Thanks to gaara king of the sand for the help.


It was past midnight when Sam's began whimpering. Clementine stirred awake from the noise. She stood up and made her way to Sam. "What's the matter, boy?"

The dog just continued whimpering.

Clementine is confused by what is wrong until he moves to sit by the dog.

"What's his problem?" Molly asked from the chair she was resting in. She had been woken by the whimpering as well.

"He wants to go outside… He… He doesn't want to run away, does he? I thought he liked me." Clementine said.

"He probably just has to go to the bathroom. If he wanted to run away he wouldn't have followed us." Molly replied. She stood up. "Come on."

Molly opened the door and Sam ran outside. Clementine and Molly followed after him and waited on the porch as Sam did his business.

Clementine gave a small yawn.

"You better get used to this kid, especially if you wanna keep him around." Molly said.

"I'm already used to it. I can't remember the last time I had a full night of sleep." Clementine said.

Sam had finished using the bathroom and made his way over to them.

"I still don't understand why you like him so much." Molly said.

"He's cute." Clementine said as she pets Sam's head.

"I don't see it. He's more trouble than he's worth." Molly said.

Clementine disagreed. "You just have to play with him. He didn't mean to hurt me. I forgave him. Can't you?"

"I can, but that doesn't mean I trust him." Molly said.

"But he's a good dog. I think he's just not used to being with people…" Clementine said.

"Maybe you're right. But he's your responsibility, so who am I to complain." Molly shrugged.

"I promise I'll take good care of him." Clementine said.

"It's not as easy as you think." Molly said.

"I've had pets before. I know how to take care of them." Clementine said.

"Ever had a dog?" Molly asked.

"Not exactly. I had pet goldfish and a hamster." Clementine said.

"A dog is a lot more work than a goldfish or a hamster." Molly pointed out.

"I know. I'm just saying. I can handle it." Clementine said.

"Alright then. Good luck." Molly replied.

Clementine just nodded.

Something about having Sam around seemed to remind Clementine of the way things used to be. She never had a dog of her own because her mother hadn't been fond of them, but Clementine enjoyed the bit of normality she felt when looking after the dog.

"Come on. Let's get back inside." Molly said.

Clementine nodded and the two headed back into the cabin.

The two settled back into their sleeping spaces.

"Molly… How long are we gonna stay here?" Clementine asked.

"I don't know, Clem." Molly said. "Probably not too long. Carlos said you need to take it easy for a while, once you're healed up, that's when we'll go."

"I wish we could find our own place. Some place safe, it'd be nice to not have to sleep in the woods for once." Clementine said.

"Yeah, you're right… But enjoy it while you can." Molly said. "It could be a while before we find a safe place."

"Once we get to Wellington we'll be safe." Clementine said. "Right?"

"You're safe right now. That's a good thing." Molly replied.

"But you don't want to stay…" Clementine said.

"We don't know how much we can trust these people yet, Clem. We don't know them." Molly responded.

"Can't we get to know them?" Clementine asked.

"With that Carver guy after them, I don't want to take the chance of sticking around." Molly said.

"He must be bad. Because they're scared of him." Clementine noted.

"Yeah. Which is why we shouldn't stay long. We don't watch to get caught up in their problems." Molly said.

"Okay…"

"Get some rest, kid." Molly said.

Clementine nodded and closed her eyes.


Clementine shifted awake, she noticed a teen girl nearby petting Sam. The girl sat up and said, "Hey."

The teen jumped in surprised. "I… I'm sorry. Did I wake you?"

"No. Don't worry." Clementine said.

"Is this your dog?" The teen asked.

"Yeah. He is now." Clementine replied.

"What's his name?"

"It's Sam." Clementine answered.

"He's cute." The teen complimented with a smile.

"Thanks. He is... But Molly doesn't think so." Clementine said.

"Who's Molly?" The teen asked.

Clementine motioned to Molly who was still asleep.

"Oh."

"I'm Clementine, by the way." Clementine introduced.

"I'm Sarah."

"Nice to meet you, Sarah." Clementine said.

"You too." Sarah said. "We're friends. Right?"

"What?"

"We can be best friends. I haven't met another girl my age since way before. It's hard to be the only girl, you know." Sarah said. "Rebecca is okay, but she's old. And that's it. And if her baby's a girl it'll be forever before she's old enough to be my friend and then I'll be super old."

"I uh… Sure, we can be friends." Clementine agreed. She figured it would be nice to have someone to hang out with while they were at the cabin.

"Promise? It's important. Friends have to trust each other, no matter what." Sarah said.

"I promise." Clementine said.

"Me too." Sarah smiled, holding out her pinky. "Friends."

Clementine locked pinkies with the older girl.

Sarah looked the younger girl over, spotting the bandage on her arm. "What happened to your arm...?"

"Well... It's a long story." Clementine replied.

"I can listen." Sarah said.

Clementine was hesitant to tell her, not sure how she would react. "Sam... He bit me."

Sarah flinched at that. "Why? He's not gonna bite me too, is he?"

"No... It was an accident. He's nice. He really is." Clementine said.

Sarah gave the dog a wary look but said, "Okay…"

"Sarah? Where are you?" Carlos suddenly called.

"I'm down here, dad!" Sarah called back.

A few seconds passed before Carlos made his way downstairs. "I told you to wait for me."

"I'm sorry… You're not mad at me, are you?" Sarah asked.

"No, sweetheart. Just listen to me from now on." Carlos said.

"G-Good morning." Clementine greeted to the man.

Carlos looked the child over. "Has the dog been outside?"

"Not yet." Clementine admitted. "I was about to take him."

"You should do that now." Carlos said. "We don't need him having an accident in the house."

"Okay…" Clementine said. She didn't know why, but the doctor made her kind of nervous.

"Clementine and I are friends, dad. I'm gonna show her all my books later on." Sarah suddenly said.

"That should be nice, but how about we eat some breakfast first." Carlos replied.

Sarah nodded. "Alright."

Clementine started towards the door to take Sam outside.

"Wait." Carlos called. "I don't think you should go out on you own."

"I'll be fine. I can take care of myself." Clementine protested.

"No, I'll go with you. Sarah, wait for me in the kitchen." Carlos said.

Sarah nodded and headed to the kitchen to wait.

Carlos opened the door and let Sam out. Clementine followed after the dog with Carlos close behind.

The stood in silence for a moment before Carlos spoke, "What did you tell her?"

"What?"

"My daughter. Did you say anything to her?" Carlos asked.

"Like what?" Clementine wondered.

"Anything you shouldn't have." Carlos said.

Clementine gave the doctor a confused look. "No. I didn't say anything bad, I promise."

Carlos hummed. "I'll give you the benefit of the doubt, but there are a few things you need to know about my daughter."

"Okay…"

"She isn't like you. You may not get that initially, but once you're around her for a while you'll understand. If she knew how bad the world is… what it's really like out there… she would cease to function." Carlos said.

"But… She should know. She needs to grow up sometime-"

"You do not know what she needs." Carlos hissed.

Clementine was startled by his harsh tone.

"Considering you two are "friends" I won't ask you to stay away from her. But I do want you to watch what you say and do around her." Carlos said.

"Well… Molly doesn't want to stay, we're gonna leave in a few days."

"That's probably for the best. Rebecca was worried you might be working with someone else. That your being here was no accident. I guess we'll find out." Carlos said.

"But we're not working for anyone." Clementine said. "You're talking about that Carver guy, right? Who is he?"

"That's none of your business." Carlos said.

"But-"

"I don't have to explain anything to a child." Carlos said. "If you can't censor yourself when around my daughter then I have to ask you to stay away from her."

Clementine was confused. "I… I won't say anything to her."

"Good." Carlos said. "Let's go back inside. I need to check your arm after breakfast."

"Okay…"


When breakfast had been made and the rest of the group members gathered into the kitchen, Clementine hung back in the living room. She felt uncomfortable. They were clearly unwanted.

Rebecca only made the girl more anxious when she stepped downstairs. She eyed the child for a moment then huffed. "So, you're still here?"

Clementine looked away, not responding.

"I wouldn't get comfortable if I were you." Rebecca said. "You may have fooled everyone else, but not me."

Clementine was a bit confused. She hadn't been trying to fool anyone. "Luke... Luke invited us to stay." She innocently said.

"Good for him. But that's not how things work around here. We make decisions as a group." Rebecca stepped closer to the child. "You got what you came here for. Now go."

"Everything alright?" Molly inquired sitting up from the couch.

"I was just talking to her." Rebecca quickly said.

"Are you sure you were talking, because it looked an awful lot like you were threatening her." Molly said, raising a brow. "Is there a problem?"

"No… Why would I do that? What would I get out of threatening her?" Rebecca scoffed. "I just don't see why you two are still here."

"Don't worry, we don't plan on staying. We'll be out of your hair before you know it." Molly said.

"Good." Rebecca replied.

"And until then, I ask that you keep away from my girl." Molly said.

"Fair enough. Just don't stay long. The sooner you leave the better." Rebecca headed into the kitchen without another word.

"Nice people." Molly said in a sarcastic tone.

"Yeah…." Clementine sighed.

"Still think it's nice here?" Molly asked her.

"I think the cabin's nice, not the people." Clementine said. "Why do they hate us so much?"

"They don't. Anyway, they're not important. We'll be gone in a few days." Molly said.

"Okay…"

"Just stay close to me until then." Molly said.

Clementine nodded in response.

The two sat for a while before Pete entered the room.

"You two not hungry?" Pete asked.

"I wasn't aware that we were welcome to join the meal." Molly said.

"Well, there plenty of oatmeal. If y'all are hungry, feel free to help yourselves." Pete said.

"I… don't want anybody to get mad at me." Clementine muttered.

"Who's mad at you?" Pete asked.

"Almost everybody." Clementine said.

"No one's mad, they just got a lot on their plates." Pete said.

Clementine frowned.

"Well you gotta eat something." Pete said. "Would you feel better if I walked you in there myself?"

"Maybe…" Clementine shrugged.

"Alright, kiddo. Come on." Pete offered the girl his hand.

Molly gave a small smile, at least some of the group members were nice to the kid.

Clementine slowly took Pete's hand and he helped her to her feet.

He led the child into the kitchen with Molly following.

"Where are your manners people, are you forgetting we have guest?" Pete said as they entered the room.

"It's not our responsibility to feed them." Nick scoffed.

"It's only common courtesy." Pete said as he led Clementine to a chair. He pulled the seat out for her and she sat down.

"Thank you…" Clementine said.

"Common courtesy doesn't exist anymore. Being nice will get you killed."

"Treating people like shit will also get you killed." Molly said. "I'm not saying you have to like us. Hell, you don't even have to trust us. But can't you at least tolerant us for a few days?"

"We can try." Rebecca huffed. "I can't promise anything."

"Yeah… Same." Nick said.

"As long as you guys aren't assholes to me or Clementine, I promise I'll be a pleasant person. As pleasant as I can be anyway." Molly said.

Rebecca, Nick, and Carlos nodded.

"Fair enough." Carlos said.


After breakfast Carlos checked Clementine's arm. Clementine was still on edge around the man, especially after that morning.

Once he had finished looking over her wound, Sarah asked in Clementine wanted to take a look at her books.

Clementine didn't know how to respond. "If… it's okay with your dad."

Molly didn't miss the look Carlos sent Clementine when the child said those words.

"Dad, can she?" Sarah asked.

Carlos kept quiet for a moment then sighed. "Go ahead."

"Yes! Come on, Clementine!" Sarah grabbed the younger girl's hand and tugged her along.

Molly waited until the two girls had left the room before speaking. "Alright, I'm gonna come right out and say this. I don't appreciate people treating Clementine like crap. She's all I got, so if you have a problem with her take it up with me."

"I would hope not to have any issues with her or with you." Carlos said. "As long as neither of you overstep, you won't have any problems."

"We don't plan on causing any trouble. All we needed was some help." Molly said. "You suggested yourself that we stay for a few days."

"So the child can properly heal. I'm not going to throw her out there where she can worsen her injury." Carlos said.

"So we'll stay a few days, then we're gone. You'll never have to see us again." Molly said. "We have somewhere we're heading anyway."

"Where's that?" Luke asked.

"A place called Wellington. It's supposed to be a safe camp." Molly explained.

"Sounds like bullshit." Nick huffed.

"Could be. But maybe it's not." Molly said. "Anyway, it's the best chance we have. Not everyone is fortunate enough to find a cabin."

Luke sighed at that. "I think you guys should stay. There's enough room."

"That doesn't matter, Luke. We don't know them. And we don't need any strangers sticking around." Rebecca said.

"But, Bec… She has a kid with her…" Alvin reminded.

"Who cares, Alvin. The kid's not ours." Rebecca replied.

Alvin frowned at that.

"Look, I appreciate your offer, Luke. But no thanks. I'd rather not stay where I'm not welcomed." Molly said. She stood. "I'm going to get some air."

Molly left the kitchen and made her way to the door, Sam followed after her. She opened the door and walked outside. Sam still trailed along. Molly ignored the dog as he sat by her feet.

She was grateful that the group had stitched Clementine's arm, but she didn't like how these people acted. It surprised her that they had lived this long.


Clementine and Sarah spent the entire day talking together, looking through books, and playing board games.

A knock came at the door and Molly entered the room.

"Hey…" Molly said. "You two okay?"

The children nodded.

"Sarah's been helping me with reading." Clementine said.

"That's good." Molly said. "Mind if I look at some of the books there."

"Not at all." Sarah said. "You should read The Guurglers. That's my favorite."

"Really? What's it about?" Molly asked as she walked to the bookshelf.

"It's about trans-dimensional body snatchers. It's really good." Sarah said.

Molly looked through the bookshelf, when one book caught her eye. She picked it up. It was some kind of biology book.

"What's that?" Clementine asked her.

"I think it's one of dad's medical books. Some of the stuff in it is kind of… gross." Sarah shrugged.

"Oh…" Clementine said.

"It looks pretty interesting actually. I think I'll check it out." Molly said.

"How's Sam?" Clementine asked.

"He's fine. He's asleep now." Molly said.

"Okay. That's good." Clementine said.

"I guess. I still don't see what's so great about that mutt." Molly said.

"That's because you haven't given him a chance. You'll like him, I promise." Clementine said.

"I doubt it. But if you say so, kid." Molly shrugged and left the room.


The cabin was quiet. Most of the group had settled down for bed. Thanks to Sarah's pleading, Clementine had been allowed to spend the night in the room with the older girl.

Molly assumed everyone, with the exception of Pete who had been outside on watch, was asleep. She took advantage of the moments of quiet and began to read through the biology book she grabbed early. She had to admit that it was interesting.

As she sat on the couch reading through the book, she barely noticed someone making their way down the stairs.

She looks to Carlos as he reaches the bottom step. "How are the girls?"

"They're fine. Fast asleep." Carlos said. "I may have been harsh on your girl earlier… I apologize."

"She's alright. It didn't faze her much." Molly said.

"…What are you reading?" Carlos asked a bit curious.

"It's a book about the human body. I thought it was kind of interesting." Molly said.

"The book isn't much use. Unfortunately, there's nothing in there that could help with stopping the walkers, but if you're interested in reading it feel free to keep it." Carlos said.

"You sure?"

"Positive." Carlos replied before walking out to take over watch for Pete.

Molly went back to reading until she heard Pete enter the house.

"I'm glad you're still awake. I wanted to ask you something." Pete said.

"What's up?" Molly looked to him.

"Well, Nick and I are going to go lay out some fish traps tomorrow morning. I was wondering if you wanted to tag along." Pete said.

"You don't mind?" Molly said.

"Nah, we could definitely use the extra hand." Pete said.

"What about Clem?" Molly asked.

"If you want to bring her along, that's up to you. Otherwise, I'm sure Luke will keep an eye on her."

"Sure, I'd love to go." Molly said.

"Great." Pete said. "Well, get your winks while you, can cause we're heading out at first light."

"Will do."

Pete headed upstairs to go to bed. Molly placed the book on the table. She figured she should rest up while she can.