I don't know how long they've kept us walking, but I feel so exposed without a single weapon on me. This wasn't the first time I've been captured nor was it Clemenine's, but like last time we'll find a way to get ourselves out. I just wish Sarah would hurry up and finish peeing so they can just stuff us in the truck already. I'm not looking forward to it, but I want to get a good look at where they're taking us so I can already make a plan. I know Kenny is already thinking of something...
"Hey, Elijah," Clementine pokes me in the arm, speaking up at me in a whisper. "Look," The little one points to a nearby tree, I see a little brown and grey moth that found a small resting place against the bark.
Despite the situation we're in, she still manages to find joy in the little things. That's my girl.
Curiosity gets the better of me and I slowly and carefully reach my hand out for the nocturnal insect. To Clementine and my surprise, the moth allows itself to crawl on my fingers and rest there momentarily. A little bit of dust from its tiny legs stays on the back of my hand, it kinda tickles too.
"You know, Mom always called moths 'dusty butterflies'."
"Really? That's cute."
"Yeah," I nod. The moth flutters its wings and takes off into the air, leaving Clementine and me trapped here on the ground while it could fly away...and be free. "Adios, pequeno amigo...adios."
"You about done over there?!"
I sigh from the shout of that hick voice calling out to Sarah, I think that mother fucker's name is Troy... Give me a reason to rip your throat out, I fuckin' dare you. "Yeah, one second!" Sarah responds to him, coming back from her bathroom break. "Thanks for coming with me, you guys, It's scary out here," She says to us. "I know they made you...but it's still nice that you came."
"Technically, they only wanted her to," I point out. "But I don't trust that motherfucker over there to keep an eye out, especially around you two."
"We're friends," Clem added. "We all have to look out for one another."
"We are, aren't we?" Sarah gratefully smiles at us. "Well, if you two need to pee, let me know. I'll keep lookout for you, too."
"Uh...okay."
"Much appreciated, Sarah..." The three of us walk back down the dirt road where our 'prison truck' was opened and ready to haul us to wherever these fucks were taking us, Troy, now bearing a lecherous grin.
"Everything come out alright, girls?"
My eye twitches and my mouth moves faster than my head. "The fuck you just say, asshole-" I was cut off, by body slumped over and I nearly fall to my knees. I wasn't prepared for Troy to hit me in the gut with the butt of his rifle but it still didn't bring me down completely.
"I can say whatever the fuck I want, boy. You're lucky you're still fuckin' breathin' after what you and your buddy pulled last night."
I let out a few coughs, I'm definitely gonna feel this in the morning...but it doesn't matter. "There's a...a sickle somewhere in all the shit you took from me and my people, it has a ergonomic ash handle with a stainless steel blade. That's what I'm gonna use to kill you." I prepared myself to be struck again as he brought up his AK-47 to hit me in the head...
"That's enough, Troy," But the gravelly voice of Carver stops him. "He'll learn soon enough, but not from you. Get 'em tied up, we need to get back before sundown."
"...Will do," Troy reluctantly falls in line like a lap dog but with a reluctant frown.
"Are you okay?" Clementine helps me up to my feet.
"I'm alright, Kiddo," But I'm definitely gonna feel that tomorrow. "he isn't so tough."
"Well, we're on our way," Carver speaks into his walkie-talkie, most likely talking to the people back at his camp. Troy, meanwhile ties up Sarah with some rope. "probably thirty minutes out. make sure everyone's prepped. Emotions might be running high. Carver out."
Even you're calling yourself that? Fuckin' A...
"If I find out you've been wasting fuel to keep that fuckin' heater going, I'll make you walk back."
"Nope. froze my ass off...just like you told me to."
Spoken like a spineless dog...
"It ain't polite to listen to other folks' conversations," Carver catches wind of Clem and me staring at him. "I know for a fact that I taught my son here that, but no one ever taught you?"
You didn't teach me shit, Mom did...
"I used to have a walkie-talkie like that," Clementine gave him an answer.
"Oh, really? And what happened to it? 'Cause you can't have this one."
"None of your business."
Carver didn't like that answer, and if I remember correctly...he's gonna teach Clementine a lesson. Not while I'm here. Before he could get another step closer to my sister, I blocked him off and dig my gaze into his soul. I can see clearly now that he's just as tall as me.
"Your girl there is starting to test me, son."
"Don't call me that."
"You sure you wanna go that route?" He smirked at me. "Because I'm sure you remember correctly that I'll pass every time."
"Not every time," I look down at his hand, remembering the exact place where I inflicted a permanent reminder that he no longer has control over me.
"Oh, yeah," Carver looked at his hand, somehow...reminiscing at the sight of the large scar across his right palm. "That reminds me..." His pride was quickly replaced by condescension as he smacked me across the face for the second time. It stings like a mother fucker but it does nothing to make me back down. "You'll learn to respect me again, you just need a little bit of a push, that's all. Even the strongest wills can be broken...eventually."
That's what you think, asshole.
"Get the girls and the boy in back with the rest of 'em. We got a bit of a drive ahead of us," Carver tells Troy and he leaves, his hick lackey ties up Clem and I before opening the back of the truck where everyone else was bounded as well. He points his rifle at us.
"In."
I let the younger ones climb in first and I'm the lats one inside, I set myself down beside Clementine. "Are you alright, sweetie?" Sarita asks me, seeing the noticeable red mark on my cheek.
"The hell did he do to you?" Kenny asked but much angrier, looking between me and Troy. "Did he hurt you? Hey. HEY!" Troy offered him no answer and slammed the roller door down, darkening the inside of the truck.
"I'm fine, Kenny," I say to him. "Ain't the first time that son of a bitch hit me."
"I'm surprised you're not bleeding," Rebecca remarks, the truck soon after starts moving. Looks like we're finally on the road. "I could hear the smack from in here."
"It's nothin'..."
"That's what you're surprised about?" Carlos, sounding more upset at Rebecca...but he stared at me as he spoke. "How about the fact that this boy is the son of that madman!"
"You might wanna watch your tongue, 'doc'," I spat back at him. "and don't you ever call me that. He's not my father."
"Then how about you indulge us?" Carlos goes on but it was Kenny who gained my attention.
"That story you told me back in Savannah about your old man... That sonuvabitch really is him?"
"Unfortunately, yes," I sigh. "Guess he wasn't as dead as I hoped." Not yet anyway..
"I thought your last name was Everett?"
"It is," I answer Alvin. "My mother changed her last name back when she took me away, thank God."
"Her name...was it Ashley?"
"How do you know that?" My heart dropped when Rebecca mentioned my mother's name.
"Carver mentioned someone he knew who had a boy before all of this, I never would've guessed it was you. You two don't look a damn thing alike."
"And thank God for that," Kenny notes, making me chuckle a little but there's not much time for lighthearted banter.
"We need to do something."
"Fuckin' A we do, son," Kenny agrees with me, looking around at the others. "Anyone got anything sharp? Anything? We need to get these bindings off!"
"And what good is that gonna do?" Rebecca asked, making Kenny look at her and snap.
"The hell is wrong with you people? We gotta get out of here."
"There's not much in here, Kenny," Clementine tells him.
"First off, we're in it, so it ain't exactly empty. Second, we're in a fuckin' precarious position here! We gotta do something about that!"
"I'm not gonna be a prisoner again," I add and Clem nods.
"Again?"
"Kenny, Elijah, settle down," Carlso says like we'll listen to him. "They took everything. We have to keep a level head."
"He's right," Rebecca agrees. "You don't know Bill like we do," I imagine she's saying that more towards Kenny and not me.
"'Bill'?" Kenny changes a dumbfounded look at her. "This whole time it's 'Carver' 'Carver' 'Carver', now he's fuckin' 'Bill'? Oh, I see what this is. Y'all are just gettin' a ride home, ain't ya? That's what's goin' on here."
"Say that again," Nick says defensively.
"I'd stay out of this, boy!"
"Mister, I ain't a boy!"
"No, right," Kenny scoffs. "You're a man."
"You don't understand," Rebecca pleads, hoping Kenny would calm down. "He's different...he's worse."
"The fuck are you talkin' about?"
"He wants to punish us," Rebeca spoke through small tears.
"No shit," I say. "That's his whole fuckin' deal..."
"He's a fuckin' psychopath is what he is now, son!"
"You have no idea what you're dealing with!" Carlos snapped.
"Oh, he gave me a pretty good goddamn idea back at the lodge, and I don't intend to sit around here and let that happen to the rest of us!"
"And I'm not going to stay anywhere where that mother fucker is living under the same roof as me!" I add. "I know what he's like and he doesn't scare me anymore."
"I'm sure you know what he's like."
"I'm trying to help you people!" I roared at Carlos.
"I'm sure Walter and Matthew appreciated your help!"
His words infuriate me...but I know that Walter and Matthew's deaths are on my hands. But how dare he put that on me after I saved his life? "That's not fair!" Sarita jumped in, defending me before I could stand up and put this doctor in his place. "You're blaming him for the actions of a madman!"
"I am pointing out that, regardless of intent, there are consequences to rash actions! Something that Carver's son seems to be misreading as capitulation!"
"Call me that again, I dare you!"
"I don't know what the fuck you're saying, but I know it's bullshit!" Kenny joins in, mirroring my thoughts. "My boy is nothin' like that fuckin' maniac! He... Oh, shit. Jackpot!" Kenny notices a broken piece of pipe sticking out of the wall not far from my sitting position, It looks sharp enough to get the ropes off.
"Sit down," Carlos scowls as Kenny gets to his feet. "You're going to get us all killed!"
"Y'all don't know what you're talkin' about!" Kenny ignores him, using the jagged edge of the pipe to cut through his bindings. "We get cooped up in some kennel like a buncha fuckin' dogs, it's over!"
"You don't know that."
"Clem and I do," I say. "You've ever been a prisoner?"
"We've all been prisoners. Why do you think we left?"
"Well, we have to do something!" Clementine shouts, tired of hearing everyone else being such cowards. "We can't just sit here!"
"How is it the kid and the boy see what's goin' on here?"
"Clem, the adults are taking!"
"Is that what this is?"
"Ha!" I laugh at Clementne's sarcasm. "You have no room to talk when you sound like a whiny little bitch, Doc."
"Alright. Now we're talkin'," Kenny got his restraints off, and I stood and started cutting my own.
"Carver will be on the other side of that door with ten people."
"That still won't be enough to stop me," I say, halfway through my ropes. I hear Sarah starting to cry behind me, she still needs to learn how the new world works...
"There, there, baby," Rebecca comforts her. "Everything is gonna be fine."
"At this point, maybe Luke is the only hope we have."
"If he was gonna do something, he'd've done it by now."
"Who knows what he's dealing with," Rebecca defends Luke. "Anything can happen out there."
"I'll tell you what happened: He abandoned us."
"You don't know that," Nick says.
"I know he ain't here," Kenny retorts.
"But he wouldn't abandon us," I add before turning back. My restraints are still on me but all it takes to get me out is one tug. If we're gonna do this, we need to be smart. "I know he looks like a flake to you, Kenny, but Luke is a good guy. Trust me on that."
"...Alright, son."
The truck shakes as it drives over uneven ground. "We're close," said Carlos.
"You ready for this, son?"
"They have guns. What exactly do you and Elijah expect to do?"
" I'm gonna punch the first sonuvabitch I see. Then I'm gonna take his gun and use it to shoot the next sonuvabitch I see."
Not too bad of a plan, but I'm not sure it's gonna work out exactly as you planned, Ken.
"Kenny," I pulled him in so I could whisper what I had to say. "If we're gonna do this, we need to be smart. I agree with you, we need to get out of this but we need to stop and think."
"We don't have a lot of time for thinkin', son."
"And if we go in gun's blazing, people other than the people we want dead are gonna get hurt. Use your head, Kenny. Think about Sarita and Clementine, even Molly and Christa," Kenny tilted his head in confusion, wanting me to elaborate further. "There's a chance that these fucks have Molly and Christa wherever they're taking us, I'm not risking losing them again so just listen to me and we'll-"
CRASH!
A sudden shift in the truck makes Keny and I slam into the rolling door, hitting our heads in the process. I fall to the floor and hear Clementine and Sarita yell out our names in concern. What the hell just happened? And who the hell is driving this fucking truck?! I lean up, rubbing my forehead with my right hand. Wait... Shit! My bindings snapped when I crashed.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, Kiddo."
"Goddamn brakes ain't working for shit!" I hear someone calling from outside. Shit, they're about to open those doors. I sit back down by Clementine and place my arms in my lap they're tied, they're still on my wrists so hopefully it'll be enough to convince them until I get a good look at exactly what this 'camp' is. The door rolls up and we're met with a blinding light leering inside the truck. In front, three people armed with assault rifles are there to greet us. One of them was that hick son of a bitch, the other being that bitch Bonnie, and the third was this slightly overweight dark-skinned woman.
"Alright, up and at 'em." She says, pointing her rifle at us.
Looks like I have no choice but to do what she says, I'm completely outgunned here. I, as well as everyone else, get to my feet and I keep my hands 'bound' in front of me. "The fuck?!" But Troy saw how Kenny had his ropes off. "How'd you get your restraints off?!" He groaned. "Don't matter, just get a fuckin' move on! You try anything and I will end you, you hear me?"
Kenny only offers silence as compliancy and he moves with the rest of the group, Clem sticks by me as we go inside. From what I can tell, I think their camp is set up in some kind of warehouse or hardware store. I used to work in a place like this back in high school so there are certain things I can make out. So this place is big with plenty of materials to use to fortify, and with what weapons they have, they're heavily fortified. Looks like busting out of this place is going to be more difficult than I thought. Even so, it's not impossible.
"We've got some familiar faces back with us tonight," I sigh at the sound of Carver's voice coming over the PA system. "Now, I understand some of you are confused as to why we'd bring these people back when they...left us when they did."
"I think I've got an idea," The heavy-set woman quips from behind me as we reach the aisles of the store where armed guards are placed at the top of the shelves. I counted at least seven and each of them was holding a rifle.
"It might not come all at once, but time will heal all wounds. So be patient with them until it does...and take solace in knowing that they're here to make our home a better place," I look up and see where Carver was speaking from. I could even tell from down here that he was looking straight at me from his upstairs office. "All these feelings you have of anger, betrayal, hate. They're all valid. No one needs to forget what they did...but we do have to find it in our hearts to forgive them."
"Elijah," Clem whispers to me. "Look how much food they have," I see in one of the massive shelves that is filed to the brim with canned goods, bags of rice, corn, beans...enough food to keep an entire community alive for months, maybe years.
"I hope she ain't sayin' what I think she's sayin'."
"She's just making note of it, Kenny," I explain. "Just keep your head down for now."
"As many of you already know," Carver continues over the speakers. "a large herd of lurkers gathers just south of us. We've kept an eye on the movements, and, well, with any luck, it's just passing through. But rest assured that if it does turn our way, it's nothing we can't handle."
Hmm...we could use that to our advantage.
"Come on," Troy pulls Carlos away from the group. "We need you for somethin'."
"Can it wait until morning? We're all exhausted."
"Just come the fuck on," Annoyed with the Spanish doctor, Troy leads him away and they meet up with some other woman.
"I need him," Sarah stopped walking and whined about her dad leaving. "I need my dad. I can't he's-"
"Sarah," I whisper firmly. "They have guns, keep moving before one of them decides to use them," As I say that, Troy scowls at the vision-impaired girl and points his rifle at her, telling her to keep moving. Sarah cowers behind me in fear and we catch up with the others. "I'm sorry, Sarah. But you have to learn how to rely on yourself, you won't be able to survive otherwise."
"But-"
"'But' nothing," I cut her off. "This is the world we live in. Either you grow up, or you die. Get that through your head," I know I'm being harsh, but this is a pill she has to swallow sooner or later.
"Some of you have voiced your concerns about the need for expansion with the looming threat. And they have been taken into consideration. However, this is not up for debate. The expansion project will move forward. And with the added manpower joining us this evening, I have no doubt that we will continue to grow and prosper. It's no longer enough just to survive, it's our obligation to make this community a beacon of hope."
By making a prison? Yeah, real fuckin' hopeful place you have here...Carver.
When we all stop walking, we're met with a loading door that I'm guessing used to be a garden section of the store. Guess this is where all the prisoners are first set up. "Make sure y'all stay off the fence," Bonnies says as she opens the door. "Bill can see if you're messin' with it." Inside, I see a campfire with a few lawn chairs around it and shelves in the back that I guess will be our makeshift beds.
Troy and Bonnie go to untie the other's ropes but I show the latter that she wouldn't have to do that for me. "You people need to work on your tying skills."
"How the hell did you-"
"Bonnie, it don't matter now. This boy can't do shit to us."
Don't forget about that promise I gave you, motherfucker.
"Y'all best get some rest," Troy says to the others. "'cause there ain't gonna be much for you tomorrow. You're gonna be workin' hard."
"That's for you," Bonnie points to a comfy-looking cot in the corner with a blanket that's for Rebecca."
"Yeah, it would be," She scoffs and crosses her arms. "Fuckin' Bill. Keeps me out in the cold, but at least I'll be comfortable."
"Hey, guys," A man missing his left arm approaches us with a smile, Rebecca recognizes him immediately.
"Reggie?" She hugs him like an old friend. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. What did they do to you?"
"This could've been worse, trust me. I'm lucky to be alive."
"It's my fault," Nick says, frowning with guilt.
"No, it's really not. I would tell you if it was. This happened well after you guys left. I guess I should say it's nice to see you..."
"Reggie helped us," Sarah whispers to Clementine and I happen to hear it too. "When we ran away."
"What happened to his arm?"
"I don't know. We were all running out together... But then he fell... and everybody kept running. I know he had both his arms then."
"Do you trust him?" I ask.
"I don't know. He's nice, if that's what you mean."
"It's not."
"Oh. Then, I don't know."
I sigh. I know talking to Sarah will get me no new information whatsoever so I just focus on what Reggis is saying to Rebecca. "They got me working outside. Lurker snuck up on me while I was hammering something. Luckily, they took the arm off quick. Saved my life."
Wait, what? He was bitten...and he cut it off...and he lived? I found myself feeling shocked by this...and pissed off at it too. So...you're telling me...that Lee could be standing right here now...if I was just a little bit faster?! All this time...and there was a real chance that I could've saved his life? That's fucking bull-
"Alvin. Carver wants you in his office."
My anger quickly subsides and is replaced by genuine concern for my friend...because I know it won't end well for him. "What? Why?"
"Don't make this difficult. It's too late for that."
"No! Please!"
"It's okay, Bec," Alvin comforts his wife. "If he wanted to do somethin' to me, he'd have done it already. I'll be fine. Let's see what he wants." Alvin and the heavy-set woman leave.
Good luck, Alvin...
"Hey! Reggie!"
"Oh, uh," The foreign one-armed man shook as the hick spoke to him. "Hey, Troy."
"Don't go fuckin' up now. Bill's real close to lettin' you outta here. You make sure things stay nice and quiet out here tonight, and I'll be sure to let Bill know just how helpful you were."
"Yeah, you can count on me. Thanks, Troy."
"Don't mention it." Troy and Bonnie leave, closing the door behind them.
Good fuckin' riddance. Thought they would never leave.
"Who are they?"
"Oh, right. Let me introduce you," Rebecca took it upon herself to introduce us to Reggie. "We were with them when we got caught. That's Sarita."
"Hello."
"That's Kenny."
"Heya."
"And who are these two?" Reggie looks at me and Clem. I was about to speak...but someone else beat me to it first.
"Elijah...?" From behind Reggie stood a young woman wearing a red and grey hoodie...with golden blonde hair and blue eyes. I wasted no time and rushed over to her, my hands rightfully taking their place on her face. Her eyes were practically beaming when she met my gaze, her smile is just how I remember. "What took you so long, Brown Eyes?"
"Shut it," I say through a breathless chuckle. "Just let me look at you," I know it's been roughly a week since we were separated, but it feels like a million years since I saw her look at me like that. "...I'm sorry."
"For what- Mmph!"
I gently pull Molly's face toward mine and firmly press my lips on hers. I feel a soft gasp against my upper lip from the initial connection but Molly doesn't pull herself away. Instead, she grips my shoulders with an equal amount of firmness as she kisses me back. I don't care if people are watching us, I've already waited too long to do this. We break apart, resting our foreheads together as we catch our breath.
"That definitely took you long enough to do."
"Sorry 'bout that," I chuckle.
"Molly?" Clementine's surprised word makes Molly break away from me, she hugs the little one tightly and pats the back of her head.
"I missed you, Kiddo. I'm so glad you're safe."
Clementine hugged her back, and I swore I thought I could hear her let out a soft sob. "I thought we'd never see you again."
"I'm not the only one, Clem," Molly releases her and stands...looking back to another woman who's joined us by the fire. This one I recognized too, she smiles at me and I hug her before she can start talking.
"Good to see you, Christa."
"You too," She hugs me back. "I knew you'd find us eventually."
"Christa!" Clementine joins our hug, making Christa chuckle.
"Hey, Clementine."
"You'll never believe who Elijah and I found!"
"I'm looking at him and I can't believe it," Molly adds. Christa breaks away from Clementine and me before seeing just exactly who we were referring to. I can imagine that her shock and awe is just like mine when we found Kenny again. After all, she was there when we thought he died.
"Kenny?"
"Well, ain't you a sight for sore eyes," They share a hug. "I'm sorry 'bout Omid, darlin'. I can imagine what that was like."
"Thank you," Christa nods in understanding before breaking apart from Kenny. "But what happened to you? We thought...we thought you were gone."
"Heh. Now that's a long story. I'll tell you about it sometime."
"I never thought I would say this," Molly folds her arms over her chest. "But it's actually good to see that grizzled face of yours, Grandpa."
"And I guess it's still good to see you haven't changed much, Goldilocks."
"She sure hasn't," I agree, wrapping my arm around her. It's one of the things I love about her.
"Can you guys save it for the morning?!" A man calls out from the other side of the yard in a tired, annoyed...but familiar voice. "Some of us gotta be up early!"
"No problem Sorry about that," Reggie responds to him, making the man cover his head with a pillow. "Okay, that's Mike. He's kind of a dick when he's tired, but...like I said-" I don't care what Reggie has to say, I need to confirm something. I make my way over to the sleeping man alone, hoping that I'm wrong about this.
"Hey. Get up."
"Get lost..."
He didn't turn over to speak to me, which only pisses me off even more. "I said," I reel back my right foot and send my steel-toed boot directly in the middle of his back. "Get up!" The man shouts in pain and stumbles around before managing to find his footing.
"What the hell is your problem?" Once he stands up, I get a good look at his face...noticing the large scar on his left cheek and a good chunk of his ear missing. His mind seems to click along with my own when his eyes widen in recognition. "You're the-"
I grab him by the collar of his jacket and slam him into the concrete wall behind him. "I oughta kill you right now for what you and your buddies did!"
"Get your fucking hands off of me!"
"You have no room to talk, you son of a bitch!"
"Elijah! Calm down!"
"Don't give me that shit!" I glare at Rebecca. "This asshole was part of the people who attack me and my friends!"
"We know!" Christa tells me. "But now we're all in the same boat and there's no point if we start killing each other over it!"
"We can't trust him!" Clementine says. "He could've killed us!"
"But he can't do anything while we're in here."
"Elijah..." Molly speaks in a soft voice and places a warm hand on my shoulder. "We'll deal with it when we can, but right now, it's no good if we cause trouble..."
I know she's making sense and I know I need to be smart... The thought of killing him crosses my mind...but it's replaced by the memory of Matthew dying thanks to me killing one of their guys. If I do this...someone else might die. "You better watch yourself," I glare at the man known as Mike, shoving him and his throat into the wall. "Give me one excuse and you'll be in hell just like your other buddies. And trust me, I'll make your death just as painful as theirs were." I drop him to the floor and storm away, Molly keeps a hand on my arm as we rejoin the others by the fire.
"You okay?" She asks me.
"I'm fine. Just...pissed off. How did you and Christa end up here anyway?"
"One of the assholes who jumped us chased Christa until sunrise, turns out he was leading us toward more of his buddies...and that's when all hell broke loose. Carver's men gunned a lot of them down, kept Mike over there alive, and took all of our stuff...and Hilda."
"Don't worry," I took her hand in my own. "Clem and I found her along the river, she should be with the other weapons they took from us. And I promise, she'll be right back where she belongs."
"Not soon enough..."
"Hey, look at me," Molly does so and I give her hand a reassuring squeeze. "We're gonna get out of here. I promise you that."
"Excuse me?" Reggie ruins our moment when he speaks up to me. "Elijah, right? If you could maybe...not start fights with others, I would really appreciate it."
"As long as that asshole over there knows that he's dead the moment he tries something, then yeah, I'll behave myself."
"Good," Reggie smiles and nods, ignoring my sarcasm with positivity. "Thank you."
"I guess introducements are in order," I shrug. "Molly, Christa. We ran into these guys after we got separated," I start listing everyone who's present by name until I reach Sarita. "Sarita here was with Kenny when we found him."
"Nice to meet you," Molly says.
"And you as well," She bods back. "So are you and Elijah...?"
"Please," This guy's been eyeing me down ever since we met, took him long enough to finally grow a pair and take the wheel."
"Me?" I raise an eyebrow. "You never made a move yourself. You're lucky I swept you off your feet before you got wise and found someone better."
"Shut up," Molly rolls her eyes at me but I see that small smirk tugging at her lips. God, how I missed this...I kissed her.
"Hey, Reggie?" Clementine speaks up, breaking our laughter. "Who is she?" She points to the opposite side of the yard where another woman with really short hair in a leather jacket is sitting at a table all by herself.
"Oh, yeah, right," Reggie cringes at the sight of her, he brings his voice down to a whisper. "Okay, so she's fuckin' weird. They found her sneaking around outside the camp covered in guts and just, like, the grossest shit."
"It's probably best not to stare..."
So she knows about that trick too, huh? Smart girl. But is she a reliable ally...or a future problem? Guess I'll just have to find out sooner or later.
"I know how it must look," Reggie continues with a positive attitude. "but...it's really not that bad here."
"Reggie..."
He can't be serious.
"No, I'm serious. Where else are you going to find food like we have? We've got the canned stuff, and now with the greenhouses coming along, we've got fresh food. The building's getting more and more secure all the time, mostly through forced labor, but that's only temporary. They've even got the solar panels working. When was the last time you had electricity, huh?"
"Well, your 'friends' just robbed us at a ski lodge where they had electricity along with a wind turbine," I say, folding my arms. "It's hard to believe you guys are building a community here when all you people do is take what you want."
"I'm just saying, it's not as bad as you think. We're building something great here, guys. A real community. Bill is making it happen. Look, I've made mistakes, and he's forgiven me."
"Maybe you didn't hear me correctly," My brow furrows in annoyance. "It doesn't matter what you people are doing, it's no excuse to kill innocent people."
"He's right, Reggie," Rebecca agrees with me. "It doesn't make up for what Carver's done."
"I know that, but I'm starting to see what this place offers... I didn't before and with the accident...it's just that much more important now."
"This place feels more like a prison," Clementine points out. It's still sometimes crazy to me that this kid can see shit for what it really is rather than full-grown adults.
"Well, that is a very negative attitude.
"She's right, Reggie."
"Listen, I'm really close to getting let back into the group. Once that happens, I can do a lot more to help you guys be more comfortable."
"'Comfortable'?" Kenny hated that. "What do you think this is?"
"I just don't want you to mess things up for me. I've worked really hard to get to this point. Will you please just try not to cause any trouble? At least until they release me. Then, once I'm out, I could help you more."
"So you expect us to fall in line so you can get yourself out? Even then, you don't even know if you could even help us?"
"Elijah, I know how it seems but this is all we can do right now."
"Christa's right. We would've gotten out if it was that simple, we just have to wait for the right time."
"..." Goddamn it. I hate feeling like this. But...if Molly and Christa say this is what we have to do...then I have to trust their judgment.
"We can at least talk about it in the morning," Reggie continues. "Just have a quiet night and chat again tomorrow."
Rebecca sighs and shakes her head. "I can't believe what I'm hearing."
"Look, the fact is, Bill had every reason to kill me when I helped you guys... but he didn't. Obviously, I don't know what happened while you all were gone, but he's given me a second chance, and I know he'd do the same for you."
"Reggie, I don't want a second chance. I want to leave with my family. That's it."
"I want him dead," I added through clenched teeth.
"Rebecca?" Sarita expresses concern after she inhales sharply and holds her tummy. "Are you alright?"
"I need to sit down."
"Come along," Sarita leads her by hand to the chairs by the fire, Christa joins them as well. "You're Christa, right?"
"Yeah. I can help. I've...been in this situation before."
"I can help too," Sarah joins them by the fire along with Nick and Reggie, leaving me, Molly, Clementine, and Kenny by the loading door.
"Man, fuck that guy," Kenny says. "I don't think we can trust him. I mean, clearly he's already drank too much of the Kool-Aid."
"Almost as good as your bell joke, Ken."
"I like him," Clementine says. "Sure, he's scared, but he doesn't seem like a bad person."
"Everybody's scared, Clem. It ain't an excuse to sound like a nutcase. We gotta know if there's anything we can exploit to get out of here. We're in a tight spot, and we're gonna have to wriggle our way out."
"There's not much to work with, Cowboy," Molly says. "Christa and I have eyed this place down for days and there's not much to go off of. The walls are boarded up to withstand storms and the tops are laced with enough barbed wire to stop anyone from climbing out and in."
"That don't mean we can just give up.'
"We're not, Kenny," I say. "If there was an easy way out, Molly and Christa would've found it by now. Trust me on that. From the way I see it, it looks like we're the only way out of here."
"Well...it's not like we haven't done it before."
"Yep," I nod. "If we can survive a place like Crawford, we can get out of this place. We just have to...take out time." I sigh at my own words, knowing that I hate that's what we have to deal with. "Let's just get some rest, it's been a long day."
We sit ourselves down by the fire. Molly doesn't leave my side and rests her head on my shoulder, nuzzling her face into my neck. I forgot how much I missed the way her hair tickled my chin whenever she did this. "You swept me off my feet? What are you, a seventies sitcom?"
"I don't see you finding anything better," I retort.
"Because there is no one better."
"And you call me the cheesy one?"
"Shut up, dork... But I really do mean it, I'm serious."
"I know," I squeeze her a little tighter next to me. "I missed you."
"Me, or my ass?" She smirked up at me, making me roll my eyes.
"I'm allowed to miss both," I admit, making Molly laugh a little.
"You asshole...you're lucky you're adorable."
"It's all part of my charm."
Our moment is yet again ruined by the sound of the loading doors opening with Troy coming back with Carlos close behind him. Sarah, happy to see her father again, goes and gives her a tight hug. While I'm relieved that Carlos is fine, somewhat, my main concern is what happened to Alvin. If he's not here...then he's still in Carver's office. Lord, give me all my strength to not kill these motherfuckers right now.
"Alright, go the fuck to sleep!" Troy shouts, flashing his rifle. "I'm shootin' the first one of y'all I see up wanderin' around before sun-up!"
"Troy, where's Alvin?!"
"Everyone get to bed!" Rebecca's demand is only met by Troy slamming down the door and locking us inside.
Well, we're not gonna get any more answers tonight. May as well get some rest while we can, I can bet anything they're gonna work us like dogs tomorrow.
We all each take a cot to use as our temporary beds, Kenny and Sarita take the one on the floor next to me, Molly, and Clementine. At least we have pillows. I lay down on the ground next to Molly. "Some of these folks ain't too keen on leavin'," Kennyt says to me. "It's up to us to figure out a way outta here. You, Me, clem, Molly, and Christa. You up for it, son?"
"Of course, Ken," I nod. "We'll get everyone out and leave this place."
"Good. That's my boy. Better get some sleep. We'll need it."
I nod and turn myself around on the ground, Molly greets my tired smile with her own. "Hey."
"Hey, Brown eyes."
We just spend a few silent minutes looking at each other, neither one of us can believe that we finally found each other again. Well, it's not like it hasn't happened before. We'll always find each other, no matter how far away we are. As I stare into her bright blue eyes, I notice...something off. There was a faint black spot just at the corner of her left eye. My fingers carefully graze over her bruise...and I can feel my blood starting to boil.
"Who did this to you?"
"I'm fine. Just gave that limp dick hick a piece of my mind and I got to meet the butt of his rifle."
That's it then... I'm gonna kill that mother fucker...
"Hey," Molly notices my change in demeanor and places a hand on my cheek. Despite the cold air around us, her touch is warm as her hand traces along the edge of my jaw. "I'm fine, you know I've faced worse than this."
That reminder only makes me worry more. "He hasn't-"
"No," Molly gives me a relieving answer. "He gave me looks, but never tried anything. That Carver guy gets on his case before he can even do a damn thing," I look off to the side at the mention of that name, she doesn't even know... "What's wrong?"
"...Carver, he's..." Well, I guess I should get this out of the way before she hears it from someone else. "You remember what I told you about my old man?" Molly nods. "Well...that's him."
"...Are you-"
"Yes. I'm serious...just as I am about killing him," Molly pulls me in closer after hearing the seriousness in my tone, my arms wrap themselves around her waist as she buries her face in the crook of my neck again. "I'll get us out of here, all of us. I promise."
I may not exactly know how...but I'll get it done...
"Te quiero, Mi Corazon." Molly giggles at my use of my second favorite language.
"También te amo..."