The group trailed across the snowy white path. To their right, blocked off by a small stone wall was an open field. To their left was the usual forest. It was a few hours since they all left the observation deck, the sun was still in the sky but they had been traveling for a few hours now.
When everybody's exhaustion had worn off, they all agreed to start making their way to Wellington. That was Kenny's idea at least. Rebecca seemed to be pale, Luke suggested to wait one more day but the woman insisted that she was fine. At first when she gave birth to the baby, Clementine was more then inclined to agree on the idea of waiting until Rebecca got better and it had been a few days; the child didn't want to wait around any longer.
The cold weather was waring on the group. As much as Clementine hated to admit it, the jacket Bonnie offered her was enough to keep her warm. She hated the way it looked, it's design was childish, Ironic. The jacket Rebecca was wearing, a grey confederate coat was preferable but the child couldn't trade for it. The reason was obvious but Rebecca was looking ill. Perhaps if she were to die, maybe she could take the jacket then.
Clementine was gratified to hear-wait not hear the baby anymore. When it finally stopped crying, the child had never realized how satisfying it was to hear. Maybe she was exaggerating but she didn't care. It finally shut up, that's all that matters.
A sudden groan came from behind the child and she turned to see Rebecca beginning to stumble to the ground. Luckily Carlos had been micromanaging her, he caught her just in time before she was able to collide to the ground. With the baby, keep in mind. Then an image came to her, the image of Rebecca falling on top of "it" and crushing it. The pure ridiculousness of that idea forced Clementine to stifle her laughter.
"Are you okay?" Carlos, the concerned doctor asked.
"It's fine, I'm alright," came Rebecca's weak response.
"You need to rest, you are too weak to be moving." The doctor kept his hand on her back.
"I can keep going."
The doctor disagreed but didn't voice it, instead next time if Rebecca were too fall; he'd insist to the group that, not only Rebecca, but everyone take a break.
Everyone continued. A few more moments pass and Luke and Kenny began discussing where to go. Places that may potentially have shelter. Clementine didn't care where they decided to go. As long as they had shelter and supplies, the child couldn't care less.
The child wasn't sure about the idea of searching for Wellington. It would be nice to finally find a place that was actually safe. Unlike Howe's. If that were the case and Wellington was just another Howe's ran by a different tyrannical "leader" then - well, honestly the child wouldn't be surprised.
There's barely enough good people in the world anyway but she did meet Luke and his group. They were good people but then there was Carver and his camp. There were more bad people over there than there were good people. Clementine had met and dealt with more bad than good; the bandits in the woods, Carver, Troy. The chances of Wellington being a good place, ran by good people was highly unlikely to the child and suddenly looking for Wellington wasn't a good idea after all.
As for Bonnie, regardless of her trying to make up for her "mistakes"; Clementine still wanted her gone. She didn't care how, she just wanted her gone. The rest of the group was okay with her. She did care about them but she couldn't want to admit to the fact that she would turn on them instantly... if she absolutely had to. They wouldn't turn on her but there was always that one chance that they would.
Kenny? No but she couldn't speak for the others.
Clementine began to think back at Howe's, more specifically her kills; Tavia and some random other guy she killed in Carver's office. One thing the child was wondering, why didn't she care when she kill them? Not an ounce of guilt did irked at her conscience when she did. No shame, no empathy, no nothing. Just satisfaction and a strange sense of thrill.
She remembered what it felt like. The guilt, what it felt like to be sad or regret having to take a life. She even remembered the dog she encountered in the woods back when she was separated from Christa. At that moment, she remember feeling guilty for having to put it down; she even apologized. But here as she walking, thinking back on it now; that mutt deserved to die for biting her.
She couldn't any sense of sympathy for the dog, merely annoyance for even putting up with that flea bag in the first place.
Another groan came from behind her, Rebecca nearly fell to the ground this time and the baby began crying. The child felt annoyance flare up in her.
"We need to rest, she's too weak to walk," Carlos said.
"I agree. My feet are killing me." Mike took a seat against the stone wall.
"Rebecca, let me hold the baby for you." Carlos asked, as the woman went to sit down on a tire that was conveniently set up against a tree.
"It's okay, I can hold him," she replied.
Clementine had to suppress a sigh. Maybe collapsing on your baby would be a good way to teach you not to push your limit. The baby was wailing, Clementine's nerves were getting to her. She began looking around, surveying the area; not that she wanted to. She walked over to the stone wall and leaned against it.
She scratched her head and sighed, there weren't anything to do; other than listen to the baby cry. She could scout ahead, that was a good plan. It's cries were growing more irritable by the second. Looking around, everybody seemed to look unfazed by the baby's crying to Clementine's bewilderment.
"Hello!?" A random voice called out. It sounded young, boyish like.
Startled, Clementine looked out further on the path to see a figure approaching them. He was close enough for the child to notice that he was limping, some type of contraction on his leg. "Who is that?"
"Arvo, Jane and ah met him on the observation deck. He said his sister was sick." Luke explained.
"You... didn't think to tell us about this?" Clementine walked up to him.
"Ah didn't really think it was that big of a deal." The child felt like there was more to the story but she didn't press it
A moment passed. "Alright, everybody keep a look out," Kenny said.
The figure approached them, it was kid probably just a little older than Sarah. He wore prescription glasses, in one of the frames there was a crack. "H-hello, Luke."
"Hey, Arvo how's your sis doin'?"
"My sister? Not so good... d-does anybody have any bandages?"
"For what? You don't like hurt," Carlos interjected.
"It's for my sister. She needs help... s-she got hurt... y-yesterday."
Suddenly a couple men came out of the woods, armed with weapons that were a looked a little intimidating. One man was in the woods, bald, a tattoo across his face; he held a shotgun. Another, came from behind the group, boxing them in. He looked to be in his late twenties, early thirties carrying an assault rifle then other person came out of the woods but this time it was a woman. Blonde, looked to be related to the teenager except she looked older. Hurt sister? Yup, she looks hurt alright.
They began speaking in a presumably a different language to one another, amongst the chatter; Clementine could hear "Arvo". The child pulled out her pistol. Quickly, scanning around, she spotted four. They had more than enough to kill them all.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Carlos angrily asked, as he shielded Sarah from the strangers.
"I told them you were the ones who robbed me, this man." Arvo pointed an accusing finger at Luke.
"What. The. fuck are you talkin' 'bout!? Ah didn't steal shit from you, that was Jane not me!" Luke scowled at the four-eyed teen.
Clementine smiled to herself. Robbed huh? "What exactly did she steal?"
"She didn't take anythin' ah stopped her."
"Where is Jane?" Arvo glanced around, looking for the woman.
The foreign group began murmuring amongst themselves. The baby was still crying but fortunately for Clem she was more focused on everybody else rather than the baby. "Jane's gone," Clem replied.
"It is a trap, I know it-" Arvo began speaking in a foreign language to his group and before you know it, everybody drew their weapons. They had more in their group, more guns but the sync? If Clementine fired the first shot, would everybody shoot too or would they hesitate? There's too much of a risk.
"Now ah didn't shit from you! Ah took the bag back and gave it to you, now tell 'em!" Luke aimed his rifle at the teenager, an angry look on his face. He didn't notice the teen's sister had a gun trained on him but fortunately Bonnie had her pistol trained on her.
Arvo, now anxious and shaking, shouted something in his language amongst his group which only seemed to anger them. Clementine got a quick look at everybody. Carlos had an arm around Sarah, keeping her shielded. The doctor had a gun in his other hand but it was lowered.
Everybody was now shouting at one another, either telling them to put the gun down, challenging or threatening them. Kenny was mostly threatening to kill them. Sarita had her pistol drawn but she seemed more scared, hesitant to use it. This situation may not end well for her.
This situation may not end well for anybody. Clementine then began plotting, thinking about who to shoot. The child's hand was on the grip of her pistol, finger on the trigger. She glanced at the bald man, he seemed more intimidating but then again Kenny was trained on him.
Carlos's back was facing him, if Kenny wasn't fast enough he'd be dead. It felt like anybody could fire a shot at any second. The child's second choice was the man at the back of the group, Mike had his weapon trained on him but he looked hesitant to pull the trigger. Out of the corner of her eye, Clementine saw Rebecca slouching over in her seat. She turned, frowning when she saw the woman catching a nap with the baby still in hand.
Then she noticed, the woman didn't feel like she was breathing. Slowly coming to the realization, the child's eyes widened at the twitch in Rebecca's wrist. As the woman raised her head, Clementine saw the empty colorless iris in the woman's eyes. That ain't Rebecca no more.
By instinct, she was going to shoot the walker but she only had one shot. If she shot Rebecca, the baby would still be fine but the other group would still have the same numbers. The baby wasn't her problem, Clementine needed to eliminate the bigger threat. She turned, aimed at the man Mike was aiming at and pulled the trigger, killing him.
A series of gunshots rang out afterwards...