2:44 AM - November 7, 2025
Dot [Ellie]
There was a dull ache in Ellie's heels, only worsened by the fact they've been walking almost non-stop for the past seven hours. It felt longer, agonizingly so, due to the silence that had permeated the air, almost choking them. Ellie wasn't in any hurry to break it, though, choosing to dwell in her own thoughts rather than voice them aloud.
That trend continued after they stopped at a cabin deep in the woods, built next to a river that continued to flow south despite the frigid temperature. The interior was nearly as cold as the exterior, furnishings sparse. It was comprised of a large living space, including a small kitchen, along with a single bedroom and a bathroom. Inside, they'd found a walker hanging from a ceiling fan, which had been dispatched quickly by Joel, being dragged outside to rot in the snow.
While the others rested in the living room, Joel and Lee working together to gather firewood for the fireplace positioned into the center of the far wall, Ellie retreated from the room and into the bedroom.
She placed her backpack on top of the bed, which seemed nearly stiff after being untended for over a decade, sifting through her remaining belongings. She frowned; some of her stuff was gone. The book she'd gotten for Clem was still there, but whatever scraps of food that had been left were now gone. The only other things that remained were anything that were of use, along with a few of Ellie's personal possessions, like the photos of herself and Riley, of Joel and Sarah, and the letter that her mother wrote, though she couldn't really read it anymore. It smelled of dried shit, but she still hung onto it, and probably would until it eventually crumbled into paper dust. Her weapons had been in there too, and she pocketed her pistol immediately.
Then her attention fell onto the bottle of whiskey she'd scavenged from the ranger station, her fingers wrapping around the thin section of the bottle. She weighed it in her hands, just as much as she weighed the decision in her mind.
Though that train of thought was soon interrupted by one that had gone around the track enough times to sicken her. Images of Henry cutting off Clementine's finger, imaginings of what happened to Lee's hand, then her own hands clutching the machete that turned the asshole's face into a meaty paste. Her hands grew shaky, and she twisted around, sinking to the floor before laying her back against the side of the bed. She popped open the bottle, taking a small swig. It burned like a motherfucker, causing her to gag, and memories of a similar situation back in Pittsburgh came flooding back to her. This time, though, she didn't stop, taking another swig as soon as the burning sensation subsided.
She sat there for a while, drinking from the bottle every time a troubling thought entered her mind. She wanted to forget about everything that happened, even if it'd only be for a few minutes.
By the time anyone came to check up on her, she'd already gone through half of what was left over, clutching the bottle clumsily in her hands while she laid her head against her knees. She didn't even bother to look up at them.
Art [Clementine]
The living room was silent and dreary, dead-quiet if not for the snowstorm beating against the window. Clementine's head rested on the couch, submerged deep within a soft cushion. The mustiness coupled with the creaking of wood under her ear wasn't exactly awesome, but in spite of that, after hours of lying on the floor, it almost felt comfortable. There was some peace of mind brought about the fact that she had her hat back, all thanks to Joel, which was mind-boggling by itself. Clem had no idea where the heck he'd found it, but she couldn't be more thankful to him for it, wearing it like a shield from all the unease threatening to surface from her skin. She found herself staring blankly at the ceiling, trying to get some semblance of rest while her body so valiantly fought against her, keeping her eyes open even in the midst of exhaustion. The unenviable feeling of being too scared to fall asleep.
The pain dulled before long, if only slightly. It felt more like a constant sting, setting in only when her mind was at its most absent. It hurt to mull over it, most of all, like the thought alone of having one finger less made the cut ache twice as hard. Clem toughed it out, biting her lip whenever it became too unbearable.
Lee. She couldn't imagine it... how much worse it must've been for him, how fucking horrible what happened must've felt. He wouldn't talk about it, brushed her off whenever she showed concern. Clementine couldn't stop thinking and beating herself up over it; all the chances she had to prevent it, all the ones she didn't take.
Once regret started catching up to her, well... Clem knew sitting around doing nothing would just make her feel worse.
Ellie had walked off to the bedroom on her own, more tight-lipped than all of them combined. With Joel hurt the way he was, Ellie refusing to speak, and Lee... scaring her, she couldn't tell what to do anymore. Who to turn to for help, or even who to talk to, really. Clem bounced around between wanting to approach her friend and giving her some space, pacing back and forth without getting anywhere. She'd look like a dick either way, may as well try to... say something to make her feel better.
Clementine peeked through the door, twisting its knob with her good hand. Her nose was immediately flooded with the stench of alcohol, which unsurprisingly came from a bottle that happened to be full of it, wrapped around Ellie's hands. The girl scrunched her nose at the sight, grimacing, voicing her disapproval through a drawn-out sigh. "Is that whiskey...?"
Yeah, it was. Clementine couldn't help but sound uptight, verging on confrontational, crossing her arms while she glared at her friend. The label had given it away, in any case, so there was no point in trying to hide it. Ellie didn't try to, though. In fact, she didn't really answer. Clem waited for one anyway, tilting her head to the side and raising a brow, but Ellie simply took another sip, bordering on doing so just to spite her. Okay.
Clem walked up to her in slow steps, sitting next to Ellie while pursing her lips. What followed was just grueling silence. She was really gonna ignore her, wasn't she? An eye roll had Clementine debating what to say next, until she settled for something different. Before Ellie could have another taste, Clementine ripped the bottle away from her hands, the girl's lips twisting into a frown. "Hey."
It was one way to get her attention.
Dot [Ellie]
Confusion contorted Ellie's face as the bottle was suddenly yanked away, leaving an empty space between her hands that wouldn't go away. She lifted her head from her knees, letting it rest against the side of the bed before glancing towards the girl sitting next to her. She couldn't muster the energy to get angry, instead wiping her eyes as if trying to rid herself of the fatigue, with faint, incoherent mutterings escaping her lips.
When she finally had some sense of lucidity, she met the girl's gaze lazily, her voice louder than she'd intended it to be. "I'm fine, I'm fine… just…" She really wanted to ask for the bottle back. As much as she adored her friend, though, she knew that she'd probably throw the bottle out the window sooner than she'd give it to her again. Whatever , she didn't need it. She could just… fall asleep, and none of it would be a problem anymore.
Until she woke up, that is.
For a moment, she tried to focus her brain, to accomplish the simple task in trying to talk to Clementine in coherent sentences. She didn't really know what to say, fumbling over words as if seeing them through would only result in getting a metaphorical injury. She'd already received enough of those. Her teeth ached from before… the taste of blood still as apparent as ever beneath the stench of alcohol.
"How's… your finger?" She decided to ask, pushing away any thought of Henry to the very back of her mind, where it belonged.
Art [Clementine]
Clem would've loved not to have seen that one coming. Heck, if anything, the only shocker was how long it took for Ellie to ask her. She laid down the bottle of whiskey beside the bed, wiping the palm of her hand on her cargo pants.
I don't know, Ellie. It's sorta not attached to my hand anymore. The phrase danced around her tongue through a faint smile, though the girl ultimately kept it to herself. Snark was the last thing that moment called for, even if she did want to lighten the mood a little. Dreading the alternative, Clementine leaned her head back, a discouraging look taking hold of her.
"Hurts a lot." Her fingers were wrapped around the bandaged hand, the girl caressing the area around the wound like it'd somehow make it feel better. That was as honest as it got. She wasn't good with... dealing with pain. Every passing hour made the sting harder to bear, the blood loss already long since setting in and getting to her head. "I'm okay, though. Alright?" She spoke reassuringly, before lowering her gaze.
"Doing just fine..."
Dot [Ellie]
Even when her head was… clouded, that overwhelming sense of guilt remained as strong as ever. Of course it fucking hurt… she lost a finger. Henry cut it off , and… it was her fault for lying to him. Maybe he would've left her alone if she told him about being immune… maybe Lee wouldn't have tried to attack him, and he wouldn't have lost a hand. Everything traced back to her, a whole slew of bad things she wished never happened, but did. Riley dying, Tess dying, Clem losing her finger, Lee losing his hand… it was only a matter of time before she got one of them killed too.
Or, at least, that's what the whiskey was telling her.
"I can't keep going on like this anymore," she spoke slowly, quietly, trying her best to articulate each word as if it'd become the most difficult thing in the world. This train of thought she'd adopted, it was leaving her mouth on its own, whether she liked it or not. "I got Riley killed… and Tess… and almost lost Joel… then Lee…" She wrapped her arms around her legs, hugging them close to her chest. Tears were beginning to blind her, but she couldn't get herself to wipe them away. She took in a deep breath, looking towards Clementine out of the corner of her eye. "I almost lost you . And I can't…" She choked on the words. "…go through that again."
Dizziness overwhelmed her as she felt her head falling to the side, laying against the girl's shoulder as if it'd bring her some emotional support when there was none to be found. When she spoke again, her voice was stronger, angrier.
"Everything's so fucked."
Art [Clementine]
All that stuff hit Clem with the subtlety of a punch to the jaw, robbing the girl of her ability to breathe.
Things did feel pretty fucked, so she wasn't wrong there. The repulsive smell of human remains still lingered in her nostrils, the sight engraved into her eyes, a never-ending slideshow being constantly projected to her eyelids whenever she dared to keep them shut... and none of that even held a candle to the uncontested scariest moment in her life, the one that still kept her hands unsteady even in the form of a passing thought.
Yeah, they'd done better. But Clementine kept her chin up. Someone had to.
Her frown turned upside down, Clem letting Ellie scooch closer before speaking into her ear. "What'd I say?" Her words were soft, and the closest she could get to soothing. She was resolute on getting her friend to feel safe again, no matter how fucking long that took. She owed Ellie that much, and probably a lot more.
Clementine's hand inched closer to hers, settling between her fingers in a tight grip, until the girl held Ellie's hand with all the strength left in her. "I'm not leaving. Can't get rid of me." She slowly shook her head, smiling. It was a tired smile, but a smile nonetheless. As genuine as one could get.
...And if it made Ellie feel even the least bit better, it'd be worth every bit of effort it took not to burst into tears with her.
Dot [Ellie]
A warm, fuzzy feeling washed over her as Clementine whispered in her ear, but the moment only lasted a second before she felt electricity jolt through her body. The girl had interlocked her fingers with her own, saying something that at this point she could barely register in her brain, even if she could think clearly in the first place. She had no idea how to take this, unable to comprehend it, and the words she uttered earlier echoed in her mind.
" I can't… go through that again. "
Well, here she was, her heartbeat growing erratic and uncontrolled. Was this really…? Was she…? Some part of her fought against this, wanting to pull away for the sake of not getting hurt again, but she couldn't. In that moment, her worries had faded into a background noise, and she found herself unable to stop herself from doing what she was about to do next.
She lifted her head from the girl's shoulder, closing her eyes to catch her breath. When she opened them, Clementine's cheek filled her vision, and Ellie leaned in to kiss it softly. The instant her lips made contact with the girl's cheek, though, some manner of lucidity returned to her, long enough for her to realize what she'd done and to quickly pull away, scooting away from the girl in a panic.
"I'm sorry, I-" What the fuck was she thinking? Her clouded brain was practically screaming at her now, despite the fact it was its fucking fault that this happened in the first place. She wrapped her arms around her legs again, burying her face into her knees to avoid having the girl see how red her cheeks were becoming. Anything to save her from meeting the girl's gaze.
Art [Clementine]
If what Ellie said before was a punch to the jaw, then this was the knockout blow, sending Clementine's head spiraling out of control like a plane who'd just lost its wings. Her two eyes were about as wide as they could stretch, rapidly bouncing between Ellie and the floor, where they were looking to stay for the rest of eternity.
What was that? I mean- It was a peck on the cheek. That's it, right...?! Was she just... y'know, overreacting?
A final, rapid glance at her friend's flaming red features said everything she needed to know, and probably more than Ellie even intended. It was a that kind of kiss, wasn't it? Clementine panicked on the spot, the color on her face fading, before following suit and shifting into the same deep red. The girl swallowed, resting both hands on her thighs. This was a lot more than she could take in at once, like a whole monster amount more…
Talking, then, took somewhat of a backseat. In the heat of the moment, Clem could swear she forgot how to.
Dot [Ellie]
Ellie's thoughts had become an incoherent frenzy, only to be exacerbated by her friend's silence in the wake of what just happened. She'd been worried about this, feared it for months , and buried any thought of doing something like this long ago to prevent it. She'd misinterpreted what the girl was doing, the alcohol in her system doing nothing but worsening the situation.
What was she supposed to do now…? She'd gone and fucked everything up, likely their whole friendship, all over something she knew would end like this. Amidst the silence, she found herself struggling to rise to her feet, catching herself with the bed when her legs threatened to give out beneath her. Her mind drew a blank when she tried to think of something to say, to break the tension, but she chose to not even try. Hearing what she'd say back would only kill her. Stumbling towards the bedroom door, she twisted the knob, closing it behind her in a hurry to separate herself from Clementine.
She needed to clear her head, so she headed for the door leading outside the cabin, hoping that Joel and Lee wouldn't be out there to stop her.
Ledge [Lee Everett]
Using the bottle that he'd previously collected river water with on the way here, Lee rested it on the sink top, having to fumble with the lid to get it off and eventually soak the rag. The whole process was strenuous… everything now was, with one hand. The man stared down at the sink as he wiped his face off, occasionally glancing up at the mirror in front of him. Bags of grey swelled underneath his eyes, he hadn't gotten an ounce of sleep yet. How could he?
Sleep proved to be impossible, the burning sensation in his wrist constantly nagged at him. It was accompanied by the dark thoughts that refused to leave his mind. The doctor begging underneath his boot. The silence that filled out the room once he'd executed that other man. The fear in Clementine's eyes. Underneath all the numbness, it indeed all bothered him. However, as much as the continuous cycle of thoughts revelled in his tired and fractured mind, the guilt was nothing compared to what the man felt whenever he looked at that small fucking stump on her finger. That was there because of one man… and it wasn't Henry.
That butcherer. Lee heard about what happened from Joel. Ellie… he'd almost killed both her and Clementine, but the immune girl had saved their lives, then Joel had showed up at just the right time... And what were you doing while that was happening? What were YOU goddamn doing?! Lee knew what he was doing, wasting away in a damn bed with a recently chopped hand, waiting to die. He'd fucked it this time, fucked it up beyond repair. From the time that girl was eight, Lee promised he was going to take care of her. And he thought it was working… until this week had bulldozed that concept out of his mind. It was just a testament to how wrong he was, about everything.
Clementine was getting older, and yeah, he admitted to himself that the whole teen phase was tougher than he was expecting, but she was capable of taking care of herself. Still, he was the driving force behind their journey, and he knew deep down that this could've been avoided had he just directed the both of them elsewhere. This was on him. Even if Clem was too old to hold on to that unspoken promise anymore. Lee still was. It was still his obligation to keep his little girl safe.
And with that final thought, it was done. Lee set the rag aside and headed for the door, strolling outside of the small bathroom. The man headed out towards the front porch, managing to catch Joel just in time as the man seemed to be returning to the house, trudging through the snow with pieces of bark and kindling in hand before reaching the front porch.
"Joel. I need to have a word."
Kentucky [Joel]
As of late, life had been horrific.
He almost regretted the journey. Almost. A permanent torn muscle in his side, likely to bring him pain for years to come. The years he had left, at least. Joel ached, the adrenaline worn off on his side, a couch inside beckoning him; but they were worse off. Lee's hand left behind in that godforsaken place with Clementine's finger... then there was Ellie. She had done something no person should ever do; something that they shouldn't ever have to do.
He returned with the kindling he had retrieved for the fire soon enough, pushing through the chilling snow as best as he could. If there was one thing he could say about the cold, it was that it numbed the pain at least. The pain in his side; it hardly affected Lee leaving the porch, crippled as he was. They stood on the porch, facing each other then, Lee staring at Joel with those commanding, terrifying eyes of pure anger.
" Joel. I need to have a word. "
Joel looked him up and down, still holding the wood in his arms. He nodded to the man, bated breath glowing in the crisp air.
Ledge [Lee Everett]
"Listen, Joel."
A faint sigh escaped the man, his gaze drifting off towards the desolate cluster of trees that surrounded the cabin, avoiding eye contact. The prolonged silence began to egg on a certain sense of unnecessary tension that Lee was just dying to break.
"I didn't know how I wanted to say it… So I'm just gonna be straight with you."
Lee hadn't come to this conclusion lightly. And he knew not everyone would be happy about it. Hell, he hadn't even told Clementine yet. That path ahead was uncertain, and quite frankly this week had only showed Lee that it just wasn't damn worth it. If this decision meant mitigating the risk of running into more people like the cannibals, then yeah… he'd be able to accept the backlash. Drawn out silence filled the air for what seemed to be an eternity, before the one-handed man's gaze finally levelled with Joel's.
Kentucky [Joel]
Joel sized Lee up once again, taking him into account as he gripped the wood tighter. "Okay." He said to Lee's first statement, tapping his foot with impatience and anxiety as he waited for Lee's reply. His eyes narrowed to almost pinpricked slits, hands breaking into freezing sweats. There was silence; a horrible, horrible silence that left the two men alone in a whistling wind and a raspy breathing from both of them. Finally, he said it.
Ledge [Lee Everett]
"I've decided it'd be best…" Lee spoke slowly. "If I took Clementine back to Jackson."
Kentucky [Joel]
Joel froze. Caught like a deer in headlights, confusion swathed his brain in swaddling clothes. "What?" He asked; a genuine question. He stopped, wincing at the thought of the words again. "You can't... alone? You won't be able to make it. You're, you're... you're hurt, Lee. How the hell are you and Clementine going to get back?" He lowered his voice to a screaming whisper, just in case either of the girls were listening in.
Ledge [Lee Everett]
"We know how to handle ourselves out there. Both of us have been on the road for as long as we've known each other. We'll manage. Gonna take another two days to rest up here, then that's it." Lee spoke, eyes still locked on to the other man, naturally adopting a defensive tone as Joel questioned him.
He supposed he appreciated the concern, but right now he just had to do what was best for Clem, and not everyone was going to like it. Lee felt like Joel already knew why this was happening, maybe he could even see the topic of discussion coming up eventually. It was only being brought up now because Lee was trying to get this out of the way sooner rather than later. That way, it'd be better for everyone. If they were lucky enough to find a car then it could be a half of a day drive, walking would take longer. But they knew the way back.
Lee heard about the fall Joel took back at the university, he could still see the man hunching and clutching his side from it. That damn injury would've probably killed any other man. Yet, he was still standing, out there putting in work for the group. That man was as tough as nails, and had a silent stubbornness that was unrivalled. It didn't make a difference if Lee and Clem tagged along or not. If anyone was going to get Ellie to the Fireflies, it'd be Joel. And no one here was more determined to get there than Ellie, they'd both be fine even if they left.
Lee thought about how he always used to defend his decision to search for the Fireflies, but now he just felt like a fool, gallivanting around the country with their noses in the air, oblivious to all the shit they were yet to run into. After spending so much time on the road, being careful about everything, they lowered their guard in the university… and someone was there to capitalize on it. There always was someone. Regardless, from everything Lee had seen back at that university, the Fireflies were in disarray, moving around different locations like nomads… no different to what Clem and himself had been doing these past five years. At least, with Jackson, he knew what he was getting, he knew there were good people there. What would the Fireflies even do with Clementine if they joined up with them? Unlike Jackson, the Fireflies were still stuck in their war with the government. Lee knew that it was very likely they'd try to train Clementine up from young to fight. Like hell if that was a life he wanted for her. No... now Lee actually had another option, and that was Jackson. To hell with the Fireflies, to potentially dying in an attempt to get to a place that could very well be as deserted as the university was.
"Your brother has something good going on over there. And I think it's better than whatever the Fireflies can offer us at this point. Not worth it, at least not for Clem and I."
Kentucky [Joel]
Joel watched Lee with a fire in his eyes. There was nothing he could do, he supposed. It didn't stop him from trying. "Christ Lee, your hand!" He tried to make a point, but after he said it, he only felt the friction increase between the two of them. "Just..." He continued, listening to Lee over and over again. He ran it all through his head, the final point that Lee brought up slamming into Joel like a bag of bricks. Jackson was a good place. And whether he wanted to admit it or not, he cared for Ellie. Jackson was a good place and he had never really said goodbye to Tommy... they could head back. After the Fireflies, after the cure was done, everything would be better. They could live out their lives with power, watching movies, playing ball, facing heartbreak, growing up, getting old, dying, dying in the way that folks were intended to go out…
After the Fireflies. Joel hadn't made an empty promise to Tess. But his faith was faltering; his mind, slowing as Lee finished. Joel couldn't keep up eye contact with him, brown gaze aimed at the floor.
Ledge [Lee Everett]
Joel understood, given that he wasn't trying to go against it anymore. He could sense that the same doubt was instilled in the other man. It felt wrong to part ways like this. Lee was just hoping this discussion would prompt Joel to swiftly follow suit and travel back with them. Silence fell upon the two, Lee's features growing more somber as he averted his gaze from the Texan.
"We should've just stayed there… all of us." He knew getting hung up on hypotheticals wouldn't mend his mind. He needed to keep his shit together, even though every fibre in his being just wanted to break down. He couldn't. Not yet.
That was when they were interrupted by the sound of wood grinding against the decking as the door swung open.
Dot [Ellie]
Ellie shivered as she opened the door, a gust of wind chilling her to the bone. Whatever plan she had to disappear before Lee and Joel could see her was immediately abandoned as she stepped outside, realizing that the two men were talking on the porch. It didn't take much to realize that the conversation wasn't a casual one, based on the looks Joel and Lee were giving each other, and only made her stop in her tracks.
"W – What's going on?" She asked, slurring her words together slightly as she approached them. A hint of worry burrowed its way to the pit of her stomach, planting itself right next to the guilt that already lived there. She wasn't sure if she even wanted to hear what they were going to say.
Kentucky [Joel]
He watched her as she stumbled out, gait long, eyes large and glowing as her words ran against each other, a jumbled car crash of syllables and speech. Joel noticed it all subconsciously. His mouth was open in shock, eyes gleaming at hers as he sealed his lips before thinking of the next thing to say. He had to be calm; he only felt generous, especially after what she had faced back in that godforsaken town. Mentioning Lee's hand was already gushing guilt over him, the frothing of mindless thoughts forcing his eye to twitch.
"It's okay, Ellie, just..." The tiny ice sparkles of breath floated amongst the three, Joel considering the other two. He had wanted to leave them behind what seemed so long ago... now here they were. The favor being returned.
He stared at Lee for what felt like a longest time, before starting. "You gotta do what you gotta do." It wasn't friendly anymore; no longer did Joel try to plead. He had never been a convincing man, especially against a man who couldn't be convinced. The words were more like a bite, as Joel looked to Ellie. "Come on back inside, we need to start a fire." He wasn't as straightforward as he would have liked in this final sentence. He was shaky now, unconvinced, horribly concerned... it was a nosedive ever since they had gone to that damned university. Ever since they had started this damned journey...
Dot [Ellie]
Even drunk, Ellie knew when she was being lied to. Her gaze bounced between the two men in what could only be described as a frenzy, desperately hoping that one of them would just tell her what the fuck was going on. She stood firm as Joel tried to usher her inside, shaking her head defiantly.
"No." Her eyes locked on Lee, her gaze practically demanding an explanation. "What the fuck's going on?"
This wasn't something she could just back away from, especially if it was as important as it seemed.
Kentucky [Joel]
"Are you-" He started, stopping himself. There was no way out of this, was there? Joel switched glances to each of the two, thinking of ways to defuse this now. But there was nothing he could do; and accusing Ellie of being drunk was a part of that nothing. He stood his ground but his voice sunk back, allowing Lee to explain himself to the girl.
Ledge [Lee Everett]
Her speech was slurred, and the harsh stench of alcohol filled Lee's nostrils, wafting off her like a bad scent. The kid had been drinking, and it wasn't something he'd ever expect to see from Ellie. If one thing was certain, this week had brought out the worst in almost everyone. She questioned him, then Joel attempted to defuse it.
Goddammit. Not now... Lee wasn't in the right frame of mind to be dealing with a drunk kid right now. He hadn't planned on telling Ellie this before Clementine; he hadn't planned on getting sprung like this. Hell, Lee hadn't planned for a lot of damn things this week. That was when the teen swore out, demanding an answer as she continued to slur and mildly stumble. He shifted his gaze away from the girl, turning to Joel, he tried not to take the hostility seriously, since she'd gotten drunk. It'd be best to keep things civil for the sake of his own sanity, or at least what was left of it.
"I think I'll get us a match..." Lee basically pretended he hadn't heard the intoxicated teen, Joel would just have to handle it. The man instead chose to acknowledge Joel's request for the fire, he spoke almost tiredly, a hint of frustration mixed with guilt in his tone. He was just fed up with it all. It was then that he attempted to make a beeline for the door that led inside. There'd be a time for this... but not until he'd talked to Clementine about it first.
Dot [Ellie]
Ellie could only watch incredulously as Lee brushed past her, her face burning hot as anger boiled beneath the surface. Despite everything that's happened, she was still being treated like a kid, like she doesn't deserve an explanation after everything. She didn't even bother looking towards Joel, knowing that he'd only delay telling her what's going on like he did before, so instead she followed Lee inside, practically stomping across the cabin before practically slamming the bedroom door behind her, separating herself from Lee and Joel. Things may have been fucked between her and Clem, but she'd rather sit in that awkward silence than blow up at the two adults.
She just needed a minute to cool down.
It only took a second to realize that Clementine wasn't there, which made this all the more bearable. She positioned herself against the side of the bed, plopping herself down before hugging her knees to her chest. She buried her head into her knees, thinking back to what Joel had said to Lee.
"You gotta do what you gotta do."
What the fuck did that even mean? What was Lee going to do? She let out a frustrated noise, as if the act would release some of the tension building up within her. It barely did anything other than piss her off more.