Author's Note: Hello again, readers. Thanks for the reviews last chapter! And just in case it wasn't apparent already, Clementine is going to be a little OOC at times due to the events in this story. Obviously, this will include a lot of trust issues, and a darker outlook on life. But hopefully she's still recognizable as the Clem we all know and love.

Rated T for: Amputation, violence, language, death, zombies, and other dark themes.

And now, without further ado, please read on and enjoy chapter nine of Stump! :) - Aqua


Stump

Chapter Nine

Luke crept up on the walkers and took them out silently, one at a time.

The first one was completely oblivious, too preoccupied with the doors to notice Luke approaching. His machete slid cleanly through its skull, like it was cutting through butter. The second one had only just realized its companion had fallen before Luke drove his weapon into the back of its head. The last walker was slumped against the side of the building. It had been rotting for so long that its decaying legs weren't able to support it anymore. Luke took care of it as quickly as the others.

Clementine watched quietly from her spot by the trees. He made it look so easy...

The rest of the group caught up to them as Luke pressed his ear against the door. Clem joined him, listening for any indication that Nick was in there, and if he was, that he was okay. Luke tapped on the doors hesitantly.

"Nick...?"

After a heartbeat, they heard a soft moan. Luke glanced at Clementine, his jaw set.

"Get the door." He told her, his grip on his machete tightening. Clem tugged the doors open, peering into the dim building.

It seemed to be some kind of storage warehouse, or cellar. Rusty shelves lined the walls, but they weren't filled with anything useful. The floor was concrete, and the walls were cinderblock. The only source of light came from a little cracked window.

Luke warily entered the building, followed closely by Clementine. Suddenly he held out a hand to stop her, pointing his machete at some crates in the corner of the room, where she could see someone's legs poking out from behind them. Someone who was wearing familiar camouflaged pants.

It was Nick. He was lying in a crumpled heap, eyes closed. Clem wasn't sure if he was breathing, but he didn't seem to be bitten...

"Jesus..." Luke breathed.

Nick stirred, looking up at them from his spot on the floor.

"Hey man... you got any aspirin?" He asked softly.

"Nick, you asshole." Shaking his head, Luke helped Nick to his feet. For the first time, Clementine noticed the shards of broken glass littering the floor, and the heavy scent of alcohol in the air. Nick had been drinking.

Luke studied Nick for a moment before pulling him into a hug. Nick's breathing grew ragged.

"Pete's dead." He told Luke, his voice trembling.

"I know, man, I do." Luke said gently. "We gotta get movin', okay? Carver's gang showed up. Can you make it?"

"Yeah... yeah." Nick wiped at his eyes with his shirt sleeve. "But how... how did you guys find me?"

"Actually, it was Clem." Luke glanced over at her with a small smile, which Clementine returned. "Kid's got great hearing, thank god. Now c'mon, we gotta go."

They left the cellar behind and rejoined their group. Everyone was glad to see Nick alive and well, but Pete's death and Carver's visit kept the mood considerably dark. Nick himself seemed the most somber, saying little about what had happened. Clem couldn't exactly blame him. He'd been at the river when Pete died. He'd seen it happen, and had been unable to do anything about it. That couldn't be easy baggage to carry.

"Hey Clem..."

Shaken from her thoughts, Clementine looked over her shoulder at Nick.

"You really saved my skin back there. Thanks." He said appreciatively.

"I got lucky, I guess." She shrugged. Nick nodded.

"Yeah. I.. I thought for sure I was a goner..." His expression darkened, and Clem wondered what had been running through his mind during the lonely hours spent in that cellar. Nick's footsteps slowed, and he fell to the back of the group, his eyes downcast.

"What do you think happened back in that cellar?" Luke asked quietly, voicing her thoughts.

His earlier lightheartedness was wearing off. Initially, he'd been so relieved to find Nick that any other feelings had been swept aside. He couldn't imagine leaving Nick behind, but Carver had almost pushed him to that. It was a stroke of pure luck that Clementine had found him, and Luke would be forever grateful. But now, he realized that the event might've affected Nick more than he let on.

"I think he got drunk." Clem said.

"Yeah." Luke agreed. "He smells like shit."

"And," She continued carefully. "I think that.. if he was stupid enough to get himself drunk, he must've thought he was going to die." Clementine knit her brows together. "Or, maybe he wanted to die..."

"Hey, c'mon Clem, don't talk like that." Luke's voice was almost pleading, like he couldn't stand the thought. "He's just a goddamn idiot sometimes. He wouldn't... I mean, he's not.. he's not the kinda person that would do something like that, alright?"

'You can never tell who is.' Clementine wanted to say. She hadn't thought Katjaa would kill herself. None of them had. Katjaa had been the one who always said they needed to keep hope, and for her to give up like she did had blindsided everyone.

But Clem just shrugged.

"Okay, sorry..."

Luke caught her tone and sighed.

"Sorry, I'm just... I'm worried about that kid." He rubbed the back of his neck. "And, I know I'm not exactly in the position to ask this, but could you keep an eye on him for me? Nick doesn't always tell me everything." Clementine raised an eyebrow, and Luke sighed again. "Yeah, I know how that sounds. Some group, huh? You.. sure you still wanna come with us?"

Clem was slightly taken aback by the question. She'd thought it was obvious she had to stick with them, after what happened to her leg. She couldn't afford to be on her own, and these were the only people she could stay with until she found Christa. And if she didn't...

"Look, I know we got off to a rough start." Luke winced, realizing how much of an understatement that was. They were partly responsible for the loss of her leg, no matter how unintentional or indirect their actions were. "I can't make any promises it won't get rougher, but we all know you now."

Clementine almost snorted. They didn't know her, not really.

"And.. we may not be perfect," Luke continued. "but we look out for each other."

Part of Clem wanted to be blunt with him. Just cut to the chase, and say 'I don't have anywhere else to go,' or 'I'm only staying until I find Christa.' But one look at Luke's face told her she couldn't do it.

"Yeah, I'm with you guys."

"And we are glad to have you." Luke responded warmly, no doubt thinking of how she had just saved Nick.

"I'm not sure everyone is..." Clementine frowned.

"Well... they'll get there." He smiled reassuringly. Luke tugged a map of Virginia out of his pocket and unfolded it, tracing a line up to the mountains. "I figure we got about four or five days to reach those mountains." He said, addressing the group. "Now, if they're trackin' us, we should be able to lose 'em up there."

"Five days?" Rebecca worriedly looked down at her protruding belly.

"It's gonna be okay, Bec." Alvin said comfortingly, laying a gentle hand on his wife's shoulder.

"We have to keep moving now." Carlos agreed. "It's our only choice."

'Well, at least I'll get plenty of practice walking.' Clementine thought dryly, nearly stumbling as her cane caught on a tree root.


They walked until nightfall.

Luke thought it best to stay put until the morning, so they didn't accidentally wander off course. It was hard to see the path in the dark. Of course, nobody complained. The long rest was greatly needed and well-received. Clem was nursing two blisters and a leg cramp. She'd known that walking was going to be more difficult, but it still sucked.

The only problem was the cold. They couldn't light a fire, not with Carver after them. So the group huddled behind an outcrop of rocks, which helped to block most of the wind. After a quick bite of canned food, everyone settled down to rest their aching muscles. Luke had volunteered to keep lookout first, but Carlos gently declined the offer and took the position himself.

Clementine hadn't failed to noticed how Luke seemed to push himself the hardest. He'd lead the group for most of the day, taking out stray walkers they happened upon, and generally kept the group's spirits up. He never gave any indication that he was tired, and he was the one who kept the most upbeat and positive. Luke led by example, and his strength gave strength to the others.

But that strength had its limit, and it was starting to show. Luke practically collapsed next to Clem, leaning against the rocks. He smiled tiredly at her, running a hand through his hair.

"How ya been, Clem?" He asked quietly. Luke never failed to check up on everyone.

"As good as I can be, I guess." Clementine shrugged. "You know, given the circumstances."

"How do you think Nick's been doin'?" Luke's voice dropped even lower. Nick was a little ways off, but still awake, staring at the dark sky with a far off look in his eyes.

"I don't know." She knit her brows together. "He's just been really quiet. I think he blames himself for Pete's death."

None of them really knew exactly what had happened at the river. Nick was the only one who did, and he wasn't eager to share. Whether or not he could have done something to save Pete, Clem knew it wasn't healthy for him to obsess over it. She was no stranger to survivor's guilt. Every time someone died, it reared its ugly head.

Lee and Kenny had felt responsible for Shaun back at Hershel's farm. The girl who committed suicide at the motor inn had shaken Lee, Carley, and Glenn in particular. Doug's death had weighed heavily on Carley. Mark's gruesome end affected everyone. Then Larry died, and though Lee tried to help he felt guilty anyways. Lilly probably had, too. Ben had inadvertently caused Carley's death, and then Duck and Katjaa, and it had practically destroyed him. But Kenny blamed himself for their deaths, too. Clementine wondered how Lee had felt about Ben and Kenny's deaths, if he felt like he could have done something more. She knew she sure felt responsible for Omid's death.

If she had just kept hold of her gun...

"You alright, Clem? You seem to be spacing out a lot lately."

Clementine looked up at Luke's concerned face.

"Yeah, I just.." She blinked. "It's nothing."

"You wanna talk about it?" Luke's tone was comforting, but she wasn't ready to spill out her life story yet.

"No, it's fine. I just know how he feels." Clem sighed, curling up against the rocks. "I've been in his place before."

"Yeah, I know..." Luke murmured.

"What?" Clementine sat up, raising an accusing eyebrow at Luke. "What do you mean?"

Luke blinked, realizing his slip up.

"I.. I just meant..." He sighed, shaking his head. "Alright, Clem, I guess now's a good time as ever for you to know. You remember back at the cabin, when Carlos gave you that medicine? The, uh, painkillers, for your leg?"

"Yeah..."

"Well, when you got loopy, you started talkin' about your past." Luke said carefully.

Clementine swallowed.

"Who... who was there?" She asked, avoiding Luke's eyes.

"Just me, Nick, an' Pete." He answered honestly. "And Rebecca heard a little bit."

"What did I say?"

"You were talkin' about folks you knew who'd died." Luke told her gently. "You started with your babysitter and ended with a fella named Omid-"

"How much did I say?"

"Not too much." Luke said reassuringly. "You were vague."

"Good."

Clementine took a slow breath, trying to get a handle on her emotions. She hadn't wanted them to find out, not this way. A person's story was all they really owned now. She should've been able to choose whether or not she wanted to share it with them, and when, and how. Now she knew why people had started treating her differently. They'd heard some drug-induced sob story and started pitying her.

"Clem, I'm sorry, I tried to get ya to stop, honest, but you were-"

"Goodnight, Luke." The eleven-year old turned her back to Luke, blinking away tears. She knew it was silly to feel so upset, but with everything going on she just wasn't ready for them to know her past. That was supposed to come with trust. These people were practically strangers, and now they knew more about her then she did about them.

"Aw, hell, Clem... I'm sorry. I was gonna tell you, but there didn't seem t'be a good time, and..." Luke sighed, closing his eyes. "I'm sorry."

The air was silent for a few moments before Luke spoke again, his voice scarcely audible.

"Were there really... you know, um... cannib-"

"I said, goodnight Luke."

"Right. S-sorry..."

Clementine didn't respond. She shut her eyes tightly and began waiting for the sun to rise, because she sure as hell wasn't going to sleep tonight.