A Path Of Blood And Brains

Before they leave the house, Arthur gathers supplies from the kitchen. He picks up the hammer Clementine had brought along earlier and grabs a kitchen knife, securing both weapons to his belt. "Alright, kiddo, come on. Stick close to me now, ya hear?" he says in a gentle tone, trying to reassure her. "Let's keep our voices down. We're gonna head out to the front yard and follow the road outta the neighborhood, nice and easy."

"Okay…" Clementine replies, her voice barely above a whisper as she nods in agreement.

They make their way to the gate, and Arthur carefully opens it. As they step outside, a gunshot rings out, narrowly missing them. Instinctively, they take cover behind a nearby car.

"I found the bastard!" a cop shouts, his voice echoing through the still night.

"Are we going to die?" Clementine asks, her voice trembling with fear.

"Nah, we're good, don't you worry," Arthur reassures her, maintaining a calm demeanor.

He cautiously draws his knife and peeks out from behind the car. His gaze lands on a familiar sight: a police cruiser one that is like the one from the woods.

"Stay down! Georgia State Patrol!" the cop barks, his gun aimed in their direction.

"Dude, he won't listen to that!" a younger man chimes in, frustration evident in his tone.

"You really think it's right to pull your gun on an unarmed man and a little girl? Ain't no honor in that!" Arthur retorts.

"Oh, shit! You're not one of those things!" the cop exclaims, lowering his weapon as Arthur and Clementine cautiously emerge from their hiding spot, Arthur sliding his knife back into its sheath.

"Yeah, no shit," Arthur replies, frowning slightly. Clementine clings to his pant. "Listen, mister, you're the law, ain't ya? You don't wanna go messin' with that."

"Aw, man, no shit. I'm sorry about that," the cop says, visibly flustered.

"We're sorry about that. Well, Andre's sorry about that," the younger man adds, rolling his eyes.

"It's Officer Mitchell," Andre interjects, irritation creeping into his voice.

Shawn glares at Andre, who merely shrugs in response. They approach Arthur and Clementine cautiously.

"My name's Shawn, Shawn Greene. This is Andre—" Shawn begins, only to be cut off.

"Officer Mitchell," Andre states, his tone clipped.

"Did you see any of those things? One of them just got our buddy, Chet," Shawn continues, with urgency in his voice.

"I reckon I seen a lot in that forest, but that was some time back," Arthur replies, gesturing toward the woods behind him.

"Yeah, one we're looking for is still in the neighborhood," Andre adds with a nod.

"Look, help us find the thing that got our buddy, and we'll take you and your daughter down to my dad's farm for safety," Shawn offers.

Arthur chooses not to correct Shawn's assumption that Clementine is his daughter. He can't risk the cop thinking he's some sort of predator; it could cost him his life.

"Sounds like a plan to me," Arthur replies, nodding in agreement.

Before they can act on their plan, walkers suddenly surround them from all sides. "Oh, shit! It's Chet!" Shawn exclaims, his voice rising in panic as he spots his zombified friend. Andre instinctively raises his gun, but conflict flashes across his face.

"Let's go! Get to my car! Go!" Andre shouts, ultimately deciding against shooting Chet. Without hesitation, they all scramble to the car, hearts racing, and drive away into the night.

Eventually, they arrive at Shawn's family farm. Arthur and Clementine sit in the backseat of the taxi, with Shawn in front and Andre driving. Clementine glances at Arthur, pondering what he truly is to her—her savior, perhaps? She studies his rugged appearance, noting the worn clothes that evoke the image of a cliche outlaw from the western films her father used to enjoy. His voice carries a similar roughness, further cementing that image in her mind.

The taxi pulls to a stop at the farm, and everyone but Andre gets out of the car. "Say hi to your dad for me," Andre calls to Shawn.

"Yeah," Shawn replies, a hint of sadness in his tone.

"I'm sorry, Shawn. Chet was a good dude," Andre says, his voice low and somber.

"One of the best," Shawn responds, grief evident in his eyes as he walks away.

Andre waves goodbye to Arthur and Clementine. "Take care, you two," he says before driving off into the night.

The front door swings open, revealing Shawn's father, Hershel, who appears visibly relieved. "Thank God, you're okay," he says, his voice tinged with worry.

"I was worried it'd be bad here, too," Shawn replies, stepping forward to embrace his father, who pats him on the back reassuringly.

"Been quiet as usual the past couple of days. Ol' Breckon down the way thinks his mare's gone lame, but that ain't nothing new," Hershel explains, his tone matter-of-fact.

"I ran into Andre outside of Atlanta. And, uh...Chet...he got killed," Shawn admits, his voice cracking slightly.

"No. You're kidding," Hershel responds, shock washing over his features.

"Those things got him. Dad, I don't know what's going on," Shawn confesses, desperation creeping into his voice.

"I'm sorry, Shawn," Hershel says, turning his attention to Arthur and Clementine. "You've brought a couple guests?"

"Your boy's a real lifesaver, mister," Arthur states plainly.

"Glad he could be of help to somebody," Hershel replies, his gaze assessing.

"I told him we could help him out," Shawn interjects.

"We could sure use your help, friend," Arthur adds earnestly.

"You're welcome to stay here, but just for the night. I don't run a bed and breakfast," Hershel says, eyeing Arthur and Clementine with curiosity. "So it's just you and your daughter then?"

"Yeah, just the two of us," Arthur confirms, nodding.

"The house is full up with mine. We've got another displaced family of three sleeping in the barn. You and your daughter are welcome to rest there," Hershel offers.

"I'm Arthur, by the way," Arthur introduces himself, gesturing to Clementine, who is still shyly hiding behind him. "And that's Clementine."

"I'm Hershel. Hershel Greene," he says, nodding in acknowledgment.

*In the barn.*

Arthur and Clementine lie down on makeshift beds crafted from hay. The family of three is already fast asleep on the upper floor, their gentle breaths filling the air.

"It smells like..." Clementine begins, wrinkling her nose.

"…Manure," Arthur finishes, a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Manure? Like when a horse... plops?" she asks, her surprise evident.

"Yeah," he affirms with a nod.

Feeling uneasy about the smell, Clementine gets up and pulls her makeshift bed closer to Arthur. He raises an eyebrow but chooses not to comment. If it makes her feel more secure, who is he to object? Besides, they still need to uphold the facade of being father and daughter.

"I miss my mom and dad..." she whispers, tears welling in her eyes.

"I can't even begin to understand what you're dealin' with, darlin'," he replies sincerely. Though he lost his mother at a young age and witnessed his father's execution when he was twelve, the memories are foggy, and his father was far from a loving figure.

Clementine hugs his arm tightly as she closes her tear-filled eyes, surrendering to sleep. Arthur, too, drifts off, his mind haunted by dreams of Dutch, the man who had abandoned him on that damned cold and wet mountain to die alone.

When Arthur woke up the next morning, he found himself staring at a mustachioed man who was speaking to him. "Hey, get up," the man said with a friendly tone, his mustache twitching slightly as he smiled.

Arthur rubbed his eyes and sat up, taking in his surroundings. He quickly noticed that Clementine was already awake, standing nearby and scratching her arm. "I'm itchy," she complained, her brow furrowed in discomfort.

"Well, you slept in a barn, little lady," the mustachioed man replied, chuckling lightly. "Lucky you don't have spiders in your hair."

Clementine gasped, her hands flying to her hair as she looked up in alarm. Arthur couldn't help but let out a small laugh at her expression.

"But I bet your daddy scared 'em all away, huh?" the man added, trying to reassure her, while gesturing toward Arthur.

"Name's Arthur," Arthur introduced himself, offering a firm handshake.

"I'm Kenny," the man said, shaking Arthur's hand enthusiastically.

At that moment, a young boy came sprinting to the entrance of the barn, his eyes wide with excitement. "Dad, we're gonna build a fence! There's a tractor and everything!" he exclaimed before darting off again.

"We better get going or we won't hear the end of it," Kenny said, shaking his head with an amused smile.

Arthur stepped out of the barn alongside Kenny, with Clementine trailing behind, her small hand clasped tightly in his. "That's my boy, Ken Junior. We call him Duck, though," Kenny explained, referencing the boy who had run off.

"Duck, huh? That's a funny name for a kid," Arthur remarked, raising an eyebrow.

Kenny grinned broadly. "Yeah, nothing seems to bother him. Like water off a duck's back, y'know?"

"Ain't no use lettin' things get to ya. That's a good way to live," Arthur replied, nodding in agreement.

"No kidding. But frankly, I think it's because he's dumb as a bag of hammers," Kenny said, eliciting a chuckle from Arthur. "But he makes up for it with enthusiasm."

As they approached Duck and his mother, who was sitting on some bales of hay in front of the porch, Kenny continued, "Look, I don't know where you're headed, but personally, I'd appreciate the company of a guy who can knock a couple of heads together if he has to."

"Well, maybe we'll see how it all plays out with this Hershel fella," Arthur said thoughtfully.

"Ha, good luck with that. He's a hardass," Kenny replied, shaking his head.

Kenny then turned to his wife and son. "Honey, Duck, this is Arthur and, uh, what's the girl's name?"

"Clementine," Arthur answered.

"Clementine," Kenny repeated, a warm smile spreading across his face. "That is a very pretty name."

"Thanks," Clementine said shyly, her cheeks flushing.

At that moment, Shawn approached the group. "Well, we should get to work. We've all seen what those things can do out there, so the faster we get this fence up, the better."

"I wanna build a fence!" Duck piped up, his enthusiasm infectious.

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

"On the tractor? Cool!" Duck exclaimed, his eyes lighting up with excitement.

"Duck and I will hop to it," Shawn said, and he and Duck hurried off to their task.

"I can keep an eye on your little girl here on the porch. We can visit," Katjaa, Kenny's wife, offered.

"Wanna talk with the lady, Clementine?" Arthur asked, glancing down at her.

"Sure..." she replied, her curiosity piqued.

Clementine settled onto a bale of hay next to Katjaa while Kenny began working on his truck nearby.

*Clem and Katjaa*

"You have such pretty hair!" Katjaa complimented, brushing her fingers through her own hair.

"It gets a lot of tangles," Clementine admitted, pulling at a few strands.

"Did your daddy give you that hat?" Katjaa asked, her eyes sparkling with interest.

Clementine hesitated but finally nodded. It seemed she was under the impression that Arthur really was her father, though the truth was that her real dad was gone. She couldn't quite grasp why Arthur pretended to be her father.

Unbeknownst to them, Arthur was eavesdropping, hoping to learn more about Clementine since he hadn't really had the opportunity to get to know her yet. It was vital for him to understand her better.

"Do you have a pet?" Katjaa inquired, her tone warm and welcoming.

"I have a goldfish named Peanut. Mom doesn't like dogs," Clementine replied, her voice soft.

"Oh, well, we have a lab named Franklin back in Fort Lauderdale," Katjaa said. "What's your favorite color?" she asked, genuinely curious.

"Purple," Clementine answered with a small smile.

Katjaa glanced at Clementine's shoes. "Ooh, I like your shoes."

"They're my favorite," Clementine said, nodding enthusiastically.

Arthur finally decided to join the conversation. "Hey there, ladies," he greeted them, almost tipping his hat before realizing he had given it to John. Instead, he scratched his forehead and nodded.

"Well now, how are you two doin'?" he asked in a friendly tone.

"I think we're doing just fine. Clementine was just telling me about first grade," Katjaa replied.

"Oh? Is that so?" Arthur cleared his throat. "And what'd you tell her? How was it?"

"It was easy," Clementine stated matter-of-factly.

"Hmm..." Arthur nodded. "So good?"

Clementine shrugged.

"Anyway, it's almost like we didn't see people eating each other for the past three days. It's peaceful here, no?" Katjaa looked around.

Arthur noted to himself that Clementine was a first grader. "So, what do you do for a living, miss?" he asked Katjaa politely.

"I am a veterinarian back in Fort Lauderdale—like Hershel here, except I mostly work with dogs and cats, not horses. What do you do, Arthur?" she asked, tilting her head slightly.

Arthur hesitated for a moment, caught off guard. He couldn't exactly reveal that he used to be part of a notorious gang and was, or maybe still was, an outlaw. "I reckon I'm a hunter, ma'am. That's what I do to make a livin'," he responded, keeping it simple.

"We need to HOPE that we can go back to our jobs soon, Arthur. Back to normal. It can't stay like this," Katjaa said, her expression earnest. "We'll all be home soon."

"So, uh, how was the city? I reckon we didn't get much of a chance to see it together," Arthur asked, nodding toward Clementine.

"Kenny just...drove. We passed so many people that needed help. And...we just...passed people. Just...just..." Katjaa's voice trailed off, and Arthur could see the sadness creeping into her eyes.

"I get it," Arthur replied, nodding sympathetically. He realized that getting information from her might be a challenge.

"I want to go home tomorrow, but even then I can't take away the things we—the things Duck—went through. Don't you wish you could go back to the moment before you knew about all of this?" Katjaa asked, her voice thick with emotion.

"Yeah, I get that feeling. Sometimes it'd be nice to just forget everything, to go back to a simpler time," Arthur agreed. "Well, I'll go check on the boys."

"Okay, Arthur," Katjaa nodded, her expression grateful.

As he left, Arthur hesitated for a moment before gently patting Clementine on the shoulder and making his way behind the house to find Shawn and Duck.

"Hey, Mr. Greene," Arthur greeted Shawn, who was busy working on the fence.

"Hey. But call me Shawn. Mr. Greene is too formal," he chuckled.

"Sure," Arthur shrugged. "Need a hand?"

"That'd be great. If you could cut those two-bys to length, that'd sure speed things up," Shawn said, gesturing toward a stack of lumber.

"Alright then," Arthur replied, moving over to the bench nearby to begin cutting the two-by-fours in half with a saw.

"My dad doesn't know how bad it is," Shawn remarked, breaking the silence.

Arthur simply grunted in response, unsure of how to engage.

"I saw a guy in Atlanta kill a kid. A boy. Just shot him right in the face," Shawn said, his voice heavy with the weight of the memory.

"Damn... Was that boy one of those monsters? Ain't no excuse for takin' a life like that, but in this world, you gotta wonder," Arthur mused, shaking his head.

"I don't even know. He was either attacking the guy or asking for help," Shawn sighed. "He didn't even hesitate. He just turned, put the barrel of the gun right between this kid's eyes, and pulled the trigger. You don't see things like that. It's not like in the movies."

Arthur nodded, feeling a cold chill run through him.

"Did you have to do it?" Shawn asked, his eyes searching Arthur's face.

"Kill one of those things?" Arthur replied, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah," Shawn nodded.

"Yeah, I shot one and then had to stomp another's head in," Arthur said matter-of-factly.

"I could shoot one, maybe. If it were far away," Shawn admitted, uncertainty creeping into his voice.

"I'm just glad we're getting this fence built. Dad just wants to keep the family safe and thinks inviting people in is a bigger threat than whatever's out there. How about yours? The rest of your family?" Shawn asked, glancing at Arthur.

"Well...Uh, Clementine's mother is gone...I had a brother too," Arthur said, referring to John Marston as 'brother.' "I guess I don't have any family left," he added, a somber weight settling over him. "Aside from Clementine, of course."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Shawn said softly. "That's probably all I need cut for now. Thanks," he said, and Arthur stopped cutting.

As he put a hand in his pocket, he felt something. Pulling it out, his eyes brightened at the sight. "Man, I didn't think I'd have one!" he exclaimed, revealing a cigarette that was bent and slightly crumbled from movement.

Arthur looked at Shawn. "Do you happen to have a match?"

Shawn glanced at Arthur, noticing the cigarette between his lips. "No, but I have a lighter." He reached into his pocket, fished out the lighter, and handed it to Arthur.

Arthur used it to light the cigarette before passing it back. He took a long drag, savoring the moment, relieved that he didn't need to worry about tuberculosis anymore. "Haaa..." he exhaled, a big puff of smoke escaping his lips.

As he watched Shawn work and Duck play on the tractor, he finished his cigarette in peace. But just as he was about to toss it aside, he noticed four zombies approaching. "Shawn," he called out, urgency creeping into his voice.

Shawn looked up, about to turn around when he spotted the four walkers closing in. "Oh shit!" he exclaimed, jumping to his feet. He rushed over to Duck and quickly helped him off the tractor.

Meanwhile, Arthur calmly drew his hammer with his left hand and a knife with his right, waiting for the walkers to come closer. With swift movements, he smashed one creature's head in with the hammer and plunged the knife into another's skull. When they fell to the ground, he repeated the process, taking down the remaining threats.

"Holy..." Shawn sighed in relief, his eyes wide. "Man, you took care of those things with no problem!"

As some time passed, Kenny, Katjaa, and Duck prepared to leave the farm after Kenny got his truck running. Arthur managed to convince the old farmer, Hershel, to allow him and Clementine to stay on the farm by claiming he had owned quite a few horses and knew how to handle them.

Arthur met Shawn's mother, who looked unwell; her skin had a grayish hue, and the whites of her eyes were turning yellow. He also encountered Shawn's sisters, Maggie and Beth. Arthur found Maggie somewhat attractive, but the fleeting moment of infatuation quickly dissipated as he reminded himself of the pressing matters at hand. He had no time for romantic distractions; his focus needed to be on Clementine and their survival. He silently chided himself, thinking that he was just an ugly old fool.