- Hey guys.

Clementine greeted Louis and the boy next to him. This was a good moment for her to get to know more about these people.

- AJ, Clem, this is Omar. Uh, excuse me... Chef Omar.

Louis introduced him, and Omar looked at them both with a slight expression.

- Hi. I hope you don't mind waiting a bit for dinner, we haven't had this much food since... since a long time. Thank you for that.

He said, nodding to Clementine, who nodded back.

- Omar is a perfectionist. A little flavor out of place, and he's grumpy for a week.

Louis said, smiling mockingly at Omar, who sighed slightly at his friend.

- You can eat, or you can eat right. Especially with all the food you got, we're going to have a feast tonight. All you need is a little patience, something that you, my friend, do not have.

Omar said, with a small smile for Louis, who chuckled slightly.

- Where did you learn to cook?

AJ asked, looking at Omar with a certain curiosity, who became interested in the boy.

- I have always liked cooking, even before I came here. I learned a thing or two from some of the adults that were here, but mostly from reading some cookbooks I found.

He replied, looking amiably at AJ.

- If you wanted to win my dear friend here, you got it, little guy. Omar loves to talk about cooking. But he hates making my favorite dishes, like the famous "Lou's Soup".

Louis said dramatically, smiling at AJ.

- Please stop.

- I can't... I really can't. I'll call you both when I'm ready. We can talk more at dinner.

Louis said, turning to Clementine and waving to her.

Clementine sighed softly and turned around, looking at the people around her.

Her eyes focused on Violet and Tenn, who were standing in a far away area, standing in front of what appeared to be some tombs.

She looked at AJ and nodded to the boy, and soon, they were walking towards Violet.

- What's that?

AJ asked as they approached, looking at the small mounds of dirt below the wooden crosses.

- Our graveyard.

Violet replied, looking at AJ, and then at Clementine before turning her grief back to Tenn, who was standing with his head down just in front of one of the graves.

- Do you still do that? It has been a while since I have seen graves. Who is buried here?

Clementine asked, staring at the crosses for a while before facing Violet, who looked rather sad and depressed, unlike the girl she had seen earlier.

- No one, really. This is where we buried the belongings of Tenn's sisters. Sophie and Minnie, twins. We lost them both about a year ago.

Violet answered, crossing her arms and watching Tenn place some flowers on both graves.

Clementine stared at the boy's action, remembering the people she had lost. She hadn't had time to bury them; apart from Rebecca, she hadn't buried anyone.

They all died in hostile environments, in shitty places and in horrible situations, and only now did she stop to think about that.

She hadn't thought about doing a burial in a long time.

- Should we do that too?

AJ asked, looking at Clementine.

-I think that would be a very nice thing to do, AJ.

She said with a warm smile, nodding to the boy.

He nodded to her and turned to Violet, who was holding out some flowers.

AJ took them and walked to Tenn's side, crouching down in front of the grave and placing the flowers right next to the ones Tenn had placed.

The boy raised his face and looked at AJ in a warm, grateful way.

- Thank you.

He said lightly, and AJ stood up, looking smiling at Clementine for doing something good, apparently.

- Do you have any siblings? I mean, used to?

Violet asked, turning slightly toward Clementine.

- No. I was an only child.

- Have you buried many?

- ... No, most of them died in situations where we couldn't bury them, even if we wanted to.

Clementine answered with a sigh, turning and walking back to the schoolyard, next to AJ.

For a moment, her eyes focused on Marlon, who was talking about something with Brody. He still gave her an uneasy feeling, although seemingly gentle, there was something bad coming from him.

Clementine was not afraid of Marlon, she had met people much more dangerous than him, but there was something he was hiding. Something that could mean some risk to AJ, and no matter how small that risk was, she wouldn't just let it go.

The people there really seemed nice, but she would only relax more after she found out what Marlon was hiding.

- Hey.

She greeted a boy who was carving a piece of wood with a knife, making a spear or something.

- Ah, the new girl. Nice to meet you, I'm Mitch, this is Willy.

He introduced himself, pointing to the boy sitting in the armchair across from him.

Clementine waved at them both in greeting.

- What are you doing?

AJ asked, looking curiously at the boy.

- I'm carving a weapon. We don't have any firearms around here.

Mitch answered, looking at the gun in AJ's waistband with a certain curiosity.

- Can he shoot?

he asked, looking at Clementine.

- Yes, I taught him at an early age.

- I'm jealous, the only gun we had ran out of ammo. But, we found some bows and arrows. Can you shoot a bow, kid?

he asked, looking at AJ with a suggestive smile. AJ looked at Clementine for a moment, before shaking his head negatively.

- Well, the bow is still a little big for you, but any day now I'll teach you. Once you learn it, you'll be fucking badass.

he said, leaning his elbow on his leg and looking amused at AJ.

- Swear.

AJ said, pointing at Mitch and looking at Clementine.

- Ahm... sorry?

He said half-heartedly, looking at Willy, who just laughed at his face.

- Hey, guys. Our feast is ready.

Louis' voice echoed through the courtyard, and they looked at him.

Louis waved to Clementine, who followed him to a table ahead.

- Dinner is served. Oh boy, I've never seen so much food in my bowl before.

Louis said, sitting down at the table and taking a big bite of his food.

- Thank you.

Clementine thanked him, starting to eat soon after.

- Don't thank us, we wouldn't have half of this food if it wasn't for you.

Lois said, smiling.

Clementine stared at him for a moment, before looking at AJ, who was turning the bowl over in his mouth.

- Hey, slow down AJ. The food's not going anywhere.

She said, and AJ looked at her with a slight grimace, taking the spoon from beside him.

- Thanks. Just because everything else is dead, doesn't mean that manners are too.

Ruby said, finishing her food and getting up.

- Good night. It was nice to meet you both.

Ruby said, waving to AJ before she started walking.

- Good night.

AJ replied, getting back to his food soon after.

They spent some time in silence, concentrating on their dinner.

Clementine, though she didn't let it appear so, was somewhat attentive to her surroundings. Especially Marlon, who was just ahead of her.

- I'm full.

AJ's satisfied voice caught her attention, and she turned to the side, watching with some amusement the boy with the dirty mouth of food.

- So am I.

She said, finishing her meal and gently pushing the bowl away.

- Now what?

AJ asked, looking at Clementine with a raised eyebrow.

- I'll tell you what.

Louis said, getting up and turning his chair around, sitting with his chest against the back of the chair. He pulled a deck of cards from his pocket and began to shuffle, looking at Clementine's confused expression.

- Violet, it's time.

He called out to the girl, who walked toward the table while Marlon moved the bowls out of the way.

- What's the game today, Lou?

Marlon asked, returning to his seat across from Clementine, looking at Louis.

- War. The oldest game that...

He said, starting to say a few more things about the game that Clementine didn't pay attention to, her eyes focused on AJ, who had moved away from her and was now talking about something with Tenn at the other table, starting to draw next to the boy soon after.

- Clem. You're going to play, right?

Violet asked, snapping Clementine out of her thoughts and making her look at her.

- How do you play?

Clementine asked, looking back at Louis. She wasn't really up for games, but she could learn a little more about them.

- It's easy. Everyone takes a stack of cards. Everyone flips one over. The highest card wins.

Violet explained.

- And the winner gets to ask Clementine a question.

Louis said, shuffling the cards and looking at the girl's curious expression.

- What? I want to know more about you, we all do. And if you win, you get to ask any of us a question.

He said, beginning to deal the stack of cards to each of them.

- Sounds fair.

Clementine said, perfect timing.

- Louis, would you do the honors?

Marlon asked, and Louis turned over the first card, followed by the others.

- Hah, way to go me.

Violet celebrated lightly, looking at AJ.

- So, Clem. About AJ... You two don't seem related. Where are AJ's parents?

She asked in a low tone.

Clementine looked at her for a moment, then looked back down at the table, remembering the deaths of Alvin and Rebecca.

- They are dead. His father died just before AJ was born, and his mother died almost a day after she had him.

She answered with a neutral expression, remembering how much she and Rebecca had hated each other when they first met.

- Oh, he's lucky to have you then. Poor little guy hasn't even met his parents.

Louis said, looking at the table with a distant look.

- There were other people with us. They helped.

She said, turning the card over just after Louis.

- I won.

Clementine said neutrally, looking straight ahead.

- What do you want to know?

Louis asked.

- Have you ever been attacked by bandits? You know, has anyone ever come here to try to steal from you?

she asked, remembering the person who stole her car.

Marlon looked apprehensive for a moment, but recovered soon after. This only confirmed her suspicion that he was hiding something.

- We have met some people in the past. But I dealt with them, we haven't had this kind of encounter in a long time.

Marlon said, staring at some random point on the table.

Clementine resisted the urge to ask more questions as she noticed the boy's heavy tone.

She then turned the card over, looking at the other piles soon after.

- Booyah.

Louis celebrated, and Clementine looked at him, waiting for the question.

- So... uh... ever, uh... ever have a boyfriend?

he asked, and Clementine arched an eyebrow.

- Oh my God...

Violet grumbled, slapping her forehead lightly.

- What? It happens. Perfectly valid question.

Louis said, ignoring Violet's frown and looking at Clementine.

- No. That kind of feeling only serves to kill you out there. And I was much more worried about not getting killed than I was about boys.

She replied in a neutral way. She hadn't really thought about the subject of boyfriends; she never needed one, so why should she?

- Still, you didn't find anyone you liked? Or, I don't know?

Violet asked.

- I met some boys, but I never thought about dating, as I said, I was worried about surviving. People can use your feelings against you out there. A boyfriend, or girlfriend, could just fool you, kill you and take your stuff, or worse.

She answered, resting her head on her hand as she leaned her elbow on the table.

- It must be horrible out there, the way you put it.

Violet said, and Louis turned the card over, starting another round.

- I win.

Marlon said, looking at Clementine.

- So, Clem... you can't have been alone all this time. Who took care of you?

he asked, and Clementine sighed heavily, looking down at the table.

There was always something to remind her of the past.

There was always something to make those months flash through her mind.

- Look... if you don't want to answer, it's okay.

Marlon said as he noticed Clementine's hesitation and distressed expression.

The girl just shook her head, running her hand through her hair.

- When it all started, I was alone in my tree house. Until this guy found me and started taking care of me. His name is Lee. He taught me how to survive.

She answered with a distant look, remembering when he showed up at her house with a wounded leg, asking for help.

And when she almost threw the hammer at his head. Thank goodness she didn't.

- What did he teach you?

Marlon asked again.

- Lots of stuff.

She answered vaguely.

- The most important thing?

He asked again, insisting.

- How to kill.

Clementine answered after a few minutes of silence. Watching the surprised looks on her face.

She couldn't just say the most important thing Lee had taught her, it was too much.

But if she were to be completely honest, she would say that the most important thing he had taught her was to swim.

It might be a bit clueless, but learning to swim seemed to have a far greater impact on her emotional life than shooting a gun.

That memory lingered in her mind whenever she felt down. The smile on his face, the smile on her own face, that was something she would never have again.

She could have learned to shoot with someone else, or learned to use a knife on her own, but she couldn't learn to swim again. Especially not at a moment as special as the one she had. It wouldn't be the same.

- Badass...

Violet said softly, shaking her head gently.

They turned the cards over again.

- How long have you been here?

Clementine asked, seeing that she was the winner, looking at Marlon.

- Since it all began. The teachers abandoned us here as soon as things got ugly, it's been just us ever since.

Marlon answered, and Clementine arched an eyebrow.

- They abandoned you? Just like that?

she asked, slightly incredulous.

At that time, society hadn't died yet, so it made no sense for people to abandon each other. At least, not in her mind.

- That's right, we've had a deadly hatred for adults ever since. When I saw that things wouldn't get better, I decided to do something about it, and I kind of became the "leader" of this place.

Marlon answered.

- And we always avoided contact with other people, especially adults. We were not lucky enough to find a person with that thinking, "ah, a child alone, I'll take care of her". The school is in the middle of the forest, that's why nobody ever came here, we wouldn't let them.

Violet said, sitting down in a relaxed manner and grimacing slightly.

Another round began.

- Victory Violet.

The girl celebrated lightly, looking at Clementine.

- Here's something I love to ask when I'm in a group. Out of the four of us, who do you think will die first?

she asked, alternating her gaze between them with a mischievous grin on her face.

- That's fucked up.

Louis said reproachfully.

- I know.

Violet said, not caring much.

- Anyone but me.

Clementine said, returning the bastard smile.

- Hahaha, that is so true.

Violet said with a giggle.

- Well, you survived all that time out there, taking care of a child as well. I guess I have to agree with that one.

Marlon said, shaking his head slightly.

Another round began, and Louis celebrated slightly.

It was only for a short while, though, and soon he was wearing a rather heavy expression.

- Ever... actually, never mind.

He interrupted himself, looking away in nervousness.

- You can ask, I doubt anything will offend me anyway.

Clementine said, she had been through so much already, a question wouldn't hurt her.

- Have you... ever had to kill someone you love?

He asked, and Clementine's eyes widened, looking down at the table.

Okay, never mind, that question hurt like hell.

- Lou...

Marlon scolded him.

- What? She said I could ask.

He said in his defense.

- No... But I almost killed him several times.

She answered after a while, holding her fist tightly as she remembered when he was shot because of one of her lies.

- Ahm... what do you mean?

Louis asked, unsure if he should really continue with the subject.

Clementine sighed, she didn't have to answer those questions, she wasn't obligated to say anything to them.

Then why was she talking? Why was she allowing herself to answer that? She didn't even know those people that well yet.

- I... I did something I shouldn't have, I lied to him...

She started, mentally asking herself to shut up. She didn't need to continue with this conversation.

- In short... I was kidnapped because of my stupidity, and Lee was shot. Three bullets.

She said, ignoring the surprised and curious looks, and mentally cursing herself for talking too much.

-Did he die?

Louis asked, hesitating.

- Really, Louis? Holy shit, what kind of fucking question is this? He was shot.

Violet said, scolding Louis, who bowed his head.

- No... he didn't die.

Clementine said, making Violet look at her in surprise.

- A few days later, he... he showed up at the place where I was, where I was taken. He filled the place with zombies, killed everyone in sight, and found me. But he was too weak, and he told me to get out of there, he couldn't move anymore... so I did.

She said, lowering her head slightly and feeling her throat close up. She took a deep breath, controlling the urge to cry.

- I don't know what he went through to find me, but... through it all, he almost died several times... because of a lie I told... because of something I did... it's kind of strange. Three bullets didn't kill him... a car accident didn't kill him... a horde didn't kill him... an entire community couldn't kill him, not a stab in the eye, not a fall from the second floor... not a fucking bite...

The three of them looked at each other for a few moments, surprised, sad and sorry for the question. The air around them became a little colder, and a little heavier. An uncomfortable atmosphere hung between them.

- But a little eight-year-old girl, well, that was different...

She laughed humorlessly, running her hand through her hair as she imagined what he had been through.

She always felt guilty about that. She always remembered that the reason they had been separated was because of her.

She was the one who caused all that.

Clementine stood up after a while, no longer feeling in the mood to continue with the game.

- I think I've played too much for today.

She said, before turning and walking towards AJ, leaving the three of them sitting on the bench shrouded in an uncomfortable air.