Out on a Limb
Summary: If Clementine had to make a more difficult choice with her cleaver and a bite victim.
Rating: T
Notes: I don't know if any of you will care really, but Troy is absent for most of this chapter. I really, really hope you like what I did with two of the characters, as I was very upset with how Telltale ended their stories in episode 4. As someone with anxiety, depression, and other related disorders, I was sad that characters I identified with were seen as liabilities by many. I want to continue my fic as if they did live, and even if they end up dying in the end, I want it to feel like a completed story, not cut halfway through its progress. Troy counts in this way, as well.
Anyway, as always, please enjoy, and don't forget to tell me what you think!
Disclaimer: I don't own The Walking Dead Game.
Eyebrows furrowed, Clementine repeated her question. "What's wrong?" Her voice was little more than a quiet hiss, frustration settling in. Sarah wasn't with them, though she was supposed to be. Clementine had promised her friend they'd meet up again; looking back, that wasn't the smartest thing to do, but someone decided to run into the woods like a madman.
"May we come in?" Sarita asked, looking over her shoulder. "Rebecca should rest."
The girl nodded, and held the tent's entrance open for them both to crawl in. As soon as she noticed the blood splattered all over Troy and the area surrounding him, Rebecca gasped, her face twisting in shock before flashing their charge a glare.
"You're still here, I see," she noted icily.
At this point, the man was barely conscious, leaned against the wall with his eyes half-closed and head dropping. Still, despite his condition, he managed to bite back, "How's... how's Bill's kid doin'? He close to comin' out?" With a mocking tone, Troy chuckled, his face in a grimace of pain despite himself.
"What?" Rebecca's expression darkened, her eyes ablaze with anger; she seemed mere seconds away from grabbing Troy's throat and strangling him. "My husband... Alvin is dead and you fucking dare to talk about my baby like that?! We should've left you in the herd, we should've let you be lurker food, for God's sake-"
"Easy, Rebecca," Sarita soothed, rubbing her back as they settled comfortably on the opposite side of the tent. She shot Troy a glare and added, "He's not worth it." The pregnant woman flashed her friend a glance and opened her mouth as if to say something, but simply nodded with a saddened look on her face.
Clementine knew what she was thinking: it wasn't fair that Alvin wasn't here. Whoever's baby it truly was, Alvin was supposed to be the father.
Troy didn't respond to the women; instead, he merely curled his legs further inward, sitting in a rigid position across from the rest of them. With his teeth bared and eyes fiercely narrowed, the man reminded Clementine of a wounded animal; knowing he was injured and unable to fight back against an attack, he lashed out with all the energy he had left.
But honestly, the amputee was the least of her worries right now. Once everyone was settled in the tent, she turned to Sarita and asked, "What about Sarah? Where is she?" Fear simmered in her belly, butterflies going mad as she waited for the woman to reply. Thankfully, Sarita's expression and words revealed worry, rather than straight-up sorrow and grief.
"She was separated from us a while back," she explained, "We ran into Nick and Luke, who went after her. We would have gone with them, but..." her voice trailed off, and she cast a glance at her companion.
"I'm sorry, if I'd been able to keep going, we could've gone to get her..." Rebecca murmured, placing a hand absentmindedly on her stomach. "I just... I needed to rest. I couldn't make the walk, and we saw the clearing up ahead.
"It's understandable," Clementine replied, not at all angry. She wondered how Sarah got separated, when she was practically clinging to the women when the two of them parted. But then again, since Carlos's demise Sarah had been on edge (to put it lightly), and it would make sense if the girl got spooked and ran off.
Clementine couldn't blame her; Sarah had been sheltered and wasn't able to cope with the world just yet. She could understand – it was definitely possible, but it just would take a little longer; sadly, all kids needed to grow up too quickly, and Sarah needed more time to harden herself to the world's horrors. However, she couldn't stay naïve forever.
Before their conversation could continue, footsteps sounded from outside the tent. Cautiously, one hand clutched to her weapon, Clementine poked her head out, and was met instantly with the image of camouflaged pants decorated with walker blood. Raising her gaze, she recognized the panting, terrified tall figure.
"Nick!" she cried, scrambling out of the tent. She noticed instantly that he was alone, and looked around as if Luke and Sarah would appear, as well. After a few moments of stunned silence, she realized that he was by himself, and asked, "What's wrong? Where's Sarah and Luke?" Where was everyone else, as well?
Between heavy sighs, Nick replied, "Oh, Clem... thank God... I... I ran back to get someone. Sarah's... she ran off into a nearby trailer park. She's inside one of the homes, and won't move."
"Is she okay?" Clementine asked, chewing at her lip.
"I think so," the man responded, "but she's scared. Luke said he'd try to get her up, but I ran to get help just in case. Do you think you could come with me?"
She nodded. "Yeah. Just... let me tell them." Without hearing his response, she crawled into the tent once more, taking in everyone's condition all at once. Rebecca was sitting on the right side, Sarita smiling warmly next to her, while Troy was opposite them, his breathing shallow and eyes half-closed.
"Nick's here. We're going to bring Sarah and Luke back. Can you take care of...?" Her voice trailed off, merely casting a glance over at the nearly-asleep amputee.
Sarita gave a sigh, a good-hearted glitter in her eyes despite Troy's nastiness towards her and Rebecca, and nodded. "We'll be able to handle things here, Clementine. Don't worry. Please, be safe."
Clementine smiled; Sarita was very caring to people like Troy, yes, but the girl was also impressed with how motherly she became for the group. Like Kenny became a sort of father figure to her, his girlfriend kept the same air of parental watchfulness.
Flashing a glance back down at her weapon, she offered the cleaver to Sarita, who gave her a confused look in return. Flicking one more gaze over to Troy, she murmured, "In case... in case things go bad, you need to be able to protect yourself." Honestly, this whole situation was a toss-up now; she'd changed his bandages, reapplied the tourniquet, and disinfected the wound. As far as she knew, that was all she could do, save from stitching it shut (which wasn't possible). If he died, it wouldn't be on her hands, as she had given all her effort.
That didn't mean she wanted him to die, though; to say she wanted anyone to die was a flat-out lie.
Hesitantly, Sarita accepted the weapon, keeping a hard stare down at it. "Are you sure you don't need it?" she asked.
With a nod, Clementine assured, "Nick and Luke will be with me. I'll be safe." At least, she hoped; she could always find another weapon, as well. Flashing a glance at Troy and curling her lips into a slight smirk, she added, "Make sure you be good, Troy."
The man barely acknowledged her statement, shooting a glare her way but ultimately not saying anything in response. He looked on the very of passing out, or falling asleep, and she didn't have the heart to bother him at the moment. With a shrug to herself, she nodded to three of them and returned to Nick.
"Okay, I'm ready. Let's go."
Flashes of green whirled by, barely having time to form into visible trees as Clementine's feet took her as fast as she could go through the forest. Heart pounding and ears roaring, panic and determination fueled her to keep running. Though she was smaller than him, she was keeping a good enough pace to keep up with Nick, following right on his heels.
"How much further?" she called, keeping her gaze trained ahead. Nick had entered from the other side of the clearing, opposite where Clementine and Troy had come into it from, so she had no idea what was up ahead.
"It's just up ahead," Nick answered, his voice hushed and focused. Faintly, she noticed the outline of some telephone poles in the distance, followed by the square shape of mobile homes growing closer and closer with each footstep.
The trailer park came into view all at once, a rusty green fence surrounding the perimeter. Trucks and cars parked outside were left abandoned, the corpses of walkers littering the crowd like giant, people-shaped boulders. Nick didn't stop running, leading her to an opening in the fence. Peeking through it, Clementine noted the pieces of a swing set and slide crumbled onto the ground. A small merry-go-round was tilted and distorted despite its happy colors still painted on, with a mushy, mud-covered sandbox sitting next to it. A smaller, wooden fence separated the broken playground from the mobile home in the back, creating the image of a playplace that probably made some kids happy once.
Without warning, Clementine thought of the swing at the St. John's dairy – but only for a moment. She shoved the thought away and turned back to the man; finding Sarah and Luke was the top priority, not being haunted by memory lane.
"Through here," Nick announced, maneuvering around the hole in the fence. Just as she made her way through it, however, he hissed, "Oh shit! Clem, get down!" and ducked behind the swing set. She followed him, getting low to the ground to see what he'd been alerted to.
Unsurprisingly, there were a few walkers on the other side of the wooden planks of the fence, wandering around as aimlessly as ever. Two blocked their path to the next yard, where Nick seemed to be leading them to. With a sinking feeling, Clementine realized she didn't have her cleaver anymore, and the man crouched beside her was weaponless, as well. When she pointed this out to him, Nick frowned, his expression wilting, as though he hadn't thought about that.
"Shit," he muttered, "fuck, of course I didn't ask Luke for his machete before leavin'. Of course..." Tugging the brim of his hat down to cover his eyes, he shook his head, obviously disappointed in himself.
"It's okay," Clementine assured, "we can find weapons everywhere." Lee had taught her that – everything and anything was fair game to be used against walkers. If it was sharp or sturdy, it could slice or smash the brain in with no problem.
Luckily, there were broken wooden planks surrounding the swing set, the edges looking sharp enough to pierce into a walker's skull – or, at the very least, it could bludgeon one to death. She grabbed onto the end and yanked on it, but she wasn't strong enough to break it free. When he noticed what she was trying to do, Nick slid himself forward, taking a hold of the pieces of wood and, with a grunt of effort, pried it free from the wreckage and handed it to her.
"Nice goin', Clem," he murmured, though he had been the one to get it. "D'you think you could get the one closest to us? I'll try to distract it long enough for you to get it."
She hesitated, not exactly liking the idea of him fighting walkers with no weapons. When he noticed her caution, he added, "I can do it. It's just like back in the forest, after Pete..." His voice trailed off, and he didn't dare finish the sentence.
Clementine was aware he could fight off walkers with his bare hands, as he'd done it before to distract them and allowing her an escape, but at the same time, she worried about him. Nick was reckless, though a good guy – she feared he might try to become a sacrifice when all he needed to be was a distraction. Because of that, she glanced around again, hoping to spot something he could use.
There! Pointing to the metal supports that had once held the slide together, she whispered, "You can use one of those pipes. Should be enough to at least smack a walker down."
Nick's eyes brightened and, without a word, he picked up one of the broken-off pieces of pipe, lightly tapping the metal in his hand to get a feel of how firm it was. Pleased, he smirked and met her gaze, seeming much braver than before. "Alright, which one do you want?"
"We can keep the original plan," she replied, "I'll get the one closest, and you go for the furthest one?"
"Sounds good. I've got your back if you need me."
Nodding her thanks, Clementine cautiously stepped out from behind the playground equipment, her eyes trained on the walker on the other side of the fence. A small hole provided her with a path to it; once its back was turned, she made a break for it, leaping through the opening and swinging the wooden plank onto the walker's head. It turned around, empty white eyes glaring hungrily at her, but she pulled back and swung again.
This time, the creature lost its balance, falling to the ground on its back. Wasting no time, she swung the plank at its head multiple times, feeling its head collapse after the fourth or fifth hit. When it finally lay still, she stopped, turning back to Nick.
"Nice job!" he whispered with a smile, obviously pleased. Taking a deep breath, he murmured something to himself and, after hopping the fence, stepped forward, his tall form shrinking down some to emulate stealth. The girl watched him carefully, her hands still wrapped around the bloody wooden plank, just in case.
Nick prowled towards the walker, swinging the pipe through the air and whacking it off its head with a sickening snapping sound. With only one hit, the creature dropped to the ground, allowing the man one extra hit on it before it stopped moving. Motioning to Clementine to follow, he slowly crept through the yard, making his way towards a dumpster, taking out another walker attempting to get over it.
Smiling, Clementine followed his lead, staying low to the ground. Once she reached the dumpster, she peered over it, noticing instantly the small herd attempting to get into one of the mobile homes. Based on Nick's lead, and judging by their shit luck lately, Clementine had to guess that Luke and Sarah were behind that door.
"That's a lot of walkers," she remarked quietly, apprehension worming its way onto her expression. Nick took notice of her worry and bit his lip.
"I know, but we need to get in there. We gotta get to Luke and Sarah..." Something had changed about Nick recently; she hadn't really noticed until now, but it seemed like he had more courage. The fierce determination in his eyes was proof enough that he was more of a hero now, even if he still saw himself as a villain.
Despite what had happened on the bridge, Clementine had started to see him as a hero, too.
"How do we get in?" she asked.
Nick paused, looking around. "Fuck, I – I don't know, fuck, fuck..." He struggled to think of something, anxiety clearly written over his face at coming up with a solution on the spot. "Maybe – I don't know, maybe if we used a noise to distract them...?"
Nodding, she responded, "That sounds good. We could lure them away – over towards this dumpster, so we can maneuver around to the door over there."
The abandoned pick-up truck in the yard gave her an idea. Lee had once told her that back in the Crawford garage with Molly, a car alarm had gone off, bringing tons of unwanted walkers near them. It wasn't exactly the same situation here, but a horn might do the trick. It was surely loud enough to get the creatures away, but they'd need to use something to keep the horn blaring as long as it could.
Looking down at the corpse of the walker he'd had taken care of, she turned to Nick and asked, "Can you drag this guy over to the horn of the truck?"
She could practically see the gears turning in his head, but when he finally seemed to get what she was going for, he nodded. Without a word, he hooked his arms under the walker and dragged it over to the truck. Luck was once again on their side, it seemed; the door to the vehicle was unlocked, and once Nick placed the corpse atop the steering wheel, it was evident that the horn still worked.
Blaring honks echoed like an alarm, causing the walkers clawing at the door to the home to turn their heads and lumber towards the sound. They weren't able to make it over the dumpster and the barricade set up around it, however; stuck growling and swiping at the air, this made a perfect distraction, allowing them to go around to get to the door safely.
The two of them rushed up the stairs of the entrance closest to them, slowing their pace once they were inside. Two walkers were inside, nails scraping against the windows, obviously distracted by the noise outside.
Clementine really missed her hatchet; the walker approaching her was much larger, around Nick's height, and she only had her wooden plank to use. With a quiet grunt of effort, she swung the weapon, hitting the creature's head. It shook off the blow and continued to stumble towards her; backing up, she nearly fell onto her backside before Nick took the walker out with a swing of his pipe.
She turned to see that he'd already taken care of the other walker, its brain smashed in and leaking all over the carpet.
"Th... thanks Nick," she commented, flashing him a smile. Playfully, she added, "You're getting better at aiming."
Shyly, the man pulled his hat down over his eyes, a slight flush appearing on his cheeks. "Nah..." he mumbled, shrugging his broad shoulders.
They continued, hopping down out of one home to the steps of the one they needed to get into. Clementine jiggled the handle, cursing under her breath as she realized it was locked. The walkers had gotten bored with the noise, and began to turn around already, growling at what they saw as two walking pieces of prey.
"Fuck! Clem, we gotta get into that building! Try somethin'!" Nick yelled, raising his pipe to keep the approaching creatures at bay.
Trying to swallow her panic, Clementine balled up her fists, took a few steps back, and attempted to kick the door down. Naturally, the first kick didn't do anything, so she continued, putting a bit more force into each swing of her leg. The locks had obviously been worn, as the door snapped open after only a few strikes. She called to Nick, who stopped striking the walkers and followed her inside the home, slamming the door behind them.
"We gotta block the door, Clem!" Nick called, pushing a large bookshelf near the door in front of the entranceway. Once it was sealed, Clementine turned to yell for Luke and Sarah, calling out their names into the dark hallway of the trailer.
Luke appeared, clutching at his machete tightly. Once he noticed who it was, he relaxed a bit, sheathing his weapon. "Man... I'm glad you guys made it. Thanks for grabbin' her, Nick." He gave a nod to his friend.
"Where's Sarah?" Clementine asked, eyes flicking about the mobile home.
The man's expression dropped. "She... fuck, we found her runnin' towards here when she got separated from Rebecca and Sarita. She's real upset, Clem, and I can't get through to her." Without another word, he turned around and led both of them to a room in the back, where the girl was curled up in a ball, her head buried in crossed arms.
Sarah seemed to be in the middle of an anxiety or panic attack; her body was shaking, her breaths coming in short, erratic bursts. Tears spilled down her cheeks, quiet mumbles leaving her trembling lips.
"She needs you, Clem-" Luke said, but Nick was the one to bend down in front of her first, his gaze focused and detached from everything else going on in the room.
"It's okay, Sarah. On my count, I want you to take a deep breath in through your nose, and I'll tell you when to release the breath through your mouth. Ready?"
Amazingly, the words connected with the anxious girl; she started to breathe in through her nose as Nick counted, releasing the breath once he told her to. Starting with two seconds, they continued this pattern for four seconds, and then six – and finally, at eight seconds, Sarah's breathing became more controlled, more relaxed. She had calmed down some, and was able to wipe at her eyes and sit back against the wall. Her complexion was still fairly pale, but she didn't look as haunted as before.
It occurred to Clementine that Nick was definitely someone who could understand Sarah's panic; he'd been prone to suicidal thoughts before, if she recalled Luke's words right. Even though it seemed like a serious hindrance in the world now, people like Nick and Sarah could learn to survive, despite their setbacks. Anxiety, depression – it all was a part of who they were, but ultimately, it didn't mean they were a lost cause.
Nick turned to her and nodded. "She's all yours, Clem." Having calmed Sarah down successfully, Clementine would be able to speak to her better. The girl crouched in front of her friend, murmuring, "Hi, Sarah..."
The older girl lifted her head, eyes horribly unfocused and fear laced through her expression. "H... hi," she whispered. "Clem, I... I'm scared. I don't... I can't... I want my dad..."
"I know how you feel," Clementine replied, eyes softening. "It's one of the worst feelings in the world. Ever since... the walkers, so many people I know have died. People I love. And I know what it's like to be scared."
Sarah sniffled, raising her head. "You... you do? But you're never scared. You're... one of the bravest people I know. I'm... I'm not like that..."
"I wasn't always like this, Sarah," Clementine admitted, "in fact, I used to be a lot like you. When everything started, I met my friend, Lee. He tried to help me find my parents. He protected me more than anyone else in my whole life."
Loud thumps echoed behind her, and she thought she heard Nick yell out about being surrounded and Luke suggest escaping through the skylight, but she couldn't be completely sure. Her focus was on Sarah at the moment, her light brown eyes focused as if she'd lose her friend at any minute.
"He died to keep me safe. I was so scared. And you know what? I'm still scared."
Sarah nodded, understanding worming its way onto her face. "You're still here..." she mumbled.
"Because he taught me how to be strong – even when I'm scared. He wanted me to live, Sarah. And your dad protected you because he wanted you to live. He would still want that."
A hand on her shoulder interrupted Clementine; she turned to see Nick glancing down at them both. "We gotta go. Lurkers got the place surrounded – only way to go is up. Do you think you can stand up, Sarah?" Worry flashed through his eyes for a moment, until he saw that she nodded, getting to her feet.
Clementine reached over and squeezed her friend's hand, watching Nick give Luke a boost up onto the top of the trailer. The shorter man got on his stomach on top of the building and leaned his hand down, providing an extra boost for escape.
Sarah went up next, Nick's height allowing her to grab Luke's hand with ease and get on top. Clementine followed, hearing a snapping sound the moment she stood up on the roof. It wasn't her weight or anything breaking the trailer, but the door to the small room they'd been in breaking down. Walkers, hungry for blood and flesh, began to stumble in, macabre claws ready to kill.
But Nick was the only one still in the room.
"Nick!" she yelled, panic swelling in her chest. She bent over the skylight opening as more and more creatures lumbered into the trailer from all sides, some breaking the glass of the windows. No, he couldn't...! She didn't want to look, to see her friend being devoured by walkers...!
Luke called out for him, his voice cracking as he searched for his best friend. Just when it looked like he'd been lost forever to the creatures, a large hand appeared at the top of the skylight, and a frightened, familiar face appeared. Nick heaved himself up onto the trailer, flopping onto his back and panting. After a while, he got to his feet with the rest of them, though he still looked terrified, sweat dripping down from his hair. But other than a few scratches from scrambling upwards in a panic, he was untouched.
Safe. He was safe.
[ Thank you. ]
[ Are you okay? ]
[ [Hug Nick] ]
[ … ]
