Micah was tired. Not just from the walk—hell, he could march for days if he had to—but from the sheer stupidity of the people in front of him. How had this ragtag group survived this long?
A young man—Nick—stood at the cabin door, rifle aimed at them. Micah barely spared him a glance. The kid's hands were shaking. Lee didn't even tense. Clementine, bruised and stitched up, just looked bored.
Pathetic.
The group introduced themselves—Nick, Luke, Pete, a pregnant woman (Rebecca), and a heavyset man (Alvin). Then the so-called doctor, Carlos, finally showed up.
He knelt in front of Clementine, examining her arm. "So... it was a dog, right?"
Micah's eye twitched.
Nick, still pointing the rifle, demanded, "Carlos, was it a dog or not?"
Carlos hesitated. "I... can't tell."
That was it.
Micah moved fast—grabbed Nick's rifle barrel, forced it skyward, and in the same motion, whipped out his revolver and cracked it across Nick's face. The kid hit the dirt. Micah tossed the rifle to Lee, who caught it effortlessly.
Before anyone could react, Micah had Carlos by the collar, his revolver pressed to the man's temple. "You wanna die tonight, doc?" he hissed.
Chaos erupted.
Lee and Clementine had their guns out now too, backing Micah without hesitation.
"What the fuck?!" Luke shouted.
Pete stepped forward, hands raised. "Easy, easy!"
Lee sighed. "You got medicine for infection or not?"
Carlos, sweating, stammered, "L-Luke—peroxide. Now."
Luke scrambled off, returning with the bottle.
Micah smirked, released Carlos, and shoved him away. He holstered his revolver, and Lee and Clementine followed suit.
"Now," Micah said, voice dripping with false sweetness, "shall we go inside?"
Pete helped Nick up, wiping blood from his nose. "...Yeah. Let's go inside."
As they stepped in, Micah caught a glimpse of a girl—Sarah, Carlos' daughter—peeking from a doorway before being scolded back into her room.
The kitchen was cramped. Micah dropped his duffel like he owned the place and took a seat at the table. Lee and Clementine sat beside him. The others hovered—Luke and Pete at the table, the rest standing, tension thick in the air.
Lee poured peroxide on Clementine's wound. She hissed but didn't cry out.
Micah gave her an approving pat on the back.
"That's gonna leave one hell of a scar," Luke remarked.
"Good," Micah said. "Scars mean you lived."
Lee rolled his eyes. "Not everyone sees it like that."
Clementine shrugged. "I don't care. I can live with it."
Luke leaned forward. "So... what's your plan?"
"Survive," Micah said. "Same as always."
Pete nodded. "You got a place you're headed?"
"Nope," Lee said. "Just moving."
"Worked for two years," Micah added with a shrug. "None of us died yet."
Nick, still nursing his bruised face, muttered, "Yeah, shocking."
Micah just laughed.
Luke cleared his throat. "You three seem capable. You're welcome to stay if you want."
Pete agreed, but the others stiffened.
"No way," Rebecca snapped. "They could be working with Carver."
Lee frowned. "We don't even know who that is."
More arguing erupted until Pete finally cut in. "Enough. Everyone just... calm down. We'll figure it out tomorrow. For now, get some sleep."
The trio stood to leave, but Luke stopped them. "You can stay inside. No point setting up a campfire."
"Thanks," Lee said.
Clementine nodded. "Yeah, thanks."
Micah smirked. "How generous."
He claimed the couch immediately, stretching out like a king. Lee settled on the floor without complaint—until Clementine suddenly plopped down next to Micah.
"The hell are you doing?" Micah growled.
"I'm injured," she said, crossing her arms. "I can't sleep on the floor."
"Like hell you can't." He tried to shove her off, but she clung to the couch like a barnacle.
Lee chuckled. "Looks like you've got a bunkmate, Micah."
"This is bullshit," Micah muttered, but he gave up, shifting uncomfortably as Clementine smugly curled up beside him.
Lee laughed. "Never thought I'd see the day Micah Bell got out-stubborned by an eleven-year-old."
"Shut up, Lee."
Clementine, already half-asleep, mumbled, "Night, Micah."
He didn't answer.
But he didn't push her off again.