𝐃𝐄𝐂𝐈𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍.
[ starved for help; part four ]
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Katjaa was in the dining room of St. John's house, setting the table for everyone to eat. The house was very nice, but the hallway that lead to the living room and kitchen was blocked off. Brenda told them that they had to block it off, due to walkers getting in through there and it was a mess and smelled so bad. She set down the last plate when she heard the front door open and Lee, Kassidy, and Andy walk in.
"Alright mama, what's for dinner tonight?" Andy asked as he sat down.
"My very special remedy that you and your brother love," she responded.
Larry sniffed the food and turned to Brenda and said, "Well a beautiful woman can cook a beautiful meal."
Kassidy rolled her eyes in disgust.
"Oh, that's very sweet of you Larry," Brenda says.
"Where's Mark?" Lee asked.
"Oh, he's fine. I brought him up some food. He needs to rest."
"I'm gonna use the bathroom if that's okay," Lee spoke.
"It's just across the hall," Danny sakd as Lee goes to the bathroom.
A few minutes later Lee came running down the steps, shouting, "Don't eat that!" it startled Clementine and Kassidy, they both placed their forks on the table as everyone stopped eating and looked over at Lee.
"Lee, Jesus, man! Did you find something?" Kenny asked as Larry glared at Lee.
"Sit your ass down, Lee. This lady made you a meal!" He snapped as Brenda looked at him in appreciation.
"Yeah, Lee. What's gotten into you?" Lilly added as Lee looked around the table and glares at the meat.
"You're eating human meat!" He snapped as they looked down at the meat with wide eyes, shocked by the news.
"That's crazy," Lilly scoffed, glaring at Lee.
"What the hell?!" Kenny says in bewilderment and looks back at Lee. "You're scaring the kids, Lee," he added as Lee crossed his arms.
"Don't believe me? Then go upstairs and look! You'll find a man with both of his legs hacked off!" Lee spat as everyone looks at him in shock. "This is a dairy, not a ranch. Think about it!" Everyone started to think about what Lee said for a moment.
"Are you okay, Kass?" Kenny asked with concern in his voice as Kassidy looked up at him.
"Not really," she replied quietly, looking back up to notice her mom snatch Duck's plate away from him.
"Mom! I was eating that!"
"What the hell is going on?" Lilly asked.
"Everything could have worked out fine with you folks," Danny started.
Andy nodded. "He would've died anyway! We got to think about livin'!"
"Settle down, honey," Brenda said. "Growing up in rural Georgia, you're taught not to waste. It's how I was raised, and it's how I raised my boys. Now, you've got monsters roaming around, eating people, and for what? Just rot until they eat some more. We think we can put that meat to better use."
Lilly pushed her plate away. "Ugh, I'm going to puke."
"You're all sick," Lee snapped. "Sick in the head."
"Lee, that's not a very nice thing to imply," Brenda glared at him. "Andy's right- we go after folks who were going to die anyways, one way or another."
"Like y'all," Danny said.
"Kenny!" Lee yelled. "Get your gun!"
He stood up, pulling his gun out of his pocket.
"Kenny, no!" Katjaa yelled.
"Nobody's going anywhere!" He warned, standing up and pointing his gun. Danny took out his rifle and stood up, pointing the gun at everyone.
"Put your guns down! We're walking out of here!" Lilly ordered to no avail.
"Don't go near my fucking family!" Kenny warned as Clementine and Kassidy start to panic a bit.
"Mommy, what did I eat?" Duck asked their mom as tears started to form in his eyes. Kassidy rubbed her younger brother's back.
"Everyone, stay calm. We're gonna be fine," Lee assured as he looked over at Clem.
"Lee? Lee!" Clem cried as Andy looked at her and snatching her by the hair, making Clem cry out in pain as he yanked her.
This action angered Lee as he glares at Andy, if looks could kill, he'd be dead by now. "Let go of her, you son of a bitch!" Lee reached out for him, but stopped when Danny pointed the rifle at his face.
Just then, everyone heard a loud thud coming from the hallway as they all look in fear and curiosity before Mark came crawling toward them. "Please. Please..." he begged as everyone gasped at the sight. Kassidy gagged up in disgust. Lee turned back and saw the fear in Clementine's eyes but before he could react, Danny hit him with the butt of the rifle, knocking him out instantly.
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"I WILL TEAR THIS FUCKING DOOR DOWN LET ME OUT!" Larry yelled.
"Will you shut up? They're not going to let us out! We have to find another way out!"
"YOU SICK FUCK BASTARDS! I WILL BEAT THIS DOOR DOWN!"
"Dad, stop!"
"Are you better now, Kass?" Clementine asks worryingly as Kassidy wiped off the vomit from her mouth while Kenny rubbed her back, she slid down the wall, turning back to Clem. "Not really, I don't feel so good."
Just then, Lee started to stir a bit before he finally opened his eyes, realizing the situation they were in. "Lee!" Clem exclaimed, crouching down next to him. "It-it was a person! They tried to make us eat a person!" she exclaimed.
"But you didn't do it...?" Lee questioned, concerned.
"No..." Clementine replied, thankfully.
"Me neither. Duck did though," Kassidy added on with a frown.
"The rest of us did, dammit! If you hadn't dragged your feet-" Larry started before Lilly cut him off, "C'mon, Dad. Now's not the time."
"They didn't hurt you two, did they?" Lee asked as he stood back up.
"No, not really. My hair hurts though," Clem said quietly while Kass shook her head no as well, Lee started to look around the room while Kenny felt around the wall for some kind of secret door.
"Dad..."
Kenny turned to look at Kassidy, "Yeah, hon?"
"I want Mom..." she shifted in her spot on the floor.
"I know, I know..."
"OPEN UP!" Larry shouted as he hit the door harder.
"Lee, those psychos have the rest of my family, and we're stuck in a damn meat locker! We gotta get the fuck outta here!" Kenny exclaimed, frantically.
"I'm scared!" Clem exclaimed.
"Don't be, I'm going to find us a way out of here," Lee said reassuringly, starting to look around the meat locker.
"What are we going to do, Kass?" Clem asked as she looked back at her, lightly squeezing her hand.
"Don't worry, my dad and Lee will get us out safe, we just gotta stay out of trouble, " Kassidy reassured.
"I will break this goddamn door down, you fuckers!" Larry snarled as he started shoulder slamming the door, despite the fact that he sounded out of breath. "Dad! Calm down! You could get-" Lilly warned just as Larry clutched his chest, groaning in pain as he did back at the drug store. "Easy..." Lilly spoke calmly. "Oh god..." Larry muttered quietly before dropping to the ground.
"DAD!" Lilly shouted, kneeling next to him and placing an ear on his chest, hoping to hear a heartbeat, but there had been nothing so she started pumping his chest. "No! Dad, come on! DAD!!" She screamed. "Oh God, he's stopped breathing. I think he's had a heart attack!" Lilly exclaimed as Lee and Kenny gather around.
Kassidy yelped in fear, "Is he dead!?" she cried out.
"He's not dead! Somebody help me!!" Lilly shouted, pumping harder on Larry's chest.
"Fuck... If he's dead..."
"HE'S NOT DEAD!" Lilly barked at him as Kenny looked back at Lee.
"You know what has to happen, Lee. You saw what happened to that poor bastard back in the Motor Inn. How fast he turned."
The news got through to Lilly as she looked back at him, "What the fuck are you saying?!" she snapped as Kenny looked down at her.
"Lilly, I'm sorry. I truly, truly am. But in a few minutes, we're about to be trapped in a locked room with a six-foot-four, three hundred pound, seriously, pissed-off dead guy!" Kenny tried to explain.
"Fuck you! We can bring him back! LEE!!" Lilly snarled.
"We can mourn him later. But right now, we gotta make sure he doesn't come back!" Kenny told her as Kassidy gasped, "Dad?"
"No!" Clem squealed, knowing what that meant, as Kenny turned back to Lee.
"C'mon, Lee! Think of the kids! We gotta keep them safe as well!" Kenny begged as Lee looked at them, noticing their worried faces.
"Goddamn it, Kenny, he's not dead!" Lilly yelled.
Lee furrowed his brows, shaking his head, "We can't kill him if he's not dead, Kenny."
"You know how hard it was to get that walker off of Katjaa. And he was half Larry's size!"
"Look, Kenny, back at the drug store, when they all thought Duck was bitten, I gave him the benefit of the doubt... maybe we should do the same now!"
"That was different. We knew Duck wasn't bitten! But we know this guy isn't waking up! Remember what Ben said, you have to destroy the brain... C'mon, Lee. You can't be in the middle of this! You've gotta have my back on this one!" He exclaimed as Lilly looked back at Lee.
"Goddammit, Lee! I need you! Please, help me!!" Lilly shouts as she continued pumping on Larry's chest, letting Lee think for a moment before he finally made a decision.
"You're right, Kenny. Let's get this over with," Lee sighed in defeat, hating the idea, but understanding why it must be done.
"You fucking monsters! Both of you!" Lilly screamed at them as she continued pumping on Larry's chest.
"I don't wanna see!" Clem cried out as she turned, hugging Kassidy and cowering in fear. Kassidy returned the hug, wrapping her arms around Clem, comforting her as their back faced Lee and Kenny.
"I'm sorry, Lilly. I really am," Lee told her sadly as he grabbed her arms and held her back.
"No, no, no!" Lilly yelled hopelessly, holding on to Larry's body as tightly as she could as Lee tried to pull her off. "Let go of me!"
A sickening splat. Kenny had thrown a salt lick onto Larry's head. Blood pooled around him, bits of his brain laying on the floor as Lilly sobbed into Larry's chest.