Pharmacy

The group is crammed in Kenny's truck, which coughs and sputters before it finally grinds to a halt. "Gas?" Eddie inquires, looking around at the desolate landscape.

"Yeah, gas," Kenny replies with a terse nod, his eyes scanning the area for any signs of trouble.

"This is far enough," Lee declares, opening the door with a creak before stepping out.

Everyone clambers out of the truck, hitting the pavement and making their way down the street. Lee pauses briefly in front of his family's pharmacy, nostalgia creeping in before he shakes it off.

"Look!" Duck suddenly exclaims, pointing excitedly at what appears to be a figure near a car in the distance. Kenny, quickly catching on, starts waving his arms to grab the person's attention.

"Hey—" Kenny begins to shout, but Eddie places a hand firmly on his shoulder, halting him.

"Wait," Eddie says, his voice low but urgent.

"What's going on?" Kenny raises an eyebrow, frustration etched across his face.

"You can't just shout out here. From what I've pieced together, they—the walkers—are attracted to noise," Eddie explains, glancing nervously down the street.

"Alright…?" Kenny responds, contemplating what Eddie just said as he shifts uncomfortably.

"Eddie's right. Before I found Clementine, I shot a walker, and suddenly I had a whole horde on top of me," Lee adds, glancing around as if the mention of walkers might summon them.

"I reckon we should—" Eddie starts, but his breath catches in his throat at the sound of a metallic 'clang'—something had struck a car.

It turns out Duck had grown bored during the men's discussion and kicked a hefty rock that hit a nearby car with a loud noise.

"You idiot!" Eddie curses Duck just as a swarm of zombies appears seemingly out of nowhere, lunging toward the group.

"Fuck!" Kenny exclaims, panic rising in his voice.

"We're trapped!" Katjaa cries out fearfully, her eyes wide.

In the chaos, Duck screams, and Eddie spins around just in time to see a zombie toppling Duck over, jaws snapping dangerously close to him. Acting instinctively, Eddie steps forward, muscles tensing, and delivers a swift kick to the zombie's head, feeling the satisfying crack of bone as it collapses.

A second zombie lunges toward Katjaa just as a gunshot rings out—the corpse drops to the ground, revealing a woman in a skirt continuing to fire at the other charging walkers. Another survivor appears, an Asian man, standing firmly at the entrance of the pharmacy.

"Run!" he shouts, his voice carrying urgency.

The woman fires a few more shots, providing cover as Eddie, Kenny, and Katjaa usher the children into the building behind the Asian survivor. He quickly slams the metal gate shut and fastens a padlock just as zombies begin pounding against it.

Inside the pharmacy, they find three additional survivors, their faces drawn with fear and tension.

"We can't take risks like this!" Lilly argues vehemently, her eyes blazing.

"And we can't just let people die either!" Carley retorts, crossing her arms defiantly.

"When I say 'that door stays shut no matter what,' I fucking mean it! We don't know who these people are; they could be dangerous!" Lilly exclaims, her voice sharp.

"Worse, they could have led them right to us!" Larry frowns, anxiety knitting his brow.

"Where the hell is your humanity?! They would have died out there!" Carley shouts, fire in her eyes.

"Then we let 'em!" Larry shrugs absently, dismissing her concern.

"Fuck you, old man," Eddie shoots back, his patience waning.

"What did you just say, you little shit?" Larry steps forward aggressively, but Eddie isn't backing down. Kenny steps up alongside his son, both men defiant.

"We're not dangerous; we're just regular folks trying to survive," Lee states, arms crossed, his tone firm.

"What's dangerous is a bunch of people running outside and attracting attention to us," Lilly says, her eyes narrowing.

"Lee's right. We may be just regular people, but we actually care about helping others," Kenny adds, trying to temper the rising tension.

"You'll have to excuse her," Carley interjects, glancing at Lilly.

"The hell he or anyone will! This is about survival! Do you not see what's happening out there?" Lilly argues back fiercely.

Clementine, clutching Lee's hand, looks up at him with wide eyes. "What is it?" Lee asks impatiently.

"I... I have to pee," Clementine says quietly, her small voice barely audible.

"In a minute, Clem," Lee replies, his mind focused on the argument around them.

She lowers her gaze to the floor and reluctantly lets go of his hand.

"They've got kids too, Lilly," Glenn chimes in, trying to reach her heart.

"Those things outside don't care," Lilly shoots back, steeling herself against the mounting pressure.

"Maybe you should go join them, then. You'll have something in common!" Kenny growls, frustration spilling over.

"Goddamn it, Lilly, you have to control these people!" Larry scowls, his voice low.

"Carley and Glenn just ran outside!" Lilly retorts, glaring at her father.

"I don't give a flying fuck! We're in a war zone!" Larry shouts, his temper flaring.

Amidst the chaos, Clementine edges toward the bathroom alone, determined.

"Look," Eddie speaks up, attempting to diffuse tension again. "We get it. You risked a lot letting us in here. But can we just calm the hell down? We appreciate the help, but seriously…"

"Holy shit," Larry suddenly gasps, wide-eyed. He looks over to Duck, who is sitting on one of the chairs near the bar. "Son of a bitch, one of them is bitten!"

Eddie lets out an exasperated sigh and facepalms. "He wasn't bitten! I killed that thing before it could—"

"Hell he wasn't!" Larry glares at Eddie. "We have to end—" But before Larry can approach Duck, Eddie swiftly kicks behind his knee, bringing the older man crashing down onto the ground.

Kenny steps in front of Larry, his stance strong. "Over my dead body."

Larry grunts in pain, not used to such rough treatment from a younger opponent. "Don't you fucking people get it?! We've already seen this happen! Let one infected in, and we all end up bitten!"

"He's not bitten!" Lee adds, rushing over to support Eddie.

"Get that through your fucking skull!" Eddie shouts, anger magnifying his voice.

"Dad, it's just a boy—it's—" Lilly tries to placate him.

"Lilly, I'll handle this," Larry snaps.

"But your heart, Dad. You need to calm down! We'll get this kid out of here," Lilly insists, her voice tinged with desperation.

"You fucking won't! Because he's not fucking bitten. Bitch are you dumb too?" Eddie growls, frustration boiling over.

"Everyone, chill the fuck out!" Carley yells, her voice cutting through the noise.

"Nobody is doing anything!" Lilly retorts, her voice climbing in volume.

By this point, Larry has managed to stand as well. Eddie allows it and shoots Lilly a glare. "Shut up, Lilly!" He turns back to Carley. "And you, shut the fuck up!" He pivots back to the group, urgency hardening his expression. "They will find us and they will get in here, and none of this will fucking matter! But right now we're about to be trapped in here with one of those things!"

Having had enough, Eddie swiftly punches Larry in the back of the head, followed up by a clean shot to the chin from Kenny, knocking Larry out cold.

In the midst of this chaos, moments earlier, Clementine had managed to grab a key from behind the counter for the bathroom and used it to unlock the door.

But as the door swings open, a walker lunges out and tries to bite her. "Clementine!" Lee shouts, his heart racing.

Lee tries to rush to her but collides with Lilly, stumbling and hitting his head against the ground. As his vision blurs, he can just make out the figure of the zombie reaching for Clementine.

Eddie, eyes widening in surprise, attempts to dash over but fails to notice he can't fit between two shelves, causing him to curse under his breath.

Yet, luck is on their side; Lee manages to rise to his feet in time, barreling forward as he grabs the walker and pulls it away from Clementine. "Get away from her, you son of a bitch!" Lee yells, adrenaline spiking through him.

Larry has awakened by now, groggy but alert.

The zombie thrashes, attempting to attack Lee, who struggles to keep it at bay. "Ah, God, get off! Ugh…" As if on cue, the zombie is shot and collapses to the floor. "Man…"

Carley lowers her gun, her voice steady. "You okay?"

"Just great, thanks," Lee replies, his breath shaky but relieved.

Eddie rushes to Clementine's side, placing a gentle hand on her back. "Are *you* okay?" he asks, concern etching his features. Clementine, trembling, looks up and nods slightly.

"Uh... guys?" Glenn speaks up, his voice wavering as he hears growling and the ominous pounding of zombies outside.

"Everybody down! Stay quiet!" Lilly whispers urgently, panic creeping into her tone.

Eddie, Kenny, Duck, and Katjaa huddle together, while Clementine instinctively hides behind Lee, and everyone else crouches down behind the shelves, fear etching their faces.

Noises and gunfire resound from outside. "Is that the military?" Lee wonders, hope fluttering in his chest.

"Probably," Eddie replies, his voice tense with uncertainty.

"Thank God for whatever it is," Glenn sighs in relief.

Larry, regaining some composure, stands and marches across the room. Everyone cautiously comes out of hiding. "We almost died because of this bitch and her itchy trigger finger! That was stupid! That was—" Larry's rant is cut short as he suddenly clutches his chest, groaning and collapsing to the floor.

"Dad!" Lilly rushes over, worry etched across her face, fear palpable in the air.

"Shit…" Kenny mutters, concern flooding his voice.

"What's wrong with him?!" Lee asks, wide-eyed, panic bubbling within him.

"It's his heart!" Lilly exclaims, her voice breaking with urgency.

"My pills…" Larry groans weakly, desperation creeping into his tone.

"Um... nitroglycerin pills?" Katjaa asks hesitantly.

Lilly stands up, her expression frantic. "Yes! We're out. We've been trying to get into the pharmacy since we got here! Please, try to get in there! Behind the counter, where the pills are!"