Always the Quiet Ones
Chapter I: Amid the Ruins
Nick heard a fatal scream, ringing along his ears. It was a woman, and he wasn't sure who it could be. Rebecca, Sarita, Jane, Sarah, Clementine. Who knows? Nick was with Luke, the two of them were still walking slowly, sticking to the plan. Nick had no idea where the rest of them were.
"Do you see them, the others?" Nick whispered to Luke. He was still grossed out at the fact that they had walker guts all over them. He couldn't do anything about it, however. Just stick to the plan. Luke shook his head, trying to stay silent. Nick saw a figure running into the woods. Nick didn't know who it was, but it seemed that Luke had a pretty good idea when he rushed off.
"Shit, I'm going after Sarah!" Luke yelled, running towards the figure. Nick followed him, but he was stopped when a bullet pinched his shoulder. He groaned in pain as he fell over.
"Oh shit, Nick!" Luke gasped as he knelt down to his side. Nick groaned as he tried to get up, his black shirt starting to mix with the blood stain.
"I'm fine, go after her…I'll catch up with ya'." Nick told him, clenching his wound tightly, then slowly getting back up. That was bad. Fresh blood. The walkers can smell flesh blood.
"I can't just leave you here, man. Sarah can wait." Luke said.
"Go, LUKE! Carlos isn't going to die for nothing!" Nick yelled to him. Luke hesitated with a frown, then ran back off.
Well, that leaves me. Nick thought, looking around to see if he could find anyone else. He wondered how Uncle Pete would have handled this situation. Nick wasn't going to die here, sure as shit.
Nick ran over a tree, taking cover so he would not be spotted by a walker. That didn't help because a walker with a rotted face, that looked like it could be peeled off like a banana attacked him. Nick groaned as the walker leaned in for a bite on his neck. Nick groaned as he pushed it off, his arm feeling disjointed cause of the gunshot wound. Nick finally gain control, grasping the hair, but unfortunately the hair just ripped off. This walker was rotting like crazy. Had to be an old one. The walker leaned in for another attack, but Nick kicked it's knees, so it fell to the ground. Nick then grabbed his hammer that Luke had given to him. He never really was fond of using a hammer, but it would have to do. Nick grasped it, smashing the walker's head open with the hammer, it fell back, and Nick heard a bone crack. He was thinking it was the knees because it looked pretty disfigured. Nick knelt down to the walker for a finishing blow. The walker stopped moving, and it was dead.
"Damn it." Nick sighed in relief. That was a close one. Nick looked around once more, but back and forth so he wouldn't be jumped by a walker again. Nick spotted a figure moving through the walkers, covered in guts like himself. The figure was short, maybe not even three feet. It was Clementine. Nick slowly walked over to her as she steadily walked, trying to play the corners to come up from behind her and sneak up on her quietly. Nick then got behind her, grabbing her as if giving a hug from behind. Clementine gasped as Nick covered his mouth with his hand.
"Clem, it's me. Don't make any noise." Nick said. Nick removed his hand from her mouth, letting her go. Clementine turned around with a warm smile.
"Nick! What do we do?" Clementine wondered. Nick didn't really know what to do, unfortunately. Clementine was a smart kid, and she seemed to take care of herself quite well. He thought he'd be the one asking that question.
"Why don't we keep on going? We can do this. Me and you. We can find Luke and Sarah and everyone else." Nick finished his sentence then groaned as he clutched his wound once more. Clementine gasped at the sight of it.
"What are you lookin' at? I'll be fine, Clem. Let's go." Nick chuckled as he shrugged it off. Clementine smiled and nodded, then the two of them walked closely together, slowly.
"Spread apart. They can smell fresh blood. You aren't going to go down with me if they attack me." Nick whispered to her. Nick panted heavily, but quietly. He didn't want to get eaten by a lurker. Not happening. Pete wouldn't be proud of that.
"Are you going to be okay, Nick?" Clementine whispered. Nick sighed and looked to her as they kept walking. Walkers were close to them, but luckily there was a somewhat clear path to the woods. It was the way Luke and Sarah had gone.
"Yeah, Clem. I'll be fine. Don't you worry about me." Nick replied, gulping at the thought of all the walkers coming up from behind them, ripping them to shreds. He didn't like the thought but it was there. The two of them reached the woods, and then they started running. Luckily, there wasn't as many walkers in this area then there was back outside the Hardware Store.
The next morning
Nick groaned as he laced the bandage around his shoulder, the bullet had apparently went clean through, but it still hurt like hell. He finalized the bandage, rolling tape around the bandage so it would stick. Nick then put back on his shirt with the bandage underneath. Nick ran his fingers through his shaggy mullet. Nick grabbed his baseball cap and placed it on his head.
Damn, I need to get a haircut. Nick thought, getting up off a log. They were in the middle of the woods. Clementine was still asleep. They were in a nice plain area where the trees had fallen down, closing off the area. It's as if someone actually made it that way. He wasn't complaining, though. Clementine woke up with a yawn, stretching her arms. Nick rubbed his hands together as he leaned them towards a small fire that didn't really show any flames. Nick looked over to Clementine who was getting up from her small blanket. It wasn't a bed, it was just a blanket laying on the ground.
"Good morning, Clem." Nick said as he cooked a squirrel over the campfire. Clementine smiled as she saw Nick cooking a squirrel.
"You got that?" Clementine asked.
"Yeah. Who else got it?" Nick asked.
"Nothing. Nevermind." Clementine said. Clementine remembered back when Pete said Nick was a shitty hunter, well for deer anyways.
"Sorry we don't have any cheeseburgers or anything." Nick smiled, as did Clem. The two of them didn't speak that much, but they got along fine.
"So's, I was thinking once we are rested and we have eaten, we can go ahead and look where Luke and Sarah. I think he was heading towards a trailer park. Sarah ran away after Carlos died, and Luke went after her. Jesus. It feels crazy when someone you've known for so long just dies in front of your eyes. Just ripped apart. Like a big bag of flesh." Nick frowned as he looked to the dirty ground.
"Yeah. I know." Clementine said, remembering all the deaths she had witnessed. Lee, Carley, Doug, Omid, Sarita. There was so many deaths she had witnessed that she somehow got used to it. And that scared her.
"Sound like a plan?" Nick asked, rising his head up. Clementine nodded.
About an hour later
Clementine worried about Sarah. They had just found her glasses under a walker. Maybe she didn't make it?
"So, do you know if anyone else made it out? I know Luke and Sarah did. What about Bonnie, Mike, Jane, and the others?" Nick asked.
"I'm not sure. Sarita didn't make it. She was bit. I cut her arm off, and they ripped her apart." Clementine said, frowning.
"Shit. You cut her arm off!?" Nick questioned.
"I had to! It was the only way!" Clementine growled.
"Hey, I didn't mean…" Nick said, laying his hand on Clem's shoulder. They heard a scream, and a few voices.
"That sounds like Sarah!" Nick said, running towards the gate. He tried to climb the fence. He succeeded, and Clementine looked at the fence. It had no bars to climb, and she was too short anyways. Nick looked back as he was at the top of the fence.
"Where am I supposed to go?" Clementine asked. Nick stuttered as he looked around for an opening.
"Right. Um, there's an opening around the corner, c'mon!" Nick said as he leaped off the fence. Clementine went through the gate which had a hole in the bottom. Nick ran towards the voices.
"Hey, whoa, whoa! Just CALM DOWN." A man said, Nick didn't recognize the voice.
"You just back up! She's with me!" Nick heard Luke's voice. It seemed that there was a stranger with Luke and Sarah. The two of them turned the corner and saw a bunch of walkers banging on the door of a trailer. Nick spotted a sign that labeled 'Sunshine Mobile Home Trailer Park' The letters were gritty and a bit hard to read.
"You got a weapon?" Nick asked. Clementine nodded as she pulled out the bloody hatchet she had. It was quite sharp. Nick wouldn't mess with her. Nick grabbed his hammer and went for the walkers banging on the barricade. He was stopped as a walker grabbed his leg, and he fell down. The walker grabbed his foot, leaning it to bite it. Clementine gasped as she shoved the hatchet in the walker's head. Nick's foot broke free of it's grasp. He looked back to Clementine and nodded as saying 'thanks'. Clementine smiled as she sat back, waiting for Nick to kill the last two zombies. He killed them both, and looked over the barricade.
"Dammit, don't do this!" Luke's voice was heard again. Nick was worried cause of the second voice whom he did not recognize. Nick looked back to Clementine.
"See if you can find something that can get their attention." Nick said to Clementine. Clem nodded as she went over to the red striped truck that was quite dusty, she opened the front door, honking the horn. Nick noticed that the walkers took notice to that, but it wasn't enough. They didn't stay on the noise for quite long.
"We need to find a way to keep it going!" Nick yelled. Clementine nodded as she ran over to a dead walker. Nick looked behind him to see Clementine trying to pick the walker up and drag him.
"Let's put him on the horn!" Clem suggested.
"Not bad. But let me do this." Nick said, impressed that Clem could lift the walker at least. Nick grabbed it's arms, pulling it towards the truck. Nick pulled up the walker, placing it in the driver's seat, then pushing it towards the horn, so it would stay on. That caught their attention. The walkers went for the barricade, and Nick and Clem rushed into the side trailer, and went out the other side of the trailer, and running towards the door to the trailer that Luke, Sarah and the other stranger at. Nick reached the door, trying to open the door, it seemed to be locked. Nick kicked the door once, and then a second time and he successfully kicked down the door. Nick and Clem ran inside, and Nick pushed a bookcase over with the help of Clementine. The bookcase blocked the door for now.
"Who's out there?" Luke called out.
"Luke!" Nick replied. Luke opened the door with his machete in hand.
"Thank god. When I heard you guys kicking down the door, I wasn't sure who it would be." Luke smiled in relief. The man opened the door, with a pistol in hand. He had a black sweatshirt, and black pants. He was a white man. He had a beard and a striped black and dark blue beanie.
"Who is this?" Nick asked.
"I don't know. He was here before us. His name is Eddie." Luke said.
"Look, you guys brought all these walkers here, and you should just take care of them on your own, cause I'm out!" Eddie said as he went back in the room that Eddie and Luke were in.
"Where's Sarah?" Clementine asked.
"She's in here. I don't know what to do with her. You've gotta help." Luke said as he went inside the room, and Nick spotted Eddie climbing up a ladder, to the roof of the trailer park.
"Are you guys coming or what?" Eddie questioned.
"Just hang on a sec!" Luke replied. Eddie scoffed as he waited for the four of them. Sarah was had her knees together, and she wrapped her arms around her knees. Nick knew that her dad's death definitely hit her hard. She wasn't the same anymore. The walkers pounded against the door harder.
"We have to move! NOW!" Eddie yelled.
"I can barely get her to look at me. Can you try, Clem?" Luke asked. Clementine kneeled down to her.
"Sarah? It's me." Clementine said to her.
"Hi." Sarah said, looking back to her knees. Clementine leaned in for a hug but she just screamed. Clementine backed off.
"We've gotta go, kid!" Eddie called out.
"I hate that I've lost so many people. But it's made me strong. I learned to take care of myself. Things aren't like they were before. Everything is hard now." Clementine said.
"You say that like it's so easy. Not everyone can be like you." Sarah finally said, slowly looking up to the younger girl.
"You can be too, Sarah." Clementine replied.
"I wish that were true." Sarah frowned. Nick gasped as he heard the walkers beginning to break through the window behind them.
"Crap, we're surrounded!" Luke said.
"I'm going to leave you here!" Eddie yelled.
"When everything started, I met my friend Lee. He tried to help me find my parents. He protected me more than anyone else my whole life. He died to keep me safe, I was so scared." Clementine said. Sarah looked to her. She was starting to come back, or so Clem thought.
"But you're still here." Said Sarah.
"Because he taught me to be strong, even when I'm scared. Because he wanted me to live. And your dad died because he wanted YOU to live. He would still want that." Clementine finished the story, and Sarah looked to Clem as she handed her her red glasses that she had found on a walker. Sarah gave a small smile. One lense was cracked.
"Let's GO! NOW!" Eddie yelled.
"Wait a fucking minute, Jesus!" Nick yelled back. Eddie scoffed as he looked around the perimeter. The walkers almost got through to the door, and the bookcase soon wasn't enough.
"Shit!" Nick said as he ran towards the bookcase, pushing it against the door to keep it from letting any walkers in.
"Here, c'mon, grab my hand!" Eddie yelled as he put his hand down and Luke grabbed it, and Eddie pulled him up, groaning in pain.
"Alright, c'mon!" Luke took a breath after groaning in pain.
"Shit. Find something to stand on! You're too short!" Eddie said. Clementine glared at him. Eddie shrugged and Clementine ran to Nick.
"We need to use that! They can't reach me and Sarah!" Clementine pointed to the bookcase.
"Oh, fuck me." Nick said as he took a breath, then pushed the bookcase. He kept pushing it back, and Clementine pulling it.
"Keep going!" Nick said as he grabbed his hammer, fighting off a few zombies at a time. Clem groaned as she kept pulling the bookcase. It took her a bit longer to pull it considering she wasn't as strong as Nick.
"Sarah! We have to go, are you listening!?" Clementine yelled. Nick ran inside the room, shutting the door behind him. He had blood all over him.
"I can't, I can't!" Sarah cried out.
"Sarah, your father died to keep you safe! He'll die for nothing if you stay here!" Nick said. Sarah sat there, ignoring him. Clementine slapped her hard across the face with an angry expression. She didn't want to, but it was the only way.
"MOVE!" Clementine yelled. Sarah obeyed and Clementine got up on the bookcase, and was pulled up by Eddie. Nick did the same, and then Sarah did too.
The five of them were on the roof of the trailer park, and then they slid off the top, landing onto the ground, then running off into the woods.