Team Split
An hour after their escape from the hardware store, Jane, Clementine, Jeff, and Rebecca were still walking. As they walked, Jeff tired many times to talk to Clementine, only for her to walk away and ignore him. "She's still sorting out everything that happened," Jane said. "Give her time and space and she'll come around." Jeff knew she was right, but also knew he couldn't stand seeing her like that for much longer. Finally, they reached the designated meeting point of Parker's Run, where Mike, Kenny, and Bonnie were already waiting. Wait a minute, he thought. Where's Luke, Sarah, and Sarita? Seeking answers, he walked up to the trio. "Hey, look who made it, finally," Mike said, trying to lighten the mood. "Yeah, we made it," Jeff said. "Where's Luke, Sarah, and Sarita?" "Luke and Sarah are MIA," Bonnie replied. "And Sarita…" "Kenny was forced to put her down, after several walkers bit her," Mike said, finishing for Bonnie. "Jane and I can go look for them, if they don't get back soon," Clementine offered. "Alright, then," Mike replied. Soon, Mike, Bonnie, Rebecca, and Jane were talking about what went wrong, while Clementine just looked toward the woods, hoping to see the rest of the group arrive. "Hey Clem, can you come here?" Kenny asked. Curious about what he wanted, she walked over to where he sat.
Once she reached Kenny, Clementine sat next to him. "What is it?" she asked. Kenny sighed. "I've been thinking about what happened back at Carver's," he said. "I think I made a mistake by yelling at him." He looked over to Jeff, who had isolated himself from the group. "Look at him. He's a mess...and it's my fault." "It's my fault, too," Clementine said. Kenny opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted by Rebecca. "Luke and Sarah are back!" she said. And she was right, as Luke and Sarah walked up, still covered in walker guts, but alive. Luke explained how they had sought shelter in an abandoned trailer park, then escaped through the roof of the one they had went into. "It wasn't easy," Luke said. "But we made it." "As long as you're alright, I'm happy," Rebecca said. Kenny and Clementine were just arriving when Rebecca suddenly cried out, as a wet spot formed underneath her, on the ground. "Does that mean what I think it does?" Luke asked, slightly panicked. "Yes it does," Rebecca replied. "We need to get somewhere safe," Kenny replied, as Jeff ran up. "What's going on?" he asked. "Rebecca's water broke!" Sarah replied. "We need a safe place for her to have the baby." "Especially with that problem coming at us," Mike added, pointing to the woods. There, alerted to the group's existence by Rebecca's cries, was a herd of walkers. "I saw an observation deck attached to a gift shop further back, while I was inspecting the grounds," Jane said. "That'll work fine," Kenny replied as he and Bonnie helped Rebecca walk. Jeff, Mike, and Luke covered the others as they hurried to the deck. Finally, they were all up, with little trouble. However, the walkers still knew how to climb stairs, which resulted in more gunfire from the defenders, while Bonnie and Kenny helped Rebecca get as comfortable as possible. "Luke!" Jeff called. "Let's move the cannon to block the gate!" "Good idea!" Luke replied, as he joined Jeff in moving the heavy weapon. They reached the gate, where they stopped...and heard a loud crack beneath them. "Not good," Mike noted. "No, it's not!" Jeff replied. Quickly, everyone moved clear of the deck, right as it collapsed. Jeff heard Clementine call out and ran to help her. As he reached her, found Luke trying to help Jane up, while Clementine was hanging onto the edge for dear life. He reached to pull her up, right as another hand reached out and grabbed her. Jeff looked on as Sarah and Mike helped her to safety. Then, they discovered a new problem: The deck hadn't completely collapsed and the walkers figured out they could climb up the part still hanging onto the building. "Will this ever end?" Luke asked. "We need to cut that cable, or loosen it. Something to drop the rest of the deck on the lurkers!" "Here, use this," Clementine said, handing him the hatchet she'd been using. "Mike, you're the tallest here," Jeff began. "Use that to knock the bolts holding the cable on the wall out, so the deck will drop." Mike took the hatchet and swung at the targeted spot on the wall multiple times, knocking the bolts loose, but not free. "Keep trying!" Luke said, as he shot several more walkers. "These things are stubborn," Mike replied. Finally, he managed to free the last bolt and the remaining section of the deck dropped, taking a few walkers with it. "Whew! Talk about a nail biter," Mike said. "That was way too close," Luke added. Just then, they heard a baby's cry in the gift shop and everyone looked to Rebecca. She was holding a baby boy, smiling as she held him. "Hello there, my handsome little boy," she said. "Not the best circumstances, but...welcome to the group, little guy," Kenny said, as he stood up, after helping with the birth. "Now that we know the baby's alright," Sarah began. "Can we finally get some rest?" Everyone agreed and settled in for the night.
Clementine woke up early the next morning to the sound of the group's newest addition crying, as his mother tried to calm him down. "Shhhh," Rebecca said, trying her hardest to quiet her son down. "It's okay. You're safe and sound. You have so many people to look after you...many of them did so before you were born, too." The new mother looked up as Clementine quietly approached. "Hey Clem," Rebecca said. "Now is he?" Clementine asked. "He's perfect," Rebecca replied. "He definitely looks like Alvin," Clementine replied. "I agree," Sarah said, as she sat down next to the other two, making Clementine jump. "Next time, warn me you're there, Sarah," she said. "Sorry," sarah replied. "How are you holding up, Sarah?" Rebecca asked. "Better than I thought I would," the teenager replied. "Still hard to think about my dad...but I'll be okay. Eventually." "That's the spirit," Rebecca replied. "It's hard to lose a loved one...an I speak from experience." "At least Alvin died helping us escape," Sarah said. Rebecca smiled at that comforting thought...then had an idea. "Want to hold him, Sarah?" She asked. "Sure," Sarah replied, carefully taking the baby. Seconds after being handed to Sarah, the baby began to fuss, concerning her. "It's okay," she said, trying to calm him down. "You're still near you mom. See?" Gently, she adjusted him, so he could see his mother, which calmed him down. "You're doing well, for a beginner," Rebecca said. "Maybe I'll get plenty of practice with him, to help me in a few years, when I may become a mother, myself," Sarah said, with a smile. Rebecca smiled back, then frowned, as she noticed something on the ground. "What's wrong?" Sarah asked. Curious, both girls looked in the direction she was looking and saw Jeff down on the ground, packing a few items into a backpack he had swiped from Carver's community. "Is he packing to leave?" Sarah asked. "Looks that way," Rebecca replied. Knowing what had to be done, she looked to Clementine. "You should go talk to him," she told Clementine. "I don't know," Clementine said. "Kenny and I hurt him bad, with how we each reacted to what Carver made him do. I don't think he'll listen." "Only way to know is to try," Rebecca replied. "Yeah," Sarah said. "If you try, maybe he'll snap out of it." "If you pass this up, you may never get another chance," Rebecca added. Clementine thought it over. Would he listen? Would he let her talk to him? She knew that the only way to find out was to run down to him and try. Without another word, she got up, ran down the only stairs left, and hurried to her friend. "Jeff!" she called, as he put the backpack on his back. "Thought you were afraid of me," he said. "That's not true!" Clementine replied. "Kenny and I have seen how you've been since Carver's. We-" "Okay, before you go any further," he interrupted. "I think that incident at Howe's and the fact that Sarah and Mike saved you from falling, yesterday, are proof enough that my time as your protector is finished. It's time for me to move on." He turned back around and began to walk away, but Clementine wasn't done talking to him. "Even with the others here," she said. "You have been there for me. When I ended up alone among the walkers, as we escaped Carver's place, you dragged me through to safety. You shot Carver, as revenge for all he made you do to me. I need you, Jeff!" "I used to believe that, Clem," he said. "But that died at Carver's, when Kenny spat hate at me and you backed away, in fear of me. You used to need me...but not anymore." By now, the others had woken up and watched, from afar, wondering what would happen. Unaware of the audience, Jeff adjusted his bag, then looked back one last time. "Goodbye, Clementine," he said, then turned around and walked away, leaving Clementine on her knees and in tears. "Jeff!" she called, hoping he'd turn back. But he didn't turn. He didn't even show that he'd heard her. Clementine was a mess, as Luke and Kenny walked up, and watched him approach the woods. Luke tried his best to comfort her, but knew it was next to impossible, at the time. "I want to go back to the moment I said my hateful words and stop myself," Kenny said. "I knew we'd hurt him, but...I didn't know it was this bad." "Even in the age of the undead, words still hurt," Luke said. Kenny nodded in solemn agreement, as they all watched Jeff vanish into the woods.