Chapter 116: The Weak
Savannah was shrouded in a thin morning mist.
Moisture drifted up from the river, covering the harbor in a blanket of gray-white fog.
Lee sat up from the cot where he had spent the night. His neck was stiff, and his back ached from sleeping on the hard floor.
In the corner, Clementine remained curled beneath a blanket they had found the day before, only part of her forehead visible.
Quietly, Lee stood up and slipped outside without waking her.
The fog was so thick that he could barely see twenty feet ahead.
Relying on memory, he made his way toward the dock warehouse, his boots crunching softly over gravel.
The warehouse gates stood open.
Not partially open.
Wide open.
One of the heavy doors hung crookedly from its hinges, screws loosened and half-torn from the frame.
Lee stopped at the entrance.
The shipyard was empty.
The speedboat was gone.
The engine was gone.
Even the spare parts and tools stacked in the corner had disappeared.
Only a dark oil stain remained on the slipway, along with a few crushed pieces of foam.
A sheet of paper fluttered beneath a wrench.
Its corner rustled in the wind.
Lee walked over and picked it up.
The handwriting was messy but readable.
The weak must survive first.
He stared at the sentence for several seconds.
Then he crumpled the note into a tight ball.
His knuckles turned white.
Suddenly, he grabbed a nearby toolbox and hurled it onto the concrete.
Crash!
The toolbox bounced across the dock.
Its lid burst open, scattering wrenches and screwdrivers in every direction.
"You son of a bitch!"
His voice echoed through the empty harbor.
Startled pigeons exploded from the warehouse rafters and vanished into the fog.
Clive arrived first.
He came running from the temporary shelter, his shoelaces untied and several buttons on his shirt fastened incorrectly.
The moment he saw the empty slipway, he froze.
"Where's the boat?"
Lee threw the crumpled note at him.
Clive unfolded it.
His face immediately paled.
"Vernon..."
"He took the boat?"
Boyd and Brie arrived moments later.
Brie leaned against the doorway, staring at the oil stain.
Her lips trembled.
"They... abandoned us?"
Boyd crouched down, picked up a piece of crushed foam, squeezed it in his hand, then threw it aside.
Lee turned toward them.
"Weren't you planning to leave by boat too?"
Clive nodded.
"We would've died traveling overland."
He laughed bitterly.
"Vernon said we'd be safer on one of the nearby islands."
"He told us to wait."
Holding up the note, he added,
"Looks like this is what we were waiting for."
Brie approached Lee.
Her eyes were red.
"Lee, we're not with Vernon."
"We were fooled too."
Lee said nothing.
He remembered Vernon's earlier words.
"Since you're a criminal, stealing is normal for you."
He should have punched the old man then and there.
But Clementine had been present.
He hadn't wanted her to witness another fight.
Now the boat was gone.
The fuel was gone.
And Clementine's parents were still somewhere near the Florida border.
Taking a deep breath, Lee picked up the toolbox and snapped it shut.
"I'm going to the square."
Clive blinked.
"What for?"
"To see Umbrella."
Lee slung the toolbox over his shoulder.
"They gave me gasoline before."
"Maybe they'll help with something else."
Brie hesitated.
"Would they help us too?"
Lee didn't answer.
Instead, he turned and walked away.
The square looked completely different now.
The wall of walker corpses had been removed.
In its place stood a tall iron fence, welded together from heavy steel bars.
Its sharpened tips gleamed coldly through the mist.
Nearby buildings had been sealed with bricks, leaving only a single controlled entrance.
Two guards in black uniforms stood watch at the gate, rifles slung across their chests.
Their posture was perfectly straight.
As Lee approached, one of them raised a hand.
"What do you need?"
"My name is Lee."
He pointed toward the city.
"I was here yesterday."
"Your people gave me a can of gasoline."
"I'd like to speak with whoever's in charge."
The guard looked him over before picking up a radio.
A brief conversation followed.
Several minutes later, a woman emerged from inside.
She wore a black combat uniform.
A pistol rested on her hip.
Her short hair and sharp eyes gave her an intimidating presence.
Andrea.
She looked Lee and Clementine up and down.
"Leaving today?"
Lee laughed awkwardly.
"That was the plan."
Then he explained what Vernon had done.
By the time he finished, Andrea merely nodded.
"So you need another boat."
"I just want to get this kid to the Florida border."
Lee scratched his head.
"That's all."
Andrea glanced at Clementine.
The little girl stared back without fear.
Andrea crouched until they were eye level.
"What's your name?"
"Clementine."
"How old are you?"
"Nine."
Andrea was silent for a moment.
Then she stood.
Turning to one of the guards, she said,
"Take them to the military dock."
"I remember finding a patrol boat yesterday."
"It's fully fueled."
"Give it to them."
Lee froze.
"You... you're not even going to ask who we are?"
"Or where we're going?"
Andrea looked at him calmly.
"You've traveled this far during the apocalypse while protecting a nine-year-old girl."
"That tells me enough."
She turned to leave.
After taking several steps, she paused.
Looking back at Clementine, she said,
"I hope you find your parents."
Clementine smiled brightly.
"I will!"
Andrea nodded once and disappeared behind the iron gate.
For several moments, Lee simply stood there.
Then he tightened his grip on Clementine's hand.
"Let's go."
The guards escorted them through several streets before arriving at a military dock.
It was much smaller than the commercial harbor.
Several boats were moored there.
The largest was a white patrol boat marked with faded blue stripes.
An old national flag fluttered from the bow.
One guard jumped aboard and inspected the vessel.
A few minutes later, he waved toward Lee.
"Fuel tank's full."
"Engine works."
"Can you drive it?"
Lee nodded.
"Yeah."
He lifted Clementine aboard before climbing onto the deck himself.
Moments later, he sat behind the controls.
The key turned.
The engine roared to life.
Dashboard lights illuminated one after another.
Lee released the mooring lines and guided the boat away from the dock.
Clementine stood beside the railing.
She watched the guards become smaller and smaller until they disappeared into the mist.
The river was wide.
The current was gentle.
The patrol boat cut smoothly through the water, leaving a long white wake behind it.
Above them, seagulls cried out as they drifted southward.
Back at the dock, Clive, Brie, and Boyd watched the boat disappear into the distance.
Brie sighed.
"He's gone."
Clive didn't respond.
He simply turned and walked away.
Boyd followed.
The three eventually returned to the empty warehouse and stared at the oil stain left behind by Vernon.
"What do we do now?"
Brie asked quietly.
Clive remained silent.
Then the distant sound of engines broke the stillness.
Not boats.
Vehicles.
Several Humvees emerged from a nearby street and headed toward the harbor.
The red-and-white Umbrella logo painted on their sides stood out clearly through the morning fog.
Clive watched them pass.
The vehicles never slowed.
After a long silence, Brie spoke again.
"Should we go ask those people for help too?"
No one answered.