Neo Soul King Yhwach

[Third Person Pov]

Lee sighed, knowing this was going to be difficult, but he couldn't afford to back down now. "I'm sorry, Katjaa, but I'm going to have to insist that Duck is trained. This is for his safety as much as it is for the benefit of the group."

Katjaa's expression hardened. "Lee, you can't tell me how to raise my child. I don't believe that he should be handed a gun when he's just going to treat it like a toy."

"I'm not going to give him a personal firearm," Lee reasoned, trying to remain calm. "Both of the kids are going to have to earn that right. I just want them to at least know how to handle one in case they need it for anything. We can help teach them gun safety, how to load and fire a gun, and make sure they're prepared for what comes next."

Kenny, who had been silent so far, finally spoke up, his tone skeptical. "Why? Why have you decided to do this now and not back at the Motor Inn?"

Lee glanced at Yhwach, recalling Chuck's words that had stirred something inside him. "I needed someone to talk some sense into me. Back at the Motor Inn, I just wanted to let the kids be kids because I figured preserving their innocence was the priority. But they're not innocent anymore, Kenny. They've seen too much. Look at the dairy, and everything that happened there—the bandits, hell, even the walkers. They know how dangerous it is. We have to stop treating them like they're oblivious to the changes in their lives."

Yhwach glanced at Lee, considering his decision to insist on training duck. Lee was finally beginning to understand—if only a fraction—what it meant to survive in this world.

Katjaa shrank under the weight of the conversation. "And this is the solution? You want to train them to be... killers?"

"It's not going to come to that," Yhwach finally spoke, "It is not killing that is being taught here, but survival. What Lee proposes is not about creating killers, but survivors. They will learn restraint, how to judge a threat, and how to defend themselves. if—when—the situation arises." 

Yhwach briefly assessed the children in his mind. Training them isn't the issue. It's whether or not they have the resolve to wield such knowledge when the time comes. Clementine... perhaps. But the boy? He paused, his expression remaining stoic. He is yet untested.

Katjaa shook her head, clearly distraught. "You don't know that. These are children. They don't have the emotional capacity to understand when to fire a gun and when not to. Even adults have trouble with things like that. If you teach them to use a gun, it's going to be the first thing they look to when solving a conflict."

"I know, Katjaa. I'm scared of that too. However, I'm even more scared that something might happen to me or Jugram and Clementine won't know how to take care of herself. I'm scared that she...will die soon after if I don't take the time to train her now. That's why we can't live in our fears. Please. Let Duck learn." pleaded Lee.

Yhwach's gaze flickered as he considered Katjaa's concern. She fears for their morality, for the innocence she so desperately wants to preserve. But she fails to see the truth. Morality has no place here, not when survival is at stake. They will learn or they will die. It is as simple as that.

Duck had been silent for once, which was a nice reprieve. His legs were bouncing around with excitement, so Lee could tell that the kid wanted to learn how to shoot. Whether that was because he was listening to Lee's argument or because he didn't want to feel left out, Lee did not know. Kenny had been deep in thought, so Lee didn't know what he was thinking. Katjaa still seemed hesitant to listen.

"Listen, if you want to be there to watch him, you can do that. I give you my word that nothing will happen to him and I'll make sure...to remind both of them that having a gun is a privilege," promised Lee.

"Mom, I can do it! I promise!" Duck replied.

"Lee, I trust you, but—"

"He's right, hon," said Kenny. Lee couldn't believe what he had just heard. He looked over at Kenny in shock who looked back at him with an even expression. Katjaa had a similar look of surprise etched on her face.

"Ken, are you serious?! This is our child we're talking about here." reminded Katjaa.

"I know, Kat. I just can't shake the feeling that something's gonna happen to our son if we keep treating him like he's a little boy. I went hunting for the first time with my dad when I was about his age. Lots of kids learn how to shoot. I'm sure that as long as everyone there makes sure to remind him that a gun is not a toy, he'll be ready." explained Kenny.

"Kenny, what if he grabs a gun when nobody's looking? What if there is no one out there to watch for him and he does something stupid?" asked Katjaa.

"Then we'll have to deal with it. Duck, do you understand what we're asking you to do here?" inquired Kenny.

"Yeah, Lee is going to teach me how to shoot a gun," said Duck.

"That's right. This is a big responsibility that he's giving you. A gun isn't a toy and this is not a game. This is serious. You have to listen to everything Lee and the others tell you about how to handle a gun, understand?" asked Kenny.

Duck nodded his head resolutely.

"Yeah, Dad, I understand."

"Good. I'm sure you'll do just fine. I was your age when I started. It's nothing to be scared of." soothed Kenny.

Yhwach glanced at Kenny, his expression unreadable. "Do you really think he needs to be told again? He was standing right there for the entire conversation." His voice dripped with sarcasm, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Kenny shot Yhwach a sideways glare, his tone defensive. "I know. I was just giving him some extra encouragement. Nothing wrong with that.

"His innocence. He's going to lose his innocence," whispered Katjaa. Lee couldn't blame the woman for being hysterical. It wasn't easy putting a gun in the hands of a child and telling him that he would have to kill another human being.

Walkers are just human beings that were once alive. It's easy for me to kill them, but how would that act resonate in the mind of a child?

Yhwach scoffed. "None of us are innocent. Not anymore. We've all seen what this world has done to its people. What it's turned them into." His words held no sympathy, just a simple, brutal truth.

"What has this world come to?" Katjaa choked out.

I don't know, Katjaa. I really don't.

"If you want, we can start the training lessons now. Maybe Lilly, Carley, or Mark could assist me while I teach Clementine. You can also come and watch it as I proposed earlier. I know none of this will make it right, but I hope that it..."

Lee trailed off. What was he going to say that would make the situation better?

There's nothing I can say. Everything I say will just make me feel better. I know this is a necessary step, but that doesn't make it any easier.

"You hope that it what?" demanded Katjaa.

"I hope that it makes this...process easier," said Lee.

"It won't," Katjaa replied curtly. Lee nodded his head. He didn't need to say anything else. Now, he had to go and explain the same thing to Clementine, so that she could understand why she needed to learn how to shoot a gun, cut her hair, and be aware of what the group's plan was.

You're a teacher by trade, Lee. Instead of teaching history, you're gonna make sure these kids are in control of their own paths so that history will still remember them when all is said and done.

[ Scene Break, Location: Otherside of The Train - Moments earlier]

A few minutes later, Justin stepped out of the boxcar, stretching his arms as he took in the passing trees. He noticed Ben standing near the railing, pale and shaking, and couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

This kid looks like he's seen the devil... Maybe I can work with that, Justin thought as he approached. He lightly tapped Ben on the shoulder. Ben jumped a little in fright and looked over at Justin. It was almost a sad sight to witness.

The kid is scared of his own shadow.

"Am I, uh... bothering you?" Justin asked, his tone casual, but there was a hint of curiosity. Ben shook his head weakly, clearly still shaken. "No... no. Just feeling a little sick... trains don't sit well with me."

Ben crossed his arms, avoiding direct eye contact. It was like he didn't know where to look—glancing between Justin's chest and the ground as if the weight of his guilt was too much to bear.

Definitely something's up, Justin thought, already sensing Ben's vulnerability. He slid a little closer, keeping his tone friendly but curious. "Mind if I stick around for some fresh air? It's getting cramped in there."

Ben hesitated but then nodded. "Yeah, sure. I don't mind."

Justin gave an appreciative smile while saying "Thank you" as he stood alongside Ben gazing into the passing by trees for a few moments before Justin spoke as if he was having a conversation with a friend. 

"Has anyone ever told you, you are quite nice, Kiddo. I noticed the cautious eyes everyone had in your group towards us, which I do understand but it still feels uncomfortable being stared at like that, y'know." 

Ben kinda related to Justin, nodding his head before he said "I understand that well and uhm, they aren't bad, if you give them enough time they will accept you and I am not saying that for just being nice... I initially met this group the same way we did with you and your friends and although I am probably the most useless in the group, they still kept me." 

Justin smiled "Hey, you aren't useless, like right now, You made me feel comfortable and welcomed by chatting with me. I haven't seen anyone else do that in the group, maybe they just don't know what you are good at yet because of all the stuff you guys must have gone through."

Ben blinked, genuinely surprised by the kindness in Justin's words. It wasn't something he'd heard often—if ever. A small, embarrassed smile crept onto his face. "You think so? Thanks. I... nobody has ever complimented me like that. Y'know... Growing up I was quite clueless about many things. I was.. always just looking for something meaningful in life. When I was in my school years before all this shit broke out. I thought I finally found some meaning in life but... Then you know what happened and until now, I have been living in a state of constant uncertainty.. fear, anxiety, and other such jazz... It felt overwhelming... sorry, I might be bothering you with all this—"

But before Ben could finish, He felt a hand on his shoulder as he heard Justin say "It's alright... I understand. Never feel sorry for being human. That's what makes you and those nasty undead different." 

For the first time in what felt like forever, Ben felt a flicker of warmth in the icy dread that had nearly consumed him. Maybe...just maybe he could still find a way to make things right.

[ Scene Break, Location: Otherside of The Train ]

Clementine looked at the bushes and trees that were zooming by the train. She had decided to sit on one end of the boxcar with her legs dangling off the edge since Yhwach and Lee had left the boxcar. Honestly, she didn't want to think about what the old man had told her.

I'm going to die. I'm going to end up like Travis.

That was a lie. Lee and Yhwach would always protect her, so there was no reason she would die. Lee wouldn't get mad if the man was making false statements, right?

Yet, it didn't seem like the statements were false in her mind. She remembered the time when she was hiding up in her treehouse waiting for her parents to come back home. She remembered how she met Yhwach & Lee who helped her.

I don't know how to do anything. Is that what that man meant?

Clementine remembered the first time she had felt genuine fear. It wasn't when the situation started and her parents were missing. At least back then, she had hope that things would get better along with the fact that she was safe in the comfort of her treehouse. The fear had set in when she almost died at the drugstore in Macon. If it wasn't for Lee's quick thinking, Clementine would have died. She would have died having never gotten the opportunity to see her parents again.

Lee protected me before. Why do I need to protect myself now?

She wasn't strong like the adults were. She didn't know how to take care of a walker. They were scary creatures that she never wanted to go anywhere near. If anything, she would just run away. That's what Lee always told her to do. Either run away or hide until any walkers or bad people leave the area.

Maybe that's what the man wanted me to do. Run away. I already know how to do that.

However, Lee had made sure to mention that she knew how to do that. No, he wanted her to learn how to shoot a gun. It was a crazy concept in her small mind. She thought guns were scary and had no intention of ever using one. Why did she have to learn how to shoot?

I wouldn't be any good at it anyway. Ben can't even shoot a gun that well and he's so much older than me.

Besides, there were situations where shooting a gun would have made things worse. Like the St. John Dairy. That was the first moment since the drugstore where Clementine was scared. Not just scared but truly terrified. She hadn't expected the nice men who had taken them in to be using Travis for food. It just made no sense why someone would do something like that. Everyone should stick together. That's what Lee and Yhwach always said.

What if those guys found me in the treehouse?

Once they were in the meat locker and Larry collapsed to the floor, Clementine didn't know what to do. She was glad that Lee had tried saving him and even happier when it had worked. There had been enough death for one night and she didn't want to see any more people die whether they were good or bad.

Those men deserved to die. They would have killed the rest of us. That's what Lee told me and he's always right.

Yeah, Clementine could kill someone...maybe. No, she was too weak. She didn't have it in her to hurt someone else even if they had done bad things to her or the group. Her dad often remarked that she was just like her mom in that way. Always gentle and patient with others.

I don't want to forget my parents. We're going to Savannah and my parents were there. Maybe I can ask Lee if we can go find them.

Indeed, that had been one of the first things on Clementine's mind, since the group started their journey. It didn't matter that it had been 3 months since she had last seen them. Her main priority had always been figuring out how to contact her parents once again. She had tried the walkie-talkie out of desperation, but they never responded.

They always knew that I liked talking to them with the walkie-talkie, so maybe they could find one themselves and use it.

Of course, that would mean that Clementine's parents would have to come to her, which would be hard since they would have no idea of knowing exactly where she was. That wasn't an issue anymore, because she would be heading to THEM. The more that she thought about it, the more that she couldn't wait to start searching for them. Lee and Yhwach would have to let her search for them. They just had to.

The door facing the railway to the cab opened and Lee and Yhwach both stepped inside. Clementine waved over at them and they both joined her.

"Clem, what are you doing over here?" asked Lee.

"I just wanted to see the outside. It was getting kind of boring over there," said Clementine.

"Well, don't let Ben hear you say that he's boring." chuckled Lee.

"Hey, I didn't say he was boring! I mean...he's not that fun, but he's my friend." retorted Clementine.

Before Lee could reply, the door opened once more and Katjaa stepped inside with an excited Duck. Clementine noticed that the woman seemed a bit...sad about something.

What's wrong with her? Duck seems so happy.

"So...Clementine, I was talking with Chuck. I heard what he said about you and…he helped clarify some things to me. Look, we're not gonna let anything bad happen to you, but there are some precautions we have to take." informed Lee.

"Oh, okay. That makes sense, I think," replied Clementine.

Yhwach's sharp gaze flickered as he turned to face Clementine. "Don't worry, Clementine. This is not about turning you into something you're not. It's about survival. We will teach you how to protect yourself—not just with a gun, but with the knowledge that could save your life. Cutting your hair will help, and you'll understand our plan for Savannah soon enough."

Clementine hesitated, looking down at her shoes. The weight of his words seemed overwhelming, yet reassuring. She nodded slowly, trying to absorb the magnitude of what was happening.

Duck bounded over to her, filled with a kind of excitement only a child could muster in such dark times. "Clem, I'm going to learn how to shoot a gun with you!"

Clementine's wide eyes flicked to Duck, then back to Lee. She swallowed hard. "Shoot a gun?"

Lee sighed deeply, crouching down to her level. "Yes, Clementine. We...I feel this is something that has to be done. You need to learn how to protect yourself, even if it's something we wish wasn't necessary."

"But you always told me to either hide or run away..." Clementine said.

Lee gently patted her shoulder, a somber expression crossing his face. "I know I did. And if you can run or hide, you should. But things are going to be different from now on, Clem. There may come a time when you won't have the chance to run, and when that happens, you'll need to know how to defend yourself. You're strong, Clem, but we have to make sure you're prepared."

Before Clementine could respond, Mark stood up from where he had been sitting. His brows furrowed, and he looked around the group with clear apprehension. "Whoa, hang on. Are you sure teaching the kids to shoot a gun is the right call? I mean, there's a lot of things that can go wrong here."

Yhwach's gaze shifted towards Lee, What will you do now, Lee Everett? he wondered, as if testing Lee's resolve and how he'd handle the moment with everyone's attention on him.

Lee turned to Mark, understanding his concern. "I didn't want to either, believe me. But they need to know. We've been in enough bad situations where things could've gone wrong in an instant."

Yhwach, standing calmly at the edge of the group, finally decided to speak. "The world we once knew is gone, Mark. the term "Innocence"... no longer holds any value anymore. These children are not protected by ignorance—they are endangered by it. If they are to survive, they must understand that their safety, and their lives, depend on their ability to defend themselves. Your discomfort with our decision is irrelevant."

Mark's eyes hardened at Yhwach's words. "But they're kids, Jugram. I get it, survival is the priority, but they should at least have some kind of childhood left, right? Something to hold on to?"

Yhwach's gaze turned cold. "They already hold onto what fragments of childhood remain. But survival, Mark, is not sentimental. A single hesitation, a single failure to act, and they could lose everything—perhaps even their lives. This is not about stripping away their childhood; it is about ensuring they live long enough to reclaim it, if the future allows such luxuries."

Clementine stood quietly, absorbing the gravity of the situation. She glanced at Duck, who still seemed eager, and then back at Lee. She knew that he would never suggest this if it wasn't important.

If I learn how to shoot, I'll make Lee's life easier.

"Okay, Lee. I'll learn... I'll try," she said, her voice shaky but determined.

Lee smiled gently, relieved but pained by what he was asking of her. "That's all I can ask, Clem."

Duck grinned, completely unaware of the tension in the air. "Don't worry, Clem! We'll be like real sharpshooters! Bam! Bam!"

Yhwach's eyes narrowed as he turned his attention to Duck. "Do not mistake this for a game, boy. This is not about fun or thrills. This is about learning how to preserve your life when death is inevitable."

Duck blinked, suddenly taken aback by Yhwach's harsh words. "Oh... yeah, I understand."

Lee glanced over at Yhwach, appreciating the bluntness but knowing it was difficult for the kids to grasp. "We'll start slow," he added gently, "And I'll be with you every step of the way. I promise."

Just then, Justin, who had reentered the boxcar with Ben, crossed his arms and shot a glance at Duck, clearly skeptical. "Are we sure that kid even knows what a gun is?"

Without hesitation, Duck responded confidently, "Yeah, it's the thing you point and shoot to kill all the bad guys!"

Justin muttered under his breath, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Oh, well that makes me feel so much better."

"Is Kenny okay with this?" wondered Carley.

"Yes, I already discussed it with both him and Katjaa. They're both fine, but Katjaa would like to supervise to make sure that Duck doesn't do anything...unsafe. As long as we keep a good eye on the kids, everything will be fine." reassured Lee.

"Everything will be fine as long as nothing bad happens. Jeez, could you come up with some better reassurance than that?" complained Justin.

Lee glared at the man and Justin gulped nervously after a few seconds.

"Heh, I was just horsing around."

Lee turned to Lilly and asked. "Lilly, do you want to help me train the kids? You're pretty good with this kind of stuff and I could always use an extra helping hand. I don't want them to become too...hasty if I can't help them in time and they end up popping off a round on accident."

"Sure. I'll give it a whirl. For what it's worth, I think you're doing the right thing. The world is changing and we need to change even more to make sure we're still alive to tell the tale. It's honestly been something that I have thought about before, but I didn't think you would ever go for it." admitted Lilly.

"I'm glad to hear that. Why don't you work with Duck while I work with Clem? To everyone else here, could you guys help us set up a practice range? All we need is to move a couple of those crates in the back and find something to shoot as a target. Everyone should also clear the area in case any stray bullets pop in that direction. These aren't expert marksmen, after all." ordered Lee.

"I think there's a few empty bottles in the back," said Justin.

"I'll help get them set up." volunteered Mark.

"I'd appreciate that," said Lee. Mark and Justin went to go get the bottles while Doug and Marcus pushed two crates into position. Clementine was a bit nervous, but she pushed that nervousness aside. Right now, she had to be brave.

"Ok, Clem. We'll practice with my gun," said Lee. He pulled out his pistol and Clementine eyed the weapon. It didn't look like much, but she knew that it was just as deadly as the walkers.

"First, don't be afraid of it. It's just a thing. Take it." soothed Lee. He cocked the gun and Clementine took it. Her hands were starting to tremble, but she forced herself to keep the gun still.

"Remember that a gun is not a toy, so treat it with respect. Know where your finger is all the time. And don't put it on the trigger unless you want to hurt somebody." warned Lee.

I don't want to hurt anybody.

Nearby, Lilly was giving Duck similar instructions.

"Alright, keep your finger off this part until you're ready to shoot. It's called a trigger and it's how you shoot the gun. So, don't shoot until I tell you to. Let's make sure that your feet are in the correct position."

To his credit, Duck wasn't jumping the gun, so to speak, and was actually following Lilly's instructions. Katjaa seemed a bit less worried than before. In fact, her expression had become one of interest.

"See, it's not scary," said Lee.

"It's heavy," replied Clementine.

"You'll get stronger. To aim, you look right down the top, through that notch. Line up the sight at the end with your target." instructed Lee.

Clementine found the notch and the end of the gun.

"Is there anything else I should know?"

"When you're ready to shoot, make sure you're not breathing too hard, and then hold your breath right when you pull the trigger," said Lee.

"Like when I'm swimming?" asked Clementine.

"No, just for a quick second. I found that if I did that, I was a lot more accurate. It's tough, but it'll help."

"I can do that. Okay."

Clementine aimed her gun at the bottle. She didn't feel very confident at all, but she had to at least give it a shot. She aimed down through the notch and tried lining up the end of her sight with the target.

"Good. Don't lock your elbows," said Lee. He adjusted Clementine's arms, so that they weren't fully stretched out in front of her, but, rather, a little bent almost like she was carrying a book.

"Okay, let's take your first shot," said Lee. He covered Clementine's ears.

"Squeeze the trigger smoothly and I'll cover your ears. Nice and easy."

"Nice and easy," muttered Clementine. Everything seemed to be in the proper position, so she fired. The bullet went to the far right. She shrieked once she felt the gun go off in her hands. Seeing a gun being fired and actually firing a gun were two very different things. Her hands stung from the sudden recoil of the gun along with the heat that it was now emanating.

She heard a gun go off to her left and saw that Duck hadn't managed to hit the target either. His bullets seemed to be even more off than Clementine's.

"Well, it wasn't that close, but at least you didn't drop the gun," Lilly replied.

"Aw! My hands hurt!" said Duck.

"This does not really seem like it's going to plan," observed Doug.

"It's their first time. You weren't an American hero during your first training session. In fact, I'm pretty sure you missed about as big as Duck did." teased Carley.

"Hey, that's not true." retorted Doug.

"You okay?" asked Lee.

"My hands hurt. I don't like this," complained Clementine.

"Let's stick with it, okay?" soothed Lee.

"Do I have to?"

"Yeah, you do."

"It was a good first attempt, Clementine. All you need to do is make some adjustments and you're set," reassured Yhwach.

Clementine sighed and aimed her gun once again at the bottle. Lee studied her stance. He put her hands back on her ears and readjusted her arms so that they were slightly bent.

"A little more to the left."

Clementine moved her gun a little bit to the left.

"Steady, now. Almost got it."

Clementine held her breath for a quick second and fired. The bullet shattered the bottle on impact. A bunch of people in the train started cheering including, Mark, Carley, Duck, Doug, Ben, and Justin.

"I did it!" exclaimed Clementine.

"You sure did," Lee responded proudly.

"You already got one on your second shot. That's better than me," said Ben.

"Well, you're ass at shooting, so that's not really an accomplishment." joked Mark. Everyone started laughing and Ben just looked down in shame.

"Alright, Duck. Let's see if we can match that. Keep your feet still and keep your arms still as well. Don't move them when you're aiming. Aim your gun to the right." Lilly ordered.

Duck followed her directions and fired his gun once more. Clementine saw that the bullet had now hit a bit too far right instead of far left. It seemed that he had overcorrected in his haste to move his gun to the right.

"Aw, man!" Duck stated.

"It's okay. You're nearly there." encouraged Lilly.

"I'm surprised Lilly's being this patient. I would have expected her to start raging by now," whispered Doug.

"What do you mean? Lilly's super nice. She gave me hair ties for sleeping." Clementine whispered back.

"Huh. Well, I guess you have to be a special kind of ice queen to be mean towards children," noted Carley.

"Alright, Clementine. Let's practice one more time," said Lee.

Clementine nodded and aimed her gun once more after Lee finished setting up another bottle. This time, she remembered to bend her elbows and hold her breath just for a second.

Keep it steady. Just keep it steady.

She fired and the bottle shattered once again.

"I did it!" said Clementine.

"Yeah, you did! Good job!" replied Lee.

"I was holding my breath and the gun didn't shake so much," said Clementine.

"See? You did well." Lee stated.

"They're not walkers, though," observed Clementine.

"No, far from it. But you know how these things work now. We'll graduate you to walkers one day. Was as it scary as you first thought?" asked Lee.

"Nuh-uh," replied Clementine.

She returned the gun to Lee who shoved it in the waistband of his pants. Duck was still aiming intently at the bottle. Everyone's attention was now fully on him.

"Come on, Duck! You got this! Hey, Justin. I bet you 5 bucks that Duck's going to hit this next shot." proclaimed Mark.

"Okay, then. I'll bet you 5 bucks...even though I don't know what you would use that for." Justin replied.

"What does everyone else think? If you want to support the winning team, you have to support Team Duck," said Mark.

"I'm Team Duck," said Doug.

"Yeah, I think he's almost there. I mean, he's probably already better than me, and even I was able to hit it a couple of times," said Ben.

"So am I," said Carley.

"Eh, the kid's got heart. I don't see why he can't," grunted Marcus.

"My daughter is the one training him, so he's definitely going to hit the target," exclaimed Larry.

"I believe in my son. You can do this, Duck!" supported Katjaa. Clementine was happy that the woman seemed to be putting all her emotional energy into supporting her son. In the beginning, it didn't seem like she was happy about something. Maybe it was about Duck shooting a gun?

"I'm Team Duck and I bet Jugram is too," said Lee.

"That I am," added Yhwach. although he didn't seem to care which team everyone's supporting since he's more focused on results. Curiosity killed the cat and I'm curious.

"Woo! Team Duck!" yelled Clementine.

"Okay, do you guys actually think Duck is going to shoot the bottle or do you just want him to? Because I want him to and I also think he will. this is the dumbest bet ever." complained Carley.

"You shouldn't have bad opinions, then." retorted Mark.

"It's not even my opinion!" defended Carley.

"Everyone. Be quiet and let him concentrate," ordered Lilly. Duck had aimed his gun a little to the left. He squinted his eyes to get a better view of what he was aiming at before he opened them back up and fired. Clementine almost saw the bullet speeding through the air in slow motion like it was a movie. It kept moving and moving before it collided with the bottle and glass shattered everywhere.

Everyone started cheering as Duck looked at his mom proudly.

"I did it!" he exclaimed.

"Yes, you did. I knew you could do it," said Katjaa. She sounded like she was on the verge of tearing up. Clementine smiled at the heartwarming display, but also felt a pang in her heart when she thought about her own mom.

I wish she and Dad were here to see this.

"Duck! Duck! Duck! Duck!" chanted Mark, Carley, Doug, and Justin. Lilly looked at the boy proudly before taking the gun while Larry was nodding his head with an actual smile on his face. Even Marcus looked impressed at the boy's determination and effort.

"Well, I think that's all the gun training for today. I'm impressed with the two of you. It's not easy learning how to shoot a gun, especially at a young age, but you two have a lot of promise. Keep this up and you'll have no problems defending yourselves from walkers or people." praised Lilly.

Bad people? I think I'll just stick to walkers for now.

"You owe me 5 bucks, Justin." grinned Mark.

"I don't have 5 bucks on me. What are you even going to do with the money? It's not like you can go buy a pack of playing cards or something." Complainted Justin.

"It doesn't matter. The rules are the rules. I'll wait as long as I need to." Mark said.

"You're going to be waiting a long time," replied Justin.

"Mom, can I tell Dad? Let's go tell Dad!" said Duck.

"Of course. Lee, there isn't anything else you need from us?" confirmed Katjaa. Lee shook his head.

"Go right ahead."

Katjaa nodded and took Duck with her to the door. She turned around and looked directly in Lee's direction with a small smile.

"Lee. Thank you. You were right."

With that, she opened the door and closed it behind her. The sounds of hurried footsteps on the railing told Clementine that Duck was racing to the cab. She wished that she had that kind of energy sometimes.

"Lilly. Thanks for training Duck," said Lee.

"No problem. Training people is what I'm good at," said Lilly. She walked back over to her father and Lee turned towards Yhwach.

"Can you go thank Chuck for pushing us to do this? I actually forgot that I have something on me. It was a bottle of whiskey on the train and I think it may have belonged to him seeing as Justin and Marcus didn't put up any fuss about it." said Lee.

"How did you forget you have a bottle of alcohol on you?" questioned Yhwach.

"I...I don't know. Look, I'll just tidy up Clem's hair with Chuck's scissors. And you give Chuck the bottle of whiskey." said Lee.

Yhwach said nothing as he took the bottle from Lee as he left the boxcar and Lee headed over to a small backpack in the corner of the boxcar.

"Is this Chuck's?" Lee asked.

"Yeah, that's it," said Justin.

Lee unzipped the top pouch and rummaged around before he pulled out a pair of scissors. Clementine wondered what he was going to do with them, but her answers would soon be answered.

"These might not be the cleanest, but they're good enough for being owned by a hobo," muttered Lee as he came back over to Clementine.

"What?" asked Clementine.

"Uh, nothing. Listen, you're probably not gonna like this. But we have to talk about hair. It's not safe." stated Lee.

"That's not nice." gasped Clementine in an offended tone.

"What?"

"Are you saying it smells?"

"No. I mean it does, but that's not the point," said Lee.

"Well, you didn't have to say that. My Mom always said that if you have nothing nice to say, then you don't say it at all. That's the rule." stated Clementine.

"I'm an adult, Clem. That means I don't have to follow the rules." Lee stated with a wry smile.

"Ugh, really? That's not fair," said Clementine.

"All is fair in love and war. Listen, the point is, we're going to have to trim your hair, so a walker can't grab it. It's kind of a problem right now and you haven't had a haircut in...a few months." observed Lee.

"Just a trim, right?" clarified Clementine.

"I need to cut it short enough, so it can't be grabbed," confirmed Lee.

"Okay," said Clementine. She took off her dad's hat and put it next to her. It wasn't a great feeling watching her beautiful hair be discarded like it was a piece of trash.

"Don't worry, Clementine. I have experience cutting hair, so you're in good hands!" reassured Lee.

"I just don't want to look like a boy," said Clementine.

"Nonsense. That won't happen." Lee stated. he started cutting and Clementine decided to distract herself with other things that made her happy. Like her walkie-talkie, her first soccer game, and her family.

"Hey, Lee. We're going to Savannah, right?" asked Clementine.

"Last I checked, the train is going to take us there," confirmed Lee.

"Well, can we look for my parents while we're there?"

The scissors stopped snipping for a few seconds and Clementine was about to ask what was wrong before Lee tilted Clementine's head and resumed cutting.

"I don't know, Clementine. We don't even know if they're still in Savannah or not. It's been 3 months, remember?"

"Yeah, but we can at least try. Didn't they tell you where they were staying? It's not going to be that hard to go find them that way. They're probably still waiting for me. What if it's safer there?" asked Clementine.

"I'll tell you what. I'll discuss this with Jugram and we'll see what the best course of action is. Does that sound okay to you?" asked Lee.

"Okay," said Clementine. She didn't really know what the phrase "best course of action" meant, but it probably meant that Lee would talk to Yhwach about finding her parents.

"There. All done. Give me those hair ties." ordered Lee. Clementine gave them to him and he put Clementine's hair into pigtails. Clementine felt the back of her head and, to her dismay, found that there was significantly less hair than before.

"Does it look dumb?"

"No, you look cute. The most important thing is that you can't be grabbed as easily. Sometimes, you have to sacrifice aesthetics for practicality." Lee stated.

"...What?"

"Oh, uh, sometimes your haircut needs to help you survive instead of just making you look beautiful." clarified Lee.

"I don't know," muttered Clementine.

"Come on, Clem. It's fine. Hey, everyone. What do you think of Clementine's new haircut? She doesn't like how short it is." announced Lee.

"Honestly, short isn't bad. I knew a lot of girls with short hair," said Mark.

"Yeah, she might not like it now, but I'm sure it will grow on her," Justin replied.

.

..

...

"Really?" asked Carley.

"What? I thought it was good." Justin stated.

[ Scene Break, Location: Front Of The Train ]

Yhwach's scrutinizing gaze landed on Chuck's relaxed back. his mind already brewing up possible plans that he could put Chuck through.

Yhwach remained still, observing Chuck's relaxed posture as the wind carried his hair in subtle swirls. He made an imperceptible shift in his movement, a small test of Chuck's awareness, expecting the old man to miss it. But there it was—a slight tensing of Chuck's shoulders, a minute shift in his stance. Interesting, Yhwach thought, his mind satisfied with this small experiment. Chuck was more perceptive than he let on.

He finally closed the distance, making his presence known, and Chuck turned, greeting him with a casual, "Hey, there."

"Hello, Lee followed your advice and convinced Duck's parents to let him take shooting lessons with Clementine. They both managed to hit the target at least once—Clementine even hit it twice. They're progressing."

Chuck gave a slight nod, his eyes lighting up in satisfaction. "Glad to hear it. Just make sure they know those guns ain't toys. As long as they do that, they'll be just peachy."

Yhwach's tone became neutral. "We'll not be handing them personal weapons anytime soon." He reached into his coat and pulled out the bottle of whiskey. "Lee asked me to give this to you. Think of it as a peace offering. He found it near your belongings."

Chuck grinned, accepting the bottle. "Damn, didn't realize I had any left. Thanks." He looked at Yhwach and tilted the bottle slightly in his direction. "Want a sip?"

Yhwach's expression didn't falter as he glanced briefly at the offered whiskey before responding, "Not interested." He had his reasons—reasons he would never share with someone like Chuck or anyone else for that matter.

"Damn shame," Chuck shrugged, taking the bottle and savoring a sip. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and gave Yhwach a knowing look. "Anybody in there wants to share a drink, you let 'em know."

Yhwach responded with a slight hum of acknowledgment, turning to leave, but Chuck's next words made him pause.

"I know that look you got... reminds me of an old friend of mine. Grumpy fella, like you. But he still knew to appreciate a moment with others. Take it as advice if you want—learn to appreciate the moments when you can. You never know when you might accidentally die."

An almost imperceptible smile tugged at Yhwach's lips, Externally, it might have looked like amusement, but internally, Yhwach felt nothing of the sort. He was reminded of Hershel's advice again, words that had lingered in his mind for far too long: "You're gonna have to depend on the honesty of strangers... figure out how to answer a goddamn question when someone asks."

Without turning around, he responded.

"I appreciate the advice but don't mistake me for someone who leaves things to chance. Accidents happen to those who aren't prepared."

With that, he began walking away, the wind stirring the edges of his cloak. Chuck, much like Hershel, seemed to have an understanding of people beyond the surface. Yet, Yhwach had no intention of indulging such bonds. Not here. Not now.

As Yhwach distanced himself, he thought, People will always seek to uncover what is hidden. But there is no revelation to be found in the inscrutable. They will only find what I allow them to see. And for now, that is nothing at all.

Yhwach headed straight to the boxcar. They had a lot of people in their group and he didn't know how many were drinkers, but he was willing to bet that quite a few of them would accept the offer just to help them relax. They might as well relax now rather than later when they were actually looking for a boat.

If They find a boat.

Yhwach opened the boxcar door and walked inside. Most people were either talking or sitting in certain groups. It reminded Yhwach of the Stenritters. That wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but he did wish that certain people felt comfortable enough to talk to people they usually didn't talk to. From what he had seen, nobody had really approached Justin and Marcus. Yhwach wasn't even going to pretend that he didn't know why.

A problem for another time.

Yhwach clapped his hands once, loud enough to cut through the low murmurs inside the boxcar. All eyes turned to him, some with curiosity, others with mild surprise. His voice carried an air of authority, but it remained calm and controlled.

"Charles is offering drinks," Yhwach announced, his gaze sweeping the room, lingering briefly on each member of the group. "If anyone wishes to partake, now is the time."

A moment of silence followed before Justin smirked. "A drink, huh? Is it that cheap whiskey he lugs around? Normally, I'd pass... but why not?" He shrugged.

"I could use a drink," Marcus added, leaning back.

Larry, seated off to the side, straightened up with a grunt. "It's about damn time. I've been going crazy without alcohol. I'm more of a beer guy, but hell, I wouldn't mind a glass of whiskey."

Lilly frowned, crossing her arms. "Dad, are you sure alcohol is the best thing for you at... this age?"

Larry waved her concern away, his tone impatient. "Calm down, Lilly. I've got problems with stress, not alcoholism."

Lilly sighed but eventually relented. "Okay... I guess I can go for a drink too, then."

Mark chimed in with a relaxed nod. "Why not? Could use something to take the edge off."

Lee, who had been standing quietly, nodded in agreement. "A drink could lift everyone's spirits right now."

Carley grinned at Doug, teasing him lightly. "Yeah, guys, let's go drink, too."

Doug looked perplexed, glancing at Carley with hesitation. "What? You want to drink alcohol? Does it even... taste good?" His genuine confusion drew a chuckle from Carley.

"You'll get used to it, Doug," Carley replied with a playful smile. "Besides, you could use a break too. It's been a tough few days. It's not always about the taste, it's about relaxing."

Doug looked unsure but nodded slowly. "Alright, I'll give it a shot."

With that, most of the group began to file out of the boxcar, eager to escape the stress of the past few days, even if just for a moment. Yhwach stood still, watching as they left one by one. His mind, however, was not focused on them, but on the task at hand. The room quickly became quieter, leaving only Lee, Clementine, and Yhwach behind.

This was a perfect time to go over the plan with Clementine now that everyone was gone. It wouldn't be a bad idea to discuss it with Yhwach as well. The three of them had been there for each other since the beginning, so they should discuss things as a team.

If only I had a map. Maybe there's something in the cab?

Lee did remember seeing a map near Kenny, but he didn't know whether it was the one he gave him of the train routes or something completely new. If this train was going to Savannah, would there even be a map of the actual city itself?

I don't know, but I'm not going to get answers by standing around in here.

"I'll be back," announced Lee. He left the boxcar and immediately headed straight for the cab. It seemed like he was moving back and forth between these two compartments a lot. After this was done, he wanted to have the opportunity to just sit down and relax his feet for a few minutes.

Heavy is the head that wears the crown.

Lee walked inside and instantly heard the mingled laughter from the front of the train. Kenny seemed a bit miffed at the display largely because some of them were coming into view of the window.

"Goddamnit. What the fuck is going on out there?" asked Kenny.

"I think Chuck's handing out drinks to everyone," said Lee.

"What?! You guys are downing rounds and didn't bother to invite me?" gasped Kenny.

"Sorry, man. I figured you were too busy driving the train. What if we need to stop right away?" reminded Lee.

"Bah, a little alcohol never hurt me. Give me some fucking vodka or rum and I'm set." Kenny stated.

"Ken, your son is here." reminded Katjaa.

"If he knows how to shoot, he's ready to talk like a real man. Ain't nothing my old man wasn't saying to me when I was his age." laughed Kenny. Katjaa found the situation a bit less amusing. Lee assessed the room and found a map right next to where Kenny was sitting.

"Hey, Kenny. Could I scooch around you for a quick second?" asked Lee.

"What's up?" asked Kenny as he moved aside. Lee took the map and quickly looked it over. To his relief, it was a map of Savannah. Every little nook and cranny of the city was outlined, so it wouldn't be hard to direct Clementine on what exactly they were going to be doing.

"I just want to go over the plan with Clementine, so she knows what we'll be doing when we reach Savannah," said Lee.

"Fair enough," replied Kenny. Lee knew that his vision for the future currently aligned with Kenny's, but that may not be the case for long considering the size of their group and the potential that they might find nothing in the city.

When will our plans diverge? That's the real question.

[ Scene Break, Location: Front Of The Train ]

Carley took a sip of the whiskey. Her throat burned instantly and she struggled to not cough up the alcohol in her mouth.

"Jesus, that shit tastes vile!"

"You have a weak stomach, miss." retorted Chuck.

"Yeah, I thought it would taste better than it actually did. Remind me to never ask Chuck for alcohol opinions. The whiskey's probably as old as he is." remarked Justin.

Marcus just grunted in annoyance. Carley looked at the two former prisoners. As a reporter, she had naturally become curious about the two men's origin stories. For example, questions such as why they committed the crimes they did, whether were they remorseful about it, and whether would they do it again permeated her mind.

I learned a lot about Lee. Should I learn what I can about these two?

On the outside looking in, Justin just seemed like a guy who loved scamming people. She could tell from his charismatic personality that he had an easy time wrangling people into whatever schemes he was cooking up. People like him always told their victims exactly what they wanted to hear. Did he like that part of himself or was it involuntary?

As for Marcus, he was...a complete monster. He killed people, robbed others, and dealt drugs. That was just what he was willing to share. He seemed a lot more closed off than Justin and that came with its own set of issues. Someone like Carley wasn't going to be appreciated by someone like Marcus. Was he just a product of his environment or a complete psychopath?

"Alright, I think I'm heading back. This railing is kind of cramped," said Justin. Marcus didn't say anything, but he followed Justin back through the cab.

"I think I'll head back as well," said Carley. She quickly opened the cab and saw Kenny turn in her direction.

"Hey, can you pass some of the alcohol over here? I could use a drink." pleaded Kenny.

"Uh, I'm busy. Katjaa, could you ask Chuck for the bottle? I'm sure he wouldn't mind." said Carley. She didn't wait for a response before she headed through the cab to the side railing. Thankfully, she could see that Justin and Marcus had stopped before the boxcar and were standing near a small platform that snaked to the other edge of the train car.

It's called a train car, right? Or was it a railcar?

"Oh, hello," said Justin. He seemed pretty friendly about Carley's presence, but Marcus didn't reveal much besides a slight glare. Carley couldn't blame the guy. She hated talking to strangers too.

"Hey. I..uhm...how are you guys settling in?" she asked. Maybe she shouldn't ask loaded questions too quickly. It might upset the mood and she didn't want to push the two convicts away from the group. If anything, they should feel welcome considering the group had accepted Lee as leader even with his past.

"We're doing fine. You guys seem like you know what you're doing. Sorry, where are my manners? I'm Justin. And you're...Carley, right?" asked Justin.

"Yep. I'm Carley," replied Carley.

"Alright. Glad to hear my memory isn't completely shot in my old age. Well, I don't think you actually introduced yourself, but I heard somebody call out to you with that name." Justin chuckled awkwardly.

"Glad to hear you're attentive. And...you're Marcus, right?" asked Carley. Unlike Justin, Marcus didn't exactly seem to look friendly. He seemed a bit annoyed instead, so he just grunted in affirmation.

"Come on, Marcus. It wouldn't hurt you to be a little nice. After all, we are fucking criminals. Not everyone has to treat us with decency." reminded Justin.

"I'm not trying to get a pity party from her. She knows what I did and who I am." retorted Marcus.

"I wasn't trying to offend anyone here. We're all part of the same team now, so we should build some teamwork. Marcus, no one here judges you for what you did." Carley said calmly.

"Fat chance of that being true," grunted Marcus.

"Okay, maybe some people are a bit wary, but we have a convicted murderer as our leader. I promise you that this isn't something new that we've been exposed to." Carley stated.

"How's that work? Lee's your leader even after he killed someone in cold blood? And everyone's just okay with that?" questioned Marcus.

"Lee's a great guy. I mean, there isn't a better leader than him in this group. You could ask everyone else the same question and they would all agree with me. Lee is just...a natural-born leader. He makes sure everyone knows exactly what is going to be done, solves disagreements, and leads us out of tough situations. Nobody could do what he's doing right now. Nobody." stated Carley.

"So, if he can keep your people safe, that's enough to forgive everything?" questioned Marcus.

"What are you trying to say?" asked Carley.

"This isn't about being a leader or whatever other bullshit you want to call it. This is about loyalty. Politics. Favoring your buddies even if they did some fucked up shit, because you know they'll have your back when it matters most. If Lee wasn't this great leader, then what would he be to your group?" questioned Marcus.

"He would still be a good man who looks out for everyone. You might not believe this, but he didn't even want to be the leader at first. He didn't think that people would accept him, because of his past. However, they did accept him and they can accept you too." said Carley.

Marcus chuckled. His laugh didn't seem to have any humor but was more of a "What the fuck is she saying?" kind of laugh.

"Really? Do you think that they'll accept me? They might accept Mr. Con Man over here, but they're never going to accept me. I make Lee's crimes look like a birthday party. There ain't nothing nice about that." Marcus replied.

"I won't lie. It's going to be a bit hard, but no one's given you shit, right? At the very least, they're not going to cause a scene about you being here with us. That has to count for something." said Carley.

"Yeah, so what? These people aren't going to be my friends. You see me talking to any of them? All we share is a common goal to go someplace else. After we reach our destination, anything's possible." said Marcus.

"What, so you're going to just split off once we reach Savannah?" confronted Carley.

"I don't see why I can't. I don't owe you motherfuckers anything," growled Marcus.

"Marcus, I think we should give these guys a chance. That's all she's saying. Why shouldn't we accept them as part of our group? They're probably just wary of strangers which is pretty smart." soothed Justin.

"No, they're wary of us. Look at how quickly they accepted a drink with the old man. Like I said, it's all about politics. If you have a nice personality like Lee and Chuck, people like you. They're willing to overlook negative things about you. But if you're an asshole like me, then you're shit out of luck." stated Marcus.

"Well, maybe you can be a bit less of an asshole, then." suggested Justin.

"I am being less of an asshole. If you want to act like that pussy, Jerry, then you'll be seeing how much of an asshole I can be real soon!" threatened Marcus. Laughter came from nearby. The trio shut up as everyone from the drinking brigade passed them on the way to the boxcar. Lilly shot them a look, but nobody else seemed interested in the two prisoners or Carley.

"Man, can you believe how pissed Kenny was when he found out there was no alcohol left?" laughed Mark.

"It's for the best. We don't want our conductor to be drunk," replied Larry.

"I doubt one sip would have gotten him shit-faced unless he had as low of an alcohol tolerance like you," Lilly said.

The group sauntered their way into the boxcar and Carley waited for the door to close before she turned back to the duo.

"Being nice isn't hard, Marcus. No one is asking you to put a smile on your face every time you speak. It's just that we're a team that thrives off of a positive dynamic. We have our arguments like everyone else, but we stick together when it matters most." declared Carley.

"Don't sell me that rainbow bullshit. Sure, they might be nice to Lee, but that's because he's the leader. You always suck up to whoever is top of the food chain, because you hope that he'll reward you when the time's right. That's how it worked with gangsters as well." said Marcus.

"You had to compete with people who sucked up to the leaders when you were…part of a gang?" inquired Carley.

"Sure did. Bunch of fucking sissies who couldn't put in the hard yards when it mattered, but they knew how to deliver a pretty speech. Told people exactly what they wanted to hear even if it was bullshit. It's just like Lee. He can make people FEEL good, but can he make the hard decisions?" questioned Marcus.

"He can. He's killed people before, Marcus," said Carley.

"I ain't talking about his rage-filled murder of the senator. That was a one-time thing. That don't mean shit." dismissed Marcus.

"I wasn't talking about that either." Carley pointedly replied. Marcus stared at Carley while Carley didn't flinch. Justin gulped nearby.

Marcus didn't reply, but he started walking over to the boxcar. Before he opened the door, he turned back to look at Carley.

"Where I come from, it's either you kill or you're killed. You take advantage of what's around you or you're the one taken advantage of. It's not some fucking Disney theme park where kids live perfect lives and have a great time. It's fucking Hell. That doesn't make me a victim that needs a therapist to coddle me or show me what I did wrong. I know full well what I was doing and what it could cost me. I would do it all over again. Maybe Lee wouldn't, but I fucking would." Marcus stated.

He opened the boxcar door while Justin awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck.

"That's Marcus for you. Always blunt and downright aggressive, but he's not a bad guy...at least for a mass murderer."

"What about you? Did you enjoy doing what you did?" questioned Carley.

"No, I mean...the pyramid scheme was fun for a time. I enjoyed the thrill of it, but I don't know if I would do it again. I mean I got caught, right? If I was to do it all over again, I would probably have to be smarter about things. It's just...why can those Wall Street assholes do the same thing I do and get praise just because the government deems it to be legal? That's bullshit." explained Justin.

"The law is the law. Still, if you want to give a full account of your story, I would be happy to hear it. I'm a great listener and I was a reporter, so I've come into contact with my fair share of morally ambiguous people." said Carley.

"I don't know if I want to do it now, but...maybe in the future? I figure that I owe it to you for trying to at least see us as human beings," said Justin.

"Sure. Whenever you're ready." Carley smiled. Justin nodded and made his way to the boxcar. Like Marcus, he stopped and turned around. Carley could see that the smile on his face was gone.

"You know, Marcus was right. Your group found 3 able-bodied people. Most groups would take that in a heartbeat, but everyone's so focused on the small details that they lose sight of the bigger picture. You say that we should be working towards the same goal, but everyone's so focused on how our own personal differences make us incompatible. Instead of questioning the company you're keeping, why isn't it enough to be thankful that you have company at all?"

He didn't wait for a response before he entered the boxcar. It didn't matter, because Carley didn't think she had a response to that question.

[ Scene Break, Location: Boxcar - Earlier]

Lee entered the boxcar with the map in his hand. Clementine was still sitting while Yhwach was standing, but they perked their attention to Lee once they noticed that he had come back. He looked around and was delighted when he remembered that everyone else had left to have a drink with Chuck.

That will make this meeting a lot more personal. No one can hear us if we go off script.

"Is that a map?" asked Clementine.

"Yeah. Can you scooch over?"

Lee sat down next to Clementine and laid the map between them. Both Yhwach and Clementine looked at it while Lee explained the plan.

"I figured that we should talk about Savannah and what we're gonna do when we get there. We don't know what to expect—the city could be bad or totally under control. The thing is, the three of us are a team, you know? And a team needs a plan. Aside from everyone else, we need to know exactly what we're doing when we get off this train." said Lee.

"Okay. That makes sense," said Clementine.

Yhwach, standing a step back with arms crossed, spoke in his usual measured tone, "And if we don't find a boat, we need contingencies. Planning for failure is as important as planning for success."

Lee glanced at Yhwach and then continued talking. "Yeah, it sure is. I was actually going to discuss that with you two after we talk about our primary mission which is, like Jugram stated, finding a boat. It's our best bet for safety. Now, I was thinking we could go on this street called River Street and that should get us to the water. We get there by exiting the train station and making our way onto Telfair Road and then over here to Louisville Road." said Lee. He pointed to the streets so that Clementine could follow along.

"We can use Louisville Road to get into the heart of Savannah and keep going north from the Georgia State Railroad Museum until we hit River Street. Do you guys understand what the plan is?" asked Lee.

"Yeah. Lee, can we look for my parents while we're in Savannah? They were there at the beginning. I'm sure that I could find where they were staying at." said Clementine.

Aw, fuck. It's time for this discussion.

"Clem, I don't know if we'll have time to look for your parents before we can find a boat. Like I said, we don't know how safe the city is. It could be dangerous...and I don't want to see you get hurt." said Lee.

"I know how to use a gun now! I can protect my parents if we find them. I don't care if it isn't safe. I care about finding them." Clementine stated.

Lee looked to Yhwach for help, but the Quincy King's disapproving gaze met him instead. It wasn't the first time Yhwach had questioned his hesitation, his reluctance to tell Clementine the whole truth.

The truth. I've already told Clementine one secret, but should I tell her this one? It's a lot more personal and it might...break her. But maybe this is part of what Chuck said about her being treated like a survivor. Not a little girl. Maybe this is part of growing up. And maybe this is the only way she'll be persuaded to not look for them.

Yhwach let out a quiet sigh, a subtle shift in the air around him. It's time. He glanced at Lee, who wore an expression of pleading desperation. It was clear that Lee wanted to keep this truth hidden, to shield Clementine from the harsh realities that lay ahead. But Yhwach's narrowed gaze held steady; he understood the stakes.

Too much time had passed. The girl needed to know the truth, regardless of the pain it might bring her. Yhwach didn't particularly care whether she broke under the weight of the revelation. What intrigued him was whether she would grow stronger from it, or if she would become like Ben—hopelessly useless.

"Lee," he began.

"Jugram, I—" Lee started, but Yhwach interrupted him.

"If you don't tell her, then I will."

Lee's shoulders slumped and he dropped his head, collecting his thoughts as he processed Yhwach's words.

"Alright, alright," Lee conceded, looking up at Yhwach with a mixture of frustration and gratitude.

"Good," Yhwach replied, his expression remaining impassive, though there was a flicker of curiosity in his eyes.

Lee took a deep breath, turning to Clementine, who was watching them with wide, innocent eyes. "Clementine," he said. "I need you to listen very carefully to what I'm about to say. Are you listening to me?"

"Yes, Lee. What is it?" replied Clementine. Lee just looked at Yhwach. His heart was beating faster than he even thought was possible. For some reason, he figured that telling his past to everyone would help absolve him of the anxiety that he was feeling right now, but why would it? That was Lee's secret, something that would only affect Clementine's perception of him. This was going to affect the girl's entire world. This was going to...Lee didn't want to know what it could do.

I have to tell her. We're almost at Savannah and she's going to keep questioning why we're not looking for her parents. She's too smart for me to keep lying.

"Clementine, do you remember the night after we first found you?" reminded Lee. Clementine thought about it for a few seconds, before she nodded her head a little unsurely.

"Yes?" said Clementine.

"While we were in the house...I...we heard the answering machine ringing. You remember that your family owned one of those, right?" asked Lee.

"Yeah. Dad would sometimes get calls from his work and I always listened to them. I thought there could be a way to connect the walkie-talkies to the answering machine, but he said that there wasn't." Clementine stated.

"Clem, there were a couple calls that your mom left on that answering machine," revealed Lee. Clementine didn't say anything for a few seconds. Yhwach wondered if she misheard what Lee had said.

"What did they say? Were they coming to find us?" Clementine asked after a few seconds. Lee and Yhwach looked at each other. The girl's eyes showed hints of sadness while Lee's face barely concealed the tension that was squeezing his heart right now. He wished that he could lie to Clementine. He wished he could keep it up, but the rational part of his brain reminded him that he couldn't. He had told enough lies.

This is it. There's no going back after this.

"Th-they said that they were in Savannah and your mom specifically said that your dad was attacked by a "crazy man" and they had to get him to the hospital," revealed Lee.

Clementine's eyes widened with astonishment. Lee didn't have to clarify what he meant. He knew that the girl was already starting to put the pieces together. If her eyes didn't give it away, the small tears coming out of them certainly did.

"What else did my mom say?" sniveled Clementine.

It's time to put the dagger in this poor girl's heart.

"She..said that they wouldn't let her leave Savannah. On the last call, she...told you to call the police and that she loved you. We heard glass breaking and chaos and...just...I'm sorry, Clementine. Your parents...are dead. They didn't make it." stated Lee.

"NO! It's not true!" denied Clementine.

"Clementine, we both heard it," Yhwach interjected. "Lee wanted to keep this a secret, hoping to spare you the pain. After we got to the motor inn, he was simply waiting for the right moment to say something. We didn't want you to put yourself in danger searching for them."

"Why did you wait?!!! Why didn't you just tell me sooner?!!" Clementine shouted, her voice laced with hurt and anger.

"You wouldn't have believed us. I know you, Clem. You would have said that we were trying to…make you forget about them. Maybe I should have told you earlier, but I didn't know how you would react. I'm...I'm sorry. I lost my parents too and I know just how much that pain feels." empathized Lee.

"You don't know anything! Your parents died when you were an adult. I never grew up with them!" Clementine retorted. She was just a kid, but the hate in her voice was that of an adult...no...a survivor. Someone who had weathered the storm and had hoped that she would have something to show for it. That there would be light at the end of the tunnel.

You've certainly snuffed that flame out, Lee.

"You're right, Clementine. I can't...begin to understand how you feel. But you're not alone. You have a group of people here who will protect you. You can even protect yourself now. You're strong just like your parents were. You can make it through this." encouraged Lee.

Clementine didn't say anything, but she accepted Lee's hug and kept crying. Lee let her continue to bawl in his chest for a few minutes before the boxcar door opened back up. He saw that the people who had gone out to drink were now filing back in.

"Hey, Lee. Did you...What's going on?" asked Ben. Lee just looked at the group with a profound sense of loss. It was almost as big a loss as any person would have been. It was the loss of Clementine's innocence.

"Clementine just learned that her parents are dead," explained Lee.

"Oh, poor thing," muttered Lilly. Everyone else looked on in sympathy. They all had their differences, but none of them had a single problem with Clementine. That was a good thing, because she was going to need everyone's support if she was going to make it through this.

Sometime later Lee propped himself up against the wall of the boxcar. He had finally gotten a little bit of rest, but he didn't feel rested at all. Currently, Clementine is sitting alone. she was looking out of the boxcar door. Thankfully, the little girl had stopped crying a while ago, but Lee wasn't naïve to think that meant she was okay.

She's not going to be okay for a long time.

Carley, Justin, and Marcus had all walked in at different times and Lee had informed the trio that Clementine had learned about the death of her parents and just needed some space. It seemed like the good mood that the group was in had been somewhat dampened. Nobody else seemed distraught, but they weren't really happy, either. 

Lee had always joked around with Clementine that she had a free spirit that always made everyone feel better to be around, but he could see just how much her spirit impacted the group. There was a special kind of feeling that Lee had whenever he saw Duck and Clementine horsing around like the world was normal. Their innocence allowed Lee to be transported back to a world where he was free of all the horror that he had already seen and been a part of in this new world. Everyone else probably felt the same way to varying degrees. If kids weren't happy, then how the fuck were the adults going to be happy?

"It's been a long day." said Carley. She was sitting to the left of Lee.

"You said it. I can't wait to get to Savannah and be done with today." replied Lee.

"I was talking with Justin and Marcus. I think we should try and integrate them into the group more. Considering you had a criminal past, I figured you would have tried to at least let them know that they weren't going to be judged for their past crimes. From what I could tell, they don't exactly feel welcome." Carley said.

"I get what you mean, but it's been a long day. There's always tomorrow." Lee stated.

"Are you sure? I feel like this is a pressing need, because I don't want them to just cut and run in the middle of the night. I was getting that vibe from Marcus, specifically, and he didn't exactly deny it." whispered Carley.

"I can't fucking do everything today! First, I gotta deal with Kenny's bullshit, then I have to tell a little girl her parents are dead along with training her to use a gun, and now you want me to do something else? Just let a guy rest for a minute!" snapped Lee.

Carley looked away and Lee immediately felt like a piece of shit. Why was he taking his frustration out on her? That wasn't going to solve anything.

"I'm sorry," said Lee.

"No, you're right. I shouldn't be expecting you to do everything. I just figured that—"

"SHIT!!!! HOLD ON EVERYBODY!!!" yelled Kenny. Lee was surprised that his voice was able to carry all the way to the back, but he didn't think about it for much longer as the train quickly squealed to a halt. Lilly who was close to Clementine held onto her and everyone else put their hands on the floor to plant themselves until the vehicle slowed to a complete stop.

"What the hell is going on now?" asked Larry.

"We'll have to ask Kenny." replied Lee as he stood up and made his way out the boxcar door opposite Clementine. The rest of the group followed him outside and Lee grimaced once he immediately saw the issue. The tracks in front of them were blocked by a gas tanker that was hanging over the edge of an overpass directly above the tracks.

Kenny, Katjaa, and Duck joined the group outside and Lee could immediately see the look of fury on his face.

"That...doesn't look good," said Mark.

"How are we going to get past that tanker?" wondered Carley.

"FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCKKKKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!" yelled Kenny. He sighed and looked down at the ground shaking his head. Lee heard him muttering to himself as he got closer.

"First, I don't get any fucking whiskey and now I gotta deal with this shit! I swear that someone above doesn't want me to get to the coast! Why do I always get this shit?"

"Maybe we could walk?" asked Ben. Everyone looked at him in complete disbelief even Yhwach looked at him in slight disbelief.

"You want... to walk all the way to Savannah?" Lilly exclaimed, incredulity dripping from her voice. "Ben, I think I'm being charitable, but that might be the stupidest fucking thing I've heard you say."

Kenny, still visibly furious, glared down at the ground. "That's fucking stupid, Ben," he muttered, shaking his head in disbelief.

Yhwach stood slightly apart from the group, arms crossed and expression impassive. "Both Lilly and Kenny have a point. You would not survive the journey on foot, nor would it be prudent to abandon the train. Even if it were possible, walking through the wild would be unwise. There are walkers lurking around us."

Ben, undeterred by the backlash, muttered, "I'm just saying..."

Mark stepped in. "The kid is just throwing out ideas. Even if they're dumb ideas, they're better than nothing."

Chuck walked closer to the wreckage, squinting as he tried to assess the situation. "Hmm. I dunno," he said, scratching his beard thoughtfully. "I ain't got much experience with y'all's fortitude, but we could probably deal with that. We got a goddamn train."

Kenny shot Chuck a condescending look, his frustration bubbling over. "That thing's not full of milk, Charles. That's gas or diesel; something that's going to explode."

Chuck raised an eyebrow, unfazed. "You gotta get ahold of yourself. This is a crew here," he retorted, his voice steady.

Kenny walked directly in front of Chuck until they were basically face-to-face. Lee was anticipating another fight that he would have to break up.

"This ain't shit," said Kenny.

"This—"

"Hey, enough with the petty arguing! We can find a way past this tanker. We just gotta look around and work together to make sure nothing happens to us." declared Lee.

"Focus on the task at hand. We've dealt with worse and we can surely deal with this. We just have to figure out a way to cut the thing down." said Lilly.

Lee surveyed the scene closer. There was a ladder to the right of the train tracks that went up to the bridge. He could check out the wreckage from a different angle and also see if there was anything he could potentially salvage from the additional wreckage. Hell, maybe if they couldn't move the tanker out of the way, there might be some cars that they could put their gas into...if they were even still functional.

He also saw a train station just past the overpass to the left of the train tracks. It was a bit out of the way, but that made it a prime place for supplies. If anyone had come through this area, and it didn't seem like that was the case, they probably wouldn't have even checked the train station. Maybe he should go there first before he went up to the bridge. If they didn't find anything, then they wouldn't have to waste their time going there later.

"Lilly, are you up for a little mission?" asked Lee.

"Always. What are we doing?" inquired Lilly.

"We're going to go check out the....."

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Where should [M] (Lee Everett) + [S.C] (Lilly) go?

A) The train station

B) The bridge

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Bonus: In the meanwhile what should Yhwach do in his spare time? You could also decide if he tags along with anyone.

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Relationships [M] (Lee Everett):

Clementine: 15/15

She knows why you chose to hide it from her. That doesn't make the pain go away. Thankfully, you and Yhwach have made her functional for the time being.

Lilly: 14/15

She just wants to do something. She also approves of you teaching the kids how to shoot.

Katjaa: 10/15

She is disappointed in you for teaching the kids how to shoot.

Duck: 12/15

He thinks you're cool.

Larry: 9/15

He is pleasantly surprised you out of all the people had the balls to teach kids how to shoot.

Chuck: 7/15

He sees you care about the safety of the children and already likes you because of it.

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