2:24 PM - November 6, 2025
Dot [Ellie]
The steady stream of wind blew through the valley, sending snow floating through the air in miniscule clouds of icy particles. Said snow crunched beneath Ellie's feet as she lifted her bow, eyes narrowing and zeroing in on the first live animal she'd seen in what felt like hours.
All that food they got from the bandits near the university had seemed like so much , but it was starting to dwindle. Her supply had all but run dry, while Clementine's had barely enough to sustain them for the next half week or so. They had to find something to extend their supply, to keep their non-perishables lasting long enough for Joel to recover.
And right now, that something was a small, white rabbit digging its way out of the snow.
She let the arrow loose, mouthing ' yes! ' as it pierced the tiny animal, sticking out the other side. The rabbit died in an instant, to her relief. She didn't want to see the poor thing squirming.
She flashed Clementine a weary smile as she trudged through the snow, grabbing their prize by the back of its neck, the smile fading as she realized just how small it was.
She groaned. "This won't last very long." Nevertheless, she approached Callus quickly, wrapping spare leather ties around its neck and tying it to the side of the horse. With Joel, and poor Whiskers, left at the house in the nearby town, their situation wasn't looking… great, but at least they had mobility. It was going to be necessary while they searched for more food.
She let out a frustrated sigh as she paced through the snow, looking back towards her baseball-capped friend in a mixed look of frustration and desperation. As much as she'd been trying to hide it from the girl since that night at the rangers' station, her fortitude was wearing thin. "We should head back to that river… right? I – I mean, something'sgotta hang around there. Fuck , I don't know."
This entire situation was shit. So nothing's fucking changed.
Art [Clementine]
The glimpses of sunlight in the early afternoon were a consistently welcome change of pace from the unbearable Colorado wintertime. For Clementine, mornings usually consisted of keeping watch while Ellie fired and recovered arrows, and skinning whatever sparse meat they did manage to lay their hands on in the middle of nowhere. Retroactively, and until further notice, they were waiting on Joel. Whether it was him waking up or else, moving before he fully recovered was a waste of energy. With Whiskers sick and unfit to do as little as lifting a foot, the decision had made itself, almost like an unspoken agreement.
Whatever the case, time was running out, and the plight they found themselves in continued to worsen by the hour.
Stuffed in Clem's backpack - for months, by that point - had been a pair of lavender earmuffs, perfect to keep warm what her hair couldn't cover, and even better for making her look like a five-year-old lost in a blizzard. It was a little too late to start growing a fashion sense, she supposed, not that the timing of it all did the item in question any favors.
Lifting her increasingly de creasing spirits was the prospect of getting to eat that night, which, up until then, was progressively looking more and more ill-advised. They had to make a few cans and a rabbit last for... who knows how long, depending on Joel. How the hell were they gonna do that? Sadly, neither of the girls had the answers, despite sharing in the panic brewing from the current state of affairs.
" Nice job, " Clem spoke in what almost sounded like a whisper, commending her friend for nailing the shot while sitting with her legs stretched open, using her knees as support for the arm that held her rifle. Their next stop was gonna be the river, or, at least that's what she gathered from the frenzy in Ellie's voice.
The sun was still shining and they'd already met their bare minimum quota for the day. Couldn't hurt to check.
"Sure," she said. "We'll go around a few times, see if we can find anything." Clementine boosted herself up from the snow, brushing away what remained of it spread all over her cargo pants. With her hands rested on Callus's back, Clem readied herself to climb on top of him, stopping a second early to check up on a wide-eyed Ellie.
"What."
Dot [Ellie]
It had been just a tiny movement in the corner of her eye, but it was more than enough to divert her attention to it, swiveling her head in its direction like a deer caught in headlights. And speaking of deer… a decently sized buck stood across the frozen meadow, trying desperately to get at some grass beneath the snow. It hadn't seen them yet.
Clementine's voice was enough to bring her back, and she turned towards her with a genuine smile this time. That thing would be enough food to last them… god , ages? Enough to keep them going until a more permanent solution could be found, anyway. And with how fucking cold it's gotten, maybe they had a chance of keeping it from spoiling.
Nevertheless, she brought a finger to her lips, silencing any further inquiries from her friend before pointing the deer out. She took a cautious step back towards Callus, taking the reins from Clementine and tying it around a small tree growing next to its much larger brother. "He'll just scare it," she whispered, unslinging her bow from over her shoulder and holding it tightly.
The deer seemed to have enough, sauntering away from the speck of green in the white blanket of snow, heading back towards the river.
"Come on," she breathed, stepping as quietly as she could. "We can still get it before it gets away."
Art [Clementine]
Clementine crouched down, following Ellie's lead, and underneath her watchful eyes, a hint of a smile that risked turning into a grin. This was it: their jackpot. With that much meat, they could keep everyone fed and then some. Not have to worry about food for maybe whole weeks!
Her eyebrows knitted slightly, the girl trying not to let the promise of deer for supper distract her from pulling off the absolute backbreaker of a task they'd set out to do. Her rifle might've had the range and the power, but every tempting high reward came with its own set of high risks. One bad miss and they'd spook it, waste a bullet, and attract something nasty their way. It wasn't even a question.
Clementine trusted Ellie with this from A to Z.
Still, having faith in her archery was one thing, making sure her friend had a solid plan in mind was another. "How're we doing this?"
Dot [Ellie]
Ellie tried her best to keep the deer in her sight, watching as it trotted through the trees in the distance. She'd have to wait until it stopped again to fire, too afraid that she'd miss it if she tried now. If they were lucky, it'd only take one shot.
She glanced towards Clementine as the younger girl followed her, quietly asking about her plan. She didn't have one, really, besides trying to wait until the best opportunity presented itself, and that wasn't right now.
"It's bound to stop eventually, so we just gotta follow it until then," she breathed, crouching low to hide behind a large rock as the deer began to pass through a narrow break in the steep hills surrounding them. It was heading back towards the river. She turned back towards Clem. "When it does, it's dead meat."
They followed through the gap, a smile appearing on Ellie's face as the deer finally came to a stop next to the river. It bent down for a drink, unaware of the fact Ellie was pulling back the string on her bow, arrow notched and ready. She let it loose, watching as it soared through the air before piercing the deer near the neck. The sound it made was surprised, strangled, panicked, and it galloped off, leaving a trail of blood behind.
"Shit," Ellie breathed, waving Clementine over. "Come on, we gotta track it down."
Art [Clementine]
"Try not to slip on the way down," Clementine teased the other girl with a snicker, alluding to Ellie's blunder from last week. They'd have to make some distance to catch up to the damn thing, clearly. Looking at it optimistically - as challenging as that was - their best bet was tiring it out and finishing it off once it couldn't move anymore. The poor thing was gonna have to bleed out eventually.
They trekked down the heaps of snow, using their prey's blood as means of direction. Going as far as they were away from Joel and the refuge, well, it felt pretty unnerving. Not because they didn't know the way back. Hell, with all the worried glances over her shoulder, Clem'd have a hard time forgetting. It was always the lack of knowing. The danger of uncertainty.
The thought that, if anything happened, Lee and Joel wouldn't be there.
What calmed her down, or rather, kept her enough on edge to rob her attention from her own self, was the agglomerate of abandoned cabins only a few yards away, emphasized in their eeriness by a large barn, decayed to its core. That's where the blood led, for sure, and Clementine was no happier for it. "Stay close," she softly spoke, hoping Ellie would listen. The quicker they left that place behind, the better.
They just had to find the deer first.
Dot [Ellie]
She answered Clem's tease with an eye roll, sticking her tongue out at the girl in an act of childish defiance. She wasn't going to let her live that down, apparently.
The trail of blood eventually led them to the husk of a barn, its walls barely standing, and its roof caved in in several areas. As they entered, Ellie's gaze followed the trail, her voice barely audible as she spoke to herself. "Everything's cool… this place is not creepy at all…"
The unsettling feeling electrified her skin until they finally made it to the other side. In the clearing beyond the barn, the deer had finally collapsed to the ground, ceasing to move altogether. Damn, that was a pretty fucking good shot.
They approached quickly, silently working out just how they were going to get that thing back to the house. That thought process, however, didn't have time to play out in Ellie's mind, a twig snapping in the distance forcing her to swivel towards it, aiming her bow in one quick motion.
"Who's there?! Come out!"
Dot [Henry Simmons]
It'd been another shitty day of hunting. The game had either moved on from the area or hunted to the last one. Either way, it meant that Simmons was having a shitty fucking time.
It was just him and another one of the hunters out there. Hunt in twos, always. It was like an unspoken rule. His compatriot walked through the snow nearby, keeping his eyes sharp for any sign of wild game to catch.
It turned out that Simmons would be the one to spot it. They were approaching this old factory in the middle of the woods, surrounded by broken down homes and a barn, when the sight of a dead deer on the ground caught his attention. An arrow was sticking out of its neck.
He gestured for his buddy to slow down and assess the situation. If there was another hunter out here, they needed to make sure if it was one of them. Though no one else was scheduled to be. Probably fuckin' Arthur and his fucking cult.
He pulled the other Hunter back behind cover as two figures emerged from the barn, heading for the downed deer. Girls. Kids, actually. Probably no older than fifteen. Simmons's eyes narrowed, watching them carefully before taking a step back, right onto a twig.
The taller one heard it, swiveling around to face towards where they were hiding.
Well, what was the worst they could do? They were a couple of fucking kids.
He took a step out, revealing himself to the teenagers, taking in their appearances. For a moment, he wondered if they had any affiliation with that cunt in his basement. He'd been traveling with kids and another dickhead, so…
… if that was the case, this might prove entertaining.
"Hey there," he opened with, giving them a short wave, keeping his hands away from his pockets. "Sorry to come up on you like that. Didn't expect to see anyone else out in these woods. That your deer?" He pointed towards it. The question was mere formality. The deer would be his, soon enough.
Art [Clementine]
Clem was on her knees, looking over the deer with a mixture of relief and pity. Ellie's arrow had pierced cleanly through the animal's neck, bringing about a fountain of blood from the tear in its hide, the liquid blended in with bits of flesh and bone. It might've been really dumb, but she couldn't but feel for it, compelled to look away, straight into the snow, in consequence of giving the deer an agonizing, slow death.
Her eyes shifted again, more so, and largely before she had the chance to process why that was. The sounds of wood being crushed to pieces had drawn her gaze toward the surrounding trees, instinctually, like the one expected of a feral beast. Ellie had done the same, readying her bow in the direction of the sound.
People.
Clementine had dealt with encounters like this dozens of times, and yet they never failed to make her jumpy. Her rifle lay in the snow, next to the deer's carcass. She wouldn't dare to reach for it unless the girl knew she'd absolutely have to. The thought process was simple: They were either hungry or they were bandits. Usually, they were both. Maybe they wanted a portion, to make a deal, or to just kill them and steal everything they had. Clem intended to make them walk either way, be it by force or otherwise. Sharing their food was completely out of the question.
The younger girl's brows took a downward dive, as did the edges of her lips, forming a harsh scowl. "Yeah," she answered apathetically, eyes narrowing and boring into the man asking the question, her right hand itching to grab the rifle next to her. "We got it first. Arrow's right here to prove it." Straightforward and tactful, that was her goal... despite coming off more than a little abrasive.
"... So back off."
Dot [Henry Simmons]
The shorter one was the one to look out for, despite the fact she wasn't even the one aiming a weapon at him. Simmons kept his hands raised, taking a step forward, while trying to diffuse the situation. From behind him, his other compatriot began to come out too, mimicking Simmons.
"We just want to talk," Henry stated evenly. When was the last time he said that and meant it? Probably never. Nevertheless, these kids were the ones with weapons trained on them, so some tact was required.
"Any sudden moves and I put one right between your eyes," the older one replied harshly, pulling her bowstring back a bit farther. She gestured towards Henry's friend with a tilt of her bow. "Ditto for buddy boy over there. What do you want?"
At least it seemed that the girl was willing to hear them out. The other, not so much… he began to wonder what she'd taste like, if they managed to bring them back home. Children weren't exactly the best source of food, but they were something. Something that they needed right now.
He gestured to himself with a hook of his thumb, keeping his voice from getting too abrasive. "Name's Henry Simmons. This here's James. We're from a larger group. Women, children… we're all starving."
"So are we," the older one stated, though quieter than before. "Women and children, all starving too."
"Well, you've got a truckload of meat there. Reckon you're up for a little bit of a trade? What do you need? Weapons? Ammo? Clothes…?"
"Medicine!" The girl suddenly shouted, her eyes darting between Simmons and the other girl. "Do you have… any antibiotics?"
Simmons took a second to think it over. Medicine wasn't exactly their most surplus supply right now, but he had no intention of actually giving any over anyway. But still, he had to look like he was willing to make a deal.
"We do. Back at our camp. You're welcome to come with us-"
Art [Clementine]
That whole thing was a mess, getting progressively worse the more Ellie opened her mouth. I get it, thought Clementine, albeit, with a grimace, nothing if not aware of how fucked up their Joel situation was... and how much Ellie cared for him. If those guys were legit, then... fuck, it could actually be worth it. They were playing with fire, trusting a group of strangers not to take advantage of two kids. She'd make sure they wouldn't get the chance, for Ellie's sake and her own.
"Not happening," Clementine cut the guy off, her tongue as sharp as a rapier. "You stay, he goes," she said assertively, nodding at the quiet one, the one Ellie called 'buddy boy'. The girl clutched the straps of her backpack, swiftly setting it down in front of her so that she could easily ruffle through it. She'd left all the important stuff back with Joel, whatever would slow her down while they were out hunting. It was just food in there: canned tomatoes and beans, two of each. All they had. Clem stood up the moment she was done looking through it, tossing it at the man's feet, her other hand now gripping at the rifle. "The deer. We'll share it fifty-fifty. You can take the cans up front, so your group knows we're not lying. There's enough there for at least a few days."
"You bring us medicine, you get your half of the deer. That's the deal."
Clementine's jaw tightened, raw anger seeping through her clenched teeth. "You pull anything behind our back, we'll kill you and whoever else shows up. Got that?"
Dot [Henry Simmons]
I like you, kid. You've got some serious lady balls.
Simmons regarded the two teenagers for a moment, thinking over the deal. As it stood, it wasn't a bad deal. If he was intending to go through with it. Finally, he turned towards James.
"Two bottles of the penicillin and a syringe. Chop-chop." James's surprised face looked towards him and the two girls in quick movements, and Henry jerked his head towards the distance behind them. "Go on, get movin'."
With that, James finally left. Now was the fun part.
Dot [Ellie]
Ellie peered towards Clementine as she negotiated the terms for the deal, silently thankful that she decided to go along with it. They still had half a deer, and they'll get something to keep Joel alive. It was better than them ending up alone.
As Buddy Boy darted off, Ellie kept her bow raised, focusing her gaze on Henry. Her voice was low, demanding. "I'll take that rifle." She indicated the rifle he had slung over his shoulder with a jerk of her head. The man hesitated for a fraction of a second, long enough for Ellie to narrow her eyes, before he finally nodded.
"You got it, kid."
He took a couple steps forward, holding onto the strap of the rifle before slowly lowering it to the ground at Ellie's feet. She answered this with a simple "back up," before quickly grabbing it, slinging her bow over her shoulder before aiming the rifle towards him, checking the chamber to see if it was loaded.
An uncomfortable silence fell on them. Even the wind had seemed to have died off. Henry looked between them and where his friend had run off, letting out a half-chuckle.
"That asshole's slow, so he's… probably gonna be a while. You girls mind if we head inside, and out of this cold?"
Art [Clementine]
Clementine shot Ellie a worried, yet knowing glance, trying to get a feel for her assessment on this. A lure for a trap? Couldn't be. They were both holding him at gunpoint. Of all people, she thought of Joel and what he would've done in a situation like that. Knock the guy out cold was the girl's foremost thought, and she couldn't help but smile inwardly as it came to mind. Never in a million years did Clem think she'd actually miss having the old guy around.
When Ellie returned her a nod, Clementine exhaled a visible puff of air, now settled on some semblance of a plan. He was unarmed and alone. They could afford to wait for his friend somewhere a little warmer.
"Fine," said Clementine, setting her rifle next to Ellie for the other girl to pick up, before grabbing the deer by its horns. "Help me pull." Given that her best friend had a gun pointed at the stranger, it was less a request and more of a command. Frankly, he was lucky they didn't make him carry it alone.
A long couple of minutes had passed. The temporary group of three settled for one of the close-by cabins. The closest one, in fact, to spare them from having to carry the animal too long a distance. Clem had a small fire going with little effort, all thanks to all those matches they found. Now, they all sat opposite to each other, sharing incredulous looks, the deer safely guarded behind Ellie and a gun with plenty of kickback.
This was going to be a long wait.
Dot [Henry Simmons]
They settled into one of the decrepit cabins in the area, the girl with the ballcap being the one to start a fire in the fireplace. He bent his knees, holding his hands out towards the fire to feel its warmth soak into his skin. Being out in the cold all day, being left here with a couple of kids didn't seem so bad. Being warm far outweighed anything else.
The older one was putting herself between him and the deer, as if Simmons would just start cutting bits off of it at any second. Clearly, they didn't trust him as far as they could throw him, which was smart on their part. The few that have trusted him in the past got what they deserved.
Time would tell if this would end the same way, and time marched on like the fickle bitch it was, the seconds turning into minutes, and his thoughts dwelled on how he'd gut James the next time he saw him for being too fucking slow.
Instead, he broke the ice. At least he could confirm some shit while he waited.
"So," he started, glancing towards the shorter girl with a raised eyebrow. "What's a couple kids doin' out here? Got a group nearby?" Neither of 'em look sick, so they gotta have someone.
Art [Clementine]
It was bound to happen sooner or later. The man started asking questions. Dangerous ones. The kind that made her brows nestle closely and her nostrils flare in enmity. Clementine laid near the fire, rifle strapped to her shoulder, eyes locked, static, on the caring stranger. "We're just trying to make by," she answered quietly and callously, hostility still exuding from her voice. "Same as everyone else."
Dot [Henry Simmons]
Dodging the question, huh? The answer had been as predictable as the coming of winter. They weren't alone, but whoever they were with was likely too sick to move around. In his experience, people tended to lie in favor of the opposite in these situations. Alone? You make yourself look strong by stating you've got a large group. With a group? You make yourself seem alone. It's often easy to tell if they were telling the truth, and this definitely had 'lie' written all over it.
"Seem awful young to be traveling by yourselves," he stated evenly, giving the more aggressive girl a sympathetic look. As sympathetic as he could fake, anyway. "I respect that. Takes a lot of guts."
Dot [Ellie]
Ellie clutched the rifle tighter as the conversation between Henry and Clementine continued to escalate, questions that burrowed troubling thoughts into her mind being thrown around by the stranger. She answered the man's comment with an unyielding glare. "We make do."
"I bet," came the response, the older man letting out a small sigh as he returned his gaze to the fire. Ellie watched him intently, waiting for him to make a move. Waiting for an excuse to get them out of this mess. After they got that medicine, they'll do what they need to, and hopefully go their separate ways.
"You know, I…" Henry spoke again, taking a metal stoke from nearby and poking at the fire. "This winter's been an absolute bitch so far. I'm sure you've noticed. Food's been runnin' low, our people are on the verge of dying." He stopped poking the fire, glancing towards Ellie with an unreadable expression. "A couple weeks back, I sent out a scouting party to find some food in a nearby town. A few didn't make it. The survivors said that the others had been, ah… slaughtered, by a crazy man. And get this…" He seemed to smile after that, an uncomfortable feeling forming in the pit of Ellie's gut. "He's a crazy man, travelin' with another asshole, and a couple kids."
Ellie lifted the rifle, aiming it towards Henry as his smile only grew. "Now don't get your panties in a twist, kid. What happened wasn't your fault. Neither of you. You're just kids."
"You people killed him…" Ellie suddenly whispered, anger evident in her tone. This asshole was part of that same group, the ones that took Lee away. The ones that nearly got Joel killed. She wanted to pull the trigger, desperately, but stopped short, finger centimeters away from pressing down.
"Did we now?" Henry chided, shaking his head. She wanted to knock that arrogant smile off of his face, her arms shaking as she clutched the rifle tighter. "I've been nothing but hospitable with you, and you wanna blame me for your friend's fucking mistakes?"
Art [Clementine]
It hit her slowly. As long as it took to produce fire out of a flicker, for those flames to enfold forgathered chunks of wood. Clem couldn't believe it at first. Refused to, maybe, but once the message got through, quelling the disquietness in her clenched fists turned into something verging on the impossible. He went on to talk more, hateful remarks venting through a wicked smile, making the girl's own teeth clench and grind together as though they were about to shatter into pieces. The words leaving that man's mouth, every single syllable, went on to become the flicker that generated the melting fire in Clementine's eyes.
Until she lost all control of it.
The girl charged forward, using her feet to propel herself in the man's direction, boots slamming into the bonfire as she closed the gap between them. Clem grabbed him by his shirt collar, smashing his back against the cabin's frail walls, and pulling a knife to his throat, pressing it hard enough against his neck to draw a faint amount of blood. The frenzy-eyed teen couldn't speak, or even think to say anything to the one in front of her. She couldn't think of anything at all.
She wouldn't waste her breath sharing words with a dead man.
Shadowman [James]
Now was his chance, it hadn't even been a minute of waiting outside and watching through the window. Those two little shits already gave him a reason… and all he needed was one. Henry knew he was hiding there, since he'd nonchalantly glanced over a few times during his conversation with the girls. James waited for a signal as the three of them sat around the fire, a nod of the head… something to tell him to get involved, but it never came. What the hell does he think he's doing here?
This couldn't have been right, wasting precious resources on the very same people that killed their friends out on the field. There was no way he could be considering helping them, after everything they'd done. That's when things started to get nasty, the girl with the ballcap barreling towards Henry with the knife.
While they were distracted with his superior, James stormed inside the building. With the pistol in his hand, the man rushed the redheaded girl from behind, pressing the barrel of his gun up against the back of her head.
"You think you can turn around fast enough before I put one in your skull? Because I'm willing to bet you can't. Feel free to try, though." The man spoke through gritted teeth into her ear. He'd be able to shoot her faster then she could try to lug that big rifle towards him, he wasn't worried in the slightest about that. Instead, he turned his attention towards the immediate threat, now using his newfound leverage on her.
"Listen you crazy bitch! You'll drop that knife unless you want me to end this right now." He called out while pressing the gun further into the redhead's neck.
When it came to cutting up the meat, James was the man to get it done. It wasn't really a job anyone wanted. There were no limits on who it would be, that was just the job. Men, woman… even children, and sometimes he'd have to do it on short notice. The kids could be especially hard to get through on an emotional level. But these ones… he knew he wouldn't regret a thing once he had em' on his chopping block.
Dot [Ellie]
Ellie stiffened as she felt the barrel of a pistol pressed against her head, the color in her face draining away in an instant. All she could do was watch as the man behind her shouted at Clementine to back away from Henry, who smiled deviously towards the girl holding a knife to his throat. Despite the faint dribble of blood down his neck, he seemed frustratingly calm.
"Better listen to him, kid," Henry stated, glancing between Clementine and the man behind Ellie in quick looks.
She still wanted to shoot him, but she was helpless to do anything, lest she receive a bullet in the back of her head. She cursed.
"Clem…" Ellie breathed, hoping that she'd do something to get them out of this mess.
Art [Clementine]
Clementine's wide open eyes were as vicious as they were empty, her pupils quavering in place as though they were about to burst through the girl's irises. She sunk the knife deep enough to make him hurt, for taking Lee away from her, for making her think they could trust him for even a miserable fucking second.
Sadly, that's as far she would go before his friend came back.
The rest came as a no-brainer, though she still found herself cursing the very worst words from under her breath, loosening the grip on the both the man's collar and of the knife pressed against his throat. Clementine backed away, slowly, so as to keep the other schmuck from shooting her and her friend. Things had gone from bad to worse in the span of a microsecond, and the outlook wasn't in their favor. She threw the knife away, painfully aware of how useless fighting back was. They had the two of them on a silver plate.
Still, Clementine's gaze didn't waver, and neither did her posture. Raising her hands, begging for mercy... it was about as futile as trying to reach her rifle in time. The girl mentally braced herself, helplessly mulling over all the mistakes that led her to that point. If they wanted to kill them, they were gonna do it now.
Dot [Henry Simmons]
The knife was released from his throat, and Simmons instinctively covered his neck with his hand, wiping the blood away before smearing it on the arm of Clementine's jacket. Better hers than his. He took a step away from the kid, glancing towards the other as she kept her weapon trained on the floor beneath her, but not dropping it.
Under normal circumstances, this would be the part where he'd haul them back to town, and let the butchers go to town on them, but… he had a better idea.
The other asshole was out there, the one that joined forces with the asshat in his basement. The one that he tried to rob back in Pittsburgh. The one that killed the majority of his men on that supply run.
He wanted to find him more than anything.
He picked up the girl's dropped knife, admiring just how well-maintained it was. Sharp, and covered in his blood. He turned back towards James, clutching the knife tightly in his hand. The man was carrying a paper bag in his other hand, with the antibiotics he'd sent him to retrieve.
Time to let these little cunts go and lead them right to asshole number two.
"Give 'em the medicine," he stated in a rough voice, turning towards Clementine, flipping the knife around in his hand and extending the hilt out towards her.
Shadowman [James]
James shot his head towards Simmons, who looked surprisingly calm for someone that was bleeding from the neck. He followed his orders, always did. But this one he just couldn't fathom, giving them medicine...? After all the crap these little rats had caused for their people? He didn't give a damn if they were just kids, they were still dangerous to keep alive.
"What do you mean...?" His breathing became erratic as he refused to lower the gun from the girl's head, not necessarily wanting to go against the man, but he was damn sure going to question this. "We- we can't give em' this. No way!"
Dot [Henry Simmons]
"Just do as I fucking say," Simmons snapped, sending the man a harsh look, one that both conveyed his disapproval of his questioning of his orders, and how Simmons had something bigger planned here. He only hoped that the dumbass was smart enough to figure it out. It seemed to be enough, though, and James lowered his gun. The girl instantly moved away from him, pointing her rifle at James while she grabbed Clem's dropped rifle from the floor, taking the bag of medicine from him when she prompted for it.
He returned his gaze to the girl, Clem, according to the other chick, a serious look on his face. "I'm giving you what you wanted. Go save your friend, or whatever. You clearly need the medicine for someone. Call it an apology for what happened at the university." He paused, continuing in a softer tone. "For the record, we didn't kill your other friend. After you three abandoned him, we took him in. He's fine."
Art [Clementine]
Her eyes widened again, as far as they could stretch. He was really letting them go...? A speechless Clementine extended her right hand to grab the knife, afraid and methodic, waiting for Henry to pull a rug from under her feet. It didn't make any sense. They wouldn't get anything from handing out their supplies to a couple of kids. Was it pity? She was as wary as she was shocked, gripping the handle of her knife almost as if it was about to come to life and bite her hand.
What followed, though, is what really made the girl stagger on her feet.
'We took him in', he said, and Clementine almost let out a scoff, averting her gaze, letting her knife back in its sheath. He must've thought she was just some dense little girl. It wouldn't be the first time. "You're lying," Clem stated with zero hesitation, with a sharpness that could cut through steel. She didn't buy it for a second.
Dot [Ellie]
Ellie had no idea what the fuck was going on anymore. One moment, these two assholes had them trapped in a corner, the next…
What the hell was this fucker's angle?
Then he let out the biggest shocker of them all, one that was almost too good to be true. Nearly impossible to believe even if Lee himself was here to tell her it. Was he really alive…?
She didn't get to really dwell on the answer, the fire in Clementine's eyes being more than enough to pull her back into the present. They had to get out of here, before their chance to escape was taken away.
So, she grabbed Clem's arm, pulling her towards the front door as she aimed her rifle at James, albeit pathetically given the weight of the weapon. They made it to the door before Henry called out for them, clearing his throat.
"Let this be an offer for all three of you. You're more than welcome to join us. I'm sure Lee would be happy to see you all again."
The use of Lee's name had her stopping in her tracks, sending the man a harsh glare from the doorway. There was no way he was telling the truth. No fucking way. No fucking-
"No thanks," she breathed, lowering her rifle as she hauled Clementine off, sprinting as fast as her boots and her grip on Clementine would let her.
They needed to get away. They needed to get as far away as possible from here.
Above all else… they needed Joel.