Thanks to gaara king of the sand for the help.


Molly felt like her nerves were running wild, but she forced herself to remain calm. The woman walked for a bit until her attention was suddenly drawn by a small whimpering voice.

"Javi? Kate? Gabe?" A child called out. "Anyone?"

Molly quickly realized that must have been Javier's niece, Mariana. As she walked towards the sound of the voice, her thoughts were confirmed. It was in fact Mariana.

The child was looking around and hugging herself, clearly scared and alone.

Molly made her way to the young girl. She couldn't help but be reminded of how Clementine was when she first found the child all alone in Savannah. How far her girl had come since then. Sure, she got scared at times, but she was capable of taking care of herself, and able to survive on her own. Clementine the complete opposite to most children who were more sheltered. It was obvious to Molly that Gabe and Mariana both would struggle on their own.

"Hey," Molly spoke up, announcing her presence to the frighten child, who jumped at the sound of her voice.

"M-Molly…" The girl went over to her. "I-I can't find anyone… I-I'm scared…"

"It's alright. Just stick with me. We're gonna be okay." Molly said.

"Promise?" Mariana asked.

"Yeah. I promise." Molly replied. "Come on. Let's go find the others."

Mariana nodded.

As worried as Molly was, she knew she needed to keep herself together and get this child back to her family. Clementine would be okay…


"We definitely lost them…" Eleanor breathed out.

"We did… But the Muertos aren't the only thing we lost." Kate said. "We need to find the others. The kids. Javi…."

"We will, Kate." Eleanor said. "We'll find them."

"God… What if someone's hurt? What if—"

"Everything's going to be okay." Eleanor said. "We just to keep moving, okay?"

"Y-Yeah…. Yeah, okay… I just hope they're safe." Kate said.

"I'm sure they are." Eleanor said.

"Yeah… You're right." Kate said.

"We're gonna find them, Kate. We just gotta keep moving."

Kate nodded. "Right… Keep moving…"


"Keeping moving forward, kid." Tripp said.

"This is messed up… What if we never find them?" Gabe asked as he followed Tripp.

"We'll find them as long as you stick close and listen to me." Tripp replied.

"I am. I'm just worried. What if they're all dead?" Gabe frowned at the thought.

"They're not dead." Tripp said.

"We don't know that. What if they are?" Gabe asked.

"They're not. Quit overreacting, kid." Tripp responded.

"I'm not overreacting! I'm actually worried about them! Like you should be!" Gabe snapped.

"I am worried but getting all worked up isn't gonna help us find them!" Tripp said. "We need to keep moving so we can find Eleanor and the others!"

"I am moving." Gabe huffed.

"Good. Keep at it." Tripp said.

They walked for a while in silence then Gabe spoke, "Is she your girlfriend?"

"What?"

"Eleanor," Gabe said. "Is she you're girlfriend?"

"I…" Tripp paused. "No… But I care about her, a lot. I want to be sure she's okay…."

"I really hope everyone's okay." Gabe said.

"Me too, kid…"


Clementine groaned as she stirred awake. The child looked around and panic hit her as she realized she had no idea where she was. As she took in her surroundings, she noted she was in some kind of cell. She trembled a bit, forcing herself to her feet. She grabbed the cell bars and called out, "Let me out! Let me out, please!"

She knew it was no use. The child sunk to the floor, whimpering a bit and hoping that these people wouldn't do anything naughty to her.

She flinched when she heard a small groan behind her. She looked and noticed Javier lying unconscious on the ground. Clementine hesitantly went to his side. "Javi, Javi! Javi, wake up! Please!"


"Do you think we'll find them soon?" Mariana asked as she and Molly continued walking.

"I hope so..." Molly said honestly. She was never one for lying just to make someone feel better. So she said what she thought.

"We've been walking for a long time…" Mariana pointed out.

"I know… Just keep up, okay." Molly said.

"Okay…" The child took her hand much like Clementine would do.

The two continued walking for a while until Mariana noticed something from between the trees .

"I think I see something…" Mariana said.

"What is it?" Molly asked.

"People."

Molly looked to see Mariana was right. There were in fact people sitting on the other side of the trees. And taking in Tripp's pacing form, Molly quickly recognized that was their group. "Good eye, kid."

"Thanks." Mariana smiled.

Molly kept Mariana close as the two headed over to the rest of the group members.

"Holy shit! You guys made it." Tripp said as he spotted them.

"Yeah we did. Is everybody okay?" Molly asked.

"For the most part. Nobody's bit." Tripp said.

"Are you two good?" Eleanor asked.

"Yeah. We're fine." Molly said.

Mariana went to hug Kate who hugged back.

"I was so worried. I thought we would never find you." Gabe said as he joined the hug.

Molly looked around and her heart dropped. "Hold on… Where's Clem?"

"I thought she'd be with you." Tripp said.

"No… she's not." Molly said.

"Javi's not here either." Kate said. "She must be with him."

"I'm sure they'll get here soon." Eleanor said.

Molly sighed. "I hope so…"


"Wake up... Please, Javi, wake up." Clementine said as she shook the unconscious man.

Javier's eyes fluttered after a bit and soon opened. "Clem?"

"Thank God." Clementine said.

Javier groaned and sat up. "Clem are you okay."

The child shook her head. "N-No..."

"What's wrong? Where are we?" Javier asked.

"I don't know... they locked us in here..." Clementine said.

Javier frowned as he noticed the bruise on the child's face. "What did they do to you?"

"I... I tried to get away after they hit you with that gun, but the guy hit me too... I woke up in here..." Clementine explained.

"Damn it…"

"…I'm scared…" Clementine admitted.

"Don't be. We're gonna get out of here. We'll be okay..." Javier said.

Clementine hoped he was right.


"We can't just sit around anymore. We need to head back…" Tripp said.

Molly shook her head. "Are you out of your mind? My girl is still out there."

"So is Javier. We can't just leave them." Kate said.

"Well they're not here, all right… and there's a good chance they're not showing up. I think we should head back to Prescott plan from there." Tripp said.

"Hold on, we can't just leave without them." Eleanor argued. "It's not right."

"We don't have much choice. We can't stay out here like this." Tripp replied.

"We can't just leave them either!" Gabe said.

"We're not leaving them. For all we know they probably already got back to Prescott." Tripp said. "Maybe we'll see them there and if they're not there then we'll send somebody to go looking for them."

"You said if Clem and I didn't come back you weren't sending a search party to look for us, that it was too risky." Molly reminded.

"I know what I said…but I don't feel comfortable leaving a little kid out there. So if we get back to Prescott and they're not there I'll send out search party to find them." Tripp said.

"Fine…" Molly sighed.

"Come on. Let's get moving…" Tripp said.

The others obliged.

Tripp sighed, "I knew I had a bad feeling about this trip…"


"What do we do?" Clementine asked, hoping Javier would have a plan.

"We got to find a way out of here." Javier said.

Clementine huffed, "I know that but how?"

"We'll figure something out." Javier said. "Just stay calm okay."

"I'm trying and I'm struggling…" Clementine lowered her head. "I just want Molly."

"And we're going to find her. I want to get back to my family too." Javier said.

"I hope it's soon…"

"We just gotta figure a way out of here…" Javier said.

"Okay…"

Javier went over to the gate and banged against it. "Hey. Hey! Open up!"

Clementine joined him. "Let us out of here please! Let us out!"

The two continued to bang against the gate trying to find a weak spot but it was no use.

"That's not gonna work. Just shut the hell up, both of you." A guard spat at them.

Clementine looked to Javier, with fear in her eyes. "W-What now?"

"I'll… I'll think of something. Just give me some time." Javier said.

"Please hurry… I just wanna go home…" Clementine said.

Javier could tell the poor girl was scared, "We will… Everything's going to be okay kid. We're gonna be okay."


When the group got back to Prescott they began to search for Javier and Clementine. Unfortunately, it didn't seem like either of them have made it back to town.

Molly was concerned and immediately wrapped with panic. She searched all throughout the town but there was no sign of her girl.

Tripp could tell she was on the verge of freaking out.

"I got to find her. I got to go back out and find her." Molly said.

"You can't go alone, Molly."

"My girl is out there, and I need to bring her back." Molly replied.

"Alright, I'll put together search party, and have them head out tomorrow." Tripp said.

"I can't wait that long, Tripp." Molly replied.

"You shouldn't go alone either. It's not safe." Tripp said.

"I'll talk to the others. I'll put together my own search party. But I'm going to find my girl tonight." Molly said.

Tripp sighed, but didn't protest. He knew Molly was stubborn. There was no stopping her.


Both Clementine and Javier had been trying to find a way out of the cell for what felt like forever. The two couldn't get the cage open however no matter how hard they tried.

"Why won't you just LET US GO?!" Clementine exclaimed.

"Enough of all that. Lilly wants to see you." One of the guards said.

"What?" Javier asked.

"Lilly. She'll be the one to carry out your execution." The guard said.

"E-Execution?" Javier stuttered.

Clementine felt her heart dropped as the guards pulled them from the cell and began to lead them down the hall.


"What do you mean she's missing?" Kenny asked.

"We got separated." Molly replied.

"See this is why you never should have brought her with you!" Christa snapped.

"Would you get off my back for once, Christa?" Molly shot back.

"Why should I? That little girl is lost because of you!" Christa retorted.

"Because you wouldn't have done any better with her!" Molly said. "I'm going to find her..."

"You can't go alone, Molly." Shel said. "I'll go with you."

"I can come too." Becca spoke up.

"No, Becca. Stay here." Shel said.

"But I can help you." Becca said.

"I want to go too. Clem's is our friend." Sarah said.

"It's too risky girls... Stay here where it's safe." Vince said. "I'll go."

"This is bullshit." Becca scoffed.

"Becca..." Shel frowned.

The teen however stood, "You guys want to treat us like little fucking kids, but Clementine is allowed to do whatever the hell she wants! It's not fair. She's the actually little kid! I'll be seventeen soon!"

"That's not true." Shel said.

"It is fucking true!" With that the teen stormed off.

"Becca!" Shel stood ready to go after her sister.

"Let her go, Shel..." Vince said. "She just needs to cool off."

"Well, I'm going too. I need to make sure Clem's okay."

"No… Clementine wouldn't want you to go… Not if there's a chance you might run into Lilly."

"Screw Lilly, I wanna go help Clementine!" Kenny said.

"I'll bring her back, Kenny…" Molly said.

"You're the one who let her get lost!" Christa said.

"I didn't let anything happen!" Molly snapped. "I'm getting sick of this, Christa!"

"And I'm sick of you constantly putting that little girl in danger." Christa said. "I'll go find her."

"No… I don't need anyone else to come." Molly said.

"That's not your choice to make." Kenny argued.

"It is." Molly said then turned to Shel and Vince. "We leave tonight. I don't want to wait too long. We need to get that kid back."

The two nodded.

Molly ignored the others' protest and offers to come along. "I'll ask Tripp to use the truck and we'll leave as soon as I get the go ahead."

"Alright…" Vince said.


They were dragged to a room at the end of the hall.

And from the inside they could hear voices.

"I don't care. Stealing is the same as slitting someone's throat while they sleep. We can't allow it." Came a voice, familiar to Clementine.

"But one of them is a child, Lilly. A little girl." One of the guards protested.

"Well since she wanted to take adult actions, she'll receive adult consequences. If you're squeamish leave the room." Lilly said.

Javier and Clementine were forced into the room and Clementine's eyes widened as she caught sight of Lilly.

"Oh my God... It's really you." Clementine gasped.

Lilly looked shocked as well as she spotted the child. "...Clementine you've grown..."

"I... Yes..." The child muttered.

"Holy shit. You know her too?" Badger asked.

"Yeah. I do..." Lilly said.

"It's nice to see you again, Clementine."

"I wish I could say the same…" Clementine said. "Why are you doing this Lilly?"

"Doing what?" Lilly asked.

"This…These attacks… You're ruining people's lives, you know that don't you?" Clementine said.

"I'm not ruining anything. I'm saving people." Lilly replied.

"It doesn't look that way to me." Clementine responded.

"You're a child. You don't know what you're talking about." Lilly said. "You know, I didn't want to involve you at first… but looking at you now, I can tell you're different you've changed. You're not that same little girl I knew from the Motor Inn."

"You've changed too… But not in a good way." Clementine said.

"Everything's not all about good or bad, Clementine." Lilly said. "So can I ask you something?"

"You already did." Clementine scoffed.

Lilly shook her head at the child's remark. "Smart mouth…"

Clementine didn't respond.

"Where's Lee?" Lilly asked.

"That's none of your business." Clementine shot her a glare at the question.

"He's not with you… so he's dead?" Lilly continued.

"Don't talk about him! Don't ever say his name!" Clementine snapped.

"Watch your tone with me. I brought you in here expecting to put a bullet in your head, but because of our past I'm giving you a pass." Lilly said.

Clementine huffed at that.

"Where is this Molly person? I keep hearing about her." Lilly said. "Heard a lot about the both of you."

"Not here." Clementine simply said.

"That's too bad. I would've liked to meet her…" Lilly said.

"Trust me… You don't want to meet her. It won't be pleasant when you do." Clementine replied.

Lilly chuckled at that. "I can tell whoever looked after you… they taught you how to be tough… So I'm going to make you an offer."

"What offer?" Clementine asked.

"Join us and we'll make sure you're comfortable. You'll have everything you need." Lilly said.

"I don't need anything from you." Clementine said.

"You might think you're good now. But here I can guarantee you'll always be safe. You'll always have people who have your back with you. You won't have to worry about anything. Just say yes…" Lilly said.

Clementine shook her head. "I won't help you kill people."

"Don't think of it like that, Clementine. Think of it as population control. Ridding the world of nuisances, to create a better place." Lilly replied.

"I don't care what you call it. It's still murder." Clementine said.

"Now that's where you're wrong. I haven't murdered anyone. I think you should consider my offer, so I'm gonna give you more time to think about it. I'm sure eventually you'll come around." Lilly said.

Clementine shook her head. "I'm done talking."

"Fine…" Lilly said. "Take the girl go back to her cell, let her sit there and think for a while."

"What about him?" Badger motioned to Javier.

"You can take him to hang." Lilly said.

"Alright—"

Suddenly the door barged open and a distraught David entered, "Javi!"

Javier's eyes widened. "David?"

"Hold on, you know him?!" Badger asked.

"I do." David confirmed.

"Well, your reunion will have to be cut short… He needs to receive his consequences." Lilly said.

"I can't let you do that!" David spoke up.

Lilly looked to him. "Why not, David?"

"Because he's my damn brother!" David said.

Everyone was shocked to hear that.

Lilly hummed. "Really?"

David nodded. "Really."

Lilly paused then spoke, "Alright. Take them both back to the cell."

"But he stole from us Lilly." Badger said.

"Do what I say now." Lilly ordered.

The guards didn't protest as they begin to drag the two prisoners back to their cell.


"As much as I don't agree with you leaving tonight, I'm not going to stop it. I know that your girl is important more than anything else to you and I understand. I really hope you find her." Tripp said, having agreed to let them use a vehicle.

"I'm going to." Molly said.

"Javier's family is worried as hell too. Bring them both back." Tripp said.

"I will." Molly said.

"Be careful, all of you." Tripp said.

"Thanks Tripp." Vince said.

Before long the three set out and being to drive off

"We won't be able to see much. It's getting dark." Shel said.

"I don't care. I gotta find her." Molly said.

"And we will find her, Molly. Just calm down." Shel said.

"I can't calm down… Not when she's out there. Anything could happen to her," Molly said.

"She'll be fine, I'm sure." Shel said.

"Any ideas where she might be?" Vince asked.

"I know where one of their camps are. We should check there…" Molly said.

"Who?" Vince asked.

"The New Frontier." Molly said.

"Fuck… You really think New Frontier has her?" Vince frowned that just made the situation even more urgent.

"That's my guess…"

"Dammit…" Vince said. "Alright then…Let's find this camp of theirs."

"Okay…" Molly muttered. Silently hoping to herself that her girl was okay.


"We gotta get out of here." Clementine was pacing back and forcing. "We have to get out of here…"

"At least we know she's not going to kill us." Javier muttered.

Clementine looked to him. "For now, but that doesn't mean she won't change her mind. We can't stick around to find out."

"Yeah you're right." Javier agreed.

"We just need a plan." Clementine said.

"I'm trying to come up with one…" Javier said.

"We can't give up now. We're as good as dead if we do!" Clementine said.

"I know kid." Javier said.

"And- And we got to get back to Molly and your family I'm sure they're worried…" Clementine added.

"I'm sure they are too." Javier said. "Here, help me look around. There might be something in here we missed.

The two started to look around but after several moments they still couldn't find anything useful.

"It's no used. We're gonna be trapped in here forever…" Clementine frowned.

"No kid, We won't… We're gonna get out of here…"

"How?"

"I don't know yet, but we will… For now… we should get some rest figure something out in the morning…" Javier said.

"I guess…" Clementine said, though she knew she wouldn't be falling to sleep.

As the two laid down to try to rest Clementine caught sight of a vent. This gave the child an idea she hoped would work…


Molly and the others watched a campsite from afar, seeing people talking and laughing.

Molly huffed. "We have to do something,"

"Like what?" Shel asked.

"Go down there and take them out." Molly said.

"That sounds like a good way to get yourself shot." Vince said.

"You have any better ideas?" Molly asked him.

"Not yet but we need to be smart about this. We can't just be reckless." Vince said.

"My girl is out there. And those people know where she is." Molly said.

"And what if you're wrong?" Shel asked.

"What?" Molly asked back.

"What if they don't have your girl?" Shel asked.

"They have to. Who else would?" Molly said.

"I don't know, but what if we go down there and kill them all, just to find out they never had Clementine then we're screwed." Shel said. "So we have to be smart about this."

"Alright then. What do we do?" Molly asked.

"I say we wait till they fall asleep and then we sneak in there. Grab one of them, probably the guy on watch, and we can ask him a thing or two about where Clem is." Vince suggested.

Shel nodded in agreement. "Sounds good to me."

"Hopefully it works." Molly sighed.


"Javi, are you awake?" Clementine called after a while of lying in a silent darkness.

"Yeah kid. Are you okay?" Javier asked.

"I can't sleep…" Clementine said.

"Me either…" Javier admitted.

"Do you think they're looking for us?" Clementine asked.

"Huh?"

"Molly and others… do you think they're looking for us?" Clementine questioned.

"I'm sure they are, Clem."

"Oh… Part of me hopes they are, but another part of me hopes they don't…" Clementine said.

Javier sighed, "I know how you feel…"

"I just don't want them to get hurt." Clementine said.

"Nobody's going to get hurt." Javier said.

"You can't promise that…" Clementine said.

"I know but I'll do my best to make sure nobody gets hurt…" Javier replied.

Clementine was silent for a while. However, she suddenly muttered, "…I'm sorry…"

Javier wasn't expecting that and asked back, "For what?"

"For getting us into this mess… I didn't know which way to go. I should have told you…" Clementine said.

"It's okay kid." Javier said.

Clementine shook her head, although she knew he couldn't see through the darkness of the cell. "It's not okay…"

"I'm not mad, Clem." Javier said.

"But you should be." Clementine said. "It was a naughty thing to do. I'm naughty."

"You're not naughty, kid. Look, Clementine no matter what happens, we're in this together."

"So… if you find a way out do you swear you won't leave me behind?" Clementine asked.

"Of course not. I promise you I won't—"

"Don't promise… Please… Promises always get broken." Clementine said.

"I swear, I would never leave you behind kid." Javier said.

Clementine was a bit relieved to hear that response. "Thank you…"

"Of course. We're a team now." Javier said.

Clementine gave a tiny smile. "Yeah, we are."


Molly, Vince, and Shel waited until the people had turned in to sleep.

They had their sights set on the person keeping watch. However, when they noticed someone else get up and announce he was "going to take a piss", they switched target.

"Watch my back." Molly said.

Vince and Shel nodded.

Molly snuck after the man who had walked away from the group and was standing by a tree.

Molly managed to sneak behind him just as he was about to unzip his pants, she grabbed him pressing a knife to his neck. "Don't do anything stupid or I'll slit your throat from ear to ear."

"Wh-What do you want?" The man stammered.

"You're gonna come with me. And answer a few questions." Molly said. "Walk?"

The man obliged and Molly led him back to the vehicle where he was met by Shel's and Vince's guns.

"Please... What do you want?" The man asked.

"I want to know where my girl is." Molly said.

"I- I don't know what you're talking about." The man lied.

Molly called his bluff, "Don't lie to me. I don't like being fucked with. Now talk unless you want to die."

"Okay! Okay!" The man exclaimed feeling the knife press deeper against his neck. "They took them to the slaughterhouse!"

"The what?!" Vince asked.

"The slaughterhouse." The man repeated.

"Fuck... Let's go. You're gonna show us where my girl is." Molly said.

"Just let me go," The man said.

"Not happening. Get in the damn car." Molly shoved him forward.

"They'll come for me; you know." The man claimed.

"And we'll be long gone before then. Now. Get in." Molly replied, forcing the man to oblige.


They had been driving for a while when Molly spoke, "How much gas do we got?"

"We're good on gas..." Vince called back.

"Fuck... Molly, we got walkers up ahead." Shel noticed.

"What do you wanna do?" Vince asked.

"We might have to stay put and wait them out." Shel said.

"Or we ditch the car and walk. We can probably sneak around them." Vince said.

"It'll be hard to see in the dark." Shel pointed out.

"We'll manage." Vince said.

Molly looked to the man beside her who they had since tied up. "How far is this place?"

The man groaned.

"Answer me!" Molly snapped.

"A- A few miles!"

"Alright then. Let's start walking. Keep the keys Vince." Molly said.

Vince nodded. "Got it."

They got out of the car and Molly looked to their hostage.

"Try anything and you're geek food." Molly said. "Let's go."


"Wake up."

Clementine rubbed her eyes and groaned a bit, "Hmm?"

"Wake up…" Ava repeated. "I brought you both breakfast."

Clementine looked to the woman with surprise. "Ava?"

"Yeah. Nice to see you again kid… Even though I wish it was in better circumstances." Ava said, offering the girl a plate of food. Under the cage.

"Nice to see you too…" Clementine said. "And… I'm not hungry…"

"How did you get yourself into this? Where's Molly?" Ava asked.

"We… We got split up…"

"It's my fault…" Javier spoke as he sat up, "They were helping me out and we were attacked by your group."

"That's unfortunate…" Ava said.

"It's not his fault. It was my fault… I'm just naughty…" Clementine said.

Both Ava and Javier frowned at that.

"You're not naughty kid…" Javier said.

"Lucky for you two, I'm here to help you out. You're David's brother, right?" Ava asked.

Javier nodded. "Yeah, that's right.

"Well I owe it to him, and I owe it to Molly." Ava said.

"You're actually going to help us?" Javier asked.

"As much as I can anyway." Ava said.

"As much as you can? Can't you just let us out?" Javier questioned.

Ava shook her head. "It's not that simple. I wish it was…"

"What do you mean?" Javier asked. "Why can't you just unlock the cell? Tell them we attacked you and took the key ourselves."

"I don't have the key. Lilly keeps the keys in the back room. And she locks the door when she leaves the room and I'm pretty sure she leaves it in there…" Ava said.

"I think I have an idea." Clementine spoke up. "I just need you to keep an eye on Lilly, and tell me when she leaves that room."


The group managed to sneak around herd. It was now around dawn and they had continued walking.

"I... gotta go please." The man suddenly spoke.

"I already told you, you're not going anywhere." Molly snapped.

"Please. To take a piss." The man said.

Molly rolled her eyes at that. "You better not be fucking with me."

"Want me to take him?" Vince asked.

"I got it." Molly said. "Not gonna chance him running off."

She led the man a bit away from Shel and Vince.

"Hurry the fuck up. We don't have time for this shit."

The man didn't respond but a few seconds later another voice spoke, from behind Molly.

"That looks like an invasion of privacy."

Molly felt a gun press to her back and sighed.

"That things not a toy. Now drop it before you hurt yourself." The stranger spoke.

"Don't do this." Molly said.

"Is what you're doing any better? Drop the knife."

Molly hesitantly but did so.

"Good. Not turn around. Slowly."

Molly started to do so, the man they had hostage took the opportunity to start running. Molly immediately elbowed the stranger who was behind her and wrestled his gun away. She fired, shooting her hostage in the shoulder to stop him, but he continued on.

She called to Shel and Vince as she tried to shoot him again, only for the stranger to grab her and began a struggle for the gun. During their struggle, the man managed to escape.

Shel and Vince rushed over holding the man at gunpoint.

"Damn it! Look what you did! You let him get away!" Molly snapped.

"For good reason! You people were keeping him hostage." The stranger said.

"Because his people are keeping my girl hostage. He knew where she was!" Molly snapped.

"Hold on…So, you're not part of the New Frontier?" The Stranger asked.

A Chorus of "no" erupted from the group

"Oh shit..." The stranger muttered.


"What are you thinking, kid?" Ava asked the little girl.

"There's a vent in here. There's one in Lilly's office too. If we can open it up, I can probably crawl through get the key." Clementine said.

"That's actually pretty good idea." Javier said.

Clementine smiled at that. "Thanks."

"But how are we going to get it open?" Javier asked.

"Well… do either of you have a coin on you?" Clementine asked back.

"Actually… yeah I do." Javier said.

"Really?" Clementine asked.

"Yep." Javier dug in his pocket and pulled out a coin. "Here.

"This will work." Clementine said. "But you're gonna have to unlock it. I can't reach it."

"Got it." Javier said.

Clementine looked to Ava, "Ava, just let me know when her office is empty. And make sure the other side of the vent is unlocked."

Ava nodded. "Sure thing, kid."


"I'm so sorry about that." The stranger said, looking remorseful. "I have no idea…"

"Maybe next time, it will be better to mind your own damn business!" Molly snapped.

"I'm sorry. Look… from where I was standing it looked like you guys had a hostage. I saw you walking for a while and concern got the best of me." The stranger said.

"Well you were concerned for the wrong person. Now how am I supposed to find my girl?" Molly inquired.

"Where are you guys heading?" The stranger asked.

Molly glared at him, "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"I want to help." The stranger said.

"You've done enough…" Molly said.

"We're heading to a slaughterhouse. That's where you said they're keeping them. Her girl and some guy name Javier." Shel answered.

Molly shoot Shel a look.

"Slaughterhouse?" The stranger asked.

"Property of the New Frontier." Vince said.

"Well… I think I know where that is." The stranger said.

"You do?" Molly asked.

"Yeah. To make up for my mistake I'll take you guys there." The stranger said.

"How do we know we can trust you?" Molly asked.

"You don't have to trust me. But if your kid is out there, I want to help. At least make something right. That's no place for a kid are you in or are you out?" The stranger said.

The three were silent for a moment but Shel answered.

"We're in." Shel said.

"Great… The name is Paul, but feel free to call me "Jesus"."

"Jesus?" Shel asked.

"That's right." Jesus said.

"I'm Shel, this is Vince and Molly—"

"Save the introductions, we have a kid to find." Molly huffed.

"Okay… Let's get moving…" Jesus said. "This way…"

The others exchanged looks but followed him.


"Try to be fast. The last thing we need is a guard sneaking up on us." Clementine spoke as she looked peer between the bars of their cell.

"I got it kid." Javier said as he used the coin to loosen the screws on the vent while Clementine kept watch.

After a few moments Clementine called, "How's it going over there Javi?"

"Working on it." Javier said.

"Well, hurry up." Clementine said, trying her best to keep calm. "I think I hear someone coming."

"It's almost done." Javier said.

"Hurry…" Clementine said.

"Going as fast as I can, kid." Javier replied.

"Not fast enough, Javi."

"Just keep an eye on that door, okay." Javier said, remaining calm despite the child's urgency and pestering.

"Okay…"

After a few moments Javier spoke, "Okay. It's open."

"Thank God." Clementine sighed in relief. "Now we just wait for the signal."

"Hopefully we get that soon I don't want to spend another minute in here." Javier said.

"Neither do I. This place sucks." Clementine said.

Javier couldn't agree more. "Yeah, it really does."


"This way. Shouldn't be far now." Jesus urged them forward.

"It better not be." Molly said.

"Molly, right?" Jesus said. "Look, I'm sorry I messed up, but I really wish you would lose that attitude."

"We could have been there, if not for you. If my girl is hurt, we know who to blame." Molly said.

"You can't blame me for anything they did. And I'm sure we'll get there before anything bad happens." Jesus replied.

"We better." Molly said.

"Settle down, Molly." Vince sighed.

"Don't tell me to settle down. I'm pissed." Molly said.

"I know how you feel… but it's not going to help anything. Let's just keep moving…" Vince said.

Shel put hand on Molly's shoulder to reassure her. "We'll find her okay,"

"Thank you." Molly said.


"Clementine," Ava called, approaching the cell after she made sure the coast was clear. "She's out of the office. So whatever you're going to do, do it now."

"What about the vent?" Clementine asked.

"It's open. Just hurry up." Ava said.

"How did you get it open without Lilly noticing?" Clementine questioned.

"I had David distract her while I opened it." Ava replied.

"Wait, David's helping us?" Clementine was surprised to hear that.

"Well… his brother's here, and he still cares about you and Molly. Despite what he did…" Ava said.

"I find that hard to believe." Clementine scoffed.

"He does, Clem." Ava said.

Clementine didn't respond.

"Look, we don't have much time here, so hurry it up." Ava said.

Okay, okay." Clementine looked to Javier. "Boost me."

The man did so, helping her into the vent. "Clementine."

"Yeah?"

"Be careful."

"I will."

With that the child moved the vent cover and crawled through.

The girl felt her heart pounding as her nerves were everywhere. She continued through the vent peeking through the tiny cracks to see where she was. She could see into other cells and saw other people detained inside. She knew what fate awaited them... she wanted to help them.

The girl soon found herself in the back room which was empty.

The child quickly began searching around for the key. She checked the tables but found nothing.

Then she suddenly noticed a jacket slung over a chair. She checked the jacket pockets and felt the cold metal. "Bingo." She pulled the keys out and rushed her way over to the vent, crawling back inside.

As she started back to the cell, she froze as she heard familiar voices.

"Oh Mike, stop it." A woman said.

"I'm serious." Mike said.

"There's no way that's true."

"Come on, Bonnie. Would I lie to you?"

Clementine felt her breathing pick up upon hearing them. Her stomach hurt. Her heart pounded and she felt her chest tightening to the point that it actually hurt. Air...She needed air.

Her mind went blank as she tried to recall what she needed to do. And she struggled to remind herself to breathe. Breathe. BREATHE!


Javier felt panic hit him. Clementine had yet to return. He was worried about the girl from the second she left and with each passing minute his worries increased.

He found himself anxiously pacing and hoping nothing bad had happened to the child.

"Come on, Clem... Please be okay..." He hoped she would get back there soon.


Clementine struggled to regain her calm. Although her nerves were picking away at her resolve to not let fear and panic sink in. She clutched her little hands into palms, the feel of the key quickly reminding her to get moving.

The child proceeded to force herself to the end of the vent and back to the cell where Javier was pacing fretfully.

"J-Javi..." The child gasped out.

"Clementine, thank God. Are you okay?"

The child couldn't get herself to respond.

Javier quickly noticed the child was struggling to draw in breath. "Hey, hey… It's okay, Clem."

The child just continued to gasp for breath, Javier didn't know what to do.

"Clem look at me. You're safe…" Javier tried to comfort her.

The child was clearly having a panic attack, and Javier wondered what had triggered it. He gently touched her shoulder and the girl tensed up. "It's okay… You're okay… Just breathe in through nose and out through your mouth."

The girl did as he said, but it was a struggle.

"That's it…" Javier noticed she was clutching the key tightly in her tiny palm and gently eased it out her hand so she wouldn't hurt herself. "Breathe, In through your nose and out through your mouth…"

Clementine once again obliged.

"Good. Good. Another deep breath, kid. You're doing good." Javier said.

Clementine allowed herself to be coached and soon found her breathing returned to normal. "I'm sorry…"

"You have nothing to be sorry for… Are you okay? You're not gonna pass out, right?" Javier asked.

"I'm not going to pass out." Clementine said.

"Good…" Javier said. "What happened, Clem?"

Clementine dipped her head down, "I… I heard people… People I know…"

"Other than Lilly?" Javier asked.

The child nodded. "Yeah…"

Javier figured these were people she didn't want to see based off her reaction.

"I'm scared…" Clementine said. "I just want to get out of here."

"And we will. Trust me…" Javier said.

Clementine frowned, fighting back tears. "I want Molly."

"I know you do kid… We're gonna get you back to her. Just trust me…" Javier said. "Can you do that? Can you trust me?"

Clementine nodded.

"Good. No one is gonna hurt you. We're gonna be okay." Javier reassured her.

"Can we leave now?" Clementine asked.

"We gotta lay low for a bit. But we'll leave tonight. Just try to rest for a bit." Javier said.

Clementine nodded. "…Okay…"


A while passed before Ava made her way to check on them. Clementine had fallen asleep as they waited for a good time to escape.

"Did she get it?" Ava asked.

"Yeah, she did." Javier nodded.

"Great. I knew she could do it." Ava smiled.

"Yeah..." Javier said.

Ava saw his bothered expression and ask, "You okay?"

"I am..." Javier glanced to Clementine.

Ava noticed this. "Is... she okay?"

"No..." Javier replied. "She needs to get out of here. She needs Molly."

"Yeah..." Ava sighed. "The guards switch shifts every hour. It takes a few minutes for everyone to get to their post. That's your window to get the hell out of here. Don't waste it."

"Got it." Javier said. "Can I ask you something…"

Ava nodded.

"Why are you helping us?" Javier asked.

"Clem saved my life... I owe it to her and Molly..." Ava said. "Plus, David and I, we go way back..."

"I appreciate it." Javier said.

"Don't thank me, just promise me you'll get that girl back to Molly." Ava said.

"I promise."

"Good." Ava said. "Gotta go. Keep your heads down until then."

"Will do." Javier said.


The group had been forced to come to yet another stop as they noticed a camp up ahead.

"That must be another one of their camps." Shel said.

"Looks that way." Jesus said.

"So that slaughterhouse must be close." Vince said.

"Question is how are we gonna get pass them?" Jesus said.

"We take them out one by one." Molly said.

"De-ja-vu, huh?" Shel sighed. "We need to be smart about this. They outnumber us. They have guns, and if they shoot us we're done for. They'll make off with Clem and all this will be for nothing. You know you can be pretty reckless when you're worried."

"So… We need an actual plan. Preferably one that won't get us killed." Jesus said.

"We'll find a way to sneak around." Vince said.

"If we can find a way…" Shel sighed.


"Javi?" Clementine called as she stirred awake.

"Yeah, kid. I'm here." Javier said.

"Okay... I was just making sure you haven't left me." Clementine said.

"I'm not gonna leave you Clem. I promise." Javier said.

"Good…" Clementine muttered. "…It's been a day... since we've been in here."

"Yeah..."

"And no one's found us yet..." The child said. "Maybe they think we're dead…"

"Don't say that." Javier said.

"Why? They haven't found us. There must be a reason... Or... maybe they just gave up. Maybe Molly didn't want me anymore because I'm naughty." Clementine said.

"You're not naughty kid. Why do you call yourself that?" Javier asked.

"Because I am."

"No, you're not. Where did you even learn that word?" Javier asked.

"From Carver." Clementine replied.

"Who's Carver?"

"...A bad man..."

"What did he...do?"

Clementine didn't respond, but Javier could tell from her expression that something awful had happened to the girl. Something no kid should ever go through.

"Clem-"

"Oh my God... It's really true!" A woman exclaimed walking toward their cell.

Clementine jumped at the voice.

"Clementine, it's really you!" The redhead smiled a bright smile.

Clementine froze, feeling her stomach drop. "G-Go away."

"W-What?" The woman's smile quickly shifted into a frown.

"I said go away." Clementine repeated.

"Don't be like that Clem... I wanted to talk to you..." Bonnie said.

"She doesn't want to talk to you." Javier spoke up. "Just leave her alone.

"But why not?" Bonnie frowned. "Clementine, it's been so long... I'm… I'm just glad you're safe. "

"If you're glad then let me out." Clementine said. "Let us out."

Mike and Bonnie exchanged looks.

"We can't do that Clem." Mike frowned.

"Why not? Even if we wanted to, we don't have the key." Mike said.

"Plus we'd be shot on the spot." Bonnie said.

"How did you end up with the New Frontier." Clementine inquired.

"We went to that town, but… There wasn't much there. We needed supplies, so… we moved on. Eventually we joined up with Lilly and some other people..." Bonnie said.

"And now you go around ruining lives." Clementine huffed.

"It's not like that, Clem..." Bonnie said.

Clementine shot her a look. "You're no better than Carver."

"Clem..."

"Where's Luke. Is he here? I wanna see him." Clementine said.

"He's back with the others." Mike said.

"The others where?" Clementine said.

"At the Delt—"

Bonnie cut him off, "Mike hush!"

Clementine rose a brow at that. "Where?

"Nowhere, Clem. It's nothing." Bonnie said.

Clementine huffed at that. "Fine...Just go away please. I don't want to talk anymore."

Mike and Bonnie frowned at that but proceeded to head to their assigned post.

"Are you okay, Clem?" Javier asked.

"Yeah... I just... they bring back bad memories." Clementine said.

"I'm sorry kid." Javier said.

"It's fine..." Clementine sighed.

Javier looked through the open bars of the cell. "Looks like their switching post... Get ready... It's time to get out of here."

Clementine perked up at that.

The two waited as the guards were switching with no one watching the cells Javier quickly unlocked their cell. "Come on."

"Wait... what about the other cells...?" Clementine asked.

"Huh?"

"There's people here. We can't just leave them. They kill them..." Clementine said.

"Yeah... You're right..." Javier nodded. "…I hope this isn't a mistake."

Javier proceeded to unlock the next cell...then the next...


Ava made her way towards Javier and Clementine's cell as they switched shift. She had purposely offered to keep watch on the cells next so she could guarantee their escape. But as she walked to their cell and finds it empty to her surprise and alarm, she sees other empty cells as. Realization hit her as she realized they must have freed several other prisoners in the process of their escape.

The woman swore when suddenly she found herself grabbed from behind a knife held to her throat. She fights off her attacker, managing to disarm him and toss him to the ground. She flinched when she heard gunshots in the distance. The others were probably shooting at the escaped prisoners. She just hoped Clementine and Javier got away.


"Come on, Clem hurry!" Javier took her hand as they sprinted forward.

"I hear shooting." Clementine said.

"I hear it too. Keep moving kid." Javier said.

After their escape, they had attempted to encourage the other prisoners to come with them, but the people planned to fight instead.

Javier knew they couldn't chance it and took off. He just hoped David and Ava would be okay. He hadn't expected their actions to evoke a shootout.

"Keep moving kid. We're gonna be okay..."


After managing to sneak around the camp, the group continued on but were surprised to hear gunshots.

"Oh shit!" Vince muttered.

"Is that coming from that slaughterhouse?" Molly asked.

"Sounds that way…" Jesus said.

"Fuck! Fuck! We gotta get Clem, now!" Molly said. "Come on!"

The group began to run forward, hoping that Clementine and Javier were okay.


They ran for several minutes before Javier suddenly stopped as he caught sight of people coming towards them. "Oh fuck..."

"Wait!" Clementine grabbed his sleeve. "It's Molly!"

"You sure?" Javier asked.

Clementine nodded releasing his sleeve.

"Molly!" Clementine rushes forward as Javier tries to stop her.

"Clementine!" Molly exclaimed.

The girl hugged her guardian.

"God...you're okay..." Molly hugged her back. "We heard the gunshot and thought... I'm so glad you're okay."

"You must be Javier." Shel said as she spotted him.

"Yeah." Javier nodded.

"Shel. This is Vince and—"

Vince interrupted. "Pardon my french What the fuck happened?"

"Ava...and my brother helped us escape." Javier said.

"Your brother?" Molly rose a brow.

"David." Javier said.

"Hmm... Now that you say that... I can kind of see the resemblance." Molly said.

Clementine meanwhile hugged Shel and Vince.

"Yeah... they helped us out." Javier said.

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

"I'm sure they are, Clem. They're tough." Molly then noticed the girl's bruised face and felt anger course through her as she hugs the child again.

"I'm glad you got out of there Clem." Shel said.

"Me too." Clementine said. "I hated it there."

"I hate to interrupt. But can we have this conversation somewhere else? I'm sure we're not the only ones who heard the gunshots. That group from the camp probably heard them too. We should get moving before we get caught." Jesus said.

Upon seeing the new man Clementine felt a bit nervous. She gently took Molly's hand. "You're not... naughty, right?

"No kid. I'm not..." The man said. "I didn't mean to scare you. The name's Jesus…"

"I'm Clementine… I… hope you're not naughty." Clementine said.

"I'm not." Jesus said.

Clementine still opted to stick close to Molly.

"Come on. Let's get moving." Vince said.

As they made the way back to the van Clementine stuck to Molly like glue.

"Was Javier good to you?" Molly asked.

"Uh-huh… He didn't try to fuck me or anything!" Clementine replied.

Molly cringed at that. "You shouldn't talk that way, kiddo."

When Javier heard the child's words he felt sick to his stomach as it quickly dawned on him what she had been through.

"But it's true…" Clementine said.

"Just... don't talk like that..." Molly said.

"Hold on, why is she talking like that?" Jesus inquired. "I feel like she shouldn't even know what that means."

"She's... been through a lot..." Molly said.

"Obviously..." Jesus said.

"I said it, because it's true! Javi didn't try to fuck me. He's not like Carver or other naughty men." Clementine said. "I hope you're not naughty either."

Jesus frowned at that, feeling bad for the girl. "I'm assure you, I'm not kid..."

Molly sighed and changed the subject, "Did you see David?"

"No... I did talk to Lilly though... She is the same Lilly I knew... she tried to make me stay." Clementine said. "Kenny's not gonna be happy when he finds out."

"No way you would stay with that woman or her evil group." Molly said.

"No way." Clementine said. "But… I saw other people too... I saw Mike and Bonnie."

Molly stopped in her tracks upon hearing that. Shel and Vince also look shocked.

"You saw who?" Vince asked.

"Mike and Bonnie. Luke wasn't with them. They said he was at some place called "the dell- something." Clementine said.

"The Delta? That's another group I've heard of." Jesus said.

"Really?" Molly asked, her eyes growing wide.

"What are you thinking Molly?" Shel asked.

"That Lilly might be in charge of more than one group." Molly answered.

"You think so?" Vince asked.

"Possibly. I'm just glad you're okay, Clem…" Molly said. "Come on. Let's go home. We'll talk about things there."

The others agreed and they continued towards the van.