12:04 PM - November 20, 2025 (2 days later)
King Caw [Carl Grimes]
Somehow, Carl had found himself shivering by the residence of someone who hadn't been on his mind in a long, long time. He hoped that no one noticed him loitering, but he'd been there for a little while, and there had been no sign of the elusive Clementine. Carl had been up and about before the sun, straying from his home as soon as the sun had risen, because the last winter had taught him to take advantage of any time you could get out at the crack of dawn. The onset of November had brought flurries of snow, but they hadn't yet collected enough to be more than an inch deep before the mountain sun beat it back into water. Rubbing his hands together roughly and pacing to keep himself warm, he tried to reminisce on Georgia, with its merciless sunshine that he'd despised. The cold permeated even the memories.
As time drew on, he began to realize that she probably didn't share his early-bird mindset, at least not after the journey back. So, he wandered around the community and tried to soak up sunlight, checking regularly to see if anyone had appeared. At one point, Lee's large footsteps led away from the house, but he never caught up to him. The sun was high above by the time he'd decided to try again tomorrow, his stomach demanding a late breakfast, when he saw her sitting outside doing just that. As if she'd been here the whole time, he thought.
Tentatively, he stepped up, well aware of how loud the crunch of each step was in the snow. "Long time, no see!" He called, holding up a hand in greeting. The scene seemed to be lacking, without the animated redhead keeping the quiet girl company.
Art [Clementine]
Clementine felt herself in a trance difficult to break away from. Everything from the colorful birds singing next to her window, parallel to a bed that now housed only the one sporting the baseball cap, to the children laughing frenziedly in the park a meager two blocks away from her house; neither elicited a response from the girl, who couldn't do much besides embrace her pillow whilst having her back leaned against the bedroom walls. As far as Ellie and the Fireflies went - even more so, her mom and dad - the loudest voice in her head urged Clem to move on. Lee would have said so a dozen times had he had the courage to, she thought. That's all there was left. The last few years suddenly felt very senseless, now entangled with every single one of her broken promises to make one large stew of regret.
…
She was hungry, at least. That much felt like progress.
Downstairs, Lee had left her two toasts crispier than that big, freaky thing Ellie offed back in the university, and neither the food nor the memory lent her a good kind of nostalgia. The girl's teeth still crunched on the bread mercilessly, and with no regard for table manners. Not that she intended to eat there anyhow. Not by herself.
The boots and leg warmers were a must, much as they were near ruined from overuse. It wasn't that cold, mind you. Habits like those were more hang-ups than anything, harder to shake off than the need to keep that old hat over her head. Breakfast felt tastier outside, on the porch. Clem caught herself smiling as the crumbs of bread stuck to her cheeks like glue - the crusty toast now only a pleasant aftertaste.
There was no hiding how startled she felt when a boy approached her from her blind spot. Hard as it was to admit, she might've shrieked had it not been for the bits of food filling her mouth.
Even more embarrassing, Clementine had forgotten about Carl completely. Maybe her only friend in all that stretch of land someone fancied naming Jackson? Good one, idiot. Besides Carl and his total whacko of a girlfriend, she really didn't know anyone her age well enough to call a friend. Of all things, it made her awfully giddy that he even bothered to check up on her, even in spite of her being a jerk. Clem mustered up the courage to talk in what felt like the first time in the last dozen hours, what came out sounding more insecure than what any human could achieve.
"Hi."
The girl's left hand was the first thing to move, away and out of Carl's sight. Hiding it came as naturally as breathing to her, and would for a long time to come. "Guess I should've dropped by to say hello, huh?" Attempts at humor turned into nervous fits as soon as they left her mouth, and there was no avoiding lifting her gaze away from the friendly boy standing next to her.
You don't even know where he lives...
King Caw [Carl Grimes]
Carl almost felt bad, the way Clementine jumped when he approached. She could have passed for a deer in headlights. The calm, bold demeanor that he'd known was more different than a simple spook could change, though. For a second, it seemed that the slightest wrong move would scare her off, but then she seemed to completely recede into an uncharacteristic timidness. It must have been a long, hard road to Colorado and back.
He chuckled warmly, hoping to reassure her. "Don't sweat it. I'm hardly ever home, anyways. Besides, you just got back! You're probably exhausted," he exclaimed. As he stepped close, he thought she looked more sick than anything. He gulped, hoping he wasn't opening a bad can of beans. "Are you settling in well?"
Art [Clementine]
Clem shook her head almost immediately in response, feeling the edge of her lips twist into a frown. Jackson had water, beds, food - not leftovers or slim pickings. Real food. They had street corners that lit up at night, and more animals than Noah's stupid ark. So, ugh... how come it still felt so hard to breathe whenever she tried to fall asleep? For so many reasons at once, it felt almost redundant to cite them all. Andrea said it was part of this thing called an adjustment period, and that most people her age had to go through it too. It sounded like adult talk for 'you're supposed to feel like shit', which honestly did more bad than good.
She shot Carl a glance that wound up being cut short, like her gloomy eyes couldn't decide on where to settle. Maybe it wasn't this huge maze she made it out to be. When it came to why Clem felt so upset, it really couldn't be simpler. She rested her arms over her knees and sighed loudly, staring blankly into the sidewalk. "It's been a while since I've been all on my own.
... That's all."
King Caw [Carl Grimes]
The instant the words left her mouth, Carl felt even worse. Of course, he should have been more considerate. Clementine's greatest friend wasn't by her side anymore, and there was no promise she'd return. He felt bad for her, and then felt worse because no one needed pity. He stood still, unsure of what to say. Words seemed to fail him more and more these days.
Finally, he forced himself to do something. Offering a sympathetic smile towards Clementine, nodding weakly. "I understand," he mumbled. "But try not to keep yourself too down. She got bit by an infected " He concluded. It was the story that he believed. The grey, fading picture he had in his mind of the redhead still had attitude written all over its face; not to mention Tommy's big brother keeping her safe, and that guy was a rabid animal based on what he'd heard.
"Besides," He continued, assured of the thought. "We shouldn't waste energy worrying if we don't know, right?" Carl leaned on the balustrade of the deck, facing her as he spoke. Since Ellie wasn't here, someone had to put good thoughts in the brooding girl's head. I didn't wait all morning for nothing, he decided.
Art [Clementine]
It didn't usually work with her, that sort of thing. 'Don't be sad.' 'Just don't think about it.' Out of everyone she knew, Lee had always been the one with the good pep talks, but that's all they were. Just... talk. It's all Clem'd heard since that day six years ago: that things work out, and that people are alright, even when it doesn't seem that way. It never once was true.
Not once.
She nodded at Carl, even if her mind was someplace else, trying to cope. It's not like it was a new thing. Clementine would get over it, just like all those times before, and all yet to come. But she wouldn't stop hurting. Wouldn't stop worrying. Not about Dad or Ellie. Not about Jane, and not about everyone else who had a chance to be okay, somewhere. She owed it to them to worry.
Clem turned her pout into a smile more subtle than her friend deserved, the one sitting right next to her, worrying over her. Her gaze left the grass next to the sidewalk, finally working its way to meet Carl's. For now, the girl's eyes didn't belong anywhere else. "You're really cool, you know that?"
King Caw [Carl Grimes]
Carl wasn't sure about what else he could say in his attempt to cheer Clementine up, but she didn't seem very comforted. Instead of driving himself crazy, watching her iron expressions shift ever so subtly, he leaned back and stared up at the sky, ignoring the creak of the aging wood. At least the days had been clear, with only a few wispy clouds high in the sky. In the broad sunlight, he still felt plenty warm. Maybe he could convince her to go on a walk.
When he looked back at Clem, his eyes met hers, and she finally spoke. Heat rose to his cheeks, and for a second he didn't know what to say. Finally, he forced a response. "I, uh. I'm happy to do what I can." He smiled toothily, wishing he'd said something smoother but not having any inclination as to what that might be. All he could do for a few seconds was stare back into those soft, pale eyes.
It was only for a few seconds, though, and then he dropped it. He gulped and forced away the butterflies in his stomach. Why does she have to look at me like that? It's not like I did anything… Eventually, he felt his blush fade, and decided to try to move the conversation. "It's a pretty nice day. Do you want to go on a walk?" He stammered out. It only now occurred to him that he might be intruding on her afternoon, but he'd rather keep a smile on Clem's face if he could.
Art [Clementine]
Clementine caught herself smiling again, this time around with a lot more sincerity. The thought to shake her head was there, as if for some reason she wasn't allowed to go out and have fun, but the idea ended up buried under her unusually expressive set of teeth. "Yeah," she quietly replied, only for no one to hear, too abashed to keep her eyes on the boy. This was a new thing for her. Going out for walks? So normal it honestly felt ab normal. None of that was in a bad way, though... obviously. Pretending it sounded anything other than the best thing ever would've just been disingenuous. Who was gonna believe it while she had that dumb smirk on her face?
"Yeah, I... I'd really like that." It came out, finally. Actual, spoken words. Maybe that 'adjustment period' bullcrap wasn't total bogus after all.
King Caw [Carl Grimes]
Clementine's smile was infectious, but he once again found himself fighting a fluster. What is this? It was just a daytime walk through the snow, but the thought of the whole thing seemed… weird. Not bad, but different. Last time they'd seen each other, it felt like they were standing on opposite sides of the battlefield; and the campfire incident had been a fiasco. Only now had he really had the chance to get to know the quiet and mysterious Clementine, and it felt… right.
He'd always thought the time she punched Lydia was pretty kick-ass, at least. Even if admitting it might get him killed.
"Great!" He exclaimed, pushing himself onto his feet. "This'll be a great day." There was no destination in mind, but doing something was always better than doing nothing. He flashed her a smile and stepped back into the snow. "I'm ready to go when you are." He said cheerfully.
Art [Clementine]
The teen couldn't do much to help the chuckle that came next, soft as it was. Looked like Carl was so excited he forgot all about 'it'. "Not so fast. We got school, remember?" I mean, she'd totally ditch class to hang out with Carl, but that was neither here nor there. Lee would kill her dead if she skipped her first day.
She got on her feet, too, walking up close to the boy and giving him a pretend-punch to the chest. "I'll come by after. That's a promise."
3:45 PM
Ledge [Lee Everett]
The vibe in the air was friendly, welcoming. Various kids and parents winding down after a day of hard work. The last thing he wanted to do was embarrass her, but Lee figured it was only right to be here, at least at the end of her first day, just to check in. The man wondered how she'd fare in a social environment again, after being… out there, for so long. School arrangements had already been signed and cemented down, Clementine finally had her place here, and Lee was more grateful for Tommy and Andrea's generosity than they knew. A few more minutes passed, and the man nervously tapped his foot away at the pavement. It would be any second-
There she is.
He spotted her amongst the crowd, walking out of the front gates. That famous hat of hers stuck out like a diamond in the dirt. He smiled, waiting until she was away from the other kids and onto the street before he finally approached her.
"Hey! How'd it go?"
Art [Clementine]
Little snowflakes gathered around the windows as the homeroom teacher blabbered on and on, words coming and melting like the snow: the perfect view for a teen who couldn't keep her mind from running at a bullet train's pace.
It was the looks and stares that bothered her; the ones directed at her. They didn't have many kids in Jackson's school, so the girl with the baseball hat stuck out like a bad rash. Looked like one, too, if you asked Lydia, who Clem exhaustively avoided for the entire school day. Mr. Barnes taught them about the local geography - like Missouri and Illinois, and stuff like basic algebra. Clementine's head was... elsewhere, the entire time, floating away, off to memories both distant and recent.
Her finger stopped hurting that morning. Now it just itched all the time. Not like a bad rash, but more like awful bed bugs.
The foyer leading outside had posters all over the walls. Halican Drops, one read, with a white guitar used as a logo. Probably a band? Looked like adults put those in, trying to catch the eye, look cool for the students. Nobody there even watched those movies! So fucking stupid.
She wasn't expecting to see Lee there, waiting for her. Most of her classmates were either orphans or still had a mom and dad. Never something in between. Clem felt her cheeks make way for a smile, even if she didn't share it with anyone else.
Almost as though it would disappear were she not to, Clementine held onto the straps of her backpack without letting go, eye contact still noticeable in its absence. "Okay," she muttered as a response. Her mind wandered more so, tugging at her brows as it forced the girl to think. She frowned while struggling to put it into words, walking beside Lee, still within school grounds. "This boy from class said he never killed someone before..."
"Do you think that's true?" Clementine surveyed at the man with her especially round eyes, badly in need of whatever he could to say to her. Anything that'd prove she wasn't so different from all the other kids.
Anything to make her feel normal again.
Ledge [Lee Everett]
The absence of clarity was always prominent with Clementine; it was never easy to get a bead on how she was thinking, even more so on her feelings. Bamboozlement usually followed when it came to questions like these, covering up just how clueless he could be, whilst forming some kind of answer that wouldn't upset her. It was always the hardest part. First days of class were… rough, from his memory. It was easy to forget that he himself was a teenager once, somewhere under all these years of age; those memories lingered: trying to fit in, make new friends. Even in current times... it seemed like nothing had changed. She was adjusting. Trauma, mixed with hormones, jumbled in with- a lot of... other stuff that no one should have to experience at her age. It couldn't have been easy.
It wasn't fair, for Clem, for any kid from her generation. To be robbed of a shot at an everyday life so young… the very best Lee could do was try his damnedest to compensate for that. Hell, that was the only thing he could do. Clementine deserved to have normal problems that normal kids used to have, as opposed to worrying about getting chased, robbed or murdered. This place… Jackson… was the closest thing to normal. The man's lips twisted in response, giving himself a moment to think. It was harder to answer, given that he guessed the place this question was coming from almost right away. He knew the most likely answer, and he had a feeling she did too.
"Hmph." His eyebrow raised, glancing to her with soft eyes as they walked. "Sounds like one lucky kid." Lee admitted, choosing to run along with his honest thoughts. After all, honesty was the best policy… Isn't it…? Lee.
"Y'know, Tommy tells me they're going twenty and something families strong here." Lee drifted off, revelling in the qualities of this place as he usually liked to do. "A lot of 'em are ex-Fireflies," He continued, coming to the conclusion that a few parents must've had their children in the care of the militia group for a while before moving here. "So I'd imagine some of these kids haven't been out there nearly as long as you." Lee complimented, offering her a smile.
Art [Clementine]
Her amber eyes swung right back down, like a pendulum. Lucky. Clem wanted to be that, too. To have a family that wouldn't leave her. Friends that didn't disappear. Somewhere to call home. That's what Jackson was meant to be for them: a shot at happiness... by giving up on searching for Mom and Dad. By letting Ellie die alone, someplace far away. That's what Lee believed in.
And she hated him for it.
Their walk home was slow and methodical, like Clementine couldn't keep up with the man. Or simply wouldn't. Her gaze would still drift away from the snowy grass, toward Lee's empty jacket sleeve. The sight brought her right back to that cold cell. The night she spent agonizing on a bloody floor, waiting to meet a worse fate.
Clementine wanted to be lucky, too.
"That man who... did that to you..." Just like that, the girl parted her lips, letting her frail voice reach Lee in front of her. All too suddenly, Clem didn't seem so distant. Confidence was written in her expression, in every vowel that used to block her throat, keep her from breathing. Like for the first time in a long while, she really meant what she said.
"... I'm glad he's dead."
That expression warped and twisted into one of anger. Into something animalistic. Clementine's grip on the straps glued to her shoulders was strong enough to make her wrists shake in place. The gnawing of her teeth, strong enough to make it seem as though they were but moments away from shattering.
"I'm glad Ellie killed him."
Ledge [Lee Everett]
This wasn't how it was supposed to be. That warped and barbaric look in her eye. It was enough to send shockwaves down his spine. Lee was hoping they would share a normal conversation about her day, but instead he was greeted with this.
This.
She was still bitter. Angry. It was on her mind just as much as his own, it wasn't like he expected it not to be. One comment was all it took... to send his thoughts right back to that place. It wasn't a healthy place to be in. Ever since they'd gotten here, it'd been a struggle for Lee; behind the calm exterior he was fronting, there was a man trying so desperately hard to keep his shit together. For her sake. The guilt of his failures, the heartache. What getting caught ended up costing her. What he'd done to those men. It was almost too much to bear, and he was feeling it every damn day. Then having to hear this.
The smile on his face was wiped clean off.
Lee's steps began to slow, matching her pace as his stern eyes landed on Clementine at the mere mention of Henry Simmons. It made his skin crawl. How casual it sounded coming out of her mouth. The way Clementine drew satisfaction out of his death. She'd suffered because of Lee's poor decisions. She was talking like this right now because it was his own fault. All of it.
" Everything that happened in that godawful week..." He trailed off, trying to be as calm with her as he could. He was disgusted with himself; for letting it come to this… for not getting them both out of that damned university in the first place.
"It's nothing to be glad about."
Art [Clementine]
When Lee spoke, Clementine felt her heartbeat come to a stop, putting that grimace of hers in check, her fangs hidden in place of a gaped mouth. The girl's grip was no more as her arms fell limp, only her fiery gaze staying in place. It refused to go away. "Lee, you saw what they did." She insisted, raised voice and all, to defend herself. Every time she did, sadness stuck to her words like an ailment, verging on making the teen sound like a sobbing child. "What they were gonna do...!"
"That's why you-"
The sudden stop had her widening her eyes, though only a little. The memory was fresh, and no less painful than the rest: that of the sounds of broken bones, of pierced human fat, that urged Clem to keep her eyes shut and to never open them again.
"That's why you killed them too."
Clementine found herself breaking apart even when angry, when trying so hard to make a point. Her body tensed, and the girl's brows dipped downward to match the shift in her tone of voice. She could feel tears wanting to leave and soak her bright, brazen eyes, but she wouldn't let them. Not again. "They were worse than the walkers."
"What's even the difference anymore...?"
Ledge [Lee Everett]
The man's teeth grinded against each other, head swinging to the side as his eyes glazed over a nearby tree. Lee was unable to meet her gaze, thinking about what he'd done was hard enough. Hearing it from none other than Clementine herself was worse.
She was right.
Nearly frothing at the mouth, adrenaline pumping through his veins, the absolute rage he felt. Lee could replicate the memory in near perfection. Forcing his own boot down on that doctor's head, the crunch echoing through the room. The begging. The blood. It was all still there in his head. At the time it felt good , like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders, like he was giving that man exactly what he deserved. However, the 'what if?' thought lingered in his mind.
"Wait! Any excessive movements is just going to open his wounds."
"Haven't enough people died already?"
"Please man, I was only trying to help…! Whatever they did to you, I wasn't a part of that…!"
"I'm just a doctor…!"
The way the tears streamed down his face, his drenched eyes and cheeks burning red hot as he grovelled and begged at Lee's feet. Those words of his… they kept repeating every time he thought about it. Any other one of Henry's men would've fought back, but this one didn't… Why? Why was that? Was he held there against his will too? Was he lying? Did he even know what Henry was up to? Lee supposed it didn't matter anymore, it wasn't like he could ask him. The man had a feeling he knew the answer… hell, he knew from the moment he grabbed the scalpel.
That man was most likely innocent. There was no guarantee, but he was pretty damn sure of it now.
Lee killed him simply because the circumstances allowed him to, because he was enraged, because he could. He chose to do it on his own accord instead of focusing on a way out. That was his decision, and his alone.
His head swung back in Clementine's direction, levelling with her amber eyes. The distinction between man and walker was getting harder to determine as the years went by, but that didn't mean it was entirely gone yet.
"The difference is we still have a choice."
"I knew what they were. I know why I did it. And I-" The man choked on his words, feeling like a lump was forming in his throat. He found no relief. No peace in it. "I haven't had a good night's sleep since..."
"Henry had it coming. But I'll never be proud, or happy, or glad any of it happened." No, not when he could've avoided it entirely. Not if he just decided to stay put in Jackson the first time. How could he be glad of anything that transpired between the four of them and those sick, sick people?
"Ever."
Art [Clementine]
Clem; she snapped. Like some spark in her eye had caught ablaze and exploded. The girl's hands, then, were snapped shut, far away from her pockets where they so often belonged. Whether it was anger or sadness in her voice... not a person on earth could discern. "I could have done it!" Her eyelids fell and rose, fighting back tears just as much as they fought bitter stares. Even when looking Lee in the eye, it felt as though her gaze peered straight through him. Like staring at nothing. The amber in them seeming almost gray. "When he said they had you, I..."
"I was so angry." The pause came, for she couldn't keep going. Memories that felt like a chokehold she couldn't get away from. The girl's gasps of air doing so little, she may as well have not been breathing at all. "He didn't even react."
"I had a knife to his neck and I could have killed him myself."
"... But I was too fucking scared."
It haunted Clementine like so very few things did. That blizzard... all those chances to keep what happened from ever happening. Worthless. Just as she was. "And now they - What they did to you..." Ellie blamed herself. But it wasn't fair to her. Clem was the one who told Lee to stay behind. She was the one who ran away. Afraid. Clementine was the one who let that monster live so he could chase and torture them.
"I should have fucking killed him!"
Ledge [Lee Everett]
Mist glimmered in her eyes, threatening to give way at any moment.
The sight crushed him.
Lee always hated seeing her like this, knowing there wasn't much he could do to stop that sort of pain. Guilt, self-blame, blaming others. It was the most natural thing to feel. Wounds eventually healed, but the scars… they only faded over time. No matter what , they'd always be there; the tough part was learning how to cope with it. Words were all that he ever had, and he again... had to hope they'd be enough.
"Clem…" The teen was met with a calmed and hushed voice. Lee's eyes grew soft, peering down at her as she explained. Hearing the source of where her previous words were coming from brought him a sense of relief. This misplaced sense of regret she had; it wasn't derived from the place he previously thought. In that moment his brows sunk together, feeling as though he'd been too snappy with her.
"Hey." Lee placed a hand on the Clementine's shoulder, almost offended that she'd even think that. None of this was on her. None of it.
"Instead of thinking about what you could've done, why not think about what you did do?"
The blessing of getting to live another day, it was all the more precious in these times. It might've been harder to be grateful, but Lee still was. To have made it back…"You helped get me out of there. We all got out… together."
"That's what matters at the end of it."
Art [Clementine]
Her head lowered, nerves winding down, Clem breathed slowly, and exhaled even slower. She listened. Tried so hard to.
But Clem shoved Lee's hand away.
The girl kept her tears to herself, hiding them behind distant eyes. Clementine's voice, even more so. "Doesn't feel like it." Steps as heavy as a turtle's, Clem walked past him without casting a single glance over her shoulder, that old baseball cap obscuring every one of her features.