Chapter 1: Saving Clementine
Lee had been really worried. After Clementine had mysteriously disappeared, he knew that he had to get her back. He had just found her hat laying on the floor, which he had picked up. It worried him greatly. Had Vernon taken her? What was this?
Lee groaned inwardly. He could not afford to lose Clementine. No way. He had promised he'd take of her, and he would do anything within his power to keep that promise. As he continued to walk, he couldn't help but to think about all the deaths of his friends. Katjaa was no more as was Duck. Lily was left on her own, as Larry's head was smashed. Carley was shot in the head and Doug was eaten by walkers. Lee immediately thought about Glenn, hoping that he had made it. He also though about Ben, and how he was dropped from the bell tower.
"Damn kid," Lee winced. "There must've been a better way."
Lee heard a crunching noise that brought him out of his thoughts as he saw Clem's walkie talkie on the floor.
"Her walkie talkie," Lee gasped to himself as he scanned the surroundings. There were trash cans that were hidden by a cardboard box. He knew he had to get to the radio, but he knew he had to make sure that all was safe. He slowly approached the box as he kicked it down.
"GRAAH!" yelled a walker.
"Shit!"
The walker lunged at Lee and took him to the ground. Lee was fighting for his life as he felt adrenaline rush throughout his body. He couldn't get bitten, not now! He used all his strength as he slowly overpowered the walker and threw him to the ground. He smashed the walker's head in multiple times to make sure it was dead. After Lee made sure the walker had died, he shakily got up, checking his body for scratches. His blood ran cold at the mere thought of having been infected.
Thankfully, he hadn't been bitten.
"If if I had gone for that walkie talkie blindly, that might have been the end for me," Lee sighed to himself. "I have to be much more careful, for Clementine's sake."
"Lee, Lee?" he heard Omid's voice.
He looked over the fence of the house they had stayed in to see Kenny, Omid, and Christa walk out, calling for him.
"Guys, I'm over here!" Lee raised his voice as they all walked over to him.
"There you are, what happened?" Kenny worriedly asked. "Vernon isn't here. I think he left! Also, Clementine's gone! Wait, is that her hat, and her walkie talkie? What the hell? Lee, where's Clem?"
Lee felt fire in his heart. "Someone took her."
"No...no." Christa's eyes widened in shock.
"Who Lee? Do you know?" Omid asked.
"Vernon talked me to me yesterday about taking Clementine with him, so I think it-"
"It may be him!" Kenny finished for Lee. "Dammit Lee, did you agree?"
"Hell no!" Lee growled. "I wouldn't leave my girl with him. I told him to walk away. Pissed him off, but he isn't taking Clementine away from me...from us."
"Damn right. Once I get my hands on him..." Kenny growled.
"Easy there Kenny," Christa said. "Lee, what do you need from us? Anything you need, and we'll be willing to help."
"Really? You'd help me...find Clementine?" Lee hopefully asked.
Omid looked at him like he was crazy. "Ar-are you serious right now? Of course we'll help you! The more the better, right Christa?"
"Right," Christa firmly nodded. "She's our responsibility too Lee. You can count us in."
Lee smiled. He felt very encouraged by their support. Maybe he would end up finding Clementine. No...he will find Clementine, no matter what the cost.
Lee then turned to Kenny who sighed and looked at Lee. Lee held his breath, hoping Kenny would support him, but that thought faded when Kenny had a kind of an irritated look.
"Hahahaha!" Kenny burst out laughing. "Don't make that face at me Lee. Do you honestly think I wasn't going to help you? You've been there for me when I needed you. You helped defend my boy and stood up for me from that 'piece o' shit' Larry. We're a team. Of course I'm with you."
"Ah," Lee smiled. "Trust is really important. I'm glad I received of all your trust."
"You received it when long before," Kenny said. "Look, I may have sometimes been very angry and irrational, but that's just my personality. I care for you Lee, and I care for Clementine, so don't let what I say get to you that much."
"I understand Kenny." Lee replied.
"Hey, what about us?" Omid crossed his arm.
"What about you?" Kenny scoffed, raising his eyebrow.
"Hey man-!" Omid began complaining as Kenny chuckled.
"I'm kidding little dude, I'm kidding."
"Little?" Omid asked, offended.
"Drop it honey," Christa firmly said. "We're wasting time by just staying here."
"Wait a minute!" Kenny immediately replied. "What about the boat? Are we just going to leave it here? What if someone steals it?"
"If they were to steal it, it would've already been stolen by now," Christa pointed out. "Don't worry. Lee, where to?"
Lee thought for a moment. Would it really be safe to leave the boat here alone? What if someone did take it? There was a man that had been here, whom Lee caught. What if he came back? Hell, what if Vernon and those bastards also came back? He didn't want to take any risks, but he had to find Clementine. Clementine was more valuable to him than any damn boat in this entire planet.
"We should head back to Vernon's place and see if he's still there. I know where he is, so just follow me, okay? We're going down the sewage, so um, prepare for the smell because trust me, it smells like shit," Lee said.
"Gee Lee, do you want a Captain Obvious award?" Kenny asked. "I thought it'd smell like roses and lollipops in there."
"That'd be nice," Omid wistfully thought.
Lee chuckled and shook his head as the group walked over to an open manhole that would take them throughout the city of Savannah. The smell already had reached their noises, as most held their breath.
"Jesus," Kenny shook his head in disgust.
"Well guys, here goes nothing," Lee sighed, "Just follow my lead."
The group had navigated their way through the sewers as they found themselves at the doorstep of the morgue, where the cancer rehab patients had been staying.
"Here it is," Lee whispered, as he took out his gun and scanned the area, "Ready? Let's go."
Lee opened the door and looked inside, scanning his surroundings, to make sure he and his group were safe.
"Vernon, where the fuck is Clementine?!" he growled. "You better come out now with her! I don't want any trouble. Just give us Clementine back, and you can walk away."
He was only met by silence.
"Shit, where the fuck is he?" Kenny asked, irritated. "Let's check this place out, find out if there is anything interesting for the taking. Christa, Omid, search the cabinets over there. Lee, you can search the top row, and I'll make sure no walkers get in. Let's get to it."
The group spread out and began searching. Lee began opening the cabinets on the top row hoping to find something useful. The cabinets were mostly empty, with only a rib spreader on one of them.
"Geeze, wouldn't want to use this on a body," Lee sighed as he took it, and put it on his back pocket.
Lee closed the cabinet doors and looked to see an elevator that was closed.
"I found an elevator guys," Lee called out.
"That's great, can you get it to work?" Kenny asked.
"I'll try my best. Got this rib spreader, so it should be pretty easy."
"A rib spreader, huh? Glad to know we won't have to use that on a body..."
"Not yet," Lee agreed.
"Let's hope we never get to use it," Christa scoffed. "Though the elevator looks tightly shut. You think you can try opening it with the rib spreader?"
"That's exactly what I was going to do," Lee affirmed. "Well, I'll get to it."
"Oh please, yes."
Lee sighed as he approached the elevator and inserted the spreader right in the middle of the hole. He cranked the spreader, as it forced the doors open. It took quite a lot of force as Lee found himself sometimes short of breath, but he had to open it.
"RRRGH!" Lee growled as he finally pried the door open, as they were greeted by darkness with only a faint light.
"Woah, nice job," Omid smiled. "Finally we are going somewhere. Well, let's go."
They entered to see the elevator shaft empty, as there was a ladder that took them straight to the roof. It was a pretty long climb, as they also heard sounds of walkers up there somewhere.
"Yep, I hear those damn bitches," Kenny sighed. "Alright, everyone head up silently, okay? No one make a noise."
"I"m sure they will hear us climbing up the ladder," Christa stated.
"That's not what I meant, you know it."
"All right guys, enough," Omid replied. "We are wasting time. Let's go up and see what we can do next."
The four began climbing the ladder slowly.
They heard the gurgle of walker's becoming louder and louder as they passed by an open floor. Lee squinted as he saw a faintly moving body about to fall off the space.
"Shit! Watch out! Walker!" Lee warned just as a walker tumbled down, narrowly missing Kenny.
"Well shit!" he breathed out. "That was a close one. Thanks Lee."
"No problem. We're almost there!"
After a little more climbing, they found themselves on the roof of a hospital. They finally had a chance to take a deep breath as they scanned the area. What they saw was the now decayed town of Crawford, with thousands of walkers roaming about.
"Damn...that's so many," Christa breathed out. "It's crazy...how they get here? Did they track us here?"
"They don't track us down...they just roam," Kenny replied.
"Oh, do they? I mean, the train wasn't discreet at all," Christa crossed her arms.
Lee decided to interject because things got too far. "Clem is down there somewhere. We have to find her. Anything here that we can use to get through town?"
"I think maybe we can use that bell?" Omid asked, pointing across from where they were to a huge bell. "We can ring that and lure the walkers to it."
"That's a really good plan," Lee smiled. "Great observation."
"How the hell are we going to get across to it, though?" Kenny replied. "I highly doubt any of us would be able to jump there. We have to find like a bridge of some sorts to cross the gap. Hey, there's a ladder over here. Do you think it'll reach? It looks like it extends."
"Let's try it out," Lee encouraged as he heaved the ladder with the help of Kenny and Omid as they gently extended the ladder to its fullest and laid it down. Thankfully, the ladder was long enough for it to reach the bell tower.
"Hey, I should go," Kenny sighed. "You've done enough already Lee and Omid's leg is still busted."
"If you want me to, I can do it man," Omid replied. "My leg's feeling better."
"We simply can't risk it."
"Ken, I'll do it. No problem," Lee gently said. "It's okay Kenny. Just catch a breath here, alright?"
Kenny stared at Lee for a second. "Yeah, okay. Thanks man."
"No problem at all."
Lee grabbed the rung of the ladder and placed his footing. The ladder shook a bit, but other than that, it showed no signs of breaking or falling off course.
"So far so good man!" Kenny cheered him on. "Oh wait, it looks rickety!"
"Thanks Kenny! Next time, keep that to yourself!" Lee growled.
Kenny chuckled as Lee continued on. As he proceeded on, he felt the balance become unstable as it began shaking, and slowly, it slid off course. Lee knew that he would have to jump or fall to his death. He rushed up the ladder and just as the tip fell of, he grabbed the edge of the bell tower and hoisted himself up to safety.
"Holy shit, are you okay man?" came Omid's worried voice. "You almost died!"
"Geeze, I don't need to hear that now!" Lee angrily said. "I'm okay for now. Thanks."
"You did great Lee, now all you need to do is ring that bell," Christa instructed. "But before you do that, find out how you will come back here. Anything up there you can use?"
"If not, the only option is to jump," Kenny helpfully added. "Don't worry...it's not far...well, it's not that far."
"Thank you guys for the positive words of encouragement," Lee rolled his eyes. "Nothing is up in this bell tower though. Jumping is my best bet. Let me ring the bell."
Lee grabbed the rope and pulled it down, as it caused the bell swing back and forth, making a lot of noise. Lee had to hold his hand over his ears to avoid damaging his ears. Lee looked to see the walkers all stumble to their location.
"You did it, now jump!" Kenny said. "Jump!"
"Just a minute man!"
Lee surveyed the jump. It didn't look far, like Kenny had said. He knew that if he didn't jump, he would be stuck here forever, so he built up his courage as he headed to the back, to give him room to gain speed. He ran as he jumped. He saw the ledge nearing him as he thrust his arms out and grabbed it.
"RRRGH!" he groaned as immediately Omid and Kenny grabbed his arm and pulled up.
Lee landed on the floor exhausted, but thankful he was alive. "Thank you guys for your help."
"Hey, we're a team. If you're dead, there wouldn't be anything we could do man," Omid chuckled.
"Stop being disrespectful Omid," Christa's eyes widened. "Anyways, we're glad you made it here safely. Now, let's go back to the house and get the boat, before the walker's come back."
"Damn straight," Kenny agreed. "Everyone, let's go!"
The group headed back to the house where they kept the boat as they looked at the corpses of walker's on the ground as well as killing any stray walker that would try to attack them. They made it back with relative ease, as they saw the gates wide open.
"Shit, did you guys forget to lock the gate?!" Kenny raged.
"No, we closed the gate shut," Omid replied.
"Oh no, the boat!"
Kenny rushed in while the others trailed along. What they saw in the shed surprised them greatly. There was nothing. The boat had been stolen. There was only a note on the ground which only Lee noticed now.
"Shit, shit, shiiiit!" Kenny yelled in frustration. "Our boat! Our hard work is all gone! Who the hell was it?!"
"I believe it was Vernon and his group," Lee shook his head in disgust as he picked up the note, reading it. "Yeah...it was that piece of shit Vernon..."
"Those damn invalid's?!" Kenny asked.
"Well, their actions contradicts what they did," Omid stated.
"He's right," Christa agreed. "They are just people who have been dealing with shitty situations for a long time. That is how they got the jump on us..."
"Man, fucking pieces of shits!" Kenny growled. "Once I get my hands on them, I will rip their fucking throats out!"
"Man, fuck em!" Lee agreed.
"That's right! It's sick, it really is," Kenny said. "They use their sympathy for goddamn sick folks and end up stabbing us in the back!"
Christa disagreed with Lee and Kenny's sentiment. "They didn't 'stab' us in the back! They did what anyone would do in this situation. They've been living with ghosts all this time."
"And it also says that Vernon feels really bad about this...and about leaving us and Clementine," Lee said. "So...it wasn't him."
"They still fucking played us! Now, since we don't have a boat, we don't have plan anymore! What the hell do we do after we get back Clementine?" Kenny asked.
"We get the hell out of cities," Christa replied. "I'm done in cities."
"I agree," Omid said.
"Hey pretty boy, you agree with everything your girlfriend says!" Kenny raised his voice. "Why don't you start offering your opinions for once and stop being afraid to speak out!"
"Hey, fuck off old man!" Christa snarled. "You don't talk to Omid like that!"
The two began quarreling as their voices gradually became louder.
"Guys, we have to keep our voice down!" Lee told them. "We're going to draw the attention of-"
"RGHNNNGHH!" came the growls of walkers as masses of them swarmed the fence, bringing the whole fence down.
"Shit, in the house, now!" Lee ordered as he opened the door, motioning everyone to enter. Once everyone had entered, he slammed the door and locked it. He soon took a deep breath. "What the hell do we do now? Walkers are here..."
"We stay here...it's a stable house. I'm sure it won't break," Christa reassured.
Instantly after she said that, a window cracked open as a piece of a wall broke apart, and the walkers flooded in.
"Stable, huh?" Lee scoffed.
"Watch it."
"New plan, everyone head upstairs!" Kenny ordered.
Omid, Christa and Kenny rushed upstairs, but Lee couldn't help but to stare at a walker who looked like Brie. Lee looked at her with pity. She was a good woman. She did not have to die like this. Lee readied a butcher knife and lodged it right on her brain, killing her instantly. He headed upstairs to see Omid and Christa with guns, ready to fire.
"Help me with this furniture!" Kenny said. "Lee! Help me push it, so we can block of those damn walkers!"
Lee rushed to Kenny's aid as they painfully moved the desk to the stairs and blocked the way, making it hard for the walkers to get across.
"We must not get trapped, and here, we will make a stand," Lee said. "We clear out the walkers, and we'll find a way. How many bullets do you guys have? I have five and two."
"Three," Omid said.
"Four."
"Six."
"You all know where to aim...let us do this," Lee nodded as they waited for the walkers to show their faces.
Soon, the walkers began coming up the stairs as they trained their guns on them and began firing.
"Woah guys, three people shot the same walker," Omid noticed. "We need to save bullets. How are we going to do this?"
"Here, Kenny, Omid, take my gun. I will try to find a way to get outta here."
"Hurry," Kenny urged.
Lee scoured around, but couldn't find anything. When he looked at the top, he saw a rope he could pull that would lead them to the attic. "Found it! Watch out everyone!"
Lee brought it down with his strength as the ladder lowered with a bang.
"Go!"
Starting with Christa, they rushed up the ladder to the top. Once everyone had made it, Lee raised the trapdoor effectively distancing themselves from the walkers.
"Things could have gone better, but we're alive," Kenny sighed. "So after we find Clementine, can we still catch up to those thieves?"
"That will be hard to do...we have to try to get out of here," Omid replied as he checked a window. Unfortunately, he found some problems. "Shit, the window has no latches and it is a thirty feet straight drop, but I think I may know someone who can help us."
They stared at Omid as he slid over to a statue.
"Omid, what are you doing?"
"Look at him...he has a resourceful air around him," he chuckled. "Dixon Kent the third...industri-"
"OMID!" Christa warned.
"Christa...I'm just trying to lighten the mood here, okay?"
"We need SOLUTIONS! Not stupid jokes!" Christa spat, staring at Omid, but realized how harsh she sounded. "Sorry..."
"It's okay Christa...I understand how you're feeling," Omid replied. "Hmmmmmm..."
While they silently thought, there was crackle from the walkie talkie as Clementine's voice sounded through the radio. "Lee! I'm okay...I'm okay! I'm at where my parents were and...oh no!"
The walkie talkie shut off.
"Wait, what did she mean?" Christa asked.
"Thank goodness you are okay," Lee said, relief flooding it, until it disappeared just as quick. "She's where her parents were at...the hotel! He hasn't moved her!"
"Yet." Kenny said.
"Yeah...yet," Christa agreed.
"Come on Ken, be optimistic man," Lee replied.
"Optimistic? Open your eyes Lee! We're trapped here with no way out and thousands of walkers down there and you want me to be optimistic? What if he moves Clementine? Then, what are we going to do?"
"He won't move Clementine! We will get to her and we will find her!"
"Look, we will try our best to find her, but if things get too hazy and it'll risk all of us, it's just better to get out of here!"
"How dare you say that?! We will find her and she will be alright!"
"Um, guys, now isn't the time to be arguing," Omid helpfully added.
"You will listen to me!" Kenny growled, getting in Lee's face. "We will find Clementine, but if things get too hectic, we have to get outta here!"
Lee growled in rage and picked up the statue's head and prepared to throw. Kenny's eyes widened as he shielded his face as Lee threw it hard on the wall. It left a huge dent with some pieces that broke out. They were silent for the longest time.
"Dude, you busted the man's face up," Omid replied.
"Shut up sweetie. Look! It left a mean one," Christa examined the wall. "It looks like it is corroded."
Lee grabbed a pole and slammed it into the wall as more pieces fell off.
"Yea-heah," Kenny grinned widely. "Now this is what I'm talking about. We can bust out of here if we all pitch in and bust down that wall. We take shifts and bring it down. Sound good?"
"Yeah, it does," Lee nodded as Omid and Christa agreed. "Look Kenny...I'm sorry for getting mad at you. It's just that Clementine's my family now and it..."
"Say no more Lee," Kenny gently reassured. "I didn't mean what I said. Of course we will find Clementine. Now is too late to turn back. Give me that pole, let me start my shift. I don't want to continue being a useless asshole."
"Appreciate it."
Kenny took the pole and began making dents in the wall as Lee, Christa, and Omid sat on a couch and began relaxing. While they were relaxing, they struck up a conversation.
"So...you and Kenny must have known each other for a long time," Omid said. "How long was it? And by the way, Ben dying is just crazy...I never expected it to...I mean..."
"Kenny blew up on him back at Crawford," Christa whispered. "I've never seen him that. I mean, I understand that he got his wife and child killed and that is fucked up beyond many levels, but..."
"Woah, what happened?"
"Later Omid, later..."
Soon, they fell into silence as they heard Kenny slamming the wall. Soon, he became exhausted as he came over with the pole and handed it to Omid. "You're next kid. I'm outta gas."
"You want me to go do it first?" Lee asked.
"Nah man, I got this."
Omid rose up and left to do his part of the work, as Kenny sat down next to Christa.
"You made any progress with that wall Kenny?" Lee asked.
"Yeah, if we're lucky, Omid should be able to break it. If not, your turn will do the trick. Hell...we're lucky the wall is as corroded as it is, or else it would have been near impossible. Now..." Kenny's eyes wandered to a box that contained a bottle of whiskey. His eyes lit up and took it. "Hey, there's still some left! Y'all want a drink too?"
"I'm down." Lee agreed.
Christa stood silent for now, just staring at the whiskey. Kenny gulped down the whiskey as he handed it to Lee. Lee also took a few sips and handed it over to Christa. She just stared at it guilty as suddenly, she brought the whole bottle to her face and gulped every ounce of the whiskey down. Kenny's eyes widened as he forlornly looked at the empty whiskey and gave a sigh.
Lee couldn't help but to chuckle.
SMASH!
"Guys, I think I got it done!" Omid whooped. "It leads to another apartment. Come on in!"
"Why hello there," Kenny grinned as he looked at the huge hole.
Soon, they all crawled under the hole and found themselves in the bedroom of the next door. The first thing that caught all their eye was a couple on the bed, dead. They head a hole in their head, holding a gun, and their hands together.
"Gosh," Christa sighed, lightly sobbing, looking away.
Lee stared at the dead body. "That was smart...new there was no way out, so they went together."
"Don't you dare say that," he heard Kenny's growl as he pointed at Lee. "Don't say that again, ever. You stick out as long as you can. You do whatever you have to...I could have done more, but I didn't."
"You've done all you could," Lee reassured.
"No Lee...I haven't," Kenny shook his head. "I could have been a better father...a better husband...a better guardian...a better friend. Now, let's find a way outta here and get that girl. Who's with me?"
Kenny put his hand in the middle.
"I've been here for you and you've been here for me. You're a really good friend of mine. Of course we're finding Clementine, but know that we'll stick together as long as we can, okay?" Lee asked.
Kenny smiled. "Thank you Lee."
"We're in," Christa spoke for Omid. "We're a team now. Let's get that girl and let's get out of here, as a team. No point in arguing over where to go. We should prioritize on finding the girl."
All their hands met in the middle, as they soon pulled away.
Lee walked over to a window and opened it. Thankfully, it had a latch, and there was a balcony like ledge that allowed them to jump on to the roof of another building. "Guys, over here. We can place our feet on the ledge and jump. Let's do it."
Lee went first as the ledge supported his weight. It only gave a little creak as Lee successfully made it to the other side. Christa also easily jumped from the ledge, though it had made a much more louder creak. Next was Omid, but no one saw the support system unhinge and almost come off.
"Guess it's my turn now," Kenny sighed. He stood on the ledge as it creaked.
Lee's eyes widened. "Kenny, jump!"
Just as Kenny jumped, the ledge gave way and toppled to the floor.
"No!"
Kenny landed on his feet, grunting, as a loud crash was heard.
"Kenny, are you alright bud?" Omid called out.
"I'm just dandy, but I'll need help!" came his voice.
Lee sighed in relief as he turned to Christa and Omid. "Wait here. I'm going to help Kenny."
Before they could protest, Lee rushed down and went over to Kenny who was still catching his breath.
"Man, you okay?"
"For now...I will be," he wheezed. "Though I think that noise drew some..."
They heard growling as they were approached by some walkers.
"Hey, that's not too bad. We can take them down," Kenny smirked.
Right after he said that, more began showing up, and they knew it was a losing match.
"Shit, me and my big mouth..."
Lee helped Kenny up as they rushed to the ladder that would take them back to the roof.
"Lee, hurry, go first!" Kenny growled as the walkers drew dangerously near.
Lee tried to go as fast as possible, but Kenny knew that if he waited for Lee, they would grab him and bite him. "Shit, it's too dangerous for me! Lee, I'll find another way out!"
Kenny backed out from the ladder and rushed in the other direction.
"Shit Kenny! Kenny!"
Lee hurried up the ladder and peered over the roof. He heard Kenny's voice, but couldn't see him.
"Back! Back you sons of bitches!" they heard Kenny growl as the sound of walkers overpowered him. They faintly heard some screaming.
"No...no...no..." Lee put his hand over his head. "Kenny...no..."
"Dude, dude, what happened?!" Omid asked, rushing over to him.
"Kenny...I...he didn't make it!" Lee growled in agony... "No...how?"
"Oh my goodness..."
The three fell into silence.
"This isn't true...I'm sure Kenny made it to safety," Christa tried to reassure.
They peered over the ledge to see tons of walkers roaming around. It would be a miracle if anyone could survive a horde of that magnitude.
"He was a good f-friend," Lee said. "But we have to continue on...the Marsh House is right over there."
Silently, they traversed the rooftop as they drew closer and closer. They were soon stopped by a building that only had a skinny ledge that brought them from the building to another, near the Marsh House.
"This looks very thin..." Omid pointed out. "I don't think we three should go there...it might be dangerous."
"It is dangerous...let me go first," Lee said. "No questions. If it's safe, you guys can follow...but if I don't make it..."
"Lee, do not say that. You will make it. Don't you even go down that road," Christa warned. "If you start losing hope, remember Clementine. She thinks the world of you and I know you'd do anything to bring her back...right?"
Lee had a really hard stare. "Right...I can't fail for her..."
"We'll be right behind you. Go and save her..."
"Thank you."
Lee grabbed the ledge as he slowly began walking accross.
"Just look forward and not down, and you will get there safely. I believe in you."
"Hey, me too," Omid chipped in.
Lee chuckled as he reached halfway. Unfortunately, he was too heavy, or the ledge was too light as the beginning section completely tore down, nailing a walker in the head. Lee held on to the edge that was barely hanging on.
"Shit!" he was wide eyed.
"You're fine, you're fine!" Christa reassured.
"I think I'll have to go alone for this one. Can't risk any of your lives for this...promise me you'll be near here. If that happens, Clementine and I will meet up with you...please," Lee pleaded.
"Of course...take your time and save the girl...okay?"
"Yeah, of course."
"We'll see you soon. Good luck."
"Thank you."
Lee readied his butcher knife as he stared at the Marsh House. He scowled as he thought about Clementine and the damn stranger that kidnapped her. Lee's face was apathetic, wearing a mask of indifference. He didn't give a damn. No horde would stop him from reaching his sweet girl. Nothing.
Lee walked forward, never wavering as he began slicing the walkers that got close to him. He showed only determination and passion to get Clementine back. He had been with her since the beginning, and he would be with her until the end. The more walkers he killed, the more their guts and blood coated him. Lee didn't care about that, but as he became more and more covered, the walkers began giving less interest to him. Soon, they ignored him completely.
"What the-?"
Lee stood, doing nothing when a walker approached him. Lee tensed, and had his hand on the knife just in case, but the walker just brushed past him, giving no care.
"Huh..." Lee realized something. "If I'm...covered in their guts and blood, and act like them, they won't notice me...that's very interesting, and...useful."
Slowly, he made his way toward the marsh house with ease. He smirked. He was that much closer to finding Clementine. The hotel seemed to be in okay condition...well compared to what he thought it would look like after months of no maintenance. The blue carpet had little stains, but it didn't seem worn down like some buildings he saw. Lee roamed around the hotel, as he soon came upon a door that was slightly open. Lee gave a deep breath as he opened the door slowly and scanned the area. There was nothing...
He entered and examined the area. There were furniture, a TV, a neat looking bed as well as many others. What drew his attention were two doors. Now, that would not be out of the ordinary, but there was a rope tied from that one door knob to another. He came to examine the door when he heard a gun click.
He tensed and looked behind him to see a man, who seemed to be in his thirties or forties, pointing a gun at him. He had short brown hair with brownish eyes.
"You're the man on the radio," Lee gasped.
He smirked, nodding slightly. "I got us adjoining rooms..."
"...Hello," Lee greeted.
The stranger looked taken aback. "Oh um...not the kind of reaction I was expecting...anyways, Clementine is safe...You look horrible...did you get bitten?"
When Lee provided no answer, the stranger spoke. "Go over there...and put your things down."
Lee saw the gun pointed at him and knew he had no choice. Lee grabbed his walkie talkie and put it on the counter. "This is all I have."
"You're lying..."
"Search me then," Lee stared at him.
"I'd rather not..."
Suddenly, they heard the voice of Clementine out there. "Let me out! Who's there?"
Lee's eyes widened as he was about to call Clementine's name, but thought better. He knew that he could get shot, so he just kept silence, shaking his head.
"Good," the stranger nodded, "It's nothing sweetie. Be quiet please."
After Clementine didn't speak, the stranger had Lee sit down on the chair. The stranger pointed the gun at him, but then drew it down. "Do you know who I am?"
Lee stared at him like he was stupid. "No..."
"Of course you don't...people like you wouldn't...allow me to talk about myself...did you happen to run across a station wagon a few weeks back filled with essentials...?"
Lee's eyes widened. "That was yours...I didn't steal from you...my group may have, but I knew it was wrong...I didn't agree with them."
"That's good of you..." the stranger replied. "That's what Clementine told me...I took my son Adam out to hunt with a shotgun, even though my wife said that he was too young. I thought that he should grow up and the only way would be to do these things...Well, things don't always turn out as planned and there was an accident. When I came back without my son, my wife was really mad at me. She wouldn't speak to me and when she did, she would yell at me. Then, this disaster strikes and we pull over at some place to take care of some business and we get back, our stuff is all gone...everything."
Lee couldn't help but to feel some sympathy to him, even though he had Clementine.
"The longer we lasted without it, my wife began more distant to me and soon, she took my daughter and ran away...away from me. She kept calling me a monster and that they'd survive without me. I went on without life, and a day after, I found them...as one of them. I vowed revenge and that's when I began my search for you group...to have revenge. But...Clementine told me about you and what situation she was in. The more I listened, the more angrier I became...you put her through a lot of shit! You put her in a dairy full of sick people! You are a murderer, a thief, and a liar! And I will hurt you so bad. I will kill that little girl myself before I let her go with you, because I know what will happen."
The stranger once more pointed the gun at him. All the sympathy went away for Lee as his veins turned to ice, hating the man with a passion.
"I bet you don't know how old she is..." the stranger said.
"She's 8," Lee firmly said.
"Wrong! She's nine! her birthday was six days ago..."
Lee stood silent, feeling very bad. I'm sorry Clementine. I was selfish and...I should've thought about you more. I swear, if we get out, I'll raise you right...like a real daughter.
"I know how to be a true father and I will raise her the right way. She won't be exposed to any of the things she has been exposed to and she will be safe."
"Over my dead body," Lee scowled.
"Very soon, Lee," the stranger laughed as he looked at a bag on the floor. "Oh honey, I believe it's going to work out. You'll like Clementine a lot. Soon, we'll have a new family. She isn't like Lizzy, but you'll love her."
Lee's eyes widened as he saw Clementine exit her room silently. Her eyes brightened when she saw Lee. Lee smiled inwardly, but had a straight face. His eyes went over to a glass next to the walkie talkie as Clementine grabbed it. She slowly approached the stranger.
"Clementine wouldn't even hurt a fly," the stranger smiled.
Immediately after he said that, Clementine smashed the glass over the stranger's head as he yelled in pain. Lee immediately got into action. He took out his butcher knife and kicked the stranger down, but he reacted quickly. He grabbed his gun as Lee grabbed it also. They fought for the gun. Adrenaline pumped throughout Lee as with his strength, kicked him to the bedpost. The stranger groaned as he dropped his gun. He ran for his gun, when Lee pushed him against the wall and tried to choke him. The two fought for dominance as Lee planted a punch right on his chest, making him gasp for air. Lee tightened his grip on the stranger.
"Clementine is my baby girl," Lee growled. "I could've treated her better and I will. She will be away from sick people like you. You shall never hurt anyone again! You hear me! Never!"
With pure rage, Lee tightened his grip as the stranger's eye lolled backwards, saliva dripping from his mouth. Lee didn't know how much force he was using against the stranger. Soon, he went slack and fell across the wall, dead.
Lee took deep breaths as he drew back. He picked up the gun and thought of shooting him.
"A monster like you...deserves to come back. Your true colors would show once you turn. You're a monster like all the walkers out there...you have no sense of humanity..."
Lee turned away and looked at Clementine. "We'll have to get out of here soon, sweet pea."
Clementine raced towards Lee and embraced him hard. Lee returned the hug, a few tears coming out of his face. Clementine was so broken-hearted and filled with angst. "I'm so sorry Lee for this. I'm very sorry...I'm so sorry!"
"It's okay sweet pea, it's going to be all right," Lee said. "I'm just glad you are safe."
They shared that moment together as they soon drew away. Lee gave Clementine a smile. He found her and didn't even get bitten in the process...he wanted to dance for joy, but knew that there was no time for that.
"Lee, you smell."
Lee laughed. "That I do sweet pea. And I think I know how to get us out of here, but...did he hurt you?"
"No...not really," she stared at the ground. "I'm so so-"
"Clem, its okay...I forgive you. I'm sorry too. I could've been a better person to you...first thing we do once we're out of here, we're going to get to know each other more, alright? We should build our trust and bond together."
"I trust you...I'll follow you wherever. You know what's best for me."
Lee smiled. "I love you sweet pea."
"I love you too."
"Now, we have to hurry."
Lee opened the door and saw a walker lurking at the doorstep. Clementine put her hand over her mouth as Lee gestured her to stay quiet. The walker stared at Lee, then immediately turned his attention to Clementine. Lee kicked the walker down and shot him in the end.
Clem gasped as the walker fell dead. "He ig-ignored you!"
"Yep. I have walker guts smeared all over me...if you do that and you act like them, then they won't notice you."
"Oh that's cool!"
Lee gave her a look.
"And gross..." she crinkled her nose.
Lee chuckled. "Not even five minutes since I found you and you made me laugh twice."'
Clementine gave a smile, but cringed, knowing what had to happen next.
Lee ripped the walker as his entrails and blood poured to the ground. Clementine put her hand over mouth retching as scooped up some blood.
"No!" Clementine closed her eyes.
"Clem, honey...we have to do this, so we can find Christa and Omid. It's not safe here..."
"O-okay...just get over with it, please."
Lee smiled. "It may be gross, but this is saving your life."
Lee rubbed the guts all over Clementine as she retched and shivered, but thankfully, she didn't puke. Soon, Lee was done coating her with it.
"All done."
"Blech! Disgusting! But...I know this will help us get out. I saw it with my eyes."
"Good girl," Lee smiled. "You're becoming more and more mature. Remember, stay behind me and act like them. Go slowly, don't look around and don't panic. Understand?""
"Yeah," she nodded as Lee looked her over.
"Where's your hat?" Lee asked.
"I dunno...lost probably. My favorite hat..." she sighed.
Lee smiled and reached over his back pocket and took out her hat, putting it over Clementine.
"You found it!" she hugged Lee with joy. "Oh thank you!"
"I found it outside the house and I knew it was your favorite, so I knew I had to give it back. Are you ready to go?"
Clementine nodded as they exited the hotel, just as the stranger's corpse came to life as a walker. There were tons of walkers roaming the street.
"That's a lot..."
"Remember what I said, sweet pea."
"Yeah."
Lee held Clementine close to him as they wandered the street. Clementine was scared out of her mind, but she trusted Lee. Lee was the only one who she would trust with all her heart. Clementine had been overjoyed when Lee found her and even attempting to find her erased all her doubts about Lee. Clementine was amazed as most of the walkers they went past, ignored them. Some stared at them, but lost interest quickly.
Clementine froze as she couldn't help but to stare at two figures. She squinted, but then gasped. No...no...it couldn't be.
Lee also looked to where she was staring and found that it was Clem's parents.
"I'm so sorry Clem..." Lee softly gasped.
Some walkers noticed them stopping and gained interest.
"We have to keep moving Clem."
Clem's mouth quivered, but she saw some walkers coming to them. Gulping down all her pain, she looked away and trudged on. She would not put Lee's life and her life at danger. She already did that once.
Clem buried her head into Lee, softly sobbing as Lee held her and trudged out of the horde. They walked for a while out of the city, as Lee scanned a hilly area with no signs of walkers.
"Once we get there, we can sleep and talk tomorrow...it's getting late. Okay Clem? Clem?"
He found her close to him, having fallen asleep with her tears.
"Poor girl," Lee sighed and picked up her gently, bringing her to him. "Sleep. I'll get us out of here."
Lee trudged on in sadness and in silence for a while. He hoped to find Christa and Omid soon. His mind flashed back to where it all began. How did he end up here? What were the choices he had to make to come here? In the end, he was proud of most of his group. They had gotten him to where he should be, but at the same time, he knew that groups were not always safe and they had to learn to rely on themselves.
Lee made a vow to treat Clementine like his actual daughter and make sure that she didn't die. He would love her with unconditional love and teach her how to survive this world. He wouldn't let a girl like her be taken away...even if this world was cruel.
Lee walked on for a few miles on top of a hill. He set Clementine down on the ground as she continued to softly snore. He scanned the area, making sure that it was safe as he lay down also. He brought Clementine close to him and found himself drifting away. He had done it...he had rescued Clementine...
He had to smile as he drifted off into sleep.
...
"Lee...Lee...get up!"
Lee's eyelids fluttered open as he saw Clementine standing over him.
"You're awake!"
Lee groaned and got up, as Clementine and Lee shared a hug. The rising sun met their eye.
"Good morning sweet pea."
"Good morning Lee."
"Why'd you wake me up Clem?"
"My mother...and father...they're gone," Clementine said sadly, tears falling. "You were right, but I didn't believe you and...I almost..."
She began sobbing, profusely apologizing once more for all her mistakes.
"Maybe you should just leave me here and go!"
Lee immediately put his fingers on her lip. "Shh...none of that now. It isn't your fault. If I was missing my parents when I was your age, I would've done the same thing, and maybe have gotten killed, so don't you dare say that, okay?"
Lee wiped the tears off of her face. "I'm sorry you had to go through this. I'll try my best to...no I will take care of you like my own daughter, okay? I will make sure you are safe and don't get hurt."
"Th-thank you," she sniffed. "At least I have you. I feel very safe when I'm with you."
"Me too Clem, me too."
Lee looked over at the horizon when something caught his eye. "Hey, do you see that?"
"See what?"
Her eyes trailed to two figures who were walking side by side.
"Is that..."
"Christ and Omid," Lee finished. "We should go to them...they made it alive. You ready Clem?"
"Yeah! I want to meet them!" she jumped up. "Let's goo!"
"Easy there sweet pea, easy," Lee chuckled.
Hand in hand, the two walked over to the two figures who were walking.