—Forest—
Howes has fallen. Damn it. The same group they had just brought back caused this disaster. Walkers flooded the entire area. They turned on the PA system, blasted something loud, and led the herd of walkers right to them. They killed Carver, escaped, and now, except for James, everyone else is dead.
He is alone once again. He mourns Carver because, without him, James would have died at the very beginning of the outbreak. Carver was his neighbor, and when James's parents turned into walkers, Carver saved his life.
James had been with Carver for two years. He watched Howes transform into a thriving community under Carver's leadership. There was electricity again, food to eat, and a sense of security. Carver taught him how to shoot and how to fight. But now...everything is gone. And he is alone once more. He lost everything except for his matte black Harley-Davidson motorcycle.
A day after James managed to escape, he ran into Jane, one of the people who had fled with the group from the yard. She was alone, armed only with a knife. When she saw him, she tried to run away, but he pulled out Carver's revolver and shot her in the back.
She collapsed to the ground, gasping for air and clutching the wound on her chest, rolling painfully on the dirt. James got off his bike and walked towards her, his face expressionless. "Look at you, all alone and desperate. Did you really think you could escape? This is how it ends for you, sweetheart. No heroics, just a quick end. You should've known better than to cross us." Without a hint of regret, he aimed the revolver at her face and pulled the trigger.
Afterward, he turned around, climbed back onto his bike, and rode away, leaving the scene behind him.
—Field—
Another day had passed since James killed Jane. Now, he heard multiple gunshots echoing through the woods. He dropped low and sneaked through the trees, trying to conceal himself. The SMG was still slung over his shoulder, but he decided to pull out the revolver—the same one he used to kill Jane.
As he crept closer, he finally found the source of the gunfire. It was the same group that had escaped, but there were fewer of them. He noticed Carlos, Sarah, and Nick were missing.
Clementine suddenly fell to the ground during the shootout, her small frame struggling to stay low. Arvo was frantically performing CPR on Natasha, who lay gasping for breath. Mike clutched his injured shoulder, panic in his voice. "Shit! I'm hit! I'm hit!" he shouted, pain etched across his face.
"Mike, get over here!" Bonnie yelled, urgency in her tone.
Luke was crouched behind a short stone wall, firing at the Russian group. Bonnie and Mike joined him for cover. "Clem!" Luke called out, his voice cracking with concern. Buricko crawled along the ground, bleeding and muttering in Russian. Kenny was crouched behind a tree, firing his pistol with fierce determination. Vitali was hiding behind a rock, desperately returning fire.
"Fuck you! You started this shit!" Kenny shouted, anger boiling over.
"Они заслонили меня!" Vitali yelled, his voice filled with frustration.
Arvo cried out for Natasha, "Сестренка! Сестренка, не оставляй меня…" His voice trembled with fear as he watched her struggle.
Clem's eyes darted around the chaos until she spotted a baby lying on the ground. Without thinking, she crawled forward, narrowly avoiding gunfire. "Hey! What are you doing?!" Luke shouted, alarmed. But Clem was focused. She picked up the baby and quickly hid behind the wall.
"Holy shit! I didn't even see him out there! Good work, Clem. Shit, okay. Okay, we gotta do something, y'all. We're pinned down here. We can't just sit here and let this guy take potshots at us 'til he runs outta ammo. We gotta do something," Luke urged, his eyes wide with urgency.
Clem took aim and fired at Vitali, forcing him to duck. Seizing the moment, Luke tried to move, but he was shot in the leg. "Ahh!" he yelled, collapsing back behind the wall. Kenny, fueled by rage, managed to kill Buricko with a well-aimed shot. He turned his focus to Vitali, firing again to keep him pinned down.
In the chaos, Natasha suddenly reanimated as a walker. She crawled toward Clem, who instinctively shot her, ending the threat. Meanwhile, Arvo broke free from Kenny's grasp, panic flashing in his eyes. Vitali retaliated by shooting at Kenny, who dove to the ground to avoid the bullet. Vitali stood up and aimed his gun at Kenny, ready to pull the trigger.
But before he could shoot, another gunshot rang out.
A bullet struck Vitali from behind, entering his skull and exiting through the front. He crumpled to the ground, lifeless. James stepped out from the shadows, gun still smoking. The shock on everyone's faces was palpable, and a smirk spread across his lips.
He looked directly at Clementine, spreading his arms wide in a mocking gesture. "Did ya miss me, sweetheart?" he taunted.
Kenny aimed his gun at the teenager. "What are you doing here, you little son of a bitch?"
James smirked, unfazed by the threat. "Is that how ya thank me, huh?"
"I should just put a bullet right between your eyes," Kenny growled, his anger palpable. James scoffed, leaning back slightly.
"You can't stay with us," Clementine said sharply, crossing her arms after Bonnie carefully took the baby from her grasp.
"Like it or not, I'm stickin' with you lot. You lot went and destroyed my home, so I don't have anywhere else to go. Let's get movin', alright?" James said, cocking his head side to side, the revolver still firmly in his grip.
"Put the gun down, Kenny," Mike urged, trying to keep the situation from escalating further.
"What?" Kenny replied, disbelief etched on his face.
"He's a kid, man. Do you really wanna kill a kid?" Mike asked, his voice steady but filled with concern.
As they were debating, Arvo suddenly rose from his sister's lifeless body and saw his chance to escape. "He's runnin'!" James shouted, pointing.
Kenny, still seething with rage, turned and shot Arvo in the back twice. The boy crumpled to the ground, lifeless. "Kenny!" Mike shouted, horrified.
"Shut up, Mike," Kenny snapped, his focus still on the threat in front of him.
James watched the scene unfold with a twisted grin. "I knew these fellas. They got a stash of supplies, and I can lead ya right to it," he announced, his tone casual as if he were discussing the weather.
"Why would you help us, James?" Luke asked, suspicion clouding his gaze.
"I'll help out, 'cause this is how I'm gonna survive," James replied, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, his smirk widening. "You need me, and I need you. Simple as that."
The group exchanged uneasy glances, weighing their options. Kenny's gun still pointed at James.