Ignoring Kenny, who was still asleep, the rest of us turned to Molly for answers. With every second of her silence, our heartbeats quickened. Her gaze drifted around the house, as if searching for Lee and the others.
"How the hell should I know?" she finally said. "They told me to lure the walkers away from town and meet them here afterward." She looked at each of us in turn, her voice wavering. "Maybe they're on their way. Let's just wait."
"Are you really telling the truth?" Christa asked sharply. Her expression made it clear she didn't fully trust Molly, and Molly sensed it.
"I don't gain anything from lying to you," Molly replied. "I'm just as desperate to get out of this goddamn place."
Christa studied her closely, weighing every word. After a moment, she nodded and turned toward the window, hoping to spot the others. I joined her, peering outside. Minutes dragged on, feeling like hours. There was still no sign of them.
I was about to head out to search when Molly suddenly shouted, "I see them! They're coming!"
Everyone rushed to the window, even Christa, who somehow managed to move despite her injured leg. Her face broke into a smile when she spotted Omid and Lee.
"Ben, open the door—now!" she ordered.
Ben didn't hesitate. Molly and I followed as he rushed forward. My heart pounded, especially at the thought of seeing Clementine again. As footsteps neared, Ben flung the door open.
Lee stood there along with two people I didn't recognize at first.
Then it hit me.
Vernon and Brie.
Cancer survivors who had been hiding in the sewers beneath Crawford. In the original timeline, Vernon betrayed the group, stole the boat, and disappeared. The moment I saw his gray hair, distrust settled in my gut.
"Max? How did you get here, kid?" Lee asked, clearly stunned.
I snapped back to myself and smiled politely. "It's good to see you again. How have you been? It feels like forever."
"Same here," Lee said. "I missed you." He pulled me into a quick hug.
"Hey, kid. I missed you, too," Omid added from behind Lee, grinning. He looked genuinely happy and surprised to see me.
"I'm happy to see you too," I said, shaking his hand.
Vernon and Brie stared at me, confused.
"I'm Max—a former member of the group," I said.
"I'm Vernon, and this is Brie," he replied, gesturing to the woman beside him.
"Hi," she added, visibly uncomfortable. Both of them seemed uneasy around me.
I nodded and scanned the group, searching for one familiar face.
Clementine.
She wasn't there.
My heart began to race. I turned to Lee. "Where's Clementine?"
"She's upstairs," he said, smiling faintly.
Relief washed over me. As everyone settled in, I hurried upstairs, calling her name. Room after room was empty. With each door I opened, my chest tightened.
Panic crept in as I reached the final door.
Nothing.
Only a few of her drawings lay scattered across the floor.
Fear exploded in my chest.
I ran back downstairs, interrupting a conversation about leaving Savannah by boat. Everyone turned toward me, alarmed by my expression.
"I can't find Clementine," I said, locking eyes with Lee. "She's not upstairs."
Even Lee looked shaken. He glanced at Christa.
"She has to be here somewhere," Christa said, scanning the room. Vernon quietly observed the group; on several occasions, his gaze drifted to Brie.
Lee, Omid, and I called Clementine's name throughout the house. The noise woke Kenny, who groggily cracked open his eyes.
"Why the hell are you all yelling?" He grumbled.
"Kenny, did you see Clementine?" Lee asked urgently.
"I don't know," Kenny muttered, taking a swig from the bottle in his hand. "I've been asleep."
Panic fully set in.
"Ben. Christa. You were both here," Lee said sharply. "Did either of you see Clementine?"
Christa turned to Ben. "She was around when I got tired. I left you on guard duty, didn't I? Where is she?"
All eyes fell on Ben. He stared at the floor, his face pale.
"Say something, damn it!" Kenny snapped.
Ben flinched. I could tell he was hiding something. My fists clenched. If anything had happened to Clementine because of him, I would never forgive him.
"I… I…" Ben stammered. "She said you needed her help urgently, so I let her go outside."
My blood boiled. Even in the original timeline, Ben's mistakes always caused trouble. Back then, I ignored it because it didn't affect me. Now his carelessness was endangering Clementine, and it took everything I had not to lash out at him.
"Can you ever do anything right?" Kenny roared, limping toward Ben. His leg wobbled, but his eyes were sharp, drunk, furious, and focused.
Ben shrank in on himself, staring at the floor. Judging by the tension, this wasn't the first time something like this had happened.
"Why are you always so quiet, huh? Say something, you piece of shit!" Kenny yelled, his grip tightening around the bottle. For a moment, it looked like he might smash it over Ben's head.
"Stop!" Christa snapped, locking eyes with Kenny. Wincing with pain, she turned back to us. "If she's not with you and she's not here, then where did she go?"
Silence filled the room.
Then realization hit me all at once. There was only one place.
"Marsh House," Lee and I said together.
We exchanged shaken looks. Lee knew how dangerous that place was. I knew even more—and the thought made my stomach twist.
"Come on," Lee said. "Let's go find her." He grabbed the axe from the table and looked around the room.
No one moved.
The silence became suffocating. People avoided his gaze, exchanging uneasy glances.
"What are you waiting for?" Lee demanded. "Let's go."
Still, no one stepped forward.
I understood immediately what they were thinking.
Kenny sighed heavily and stepped forward, clearly hating what he was about to say. "Lee, everyone here wants to survive. We don't have the time or energy to look for her. She chose to go out. Now she has to face the consequences."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Lee snapped. "We're not leaving without her."
Lee's grip tightened around the axe as his eyes searched Omid, Ben, and Christa for support. One by one, they looked away.
"Look at us," Kenny continued. "We're exhausted. We haven't slept in days. We finally have batteries for the boat and medicine for our injuries. We have a way out. We can't throw that away chasing a girl who left on her own."
The words hit Lee hard. His jaw tightened.
"And even if we go," Kenny pressed, "where do we search? Can you guarantee she's where you think she is? And if someone dies—can you live with that?"
Lee looked around one last time. The silence answered for them.
He exhaled slowly, anger and frustration etched across his face.
"If anyone wants to follow me," he said quietly, "raise your hand."
I raised mine.
Lee met my eyes and gave me a small, grateful smile.
After a moment, Molly raised her hand. "What the hell," she said, twirling her ice pick. "Clementine saved my life. Accident or not, I owe her."
Omid hesitated. His eyes flicked to me—then to Christa. His gaze lingered on her injured leg and pregnant belly. Slowly, he lowered his hand.
Only three of us.
Lee's expression faltered for a moment, then steadied. "Let's gear up."
The others looked away, ashamed, but resolute.
"How about we wait for them to come back?" Omid said softly.
"Even if they do," Kenny replied, rubbing his forehead as he sank into a chair, "the boat won't hold everyone. Some people will be left behind."
Christa nodded sadly. She had always known this moment was coming.
From the beginning, they all knew the boat couldn't carry everyone. With four people leaving, the rest had better odds, and they weren't willing to give that up. Not even for Clementine.
As much as I hated it, I couldn't fully blame them. Their reasoning was cruel—but logical. If I were in their place, I might have made the same choice.
Without another word, I turned and headed for the door.
Lee and Molly followed.