#the wd

Clementine looked over the fire at her new group. It was strange being with them, she was so used to being with Christa and then with Luke that it was strange now. She wasn’t even sure how these people survived. Sure she was probably being harsh, but they were some kind of hillbillies or something. These past couple of days have been a blur with them asking her all kinds of questions that she refused to answer. It wasn’t because she didn’t trust them, she did, well... at least she trusted herself to be able to throw them off if she had to, but she didn’t want to get that personal with anyone again. After what happened with Kenny, the only person she was going to trust was herself and Lee.

“Clementine, darlin’ bring that axe o’er ‘ere. We gotta cut this log an’ move it outta the way.” Decker called out to her from the edge of the clearing.

Clementine looked around her. It was dark despite the fire and in the end she had to feel around for it, knocking her hands on a couple of rocks as she went. Finally she brushed her hand against it, she was glad it had been the handle end and not the sharp part, she wasn’t really willing to cut her hand and add another scar to the one she got from that dog. It still wasn’t completely healed yet and probably wouldn’t be for another couple of weeks. It was a deep cut after all.

“Thanks.” Clementine nodded at Decker as she handed him the axe and removed herself to go and sit back with the others by the fire. Patty was cooking up a rabbit which Decker had found hours ago and Clementine had spent three hours being taught how to skin it. Not that she didn’t already know, but she didn’t talk about her life before a couple of days ago, they probably wouldn’t understand anyway. They probably wouldn’t believe her. If she hadn’t been there, she probably wouldn’t believe her either so it’s not like she blamed them really.

“How are things for you, Sweet Pea?”

Clementine sat on the log opposite the others and turned away from the fire. Lee came to visit her every night and she was happy when he did. She looked forward to it and it was how she got through each day. “Yeah, it’s okay. I don’t really understand them too well, but I guess I’m not really trying.”

Lee placed an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close. Clementine missed the warmth he used to bring to her what seemed like centuries ago, but was only just over two years in reality. But she wasn’t wrong really, two years was an awfully long time to survive in this world, she just had to keep at it. “You’ll be okay, Honey, you know that. I taught you everything you need to know to survive, didn’t I?”

Clementine closed her eyes as she leaned into Lee and nodded slightly. “Yeah, you did, but… it’s hard Lee. I miss you every day. When I look at a gun I see us on the train, when I cut my hair, I see our conversation in my head. I look at Decker and I see Hershel. You remember him don’t you?”

Lee nodded and stared off into the distance. Clementine was never going to forget that day; it was the first time she had ever seen a person die. Sandra had been dead already when Lee bashed her head in, so that was different, though no less horrifying. She wasn’t really sure what had made her trust Lee, but she was glad that she had. He had kept her safe all this time and she was better for it, definitely.

“Lee?”

Lee turned his head and looked down at Clementine, smiling at her to continue.

“Do you think the world will get fixed?”

Lee shrugged, but pulled Clementine closer to him for a hug. “You know what, Sweet Pea?” Clementine looked up at Lee. “I don’t think it matters, but either way, I believe that you will always survive.”

Clementine hadn’t realised how much she would need to hear that, until she did. Her eyes teared up and she pressed her face into Lee’s chest, willing herself to calm down.

“Clementine, are’ya ready fer dinner now?”

Clementine looked up from where she had her face hidden in Lee’s arms and realised that it was Patty who had called her. She sniffed momentarily and rubbed her eyes to remove the evidence of her crying. When she turned back to Lee, he was gone. Not that Clementine was surprised; he always disappeared when she was called by another. “Yeah, thanks.”

Clementine moved closer to the group and reached out for her plate, which was handed to her by Tommy. She nodded at the guy and tucked into her leg of rabbit. Yesterday, Patty had insisted on Clementine eating the biggest portions, but today she had put her foot down, Clementine was the smallest and so she should be eating the smallest portions. Patty had tried to disagree, but after a brief chat with Decker, she had agreed. Clementine was happy either way. She wasn’t sure how long she would be with this family; she wanted to make sure she didn’t get too used to food, just in case.

“Wow, this is so bad.” Tommy complained, looking at everyone else. Regina and Vivienne seemed to agree, though Decker seemed to be enjoying it. Patty looked over to Clementine, “how are you finding’ the food, Hon?”

Clementine tore into the leg of the rabbit and looked up at Patty and the rest of the family. She blinked at Patty and put the rabbit back onto the plate. “I don’t think it matters how I find it. As long as it is nutritious, does its job and keeps me going, who cares about the taste?” She knew she was being rude, but it was honestly how she felt. She was still hurt over Kenny and Sarita and she still wasn’t going to trust anyone but herself, as soon as she learned how to better take care of herself, she would be so far gone from anyone, they would forget she had even been here.

Thinking of Sarita and Kenny made her remember everything that had happened back at the so called Sanctuary. Clementine still couldn’t believe everything that had happened. After all that happened with Carver and those others, the horde had been the least of their problems. Or so she had thought.

                                                             *

Clementine jumped down from the platform, following behind Kenny and Rebecca. Seeing Kenny smash Carver in the face like that was not as horrifying as she had expected. In fact, she had almost asked Kenny to let her do it herself. She had stopped herself last minute, luckily. She didn’t think they would have taken to it very well.

Sarita rushed to Kenny’s side, but Kenny held his hand up to her. “No...no...no, it’s okay, i’m alright, we’ve got other things to worry about.”

Kenny moved away from Sarita, who had a sad look on her face, and faced the horde that was slowly approaching. “Shit, I thought they were coming from the South.”

Rebecca stepped up next to Kenny. “They did, but it looks like we’re in the eye of it now.” Clementine looked over to the pair to see that Mike was also there. “Fuck... we are so fucking fucked.”

“Here,” Clementine looked up to see Luke holding a weapon of some sort out to her. She took it and held it close. “You’re gonna need this.” Clementine nodded at Luke. “Yeah, thanks.” Looking back out at the horde, Clementine moved closer, she was going to have to fight again, not that it was something she wasn’t used too.

A couple of the Walker’s broke off from the main group and headed towards them. Clementine watched one of them as it headed in her direction and held up her sharp weapon. When it got close enough, Clementine thrust herself forward and into the skull of the Walker, knocking him to the ground.

The guns went off at that moment, Walker’s were dropping like flies around them. “You guys better gut up, if you wanna live.” Clementine heard Jane call from somewhere off to the side. Slowly, Clementine lowered herself to kneel beside the body of the dead walker and sliced him open. “Do it quick, or we are gonna be so fucked.”

Clementine reached into the body and started to smear the blood and guts over her jacket. “I’ll go first.” Sarah looked horrified. “You’re gonna put that on yourself?”

Clementine looked over her shoulder, slightly annoyed. “We have to, Sarah!” Clementine rubbed more of the guts on her face and neck, she then turned to Sarah. “Okay, now you... turn around.”

Clementine ignored Sarah as she complained about the smell and concentrated on covering her in the stench of the dead. It was her only priority right now. She had to make sure that Sarah was good and covered for fear that she would be bitten by the workers. Sarah was useless on her own and even though she was going to be more of a hindrance to the group then and kind of decent help, Clementine had inadvertently come to call her a friend.

Soon Carlos arrived. “It’ll be okay, Honey. Just stay still.” He began to help Clementine with the smearing. “Are you sure?” Carlos nodded. “There is nothing to fear if you remain calm. I’ll keep you safe.”

“Hurry the fuck up.”

Jane was not in a good mood as the walkers were getting closer. Carlos looked at Clementine. “Turn around; I’ll get your back.” Clementine did as she was told, all the while watching the walkers get ever closer. 

“We ain’t got all day here, everybody ready? They’re almost on us.” Kenny was antsy about the walkers, everybody was.

“What the actual fuck is going on here! What is this sick shit? Someone say something before I start--- hey! Don’t you even fucking think about it Motherfucker! I will end you! You hear me?!” Troy had found them and as Luke had moved to pick up his gun, Troy spotted him. Luke raised his hands to the air and stood up, facing Troy.

Jane stood. “Troy. Troy we talked about this.” She held her hand out to him and started moving towards him.

“What? The fuck you talkin’ about?”

“I told you I wanted to get out.” Jane insisted. “You said you’d help, then I’d help.”

“I thought you meant get outta the pen! Not whatever the fuck this shit is!”

Jane kept backing him up. “I did, but now we can leave. Troy... you can come with us.”

Troy looked at Jane, slightly confused. “What?” He lowered his gun slowly. “Well... where would we go?”

Jane closed in on him. “Away from here... together...”

Troy smiled. “Man, you smell really bad, you gotta get a bath before we-” Bang! Jane shot Troy.

“Ahh! You shot my dick off! You son of a-”

Clementine looked at Jane in shock. “Come on, don’t make any noise, they might hear something they don’t like. And for fucks sake, WALK. Act like you belong and you will belong.”

Jane led everyone into the horde. Clementine followed Carlos and Sarah through. The Walkers surrounded them, but did not attack, instead they kept walking past the group, heading for the building. Soon the sound of gunfire took over the place and as Clementine looked back, she saw the people of the compound attempting to fight off the walkers.

Clementine kept behind Carlos, she could hear talking around her, some from Jane and Mike, others from Kenny, but she was mainly focused on keeping herself slow and quiet. Sarah however had different ideas; she was beginning to freak out. “Shh, quiet, Honey. Clementine, come help me out.” Carlos called, “Calm her down, please. Just say something. You’re her friend.”

Clementine moved closer to Sarah and was about to tell her it was going to be alright, when suddenly, a shot rang out, Carlos fell forward. “DAD!” Sarah and Clementine ran to him, but a walker got there first.

Sarah lost it. “DAD! DADDD! NO!” She was screaming and the walkers began to notice that there were people around them too.

More shots rang out as walkers went down. Bonnie knocked one away before it could bit Clementine. “Sarah, you need to calm down. Clementine!”

Clementine turned to see a walker and hit it with her weapon, knocking it away. Turning back to Sarah, she tried again. “Run, Sarah!” A walker in front of Clementine caught her attention, before she turned back to Sarah. “Sarah, did you-” but Clementine didn’t finish her sentence, because Sarah was already running.

Clementine turned around just in time to see another walker heading her way. She slashed at its head and ducked under another one, before being knocked to the ground by a third. Stumbling back to her feet, Clementine narrowly missed being chewed on by another when she slammed the sharp edge of her weapon into its skull, bringing it to the ground. Unluckily, it became lodged in the walkers head and only twisting and pulling relentlessly forced it loose and into the skull of yet another walker.

Clementine quickly moved away and went in search of Sarah, however she soon found Sarita and she was not in a very good position. Clementine had only a second to make her choice, a second that felt like years. Bringing her hatchet down on Sarita’s arm, twice, Clementine removed the threat of infection.

                                                                   *

Still Clementine did not regret her actions. What more could she have done? The woman would have died if not for her help. Admittedly, she died anyway, Clementine had forgotten the blood already on her hatchet and so Sarita’s wound had been infected by the walker blood. Still, Clementine maintained that she had done what she could and had it not been her hatchet, Sarita wouldn’t have survived anyway. She had been bit and all people who got bitten, died. She had seen it with Lee and she had seen it with Pete, both had died and would die.

Clementine picked up the leg again and began to finish it off. The others were just watching her, apparently having noticed that she had been remembering something, because after everyone else was finished, Decker came looking for her. “Wot was’all that back there?”

Clementine looked up at him and shrugged. She was sitting near the fire, twisting her gun around in her hands. “You trust me so quickly.” Clementine said, averting her eyes and staring into the fire.

Decker seemed confused and sat down next to her. “I don’ get’ya, Darlin’.”

Clementine didn’t look at him, but she decided to elaborate. “You trust me. You just let me in, no questions asked. I could be anyone. I could be some kind of murderer here to kill you in your sleep.”

Decker moved to place his arm around Clementine’s shoulders, but she flinched away and he thought better of it. “Yer a kid. You said yer’self yer on’y eleven. How could you be some kin’na murderer?”

Clementine flashed him a glance and something in her eyes made him hesitate, but only slightly. “Well, are yer here to murder us in our sleep?”

This time Clementine looked at him and shook her head. Decker smiled. “Then ahas the big deal?”

Clementine gripped her gun and looked back into the flames. “Because I’m not the innocent little girl you think I am.”

Decker laughed slightly. “Darlin’ if you were the sweet innocen’ lil’girl I thowt yer were, ye’d be dead. There ain’t nothing in this world, that could make me more sure’en that, then the fact that yer right here and yer alive.”