Lee and the others ran over.
"Is everyone okay? Anyone bitten?" Lee asked, out of breath.
He scanned me with frantic hands, touching my arms and shoulders as if expecting blood to pour out at any second. His eyes were wide, almost trembling.
"We're fine. Nobody's bitten," I said calmly, wiping blood off my blade with steady hands.
Lee's shoulders sagged in relief. Clementine pressed a hand to her chest, exhaling sharply, while Christa let out a quiet breath through her nose.
"Everything okay over there?" Omid called from the train. He leaned half out of the doorway, gripping the manual against his chest like a lifejacket.
"We're good!" Lee shouted back, lifting his arm high.
Lee turned toward Chuck.
"Could you please stop wandering off alone? Stay with the group. You almost got your ass bitten."
I had been thinking the same thing. How did he not hear the walker behind him? I heard the growls from far away.
At first, I thought maybe he didn't hear because he was old… but when I walked closer, the sharp stench of alcohol hit me like a punch. He always smelled like alcohol, but this time it was strong.
Chuck's feet wobbled slightly. His head drifted from side to side, like he was struggling to keep the world from spinning.
"Man… are you drinking?" Lee asked, narrowing his eyes.
Chuck nodded, looking away. "I was just feeling a little down, had some."
His voice was low, ashamed. He climbed into the train with slow, dragging steps.
"Lay off the drink for a couple of days. Not the right time," Lee said sternly.
Chuck only nodded again and disappeared inside.
We walked back toward the railway. Lee fell into step beside me.
"Good job, kid," he said.
I glanced at him briefly, nodded once, and kept walking, boots crunching over loose gravel.
"But don't do anything that reckless again," he added, giving me a sideways look.
"Well, the kid is brave," Christa said, eyes lingering on my sword. She folded her arms and smirked. "And that sword of his looks sharp. If my boyfriend saw it up close, he might pass out from joy."
"Why would he do that? Hasn't he seen a sword before?" Clementine asked, tilting her head.
"He's seen plenty," Christa laughed, mimicking Clementine's tilt. "He just loves old stuff — anything from the Civil War. He's like an old white man obsessed with history. Who even does that anymore?"
Lee lifted a hand politely, smile tight and awkward.
"I, uh… actually happen to be a Black history professor," he admitted, eyes crinkling in amusement.
Christa blinked, then chuckled. "Wonderful. You two will be thick as thieves."
She nodded at my sword. "Did you teach him how to use that?"
Lee shook his head. "No. He already had it when I found him. Looks like he figured it out on his own."
I didn't figure anything out.
I just swung and prayed it worked.
"Well, it's a good thing he knows how to defend himself," Christa said. She put her hands on her hips, studying me. "Kids need that now."
"I know how to defend myself too!" Clementine announced proudly, puffing out her chest. "Lee taught me how to shoot!"
Christa raised an eyebrow at Lee.
"Don't judge me," Lee said quickly, lifting both hands defensively.
"I'm not," Christa replied. "Teaching her to defend herself is the right thing."
She sat down on the railway track. I sat beside her, with Clementine sitting close to me.
Lee nodded gratefully.
Suddenly, a strange buzzing sound came from Clementine's dress.
She flinched and grabbed her pocket, pulling out the walkie-talkie. Her fingers trembled as she clicked the button over and over, her brows pinched tight.
After a few seconds, the noise stopped. She exhaled shakily, shoulders dropping, and forced a nervous smile.
"Hey, that's a pretty useful radio… for her to hold onto," Christa said, glancing between Clementine and Lee.
"It's busted. But it means a lot to her," Lee said, giving a reassuring nod.
But I kept staring at the radio.
It wasn't busted in the original game — if I remembered correctly.
There was a man she talked to in secret.
A man who claimed he knew where her parents were.
A man who told her not to tell anyone.
A man who eventually kidnapped her in Savannah.
And Savannah…
A city torn apart by survivor factions fighting each other, while a massive horde roamed the streets.
The group got caught right in the middle of that chaos.
That's what I remembered.
But now, with everything changing, I wasn't sure anymore.
One thing I was sure of:
I didn't want to stay with this group for long.
I knew how much trouble they'd get into, and I didn't want to deal with it.
Once we reached Savannah, I'd go my own way.
I didn't have time to care about anyone here.
I had to find my family.
To do that, I needed to survive — and getting tangled in their problems would only drag me down.
But still… that radio worried me.
I pushed the thoughts aside and looked toward the train station in the distance.
On the roof, faded paint spelled out: SURVIVORS INSIDE.
Interesting.
Lee started walking toward the station. Clementine hurried after him, almost trotting to keep up.
"Hey, sweetheart, why are you following me?" Lee asked, turning back.
"Well… we're a team, aren't we?" Clementine said, lifting her chin slightly.
"That's true. But don't you want to hang out with Christa?" Lee asked.
Clementine looked back at Christa.
"It's okay," Christa said with a small wave and a friendly smile.
Clementine relaxed, smiled back, and returned to Lee's side.
"Well then, Clementine and I will check out this train station, alright?" Lee called to the group.
"Wait! Let me come too!" I said, running forward. My sword bounced against my hip with each step.
"Alright, come on then," Lee said.
Clementine's brows furrowed, her lips tightening into a thin line.
She clearly didn't want me coming. I didn't know why she was annoyed — but she needed help.
The train station was dangerous in the original game. They almost got killed by the walkers inside.
With everything changing, I wasn't sure they'd survive without backup, so I tagged along.
We reached the station.
Paint chips covered the ground.
A cold breeze moved through the broken structure, stirring piles of old leaves.
Clementine hugged herself and stepped closer to Lee, gripping the back of his shirt.
Broken glass glittered faintly across the floor.
Lee walked ahead, shoulders squared, scanning every shadow.
Clementine stuck close behind him, her steps light and uncertain.
I stayed behind her, eyes sweeping every corner, hand resting on my sword.
Our footsteps echoed quietly through the empty station.
On the roof, in big faded letters: SURVIVORS INSIDE.
The whole place was barricaded.
Every window boarded shut.
Every door sealed tight.
We checked each entrance, even the back one.
All locked.
Finally, we spotted one opening a window above the door, slightly open.