Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Ben was led bounded into an empty room, aside from a large rectangular mirror on the wall. Given that it was the only thing in there, Ben assumed it was a one way window. His cuffs were removed and the men leading him stepped back to stand on either side of the closed door.

“Are we ready to start testing?” David’s voice came over the speaker.

“Yes, he’s ready.” Max answered.

“Woe, woe, what kind of ‘testing’ is going on here.” Ben sprung around to face Max and Badger.

“We’re testing your immunity.” David said. “I need to see you’re actually immune before we waste our time.”

A door on the far end of the room opened and a woman came in with a Walker on a stick collar Ben remembered seeing animal control using once. Immediately knowing what was about to happen, Ben jumped back and scrambled for the door he was brought through. Badger blocked his way, grabbing the teen’s shoulder to stop him.

“There is no way in hell that thing is biting me! You people are insane!” Ben shouted. His heart pounded out of his chest as his anxiety sky rocked. Part of him wasn’t sure his immunity would work a second time.

The Walker growled and tugged on its restrain, trying to go towards the shouting.

“Max, Badge, leave the room with the door locked.” David ordered. “Joan, release the Walker then leave as well. Lingard and I will observe what happens. And don’t worry Ben, we won’t let it eat you.”

“Wow, I feel so safe.” Ben said sarcastically.

Max and Badger left the room, locking the door behind them, Joan released the Walker from the leash and left through her door. Ben tensed up as the Walker growled and shambled towards him. He jumped out of the way barely in time as it lunged for him.

Ben missed his footing in his haste and fell onto the linoleum floor. The Walker was on him in an instant and struggling with the teen holding it back. It snapped its teeth at him, trying to bite as the teen felt it back.

Ben managed to get out from under it and crawl away, only for it to grab his ankle. The teen rolled onto his back and started kicking its head. The Walker’s head snapped back before coming forwards again and biting into Ben’s right leg.

“Fuck-” Ben cursed.

The teen kicked hard, crying out as a chunk of flesh was ripped out as the Walker fell back. The door flung open as Max came in and quickly killed the undead monster with a knife to the skull.

“I’m going to fucking kill all of you, in the most brutal way I can think of!” Ben hissed, gripping his bleeding leg.

“Yeah, yeah, come on, Kid.” Badger took hold of the teen’s elbow and pulled him up from the ground.

Max and Badger put the cuffs back onto Ben’s wrists before dragging him back to his room on David’s orders.

—--------

Lingard finished wrapping Ben’s leg and turned away to put away the cleaning supplies. The wound had needed stitches to close it up but was now closed into a neat line on the side of his calf. Ben leaned back against the bed board as he watched the man through his uncovered lidden eye.

“You’re a doctor right? How can you agree with this?” Ben asked the man.

“David just wants to know for himself if you really are immune to the virus.” Lingard said.

“That’s not what I asked.” Ben frowned.

Lingard just hummed as he continued working. Ben coughed, feeling the effects of being bitten starting to set in. He laid back in bed, rolling onto his side and curling up. His stomach cramped up from the movement, making him groan.

“Already feeling symptoms?” Lingard asked.

“Yeah.” Ben forced out.

“All I can give you is pain medicine. Do you want some?” The man asked.

Ben nodded. Lingard moved around and pulled out a bottle of painkillers out of the first aid kit, shook out two and passed them to the teen. Ben sat up and took them, throwing them back in his mouth and swallowing them dry.
He laid back down then and pulled his blanket up to his chin. He closed his eyes to block out the light and tried to relax while waiting for the meds to kick in.

“I’ll leave you to sleep.” Lingard said.

Ben just hummed. Lingard’s footsteps moved towards the door and the lights switched off before the door clicked shut. The teen curled up in bed, letting his mind wander to his family before drifting off.

Chapter Text

Clementine slammed her shoulder into the door only to groan in pain. The door remained closed despite her efforts. She rubbed her sore shoulder as she glared at the door.

“Clem be careful, you could really hurt yourself.” Sarah tentatively said behind her.

“We need to get out of here.” Clem snapped. “We need to find Ben, who knows what they’re doing to him!”

Sarah flinched back as the younger teen rounded on her.

Clem turned back to the door, trying to find a different way to open it. While old, the door was sturdy and steadfastly locked from the outside.

“If only there was a vent in here.” Clem grumbled. “Could crawl through it and open the door from the other side.”

“Have you done that before?” Sarah asked.

“Yeah.” Clem didn’t elaborate, her thoughts taken over with images of the farm and being trapped in that meat locker. “Wait, I have an idea.”

She turned to Sarah, setting out her plan to her.

—---------

“Help! Someone please!” Clem pounded on the door.

Someone swore loudly on the other side of the door before it opened.

“What the hell is going on here?” The man demanded.

“I-It’s my friend!” Clem cried. “I-I think she was having a seizure and went still! I think sh-she’s dead!”

The man grumbled something about not getting enough to have to deal with this. He made his way over to Sarah who was sprawled on the floor. He knelt down, checking for a pulse on her neck.

Clem slowly inched out the door and reached for a wrench laying on the ground, most likely to be used for repairs, before slipping back into the room.

“Well she’s breathing so she should be-”

Clem cut of the man with a crack of the wrench over the back of his head. He fell to the ground as a small pool of blood formed from the wound on his head. Sarah sat up and jumped away from the man.

“Let’s go before someone else comes.” Clem grabbed Sarah’s hand and pulled her out of the room and into the hall.

“I-I think you might’ve killed him…” Sarah said.

“I didn’t hit him that hard.” Clem shrugged. “He’ll probably just have a concussion and headache.”

“He’s bleeding a lot.” She argued.

Clem shrugged nonchalantly; “He’s part of the people who kidnapped us and took Ben. Who cares?”

Sarah stayed quiet, following Clem down the hall. The building they were in looked like it was once a ranch from what they could tell. There were stacks of supplies and various tools around and looked like there was some maintenance under way.

Sarah stayed close to Clementine, one hand gripping her sleeve. Clem slowly led the way, clutching the wrench tight in her hand. The duo slowly made their way through the hall, checking each room as they went.

Hearing footsteps echoing down the far end of the hall, Clem yanked Sarah down behind a pile of crates by the wall. Sarah squeaked and slapped a hand over her mouth to keep quiet. Clem peaked around the crates, clutching her wrench close.

“Man these prisoners are annoying.” A man groaned. “David only wanted the kid, why’d we have to take all of them?”

“I don’t know, make sure they don’t come after us and ruin everything?” A woman answered.

“I thought the kid agreed to the testing.” The man said. “At least that’s what I heard.”

‘Ben agreed? There’s no way he’d do that!’ Clem mentally shouted.

“Guess the rest of the group wasn’t on board.” The woman continued.

The two soon strolled past, their voices fading as they disappeared down the hall. The girls stayed put for a long moment, making sure the two were gone before coming out. Clementine turned away from the direction the guards had gone, continuing down the hall as Sarah trailed after her. Despite how far they went, there was still no sign of their group.

“Where is everyone?” Sarah asked after a long silence.

“I don’t know,” Clem said as she kept her eyes focused on their surroundings. “But they have to be around here somewhere.”

They continue looking for their four missing group members and soon some across a locked door, similar to the one they had been locked behind. They had no time to ponder if their friends were behind the door as shouting that sounded distinctly like Kenny drifted from the otherside.

“This is definitely where they are.” Clem said, feeling a small amount of amusement.

Clementine made her way over and started fiddling with the lock. The lock needed a code and no matter how much she spun the dial, she couldn’t figure out the code.

“Maybe it’s written down somewhere?” Sarah suggested.

“Sarah? Clem, is that you?” Luke’s voice sounded out. “You two okay?”

“We’re fine. But we can get the lock opened.” Clem answered.

There was a long pause and muffled voices on the other side before Sarita answered; “Let it, we’ll find a way out. You two get somewhere safe and we’ll meet you there.”

“Are you sure…?” Sarah asked, nervously.

“We can go find Ben.” Clem said. “We need to get him away from those assholes.”

“Stay safe you two.” Luke chimed back in. “We need to get him back but don’t put yourselves in danger.”

“We’ll make these bastards pay.” Kenny remarked.

“We’ll find Ben and then come back for you!” Sarah promised.

“Yeah!” Clem agreed.

After a long moment of shared goodbyes and promises to be safe, Clem and Sarah separated and focused on finding a way out. The winding halls felt like they went on forever. It was soon apparent to the duo that their escape didn’t go unnoticed. People were all over the place, talking on walkie-talkies and searching every corner of the place.

Clementine pulled Sarah down behind a pile of crates, peeking out to watch the nearby guards. The two were standing by what looked like the exit.

“H-how do we get past them?” Sarah nervously questioned.

Clementine studied them for a long moment; “Wait, let’s see what they do first.”

Sarah nodded and stayed tucked next to the younger teen. The two guards talked but the duo couldn’t make out what they were saying. Clementine watched them for a long moment before looking down at her wrench.

“Okay, listen.” Clem started. “I’m going to make a distraction, the moment they leave to check, run for the door.”

“B-but what it-”

“It’s okay, Sarah. I’ll be right behind you. I promise.” Clem repeated Ben’s promise.

Sarah took a few deep, calming breaths before nodding. Clem nodded back before crawling over the edge of their hiding spot. She raised up her wrench and threw it as hard as she could down the otherside of the hall. It clattered hard against the ground and slammed into a table, causing more noise.

“The hell was that?” One guard whipped around towards the sound.

“Could be those kids that got out. Come on.” The second didn’t wait for their companion to react before speeding off down the hall, leaving the other to scramble after them.

“Go Sarah!” Clem whispered, pushing her forward.

Sarah stumbled to her feet and made a run for the door. Clem ran close behind her and out the door. With all the commotion inside, there was no one outside from what could see but they weren’t gonna wait around to find out. The teens sprinted down the path and disappeared into the treeline.

Chapter Text

Ben groaned as he rolled over in bed. Even the slightest bit of movement caused his stomach to cramp up severely. He coughed painfully, cringing at the taste of copper in his mouth. It had been nearly a full day since he had been bitten and the effects were setting in fully.

Footsteps faintly sounded outside before the door opened. Dr. Lingard stepped into the room. He had a clipboard in his hand as he raised his eyes to the teen, fixing him from a studying glance. Ben stared back at the man from where his cheek was squished into the pillow.

“Good evening, Benjamin.” Lingard greeted him.

“‘Good’ is a strong word.” Ben grumbled.

Lingard hummed as he moved to check the equipment beeping next to the bed. He wrote down the data, tapping his pen against the clipboard.

“Your blood pressure is a tad high.” He stated.

“I wonder why.” The teen’s voice was thick with sarcasm. “Couldn’t be because there’s a deadly virus coursing through my system.”

“Well, it’s not at a dangerous level.” Lingard continued on, completely ignoring Ben’s comments. “I’ll monitor it but it should go down as the illness runs its course.”

Ben just sighed and rolled over onto his back. He stared at the ceiling, a fluorescent light overhead was steadily flickering. Ben blinked, pressing his palms into his eyes. While his left eye was pretty much healed, the pressure from his hand on it stung and felt off with the rough skin around it.

“How is your eye?” Lingard asked. “Since it’s not connected to your bite, I can get something for it.”

“Just my eye patch.” Ben grumbled. “That’d be nice to have back.”

“I’ll see what I can do.” Lingard said.

Ben sighed, sinking into his pillow. He closed his eyes, hoping for a nap to pass the time. Sleep didn’t come to him, his eyes staying trained on the ceiling. There was a dull throb in his leg as numbness slowly kicked in.

—------

Ben was handed a pair of crunches the following morning along with his eyepatch. He was finally allowed out of his room. Of course Max and Badger allowed him around like shadows. The hospital had a small courtyard in the center that he was let into for some fresh air.

Ben made his way around the grounds before sitting down on a bench. It was a decent day out; cloudy with a chill in the breeze. The snow layering the ground was turning to slush in spots and dripping from the edge of the roof above.

He fiddled with his eye patch, making sure it was in a comfortable stop. Ben looked up at the roof. It was tall, perhaps eight stories high.

‘Getting up there wouldn’t be a good escape.’ Ben thought. ‘How would I get back down?’

He sighed, turning away to look around the yard. He could see people moving around inside through the large windows. He pulled his letterman jacket closer around him. He wasn’t able to wear his jacket all the time, since he needed his arms bare for whatever they wanted to hook him up to, but he was at least able to keep it in his room.

“Alright kid, time’s up.” Badger called over to him.

“I just got here.” Ben frowned.

“Yeah well I just got a call from David saying he wants to see you.” Badger said.

“Come on, Kid.” Max gestured for Ben to follow them.

Ben sighed and stood from the bench, grabbing his crutches. He trudged along behind them into the building. It seemed like a busy day, people moving around the halls and center island of computers where others were working away.

Max pressed the call button on the elevator. David’s office was located on the fourth and top floor. Ben stood towards the back of the elevator, leaning against the wall. It shook as it rose, Ben absentmindedly thought it might fall one of these days.

The elevator jumped to a halt and the doors slid open and the trio stepped out. David’s office was at the end of the hall. Max opened the door and moved aside for Ben to step through. David was sitting at his desk looking over a mountain of paperwork. Lingard was standing by the desk, hands resting on the surface as he leaned over. Both men looked up as Ben entered.

“Ben, have a seat.” He festered to the chair across from the desk.

Ben rested his crutches against the chair before plopping down into the seat.

“How are you doing today?” David asked.

“Fine, y’know aside from being bitten and held hostage.” Ben snarkily answered.

The man hummed; “We were just going over the notes Dr. Lingard made on your recovery. We’ll be able to start the next step soon.”

“Which is?” Ben pressed. “What exactly are y’all planning to do to me?”

“To start testing for a vaccine.” The doctor said. He reached for a piece of paper on the desk and turned it for Ben to be able to read as he continued; “While you may still feel the systems of the virus, your immune system is able to fight it off as if it were the flu.”

He brought over another list of test results; “These are your readings before and after the bite. Your white blood cells doubled the usual amount produced to fight off the virus, even with many dying off.”

“What about the nerve damage- I just feel my ankle or wrist- or puking blood and generally just feeling like dying?” Ben questioned, crossing his arms.

“All things that can be worked out in testing.” David claimed, though Lingard looked a bit unsure.

Ben raised a brow; “How exactly is this ‘testing’ going to work? Are you going to just start injecting people and seeing what happens?”

“We will need some testers, once we fit that phase.” Lingard explained. “In a safe environment.”

“Why does this sound like a sales pitch?” The teen asked. “You’re going to do this regardless of what I say.”

“It’s better for everyone if everyone involved is a willing participant.”

“We can make it so now one else turns and cut down the Walker population with your help.” David said. “Don’t you want that, Ben?”

Ben paused for a long moment; “Of course I want that, what kind of question is that?”

“So you agree to testing?” The man asked.

“Yes- on one condition,” Ben straightened up in his seat. “I want to see my family and they need to be safe.”

“Deal.” David said.

Ben studied him for a long minute; “When do we start?”

Chapter Text

“Where are we going, Clem?” Sarah asked after a long silence.

The two had been walking since yesterday evening with no sign of where to go. Clementine led the way a foot ahead of Sarah.

“Where Ben is.” Clem answered simply. “They have to have another camp nearby and Ben has to be there.”

“We've been walking for hours and there’s been nothing.” The older teen stated. “Let’s stop and try to make an actual plan.”

Clem shot a glare over her shoulder before huffing and nodding. She turned back and pointed ahead; “There’s a car, there could be supplies.”

Sarah nodded and followed the younger teen to the vehicle. The driver side door was open and Clem leaned in the dig around. In the center console was a handgun and half a pack of bullets.

“Heck yeah.” Clem smiled, standing back with the weapon to show Sarah. “We’ll need to teach you how to use it.”

Sarah looked nervous; “Do we have to though?”

“Yes.” Clem emphasized. She checked the magazine before snapping it back into place, leaving the box of bullets rested on the seat. “Come on, it’s not too hard once you get the hang of it.”

Sarah sighed, knowing she wasn’t getting out of this. She took the gun when Clem held it out to her. The two moved over to the trees.

“Rule one; never have your finger on the trigger unless you plan on firing.” The younger explained.

Sarah nodded, keeping her finger away from the trigger as Clem showed her how to hold the firearm.

“Aim for the center of that tree.” Clem pointed about a foot ahead at a large oak. She moved Sarah’s arms slightly. “Don’t bend your elbows.”

Sarah did as instructed and after some hesitation, firing. The bullet landed on the left side of the center.

“Almost, try again. More to the right this time.” Clem said.

Sarah adjusted her aim, keeping her arms straight and pulled the trigger. This time she hit the center.

“Good job, Sarah!” Clem praised.

The older teen smiled and shyly fixed her glasses.

“Okay, one more time and then-” Clem was cut off by the sound of groans.

She whipped around to a small group of Walkers coming towards them.

“Shit, the gun must have lured them!” Clem took the gun from Sarah and fired, taking two down quickly.

She went to take out a third but the gun clicked, signaling it was empty. Her eyes snapped to the open car, the ammo box sitting on the seat. Clem made a mad dash for it, grabbing the bullets and quickly loading.

“Clem, look out!” Sarah cried.

A Walker stumbled into the car door, knocking Clem as the door closed. Clem cried out as pain flared up in her hand as it got locked into the car door. The gun skidded out of reach. She quickly grabbed a rock and slammed it into the Walker’s head.

More Walkers shambled towards her. Sarah grabbed the gun and shakingly aimed. She fired, hitting one straight in the head. She quickly aimed again and fired, making work of the rest of the undead.

“Clementine!” Sarah slid in next to her on her knees and examined the damage. The door was completely closed tight on her fingers. “I-I’m going to open the door. Are you ready?”

Clem quickly nodded; “Just do it!”

Sarah ripped open the door and Clem yanked away. Her fingers were all cut up and bruised, but her index finger was completely broken from the second joint up and quickly changing colours to a nasty red-purple. Tears started bubbling up in Clem’s eyes from the pain.

Sarah knelt down next to Clem and gently took her injured hand to inspect. The younger teen jolted and hissed in pain. Sarah was as careful as she could be as she felt around Clem’s hand.

“Okay, we need to find supplies, most of it looks worse than it is. But your index finger…” Sarah trailed off. “W-we might need to remove it.”

“W-what?” Clementine pulled her hand away from Sarah, holding it protectively.

“From what I can tell, i-it’s completely broken and we don’t have any way to put it back together.” Sarah nervously rubbed her hands over her face. “I wish Dad was here, he’d know what to do.”

“I’m sorry, Sarah.” Clem frowned.

“Don’t.” Sarah shook her head and brought her focus back to Clem. “Let me see your hand again. I want to set your finger.”

Tentatively, she offered her hand back to Sarah. The older girl tore the hem from her shirt and grabbed a twig from the ground, breaking it in half. The twigs were placed on either side of Clem’s broken finger before the fabric was wrapped tightly around. Clem hissed at the sharp pain growing through her finger but didn’t move away.

Sarah finished and smiled at her work. “There, not the best splint in the world but it’ll work for now to keep it still.”

“You don’t give yourself enough credit.” Clem smiled. She rose to her feet and held out her uninjured hand to Sarah. Taking it, Sarah was pulled up to her feet. They gathered what little there was in the car before heading off in the hopes of finding what they needed.

—-------

It was nightfall when they came across a van in the middle of the woods. There was a man outside of it, muttering curses could be faintly heard. Clem and Sarah crouched down behind the thick shrubs at a safe distance.

“Maybe he can help..?” Sarah nervously suggested.

Clementine studied the man for a long time. Even from a distance it was easy to tell that his wrists were bound together.

“It looks like he needs help.” Clem gave a short amused laugh. “Follow my lead.”

Sarah stayed close to Clem as she slowly inched her way up and behind the man. Clem pulled out their gun and pointed it into the man’s back. He immediately stiffened and slowly turned his head to look behind him.

“Don’t move.” Clem snapped.

“I’m not looking for any trouble.” He reasoned.

“Neither are we.” Clem said. “Just need supplies and then we’ll be on our way.”

“I don’t have anything.” The man tried to turn his head again, ‘causing Clem to press the gun harder into his back. “I’m just trying to get back to my family.”

Clem stopped in her tracks, loosening her grip on the gun. She tilted her head to Sarah standing next to her. A silence conversion went on between them before Clem finally sighed and lowered the gun entirely.

“Alright, turn around- but don’t try anything.” Clem said.

The man turned around and his brows rose to his hairline in shock. “You’re kids…”

“Don’t push your luck.” Clem glared at him. “Anyways- we need supplies. Are you sure there’s nothing in the truck?”

Clem was already opening the passenger side door and rooting around for anything. She came back with an apple that was hidden somewhere in the front compartment.

She offers the apple to Sarah before speaking; “We’re also looking for my older brother. His name’s Ben, he’s about this tall-” Clem reaches her hand up as far as she can above her head. -He’s a giant, shaggy brown hair, blue eye- the other is covered by an eye patch, and wears an old blue letterman with his name sewn on the front. Have you seen him?”

“Uh, no. I haven’t seen anyone that looks like him.” He frowned, actually looking guilty.

Clem and Sarah both slumped in disappointment.

“Hey, tell you what; help me get back to my family and I’ll help find your brother.” He offered.

“Where are they?” Sarah spoke up.

“They’re at the junkyard, not far from here. We got separated and I need help getting back.” He explained.

“You better hold up your end of the deal.” Clem’s voice held a threatening undertone.

“I promise. I mean I’m worried sick about my niece and nephew, I couldn’t imagine not knowing where they were at all.” The man said.

Sarah and Clem looked at each other for a long time before nodding. Clem gestured for the man to lead the way and the three started down the forest trail.

After a long moment of silence, the man spoke up; “I’m Javier, by the way. But you can call me Javi.”
“I’m Clementine.” She answered.

“Nice to meet you, Javi. I’m Sarah.” She smiled shyly.

Javi returned the smile before turning forwards again. They fell back into silence but a bit more comfortable this time.

Chapter Text

The clang of a tray hitting his side table caught Ben’s attention. He blinked his eyes open and stared blarily to his left. It took a moment for his eyes to focus on Lingard standing there and then down at the tray. There was a sandwich and a juice box on it, but what really made him perk up was the pudding cup.

“Is that pudding?” Ben pushed himself up in bed, his nap completely forgotten about.

“Yes, you did well during your morning tests. David thought you deserved a treat.” Lingard explained.

“Makes me sound like a dog learning a trick but I won’t say no.” Ben went straight for the cup and spoon and pulled the covering back, taking a large scoop. “I will also accept chocolate bars and sour candy.”

“I will tell the scavengers to keep an eye out for those.” Lingard made his way back to the door. “Make sure to eat everything, you’ll need your strength.” 

Ben just gave a thumbs up in response, too focused on his sweet treat. With a click of the door lock, Ben was alone once again. Once the pudding was gone, he grabbed the juice box and stabbed the straw through the top before grabbing the sandwich. The bread was a bit old but not as bad as he thought it would be. It was ham and cheese and Ben wondered where they got the ingredients for it.

‘ I wonder what the other’s are eating ’ Be thought as he chewed. He made a mental note to ask David when he could see them. Hopefully it’ll be soon.

Finishing his food, he sat the tray aside and pulled back his cover. Ben tested his weight on his weaker ankle before slowly standing. There was a dull throb in the joint but it was overtaken by the feeling of pins and needles. He flexed his ankle and took a test step. It felt like trying to walk while having a foot asleep; uncomfortable but not making it impossible. 

Making his way to the door, he tried the handle. Locked. Ben sighed and dropped his hand back to his side. It was disappointing but not surprising. The sound of footsteps nearing his room made the teen startle. 

Ben scurried back and jumped into bed, trying to look casual. The lock clicked over and the knob turned before the door pushed open. David stepped through to stand in the doorway.

“Good evening, Benjamin.” He greeted.

“Hey, David.” Ben gave a small wave. “Thanks, uh, for the pudding.”

“Yes, Lingard mentioned your requests.” David stepped further into the room.

“So, when do I get to see my group?” Ben shifted on the bed to sit facing the man. “It’s been a week and I haven’t heard anything.”

“I’ve had people sent to them, just need to work out a few concerns. Nothing you need to worry about.” The response felt like such a non-answer but Ben decided not to push it. 

Not that there was much of a point, David never gave him a straight answer. 

Ben reclined back against the pillow, loosely crossing his arms; “So, any plans for today?”

“Yes, I want to come with me. I have something to show you.” David gestures for Ben to follow him.

 Ben sits there for a moment, watching David go to the door, before finally pushing himself up. He was starting to be able to put weight on his ankle, but he still had to take it slow. He grabbed a crutch just for a bit of extra support as he started to follow. It wasn’t like David to lead him personally.

He was led down the hall to the elevator, the button for the top floor pressed. Ben leaned against the wall of the elevator with his arms crossed and his crutch resting next to him.

“So what exactly are we doing?” Ben speaks up, tilting his head slightly in question. “Like, what are you showing me?”

David remained silent, his back to Ben as he faced the elevator doors. Ben childishly makes a face at David’s back and huffs. He didn’t know why he bothered trying to make conversation with the man.

The elevator soon jerked to a stop and the doors slid open. David stepped out and Ben collected his crutch under his armpit. He had only been up here once before to meet in David’s office. 

He’s led through a side hall on the left and again to the left to a security door. David pressed in a code to the keypad and the door buzzed open to a stairwell. Ben looked up the flight and sighed. 

“I’m still on crutches…” Ben points out. 

“Take it slow and you’ll be fine.” David offers over his shoulder. 

Ben sighs again but listens. Crutch, foot, foot. He felt stupid but it kept him from falling backwards on his ass. That would be an embarrassing way to die; tripping like an idiot and breaking his neck. 

Fifteen long minutes later and he’s at the top of the staircare with David who had made it up long before him. The pair walk out onto the rooftop and Ben looks out over the cityscape. 

A bell rings in the distance.

“Come join me.” David’s voice breaks through Ben’s thoughts and he turns to see David standing on the ledge of the roof.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Ben’s brows shot up in anxious surprise.

“Come, this is what I want to show you.”

Ben stares at David like he had just grown a second head. Maybe a Walker one. David holds his hand out to Ben who reminds still. If he had a nickel for everytime he was standing at the edge of a large height, he’d have three nickels. Which doesn’t sound like a lot but it was weird it had happened more than once.

Yet, here he was, taking David’s hand for support as he climbed up next to him. He mistakenly glanced down and quickly looked forward again over the buildings.

“Why are we standing up here?” Ben turns his head to look at David.

David looked out over the view; “Back in the day, I was a staff sergeant in the army. You see a lot out there; homes lost, families torn apart. Not too different from now. I’m sure you’ve seen it too.”

Ben watched him for a long moment; “Things went to shit quick in Georgia. Phone signals were gone by the time I tried, the power grid was cut off in the first week… The army rolled through but… no one ever came for us.”

He remembered frantically trying to call home, his mom’s work, his dad, he even tried his sister’s school. Calling over and over as the line kept beeping before disconnecting. He only stopped because Travis and Harper physically dragged him to the gym as the school was put into lockdown.

“It was the same in Maryland.” David connects. “I was separated from my family early on.”

“I wasn’t even home.” Ben says bitterly. “I was on a school trip and had to leave early. I was going to be late and ran out the door. I barely bothered to say goodbye.”

‘ Be safe, I love you! ’

‘ Huh? Oh- yeah you too-’

The last words he had ever spoken to his mom as he ran out the door. It had barely registered in his head in the moment; it was barely seven in the morning and he had been running on four hours of sleep and half a cup of coffee he had burnt his tongue with.

 “How old were you?” David asks.

“Sixteen.” How old was he now? He assumed his nineteenth birthday had passed by now, but he couldn’t be sure. “I had just gotten my license too. It was bullshit.”

David huffed a laugh in response. It was barely a laugh but compared to their usual interaction, he might as well have laughed loud. 

“You still haven’t explained why we’re up here.” Ben continued after a beat.

David sighs. “I’m trying to make you think. Think about what we’re trying to do.”

“Do you honestly think we can make a cure?” Ben asks. “Or a vaccine or something.”

“Yes.” David says, simply and honestly. He looks out over the city for a moment, then back at Ben. “I’m not a doctor, nor a scientist. But Lingard can handle it- even if he complains. Joan will be arriving soon with supplies for him.”

“Joan?” Ben hadn’t heard that name before.

The two start walking back inside, the outside door thudding heavily behind them. Ben took the steps slowly, making sure both feet were solid on the step before moving down to the next. David kept pace ahead of him, close enough that if Ben stumbled David would have to catch him.

“She’s another leader with me and Lingard.” David explains. “She’s been checking the outposts but is returning to Richmond now.”

“Richmond…” Ben repeats quietly to himself.

He racked his brain to remember his history class. Richmond was the capital of Virginia, right? States and their capitals had never been his strong suit. At least he more or less knew where he was now. He distantly thinks to the others. Were they also in Richmond? If not, how far away were they to his location?

They step out of the stairwell and back into the hospital corridor. David locked the roof access behind them and started back to the elevator. As he passes, Ben glances into an open door on his left. From the door, he could only see the foot of the bed.

And greying feet.

David pulled on Ben’s arm, snapping him out of his thoughts. Ben starts walking again, forced to David’s pace as he was led to the elevator. 

“That person didn’t look too good.” Ben speaks up as he steps in. The last thing they needed was an outbreak inside the hospital. 

“It’s taken care of. Nothing you need to worry about.” David hums.

Instead of taking Ben back to his room, David pressed for the ground floor. That caught Ben’s attention and he raised a brow.

“If you’re going to work with us, you should see the community you’re a part of now.” David explains. 

“Once my group is here maybe.” Ben counter, wanting to talk back.

David didn’t respond, but he caught him rolling his eyes. The Elevator shook to the stop and they stepped out into the main lobby.

The outside air was brisk, barely warm enough to melt the small amount of snow. Barbwair fences and manmade barricades enclosed the safe area. And open ground was used for gardens, corn and wheat rising high from their beds.

Watching people wander the streets and sit on benches, it all felt weirdly…normal. If it wasn’t for the cracks and grim, Ben could almost pretend the dead had never started moving.

“I used to work on a farm.” Ben shares absentmindedly, gaining a hum from David. “I wasn’t the best at the actual farming, but took care of the baby goats pretty well.”

That got a chuckle from the man; “We don’t have goats, but we do have a few horses if you know anything there.”

Ben blinked in shock before shaking it and nodding quickly; “I know all about horses!”

“When you’re off your crutches, we can see about showing you the barn.” David said.

Ben smiles. It would be nice to see animals again and not have to worry about it being a food source or not.

Ben tries to commit the layout of the community to memory. He took note of the banners swaying in the wind. He didn’t recognize the symbol but it looked like a 76 in a circle. The people in the square had the same symbol on them, peeking out from their collar or sleeve. 

Before he could ask about it, David leads him  through the busy street towards what looks like an old church. Even at their slow pace, they still made good time arriving and stepping inside. 

The inside of the church had definitely seen some better days; every molded window was boarded up as the walls around the chipped and crumpled in piles on the ruined floor. The New Frontier symbol was draped on the walls and Ben had to wonder if that was considered sacrilegious or not. 

Hushed voices could be heard ahead of them. It was inaudible what they were saying, from their tones it was clear they were arguing.

-They’re two little girls, how have you not found them?” A man’s voice questions. 

“Because I- David.” The woman turns towards them. “And the boy!”

Her eye twitches.

“Ben, meet the guys.” David starts without missing a beat or acknowledging what the two had been doing before seeing them. “Clint runs food production, the crops you saw on the way here and all him and his people. Joan’s our bridge to the outside world. She handles contact with other settlements.”

Ben nods, letting him finish this explanation. “So where’s two missing girls?” He ignores it.

He could tell they didn’t like that response. He didn’t like that. Given Richmond’s size, they could logically be talking about anyone . But his head was screaming it was about Clementine and Sarah.

He hoped he was wrong. 

“Just some scouts missing a check-in, nothing you need to worry about, Sweetheart.” Joan clears up. 

“Your group is fine, Ben.” David stresses, reaching to squeeze Ben’s shoulder.

He led him over to a group of chairs so the group could sit. Ben rested his crutch against the pew and slumps back. 

“I trust you’ve been treated well?” Joan continues. “I hope you haven’t been treated too roughly.”

“Oh yeah, the hospital I was thrown into after being drugged and bitten was totally 5 stars.” Ben says with sarcastic jazz hands. He pauses then, looking between the three. “Wait… how did you even hear about me? Ava, I think was her name? She mentioned it and then attacked us.”

“Ava attacked you?” David’s brows knitted together. “Are you sure you have the right person?”

Ben nods in confirmation. His memory was foggy, but he distantly remembered seeing Ava; “Kind of short, shaved head. I don’t know, she seemed a little weird but fine but then she came back later with people and now I’m here and still don't know where my group is.”

The three leaders share looks between them. It was like they were having a nonverbal conversation and Ben crossed his arms as he watched. 

“Ava’s my right hand,” David admits with a sigh. “If there’s any issues, we can clear them up for you.”

“It could be a misunderstanding.” Ben finds himself allowing. 

“How have you been doing with all those tests, Ben?” Clint chimes in, looking the teen over. “I thought David was crazy when he said you were immune. I thought for sure you’d turn by now.”

“You and me both.” Ben taps his foot against the ground lightly. It had fallen asleep again, feeling like static with each little bounce. “Luckily we seem past the biting phase.”

“You won’t be bitten again.” David affirms with a nod.

“You and Dr. Lingard better be treating him well.” Joan scolds David. “Ben’s doing a lot for you.”

“Thanks, Joan.” Ben bites back a smile. “They gave me pudding today, so I’m good.”

“Pudding,” Clint scoffs and shakes his head. “I hope they’re giving you something with actual nutrition as well.”

Ben rolled his eyes; “Yes, but the pudding’s better. Wait- I mean it’s great. You do great.” He quickly adds on when he remembers Clint’s job. 

The man huffs a laugh. “I’m not offended, it makes sense you’d like the sweet more, Kid.”

“It’s my payment.” He jokes, biting back a remark at being called a kid. “At least until I can see my group again. I’d like to know if my sister is okay.”

How long had it been since he saw Clementine? Was she recovering okay? He noticed Joan’s eye twitch again.

“I’d like to see them soon.” Ben presses the issue. “I’ve been holding up my end of the deal for this cure.”

“We need to clear the road up.” Joan says and Ben’s convinced it’s an excuse. “We had a herd.”

“Can I see a map? I don’t understand how big your territory is and I want to know how far they are.” Ben states. 

With some luck, maybe he could use it to plan an escape route. That’s if they let him see a map to begin with. He wasn’t sure yet he wanted to risk stealing and getting caught. They were being friendly to him for now, but who knows how far that kindness reached.

Joan’s pocket started beeping and she stood to pull out a walkie-talkie; “It looks like I’m needed.”

She excuses herself with a quick goodbye and walks off out of ear shot. Clint looked ready to leave as well. Great everyone was conveniently running off now. 

“We should get you back to the hospital.” David says as he moves to stand.

“Can’t I get more of a tour first?” Ben argues. He wasn’t ready to go back yet, now that he was out. He still needed to get an idea of the layout.

“Come on, David, let him get some air.” Clint helped, finding amusement in it.

“Alright.” David raised his arms in mock defence and pats Ben’s shoulder. “Come on, I’ll show you the greenhouse.” 

Ben grabs his crutch and pulls himself up on it. He waves to Clint and follows David back outside of the church. 

‘ Alright, I need to get a map of everything, maybe I can make my own for in here. ’ He thinks to himself as he looks around.

He makes a mental note of where everything is as they walk. If they continued to keep him in the dark or things went wrong, he needed a plan for himself.

Chapter Text

The first attempt to get close to the Junkyard was a bust. Walkers blocked every way and there were too many to risk blending in.

“We need to go, look there’s a town that way.” Sarah points off to where a windmill could be seen, lit up from lights below.

“We can’t make a detore!” Javi argues. “I need to get to my family!”

“And I need to find my brother, but right now we need to find shelter.” Clem snaps, stepping up to Javi.

“Clem needs to get her finger looked at too.” Sarah gestures to Clem’s broken finger, which she instantly hides in her pocket.

Javi looked between the girl before dropping his head with a groan; “Fine… I’m trusting you.”

The three took off in the direction of the town, practically sprinting through the woods. The town’s gates came into view through the trees, being swamped by a small group of Walkers. People could be seen rushing in as the gates began to close.

“Get to the gate!” Clem yells and starts running faster. It was hard firing with her left hand, but she had to make do as they fought their way through.

The gates slammed shut as they reached it, pounding on it.

“Open up, please!” Sarah calls out to anyone who might hear them. “We need help!”

A man standing at the top of the gates fired at the Walker’s behind them; “I can’t open the gates until you clear them out! Can’t risk it.”

There was a shared groan between the trio. Of course it wouldn’t be that easy. The swarm had already been thinned out, making it easier for the trio to work through.

Sarah was clumsy but able to take down a few Walkers with her wrench. A Walker falls into Clem, pinning her to the gate. She drops her gun in the commotion, kicking at the undead monster. Javi thought fast, aiming and firing at its shoulder. The force of the shot forces the Walker off balance, giving Clem an opening to throw the Walker down and stomp hard on its skull with a wet crunch.

The gate flew open behind them, the man from up top coming out to wave them in; “Get your asses inside, come on!”

The trio didn’t have to be told twice before sprinting inside. They’re just about trampled by a horse galloping past them just as the gate slammed behind them.

“God-effing-damn it, Francine. One of these days those doors are gonna close and your ass will be on the other side.” The man scolds the woman on top of the horse.

“And when that day comes, Tripp, I promise I’ll eat you first.” She smirks and directs the horse away.

Sarah and Clem shared a look between themselves, wondering what they’ve gotten themselves into. The man, Tripp, grumbles under his breath as he turns to the trio.

“Are you three thinking of staying awhile?” He asks.

“No, just until the Walkers clear out. We’re trying to get into the Junkyard. She thinks for a moment, speaking up again; “Seen any sighting of a teenage boy? Super tall, shaggy brown hair, has a lettermen jacket with his name on it, Ben.”

Tripp pauses; “Actually that sounds familiar… I haven’t seen him but I think I heard about him. Is he immune?”

“That’s him!” Clem and Sarah perk up in excitement.

“Wait, wait, immune?” Javi jumped in, looking bewildered. “You’re brother’s immune? That’s bullshit.”

“He was bitten protecting me, we cleaned it and he didn’t turn. It’s been almost 2 years.” Clem crosses her arms. “Who told you about him?” She looks back at Tripp.

Someone was going around talking about Ben. They could be the reason they were raided. If that was the case… she was going to have some ‘words’ for them.

“A trio came in a few weeks back. They mentioned something about him.”

Sarah and Clem shared a look. They had an idea of who it could be, but hoped they were wrong. If Bonnie, Mike and Arvo were here, that could cause trouble.

Tripp led them through the inner gates into the community proper, welcoming them to Prescott. It looked like it was built on an old plane landingstrip. The shacks lining the strip were made out of old plane parts and other materials they could find.

Sarah stuck close to Clem, holding onto her elbow. Clem already had it in her head that she was going to confront Mike, Bonnie and Arvo if it was them and they were still here. She just hoped it didn’t get ugly. They still needed help finding whoever took them and where Ben was.

‘Ben can take care of himself.’ She reminds herself. ‘Maybe he’s escaped too.’

He survived being bitten, he could survive this. As long as he was alive and in one piece, they could take care of the rest together.

I’ll be right behind you.

“You promised..”

“What?” Javi’s voice pulls Clem from her thoughts.

“Nothing, just thinking.” She states, turning her head away as her cheeks warm. She pulls away from Sarah and starts down another road. “You two look around, I have some stuff to do.”

“What could you have to do?” Javi raised a brow as he watched her.

“Clem…? Be careful.” Sarah frowns but doesn't stop the younger girl.

“I just have to see about some rumors. I’ll catch you up later.”

“What are we supposed to do?” Sarah looked between Clem and Javi.

“I don’t know, make some friends?” Clem smiles at Sarah and waved to Javi as she walks off.

Clementine turns around a building and out of sight of them, her expression immediately hardening. If she was lucky, they’d know where Ben was taken. If not, they better at least know who took them.

She makes her way into a bar and scans the room. She had never been in a place like this, but the guy slumped over the counter with a bottle made her think of Kenny. She hadn’t seen him drink in a while, come to think of it, but she still remembered him passed out on the couch back in Savannah with bottles scattered out the floor. She shakes her head and pushes her way through the crowd. That’s when she sees him.

Mike was sitting at the bar with a chipped glass of brown liquid, ideally sipping from it. Clem makes her way over, sitting down in the empty stool next to him.

“This doesn’t have to be a scene. Step outside.” She says and sees him visibly react.

The colour drains from Mike's face as he turns his head fully to look at her. She found she liked that he seemed intimidated by her. She gestures to the door and stands. He says something under his breath and stands with her, leaving his drink on the counter. She starts walking, looking over her shoulder to make sure he was actually following.

Clem leads him around the back where no one was. She gets into his personal space, stepping up and forcing him to step back into the wall.

“Where’s Ben?” She wastes no time getting to the point.

“I don’t know what you-”

“Bullshit!” She interrupts him. “I know you, Bonnie and Arvo are going about telling people Ben’s immune. And because of that, we were raided and they took him. So where is he?”

“I don’t know!” He raises his hands in defence. “Your best bet is the New Frontier, that sounds like something they’d do. But I don’t know.”

“You better not be lying.” She pulls her gun out and holds it to his chest.

“I’m not, I’m not!” He panics. “Look we ran into this woman- Ava I think was her name? We were waiting for a swarm to pass and got to talking. Ben just happened to come up. It’s not like someone being bit and living happens every day.”

“I care what your reasoning was, you already did enough to us.” She growls.

She had half a mind to just shoot him, but that wouldn’t solve anything. She needed more information out of him.

“Tell me everything you know about the New Frontier.” She orders.

“They’re a big community based in Richmond. It’s not far, about an hour that way walking.” He points off vaguely to the left of them. “Whatever you’re thinking of doing, you need a plan. They’ve taken over the city and have outposts all over. This isn’t Carver.”

“I’ve seen worse than Carver.” She brushes it off. She makes a mental note of his warning. They did need a plan. “New Frontier, Richmond, got it.”

She steps back from him, tugging her gun away. She’d take care of him now, but they were in a community and she didn’t want to risk getting thrown out into the horde.

“I hope you find him.” Mike speaks up as Clem starts to walk away.

She pauses by the corner of the building, turning to talk over her shoulder. “If you ever cause us trouble again, I won’t be leaving the safety on.”

She walks away, wondering if she was making the right call leaving him alive. She wished Ben was here, she wasn’t used to making decisions on her own.

This was her time to prove herself. She’ll save him and everything will be okay. And she had Sarah to watch her back. She knew Sarah had it in her, just like Ben when they first met. She just needed time.

—-----------

Clementine finds Sarah in the makeshift clinic, the upper half of a small plane with a metal awning attached to its side. Sarah spots her walking up and waves her over.

“Clem, come let Eleanor see your finger.” Sarah calls, gesturing to the woman next to her.

Clem was hesitant, but stepped up to the two. Asking instead; “Where’s Javi?”

“He went to talk to Tripp.” Sarah frowns at Clem’s stubbornness. “He’s not feeling well about leaving his family out there.”

She again gestures for Clem to show her injured finger, loosely taking her hand to lift. The makeshift splint wrapped around the finger was practically falling apart, the fabric beginning to fray too much.

Clem begrudgedly lets Eleanor unwrap her crooked finger. Her finger was swollen and was various shades of purple and yellow. Eleanor was as gentle as possible, but it didn’t do much against the sharp pain that pulsed with every little movement.

“I found Mike.” Clem starts, catching Sarah stiffen at the name. “He says he knows he raided us; the New Frontier. Some group that’s taken over Richmond.”

Eleanor pauses in her examination; “The New Frontier?”

”Do you know them?” Sarah asks nervously.

“Yes, and you don’t want to get wrapped up with them.” She shakes her head as she continues. “They raid other settlements and it seems like they just keep growing. I don’t know what they’re doing but there’s been more herd sightings around their territory too.”

”They raided our shelter and separated my brother, we don’t have a choice.”

”I know how it feels to lose family…” Eleanor sighs in sympathy.

Eleanor turns from Clem to the table, opening the first aid box sat there. She pulls out a proper finger splint, cleaning alcohol and a rag. Each item was placed on the table next to the box. She turns back to the girls, gesturing for Clem to come and sit down on the cot, which she does after a moment.

“I know how it feels too…” Sarah looks lost in thought before snapping back. “Which is why we need to help Javi and save Ben.”

Clementine softens a bit, only to tense when Eleanor set her finger. Eleanor mutters an apology and something about trying to do it while she was distracted. Clem grumbled to herself through gritted teeth. Once the bone was set, the rest was quick and soon her finger was covered and facing the way it should be.

She tests the splint by trying to bend her finger. It wasn’t ideal to be down a finger, but it was at least a temporary set back. She drops her hands into her lap as she watches Eleanor clean up the supplies.

“You said there were more Walkers around Richmond,” Sarah starts after a moment. “What do you mean exactly? I mean, there’s Walkers everywhere.”

Eleanor nods with a soft hum as she stands; “Yes, but eventually herds move on after a while. These Walkers only seem to be growing with each report be get from scouts. At the same time, the reports of people going missing is growing as well. We’re looking out for anyone but there’s only so much we can do…”

Sarah and Clem looked at each other as the information sunk in. The rest of their group was still locked up in a cell. The girls had thought they’d be fine, they knew where they were being kept and could return for them after rescuing Ben.

”You don’t think they’re…” Sarah stops, avoiding her gaze.

“They’ll be fine.” Clem says, overconfident. “Maybe they’re escaped too for all we know.”

Sarah just nods, not fully comfortable by that. Still, she manages a small smile to Clem and comes to sit down on the bench across from her.

Javi and Tripp soon came down the road towards them. They’re conversation couldn’t be heard, but Tripp was slowly nodding along to what Javi was saying.

“Hey, there you are.” Javi addresses Clem. “Tripp says he’ll drive us to the junkyard tonight.”

”Not that I have much of a choice with all your badgering.” Tripp rubs the bridge of his nose.

“Let me come too. If someone’s hurt you could use the medical aid.” Eleanor jumps in.

“Absolutely not, I’m not putting you in danger.” Tripp shakes his head.

“I’ll be fine.” She argues. She gesture between her and Sarah. “Two medics are better to have around.

Sarah smiles at the recognition, ducking her face down to hide her red cheeks. Clem stands and stretches, walking past everyone.

“Instead of arguing, let’s go. The sooner we get this done the sooner we can get back on track.” She looks over at Sarah as she says the last part.

They were talking too long to find Ben, and given the information they had now it didn’t sound like anything good could be going on. She catches Tripp and Eleanor talking before he and Javi start to follow her. Was she being rude? Maybe, but there wasn’t really anything to put her in a good mood now a days.

Tripp led the way around to the lot around back where some old trucks were parked. Most were destroyed but one van was still in decent enough state. He unlocks and sides open the back door before climbing into the driver seat. Clem and Sarah get into the back and shut the door while Javi goes around to the front passenger side.

——-

The drive to the junkyard was uneventful now that the herd had cleared out. The gates were busted off the rusted hinges, dead Walkers littering the ground.

Javi quickly exited the van and up to the gate to look around. The others follow suit, looking around the area for any signs of life. Javi knelt down and picks up a cassette player.

“This is Mariana’s.” He spins around to scan their surroundings and call out. “Mariana? Mariana, are you here?”

”Javi?” A girl a bit younger than Clem peaks around an old van and runs out to meet him.

He stumbles but catches her in his arms, squeezing her tight; “You’re okay. Where’s Kate and Gabe?”

“We got pulled apart when that huge bunch of muertos showed up.” She explains. “Kate yelled they were going to try and make it back to the van.”

It was a race to find the van, the growing silence only growing more tense the longer it took. Sarah spots it first, pointing towards a smoking vehicle off to the left and surrounded by bodies.

Javi sprints forward to look through the shattered windows. There was no sign of Kate or Gabe inside and he turned away defeated.

Off in the distance, the faint sound of an engine struggling and failing to start. The group follow the sound through the make of rusted cars and scrap, the sound of Walkers joining the engine as they got closer to the source.

Walkers surround the front half of a tracker trailer, Walkers banging and clawing at the sides and doors in an attempt to break through. The Walkers slowly start to notice the group approaching and turn their attention to the more accessible meal option.

Javi grabs a hammer from the ground, using the pick side to stab through an approaching Walker’s skull. Tripp clears through the undead with little issue with multiple rounds from his shotgun. Sarah and Clem watched each other's back and soon the Walkers were cleared out.

“Hey you found us.” Kate gives an exhausted smile as she climbs down from the truck.

”Are you two okay?” Javi helps Kate stand when she starts to slump.

“Yeah.” Gabe climbs across the middle and out the driver side. He hugs Mariana when he spots her. “I wanted to come after you, I swear I did.”

“Okay, okay, you don’t have to snot all over me.” Mariana giggles.

”I thought we were dead, like never see you again dead.” Gabe rambled.

“We should be getting back.” Clem chimes in. “Don’t want to push our luck.”

“Who are these kids?” Kate gestures between Clem and Sarah, earning a glare from the younger.

“Sarah and Clementine are friends.” Javi introduces.

“Hi, I’m glad we were able to help.” Sarah smiles shyly, playing with her fingers.

“There’s a town nearby, it’s safe.” Javi ushers his family along.

The group make their way back to the van Tripp drove them in. When they pass the wreck van Javi’s family had used, Clem stops, putting out a hand to catch Javi as well.

“You couldn’t have known what happened to your van, but you still owe Sarah and I a ride.” She states.

“I’m sure we can work something-”

”Look out!” Sarah yells out as she tackles Mariana to the ground, a bullet landing in the dirt where Mari had been standing a second prior.

“Fucking thieves- you really think you could just waltz back in here, like nothing happened?”

The group scattered, taking shelter behind whatever they could find. A shower of bullets came down on them from the forest line, hiding whoever was attacking them.

“Mari!” Kate ran out, only to be hit by a stray bullet to her abdomen.

Javi met Clem’s gaze, wordlessly communicating. Clementine covers with return fire while Javi rushed to Kate. He takes Kate’s elbow and quickly helps her, practically dragging her behind an old rusted barrel.

A quick glance to Sarah and Mari showed that they were okay and huddled with Gabe behind a truck. The bullets continued and without being able to see who was attacking, it was hard to aim and fire back at them.

“We need to go now!” Tripp yells as he reloads.

”We need to get rid of these assholes!” Clem argues. “They might follow us.”

“Kate needs to get back to Prescott so Eleanor can treat her.” Sarah dove to where Kate and Javi weren’t applying pressure to her wound.

“Tripp, get them to the van, Javi help me with these assholes.” Clem commands.

Sarah and Mariana helped Kate to stand while Gabe made his way to them. Tripp covered them as he led them to the van while Javi and Clem focused on the main area.

A pipebomb comes flying through the air and lands between Javi and Clem. Without thinking, Javi grabs the device, ignoring Clem’s shouts against his plan.

He throws the bomb back towards the bandits, exploding mid air with a loud boom and flash.

Chapter Text

“Come on, Ben, keep your hands up.” David says, keeping his hands raised with his palms facing Ben.

Ben groans in exhaustion but moves to raise his fists as told; “How much longer?”

David had decided Ben needed to learn some self defense. And so he found himself where he was now; in a secluded corner of the city park. Ben wasn’t sure how long they had been out there but it felt like hours and his muscles were sore.

“I’ll let you take a break after a bit more.” David says. “Push through ten more.”

Ben groans again but listens. He alternated punches between David’s right and left hand. David supplied him with pointers on his form. Once the ten punches were done, Ben dropped his arms with a sigh.

”Go sit down, time for a break.” David says, grabbing the backpack he had brought along.

Ben didn’t need to be told twice, going and sitting under a tree. David joins him, passing over a water bottle. Ben takes it with a small thank you and takes a big gulp of water.

He relaxed back against the tree trunk as he watched people walk about the park. It felt almost normal again. But then ‘normal’ didn’t feel normal now. He wasn’t sure how to feel about that either. It made sense, the Walkers have been about for years. But he didn’t want this all to be normal, to be used to all this shit.

He’s broken out of his thoughts by David’s hand coming to rest on his shoulder with a pat. Ben jumps slightly and turns his head to David who had a pleased look on his face.

“What?” Ben furrowed his brows in confusion.

“You’re doing good.” David praises. “You need some more practice, but you’re getting it.”

Ben smiles faintly, ducking his face. It wasn’t often people said he was doing a good job. Especially when it came to physical activities like sparring. Since the apocalypse started, he was only seen as a fuckup. Sure, he was no sports star before, but he had been one of the fastest runners on the track team. But running only got him so far. He was sick of running.

“My best friend growing up, his dad was special forces,” Ben starts opening up. “He’d take the two of us camping and teach us stuff like this…. Not that I’ve used those skills well, I just ran away.”

“A good soldier knows when to retreat.” David counters.

He shakes his head; “I’m not a good soldier.”

David moves to fully face Ben; “Since I first saw you, you’ve had this fire in your eyes. I know if given the chance you would’ve fought your way out day one. I can see what you can be, given the right push.”

He was right, Ben would have fought at the first opening. But now? He still thought of his escape plan, but it was becoming less and less violent. He found he didn’t want to hurt anyone here. Their methods left a lot to be desired, but they had a good cause. Finding a cure.

‘Maybe this could be our new Wellington.’ The thought pops up and Ben doesn't brush it off.

“I don’t know your story from the start,” David continues. “But the Ben I know protects those who count on him, he is willing to help, and he’s willing to fight tooth and nail to get to his goals. The Ben I know, I’m proud to serve beside him.”

“I’ve gotten people killed, I never meant to but I just kept making the wrong decisions and they paid for it.” Ben slumps his shoulders. “Someone was bitten because I couldn’t tell a child no and took her somewhere dangerous for the small chance of finding her parents.”

David nods as he listens; “I wasn’t there when my family needed me most. By the time I was able to get there, they were gone and I couldn’t find them. My wife and kids…”

”If they’re anything like you, they’re out there.” Ben manages a small smile. “There’s a chance for you to see them again.”

David went to respond when his walkie-talkie started beeping. He stands to step away for the call. Ben strains his ears to listen in, catching something about an explosion.

David soon ended the call and returned to Ben; “Duty calls, we’ll have to continue this later.”

“Can I help?” Ben asks instantly.

He shakes his head. “It’s something at the Junkyard down the road, it’s too dangerous for you.”

“I thought I was a soldier.” Ben smirks. This could be the opening he needs for more information.

David pauses, thinking it over. “Alright, Soldier. Let’s get you geared up for your first mission.”

“Yes, Sir.” Ben couldn’t hold back his laughter as he stood and improperly saluted.

“First lesson, you salute like this.” David mimics a proper salute.

Ben matches it and follows David out of the park.

——————

David assigned Ava to watch Ben while they were out. He sat next to her in the front of the truck. He had been given his axe back, leaning heavy against his leg. He looks out the window to watch the scenery fly by, trying to memorize the route.

The truck soon pulls up to the junkyard. Ben hopped down, scanning the smoldering remains of the area. Bodies of Walkers and non-Walkers alike littered the ground.

“Ah shit…” He spots Badger laying amongst the bodies.

He knelt down next to him, checking his neck for a pulse. Nothing. He hadn’t been close to Badger nor did he have any interest to be, but he had gotten used to him being around. He still felt seeing him dead.

He steps away to look for survivors, Ava and their small group doing the same. Three out of the seven were still breathing and carried back to the truck for treatment.

Ben pauses on his patrol, spotting something in the dirt. Getting a closer look, it was a woven brown bracelet. He recognized it immediately.

It was Clementine’s.

She was here, why else would this be here? Scanning around, he couldn’t spot any other signs of her, or a body. Good, she walked out of here. If she was a part of this, that means she was here recently. He didn’t know where she was, but he knew she had to be close.

”Find something?” Ava comes up behind Ben.

Ben quickly stuffs the bracelet into his packet and stands from the dirt; “No, just scraps. Any signs of who did this?”

“Nothing I can find.” She sighs. “Whoever it was, made a mess of things. We can’t use half of these parts or cars due to the damage.”

‘Alpha group check in.’ David’s voice came over Ava’s walkie-talkie.

She grabs her walkie-talkie and presses the call button. “This is Ava. We got three injured and four dead and this place has been blown to shit.”

”Fuck… Alright, see what you can find and head back.” David instructs. “David out.”

”Over and out.” Ava hung up and turned back to the group. “Alright, spread out and see if you can find anything from the fuckers that did this.”

Everyone spread out, taking different ends of the junkyard. Ben scans for anything that could show where Clem went. She couldn’t have gotten far, right?

He keeps walking, pausing when he smells something. He knew what a dead body smelled like, but this smelt different. Tentatively sniffing the air makes his eyes dilate. His legs start walking on their own towards the stench.

Making his way over, he finds a woman. She was injured but clearly still alive. Ben knelt down next to her, carefully turning her onto her back. She groans but cracks her eyes to look up at him unfocused.

“Did you see a girl here wearing a blue and white baseball cap?” Ben asks as he checks her over.

The woman’s face scrunches, but not fully from pain; “Th-that little- bitch is why w-we got blown u-up.”

Ben pauses in his investigation, his expression hardening; “What did you just call her?”

The woman didn’t seem to notice the change, too out of it; “She’s a li-little bitch going- around making a mess for u-us. Her and-and her group o-of thieves.”

”Which way did she go?” Ben pushes.

The woman shaking lifts a hand to point off to the left of them; “That way I-I think.”

”Thanks.” Ben stands then and walks away.

If she was going to talk about Clem like that, why would he do anything? An urge grew inside him, trying to push down.

He wanted to bite her.

‘Is everyone out?’ Ben thinks, distracting himself.

He looks around and finds a rushed can of spray pain and gave it a shake. It sounded like it only had a bit left but that’s all he needed. He crawls through a hole in the fence and around the back to a broken down car along the road. He sprays a large X on the driver side door, similar to the one he made in chalk back at the Motor Inn. He didn’t know for sure if the group would come back this way, but if they did, this should at least let them know he was here and close.

When he’s finished, he ditches the can and crawls back through the fence before anyone notices. He makes his way back over to the truck as the others returned.

Ava pauses in the conversation she had been having with one of the other scouts and turns to him; “Find anything?”

“Just more dead.” He easily lies.

“I think I found something.” A man announces as he comes forward.

Ben wasn’t sure what he was looking at, it just looked like scraps to him. Everyone else was looking like it was a big discovery.

“Those fuckers from Prescott were here.” He states with full assurance.

“Precrott?” Ben looks over at Ava in question.

“They’re a group who have taken over an old plane yard. They come into our territory and do shit like this.” She explains.

“They’re raiders.” Ben says, getting a nod from the others. “I have experience with… bandits like that.”

“So do we, but any information you have would be great too.” Ava pats Ben’s shoulder and turns back to the group as a whole. “Alright, everyone back to the truck.”

The wounded were loaded on into the back with the rest of the group while Ava and Ben climbed back into the truck’s cab. Ben slips his hands into his jacket pocket, gripping Clem’s bracelet.

He keeps his eyes glued to the window, searching the trees. He wasn’t sure what he’d do if he actually spotted her, not wanting to alert Ava. He needed to figure this out safely.

If David thought Ben could be a soldier, then he’ll plan like a soldier.

Once returning to New Richmond, Ben headed back to his room to clean up in the attached bathroom. He now stood in the steaming bathroom. It had been a while since he got a good look in the mirror.

He was paler then remembered being and his hair had grown since he last had a chance to cut it. His main focus was on his eyes.

They were unnaturally blue in the dim lighting. They looked dead.

His eyes trailed down to the bite on his arm. The bruise never faded, leaving the skin around the scar purple and yellow. The one on his ankle was worse; pale veins showing through his bruised skin, the virus trying to spread before his system washed it out.

He couldn’t get what happened at the junkyard out of his head. He could smell that woman dying. He wanted to sink his teeth into her, could almost taste her blood on his tongue.

”Nope, nope, not doing this.” He turned away from the mirror.

He grabs the change of clothes that had been left for him. It was nice to be out of scrubs and into actual clothes again. He pushes up the sleeves of his oversized hoodie.

He walks out, getting his shoes to leave. Lingard wanted him for research now that he was back.

One his way down the hall, he stops when he spots the injured being brought into a different room. Ben noticed a red band placed on them but he wrote it off as tunicates. Given the damage done, that would make sense.

Still, he couldn’t shake the feeling something was off. He crept towards the room, ducking under the window. Peaking through the window, he could see a row of beds. He watched as doctors moved around the room, getting the patients comfortable and set up with an IV.

Ben watched as a syringe filled with a dark liquid was injected into the IV bag. His brows furrowed as he tried to get a better look at the contents.

Footsteps echoed down the hallway, grabbing his attention. He scrambles behind around the corner, peaking around the wall. He could hear voices but couldn’t make out what they were staying as two people walked past.

He gives it a minute before slipping back out. He looks back at the room, making a mental note to return after lights out and turned to continue down the hall to meet Lingard.