Thanks to gaara king of the sand for the help.
Warning: Sexual and physical abuse of a child. Mention of graphic injury.
After being forced back to the room that. Clementine managed to get the boys pleading with Carver for her to move out, after she promptly stabbed one of them in the arm with a pen. Her aggressive behavior continued until the boys could not take it anymore. Frankly, they were scared that she would end up killing one of them in their sleep.
Carver had punished the girl and decided the best place for her to sleep from now on would be with him so he could "keep an eye on her".
Clementine knew he just wanted to touch her. She just wished he would send her back to the pen.
The girl was assigned to the greenhouse once again for the day. As Tavia led her there, Clementine noticed the weary gazes of several guards on her. Word had travelled around quickly about what she did to Monty, and people were scared about what she had done to those boys. Clementine hoped that at least now they would leave her alone.
When she got to the greenhouse much to her surprise, her usual work partner wasn't there. Instead she noticed Sarah and Reggie. Reggie was showing Sarah how to pick the berries.
"Clem!" Sarah smiled when she noticed her. The teen went over and hugged the girl.
"Okay, okay. Enough of that. Get on to work." Tavia huffed, batting the two girls away. "I take it you got things under control, Reggie?"
"Yeah… I can handle them. We'll be fine." Reggie said.
"Don't mess this up." Tavia warned.
"Yeah, I get it." Reggie said.
Tavia looked to the girls and said, "Reggie's in charge here, okay? Listen to him carefully."
"Yep. No problem, Tavia." Reggie said.
Tavia leaves and closes the door.
"Okay, we gotta do a good job, guys. The camp is counting on us. Come on, I'll show you what to do. It's super easy." Reggie said.
The three went over to one of the tables of plants.
"I was already showing Sarah, it's very simple. I'm sure you'll catch on quick." Reggie said. "…Oh, and just so you know, Bill yelled at me about yesterday about what everyone was doing the other night. I'm not mad, but please, please, just listen to me today. I'm on, like, the thinnest ice with that guy."
Clementine didn't bother responding to that. Carver did a lot worse than yell at her.
"Pick up a pair of those shears." Reggie said.
The girls did so.
"Okay, so we're picking these berries, right? Just pick them, put them in the basket. Simple. While you're at it, if you see any dead branches, take those shears and cut them off, and stack them neatly for composting. Got it?" Reggie said.
Clementine nods in response.
"Hey, can I talk to you for a bit?" Reggie motioned for her to come over a bit out of Sarah's earshot.
"What is it?" Clementine asked.
"I just... I heard what you did to Monty last night…" Reggie said. "I… Are you okay? I don't think it's normal for kids to go around stabbing people with pens…"
"I should've stabbed him in the throat…I should've killed him." Clementine said.
Reggie flinched at that. "You…. You can't mean that, kid."
"He hurt me first. So, I hurt him back. Just like I'll hurt Carver one day." Clementine said. "I'm gonna make Carver suffer like I did."
"What—"
"I'm going to make him suffer. And then, I'm going to kill him… I swear I will…" Clementine said.
Reggie was disturbed. This small child actually had him feeling completely frightened. "Kid, you shouldn't make threats like that… I'm sure Bill didn't know about the people hurt you—"
"He hurt me too! He did it too! So, he can go to hell, and anyone who defends him can go right along with him." Clementine snapped. "Don't tell me how not to feel or what not to say, no ones bothered lifting a finger to help me, so let me feel how I want!"
Sarah jumped a bit looking worried and surprised. She knew Clementine had been hurt but she hadn't known by who.
"Clementine, just calm down… Please… I didn't mean to upset you…" Reggie said.
"Can we just get this work done?" Clementine said. "And don't tell Carver about the pills Carlos gave me… Please…."
"I won't. I'm not gonna say anything. I just wish your group would settle down." Reggie said.
Clementine did too. She was the one who got punished for their rowdiness. She was the one who would be in trouble If they did something Carver didn't like.
"Bill's had it out for me ever since I helped those guys escape, I just… wanna stay on his good side. I'm surprised he let you out of the pen before he let me out…" Reggie said.
"Trust me, it's not as nice as you think." Clementine said.
"Look, let's just get the work done. Can you help Sarah, make sure she understands?" Reggie asked the child.
"Yeah… Sure…" Clementine said.
Reggie walked off to work at another table while Clementine went to help Sarah.
"Hey..." Clementine said to the teen.
"Are you okay, Clem? You sounded really angry…" Sarah said.
"I'm fine… Let's just get this work done…" Clementine said.
"B-But what if I mess up?"
"You won't mess up. Don't worry." Clementine said. "Here, watch me."
Clementine shows Sarah what to do. Sarah mimicked the younger girl. With a few tries, Sarah got the hang of it, they were making good progress and had collected many berries, while shearing off the dead branches.
Still, Sarah was being very cautious with every pick and cut she made.
"This isn't that hard, Sarah." Clementine said.
"I know, I'm just afraid I'll make a mistake." Sarah said.
"It won't be the end of the world if you do. Just keep going." Clementine said.
"I guess you're right…" Sarah said. "Reggie said we had to do a good job. I want to do a good job… I'm trying to be helpful…"
"Well, I think you're doing pretty well." Clementine said.
"Thanks, Clem." Sarah said.
After a few moments of working in silence they had picked a good amount of berries.
"Clem, can I ask you something?" Sarah spoke.
"Sure."
"Why did Carver take you out of the pen?" Sarah asked.
Clementine paused wondering what to say. "He-"
Suddenly they heard Reggie mutter, "Oh shit…"
"What's wrong?" Clementine glanced over to see him looking out the window. She turned to look as well and flinched as she noticed Carver.
"Oh no..." Sarah muttered. "W-We're not done yet… Is- Is he gonna be angry?"
"R-Relax... we've done a lot of work so far. I'm sure he's just checking in." Reggie tried to reassure, though he was nervous himself.
Before long Carver entered the greenhouse. "How's it going in here?"
"Things are going pretty well, Bill. We got it covered." Reggie said.
Carver hummed as he took a look around. "Looks like you guys are doing good work. How are the girls' working out?"
"They're doing fine…" Reggie said. He looked between Clementine and Carver, noticing Carver gaze was on the small child. "Uh… Bill can I ask you a question. In private?"
Carver looked over to him and replied, "It better be important, 'cause you still have more work to do."
"I- I know. It won't be long, I promise." Reggie said.
"Why don't you girls sit tight, give me and Reggie a minute." Carver said.
The two men proceeded to step outside.
"I wonder what they're going to talk about…" Sarah said. "I hope we're not in trouble. I tried to do a good job."
"I'm sure we're fine, Sarah. Don't worry." Clementine reassured the older girl, though she wondered what they were going to talk about too.
"What is it?" Carver asked.
"I… It's- It's about the girl… The stuff she went through… I just think it's fucked up…" Reggie said. "You… You didn't know about it, right?"
"Now why on earth would you ask me a question like that, Reggie?" Carver inquired.
"I- I just… I was curious the kid said-"
"The kid is a liar! The kid killed Troy and have committed violent acts against several people, myself included. That kid isn't innocent." Carver said.
"I know… But she's a little girl, and I just think it's wrong that she's going through that stuff." Reggie said, rubbing the back of his neck. He was starting to get nervous.
"It's unfortunate, isn't that she's going through what she's going through. You know what's even more unfortunate?" Carver asked.
"Wh-What?"
"After all the chances I gave you, you come at me with some bullshit like this. I'm disappointed, Reggie." Carver said. "I keep giving you chances, and you just keep fucking up. All you had to do was keep your mouth shut. You don't seem to understand, that when you're treading on thin ice, you don't want to skate. I don't have room for people who question my authority. I don't have room for people who can't pull their own weight. You're both of those things, Reggie."
"Bill, I've been trying my best… I- Things have just be hard with my arm… I have one arm." Reggie stammered.
"Shut up, shut up. Shut the fuck up. I don't want to hear your damn excuses." Carver snapped.
"Bill, please, just, ju—"
Carver spoke over him, "After all I've done for you, you have the nerve to accuse me of some bullshit?!"
"N-No! I'm sorry, Bill. I didn't mean it like that... I just-"
"You don't seem to get it. You keep pushing me." Carver said. "Some things you should keep to yourself. If you can't trust me, I clearly can't trust you. How am I supposed to forgive you when you just make the same mistakes? I warned you. I warned you to sort yourself out, but you didn't listen. You couldn't change. All you had to do was keep your damn mouth shut, but you couldn't do that!"
"The kid, she said-"
"That little girl is what, ten? You're going to listen to a child over me?" Carver questioned.
"I'm not taking her word over your Bill; I was just asking..." Reggie argued.
"The fact that you had to ask means you had your doubts." Carver retorted.
"Bill, please. I didn't mean anything by it, I was just concerned about the child!" Reggie said.
"And there's your mistake. You should have focused on yourself, not that little manipulative brat!" Carver hissed. "After all the chances I gave you, you turn against for that little whore?!"
From inside the two girls flinch Sarah hugs herself while Clementine rushes to open the door to see what is going on.
"I gave you plenty of chances!" Carver snapped.
"NO, NO, NO, NO! PLEASE, BILL! NO! NO! NO! NO! PLEASE!" Reggie pleads for mercy, moving backwards as Carver angrily advances towards him.
"Stop!" Clementine rushed over to try to stop the man. She's not fast enough as Carver grabs Reggie and pushes him over the edge of the roof. Reggie screams, then hits the ground, hard.
Clementine feels her heart catch in her throat. Sarah is standing by the doorway trembling at what she just witnessed.
"Weakness...incompetence...it puts us all at risk, and it won't be tolerated. You think about that the next time you're asked to do something." Carver said, he looked to Clementine, "Get downstairs... Bonnie's got some stuff for you to do." When the child hesitated, he raised his voice. "Go!"
"I-I won't leave her alone with you!" Clementine said.
"You really like testing me. I have you, I don't need anyone else… Now get your tail downstairs before I punish you." Carver said.
Clementine reluctantly headed downstairs with a frown. She notices Carver puts his hand on Sarah's shoulder and began speaking to her, Clementine just hopes he doesn't hurt her.
As the girl gets downstairs and is approached by Bonnie. "There you are, come on, City Mouse. We're headed to the armory."
Clementine remained still in place, her head low.
"Clementine, come on, I've told you before Bill doesn't like it when people slack off." Bonnie said.
When the child didn't respond Bonnie took her by the hand and began to tug her along.
"I don't know what's gotten into you, Clem… Bill keeps say you're not innocent, and I'm starting to believe it." Bonnie said. "I really don't want to think you're a bad kid, Clem… And I've been giving you a pass for being late slacking off, but I feel like you've been misbehaving a lot lately. You've been getting yourself into a lot of trouble."
The two eventually got to the armory and Bonnie had the girl take a seat. Much to her frustration the child didn't end start to work.
"Clem, what's going on?" Bonnie asked. "You need to talk to me right now."
Clementine child met her gaze for a moment but looked away.
"What's wrong?" The woman questioned. "Clementine?"
The child bit her lip not saying a word.
"You're obviously not alright… You're acting like you've seen a ghost." Bonnie said. "You haven't been doing anything you shouldn't be, right? You weren't fooling around or anything?"
"I wasn't…" Clementine frowned at the accusation.
"Then what's the matter?" Bonnie asked.
Clementine was hesitant to talk to the woman.
The woman tried to speak in a more comforting tone, "You can talk to me, Clem… If something bad happened, you have to tell someone… Did you do something wrong?"
Clementine shook her head.
"Then what happened? Did you see someone else do something wrong?" Bonnie asked.
The child nodded this time.
"Who?"
"C-Carver?" Clementine answered.
Bonnie looked concerned and straightened up upon hearing Carver's name. "Bill? What did Bill do?"
"I… Reggie... he-" Clementine was stumbling over her words. She didn't know why; she just couldn't help it.
"You're not making any sense, Clem." Bonnie said, cutting the child off. "Who did something wrong."
"…Reggie's dead." The child finally got out.
Bonnie's eyes widened. "What? What're you talkin' about?"
"Carver killed him...he pushed him off the roof." Clementine explained.
Bonnie was stunned by the child's word. "Maybe...maybe it was just an accident." She didn't know what else to say.
Clementine shook her head. "It was not an accident."
"H-How do you know?" Bonnie asked.
"He pushed him on purpose. It wasn't an accident. It wasn't an accident at all. He did it on purpose..." Clementine said.
"Wh-Why would he do that?" Bonnie questioned.
"I... I don't know..." Clementine stammered.
Seeing how distraught the child was Bonnie sighed and knelt to her level. "Look, you just... keep your head low and try to be a good girl for once. Just... Be safe. Okay? Now ain't the time to be callin' attention to yourself."
"Bonnie." Carver's voice came over the radio.
Bonnie registered the look of dread on Clementine's little face as she slowly answered. "Yes, Bill?"
"Is the girl with you yet?" Carver questioned.
"Clementine? Yeah." Bonnie replied.
"Bring her to my office. I'll meet you there. I'd like to have a word with her." Carver ordered.
"…Sure thing, Bill." Bonnie replied.
Clementine was worried. He was the last person she wanted to see right now. "A-Are you going to leave me with him?"
"No, Clem… I'm going to find out what happened. Come on." Bonnie said. When the girl hesitated, she offered the child her hand. "I promise I won't leave you."
"O-Okay…" Clementine said.
As they left the armory they paused as the spotted Sarah and Tavia. Sarah seemed to be whimpering.
"Sarah, are you okay?" Clementine immediately as the teen.
Sarah sent her a look, one that showed fear in her eyes. "D-Don't. Leave me alone, Clem... I thought you were nice! But you just hurt people like everyone else."
Clementine was both bewildered and concerned for the teen. She really hoped Carver hadn't hurt her.
"What's that all about?" Bonnie asked Tavia. "Is she okay?"
"I'm taking her to her dad..." Tavia said. "I take it you heard about Reggie."
"Yeah... I'm going to find out what happened..." Bonnie said.
"I... think I got a pretty good idea." Tavia shot Clementine a look then shook her head, "Come on, Sarah."
The two walked off. Clementine was confused the woman seemed angry with her and so did Sarah. What had she done wrong?
"Come on, Clem… Let's go talk to Bill." Bonnie said.
As much as she didn't want to, she knew she didn't have a choice. And she needed to get to the bottom of why Sarah seemed so angry with her.
"Bill, I need to talk to you." Bonnie said.
"I told you, I need to speak with the girl, Bonnie." Carver replied.
"It's urgent, Bill. Please." Bonnie said, still clutching to Clementine's hand.
"Fine, what is it?"
"IT is about Reggie. What happened to him?" Bonnie asked.
Carver was silent for a moment.
"Bill?"
Carver looked to Clementine and asked the girl, "You want to tell her what happened?"
"Y-You pushed him." Clementine said. Though she was intimidated she refused to hold back the truth.
"Uh-uh, you don't try to pin this on me." Carver said. "You tell her the truth right now!"
"I did! You pushed him!" Clementine snapped.
"You're a compulsive liar." Carver folded his arms. His eyes had taken on the darker hue or deeper intensity as he glared at the child. "You're manipulative, you're a liar, and you're a danger to yourself and others."
Clementine felt his word sting even though she knew they were untrue. He was all the things he was calling her.
"If anyone believes a single thing you ever say to them, then they're fools. I know that you're a compulsive liar, honey. And I know what little games you play. You'll put on a good show for everyone else around you. Manipulate them." Carver continued.
Clementine frowned when she felt Bonnie release her hand.
"Bill..." Bonnie muttered.
"Can't you see that this is what she wants? She wants everyone twisted around her little finger, so she can drag them through the mud with her! She's not innocent, Bonnie." Carver said. "…And now someone else is dead because of her. She killed Reggie. She threw a tantrum about who knows what, then pushed him off the roof when he wasn't look. The child is unstable..."
Bonnie looked to the girl, glaring at her. "Clem... Why would you lie to me...?"
"Wh-What?" Clementine was hurt that the woman didn't believe her. "I didn't lie."
"I asked you Clem! I asked you what happened, you told me Bill pushed him!" Bonnie said. "You lied and tried to manipulate me into taking your side."
"That's not true! He did, he did push him! I didn't do it! I didn't kill him, Bonnie!" Clementine said.
"Then why would Sarah react like that?" Bonnie asked.
"I-I don't know... It's because of him too!" Clementine motioned to Carver. "I didn't kill Reggie. I wouldn't do that."
"I... I wanted to believe you, Clem... But I can't... Not after all you done... You're not the sweet innocent girl you want to pretend to be…" Bonnie said. "And… I... I… I need some air..."
Clementine fought back tears as Bonnie excused herself to Carver and left them alone in his office. She didn't understand why the woman didn't believe her. What reason would she have to kill Reggie?
"Don't cry, honey." Carver hushed.
Clementine narrowed her eyes. "I'm not… I won't cry for you."
"You know, the things you told Reggie, they were supposed to be our little secrets. I told you before about babbling off to people, but you just don't learn… You're getting closer to the fire by the day, honey." Carver said.
Clementine didn't respond.
"You might not believe this after what happened earlier, but...I liked Reggie. He was a funny guy. He kept things light. You need folks like that...it's easy to let depression sink in during times like this. But he was weak. And I don't mean just 'cause he was maimed, that wasn't his problem. He was weak of will. Weak of character. And we can't have that around here...not anymore. Not with what we got at stake. You have to be able to contribute..." Carver said.
"You're a murderer! You can try and call it something else...but I know what it is. What it really is." Clementine shot back.
"Listen, Clementine... It ain't murder." Carver said. "You see, Reggie put us at risk with his incompetence. He's had a string of screw-ups lately. Killing one in order to save many is part of survival. It's one of the tough decisions that a weaker person couldn't make. It's why it falls to people like us to lead them to safety... Do you understand? Well, I wish it was different, I do. But they are weak...and we are strong. That's why it's our responsibility to shepherd the flock...to keep them safe. It's their nature to follow...not to lead."
"I'm not like you." The girl huffed.
"I know it when I see it. And we're more alike than you think. In fact, I think you realize it...but you're not comfortable with it yet. There's no way you could've lasted this long otherwise. I realized it back in that cabin. You were scared...but you looked me straight in the eye." Carver smirked. "Kept your nerve. That's what we need if we're gonna get through this. The next generation has to be stronger than the last to...lead us out of this. Kids like you, raised the right way. The way my child'll be raised. It ain't this herd that keeps me up at night. We can handle that. It's not knowin' if I got anyone to hand all this off to...but I ain't worried about that anymore.
"It's not your baby. It's Alvin's." Clementine stated.
"Well, even if that was true, it's mine now." Carver said. "And I'm sure in our future, you and I will be making a lot more. Imagine how strong our children will be… We could do amazing things together, build a nice little kingdom of our own. You could be my queen, if you would just give in to me…"
His words made her stomach queasy; she would never have a kid with him. She would never be his queen. "You're so gross…"
"That's not very nice, honey…" Carver said. "You know why I liked Rebecca? Because she's strong. She's a strong woman, but she's surrounded by weak men. I'm not letting my kid get raised around that."
"…Did you hurt, Sarah… If you did—"
"I already said, I have you. I don't need anyone else. No. I did not hurt, Sarah. If she wasn't Carlos' kid, we'd have no reason to keep her around here, she's another weak one… But I don't blame her. Her father made that way." Carver said. "We'll raise our children differently. You and I… The same reason I like Rebecca is what drew me to you, you're strong… strong and beautiful. But you talk way too damn much… You need to learn to keep things between us, honey."
Clementine watched cautiously as the man suddenly stood and walked over to the PA System. He turned it on and began to speak.
"We faced another tragic lost today... Reggie, will be missed by many. Sure, he made mistakes, but many here have. We will remember him a member of this community and we will forever be grateful for the work his did to help this place thrive. It is unfortunate they a good man lost his life at the hands of a selfish young child, but we have to be hopeful that even the broken can be fix and with some guidance this child can change. We cannot dawdle in the past, but we have to look towards the future as we work together as a family to make this place a beacon in the dark, and a sign of hope, like Reggie would've want it to be."
With his speech finished, Carver turned off the machine.
"What did you think of that performance, honey?" Carver chuckled at the girl. "Pretty good right?"
"You're a liar. And a m-manipulator! You're all those naughty words, you called me!" Clementine snapped at him.
"The only naughty one here is you. And now everybody knows it. They're not gonna trust you anymore, honey. You should know that." Carver slowly approached her. "I told you to keep quiet about what we do. I don't care how bad you want to tell, you don't. I'm not mad at you though. You'll learn…"
Clementine tried to move back but felt the man trap her in an embrace. Before long she felt his lip on her neck. The girl closed her eyes, trying to allow her mind to drift away.
Clementine didn't understand why Carver sent her to bring her group supper in the pen. She wondered if it was so she could see how they react to her. She was grateful that it was Shel and Becca delivery the group dinner along with her.
She didn't want to face them alone.
"You didn't do it, did you?" Shel asked as the walked towards the pen.
"What?" Clementine asked.
"You're not the one who killed Reggie…" Shel said.
"No, I didn't." Clementine said. "Why would I kill him?"
"You killed Troy…" Becca pointed out.
"Troy gave me reason… I was protecting my friends… Well, I was trying to protect my friends…" Clementine said.
"I figured you were innocent…" Shel sighed. "I can't believe he's trying to pin this on you… What happened?"
"I- I don't know. We were in the greenhouse… And heard yelling. I tried to stop it, but I wasn't fast enough… He pushed him…" Clementine said.
"God… I'm so sorry you saw that, Clem…" Shel said. "I'm sorry for everything he's putting you through…"
"So am I…" Clementine simple muttered.
It wasn't long before the trio arrived at the pen. She unlocked the gate and called to the group, "We brought you dinner."
Clementine shifted a bit, feeling uneasy as she noticed the groups' gazes on her.
She noticed Sarah and Carlos sitting over by the sleeping quarters. She frowned when Carlos met her gaze with a glare. Still that didn't stop her from walking over. She wanted to check on Sarah, she needed to make sure the teen was okay.
"Sarah, can we talk?" Clementine spoke hesitantly, gripping her arm nervously.
"You stay away from her." Carlos ordered her away. "She doesn't want to talk to you."
"I need to talk to her. Please." Clementine said.
"No, you don't. You'll stay away from my daughter." Carlos was firm in his words, but Clementine wasn't discouraged.
"But I need to talk to her, it's important." Clementine said. "Sarah, please... Just answer this for me... Did Carver hurt you?"
"No, he didn't hurt me. He wouldn't hurt me… My dad wouldn't let him, or anyone hurt me." Sarah said. "I thought he would because everyone said he had hurt you… But he said he only hurt you because you deserved it…"
"He's crazy, Sarah. You can't listen to him…" Clementine said. "I'm glad he didn't hurt you… I was worried…"
"You keep talking about how he hurts people, but you hurt people too. I thought you were different, Clementine." Sarah said.
"I don't know what you're talking about, Sarah." Clementine said. "I've only hurt people who I had to. And that was to protect all of us…"
"Clementine," Carlos called in a warning tone.
Clementine ignored him. "What did you mean, when you said I hurt people, Sarah?"
"C-Carver said… He said it was your fault… What happened to Reggie." Sarah said.
"I didn't push him, Sarah. You know that..." Clementine said.
"I know... But Carver said you made him push Reggie." Sarah replied.
"I didn't make him do anything. How would I make him do that? I was in the greenhouse with you, Sarah. You know I didn't do anything."
"I don't know what you say when you're not with us in the pen. He said you tell him a lot of bad things about us…" Sarah said. "He said you told him a lot of bad things, and that's why he did it…"
"That's not true. Why would you even believe him?" Clementine asked. "I thought we were friends, Sarah…"
"Yeah… I thought we were too…" Sarah said. "…I guess we're not anymore…"
Clementine hated to admit it, but those words really hurt her. "Sarah… I'm sorry…" She didn't even know what she was apologizing for. She hadn't done anything wrong."
"She's been through enough, Clementine." Carver said. "Just go away. She doesn't want to speak with you right now."
"I just wanted to make she was okay." Clementine said.
"She's fine. No thanks to you." Carlos said. "My daughter has been traumatized enough, after witnessing yet another death. You may not have been the one to push him, but if you have been telling Carver anything about us, then you might as well be considered an accomplish. You stay away from my child."
"I haven't said anything to Carver. I swear to you." Clementine said.
"I have nothing more to say to you, Clementine." Carlos said.
The child frowned at that. She noticed Sarah whisper something into her father's ear and Carlos sighed a moment later.
The man reached under his pillow and held something out to her. "Here."
Clementine looked to the object and frowned. The birth control pills.
"Take these… And go…" Carlos said. "Hide them… Don't tell anyone where you got them… We don't need you getting anyone else in trouble."
Clementine slowly accepted the pills, not sure where she would hide them. "I'm sorry..." The child muttered once more, fighting back tears as she turned to walk away.
Some of the group members had gathered around to eat even though no one seemed hungry.
Clementine hesitantly made her way over to Shel and tugged at the woman's sleeve.
"What's up, kiddo?" Shel asked.
"Can you hide these for me?" Clementine hesitantly asked.
"Hide what?" Shel questioned.
Clementine handed her the pill, Shel took them and her eyes grew wide as she realized what they were. Why on earth would a child have these?
"Oh God..." Shel muttered, shakily slipping the pills into her pocket. Before she could say another word Clementine walked over to her group to check in on them. This wasn't right... She needed to get that child out of this place.
"Clem, what's going on?" Rebecca asked. "I know Carver's full of bullshit. What really happened?"
"Carver pushed Reggie. He pushed him off the roof and tried to blame it on me." Clementine said.
"God… Why though? Why would he do that?" Rebecca asked.
"Because he's fucking insane, that's why." Kenny said. "How soon before it's one of us?"
"I just don't understand… Reggie didn't deserve that..." Rebecca frowned.
Clementine looked to the woman with a pleading gaze. "Y-You believe me, r-right?"
"Of course I do, sweetie. I know your heart. And I know you would never do something like that." Rebecca said.
Clementine felt a bit relieved. At least Kenny and Rebecca believed her.
"Are you okay? Is he letting you stay with us tonight?" Rebecca asked.
Clementine shook her head. "He wants me back with him."
"Like hell you're going back! Rebecca told us what he did to you!" Kenny huffed.
"I don't have a choice. I can't let anyone else get hurt. I don't want anyone getting hurt because of me." Clementine said.
"How can you even think of anyone else. You're the one whose been hurt this whole time." Jane spoke up.
Clementine shrugged and then muttered, "Maybe I deserved it."
"No. You don't. No one deserves to go through that..." Rebecca said.
"Shel, Bill was calling for you." A guard's voice drew their attention. "He wants to know what's taking so long."
"See, I told you he'd want me back." Clementine muttered to her group.
"Damn. I must've left my walkie. We just about done here." Shel called to the girl.
"Well he wants the girl back. Do you want me to take her back or do you got it?" The guard asked.
"I got it, Trisha." Shel sighed. "Let him know we'll be there soon."
"Will do…" Trisha said and walked away.
"You don't have to go Clem, stay with us. We'll fight for you." Kenny said.
"If you do someone else when end up dead. I don't want any more blood on my hands. I don't think I can handle it..." Clementine said.
"So, what? You're gonna go back to the pedophile and let him touch on you?!" Kenny inquired.
Clementine was taken aback by his word. "L-Let him?"
"I- I didn't mean that, darlin'. I just—"
"You think I want this? I don't! I don't have a choice."
"Clem, I'm sorry… It just came out…"
"Yeah… Things always just come out…" Clementine sighed. Without a word she walked over to Shel and Becca. "I'm ready…"
"…Okay…" Shel didn't want to bring the child to Carver. She knew what the man was doing to her, but she knew she couldn't do anything about it. And if she didn't bring the child to him, Clementine would probably walk herself.
The child was so selfless she put everyone else before her own wellbeing.
"Are we really bringing her to him? Are you really going to him?" Becca asked.
"I don't have a choice." Clementine said. "If I don't, he'll come get me himself…"
"We just don't want you to get hurt, Clem." Shel said.
"It's a bit too late for that...If this is what keeps my group safe… It's just something I have to deal with…" Clementine said. "Don't worry. I'll be fine... He's not doing anything to me that he hasn't done before..."
Shel felt sick upon hearing that. The poor girl deserved better.
"You know it's your fault, right? What happened to Reggie. He's dead because of you." Carver said. "How many people have you killed Clem? How many people had their lives cut short because of a naughty little girl?"
Clementine shuddered as she felt his breath on her neck. His fingers rubbing harshly between her legs. She felt herself reaching an orgasm by his hand.
"You naughty little girl. I didn't say you could cum. Maybe I should punish you." Carver said.
Clementine wasn't surprised. He often did punish her. It could be anything from a spanking to a harsh fuck or a sharp blade running along her skin.
"Lay down. Open your legs, honey." Carver said.
She hated him. She didn't want this. "Please... don't…" Clementine whimpered. She hated to beg for him to stop.
"Shh... this is your punishment. You know my rule. Cry all you want. But don't fucking scream." Carver said.
Clementine whimpered as he shoved himself inside her. She dug her nails into his back, tears filling her eyes. She didn't want to cry for him. She needed forced her eyes shut and tried to send her mind away. Back to the motor inn. Back with Lee... Back to safety.
They had finally made it to Howes. Now they just needed a way inside.
There were traps outside and not to mention several guards constantly patrolling. Many of the store windows are boarded up or simply too high. Not to mention it would be too risky, they would land right in the view of a patrolling guard.
Molly figured sneaking in wouldn't be easy.
Luke however, informed Molly of a back door that led to a comic bookstore. Back when they were there months ago Troy had put a pretty bad ding in the door so it wouldn't close all the way, meaning they had to board it up. If they could get through that door, they would be golden.
Many of the guards seemed to be shooting her dirty looks. None one seemed to be keeping a close eye on her however, in fact even her escorts were avoiding her.
Clementine couldn't help but wonder how easy it would be to escape right now. She didn't want to leave her group, but she couldn't take another day here.
The child tried to think up a plan, and when she spotted Reggie's body one hit her. She knew it was risky, but she had to try. Knowing that it's only a matter of time before Reggie's body is moved, Clementine slowly began to make her way up to the roof.
No one seemed to notice.
"This is it." Luke motioned to the door.
This was there way inside. The only problem, the door was boarded with some plywood from the inside.
Molly tried the handle, it didn't budge.
"What now?"
"I guess we break the door down."
"Hold on. Won't that be loud? Wh-What if someone hears?"
"We'll deal with them." Molly said. "Don't worry, I'll try to break the door down as quietly as possible."
"It'd be nice if you could." Luke said.
Molly rolled her eyes at that.
"What if someone's inside?" Luke asked.
"I'll handle it." Molly said.
"This is a bad idea…" Luke groaned.
"Hey, if you got another idea, I'd like to hear it. Because I don't think Carver's gonna come open the door for us." Molly said.
"Just…hurry up…" Luke sighed.
Molly nodded, "Watch my back."
She kicked at the board door and split the wood. After a few more blows, she manages to kick a door panel out. Before they could stop him, Sam jumped through the hole.
"Sam!" Luke called to the dog, "Get back here."
He could see the door sniffing around and they both just hoped with all their might that he didn't start barking. The hole wasn't large enough for them to get through, how Sam managed to do so was beyond them.
Molly kicked the door once again.
"This isn't going as I expected," Luke muttered, getting a bit anxious.
"Just watch my back and shut up." Molly rammed her should into the door once more. She heard a crack as the door the door swung inward.
"There you go." Molly said with a smirk.
"Holy shit… You actually did it." Luke was impressed.
"After you, Luke." Molly allowed him to enter first.
"Isn't it supposed to be ladies first?" Luke rose a brow.
"Just go." Molly said.
Luke stepped inside followed by Molly. Sam was still sniffing around the room.
The room was completely dark besides a faint strip of light from under the door. There was no one in sight, but they could hear noise through the walls.
"Now what?" Luke asked.
"We stay in here. Lay low for a bit until we can flag one of our group members down." Molly replied.
"You don't want to just go find them ourselves?" Luke asked. "I mean, we can all this way…"
"It's too risky. We'll get caught. And it will all be for nothing. We need to be smart about this." Molly said.
"We might be in here a while then. Carver's not just gonna let them wander freely." Luke said. "They're basically prisoners here."
"Which is why we need to keep a close eye on that door," She motioned to the door that led outside of the comic bookstore. "I don't see us making it to the pen with the guards out there, but one of our group members has to pass this door eventually."
"So we flag them down, then what?" Luke asked.
"We let the others know we're here, once they know we can establish a way to communicate back and forth." Molly said.
"Like a messenger?"
"Pretty much…" Molly nodded.
"I have another idea… Carver has those walkie talkies, if we can get a pair of those, we can keep in contact through that, and spy on his guards' conversations at the same time." Luke suggested.
"That's actually a good idea." Molly said.
"Thanks…" Luke said. "Well, like I said, we might be in here for a while… So we might as well get comfortable…"
Molly sighed but nodded. Getting inside was easier than Molly expect ed. Now they just needed to flag down someone they trusted and come up with a plan. She really hoped that person would be Clementine.
It was a long way down... A very long way down...
Clementine stood at the edge of the roof for a moment, staring down at Reggie's body and trying to muster up courage to jump.
This could be her only way out of here.
She knew there was a high probable that if she jumped off the roof she would die. She wanted to escape, but if escaping meant death, she did not care at this point. Anything was better than staying here.
She hesitated for a moment, wondering if anyone would care if she died. She decided after how they acted today, that they would not. They would probably just figure the crazy girl lost it and decided to jump... the only ones who be upset was Kenny, but he had Sarita, and Rebecca, but she would have her baby soon.
Clementine had no one. And she had nothing to lose. Why should she care? If death was inevitable why did it matter? What was the point of forcing herself to suffer? Especially for people who didn't appreciate it.
Her goal wasn't to die, she wanted to escape, to run away and be left alone in peace. And she knew her chance were fifty-fifty. Both outcomes were better than staying put. If she survived, she'd be free. If she didn't, she'd be free. Either way, it was better than spending another minute in this hellhole.
She made the snap decision to jump off the rooftop. Before she could weigh the consequences of her actions, she suddenly found herself airborne.
She clenched her eyes shut the entire time. The landing was faster than she expected, her weight crashed into Reggie's corpse. She heard a loud crack as she fell but felt no pain, at least for a moment.
The child rolled off of Reggie's body and gripped her aching ribs for a moment. She tried to sit up but was struggling.
Clementine took a shaky breath as she finally managed to sit up a bit. There were stars in front of her eyes, and she had a horrible throbbing pain in her head. She looked down at her leg and noticed a bone sticking out right below her knee. Her heart began pounding faster. Her leg was broken, and she could see the bone! Blood was trickling through the gash the bone had punctured through her skin.
The child's breathing picked up at the horrific sight, and she her eyes rolled back into her head as she lost consciousness.
