Clementine stared at the destruction in the hallway ahead with wide eyes, and her chest was slowly consumed with despair.

An explosion happened again. Debris was thrown everywhere on impact, and small drops of blood, mixed with a few pieces of clothing and mangled limbs, were thrown down the hall.

The girl felt the air leave her lungs, her throat close up, and a cold sensation run through her body.

The gunshots ceased, and she could no longer hear the moans of both Kenny and Duck.

- Clementine, we have to go!

Javi shouted behind her, putting his hand on her shoulder with some force.

Clementine knew they had to go, but it was just too cruel to leave like that without at least a chance to pay her respects, or to say goodbye.

Another explosion happened, and the surrounding walls began to crumble.

The girl seemed to awaken from a trance, and turned away with tears in her eyes, in which she refused to let flow.

"Goodbye Kenny, Duck... thank you for everything" - She thought just before she started running after Javi, towards the back doors.

David was taking the lead, rifle in hand as he checked every corner of every hallway they passed through.

Apparently, any guards that had been in there before had already left.

Clementine didn't even care about all those people running alongside her, crowding the corridor. It hadn't been worth all that sacrifice, many people in her group had died, and now, she was the only one left.

She didn't even know if AJ was alive or not, and that was worse than having confirmation of his death, she didn't know if she had to mourn the boy.

And that was fucking agonizing.

David opened the door further ahead and fired at the few guards in front, with Gabe firing beside him as the people behind ran for safety.

Clementine turned her head around, watching as a van further ahead drove out of the compound through the main gates, leaving people to die there.

- Javi!

Tripp's voice caught the attention of the men, who turned to the side and watched him, Jesus, and Eleanor run toward them. Apparently they were all fine.

- Are you all right?

Javi asked, looking at the chaos around him, searching for any guards that were still there.

The people who were still there threw their last grenades and fired their last bullets before they left the community in scattered vehicles, leaving whoever was left to die in that place, or to try their luck outside.

- Yes, but they killed Conrad... damn it!

Tripp said angrily, also looking at the chaos around him. It was amazing how all this destruction had happened in a matter of minutes.

Cries of despair echoed through the burning streets and the destroyed structures, fire spread through some buildings, and the dead walked among the living.

Tripp looked ruefully at the people behind Javi. Men, women, children, all just wanting to live a quiet life, looking for somewhere safe to stay.

The hatred he felt for the new frontier grew stronger in his chest. On one side he was happy that many bad people had died that day.

But on the other, he was sad, ashamed and guilty that so many innocent people were caught in the crossfire. They were caught in a conflict that had nothing to do with them.

- Did you find your friends, Jesus?

Javi asked, turning and looking at the man next to Tripp, who bowed his head and sighed heavily.

- Unfortunately, the only one who was still alive died on the way here. As soon as we leave here, I will return to my community and give them the bad news.

He said as he shook his head, and Javi gave him a sympathetic look.

- Okay guys, we can talk later, we need to get out of here!

David said, interrupting the conversation and turning towards the gate, taking the lead.

The people behind looked at him not quite knowing what to do, but shortly after, they followed him.

Tripp, Eleanor and Jesus followed soon after, as did Kate, Gabe and Mariana.

Javi looked at Clementine for a few moments, sighing as he saw the girl's downcast face, and her golden eyes that were watering.

He wished he had some way to comfort her, some kind word that could serve as support for her, but he couldn't find it.

He didn't know what it was like to lose so many people close to him on the same day, at the same moment, he still had his family, while the girl had nothing.

Clementine looked at the building once again, having the small spark of hope in her chest be extinguished by seeing only the destroyed structure of the place.

She closed her eyes and swallowed the urge to cry, taking a few deep breaths as she controlled her own feelings.

After a few seconds, she opened her eyes again and had a serious expression. The girl turned and walked towards the others, passing Javi without saying a single word.

(...)

She didn't know how long she had been walking, didn't know how many meters, or kilometers she had already covered, her body just kept going forward, automatically, like a robot.

They had already left the city limits a short time ago, and Clementine's mind was a mess.

The feeling of loneliness that she had managed to ignore for the past week had returned to her, the feeling of emptiness inside her seemed to be greater than before.

She was simply disoriented, she didn't know what to do from then on. There was nothing left, Duck, Luke, Kenny, all dead.

Sarah was missing, and she didn't know the whereabouts of Carley or AJ. As far as she knew, they could both be dead, burning with the community right behind her.

Her mind then turned to Lee... she could try to find him, there was still a chance that he was still out there...

However, she didn't know about his whereabouts either, and like the others, he might as well be dead. Everyone was dead, she was the only one left.

The urge to cry came back stronger, and this time, she didn't stop it. Heavy tears streamed down her face, but she continued with her expression unchanged.

The same sad, defeated expression that had been on her face since she left Richmond.

She didn't care in case anyone saw her crying, she was walking further behind everyone else anyway.

And she just didn't have the strength anymore to hold on to all those hopeless feelings and sensations she had held on to for so long.

They stopped walking, and most of them sat on the shoulder of the road, wondering what they were going to do, having their grief, or simply wondering why they were still alive.

Clementine dried the tears from her face and walked forward a little further, but sat still away from most people.

Clementine put her arms on her knees and lowered her head between her two bent legs, closing her eyes and having her little moment of mourning.

- What are we going to do now?

she heard Javi ask further ahead. She didn't have to turn around to know that he had asked David, who had crossed his arms and had a thoughtful expression on his face.

- You can come with me, to my community.

Jesus said, handing the rifle to Gabe, who looked at the gun in surprise, and walked towards the two men.

- These people need a place to stay, my community is not as "advanced" as Richmond, but it is also very good. The people there are trustworthy, I've been there for quite some time... a long time, to tell you the truth.

Jesus explained, putting his hands in the pockets of his dirty overcoat and looking suggestively at the two men.

- Honestly, I'd take any place, as long as there aren't any of those marked freaks around.

Kate said, sitting down on the shoulder as she watched Mariana walk toward Clementine ahead.

The girl's golden eyes met the younger girl's brown ones, with a spark of curiosity running through her defeated golden eyes.

-I'm... sorry... for what happened to your friends.

The girl said, a bit hesitantly, not knowing if this would help her or not.

Clementine stared at her for a while and sighed heavily, she honestly didn't want to hear those words, "I'm sorry". It doesn't work, and all she wanted at that moment was to be alone, to grieve in peace.

But she couldn't be rude to the girl, so she just bowed her head, without answering.

-I don't know what you're going through, but... I'm here if you want to talk, you know?

The girl said in a low tone, crouching down to Clementine's height and trying to look into her eyes, which were now staring at the ground.

- Talk...? About what? About how I lost my entire group in a single day?

Clementine asked ironically, not angry at the girl, just frustrated with everything that had happened. It hadn't been fair, much less acceptable, but that was the way it was... and she had nothing to do but accept it, live with it.

-I'm sorry... I didn't mean to upset you.

Mariana apologized in a low tone, bowing her head slightly in shame. Clementine looked at her sympathetically for a while, the girl hadn't done anything wrong to have to apologize, her emotional state was just a mess, that's all.

In a few weeks, she would be "better," going back to living that endless cycle of shit she was living in.

What else could she do but that?

- Don't worry, Mari... I'm not angry with you... it's just... damn, everyone is dead... everyone, even a two year old who hasn't even had a chance to enjoy life... if there is anything to enjoy in this hell.

She said, bowing her head as she remembered AJ. She missed the boy more than she ever thought she would. She hadn't even realized when he had become such an important part of her life, it was something that just happened.

Mariana looked at her sympathetically for a while, until she arched an eyebrow, curious.

- A two-year-old?

she asked, turning her head slightly to the side and staring at Clementine in a strange way.

The girl's golden eyes stared at Mariana with a confused look.

- Yes... his name is AJ... unfortunately his parents died some time ago.

She answered, looking again at the ground as she felt her mind being flooded by memories of the boy.

- He wasn't in the community...

The girl said, and Clementine raised her head again, surprised and confused.

- There were no children in the community, not without parents, at least... I overheard Eleanor talking to that doctor... I forgot his name, he said the children were on a ranch.

She said, and with each word Clementine's eyes grew wider. The little spark of hope that had faded in her chest rose again, and with it came the fear that she would only get hurt by this story if it wasn't true.

Clementine stared at Mariana for a while longer, searching for some trace that showed that the girl had been wrong, but she just stared back at her.

Her heart began to beat faster, and suddenly she felt more energetic than before.

Clementine stood up and walked briskly towards Eleanor, who was talking about something with Tripp.

- Eleanor, what did that doctor in Rinchmond say to you about the children in the community?

She asked in some haste, catching the attention of the two, who looked at her surprised, and slightly startled by her sudden appearance.

Eleanor arched an eyebrow, confused.

- He said that orphaned children, or children found on the road, were taken to a ranch not far from there. He went there twice a week, but... wait a minute, how did you know I talked to him about this?

she said, asking Clementine soon after, putting a hand on her waist and looking at her slightly suspiciously.

Clementine bowed her head and turned her body away, putting her hands on her hat as she felt hope rise in her chest. Her hands were trembling, her breathing was ragged, panting. She felt her body becoming more and more nervous, and the urge to get out almost overwhelmed her legs.

- Where is it? Which way?

She asked, with a little more haste and desperation in her voice, ignoring the confused and surprised looks from the people around her.

-McCarroll Ranch... not far from Richmond, not by vehicle. Going back the way we came, and turning right before entering the town. There are some signs along the way, it's not hard to find.

She answered a bit uncertainly, confused by all those questions.

Clementine almost ran out of there at that very moment, but she restrained herself, trying to control those raging feelings that were fighting inside her.

There was a chance he might be there, if what she said was true. But, it was only a chance, it didn't mean that he was, in fact, alive...

Fuck it, she would hold on tightly to that small chance.

- What's going on?

Javi's voice brought her out of her thoughts, and she looked up at him, still in shock at the news.

- I'm going to look for AJ.

she said, looking at Javi, who was looking at her with an arched eyebrow.

- You're leaving?

Gabe asked from beside Javi, looking at Clementine with a downcast expression.

-What? Now? Just like that?

he asked dumbly, not quite knowing how to react to that information.

- The new frontier still exists, Javi. If they know about this ranch, they will definitely go there. I have to go, maybe he's still alive!

She explained, walking back and forth with the thought that the new frontier might be heading there at that moment.

It was a chance to see AJ again, and it was already on the line. Holy shit, she had no fucking peace!

- Whoa, Clem... I understand, but I think you'd better rest first.

Javi tried to argue, but the girl just shook her head negatively, she didn't have time.

- No. I'm going there now! I know you're trying to help, Javi, but, think if you were in my situation... if it were Gabe, or Mariana instead of AJ... you would do the same thing.

She said, and Javi sighed defeated, shaking his head. She was right, he would do the same thing... in fact, it was quite likely that he would have already turned and started running towards that ranch at that very moment.

-Well... I won't stop you... do what you have to do. Thank you for everything you have done for me and my family, I won't forget it.

He said sympathetically, placing one hand on his waist and raising the other, shaking the girl's hand firmly.

-Well... I guess that's it then...

Gabe said in a low tone, also squeezing Clementine's hand, clearly in dismay. The girl just ignored his reaction, and turned to Mariana, who was right beside her.

- Thank you...

She thanked him with a slight expression, making Mariana smile gently at her, happy that she had been of help in something.

It wasn't often that Clementine said something, or thanked someone like that, in such a genuine and pure way. She had only done that with Lee, Kenny and Duck in her entire life.

- In case you want, there's a community not far from here, it's called Hilltop. It's a hundred miles from Richmond. They are decent people, that's where we will be.

Jesus said, before Clementine left. The girl looked at him and nodded, turning and walking briskly down the road they came, turning and waving to the group one last time before walking further away.

Javi stared at Clementine's back for a while, sighing as he watched her walk further and further away. He had liked the girl; despite her tough manner and the short time they had been together, she had proved to be a loyal companion, as well as being very smart and reliable.

- Well, let's get going... we have a long way to go.

David's voice brought him out of his thoughts, and Javi turned to him, sighing softly before starting to walk down the deserted road.

(...)

Lee looked slightly breathless at the place ahead. A prison.

There were a few bodies scattered around the entrance, and several zombies were walking aimlessly around it. He grabbed the handle of his knife, just in case, since he had covered himself in zombie guts just before he arrived at the place.

He passed the dead calmly, walking at a slow pace towards the dark interior of the prison, observing the dead infested corridor and grimacing as he smelled the smell of death that permeated the place.

There were several guns lying on the floor, some beside some bodies with bullet holes in their heads, others just dropped in random places. David had made a mess of the place, and Lee couldn't help but smile slightly at this.

It was very much David's style, despite how little he knew him.

His eyes focused on a man, now reanimated, who was lying on the ground with his head propped up on a metal rail. He had three gunshots in his body, and a downcast expression on his face, not only from the dead flesh and skin, but from the old marks that outlined his now hollow expressions.

Lee knew those expressions well, they were part of his face. He took his knife and crouched down beside the body, stabbing his blade into the man's head, and ending his suffering.

He stared at him for a few more moments before getting up and continuing on his way.

How many times had he done this before? Walk through the dead?

Many, dozens, hundreds, maybe thousands of times. He was no longer even bothered by the things he saw, the hell he walked through.

He even found himself resembling the zombies. They were empty, he felt empty... they walked aimlessly, he walked aimlessly too... they were lonely, and Lee was lonely too.

That's what he felt all those years, loneliness.

He, alone, against the world. Searching for something in which he never seemed to reach.

He sighed and shook his head slightly, staggering those thoughts that always flooded his mind.

As he walked down the furthest corridor of the central part of the prison, his eyes focused on a specific zombie, standing motionless in one of the filthy cells.

Lee felt his throat close up, and he sighed sadly.

Sadness, guilt, anger, all filled his chest at that moment. Feelings that he felt almost every day, but that he never really seemed to get used to, even though he always thought so.

He opened the cell slowly, crouching down in front of the body and looking deep into her dead eyes, controlling the urge to cry that rose in his throat.

He took a deep breath, and found the strength to continue looking at the body.

-Hi... Brenda.