"I miss Lee." The sentence often ran through the young girl's head, when she was alone late at night, making sure none of the walkers came close enough to her and AJ. Was this how Lee felt when they had gone through all of those struggles such as the cannibalistic St. John's or that Stranger who Lee chased around a walker-infested city just to find her?
Ever since she had left Jane alone after killing one of her post-outbreak friends due to Jane proving a point, Clementine had grown restless and tired, but she had to make it through with AJ. They had traveled steadily at daytime and rested somewhere tucked away at night, a fire when they were awake for a source of warmth. When it was time to blow out the fire, the only sources of warmth was Clementine's body huddled closed to the young infant wrapped in a blanket like a bundle.
Rebecca hadn't gone through those several months just for her child to end with a bite in him and Clementine would sure as hell make sure that would never happen. She would show what Lee had shown to her before he himself was bitten. How to survive, how to live, and how to trust other people. Sure, he had been in a police car on his way to jail due to getting convicted for murdering someone but Lee… He had been the father she was missing. The father she would never have again.
Painful memories flashed into her mind. She remembered as she held onto Lee's arm tightly, small hands with her nails digging slightly into the fabric of his folded sleeves. They were covered with walker guts, a technique that had disgusted her then. But now, she was thankful to have him showing her that technique. When there had been a horde in the general direction in which they were thinking of going, she'd sneak up behind one to harvest guts from in order to pass through, the walkers looking directly at them and not seeing anything remotely different between them and the young girl holding the child.
AJ started to cry, his sobs being audible and she knew that the walkers would come, even from miles and miles to come. Ever since more time had passed by, they were looking grotesque with their skin pulled back on their skulls and flesh peeling off. Clementine could understand why AJ would be scared at the mere husks of men. Back when they weren't that affected by the virus, they had looked somewhat… decent.
She sang a song that her class had sang together for a class performance, one she had thought was funny due to the name used. AJ loved it when she sang to him, her voice soft and sweet and lulling him back to sleep. One of the pair had to sleep. Of course, it couldn't be her due to how well she had to focus on protecting the child. Her voice cracking slightly from the tears welling up in her eyes, she went on singing. "You are gone… and lost forever. Dreadful sorry, Clementine." It felt almost as if someone were speaking to the girl she had been long ago, the one who was excited about the raccoon in her treehouse. She couldn't cry now. After all, they had to survive and endure no matter how much it hurt.