The Walking Dead

Chapter 25

He immediately found himself walking towards the little girl drawing. I obviously need to tell Clementine. If she's going to be in my care, she ought to know who I am...or was at least.

"Clem, I need to talk to you for a second."

She peered up from her illustration, nodding.

"How should I put this...well..." Lee gulped, "The day you and I first met, I was in a car accident."

Her face was no longer smiling, "I remember, your leg was bleeding."

Lee continued his story, "The car I was in was a police car...and I was on my way to jail for committing a crime."

The shock was evident on her face for a second, before she looked down, deep in thought. She didn't respond. Lee explained, "I need to tell you now because I don't want you to hear it any other way."

Her tone was sad but understanding, "Okay."

"Do you...have anything you want to say?"

Clem shook her head, "I don't think so."

"Well uh, you can go on back to your things."

Clementine didn't reply but the look on her face made Lee feel that she had understood and did not have a grudge or anything horrible like that for him. He let go a breath that he had not even realized that he had been holding the whole time.

Lee looked over to the couple sitting by the couch they have moved out recently. I guess it's time for another round. As he strode over, he noticed the anxious looks on their faces as they talked quietly between themselves. He wondered what was going on, "Hey you two, how are you doing?"

"We're okay." Katjaa replied softly.

"Just havin' a little spat." Kenny elaborated. Katjaa flicked her head back at Kenny with a strange look.

She explained her opinion, "We all carry guns now and, well, I don't like it."

Kenny frowned, "It's the way it's gotta be."

"I know...but I'm not getting used to it." She expressed in return before remembering Lee, "Oh, I'm sorry, how are you, Lee?"

Lee glanced at Kenny, "Kenny, you gotta second? I need to tell you something."

"Sure, pal. What d'ya got?" Kenny perked up, curiosity touching his features and tone. He stood from his seat on the couch, wandering to a farther and more private spot. Lee stood still for a moment, wondering how the heck he was going to explain this to Kenny and also a lot about how Kenny was going to react. Would he be angry? Would he not care? "People might be pissed. And telling them might cause some trouble, but it will be a far cry from what'll happen if they don't hear it from you." Carley's voice rang out in his head. Yeah, it would be better to just get it over with. He followed behind, but not before noticing Carley observing him from the balcony. It was like silent encouragement.

"It's serious." Lee firstly began.

Kenny crossed his arms, "Oh no...what'd the she-devil do to you?"

Lee would've laughed if it were a different situation, he said in a tone that told Kenny he was totally misunderstanding, "Shut up, man." He paused, thinking, "I was uh...on my way to prison three months ago."

Kenny's eyes widened to the size of two dinner plates, "No shit?" Lee could see Carley in the background, nudging him on.

"No shit."

His friend-in-arms' eyes were still huge. Kenny glanced down for a fraction of second before resuming eye contact, "It wasn't for touching kids, was it?" Out of all responses, Lee didn't expect this.

"Gah no way, come on, man...!"

"...What? I gotta ask!" Kenny defended; he seemed extremely flustered at the news.

"No!" Lee explained exasperatedly, "I killed a guy in a fight."

He looked strange for a second, glancing anywhere but Lee as the new information sunk in slowly. Then he broke out into a slight grin, "Hmm. Musta' been a real piece a' shit if you had to haul off and kill him."

"So we're straight then?"

"Lee, look at everything this mess has got us doin' now. I'm sorry you went through whatever you went through. Yeah, we're "straight."" Kenny paced away.

Lee couldn't help smiling. That went better than expected. Maybe he was such a pessimist to think that Kenny would hate him for life and never let his family go within a ten-mile radius from him. Or perhaps Kenny would give the signal and all of the group's members would brandish large and dangerous weapons; their target, himself. He brushed away such thoughts.

Lee looked away from his group, instead to the scarcely open door of Lilly's room. She had sent them out of frustration and anger but surely she'd calmed at least a bit down. Maybe it was time to tell her. His relationship with Lilly wasn't that horrible compared to Kenny's and her's. Ever since the meat locker incident it had slowly began to go down road. He'd hate to make the bond between them even more strained if she'd figured out that he was a killer from someone else. In fact, maybe she wouldn't even care and say that he was already a killer for plain-out being Kenny's accomplice. Still, he nudged the door open.

Lilly was sitting on the side of her still messy and not-made bed. Her head was placed down on her knees. Lee thought again about how he should begin. Should he just start like how he did with Kenny? Unfortunately for him, he never got the chance. At the sound of his arrival, she sat up, "I'm sorry."

Lee found himself conveniently in front of a small chair, falling back gently into it. He paused for a moment, rearranging his words, "You don't have to apologize."

"Did you come in here to give me hell or to coddle me?" she murmured.

"..." He didn't know what to say. Something in his look must've irked her.

"Look. You can take whatever "this" is and... I-I need your help." She poured out, "There's a traitor, somebody, one of us, out there. He or she or they have been taking our things."

No response. He looked down. What was he supposed to say?

"So you don't believe me." Lilly frowned.

Lee looked back up sadly but still didn't answer.

"Look...The count's off and it's the good stuff. Antibiotics, oxy, fuck, anything with opium in it."

He finally spoke up, "I see the count and it's fine."

She nodded, understanding the base of his claim, "I keep my own. That one's getting messed with." Lilly grimaced, "I'm a fucking mess right now but I'm not stupid. I know what happens if I start a witch hunt."

Lee's brow furrowed, "So you want me to start one?"

"I want you to poke around."

He looked down, shaking his head. Lee wondered why he was still here but he decided to let her continue, "What's there to go on?"

Lilly reached down under her bed, confusing Lee. He naturally leaned closer to get a better look. She pulled out a bright yellow and familiar tool, handing it to him, "I found this tossed into the garbage." It was one of their flashlights. Shit. The lens was broken, and it was helluva task to fix one of these.

"Hmm." He grunted, examining it in his hands.

"We don't toss out equipment. We fix it. You'd only try to get rid of a flashlight if you were using it when you shouldn't."

"Seems like you're manufacturing this from nothing."

"Prove me wrong. Or I'll just assume it was you."

Well, shit. No choice now, was there? He nodded unwillingly, "I'll poke around..."

Lee left her room, creaking it back into place. On his face was a scowl. All of a sudden from a left was a high but male voice, "A mystery...!"

He jerked his head only to meet face to face with the eavesdropper in question. Duck. Duck's face held a goofy, impish, and sly smirk. It was a look that no doubt meant trouble. "Jesus, Duck!"

"I'm sorry...I heard you guys talking." The eavesdropper shrugged.

"Well you need to un-hear all of that."

As if Duck had not heard a single word that Lee had said, he ran up, tugging on his sleeve, "Can I help?"

"What did I just say?" Lee scolded.

Still not a word was paid attention to. It was as if Lee's words went through one ear and out the other ear. And as if it wasn't enough. The small boy began calling himself Robin, "You're the greatest detective and I can be Dick Grayson! Your ward...!"

Lee frowned, unable to find the words to speak.

"That's Robin." Duck explained matter-of-factly.

"...I know who it is." Lee crossed his arms, displeased.

Duck peered up at him with begging puppy-eyes. Any second now a wagging tail would sprout and he'd start fetching sticks and Frisbees. Lee sighed deeply, uncrossing his arms, Fine...okay, you're Robin."

"Yeeees!" He cheered, placing his hands at his waist and puffing his chest out as best as he could. Ah well, he tried, "What do I do?"

"Uh, I-I don't know! Go look around. Let me know when you find anything...weird."

"I'm on the case!" Duck threw a fist into the air. He ran off, horribly humming Batman's theme song. Kids. Lee thought about Clementine. Duck and Clementine were quite different from eachother. Clementine was much more reserved and quite a bit mature for her age. But...in a way, they were similar. They had both still kept their innocence even through all the hell the whole group went through. Lee wished it could stay that way.

Lee shook his head before re-examining the large flashlight. Could it really be what'd Lilly had said? The flashlight seemed convincing. She was right about how they would try their best to be resource-efficient. He gazed at the broken lens, tracing the jagged, sharp gap's shape with his eyes.

Time to poke around.