𝟷.𝟹 | Friendship
Hayden turned to Kenny and Lee once the situation had been defused, "I'm Hayden and that little girl over there is my daughter, Naya." Kenny nodded his head, "I'm Kenny, that's my boy Duck and my wife, Katjaa." Katjaa smiled up at Hayden, "Thank you so much." Hayden smiled at her before turning to Duck, "You're one tough little boy, you know that. One of the bravest soldiers I've met." Duck's eyes lit up at that, a grin appearing on his face that eased his parents who were worried he was more affected by what happened. "This is Lee and his boy Clement," Kenny introduced Lee who was distracted talking to Clement from across the room.
Suddenly, Clement let out a yell alerting everyone. Lee looked over to see a Walker had fallen out of the bathroom and was reaching for the boy, Naya had backed up closer to Lily and Larry who were watching in fear. Lee pushed past Hayden towards Clement however, due to his injured leg, he slipped and hit the ground. Hayden pulled him up quickly as Carley shot the Walker in the head protecting Clement from its reach. Unfortunately, the gunshot had riled up the Walkers outside the building and they started banging on the gate in response. Naya whimpered as she ran into her father's arms, he held her close to him as they all fell silent and hid.
As everyone cowers behind the counters, a string of gunshots, explosions and aerial vehicle sounds, presumably from the military fighting hordes of walkers not too far from Macon, draws them away from the drugstore. "Is that the military?" Lee asked the others. "Possibly or other survivors," Hayden answered him. "Thank God for whatever it is," Glenn voiced. "We almost died because of this bitch and her itchy trigger finger!" Larry snapped harshly, Hayden rolling his eyes as he grew tired of this man's bitching. "That was stupid! That was--" Larry falls to his knees with severe chest pain. "What's wrong with him?" Lee questioned a panicked Lily. "It's his heart," Lily informed him. "My pills..." Larry whimpered in pain.
"Uh-um... Nitro-glycerine pills?" Katjaa asked her. "Yes! We're out. We've been trying to get into the pharmacy since we got here!" Lily exclaimed to them before looking at Lee, "Please, try to get in there! Behind the counter where the pills are." Hayden scoffed under his breath, first they wanted to kick the newcomers out and now she was begging for their help; He knew this group was bound to either fall apart or weed out the weak. The pills weren't long time, Larry's condition was bound to cause conflict in the future and Hayden wasn't certain he would be willing to risk his daughter's life in that kind of situation.
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Lee nodded at Lily before promising, "We'll get in there somehow." Lily sent him a grateful smile, "Thank you so much. We need Nitro-glycerine pills. Please get in there, I'll keep an eye on my dad." Kenny takes charge of the situation and tells the quiet man in the corner to be the lookout. He says his name is Doug while the shooter introduces herself as Carley. Lily introduces herself and her father, Larry, and is told to keep an eye on him. The Asian man, Glenn, volunteers to run to a nearby motel to find fuel for their truck. He leaves and Lee gives him one of Clement's walkie-talkies. Naya looked up at her father who nodded knowing what she was asking, the girl made her way over to Clement.
"Uh, hi... I'm Naya," Naya introduced softly gaining Clement's attention from his walkie-talkie, "I really like your hat." Clement smiled at that, "Thanks. I'm Clement. I like your jacket." Naya grinned at the compliment, she was wearing a leather jacket that matched her father's. "My daddy got it for me for my eighth birthday so we could match!" Naya told Clement with a toothy grin, "Did your daddy give you the hat?" Clement nodded before looking down, "My parents are in Savannah." Naya pouted, "Oh, I thought Lee was your daddy." Clement shook his head, "He's looking after me until we find my parents." Naya smiled at that, "At least you're not alone. And now we can be friends!" Clement smiled at that.
Lee made his way over to the two kids, he smiled at the sight of Clement being relaxed talking about things a child should. "Hey kids," Lee greeted the two. "Hey Lee, this is Naya. She's my new friend," Clement told Lee who smiled wide at that. "That's good. Glad you've made a new friend," Lee told him before looking at Naya, "It's nice to meet you, Naya." Naya smiled back at him before Lee left the two kids to talk and relax after the chaos. It wasn't long till he found three energy bars, he made his way towards Katjaa and offered one for Duck; she thanked him. Then he headed towards Naya and Clement handing them both a bar each, satisfied that the kids had all been fed despite the unhappy look on Larry's face.
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Lee then heads into the office to look for a way into the pharmacy, Clement and Naya follow him into the room. He sees a large pool of blood on the floor and realizes that his parents must have died here. He wonders if his father was hurt and was trying to protect his mother, but was killed by the Walkers outside. He finds an old photograph of his family on the floor next to the blood and fondly picks it up. Then, realizing that if the other survivors found out that his last name was Everett they would believe him dangerous, he tears the picture to remove himself from it. Naya and Clement share a look from where they stood by the door, they both turned to Lee as Carley and Hayden stepped into the room.
"Find anything?" Carley asked startling Lee who turned to see her standing behind him while Hayden stood with the kids, his body relaxed. Lee dropped the piece of the photo that contained himself, Clement looked at it and frowned slightly. "It's a photo of the family who owned this place. It might help us track down the keys to the office," Lee answered her with a small smile on his face. "We know who you are," Carley told Lee motioning at Hayden who bowed his head in agreement with her before she continued, "You're Lee Everett. You're a professor at Athens who killed a State Senator who was sleeping with your wife."
Lee had tensed at the reveal before Carley continued, "This is your parent's story; folks around town know the owner's son got himself a life sentence but I'm a reporter for WABE in Atlanta. I paid attention to that trial. Maybe you're a murderer. But I don't really care. Frankly, that's a skill that might come in handy." Lee shakes his head slightly, his stunned that she seemed to be so unbothered by his presence. "Did you tell anyone out there who you were or that you were tied to this place?" Carley asked Lee. "No. I've been sticking to first names for a reason," Lee told her truthfully. "You seem like an okay guy and the last thing we need is drama out there," Carley spoke after a moment of silence.
"You've got this little boy to take care of, and... look, don't make me wrong on this," Carley told Lee, reassuring him that his secret is safe. "I don't plan to," Lee told her. "Good. Because if this last longer than a few days and you're a detriment to the group, then we'd have a problem," Carley warned him. "I hear you," Lee replied to her. "I'll just keep it to myself," Carley said with a nod. "Thanks," Lee replied with a sweet smile. "Don't worry about it," Carley said though she was glad that he trusted her. Carley leaves the office and Lee turns to Hayden who is smirking at him, "Like what you see, huh?" Lee scoffed and faced Hayden completely, "How'd you know who I was?"
Hayden looked down, "My late wife was born and raised in Macon. Before she passed, she was sick and this place was the only one she went to. Your father always gave her a discount because she bought in pastries each time." Lee smiled fondly, he could remember the girl who always bought in pastries when he was younger. "Sally Winters," Lee said bringing a soft smile to Hayden's face. "That was my other half, my better half," Hayden replied before standing up straighter, "I've read your case knowing your friendship with Sally and honestly, I can sympathise. But I agree with Carley, if you become a problem, I will handle it." Lee nodded before the two shook hands. "You staying here, Moo?" Hayden asked Naya who nodded, he winked before leaving the room.
"Moo?" Clement asked Naya who giggled. "My first word was Moo and my mama loved cows," Naya explained to him, he smiled and let out a little giggle too. "I like it, Moo," Clement told her. "Do you have a nickname?" Naya asked Clement who shrugged, "My parents call me Clem." Naya hummed before she looked at him with a serious expression, "We should pick nicknames for each other that only we can use for... each other." Naya lowered her eyes, "If you want to." Clement grinned at the idea, "I'd love to!" Naya hummed in thought, "It may take some time." Lee smiled at the interaction, "We'll have plenty of it, I'm sure." The kids nodded at Lee.
"We should move this out of the way," Lee told the kids referencing the desk that was blocking the pharmacy door. "Okay!" Naya happily agreed wanting to feel useful. The two kids move to help Lee move the desk aside however, Clement hurts his finger on a loose chip of wood. Lee sets him up on the desk and bandages his finger with a Band-Aid from a nearby first aid kit. He also finds a television remote in the desk drawer that he pockets. He then finds the pharmacy door to be locked and decides to head back into the general store to find it. "Want to head back into the Drugstore now, kids?" Lee asked the two. "Okay," Naya replied.
"Hey, Lee," Clement called out stopping him from opening the door. "Yeah?" Lee asked him, his attention on him. "You're not bad, right?" Clement asked him. "I--Why are you asking me that?" Lee questioned him. "That lady said you killed someone. Was that because he was one of the things trying to eat you?" Clement asked Lee softly. "It's complicated. Sometimes things happen or... you do things and you can't explain them," Lee answered him. "Let's, uh, head back to the others," Lee added, he opened the door and Naya grabbed Clement's hand in her own. "It's okay, Clem. He's a good man," Naya reassured the boy who smiled and tightened his hand in her own before the two friends walked back into the store.
Lee then went and checked on Kenny and his family, Duck was doing better than he had been prior and Kenny praised Lee for his loyalty to his family. Lee asked if they were okay in the drugstore, and Kenny claims that the place is pretty damn defendable but not a permanent solution. After discussing the fact that they needed a new place to go, Lee moves on to speak with the others and create some more stable ground in hopes to help everyone work as a single team. Clement's radio suddenly speaks in Glenn's voice. Lee takes it and learns that Glenn needs help at the motel. Lee tells Kenny that it would be best if he and Carley went alone to rescue Glenn. Once Lee talks to Carley again, they leave the drugstore through the alley exit and walk to the Traveller's Hotel.
"He'll be alright, Clem," Naya assured Clement who sighed, he lowered his eyes to ground and sniffled out of fear of being left alone again. Naya wrapped her arms around Clem, surprising the boy for a moment before he hugged her back. "They're gonna be the best of friends," Lily told Hayden who had been checking on Larry for her. "Naya's always been a welcoming girl and very affectionate," Hayden replied to her before frowning, "I'm scared to see that side of her change." Larry huffed at that, "With your stubborn nature, she'll weaponize it if taught right." Hayden smiled at that, he had to agree with the man; He just had to teach her the right things.
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Rosemary Speaks
The next chapter will contain proper dialogue and such rather than summary.
Hope to see you there!
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