...

..

.

"So, this dairy... You guys really have food?"

"Sure do!" Andy cheerfully replies to Mark. "We've lost most of the cattle, but we still have lots of milk, butter, and cheese stocks up."

Dan nods as he chimes in, "and with the vegetables we grow, we've got plenty of food!"

Lee and Carley hang back from the others, Mark and Ben talking to the brothers some more.

"It's nice to get away from that motel for a while," Carley looks around at the scenery, sighing softly in relief. This Lilly-Kenny thing is starting to get ridiculous. Personally, I'd be happier if you started to take charge more."

Lee chuckles, shaking his head. "You think they'd want me for a leader?"

"Sure," Carley nods, looking to Lee. "Everybody looks up to you."

"Not everyone thinks I'm so trustworthy."

"... Because of your past? Does anyone else know?"

Lee heavily sighs, rubbing the back of his neck. "Larry knows."

Carley winces. "Great. That can't be easy."

"Clement and (Y/N) know," Lee adds. "They were there when we were talking in the drugstore, and asked me about it. I couldn't lie to them."

"What exactly did happen with the Senator?"

Lee's mouth curves up in a frown as he closes his eyes, shaking his head. "It was an accident. I mean... I pretty much knew about the affair. Sometimes I wonder if I should talk to the group about it..."

Carley's gaze moves back to Lee, "you don't have to. Whatever happened before things went to hell doesn't matter anymore."

"Not sure everyone would see it that way."

She frowns as she slowly nods. "Maybe you're right. But listen, I've reported on some pretty messed up shit. I've seen situations like yours a hundred times, and it doesn't have to make you a bad man."

Lee was quiet for a moment, a small smile forming on his face. "I really appreciate that."

They look up as Mark speaks again, mentioning Lee.

"-- thank God Lee showed up when he did. Right, Lee?"

Andy and Dan look back to Lee, slowing down and walking at both of his sides.

"Yeah, why don't you tell us a little more about yourself, Lee?" Andy smiles, Carley moving away.

"Where are ya from?" Dan questions.

Lee looks between the two, "I... grew up in Macon."

(?) Andy will remember that

"Right here in the heart of Georgia!" Andy chuckles, nodding appreciatively. "That's what I like to hear."

The three were quiet for a moment as they continue walking, Andy breaking the silence.

"Y'all seem pretty settled in at that motor inn. Who's running things over there?"

Lee's eye slightly twitches at the question as he reluctantly says, "Lilly. She runs a pretty tight ship. Her and her dad are ex-millitary."

(?) The St. John brothers took note of that

"Yeah, she knows her shit," Mark scoffs, looking back. "But she needs to know when to back off sometimes."

Dan side-eyes Lee, questioning in a nonchalant tone, "how many people you got over there, anyway?"

Lee's brows furrow as he looks back to Carley, who looked at the brothers with an uncomfortable expression at all their personal questions.

"... Enough to defend ourselves," Lee firmly speaks.

(?) Lee let them know he and the others are prepared to defend themselves

"Well, that's good!" Andy chuckles, patting Lee's back. " It's gettin' dangerous out there. Well, you guys know. We'd love to get ya all out to the Dairy. Like I said, we've got plenty of food, and quite frankly, we could always use an extra helping hand."

"I-In the summers, I used to help out on a goat farm," Ben stammers out as he looks back.

"Yeah? That's great! Everything helps!" Dan replies with a smile and a nod.

"Momma's been runnin' the Dairy for as long as I can remember. But now it's getting--"

"You think you're gonna cut me out of this?!"

Andy was cut off by a man yelling nearby, his eyes narrowing. "Shit. Get down!"

The group lower themselves to the floor, crouch-walking over to the voices arguing.

"No one's trying to cut you out of anything!" another man firmly replies with a crossbow in his hand.

"You and Jerry are always--"

"Fucking bandits," Dan murmurs.

"Who?"

"Those look like the people that raided my camp..." Ben whispers, his eyes widened.

"Calm down, your paranoia is pissing everyone off!"

"But who are they?" Lee demands, Andy shushing him as the men speak.

"Fucking assholes is who they are," Andy replies.

Carley checks her ammo clip, "there's only two of them."

"Oh, no. There's a lot more," Dan lowly speaks, his eyes squinted.

"You know what?! Yeah, we ate it all! What are you gonna fucking do about it?"

"Don't worry, Danny and I have ya covered if something happens. But let's just wait this out and hope they move on."

"Fuck you!" one of the bandits yell, kicking the man with the crossbow down. "Fuck you!"

He shoots him in the face, the group flinching as Ben gasps in horror.

"Fuck you! Fuck you! Fuck you!"

"Jesus!" Carley whispers in disbelief as the man continues shooting the other man's body over and over.

"Asshole!" the man huffs, turning and leaving the other man on the road behind.

Andy shakes his head, "the world out here has gone to shit. Come on, let's get to the Dairy, where it's safe."

...

..

The group were led by Andy and Dan to the Dairy, an electric fence surrounding the outer area and corn fields and a path leading up to the farmhouse.

"Here it is!" Andy grins widely as he turns to the others, gesturing with his hand to the farm. "The St. John's family Dairy! Y'all can see how we've kept this place so safe."

Mark looks at the electric fence in awe. "The fence keeps them out?"

"You betcha!" Andy chuckles, "they fry like bugs in a zapper. We're pushin' 4000 volts through that thing, with generators and amps.

Carley tilts her head in confusion, "I'm going to assume that's a lot."

A woman looks through the window of the house, her hair a chestnut brown and her eyes green.

Lee eyes the fence warily, an unsure frown on his face. "We've got kids in our group. Doesn't seem safe to have them near a lethal fence."

"Oh," Andy lets out a small laugh, "don't worry about that. We've got plenty to keep 'em entertained."

Carley looks around the land, a small smile on her face. "This place looks untouched. You'd never know the rest of the world is in ruins."

"It's worth protecting," Andy replies with a nod, Brenda coming down the small inclide leading up to the house. "Hence, all the juice."

"I thought I saw y'all with company comin' down the drive!" Brenda cheerfully greets, holding a basket.

"Guys, this is our mama," Andy introduces.

"I'm Brenda St. John, and welcome to the St. John Dairy!" she smiles with closed eyes, Mark noticing the basket.

"This here is Lee. He's from Macon."

Brenda's face lights up. "Ooh! A couple of our old farm hands were from Macon. They grow 'em good there."

Dan walks over to Brenda, standing at her side. "They've got a few more friends staying at the old motel."

"Oh, my goodness! That place is pretty vulnerable. Have you got someone with survival experience to lead your group?"

Lee's mouth curves to the side as he shrugs, "Lilly. She's tough as nails, and keeps us focused on what it takes to survive."

Mark nods in agreement, "Lilly was in the military, like me."

"Well, that's good to hear!" Brenda says in relief. "That motel ain't the safest place. Now that y'all are here, we'll make sure you're safe and comfortable."

Lee looks back down the road before looking back to Brenda. "Does that offer apply to the rest of us?"

"We're all incredibly hungry," Carley adds.

Brenda gives a sweet smile, handing over the basket full of bread. "These are for y'all. Baked fresh this morning."

Carley practically drools at the sight, Lee's stomach growling. "Amazing..."

Dan lets out a small laugh, "can't get stuff like that anymore, not without a cow for milk and butter, that's for sure."

"That's right! Hopefully Maybelle will make it through this bout of whatever she's got and be with us for a good long while." Brenda sighs softly, glancing over to the barn.

"Your cow is sick?" Lee questions, his brows furrowed. "What's she--"

"We have a vet!" Mark butts in, grinning widely. "We could bring her here! We can help you folks out!"

"A vet?" Brenda gasps, smiling in delight. "Oh, my! Our prayers have been answered!"

"Maybe our whole group could come, for the day?"

Lee looks around the farm with narrowed eyes, trying to look for any signs of trouble.

"Well... How about this. Y'all go get your veterinary friend, and I prepare some dinner? A big feast for all you hungry souls," Brenda offers, Andy's eyes shifting over to her as his brows furrow. "It'll be nice to have some folks to help out around here again. Danny, why don't you come help me out in the kitchen?"

Brenda turns and walks up the hill, Dan following and Andy hanging back with Lee's group.

Carley steps forward and takes the basket of bread, "why don't I head back with the food and round up everyone for the trip over here?"

"Ya might wanna take someone with you," Andy replies with concern. "Remember, those roads can be dangerous."

She gives him a firm look, her eyes narrowing. "I can handle myself."

"Take this," Mark hands over his rifle, Carley strapping it on her back. "Why don't you go ahead and take Ben anyway."

Carley sighs, nodding as she looks to Lee. "Take care of yourself, Lee. See you in a while."

Lee nods back as she starts down the path, Ben following her closely as they leave.

"Mark, Lee, why don't ya take a look around?" Andy suggests with a smile. "Once ya get settled in, I could use some help securin' the perimeter."

"Is there a problem?" Lee questions.

"Sometimes the dead get tangled up in the fence before they fry and end up knocking over a post. It'd be a big help if you two could walk the perimeter." He explains, Mark instantly nodding in agreement. "You can learn a little somethin' about our fence. I'm gonna go top off our generators before they run dry. Come get me when you're ready."

"You betcha!" Mark calls as Andy walks away, turning to Lee. "This place is incredible! It's got food. And that fence, oh man, that fence! If we play our cards right, this might turn out to be a place we can stay. So, how do you want to play this?"

Lee couldn't shake this off feeling he had as he looked around, frowning. "Before we can think about bringing our whole group here to stay, we need to figure out if this place is as safe as they're telling us."

Mark slowly nods, his smile falling. "Right. Obviously they think it's safe, but is it safe enough for the kids? I noticed a broken swing over there... Not a big deal, but maybe there's other things not working that we just can't see yet."

"And checking the fence perimeter sounds like a decent way to get a look at their defenses," Lee suggests as he looks over to the swing.

"All right," Mark starts walking away, talking over his shoulder. "I'll keep my eyes open and you find out what you can from Andy."

Lee nods, turning and looking around the small yard fenced-area of the house. He walks over to the swing, humming as he squats. "Too bad it's broken. I'll bet Clement and (Y/N) would've loved something like this to play on."

"Kids used to like that old swing even more than the tour sometimes!" Andy calls with a small laugh.

"I'll bet." He turns to Andy, "mind if I try to fix it?"

Andy looks up from the generator, smiling. "Sure! There's some board over here, and should be some rope up there on the porch."

Lee nods, turning and walking up the hill as he mumurs to himself. "Make it safe for the kids, and let the St. John's know we can pull our own weight."

He turns to the chest on the porch, opening it and grabbing a bundle of rope. "Perfect for the swing."

The front door opens, Brenda having noticed Lee. "Hi there, Lee! What can I do for ya, sweetie?"

"Oh," Lee tucks the rope away in his pocket as he walks over. "Need any help around the house?"

"I think with Danny's help I've got things pretty well squared away in the kitchen," she smiles kindly. "But feel free to check with Andy. He's got a lot of weight on his shoulders these days, so I'm sure he'd love any help he can get."

Lee looks up at the massive house, letting out an impressed whistle. "How many rooms does this house have?"

"... Rooms? Why do you ask?"

Lee looks back down to Brenda, noticing her smile had fallen. He glances side to side uncomfortably, "I'm sorry, that was rude of me."

Her smile returns, though it seemed force. "Well, don't you worry about it, Lee. We've got a great big dining room that'll fit your whole group."

Lee clears his throat, nodding and rubbing the back of his neck. "Well, if anything comes up that I can help you with, feel free to let me know."

"I sure appreciate it, Lee," Brenda nods, still smiling as she closes the door.

Lee stares at the door with his brows furrowed in confusion, her behavior off. He shakes his head and turns around, walking down the hill and over to the boards by Andy.

"You don't mind if I use one of these boards?" Lee calls as he picks one up, Andy looking over.

"Nah, go right ahead! Already making repairs? I like a guy who takes some initiative!" Andy nods, turning back to the generator.

Lee grabs the saw on the ground, sawing the board in half and picking up one of the halves. He tucks it under his arm, going to leave before pausing.

He walks over to Andy, making the man look up and rise.

"Hi."

"Hey."

"I'm glad you guys decided to help us out," Andy smiles in thanks. "I noticed back at the motel, you folks are pretty well armed. You been stockpiling?"

Lee goes to nod before pausing, "we've scraped together a good supply in the last few months. How about yourselves? What kind of protection do you have around here?"

"We collected a few guns to protect ourselves, but we really only use 'em when we go off the property," Andy replies, rubbing his chin. "When we're inside the perimeter, the fence is all we need to keep us safe."

(?) Lee learned they have several guns

Lee nods, taking mental note of that. "We can't be the first people you've invited up to the Dairy."

"Well... No," Andy's smile falls. "We've made similar deals with other folks. Trading for gas and food, but ultimately, they moved on, looking for the people they lost contact with.

(?) Lee found out that other survivors have stayed at the farm

"All right," Lee looks back to the broken swing. "I'm gonna get back to it."

"Okay!" Andy cheerfully grins, kneeling back down to the generator. "We gotta secure the perimeter, so don't take too long."

Lee doesn't reply as he walks away, going to the broken swing and setting down his materials.

"All right. This shouldn't be too hard."

Andy looks over to Lee, his face lighting up as he rises. "Well, I'll be damned! Momma's gonna be thrilled to see that old swing all fixed up!"

Lee wipes some sweat from his forehead as he looks back with a smile, the swing fixed.

"Hopefully our kids will like it, too!"

"Did you say something, darlin'?" Brenda calls as she opens the front door. A chuckle escapes her when she sees the swing. "Oh, my goodness! Did you do that?"

Lee looks over with a grin, shrugging. "Just trying to help out a bit around here."

Brenda smiles softly, reminiscing. "You know, I used to push Andy and his brother out here on that swing every night when they were kids. Seems like such a long time ago now..."

"Yeah, it does..." Lee agrees, Brenda walking back inside.

He walks over to Andy, "Mark and I can help you with that perimeter, now."

Mark walks over at the mention of his name, Andy rises. "Oh, good! The fence'll stop a walker in about three or four seconds, but gets overloaded if we leave the husks out there."

Lee looks down at the generator before glancing to Mark, wanting a moment to speak. "You know, Mark and I can clear the fence ourselves if you want to stay here and finish up with the generators."

Andy seems to become excited with the idea as he nods, smirking. "That'd be great! I'll turn off the Northwest section, and if you guys could strip 'em off and look for any weak points, that'd be a big help."

"Sounds easy enough," Lee agrees.

"Stay attentive." Andy warns as they start walking away. "Ya never know."

...

..

Mark and Lee walk along the perimeter far from the house, searching for any walker corpses on the fence.

"So, how's the place looking? Is it safe enough to stay, if we can?" Mark questions.

"Yeah," Lee looks around at the fence in appreciation. "It's pretty amazing what they've done with this Dairy. But let's see what it takes to secure this fence before drawing any conclusions."

Mark nods, though he was still leaning more optimistic. "I can't wait until everyone's out here. Everyone besides Larry."

Lee huffs, turning to Mark. "What were you thinking, telling him what I said about him thinking I'm dangerous?"

"Look, you said it. You even admitted it right to him," Mark defends.

Lee sighs heavily, "we'll work it out somehow."

"Hopefully he'll calm down once he's out here."

They approach a walker on the fence, fried. A crow was picking at his flesh, standing on an arrow in the walker's skull.

"There's one," Mark says in disgust, the crow flying away. "Yuck."

Lee unsurely kicks the walker, making Mark chuckle. "Lee. It's dead."

"Just making sure!" Lee defends himself, sighing. "Come on, let's push it off."

The walker was being pinned to the post with the arrow, so Lee yanks it out with a gag. "Disgusting."

Lee looks to the light bulb, Mark humming with a frown. "Andy said when this fence is working, the walkers go up like a tree branch on a power line... If those lights are out, that means the fence is off, right?"

"It better be!" Lee replies, turning to the walker. He takes his axe off his back, and uses it to push the body off the fence with a grunt. "Come on, I'm sure there's still a few more."

Mark follows Lee, "once this fence is patched up... This place'll be a fortress! God, can you imagine not having to worry about the walkers anymore?"

Lee eyes the fence with a frown, "it's useless without gas. We might need food, but the St. John's need gas, too."

(?) Mark noticed Lee's ambivalence

"Not many drivers these days, Lee," Mark points out. "We could scrounge up a year's worth of gas, easy. But anyway, what's your take on the brothers? They seem to have this place tied down pretty well."

"What do you mean?"

"I dunno. They seem decent enough. I just want you to know that I've got your back if anything goes down," Mark says with a firm nod.

"Thanks," Lee nods back as they approach another walker, the post leaning but not knocked over. "There's another one."

"I see it."

Lee grunts as he presses his axe against the walker, pushing her down. Her hands were still gripping the fence however, Lee using the axe to cut her hands off.

The putrid smell hits both of the men as the body flops over, her hands on the fence oozing blood.

"You never get used to the smell, do you?" Mark gags out, holding his shirt over his nose."

Lee lets out a laugh, shaking his head as they walk futher. "Nope."

Mark's stomach growls loudly, making him sigh. "Christ. I can't stop thinking about dinner."

He was quiet for a moment before glancing to Lee.

"Thanks for the rations earlier. It's... Not easy eating in front of the kids, but it's all that's keeping me on my feet right now."

"I can take care of the kids," Lee reassures. "I did take care of them. Trust me, I'm hungry too, Mark."

"Do you think they're gonna be good for it? Dinner for a whole group of people?"

"If they've got as much food as they say, I think so," Lee nods, the two approaching a walker.

The walker had knocked over two posts, his body tangled in the fence.

"Come on, I think I can see where they're getting in from," Mark calls as he jogs over to the walker, Lee following with his axe out. "This one must've knocked it over trying to get through. He's tangled up in there pretty good. Let's get this thing back in place so we can get Mr. Crispy off of here."

Lee looks over the posts, "I think we can get better leverage from the other side.

"Good idea," Mark nods, grunting as he leaps over the fallen fence to the other side.

Lee raises an amused brow as he sets his axe on the ground and simply steps over carefully, both readying themselves by grabbing a fallen post.

The two grunt with effort as they push the posts upright, a spark making the two jolt away.

"Holy fuck! What just happened?!"

Lee's eyes were wide as he looks to the light bulb, the light on. "The fences are on!"

"Why the hell would he turn the fence on?! He knows we're out here--!"

Mark lets out a scream as an arrow pierces his shoulder, Lee gasping and looking to the forest.

"I told ya what would happen, you sons of bitches!" a man yells, more arrows flying from the woods.

"Get to the gate!" Lee shouts to Mark, the two halting as arrows land in front of them. He looks around quickly and spots a tractor, helping Mark over to it. "Get down!"

"You assholes!"

"Jesus!" Mark yelps as he ducks down, an arrow flying over him and some bouncing off the tractor.

"We had an agreement! Now, you're fucked!"

"Who the fuck is that?!" Mark hisses in pain, holding his shoulder.

"No idea!"

"Fuck! Now what?!"

Lee exhales sharply, looking over the fence. "With that fence on, that gate is our only way out!"

He peeks around the tractor, swiftly ducking back as an arrow whizzes past.

"We had an agreement!"

Lee grunts as he quickly moves the block from the tire of the tractor, thinking the slight decline would make it roll.

"Shit, it's stuck!" he hisses to himself, Mark groaning as he holds his shoulder.

Lee moves to the back of the tractor, pulling the lever and raising the blades and moving his hand just as an arrow bounces off the tractor.

"Come on," Lee gently urges, the tractor starting to roll as the men keep shouting angrily. "If we can reach the gate, we get through this fence and back to the house."

"Shit! This stings!" Mark groans as they crouch-walk with the tractor.

"They're getting away!"

"You assholes!"

The tractor continues rolling as Lee and Mark use it for cover, but suddenly stops.

"What happened?"

"Shit!" Lee curses. "It's one of the dead we pushed down earlier."

Lee rises slowly, grabbing the walker's hands and grunting as he pulls on him. He drags the walker out of the way, returning to Mark as the tractor starts rolling.

It stops after a few feet, Mark groaning. "Another one?! How many did we even push off?"

Lee grabs the walker's arm, going to pull it when--

"Oh, shit!" he screams as the walker snarls, trying to pull Lee's hand to his teeth.

Lee kicks the walker's head a few times before yelling, pulling harshly. The walker's body tears in half, his guts pooling out as Lee blinks rapidly and throws him away from them.

"You okay?!" Mark manages out, Lee looking back to to the walker.

"Yeah... Shit! My axe is back where I left it!" he curses, backing away as the walker starts crawling over to the two.

Arrows fly by in front of them, the walker behind them, keeping them trapped.

"Come on, the gate's right there!" Mark urges, the tractor rolling quickly.

The two men walk with it as Lee keeps an eye on the walker, the tractor hitting the corn tower.

An arrow kills the walker behind them, the men shouting in the woods.

"They're getting away!"

"Let's get out of here!" Lee shouts, kicking the gates open as Mark follows behind closely.

"You lucky sons of bitches! Go ahead and run! We ain't going nowhere!"

The bandits warn, Lee and Mark rushing to the house as quickly as they could.

...

..