The next day Kara avoided everyone, isolating herself as she tried to learn how to aim better, causing Bonnie to grow even more concerned.
"All she's been doing today is taking aim at walkers, I'm worried about her," Bonnie spoke to Troy and Tavia.
"Like I said last night, it's not our business, it's Bill's. Stay out of it."
Kara teared up and kept trying to get headshots as she stood on the roof of the building, trying to make herself stronger to avoid more tragedy.
"Tavia, I'm not sure he'll talk to her about this, he's grieving as well, we can't just—"
"Bonnie. Unless he asks you to step in, you are not to speak to her about it, is that understood?" Tavia scolded, causing Bonnie to sigh.
"Fine, fine, but can't Troy talk to her? He was close to Bill and Vanessa."
"I doubt he wants to get on Bill's bad side to talk to a grieving kid. Just leave her be."
Kara knew that some of the recruits, both old and new, were talking about her, which only made her more upset as she kept trying to focus her shots.
Bill sat in his office, trying his best to keep his head straight before eventually deciding to climb onto the roof, immediately spotting his daughter.
"Kara? What are you doing?"
"Bonnie, we've seen this happen way too many times, and if we step in, someone is going to either get hurt or killed," Vince chimed in as he turned to look at her.
"Hell, if we have Troy do it, Kara might just shoot him because of how much she hates him."
"That's...a fair point," Bonnie sighed, rubbing the back of her neck.
"Still though, she could use a friend. She wouldn't hurt a fly, unless it was named Troy."
"She won't, but Bill will," Tavia replied with an eye roll.
Kara took aim again through teary eyes as she heard her dad behind her, trying not to let his presence distract her.
"Practicing..."
"You're getting better at it baby girl," He encouraged, walking over as he watched her.
Kara hesitated for a moment, seeming almost completely zoned in, which was unlike her usual self.
"...Thanks, Daddy..." She quietly replied as she took aim again, shooting another walker, but missing the head.
He walked over to her, putting his hand on her shoulder as he continued to gaze down at his daughter.
"I know how bad things are, but if we let the bad drown us, we will die, and it will be painful. We can't let the death of others affect us when we are the leaders of this camp."
She sniffled, lowering her gun before turning her head to look up at her father with teary eyes.
"How do you do it, Daddy?" She questioned sadly, wanting to be more like her father to overcome her deep feeling of grief.
"We keep our heads up, replace that feeling of sadness with something else, whether it be anger, happiness, whatever it is, and if that doesn't work, talk to me," He advised as he continued to stare down at his young daughter.
She nodded, taking it in for a moment before turning on the gun safety and hugging him.
"Thank you, Daddy," She replied quietly, sniffling a bit as she decided to take her father's advice to heart.
He hugged back, replying with a smile, "Of course baby girl."
Days later, after much preparation, they finally left to go after Luke's group.
Kara saw the group off with a bright smile, hugging her dad for good luck before playing with her stuffed bunny happily, giggling as she ran around Howes.
Bonnie sighed as she leaned back in the backseat of the truck, prepping her gun.
"Are we sure we'll be able to find them? I mean, what if they've already found a car?"
"Pft, please, them? They're probably somewhere nearby cowering," Russell replied with an eye roll.
"We'll probably even find them in time for dinner."
"All of the cars have been scrapped in this area, ain't a chance they did. They would be hiding somewhere nearby, we just need to find where they went. Based on the report from the little scouting trip some of you guys went on, they went to the Civil War memorial, just down the road aways," Carver chimed in as he started the truck before driving off.
"Well, what happens when we find 'em?" Troy asked as he relaxed in the front seat.
"We bring them home as peacefully as possible of course, they're family," Bonnie quickly replied, not wanting any violence to ensue.
"Uh huh, family that left with a bunch of our supplies and decided that they'd rather be with the dead than us," Russell chimed in with a heavy eye roll.
"They'll have to give me the strength to forgive them," Bill spoke, keeping his gaze on the road.
Eventually, morning came around, sooner than any of them had expected, but they still made no progress, finding no trace of the group anywhere.
"It has been hell trying to find them, but they should be somewhere close."
"Well, who knows, maybe we'll find them soon," Bonnie replied with a smile, looking over at Bill to reassure him.
"I hope so, I'm getting tired of all this searching," Russell sighed, stretching a bit to loosen his muscles.
"Yeah, I sure damn hope so," He replied, looking at them as they heard a horn honking.
"That's them," He stated as he parked their vehicle, turning back in his seat to look at the group.
"You three, come with me," He commanded, looking at Russell, Bonnie, and Troy.
Bonnie nodded, quickly prepping her gear as she followed Bill with Russell right behind her.
"So, what's the actual plan boss? I mean— there's no way they won't put up a fight," Russell questioned curiously as he held his gun firmly, ready to do whatever was necessary.
"No idiot would pull a stunt like that just to bring walkers, you only do that to bring them to you," He replied, looking at them as they walked towards the sound of an old gold and red truck.
As it came into view, the honking suddenly stopped and they heard screaming, Pete's screaming.
Bonnie's eyes widened and she quickly ran in the direction of the screams, her eyes filled with horror.
"That's Pete screaming!" She exclaimed, running as fast as she possibly could to see what on earth could be happening.
Russell followed just as quickly, but not for Pete, for Bonnie to make sure she didn't get herself hurt in the process.
Bill ran over quickly and saw the walkers just eating him as he screamed.
"I'm sorry we weren't quick enough," He spoke with remorse before shooting him between the eyes, reuniting Pete with Vanessa.
Bonnie covered her mouth in shock, breathing a sad gasp, shaking a bit at the sight.
Even though Russell doesn't care for Pete, he quickly shoots the walkers dead and comforts Bonnie.
"Hey, it's okay, he's not suffering anymore."
Bonnie teared up, trembling as she remembered how close Kara was to Pete.
"Kara's going to be devastated..."
"She'll be fine, she's tough," Russell replied before looking back over to Pete's corpse.
"Let's just hope the rest of them haven't turned out like this."
"He was bitten before we got here, it's a mercy," He spoke once more as he looked at Pete.
"He was a good man."
He looked down at his corpse once more before he took care of the rest of the walkers.
As they walked away from the scene, Bonnie sighed, taking a deep breath as she followed in tow.
"It never gets easier to deal with," She commented quietly, staring down at the ground with gun in hand as they walked.
Russell felt a bit of remorse seeing the sad look on Bonnie's face, sighing before whispering in response, "Well, think of it this way. Vanessa viewed Pete like a father figure, I'm sure they're catching up somewhere on the other side by now."
Bonnie smiled, hugging Russell for a moment before continuing to walk, happiness slowly returning to her heart.
"Thank you, Russell."
He nodded before taking in the surroundings around him curiously, thinking for a moment before speaking up once again.
"Hey, if we found Pete there, there's a good chance that there's clues nearby, maybe even a small base they made?"
"He had to be bringing the walkers towards him to protect someone," Bill spoke, looking down towards the mud, spotting a trail of footprints.
"Perfect, let's move. Everyone, follow the trail."
"I wonder if he might've been helping Sarah," Bonnie suggested as she followed right beside Bill, keeping a close eye on their surroundings.
"Pft, no way," Russell began as he followed behind the pair, glancing around the area before continuing, "Sarah would've been frozen in fear, she wouldn't have ran. He was protecting someone else."
"You never know," Bonnie shrugged, glancing back down at the footprints curiously.
"Although, the shoe size does seem smaller than Sarah's...that's odd," Bonnie commented before shaking her head a bit.
"Maybe her shoe size is smaller than I remember."
"No, this is definitely someone else's, Sarah would've left skid marks, it's definitely someone smaller," He replied as he took out his radio, holding it up as he turned it on.
"Troy, keep going with the truck."
"Maybe it's one of the dead?" Russell suggested, to which Bonnie shook her head, scrutinizing the tracks as they followed them.
"No, the footprints would drag more, looking more sluggish, these are clear footsteps of a living child, or an adult with very small feet," Bonnie replied, tilting her head curiously as they followed.
"They're trying to get back to their camp, and let's hope they make it back," Bill spoke as they walked.
"So I have a question for the both of you; What happened to the groups you were with before? It might've been a bad time, but it would be good to know" He questioned curiously.
Russell sighed heavily, groaning as he thought back to his previous experiences.
"I could rant for hours about my previous groups. First one was a group of seven and was led by this guy named Steve, real bad guy who said we couldn't let anyone in or let anyone leave because seven was the magic number, then I ran into this guy named Nate," He began with a groan, rolling his eyes slightly at the thought before continuing.
"He was cocky, arrogant, and he shot this old couple before my eyes to steal what supplies they had left. I only stuck with him for so long because I was afraid of ending up by myself again."
Bonnie looked down, looking a bit ashamed as she chimed in, "Honestly, I don't remember much. I was high off my rear half the time until this couple found me, they helped me get sober, and just...the wife, Dee, she assumed I was trying to take her husband from her. I accidentally killed her one day when raiders chased us, and while Leland, the husband and I left together, it didn't take long for him to be consumed by grief and take his own life to be with her. Ever since then, I've just been trying to get by, make good choices, and not screw up."
"Jesus, seems you folks had it rough,"
After a few moments, she tilted her head curiously towards Bill, smiling a bit.
"What was it like before Tavia brought us in?"
Bill thought it over for a moment, mulling over her question before replying.
"Lonely. The five of us all cooped up in a huge warehouse, no one to talk to but ourselves. I'm happy that Tavia found you two."
"Ha, no kidding," Russell replied with a sigh, looking back down at the tracks.
Bonnie smiled, looking up at Bill as she replied, "Well, I'm sure it wasn't too lonely. You had your family, not a lot of people can say that anymore, but I'm glad we came along when we did. It was nice to finally have a place to belong without worrying about being accused of stealing someone's husband."
"Well, when Tavia told me she found you folks, I was praying you'd come along, for once let something go our way, and when you did, Kara and Vanessa were so happy to have new people to talk to," Bill replied as they came across a house at a steady pace.
Bonnie smiled, nodding in response as she looked back up at Bill.
"Honestly, I can't even describe the joy her offer gave us. On top of all the benefits joining your group gave, your daughter truly has a gift for making everyone's days a little brighter. I'm glad we made the decision to join when we did."
"Guys?" Russell chimed in, causing Bonnie to glance over at him.
"There's a cabin in the clearing, look," He continued, pointing past the clearing.
"This must be it. Ok, stay here, I'll be right back. If you hear gunshots, get in quick," Bill ordered before making his way over.
Bonnie nodded, looking closely for anyone from the group of deserters.
"Be careful."
Clementine noticed the man approaching, looking out the window before quickly running to Sarah.
"Go and hide, I'll handle this," She whispered, nudging her away before quickly looking at the door.
"But—!"
"Just go, I've got this," She whispered reassuringly, giving her a determined look.
Sarah hesitated for a moment before nodding, quickly sneaking off to hide.
Bill looked inside the window, trying to see if anybody was inside, thinking about what to say if the group was inside.
Clementine's eyes widened when she saw Bill outside the window, slowly beginning to back away as she struggled to think of what to do.
Carlos said not to open it for anyone, but what if this man had backup? Either way, she had to make a choice, and she had to make it now.
So, she slowly went up to the door, about to lock it to try and protect Sarah.
Unfortunately for her, he opened the door before she could.
"Hi there," He spoke with a smile, not expecting a little girl to be there in place of the group.
The girl was silent for a moment, staring up at the man as she crossed her arms.
"Hey."
"I wanted to say hi to my neighbors, what's your name?" He questioned curiously, looking at her for a moment with that smile on his face.
The young girl stared up at him, contemplating for a moment before remembering how scared Sarah had looked moments before, causing her to try and slam the door in his face instead of responding.
Unfortunately for her once again, Bill stopped the door, forcing his way in.
"May I come in?" He gave a rhetorical question before he fully forced his way in, looking at the pictures around the house.
"Cozy place you've got here."
She quickly followed him after shutting the door behind him, glancing around nervously to make sure Sarah was out of sight before just as quickly returning to her calm demeanor.
"Yep. You can leave now."
He kept walking through despite her attempts at trying to convince him to leave, determined to find the answers he was seeking.
"Are you alone here?" He questioned curiously as he looked around.
"Because I'm looking for a couple people, seven people to be more exact."
"I'm alone," She began, crossing her arms once more.
"And I haven't seen anyone," She added, glaring up at him as he roamed around the house.
He walked into the kitchen and looked at the pile of dishes curiously.
"That's a lot of dishes for one person," He commented, looking at her as he leaned against the counter.
She looked up at him, leaning against the counter as she replied blankly, "I don't like doing dishes."
She then spotted a knife lying on a counter out of the corner of her eye and decided to take the opportunity, quickly trying to grab it.
He grabbed it before she could even have the chance, causing Clementine to back up a bit in surprise.
"Where does this go?" He questioned as he held it firmly.
She blinked a bit, cursing in her mind as she saw him now holding the knife instead.
Whether she liked it or not, he had full control of the situation.
"Uh...in there," She replied as she gestured over to a drawer.
He walked over and put the knife in the drawer, shutting it before turning back over to her.
He then walked over to the living area, seeing a plaid shirt.
"You know, I knew a guy that wore these shirts all the time, smug bastard, a doctor too."
Clementine followed nervously, hoping and praying Sarah could stay hidden long enough for him to leave.
"What happened to him...?"
"Ran off with my people. People will find any way to turn against you," He replied, gazing down at the chessboard.
"Hm, whites in trouble, only three moves from a checkmate," He spoke again before they heard a loud creak coming from upstairs.
She glanced up, trying not to panic, quickly looking back at the man in front of her, hoping he hadn't heard it, but she noticed that the look on his face meant he definitely did and he wasn't going to ignore it.
Still, she hoped he'd remain distracted as she replied quietly, "Yeah."
"What was that?" He asked as he reached for his revolver, heading towards the stairs.
The young girl's eyes widened, quickly following him as she replied, "It's probably nothing."
He walked up the stairs without any hesitation, walking into the room before he began to look around curiously.
"Hmm..."
As the young girl walked into the room with Bill, she glanced under the bed from where she was standing behind him only to spot a shaky Sarah.
She hoped and prayed Sarah could keep quiet and still; Even if her hiding spot was incredibly obvious, she just hoped the man wouldn't notice.
Eventually, she crossed her arms, giving him a look.
"See? There's no one here, it was probably the house settling, now leave."
"Fair enough, couldn't just leave you here with a clear conscience knowing that someone could be in your home," He replied as he looked down before spotting something, bending down and picking up a photograph.
"Who's this?' He questioned with a smug smile, holding a picture of Sarah.
The young girl blinked in surprise, her calm demeanor vanishing for a moment before quickly returning, crossing her arms across her chest as she shrugged.
"Must've been a girl who lived here."
"You have no idea who these people are, do you?" He questioned as he looked down at her.
"Answer me this; When you came across them, they didn't trust you, did they?"
The young girl's glare deepened, staring directly up at him, holding direct eye contact for a few moments before gazing back down.
"...Pete trusted me."
"Hm, well I think I'll let myself out" He spoke with a smile before he made his way back down the stairs.
Clementine watched him go down the stairs from behind the railing, looking to be a bit hesitant and lost in thought before quickly looking back at him.
"Who are you?"
"You have a nice day now," Bill replied as he went back out the front door, heading back towards his group.
"Well, that was a very interesting encounter."
"There was someone inside?" Bonnie began with wide eyes, surprised to hear there was anyone at all.
"Who was it? Was it Sarah?" Bonnie questioned curiously as she watched Bill approach once more.
"If Sarah were there then we probably wouldn't be empty-handed right now Bonnie," Russell quickly replied.
"No, someone different, tough, little girl, only 11 and she knows the group pretty well, didn't know me though," He replied as he gazed upon them once more.
"Come on, let's get back to the truck before the rest of the group gets back."
"What? Why not wait for them to come back??" Russell questioned as he quickly followed Bill back towards the truck.
"If they see any trace of us when they get back then they'll scatter like a group of horses after being startled. We have to be cautious with how we handle this...although now with there being a little girl, it does complicate matters a bit," Bonnie sighed, quickly following in tow.
"It doesn't complicate anything. We just grab the group and leave her, simple as that," Russell replied with an eye roll.
"You heard Bill, she's eleven, who knows what would happen to her if she stays out here all alone."
"They start to head off, and that little girl will tell them I saw where they were, they leave as a group, and they head off somewhere else. We follow them, we try to take them now, we will be leaving corpses behind. They won't leave without a fight," Bill replied, walking in the direction of the truck.
Russell took a moment before sighing, nodding as he replied, "I guess you're right, I just hope it won't take too long."
"Fears a great motivator, I'm sure they'll move quickly and swiftly, possibly even leave a trail behind them by mistake," She chimed in plainly as she followed behind the pair.
"That mud is pretty damn good, as long as it doesn't rain or snow we should be fine," He replied once more as they walked towards the truck as a group.
"There's always a method to my madness Russell."
As they hopped into the truck, Russell sighed, curling up in his seat.
"Well, I'm gonna rest my eyes. Nudge me if you need me," Russell spoke to Bonnie, to which she nodded.
"Sweet dreams, city boy," She teased her friend as he rested his eyes before she turned back to the windshield, wondering where they'd end up.
Four days had passed and they had now been on the road for a little while, Troy had since taken over driving as Bill was talking to Kara on the radio.
"Daddy you should've seen it! I hit so many in the head and it was so cool! Tavia said I'm the coolest ever at shooting and that she'll make sure to put me on the schedule for it when I'm older!" She giggled happily as she talked to her father over the walkie-talkie, curled up with her stuffed bunny.
Bonnie couldn't help but smile at Kara's joy, finding it adorable how she talked to her father.
"That's good, I'm proud of you baby girl. I'm sad that I'm not there to see it, but we should be home soon. Hell, you might be running before I get back," Bill replied with a smile as he was so proud of his daughter.
She giggled happily, sitting on her sleeping bag while hugging her stuffed bunny.
"I miss you, Daddy, please don't take much longer. Tavia's tried to read me stories at night, but it's not the same without you here," She spoke, keeping a happy tone of voice while still clearly missing her father's presence dearly.
"Don't worry, I'll be back as soon as I can. Umm...I do have some bad news though that I know is awful to hear, but Pete died. He was suffering, just like mommy was, and we couldn't let him suffer like that," He replied, trying to be as blunt as possible.
She deserved to know before they got there
Kara went quiet for a long time, the only sound heard in the silence was a small whimper, but after a few moments, she sounded normal again.
"That's okay, Daddy, I'm glad you got there in time to help him so he wouldn't have to suffer anymore. I gotta go, Tavia's calling for me," She replied happily, causing Bonnie to raise an eyebrow in the backseat.
"I love you daddy. Come home safe."
"I'll do my best baby girl," He replied, looking to the radio as he put on his belt and sunk in his seat, feeling her sadness even after all that was left was silence
After a few moments of hesitation, Bonnie gently placed her hand on Bill's shoulder to reassure him.
"Hey, she's a strong kid, takes after her parents. She'll be okay," She spoke with a smile, hoping to put his mind at ease.
"I hope so. She's tough, but the mind can only handle so much death before it breaks," He replied as he sighed and sat up.
She nodded, smiling softly at him as she replied, "True, but she has you to help her through it. And on top of that, seeing you bring the group home will make her happy, especially if Luke's still around. Clung to him like an older brother when he was around."
"Let's just hope they don't get themselves killed out here," Russell sighed, leaning back in his seat.
"Troy, you still good at driving or do you need me to take over?"
"I'm fine, maybe in a bit," Troy replied as they spotted a bridge up ahead, parking the truck as it was beginning to get dark.
"Looks like we're going on foot for now," Bill spoke up as he grabbed a flashlight from his bag.
Russell groaned, causing Bonnie to laugh a bit in response.
"They won't get far Russ, we'll make good time," She replied with a smile, grabbing a few things before hopping out and turning on her flashlight to scope the area.
Russell sighed, grabbing some supplies before getting out as well, staying close to Bonnie while holding his flashlight.
Troy grabbed his binoculars and looked up past the bridge, scoping the area out.
"Looks like they went to the old ski lodge," Troy stated as he put down his binoculars, turning back towards the group.
"Really? How can you tell?" Russell questioned, to which Bonnie pulled out her binoculars, handing them to him.
"Because it's lit up like a Christmas tree," Bonnie replied with a smile, sighing in relief.
"If we're lucky, it won't take us much longer to catch up. They might not leave such a comfortable place, at least not at this time of night."
Johnny walked out of the truck, slamming the truck door shut in frustration.
"You've got to be kidding, they'll be gone before we get there!" He exclaimed, focusing his gaze on the group.
"If we have no faith we won't, but if you keep saying shit like that I will personally put my foot up your ass and leave you to walk back to base," Bill threatened as he turned his head to look at him.
Bonnie sighed, looking over at Johnny with a softer pair of eyes while Russell simply glared.
"Realistically, they might stay there the night Johnny. I mean, Rebecca's pregnant, they have electricity and they don't have a car to keep moving. They have to rest at some point, and it shouldn't be too long of a hike, a couple of hours at most. We have to take our chances. Now, let's get moving y'all, won't be long till we run into some more of the dead."
"Alright then, let's get goin'," Bill chimed in as they pressed ahead, seeing a puddle of blood on the bridge.
"Doesn't look like a walker's blood, looks too fresh. Wonder if that was their doing," Bill spoke as he walked with a sigh, continuing to make their way towards the ski lodge as they heard the sound of the wind turbine making a loud whooshing sound because of the storm that was coming in.
Bonnie heard yelling up ahead along with gunshots, causing her to quickly ready her gun.
"Sounds like we'll be in for a lot more action than we signed up for."
"Let's do this," Russell replied as he readied his gun as well.
"Hold it, we can't just run in guns blazing. We kill one of them, then we're no better than Roman or Steve. We get there and we wait," Bill quickly spoke, looking at him as they got closer.
Bonnie nodded, looking over at Bill calmly as she followed his lead.
"Fair point. Good call Bill." She replied with a look of approval as she followed after him.
Russell sighed, nodding as he followed closely along as well, not exactly liking the plan but deciding it was probably for the best anyway to not waste the ammo.
As they walked up, they watched closely, seeing them shoot the walkers that were coming as they shut off the wind turbine and when he saw them as a group, he stood.
"Fire away, make sure not to hit the group"
Clementine quickly tried to help Carlos, but as she was about to rush over, she saw the walker's brains get blown out before spotting Bill walking up with his group, causing her to run inside.
Russell and Bonnie were careful with their aim, making sure to only hit the dead and to leave the group in one piece.
"Howdy folks," He greeted, walking over to them as he looked at Carlos.
"Where's Rebecca?" He questioned, staring down Carlos.
Carlos glared and spat at Bill without hesitation, causing Sarita's eyes to widen in surprise.
Rebecca was watching secretly from upstairs, shaking at the sight of Bill as she hoped that maybe Vanessa would've been there to keep him under control, but she couldn't spot her.
"Nice to see you too," He spoke again as he wiped his face before punching him hard in the gut.
Carlos gasped in pain, clinging to his stomach as he gritted his teeth.
Sarah gasped as she watched from the window beside Clementine secretly, covering her mouth in horror.
"Dad!" She exclaimed in a whisper before running off, causing Rebecca to grow worried.
"Sarah, wait—!" Rebecca whispered, but Sarah ran out the door and into her father's arms.
Carlos protectively hugged his daughter, continuing to glare up at Bill as he did his best to protect his daughter from the situation.
Bill looked over at the ski lodge, his eyes narrowing before signaling his men.
"In there," He ordered as he forced the people outside inside and had them on their knees. "Rebbeca! Our child deserves to be born in a place of safety!"
Rebecca covered her mouth in fear as she worried for the others, and most importantly, her baby.
Even then, she couldn't stop wondering why Vanessa wasn't there to keep him in check, did that mean she hadn't found out yet? Or worse? Either way, she was horrified.
Clementine secretly moved up the stairs, staying by Alvin and Rebecca as she listened in, trying to gauge how bad the situation was.
He heard nothing back and grabbed Carlos, pushing him before punching him in the gut and walking up behind him.
"I'm only going to ask this once; Where's Rebecca?" He questioned, looking down at Carlos with a harsh gaze.
"Dad!" Sarah cried out in a panic, sobbing as Carlos got hurt by Bill.
"It's okay Sarah, look at me, it's going to be alright," Carlos attempted to soothe his daughter, staying calm for her sake.
Clementine secretly watched from the railing bars at the top of the staircase, her eyebrows furrowing in worry as Alvin and Rebecca whispered about their next move.
Bill gazed down at Carlos as he tried to reassure his daughter, glaring down at him before bending his fingers backward, causing Carlos to cry out in pain.
"We have to go down there, he'll kill him!" Alvin suggested giving up in a whisper, knowing Bill was entirely capable of it.
He had seen what Bill had done to people who had wronged him, he wasn't willing to let it happen to Carlos.
"DAD!!!" Sarah cried out, sobbing as her father cried out in pain while Sarita attempted to comfort her.
Clementine flinched a bit at the sounds, the situation fully setting in as she heard the painful cries from their group.
"We can't!" Rebecca whispered back in a panic, tearing up as she placed her hand over her stomach.
"He'd kill you, Alvin, I can't lose you," She quietly cried.
When Bill heard nothing back from Rebecca, he bent Carlos' fingers back again as he was insanely pissed off.
"He'll kill Carlos, Becc! We surrender now, we might have a chance to save lives!" Alvin urged in a whisper, looking at her as he tried to reason with her.
"He might not!...M-Maybe Luke and Kenny can help us! Maybe if we send Clementine to find them!" Rebecca whispered.
Clementine looked between the two as she heard Carlos' cries of pain, struggling to figure out what to do before eventually sighing.
"We have to surrender..."
"But Kenny—"
"Might not be able to save everyone....we might, and if I'm not there he'll get suspicious. He's too observant," Clementine quietly replied.
Rebecca sighed for a moment, taking a deep breath before standing up and exclaiming, "Bill stop!"
Bill looked up to her and smiled in satisfaction.
"Ah," He spoke as he gestured to the few people he had to go get the others and tie them up.
As Johnny was keeping watch by the window, a bullet hits him dead in the head and Bill quickly takes cover, growling slightly.
"Russell, Bonnie, watch them," He ordered as he picked up Walter and walked up towards the window, pushing him to the ground and shooting him through the head.
"That's for our man! Now here's what's going to happen! I'm going to bring another one of your friends out here, and I'm going to put a bullet in their head!" He shouted to the shooter, looking to where the bullet came from behind cover.
This caused Sarah to begin to cry more, with Rebecca and Sarita both attempting to calm her down.
Clementine looked mortified as she stared at Walter's body, glancing up at Bonnie who also appeared a bit shaken up, but quickly went back to a calmer demeanor.
Suddenly a bullet just barely missed Bill's head, causing everyone's eyes to widen in terror.
He shook his head and went over to Alvin, eager to have a reason to dispose of the man who threatened to take away his unborn child.
"Hi Alvin" He greeted with a grin as he lifted him off his knees and walked back towards the window.
Rebecca's eyes widened as she tried to stop him, but Russell kept her back.
"Bill, stop! He'll stop! Kenny stop!" She exclaimed in terror, terrified for her husband.
"You remember a guy named George, Alvin? You see, I do. I remember a guy that was your friend named George. I remember when you murdered him in cold blood. And why? Because you didn't like me? You could have logged a complaint, you could have- Well, you could have been civil."
Suddenly while the others were distracted by Rebecca, Clementine ran out from the group, dodging Bonnie's attempt at stopping her and ran at Bill, trying to stop him from hurting Alvin.
Bill hit her stomach, knocking the wind out of her as he picked her up as she coughed in pain, putting the revolver to her head.
Clementine began to shrink in fear as she realized the situation she placed herself in, shutting her eyes tightly as she waited for the bullet, knowing there was nothing she could do to save herself now.
Bonnie covered her mouth in horror, hoping desperately that whoever was shooting would stop for the sake of the little girl.
Bill knew that the man shooting would have to stop or risk a little girl dying, and he was willing to risk the odds.
After all, this wasn't his kid, why should he care?
After a few moments of waiting in anticipation, Kenny walked in. his rifle outside the door as he held his hands in the air, unwilling to put her in harm's way.
Clementine's eyes opened wide when she heard Kenny come back inside, causing her to quickly whip her head around to confirm her thoughts.
While she didn't want him to get captured, she did feel a wave of relief knowing she wouldn't die today because of him.
Sarita breathed a sigh of relief, leaning back against the wall of the front desk after seeing Kenny come in to surrender for Clementine.
As they were all tied up and put back into position, Bill gazed upon them, pacing back and forth as he questioned the group, "Alright now, where's Luke?"
After a few moments of silence from the group, he began to speak again, looking unamused as he scolded the group of runaways, "Finally cut and run, huh? Why am I not surprised? I warned you. I warned you not to follow him, and look where he's led you. But you're safe now, we're going home, as a family," Bill added before sighing, turning back towards Troy.
"Troy, get the truck, we're heading back to camp," He ordered as he grabbed his radio to tell his daughter they would be on their way home.
Kara was playing with her stuffed bunny while Tavia watched her, giggling as she ran around the base, happily waiting for her father to return home.
Tavia sighed as she watched, staring back down at her radio as she hoped that bringing the group back wouldn't generate more problems than they're worth.
Eventually, she gazed back up at the bubbly Kara, frowning a bit as she hoped the young girl wouldn't have to receive more bad news so soon after her mother's passing.
Suddenly, while she was lost in thought, her radio went off, breaking free from her thoughts upon hearing Bill's voice coming through.
"Tavia, we'll be home tomorrow morning, and we brought our friends back with us," He spoke as he stared down at the radio, waiting for Troy to come back with the truck.
"Oh, that's great news!" Tavia replied as she looked back down at the radio, causing Kara's head to perk up from afar.
Tavia laughed, finding Kara's actions adorable as she added, "You mind if Kara talks to you? She's looking at me like a kid on Christmas now that she's heard your voice."
"Of course, put her on," Bill spoke with a smile as he watched the truck drive up, ready to hear his daughter's voice again after a long few hours.
Tavia signaled for her to come over, which in turn caused Kara to perk up even more and run straight to the walkie.
After Kara picked it up with her little hands, she ran off happily, hugging her stuffed bunny.
"Hi, Daddy! I heard you found them! Are they safe?" She questioned curiously as she plopped down by a random shelf, swaying her little feet back and forth happily as she waited for her father's response.
"All of them are as safe as can be, as well as some new people," He replied with a smile, watching Troy park the truck as he relaxed at his daughter's happiness.
"Really!? I'm so excited!" She exclaimed happily, giggling as she kicked her little legs, causing Tavia to smile.
"So, how are you taking Pete's death? You can talk to me, baby girl."
As Bill asked the question, her face dropped for a moment, causing Tavia to cock an eyebrow, but she quickly replaced it with a smile as she replied with a lie, "I'm okay, Daddy. How're you?"
"Tavia, I need you to leave the room for a moment, I want to talk to my daughter alone," Bill commanded as he now signaled his men to get everyone in the back of the truck, knowing his daughter was lying to him.
Tavia walked up, glancing at Kara before back at the walkie, gently picking it up and replying, "Alright, consider me gone."
She handed the walkie back to Kara before placing a hand on her head, gently ruffling her hair as she replied, "I'll be just in the other room, shout if you need anything."
After ruffling the young girl's hair, she walked away, going to check on the others, causing Kara to tilt her head in confusion.
"What did you want to talk about, Daddy?" Kara questioned curiously.
"Talk to me. You can fool a lot of people my sweet girl, and that's good, but you can't fool me. Now talk to me, tell me what's wrong," He replied as he watched to make sure everyone was being loaded in the truck without a problem.
Kara was silent for a few moments, looking down hesitantly as she fumbled with her stuffed bunny.
"...But I'm supposed to be happy, I'll be sad if I talk about it," She replied quietly, hugging her stuffed bunny a bit tighter, not wanting to be sad anymore.
"I know hun, it hurts me every day, but you have to be strong. You have to vent because if you don't, that dam will break and everything will come out all at once," He replied with concern for his daughter, a wave of sadness hitting him as he knew he wasn't there to help her in her time of need.
Kara began to sniffle, rubbing her teary eyes as she struggled to get ahold of herself.
"I just want everyone to stop dying. I-If I hadn't gotten caught by that mean man, then mommy would still be here, a-and if I had somehow convinced Pete to stay then he wouldn't have left and died," She answered her father sadly, trying not to cry as she hugged her stuffed bunny tighter.
"I miss them."
"I know you do, but people will come and go, it's not your fault baby girl. They didn't die because of you, Mommy died because of those bandits, and Pete died because he was led into that by a group of idiots," Bill tried to comfort his daughter the best he could.
Kara sniffled once more, hugging her stuffed bunny a bit tighter as she curled up a little, trying to calm her mind.
"I guess..." She sniffled again, looking down at her stuffed bunny sadly, seeing the outfit her mom made for it and thinking about how happy her mother seemed when thinking about giving her the gift she made.
"...When are you gonna be home, Daddy?" She questioned quietly.
"I'll be there just as you are getting to bed to read you a bedtime story," Bill replied as he sighed, his worry for his daughter's wellbeing only growing.
"I promise baby girl, you'll be okay. You're tough, just like mommy was, just like I am, just like Pete was," Bill added, trying to reassure his daughter the best he could.
She nodded, sniffling as she curled up completely, wiping her teary eyes once more to compose herself.
"I miss you, and I love you daddy."
"I love you too, I'll be home soon," He replied as the group began to drive away from the ski lodge, putting his walkie back as he kept his gaze facing the windshield.
After a while, Kara managed to calm down, standing to her feet while hugging her stuffed bunny before walking up to Tavia, handing her back the walkie before heading up to the roof, watching out for her dad.
Tavia sighed, attaching her walkie to her belt before placing her hand on her forehead.
"We could all use some good luck right now..." She mumbled to herself.