As usual, thank you for the reviews and feedback! The next chapter will be the last. Shoutout to The Liability and Owen96 for the suggestions for this chapter, and thanks to Assassin's Creed Master for the help!

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"Eek!" Sarah squealed as she lit up a match for the first time.

"There, you got it!" Clementine praised with a smile, rocking AJ gently.

It was nighttime, exactly four days after the incident with Kenny and Jane. Clementine was in the process of teaching Sarah how to build and light a fire. They were sitting outside of their shelter for the night. The older girl was a bit apprehensive, somewhat afraid that she or someone else would get burned, but Clementine told her that it was important to not be afraid of fire.

Sarah slowly lowered the match to the burning wood, and successfully had the two items touch without getting burned.

"I did it!" she exclaimed, smiling back at Clem. She rubbed her hands together and warmed them by the fire, and then decided to ask something that was on her mind for a little while now.

"Clem?"

"Yeah, Sarah?"

"What happened to Sarita?" Sarah genuinely wanted to know, looking around to make sure that the coast was clear. "I haven't seen her since we were at Carver's place. And that was like, forever ago now. Where is she?"

Clementine had a saddened expression on her face, looking away briefly. But she knew that it was time to stop hiding things from Sarah.

"I..." Clem paused, looking down at AJ. "She got bit in the herd, after your...well, you know. I cut off her arm to try and save her. She screamed, and walkers got to her before I could do anything. She was gone..."

Sarah looked shocked, then upset. "That's awful, I really liked her." She couldn't help but feel to blame. "...Should I apologize to Kenny?"

Clementine looked at her, confused. "What do you mean?"

"Should I apologize? I think it was because I screamed...when Dad was..." Sarah couldn't say anymore.

"Sarita's death wasn't your fault, Sarah," Clementine reassured her. "You don't have anything to apologize for. It was mine...I should have never cut off her arm."

"But you didn't know-"

"How's the fire comin' along, girls?" Kenny interrupted as he came back from filling a few water canteens from a nearby river. He didn't seem to have heard any part of the conversation. He handed one canteen each to Clementine and Sarah and then turned to the younger of the two. "I'll take AJ now, Clem."

Sarah took a long drink of the cold, refreshing water, smiling at the satisfaction it gave her body.

"I would make that last," Kenny advised both girls. He took a seat on the log adjacent to the one the girls were sitting on, now holding AJ. "We may not find water again for awhile. Hopefully Wellington will have more than plenty."

"How much farther do you think we'll walk?" Clementine inquired.

"Hell if I know," Kenny grumbled. "But I know we'll be gettin' close soon. We should start seein' signs in a couple days."

"I hope the people there aren't mean, like Carver was," Sarah picked up a stick and began poking the snow.

"I'm positive that things will be fine, okay?" Kenny replied, nodding at her.

"Okay."

"Why don't you girls go inside and go to sleep? I'll take first watch with Alvie here."

Sarah and Clementine bade Kenny goodnight and entered the small wooden hut, which was their shelter for the night. Luckily, it had been clear of walkers, and held the four canteens (one for each of them, including the baby).

But neither girl seemed to be able to fall asleep. Sarah knew that Clem was awake when she heard movement from the younger girl. Maybe they could have another one of those "sleepover chats," like when they left the cabin. She turned over to face her friend.

"Clem?" Sarah whispered.

Clementine turned her head.

"What..." Sarah paused. "What did your mom and dad do? Like work and stuff? Where did you live before all this?" She had been told that Clementine's parents had passed away very early on in the apocalypse, but that was all. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

"We lived in Georgia," said Clementine. "Right near Atlanta. My mom was a doctor, like your dad. And my dad was an engineer."

Sarah brightened when she realized that they both had a parent who'd been a doctor.

"My mom was a high school teacher," she explained. "But I don't remember what she taught. I think it was science, but I don't remember now." Her eyes welled up when she thought of her mother. "She died the day it happened. Dad and I were leaving to find her, but we found her outside of her work with a huge bite mark on her neck. She was already..." She couldn't say anymore.

She placed a hand to her chest, her heart aching for her dead parents. She sat up. "S-Sorry, I..."

Clementine sat up too, sitting Indian style and looking at the older girl in concern. Sarah didn't want to seem weak to Clem anymore, and tried to get herself together. She decided to share some happy memories.

"My mom used to sing to me whenever I felt sad, or scared," she continued. "She would sing this one song that always made me feel better. Her voice was real sweet and gentle. I don't remember the name of the song, though..."

Clementine gave Sarah a small smile, and she smiled back.

"My dad would let me stay up late sometimes, so we could look at the stars," Clem added. "Lee and I did that too, once. They both told me about the con..." She closed her eyes briefly. "...constellations."

"Like Polaris?"

"Yeah."

Sarah stopped for a moment. "We lived in North Carolina, by the mountains. Not near the cabin, but in the same state. Our house was this really pretty blue. What color was your house?"

"...Yellow." It was as if Clementine had trouble remembering.

Sarah leaned back against the wall and stared at her lap. "I still miss my dad. And my mom. That's okay, right?" When Clementine gave her an "off" look, she continued. "I mean, people are trying so hard to stay alive that it's like we're not allowed to think about people who died. And I still think about my parents."

"Of course it's okay to miss them, Sarah. I still miss my parents, too...and Lee."

"Okay. I was just wondering."

"Are you two still awake in there?" Kenny called from outside.

Clementine and Sarah gave each other a knowing smile as if they were rebelling.

"Sorry, Kenny," Clem answered, both girls lying back down.

Sarah lay on her side, facing the wall. She tried to fall asleep, as she usually did so within seconds, but something was keeping her awake. It wasn't AJ, he was sleeping outside in Kenny's arms right now. She was thinking about the first day this all started.

Flashback

"Your turn, Dad!" a nearly thirteen-year-old Sarah exclaimed cheerfully. She and Carlos were playing Sarah's favorite board game at home while waiting for her mother, Astrid, to return home from work. She was caught up in a meeting, but that wasn't really anything to worry about since it happened about once a week. But for some reason, Astrid was at work later than usual. Carlos brushed it off as just a lot of tests to grade.

It was just a normal, relaxing evening, with nothing eventful happening. Or so they thought.

Carlos rolled the dice and moved his character seven spaces, and the game was about over.

"I win!" Sarah cried, smiling widely. "Can we play again?"

"Maybe in the morning, Sarah," Carlos replied. "It's almost your bedtime anyway. Why don't you get ready and I'll be up to tuck you in soon."

"Okay," Sarah pouted, but did not argue. She walked upstairs to her bedroom and put on her pale blue pajamas, and crawled into her bed. Carlos walked in a few minutes later.

"Where's Mom?" the twelve-year-old asked as her father finished tucking the covers around her. "Will she be back soon?"

"She had to stay after the meeting," Carlos replied, but a look of uncertainty that Sarah didn't catch crossed his features, as it was a little after nine at night. "Don't worry, sweetie, she'll be home soon."

"I hope so," Sarah responded, taking off her glasses and placing them on her bedside table. "Goodnight, Dad."

"Goodnight, Sarah." Carlos kissed his daughter on the forehead, and turned off the light. He exited her room, leaving the door open a crack and the hall light on. Sarah turned to face the wall and fell asleep.

But Sarah wasn't asleep for very long, as Carlos shook her on the shoulder.

"Sarah, you need to wake up, now," Carlos whispered.

"Hmm?" Sarah stirred, and turned around to face her father.

"Listen, honey, you need to get up. Get dressed and pack a few things. We need to find your mother and leave the city. She hasn't come home yet."

"Why?" Sarah was confused.

"Just do it, and hurry," Carlos answered, exiting the bedroom and closing the door.

Sarah quickly got dressed in a red T-shirt and light blue jeans, wondering why she and her father had to leave so suddenly. She ran downstairs with a small pink duffle bag where Carlos was waiting with a small bag of supplies.

"I'm ready!" she announced.

Carlos nodded. "Good, let's go."

Sarah was confused as to why Carlos was shielding her on the way to the car, but she didn't question it. As they drove away from their home, Sarah noticed that the place was practically deserted, and that there were some strange people-like things wandering around aimlessly.

"Dad, where is everybody?" she inquired. "What are those things?"

"They went on vacation, Sarah, to get away from the sick people," Carlos explained. "Those people there were infected."

Sarah seemed satisfied with that answer, much to Carlos's relief. He pulled the car into the high school parking lot, prepared to search for Astrid.

What he was NOT prepared for, however, was her undead form almost right in front of them.

End of Flashback

Sarah shuddered, clearly remembering Carlos telling her to look away and cover her ears. Her mom had somehow gotten bit, possibly the reason why she was "held up at work."

She noticed Kenny coming in to check on them, so she quickly faced the wall and closed her eyes, hoping to rest enough for the coming days ahead.

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I hope you enjoyed that. XD The next chapter will be the finale. I didn't expect it to even be this long, let alone longer than Through Her Eyes. o.o But I do have a one-shot planned for when I finished, it'll be a happy one. :3 Please leave feedback!