The group split to two different tables, predictably.
If the cabin group had any reservations about staying here they had obviously tossed them aside for a good meal. The only one who hadn't begun eating was Nick, who was staring at his bowl with a blank expression. Luke reached over to put a hand on his shoulder, seemingly to console him, but Clementine couldn't hear what they were saying.
Sarah waved at her, scooting over to offer a seat between her and Nick. The girl was grateful, the table beginning to get a bit crowded. She settled between the two easily. Walter passed by after a moment, setting a tin can in front of her filled with water.
"You'll have to forgive the cans," He said, passing more of them out to the group, "We haven't come across many cups that haven't been broken. You start to ignore the aluminum taste after a while, though." Clem smiled, taking a sip from her cup.
The food smelled delicious, and after she'd quenched her thirst Clementine hurriedly began scarfing down her meal. She had started eating so fast she could hardly taste it, only the faint tang of something sweet lingering in her mouth. It didn't take long before the entire bowl was empty, and she quickly downed the can of water after. It seemed everyone else had eaten with the same amount of speed. The only one who hadn't already finished was Nick, who had just began to eat.
Clementine couldn't blame him for the lost appetite. After all, he'd been through a lot.
Luke tapped on the table, getting her attention. He took a moment to look back at the other table before leaning forward. "So what's the deal with your friend over there?" His voice was low, his eyes glancing at the woman at the table. She was eating quietly, making conversation with Sarita every once and a while. "You knew her before, right? Seems like an okay lady. Cracks the whip hard, though."
Carlos made a gruff noise, folding his arms. "Yes. We were just talking about this Lilly. What do you make of her, Clem?" He had obviously caught on to Clementine's avoidance, and the younger girl shifted uncomfortably.
"They seem pretty accommodating for a bunch of people in a big house," Nick spoke up, keeping his eyes down. That scared Clementine, if only for a moment. If she hadn't known Lilly already, she would have been reminded of the St. Johns.
"What the hell does that even mean?" Alvin replied, and Nick looked away further.
"I'm just sayin'. It's suspicious is all." If Sarah hadn't been sitting next to her Clementine would have backed him up. Unfortunately, cannibalism wasn't the best table conversation.
"Jesus Christ. You're a goddamn nut, Nick." Alvin huffed, scraping at his bowl. Nick bristled, but kept quiet.
"She was with my first group," Clementine explained, not wanting to incite any more arguments, "she was... Kind of like the leader, I guess."
Luke nodded. "Yeah, I got that impression." He crossed his arms, leaning his elbows on the table. "... Walter was tellin' me her dad died." Clementine looked away, giving him a nod. It wasn't something she could easily forget. She could only imagine how Lilly felt.
"Things like that can hit someone pretty hard," he finished.
Nick scoffed. "Yeah, well, who isn't dying now?" Carlos gave him an angry glare, but Nick didn't say anything more.
"She lost it a little after that," Clementine continued. Luke rose an eyebrow.
"Lost it how?"
Sarah fidgeted, looking down at her bowl. "Clementine told me she shot someone," she murmured, loud enough for everyone to hear.
"Did she now?" Carlos glared down at the younger girl, and she sunk in her seat. Maybe she shouldn't have told Sarah anything.
"A-a woman in our group. Carley. I don't... remember why," Clementine replied, furrowing her brow. She remembered Ben getting in trouble too. Something about drugs, but... It was too fuzzy.
"You mean to tell me that's the woman you were talking about down by the bridge?" Alvin said, surprised. Clementine nodded. "God damn." Everyone else looked just as surprised, taking glances at the woman at the opposite table.
"Just another reason we should leave by dawn," Carlos interjected, looking around at the group, "Unless anyone has any objections?" Rebecca rolled her eyes, but otherwise nobody spoke up.
"... I need to go sit in a chair with better support," Rebecca said, finally, standing up and taking her bowl with her. Alvin followed with her, and not soon after Carlos was picking up his bowl too. Sarah stayed behind, refilling her water from a pitcher on the table.
With the table more open, Sarita moved to sit next to them. Lilly was with her, though Clementine couldn't tell how happy she was about it.
"Hello," Sarita greeted, giving them a smile. Luke perked up a little, smiling back.
"Hey."
"How was the food?" The woman asked, "Walter was worried it wouldn't be as popular with your group, but I assured him that it's usually a hit with anyone that passes through."
"It's really good!" Sarah said, answering for everyone. "I haven't had peaches in, like, forever."
"Yeah, it's... It's great, thank you," Luke spoke up, looking down at his empty bowl. He seemed nervous, now that he knew about the woman they were sharing the house with.
"Lilly has told me you two have been a big help," Sarita continued, looking over at the young men. "I trust she didn't give you too hard of a time."
Lilly scoffed, crossing her arms. "Give me a break, Rita. They can handle it." Sarita simply laughed fondly, patting her shoulder.
"So what was your plan here?" Luke spoke up, looking to change the conversation, "Hold out for the winter?"
"Absolutely," Lilly replied with confidence, "We already have everything we need here. Food, water, power. People who head through here talk about going to some place called 'Wellington' up north, but personally? I'd rather take my chances here."
"The hell's Wellington?" Nick interjected, furrowing his brow.
"It's supposed to be a big camp near Michigan." The woman explained, seeming unimpressed. "Apparently since it's so cold, walkers freeze right in their tracks."
Clem perked up, the name sounding familiar. "Christa and I were going there, actually..." Lilly rose an eyebrow.
"Well, I don't know about you, but I wouldn't put much faith in a big camp like that. They always have a catch." There was a biting matter-of-factness in her voice as she glanced out the window. "It's only a matter of time before they get full, or they have some kind of strict regimen to follow."
Luke nodded, seeming to understand. Reasonable, considering what the cabin group had been through before.
"Do... do they actually freeze?" Spoke up Sarah, leaning forward. Lilly sighed.
"Sounds like bullshit to me," stated Nick.
"Swear," Sarah chided, looking down at her cup.
"Right. Sorry." Nick replied, fidgeting. He seemed to be genuinely embarrassed.
"I wouldn't put much faith in it," said Lilly, "From what I've seen whether conditions don't do anything to stop them. I've seen them submerged underwater for hours to still come up biting at you, all bloated and falling apart." The teen pulled back, a worried expression on her face. She seemed sick.
It was then that Walter walked up, a smile on his face. "You all seem to be getting along well."
"You could say that," replied Luke, rubbing the back of his head. Walter seemed not to notice Luke's nervousness, turning to the younger girls instead.
"Would you girls like to lend me a hand outside for a moment?" He offered, hands on his hips. Clementine looked a the adults around her before nodding, sliding out of her chair. Sarah fidgeted for a moment, looking just a bit excited.
"We can go outside?" She asked, a little tentative.
"I don't see why not," replied Walter.
Of course, when the three made their way to the door, Carlos stood in their way.
"Sarah, where do you think you're going?" He asked gruffly, crossing his arms. Sarah scratched her forearm, looking away.
"I was just taking them out for a bit of fresh air," replied Walter, "If that's fine with you." Carlos made an unfriendly face, pulling Sarah to the side.
"It's certainly not," said Carlos, a firm grip on the girl. Sarah just sighed, looking up at her dad.
"B-but dad, why not? You never let me go outside-"
"Sweetie, you know it's not safe." Carlos cut her off quickly, pulling her away from the two, "Besides. It's getting late, and its time for you to rest. Why don't you get one of your books and go upstairs?"
Sarah sighed, slumping her shoulders. "... I guess." She looked up at Clementine, waving dejectedly as she was shepherded away by her father. "See you later, Clem."
"Sorry, Sarah..." replied Clementine, giving her a wave as well. Walter put a hand on her shoulder, furrowing his brows.
"That's a shame," was all he said.
The air was crisp outside, cold, and it nipped at Clementine's nose as soon as the door was opened. It was starting to get rather dark. Carlos was right about that, at least. She could hear the wind turbines creaking and could only imagine how loud they got when the wind was blowing its hardest. Walter walked ahead, stopping just outside the door with his hands on his hips.
"Your friends don't seem to be settling in so well," he said, his eyes settled on the forest.
"They're just... Nervous," Clementine replied, shrugging her shoulders. "Or scared." She supposed she shouldn't mention how they were being followed. There wasn't any reason to get Walter worried.
"That's reasonable," the man replied, letting his arms relax by his side. "It'll take some time to get accommodated. Your group seems uneasy, but if you give them time to rest and work things out everything should be fine. That's just how these things work."
He began to walk around the side of the ski lodge, waving for Clementine to follow him.
"Relationships are like any machine," Walter stated, his hands held outwards, "You don't throw them out when they break down. You get your hands dirty and you grease the wheels. What do you say? Will you help me work on them?"
Clementine looked down, pulling at her sleeve. "We're gonna leave in the morning," She finally replied, feeling rather guilty. Walter's face fell.
"No, no. You gotta stay," He didn't say it in a way that sounded like he was forcing her too, mostly he just seemed disappointed.
"We have to keep moving," replied Clementine, keeping her eyes to the ground. The dirt was slightly frosted over from the cold, and it crunched beneath her feet.
"Clementine," Walter said, matter-of-factly, "In this world, you don't have to do anything." He stopped, turning to her. "They say the world is over, but I'll tell you a secret: It's not. People are more political now than they ever were before. In the end, we can't change the world."
Clementine wasn't sure what this meant, or what it had to do with her. Mostly, it was just confusing.
"All we can do is continue to learn from each other," he continued, "To empathize and use our heads." He looked off into the distance, af if thinking. "All war is a symptom of man's failure as a thinking animal." He glanced back down at Clementine, a smile on his face. "Steinbeck. Have you read him?"
Clementine made a face at that. She'd never heard of anyone named Steinbeck, and even if she had, she didn't remember. He didn't sound very interesting, that was for certain.
Walter took the expression as a 'no.' "Well, we'll have plenty of time to catch you up on your reading. My partner Matthew is amassing quite the literature collection. I think you'll like him."
Clementine nodded, remembering what Lilly had said before. "Yeah, Lilly told us..."
That made Walter smile brighter. "Well, in any case, the point is: As long as we always have our wits about us, we can always make the right choice. Right?"
Clementine looked back down. She was worried, and it showed. Worried about Matthew, worried about who was following them... She sighed. "Maybe, maybe not." The talk with Walter wasn't doing much to take away her fears.
Walter frowned, crouching down to her height. "What's the matter, Clementine?" He asked, as if he could sense her discomfort, "Is there something you want to tell me? You can talk to me. There's almost nothing you could tell me that would surprise me. I can promise you that."
Clementine looked at him, frowning deeply. "I'm... worried about Matthew," she admitted. It wasn't far from the truth. She was still worried about the man on the bridge, about how he had fell gurgling and dripping red from the bridge. I couldn't just have been a coincidence.
"Don't worry," Walter tried to put her fears to rest, giving her a smile. "Matthew will be back soon and everything will be fine."
Clementine was getting tired of hearing that. Everything was not going to be fine. It never was. "But-"
She heard the sound of crunching footsteps, interrupting their conversation.
"Hey, you two." It was Lilly, her rifle hanging by her side. She looked at them, an eyebrow raised. "Sarita wanted me to check on you. What's going on?" Walter stood straight, crossing his arms.
"Oh, just talking politics."
Lilly frowned, looking skeptical. "... Right."
"Having worked for the government I would imagine you know all about politics, Lilly." He grinned at her, but she just rolled her eyes.
"I sat in a hanger and got jerked around by people higher up the ladder than I was. Politics had nothing to do it," Lilly said flatly, leaning her gun on her shoulder. "And frankly, I'm better for it." She started walking past them, around to the back of the ski lodge.
"I think we should check the windows before the storm hits," she continued, "We need to turn off the wind turbines, too. You know how loud they get, and we don't need to be drawing any more walkers. There's already too many near the bridge."
Walter chuckled, nodding. "Of course, Lilly. You're always keeping us on our toes."
Lilly sighed. "Someone has too."
They rounded the corner when Lilly suddenly stopped, her hand tightening on her gun. "What the fu-" Walter put a hand on her shoulder to stop her.
Staring into the window of the ski lodge, her face pressed against the glass, was a ginger haired woman. She didn't look like much. Her body was thin and pale, and she didn't seem armed.
Walter cleared his throat, stepping forward. "Miss?"
She pulled away from the window, and when she spotted Lilly's rifle her eyes went as wide as dinner plates. She rose her arms into the air, looking even less of a threat than she did before. "P-please," she breathed, fighting to keep her voice from cracking, "Do you have any food?" She had a mousy southern accent, drawing out her words.
Walter took a step forward and the woman took a step back, swallowing.
"Are you okay?" The man asked, extending a hand toward her.
"I saw the house and... I have a family. We're starving," The woman replied slowly, lowering her arms once she realized she was no longer in danger. She turned, pointing down to the dense forest. "We live down there."
Clem could believe that. After all, the woman seemed almost sickly. Still... she wasn't sure how much she trusted her.
Walter didn't seem to harbor the same feeling, however, giving her a smile. "Of course. Why don't you come in, miss...?"
"... Bonnie," The woman answered sheepishly.
Lilly lowered her gun to her side, but she didn't seem like she bought the story either. "Where's this family of yours? Did they just send you all by yourself?"
Bonnie looked away, scratching at her forearm. "There aren't many of us... Just my little girl and me, my husband, and a friend of mine."
Lilly narrowed her eyes, but Walter put a hand on her shoulder. "It's fine, Lilly."
"We don't have much to spare," she replied, frowning, "Once we're out of food we'll have to find more, and you know how scarce it's getting."
"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it," replied Walter, crossing his arms.
"We don't even know her!" Argued Lilly, throwing out an arm to the woman, who seemed to flinch at the sudden action. "We don't know if her story's true or not. Who know's who- or what- she's bringing with her."
Walter didn't seemed moved by her point. "Then I guess we'll have to get to know her. Isn't that right, Clem?" He turned to the younger girl for support. Clem looked away, thinking of what to say.
"Look, Walter-" Lilly tried to interject, but the man cut her off.
"How much damage can this poor woman do?"
"Check her for weapons," Clementine finally spoke up, crossing her arms. She didn't see any on her, but she still thought it was the best decision. Lilly seemed to agree with that, at least.
Bonnie backed away, looking up at the sky.
"L-look, thank you, really, but... I'll just go. That storm'll be on us soon and I should be getting back to my family."
Lilly tightened her hand on her gun, but Walter stepped forward just a bit more. "I'll bring something out to you, then."
"You don't have to do that," Bonnie hastily replied, but Walter waved her away.
"No, no. It's fine."
"What about your people?"
"We've got plenty," Walter argued, "You just stay put. I'll be right back." Clem watched as he turned to walk away, clearly determined. The woman walked up to them, rubbing her shoulder sheepishly. She looked even less of a threat up close, with the rings around her eyes and her sunken in cheeks. Clementine supposed everyone looked a little like her nowadays, though. Lilly gave her an uneasy look, lowering her gun.
"You remind me of my little girl." Bonnie broke the silence, giving Clementine a small smile. She crouched down to her height, a hand on her knee. "How old are you, sweetie?"
Clem found it odd that the woman was trying to be nice when Lilly still had a rifle pointed near her. The question was strange, too. Clementine almost couldn't even remember- if Christa hadn't kept track of the years she wouldn't have known.
"I'm... Eleven. I Think," Clementine replied with no small amount of uncertainty. She supposed it didn't hurt to answer.
Bonnie just tilted her head. "I woulda thought older than that." Clementine blinked, not sure what to make of the comment. The woman stood back straight, crossing her arms and turning her eyes back down to the ground. She seemed to be pensive, a deep frown on her face.
Walter came back soon after, a large box in his hands filled to the brim with cans. It was incredible he could carry it. He thrust the box into Bonnie's hands, who seemed to struggle with the weight.
"Th-this is too much," The woman stuttered, eyes wide. Lilly seemed to agree, gritting her teeth slightly.
"Walter, this is a bad idea."
Walter ignored her, giving Bonnie a kind smile. "Don't mention it."
"I don't know how to thank you," said Bonnie, looking away. She didn't seem to happy about Walter's generosity, but the man didn't seem to notice.
"Just help somebody down the line," Walter replied, giving her a nod. Bonnie smiled uneasily, shifting the box in her hands.
"Well, I'll be goin' now." She nodded at Lilly and Clementine before turning towards the forest.
"You stay safe," said Walter, waving her off.
"You too."
Lilly watched the woman walk away until she disappeared into the trees. With a huff, she turned to Clementine. "Clem, it's getting late. You need to go to bed." She seemed mad, and Clementine didn't hesitate to listen to her. "Walter and I need to talk."
Clementine supposed she understood why Lilly was so upset. She remembered when supplies had gotten low when they lived at the motel, how desperate they were to get more food. How her and Christa had fought for a year to get food on their own. Supplies were hard to come by, and Clementine was surprised at how much food the ski lodge actually seemed to have. It wasn't something Walter should have given away so quickly.
The Ski lodge blew warm air into her face once she opened the door, and Clementine was quickly grateful for being sent inside. It looked like everyone had already gone to bed, the main room almost empty if it wasn't for Sarita dozing off in an armchair by the fire.
Clementine started to make her way towards the stairs when she heard a noise by the kitchen. It was Luke, poking his head from behind one of the wooden beams supporting the second floor. He waved the girl over, an worried look on his face. Clementine rose an eyebrow, approaching the man carefully.
Luke ushered her behind the pillar before peeking out again, making sure Sarita was still asleep. He looked like he was holding something behind his back, and that made Clementine uneasy.
"Listen, okay. I gotta tell you somethin'," he whispered quickly, leaning close. "That guy on the bridge was Walter's friend." He fidgeted with the object in his hand, bringing it out for Clementine to see. It was a picture frame, holding a photograph of two men with their arms around each other's shoulders. Clementine recognized them immediately, and her stomach filled with dread. "See, I knew something was off, so I asked Sarita about their friend. Now they're all worried he's not back yet."
Clementine nodded, looking away from the picture. "I know he was. For sure."
Luke grimaced, crossing his arms. "... Damn it. Damn it, Nick." He shook his head. "I don't think Walter knows yet, so we have to keep this quiet. I mean, who knows what the hell he'd do if he found out."
Clementine looked at the ground, her stomach boiling with guilt. This wasn't right. She knew it wasn't. "... We should tell him."
"He's gonna ask who did it, and you're gonna tell him?" Luke repeated in disbelief, his voice raising slightly.
"It's the right thing to do," Clem answered stubbornly. She narrowed her eyes at the man, crossing her arms. She certainly would have rather known someone was dead than have to look for them and find out for herself.
"It's right to get Nick killed? Because that's what's gonna happen!" Luke argued, his hands balled into fists. After a moment, he sighed. "Now, do you still have that knife? Because if it was Matthew's, and Walter sees it, he's gonna put two and two together."
Clementine looked towards the door, frowning. "It's with the other weapons."
"Okay, well, get rid of it," stated Luke, pointing at her. Clementine almost wanted to slap his hand out of her face. "I'll find Walter and run interference." He looked around again, leaning forward a little more. "Oh, and, uh... Keep an eye out for Nick."
"I'm right here. What's up?" Clementine almost jumped as Nick approached, rubbing sleep out of his eyes. Luke fidgeted uncomfortably, looking away.
"Oh, uh, it's nothing, man. I just wanted to check and see if you're okay." He rubbed the back of his head, taking a glance back at Sarita in her chair.
Nick snorted. "What, you comin' to tuck me in?" Luke rolled his eyes good-naturedly.
"Yeah, yeah, somethin' like that."
"We have to tell you something," Clementine interrupted, stepping forward. Luke gave her a glare, opening his mouth to say something before Nick cut him off.
"Hey, if there's something goin' on, I want to know." He rose an eyebrow, arms crossed.
Luke stepped between them, shaking his head. "Nah, nothin's going on. Just... Go back to bed, Nick." Clementine fingered the photograph in her hands, pulling it up to her chest.
"I'm serious," Nick continued, "You can talk to me." Clementine swallowed, stepping forward and handing him the photo. He furrowed his eyebrows, scanning it for a moment, before quickly understanding. He nearly dropped it, putting a hand to his head. "Oh jesus. Oh, god."
Luke grunted, shushing him with a glare. "Godammit... Hey, Nick, shut the fuck up."
Nick shook his head, turning around. "I-I can't, man. I can't." He brought his thumb to his teeth, chewing on the nail nervously.
"Do not fucking blow it," Luke replied harshly, jabbing a finger in Nick's direction.
"Blow it? It's over. I have to tell him, Luke." Nick said firmly. This only seemed to anger the man, balling his hands into fists once more.
"What? No! You..." He grunted in frustration, gritting his teeth. "Hey, Nick, you cannot do that. Are you fuckin' nuts?" Clementine looked at Sarita, who only stirred in her chair. It was amazing she hadn't woken up yet.
"I got to," Nick didn't back down, glaring right back at Luke. "I can't live with that on me."
Luke finally sighed, letting his hands relax. "Okay, I hear you, but... I mean, fuck, man, do you know what he's gonna do?"
"You don't know he'll do anything." Nick had a point. Walter seemed kind enough, maybe even willing to forgive something as horrible as that. After all, he had been living with Lilly for this long.
"You should tell him," Clementine said finally, stepping up. Nick nodded, looking deep in thought.
"Yeah, yeah."
Luke frowned, crossing his arms. "Nick, I am warning you, this is fucking suicide."
The man gave him a look, turning away. "I'll live with it."
"Jesus christ." His friend sighed, shaking his head.
Nick turned again to leave, head lowered. "I can't deal with this."
Luke followed him, taking one more look at Clementine. "Look, Clem, just... go do that thing. All right?" Clementine sighed, nodding. She supposed there was nothing else she could do.
But when she went to fetch her bag, she noticed it had already been gone through. It was left wide open, missing the one thing she had went to grab.
The knife.
Her heart pounded and she swallowed, searching frantically under the table. She already knew there wasn't any use. It was gone, and she knew exactly who had it.
I was hoping to get to The Real Shit this chapter but I think I procrastinated with it long enough. It'll come next time, pinky swear on it.
