Clementine softly sobbed to herself, her tears and snot mixing together. Her pants and underwear had been yanked down, but they were long forgotten and her former embarrassment was now replaced with shame.
She glanced with a dazed expression at the man lying dead next to her, a bullet in his head. She didn't know his name or anything about him. All she knew is that he had just violated her, raped her.
AJ had pulled the trigger moments prior, killing the man instantly. His eyebrows were furrowed as he stared at the weeping Clementine, his guardian. What was wrong with her? He couldn't tell. Obviously, the man had hurt her in some way, but Clementine had been through lots of stuff, and in AJ's mind that stuff was way worse than whatever the man had done. She was so tough and brave, and AJ utterly adored her for it. He just couldn't comprehend why she was acting like this now.
"Clem," AJ began as he approached her whilst trying to ignore her exposed lower body, "come on. Get up."
Clementine looked up at him through her long, thick lashes, her big brown eyes conveying a broken expression. Hesitantly, she pulled her underwear up, a weird sticky fluid on her thighs. AJ narrowed his eyes at the substance, but he chose to ignore it. Clementine cringed as she pulled her pants up, hissing quietly to herself as she felt a stinging sensation.
"There we go," AJ said, beaming as he turned on his heel. "Let's get back to the camp. I made you some coffee. Just like how I used to!"
Clementine didn't respond, shoulders slumped as she followed behind him like a programmed machine. AJ picked up on her demeanor, so he slowed his pace to match hers, wanting to be beside her.
"Come on, Clem," the five-year-old pushed. "You're acting. . . odd."
Clementine gave him a feeble glance, but she didn't smile. She seemed too exhausted to use more muscles than she already was, dragging her feet against the dirt as she walked.
"Clem," AJ urged, "what did he do? He was being all weird. I don't know. I'm just glad he's dead."
Clementine finally spoke, "You and me both, kiddo."
AJ smiled up at her, happy to hear her voice. His smile fell once he saw her despondent expression.
"Clem!" he snapped bitterly, huffing. "Quit it!"
Clementine came to an abrupt stop, staring at him with wide, fearful eyes. AJ's breathing was hard, obvious anger running through the child as his chest heaved up and down in rapid succession. Upon seeing her expression, guilt immediately filled him, and he shot her a remorseful look.
"I'm sorry, Clem," AJ said with a saddened voice. "You're just acting all upset. I don't like it."
"I'm. . . fine," Clementine gently lied. "Let's just focus on getting back to the camp, AJ."
AJ frowned. "Okay."
They continued to walk, the sun setting fairly quickly, the sky eventually causing pure darkness to take over the unnerving woods. The fire Clementine had built illuminated the forest somewhat, and the teenager sighed in relief once she was finally able to sit down, basking in the warmth of the heat. AJ was beside her, his head resting against her thin shoulder.
"Clem?" AJ's voice broke through the silent forest.
"Yeah, kiddo?" the teenager muttered back apathetically.
"Do you wanna talk about it?"
Clementine gulped, mouth becoming dry. "I'm fine, AJ."
"But–"
"I said I'm fine," Clementine breathed angrily, tears once again forming in her eyes.
AJ's big brown eyes widened. "Okay, okay. You don't have to be so mad."
Clementine bit her lip, a saddened expression coming over her youthful face. "Rape."
"Rape?" AJ repeated, intrigued by the unknown word. "What does that mean?"
Clementine inhaled a shaky breath. "It's. . . when someone forces someone else to do something really, really bad."
"Is that what the man did to you? He raped you?" AJ questioned bluntly, causing Clementine to flinch at the words.
"Yeah," she whispered tearfully, "he did that to me. It's really, really bad, AJ."
AJ tilted his head, eyes still holding confusion. "I'm sorry, Clem."
Clementine only put her head against AJ's, letting out a sigh. "I'll get through it."
Some wounds were deeper than others, and Clementine would try to carry the burden of unwillingly surrendering her dignity to a cruel stranger. She believed that as long as she had AJ, she would have a reason to keep on living.