Thanks to gaara king of the sand for the help.
Warning: Sexual and physical abuse of a child.
Pain was all Clementine felt when she woke, pain in her stomach. The girl wanted nothing more but to lay there and sleep the pain away.
When Bonnie finally managed to persuade the child to get up, it quickly became obvious that the girl couldn't work.
Still, Bonnie led the child to the armory, know Carver wouldn't like her slacking, and had the child load some magazines much like usual.
Clementine did so, hands shaking from pain. As Bonnie noticed the girl struggling with a task that was normally so easy for her, she couldn't help but feel bad.
"Clementine, what's the matter?"
"My stomach hurts." Clementine complained, she adjusted herself in her chair, but felt a strange wetness. The girl stood from the child and her eyes widened.
"Oh Gosh… Let's get you to a bathroom…" Bonnie said, seeing the blood as well.
"Wh-What's wrong, why am I bleeding?"
"It's nothing bad. You're fine." The woman said.
Her words were so vague it did nothing to ease Clementine's worries.
"Do you need help walking?" Bonnie offered.
"N-No thanks…" Clementine waved her away, not wanting to be a bother. She didn't want to cause any more problems.
Bonnie led the young girl to go to the washroom, and the girl attempts to clean herself up, though no matter how much she wipes the blood keeps coming.
She trembled a bit worried that all the abused she had been through had damaged her really badly.
Hesitantly Clementine walks from the bathroom and goes to Bonnie. "I- I don't know what's wrong… You said it wasn't bad, but it's not stopping…" Clementine muttered. Part of her wondered if she was dying and part of her hoped that she was.
"It's nothing bad, City Mouse… I think you just got your first period." Bonnie said.
Her period? Molly had talked to her about that. She had told her she would bleed for about a week, however with all the sexual encounters she had face, Clementine had been bleeding on and off down there. "My period?"
"Yeah, it happens to every woman once a month. You'll be okay" Bonnie assured.
Though she is still a bit frightened, she is also slightly relieved.
"I'll get you some pads for it. You'll be okay." Bonnie said, before calling on the radio for Tavia. "Hey, Tavia, do you mind coming to the restroom for a bit?"
"Why?" Was Tavia's response.
"l need to grab something. And I need you to keep an eye on Clem." Bonnie told her.
"On my way…" Tavia respond, sounding slightly annoyed.
Clementine wished Bonnie could've just left her in the bathroom alone, at least it would give her a chance to look for an escape route.
When Tavia arrived, Bonnie explained the situation to her. With Tavia agreeing to watch the child Bonnie headed to retrieve the pads. Clementine awkwardly waits with Tavia. She felt nervous…
"Don't think this means you'll have an easy day. You'll still be working hard." Tavia said. "And if you act up today, you're going straight to Bill."
Clementine flinched at the mention of Carver. Clementine frowned at that.
"And I'm sure he'll deal with your misbehavior." Tavia said.
Clementine felt a wave of nausea wash over her. Perhaps it was her period making her ill, or perhaps it was the simple thought of Carver, but regardless, the child couldn't resist the urge to get to her feet.
"What are you doing?"
Clementine responded by rushing to the stall and promptly vomiting.
"Shit… Are you okay?" Tavia asked.
Bonnie soon returned with the pads and noticed Clementine throwing up in the stall. "Oh, Clem… Thanks for watching her, Tavia. I can take things from here."
Tavia gave a slow nod, giving Clementine one last glance before walking off.
Bonnie waited until Clementine was done vomiting then offered the child the pad along with a pair of shorts, much to the child's surprise. "Here, put these on, City Mouse. And stick that pad right in the middle." Bonnie said.
"O-Okay…" Clementine obliged to the woman's words. She was happy to have the shorts, but she wished she had a shirt as well.
"Come on, kiddo. I'm taking you back to the pen." Bonnie said.
"The pen?" Clementine asked. "l don't have to work today?"
"You need to rest." Bonnie said. "I'll talk to Bill, Tell him that you're really sick. I'm sure he'll give you the day off."
Clementine sighed in relief. "Thank you…"
Upon Bonnie's request, Clementine was allowed to rest for the day after Carver learnt of the child feeling ill.
The child did her best to sleep. It wasn't long before she was woken by Carlos to her surprise. The man offered her some aspirins and a bottle of water. "Bonnie said you weren't feeling well."
"I'm not. I feel awful." Clementine said.
Carlos nodded. "…I heard you got your first menstrual cycle..."
"Men- what?" Clementine furrowed her brows.
"Your period." Carlos explained.
Clementine flinched at that. She really hoped Bonnie wasn't just going around telling everyone.
"l also heard... Other... things... Things I hope aren't true..." Carlos said.
Clementine stayed silent.
"Have people been touching you, Clementine?" Carlos asked.
The child is hesitant to answer that.
"Please… I need you to answer me honestly… Now that you've gotten your first period, your body is going to make certain changes." Carlos said.
"Wh-What changes?" Clementine asked.
"You could fall pregnant if sexually active…" Carlos said. "Now please answer me… Have people been touching you?"
Slowly, Clementine nods. A movement so small it could have gone unnoticed.
Carlos frowned at that. "…It's not your fault, Clementine."
The child didn't know how to respond. She knew it wasn't her fault, but she still felt bad, like she could fight harder.
"You about done over there, Carlos?" One of the guards called from by the gate.
"Nearly. I need another minute." Carlos replied before turning back to Clementine. "How many people have touched you?"
Clementine is quiet for a moment. "Too many to count… " she says quietly.
Carlos is concerned by the girl's response. "Have… They done more than touching?"
Clementine frowns and gives a slow nod. "They've fucked me."
Carlos was taken aback by her words. "Damn it…" Carlos stood, massaging his temples. He looked as if he was going to be sick.
Clementine frowned, she wondered if he was disgusted by her.
The girl closed her eyes and began to turn away only for Carlos to gently call to her.
"Clem, I need you to do something…" Carlos said.
"Wh-What?"
"I'm going to bring you a pill… It's going to keep you from getting sick. I need you to take it everyday." Carlos said.
Clementine took his words in. If it would keep her from feeling like this again, she would take it. "Okay…"
When he arrived back at the infirmary, Carlos began frantically looking through the medical supply for the medicine he would give to Clementine.
He prayed that it was in there.
He searched the closet and every cabinet in the room. He checked through every draw. And box after box. He wasn't having any luck. He inwardly swore as he continued searching, about an hour or so into his search he found exactly what he was looking for, birth control pills.
He knew there were certain risks, especially with giving this to a child, but it was the only thing he could think of. He decided to keep any risks to himself, he didn't want to scare the little girl. He needed her to take this medicine.
He checked how many were inside. He then shoved what remained of the medication into his pocket. Now he just had to give this to her at the end of the day, without the guards finding out.
Clementine spent as much of the day as she could resting. Every so often, Bonnie would come to check on her, and allow her to use the washroom.
She realized she must have drifted off, as she spent most of the day doing. This had been the most sleep she got since they arrived.
However, the child was startled out of her sleep by a familiar voice yelling.
"What the fuck do you mean she was raped?!" That was Kenny, Clementine knew it.
"She was raped. By multiple people. She said a lot of people touched her." Carlos said.
Clementine felt her stomach clench. She regretted saying anything. She didn't understand why people felt it was their place to blab about her business.
"And Carver knows about this? He's just letting it happen?" Kenny inquired.
"Most likely… Bill's a sick fuck…" Rebecca said with a look of disgust.
Clementine frowned, she hated this… She didn't want everyone to know… She felt like they'd be disgusted by her much like many other people in Howes. The child hesitantly sat up; her cramps were no longer as strong as they had been.
"Dad, she's awake." Sarah motioned to her as she noticed the girl sit up.
"What the hell is that?! What are you giving her?"
Kenny marched over and snatched the medicine from the doctor's hand. He read the label and grew even angrier. "Birth control… Are you out of your damn mind?! She's a child, she doesn't need that!"
"Wh-Where did you get that, if Bill finds out you brought it here, we'll all be in trouble." Reggie spoke.
Rebecca sent him a look. "We have more concerning matters, Reggie. That little girl was raped." Rebecca said.
"But if we get caught, this will be bad for all of us…" Reggie said.
"Shut the hell up, would you. All you're worried about is kissing Carver's ass." Kenny spat at Reggie then turned to Carlos. "And you might as well get rid of that shit. Clem's not taking it."
"Would you rather her fall pregnant?" Carlos asked.
Clementine hated how they spoke about her like she wasn't right there.
"That's not gonna happen, we'll protect her! We're not gonna let anyone touch her!" Kenny said.
"She's too damn young for that, man." Mike agreed. "You can't put a kid on birth control."
"We don't have any other choice. She needs this or she'll end up pregnant with a child resulting from a rape." Carlos said.
"Who the hell are you to decide that?!" Kenny asked.
"I'm a doctor, and it's my job to decide what's best for a patient." Carlos replied.
"Fuck that. You're not deciding what's best." Kenny said. "Now that Molly's gone, I'm looking after her! And I'm not letting Clementine take some random pills!"
"Why don't you let her decide for herself." Jane spoke up.
Kenny shot her a glare. "She's too young to make this decision for herself."
"Well, she's also too young to be dealing with getting pregnant in the first place." Jane said. "If you're looking after her, you're not doing a very good job."
"Who the hell do you think you are? You don't know a damn thing!" Kenny snapped.
Clementine frowned covering her ears from the arguing.
"Can you all just settle down, I'm sure this is upsetting her." Rebecca said.
Sarita nodded in agreement.
"Kenny, she needs this. I'm doing this with her best intentions in mind." Carlos said.
"Bullshit! She's just a little girl. She doesn't need that shit." Kenny hissed.
"Kenny, maybe it's for the best, man…" Nick said.
"What the hell do you people know? You don't know Clementine like I do, so you don't get a say." Kenny snaped.
Carlos huffed and snatched the medication back from the man. He proceeded to walk over to the child who still had her eyes shut and her hands over her ears. "Clementine, look at me." Carlos said, gently attempting to pry the child's hands from her ears.
The girl immediately panicked. "N-No! No! Don't TOUCH ME!"
"Okay… Okay…" Carlos backed away, "I need you to take this pill… I need you to take one of these everyday."
"Carlos, now's not a good time." Rebecca walked over. "She needs a minute."
"We don't have a minute. I'm trying to help her." Carlos said.
"I know you are… But she's upset. Just give her a minute."
Carlos sighed at that but agreed.
Everyone seemed to have calmed down for a short amount of time, however the second Clementine agreed to take the birth control pill, tempers flared up again.
Carlos ignored the others as he placed the pill in the child's hand.
Rebecca who had been sitting with the girl to comfort her frowned. "I can't watch this…" She looked away.
"It's for the best, Rebecca." Carlos said to her. Though he understood where she was coming from.
"Maybe, but it shouldn't even be necessary." Rebecca frowned and stood to walk away, feeling queasy.
"It's alright, Clementine." Carlos reassured the girl. "Go on…"
The child hesitated, taking a deep breath, before taking the pill.
Kenny huffed as he noticed this. Without a second thought he rushed over to the gate and began pounding against it. "OPEN THIS DAMN GATE!" He exclaimed.
Clementine felt her heart stop as she heard his yells. Carver had told her not to tell… He would surely be mad if he found out. "Kenny, stop!" Clementine said.
Some of the others attempted to stop the man, but Kenny didn't listen to them. His yells continued, threats of how he would kill the people who hurt his girl and demands to see Carver.
Clementine felt her heart pounding in her chest. This was going to bring trouble.
Carver was irritated by all the noise coming from the pen. It seemed to have died down momentarily over to surge up again.
Carver groaned, wondering what the hell was going on down there.
"Bill," A voice came over the radio.
Carver picked up the walkie talkie as she went to look through the observatory window, so he could get a sense of what the hell was going on. "Go."
"We have an issue down here." Tavia said.
"I'm on my way." Carver said.
When Carver arrived at the pen the first thing his noticed was Kenny pinned to the ground by two of his guards.
Sarita was pleading with them to let him go. Clementine and Sarah were both terrified. Sarah was clinging to her father, while Rebecca seemed to be keeping Clementine from intervening with the guards.
"What in the hell is going on here?" Carver inquired.
"B-Bill," Reggie was the first to speak. "I tried to calm him down, I just-"
"Shut up. I don't ask what you tried. I asked what the fuck is going on." Carver said.
"T-They're upset over what happened to the kid." Mike said.
"What are you talking about, Michael?" Carver asked.
"He's talking about what happened to Clementine. The rape." Nick spoke up before Mike could.
Clementine flinched; Rebecca felt it. She kept the child close to her, realizing the girl was scared of Carver. That wasn't out of the ordinary, many people were scared of Carver, but this man had clearly done something to petrify little Clementine.
Carver seemed to sigh at that, sending Clementine a forged look of pity. "I see… Well, I assure you all that whoever is response for hurting the girl will be punished." Carver said. "And we'll make sure it doesn't happen again. For now, I think it'll be best for Clementine to come with me for questioning."
"Actually, she's not feeling well. I'm pretty sure Bonnie told you that." Rebecca spoke up.
"I'm well aware. However, I won't be able to get to the bottom of this situation without questioning her." Carver said.
"I'm sure you can do that when she's feeling better." Rebecca said, her motherly instincts kicking in as she felt the need to protect the child.
Carver looked the two over as Rebecca wrapped a protective arm around the girl. "Fair enough… I'll come back tomorrow. But for tonight you all need to settle down. Any more outburst from any of you, and we'll have a big problem." He motioned for his guards to release Kenny. They did so but kept the man at gunpoint in case he tried something. "Now get to bed all of you. Just for this I'll be doubling your work hours tomorrow."
With that Carver left but not before sparing one last glance to Clementine.
As the others got into bed, Clementine made sure to stay close to Rebecca.
The woman seemed concerned a spoke in a whisper to the child. "Can I ask you something, Clem?"
"Y-Yes…"
"Did… Bill hurt you?" Rebecca asked.
The woman's question made Clementine nervous. The child responded with a question of her own. "…Do you think he did?"
"I think you're scared of him…" Rebecca noted.
"Isn't everyone?" Clementine replied.
The child was clearly beating around the bush. Rebecca knew it. "You can be honest with me, Clementine… I just want to help you…"
The girl bit her lip and Rebecca felt her shaking a bit. The child's reaction alone was enough to confirm Rebecca's suspicions, but she needed to hear it from the girl's mouth. "Clem…"
"If I tell you, will you hate me?" The child asked in a tiny voice.
"Of course not." Rebecca said. "I'll never hate you, Clem… If Carver hurt you, it's not your fault."
"'ll tell you if you want. But... Maybe it's best if you don't know." Clementine hangs her head down.
"Please… Tell me, sweetie." Rebecca urged. "What did he do to you, Clem?"
"He... He raped me..." Clementine said.
Rebecca felt her heart break with those words as she hugged the girl. "I'm so sorry, Clem… We- We should've noticed… We should've done something."
"It's not your fault…" Clementine muttered.
"It's not yours either… And…. He's gonna pay… He's gonna pay for everyone he's hurt. I promise you that…" Rebecca said.
"I really hope he does…" Clementine said.
They knew… It was obvious from the way they looked at him. From the way Rebecca had looked at him. They knew what he had done. Which meant Clementine had told them. She had broken their promise to keep their "secret"
It didn't make a difference if they knew or not, his people still followed him. He would still be able to do as he please to that girl without his people knowing or even believing. But he was angry that the girl had gone against him yet again.
He needed to punish her. And he knew exactly how to do it.
The next morning was a nightmare as guards forcefully entered the pen, waking the group with firearms in their faces.
As they demanded Clementine come with them, Clementine could only think this was all her fault. She never should have said a word.
Rebecca held her close as the guards ordered the girl to come with them.
Clementine frowned, knowing if she refused things would only get worse. The child squirmed out of Rebecca's grip.
"Clem-"
"It's okay, Rebecca… I'll be okay." Clementine said to the woman.
Rebecca shook her head.
"I don't want anyone to get hurt because of me…" Clementine said.
Despite the protest of those around Clementine made her way to the gate, walking out with the guards.
When she was taken to Carver's office, she expected a punishment. However, Carver did not seem angry.
Instead the man told her in a calm tone that he was impressed with her.
Clementine furrowed her brows at that. "You…are?"
"Yes, I really am, honey." Carver said. "You're strong. Stronger than anyone I know. I think you've earned your place here. Which is why I'm deciding to let you out of the pen."
"You… You don't have to do that." Clementine said immediately realizing he was separating her from her group.
"I insist, honey." Carver replied.
"But… But…"
The man stopped her, "From here on out, you'll be stay elsewhere." Carver said.
"Then let my group out." Clementine said. "You should let them out too."
"After the behavior they displayed last night, that's not happening." Carver said.
"They only acted that way because of me." Clementine stated.
"They're in full control of their actions, and they'll remain in the pen because of them…" Carver said. "You, on the other hand have proved you deserve to be elsewhere."
Clementine is confused on how she has proved herself. "Can… I at least have my clothes back them?"
"One reward doesn't lead to another, Clementine. I made an offer with you to get you clothes back. I told you to be my eyes in the pen, and you refused. Now unless you've reconsidered-"
Clementine shook her head. "I'll never turn on my group."
"Then you have your answer." Carver said. "You should consider it a luxury that Bonnie gave you those shorts. As soon as you're "off" those come off too."
His words made her stomach turn.
"I hope you come to enjoy my hospitality." Carver said before adding, "And if I hear you telling anyone else about our little secret, there will be real consequences."
Clementine didn't respond to that.
"You're sleeping here tonight." Carver said to her.
Clementine tense at those words and he noticed.
"I ain't gonna touch you. I know you're not feeling well." Carver said. "You don't have a room right now, but in a few days, I'll make sure you have a suitable spot. Until then, make yourself comfortable."
"For the most part, I think we're making good time." Molly said, realizing they had made quite a distance.
"Yeah. All thanks to you, drill sergeant." Luke joked.
Molly rolled her eyes. "In that case, I think we're been on break long enough. Let's get a move on."
"Alright. You know I was thinking-"
Sam cut him off as he started growling, the dog had been on high alert for a bit. Luke and Molly figured there were probably walkers nearby.
Molly turned to Luke, standing to gather their stuff. "Let's just get going before-"
"I got you now, Assholes!" A voice suddenly rang out, a gunshot zipping pass them.
"What the hell?" Luke muttered.
"Get down!" Molly ordered.
The two took cover as gunshots fired.
"Bill wouldn't let that happen. It's all just rumors." Reggie claimed as they waited to be assigned their job for the day. "It has to be?"
"Bullshit! Why are you in such denial?" Kenny huffed.
Reggie shook his head. "I'm not, I just-"
"Just are too busy kissing ass to think that Carver could do any wrong." Kenny said. "And the dumbass doctor thought putting a kid on birth control was a smart idea."
"She was obviously raped, by multiple people. And regardless of whether or not Carver knew, the risk of her getting pregnant now that she's had her first menstrual cycle is there. Which is why I put her on birth control." Carlos said.
"She's just a little kid!" Kenny snapped.
"And this will guarantee that a little kid won't be having any kids of her own soon." Carlos replied.
Sarita frowned as the group argued amongst themselves. She felt bad for Clementine. They needed to help that little girl…
When Tavia came to escort them to work Sarita made a request. "I'd like to speak with Carver, please."
"Unless he wants to talk to you, tough luck." Tavia said.
"Can you ask him? It's important." Sarita pleaded.
Tavia sighed at that. "Alright…"
"What the hell are they shooting at us for?" Luke wondered.
"I don't know. Just stay down." Molly called back.
The two tried to think of something.
"I'm gonna try to sneak around and get an angle on them." Molly said.
"What do I do?" Luke asked.
"Cover me." Molly said. "Distract them."
She managed to sneak around noticed the shooter. There was also a vehicle parked a ways behind him. She needed to disarm the shooter and go from there."
Carefully Molly began to sneak towards the man, and once close enough she grabbed him from behind and forced her own gun to his head. "Drop it."
The man did so, clearly shocked that she had managed to sneak behind him.
Suddenly the vehicle door opened. Molly quickly whipped around keeping the gun aimed at the man's head. As she did, she noticed a barrel of a gun aimed in her direction.
When Sarita had asked to speak with Carver she hadn't expected him to come down and speak with her in the pen. She figured he would call her to his office. With everyone else at work the woman could speak freely, although the man told her she only had fifteen minutes to say what she wanted to say then it was back to work.
"I… wanted to talk to you about Clem…" Sarita said.
"What about her?" Carver asked.
"About what's happened to her… I know you wanted her to… be you eyes on the inside, as she put it… But she's just a kid…" Sarita said.
"Regardless, she's a smart kid." Carver replied.
"I know… but I wanted to make an offer… I'll tell you whatever you want to know… In exchange you give Clementine her clothes back. She's just a little kid… I don't want her getting hurt anymore than she already has." Sarita spoke.
Carver was silent for a moment before responding, "As tempting as your offer is, I'm gonna have to refuse."
"Wh-Why?"
"I don't like people speaking for others. If Clementine can't earn her clothes back herself, she doesn't deserve them. As far as I'm concerned, she can run around naked all day." Carver said.
"But-But…"
"If that was all you wanted to talk about, consider this conversation over. I have things to do, and you need to get back to work." Carver said to the woman, not letting her get another word out.
Sarita tried to protest, but it was no use as Carver stood and proceeded to walk out of the pen, ordering on of the guards to get her back to work.
"Settle down." Molly spoke to the old woman who was shakily aiming the gun at her.
"L-Let my grandson go…" The old woman said.
"I will, if you put down the gun." Molly said. "Just put down the gun."
"You'll shoot him! I know you're with those people from before!" The woman exclaimed, shaking more.
"I won't if you listen to me… Put the gun down." Molly ordered, before tightening her grip on the young man, "Tell her to put down the gun."
The young man obliged. "Nana, it's okay… Just… Just put it down…"
The woman hesitated before slowly lowered the weapon.
Molly sighed and did the same, release the man in her grip.
"So… you're not with them?" The young man asked.
"I don't even know who you're talking about." Molly said honestly.
"The people who attacked us… Killed our group, picked us off one by one…" The young man said. "You're not with them…"
"No, we're not." Molly said. "Luke, we're fine! It's safe."
Luke hesitantly moved from his spot of cover with Sam close behind him.
Sam growled a bit as approached the strangers, but Luke did his best to calm the dog.
Molly and Luke both kept their guard up, as innocent as the two seemed they couldn't just trust them for the mere fact that they were strangers.
"Those bandits have been harassing us for days, we had a group… They killed all of them, like it was some kind of game." The young man explained.
"Why didn't you just leave?" Luke asked.
"After the first attack we were to vulnerable. Had folks who were injured." The older woman said.
"We tried to let them recover, but those assholes attacked us again, just a few days ago actually." The younger man added.
"The smart things to do, would be to get your grandmother out of here." Molly said.
"Trust me, I've tried. They have a fucking camp set up around here and start shooting if you cross into their "territory". They're insane." The young man told them.
Luke and Molly exchanged looks, it sounded like these people were gonna be a problem for them as well.
"Well, fuck… How big is this group of theirs?" Molly asked.
"There's maybe nine or ten of them… We're clearly out numbered." The man said.
"I got an offer for you…" Luke said.
"Depends of what that offer is…" The young man said.
"How much gas do you got in that car of yours?" Luke questioned.
"Enough to get us the hell out of here when we get a chance." The young man said.
"How about… We take care of your bandit problem, and you give us a ride." Luke suggested.
Molly shot him a look, not sure how to feel about that.
"Where exactly are you folks heading?" The younger man asked.
"To a hardware store." Luke said.
When night fell, they got to see firsthand exactly what the young man, who they learned was named Toby, and his grandmother had to deal with.
They were forced to take cover for hours, while they were shot at from a distance, by people Molly could only assume were a group of idiots. They couldn't shoot for shit and they were simply wasting bullets when the gunfire finally stopped and the men retreated, Molly was beyond pissed, Luke had to stop her from shooting at them then and there.
Too on edge to sleep both Luke and Molly stay up through the night, while Toby and his grandmother rested in the car.
They talked up a plan and decided what to do about that annoying group who was only delaying their trip further.
"What did you get us into?" Molly huffed.
"I got us a ride…" Luke said. "Molly, you can't be mad at me for this. We're lucky we got the heads up; those assholes would've probably shot us while we were walking."
"This is just another obstacle getting in the way of me finding my girl." Molly said.
"We're close. And we'll get there much soon with a ride. We just gotta handle those bandits first…" Luke said.
"I guess…"
"And… hopefully not die." Luke added.
Molly sent him a look at that, he definitely was not great at reassuring people.
"We're gonna ambush them. We'll stick to the woods, creep up to their camp, slowly. You two will distract them from different side, take out whoever you can. You'll watch my back, and I'll deal with the others nice and quiet." Molly went over the plan with them.
Toby scoffed, "You'll deal with them?"
"Yes." Molly said.
"How are you gonna deal with them?" Toby asked.
"Trust me. She knows what she's doing." Luke replied.
The young man sighed. "Alright. What about the dog."
"He sticks with us." Molly said.
"Are you kidding? What if he starts barking, he'll give our position away!" Toby said.
"We know how to handle him, don't worry." Luke said.
Toby just huffed, shaking his head in disbelief.
"What about me, Toby? What should I do?" The old woman asked.
"You just… stay in the car, nana." Toby said.
"In the car? Alone." The old woman frowned at that.
"You'll be safer." Molly said. "Listen to your grandson."
The old woman reluctantly agreed.
That night, they carried out their plan, sneaking through the dark to the camp. They could hear a group of men laughing and conversing with each other.
Sam growled a bit, but Molly shushed the dog.
"This is them?" Molly asked.
"Yeah… These are the assholes…" Toby said.
"Get ready." Molly whispered.
"They have someone on lookout." Luke noted.
"We'll take him out first." Molly replied.
The three of them spread out and Molly proceeded to sneak forward. She wanted to do this as quietly as possible, however when a gunshot rang out, she inwardly swore.
The men quickly became on high alert, grabbing for their own weapons. Luke and Toby took advantage with them being off guard. They managed to get a few shots in while Molly snuck around the camp and began taking the remaining men out with nothing but a knife.
Molly stabbed one of the last men, on to suddenly be grabbed from behind.
"Come out and put your fucking weapons down!" The man called out. "Or I'll blow the bitches brains out."
"Nice shot, old timer…" Molly couldn't help but mutter. "Alright, that's all of them… Let's get back to the car before-"
Much like they had figure would happen, the noise drew geeks. They group started to run as the geek closed in on them.
However, the older woman suddenly felt herself grabbed.
"Is everyone okay…?" Molly asked as they were far enough away from the geeks. She noticed the old woman had be trailing behind along with her grandson. When the two didn't respond she turned to them. "You two okay…?"
"…She's been bit." Toby answered after a while of silence.
Everyone stopped in their tracks.
"Wh-What?" Luke stammered.
"Fuck…" Molly said. "And you didn't think to tell us."
Toby glared at the woman, "This is your faults."
"Whoa, it's not our fault, Toby…" Luke argued.
"It is your fucking faults! It was her plan!" Toby spat, reaching for his gun and aiming it at them suddenly.
Noticing his movement, Molly reached for her own weapon. Sam began barking at Toby. Ready to attack if given the go ahead.
"Everyone settle down," Luke said, trying to defuse the situation, "We'll figure something out! Maybe… Maybe we can cut it off or something." He recalled Pete mentioning that working for a cousin of his. Though he was sure the woman would still most like die from infection.
"That won't work! She's gonna die because of you!" Toby snapped.
Luke shook his head, "We could try and-"
"You'll only make things worse. I should've shot you when I had the chance!" Toby snapped.
"Toby, put the gun down, boy… If heaven is calling me to be with the angels… then so be it…" His grandmother spoke to him.
"But Nana!"
"Do what I say, Toby…" The old woman said, keeping a calm tone.
Toby huffed but obliged.
"There…There has to be something we can do…" Luke said.
"I've made my peace… Lived a long life, I'm done fighting now…" The old woman said.
Toby frowned and glared at the two, "I'm going give you five second to start walking away from us…"
"Toby…" His grandmother frowned.
"Five fucking seconds! Go!" Toby ordered.
"I'm sorry… We- We didn't mean for this to happen." Luke said.
"Just go…" Toby said.
"I-"
Toby wasn't hearing it, "Go!"
Molly looked to Luke and muttered, "Come on, Luke… Guess we're back to walking."
Luke didn't respond, he felt sick by what just happened.
They had been walking in a somber silence. Both were disturbed by what had happened. Luke was clearly more shaken up by what just happen.
"I can't believe his grandmother got bit." Luke muttered.
"People die, Luke… It happens all the time…" Molly said.
"But we could've stayed and… and helped her." Luke said.
"There wasn't anything we could do for her. Not really…" Molly replied.
"Still… I… We should've done something… At least tried to…" Luke sighed.
"We just need to focus on getting back to our people. And helping them. We still got a two day trip ahead of us."
"I know…" Luke muttered.
"I can't believe we left the car…" Molly mumbled.
"…Between the walkers and people, I don't think I'm a big fan of the outdoors, anymore…" Luke said.
"Yeah… I don't blame you…" Molly replied.
Carver had kept his word, allowing her to rest in his office. He would have her work during the day, then bring her back at night. Not once while she was bleeding, did he touch her. The day her period finally ended however, he forcefully removed the girl's shorts and then had Tavia escort her to her new room.
She stayed in the room alone for most the day, the door locked from the inside. She would rather be alone than with Carver.
When night came the girl found herself close to drifting off in one of the beds, however, was startled when the door opened.
"Well, well, what do we have here." A voice drew her attention.
Clementine whipped around quickly and noticed five young men. "W-What are you doing in my room?"
The boys laughed at her question.
"You mean, our room?" One of them replied.
Panic hit her like a ton of bricks. The child quickly got to her feet and tried to make a dash for the exit only for the boys to stop her. She struggled against them but was overpowered and outnumbered.
The girl felt numb as she tried her best to think of something else other than the pain, she knew she was about to feel.
When Clementine awoke the next morning to find herself on the floor, she must've passed out from the pain. She had gone completely blank the night before, it was as if she left her own body. She struggled to sit up, wanting to leave the room.
"Where do you think you're going?" A voice startled her.
The girl tried to stand only to be pinned back down.
"Oh no you don't. We're not done with you yet."
The girl didn't fight. She clenched her eyes shut and allowed her mind to go blank much like the night before.
She pretended she was at the motor inn. Pretended she was with Lee. Pretended she was safe...
The girl laid still, alone in the room. The boys had long since left, but she remained lost in her mind. That was until a knock at the door started the young girl. The door soon opened, and she sat up.
"Get up. Time to get to work." One of the guards spoke.
Clementine sighed but upon seeing his face, the girl's eyes widened as she noticed how familiar he was. "C-Cordell?"
"Yeah, kid... It's me." The man confirmed.
The child took a step back, not knowing what to think.
"I ain't gonna hurt you, kid. I'm just doing my job here." Cordell said. "Come on."
She hesitated but followed him from the room.
"So how did you and Molly survive so long?" Cordell asked.
"How did you?" Clementine shot back.
"I found this group. Good people." Cordell replied with a shrug.
"Good people?" Clementine scoffed.
"They look out for their own. They make things work." Cordell said.
"They're not good people... Good people don't hurt other people." Clementine retorted.
"If given a valid reason sometimes you don't have a choice. But I guess if you think about it in that sense, we're all monsters." Cordell replied as he continued walking. "This way."
Clementine walked with him in silence, as he led her into some kind of store. The child flinched when she suddenly felt herself grabbed from behind. The girl quickly noticed that there were about six other men in the room. She sent Cordell a panicked look, hoping he would help her.
"I'm not gonna hurt you. But I can't help you either." Cordell muttered.
"Molly should've killed you when she got the chance. You're still a coward!" Clementine gritted out.
"I'm just doing my job, kid. Just doing my job." Cordell said.
After suffering at the hands of these men Cordell ordered the child to her feet. The girl appeared to be daze he had to put her to her feet and shaken her by the shoulders to snap the young child back into reality.
"Come on. You're needed in the greenhouse." Cordell said once the child met his gaze.
Clementine didn't respond. The man tugged her forward and the child just walked without a word.
"Took you long enough."
Clementine flinched upon hearing one of the young boys from her "room" earlier.
"I take it you two will be good here?" Cordell asked.
"Yeah, I got things covered." The boy said.
With a nod, Cordell left the room.
Before long Clementine found herself pinned to the wall. "If you're gonna rape me again... Just get it over with?"
"Really? No fighting?" The boy asked.
She was too tired to fight.
"Do you want me to fuck you?" The boy questioned.
She shook her head and shot him a look. "No. I don't like it. It hurts..."
The boy began to move his hand down her body, rubbing her. "Well, I don't wanna fuck you anyway."
"Then what?"
"You'll see... Holding her still with one hand, he began to kiss down her body her neck, her shoulders, her arms, then her chest. He lightly kissed her nipples and gently sucked on it, flicking his tongue over the now hard little nipple. He spent time enjoying himself, licking her undeveloped breast, sucking on her body. Then he moved lower.
"D-Don't. Don't do that." Clementine said, trying to move away.
"Shhh, just enjoy it."
"You can't do that, it's gross." The girl continued to try to stop him.
He paid her no attention as he forced her legs open. I kissed her flat stomach, lightly running his hands up and down her legs.
He placed the first gently kiss on her slit. "I'm sure you're going to love it." He pushed her legs farther apart and went directly to her most private place, sucking it, licking it. She tried pulling her legs together, but he forced them open. She had no say on what was happening.
The girl hated this. Back when the sexual abuse first started, she was able to dodge these predators more, but now that she was out of the pen, it was like she couldn't avoid them. She huffed as she realized that's what Carver probably wanted. The child shook as she felt the pleasure shooting through her body. It annoyed her to feel like this. She would just rather him hurt her and be done with her. She didn't want to feel good… She cursed her body for feeling this way. She had no control.
In moments, the girl relaxed. feeling the intense pleasure of his ministrations. She began to tremble. Small sounds came from her lips. She was getting close. Then it finally happened. She bucked her little hips as she reached her peak. Then she fell limp, her bucking stopped. She was totally out shaking for a few moments.
"What in the hell are you two doing?!"Bonnie gasped. "Get up! Now. Bill's gonna hear how you both were playing around instead of working."
Clementine frowned at the look of disgust Bonnie gave her.
"Come on downstairs. We need you to do some stuff. And Monty, get to your next post, now! I called your radio several times, only to find you doing this."
The boy, who Clementine now knew as Monty walked off. Clementine couldn't believe Bonnie actually was acting like she was doing something wrong as well. It wasn't like she wanted to be molested or raped.
They headed downstairs and Bonnie sighed. "I'm disappointed… Why would you be… doing that?"
"He made me do it, I didn't want to…" Clementine argued. "You think I'm a slut don't you."
"No… I don't, I just… don't think you should be doing that kind of stuff…" Bonnie sighed. "Why didn't you yell for help."
"It's not like anyone would help me anyway…" Clementine said.
Bonnie frowned at that. "Here. Get these nails to Kenny and Mike, they're in the clothing store. It's straight down and to your left. You can't miss it."
Clementine shakily accepted the bucket. She felt sick. She wondered if it was because of the constant rape. Or maybe the way Bonnie accused her of wanting that stuff. Or was it the pills Carlos give her, the pills that were literally supposed to prevent sickness. They seemed to be doing the opposite as since she started taken them, she had been getting hit with random waves of dizziness.
Her movements were unsteady after the constant abuse, to top that off she couldn't remember the last time she had eaten a proper meal.
Part of her felt like she was literally dying. Though she wouldn't be opposed to the idea if she was.
Walkers pound on the outside of the fence. Clementine enters one of the buildings, a clothing store. She drops the bucket and runs over when she sees Kenny slam Mike against the wall.
"I ain't nobody's laborer! Fuck that! Let 'em do this shit themselves if it's so goddamn important." Kenny hisses.
"Get your fuckin' hands off me, man." Mike snapped.
"You ain't gonna force me to do this bullshit." Kenny said.
"I said get your hands off me!" Mike tried to shove him off.
"Or what? You gonna go tell on me?" Kenny mocked.
"I'm trying to help you, asshole." Mike argued.
"Yeah, this is a real help! Why don't you just worry about yourself?" Kenny said.
"Get off me!" Mike ordered.
"You're one of them, aren't'cha?" Kenny inquired.
"Stop fighting!" Clementine called finally, "Please, stop fighting!"
Kenny released his grip as he noticed her. "Oh God, Clem… Holy shit, are you okay?"
"I—"
Before the child can get another word out geeks began breaking through the window of the store.
"Shit!" Mike exclaimed.
"Fuck! Grab something!" Kenny proceeds to pick up a hammer while Clementine grabbed a nearby plank of wood. She continually hits the geek approaching her, eventually getting backed into a corner. She dodges the geek and moves through the gap, behind a shelf and the wall as the geek follows her. The spiked edge of the shelf blocks her escape; she pushes it backwards and runs out, and the spike impales the geek's head.
She's not safe however, as more are approaching. Clementine manages to knock a ladder onto one of the geeks, trapping it.
Clementine runs into the back room but ends up tripping over a cable wire. The girl tugs at the wire which is tangled around her leg, she does her best to untangle it but in the process the work lamp falls over. She gasps as she finds herself pinned to the ground by one of the geek and struggles to push the creature away.
The geek is close to biting and right when Clementine is about to accept her fate the creature is killed and pulled offer of her.
She notices an unfamiliar woman, who gently helps the daze child up. "Are you okay? Can you walk?"
The girl doesn't respond, but the woman can feel her shaking a bit. The woman decides to carry her. Scooping the girl into her arms, she heads out of the store but not before chewing out the two men in the front, "You guys didn't notice she needed help? She could've died."
The two men looked guilty at the child.
"I—" Kenny started.
"Save it." She replied, before walking away.
The girl seemed to be in shock for a good while. Shel realized this and was concerned however when the child finally snapped out of this state she looked around with confusion on her face.
"Hey there, kiddo. Are you okay?" Shel asked the child.
"Y-You saved me?" Clementine questioned, still a bit dazed.
"Yeah… Yeah, I did." Shel said.
The child seemed to frown, however. "Why?"
"What do you mean why? I wasn't just gonna let you die." Shel said.
"I should've died." Clementine said. "It would've been better."
"The least you could do is thank her." Becca piped in. "She saved your life."
"Settle down, Becca. It's alright." Shel looked back to the young child. "I know you've been through a lot…. But your life is precious. You shouldn't ever want to die."
Clementine didn't agree with her but said, "Thanks for saving me, even though you shouldn't have…"
Shel sighed at that. "Are… you hungry?"
"Y-Yeah. I haven't eaten in a while…" Clementine admitted.
"Here, the woman reached into her bag and offered the child a energy bar. "You can have this…"
"Are you sure?" Clementine asked.
"Yeah, we got a break anyway. Plus, I'm not sure how well Carver's been feeding you and your group..."
"T-Thank you…" Clementine accepted the bar but lowered her head. "…I don't understand why you're being nice to me…"
"Because I have no reason not to be. You're just a kid." Shel said.
"I'm not… I'm a whore… That's what people around here call me… Most people anyway." Clementine said.
"That's not true, kid. You shouldn't say that about yourself." Shel replied.
"But it is true. That's why Carver took my clothes… Because I'm naughty. And a whore." Clementine said. "You shouldn't be helping me, aren't you disgusted."
"Of course not. It's not your fault that he took your clothes away. I'm not judging, kid and no one else has the right to without knowing your true situation. Carver shouldn't have taken your clothes in the first place." Shel said.
"Carver?" Clementine was surprised to hear her call him that. "You don't call him Bill?"
"No. Why would I?" Shel asked.
"A lot of people around here do." Clementine pointed out.
"A lot of people around here think he's a good leader too." Becca scoffed.
"You two don't think so?" Clementine asked.
"Carver lost the right to be seen as a good leader and the respect of being Called Bill. A good leader doesn't take a little girl's clothing and let her get raped. There are rumors going around, people saying to led them on… But a child can't consent to sex." Shel said.
"I don't even like the sex…" Clementine said. "It hurts… Molly told me it was supposed to be for love… I hate the people doing this to me… I don't think I'll ever want to do this with anyone…"
"Yeah… You shouldn't be forced into it in the first place. You're way too young to even be thinking about sex…" Shel said. "…I gotta ask you something, though… Carver told us your group attacked him and the others killed Troy and Johnny in the process. Is that true?"
"He's a fucking liar." Clementine huffed. "We didn't attack him. Carver was the one who attacked us! We were at a ski lodge, everything was fine, but he showed up and killed three of our people. I did kill Troy because I had no choice. I was trying to save my friends. But we still ended up trapped here in the end. I couldn't save anyone, not even myself."
Both Shel and Becca frowned at this.
"We need to let people know what's going on… What's really going on… They need to realize that Carver's not the leader he used to be…" Shel said.
Clementine seemed frightened by the idea. She shook her head. "No! Don't say anything, please…"
"Why not? Why wouldn't you want us to say anything…" Becca asked. "You're not lying, are you?"
"I'm not lying, I just…" Clementine paused. "I don't want to cause any trouble… I don't want my group getting hurt because of me… Molly's already gone because of me…"
"Molly?" Becca rose a brow. "Who's that?"
"She was my friend. She took care of me… But Carver says… she's dead now… I don't want anyone one else to die because of me… So I just have to, do what he says…" Clementine said.
When Shel hears this, it solidifies her belief that what Clementine is telling her is the truth. The child was literally willing to go through abuse in order to protect the lives of those she cared about.
"He took you out of the pen, didn't he? Where have you been sleeping?" Shel asked.
"I don't sleep… I can't… No one lets me…" Clementine said.
"You can stay in our room if it makes you more comfortable." Shel offered.
"You don't think Carver will be mad?" Clementine asked.
"He won't have to know. Just stand outside your door and I'll come find you at the end of the day." Shel said.
Clementine hesitated but agreed, "Okay…"
Shel and Becca shared quarters with several other people, though they were people Clementine could consider kind. At night Shel would give Clem a t-shirt and the child would return it in the morning.
She spent the next two nights there. She liked being in the room with them rather than being with anyone else.
She was actually able to sleep. Shel and the others made sure she was warm and fed. She finally felt that people other than those in the pen cared about her.
However, when Bonnie told her that Carver wanted to speak with her the next morning, she dreaded what it would be about.
"This is Parker's Run. We shouldn't be too far now." Luke said. "We'll make it by tomorrow."
"The place was guarded pretty heavily. So how do we get in?" Molly asked.
"I... Think I know a way." Luke replied. "There was a comic bookstore. If we can get in through there, we should be good."
"It's worth a shot. I just hope this works..." Molly said.
"Clementine, I heard you haven't been sleeping in the room I've given you. So where have you been?" Carver asked.
Clementine kept quiet. She wouldn't answer his question, she didn't want anyone to get in trouble.
"You just don't learn, do you…?" Carver grumbled. "You'll go back to your assigned room. Or you'll be punished."
"That's not my room. I don't want to go back there." Clementine said.
"You don't have a choice, honey." Carver said.
"Can't I just go back to the pen?" Clementine asked.
"You belong with us. You're not going back to the pen, honey." Carver replied. "I expect you back in your room tonight."
If he truly expected her to go back, he was crazier than she thought. She hated this man...
