The woods near Ericson's Boarding School. The air is thick with the smell of pine and decay. Rhett, Marlon, and Louis had been tracking a deer when the sound of screeching metal and shattering glass ripped through the forest. A crash. Then the groans of walkers—lots of them. Rhett exhaled through his teeth, already annoyed. This was gonna be a pain in the ass.
Marlon was the first to react, crossbow already in hand. "Shit—that sounded close. Could be survivors."
Louis, ever the optimist, grinned. "Or free supplies!"
Rhett rolled his eyes, taking a swig from his flask before tucking it away. "Or a whole fuckin' herd waitin' to chew our faces off."
Still, they moved toward the noise, weapons ready.
The wreck was worse than Rhett expected. A busted-up muscle car, flipped on its side, wheels still spinning. Walkers were already closing in, drawn by the noise. Inside, movement—two figures. One small. A kid.
Rhett's lip curled. 'Great.'
Marlon didn't hesitate. He raised his crossbow and fired, dropping a walker with a bolt through its skull. "Louis, cover me! Rhett—check the car!"
Rhett muttered a curse under his breath but moved forward, his machete making quick work of a walker that lunged at him. He kicked its corpse aside and peered through the shattered windshield.
A girl—older, maybe his age—was unconscious, blood trickling from her forehead. And next to her, a kid, barely conscious, reaching weakly for a fallen gun.
Rhett's face twisted in disgust. "Fuckin' hell. Louis, grab the brat."
Louis, already dispatching a walker with his knife, shot him a look. "Charming as always, Rhett." But he didn't argue, ducking into the wreck to scoop up the boy.
The girl was heavier than she looked. Rhett hauled her over his shoulder with a grunt, ignoring the way her blood smeared against his jacket. 'Just what I needed. More strays.'
Marlon fired another bolt. "We gotta move! More coming!"
Rhett didn't need telling twice. He adjusted his grip on the girl and broke into a run, Louis close behind with the kid in his arms.
The woods blurred as they sprinted, walkers snarling at their heels. Rhett's lungs burned, but he didn't slow.
Louis, panting, glanced at the kid in his arms. "Hey, little dude, you alive?"
The boy groaned, barely coherent. "C... Clem..."
Rhett didn't care. His only thought was getting back to the school before they got swarmed.
Marlon took up the rear, firing off the last of his bolts. "Almost there!"
The gates of Ericson's loomed ahead. Aasim and Violet were already on the wall, weapons drawn.
Violet's eyes locked onto Rhett—then the girl he was carrying. Her expression flickered, something unreadable, before she turned away, nocking an arrow.
Rhett gritted his teeth. 'Of course she's here to see this.'
They barreled through the gates just as the first walkers reached the fence. Aasim slammed it shut behind them, and for a moment, there was only the sound of heavy breathing and the distant snarls of the dead.
Then—
Marlon claps Rhett on the back, too damn cheerful. "Nice work, guys! We just saved some lives today."
Rhett dumped the girl onto the nearest bench, wiping his hands on his pants like he could scrub away the contact. "Yeah, thrilled."
The kid—AJ—stirred in Louis' arms, blinking up at them with dazed eyes.
Rhett looked at him, then at the unconscious girl (Clementine, apparently), and sighed.
This was gonna be a problem.
Ruby rushed over, already fussing. "Oh my god, they're hurt!"
Louis grinned, bouncing the kid slightly. "Hey, at least we got a fun story out of it."
Violet didn't say a word. Just watched, arms crossed, from a distance.
And Rhett? He grabbed his flask, took a long drink, and muttered, "I hate kids."
Rosie, ever loyal, trotted up and licked his hand.
At least someone appreciated him.
The courtyard of Ericson's, where Clementine and Marlon are talking. The uneasy peace is interrupted when Rhett stalks past, flask in hand, his usual scowl deepening as he overhears Marlon's comment about AJ.
"Oh, that's one way to put it. More like the little shit's been screamin', swingin', and tryin' to bite anyone who looks at him funny."
Clementine stiffens, turning to face him. Her eyes narrow. "Excuse me?"
Rhett takes a slow swig from his flask, unimpressed. "You heard me. Kid's feral. Tried to take a swing at me when I walked behind him. Lucky for him, I don't hit toddlers."
Before Clementine can retort, Willy's voice cuts through from the gate.
"Yo! Marlon! We've got walkers on the fence!"
Marlon swears under his breath, already backing up. "Shit—Rhett, take her to AJ. Ruby's got him in the admin building."
Rhett groans, rolling his eyes. "Fuckin' babysitter duty. Great."
Marlon doesn't stick around to argue, sprinting toward the commotion.
The silence between Rhett and Clementine is thick enough to choke on. She studies him—his worn leather jacket, the permanent irritation in his posture, the way his fingers tap impatiently against his flask.
"So. You're the welcoming committee?"
"Nah. Just the unlucky bastard who got stuck dealin' with you."
She doesn't rise to the bait. "AJ's scared. He doesn't trust strangers."
"Yeah, well, join the club."
They reach the admin building, the old wooden floors creaking underfoot. Rhett doesn't slow down, doesn't bother making small talk. Clementine's presence is an inconvenience, and he's not pretending otherwise
As they turn down the hallway, a door at the end slams open. Ruby storms out, clutching her hand, face flushed with fury.
"Gah! You little motherfucker!"
She spots Clementine and zeroes in like a heat-seeking missile. "Hey. HEY."
"Uh…?"
Ruby thrusts out her hand, revealing a fresh bite mark, angry and red. "'Bout time you woke up. Your little boy just BIT me! He's lucky I didn't take a boot to his head. Nearly took a chunk outta me. Gah, it hurts somethin' fierce."
Clementine's jaw tightens. "AJ's a good kid. You must've provoked him."
Rhett, who had been leaning against the wall with detached amusement, finally pushes off.
"Nah. Kid's just an asshole."
Clementine whips her head toward him.
"He tried to hit me for walkin' near him. If it were up to me, I'd've kicked him in the teeth. So you should be thankin' Ruby for not puttin' him through a wall."
"Damn right." Ruby mutters.
Clementine looks between them, frustration boiling under her skin. But before she can fire back, Rhett's already turning away.
"Kid's in there. Good luck—you'll need it."
With that, he walks off, taking another swig from his flask like this whole mess is just another nuisance in his already shitty day.