep a look out.

"If they come back. Then we're just monsters who came out of the woods and ruined their lives." Lilly pointed out, but was blown off by her father.

"Oh come on Lilly. This is about survival. If they didn't want to lose their supplies, they shouldn't have left the damn car running!"

"This stuff isn't ours." Clementine voiced her tiny opinion that went over most adults' heads.

"Dad whose car is this?" Duck looked to his father for what they should do next.

"It's ours now."

"It's abandoned Duck, don't worry." Katjaa and Kenny tried to ease their son's mind.

"What if it's not?" Clementine voiced out, louder this time. "What if it's not abandoned? What if it is someone's?"

"We already got food from the dairy. No need to ruin someone's day." Arthur took a deep sigh, and stood with Clementine. He wasn't an outlaw no more.

"We got bread, cheese, milk and some butter. That ain't going to last us very long. This car's got cans of meat, beans and other good stuff. We need this stuff to survive, Arthur!" Kenny argued against.

"What if this was your family's stuff? Your boy went missing, and you and Katjaa rushed out into the woods to find him. And when you find him, and come back to the car you find it's been looted. Would you accept that the people who robbed you needed it for survival?" Arthur stood firm in his choice on this.

"That wouldn't happen, I keep track of my shit." Kenny argued. "Lee, help me get the trunk of this car open."

"We need this stuff to survive…" Lee sighed and sided with Kenny. "I'm sorry Clementine… Arthur. But we need this."

Clementine looked down with a slight look of defeat. And Arthur sighed. "I ain't saying this stuff wouldn't help us. I'm just saying some other poor fool and his family will suffer for it. But fine, take it then. But I got my hands full." Arthur relented, not wanting to start a big group argument in front of a bunch of starving people. Arthur knew how hunger had a mean hold on even the sanest of men.

"That's fine, we can carry it." Kenny smiled as they seemed to have reached an agreement. They popped the trunk of the car open and started taking boxes. Stacking it with the boxes from the dairy, the group found themselves carrying a whole load of supplies.

"Uh, Arthur…" Lee voiced out as he walked over to him, holding the camera they got from Jolene's camp. "The car had some batteries stashed away and… you gonna wanna see this." Lee showed Arthur a video on the camera, it was the motor inn. And of their group fortifying the place.

"Jake! Bart! Linda! And all ya'll fucking sickos from the save-lots! They call ya'll bandits! But you're fucking monsters!" The video feed then suddenly cut to Jolene's campsite, with Jolene screaming as one of the masked Bandits approached her.

Then the video cut back to the motor inn, and the camera zooming in on Clementine. "Oh darlin', baby. Look at you. Look. At. You. Oh, you need a mama, sweetheart. We won't let them bandits get you, will we?" Then the video showed Lee asking Clementine about her missing hat. "Y'all thinking you're safe! Sittin' there actin' like things are the way they used to be. The dead don't kill their own. It's the living you gotta be afraid of… the people I used to call friends… the people who took…" The camera showed Jolene's distraught face. "Don't worry, little girl. Bandits got their eye on that dairy. As long as they keep getting' food from them, you'll be safe. I promise." The video fed then cuts out, and the screen turns black.

Lee looked to Arthur, who was frowning and tapping his finger against the handle of his gun. "Does this mean what I think it does?" Lee asked.

"Yeah, we got a fight coming our way." Arthur sighed, of course there would be consequences for taking down the dairy. "I will look into it. Discreetly." The two men shared a nod of understanding.

While everyone carried the loot from the abandoned car back to the motel, Arthur went on his own carrying Mark's legless body. Finding a peaceful open spot in the woods, Arthur looked up at the night starry sky and sighed as he threw Mark's body down. Pulling out a shovel from his backpack, Arthur began digging a hole. Throwing slabs of dirt onto the side, Arthur continued to dig in silence of the night.

He dug the grave all night, and spent the early morning making a wooden cross. Arthur pulled out his knife, and began carving in Mark's name onto the wooden cross. With that done, and with a heavy sigh. Arthur walked over to the freshly made grave, and jammed the cross down at the head of the grave. Hammering it down into the dirt with a rock he found on the ground.

Taking a few steps back, Arthur stared at Mark's grave in silence. Reaching into his backpack, there were two journals. One was the journal of Francis Sinclair, the time traveler who brought Arthur here and met an unfortunate end at the start of the outbreak. The other, was a journal Arthur had picked up on a supply run many months back. Flipping it open, Arthur viewed a series of sketches he had already made.

Sketches of Clementine, Lee, Kenny and his family, their group and the motor inn. Walkers eating some failed hunted animal carcasses. Arthur began writing down his experiences these last few days. Starting with the Strange Man he met in the woods. "I have never seen a fellar like this, I'm sure. Yet, for some reason he seems so familiar. Can't quite put my finger on it. Anyway, he gives me the creeps. Ever since I keep looking over my shoulder wondering if he's watching. It feels like he knew the St. John's, because looking back on it. Feels like it was a warning he gave me. Well, I saw the writing on the wall too late at that dairy. And poor Mark paid the price for it. I put Mark out of his misery, and made sure he wouldn't turn. Turns out the kid we picked up, Ben, was right. No matter how you die, you come back as a walker. The St. John's showed me that first hand after I gunned them down. I feel like the unluckiest fool alive. How am I supposed to go back to 1899 if I am infected. Am I even infected? I don't care much to find out." Arthur added his thoughts, and also sketched images of the Strange Man, as well as the St. John's and finally Mark's grave.

Putting his journal away, Arthur takes a moment to stand over Mark's grave. His mind still racing with the thought of them all being infected. Arthur was so engrossed in his own mind; he didn't notice the silhouette of the Strange Man in the background. Watching him in silence. Then the snarls of walkers coming limping by, they walk past the Strange Man who pass like fleeting shadow, gone.

Arthur is beginning to breathe heavier, and heavier by the second. His vision distorted and his ears deafened by a high pitch sound. Arthur was feeling his frustrations reach a boiling point, not only had he lost a member of the group. But he was forced to face the fact, he might not be able to go back and save John and the Marston family.

In anger, Arthur turned around, seeing walkers emerge out from the woods coming for him like death itself. With a scowl on his face, his nostrils flaring like an angry bull. Arthur grabs his fire axe, and marches towards the walkers. Venting out his frustrations and anger out on the dead bodies, Arthur hacked and slashed all the gnarling walkers in his path.

With loud war cries, he swung the axe with such ferocity he cut down the walkers around him with ease. The axe cleaving their heads in half. It was like Arthur didn't tire out no matter how many times he swung the axe, he was running on pure rage and adrenaline.

As Arthur slashes the walkers, he gets flashing images before his eyes. He goes back to 1899, people starting to come back as walkers as they died due to Arthur bringing the virus with him. Horrifying images of the walkers attacking his loved ones. Mary Linton, Mary-Beth, Tilly Jackson, Karen Jones, Simon Pearson, Uncle, Reverend Swanson, Josiah Trelawny, Abigail Marston, little Jack Marston, Sadie Adler, Charles Smith, and finally John Marston getting caught up amidst a herd of walkers. All getting torn apart, having their guts pulled out and devoured along with the blood curling screams.

With a loud booming war cry, Arthur cuts down the final walker in his path splitting its face apart right down the middle. Breathing heavily, Arthur's face is bloodied with dark walker blood, sweat pouring down his face and his shirt all wet. Backing up, Arthur drops the fire axe and looking around there had to be at least 40 walker bodies around him.

Taking a breather, Arthur wipes the blood off his face. Careful not to get any into his eyes or mouth. Then he hears the snap of a twig breaking, and Arthur swings around pulling out his Python and pulling the hammer of the gun back as he aimed it at whoever was behind him, and he is met with a familiar face. "Whoa, easy there son, breathe." It was Dutch, just as Arthur remembered him.

Dutch Van Der Linde, dressed in his usual fancy clothes while smoking a cigar. "It's been a long time." Dutch lightly chuckles, as he pats Arthur on the shoulder. He felt real enough for Arthur to back up stuttering a little.

"H-How… Dutch?" Arthur lowers his gun in shock. Dutch seeing the look on his face only chuckled and puffs his cigar.

"You have done well son…" Dutch praised him as he always used to before Bever Hollow. Then he actually looked apologetic as he took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, for everything. I know… in the end, you were telling the truth. I just… couldn't handle it." Dutch puts his arm around Arthur's shoulder, and they walk through this ground filled with walker corpses. "This is quite the future you ended up in…"

"Yeah, no kidding…" Arthur mumbled, unsure of what was going on. Dutch couldn't really be here. Arthur thought he had officially lost his mind.

"Listen, son… You have been given a great opportunity here. You, my dear boy, can save us all." Dutch patted Arthur on the back, as he had Arthur imagine a picture of what he could do. "Hosea, Sean, Lenny, Kieran, Mac, Davey, Jenny, Susan. All of us. With this wonderous opportunity presented to us son… You can go back in time, and change everything. You can kill Micha, save us from that rat, save me. That's what you wanted, wasn't it? To save me, to make me see through his lies."

"Sure, but I also wanted to save the others…" Arthur mumbled, but Dutch then quickly interjected with his dialogue like he always used to.

"Well, you can, Arthur. In the end, you did make me see through Micha's lies. But… too late unfortunately. But now… Ohoho! Now, Arthur. You can do it, save all of our family." Dutch enthusiastically and with great charisma, looked confident as he stared into Arthur's eyes.

And Arthur for a moment, smiled, showing he thought that sounded like a nice idea. Dutch then continued. "You won't have to deal with the Downes, you won't get sick. And best of all, by bringing this… virus to our timeline. We'll truly be free, Arthur. Like I've always envisioned." And just like that, Arthur's smile dropped and turned into a look of confusion.

"Dutch… how is this… freedom?"

Dutch however, laughed. "Just look around you. No law, no society, no government. This, a world defined by nature. Is the true America I've always dreamt off, Arthur. What we've always dreamt of. You've proven we could survive in these conditions just fine. We'll be able to live wild and free, free from the law, free from Cornwall, and free from the Pinkertons. Arthur, we're nearly there. You, can save us all and show us to the promise land!" Dutch laughed with great enthusiasm.

But Arthur, Arthur is left speechless. He knew this was all in his head, but was this really how he saw Dutch? Was this what he thought who Dutch was, or became? Someone that would bring the apocalypse itself onto the world. Then, Dutch's rambling went on. "Now, we just need to work out a plan, Arthur. Those people you've met, your group, they're getting in the way of the plan Arthur. They are holding you back, son. You must do what is right for the gang, your true family. I… We… are all counting on you."

Dutch once again places his hand on Arthur's shoulder, and Arthur looks at Dutch and backs away. Leaving Dutch standing underneath the shade of a tree, while Arthur stood underneath the light of the sun. "Dutch… I can't do that. If I bring this virus with me, it will be the end of the world."

Dutch sighs and shakes his head. "Oh, Arthur, no, it will be the end of society, the corrupt bureaucratic society of those oily enactors like Cornwall. For us, it will be liberation. Come one. Don't doubt me now, son." Hearing that, Arthur shakes his head and remembers how it all ended with the gang.

"Don't doubt you? Like you doubted me? John?" Arthur looks angry as he looks at the supposed ghost of Dutch.

"We all make mistakes Arthur. I never claimed to be a Saint. But I want you to know this, even though in the end I thought John betrayed us… I never thought that about you, Arthur. You, were always like a son to me. More than that even." Arthur had heard all these words and excuses before, but now he saw straight through it he thought.

"Then why did you leave me to die? At the factory? And in the end…" Arthur said bitterly, moving further away from Dutch's ghost.

Dutch sighs. "I… I made a mistake. Micha, Arthur… he convinced me you were disloyal. Or at least brainwashed by John's pity case to help you rescue him and his family and leave with all our money. In the end, I realized I was wrong about that. That Micha lied… And that John did take advantage of your sickness to save his own skin."

"I, had to convince Marston to leave. Not the other way around. Getting sick, helped me see things clearer. Our time was over… And I wanted at least John to get out, and have a chance to have what I never could have. A normal life."

"And what a waste that turned out to be. John was a downright dirty outlaw in the end. But I will give you this. Our time had passed, you were right about that. But, by bringing this virus back with you to 1899. Heh, well then it will be civilization that meets its end, and we thrive, I… we win, Arthur." Dutch looked crazier as he continued to speak. This was not the same man who rescued him as a boy. This was the man who left him at that mountain.

"You left me… twice, to die. Heh, if you knew Micha was the rat why didn't you kill him then?" Arthur challenged, he wasn't in the mood for jokes or listening to Dutch's harebrained schemes.

"I did… I couldn't stand the idea of being wrong, Arthur. Couldn't stand the idea of having been played like a fiddle by Micha. I was lost… if I shot Micha then I would admit I failed and was wrong. But if I went with him… I would die. So, I left… and I've regretted leaving you on that mountain ever since. But now, I want to make up for it. I just need you by my side again son. With you, and Hosea by my side… I know everything will be just fine." Dutch walks out from underneath the shade, and to the light towards Arthur.

Despite all the man's faults, and everything Dutch had done to earn his disloyalty and hatred. Arthur wanted to say he could hate Dutch, but truth is he couldn't. Dutch had saved his life, saved the lives of many people, taught Arthur how to read and shoot a gun. Dutch had been a father figure to him, not as much as Hosea, but in some ways Dutch was still his father. "I want to… more than anything I want to go back and save you from going crazy… save everyone. If I thought it was possible. But I know… I could never get to you. I still want to go back, save those that I can… but not until I'm sure that I…"

Before Arthur can finish, Dutch nods his head and quietly hums. "Is it that little girl? Hmm, leaving her behind won't be easy for you I can tell. Tell you what, Arthur. Why not just bring her along? Take her with you, back to 1899, kill Micha. And little Clementine can become a part of our family. We will survive nature together, Arthur. All of us."

Arthur is visibly shaking, he doesn't want to abandon the Marston family to their fate, and if he could he would love to save the rest of the gang from Micha and Dutch's madness. Heck, he would love to save Dutch from his own madness if he could. But could he save them? Was he even infected? For all Arthur knew, by him arriving in the very start of this virus spreading maybe he didn't, have it? And if he did, would the gang be alright surviving in this kind of a world? That is when Arthur knew, and made his decision, although hesitantly. "No." Arthur shakes his head. But when he looks up at Dutch, he is gone.

Looking around, Arthur hears a ghostly whisper in the wind. "Have faith son. All will be fine, if you follow the plan." He was going crazy, Arthur thought. The stress of losing Mike, learning from Ben they were all infected must really be getting to him.

Arthur not giving it any other thought, turns around and walks away. Not seeing the shadowy figure of The Strange Man in the background. "Interesting, the balance of morality, loyalty and family still plagues mister Morgan. Let us see where things go from here." The Strange Man's face shifts between his regular one, and Dutch's face. This strange figure, had somehow projected Dutch's spirit to converse and test Arthur's morality. To what ends? Only The Strange Man himself knew.

Arthur makes his way back to the motor inn, and is instantly greeted by a troubled Clementine. "Arthur… where did you go?" She asked sounding worried, and Arthur took a quick look around seeing everyone in the camp having already made use of their new supplies. Carley, Doug and Ben even looked relieved to have him back, they had been briefed from Lee about what went down at the Dairy farm.

"I went to… bury Mark kiddo." Arthur sighed heavily, and Clementine looked down and a little sad.

"Like you did with Sandra?" Clementine whispered as she remembered how Arthur buried her dead babysitter.

"Yeah kid…" Arthur sighed, and Clementine went in to hug him. Arthur gently patted her back. "You okay?"

"Why did the St. John's do that to Mark?" Clementine sniffled a little, holding back a few tears.

"… Some people, just break easier than others in this world. Which is why we need to be strong, Clem. So that we don't break. The St. John's was weak, and let the world and hunger break them." Arthur gently told Clementine, trying to find a good explanation why someone would result to cannibalism. Not that Arthur himself had a good answer for it. But he couldn't just leave things as they were for Clementine. "That is why I will make sure, to teach you all you need to survive. So, that you won't break, and help you grow stronger."

Clementine looks in silence, she was still a little kid so this might be too much for her to hear right now Arthur thought. He was such a fool, putting such a burden on a little girl. "I want to learn…" Clementine however surprised him.

Looking into her eyes, Arthur saw a flicker of determination. Nodding his head, Arthur cracked a smile. "Atta girl." Taking a seat by the campfire, Arthur brought a dead squirrel for Clementine to skin. "Remember what I told you?" Arthur asked, and Clementine nodded. Giving her a knife, Arthur watched as she gently cut into the squirrel, and grabbed ahold of it. "Good, good, now give it a good pull. But hold on tight, okay?" Arthur instructs Clementine, as she gives a few grunts. A little skittish from seeing the blood of the squirrel splatter on her hands.

Lee watched them from the back of the RV. Seeing Clementine pull the skin of the squirrel clean off. And with an enthusiastic look, she turned to Arthur. "I did it!" Arthur chuckled and ruffled her head a little. Lee sighed to himself, as he now sees Arthur was right all along. With a smile he walks over to them and sits down. "Mind if I learn too?" Lee asks, and shares a knowing look with Arthur. Arthur then hands Lee a rabbit to skin.

"Hold it tightly by the legs, and grab onto the tail. And pull. Skin should come right off." Arthur instructed, and Lee with a light grunt yanked the skin hard and it came clean off the rabbit's carcass. The three shared a somewhat sweet moment, a little bloodied but still laughing amongst themselves.

That's the end for now!

I would like to start by mentioning my opinion on Dutch Van Der Linde. I personally see it, that Dutch did indeed love Arthur in his own way. But that in the end, Dutch loved himself and the outlaw life even more. I think in the end, after he sees Arthur dying that he realized Arthur never betrayed him and Micha was the rat. But I do also believe Dutch after RDR2, had gone so mad that he still viewed John as a traitor hence his attitude towards John in RDR1. Dutch is by all means a great character and antagonist. One of my personal 3 favorites in the RDR series. Now, the Strange Man is a mysterious entity shrouded in mystery. Clearly, he is not human. And he is testing Arthur, like he tested John in RDR1. Now with episode 2 out of the way, we move on to episode 3.

Now to answer some of your general review questions. No, Arthur does not have his hat here. His gambler hat was given to John Marston, and if it still exists in this current timeline, it is at the Marston family ranch at Beecher's Hope. And yeah, Mark still meets his unfortunate demise here. Also if Arthur has ever had any experiences with cannibals in the past, nothing is straight up confirmed, but the Murfree gang seems to be a strong possibility of cannibalism.

Who would win in a fight between Arthur and Lee? Well, the answer is obviously Arthur. As much as I love Lee, Arthur would destroy him in a straight up fist fight, and especially in a gunfight.

Also if I have a schedule, the answer is no I don't really have one. Like most people I have a busy life, a job and a social life etc. I write fanfictions as a hobby, as I genuinely enjoy it. I tend to have an idea of what story I am to update next, other than that I usually write and update what I feel like.

I just want to once again thank you all for your kind words of encouragement. I am glad to see so many of you enjoying the story so far.

Anyway, leave a review with your thoughts on the chapter/story or if you have any questions.

-Later!