Clementine's POV

I knew I was dreaming, but I didn't mind letting this one play out. It was one of those weird lucid dreams where you were half awake, half asleep. Thankfully, most of my dreams were happy ones, which under normal circumstance would lead to a cruel reality when I awoke. However, ever since we found this community, I haven't had a reason to feel bitter over things I didn't have, as everything I needed was here. My boyfriend, AJ, and the multitude of friends I made over the last few months. I knew that outside of my dream I was laying comfortably against Louis with AJ in the room next to ours. In my dream, I was in a car, one I had never been in before. Violet was driving, Louis was in the back seat, and I was in the passenger seat staring out the window at the passing houses. I guess even in my dream Louis didn't know how to drive.

I felt the tears begin to stream down my face when the car rounded the corner to the next street, her street, all those years ago. The houses were already taken back by nature, the whole neighborhood seemingly untouched for years. This was a trip of nostalgia. AJ and the others were safe at camp a few miles away. I didn't want to risk bringing him here, especially since I knew this would not be a happy trip. I just couldn't bear being this close to home and not visiting. Violet, who was driving, reached over and patted my shoulder.

"It's okay Clem." She whispered.

Louis sat in the back seat with his head against the window. All of these houses were so big, similar to the ones he had grown up in.

As we drove, weaving through vacant cars, I began to see familiar structures and street signs. I felt a tightness in my stomach that I hadn't felt in ages. After about another minute, it was there, vines on its walls and windows broken, home. I remembered driving that exact route on the bus everyday after school. I would say goodbye to my friends and briskly depart straight into my parents welcoming arms. They gave me the typical "How was school?" or "Do you have any homework?". It all seemed like so much back then. Now that I'm back, I feel the same sadness as I did when I discovered that they had died.

Louis reached over his seat and wiped one of the tears from my cheek. "Clem..." Was all he said. That's all he needed to say to remind me that I was not alone. I'm not sure if it was relief, sadness, or reminisce, all I know is that once the car stopped, I began to cry. Everything seemed like it was exactly the way it was before the outbreak. I could see into my window, it's purple curtains still waving slightly in the breeze that came through the hole in the window.

"Mom?" I whimpered out. I opened the car door slowly and stepped out onto the cracked pavement. Though I had my two best friends by my side, I still felt empty. Louis and Violet followed behind quietly as I made my way up the front porch. The 'Welcome' mat was faded and moldy, the door was closed tightly as due to the rusted hinges, and the chairs that used to sit out front were corroded and blown over from the harsh weather that must have come through hundreds of times over the years.

As I stood in front of the door, my hand nearly touching the knob, I paused.

"Are you okay?" Violet asked from behind me.

I gave a weak nod, weak enough to were they probably didn't even see it. "I... I don't know if I can."

Perhaps blissful ignorance was the way to go in this situation. Over the years, the image of my house contorted away, as did the image of my family, friends, and childhood. If I was reminded of all those things at once, could I ever emerge from the hole of emotions it would certainly throw me into? What if doing this would reset me back to a time where I did not know how to survive, how to kill?

Likewise, however, maybe this would be a humble reminder of where I came from and why I fight. Having no thought process of my past is something I had gotten used to. It created nightmares, doubts, and sadness frequently throughout the years. If I saw how things used to be, could that put my mind at ease and repent these thoughts from my mind?

Louis' voice brought me back to reality. "It's alright, Clem. We have your back."

Hearing this, I felt the smallest amount of courage rekindle my heart. My hand tightened around the door knob and pushed forward. Specs of dust flew through the open door, revealing the inside. I stood there for a few moments. The feeling of numbness spread throughout my body immediately. The couch, the TV, the kitchen, it was all there exactly as it was left. I took a step back, feeling my friends support my sides.

"You got this." Violet hugged me tightly.

It was a simple gesture, however it was powerful enough to cause my feet to guide me through the door. My parents used to allow me to do my silly arts and crafts here in the living room. There was one time where I spent a whole Sunday creating a small log cabin out of Popsicle sticks and glue. I kept messing up, but my mom just sat there and watch the whole time occasionally bringing me lemonade to cool my frustration. It was not for a school project or any kind of required quota, I just did it because I was bored, and my parents supported me none the less. That's what I miss the most, unrelenting support and love from them.

As I moved forward passed the living room, the feeling of sadness grew greater and greater, no longer did I feel the presence of Violet or Louis. I moved mechanically into the kitchen. Sandra's corpse still lied there with a large puncture wound in her skull.

Lee. I felt my heart drop into my stomach. I will never forget the day I saw him walking around my backyard with that limp in his step. At first i thought he was just another monster, but then I heard his voice over my walkie. That conversation still keeps me up at night. What would life had been like if he was still around? It was so long ago.

My legs went weak and I fell to my knees. The pain was too much to handle. I held both hands over my chest and hunched over, sobbing. The gaze of Louis and Violet heated the back of my head. I knew they were confused, but I just wish one of them would have held me in that moment. Instead, I got to feel the emptiness overtake me.

Coming here and seeing all of this was a mistake. I continued to cry as my eyes inadvertently glanced up out towards my tree house, the symbol of my childhood. My dad built it when I was seven, and since, I can't remember a day I didn't go up there. Before the outbreak, of course. That stupid fucking outbreak. Everything was ruined. Was anything before the outbreak even real? None of it matters anymore, so what's the point of even caring?

The rage built in my heart and the tears continued to fall passed my bearing teeth. I was ready to explode at the drop of a hat. Instead, however, I heard a soft slapping noise come from behind me followed by an offended "Ow!"

I curiously peeked back and saw Louis holding the side of his face, looking at Violet. "What was that for?" He whispered, neither of them aware that I was watching.

"Shh." Violet held a finger to her mouth. "Just let her have this fucking time to grieve."

"What do you mean? We need to be there for her." Louis defended quietly.

Violet shook her head. "She could snap you in half with two fingers if she's angry."

"Jesus, how weak do you think I am?"

"Just shut the fuck up."

"But I-"

"Shh!"

I turned my head forward away from the two and let a small smile spread across my face. Those two bickering teenagers were family, my family. They were no mom or dad, but they were still everything to me. I slowly got to my feet and turned, wrapping my arms around Louis and Violet tightly, burring my face between both of their shoulders as the last tear drained from my eye. "Thank you." I let out. I meant it entirely. They were the ones who took me in and gave me the love and care I thought I would never have again.

Louis and Violet hugged me back, giving each other nods and setting aside their differences for the time being to comfort me.

"We're always with you, Clementine." Louis rested his head on mine and hugged me even tighter.

I felt joy replace the emptiness in my heart. "I- I love you guys."

They remained silent, I'm glad they did. The moment was pure, and we could leave now, never looking back, and I will have been content.

Violet let out a small gasp and let go of the embrace, leaving Louis and I holding each other as she walked over to the kitchen table. "Look." She lifted a bulky looking camera up by the strap and smiled. "It's a Polaroid. Minnie would have loved this."

I gently let go of Louis and smiled, wiping my eyes with the sleeves of my jacket.

"Picture time?" Louis suggested.

Violet looked to me for conformation, to which I just gave a confirming smile.

"Let's do it." She said. "We need a place with good lighting and cool background. It's dark as fuck in here."

"The back porch." I pointed at the sliding door next to Sandra's body.

Louis chuckled and threw up the door. "Never figured you had a knack for photography, Vi."

"What makes you say that?" Violet place the camera on the wooden railing and set up the timer for the photo.

"I don't know. I guess I figured you were into witchcraft and dark magic." He said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Whatever." Violet mumbled. After a few seconds, she gave a short count down. "Get ready. 3... 2... 1..." She hit a button on the camera and came running into the shot, standing to my right, while Louis was on my left.

"Say cheese!." Louis laughed. We all shared a genuine smile, arms around one another.

"Cheese!"

Snap

Violet's POV, 6:23 pm.

It was going to be dark soon, which didn't bode well for Tatum or Tenn. The two children had vanished without a trace after they had told Kace that they were going just outside the wall to play kick ball in the open street just through the treeline near the front gates, something they had done dozens of times. This time, however, they didn't come home at six, which was the curfew Kace had given them.

I stood next to him as he stood atop an elevated sewer grate scanning the woods around him with a worried gaze. Thankfully, since Kace was mostly in control of the soldiers, he had employed the help of twenty men to comb the area. We had been searching for nearly half an hour and nothing hinted at where they were.

"Kace." I said softly. "We're gonna find them."

"I know." He said, much to my surprise. "It's just... What if nothing bad happened?"

"Wouldn't that be a good thing?"

He shrugged and shook his head. "For sure, but..."

"But what?"

The last of Kace's soldiers dispersed in the thick brush, leaving he and I alone. "What if they knowingly left the safe zone?"

I sat on the edge of the cement around the sewer grate and pursed my lips. "W-what do you mean?"

"Tatum is eight years old, almost nine, what if she's getting rebellious? I mean I want her to be happy and feel comfortable living in a world like this but... I guess I just miss the days where she really needed me. It made me feel like I had something to fight for." he dropped down and sat on the corner to the right of me, resting his chin on his hands. "It's probably just me being selfish."

I chuckled, remembering a certain memory that I had forgotten to tell him. "Remember that weekend that you, Clem, Louis and Lyla all went on a supply run?"

"The run where all four of us got stuck in the fuckin' house?"

"Yeah."

"How could I forget?"

"Well, that whole weekend, Tatum stayed in her room almost all day. She was upset because you and Lyla weren't there."

Kace's face didn't change, however I knew he was listening. I continued, "She needs you, Kace. Don't forget that."

I saw his lips part like he was about to say something, but before he could, a booming voice erupted from behind us. "Boy."

We both spun around and were relieved to see that it was only Calico. "Oh... Hi." Kace took and deep breath.

"Any luck on finding the kids?" He asked.

"No, not yet. They couldn't have gotten far. I'm guessing-"

Suddenly, there was a ear piercing scream that sounded like it belonged to a young man, most likely one of Kace's soldiers. The three of us looked back and forth at each other before taking off in the vague direction of the blood curdling sound. Just through about one hundred feet of thinly placed trees was a horrific sight. From the hill we ended up on, we had an overhead view of all the soldiers crowded around, guns drawn on what looked like some kind of hostage situation. One of Kace's men had a bear trap around his ankle, and behind him was a man that I had never seen before with a gun to the soldiers head.

Kace and I pushed our way through the crowd and stood before the stranger, who had one of his arms around his victims neck. For some reason, Calico was hanging around the back of the crowd. What a great leader he is.

"Who the hell are you?" Kace asked the stranger, who sported dirty rags as cloths and cloth, frizzy hair. Despite this, the stranger still looked somewhat young, probably only in his late twenties.

The stranger pressed his gun against the soldiers head and growled, "I have a group, you sick fuck! Stay away!"

I noticed something move out of my peripheral view. I glaced over and saw Tenn and Tatum, bound together by their arms behind their back. Neither of them moved as they laid motionless on their side. "Kace." I whispered and pointed at the two children.

Kace, upon seeing this, grew a look in his eye that I had never seen before. It was a look that called for blood, a look that fit a warrior amidst a battle for his life. "What... Did you do?" Kace asked, gesturing over at the kids.

The stranger bared his teeth. "They're alive, dumbass. Unlike you I have the decency to actually care about other people."

I shot the stranger a look of confusion. "What the fuck? You literally have a gun to a persons head and you want to preach about decency?"

At that moment, I saw three of the soldiers jogging over to Tatum and Tenn to free them from their contraints, however the stranger yelled out in protest. "I wouldn't do that if I were you!"

The three soldiers stopped.

"If you touch them, he dies." The man forced the barrel of the gun harder against the boys temple, causing him to wince in pain.

Kace waved for the three to return to the group, in which they did so. "What the hell do you even want?" The terrifying look in his eyes was eased. Kace was always good at calming himself down no matter how intense a situation was.

"I came here to collect what was owed to us."

"We don't owe you anything."

"Our communities had a deal." The stranger smiled wide and wheezed in to a laugh.

"You're crazy." I said bluntly. "We haven't dealt anything to other communities."

"Ohhh! But you have, trust me. Just allow me to take this guy." The stranger tapped his gun against the soldiers head. "And those two over there and I'll get out of your way. Sound good?"

"Hell no." Kace snarled viciously. "You're not getting any of them. Maybe we can compromise. Nobody has to get hurt here."

The mans guard seemed to lower when Kace said this. "I... I don't wanna die. Not here. Not to you bastards."

Kace just shook his head. "You drugged two kids and now have a gun pointed at one of my men. You're gonna have to pay some sort of price, especially since that little girl over there is very, very close to me. I could kill you right now and not think twice about it but you caught me on a good day. I'll tell you what. Name me a price, anything you want. I'll give it to you, but in exchange you turn yourself in and we promise we won't hurt you."

The strangers smile faded into a frown as he weighed his options. He raised his shaky arm, the adrenaline gone, and pointed at Kace's canteen. "W-Water."

"You're thirsty?" Kace responded.

The man, in a moment of weakness and humanity, nodded desperately. "Yes."

"Let go of the boy first."

Hesitating, the stranger released the soldier, who fell to the ground, baring his nearly severed ankle. A few others grabbed their friend and hoisted him back towards the towns front gate. At that point, I assumed Kace would either tell his men to shot the crazy man, or just put one in him himself. Instead, however, Kace reached for his canteen and held it out. The stranger reluctantly took it, but before he could take a sip, there was a bang, then blood poured from his head. My immediate thought was that Kace had gone against his promise, but then I saw the look of shock and terror on the young leaders face. Everyone, including the soldiers turned, and saw Calico pointing his gun, a trickle of smoke coming from the barrel.

Kace's POV

I wasn't scared as I sat there between Tatum and Tenn. The nurse said that they were given a mild dosage of chloroform, and that they should awaken any second. It had been hours since we brought them back, and needless to say it was dark already. Lyla sat across the office sleeping under my sweatshirt that i had given her after she complained about the chill coming through the building. I was cold too, but oh well. As long as she's happy. I heard a soft groan come from next to me. Tenn was waking up. "Hey." I said softly. "You feel alright?"

Tenn rubbed his eyes and looked up at me, going pale. "I'm so sorry, Kace. I-I tried to fight him, he was just too strong."

I gave him a slight smile and raised an eyebrow. "I'm not mad at you, Tenn."

"Y-You're not?"

"No of course not. That guy attack you guys. It's not like you were doing anything you haven't done before. Besides it's kind of my fault for letting you two go that far into the woods alone. From now on just stay near the wall, okay?"

He nodded and seemed to relax into his bed.

"Did you punch him?" I asked randomly.

Tenn glared at me, confused. "What?"

"Did he hit him at all when you were fighting back?"

"...Yes." He smiled.

I held out a palm and gave him a high five. "Hell yeah, my man. Good shit."

"Heh. Thanks. Tatum taught me to stand up for myself. She even helped me stand up to a bully at school."

I felt my heart sink into my chest. "...There's bullies in our community?" The thought hurt, especially since I was in charge of holding down order and peace within the walls.

"Not many. Only like two, but they're really mean. One of the pushed Tatum and she hit her cheek against a desk."

My mind thought back to yesterday when I asked her about the bruise. I felt my head shake in disappointment. Disappointment in myself. This shouldn't be happening under my watch. "I'll take care of it. Don't worry, man."

"Alright." He shut his eyes once more.

After a few more minutes of silence, I heard Tatum shuffled in bed. I turned and saw her bright blue eyes filled with tears. "I-I'm sorry." She croaked out innocently.

"Hey." I got on one knee and hugged her as she sat up.

She cried into my shoulder. "I was so scared."

"I know, baby. It's alright." I tried my best to sound as calm as possible, but the thought of her being kidnapped was stuck in the center of my mind. What would I have done with myself if I let her get taken?

Lyla must've heard us, as she had waken up and rushed to my side to comfort the little girl. "Hey, T." She smiled.

"I... I wanna go home, and I wanna sleep in your guys' room. Please."

I felt tears run down my cheeks. Hearing her cry was painful. I missed when Tatum used to rely on me all the time, but this situation was just so terrible.

"Of course you can." Lyla beamed. "Nothing bad's gonna happen to you again, Tatum. I promise."

Hours Later

Morning came fast. I woke up near the very edge of the bed. The blanket was being hogged by Tatum, who was pressed against Lyla. I rose to my feet and glanced out my window which had a perfect view of the town. My eyes immediately locked with Calico's house. I had questions for him, especially after what he did to that stranger yesterday. Before I could start getting dressed, I felt an arm grab my hand. I turned around and saw Lyla smiling gently at me.

"Not yet." She said in a weak, sleepy voice.

"I got... stuff to do." I replied innocently with a sarcastic chuckled.

"Pleaseee?"

I grabbed her hand with both of mine and knelt down next to the bed. "I... I... Eh, fuck it." I climbed back in bed.

"Yay. I win."

I wrapped one of my arms around her shoulders. She rested her head against mine and let out an exhausted groan. "As usual, right?" I teased.

"Right."

A/N - What y'all think? I'm gonna start responding to all reviews in the next chapter every chapter. Hope you guys are enjoying.