Episode 1: On the Fence
Chapter 1: The Long Haul
Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.
It was slightly satisfying, hearing the crunch of the snow beneath her feet. Clementine thought this to herself as she shuddered, with teeth chattering and her whole body shivering. She was almost numb, but she couldn't think about that, if she focused on the crunch of the snow beneath her feet, she wouldn't be so worried about that fact that her toes and fingers were numb from the cold, wet snow.
"I can't believe this . . ." Clementine's companion, Kenny snarled quietly. "Two months of waiting and a two day long hike out here, and we get turned away . . . Again."
She huffed out, watching as her warm breath left a steamy cloud of air which floated away in a matter of seconds. "At least they gave us more supplies . . ." Clementine added, trying to cheer Kenny up, even just a bit. "They did tell us about the other camp, maybe we could try and find it?"
"Yeah, the supplies are nice, but a weeks' worth of supplies ain't gonna do us much good if we freeze to death, Clem. And even if this other camp they're talkin' about exists, we'd never make it there with the weather being how it is . . ." Kenny sounded a little less angry now. Maybe her words had worked, or maybe he was just too tired and cold to make much more of a deal about it all.
"Maybe we can check back next month?" Clementine added after a few moments of silence. Her hand holding onto the duffle bag full of supplies had grown numb, almost frozen in the shape of its tight grip it held on the straps.
"I'm afraid it's gonna be too cold by then Clem." Kenny added a bit more saddened this time. "It's too dangerous, if we get caught in a blizzard, or one of us gets hurt on the way there . . ." Kenny went silent.
Clementine looked up at the man. His greying beard and tangled hair were covered in snow flakes and frozen over it looked like. He was holding AJ in his arms, holding the now two month old baby closely to himself. Kenny had more body heat to share with AJ, so he'd been doing most of the holding onto the two month old. He also had a backpack on, a big backpack they'd been lucky enough to find in a cabin they'd been inhabiting for the past two months. Not only that, but they'd been lucky enough to find some new clothes that were good enough to fit them as well in the cabin.
Clementine suddenly lurched forward, letting out a yell as she fell, almost face planting into the icy hard snow. She felt a tug on her ankle, and panicked for a moment. Her thoughts immediately turned to thinking that a walker had grabbed her. She turned quickly to look at the ground, and saw her foot sunken into an impression in the ground hiding beneath the blanket of hard snow.
"Clem!" Kenny was quickly at her side, grabbing her arm as he pulled her up. "You alright?"
"Yeah . . . I just . . ." Clem shivered with wobbly legs as she recovered from her brief moment of panic. She inspected her ankle, and saw nothing wrong with it. "Tripped . . ."
"You gotta watch your step darlin'." Kenny scolded her softly, he patted down the snow off her jacket before it melted and she became soaking wet. Thankfully it hadn't been snowing much the past few days, and their clothing had remained relatively dry.
"Do you think we're almost back at the cabin?" Clementine asked, trying to change the subject. Her fear was beginning to turn into embarrassment.
"The cabin's not much further, we'll be there soon Clem." Kenny answered. He still had a hand placed on her back as they began to walk. "You sure you're okay?"
"I'm fine Kenny." Clementine answered firmly. She quickened her pace.
Kenny let out a slight huff of amusement, as he quickened his pace as well to match the stubborn girl's.
Silence settled between them, and the crunching of the snow beneath their feet seemed to echo in the flat field of snow. It sounded incredibly loud, and Clem hoped no walkers would be around to hear them. At least the snow did a good enough job of keeping most of the dead away. Finally it had become cold enough for the walkers to become either completely submersed under a thick blanket of snow, or frozen solid and made immobile by the freezing rain that hardened them wherever they were.
"Clem . . ."
Clementine heard Kenny's usually rough voice behind her was now soft. She turned slightly. "What is it Kenny?"
Clem looked at the man, his face seemed a bit saddened. His head was hanging low, and his one eye was staring down at the ground. "Clem, you two should've stayed . . . you and Alvie. You two should've stayed in Wellington."
Clementine felt her stomach lurch. She furrowed her brow as she looked away. She knew that maybe she should have, she'd have a better chance at surviving and so would AJ if they stayed in Wellington. But that would mean Kenny would be out here, all alone. With no one. Clementine knew what that meant, especially after what had happened to them two months ago. They'd lost everything, Christa, Luke, the entire Cabin group, Walter and Sarita, they'd lost everything again back then. She couldn't bear the thought of leaving Kenny alone, after everything that had happened. She couldn't bear being alone in Wellington, all by herself with AJ . . .
"You'd be safer there Clem . . . You and Alvie both." Kenny began. This wasn't the first time he'd pulled this speech on her. It wasn't even the second or the third. "Clem, we can go back? Its fine . . . Really Clem, I'll take y'all back, and you two won't have to worry about me. I'll be at the cabin, and if things go bad . . ."
"No." Clementine silenced the man before he could go any further. "I meant it then, and I mean it now."
Kenny sighed.
Silence once again settled between them. Clementine was sure Kenny was thinking about what he could say to change her mind. Sometimes, it made Clem wonder if she really should stay at Wellington, but then, what about him?
After what felt like hours of marching, the two were finally getting closer to the cabin. It was close, Clementine could tell. Kenny had made sure to try and get Clem oriented with the area surrounding the cabin. Just in case she ever got lost or needed to go out, he'd shown her what signs and natural markers to look for that would help her orient the area. They were nearing the arched wooden bridge over the frozen stream that separated the cabin's plot of land and the wide open stretch of snow covered plains with a tree line leading into a forest densely littered with pine trees. They crossed it, their heavy feet pounding on the wood with each step.
After crossing the bridge, Clementine focused her gaze off in the distance, looking out as her heart fluttered at the sight of the cabin. "Thank God . . ."
"Almost there . . ." Kenny sounded as if he was barely masking the exhaustion and relief in his voice, "Just hold out a bit more Alvie, soon we'll be sittin' ourselves up next to a nice big fire, and have a nice warm meal." Clementine looked back as Kenny spoke to AJ, looking down at the child as he spoke. Clementine smiled. If anything, AJ had brought Kenny out of his depression, and as long as Kenny and Clem had AJ to worry about, they could keep themselves focused and going. More Kenny than Clementine.
Clementine looked back towards the cabin, but felt Kenny's hand suddenly latch onto her shoulder. He jerked her back stopping her in her tracks. She looked back up at him, seeing his gaze fixed on the ground. Clementine looked down as well, and gasped.
"Those are-"Clementine began.
"Shhh!" Kenny cut her off, pulling her back behind him. They began to back away from the set of tracks in front of them, three pairs of what appeared to be human tracks had trekked through the snow and seemed to lead up towards their cabin. Kenny frantically began to snap his head back and forth, seemingly looking for something. "Looks like somebody found our cabin while we were out."
"Do you think they might be bandits?" Clementine asked quickly. She huddled behind Kenny.
"I don't know hon'." Kenny began, "Clementine, get over back to the bridge."
They hurriedly and as quietly as they could in the hard, crunching snow and with a baby and a duffle bag full of supplies, made their way back to the bridge. There was just enough room underneath the bridge that Clementine could wedge herself underneath it with the duffle bag and even AJ, though Kenny was a different matter.
"Clem take Alvie." Kenny carefully handed AJ to Clementine as she huddled underneath the bridge, placing the duffle bag behind her. She took the growing baby in her arms, as he made a few quiet cries of discomfort from being separated from the nice, and warm body of the grown man. Clementine sat herself down in the snow, and could feel the snow already getting her jeans wet. "I'm gonna go check it out Clem. Get out your gun, and stay put here with Alvie, you got that?"
Clementine frowned. All she could think about was Kenny getting shot or not coming back. The thought of him dying and leaving her made her sick to her stomach. "Kenny . . . please be careful . . ."
Kenny looked at her with his one good eye, the other covered by a dirty makeshift eye patch they'd scarped up from a combination of bandages, and cloth. His dark brown eye seemed a bit saddened. "Clem . . . if something happens, you get back to Wellington. Got it?"
Clementine stared back at Kenny. Before she could reply, the man had drawn his handgun and was making his way up to the cabin.
Thank you for reading my Walking Dead Fanfiction, The Dead of Winter! I appreciate any feedback from you guys, and would love to know y'alls thoughts! I'll try to update with multiple chapters per month! This is going to be a long fanfiction, so prepare to be hit with the feels! :)