A/N: This chapter is a tad bit long. It was longer than I expected. Oh well… screw consistency. Also, thank you AquaDestinysEmbrace, Magixben1124, and Bubbles2k100 for giving me your opinion on a certain topic in this chapter and your support for this Fic.
Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead. All rights reserved to their respective owners.
Clementine finally managed to climb out of the truck. She slammed the door shut to prevent the walkers from eating her unresponsive boyfriend. She then looked around for Jane who was carrying AJ through the blizzard; however, the loner and infant were nowhere to be seen. "Jane!" Clementine cried out. Just as Clementine feared… there was no response.
Suddenly, Clementine was grabbed by her ankle and forced to the ground. She cried out when she hit the ground as the walker that grabbed her tried to bite her. She pulled out her gun again and shot the creature in the skull.
She got back up and looked around for what was left of her group. She shivered at each step as she tried to head to the rest stop. She would at least meet up with Kenny there, and she would have the chance to get out of the ferocious blizzard.
She walked through the frigid temperatures while weaving away from the extremely slow walkers. They weren't completely frozen, but their typical limping speed was hindered severely. There was no possible way to get bitten by the nearly frozen walkers. However, the severe temperature and weather also hindered Clementine. The blizzard made it very difficult for her to see and she had managed to trip a couple of times. Nonetheless, she kept going. She wasn't going to allow the blizzard to claim her life. Not after all of her sacrifices.
Clementine shivered as she trudged forward until finally she found it. It was the rest stop that Kenny wanted everyone to meet up at. She only had to walk a few more feet past a couple of picnic tables and a small playground to enter some form of shelter. She took her last few steps toward the door and finally entered the rest stop.
Clementine shivered as she went inside. The door to the rest stop closed with a shattering like sound. "You alright?" Clementine heard. She looked up to see Kenny. "Where is the kid? Where's AJ?" Kenny asked.
"I-I don't know." Clementine admitted.
"What do you mean you don't know?" Kenny exclaimed.
"I-I lost Keith…" Clementine said sadly. She started to whimper again until Kenny grumbled in annoyance.
"Clem, when are you going to grow up? We have to focus on AJ!" Kenny snapped. "Now is not the time for you to act like a damn kid!"
"I am a kid, Kenny!" Clementine exclaimed. "I know that you seem to forget that easily, but I am a kid, okay? Is that was you want to hear from me?"
"What? No, look Clem, I'm sorry. I'm just stressed out. We need to find that kid." Kenny said. "Who had AJ last?"
"He was with Jane." Clementine replied.
"You left him with HER?" Kenny inquired. "JANE!" Kenny walked away and went towards the back door to go outside to search of the loner. "JANE!" Kenny exclaimed as he went out into the middle of the blizzard.
Clementine tearfully looked to the door she had just used to enter. She was still heartbroken about what happened to Keith. However, her thoughts quickly ended when she saw a figure approach the rest stop. It couldn't be a walker; it was too fast. "K-Kenny!" Clementine yelled for the older man.
"Oh thank goodness!" Kenny exclaimed as he ran back inside. The figure got closer and it was revealed to be Jane. She appeared to have injured her right arm since she was holding it with her left hand. "Jane you okay?" Kenny asked as he opened the door for the loner. "Where's the kid? Jane, where is he?"
Jane's reply came in the form of her lowering her head. Clementine and Kenny looked on in shock and sadness. "Wh-What happened?" Clementine asked.
"He's-" Jane said sadly, but she cut herself off.
"What are you saying?" Kenny asked. Realization came to Kenny which made him panic. "No!" Kenny cried. "NO!" Kenny, suddenly, ran out of the rest stop leaving Clementine with Jane.
"No, not again… not again…" Clementine said as she remembered what happened to Christa newborn.
Jane released the grip on her arm and looked out the window. She couldn't see Kenny's retreating form anymore, so she squatted down to Clementine's height and placed her hands on the child's shoulders. "Clem, look at me." The child tearfully obliged as Jane continued, "No matter what happens, just stay out of it." Jane looked out to the window again before she asked, "Okay?"
"I don't understand. What are you doing?" Clementine asked.
Jane looked out the window once again and then turned to the child. "You have to trust me. You're gonna see what he really is."
Clementine wasn't sure what was going on, but then, she slowly turned to see Kenny approach the rest stop. He was completely different. She saw him with a ferocious scowl and he took angry stomps towards the rest stop. Clementine had only seen this anger once. It was the same angry glare and stomping that Carver had used on Reggie.
Jane got up and started to back away leaving Clementine in the middle of the two adults. "Kenny, just calm down." Clementine said in hopes of calming the older man.
"Get the f*** out of my way." Kenny spat as he pushed her aside and stomped towards Jane.
"Kenny…" Clementine said in a final attempt to try and stop him, but it was no use.
"How could you kill a F****** CHILD!" Kenny snapped as he swung at Jane.
Jane ducked to avoid the punch that came her way and pushed Kenny away. She got away from the older man by running to the other side of the rest stop as she explained, "I didn't mean to kill him; IT WAS AN ACCIDENT, KENNY!"
"BULLSHIT!" Kenny bellowed. Both were now in a fighting stance.
Jane noticed Kenny slowly and angrily approaching her. His face was red with anger, his knuckles were clenched tightly. Jane glared at the older man and said, "I'm not going to back down from you, Kenny."
"SHUT UP!" Kenny bellowed as he continued his approach.
"I'm warning you." Jane said as she drew her knife.
"Just stop!" Clementine exclaimed as she got between the two. "We're all that's left. There were other people who tried to make it, but things just didn't work out. We can't just turn on each other, not after everything that's happened."
"I'm not letting this crazy f*** anywhere near me, Clem." Jane spat.
"I don't need permission." Kenny replied. He was no longer advancing towards Jane; instead, he was now trying to find a way around her defenses.
They both continued to size each other up as Clementine watched on in horror. Finally, Kenny appeared to be backing down. He wasn't in his aggressive stance from earlier. Jane placed the knife back in its holster as she muttered, "Don't come anywhere near me, you son of a bitch." She relaxed her stance which prove to be a bad move. Kenny quickly ran towards the loner and pinned her against the shattered window of the rest stop.
"Kenny!" Clementine exclaimed in horror.
"Get off!" Jane shouted as she started to gouge the man's eyes. He yelled in pain before he was able to slip out of the loner's grip. Kenny's hat fell to the ground as a result of the struggle. However, Kenny now had the woman's arms pinned down and he was now choking her.
"STOP! PLEASE!" Clementine exclaimed, but neither of the adults listened to her. Clementine ran up to Kenny and yanked his arm in an attempt to stop the older man. Her attempt worked but not because of her strength. Kenny turned to the girl with a surprised look which was enough of a distraction for Jane to punch the older man off of her.
Kenny landed on the ground with a pained groan, but Jane wasn't finished. She got on top of the older man and began to punch him repeatedly. "JANE!" Clementine exclaimed. She went to the loner and was capable of pulling her off of Kenny. Clementine and Jane fell backwards which gave Kenny the chance to attack the loner again. He got up and went for the woman, but she slashed at him with her knife. The knife created a cut which was where the man's stomach was. He yelled out in pain as Clementine gasped. "Oh my word!" Kenny's blood started to drench the floor, but Kenny was still able to stand. However, the older man was starting to back away.
Jane got up and chased the older man outside. "This is all your f****** fault!" Jane bellowed.
Clementine quickly followed the two and saw them outside. The blizzard had turned to a light snow which improved the visibility outside. Kenny and Jane were back to sizing each other up; however, Kenny was starting to back away. "You piece of shit." Kenny sputtered as Jane approached him with her knife drawn.
"Just go." Jane said.
"I ain't going nowhere." Kenny said. Despite his wound, he was still as stubborn as ever.
Clementine got between the two to prevent any further violence and said, "Please, just stop! Is this really what you want?"
"Move, Clem." Kenny said as he tossed the girl aside. Clementine landed on the snow as Jane took another swing with her knife. Kenny avoided the slash and grabbed the loner. He threw her into a nearby wooden sign. The sign busted to pieces with both fighters trying to recover. "I will f****** kill you." Kenny spat as he tried to get back up. However, his older body and his wound made it difficult to do so.
Clementine got up and ran to the two as Jane got the upper hand. She jammed her fingers in Kenny's eyes again as the older man screamed out in pain. "How's that feel, huh?" Jane asked.
"It's over!" Clementine exclaimed. However, her cries were in vain as the two continued their struggle against each other. "LISTEN TO ME!"
"Get her off!" Kenny shouted.
Clementine obliged and hoped that the struggle between the two would end; however, when she pulled Jane off of Kenny, the older man grabbed Jane's knife and stabbed her with it. Jane fell back and yelled in pain which resulted in Clementine falling and landing on her sore shoulder. Her body ached in pain and her vision became slightly blurry from landing on the sensitive wound. Clementine groaned as she tried to get up. "F****** baby killer." Kenny hissed at Jane.
Clementine looked over as Jane tried to back away from Kenny. However, the older man got on top of the loner and tried to kill her with her own knife. Despite the pain in her leg, Jane held the older man's arms to keep the knife from being plunged into her. "I'll f****** kill you." Kenny spat. Jane struggled to keep the knife away. In fact, the knife was getting closer every couple of seconds. The two groaned and growled at each other as the struggle reached its climax.
"I… I knew you would…" Jane muttered.
Clementine was finally able to get herself to sit up despite the thriving pain in her shoulder. As she got up, her hand brushed over her gun. She looked to the fire arm and picked it up. This was her last chance to put a stop to the fight. She aimed the gun at Kenny and called out, "Please, Kenny!" However, the older man wouldn't listen. With tears now in her eyes, Clementine pressed her finger against the trigger and shot Kenny in the chest.
Kenny fell back from the shot and he landed on the ground. Jane huffed as she sat up. She looked to the older man who was now huffing and spitting out blood. Clementine got up and shakily walked towards Kenny. Clementine passed the loner as Jane tried to recollect herself from the intense fight.
Clementine approached Kenny and kneeled down to look over the older man. He was still breathing but it was evident that he wouldn't be for long. Clementine looked down sadly until she heard Kenny, "Clem…" She looked to the older man as he continued, "You made the right choice. I let you down…" Kenny coughed out some more blood.
"Why did you make me do this?" Clementine cried.
"I-I'm so sorry darling. I really am." Kenny said. He huffed heavily as he tried to deal with the pain that his body was enduring and said, "Lee deserved better. I wasn't a true friend to him… I should have looked after you, but instead… you had to look after me. You have to forgive me. Please darlin."
"I-I do. I forgive you." Clementine said as she gripped the older man's hand. Kenny smiled in response before he spat out more blood.
"We almost made it, Clem." Kenny said. "We were so close, weren't we?" Clementine looked down sadly as Kenny continued, "I thought I wanted this… asked for it… so many times… Now that it's happening… I'm scared.
"You don't have to be." Clementine said tearfully. "I'll be right here, right to the end." She gripped his hand tighter as Kenny looked to Clementine with tears in his eyes.
"Thank you… thank you…" Kenny huffed. A couple of seconds later, Kenny's breathing stopped, his hand became cold, and his face started to become pale. Clementine tearfully released her grip from the older man's hand. She knew that he was dead.
Suddenly, Jane and Clementine heard footsteps approaching them from behind. Jane got up ready to attack, but stopped herself when she faced the person approaching them. "Keith…?" Jane said as she looked to the boy.
Clementine turned to see the boy with AJ in his arms. He looked to his girlfriend with confusion and concern. Clementine got up and ran to her boyfriend. She cried as she held onto him tightly. "Sh… it's okay. It's alright." Keith said as he tried to comfort the girl.
"No, it's not." Clementine cried. She backed away to look at Keith and AJ. "AJ, he's alright?"
"Yeah, here." Keith said as he handed the infant to Clementine. "I think he missed you."
Clementine held onto the baby and hugged the infant. Her tears cascaded down her rosy cheeks as she huffed. "I-I thought he was dead. I thought you were dead." Clementine said as she looked back up to Keith.
"I'm not going to lie. I'm very dizzy right now. I think I got a concussion when the truck hit that snowbank." Keith explained. "As for AJ, I found him in a car a little ways from here."
"W-What?" Clementine asked. "But… Jane." Clementine expression completely changed from being overjoyed to see AJ and Keith being alive to pure anger at the loner. The two turned to Jane with each having a glare towards the woman.
"I understand if you're upset…" Jane said. "He was never in any danger. I was… going to try to talk to you into coming with me. I just thought if you saw Kenny like that… you'd know we'd have to leave him."
"Are you out of your mind?" Keith exclaimed. "Look, I didn't agree with Kenny much, but… my gosh, YOU killed him! And you put AJ in danger… just to prove a point!"
"I didn't think that Kenny would go that far. I'm sorry." Jane said sadly.
"Forget this." Keith said. He then turned to Clementine and said, "Clem, I don't want her coming with us. She's too dangerous."
"No, Clem, please. I'm sorry. I had to show you what Kenny was really like." Jane said in a pleading tone.
Clementine huffed and looked to Jane with anger in her features. "I'm not going anywhere with you." Clementine said. Jane looked to Clementine with shock as the eleven year old turned around and started to walk away. Keith glared at Jane before he followed Clementine.
The snow crunched under Clementine's feet as Jane called out, "Clem… please. I did this for you." Keith joined alongside Clementine as the loner continued, "I can't do this alone… okay? Is that what you want to hear?" Clementine and Keith ignored Jane as they continued to walk through the snow covered road. "Clem…?"
Eventually, the two had walked far enough to where they couldn't hear Jane anymore. Clementine started to cry again. She mourned for the death her friend, Kenny, and the fact that she had to be the one to shoot him. He may not have been the guardian that she was hoping he could be, but she still cared about him. Keith placed his arm around her shoulders and kissed the side of her head. "I… I killed Kenny. I shot him." Clementine sobbed. Her tears stung her already puffy eyes and rosy cheeks.
"You didn't kill Kenny. You may have pulled the trigger, but… Kenny died because of Jane." Keith said comfortingly. However, Keith's words didn't have their usual affect. Instead, the boy had to do something else. His body came to a halt which made the girl stop. She looked to him before he kissed her lips. Once again, the kiss took their breaths away. It felt like the world around them had stopped, and they were in their own world. The cold and snow were no longer existent until their lips separated.
A few seconds went by until Clementine asked, "What are we going to do now?" Her voice was no longer cracking even though a couple of tears had managed to fall down her cheeks. She quickly wiped them off with her free arm and waited for the boy to answer.
"We're going north to find Wellington… for Rebecca… and for Kenny." Keith said. Clementine nodded in response. The two then pressed forward, despite the cold and the fact that they were the only ones to survive. It was going to be a longer trek than they had previously thought, but they would make it… for each other and for the baby boy that depended on them to survive…
Nine Days Later
Clementine looked up a snow-covered hill and waited for Keith and AJ to catch up. The wind's howl echoed as she felt a chill run down her spine. She soon heard the crunching of snow and turned around to see the Keith and AJ slowly approaching her. "You want me to hold him?" Clementine asked.
"Nah, he's not that heavy yet." Keith said. "Come on, I'll race you to the top." Keith said as he darted past Clementine.
"Hey!" Clementine exclaimed.
As he neared the top of the hill, Keith looked back to see Clementine try her best to catch up with him, but it proved to be difficult with her sore shoulder and the fact that the boy got a head start. "Come on, Alvie. We can't let her beat us this time." Keith chuckled to the baby in his arms. Keith finally reached the top first, but his expression changed from laughter and youthful bliss to seriousness and disbelief. He looked down from the hill and saw a huge wall something that would dwarf Howe's wall. Additionally, there was a large fume of smoke on the right side of the wall and a large crane on the left.
"You cheated." Clementine said as she reached the top. However, her attitude quickly reflected Keith's.
"I don't believe it. Wellington really does exist." Keith said. "I mean, that's got to be it. There's no way bandits could have come up with something like this."
"We should go check it out." Clementine said.
"Yeah…" Keith said as he started to walk down the hill. Clementine followed him as the two daydreamed about what would be inside the large wall.
A gunshot stopped their advances and brought both back to the real world. AJ started to cry from the surprise of the shot. In response, Keith tried to soothe the infant by rocking him back and forth. "It's okay. You're alright, buddy." Keith said.
"He didn't get shot, did he?" Clementine asked worriedly.
"No, the shot just scared him." Keith replied.
"That's far enough!" The two children heard from a speaker. It came from the direction of the wall and it sounded like a woman's voice.
"Maybe coming here was a bad idea." Keith said.
"Drop your weapons!" The woman on the speaker demanded.
Clementine looked to Keith for what he wanted to do. The boy nodded his head in response indicating that they needed to get rid of their weapons. Clementine took her gun out of its holster and tossed it aside as Keith got rid of his knife and handgun. They then waited for further instructions.
"Approach the gate!" The speaker sounded.
Clementine and Keith looked to each other before they started to make their way to the huge gate. It was intimidating for both children. Neither one could help but look side-to-side.
As they got closer as a woman appeared at the opening of the gate which was several feet off the ground. "…Just a couple of… people at the front gate. They won't be any trouble." Her voice had a tang of sadness in it. She was speaking into a radio as both Clementine and Keith stood at the front of the gate. They waited for the woman to address them. She put down the radio down and looked to the two children below her. "Hi, I'm Edith." The woman said to the two children.
"I'm Keith." Keith introduced himself. He gestured to the girl next to him and said, "This is my girlfriend, Clementine."
"Hello." Edith said. "You two look a bit too young to be dating."
"You aren't the first one tell us that." Clementine said.
Edith turned her attention to the baby in Keith's arms and said, "That's a handsome boy you got there. What's his name?"
"Alvin Junior. He takes after his dad." Keith said.
"Is there someone in there named Christa?" Clementine asked.
"I don't think so dear." Edith replied.
Clementine looked down sadly and sighed. She had tried to keep her spirits up and find her friend alive, but it seemed that Christa didn't survive her encounter with the bandits. Keith placed a supportive hand on the girl's shoulder and said to Edith, "By any chance, are you guys accepting new members? It's been a bit of a trek. We lost a lot of people and… we just want to find somewhere to call home."
"Well… I'm afraid that this is the part where I give you the bad news." Edith said. She went inside the gate and returned with a duffel bag. She dropped the bag in front of the two children and said, "There's plenty of supplies in there to help you two keep going for a little while. It has food, water, some medicine, a first-aid kit, and some other necessities."
Keith huffed and he looked down. "I can't believe it…" He had one true fear about Wellington and that fear was realized. He looked back up to Edith and said, "You won't let us in… because there's no room left."
"That's right." Edith said sadly. "I'm sorry. I wish there was room, but there's just not enough to go around if we keep bringing people in." Keith and Clementine looked to each other. Both were saddened. They wanted to make this work; they wanted a normal life. "I really hate to do this, especially to a couple of children with a baby. I don't want to force you back out there, but if you come in, some people in the community will have to leave."
Keith sighed and asked, "You want to go for Plan B? It's not the ideal situation, but we can make it work."
Clementine smiled to the boy and nodded her head. Keith smiled back before he walked up to the bag of supplies. He picked up the bag with his free arm and walked back over to his girlfriend. He turned to Edith and said, "We'll be fine. We've made it this far."
"I'm sorry. I wish I could have done more for you." Edith said.
"There is actually something you can do for us." Keith said.
"Okay, what is it?" Edith asked.
"We got separated from our friend, Nick Randall. He's older than me and Clem. Tell him that we went back to Howe's Hardware. He'll know where it's at." Keith explained.
"Okay, I can do that. Be careful out there." Edith said.
"Always." The two children replied simultaneously. Edith smiled to the two before she went back inside the gate and disappeared from sight.
"Here, I'll take AJ." Clementine as she took the infant from Keith's grasp. The two then proceeded to walk back the long trek from which they came. Howe's would stir bad memories for both children, but it was the only place that was safe enough for them and the baby.
Eighteen Days Later
Clementine and Keith approached the abandoned hardware store that they had been searching for since Wellington was no longer an option. They walked across the parking lot while weaving around several dead walkers. They approached the same garage door that they used to escape from Howe's. Keith and Clementine looked to each other before both children mustered up the courage to go inside. They were both surprised to see that the hardware store was very much abandoned and had taken quite a hit. Clementine looked over the interior of the building just in case there were any stragglers or bandits inside. Meanwhile, Keith walked up to his father's body. He looked over his father with his one good eye as Clementine came up to him and placed a supportive hand on his shoulder.
"We should bury him… him and Alvin." Keith said sadly.
"Yeah." Clementine said. "We should search out the place, first. We need to find formula for AJ."
"Yeah… you're right. Let's go." Keith said as he moved on. Clementine followed him as he continued, "I had to extend a few favors while I was here, but I did managed to get a nursery for AJ. Vince and Wyatt did most of the work."
"Wait. There's a nursery here?" Clementine asked as she tried to keep up with her boyfriend.
"Yeah, I did it under my dad's nose." Keith said as he walked down a hallway but he stopped when he reached a storage closet. He opened the door to reveal a room which had a crib, a high chair, a changing table, a rocking chair, and a few toys scattered about. "It's a good thing that the walkers never got inside this room." Keith said.
"Yeah… this is really amazing." Clementine remarked. Suddenly, AJ started to cry which got the children's attention. "Uh oh… he's getting fussy. I think he's overdue for a bottle. I'll feed him if you can check out what's left of this place."
"Yeah, I'm on it." Keith said and he left the nursery as Clementine went inside to prepare a bottle for AJ.
15 Minutes Later
Keith was now on the roof looking over the parking lot. He had just checked the green house and was satisfied to see that there was no damage to it. Clementine approached him and said, "Hey, AJ's asleep in the nursery. How's everything look?"
"They're looking good. There's plenty of food and medicine here, and with the green house still functioning, we should be good for a long time." Keith explained.
"Just… stay behind me." The two children heard. They walked over to the ledge and saw what appeared to be a family approaching the hardware store. They watched the family of three walk through the parking lot with the father taking the lead in front of the child and mother.
"Come on." Keith said. The two walked down to the ground level of the hardware store to meet the family.
Keith and Clementine approached the family from behind a metal cage which acted as a barrier. "This your place?" The father of the family asked.
"Yeah, it is." Keith replied.
"Are you accepting new people, by any chance?" The father asked.
"We need help." The woman added.
"My boy, he… he ain't doing so good." The man said. The two children looked to each other worriedly in response. They were afraid that the boy was bit. The man must have noticed their worry and he continued, "Look, don't worry, he ain't… he ain't bit; just hungry. We've been walking around for weeks. Ran out of food a couple days back." The man approached the fence to get a better look at the two children that he was talking to and was surprised to see that Keith had bandages over his left eye.
"Boy, are you okay?" The man asked. "What happened to your eye? Is it infected? My wife, Patricia, could take a look at it for you."
Keith smiled and said, "I appreciate your concern, but this was something I got a few weeks ago. My dad, William Carver, owned this place. The last thing he ever did to me was beat me till I was half dead. I lost my eye from that beating."
The man was surprised by the tale and was also saddened. "You two… went up north?" The man asked.
"Yeah…" Clementine said sadly.
"Us too." The man scoffed. He looked around the entrance and said, "This place needs a lot of work. We could help you."
"I say we should let them in." Keith whispered to Clementine. "There's no way, we're going to be able to bury Alvin and my dad. And we need as much help as we can get."
"Please." The woman, Patricia, said as she approached the gate. "We won't make it through another night out here."
"Look, I know that you don't know us." The man said. "And I know a lotta people out here say a lotta things. But I'm asking you… as a father, please don't turn as away."
Keith and Clementine looked to the boy that accompanied the man and woman. They were both surprised to see that he was about their age. Keith looked to Clementine and waited for her decision. In response, Clementine looked to the family and said, "There's a garage door on the other side of the building. You can enter through there."
"Thank you." Patricia replied as she and her husband visibly relaxed. She escorted her son toward the mentioned entrance as the man nodded to the two children appreciatively.
Clementine and Keith walked away from the barrier and toward the loading dock. "We made the right decision." Keith said.
"Yeah, we did." Clementine said as she grabbed her boyfriend's hand. The two continued to walk to the garage door with their hand's locked together until they were met by the family.
"Quite a mess." The man said.
"You can say that again." Keith said.
The man turned to the children and said, "I'm Randy. Thanks for trusting us enough to let us in. I promise that you won't regret it."
"We'll see." Keith said. "I've been with people in the past who abused my trust and nearly got me killed. But, we'll give you a chance. I'm Keith."
"I'm Clementine." Clementine introduced herself to the new people
Patricia approached Clementine and said, "Thank you for trusting us." She crouched down to the child's height and hugged the girl.
Clementine was surprised by the hug but at the same time was comforted by it. The hug reminded her of her own mother's hug. Clementine returned the hug. Eventually, the two separated and Patricia got back up. Patricia looked to Clementine with a thankful stare before she walked over to join her husband.
"Cool hat." The boy finally spoke. He looked to Clementine with a smile in his features.
"Thanks." Clementine said.
"Your mom and dad said that you were hungry. I can probably cook something up real quick." Keith said.
"I… I would really appreciate that. Thank you." The boy replied. Keith gestured for the boy to follow him and the two walked off towards the supply rations.
Clementine smiled at the two boys as they walked off towards the rations until she heard footsteps behind her. There were only three people who approached the gate. Clementine turned around immediately, but she relaxed upon seeing a girl who appeared to be around ten years old in front of her. The girl looked to Clementine with wide brown eyes as she held onto a rabbit plush toy; it was covered in dry blood. However, the girl had managed to keep her yellow hooded sweatshirt with a green long-sleeve shirt underneath, blue jeans, and black shoes rather clean.
"Um… hi there." Clementine said as she reached out to the girl. In response, the girl shuttered and she started to backpedal. Clementine's eyes widened from the action. The girl was obviously scared so Clementine had to try a different tactic. "It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you." Clementine said with soothing voice.
The girl looked back up to Clementine as she continued, "My name's Clementine. What's yours?"
The girl tried to respond but nothing came out except for a squeak. The girl looked back down sadly; it's as if she couldn't speak. Clementine offered her hand to the girl and said, "That's alright. You talk when you're ready." The girl smiled to Clementine and accepted her hand. The two then walked further inside the hardware store.
Hours Later
Keith and Clementine sat at the edge of the garage door and looked out to the parking lot. It was now evening at Howe's and the two were enjoying a moment with each other. Inside, the boy, Gil, and his father, Randy, were asleep from the full day's work of moving bodies from within the hardware store and the surrounding parking lot. The girl that Clementine had met earlier was reading a book. She still hadn't said a word since she arrived, but Clementine was able to get her name by giving the girl a piece of paper and pen. The girl shakily wrote down that her name was 'Danielle.' Sadly, Danielle showed immense fear of Randy. Something must have happened to make her traumatized. She also seemed jittery around Keith and Gil, but she was perfectly fine around Patricia, Clementine, and AJ. Finally, Patricia was in the nursery with AJ.
"Quite a day, huh?" Clementine asked.
"Yeah, we got a group again." Keith said.
The two were soon alerted when they saw a figure approach them. At first, they reached for their guns, but they soon relaxed upon seeing who the figure was. The figure revealed himself to be the guardian of the two children. Surprisingly, he hadn't changed a bit since the children last saw him.
"NICK!" Keith and Clementine exclaimed and they both ran to the young man. Nick smiled as he crouched down and opened up his arms for the two. They ran into the young man's embrace as Nick hugged them as hard as he could.
"Oh… I missed you two." Nick said as the group hug ended. Nick held onto one of their shoulders and smiled to the two. They smiled back, and the three enjoyed a few moments with each other.
"So what happened?" Clementine asked.
"That's a long story." Nick said. He huffed and continued, "After I got out of that herd, I, eventually, found the truck that y'all were in… I also found Kenny…" Nick said sadly. Clementine reflected the young adult's movement until he continued. "Eventually, I found Wellington… That crazy woman, Edith, told me to head to Howe's, but… I knew that would have been the most logical place that y'all would go after Wellington didn't work out."
"It's good to see you again." Clementine said as Nick got back up. Nick nodded to the girl appreciatively before he turned to the structure known as Howe's Hardware.
"Come on inside." Keith said. "There's no reason why we need to stand out here in the cold."
"You got a point there, Boy Wonder. Let's head inside." Nick said. Clementine and Keith nodded and led the way to go inside the hardware store with Nick following behind. The three entered with a bit of satisfaction. Bill Carver was no longer a problem. Others would soon be drawn to Howe's since Wellington was no longer an option, and soon the group would become bigger. Things would only look up for the three and they knew it…
THE END UNTIL SEASON 3.
A/N: Well, thanks to all of the authors who reviewed, favorite, and/or followed this story. And a special thanks goes out to all viewers. You guys made this story happen. So thank you! Q out!