Andy, Danny, Mark, and Ben strolled through the forest, with Lee, Riley, Carley, and Doug following a short distance behind them.
Mark engaged in a conversation with Andy about food, dairy, and related topics.
As they continued their walk, Carley initiated a conversation with Lee, saying, "It's nice to get away from that motel for once in a while. This whole Lilly/Kenny situation is getting ridiculous. Personally, I think it would be better if you took charge more."
I joined in the small chat, concurring with Carley's statement. "I agree. You seem to have a more level-headed approach compared to them."
"See.. Even kid agrees," Carley added"
Lee responded "Lilly's way of running things is smart. It's not easy, but it's keeping us alive"
Carley raised an eyebrow, displaying a hint of disappointment at Lee's response. "Or maybe you just don't want to be in charge?"
Doug chimed in, encouragingly saying, "You should stand up for yourself, Lee. You should give it a try. We won't know until you take that step, you know?"
After pondering for a moment, Lee nodded and replied, "I'll try"
The weight of being a leader of a group was no small task, even as someone who wasn't officially the leader. Lee could sense how much the group relied on his actions, and it weighed heavily on his mind. He feared that if he were to become the leader and made even a single mistake, all the progress they had achieved thus far would crumble.
Trust, friendship, life, and memories—these were the pillars that held meaning for Lee. However, there was a weight on his shoulders, a part of his past that haunted him. He believed that if it were ever revealed, it would shatter everything they had built.
Carley noticed the frown on Lee's face and spoke up, "I'm telling you, whatever happened with you and the senator, you should let it go. Let the past be in the past. You're a good man, that much I know, so don't punish yourself with those thoughts."
"I wish it were as easy as that..." Lee sighed.
"Does anyone else know about it?" Carley asked.
"Clementine and larry knows, probably mark too" Lee admitted. "I told her about it, except larry. I guess he got fast nose on the news, with mark, i just kind of blurted it out on the situation back with ben"
"That's tough. Well, at least they still seems to trust you. What did they say about it?" Carley inquired, genuinely curious.
Curiosity getting the better of me, I interjected, "Know what? Are you guys keeping secrets?"
Carley shot me a stern look. "Riley, the adults are having a conversation."
"Okay, sorry," I mumbled.
I fell back a bit, walking alongside Doug.
"What was that all about? Did you touch a nerve?" Doug chuckled.
I noticed an object in Doug's hand and pointed at it. "What's that?"
"It's a laser pointer. I found it at the drugstore," Doug replied, tucking the laser pointer into his pocket.
We caught up with the rest of the group ahead of us.
Mark was engaged in conversation, sharing stories about our days and how we've been managing. Lee's name came up more frequently, piquing Andy's curiosity about him.
Andy turned to Lee and asked, "Why don't you tell us a little more about yourself, Lee?"
"Yeah, like where are you from?" Danny chimed in.
Lee replied, "I grew up in Macon, but I suppose the motor inn is my home now, I guess..."
Andy commented, "Hmmm, that place has seen better days, huh?"
Doug chimed in, "We've actually made it pretty secure."
Ben, impressed by Doug's skills, couldn't help but praise him, saying, "I like that alarm system you made. That's pretty smart."
Carley chimed in, expressing her agreement. "You can say that again."
At the warm atmosphere, the questions continued, "You all seem pretty settled in at that motor inn. Who's running things over there?"
Pondering for a moment, Lee could have simply said it was Lily who was running things, but he decided to take Carley's advice to heart. With newfound confidence, he replied, "I am. If you guys have any questions, you come to me."
Carley, Doug, and I exchanged smiles, silently showing our support for Lee.
Whispering to Lee with a thumbs up, I encouraged him, saying, "Keep it up."
His smile widened, knowing that some people were behind him, which brought him happiness.
Andy continued with more questions, asking, "How many people ya over there, anyway?"
Feeling a slight unease, I wondered if Andy's questions were simply out of curiosity or if there was something more to it. Perhaps I was being overly paranoid, drawing parallels to gathering intel in games.
Lost in my thoughts, I was pleasantly surprised when Lee came up with the perfect response, saying, "Enough to defend ourselves."
I couldn't help but think that Lee's leadership qualities were shining through in moments like these. It reaffirmed my belief that he was the right person to lead us.
Andy continued the conversation, while Danny remained quiet. "Well, that's good! It's getting dangerous out there, as you guys know," Andy remarked.
Lee gestured towards Ben and explained, "Well, this kid here is our newest arrival, but we're all looking forward to some food. We really need it."
Mark acknowledged the mention of food, saying, "We've got a lot of hungry folks back there who would truly appreciate your offer."
Andy smiled and replied, "Well, here's to helping each other out!"
Feeling a bit bored during the walk, I couldn't help but ask, "Is this going to take much longer?"
"Don't worry, princess. Just a few more steps, and we'll be there. We're getting close," andy said.
I lost myself in thought to pass time, thinking of some entertaining fantasy as we walks, andy just keeps on talking.
"Momma's been running the dairy for as long as I can remember, but now it's gettin'--"
A nearby conversation was heard, everyone stopped on their track, we lowered down, quietly sneaking towards the sound of conversation of the unkown party.
Ben's face turned pale with shock. "Those look like the guys who raided our camp," he whispered, his voice filled with fear.
Danny, his expression filled with bitterness, muttered, "F*cking bandits."
Lee quickly assessed the situation and gave firm instructions to everyone. "Stay low," he whispered. "If there's been a raid, there's likely more of them around."
We remained hidden, keeping ourselves low and quiet, cautiously observing the bandits and their argument, while also staying prepared for any potential danger that may lie ahead.
Andy's frustration was evident as he expressed his anger towards the bandits. "Damn right there's more of these f*ckin' assholes, always bugging our peaceful times with their daily attacks. F*ckers almost took our cattle with their arrows."
Taking a quick look around, I noticed that everyone seemed fixated on listening to the bandits' conversation. Concerned about the risk of being discovered and the potential consequences, I spoke up, "Shouldn't we just continue on our way as quickly as possible? The longer we stay here, the higher the chance of being found, and we all know how bad that would be."
"She's right, let's-" lee responds, but before they could finish, a loud gunshot rang out, shattering the forest's silence.
Everyone was startled.
"F*ck you!" The bandit angrily said as he shot his own party.
After the bandits' aggressive response and the subsequent shots. Ben gasped in shock as the bandits walked away.
Danny took the lead, and Andy expressed his frustration, saying, "Just have the world f*cked in four months, and all their inner demons came running out. This is no safe haven, we need to move now."
Everyone followed in silence, eager to put the unsettling encounter behind them. The realization sank in that it wasn't just the walkers they needed to be cautious of; humans with guns posed an even greater threat. Their guards were up, and they remained vigilant, prepared for any unexpected situation throughout the whole walk in the forest.
Finally, we arrived at the farm.
"Here it is. St. John's family dairy," Andy announced proudly, gesturing towards the electric fence. "You can see how we've kept this place so safe."
As I looked around, my eyes were drawn to a pile of used gas canisters gathered in one spot. I ask, "So, all those were used in just four months?"
Andy shook his head. "No, it's actually longer than that. We don't go through that much gas in a single month, maybe two or three per month"
Doug, intrigued by the electric fence, knelt down to inspect it closely. "This is amazing. Is this fence powered on?"
"Unfortunately, no. We're trying to conserve gas, so the fence isn't currently powered," Andy replied, a hint of disappointment in his voice. "But you guys coming with those gas cans, you've been life-savers."
Mark, noticing the length of the fence and its apparent effectiveness, couldn't help but ask, "So the fence keeps the zombies out?"
"Zombies?"
"Oh don't worry about it, it just mean those things. Walkers or biters, weird name. Someone just rub the name on us"
"You betcha," Andy confirmed with a nod. "They fry like bugs in a zapper. We're pushing 4,000 volts through that thing, with generators and amps."
Doug was clearly impressed. "Oh, wow, you guys must know a thing or two about running wire!"
"We had a guy who did, yeah," Danny chimed in as he reached the gate, preparing to open it.
Carley, not being well-versed in electricity, made a blunt comment, "I'm going to assume that's a lot."
While the others engaged in conversation about the electric fence and safety measures, I found myself captivated by the well-managed nature of the dairy farm. The thought of staying here crossed my mind, considering it seemed like a safer and more comfortable place than the motor inn.
However, the reality was that our group was quite large, and if we were to stay at the dairy, there would likely need to be a discussion or vote on who would get to sleep there. I scolded myself for my selfish thoughts. It wasn't appropriate to think about such things during our initial meeting with the group. It would be rude and inconsiderate.
I decided to focus on the present moment and the immediate needs of our group, keeping any personal desires or considerations to myself for now.
I'm not always the most brightest person when it comes to having long conversations. I tend to create an awkward atmosphere, so I usually prefer to engage in short talks.
However, despite my social shortcomings, I couldn't help but hope that we could find a solution for our current situation. The sleeping arrangements weren't necessarily a problem, but the overall safety of our current location left much to be desired.
Just then, a woman, slightly on the heavier side, approached the group as we gathered near the gate. She held a basket in her hands and greeted Lee and the others, saying, "I thought I saw y'all with company coming down the drive!" And said it was their mother
With a warm smile, she introduced herself "I'm Brenda St. John, and welcome to the St. John Dairy!"
Andy gestured towards Lee and introduced him, "This here's Lee... He's from Macon."
Brenda turned her attention to Lee and commented, "A couple of our old farm hands were from Macon. They grow 'em good there."
Andy added, "He's been living down at the old motel 'round the way."
As the conversation continued, I stood there silently, absorbing their words. Once their conversation came to a pause, Brenda's gaze shifted towards me, and she wore a warm smile. "And who is this young lady here?" she asked kindly.
Well, that's a first time someone has addressed me as a lady, seriously it's still weird, like really weird. I'm a guy suddenly possessing a female child 12 years younger than me.
"I'm Riley," I introduced myself briefly.
Brenda simply smiled and then brought forward the basket she held in her hand, filled with freshly baked bread. "Now that y'all are here, we'll make sure you're safe and comfortable."
Doug graciously received the basket from Brenda's hands.
Carley couldn't help but comment, her eyes lighting up at the sight of the bread. "Amazing!"
Andy chimed in, saying, "Can't get stuff like that anymore, not without a cow for milk and butter, that's for sure."
The sight of the freshly baked bread triggered the rumbling of everyone's hungry stomachs. Lee, considering the needs of the rest of the group left behind at the Motor Inn, asked, "Does that offer apply to the rest of us?"
Brenda responded with a warm smile, "Of course, sweety." Her words brought relief and joy to everyone present.
As the aroma of the bread filled the air, everyone couldn't help but express their hunger, complaining about how empty their stomachs felt.
Our meal back at the motor inn was small, but it provided enough sustenance to replenish our energy and keep us going on for the day.
A crunching chewing sound caught everyone's attention, and we turned to see Doug munching on a piece of bread, still holding the basket. He paused momentarily, realizing he had been caught in the act, and quickly apologized, saying, "Sorry."
I, on the other hand, had already eaten my fill earlier and didn't feel hungry at the moment. I couldn't help but comment, "I guess one of the perks of being a girl is having a smaller appetite. It's nice not having to constantly search for food."
Brenda's expression turned somber as she frowned, clearly upset about something. "You might want to share that with your friends, give them a taste of home. After all, that could be the last batch we can make," she suggested, her voice carrying a hint of sadness.
Doug, controlled by hunger, exclaimed loudly, "What? Why?!"
Carley, feeling the need to address the outburst, pinched Doug on his shoulders, eliciting a slight yelp from him. "Ouch! Sorry..." he apologized.
Brenda, finding amusement in their interaction, reassured Doug, saying, "It's alright, darling. I understand you're hungry and all. But you see, the reason for that is... our Maybelle is sick. She might not make it through the year."
Upon hearing this news, worry set in for everyone present.
Lee, concerned, began to ask, "Your cow is sick? What-"
Before Lee could finish his sentence, Mark interrupted, his voice filled with urgency, "We have a vet! We could bring them here! We can help you folks out!"
Brenda gasped, her face lighting up with joy. "A vet? Oh, my! Our prayers have been answered!" she exclaimed.
Mark seized the opportunity and proposed that in exchange for the vet's services, their entire group could come to the farm for the day.
Brenda didn't hesitate and enthusiastically agreed to the arrangement, extending a warm invitation to the group. "Well, how about this? Y'all go and fetch your veterinary friend, and I'll prepare a delicious dinner. We'll have a big feast for all you hungry souls. It'll be wonderful to have some folks to help out around here again. Danny, why don't you come and lend me a hand in the kitchen?"
Danny, with a smile, nodded and followed Brenda towards the house, ready to assist her in preparing the meal.
Doug said "Why don't I head back with the food and round up everyone for the trip over here?"
"You might wanna take someone with you. Remember, those roads can be dangerous" Andy warns doug
"No problem. Carley can come with me"
Carley took out her gun "Whenever your ready"