Thanks to gaara king of the sand for the help.
The group agreed to stay at the house until the worse of winter was over. Spending their time building up their food and other supplies.
As soon as the weather had warmed, and they figured the worse of the snowy days were through, they set out. They didn't have an exact destination, but Molly suggested that they head towards the country, someplace like Virginia, and find some land they could do pretty well. They'd be able to grow their own food, build a fence and protect themselves. They could be comfortable and safe for once. They could let the kids be kids.
Kenny however still was set on Wellington, but he was clearly outvoted when it came to what they should do.
For days they travelled, without an issue, stopping to camp when it got late. They had to be careful to watch out for geeks, but they were capable of handling them.
As they continued their trip they were surprised when they stumbled upon a familiar truck. They noticed Natasha's zombified body crawling around.
"Wh-What the fuck?" Kenny grumbled as he noticed the truck. "Those fucking Ruskies!"
"Hold on, Kenny. She's dead…" Vince pointed out to Natasha.
"Good fucking ridden. Where's her shitbird brother?"
"Kenny, settle down, please." Sarita said.
Kenny huffed as he begin looking around for any signs of Arvo.
Molly meanwhile walked over to Natasha, while Clementine looked down, feeling guilt wash through her.
The woman huffed then used a knife to stab the geek dead.
The other adults looked around but Arvo is nowhere to be seen.
Kenny checks the truck, finding a few scattered cans, and the bag of medicine abandoned. He turns the vehicle on, but it just clicks. He groans, knowing the battery was done for, and he didn't have the tools to fix it again.
"Well, the truck's done for…" Kenny told the others.
"Figured it would be…" Vince said.
"And the other Ruskie clearly ain't around." Kenny huffed.
"Forget them, we need to keep moving." Molly said.
The others nodded in agreement.
They ended up taking what supplies is left in the truck which wasn't much, and the medicine bag. Then they were back on their way.
They walked for hours before finally stopping. Molly noticed that Clementine seemed bothered by something.
"Are you okay, kiddo?" Molly asked the girl.
"I… Ev-Everything is my fault…!" Clementine whimpered.
"What?" Molly asked.
"Everything… Everything bad that has happened lately… It's all my fault because I'm naughty." Clementine sniffled.
"No, Clem… Don't talk like that. You're not naughty and nothing is your fault." Molly said.
"Y-Yes it is! I am naughty! I know I am." Clementine replied, fighting back tears.
"I promise you you're not." Molly said. "Look at me… I don't want you using that word."
"W-Why can't I use that word? It's true…" Clementine said.
"No, it's not." Molly said. "I don't want you to ever think you're bad or naughty."
"But I am… I know I am…" Clementine said.
"Clem…" Molly sighed and hugged the little girl. "I promise you, you're not."
Clementine didn't respond.
"You… wanna try to eat some dinner?" Molly asked.
"No…" Clementine said. "I… I want to see Lee…"
"Lee?" Molly sighed. "Lee's not here, Clem…"
"I want to see him…" Clementine repeated.
"You can't see him, if he's not here…" Molly said.
"I always see him…" Clementine replied.
"Clem…"
Clementine just stayed quiet.
"Why don't you try to get some rest, kid?" Molly suggested.
"…Okay… I hope Carver doesn't fuck me in my sleep." Clementine said.
"Hey… I don't want you using that word either… Carver's not gonna do anything. He can't…" Molly said. "He's dead, Clem. He can't hurt you in real life, and he can't hurt you in your dreams."
"But he will…" The child said.
Molly shook her head. "You're stronger than him… Which means, he can't hurt you."
"…Okay." Clementine said, but she found it hard to actually believe that."
"Try to get some rest, Clem. I'll be right here. I'm not going anywhere." Molly said.
"Thank you…" Clementine said.
The group continued on for a few days, hoping to find a better place of shelter. Although the weather was warmer now during the day, the nights were still chilly, forcing them to build fires or huddle in blankets to keep warm. Still, it was encouraging to know that the worse of winter was over. At least they had thought so… That night was beyond freezing, even with the fire going it was cold.
As the night went on, they found themselves caught in a rainstorm. They sheltered themselves under the trees. Kenny wrapped AJ in his jacket doing his best to keep the baby dry from the rain. The three-month-old would whimper with each roar of thunder, Kenny shushing him in response.
That night had everyone on edge and feeling restless, wondering what to expect of their journey. They all silently agreed that this was one of their worst nights in a long time.
The group tried to wait the next day for the rain to let up, but they eventually became impatient as the rainfall would go from a light drizzle to a heavy rain, stopping for only brief periods in between. The weather wasn't letting up.
During one of the periods of sunshine, the group decided to get moving, although when the rain became harsh again they were forced to stop. The last thing they wanted was to get soaked and sick.
They next day they continued their trip, ending up at some kind of lot surrounded by abandoned vehicles.
Kenny thought about working on one of the vehicles, but he knew that without the proper tools the likelihood of getting one of them started was small.
As it was getting late the group decided to take shelter in the vehicles from the rain, for just the night. The checked the area, and the vehicles, making sure there was no danger around. Fortunately, they were safe.
They got as comfortable as possible and they tried to get some rest for the night, Kenny offering to keep watch.
As the rain got hard Clementine furrowed her brows as she noticed something. "It's snowing…"
"What?" Molly asked.
"It's snowing." The child simply repeated.
The girl's words were true. It was in fact snowing. The snow was mere flurries, but it was still concerning.
They had made sure to wait until they thought the snow had ended, but it seemed nature loved to mess with them.
From one of the other vehicles they heard Kenny swear in annoyance, having also noticed the snow.
When morning came it was still snowing a wet rain like snow. Kenny and Vince decided to check the area, specifically the building of the rest stop. When they did so, they found it was safe and clear and went back to inform the rest of the group.
After everyone had gathered their supplies, they headed to the rest stop.
Once they were inside, they tried discussing their next course of action. To everyone's annoyance Kenny once again brought up the idea of Wellington.
"We're not going to Wellington. We're going to Virginia." Molly said.
"Why though? What's in Virginia?" Kenny asked.
"Land. A lot of it." Molly replied.
"I'm with Molly, we'd be better off finding a place with land. A place we can secure ourselves." Shel said.
"We wouldn't have to worry about all that stuff in Wellington, we'd know it's safe. Big ass walls, plenty of food. That's all we need." Kenny argued.
"That's not all we need, Kenny. We can't just place our bets on Wellington. We need to be realistic!" Molly said.
"Regardless of what we decide, we're not going anywhere until the snow stops. So everyone might as well get comfortable." Shel said.
"I doubt it will snow for long, and as soon as it stops, we're heading to Wellington. End of story." Kenny said.
"Kenny—"
"I don't want to hear it, Molly." Kenny huffed, turning away.
"I'm sorry about him…" Sarita sighed. "Kenny, stop acting like this."
"I'm not acting like anything Sarita. No one wants to listen to me, so I'm done talking…" Kenny said.
Molly just shook her head. Kenny had the nerve to talk about people not listening. Kenny didn't listen to anyone but himself, and it was proving to be a big issue.
The snow continued on and off for the whole day and by the next morning snow covered everything.
Kenny felt anger course through him, and he grumbled, "This is bullshit! We should've kept moving, we could be to Wellington by now. We never should've stayed at that stupid house."
"You know why we had to stay there." Molly said.
"We didn't HAVE to!" Kenny said.
"We had no choice, Kenny." Molly said. "You know that."
"Well look where we are now! We can't just keep sitting on our asses and waiting." Kenny replied.
"Look out there. Kenny. The weather is shitty, and we can't take the risk of going out there right now. We have kids with us!" Wyatt said.
"And the kids will die here if we stay put." Kenny said.
"Kenny, knock it off. We can't just go out there in the snow like that." Shel said.
"What is your problem? All of you. First we had a truck and y'all wanted to sit on that." Kenny huffed. "Now we have the to get to Wellington, before the snow starts back up and y'all don't want to do that."
"Because Wellington is a fairytale!" Molly snapped.
"What is wrong with you?" Kenny inquired, looking annoyed.
"What's wrong with you, Kenny? You're acting like a mad man." Molly retorted.
"Mad man?" Kenny asked.
"You're literally a control freak." Molly said.
"Because there has to be control in this group! You guys will just run around like idiots if I don't take charge." Kenny said.
"Well you're not a very good leader, so stop trying to take charge." Molly argued.
Kenny was silent for a while. "I… I would love to see how far y'all get without me…" He mumbled before turning on his heels and walking off.
"Well, that went great…" Wyatt said sarcastically.
Sarita frowned at this, "I'm so worried about him… I just… I want to be positive, but things keep getting worse…"
Clementine suddenly stood, and the others looked to her.
"What are you doing?" Molly asked.
"I- I want to go check on him." Clementine said.
"Clementine, no. Let him sit out there and sulk…" Molly said.
"He's just trying to help… I just… don't think he knows how to…" Clementine said.
"Well I don't want you going out there." Molly said.
Clementine sent the woman puppy dog eyes. "Please… Kenny's my friend, Molly…"
"You know what, do whatever you want. But if he yells at you or says something rude, you're not gonna be able to stop me from hitting him." Molly said.
"Please don't fight anymore…" Clementine said.
"I don't want to, Clem. But sometimes it can't be helped…" Molly said causing the young girl to sigh.
The child slowly opened the door and headed outside, she looked around and noticed Kenny sitting at a snow covered picnic table, his back was turned to her but the child could clearly see he was messing with the bandage that covered his wounded eye.
The child slowly began making her way towards him.
Kenny whipped around quickly hearing the shuffling in the snow. "Get the fuck out of here!"
Clementine flinched at that. "I-It's me..."
"Oh Clem! I'm so sorry, darlin'. I- I didn't me to scare you…" Kenny said. "Just...give me a second. The man took a moment to adjust his bandages. "What are you doing out here, Clem?"
"I… I wanted to check on you…" The child slowly walked over and took a seat beside him.
"That's sweet of you and all, but… I doubt they're gonna be too happy about it…" Kenny said.
"But you're my friend. And I wanted to make sure you were okay. I don't care if other people are happy about it or not…" Clementine said.
"You know I only want what's best for you and AJ… For all of you kids. You understand right? After all we've been through…we gotta be on the same page." Kenny said.
"I just want everyone to be safe." Clementine said.
"So do I, Clem…" Kenny said. "Look, we have enough formula for AJ now, but it's not gonna last forever. Clem, think about Rebecca and Alvin. I mean, what if Lee hadn't gone tearin' across half of Georgia lookin' for you? A lotta folks died to make that happen. A lotta folks died to get us this far. We owe it to them to see this done."
"Maybe he shouldn't have." Clementine mumbled.
"Don't you say that. I oughta slap you. You know what he sacrificed for you? What I did? That means somethin', damn it."
Clementine frowned, lowering her gaze. "I-I'm sorry."
"Don't be… I just don't like hear you talk like that…" Kenny sighed. "I wish Lee was here. What do you think he'd say?
"I think he'd tell me... To keep the group together." Clementine said. "And... To keep my hair short."
"We can't just give up now. We came this far, and if AJ runs out of food, if we just give up on him like it's nothing… what's the point of goin' on after that? That's what people like Lee knew. And that's what people like Molly won't ever understand. Look, I know Wellington might be bullshit. But where there's smoke, there's fire." Kenny said.
Clementine didn't know how to respond. She wanted to believe Wellington was real, but most of the group member had been saying it was not, including Molly.
"You know, when I first saw you back at that lodge, I thought I was dreaming. And when you sat down next to me, and we shared that meal...well, I could tell that you were different now. Grown up. I felt pride ...a pride I hadn't felt in a long time. But I need you now, Clem. There have to be folks doin' better than us. It's the only chance that we have, the only chance that AJ has." Kenny said.
"Molly… says Wellington doesn't exist. It's just a... it's just a story." Clementine said.
"Is that what you think…?" Kenny asked.
"I… I don't know… Kind of…" Clementine said.
"You don't know how much it hurts to hear you say that. Molly's really getting into your head, ain't she…? You need to think back to how you were when you were eight... Before she made the Mini-Me. Soon you'll see how wrong you are." Kenny said.
"Kenny…."
"Just get back inside, Clem. I don't wanna talk right now…" Kenny said.
Clementine didn't protest. She stood from her seat and headed back inside, leaving Kenny to his thoughts.
Molly and Kenny would argue so often that sometimes the others did not know what they were arguing about. Most of the time they would nitpick with one another on what the best course of action would be for them to take next.
Their ideas of leadership completely differed, and this caused them to clash.
Many times, the other adults ended up trying to mediate the disputes the broke out between the two.
The kids were tired of the adults arguing, in fact, everyone was sick of the constant fighting.
But no matter what it seemed nonending.
After yet another feud Kenny had stormed off to cool down. It was hours before he returned and simply walked over to Clementine.
"I need to talk to you, Clem." Kenny said.
The other group members were confused on what he wanted to talk to the child about.
"About?" Molly asked.
"That's none of your damn business. I need to talk to Clem, not you." Kenny replied.
"Anything you need to say to her, you can say it in front of me." Molly said.
"No, I can't, because I don't need the rest of y'all cutting into our conversation." Kenny said. "I need to talk to you, Clem. You and no one else."
Clementine hesitated but nodded. "Okay…."
"Clem," Molly sighed.
"It's okay, Molly… I'm fine… I want to talk to Kenny." Clementine said.
"Okay, kid… Go ahead…" Molly said.
Clementine nodded and walked over to Kenny. The two moved out of earshot of the rest of the group.
"What did you want to talk about?" Clementine asked.
"I need to know what you want to do," Kenny said.
"What I want to do?" Clementine was confused by what he meant.
"Yeah… I need to know… who do you want to take care of you?" Kenny said.
"W-What are you talking about?" Clementine asked. "M-Molly's been looking out for me."
"Has she though? Because from what happened to you, you would think no one's been looking out for you." Kenny replied.
Clementine frowned at that.
"Look at me, kid…" Kenny urged.
The child did so.
"I need you to decide for yourself, who you wanna stay with." Kenny said.
"What do you mean who I want to stay with? We're all supposed to stick together." Clementine responded.
"I know that's what you want, but things aren't going to work out that way, Clem." Kenny said.
"I do-don't want to split up…" Clementine whimpered a bit. "Wh-Why are you doing this?"
"Clem, I'm not trying to make you upset, kid…" Kenny said. "But are you forgetting that you ditched all of us, and now you switch up and say you don't want everyone split up."
"I- I left because I had to. You don't understand." Clementine replied.
"No, you don't understand. You're a child, you can't just take off on your own like that." Kenny said.
"Everyone was fighting…" Clementine mumbled.
"Everyone always fights, Clem. That's what people do."
"I hate the fighting…" Clementine said. "I just want everything to be calm."
"Peace and harmony doesn't exist here, Clem. Which is exactly why I'm telling you, splitting up might be our best option." Kenny said.
Clementine's began whimpering a bit more. "I don't want that…"
"Clem, don't start crying. I'm not trying to make you cry, darlin'. We just need to have this discussion." Kenny said.
"I want Molly…" The child said. "You're making me sad…"
"I ain't trying to make you sad," Kenny groaned. "I'm just trying to talk to you."
"But you are!" The child stood wanting to find her guardian. "You are making me sad."
Kenny however seized her arm. "Clem, wait."
"Let me go!" The child said.
"Clementine—"
"LET ME GO!" The child exclaimed.
"Kenny, what's going on?" Sarita asked, coming over with AJ in her arm.
"It's nothing, hon. Clem's just having a bit of a tantrum…" Kenny answered.
"Let go of her arm, Kenny." Sarita said.
Kenny sighed but did so. "I wasn't hurting her."
"It looked like you were to me… She's crying…" Sarita pointed out.
"I swear I wouldn't hurt her." Kenny huffed.
"Clem, sweetheart, what's the matter?" Sarita asked in a gentle tone, offering the young girl a hug.
"I w-want Molly…" The girl simply said.
"That's okay… You can go to Molly…" Sarita said. "Would you like me to take you to her?"
"Y-Yes, please…" The girl said.
"Okay," Sarita took the child's hand but glanced back at Kenny. The two of them needed to talk.
After taking a crying Clementine over to Molly, who immediately became protective over seeing her girl's tears. Sarita headed back over to talk to Kenny. Fortunately, Clementine had told them both that Kenny had not hurt her, that she just was sad and want to be with Molly.
Molly understood, and simply held the child until the girl calmed down. Though the woman wondered what Kenny had said that had upset the girl. He had clearly caused her reaction, as she was perfectly fine before talking to him.
It made her angry as she knew that sometimes Kenny got on the child's case for small things, sucking her thumb or being too loud after a nightmare. Her girl didn't deserve to have to put up with anyone's bullshit.
Clementine had been through enough. Molly wasn't going to let anyone else harm her girl.
"You're with me on heading to Wellington, right?" Kenny asked Sarita.
The woman hesitated to answer but slowly replied, "I'm with you wherever we go. But I think you need to think about what's best for AJ."
"That's all I've been thinking about. What's best for him and Clem." Kenny said.
"Kenny… Molly's looking after, Clem and… I think she's doing an okay job. We shouldn't take over." Sarita said.
"Someone needs to take over. Clementine needs someone who knows what their doing to look after her." Kenny said. "Look, we can't stay here… Wellington is our best chance for keeping AJ safe. They're bound to have formula and other stuff for him… And I don't feel comfortable leaving Clem with Molly. Not after what we heard…"
Sarita frowned at that, unsure how to feel.
"If they don't wanna give Wellington a shot, then screw them. We can make it there on our own… We don't need them… But we have to protect AJ and Clem, Sarita… We have to keep them safe. I promised Lee, I would protect his girl." Kenny said. "She's not safe with Molly. They'll keep going until they find their little farm, and it's gonna end up getting overran and be the perfect target for bandits, just like that dairy farm. I'm not letting Clementine go through that…"
"Molly won't just let her go…"
"Which is why we have to convince Clem… Or… if it comes down to it, take her by force." Kenny said. "It's for her own good… You're with me right…? You trust me…"
"I… I trust you, Kenny… I do…" Sarita said.
She just didn't know if what he was saying was a good idea.
The next day passed by and Kenny was giving everyone the silent treatment.
Molly wasn't bothered by it. She actually preferred silent Kenny, especially after all the arguing they had done.
The snow had stopped, and it was slowly starting to melt, the group figured that they could get a move on by tomorrow.
When the next day came Kenny finally decided to talk to the group, telling them all that he had something important to say.
"I don't know about y'all, but I talked to Sarita and we decided we're gonna go to Wellington, with or without you. If you guys wanna go elsewhere fine by me." Kenny said.
"Fine… do whatever you want." Molly shrugged, not feeling in the mood to argue with him.
"That's all you have to say?" Kenny asked.
"What do you want me to say? This is clearly another cry for attention, and we don't need to do this right now, Kenny." Molly said.
"Can you two please not start fighting." Shel said.
"I ain't trying to start a fight, and I ain't trying to get attention. I just think this needs to be said. Because soon as this snow lets up, I'm taking AJ and Clem, and Sarita and I are heading to Wellington." Kenny said.
Molly shot him a look. "Like hell you are."
"Excuse me?" Kenny asked.
"You're not taking Clem anywhere without me. She stays with me. Period." Molly told him.
"That's not happening. Clementine's not staying with you." Kenny argued.
"Yeah she is. She's not going with you." Molly said.
"You're not fit to be her guardian." Kenny said.
"You wanna talk about not fit? You screamed at her the other day for sucking her thumb." Molly pointed out.
"I didn't scream at her! I told her to knock it off." Kenny said.
"She's a rape victim, Kenny. She's traumatized. If she wants to suck her thumb it's not a big deal." Vince said.
"But she doesn't need to be doing that, she's tough." Kenny said. "She's not gonna be sucking her thumb while I'm looking after her."
"Good thing you're not looking after her. I am. And she can suck her damn thumb all she wants." Molly said.
"Her sucking her thumb isn't the point. The point is you don't know what you're doing with her. And she needs to be with me." Kenny said.
"She's not going anywhere with you." Molly argued.
"Of course she is! She needs someone who's been a parent before! You can't take care of her." Kenny said.
"I've been taking care of her for two years! You can't take care of her!" Molly said.
"Where were you when she was being raped?" Kenny suddenly asked.
"Where were you, Kenny? You were still in that damn hardware store, but you didn't protect her!" Molly snapped back.
"Guys stop…" Sarita said, noticing Clementine's sad expression. She wished they wouldn't fight in front of the children, especially little Clementine.
Clementine frowned, as the continued arguing over who allowed her to get raped. The girl just wanted them to stop.
"Please, stop it… Please…" Sarita said, trying to calm the arguing.
"Stop what? I'm not the one who let the kid get hurt!" Kenny said.
"Well you are hurting her, both of you are with this fighting!" Vince said.
"I'm not hurting her. I wouldn't hurt Clem. I care about her." Kenny said. "I'm not the one who gave her a damn abortion pill and made her sick for days."
"Wh-What?" Vince stammered.
Everyone besides Shel is shocked to hear that.
Clementine looks confused and furrows her brows, "What's an abortion pill?"
"What the hell are you talking about, Kenny?" Vince asked.
"She gave that child abortion pills. She knew she was carrying a baby and didn't even say a word about it to Clem. Instead she decided to kill it without even talking to her." Kenny said.
"Ba-Baby?" Clementine gasped.
Kenny looked to her, "Yeah, Clem. You were pregnant. And Molly gave you an abortion pill. Which killed the baby that was inside of you."
"I- I… That's not true!" Clementine shook her head, tearing in her eyes. "She wouldn't do that."
"She did. Believe it or not, she did. She even admitted that shit to Shel herself." Kenny said. "Sarita and I heard it.
The others looked to Shel who lowered her head, giving them confirmation, then to Sarita who wore a frown.
"We… We did hear…" Sarita admitted.
"And this is why Molly ain't fit to take care of you, Clem. She's not a good guardian." Kenny said.
"Two years, Kenny! I've had her for two years! Was taking care of my sister before then." Molly said.
"And what the hell happened to your sister? Oh I know, the same thing that will happen to Clem if you look after her. You're not fit to take care of her, you've made two years of mistakes that I'm gonna have to fix. You—"
Molly cut him off with a punch to the face.
"Holy shit!" Russell's eyes widened.
"Stop!" Sarita cried.
"Guys enough. This shit isn't necessary." Vince spoke up.
Molly ignored them. "You talk a lot of shit Kenny, but if I recall, you couldn't protect your own family either. What makes you think you can take care of Clementine or that baby."
"Don't talk about my family!" Kenny spat.
"You brought up my sister, so I'll say whatever the fuck I want." Molly hissed.
"P-Please…" Clementine whimpered. "Please stop fighting…"
They didn't the arguing escalated further, eventually both Kenny and Molly were practically yelling over each other.
"Please stop…" Clementine pleaded through tears. She hated this. She hated that they were fighting because of her.
"Guys, stop this! Not in front of the children." Shel pleaded.
The other adults tried to calm the escalating fight to no avail. As Molly mentioned Kenny's family yet again, telling him how he would fail Clementine if he tried to take her, the man felt his blood boil and he angrily threw a punch of his own in her direction.
That was all it took for a full-on fight to erupt. They were hitting one another, knocking each other into furniture. Molly was getting the upper hand; the woman was faster and used that to her advantage.
Sarita pleaded for them to calm down. Demanded how Kenny could hit a woman.
Sarah was crying. Becca, Shel and the others were shocked, unable to watch this happen, Clementine ran up to get between the two only to be shoved aside by Kenny.
Vince quickly went to the girl's aid.
Kenny putting his hands on Clementine only angered Molly more.
Their fighting continued, going from hitting to blades being swung. Russell, Wyatt, and Vince tried to intervene, but were ordered to stay back each time they tried.
All Clementine could think was Molly was going to end up killing Kenny. The young girl quickly moved to her feet and before anyone could realize what she was doing the child had grabbed a gun from their supply of weapons.
"C-Clem, Clem, what are you doing?" Vince asked.
"I'm- I'm making the fighting stop. Th-They're fighting because of me..." The small child trembled and slowly brought the gun to her head.
"Don't! Don't do it, kid, please!" Vince said. "Just… Just put the gun down."
Kenny and Molly both seemed to freeze in place, realizing that the little child had a loaded weapon aimed at her head, ready to pull the trigger as she whimpered and cried.
"Clem, don't. Put the gun down, please..." Molly said.
"N-No..." Clementine shook her head. "It's my fault! It's all my fault! I told you everything bad was my fault."
"No, Clem. That's not true... Please... Please put the gun down." Molly said in a calm tone.
"Darlin', listen to her... We won't fight anymore, just... just put the gun down." Kenny said.
Clementine hesitated to do so, still shakily holding the weapon.
"M-Molly!" Sarah's voice was heard.
Molly glanced to the teen and noticed she was pointing to the window, the others looked outside, and to their dismay noticed a group of walkers heading their way.
"Fuck…" Kenny said.
Molly noticed Clementine had also looked to the windows and took the girl's distraction as a moment to rush over and snatch the gun from her hands.
"G-Give it back!" The child exclaimed, sounding almost hurt that the woman had taken the gun from her.
"Not happening." Molly refused.
"What are we gonna do?" Becca asked.
"We need to get the fuck out of here that's what." Wyatt said.
"There's so many of them…" Sarah trembled, Shel sticking close to the two teens in a protective manner.
"Fuck, find another way out." Kenny said.
Panic set in. The geeks got closer as the group searched for another way out. Eventually the geeks began pounding against the glass of the windows and doors, breaking through.
The group did their best to defend themselves from the undead. They tried their best to stick together but were split apart as they exited the rest stop.
Molly took Clementine's little hand and the two began to run, Molly killing the geeks that blocked their path.
Clementine fought back tears as they ran. She had seen everyone get out, but she just hoped they were okay. She hoped they would all meet back up soon.
Once they finally slowed down, Clementine was exhausted. Her little heart was pounding in her chest from both the running and the worry for the other group members.
She really hoped everyone was safe.
"You okay, kid…?" Molly asked the child, noticing how quiet things had been for a good while.
"…Are you?" Clementine asked in a tiny voice.
"I'm fine…" Molly said.
Silence fell for a while as they continued walking.
"…Why did you do it, Molly…?" Clementine suddenly asked.
Molly frowned, looking guilty. "Clem… He kept pushing me. I wasn't trying to fight with him."
"No…" The child shook her head, cutting the woman off. "Why did you kill my baby?"
Molly was shocked by that question. "Clem…"
"Wh-Why did you kill my baby?" Clementine asked again. "Wh-What if I wanted it? Why didn't you talk me…?"
"Clem… I had to… I'm sorry. You… You weren't ready for a kid… You're just a baby yourself…" Molly said.
"That wasn't your choice to make. I know you were doing what you thought was best, but you should have talked to me… Why didn't you talk to me?" Clementine frowned.
"I'm sorry, Clem… I know it's hard to understand, but I think… you will where your older…" Molly said. "When you have a kid, it should be with someone you care about… And it shouldn't be forced upon you… I'm sorry… but I had to do it…"
"I'm sorry too…" Clementine whimpered. "I'm sad that you did it but…. I know you were trying to do what was best… I guess… sometime people don't know what's best… I k-know it's not like math…"
The child whimpered more and Molly knew the young girl was going to start crying. She stopped walking and pulled the child into a hug.
"Wh-Why is everything always so bad…?" Clementine asked.
"I don't know, Clem… I don't know…" Molly said.
Molly frowned as she tried to comfort the young girl, she hated seeing the child upset. Clementine was so strong, seeing her cry hurt Molly more than the woman could explain.
When the girl finally calmed down enough Molly offered to carry her, but the child refused, however she did hold her guardian's hand.
"We should keep moving, come on." Molly spoke.
"Okay…" Clementine said. "Do you think we'll find the others soon.
"I know what you want me to say, Clem but I don't know." Molly said.
"I… I really hope we do." Clementine said.
Molly didn't respond to that. She hoped the others were alive and okay, but maybe things would be better if they weren't together.
After several day they still hadn't found the others. After nearly a week Molly was beginning to feel that searching for them was pointless. They were just going to continue coming up empty handed.
After much hesitant the woman finally told Clementine, "I hate to say this to you, Clem… But I don't think we're gonna find them."
"Y-Yeah… I don't think so either." Clementine admitted.
Molly was surprised to hear her say that.
"Good stuff doesn't happen when I'm around. I'm bad luck. This is the way I'm being punished for being naughty…"
"Clem, that's not true." Molly said.
"I think it is…" The child said.
Molly shook her head. "Come here, kid… I don't want you talking like that."
"It's true… I ruin everything. You should just let me die."
"Never… I'll never let you die, Clem." Molly hugged the child.
"E-Everything's just… so bad…" The child broke into sobs.
Molly tried to comfort her, but the girl was so distraught. Molly couldn't help but blame herself.
Days continued to drift by and became weeks. The two were eventually forced to stop their search for the others and search for shelter. They were back to surviving with just the two of them and so far they were doing fine.
They had arrived in Virginia and Clementine hoped to find someone from their group, knowing they had talked about coming to Virginia, but there still was no sign of their group members. The girl did her best to convince herself that they were all okay, that they had just gone to Wellington…
Even if Molly said Wellington wasn't real, she didn't know that for sure… And Clementine felt better when she thought about everyone else being safe and sound at Wellington, wherever it was.
As the weeks became months the two had eventually found an abandoned trailer and ended up turning it into a temporary camp. They would spend days gathering up food and come back to the trailer to sleep.
However, things were different that evening. Clementine awoke to a banging on the door and the sound of snarls outside.
"Son of a bitch!"
The voice startled Clementine. She looked around and realized Molly wasn't there. She recalled her guardian leaving earlier that day, but she shouldv'e been back by now.
Clementine realized the door wasn't blocked and as she stood to try to stop the stranger from coming in the door suddenly burst open, sending the child back. The woman turns and holds the door closed. Clementine draws her pistol, aiming it at her.
"Oh, shit. Hey there." The woman greeted.
"Wh-Who are you?" Clementine asked, anxiously.
"Now's not the time for that, kid." The woman replied. "You can keep that thing pointed at me if it makes you feel better... But if you shoot me, you'll have to deal with all of them. Pretty big group of 'em out there. But it'll pass...eventually."
"A-Are you hurt? Any bites?" The child questioned.
The woman shook her head. "No. No bites."
"Okay… Just… Stay right where you are. Don't move." Clementine said. She was nervous. She didn't know what this woman was capable of.
"Don't worry, kiddo. I'm not going anywhere." The woman replied.
Clementine notices the woman is struggling to keep the door closed as geeks pound on it. Hesitantly, Clementine runs over and helps her hold the door closed; the woman barricades it with a plank.
With the door sealed the woman speaks, "Goddamn it! Well. I'd say we make a pretty good team."
"T-Thanks, I guess." Clementine muttered.
"No problem, kiddo. Anytime you need an oversized doorstop, you know who to call." The woman said. "So, do you live in here? You can't be all alone, are you?"
Clementine hesitated to respond. She didn't know this woman enough to feel comfortable. "It's none of your business. Understand?"
"Okay, okay. Relax." The woman said. "It's just…. You're so young…"
"I'm not alone. I'm with my friend… She's just not back yet…" Clementine said.
"I sure hope your friend isn't a child too…" The woman replied.
"She's not…"
"Okay… That's good…" The woman said. "…We were out there scouting...nothing out of the ordinary, and then-chaos in-shit. Those bastards are slow, but goddamn it, when there's enough of them... I got separated from the others. God, I hope they all made it. Thought we were ready for anything. But they were all around us before we saw them.
"What were you scouting for?" Clementine asked.
"Gas, water...any supplies we could find, really. Sure as hell wasn't worth it." The woman replied. "My people are probably at the rendezvous by now. What's left of them, at least... By the way, I'm Ava. And my group...we call ourselves the New Frontier." She rolled up her sleeve to reveal a brand on her arm.
Clementine furrowed her brows. "That looks like it hurt…"
"Nah, it's not that bad…" Ava said. "So what's your name, kid?"
"Why should I tell you?" The child questioned.
"I told you my name. It's only fair you tell me yours." Ava said.
Clementine didn't respond.
"Okay then… I guess that's fine if you don't want to…" Ava said. "Hey...why don't you come with me, meet my people? We have food...blankets...bottled water... Soon as we get out of here, we can head there. I owe you one."
Clementine shook her head. "I only go where my friend goes."
"Have it your way. But you did me a solid here. I won't forget it next time we cross paths." Ava replied.
"How do you know there will be a next time?" Clementine asked.
"I don't. But the world does work in mysterious ways. Anyway… We'll probably be in here a while. Might as well get some rest." Ava said.
Clementine didn't respond as the woman leaned herself again a wall and closed her eyes.
The young girl glanced over to the door, she hoped Molly was okay.
It had been an hour maybe two. Clementine didn't know for sure, but when the child heard someone at the door, she didn't know what to think. She feared for a moment that it might be a naughty person, but when she heard her guardian's voice call, "Open up!" the child jumped to her feet.
The woman stirred awake just in time to see the young girl moving the plank.
"Wh-What are you doing, kid?" Ava asked the girl, looking worried.
"My friend's here!" Clementine said as she dropped the plank
"You can't just open the door, you'll let the dead in!" Ava protested.
Clementine didn't listen as she opened the door. Molly stepped inside and quickly shut the door behind her, she barricaded it with Clementine's help and then sent the stranger in their trailer a suspicious look.
"Molly, you're okay!" Clementine hugged the woman, relieved she was fine.
"Yeah… I had to wait for the geeks to clear out, seeing as though your new friend led them here." Molly huffed.
"I didn't mean to… And uh, sorry to just invade your home like this… I won't be here long." Ava said.
"Yeah, I know you won't." Molly said.
"What did you get?" Clementine asked her guardian.
"Caught rabbit, figured we'd have stew for dinner, but since I had to wait the geeks out, looks like this will be breakfast." Molly said.
"Aw-man, okay…" Clementine replied.
"You guys seem… comfy here… How long have you been here?" Ava asked.
"For a while—"
"Why?" Molly immediately cut Clementine off.
"Relax… I'm just curious. I mean, it's not the best camp." Ava said.
"It's not the best, but we make it work." Molly replied.
"I see, I see. I give you props for that." Ava said.
Silence fell for a moment.
"I have a group… We have a camp, a pretty big one. We're still expanding but if you're interested…" Ava said.
"Interested in what?" Molly asked.
"Coming back with me. Your girl helped me. It's only fair that I return that courtesy. The least we could do is give you some supplies or something…" Ava said.
"We'll think about it…" Molly replied.
Ava nodded. "Fair enough…"
A while passed as they continued for the geeks to clear out. Ava had drifted back to sleep. Molly began preparing the stew, but she was sure it wouldn't be ready for a while.
"What do you wanna do, kid?" Molly asked. "Do you think we can trust her?"
"I don't know…" Clementine said. "I don't know if we can trust anyone else."
"Yeah… Me either…" Molly agreed.
"But…I…I think we should go…" Clementine said. "We might, find the others…."
Molly wasn't thinking about that she knew it was unlikely. But if this woman's group had the food and supplies that would be good for both Clementine and her. "If you think so, then we might give this place a try." For Clementine's sake, she would be willing to at least consider checking the place out.
"I think… If it's okay with you… I'd like to try and…see what this place is like." Clementine said. "Only if you want to. I go where you go. Whatever you think is best."
"Alright then. We'll check this place out." Molly said. "If we see anything we don't like we—"
"Get the hell out of there." Clementine finished.
"Exactly." Molly said.
"Sounds good." Clementine nodded.
When morning came Molly spoke to Ava about her and Clementine's decision. "We made up our mind?"
"Oh? I was just about to ask." Ava said.
"Yeah… We'll take up your offer." Molly said.
"Really?" Ava asked.
"Really." Molly nodded.
"Sounds great." Ava replied.
"I never got your name." Molly said.
"It's Ava, and I heard your girl say your name. Molly, right?"
Molly nodded. "Yeah. I'm Molly, and this is—"
"Clementine." Clementine spoke.
"Nice to meet you two. And thanks again for letting me in." Ava said. "Well… Not exactly letting me in, but for not kicking me out."
"No problem." Molly said.
"Once the herd is gone, my people will find us." Ava said. "Hopefully it won't be too long."
Molly just nodded. She really hoped they were making the right decision.
