Neo Soul King Yhwach

[Third Person Pov]

Yhwach's eyes narrowed as he listened to the heated exchange between Lee and Lilly. He weighed the options quickly, considering what Jolene had already endured. This was a woman who had lost everything, whose mind was fractured by grief and trauma. No amount of physical force would likely break her further—it would only solidify her resolve or send her deeper into her delusions. Lee, with his gentle approach, had a better chance of coaxing something useful out of her.

"It's unlikely," Yhwach began, "that she would respond to intimidation. Jolene has already experienced the worst pain imaginable. Threats or violence will not shake her any further. What we need is not her fear, but her cooperation."

Lilly crossed her arms, glaring at Yhwach with evident skepticism. "Jugram, I'd have to disagree with you on that one. I think she's too crazy to even comprehend the magnitude of her situation without us knocking some sense into her. If anything, she might take advantage of our kindness."

Yhwach regarded Lilly for a moment, his expression unreadable. He could see the pragmatism in her argument, but she was missing the point. Jolene was too far gone for brute tactics to be effective. A different approach was necessary, one that required subtlety rather than force. But it wasn't about gaining trust—it was about exploiting what little grip Jolene had left on reality.

Yhwach's eyes darkened. "And if you believe violence will restore her sanity, you are mistaken." He paused, glancing at Lee, then back at Lilly. "She's lost everything—her daughter, her mind, her grasp on reality."

Lilly looked unconvinced but sighed, conceding, "Alright. I trust your judgment. But don't expect me to agree if this all blows up in our faces."

Lee, standing beside Yhwach, allowed himself a small smile. "Thanks, Jugram. I appreciate the support." His voice was soft, though it was clear that Yhwach's words had given him the boost of confidence he needed.

"Let's get this over with," Yhwach said evenly.

Lee slowly opened the door and walked inside along with Yhwach. The group had made sure to take all the furniture out of the room, so it was pretty bare except for the bathroom, which still had the cabinet and toilet. The door had been taped shut with duct tape, so Jolene couldn't get in there.

In the room itself, the only things left were the bedframes, since those couldn't actually be removed. Lee had decided to take the extra mattresses and blankets and store them in Ben's room since there was a full side of the bed that someone wasn't using anymore. Without the furniture, the place looked like something straight out of a 1930s jail.

The carpet was old and ripped and the window had been closed and locked. It wasn't exactly the most foolproof method, but they didn't have any bars hence the reason someone was put on watch to make sure Jolene wouldn't try anything.

As for the woman herself, she was handcuffed to a chair in the center of the room and her feet had been tied together with duct tape. Lee had decided not to tape her mouth since the woman wasn't particularly loud and the door was always closed, so her voice couldn't carry down to the rest of the motel.

Her face had a little bit of bruising, likely Lilly's handiwork and her bottom lip had been split open. She didn't even focus on Lee when he entered the room; instead, she mumbled something to herself while looking down at the floor.

"My daughter. Give me my daughter back."

Lee almost pitied the woman. She had clearly been through a lot and probably didn't want to end up like the way she did. However, he had a duty to his people and he couldn't just let her go after everything she had done. He needed to get something out of her and that's just what he was going to do.

"Hello, Jolene." greeted Lee. Jolene didn't even acknowledge his greeting and continued to stare at the floor.

Yhwach remained silent for now, letting Lee take the lead, but his eyes never left Jolene. His mere presence was enough to remind her of the seriousness of the situation, yet he wouldn't let it spiral into violence. He would make sure of that.

"Do you remember me?" asked Lee. He figured if Jolene didn't remember him then he should start by introducing himself as that would be a good starting point. There was no need to rush into interrogating her, especially if she had already shown resistance to Lilly's questioning.

Jolene chose to plead the fifth. Lee could tell that this might take a little bit. He had an idea for a topic that would trigger Jolene to start talking, but he didn't know if he wanted to pull the trigger on that so quickly.

Clementine's been through enough. I don't need to utter her name if I don't have to.

"My name is Lee Everett. I'm the leader of the group who rescued you from the St. John Dairy. The man you encountered, Kenny, is also part of our group. We brought you back here to our base." Lee explained.

Jolene still chose to give the silent treatment.

"The man next to me is Jugram, a former German executive. We don't wish you any harm. We just have a few things to ask of you." Lee said.

Yhwach let Lee's words settle before speaking. "Lee is a good man," Yhwach said, "An honorable man. I know you've been taken advantage of before, but you don't have to worry about that here. No one wishes for harm to come to you."

Jolene just laughed and raised her eyebrows at Yhwach as if to ask if he was serious.

Yhwach frowned as he continued, "Well, no more than you've already been hurt," he replied, before continuing. "I understand you may not believe us, but we do not intend to add to your suffering. We apologize for Lilly's behavior. Tensions have been high, especially after the events at the St. John Dairy. I'm sure you might have heard of what happened there."

Jolene's laughter died on her lips as Yhwach mentioned the dairy, and for a moment, her eyes flickered with recognition. But it wasn't enough.

Lee stepped in again, frustration edging into his voice. "Jolene, if you have anything on the bandits, we need to know. If we want to keep everyone safe, we need to know if they have any weaknesses."

Still nothing. Lee's patience was wearing thin. He pressed harder, his voice cracking under the pressure. "Jolene, we have kids here. You had a daughter too. We know what happened to her. Do you want the same thing to happen to the innocent children here?"

The words hit a nerve.

At that, Jolene's head snapped up, her face contorting with anger. "Have!" she shouted, her voice cracking. "I have a daughter!"

Oh shit. Looks like that set her off. I don't want to bring Clementine's name into this, but I need answers.

"What do you mean? Is your daughter still alive?" asked Yhwach.

"Yes, she's here, in the camp. I can take care of her. She's my daughter." Jolene said. She was starting to get a crazy look in her eye.

Maybe we should dial the conversation down a little bit.

"Calm down, Jolene. We only want to work with you and come to an agreement. We can talk about your daughter if you agree to tell us what we want to know." promised Lee.

"That girl...she's mine. I know you're close to her. I've spied on you before and I know that she's not your daughter. You're not keeping her safe!" cried Jolene.

Lee could feel a vein pop in his forehead, but he let himself simmer. Getting angry at Jolene wasn't going to solve everything. She was just a damaged woman who was so delusional that she was using Clementine as a substitute for her actual daughter. For now, he just had to entertain her.

"Why do you think I can't keep her safe? Most of our members are training to become better shooters and we've got people round the clock to keep an eye on the woods in case the bandits decide to attack us." Lee said.

"That's not enough. You don't know...what kind of men they are. Those sick fucks! You aren't able to stoop down to their level...and inflict pain because they haven't caused you that pain! They haven't made you feel like a failure, an embarrassment, or one of the dead ones." replied Jolene.

"We've dealt with our fair share of loss. The dairy that you were being held at was run by a group of cannibalistic farmers. They chopped off one of our friend's legs and some of us even ate him before we knew what was going on. We have all suffered, but now we can come together and make sure that people don't suffer as much in the future." declared Lee.

Travis. I don't think I've put much thought into him unless it's wondering how Ben's doing after his death. Has it been getting easier to see people die?

It was a thought that scared Lee only because of the implication that his emotional capacity was starting to decline or be altered in favor of something much more bloodthirsty. Deaths shouldn't ever be normalized. They should be treated with disgust and disdain unless the person who was killed was objectively a bad person.

Like Danny and Andy St. John. Even after everything, I still wish there was a way for nobody to get hurt at that dairy.

"Suffer? You don't know what it's like to suffer. I suffered to protect my baby girl and it was all for naught." whispered Jolene.

"Then tell me what it means to suffer, Jolene. I want to know how it feels, so I can understand you better." soothed Lee.

Jolene just stared at Lee blankly. Lee was about to ask another question before he found himself interrupted by the woman.

"I did so many things for those people. The people who I thought would protect me as long as I cooperated with them. My co-workers. The ones I talked to and used to have a laugh with like we were best friends. I never would have thought...they would become what they became. And I was forced to go along with them or else my daughter and I would be the ones hurt." Jolene stammered.

"Your daughter. How exactly did you protect her?" questioned Lee.

"I didn't protect...her. I DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT HER!!!" screamed Jolene.

Lee took a step back instinctively, surprised by the intensity of Jolene's outburst. Yhwach, however, stood unmoved by the outburst, though a flicker of something—perhaps a trace of discomfort—crossed his otherwise stoic face. 

"Easy," Yhwach said, "Lee just wants to make sure he understands everything. We don't have to talk about your daughter if you don't want to."

"How many of your co-workers were part of the bandits? Do you know how many of them there were?" asked Lee.

"Oh, about 30 to 40 men. And that bitch rapist Linda was part of them as well. Could be more or less now. It has been a while since I've taken the time to go see 'em." Jolene said. She finished off her statement with an evil cackle.

"How long is "a while", Jolene?" asked Lee.

"How long is anything anymore? When your life is over, the days just go by all the same. They all look the same and they all feel the same. So, isn't every day just the same, and time doesn't exist?" asked Jolene.

.

..

...

That doesn't help us at all.

"If you want to look at it like that. Are you sure you don't know how long it has been since you've been at the camp? Even a rough estimate is better than nothing." Lee replied.

"Positive, mister. You could go to the camp and do a head count if you want. Just ask 'em how long it's been since ol' Jolene was there." chuckled Jolene.

"Jolene, we're not part of the bandits, they would simply kill us on sight." Yhwach declared.

"Oh, I know they would." laughed Jolene. She started to laugh to herself for a few seconds. Lee fought the urge to slap her in the face. She had given them some information, but it wasn't even concrete or easily verifiable.

If what Jolene was saying was TRUE, and there were still at least 30 men, they would have a major numbers disadvantage.

Clementine and Duck are obviously not going anywhere near the bandits. Katjaa is our doctor and she's not the best at shooting. Especially when they're shooting to kill. We could enlist Jolene's help, but I can barely trust her and I'm not about to put my group's safety in her hands when she could just break away, snatch Clementine, and make a run for it.

Not to mention, some of the group might not be mentally equipped to handle the burden of taking someone else's life. I have to look at everything here before I can even think about attacking the bandits.

"When you left, were your co-workers still operating out of Save Lots?" asked Yhwach.

"No, they decided to move into the woods, because it would be easier to rob and loot people like the animals they are. The noise that some of 'em were making was also attracting the dead ones, and Jake didn't want to risk being boxed in without supplies." Jolene stated.

"So, the camp that Kenny found you at, was that a camp that they still use?" asked Lee.

"No. Ever since I killed a few of them and ran, they've been moving closer to the river. There was some kind of lake that they were near, but who knows what the name of that shit was?" Jolene stated.

A lake. Landmarks are always good for determining where they could be. It wouldn't be a surprise to have their main camp near a body of water.

"Okay, so we have a possible location and the number of men. What kind of weapons are they carrying?" asked Lee.

"Oh, they stockpiled and looted a lot. Some of em' like using crossbows, but most of them have guns and rifles. You got your work cut out for you, Lee." Jolene stated.

"No, we have our work cut out for us. Jolene, have you ever heard the saying, 'The enemy of my enemy is my friend'?" Yhwach interjected, his voice steady.

"We ain't friends." spat Jolene.

"Why can't we be? We both want the same thing: To see the bandits fall so they can't hurt anyone else." Yhwach explained.

"You want to be my friend? WHERE IS MY DAUGHTER?!! Bring my little girl to me. I gave you what you wanted. Now give ME what I WANT!" cried Jolene.

"She's sleeping right now. I don't think she would appreciate it if she got woken up just to talk to you. Do you really want to ruin your daughter's beauty sleep?" asked Lee.

Just play along until you leave. I'm not letting her anywhere near Clementine.

"No. Okay...let my daughter sleep and then let me go to her. Let me protect her." whispered Jolene. She looked down at the ground and started to cry softly. Yhwach looked at Lee who looked back at him with sympathy.

He had no intention of fulfilling Jolene's wishes. In fact, this might be the last time that he saw her alive. Any ounce of sanity that was present in her mind had been flattened and cast aside in favor of sheer, unrelenting insanity. Letting her go would be dangerous and Lee didn't want to make any decision that would put the group in danger.

But do we just kill her? Is that really the solution to everything now?

Lee shook his head and motioned for Yhwach to leave the room. The two closed the door and were immediately bombarded with questions by Lilly.

"I heard some noise. Is she crying? Did you get anything out of her?" asked Lilly.

"Yes. Jolene provided some useful information. The bandit camp holds around thirty to forty men, and they're heavily armed. While we may be better shooters, they've likely upped their training since the Dairy's fall. Their main camp—or at least one of them—is situated near a body of water, A lake, if you will." Yhwach explained. as Lilly turned to Lee.

"Well, shit. Lee, you're a local. Do you know of any lakes that would be near us right now?" asked Lilly.

Lee racked his brain for any type of hint as to where they might be located.

Where did I go as a kid? Wait, I went somewhere when I was 12, I think? Okay, I went with Mom, Dad, and Bud. It was right outside Macon. What the fuck was the name?

"Javors Lucas Lake. It's not far from here and it's right outside Macon," revealed Lee.

"You think they're located there?" asked Lilly.

"I don't know where they're located, but it's a good bet. There are other lakes, most likely, near Macon, but I wouldn't know exactly where they were unless we got a map. I don't suppose any of us have a map?" asked Lee.

"No. That's the one thing we don't have and it's why Kenny's boat plan is fucking stupid, because he barely knows how to get to the coast." spat Lilly.

"True, but he knows the general direction to the water, and that may be enough for him. I doubt a map will stop a man from getting to where he needs to go." Yhwach mused.

"Either way, I want to see if Jolene can tell us a bit more about the bandits later on. If she could pinpoint the general area of where the lake was, that would help us out a lot. Unless the bandits are planning on attacking us today, we should be fine." Lee declared.

"Yeah, let's just hope the nice bandits don't come to pay us a visit," Lilly said, rolling her eyes.

"Well, I'm not a fortune teller. I can't predict when they'll come and they seem to be off our case. Unless you want to start scouting missions in the woods, this is the best course of action we can take. Let's not rush things until we're able to process everything." retorted Lee.

Lilly looked like she had more on her mind than she wanted to say, but, thankfully, she seemed to drop the issue.

"Fine. Do you want me to continue guarding her? I got something that I gotta look at." Lilly replied.

"What kind of thing?" asked Lee.

"A potential cause for concern, although I'm not positive about it yet. Just…it's nothing. If it's a problem, I'll let you know. I'm not going to start a witch hunt, because I know how everyone will react if the big bad Lilly starts asking questions." Lilly said sarcastically.

Lee wanted to press Lilly on what she might have been looking at, but he figured he should throw her a bone. Lilly wasn't some dumb teenager that didn't know what the fuck they were doing. She had enough sense to bring anything up to Lee that might be a detriment to their group and Lee would just have to trust her.

"Sure. You can take a breather. Jugram can guard Jolene in your place. I want to check in with everyone else to see how they're doing." Lee said.

"Got it. Once you're done, I wouldn't mind if you took either Carley or Mark and some of the others shooting. I haven't had the chance the last couple of days and Ben could always use some more work." said Lilly.

Most of the people in the group had picked up shooting pretty well. Really, it was just a matter of training those who weren't as naturally skilled since Lee, Yhwach, Kenny, Carley, Lilly, and Larry were already trained with guns. Katjaa was somewhat proficient, but there hadn't been much of an emphasis to train her considering she was the group's doctor. That meant she would only be put in a combat situation as a last resort.

If we had infinite resources, then I would want everyone to be trained the same. Ammo is scarce and we can't use more ammo to train Ben and Katjaa in exchange for those who might actually fight the bandits head-on.

Training people took up a lot of ammo and the supply, which was once plentiful, had been slowly dwindling. The group had decided to go a run in Macon specifically for ammo, but they couldn't find much, so Lee and Yhwach ended up looting the pharmacy instead.

There's maybe one more trip we can make, but we're good on medicine. And we aren't going to find ammo in a pharmacy.

They weren't up shit creek without a paddle just yet, but at this rate, they wouldn't have enough to fight the bandits with if they kept doing daily training missions.

"I'll handle it. We don't have infinite ammo and I don't want to waste more just in case the bandits decide to come pay us a visit," answered Lee.

"Yeah, I understand. We'll just have to hope that what we did was enough to at least give our group a fighting chance against these assholes." Lilly replied.

"Yeah. Hope." Lee stated.

[Scene Break, Location: Otherside Of The Motor Inn]

Katjaa closed her book in frustration and pinched her nose. She couldn't handle looking at another medical chart or reading some obscure hypothetical scenario without wanting to scream. Yhwach had let her borrow the medical book that he had been reading, so Katjaa could have something to do.

Since the scare a few days ago, she had been...surprisingly bored. Of course, boredom was a luxury that was seldom offered, so Katjaa should be thankful that she even had the time to be bored. Yet, there was nothing really that she could do besides train her shooting occasionally and prepare for any accidents. She would have thought that the integration of Ben and Travis into the group would require her to bandage a lot of small injuries since teenagers were known for being dumb and reckless.

Yet, they had surprised her with their willingness to stick to the confines of the motel and not go off on their own with foolish ideas. Travis was probably the most reckless of the group, but even he didn't stray far from the motor inn unless it was to go for target practice. sadly during their visit to the St John's Dairy, Travis got chopped up and eaten.

The only thing I'm good at is being a mother and a vet. Since no one requires my veterinary expertise, that means I must settle for just being a mother for now.

That was easier said than done. Duck had not lost any of his energy and being a mother required her to be a bit more overbearing than she usually was. That was no fun for either Katjaa or Duck. Sometimes, he would have nightmares about Hershel's farm in which he would wake up yelling. Kenny and Katjaa quickly calmed him down, but it was definitely that her son, who usually never let anything bother him long-term, was still affected by the events that happened at Hershel's farm.

How long has it even been since we stayed there? 3 months? It feels like a lifetime ago. Time just seems to speed up when you're only thinking about the present and not the past.

Indeed, the group today was a fair bit different from the group she had joined 3 months ago. Katjaa would be lying if she said that she was a fan of all the paranoia, hostility, and bluntness that certain members of the group had chosen to adopt as part of their persona.

We all carry guns now, but I don't like it. I know it's the way things have to be, but it's hard to just force someone to accept the fact that they have to be ready to take out their gun, aim, and potentially kill someone at a moment's notice.

Still, her family was alive. That was the priority. Making sure that her son and husband were both safe and sound from whatever evils may be lurking to try and take them away from her. If she failed in that goal, God only knows what that would do to her.

Her family was one of the main reasons that she had been able to keep a positive attitude throughout the whole apocalypse. Mental health was just as important as physical health and Katjaa knew that all too well. Her family had a history of mental health illness dating back to her maternal grandfather.

He had shot himself in the head after he had skidded off the road and into a tree. His wife was pregnant with their unborn child and he was rushing to the hospital, but the roads were icy. Both of them had died instantly from the collision while her grandfather killed himself a week later.

Thankfully, her mother was at her great-grandparent's house, but the event damaged her greatly. She grew up without either parent which led to her resorting to drugs and alcohol. Thankfully, the alcohol part came after both Katjaa and her sister were born, so there were no unwanted effects on either child. Still, that didn't stop Katjaa's mother from spiraling downwards, no matter how much her other family members tried to help her.

Eventually, her father found her mother hanging from the attic when she was just 10 years old and her older sister was 13. Fearing that Belgium brought bad luck, she moved to the U.S. with her family just 2 years later.

Surprisingly, she had kept her accent, mainly because she went back to Belgium every summer, but that wasn't important. What was important was that Katjaa felt herself having dark thoughts from time to time. Thoughts about hurting herself, committing suicide, or getting shot and slowly dying. Dark thoughts that you wouldn't expect such a sweet woman to have.

Can I be blamed for that? We haven't even had time to process what has happened. We've just been thrust into a new world where dead people come back to life, the living hurt each other for supplies, and there is no hope of the world ever coming back to normal. How can someone just accept it and move on with their life?

Katjaa looked at her son who was animatedly talking with Clementine about something that he probably came up with in his imagination. One look at him made all her dark thoughts disappear. Her son was a beacon of positivity and hope and she intended to make sure his spirit burned bright for as long as it could.

Katjaa looked around the entire motel to see what everyone else was doing. Yhwach was guarding Jolene's room which caused Katjaa to frown.

She knew that Jolene was most likely not being given the best treatment, especially from Lilly, but she hoped that Lee would let her check up on the woman. If she was injured, it would be a good thing to treat her to show that her group wasn't as savage as the people in the woods.

Some people act no different from animals today. What is the big difference these days?

Katjaa finally laid eyes on the RV. She knew that her husband, Kenny, was currently working on it. The man went from dawn till dusk to fix the old thing up, only stopping if he had to take watch or guard Jolene's room. Recently, he had claimed that he was almost done with the vehicle and they would be able to leave soon. After a full dedicated week to fixing up the RV, he had almost cracked the code.

This solution will involve us leaving people behind. It is going to involve the "family" that I have come to know and love with all my heart to potentially be left behind. As much as I love Kenny, I still don't know if this is the way.

Kenny was the most incredible man that Katjaa had seen ever since he walked into her veterinarian's office almost 15 years ago. She didn't regret a single day that she ever spent with him or her son. However, she could also recognize his flaws and realize that it was hurting their relationship.

He's always delayed talking about serious topics by saying we'll talk about it later. We might not have time later. This conversation needs to happen now.

Katjaa got up and walked over to the front of the RV. Kenny was busy inspecting the engine and radiator for any damages just in case he might have missed something. He looked up and smiled when he saw his wife approaching him.

"Hey, Kat. This baby's almost good to go. If we really wanted to, we might be able to get out of here today. I just have to do a few tune-ups." smiled Kenny.

Katjaa smiled back, but it seemed a bit forced. She was going to have to burst his bubble for a little while.

"What about everyone else, Kenny?" asked Katjaa.

"What about 'em?" asked Kenny.

"They're coming with us, right? You said we would discuss it later and I think now's a good enough time," answered Katjaa.

Kenny's smile disappeared and he sighed before focusing his attention on the engine. Katjaa knew what he was about to say and she wished that it surprised her. She really did.

"They'd just slow us down. Most of them probably want to stay in this dump. If that's how they feel, then we should accept their wishes and move on ourselves." Kenny answered.

"Kenny, are you serious? You're not even going to ask them what they want? People's opinions change." reprimanded Katjaa.

"What the hell do we need them for so bad? We've done just fine on our own." pouted Kenny.

"Kenny, we've done Fine, because we've had a group that has protected our family. Do you think we could have gotten out of the St. John Dairy without anyone else's help? Lee saved both me and Duck when you got shot. Why are you taking this for granted?" asked Katjaa.

"I ain't taking shit for granted!" Kenny retorted. He started moving his arms quickly, which caused him to wince as he held his side. Katjaa became concerned. Most of her attention had been focused on her husband's wound to make sure nothing untoward occurred with his health.

Luckily, the bullet had gone clean through, so there was minimal risk once Katjaa cleaned and bandaged the wound. Still, that didn't stop her from worrying about her husband's health. The wound had most likely slowed him down from working on the RV as fast as he wanted to, which had further enraged Kenny.

"Look, I took YOU for granted. I took our son for granted. That's why I left for all those months just so I could get away from everything for a while. I know how to operate a boat and there's surely some still left on the coastline. We can get away from all of this and finally be together. As a family." Kenny stated.

"What about Lee? You're just going to leave him without even talking to him about your decision? He's the leader of the group for a reason." reprimanded Katjaa.

Kenny's nostrils flared at the mere mention of Lee Everett.

"Forget Lee! He's got enough friends here. Plus, he already said he wants to go somewhere else besides the coast and, unless he can guarantee us finding a place better than this motel, that ain't happening!" declared Kenny.

Katjaa was suddenly taken back to a time when Kenny had expressed that he and Lee were not on good terms right after the farm. She could tell that the relationship between the two men had been different ever since the dairy. Something must have happened in the time that the group was brought to the meat locker and the time that Lee had saved Katjaa. But what could that be?

"Are you and Lee fighting again?" scolded Katjaa.

"No, he's told me everything I need to know." Kenny sulked.

"Kenny..." started Katjaa.

"Listen, Kat. The RV's almost good to go. I plan on getting us to the coast and that's that. I really need your support on this. Once she's ready, I'll tell Lee that I plan on leaving with my family and anyone who wants to come with us is welcome. I promise." declared Kenny.

Try as she might, she couldn't go against her husband. It was her duty as a wife to support him even if it wasn't the popular decision. If he couldn't get support from his own family, where else was he gonna get it?

He's leaving whether I like it or not. At least he'll let people know before we go.

"Ok, but you HAVE to make sure you tell everyone in the group when the RV is ready." reminded Katjaa.

"Thanks, Kat. I will." beamed Kenny. He seemed to have a bit more energy after the argument concluded and got back to work on the vehicle. As Katjaa walked away, she remembered the last petty argument that Lee and Kenny had. This time, he had expressed no desire to reconcile and talk things out.

Whatever happened between them must have been big enough to where Kenny is not even willing to talk with Lee. For my own sake, I need to find out what that is. Maybe I'll ask Lee when I get the chance.

[Scene Break, Location: Otherside Of The Motor Inn]

Lee figured that now would be a good time to finally check on Carley and Doug. He had some downtime.

He knocked on their door, which was at the end of the second-story path where Jolene was being held captive. Since he didn't see them outside, he figured that they were probably still in their room somewhere. Carley opened the door and was surprised to see Lee there. She sported a long-sleeve green t-shirt with jeans to match. The purple jacket that she usually wore was draped on a chair along with her signature vest.

"Where's Doug?" asked Lee. 

"Oh him, he said he wanted to check on Ben and to see if there was any damage to his system in case the bandits show up. anyways what do you want?" explained Carley. 

"Just felt like checking in with you both as I haven't really done it yet...I'm sorry if you or Doug needed my help with something, but this whole leader shit is kind of exhausting." apologized Lee.

"It's alright Lee, although I can't say I understand the burdens of a leader but I can at least sympathize by comparing it to how difficult my journalist adventures were," Carley said with a smile. 

"So, How have you been holding up? You know... After that Dairy incident..." Lee asked after a bit of hesitation

"It's... quite disturbing but I can manage it, not the first time I have discovered something like this you know? Like I once covered a story about an obese man that ate their neighbor's dead cat after almost starving to death..." Carley shared a grim story. 

"That's...very disturbing." Lee awkwardly said. 

There was a moment of awkward silence before Lee spoke again

"Well, I do actually have something a bit more serious to ask of you. It's about Jolene," revealed Lee.

Might as well get her opinion while I'm here. Carley is someone who doesn't pull any punches with me.

"Jolene? Do you want me to take a watch? I know I haven't done it as much as I should be and I'm sorry if I caused you..."

"No, it's not that. Please, don't apologize. I just wanted to know what you think we should do with her after we get the information we need." explained Lee.

"Well, you're the boss. Why don't you tell me what you think and I'll help you from there?" questioned Carley.

"Well, there's three options in my estimation. One option is that we just let her go after we're done with her. The problem is that she's completely unstable and unpredictable. Now, she could very well go to the bandits and tell them that we're planning to attack, which causes the bandits to attack us first. Since we're at a numbers disadvantage, we need to be smart about this. Another option is making her part of the group, although I doubt that's going to go well with anyone. Mainly, there is no way in hell I'm letting Clementine stay near her since she could just kidnap her and run away. Both of those options are not happening. Too many risks." explained Lee.

"So, the third option is...killing her?" inquired Carley.

"Yes. Yes, it is," confirmed Lee. It was a difficult position to be in, but there was simply no other way to guarantee the group's safety.

In any case, I would be doing her a favor. She lost it a long time ago and I'm just bringing her back to her daughter.

"It's a tough call, but I trust you, Lee. Sometimes, you have to do what you have to do. The main thing is that you're prioritizing Clementine's safety along with the group's safety. That's one of the main jobs of being a leader. Protecting your people." Carley replied.

"I don't know if everyone will see it that way." worried Lee.

"They're just going to have to accept it. No one had a problem with you being a leader besides Kenny, but we both know why he hates you even if he hasn't outright said anything. In any case, I doubt he'll care that much if you kill Jolene. You know how he is." Carley said.

Yeah, he was willing to kill Larry in the meat locker over suspicion. There's no way he would ever care about actually killing someone who is a confirmed threat to his family's safety.

"I also wanted your opinion on Ben's mental health, as you know, he is pretty shaken after that experience, heck everyone is shaken, but I feel like he would snap at any time if it continues," Lee asked with concern.

"That...I think so as well, from what I have observed of Ben, he might either mentally collapse or do something very stupid. I hope neither of those happens." Carley said with a heavy sigh.

Lee nodded in agreement as he knew the mood was very heavy in the group right now.

"I have a suggestion... Carley, What do you think about us all moving to a different place? Like somewhere that is far away from here, somewhere we can survive better." Lee after a moment of hesitation addressed the topic he had been contemplating more and more each day especially now that he was chosen as the leader of this group.

"To be honest, I would absolutely love for that to happen but I am uncertain if we would actually find a better place than where we are right now...But this decision is up to you, Lee. Just know whatever you decide I will side with you" Carley said with a smile. 

"On the topic of leadership, I have an idea that will help you strengthen it. It's something that NEEDS to be done," emphasized Carley.

"And what would that be?" asked Lee.

She hesitated for a second before saying, "You... need to tell them about your past, Lee. The one you've been trying so hard to hide." She quickly raised a hand to stop him from interrupting. "Wait—just hear me out."

Lee's heart stopped for a second. It had been a while since someone had confronted him with the truth about his past. The one thing that he didn't want to happen was details of his past getting leaked out to the group. It would destroy everything he had tried to build for himself including his reputation, credibility, and likeability.

He had managed to pacify everyone who knew his secret such as Carley, Yhwach, and even Larry, so there wouldn't be any danger in terms of anyone finding out. For Carley to suggest that he just tell everyone was a big step.

"I know it might sound like a bad idea but it isn't, Look lee, We as a group have survived through many challenges by trusting each other who initially were just scared strangers trying to survive in this... new world and I feel we have been through enough to stop judging people based on their past. Especially after that Dairy incident. Like could you believe such a normal-looking family had such a dark and disgusting secret? What I am saying is. We all had enough time to judge for ourselves what kind of person we were. So I don't think they would judge you for what you did, especially if you explain your side of the story. I genuinely think telling them would make them all trust you more because you showed them that you trust them with this truth... I hope you consider this Lee." Carley said while staring at Lee.

"I've kept my secret from everyone for 3 months. Do you think they're just going to accept that the man leading them is a convicted murderer and he didn't say anything?"

"Lee, I know they won't accept it if they hear it out of someone else's mouth and not yours. Like you said, it's been 3 months. Whatever happened in the old world doesn't matter as much compared to what you have done for everyone in this world. Look, people might be pissed. And telling them might cause trouble, but it'll be a far cry from the worst possible situation, which is what will happen if YOU don't tell them." explained Carley.

"If I don't want to, are you going to tell on me?" Lee asked quietly.

Carley let out an exasperated huff, but she shook her head.

"No, I won't say shit. I can't speak for anyone else. You might be on good terms with Larry now, but the minute you do something that fucks up his perception of you, you're done. Lee, please listen to me. You might not ever get a chance like this until it's too late."

I know she's making sense, but this is a big step. Maybe if I don't tell them, they won't have to find out. But if they do find out, hell is going to break loose. Carley's right in that I won't ever have another chance like this. Do I take the risk?

"I'll let people know. You're probably right," admitted Lee.

"Well, that's nothing new. I'm pretty sure it's 50-0 to me when it comes to who's right." Carley replied smugly.

"Oh, you're always right? Like the time you tried to fix up something and you didn't know the correct way to handle the batteries?" laughed Lee.

Carley gave him a light punch on the arm.

"Stop bringing up the batteries. You're really hitting me where it hurts and I hate it, because you're right. I'm sorry that I don't have the technical knowledge required to power up a flashlight." retorted Carley.

"I feel like it's less technical knowledge and more common sense." mused Lee.

"Just get out there and tell people already!" pouted Carley. Lee just chuckled at Carley's plight before leaving, he looked around at the motor inn. Carley, Yhwach, and Larry already knew his secret which meant that he would have to tell everyone else that didn't know. As he went to the stairs, he gulped as he realized who the first member of the group would be.

Clementine. The first person he's most nervous about telling his secret. For starters, he didn't even know how she would process the fact that she had been hanging out with a convicted murderer for the past 3 months without telling her.

Would She even want to associate with me? I think everything I've done means she should be able to look past it. However, people are unpredictable nowadays. She might not look at me the same way ever again and can I really blame her?

Lee sighed and began to walk over to Clementine. He noticed that his palms were sweating and his face felt a bit hotter than usual.

Palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy, mom's spaghetti. Wait, why am I thinking about Eminem right now?

Clementine stopped what she was doing for a second and smiled as she looked up and saw Lee. "Hey, Lee."

"Hey Clementine, What's that you're working on?" He asked her.

"It's called a leaf rubbing. My teacher Miss Moore showed us how to do to 'em when we went to the botanical garden once." Clementine explained as she showed him the leaf and the leaf rubbing on paper, "See? It's the same! Um, kind of."

Lee smiled at her, "That's really something."

Clementine smiled back at him, "I'll make one for you, too!"

"Clem." Lee said, making sure she had her attention on him for this conversation, "I need to tell you something."

Clementine nodded, "Okey dokey."

"Do you remember the day that Jugram and I met you?" Lee began.

Clementine nodded at him, recalling that day, "I remember, your leg was bleeding."

"The car I was in was a police car and I was on my way to jail for committing a crime." Lee revealed, "I need to tell you now 'cause I don't want you to hear it any other way.

No need to say it was for murder.

Even though the old world was long gone, the labels that people were given still hung around. In Lee's case, he had the label of a murderer. A man who killed another innocent person. Once people heard that, nobody was going to try and figure out the differences between someone like him and someone like Ted Bundy, Richard Ramirez, or Ted Kaczynski.

Especially not law-abiding people who look down on scum like me.

"A crime? Don't bad people go to jail? That's what my parents always told me. You're not bad." defended Clementine.

"I know, sweetpea. Good people can do bad things as well. I did a bad thing and I was punished for it. I'm telling you now because I don't want you to hear it any other way." explained Lee.

Clementine just looked down at her drawing. Her face seemed to be concentrated almost like she didn't know how to process the information.

Clementine looked up at him in understanding and said, "Okay."

"Do you have anything to say?" Lee asked.

"No." Clementine shook her head, "I don't think so."

"You can go on back to your things," Lee said as Clementine nodded and went back to her drawing. After talking with her, Lee looked around the motor inn and glanced to his right, and saw that Katjaa had finished looking at Kenny's wound. It would probably be a good time to let them know. Surprisingly, he found that he didn't really care what Kenny thought about him. 

The relationship was already on thin ice and Kenny would find a way to be mad at whatever Lee did, so his opinion didn't matter.

"Hey, you two," said Lee. Kenny didn't acknowledge him, but Katjaa nodded her head to show in response.

"Kenny, is your wound doing okay?" asked Lee.

"Yeah, I'm just fine. Kat and I were having a little bit of a spat," mumbled Kenny.

"We all carry guns now and I don't like it," explained Katjaa.

"It's the way it's gotta be." retorted Kenny.

"I know why we do it, but I'm just not getting used to it. I'm sorry, how are you, Lee?" asked Katjaa.

It's probably best not to get in the middle of their argument. However, I would have to agree with Kenny on this one.

"I'm doing fine. Actually, Katjaa, I wanted to talk with you for a little bit if you could spare a couple of minutes." Lee stated.

"Are you hurt, Lee?" asked a worried Katjaa.

"No, I'm fine. It's nothing like that. I just need to tell you something and it's kind of a personal matter for me." Lee said.

What's the point of being vague if I'm just going to tell Kenny right afterward?

Nevertheless, Lee and Katjaa headed to the side of the RV while Kenny just gave him a suspicious look.

"Katjaa, I have something to tell you and I don't know if you're going to take this well," said Lee.

"Lee, you've always been good to me and my family. What could possibly be the issue? Is it something to do with Kenny?" asked Katjaa.

"No, that's...that's a separate matter. I was on my way to prison three months ago."

"For what? How much trouble did you get into?"

"He and my wife were..." Lee began to explain but was cut off by Katjaa saying.

"That's enough," stated Katjaa.

Lee just looked down in shame. He expected Katjaa not to take it well. It wasn't going to be easy going through the rest of the group.

"Tell me what happened at the dairy in the meat locker."

Lee looked up at Katjaa in shock. That wasn't what he was expecting, but he understood the question she was trying to ask.

Why does Kenny have a problem with me?

"Larry had a heart attack in the dairy. Kenny wanted to smash his head in because he was scared that he would reanimate and hurt the people who were still inside. Carley found some nitroglycerin pills and I helped save his life. Kenny feels that I painted him as a villain when he was just concerned for his family. We haven't been on good terms since." explained Lee.

Katjaa gasped and immediately had a distraught look on her face. She turned away and looked out at the fence.

"Look, in his defense, he wasn't the only one who wanted to kill Larry. We had no weapons and he had a point. I just couldn't let the man die without at least trying. I don't even think Larry or Lilly know that Kenny wanted to kill him. Please don't blame him for this." begged Lee.

"Everything keeps changing," muttered Katjaa.

She went back to the couch while Lee followed her.

Great, now Kenny's going to be even more pissed at me.

"Kenny, can I talk to you about something?" asked Lee.

"What do you want? Last time I checked, I don't go on watch until tomorrow." Kenny replied.

"No, it's not about that. You're gonna want to hear this." retorted Lee.

Kenny just stood up and walked over with Lee to the same position where Lee had just told his wife what he had tried to do in the meat locker.

"Kenny, I'm going to be honest with you, since, no matter what you think of me, I still think that you need to know this. I...was heading to prison 3 months ago."

Kenny looked a bit wide-eyed at Lee's confession, but he didn't reveal much else.

"No shit?"

"No shit."

He immediately gave Lee a look of disdain.

"It wasn't for touching kids, was it?" he asked.

"What? No!" defended Lee.

"Because we got two here."

"I killed a guy in a fight," explained Lee. Kenny didn't seem like he wanted to start an argument immediately, which meant the worst-case scenario had been averted. That gave Lee at least some piece of mind.

"Should I be worried there's anything else in your past that's going to come out?" questioned Kenny.

"No," replied Lee curtly.

"Good. But you should know, if you plan on coming with my family to the coast and we gotta make numbers when it comes to a boat, this is gonna matter." declared Kenny.

"Wait a minute. You're leaving to go to the coast?" asked Lee.

"It hasn't been decided yet. Look, since you've been straight with me, I'll be straight with you. I've just about got the RV fixed up and ready to go. I plan on taking my family to the coast. That's always been my plan and that's going to stay as my plan. However, if you or anyone else in the group want to come with us, you're welcome to. Just know that you might not be able to get on the boat when everything's said and done if there's not enough space." explained Kenny.

"I hear you," said Lee. Kenny nodded his head and walked away. Lee felt a bit conflicted. On the one hand, he still didn't think the boat plan was the best, but he also wanted the group to stick together.

The advantage that we have is that we're a team. A strong unit. We've built up the survival skills of a lot of people here and I hate to see that unity crumble just because I was too stubborn to humor Kenny for a minute. Like he said, we can always split off later down the line if we don't like what we see.

At the end of the day, Lee couldn't come up with a better alternative. He would much prefer finding someplace close to land, but the two groups that they had come into contact with since they settled down at the motel had been complete assholes.

I've always believed that there are still good people besides us, but is that really true? If there are, they certainly aren't near us. We're just shooting in the dark for a better place or a better group that we can merge with. All of these plans are shots in the dark.

Regardless, Lee still had a couple of people left to tell his secret to. He decided that he would tell Mark next since his room was on the first floor and it was also right next to Lilly's room. He knocked on the door and Mark opened it up after a couple of seconds.

"Lee, I didn't expect to see you here. Did you need something?" asked Mark.

"No, don't worry about it. You should take the time to rest up. God only knows we don't get much of that nowadays." ordered Lee.

"Eh, I've had a lot of time to rest. Do you want to come in?" asked Mark.

"No, it'll only be a minute. I just need to tell you something about my past. I am a convicted murderer." said Lee.

"Wait, like with Andy and Danny? I get what you're feeling. It's not easy to take a life even if—"

"No, I mean like, before. Before the dead started walking. I was going to prison, but I didn't quite make it." explained Lee.

Mark's jaw hung open as he realized what Lee was trying to say. If his secret wasn't so violent, Lee might have laughed at the expression he had on his face.

"You killed someone before?! But you're like the nicest guy around here. Everyone respects you. What the hell happened?" gasped Mark.

"I found him sleeping with my wife when I got home from work early. I was so mad that I just saw red and before I knew it, he wasn't breathing anymore. I was convicted of 1st-degree murder. You know, he was a state senator and all, so there was no way I was getting out of it." said Lee.

"Jeez, that sucks. Well, for both you and the guy you killed. Still, it's taking a lot for me to process that you...killed someone. I mean, murder is bad, man. Especially for a dude whose biggest crime was fucking your wife. I mean, that's bad, but y'know, it's kind of understandable. At least compared to murder." Mark replied.

"Under..standable?" questioned Lee.

"Well, that's not the right word, but it's a thing that happens...more than you might know," Mark answered nervously.

"Mark, have you ever cheated on someone?"

"......No."

Lee just raised an eyebrow not believing Mark's tone at all. Mark just sighed and covered his face with one hand.

"Okay, look, it was when I was young and stupid. My girlfriend at the time wasn't really getting along with me and she would always belittle me. Talk down to me. Tell me I couldn't do any better. It got to the point where I couldn't handle the verbal abuse anymore. She would also flirt with other guys just to piss me off. I always felt that she was cheating on me, but I didn't have any evidence." explained Mark.

"So you couldn't have just broken off the relationship and told her to move on?" implored Lee.

"Well, yeah. That would have been the mature thing to do. But I was in college, so I uh...took another route. She always said that I couldn't do better, so I proved her wrong." Mark declared.

"What did you do?"

"Uhm, I...slept with her mom," whispered Mark.

"You what?!" shouted Lee.

"Hey, keep your voice down. And how am I going to get my shit kicked in by a murderer?" Mark asked sarcastically.

"Two wrongs do not make a right. What the hell were you thinking about keeping it in the family like that? If you had to take a drastic step, couldn't you have just done her best friend?" grilled Lee.

"No, she was a lesbian and she wasn't exactly my type. I mean, it got worse. Apparently, her mom told her older sister that I was like...really good and her sister wanted to find out. So, we uh...did the deed in....my girlfriend's bed." recounted Mark.

"What? Mark, I didn't expect this of you. How did she find out?"

"Look, I was so ashamed and felt so guilty, so I confessed. A lot of screaming and crying later and I was out of a relationship. I still felt a little better, though." explained Mark.

"So you did..Well...I'm just going to go tell everyone else." Lee replied.

"Oh yeah. About the whole murderer thing. Lee, you're okay in my book." supported Mark.

"Thanks, Mark," stated Lee. As Mark closed the door, Lee shook his head in amazement.

The number of things that I learn about my fellow group members each day.

Lee walked over to Doug who was checking something on the fence, "Hey, Doug."

Doug turned away from the fence to look at him, "Hey, Lee. What is it?"

"Do you have a minute? There's something I need to tell you."

Doug nodded, "Of course, Lee. What is it? Does it have to do something with the conversation you had with Carley earlier?"

"Yes." Lee nodded in confirmation, "I'm a convicted murderer. I was on my way to prison three months ago."

Doug's eyes widened in surprise, "Oh...oh wow."

"Yeah." Lee nodded, "I just felt like you deserved to know about this."

"I see." Doug nodded in understanding, "Thank you for telling me this." He rubbed the back of his head, "That was a surprising revelation, to say the least."

"Does it change anything?" Lee asked.

"No. It doesn't." Doug shook his head, "I don't really care about what you did before all of this, Lee. The person you are now is what matters."

"So we're cool?" Lee wanted to be sure.

"Yeah." Doug smiled, "We're cool."

"Thanks." Lee smiled back at him. He turned away from Doug and walked over to Lilly's room.

[Scene Break Moments Earlier, Location: Lilly's Room, Motor Inn]

Lilly tried counting the number of pills that she had in her secret stash. The group had a public stash full of some of the medicine that they had brought back from the Macon pharmacy, but Lilly had always kept her own stash. She viewed it as a necessary precaution since she never knew who might try and sneak some of the medicine for their own gain.

I have to keep my dad in good health. None of the other members need nitroglycerin pills, so they shouldn't have a problem with it.

However, Lilly was the one who was starting to have a problem. Some of the medicine had gone missing recently and she had no idea who could possibly be taking it. If anyone was taking it, that is. Maybe she was just miscounting and being overly paranoid, but she swore up and down that there was less medicine in her stash than there had been before.

The only ones who know of this stash are my dad and I. Who the fuck could be taking medicine from here and how did they find out?

"Lilly, did you count it?" asked Larry.

"Yes, Dad. I'm certain that there's antibiotics and other stuff missing. Things with opium in them. You know, the good stuff." Lilly replied.

"So, we have someone that's been stealing. When I catch whoever this is, I'll fucking rip their lungs out!" exclaimed Larry.

"Calm down, Dad." cautioned Lilly.

Thankfully, none of the nitroglycerin pill bottles had been taken, so her dad wasn't in immediate danger.

That leaves a lot of questions. Who's been taking medicine and how can I catch them? Where do I even start? Do I just stay in my room all day? Clearly, whoever it is has been watching us to make sure they can come in when we leave.

"I was thinking it could be that Ben kid. He seems like someone who thinks he can steal a few meds here and there without others noticing. Probably just thinks that we're clueless and have no idea. Oh, we have an idea!" declared Larry.

"Dad, I'll handle it. We can't go pointing fingers without any proof. That wouldn't look good on either of us and people would just dismiss us as crazy. We need to find a way to catch him or someone else in the act. Or maybe figure out their motive for why they're doing this." Lilly stated.

"They're doing this because they want to keep medicine for themselves in case things go south and they have to run away. That's why it's definitely that Ben kid. None of this was happening until he and his friend showed up here." retorted Larry.

That's not a bad reason. What if it isn't Ben? What if the person who is doing this knows they're an easy target and is instead one of the group from before?

Lilly tried going through each member to see whether they would have any motivation for stealing pills. Lee, Yhwach, and Clementine were completely off the table. One was a kid and the other two had no reason to actively harm the group from what she knew of them. She couldn't imagine a world where one of them was the perpetrator.

Next, you had either Kenny, Katjaa, or Duck. Lilly made sure that Duck never did anything stupid or touched anything important as the kid was an idiot. More importantly, he barely knew what was even going on around him, so there was no way it could be him. Katjaa is a kind-hearted woman who cares about the group. She wouldn't put them in danger.

Then, there was Kenny. If Lilly just wanted to use her heart and not her head, he would probably be the #1 suspect. He had made it no secret just how much he abhorred Lilly's strict rules especially because he couldn't give his family special treatment. However, Kenny was a family man which meant that he would do nothing to bring harm to the group. Sure, this was Lilly's secret stash, so he could just take the meds for himself, but why would he do that?

I'll keep him on the list just in case, but something tells me it isn't him. He's way too focused on fixing up that RV to even have the time to steal medicine.

That just left Doug, Ben, Kenny, and Carley as the main suspects. If it was someone else, Lilly would have to personally thank them for being so deceiving, because she couldn't see how it wasn't one of those people.

"What are you thinking?" asked Larry.

"I'm thinking it has to be either Doug, Ben, Kenny, or Carley," replied Lilly.

"Good. Let's-"

Larry was interrupted by a knock on the door. Lilly stared at the door suspiciously before she went over to open it. To her surprise, Lee was standing there with a nervous expression on his face. He seemed to stiffen a little when he saw Larry was present.

"Lee, what are you doing here?" asked Lilly.

"Oh, hey, Lilly. Is now a bad time? I just needed to tell you something." Lee stated.

Tell me something. He can't be the one stealing, can he?

"We're not busy right now. Is it alright if my dad hears this too? I'm sure it's not that much of a secret, is it?" confronted Lilly.

"Well, he already knows." Lee awkwardly replied. Larry's forehead started to crease before his eyes shot up in surprise.

"Lee, are you seriously going to tell my daughter after I promised you that I wouldn't say shit?"

"Tell me what?" asked Lilly.

"I'm a convicted murderer."

"What?" gasped Lilly.

"Can we...uh...take this conversation inside?" suggested Lee.

Lilly let him pass into her room and she shut the door. Lee sat down on one chair while she sat down on the chair opposite him. Larry chose to stand and folded his arms while giving Lee a stern look. If anyone had managed to look closer, they might have seen the look of...respect that he was giving Lee.

"So, hang on. How did you of all people manage to get indicted for murder?" asked Lilly.

"He was a state senator who was sleeping with my wife. I caught the two of them in bed when I came home from work early and accidentally killed him in a rage. The only reason I'm not behind bars right now is because the dead started rising as I was getting transported. I just figured you should know." explained Lee.

He almost struggled to look Lilly in the eye as he said that, so she could tell that he was remorseful. If anything, she was grateful that Lee had decided to come clean rather than have her find out another way.

"I appreciate your honesty, Lee. Honestly, considering some of the shit I've advocated for, I don't really care too much about it," said Lilly. She turned to her dad who amusingly shrunk under her glare a little bit.

"What I do CARE about is that my own father didn't even bother to mention it to me."

"Lilly, I was just thinking about your safety. I didn't want Lee to catch wind that you knew his secret and potentially try and hurt you. That's why I just gave you a warning to stay away from him. If anything, I think I was justified in making sure that you weren't too friendly with a murderer." defended Larry.

"Wait, is that why you two never got along? My dad thought you were some kind of remorseless psycho and you just thought he was a crabby, old asshole with anger issues?" Lilly yelled.

"Yep," said Lee.

"That about sums it up." agreed Larry.

"I can't believe this. Rather than talk it out, you two just decided to become sworn enemies until now." Lilly stated.

"Hey, in Larry's defense, he had every right to distrust me. I did commit a violent crime and I was supposed to be put away for it. I'm sure that I wouldn't be too comfortable if my family slept under the same roof as that of a killer." Lee replied.

"Yeah, I'm not apologizing for shit." agreed Larry.

"It's fine, Lee. What's done is done, I guess." Lilly mumbled. She rubbed her forehead and groaned a little at the headache that was starting to form. Between the medicine situation and this, she was having a tough time staying sane.

"Lilly, are you alright?" asked a concerned Lee.

"I'm fine. I just...have a lot of things on my mind."

"Is it about the shooting lessons? I know we're running a bit low on ammo, but it's nothing that we can't fix on our own. If you need someone to cover for you, don't be afraid to ask." reassured Lee.

A part of Lilly wanted to bring Lee into the situation, but she didn't want to involve him until she had a concrete plan for how to find the thief. Besides, she STILL didn't have any concrete evidence that anyone was stealing anything. For all intents and purposes, it was just a hunch.

That's my first goal. Find evidence of a robbery before I can say there has been a robber.

"I got it, Lee. I guess I've just been overworking myself lately. It's nothing to be concerned about. I appreciate you coming and telling me the truth." Lilly answered. Lee nodded his head and stood up.

"I better get going. I've still got some other people to tell. Take care you two."

Once he left, Lilly sighed.

"Do you think we should have told him?"

"It doesn't concern him. We can handle this." Larry said.

"Right. While I take some time to come up with a plan, why don't you get some rest? You've been at it all day." suggested Lilly.

"I'm not some toddler that needs a nap! I'm perfectly fine." retorted Larry. One look at his daughter's stern face and his stubbornness instantly evaporated.

"Fine. Wake me up if you need anything," he mumbled.

While Larry laid down, Lilly tried thinking of what her next course of action should be. Minutes passed while she tried racking up all the ways that she could find evidence, provide it to Lee, and what types of questions she should ask people to point to how the thief managed to get into their supply stash.

[Scene Break, Location: Jolene's Prison, Motor Inn]

Jolene woke up from her nap. She hated when she had to wake up because it brought her back to the painful reality that was her life. Every minute that she lived cut more than any blade of a knife ever could. Every minute she was alive, was a reminder of how much of a failure she was.

When she arrived at the Save-Lots facility, she was happy to see that most of her old coworkers were still kicking. As a single mother, she was used to depending on other people for help and her coworkers were more than happy to provide her and her daughter shelter.

Then, they became the monsters that I tried to protect my baby girl from. They became the monsters that I couldn't protect her from.

When Jake had taken over and given her an ultimatum, she had gone along with whatever he wanted. She had done horrible things such as kill and even rape whoever Jake had wanted her to. It had made her sick, but she knew that she was protecting her daughter by committing these sins. Or, at least she thought she was. It didn't matter in the end.

[Start of Jolene's Flashback]

Jolene frantically rushed to Jake's tent. If anybody knew anything about what was going on, then it would be him. She didn't particularly like the man at all. He was a misogynistic pig. However, he was also her best hope.

As she got to his tent, she saw that he was already outside. He looked at her almost like he was expecting her arrival.

"Jake, where is Danielle?" she asked.

"Danielle? Who the fuck is Danielle?" questioned Jake.

"My daughter. Where the hell is she? I can't find her anywhere in the camp!" she screamed.

"Shut the hell up and stop screaming so loud, you fucking bitch! If your girl is running around camp unsupervised, that's her fault. It's not my problem to look out for her like I'm her dad." dismissed Jake.

His tone didn't seem very sincere. Jolene knew that he was hiding something about Danielle and she was going to stop at nothing to find out.

"Jake, where did you take my daughter?" she demanded.

"Your daughter is being taught a lesson. You promised me that she would be able to contribute to the camp. Instead, she's been nothing more than a mewling waif." growled Jake.

"She's just a 10-year-old girl. Don't you understand that? All she knows how to do is be a child and cook. She's cooked food for everyone before when we've had the ingredients." defended Jolene.

"Well, we ain't living in a house and she's no housewife. She can't shoot, hunt, raid, steal, or do anything that actually matters. That's why I asked a few people to go teach her what being part of our camp means for her." Jake replied.

Jolene's heart dropped while Jake's eyes twinkled with the burning desire of a madman.

"What have you done with my daughter?"

"Linda, Bart, and a few others are taking good care of her right now. Don't worry. I made sure to go there and educate her myself. It's good timing, actually. We're having a drought of women, so this is the perfect time for her to go to school and learn what it means to be a woman nowadays." smiled Jake.

That could only mean one thing. They had robbed her of her innocence. Jolene choked out a sob and dropped to her knees in complete despair.

"Please, tell me where she is! I'll do whatever you want me to. Don't hurt my daughter if you need someone to fuck. Hurt me!" pleaded Jolene.

"Eh, I think I'll pass. We've already started the lesson. Imagine what would happen if we made her stop halfway. She would be stuck not knowing what to do. She's old enough to learn and make sense of what's going on." Jake retorted.

He tried to walk away, but Jolene held on to his leg. She wasn't going to let this scumbag ride off that easily.

"Please! TELL ME! I'll be your sex slave. I'll teach her how to shoot. Just please, don't let my baby girl be taken off like this! As her mother, I'm begging you to just let me see her again!" cried Jolene.

"Let go, woman!" bellowed Jake.

Jolene was fiercely stubborn and refused to let go. Jake decked her in the forehead with a right hand, but she continued to hold on for dear life. Jake twisted and turned until he was able to free himself from Jolene's grasp. She fell on her back and he kicked her head with his boot for good measure. She saw stars and felt blinding pain from the left side of her face. It was nothing compared to the pain that she felt in her heart.

"Your daughter is with us now. It's too late." Jake announced.

Jolene just started crying uncontrollably. The one person that she had lived for and sinned for was gone for good.

[End of Jolene's Flashback]

No, that wasn't true. Her daughter had been reincarnated in that little girl that resided at the motor inn. She seemed to be kind, adventurous, and innocent, which was everything her daughter had been. Her daughter's spirit was still walking this Earth and she would be damned if anything would separate the two of them.

Including that man, Lee. He may have been nice to me, but it's all an act. Men are destructive. They just take whatever they want which is why he took my daughter. I'm not fooled by his lies! He'll never let me see my daughter. I need to go find her on my own.

As far as she was concerned, she hoped both groups killed each other. All she wanted to do was get her daughter and flee from this area as fast as possible. This task required patience. Patience until the right moment. Jolene looked outside and saw that no one seemed to be standing watch. There were muffled voices coming from below her.

This is it. It's now or never.

Smiling to herself, Jolene looked down at the ripped carpet and found what she was looking for. An old bobby pin that the group had not seen or taken. Jolene had read all about the different ways that bobby pins could be used seeing as she used them herself for her hair.

One of the things that helped her was how bobby pins could be used to break out of handcuffs. It was an interesting piece of information to learn, but, now, it was very helpful. Jolene prayed for a few seconds before she tried moving forward in short, explosive thrusts. Her momentum eventually caused the chair to tip and eventually fall. Jolene fell on her side, but her hands were near the location of the bobby pin. She tried to feel them, but her hands were very limited in their movement.

Grunting, she pushed herself backward and felt the portion of the carpet that was ripped up. Her index finger seemed to catch the end of a small object. Smiling, Jolene reached out for the object as far as her fingers could go.

Her middle finger also caught the end of the object and she moved it towards her. Or, at least somewhere near her. She couldn't exactly see. No one had barged in the door, so things were going well. Whatever was going on outside seemed to have occupied the group for now.

When the object was close, she flailed her hands around until she could firmly grasp the object. It felt like a bobby pin, so Jolene carefully oriented both sides of the pin until they were far apart. Taking one end, she inserted it into the keyhole and bent the bobby pin into a 90-degree angle. Next, she took out the bobby pin and tried to put the bent arm into the keyhole. It took a bit of searching, but she was able to insert it and twist the bobby pin around.

The cuffs broke open and she moved her arms to the front before unlocking the other cuff from her hand. Now that the hard part was done, she had to remove her legs from the chair. Luckily, the tape hadn't been changed since she got there, so it would be easier to remove.

She put both of her hands together and forced them between her legs, which caused the tape to break under the extra force that her legs were giving off from being forced apart. Jolene tore off the rest of the tape and quickly crouched down under the window overlooking the rest of the motel. She peered out and saw that there were a few people down near the RV. They seemed to be preoccupied, so Jolene rushed to the opposite window and tried opening it. It had been bolted shut, however.

I'm gonna have to go to another room.

Jolene went to the door and carefully unlocked it so that it wouldn't make any noise. She crouch-walked out of the room before pushing the door shut again. Now that she was outside, she could hear the argument vividly.

Still, none of it mattered to her. She was only here for one reason. Her daughter.

Jolene's pulse quickened as she inched toward the edge of the motel. Her breaths were shallow, eyes darting across the room doors. Almost there. She could practically feel her daughter's presence pulling her closer, like a thread tightening with each step.

Just as she reached the door leading to the next room, a sound caught her attention—a soft clang followed by a splash of liquid hitting the floor.

Before she could fully process what was happening, strong hands gripped her from behind, lifting her off the ground. Panic surged through her as she was raised up, her body instinctively thrashing against the grip. Jolene twisted her head, ready to fight whoever had caught her, but when she turned around, her resolve crumbled at the mere sight of him.

Yhwach's grip on Jolene tightened as she struggled in his grasp. His cold eyes scanned her for a moment before he scoffed, his irritation evident. "I should've assigned someone else for guard duty," he muttered to himself, disdain dripping from his words. "This... playing along with their whims, their way of doing things—it's humiliating."

Before Jolene could form a coherent thought or even speak, Yhwach effortlessly flung her backward. Her body hurtled through the air and crashed through the window of the room she had just escaped from. Jolene screamed as her back slammed against the floor, glass shards embedding into her skin. Blood oozed from small wounds on her back and head, but nothing life-threatening. Still, the pain was sharp, biting into her with every shallow breath.

Yhwach opened the door, stepping inside slowly, Jolene groaned, trying to push herself off the ground. Her head throbbed as she glanced up at him, the words slipping into her mind.

What the hell... what is with his strength? she thought, her body trembling as she forced herself to sit upright.

Yhwach was upon her before she could react. He grabbed her by the head, his large hand engulfing her skull, and then slammed her face-first into his knee. Jolene's vision blurred as pain exploded across her face, her nose crunching under the force. She gasped, half-dazed, but Yhwach showed no emotion, just simple indifference as if this was a regular Monday morning.

"Interrogation has never been my style," Yhwach said, his voice devoid of any warmth or concern, though there was a flicker of something beneath his words. "I have some sympathy for you but do not mistake that for weakness. Whatever pain you think you've endured... I've suffered far more."

Jolene wheezed, blood pouring from her nose as she looked up at him with wide, terrified eyes. She could barely comprehend what he was saying. The searing pain in her head and body drowned out most of his words, but she caught enough to know she was outmatched.

Suddenly, hearing the commotion from outside the room. The door burst open, and Lee, Lilly, and Mark rushed inside, the sound of broken glass having alerted them to something wrong.

"What the hell happened?!" Lee barked as he saw the wreckage and Jolene lying in a pool of blood-stained glass.

Yhwach stood over her, his eyes narrowing for a moment in quiet frustration. So much for ending this quickly, he thought. Breaking the window might have been a mistake; it had drawn them in too soon. He mentally frowned. His plan to eliminate her quietly was slipping out of his grasp.

"I handled the situation," Yhwach said flatly, barely turning to acknowledge the others. "She tried to escape."

Suddenly a single gunshot rang out, Everyone froze as the bullet struck Jolene squarely in the head. Yhwach, having moved just a fraction too fast for his liking, stood aside, his gaze darkened as he turned his eyes toward Carley, who had just entered, gun still smoking in her hands.

Jolene's body jerked, her head snapping back as the bullet struck her squarely in the forehead. Blood splattered across the room, and for a moment, everything went still.

Yhwach's eyes, traced the trajectory of the bullet back to its origin. Carley stood in the doorway, the smoking pistol still in her hand. Mark rushed to her, grabbing the gun from her fingers as he shouted, "What were you thinking?! You just killed an innocent woman!"

"Innocent?" Lilly shot back, "How is she innocent, Mark? You remember what Kenny said—she was a threat! She was dangerous, and now she's gone before she could hurt anyone else."

As Lee tried to calm the escalating argument, Yhwach's attention was elsewhere, however. As Jolene's body lay still, he felt the familiar pull, his soul fragment. His expression darkened considerably as he absorbed the fragment, eyes narrowing as her memories.

His expression darkened considerably as he processed the new information. Yhwach wiped the blood from his mustache and face, standing to his full height as the room swarmed with more people. Lee, Mark, Lilly, and Carley were still deep in argument, their voices a haze of noise in his mind.

Kenny, Katjaa, Larry, Doug, and Ben rushed in, alerted by the sound of the gunshot. Kenny's voice cut through the noise first, his eyes darting around the room before settling on the shattered window and Jolene's body.

"What the hell was that?!" he barked, pointing toward the mess.

Lilly stepped forward, her frustration evident. "It was Carley's itchy finger," she said, shooting a glare at Carley. "And Jolene tried to escape, but Jugram managed to stop her before... well, before Carley finished her off."

Larry, clearly fed up with the situation, crossed his arms and growled, "Goddammit. We should've left her at the dairy. Now look what kind of mess we're in."

Lilly shot him a glance. "Dad, calm down. Your heart."

Lee, sensing the group was on the verge of losing it, raised his voice. "Now is not the time to argue about whether leaving her alive was the right decision." His tone was stern, but reasonable, trying to diffuse the situation as best as he could.

Kenny shook his head, clearly agitated. "Yeah, but before we do anything, I think we need to have a serious discussion about everything that just happened."

Katjaa, still processing the scene, sighed. "Ken, is now the time for this?"

"I'm sorry, but we don't have any more time," Kenny snapped back. "We need to get out of here. After all this—Jolene, the bandits—we'll all die when they show up. Just look at her," he gestured toward Jolene's body, "this is only a taste of what's to come."

Lilly stood her ground. "No, we need to attack the bandits now. We can't sit around and wait for them to come for us. We take them out, and we're back in business. We know where they are, what they use, how many of them there are."

Kenny shot her a skeptical look. "How many exactly?"

Lilly hesitated, but replied confidently, "About 30 to 40 men. But that info might be outdated. They have the same kinds of weapons we do, but they're lousy shots. Cannon fodder, basically."

"So, we don't know shit," Kenny retorted. "For all we know, that number could be double, and we'd just be walking into our own deaths. I'm not dragging my family into some suicide mission."

Larry scoffed, not even hiding his contempt. "Wake up, dumbass! This is for your family. Once we get rid of them, we're the top dogs here. No more threats."

Mark, standing near the door, finally spoke up. "I don't know about this. Can we even take them?"

"It doesn't matter! Look, if you're going to attack the bandits, I'm not coming with you. I much rather stay here and keep an eye on my wife and son." Kenny declared.

"What?! So, you're just going to not help at all?" demanded Lilly.

"I AM helping you by telling you what the smart decision is! Lee, you know I'm talking sense. I know we haven't always seen eye-to-eye, but you know that I'm right on this one!" pleaded Kenny.

"Lee, we can take these guys. I know we don't have the manpower, but we know enough. They're not military folk. They're random druggies who congregate in the woods. It doesn't take much to beat them with the training we've given everyone." Lilly added.

Lee rubbed his temples. He had a very hard decision to make, but he needed to know one thing first.

"Lilly, say that I agreed to attack the bandits today. Who is coming with us on this mission?" asked Lee.

"Well, it would be you, me, my dad, and anyone else besides Katjaa and the kids. Actually, I'm leaving Ben behind too. He's a shit shot and a proven liability, but someone's going to have to guard him." Lilly replied.

"Either way, none of this matters, because the smart decision is leaving and that's what we need to do!" exclaimed Kenny.

"I honestly agree with that plan. Forget the bandits. They can jerk themselves off. Let's go somewhere else where there aren't a bunch of assholes." agreed Carley.

"What is this shit? We're getting rid of the danger and you just want to run away?" confronted Larry.

"No, you idiot. We're just inviting the danger to our doorstep. If you fail, then what?" challenged Carley.

"Uhh Carley, Lee is the leader. Let him make the decision," said Doug.

Everyone looked at Lee who was absorbing everything inside of him.

Okay, so we have the first option which is attacking the bandits. This would help get rid of them and ensure that we don't have anyone else gunning for us. Still, this is all contingent on the fact that we would win. We have about a 4 to 1 numbers disadvantage even if Jolene was right and the bandits have about 30 men. It would be experience vs. manpower, but we would be fighting on their turf.

We only knew where Jolene was, because she was clumsy. If the bandits have been living in the woods for a while, they're used to the terrain. We are not. That is a problem. I don't even know if they're at the lake I think they're at.

What's the reward? We get revenge against the bandits, but for what? They haven't really done much to our group besides injuring Travis and having a deal with the St John's, but is going on a suicide mission really worth it? They always say when it comes to revenge, you better be prepared to dig two graves. In our case, we might have to dig a lot more.

Then, we have the option of just packing up and going. Besides the fact that Lilly and Larry don't want to give up on the motel just yet, I don't really see any problems with this. Enough people have died and we don't need to risk anymore for a dick-swinging contest. We've cleaned out most of Macon. What's the point of sticking around here?

Even if Lilly might not be fond of the idea, she would still come with us regardless. So would everyone else. Sure, the bandits might come into power, but they're not our problem anymore. It's never too late to let things go and leave on our own terms rather than being forced to.

There is a 3rd option which is staying at the motel while not giving them supplies. We could ambush the bandits on their next drop and fight a defensive battle if they decide to attack us. We know the ins and outs of the motor inn well and they weren't even able to punch through our defenses. The terrain issue wouldn't be a problem.

Still, I think this would be the most unpopular opinion by far. All we would be doing is reverting back to the status quo. While it is a middle ground and has its benefits, it just leaves us stuck in the same position. Would that really be a good idea?

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What does [M] (Lee Everett) do?

A) Attack the bandits immediately

B) Just leave

C) Stay at the motel, but stop giving the bandits supplies.

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Relationships [M] (Lee Everett):

Clementine: 14/15

She's happy that you told her your secret and stayed honest with her.

Kenny: 5/15

He's glad that you were honest with him. He hopes that you don't just ignore his idea, just because you want to be petty. He's ready to get the fuck out of here.

Carley: 14/15

She's glad you told everyone her secret. She trusts your judgement no matter what you say.

Lilly 10/15

She's glad you told her your secret. She thinks that the group can take the bandits even if it's only 7 people.

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