The Final Chapter: Pain Is No Stranger to You and Me

As the days pressed on, Clementine's mental struggle continued with little improvement. The nightmares wouldn't come every night, but they would never leave her. Something about Lilly's killing had triggered something deep within her. It seemed all the trauma and anguish over the years had finally caught up with her. A dark cloud that refused to pass on. There was no ignoring it, not now.

Violet was frustrated, and understandably so. She had exhausted all ideas and efforts into improving Clementine's psyche. She spent most of her time trying to come up with a solution, so far unsuccessfully. The reality was that as much as Violet loved Clem, there was a very visible barrier between the two. Violet had seen little of the outside world since the outbreak, and had spent most of the time in a sheltered existence. True, she had watched people die, close friends even, but compared to Clementine's experiences, they simply didn't compare. No matter what happened, Violet always had a family and a home, a place to go and lay her head. Clementine had spent half her life looking for a place like that, and had lost everything and everyone she loved time and time again. Violet certainly liked to act tough, but the truth was she had never felt that level of hopelessness. There was only one other person in the group had been subject to suffering like that.

Minerva. She had been taken from her home and everything she loved, watched her sister die, and spent more than a year as an unwilling tool for death and greed. If anyone could relate to Clementine on this matter, it was her. However, Violet didn't like the idea of turning to her for help, as she was only starting to feel better herself. Asking her to revisit all those painful memories again was risky, selfish even, but Violet had little choice. Minnie was her last hope.

Early one morning Violet sought her out, hoping to catch her in her room before she left. She felt strange. Standing here in front of Minnie's door reminded her of that horrible day Violet ended their romance, only now she didn't have Clementine standing by her side. It wasn't a pleasant memory, not by any means. She never wanted to see Minnie like that again, not ever. She sincerely hoped she wasn't trading one friend's mental health for another. Violet took a breath, and gave a gentle knock at her door.

"Oh, uh, who is it?" came Minnie's soft, startled sounding voice.

"It's Vi. I was hoping I could talk with you. It's . . . important."

The next thing Violet heard was a quick shuffling of feet, and a second later the door sprang open. Minnie stood in the doorway, looking like she just jumped out of bed.

"Is something wrong, Vi? Are you hurt?" Minnie asked, always the concerned friend.

Ever since Ruby's death, Minnie had taken over the role of their doctor, and the role suited her quite well. She was still learning of course, as her room was in a bit of a chaotic state with all the books and herbs strewn about. It was nice to see her with a purpose, something to do that distracted her from the unspeakable horror she lived through. Unfortunately, Violet was here to remind her of those very things.

"No, I'm fine. Minnie. It's about Clementine."

"Oh, well seeing as she's not here, I'm guessing this isn't about a physical injury," Minnie said, looking a little relieved. "So, what's up?"

"Well, Clementine's not doing too well, Minnie," Violet said, looking at the ground.

"Yeah, I know," Minnie replied, sounding deflated herself.

Minnie wasn't anymore happy about Clementine's troubled state than Violet was. She had a bad habit of blaming herself for her friend's misfortunes, and this time was no different. Clementine had killed Lilly so Minnie wouldn't have to, after all, to save her any further mental trauma. Clementine figured she would be able to handle it, like she had so many times before.

"What? You think there's something I can do?"

"Well, yeah, I'm hoping. If you wanna say no though, I totally understand."

"Why would I say no?" Minnie asked, becoming very curious now. "What did you have in mind?"

"I've been doing a lot of thinking about this, a lot, and no matter how hard I try, I can't help Clem with shit like this, because I haven't seen what she's seen. I don't know what she's going through right now, but . . . you might. You might be able to help."
"I see," Minnie said, now understanding Violet's reluctance. She kept her eyes set her visibly uncomfortable friend. "You think I could empathize with her."

"Honestly, I don't know if this is a good idea. Might not help at all. The last thing I wanna do is give you a relapse or some shit, but I don't know what else to do. I'm all out of fuckin' ideas. I can't help her, and it's fuckin' killing me."

"Yeah, okay, I'll talk to her," Minnie said with a firm nod.

"Really, you're sure?" Violet asked, looking back to Minnie.

"Of course. Clementine is in this situation because she was trying to protect me. The least I can do is return the favor."

"Okay . . . just try to keep things calm, okay? Last thing I want is for you to get upset again," Violet said, still unsure if this was a good idea.

"Just give me a few minutes to get dressed, and I'll go find her," Minnie said, before gently closing the door.

"Alright," Violet muttered, mostly to herself.

She stood out there alone for a few silent moments, hoping this wouldn't all blow up in her face. At this point, Minnie seemed more determined about the plan than Violet was. That is if one could even call it a plan.

More like one last desperate plea.

Minnie waited until sundown, knowing Clementine had watch duty that night. She had told Violet she'd seek her out as soon as she was dressed, but she realized waiting was probably the smarter idea. This way Minnie could catch Clementine alone, and she wouldn't have the option of leaving. It seemed a bit devious, but it was all in the effort of helping her.

By then dinner had been over for an hour or so, and the sky had just started to darken. Not quite pitch black, but certainly not in daylight either. Only the last bit of illumination remained, lingering on the edge of the horizon.
Minnie slipped out the front doors, heading down the stairs to the courtyard. She cast her gaze upwards, spotting the top of Clementine's head in the watchtower, given away by her signature cap. On her way over, she passed by Mitch and Willy, sitting at a nearby picnic table. Ruby's death had hit Mitch especially hard, but he seemed to be in better spirits, judging by the shared laughter between the two.

"Hey, guys," said Minnie, turning to see the two boys with that famous, pleasant smile of hers.

"Oh, hey Minnie, what's up?" Mitch asked back, turning his attention away from his friend.

"Well, Violet's asked me to talk to Clementine, see if I can get through to her. She's still in a bad way," Minnie said, the color in her voice dropping off a bit.

"I noticed that," Mitch said back, looking over to the watch tower Clementine was in. He couldn't see her from this angle, but he was pretty sure she was still up there. "She hasn't been the same since that night."

"Yeah, it really sucks, nothing's worked much so far."

"You gotta help her out Minnie, I mean, we can't let Clementine stay like this forever. She saved my life, more times than once."

Minnie wasn't around for it, but when she first arrived Mitch was among the most hostile and suspicious of Clementine. A few months later, he was among those who owed her the most.

"She's saved all of us, but I don't think she sees it that way," Minnie paused, breathing a solemn sigh. "I'm gonna try my best. That's all I can promise."

Mitch gave a slight nod before turning away, and Minnie did the same. Now there was nothing left separating her and the tower. No more putting it off. She came to the base of the ladder, looking upwards to the top. It had never been a long climb, but that night it might as well have been a mile high. She took a deep breath, and began her ascent.

When Minnie poked her head over the top of the ladder, she found Clementine staring right at her. She must have heard her coming.

"Oh, it's you," Clementine said, looking a bit caught off guard.

When she heard someone coming up the ladder, she figured it might be AJ or Violet, or maybe even Louis. There was no reason for her to be up there unless she wanted to talk, so what did she want?

"Hey Clementine," Minnie cracked a bit, now wondering if she should have rehearsed this a bit. "What's goin' on?" she asked, lifting herself up and into the small tower.

"Uh, on watch duty," Clementine answered, stating the fairly obvious. "What else?"

"Right," Minnie said, feeling stupid just for asking. "I'll just get to the point, then. Clementine, Violet asked me to come talk to you. She's really worried about you. We all are."

"What? So she sent you? Why wouldn't' she just come talk to me herself?" Clementine asked, looking almost offended.

"She . . . doesn't think she can get through to you. She doesn't think she can relate to what you've been through, and what you've seen," Minnie explained, as delicately as possible.

"And you can?" Clementine challenged her, turning to face her fully.

Minnie paused, narrowing her eyes. Clementine had some nerve to ask her a question like that. Despite their differences, in a way Clementine and Minnie were more alike than anyone. Both scarred deeply, dealt wounds that would never heal, only fade over time. Both hiding behind themselves in a vain masquerade of normalcy. Putting on a strong face, pretending everything was okay.

Everything was not okay.

"I've seen some pretty awful things, Clementine. Done some pretty awful things too, actually. Besides you and AJ, I'm the only one here who's seen what the world is like outside this school."

Clementine remained silent, turning her back on Minerva to resume her watch. "I don't think we have much to talk about, Minnie. It's not like we're best friends all of a sudden."

"Maybe not, but we've got plenty in common," Minnie argued, stepping up to stand beside the troubled girl. "What are you so afraid of?"

Clementine shook her head in frustration. What did it even matter anymore? What was she holding it all in for?

"I'm afraid that all of this is going to fall apart, because everything I fucking touch, falls apart. Everywhere I go goes to shit, and everyone I meet dies, or goes crazy, or both! That's what I'm afraid of," Clementine vented, breathing heavily. "Everything I touch turns to shit, and you'd all be better off without me."

"Really, you think AJ would be better off without you?"
"If it weren't for me, AJ might still be with his parents. They only died because of me."

Minnie just stared at the adamant Clementine. She realized right away this wasn't going to get her anywhere. She needed a different approach. She thought to herself for a minute, while Clementine just stared at the trees in dead silence. Minnie breathed in, and then out. She didn't want to do this, but Clementine had forced her hand.

"Can I ask you a question?"
"What?"

"What was Lilly like when you knew her, all those years ago? What kind of person was she?"

Minerva could see right away it was a question Clementine didn't expect, given her visibly rattled reaction.

"Why?"

"I want to know more about the bitch who took my life away from me."

Minerva's language drew a bewildered look from Clementine. Minerva stared back, her demeanor suddenly much more severe.

"Was she always so cold-hearted, even when you knew her?"

At first, Clementine said nothing. A moment ago she was speaking with Minnie, yet now she no longer recognized her. She had met this woman twice before, whether she knew it or not. That cold-blooded stare. That frown. It was the same as the day she made Violet cry, and the day that Lilly died.

"Who are you, Minnie?" Clementine asked, looking her in the eye. "Is this who you really are? Is that nice girl persona just an act or what?"

"No Clem, what you're looking at is everything I never wanted to be."

"What? What's that supposed to mean?"

"This is what happens when someone tears themselves apart from the inside. They split. This is not who I am, it's what I had to become. This . . . this is what Lilly did to me. When I'm at my worst, I can't control it. Hopefully, after today, you never have to see this part of me again."

Clementine had seen a lot of things, but nothing quite like this. She had seen people altered by this world, but nothing to this extreme. She had wondered how Minnie managed to stay so seemingly innocent and sweet, spare for strange, violent outbursts when she was at her most upset. She had suffered an almost total mental split, and strangely, seemed fully aware of it.

"Jesus, I'm so sorry, Minnie. I knew something was wrong with you, but . . . fuck."

"Don't worry about me, just tell me about Lilly."

Clementine fumbled, trying to get her thoughts straight. She looked out towards the woods, trying to keep watch and talk at the same time. "Well, she was . . . normal, I guess. I mean, she was always a bit harsh, but she was a normal person. She was the leader of our group, in the beginning anyway. She . . . cared about is, and she loved her father. She always nice to me, she even let me borrow one of her hair ties once."

Clementine paused. She felt strange explaining all this, think about it all again. It was all ancient history. A lifetime had passed since then.

"After her dad died though, she just really started to lose it. She became paranoid and killed a friend of mine, and then we left her behind. That was the last I saw of her."

Minerva stood silent for a while after Clementine finished, letting the air settle around her before she spoke.

"So, to you, she was normal. Sometimes even nice," she repeated with a slight nod. "Now, let me tell you what she was to me."

Clementine shook her head, looking to Minerva in distress. "Minnie, you don't have to—."

"Every night, for the first month, she would beat me, and my sister. We could cry, beg for her to stop, but she never would. Not until she said it was enough."

Clementine paled, already horrified. Minerva didn't care. She had been holding this in a long time.

"She said she needed to toughen us up, and told us some bullshit story about her dad, as if that made it okay. Sometimes Abel would join in, other times, he would just watch. Every day was a new hell." Minerva breathed in, trying to contain herself. She looked out into the forest, as Clementine had done before. "After the first month, she would only beat us if we did something wrong or made a mistake, but . . ." Minnie swallowed hard, her voice cracking. "It only took the smallest, most innocent mistake, and she would just go to fuckin' town on us. I think she actually enjoyed it. She was just looking for an excuse to beat the shit out of us."

Clementine didn't want to hear anymore, but she wouldn't dare tell Minerva to stop. The red-haired girl said nothing for nearly a minute, as if bracing herself for what came next.

"One night, about six months in, my sister's said she's had enough. She tries to convince me to escape with her, but . . . I was too afraid. So she went alone, and of course she gets caught. So that night, Lilly drags Sophie into our tent in front of me. Abel holds me down, forces me to watch, while Lilly beats her for I don't even know how long, until she stops moving. Then she takes out her knife, and holds it out to me. She says . . . . 'make it quick, or I'll take her real slow.' I knew she was dead either way, so . . ." Minnie shifted back to Clementine now with a jaded, teary stare, and a much more familiar, softer face.

"I made it quick."

"Minnie, why are you telling me this?" Clementine asked, her whole body shaking. "Why now?"

"Do you wanna end up like Lilly, Clem?" Minnie asked, brushing the tears from her eyes.

"What?"

"I said, do you want to end up like Lilly?"

"Of course not!"

"Well, I don't either," Minnie said, facing her friend once more. "But if Lilly was normal once, and became that, then so could we. I almost did. That day she died, I was ready to make her suffer like she had made me suffer. I would have killed her slowly. Painfully. I would've become just like her, but you saved me. In fact, if it wasn't for you, I'd still be at the Delta, and Lilly would've kidnapped the rest of the kids too. The only reason any of us are here is because of you."

Clementine wasn't sure what to think, but Minnie could tell she was getting somewhere. Minnie looked to the forest, keeping watch for Clementine while she got her head straight. Luckily, Minnie had chosen a quiet night. The coast was still clear.

"Before, I was always able to just keep moving, keep pressing on, 'cause that's what I needed to do survive," Clementine finally said, explaining the best she could. "Now that I've finally stopped running, it feels like I can't move at all. I can't sleep, I can't think, it's like I'm paralyzed."

"That's what happens you stop running. Everything catches up to you," said Minnie, keeping her eyes forward.

Clementine fell silent again, pondering what Minnie had just said to her. This whole time she thought she was conquering tragedy after tragedy, when she had merely been retreating, keeping them at bay. Now they had her cornered, and there was nowhere left to run.

"Clem, we've both had horrible things done to us, but we can't give up. If we give up, then they'll consume us, and we'll wind up just like Lilly. Or worse."

The thought alone made Clementine shudder.

"I don't know what you've been through, exactly, but I know what it's like to suffer in silence. To keep a pretty face and just pretend everything's okay. You saw yourself where that got me. It just makes things worse," Minnie assured her, shifting her gaze to Clementine one final time. "You've helped us, now let us help you. You can't do this alone."

Clementine offered no response, not right away. Enough time passed for a bead of nervous sweat to form on Minnie's skin. Had she done enough? If not, she had done all she could. Finally, Clementine stepped forward, throwing her arms around Minnie and squeezing tight. The stunned redhead stood in place, her hands at her sides. She wasn't sure what to expect, but it definitely wasn't that.

"I'm sorry I doubted you. You're a great friend," said Clementine.

The crack in her voice told Minnie she was only just managing to hold herself together. Minnie raised her arms, embracing the troubled girl. "You don't have to be sorry. I was a jerk. I hurt the girl you loved. I wouldn't have trusted me either."

It wasn't too long before Clementine stepped back, releasing Minnie from her firm hold. "Sorry about that, I didn't mean to surprise you."

"Are you kidding? I'm just glad I got through to you," Minnie said with a brief, relieved sigh. "You really had me worried there."

"I guess I should get back to it, then," Clementine said, ready to resume her watch.

"No, I'll take over your shift. Why don't you go get some rest? Or whatever you wanna do, just take a break, okay?

"Really? You sure?"

"Yeah, you look like you're barely awake anyway. Probably not in the best shape for watch duty," Minnie said with a joking grin.

"Yeah, you're probably right," Clementine chuckled back, looking over to the school. "It's still so strange, living in a place where I don't have to look over my shoulder. I haven't stayed in one place for so long since the beginning of all this shit."

"You mean with Lilly?"

"Yeah, back when she was still one of the good guys," Clementine sighed, then shook herself free of the troublesome thought.

She would never become like Lilly. Neither of them would.

"See ya later, Minnie. Thanks again," said Clementine, starting down the ladder.

"I was just returning the favor, that's all. And looking out for a friend," said Minnie, putting on her brightest, most honest smile yet.

Even after Clementine disappeared below, Minnie's smile still lingered on. She returned her attention to the forest. Clementine's shift still had an hour left, so she had some settling in to do.

By then the last speck of light had faded from the skyline's edge, the day finally at its end.