Open up, Survivors Inside

Chapter 23

"Nice group you got here," Molly spot up, earning a middle finger from Puffer as he stepped through. The armory was empty, no gun in sight.

"Shouldn't we decide now if he should stay or-" Brie was cut off by a walker managing to break through the small door window, grabbing her and causing the door to open enough for a walker to bite down on her and start tearing her insides apart.

Vernon looked on in shock while Kenny grabbed his arm.

"We can't save her!" Kenny argued, "We'll mourn later, come on!"

Everyone began to run out, but Duck stopped when he saw Puffer not moving. "Puffer come on!!" Duck called, grabbing Puffer's hand and trying to pull him away. Puffer's eyes were locked on Brie's corpse as the walkers ate it, his body shaking a bit. His chest felt as if it was collapsing in on itself, and his foot glued to the ground. He could move, he could only watch. "Dad, Lee, Puffer won't move!!" Duck shouted back, causing Lee and Kenny to turn back.

"The hell is his problem?!" Kenny snapped, but Lee knew exactly what was happening. He had seen Chuck's corpse as well, and he knew Puffer had been close when Chuck was being eaten. Lee ran over, nearly dragging Puffer as he helped him return with the group. "Lee what the fuck is he doing-"

"He saw Chuck get eaten!" Lee answered, stressed out from everything happening, "He was only a few feet away!"

Kenny tensed up at this, "I...I didn't know."

The door wasn't closing, so the stairs were the first option. Downstairs lead to a room full of walkers, so upstairs it was. Everyone headed up while Lee offered fire support after Kenny found a rifle. Christa saw Puffer still not moving, staring blankly ahead with wide eyes. Carefully, she guided him up the stairs. "Is he okay...?" Clementine asked.

"He will be," Christa reassured her, noticing Puffer slowly blinking.

"Holy fuck..." Puffer said quickly, barely audible to Christa. Everyone began to climb down the ladder leading to the roof. The bell ringing made Puffer turn in time to see a walker tied to the bell grab Ben. In an instant, Puffer lunged forward, managing to catch Ben as the rope snapped, sending the walker plummeting to the ground floor. Puffer held onto Ben with both hand, gripping him for dear life as the teen dangled over the edge. "Climb up!" Puffer strained.

"There's no time! You have to go!" Ben said, fear and determination in his voice, "Get the others out of here!"

"Puffer," Kenny said, and Puffer turned his head to face him a bit. Kenny gave a nod, as if saying "drop him".

Puffer looked back at Ben, who wasn't holding onto Puffer, "All I do is put everyone in danger, we both know that...let me go."

Puffer saw several walked slowly making it to the top floor, and he looked back at Ben. His eyes then narrowed, "I fucking swore I would do everything I could to keep everyone alive and I meant it!" Puffer shouted, "That includes you!" He was not just some member of the group. Puffer was their damn leader. He couldn't do the same things as everyone else and he knew that. He had more responsibilities than everyone. And one of those responsibilities? Keeping everyone safe. With a surge of strength, Puffer pulled Ben up, who looked surprised.

As the two made it up, Ben looked over at Puffer with shock, "Why...?"

"I already fucking told you why," Puffer said, pulling Ben up, "Now go!" Ben hurried down the ladder first, followed by Puffer. A walker tried to follow, onto to splatter head first onto the roof. As the herd of walkers were jammed into the school, getting out of Crawford and back to the sewers was easy.

Everyone was silent on the way back, and it was clear to everyone that Puffer was ready to collapse from exhaustion. Still, he kept pushing himself along, even after they made it back to the house.

The other cancer survivors perked up, "Where's Brie?" Clive asked.

The look Puffer gave was all the answer they needed. "Crawford is a walker zone now," Vernon said, heading up with Christa to check on Omid and Elizabeth.

Puffer headed upstairs as well, but into a different room. It was the guest room, and Puffer sat by the window. He felt...numb over everything that happened. Everything had hit him all at once, and now it felt like he couldn't feel anything. A ringing in his ears drowned out any noise he might hear, until a gentle tap on his shoulder brought him out of whatever trance he got stuck in. He looked and saw Travis, "Thanks...for saving Ben." Puffer just nodded, so Travis continued, "So, what do we do now? We only found one boat, and it seems like Kenny is taking it...I know Lee said he wouldn't abandon his people, but I don't think he sees us as his people anymore."

"I don't know..." Puffer mumbled, "Ley me sleep the night...I'll be better by tomorrow." Travis frowned, but nodded and left the room. Alone again, Puffer let his thoughts drift back to his friends again as he got up and laid in the bed.

Puffer knew he was alive by luck. He doubted his friends had that same luck. He knew his parents and dog wouldn't have that same luck. Everything crash back down at once, and Puffer knew believing any of them to be alive was a foolish thing to think. They were dead, and Puffer was alive by luck. And he would just have to accept that. That night, no one knew the house was filled with silent sobs, some from Clementine upon learning that she wouldn't know what happened to her parents, and some from Puffer as he finally accepted that he was the last survivor amongst his friends. This had to be rock bottom, right?