Bubbles2K100: Aha yep! You can feel however you want about this, I ain't gonna police you folks XD And thanks! Hopefully it'll be somewhat satisfying next chapter!
VictoriaSW: No worries, this chapter's gonna be toned down considerably from the last one – no more Rambo stints or whatever the hell that was from Jane… hopefully lol.
Rebloxic: Yep, the camps were pretty much wiped clean except for a handful of survivors. Thank you so much for letting me use Lorna, btw. Your OC was a game-changer!
Clemmyclue19: We'll see ;) All I can say is that unfortunately the chapter after this will probably be the last. Thanks so much for sticking with it for the long haul :D
EmilyRose727: (In Nicholas Cage voice): NO, NOT THE FEELS! THE FEELS! THEY STING! AGGGHHHHH! AGHHHHH!
Ahem, anywho… onto the next chapter, yes? Oh, and I know that I said it wouldn't happen, but this chapter's gonna be in first person POV (OMG Leafs, you're such a big, fat liar!). Turns out I can do it a hell of a lot better than third person lol – maybe I just need practice, but for now I'm just gonna leave it at that.
Lilly's POV
The house is pretty damn quiet as I walk down the halls; the only sounds being the creaking of floorboards underneath me along with the sweet-sounding, harmonious tune being played on some sort of old radio or cassette player. It's soft enough for me to enjoy it, but loud enough so that it's not just completely on mute. It's a good mix between the two extremes.
I'm glad that she finally managed to get the damn thing working, but obviously I'll never tell her that. We've just barely made it to friend qualifications, and I sure as hell am not gonna give her the satisfaction of something as trivial as this.
Can't let the pride go to Jane's head, you know?
"Back from the dead, are we?" she jokes light-heartedly, but for some reason this tears at my mind. Why do I feel like there's more meaning behind those words than she actually realized? When I stare at the ugly wallpaper along the back wall, Jane tilts her head in slight concern. "You alright? You look like you've seen a ghost or something."
Quickly breaking myself out of this stupor, I nod and ensure her that I'm perfectly fine. Everything's cool, and nothing's out of place here. I mean, really, how could things be anything less than okay around here? We haven't heard or seen from any walkers or hooligans out around these parts in weeks, the food situation isn't too severe right now, and we've collected enough rainwater to fill up a few buckets at least – odd considering that we're practically out in the desert.
Nothing's certainly perfect, but Houston Hills is probably the best place we're ever gonna get.
"Lilly, you're kinda freaking me out here," Jane comments, having been watching me the whole time that I was staring into space.
"Where's…?" I ask, the question hanging out there like a fishing line as Jane turns her gaze to the back window; a small smirk on her lips as she looks at whatever's out there.
Following her line of sight, I head to the back door cautiously as I lean my face up against the glass. There's a kid out there – I can't really tell exactly how old she is from back here – but she seems content; swinging on the wooden swing set out by an old tree. Obviously she can't get very high on it, but the girl seems happy just being able to do something like this for a small moment.
"…Clem?" I call out, frowning slightly when she doesn't move an inch. It's almost as if she didn't even hear me at all, and that I don't even really exist in her world.
Jane pays no mind to this, however.
"I never told anyone this," Jane comments, popping out of nowhere beside me as she too watches with curiosity, "but I was starting to get worried about that kid. Having to go through all of that bullshit at her age… she's gotta have nerves of steel at this point. I honestly don't know how she manages to keep it all together."
"…yeah," I comment simply, tracing my fingers along the glass as I smudge the door with my warm breath.
Turning around, I notice that Jane's now over by the counter with her arms supporting her as she looms over it; seemingly lost and confused.
"I've been thinking a lot lately… about Clem… about the two of us," she states, shaking her head as she grimaces at the counter. "I've come to realize something, too – there's only so much that one person can take before they finally break."
"Why are you telling this to me?"
"I...I don't really know. But I feel like I should know, you know?" she tries to explain, her words going in circles as she chuckles at how stupid that sounds. "Look, I know it might sound crazy… but I feel like I should be… upset or some shit, like something's gone horribly wrong. It's stupid though, right? I mean, I don't even know why I feel this way…"
There's something about this that just compels me to help her; to sit down, hash it out and find out exactly what it is that's going on in that thick skull of hers. Not only do I just not want her to constantly bug me about this for however much longer she's going to, but also because I sort of feel the same way – like there's a gaping wound that's been left open and can't heal properly on its own. Someone has to coach it and let the feelings out… *shiver*. Feelings have never been my strong suit.
"Although come to think of it, you should know all about this, Lilly," Jane suddenly tells me, glaring fiercely as she slams a knife into the counter with anger. "After all, you're the one who left me anyways!"
"No…" I whisper out hoarsely, suddenly remembering bits and pieces of what happened. It's like a jigsaw puzzle – little tidbits of info are starting to piece itself back together. Jane and I were fighting something, we were together at one point, and then…
Blank. I don't remember anything after that.
"IS THIS WHAT YOU WANTED, LILLY?! HUH?! IF YOU WANTED TO LEAVE SO BADLY, THEN WHY DIDN'T YOU JUST TELL ME?!" Jane screeches as she leaps over the counter; knife in hand as she tackles me and my head smacks against the wooden floor.
…opening my eyes again, I'm no longer at Houston Hills. Instead, I'm back at the one place that I never thought I'd have to revisit in a billion years.
"The motor-inn…" I breathe out, taking in the view as I glance around. Carley's up top on the RV on lookout duty, Kenny and Katjaa are having a chat over by the couches, Lee's over by the truck checking out weapons, and Mark's backing up trying to lift his end of the couch out of one of the motel rooms.
Wait… then that means…
"Oh my god…" I whisper, covering my mouth as tears spring to my eyes. There's Dad, as loud-mouthed and tough as ever, yelling at Mark as he holds his end of the couch with little to no difficulty. I want to rush over and hug him without ever letting go; to tell him about everything that's happened since I saw him last. But for some reason, my body refuses to move.
"Umm… are you okay?"
"Huh?" I ask dumbly, glancing down and hardly believing my eyes. Clementine's here again; in the flesh, but she seems… younger. This must be her at eight years old, but why the hell am I seeing her like this? Why am I here at all? Deciding that I should just play along, I pull off an embarrassed smirk before bending down on the sidewalk to talk to her. "Uh… yeah, I'm fine. Just great, Clem, don't worry about it. What's that you're doing over here anyways?"
Smiling shyly, the kid shuffles over a bit to reveal her newest masterpiece. I actually remember this now – this is when she started drawing the whole crew at the motor-inn. Chuckling as I see her smiling depiction of my Dad, I nod in approval as I tell her what a good job she's doing with this. Somehow I feel that I need to praise her, even if it's as small as something like this.
And yet… there's something else that's bugging the hell out of me.
As I watch her continue to draw while making sure that Duck doesn't rush over and ruin the work, something's at the back of my mind; nagging at me. Something's telling me that Clementine – one of the few people that I truly care deeply for – is out for blood… my blood. Something tells me that this kid could potentially be the most dangerous, deadly and unstoppable force that I've ever encountered, and she could be the one and only thing that would pose a serious threat to me.
As she offers a piece of chalk to me, and I accept it unquestioningly, I honestly can't believe that I'd even think such things. This is fucking Clementine, not some monster out for vengeance! She's possibly the sweetest and kindest child (person, even) that I've ever come across.
What harm could an eight year old girl do to me?
"Alright, I think… I think I'm finished for one day," I tell her, setting the chalk piece back beside her as I stand up. I want to head back over to my Dad before something else comes and snatches him away from me. "I'm gonna go head back on over and – "
"Howdy, folks."
Turning my head in horror, I'm suddenly knocked backwards by a shotgun blast as Andy St. John's weapon smokes out. He proceeds to go on a rampage throughout the camp; killing everything and everyone on sight as I slip back into unconsciousness.
….
…..
…..
….
…ugh… where….
Slowly opening the slits in my eyes, I glance about as I try to get my bearings. Where am I? I don't remember this room, with the ceiling fan spinning above my head, the ugly green wallpaper surrounding me, as well as the two large bookcases filled with a whole bunch on surgery and other medical terms that I'll probably never understand. This place reeks of death; that rancid smell in the air flaring my nostrils as I scrunch up my nostrils in disgust.
What I can't for the life of me figure out, however, is why I'm strapped down to a chair and can't move at all despite not being physically restrained.
"I hope you're comfortable," a new voice appears, causing me to look left and right to try and find the source.
"Who the fuck are you?! Show yourself, damn it!" I demand, totally confused as to what's going on. When I move my head around too much, I cry out as a shrill pain overwhelms my senses and I'm forced to look down at the floor.
Blood slowly drips onto the hardwood as I shudder. A shadow appears before me; standing upright as my eyes lazily glance upwards.
Sandro.
"You motherfucker…" I snarl, not having the energy to try and fight him off. "You're supposed to be dead! How can… how can you…?!"
"Circumstances can change in the weirdest of circumstances, Lillian. You must know this, yes?" he acknowledges; his Mexican accent adding a twinge of mystery to him.
Stepping into the room next are a bunch of people that I never wanted to see ever again – Carley, Bonnie, Mike, Arvo, Papa John, Corvo, Henry, Derek… all people whom have either wronged me or have been wronged by me in some way, shape or form. All at once they begin taunting me; berating me about all of the shit that I've pulled over the last few years or so. Carley's accusations rattle me the most, but I won't give in! I can't, otherwise they'll win over me and get even deeper into my head!
"Speaking of your head," Sandro remarks; his voice standing out among the rest as he literally reads my mind, "we've had to make some… adjustments, I'll say."
Frowning in confusion, my hand slowly travels up to the side of my head… only to gasp in complete horror to find that a huge piece of it is no longer there. Sandro puts a mirror in front to let me see for myself the horror that's been done. My skull has been ripped open on the side, leaving nothing but puss, blood and grey brain matter showing as I cry out in pain upon touching it.
"Oh my god…" I wail, feeling completely terrified as the group closes in on me. Struggling and batting my arms against them in a vain attempt to break free, I begin to panic as they tilt the chair and force me on my back to the floor. "NO! STOP THIS, PLEASE! I'LL DO WHATEVER YOU WANT, JUST STOP! NO! PLEASE! NOOooOOOOooooOOO!"
"Should've figured that out sooner," I hear Kenny spit, suddenly appearing within their little group with a salt lick in both of his hands. "This is what I should've done along with Larry, you worthless piece of shit."
I scream in pure terror and fright as I'm held down roughly, and Kenny slams the salt lick straight onto my head.
"AHHHHH!" I scream again, sweat beading down my forehead as I lift my head up. Breathing heavily, I close my eyes and sigh before lying back down on… whatever it is I'm sitting in right now. A bed, most likely.
Hoping that this isn't just another weird, messed-up nightmare, I go to smack myself in the face… but I can't manage to do even that.
Why the fuck am I handcuffed to a hospital bed?!
Struggling against it a few more times, I let out a groan of frustration as I try looking for something to pry my way out of this jam. Luckily there's a little side desk nearby, so I frantically reach over to try and grasp at a pair of scissors. It might not be ideal, but it's probably better than nothing.
"Not happening."
Cautiously turning my head, I see an older fella in the room with me holding a large hunting rifle; cracks in the surface revealing that the guy's probably been through a lot. He's got very little, patchy splotches of beard hair growing on his face, but his eyes betray his middle age. They're piercing and focused, almost seeming like a hawk.
Then I remember where it is exactly that I was.
Grunting and struggling some more with the handcuffs as he rolls the side table away, I fiercely glower at the man as he towers over me.
"You're lucky as shit that I'm the one who found you, and not anyone else," the guy tells me. "Trust me, compared to what you assholes did to our home, you're living in a fucking palace right now. It was either put you in this room, or put you somewhere… unpleasant."
My eyes show him nothing but distrust and hostility as I remain silent, causing him to lean against the wall patiently. When he doesn't say anything either, I lift my free arm to check if I have any brain damage or not – you can never be too sure, you know?
I see the guy widen his eyes in shock for a moment, but the look on his face disappears almost as soon as it came. Narrowing my eyes, my distrust increases tenfold.
"What happened?" I question, wondering why the hell I'm even here in the first place. "We came and ransacked your camp, left your people to die and ruined any possibility of coming back from this. So why save me?"
The man's eyes lower to his weapon for a moment, causing me to think that he's just gonna straight up shoot me. When he doesn't, however, and he simply shrugs his shoulders, I feel a slight sense of momentary relief. "I got talked out of it."
"By who?"
"…your little friend, it would seem," he remarks with a sigh, causing me to widen my eyes in disbelief. Clementine?! But… didn't she try to shoot me earlier? "If it hadn't been for her insisting that I keep you alive, then we wouldn't be talking right now. I had half a mind to toss the both of you off the roof of the space center."
Both? Then that means…
Silently asking if she's alright, the guy nods as if he knows what's on my mind. Instant relief washes over me as I let out a breath that I didn't know I was holding onto. If Jane's still alive then… maybe things aren't quite as shitty as I had thought.
"Then I'm sorry…" I try apologizing, having not been directly involved in the decision to fight all of these innocent people like this. "This isn't how it was supposed to go, but our group was grasping at straws and tearing itself apart. Most of us didn't want this to happen…"
"Your apology means absolutely nothing to me."
"Well," I shrug as I calm myself down, "it's all I've got. I know that it won't replace the people you've lost, but I'm willing to try. Hopefully you can see that someday."
Not saying anything else, the man simply shakes his head and walks over towards me; pulling out a key from his pocket and unlocking the handcuffs as I rub my wrist tenderly.
"Surprised that I didn't try to kill you just now?" I ask, chuckling quietly as he refers back to the gun in his hands. With that, he turns away and walks out the door; leaving me to my thoughts as I tiredly run my fingers through my hair.
I've got some catching up to do.
…
Jane's POV
…god… damn it all…
Why? That's all I want to ask – just… why? Why did it have to be this way? Why did everything have to be so fucked in a matter of fucking hours? Everything we had… gone, in an instant. I shouldn't care about Derek at all, and in some aspects I'm actually glad that he's gone, but… even after breaking our original group apart, he still treated us pretty fairly. I never really liked him per say, but I can't say that I hated the guy either.
He wasn't the reason that I tore Lorna to shreds… literally and figuratively.
Okay, maybe I overreacted just a smidge. But when I saw Lilly knocked out in that corner… I couldn't help it. I went full Rambo on her ass without any remorse until after the deed was done.
And by then, it was far, far too late for regrets… This can't be who I am now. I won't allow it to happen again! That was a slip-up, a fuck-up! I don't get overwhelmed by anger like that, really, I don't! I sort things out and try to get around violence when faced with tough situations – you know, usually by lying, stealing or persuading others to look the other way. It's not cowardly if your life is on the line, believe me.
But I have to believe that it won't happen again.
"Knock-knock," I hear behind me, as rub my eyes in pure relief as Lilly steps out into the early morning air with me. I'm out on a balcony that overlooks much of the city, and to hear my girl's voice again has just made the sun a little brighter as it starts to come up over the horizon.
"You scared the shit out of me!" I admit, hugging her with one arm as my other is in a sling from… recent events. "God, Lilly… you have no idea…"
"Shh… it's uh, it's alright, Jane," she attempts to comfort me, just making me laugh at how pathetic the both of us are at this kind of stuff. Some things will never change. She tries to break apart, but I reel her back in as I firmly place my lips on top of hers; divulging into the kiss as best I can.
After a few more seconds of lovemaking, I lean my forehead against hers; feeling her hot breath upon my cheeks.
"You're amazing…" she whispers, and I can tell that she truly means it as she intertwines her fingers with mine.
"Just don't leave me, Lilly. Promise me… I already lost you before, and I don't want to lose you again…"
When she pauses and doesn't speak for a moment, I break the contact as I step back a little bit. Again, why?! Why can't she say anything?! God damn it, just tell me that everything's gonna end up working out; that nothing else is gonna keep us apart and that I won't have to worry about her getting killed!
But as I look at her sympathetic smile, I realize that there are never any guarantees out here – she knows this as well as I do. What happened last night could just be a small taste of what could really happen. We might not even wake up tomorrow. For all we know, we might get mauled down by walkers that decide to storm inside the building, or hell, the remaining people here might change their minds and just decide to kill us where we stand. Who knows anymore?
That's exactly why we need to treat and live each and every day like it's our very last.
The door creaks open, and out steps the one other person that we never expected to see again. Shutting the door quietly behind her, Clementine turns back around to the two of us; her hat covering most of her eyes as she tries to hide the nice big gash she sustained from Lorna. As far as I can tell, and as long as she doesn't pick at it for a while, then the wound probably won't scar.
Neither of us really know what to say as she slowly approaches; putting her hands in her pockets as she stops a few feet away from us. You wouldn't believe how awkward it feels right now, even though by every account it shouldn't. I'm more than relieved to find that she's alright… but what happened… that doesn't just go away.
Deciding to break the ice, as Lilly certainly doesn't seem like she wants to, I clear my throat and manage to pull off a small smile.
"Umm… hey there, Clementine," I say, feeling that I shouldn't use the short form of Clem right at this moment. "I, uh… wow, where do I even start, heheh…"
The twelve year old raises her face slightly as I finish; her face remaining neutral as she stares the both of us down. Ugh… this would be so much easier if I knew what she was thinking! I've had an easier time trying to talk to a walker than this! I mean, at least when you yell at one of the dead guys, they turn their attention towards you and snarl in response!
"…Bo agreed to let you two stay for a bit. Your friend, too," she explains, referring to Tommy whom I almost completely forgot about. "I told them you weren't really a part of those guys, and that you just got taken away by them and were forced to attack us. That's true, right?"
"…yeah, kiddo, it is," I nod, noticing that her tone of voice has changed since we last saw her. Maybe it's my imagination, but she's done a hell of a lot of growing up in the past month or so, and I'm not afraid to admit that it saddens me. To think that whatever shred of childhood she may have had back at Houston Hills was just taken away so quickly… it's not right.
Seeming to accept my answer, Clementine nods solemnly before gazing at my wounded arm. I'm about to tell her not to worry about it, and that it was all just a big misunderstanding, but she beats me to the punch.
However, it's definitely not the thing that I was expecting to hear.
"What happened to you?" she asks, being completely serious as she looks back into my eyes. I briefly glance over at Lilly for a second, who still hasn't spoken yet, before coming to the conclusion that she doesn't remember. That blow to the head must've fogged up her memory quite a bit, but in this case I'm actually kind of glad. I don't want her to have the guilt of knowing that she was the one who shot me in fact, or if she remembers and pulls out a gun to finish the both of us off.
I want things to be normal again so badly, that I'm willing to come up with any story I can just to put all of this behind us.
Sighing deeply, I bend down to her height and shrug my shoulders nonchalantly. I hate lying to her, but in this case it's for her own good. "Just got nipped when we were storming the gates. I'll be fine, Clementine. It's nothing to worry about."
"…that's good, at least," she hesitates, looking upon it some more before glancing at the both of us again.
It's about five seconds later that the tears start to spring up in her eyes.
Lilly looks shocked as she tries in a vain attempt to calm her down. "Clementine? Are you – "
"I'm so sorry!" she wails, sprinting ahead and practically bowling us over as she tries to hug the both of us at the same time. "I-I didn't mean any of it! I didn't want you to go, and I got scared… I'm so, so sorry…"
"Easy, Clem… You have nothing to apologize for," Lilly consoles, something I didn't think she was capable of doing. "If anything… it should be us. We were stupid, and we should've just listened to you."
It was more my fault than anyone else's, I think to myself sadly, but I don't want this to just turn into a sob story. Trying to place the guilt on me alone is just gonna make things worse, and I don't think that Lilly would even accept it if I tried. The kid's under enough stress and trauma as it is – no sense in adding any more to the list.
And trust me, that list is fucking long.
Once we've all settled down a little bit and break apart, I notice Clem's tearful eyes glance upon Lilly and I's hands – joined together tightly.
I let out a small fit of giggles as she widens her eyes and her jaw drops to the floor.
"You two are…?" she asks, practically jumping with glee as I nod. Honest to god, she looks like a five year old in a candy store right now – completely ecstatic and nearly as happy as Lilly and I are. "I knew it! I CALLED IT! BACK AT HOUSTON HILLS, I WAS JOKING BUT HELL YES I KNEW IT! I CALLED THAT SHIT! AWWWWWWW YEAH!"
I don't know which is more surprising: how over the moon she seems that Lilly and I are together, or the fact that she just said shit without getting angry at something. Either way it's pretty freaking hilarious, and I'm more than a little relieved to see that Clem's starting to act like her old self again.
Or at least, I think she is, anyways.
Getting that famous, mischievous glint in her eyes again, Clementine grabs onto Lilly's hand as she leads us back inside; probably wanting to show us around or try and help out somewhat around here. It feels a little odd and ill-placed just strolling around here after what just happened, but as long as Clem's relatively happy, then I'm happy.
"So… does this mean that I'm gonna be an aunt soon? Are you guys gonna have kids?"
If I had been drinking something, I swear that it would've shot right through my nose.
"Oh my god…" I laugh, having to stop a moment as Lilly goes bright red in the face. "What?! Why the hell do you think…?"
"Well… you know," she remarks with a smirk, leading us down a set of stairs as she says it like it's completely obvious. When neither of us clue in, she huffs and rolls her eyes as she opens the door to the second floor. "Don't you guys do… kissing stuff?"
"Uhh…" Lilly trails off, obviously not feeling too comfortable talking about this kind of thing. I just think this is the funniest conversation I've had in a long while. "It, umm… doesn't exactly work that way, Clem. You need… oh god, I am so not talking about this right now…"
"Now, come on, Lilly! Go ahead!" I tease, earning a small, joking glare from the older woman. "Better she learn now, right? See Clem, when a man and a woman love each other very much, they… Mmph!"
Clementine cocks her head to the side in confusion, probably wondering why Lilly just covered my mouth to prevent me from continuing. She can't help but laugh as we continue onwards though, and I'm glad that things are starting to patch up already.
I've still got my own demons to battle, there's no doubt about that, and I'm sure the others do as well. Plus, there's no way that things are going to be silky-smooth after all of this killing that went on, but we'll make it better. Somehow, we'll find a way.
Gee, look at me! Since when did I turn into Little Miss Sunshine over here?
Leading us down the dreaded corridor, we try to ignore the bodies that ended up getting piled up in the stairwell after the fighting had stopped. Just looking at that rotting pile of corpses makes my skin crawl, but Clementine stops a ways before we have to reach that level.
"Jane and Lilly…" she mumbles, shaking her head as she tries to wrap her head around the idea.
"Are you still going on about that?"
"It's just weird to think about – in a good way, I promise!" she reassures, making me chuckle as she thinks that I'm offended. "Jaaaaaaannnnnnneeeeee and Lilllllllllllllllyyyyyyyy… Jally? No, that's stupid… Lillane? Nope."
"What are you doing?" Lilly asks, the two of us watching as she leads us over to one of the doors in the hallway.
"Thinking of a name for you two so it's easier to remember!" she smirks, twisting the doorknob as she slightly opens it up. "Jilly… I like it! Now come on, there's a couple of people I want you to meet."
AN: There you have it, folks! I know not a whole ton happened, but this story's winding down and I needed to have that little reunion thing in there – after all, they ARE the three main characters!
I just wanted to take this time to thank all of the reviewers, followers and favs for this story. You guys have been absolutely phenomenal, and it was a pleasure writing this for you all. I may come back and do the third part, but I'll have to give it some time first to plan it out and such. But anyways, I'd like to thank the following reviewers for all of you awesome feedback:
Rebloxic, ClemmyClue19, EmilyRose727, VictoriaSW, Bubbles2k100, ashes2ashes, Galen Devereaux, the Guest who kept reviewing (I don't know your name, sorry), Petulant Octopus, Lord Skarlet, spiderclone51, Salient Spring, Aqua Destiny's Embrace, kesarkuch, Oreo Anarchy (thank you so much for the cover art, you've got no idea how frickin amazing that was :D), Sven the Crusader, clementinewolf18, Kiwipunch99, and all of the other guests! Thanks for all the support for this, guys :D
Don't worry, there's still one more chapter to go, and it's probably gonna be pretty long. I just wanted to do this now so that I don't waste too much time with ANs in the next chapter. Anyways, adios, amigos!
Leafs Nation