Thanks to gaara king of the sand for the help.
As the days continued on, the group settled in at their new location.
Clementine was disappointed that no one from her group was around the surrounding area. In fact, there was no one around period. The mall was completely deserted. To the child that was both a good thing and a bad thing. It was good that there were no naughty people around to hurt them, but she had her doubts that Kenny and the others would be able to find them easily at a place like this.
"You okay, kid?" Molly asked the young girl as she noticed her disappointed expression.
"I'm just thinking about the others." Clementine said honestly.
Molly sighed at that, "Clem… I don't want to make you upset or anything, but… I do want you to understand that... we might not see them again."
"I know… That's what I'm thinking about…" Clementine said.
"I'm sorry, kid…" Molly said.
"But you're not, are you?" Clementine asked.
"What?"
"You don't care if we see them again." Clementine frowned. "Do you?"
"Clem, look… I… I hope they're okay, but with all the fighting… it might be best to stay apart…" Molly said honestly.
"So you don't care… did you want us to split up?" Clementine frowned.
"I thought about it, but not the way it happened." Molly said. "But I did care about them. But the fighting—"
"But they're family… Families fight…" Clementine said. "I hope they find us… I hope they're okay…"
"I'm sure they're okay, Clem…" Molly said.
"I really hope so…"
As they continued to get to know everyone better, Clementine tried her best to interact with the other children as Molly urged her to. But no matter how hard she tried; it didn't feel right. The child didn't fit in with the children and they could tell and as a result the older kids made her more of an outcast, teasing her whenever adults weren't around.
She would cringe whenever the teenagers would make a dirty joke, and she just wasn't into the games they played. The child simply was not used to being that- A child. She had been playing the role of an adult for so long, that it was hard to let loose and go back to being a kid.
Molly noticed that the girl struggled to make friends with the other kids, but she didn't know how to help her. The more she tried to encourage the girl the more uncomfortable Clementine seemed to get until one day the child finally outright told her. "I don't want to play."
From that point the child's response was usually the same. She didn't want to play. She didn't feel comfortable playing.
Molly felt bad. Her girl didn't get along with other children and the woman blamed herself. She had stopped Clementine from being a kid, even in times when they didn't have anything to worry about. And Carver and the rest of those sick people had stolen what innocence the poor child had left.
She allowed the young girl to stick around with her during the days, but she knew that if she didn't encourage the child to try to interact with the other kids it wouldn't help her to make friends.
So the next day, she was determined to get the young girl to play like a normal kid for the whole day.
"Clem, I think you should try to play today…"
"I don't want to play…" Clementine replied much like usual.
"Why not? I'm sure you don't wanna just sit around and listen to the adults talk all day." Molly said.
"I don't mind it." Clementine shrugged. "I like sitting with you."
"Well, don't you want to make some friends?" Molly asked the child.
Clementine shook her head, "You're my friend. I don't need any more friends…"
"Clem…"
"They don't want to be my friends… They don't like me…" Clementine said with a frowned. "They don't like me at all."
"Why do you think that?" Molly asked.
"I don't think it… I know it… They think I'm weird…." Clementine said. "I know I am, because I'm a whore…"
"You're not a whore, Clem. You shouldn't talk like that." Molly frowned. "I don't want you to talk like that anymore."
Clementine was quiet for a moment before asking, "Why do you want me to play so bad?"
"I just want you to be—"
"Normal?" The child inquired.
"A kid…" Molly said.
"I'll never be a kid again, Molly. And I'll never be normal either…" Clementine said. "This is the way I am…"
"You can be a kid though, Clem… I know it's not easy… But I think you should try…" Molly said.
"Even if I don't want to?" Clementine asked.
"Maybe you don't want to now… But it'll be good for you to try to make some friends." Molly said.
"I have tried. I can't… I don't know how…" Clementine said.
"Well, then I think it's time to learn how…" Molly said.
Clementine sighed at that. The girl didn't want any other friends. Not if they were going to pick on her. She had Molly, and until they found their old group, Molly was the only friend she needed.
Clementine and Molly both quickly became respected members of The New Frontier. The two proved themselves to be two of the groups most capable members, despite Clementine being a child.
Seeing how well they could handle themselves David didn't hesitate with an offer to make them his soldiers.
Molly was reluctant to allow Clementine to take on the role of a soldier, but the girl insisted that she wanted to help out. Molly knew the child could pull her own weight and allowed it with the terms being Clementine was only allowed to go on runs alongside Molly, no one else. David agreed to this.
The more runs they did, the more they proved that they were two of the most reliable in the group, and though they were still newcomers, people looked up to them.
They started off only being rarely sent on runs, but they quickly proved themselves to be efficient, reliable and trustworthy and soon started moving rapidly upwards in the group.
They developed a rapport with the other group members and to David, Molly had become someone he could confide in about both the successes and aggravations that he had as leader of the New frontier.
As time continued, they quickly become David's closet member of security, and though people protested to this due to Clementine's young age, David quickly shut them down. Even if some of the adults were not happy about Clementine being part of David's front line of defense but David trusted the girl.
The girl had beyond proved herself, time and time again. The other leaders also agreed that the girl was capable.
Clementine was grateful for the support of the leaders and for the support of Molly. She had gotten much more comfortable around the group. She felt like she had in fact made some friends, even though none of them were her age.
Everything seemed to be going well, they had settled in and knew everyone in the group. Time became a whirlwind of activity and change. And in the blink of an eye, days became weeks. And eventually weeks became months. Clementine was doing her best to hold onto hope that someone from their old group would show up. She hoped with all of her being that they were alive. But she didn't know what to think. They hadn't seen any sign of them since they had been split up. She just hoped they made it to Wellington…
It was a calm day; Molly was flipping through some kind of book while Clementine was silently drawing beside her. Everyone in the mall were keeping themselves occupied with card games, or simple chatter among each other.
However, that calm peacefulness was suddenly interrupted as an argument suddenly broke out between David and Clint, grabbing everyone's attention.
Clementine looked over to the two as David angrily began raising his voice. "What's going on?"
"I don't know… Stay here. I'm gonna check it out." Molly placed her book down and stood, going to find out what was happening. Molly and Ava quickly attempted to break the argument up, to no avail. They ended up leading the two men towards one of the staff rooms of the mall where the arguing continued, though it was too muffled for the other group members to make out what was being said.
Clementine couldn't help but worry about what the argument was about. She could hear quick chatter around her from curious group members, but everyone soon went back to what they were previously doing, deciding it wasn't their business.
When Molly finally returned back several minutes later, looking stressed, Clementine asked the woman, "What was that all about?"
"It's nothing, Clem. Do me a favor and go play…" Molly replied.
"You know I don't like playing…" Clementine protested.
"Yeah. I know, but I need you to go play right now." Molly said.
"But I—"
"Go, please." Molly cut the girl off.
"…Okay…" Clementine gave in, realizing that something was bothering Molly. Her guardian probably needed a moment alone. Clementine understood that, she herself got that way sometimes.
Clementine headed over to the other kids who were gathered by the fire. "Hi,"
"Oh. If it isn't the child soldier. What did you want?" One of the teens said.
"I… I wanted to play." Clementine said, noticing they were playing cards.
"Do you ever know how to play?" Another teen asked.
"Umm…. Not really." Clementine said.
"Guys stop. Let me guess, Molly sent you over here?" One of the girls asked.
"…Yeah…" Clementine took a seat and sighed. "I heard the adults talking. Well, arguing..."
"We all heard it." One of the teens replied.
"What do you think that was all about?" Clementine asked.
"Who cares."
"Right, it's none of our business."
"But shouldn't it be…? What if something bad is going on?" Clementine asked them, looking worried.
"Then they'll deal with it. It's not our problem."
"Are we gonna play or not?" One of the teens began shuffling cards.
Clementine didn't understand how they could be so carefree. She felt like they should be more concerned about what the adults were talking about, but they made it obvious that they could care less. Maybe she really did worry too much.
As the days continued so did the arguing. Clementine was becoming concerned. They had a good amount of rations to last everyone. Things were good, so what could possibly be making everyone so angry?
"Molly what's going?" The child finally asked.
"It's nothing, Clem… I don't want you to have to worry." Molly said.
"But I am worried and if I don't know what's happening, I'll be even more worried…" Clementine said. "What's going on?"
Molly sighed and answered in a quiet voice as not to alarm anyone, "Someone's been stealing supplies…"
More supplies were disappearing Clementine felt this was all too familiar. She recalled how Ben had been giving supplies away to keep the bandits off their back, but it only resulted in them attacking and getting many of their group members killed.
All the leaders were on edge but kept it to themselves, however on the fourth night, just as everyone was getting ready to fall asleep, David stood up and made an announcement. "Someone is STEALING from us." He said.
A few people mumbled things in response.
"Stealing is betrayal! Whoever is stealing is stabbing us in the back one by one. Stabbing our family in the back!" David said.
The mood of the community turned a bit more grim as David went on.
"And if I find out who's responsible there will be real consequences." David said. "I ask that whoever is responsible surrender themselves forward."
Silence filled the area. After a few moments, David huffed.
"Alright then… If it's gonna be this way, I'll have you all know now, me and the others will be carrying out a full investigation." David said.
"How do you know it's not the newbies?" A man suddenly asked.
Some people agreed with him.
"Don't be stupid. Clementine and I have been busting our asses to get these supplies, why would we steal it?" Molly huffed.
"How do we know you're not? Maybe we trusted you too soon." The man spoke.
Some of the other members of the community muttered in agreement.
"What the hell is wrong with you people. We've been bringing in these supplies to help you!" Molly said.
"W-We wouldn't steal anything! We're not thieves." Clementine spoke up.
"The kid seems pretty nervous, if you ask me." A woman pointed out.
"Of course she's nervous! You're accusing an eleven-year-old of something she didn't do." Molly said. "This is the thanks we get for helping you people."
"Helping yourselves, maybe—"
"Enough, I don't know who is responsible, but whoever it is, newbie or not- when I find out there will be consequences." David said. "Molly, I need to talk to you."
"Okay…" Molly nodded.
"What about me?" Clementine asked.
"You can come too, kid…" David said. "I think both of you should hear this."
"David, you can't be serious." Molly said, shaking her head at what he had told her.
"I am. Until further notice, I ask that both you and Clementine step down from your duties." David repeated.
"But you know we wouldn't do something like this." Molly said.
"I don't know anything… All I know is that someone is stabbing this community in the back." David said.
"Well, it's not us. We wouldn't do that, David." Molly said. "We've been working to help this community; we wouldn't hurt it…"
"We've going out to get the supplies. Why would we do that if we were just gonna steal it?" Clementine asked.
"Exactly. We're not thieves, David. And we're not traitors either." Molly said.
"I'd like to believe that… But my choice is final." David said. "Until I know who's been stealing, I ask that you both step down from your duties."
Molly and Clementine exchanged looks, both knowing that they had no choice but to comply.
After David's meeting, the stealing stopped, which left them all scratching their head. It wasn't until a few weeks later that supplies once again began to disappear, however this time they caught the culprit. It was in the dead of the night, more of the group had been asleep, however the caught the young man snooping around, attempting to make off with a bag off supplies.
Molly was surprised as Badger and Lonnie dragged the young man into one of the staff rooms, and the others soon entered debating on what to do with him.
A few moments later, Ava told the woman they wanted to see her.
"Me?" Molly asked.
"David thinks you should be a part of this decision…" Ava said. "He trusts your judgement."
Molly nodded and stood, Clementine stirred awake, and looked to her guardian.
"Where are you going?" Clementine asked.
"I'll be right back, Clem…" Molly said.
"Can I come with you…?" The child questioned.
Molly shook her head after a moment and said, "I… don't think you should, kiddo. Sit tight, I'll be right back…"
Molly and Ava started to walk off before the small girl could protest.
When Molly got to the staff room of the mall, she was surprised to find the young man tried to a chair.
"This is our thief." David spoke.
Molly recognized his face quickly. She realized he was the man who tried to blame the "newbies". "Fuck… So… what are you gonna do?"
"We've discussed it…We can't just let this slide… We only have to options here, Molly." David said.
"What?" Molly asked.
"We either throw him out, or we… shoot him." David replied.
Molly felt sick. She knew stuff like this happened in groups, but it reminded her of Crawford…
"He betrayed us. He took a pledge of loyalty and spat on it. We can't just let him get away with this…. If we don't deal with this, the others will think shit like this is okay…" David said.
"…Why did you call me in here?" Molly questioned with some hesitance.
"Because I trust you… And I need to know where you stand on this…" David said.
Molly frowned as she looked to the young man. She felt sick as she debated in her mind on what to do. If they let him go, he could easily come back and try to cause problems… She couldn't let him put these people at risk. She couldn't let him put Clementine at risk.
She felt the words fall from lip before she could stop herself. "We have to shoot him…"
David nodded in agreement.
Molly frowned as Badger grabbed his gun, looking to David for the go ahead.
"Do it." David said.
Her heart skipped a beat, as Badger pulled the trigger.
"I know it wasn't easy…" David said to her as the others began to clean up the man's body and the spilled blood.
Molly didn't respond to him.
"But I appreciate your input…" David continued.
"I… should get back to Clementine…" Molly said.
"Alright… Go ahead…." David nodded. "Goodnight Molly."
The woman didn't respond as she walked out of the room, still shaken up by what happened. She had seen death before, but she didn't know how to feel about voting on this man's death.
Clementine opened her eyes as her guardian returned to lay down, she looked to the woman with a concerned gaze.
"I… I heard a gunshot…" The child said. "…Is everything okay?"
"Everything's fine, Clem…" Molly quickly said.
A bit too quickly. Clementine was unconvinced. "What happened?"
"It's late, Clem… Try to get some rest…" Molly tells her.
Clementine frowns, but knowing her guardian isn't in the mood to chat she drops it. "…Okay…"
With the thievery dealt with, David once again ask Molly and Clementine to join his line of defense to which they both agreed. Although, Molly's terms for Clementine became stricter, the child wasn't to attend any meetings involving manners like the situation with the young man. She didn't want to traumatize her girl anymore than she already was.
David agreed to this. And although Clementine protested a bit the child eventually gave up on arguing.
Time continues and they establish rules for people caught stealing, which discouraged the action grately. As the months went on, things were going well in their community, until fall hit.
When fall rolled around Clementine quickly fell into a state of sadness. Molly noticed the change in her girl's behavior. The girl seemed less eager to do much of anything. Molly was worried about the child.
After several days of seeing the child in such a state, with her mood going from glum to depression, Molly spoke to her feeling concerned.
"Are you okay, Clem?"
The child seemed hesitant to talk about what was ailing her. Molly wondered if the poor child had been thinking about Carver or the other sick people who had hurt her. Clementine still had constant nightmares and Molly wished she could do more to help her.
"Clem, you can talk to me, kid." Molly took a seat beside the child. "What's bothering you?"
The small girl finally spoke after a moment, uttering a small, "Everything…"
"Everything, like what? I need you to be more specific, Clem." Molly said.
"Everyone we care about is gone… Everyone… I miss Kenny and the others… I miss my mom and dad… I- I miss Lee…" The child's voice broke as she spoke, tears filling her eyes. Everything felt so unfair, seeing these kids with their parents, with their other family members, it hurt the child in more ways than she could explain. Why couldn't she have that? Why couldn't she spend her days feeling normal, being a child? Why did she feel cursed?
Molly frowned as she pulled the child into a hug. "I'm sorry, Clem… But you know everyone we care about isn't gone. You still have me, and I have you… And I don't plan on going anywhere anytime soon. I pro—"
"D-Don't." Clementine said.
"Clem?"
"Don't promise." The girl frowned.
"Why not?" Molly asked.
"Because you can't promise that. Lee promised he wouldn't leave me too… But he's gone. He's gone and it's all my fault." Clementine said.
Molly shook her head in disagreement. "It's not your fault, Clem."
"But it is… It's all because of me and that stupid radio…" Clementine said. "I hate myself."
"Clem, please don't talk like that." Molly said.
"I'm just being honest, Molly. I do…" Clementine said. "You always tell me to be honest with you…"
"Where is all this coming from, kid?" Molly asked.
There was silence for a moment but the little girl soon sighed.
"It's fall…" Clementine frowned. "My birthday is in the fall…"
"I know, Clem…" Molly said.
"That's not all though…" Clementine mumbled. "Lee died in the fall… He died because of me…"
"He didn't…" Molly argued.
"He did! My parents are gone, Lee is gone, and so is my baby…" Clementine said.
Molly felt her heart drop at that.
"I could've had a baby…" The child continued. "You took that from me…"
"I had to Clem…"
"Wh-Why? You took the only person that might have loved me forever!" Clementine said.
"I love you, Clem. And I couldn't let you go through that… It wouldn't have been like you think it would… It wouldn't have been easy, kid…" Molly said.
"I know… Nothing's ever easy…" Clementine said.
"You would have to look at that kid and think about the people who hurt you everytime you saw it… You… You would have to go through hell with a pregnancy…" Molly said. "I couldn't let you go through that… Do you think Lee would have let you go through that…?"
"I… I don't know…" Clementine said. "I just… I wish he was here…"
"I know, Clem…" Molly sighed. "I'm sorry…"
"No… I am… For being mean…" Clementine said. "I'm just… sad…"
"And it's okay to be…. It's okay to be sad, Clem…" Molly said.
Feeling concerned about her girl, Molly decided it would be best to keep her inactive when it came to runs, at least for the time being. They had been set to go on a run the next day, but Clementine clearly wasn't in the best condition for that task, and Molly didn't want to send the child out there if she didn't have to be.
The woman decided to bring her concerns to David. "Clem's not doing so great."
"What do you mean?" David asked.
"I mean, I'm not taking her on this run with me… I don't think it's a good idea…" Molly said.
"She's usually good on runs. Why wouldn't it be?" David questioned.
"She's… going through a lot right now… and I need to make sure she's okay before I make her go on any run." Molly said.
"Alright, so do you still plan on going?" David asked. "You're our best forager."
"Yeah. I'm gonna go," Molly replied.
"Okay, then… I can have Max tag along and watch your back." David said. "How long do you think Clem's gonna be out of duty…"
"Until I give her the go ahead to be allowed on runs… She's not gonna look after herself and sometimes I gotta put my foot down with her." Molly said.
"I understand… It's the joys of parenthood." David chuckled. "Hopefully she feels better soon."
"I hope so…"
"Why can't I go?" Clementine asked, after hearing Max would be attending the run with Molly instead of her.
"Because you're not in any condition to go. You need to focus on your health right now." Molly replied.
"My health? I'm fine, Molly." Clementine claimed.
"No, you're not…. Your mental health is just as important as your physical health, Clem." Molly said.
"Mental? You think I'm crazy?" The young girl asked, looking hurt.
"No…. I think you're depressed. And that can be just a crippling as any injury, kid." Molly responded.
"I said I'm sad. It's no big deal." Clementine said. The young girl didn't even fully understand depression, but to Molly the child was clearly dealing with it.
"It is a big deal, Clem. You're not just sad." Molly said. "I know what depression looks like. Trust me… I went through hell when I lost my sister… And I know you're going through a lot right now…"
"But I want to help… Why won't you let me help you…?" Clementine practically whined.
"You can help me but looking after yourself, Clementine. I need you to be okay." Molly said.
"I am okay…"
"You're not okay, kid… You've been putting on this tough face for so long, and sometimes you do convince me that everything's fine… But I know that's not true…" Molly said. "You haven't mentioned Howe's in a while."
"I don't want to talk about Howe's. I don't want to talk about anything… I just want to help you gather supplies." Clementine said.
"That's how I know you're not okay, Clem…" Molly said.
"What?" The child looked confused.
"You keep everything bottled up… And you want go on these runs to do more than just help… You want to use them as a distraction…" Molly said. "It's okay to want to distract yourself, but keeping your emotions bottle up isn't good for you."
"You do it too…" Clementine said.
Molly rose a brow and asked, "What?"
"You keep your emotions bottled up too. When something's wrong, when something's bothering you, you don't tell me… you just try to change the subject on tell me not to worry about it." Clementine said.
"Because you're a kid. You shouldn't have to worry about me." Molly said back.
"I worry about you as much as you worry about me, Molly… And when you don't talk to me, sometimes it feels like you don't trust me." Clementine said. "I'm not just a kid. The kids here… All they do is play games all day, they don't have anything to worry about. I'm always worried- that's why I'm not a kid. I'm not like them."
"You are a kid, Clem…" Molly sighed. "But you're right, we don't always do the best job of communicating as of recent… So… tonight… you and I are gonna have a talk… An honest talk, about our feelings…"
"…Can I go with you tomorrow? Please." Clementine tried to change the subject.
Molly shook her head. "No, Clem…. I need you to stay here tomorrow."
"But I—"
"I need you to stay here, kid…" Molly said again.
Clementine frowned at that and turned away. She just wanted to go help Molly out.
The woman noticed the child's reaction and couldn't help but sigh at this.
When Molly headed out the next morning, leaving Clementine in Ava's care, she could tell the child was upset. But her girl was out of her element. She needed time for herself. The girl had been in a state of depression since the fall had hit and the runs weren't going to help her much.
"Come on. Let's make this fast…" Molly said.
Max nodded as the two continued forward.
"Your girl wasn't too happy about not tagging along…" Max said.
"Yeah… But she'll get over it… She doesn't need to go on every run…" Molly said.
"Frankly, most people wouldn't let their kids go on any… I know your girl is capable, but it's still risky business." Max said.
"But she can handle herself…" Molly said.
"Then why didn't you let her come this time?" Max asked.
"She's dealing with a lot right now… It's not a good time…" Molly replied.
"Well… I think you did the right thing." Max shrugged. "Ain't my place to tell you what to do with your kid, but I think she should spend more time being a kid… She's gonna regret not getting to when she's older."
Molly sighed at that. She sometimes felt the same, but she knew so much of the girl's childhood had already been snatched away, and these people still didn't have the slightest idea of the things her girl had been through.
"Come on, let's just keep moving…" Molly said.
Max nodded in response.
It had been about an hour since Molly and Max had left and Clementine was clearly anxious. Ava noticed the young girl pacing and fidgeting since the child's guardian had first walked out.
"She should've let me go with her…" Clementine said.
"You know she's just trying to do what's best for you." Ava told the child.
"I know what's best for me… I'm tired of other people trying to decide that." Clementine said.
"Well, that's what people usually do when it comes to little kids." Ava said with a shrug.
"I'm not a little kid…" Clementine claimed.
"Uh, are you sure about that?" Ava asked. "Aren't you only eleven? You and Rufus's girl are the youngest in the group.
Clementine rolled her eyes. "I'm twelve now. And I don't want to be a kid."
"Why not?"
"Because… If… If I'm just a kid… Molly won't ever let me help her…" Clementine said, sounding almost horrified at the idea of just being a child. "I can't be a kid because I was made into a woman a long time ago."
"Made into a woman?" Ava looked confused.
"By Carver and… and the other people who…" The child quickly stopped herself, realizing what she was saying.
"Who's Carver?" The woman's confusion turned into a look of concern.
The child didn't respond as she lowered her head.
"What happened, Clem?" Ava frowned. "Did… This Carver person hurt you?"
The girl gave a tiny nod. "H-He wasn't the only one…"
"Oh kid…." Ava frowned and hugged the child much like how Molly would when she was upset.
It didn't feel the same to Clementine…
"I'm so sorry…" Ava pulled her closer.
Her embrace almost made the child want to cry, but she didn't. The hug was warm, but not like her guardian's hugs… Clementine just wanted Molly.
It was starting to get dark out when Molly and Max finally returned from their run. They dropped off the supplies, Molly allowing the others to sort through their findings as she went to check in on Clementine. The girl was silently drawing all alone. Something the child did often.
When she approached the girl continued drawing.
"Let me guess, you're still pissed at me?" Molly asked. "Look, I'm sorry, Clem. But I just couldn't bring you this time…. I—"
Molly was cut off as the child got to her feet and hugged her. "Clem?"
"I- I was worried about you…" Clementine said to her. "P-Please don't leave me again…"
"Hey, hey…" Molly returned the embrace. "I came back, didn't I?"
The child gave a small nod.
"I'm never gonna leave you, Clem… I promise." Molly said. She felt bad for making her girl worry. She knew the girl had separation anxiety, but she hadn't expected her to be so upset with her leaving for a simple run. "I'm not going anywhere."
The girl practically clung to her for the remainder of the day, refusing to leave her side for too long.
When the child finally settled to sleep that night Molly decided to ask Ava how the girl was when she was gone.
"She… was more than worried. I'll say that…" Ava said. "She couldn't sit still while you were gone. I've never seen her like that…"
"Yeah… She wasn't always… clingy…" Molly said, glancing to the sleeping child.
"I guess I can't blame her with what she's gone through…" Ava sighed.
Molly was surprised to hear Ava say that. "What?"
"I…. She… told me what happened to her." Ava said.
"She did? What did she tell you?" Molly asked.
"About that Carver guy… About your last group…. She told me a lot…" Ava said.
"I… never expected her to talk to anyone about that stuff." Molly said.
"I can't imagine how hard things were for her… Poor kid…" Ava said.
"Yeah… I uh, I would appreciate it if you didn't go telling the others…" Molly said. "My girl's been through hell, and the last thing she needs is people looking at her differently. Even if they mean well…"
"I won't say a word. I promise. It's not my place anyway." Ava said. "You don't have to worry…"
"Thanks…"
Things had been calm for a while as fall progressed, things took a quick change for the worse. Fall had started poorly with several rainy days, then nights that were cold and frozen. And things didn't get much better as the season changed to winter.
In fact, the winter was the worst time for all of them.
Nature had decreed that this would be one of the coldest winters on record, making things more unbearable for them. Waves of frigid air swept through their camp, chilling them all.
The ice froze the ground making the outside dangerous when hunting and gathering food. And the scanty rations caused greater hardship for them all.
Several people became ill from the weather, which would go from a light rainfall, to a cold windstorm, to a heavy snowfall that covered everything with a deep blanket, and the group was struggling with medicine. Lingard had a hard time looking after all of the ill members.
Their defenses were also lowered when some of the guards came down with colds or the flu and they were hit with a few attacks by geeks. The damage from the dead was minimal so they weren't concerned about that.
However, the food situation was a problem. The weather tested them, and it was hard to get food and they knew their rations would run out eventually.
Lack of food, the poor conditions of the survivors, and the storms and snow took a toll on everyone.
On several occasions people would become desperate and try to steal supplies.
With rations running low and fear filling everyone, they weren't surprised that people were making attempts to take more supplies than they were given. However, The New Frontier set rules for anyone found stealing and reinforced them by giving grave consequences to anyone who was caught doing so.
Molly and Clementine did their best to gather food during their runs, but even for the two who were used to foraging and hunting, things were difficult.
Gloom filled the group, and David and the other leaders feared if they didn't figure something out soon the New Frontier would surely collapse.
When the weather cleared again Molly and Clementine headed out on a run with hopes of finding some food. But when Clementine noticed light flurries of snow Molly couldn't help but be a bit concerned. Still the woman decided to push forward. Flurries were no reason to turn back.
The two managed to forage a couple of berries and other things however as the continued their search the snow began to fall a hit heavier than before.
Concerned, Clementine asked, "Should we head back?"
"Not yet…" Molly said.
"But… It's snowing…" Clementine pointed out.
"It's only a light snow. We should be fine, kid." Molly replied.
"…Okay…"
They continued their search for food. Through the day they managed to kill a few small animals to bring back to the group. It wasn't much but it was something. The snow had gotten heavier, but Molly wasn't too concerned. She figured they would make it back before they were stuck in the snow. However during the walk back, the snow fell harder than before.
Molly frowned at this. She knew this wasn't going to be good.
It was starting to get late, back when Molly and Clementine first started to go on runs for the group, they didn't go too far so they weren't gone too long. However with winter they had had to move further and further out.
As the group noticed the sudden snowfall they were concerned.
"They're not back yet?" David asked Ava.
The woman shook her head, looking worried. "No. No one saw them come back…"
"Fuck…" David muttered.
"What now? Shouldn't someone go looking for them?" Ava asked.
"We can't risk it. Not in this weather." David said. "We'll have to wait."
"We can't risk it at all." Joan cut in.
"Molly and her girl have put their necks on the line multiple times to help out people. We can't just abandon them!" Ava argued.
"We can't send our people out there to risk their lives for them. They made the choice to go out there." Joan said.
"They went out there to help all of us." Clint pointed out.
"Look how much help they've been." Joan scoffed. "They've gotten themselves lost…"
"Or killed…" Lingard muttered. "I hate to say it, but Joan's right… There's not much we can do for them… We're already vulnerable as it is, we can't send our people out there."
"We can't just sit here; we have to do something." Ava said.
They continued going back and forth on the argument for a while, debating on if they should go find the two missing group members.
"We can't just sit here and do nothing." Ava protested. "David,"
David huffed; he knew they can't do anything until the next day anyway. "For now, we wait… If they don't come back by morning… I'll send some people out to find them."
Joan shook her head, not liking this idea.
The snowfall was so heavy they couldn't see well. They were forced to take shelter in a nearby building which appeared to be a gas station, as the snow continued to pile up outside.
Clementine stayed close to her guardian shivering a bit. "D-Do you think the others will find us."
"I'm sure they will, Clem." Molly wrapped an arm around the girl to keep her warm.
Clementine frowned and admitted in a tiny voice, "I-I'm scared."
Molly held the child in closed and said in a reassuring voice, "We're going to be okay; we're going to be just fine."
The two of them waited it out for the rest of the night, staying close together to keep warm. It was another long night.
David sent out a search party to find them the next morning, however as the day wore on and no one returned it was clear that finding them wasn't going to be easy. David knew it would be near impossible to find anything in the snow. But he hoped that Molly and Clementine were okay.
As it started to get later and the sun began to set, the search party returned without Molly and Clementine. David was even more worried than before. He decided that the next day he would go out and attempt to find them himself.
Joan was against this idea, but David didn't think he could live with himself if he knew that Molly and a small child had died out there in the snow. Especially after all they had done to help their community. He couldn't repay their gratitude by abandoning a young girl and her guardian.
"It's freezing in here." Clementine complained shivering a bit.
"I know, Clem…" Molly kept the child close.
"Do… Do you think they're looking for us?" Clementine asked.
"I think so, Clem…" Molly didn't know for sure, but she didn't want her girl to worry more than she already was.
"I hope they are…" Clementine said. "I don't want to be in here much longer…"
"We won't be kiddo. Don't worry…" Molly said. She wanted to believe her own words, but she felt like they were going to have to find their way back. She didn't have a feeling that the others would find them. And they couldn't stay in this gas station much longer.
The next day David, Badger, Ava, and Max headed outside to search for Molly and little Clementine.
They searched for quite a while, but their search was coming up empty.
David didn't know if they were going to find the two at all. And he was already putting himself and his people at risk to search for them. He just hoped it was worth it.
Clementine and Molly gathered their stuff and started the trip back to the mall. As they trudge along Molly noticed her girl shivering. She just hoped the child didn't get sick.
"Come on, we have to keep moving." She said.
"Okay..." Clementine replied.
They continued moving forward. Clementine was exhausted they hadn't slept much at all.
They walked a bit longer, but the snowfall started to get heavier. They couldn't see more than a few feet in front of them.
Clementine was worried that they would be stuck in a blizzard for longer.
Molly felt a tinge of guilt. She regretted letting Clementine come on this run in the first place. The kid had enough on her mind without worrying about being lost in the cold like this.
"Come on, Clem." Molly said. "We're almost there."
"Are you sure we're going the right way?" Clementine asked.
"Yeah, it shouldn't be far, Clem…" Molly answered.
"But I can't see anything. How can you tell?" Clementine asked.
"l just know," Molly replied.
Clementine just nodded in response, taking Molly's word. "Okay…"
As the day wore on the snow started to settle in, and David knew they needed to head back soon. They weren't having much luck finding them.
"We should head back. There's no way we're gonna find them." Badger huffed.
"We have to keep looking. We'll find them." Ava said.
"So what, we'll stay out here searching until we freeze to death? This is stupid." Badger complained.
"Badger, enough!" David said.
"But—"
"If we don't find them within the next half hour, we'll head back." David said. "But until then, I don't want to hear your complaining."
Badger grumbled to himself but said nothing.
As the group continued walking Ava squinted catching sight of figures in the distance, however they were hard to make out clearly through the snow. "Look! That has to be them!"
"We don't know that." Max said.
"Who else could it be." Ava scoffed. She went forward towards the figures. "Thank God you're okay," She got closer but quickly stopped realizing that wasn't the two they were searching for. "Fuck!"
They had been walking for some time. They were lucky that they had a fairly even laver of snow to walk on. Clementine didn't think they would ever get back, however when the two suddenly heard gunshot in the distance, they both froze.
"Wh-What was that?" Clementine stammered.
"I… I'm not sure… Someone's shooting…" Molly said.
"Do… Do you think they're naughty people?" Clementine asked, trying her best not to panic.
"I don't know, Clem." Molly refrained from scolding her about that word. They had more important things to worry about right now. "Stay close to me…"
"W-What? What are we gonna do?" The child asked.
"We're gonna check it out." Was Molly's response.
"Where the fuck did these assholes come from…?" Badger huffed as they killed the last of the undead.
"Who the hell knows," David said. "Come on. Let's keep—"
Before they could get another word in Max quickly aimed his gun as he noticed more figures approaching.
David looked to the figures, trying to make out who it was. "Max, don't shoot!"
It was too late; Max pulled the trigger.
As they approached the sound of the gunshots, Molly tried her best to make out the figures up ahead. However, she didn't have much time to do so.
Molly flinched as a gunshot rang out, a bullet whizzing pass them.
Clementine yelped in pain.
"Fuck! Clem, are you okay?" Molly quickly went to the child's side.
The small girl nodded, and Molly examined her face realizing the bullet had gazed her cheek. Her heart dropped as she realized that the bullet could have killed her girl.
"Max, don't shoot!" David's delayed shout was heard. Molly was relieved realizing it was them, but angry that they could have killed her girl. Taking Clementine's hand, she led the young girl forward.
"Molly?" David called, as if trying to confirm it was her.
"Yeah, it's me!" Molly called back.
The woman approached them and David and the other seemed relieved.
"We were looking everywhere for you!" Ava said.
"Well, here we are. You nearly shot my girl." Molly huffed.
"Fuck, I'm sorry, kid… I had no idea it was you guys…" Max said.
"Is she hurt?" Ava asked.
"Grazed her. But she'll be okay…" Molly said.
"Lingard can take a look at her. Clean it up so it doesn't get infected." Ava said.
Molly nodded in agreement.
"You guys find any food while you were out here?" Badger asked.
Molly shot him a look before rolling her eyes. "As a matter of fact, we did."
"Good damn! Knew we could rely on you." Badger said.
Molly didn't respond as she just kept Clementine close to her, knowing her girl was still shaken up.
"Come on. Let's get back." David said.
The others nodded in response.
When the group finally got back to the mall, the sun had long since set and it was dark out.
They were more than surprised when they entered the mall only to hear of a kind woman who helped the group while they were away, giving them food.
Molly is suspicious by this. Most people weren't kind without a catch. She handed over the food she and Clementine had managed to get during their run. Then waited while Lingard checked Clementine's cheek while the others proceeded to talk to the others.
Clint showed them some of the supplies that the woman had given them. With this amount of supplies they wouldn't have to worry about people looting or stealing. They could actually stay at the mall and tough it out through the winter. Still they had other concerns.
"So she just brought supplies? For what?" Molly asked.
"She was just a nice person. She and her people helped us out. They apparently have a place not far from here." Clint said.
"Really? Who exactly were this people?" David asked.
"Her name was Lilly." Lingard spoke.
Clementine's eyes widened at that. "Lilly?"
"Yeah. Are you okay, kid…?" Lingard asked the small girl.
Clementine quickly composed herself then answered in a small voice. "I…. I knew a Lilly…"