12

I'm waking up to ash and dust

I wipe my brow and I sweat my rust

I'm breathing in the chemicals

I'm breaking in, shaping up, then checking out on the prison bus

This is it, the apocalypse

Trouble, the word fit their group in various ways. It was a negative description but true all the same: excitement and worry, danger and adrenaline. Their group was complied of all things encompassing the word trouble. This was somewhat visible to the two strangers atop the underpass, gazing down at the new survivors with skepticism. Their clothes were stained with flecks of crimson and other questionable sources, their faces lined with exhaustion and suppressed suffering that was mingled with dawning of something else: awe. It was no surprise the latter were just as pleased to see another group of survivors, but they were not as willing to interact considering the fact that they were trouble was evident to them as well.

Christa, long-legged and fierce, narrowed her eyes with a smirk, "And I take it that's what you folks are." she replied pointedly to Lee's smart remark.

Kenny scowled, they could spar all day but that wouldn't change the fact that their train was being severely derailed by the wreck in front of them. The idea of Savannah was being shrouded now and he hastily tried to think of a way out of their current situation.

"Hon, give them a chance." Omid muttered quickly to her. She sighed heavily, she would never risk endangering her or her beloved boyfriend. Christa was smart enough to realize the dead were not the only ones that they should worry about.

"Sometimes there are chances too dangerous to take." she replied hotly, Omid had always been more trusting than her. He gave her a look before peering back down at the new group. Admitingly, what really caught their attention about these people was their transportation: a train, a goddamn locomotive. Omid was instantly transfixed, there was something so powerful about it that made him smile. Christa was more concerned about how they had acquired that train and where it was going. That was the main difference between the odd couple: he was content with the present while she was careful with the past and concerned with the future.

"Something wrong with your train?" Omid called down to them, making sure his voice didn't go too loud.

Kenny scoffed, "Yeah, you're standing right in front of it!"

"He means the wreck," Lee corrected sharply, not wanting for Kenny to spoil any chance they had with these people, "We need to get somewhere and this really isn't helping."

"And where do you need to go?" Christa asked curiously, hands on her hips. Chuck sniffed dully while Ben observed them with interest. Even he knew they were asking too many questions. Carley and Lee exchanged a brief glance.

"None of your damn business." Kenny had a quick and heated reply. Christa narrowed her eyes once again.

"That attitude isn't going to help you." she assured him confidently with some sass of her own leaking through. Knowing his girlfriends temper, Omid chuckled nervously to himself.

"And you are?"

"I'm seriously debating that."

"Look," Lee interrupted their back-and-forth with irritation on his face, "we're just anxious to get moving, is there any way you can help us?"

"Dude, it's a wreck- I don't even know how we're supposed to help. You can come up here and look for yourself, it isn't so bad from this point of view." Omid offered, gesturing to the other half of the tanker that wasn't hanging off the underpass. Christa's eyes widened as she looked at him, what the hell was he thinking? He gave an innocent shrug as the group debated below.

Lee eyed the ladder that lead up to the top of the underpass with hesitation. Going up there was something he wasn't sure he wanted to do: he had no idea about these people and he had been through enough to be extremely careful when it came to the what choice did he have if it helped him solve their problem?

Carley was immediately by his side, "I don't like this, Lee. I mean, these people could be another round of the St. Johns."

"They seem alright." Clem added in contrast, "My gut tells me they're okay." it was a saying she had adopted from Lee and it made him smile a little.

"I should see if there's something I can do about the wreck." Lee nodded, looking at Kenny who momentarily grimaced.

"If something goes sideways up there...we won't let them escape, get me?" Kenny hinted, Lee gave him a hard look. Violence was always the man's style of choice. Lee wasn't certain he was reassured by that.

"I get you." Lee replied seriously, aware of his gun now as he walked forward. A second set of footsteps followed closely.

"I'm coming with you." Carley pointed out, her voice had no room for objection. And Lee would not object, she could handle herself and besides, he was sure it would be a waste of time if he tried.

"Okay." he nodded, and their hands grazed purposely as she caught up to match his stride.

Clem watched with fearful eyes as they started to climb the ladder. She didn't think the new people were trouble, but even if there was a small hint of doubt- she would always fret.

The climb upwards was long: like a mounting wave they rose, gripping the bars firmly. Lee was first, and as they reached the top of the underpass, he caught the tail-end of a hushed and rushed conversation that sparked his curiosity.

"-they seem fine, hon. Plus, look at their man-power! That one guy is built like a house!" it was the male, his voice carried down by the breeze. Lee slowed his climb upwards and signaled Carley with a quick wave of his hand.

"You always over-exaggerate, we can't trust these people...not yet, they could be looters or worse." the female was impatient, angry.

"And you always assume the worst in people. Look, I'm not saying we all hold hands and start a sing-along, I'm just saying that these people could be what we need. Especially with-"

"Don't start that again." the woman sounded wary now and Lee decided it was his time to make an appearance. He gripped the top bar and hauled himself over the edge, the height surprised him and momentarily made his stomach lurch. The odd couple stared, one much more welcome than the other. Mindlessly, Lee offered Carley his hand which she took gratefully. The man was right, it wasn't so bad up there. The back of a construction truck blocked the road, looking to be picked clean. Further down there was a build up of cars behind the massive transport truck that lay hanging. Glass, as well as a litter of items were littered around aimlessly- projectiles from crashes or objects people had left behind during the initial chaos. He wondered where these people had come from. It wasn't an uncommon thought at the moment.

Lee took a step forward, some glass crackled beneath his shoe. Carley's expression was careful as if she anticipated walkers or guns to be firing at any given moment.

"Hey guys, I'm Omid." the man said, looking like he would hold out his hand for a shake if the atmosphere wasn't so charged with uncertainties. Lee felt that the small man was relatively harmless, and the danger factor of the situation decreased.

"Lee." he replied with a short nod.

"And I'm Carley." Lee exchanged a look with her and they passed a mutual feeling that these people might not be a threat at all.

Omid looked expectantly at the tall woman next to him who seemed doubtful.

"...Christa." she finally announced, a small moment of silence passed awkwardly.

Omid smiled hesitantly, "That's quite a group you've got down there, where did you people come from?"

Christa was attentive and crossed her arms patiently. Lee didn't know how much information he would share with these people, but felt that they needed their help if they wanted to reach Savannah. The wreck would put them off a few hours, or worse, and he felt the time slip through his fingers like sand.

"Macon, mostly." It was Carley who answered, moving to stand close to Lee. Truthfully she didn't know where they had all come from: the pharmacy, the woods, locked up schools and secured train-cars...there were so many origin stories she hadn't bothered to ask. She wondered when she started to not care about the past, perhaps when it became too painful to think about.

"Mostly." Christa repeated with a raise of her eyebrow. Carley looked at her.

"Yeah." she replied, uncomfortable with the suspicion in the other woman's eyes.

"The main thing is, we're a group and we need your help." Lee summarized, careful of his expression.

"I'm sorry, we're just shocked to see more people! I mean, Jesus, it's hard ya know? For a moment, I thought we were the only ones left." Omid shook his head and laughed lightly, Christa frowned beside him.

"It's been difficult." she added sympathetically, they all had their horror stories.

"I get that." Lee nodded slowly and looked at Carley with a sigh, "We all feel the same way." she gave him a small smile that looked sad to him.

"I'm not going to bullshit you, our group's been through the worst kind of hell: some of us more than others. So I'm going to have to ask you to understand that." A man lost his family just a day ago, Lee thought in addition.

Christa and Omid looked at each other, and there was a relationship there that both Carley and Lee recognized instantly.

"We understand." Christa said, somehow the tone of her voice signaled that the ice had been broken.

"So how do you guys take to strangers?" Omid asked innocently, his large brown eyes glowed.

Carley stifled a laugh and Lee smiled, "Depends on the stranger." he replied honestly.

"Fair enough." Christa shrugged, "What's the deal with the train?"

"Yeah," Omid chipped in excitedly, "It's awesome."

"We're driving it." Lee answered shortly, not one for descriptions. Carley picked up the slack.

"We found not too long ago, it was a wreck blocking our path- similar to right now actually. Somehow we got it to work and it's bringing us straight to Savannah where hopefully, we'll find a boat. Or, at least, that's the popular opinion." Carley explained, and there was something buried in her tone that made Lee question the sincerity of her words. He hadn't asked her about what she thought they should do when they got to the city, but he realized that he needed to soon. Lee eyed Christa and Omid now as their plan was reveled. Kenny certainly wouldn't like it, but Lee knew that Carley knew this would make it easier for them to trust their group.

Christa looked like she had tasted something awful, "City? Are you people crazy? It's sure to be riddled with the dead."

"Walkers," Carley corrected calmly, "We call them walkers."

Christa pursed her lips, a mannerism they were quickly picking up on.

"Whatever, they'll kill you no matter what they're called and the cities are bound to be chalk-full."

"We realize that."

"Then why-"

"Hey," Omid interrupted sharply, "we can chip in and help you get this thing out of the way."

Lee raised his eyebrows with interest, "You know how?"

"Of course not," Christa scoffed, "we'll help in any way we can. But if we see something we don't like, we're moving on down the road. Alone."

Lee was thankful, "We appreciate the help," he turned to Carley who gave a friendly (and slightly forced) nod of gratitude as well.

"No sweat," Omid assured them and frowned when he surveyed the damage behind him, "We can't just...blast through it? I mean, I'm no train-wreck expert so your guess is as good as mine."

Christa gave it a once-over and glanced down at the tracks, "If you could get it down, the rest would be pretty easy."

"'Pretty easy' is a loose term." Carley replied skeptically, she didn't see how any part of this could be easy.

"We'll start there." Lee said directly, his brain starting to whir with possible outcomes.

"Alright, we'll come down, settle in, and see if we can help." Christa said while tightening her high-bun, anxious to meet the other members of the group.

"Sounds good." Lee replied contently, placing his hand on the small of Carley's back as they ventured back towards the ladder. Both Christa and Omid noticed this and were relieved to see they weren't the only couple.

"The cars up here were picked clean, not by us though." Omid added helpfully and he positioned himself on the ladder.

"Walkers probably plowed through here as well."

"Walkers," he chuckled, "I like that, it's original."

"Props for creativity, sweetie." Christa added slyly as she started down. Carley was the first to land and snuck the group a quick thumbs up that put everyone's worry to rest.

"I'd like to introduce Omid and Christa." Carley said as they all hopped off the remained bars of the ladder. It was comical really: Omid gave a short wave and received blank, wary stares in response.

"Not big on welcomes." Omid observed, dropping his hand awkwardly.

"They're going to help us get this wreck out of the way." Lee added.

"We just wanted to say hi and that your train is pretty cool! And-" Omid broke off as soon as he caught sight of Clementine fixing her hat.

"Holy shit! You have a kid! Do you know how long it's been since I've seen a goddamn kid?!"

Clementine smiled shyly at him. Lee could understand why he was so surprised, and saw the same exclamation on Christa's face.

"What's your name?" she asked gently, her tone as soft as satin. Carley's eyebrows raised as she saw the contrast to her earlier attitude. Clem looked at Lee before replying.

"Clementine." Clem answered quietly, always being shy around strangers. And with good reason!

"That's a beautiful name." Christa smiled and Clem broke out into a grin.

"This is great and all," Kenny spoke impatiently, "But how do you propose we get through this wreck?"

"We don't have all the answers, but we'll figure something out together." Christa shrugged, breaking away from Clem to observe the other members of the group. They all looked so tired and pale and worried, she wondered if she looked any similar. The young man, who she quickly found out was Ben (one the introductions were put to bed) looked especially bothered, was that the look of a survivor these days?

No, she thought keenly, that's the look of a guilty man

And she wasn't sure if she wanted to know what he was guilty for.

I'm waking up, I feel it in my bones

Enough to make my systems blow

Welcome to the new age, to the new age

I'm radioactive, radioactive

The plan was to find a way to cut the tanker down, the current plan that is. But the group quickly found their various ways of settling in: Chuck strummed his guitar outside, Ben offered to take watch atop the train (where he sat staring blankly), Kenny was showing Omid basic functions of how the train worked while Christa, Carley and Clementine talked to themselves. Lee stood, studying the wreck and looking deep in thought. Certainly there was no possible way they could get through this, it would take some act of whatever God they had! Quickly lacking in enthusiasm, Lee turned away from the aggravating disadvantage to see Christa approaching him with a calm look upon her face. Did talking to Clementine do that to her?

"Quite a group you've got here." she thought aloud, "you're the only other people Omid and I have seen since this started."

Lee didn't know if he was comfortable with this shift in attitude, "Yeah, well, we're surprised to see you too."

Something similar to suspicion flashed in her eyes, "So where's her real father? I don't mean to sound rude, but how did you meet her? Omid was right, it's been a long time since we've seen a child...any type of child really, and it's refreshing in a way."

He was momentarily taken aback, "It's that obvious?" everyone they had met assumed he was Clementine's father, and something about that told him he was doing something right.

"To me it is."

"I found her at the beginning, she was all alone and didn't know what was going on. I kept her safe, she's been with me ever since. I don't know what happened to her parents, but we're thinking they're in Savannah." Lee explained, crossing his arms as he spoke and gazing over to see that Carley was watching with distinction but mumbling something to Clementine who drew circles in the ground with the top of her shoe.

Christa blanked, and then frowned slightly as she looked down.

"That makes the city a little bit less crazy," she admitted, "but I still think you're walking into a death-trap."

Lee's voice hardened, "Then I guess it's a good thing you're not coming with us."

Her eyes grew steely and the gentleness of her features evaporated, "Guess so." and she walked away towards the front of the train where Lee could see Omid smiling widely at whatever Kenny was showing him.

Carley nodded him over with a small nudge that he picked up on. It was odd how their little gestures carried larger meanings than what met the naked eye. There was nothing short of a team effort in the way the two communicated. Lee sighed as he joined his angels, Clementine looked at him with mild concern.

"Did you figure it out yet?" she asked, pausing mid-circle and relaxing next to Carley who mirrored her expression.

"I'm sorry, sweet pea, not yet." Lee replied, aggravated himself.

"I don't even think we can," Carley admitted, "I don't see anything we can use, we might have to spend the night here."

"That's something I want to avoid. This place is too open." Lee said slowly, looking around at how exposed they were. The trees would provide little cover if a herd rambled through.

"Maybe the new people will figure it out." Clementine offered, "They were here before us weren't they?"

Carley turned to her, "I think they were just passing through, they looked to be anyways. I couldn't get anything out of Christa without sounding either rude or suspicious. "

Lee had no answer for that, "What do you guys think?"

Clementine smiled, "I like them, they're friendly...I hope they stay with us." she liked Omid especially, and didn't want to give up these new people since their numbers were already dwindling.

"No alarms are ringing, but I doubt that they would stay with us considering where we're going." Carley added with a frown.

"Christa said it was a death-trap." Lee added as an after-thought, Clementine gulped quietly and hid her expression from him...but he caught it and regretted his words instantly.

"Exactly and I'm not so sure we would want more people. More lives to take care of, more mouths to feed with food we don't have..." Carley said soberly, not liking her own words. Lee understood what she meant and had to agree somewhat.

"But you said we have to stick together," Clementine looked distraught now as she recalled what Lee had told them before.

"Didn't you mean it?"

Lee had to look away from her, everything was so complicated- it was impossible not to contradict. He felt Carley's hand on top of his own, snaking in between his fingers until they held together. Only time would tell if these people would join them, but he knew that it was going to be hard if they did.

"I did, Clem, but it's difficult to understand that these people might not want to come with us." he finally said, she looked confused. Didn't everyone want to be together? The living with the living, it made sense to her...

Carley nudged her with a warm expression on her face, "It'll be okay, sweet-heart. Hey, I heard you're a fine little shooter now."

The abrupt change in subject didn't pass as smoothly as Carley hoped, Clementine looked peeved at first but eventually gave in with a short sigh.

"I guess so, Lee taught him some things." she replied without much effort. The idea of shooting spooked her as she remembered, but the look on Lee's face sparked the flames of pride when she thought of those bottles and the pressure of the weapon in her hand.

"That's great, Clem, it really is. You know, I can teach you afew things too if you'd like- I'm told that I'm a pretty good shot just like you." Carley squeezed Lee's hand as she spoke to Clementine.

I'll take care of her, you figure out a way out of this mess, she thought and was pleased to feel his response against her palm.

He spotted it suddenly: glowing like a beacon on his radar now as he squinted his eyes to enlarge the detail. It was a train-station, that much was obvious. Looking to be boarded up, Lee wondered if anything or anyone was being kept in. It was better than walking around aimlessly, waiting for a miracle to strike him, he thought as much as he quickly left the girls. They watched him go, and Carley soon reabsorbed Clementine in an interesting conversation about focusing aim, which the older woman knew a little something about.

I raise my flags and dye my clothes

It's a revolution, I suppose

We're painted red to fit right in

I'm breaking in, shaping up, then checking out on the prison bus

This is it, the apocalypse

The first thing that caught his attention was the brilliant hues of arctic white pooled in small puddles next to fallen, beaten-up paint cans. Lee imagined something must have been written on the slanted roof of the station but he was too short to get a peek. Like always, he guessed it to be a declaration for help: from either one authority type or the holy version. The windows were covered with chipped and spilt wooden boards that did nothing to ease his nerves- it looked as if something had been prying at them and that left little to the imagination.

Lee approached the simple door with his heart beating a little faster, nothing gave him the impression that this residence was taken considering the lack of supplies, waste and activity. But it wouldn't be the first time he was incorrect in assuming, and he pulled on the knob not knowing what to expect. The grand reveal fell short as the knob wouldn't budge.

"Damn it," he muttered to himself, looking upwards in exasperation to see a cracked window right above the doorway.

"Hello?" he tried, expecting the end result of dead silence. With another jiggle of the knob, Lee swore quietly. Now with no entrance inside, his curiosity was inflamed even more and his desire to open the door escalated. Looking back to the under-pass, he saw it was business as usual before walking around the station to see if there was a back-door. His instincts told him there was no real threat here: it both relieved and worried him. Lee knew to trust his gut; time and time again his raw and sharpened instincts were correct. But he was not the only one to have grown to trust them...

"How long do you think it'll take before we get past that thing?" Clementine asked the green-eyed woman beside her. Both girls were sitting closely on the ground: Clementine took to the habit of picking blades of faded and closely tangled grass while Carley carefully watched Lee's form disappear behind the train-station. She wanted to be over there with him, her worry would not cease until then and it swelled inside her calmly now as she looked into the curious eyes of an eight-year-old.

"I can't say," Carley admitted with a sigh, troubling Clementine, "But it won't be too long, it's just another puzzle we haven't figured out yet." surely out of all the sticky situations, this one would be no different. Clementine's frown uplifted.

"Lee will figure it out, like always." and there was some pride in the way Clementine replied that made Carley smile. The older woman put a thin arm around her and squeezed gently, thinking about if Lee knew how much Clementine looked up to him.

"That's right sweetie," Carley's word caught in her throat when she saw Ben. He was sitting indian-style on top of the train and she identified something terrible in the way he gazed so expressionlessly at the tracks stretching far into the distance. Her earlier suspicions that something was wrong with Ben came back like her fondest summer memories: with particular and saddening remorse. She thought that maybe Lee would be the right one to question him, like Kenny, she was no good with words. The craft she couldn't master. It was no secret Kenny and Lee had a special bond, but what was the strength of her and Ben's relationship? She hoped it was strong, because unknowingly Lee had begun to rub off on her and she rose from her spot on the ground.

"You stay here, ok? I'll just be a moment, I'm going to go check up on Ben." Carley looked down at Clementine, making it clear that she was not to move an inch. Clementine, too, had noticed something off about Ben and since she liked him so much she made no objection as Carley started towards the train. Sighing, Clementine bit her lower lip and looked back to see Lee on the steps of the mysterious train-station. It wouldn't be bad to go over to him would it? She weighed the options in her mind, but decided that since Chuck saw her go, that she would be okay.

Endless. It all looked so utterly endless to him: the tracks they had traveled upon, the trees, the mountains, even the dark rush of pink flooding into the sky above. All these things would always be there. The sun would always rise and fall, seasons would come and go, time would keep ticking. Everything would still go on, even after all that had happened, that much hadn't changed. He wondered how he would go on. The future was cruel: his unspoken fate taunted him, mixed with criticism of his determination.

How determined was he to go on? He was a logical boy, and it just didn't make any sense that he was still there: breathing, moving, blinking, his heart beating. Survival of the fittest, wasn't that how it was supposed to work? There was no world in which he had the elements complied inside a survivor. That brutal acceptance drove right in his chest, constricting, making his heart pound. There was so much he wanted to take back, it made his head spin. Suddenly he was sure he wasn't supposed to go on, after all he's done, the ever-turning world had finally caught up to him. A little boy with a wide, care-free grin was supposed to have gone on to live, to be. A passionate mother whose love was as boundless as the tracks before him should be in his place right now.

Not him, not Ben. He had nothing to give, no skills to offer. He became angry, so furious that tears burned in his eyes.

I'm ready to die, the thought popped into his head and his lips pressed tightly together as he suppressed an outcry of sadness. Ben was ready to give up, to give in. Guilt crushed him completely. His legs no longer wanted to run, his resistance quickly faded. The shadows that waited for him, he wanted to embrace them. He closed his eyes and clenched his jaw. Why couldn't he be stronger? Why couldn't he be like-

"Ben? You ok, kiddo?" a curious, warm voice made gooseflesh erupt on his arms underneath his letterman jacket.

Ben quickly composed himself, hoping his eyes weren't red from his moment alone. But Carley saw that he was choked up, and she frowned as she took a seat beside him. In truth, the two of them looked rather comical sitting so casually on top of a train. Chuck plucked his guitar strings as he hummed without rhythm. Kenny looked irritated in the cab as both Omid and Christa asked him more questions that he couldn't answer about the inner workings of the train.

"Y-yeah, hey, Carley...what's up?" he replied, trying not to respond to the fact that she was studying his face with a frown. Ben was bothered by this fact, that someone cared. He didn't know what that felt like really.

"Not much, how's the watch going?"

"Exceptionally well."

"I can see that."

"Yeah. So, um, where's Lee?"

Carley knew he was going to have a hard time telling her anything, but she hoped he trusted her. She really hoped that. Something told Carley that this young man needed someone to talk to, and she would gladly be that person- even if she couldn't do a very good job.

"He went to check out the train station just past the under-pass, hopefully he'll find something useful in there so we can get that wreck out of the way, " she shook her head gently and brought her knees up to her chest, "I really don't want to be here past dark."

Ben snuck a quick glance at her from the corner of his eye, wondering exactly her purpose for talking to him.

"Me either, but where-ever we are it's never going to be safe." he said honestly and a little quietly. Ben invited her suspicion, he wanted her curiosity. He desired someone to talk to, he needed to relieve the pressure off his chest.

"Can't think like that, Ben, when he get to Savannah-"

"Do you honestly think we'll be able to find a fully functional boat? Anything of use, it's long gone by now. Savannah is just a pipe-dream." Ben replied somewhat heatedly and he froze instantly after he let his thoughts seep through to his voice. He never wanted to say that. Ben had to look at her now and survey the damage. Carley's face was graceful and soft and looked tragic to him.

I'm sorry, he thought guiltily. He didn't want to be the cause of that expression.

Carley looked at him and there was a spark in her emeralds that he could see glistening with secret tears.

"You know I thought that, as soon as this whole thing about getting a boat started. I didn't believe we were lucky enough to find anything in the city and I hated the fact that Kenny was hell-bent on going. Savannah was a pipe-dream to me, and I never spoke about it because I knew they wouldn't listen. But, I've learned that there's always a chance that things might work out. That one, possible but improbable sliver of a chance. And we should take it, we should. We can't not risk our lives for something that might make it better. Anything's better than this: out in the open, not a place to settle in. That boat would keep us safe, and I'm starting to see what Kenny sees. Ben, of course it's dangerous and maybe stupid- but we have to do it anyways. You understand?" Carley's voice was just as quiet as his, but was so hopeful and promising to him that he had to smile.

That upturn of his lips, the small smirk lifting his features. Carley waited patiently. Lee had taught her about hope, about always believing that things would get better. And she willed herself to think like that, it was the only thing keeping them all going.

"It's hard to think like that." and he laughed. Breathlessly and open and on the verge of sobbing. Carley smiled at him like she would at a little brother.

"I know, I do." she assured him, feeling something shift. She always had to worry about Ben.

"You know," and his words tumbled onto his tongue, "I didn't think I'd make it this far, maybe I didn't want to. I just think 'what if?'. What if walkers came out of the forest right now, hundreds of them? What if I'm too tired to fight and I just...I-I."

Carley stopped him, feeling like plugging her ears so she wouldn't hear his words.

"No, Ben, don't do that, don't pretend like you would give up so easily." she said strongly. Her tone made him second guess he had even believed the words he said.

"What if...what if I did?" he said, cheeks flaming with shame but with honesty as well. Carley took his hand in her own: his shaking and pale in comparison. Shocked, he looked down and slowly brought his gaze up to hers.

"You're strong, Ben, don't think like that. You can't. I know you don't think you're capable of much, and it makes me angry that you have such a low opinion of yourself. You've survived this, it's too late to give up now. Listen to me, please. I can't let you think like that." she almost pleaded, not knowing what she would do if Ben gave up. Suddenly she understood how Lee felt when he told her not to give up hope, no matter what happened. The same panic and anger and sorrow plunged through her now.

He swallowed hard, his mind going blank. He registered the pressure coming from her hand and eventually, he nodded. Possibly just for her sake, but more so for his own.

I'm waking up

I feel it in my bones

Enough to make my system blow

Welcome to the new age, to the new age

By the time Lee was about to swear at his lack of success entering the train-station, a little voice startled him.

"Can't get it?" it was Clementine, standing there like she had been all along, her eyes were wide as if she expected him to scold her.

"Clem, don't scare me like that. Where's Carley? I thought she was watching you." he replied, brow furrowed as he looked back to the train. Clementine blushed despite herself.

"I just wanted to see how you were doing, Carley went to talk to Ben. I'm sorry." she apologized, her eyes less bright now. Lee sighed.

"It's ok, sweet pea, just don't go off on your own ok? It's dangerous."

"Ok." and, seemingly, that's all she needed to gain her light back. Clementine jiggled the door-knob and made a 'hmm' sound that brought Lee great amusement. Lee crossed his arms and watched her search for a key on the ground, his eyes crossing over the open window above the door once again. Maybe...

"Can you break the door down?" Clementine asked, concerned as she looked up at him.

A light smile played on his lips, "It won't budge an inch, and I'm not made of steel you know."

"Well how about, hey- that window is open!" she exclaimed, pointing upwards. Good eye, Lee thought proudly.

"Do you think you could reach inside if I put you on my shoulders? There's probably a latch at the top of the door that you can get." Lee lowered to her level and held her tiny hands in his own. Clementine knew that she could help him, he spoke her this way whenever it was important. Suddenly she nodded and smiled, she liked helping Lee- it made her feel just as proud as she did when she did well with shooting those bottles.

"Ok, Nancy Drew, ready?" he gently placed his hands on her small waist and lifted her high into the air. Clementine used the wall beside her to get her grip, her legs wobbled momentarily until Lee's large hands grasped her ankles for support.

"Nancy Drew?" Clementine questioned curiously, wondering who these people were that Lee had called her. First it was Mrs. Van Gogh the painter...

"She's a, never mind, Clem, what do you see?" Lee smiled to himself and looked up as Clementine peered inside the station. She craned her neck to get a better look, everything was pretty dark but she saw bars like in a jail cell and papers littering on the dusty wooden floor. Oddly enough she wasn't frightened by the ominous appearance, and she reached inside to feel for a latch.

"Nothing, I think I got the latch though," she made an effort to reach down and make contact with the cold metal. Her fingers explored the lock and twisted the handle upwards, then down, to make a satisfactory click.

"Got it!" she called and Lee swiftly got her down, thankful she had showed up when she did.

"Alright, Clem, stay behind me." Lee warned cautiously, bringing her behind him with a wave of his arm. He brought the large wrench from the train out from the waistband of his pants and swung open the heavy door. He had to lean against it so it would remain open, but his eyes scanned the shadows inside. None of them moved and light from the fading sun illuminated their figures in the doorway. Clementine had been right about the bars: evidently half of the station was divided by them. A desk stood behind the bars next to a small window for business exchanges. The wall behind was lined with file cabinets and dusty boxes of old papers. This place would have been a busy station on a normal day. Thinking it was safe, Lee stuck his wrench in the door to keep it open while Clementine slowly moved inside.

"There's a lot of junk in here." she observed aloud, making her way to the bars and not noticing movement in the deepest shadows behind her. Lee would always be ashamed at how he didn't notice them either.

"Keep an eye out for useful junk." Lee replied, joining her when he was sure the door would keep open. He took Carley's gun he had nabbed as an extra-precaution. Clementine rattled the door and grunted as she discovered it was locked.

"We need a key." she noted as Lee tried with just as much success as she had.

"Hmm, maybe I could lift you over this thing and you'll land on the desk there." Lee really had to time to search for a key in the darkness and besides, Clementine seemed to fit in every place!

"Alrighty," she agreed almost happily, pleased to be of so much help.

"We're a good team." she added as Lee lifted her once again.

"Yes we are, Clem, you're doing a great job."

Her cheeks blushed pink and she felt accomplished as she swung herself over the bar and jumped onto the desk. Lee watched her with concern as she jumped down but his expression turned to one of confusion as she looked at him again. His face fell as Clementine shook with fear, her mouth trembling as she slowly pointed behind him.

Lee swung around just in time. The walker was suddenly on him, clawing and gnawing and gnashing to close to distance between them. Lee heard Clementine scream as he fell back against the bars, surprised by the strength of this walker. He picked out murky yellow eyes and smelt decaying breath and suddenly his stomach lurched. The gun was knocked out of his hands at impact, falling behind the bars and clanging onto the desk. Clementine picked it up mindlessly and her whole body shook.

Lee! I have to save him, I have to! She chanted inside, she knew she had to raise that gun and aim and protect her protector. But she couldn't, her mind suddenly went blank and she forget everything Lee had taught her. What was this in her hands? How could she be brave again?

"Lee!" she exclaimed as he pushed the walker back. He exclaimed fiercely as he hit the monster stumbling backwards. Lee sensed movement in the shadows closet to Clementine and cold fear clenched his heart madly.

"Get the key, Clem, hurry!" he yelled back, avoiding the walkers swipes with surprising skill as he dove towards the door to get his wrench. Clementine suddenly knew how to move her legs again and she ran to the desk, sliding papers out of the way and opening cupboards frantically. The gun lay forgotten.

"I can't find it!" she screamed, freezing as she heard guttural and watery sounds emitting from the shadows just to her right. Dead hands came from the darkness, searching for something to grab onto. She gasped and returned to her search, hearing Lee's wrench make sick sounds as he pounded it into the other walker's head.

"Here!" she yelled, bringing a ring of three keys out from underneath a large book of records in the desk. Lee raced over to her, breathless and with black blood sprayed on both his jacket and across his face. She handed them to him, her hands shaking violently as she eyed the walker that seemed much closer than before.

"Lee." she squeaked, backing away. She was all alone, he couldn't protect her! Clementine cursed herself for not keeping the gun with her as she ran towards the corner farthest from the approaching doom.

"It's ok, Clem, I'm coming." he replied just as panicky, desperately trying the keys. Her heart pounded inside her chest, was it even possible for it to beat that hard? Sweat trickled down her back and her blood ran like ice through her veins. Her eyes bulged when Lee got the door open. He acted without hesitation and she watched in both envy and amazement.

Lee scowled with anger as he grabbed the gun from the desk and raised it to the walker's head. The bang startled her so much she couldn't help but wince. The silence bothered her even more. She didn't know what was happening until she felt Lee crouched beside her, his hands on her arms.

"Clem? It's ok, sweet pea, you're ok." he assured her, pulling her into a tight hug. Tears pooled in her eyes as she withheld sobs. She failed just then. She hadn't protected Lee, or herself.

I want to be brave, she thought as she emerged from clinging to Lee's shoulders.

"I'm sorry." she said sadly, frowning as she looked at him. She stared at the flecks of blood on his face, knowing it wasn't his and thinking how it was similar to war-paint that the natives used to wear.

"What for? I'm the one that's sorry, I shouldn't have let you come in here." he shook his head in disappointment. Clementine had come so close to...he couldn't finish the thought.

"I was helping you," Clementine nodded, "I-I couldn't do it. I couldn't shoot it. I'm sorry." her eyes glowed as he smiled softly at her. She was transfixed.

"Hey, I don't expect you to be an expert. The aspect of using a gun is new to you, it's going to take some getting used to before you're comfortable enough to use it against a walker. You didn't do anything wrong, Clem, you were scared- but you shouldn't be scared of protecting yourself. I know you can, never doubt yourself." he said warmly and she showed a small smile as the urge to cry left her.

"I shouldn't be scared." she repeated, solidifying it in her mind. She eyed the gun and wrench at Lee's feet, one day she would be able to yield both weapons like him. One day she would be as brave as him.

"That's right," he tapped her hat and rose, absentmindedly taking the wrench with him. Coldly, he looked at the shadows from which the walker came. There looked to be a small hallway following it, perhaps a supply closet? At any rate it needed further inspection and Lee told Clementine to stay behind as he went forward. He watched as she took the gun in her hands and looked blankly at it, a look of wonder dawning on her features. He was going to take it from her, but decided she needed to be familiar with it as much as possible.

"Keep the safety on." he told her, satisfied when she clicked the button. Clementine was smart and capable, he wished she would see it.

"Got it." she replied quickly and tipped him a small, unsure smirk as he started down the hall. She looked around, the station was large but she was surprised the walkers had snuck up on them as they had. Curiously, she walked over to the cabinets, there was a long line of them. Hearing footfalls, Clementine looked back expecting Lee but she froze when she looked at the doorway. The door which had closed when Lee removed his wrench, slowly opened to reveal a tall, fat man dressed in a tattered and torn plain uniform. She gasped and dropped to the ground, the same fear she had felt only moments ago gripped her tight. The walker looked around, it's head lazily turning as it staggered inside. Her nose wrinkled at the odor and her eyes began to water. The noise must have attracted it, she thought. It, being a fat man no longer.

She wanted to call out Lee's name, for help, for anything that would get rid of this thing. But she was suddenly aware of the weapon in her hands. Clementine looked down at the gun, she had to be brave. She couldn't be scared anymore. Lee was expecting her to be stronger than what she felt at that moment. Clementine could cower no longer, she had to muster up the courage to face this walker. If she couldn't now, she knew she would never be able to in the future.

I can do this, she thought confidently and although her knees shook as she rose, she rose all the same. Her breath staggered as she inhaled but she bit her lip and walked straight into the walker's line of sight.

Her face screwing up as she got the monster's attention. It sensed the movement like an animal, it's hunger released in an ugly caw of longing emitting from it's throat.

Don't be scared...remember if you put your finger on that trigger, you want to hurt someone...if you're going to shoot, make sure the safety is off.

Lee's voice spoke to her as she clicked the safety, and raised the gun in front of her. It was heavy, so heavy that she thought she wasn't strong enough. Yet her lip did not quiver as she held her stance, she did not back down as it shuffled towards her with sluggish speed.

She took a calming breath, knowing that would help her aim. It was just like being back in the train-car with Lee, his hands covered her ears, "Don't lock your elbows." and she corrected herself before she pulled the trigger. The sound still startled her and she blinked in stark amazement as the walker collapsed to the ground. Lee came running from the hallway, she heard something heavy drop on the ground.

"Clem?!" he yelled, the wrench was raised as he found her and the walker. Clementine gulped and when she saw Lee, she burst into a watery smile.

"I did it!" she exclaimed breathlessly, lowering the gun and looking at her hands as if she had superpowers. She had actually done it. She was so amazed that she was able to do something she thought was impossible. Maybe I am brave enough, she thought in contrast to her earlier thoughts. Lee looked terrified at first, at what might have happened because he left her alone. What he had found wasn't worth putting her in danger. He had been too wrapped up in looking at old tools and he cursed himself for leaving her alone long enough for a walker to approach. This place wasn't as safe as he thought, the prospect of leaving had never been so enticing. But soon his horror melted into relief that Clementine had protected herself. This made a warm feeling slide into his stomach: she could do it, what he had known was now proven. The faith he had in her showed in his expression.

"Yeah, you did. Good job," Lee told her strongly and she smiled at the praise. Clementine held herself with an ounce of more confidence as she walked over to Lee.

"Did you find anything back there?" she asked curiously, he took the gun that she handed to him. Clementine still didn't like the feel of it.

"Actually-"

"What's going on? I thought I heard a gun-shot." Lee knew it was Christa before she appeared in the doorway with a frantic Carley behind her.

"Lee? Clementine?!" Carley exclaimed, pushing past the other woman to get inside. Christa looked mildly affronted but only scowled at the scene in front of her.

Carley's eyebrows raised as she saw the dead walkers lying on the floor, her shoe disturbed the pool of blood around one of their heads as she went over to Lee.

"Oh God," she sighed, embracing him tightly, "I thought something went wrong."

"Looks like something did." Christa added flatly, Clementine slipped her hand into Lee's.

"We handled it." Lee replied with a shrug of his shoulders, one hand trailing down Carley's back as she let go of him. A shock of something ran up her spine at his touch and for a brief moment their gaze was charged with something hotter than any amount of gold.

"You and an eight-year-old?" Christa said in a very unamused tone as she cocked one hand on her hip.

"We're a team." Clementine said unhelpfully, not seeing what the woman meant.

"Yeah." Lee blinked, what else could he say?

"I think both Lee and Clementine handled the situation, nobody got hurt," Carley turned to a sassy looking Christa, "and that's what matters."

As Carley lowered to Clementine's level, Christa exchanged a hard look with Lee who braced himself.

"If you were to die in here, three walkers turns into five and that matters." Christa snapped. Carley and Clementine shared a moment in which the latter blushed shyly at the older woman's wordless scolding. But Carley was just thankful she was ok and shrugged it off with tucking a curl up in her cap.

"Good thing it didn't happen then." Lee returned just as dryly, getting a glare from Christa. He wasn't surprised and understood where that glare was coming from.

"Whatever. I'm going to go see if the noise has caused us any problems." and with that, Christa left and let the door slam behind her.

Only then did Clementine feel comfortable enough to speak fully.

"I shot one." she boasted to Carley, pointing at the walker closest. Carley's smile paused and she looked at Lee quickly before answering.

"That's good hun, I'm proud of you." she smiled while Clementine hid a sheepish grin.

"I guess this place isn't as deserted as we thought." she added afterwards in a steely tone, Lee nodded with a scowl.

"The walkers took us by surprise, I didn't see them-"

Carley rose and reached out and placed her hand on his shoulder, massaging soothingly.

"Hey, it happens. But we're all ok, no harm done. Did you find anything useful in this dump?" Carley's hand left a trail of fire along his arm and his tone became laced with huskiness.

"Uh, yeah, I did. It's a blowtorch, I found it in the back- should be able to get that wreck out of the way in no time. Although, I'm not an expert with construction, I'm guessing fire beats metal."

"And that's a good guess." Carley laughed as Lee went to retrieve it. Clementine looked at her expectantly.

"Don't do that again," she scolded softly, "I'm not mad, but you scared me, sweetie."

And Clementine was reminded of how her mother used to scold her in that same gentle but fierce way. Her smile faltered.

"I'm sorry." she replied as Lee came back out with their savior.

"Alright," he breathed heavily as he held it up and adjusted the metal arm. "We're lucky to have found this, it's exactly what we need."

"Lucky? You sure you're comfortable with saying that?" Carley asked with a light chuckle but nodded her approval at Lee's discovery.

"Bad luck doesn't last forever." Clementine replied with a crease in her forehead, wondering about the luck of the group.

"No, Clem, I guess it doesn't." Lee nodded her way.

"Need a hand with that?" Carley moved forward helpfully, Lee shook his head in reply. He had a manly image to maintain after-all.

"I'm good."

"Ok, Hercules. Hey, Clem, why don't you run ahead and check in with the others. I'm sure their worried." Carley needed to speak to Lee alone and Clementine could guess as much. She smiled as she observed the two of them.

"Yeah, ok." she replied softly and moved towards the door.

"Clem, wait a second." Lee called to her, she turned with her hand on the knob.

"What is it?"

"What did we learn?" he waited with an admiration in his eyes as she smiled knowingly.

"Not to be afraid." she answered him.

"That's right, fear is the thing that will kill us. They shoulda got us, but we got them. You understand?"

"Yeah, I do." and Lee knew she would remember that as she left.

All systems go

The sun hasn't died

Deep in my bones

Straight from inside

I'm waking up, I feel it in my bones

Enough to make my system blow

Welcome to the new age, to the new age

I'm radioactive, radioactive

"Wow, she's learning so much from you." Carley voiced her amazement as she turned towards him. Lee could only smile.

"I think she's learning more about what she's capable of." he admitted, thinking carefully. Carley's face suddenly flushed as she closed the distance between them.

"Speaking of potential, I was talking to Ben earlier...I'm worried about him, Lee."

"We're all worried about him, he's been through a lot."

"No, I'm really worried about him. I'm not sure he's got much fight left, he's depressed."

"Aren't we all?"

"You know what I mean. It's like he's committed a murder or something." she felt like covering her mouth after what she said and quickly looked embarrassed.

"Sorry, I-"

"It's ok, Carley." Lee laughed at her expression and felt like kissing her pink cheeks. But underneath he knew all too well what Ben's problem was. He wondered how long it would be until he had to tell her.

"You mind putting that thing down for a second?" she asked randomly, gesturing to the blowtorch Lee held against his chest. He raised an eyebrow at her curiously and the sly smile creeping into her face made his nerves tingle.

"Just one second?" he questioned, lowering it to the ground as Carley snuck into his grip. She wanted something then: memories of his lips against hers flooded back with powerful clarity. She desired to feel his arms around her. This desire was partially fueled by her relief that he was ok and the happiness that they would soon be back on track to Savannah. No pun intended.

"Maybe two, or three, or four..." she smiled as his hands snaked around her waist and as she closed the gap between their faces. It had been too long since she had Lee like this: passionate, warm and close to her. Her hands tugged at his jacket, wanting to remove it and everything underneath. Carley was surprised at how much she wanted him at that moment and how much he seemed to want her. Lee's lips, usually, gentle, were rather forceful against hers as he deepened the kiss. His hands, previously tentative, raked along her arched back as she fell into him. It felt like hours compared to the mere moments they had embraced and Carley smiled up at him as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I think our luck just might be turning around." she said, her lips red and her eyes beaming. Lee thought how beautiful she was and planted a kiss on her forehead before picked up the blowtorch.

"The question is, for how long ?"

Like all things, they couldn't stay golden forever.