A/N: Originally posted on Tumblr/AO3 pre Ep3. I wrote this one based on a sad ask I saw answered on Tumblr because I just like to make myself sad.
Clementine didn't see it happen.
But she heard it.
Within the chaos that surrounds the Delta, the walkers, gunshots- so many damn gunshots- and heavy boots, heavy breaths, heavy rain...
...was her scream.
So close, buzzing in Clementine's ear and rattling her bones.
She whirls around. A blur flashes before her- Louis, crying out, dropping Chairles and grabbing ahold of the walker by its throat, jerking it back and slamming it to the ground. His boot penetrates the skull until it's nothing but mush and bones.
And she lay there, curled over and gasping out.
"Violet!" Clementine finds her voice.
More walkers.
So many goddamn fucking walkers.
AJ starts shooting.
Clem watches as Louis wraps his arms under Violet's legs and hauls her up. He doges walkers, hurrying past her.
She can hear the others.
Aasim's grunts.
Ruby's shouts.
Willy's cries.
The raiders gunshots.
Clem grabs AJ, jerking him away and taking off. "Run!" she cries out to the others.
She doesn't turn to see if they heard her.
For how long she ran, for how long they all huffed and wheezed just to keep up, she didn't know.
The gunshots became nothing but an echo.
Louis collapses ahead.
When she stops before him, her legs feel liquified, her heart cracking her ribs and her throat dry. There isn't enough air to swallow.
Still, she crawls to him.
Louis already has Violet's jacket ripped open and her shirt slid up.
The blood.
The flesh.
Clementine can't breathe.
She hears Louis shout for Ruby, and she comes, inspecting the wound before she's jolted back. A string of panicked curses shake in her breath.
"Fuck, shit, she-"
"We need to stop the bleeding!"
"Louis-"
"Give me something! Anything!"
Ruby shrugs off her jacket. Louis snatches it from her, balling it up and pressing it against the wound. Violet sucks in a breath, eyes squeezing shut as she grits her teeth.
He leans over her, carefully sliding a hand behind her head and lifting her up to meet his eye.
"Vi, you're okay, we just- we just need to stop the bleeding!"
Violet grabs ahold of his hands to lift them off her stomach, grimacing. She shakes her head and gasps out, "Fuck!"
Clementine feels AJ pressing against her back, watching with wide eyes.
"Clem, she's-" he tries.
"She's fine, AJ," Louis snaps.
She feels AJ lift his gun.
She snatches it out of his hands.
He stares up at her, bewildered.
"No," she tells him.
Violet tries to sit up.
"Hey, hey," Louis' arms wrap around her small frame.
"Louis," she winces, "stop."
"We have to get you back to the school-"
"Lou-"
"-and then Ruby can stitch you up-"
"You can't stitch up a bite."
Clementine feels him stiffen under her hands.
He shakes his head. "No, no you're-"
"Bit," Violet interrupted, "I'm bit."
"Fuck-" Aasim curses.
Clementine can hear Willy's sniffles.
Tenn comes and sits beside Louis. His hands rest beside hers on Louis' back.
He begins to tremble.
"Vi, please-"
"I'm bit, Louis," she yanks back the bloody jacket. Already the skin around the teeth marks has started to rot.
Louis stares at it.
"No..." he whispers, "no, it's fine, we can... we can..."
Clementine rests her head against his shaking shoulder. "Louis, there's nothing we can do."
"She's gonna turn," AJ says.
A sob finally breaks through his lips. He pulls Violet close into his lap and cradling her in his arms. Clementine finally gets a close look at her friend's face; pale, sunken, cold.
It's spreading through her quickly.
Violet sighs. "Fuck... of all the things..."
"Vi..." Tenn stutters out.
She gives him her best smile. "It's okay, Tenn." She reaches for his hand. "I'm sorry... we couldn't bring them back..."
Tenn grips her hand. "S'not your fault."
"Not yours either."
Tenn rubbed at his eyes. "I... I'm... gonna d-draw you something- something beautiful. You'll be with- be with Minnie, and with Sophie, and... and..."
"In the stars?" Violet asks. "Can you draw us in the stars?"
Tenn nods. "In the stars."
Louis buries his face into her shoulder, attempting to control himself, keep in all in. Clementine rubs his back.
"Please don't go," he mumbles. "Not you..."
"Not much of a choice here, Louis."
"You..." He brings his head back, staring at her with glossy eyes. "You sound so... calm," he chokes out.
"One of us has to be..." She weakly pokes his cheek. "At least we get to say goodbye."
"Goodbye," he scoffs, "fuck, Vi, I... I can't."
"Then,I will," she cringes, slightly curling over in pain, "Good... goodbye, Louis."
"Vi-"
"I'm gonna miss your stupid face, Lou. And your stupid jokes. And your stupid piano."
He presses their foreheads together.
"I'm gonna miss you, Vi," he whispers. "All of you." He plants a kiss on her forehead.
They all gather around to say goodbye.
Violet's eyes... they flutter. Her breath weakens.
She can barely speak.
Clementine pulls Louis away, bringing him to his feet. AJ grabs his hand and leads him over to the where rest of the group waits. He collapses to his knees. AJ hugs him tightly, saying nothing, only comforting him the best way he knows how.
Clementine watches them.
The gun is heavy in her hands.
"Clem?"
Violet stares up at her with lidded eyes.
"Yeah?"
"Take... care of them...please."
"Always."
"Promise?"
"Promise."
A shot rang throughout the forest.