Several months ago we had a cat with mysterious skin allergies that we couldn't find the cause of. He was adopted as a "special needs" cat with the adopters understanding the circumstances.
We just got an update and they decided to get him a full allergy panel to find out what he's allergic to
it's people.
The cat is allergic to human dander.
With the group down to just three survivors, Lee try to survive without the one last hope in his life; Clementine. After leaving Savannah and heading into South Carolina, the group come across other survivors. Some are friendly, others far less so.
If I turn the tables, and take them from you like you were taken from them, you will know their pain, and go down the road that was meant for their feet.
The cover for The Walking Dead: Tables Turned, the story of Lee after he survived the events of Season One, but lost Clementine at the end. Now, he’s been given a second chance to right his wrongs, and no one knows what hand fate will deal him.
When Lee walked back into the room that he left his friends in, nothing much had changed. Christa was resting, her chest falling and rising softly with each breath as she slept, Omid was sitting in a chair beside the bed with Natia in his arms, and a calm expression on his face. The whole scene felt really serene. Riley stayed close by Lee's side, staring at the baby nervously before glancing up at Lee, taking his smile as encouragement to keep going. With the door closed behind them, the noise alerted the inhabitants to the two survivors' presence, Omid glancing up whilst comforting the baby in his arms.
"Hey, guys." He greeted, keeping his voice down to avoid waking both baby and mother. "Christa was exhausted, so we told her to get some rest. Little Natia here is sleeping like a… well, like a baby." He chuckled.
"She's really quiet." Sarah piped up, sorting out the instruments on the medical tray for cleaning when she took them back to the clinic. Riley was silent, rather just standing there awkwardly as she continued to stare at the baby, turning her head when Sarah added. "You never would believe this, Riley. I delivered my first baby!"
"Holy shit, that's awesome. So… did you hold her?" the other teen asked, rubbing her lower arm with a small smile.
"Yeah, It was amazing. I mean, once the baby was cleaned and all that, before that it was kinda gross. Isn't she so adorable, though?" Sarah asked, turning her back to the medical tray and instead moving closer to her friend, a bright smile on her face whilst Riley nodded, glancing over at the sleeping baby. Suddenly, Sarah appeared thoughtful, waiting a few moments before approaching Omid, the latter staring down at his child as she asked quietly, trying not to disturb the sleeping infant. "Can Riley hold the baby, please?"
Looking up to the waiting teen, Omid chuckled deeply and passed the baby over to her, whispering to her. "Yeah, just be careful with her, and be careful not to wake her up."
"I will, I promise." Sarah replied, taking the baby gently into her arms, before turning around to her friend. Seeing the baby coming closer clearly unnerved Riley, the young teen backing away slightly before Lee placed a hand on her shoulder, silently encouraging her to face her fears. Quiet, she took the baby from Sarah's arms, listening as the latter explained to her. "Hold her like this."
Copying her actions, Riley finally got it right, holding Natia close to her chest whilst staring down at the peaceful face. Lee smiled at the scene before him. Sarah was, for the first time since she came back, genuinely happy, and her friend was showing the shock and excite that he had hardly seen with the young teenager. Holding her finger out, Riley gasped quietly when the baby grabbed it, surprised with the grip the infant had, and she gleefully whispered to Sarah. "Sarah, look! She's holding my finger."
"It's a reflex, I think." She replied, moving closer to Riley. "She seems to like you a lot, though."
"You really think so?" Riley muttered. Lee stood there, recalling their conversation just outside the door, and was pleased to see that she was worrying over nothing. Leaving them to it, he turned over to Omid, watching the father leaning back in his chair with a glow to his face, glad that all the pain and screaming was done with and that he could spend time with his daughter, having waited for the nine months anxiously. He looked up at Lee when the latter started to approach him, glancing back at Riley and Sarah as they quietly gushed over the adorable baby.
"You know, my dad once told me just how hard it was to care for a kid, especially so considering that kid was me." He started, waiting for Lee to lean against the wall beside him before continuing. "He told me about the long nights where he got no sleep, having to go to work the next day so deprived of sleep that he didn't even realise when he fell asleep at his desk. He was a history teacher, you know? The main reason I went on this history car trip across the country."
"It sounds like you care a great deal for him." Lee imputed, watching as Omid just let out a quiet laugh.
"Yeah, I guess I do. Despite all the troubles he had raising me, he told me that he had no regrets. I wonder where he is now…" his voice dropped with the last sentence. Lee frowned deeply, feeling sympathy for his friend sitting in the pit of his stomach, and his gut only twisted painfully when he added. "Sarah certainly loves the baby, huh?"
"Yeah, she does. Riley looks like she's about to pass out, though." He pointed out, both he and Omid staring at the teen as she nervously stood there, the baby waking up in her arms as it squirmed, whimpers coming from the infant that caused her to completely freeze up. Sarah took over, taking Natia from her friend's arm and bouncing her slightly, muttering soothing words under her breath to calm her down. Slowly, the infant listened and quieted down once more, the two teenagers talking to each other whilst the adults watched.
"She was worried that the baby wouldn't like her. I don't know how long it's been for Riley since she was last at ease, not constantly on guard against the world. Maybe this will be good for her." Lee explained, pleased that Sarah showed a skill around babies, though the panicked look on Riley's face didn't make him laugh, rather it worried him. He didn't want her to become overwhelmed with it all.
"Hopefully." Omid replied, before falling silent as they watched the teens cooing over the baby. Sarah was explaining the whole birth to Riley, ecstatic that she had delivered her first baby, though her friend's face slowly got redder and redder as she continued to talk, the latter not noticing this change in colouring as she stared down at the dark, pudgy face of Natia, the bundled joy bringing a bright smile to her face.
After a few minutes of talking, she turned around to Lee, comforting the baby as she stared up at him, her voice quiet as she asked him. "You wanna hold her?"
"Huh? No, no, sweetie, I'm no good at holding babies. Just enjoy the time with her." He rejected, stiffening when Sarah ignored him, walking closer as she passed the baby into his arms. Unable to reject the pass, he took Natia from the young teen, though he verbally voiced his nervousness. "Okay, I guess I am now."
Sarah took a step back, watching as he awkwardly held the sleeping infant with a worried look on his face. After a while, it didn't seem as scary to him, in fact, he enjoyed looking down at Natia as she slept, wondering if this could have been him in a different universe. Staring down at his own child, he felt the pain hit him square in the chest at the remembrance that he could never have what Omid had. From behind him, he heard Omid reveal. "So, Christa and I have been talking… and we've decided that, you know, 'cause you've been a good friend to the both of us, we want you to be Natia's godfather."
Shocked, he turned around to his friend, staring down at Omid's smirking face with wide eyes, trying to think of what to say. Eventually, he spluttered out. "Woah. That's really kind of both of you, really. I'm honoured that you thought that I'd be a good godfather."
"Yeah, Christa thought that you were doing everything for the community, and for the group, and she wanted someone for the baby to aspire to be." Omid explained, chuckling softly as he added. "I thought Natia would want a badass looking godfather."
"Thanks, Omid." Lee shot back sarcastically, a smirk on his face as he glanced down at the whimpering baby. Rocking her gently, he whispered to her. "Hey, sweetpea… You want your daddy? Come on, let's give you back to him."
Moving closer to the other grown man, he passed Natia over, her whimpers growing more and more whilst Omid took her from him, trying to calm her down. However, she quickly began crying, her hands curled into small fists and eyes scrunched close, and her father was dumbfounded on how to comfort her. Sarah moved to his side, confused on what to do as she suggested. "Maybe she's hungry?"
Omid hummed at that, confessing to the young teen. "Probably. I just didn't wanna disturb Christa, she's been through a lot."
"I don't mind if it's Natia waking me up." Christa suddenly replied, slowly opening her eyes as she stared at her family, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips before she held her hands out, beckoning for Omid to give her the crying infant. "Pass her over here, Omid."
"Come on, honey, let's go back to your mommy." Omid whispered to the crying Natia, passing her over to Christa, the latter taking hold of the baby before she glanced up at Lee. Taking a hint, he coughed awkwardly, turning to Sarah and Riley.
"We should should give them some privacy. Let's go and take the stuff down to the clinic." He suggested, watching as Riley realised what was about to happen and, with a flustered expression, started dragging the tray out of the door, Sarah pushing the other end. Following after them, he turned back to offer the couple a small smile, Omid returning it brightly, before he closed the door behind him. Outside of the door, voices could be heard all around them, the laughter and chatter of children and adults alike as they went on their merry way, doing whatever they did during their free time.
Glancing behind him, he noticed Riley standing by the wheeled tray, staring at Sarah as the latter was wearing the beanie she just had, a smile on her face as she complemented her friend. "You suit that pretty well."
"Really? Thanks!" Sarah replied, adjusting it with a goofy expression on her face. "Where did you even get this from?"
"If you find a pack of cards, bet Joel one of his hats for some cigarettes and you'll get a new hat. He's really bad at poker." Riley smirked, directing the last sentence at Lee as he chuckled deeply, amused by the thought of Joel losing to a fourteen year old girl.
"I don't know how to play poker. Do you think you can teach me?" she asked.
Riley raised her eyebrows in surprise, before she just nodded with a warm smile on her face. "Sure. If you come to the restaurant after dinner tonight, it'll be me, Joel and some of the other scouts there."
"Sure, I'll be there!" Sarah replied, turning to Lee as she asked him. "Do you wanna come too, Lee? You've been working a lot lately."
"Be warned though, some of the guys will lose respect for their leader when he gets beat by a kid." Riley shot back. Lee smirked at that, crossing his arms as he stared down at the teenagers in front of him, pleased to be having a normal conversation for one.
"Alright." He agreed, noticing Riley's smirk growing larger as he added. "But you better be prepared to lose."
"We won't know until tonight." She retorted, turning to start pushing the tray again. Sarah took her cue, helping her by guiding the tray from the front, both of them walking over to the staircase to take the medical tools back down to the clinic. Lee just watched them, making no move to follow after them and rather just walked over to the window looking out over the outside world. He recalled standing by the window on the floor below with Alicia, back when Carver was still ruling. Watching the dust being kicked up by the walkers tied to the wall. It made him sick to the stomach even to that day, and looking at the people enjoying the sun below, children running around playing games, it made every day that bit easier. He knew he was doing good, no matter the problems lurking beyond their boundaries.
The sound of barking brought his attention away from the window, his head turning in the direction of the sound as he noticed Buddy running around, enjoying the time spent playing with the children. The dog was looking brighter, no longer depressed over the loss of his owner, and Lilly had taken to giving him a new look, replacing the collar with a navy bandana, a golden H stitched into the fabric to symbolise the dog's alliance with Howe's. Lee thought it was cute. Walking up the stairs behind Buddy was Lilly, the young woman looking brighter considering she had finished her treatment of painkillers.
Immediately, she noticed Lee standing by the window, making her way over to him with a smile on her face, though she nearly pushed a child over when they came running towards her right side. Pausing, she made sure the child was alright, trying to apologize to the parent whilst they were understanding, Lee watching with his pleased expression turning concerned. Lilly may have been coping, but it must have been difficult adjusting to one eye. Buddy seemed to have sense her distress at the incident, running up and nudging her hand, bringing her attention away from the situation and instead leading her over to Lee. He raised an eyebrow at this, unsure how the animal was able to know that Lilly needed to get out of that moment.
However, he pushed that concern aside when Lilly walked up to him, her voice quiet as she revealed. "I heard that Christa's given birth."
"Yeah, a little girl. They've decided to name her Natia." Lee replied, petting Buddy on the head as he sat there, panting away in the warm climate.
"That's good news." She smiled, appearing genuinely happy for the couple and their new baby, arms crossed lazily as she moved towards the other end of the window, glancing outside with a calm expression on her worn face. Lee just stared at her, eyes running along the scarred skin that was visible around the eyepatch, unable to meet her gaze when she looked at him, having noticed his stairs. It made him feel terrible, and he often wondered if he could have prevented that.
Slowly, she didn't bring his stares up, rather continuing on the topic of the baby. "It'll be nice having someone new around here. Someone… innocent, you know?"
"I know. I'm happy for Omid and Christa, they've been so worried about the baby. It's good knowing that Natia is healthy." He confessed, crossing his arms as he leaned against the windowsill. Lilly nodded at that, her hand being nudged by buddy when Lee stopped stroking him, displeased with the lack of attention, and so she began stroking his ear affectionately. He leaned into the touch, his head leaning against her leg as she glanced down.
"He seems to really like you." Lee pointed out, staring down at the panting Buddy.
She laughed softly at that, looking up at Lee with a smirk. "Jealous?"
"Well, considering it was my neck put on the line to save him, yeah. I'm jealous." He retorted, returning her smirk with his own. "I will give you this. You know how to dress him."
"Oh, do you like it?" she asked, surprised by his compliment as she moved her hand stroking Buddy's ear down to the bandana wrapped around his neck, feeling the soft fabric between her long fingers as she continued. "I thought he'd look cuter in this. I can't stitch for shit, though, so Kristina did the H for me."
"When did Kristina know how to sew?" He questioned, raising an eyebrow.
"We all have hobbies besides our jobs, Lee." Lilly chuckled, crossing her arms as she pointed out. "Joel likes to gamble. Kristina sews. Gabriel is a big yoga fan. Hell, Riley is great at sketching."
"I never knew that." He admitted, surprised with some of the hobbies that his people enjoyed. Remembering the poker game he was invited to later on, he wondered if Lilly could do with relaxing, deciding to ask her whilst she was there. "Hey, Lilly?"
She said nothing, waiting for him to continue as he did, a smile on his face. "Riley's invited me to a game of poker with others after dinner tonight. I was wondering if you'd wanna join us?"
"I don't play poker. I feel like I would lose my dignity before I even sit down." She joked, though her voice took an appreciative tone as she nodded. "Alright, fine, but I'm gonna need someone to teach me."
"Team up with me. From what Riley said, we should be able to win a few hats from Joel by the end of the night." He laughed. Lilly joined in on his laughing, both of them falling silent after as he glanced out the window, listening as she spoke up again.
"I'll see you guys there, then." Her footsteps followed after the words were said, echoing through the floor as he continued to stare out of the window, a soft smile on his face with the thought of enjoying himself and being with friends looming just around the corner. It was a few minutes before he pulled himself away from the window, and he decided to finish up any work needed before he would wind down and enjoy himself. Dinner wasn't long after that.
With the spring arriving, the vegetables grown during the winter were being harvested, some spinach and leafy greens being more common in the meals. The change was mostly welcomed, though Sarah showed some hesitance in eating her greens, something that was not uncommon with the kids that were surrounding them. It made Lee chuckle under his breath. He would take Sarah being picky compared to her starving, though she eventually gave in and ate them. Christa and Omid were absent from the dinner table, the former exhausted from giving birth and so her boyfriend going down to receive some food, Gabriel offering his congratulations for their new arrival whilst passing the plates.
It surprised Lee when he saw Nick arriving halfway through the dinner hour, sitting down next to the leader with a tired look, though he started to brighten up a bit when Sarah explained her day to him, the help she gave throughout Christa's birth making the taller man beam with pride as he rubbed the top of her head, the beanie Riley gave her no longer there. Other than that, he was mostly quiet, and Lee couldn't stop the concern from creeping up on him.
The light coming through the open doors was slowly dying, the skies the familiar mix of oranges, pinks and reds, and it was starting to get late. Other survivors took that as time to put their children to bed, Alicia cradling a sleeping Kate in her arms as she passed Lee by, offering him a soft smile that he returned, his heart warming at the sight of the child's peaceful expression, drool staining her shirt as Kate rested her head against her mother's shoulder. Others followed, though some of the scouts, including Riley, moved over to the table Lee was sitting down at, the young teen sitting next to Sarah with a pack of cards in her hand.
"You ready, guys?" she asked, shuffling the cards with skill. Joel sat down next to Lee, a sour look on his face when Riley paused her shuffling, glancing up at the older man with a smirk on her face. "What, you ain't got nothing to bet? Or you too chicken after the last ass-kicking I gave you?"
"Shut it and just deal the cards." He grumbled, fishing out a carton of cigarettes and tapping one of them out the box, Lee noticing how little he has left. As soon as he placed the cigarette between his teeth and grabbed his lighter, Gabriel appeared with a stern frown, glaring at him until Joel sighed exasperatedly.
"Fine." With that, he stood up, walking over to the open balcony doors whilst lighting the end up. Lee glanced at Nick beside him, the two survivors flashing an amused smirk to each other whilst the guard had his smoke break.
"You joining, Gabriel?" Kristina offered, leaning back in her chair as she quietly groaned in pain, moving down to remove her prosthetic leg whilst Lee sat there in shock, completely forgetting that she was indeed missing a leg. Noticing his stares, she raised an eyebrow and piped up. "What?"
"Nothing." He lied, turning back to Riley shuffling the cards as he added. "I just forget about all that."
Kristina shook her head with an amused look, taking no offense to Lee's response to her leg, and rather propped it against the leg of the table, turning her attention back to the young teen as Gabriel sat down beside Sarah, a joking tone to his voice as he nodded. "I'll stick around for a few rounds. Long enough to see Joel lose even more of his dignity."
"Got room for one more?" a voice called out, some of the survivors at the table turning around to see Lilly standing there awkwardly, waiting for confirmation to join before she sat down. Gabriel was the first to reply, patting the back of the chair beside him as he offered.
"Sure thing, Lilly. Come sit here." She did so, walking quickly over to the empty chair and sitting down, flashing a smile at Lee as he returned it. He was glad that she came after all, it would do her some good to reconnect with friends after the incident. Finally, Riley started dealing out the cards, leaving herself out as she whistled loudly.
"Alright, guess I'll be dealer." She mused, turning to Sarah as she smiled. "I'll help you along with this first game, and then you can try on your own, alright?"
"Sure!" she replied happily, glancing at the others around her as Joel finally returned from his smoke break, coughing quietly as he took his seat next to Lee again. Leaning back, he took a peek at his cards, his face a blank slate as he glanced up at Riley, the teen helping her friend as she peeked at the cards, muttering something to Sarah that the others couldn't hear. After that, the dealer moved her face away, and leaned back in her chair as the others started betting.
Cigarettes, batteries, anything that the scouts found that was of any worth in their world, and Lee sat there as he betted a candy bar he found in his desk, watching with a neutral look. Riley dealt the first card, Kristina humming under her breath whilst folding her cards. "Nah, I fold."
"Already? Must have been some shitty cards." Riley joked, flicking another card out as she looked over at Sarah's cards, muttering something else to her as the other teen nodded intently, listening to her advice.
It was fun. Just sitting there, laughing and joking with friends rather than being cooped up in his office. As the cards were dealt, Lee glanced down at his pair of queens, noticing a third queen having appeared. Gabriel and Lilly both folded whilst he was lost in his thoughts, and all that remained where Lee, Sarah and Joel, Nick watching with a warm smile as he piped up. "You three have played this game before."
"No, not really." Sarah rejected, shaking her head before glancing at the cards on the table. "Have you, Nick?"
"A few times. My dad showed me how to count cards, won us loads when I was younger." He revealed, chuckling under his breath. "That mean old bastard was a useless father, but he did teach me a thing or two."
"Speaking of counting cards, Riley." Joel growled, glaring at her from across the table as she nonchalantly sat there, a fake surprised look on her face as he accused her. "I know that you did that last game."
"I don't count cards. Skilled people don't have to." She shot back, folding her arms on the table with a smirk. "Don't be a sore loser, and don't bet things you don't wanna lose like an idiot."
"Accept her victory, man. She bested you." Gabriel laughed, amused by Joel's blatant refusal to accept that he was beat by Riley. Lee chuckled along with them, watching as the younger man just narrowed his eyes, glancing down as Riley revealed the last card of the river. A King of Hearts.
Joel smirked at that, turning his cards over with a gloating tone. "I guess this one's mine, guys."
His hand was revealed to be a four of a kind, Lee frowning as he showed his two queens, narrowing his eyes when Joel's face brightened, a whistle coming from him as he chuckled. "A pretty hand, but it ain't pretty enough. Come to papa."
He made a move to take his loot when Riley stopped him, a smirk on her face as Sarah revealed her hand, her voice taking a humorous tone as she boasted. "Royal Flush. The loot's hers."
Dumbfounded, a flush crossed Joel's face as Gabriel let out a hearty laugh, Lilly and Kristina chuckling whilst Nick just placed a hand on the dejected survivor's shoulder, making him sit down again whilst Riley moved the look to Sarah. The latter was surprised that she won, picking up the candy bar as he mumbled. "What do I do with this?"
"You won it, kid. Enjoy it." Kristina explained, taking the cards from Riley as she added. "I'll deal this time."
"You alright there, Kristina?" Gabriel asked, suddenly appearing concerned when the woman's eye twitched in pain, her hand moving down to her amputated leg as the others watched her, all of them worried for their friend.
She didn't reply for a few moments, glancing around until her eyes settled on Gabriel, and she tried to excuse herself. "It's nothing. Just some pain in my leg, that's all."
"I got just the thing for pain." Gabriel smiled, standing up as he briskly walked over to the counter, disappearing whilst the others just sat there in confusion. Lee crossed his hands on the table casually, listening to the shuffles occurring behind the scenes.
Suddenly, Kristina spoke up, her voice guilt-ridden and nervous as she explained. "I don't think I'm gonna be able to head out with the others tomorrow, Lee. I-I'm sorry, it's just the pains have been flaring up again, and it's just… hard to deal with."
"Don't worry about it, I'll head out instead. It's better than being stuck in my office all day." Lee replied, understanding of Kristina's predicament. She was visibly relieved with his calm words, nodding gratefully before they noticed Gabriel returning to the table, a bottle of what looked like wine in his hand. The others looked around at the cook, surprised to see alcohol when he smiled warmly.
"I keep a few bottles around here. No need to hide them anymore." He explained, opening the bottle and passing the bottle to Kristina. "Nothing stops pain like booze."
Taking it from him, she glanced at the label and raised an eyebrow. "Barbaresco. Grazie, Gabriel."
"Can I have some after you guys?" Riley suddenly asked, watching as Kristina took a large gulp of the dark liquid. The question shocked her, causing the woman to splutter out of the wine, a dribble coming from the corner of her mouth as she wiped it.
"Riley, come on, you're only fourteen." Joel scolded, shaking his head as he added. "We gotta have some civilisation from before. It don't sit right with me offering alcohol to a kid."
"Hey, I can cover myself in walker guts and shoot a gun, but you're right to be unnerved if I want a sip of wine." Riley shot back sarcastically. Lee did agree with her, but he also thought about what he'd be like if it was an older Clementine in front of him, asking if she could have some wine. Mostly like Joel, in his opinion. Kristina, having regained her composure, glanced down at the bottle in her hand and, with a sigh, passed it over to the teen.
"Just a sip." She warned. Riley smiled at that, taking the bottle as she took a sip, being caught off guard by the burning sensation at the back of her throat as she coughed abruptly. Sarah laughed quietly at that, patting her back with a gentleness to the action whilst the adults found the situation amusing.
"May you ain't ready to start drinking." Gabriel chuckled, taking the bottle away as Riley nodded in agreement.
"Tried it, never again." She croaked. The cook took a large gulp of the wine, less affected by it than the teen, and began to pass it around the table for others to take turns, whilst Kristina started to deal the cards. Lilly paused when it was handed to her, appearing thoughtful before she took a sip, likely unwilling to get completely wasted like the others. After that, she passed it to Joel, the latter not even bothering to look at the bottle when he passed it to Lee.
"You don't drink?" Lee asked, taking the bottle from him and taking a sip.
Taking his cards, Joel took a peek at them, before he looked up at Lee and answered with a shrug. "Not a big wine fan. Prefer bourbon if I'm honest."
"You have good tastes." He replied, preferring that to the wine in his hands. It wasn't a bad brand of wine, in fact it was pretty good, but Lee would have given anything to have some bourbon after a long day. Turning his head, he noticed Nick not even looking at the bottle, and rather quickly passed it back to Kristina when the leader passed it to his friend, saying nothing as the woman just accepted it. Lee glanced over at Sarah, spotting a sad smile on her face before she turned her attention back to the cards.
"Right," Kristina started, taking a swig of wine before she continued. "Let's start then, huh?"
They carried on playing and drinking until late at night. Lee had rejected any more wine, wanting to quickly check on Christa and Omid before he retired to bed, and soon he stood up from the table, bidding goodnight to his friends. Sarah remained where she sat, wanting to spend some more time with the other survivors before going back to her bedroom. Leaving the restaurant, he made his way through the darkness up the stairs, taking care not to trip over any of the steps, rather listening to his footsteps echoing through the empty space. The guards on duty were scattered throughout the building, a few situating themselves on the top floor, wanting to keep close in case something happened to Christa.
One of the guards acknowledged their leader's presence, sitting down on the bench in the middle of the floor with their gun propped against it. He returned the gesture, before opening the door quietly in case the residents inside were resting. Glancing inside, he noticed Omid sitting in the chair, having fallen asleep whilst Christa sat up in her bed, cradling Natia in her arms with a tranquil look in her eyes. The movement of the door caught her attention, and a stern expression appeared quickly, before disappearing when she noticed it was just Lee. Calming down, she whispered to him as he walked closer. "Couldn't sleep. Omid's long gone, though."
"I can tell." Lee laughed softly, glancing down at Natia with a gentle gaze. "She's pretty peaceful there."
"It won't last long, she was crying so much before." Christa groaned, leaning back into her pillow. Lee remained silent, glancing up from the baby to the exhausted mother, and instead listened as she confessed. "I knew this was going to be hard, and I don't regret her birth. I spent nine months worrying. About her safety and about mine, but looking down at her face now… it makes everything we've gone through worth it."
"She'll be safe here, Christa, I promise." He swore. Everytime he looked down at Natia's pudgy, peaceful face, he felt a determination deep within, determination to protect that source of hope, of innocence. It almost reminded him of a time before Howe's, back at the motel, and on the road just after that, when he used to look at Clementine's face.
A sigh could be heard, bringing him back out of his thoughts as Christa murmured. "It might not be possible, but thank you."
Both of them than sat in silence, rather enjoying each other's company during this emotional time, and quickly Omid's snoring filled the room, causing the two survivors to chuckled quietly to avoid waking him. Lee decided to sit on the end of Christa's bed, unable to stop the thoughts of tomorrow from intruding into the mind. It was a supply run tomorrow, and with the bandits getting larger and bolder, he worried about when they would actually turn their eyes on Howe's as well. So far, they only occupied themselves with getting back at Wellington, but he would be a fool if he thought it would last that way forever. His friend seemed to have noticed the expression shift, her voice calm but somewhat nervous as she asked him. "Lee, what's wrong?"
"It's nothing to worry yourself about." He tried to excuse, though her face turning stern made him sigh and confess to her, noticing Omid's noring having ceased. "It's just a supply run tomorrow, but Kristina isn't able to go with the others because of her leg. I offered."
"Lee." Christa sighed, her next words something Lee knew she was going to say. "I get that you're just trying to be more active in how Howe's runs, but I don't like you putting yourself in danger like this all the time. There's gotta be a line we cross, and with the bandits being like this, I say this is the time you stay here. For your own safety if nothing else."
"I can go." Omid suddenly offered, startling both of them as Lee turned his head quickly, spotting the other man slowly sitting up from his slouched position in the chair, stretching his arms until there was a pop.
"Omid, it's fine." Lee rejected, glancing back at Christa and noticing her concerned look. "I can do it. There's people there to protect me, I won't be alone."
"Come on, Lee. Don't try and put me on the bench because you're afraid I might get hurt. I can do this." Omid pressed, glancing at Christa and Natia. "If it means we have more protection, and get those supplies that we need, I'm willing to risk it."
Lee was unnerved by the offer. He knew Omid was able to do it, the shorter survivor had proven that the whole time they were on the road together, but he just feared for his safety, and for Christa and their newborn baby if Omid didn't return. Christa glanced at him, her eyes narrowed as she adopted a more protective tone. "No. I won't allow you to risk yourself for this. There's people here who can do it, you stay here."
"I'll be fine, Christa." He replied, a smile on his face despite his girlfriend being in a less than joyful mood.
"If he wants to do this, then I'll go with him. I'll make sure he's safe." Lee promised, knowing that Omid just wanted to help his friend in these times of need. With both of them against her, Christa just glared momentarily at Lee, annoyed that he would take Omid's side in this argument, but his stoic face caused her to just sigh to herself, nodding slowly with a quiet tone.
"Alright." she agreed, turning to Omid with a soft frown. "But you better come home."
"I promise, honey." He smiled, moving forward to plant a kiss on her forehead, moving down to stare at their sleeping baby. Watching the infant rest caused exhaustion to fully hit Lee, a yawn building up in his chest as he slowly stood up, stretching his arms out similar to Omid just before.
Turning to them, he smiled softly, keeping his voice low to avoid rousing the baby as he bid farewell. "I'm gonna head off to bed now. We gotta be up early if we're to reach the rendezvous point at noon tomorrow."
"Same here. Likely not gonna get much with this lil lady right here." Omid joked, taking Natia from Christa's arms before moving back to his chair, sitting down in it with his daughter in his arms, the sight of them being peaceful the last thing Lee saw before he exited the room. With heavy footsteps, he made his way back to his office, and retired for the night, finding sleep harder to come by with the threats looming in the back of his mind.
The next morning came suddenly. Lee awoke with a groggy look on his face, his back stiff from sleeping in the office chair all night, and he couldn't help but wonder why he hadn't gotten a room for himself, or even just a bed to put in the office so he didn't fall asleep at his desk anymore. Regardless, that was pushed to the back of his mind when he noticed a plate of food left by where his head was resting, a note left beside it with the writing looking somewhat cursive.
You were asleep, so I left your breakfast for when you woke up. Everyone is waiting for you downstairs, by the way. Good luck on the supply run!
Sarah.
With a warm smile on his face, he tucked into the cooked eggs with hunger eating away at his stomach, enjoying the taste of freshly cooked food compared to cold beans or whatever he could find on the road. Soon, he finished it, and glanced down at his watch, noticing that it had gone past half eight. Cursing under his breath, he jumped from his desk, leaving the empty plate behind as he exited the office, pausing when he noticed Sarah in the doorway of the restaurant opposite his room, chatting away happily with Gabriel. She didn't notice him, and he was on a tight schedule at the moment, deciding to talk to her when he returned from the supply run.
Rushing, he practically ran down the stairs, careful not to slip and tumble down them or run into the other survivors that were making their way up the flight of stairs. They gave him some strange looks, but held their tongues as they continued to walk. Leaving them be, he carried on his way to the loading bay. The doors to the large room were already open. Walking inside, he noticed the guards on duty for the supply run standing around, Christa and Omid talking in the corner near the tools that Nathan kept. Deciding to walk up, he overheard some of the conversation between the couple.
"I don't like this, Omid." He heard Christa whisper, her voice wracked with worry as her boyfriend stood there, arms crossed and a frown on his face.
"It'll be alright. Lee'll be with me, and our soldiers too. I ain't going out there alone, at least." He tried to joke. Christa just frowned even more at that, obviously not in the mood for jokes, and instead turned her head to the approaching Lee, staring at him with a mixture of concern and anger.
"I'm not happy that you agreed with him last night, so you better keep true to your word. Bring him home." The last sentence was spoken in a softer tone, and Lee couldn't help but feel guilty for agreeing with Omid last night. She was genuinely worried for his safety.
Nodding slowly, he watched as Omid just brought Christa closer, gently pecking her on the lips before looking down at Natia in the woman's arms, bringing his hand up to stroke the infant's face affectionately as he murmured. "Don't worry, I won't be gone forever. We'll be home soon."
"Okay. Be safe, both of you." Christa ordered, glancing at Lee again with a small smile. He returned the gesture, before gesturing for Omid to follow after him. Walking away from the woman and her baby, they stared at the truck, Joel standing there with a lit cigarette between his lips. Leaning against the front door, he noticed the leader and his friend coming over and stood up properly, turning to the other guards.
"Come on, ladies. Look alive." He chuckled, his words somewhat muffled with the cigarette between his teeth. Lee paused in front of him, noticing Riley appearing from behind the truck as he moved to point this out, only for Joel to beat him to it. "Riley's tagging along with us for today, just so I can show her what it's like on the supply runs."
"I thought you prefered to be a scout." Lee shot back, staring down at the short teen as she shrugged.
"I have other hobbies." She joked, a sly smirk on her face as she explained. "I do like being a scout, you see different places, and I never like being cooped up, but I can actually help get supplies into Howe's with this."
"Alright, then. Just stay close to us, it can get pretty dangerous on these runs." Lee instructed. Riley nodded at that, before she made her way to the back of the truck again, jumping in with the other guards. Joel, knowing his smoke break is over, plucked the cigarette from between his teeth and flicked it onto the ground, stomping it out with his shoe before jumping into the front of the truck, sitting in the driver's seat whilst Omid and Lee got in through the passenger door.
With his friend sitting in the middle, Lee sat by the window, watching as Christa stood there, comforting Natia as the baby started crying loudly. The truck backed out of the loading bay, the shutters slowly closing again once they were out. On their way to the meetup point, Lee just settled down in his seat, knowing that it was going to be a few hours before they met up with the people from Wellington. Omid was silent beside him, likely stuck in his own thoughts, and so they just sat there in complete silence. The hum of the engine was the only thing that could be heard inside the cab of the truck.
It wasn't long before rain started to fall. Drop after drop hitting the windshield, the windscreen wipers brushing them away with the squeaking replacing any conversation, and soon it was heavy rainfall, soaking the tarmac road that they drove on. The familiar highway they drove on showed the accidents that occurred between the supply runs, new walkers feasting on a fresh corpse as the truck drove by, Lee wincing when he noticed the face, half-chewed, staring up at the sky in a permanent expression of terror. Quietly, he heard Joel mutter to him. "That ain't the worst of it."
"You see a lot of that on your runs?" Omid asked, unable to look at the scene as they left it behind, continuing down the highway.
"Jesus, where do I start?" he retorted, glancing at Omid and Lee with a grim expression. "After a while, you just take it in your stride anyway. No use shedding tears for people that are gone."
"Shedding tears means we're still human." Lee shot back, somewhat unnerved by Joel's matter-of-fact way of handling the situations. He didn't respond to that, rather his gaze falling down to the hands on the steering wheel, his fingers gripping onto the wheel with a tight hold. Omid glanced back at Lee, both of them sharing a concerned look before they decided to let the conversation go, leaving the driver to stew in his own thoughts as they continued to drive down the road.
The trees swayed in the rough winds, the showers of rain washing away any dirt and blood from the incidents that occurred along the highway. The dull sound of the rain hitting the roof was the sound that Lee paid attention to, trying to fight the boredom that crept up on him, his face leaning against the palm of his hand whilst his elbow was propped up against the window, eyes half-closed as he daydreamed. Soon however, he was pulled out of his thoughts when the truck slowed, the sight of another truck and people standing in the middle of the road catching his attention. The symbol of Wellington painted on the truck calmed his nerves, and once they stopped, the first person to approach them was none other than Sam.
Opening the door, Lee frowned with the thought of getting soaked, but jumped out of the dry truck nonetheless. The rain soaked right through his shirt, making him wished he grabbed his jacket before he left. With a wide grin, Sam approached the leader, no longer wearing his thick russian hat, showing off scruffy brown hair, but still sporting his coat to protect himself from the cold rain. "You should of dressed a bit more smart for this weather, Lee."
"I didn't know it was gonna rain." Lee shot back, a smirk on his face as he glanced behind the other man. "Edith not with you?"
"Nah, she stayed back in Wellington. Told me that when I get back, she has some news for me." He explained, an excited tone to his voice that reminded Lee of a child. Pausing, he glanced past Lee's shoulder, looking at the guards that exited the back of the Howe's truck with an unsure look, appearing like he was looking for someone in particular. Lee turned his head, confused as to who he could have been looking for, and listened as Sam awkwardly asked. "So, erm, is Al with you guys?"
"No. She's on guard duty back in Howe's today." He replied, glancing back at Sam to notice his disappointed expression. Realising the intention behind his question, he couldn't help but smirk slyly as he added. "You like her, don't you?"
A blush appeared across the other man's face with his true feelings exposed, a nervous cough the first reply Lee got before Sam managed to stammer. "Well, yeah, she's pretty cool. Once you get past that awful temper, but that just reminds me of my first wife. Why, has she said anything about me? Did she tell you? What'd she say?"
"Calm down." Lee laughed, placing a hand on the nerve wrecked survivor. "She ain't said anything to me, but I don't know. Next time you see her, talk to her, see what's what. You guys have only met once."
"Hey, it's love at first sight. Don't knock it." Sam retorted sarcastically, turning on his heel as he walked back to the people standing around the truck, Lee noticing that they were already bringing supplies out of the back in boxes. Turning to his own people, he gestured for them to do the same thing, wanting to exchange their things and return to Howe's. The heavy rain was loud, and could mask any walkers coming for them, or worse, other survivors.
Riley moved closer to him, holding one of the rifles that the guards typically had, the weapon looking almost comical in her small hands. Pausing, she stared at Sam with a neutral expression as he came back from his truck, the older man smiling brightly when he noticed the teenager. "Hey! Riley, isn't it?"
"Yeah. You're… Sam?" she asked, appearing unsure who the man was as he nodded in response. "Sorry. You just look different without that hat."
"Well, you look different with that cool beanie." He pointed out, moving to ruffle it when Riley took a step back, a narrowed glare warning the man off. Holding his hands up, he apologized. "Shit, sorry. I should've recognized you with that angry look on your face. You ain't changed one bit."
"Thanks, it's what kept me alive. Looking constantly angry works well keeping walkers and assholes away." She retorted dryly. Her response earned a chuckle from Lee, his arms crossed as boxes of supplies were traded between the guards in the background, the three survivors standing there and talking. Soon, Omid joined the group, walking over with a smile on his face.
"You guys enjoying standing in the rain?" he joked, pausing between Lee and Sam as he turned to the Wellington survivor. "You're the guy that came to Howe's during Carver, right?"
"That's me. I'm Sam." Sam nodded, shaking Omid's hand with a grin.
"Heya, name's Omid." The shorter persian smiled, returning the gesture with a firm shake.
"Omid's been in my group for a long time. We've gone back even before we knew about Howe's." Lee explained, adding with a warm tone. "He's in my care today. Christa'll kill me if he gets a scratch or something on this run today, especially since he's newly became a father."
"Holy shit, dude. Congratulations." Sam grinned, patting Omid on the back roughly as he added. "I'll warn you now, your wife will make you get out of the bed during those night cries. The amount of times Christa woke me up…"
The mention of that name caused Sam to frown slightly, Lee and Omid glancing at each other as the former asked. "You mentioned that name back at the trailer park. Who's Christa?"
"She is… was my daughter. Lost her in the first few weeks, right after her mom died." Sam explained, trying his best to not let his grief show as he added fondly. "She was a tyrant. Miss her everyday."
"Sam." One of the Wellington guards called out, walking over to the group as they turned to her. Taller than Sam, she stood there with a pistol in her hand, a baseball cap protecting her eyes from the rain that was lightening up, and stared at the other survivors with hazel coloured eyes. Pausing just behind Sam, she gestured to the truck behind her, pointing at it with her thumb, and quickly explained. "All packed up. We should get going, if we're to reach Wellington on time. I don't wanna be the one to explain to Marissa why we were late."
"True. she'll have my head after last time if we're late." Sam sighed, nodding to the truck in a gesture, silently ordering the guard to return whilst he turned back to his friends. Staring at Lee, he grabbed the other's hand in a hard handshake, a smirk on his face as he bid his farewells. "Well, this is where we gotta split. It's good catching up with you, man."
"Same here, Sam, and don't worry." Lee paused, leaning closer to Sam as he continued in a sly tone. "I'll make sure Al goes on the next supply run."
The mention of the woman caused the blush to return, and Sam sported a more goofy grin as he rubbed the back of his neck, nodding as he turned and started making his way, waving goodbye to the group as they returned the gesture. The truck backed away slowly, before turning around and driving back down the road, returning back to the settlement up north with their needed supplies. Riley stood there, watching him go, before she smiled softly. Lee noticed the warm expression on her face, and jokingly asked her. "You getting a crush, Riley?"
"No!" she snapped, looking up at Lee with a glare as she explained. "It's just… this is nice. Being with others, rather than on my own, on those scouting missions. People watch your back, make you feel safe. I know I wouldn't be here if it weren't for people protecting me."
"You watch my back, and I'll watch yours. We're a team, Riley, all of us." Lee responded, placing a hand on her shoulder as she nodded, her smile widening slightly at his words.
Slowly, she shook his hand off, turning back to the truck as she made her way to the back, calling to the leader and his friend. "I'm gonna go back in. We should leave for Howe's, it's too quiet."
Omid nodded in agreement with that, glancing up at Lee with a smirk. "Yeah. God knows Christa is gonna be having a panic attack all the time we've been gone. We should head back if I don't wanna end up sleeping in the chair aga-"
Omid never finished that sentence. Over the loud rainfall, Lee could hear the sound of gunfire, panic taking over when he noticed people standing up from the forests, making their way forward with guns in their hands. Omid stumbled forward, collapsing into Lee's arms as he gasped in pain, and the leader was defenseless as Riley appeared.
With her weapon drawn, she shouted loudly as she fired her gun. "Get down!"
Lee managed to drag Omid over to behind the truck, the latter collapsing with a shocked expression on his face. Kneeling down, Lee couldn't stop the devastation from hitting him when he saw the blood pooling around Omid's upper abdomen, his hand shooting up to stop the bleeding whilst Lee shook his head in disbelief. "Omid, no. Fucking, goddammit!"
"F-Fuck." Omid swore, coughing violently as he rested his head against the vehicle, blood trickling down the corner of his mouth as he gasped. "I didn't e-even see them."
"Just hold on, Omid. I can get you back to Jack, he'll fix you up!" Lee begged, pressing his hands against the wound. The action caused his friend to gasp in pain, his own blood covered hand falling to his side as his breaths became ragged. Removing his hands, Lee knelt there, staring at the blood staining them with everything slowing down around him. He couldn't think. He didn't know what to do, and wasn't listening as Riley appeared out of nowhere.
Kneeling beside him, she noticed Omid's wounds and gasped. "Fuck, they got him!"
"I…" Omid stammered, trying to stand up when, with a cry of pain, he was forced to sit back down. Panting loudly, he stared up at Lee, and finished his sentence with a knowing tone. "I ain't going anywhere, Lee. T-This is the final stop for me."
"Come on, man, I ain't giving up on you!" Lee snapped, trying to help Omid up on his feet whilst yelling at Riley. "Riley, help me!"
She was confused, unsure what to do, and with the gunfire going off all around them, she jumped to her feet and tried to help Lee get Omid back on his feet. It was no use, no matter what Lee did, his friend was forced to sit back down again, his face paling with the blood loss. The young teen was forced to give up, staring down at the blood staining the arm of her sweater with a panicked look on her face. Glancing at Lee, he could clearly see the fear in her eyes, no matter how hard she tried to hide it. Eventually, Omid piped up, his voice cracking as he begged Lee. "Lee. I-I need you to promise me that you'll protect my family. Christa and Natia, they need you… please."
"I will. They'll be safe with me, man, I promise…" Lee nodded, his face fallen in heartbreak at watching a close friend dying in front of him.
"Go on, then. G-Get outta here." Omid ordered, staring off into the distance. "Tell Christa I'm sorry, okay? T-Tell her that I love her, and our daughter."
Nodding, Lee watched as Omid smiled at that, turning to Riley as he quickly added. "Riley? Natia's gonna need a-a mentor growing up. You and Sarah, you'll mind her… yeah?"
"I will. I'll teach her all I know." Riley promised, her voice cracking with emotion as tears pricked in the corners of her eyes. Lee tried to compose himself, rubbing his eyes with the back of his arm, and just knelt there as Omid nodded slowly. Taking a deep breath, he exhaled slowly, and stared off into the distance with a glossy look in his eyes. Riley hung her head in sorrow, and Lee gritted his teeth in anger. The bandits had took his friend. He wanted revenge.
"I'm gonna kill all of them!" he shouted in anger, trying to stand up when Riley grabbed his arm.
"Lee, no!" she begged, trying to pull him to the truck. "We both want revenge for Omid, I know that, but that's for another day. Christa needs to know! We have to be alive to be there for her, and Natia! Lee, please!"
Lee stopped in his tracks, allowing Riley to continue holding his arm as he bowed his head. The guards on their side were trying their best to protect them, but it was evident that they had to leave, Joel running around the truck as he stopped in his tracks, noticing Omid's corpse propped against the truck. "Shit! They killed him?!"
"There was nothing we could do!" Riley replied, unable to bring her to look at the body. "We gotta go, now!"
"Lee, what do we do with the body?" Joel asked, looking up at Lee as the latter just stood there. Unable to think, he just stared at Joel with a broken expression, forcing the other male survivor to take control and nod, turning to Riley as he ordered her. "Riley, get in the cab, we're leaving!"
Shocked by the order, she gestured to Omid's body and begged him. "But what about-?!"
"We got no time!" Joel snapped. His sharp response caused her to flinch, before she obeyed his instructions and opened the truck door, climbing in whilst Joel turned to Lee. Placing a hand on his shoulder, the leader looked up at the other man, listening as he sadly instructed him. "Omid's gone, Lee. There's nothing more we can do, but we gotta go! Get in the truck!"
Saying nothing, Lee gave one last glance at Omid's body, before he too climbed in the truck, shutting the door as he and Riley kept their head down. Joel moved to the other side, firing at the attackers whilst the other guards made their way to the back of the truck, jumping into the driver's seat and slamming the door shut. The wheels screeched loudly as he backed up, spinning the truck around as he slammed his foot against the accelerator, the truck lurching forward as they escaped down the road. The bandits were unable to follow, shooting off at the truck before being forced to escape to the forests, likely running back to their main settlement. Out of danger, Joel relaxed, glancing sadly at Riley and Lee as they mourned Omid's passing.
"Hey," he started, his voice quiet with his eyes returning to the road. "I'm sorry about Omid. We couldn't take the body, but at least he isn't suffering."
"I should have never brought him along." Lee mumbled, leaning back in his seat as he stared out of the window, unable to bring himself to look at the others.
"You can't blame yourself for this, Lee. Omid made the choice to come along, and you stayed with him until the end. Not many of us will get that chance." Joel consoled. Lee didn't reply to that, causing the driver to fall silent out of respect for him, instead allowing the leader to mourn quietly. Riley said nothing, staring down at the bloodstained sleeve with a broken expression. The trees passed by quickly, the truck speeding down in a desperate attempt to get home sooner, and the rain continued to fall harshly. Lee felt empty. It was similar to how he felt back in Savannah, when he lost Clementine and Kenny, and he could feel worry gnaw at his insides, making him feel like he wanted to vomit.
He didn't know how he would tell Christa that Omid was not coming home.
Lee was woken the next morning with hands gently rousing him from his slumber. His eyes opened slowly, a yawn growing in his throat, he found he had slept on his back all night, staring up at the ceiling high above, he could see Alicia off in the corner of his vision, she had a soft smile on her glowing face. The sun beaming through the coloured window bounced off her thick hair, the ends circling on her shoulders as her brown eyes stared down at him, Lee found himself staring back at them through the thick haze of sleepiness, before he just rubbed his eyes as he sat up, groaning slightly.
Quietly, he listened as she explained. "Sorry about this, Lee, but it's morning. We should pack our things and get ready to leave for home."
He brought up his wrist to in front of his face, eyes unfocused as he pulled the sleeve back to show his watch, seeing that it was eight in the morning. With a low groan, he slowly rubbed his back, it clicking uncomfortably as he stretched, words rumbling deep in his throat. "Damn. I never thought I'd miss slipping in my office chair."
"If this was too much for you, there was some spaces on the pews." Alicia pointed out, looking around at the empty spaces around them, not even looking at Lee as she quickly added. "The others have gone to pack the truck with supplies. The leaders are gonna come around to say goodbye, and then it's off for home."
"We better get ready then." He replied, slipping out of the sleeping bag quickly. Once out, he rolled the bag up quickly, gripping on the fabric as he carried it back over to the altar, staring at the bare altar before leaving the sleeping bag beside it. Standing there, he glanced up at the cross hanging up above, staring at the frozen face of Jesus as he hung on the well known cross, his thoughts going back years, back to when his mother would take him to church every sunday. He remembered those days well. With a deep frown, he realised that he hadn't visited that church for a good few years, not since he got that teaching job in Atlanta.
Softly, he heard Alicia's voice call out. "Hey… I was wondering if you'd go on ahead? I just need some time here."
"Is everything alright?" Lee asked, turning around at her with a concerned expression.
She just stood there, staring at the altar with crossed arms and a thoughtful look on her face, eyes burrowing deep into the old stonework before she glanced up at Lee, a small smile on her face as she nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. It's just… I know we have the memorial and all that back home, but being here, in an actual church, I have a chance to say a proper farewell to my friends. To everyone we've lost."
"Ah, I understand." Lee replied, a grim frown pulling at his lips as he just glanced over to the double doors, noticing hardly anyone remaining in the old building. He thought about it, and slowly, he walked over to Alicia, placing a hand on her shoulder, only to feel the muscles under his scarred palm and frown deeply. Seeing the fear flash in her eyes, before she managed to get it under control, Lee wouldn't lie, but it hurt him knowing that she was still scarred by what Carver did to her. He wanted to help her, but the problem was that he didn't know how.
"I'll just, erm… I'll go find the others, give you some space. Just come to the front gate when you're done, alright?" he offered.
Nodding, she offered him a grateful smile, her eyes sparkling with happiness before she made her way over to the altar. Lee knew that she needed space, and started making his way down the aisle towards the front door. He didn't spare even a glance back before he exited. Once outside, he felt the morning sun on his face, his eyes closing painfully as they adjusted to the light, his hand rising to provide shade. Snow that had been walked on laid over the path leading to the gate, footprints clearly visible in the dirtied layer of snow, and Lee's footprints were added when he walked down the path.
Breathing in the fresh morning air, he sighed deeply, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere around him, the sound of birdsong and people walking by, chatting nonchalantly to each other as if the world hadn't gone to shit. It was almost like back at Howe's, save for the space and open spaces. Lee actually felt slightly jealous of all the benefits the people of Wellington got, wondering if this was the life Sarah would have enjoyed if she did go with Edith and her group. The wind blew through the occupied streets, nothing more than a gentle breeze compared to the blizzard winds Lee was used to. Hopefully, the winter months would be over soon, and they'd be able to get more done in the warmer climate.
Reaching the gate, he pushed it open, ignoring the squeaky noise coming from it as he left the church behind, walking down the street by himself. The street lamps, unused for the long months that had passed by, just decorated the sides of the road, some stumps left behind from where a few of the street lamps had collapsed and been cleared away. Passing on, he gave it a quick glance before carrying on. Instead, he focused on a large oak tree, a bird's nest clear in its bare branches, the adults sitting in the safety of their nest high above whilst they waited for winter to pass, finding an adequate food source from the survivors to reject the migrate down south like so many others. The sounds of their song echoed through the air, and grew quieter the further down the road Lee walked.
Just like last night, the streets were busy with survivors going on to do their daily tasks, some driving a pickup truck full of hardware supplies; sheets of metal, wooden planks, along with all the tools necessary for build and repair. Watching as they drove slowly past, Lee smiled softly, carrying on down the road to the imposing walls in the distance, knowing that his people would be waiting there for him and Alicia to arrive. Soon, the walls separating Wellington from the outside world towered over him, casting all ground running along it in shadows. The slight heat of the sun had died once he reached the shadows, instead his skin reacting to the cold with goosebumps running all over his arms.
Rubbing his hands together in a vain attempt to rid himself of the frost, he noticed the familiar truck sitting just a few meters away from the closed gate. Edith and Sam were already there, the former talking quietly with Joel and that, where as her brother had taken to conversing with Al, the female guard laughing at some joke that he likely told. Seeing her happy, it warmed Lee's heart, and his face showed it when he approached them, Sam turning to the leader and grinning. "Well, someone's had a good night sleep from the look on your face."
"Yeah, you could say that." Lee shot right back, a joking tone to his voice as he crossed his arms, an eyebrow raised as he pressed further. "So, what you two talking about?"
"You know, things." Al replied, a smile playing at her lips as she looked away, Lee's eyebrow rising higher when he noticed the dark colouring over her cheeks.
Nodding his head, he chuckled deeply. "Uh-huh, things. Anyone wanna fill me in on what those things are?"
"Well, when you got a lovely woman coming to my community, it's basic manners to show her around." Sam started, crossing his arms in a mimicry of what Lee was doing. "It's a shame that you have to go back to Howe's. I was beginning to enjoy your company around here."
"You've known me for a day," Al shot back, brushing a lock of her hair back absentmindedly as she added. "I think you can survive until I come back again."
"Hey, a day is a lifetime in this world. You never know what happens, so why not make the most of it?" Sam's voice dropped to a sultry tone, but Al's face just fell with those words, Lee knowing the events that happened the other day still cutting her deep. Lee stared at her with sympathy in his eyes, though Sam didn't realise the effect his words had on the female survivor until she started walking away, her voice stern and professional.
"We should get the truck ready. Howe's needs us back with them. When you're ready, Lee." With that, she hopped up into the driver's side of the truck, closing the door behind her whilst Sam just stood there, a dumbfounded look on his face as he turned around to Lee.
"Was it something I said?" he asked, receiving only a shaking of Lee's head. Despite the awkwardness of the scene between the two without Al, Edith walking over caused Lee to sigh in relief silently. Calmness was all that could be seen in her face, being back home with food and supplies bringing the woman's spirit up, and although her brother just stared and shrugged when she expressed confusion over what just happened, she didn't let it get in the way of what needed to be said before Lee left for Howe's.
With a gentle smile, she turned to stare at the crates sitting in the back of vehicle, one of the guards that came with Lee reading the same book she was reading yesterday, a pair of sunglasses on her face, hiding her eyes from their view. Whilst he stared at the imprint of Wellington's name on the crates, he listened as she started talking. "Marissa worked hard last night, trying to figure out alternate routes for us to take. She made this. Told me to give it to you before you guys head out."
She pulled out a roll of paper from her jacket pocket, passing it over to Lee as he slowly unrolled it, noticing that it was a drawn map, the detail amazing given the lack of time Marissa had to do it all. Lines coloured red flowed through the paper, detailing routes that they could take rather than the highway. Staring at it, Edith quickly added. "On the back are times that the Wellington trucks will leave for pick ups. She's decided to meet Howe's people halfway, if only to reduce the distance we both would have to travel. Plus, safety in numbers, isn't it?"
"That's pretty smart. We should reach Howe's before nightfall tonight, and the next stop isn't until next week." Lee pointed out, reading the times and dates on the back of the map. He had to admit, he was fairly impressed with the detail that Marissa went to making this, and he carefully rolled it back up, sticking it in his jacket pocket as he turned to Edith, nodding his head slowly. "Thank you, for all of this, Edith."
"I can't take the credit. I'm glad we picked those guys as our leaders, they know how to get shit done." Edith confessed, her eyes quickly shifting to behind Lee as her face softened, her smile widening as she chuckled quietly. "Well, looks like the gang's all here."
Confused, Lee heard footsteps approaching behind him quickly, his eyebrows raised in surprise as he spun around, somewhat panicking over the unknown target approaching them until he realised that it was only Alicia. Face red and shoulder rising up and down with every breath she took, she just stood there panting heavily, looking at both of them before she gasped loudly. "I didn't know I'd be that long. Sorry about that."
"It's no problem. We've got everything we need, so you ready to set off?" Lee asked, turning back to Edith when Alicia nodded and started making her way over to the truck, Joel and the others had packed everything up, all of them bundling into the back of the truck and closing the shutters down, trapping them all inside until they reached home. With a short hug, he muttered to her. "Thanks, again. Hopefully, we'll see each other again soon."
"Tell Sarah that I miss her, okay?" Edith asked. Nodding in response, he watched as she backed away, Sam standing next to her as the siblings watched their friend walk over to the front of the truck, opening the passenger door and climbing in. Closing the door behind him, he peered in the wing mirror, watching the two waving goodbye to him whilst the gate slowly opened, the truck engine roaring to life when Al turned the key in the ignition. Lurching forward, they drove along the short path through the gate and into the outside world, the vehicle continuing down the lonely road whilst the gate behind them closed, keeping all threats outside the safety of the walls.
Lee continued to stare at the walls through the wing mirror, listening as Alicia yawned quietly, stretching her arms out in an attempt to stretch her muscles, the cramp in them unbelieveable as she slouched back into the seat, muttering to the others in the cab with her. "Wellington was unbelieveable, did you see those walls? Nothing could scale them. God, those people are very lucky to live there."
"I gotta agree with you, but Wellington isn't impenetrable." Lee pointed out, finally looking away from the wing mirror and instead staring at his companions, Alicia surprised with his words. "You heard what the leaders told us last night. Those bandits aren't robbing because they need it, they have a grudge, and sooner or later those grudges will have a nasty effect on all of us."
"Why? What'd they tell you guys?" Al asked, keeping her eyes on the road.
Glancing over at Alicia, she and Lee shared a wary look before he moved his sights over to the driver, pausing for a moment before he explained. "Wellington's run into a population problem. Edith told me about how many people she was forced to turn away on her leader's' orders, and that because of shortages with supplies, people were caught stealing and had to be exiled."
"Damn. I mean, I know things are hard nowadays but… I always thought Wellington took people in no matter what. I guess I was just fooling myself." Al grumbled, glancing over at Lee as she confessed. "I ain't gonna lie, when Carver was running Howe's I thought about leaving. Running away with people to go and find the haven up north."
"Really? You told me that you thought Carver was doing what was necessary." Lee recalled, remembering Al picking Carver's side during the rebellion, even going as far as to reject Riley's claims that he sent children outside the walls out of cruelty rather than necessity.
With a guilt-ridden look, Al nodded her head, her voice low as she replied. "I did, but that doesn't mean I thought it was right. I was a coward. Change was coming, and I didn't want to be on the wrong side at the end of all it. If it matters, I'm glad that you gave me another chance."
"People deserve second chances." Alicia pointed out, turning to Lee as she added. "I believe the bandits are just scared people who've been hurt. Sometimes, hurt people do things that they shouldn't, and a lot of people end up dead because of it. If you were in Wellington's shoes, would you do the same as they did?"
Caught off guard by the question, he blinked twice at her, remaining silent as he then turned to stare at the long road ahead. Thinking about it, he slowly came to his answer and, with a grim face, he turned back to her, staring down at her waiting expression as he nodded. "Yes. I would."
"Really? How can you be so sure?" she asked.
"We have to have rules. Being hurt doesn't excuse your actions, it only explains them." He sighed. Quickly, the conversation came to an end, everyone in the truck falling silent as Lee just leaned back in his seat, his arms crossed leisurely over his chest, staring out of the window at the passing trees and buildings, the fields slowly opening up as they took the routes mapped down on the piece of paper that Edith gave him. Quietly, he listened to the hum of the engine as the truck drove along the snow covered road, and thought about what they had just discussed for the entire journey home.
A few conversation starters were tossed amongst them during the journey, though Lee didn't indulge more than a few soft spoken words, and eventually Alicia gave up trying to fill the silence. It was a good thing for him as well, as the familiar sight of Howe's walls came into view, small people walking along the top as they watched out for any signs of dangers. Despite the snow proving difficult to drive in, the group didn't experience any shortcomings during the drive back to Howe's, mostly catching the bandits off guard with the unknown routes they took, keeping their precious supplies away from the main settlement. The sun was shining in the sky, moving slowly towards the horizon as it would soon set once more, the skies dyed the beautiful colours that Lee constantly saw with the sunsets.
Al eased her foot on the brake, slowing the truck down so that the guards on duty could open the gate, allowing them access to the insides of their community. Driving up the path, Lee just sat there, watching the people pass by as they went on to do the rest of their duties for the day, likely getting ready for dinner and for the guards to start their night shift. Exhaustion had already hit him, despite only eight or so hours passing by, and all he wanted was to relax in his office in peace. Sadly, he would have no such luck, as once the truck entered the back of the building into the loading bay, Christa and Jack were waiting there with bated breath.
"Well, time for you two to face the music." Al pointed out, turning the keys in the ignition and opening the door, jumping down as she added. "I'll make sure the supplies are taken to storage."
"Thank you, Al." Alicia replied, jumping down from the truck on the driver's side whilst Lee opened the passenger door, slowly making his way down to the marble floor. Once down, he closed the door again, turning to Christa as the pregnant woman approached him, her face relieved that he made it back home.
"I'm glad you guys made it back. Omid and I were worried the entire time you were gone, he wouldn't stop bringing you up in conversations." She joked, earning a laugh from a tired Lee.
Stretching his sore arms out, Lee groaned softly, letting his arms fall to his sides as he replied. "Man, it's great to be back, but… it wasn't all smooth sailing up there."
"Why, what happened?" she asked, glancing at the guards as they unloaded the back of the truck, using a trolley to carry the heavy crates to the side for unpackaging. Slowly, he could see realisation hit her, eyes glancing back at him as she continued. "We're down a soldier. What happened?"
"Liam got bit during a break. The walker was hidden under the snow, he never saw it coming. Al… she had to put him down so that he didn't suffer anymore." Pausing, he glanced over at Al, the young guard dragging the trolley over to the side for the crate to be put down, remaining silent whilst the others chatted away about their stay in Wellington. Quietly, he added to his explanation. "She's not doing too good."
"I hardly even knew Liam. He was one of the people that came in a few weeks ago, right?" Jack suddenly asked, walking closer to the duo to join in on their conversation. Lee nodded slowly, not knowing much about the deceased either, and watched as Jack sighed, fixing his glasses. "Damn. I thought he and Al got on just like siblings, hell, he did her a world of good."
"That's not the only thing going on. We need to go up to my office, this needs to be said in private." Lee grumbled. Christa and Jack appeared confused, the former somewhat unnerved by how worried Lee sounded, before the four turned around and walked out of the loading bay. In the main part of the building, Lee glanced around, watching people walking around minding their own business, talking amongst each other with laughter and cheer in the air. The new spotlights fitted in the community were slowly turned on, keeping the place fairly lit despite the dying sunlight outside.
Moving towards the stairs, he noticed someone walking down them, their quick footsteps echoing against the solid marble, until the person spotted Lee and paused. It was Sarah, with worried eyes and tense shoulders, she sounded relieved as she called down to him. "I'm so glad you guys are alright!"
"Sarah, what's wrong?" Lee asked, worried by her expression and tenseness.
With a frown, she glanced up the stairs again, the sound of people chatting and laughing likely coming from the restaurant, dinner time being around that time. After a few tense moments, she turned back to Lee, her voice low as she confessed. "I'm worried about Nick. Over these past few weeks, he's been really down, and now he won't come out of his room. I-I don't know how to help him."
"It'll be alright, sweetie. I'll go and see him once I'm done with what I gotta do now, you just go and have dinner." Lee consoled.
Sarah nodded at that, though she was unsure whether Lee could actually help him or not, quickly adding before she left. "Okay, but I need to be there. He's my friend. I have to make sure he's alright."
"Sure thing." With that, she walked back up the stairs, leaving the group behind as they made their way up the rest of the staircase. Once they reached the top, they ignored the lights and sounds coming from the restaurant, rather briskly walking over to Lee's office. It was dark and silent inside, a complete opposite to the community around them, and opening the door, he moved inside quickly, eager to get the meeting out of the way so that he could see how the rest of his friends were doing.
To his surprise, once they entered the room, he noticed a blanket left in the corner of his office, Buddy curled up on top of it as the animal slept soundly. The noise of the door opening alerted the dog, big eyes opening slowly and a loud yawn coming from deep within its throat, pearly white canines appearing behind curled back lips. A smile crept on Lee's face, his body relaxed as the dog noticed his presence, his tail wagging wildly whilst it jumped to its feet, approaching his new owner with squinted eyes and parted lips, his tongue flapping out of the corner of his mouth.
Kneeling down, Lee stroked the fur on Buddy's neck affectionately, listening as Christa spoke up. "He wouldn't leave your office for the entire time you were gone. We used a few blankets to make him a bed, and he seemed right at home this morning."
"Heh, you missed me, Bud?" Lee asked Buddy, the dog just panting loudly as he slowly stood up again, walking over to his desk and sitting down in the leather chair, his hands resting on the cold wood whilst the others surrounded him. Christa, with a hand on her swollen stomach, leaned against his desk, staring down at him with worry clear in her eyes.
"What's happened? You seemed pretty unnerved by something before." She asked.
Lee and Alicia glanced at each other, before the leader took in a deep breath and revealed what he was told back in Wellington. "The bandits. When Alicia and I were talking to Wellington's leaders, they told us something. People who've made their way up had to be rejected because of population problems, and they've joined the bandit settlement set up in Charleston."
"Charleston? That's on the point where all the routes we use to Wellington meet… I used to live there." Jack revealed, his face grim as he thought over what Lee just said.
Nodding, Lee allowed Alicia to take over, watching her speak out to the others with a concerned tone. "That's not all. The shortages in Wellington had caused people living there to become desperate. They tried to steal anything they could get, and the leaders had to kick them out… It seems that the bandits took these exiles in, turned their anger against Wellington into something useful."
"Jesus, these bandits have a grudge against Wellington." Christa gasped, crossing her arms as she fell silent, allowing Jack to take over with a stern look.
"I thought we were just dealing with shitty people, but if Wellington turned these people away, they're most likely seeing Charleston as a goddamn haven." He pointed out, looking down at Lee as he added. "Anger's a powerful motivator, and with our alliance, we're putting our people in the way of the bandits' wrath."
"I don't see a way around this, Jack. Both you and I knew Howe's before the alliance with Wellington, we need them just as much as they need us." Alicia snapped, turning to Lee as she added. "Edith gave you something before we set off, what was it?"
Remembering that, Lee shoved a hand in his jacket pocket, pulling the rolled up piece of paper and lying it across the desk, the advisors peering down to look at it. With a raised eyebrow, Christa was the first to speak, pointing out dryly. "It's a map."
"Really? I didn't notice." Lee shot back, a sarcastic bite to his words that caused her to glare at him, before he went on to explain. "Marissa made this. It shows other paths that we can take to avoid Charleston, and the bandits. They ain't gonna travel all the way out here to find supplies, and they don't know that we're changing routes."
"That's smart." Jack approved, turning to Christa as he added. "We keep changing routes, they won't know which one to stalk for supplies."
"She put times and dates on the back," Lee continued, flipping the map over to allow the others to see the scribbled handwriting. "They're times when the truck will leave Wellington and the routes they will take on different times. We use these to meet up halfway, exchange the supplies, and head back to Howe's. Lee fuel spent for both of us, and the numbers on both sides will offer extra protection."
"I gotta say, thank god for Marissa sometimes." Jack sighed, straightening himself up once he was done looking at the piece of rolled out paper. "Howe's was fine whilst you were gone. Frank gave Christa some reports about food, but on the medical side, we're running low on antibiotics."
"There should be more in the crates we brought back, including some natural remedies." Lee replied, rubbing his bear absentmindedly whilst Jack nodded at that, turning to Christa to silently gesture for her to give in her reports.
"Thanks to all the farming supplies we gathered from that farm, Frank's pleased to say that food production has increased. He's looking into ways to store some for next winter, in case the crops fail." She explained. Pleased with how well his community was getting along, it was almost possible for Lee to push his worries back, if only almost. Leaning back in his chair, he listened as Christa yawned. "I say we end this meeting quick. You need to eat, and then go help Sarah with Nick. He isn't doing good nowadays."
"I'll get right on it." Lee replied, standing up from his desk and moving back towards the door, ignoring Buddy sitting in his bed, short whines coming from the animal as his owner just left the office with the others behind him. Jack carried on towards the stairs, likely returning to the clinic to help the rest of his patients, whilst Christa walked off towards the restaurant, Lee spotting Omid standing by the door, waving a hello to the leader before rejoining with his girlfriend.
Smiling at the both of them, he listened as Alicia paused, staring at the restaurant before muttering to him. "I'm gonna go and find Kate. She must have been missing me so much… I'll see you in the morning."
"Goodnight, Alicia." He replied, watching as she left his side to go and find her daughter. With a deep breath, he exhaled through his nose and walked over to the restaurant as well, eager to find Sarah. It seemed that she had the same idea in mind, nearly running into Lee when he was close to the entrance, eyes wide as she bounced off his solid frame and stumbled backwards, a meek noise of surprise coming from her whilst she steadied herself.
With a surprised look, Lee stared down at her as he mumbled. "Careful there, Sarah."
"Lee! Good, I was gonna go and get you from your office after seeing Christa come in!" she explained, moving past him with a urgent expression on her face, her words spoken quickly as she added, turning back to face the leader. "Nick's hardly left his room and I'm scared for him, I don't know what to do… Please, can you try to talk to him? See if you can snap him out of this?"
"I'll try my best. Let's go." With that, the two of them made their way over to the staircase, wasting no time in walking down the steps quickly, their footsteps echoing against the marble. Sarah was fast on her feet, visibly worried and eager to reach Nick's room to try and help him, sparing no looks to Lee as she reached the bottom of the stairs, quickly turning to walk over to the shop next to the greenhouse doors. Lee followed, staring ahead at the door with his gut twisting, unsure what he would see when he went inside, and Sarah shared his worry, pausing once she reached the room.
Bringing her hand up, she hesitated in knocking, instead glancing behind her at Lee, her lips pulled in a deep frown as she breathed heavily, trying to calm her nerves before she finally knocked, her hand rapping against the solid wood twice. The sound echoed across the main building. Waiting, Lee gulped quietly, something solid trapped in his throat as he waited anxiously. There was no response, and so Sarah reached for the handle, slowly opening the door whilst calling out into the darkness. "Nick? It's me, Sarah. Lee's back from Wellington and wanted to know if you were alright."
Once again, there was no response from their friend, and Sarah glanced up at Lee as he came to her side, allowing him to enter first before quickly following after him. The room inside was pitch black, the light from outside highlighting the bed, a body lying on it quickly revealed to be Nick, his back to them as Lee held his breath. Slowly, he approached his friend, his hand reaching out to gently shake him, and he immediately retracted it when he saw that Nick was breathing. Sighing out in relief, he just stood there as Nick turned around, eyes reddened and almost lifeless as he stared up at Lee.
"What do you guys want?" he asked, shifting his stares from Lee to Sarah as he added. "I told you, Sarah, I'm fine."
"No, you're not." She argued, a concerned tone to her voice. "You're not eating, you ain't leaving your room at all. Nick, I'm worried about you. Please, just tell me what's wrong."
"Nothing's wrong. I just want to be alone, is that too much to ask?!" he snapped, turning back around whilst Sarah and Lee shared a look, the younger survivor nodding her head at Nick, urging Lee to talk to him silently.
With a deep breath, he turned back to Nick, his voice gentle and soft as he called out. "Nick, man, you know we're your friends. We just want to help you, that's all. Problem is, we can't if you don't tell us what's wrong."
Nick didn't reply. Rather, he kept staring at the wall, his back to Lee and Sarah, and the former started to doubt that they could do anything to help him. Lee could see himself in Nick, the weeks after Clementine's death and all his friends falling save for Christa and Omid, and he knew exactly what it was like. Slowly, he moved closer, staring down at Nick as he started to explain. "Nick, I know what all this feels like. You lost someone close to you, and you're sad and hurt, you're probably thinking 'If I just did something different, this wouldn't have happened', but please, you have to listen to me. What happened with Luke and Pete, none of this was your fault. You can't look back and beat yourself up over it."
"What if I can't help but look back? You don't understand, Lee. My mom, Uncle Pete, Luke. It's never gonna stop. No matter what we do, someone is gonna die eventually, and then… it'll be our turn." His voice was low, but Lee managed to pick up what he said, feeling his gut twist at how utterly dead Nick sounded. Sarah moved closer to her friend, slowly sitting down at the end of his bed.
"You're right, Nick. Eventually, we all will die, but it's how we live during the meantime that matters. We can't give up, 'cause then everyone who died to protect us would have given their lives for nothing. We owe it to them to keep fighting." She explained, glancing down at her hands as she confessed. "I know what you're going through. When I ran away from Howe's, I didn't know why all of this happened. I couldn't think of a reason for what Carver or Luke did, or why my dad had to die. I had no one, and it was a scary time, but then I met Edith and the others. They made me see that there is still a reason to keep going, and when Lee came to look for me, I knew that I could be that reason for our friends, for you."
Slowly, Nick sat up, turning around to face Sarah with a crushed expression on his face, Lee watching with saddened eyes as his friend shook his head. "You guys can just take everything this world throws at you and still keep going. I wish I was strong, but I guess I'm just not built for this."
Sarah frowned even more at that, staring at Nick as she quietly replied. "No one is."
"We can't tell you how to get over this, Nick. That's for you to decide." Lee continued, adding with a saddened smile on his face. "We're here for you, though. Every step of the way."
Nick paused, staring over at the open door with a thoughtful expression, until he glanced back at Lee, nodding his head slowly as he managed a small smile. "Thank you. I mean it."
"It's no problem, Nick. We should let you get some rest, and then we can start work tomorrow, yeah?" With Nick nodding in agreement, Lee's smile widened, and he instead moved to leave his room again. Sarah remained where she was for a moment, appearing in thought as Lee waited for her by the door, watching with confusion as she turned back to Nick. Slowly, as if unsure she was allowed to do so, she wrapped her arms around her friend, embracing him in a tight hug that he returned, his own arms wrapping around her chest.
"I was so worried about you." She muttered, her face buried in the crook of his neck. "Please, if you're ever like this again, tell me. I don't want to lose you as well."
"I know, I promise." He replied quietly, finally releasing her from his grip as she backed off, giving her a weak smile as he suggested. "You should get some rest. You've been working hard these past few weeks, huh?"
"Yeah, I'm pretty tired." She agreed, turning around to leave the room as she finished the conversation with a quiet. "Goodnight, Nick."
"'Night, kid." He replied. Lee allowed Sarah to leave the room first, closing the door behind him to give Nick some privacy, staring at the wooden door with a heavy heart before turning back around. Immediately, he noticed Sarah sitting down on the unused fountain, her eyes staring at the floor as he made his way over to her, feeling his gut twist with worry.
"Sarah, you alright?" he called out, sitting down next to her. She made no effort to move, rather keeping her gaze downwards as she thought of a response, each second passing by only worsening the gut feeling in Lee's abdomen.
Slowly, she sighed, and confessed to the leader. "I'm sorry, I just… I'm scared for Nick. After thinking about it, I realised that we're the last two from our group… Everyone I knew, everyone I loved. They're all gone."
Lee said nothing, instead allowing Sarah to vent her feelings without the fear of being pushed aside or judged. Rather, he just sat there, watching as she pulled something out of her jacket pocket, and eyebrow raised when he noticed that it was a photo. Sarah stared down at it with a broken look, shoulders sagging with grief as she turned it slightly, allowing Lee to see it. Holding his breath, he recognized the photo, and pointed it out with a low whisper. "That's the photo you showed me when we first met."
"I took this before all of this happened. It's the only thing I have left of him…" she muttered.
Watching as she placed it back in her pocket, Lee replied to her with sympathy in his voice. "I'm sorry about Carlos. You must really miss him."
"I do… Lee?" she suddenly asked, waiting as he hummed in response, glancing up at him. "Do you still miss Clementine? I mean, do you think the pain of her being gone will get any easier?"
Lee just sat there with a shocked expression, his heart constricting with the mention of the little girl, and he quickly turned away, grim faced and silent. Sarah waited for his response, somewhat uneasy with his silence until he finally nodded. "I do miss her. Being back at the motel, watching her colour with her friend and being a kid, I'd give anything to be back there. Honestly, I don't know if I'll ever get over what happened to her… but hopefully, the pain will get easier to handle with time."
"That's what I hope to. Thinking about my dad, the times we spent together before all this… it hurts a lot. I just want him back." She confessed, sniffing slightly as she rubbed her eyes with her sleeve, standing up before Lee could comfort her. "I-I'm tired. You should go and see Lilly in her room, she's been asking about you all the time you were gone."
"Alright. Sarah, if anything's bothering you… you know you can come to me, right?" he pointed out, watching as Sarah just nodded in response, before turning around and walking back to her room near the clinic. Lee watched her go, worried about her, and yet a small smile appeared on her face when he noticed Riley appearing, stopping Sarah and talking in hushed tones.
Standing up, he glanced over at them talking, deciding to go to Lilly's room to see how she was faring. Walking over to the flight of stairs, the voices ceased and Riley pulled Sarah into a comforting hug, the scene heartwarming for him as he paused for a moment, before deciding to carry on to give the two teenagers some space to talk whatever needed to be talked out. Taking the steps two at a time, he quickly reached the top, feeling his stomach growl in hunger. He hadn't eaten all day, most of the car ride with him worrying about what to say to the other advisors when he got back to Howe's, and staring at the restaurant, he pushed the feeling of hunger down until he was finished with talking to Lilly.
She had gotten her old room back, the door closed completely to give her some privacy from the rest of the community. Reaching the door, he quickly knocked on it, waiting patiently as he heard mutters from behind and footsteps, soon after the door opening to reveal a sleepy Lilly behind it. Wearing just her tank top and some shorts, her hair was all over the place with her undamaged, half-lidded eye staring at him through the haze of drowsiness, a eyepatch covering her damaged socket. With a smile, he softly spoke to her. "Hey, Lilly. I was just coming by to see if you were alright."
"Lee? Damn, I didn't know you were even back." She muttered, rubbing her eye to rid it of sleep before she gestured for him to come in. "Come in."
"I didn't know you were sleeping. I'd have left this until the morning if I knew otherwise." He confessed, closing the door behind him as he glanced around the room. A lamp on her small table lit the room up, shadows dancing across the walls as Lilly moved back to her bed, slowly sitting down as she yawned.
"I wasn't sleeping. It's just these damn painkillers Jack gave me. They're strong as shit, but damn do they really take it out of you." She explained, leaning against the wall at the end of her bed, looking up at her friend as she added. "How was the trip to Wellington? You sorted shit out there?"
Lee paused, unsure whether he wanted to stress Lilly out even more with the truth, and knowing her slippery mental state, he elected to keep it from her as he nodded, moving closer to her bed as he sat down at the end of it. "Yeah. We've changed routes, and have decided to meet Wellington halfway to reduce the amount of gas we're using. With luck, the bandits won't know where the trucks go during the supply runs."
Lilly breathed a sigh of relief, a rare smile on her face as she replied. "That's good…. I'm gonna be honest, Lee, it's so much better not being in charge. The motel… I'm starting to think that maybe Kenny would have been a better leader. After all the shit that happened. I could have handled it better, and that ain't up for discussion, I'll be stuck with that until I die, but if it matters… I'm glad you were there to help."
"Lilly, about what happened with Carley…" Lee started, noticing her expression fall when he mentioned the late survivor. "I need to know. Why? Why did you kill her?"
Lilly didn't reply. Rather, she just sat there, her eyes falling to her feet whilst she thought about his question, Lee giving her time to think of what to say as he remembered the woman, his heart aching as he missed her dearly, even after all the time that had passed. Slowly, she quietly muttered. "I don't know. I want to say because she stole, but honestly? I just couldn't stop. We lost the motel, my dad, everything I worked so hard to keep. I just wanted to stop something before it could take any more from me… from us."
"What you did… I didn't know if I could ever forgive you, if I wanted to forgive you, but you almost gave your life for me. When Carver pointed that gun at me, you took the bullet. I may never forget what you've done, but… I think I can start to forgive you." Lee confessed, staring up at Lilly with a weak smile, the gesture returned by the tired survivor as she nodded.
"Thank you. I really mean it, Lee. I know I don't deserve it sometimes, but I'm glad we can start to put the past in the past." She replied, noticing the exhaustion hit him as she then pointed out. "You should really get some sleep. We can talk more in the morning."
"Yeah… Yeah, I'll do that. Night, Lilly." He agreed. With a nod, she watched as he stood up, walking back to the door with a slow pace to his steps, his hand pushing the door open as he glanced back, smiling at her before he left the room once more. Closing the door, he stood there for a moment, and was about to retire to his office when he noticed Omid leaving the restaurant, Christa nowhere to be seen when he walked over to his friend.
Omid paused, noticing Lee when he was a few feet away, a smile on his face when Lee noticed that he had a jar of pickles in his hand. With a raised eyebrow, Lee quickly joked. "You got the late night munchies?"
"I wish, but I can't stand these things." Omid laughed, a smirk on his face as he added. "They're for Christa. She's been having all sorts of weird cravings, guess it's the pregnancy or something."
"Huh, can't say I'm a big fan of pickles myself." Lee confessed, crossing his arms as he stared down at the few vegetables left in the jar.
"Anyway, I suppose it won't be for much longer. Christa's due date is just around the corner…" Omid paused, his face a mixture of worry and excitement as he quietly confessed. "Honestly, I'm scared shitless. I mean, what do I do? I don't have any previous experience with babies."
"I think a lot of fathers have been here before you, man. You just do what you think is right, as long as the baby's healthy that's all that matters, right?" Lee asked.
Nodding, Omid exhaled deeply, appearing calmer as he replied. "Right. Thanks, man. Now, I should get the lovely woman I call my girlfriend her pickles before she throws the jar at me. See you in the morning."
"See ya, man." With that, Omid left him alone, Lee watching as his friend disappeared up the stairs, retiring to his room on the second floor. After Omid could no longer be seen, Lee chuckled deeply at his worry over the baby, shaking his head as he retired for the night. Christa's due date wasn't for a couple of months, there wasn't much to worry about until then, but Lee would be a liar if he said he wasn't surprised with how quickly those months flew by.
