Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

There was once peace. The beginning of the new year, however, had some of that peace shattered when a senator was shot dead. Puffer hadn't heard much from it, as he tried not to tune into any news that wasn't game related. The only reason he knew about this? His car's radio had decided this was very important information he should know. Although the timing was a bit ironic seeing as how he was behind a cop car.

Normally Puffer would fly to Florida, but he had ended up driving as, for some odd reason, any planes going to the western side of the USA were grounded. Rumors of a sickness like covid being the cause were the most popular reasoning, but that didn't matter now. Puffer was on the road, and he had been driving for a few days now. He had only left the last rest stop a few hours ago, so he had plenty of energy to drive.

Which is why he was alert enough to notice the police heading the opposite direction. A full on helicopter even went past. Puffer noticed the cop car in front of him wasn't turning around, so he wasn't too worried. Puffer heard his phone go off and caught a quick glance, seeing that it was Grizzy saying that they had booked their hotel. With how sparse traffic was, Puffer grabbed his phone and replied back, mentioning he was in Georgia.

A week long vacation in Florida with the boys, what could go wrong? Well, someone might get bitten by a baby alligator, but that was the worst case scenario. Puffer then tensed up as the sound of a car spinning out caught his attention. As soon as he looked up, he saw that the cop car in front of him had hit something, and was now heading right for him. The cop car slammed into Puffer's, causing both cars to break through the metal barrier. There was no time to react as Puffer's head slammed into the steering wheel, knocking him unconscious.

Chapter Text

The first thing Puffer felt as he slowly came to was a throbbing pain in his head, like someone had slammed a bat into his skull. The second, was that he could hear what sounded like talking, a man and young girl. When Puffer opened his eyes, he immediately regretted it as the pain spiked in intensity. "He woke up!" Puffer heard a little girl say, the pitch of her voice causing Puffer to groan in pain as his ears rang, "Oops, sorry."

Forcing his eyes open, he finally saw who was talking. There was a young girl with curly black hair, a yellow dress shirt, and black pants looking at him, and Puffer noticed a baseball cap. A hand reaching out for him to grab startled Puffer and he looked up, seeing a bearded black man with a blue shirt on. Taking the hand, the man helped Puffer sit up. "Where am I...how did I get here?" Puffer asked, and he could feel some cloth wrapped around his head.

"Your car crashed with the cop I was riding with," The man replied, "I managed to get you out and drag you here." It was then that Puffer saw the blood on the man's leg, leading to a gash. "Can you stand up?"

"I can ask you the same thing," Puffer said, slowly standing up with the man's help. His vision swam a bit, but it didn't take long to stabilize. The sound of growling and gurgling got his attention, and he looked around, "What the fuck was that?"

"You swore!" The girl gasped.

"The dead walking...we need to leave," The man stated, "Name's Lee. This here's Clementine."

"Puffer," Puffer replied. As they left, he saw the corpse of some lady, but her eyes were way too cloudy for someone in her stage of decomposition. It didn't help that her head had been smashed in, and the smell. He would have lost his last meal if he wasn't helped out of the house so quickly. Getting a better look at his glasses, he could see that one of the lenses was cracked. Fan-fucking-tastic, how would he find a replacement? If he did, Puffer knew he would have to just stick to reading glasses.

But it was only a crack, so for now, his glasses were okay to wear. Putting them back on, Puffer followed Lee and Clementine to two strangers struggling to push a totaled out of the way. Both were startled, but calmed down when they realized that they weren't the dead walking, "Thought for a second we were going to get the chomp," The black haired guy said.

"What are you doing?" Lee asked while Puffer just observed.

"Trying to get home, this neighborhood is a disaster," The guy replied, "Are you trying to get out of here? Because you should be. Those things are all over the damn place. I haven't seen anything as gnarly as this neighborhood since downtown Atlanta, fifteen miles back."

"That bad?" Puffer asked, to which the guy nodded.

"I'm Shawn, Shawn Green."

"Lee, This is Clementine and Puffer," Lee said.

The other guy crouched down to be on Clementine's eye level before introducing himself, "I'm Chet."

"We shouldn't be out in the open like this," Shawn started as Chet stood up, "If one of you could help us clear the way, we'll take you down to my family's farm. You and your daughter should be safe, and my dad can take a look at your injuries."

"I'm not her dad, I'm...her babysitter. Her parents are out of town," Lee corrected.

"What about you?" Chet asked Puffer.

"Saved me from a crash," Puffer replied.

"Well, let's get going," Shawn said as he looked around, "Staying put for too long is a mistake."

Puffer was about to volunteer when he heard a strange noise. Turning to it, to Puffer's horror, walking corpses could be seen roaming about, the same cloudy white eyes present. Lee wasn't kidding earlier, the dead were walking! "We gotta go!" Chet warned as soon as he saw the group of walkers approaching.

"Puffer, let's go!" Shawn said, and Puffer was quick to run over. Thankfully the tires of the car weren't damaged, so once the two got the car moving, it was easy to push it back. Chet moved to the truck and removed an object stuck in the wheel, allowing it to move again. As soon as the car was out of the way, Shawn, Lee, and Clementine got into the truck while Chet and Puffer hopped into the back, the truck speeding away. The sun was already beginning to set by the time the truck drove off, so it wasn't a surprise that it was dark by the time they made it.

Puffer's head wound was still throbbing, but he let Lee go first as at least his wound was somewhat wrapped up, while Lee's was exposed to open air. Puffer stood nearby while Lee was getting patched up, but mainly ignored the conversation. Once Lee's leg was wrapped up, Shawn's stepfather, Hershel, looked over to Puffer, "You're turn," Puffer sat on the porch bench, with Hershel undoing the wrap, "Well, you had quite an accident."

"That bad?" Puffer asked, then hissed in pain when Hershel pulled out a shard of glass from Puffer's windshield.

"Like your friend said, could be worse, but you got lucky," Hershel said as he began to clean the wound, "So what were you doing on the road?"

"Heading to Florida to meet with my friends, then got into a wreck after a cop car hit mine," Puffer replied, "Then I got dragged out to a house by Lee."

"With a hurt leg too, that's impressive," Hershel said, finishing the would cleaning and beginning the wrapping.

"Hey dad, so I'm thinking, first think tomorrow, we gotta reinforce the fence around the farm," Shawn said, and Puffer could agree to that.

"That doesn't seem necessary," Hershel said, finishing up with the wrapping, allowing Puffer to stand up.

"I don't know what you saw on TV, or heard on the radio, but there's some serious...shit hitting the fan," Shawn argued, "I don't think anyone knows how big it is yet."

"You're son's right," Lee agreed, "You're going to want to fortify this place."

"I didn't believe it at first either, until I saw a whole group," Puffer added, "I don't know how, but the dead are walking around."

Hershel paused for a moment, then sighed, "Well, do what you think you should."

"Lee, Puffer, and those folks in the barn can help in the morning," Shawn stated. So they weren't the first stranger to show up at Hershel's farm. Puffer could figure that out in the morning.

While Shawn headed back in the house to get some rest, Hershel turned to Lee and Puffer, "There's blankets and such in the barn. We'll be seeing you bright and early."

Chapter Text

While Lee and Clementine slept in the middle of the barn, Puffer went to one of the corners, mainly to ignore the snoring. His mind trailed to his friends, and he wondered if they were okay. Did they make it out of Spring Hill safely? Or were they all dead? Puffer shook that thought out of his head. No, he had to assume they were alive. He wasn't sure if his sanity could handle the mere thought that his friends could be dead and that he was alone. As he slept, his rest was filled with nightmares of the milky white eyes the walkers had, staring into his soul.

"Puffer," Puffer jerked awake at a voice calling his name, and he sighed in relief when he saw it was just Lee. As Puffer got up, he could see an unfamiliar couple, as well as a boy around Clementine's age running around.

"Everyone already get started?" Puffer asked.

"No, but we're about to," Lee replied as the two headed over, and Puffer could see Shawn approaching.

"I wanna build a fence," The boy said.

"Yeah? Well I need a good foreman," Shawn stated with a tiny snicker, "You can sit on the tractor and yell at me whenever I take a water break."

"On a tractor? Cool!" The kid said as he followed Shawn, and Puffer was holding in his laughter watching this.

"Mind helping me with the engine?" A man Puffer had seen with the boy earlier asked.

"Sure, let's me do something," Puffer replied.

"Thanks, name's Kenny," The man said as he and Puffer walked over to the truck, "That was my boy, Ken Junior, but we just call him Duck."

"Puffer," Puffer replied, "We both have animal nicknames."

"I figured that wasn't your real name," Kenny said, then he nodded to a woman sitting with Clementine, "That's my wife, Katjaa. She was a vet before this all started." Kenny grabbed a wrench, starting work on the engine while Puffer kept an eye on the engine to see if anything was broken. "Government will hand out shots soon enough, and the guard will do its thing."

"I don't know man, what about all the dead?" Puffer questioned.

On the odd chance things get too bad, we can hop on my boat I guess," Kenny thought out loud.

"You have a boat?"

"Yeah, I'm a commercial fisherman," Kenny answered, "Katjaa wouldn't be wild about it, but the boat's not that bad."

"The open sea might be better anyways," Puffer hummed, "I mean, hurricanes would be an issue, but if you sailed to a part of the ocean where they normally don't form, it should be safe enough." Puffer spotted a loose part and quickly tightened it.

"So what's your story?" Kenny asked.

"Well, I was heading down to Florida to go on a vacation with my friends," Puffer said, "The flights were grounded so I decided to go with a car. But got into a wreck. Lee managed to get me out and pull me to safety while I was out cold."

"Damn, guess that explains why your head is so wrapped up," Kenny winced, "Where are you planning on heading after today?"

Puffer...didn't really know. He had overheard Lee mention Macon, but Puffer needed to get to Florida as fast as possible. Then again, road tripping right now wasn't a good idea. Maybe when things settled down, but by then Spring Hill would be fully abandoned. "I don't really have a plan," Puffer mumbled, "I need to get to Spring Hill, Florida. I doubt you're heading that way?"

"Sorry kid, I'm heading to Savannah," Kenny replied, "That's where my boat's docked."

"Then I guess I'm shit outta luck," Puffer sighed.

"Well until we get to Savannah, I don't mind you riding with us," Kenny said, causing Puffer to perk up, "Besides, you shouldn't go off alone. Safety in numbers and all that. You would do better in a group." That was probably what Puffer should do. How was he going to survive alone? His friends had each other, but if Puffer didn't stick with Lee, he was as good as dead. "The engine looks good on my side, anything on yours?"

"Nah, it looks fine," Puffer replied.

"Well, we should be good to go then-" Kenny was cut off at a scream of agony. Puffer spun around, spotting Shawn laying on the ground near the tractor. As soon as he managed to get over, he was shocked to see the tractor wheel on Shawn's ankle, with several walkers at the fence due to the noise from the tractor. Lee went over and started to try and push the tractor off while Kenny pulled his son away from a walker. Puffer, meanwhile, grabbed one of the boards Lee had cut earlier and smashed in the head of one of the walkers, causing it to fall.

Right before Puffer could get rid of the eyeless walker, the fence snapped. In an instant, the eyeless walker managed to take a large bite out of Shawn's neck. Puffer reacted as fast as he could, caving in the skull of the eyeless walker. The walker that had grabbed Duck managed to grab Puffer's arm, only for a shot to ring out and the walk's head to collapse onto Puffer, a bullet hole in its skull. Puffer kicked the walker off as Hershel ran to his son.

"It almost got me..." Shawn wheezed out, "Puffer and Lee saved me..." The wound was quickly leaking blood, which was pooling underneath him.

"I know, son," Hershel replied, his voice a bit choked up. Shawn didn't get the chance to say anything else before he went still, his neck no longer leaking blood due to his heart stopping. Puffer let the board fall from his hands. If he had been faster, maybe Shawn would still be alive. Hershel then turned to where Kenny stood with his family, grief being overtaken by pure fury, "GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!" Hershel shouted, making Puffer jump.

Kenny looked away a bit, "Sorry..."

"Sorry?! Your son is alive. You don't get to be sorry!" Hershel snapped, "You let him die!"

"It was my fault..." Puffer said quietly, "I tried to get them...it just happened so fast."

"At least you tried to save him!" Hershel argued, then he turned back to Shawn's body, "Please...just go. Get out, and never come back!" Puffer moved away, walking over to Lee and Clementine.

Lee gave Puffer a pat on the back, "You did all that you could."

"I could have been faster..." Puffer mumbled back in reply before silently walking over to Kenny's truck, with Lee watching on with a worried expression.

Chapter Text

Puffer remained silent during the drive, having sat in the back with Katjaa, Duck, and Clementine. He didn't know if he was in shock or what, but everything felt cold to him. The truck soon sputtered to a stop, with Kenny looking at the empty fuel gage. "Well, this is as far as we are going," Kenny said, with everyone getting out.

Puffer got a good look around, and already he didn't like this. Cities seemed like a terrible place to be right now, as there weren't many points of escape, but plenty of hiding spots for the dead to be lurking. But he wasn't staying at a useless car. "Look!" Duck said, pointing to someone in the distance. Puffer looked over, not getting a very good view.

"Hey there!" Kenny called out, "You friendly? Truck's run out of gas."

"Kenny..." Puffer hissed quietly, but it was too wait. The person turned to face them, and Puffer could see a familiar milky white eye. The walker let out a snarl, and soon enough more walkers were going on the attack. Puffer suddenly felt a sharp pain in his ankle, causing him to stumble back. He looked down to see a walker without legs flailing an arm around, and he assumed the walker scratched him. A quick kick to the head put the walker down, but a different noise got Puffer's attention.

Duck cried out in fear as a walker fell onto him, with the walker trying to bite him. A shot rang out, and the walker dropped dead, with Duck covered in walker guts. Puffer looked up to see a brown haired woman firing at some walkers, killing them, and a a man in a baseball cap standing near a store. "Run!" The man shouted, and Puffer didn't need to be told twice.

The group raced inside, with the man locking the steel bars with a combination lock. "We can't take risks like that!" Puffer turned and saw a long-haired woman glaring at him and his group, "When I say 'That door stays shut no matter what' I fucking mean it. We don't know who these people are, they could be dangerous!"

"We have kids with us!" Lee argued.

"I see one little girl and some teenager," An older man said.

It took Puffer a few seconds to realize the old man was talking about him, "Me? I'm 27!"

"They got kids Lilly," The baseball cap wearing man said, nodding hid head to Katjaa and Duck.

"Those things outside don't care," Lilly snapped back, and Puffer was getting pissed at this lady.

"Maybe you should go join 'em," Kenny growled, his southern kicking in, "You'll have something in common!"

"She's an asshole, that's for sure," Lee muttered, a bit ticked off as well.

"If that's what it takes," Lilly retorted.

"Well you don't have to be a bitch about it."

The older man then looked at Duck, and his eyes widened, "Holy shit...son of a bitch, one of them is bitten!"

"The fuck he is!" Puffer hissed, making sure his voice was low, "The walker on his was shot before it could!"

"Hell he wasn't! We have to end this, now," The man snarled, stepping towards where Katjaa was cleaning Duck off.

Kenny quickly moved, standing between the older man and his family, "Over my dead body."

"We'll dig one hole," The older man glared back. Puffer wasn't a fan of the kid after Shawn, but like hell he was going to let some old ass prick kill him! "Don't you people get it?! We've already seen this happen! We let someone with a bite stay and we all end up bitten!"

"Who fucking cares?! You get some germs in a bite, so what?!" Puffer stated, moving near Kenny.

"That's how you turn!" The older man shouted, growing angrier by the second, "The first thing he'll do is sink his teeth into his mom's face. Then once she's dead, he'll probably pounce on your little girl," The older man directed that last statement towards Lee.

"He's a little boy! I think we can handle him," Lee huffed.

"A little boy?! He'll be an uncontrollable man eater!"

"It's not gonna happen!" Kenny snapped.

"It is, and we're tossing him out now!" The older man snarled.

"Fuck you!" Puffer snapped, landing a blow on the older man's cheek. This proved to be a very terrible idea, as the older man swung back like a damn train, slamming his fist into the injured side of Puffer's head. That punch was all it took to send Puffer to the ground, getting knocked out cold.

A tapping on his shoulder slowly brought Puffer back, and already part of his vision was red, meaning his injury had been reopened and had bled out a bit. Great. "Puffer?" As his vision was clearing up, he could see Clementine was the one trying to wake him up, "You're bleeding!"

"Got me good," Puffer groaned in reply, slowly getting himself sat back up.

"Are you sure you weren't bit?" Lilly said, looking at Puffer with distrust.

"I would be dead by now if I was bit, bitch," Puffer snapped back, but paused when Clementine gasped at his swearing.

"Let's not start another argument," The woman that had saved Duck earlier said, before helping Puffer up, "I'm Carley. Pretty bold to punch Larry like that."

"He had it coming," Puffer replied, "Name's Puffer," At the raised eyebrow Carley gave, Puffer continued, "It's a nickname."

"We're gonna break into the pharmacy next door, so hopefully we can get your head retreated," Carley said, helping Puffer to a chair. Puffer then watched Kenny walk over.

"How ya feeling?" Kenny asked.

"Like I took a car to my head," Puffer replied, holding the bandaging on his wound to keep more blood from spilling out.

"Well, Kat and I appreciate your support," Kenny said.

"How's Duck doing after all that?" Puffer asked.

"He's doing alright, we're lucky as hell no one got nabbed on the way in here," Kenny sighed, "Lee's going to try and get into the pharmacy. Larry dropped not long after punching you, apparently he has heart issues."

"Let him drop," Puffer grumbled bitterly.

"I heard that," Larry snapped, before clutching his chest again, causing Lilly to get her dad to calm a bit.

"Just rest for now, leave the hard work to us until we can fix your head," Kenny said.

When Kenny and Carley headed off to talk with Lee, Clementine looked to Puffer, "Thank you for helping Duck..." She said quietly.

"No kid deserves that," Puffer replied, leaning his head back a bit.

Chapter Text

"Puffer, that was cool!" Puffer looked up and saw Duck head over, "Just like Batman!"

"Batman had training," Puffer stated, "How are you doing?"

"I hate walkers..." Duck answered, "Did you know one almost got Clementine in the bathroom? Right after you were knocked out! But Lee and Carley saved her!"

There was a walker in the bathroom? And these people didn't mention it?! "Neither of you are allowed near the bathroom anymore, got it?" Puffer said.

"Got it," Duck and Clementine said in unison.

"Is your head okay...?" Clementine asked.

"Yeah, it hurts a little bit but it's fine," Puffer replied, "Head injuries bleed a lot, even when it's just a normal scratch, so don't be too scared."

"My mama said that!" Duck said, "I asked why and she said we have lots of 'veins' in our heads, whatever those are." Duck continued to yap, and Puffer just listened. He swore this kid had ADHD or something like it, cause he was definitely acting like it. A few things he did learn was that Duck loved superhero and farm things, and while the yapping was annoying, Puffer didn't mind letting the kid talk if it meant his parents could focus on other stuff. "And my dad caught this big tuna once when I was six. It was as long as I was tall! I tried to hold it, but it was too heavy."

"Did it hit you?" Clementine asked, "I heard fish slap people with their tails..."

"Not me, but it slapped my dad! He wasn't mad either, he was laughing!" Duck replied, "I hope we can go fishing again."

"We can once we get to the river," Puffer replied.

"Will you take me fishing?" Duck asked.

"I mean, I could, but I probably won't catch jack," Puffer shrugged, "I don't fish much." Puffer paused when Lee walked over.

"I found these, in case you two are hungry," Lee said, handing some energy bars to Clementine and Duck, "And how's that head of yours?"

"A bit better now, I think the bleeding's stopped," Puffer replied, "How does my right eye look?"

"Other than the blood from your head wound? It looks normal," Lee replied, "Thanks for watching Clem while I'm busy."

"No problem man, Kenny wants me to rest anyways," Puffer replied.

"That's smart, until we can take care of your head injury again, it's not a good idea to move around much," Lee hummed, "There was a first aid kit in the back, but there was only some Band-Aids in it, nothing that can properly hold your head injury closed. Carley and I are going to be out for a bit, since Glenn needs some backup, you don't mind watching them longer."

"Sure, but you better come back in one piece," Puffer said.

"I will," Lee replied, before walking over to Carley. Once the two headed out through the back, Duck sat in front of Puffer while Clementine sat on a box nearby.

"Oh! Did I tell you about the time dad accidently caught a shark?" Duck started, "He-"

"I'm going to die just from hearing these damn stories! Let me rest!" Larry snapped, and Duck went silent.

Puffer decided he was feeling extra petty today, "I'm curious Duck, what happened with the shark?"

Larry let out a frustrated and pained groan while Lilly looked at Puffer with annoyance. Duck, meanwhile looked ecstatic, "He was trying to catch some salmon, but then a tiger shark showed up and bit it right as my dad was reeling it in! It was an adult too, so it took him ages to get the hook out so the shark could go free." For once, Puffer was actually enjoying Duck's yapping. Maybe because it was annoying the hell out of Larry, but karma was a bitch.

By the time Lee, Carley, and Glenn got back, Duck was talking about a show he had watched pre-apocalypse times. Lee moved over to Kenny, watching Duck talking with Puffer and Clementine, "He's more cheerful," Lee noted.

"I'm glad," Kenny replied, "He's been telling some old fishing stories while you were gone."

"Doug and I got the keys," Lee said, holding them out.

"Great! God, you're amazing," Lilly said as she stood up, and it was clear she was relieved by this news, "Let's get in there." While Lee and Lilly headed back to the office area, Puffer flinched a bit as his head pain was growing worse.

He knew it would have to be cleaned out before rewrapping, but first they needed to find the right products for the job. Suddenly, a piercing ringing filled his head, causing his head to throb again. An alarm? Oh. Right. This was a pharmacy, of course they would have an alarm where they kept the medication at. Kenny was quick to run over and help Puffer stand up, before turning to everyone else as they scrambled to get as much as possible. That's when Puffer spotted a radio Carley had been working on earlier. Even if it didn't work, it could be fix.

"I'm gonna get the truck pulled up 'round back!" Kenny announced as Puffer grabbed the radio.

"Do it fast, I've got to get my dad out of here!" Lilly snapped, although it was clear she was panicking a little bit.

"I don't plan on dilly-dallying!" Kenny quickly said back.

There was no time to look for any batteries, but Puffer did see an old cane fall out from the office. That could be a useful weapon. Quickly grabbing it, Puffer looked back to the front door to see Doug and Lee holding it back while Carley fired at some zombies breaking in. A walker began to break through the window, but Puffer was quick to use the cane's handle to cave in the walker's skull.

When Doug moved to another window, Puffer took his place, holding the door closed long enough for Clementine to return with a board, which Lee quickly inserted. With the door closed, Puffer turned back and saw walkers grabbing at Carley and Doug. Puffer didn't hesitate and ran for Carley while Lee ran for Doug. Puffer ran to Carley's bag and tossed her a clip, which she used to take care of the walkers grabbing her. Meanwhile, Lee managed to yank Doug away from the window, allowing Doug to back away.

It was then that Kenny burst in, "Let's go!!"

Carley and Doug headed out, but Lee was distracted by a walker trying to get Clementine. A swift kick pinned the walker down, allowing Clementine to flee. Puffer fled next, but paused when he saw Larry punch Lee to the ground, leaving him for dead. "You racist piece of shit!" Puffer hissed as Kenny ran over, killing the walker trying to attack Lee and helping Lee up. Lee looked back at the drugstore one more time before slamming the door closed.

Chapter Text

The motor inn was quiet, as any walker staying at it had been dispatched. Lilly and Puffer worked together to move the corpses out, including that of a woman that had taken her life not that long ago. After Katjaa had dealt with his head wound, Puffer was already feeling much better. His ankle was still bothering him, but not too badly for the time being. Of course, that was to be expected, what with a walker having scratched him. Who knows what the hell the walker got into before said scratch.

In the distance, Puffer could hear gunfire, as well as some screaming. He shuddered at this, thankful to be out of Macon. He caught sight of Lee and Glenn talking before Glenn drove off in his pizza delivery car. Well that was odd, but Puffer could guess Glenn went to help friends of family of his. The thought brought Puffer back to his parents, as he had left his dog Ellie in their care until he got back. Were his parents okay? Was Ellie okay? Would he ever see them again?

Puffer was beginning to regret not taking her with him. Then again, she probably wouldn't have survived the crash. Still, there was a tiny voice in Puffer's head saying she would have survived the crash and stayed with him. Puffer looked up from the box he was sitting beside and saw Doug and Carley chatting, and Puffer felt a pang of jealousy. Then again, both were alive, and that was a relief to him.

"You fought back pretty well," Lee said as he approached Puffer, who looked over at him, "You found my dad's cane?"

"I saw in on the floor, and it was the only weapon in sight," Puffer replied, "If it's your dad's then you can have it back."

"No, keep it," Lee said, "It could come in handy."

"We're lucky to have you," Lilly said as she walked over, and Puffer hid his contempt for her, "Both of you. We can make it through this."

The sound of gunshots could be heard in the distance, and it wasn't long before what sounded like a helicopter's blade could be heard. The army! Took them long enough. Then again, it was most likely a sweep. "I hope that's the sound of us winning this thing!" Kenny said as he walked over, with Puffer standing up, "This motor inn's pretty damn defendable. We block off the entrances with some cars and keep someone on watch and we could stay here until the military tolls through."

"I actually agree with that plan," Lily said, and Puffer could as well.

"We've got beds, we've got water, and most importantly, we've got light," Kenny stated, "There are worse places to call home." Not long after he said this, the lights began to turn off, meaning the power plants had shut down.

"So much for lights..." Puffer grumbled as the Motel sign's light turned off. The first night was spent hiding in the motel rooms. Thankfully, no walkers every showed up. The next few days were spent making a rough wall, using the cars and other scrap nearby. At first, Puffer had been able to pitch in with carrying things around and doing some of the building.

That was, until his ankle, while recovered, was beginning to give out on him. He had tripped a couple of times, much to the group's confusion, and had dealt with a painful ankle joint when he walked around a lot. By the end of the week, Puffer was still doing what he could to help get the wall set up, but it was clear Lilly was done with his ankle being ignored.

"Alright, enough," Lilly said as she walked over, causing Puffer to pause hammering a nail into a board, "Go back to your room and let Katjaa look at your ankle."

"It's fine," Puffer huffed, only to prove her point by nearly stumbling.

"No it isn't, something is wrong with you and we need to know what," Lilly argued, her arms crossed, "You can't be a burden on the group. Go, now."

Puffer glared at her, but sighed and waved Lilly off, heading back to the motel room he had picked out. It was a bottom floor room, close to the makeshift wall. Heading inside, Puffer sat on his bed. A few seconds later, Katjaa walked in, with Kenny and Lilly watching from outside the door. "Did something happen to your ankle before we got here?" Katjaa asked as she walked over.

"Pretty sure a walker scratched it," Puffer said as Katjaa rolled his pant leg up, "It doesn't hurt right now, but-" Puffer stopped when Katjaa gasped, causing Kenny and Lilly to perk up, "What?"

"When did this...'scratch' happen?" Katjaa asked.

"The day we left Hershel's farm," Puffer replied, a bit confused, "Why? How bad is it?"

"I..." Katjaa gulped, then looked to Kenny and Lilly.

That caused Lilly to walk in and look for herself. "Holy shit, you were bit!" Lilly exclaimed.

Puffer immediately moved his ankle so he could see, and sure enough there was a bite. But something was odd about the bite. It wasn't an open wound. It was scarred over, with no open injuries. How had he not noticed. "Are you sure you were feeling fine?" Katjaa asked.

"I was until my ankle started tripping me," Puffer frowned, "The hell does this mean? Why did I survive?"

"You could be immune to whatever the hell is causing all of this," Kenny suggested, causing the three to look at him, "It's bound to happen. Surely there are people out there immune to this shit."

"Any reason why it would jack my ankle up?" Puffer asked.

Kenny shrugged, "Bad luck?"

"Or maybe your immunity is damaging the body fighting it," Katjaa said, looking at the scarred bite again, "There are ways that can happen, but it usually happens with a particular nasty bug. And I would count this disease as just that."

"I need to let everyone know about this," Lilly said as she began to walk out, "Find a way to keep your ankle straight."

Chapter Text

It seemed like Larry's opinion of Puffer had drastically decreased. The week before Puffer's immunity had been revealed, Larry tended to either ignore or avoid Puffer. But now? Puffer swore the older man was trying to instigate a fight every chance he got. It was getting on Puffer's nerves, to the point that he was starting to become tempted in leaving the group and setting out for Florida on his own. But of course, that would be a death sentence. It had been three months since he was bitten, and the true damage to his ankle had been revealed.

The nerves in his ankle had weakened, causing him to not feel much there, or even be able to move it much. He could still walk, but it put a lot of pressure on his joint. This would result in excruciating pain. It was a good thing Lee had let Puffer keep the cane, as now he actually needed it. Still, Puffer refuse to just sit around and do nothing. A month after the bite, Kenny, Lilly, and Lee had brought back a surviver named Mark, who had plenty of supplies to share.

That was really the last time those three worked together. Now, there was a power struggle between Kenny and Lilly. Which is why Puffer jumped at the opportunity to go hunting with Kenny, Lee, and Mark. While the weaponry supplies hadn't run out, the food was starting to. It had been a few days since Puffer ate last, and he was itching to get something.

While Mark and Lee went one way, Puffer went with Kenny. He wouldn't be able to handle a firearm until he was more comfortable with walking with a cane, but Puffer could still carry some of the food back. It also helped that there was some native fruit, such as beauty berries and pawpaw fruit, scattered in the forest. He made sure to grab what he could, as foraging would be a needed skill. "What I wouldn't give to find a creek," Kenny sighed as the two walked, "I can probably catch some fish by hand."

"Aren't fish fast?" Puffer asked.

"Some are, but some have a slow reaction time," Kenny replied. The two continued walking until a shout could be heard. The two looked at one another before racing to where the sound came from. When the two made it, the source was easy to find. Two high schoolers stood beside their teacher, who had been caught in a bear trap. Ouch.

"Get it off! Get it off!" The teacher begged, clutching his leg that was trapped, "God damnit get it off me!"

"Travis, maybe they can help!" The dirty blonde teen suggested.

"These might be the same guys that our camp!" Travis, a black haired teen, said as he tried to stay calm, "And we barely got away from that!"

"Who raised your camp?!" Lee questioned. There were bandits in the area? Just what the group needed.

"I-I don't know! Guys with guns!" The dirty blonde teen answered.

"Please, we won't bother you, I swear!" Travis added, and Puffer could see how terrified the two were.

"This is fucked up, we gotta help them!" Mark said.

"Please!" The dirty blonde teen begged.

"Ben, shut up!" Travis hissed a bit under his breath, "My dad was Special Forces, I know what I'm doing!"

But Ben ignored him and continued, "Just see if you can get him out! After that you can leave us or whatever, I don't care!"

Mark knelt down and took a look, then his eyes widened, "The trap's been altered! There's no release hatch!"

Puffer looked up, spitting some walkers approaching, "Shit! You two, behind me NOW!" Puffer snapped, practically dragging Travis and Ben behind him and Kenny, "Can we smash the bear trap?"

Kenny aimed his gun, and took a few shots. Lee tried to break the chain, but it didn't budge. There was only one option left. While Lee began to chop the leg off, Puffer kept the teens from watching. The blood loss caused their teacher to pass out, and Travis looked ready to puke. "If he's alive, grab him and let's go!" Kenny shouted, the walkers getting closer.

"Come on! Go, go!" Puffer said, moving Travis and Ben back further as Mark got the teacher over his shoulders. Everyone ran for it, with Lee racing ahead to alert the others to their return. They got food and more people, amazing.

"Open the gates! We got wounded!" Lee shouted as soon as the motel came into view. The rest of the hunting group ran out as Lee pushed the gate open, with Doug looking away from an alarm system he was setting up.

Ben and Travis ran in first with Puffer right behind. Katjaa helped Mark place the injured teacher on the bed of the truck so she could take a look. "What the hell?!" Lilly snapped, "You can't just be bringing new people here! What are you thinking?!"

"He would have died if we left him!" Lee tried to explain.

"There's bear traps out there with no release hatch!" Puffer added, "He got caught in one, nothing could be done but to cut his leg off!"

"Who is putting out broken traps?" Doug questioned.

"Well hang on," Carley started, "We haven't even talked to these people yet! Maybe they can be helpful!"

"I know how to use a gun," Travis quickly said, "My dad was special forces, he made sure I could handle it on my own."

"Come on, Lilly," Mark started, "These are people, people trying to survive just like us. We've gotta stick together!"

"The only reason you're here is because you had food, enough for all of us," Lilly snapped back, "But that food is almost gone. We have maybe a week's worth left, and I don't suppose you guys are carrying groceries."

"No..." Ben mumbled.

"All of our supplies were stolen," Travis frowned.

"Fine, you guys fight it out then," Mark grumbled, sighing, "Welcome to the family, kids." As he walked away, Puffer was ready to tune this argument out as well. When Puffer saw Clementine lead Ben and Travis away from the argument, Puffer followed. He didn't know who to look to for leadership when Lilly and Kenny were constantly bickering.

Chapter Text

The first thing that happened when Puffer sat on the lawn chair was Duck walking up to him, "Check this out!" Duck said, handing a card over to Puffer. To his surprise, it was a Pokémon card, specifically of Zorua.

"Where did you find this?" Puffer asked.

"It was in the motel room behind the dresser! You said you liked Pokémon so you can have it!" Duck replied.

Puffer gave a small smile at this, "Thanks Duck," he said as Duck headed back to where the other kids were. In the beginning, Puffer wasn't that big of a fan of Duck. But these past three months had changed that, as the boy was starting to grow on Puffer. Maybe it was Duck's uncanny ability to spot even the tiniest of details, or maybe it was because the two had things in common.

Either way, Puffer didn't find Duck really annoying anymore. The two teens looked anxious, and he knew why as the fate of their teacher was unknown for now. Puffer saw Lee handing out rations, and Puffer already knew he wouldn't take any if Lee offered. Carley was near Doug, helping him put the finishing touches on his alarm. While Lee handed rations out, Puffer decided to get to know the teens more. "So, who's your teacher? If he is your teacher," Puffer asked.

"That's Mr. Parker, the band director at our School," Ben answered.

"We all came down from Stone Mounatin for the playoffs when everything happened," Travis added.

"You think we could have done more...?" Ben asked.

"No, everything that could have been done was done," Puffer replied, "I don't know who the hell made that trap, but they're the one to blame for your band director's missing leg. Besides, next time you two will be more prepared."

"So we can stay?" Travis asked.

Puffer frowned a bit, "That's not up to me, but I wouldn't mind. Sure, we're not doing good on food, but what were we supposed to do, leave a couple of kids to die?"

"Thanks for helping us," Ben said.

Travis paused, then looked away, "Sorry for not letting you help sooner..."

"Don't sweat it, I would have reacted in a similar way," Puffer replied, then perked up when an argument started between Larry and Lee about food, but it was quickly ended by Kenny.

Larry then looked at Puffer with anger, "Will you quit sitting on your ass and do something?!"

"Mother fucker I basically ran a marathon!" Puffer spat, "Let my ankle rest! Or do you want it to break?!"

"That bite should have killed you," Larry snapped back before storming back towards the wall.

Ben and Travis looked confused, and it was Travis that spoke up, "What did he mean by that?"

Puffer answered by rolling his pant leg up, revealing the scarred bite, "I'm immune. I got bit and it fucked my ankle up. That's why I walk with a cane. And that's also why I am taking a break," Puffer grumbled the last part out, still pissed at Larry.

"Whoa, t-that's amazing!" Ben exclaimed, "So you can't turn after you die?"

"Pretty much," Puffer replied, some shouting got Puffer's attention, and he practically sprinted to where it came from, his ankle be damned. To his absolute horror, the band director had turned. "WHAT THE FUCK?!" The walker was trying to bite at Lee, with Mark missing an axe swing. As soon as there was an opening, Puffer stabbed the walker with the cane tip, putting it down. Lee shoved the walker off as everyone ran over.

"You said he wasn't bitten!" Kenny growled at Ben and Travis.

"He wasn't!" Ben quickly said defensively.

"Well your 'not-bitten' friend here came back to life and tried to kill my wife!" Kenny snapped, clearly pissed.

"Wait, none of you know?" Travis questioned.

"Know what?" Puffer asked, a bit ticked off himself.

"It's not the bite that does it...it just guarantees death," Ben said, "You come back no matter how you die. If you don't destroy the brain, that's just what happens. It's gonna happen to all of us..."

"We're all infected?" Lee questioned while everyone was stuck in a stunned silence.

"We've seen someone turn without being bitten," Travis answered, "We were all hiding out in a gym, and one of the cheerleaders, Jenny Pitcher...she took some pills in the bathroom. When someone went to check on her...yeah."

Everyone stayed silent until the bells rang, causing Carley to whip around and aim her gun at the intruders. "Back off!" Carley shouted, and two strangers paused.

"Whoa, lady relax!" The taller of the two said, "Me and my brother, we just want to know if y'all can help us."

"Are you armed?" Lee questioned.

"Yeah, for protection," the shorter stranger answered, "Dead could be anywhere."

"But I think you've got the upper hand here," The first stranger added.

Carley looked skeptical, but decided to push it, "Why do you need gas?"

"Out place is protected by an electric fence," The second strange said, "Generators provide the electricity." Holy shit it was a dream come true.

"We own a dairy farm a few miles up the road. If y'all be willing to lower your guns, we can talk about some kind of trade," The first stranger concluded.

"This seems too good to be true..." Travis whispered to Puffer, and honestly? Puffer was agreeing with that sentiment. There had to be a catch to this.

"We should send a group, to see if the place is legit," Lilly suggested, "Lee, take Mark with you."

"Count me in," Carley said.

Lee gave a nod, then turned to the strangers, "You got a deal. We'll bring some gas to your dairy in exchange for some food we can bring back. We'll see how it goes from there."

"Sounds fair," The first stranger said, "I'm Andrew, but you can call me Andy, and this here is my brother Danny."

"Mind if I go...?" Ben asked, which Travis didn't like the idea of.

"Sure, we'll send someone back once we arrive," Lee said, and as the group left, Puffer had a sense of dread filling him.

Chapter Text

The wait was a bit long, but Carley and Ben ended up returning after around ten minutes with a basket of food. "I'm staying," Travis spoke up, "Someone has to stay and defend the place!"

"Then so is Carley and Ben," Lilly said, "Keep move of those biscuits stored. The rest of us are leaving."

Doug gave Carley a kiss goodbye, and Puffer once again felt a pang of jealousy. But it quickly went away as he began walking. "Man, I'm starving! I could eat a horse!" Duck said.

The trip was a short one, only taking a few minutes. But when they arrived, he were shocked to see an arrow in Mark's shoulder. "Mark! Oh my god, what happened?!" Katjaa asked as she rushed to get a better look.

"Christ, are you gonna be okay?!" Lilly questioned.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Mark replied, "I should just pull it out." He did not sound enthusiastic about the idea.

"Oh no honey, c'mon, Brenda's got you," a woman, most likely Andy and Danny's mother, said as she walked over, "C'mon inside now, we'll have you all sorted out. You too hun," she looked to Puffer as she spoke, "Lee told me all about your ankle, I might have somethin' to keep it straight."

"That would be amazing," Puffer replied, following after Brenda and Mark. Katjaa followed, helping Puffer up a set a stairs.

"You two sit tight, I'll be back with the right stuff. That arrow's gonna make you bleed, so we gotta be ready!" Brenda said, "And I can show you our cow while we're out!"

"That would be great," Katjaa said, following Brenda. Puffer got a look at the arrow, seeing how thin it was.

"Can't wait to get this out," Mark mumbled, "It hurts so badly, but I don't think it got anything important."

"Looks like just your shoulder," Puffer said, then he saw Mark perk up. Before Puffer could react, he felt a prick on his neck. Assuming it was a mosquito, he went to slap at it, but felt nothing. That's when he started to feel dizzy.

"P-Puffer!" Mark gasped as Puffer collapsed onto the floor. The last thing Puffer saw was Brenda approaching Mark with a needle.

The first thing Puffer noticed when he woke up was that his hands were tied behind his back, and his legs were tied together. That got Puffer to snap awake, and he saw he was in what looked like a bathroom of sorts. The next thing he saw was Brenda stand beside a tub, while his cane was laying on the bathroom sink. "The fuck?!" Puffer snapped, and Brenda turned to face him.

"Oh! I wasn't expectin' you awake for a bit longer!" Brenda said with surprise, and it was then that he saw Mark's head poking out of the bath tub.

Puffer tried to free himself, but he was bound tightly, "I fucking knew there was something sketchy going in! What are you doing to Mark?!"

"Well, I have to keep him alive if we're going to harvest his meat," Brenda said in a matter of fact way, and Puffer felt the color drain from his face at that statement.

"What did you just say...?" Puffer gulped.

"How else are we supposed to survive?" Brenda started, "We can't just live off vegetables and dairy products, we gotta keep ourselves healthy! And meat is needed."

"So you eat people?!"

"Only those about to die. You are a special case! You're immune to that nasty bug," Brenda said, "We can't eat you right away, so your friend here goes first. But your turn will come soon. Besides, that ankle of yours will get you killed." Brenda then grabbed a rag, tying it around Puffer's head to gag him, "I better get started, I got a big dinner to prepare!" Brenda left, turning the light off and closing the door. As Puffer heard something being pushed in front of the door, he began struggling in his binds again, desperate to get free.

"Puffer...?" Puffer paused and saw Mark looking his way, "Hang on...I'm...I'll get you out..." Mark grabbed onto the tub, trying to pull himself up. His hand bumped into Puffer's cane and he grabbed it, using the cane to hoist himself over the tub edge. It was then that Puffer saw that Mark no longer had legs. Mark dropped the cane and pulled himself towards Puffer, managing to undo the leg binds. The ones around Puffer's hands, however, were much tighter, and it was clear Mark was losing energy. Instead, Mark removed the gag.

"Hurry and untie me so I can stop the bleeding!" Puffer said, but Mark shook his head.

"I'm...done for..." Mark wheezed out, "I...I'm trying..." That's when the light suddenly turned back on, to the confusion of both. Only a few moments later, the door slowly opened, and Puffer was ready to kick the shit out of Brenda if it was her again. To his surprise, it was Lee. "Help...him..." Mark coughed.

Lee quickly got to Puffer and cut the rope using a multitool, "Don't eat dinner!" Puffer quickly said, "They're eating Mark!"

A noise from downstairs caught Lee's attention, and he turned to Puffer, "Get out through the window!" Lee then hurried out while Puffer tried to find something to stop the bleeding.

"Forget...me..." Mark begged, "Go...before they...get you..." Puffer didn't want to leave, but he had no choice.

"Those fuckers are gonna pay," Puffer promised, "I swear to you they will!" With that, Puffer headed to the bedroom window, opening it and climbing out. Puffer moved quicker when he heard a shot ring out from inside the house. Carefully lowering himself, Puffer saw one of the generators that electrified the fence attached to the barn. A few whacks from the cane was all it took to make the generator sputter and stop working, making the fence safe to cross. Hiding in the corn stalks near the barn, Puffer watched as the two brothers forced Kenny, Clementine, Lilly, Larry, and an unconscious Lee into the barn. Fuck, what was he supposed to do?! A noise caught his attention and he heard a moo. Peaking in, he saw Danny guarding the front door of the barn. Puffer knew he had to think of something, before it was too late.

Chapter Text

Rain started to poor down, and all Puffer could do was wait for a chance. This chance came when he saw Lee and Kenny trap Danny in one of his modified bear traps. While Kenny left to find Duck, Lee stabbed Danny with a pitchfork, killing him. Puffer hopped the fence, and he moved to the front of the barn where he saw Lee, Lilly, and Clementine. "Puffer!" Lee sighed in relief.

"Where the fuck is Larry?!" Puffer questioned.

"That monster killed him," Lilly spoke coldly.

"He had a heart attack, we had to make sure he didn't turn," Lee explained.

"And Mark?" Puffer asked.

"...He came down stairs with the last of his strength," Lee answered, and Puffer's heart dropped. These cannibals needed to be put down.

"Stay with Lilly and Clementine," Lee said, and headed out to find Kenny and his family. The three waited inside the barn, with Lee heading into the house. Katjaa and Kenny ran out not long after, while Andy held Duck at gun point.

The two argued, with Kenny being shot in his side. A shot rang out, hitting Andy in the ear. Lee lunged forward and the two scuffled, although Andy quickly got the upper hand and dragged Lee to the electric fence, trying to push Lee into said fence. "Shoot him!" Puffer hissed at Lilly, but she didn't budge, glaring at Lee with Contempt, "Fucking bitch." Puffer snatched the gun from Lilly and took aim, firing a bullet into Andy's shoulder.

That's all it took for Lee to get away from the fence and pin Andy down, punching him into submission. Everyone managed to regroup, and it was then that Puffer saw that the shot came from Carley, as she, Ben, and Travis were present. But someone was missing...where was Doug? He got his answer when he saw Doug stumble out of the house, a bullet wound in his shoulder. Well that explained the gun shot he heard from inside the house.

Lee got up, leaving Andy alone. "Is that all you got Lee?!" Andy spat, slowly sitting up, "You ain't shit!"

"It's over!" Lee shouted.

"Fuck you!" Andy shouted back, "As soon as Dan and Mama get out here you're all done!"

"They're not coming," Lee stated.

"What do you mean?!" Andy growled, then paused when he realized, "Lee, what the fuck do you mean?" As Lee turned away, Andy continued, "Don't you dare walk away from me Lee! Get back here and finish this!" But Lee ignored him, walking back to the group. Everyone turned away, walking away from the dairy farm.

As they walked, Carley chatted with Doug to make sure he was okay. Puffer meanwhile caught up to the teens, "What made you guys come here?"

"You never came back," Travis answered, "So we went to see what was taking you so long. What happened?"

"You were right," Puffer replied, "It was too good to be true. Those fuckers were cannibals."

"W-What?!" Ben gulped.

"Hey, look!" Duck said, pointing to a light in the distance. As the group approached, the light turned out to be a car. In the trunk was so much supplies that it could last a few weeks.

"This food could save all of us," Katjaa said once she got a good look.

"Not all of us," Lilly said bitterly.

"We don't know if these people are dead," Ben said.

"This stuff isn't ours," Clementine piped up.

"It's ours now," Kenny said. Another argument broke out between Lilly and Kenny at this.

After everything he had been through tonight, Puffer was not dealing with this bullshit. Fuck Lilly and Kenny's decision making, and fuck Lee's neutrality, it was his turn to make a decision for the group. With a loud whistle, everyone went silent and looked at Puffer, "We're not taking shit! We are waiting for the owners to get back!"

"Puffer-" Kenny started, but Puffer cut him off.

"We will be no better than that damn family! You wanna be a bunch of petty thieves?!" Puffer snapped, moving between the group and the trunk of the car, "We are waiting and seeing if we can bargain, got it?!"

There was silence until Lee spoke up, "That sounds like a better plan. This is a family car, they could be friendly. And we can defend ourselves."

Kenny frowned, but then sighed, "Fine, we wait." At first, it seemed the wait could take hours. It was only ten minutes before the sound of an arguing couple could be heard.

"Mom, there's strangers by the car!" A little girl said. At this, a man and woman ran into view, shocked at the group of survivors.

"We're hoping you trade some supplies, we need medical equipment especially right now," Puffer explained, pointing his cane to Kenny and Doug.

The woman paused, "You can have it all, but we go with you."

Lilly was about to object, but Puffer spoke first, "That's fine."

"This is great, we should-" the man started.

"Not you!" The woman spat, "Our son is dead because of you! I told you he was too young to be out hunting! You'll get Elizabeth killed!"

"Tess-"

"Go!!" The woman, Tess, shouted, grabbing a hunting rifle from her back and aiming it at the stranger, "Now! Stay away from us you monster!" Well that escalated quickly. The man backed away before running into the bushes, disappearing into the forest.

"Oh, I'm so sorry for your loss," Katjaa said as Tess lowered her weapon, the little girl hiding behind her mother.

"We should get this stuff back to the motor inn, it's late enough as is," Kenny said.

"I'll help," Tess spoke, then she looked to Puffer, "And thank you."

"Good people need to stick together more than ever," Puffer replied, remembering the dairy farm. As everyone began to carry the supplies, Puffer spotted Elizabeth giving Clementine a small red hoodie, the two giggling. The group had lost two people, but gained two more and a lot of supplies. There was hope for them yet.

Chapter Text

The sound of kids giggling while playing was something Puffer never thought he would hear again. Tess and Elizabeth had settled right in, and it was clear Clementine was happy to have another peer. But something else had happened. A power shift had happened. Instead of looking to Lilly or Kenny for leadership, people began to look to Puffer, which he wasn't sure how to feel about. He did so in that one moment because he was tired of Lilly and Kenny's bickering causing nothing to get done.

So it sucked when people started looking to him when the bandits started attacking the the motor inn with arrows. Thankfully, Puffer's advice of thickening the wall managed to keep them safe for now. Puffer let Lilly continue to keep watch over their supplies, as she was meticulous about keeping track.

Still, there was always a day where someone came to him for something. And today it was Travis. "Are we going to go out hunting anytime soon?" Travis asked.

"Not until the bandits are dealt with," Puffer replied, pausing his work on strengthening the gate hinges, "Hell, the supply run Kenny and Lee are on is dangerous as fuck, but at least they're not in the area long enough for bandits to spot them."

"There has to be a way to stop them somehow," Travis hummed, thinking.

But Puffer shook his head, "Too many of them. The only options we have are to leave or defend our home, and at this point, leaving might be our best option."

"Too bad Lilly won't let that happen," Travis grumbled, "Aren't you in charge now?"

"I wouldn't say that..." Puffer said.

"But you're making all the decisions now," Travis pointed out, "and you and Lee are the only ones anyone is listening to now."

"I mean, I guess I am, even if it feels weird to say," Puffer sighed, "For now, just keep an eye from the second floor."

"On it!" Travis said as he hurried off. Honestly, Puffer wouldn't mind leaving Lilly behind. She did nothing while Lee was about to be killed, and it took Puffer using a rifle for the first time to save him. Puffer feared she would either get someone killed or kill someone.

Puffer took a step back and looked at his work, noticing how much easier it was to move the gate while still only being openable from the inside. Perfect. Puffer felt his ankle flare up in pain, but ignored it as he kept walking. He looked to where the kids were, and saw Duck sitting by himself. That was very strange, as Duck normally hung out with Clementine or Elizabeth.

Puffer walked over, sitting beside Duck, "What's wrong? Not feeling good?"

"I killed Shawn..." Duck mumbled, and Puffer froze.

"Huh?" Puffer asked.

"I got him killed, it was my fault," Duck sniffed, rubbing his eyes, "I didn't realize until now...it's my fault..."

Puffer was silent for a moment, "...No it wasn't, it was an accident."

"But I got the tractor to run his foot over...!" Duck said.

"And I failed to kill the last walker before it bit him," Puffer replied, "Everything happened so fast...you didn't mean to turn the tractor on, you can't blame yourself. Shit happens, and all we can do is move on."

"Like when I ate human meat...?" Duck questioned.

"Like that, it's happened now, so all we can really do it take what happened as use it as a lesson on what not to do," Puffer explained, and that seemed to start to make Duck perk up, "So the lessons you learned?"

"Don't touch a stick on a tractor, and don't eat random things," Duck replied.

"Exactly! See, you got it," Puffer said, then froze when Duck hugged him.

"You're the best Puffer," Duck said.

Puffer would not cry no matter how adorable an event was. Puffer hugged back, patting the kid's back. "Don't be too hard on yourself, alright? No go be a kid," Puffer said as the two got up.

"I will, bye Puffer!" Duck replied, his normal enthusiasm back. Puffer watched ad Duck headed over to Elizabeth and Clementine, who were putting stickers on Clementine's walkie talkie. The bells rang, and Puffer saw Lee and Kenny approaching. When they got in, both headed to Lilly's room so she could count the new supplies.

When the two left, Lilly looked over at Puffer, meaning she wanted something. Puffer walked over, heading inside. "How does it look?" Puffer asked.

"We can make the winter here if we keep getting supplies like that," Lilly replied.

Puffer frowned at this, "We can't stay here, the electricity is dead and we have no heaters. We need to move on."

"First Kenny, now you?!" Lilly grumbled, "Did you know Lee and Kenny let a girl get eaten to get their supplies? Why are you agreeing with monsters like them?"

"Last I checked, I wasn't the one about to let one of our group members be fried on an electric fence," Puffer hissed out, "I trust them a lot. And I can see the writing on the wall. Lilly, if we stay here, we will die."

"If we go on the road, we'll also die if we don't figure out who the rat is," Lilly argued; that got Puffer's attention, which Lilly noticed, "Someone has been stealing our supplies, little by little. If we really are going to leave, we have to figure out who the rat is and throw them out."

"Any ideas on who?" Puffer asked.

"No, that's why I need you," Lilly continued, "I need someone to search for any clues as to where are supplies are going while I try to narrow down the suspect list. And right now? You're the only one I trust." Well that was ironic considering Puffer didn't trust her.

"I'll keep an eye out," Puffer said.

"Here," Lilly said as she handed over a broken flashlight, "I found this tossed into the garbage. We don't throw out broken equipment, we fix it. Unless someone didn't want to be caught going out at night while everyone else is asleep."

Chapter Text

The first that happened when Puffer left was Duck speaking up, "A mystery!"

Puffer looked down and saw Duck, "Christ you scared me."

"I'm sorry, I heard you guys talking," Duck said, "Can I help? You're the greatest detective, and I can be Dick Grayson! Your ward!"

"Batman and Robin eh?" Puffer chuckled, then thought for a moment. Duck's keen eye could be what he needed, "You know what? Sure."

"Yes!" Duck exclaimed, "What should I do?"

"Keep an eye out for stuff that normally doesn't belong there," Puffer explained, "And it could be anything."

"I'm on the case!" Duck said, hurrying off.

Puffer thought for a moment, looking up to see Lee talking to Carley and Doug on the second floor. Puffer looked back down, seeing Clementine drawing while Elizabeth played with the soccer ball. "Hey, did either of you accidentally break a flashlight?" Puffer asked.

"Nope, mom has mine!" Elizabeth answered.

"No, did Duck say I did?" Clementine asked.

"No, did Duck break a flashlight?" Puffer asked.

"I don't think so," Clementine replied, "He's just always blaming me for stuff."

"Like what?"

"Putting a bug on his pillow."

"Did you do it?"

Clementine was silent, then the guiltiest smile Puffer had ever seen form on her face, "Yes."

Puffer snickered a bit, "Whatcha doing here?"

"A leaf rubbing," Clementine said, showing off her current progress.

"I'm just playing soccer," Elizabeth said, "Mom said she would play after her nap." Tess had spent the night on watch duty, so she absolutely deserved that nap.

"Well you two keep having fun," Puffer said as he stood up, looking up and seeing Kenny and Katjaa talking. Maybe they saw something. As he moved closer, he could hear their conversation.

"We all carry guns now, and I don't like it," Katjaa frowned.

"It's the way it's gotta be," Kenny argued.

"I know, but I'm not getting used to this," Katjaa replied, and Puffer noticed how drained she looked. When he approached, the two stopped their bickering and looked over.

"Hey, how are things over here?" Puffer asked.

"Could be worse," Kenny replied, the paused when he spotted the flashlight, "Fuck, we don't got many of those."

"I saw some broken glass by the ice machine," Katjaa said, "I meant to clean it up before the kids hurt themselves on it; I forgot though." That got Puffer's attention.

"Thanks, hopefully it's a lead," Puffer said, leaving the two to chat. Moving to where the glass was, Puffer picked up a piece and put it to the flashlight. The piece fit on the edge, meaning it was a match. Peaking around the corner, Puffer spotted a pink X on the side of the building. Rubbing his finger along it, the powder of chalk could be felt.

"Pink, hmm," Puffer jumped a bit, seeing Duck looking at the X, "It could be a clue! What do you think it is?"

"I'm not sure," Puffer replied.

"Maybe it's a sign!" Duck suggested. Puffer looked back at the X. That could very well be the case, as why was it a random X? The other chalk drawings were on the ground, while this one was on the wall. "Okay, back to investigating!" Duck said and he headed away.

Puffer looked where Clementine and Elizabeth were, seeing some chalk piled up. Heading over, Puffer decided to question Clementine, "Hey Clem, don't suppose you have any pink chalk?"

"No, it's gone somewhere," Clementine answered, "Do you want blue?"

"No that's fine, do you know how long it's been missing?" Puffer asked.

"All day. I set it with the rest, but now it's gone," Clementine replied.

"I'll keep an eye out for it," Puffer said, getting up. That's when Duck waved for his attention.

Walking over, Duck looked excited, "I found something!" Duck said, pulling out a stick of chalk, "I found this piece of pink chalk and a scuff of it over by the gate!"

"Really?" Puffer looked surprised.

"Totally! I was combing the scene for clues and I saw the scuff mark. It was made of pink chalk!" Duck replied.

"That's amazing! Great job Duck," Puffer said, giving Duck a high five. The two headed over and sure enough, there was the scuff marks. Puffer pushed the gate open, heading out. Following the pink chalk dust to a grate it the wall, Puffer opened it up. To his shock and slight anger, a rolled up bag of supplies was inside. He snatched it up and got a good look inside, seeing plenty of needed medicine. "Fuck..." Puffer whispered under his breath.

By the time Puffer got back into the gate, Lee had headed down and Tess was up, watching the girls. Puffer hurried to Lilly's room, pushing the door open. Lilly looked up, "You haven't come up with anything, have you?"

"I came up with this," Puffer said, handing the bag of supplies to her, "Someone put that in a grate outside the wall, marking it with an X."

"Holy fuck," Lilly said, and it was clear there was some disbelief in her tone, "Okay, we line everybody up, and I mean everybody."

Puffer took a seat while Lilly tried to think of a plan, "What do we do with the rat? We gotta chase them out. Any ideas?"

"It has to be one of the newer members," Lilly said, "Which means it's either Ben, Travis, Tess, or Elizabeth."

"I doubt Elizabeth would do that, she's too young," Puffer sighed, "So that leave three..."

Lilly was about to speak up, until she saw something outside the window, "What the hell?!" Puffer turned to where she was looking, and saw some bandits leaping over the wall, guns and crossbows at the ready. There was shouting, and the bandits had almost everyone on the ground while Lee was trying to calm the situation down.

Lilly grabbed her gun and headed out the window while Puffer grabbed onto his crossbow. It had been the same crossbow Danny had stolen from a women he and Lee had encountered in the woods, and Puffer had learned that crossbows were much better with walkers. Their ammo could be reused, and they were silent. As soon as the first bandit went down and Carley shot two more, Puffer pushed the door open and fired, the bolt hitting the third in the back. The bandit whistled, calling for back up before going limp. If there was ever a sign to get the hell out of this motel, it was showing itself right now.

Chapter Text

Puffer fired at another bandit as the group took cover, giving Travis and Elizabeth enough time to get in. Right before Tess could, a shot his her in the chest, sending her to the ground. "Mommy!" Elizabeth cried out.

"Get her in!" Puffer ordered, and Travis pulled Elizabeth in while Puffer dragged Tess out of the blast zone.

"Don't let...anything happen to her..." Tess begged, "R...Run..." Tess went limp, and the light faded from her eyes. Puffer felt himself go pale at this, but as Tess was hit in the chest, he had no choice but to put an arrow in her head to keep her from turning.

As this happened, Lee and Carley gave enough cover for all to get to the RV, only for a walker to fall on Katjaa and Duck. Thankfully, Lee managed to put it down. "Save your arrows, I got you!" Lee said. Puffer looked back to Tess, then nodded and headed inside. As soon as Kenny got the RV running, Lilly jumped in and slammed the door closed, the RV driving off.

"Did we lose anyone?!" Kenny asked.

"Tess..." Puffer replied, "She was hit in the chest. Fuck, the bastards got a lucky shot."

"I'm sorry," Ben mumbled.

"Everything's fine Ben," Carley said.

"Everything's not fine," Lilly snapped, "We need to figure out how this happened."

"Someone was giving them medicine, and they got pissed about not getting another batch," Puffer added, then paused, "But trying to figure out who while we're in this state is a bad idea."

"We just lost everything!" Lilly argued, "Somebody in here caused this, and we're not safe until we throw them out of the group."

"Like, look, maybe we should vote or something?" Ben suggested.

"A vote? What?" Lilly questioned, annoyed by the suggestion.

"Everyone just calm down!" Puffer snapped, "We can figure this out when we're in a safer spot."

"You can't abstain from this!" Lilly argued.

"I'm not abstaining! But is arguing in a moving vehicle really a good idea?!" Puffer retorted back.

"Lilly, stop waving the finger at everybody," Lee started, "We know something's going on and we can get to the bottom of it if we keep our heads."

"I know what we found," Lilly said.

"Nobody was stealing anything!" Ben said.

"Shut up Ben, you're making it worse!" Travis said. Elizabeth was at the table, quietly sobbing.

"Lilly please," Doug started, "You're not thinking straight."

"Maybe it was you!" Lilly snapped at Ben, "Look me in the eyes and tell me you didn't have anything to do with it." Just as Ben was about to do just that, the RV slammed into something, causing Kenny to pull it over. When it did, Lee, Kenny, Ben, Travis, Puffer, Carley, and Doug got out, with Kenny going to deal with the walker he had hit.

"Chill out lady," Travis glared, but backed up when Lilly looked over with anger.

"I'm not doing this," Lee stated.

"Neither am I, this is fucking pointless right now," Puffer said.

"Come on Puffer, you're the one who found them, you can't just abstain," Lilly said.

"Fuck all that, this is nuts!" Lee stated, "We're out here on the side of the road!"

"It wasn't Ben!" Travis practically shouted, "So stop blaming him!"

"Then it was you!" Lilly snapped, "Because the only other suspect is dead!"

"What?! You're insane!" Travis replied with shock.

"What do I have to do for you to trust me, I'll do anything!" Ben begged, and Puffer was starting to notice how guilty Ben was acting.

"Stop panicking!" Lee said, "Seriously Ben, you need to stop and just take a breath!"

"Lilly lay off already, can't you see he's had enough?" Doug said, and Lilly turned to him.

"Do you need any more evidence than this?!" Lilly questioned Doug.

"Fuck evidence! Stop treating him like this!" Carley started.

"Shut up Carley!" Lilly snapped, but Carley continued.

"You think you're some tough bitch, don't you?" Carley sneered, "Like nothing can hurt you, but you're just a scared little girl. Get the fuck over it. Take a page from Doug and Lee's book and try helping someone for once." DAMN, Puffer was glad he was not on her bad side, as he wouldn't want a roast like that.

Kenny managed to pull the walker out from under the RV and smash its head in before walking over, "Now what the fuck's the problem?"

Doug seemed to catch something before anyone else as he tried to pull Carley away. A shot rang out, and both Carley and Doug collapsed to the ground, dead. Lilly had the gun pointed out, and after a few seconds she managed to process what she had just done. As did Lee, as he quickly moved to disarm Lilly. "Drop it," Lee hissed.

Lilly did so, letting the gun fall from her hand. Puffer stared down at the dead bodies of Carley and Doug, and it felt like his world was crashing on him. He had failed to keep three people safe now. He slowly turned to face Lilly, "You're staying here," Puffer said, his tone icy cold. It was enough to make a few people freeze as it was a tone Puffer never had. His anger was more of the loud anger, not the silent anger.

But this time was different, because he fucking knew Lilly was a danger and yet he did nothing to prevent this from happening. But now, he would make damn sure no one else died because of her. "I'll die out here," Lilly said, and it was clear she was panicking.

"You could be torn apart by walkers for all I care," Puffer replied, his voice eerily calm as he spoke, "That was strike three. If I ever see you again, I'll make sure you do end up dead or eaten."

"You're a murderer Lilly!" Kenny added, "We can't have you with us!"

"I'm a murderer? You've had Lee with you this whole time," Lilly argued.

Kenny looked shocked, but he had no time to question Lee on this before Puffer spoke up again, "I don't give a fuck what he did before the dead started walking, he is far more trustworthy that you are. Get bent," he then turned to the others, "Go back inside, we're leaving." No one needed to be told twice. Puffer was the last to get on, slamming the door closed and locking it so Lilly couldn't try and jump back in last second. As the RV drove off and Lilly ran into the woods, Puffer made a promise: If he saw Lilly again, he would put an arrow in her skull.

Chapter Text

Puffer was mentally and physically exhausted. Whatever adrenaline rush he had was over, and Puffer was ready to pass out. Four people had been lost in the span of one day, two of which could have been prevented if Puffer had put his foot down sooner. When Lee walked over to him, he was already expecting the worst news. "Puffer..." Lee started, and Puffer looked up, "...Duck's been bitten."

Puffer wanted to scream, to yell at the world. Five people were lost, with the fifth being a slower one. "Fuck..." Puffer said, burying his head in his hands. He looked back to where the teens and Elizabeth were, then back at Lee, "We can think of something later..." Right now, everyone needed to rest.

Lee sat beside Clementine and began to talk with her while Puffer leaned back, closing his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, he noticed the RV's faucet dripping water...wait what? He looked over, and was met with a rotting corpse, its teeth jagged and eyes the same milky white. It lunged forward, trying to bet a bite on Puffer.

And that's when Puffer jerked awake, nearly tipping over the stolen supplies Puffer had found. The sun was starting to rise, and he could see Lee was still asleep. Kenny was still driving the RV, and Puffer looked to the faucet. Dry as could be. Fuck whatever that thing in his nightmare was. Lee startled awake, and Puffer looked over at him.

"We got something ahead," Kenny said, getting everyone's attention. Lee moved up front as Kenny slowed the RV. "Damnit, road's blocked," Kenny grumbled, stopping the RV. To the surprise of everyone, the thing blocking the way was a whole ass train.

The train itself and a boxcar looked to be in good shape, but everything else was tipped over. "Is there any way to get around it?" Ben asked.

"Doesn't look like it," Kenny replied, "On foot, maybe. Can't really afford to do that now." Kenny was right, they had to stay inside a vehicle. Although, an idea was forming.

"We should see if the train still works," Puffer suggested, "It will be loud as fuck, but a lot faster than the RV. We can outpace the walkers."

"That's not a bad idea..." Kenny mumbled.

"This seems like a safe area," Lee added, "All this brush will stop anything from creeping up on us."

"Then rest," Puffer said, ignoring his ankle pain, "I can search it-"

"I think you should rest too," Kenny frowned, "Your ankle's all swollen up and red." Puffer looked down and sure enough, his ankle wasn't looking too good. Puffer gave a nod and moves to a fallen log, taking a seat. It felt good to give his ankle another break, as it was clear he had overworked it the past two days. While Puffer rested, Lee, Ben, and Travis began to search around the train. Katjaa held Duck close while Elizabeth sat near Clementine.

Puffer opened the supplies that had almost gone to the bandits, and he saw several pill containers and bandage packaging, as well as three empty syringes. He had no clue what the syringes could be used for, and he was half tempted to throw them out. Still, it was better to keep all they had now, and who knows? Maybe the syringes could come in handy at some point in the future.

His thoughts were interrupted when the train suddenly let out a steamy hiss, and Kenny quickly got up. Puffer's eyes widened as he looked over at the train. It worked. It still fucking worked. This was the best news of the day! Ben and Travis eventually returned, having dragged the body of a long dead man out. "How does it look?" Puffer asked.

"The brake light was flashing, and they still work, so that has to be a good thing!" Ben answered.

"Some idiot tore off the instructions to turn the train on," Travis grumbled, "Lee's looking for a way around that and Kenny's going to figure out the train controls."

"This might be our safest shot," Puffer said, "I don't know how much diesel this thing has, but hopefully it's multiple trips worth. The problem is how loud it's going to be..."

"You folks doin' alright?" Puffer jumped a bit and turned to see an old man wearing a dirty coat, "I see you found my boxcar."

"You're the owner of the mattress?" Travis questioned, looking skeptical.

"Sure am, name's Chuck, Charles if you're fancy," The old man said, "You folks seem tired."

"We really are," Katjaa spoke softly, "We don't mean to intrude-"

"It's alright, I don't mind some company for a bit," Chuck chuckled, then looked to Clementine and Elizabeth, "When was the last time the kids ate?"

"It's...been a few days," Puffer admitted, "We haven't been doing the best food wise."

"Then here," Chuck said, holding out four candy bars, "You kids should stay healthy."

"Candy! Thank you mister," Elizabeth said as she grabbed one, while Clementine took another. Chuck handed the last two to Travis and Ben.

"Thanks for that," Puffer said, feeling a bit of relief.

"My husband in in the train, trying to get it to work. You should introduce yourself..." Katjaa spoke up.

"I'll be sure to do just that," Chuck said, heading over to the train.

Meanwhile, Puffer noticed the mental exhaustion Katjaa seemed to be dealing with. He couldn't blame her, with how somber everything had become until the train proved itself useful. But even with this spark of hope, Puffer could tell it didn't do much for Katjaa, if the faded look in her eyes was anything to go by. If there was a way to save Duck, they had to come up with it fast.

It was then that the train rumbled to life, the engine whistling away. Every bit of dread Puffer had felt was slowly being blown away by the sound of the train working. It was a miracle by all accounts. "I feel bad..." Duck mumbled.

"It's alright Duck," Katjaa mumbled as she patted Duck's back.

Puffer looked at the bag of supplies, then the syringes, then at Duck. Then, a crazy idea formed in his head, "What do you do to immunize someone?" Puffer asked Katjaa, "If you have no vaccine."

"Well, normally I would transfer the proper cells," Katjaa explained, "It would be memory B-cells, which would be in your lymph nodes."

"Would you be able to find someone's lymph node?" Puffer asked.

"I know some basic human anatomy, so I guess...why?"

"Because if my idea works, then I think we can save Duck."

Chapter Text

Puffer was not losing anyone else today. Not if he could help it. So one of the first things they did when they boarded the train was try Puffer's plan. The best possible location for getting the right cells needed. Using one of the three syringes, and with only one shot, Katjaa pushed the needle into Puffer's shoulder blade. Puffer silently winced as some liquid was pulled out. It wasn't much, but hopefully it worked.

When Duck was injected, he didn't have much of a real reaction. There was no real way to tell if the plan worked or not, but the sound of the train moving along the track was a nice distraction. "Got to be hard on ya, eh?" Chuck started, "Four adults taking care of five kids; no disrespect to the both of ya." Travis and Ben looked a bit annoyed at being called kids, but didn't say anything.

"We'll be fine," Lee replied, "We've gone through just as much as anyone else."

"Lee," Katjaa started as Duck had a coughing fit, "I need you, right now, I need you to go get Ken."

"I'll be right back," Lee promised, heading out while Puffer moved closer.

"Would you get that off his face?" Katjaa asked, "My hands are full here."

Puffer obliged and grabbed the rag, wiping the blackened bile and blood from Duck's face. "I fucking hope that's a sign it's working..." Puffer mumbled.

"So do I, but we must be ready just in case..." Katjaa agreed, looking down at her son with a pained expression, "The train must be stopped." It wasn't long before the train started to slow down, jerking a bit as it came to a complete stop. "Would you mind holding him...? Kenny and I...we need to find a spot in case we have no other choice."

Puffer wasn't a fan of the idea in case Duck turned and tried to bite him, but he wouldn't say that out loud. "Yeah," Puffer quietly said, helping Katjaa transfer Duck to him. Katjaa got off in time for Kenny to walk over.

"Ken...we need to be ready," Katjaa spoke, sounding tired.

"What are we going to do...?" Kenny asked, and it was clear he was distraught despite doing his best to hide it.

"We need to find a spot away from the girls...they shouldn't have to see it," Katjaa replied. Kenny gave a small nod, walking away with Katjaa as they began to search for a spot. It wasn't long before another coughing fit started up, more blackened bile and blood being coughed up. Puffer kept wiping it away, but he noticed something. Duck's shallow breathing was slowly starting to deepen.

A few more coughing fits, and soon Duck wasn't coughing anything up anymore. Duck's eyes stayed closes, but some hope was starting to fill Puffer. Did it really work? Duck was clearly showing signs of slowly fighting the disease off, so surely that meant something. "Come on Duck..." Puffer whispered to himself, "Wake up for your mom and dad..." Puffer sniffed, and it took him a moment to realize that he had been crying a bit.

That's when the sound of a gunshot went off, and Kenny yelling in anguish. "Ben, take Clementine into the train!" Lee ordered as he hurried in the direction Kenny and Katjaa went. Did they encounter a walker?

Puffer felt Duck startle a bit and he looked down to see the boy slowly opening his eyes. "...what was that...?" Duck asked.

"It's nothing," Puffer quickly said, but a sinking pit of dread filled him. His dread was confirmed when Lee and Kenny returned...without Katjaa. When Kenny saw Duck look over at him, Kenny looked ready to break down.

Kenny ran over and hugged his son, sobbing a bit. "Dad, what's wrong...?" Duck asked, his strength slowly returning to him, "Where's mom..."

"She's gone Duck..." Kenny sniffed, "And I thought you were too." Puffer lowered his head. In the end, five people were lost, but the fifth had not been who he thought it would be. Puffer realized that everything that had happened was most likely too much for Katjaa to bare with. The same couldn't happen to Puffer. There was too many reasons for him to carry on.

It didn't take long for the train to start moving again, although Duck stayed with Kenny where the controls for the train were. Puffer was silent as the train carried on, sitting on the floor. Clementine looked down, and Puffer had seen Lee earlier talk to her before heading for the front of the train, but he didn't tune into the conversation. Instead, he was inspecting the cane.

It was holding up well, although the dried walker guts was drowning out the cane's original colors on the tip. One idea Puffer was starting to have was maybe adding something sharp onto the cane's tip, perhaps on the side. That way if a walker's limb was trapped and in the way, he could slice it himself instead of relying on someone else to do it for him.

Lee came back and sat with Clementine again, and after a bit, Duck slowly walked in. Elizabeth had been watching the train go by at the other door, and she perked up a bit. Puffer did too when Lee walked over to him. "I'm about to give a gun lesson to the kids," Lee started, "Hope you won't mind the noise

Puffer thought for a moment. It was a good idea to teach them how to fight back, seeing as how many times Clementine and Duck had been grabbed by walkers. For Christ's sake, Duck even got bit! "Sounds like a great idea," Puffer replied, "And I'll be fine."

Watching Lee show the kids how the gun worked and how to properly fire it was an interesting sight. Puffer still had his crossbow, and should they find another, it would be wise to teach one of them how to fire it. Then again, ammo was still limited. At least compared to bullets, arrows were easy to make. He just needed the right materials. Until then, Puffer planned to conserve the little amount of arrows he had. Ten was all that remained and he knew he would need more.

Chapter Text

Puffer ended up going out to get some fresh air, seeing Travis and Ben talking quietly. He was about to head towards the front of the train when Ben looked at him. "It was me..." Ben mumbled, which caught Puffer's attention.

"Ben!" Travis looked ready to shut his friend up, but Ben just shook his head at him.

"You better not be saying what I think you're saying," Puffer started, but deep down he already knew. Ben had been acting way too guilty for someone that was innocent.

"I was the one giving the bandits supplies," Ben said, "It's all my fault."

"Why? Why would you do that?!" Puffer questioned, doing his best to keep his anger down.

"They said they had my friend, that he was with them," Ben replied, "By the time I realized they didn't it was too late...they said they'd kill me, kill all of us. I'm sorry Puffer..."

"Did you know?" Puffer asked Travis.

"Only after we got on the train the first time," Travis admitted, "He told me while we were looking around."

Puffer pinched the bridge of his nose. What the fuck was he supposed to do now? "Fucking...do not make those kind of choices again," Puffer snapped at Ben, "Leave that shit to the adults. Tess could have lived if you hadn't of done that."

"I-I know," Ben mumbled, "I was thinking of telling Kenny..."

"Fuck no!" Puffer said.

"Thank you! I've been trying to tell Ben that for an hour," Travis sighed.

"If you tell Kenny, he will kill you Ben," Puffer started, "He'll blame you for Duck getting bit and Katjaa having a terrible end. Do you really want that?"

"N-No...but I feel awful for it," Ben said.

Puffer was silent, then he sighed, "Then at least wait until things have settled down." Puffer knew he shouldn't be so lenient on Ben, but he was a kid still, even as Ben was closing in on the adult years. Puffer was pissed, of course, and there was no way in hell he would ever trust Ben with the supplies again. Still, now wasn't the time to pull a Lilly. He was better than her.

"Oh shit! Hold on everybody!" Kenny's shout could be heard.

As soon as the breaks went off, the three held onto the railing, looking at one another in confusion. "What was that for?" Travis asked as Puffer went to take a look.

"Oh...oh fuck off," Puffer growled. Hanging over the bridge was a tanker, specifically a fuel tanker, meaning just ramming into it wasn't an option. Hooray. As everyone got off to look at the situation, it was clear they couldn't get past. Meaning they would have to move on foot. Something Puffer was worried about seeing as his ankle's swelling hadn't gone down much.

"We have to get rid of it," Kenny said, "There has to be a way."

"You gotta get ahold of yourself," Chuck started, "This a crew here."

"This ain't shit," Kenny replied, a bit annoyed.

Chuck was about to reply, but a stranger's voice cut them off, "Yo, you keep screaming like that and you're gonna get your face chewed off."

Puffer looked up to see a couple standing on the bridge, looking down at them. "Are you guys gonna be trouble?" The woman said, "Because we could've just kept walking."

"Could be, who are you?" Lee asked, moving a bit closer.

"Two people who have a strategic position on you," The woman replied, unamused by the comment.

"Come on hon," The man said, then turned back to the group, "You guys got a problem with your train?"

"Yeah, you're standing right in front of it," Kenny huffed.

"Dude, it's a wreck. It's not so bad from up here," The man said, "Send one of your buddies up to have a look."

Puffer knew it would have to be him, seeing as Kenny was in no state to go up and work with a plan, while Lee's "introduction" wasn't the best. Right as Puffer was about to head up, Kenny made him pause, "Anything goes sideways up there, we won't let them escape."

Puffer gave a nod and moved to the ladder, carefully climbing up. His ankle hurt like hell, but he would deal with it later. As he headed up, he could hear the two bickering about something. "What about when-" the man started.

The woman cut him off, "Stop it."

The two paused and looked over when Puffer made it up, "Hey dude, I'm Omid."

"Puffer," Puffer replied.

"Christa," the woman said, "What's the deal with the train?"

"We're driving it, or were," Puffer answered, and Omid looked stoked by this information, "We haven't been doing the best lately, and we could really use some help."

"What's in it-" Christa began, but paused when she spotted something behind Puffer.

"Oh shit!" Omid started, "Goddamn, you guys have a kid!" Puffer turned and, to his surprise, saw Duck peaking over. Of course he would snoop.

"Duck," Puffer sighed as Duck climbed all the way up.

"I couldn't help it!" Duck replied, "I wanted to see who it was."

"Do you know how long it's been since I've seen a kid? Shit, what's your name?" Omid asked Duck.

"Kenny Jr., but I go by Duck!" Duck replied, walking over.

Puffer wanted to laugh at Omid's reaction to seeing Duck, because damn these two had to have been isolated from groups for a long time. "See, things are looking up," Omid said to Christa.

"You're not his dad, he down there?" Christa asked.

"Yeah, he's with the others," Puffer answered, "We've been to hell and back."

"Everyone down there cool?" Christa asked.

Puffer gave a nod, "Yeah, Chuck's new but the rest of us have been a group for a while. There were more of us...but shit happened."

"We're sorry for anything that's happened to you guys," Omid said, "That train is awesome, though."

"That tank is your real problem," Christa hummed, looking at the bent latch for the tankers, "We'll help you with it, but if we see anything we don't like, we're moving on, alone. If you can get it down, the rest should be easy. We'll some down and settle in, and see if we can help."

"Sounds good," Puffer said, leading the way. As he climbed down, there was sense of hope growing. Things were starting to look up.

Chapter Text

As soon as Puffer got down, the group looked over, although Ben looked ready to run. "Meet Omid and Christa," Puffer said.

When the group was silent, Omid rubbed the back of his neck nervously, "Not big on welcomes..."

"Like I said, we've been through some shit," Puffer said, then he turned to the group, "We cut that tanker down, we can be on our way."

"Seems like plan enough to me," Kenny mumbled.

Puffer noticed a station up ahead, "A small group should go check that out-"

"Dibs," Travis said.

"I can go have a look as well," Lee added.

"I'll get to know the kids for a moment, if you don't mind," Christa said, and that was a good idea if the two ended up joining them.

"And why don't I show you how this thing works, in case something happens," Kenny said to Omid, his voice almost monotone. Puffer did not like the sound of that, and he worried Kenny was starting to spiral like Katjaa did.

"Really Ken?" Lee questioned.

"It's probably for the best," Kenny replied, heading into the train with Omid.

"And you should be resting up," Chuck said to Puffer, "I don't know the story behind that ankle of yours, but it don't look too good." Puffer hated that Chuck was right. There was more that needed to be done, but with how his ankle was doing, it was clear he had overworked the joint too much recently. Puffer gave a nod and headed back to the boxcar, hopping in and resting by the doors.

Having some time to himself to think, his thoughts slowly wandered back to his friends and family. A part of him hoped they were alive, but there was a growing dread in the back of his mind that they could be dead by now. Looking back to the group, he knew that this was the best thing he had right now. And who knows, maybe some day the virus that started this whole mess would be killed off after a few generations. Humanity would go back to normal, and everything this group went through would be nothing more than an echo of the past.

It was a nice thought to think, even it by then he would probably be dead from old age. Puffer winced when he moved his ankle a bit and got a better look. If he didn't know any better, he would say it was sprained due to how swollen it was. But he knew it wasn't sprained, as he could walk on it. Meanwhile, a sprained ankle usually refused to work at all, let alone let weight be pressed on it.

Puffer knew it would go down with rest, but it seemed like they were constantly on the move. At least when the tanker was out of the way, he wouldn't have to get back on the train as he was already on board. As he waited for something to happen, he noticed how the sun would be setting in a few hours. He was half tempted to take a nap, but soon a sense of dread filled him.

Confused, Puffer placed a hand on the floor of the boxcar. There was a subtle vibration, not very strong. Puffer moved to the left door, peaking out and getting a look around. At the train station, he could see Travis and Lee heading back, carrying a blowtorch. Clementine walked beside them, staying close to Lee. With that area clear, Puffer looked to the other side, back the way they came. Something could be seen in the distance, but it was way too far to properly see.

"Ben, you don't need glasses and mine are cracked, what do you see?" Puffer asked as Omid and Lee headed up the ladder.

Ben looked to where Puffer was, then he climbed up on the roof of the Boxcar to see better. Ben narrowed his eyes, then widened them once he got a proper view. "Guys...!" Ben called out, "There's something coming!" That is when Puffer heard the growls and he peaked back out. Holy shit, there was a giant herd of walkers heading right for them.

The train must have drawn them here, and now they were running out of time. "Get on!" Puffer called out, helping Elizabeth and Clementine get on board the boxcar. Travis ran over as Duck climbed back onto the train itself, with Chuck and Christa boarding last.

The tanker suddenly broke free, tipping over onto its side and off the track. "Kenny, go!" Lee shouted, and it wasn't long before the train began to move. As the tanker began to leak fuel, Lee kicked the blow torch down, letting it create a wall of dire that would hopefully cause some walkers to loose their ability to walk.

Puffer jumped a bit when he heard a thud, then a second one as well as Omid shouting as he tumbled off the roof of the boxcar, hitting the ground leg first. Ouch. "Shit!" Christa said as she hopped off, running to help Omid up. Lee managed to get back on board, and Puffer saw Omid struggling as Christa ran with him.

As soon as the two were close enough, Lee helped Christa up while Omid was practically tanked on board by Puffer, because he would be damned if anyone else was dying today. The train quickly began to build up speed, leaving the walker herd in the dust. "That...was a lot of them," Omid said as he caught his breath.

"Are you hurt...?" Clementine asked.

"No, we're okay," Lee replied.

"Speak for yourself, my leg is fucked," Omid grumbled.

"Welcome to my world," Puffer sighed, "We have to be ready, because when we get to Savannah, they will show back up."

"And how do we plan on dealing with them?" Christa questioned.

Puffer thought for a moment, "We lead them to the water. I have yet to see a walker that can swim, and I know damn well that plenty of fish and other creatures would see the walkers as a free meal."

"Even if that does work, how do we lure them?" Lee asked.

Puffer already knew the answer, "When they arrive, we have to sacrifice the train. It won't work forever, so at least it will be useful longer if we do this."

Those in the boxcar were silent at the idea, but eventually Chuck spoke up, "Doesn't sound too bad of a plan. Better than just drawing them to where we are going without trying to stop 'em." Puffer could only hope this plan worked.

Chapter Text

The sun slowly began to set, and by now Puffer was out like a light. Mental fatigue had hit him hard, and he had moved to the mattress prior with Chuck's permission. As the train began approaching Savannah, Lee headed back into the boxcar. Travis and Ben were wide awake, the two chatting, while Christa was finishing with Omid's leg. "Didn't know your friend was bit," Christa said when she spotted Lee.

"He's been bit for months now," Lee explained, "He's immune."

"Lucky him, has he thought about heading to dc?" Omid asked.

"I wouldn't count on the capital," Chuck butted in, "With how populated it is, I have no doubt that it's been over run by now." A snore from Puffer caught Travis off guard.

"Too bad, maybe he could have a cure," Christa sighed.

"He kind of does," Ben piped up, "Duck got bit too...he got injected with some of Puffer's immunity, and he stopped turning and got better. But, we only have two syringes left."

"We're saving them in case someone else gets bit," Lee added.

"Hopefully we can find more soon then," Omid frowned, "The kids should be immunized first."

"Mhm," Puffer mumbled, making Omid do a double take as Puffer slowly sat up, "We nearly there?"

"We're only a few minutes away," Lee said, and Puffer nodded, "I need a word with you before we arrive." Puffer immediately knew something was up.

"Sure man," Puffer said as he got up, both heading out of the boxcar and to the railing.

"You won't be happy with this," Lee said.

"Please tell me nothing bad happened," Puffer begged, as he was close to losing his mind if anything else happened.

Lee pulled out Clemetine's walkie talkie, "Someone has been talking to Clementine, saying that they have her parents."

"You said they were dead," Puffer pointed out.

"That answering machine sure made it seem that way, we need to keep an eye on her," Lee said, "And one more thing. If your ankle doesn't go down when we find somewhere safe to set up for a bit, I've been thinking of making you a homemade brace."

Well that couldn't go wrong. Puffer looked annoyed by the idea, but sighed, "I'm the one that tightens it, alright? I don't need my foot to accidentally die from lack of blood flow."

"That's alright," Lee agreed. As the train pulled into Savannah, to Puffer's relief, it stopped near the river. The station was enough of a ways away from the end of the line that the train could gain enough speed to plummet into the river. His plan could work.

As everyone got off, Puffer made sure to mentally map out the way back to the train. As they walked down the street, Omid yelped when his bad leg tripped over a car's tire, nearly making him stumble. Elizabeth stayed by Christa while Duck was following Puffer like a shadow. Lee had Clementine's walkie, and she was already begging for it.

"Can't I hold it?" Clementine asked Lee, "Just for a little while? We're getting real close to where my mom and dad are, maybe I can-"

"Not now," Lee replied calmly, "I need you to focus. Keep your attention on the street."

"Okay," Clementine frowned, but she understood why.

"Omid needs to rest as soon as we find somewhere to hide out at," Christa insisted.

"I'm fine," Omid tried to argue.

"Kenny, how much further until the river front?" Lee asked.

"Should be just a few more blocks up ahead," Kenny answered.

"And there'll be boats there?" Christa questioned.

"There fucking better be, we need several," Puffer replied, "Besides, worst case scenario, we take a giant cargo ship."

"It's going to be okay, Kenny knows what he's doing," Ben reassured Christa.

"Isn't he your leader?" Christa asked, nodding her head to Puffer.

"I have no clue on how to drive a boat," Puffer said, "But Kenny does." Everyone froze when a bell suddenly rang, and they began to look around. Puffer could see a church in the distance with a bell tower connected.

But it was the bell tower closest to them that had rung. "Maybe this city's not so dead after all," Christa mumbled.

"Keep moving, no one's ringing that bell," Kenny said, "It's automatic, on a timer."

"It's still making a shit load of noise," Puffer argued, "Walkers will be popping out any moment now, we need to look for somewhere to shelter."

"Someone's up there!" Lee suddenly said, looking to the roof nearby.

"Where? You sure?" Travis asked.

"I know what I saw," Lee replied, "I'm telling you, there's someone up in that bell tower, someone alive!"

Puffer could hear some growling and turned, seeing a walker stumbling about, then another, "We're out of time! Go!" Puffer called out.

As more walkers began to show themselves, everyone ran for it. Several walkers moved in their way, but there were quickly put down. One walker knocked Kenny over, leaving Lee to help him. Hearing Clementine cry out in fear, Puffer stopped running and turned to see Ben and Travis surrounded by walkers, with Clementine hiding between the two. Travis shoved some back, but he wasn't armed. Ben froze up before running away. "Ben if I survive this I'm going to punch you!" Travis snapped before turning his focus back to the walkers.

Only to watch as one was put down by Puffer's cane, while another was killed by Chuck's shovel. "Get her back to the group!" Puffer ordered.

"But-" Travis started.

"GO!" Puffer shouted, and Travis grabbed Clementine and ran while walkers began to surround Puffer and Chuck.

Lee started shooting at some of the walkers, but there were just too many. "Go on!" Chuck called out to Lee, "We'll catch up with ya!" Lee looked at Puffer, who only gave a nod. Lee seemed to have a pained look in his eyes before he turn and ran back to the group.

"Puffer!" Puffer could hear Duck shouting, but it was clear he and Chuck were fucked if they stayed.

"Fuck this! Come on!" Puffer said, with both he and Chuck running for their lives.

"There!" Chuck shouted, pointing to a sewer grate up ahead. The two ran over, with Puffer pulling the lid away. Chuck went first, while Puffer climbed down and pulled the lid over, sealing themselves inside.

Chapter Text

Puffer panted as he collapsed on the sewer floor, his chest heaving. Chuck looked back up as he caught his breath and shook his head, "We won't be going back that way."

"No we will not..." Puffer panted, slowly standing up, "Kenny said the river was only a few blocks away, we just need to travel to a grate near it and wait there."

"You good to walk?" Chuck asked, noticing how Puffer was sweating from the pain.

"No, but what choice do we have?" Puffer replied, the cane's tapping echoing in the sewer. The sewer itself was pretty clean, but then again it hadn't been used properly in over eight months. As the two kept walking, the pain in his ankle was growing greater by the second, as if his ankle was on fire.

The all of a sudden, the pain stopped, and Puffer could no longer feel his ankle. He took another step and collapse, his foot no longer moving. "Puffer?" Chuck questioned.

Puffer felt the color drain from his face, "...I can't feel my foot...Chuck I can't feel my foot." He tried to stand up, only to fall and be caught by Chuck.

"We're close enough," Chuck said, helping Puffer lean on a wall.

"We don't even know where we are!" Puffer said, and it was clear he was panicking, "I'm going to die down here! How am I supposed to climb back out?!"

"Easy there," Chuck started, causing Puffer to look up at him, "We'll figure it out." A growl caught both off guard, and the sound of shuffling footsteps could be heard.

"Why down here?!" Puffer hissed out, lowering his voice. He looked around and saw a grate that was open a bit. Chuck helped Puffer up, with Puffer leaning on Chuck for support. When they made it to the grate, Chuck let Puffer go first. Puffer managed to get in, but there was barely enough room for a person to fit inside, "Dead end! It's just a bunch of small pipes-" Puffer was cut off by Chuck closing the grate, sticking a splintered piece of the shovel's handle inside to lock it in place, "CHUCK!"

"One of us has to live, kid," Chuck said, "Don't worry, I had a good run."

"LET ME OUT!" Puffer begged as Chucked moved away from the grate, turning to face the walkers. One had managed to get close enough to bite down on his arm, causing Chuck to hit the wall of the sewer tunnel.

Puffer squeezed his eyes shut and covered his wars as Chuck pulled his pistol out. The sewers echoed with the bang from the shot, and the walkers descended upon Chuck's corpse.  He didn't dare look or listen, even as some walkers approached where he was hidden and tried to grab him. Panic and terror filled him as he realized he was all alone, with only a crossbow and cane to defend himself with. It didn't help that Chuck's corpse was within eyesight, being treated like a mere snack for the walkers.

How the hell was he going to survive this mess?! He had always had the group to back him up, ever since this whole apocalypse started. And now he was on his own. And Puffer realized he hadn't had anything to drink in days. Most of the group hadn't. He didn't know about Christa or Omid, but everyone else would need fresh water. And Puffer realized he had no way of getting it.

This was it, this was his finale. Puffer leaned back against the wall of the small hole he was trapped in, the walkers at his grate still trying to reach for him. At least he knew that when he died, he wouldn't turn. He wanted to scream at whatever began everything, he wanted answers. And he knew he wouldn't get any. Puffer closed his eyes. If he didn't die any time soon, at least he could deal with some of his lack of energy. And if he woke up again, more energy meant that maybe he could come up with a plan.

Hours went by, and the only sound in the sewer system was that of the walkers eating Chuck's corpse. There was no noise of life, as if all that remained was the dead. That was until Lee scrambled down a ladder and into the sewer, having been cornered by a hoard of walkers. He could only hope Kenny, Molly, and Clementine made it back safely. A walker attempted to follow after, only to land head first on the sewer floor, killing it instantly.

Lee turned and got a good look, heading down the tunnel. Making it into the further sewer system, Lee paused, seeing some walkers huddled over a corpse. Using the climbing pickaxe Molly let him borrow, Lee slowly lured them away by tapping on the wall, taking them down one by one. However, there were two staying near a grate near the exit, with one trying to reach into it. Lee moved towards the corpse, and his heart dropped upon seeing who it was. "Oh my god, Chuck," Lee mumbled, looking at the gun. When he took it, he saw there were no bullets left. "If he's here...then Puffer must be nearby...!"

Lee looked to the grate, noticing it was locked shut with a splintered piece of wood. Coupled with the two walkers near it, and Lee was certain the younger man was there. Lee snuck towards the remaining two walkers, only to be grabbed through a floor grate by a walker. The two walkers turned, slowly approaching, but Lee was faster. He fired at the walker in the floor grate before using the pickaxe to dispatch the other two walkers.

As soon as both were dead on the ground, Lee ran to the grate and removed the wood piece, opening the grate. Lee paused, as he did see Puffer. But it looked like he wasn't moving. "No..." Lee said, grabbing Puffer and carefully dragging him out. Puffer looked very pale, and Lee couldn't see if his chest was rising or not. Thankfully when Lee went to check for a pulse, he found one.

Puffer was alive, thank fuck. Carefully, Lee hoisted Puffer over him, just as Mark had done to Ben and Travis's teacher over a week ago. Grabbing the cane, Lee moved to where the ladder was, only to find most of it gone. So up wasn't an option. Although, Lee did notice a sign on the wall that was crooked. Seeing this, Lee removed it, finding a large hole in the wall.

Carefully, Lee maneuvered himself in so that Puffer didn't get scratched on the bars sticking out. To his surprise, he had ended up in an old nuclear fallout shelter. The only way out was through a door. However, as soon as he opened it, he was met with a group of five. Everyone froze like a deer in headlights, staring. An older, balding man was the first to speak up, "Who are you?"

Chapter Text

"Holy shit, someone else not from Crawford," an older black man with a beard mumbled. The old balding man had a pistol on his side, but he made no attempt at pulling it out.

"We got separated from our group," Lee explained.

"Your friend isn't looking too good," The balding man noted, "He can't be from Crawford, what with that cane and all."

"I never heard of that place," Lee said.

The balding man motioned for Lee to follow, and he did so, "Set him here, I was a doctor before." As Lee did, the balding man paused, "Is that...a scarred walker bite?"

"He's immune," Lee said, "But it made his ankle weaker."

"When was the last time he had anything to drink?"

"I'm...not sure, we only found fresh water at the house our group is holding up at."

"We have no ivs here, so we'll have to wake him up," the man then looked up, "Name's Vernon."

"Lee, this is Puffer," Lee replied as a brown haired woman helped keep Puffer saw up. Vernon grabbed a quarter full bottle of water and splashed some in Puffer's face, causing Lee to raise an eyebrow.

"Best I can do," Vernon said.

A second splash seemed to do the trick, but chaos almost broke out when Puffer woke up in fight or flight mode, nearly falling off the table. "Easy!" The woman keeping Puffer up said.

"Puffer! Hey, hey!" Lee started, grabbing Puffer's arm. That seemed to do the trick because as soon as Puffer managed to get a tight, and slightly painful, grip on Lee, his breathing calmed.

"I...I lived...? I-I'm alive?!" Puffer gulped.

"Thanks to your friend here," Vernon said, giving Puffer the water bottle, "Take this, you need it." Puffer did so, chugging the water in seconds. Of course, there wasn't much to drink, but still.

"What is this Crawford you mentioned?" Lee asked, and Puffer perked up at the conversation.

"A community that only lets the fit and strong live," The brown haired woman huffed.

"We were a part of it once, until they started weeding out the sick and the old so their perfect survivor society wouldn't be threatened," Vernon added.

"You barely look fifty," Puffer mumbled.

"So you're sick?" Lee asked.

"Were sick, we're all members of a cancer survivors group that used to meet at the hospital," Vernon said, "We're in remission, but that wasn't good enough for Crawford. They'd already rounded up five of us before the rest of us managed to hole up and hide from them sown here."

"How did you know we weren't from Crawford?" Lee asked.

"Because of him," Vernon said as he nodded his head to Puffer, "A weak ankle would have gotten him thrown out."

"What about a non-working ankle...?" Puffer asked, which got Lee's attention.

It also got Vernon's, who walked over. He moved to Puffer's ankle and pressed down with his finger, applying what should be pailful pressure. But Puffer felt no pain. He couldn't even feel the finger, only see it. "That's not good, I wouldn't recommend traveling," Vernon spoke up after seeing the result of his test.

"Fuck that! I need to get back to our group!" Puffer protested.

"I can carry him just fine," Lee said, "But we do need to get back, any chance you could help us find our way back? Those sewers are like a damn maze."

"Two of our own are sick and need constant care," Vernon frowned, "and I'm the only doctor here."

"We need to get back to our people, back to Clementine," Lee said, and Vernon paused.

"The streets might not be safe, is that a good idea?" The brown haired woman questioned.

Puffer did not have the energy for an argument to break out, "Just bring everyone there, fuck it." When Lee looked a bit worried by this, Puffer shook his head, "I'm sick of all of this. I'm sick of it being a them versus us situation. It's like Chuck said, you're either alive or dead."

There was a pause as Vernon looked back to his group. They seemed skeptical, but it was clear living in their current hideaway was getting to them. Vernon turned back and gave a small nod, "Might be for the best. Crawford could discover us here at any moment. You should meet them if we're joining with you. This here is Brie. And over there is Boyd, Clive, and Joyce."

As Lee helped Puffer up onto his back, a vision of Chuck's corpse flashed in Puffer's mind, causing him to shake a bit. He already knew that was going to haunt him for a long time. "We'll come back for the supplies next door later," Brie said as the group began moving, "Last thing we need is Crawford sniffing us out."

"What does Crawford do to people that they don't deem fit?" Puffer asked.

"Depends," The man with the afro, Clive, answered, "Either expels them from the community...or kills them, tossing their bodies out before they become walkers."

"Christ..." Puffer mumbled, "The kids are safe, right?"

"Anyone under fourteen is thrown out," Clive replied.

Puffer felt his blood boil at this, and he already despised Crawford. "They are sick people," Brie grumbled. As soon as the way out was revealed, Puffer had to hold on for dear life as Lee climbed up. Once they got up, however, it was smooth walking from there as the others managed to climb up just fine.

By the time Lee head led the way to the place everyone has taken shelter, the sun was beginning to go down. As Lee opened the door, he looked around. "Clementine? Clem!" Lee called out.

A noise got Puffer's attention and he looked over to see a blonde haired stranger searching through the cabinets. "The fuck?" Puffer said, causing the woman to turn  to him.

"Oh, you brought company," she said to Lee.

"He was always with us," Lee said as he helped Puffer down and had him lean on the nearby bar, "He's our-"

"PUFFER'S BACK!!" Puffer looked to the yelling and saw Duck race over, tackling him into a hug, "I knew you'd come back!"

Puffer chuckled a bit at Duck's confidence, something Puffer himself didn't have when he really needed it. Some more footsteps could be heard and it wasn't long before Travis and Ben showed up, with Christa walking over, "Thank god your back, Omid's fever is low for now," She paused when she saw Puffer, "And thank god you made it back too."

"I thought you were gone..." Ben mumbled quietly, "I thought it was my fault..."

"Who are they?" Travis asked, warily looking at Vernon's group.

"Some new friends, thank them and Lee for saving my life," Puffer said.

"You mentioned someone with a fever?" Vernon questioned Christa.

"His leg wound is infected, and I don't know how many antibiotics left," Christa explained.

"Let me take a look," Vernon said, "I've dealt with plenty of patients in the past, this won't be any different." Christa leas the way while the other cancer survivors headed into the living room, mainly so Joyce could rest.

"So, who's your leader?" Molly asked, "Or are your people just winging it?"

"I'd like to know that too," Brie said as Lee helped Puffer onto a chair.

"You already saved him," Lee said to Brie, catching her and the others off guard, "Puffer's practically been in charge for a week now. We used to have two leaders."

"I got sick of their bitching at each other," Puffer added.

"Then let me be the one to say thank you for allowing us to stay here," Joyce softly said, and Puffer gave a nod. He wasn't heartless, and he wasn't going to leave these people to be sniffed out by Crawford.

Chapter Text

"So Chuck's gone...?" Elizabeth asked. She and Duck had moved near Puffer as he told the group, minus a few, what had happened.

"He is, but he never turned," Puffer answered, "He saved my life, and it won't be in vain."

"I tried finding a weapon so that situation wouldn't happen again," Travis said, "But this place is picked clean. I'm thinking of smashing the oven or microwave glass at this point."

"Absolutely not, we do not need broken glass around here," Boyd quickly said, "You wanna get an infection from a cut too?" That made Travis drop the plan.

Kenny pinched the bridge of his nose as he entered, "We'll figure something out. In the meantime, what are we going to do about your ankle? It's dead weight now, and slowly you down."

"It's not like hacking it off will help," Puffer sighed, "I don't know...guess I'm dragging it for a while. So there's no boats?"

"No...there isn't," Kenny frowned, "Except for the one Clementine found. Problem is it needs a new battery and some gas. Other than that's it's in good shape."

Vernon sat beside Christa, who was clearly stressed, "We'll need stronger medicine. He's doing alright now, but his infection will last longer with your current antibiotics."

"How do we even get that stuff? I doubt there's gas or a battery in the bunker," Christa pointed out.

Puffer thought for a moment, "Crawford."

The cancer survivors looked shocked at the suggestion. "Now hold on a minute," Vernon started.

"Surely we have to try," Christa spoke up, "If there are people left in this city who are still alive and still have supplies, what harm can it do to ask?"

"Trust me, you don't know these people, I do," Vernon said.

"Who said anything about asking?" Puffer said, "We can sneak right in from under them. Vernon you said the sewers go all over the city, right? So there has to be some that run under Crawford."

Vernon paused, "I know the sewer system that runs beneath Crawford like the back of my hand. Y'all got a map?" Lee pulled one he had been keeping in his pocket, and Vernon looked it over, "I think I could lead us through so we could pass under the perimeter and right into the center, where they keep all their supplies. We come up right underneath them, take them by surprise, grab what we need and get out before they even knew what hit him."

"That's actually not the worst idea I've ever heard," Molly said.

"I've thought about it before, just never had enough people to do it," Vernon added.

"Then that's the plan," Puffer said, "I'll have to walk a bit faster but-"

"I don't think you should go..." Brie said, "Your ankle doesn't work anymore, and tripping could get you killed."

"I am not going to become a burden in this group," Puffer responded, "I don't care if I have to use the entire joint as something to walk on, I'm going and I'm making sure we succeed. Some need to stay with Omid and Joyce."

"I will," Clive spoke up.

"So will I, but you keep your leg in check, alright," Boyd said, "We don't want to lose you just after meeting you."

"Trust me, I have no plans on dying anytime soon," Puffer stood up, having to limp to walk now that he was shorter on one side. Thank god for the cane. It was funny, how he had the cane practically since day one. He was glad to have it, especially now.

"I can help, the supplies are kept in the school I used to work at," Brie spoke up, "I know where to look."

"Best we get prepared," Vernon said.

"Can I stay with Omid...?" Elizabeth asked Christa, who nodded.

"Puffer, a word," Kenny said. While everyone else got anything they might need, Kenny and Puffer headed into a different room, "You should stay."

"I mean it, I'm fine-" Puffer started.

"It's not about that," Kenny frowned, "My son's been following you around since Katjaa...since she died. While you were gone, he kept standing at the door waiting for you."

Well, that was a bit sad to know. "So?" Puffer questioned.

"So you know he's going to want to go with us if you are," Kenny grumbled, glaring a bit at Puffer, "Go with you. And I don't trust you to keep him safe."

Where the hell was this coming from? "Why? Because all of a sudden I'm crippled?" Puffer questioned, a bit annoyed.

"Because I know how you see him," Kenny growled darkly, "I saw how you looked at him the day after Shawn died."

"That was months ago! You think I hate him now?!" Puffer retorted

"I know you do! Even if you don't show it, and right now I gotta worry about my family!" Kenny argued back.

"Mother fucker if I hated your son, I wouldn't have saved his damn life!" Puffer spat, "I could have let him turn! But I didn't, because guess what?! I got to know him and I realized he was a stupid brat, he was just a kid that made a mistake!"

"Then what about earlier," Kenny glared at Puffer while speaking, "How do I know you weren't ready to ditch him-"

"WHEN?!" Puffer demanded as his voice rose several octaves, catching Kenny of guard, "Not once since I got back have I looked at him in any way! Stop drinking goddamn alcohol and think clearly! Now piss off!" Kenny looked ready to argue more, but Puffer was clearly done. Kenny grunted and walked off, leaving Puffer to lean on the bar.

"I didn't know your voice could go that high," Puffer jumped until he saw it was just Duck.

"A natural gift," Puffer said, then sighed.

"But dad's right, I was gonna follow," Duck said, "I wanna help get supplies!"

"Duck..." Puffer started, but stopped himself as he thought, "...fuck it, yeah, you can come. But stay close, got it?"

"I will! And I'm be your ward, just like before," Duck promised, and Puffer snickered at this.

Chapter Text

Night was considered dangerous as walkers didn't hunt by sight, but humans did. The sewers, however, negated the walker threat. Lee moved to the ladder, carefully pushing it up and out of the way. Puffer went first due to his ankle, quietly hopping his good leg up. With more practice, it wouldn't take too long, but around thirty seconds wasn't too bad. As soon as he made it up, looking around. It was silent, no one in sight. He waved the others up and everyone began to climb out.

Puffer spotted another ice pickaxe and snatched it up before joining everyone in the bushes. "Where is everybody?" Vernon questioned, "There should be guards patrolling."

"What, you disappointed?" Kenny sneered, a bit relieved by no resistance so far.

"It's just strange is all..."

"I think I see one, over there," Christa whispered, nodding her head to a stranger nearby.

Puffer saw the way it moved and his eyes widened, "That's a walker...!" Puffer hissed quietly, "Look at its skin, rotten."

"Must have slipped through," Brie frowned.

"Me and Kenny'll sneak up on it, try to take it out quietly," Lee said, preparing the hatchet he had taken with him, "The rest of you wait for the signal."

Lee slowly approached, hatchet at the ready. The person was about to turn around, but Lee managed to land a hit to the skull. The body fell, and familiar milky white eyes could be seen. Puffer had been right. The hair on the back of his neck rose as he heard some growling. Lee gave the signal, and everyone careful made it into the school. A few walkers milled about in the distance, but none seemed to notice them as they closed the school doors. "Walkers in Crawford? Are these people insane?!" Christa snapped once it was safe to talk louder.

"Walkers are usually killed on sight," Vernon said, thinking, "No one has come to greet us either...I think Crawford has fallen."

"Good riddance," Brie huffed, and Puffer could agree to that, "We need to get upstairs, come on."

Everyone headed up, heading through the glass doors. Just in case some walkers got in, Lee used the hatched to seal the doors closed by the handles. "More for us," Travis said, "And walkers can't use weapons."

As the group moved, Ben looked scared, "I got a bad feeling about this..."

As they moved, they passed a door that had walkers growling on the other side. What a fun surprise waiting to be opened. Like hell Puffer would do that. "Here," Brie said, moving to the door at the end of the hall.

Heading inside, the room had several desks inside, and Duck looked a bit excited and shocked. Lee moved to a door labeled "Armory" and tried to open the door, only to find it locked. "Figured," Lee grumbled.

Puffer noticed the chalk board filled with different notes and maps. "This feels more like a military camp than a classroom," Puffer mumbled, as the whole room felt surreal with the state it was in.

"Okay, so now what, where do we start looking?" Molly questioned.

"Here," Brie said, looking to a small map. Some crowded around to get a better view. "Just give me a sec..."

"Where would be the best place to look for medicine?" Lee asked.

"Here, the nurse's station," Molly said, "They were using it as a medical facility."

"How do you know that?" Christa asked.

"Just makes sense, doesn't it?" Molly replied.

"And fuel?" Kenny asked.

"There's a maintenance shed across from the playground, here," Brie said as she pointed to a spot on the map, "if they were storing fuel that's probably where it would be."

"All we need know is the location for the battery," Puffer said, looking at the map, "There's a 'Motor Pool' on the map, that sounds like an auto shop."

"It's called Herman's, you can't miss it," Brie added.

"Alright, I'll make the run for the maintenance shed," Kenny started.

"It will be faster if I go with you, I can take you right to it," Brie said.

"Travis, Ben, I need you here with me," Puffer said, "One of you focus on the door, try and pick the lock."

"I'll go for the medicine," Christa spoke up.

"I'll come with you, I'll know what to take," Vernon said.

"Lee, Molly, that leaves you two with the battery," Puffer instructed, "Stay with your partner, and make sure to stay out of biting range of walkers. We'll all meet back here, and then we're getting the hell out of here."

As they began to leave, Clementine and Duck walked over, "What about us?" Duck asked.

"You two are on lookout," Puffer said, "Stay near the windows. We're on the second story so walkers won't grab you, but you can tell us how many start herding."

"I'll watch the door then," Travis volunteered.

"Be careful!" Clementine called to Lee, who Puffer heard laugh a bit at this.

"He's supposed to tell you that," Puffer snorted as the two kids moved to the window. Ben found a small paperclip and bent it, using his saw handle as a hammer and his shoe as an anvil to try and flatten the tip he would pick the lock with. Puffer moved nearby and looked on a desk.

Nothing interesting could be seen other than, so he went to leave. "Wait..." Ben said, getting Puffer's attention, "I need you to be honest with me on something."

"Alright?" Puffer moved to a desk and sat on the desk part.

"It's about Kenny," Ben started, "Since I've been helping him work on the boat, I've gotten to know him a little better. He's a good guy, you know?"

"Ben I know what you want to do, but for the love of god, keep your mouth shut," Puffer frowned, glaring a bit, "He is not in a good headspace right now. You tell him, he will kill you."

"I can't keep holding onto this!" Ben argued, "I don't know how much longer I can keep looking him in the eye, knowing what I know."

"Maybe in the future when he is more stable," Puffer said, "You can even ask Duck."

"It's true," Duck said, looking over, "Dad's been acting weird after mom died."

"I can't just pretend it never happened," Ben snapped a bit, pausing for a moment at his tone.

"You don't have to, just keep your mouth shut until we're out of Savannah at least," Puffer huffed, a bit annoyed now, "But if you want Kenny to kick your ass, go ahead. But for your safety? Keep silent."

Ben looked upset, but he lowered his head a bit, "Fine, I'm gonna get back to this." While Ben went back to attempting to pick the lock, Puffer moved to the middle of the room. This would be a long night.

Chapter Text

Puffer decided the moment he got a chance, his ankle was coming off. He noticed how raw the part of his ankle he was dragging was starting to get, and it was only a matter of time before blood would start leaking. As much as he didn't want to admit it, it was becoming a detriment. He could only hope that Vernon knew how to do it.

Puffer felt dread as he left the room, leaving Travis in charge while he was gone. At least it wouldn't be painful, it was the bleeding out that was the issue. So as he headed to where Christa and Vernon were trying to open the door, he saw the two turn his way. "I thought you were staying back?" Christa questioned.

"I was until this," Puffer said as he showed the raw part of his ankle.

"Ah...I feared that would happen, we should have something to wrap your ankle in so it can be dragged safely-" Vernon started.

"We're taking it off," Puffer said.

"What?!" Christa gasped.

"I don't like it either, but this thing is nothing more than meat clinging to me now," Puffer explained, "If it stays on me, it will get me killed one way or another. Besides, I can't feel anything there anymore, so there won't be any pain. Not to mention we're breaking into a room full of medical supplies."

"It's a brutal thing to do, but it's necessary," Vernon agreed, "I can help with that, can you see about the door."

Puffer moved closer, looking at the door knob. Then, before either could object, Puffer slammed the handle of the cane into the knob, causing the door knob to break off and the cane's handle to chip slightly. The door opened slightly, and Christa didn't look amused. As the three entered, Vernon moved a medical bed in the way so the door would close.

There was a safe in the back, and Vernon headed over. The door was open a bit, and when opened, all the supplies were intact, "Someone didn't have a chance to close the safe," Vernon notes, gathering the items needed.

Puffer got onto one of the medical beds, pulling his pant leg up so it was easier for Vernon to find the joint. The bite itself was on the joint, so half of it would taken away as well. Half a bite would be a very odd sight. "Are you sure you want to do this?" Christa asked.

"I am..." Puffer gulped, watching Vernon grab a saw. Puffer looked away when Vernon walked over, as he did NOT want to watch what happened next. Christa also looked away, and the only thing Puffer could notice was the slight weight change. What felt like hours went by before Vernon tapped his arm and Puffer looked over. Where his foot and ankle once were was now a stump wrapped up, his foot wrapped in a few bags.

"Found this as well," Vernon said, showing what looked like a peg leg of sorts, "It's not a one to one copy of a foot, but it should fit."

"Thank god..." Puffer mumbled as Vernon strapped the peg leg on, moving his leg so he could measure it. The peg itself was a few inches too long, but it was a quick fix thanks to the saw. Puffer carefully stood up, cane at the ready. It definitely felt odd, as the balancing would take some getting used to. "We got what we need?" Puffer asked.

"Sure do, let's head back," Vernon replied, moving the bed away from the door. When they got back, Kenny and Brie were already back with the fuel.

"Why did he leave you kids alone?!" Kenny snapped, "Walkers could have attacked, you-" Puffer cleared his throat, causing Kenny to turn around, "What were you-?!" Kenny froze when he looked down and saw that Puffer's foot was missing, "Wh...huh?"

"Still think I'm not capable?" Puffer spat back, moving to the middle of the room, "We have our medicine and fuel, now we are just waiting on Lee and Molly." As if on cue, Lee and Molly entered.

"I got the battery- whoa," Molly paused when seeing Puffer's leg, "We got a pirate now?"

"Ha ha," Puffer groaned with sarcasm.

"We got the battery," Lee said.

A bell sounded off nearby, making everyone grow nervous. "The hell?" Molly mumbled.

"We've overstayed out welcome," Puffer said.

"Ben, go out and look for something we could use to break open the door," Kenny said, and Ben hurried out. When he did come back, Puffer did a double take when he saw a familiar hatchet it Ben's hands.

"Ben, where did you get that?" Puffer asked.

"I just found it," Ben replied, "It was stuck in the door handle at the end of the hallway back there." Puffer was going to blow a gasket.

"Ben that was to hold the glass door closed!!" Puffer snapped, "Now the walkers can get upstairs!" Ben's eyes widened in horror at this and Puffer moved to the armory door, snatching the hatchet. This door knob wasn't as damaged as the nurse's office one, so a single swing didn't do much.

"How do we get out?" Brie asked.

"Through the armory!" Kenny said as Puffer switched tactics to chopping away at the wood around the door knob.

"This is my fault...all my fault!" Ben gulped.

"What the hell is he babbling about?!" Christa questioned.

"The damn glass doors!" Puffer answered, managing to get some of the way through.

"Kenny...I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry man," Ben started.

"Shut up!!" Travis said as he almost went to grab Ben.

"I can't do this anymore!" Ben nearly shouted back, "Kenny, it's been me all along, putting us in danger. Katjaa...it was all me."

Kenny froze up, "Wait a minute, what are you saying?"

"It was me who made the deal with the bandits at the motor inn, slipping them supplies," Ben explained, "I thought maybe I could keep them off our backs! When it got discovered, that's when they attacked. That's when Duck..."

Kenny's eyes filled with a fury and he was ready to lunge at Ben. As he did, Puffer used his body weight to slam into Kenny, sending him to the ground. "WHAT THE FU-" Kenny stopped when he looked up.

Lee noticed too, as Puffer's face was eerily calm, but even he could see just how much bottled up rage was inside him. It was the same way Puffer had acted when Lilly had shot Carley and Doug. "No one is killing anyone," Puffer spoke, a familiar icy tone present in his voice.

"Is this normal...?" Vernon asked Lee.

"No...it's only happened one other time," Lee replied quietly.

"We are not focusing on what Ben did. We are focusing on getting out of here," Puffer continued, "And I don't give a fuck about how much you hate him right now. Keep acting the way you are, and people will die because of you. So sit back, shut up, and let me get the door opened up."

Kenny slowly got up. When he made no move to attack Ben again, Puffer turned back to the door, which was partially broken. Puffer charged into the door, which slammed open. "I am going to sleep for hours after this..." Puffer grumbled, his tone back to normal, although it was clear mental fatigue was starting to set in.

Chapter Text

"Nice group you got here," Molly spot up, earning a middle finger from Puffer as he stepped through. The armory was empty, no gun in sight.

"Shouldn't we decide now if he should stay or-" Brie was cut off by a walker managing to break through the small door window, grabbing her and causing the door to open enough for a walker to bite down on her and start tearing her insides apart.

Vernon looked on in shock while Kenny grabbed his arm.

"We can't save her!" Kenny argued, "We'll mourn later, come on!"

Everyone began to run out, but Duck stopped when he saw Puffer not moving. "Puffer come on!!" Duck called, grabbing Puffer's hand and trying to pull him away. Puffer's eyes were locked on Brie's corpse as the walkers ate it, his body shaking a bit. His chest felt as if it was collapsing in on itself, and his foot glued to the ground. He could move, he could only watch. "Dad, Lee, Puffer won't move!!" Duck shouted back, causing Lee and Kenny to turn back.

"The hell is his problem?!" Kenny snapped, but Lee knew exactly what was happening. He had seen Chuck's corpse as well, and he knew Puffer had been close when Chuck was being eaten. Lee ran over, nearly dragging Puffer as he helped him return with the group. "Lee what the fuck is he doing-"

"He saw Chuck get eaten!" Lee answered, stressed out from everything happening, "He was only a few feet away!"

Kenny tensed up at this, "I...I didn't know."

The door wasn't closing, so the stairs were the first option. Downstairs lead to a room full of walkers, so upstairs it was. Everyone headed up while Lee offered fire support after Kenny found a rifle. Christa saw Puffer still not moving, staring blankly ahead with wide eyes. Carefully, she guided him up the stairs. "Is he okay...?" Clementine asked.

"He will be," Christa reassured her, noticing Puffer slowly blinking.

"Holy fuck..." Puffer said quickly, barely audible to Christa. Everyone began to climb down the ladder leading to the roof. The bell ringing made Puffer turn in time to see a walker tied to the bell grab Ben. In an instant, Puffer lunged forward, managing to catch Ben as the rope snapped, sending the walker plummeting to the ground floor. Puffer held onto Ben with both hand, gripping him for dear life as the teen dangled over the edge. "Climb up!" Puffer strained.

"There's no time! You have to go!" Ben said, fear and determination in his voice, "Get the others out of here!"

"Puffer," Kenny said, and Puffer turned his head to face him a bit. Kenny gave a nod, as if saying "drop him".

Puffer looked back at Ben, who wasn't holding onto Puffer, "All I do is put everyone in danger, we both know that...let me go."

Puffer saw several walked slowly making it to the top floor, and he looked back at Ben. His eyes then narrowed, "I fucking swore I would do everything I could to keep everyone alive and I meant it!" Puffer shouted, "That includes you!" He was not just some member of the group. Puffer was their damn leader. He couldn't do the same things as everyone else and he knew that. He had more responsibilities than everyone. And one of those responsibilities? Keeping everyone safe. With a surge of strength, Puffer pulled Ben up, who looked surprised.

As the two made it up, Ben looked over at Puffer with shock, "Why...?"

"I already fucking told you why," Puffer said, pulling Ben up, "Now go!" Ben hurried down the ladder first, followed by Puffer. A walker tried to follow, onto to splatter head first onto the roof. As the herd of walkers were jammed into the school, getting out of Crawford and back to the sewers was easy.

Everyone was silent on the way back, and it was clear to everyone that Puffer was ready to collapse from exhaustion. Still, he kept pushing himself along, even after they made it back to the house.

The other cancer survivors perked up, "Where's Brie?" Clive asked.

The look Puffer gave was all the answer they needed. "Crawford is a walker zone now," Vernon said, heading up with Christa to check on Omid and Elizabeth.

Puffer headed upstairs as well, but into a different room. It was the guest room, and Puffer sat by the window. He felt...numb over everything that happened. Everything had hit him all at once, and now it felt like he couldn't feel anything. A ringing in his ears drowned out any noise he might hear, until a gentle tap on his shoulder brought him out of whatever trance he got stuck in. He looked and saw Travis, "Thanks...for saving Ben." Puffer just nodded, so Travis continued, "So, what do we do now? We only found one boat, and it seems like Kenny is taking it...I know Lee said he wouldn't abandon his people, but I don't think he sees us as his people anymore."

"I don't know..." Puffer mumbled, "Ley me sleep the night...I'll be better by tomorrow." Travis frowned, but nodded and left the room. Alone again, Puffer let his thoughts drift back to his friends again as he got up and laid in the bed.

Puffer knew he was alive by luck. He doubted his friends had that same luck. He knew his parents and dog wouldn't have that same luck. Everything crash back down at once, and Puffer knew believing any of them to be alive was a foolish thing to think. They were dead, and Puffer was alive by luck. And he would just have to accept that. That night, no one knew the house was filled with silent sobs, some from Clementine upon learning that she wouldn't know what happened to her parents, and some from Puffer as he finally accepted that he was the last survivor amongst his friends. This had to be rock bottom, right?

Chapter Text

When Puffer slowly woke up, he could see the covers and pillow stained with the tears from the night before. He wasn't a crier normally, but this was different. He slowly got up, grabbing his weapons and getting out of bed. He knew he had to come up with a plan for what to do now, seeing as how Kenny was most likely about to ditch them all.

What he didn't expect to see when he got downstairs was the place empty, with his original group prior to entering Savannah gathered around outside the fence. Puffer headed out, moving over the fence. It was only then that he saw that Clementine wasn't with them. "Last night Vernon came to me and offered to take her with him," Lee said to the rest, "Said she'd be better off."

"Son of a bitch, I knew we couldn't trust that fucker!" Kenny grumbled, then he saw Puffer, "About fucking time!"

"Shut the fuck up Kenny," Puffer grumbled as he made his way over, "What the hell is going on?"

"Clementine is missing," Christa said, "We're going to go find her."

Puffer was still for a moment, "He did WHAT?! I'm going to kill that mother fucker!" Puffer calmed himself down, until he spotted Lee's arm, "Lee..."

Lee noticed Puffer looking at the bite, and a saddened expression formed, "Puffer I-"

"No...no not you too..." Puffer mumbled, almost as if he was begging, "Where are the syringes?!"

"Stolen, take a guess by who," Kenny huffed.

"FUCK!!" Puffer shouted, gripping his hair with his hands. He couldn't worry about that right now, he needed to focus on Clemetine, "We need to look for her.

"You know I care about Clementine," Kenny said, "And I'm a christian man. But I keep asking myself if this was me asking you for help, would you be there for me?"

That seemed to be Puffer's breaking point with Kenny, "Fuck you, you can sit your ass down and guard the damn boat!" Puffer snapped, "I am sick of your bullshit! You have been so fucking combative from the moment someone other than you has been leading the group! Grow the fuck up!"

"It's not my fault every leader is a selfish prick," Kenny retorted back.

"Selfish?! SELFISH?! The only selfish bastard I see here is you! You constantly trying to leave with the damn RV before any of us were ready! You trying to steal the damn supplies from the car! You refusing to stop the train until Lee had to go and talk some sense into you! You dragging us to this walker infested city over some stupid boat!! If anyone here is responsible for all the misfortune falling on us, it's you!" It was silent enough that you could hear a pin to drop, and Puffer was huffing after his rant.

Kenny stood silently for a moment, although his fists were clenched up like he was about to punch Puffer. "I hope you know I don't plan to take you on-"

"Mention that boat one more time and I will make it not sailable!" Puffer cut him off. He was over Kenny at this point, and was ready to cut him loose. And after everything the two had been through. While Lee was closer Kenny, the fact that Kenny wasn't going to help Lee over petty reasons pissed Puffer the fuck off.

"We should go now, and be back before nightfall..." Lee said, looking over at Kenny. Kenny said nothing, but gave a nod to Lee.

"Duck come on," Kenny said as he headed back to the gate, but paused and turned to see Duck not following, "Duck let's go."

"I'm going to go help..." Duck mumbled.

"The hell you are! Get over here," Kenny ordered.

Duck moved in front of Puffer, "I can help! He believes in me, right Puffer."

"Yeah..." Puffer replied back, his voice calmer.

Kenny looked shocked, then he stormed off, "Back by nightfall, understood?! We ain't leaving this city until Clementine is back!"

With Kenny back inside, the group began to move out, and Puffer saw Elizabeth was clinging to Christa's side. At least she was safe. As they walked, Lee and Puffer took lead as they knew where they were hiding out at. When the group entered, Puffer stayed by the hole in case walkers got in. That was, until the walkie started chattering, and Puffer went into the empty room as the walkie switched off. The sound of walkers above could be heard, and Puffer knew why. "We didn't get a chance to use the train," Puffer groaned in frustration. So much for that plan.

Puffer moved to the door and closed it, noting the sound of growling getting closer. Through the sewers wasn't an option anymore, it was now through the elevator. "We need to find ourselves a way out," Christa said, and Duck was already looking around.

Lee moved to the elevator while Duck opened a cabinet, finding a rib spreader. Duck grabbed it and ran over to Lee, "Maybe this will work?" Duck suggested.

"Let's hope so," Lee said, placing it in. Cranking the lever, the elevator doors slowly opened up. Puffer looked over in time to see Lee growing dizzy, stumbling a bit. Puffer ran over just in time to catch him, pulling Lee over to the others.

"Fuck, his bite is worse!" Puffer said when he saw how red the bite was now. Nothing like this happened with his bite, but it did happen with Duck's bite.

"Help me get him up," Christa said, pulling Lee onto the table, "You're not going to like this but we may have to cut his arm off."

"I fucking hope not," Puffer said, but he knew she was right, "Try and get Lee up first!"

"I'm up..." Lee groaned, slowly sitting up, "And I heard, let's do it. Maybe it will work."

"Pray to whoever you believe in it does," Puffer said, ushering Duck and Elizabeth away with Omid. Omid covered Elizabeth's ears while Duck tried to peak out and see what was happening.

"I'll go as fast as I can," Christa said to Lee.

Puffer turned away and squeezed his eyes shut, bracing for what was about to happen while covering Duck's eyes with one hand. "Fast would be good. Look, you're gonna want-" But Lee couldn't finish as Christa started cutting. Duck flinched back as Lee screamed in agony, with Duck looking away and covering his ears.

A thump caught Puffer's attention and he turned and saw Ben unconscious, as well as Lee. His arm was on the table, and Christa was patching his wound up. Puffer quickly grabbed the arm and shoved it into a cabinet, slamming the door closed. Puffer felt himself go a bit pale at all the blood, but he shook it off. Now all they could do was wait.

Chapter Text

When Puffer heard Lee's groan of pain, he sighed in relief knowing Lee was waking up. "Thank god you're alive," Puffer said, helping Lee stand up.

"Jesus, this hurts so goddamn bad..." Lee grunted, "I hope this works."

"Do you think you can travel?" Christa asked, "You lost some blood."

As the door creaked, Puffer knew there wasn't much of a choice to be had, "Duck got the doors open the rest of the way while you were out," Puffer said as Ben rejoined after Travis helped him avoid the sight of blood.

"I'll bring up the rear," Lee said as everyone started to move, "I don't want to bleed on anyone." Getting in, the elevator was right below them. Knowing this, it was easy to reach the ladder. As they did climb, one walker fell to its death, and Puffer was starting to fully understand just how stupid they really were. At the top, the door opened to the roof of the hospital.

Looking down, there were thousands of walkers wandering throughout the city. This would suck getting back to the house. Puffer was half tempted to just have everyone leave Kenny behind, but a part of Puffer knew that wasn't going to happen. "Clementine is somewhere out there, gobbled up in that..." Lee frowned, and Puffer knew just how much Lee was panicking on the inside.

"We'll find her," Puffer promised, noticing that Lee was bleeding through his bandage, "But now it's your turn to take it easy."

"It wasn't my favorite hand anyway," Lee joked.

"Really? Without ol' lefty I would be done for," Omid snickered, although Christa wasn't amused.

"Seriously though, don't treat me any different," Lee said, "I got one goal, you hear me?"

"Yeah, we do," Christa replied, but it was clear she was still worried.

"We're too high up to walk to another roof," Travis said after getting a better look around them, "We have to go on the ground level somehow."

Puffer saw the bell, and had an idea, "We can lure the walkers to the other side of the hospital with that bell, just like Molly did. It would make the trip back easier."

"There's a ladder over here," Ben said, pointing to said ladder. It was covered in dry paint, but it should be safe.

"I got this," Puffer said, grabbing the ladder, "You guys have been doing the hard stuff for a long time now, it's my turn." Getting the ladder in place and extending it, it barely managed to reach the bell tower. Puffer crossed quickly, having almost perfected climbing a ladder with one foot. As soon as he made it across, the pin holding the extension out snapped, sending the ladder plummeting down below. At least the ladder took a walker with it. "Fuck sakes..." Puffer grumbled, but he could worry about that later.

Puffer turned and grabbed the rope. With all his might, he pulled, letting the bell ring. The ringing in his ears at the loud noise made Puffer stumble a bit, but he was fine. Looking back over, Puffer knew he would have to make the most Olympic worthy jump of his life. "Back up!" Puffer warned as he pulled out his ice pickaxe from its loop on the belt. He took a deep breath as he backed up, needing a running start. He would have to many an Olympic worthy jump while wearing a peg leg, fantastic.

Taking one more deep breath, gripping the cane with one hand and the ice pickaxe with the other, Puffer ran. As soon as he made it to the edge, he jumped. His jump was too short for a hand, but the ice pickaxe managed to cling onto the edge of the hospital roof. Omid and Travis ran over and grabbed Puffer's arm, pulling him up. "That was awesome!" Duck exclaimed.

"Let's get the fuck out of here," Puffer said, eager to leave this damn city behind as soon as possible. The way back, everyone was quiet to avoid drawing walker attention. Puffer was pissed they hadn't found Clementine yet, but with all the walkers around it wouldn't be a good idea. When they did get back, the door to the boat was closed with a shovel, and shouting could be heard.

Lee removed the shovel and opened the doors, only to find a beaten up and pissed of Kenny, "They fucked us!" Kenny snapped as he walked out, and Puffer saw that the boat was gone, "Vernon took it! He didn't have Clem, so where the fuck is she?!"

"With someone else, we're going after her," Lee said.

"Wait, the cancer patients did this?" Omid asked.

"Yeah, they were waiting," Kenny answered, "Tired of living underground, I guess. They kicked the shit out of me and tossed me in here."

"It was four against one, there was no way in hell you were winning," Puffer huffed, pissed at Vernon.

"Wait, what the hell happened to you?!" Kenny questioned Lee.

"Cut it off," Lee replied, "I lived through it, which is a start. And, well I thought it might save my life. I was lucky to get bit down on the wrist."

"This is not happening..." Kenny mumbled, "Everything is so fucked..."

"We are getting Clem and leaving this shithole," Puffer said, "We're going into the countryside, away from cities. We never should have come here in the first place."

"That sounds like a good idea," Ben said.

"Nobody asked you," Kenny snapped.

"You did!"

"Don't get smart with me."

"Kenny shut the fuck up," Puffer spat, moving between Ben and Kenny. Omid managed to wrap around and open the door from the back, letting everyone into the backyard. "Come on."

As soon as they made it, Kenny was ready to fight, "Ben, I swear to god."

"Kenny," Puffer warned.

But Kenny ignored him, "Where the hell do you get off?!"

"I'm just saying we should all chill," Ben said, and Travis walked over.

"Watch it!" Travis snapped.

"You knew, didn't you?!" Kenny demanded to know.

"I found out on the train, but he's my friend, of course I'm sticking with him!" Travis argued.

"Then you can both fuck right off!" Kenny said before looking at Ben, "Puffer should have left your ass in Crawford! We got enough problems."

"Fuck you Kenny!" Ben suddenly spat back, getting the group's attention, "I am so, so sorry about Katjaa, I am. And I know I fucked up, but stop pushing me around and stop wishing I was dead!" Kenny tried to say something, but Ben cut him off, "No! You know how she died! You've said goodbye! I never got to see my family, my parents, my little sister...do you get that?! Your family is gone, but at least you had them to lose! I never made it home. They could be alive or dead or walkers or WORSE and I don't know, SO GIVE ME A FUCKING BREAK!"

Kenny was left speechless by this information, and he didn't even look upset anymore. "Aw Ben...I'm-"

The sound of walkers got Puffer's attention, "Inside, NOW!" Puffer ordered. Everyone rushed in, and Lee slammed the doors closed.

"Can we secure the place?" Travis asked, but Puffer was already coming up with a plan.

"Christa, get on the front room windows, make sure they can hold!" Puffer ordered.

"Got it," Christa said as she hurried out of the kitchen.

"Kenny, look for weapons and gather them up!"

"Will do," Kenny said, nearly stumbling as he ran.

"Ben, Travis, move any furniture you can and block the front doors and the back door."

"Come on man!" Travis said, the two racing to the table in the living room to move it.

"Lee, get upstairs and find a good angle to shoot from. The front doors are bigger and more walkers can get in that way."

"On it," Lee said, hurrying upstairs.

"Omid," Puffer started, but saw Omid staring at something. The front door was open. Omid raced over and Slammed the door shut while Puffer moved so Travis could block the doggy door with a chair. The walkers started to push through the front door, causing Christa, Ben, Travis, and Kenny to have to go and help. "Duck, Elizabeth, upstairs with Lee!" Puffer ordered as he grabbed his ice pickaxe and raced to the front door. The point was thin and sharp, letting Puffer slice through some walker arms. With a final push, the doors were slammed closed properly.

"Now what?" Omid asked Puffer.

"Get your weapons ready," Puffer said, freezing up when a walker smashed through a window. The walker was Brie. Puffer froze up, flashes of her corpse being devoured crossing his mind. Before he could have another episode, Brie was shot dead be Lee, and Puffer shook his head, "UPSTAIRS, GO!"

Chapter Text

Everyone raced upstairs, with Christa and Omid shooting at some walkers while Lee and Kenny moved a dresser in between the stairway and the hallway that lead to the attic. "Now what?!" Ben asked while panicking.

There was only one option left. "Save your ammo and go up!" Puffer instructed as he pulled the latch, letting the attic ladder lower. The kids and teens headed up first, and Puffer stayed last as he made sure everyone got up, although Lee dropped his gun on the way up. Scooping the pistol up, Puffer scrambled up the ladder before pulling it up, sealing everyone inside.

As soon as everyone was safe in the attic, Puffer leaned on one of the columns, just happy that no one died this time. "Everyone okay?" Christa asked.

"Lee's still bitten," Kenny said, earning a glare from Christa.

"The window...?" Elizabeth suggested, and Omid tried it, but the window wasn't budging.

"Anyone have any ideas?" Kenny asked.

"I bet this guy would," Omid said, walking over to a bust of a man.

"Not now Omid," Puffer sighed.

"So, no ideas then?" Kenny huffed.

"There's got to be another way," Lee said, wiping some sweat from his forehead.

""We could wait them out?" Travis suggested as Lee coughed.

"Lee, go sit down," Puffer said.

Right as Lee was about to protest, the walkie sprung to life. "Lee?" Clementine's voice called out, "I'm okay! I'm where my parents-" the walkie turned off again.

"What does that mean?" Christa asked.

"She's at the hotel where her parents were staying," Lee replied, "He hasn't moved her yet."

"We need to start thinking about more than just Clementine when it comes to our, urgency," Kenny spoke up, "Lee, do you think that worked?"

"O don't know, I hope so," Lee replied.

"I think we need to have an 'adult' conversation about what happens if Lee takes another spill."

"Now is not the time," Puffer frowned.

"We could be looking at a Larry situation here," Kenny said, causing Christa and Omid to look confused.

"Who's Larry?" Christa asked.

"Old ass buff guy that had a heart attack," Puffer answered, "His head was smashed in to keep him from turning."

"And Lee is a strong guy," Kenny argued.

"I think it'd be best if we just worried about getting to Clem right now," Lee said.

"We're not gonna do her any good if you've attacked us!"

"That's not gonna happen."

"How do you know that?"

"Mother fucker I am built bigger than him," Puffer snapped, growing ticked off at Kenny again, "We already know what to do, so stop trying to start shit."

"I'm not trying to start nothing," Kenny said defensively.

"Bullshit, you choose now when we are all trapped in a closed off space to start talking about killing Lee, real fucking classy," Puffer grumbled.

"I'm not advocating anything here! He's clearly not about to drop any second now," Kenny argued, "But how has this not been a topic."

"Because we already know what to do! What is there to discuss?!"

"Oh I'm glad I've got you looking out for me, for Clem," Lee sneered, growing ticked off himself towards Kenny, "This is just fucking great. Listen to him man, we already know what will have to be done."

"Why are we even listening to what he says!?" Kenny started, "He speaks up one time at a car and all of a sudden everyone wants him to be the one to boss us around! Now you're going to listen to me. We will get Clementine back, with or without you."

"Knock it off!" Puffer warned.

"I'm sick of listening to you! What good have you done?!

"Are you blind?!"

"You only started carrying your weight after you chopped your ankle off!"

"HELLO?! YOUR SON IS ALIVEBECAUSE OF ME!"

"AND TESS DIED BECAUSE OF YOU!"

"I DIDN'T SEE YOUR SORRY ASS SHOOTING AT THEM!"

The argument ended with Kenny grabbing the bust and throwing it at a wall in frustration, leaving a large dent. Puffer tightened his grip on his cane, ready to beat the hell out of Kenny if he threw the first punch. "Dad stop!" Duck ran over, standing between Puffer and Kenny, and there was even some tears forming, "You're scaring me!"

That seemed to snap Kenny out of his anger, as he looked away from Duck and Puffer. "You ruined that dude's face," Omid said.

"Shut up, sweetie, look," Christa said, moving closer to the hole the bust made on impact. Rotten wood. Puffer grabbed a nearby candle stand and slammed it into the wall, more rotten wood chunks flying off.

"I've got this covered," Puffer said.

"Are you sure?" Kenny asked, his tone calmer, "We could switch in shifts-"

"I said I got this covered," Puffer spat, and it was clear that while Kenny had calmed down, Puffer had not. Puffer began to slowly chip away at the wall with each hit, and while Kenny went to sit with the others, Duck stayed with Puffer.

Kenny noticed an angry look on Travis's face, "What?"

"I don't know why he hasn't cut you loose yet," Travis grumbled, making Lee look over, "What?! He's thinking the same thing! Ever since we left the motel, Kenny had been arguing with Puffer or Lee. Puffer nearly died in the sewers and all you could do was be pissed about not finding getting to the river!"

"We don't need to cast anyone out," Christa said.

"I can't say how sorry I am for how I treated Ben," Kenny frowned, then he looked back over to where Puffer and Duck were, "How would you feel if your son started preferring a stranger over his own father?"

"It's your own fault," Omid frowned, "You heard the kid, you've been scaring him lately. How do you think he feels seeing his father act like this."

"it beats him!" Kenny replied, "You don't know the kid like I do."

"And how long have you known him?" Christa questioned.

"Since the beginning, and he didn't do shit around the motor inn because of his ankle," Kenny grunted.

"That's not true," Lee frowned, "He helped with hunting and gathering supplies in Macon. He was there the day we found Ben and Travis, helping Kenny."

Kenny stuttered a bit. "See? This is what I mean!" Travis said, "Now he's lying about him! Get over yourself!"

The sound of metal hitting the floor of the attic made the group look over, the hole now big enough for a person to fit through. "Let's move," Puffer said.

Chapter Text

As the group started to climb in, Puffer froze when he saw the couple on the bed. Their bodies decayed while their hands remained intertwined. A double suicide to escape the apocalypse. Elizabeth gasped as she saw it, running to Christa. Puffer looked away, not wanting to see or smell the sight. "Smart, think of all the people we've seen go," Lee said, "They got to do it their own way, together."

"Don't you say that," Kenny started, "You stick it out as long as you can. You do whatever you have to."

"Not everyone has the strength like we do..." Puffer mumbled, his mind going to Katjaa. He knew she wouldn't have made it this far even if she never took her own life.

"I could have done better... Could have been a better husband, a better father...a better friend," Kenny mumbled, "So let's figure a way out of here, and get that little girl." Now THAT was the Kenny Puffer knew. About damn time he returned.

"Welcome back man," Puffer said as he patted Kenny on the back, "Don't leave us again."

"Let's clear the room before we move on," Christa suggested as Kenny grabbed the pistol the couple had used.

Puffer noticed a door that had sunlight peaking through and walked over, pulling the door open. The door lead to a small balcony, right beside a slightly taller building than from where the balcony was. "Here's our path, but it's a jump," Puffer called out to the rest of the group, who made it over to where he was.

"We'll have to have the kids hold on to us," Christa said.

"Duck, get on Puffer's back, he can make the jump," Kenny said, surprising Puffer a bit. Lee made the leap first while Puffer helped Duck up. Puffer went next, making the jump without any tools needed. He pulled himself up, and Duck climbed on. The same repeated with Christa and Elizabeth. Omid and Kenny made the jump, as did Travis, leaving just Ben.

"You got this," Puffer told Ben, "Climb on the railing, it's easier to grab the roof with the extra height."

"It's easy," Kenny added as Ben climbed up, only for the balcony to groan as it started to come loose.

"No!" Puffer shouted, trying to reach for him with his cane, but the balcony collapsed, sending it and Ben down before Puffer could extend the cane far enough.

"Me and my big mouth..." Kenny mumbled.

"Ben?! Say something!" Travis called, looking around, "I-I can't see him!"

Kenny ran for the ladder down, and Lee quickly followed. "W-Where's Ben?" Elizabeth asked.

"Down somewhere, they'll find him," Christa reassured her.

Puffer started pacing, waiting for either to come down. Some walkers could be heard on the street, but he paid them no mind. Puffer was too focused on seeing the three get back up, although he knew Ben would most likely have to be carried. There was no way in hell Ben's legs survived the fall unscathed. The sound of a single gunshot spooked everyone, and Puffer froze.

Slowly, Puffer turned back towards the ladder, waiting. The moment Lee came back up alone, Puffer's heart dropped, "No...Lee, Lee where are they?!"

"There was too many of them..." Lee replied with a shaky breath, "Ben was really messed up...I don't know, there's nothing else..."

"No, he can't be dead!" Travis shouted, running to look over the edge, "BEN!" Puffer grabbed the teen and pulled him away, as he didn't want there to be even a slight chance that Ben and Kenny's bodies could be seen.

"Where's dad...?" Duck asked, and Puffer looked down.

"Duck...he's gone..." Puffer mumbled. Duck looked ready to burst into tears, and he ran over and hugged Puffer, who let him. He picked Duck up and looked at Lee, "We have to keep moving...we'll mourn outside the city..."

"Puffer's right...we should go," Christa said, looking over at Travis, who was wiping tears away.

"Did he suffer...?" Travis asked Lee.

"Kenny made sure he didn't..." Lee replied.

The walk was silent, and Duck didn't speak, even after his sobs died down. A wooden bridge was ahead, but everyone made it across safely. A hole in the roof caught Puffer's attention, as it did Lee's, "Be careful through here," Lee said.

"Yeah, we don't need anymore accidents," Omid said.

"Why would you say that, you trying to jinx us?" Puffer grumbled, walking ahead. The group slowly made their way over building after building, with the Marsh house  now in view. The only way across was a metal walkway holding a sign. "One at a time," Puffer said, letting Duck down.

"I'll go first," Lee said, "If something happens and only one of us can cross, it should be me."

Puffer couldn't argue with that logic, and he watched as Lee began the slow cross over. Right as he made it towards the end, however, the metal walkway snapped, the sign falling and crushing several walkers. This left Lee stranded on the other side, "LEE!" Puffer called out, "ARE YOU OKAY?!"

"I'm fine!" Lee answered back, "but I'm kind of fucked here."

"What do we do? That was our only way across!" Travis gulped.

"What can we do from here?!" Puffer exclaimed before looking back at Lee, "What's your plan?!"

"Fuck it, I'm going for it!" Lee said.

Puffer knew instantly what he meant, "Lee what?! You're already getting weaker from blood loss!"

"I'm already bitten, I just have to push my way through!" Lee shouted, "I can't risk losing more time on a long shot!"

Puffer shook his head, "Fuck...FUCK! Meet us outside the city, by the hills that way!" Puffer pointed to some hills he could see in the distance, "Can you do this?!"

"There's no other way!" Lee said, "I know they will be fine with you, Puffer! Bring them to safety!" With that, Lee began his slow climb down, leaving Puffer to stare as he disappeared into the crowd of walkers.

"Let's go..." Puffer said, "We got maybe an hour at most before Lee shows up with Clementine if he survives."

"If?" Travis questioned.

Puffer paused, "Not if...be ready for just Clementine..." It was better to accept Lee's death now. He was too weak and pale, there was no way Lee would have the strength to return. It was up to Puffer now.

Chapter Text

More building hopping happened before the walkers started to slow down in numbers, allowing the group to scale down a building and move towards the outskirts of the city. As soon as they did, Puffer looked back at Savannah, the city that took so much away from him in only two days. Two, fucking, days was all it took for the possible real rock bottom to hit. The road leading out of Savannah was the path they were taking for the moment, but Duck stopped when he saw Puffer wasn't following. "Puffer...?" Duck called out, causing the group to stop.

Christa walked over to him, "Hey...you want to talk about it?"

"What's there to talk about?" Puffer mumbled, "I failed almost everyone...Ben, Kenny, Lee...Mark, Katjaa, Brie, Carley, Doug... I was supposed to be the one that made the right choices and made sure we all stayed safe. How did I fail so miserably?"

"You got us out of there," Christa said, "We lost some good people, but you made sure the casualties were minimal. That's all you can really do..."

"I owe him so much, you know," Puffer said, "Lee had my back so many times in the past. Fuck man, I never got to pay him back for any of it I feel like."

"You can pay him back, by helping to make sure Clementine stays safe," Christa said, looking at the city with him, "You heard Lee, he believed in you. And honestly, after everything I've seen, so do I." Puffer didn't know why considered everything that happened. While they talked, Travis had climbed one of the hills, trying to get a better idea on if there were any walkers nearby.

As he scouted the area, he paused at a tree, seeing someone small sit down nearby. Travis narrowed his eyes, trying to see who it was. When he saw the baseball cap, he nearly sprinted down the hill, "I saw Clementine!" Travis shouted, "Come on!"

As soon as Travis said that, Puffer and Christa turned back before quickly rejoining the group. Sure enough, Clementine sat on her own, perking up when she saw the group heading towards her. When they got close enough, Clementine ran over and hugged Christa, Omid, and Elizabeth. "I made sure Lee didn't turn..." Clementine whimpered, and Puffer felt his heart broke hearing that. He knew Lee wouldn't make it, but damn did it still hurt.

"So where now...?" Duck asked, looking up at Puffer.

He wasn't sure himself, was there anywhere truly safe? Most likely not. They would just have to keep moving, "We should go further north," Puffer said, "I'm sick of Georgia..."

"Probably for the best..." Travis mumbled, clearly sad about leaving his home state behind. It would suck to travel so much, but who knows, maybe this was for the better. Only time would really tell.