Different Setting

Training Child Survivors

Lee and Carlos walked out of the boxcar and to the front cab, passing Kenny who was in undeniable grief. Chuck was standing at the front, watching the long road ahead. Both men were furious that he would even look at their girls the wrong way.

"Hey," Lee was the first to speak, and he was not the least bit happy.

"How're you folks doin'?" Chuck asked, seemingly oblivious that he had done something wrong.

"We don't care what reasons you had for doing it, no reason to go and tell our girls they're gonna end up dead!" Lee reprimanded, folding his arms.

"What you said was inexcusable," Carlos added. "You especially scared my daughter in particular."

"I meant what I said, 'cause they are," Chuck said, not sounding even the least bit sorry. "Now I don't know much about you folks, but I can tell you, sure as the sun's gonna come up tomorrow, that if y'all keep goin' on like this, and those girls ain't gonna make it."

"What do you know?" Lee asked, still a little angry.

"I will protect Sarah no matter what," Carlos added.

Chuck sighed. "I know that you don't have damn plan. What happens when we get to Savannah?" he questioned.

"We'll do what's best for the girls," Lee answered simply.

Chuck laughed. "Oh! So you do have it all figured out," he said sarcastically. "Look, I don't care if you take my advice or not, but you two need to sit down with those girls, hash it out, come up with some kind of damn plan if y'all want to survive. And somebody needs to teach 'em how to use a weapon for Christ's sake," he said, a little too nonchalantly as he looked up at the two men.

"Sarah will never have to touch a gun as long as I'm around," Carlos replied.

"Oh yeah? And what if you're not around?" Chuck retorted, which caught Carlos off guard.

"Nothing like that will happen to either of us," Lee shot back.

"But if it were to happen," Chuck interrupted, "you gotta prepare the girls. Teach them to use a weapon, and for criminy, cut their hair."

"They're little girls," Carlos replied bitterly, none too happy that this old man was basically dissing his parenting skills.

"They'll die little girls if you treat them that way," Chuck answered. "You gotta consider them living people. That's it. You're either living or you're not. You ain't little, you ain't a girl, you ain't a boy; you ain't strong or smart. You're alive." There was an uneasy pause. "Look at their hair. Find some scissors in my pack and take care of it before a walker does it for you. And then show them how to use a gun, because that's what saves your life from here on out."

Carlos looked away and scratched his chin, looking very stressed. No doubt he was feeling conflicted about the whole situation. While Chuck's words made complete sense, he didn't want his daughter to lose her innocence.

"Look, I don't mean to tell y'all how to do your job, but too many people have died already," Chuck pointed out.

"They have," Lee agreed.

"And seein' another little girl die might just do me in."

"It's good advice..." Lee trailed off, "Don't you think so, Carlos?" he asked, but Carlos was still too busy thinking about Sarah. Would she even want to learn how to use a gun? Because he definitely didn't want to force her. And he knew already that he was going to have problems with the haircut.

"Huh?" Carlos asked.

"It's good advice," Lee repeated.

"For you, maybe," Carlos replied. "But my daughter, she is not like Clementine."