After four long years of writer's block I have returned because I'm still determined to finish this, I've put too much into it over the years to just abandon it without finishing it. Not sure if anyone really cares about this story but I do, so I hope any readers who might be out there enjoy it. I've also done a lot of editing and added extras to this story over the years so I'll be updating the entire work itself soon.
Rowan hoped that the girl had moved on. That they would have that one strange encounter and never cross paths again, but it was wishful thinking. She probably needed things and thought the city could provide them, just like they did. But either way, Rowan had not wanted to see her again.
"Are you bit?" Clementine asked quickly.
"No. I got shot, and when I woke up all my stuff was gone except for my knife and camera."
A knife and camera was all Maeve had on her when Rowan had first met her.
"...Y-your camera?" Clementine said, glancing back at Rowan.
She held it up proudly and nodded.
"Wait, so you saw the people who have been setting traps here?" Rowan asked.
Maeve nodded slowly as she sat down onto one of the chairs, hand still pressed to her wound. "I think so? I don't remember, I don't know how many there are. Could be just one guy."
"What's your name?" Clementine asked.
"Maeve." She answered.
Rowan rustled through her backpack and pulled out supplies. It didn't seem like Maeve had anything to trade, but she'd been in this position before and couldn't imagine how much worse it could have been had she not had something to bargain for. Or had run into someone who wasn't as nice to her as Arvo had been. If they fixed her quickly, she could be gone as soon as Jane and Arvo got back.
"I don't know how to help you, but you can use these." She said, handing them to her. Rowan couldn't stand the sight of her own blood and it wasn't too much easier to look at someone else's wounds, let alone help them fix it.
"It's okay, I can do it. I'm not afraid."
"I can help." Clementine said quietly. "If you want."
"That's okay, I can do it." Maeve said as she removed her jacket.
Clementine still lingered apprehensively near the other girl as Rowan turned away.
Arvo was beginning to map out the area in his mind. He knew that they were getting closer to the hotel, and were currently passing the alleyway where he and Rowan had been ambushed by walkers before. As Jane walked ahead he slowed, carefully moving around the wreckage and to the fence. It didn't look like anyone had returned to reset the trap.
Arvo looked down the alley and raised an eyebrow at a red smear of blood on the wall. The blood of the dead things was dark sludge at this point. This looked fresh and more human. It was an hour or two old at most. There wasn't a lot, just one blotch against the wall. A couple of flecks of scarlet in the trampled snow surrounding the wall.
"What are you doing?"
He jumped at the sound of Jane's voice, startled out of his thoughts. The woman was standing in the street, waiting for him with an impatient look on her face.
"N-nothing." He responded quickly, before moving to catch up with her.
"Someone who was good at this told me bullet exit wounds are way bigger than entry wounds." Clementine commented in surprise as she watched Maeve dress her injury.
Clementine passed more bandages to Maeve, the other girl having relented and allowed Clementine to provide some assistance as she fixed her wound.
"Got lucky, I guess." Maeve said.
"I got shot too. Just grazed though, on my shoulder." Rowan said, still unable to look at them.
"That's even luckier." Maeve commented.
"Where are you from?" Clementine asked.
"Down that way a bit." She said, pointing out towards the road.
"...You lived here? Like, the whole time?"
"No, I've been everywhere." Maeve answered.
"You should leave then." Rowan advised. "This town is dangerous if you're alone. We aren't staying long either. Just get whatever you came for and go."
Maeve stood up and nodded, grabbing her camera. "I will. Thanks for helping me."
Clementine nodded. "You're welcome."
Rowan trailed Maeve to the main entrance just as the door began to creak open. Her breath caught in her throat. She didn't want Arvo and Jane to be back already. Jane would complain that they had wasted supplies on strangers. Arvo though, Rowan didn't know what he would do. She already knew he thought Maeve was a murderer. And she was weird, but she was alone. Rowan couldn't have left her to fend for herself, even though she did want her gone as soon as possible.
Jane was the first to come through the door, with Arvo not far behind. Rowan lowered her gun. The sight of him would have been a relief, had Maeve not been right there. She glanced at Clementine, who looked as apprehensive as Rowan felt.
The two paused at the sight of her.
"Who is that?" Arvo asked in a way that seemed like he had realized the answer long before he asked the question.
"She was hurt, so we helped her." Clementine answered quietly.
Arvo gestured in her direction and Rowan passed Maeve and went to his side.
"She's alone, don't worry." Rowan said hurriedly, grasping his arm as tightly as she could and pulling him to the side to make room at the doorway. "She's leaving now."
Maeve did not move, despite the open door.
"Why does she have that." He asked, staring numbly at the camera in the girl's hand.
She buried her nails even deeper into Arvo's sleeve, deep enough to feel the tensing muscle beneath the material of his jacket.
"We don't know, someone hurt her, just don't-"
"It still works." Maeve said. "...You want to see?"
"No." Arvo said stiffly.
"Arvo." Rowan said, nodding at Maeve to go. "She's leaving now."
But Maeve didn't look like she was making any move to leave.
Arvo reached for his pistol with his free arm, pulling it out and pointing it directly at Maeve.
What are you doing?" Jane asked incredulously from the side of the room.
"Why do you never go away?" He said to Maeve.
Maeve took a step backwards.
"Stop! Stop moving!"
"What the fuck is your problem?" Jane asked him.
"She did it." He said.
"Right." Jane said.
"I know." Arvo said.
"Arvo, stop-"
"Let go." He said. "She's a murderer."
"Okay. Who did she kill?" Jane continued, inching forward without getting too close to the line of fire.
Maeve stared straight ahead at them without a single reaction.
"My friend."
"She's right there." Jane
"Not her."
"You can't just say that, how do you know?" Clementine asked.
"Look there." Arvo said of her camera.
"So you're just going to shoot her?" Jane asked.
"Arvo, don't!" Clementine said.
"Just go away. Go away." He repeated at Maeve, sounding smaller and weaker this time. "Ostav' menya v pokoye…"
"He won't." Rowan told Maeve, not sure if she believed it herself.
"Whatever." Maeve shrugged.
Whatever?
"Then do it." Jane told him.
Clementine and Rowan looked at her as if she were insane. Arvo didn't avert his gaze to see if Jane was bluffing. He didn't care.
"If you know she's a murderer, then you'd do it." She said.
She was close enough now that Rowan could almost hear Jane talking right into her own ear instead.
Arvo didn't acknowledge her heckling at all.
"The gun isn't loaded!" Rowan said frantically, trying anything to calm things down. "There's no bullets."
Arvo only steadied his aim as Maeve stared at him, unblinking.
"Do it." Jane said.
"Jane, what are you saying?" Clementine yelled. "Just stop."
In that second, Rowan believed that Arvo didn't want to do it, but not that he wouldn't. She suddenly pushed into his side with everything she had just as the pistol went off, the bullet shattering the large wall mirror behind the reception desk. The two tumbled to the ground and Arvo swore.
"Holy fuck."
Maeve looked small, crouched on the ground with her head in her hands as if she was trying to curl up and hide within herself. Even kneeling, she looked larger from Rowan's position sprawled out on the ground on top of Arvo. The pistol had fallen out of his hand, lying still on the ground right above their heads.
Jane moved to pick it up from the floor as Rowan awkwardly maneuvered to her knees.
Maeve was on the ground with her head in her hands, looking small as if she was trying to curl up and hide in herself. Before Rowan could say anything, she stood up as if nothing had even happened at all and leaned forward to offer Rowan a hand up off the ground.
Maeve leaned forward to offer Rowan a hand up off the ground.