Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Welcome to my first vote based Walking Dead fic. This story is inspired by The Walking Dead But Your Choices Matter by Duncan.

I’ve seen several of these stories across both Fanfiction.net and here, and think it would be fun to do one myself.

Now, there will be some chapters where there won’t be any voting, as there will be some choices I want to decide on my own.

Before anyone asks, my knowledge only goes up to season 1 episode 3, not including DLC, like 400 Days and the prison group. I also barely know Chuck, Christa and Omid, so I won’t be including them. So after most of episode 3, all content will be completely original content.

Now, let’s get into the first choice.

Who will you play as?

A. Lee Everett

Lee Everett is a former teacher at the University of Georgia, and son of the owners of Everett Drug Store. Lee was recently convicted of killing a state senator, who he caught sleeping with his wife. Lee doesn’t have kids of his own, but desires to have kids of his own some day.

B. Sandra

Sandra is a college student who is also a babysitter of Clementine. Sandra is very good at school, but gets bored with it quickly, often planning months ahead for the next vacation. While she likes Clementine, she much prefers to be around friends in her age group.

C. Carley

Carley is a news reporter at WABE-TV in Atlanta. She loves a good cup of coffee just as much as she loves her job as a reporter. She has a strong dislike for the photographer she works with when doing her reports. She’s also been covering the Lee Everett trial.

D. Duck

Ken Jr. or Duck is an energetic 10 year old boy that can talk a person’s ear off. He goes into situations head on without fully thinking first. He also has a knack for wandering off and wanting to explore places he’s not supposed to be at.

E. Terry St. John

Terry St. John is the owner of the St. John’s dairy, not far from the Motor Inn. Terry is a family man that loves his family dearly. He also has an open door policy when welcoming visitors to his home, and the dairy, often being the one that likes to give tours of the dairy to kids coming for field trips.

F. David Parker

David Parker is a band instructor at Stone Mountain High School. He’s a family man, and also loves working with his students during band practice. His late father, James Parker was a good friend of the St. Johns. His father often took him to the dairy, where they would have dinner with the St. Johns, but also a young David would play the trumpet for the family, too.

G. Katie (OC)

Katie is a gamer girl from the New England area, in her early to mid twenties, who loves horror games. She is a procrastinator, and only does things when she feels like it. She’s excited to participate in the Southeastern Gamers Convention in Atlanta (S.E.G.C).

H. Quincy (OC)

Quincy is a lone wolf teen from the Midwest, and is apart of a competing team against Stone Mountain, and is also a rival band member. He’s legally blind, but as a trade off, he has better than average hearing. The only people he likes are his four best guy friends. He thinks very little of authority figures, and also gets annoyed with people easily.

I. Multi POV

This option will just switch from different groups, and not focus solely on one group until all groups intersect. If this option is chosen, the option to choose a main playable character again will come up when the groups meet up.

Regardless of what you pick, all angles will start five days prior to the outbreak, giving a taste of what the character’s lives were like prior to the outbreak.

Chapter Text

Thursday, March 13th 2003

Fulton County Jail

Atlanta, Georgia

11:23 A.M Eastern Time

Standing in a line was an African American man in his mid to late thirties with short black curly hair and a beard. He was wearing a standard orange jailhouse jumpsuit, like everyone else standing in the line.

The room was a standard dining room with light blue and black checkered tiled flooring, white painted walls and several rows of rectangular florescent lights. There were two fans hung up on the walls to have some air siculating, as well as a few ceiling vents. There was also a small television hung up on the wall, but the volume was down, and the man wasn’t really paying much attention to what was going on, as it was turned to the news, and he knew it was about his upcoming sentencing hearing that was to take place in five days time.

The man jumped when he felt someone tap on his shoulder. He turned around to his cell mate chuckling at him, “Lee, you’re spacing out again,” he stated, “You’ve been doing that a lot lately.”

“Oh, sorry Cole,” the man now known as Lee replied before chuckling and walking forward.

Cole was a Caucasian man in his early to mid twenties with short light brown hair, green eyes and a full beard. Cole had been arrested for setting his ex-girlfriend’s best friend’s house on fire when he learned of her friend trying to set his girlfriend up with someone else, while he was with her. This is why Lee and Cole got along so well.

Lee grabbed his lunch tray and plastic silverware before walking up to the window, where a middle aged woman with graying blonde hair wearing a white apron and hairnet to cover her hair, smiled, “Hello, Lee,” the woman greeted politely, “Would you like chili mac or chicken noodle soup?”

Lee smiled back at the lunch lady. She was one of the nicest people to him when he was booked in the jail. Most of the other staff didn’t like him very much, due to him killing that state senator, “Hello, Holly, I’ll take some chili mac plase,” he responded.

The lunch lady grabbed a bowl and used a serving spoon to scoop some chili mac into the bowl, while giving him an extra scoop before putting a dinner roll onto his tray and some fruit cocktail, “There you go, Lee,” Holly said sweetly, “You have a great day, and keep your head up.”

This made Lee smile, “Thank you, Holly,” he said before taking his tray and going to another table where the drinks were. He got himself a cup of coffe before adding one pack of suger.

Lee waited for his friend Cole, and the two made their way to a table, where no one else was sitting. Once the two sat down, Cole immediately had an evil look on his face, “You still haven’t gotten that woman’s phone number?”

Lee glared at Cole, “Shut up, Cole,” he said with an embarrassed look on his face, “She’s married, and I’m not even thinking about anything like that.”

“I know, man,” Cole said, “I’m just giving you shit.”

Their conversation was interrupted when two other inmates came to the table. The first one was a heavyset man that was in his early 40s with dark brown hair and a struggle beard. The other was a man was medium build with tan skin and black hair and clean shaven. The heavy set guy was named Gregg, while the tan skinned guy was named Joseph. They were cell mates, and was in the cell across from Lee and Cole. Lee and Cole got along pretty good with Gregg and Joseph, but weren’t as close.

Gregg and Joseph both had disappointed looks on their faces, “What’s wrong guys?” asked Lee.

“That wicked lady didn’t give us a dinner roll,” Gregg complained.

“Yeah, this is the second time where she refused to give us something,” Joseph added.

“Could it be that she heard the both of you daring each other to grab her ass three months ago?” asked Cole.

“Or two weeks ago when she heard you guys joking about how her cheesecake smells like gym socks,” Lee added.

Truth of the matter is, Holly was a very sensitive woman. She really didn’t like Gregg and Joseph very much. Deep down, he had to agree with Joseph when it came to Holly’s cheesecake. He loved the dessert, but he’d never tell Holly to her face that her cheesecake sucks.

“Okay, okay, we were wrong,” Joseph stated, “But we really like the dinner rolls here. Can one of you please give us yours. We’ll pay you back in commissary.”

Choices:

A. Give Gregg the dinner roll.

B. Give Joseph the dinner roll.

C. Give neither of them the dinner roll.

Relationships:

Cole: 8/10 Cole sees you as a really good friend, and you share the loss of a relationship due to a third party.

Holly: 7/10 Despite your crime, she respects you, and treats you with respect.

Gregg: 6/10 He likes you, but are not best friends. He really wants your dinner roll.

Joseph: 6/10 See Gregg's description.

Chapter Text

Lee looked at the two fellow inmates sitting across from him before taking his plastic butter knife, opening the dinner roll and spreading butter on it before shutting it and taking a big bite out of it, gaining two frowns from Joseph and Gregg, and a smile from Cole.

Holly, having clear view of what was going on at Lee’s table, had a smile on her face, too. Lee chewed the bread slowly before swallowing, “Sorry guys, but your commissary won’t really do much for me, as I’m leaving here in five days and going to state prison,” he stated, “I can’t take commissary items with me. Not only that, Gregg, you don’t even have anything to offer, even if I were staying. And Joseph, all you have is a notebook, which I think you need more than me, as you’re the only one with a decent lawyer.”

“Damn, it was worth a shot,” Gregg stated before taking a bite of his soup, “Where do you think you’re going after your sentencing hearing on Tuesday?”

Lee let out a long sigh, “Honestly, I don’t know,” he replied, “All I know is, I’m really not looking forward to the victim impact statements part of the hearing.”

“If it were me, I’d kill both my wife and the senator,” Joseph stated, “But that’s just me.”

“Oh, shut up, Joseph,” Cole said, rejoining the conversation, “You’re only in for petty theft from a convenience store. You’ll be out of here before any of us.”

“Oh, shut it, Cole,” Joseph argued back, “You won’t last a day once you’re out of here and onto prison.”

Cole, not wanting to bicker for much longer, decided to turn his attention back to Lee, “Hey Lee, you want to go to the rec room and play some bowling after lunch?” he asked.

Lee, not having anything to do after lunch, nodded, “Sure,” he replied, “I hear that it’s roast beef sandwiches tonight, so let’s make a bet. Loser has to give up their sandwich to the winner.”

“Since it’s roast beef sandwich night, they always have vanilla ice cream with chocolate swirl,” Cole said, “Add that to the bet and you’ve got yourself a deal.”

Lee, still remembering that he denied both Joseph and Gregg his dinner roll, turned his attention to them, “Do you both want in on this bet?” he offered, “Dinner time has a different cook, so if I lose, I won’t have to worry about Holly being upset with me.”

“Oh fuck yeah!/Count me in!” Both Joseph and Gregg said at the same time.

This made Lee feel good. Sure, Gregg and Joseph were disappointed about the dinner roll, but they weren’t going to pass up this chance of extra food.

The rest of lunch went by without any problems. Lee went back to his cell to brush his teeth before heading leaving his cell. He made his way down the hall, passing by the nurse’s station before reaching a room that looked exactly like the dinin room, minus the serving and tray clearing window. The rec room had a TV in one corner, a table for playing cards, an area to throw darts, an area that had a shelf with different jigsaw puzzles and an area with plastic bowling pins and a rubber bowling ball.

Lee set the bowling pins up in the regular formation, “So, who goes first?” he asked.

“Cole was the one that had the idea for this, so he can go first,” Gregg suggested, “I want to go last, so that way I can see how everyone else does.”

“How does two rounds sound?” Joseph asked.

“Two rounds sounds good to me,” Lee said.

“Me too, “Cole added.

“No arguments here,” Gregg added.

“Give me that ball,” Cole said, taking the rubber bowling ball, “That extra sandwich and ice cream is as good as mine,” the accused arsonist took a deep breath before sticing his two middle fingers and thumbs into the holes of the ball before swinging his left arm back and rolling the ball, but he completely missed the pins and the ball bounced off the wall, causing him to get frustrated, “God damnit!”

Lee, Gregg and Joseph couldn’t help but laugh at Cole’s misfortune. Out of the group of four, he had the worst bowling skills. Once their laughter died down, Joseph went and retrieved the ball, “It’s my turn, now,” he stated before walking to where Cole once stood. He did the same thing as Cole, but with his right hand. When Joseph brought his hand forward, his wrist didn’t curve, and the ball went straight for the pins, hitting all but three of them, “Yes, I got seven, which means I’m in the lead,” he bragged.

“I wouldn’t brag, yet,” Lee stated, “We’re only in the first round, and me and Gregg still have to go, and I’m going next since Gregg already said he wanted to go last for this round,” Lee grabbed the ball, got into motion and aimed towards the pins. He was a bit off, but not nearly as bad as Cole. He managed to his four pins, putting him in second place behind Joseph, “Well, so far Cole will be giving up his sandwich and his dessert tonight.”

“Well, now it’s my turn,” Gregg stated before picking up the pins and putting them back in place before taking the ball. Gregg tried to be fancy by doing a spin and aiming the ball, which got weird looks from his other three opponents. But to their surprise, he managed to get a couple of pins.

“That was different,” Joseph said, “At least he got a couple of pins, though.”

Now it was time for Cole’s last turn. He set the pins back up and took the ball, “Okay, I gotta get that sandwich and dessert,” he said before getting into position and doing his arm motion and aiming the ball. Fortunately for him, he had much better luck this time, as his wrist didn’t turn on him. The ball rolls forward, hitting every pin, putting him in the lead at ten points, “Yes!” he cheered.

It was now Joseph’s turn, and he aimed and rolled the ball, and hit only one pin, putting his total at eight, “Fuck!” he shouted before turning to Gregg, “If you win, please split with me.”

“Dude, no, man,” Gregg said, “I’m getting both things if I win.”

Lee quickly intergected on what Gregg and Joseph were talking about, though, “Don’t get too ahead of yourselves, because it’s my turn, now,” he stated before setting the pins back up and taking the ball before getting into position and rolling the ball. This time, Lee hit five, putting him in second place, and guaranteeing that he won’t have to give up any of his dinner tonight, “Well, it looks like either Joseph or Gregg will be giving up their food tonight.”

Gregg took the ball after setting the pins back up. This time, though, he took things more serious, though. he did a regular arm motion and rolled the ball, and his all but one pin, putting his total at eleven, just barely edging out Cole,” Yes, looks like I get the extra sandwich and ice cream,” he stated before turning to Joseph, “and it looks like you’re the one I’ll be collecting from.”

The final score was Gregg with eleven, Cole with ten, Lee with nine and Joseph with eight points.

Their game was rudely interrupted when another inmate walked up with a cocky grin on his face, and made his way over to Cole, “Wow, so now you’re joining in on a sausage fest, now, Redman?” the new inmate asked.

Cole’s face turned to one of anger and was ready to pounce on this new guy, “Jackson, leave me the fuck alone before I hurt you!” he threatened.

The inmate now known as Jackson didn’t stop, though, “Oh, do you think I’m your ex girlfriend?” he asked, “Speaking of which, her pussy was so fucking good, I had it last night.”

This did it. Cole lunged at Jackson and knocked him to the ground before rapidly punching him. Cole then took his hands and began strangling Jackson.

Lee knew Jackson was trouble, and was always fucking with him and Cole. On one hand, he felt like he should try breaking up the fight, or let Cole beat the holy hell out of him.

Choices:

What does Lee do?

A. Break up the fight, “Cole, stop, you’re going to get another charge!”

B. Let them fight, “Kick his ass, Cole. He’s got it coming.”

Relationships:

Cole: 9/10 He’s proud of you for not giving up your dinner roll, and he’s ready to murder Jackson.

Holly: 8/10 She saw you keep the dinner roll to yourself, and is happy you did that.

Gregg: 7/10 He understands why you didn’t give up your dinner roll, but happy he won the bowling game. He’s shocked at the fight happening before him.

Joseph: 6/10 He’s not mad about not getting the dinner roll. He wants Lee to break up the fight.

Jackson: 1/10 He’s a jackass, and doesn’t like you or Cole.

Chapter Text

As much as Lee wanted to let his friend Cole beat the holy hell out of Jackson, he didn’t want his friend to get into any more trouble, so he walked over and started pulling him off of Jackson, “Cole, stop, you’re going to get another charge!” he exclaimed, finally prying his friend from Jackson.

Cole tried to break loose from Lee’s grasp, “Let me go, Lee,” he demanded, “I’m going to make this fucker pay!”

It would become even more difficult for Cole to hold in his anger, as Jackson decided to taunt him, “Aww, you should listen to your little friend, Redman,” he said, finally standing up, “I might press charges, hahahahaha.”

This time, Gregg and Joseph got in to help keep Cole back, “He’s not worth it, Cole,” Gregg stated, doing his part in holding his friend back, “You know how the courts can change their mind about possibly giving you bail if you get another charge.”

This is what finally calmed Cole down. He knew he had a bail hearing coming up, and he didn’t want to be stuck in county jail until his trial date. The arsonist stopped struggling, so Lee, Gregg and Joseph didn’t have to hold him back anymore, “I’m calm,” he said before taking one more look at Jackson, “At least I have friends in here, Hamlton”

Now realizing his attempt to get Cole in more trouble failed, he scoffed, “Whatever,” was all he said before leaving the rec room.

Not much happened afterwards. They were questioned by an officer about what happened, but no one snitched on each other. Everyone did their own thing before dinner.

It was now dinner time, and like lunch, the inmates were standing in line waiting their turn. Lee looked over at the tables, where others were already seated. Roast beef night was sure a very popular night, as he watched a few people give up their sandwiches, or ice cream from bets they made. Speaking of which, Joseph had a long face, as he knew he had to give up his sandwich and ice cream to Gregg.

Lee and his friends got their trays and made it to the same table they sat at for lunch. The moment the group sat down at the table, Joseph attempted to take a bite of his roast beef sandwich, but Gregg was quicker, snatching it out of his hand and taking the bowl of ice cream from his tray, “Nope, that sandwich and ice cream is mine,” he said before taking a big bite out of the sandwich.

“Oh, god damn it,” a dejected Joseph said.

“Hey, you agreed to the bet,” Lee stated, “I’m leaving this place in a few days time, so you can have what ever stuff I got in commissary, since I can’t take it with me, anyway.”

Hearing this made Joseph happy. It wasn’t a total loss for him, “Thanks, man,” he said, “You’ve got quite a bit of stuff saved from commissary.”

“Haha, in these kinds of places, Top Ramen, Vienna sausages and Hormel spaghetti with meat sauce are like gold around here,” Lee stated, “They taste worse than dog’s fart, when you’re not locked up, but yeah.”

Everyone looked at Lee funny, and Gregg was the first to speak, “Dude, how do you know what a dog’s fart taste like?” he asked, laughing.

“Oh, fuck you, Gregg,” Lee said, “Ugh, I didn’t mean it literally.”

Everyone else at the table laughed at Lee’s expense. While they were laughing, little did Lee, and the rest of the people at the table for that matter know, was in a few days time, they’re going to really be appreciating those ramen noodles, Vienna sausages and Hormel spaghetti dinners.

The rest of dinner was uneventful. Jackson didn’t come by and harass Lee and his friends anymore. After dinner, not much happened.

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Five days had passed, and Lee was carrying a plastic bag that consisted of six packs of chicken flavored Top Ramen, four containers of Hormel spaghetti and meat sauce and eight cans of Vienna sausages. Lee was wearing a dark denim shirt, dark blue jeans and black shoes. He walked over to Joseph, “Hey, here’s the commissary I promised you,” he stated.

Joseph smiled at Lee and took the bag from him, “Thanks, Lee,” he said, but his smile quickly faded, “Man, I’m really gonna miss you around here.”

Lee let out a sigh, “Believe it or not, I’m actually going to miss this place,” he stated, “No, this may not be my house, but I’m going to miss the bullshitting and seeing Holly at lunch time.”

Gregg and Cole walked over and joined the conversation, “When do you head out?” Gregg asked.

“I leave soon,” Lee stated, “Luckily the staff is giving me time to say my goodbyes, though.”

“Are you nervous about today?” Cole asked.

“Well, I’m either going to federal prison for a long ass time, or I’m getting the death penalty,” Lee stated, “If anything, I’m more nervous of the victim impact statements, as I don’t know who’s all going to be speaking.”

“Damn, man,” Cole said, “All I can say is good luck. But I’m going to miss the hell out of you around here.”

“Same here, Cole,” Lee said, “And I hope when you have your bail hearing, it gets granted.”

“Me too, man,” Cole said.

Their conversation was interrupted when an officer that appeared to be in his mid thirties walked up to them, “Okay, Everett, you’ve had enough time to say your goodbyes,” he said sternly, “Time to go.”

The officer walked over to Lee and put him in cuffs before escorting him away from his friends for the last time. Lee had a sad look on his face as he was seeing his friends for the very last time. He was led through several corridors before being checked out of the jail before being led outside to the cruiser. The officer opened the door, and Lee got inside. The officer shut the door before going to the driver’s seat to get in.

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Lee sat next to his court appointed attorney, who was a man with fair skin and brown hair, that was balding in the back and green eyes. The man looked disinterested in what was going on. Nine people had given lengthy victim impact statements. The most notable people was the senator’s wife, his brother, his best friend and his sister, who all hurled insults at Lee. Those insults didn’t feel very good.

But the next person to give a victim impact statement would really be a test to how well Lee would be able to keep his emotions in check, “The next person to leave a victim impact statement is Brandi Everett,” the district attorney announced.

Hearing the name of his now ex-wife caused Lee’s heart to beat really fast. He felt himself clenching his fist, as that familiar anger he felt when he saw his wife and the senator having sex in his bed, ‘Why the fuck is SHE giving a victim impact statement?’ Lee thought to himself.

Lee watched as his ex-wife got onto the witness stand. She looked directly at her ex-husband before beginning her statement, “On February 8th, 2002, I lost a dear friend,” she started, “That day started just like any day for me. I went to work, did my usual job before going to lunch with my friend during break,’ she continued.

Lee’s blood was starting to boil, as she didn’t even acknowledge the fact that she woke up in the same bed as him that day, and they had plans to do something for Valentine’s Day the following week. Hearing that she was having lunch with him, too was even more infuriating. He decided to calm his nerves for now and let her continue.

“After lunch, we went back to work,” Brandi continued, “Everything went normal. After work, I invited my friend back to my house, as my roommate wasn’t supposed to be home for a couple more hours. But he came home earlier than expected.”

Lee found himself beginning to shake as his ex-wife was reffering to him as her roommate, and not her husband. He was doing all he could in his power not to lose control.

“When my roommate came in, he saw me and my friend in the bedroom,” Brandi stated.

Lee couldn’t take it anymore, and he was hanging on by a thread to not blow up, ‘I don’t know how much more of this fucking bullshit I can take,’ he thought to himself.

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*Big Decision* This is the first major big choice of this story, so choose wisely.

How does Lee handle the situation at hand?

A. Stay calm and let his ex-wife continue with her victim impact statement.

B. Lose control and start cussing her out.

Choice 2:

Who do you want to play as next?

A. Carley

B. Duck

C. Sandra

D. David Parker

E. Quincy (OC)

F. Katie (OC)

G. Terry St John

After the choice with the most votes wins, I’ll be adding what happens next to this chapter, and I’ll be revealing the alternate choices, as well.

Chapter Text

Lee sat at the defendant’s desk as his ex-wife continued to discredit the fact that the two were married, by referring to him as her roommate. His anger was rising, but with a few deep breaths, he fought back the urge to explode and start cussing out his ex-wife.

He let the woman continue with her victim impact statement, “My roommate lunges at my friend with a crazed look in his eyes and begins punching him iin the head nonstop,” the ex-wife continued, “I tried to pull him off, but got pushed back. So here I am, a simple woman mourning the loss of a good friend. So judge, anything less than the death penalty be considered injustice. Thank you.”

Lee watched as his ex-wife finished her victim impact statement and left the stand. The former teacher turned convicted murder was in a haze, as there were no more people to come to the stand to deliver further victim impact statements. He felt even more sadness, knowing that none of his family members were in the court room to support him.

The former teacher was shaken out of his thoughts when the judge spoke, “With no further victim impact statements, would you like to address the court and the victim’s family, Mr. Everett?” he asked, looking over at Lee.

Lee stood up and took a deep breath. After the way his ex-wife acted on the stand just a bit ago, he felt less sympathy towards the victim’s family, “No, your honor,” he replied before taking his seat next to his attorney.

“Very well, then,” the judge said, “I’ll send this to the jury to give them time to give their recommendations for sentencing before I give my sentencing.”

The jury was out for a few hours before returning.

“I’m ready to give my sentencing,” the judge stated, “I hereby sentence you to life in the United States Penitentiary of Atlanta. This court is adjourned. Officer Thompson will be transporting you to the prison.”

People from WABE were taking photos, while those from the victim’s family started piling out of the courtroom, satisfied that the man that killed their loved one was going to be locked away for the rest of his life. Lee was escorted from the courthouse by an elderly police officer, and once they got outside, he was placed into the backseat of the patrol car.

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Alternate Choices for Lee’s Five Days of Calm:

Choice 1:

A. Give Gregg the dinner roll.

Gregg gets the dinner roll and you earn a relationship point with him. Holly sees this and you lose two points with her.

B. Give Joseph the dinner roll.

You give Joseph the dinner roll. You gain a relationship point with him, but you lose two points with Holly.

*Missed Opportunity* By not giving Joseph the dinner roll, you don’t get the special notebook/save state this time around.

C. Keep the dinner roll for yourself. (Chosen)

You kept the dinner roll for yourself. Holly sees this, and you gain two points with her.

Choice 2:

A. Break up the fight, “Cole, stop, you’re going to get another charge!” (Chosen)

You break up the fight with Cole and Jackson, preventing your friend from getting into more trouble.

B. Let them fight, “Kick his ass, Cole. He’s got it coming.”

Lee lets Cole continue to fight Jackson. Cole beats Jackson to death in a blind rage. Several officers storm the rec room after the fact. Cole pleads guilty and is never seen again.

Choice 3:

A. Stay calm and let his ex-wife continue with her victim impact statement. (Chosen)

Lee remains calm and doesn’t lash out when his ex-wife is talking. Lee’s Episode 1 will start like canon as a result of this story.

B. Lose control and start cussing her out.

This would’ve caused major changes to the story, as Lee’s angry outburst would’ve resulted in the court having to go on a recess. This recess would’ve lasted a couple more hours. The courthouse would have to be barricaded, and there would be a group of the twelve jurors, the judge, the victim’s family members, Brandi, Lee’s ex-wife and a couple of WABE media people.

This would be the default path for this story if I didn’t win during the Choose Your Character screen. This would also be default if A didn’t win, either.

For those that prefer canon, you guys really dodged a bullet by not picking B for this choice, as you missed out on the save state/notebook in the dinner roll choice.

Chapter Text

Thursday, March 13th 2003

Marietta, Georgia

11:21 A.M

Sitting shotgun in a blue 1999 Chevy was a young woman with short reddish brown hair and fair skin. She was wearing a gray t-shirt and a pair of blue jeans. The young woman had on a pair of headphones with a dark blue Sony diskman resting in her lap as she was bobbing her head to the music coming from her headphones.

The person in the driver’s seat, another young woman, but with shoulder length jet black curly hair and tan skin looked over at her passenger, “Sandra,” she called out.

The car stopped when it reached a red light.

The passenger now known as Sandra didn’t respond to the girl in the driver’s seat and continued jamming out to the song playing on her diskman. This annoyed the driver, so she reached over and pressed the button on the radio to go to the next song, prompting Sandra to take off her headphones and glare at the driver, “Hey, you interrupted my song!” she complained, placing the headphones onto her lap and shutting her diskman off.

“I had to stop you before you started singing,” the driver stated before cringing.

Sandra giggled, “Oh, come on, Miranda, you know you want to dance to my singing<” she said between laughs.

“No, I’d rather listen to my little brother sing the damn Barney song nonstop for ten hours before hearing your singing,” the driver now known as Miranda stated, “Girl, I love you, but please don’t go on American Idol.”

“Rude,” Sandra said in a fake hurt tone, “And speaking of your little brother, didn’t he pour lime juice into your strawberry milk one time, and when you went to trink from it, you threw up on your dad’s Falcon’s jersey?”

Sandra and Miranda both laughed at this. They were both pranksters, “Yeah, but I had that coming, though,” she admitted between laughs, “I did eat his last Jello cup when he planned on eating it. The drawback, is I haven’t touched milk since the lime juice incident. Thank god my dad didn’t make me pay him back for that jersey. Otherwise, I’d have to work extra shifts to help pay for our spring break in Miami. Speaking of which, are you coming with us?”

“Yeah, who’s going to be there?” asked Sandra, “Because I don’t want to deal with the bullshit from last year when Jared, Nikki and Kyle bailed on us at the last minute and we had to cancel because of them.”

“Oh don’t worry,” Miranda said, “They’re not coming this year. It’s just me, you, Gina and Lauren coming this year. Speaking of which, the two of them are meeting us for lunch to talk over the spring break plans.”

Sandra breathed a sigh of relief at hearing this. She wanted to have a good spring break this year, especially with how hard she had been working at her classes, “Yeah, I’m a bit ahead on my schoolwork, so I definitely want a break,” she stated, “How much longer until we get to the restaurant? I didn’t eat breakfast this morning and I’m hungry as hell.”

“We’ll be there, soon,” Miranda stated, “You really need to eat three meals a day.”

“No,” Sandra stated, “I’m one of those people that has no appetite when I first wake up. Not only that, you know I’m a picky eater and don’t like most breakfast foods.”

Ten minutes had passed, and the Chevy pulled up to a local burger and hotdog joint. The building was a small white building with a big sign hanging overhead in big yellow letters that read ‘Cozy Dogs & Burgers’.

Miranda pulled into the parking spot next to a red Honda and turned the car off.

Sandra and Miranda left the car and entered the restaurant, where they met up with a girl with long red hair and pale skin, and a girl with short blonde hair.

The inside of the restaurant had rows of booths, and it was the style of restaurant where you sit down and a waiter or waitress comes to take your order. The four sat down, with Sandra sitting next to Miranda and Gina and Lauren sitting across from one another.

The smell of the food being cooked was making Sandra’s stomach growl. As hungry as she was, she’d order the entire menu, “Finally, we’re here,” she stated.

“Just be happy they’re not busy, today,” the blonde known as Lauren stated, “Otherwise, you’d be waiting forever.”

“Don’t jinx it, Lauren,” the redhead known as Gina stated, “You know how popular this place is.”

There were only a few other customers, but they already had their food. No one else was ahead of them.

Sandra was about to say something, but a man in his mid to late twenties walked up to their table with four menus, “How are you four this afternoon?” he asked kindly.

“We’re doing good,” the four said.

“That’s good,” the man said, “I’ll be back with water for the four of you, and to get your orders.”

The man left and the four began looking at their menus. Sandra’s friends had made up their mind, but Sandra had a harder time deciding on what she wanted. Being super hungry will do that to you.

“That’s the fastest service we’ve ever gotten here,” Sandra stated.

“We normally come here for dinner, not lunch,” Miranda stated, “And besides, the workers that work here during those hours don’t like us.”

“Okay, so I guess this is the perfect time to talk about our Miami plans,” Lauren stated, “My dad can get us a really nice suite with the view of the beach. So we won’t have to pay for anything but food or anything else we want to do.”

“Nice!” Gina exclaimed, “I’ve been saving like crazy for this.”

“The question is, when do we leave?” Miranda asked, “Spring break officially starts tomorrow.”

While they were talking, three other people entered the restaurant. The three newcomers appeared to know the four girls already sitting down, so they quietly walked over to the booth behind them to ease drop on the conversation.

“The suite would be at a discount if we left either on Monday or Tuesda,” Lauren stated, “Plus if we go earlier in the week, we’d have more days.”

“I like that idea,” Gina stated.

“Yeah, it’s gonna be awesome!” came a male voice sitting at the booth behind them.

The party of four turned around, and they all had annoyed looks on their faces, seeing the three people that bailed on them last year, causing them to have to cancel spring break, “First off, how long have you three been here listening to us?” Miranda asked, “and second, you’re not invited. Not after you three fucked up our plans last year by flaking on us.”

“We’re not going to flake on you guys again,” a girl with long brown hair said in a hopeful tone.

“You guys have said that before, including last year,” Gina pointed out, “Not to mention, you and Kyle both owe us money we barrowed you that you keep saying you’re going to pay back.”

“We will pay you guys back,” the other dude by the name of Kyle stated.

“When?” Lauren asked.

Before anyone can answer, the waiter arrived with the four glasses of water, “Are you guys ready to order?” he asked.

“Yes, I’ll have a burger with fries and a chocolate milkshake,” Miranda stated.

“I’ll have a chili dog with fries and a Sprite,” Gina said.

“I’ll have a hotdog and fries with a Coke,” Lauren said.

“What about you, ma’am?” the waiter asked Sandra.

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Choice A: What does Sandra order for lunch?

A. A hamburger with fries and a Coke

B. Chili fries and a strawberry smoothie

C. Bacon wrapped hotdog with fries and Coke

Choice B: What does Sandra add to the conversation with her former friends?

A. Pull out notebook and write down what the three owe.

B. Stay silent

C. We’ll call it even if you pay for all of our lunches, but you still can’t come with us on our trip.

Relationships

Miranda: 15/15 (She's your best friend. She refuses to hear your singing, though)

Gina: 11/15 (She's a good friend, but not as close as you and Miranda.)

Lauren 11/15 (See Gina's)

Kyle: 3/15 (You don't like him after bailing on your group last year, and he owes you money)

Nikki 3/15 (See Kyle)

Jared: 5/15 (You don't like him for bailing, but he doesn't owe you money like the others do.)

Chapter Text

After looking at the menu one more time, Sandra looked up at the waiter, “I’ll have a hamburger, medium rare with fries and a Coke,” she stated.

The waiter wrote down Sandra's order, as well as the orders of her friends,”Alright, I’ll get those to you,” he stated before leaving the table.

Seeing the waiter write down the orders reminded Sandra of something, so she grabbed her purse, unzipped it and pulled out a notebook of her own, as well as a pen and began writing down what both Nikki and Kyle owed the group. Nikki owed Sandra $50 dollars for the brand new pair of jeans she let Nikki barrow, but got ruined when she dropped a plate of chocolate cake on her lap. Kyle owed Sandra $20 for a couple of CDs he really wanted, but claimed he didn’t have the money, and Sandra was nice enough to loan it to him. Nikki owed Miranda $60 for a light blue blouse she ruined, when she brought it to her house and her cat peed on it. Kyle didn’t owe Miranda, though, but he owed Gina and Lauren each $20 dollars for random things, too. So both Nikki and Kyle owed the group $170 total. Sandra ripped the page from her notebook and handed it to her former friends, “This is what you owe us,” she stated, “And don’t ask us if you can come with us again.”

Jared, the one person out of the group that didn’t owe any money wasn’t ready to give up, though, “Wait, why can’t I come?” he asked, “I’m not the one that ruined a pair of your jeans or Miranda’s blouse. I also didn’t beg for any money.”

“Jared, that may be true, but you still bailed on us, so no,” Miranda said.

Before anyone could add to the conversation, the TV playing in the background turned to WABE News covering the Lee Everett trial and the upcoming sentencing hearing that was to take place on Tuesday.

The broadcast earned mixed feelings amongst the group. Gina and Lauren had judgmental looks on their faces, while Miranda and Sandra looked more understanding to the situation. The four didn’t comment right away, as the waiter returned with their food. Unlike most restaurants, the burger patties were homemade and not in a perfect round shape between two pieces of white bread instead of burger buns, while there was a piece of bread warpped around the chili dog and hotdog. The waiter placed the tray down on the table, “There you ladies go,” he said, “enjoy your meal.”

The waiter left and with no one else to disrupt the conversation, Gina spoke first, “I can’t believe that man killed that senator over his wife,” she said in a judgmental tone, “So what, his marriage is over. He should’ve just moved on.”

Sandra, although friends with Gina, didn’t agree one bit on this, “I disagree 110% on that,” she stated, “Personally, that Everett should be given a medal of honor for what he did to that senator. Now, if it were a situation where he killed the senator for absolutely no reason, then fine, lock his ass up.”

“But he still killed a man, Sandra,” Lauren added, “I’m with Gina on this.”

“I’m with Sandra,” Miranda said, “I personally hope the judge is easy on him. That ex-wife should get something done to her, too.”

The four continued to eat their lunch, while the same waiter from before came to ask how their food was before taking the orders of Nikki, Kyle and Jared.

“Okay, so back to what we’re going to do down in Miami for spring break,” Gina said, taking the subject away from the Everett trial, “I hear there’s this party boat with lots of drinks and music that don’t card people. I was thinking when we get down there, we go onto that boat and party.”

“Or we can meet a bunch of guys,” Lauren suggested.

“I think we should worry about that for when we get there,” Sandra said.

“I’m undecided, so I’m with Sandra on waiting until we get there,” Miranda added.

The three former friends sitting at the other booth were no longer paying attention to what the four girls were talking about. They were having their own conversation.

Sandra and her group finished up their lunch, paid for their check after the waiter game back with it. The four were about to leave, but were stopped by an elderly couple sitting two booths down, “Excuse me, young lady,” the woman said, looking at Sandra, “Are you Cassandra Davis?”

Sandra cringed when she was asked this. She absolutely hated it when people called her by her full first name. She looked at the elderly couple, and they seemed familiar to her, but she couldn’t quite place it, “Excuse me, but do I know you two?” she asked.

“Sorry to bother you, but you look familiar, like a girl we used to look after ten years ago,” the elderly man said, going into his wallet and taking out an old wrinkled photo of a younger looking Sandra, but with longer hair, chubby cheeks, and wearing a sky blue t-shirt and black pants, holding a kangaroo stuffed animal.

Sandra looked at the photo and her jaw dropped at seeing the photo. Then it all clicked, “No way!” she exclaimed, “You’re Mr. and Mrs. Lawson. You’re my old babysitters.”

This sparked the interest of Miranda. Gina and Lauren had left, as they weren’t as close to Miranda and Sandra, and having come to the restaurant in their own cars, “Oh, you have to tell me sto-“

Sandra quickly cut her friend off, “Don’t even think about it, Miranda,” she warned before sitting down across from the couple in their booth, “I wasn’t expecting to see you two here, and after so many years.”

“You have really grown, Cassandra,” Mrs. Lawson said.

Sandra, still not liking her full name, cringed again, “Can you please just call me Sandra?” she asked, “I never liked being called Cassandra back then, and I d like it if you don’t call me that now.”

The elderly woman chuckled at this, “Some things never change, haw Michael?” she asked her husband.

“No, they don’t Bev,” Michael replied, “I still remember when she wouldn’t budge until we called her Sandra.”

Sandra, not wanting to hear anymore stories being babysat, wanted to change the subject, “Okay, what exactly did you need?” she asked the couple, “It’s not that I’m not happy to see you both again, but I really need to head back to campus and finish up a paper that’s due tomorrow before spring break begins.”

Michael went into his wallet and pulled out a silver and gold plated card key and a set of standard keys, “You see, me and Bev actually own this place,” he stated, “We know how college people don’t always have a lot of money. You’re like a second daughter to me and my wife. This card key and set of keys are for an warehouse unit near Macon. There are cans of food and bottles of water there.”

“There’s also lots of frozen beef and venison patties there, too,” Bev added before writing down the address and handing it to Sandra, “I also wrote down the key code for the living quarters, too.”

“Wait, why would you want a bunker?” asked Miranda, “It’s not like the world’s going to end anytime soon. Everyone thought the world was going to end three years ago with the whole Y2K thing.”

“We lived through the Great Depression and know what it’s like to not have food,” Michael stated, “It may seem extreme, but that’s how we are.”

“All we ask is that you be responsible with this gift,” Bev stated, “We don’t mind if you give your friends some stuff, but only you are allowed to go there.”

Sandra put the keys into her purse, “Thanks you, Mr. and Mrs. Lawson,” she said gratefully.

“Bev and Michael,” the elderly woman corrected, “You’re not a kid anymore, so you may call us by our first name.”

“Okay, I think we’ve kept you and your friend long enough,” Michael said, “I’d hate for you to get a bad grade on your paper.”

Sandra and Miranda stood up, “it was nice seeing you both again,” Sandra said, “you both have a good day.”

The two teens left and went back to Miranda’s car. The two hit the road, but only a couple minutes into the drive, Sandra’s phone rang.

“Who in the world could be calling me now?” Sandra asked.

“I don’t know,” Miranda replied, “maybe you should answer it.”

Sandra went into her purse and pulled out her bar shaped Nokia and hit the answer button on the number pad, “Hello?” Sandra said into the phone.

“Sandra, hi,” came a female voice on the other side of the phone, “This is Diane, Clementine’s mom. I know this is short notice, but I was wondering if you could come babysit Clem on Monday?”

This made Sandra think hard. This babysitting job would definitely interfere with her spring break plans.

“Me and Ed haven’t had a vacation in a while, but Clem has her spring break next week,” she stated, “This is the cheapest for reservations for the Marsh House in Savannah. I know this might interfere with your plans, but Clementine really misses you, and we’ll pay you triple for watching her. We’ll be back by Tuesday afternoon. Do you think you can do it? We’ve already asked other family, but they can’t.”

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*Big Choice* This choice WILL cause major consequences.

A. “Sorry, I already have plans to go to Miami. I miss Clem, too, but this was already planned.”

B. “I’d love to see Clementine again! I do have plans, but I’m sure I can push those back.”

X. Use notebook to start this or the previous chapter over. (This letter will always be reserved for using notebooks/savestates. This option will also be available as long as there's at least one notebook in the universal inventory.)

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Relationship:

Miranda 15/15 (She’s your best friend)

Gina 11/15 (She likes you, but don’t agree with you on everything)

Lauren 11/15 (See Gina’s)

Bev 13/15 (She remembers you fondly from when you were a little girl)

Michael 13/15 (He remembers you fondly)

Diane 14/15 (She trusts you, and really wants you to babysit Clementine, so her and Ed can go on a quick vacation)

---------------------------------------------------

*Universal Items:* (Universal items can be used by any playable character regardless of what character collected it.)

Number of Notebooks: 1

Chapter Text

After hearing what Diana had to say on the phone, Sandra weighed her options. On one hand, she’d feel like a hypocrite for bailing, but on the other hand, she’d be doing something else to look after someone she gets along with very well.

Sandra let out a sigh and finally answered Diana’s question, “Sure, I’d love to see Clementine again!” she exclaimed, “I do have plans, but I’m sure I can push them back.”

Miranda looked at her friend when she said that last sentence, but Sandra was busy with the conversation on the phone, “Great!” the mother said on the other end of the call, “Clementine will be so happy to see you, too! Oh, and like I said, I’ll pay you triple since this is on such short notice. Also, don’t worry about cooking anything, either. I’ll make you and Clem’s favorite, tater tot casserole, some other things to microwave and some extra money if you want to order food.”

This relieved Sandra. She knew Clementine was a bit of a picky eater. Clem loved apples and peanut butter, but her favorite dinner was tater tot casserole, “Okay, that works,” the teen said into the phone.

“I’ll need you to arrive at the house by 9:30 A.M on Monday,” Diana said.

“Okay, I’ll be there,” Sandra said.

“Sounds good,” Diana said, “You’re such a lifesaver, Sandra. I’ll talk to you on Monday, then.”

“Have a good day, Diana,” Sandra said before pressing the end button on the number pad before putting the phone back into her purse.

Miranda didn’t hesitate to question her friend after the call ended, “What plans do you have to push back?” she asked.

Sandra felt bad about this, as she herself really wanted to go to Miami, “Listen, I have to babysit on Monday,” she stated, “I really do want to go to Miami with you guys, but do you think we can push it back to Tuesday instead?”

Miranda wanted to be upset with Sandra, but she understood that her friend wasn’t bailing after they arrived like Jared, Nikki and Kyle did, “Okay, Gina and Lauren aren’t going to like this, but I understand,” she said, “If we still go on Monday, I’ll pay for your spot and you can pay me back.”

This made Sandra feel better about things, “Okay, thank you,” she said.

-------------------------------------------------

It was now Monday morning, and Sandra had pulled into the driveway of Clementine’s house.

After getting out of the car, she couldn’t help but glance into the backyard, looking at the treehouse.

Sandra had a small duffel bag in her hand with one change of clothes and her purse in the other hand. She was in a hurry from oversleeping, and ended up forgetting her cell phone at college. The teen made her way to the front door and rang the doorbell.

Footsteps could be heard on the other side of the door, followed by the door unlocking and the door opening, revealing a woman in her early to mid thirties, “Sandra, come in!” she invited.

The woman moved to the side, letting Sandra in and shut the door behind her. once she was inside, she was immediately met with a little girl wearing a white hat with a D on it running towards her, “Sandra!” she exclaimed, running and hugging the teen.

Sandra took off the girl’s hat and ruffled her hair before putting it back on and hugging her back, “Nice to see you again, Clem!” she exclaimed, “Are you excited for spring break?”

“Yeah, I was bored at school,” the girl now known as Clementine replied, “Are you on spring break?”

“Yes, I am,” Sandra said, “I’ll be meeting my friends tomorrow in Miami after your mommy and daddy get back from their mini vacation in Savannah.”

A man around the same age as the woman walked into the room to greet Sandra, “Hello, Sandra,” he greeted before walking up to the teen, “I believe Diana went over the rules with you over the phone, right?”

“Yes,” Sandra said, “Have Clem in bed by 8:00, no suger after dinner, no parties, no swearing and call the Marsh House in case of an emergency.”

Diana looked at her husband, “Ed, don’t worry,” she said to her husband, “She’s babysat our Clementine before. I’m sure they’ll be fine.”

Ed let out a sigh, “Alright,” he said before bending down and picking up his little girl, “You be good for Sandra, okay,”

“Okay, daddy,” the little girl said before hugging her dad.

The man put his daughter down. Diane handed Sandra $150 plus and extra $30, “Since we normally pay you $50, there’s your payment, plus money if you want to order a pizza and cover the tip.,” she said.

“Thank you, Diana,” Sandra said before looking at Ed, “Oh, and how’s things going as an engineer?”

Ed laughed, “The best they can go if you’re an engineer,” he said, not really wanting to talk about his job, “well, me and Diana should hit the road.”

“Come give mommy a hug and a kiss, Clem,” Diana said.

The woman knelt down to Clem’s level and the little girl hugged and kissed her mom on the cheek, “I love you, mommy,” she said, “please come back soon.”

“I will, sweetie,” Diana said.

Clementine gave her father another hug and a kiss before the two left the house. Sandra and Clementine watched as the two parents got into their minivan and pulled out of the driveway and onto the main road to Savannah.

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Alternate Choices:

Choice A: What does Sandra order for lunch?

A. A hamburger, fries and Coke. (Chosen)

Miranda is more understanding of you as a result of choosing something she likes. You’ve gained a chance to save her during the outbreak and get her as a group member.

B. Chili fries and a strawberry smoothie.

Choosing this causes Gina to be more understanding about not making the Miami trip. Choosing this would’ve unlocked the chance to get her as a group member during the outbreak.

C. Hotdog, fries and Coke.

This choice unlocks a chance to have Lauren become a group member during the outbreak.

Choice B: What does Sandra do about the money issue.

A. Pull out notebook and write down the money owed. (Chosen)

By picking this, you earned a savestate/notebook. This also annoys the three, and they will be villains in the outbreak.

B. Stay Silent.

Choosing this option keeps the three former friends neutral and they don’t come back as villains.

C. Have them pay for your lunch, but don’t allow them to go on the trip.

Choosing this would’ve resulted in the three feeling bad for how they treated you and your group. You’d get a chance to save them during the outbreak.

Choice 3: What does Sandra do about the babysitting job offer?

A. Decline the offer and tell Diana about your Miami trip.

Choosing this option would mean Sandra goes to Miami with her friends. Diana and Ed stay home and they meet Lee. This option would’ve unlocked Ed & Diana as playable characters, and Sandra would’ve called the house early in the outbreak tearfully apologizing for not babysitting Clementine. You also have a chance of driving to Hersha’s farm or the drugstore in the minivan instead of a pickup truck. Sandra’s story would end there, and you’d lose the chance at supplies at the restaurant owner’s underground warehouse/living space.

B. Accept the babysitting job. (Chosen)

Sandra pushes her Miami trip back, while her friends go on ahead. You still have the chance of also saving Miranda and also getting the chance of extra supplies from the keys Sandra receives.

-----------------------------------------------

Who do you want to play as next?

A. Duck

B. Quincy

C. David Parker

D. Katie

E. Carley

F. Terry St. John

*Universal Inventory*

Notebooks: 1

Chapter Text

Thursday, March 13th 2003

Atlanta, Georgia

WABE News Station. 11:55 A.M

Standing in front of a camera wearing a white blouse and black pants with matching black shoes was a woman with fair skin and short brown hair. She was reading from a script and had on a smile, that was clearly fake, “Our last story for this broadcast is the upcoming Cherry Blossom Festival in Macon,” the woman said, “This year, the festival will kick off at 10:30 A.M this coming Tuesday. Admission being $5 for children 12 and under, $7 for kids 13 to 18 and $15 for adults. There will be food vendors, a place to buy real honey pollinated from cherry blossoms, a homegrown cherry blossom competition, where the winner gets to take home a sterling silver cherry blossom cup trophy and to wrap up the festival, local musicians perform.”

The reporter reading from the script was happy to be done with talking about that festival, ‘God, I hate covering this stupid festival,’ she thought to herself, ‘I had to cover it last year to fill in when Beth was out sick.’

The reporter quickly got out of her own world to finish the broadcast, “That’s all for WABE News at 11 A.M,” she said, “I’m Carley Wells, and we’ll be back at you for WABE News at 5.”

The camera shut off and the reporter now named Carley was able to take off her fake smile. A man in his late twenties to early thirties walked up to to Carley, “That was a great show, Carley,” he said to the reporter.

“Thanks, Steve,” Carley replied, “but more importantly, thank you for filling in with me today.”

The man now known as Steve smiled, “You’re welcome, Carley,” he said, “I can tell you’re not too excited about the Cherry Blossom Festival.”

The two began walking towards the break room, taking their conversation with them. Carley couldn’t help but laugh at Steve, “You know me so well, Steve,” she said, “I’ve covered things like the war, a random person wanting to get on camera, some dude trying to grab my ass and covering warzones. I’ve learned how to shoot, and before becoming a reporter, I never found flowers interesting. Hell, if I had been in a relationship for Valentine’s Day this year, I would’ve tossed the damn roses, had I gotton any.”

“But you’d tear the box of chocolates apart like a kid at Christmas,” her co-worker said.

The two reached the break room. Carley could smell that a fresh pot of coffee was being made. The reporter loved her coffee to death, ‘I’ll never forget the one time I yelled at Steve when I didn’t have my coffee,’ she thought to herself, ‘thank god he forgave me for that.’ She went to her locker to get her signature 18oz coffee mug. Upon opening her locker, her excitement on scoring a fresh cup of coffee before heading to lunch and heading home was replaced with sheer anger. Instead of her red resealable lunch bag and coffee mug sitting in her locker where she left it, her coffee mug was in the locker, but there were visible cracks on it with a few pieces of clear scotch tape on it, along with a note next to it.

The reporter grabbed the note and read it. ‘Carley, I barrowed your mug, ‘cause I forgot mine at home, and didn’t want to use the little Styrofoam cups in the break room. I dropped it on the ground cand cracked it a bit, but I fixed it as best I could. I figured since you’re in front of the camera and I’m the camera person, you’d be able to replace it.’

Carley was shaking with fury, now,’Oh, I fucking hate that bitch!’ she thought to herself, thinking about her photographer. She and her photographer had never gotton along since she started at the station. She didn’t understand why, though. All she wanted was to be paired with someone else. She always wanted to work the same shift with Steve, so this day was good in that part. But now this bitch had destroyed her mug, did a shitty job patching it up, claiming she did her best and acts like it’s no big deal

“Carley,”

“Carley”

“Carley!” Steve said loudly, causing his co-worker to jump, “You’re shaking like a leaf, and you spaced out. Are you feeling okay?”

Carley took a deep breath. She didn’t want to snap at Steve again, “That bitch Trisha broke my damn coffee mug and she doesn’t seem to give a fuck!” she said, almost shouting.

Steve didn’t say anything, which confused the reporter. He went over to his own locker and opened it. He pulled out a red gift bag that was decorated with Christmas trees and Santa Claus hats. He walked over to his co-worker and friend, “Here, I forgot to give this to you at the station gift exchange,” he said.

Carley was even more confused, “What is it?” she asked.

“Open it up,” Steve said.

The reporter opened the bag and removed the paper, uncovering a box. She pulled the box out of the bag, and her eyes lit up upon seeing what it was. The box contained a brand new 20oz thermos with the Philadelphia Phillies logo on it, “Holy shit, Steve!” was all she said. But that wasn’t the only thing in that gift bag. The other thing in the bag was a new and improved lunchbox that came with a padlock and key in order to get it open. This day had gotten so much better. She really needed these things, as Trisha had eaten her lunch a few times, too.

“I know how much you like the Phillies, and I know how much you’ve complained about that woman eating your lunch in the past, too,” Steve stated, “Hopefully now, you won’t run into that headache.”

“Thank you so much, Steve,” the reporter said gratefully.

The pot of coffee was done just in time, so the reporter went over to the sink and rinsed out her brand new thermos and got herself a fresh cup of coffee before shutting it.

“You’re welcome, Carley,” Steve said, “Well, I’m going to head out for my lunch. I still have to come back for the 5:00 news later today.”

“Okay, talk to you later, Steve,” Carley said.

Carley watched as her co-worker left the break room to go to lunch. The reporter looked over at her old mug and lunch bag. She knew there was some old fruit and yogurt in the fridge that other workers forgot about. She wanted to stick it to her photographer.

-------------------------------------------------

What does Carley do about the situation?

A. Let it slide and enjoy her new gifts.

B. Put the old fruit and yogurt into Trisha’s locker and leave a note saying ‘enjoy the mug and bag.’ Next to her old supplies.

C. Wait for a better opportunity to present itself to get back at her.

X. Use notebook/savestate. *This restarts this or the previous chapter.* This letter will always be reserved for this option.

---------------------------------------------

Relationships:

Steve: 15/15 (You and him are best friends and you’re grateful for the late Christmas gifts)

Trisha: 1/15 (You can’t stand each other. She broke your old mug and has eaten your lunch a few times.)

------------------------------------------------

Inventory

Pistol

Lunch Box

Philadelphia Phillies thermos

Broken mug

Old lunch bag

-------------------------------------------------

Universal Inventory:

Notebooks: 1 *Universal items can be used by anyone regardless of who picks them up.*

Chapter Text

After taking another look at her new lunchbox and thermos, the reporter decided it was best to enjoy the gifts Steve had given her and let things slide for now.

Carley knew that Trisha was someone that would tell on you when she knew someone did her wrong. The reporter took her old lunch bag and old cracked mug and looked at them for one last time, ‘well, it’s been a great run,’ she thought to herself before tossing the two old items into the trashcan.

After throwing away her old items, the reporter left the breakroom before going to the room where the time clock was to punch out before leaving the TV for the day.

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Later on that night, Carley was sitting on her couch looking something up on her laptop. More specifically, she was looking up information on the Lee Everett trial. Yes, she’d spoke on it a bit at work, but deep down, she really wanted to have an interview with the convicted felon. She also didn’t find him scary.

The sentencing hearing was to take place this upcoming Tuesday, but she didn’t know whether or not she’d get the chance to interview him that day. She still didn’t know what her assignment was going to be for that day. In fact, the Cherry Blossom Festival was also going to be happening that day.

It also didn’t help that some people were out sick or on vacation. The reporter’s stomach growled, but before she got a chance to get up and make herself some dinner, her phone rang, ‘Oh great, who could this be?’ she thought to herself as she got up from the couch and walked over to the phone, grabbing the receiver and putting it up to her ear, “Hello?” the reporter said into the phone.

“Carley, sorry to bother you at home like this,” a male voice said on the other end of the phone, “But I need to speak with you tomorrow morning.”

Carley felt nervous about this. Her boss doesn’t usually call her at home unless there’s an emergency, or she needs to substitute for someone. While she wasn’t on bad terms with her boss, the random calls always made her nervous.

The reporter took a deep breath before responding, “What is it, Gerald?” she asked.

“Don’t worry, it isn’t anything bad,” the man now known as Gerald said on the other end of the phone, “I’ll tell you the details tomorrow morning.”

“Alright, I’ll be there,” Carley said before hanging up the phone.

What ever Gerald had to say must’ve been big, as he would normally tell her everything instead of having her wait until the next day to find out more on what was going on. In addition to people being sick at her job, there were a couple of field reporters that were lured away to other TV stations in the country, as those other ones offered full time anchoring jobs instead of just a field reporter. She couldn’t blame them for going elsewhere, though. Anchors do get paid more, as she knew from her paycheck being bigger for filling in as an anchor.

The reporter’s stomach growled again, telling her to go get food. She went to the fridge and settled on heating up some leftover chili. After eating, Carley washed her bowl and went online and played a couple games of solitaire before settling down and going to bed for the night after she showered.

-------------------------------------------------------

Carley was back at the WABE TV station, but she was in an office sitting with a man with crow’s feet, brown eyes, graying brown hair that and fair skin. He was wearing a white dress shirt and tie and black plants.

The man had a neutral look on his face as he looked at Carley, “Thank you for coming this morning, Carley,” Gerald said, “I know you don’t normally start your shift until a few hours from now, but this is important.”

“What is it, boss?”

“I know you’ve been filling in as an anchor, lately, but I need to talk to you about working the weekend shift this weekend, too,”

Carley didn’t know what to say about this. She needed a break. Sure she was getting more money, but she was only human.

“I promise that come Monday, you’ll be back to your regular shift as a field reporter,” he said, “You don’t have to if you don’t want to, though.”

BRRAAAAA! Before Carley could respond to her boss, he let out a fart so violent it immediately stunk up the place, causing her to cover her nose in disgust, ‘What did this man eat?’ she thought to herself.

Gerald, now embarrassed, looked at his employee, “Excuse me,” he said standing up, “Watch the office for me. I need to go to the bathroom before I shit myself. Oh, I have an email I need to send out today with next week’s assignments with all that’s going on. Can you send it for me if I’m not back in five minutes?”

Gerald rushed out of the office as fast as he could for his old age.

The smell of fart was still present, but once he was out of sight, the reporter got up from her chair and made her way behind her boss’s desk. She sat down in his chair and looked at his computer.

There was a file open with the following week’s assignments for the events. She knew deep down she shouldn’t be doing this, but as a journalist, she was nosy by nature, so she enlarged the document to see what it contained before sending it out.

More specifically, she went to Tuesday, March 18th, the day of the Cherry Blossom Festival and Lee Everett’s sentencing hearing.

She scanned and found her name. Carley Wells-Cherry Blossom Festival-Photographer-Tricia Jones.

She looked to see who had Lee’s case. It was a woman named Amanda Ericson

Another thing caught her eye. She saw that there was an assignment on the same day for the Grapefruit League game between the Phillies and Braves. The Phillies fan in her wanted to change her assignment to that matchup in hopes of getting her thermos signed by a Phillies player.

She also wanted to be at Lee’s hearing and get an interview with him. But she also thought of not doing anything and sending the email as is.

-----------------------------------------------------------

*Big Choice* This choice WILL create changes.

A. Don’t change anything.

B. Swap Amanda, putting you on duty for the Lee sentencing hearing and different photographer.

C. Swap out the person on Grapefruit League duty between the Phillies and Braves down in Florida.

X. Uses a notebook/savestate. (This restarts this chapter or the previous one.)

------------------------------------------------------------

Who do you want to play as next?

A. Duck

B. Terry St. John

C. David Parker

D. Quincy

E. Katie

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Inventory:

Pistol

Phillies thermos

Lunchbox

------------------------------------------------------------------

Universal Inventory:

Notebooks: 2

Chapter Text

Knowing that this was a big opportunity for her carreer as a reporter, and she really didn’t want to do another year at the Cherry Blossom Festival. She also didn’t want to have to deal with Trisha as her photographer on top of it, so she decided to make some changes, “Sorry, Amanda,” she said to herself, “I hope you like flowers.”

The reporter began editing the file, deleting her name from the Cherry Blossom Festival and replacing it with Amanda’s, while putting her own name on the Lee Everett sentencing hearing.

Carley did a once over of the email before hitting the send button. With that task done, Carley stood up and went back to her original seat to wait for her boss. The smell of farts had finally started to fade. A few more minutes had passed and Gerald had finally come back, feeling refreshed, “Sorry about that, Carley,” he said to her before sitting down in his seat, “Did you send out the email I asked you to send?”

“Yes, I sent it out,” the reporter replied, “and as for your question to work this weekend, I need a break.”

Gerald couldn’t fault Carley for turning down the offer, “I understand,” he said, “and sorry for calling you in here like this. How about you take the rest of today off, but I’ll still pay you today’s salary.”

This made Carley smile, “thanks, boss,”

Carley got up from her seat to leave, but not before going to the break room to score a fresh cup of coffee.

-----------------------------------------------------=

Carley sat in the court room and had taken in everything that was said during the sentencing hearing. She couldn’t believe Lee’s ex-wife was referring to him as simply a roommate. She watched as the convicted felon was doing all he could not to lose his cool, and quite frankly, she wouldn’t have blamed him for blowing up at the woman.

The hearing was now over, and she was even more determined to get an interview with the former UGA professor. She turned to the photographer on duty with her, “Jennifer, come on, let’s hurry,” she said.

Jennifer, another WABE photographer, was way more nicer than Trisha. She was in her mid twenties, average height and had long blonde hair and green eyes. If anything, she could pass as a reporter or anchor, as she had the looks of one. Despite this, she didn’t like all the attention and preferred working behind the camera. The media wasn’t even her first option. She was training to be a nurse originally, so she had some medical experience as well as working in the media. The photographer turned to her co-worker, “What’s the big rush, Carley?” she asked.

“I want to get an interview with him, so we’re going to follow him to the prison, so let’s hurry,” Carley grabbed Jennifer’s arm.

The reporter dragged her co-worker out of the courthouse and to the WABE van, Jennifer getting in the passenger’s side, while Carley got into the driver’s seat. The two waited until the police cruiser containing Lee Everett pulled out of the parking lot before they pulled out, too, beginning their pursuit of the convict and older officer.

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Alternate Choices.:

Choice 1: What does Carley do about the old lunch bag and cracked mug?

A. Let it slide. (Chosen)

Carley just lets it go.

B. Put the old food into Trisha’s locker.

This would’ve gotten you in trouble, causing Trisha to get that meeting with Gerald. She changes the email, putting you in the WABE studio, trapping you. This would’ve unlocked Steve as a playable character.

C. Wait for a better opportunity.

This would’ve unlocked more options to decide Trisha’s fate in the email option.

Choice 2: What does Carley do with the document?

A. Don’t change anything.

This keeps everything canon and Trisha gets eaten at the Cherry Blossom Festival, while Doug comes to the rescue.

B. Put yourself on duty for Lee’s sentencing hearing, swapping with another field reporter. (Chosen)

This option means you’re going to be meeting Lee earlier. Her opinion of Lee is positive as a result of being at the hearing.

Also, had you chosen to lose your cool back in Lee’s story, this would’ve created a situation of Carley sneaking Lee away from the courthouse group.

*You’ve unlocked a chance to save your friend Steve, as you’re in close proximity to a phone to call him up.*

C. Put yourself on Grapefruit League duty.

Choosing this puts Carley down in Florida. You don’t see her for the rest of the story, unlocking Steve as a playable character, which in turn, also have a chance to romance Lilly.

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*Savestate/Notebook Choice: Would you like to use a notebook?

X. This restarts either this or the previous chapter. *This letter is always for using notebooks.

Z. Don’t use notebook. *This letter is only used when the notebook option is the only one.*

Inventory:

Pistol

Lunchbox

Phillies thermos

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Universal Inventory:

Notebooks: 2

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Relationships:

Gerald: 9/15 (He respects that you stood up for yourself and glad you sent the email for him.)

Jennifer: 8/15 (You two get along well so far.)

Chapter Text

Thursday, March 13th 2003

St. John’s Dairy

Near Macon, Georgia

7:47 A.M

Sitting at a dining room table was a man in his late 50s to early 60s. He had graying brown hair with a matching graying brown beard. His face was marred with wrinkles from all the years he’d been alive for. This was none other than Terry St. John, a well known family man, and dairy farmer in the Georgia area.

Placed in front of Terry was a plate thate had a small stack of three pancakes, some sausage and scrambled eggs. To the left of the plate was a mug filled with hot coffe, while to the right of the plate was a taller glass filled with milk. The dairy farmer took his fork and took a bite of his eggs as the WABE played in the background. His attention wasn’t really on what was being said on the radio, though, as today was an important day for not only him, but his dairy farm, ‘I’ve got a lot to do today,’ he thought to himself as he took a sip of his coffee, ‘Today’s another annual kid’s tour of our dairy before their spring break.’

Walking into the room was a heavyset woman with short auburn hair. She, like the man at the table had a wrinkled face, and was in her mid 60s. Thn woman smiled at the man, “How’s your breakfast, honey?” the woman asked before sitting down next to the man with her own cup of coffee, “are you excited to give the kiddos the annual tour of the dairy, and the lunch?”

The man looked at the woman, “Yes, even though we’ve done this every year, it never gets boring,” he stated, “I know both Danny and Andrew are coming back today to help get things set up for the tour.”

“Speaking of the boys, I’ve asked them to also help repair the back door, while they’re both here,” Brenda said to her husband, “I know Andy has been wanting to get bear traps and hunt for more game.”

Terry and Brenda spoke for a little while longer, while finishing up their morning meal. Terry went upstairs to the master bedroom, where he had a picture of both andy and Danny when they were toddlers on the nightstand. Next to the nightstand was a secret door, which made the old man remember those days when he was younger, and his kids were just little boys, ‘Oh, the days when Danny would hide in that secret room after doing something he wasn’t supposed to,’ he thought back, ‘I could never fit into that room.’

The elderly dairy farmer decided that it was best to finish getting ready for the day, now that he had his meal. He changed into a light gray shirt, dark blue jeans and brown boots before brushing his graying hair. Afterwards, he went to the barn, where his cowswere. He walked over to his main cow, “Mornin’ Maybelle,” he greeted as he stroked the cow. None of the cows needed milking that morning, but he wanted togreet the animals before the tour.

After going back to the house, Terry had some things he could get started on before his two sons made it home. He could do his son Andrew a favor and put in the order for the bear traps, start work on repairing the back door.

Elections:

What will Terry do?

A. Put in the bear trap order for his son Andy.

B. Start repair work on the back door.

Chapter Text

After thinking it over a bit longer, Terry made up his mind on which project he was going to tackle first, ‘I better get this back door fixed first,’ the old dairy farmer thought to himself as he took another look at the back door to his house, ‘I’m sure Andy will understand about the bear traps.’

Before Terry could go and get his tools to start work on the back door, a man standing at a little over six feet came running towards the back door. He appeared to be in his mid to late twenties. He had short dark brown hair, hazel eyes and fair fair skinned. He was wearing a simple white t-shirt, a pair of cargo pants and black sneakers. The moment the man reached the back door, he called out, “Mr. St. John, I hope I’m not bothering you at a bad time,” he said before placing a hand against the door to look at his boss, “Is there anything I can help you with today? I know you and your family have the annual kid’s tour today for the dairy, but you know me, I don’t always like being in one place.”

Terry smiled at the young man standing before him, “First off, Mac, please just call me Terry,” he said chuckling, “You know we treat you, as well as the other farmhands like family.” Terry paused and thought for a bit before looking at the door again before turning back to his farmhand, “Actually, there is something you can do. How would you like to ride into town with me and get and install a new door?”

Hearing this made Mac smile, “Sure, I’ll ride into town with you and get a door,” he replied before looking at the broken door, “I don’t know how you managed to live here for so long without anyone breaking in.”

Terry just chuckled, “What can I say?” he asked, “I’m just a simple man that likes to hold onto things longer than I should. But that’s beside the point. I’ll go get my keys.”

The old farmer left Mac at the door and went back upstairs to retrieve his keys before making his way back downstairs, where Mac was waiting.

The two walked outside and made their way to a pickup truck. Terry got into the driver’s seat, while Mac took up the role as the passenger. Terry put the keys into the ignition and took off towards town. As the truck was making ita way away from the dairy, Terry turned towards his farmhand, “So, how are you liking it in the guest house?” he asked.

“I like it quite well,” Mac responded honestly, “It may not be as big as the house you share with your family, but it is nice and spacious. Not to mention, I think anyone would love to either work from home or only have to walk two minutes two and from their job everyday. And please don’t be offended by this, but our guest house seems way more secure than your house.”

Terry smiled at his charge, “No offense taken, Mac,” he said, “bulletproof windows and doors made of material that’s hard to breach? I already have my own windows installed, now it’s just time to replace the door.”

The two rode in silence as buildings came into view. They passed by an old rundown motel. Mac couldn’t help but smile when he saw the old structure, “I’m not sure if I told you, but just a few years ago, we used that old motel as a haunted house for my little nephew’s school,” he stated.

Terry seemed surprised about this, “Oh really?” he asked, “With the condition that place is in, that haunted house sounds fun.”

“Oh, it was,” Mac said to his boss, “before the haunted house portion, we had a full on cookout in the parking lot, grilling burgers, brats, hotdogs, had baked beans and potato salad as sides. It’s too bad the current owners don’t want to fix it up, though.”

“Well, maybe those owners are like me,” Terry said, “they probably just want to keep everything original to how it was built.”

The truck passed by the motor in, going further into town. As they continued to drive, the truck came up towards Everett Pharmacy and an electronics store across the street from it. They drove a few more blocks before they reached Becker’s Hardware. Terry pulled into the parking lot, grabbed a parking space and turned off the car.

The two exited the truck and made their way into the hardware store, where they were greeted by a middle aged woman with graying blonde hair, “Ah, mr St. John, how may I help you this morning?” she asked.

Terry smiled at the woman, “Good morning, Ruthie, and plase, it’s Terry<” he corrected her, “You and your family have known mine for a long time.”

The middle aged woman now known as Ruthie let out a light laugh, “I know, I just like to get a rise out of you,” she said, “how’s Brenda doing?”

“Brenda’s doing great,” Terry replied, “I’ll tell her you said hello when I get back home.”

“I’d appreciate that,” Ruthie said, “and thank her for cinnamon bread she made me a couple weeks ago.”

“Oh, I will,” Terry said.

Ruthie got serious, though, “I’m pretty sure you didn’t just come here for small talk,” she said, “how may I help you?”

“I’m just here to buy a replacement door,” the farmer replied, “It’s finally time to replace the damn thing.”

Ruthie smiled, “It’s a good thing you came in today,” she said, “Jeffery came inearly, so he should be able to help you pick one out.”

Terry nodded before turning to Mac, “Come on, Mac, let’s head to the back to see Jeff.”

The two walked towards the back of the store where a man around Mac’s age was standing. The man known as Jeff greeted the two, “ terry, what can I do for you?” he asked.

“We’re here for a door,” Terry responded, “do you have any steel doors in?”

Jeff nodded, “Certanly,” he said, “are you looking for just the door or one that has a window?”

“I’ll go with the one with a window,” Terry said.

“I’m assuming you’re going to want the one with the bulletproof glass, right/” Jeff asked. Terry nodded and Jeff went further into the store to retrieve the door. A few minutes later, Jeff and another man came back carrying a light gray colored door, but the doorhandle and deadbolt slots were not filled yet. A third person followed the two holding a fresh new key, as well as a a new doorknob, deadbolt and screws. The three walked to the front of the storr, with Terry and Mac following them. Terry paid for the door, and he and Mac left the store carrying the door before putting it into the bed of the truck before heading back to the dairy.

Back at the dairy, Mac and Terry removed the back door before installing the new one.

Once they were done installing the door, Terry turned to his farmhand, “Thank you for helping me with the door,” he said gratefully.

“You’re welcome, Terry,” Mac replied, “I figure the kids will be coming soon, so I’ll go get the others to help get the rest of the stuff set up.”

“Alright, I’m going to rest up for a bit before joining you,” Terry said.

Terry made his way upstairs to his room. Once he reached his room, he made his way to a part of the room blocked by a bookshelf. There were no books on the shelf, just an old notebook with lots of dust collected on it, ‘I remember when my boys were younger, they’d hide in this secret room,’ he thought to himself, ‘now there’s just this bookshelf with a notebook I haven’t used in awhile,’ curiousity started to overtake the old man, ‘I do wonder what’s behind that bookshelf. Who am I kidding? I’m old, Maybe I should just go downstairs and help Mac.’

Choices:

What does Terry do?

A. Take the notebook and move the bookshelf out the way to explore the room.

B. Go back downstairs to help Mac and the other farmhands set up for the tour.

Item Inventory:

Unknown tools in his room.

Universal Inventory:

Notebooks: 2

Relationship Statuses:

Brenda St. John 15/15

She loves her husband dearly, and is looking forward to the kids coming to tour the dairy.

Andy St. John 15/15

He loves his father, and is hoping he will get the bear traps.

Danny St. John 15/15

He loves his father.

Mac 14/15

He gets along great with his boss/second father figure. He appreciates you asking him to help you fix the back door.

Other Farmhands 10/15

They respect you as a boss.