Author's Notes: Four months late on this upload, but we're finally getting there! We've got a couple more scenes to work on for the next chapter or two, so hopefully we'll be all wrapped up either by January or February so things will finally get back on track for regular updates.
Once those are finished, this story will be going onto a weekly update basis until it's finished. The story's already written all the way through the ending, it just needs some finishing touches in this arc. I'm aiming to have this story completely uploaded by March or April, and will start posting stuff for the sequel soon after. Stay tuned!
4:47 PM – March 14, 2026 – Wyoming Bushlands
Art [Clementine]
Clem could've spent all morning listing off the reasons her shoulders stiffened up the way they were, but nervousness easily made the top three.
By eight 'o'clock in the morning, Lee was next to her bed helping her up, dragging Clementine away from those awesome warm sheets she'd be missing for the rest of the day. Breakfast ended before it even started, and before she knew it, Clementine stood by the school gates, rifle strapped to her backpack. Andrea had scheduled some type of group outing. And by outing, she really meant outside the walls. Clem begged not to go, suspecting they had put her in the same group as that awful Lydia on purpose, but it fell on deaf ears. All of it.
Suffice to say that the only other alternative was what sounded like a whole week's worth of extra homework for whoever opted to stay home. It had to be some sort of fucked up joke! The first few hours were spent on long lessons and even longer drills. Clem kept her ears peeled when Andrea mentioned spores, and inwardly winced when she described what a Bloater was. Is that what they call it?
The trip itself wasn't special. Andrea called it 'basic training for scouting missions', but they were only ever walking down the trail leading out of Jackson, and Clem could swear she only ever saw a single walker. 'Course, it got dispatched by one of the instructors before anyone could get a second look. She and her class weren't allowed to do anything besides trudge through the snow. It was so stupid.
Dot [Jenny]
It was particularly cold that morning, enough so that Jenny's breath came out in voluminous clouds, dissipating into the air. She traveled alongside everyone else, albeit unenthusiastic about the whole ordeal. She should've been fine, given the amount of people Andrea had gathered for this thing, but nevertheless she felt terrified to be beyond those walls. Nothing good ever happened outside of them.
Keeping close to Clementine was the only thing that really made her feel comfortable. At least, if something bad happened, she knew that her friend could handle it.
Kevin and Nicky were nearby, making jokes about a few of the folks that went out with them, namely Lydia it seemed, who had been avoiding the whole lot of them like the plague. Guess she really didn't like Clementine. Or, well, any of them, for that matter. Jenny was convinced that the only person she tolerated was Carl.
As Andrea was going on about patrol routes and what to look out for, Jenny shivered, wrapping her arms around herself before glancing towards Clementine. "Starting to wish we were back home," she mumbled. "I'd rather be working in the garage right now."
She wasn't usually one for complaining, but this was about the limit of what she could tolerate.
Art [Clementine]
It was a good thing - not trudging all alone. Felt good having that again. Clem mouthed an F-word that left her lips in a misty sigh, as she let her cold hands wobble sluggishly forward. "Me too."
She almost missed summer; all the heat and the sticky in your clothes. At least you could see where you were going. The blizzard formed a wall of mist as far as the eye could see, and the snow painted the surrounding forest with bright ashen. For all the bad it did, the Jackson woods looked breathtaking. You could almost forget the walkers, the strain in your knees, the wind that froze you to the bone... just to lose yourself to the sight. Eyes dancing around the funny shapes your boots made when they dug into the snow, while you went down the same trail that never quite seemed to end. She wondered if they'd get lost without it.
Clementine pulled the strap on her shoulder just an inch closer, to force her rifle to sit still. "You think we could use all that spare junk to make a go-kart? I bet you we could."
Dot [Jenny]
Clementine's idea had Jenny snorting, smiling despite herself. Y'know what, that sounds fun. "All we need is a junkyard to scavenge from, and we can have ourselves a real-life Mario Kart." She offered with a small laugh, gaining her several raised eyebrows from nearby kids walking near them. Joy-kills.
Kevin was the one to answer that, though, scoffing amusedly. "Why, so Nicky can kick our asses in real go-karts?"
Art [Clementine]
Clementine had to smile and look away, lest she take him up on that. It didn't go unnoticed. "Uh-oh. Do I sense the new blood getting cocky...?" Nicky snickered where her ears nearly couldn't reach. As she leaned closer to Kevin far behind where their footprints lay, Clementine's smile only grew deeper. "You know she's been in a real car before, right? Not just in video-games." It only made sense to rub it in Kevin's face how she got to drive that muscle car back in Colorado, and how Lee had taught her what pedal did what, and which gear to shift to when the road got steep. But the hotshot felt happy enough keeping that to herself.
Clem huddled her arms together around her chest, hiding the number 88 on her jersey shirt. As she wondered how much colder it was going to get, the snow trailing down the trees left white marks on the light blue of her long flannel hoodie, making her shoulders look like a clouded sky. "You cold?" She asked suddenly, pointing her red nose at Jenny. "I brought an extra jacket... if you need it."
Dot [Jenny]
Jenny listened to her friends banter back and forth, interested in seeing how that whole thing would pan out. Clem had the advantage, obviously, but it couldn't be that hard, right?
When the baseball-capped girl eventually asked her if she wanted an extra jacket, Jenny was eager to nod. This brown windbreaker wasn't quite cutting it. "Please," she breathed, almost desperately.
As she waited for Clementine to fish out the extra jacket, Jenny's mind wandered, going back to what Nicky and Kevin were talking about earlier. She found herself asking the question without really thinking, genuinely curious. "So, what's it like? Driving?"
Art [Clementine]
Clem nabbed from the inside of her backpack a folded, white bubble jacket sprinkled with flower patterns. Time had faded it to dark, murky grey shades, and its sturdy elbow patches into strings of tattered gaps. She handed it bashfully to her friend, like Jenny'd bite her fingers off if she came any closer than an arm's length. Clem wondered if she'd like it, yellow blossoms and all. Hands settled back within balmy pockets, Clementine smiled.
"Like riding a bicycle?" She answered halfway confident, though the honest truth of it eluded her. Clem hadn't ever gotten near one. "I don't know." The girl smacked her lips and fell to knitted brows. "Almost can't reach the pedal, Jay."
Dot [Jenny]
Jenny graciously accepted the jacket, slipping it on. It was a little small but did the trick. She stuffed her hands back into pockets, hoping to maintain whatever small amount of warmth she still had left in them. Luckily, that jacket had some comfy pockets, so she could focus on what Clementine was saying. The girl's comment about driving nearly made her chuckle, but she held it back to simply smile instead.
Clementine wasn't short by any means, at least for her age, but compared to herself, she somehow didn't doubt that there was a bit of trouble there. Nevertheless, she continued on as if it didn't matter, 'cause it really didn't. "Well, maybe someday you'll get to teach me. We'll do a tour around the Jackson area."
"At least a car would have heat," she continued with mild aggravation.
LadyLedge [Lydia]
Near the middle of the pack, a girl with a bright white hood slung over her head trudged along in a typically lazy manner. Lingering close to her one-eyed companion, Lydia's arms were crossed while she walked, in an effort to shield her hands from the ice-cold air that was mercilessly nipping away. Of all the seasons they could've picked to do this, of course they picked the worst one to travel in.
Contrary to most people's feelings about the walkers and infected, Lydia believed that there were a few things to be jealous about. The fact that they couldn't feel this fucking cold, for one. If it wasn't for the fact that this expedition was a compulsory event, then Lydia wouldn't have shown. She already tried to get out of it, but Andrea wasn't taking no for an answer this time. Being outside of the walls and back in nature was something the former Whisperer yearned for daily but having to share this with so many other people wasn't exactly her idea of a relaxing time. Which is why she just preferred to sneak out by herself.
Was Lydia really expected to look out for these idiots? She was pretty sure most of them would be dead out here within a day if they were left to their own devices. Hell, the girl bet most of them wouldn't even be able to find their way back to Jackson from here.
Occasionally, Lydia would glance over her shoulder to catch a glimpse of Nicky and Kevin and their poor attempts to quietly shit-talk her. Which she ignored, for the most part. She also noticed that Clementine was here too, and had found her place with them. It wasn't all that surprising that Jenny had taken a liking to Clementine, though part of her wondered if she was just hanging with her because of the rumors.
Not like she cared anyway, that Jenny girl never knew when to shut up and always managed to continuously bore Lydia by running her mouth off about the most annoying and nonsensical shit. All that girl did was spend time in that garage, probably jerking off to machine parts in there or something, like the weirdo she was; Lydia honestly wouldn't be surprised.
Walker food. That's all the girl really saw in these people, and at this point she'd be rooting for the walkers to get a free meal, since she didn't really like anyone here anyway. So pampered and snide, she couldn't stand it. Too bad today she had no choice but to.
Art [Clementine]
They came to another stop, slowly. Way ahead of the group stood a pair of walkers, watching with their empty eyes from behind trees sprinkled with white. It was the burlier guide, the one with the dirty-red beard, that stuck a knife through the both of them. She waited next to Jenny with a restless look about her, frowns that turned to smiles when they shared rapid glances. She didn't feel as cold, then.
What Clementine heard next was the sound of a bullet ripping through the air. It startled nearly everyone, though it went as far as to freeze her into a solid statue. No one knew where it'd come from besides the birds that flew opposite to the sound, far and away. The guides looked between each other; they stared first, talked after, and what they said was no good. Clem felt her good hand drift toward the holster on her thigh.
A kid younger than her let out a piercing scream - far behind, where it was hard to see - fumbling for their gun. Ahead, the guides shouted "Infected!" After that, not one person there could tell who fired first. But once gunfire opened from one side, it'd opened from them all. Before she got around to grabbing Jenny's hand, the burly guy with the knife was opened into two.
Dot [Jenny]
Chaos erupted as quickly as wildfire, teenagers and adults alike running for their lives, while those with the training to stand their ground attempted to hold back the horde as best they could, most ending their lives in the process.
For Jenny, her heart was in her throat, beating so fast it threatened to burst. The only thing that kept her from freezing in her spot in the snow was Clementine's hand pulling her away, just as one of the guides was ripped open by an infected. She watched in horror as it chomped on the man's neck, blood gushing out in a geyser that sprayed the runner, making it all the more terrifying.
Before she could see any more, Clementine had them diverting towards the woods, where a gap in the infected and other survivors gave them a way out. Jenny nearly stumbled over a root, but the force behind Clementine's tugging kept her moving forward.
Behind, all they could hear were screams and the gut-wrenching sound of clicking, screeches and skin tearing, spilling what lied beneath. She was lucky she didn't have to see it, her eyes focused ahead as Clementine dodged an infected lunging towards them.
As they kept moving forward, Jenny repeated the same two words under her breath, verging on hyperventilating. "Oh God, oh God, oh God…"
Art [Clementine]
"Don't!-" Clem felt a runner brush shoulders with her, reach for an arm or a sleeve. She fired twice at the thing, and suddenly what she meant to tell Jenny was gone with it. Nicky and Kevin were nowhere to be seen, though she searched as hard as one could. Whoever was left in the thick of it had been torn and eaten. Clementine didn't mean to stay and watch.
She shut her eyes, for just a split second, and she prayed to run into an adult. How many guides were left? Clem dragged Jenny to wherever the trees led and didn't stop. As the girl came to fire her gun less and less, it started feeling like they'd made it out. The panic led them to a huge tower in the center of the forest; the only thing that stood out in the dark green fields, still not painted in white. "Jay, I need you to climb. Understand? I need you to climb fast. More're gonna come!" Soon, they did.
Even out of breath, Clementine climbed the tower as fast as her arms and legs could carry the rest of her body, infected crawling at her feet. They reached for her, fighting each other for the chance to, and suddenly Clementine felt a grip on her ankle. She fought, fought and pulled, until her left boot went tumbling down and just the white-and-purple sock stayed. The girl collapsed on the wooden floor atop the tower, sweat running down her face as she huffed louder than any of the infected yelling for her...
... too exhausted to check if anyone else was there.
Dot [Jenny]
Her lungs felt like they were on fire, from exhaustion and the sheer cold surrounding them alike. Jenny's legs moved on their own accord, practically being dragged around by Clementine past dozens of infected before their one hope at salvation appeared in the way of a watch tower. Hearing Clementine's frantic voice was enough to force her up that ladder at the speed of sound, collapsing on the snowy floorboards surrounding the tower in a heaving heap.
Clementine was next. Infected surrounded them on all sides, so many that she couldn't even count them. So many that she'd never seen in one place. Her eyes were frozen on them, watching in horror as they tried to grab Clementine's ankle, the baseball-capped girl eventually managing to break free. When she made it to the observation deck next to her, Jenny allowed herself to fall back onto the floor, content to stay there for the rest of time.
Because she knew they were fucked. Inexperienced or not, that kind of horde that amassed below wasn't something they were just gonna… walk out of. They surrounded the tower at least twenty or thirty deep. More than enough to shake the tower nauseatingly.
Her voice barely a croak, she called out for the girl somewhere behind her.
"C – Clem…? You okay?"
LadyLedge [Lydia]
Lydia couldn't help but mutter something inconsiderate under her breath as two exhausted bodies slumped down on the floor next to the ladder. If the girl wasn't somehow in a nightmare already, this definitely sealed the deal. The blonde's eyes glazed over the hellish landscape, a deranged mix of roamers and infected loomed beneath them, moaning and gurgling. It sounded… borderline psychotic, almost.
Trapped. That's what they were. Thanks to the dumbasses who attracted even more of them here. Clementine and Jenny had just flushed Lydia's already small chance of slipping away down the fucking toilet. The girl found no solace in sharing company up here, and that was about to become very apparent.
"Great... this is… great. Five out of five stars for whoever's idea it was to bring the herd here." Lydia huffed out, trying to speak in between small gasps for air. She was hunched over, still breathless herself, having only arrived a short time earlier. Before, the girl was confident enough that she'd be able to wait it out, since not too many of the roamers had noticed her. Now, there was a chance they weren't going to make it at all, the structure sounded just about ready to come crashing down because of these idiots.
"Have another star for trying to get me fucking killed, too!"
Art [Clementine]
Clementine caught herself pulling Jenny in for a hug and not letting go. "Mhm." It hadn't been five minutes... everything was normal until just five minutes ago. Clem kicked herself hard for whining like a little kid all day... whining over scout training being too fucking boring. She'd have done anything to take that back. "Not bitten," she answered. "...You?"
But as Clementine cast her eyes to the voice blaring opposite to her, both of them stretched as wide as pair could. Lydia...? Sudden as that, her grip on Jay was all but gone. Wasn't enough to march through snow all morning and get attacked by monsters, it wasn't... now it was this. This was happening now.
She'd have taken that entire pack of clickers instead.
Though exhausted the way she was, the teen was on her feet in a second's time, sneaking in glares aimed at the blonde while she coughed into a fist. Retorting came next, like instinct. "I didn't-" Clementine stopped to breathe, letting it out in an angry puff. All the while the infected threw themselves against the support below, sending small shockwaves in the form of echoing sounds, flesh colliding against metal. It had Clem's skin crawling, even more so than the sight of the girl she hated.
Not that it made any difference. They'd all jump at the chance to choke her to death.
"It's not our fault!"
Dot [Jenny]
God, she needed that hug at that moment. The sounds emanating below were sickening, nauseating her to the point of churning her stomach. She answered Clementine's question with a breathless "I'm okay," before another voice filled the air. Jenny turned to look at Lydia with wide eyes, eventually sitting against the wall of the watch tower, hugging her legs close to her chest.
That once cheery, bombastic girl was nothing more than a shivering, frightened mess.
LadyLedge [Lydia]
Lydia's brows furrowed together, emanating a vicious stare at the girl opposite her. The wails and moans of the herd echoed out for miles, almost deafening. It probably would've drowned out her voice, had she not been screaming.
"Look around!" She sent a finger in the direction of the fields below them, highlighting the second half of the herd they'd brought along with them. Yes, she needed someone to blame, and Clementine was the easiest target. Lydia was already pissed off about the news of her return, which made it easier to let loose.
"Do you guys see anywhere to go now?!" Another hard thud soon followed, rattling the watchtower. Sending a sudden wash of anxiety over her. Lydia felt the platform they were standing on vibrate underneath her. Instinctively, she grabbed onto the railing beside her as dread soon washed over her face. Please, please, please. Don't break.
"We're screwed!"
Art [Clementine]
With her cheeks flaring red in rage, Clem's grimace gave way to a shout she couldn't hope to hold back. Hands curled into fists and arms more rigid than her glower, the girl's brows were pointed straight down, twisting her eyes' gentle amber into a fiery yellow. Clementine was so pissed, the rest became blurry past the point of clarity.
"How about you shut up, so you don't draw more of them!"
LadyLedge [Lydia]
Right then and there, Lydia felt like driving a fist straight through her annoying face. Nothing about her had changed at all. Clementine was still just as infuriating to talk to as the first time. Straight away, she opened her mouth to yell back. However, at the last moment, Lydia gnashed her teeth together, withholding her remarks before casting off an aggravated glance to the infected in the fields. As much as she hated to admit it, the girl had a point about all the screaming.
A moment of silent tension passed between them, before Lydia made her way off the scaffolding, bumping shoulders with the other girl before stomping through the door that led inside. They were alone, surrounded by a herd, with little hope for help… and barely any food. There was no way to know how long it would take for things to clear out.
The frazzled teen wasn't bothered to do much else. Straight away, she situated herself into the corner of the room; trying to calm down proved futile. Pressing her back up against the wall, she gradually slid down against it until she was seated, gently hugging her knees. There was no point in doing anything. It was going to be dark soon, with nothing but a girl greener than a newborn baby, and Clementine to accompany her.
At this rate, she would have preferred the corpses…
Dot [Jenny]
Staring off into the distance, it was almost easy to imagine that the horde below didn't exist. The trees swayed their usual to and fro, blown by heavy winds and battered with pellets of snow that were beginning to fall from the sky. Of course, the rocking of the tower, and the noise deafening her, all culminated into a feeling of dread that she could not shake off. What might've been a serene view would forever be haunted by the reality mere dozens of feet below them.
Of course, the tension in the air kept ramping up, especially with how vitriol the words being thrown between Clementine and Lydia were. She knew they didn't get along, of course, but seeing them argue now was putting her into a state of shock far worse than the one already plaguing her.
So, when Lydia made her way inside, Jenny was more than happy to follow suit. The weather was turning colder, and her ass felt frozen solid, and any warmth that little room could provide would be a fucking godsend.
Setting herself down in a corner of the room after brushing herself off, she waved Clementine over, in desperate hope for some meager amount of warmth they could manage to share. Anything to fucking forget about outside, and the things she'd witnessed on the way here.
That guide's bloody guts as they were ripped out of him decided to pierce her mind, forcing her to clench her eyes shut, fists following suit. It'd been so long since she'd seen anything like that, it almost brought her back to being a kid again. Of seeing it firsthand as her last home was torn apart.
She desperately needed another hug.
Art [Clementine]
So, that was that.
Clem sighed out a heavy breath, letting her gaze tumble back to the floorboards below. The toes on her right foot were already curling to stay warm, and the sight alone had bashfulness hitting her hard. Bet you look real dumb, Clementine. Well, great. That whole conundrum still felt hours away from sinking in for real - what with being stranded with Lydia in the middle of nowhere with a clique of infected waiting for dinner below. Clementine, more dumbfounded than pensive, leaned against the railing to both scan the area and kill some time. And maybe, hopefully, calm down a little.
They looked pretty boned. Over a dozen deadheads kept stumbling their way to the ladder, running into it until they got bored and moved onto something else. And that's only the ones they could see. What would Lee think? He'd probably start worrying sick soon. At least Clem knew for sure someone was coming to help. Eventually.
Her lips twisted and quivered, until they formed another grimace. A softer one, at least, if there was even such a thing. She was gonna have to head inside sooner or later before her foot froze into a popsicle. Wouldn't be worth it. Even if she seriously preferred it.
The door swung open to expose the bashful teen with the baseball cap and the rifle strapped to her shoulder. Nevermind how crooked the girl looked, with one foot taller than the other, it didn't seem to faze her at all anymore. Clementine sat opposed to Lydia, letting go a long exhale through her nose in order to break the thickest ice in all of Wyoming. "They're not letting up until morning, I think. Can't shoot our way out. And I doubt the radio works anymore." Accessing all of it was important. Just this once, they had to work as a team. Just this once.
Clementine's hand slid through the floor as slow as it could, until it found Jay's. Hers was cold and jittery, and Clem had to fight hard to keep it still. It must've been horrible for her... After all this, what hope did she even have to make it better? "It's - It's not so bad. Okay? Andrea and the others, they'll come look for us. Might have to wait a couple of days tops." A poor attempt at sounding positive, even Clementine knew. The teen dragged Jenny's hand inside her front pockets the way you tucked someone under a blanket, not letting go. Then she turned to Lydia, in too much of a tizzy to hold a glance for too long. "I got... food. If you get hungry."
"Just a little."
LadyLedge [Lydia]
The four walls managed to provide some warmth, giving some shelter against the ice-cold air that so desperately wanted to nibble away at her. Lydia was beginning to dread the inevitable temperature drop that was soon to come. Still scowling, she could see Clementine leaning over the railing through the window, was she actually trying to look for a way out? Or did she just want to look busy? Stupid. That's what this whole thing was.
God, she hoped Carl had made it out. Maybe he was out there right now, looking for them with the others. Or perhaps he wasn't. Not knowing killed her, and having to wait did not help one bit. Now that the screams coming from the living had ceased, all she could hear were the dead ones. It'd been a while since it felt like she was alone with them. Seeing so many huddled together, it always gave her this sense of comfort, relief in the fact that they would protect her. Back with the Whisperers, it used to mean everything. That time where they made her feel so safe, where their soft gurgles were calming. Now that she'd grown accustomed to being inside these massive walls, it was harder to feel that way. She didn't want to anymore, but the girl couldn't deny it, the sounds still did bring her solace... sometimes.
Just when it felt as though her nerves were beginning to settle, in came Clementine, lumping herself down next to Jenny. All she did was yap away about crap Lydia already knew. Yeah, a couple of days… if we're not dead by then.
Lydia's gaze settled on Clementine from across the room, frowning at her offer. To that, she faced away, resting her cheek on the top of her knees. "I have my own food." Lydia responded in the driest way possible, her tone almost as cold as the snow outside.
She was kidding herself if a couple of candy bars in her backpack were considered a decent meal. One thing was certain though, she'd rather become a popsicle stick than receive any help from Clementine, let alone be in the general vicinity of her.
Dot [Jenny]
Feeling the warmth in Clementine's hand was enough to begin to calm her down, though it'd prove to not be enough. Her heart was still racing, things she wished she could forget continuing to nag her, screaming at her.
The sight of runners pouring into the University of Eastern Colorado, attacking anyone that moved; her dad having to kill them to make a path for their escape; her mom being grabbed by one, nearly brought down to the ground, until her dad managed to save her; hundreds of other people, soldiers and families alike, all being devoured or forced on the run. That day had terrified her, so badly that going outside the walls of Jackson had never been appealing, save for the hopeful musings of a teenager. Now, she wished that she'd listened to her gut and stayed home. Though, knowing that Clementine would've been out here, and her in there, that soured the whole thought.
She wouldn't want to not know if her friend had survived.
So, in response, she clutched Clementine's hand tighter, hoping that'd make everything okay. In reality, she knew it wouldn't, but what else could she do?
LadyLedge [Lydia]
It was then that Lydia caught sight of something rather unkempt. The teen's eyes couldn't help but drift downwards. They zeroed in on Clementine's hand. It was easy to notice what was missing. She remembered it wasn't like that the first time, unless she wasn't paying attention. No, she was sure of it. Clementine had come back missing a finger this time.
Lydia's eyes were fixated on it for a split-second, almost being enough to wipe the glare off her face, but she held strong. Before trying to pretend as though she hadn't noticed, turning her head, she quickly averted her gaze from the girl. The silence was uncomfortable on so many levels. What were they supposed to even say to each other? Not to mention this type of stuff wasn't something she liked to do with people she barely knew. As much as Lydia hated the fact that Clementine was back, she was hopelessly curious about why since her return. Gathering that whatever happened out there after they left couldn't have been good.
Finally, the torturous silence between the three became all too much to bear. Even for Lydia.
"So. You're back." Lydia spoke rather bluntly, still looking away from the baseball-capped girl, a frown smeared across her face. "I thought Ellie would be with you."
Art [Clementine]
Tried, she did, but when Lydia said she had her own food, Clem backed out almost immediately, feeling the words land on her head like they weighed the world. "Y - Yeah. Sure," Clementine blurted out before falling into silence, rubbing one arm to ward off the discomfort. "Suit yourself..."
This wasn't going to work. Minutes kept ticking by and the silence wouldn't stop. It was suffocating. And Lydia was such a jerk...! Clementine would've taken it all back if she could, everything that happened that night, just to... try and be friends again. But no matter what she did to fix it, it wouldn't go away. It just wouldn't! And she fucking hated that feeling more than... anything! It kept the girl crushed and equally quiet, even more so when she noticed the stares directed at her missing finger. She hid it behind her like always. Ashamed of it.
When Ellie turned into a topic, her frown turned permanent and obvious in equal measure. Clem tried - and tried really hard at that - to give Lydia a non-answer. Fight fire with fire. It didn't work. Things with Ellie, they were... rough, to put it lightly. She could barely figure out what to say.
"Me too."
The subject was dropped just as soon as it was brought up, and... even if she liked it that way, Clem did not want it to go quiet again. She couldn't freaking cope with another half hour of silence. If this is what it took to get Lydia to talk, then so be it. "If you... I mean-"
"If you really wanna know..." The girl shrugged her shoulders, forced to swallow a whimper. "The place Tommy told us about was a total bust. So... Joel and she left to keep looking for the Fireflies."
"We didn't."
The wind wouldn't quit. It snuck through the cracks in the walls, even through the windows and the empty spaces between the door. It had Clementine leaning into Jenny more, looking for more warmth when she knew neither of them had any more to spare. "Bet you're happy." She said, holding in a scoff, teeth chattering from the cold. "I doubt she's coming back."
LadyLedge [Lydia]
The details were a lot to swallow at once. Information that Lydia didn't quite know how to digest, or in other words… feel about. Not like it mattered anyway. At this point, being separated was probably for the best. She never really understood that girl's obsession with that rebel group, or how Tommy had put Ellie and her friends on a pedestal; let them waltz in like they owned the place, just because they knew his brother. When they first arrived, Tommy granted them more privileges than people who were already there for years. Lydia had to work long and hard to earn her keep, while people like them had everything handed over on a silver platter. Not one person questioned how unfair it was. Her frown hardened at Clementine's brash remarks, though she couldn't say it wasn't expected.
"Bet I'm happy?" She mimicked, speaking dismissively as a scoff was returned, sarcasm evident in her voice. Lydia brought her knees closer to her chest in an effort to fight the cold. It didn't help much.
"Well, considering that she called me an arrogant bitch..."
Lydia trailed off, twisting her head to the side a little, her eyes squinted a tad as they locked with Clementine's again. "Before you punched me. Remember?"
Art [Clementine]
Her blood was boiling again. A trail of fire running through her veins to feed a heart that couldn't and wouldn't stop pounding. Clem had to be the world's biggest idiot to think she could make this work. It pissed her off beyond words, hearing Lydia say those things after she tried to choke her. She was so damned sick of her. The girl forced her eyes shut to try and push that anger away, pulling her hand away from Jenny's and violently clinging onto her upper arms. Still, Clementine's lips, they practically moved on their own.
"What. You want another one?!"
LadyLedge [Lydia]
Lydia didn't know why she was expecting an explanation. Like hell she expected an apology, but the threat… which she assumed to be empty… was fucking stupid. Was she serious right now? It hadn't even been more than twenty minutes, and the blonde already felt like wringing her neck. Just how was Lydia expected to survive up here for more than a day with her?
"Really? After what happened to you last time?" The girl was beginning to get riled up, so much so that she was starting to contemplate sleeping outside. "Carl isn't here."
Art [Clementine]
Clementine's cheeks fumed and turned crimson, later crumbling into a softer, less menacing pink. The fierce look in her eyes, it fell and turned to dust, running off in a hurry to avoid the blonde's.
Clem hadn't felt that humiliated in... ever.
A half-dozen retorts sat by the edge of her tongue, not one lacking a swear word. Yet the girl had the courage to voice neither of them. The girl's mouth hung open for less than a second before it shut itself into a sulk, while Clem dropped her head abashedly. Flustered the way she was over losing, it only took reminding Clementine of how badly she needed saving from Carl to shut her up for good.
LadyLedge [Lydia]
And with that, the room once again fell into a prolonged deadly silence. Clementine had essentially shrunk into a little ball, embarrassed at the mention of their last fight. Lydia gnawed on her tongue momentarily, sighing out in frustration as she weighed her options, before settling on one. She reached over to her backpack, which she had set down next to her. Laying down on her side, the girl swiveled the other way, purposely avoiding facing her embarrassed roommate. She dragged her backpack and set it under her head, using it as a pillow. It wasn't the most comfortable thing in the world. But it would do. Lydia just wished she was tired… just a smidge. Even if it meant listening to nothing but the wails of the dead all night, it would still be more peaceful than trying to have a conversation with Clementine.
At least Jenny had the brains to stop talking.