AUTHOR'S NOTE -

Short note, I just wanted to thank y'all for reviewing! I'm glad y'all are enjoying the fic especially to the ones that go in depth with their reviews, those are really enjoyable to read. Anyway, hope y'all enjoy the new chapter.

Clementine ran through the woods, trying to circle around to the frozen river. There was absolutely no way in hell she was going to go back to the shack looking like this. Blood and flesh all over her, how in the living hell was she going to explain that one? Not to mention, Bonnie's uncovered mutilated body laying out in the woods.

The group would probably catch onto her and start searching for her soon, unfortunately so she didn't have a whole lot a time. She had no idea if Kenny had gotten the truck working or not but regardless, she needed to hurry because the group may start searching for her. Or worse, start looking for Bonnie.

Her nerves were going off the charts. She was shaking while she ran, tripping over nothing but snow. The child didn't even bother to hide the body, she was high on adrenaline to even think about doing that.

The sadist needed to get that blood off of her otherwise, she was in life-threatening trouble. She killed Bonnie, deserved it but what would the group do if they found out? The river was her only choice, the blood was still fresh and she had little time to worry about anything else right now.

Clementine ran out of the woods, the unfinished shack to her left a bit further out. To her right was the river and was slightly relieved at the sight of it but not enough for her to think clearly.

She ran over to it, sliding down into a kneeling position. "Dammit," she muttered. She had forgotten to retrieve to pliers from Bonnie's head, she had left it lodged in there. "Crap-crap-crap." She glanced down at her hands but then a thought popped into her mind and she stood up.

She took a few steps into the ice, quickly scanning behind her to make sure no one was there. Once that was established, she lifted up her right leg and launched it into the ice beneath her. It made a small crack on the ice and she stomped on it again.

After a few more, the ice finally gave way and the cold temperature immediately pierced her leg. It wasn't deep, the water level touched her kneecap. She pulled out her leg and then dug her hands into the water nearly freezing them.

She pulled them out and began washing herself. She went for her face first, getting as much gunk off of it as possible. The next was her hat, unfortunately the material of it made it hard to wash off the blood and it merely smeared it all over the front white part of her hat. The "D" being coated over with watery crimson.

She began scrubbing at it fiercely, which did some good but people would still notice. She tossed it aside, not bothering to worry about it. She tried doing her jacket next which didn't go so well. The flesh had come off nicely, but the blood was smeared and since her jacket's color was aqua, it made it easily noticeable. "Dammit."

She scrubbing at her jacket but there was still a thick patch of dark crimson on the back of it. She quickly unzipped it, flinging it off and began to wash the back... well she tried to at least.

She spent a whole lot a time trying to rinse of the blood off of her clothes by the end of it, her outfit was now drenched in freezing water. She kept her jacket off for the obvious reason but her pants were slightly wet, if she had gotten them completely drenched, she would be a walking popsicle.

Her jacket and hat were smeared with a lightish red. She had tried cleaning them but there was only so much she could do and it still wasn't good enough. If the group wouldn't notice the smeared red on her clothes, they definitely would see how damp they were and would question her about it.

The child picked up her hat and jacket and began putting them on. The hat was easy, still cold but it wasn't too hard. Next was the jacket which was an unpleasant experience. The wet jacket stuck to her skin that it was beginning to soak her shirt underneath. She kept it unzipped, she wasn't going to bother making herself more colder than what she already was.

Freezing, she got up and walked over to the front porch of the shack and sat on the snow. She breathed a sigh of relief. She still wasn't sure about returning just yet albeit it was the only choice she had. Not unless if she decided to leave entirely and start a new life on her own...

with nobody else.

Kenny was still there, Sarah her friend and Sarita. She still cared about them, she couldn't leave but at that moment, it felt like the only option to do. Given how they acted toward her shooting Arvo and that was an enemy! Imagine how they would react to her killing one of their own?

Well, she didn't give a damn about Bonnie. She got exactly what she deserved and Clem didn't regret it one bit.

The freezing temperature was making her shiver and she turned back at the shack. She needed to get to shelter and keep warm otherwise she was going to freeze out there. The child got up and walked over to the shack... she would just need to avoid interacting with the others for now.

Before Clementine opened the doors, she saw Mike talking with Buricko. She couldn't care enough to question why Mike was conversating with the enemy, one that tried to kill them too. She was more interested in trying to keep out of sight.

Suddenly, the sound of a motor engine then made itself present and she saw Mike running out of the room.

Clementine opened the doors once he was gone, sparing a glance at Buricko. He raised an eyebrow at her, probably wondering why she came through the front door.

She ignored him and quietly moved past the room, making sure no one was around. Fortunately, no one was in the shack even Sarah had brought the baby outside with her.

The child walked over to the window and began listening in. At first, the group was ecstatic about the vehicle being able to work. She was glad that it worked too but it was short lived. Bonnie's corpse was still out in the woods and sooner or later, the group will start looking for her.

The group then began talking about where to go and, of course, Kenny insisted on heading to Wellington. The others seemed adamant about that idea. Carlos, to her surprise suggested that they head back to the cabin. She had the impulse to head out there and agree with him but her damp clothing stopped her.

"The fuck you mean head back to the cabin!? What cabin!?" Kenny exclaimed.

"There was a cabin out in the woods. It was perfectly secure and it has enough beds for all of us." Carlos said, keeping his voice calm.

"And why'd y'all leave if it was so 'secure'?"

Carlos hesitated to answer that question. "We had to because Carver had scouted us out"- Kenny scoffed. -"But now that he is dead, we have nothing left to fear."

"And what if a dangerous group comes by? What if a group of thieves or bandits came across the cabin, what then!?"

"We'll defend it!" Carlos said, annoyed.

Kenny scoffed. "Yeah and then the cabin gets completely destroyed in the process. Believe me, ah would know!"

"We don't have to go anywhere now right? Can we just sleep on it?" Sarita interjected.

"No! We don't got enough time. That baby can't survive on a can'a chilli alone!"

Carlos and Sarah were the only cabin members left. Clementine had just realized that. Everyone she first met back at the cabin and only two were left! Luke, Nick, Pete, Alvin and etc. Only two were left.

Nobody was shouting and arguing with eachother but they still hadn't agreed on where to go. Sarita had stayed silent, she seemed like she didn't care where they went, as long as it was safe.

Mike, suggested that he wanted to go to Texas... don't know why. What was in Texas but when Kenny had insisted on getting to Wellington, he dismissed it and Carlos wanted to go back to the cabin to which Clementine agreed with.

When everything was said and done, everyone went back to their own thing. Clementine thought it'd be best if she layed low. No one had saw her kill Bonnie, no one would connect her to the murder.

Clementine woke up with a spasm. Her eyes opened but she stayed in her position; on her left side, staring ahead of her.

She heard footsteps coming from the other room but they were getting closer. She slept in the unfinished lounge by the furnace, same as before.

The footsteps got louder and soon she saw a pair of shoes and dark pants enter the room. She glanced up, eyes still readjusting and found the eyes of Luke staring down at her.

She sighed, rubbing her face. "Am I dreaming or..." she trailed off, not sure how to finish that sentence.

"Nah, you're awake kid." He went over to sit down beside her.

She kept her eyes locked on him, she knew he wasn't real... she was losing her mind. "Wha..." she sighed once more. "Why are you here?"

"Why aren't you sleepin'?"

"Answer my question."

"Answer mine and ah'll answer yours." Luke gave a cheeky smile.

"I. Asked. First." Clementine said, starting to get annoyed.

Luke shrugged his shoulders at her. "Ah don't care.

Clementine rolled her eyes. "You're not even real... go away." She closed her eyes and rolled onto her other side, her back facing the man... who wasn't there.

"So... you killed Bonnie?"

Her eyes split open and she slowly tilted her head over, looking at the man. "Yes... what's it to you?"

He tossed a knowing look at the kid. "You killed Bonnie, that was pretty... gruesome kid."

"Yeah... and?"

Luke sighed, shaking her head. "Look kid, you're losin' it." He said to which Clem immediately rolled her eye(s). "Like, ah thought killin' Arvo was pretty bad but Bonnie-"

"She deserved it!" She quietly yelled. "She was the one who got you killed."

"Yeah... but-"

"There ain't no buts Luke. She got you killed and she needed to die! A-a-and also she got Alvin and Walter killed too! Remember? When she betrayed us at the lodge!?"

"Yeah but she was tryin' to make up for it," he replied softly.

"Yeah, when something finally happened." The child pulled herself up into a sitting position. "And multiple things have happened! One Walter, two Alvin, three me and then you!" She gestured at him, using both her hands.

"You? Whatdoyoumean you? What'd she do you?" Luke inquired, confused.

Clementine merely stared at him, a blank expression. "Really?"

"Yeah, really. Ah don't remember."

The child threw up her arms in disbelief. "My eye, you moron!"

"Oh, sorry 'bout that." He then chuckled to her dismay.

"Yeah, whatever. I'm not gonna argue with nothing. Bonnie deserved it and that's it."

There was a pause between them. "What happens if they find out that Bonnie's dead? What're you gonna do?" Luke asked.

"Nothing... not unless I have to."

He nodded. "What happens if they find out that it was you?"

She paused. There was nothing she could do in that situation, they weren't going to understand why she did it. They didn't understand when she killed Arvo, they definitely weren't going to understand when it came to Bonnie. Clem didn't even know if she could trust Kenny, as much as it hurt to think, she didn't know. Everyone she killed in the past wasn't apart of her group but how would he react if it were someone in the group?

As for the others... she had no idea what they would do if they found out.

Clementine woke up the next morning, seeing that the prisoner was gone. She got up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes and began walking over to the back door.

She stopped when she saw Carlos exiting a room, a bag of supplies in his hands. "Clementine you're awake. Get ready, we'll be leaving soon."

"Leaving already? Where are we gonna go?" The child inquired.

"Kenny is insisting that we go to Wellington." He then turned and began walking over to the backdoors. Clementine followed him. "I, however, think it is a bad idea. We don't even know if Wellington exists. All we have is rumors and that is it."

She took a moment to answer. "I agree. Even if it did, we don't know if it's ran by good people either." She gave him a knowing look. "It could be ran by people like Carver."

"That is a good point." He then opened the doors to the backyard.

"Bonnie!" Mike yelled out, using both his hands to create an echo.

"Hey! Keep it down, would'ya!? Yer gonna attract walkers!" Kenny exclaimed.

"I'm sorry but Bonnie's still out there. We haven't seen since last night."

"She's probably out doin' somethin', ah dunno. Just wait for her."

"We haven't even seen her this morning, what could she possibly be doing?"

Rotting away on the ground. Well, they found out she was missing. Next step for them was finding her body, she wondered how long they would wait around until they went out searching for her. That's if they did, she doubted they would leave without her but then again, there was always that small chance that they would. It didn't matter to her how big or small the possibility of something to happen was, she was still going to take it into account regardless.

"Well, whatever she's doin', she needs to hurry up! We ain't gonna be hangin' around 'ere all day." Kenny opened the door to the driver's seat and jumped in, starting up the vehicle.

"What's going on?" Clementine asked, feigning ignorance.

"Bonnie is missing, she hasn't been seen since last night." Carlos lifted the bag of supplies over into the back of the pickup truck.

Clementine nodded, playing it off. She saw Sarah in the backseat already and, as always, she was with the baby. She wasn't going to bother talking to her, she was glued to that thing and she seemed to be doing just fine without her so... .

Buricko was standing outside, with his hands bound together. She frowned. "He isn't coming with us... is he?"

"Who?" Kenny asked.

She gestured toward the hostage. "Him. Why is he out here?"

He sighed, in the driver's seat. "Mike wanted to bring 'em with us, so we're-"

"Why!?" Clem snapped, causing Sarah to flinch. She walked around to the man's window. "We brang him along just so he can show us where he lived, not to save him from this... useless house or whatever it is!"

"Because if we leave him here, he could die!" Mike responded before Kenny could.

"So!?" Her cold indifference drew the attention from everyone else. "You know his whole group? Yeah, they're dead! We might as well do the same for him too!"

"Clementine!" Sarita exclaimed, sitting beside Kenny in the passenger seat.

"What!? I don't understand this! Why are we bringing this useless piece of garbage with us!? I don't understand you people!?" The child was now shouting at everybody, she obviously couldn't care less about any potential walkers in the area.

"Maybe it's because it's the right thing to do? Have you ever thought about that? Helping people out?" Mike responded back at her.

"I wouldn't help anyone who-wh-who has tried to kill me! Really, we should just kill this guy right now!" She glared at the man behind her, who seemed to humored by her attitude. Clementine's annoyance for the group was increasing, nearly bordering on the line of anger. She wasn't angry... yet. More like... extremely irked.

"Exactly, she's right. Ah already told y'all that we should just cut ties with this guy 'nd be done with it!" Kenny interjected.

"No! I'm saying we should kill him, now!" The man then frowned at her, something that she didn't see coming. Everyone was throwing uneasy looks at the child, almost like they were afraid.

She wasn't even angry, she was just annoyed at the fact that they were still bringing this man along. He took them to his cabin, now they've got his supplies and now they were supposed to kill him! What's the big deal!? It's not like they were robbing him, he was the one who tried to kill them!

Besides, if they let him go, he may come back with new strangers and they might even get into a firefight next time!

All these people looking at her like she was some type of monster, what the hell was wrong with these people!?

She was staring at Buricko, contemplating pulling out her pistol and killing him right then and there. He was mocking her, she hated the way he was staring. It looked like he was about to laugh, as if didn't felt threatened or scared at all. As if he shouldn't feel threatened... well, if he wanted to laugh. "Hey Buricko, how did it feel watching your friends die?" That made him lose his smartass grin. "Oh yeah 'cause it was funny to me! It was very funny!" She began walking toward him.

"Clementine," Kenny called once.

"I remember shooting that guy in the head, what was his name? I-I-I can't remember." Clementine continued.

"Clementine," Kenny repeated, more sternly.

Everyone else stayed silent as the little sadist continued to harshly taunt the man further. They were honestly at a loss at what to do, they were quite unnerved by the girl's defiance. Her insistence on wanting to kill Buricko in cold blood was honestly terrifying to them, how causally she was talking about executing him. Kenny agreed with the little girl to some extent, then again he wasn't as unstable as she was.

"Oh yeah, and Arvo! That little blind freak! He's the whole reason why everyone you love is dead and that probably makes you angry, doesn't it!? Doesn't it!?" The child shouted at him. "You wanna laugh!? You wanna laugh at me, huh!? Well, fuck you!" Clementine whipped out her pistol and fired endless shots at the man's face.