The Trotting Dead: VG

Episode 2 Chapter 5: Secrets
Written by:bobby ray
Proofread/Edited by: KJay

Danny opened the gate and went onto the front yard, Lee closed the gate behind himself. Rainbow flew over it then returned to Lee's level. Danny, carrying his rifle in one hand with the crazy woman's crossbow hanging from the back of his belt, stopped near the picket fence. He turned towards Lee and Rainbow, "Man, that was a hell of a ride, huh?"

Neither of them wanted that to be the first words to come out of his mouth. Lee tossed his rifle to its owner, "Jesus, Danny."

He caught the rifle and looked strangely at Lee, "What? You're not going soft on 'em, are ya? Not after what they did to your friend."

Rainbow flew closer to him, "You had absolutely NO reason to kill that woman!"

Danny got closer to Dash, giving her a rather odd look, "I had more reason than you'd care to realize."

"What?" A small chill ran through her and she didn't understand why.

"You're back!" Brenda sat on the steps to her porch, overwatching the Dairy while dinner was cooking. She didn't need to check on the food until it was done, which would be soon enough, so she decided to get some fresh air. Rainbow let herself forget about Dan as she looked at the middle aged woman, who rose to her feet, "What happened?"

Danny looked up as well to answer, "Handled it, Mama!" He walked over to the tree stump to grab a seat. Clementine and Duck were no longer over there; in fact nobody else was within this part of the fence at all.

Lee and Rainbow went up the hill, to the house. Brenda sat back down and let out a silent sigh, "This isn't what Terry would've wanted..."

"Who's Terry?" Rainbow asked, reaching Brenda seconds before Lee.

She looked up at the floating Pegasus, "My husband." Brenda looked back down, "Miss him every day."

"Then screw it up for everybody then, why don't you?" Lilly demanded, they turned to see her in the section of fence in front of the barn. She was speaking to Kenny, the irritated expressions they get when they argue was already there.

"Oh calm down, princess." Kenny turned and walked towards the barn, "We'll do it ourselves." Lilly watched him walk away, disapproval in her eyes. She returned to her spot at the gazebo once he was inside.

Lee looked back at Brenda, "What's going on with them?"

"Dunno." Brenda told him, "Squablin', looks like. Lotta tension with ya'll huh?"

'She has no idea.' Rainbow thought to herself. She quickly remembered every fight she'd had with Larry; to say this list was short would be like saying walkers just want to be your friend. Dash put a hoof behind her head, a half grin formed, "Yeah, a little bit."

Lee looked at her, "'A little bit'? Try every day."

Brenda smiled, "Nobody can go long without food and get along nice. We'll get that fixed shortly!"

"Well, I haven't actually been starving at all. Me and my friends have been well fed for the last three months."

"Oh I know, your friend Applejack told me while ya'll were gone. It's very fortunate that you can eat grass, but ta eat it alone for three months..."

Rainbow nodded, "Yeah, it is kinda getting dull."

"You know," Lee remembered something Rainbow had said earlier, "They can eat hay, too."

"I suspected they did." Brenda went back to Dash, "How about for dinner I let you and your friends have some hay. How'es that sound?"

She took a second, "That sounds nice. Could we have those as sandwiches, instead of just hay?"

"Sure, if that's how ya like it. Feel free to join us inside whenever dinners ready." She took a quick look at the sky, determining what time it was, "Well, I wont keep you two any longer. You probably got some business ya want ta take care of."

"Alright, see you soon." They went back down the hill. Once they were outside the little white fence, Lee gave Rainbow a look, "'A little bit?"

Rainbow lightly pushed Lee's shoulder, "Oh shut up. It's not like I lied about something important." She looked around, "So where is everyone?"

"In the barn."

"How can you tell?"

"The door's open." She turned in time to see Clementine approach the door, she was inside the barn. She waved to Lee and Dash when she saw them, then closed the barn door.

Rainbow grabbed Clem's hat from Lee, "We should give this to her. It's weird seeing her without it."

Lee stopped her, "Not yet. I want to talk to Lilly first."

She looked at him for a moment, "You WANT to talk with Lilly?"

"I only have to ask her something. And I don't hate her like some of us."

"I don't hate her either," She told him, "just her dad."

Lee began walking, "Just c'mon." Rainbow followed Lee, reluctantly, over to Lilly and her dad. Lee was first to greet when they got close, "Lilly."

She looked at him, "Lee."

Rainbow looked at Larry, "Ape."

He barely raised his head to see her, "Rat."

Lilly ignored the petty names her father and the Pegasus exchanged, "So how did it go out there? Did you guys find those people who shot Doug, or..."

"We found this woman up in the woods." Lee told her, "She was talking all crazy and had a crossbow... So Danny killed her."

Lilly starred at Lee, "Holy shit! Was she one of those bandits?"

"No." Rainbow answered, "Not if what she said was true. It was weird, though, it sounded like there was something she knew that we didn't. And then..." She trailed off, preffering not to repeat mentioning what Danny had done.

"I don't like this, not at all. We should head back to the Motor Inn as soon as we can. At least there we know what to expect."

"We aren't staying here for long, Lilly." Lee made sure she knew.

Larry's full attention was found, "Says who?"

"Says me." Rainbow glarred at him, "And Lee, and Applejack, and Twilight. Want me to name everyone else?"

"Last time I checked, decisions like that weren't being made by stray dogs." Rainbow lit up fast.

Lee stood between them, stopping anything else from starting. He looked at Rainbow, "Why don't you wait by the barn?"

"But..."

"We can't start something here." He whispered, "This is someone else's home."

Rainbow was pretty much red with hatred for that old bastard. Sometimes she just wanted to drop something heavy on his head, like a brick or something. She flew over to the barn to wait for Lee, "Thanks." Lilly said the second she was out of ear shot, "We really can't afford a fight here."

"Just remember, Lilly." He turned back around to both of them, "She isn't the one who always starts the fights." He eyed Larry for a second, who didn't give a damn. Lee looked at Lilly once again, "So what were you and Kenny arguing about when we got back?"

"He's losing it, Lee. He came over here saying that he, Mark and Applejack found something off in the barn. Kept saying these people were hiding something..."

"I hope you told them to stick their nose up their asses if they're sniffing around for something funny." Larry told her, "We are guests here, and we can't have them overstaying our welcome more than we already have."

Lee had all he wanted, "I'll see you two later."

"Hope not." Larry's finest farewell.

Rainbow was floating right next to the barn door. She noticed Lee as he got close, "I don't like letting Larry have the final insult, you know that."

"I couldn't risk letting it escalate past name calling. Plus you need to learn when to walk away."

"Learn, huh?" Rainbow let out a smirk, "You also know how little I pay attention to lessons. Anyway, ready to head inside?"

"Sure." Rainbow moved over so Lee could open the barn door. He paused, thinking about something, then turned to Dash, "Rainbow, do you get the feeling something weird is going on here? Something off?"

She looked around for a second and thought about it. Her eyes caught sight of Danny, still sitting on the tree stump. He was strocking his rifle, almost petting it, and on the way to the camp Rainbow heard him call it 'Charlotte'. She answered Lee, "Yeah. Since we left that camp something's felt wrong."

Lee took his hands off the door, "Are you okay?"

Rainbow took a moment to figure out where this one came from, "Lee, I am fully disgusted by what Danny did, but I'm fine. I know how Applejack was acting, and she had every right to feel that way with what she's seen. Neither of us are going to let anything get to us like that from now on, I've made sure of that. Now let's head inside."

Lee felt good knowing this. He slid the door open and both of them went inside. The inside of the barn seemed smaller than it looked outside, probably because part of it was sealed off by a wall and a double door. Katjaa sat on a stool next to the cow who was near the entrance. She kept an eye on the cow and the two children who were interested in it: Clementine stood closer to the door, while Duck sat closer to Andy. Andy sat on a wooden chair, whose back was to a stall, watching over everyone inside the barn. Kenny, Mark and Applejack were all spread out throughout the barn, acting like they were just checking things out.

Duck and Clem watched the cow with intense interest, even though it was just laying there. Soon the cow lifted her head up, shaking out the fly that had rested inside her ear, making both kids grin. Clementine went to pet the cow, but she was hesitant, "It's okay, Clementine," Katjaa reassured her, "you can pet her."

Clem turned to Rainbow and Lee, whom she heard enter moments ago, wanting to confirm it was alright. Lee smiled, "It's okay, go ahead."

She slowly took a step closer to the cow. Clem put her hand on top of the cows head and began petting, "Woah..." Rainbow truly enjoyed Clementine's fasination in such things. Back at Hershal's farm, Clem had asked Rainbow if she could pet her. At the time, it seemed like an odd request, but now it made much more sense. Clem continued to pet for a few more seconds, "Katjaa says Maybelle could have her baby tonight!"

Katjaa quickly inspected Maybelle again, "We'll see, Clementine."

A big, concrete block to Duck's right caught Lee's eye. He walked over and inspected it closer, "What's this thing?"

Duck turned his head to look at him, "Daddy says it's called a salt lick."

"Yeah, but don't lick it," Clementine warned, "it's gross."

Rainbow, who hid Clem's hat behind her back for the moment, looked at her, a grin plastered on, "Did you lick that thing?"

She stared blankly at the floating mare for two seconds, "I don't know..."

Lee and Rainbow were cracking up on the inside. After little time Rainbow nodded to Lee, they both approached Clementine, "Hey, Clem. Got something for you." She lowered herself down and removed her hoof from behind her back.

Clementine lit up when she saw it, "My hat! You found it!" She grabbed it and placed it on her head, where it rightfully belonged, "I knew you'd find it, you promised you would!"

Rainbow lowered herself all the way to the floor. She looked Clementine in the eyes, "Clem, listen to me please. Did you give your hat to anybody? Anybody at all?"

She shook her head, "No."

"Did you see any strangers around the Motor Inn who might have taken it?" Lee threw in.

"No. Why?"

Lee got to his knee, "It's probably nothing. Just let me or Dash know if anything like that ever happens."

"Okay, I will. Thank you both for finding my hat." One thought lead to another, and almost immediately a question formed, "Hey, Lee. Do you think you'll ever have kids?"

Lee was momentarily reminded of something, something he didn't want to think about. He immediately dismissed it, "I'd like to someday. Maybe a little girl, like you."

"You'd make an awesome dad, Lee." Rainbow told him, "I have no doubt on that."

"Thank you." Lee got off his knee.

Before he could say something else, Clem asked one more question, "Do you want to pet the cow with me, Lee?"

He shook his head slightly, "Nah, I have some things I have to take care of right now."

Rainbow looked up at Lee, "I'll stay with her, Lee. You do whatever it is you have to."

"Alright, I'll see you girls later." He turned and walked off.

Not two seconds after Lee left, Duck sniffed the air, "Ah, it smells funny in here."

Clem looked at him, "... Like doo-dee!"

Duck laughed at the word, and Clementine giggled as well. Katjaa looked at them both, "Kids!" Duck immediately went silent. Rainbow enjoyed the small ordeal.

Lee took time to check the entire barn, first up was the stalls where all the cows used to stay. There was six total; three on each side of the barn, going from the end of the barn almost three-fourths the way to the front wall. The first three he checked were empty exept for the feeding troughs in each. The fourth had a hay bale in it as well, laying in the center of the cubed space. Duck had noticed Lee checking out the stall, and snuck up behind him to see what was inside. He instantly saw the bale, "I wanna play on the hay!"

Lee glanced at Kenny's boy, "Just stick close to your mom for now."

Duck slouched his shoulders and pouted. He stumbled back to where he was, "Okay." Lee left the stall soon after and made his way to the fifth stall, the one right next door. Inside he found another trough and a large stack of Dairy boxes. Lee searched through some of the top boxes, each and every one empty. He left that stall finding nothing of interest.

The final stall, opposite of the previous one, was a slightly different story. Inside was another feeding trough, surprise, and a wheelbarrow. Inside it was a sufficiently large pile of clothing, all of different sizes. Lee inspected the pile closely, "Looks like a bunch of old, dirty clothes." He smelled the air deeply, "Oh! Smells pretty foul."

He was intrigued by the near moldy clothing, but had no real reason to get suspicious over it at the moment. Lee left the stall without further reason to stay. The only part of the barn he had left to search was the back, behind the double doors. Lee stopped as he brought his hand closer to the door; a rusty looking, metal padlock had the doors closed up tight. As Lee began thinking of the reasons why this door was locked, he heard Mark not far behind him, "See? I told you Lee would find it, too."

He turned to see Applejack, Kenny and Mark just three feet away from him. They approached, Applejack spoke before Lee could ask anything, "They're hidin' somethin', Lee. It's behind this here door."

"What are you talking about?" Lee asked, purely unsure about what they were getting at.

Mark got Lee's attention, "Kenny and I were the first two people inside the barn when they opened it up. Andy was in here before us, and he was locking this door the very second we came in."

"I got a quick look, though." Kenny told him, "There was boxes of... stuff," He wasn't sure what it was, "and something metal and sharp."

Lee wasn't sure what to make of this at the moment. Kenny and Mark weren't ones to lie, but what was he supposed to make of this nonsense? He looked to Applejack, who nodded her head, "They ain't lyin', Lee. I know that for a fact."

He still wasn't sure, even after it came from a mare who couldn't lie to save her life, "Look, guys, I think you're being a bit paranoid."

"Well, it's my JOB to be paranoid, Lee!" Kenny made sure to keep his voice low. One of the farmers was just two yards away, "I've got my whole family on this farm right now!"

Applejack looked at Lee, "We've all got friends and family on this Dairy. I know you, Lee, you'll do everythin' ta make sure Clementine AND Dash are safe. Won't you?"

He simply nodded, "You're damn right I will. No matter what it takes."

"And that's why we need to make sure this place is safe." Mark took a step closer to the door, "I heard something back there, Lee, after Andy locked it up."

Lee's curiousity flourished with everything they said, "What was it?"

Mark turned his head from the door to Lee to answer, "I don't know," then back to the door, "which is all the more reason we should find out. This could be the reason he didn't want us in here earlier. We have to know for certain, either way."

"Exactly." Kenny agreed, "Now if one of you could find me something to break this lock with we can find out. A rock, a hammer, whatever. I'll need you to back me up if them farmers come running, too."

Lee got everyone's attention before they could take a step, "Woah, hang on! We need to take a minute to think this through. What do you think will happen if you break that padlock, then it turns out there's nothing back there exept for some old farm equipment." He turned to Kenny specifically for the next part, "We'll have just fucked our chances of getting a good, proper meal in those kids who really need it."

Applejack spoke up, "He's right, Kenny. I never agreed ta vandalizing these people's barn."

Kenny was a little irritated as he looked at Lee, "Alright, professor. How else do we get in there?"

Lee turned back to the padlock, "Give me a chance to look at what we're dealing with, first." The padlock wasn't ancient, but it cerainly wasn't new either. He got an idea, "Where's Twilight, Applejack? I bet her magic could have this thing off without giving it a scrach."

"Brenda said she was inside the house, tendin' to Doug." Applejack had mentally questioned Brenda's honesty, especially after what Twilight had told her earlier. But she already knew she couldn't do anything about it until she got inside the house, which wasn't going to happen before dinner was ready. So for now Applejack could only hope nothing bad was going on inside.

Disappointed by this; Lee examined the lock again. It was too bad Lee didn't know anyone who could pick this lock, it wouldn't take that long and wouldn't cause a scene. Apparently Kenny was thinking the same thing but had the wrong idea about it, "Hey, Lee. You know how ta pick a lock, right?"

Lee wasn't paying full attention, unlike Applejack and Mark, so he responded with a simple shake of the head, "No."

Mark gave Kenny a puzzled look, "Why would you think that?"

Kenny had already begun thinking over his own statement, which made him a tad cautious about how he should answer, "Well. He's... You know... Urban?"

Applejack gave Kenny a look of confusion while Mark's was one of disbelief. Lee turned his head to him slowly, giving him a mildly shocked look, "Oh, you are NOT saying what I think you're saying."

Kenny looked back and forth between the three of them, "Jesus, guys! Come on, I'm from Florida! Crazy shit comes out of my mouth now and then. Sorry!"

Applejack tapped Mark's leg. "Um, am I missin' somethin' here?" Mark simply shook his head, dismissing Kenny remark.

Lee went back to the lock, doing his best to forget the statement made. After some overlooking Lee got another idea, "Hm." He thought it over.

Applejack looked at him, "What ya got?"

Lee moved so she could see. Kenny and Mark gave him their attention as well, "You see these screws?" He asked. They nodded, "If we can find some kind of screwdriver we could take off the assembly, have a peak inside and then replace it all again as if nothing had even happened."

"Sounds like a great plan to me." Mark announced.

Kenny nodded, "Alright then. Lee, you and Applejack should look for the screwdriver while Mark and I keep an eye on that guy with the cow."

Applejack looked at him, "We've told you already, Ken, his name is Andy."

"Well I've only known the guy for a few hours." He said, "I keep getting him confused with Danny. It doesn't really..."

Andy had noticed the group near the end of the barn. He now stood less than a few feet away, "Can I help you four find something?"

They all looked at each other, not sure what to say to Andy. Lee was first to think of something, "Just checkin' out the barn here." His excuse put the others to ease as all four of them faced the farmer, "This is even Applejack's first time at a Dairy farm, you know."

Andy bought it, "Okay. Well, just don't roam around without me or Danny. The farm can be a dangerous place." He warned them. The way he said it was a bit, for lack of a better word, off. He quickly changed his tone, "You know, the bandits and all. Sorry about Doug." Lee silently nodded, he could only hope the poor guy would be alright. Lee didn't think of Doug as being weak, he would never define anyone that way, but he kept thinking that an arrow to the shoulder would be less of a deal for anyone else. Andy continued as Lee brought his head back up, Hey, all of you, uh... Do me a favor. Don't fuck around with those doors, okay. Just, you know, mama gets nervous."

"Andrew!" Katjaa called from where she sat near the cow, "I need your help again."

He walked back to the group near Maybelle, "No problem! Right away, doc!"

Kenny nodded to Lee and Applejack once Andy wasn't looking. He and Mark went to seperate areas of the barn, doing what they had been previously. Applejack followed Lee to the other end of the barn, and through the still open sliding door. Lee waited until Applejack was outside, then closed the door shut. A hoof nudged Lee's side, when he turned around Applejack notioned for him to look up at the farm house. Brenda still sat where she had been earlier, but now Larry was up there talking to her. They both giggled, at what Lee wasn't sure, and once they stopped Larry continued, "So... how does a woman like yourself run this whole place?"

Brenda mantained her smile, "Oh I manage just fine. Plus I have my boys to help out. I couldn't do it without 'em."

Lee and Applejack observed the rare sight. The farm pony turned to Lee, "Maybe Larry actually does have a heart beneath all that there crust."

He suppresed a laugh, "Who'd have guessed?" They both chuckled, doing their best to keep it quiet with great success. Lee opened the gate to the inner fence once they'd had their fill.

They both looked around, "So, where do we get one a those screwdriver thingies?"

"In a toolbow most likely."

"Like that?" She pointed her hoof to something. Lee noticed, sitting now on the work table he had cut that board for the swing on, a red and grey toolbox in that direction, "Yeah, that's it."

They went to the conviniently moved carrying case for tools. Lee opened it up and began rummaging through. Applejack wasn't at sufficient hight to see how this search was going, "Found one yet?"

Lee grabbed hold of something, "No. But I have something better." He pulled out a small object which Applejack was highly unfamiliar with, "A multi-tool. This'll do the trick." He closed the toolbox back up and began a walk back to the barn, "Let's get back inside, we've got what we need."

"Wait, Lee." Applejack stopped him, "We can't do this while Andy's in the barn. We gotta get 'im out."

"You're right." They began thinking of a way to lure him out. Lee let his eyes wander, in hopes he could spot something useful for this task. They soon rested on the generator. Doug had told him earlier, while they were checking the perimeter, that Andy himself said the generators were tricky, and repairing them takes him some time.

"I've got an idea." Lee said as walked over to the generator. Applejack went next to him as he loosened two screws on the side panel, allowing it to swing open like a cabinet. The mechanisms inside were going at fast, constant speeds, "It's moving too fast."

"What exactly are ya doin'?" Applejack asked him as he pressed the power button, turning the generator off.

Lee pulled out the multi-tool's screwdriver and put it to the inside of the generator. After some fiddling around, Lee was able to loosen and pull out the belt that kept the whole thing running smoothly. He showed it to Applejack, "This is how we're getting him out here."

He closed up the generator and hit the power again; which did nothing since the belt was gone. They both went over to the fence and made it look as if they were checking the fence as the barn door opened. Andy stepped out, coming to investigate the loss of power to the fence. He walked over to the generator, "Fuckin' Danny. Where'd he find this piece of shit?" He bent down and opened up the panel, using a screwdriver he kept in his pocket. He got a good look inside, "Aw... fuckin' thing threw a BELT!" Anger swelled inside of him, "Damn it all to... Son of a... fack! This'll take forever..." Lee and Applejack silently went past Andy as he kept cursing the hunk of mechanics before him. They went inside the barn, leaving the door open as it was.

Kenny and Mark walked over to the doors as soon as Lee and Applejack entered. They walked across the barn to the other end, making their way to the doors as well. Before they reached it a bell, the dinner bell, rang all the way to the barn, signafying that dinner was ready. Duck sprang to his feet, "Mom! Dad! Dinner time!! It's dinner time!!!"

Rainbow, Clementine and Katjaa got off the ground shortly after Duck. Katjaa looked to her son, "Okay, honey. Let's get dad and Applejack."

Duck quickly ran to where Kenny, Lee, Applejack and Mark were congregated, "Dad! AJ! C'mon, let's EEAAAAT!!!!"

Katjaa walked a bit closer to them, "Kenny? Applejack? Come along, please. Don't make the children wait."

Kenny looked to Lee and Mark, "We'll make an excuse for you two..." He and Applejack began making their way to the door. Duck, Katjaa, Rainbow and Clem walked towards the door, while Duck happily ran past them. Kenny told them one more thing before turning around completely, "Get that thing off!"

Lee pulled out the screwdriver in the multi-tool again once they left the barn. He removed one screw, it fell to the ground. He removed the second, it fell as well. Mark looked to the barn entrance to make sure nobody else was inside. Lee proceeded to take out the third screw, it made the same ping noise as the others as it struck the wooden floor. He loosened the fourth and final screw and let it fall just like the others. Mark grew more and more anticepated as Lee pulled off the now unattached padlock. He put his hand on the handle of both doors, and slowly pulled them both open. Lee and Mark let the doors creak the rest of the way. They looked into the back room, and gawked at what they saw.

The entire back room was a slaughter house, minus the bodies. There was a big, blood stained table saw on a counter like surface. In a corner of the room, near the double doors, layed a low yet wide tub. It was filled almost an inch of the way up with blood, with a stain on the side and a trail leading almost all the way to the other side of the relatively small room. A shelf hung on the wall above the counter; on it set many jars full of god knows what. They couldn't be a hundred percent sure but they looked like internal organs. Setting on the counter itself, on the long end away from the saw, there layed a series of traps. None of them were able to kill, all were designed to mutilate and cause serious agony to whomever was unfortunate enough to set one off. Along with all of this there were many other miscallenious torture based tools spread throughout the whole room.

They stared into the room in disbelief. Mark could honestly say he was completely disturbed; hell, even Lee could. A voice from behind nearly made Mark jump, "Boys. Didn't you two hear the bell?" They turned to face the new arrival. Andy stood there, halfway between them and the exit. He had a discomforting smile on his face. It was only his regular smile, but in this particular instance it was very creepy. He opened his mouth, "Dinner time."

Mark pointed to the room behind him, "What in god's name are you doing with all this stuff back here?! Why is there so much blood!?!"

Andy looked at both of them, keeping his voice in a calm tone, "Look. We have food here, but Danny and I still have ta do a lot of hunting to keep everyone feed. When we catch something in the woods, we skin it and dress it back there. Mama doesn't like us to make a mess in the house. So you see? Nothin' to worry about." Despite not sounding like the whole truth, Lee and Mark couldn't think of another rational reason as to why this room was like this, at least not at the time, Lee nodded his head to confirm they were contempt with the answer. He and Mark walked towards the exit, Andy followed once they passed him. For now the back room would just remain open.

Lee and Mark took a few steps inside the house. Andy followed them in, locking the front door behind himself. The house seemed well kept on the inside so far; even though they were only in the main hallway. There was one door to the right, which led to the dining room and the kitchen beyond that. The other door on the left, further down the hall, was the door to the bathroom. A staircase along the left wall led up to the second floor. A large dresser blocked off the back part of the first floor, for what reason they would soon be told. A portrait and some framed papers, along with a few trophies, hung on the walls. Lilly exited the bathroom as she finished washing her hands. She looked at them as she walked into the dining room.

Andy finished with the door, "Excuse the mess. We had to block off the back entrance after a walker got upstairs." He stepped in front of them and led the way inside the dining room, "Don't worry, that was a while ago and they ain't been back inside since."

Mark and Andy continued on inside, taking a seat at the nice sized table. For a group this size it was a bit of a squeeze but not much else. Lee stopped at the entrance. Tucked into the back of Andy's jeans was a revolver, and lying up against the table, next to Danny, was his rifle. Lee wasn't completely worried about this yet: Andy probably just forgot he had his gun and Danny seemed attached to his. Still, Lee decided to keep on his guard for the rest of this visit. Brenda entered from the kitchen, "Everyone go ahead and sit down while I get the meal. Ooh!" An excited burst escaped her, "This is a delight!"

"I could eat a horse." Kenny claimed, stating the boundaries of his intense hunger. This had earned him a disgruntled look from Dash.

"Could you, now?" She said eyeing him. Kenny smiled awkwardly, realizing his mistake.

Lee overlooked the room, checking who was here. Kenny, Katjaa, Duck, Clementine, Rainbow, Lilly, Larry, Andy, Danny and Mark all sat at the table. Twilight, Applejack and Doug weren't here. Lee looked over to Brenda, "Where is everyone else?"

A few other people looked to Brenda as well, wondering the same thing. She put a hand to her side, "Now don't you worry. Twilight is upstairs, tendin' to Doug. I brought them up some food before ya'll got inside. And Applejack went back outside to wash her hooves. Which reminds me: could you get her for me, Lee? I don't want to start dinner without her."

"Alright, I'll be right back." He stepped back into the hall. Some of the objects hanging on the wall caught Lee's eye. Before he got Applejack, Lee decided to check them out. On the right side hung the framed items and the awards. There were some certificates and awards appointed to the Dairy itself. Lee knew that they must have taken great care of this place before the walkers came. It must have been a wonderous site back then if it looks this good now. A baseball trophy, awarded to Danny, set on a little shelf. Two diplomas hung up, framed. One was Danny's High school degree, the other was Andy's college, "These boys aren't stupid." Lee said as he looked the diploma. On the opposite wall hung the portrait, the last thing Lee had to look at. It was of Brenda, to the left, and a man with grey hair, to the left. The man looked to be around Brenda's age and rivaled her hight. Lee figured this was Terry.

"Lee!" Applejack whisper-hollered from atop the stairs. Lee turned from the portrait to her, "You need to get up here!" She told him, her voice gave away how worried she was about something.

Lee moved to the base of the stairs, "Applejack? What are you doing up there? Brenda said you went outside to clean up."

"I didn't lie, Lee. I said I needed to wash up. Brenda told me that Twi was taking care of Doug, well come up here and see for yerself!" Lee checked behind himself to make sure nobody was in the hall behind him. He made his way up to Applejack, taking each step slowly and silently. One squeeky step near the top made him nerous but caught no unwanted attention. The second Lee reached the top, Applejack led him into the nearest room. The door was wide open and Lee could see the situation instantly. Twilight layed on the floor, her eyes barely open and her breathing weakened. Lee and Applejack went to her, the farm pony put her hooves on her friend, "I just found her like this, Lee! What's wrong with her?!"

He checked the Unicorn over. There wasn't a single wound on her, no bruises of any kind. He wasn't sure at all if he did this correctly, but he checked her pulse and she seemed about normal. Near her layed a needle like you'd find in a hospital. Lee picked the shot up, there was a bit of a liquid like substance inside. He examined it closely, "Looks like morphine. She's been drugged."

"Why?!" Applejack asked as she checked over Twilight herself.

Twilight opened her mouth a bit, "Appl... jack?" Her voice was next to an inaudible mumble.

Applejack got her head closer to Twi's, "Twilight?! Are you alright?! What happened?!"

She didn't respond quite immediately, "I... wanted... they... Doug..." She went back out of it.

"It's was those Dairy farmers downstairs!" She told Lee, "We gotta take care of them: Rainbow, Duck and the others are with them right now!"

"Wait! We can't confront them yet."

"Why not?!" Applejack was half furious, half sick over worry.

Lee pointed to the bed, where Doug should have been resting. It was empty, "We still don't know were Doug is. We have to make sure he's safe first."

Applejack looked around, foolishly hoping he was just hidden in the corner or something. The sooner she was able to confront the St. Johns the sooner she'd get answers for their actions. Her eyes widened as they hit the floor, just a foot away from her, "Lee... Is that blood?"

He followed her gaze. A small puddle, a mere splatter, of pure red stained the wooden floor. It was undeniably blood. Lee got to his feet, "Stay with Twilight. I'm gonna find Doug." He left the room. Moving quickly, without making unnecessary noise, he went to the door across the hall. He opened the door, nothing but a double bed and an empty space where a dresser used to set. The only other door up here lead Lee to a cabinet, much to his displessure. He would have went back to the two ponies immediately had he not spotted some interesting things on the multiple shelves. There was several containers of morphine, a musty towel, more medical supplies, and a trash can full of medical waste, "What would Dairy farmers need with this kind of stuff, anyway?"

Finaly, Lee spotted a power cord. It ran through the side of the hall, as he had already noticed, but it went through this cabinet as well and into a small hole near the bottom. Lee knelt down to get a better look, "Where's this cord going?" It was unplugged at the time. Lee grabbed both ends and put them together, a perfect fit. A small ray of light escaped through the hole from the opposite side. Lee put his hand out to let the light hit him, "What the hell?" Finding no way to immediately discover the source of the light, Lee returned to the mares in the darkened room.

He looked at Applejack, who had her eyes dead set on the bookshelf along the far wall. She heard him enter, "Lee..." He followed her gaze again. The bookshelf was fine, it just had a fine line of light seeping out from under it.

Lee walked over to the bookcase, "Stay here." He told AJ, not wanting to risk her safety until he investigated this. She watched as he pushed the bookcase out of the way. The tall, wooden container had been perfectly set there to hide an ominious door. Applejack got behind Lee, making sure Twilight was fine first, as Lee turned the door knob and pushed the door open. It creaked open slowly on its own. Lee turned to see the mare next to him, before he could tell her to stay back they both caught sight of something in the new room. Doug was laying on the tile floor of what they discovered to be another restroom. Their discovery soon became horrid as the door continued to creak open. Blood, a great amount of it, was spread throughout the tiles of the bathroom. Applejack breathed heavily as she caught sight of his legs, or rather, the lack thereof. The ones that were replaced with blooded stumps.

Doug was in the same state of mind as Twilight, as he had been given morphine as well. Lee covered his mouth as Doug looked at them. Applejack looked at his state in pure horror, "...Doug?"

It was hard for Doug to make out the voice clearly, exept that it was feminen. With his eyes barely open he couldn't make out the figures before him, "...C-Carly?"

"No, it's Lee." He bent down next to him, "Doug, what the hell happened to you?!"

He breathed in raspily, "Andy... Danny..."

Applejack was trembling, "What... h-happened to your l-legs, Doug?"

Doug took a deep breath. He answered them with a warning, a warning that sent chills through every single one of their bones, "Don't... Eat... Dinner."

Applejack went to the side and coughed heavily, resisting the urge to vomit. Lee looked at Doug in horror, processing the warning bit by bit. Brenda, who still assumed they were outside, hollered to them outside from the dining room, "Applejack? Lee? What ya'll doin' out there, did one of ya fall in?!" She laughed at this, "C'mon, dinner's on the table and everyone's havin' at!"

Larry asked about the food, it could be heard from up there, "Where on Earth did you get barbecue meat?!"

Lee quickly got to his feet, "Clementine!" He ran for the door and made his way downstairs, going to prevent her from eating the meat. Applejack went to Twilight, she began helping the Unicorn to the door.

"Where on Earth did you get barbecue meat?!" Larry asked Brenda before digging into the meal. Brenda giggled at Larry's hunger driven enthusiasm before sitting down at his end of the table. Everyone dug into their meals, exept for Clementine and Mark. Clementine was taking her time to examine her plate before digging in. Mark held his fork and looked at his plate; starring at the meat. He had no reason yet to think this was anything other than regular barbecue. But, after seeing the inside of the inner barn, he wasn't interested in eating meat yet. So he instead took a bite out of a biscuit first. Lee appeared at the door before he could take another, Mark was the only one to notice him yet. Lee looked to Clementine, who raised a piece of the meat off her plate with her fork. Mark couldn't get a word out before Lee, "Don't eat that!"

Almost everyone was taken by suprise at the outburst. Clementine set her fork down, listening to Lee's instruction. Everyone else, exept for Duck and Danny, ceased eating completely. Rainbow set her sandwich down as she spoke to Lee, who looked like he just woke up from a nightmare, "Is everything good, Lee? What happened?"

Kenny looked to him as well, "Lee? Jesus, man! Did you find something?"

"Sit your ass down, Lee!" Larry told him. He motioned to Brenda, "This lady has made you a meal."

Danny chewed on his bite for a few seconds. He spoke silently to himself, "It didn't have to go this way..."

Lee looked at everyone, still in shock over his discovery, "You're eating HUMAN MEAT!!" Everyone began talking, nobody agreed with Lee right away.

Kenny looked at him, "You're scaring the kids, Lee." Mark looked at his plate, he was more inclined to believe Lee. He slowly pushed it further to the center of the table.

Lilly couldn't believe the way he was acting, "Lee, what the hell is wrong with you?!"

"Don't indulge him, Lilly." Larry said to his daughter, "It's always something with this guy."

Katjaa looked at Duck; who still kept diving into his plate with greedy, hunger driven pleasure. She took her son's plate away and set it to her left, "Mom! I was eating that!"

Lilly looked around the room, "What's going on?"

"Everyone, listen ta Lee!" Applejack arrived downstairs and entered the room, coming up next to Lee. Twilight was disoriented, weak and was kept up only by the arm she had slung over Applejack's shoulder. This site grabbed everyone's attention, exept for Danny who was still savoring his meal. The farm mare continued to speak, "These people are dangerous! If ya go upstairs, right now, yer gonna find a man missing both a his legs! I mean, just think about it. Where do ya'll think they're gettin' that meat?"

They all looked at each other, then to Brenda. Andy looked slightly nervous, and Danny slowed his eating a bit. Brenda looked at all of them before lowering her head. She sighed, "It's true."

Danny stopped eating entirely, his voice was low, "Everything coulda turned out okay for you folks."

"He woulda' died anyway!" Andy told Lee and Applejack. They both gave him dirty looks as he spoke, "We gotta think about LIVIN'!!"

"Settle down, honey." Brenda told her oldest. She turned to the group before her, "Growin' up in rural Georgia, you're taught not to waste. It's how I was raised and how I raised my boys." With every word she said everyone from the motel grew more disturbed, "Now, you got monsters roamin' around that do nothing but eat people. And for what? To continue ta rot 'til they eat some more! We think we can put that meat to better use."

Rainbow didn't even eat any and she felt sick to her stomach. Lilly pushed her plate away, "Oh, I'm gonna puke."

Mark looked at the old farm woman, "You're all... Sick! Sick in the fucking head!"

She looked at Mark, "Now that's not a very nice thing to imply!" She lowered her head before speaking to everyone again, "Andy's right; we go after folks who were gonna die anyways, one way or another."

Danny looked up. He swallowed his last bite of the meat before speaking. He only said two words, but they were more than enough, "Like ya'll."

Everyone tensed up: Andy looked from Kenny, to Lee, to Mark. Danny slowly put his fork down. Lee was first to do anything, "Rainbow, get Clem out of here!"

Andy pulled out his revolver before they could move, "Nobody's going anywhere!"

Danny jumped to his feet, grabbed Charlotte and pointed her to the whole group. He spoke as Andy got out of his seat, "We got lot's a use for ya'll right here."

Larry was too confussed and Furious at the situation to think clearly, "What the... the fucking... what... fuck..."

Lilly spoke up to them, "Put your guns down! We are walking out of here!"

Kenny pointed to Andy, "Don't go near my fuckin' family!"

Duck looked to his mother, "Mommy I don't wanna die! Mommy, what did I eat?!"

Applejack didn't know what to do. Lee kept himself looking as calm as he could, "Everyone! Everything will be okay!"

Clementine looked from one friend to the next, "Lee!... Rainbow!..."

Andy grabbed Clementine's hair and pulled her back, she let out a squeel of pain. Rainbow pushed her chair back and went for Andy. He, however, was smart enough to see this coming.His revolver was already pointed at Rainbow. She halted, knowing well enough what that tool could to her, but anger still burned in her eyes. Lee shared a similar rage, "Let go of her, you son of a bitch!!!" He ran for him but was stopped by Danny. He put the tip of Charlotte to Lee's neck, halting his approach. Lee backed off only a few inches, his anger not receeding.

A thud on the stairs grabbed everyone's attention. They turned as it was followed by another, and multiple more until it ended at the very bottom. Everyone watched the door in worry, even the St. Johns weren't fully sure. Every second that passed felt like a year. Finally Doug crawled his way into view, pulling himself along with only his hands, "Anyone... Heeeelp...!"

Almost everyone gasped at the sight of him. They hadn't been exactly told it was Doug missing his legs, so this almost took them by complete surprise. Lee turned back to Clem. She watched Doug in horrid disgust, Lee felt horrible as she looked up at him. He tried to walk over to her, "Clement..." Danny brought the butt of his rifle to Lee's head, knocking him to the ground. Everything went dark as he hit the floor.