Neo Soul King Yhwach

[Third Person Pov.]

Lee couldn't just leave the poor man to die. The desperate screams, the fear in the teenagers' eyes, and the agony on the man's face—he couldn't turn his back on them. Lee's mind raced as he took in the situation. He knelt down by the trap, trying to see if there was any way to get it open.

"You're right, Mark. We gotta get him out of there," Lee said.

"Oh God, thank you!" Mr. Parker gasped, clinging to that sliver of hope.

As Lee examined the trap, Yhwach stood quietly, his sharp gaze catching something unusual about the mechanism. His silence spoke volumes—there was more to this trap than met the eye.

"Fine, but you gotta hurry!" said Kenny.

"Hurry, please hurry!" Mr. Parker pleaded as Mark crouched down and examined the trap. His heart almost sank as he discovered the trap had been tampered with.

He looked up at his group, wanting to inform them about his recent discovery, "Guys, this trap's been altered. There's no release latch."

Yhwach's eyes narrowed, confirming his earlier suspicion. This wasn't a typical trap—it was designed to be inescapable.

"Shit," Lee muttered under his breath.

"What kind of bear trap has no release latch?" Kenny's frustration and disbelief were palpable.

Lee knelt down in front of the trap, his eyes focusing on the damage it had done to Mr. Parker's leg. The jaws had dug deep into his skin, blood pooling beneath him. The sight of the shredded flesh, the blood—Lee knew they didn't have much time.

"Oh, fuck..." Mr. Parker whimpered, his voice barely above a whisper.

Yhwach suddenly stiffened, his senses keen as he noticed something moving in the distance. "Walkers..."

Kenny noticed it too, and panic started to creep into his voice. "Shit! Walkers! It's now or never, Lee."

Mark's voice broke the tension, urging Lee to act. "Lee, do something!"

"Oh no..." Travis whispered in horror, his eyes wide as more walkers began to appear, shambling towards them.

Lee set his axe down, desperate to pry the jaws of the trap apart. But as he tried, the blades only seemed to dig deeper into Mr. Parker's leg, eliciting a scream of agony from the man.

"Arghh! Stop, stop, stop!" Mr. Parker's voice was filled with unbearable pain.

Realizing that his efforts were only making things worse, Lee picked up his axe again. He knew what he had to do, but the weight of that decision pressed heavily on him. He placed the head of the axe between the edges of the trap and pulled with all his might, but it was no use.

"All that blood and screaming, we're gonna be surrounded any minute!" Kenny's voice was tight with urgency.

Suddenly, an idea came into Yhwach's head. A very grisly, gruesome idea. One that the others might not be willing to hear. He looked at the man's leg and looked back at the trap. If they couldn't remove the man's leg from the trap, they would have to remove the trap from the leg…or more accurately, the man's body. 

Yhwach shot a walker that had gotten too close. His gaze fell on Lee, and he spoke with a chilling calmness. "Lee. Just cut off his leg."

"What?! You can't do that!" Travis shouted at Yhwach, his voice filled with desperation. "We can't just chop off the chain it's attached to?"

Yhwach's eyes flickered with a hint of annoyance as he looked at Travis. "Do you think we have time to do that, boy? Your teacher is dying. Either we sever his leg and give him a chance to live, or he dies here, screaming."

Lee sighed as he got himself into a standing position, knowing Yhwach was right. He wished it didn't have to come to this and knew how risky it was because Mr. Parker could have died from blood loss, but knew it was the only thing they could do right now if they even wanted to try to save Mr. Parker's life.

He frowned at Mr. Parker, looking at him with a pitful look on his face, "I'm gonna have to cut you out."

"No, no, no." Mr. Parker's face went pale, "Try the trap again! Anything, please!"

"Just do it, Lee!" Mark shouted.

Lee brought the axe down hard onto the man's leg a few inches below his knee. Mr. Parker screamed in agony at the explosions of pain that went through his body right now, blood splashing from his leg as Lee brought the axe down for the second time and third time. He brought the axe down for the fourth and final time and with that, Mr Parker's leg was chopped in half. Mr. Parker looked at his leg for a second before passing out from blood loss. Mark and Travis walked over to Lee.

"Oh god." Travis covered his mouth and went away to vomit.

"Shit…is he?" Mark asked.

"He passed out," Yhwach stated.

"If he's alive, grab him, and let's go!" Kenny shouted.

Mark grabbed Mr. Parker and lifted his unconscious body up before placing him over his shoulder. He began making his way towards the exit from the woods in the direction of the motor inn, with Kenny, Yhwach, and Ben following closely behind him.

Lee ran over to Travis who composing himself after throwing up and grabbed him by his shoulder, "Stay close to us. You don't want to be left behind with so many of those things around."

Lee and Travis quickly ran up to where Kenny and Ben were waiting for them. The four of them quickly followed Yhwach, Mark, and Mr. Parker, making their way back to the motor inn.

The man was completely passed out and some blood was leaking from the opening where his left foot used to be. He just hoped that Katjaa would be able to help him in time.

Please. Don't tell me I cut off a man's leg for nothing. Lee thought with a frown.

[Scene Break Location: The Motor Inn]

The Motor Inn was quiet at the moment. This place was as safe as the group could make it with their resources. What was once the entrance to the motel's parking lot, a major gap in their defenses, was now replaced with a low wooden wall and large, blue dumpsters took up certain parts of the wall, making a great defense for the walkers as they were heavy enough to hold back the undead.

Lilly looked down to see what her group was doing right now as she sat on top of the RV, keeping watch right now. Not much was happening right now. Her fellow members of the group were doing their daily routines. Larry was working on reinforcing the wall, and Katjaa was watching over the kids. Duck was coloring, Clem had taken a break from coloring and started to kick a soccer ball into two metal barrels over and over again.

Doug and Carley were talking with each other, having private conversations with each other as they had entered a relationship a while ago. The majority of the group was happy to see them begin their relationships because it gave them a sense of normality. Lilly personally didn't care about it as she never cared about this kind of stuff.

It was when her attention was brought towards the forest as she heard some bushes rustling. She stood up and grabbed her rifle, aiming it toward the source of the noise, ready to shoot if she had to. She whistled, letting everyone at the motor inn know she heard something suspicious. Everyone immediately reacted to her whistle and got down. It was when Lee, Yhwach, and Kenny rushed out of the forest, followed by two teenagers she didn't know.

"Get the gates open! We've got wounded!" Lee shouted as Mark came out of the forest, carrying a one-legged man.

Lilly lowered her rifle, her expression going from confused to irritated, "Shit. What the hell are they doing?"

Wounded? Wait a minute. Does he expect us to be able to stop that guy from dying? That guy doesn't even have a leg anymore. Lilly thought.

"What happened?" Katjaa asked as Doug and Carley quickly rushed over to the gate and pushed it open.

"Where should I put him?" Mark asked.

"Get him into the truck. I'll see what I can do, okay?"

At least, that's what he thought they said. He couldn't really tell considering everyone started talking at once.

"Are you guys okay?" asked Clementine.

"Who's that?" Duck asked.

"Who the hell are these people?!" demanded Larry.

"What's going on?" asked Carley.

"Kat, can you fix him?" asked Kenny.

"Jesus, Ken! I…I don't know." responded Katjaa.

"Lee! LEE!" shouted Lilly causing everyone to hush up. Lee was not looking forward to the argument that was about to ensue. "What the hell?! You can't just be bringing new people here! What are you thinking?"

"Hey, you wanna calm down for a fucking minute?" demanded Kenny.

"Hey, watch your mouth!" rebutted Larry.

"No, I don't! I want to know why you thought bringing more mouths to feed was a good idea!" demanded Lilly.

"I thought we could save his life! I'm the one who took his leg, that makes me responsible," explained Lee.

"Well, that was a stupid thing to do!" said Larry.

"We are not responsible for every struggling survivor we come across! We have to focus on our group! Right here. Right now." stated Lilly.

"Well, hang on! We haven't even talked to these people yet! Maybe they can be helpful!" argued Carley.

"Come on, Lilly. These are people! People trying to survive, just like us. We've gotta stick together to survive!" exclaimed Mark.

Lilly just turned to Mark with her famous resting bitch face. "The only reason you're here is because you had food. Enough for all of us. But that food is almost gone, we've got maybe a week's worth left, and I don't suppose you guys are carrying any groceries, are you?"

"Uh, I have an energy bar," said Travis. He took out an energy bar from his pocket and handed it over to Lilly.

"Wow! An energy bar! That will surely save all of us from starvation!" mocked Lilly.

"Fine, you guys fight it out, then. Welcome to the family," said Mark as he walked away.

"Why don't you guys come over here and see what I drew?" asked Clementine as she started tugging on Ben and Travis's hands.

"I'm going to stay with Mr. Parker," said Travis.

"Come on, please?" Clementine pleaded, her voice soft but insistent.

Ben nudged Travis, silently urging him to go along with it—anything to avoid being the center of attention.

Travis sighed, giving in. "Alright, I'm coming," he muttered as he followed her.

The two teenagers left with Clementine while the argument seemed to start up again.

"You know, you like to think you're the leader of this little group, but we can make our own goddamn decisions! This isn't your own personal dictatorship!" stated Kenny.

"Oh, come on! You're being dramatic!" shouted Carley. Kenny and Lilly both looked at her. "Everything always turns into a power struggle between you two. We're not going to be a part of that," she said, grabbing Doug's hand before walking away with him.

The group was just down to Kenny, Lilly, Lee, Larry, and Yhwach.

Lilly's eyes narrowed, her frustration boiling over. "I never asked to lead this group!" she snapped. "Everyone was happy to have me distributing the food when there was enough to go around, but now that it's running out, suddenly I'm a goddamn Nazi!"

Her eyes briefly flicked to Yhwach, her frustration spilling over. "And if anyone's acting like a dictator around here, it's him."

Lilly's words hung in the air like a sudden chill, freezing the conversation. Everyone exchanged uneasy glances, the tension thick enough to cut through. The weight of what she had just said was palpable, especially after Yhwach had given her a fabricated explanation about his supposed German origin.

Kenny's jaw tightened, his eyes narrowing as he registered the implications of Lilly's outburst. Even Larry, usually quick to defend his daughter, looked uneasy. The air seemed to vibrate with an unspoken fear, a collective realization that Lilly might have overstepped a dangerous line.

Yhwach, however, remained unnervingly calm. His cold, piercing eyes slowly turned to Lilly, locking onto her with an intensity that made her flinch. The silence that followed was more terrifying than any outburst could have been.

Lilly swallowed hard, the weight of her own words crashing down on her. She could feel everyone's eyes on her, waiting to see what would happen next. Her heart pounded in her chest, the realization of her mistake sending a wave of dread through her.

Yhwach finally spoke, his voice low and even, yet laced with a menace that sent shivers down the spines of those who heard it. "You assume much, Frau," he began, his tone sharp enough to cut through steel. "It would be wise to hold your tongue before it leads you to a place from which there is no return."

His words were more than a reprimand—they were a warning, delivered with the cold precision of a man who had long since mastered the art of intimidation. The air around him seemed to grow heavier, a tangible reminder of the power he held, both in his presence and in the dark secrets he carried.

Lilly's face drained of color, her bravado crumbling under Yhwach's gaze. She took a step back, her earlier anger now replaced by a creeping sense of fear. The others could sense it too—the unspoken authority Yhwach commanded, a presence that demanded respect, if not outright fear.

"I… I didn't mean…" Lilly stammered, struggling to find the right words to backpedal from the precipice she had unwittingly approached.

Yhwach's gaze didn't waver. "Intentions mean little when the consequences are dire," he said, his voice like the edge of a blade, cold and unforgiving. "Remember that, the next time you let your emotions dictate your actions."

Yhwach's gaze lingered on her for a moment longer, ensuring his message was clear, before he turned away, dismissing her as if she were nothing more than a fleeting thought. The tension in the air seemed to dissipate slightly as Yhwach walked away, his focus shifting back to the more pressing matter at hand.

Lee just shook his head. Both Kenny and Lilly had valid points, but the moment Lilly directed her anger at Yhwach, the situation became far more precarious. The last thing Lee wanted was for the group to fracture over this, especially with Yhwach involved.

"I don't see any of you stepping up to make the hard decisions! My girl's got more balls than all of you combined!" berated Larry.

"Dad, please. Why don't you go help Mark with the wall?" pleaded Lilly. She seemed pleased that someone was at least defending her, but she didn't want her dad to be any more stressed out than he needed to be.

Yhwach turned to address the group. "Actually," he began, his tone leaving no room for argument, "I'll be needing Mark. We're going to Hershel's farm. There are supplies there that we could use."

Lilly's eyes widened in disbelief, her earlier fear momentarily forgotten as frustration took over. "You're taking Mark? Who's going to help my dad with the wall?" she demanded, her voice laced with annoyance.

Larry, however, waved off her concerns with a snort. "Lilly, it's fine. That moron would just slow me down anyway. Let the German handle his complaining once they're on the road." With that, Larry turned away, heading back toward the wall without another word.

Mark exchanged a glance with Lee, then looked at Yhwach, a bit hesitant. "If we're heading out, can we bring Doug along? He's good with tech, and who knows what we might run into out there."

Yhwach didn't say anything at first, his eyes narrowing slightly as he considered Mark's request. After a brief pause, he gave a single, deliberate nod—a gesture that, though small, was all the confirmation Mark needed.

Mark let out a quiet sigh of relief, picking up his rifle and slinging it over his shoulder. "Alright then, I'll go grab him," he said before heading off to find Doug.

When Mark returned with Doug, who looked visibly apprehensive, Yhwach moved towards their vehicle. Mark and Doug followed closely behind. Lee, meanwhile, glanced back at Lilly, who was making her way over to Clementine's backpack. Lee approached her.

"You think this is easy for me? Everyone's starting to hate me because I'm the one who rations the food. But nobody else wants to!" complained Lilly. She took out an apple, a beef jerky, and two packages of crackers and cheese along with the energy bar that Travis had given her.

"You know what? I'm not doing it tonight. You do it." she said, handing the food to Lee. "There's today's food rations, but there's not enough for everyone. Good luck."

With that, she went back atop the RV to keep watch, her burden now passed to Lee. Lee looked at the 5 food items that he had in his hand.

5 items for 13 hungry people.

He supposed that he could cross out Yhwach, Mark, and Doug considering that they were going to Hershel's farm, but that still left 10 people. Everyone looked at Lee from the kids to the teenagers to the adults. Whether it was because they didn't envy the position he had or they were just hungry remained to be seen.

Giving food to the kids is always a good option, but that's 2 pieces of food gone. Then, there's Carley. We've always been cool with each other, but it's not like we have a super close relationship. Maybe they won't mind if I give food to someone else?

Then you have Kenny, but giving him food might increase his opinion of me. On the other hand, I could try to make amends with Larry by giving him something to eat. This would probably appease Lilly whether I give her food or not.

Lastly, there are the 2 teenagers. I'm not sure when any of them ate their last meal, but giving any of them something would show them that they're one of us. But are they? We haven't made a decision on whether we're kicking them out or not, so giving them food might just be a waste.

A car rumbled behind Lee. "Hey, Lee. We're heading out. Could you open the gates for us?" asked Mark.

Lee turned to see Yhwach, Mark, and Doug driving in Glenn's car. "Yeah, sure thing."

He pushed the dumpsters out of the way along with Doug who jumped out to assist him. Once there was a path clear enough for the vehicle, Doug hopped back in and Lee called out to Yhwach.

"You guys stay safe out there. We need you to come back in one piece."

"Avoid any unnecessary trouble while we're gone," Yhwach said. He drove off into the distance, and Lee found himself wishing that Yhwach had taken Lee with him.

I wouldn't have to deal with this bullshit.

[Scene Break Location: Road, En Route To Hershel's Farm]

Doug just looked out the window as the car sped past the nearby woods. It was the first time that he had ever ventured out of the motor inn since his arrival, so he was grateful that Mark had decided to take him with them.

Well, I guess if you don't count shooting lessons.

Doug's horrible first lesson was a distant memory. He had chosen to lock it away, knowing that it wouldn't define who he was. Since then, he had become a little bit better at shooting, but guns weren't exactly his forte.

"Do you think that guy will make it?" asked Mark.

Yhwach looked at him with a piercing gaze. "Are you asking for the harsh truth or a more comforting lie?" he replied.

"Sure. Honesty is the best policy," responded Mark.

Yhwach sighed, acknowledging the weight of the situation. "To be blunt, Lee didn't apply a tourniquet when we amputated the man's leg. He was bleeding throughout the entire journey. Additionally, Lee cut too high, opening a major artery. Given the distance we traveled and the state of his wounds, his chances of survival are extremely slim, if not nonexistent."

Doug and Mark were both silent. Yhwach could tell they were looking for something a little more optimistic, but he had been as honest as he could. There was no point in lying just to make them feel better. That's just how this world was.

Yhwach thought, seeing things clearly is better than burying your head in the sand and hoping for the best.

"Lee did the right thing. We did the right thing," stated Mark. "There's no way that we could leave that guy to just get eaten by the walkers. That wouldn't have been right. I mean, the teenagers were begging us to save him. It just…wouldn't have been right."

Yhwach frowned inwardly. So we waste precious medical supplies on someone who's essentially beyond saving?

"You know, I cheated on a school paper once. It was my freshman year of college. I was out drinking with my buddies, and the assignment totally slipped my mind. I woke up at 8 AM, hungover out of my mind and scared as fuck." chuckled Mark.

"Never really had a drink," replied Doug.

"That's smart. It's not the best experience in the world, let me tell you. Anyway, the essay was due before class, which started in a couple of hours. Luckily, one of my buddies had already finished the assignment, so I copied his work, changed a couple of things, and submitted it. I don't even remember what the essay was about." explained Mark.

"That's an interesting story," Yhwach remarked, his tone flat. " But how is this relevant?"

"Well, it turns out that a lot of people cheated on that specific assignment, so much so that there was a huge cheating scandal uncovered. Our professor said that she wouldn't write people up to the office of academic integrity if we came clean privately and wrote a 4-page paper on why cheating is bad."

"And you exposed yourself? How did they know it was you?" asked Doug.

"Well, my buddies and I were discussing the pros and cons of staying silent. Ultimately, I wasn't going to take that chance. Plus…the guilt was kind of starting to eat me up a little bit, so I think confessing to my professor actually took a huge weight off my shoulders. It all worked out in the end. I didn't get expelled or have anything on my record." stated Mark.

"I don't think I would have said anything. I mean, I heard that the school can't actually prove that you cheated unless someone either rats you out or they have video evidence. And I doubt they were taping classrooms whenever you went to college." replied Doug.

"It's not about the action, it's about the principle of it. That's where I was going with this. I mean, we can choose to be selfish and only look out for ourselves. Or we can help people we come across because that's how we all survive. By helping each other. Even if the guys we brought back move on, at least we gave them aid when they needed it." declared Mark.

Yhwach raised an eyebrow. "Why didn't you move on from Robbins Air Force Base?"

Mark sighed. "Well, there was the matter of me being trapped by walkers, enough that I didn't feel like making a getaway. Also, I had this run-in with another group who I think was looking to steal supplies from the base. I didn't make actual contact with them, but they had their faces all masked up, so I couldn't really see what they looked like. I was thinking of going to one of the refugee centers that the military had set up."

"But you didn't?" asked Yhwach.

"Yeah, you guys seemed pretty okay. I didn't know how bad it was in the cities, but from what you guys encountered in Macon, and from what Lee told me that he saw on his way out of Atlanta, I don't think it was great. For all I knew, the military might have fallen before I could even get there. What I did know was that I could use my expertise to help the group that saved me by teaching them how to shoot, looking for supplies, and other things like that. That's what it's all about, isn't it? Helping others to survive." explained Mark.

"Lilly might disagree on that last point," noted Yhwach.

Mark just shook his head. "Look, I like Lilly. I think she means well. But we can't lose our humanity just because this whole situation sprung up on us. That's just an excuse, you understand? The war we're fighting is between the living and the dead. If the living starts fighting against each other, humanity is fucked. There's no way civilization wins in the end if we stop being kind to each other. Because if we're not kind to each other, we've already given up hope that things will get better. And if we don't have hope, how else are we going to get through each day?"

Yhwach took in Mark's words. On some level, his philosophy made sense. But was it too naïve? Too optimistic?

"I think I understand what you're saying, 'Jugram'. The question isn't whether the choice Lee made was the morally correct one. I think we all know it was. Was it the smart thing to do, however?"

No one had an answer to that.

[Scene Break Location: The Motor Inn]

First things first, Lee had to feed the kids. What kind of monster would he be if he didn't give Clementine or Duck a meal?

Someone fit to carry the title of murderer, that's for sure.

With this in mind, Lee headed over to where Clementine and Duck were drawing. while Travis and Ben just stared down at the ground. Duck was in his own little world, and Lee wouldn't be surprised if he didn't even realize that the teenagers were there. Clementine noticed Lee and got up to greet him.

"How you doing, Clementine?" greeted Lee.

"Okay," revealed Clementine.

Lee noticed that something did not look right with the girl's appearance.

"Where's your hat?" asked Lee.

"I don't know. Can you help me find it?" asked Clementine.

"Sure. When did you lose it?" questioned Lee.

"I had it a couple of days ago," answered Clementine.

"I promise, if I find it, I'll let you know," promised Lee.

"Thank you," said Clementine.

"Okay, Clem. I've got to take care of some things. Why don't you go back to playing with Duck for a while?" asked Lee gently.

"Okay," replied Clementine.

Clementine sat back down. Before Lee handed out the food to Clementine and Duck, he figured that he should check on what the teenagers were doing. Clementine showed her drawing to everyone.

"You want to guess what it is?"

"Uh, is that a dog?" asked Ben.

"No."

"I know! It's a goat, right?!" exclaimed Duck.

"No!" said Clementine in a frustrated tone.

"It's…a cat?" asked Lee.

"Yes. You got it!" said Clementine. Lee put his hand up in a mock high-five and Clementine reciprocated. Lee was also glad that the teenagers seemed to be finding themselves somewhat comfortable within the group.

Kids just have a knack for making you feel wanted.

"I was going to guess a horse," mumbled Travis.

"A horse? You thought that looked like a horse? What is wrong with you?" asked Ben.

"You know, I'm starting to ask myself that every day," replied Travis.

"So, you finally caught up to the rest of us?" asked Ben. Lee's mouth opened in shock before he started laughing. Travis just pouted at Ben. Duck and Clementine were just confused, so they decided to keep drawing. To his credit, Ben immediately looked apologetic.

"I'm sorry. That just popped out. I only meant it as a joke." explained Ben.

Travis just grumbled something, before looking back down at the floor and then saying something to Lee.

"Is Mr. Parker going to make it?" asked Travis.

"I'm not sure. But Katjaa will do her best, I promise," reassured Lee. There was no point in dampening their spirits further by telling them that it looked really bad. All he could do was hope for the best.

"I can't believe you chopped off his leg!" exclaimed Ben.

"There was no other way," stated Lee. "So, who are you guys? Our people are going to want to know."

"I'm Ben. Ben Paul." Ben replied before pointing at Travis, "My friend over here is Travis Dean."

Travis nodded at Lee, "Hey."

"The man you saved is Mr. Parker, the band director at our school." Ben continued his introduction to Lee. He flinched at the unpleasant memories flying through his head right now, "We all came down from Stone Mountain for the playoffs, when...when everything happened."

"So, you tried to survive at the school?" questioned Lee.

"Yeah, we did well for a couple of months, but supplies started to run out. Some of us were thinking about leaving, but then biters got into the gym and we had to make a break for it." answered Travis.

"Biters, huh? Is that what you call them? We call them walkers." replied Lee.

"Walkers is a dumb name. I like biters better." pouted Travis.

I'm starting to remember why I didn't miss angsty teenagers.

Lee decided to accomplish what he came here to do in the first place.

"Here, Clem. You need something to eat," said Lee as he gave her the apple.

"I love apples. Thank you. Are there more?" asked Clementine.

"No. That was the last one," answered Lee.

"Oh, um…"

"Enjoy it. You deserve it," reassured Lee.

"If you have any more food, Duck's hungry, too," revealed Clementine.

"Yeah. When are we going to get some food?" asked Duck.

"I got just the thing for you, Duck," said Lee, handing a packet of Crackers and Cheese to Duck.

"Yeah! Oh, man. I'm so hungry!" exclaimed Duck. As Lee looked back at the teenagers, he realized that he now had to focus on the hard part of his job. Telling someone that they were going to miss a meal.

"Look, I know you guys have been through a lot. I don't know when was the last time you ate, but I'm not going to have enough food to feed all of you," revealed Lee. Ben just stared at the floor, and Travis looked a little mad.

"You don't have enough food? What happened to all your reserves, man? If you had enough food to feed this whole group for another week like Lilly said, then you definitely have something you can give us!" complained Travis.

"We're on a ration system. There's only 5 pieces of food that I can give out for 10 people, and I don't have room to spare for you guys this time," explained Lee.

"I can't even have the energy bar that I gave you? I was going to eat that later. I haven't eaten anything all day!" pressed Travis.

"Travis, just drop it. It's fine, Lee. Travis is just complaining because he's hungry." reassured Ben.

"And my food got nabbed to feed someone else," mumbled Travis.

Lee nodded before moving away from the teenagers. he stood up from his crouching position and walked over to the RV. Lilly was on top keeping watch, but she looked down at Lee with a stern expression. He imagined that Lilly was not his biggest fan right now. Before he gave Lilly some food, he wanted to discuss something with her.

"We should talk about you and Kenny." started Lee.

"What about us?" asked Lilly.

"The arguing. It's getting out of hand. I think everyone's starting to get sick of it at this point, including the kids. And they don't even know what's going on." chastised Lee.

"Look, I'm working my ASS off to make sure we have a good setup here and Kenny just doesn't appreciate that. All we need is food." rebutted Lilly.

"But there is no food. You know that better than anyone." retorted Lee.

"Well, we'll just have to find some," stated Lilly. Lee just internally groaned at Lilly's stubbornness. She was usually the smart and methodical one, but hoping that food would just magically appear didn't seem like the best strategy to him. Still, what is a person without hope?

"Here," said Lee as he reached out with the energy bar to feed Lilly.

"I don't want anything from you," said Lilly angrily.

"Take it anyway. You need to eat." pressed Lee. He didn't know when was the last time that Lilly had a meal.

"This doesn't change anything," stated Lilly, as she started to eat the energy bar.

"Well, maybe it should. Like how you want to kick the teenagers out of here. Lilly, I understand your concerns about our food situation, but I talked to the 2 teenagers sitting beside Clementine and they've been through a lot. They're on their last legs, and those legs might just give out if we kick them out. Not to mention, the energy bar you're eating was given by Travis. Just give them a chance to prove themselves." said Lee.

"Whatever," growled Lilly.

That's probably about as close to a yes as I'll get.

Lee decided to walk over to Kenny, who was sitting on a couch fiddling around with some type of part near the RV. While Lee wasn't planning on feeding the man, he wanted to know if the rumors about Kenny wanting to leave the Motor Inn were true.

Can't have people just cut and run without any warning. That would divide this group even further.

"Word's getting out that you want to leave the motor inn." confronted Lee.

"That ain't no secret, Lee. It's probably our best bet," replied Kenny.

"I'm not sure that's the best idea." retorted Lee.

"Last I checked, this was a free country. Since I'm fixing up the RV, I think I can do what I please. All I'm asking is that you respect my choice." retorted Kenny.

Kenny just looked at the RV, before looking back at Lee. "Look, I know we're not exactly friends. Katjaa thinks very highly of you, while Duck is great friends with Clementine. I am a family man, so I'm willing to swallow my pride and offer you, Clementine, 'Jugram' a spot on the RV. I think the 6 of us would kick some ass until we get on the water. What do you say?"

"Kenny, I agree with you that the motor inn isn't going to last. However, I don't think we should go to the coast. There have to be people like us who have built bigger, more self-sustaining communities somewhere. We should try to find a place like that on the mainland rather than look for a boat." explained Lee.

"Lee, there's no guarantee that there is a place like that up and running. I mean, we've seen what happened to Macon and Atlanta doesn't sound like it was much better. Who knows how many people are still alive?" rebutted Kenny.

"There's no guarantee that we find a boat, either." retorted Lee.

"Well, I'll take my chances looking for something that's pretty common versus trying to look for something that's wishful thinking at best. I'm taking my family to the coast, and if you don't want to join us, that's fine." finished Kenny.

Kenny just sat back down and Lee could tell that he wasn't in an arguing mood.

Once Kenny's mind is made up, it's hard to deter him.

Lee shook his head after watching Larry working on the wall nonstop with sweat and stopped behind Larry, wanting to give him the last ration for the day Larry looked over his shoulder when he heard someone approach him. The older man sighed and grumbled something to himself after seeing who it was and turned around to look at Lee as Lee held a piece of jerky out to him.

"Here, eat something." He said, holding the jerky out to the old man, "Lilly would want you to keep your strength up."

"That girl needs to quit worrying about me so much," Larry said to himself as he took the jerky from him and took a bite of the meat.

"Actually, I can use your axe. give me that thing for a bit." Larry asked.

"Here. Try not to make too much noise, though." Lee said, handing his axe to Larry.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm not stupid." Larry replied, annoyed by Lee reminding him about such an obvious thing as he ripped the axe out of his grasp, "At least someone who isn't my daughter finally realizes who's the hardest worker around here."

Lee turned away from them and walked over to Lilly. He nodded at her head, letting her know he just finished handing out the rations as Lilly gave him a sympathetic nod. "It's not so easy, is it?"

Lee nodded at her sadly and looked at Carley who quickly noticed him looking at her with a saddened look on his face.

"It's okay. I know you're still watching out for me and the rest." Carley told him.

Lee turned to look at Lilly again, "I don't envy you. I don't know how you have the strength to do this every day."

"I don't have a choice," said Lilly. Kenny got up and walked over to Lee, once he noticed Lee was done handing out today's rations.

Oh shit. Is he mad, because I didn't give him anything?

"Lee-" started Kenny.

"Kenny, I know I ran out of food before—"

"Hey, it was a tough choice, but you took care of the kids. That's what a real man does." smiled Kenny. Lee blinked in confusion. He couldn't remember the last time that Kenny had complimented him.

I guess he is a family man after all.

"Yeah, of course," responded Lee.

[Scene Break Location: Road, En Route To Hershel's Farm]

Yhwach noticed a weathered sign directing travelers to a small town just off the highway. Without a word, he took the turn.

Doug, sitting in the back, leaned forward, his curiosity piqued. "Where are we headed?"

"There's a town up ahead," Yhwach stated, his tone authoritative. "We'll check it out for anything useful. Just because we're headed to Hershel's farm for food doesn't mean we should limit ourselves. There are other resources we could take advantage of—supplies we might not find elsewhere."

"Can't we just go on the way back? We don't know anything about this place. It could take us a while to scavenge." refuted Doug.

Yhwach's gaze remained fixed on the road. "We don't know how long it'll take at the farm. If we need to stay overnight, we will. This might be our only chance to see what's here. Better to be thorough now than to regret it later."

"You're the boss," replied Mark.

Yhwach eventually pulled into the town. There seemed to be no signs of life anywhere. The town was pretty small and only had a main street along with a couple of side streets that had various attractions on them. The left street had a gas station at the very end that looked like it had seen better days. The sign looked like it had been defunct for a long time, and Yhwach wouldn't have been surprised if this place had been abandoned before the apocalypse started.

The right side had a convenience store that could have held valuable supplies. The parking lot had a couple of cars, but they seemed to be abandoned. On the main street, a bar caught Yhwach's eye at the very end. It also didn't show any signs of life, but there were a lot of things that shouldn't be living in this world.

"This place looks abandoned," observed Doug.

"That just means this place might not have been looted yet. More supplies for us." declared Mark.

Yhwach pulled the car to a stop and turned to the others. "Listen up. We've got three potential spots. The gas station on the left might still have fuel, and we'll need that for future runs. The store on the right could have food, water, medicine—essentials we can't afford to pass up. And the bar at the end of the street... it might have weapons. Bartenders sometimes kept a gun behind the counter."

"I'll go check out the gas station." volunteered Mark.

"I'll go to the convenience store." volunteered Doug.

Yhwach thought about what he should do. He could either accompany Sandra or Mark at their respective locations in case they needed assistance. He could also go to the bar alone without anyone for backup. The 3 of them could get supplies quicker and Yhwach figured that wouldn't be a bad idea. After all, no one else seemed to be in this town, so what was the danger?

_______________________________________________________________

What does [M] (Yhwach) do?

A) Go with Mark to the gas station

B) Go with Doug to the convenience store

C) Go to the bar alone

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Relationships [M] (Lee Everett):

Clementine: 12/15

She thinks you're a great caretaker. You fed her and promised to look for her hat!

Duck: 11/15

You're the coolest guy he's ever known, besides his dad!

Kenny: 9/15

He thinks you're being too much of a fence sitter and should just come out with your true opinions. From his interpretation of your actions, he believes you disagreed with Lilly, but were too afraid to say so. He also appreciates that you fed his son.

Katjaa: 12/15

She appreciates you feeding her son.

Lilly: 8/15

She feels alright, considering you didn't disagree with her, but feels you're being way too optimistic about things. As it stands, the group will run out of food quickly if they keep bringing people in. Also, She's secretly thankful that you fed her even if she doesn't want to admit it. She hopes you also feed her dad.

Larry: 5/15

He's surprised you fed him, considering the way he was treating you for the past three months. Maybe you're up to something? A small part of him is thankful, though. A very small part.

Mark: 11/15

He's glad you decided to help Mr. Parker.

Ben: 7/15

He thinks you're all right for deciding to help his teacher.

Travis: 6/15

Maybe you guys aren't bandits after all?

Other: Everyone else is the same.

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Members: 13 (Not including Mr. Parker)