A/N: Glad a lot of you liked Chapter 20 and now onto answering reviews!
AquaDestinysEmbrace- Glad you liked the chapter and the fact that Schulz is now gone as his time as a central villain (I felt) had come to a natural end, also about the ending the wall has collapsed leaving walkers to swarm into Wellington. Also thank you for your OC Scott, as he was a great character to write and develop and in the end he symbolised everything that embodied Wellington and what Clementine thought of Wellington. At the start she resented Wellington and the people of Wellington resented her, however by the end the people of Wellington helped her and she grew to like them as much as they grew to like and respect her as well. So once again thanks for the OC Scott it was pleasure writing him!
Zombieslayer995-Glad you enjoyed the chapter, but you'll have to jog my memory on your OC Jason as I've completely forgotten about him. Send me a PM of any updated details on your OC etc... and I'll be sure to include him when I can within the oncoming chapters.
Paradoxilla- Sorry for making you cry and as for the shipping and Clem's sexuality I will shed some more light on it this chapter, so get ready...
TWDRUNNER37- Thanks for the 10 out of 10 rating! Loving your reviews as always
Shattering Soul- The Kill them all line was meant to reference the Governor from the comics and I'm glad it paid off here and thanks for the correction of Maria and Luis' Spanish conversation as I knew something seemed off about it when I translated it, if I edit the chapter in the future I'll be sure to correct it. and I thought Sarah appearing was some sort of vision/hallucination experienced by the characters in the height of the moment. Originally Schulz was meant to be killed by Stephanie as he was ranting on top of the central hub before Stephanie pushed him off the edge putting an abrupt end to his life. But something seemed anti-climatic about that scenario, so I had AJ kill Schulz as tiny moments of his development in Episode 2 have built to this moment. For instance everything Schulz has done for what he feels was "the greater good" has traumatized AJ. AJ a 4 year old whose grown up knowing nothing but misery and loss of his friends, is quite like his father now his personality is developing in which he'll do anything (in his childish mind) in order to protect his friends, no matter what extremes he has to go too. AJ has the genes of psycho in him and was raised in a community with a leader of similar mindset, although his still very young and has limitations, I'd advise readers to keep a close eye on him...
Yomi-Roken- Thanks for another great review and seemed Scott's death caught you off guard, I like to do that in these fics I wonder if the next set of chapters will live to the hype and shock I created in Going to Ruin? I can only hope...
Chameishida- Yep, the first two episodes in this story centred on Wellington on it's troubles, character development for the 2000 days group. Focusing on the plot and characters that made Wellington run and ultimately fall, tying up the loose end plot point of the cult and introducing the supernatural element to the story. The second half of this fic will carry on the supernatural theme but now the community and political stuff that reflected NGB is over, the survivalist agenda of GTR will kick in. I'm glad you think the scene with Sarah doesn't need explaining as I wanted to leave it that way and simply have the reader come up with their own conclusions. It could be supernatural, or (what I feel is more fitting) could simply be Clem, Nick, Stephanie and Luke to a degree realising whose not with them on that day and hence having Sarah and Lilly "appear" could be all of them coming to terms with what has happened and finally learning to move on through the wedding but not without saying their final goodbyes.
Glad you enjoyed the little Clem-Luke scenes as I know your a die hard fan of dynamic duo and tiny scenes like these were last minute additions to add to the really long plot last chapter. I'm glad I did now and I'm glad they left an impact on you. As for the Clementine and Luis thing floating around I simply enjoy writing it too much to make it go any further than it is. The age difference is a factor, if Clem was say 20 and Luis 24/25-ish than it would be better. But at the end of the day Clementine will always be that little girl we fell in love with in Season 1 and having a character not in a relationship is a refreshing change in this fic. So no Clem/Luis at the moment, I'll give some more time for the relationship to grow and see where it goes from there. If Luke's the big brother figure for Clem, I imagine Luis is like the bratty middle child figure to her for the time being. Thanks for the encouragement as I'll always try to stay determined and get this fic done no matter what and no matter how long it takes!
ffapathy- See your liking the Wolf and his back-story. The airborne strain of the virus being a lie was planned for a while (The wolf lying to the president, only two people being infected by the strain out of hundreds of people in Wellington. Edward going on about returning to wall to rebuild it as foreshadowing for what would happen later...) can't say much more other than thank you for reading and I'm glad I was able to surprise you even at this stage. I guess Rebecca's quote about good things happening that can confuse people just as much as bad things happening applies to you. An influx of darker and lighter scenes will be incoming for the next part of the fic...
Okay so thanks you all for reading! Now another popularity poll has opened for the remaining characters so feel free to check it out on my profile and vote away for your favourite!
How did they all end up here?
It was a question a lot of people would ask themselves, even after the party last night at Nick and Stephanie's wedding reception had gotten completely out of hand and the guests had spilled out and had drunkenly headed back towards the church. JJ had vividly remembered following them, lost in his own merry haze as the screams and shouts echoed around him...
He giggled to himself, good times.
Now he sat there gazing at the sleeping guests propped up on pews in front of him, covered in last night's spoils.
Alcohol and vomit was plastered onto their bodies and clothes, all of them seemed to be awake, or at least partly, so although their eyes remained downcast as they recovered from their roaring hangovers. JJ didn't need anything to drink last night as he had danced like an idiot and made a new friend...
"I see you're awake" Edward mumbled from where he appeared next to JJ. Still rubbing his sore eyes as he let out a hurricane of a yawn.
"I didn't drink" Was all JJ replied as smug as he cat, as the wild blonde haired boy grinned from ear to ear.
"Yipee for you" Edward commented sarcastically punching JJ lightly on the arm, before his eyes softened as he gazed back at the residents sprawled out over the church floor.
"Kind of disrespectful to be in here" was all Edward said after a lingering silence.
"We could have passed out in the graveyard"
"True" Edward agreed with JJ's statement before his eyes found the high celling to the church, before his eyes rested on the ground once again. A small smirk contorted his features as he gazed at where Clementine was curled up near to the pew, her eyes seemed downcast as Edward continued to gaze at her.
"So... did you get her then?" JJ inquired, anticipating Edward's answer.
Edward opened his mouth to answer...
"HERE I LIE, IN A LOST AND LONELY PART OF TOWN!"
The speakers blared the lyrics to some of the cheesy 90's hits Clementine had heard played so many time at her friend's birthday parties. Back when she was 8 and would dance or musical chairs and bumps to anything that had a catchy beat to it. and unlike many of the adults and teenagers around her (the sober one's at least) she was proud to admit that she would still dance to these songs regardless of whoever was watching and what they thought. She didn't need alcohol in her system to give her the confidence to have a good time, she just let her body move to the beat of the music.
Dancing.
She hadn't danced for... well as long as she could remember. Something about what she saw at the wedding today had given her the joy that celebrate this wedding with every fibre of positivity that she had helped to build within herself and the others around her. Sarah... Sarah had come back to tell her that her second chance had mattered after all. Clementine getting up off her ass and actually doing something had resulted in this, the president dead. and around 100 people crammed into the central hub dancing in a room designed to be rented out for occasions like this.
"TRAGEDY, WHEN THE FEELINGS GONE AND YOU CAN'T GO ON IT'S TRAGEDY!"
It was all too cheesy, it was all too happy... but a lot of surreal things had occurred today so rather than try and relax and let it all process through her 15 year old brain. Clementine simply went with the flow of it all, she was aware of herself spinning and her curly hairs bouncing off her forehead. As she paused to gain breath, her eyes locked with that of Edward who was dancing a point mere feet away, their eyes locked as Clementine flashed him a smile (one he was very happy to return). Deciding she'd rather want to dance with someone she knew rather than being surrounded by strangers, she made a beeline for Edward.
Luke, Molly, Rebecca, Eddie and Violet had all sat on some chairs by the bar for the night. When the hits started playing (and feeling like an 8 year old again, surrounded by cousins, aunts and uncles) Luke had sensed the child inside of her. and rather than stay and listen to adult chat (she could barely hear it over the music anyway) she kept her eyes peeled on the dance-floor, when enough people had started dancing so she could simply blend into them and not be seen by her merry allies. She tapped Luke on the shoulder.
"I'm going to go dance" she told him simply.
His eyes brightened in some sort of glee.
"Don't trip over Clem" he chirped brightly "Knowing you, with your duck feet..."
Getting over Luke's unfortunate choice of words on her late friend, she managed to muster up all her sass to comeback to him.
"Says the lousy ass who can't bust a move"
"My dancing has got me all the girls in the past Clem"
"Out of pity most likely"
"Out of my sheer awesomeness more like"
"Idiot"
"Freak"
With these charming words exchanged Clementine departed for the dance-floor. She didn't think she could grow any closer to Luke than she already was but after the year of spiralling depression Clementine had been through and after she saw him say (for the very first time) that he wasn't "fine". Both Luke and Clementine had seen each other in a much more vulnerable light and Clementine would happily call the man her big brother if anyone ever asked. She always wanted a sibling or someone to play with when she was younger and she guessed Luke filled that void. As well as that, the pair of them had been the only one's to know what a second chance was really like, both of them lead Howe's together, both of them had lost loved one's.
Luke lost Jane. Clementine lost Sarah. Both suffered depression for a nearly a year afterwards and would never really recover from that one loss.
Both Sarah and Jane had died avoidable deaths, both were shot and all Luke and Clementine had to do was push them out of Harm's way, to save the people they loved. The people that gave them a purpose and after they died both Luke and Clementine had lost that purpose. So Luke drifted to Clementine during his difficult time and now Clementine was finding herself drifting to him. After the wedding today and after hugging him tightly after what she had seen... she had her purpose back. Her second chance meant something again. Despite absolutely everything Clementine had been through during the 4 years she knew him, Luke was still here.
and she was going to celebrate that.
She was going to celebrate that her friends had come this far and survived so much, she was going to celebrate the new friends she had made, she was going to celebrate the lives of those that had died. Gertrude taught her to move on, Sarah taught her to love life despite what it threw at you, Brandon had taught her that love was not as straightforward as it seemed, Ana taught her not to judge people based on their pasts, (ironically reflecting what her late husband had also taught Clementine) Scott taught her that there was good even in the worst of people, Oscar taught her that actions spoke louder than words, Trevor and Stacy taught her how to fight for justice (as messed up as their tactics were). Lilly had taught her about the innocence she thought she had lost...
All of those people, from what she had seen or read, they all left an impact on her.
She remembered back on the first day of school at Wellington High, nearly a year ago. She didn't know it at the time but Luis had been right, they hadn't come to Wellington to learn sums.
They had come to learn about each other.
and a year later she had learnt so much, how to live, how to let go, how to love, how to survive...
That's what she had learnt in Wellington.
The music was still blaring as Clementine slid next to Edward who was bobbing his head like an idiot to the beat of the music...
The song switched to something which (to Clementine's ears) sounded more... techno. However she soon found herself making robotic movements as lyrics she was vaguely familiar with bounded across the dance-floor...
I LIKE TO PARTY
EVERYBODY DOES
From over the twisting, turning and tumbling bodies all around her Clementine's almond shaped orbs locked momentarily on where Stephanie and Nick were whizzing over the wooden dance-floor. Stephanie's white dress was seemingly swishing past the other dancers as Nick swept her round and round within his arms to the music pumping across the brightly lit dance-floor. Everyone attending this after party had to watch them as they had their first romantic dance and after gobbling her way through the wedding meal (most of the cake still lay on a table ignored) and after Luke's best man speech (Clementine would not recount it here, for bad language, sexual references and Nick's already declining dignity) the rest of the dancers were then free to dance romantically alongside the newly-weds. Or else demand cheesier music and dance like idiots, the latter option seems to have won over the majority of the crowd and judging by a comment she overheard from Nick "thank God they aren't just staring at only us anymore" the newly-weds seemed grateful in joining the idiot dancing trend that had prevailed in the end.
Happy for Nick and Stephanie were having a good time, Clementine turned back towards Edward, as his eyes brightened and after wiping his sweaty face he proceeded to do a spiltz right in front of her. Before returning to his original position.
"Not bad Soccer pro!" she shouted over too him.
"Thanks wannabe sports star!" he yelled back, the smile never leaving his face as he winked at her.
MAKE LOVE AND LISTEN TO MUSIC
As the lyrics boomed overheard Edward extended his hand as Clementine playfully took it (in her happy state) she thought nothing of it as he laughed harder than she had ever done in a long time as he span her around. All she was thinking about was how happy Stephanie seemed while Nick had done this too her. She guessed she should have seen the comparison then, but she was too busy thinking about the move itself and how much fun she was having and not the implication behind it.
YOU'VE GOT TO LET YOURSELF GO
Edward helped her steady herself as her world straightened up.
"That was fun" she gasped to him.
and then without any warning what-so-ever he lifted both of his hands forward so they each planted themselves on Clementine's cheeks and dive-bombed in for a kiss...
"Well?" JJ asked uncertainly gazing at Edward, as the silence in the church grew far too loud. JJ felt himself fidget uncomfortably as...
In response Edward merely sighed and turned to JJ with narrow silts of eyes.
"I told you last night JJ" Edward suddenly snapped in a cold tone "Don't make me fucking repeat it"
If Clementine wasn't so used to evading walkers and learning when to leap back and fight (added to her status as an outcast at Wellington High who was ready for an fight to roll her way) than Edward would have gotten to feel his lips against Clementine's own. However Clementine leant back instantly and craned her head so far away from Edward that she lost her balance and toppled to the ground, Edward's arms failing to catch her as they had done moments beforehand.
"Ow..." she moaned under her breath.
"You erm... need help?" Edward asked openly, his face now actively burning as Clementine had seemingly been repulsed by his attempt to show her some affection and that hurt and embarrassed him more than he would ever let on in front of her.
"I'll be okay... I... I need some air..." she hurriedly uttered to him, she couldn't bare to look him in the eyes. Now knowing full well what had just happened and how awkward things were now going to be between the pair.
"Erm... okay" Edward whispered seemingly paralysed on the spot, Clementine didn't hear him however, she was already tunnelling her way through the dancers. Now more an obstacle rather than people she could bounce against and were a symbol for her joy expanding to others. It as if she was swimming through a herd of catfish desperate to reach the surface for some oxygen as the dance-floor now felt so crowded and humid...
Reaching the open doors she allowed herself to bathe in the freezing night air outside of the central hub, gulping down the fresh air as others sat nearby. Some already sat down, puking their guts out on nearby stairs. It was a lot later than Clementine realised it was, the night sky was as black as a chalkboard and the stars in the night sky seemed none existent at this time. Clouds must have been obscuring them from her vision or the light pollution from the central hub had blotted them from her sight.
It was a dark night for Wellington.
Careening to the side and trying to regain her breath, Clementine planted both of her hands on a nearby railing on the stairs as she made her way towards her own secluded corner. Where the only things she could hear were the chirping of the night-time crickets and the distant pounding of the party, she kept flicking her eyes back towards the door hoping that Edward wouldn't follow her out here. She really didn't want to see him right now, she felt rather shocked at what had just happened but had to curse her own stupidity...
The staring in the church... the fact he was always so friendly too her... all the signs were leading up to tonight. She could usually see people in love a mile away... Luke and Jane. Eddie and Violet... but she never imagined it would be her in that position. Never. Which was odd considering all the messed up stuff she had to tell the stranger about herself and Luke, after everything she knew about love and sex and relationships and after having a crush on Sarah she... for some very strange reason never thought someone would crush on her.
What she had with Sarah was special, it was built on years of companionship and mutual affection for other and respect and even then Clementine still didn't know the true extent of her feelings towards Sarah. Before she died, all Clementine knew is that she wanted Sarah close and that she started to develop more than friendly feelings towards Sarah. Clementine simply wanted to express all her feelings and gratitude towards Sarah in more than just friendly hugs but... but something a little more. But Sarah probably wouldn't have accepted that as she always wanted a boyfriend... but at the same time Clementine could imagine Sarah being happy and comfortable with her...
Why didn't Clementine just say something!? Was why love so complicated!?
Trying to regain her senses, the bottom line was she simply felt comfortable with Sarah. Everyone else she knew she simply saw as friends or enemies she was still 15 and never really considered getting a boyfriend. After attacking boys who leered at her in school she simply assumed boys would be boys and they would always make those remarks and they would never really get near her or actually be interested in the real her and that had rang true for a year since Sarah's death. The more she thought about it however the more she realised how stupid she had truly been...
"You should have seen this coming a mile away" she muttered to the grass below her, her body maturing, being a woman in this world. What had happened to Sarah in the woods. Stephanie, Rebecca and Jane in Howe's... and God knows how many others here In Wellington.
She had been ignorant to this for a long time.
But she felt like the world was trying to enforce it upon her, feeling slightly sick she stumbled slowly to the left, trying to get as far away from the party as possible. But that's when groans and gasps stopped her in her tracks, when she stopped the groans and gasps stopped as well.
"Eddie..." Violet panted from a point somewhere from beyond Clementine's line of vision.
"We don't need to stop Violet, no one's there..." came Eddie's suddenly husky voice.
"I swear I heard someone approaching..."
"The whole fun of it, is the risk of being caught Violet..."
There was a short pause.
"Well whoever it was must be gone now... I suppose you're right Eddie" this was followed by a series of low pitched giggles before Clementine heard the faint whisper "I love you..."
"Love you too..."
The noises continued (at a much lower volume however) deciding she'd rather not see what Eddie and Violet were up too, Clementine quietly walked back towards the party doors. Feeling more alone and more sick than she had done before, what Eddie and Violet were doing... back in Howe's it was simply something she could laugh at along with Sarah when they caught Vince and Kelly in the act. But right now it seemed to sicken her that her friends were at it, even the most laid back and comedic of the group was doing it... Clementine didn't know why this was bothering her so much. She knew full well what Eddie and Violet got up too, but after a simple failed kiss, it had somehow opened her eyes to the fact she truly wasn't a little girl anymore. That not just her enemies, jerks in school, or rapist bandits in the woods wanted her for dirty purposes, but now her closest friends would start looking at her differently. Even decent people like Edward would have crushes they couldn't control and Clementine didn't want to be thrust into any sort of relationship any time soon. She loved her friends as friends and nothing more...
So if Edward had a crush on her (by some strange means as all she had done is be a depressed asshole to him) than if she was as happy as she was tonight how many others would start crushing on her? What would it lead too.
"You just need to say no to them" Clementine thought to herself, they couldn't force her into a relationship.
She was happy thinking that, that was until she passed where Robert Allen was having a discussion with a group of men and women about a "re-population policy"
"Wellington was designed to hold about 5,000 people" Robert was telling them "If I became elected president here, it would be one of my policies to ensure we got the population back up once again. We have enough cure's at the ready to support the new generation but we'd need as many women who can possibly give birth to help with this. I mean we might not even need the cure's for the next generation. There's a very likely chance the babies will be born with natural immunity regardless we need the extra numbers ladies and gentlemen, otherwise we won't be able to expand and maintain Wellington and we need to keep maintenance on the wall..."
Clementine had heard enough, she rushed back inside and simply wanted to find someone... anyone... who would comfort her at this time.
As Clementine waded her way through a romantically dancing crowd, Luke and Molly stood hands interlocked as they joined in with the couples swirling about the dance-floor.
WHY DO BIRDS SUDDENLY APPEAR
EVERY TIME YOU ARE NEAR?
"Just because I agreed to dance with you" Molly decided to remind a doe eyed Luke "I doesn't mean I'm going to make out with you, take you out back, kiss you or even..."
"You know you want too really, my dear wife" Luke couldn't help but say slyly, Molly could hear the sly smile in his voice.
"Oh Luke..." Molly suddenly shrieked in a high pitched voice, catching on with the long-running joke between the pair "Of course I want too really do all that. I'm simply head over heels in love with you. Oh Luke my beloved, wrap your muscled arms around my narrow waist..."
"Oh my graceful swan!" Luke proclaimed dramatically "I will pick you up and trail my fingers over your soft, warm skin..."
"and that's when a groan shall escape my parted lips..." Molly dramatically added...
"As limpid tears fall from my eyes... as I remember all the friends we have lost..."
"I'll gently comfort you, by running my fingers over your manly stubble..."
"followed by us interlocked, in a passionate lovemaking session..."
"Oh my God! Luke! Luke! Luke! I will scream in desire!" Molly exclaimed, turning many curious heads in their direction. Before the pair of them burst into fits of very-unromantic and not very subtle laughter, which made many, much more serious minded couples gracefully manoeuvring across the dance floor glare in their direction.
"Every-shitty-romance-book-ever!" Molly gasped into herself, red in laughter at her and Luke's cheesy reactant of cringe-worthy fictional romances.
Both of them also had just enough alcohol in their systems to pass it off as a joke, but also both of them were also giddy as can be, as having said that too each other and being able to get away with it.
"But seriously though" Molly muttered after she managed to stop herself from laughing "Hilda used to love this song, me and her just to spend hours on end dancing with mops we pretended were our future boyfriends or something like that..." Molly trailed off there, clearly getting lost in the song itself.
JUST LIKE ME
THEY LONG TO BE
CLOSE TO YOU
Luke was aware of Molly planting her blonde head against his chest at this point.
"Course" she mumbled into his white-t shirt "Comparing mops to husbands was simple an insult to the mop. At least the mop could clean up things..."
"Does this stem down to my dirty socks?" Luke inquired.
"Of course" Molly responded bluntly "Being without sight enhances smell Lukey boy, and my God I don't want to know what grows on your foot to produce those odours"
"Sweat" was all Luke said.
"Shit more like" Molly responded, before she made a quick (and very cheeky) move of pinching Luke in the area most commonly associated with... manure. (As a certain 15 year old in their group would still call it). Luke felt himself go beet red once again at Molly's gesture.
"That's where shit comes from" Molly told him to back up her point "The ass, not the foot. I don't know how you manage it Luke, I simply don't know..."
Luke laughed faintly as the music drowned out their conversation once again.
WHY DO STARS, FALL DOWN FROM THE SKY
EVERY TIME YOU WALK BY?
JUST LIKE ME
THEY LONG TO BE
CLOSE TO YOU
"My parents met to this song" Luke suddenly mumbled, hearing this Molly looked up at where she envisioned his face to be. While Luke was looking down at her, at where he could see where his parents golden locket lay next to Molly's blonde hairs.
"My dad told me" Luke muttered "They'd always play this song during their anniversary and... it's always been a special song for me"
"I think I know why" Molly decided to tell him "You crying today, admitting to Clem you weren't fine..."
"It was their anniversary today" Luke informed her "The day my best friend gets married... was the day my parents got married. I didn't think it was a big deal but my folk always took a shine to Nick and it just made me think... they should have been here! They should have been here and I was so happy today but sad in the same way..."
"It's a strange little world we live in" Molly mumbled "all these colliding dates and all that..."
"Yeah" was the only word Luke had to say to show he agreed.
Their was a short silence between the pair as Luke continued to slowly dance on the spot.
"Thank you" he suddenly told Molly "Thanks for telling Clem to look out for me"
"I'll always try to cover your ass country boy" Molly remarked to show her appreciation for Luke's thanks.
Edward was not happy.
What more did he have to do? As he pushed his way to the bar in a huff, (nearly knocking over where JJ was sat and where Luis was drinking, Luis mouthed a sharp "Watch it!" but Edward paid no attention to him, while JJ gazed at the boy his age in more curiosity) as Edward slumped down on one of the bar stools and ordered the man behind the bar to get him a Jack Daniels (seeing as all drinks for this party at least, came for free and no form of ID was needed. Wellington's legal drinking age had been long since established as 16 as the Government understood that younger survivors may have needed some release. Drinking wasn't the best option but then again neither were smoking and drugs. But the main reason had simply been that stopping hardened young survivors from drinking and smoking was near enough impossible as it was so wide-spread. So by lowering the age and making it seem less rebellious, it was hoped more young people would simply not indulge in the trend as much, whether it helped or not was still a mystery but tonight anyone who looked older than 14 according to the barman got served).
and Edward fell comfortably into this trend, grabbing his glass (and indulging in the fact it was free) he downed the strong drink in a mere minute.
"Whoa man..." was all JJ could mutter in awe as Edward asked for another glass.
After downing his second glass, JJ was seemingly transfixed, while Edward felt no different, he still felt embarrassed and hurt and simply wanted to blot out the pain he felt.
Third glass... still no difference.
"Jez-sus!" came a slightly slurred voice further to his right "What a fucking show off!"
"Luis, people died today!" JJ lectured as sober as could be (he hadn't drank that night at all) "Let the man do as he pleases..."
"What-fucking-ever!" Luis snapped, quite drunk himself as he lopsidedly stood up and looked back at Edward in disgust "I can stand fine! It's... just people right now! So... I'mma... I'mma... be confused in the twilight! Don't let mum see me JJ, but be vigilant... and be blonde"
JJ could only look on bemused as the rambling, drunken form of Luis shuffled through the dancing crowd.
"He makes absolutely no sense, but still comes across as a grouchy ass" JJ mused to Edward who had just finished downing his fourth glass.
"Well then you are going to hate me" Edward snarled "Because I plan on being the most miserable, drunken cunt in this entire fucking place"
He continued to drink, leaving JJ rather taken aback by his use of bad language, but it wasn't just the bad language Edward was using that had shocked JJ. From what JJ had seen of him in school Edward Fyre was a bright, cheery boy who used bad language merely in surprising situations, he didn't spit it out in malice like he did now.
"So... what is the problem?" JJ dared to ask, venturing into Edward's business as he continued to drink.
It didn't take long for JJ to decipher Edward's reply, the brown haired boy had gotten drunk quite fast over what he had been drinking and having no one else to open up too and propelled by frustration (and a lot of artificial alcoholic courage) he laid out the extent of his problems to JJ.
"My fucking problem!?" Edward snapped "Clementine! You know her... pretty girl. Tough as nails. I was nice to her when no one else was, I thought I had a shot with her and lately she starts smiling back at me! and then she says she'll join the sports team and I'm thinking to myself, Edward man you are in there! You've got this pretty girl who've you've crushed on for ages and she's finally making effort back to you and I'm getting all the right signs from her and..."
JJ continued to listen, intrigued with the tale.
"... and tonight she was dancing all up next to me! So I obviously go in for a kiss to make this official and she just turns me down and runs off! What sort of bitch leads a guy on like that!?"
"Did she say she wasn't interested?" JJ asked.
"Well..." Edward mumbled, his eyes suddenly glazing over, he looked uncertain of himself before he found his voice once again "...she obviously wasn't! She tripped over trying to avoid me. Like I was a fucking walker! I could see it in her eyes she was fucking repulsed by me! After all the signals she gave me..." he looked at his own reflection the alcohol, a sad expression lingering on what was usually a happy face.
"Then again maybe I'm just fucking pathetic" he spat at his reflection "I actually thought I had a chance with a girl like her? She'll go with the survivalist types, those other guys who don't shut up about their conquests! Those guys who killed a billion fucking walkers! Bad-asses like that get the girls, not whiny, wannabe optimists like me! I can't help not facing walkers! I was raised here and Clementine told me not to change... yeah don't change Edward stay in the friend-zone and live a life of celibacy..."
"There are plenty more fish in the sea" JJ churned out that classic catchphrase, as the obvious advice Edward would need at this time.
"But I like her!" Edward stressed "She's not like the other girls, all I want is her and... oh what's the point? Why do I even try? No one has any idea how hard it is too stay positive all of the time! They think it's so easy but when your surrounded by the depressing assholes on earth..." he sighed there and took another sip from his drink.
"I bet you are loving this" he spat to JJ "Innocent little Edward reveals he has this... this dark side..."
At this point JJ felt himself smile sinisterly, feeling more a kinship with Edward than he had done a few seconds ago.
"Everyone has a dark side Edward, you don't have to be ashamed of it" TT told him, yet maintaining JJ's light persona as Edward looked back at the blonde haired teenager.
"I'll tell you, I liked Clem's friend Sarah" TT began "Do you remember her?"
"One of the specs and one arm?"
"Yeah her" TT replied "Anyway I got the feeling she liked me too"
"and what happened?" Edward inquired.
"Died" TT spat out bluntly "Dead before I could say anything to her. I moved on, I got another girl and had a good time and they'll be more girls out there for me, I know it. But Edward being nice is only going to get you so far..."
His eyes darkened at this point.
"Sometimes if you really want something, you just need to embrace that dark side of yourself" TT told him "You need to let Clementine know you are human and your feelings are the same as her's. She thinks what she feels is above what you feel! You were right Edward those hard-asses get all of the girls, because they take what they want and that's what being a man is all about! It's how you gain a girl's respect!"
"Are... are you sure?" Edward asked of him rather uncertainly.
"I wouldn't be sitting here telling you this if I didn't work for me" TT told him "Don't be a pussy about it! If you really like Clementine let her know, let her know loud and clear and if she keeps on rejecting you than fuck that miserable soon to be spinster and go find yourself a girl who will give you want you want"
"You're making out as if they only thing I want is sex" Edward snapped "Listen... JJ I know you're trying to give me advice and I appericate it but..."
"But?"
"But I don't think that's... right"
"Fine. But don't blame me when you die of blue balls" TT informed him "You never know when your time is up Edward. Better live life to the fullest while you're still breathing..."
"That's what I try to do" Edward mumbled "But sometimes life is a serious bitch..."
"Then let's just forget it all and fucking party tonight!" TT exclaimed.
"Well, that I can drink too" Edward mused and with a smile he downed the rest of his drink and looked over at JJ/TT once again.
"It is JJ isn't it?"
"Yeah" TT lied.
"Well thanks for the chat, it helped" Edward informed him "It's nice to have someone who will listen. Someone to have a conversation with..."
With the more grim topics blown behind them, TT slowly reverted back to JJ himself as more lighter topics filled the gaps in Edward and JJ's conversation. The two cheery boys both with hidden dark sides bonded very fast in a very short space of time.
"This is going to be the start of a great bromance" JJ thought to himself that night.
In present JJ watched as Edward ascended some nearby stairs, muttering under his breath "My head still fucking hurts JJ... might try and get my bearings from the balcony, you coming with me JJ?"
"Oh erm..." he was cut off by what sounded like some sort of snore/moan from where Violet was sat slumped by a pew. Next to Eddie's whose eyes remained downcast, nobody was looking up at JJ and there was no doubt they were still lost in their own little worlds. Deciding he would rather prefer Edward's company over that of the still recovering party-goers, JJ nodded and followed where Edward was ascending the stairwell.
JJ was glad he and Edward were now friends.
Skidding next to some familiar faces, Clementine was pleased to see Rebecca, Tom and Maria trying (and failing) to bust some moves in their drunken states.
"Clementine!" Rebecca shouted recognising the 15 year old "Why don't you join us seniors, Tom was just trying to impress us by cartwheeling!"
"It was so funny!" Maria gasped from between her bursts of laughter. The ends to her chubby cheeks were a beet red colour and her brown eyes (an identical shade to her son's) were wet with mirth.
"There's still some life in this old man, I'll tell you ladies!" Tom bellowed, obviously the alcohol was getting to the former military man.
Clementine knew she wouldn't get a word in with these three and she didn't want to spoil their good night with her stupid problems, Rebecca had already done enough for her and if she wanted to laugh at Tom's bad dance moves, with her friend in the form of Maria. Than Clementine was going to allow the middle aged mother her break for a night. Hell Tom and Maria needed it too after all of the hells they had also gone through trying to protect their group.
"We should have some Sinatra on! Then you'll hear me sing...!"
"If it's as good as your dancing Tom! Then I'm all for hearing you sing!" Maria shouted in glee.
"Are you okay baby bear!?" Rebecca shouted over both Tom and Maria in order to direct her question towards Clementine.
"I'm fine!" Clementine decided to shout back and deciding not to bother them anymore she proceeded on back towards the dance floor. Keeping a very clear distance from where she could see Edward chatting with JJ over the bar. She didn't want to go near him, she didn't want all that awkwardness and she had to clear her head first before she could figure out what to say to Edward without hurting his feelings. She had absolutely no interest in him romantically what so ever, but she desperately needed advice on what to say or what to do.
Nick and Stephanie... no it was their wedding day and even though Clementine could clearly see Stephanie's beaming white dress from a mile away, she wasn't going to disturb them on the happiest day of their lives.
Rebecca, Tom and Maria already too drunk to be of service to her.
Edward and JJ, of course not.
Eddie and Violet... well she knew what they were doing.
AJ... (well what advice was a 4 year old going to give?) either way Rebecca had put her tired son away to bed, in one of the rented child's rooms in the central hub.
Luis? She'd rather burn herself alive than go to him about this sort of thing. Besides she couldn't see him anywhere.
Miss King? Well, considering her British teacher was now dancing on a nearby table. Clementine got the impression discussing boy problems with one of her students. Was the very last thing on her mind.
Robert Allen? He was outside and seemed okay... but he was pushing forward a re-population programme and Clementine didn't know him all to well.
So that left... Luke and Molly. They seemed like the perfect people to go to chat about this sort of thing. The trouble was, she couldn't find them anywhere, they were simply too many people about...
SMACK
"Sorry" Clementine squeaked instantly to the person she felt herself collide into it.
"It's fine" came the voice of a girl above her, Clementine looked up to see that Terri's cold eyes weren't even locked on her, but on the distant figure of the headmaster of their school, dancing away in the distance.
Terri! She'd forgotten about Terri!
"Terri!" she yelled up to the girl she barely spoke to.
"Clementine wasn't it?" Terri asked tonelessly, finally tearing her eyes from the headmaster and back towards the 15 year old next to her.
Clementine nodded.
"Can I be of any assistance to you? Considering you're still here and you look like you want something"
Once again, Clementine nodded.
"I couldn't hear myself think in there" was all Terri said the second she and Clementine had left the party, which was steadily growing more rowdy with every passing minute.
"Me neither" Clementine found herself agreeing with the blonde haired girl, as the pair of them gazed off into the dark night. Empty alcohol bottles lay strewn all around them, several people were passed out or vomiting on the stairs. Clementine saw Luis slumped down nearby, slowly cradling his head in his hands as he moaned to the night sky above. Ignoring the moody Mexican teenager, Clementine turned back to Terri and decided to see if the girl she knew so little about and barely ever spoke too could help her deal with some teenage drama.
"Terri, I'm sorry for dragging you out here, I just need some advice"
"On what?" Terri asked, turning to face the younger girl.
"Well... boys. Have you had any boy trouble?"
Terri's eyes seemed to shine dangerously in those couple of seconds.
"Yes" she responded flatly "Way too much to be quite frank"
"Than, if a guy's interested in you but you're not interested in him. How do you... tell him that?"
Terri let a devilish smile line her features.
"Is this about that Edward kid?" she inquired "I saw him trying to make a move on you..."
"Yes" Clementine admitted "I just ran from him and I know it's pathetic to be discussing all this bullshit teen drama now... it's just well you're a girl near enough my age too and I thought you might be able to help me out with it"
Terri sighed and looked around her, finally her unblinking gaze rested on Clementine's form once again.
"You want my advice then?" she inquired of the African american girl.
"Yes" Clementine responded.
"Let Edward know, loud and clear you have no interest in him what-so-ever" Terri muttered right off the bat "Don't flash him a coy-smile and tell him awkwardly that you can still be friends. He'll get his hopes up, he'll think there's still a chance. Make it clear too him that there is never going to be a chance and if he can't be friends with you after that, then tell him go screw himself or another girl somewhere if that's all he's after"
Slightly taken aback by Terri's advice, all Clementine could do was stare at the bottles below her as she gulped and imagined her laying down the law right in front of Edward. She had been through a lot but and become very emotionally strong. But she just couldn't imagine her saying those things to Edward with such an authority, he had always been nice to her...
"I can't just go up to him and say all that" Clementine knew she sounded whiny when she said it, but she couldn't help herself.
"You like him don't you?" Terri inquired instantly.
"No"
"Not at all?"
"Not in that way, but... his a good friend. His nice..."
"But you have absolutely no romantic interest in him at all?"
"Of course not!"
"None?"
"None at all!"
"Will you ever be romantically interested in him?"
Clementine opened her mouth about to shout "No!" back to Terri, but she found her mouth closing by itself as if she were a dying fish. She guessed Edward was nice and would remain a friend but if she was looking at things realistically, maybe in the distant future she may have grown to like Edward in that sense. She remembered when Sarah used to tell her stories of romantic things boys would do to win over girls and admittedly it did make Clementine's heart flutter sometimes. and thinking about it she only ever saw Sarah as a friend she never envisioned she would end up liking Sarah the way she did. She had to think in the same way if she was really that adamant about saying No, then she would have said it by now.
The silence answering her question for her, Terri let out a smug grin of victory.
"You can't tell can you?" she inquired of the younger girl "That's why you can't say that all that"
"Then how can you be so sure!?" Clementine snapped, rather annoyed with Terri at this point "If you had boys in the past who felt something towards you! Then how did you tell them all that!? How could you know you'd never be interested in them!?"
"Believe me" Terri answered on monotone "I knew and that's all you need to know"
and with nothing else to say and muttering to Clementine "Well, I've got no time for teen drama Clementine, sort it out as soon as possible and enjoy the night"
"I'll try" Clementine mumbled back to Terri, who departed back inside of the party without so much as glancing at Clementine. That was the first full conversation she had ever had with Terri and it was certainly true she lived up to her so called cold reputation, those dead eyes of her's... it made Clementine shiver. But she didn't find herself annoyed or even scared of the icy eyed girl, yes she was intimidating but Clementine found herself rather interested to learn more about Terri. She was certainly different to her brother, yet if what Brandon had told had been true than Clementine could only hazard a guess at how many messed up things Terri had been through to get to where she was today.
The party was in full swing, Rebecca, Tom and Maria were on the floor laughing at something bizarre, Miss King had fallen off the table in typical Miss King fashion and had smashed a dozen glasses in the process. Edward and JJ were laughing amongst each other, Edward very clearly drunk and relying on the kind hearted JJ to keep him held up steady. Terri had just re-entered the room and was still being... Terri. Luke and Molly were sitting down chatting about something,sweat coating their skin as they had been up dancing for so long. Violet and Eddie (having finished their earlier business) were entertaining some of the other guests at a large table. Eddie no doubt telling a ridiculous joke that got everyone laughing...
"What a night..." Nick muttered, gazing over the scene of the party, everyone was seemingly having a great time.
"Hey Nick?" Stephanie mumbled from next to him.
"Yeah?" he responded, as Stephanie yawned, Nick himself felt as tired as could be. The earlier buzz and adrenaline was finally dying out at this stage of the night. As they had been up none stop and danced with just about everybody and accepted so many gifts... suffice to say they were both exhausted.
"We better get going now, or else my legs are going to fall off" Stephanie admitted with a small smile.
Nick could relate, he looked at the nearby door and the preoccupied party goers, no one would notice if they slipped out now. He still wanted to say a bye to Luke, but seeing as his best friend was on the other end of the dance-floor he couldn't do that without attracting attention and he didn't want to be greeted by a dozen rowdy voices and snide comments on what he and Stephanie were going to do to consummate their marriage.
"Let's head off then" Nick mused, he quickly (and traditionally) lifted Stephanie up by the legs and swept her off the dance-floor and out of the door before anyone could notice. Climbing the empty stairs towards their designated double bedroom for the night, Stephanie couldn't help but notice the still shot up railings of the central hub. A couple of weeks ago she had almost been killed her, now she was being carried by her husband up the same flight of stairs she had fled past.
She looked up at him, happy to have him here.
"Corn-dog" she called him (her phrase for a corny individual)
"Klemo" he responded with a smirk (referencing Stephanie's mispronunciation of people with her condition).
Beaming at each other, they proceeded to enter the double bedroom, tomorrow morning it would be official, they would be husband and wife.
"Wait for me Edward!"
Ascending stairs like Nick and Stephanie had done the night before, (and just as happy and as excited as they were). A wild eyed JJ raced up the worn stone steps after his new friend when he reached the balcony where the choir would usually sit, he looked around, past the beaming form of Edward, JJ eyes lingered on a nearby glass window and all the colourful glass decorations...
His face dropped.
"CLEMENTINE!"
Clementine barely had any time to react as a strong arm planted itself across her shoulders and the whiff of alcohol smashed up her nostrils, she turned to see it was Luis that had approached.
"Oh great..." she thought to herself, now she had to deal with this as well.
"YOU KNOW!?" Luis boomed letting whatever he had drank go to his head completely, Clementine was to caught up in her drama to be surprised by Luis' changing attitude. Then again Luis seemed to change his attitude just to annoy Clementine to the greatest ends.
"I know?" Clementine left the question hanging there, as Luis regained his thread of conversation and flashed Clementine a dozy smile.
"YOU KNOW! I'VE ALWAYS WANTED TO DO THIS TOO YOU!"
and with that he too grabbed Clementine by the cheeks and prepared to dive bomb in for a kiss. This time Clementine was frozen, she should have seen this one coming too. What Sarah wrote in her diary, the basic bickering between the pair... how had she been so stupid? Feeling her gut sink she simply let Terri's words wash over her, hearing Robert Allen's plans, what was the point of fighting it anymore? She may as well just let it happen and be stuck in a miserable relationship she felt like society was forcing her into...
She closed her eyes and awaited for Luis to simply kiss her and be done with it. She hated drama and simply waited for...
Nothing happened, the only thing she felt was her familiar cap get knocked off her head. Daring to crank open a single eye she had seen Luis had simply put his hands (or hand in his case) on her cheek to stop her from moving her head as he knocked her father's cap from her head.
"So that's what you look like without your hat!" Luis proclaimed in victory, Clementine wanted to argue with him for some reason. But found that she couldn't if Luis really was interested in her he would have taken that chance, but he didn't... he really didn't...
"Oh... Oh Thank God!" Clementine mused to herself before she began to laugh hysterically and simply couldn't stop herself. She also grew to like Luis a hell of a lot more in those moments.
"What the hell has gotten into you?" Luis asked, serious of all a sudden. Clementine's laughing must have made her look crazy even in his drunken and hazy mind.
"I don't know! Too much alcohol maybe!? Joy!? Relief? It could be anything!" Clementine exclaimed in a crazy blur of words, smiling all of the time as Luis simply shrugged his shoulders and muttered "Crazy" under his breath.
"I just did that because you looked fucking stupid wearing a cap with your dress" Luis muttered in the hope of calming Clementine down.
"I know!" Clementine bellowed "I know I looked fucking stupid! My style Luis! My style!"
"I think you've had more than alcohol in you tonight" Luis remarked.
"Nope!" Clementine chirped "No alcohol, no drugs and thankfully no penises!"
"Now that's a bit of term for a 12 year old!" Luis told her sternly, yet there was a playful inkling in his tone, deep down however he was quite taken aback by what she had just said.
"Edward tried to kiss me!" Clementine exclaimed to Luis "I said no! I said no Luis I turned him down! I don't have any interest in him! If I'm being honest with myself Luis, I don't see the appeal in relationships at all! I don't care! I think I'm asexual!"
Still smiling, Clementine had no idea what on earth propelled her to say this, she just felt so happy that she simply had blurt out all of the honest feelings that seemed to clog in her mind, as mucus would clog her chest. She had said what she felt out loud and it felt damn good to say those things! She didn't care how Luis reacted, but as long as she knew she had a friend than she was happy.
To her surprise, Luis began laughing too. It was the same sort of hysterical laughter that Clementine had gone through merely minutes beforehand. The 15 year old simply let him laugh to his heart's desire until he finally calmed himself down and with a wild look in his eyes he opened his mouth to speak...
"I KNEW IT!" He roared "ASEXUAL PRIDE RIGHT HERE CLEM! FINALLY SOMEBODY FUCKING GETS IT!"
"You're... you're not interested in girls?" Clementine inquired.
"Girls, boys, animals, children and intimate objects, fuck them all!" Luis shouted "I've never given two shits about relationships and nobody seems to get it! All my group think I'm some sort of sex machine! I honestly think there's something wrong with me Clem! I can't get off to anything! That's why I came up with the idea for me and JJ to go to that strip club! I wanted to feel like a man! I didn't feel a damn thing! A damn fucking Clem! and nobody-gets-it! Nobody!"
"I do!" Clementine continued to shout (ignoring the dirty looks coming her way) "I know Luis! It feels like I'm being forced into this crap, with all this wedding shit going on and all that..."
"You know what I want to do!?" Luis quizzed of Clementine and before she could answer, he grabbed an empty bottle from below him and hurled it at a nearby tree, where it shattered into a million pieces.
"WOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Luis' war like cry echoed across the central hub, someone with an aching head bellowed "SHUT UP!" in his direction which he very clearly ignored.
"That felt so good!" Luis exclaimed, never feeling more alive, he grabbed another bottle and passed a second one to Clementine.
"Come on, it feels great Clem!" Luis urged her, as Clementine gazed at the bottle in her fingers, before she chucked it at the tree, the smash it made filled her with a burst of adrenaline and made her heart beat faster. She felt her face burn and the large smile ingrain itself on her face, as she and Luis began to chuckle to themselves at the excitement of throwing bottles at a tree and watching them smash into a million pieces.
"FUCK SOCIETY AND YOUR FUCKING EXPECTATIONS!" Luis roared before chucking the next bottle.
SMASH
"I LOVED SARAH!" Clementine bellowed, chucking a bottle herself.
SMASH
This whole experience was uplifting in a way Clementine couldn't explain, it was obviously something she may have regretted in the morning but her and Luis were bellowing their confessions and having that out of their systems, Clementine imagined those troubles being sucked into the bottles and then imagining those problems smashing into a million pieces along with the bottles. Her and Luis didn't need to say a great amount to each other but it defiantly was a bonding session between the pair as the laughed away into the night, while chucking as many bottles as they could find...
SMASH!
JJ's eyes widened in horror, that smashing noise... it was familiar... so familiar, no... it can't have been...!
"JJ!" TT snapped all of a sudden, turning around to face his darker side, JJ felt his gut sink.
"JJ look at me and stop acting like such a freak...!" TT roared.
SMASH!
THUNK!
This was slightly different noise, Clementine saw the glass bottle bounce of a man's forehead was steadily approaching the central hub.
"CAREFUL MATE!" Someone yelled from behind Luis and Clementine "THESE TWO ARE PLAYING ARCHERY GAMES WITH BOTTLES! BEST CLEAR OFF BEFORE YOU GET GLASS IN YOUR SKULL!"
Pausing in their tracks, Luis let the next bottle he was about to throw, fall loosely to the ground.
"Let's wait for this piss-head to move" Luis told Clementine.
Clementine however simply watched the pale man, a familiar feeling of dread washed over her for reasons she couldn't explain. But as the man grew closer and she heard that all too familiar groan and in the light of the Central Hub illuminated his face, it confirmed her worst fears.
"WALKER!" She screamed to the high heavens above.
The man lying passed out on the stairs didn't hear her in time and it was only when the walker stood over him and ripped a chunk of his neck with his teeth and when the man screamed and his fresh crimson blood spilled and sprayed in every possible direction. Did everyone else still standing outside get the message.
"WALKER!"
"THERE'S A FUCKING WALKER HERE!"
"NO LOOK! WALKERS!"
Luis and Clementine's eyes automatically locked on the grassy plain in front of them, where already tens of walkers were converging on the central hub, their empty white eyes rested hungrily on the building as if they could sense all the living and warm flesh they could devour inside of it.
"WHERE THE HELL DID THEY COME FROM!?" Luis roared, breaking out of his drunken stupor for the time being in order to deal with more pressing matters.
His inquiry was answered a few seconds later, from the garbled panic behind them, someone turned on one of the central hub's strongest floodlights. The narrow beam of seemingly white light was powerful enough to cut through the smouldering blackness of the dark night and lit up things in the distance that couldn't have been seen beforehand. and one of the most important things being that of the wall which seemed to still be standing...
Until the light flashed against a narrow section of the wall, with a glaring gap in it, showing the dark horizon beyond Wellington.
and the thousands of walkers squeezing into the community.
"Holy shit" was all Clementine could mutter.
Without even thinking about it, Clementine and Luis sprinted back inside the party where the guests were now trampling over each other in a mad panic as a repeated scream rose above them all...
"...THE WALL'S DOWN! THE WALL'S DOWN! THE WALL'S DOWN...!"
"HOW DIDN'T WE HEAR IT COLLAPSE!?" Someone mindlessly inquired in the madness.
"LUKE!? MOLLY!? REBECCA!?" Clementine screamed for her allies as she kept close to Luis' powerful figure (so she wouldn't be knocked over herself) her bright eyes scanned the fleeing populace for her friends, she could hear the groans of the walkers behind her as they grew ever closer...
But...They were immune.
Then again... That guy on the stairs was immune, fat lot of good that did him.
Someone knocked down one of the speakers in the madness as the first screams of dying filled the cold night air, as the speakers blared...
But I knew that I was out of luck
The day the music died
I started singing
Bye, bye Miss American Pie...
"Oh please. JJ end this, now!"
"NO! Edward's my friend!"
"DO IT! YOU CARRY ON LIKE THIS PEOPLE WILL THINK YOU ARE WEIRD! THEY WILL KILL YOU!"
"THEY'RE ALL NICE! THEY WOULDN'T DO SUCH A THING TT!"
"THEY HAVE AND YOU KNOW IT! THEY LEFT HIM TO DIE...!"
Eddie ascended the church steps, a heavy feeling in his gut, he felt sick to the stomach listening to this.
"THANK YOU EDWARD! THERE YOU ARE YOU SEE TT! EDWARD THINKS EVERYONE'S NICE...!"
"EDWARD-IS-DEAD! ACCEPT THAT ALREADY YOU FUCKING FREAK!"
Eddie reached the top of the stairs.
JJ was there, drenched in blood and bits of flesh that weren't his own were nestled in his clothes and wild tangled mess of blonde hairs.
"EDWARD IS RIGHT HERE!" JJ screamed, pointing to thin air just to the left of him "HE AIN'T DEAD!"
"HIS DEAD YOU IDIOT!" JJ shouted once again, (in a different voice however) "ACCEPT THAT!"
"NO!" JJ screamed.
"BREAK THEN YOU FREAK!" JJ screamed back at himself.
Eddie couldn't take it, he didn't know how to comfort the boy he simply felt himself descended a few steps and felt the tears roll into the palms of his hands. Seeing that kid like that... it made him realise how fucked up everything truly was. He was drenched in Violet's blood and... and...
He gulped, everyone down there, Clementine, Luke, Rebecca, AJ, Molly, Nick, Stephanie, Maria, Tom, Luis, Terri, Miss King, Violet along with the 10 others who had managed to get here. 25 of them were stuck in this church, 25 of them were alive. Eddie shuddered. He didn't know what to do, he didn't know how to smile anymore or crack a joke to lighten the mood. The situation was dire and if didn't find Violet medication soon...
He shuddered and wept to himself harder, he couldn't let that happen. He couldn't lose someone else.
The group were still down there reeling from events and now they were in this situation.
Barricaded in Wellington's church, with tens of thousands of walkers outside.