Chapter Text
Wheat Reeds rustle wistfully in the air, the Clear Blue Sky shines its Radiant Light upon the Trio. Casey runs her fair skinned hand along the wheat with a Serene Smile and Both Mark and Lee follow in suit. Mark seems Happy for Casey, “Only just met her but she seems pretty carefree in this place, do you regret me inviting us here now?”
“No man.” Lee shakes his head and looks out to the distant St Johns House, “Maybe this is really a blessing for us, Maybe the St Johns Dairy is exactly what Duck and Clementine need?” Mark was happy to hear it, “Hey, I wanted to apologise for tattling on what you said to me in that Forest. I only just realised how that would’ve seemed.”
“Pfft.” Lee shakes his head, thinking that Mark is being too hard on himself, “You’re a Prize Fool, Mark but I don’t think anyone can Judge you for it. We’re all Starving and we’ve been needing help for a while now. So it’s Cool and we’re Cool.” Mark appreciates that too, “Thanks Lee, it would’ve been so easy for you to Hate me for what I took part in. They really didn’t tell us what we were dropping Bombs on until the Payload was already Out. If any of us had any idea? We’d have not done that.”
Lee frowns a little, remembering those bomber planes. It was always a Curious Subject because of what must’ve been going on in the minds of the Soldiers conducting that Genocidal Order, “Yeah… What was it like fighting other US Troops? ” Mark’s stare becomes distant, remembering all the lives he took with these hands, “It… It was Awful , Lee. We had to Defend ourselves and those Soldiers had to Defend their People. We got what we Deserved at the AFB. Most of all the Brass who coordinated the entire thing.”
“We swore an Oath to Defend the United States, but I guess that Oath wasn’t to the People like everyone thought . It was to the Government and fuck knows where it is and what it is doing now.” Mark slumps his shoulders, feeling helpless about Operation Cobalt, “You were right about one thing, I am a Prize Idiot. My Vote and my Service made all of this Possible.”
“ Good Soldiers Follow Orders , Fuck…” Repeating that Cursed Phrase like it was Coding for the Entire Federal Service. Maybe it was, Lee still doesn’t have the full picture of the Military’s Mindset. He knows it had to have been bad, The National Guard is one thing after all. They have Family in the places they're supposed to Destroy but the Federal Armies were composed of People all Over.
What kinds of Excuses had they told themselves? Mark’s only one Servicemen and Lilly was a Admin Worker and wasn’t at Warner Robins when this went down. So many questions about it linger in his head.
Lee lets Mark stew on that for a bit. Because The Georgia National Guard and the US Federal Forces went at it for a while. Mark sometimes tells him the details of the Horrible Skirmishes that raged for the past 3 Months and how Inhumane the AFB’s Leaders were. Mass Graves, Executions, Hangings… No one was safe Either. It was to follow Orders or Die.
That was the Choice these People were Forced to Contend with…
A lot of people died protecting Georgia from further Bombings and it’s like Casey Said. The Problem with the World that came before, is that the ones who were meant to be Protecting it. Were the Ones who made sure it Died.
Mark is one of the only Survivors in the AFB, because the National Guard were Not taking Prisoners and there was No Mercy to be found between Either Side…
It sounded a little too much like the Old US Civil War and its History of Betrayal and Death.
During all of that Deep Thought and Pondering that Lee often Distracts himself with, They happen upon the first kill of the Day. A Slumped over Walker on the fence and one that had an Arrow lodged in its head. Casey yanks out the arrow and shows it to them, “Bows and Arrows? Isn’t that a little Stone Age?”
“Nmpf…” Lee uses his axe to push the body off and let it slump into the dirt, Oh Man that smell is Rancid , “Less effective then the Fence I guess.” Mark continues his rounds along the Fence, “Once this thing is patched up, this Farm will be a Fortress! God, can you imagine not having to Worry about the Walkers?”
“Mhn…” Lee decides it best to keep his opinion to himself, for both the sakes of Mark and Casey right now. Yet still, Mark can see that Lee is ambivalent, “So, what’s your take on the Brothers? They seem to have this place tied down pretty well.” Really asking Lee the hard questions right now, aren’t you Mark? Lee clears his throat, trying to be Neutral and Diplomatic, “It’s like you said, Tied Down pretty well. Gonna wait until I’ve seen everything before I make my Vote.”
“Right.” Mark hangs his head low, he just really wanted Lee to say Yes. Up comes another Walker and this one was fused to the wires and slowly warping the Fence. Casey takes a look at those melted and fused hands, “Yesh, look at the way the Flesh melded with the wire. This thing isn’t gonna come off easily.”
She pushes the walker back and Lee can see the hands are fused pretty well, “We’ll just Chop the Hands off for Now.” CHONK CHONK! In quick succession, both hands are parted from the Heavy Corpse and Mark wafts the air around his Nose, “Yikes, you never get used to the smell, Do ya?”
“Ack! Ghk!” Lee was coughing from that stench and wheezes, “Ougf, Nope.”
“Ahemn… Mhn…” Casey can see all the hay bales and crop fields around here, there are a lot of Acres and all of it is being used, “It just occurred to me, who are the St. Johns Feeding? There’s enough for a City, it feels like.” Now that she mentioned it, Lee can see there was a lot of Food Production going on here. Used Tractors, Freshly Harvested Wheat, Barley and Corn Stalks to make up a Abstract Backdrop of an Emotive Art Piece.
It was enough for a City, but what City? Before Lee could talk about it, they find one really Nasty Walker tied into the wires and wrapped up. It looks like scorched Jerky and smells like a Biohazard. Coughing from the smell, Casey kneels at the fence, “Wow… this is not going to Come Off.”
Lee observes the Downed Posts and then the Strange Tractor they have left outside the fence, “Hmn… I wonder just how many Walkers 4000 Volts can take out before they Overload the System?” Mark skips over the fence, “Larry seems handy with walls. Maybe we can figure something out after we Eat?”
“Maybe.” Lee skips over and then Casey joins him, “Wuh, Hey.” Lee protectively turns to her, “Go back around the fence, It’s dangerous out here.” Casey pulls a face at him, “You said Like Glue, Lee. Sorry.”
Yeah he did use that exact Phrasing Didn’t He? Reluctantly, Lee responds with, “Hmpf, alright, set up by the Silo and watch for Walkers.” Lee points her away and she huffs, “Okay, fine. Just you be careful, Okay ?” She sets up by the Silo and has her Rifle in low ready, “Trust me, I’ve been on this Rodeo for as long as you Guys. I’m not overstepping into new Territory here, I promise.”
“Mhn… Hopefully not.” Lee Retorts, Rubbing at his Bushy chin in worry, “Just Keep in Cover and No Heroics, Okay?” Nodding right back at him, she Chimes Happily, “Okay!” While he does find that Cute… It was also Worrying but there was little that could be done so Lee and Mark were positioning themselves under the Fence posts, “One, Two, Three!” They both push and settle the post back into position!
Soon as they let go-!
BBBBBZZZZZZTTTTTTT!!!!!
4000 Volts surge through the Walker corpse, and Casey looks away from the ridge, “Oh my God! The Fence! ” Mark grunts, seeing the lights on, “Why the Fuck would he turn the Fence on!? He knows we’re out here-!”
Blood suddenly erupts from Mark’s shoulder, Lee’s widened eyes sees the Long Arrow sticking out! Casey immediately returns fire, nearly hitting the Archer, “In the Trees, DOWN!” Lee helps Mark towards the Shed as Arrows start Flying!
A Smug Raider in a Cowboy Hat cackles deviously, “Gotchu! You thought you could mess with us!? Think again!”
Immediately the Two Men, Mark and Lee get into cover by the Tractor! CLANG! Lee leans down, another Arrow striking the top of the Tractor, “Motherfucker!”
Flinching from a Arrow, Casey angles around her Rifle and BLAM! Hitting a Raider in the Dome, blowing out the top of his head onto a Tree! Cycling the Round while leaning back into cover, “See! I can Shoot!”
Another Raider gawking at his Waisted partner blurts out, “Christ! Markson, We have a Problem! That Bitch is Armed and Deadly!” CLANK! CLANG! More Arrows Bounce off the hood of the tractor while Lee stays behind the tractor with his Pistol, Checking how many shots they got left “Shit!” His Fire Axe jangling off his back while another Arrow Strikes the Tractor, CLANK! Sliding the Mag back into the pistol, Lee shouts, “We’re stuck here!” Mark groans, holding the Arrow in his Shoulder, “L-lee we need to get moving! Casey is in the open!” Checking it himself, and realising that it's solidly into the shoulder Plates, “Nghn… D-damn it…” CLANK! CLANG!
One of the Figures in the Shadows wearing a beanie and Shades screams from the top of his Lungs, with Zero Regard for the Dead, “We had an Agreement! Now you’re fucked!”
CLANG! CLANK! CLAK! Lee tries pushing the tractor but it’s not moving, “Fuck me! I can’t get it to Move!” Mark holds his good hand out towards the back of the Vehicle, “Lee, you need to lift the Claw thing on the back, give me your Pistol and I’ll try to cover you!” Providing the pistol to him, Mark returns fire, BLAM! BLAM! BANG! CLANK! BANG!
SPLITCH! One of the Raiders is grazed, “Agh! He got me!” The Other Raider screams at him, "Stupid Fuck! He only grazed you, get back up!” CLANG! BANG! BANG! Lee first wraps around the front and finds a Wedge under the wheel and yanks it away before Arrow nails him, “Fuck!”
Casey lifts her rifle and fires, nailing a Raider in the chest and Cycling the Round, “Another down, guys!” SLANK! An Arrow bashes against her Silo, “Gh! Damn it!”
Leaning out from cover, The Raider with a Ski Mask releases a Crossbow bolt into the Tractor, “We is gonna take your Girls and Treat ‘em real Nice-Like!” BLAM! The Raider next to him is shot by Mark, “Oh shit!” He ducks down and Mark gets back into cover, “Agghh, These are def the Save-lot crew!”
BANG BANG! BLAM! CLANK! CLANG!
“Hrrrrkkkk!” A Walker Saunters towards one of the Raiders, and he draws a Machete, “Biters Incoming!” SWUNK! Chopping down the Creature!
CLANK! Lee moves to the back and lets Mark cover him so he can pull the Plough Lever free and makes the Tractor roll! BANG! SPLAT! “GEEHHHAA! F-Ffffuuucckkk!” One of the Bandits grips his shoulder, pressing against a Tree, “Guh! He got me too!” Now moving with the vehicle, Casey was now covering! BANG BANG! BLAM! “Hrreek!” THUD! Soon the wheels get stuck on a burned Walker, “Shit! That’s one of the Walkers we threw over!” Mark groans and lets Lee pull it free so the vehicle can keep moving!
SLITCH! Casey has a close call, nearly getting nailed by an Arrow! The Head digging itself into the ground behind her, “Dff!” Then leaning back out to shoot another Archer in the throat, “Nghn! C’mon guys! I can’t keep this up forever!” CLANK! CLUNK!
THUNK! Another Body stops the Tractor and Mark groans out loudly, “Another one!? How many of those things did we push down?” Mark resumes covering him, BANG BANG! CLANK! So Lee could grab the arm of the body and begin- Oh no!
“RGHK!” The Walker snares his arms and pulls him down, “HHHUUHHAAWAA!!!” Lee panics trying to pull away, “O-oh shit!” Casey goes to shoot it but an arrow nearly nails her and forces her down, "Shit! Lee!” CLANK! GLUNK! Lifting his Boot just enough, Lee swings it down crashing the Boot Sole against the Creature’s Cranium, “GRHH! HHHRAAKK!” SLONK! SLAK! Mashing his boot into the skull over and over, Lee is nearly tripped over by how hard it pulls him and he secures his footing and yanks away, accidentally tearing this creature in half!
“Oh Fuck!” He throws it aside and Mark nails it with his pistol, “K-keep Moving!”
“Ah-Hah!” Casey sees the Tractor slam into the Silo and the duck into cover, “Lee!” She hugs him quickly while Mark stays in cover, grunting and wheezing from his injury, “O-okay, we’re nearly out! Together now!” They both nod and book it to the gate, “Aeghk!” Arrow flies through Casey’s knee and she falls to the ground dropping her rifle! “GEH!” THUMP!
“We Got the Bitch!” One Voice Calls out from the shadows!
Mark tries to help her up and Lee grabs the rifle, “You Sons of Bitches!” He takes aim and nails the First Raider he sees, BLAM! SPLAT! Then the Second and the Third and finally the Fourth! His hand was moving so fast and cycling rounds that the Raiders became scared and started to run, “Oh crap! He went Ape Shit! RUN! ”
Lee finishes the clip with one last Raider, shooting out his liver, “RUN MOTHER FUCKERS! RUN! I’LL KILL YOU! YOU HEAR ME!? I’LL KILL YOU!” His voice echoing throughout the woods as the cowardly Raiders scramble away and into the foliage!
Casey is helped up by Lee’s hand and he supports her away from the Scene, Mark kicks the gate closed and starts running and panting, “G-god damnit! Raiders!?”
St John’s Farm
Andy and Danny came running from the house with rifles! Seeing Lee helping Casey with her shot knee and Mark using Casey’s Rifle as a Walking Stick! Andy comes to a stop and looks them over, “Heavens to Betsy! The Fuck happened out there!?” Lee snarls at Andy, “You Son of a Bitch! You were trading with those Fucking Assholes, weren’t You!?”
Caught off Guard, Andrew attempts some kinda Defence, an Explanation, Anything, “I-i!” Suddenly Lee’s Finger flies close to his face, wagging and jabbing the air at him, “You switched on the Fence with Us on the Other Side! You tried offering Us up on a Silver Fucking Platter! Tell the fucking Truth!” Nursing his Fucked up Shoulder, Mark stands up straight enough to glare directly into his eyes, “A-andrew, it’s not looking Good man, those Assholes were saying Things.”
Gritting his Teeth, Danny squeezes his rifle causing it to violently rattle in his hands, “Fucking idiots… I should’ve realised something was up. That Fucking Raider back there? The one who Shot his Friend? He must have eaten the Shipment, him and his People. Now the Save-Lots Gang is acting like we didn’t Pay Up. All to Cover their Asses…”
“Andy, listen to me, we can’t let this Shit Slide, Brother.”
Glaring back at his Brother heatedly, Andy throws his hands up trying to defuse the situation, “Everyone just stop jumpin’ to conclusions! We don’t know what happened out there! I swear to Fucking God, I didn’t turn that Fence on! We was helping Mama Cook!”
“I didn’t think you’d be back yet!”
Lee wasn’t all too sure he believes him and Kenny leading the Group back sees the state Casey and Mark are in, “What is that!? What the FUCK is that!?” He bashes the gates open and starts marching up, “What the Shit, Andy! Carley said that this place is secure!”
“It is secure!” Andy protests but Kenny points at Mark, “The Fuck it is!? Who the shit did this!?” Casey clinging to Lee for support, wincing from her knee pain, “Save-Lots Crew… T-they attacked my School. They were getting Food from this Place!”
Oh, that pisses Kenny right the Fuck Off , and he gets in Andy’s face, “You Fucking Shitbird ! Do you have any clue what these people have done!? How many folks are Dead because of You!?” Lilly and Danny hold both men back, Lilly aggressively barks at Ken’s face, “Kenny! KENNY! The Fuck are you Doing!?”
“Nrggh! Get off me!” Andy tries wrestling free of his Brother, “You dare come here and accuse me of this, on MY Land!? You Son of a Bitch!” Brenda jogs over and helps her son back, “Andrew stop! We can’t be like this, them Raiders is watching!”
Already tired of these Antics, Larry taps his foot impatiently, “I think Raiders watching is the least of our problems, we need a serious Conversation Now. ” Brenda goes to help Casey and looks to Mark, “K-katjaa right? Could you come help me Dearie? We need to treat these Two Immediately.” Katjaa quickly goes to Mark and helps him up. Clementine holds her wrist wearily, seeing Casey hobbeling up, “C-casey…” That looked like a nasty Injury…
Andy straightens his Jacket and Kenny straightens his hat, “Okay, now that my Family is on the Farm, care to illuminate me as to what the Fuck you’re doing with Supplying Raiders!?” Andy grunts and pockets his hands, looking like he could blow any minute, “We fuckin’ had to , the Bastards killed off our Farmhands and would’ve killed us if we didn’t start giving them food. We’ve been leaving it at Silo as agreed for Months and suddenly, We’re now being Attacked.”
Stewing in his Bubbling Rage, Danny paces and vents, “These Fucking Dullards have no idea what the fuck they’re doing… We’re the only Farm running for miles and now they wanna kill us? They’re a problem and they need to be dealt with soon.”
Lee holds Clem’s hand when she comes over and squints at John, “We killed a whole bunch of them at the Silo, so what Now?” Larry nods with approval at Lee… Which is a Rare enough instance, “Good, we can’t let those Shitbags think they can boss us around. Still, we need a Plan and I hope you got one cooking because if this Deal has endangered these Kids, I’m gonna blow.”
Luckily for John, Danny has one, “Not to worry, I have an idea of where at least one of their Watchposts are. It’s a Fragile looking Camp on the Outer Perimeter, up a small incline that could be used to watch over the Farm. I say we take Guns and Scout it out and see if we can’t figure out where the Rest are.”
This day just keeps giving and Giving, Doesn’t it? Pushing aside his worry, Lee answers, “Okay, I’ll catch up with you and go, Dan. Be ready when we go.” Dan nods and guides his steaming Brother away, whispering to him, “The Fuck is your Problem…?” Lilly watches them leave and runs her hand through her hair, “Okay, it’s clear to me that this place is our only shot but if we’re to Make it Work. We need to Bend this Place to our Will.”
Kenny slowly turns to Lilly in disbelief, “Are you God-Damned Fucking Deluded? We ain’t taking this Place over, it’s done for. We should just get our Food and Get Back to working on the RV!” Larry straightens his collar all formally. His tone is oddly Cordial and almost diplomatic. It was enough to make them all look at him in confusion, “Let’s not be too hasty you Two, these People invited us to their home. We should leverage this and use it to our advantage.”
What’s Larry’s Angle Here? Lee narrows his eyes suspiciously, “How’d you mean?” Larry glances up to the bickering Brothers, “We help them against the Raiders and we’ll have a Permanent Source of Food. All we need is Gas which there is plenty of! It seems pretty fucking clear to me, Lee, what we should Do.”
Lilly shakes her head, just holding her face with frustration, “We can’t trust these people which means we need to take over This and the Motel.” Clementine wags her head, “N-no! We can’t take what isn't ours, Lilly! W-what if it goes wrong and we lose both?”
Ignoring Kenny, Lily dismissively barks out, “That’s a risk I am willing to take, I am not about to offer the Future of our Motel to a Farm that can’t even keep its Shit Together for one day in order to make a Good Impression!” Kenny just slumps his shoulders at Lilly, “You’re dumber than I thought if you think we can honestly hold this place AND the Motel! Lee, you gotta back me up on this one?”
“Sorry Kenny…” Lee looks at Larry, “I hate to say it, but Larry’s got a point. No matter what we do, we need Food and for that we need to make Friends and not Enemies. Kenny you’ve said it yourself, the Woods and the City are running Dry. We need this Farm, Man!”
“But we can’t take it from them, not only is it not Ours, but we’re full up Trying to keep the Motel functioning, Lil!” Even though the Adults forgot she was there, Clementine soundly agrees with Lee on this, “We need to be nice! Please, Lilly, can we try to be nice?” Lilly pinches the bridge of her nose and surrenders the argument, “Fine, we’ll go with my Dad’s plan but I want to be out as soon as we can get food.”
Kenny huffs at Lilly, “Finally something I can agree on.” Snarling in Return, Lily spits out a Venomously, “I didn’t ask you, Jackass.” Can’t spend a minute not antagonising him huh? Kenny balls his fists, “Yeah, and I didn’t ask if I asked you, Princess!” Lee pushes them both away from each other, “Guys for Fuck’s Sake, seriously? I can’t believe you’re about to fight over agreeing with each other!”
“Here is how it is, I’m going to help Dan and while I do that, you Guys are going to make friends with Andy and Brenda. Got It? ” Larry confidently rests his hands on his belt, “Well that’s easy, I got Charm coming right Outta my Ass. ”
Rolling eyes to the back of head, Lilly scoffs out a reply, “Yeah, really charming, Dad.” Refocusing the Conversation, Lee notices they’re two short, “What happened to Ben and Carley?” Lilly shifts weight, looking quite authoritative still, “Since Carley and Ben ended up eating more than One Share of Buns on the way back. She volunteered to stay behind and Watch the Motel. We need at least two people at the Motel in case things go to shit, again.”
Unsure of what’s really going on. Duck turns his attention away from all the weird Fighting and sees the Swing, “Hey Clemie! Look! A Swing!” A Large gasp escapes Little Clementine, chiming and swaying happily, “Eeee! Yes! I love swings, it’s just like at my Treehouse! Come on, Duckie!” The Two Kids run off and Kenny settles down, ”Well… I guess I’ll watch them, Lee. You waste no time on those Raiders. Clementine will be here when you get back.”
Lee exhales watching Lilly and Larry take their leave, “On second thought, Ken, I might join you for a minute. I need a moment before I dive headlong into the next Shitpile.” Ken beckons him over then, “Let's go then.”
Heading over to the Wooden Swing hanging off the Tree, Kenny settles in and begins pushing his son on the swing; Clementine was enjoying herself on top of a stump. Her Stickered Radio fastened to the Belt. Lee takes a seat next to her with a big sigh, “Man… Clem, it sure has been a long day.”
“Mhn hnm…” Clementine scoots over and leans into him for a hug, “It’s okay, you’re trying your Best! And the Best is Tiring, that’s what Carley says!” Lee scoffs, “Is it now?” She nods happily, “Yeah! It is! I still can’t believe that this swing is working!”
It sure was, Lee can see Duck having a blast on it, laughing his head off. It was good to see after Everything that’s happened Today, “You can thank Casey for it, it was her idea and I helped her.” Clementine sways her Head back and Forth, likely thinking of some mental song, “Casey is really nice! I want to be just like her when I grow up. Calm , Kind and really Pretty! ”
Soon she turns her eyes up at Lee, the most innocent look one could imagine plastered all over, “Not bad things to be when you Grow Up.” Feeling Hopeful… Lee begins tenderly rubbing her arm, “I have a feeling you Two will be like Two peas in a Pod.” She snickers to herself, “What does that mean? It sounds funny.”
Glancing up, in a way that lets the Sun fall on his face, Shadows of Leaves rustling back and forth. Lee peacefully explains, “Well it means People who are alike or very connected with each other. It’s what we call a ‘Phrase’. Which is a reference or Quote that communicates things.”
“Ohh, okay, Thank You, Lee. For the Swing and for the lesson. So can I play on the swing now?” She sits up all excited, tugging on his sleeve and he pats her head, “Okay, you can play on the swing now.” He stands up and looks at Kenny, “Mind if Clementine has a turn?” Kenny lets go of the swing, “Alright Duck, it’s the Little Lady’s Turn.”
Owing up to his Moniker, Duck lets out a big and loud, “ But Daaaaddd! ” Kenny gives him a stern look, “Duck, we talked about this. If the Lady wants something, what does the Man do?” Duck sighs and repeats the phrase, “Does what he can for Her, I get it.”
Smiling Proudly, Kenny pats his Son’s Shoulder, “Good boy, I think I see a Frisbee in the Grass anyway.” Duck lights up and scampers off the Seat, “No way! Really!?” Kenny smirks for Clementine, having cleared the way for her to sit and settle on the Wooden Board, “Oh wow… It really is like the Treehouse…”
The way she pensively holds the Ropes of the Swing, testing the way it sways, “I know a lot of swings like this probably sound the same but… It does remind me of home a little. Did you actually see my Swing? The one under the Tree House? My Dad made that!”
Lee assumes his position behind the swing and begins gently pushing her which makes the ropes squeak, “Hmn, yeah. It’s a shame I didn’t think to give you one last go on that thing.” Clementine just enjoys the warm breeze of the St John farm, “It’s okay, I think we probably saved Shawn’s life going when we did so… I don’t Mind.”
“Hmn, I guess we did.” Lee looks up at the House where Casey was being treated, “Ah, man… I can’t help but to feel Guilty for her being Shot. She’s had it Bad these Past few Days.” She could guess, Casey smiled brighter than Ben, it was like she was hiding something, “I hope everything works out Lee… “
His eyes briefly sink away from her and towards the Fields, “Me Too, Sweet Pea.” The two stay in silence for a few moments, enjoying the swing set. Neither of them really think much of anything. Soon she comments to herself, “Gosh, it’s Pretty here. It reminds me of how things used to look before.”
Pushing her politely, Lee gains his smile back. Enjoying the Golden Autumn Oranges and yellows of a Late-Autumn Farmstead. Despite the obvious Chill, it still felt warm in a way, “Yeah, yeah it really does.” He’s never been able to relax in a spot like this for a long time.
She turns her head up at him, gliding forward on that swing and then swaying backwards, “Do you think things will ever be back to how they were?” Lee wasn’t so sure, and he wasn’t sure what to say to her. She could tell it too, “It’s okay, I’ll find a way. I’ll make things look like how they used to.”
“Really?” Lee scoffs, “Is that so?” She happily sways her head, “Yeah~! I’m getting really Smart because I am Thinking all the Time. Right now; I am thinking that if you Stop the Bad People then maybe Others could come to the Farm and Make it Better.”
“Make everything Better for all of Us.”
“Hnn.” Lee adores Clem’s sense of determination, “Well then I’ll have to say yes, that I do think things will look like how they used to. At least, eventually. If the World is gonna be inherited by People like You? I can see it.” That Vote of Confidence seems really important to Clementine, a certain spark seems to be in her eyes, “Okay, then it’s a Promise. I’ll make you Proud someday, Lee. Then I’ll be the one pushing the Swing!!!”
“Heh.” Lee inclines his head, thinking that’d be real funny, “Pushing Old man Lee on the swing, huh? Sounds like a Dream.” She kicks her feet joyfully, “It does~ I hope you get a big grey bushy beard!” Lee grumbles to himself, “Hey, c’mon. I am not that old, yet.”
“Hehe~” Her giggling makes him laugh too. If only moments like this could last forever. She stops herself on the swing, “Okay, Lee… You need to Stop the Bad People.” Lee lets out a tired sigh and grabs his axe from the tree, slinging it over his shoulder, “You’re right… I Do.”
“Oh, before you leave!!!” Clementine scurries over and hugs his arm, “Please come Back.” Lee pats her head gently…. His Dark Fingers Affectionately stroking along the Curly and Wavy hair, “I’ll always come back, Sweet Pea. Tell you what, I’ll find us a Radio and then we can have conversations like you used to with your Dad.”
She makes a big gasp, “ Please~! I’d love that. Oh and make sure to find Stickers! Any good Radio needs Them!” Duck dives into the swing and calls out, “Dad! Hey dad, Push me! C’mooon! Push me!” Kenny comes over, “Okay, Duck, Don’t pop a Gasket.”
Moving away from the swing, Clementine sits down on the stump again and leans forwards, “Hey Duckie! Could you tell me more about those Super Heroes?” Duck pumps his fists, “Aw man! I’d love to, Clemie! Alright, first I‘ll tell you about the Wolverine!”
Lee makes his way up the stairs and meets up with Danny, “Hey Dan, let’s go check that Camp.” Dan stands up from the stairs and offers Lee a Springfield Rifle, “Take this, it’ll stop a Fucker right in his tracks. No doubt.” Lee takes the Rifle and opens the feed to see the rounds all loaded up and closes it, “Good to move, Man.”