Thanks to gaara king of the sand for the help.


"Molly…" Clementine called to her guardian with slight hesitation.

Molly didn't miss the concern in the child's voice. "Yeah, Clem?"

"Do… Do you think the towns people are okay?" Clementine asked.

Molly was quiet for a moment. "I don't know, Clem… If they're smart, they'll know what to do." She wasn't going to lie and say yes.

"I hope they're safe…" Clementine said.

"Right now, we have to worry about ourselves. We need to find a safe place." Molly said.

"Okay…" Clementine said.

Molly couldn't help but feel guilty for what Clementine had been through. She didn't want the child to see so much violence, but she knew there wasn't much she could do to stop it. This was how the world was now.

The two made as much distance as could away from the town.

Molly noticed Clementine seemed exhausted. Molly wasn't surprised they had spent hours walking the night before and Molly had woken the young girl up at the first sign of light to keep moving.

Clementine gave a yawn, rubbing sleep out of her eyes.

Molly looked down to the child and offered to carry the girl. The woman wasn't ready to completely stop yet. Not until they found somewhere she was sure would be safe.

"I'm okay…" Clementine said.

"You sure?" Molly asked. "If you're feeling tired, I don't mind carrying you for a bit."

"I'm not a little kid anymore, Molly. Don't worry about me." Clementine stated.

Molly smirked at that. "You look pretty little to me."

"You know what I mean." Clementine said.

"Yeah. I do." Molly said. "But it's okay to let me know when you're feeling tired."

Clementine gave a nod in response. "Okay…" She had too much on her mind. She kept wondering about the people back at the town, if any of them made it out, if her friends were okay.

Feeling uneasy, Clementine walked alongside Molly, when suddenly her guardian stopped, holding a hand out in front of her.

"Molly?" Clementine called in confusion.

Molly shushed her, scanning the area. "Alright, seems clear. Let's rest here for a bit."

"We don't have to stop yet." Clementine argued.

"It's fine, Clem." Molly said, placing her supply bag down.

Clementine frowned, but took a seat.

"You hungry?" Molly asked.

"A little." Clementine said.

"Alright." Molly pulled out a can of beans. She opened up the can and offered it to the child. "Eat up, kid."

"Thanks… What about you?" Clementine asked, as she accepted the can.

"I'm fine." Molly said. "I'll eat later. I'm not going to let you go hungry…"

"I don't want you to be hungry either…" Clementine said.

"Alright, I'll eat whatever you don't finish." Molly said. "Now eat up."

Clementine agreed and started eating.

After they had finished the contents of the can, Molly allowed Clementine to rest for a bit.

The child had fallen asleep and Molly figured she'd give the girl an hour of two to nap.

The area was quiet. Molly listened to Clementine's breathing and the sounds of the animals that lived in the woods, when suddenly something else grabbed her attention.

She listened and made out the sound of footsteps approaching. Molly was immediately on her guard. She watched as a figure walked through the trees and was surprised at who she saw.

"Molly?" Cordell said.

Molly scoffed, "Didn't think I'd be seeing you again."

"I could say the same." Cordell said.

"What are you doing here?" Molly asked.

"Searching for supplies…" Cordell said honestly. His gaze fell to Molly's bag, "Got any?"

"Not for you." Molly said. "My girl and I need this stuff…"

"Can't you spare any?" Cordell questioned.

Molly raised a brow. "If I remember correctly, you wanted to use us to buy time to save yourself. Why should I help you?"

"I… I wasn't thinking." Cordell said. "You know I'm not like that, Molly…"

"I don't know anything…" Molly said.

"Okay then…" Cordell grumbled.

Molly got to her feet and drew her gun as she noticed him reaching for his. She aimed it at him. "The first time you aimed a gun at me, I let you walk away. Give me one good reason why I should do the same this time?"

"…Think about your girl… What will she say if you shoot me?" Cordell asked.

"She'll understand. Clementine has seen a lot of shit. And she knows shitty people like you exist." Molly replied.

Cordell sent her a glare. "What are you waiting for then? Pull the trigger."

Molly kept the gun aimed at him before lowering it. "You're not worth the bullet. Get out of here, and don't let me see you again. Because I won't hesitate next time."

"And if I don't?" Cordell asked.

"You must have a death wish then." Molly aimed the gun at him and pulled the trigger, the bullet whizzed pass him, causing him to flinch. "That's your last warning. Go."

The man took off with no hesitation.

Molly looked over to Clementine who was startled awake by the noise.

"What happened?" Clementine asked.

"Nothing, Clem…" Molly said.

"Why did you shoot?" Clementine questioned.

"It was just a geek…" Molly said. "Go back to bed."

"Okay…" Clementine said, though she was unconvinced, she closed her eyes and tried to force herself back to sleep.

Molly took a seat beside the girl again. She was sure Cordell wouldn't be coming back, but sometimes she hated what she had to do to keep her and Clementine safe.

This was not how she expected her life to be…


"Molly... I don't think this is going to work..." Clementine said, looking down at the dying flames of the fire.

"Just keep trying." Molly said, while taking inventory of how much supplies they had. They were definitely running low…

"I am..." Clementine said. "I'm freezing... I hope we don't have to be out here much longer."

"I hope not too, Clem." Molly said.

"Do you think it's safe in Wellington?" Clementine asked.

"Hopefully. At least safer than here if the cold really slows the walkers down." Molly said.

"Yeah. That'll be good... But walkers aren't really much of a problem... People are." Clementine said.

"You're right..." Molly said. "But you're smart enough to know who can be trusted and who can't."

"I guess..." Clementine said. "But trust doesn't keep anyone from getting dangerous."

"That's true, but we're a team, Clem. We have each other's back. I'll protect you no matter what." Molly said.

"Okay... Thanks, Molly." Clementine said.

Molly nodded and went back to sorting their supplies.

"Molly, do you think we'll see anyone we used to know at Wellington?" Clementine asked. "Christa and Omid, or Kenny, or Ben?

"Maybe... I don't know." Molly said.

"I hope they're safe." Clementine said.

"They might be... Just don't get your hopes up on seeing them again... Anything could've happened." Molly said.

Clementine lowered her head. "I know..."

"How's the fire coming?" Molly asked.

"Not good. The wood is really damp..." Clementine said. "And the rain keeps putting the fire out..."

"Let me take over." Molly said, making her way over to the young girl. She examined the wood, damp was an understatement. There was no way they'd be able to cook with how wet the wood was.

"See..." The young girl sighed. "Should we just wait?"

Months of surviving together had made Clementine much more independent. Molly was glad that the child was able to take care of herself. If they ever got separated she was sure Clementine would be okay.

Molly huffed. "This is ridiculous."

"I can wait..." Clementine said. "I'm okay."

"All we do is wait." Molly huffed. "You need to eat."

"WE need to eat. And we will." Clementine said. "I don't mind waiting."

Molly however shook her head. "Look, I'm going to look for more wood. You try to keep the fire going."

"Okay. Be careful." Clementine said.

Molly nodded, getting up and walking into the woods.

Clementine huffed as the rainfall completely put out the fire. The child got to her feet and headed over to her bag. She fumbled through her bag, searching for a lighter.

The girl felt her hand hit a piece of paper and pulled it out. She gasped as she noticed the picture of her guardian. Trembling slightly, she shoved the photograph into her pocket.

She reached back into the bag and dug through it again. She pulled out a drawing, made by her at the motor inn. Her heart sunk as she looked at it. It was Kenny, Katjaa, and her friend Duck.

Pocketing the picture, she resumed her search for the lighter. The child finally fished the lighter out and returned to the dead fire.

She lit a spare piece of paper to restart the flames and set it into the wood. "Better... But still not enough." She noted. The flames were too low. She'd need something to use as fuel.

Getting to her feet, the child searched around for some wood, eventually finding a log. She brought that to the fire and set it in.

She watched as the flames started to dance a little higher before jumping out of her skin as she heard a sudden noise.

The girl looking around taking a moment to process what she was hearing were voices, and they sounded agressive.

With her heart pounding, Clementine slowly made towards the direction of the noise. She had to find out what was going on.

"I'm telling you, it's just me." Came Molly's voice.

"Bullshit!" A man snapped.

Clementine peered through the trees and gasped in horror as she noticed her guardian was surrounded by three weapon wielding men.

The girl needed to help him. Without hesitation, she picked up a rock and threw it at one of the men.

"Molly, run!" The child exclaimed.

It was just the distraction Molly needed. As the man closest to her instinctively turned to the woods, Molly grabbed his wrist and elbow, forcing it back as she kicked the back of his knee. The man fell forward and Molly kept a grip on his arm until he dropped his gun. She quickly picked it up and aimed at the man who was approaching her from behind.

"Drop it!" Molly ordered.

The second man did so.

The first man yelped in pain as Molly continued to twist his arm.

"Good." The woman shot a bullet into the second man's knee causing him to fall to the ground. She then released the first man who gripped his arm in pain. She looked around noticing the third scavenger was missing.

Molly swore, realizing he must have gone after Clementine. Her assumptions were confirmed when she heard the child yell out, "LEAVE ME ALONE!"

Molly felt her heart skip a beat and ran towards the sound of her girl's yell. She ran faster through woods, following the sounds of their yells.

Molly felt anger swell in her chest to the bursting point at what she saw. Little Clementine pinned to the ground. Molly met Clementine's gaze and noticed the girl's panicked expression. Molly rushed forward to yank the man off the child, but much to her surprise, Clementine kicked him off herself, right into the awaiting arms of a hungry walker.

Molly rushed to the young girl noting the fear in her eyes. "Are you okay?"

"Stay back!" Clementine exclaimed, trembling in fear.

"Clem it's just me. It's Molly." Molly said.

The child scrambled back and Molly noticed the girl getting closer and closer to the river. "Clementine stop!"

It was too late. The child fell into the river.

"Shit!" Molly said. She wasted no time jumping into the water to save the child.

The river carried them further and further downstream. Molly grabbed for Clementine as the rapid-flowing rivers carried them around a tight bend.

Sputtering and gasping for air, Clementine clung to her guardian.

Molly tried her best to keep both her own and Clementine's heads above the water which proved to be difficult.

The strong waves tossed the two around. Molly was finding it hard and harder to hold a grip on the child. She felt concerb flood through her as she realized the girl had lost consciousness.

Molly didn't know much time had passed before the power of the current finally lessened. Eventually she was finally able to swim to the river's edge, pulling Clementine with her.

She laid the young girl on the ground and checked her breathing, thankful that she was.

Molly sighed knowing Clementine would probably catch a cold if she didn't get her out of the wet clothes. Unfortunately, she had nothing else to dress her in. And stripping the child wouldn't help because of how cold it was. Molly decided her best bet would be lighting up a fire.

She kept the fire dim the remainder of the night. Clementine remained unconscious.

Molly couldn't bring herself to go to sleep. Part of her wished she had killed those two scavengers when she had the chance. She kept worrying that they might be looking for them although she knew the chances of that were slim. She was sure they realized they choose the wrong person to mess with.

Hours went by and eventually morning came. Molly breathed in relief when Clementine finally stirred.

The child sat up and looked around, confusion clear on her little face.

"Hey there, Clem. Good to see you awake." Molly said.

"Whe.. Where are we?" Clementine stammered.

"We're on the other side of the river." Molly said. "Away from those assholes."

"Okay... Good." Clementine said. The child gasped as a realization dawned on her. "I left our bags! I'm sorry!"

"Hey, it's okay, Clem. The important thing is that you're okay." Molly replied.

"But... But all our stuff is gone..." Clementine said. "Because I was careless."

"That's not true. It's not your fault, plus you saved my ass, Clementine." Molly said.

"Okay..." Clementine said.

"Come on... We should get a move on." Molly said.

"Where to?" Clementine said.

"We'll see if we can find some supplies. And some food." Molly told the child.

"Okay. I hope we find some food soon." Clementine said forcing herself up. She felt her stomach give a painful growl and gripped it while uttering a small, "Damn it."

"We'll do our best to find some." Molly said.

Clementine just nodded in response.

The two of them started walking. Coming to a broken deck, Molly boosted the child onto it. She then pulled her own self up.

"Stay close to me alright." Molly said to the young girl as they once again started walking. She didn't know who or what could be in those wood.

"Okay." Clementine said.

They continued walking until they were startled by a rustling in the bushes. Clementine gasped while Molly took a protective stance in front of her. They waited for whatever was in the bushes to reveal itself and were surprised to see it was a dog.

"Easy boy. We're not going to hurt you." Clementine spoke up in a gentle voice. She glanced to her guardian and asked, "Can I pet him?"

"No." Molly said.

"But why not?" Clementine asked with a slight pout.

"We don't know if he's dangerous. He might bite you." Molly said.

"He's not going to bite me." The child said.

"You don't know that." Molly replied. She looked to the dog and took a slow step towards it. She checked its collar. "His name's Sam."

"Sam." Clementine repeated. "Nice to meet you, Sam."

Suddenly the dog barked and started to run off.

"Wait! Sam!" Clementine called. "Where are you going?"

"Forgot the dog, Clementine." Molly said.

"But I think he wants us to follow him." Clementine said.

"What for?" Molly huffed.

"I don't know. Only one way to find out." Clementine said.

Before Molly could get another word out the girl ran off towards the direction the dog had went. Molly groaned and quickly ran to catch up with the child.

Molly came upon a campsite and spotted Clementine who was petting Sam. "Clementine, you can't run off like that. And I told you not to pet the dog."

"But he's not biting me. He's nice." Clementine said. "Can we keep him?"

"Clem, no. We can barely feed ourselves as it is. How are we supposed to take care of a dog?"

"Please? I'll take care of him. I promise." Clementine pleaded.

"There's no way. Are you out of your mind?" Molly said. "We can't keep the dog."

"Why not? He needs us!" Clementine said.

"You know why." Molly said sternly. "We don't have the supplies or the time to deal with a dog."

"Please, Molly... Please?" The girl asked.

"I said no. Don't ask again." Molly replied.

Clementine's face fell. The child continued to pet Sam, while holding back tears. "He's starving... He'll die without us!"

"Animals are smart. He'll find food eventually." Molly said.

"What if he doesn't?" Clementine asked.

"He's not our problem, Clementine." Molly said.

"Maybe not yours... but I'm going to take care of him." Clementine said.

"Clem..."

"I'll feed him and look after him." Clementine said. "Just give me a chance, please."

Molly sighed. "Why are you so stubborn?"

"I guess I learned it from someone." Clementine said.

Molly shook her head. "Let's try and find some food."

"What about Sam?" Clementine asked.

"What about him?" Molly scoffed.

"He's hungry too." Clementine said.

Molly rolled her eyes. "If you want to feed him, that's on you."

"Okay." Clementine said.

"Come on, start looking." Molly said.

Clementine nodded. "Come on, Sam. Let's find some food."

Molly and Clementine begin searching the clearly scavenged area. After several moments of searching, Molly looked to a garbage can. She figured it would be the last place to check.

"Are you really going to look in there...?" Clementine frowned.

"We gotta check everywhere." Molly replied.

"You're right..." Clementine sighed. "Okay..."

Molly pushed up her sleeves and began to dig through the garbage. She felt her hand it a can and pulled it out. She examined it, finding it was a can of beans. "Bingo."

"That's great. Now we just need something to open it with." Clementine reached into her shoe to grab a knife but was startled as Sam began barking.

Clementine straightened up and look to the dog with confusion. "Sam, hush."

Molly furrowed her brows. This is exactly why she didn't want the dog. He was too noisy. She sent the child a look. "What's he barking at?"

"I don't know..." Clementine frowned. "What's the matter, Sam?"

The dog rushed over to a tree where he continued barking.

"Shh... We have to be quiet." Clementine said.

Molly rolled her eyes as the young girl tried to reason with the dog.

The two made their way over to Sam to see what he was barking at. They noticed a geek tied to a tree.

"It's okay! He's dead." Clementine said. "Look, you can see the bite... Looks like he tried to cut it out... But that never works. Ever..."

Molly sighed at the child's words. "Back up, Clem."

"I can handle this, Molly." Clementine said.

"You sure?" Molly asked.

"Yeah." Clementine said. "It's okay, Sam. We're smart, he's not. We're smarting than all of them." She picked up a tree branch. "Stand back, Sam."

Molly watched as the little girl struggled a bit to hold the heavy branch, but she managed to kill the walker after a few hits. "Not bad, kid..."

"Thanks..." Clementine said. "Do you think he had himself tied up... Or did someone force him?"

"I don't know... Not that it matters much now..." Molly said.

"Yeah... Poor guy..." Clementine frowned. She checked the man's pockets for anything useful. There wasn't anything. She then grabbed the knife that was stuck in his shoulder. She cleaned it off on her pants before checking it. "It's still pretty sharp."

"Good. Now let's get this can open." Molly said.

Clementine nodded and follow Molly over to a log. The two sat down and the child gave Molly the knife.

Molly opened up the can, hoping the food wouldn't make them sick. "Alright, kid. Eat up." She handed the can to Clementine.

Suddenly, the heard Sam whining.

"He's hungry, Molly..." Clementine said.

Molly huffed. "We'll give him what's left."

"But he's hungry now..." Clementine said. The child offered the dog some beans.

Sam however went for the can, knocking it to the ground.

"Hey! Don't eat it all!" Clementine grabbed the can quickly.

Sam gave a growl and jumped forward, biting the girl's arm and yanking her to the ground.

Clementine yelped and whimpered, trying to struggle free.

Molly quickly got to her feet and grabbed a nearby stick. She hit the dog's shoulders, but it refused to let go. Finally, she landed a blow on the back of the dog's neck causing it to yelp and release the girl.

Molly grabbed Hilda and turned to the dog.

"NO! Don't hurt him!" Clementine said.

"Clem-"

"Don't hurt him! Please." Clementine pleaded.

Molly sighed and let the whimpering dog go. She approached Clementine and helped the child up. She looked at the little girl's arm with concern. "Shit... This is going to need some stitches."

Molly picked the child up without hesitation and started away from the camp.

"W-What about Sam?" The girl asked.

"Forget him. He could've killed you." Molly said.

Clementine frowned, but she was in too much pain to protest.

Molly continued through the woods, hoping to find some place to fix Clementine's injury before the child lost too much blood.