There was a haze behind his eyes, a frail barrier between consciousness and instinct. He went days outside of time, whoever he'd been receding and whatever he'd become filling in. Like… dreaming, until he woke up to the yearning once more. He wished the monster would stay just a bit longer, and eventually had hoped it would stay forever. He just wanted to sleep.
Today was a lucid day. Gnawing hunger registered somewhere in the corner of his mind. Something bumped into his shoulder and almost knocked him off his feet, though he payed it little attention. That's how things were.
On these romps through the streets, sometimes he remembered. Images, sometimes sensations. Concepts.
Walkers. Bite. Pain. Kenny. Christa. Omid. Stranger. Clementine.
It was all so familiar. The names and events. But their images were swamped in confusion, a jumbled mess what was left of his mind couldn't process. His damaged brain fought to make sense of images, the sights, the sounds, but something remained out of his grasp. He felt frustrated.
It hurt.
Pushing toward it satisfied his urge to seek and so he did. He ignored the hunger and reached out toward the memories, because surely that's what they were. He grasped them in hands he couldn't feel and remembered.
Walkers. Bite. Pain. Kenny. Christa. Omid. Clementine.
He'd asked them to look after her. Keep her safe. Was she safe?
Of course she was. She was smart.
Was who safe?
... Who is she?
Walkers. Bite. Pain. Kenny. Clementine.
Ben killed Kenny's family. Poor Duck. Kaatja couldn't handle it, left Kenny because of it. Poor Kenny. Ben was just a scared kid in a world he hadn't been raised for. He didn't deserve to go out like that.
Walkers. Bite. Pain. Clementine.
It didn't hurt anymore. It just… ached. It made him feel a shadow of sadness, like he'd done something awful and he couldn't remember, yet he knew he should feel terrible for it.
Walkers. Bite. Clementine.
The memories rushed like a tumultuous storm behind his eyes, running in loops over and over and over and-
Clemlookoutyou'restrongClemsweetpeakeepyourhairshortit'sgoingtobealright
Protect. Keep her safe. His responsibility. His Clementine-
Clementine!
Lee breathed, and the world came crashing in.
A/N: This is a teaser for my upcoming story! Provided enough folks would be interested in this story, I'll continue writing it and provide probably the most painful adventure story I've ever even considered. Please leave a review or any constructive criticism, and get ready for the pain.