Episode 1: Secure our Hope - Memories and Enemies
It had been a long, eventful day. Clementine was going to grab her back pack from Dusty's room before she forgot it a second time around. Once she was done she planned on going to her room and hitting the hay, so to speak.
She gently pushed the door open and quietly entered the room. Dusty's seizure was still fresh in her mind, so getting her back pack was really just an excuse for her to check on him one last time to ease her worries. He seemed perfectly fine, which was a relief. "Hi Dusty" she greeted, not expecting a response "Just came to get my back pack" she declared, scooping it up off the ground.
Unfortunately, the zip was undone and since she was holding it upside down, all items from within the bag fell out and landed in a pile on the floor. "Just my luck" she sighed, kneeling down on the carpet so that she could gather everything up.
Some of the objects on the ground hadn't seen the light of day in months. The only things she had actively used was her gun and Michael's knife. She glanced at the two weapons and picked them up. Rupert would probably be coming to collect them anytime soon. She looked at Michael's knife and ran her thumb over his initials "I wish more people from Wellington had made it. We could've all had a fresh start here" she murmured, looking at Dusty. She was more or less talking to him, even though he probably couldn't hear her.
She placed the gun and knife by her bag. She would put those in later once everything else had been put back. She reached for Kenny's hat and smiled fondly at it "I'm sure Kenny would be glad that we found a place like Wellington." She commented "I miss him" she added sadly, her smile fading.
Clementine slid the hat into her bag and picked up her leather jacket. Aside from Kenny giving it to her, it didn't carry much sentimental value, so she put it in her bag without giving it much thought. There was a map that Lucas had given her along with the list of outposts to go with it. She glanced at the list, wondering if any of these were settlements, and if the settlement she was now in was on it. If this settlement even had a name.
"I wonder where Lucas is now" she muttered, placing the map and list back in her bag. "I hope he's okay". The last time she had seen Lucas was when he left to join Leanne's group. Wherever he was, maybe he was helping Rachel take care of her baby. She must have had it by now.
There was some junk that she had forgotten to throw out. An old wrapper and a empty crisp packet. She deposited those two items in the waste bin.
Now all that was left was the packets of food she had stolen from the air field base. She couldn't bare to look at them. Dusty had nearly died... Because of this food. It made her feel sick to stomach.
"You almost died for this food" Clementine murmured, her breath hitched "And now it's worthless. You almost died... For nothing" she shook her head "What am I supposed to do with all of this?" She questioned.
She couldn't help but wonder who that man was at the air field base. The one she had shot. It would seem that the hotel community knew the man the guard had been talking to over the radio. 'James'. Who was he? How come the hotel group know him? She had so many questions but so little answers.
And what was that light coming from the office building? Was it one of James' group? If it was one of James' people, why was he/she trying to send a message to the hotel group? It made no sense. Clementine obviously wasn't getting the whole picture just yet, but in time she might be able to gather more information and put the puzzle pieces together. She needed to make sure the hotel was safe, and if 'James' is dangerous, she had to be prepared for the worst.
"Thought I might find you in here" a voice commented, breaking the silence that had washed over the room. Clementine glanced over her shoulder to see Rupert standing in the doorway. He smiled at her as he walked into the room. "Came to give you this" he stated, holding out a gold-painted key.
Clementine lifted her hand, taking the key as Rupert dropped it into her palm. Attached to the key was a tag reading '109'.
"I got you a view of the outdoor pool. Your room is the closest to it" he told her. "Granted the pool hasn't been cleaned in 3 years and nobody uses it, but I thought you might like it"
"I had a pool in my garden" Clementine stated, picturing her old home "I could see it from my bedroom window." She said "And my treehouse" she added.
"Did you ever go swimming in it?" He asked.
"Not that often"
Rupert glanced at her gun and knife that were still by her back pack. "Mind if I take those off your hands?" He asked, pointing at the weapons.
"Go ahead" Clementine replied simply.
Rupert scooped her weapons up and put them behind his back, presumably in his waist band "You'll get these back if you ever do a job outside of the hotel grounds" he reassured her.
"One of them is personal to me - take good care of it. It used to belong to a friend but... He's gone now"
Rupert gave her a sympathetic look "I'm sorry to hear that. But don't worry about that, Samuels will take good care of it and keep it in good condition. It's what he does best"
He backed over to the door. "I better get going" he muttered.
Clementine glanced at the packets of food and then at Rupert. She couldn't just keep this stuff, maybe she should...
"Rupert" she blurted, just as he was about to leave.
"Yeah?" He replied, his eyes on Clementine now.
She looked at the packets of food once again. Rupert probably couldn't see them since she was obscuring his view. She needed to tell someone, in case it was a problem... But what if it caused her, Dusty and AJ problems? What if Rupert got mad?
Then again, he had made a commitment to be honest with her... Maybe she should return the favour.
[Tell Rupert about the supplies]
[Keep the supplies a secret]
Clementine sighed, turning around and scooping up the packets of food and then turning back to Rupert. His eyes widened at the sight of all that food. "Clem... Where did you get this?" He asked, still a little shocked.
"I stole them from the air field base. I didn't think there was anyone living there, I was just trying to get supplies for me, Dusty and AJ, but then a guard found me. I got away with the food, but then..." she trailed off.
"He shot Dusty" Rupert finished for her, glancing over at the wounded man.
"I shot the man. I had to, he was trying to kill us. I didn't mean for any of this, I didn't mean to cause any trouble... I'm sorry, Rupert" Clementine hung her head in shame. She thought telling someone would make her feel better, but it made her feel worse.
Rupert placed his right hand on her shoulder and squeezed it gently "Clem, look at me"
[Look at him]
[Look away]
Clementine lifted her head and stared up at Rupert. His gaze was soft and friendly, like it always had been. "You don't have to be sorry" he told her comfortingly "No matter what happens, this isn't your fault. Remember that"
"What's going to happen?" She questioned, a little fearful.
Rupert shrugged "We'll just have to wait and see" he replied, and then he frowned. "Just don't worry about a thing, okay? We'll sort this out." He told her. He removed his hand from Clementine's shoulder and took the supplies from her.
He then turned to leave once again, but briefly glanced back at her "Thank you for telling me, Clem"
"We have to stay honest with each other... Remember?"
Rupert smiled "Yeah, I do." He replied with a nod "We'll talk later... You just get some rest for now, and I'll see you in the morning." And with those words, he left the room and disappeared around the corner.
Clementine turned around and zipped up her back pack, and then swung it over her shoulder. Were the group from the air field base going to be a problem now? Hopefully not, but Rupert seemed to have hinted at it. Whatever was going to happen... She just hoped it wouldn't turn out bad for the community.
"See you tomorrow, Dusty." Clementine said to the unconscious man. Maybe he would be awake by then. If so, she couldn't wait to talk to him. She couldn't wait to get her friend back.
She closed the door behind her and trudged down the hall, gripping the cold metal key in her hand and clutching her back pack strap with the other, making sure it didn't slide off her shoulder.
She opted to simply stare at the ground as she walked, occasionally glancing up to see if she was heading the right way. As she turned the corner, and passed a door that she paid no attention to, a fellow community knocked into. Clementine lost her balance and fell backwards onto her rear, which helped cushion her fall.
"Watch where you're going" she huffed, rubbing her sore backside. Granted she hadn't been looking where she was going, but the stranger must have seen her, and could have avoided. Or at least apologised or something. When he or she didn't offer to help her up, she got to her feet and brushed herself off.
"...Clementine?" An all too familiar voice stuttered in surprise.
Clementine lifted her head and met eyes with that last person she ever wanted to see again. Her blood ran cold and her breath hitched as she stared at the stranger, memories beginning to come flooding back.
"Arvo"
End- Episode 1 - Secure our Hope...
Next time on The Walking Dead (Season Four Episode 2- Judge With Heart)
"Arvo." Anson mumbled as he scribbled something on his clipboard. "This boy shot you and left you for dead. How long ago was this?"
Clem stared at him with a grimace. "When the snow comes again, it'll be two years I think."
"That's a long time to hold a grudge, wouldn't you say?" Dr. Pierce advised to her his opinion. "Do you still feel this much animosity towards him?"
Clem shook his head at him, giving him a cold stare with her golden orbs. "What do you think?" Her voice dripped with malice. "What would you do if he did that to you?"
Anson sighed. "I can't lie." He cleaned his glasses with an edge of his jacket. "Retribution would be the top of my list. However... there may be a way to make things better."
His words had gotten Clem's attention. Her cold stare now turned into curiosity. "What do you mean?"
"There's some things you need to know Clementine."
Attack- Would you have reached for your gun or the back pack?
Request- Would you have gone to see AJ, gone to see your room or got to work?
Forgiveness- Would you have forgiven Rupert?
Seizure- Would you have sided with Sophie or Anson after Dusty's seizure?
Honesty- Would you have told Rupert about the supplies?
A/N - You probably never wanted to see him again...
Episode 2 coming very soon.
Real life news - So um, here's the thing. In 2 months, my offical exams will be over, meaning I'll have all the time in the world to work on this story. Will the story be affected during these 2 months? Most likely. I'll be doing revision in my free time and staying after school to make sure I'm prepared. This will cut into my writing time a lot. I'll be able to upload episode 2 since Drex is writing it, but if we get to episode 3 before my exams are over, then I can't really start episode 3 until I'm done. We'll just have to worry about that later, though.
I hope you understand.
