Dot [Negan]
The cells were shrouded in total darkness, until Negan opened the door. The light from outside spilled into the hallway in rays that touched upon dirty, forgotten surfaces. Concrete that never seemed to dry, like the water had condensed out of thin air while the world above was bone dry.
In his hand, he carried a chair, scraping it across the concrete floor as he approached Clementine's cell. When he stopped, he casted his flashlight into the cell. The girl held herself in a corner. Metal clanged against metal as he flitted through key after key on a chain, eventually sticking it into the cell door and unlocking it.
When he put the chair in the middle of the room, his eyes, only shining that tiny amount in the dim lighting, found the girl once more.
"Sit."
Art [Clementine]
She was shivering. A raspy inhale set her lungs on fire, until her throat expelled it in a cough wretched and vile. A choke.
When she opened her eyes and saw nothing but the dark, something broke inside of her. Something that lay deeper, much deeper than flesh and bone.
Clem realized—as she fell on her elbows and knees, and heaved the nothing that lay in her empty stomach—that she hadn't lied. That she was dying. Hurting, screaming... fighting back, for no good reason. Because Lee was dead, and Ellie wouldn't ever come to save her.
The only one left, the only one still fighting, was her. Just Clem. Just dead little Clementine.
When she opened her eyes, again, and saw nothing but the dark, Clementine chose to do nothing. She sat there, and cried, and waited, hoping it might make it quicker. But the pain only worsened. She ate because she was too weak to starve, and she stayed alive because they wanted her to. She thought of AJ, to make herself feel better. She didn't.
The light blinded her. The sound deafened her. She fought to stand up, crawling on the floor, pushing herself against the wall. Clementine held a steady hand at her side, as if to keep what was left of her ribs from killing what was left of her.
It was Negan. At least, it might've been Negan. She guessed it. Somehow, so akin to a breathing corpse, Clem found it in her to listen. She sat herself down and squirmed.
"Let me go…" Clementine begged.
Dot [Negan]
Negan had another chair, which he sat down in front of the girl's, then sat it in himself. Even if the girl wasn't practically sagging into the chair, he would've towered over her.
Her words fell onto deaf ears. She'd chosen her fate for denying him, and people had gone through worse for so much less. He gave her a hard stare, jaw tightened like a vice.
"You chose to be here," he said, so evenly it might sounded more like Scott. "You can choose to leave. You just have to give me what I want.
"Or, we'll find another way to get what I want. I know plenty. Won't be pretty."
The things Clementine had done, and the desperation to find AJ growing all the more urgent, he'd beat the shit out of her until she died to get the info he needed. She was no longer just a kid.
And her defiance was no longer impressive. It was downright insane. He wouldn't let her get away with it again.
"It's your choice, Clementine."
Art [Clementine]
It hadn't been Clementine's choice to sag, or to find her gaze so close to the floor. But when Negan spoke, and bore his eyes into her, it felt like losing yourself. Your own self-control. She felt chained, though her hands were free and her fingers wrestled on their armrests.
And when that silence of hers went undisturbed, Clem let the cell echo her sobs. Courage was a volatile thing. When she felt so ready to die, it was almost a natural response. Her body fought against it, but she stayed true. She'd promised it to Lee.
"Leave them… the fuck... alone…!"
Dot [Negan]
He seemed unperturbed by her outburst—not like he hadn't seen it coming—but she wouldn't get out of this that easily. Eventually, she would know that you couldn't refuse him. It wouldn't end well for you.
"Alright, another way it is then," he said, pulling a knife out of his pocket. He flicked it open, inspecting it as if looking for imperfections in the metal.
"You're already missing your ring finger." He smiled a wicked grin. "At least no one wants to marry you. But, I might as well take the other, too. Just to even it out a little."
He grabbed her right arm, tight enough that any resistance would ultimately prove futile. "I'm thinking a pinky next. Those are pretty fucking important, too."
Art [Clementine]
His grip burned.
Clementine staggered forward, the chair behind her falling loudly on its side. Her eyes widened and blinked away the tears as she fought Negan's pull. "No…! No!"
The girl screamed. She pounded at his chest with a weakened fist, desperate to free herself. Clem's wrist twisted violently in his hand, growing dark at the press of his thumb, as quick and as sudden as she had run out of breath.
Her begging came silent, for she didn't have a voice left. Nothing but the urge to close her eyes, as horror sent waves across her arms.
Dot [Negan]
His knife had nicked her finger in her struggle, leaving a bleeding gash behind, and Negan cursed as she continued to writhe about like a trapped hyena. He, too, stood up, towering over her until the light was blotted out and she was left in shadow.
The more she acted like this, the more like a child she seemed. But she'd killed his own people. She'd put AJ in danger. She'd nearly killed him on several occasions. She was beyond deserving any kind of mercy.
"I swear to fucking God, Clementine, I will cut off every single one of your fingers, and then you're fucking toes, until you tell me where they're going. Then I'll go for your hands, your legs, until you're nothing but a fucking meat sack. Then you'll watch as I do the same to Ellie when we eventually find her. Now tell me what I fucking want to know, you dumb fucking BITCH!"
Art [Clementine]
Clementine thrashed about, kicking his legs, clawing at the leather on his shoulders. At every weep, a louder, terrorized plea of help. She was so afraid. Every word of his threw her into a deeper pit of despair.
But Negan wouldn't let go, not even as he held an arm over her head. And she was too weak to do anything about it.
Dot [Negan]
Flicking the knife closed, he let her go and sent his fist colliding with the girl's face. She stumbled across the room as if made out of paper, back hitting the tiled wall behind her. Negan remained seated, sighing all the while. He was getting nowhere with her.
"You really don't fucking care about anyone but yourself, do you? I offer you the best fucking deal this side of the fucking planet, and you spit in my face. Norway? You better fucking hope that's where she's going, 'cause if I find her any-fucking-where else, I will make sure you get to see her brains all over your cell wall."
The anger was there, right beneath the calm facade he was trying to keep up. Boiling over.
"You think I wanna do this to a coupla fucking kids? I don't. But you've left me with no other choice."
Art [Clementine]
She didn't react. When the wall braced her impact, Clem stayed there, only short of cowering. And the longer she managed to mute the begging she longed for, the more narrow those walls seemed to feel.
Until she'd recovered from the fall, Clementine shuddered in that corner they'd built for her. The punch had left a daze that blurred even the dark iron bars, making them dominate what remained of her vision. She found the courage to speak again; and she hoped he'd believe in her. "I don't know… where AJ is…"
Dot [Negan]
"That much is a fact," Negan said, propping a hand on his knee to lean forward. "But you know where Ellie's going. The way you two drove across half a fucking state, you had a destination in mind. Maybe Salt Lake City, like Scott said. But Scott's Scott, and a wild guess is only good if it's right."
Time to start thinking about Plan B, he thought, frowning in the darkness.
"You want that boy safe as much as I do. And you know we're the only ones out here that can keep him safe. Y'think those cultist assholes would treat him kindly if they ran across 'em? They throw people on crosses and crucify them. They cut their intestines out. Hell, I just saw one of your own Jackson folks with those same fucking scars, right in her hands. She's lucky to be alive to fuck another day.
"So, do the right thing, Clementine. This's your last chance for the offer."
Art [Clementine]
Clementine coughed into a fist, so huddled and fragile. But her eyes said differently. They always tried to, even when they shouldn't. "He's better off with them," she said.
Dot [Negan]
Negan laughed. He couldn't help it. No matter what, that little piece of shit stuck to her guns.
"Certainly better off than he was with you," he replied, waiting to see what she does.
Art [Clementine]
She pushed that fist against her lower lip, where her jaw ached 'till it turned damp and numb. And she let her hand dry the rest of the tears.
The girl's voice, so softly broke.
"Just get out…"
Dot [Negan]
Negan didn't have the chance to respond. Instead, the door leading above ground opened and one of his men appeared at the iron bars. Negan stood up, obliging Clementine's request only to hear what the man had to say.
"She's here," the man said, glancing between Negan and the girl in the corner. "As you requested."
"Good, good, fucking good."Negan smiled then, glancing towards the girl behind him. "We'll talk later, Clementine. Ta-ta."
The metal bars sung a sour note as they latched closed behind him, and he strolled out of that dark pit. At least Plan B was in motion.
Art [Clementine]
Clementine stared at the ceiling, where the stone cracks hid under such thick shadow curtains, because her pain was almost numbing. When you had so much time to think, shattered bones came close to dead last.
Was it so wrong to feel angry? Was it so wrong to wish all that grief away? And dream of a long lost world where no one had ever rescued her from a treehouse by the lake.
Either way, you die hungry and alone. Maybe that's the catch all along. You live so you can suffer. You love so you can hurt. And you die by the sword, so the ones you fought for can turn their backs on you while you wither away. Somehow, deep down, you even want it.
In the end of all things, when the taste of breath turned unfulfilling, Clem pictured a tally in the bleached spots that blinked in the dark. She thought of all the bad she had ever committed, and wondered if that afterlife stuff was worth believing in. If it was too late to cross her fingers and wake up safe from dull agony.
In the end, she regretted ever living.
Dot [Narrator]
In the semi-silence of the cells, unseen speakers along the walls suddenly roared to life, crackling and scratching as it prepared to play something, disuse making the audio distorted and screechy. An upbeat tune began to play at full volume, loud enough to be piercing but still within the limits of the human ear. Whoever was playing this was going for annoyance rather than attempting to deafen anyone who could hear it.
But the tune kept playing, over and over again. With seemingly no end.
[Music for scene: www dot youtube dot com /watch?v=lDnva_3fcTc]
Art [Clementine]
Like a quickstart to her heart, Clem moved with a startle. Her back leaped away from stone, leaving the girl seated and heaving what little she breathed.
And at first she just waited.
There were no flashlights, no footsteps, no faces or voices. All she saw was an empty hallway past the iron bars. All she heard was that song. Loud. So loud.
She lay on the floor, twisting every limb while a hard grimace burned into her lips.
It looped. It looped. It looped. It looped. It looped.
The old speakers buzzed as sharp as a pair of drills. Always on. And when she couldn't take it, she covered her ears. When it felt so sweet, she clawed at her skin. And when it invited her to sing, she screamed.
But when she sang, it repeated every sweet refrain.
Dot [Narrator]
The music looped endlessly deep into what Clementine could only assume to be the evening. Incessant. Searing.
Faint light eventually lit up the floor beyond the cell, while a man masked in shadow strolled down the steps, whistling to the tune as he carried a plate of food. Well, if you could call it food.
He placed it down on the ground, and nudged it beneath the cell door, before beginning to head back towards the exit, whistling all the while.
Art [Clementine]
Clem had lost sway over her body long since.
She crashed against the cell bars, ripping and tearing at the plate for any kind of sustenance. She swallowed the pieces and drooled over her palms until there was nothing left.
Dot [Narrator]
Night did not bring her solace. The song continued. How they had the extra power to waste on such frivolous tactics was anyone's guess, but even covering one's ears would hardly grant you a good night's sleep in the cells.
When morning came, solace finally came with it. The song stopped just as suddenly as it had begun, leaving behind ears most likely ringing from extended torture. The door opened once again, and in appeared the familiar silhouette of a man with a baseball bat resting against his shoulder.
Dot [Negan]
Negan thumped the barbed-wire side of his bat against the cell bars, smiling all the while. "Knock knock. Who's there, you might ask? Well, no one but little ole fuckin' me. How'd you sleep last night, princess? Got plenty more great nights to come, I'm sure."
Art [Clementine]
If not for the ringing in her ears, the exhaustion in her body, the fire blazing in her chest… Clementine would have fought back, do or die.
But all she managed was to clean away tears from the night prior.
She never leapt, nor bravely stood up. Clem looked up from the floor with an empty gaze that said nothing at all. If only it were by design. "I'm sorry," she cried. "I'm sorry… I'm sorry, I'm sorry."
It was all she had left.
"Don't play it again. Don't…"
Dot [Negan]
Negan held a hand to his chest, as if offended. "What? You didn't like the music? A fucking shame." He bent his knees to be at eye-level with the girl inside the cell, using Lucille to stabilize himself. "You know what you have to do to stop it all. You just gotta say the magic words.
"But maybe we'll try tomorrow. Give you some time to think on that." He pushed himself back to his feet, putting that baseball bat back over his shoulder again before moving towards the open door once more.
In a few seconds, Clementine would be on her own—mostly—for another twenty four hours.
Art [Clementine]
Clementine let him go, as if she had any choice. Slumped on the floor like a broken old thing, there wasn't one thing left to inspire courage.
That nothing was all she had.
Dot [Narrator]
The music started again shortly after the light faded away. And it would not stop. It would never stop.
April 18, 2027 — Day 7 of captivity
Art [Clementine]
Morning.
Actually, she wasn't sure. But it felt like it. Clementine woke to the sound of rats scurrying through the floor, rushing off to find something or other. If only she could see it. She used to stay awake before, worrying they might sneak through the bars to chew on her jacket. Not so much now.
When was now? It'd felt like eternity, ticking away at the sound of the raindrops that fell through the ceiling. Some nights she'd spent clawing at her face and chest, quietly wishing the pain away. She only knew for sure a day had passed when they brought her dinner.
Bread and cold cereal. Clem had grown to hate the bland taste, even though she ate like a famished dog. And she smelled like one too, her hair especially. But that wasn't even the worst of it.
Staying put drove her mad. She'd chipped her nails looking for a way out, and had tried shouting lots before one of the voices discouraged her.
Clementine thought, this is it. This is the rest of my life. And it'd been so long she'd already forgotten to be terrified. Sitting against the icy cold walls, arms wrapped around her legs, it felt no good to shed tears anymore.
She just waited.
Ledge [Scott Turner]
Scott considered himself a patient man. To a degree.
The fact stood, regardless of everything else. With every day that boy remained missing, it was a blow to the doctor's credibility. No doubt, this situation was beginning to put a strain on his well-earned rapport with Negan.
He hadn't climbed the ranks of the Saviors all these years, only for it to come crumbling down. That was something he would never allow.
When he found out what happened to Clementine, it wasn't necessarily a surprise. Although, he couldn't really deny his disappointment with her. The girl was lucky to get out of that conversation in one piece, even more lucky to remain a prisoner.
His footsteps echoed throughout the murky depths of the hallway. The stench down here always aggravated his nose, which is why he usually sent the grunt workers instead.
Scott arrived at the cell he was looking for, arms crossed. His expression remained unrevealing as he just stared inwards, towards the girl who was hunched over in the corner.
He'd seen grown men completely lose their minds within a few days of being put here. Her mental fortitude was impressive, but this little game had to end someday.
"This isn't a joke anymore, Clementine." He finally said, in a tone that remained drab.
"It really, really isn't."
Art [Clementine]
The voice nearly made her jump.
Clementine didn't second-guess. She didn't think anything through; not what she was doing, not what she was saying… not even what Scott may have wanted from her. The girl only crawled forward until her features pressed against the bars, legs weak and crumpled under her hunched back. "Please let me out…" She begged.
"I can't—I can't do this. Please, tell them I'll be good. I swear I will. I swear, I swear…!" Clem wanted to scream, as though anything but just wouldn't be enough. They wanted to lock her away forever. In the fever of her thoughts, Clementine had known it for a long time. And she'd never been so scared, and so desperate. "I don't want to be here. Please don't let them keep me here!"
Scott wanted to help… It had to be true, because she needed it to be true, because she needed him. She needed him to save her.
He was the only one who came back.
Ledge [Scott Turner]
The doctor simply shrugged, keeping his arms crossed.
"'Being good' isn't enough to let you out. Sorry." Her begging wasn't going to do much, especially since she'd caused him several issues this week. If he sounded demeaning, then it was fully intended.
"I'm just here to tell you. Your window, the one that leads out of this cell…" A bit of dramatism wouldn't hurt. She was a child, and right now he needed her to believe the reality of the situation. "It's just about closed.
"I'm dead serious when I say, you will be kept in here until you're an old lady." It almost sounded amusing, when he said it out loud.
"Is that what you want? Because I'm starting to think it is."
Art [Clementine]
"No," she gasped out loud, crumbling on the spot. "No, no!"
The girl's heart stung. She felt trapped in a nightmare.
In that cell there was no sun and there was no rest. She spent every day blind, cowering alone in the cold, growing hungry, pale and afraid.
Now the nightmare was forever.
"Help me," Clementine cried. "Please…."
Ledge [Scott Turner]
Scott pinched the bridge of his nose, rubbing his eyes as he let out a sigh.
Never had he persisted so much with a prisoner. If it wasn't for the fact that he'd known the girl from Jackson, he might've given up by now.
He still saw potential, behind that immature shell. For that sole reason, he would try.
"Pledge yourself to the Saviors. Tell us where Ellie is going." He listed off his terms, the only ones he would accept.
Surely, the teenager had been inside here long enough to realize it wasn't worth it. Rotting in a damp, rat-filled cell, protecting someone who left her behind. "Do those two very simple things, and you'll be out of here."
"You have my word."
Art [Clementine]
There was no choice. Not in her mind, as fractured as it was.
Clementine shut her eyes and nodded her tearful consent.
"I'll do it. I'll do whatever you want," she said unquestionably. "I promise."
Ledge [Scott Turner]
"Great!"
His hands clapped together with excitement, a silly little habit. It was time for her to cheer up now, because things were about to become a lot easier. More so for Scott, but the girl benefited too.
"It took some work, but we got there in the end." If she was the type of person to get kicked out of Jackson, then Scott figured she had the right mindset to survive a rougher place like this. There were plenty of things for her to do, people to meet. In time, she would realize this was just like any other community.
"I'll inform Negan, since I'm sure he'll want to hear this personally."
Art [Clementine]
When the girl finally felt safe enough to open her eyes, she rubbed the pair of them with a touch of her sleeve. And her saddened eyes only spelled doom.
Dot [Prisoner]
In another cell nearby, a teenage girl's voice made itself known. Hands clasped around the bars, sickly white and shaking. The darkness shrouded her completely, but her eyes practically glowed in the faint light coming from where Scott was talking with the other prisoner.
"Please let me out, too." The girl pleaded, begged, and everything in between. "Please please please please. I can't take this anymore. I can't, I can't, I can't I can't—"
Ledge [Scott Turner]
Her.
It seemed like today was going to be filled with nothing but whining and crying teenagers. If it wasn't obvious already, Scott definitely was not in the mood.
The man rolled his eyes, head tipping back in frustration at the one who'd just so rudely interrupted them.
Clementine would have to excuse him for a moment, because someone else was eager to put themselves in the firing line today.
"Let you out…?" He cast a glance towards the sorry sight, as a frown became apparent on the man's features. "So you can pull the same stunt as last time, you mean?"
"That won't be happening." Not until Negan said so, which may be never at this point.
Dot [Prisoner]
Hearing those words had the effect of electricity, and the girl's hands clasped around the bars tighter, eyes wider. "Please… I promise I won't try to run away again. I'll be a model Savior…! Just like you asked…!"
Art [Clementine]
Clementine made an effort to stand up, listening to the cries of someone else. Someone who sounded as young as she was.
The girl eyed the man on the other side, frowning. "Who's she?"
Ledge [Scott Turner]
Scott directed a staunch gaze back to Clementine, letting the other girl's pleads fall on deaf ears in the background. It wasn't anything new coming out of her mouth anyway, just things he'd heard before. Things he wasn't yet convinced of.
"She's what you'll be, if you act up and don't follow instructions." It really was none of her concern anyway.
"I'll be back later, hopefully with Negan if he's in a good mood." Obviously, he couldn't just let the girl out on her word. Negan would want to hear it first before that cell door opened.
With that, he glided off back into the hallway, disappearing out of sight.
Art [Clementine]
She watched him leave— or very well tried to, squinting her eyes past the iron bars. When his footsteps faded in the dark, Clementine only grew sicker and none the wiser.
She didn't have a shred of hope that Scott would actually come back.
So, Clem breathed, and she braced for another night of terrors. The walls were the thing to hold her together as she slid down to the floor, staring blankly at all there wasn't to see.
It was a half hour past, and Clementine knew because Clementine counted the minutes. Plus the rats were back… because, she thought, they must've been as hungry as she was. Clem preferred them over the quiet, and both over the sound of her thoughts.
But for some reason, she couldn't go back to sleep. Closing her eyes was the first thing she tried, and the next was crawling into a corner and resting her head on the cemented walls.
Nothing. As if that stressed out little mind had no intention to let her. Who was she kidding anyway?
"Hello?" Clementine called, not expecting an answer.
Dot [Prisoner]
In the dark, all she could do was whimper to herself. To kick away a rat that grew a liking for her shoe. Honestly, at this point, she was simply happy to have shoes. All the mind games, she always wondered when the worst of it would come. Perhaps this was it. In her frenzied mind, she couldn't bear anything more.
The girl's voice—a Clementine, if she'd heard correctly, before the very idea of getting out of this cell had taken over her like a convulsion—sounded both right in her ear and a hundred miles away. An effect of the tiny little hallway they were stuffed into, stretching beneath the ground like tendrils.
The girl sniffled. Then responded, voice filled with snot and defeat. "He's worse than Negan."
At least, with Negan, she knew when the hits would come. She knew that, in there somewhere, he felt emotion. Scott was anything but emotional. He was cold. He was dead. Like a machine.
Art [Clementine]
She nodded to no one at all. In that cold, cold cell, Clem felt lucky to be heard.
"Hey," she spoke to the wall, in what barely amounted to a whisper. "Hey, forget him. Okay? Focus on me. Focus on my voice." The girl inched closer to the wall, falling to exasperated breaths. "What's your name?"
Dot [Prisoner]
It took a while for her to work up the courage to say it. Like Negan or Scott were still here, listening to their every word. Seconds away from getting hurt.
"Min… Minerva."
She flinched. Not that the other girl could see it. Or anyone who could punish her. The effect was visceral all the same.
Art [Clementine]
"I'm Clementine," she answered back, and felt her throat clasp the words meant to follow. "I'm just gonna keep talking… so you know I'm here. Yeah?"
Dot [Minerva]
"O—Okay," came the response. Soft and unsure. Like a mouse. Or a rat.
She was just like her, Minerva decided. Not at all prepared for what the Saviors did to people. Turned people into. What little she could hear, didn't sound good for the other people involved.
But when the Saviors knocked on your door, they didn't leave you much choice to say no. She didn't blame her.
"Thank you…"
Art [Clementine]
Clem gave Minerva some time, if only the little she could afford before seeming worlds away. It felt enough that way without the silence to confirm it.
"I lost count of the time I've been in here. You?"
Dot [Minerva]
Minerva shrugged to no one in particular, eyes glued to where she could imagine the floor. "Weeks?" Certainly no confidence in that answer. No bravado. Nothing that she could recognize as herself.
Not that she had much bravado to begin with.
"Months?" She shook her head, letting out a sigh through her nose. "I don't know."
She didn't let the silence linger this time. The distance felt insurmountable, and she couldn't bear not to see a human face once more. Or a voice. She'd settle for the voice.
"I just want to go home…"
Art [Clementine]
"Where's that?" Clementine picked up, palms hugging the walls. "Is it far…?"
Dot [Minerva]
"Too far," she concluded, answering the unspoken question that even Minerva had asked too many times. "Not that it matters…
"Saviors are there, too."
Art [Clementine]
There wasn't much to do but frown and say it back, word for awful word. "Yeah. Same here."
Most of them were dead now, though. Them and everyone else. She wasn't sure she knew any one person… anyone who wasn't.
Not one more than two.
Clem cleared her throat in a painful cough, wishing she had it in her not to ask: "Anyone… waiting for you?"
Dot [Minerva]
Thinking about them, it was like breathing. Only you had a knife piercing your lung. Always wondering what they were going through. Always wondering if they'd ended up in a cell like hers. Wondering if they were living a happier life.
Though she knew it would never be as happy as before.
"Yes," she eventually said, the hoarseness in her voice finally starting to clear out. "Sister. Brother. Girlfriend.
"Wouldn't be surprised if they think I'm dead." Sure feels like it.
Art [Clementine]
Clem found it shocking this girl could name so many. Were there really that kind left…? That kind of group? It felt stupid to push, though it felt just as scary not to. Clementine, she wondered how many other Jacksons existed out there, and how many the Saviors had ruined.
"Wish I could help," she said simply, only as honest as anyone could be. It wouldn't do Minerva any good to hear the Clementine brand of pessimism.
And yet she kept talking.
"My people died a while ago… and the rest ditched me. Pretty sure I'm stuck here until Negan decides I'm not useful anymore."
Dot [Minerva]
When the girl spoke about others from her own group, Minerva tilted her head. Curiosity was about to take her too far. Yet, she couldn't stop herself from asking all the same.
"This 'Ellie' girl ditched you?"
Art [Clementine]
She didn't want to answer.
Clementine tried, and tried so hard, to find the thing to say. But it was as good as trying to see in the dark. "It's more complicated than that…" She told the silent voice, slouching down as the words hung in the air.
"But… yes. Yes, she did."
Clem wasn't one to know how to feel, really—much less put it into words. She knew she missed her as bad as she missed seeing the sun. She knew she felt useless, hurt and betrayed. She knew she felt alone.
And to Minerva, she said, "I haven't been alone before. Not like this. Ever."
You'll die alone, reason liked saying back.
Dot [Minerva]
"Me neither," Minerva voice was heavy, upset. To lose it all like that… for Minerva, it had been the luck of the draw. A handful of words, and she was hauled away from her home.
Clementine had it so much worse.
"But you don't have to be," she said, raising her voice just enough to be heard clearly. She was tired of being alone, too. "People like us… we… we stick together. 'Cause no one else'll be there for us."
"If they ever let us out of here…"
That was the part that was the hardest to swallow. The possibility. The eternal darkness. Just the inkling of an idea of getting out, of somebody to watch her back—well, maybe it would make this easier.
Definitely better than letting the Saviors screw her over for the rest of her life.
Ledge [Scott Turner]
Speaking to Negan when he was moody was always a gamble. With Alving Junior still missing, things had been especially tense. A feeling Scott was hoping to alleviate with some good news.
When he arrived at Negan's office, Scott gave a few light knocks on the door. Expecting to hear that bombastic voice any moment now.
Basil [Negan]
"Come in!"
The voice boomed from behind the door. Negan sat at a desk, looking over a map. It contained the territory of the saviors, what they owned, what they had lost. He'd been working on it, and had canceled out all the areas that Ellie couldn't have been by now. Or rather, wouldn't be, based of what they knew.
Ledge [Scott Turner]
Glued to the desk. Not typical from the man, who'd probably rather be playing pool or spending time with however many wives he had, Scott had since lost count.
Casually, yet with a hint of caution, Dr. Turner came to a standing halt in front of the other man.
"Hope I'm not interrupting, but just thought I'd update you on our Clementine situation.
"She's agreed to tell you everything about where Ellie is going—" Scott had given the girl his word, but in actuality, it all depended on what Negan said next.
"If we let her out afterwards, which I think is fair enough."
Basil [Negan]
It certainly was a rare moment for Negan to be in this situation. He usually was quite a master delegator, yet, being surrounded by incompetent buffoons as Negan had been in these recent times just made him take control and do it himself. If you want shit done, after all.
Negan spared no time in looking up, wanting any excuse to get away from the work.
He was waiting for some shit news, that seemed to be all he had gotten recently, the only bright light at the end of the tunnel was the capture of Clementine and even then that seemed to be a dead en—
A large grin formed on Negan's face
"The song finally worked, didn't it? Gets 'em every fucking time." Negan wasted no time in taking a stand from his chair, walking forwards to stand next to Scott, patting his back. "Let's hear what she has to say, then we'll see. Certainly isn't getting that cushy fucking spot anymore. Come on, let's go." Leaving whatever he was working on behind, Negan was already setting off, leaving the office without even waiting for Scott to gather his bearings.
Basil [Negan]
Negan entered the room slowly, it was always weird to come here. He never was a fan of attending cells. Felt quite entrapping. That, and of course, he had a little girl locked up in one of them. It certainly went against his morals, but he would do what had to be done. She had information and wasn't giving it to him. From what Scott had told him, this strategy had seemed to of worked wonders. As he entered, light entered with him. Showing him into the cell of the girl. She looked so weak, and pathetic. It made Negan narrow his eyes, the sight certianly wasn't a pleasant one.
"Heard you've finally come to your senses." Negan stood at the entrance to the cell. Waiting.
Dot [Minerva]
Roused from staring into the void, Minerva scooched over to sit next to the bars, watching as Negan made his entrance, heading for Clementine's cell.
Though darkness shrouded her face, she'd watch the whole exchange in silence. And a touch of hope.
Art [Clementine]
Clementine kept her eyes away, facing the dark where they best felt safe. And still, something felt wrong. Too much sweat on her skin, too much blood flowing to keep up. She just had to stay calm, and stay smart.
She just had to say what he wanted to hear, without stumbling through the words.
"Ellie's taking him to Salt Lake. It's—It's, agh…" Clem grimaced. She shut her eyes and she forced her head to keep running. It was an easy name. Easy. "Mary… Saint Mary's hospital. Wherever the Fireflies are, that's where they're going. And they're on foot, too. No cars, no horses. It's just the two of them."
It didn't feel like enough, after she said it. Clementine couldn't help the fear in her voice. "That's all I know but I swear it's the truth."
Basil [Negan]
Negan raised an eyebrow. They were going to the Fireflies? What were they again? Yet, this was good; this was very good. They had a location, they had knowledge that they might not even have made it there yet.
"Why are they going to the Fireflies?" Negan turned to Scott. "Who are the Fireflies again?" Negan had a few questions. He wanted to get as much information as possible, yet, it seemed that was going to be all they could get.
Ledge [Scott Turner]
He hadn't said much, hadn't seen a need to until addressed.
Could he blame Negan for almost forgetting? Probably not, it wasn't like they were active anymore. "The militia who kept attacking FEDRA-run quarantine zones. My guess would be, she's hoping they'll take her in. For safety. The Fireflies are a sizable force." It was odd, to talk of them like they were still around.
"Were. I should say."
Art [Clementine]
"Still are," Clem cut in, huddled in that corner of hers.
Basil [Negan]
"Clearly not that sizable if they're not around anymore." Negan laughed, clearly taking the side of Scott in this disagreement. "But it seems like this girl's got some information that you don't Scott. Any idea?"
Negan looked over Scott, with a raise eyebrow. "You sure they are gone? Because if they are, means all we're looking for is a girl and a boy with no back up. Piece of piss."
Ledge [Scott Turner]
"I'm positive." Scott reaffirmed to Negan, who knew of the recent massacre he had told him about. Like Ellie, this girl was sorely misinformed.
The man's head turned towards Clementine, looking at her dead in the eye.
"All gone."
Art [Clementine]
She recoiled and stared him back with a sullen frown. "Then maybe you're not as smart as you think." Clem had the itch to stand up and say it to his face, but her voice only grew fainter, and her gaze only kept running away.
"They're there, in Salt Lake. That's what Joel said. He went there himself."
Basil [Negan]
Negan looked at Clementine, then back at Scott. Clearly a little bit confused from the conflicting information. "Well, I love a little bit of fucking gossip as much as the next fourteen year old girl, but. A solid answer might be fucking appreciated."
Before an answer could even be given, Negan continued. "It doesn't fucking matter, we're heading to Salt Lake, and we're gonna find both of them, the Fireflies can firefuck off if they're still around."
Ledge [Scott Turner]
Scott remained a statue, for better or for worse. He ignored her comments for now, but was growing impatient. "Your permission to let her out, sir?" He asked the much larger man beside him.
Art [Clementine]
Clementine held her breath and watched for Negan's reaction, bracing herself.
Basil [Negan]
"Hmph." Negan breathed out, crossing his arms. He doubted that he'd get anything else of the girl, and he was really tempted to keep her in. Yet, he needed people, Clementine might have some more information locked back there. Besides, she could be used as a bargaining chip if they have to end up negotiating with Ellie.
"Fine, let the brat out. Get her some new clothes and a wash, I can fucking smell her from here."
Dot [Minerva]
Minerva had watched Scott escort Clementine out of the cells, and upstairs. That just left her with Negan, the infamous Negan.
She pulled herself to her feet, hands clasped around the bars. The bars she already grew tired of. Cold to the touch.
"She's… going to take some breaking in." Minerva said, voice as calm as a still lake. "I don't think she'll fight back. Not now. But I'll keep an eye on her."
Ledge [Negan]
Negan's smile only widened as he turned to the teenager, swinging his beautiful Lucille over a stocky shoulder.
"Y'see that? A little cell time always lights a fire under someone's ass." Negan said, clearly pleased with himself, before unlocking the kid's cell for her. Never in all his years would Negan think a girl named after a goddamned fruit would be this much of a ball-breaker. His generosity was starting to pay off, finally. Thick skull on her, one he fully intended to knock into obedience.
"Looks like you did good." Negan said, wondering just how much those two had bonded in that short time. She was gonna have to eat shit for a while, but a new soldier was also a new resource. None of this was any different from a schoolyard, all you had to do was give that sad sack of shit a friend for them to start feeling like they were fitting in. Even if it was all a bullshit act. "Just remember, when this is done, things are gonna get a whole hell of a lot cooler for you."
Dot [Minerva]
With the cell unlocked, she took a step out into the hall, dusting herself off. Or, rather, making sure that those damned rats didn't shit on her when she wasn't looking or something. Place was fucking disgusting.
She couldn't help the smile on her face as Negan teased her about what was to come. "Looking forward to it," she said, already dreaming of the newfound freedom that'll entail.
But first, she'd have to be dragged through the mud again. All in due time, she thought. All in due time.
"Do you need me to show her around? After I change?"
The thought of playing Meek Minerva any longer was… unpleasant, but if it meant keeping an eye on the only girl capable of standing up to Negan, then she'd do it in a heartbeat.
Ledge [Negan]
"Yeah, show her around. Soften her up. Do whatever the fuck you teenagers do."
"You're gonna have to eat shit for a while." That's just the way it had to be, but Negan didn't doubt Minerva was more than ready for the task. Getting a downgrade to a shittier camp was gonna be a tough pill to swallow.
But Negan rewarded loyalty. Always.
"When you're looking up at the stars together every night in that hellhole, all la-di-da. Your stomach is gonna be growling, you're gonna fucking stink like pig shit, too." Negan found it hilarious, how fucked up that system was. Built for the weak to fail. The strong would always find their way here. Those are the people that deserved his attention.
"Tell yourself it's gonna be worth it. Then, ask yourself one simple question."
He pointed Lucille at the teenager, as he did with everyone he asked.
"Who are you?"
Dot [Minerva]
"Negan," she responded instantaneously, knowing the man's tradition by heart. It would be worth it, she told herself. Going through that twice had to be worth it. Anything to elevate herself further.
She bowed her head slightly, continuing. "I won't let you down."
Ledge [Negan]
"Hell fucking yeah you are!" The right answer! And that's exactly why she was going to succeed here.
"Now get on out there. You got this."
Dot [Minerva]
She didn't hesitate to leave that place behind. Leave it to the rats. She had her eyes set on bigger and better things. And, she had a sneaky feeling… that this Clementine would be her ticket there.
Just another stepping stone. The final piece of the puzzle.
Author's Notes: And that's a wrap! Damn, I've never been this close to where we currently are in the RP, and it feels good. Okay, a few announcements before you leave, so stick around for that below!
There will be a book three! Obviously, I'm not gonna end this on some cliffhanger :P But here's how things are gonna work for Book 3 (and the final book in this series): there will be two mini-stories taking place between this story and the next, each focusing on a different set of characters prior to the reunion in Book 3. One will focus on Clementine and Minerva, called No One Else Will, which will be releasing hopefully this weekend if I can get the time to edit the prologue and first chapter, and the other will focus on Kat, Lydia, and Carl being introduced to some very familiar characters ;) You're probably wondering what's happening with Ellie, unfortunately there won't be much for her on screen in the mini stories, as they are not required reading for Book 3, and her stories continues in Book 3. Book 3 will being releasing once we are back to working on that storyline, as we are currently 100% on working on the in-between content. Nevertheless, keep an eye peeled! Partners will release very soon, and the Kat/Lydia/Carl mini-story will follow suit. All will be linked here in time, as well as available through the series link.
All that said, thank you for coming on this journey with us, it's been quite a fucking ride so far, and the story ain't over just yet. See you in the next one :)