Lilly jumped down from the RV, her face a mask of fury and fear. "You stupid sons of bitches! You led them right to us!" Her finger jabbed at the writhing mass at the gate before turning on the sobbing teenager. "And who the hell is this?"
"What in God's name is going on?!" Larry's booming voice cut through the chaos like a gunshot, making several people flinch.
Katjaa clutched Duck close, her eyes wide with alarm. "Kenny, what's happening?"
"Is he hurt? Is he bleeding?" Carley demanded, already reaching for her pistol as she scanned the half-conscious man who was thrown onto the truck.
Lee gritted his teeth, the frustration rising like bile in his throat. "No time to explain!"
He whirled around just as a decayed hand clawed at the fence. Without hesitation, Lee brought his axe down in a brutal arc - the blade splitting the walker's skull with a sickening crunch.
One after another, he moved along the fence line like a man possessed. Each swing was methodical:
Crunch. A policeman missing half his face collapsed.
Thud. A housewife in a bloodied apron dropped.
Crack. A teenager in tattered sports gear fell silent.
The others watched in stunned silence as Lee became a whirlwind of violence, systematically clearing every grasping, moaning threat along the perimeter. His muscles burned with each swing, but he didn't stop - couldn't stop - until the last walker twitched and lay still.
"Lee..." Clementine approached cautiously, her small fingers twisting the hem of her shirt. The concern in her big eyes made his chest ache. "Are you okay?"
Lee exhaled sharply, the image of that kid's wide, terrified eyes flashing behind his eyelids. Another mercy kill. Another weight on his conscience. He forced a smile and ruffled her cap. "I'm alright, sweet pea."
"Lee!" Lilly's sharp voice cut through the moment. She marched over, arms crossed, her jaw set in that familiar stubborn line. "What the hell were you thinking bringing more people here? We're barely feeding ourselves as it is!"
Kenny stepped up beside Lee, his patience clearly fraying. "Christ, Lilly, take a goddamn breath—"
"You watch your mouth!" Larry barked, jabbing a thick finger at Kenny.
From the corner of his eye, Lee saw Clem's brow furrow as the tension thickened. He gave her a subtle nod—Go. Without a word, she tugged Ben's sleeve, leading the confused teen away from the brewing storm.
"We can't save everyone!" Lilly snapped, her voice rising. "Our group comes first—that's final!"
"Hold on," Carley interjected, stepping forward. "We don't even know these people yet. They could help—"
"Help? Lilly scoffed. "Unless they're carrying a month's worth of rations, they're just more dead weight." She shot Carley a glare, but the reporter just rolled her eyes and walked off, Mark trailing behind her.
Kenny threw his hands up. "News flash, princess—you ain't the boss of us! Last I checked, this was a group, not your personal fiefdom."
"Oh, that's rich!" Lilly's face flushed. "Everyone was happy to let me handle the food when we had plenty. Now that things are tight, suddenly I'm the villain?"
Lee recognized the tipping point. Sides were being drawn, and hesitation now would cost him later.
"Listen," he cut in, voice firm. "Kenny's right. Distributing supplies doesn't give you the right to dictate who we help." Kenny clapped him on the shoulder, gratitude flashing in his eyes.
"Lee made a call. It's done," Kenny said, turning away. "Figure it the hell out."
Lilly opened her mouth, but Lee wasn't finished. "If you wanna kick 'em out after Katjaa patches 'em up, fine. But they deserve a shot." He leveled a look at her. "And for the record? Kenny wanted to leave 'em behind."
"I make these choices to keep us alive!" Lilly shot back, fists clenched. "There's not enough food, Lee. What part of that don't you get?"
"Then don't feed 'em," Lee retorted. "But you don't get to play executioner."
Larry shouldered forward, his face mottled with rage. "You got a lot of damn nerve—"
"Save it, Larry." Lee didn't even glance at him as he walked away. Behind him, Larry's shouts devolved into sputtered curses, his voice fading as Lee strode toward the his room.
Lee stepped into his room and leaned the axe against the wall, placing the rifle beside his shotgun and vest. His reflection stared back from the cracked mirror - the face of a man who'd arrived in this world wide-eyed at meeting "characters," now hardened by the reality of keeping them alive. What a fucking joke.
A sharp knock. Before he could answer, the door swung open.
"Lee." Lilly stood framed in the doorway, her expression tight. "Since you seem to think rationing's so easy..." She hurled four items onto his cot - half a shriveled apple, one jerky stick, two cheese cracker packets. The slam of the door echoed like a gunshot.
"You don't think I know?" Lee muttered, picking up the meager haul. His eyes drifted to the raven carcass Kenny had brought in earlier. Maybe two more meals there, if they stretched it.
When he stepped outside, every eye tracked him. Word traveled fast.
First cuts were easy: Larry could starve for all he cared, and Ben...well, he'd made his stance clear to Lilly. No take-backs now.
The kids came first. Always.
He found Clem kneeling beside Duck on the cracked asphalt, their crayons moving across scavenged notebook paper in childish swirls. The late afternoon sun painted everything in golden hues, a cruel contrast to the world they now inhabited. Without her baseball cap, Clem's wild curls caught the light like a halo, the absence of that familiar brim hitting Lee harder than any walker's blow ever could.
He crouched down to her level, the gravel biting through his jeans. "You okay, sweet pea?"
Her small hands twisted in that nervous gesture he'd come to recognize - fingers grasping at empty air where her cap's brim should be. "i'm okay," she murmured, not meeting his eyes.
"Where's your hat?" That faded blue cap was more than fabric - it was the last tangible piece of the parents she might never see again.
"Had it... before." Clementine's voice barely rose above a whisper as she stared at the ground, her small shoulders curling inward with the weight of the admission.
"Don't worry, I'll find it." Lee pressed the apple half into her small hands, his fingers lingering just a second too long. "Here, it's your favorite."
Clementine's gaze flickered to the others before looking back at the fruit. The way she hesitated—lips pressed tight, fingers trembling slightly—told him everything. "Is there more...?"
"It's the last one. Just enjoy it." He ruffled her hair. "You earned this." He watched the internal struggle play out across her face before she finally nodded, taking a small, deliberate bite.
Duck practically vibrated when offered the jerky. The boy inhaled it like he hadn't eaten in weeks, bringing a rare smile to Lee's face. Growing bodies came first. No compromises.
The rhythmic shink-shink of steel on whetstone filled the air as Kenny worked his knife by the RV. The raven's dark feathers ruffled in the evening breeze, its plucked body waiting for the blade.
Lee stood opposite him, offering the crackers. "Hungry?"
Kenny shook his head. "Kat and I'll make do with this tough old bird." He paused mid-stroke, the knife catching the fading light. "Appreciate you speakin' up back there. Damn shame it took this long for someone to call Lilly on her bullshit."
"Her math ain't wrong," Lee admitted, watching a blood feather drift to the ground. "Just her execution."
With a grunt, Kenny jerked his chin toward the RV's rusted undercarriage. "Word gets 'round fast, huh? 'Bout me takin' this bucket south."
"Smart play." Lee picked at the cracker's crumbling edge. "Macon's picked cleaner than this bird'll be."
Kenny's calloused hand stilled the knife. "I want you with us, Lee. You and the little miss." His gaze drifted to where Clem sat doodling shapes on the paper, her cap-less head making her look younger somehow. "Ain't right splittin' up the only decent folk left."
Lee didn't need to think. "Made Clem a promise. Savannah first. Her folks—"
"Savannah." Kenny tested the word like a man tasting unfamiliar whiskey. A slow grin split his beard. "Hell, at least it's got ocean breezes 'stead of this damn inland heat." The whetstone sang again as he resumed sharpening. "We'll get this wreck movin', point her toward the coast. Long as she holds together..." His eyes met Lee's - a silent acknowledgment of the RV's questionable condition. "Might just find ourselves some luck down there."
The cheese packets weighed heavy in Lee's pocket as he walked away. Two meals. Five hungry adults. The math never added up these days.
Carley sat cleaning her pistol when Lee approached. He extended one packet without ceremony.
"Here."
She blinked up at him, the surprise evident. "Me?" Her gaze flicked to Ben's hunched form nearby before softening. "Keep it. You look like hell warmed over." There was an unfamiliar warmth beneath her usual sharp tone.
"I'm good." Lee tossed the packet onto her lap before she could protest further. He didn't wait for thanks, but felt her eyes boring into his back as he walked away.
The last packet felt like a lead weight in his palm. His stomach growled in protest as he spotted Mark - the man's usually robust frame now visibly diminished as he struggled to reinforce the fence with Larry.
"Hey Mark." Lee pressed the final ration into the mechanic's grease-stained hands. "Take it."
Mark's gratitude shone through his exhaustion. "Christ, thanks. Needed this."
Larry's bulk loomed closer, his voice dripping with contempt. "What, I don't get a share?"
Lee didn't grace him with a response, didn't even break stride. Some battles weren't worth the breath - a lesson this world kept teaching him. The satisfying clench of Larry's impotent rage at his back was reward enough.
"Hey! Don't you move a fucking muscle!"
Lilly's sudden shout snapped everyone's attention toward the gate. She stood with her rifle raised, aimed at two strangers just beyond the fence. One held a jerry can, both had their hands raised in surrender.
Lee's blood ran cold. The cannibals. His fingers twitched toward his shotgun - part of him wanted to fill them with lead right there in the street. But he stopped himself. Even if he killed them, it wouldn't change their food situation. Worse, it might draw the attention of the bandits who were clearly extorting these two.
"Woah, easy there!" The older brother forced a nervous smile. "I'm Andy, this is my brother Danny. We just... we need some gas, is all."
The group rushed to the gate, curiosity overriding caution. Carley kept her pistol trained on them. "What do you need gas for?"
"Our dairy," Danny chimed in. "Few miles down the road. We've got electric fences running on generators."
Lee watched as hungry eyes lit up around him. The mere mention of a safe place with working power made people lean forward eagerly. They didn't know. They couldn't know.
"Help us with gas," Andy continued smoothly, "maybe we can work out a trade. How you folks fixed for food?"
"Got whole barns full at the dairy," Danny added, his voice dripping with false generosity.
Lee clenched his jaw as he saw their words taking root - the desperate hope blooming on starving faces. These wolves in sheep's clothing knew exactly which strings to pull.
Lilly locked eyes with Lee before nodding toward the gate. "Take Mark and check this place out. If it's legit, maybe we can work something out."
Outside the fence, the St. John brothers flashed identical grins—too wide, too practiced. Lee's gut twisted, but a plan began forming. He knew their game. Now he just had to play it better.
"Mark," he called, jerking his head toward the motel room. Inside, he strapped on his vest and checked his shotgun. "Don't trust a word those guys say."
Mark frowned, tightening the straps of his pack. "Bad vibe?"
"Nobody's that friendly unless they're hiding something," Lee muttered, sliding his axe into his belt. Mark's slow nod told him the message landed.
As they moved to leave, Lee paused by Clementine. "Hey, sweet pea—lend me your screwdriver?"
She sprinted off and returned, pressing the tool into his palm with both hands. "Be careful," she said, more order than request.
Lee tapped his walkie. "Won't be long. You need me, you call."
Clem mirrored the gesture with hers, her small face solemn. "Okay."