Dot [Tripp]
"Tell me," Tripp called out, keeping pace with the baseball-capped girl—from a safe distance—as she trekked down the valley road. The mountains loomed ever larger around them as they headed towards a pass into the next valley. Felt as if they were watching them. Or worse, the Seraphites. "Y'went through an entire fuckfest of cultists, Saviors, and infected to get this kid. Who is he, really?"
Art [Clementine]
She stopped dead in her tracks, but didn't bother turning around. Clementine sighed out a heavy breath and just gave Tripp the answer he wanted. "I knew his mom. That's all."
Dot [Tripp]
At first, Tripp didn't really know what to say. Things were complicated these days—even worse now than just a couple days ago—and maybe in some context, Clementine's actions made sense. But things weren't always so simple. If she wanted to give the boy a life outside the Saviors that he'd enjoy, she was far too late to the party. Negan had made his impression.
"That kid's… as indoctrinated as the rest of 'em," he said, chewing the inside of his lip as he tried to figure out how best to word this. Being diplomatic wasn't exactly his strong suit. "And I ain't gonna pretend that I know better than you on how to deal with him. I'm sure as hell not a fucking dad. But maybe alienating him for how he feels ain't the way to do it?"
"Right now, he doesn't have any reason to stay. You gotta give him one. Else you're gonna find him dead on the side of the road one of these days." He took in a deep breath, recounting all the people he'd already lost just to get here. He still wasn't sure if Eleanor made it out of Jackson.
"Don't think you or I could handle another."
Art [Clementine]
Clementine hadn't meant to listen to him talk, when marching away seemed so much easier.
She did, though. Maybe that was mistake number one.
When she turned to face him, Clem's eyes were dark and swollen… holding the same kind of despair she'd been fighting to carry, and its little else. "I don't know what to do," the girl chose to say. And it was all she said.
Dot [Tripp]
Advice wasn't his strong suit. Not when it came to things like this. But. Maybe…
"Do the only thing a leader can do. Keep everyone together."
He had no idea just how fucked things were between Clementine and this boy, but she wasn't going to win anyone over the way she was going. The way Ellie had looked at her as she left, even she wasn't all in on this. This would be a fight she was bound to lose any day now.
"If there's anything I know about you, Clementine, it's that you think on your feet," Tripp continued. "Not a lotta people can do that. Just take this one step at a time, alright? You'll figure it out."
"You're not gonna make the kid love you in a day."
Art [Clementine]
She breathed in, because that's all there was left. Clementine let it all sink in the same way she did, with one back against a tree as her legs crossed over the grass. "Thank you," the girl said, knowing then that Tripp was right.
She hoped he was.
Clem looked at him only briefly. "Don't think he wants to see my face right now." Her frown was palpable, but she went on. "I'll just… I'll apologize to him tomorrow. I'm supposed to be a role model now, right…?"
Dot [Tripp]
Probably the first time Tripp had cracked a smile in weeks. As short-lived as it was.
"Something like that."
The walk back to this house these kids had been staying in had been relatively silent. The worst of the storm had passed, continuing its cacophony of thunder into the distant mountains.
The house was nestled nicely where you could never see it from the main road. Honestly, a brilliant place to hole up. Yet, with those Seraphites so close, nowhere in this town would be safe.
Opening the front door, he took in the disorderly condition of the room. Cans were strewn everywhere. Boxes of ammo seemed as if they were meant to be organized, but some had gotten toppled over at some point. The room was eerily quiet.
"I'll check upstairs for those two. Holler if you see something."
Art [Clementine]
Clementine just nodded. The pain had been kicking in again, and she was more than happy to stay downstairs.
She didn't see much of anything, though. Before long Clem was fast asleep, shivering from the cold as her head lay slumped against the couch.
For the first time in a while, she dreamt of Mom and Dad.
Dot [Tripp]
Nothing. Rooms upstairs had barely been touched since before the world went to shit, from what he could tell. Heading downstairs, he found Clementine asleep on the couch. She hadn't found anything either.
"Goddamn it," he breathed, eyes falling onto the radio left on the coffee table. He picked it up, heading outside.
"Ellie, you read me?"
Silence.
"Ellie, I swear to fucking God, you better have a radio. Now fucking answer."
The wind rustled through the grass beyond the porch.
He carefully stepped off the porch, and into the field, searching for tracks. Two distinct sets were beside their own, heading into the house, and then back out again. Towards a field. No other tracks. No foul play. From there, he'd lost it.
And, as pain twisted his insides, he was forced to retreat back into the house. His hand clenched around the radio, he slumped into a cushioned chair, groaning as his fingers found the wound once more.
He'd have to clean it soon.
April 10, 2027
When morning came, Tripp had finally decided to wake the girl up. The other two were gone, no doubts about it. As to why was anyone's fucking guess.
But maybe the answer was staring him straight in the face. How should he know, though? He wasn't a fucking genius.
"They're gone," he'd said, the moment Clementine had awoken enough to even open her eyes. "Found tracks last night. Hoped they'd come back. Still nothing. Couldn't go after them."
By now, his shirt was bled through, but at least the bleeding had stopped.
One less problem on a whole fucking shitlist.
Art [Clementine]
Morning hit her like a truck. Clem knew she'd slept too much when she found drool spread across the armrest, and a headache between the eyes. What she didn't find, was any time to dwell on that.
She stretched while her back still clung to the couch, rubbing the eye that happened to itch the most. Eventually she spoke from the corner of her mouth, only paying him half a mind. "Did they say when they'll be back?"
Dot [Tripp]
Tripp shook his head. "I never saw them. They were gone before we got here."
Art [Clementine]
Thinking and thinking, she held off on answering. Lately thinking had come up a bit short for Clementine, and she'd only blamed the pills for some of that.
"That's alright," she put in with a frown, knowing full well this was her fault. She guessed Ellie didn't want to be near her too. "You don't have to worry about me. I'll just wait 'till they're back, okay?"
Dot [Tripp]
He wasn't really sure what to say to that. The blind faith that she put in them. Tripp didn't share it. Something hadn't been right since the moment they'd got here, and he had a feeling that Clementine knew that too.
Yet, he couldn't bring himself to say that. Not yet. Instead, he chose to let the girl rest. What else could he do? She was on the cusp of dying, and he'd seen better days himself. They couldn't go after them even if they wanted to.
With a begrudging nod, he stood up, turning away from her to head into the kitchen. There, he closed his eyes, massaging his temple.
Whatever happened next, he would be sure to wring Ellie's neck the next time he saw her.
12:30 PM — April 11, 2027
Art [Clementine]
Clem kept wishing it would go away—That is, the last thing she had said to him. The thing that wouldn't let her fall asleep anymore.
She'd thought about it a lot by then. It was gonna be the first thing she would do. As soon as the front door opened, she'd get on her knees and hug him. Say all the things she hadn't said. Everything. Just how much he meant to her.
Same goes for Ellie, she thought. Clementine wanted to hold her hand again. Hold it and say she loved her more than anyone.
She deserved having to wait for them. And when they did come, she'd beg for forgiveness if that's what it took. Until then she wouldn't move a muscle.
Dot [Tripp]
That afternoon was the final straw. He'd packed everything he could into what little they could carry—and by they, he meant he—which was only enough to get them through to the next few towns, and enough ammo to keep them out of trouble for the time being.
"We have to go. Been seeing smoke in the mornings. Those assholes are still out there."
Time to do the one thing he was good at. Being an asshole.
"They're not coming back. And they sure as hell don't want you to die here, either. Wherever they fucking are, we'll catch up to them. And I'll personally beat their asses if they left us on purpose."
Art [Clementine]
"Go if you want." Her jaw tightened to form a scowl, and that was it. She didn't want to look at him.
Dot [Tripp]
"I will fucking carry you if that's what it takes," Tripp said back, not missing a beat.
Art [Clementine]
"And I'll kill you before you make me leave," Clementine returned. And now he'd earned the wrath in her eyes.
She sat with a hunch, always. Arms resting over her knees while her boots tapped at the floor. Clem felt ready for a fight.
Dot [Tripp]
That's when he stood up, shaking his head in disbelief. "What do you gain by staying here? Huh?
"Are you that fucking braindead that you can't see that Ellie left you here? For who fucking knows why? Don't you want to get them back? At least kick their asses a little?"
Restless, he nearly sent his feet careening into the coffee table.
"You really gonna let her do this? Grow a pair, and help me find them."
Art [Clementine]
She wasn't ashamed to cry in front of him. It didn't matter. Clementine stood up and jabbed him with the point of her finger, holding back a shout. "She didn't leave me…!"
Ledge [Scott Turner]
"How about I help her find them instead?"
A voice would call out from behind the duo, belonging to a figure who was standing in the kitchen doorway with an assault rifle in his arms.
Such a mess they'd made, one that was too easy to track. Staying here overnight, after firing a weapon? Not the smartest move. Scott even had enough time to get inside through the top floor without making much of a sound. Scott's attention turned to the larger man, amusement written all over his face. "But you won't be joining us, I'm afraid."
"Your time is up."
Dot [Tripp]
It was stupid. He went for the gun left on the coffee table, raising it to fire a shot at man—Scott—and hoped it'd end this once and for all. But, as the pain flared in his chest, the bullet veered off course, burying into a light fixture just above the man's head.
Art [Clementine]
Clementine hadn't it in her to react in time. She stumbled backward and watched the scene unfold in a sudden splash of horror.
Ledge [Scott Turner]
Scott raised his assault rifle, before pumping several silenced shots into Tripp's chest.
Dot [Tripp]
His head collided with something hard. Wood. His neck spasmed, chest exploded as if every nerve caught fire at once, and he tried to lift the pistol once more. One last shot. It was all he needed. It was all he—
Eyes wide, he gurgled, lowering the gun in small twitches, until it finally fell to the floor.
Art [Clementine]
He was dead. He was dead.
The girl's tears, so sudden, had all but dried up. Now she'd lost her voice, too.
She did what she could, and what she knew to do. Clementine stood in place, arms shaking, while she struggled to breathe again.
Ledge [Scott Turner]
Not a shred of emotion was seen on Scott's face, as he waltzed over towards the dying man, paying him no mind as blood pooled the floorboards. He leaned down, picking up the pistol before shoving it into the side of his belt.
He turned over to face his student, the gurgling coming from the behemoth finally beginning to subside. "I'm sorry you had to see that." He'd only done what was necessary, that man was never going to follow orders. From Prescott to Jackson, he was always a lost cause, Negan would be happy to hear it at least. "He did have a point though, we really should be heading off.
"Those savages are on their way, saw them when I was tracking your group."
Art [Clementine]
Her heart had lost its pace. It sounded so, so loud in her ears. There was so much. It hurt to move and it hurt to breathe. The girl's skin rapidly lost its color as Tripp gurgled in his own blood.
When Clementine tried to move, the room spun around in circles. And it stayed that way until her eyes rolled to the back of her head, making the floor disappear under her feet.
Ledge [Scott Turner]
Broken ribs were a nasty sort of thing, not necessarily fatal in certain cases, but enough to get her killed out there. That fever she was running however, was a cause for concern. That was why, when she took the spill, Scott wasted no time in bringing the girl here, to perhaps one of the last major Savior strongholds left.
"We've done all we can, given her something for the fever. The way things are looking, she should be—"
"I know. You can leave." Scott interrupted, waving the 'doctor' off, who was still in training herself. Did she honestly think he needed an explanation? Arrogance was bliss it seemed.
There wasn't much left to do other than wait, so that's what Scott did. He sat opposite the hospital bed, in a comfy chair. In his hand was a large notepad, which he continuously jotted down notes in with a pencil, occasionally glancing up to see if the girl was awake every now and then.
Art [Clementine]
When Clementine's bloodshot eyes sprung open, she steadied herself for the second that mattered before crumbling into panic. The others, they were spent doing nothing about it. She sat herself up, slowly, and stopped before it hurt her too badly.
She'd met a lot of Saviors before. There wasn't much point in putting up a fight.
"Where is this?"
Ledge [Scott Turner]
"A fair drive away from where I found you." Scott replied, keeping his gaze down on the notepad as he continued to scribble down his work, unwilling to spare the girl a glance just yet.
"Quite frankly, you're lucky that I did."
Art [Clementine]
She mimicked his voice. "Quite frankly, you're a sick piece of shit."
Ledge [Scott Turner]
"A sick piece of shit." He repeated, slower this time.
The man slunk back into his chair, interlocking his fingers as he directed a gaze to the ceiling, fronting to be in deeper thought than he actually was. Yet still amused all the same. "Mm. Sounds pretty bad when you put it like that, don't you think?
"Considering I just saved your life."
Art [Clementine]
"Oh, spare me," Clementine hissed. She probably looked crazy to him, with feral eyes that snuck past long locks of hair. He deserved all the worst things in the world—and picturing them in her head simply didn't do it justice.
She felt like a tool for ever trusting him.
"You shouldn't have saved the bullets."
Ledge [Scott Turner]
"I disagree. I think I did the right thing."
He saved the bullets, for a very specific reason. She might not understand now, but she would soon. "You'd just need to look at the man's track record to understand why."
"Dumb hick got his whole community wiped out, he did the same thing before, and he was trying to do it again with Jackson. Do you have any idea how many people suffered because of it?" He didn't expect her to get it, not when emotions were still running high. "He sent you out to die for political sport, back when he was in charge. So you'll have to excuse me for not mourning."
Art [Clementine]
Clem shook her head, grimacing at the floor. "Just cut the shit already."
She dared to glance at him, even though she felt so vulnerable, and so damn small. "You said you wanted Ellie, right? Well, she ditched me. Two days ago. And I don't even know why."
It was her choice not to sound upset. She did everything not to. It was enough being at the man's mercy without breaking down in front of him. "So you can just let me go, or kill me, or whatever your people do…" But she did cry, because she couldn't help it. She'd ruined her only chance of ever being happy. Forever.
"I'm not scared. I want it over with."
Ledge [Scott Turner]
"Clementine, just try to relax for a minute."
Scott didn't have a very good bedside manner, if it wasn't obvious already.
"Like before, when I took you back into Jackson, we just need to make another… simple course correction."
He leaned forward, almost as if he was excited to tell her the rest of his idea.
"It's safe to say. Negan is furious right now, probably the most pissed I've seen him in a long time." That was an understatement, their forces were in disarray after the attack, and more importantly the boy was missing. "You're already in the bad books, for getting his Lucille damaged, and of course the stunt with Alvin.
"Like it or not, you're going to have a chat with him. In that chat you'll confirm that the child is on the way to Salt Lake. After that we'll work on getting you set up here. Sound good?"
Art [Clementine]
They knew.
Her breath came and went so fast she couldn't think straight. Clem didn't even know how to answer. "I'm not doing it," Clementine said, in a voice so cowardly. "You can't make me."
Ledge [Scott Turner]
"Sure. But then someone else will try to make you." He continued, unable to recall the amount of interrogations he'd witnessed over the years, he only hoped to spare her from that.
"Take it from me, it's not something you want." How Clementine approached things next, would determine a lot of things. "You still have a chance here."
Art [Clementine]
It was easy to pretend it didn't show—just how horrified she was.
But it didn't matter what she felt, or how she felt. She was just a dead girl walking. Even Ellie knew it, didn't she?
Dead girls didn't get to be scared.
"You're never gonna find them, asshole."
Basil [Negan]
Knock… Knock… Knock…
Three solid knocks, a steady silence in-between them. He was here.
He'd heard the news, that girl… Clementine: the one who fucked over everything. She was here. Captured. A moment he'd been waiting for, and for too long. As the kid he'd been taking care of… AJ, had been kidnapped by none other than her. They were the Saviors, they did shit quick. Who knew what state AJ would be in now.
Negan didn't even bother waiting for the door to be opened for him, instead, he creaked it open until it stood ajar. His tall frame nearly took up most of the door, and he stood there, looking who exactly was inside. A damaged Lucille still rested against his shoulder.
Without saying a word, he took a few steps in. His eyes scanning between Scott, and the girl on the bed, very much worse for wear. "Good shit Scott, you kept your word." He gave a small nod to the doctor who had aided him so much. "There's just… one small problem." Negan's words turned almost into a whisper, but were easily heard in the quiet room. There was always a catch.
"Where… the fuck… is AJ…" The nod that he gave to Scott was replaced with a finger, pointed right at Scott. "You said he'd be with them."
Ledge [Scott Turner]
From the moment Negan made his presence known, Scott ejected himself out of the seat. He stood upright as a show of respect, though the larger man still towered over him rather easily. "He was.
"From what Clementine just told me. They split up about two days ago, which means they're possibly still in the area." The Doctor spoke, averting his gaze elsewhere.
"It's only a matter of time, sir."
Basil [Negan]
The explanation didn't really do much to ease Negan's fears, he almost looked taken aback. "What the fuck do you mean they split up. Who the fuck is they?" Not that he doubted AJ's determination to run off from the kidnappers, he just doubted his ability.
"In case you can't remember, Scott, he is a fucking kid. Two days can mean fucking anything!"
His gaze shifted to Clementine, the one who was supposedly telling this story. Then back to Scott, he would deal with her later. "Do you know where they went."
Art [Clementine]
It was different. This time it was different.
She didn't move. She didn't breathe. She didn't look in the direction the voice came from, else his eyes might stare back at her. Clem thought, if she didn't say anything, then it'd be over.
But shaking, she still was. And it'd never been so hard not to.
Ledge [Scott Turner]
"The other one, Ellie. I'm guessing she has him." It was the only logical deduction to make. Even then, it seemed like whatever he said wouldn't be good enough. When it came to Alvin, he supposed it never would be.
"As for where. Salt Lake is still the most likely place, was talking about it with Clementine just a moment ago."
Basil [Negan]
"Then what the fuck are you waiting for then? A fucking lollipop? Get a move on and go and get ready to find him." Negan almost sounded bewildered at the complete lack of competence from the man.
"Go on, I can deal with the girl, just make sure you're ready when I've found out everything about why the fuck this is happening."
Ledge [Scott Turner]
"Right away."
He was out of the firing line, and Scott wasted no time in getting the hell out of there. Not before sparing one last glance towards the girl upon his departure.
You're on your own.
Art [Clementine]
Clementine's voice was caught in her throat, all on its own. And not even her begging turned real. No… Please don't go.
Don't go.
Basil [Negan]
"Go on, time's fucking ticking, hurry up." Negan pressured Scott all the way to the door, waiting till he'd left before he shut it.
A few seconds past, as Negan stood at the door, unsure of how actually to face this girl. He turned around, and could tell…well, he could tell she was shitting herself, to put it lightly.
He begun pacing forwards slightly, each step slow and methodical. "Yknow, you've been a real… massive pain in my ass since we've met. This though… This really takes the fucking cake."
Negan reached forward for a chair, pulling it up besides the bed. "I'm gonna be… really, brutally fucking honest with you, I'm half tempted to take Lucille here. Kill you, then leave, find this Ellie bitch, and kill her as fucking well."
Negan paused, as if he was contemplating it then and there.
"But I won't, and to be honest. I'd like a fucking thank you for all the shit I've put up with. I've been downright generous." He took a seat next to the bed, resting back rather casually. "I don't think it'd be too much to ask. That you tell me… every fucking thing you know. In return, I won't kill you. Like, deal of a fucking century."
Art [Clementine]
He wanted an answer.
In that faint, muttering, nothing of her voice, Clementine gave him what he wanted, in the only way she could. "I'll tell you… what I told him."
Her fingers clutched hard at the bed, tearing into its long, white sheets. Before every phrase there came a pause and a steadier heartbeat. And with every one heartbeat came the foreboding promise of having to die. Don't be scared, she begged to the only one listening.
"They left me. They left me because… because I deserved it. Because the kid hates me." She crashed one wrist against her eyes, and then another, forcing herself to keep talking. "They're gone.
"So you can do… whatever you want. You are never seeing AJ again."
Basil [Negan]
Negan allowed the girl to go on and on, he did wish that she skipped the emotional and personal side of it. On reflection after she finished, none of what she said was actually help at all. Perhaps at best, earning some sympathy from the man.
He allowed her final words to linger, and they certainly stung. She was wrong, of course. What could this girl know about the situation. She wanted a rise, and he wasn't going to give it to her.
He leaned back, clicking his tongue against his mouth as he considered the best situation once again. Why couldn't she just tell him, why did she have to make it difficult? He wanted to kill her. He really did, but then what would that leave him with? No better than before, with the one girl who might have the key piece of information no longer amongst the living.
"How about, we make a deal. I believe I offered you this before." Once more, the man leaned forward. Tapping Lucille against the floor as he hoped she'd accept it. He remembered the last time he offered the deal, it ended with Lucille in pieces.
"We'll help you with your injuries, help you with anything you want. In return, you tell us where this Ellie girl was going with our kid. No bullshit.
"Surely, little AJ would warm up to you if he knew you was working with me? Are you really gonna let your emotions get in the way of what he wants? Final offer."
Art [Clementine]
Clementine looked away. And when that didn't work, she shut her eyes and she fought not to listen to him.
How could she not? All she wanted—all she wanted in the whole world was to see them again; to take back every wrong and every little awful thing she'd ever said.
She just wanted a second chance. She just missed the two of them so much.
She missed Lee… so, so much.
More than that, Clem felt pathetic. Not because she'd lost her voice. Not because she couldn't look Negan in the eye. Not even because of what she'd done to drive them away.
Clementine felt pathetic because she'd sell them out in a heartbeat for another day together.
The girl frowned to lock away the sobbing she was so desperate for. It was all she could do anymore… and for their sake, it was all she'd ever do. You must be so fucking selfish, Clementine, she mused.
…If you really think they'd be happy to see you.
She braved to face the man, and then Clementine gave him her final answer.
"Last time I asked? I think Ellie said Norway."
Dot [Negan]
"Norway huh… Fucking Norway."
The tapping of Lucille against the floor seemed to fasten, as if he was desperately trying to find a distraction, anything, to try and stop the outburst of anger that was so close to leaving. An outburst that Clementine seemed to take pride in pushing... and pushing. Then, after a few seconds, it stopped. Replaced with a silence that would only last a few mere seconds. "Y'know, Clementine. I'd hoped for a little bit of understanding when a fucking kid's life is on the line. Or maybe you're more of a selfish fucking bitch than I thought."
He stood up, towering over the girl who lay on the bed. She really did look so helpless.
"We're gonna find that kid, and when we do. I'm gonna make sure he understands that people like you are nothing but fucking scum. Trying to ruin a good world. From the sound of it, he already hates you anyway, should be a piece of piss. I offered you fucking anything, and you spit in my fucking face! Do you know who you are fucking talking to? I'm...!" Negan... What did that even mean anymore, when a fifteen year old girl defied him. He was at war with some cultist fucks, on the retreat for the first time in a very long while. For fuck's sake, he couldn't even protect a little kid. Negan took a deep breathe, trying to not overstretch himself.
"Doc seems to know anyway, all this shit. A fucking waste of time. I can't believe we wasted medicine on you."
He'd made his mind up, she was getting put in a cell, if they didn't have one he'd make sure they made one. Dark, cold. He didn't care, she was getting put in it till she finally decided to mature a little bit. Killing her would be a mercy to her at this point, he could tell.
"That petty fucking bullshit you called a 'no'? That might get them both killed."
He had to get Scott, tell them the plans for the girl.