Sarah stared at her bewildered, looking her up and down, still trying to convince herself that her eyes were not deceiving her.

Clementine wasn't much different, after she couldn't find Sarah anymore after Richmond, she had simply given up, she had thought the girl had died after Prescott.

- Hey, kid. I think you'd better not do that.

The man's scratchy voice caught their attention, and Clementine stood in front of the gun he was pointing at AJ, staring intently at it.

AJ was pointing the gun at Lilly's head, who was staring at Clementine still in disbelief.

- That's... that's AJ?

Sarah asked in surprise, walking towards the boy and crouching down to his height, looking him up and down, relieved to see the boy again after so long.

- Clem?

The boy called softly, confused and a little startled to see all those guns drawn. He looked at Sarah with a raised eyebrow, not understanding how she knew his name.

- You are huge, the last time I saw you, you were just a baby.

She said to AJ, a low tone as she ran her hand gently over the boy's face, who looked at her curiously, despite his discomfort.

- Sarah, I would love to say that I am happy to see you again, but, can you tell me what these sons of bitches want with me? Especially this asshole I'm staring at.

Clementine asked, not intimidated when the man put his finger on the trigger and gave her an irritated look. From that distance, it wasn't hard for her to react before he fired.

- Abel, put the gun down.

Sarah said, getting up and looking at the man, who stared at her in irritation.

- Are you out of your fucking mind?! This bitch almost killed me!

He said angrily, staring deep into the girl's cold eyes.

- I told you to put that shit down! You're the only one to blame here, running around distracted in an unknown forest! Fucking useless!

She said angrily, and Abel stared at her for a few moments before begrudgingly putting the gun down.

- Lee is not with you...

Lilly's voice caught Clementine's attention, who looked at her in an odd glare. The woman seemed to be looking around for something, and the girl glanced at her slightly confused, and somewhat uneasy that she had mentioned Lee.

- Hmpf, what is that? Are you following his footsteps now? Are you going to be a hypocrite like he was?

Lilly asked, pointing at AJ, in a clear attempt to annoy Clementine.

Which worked.

- What the fuck do you mean?

she asked seriously, staring at Lilly with a cold stare, feeling her muscles tensing.

Lilly just smiled at this, putting a hand on her waist and looking somewhat superior to Clementine.

- Lee said he would never leave your side. That as long as he was alive, he would protect you. Well, he's not here now, is he?

She scoffed, and Clementine turned her head away, closing her eyes tightly and trying not to fall for Lilly's teasing. Unfortunately, this subject was too delicate for her to keep calm.

One of the only subjects she really reacts in an extreme way.

- Did you think he was different? Fuck no, he pretended to be a good man, made promises he couldn't keep. In the end, Lee was just like every other asshole out there. A fucking liar.

- Shut the fuck up!

Clementine shouted angrily, interrupting Lilly, walking a few steps towards her with an angry look on her face. She clenched her fists tightly, trying to control her impulses, her urge to take her machete and stick it in her neck.

- What? Did I touch the wound? But I told the truth, didn't I? He didn't die, so why isn't he here?

Lilly asked mockingly, and Clementine arched an eyebrow in surprise.

- You found him?

She asked, putting her anger aside for a moment, and feeling her heart race with that spark of hope reborn in her chest.

- Some time ago. He sounded like a broken record, repeating the same shit over and over again. "I'll find Clementine," "I have to find her, that's why I'm still alive." He had been looking for you for a while, ever since he and Kenny left Savannah.

Lilly replied, trying not to show her slight surprise that the girl knew he was alive... although his whereabouts were currently unknown.

Clementine lowered her eyes to the ground, feeling her chest being overwhelmed with that hollow feeling replacing hope.

That same feeling of helplessness spread through her heart, and she took a deep breath to keep the tears from flowing down her eyes.

"He was looking for me..." She thought, shaking her head as she imagined that.

- But, he didn't find you, did he? Of course not, because that's the kind of man Lee is. He is an ignorant man. Who only thought about himself. He abandoned people who cared about him, to try to find a girl he didn't even know if she was still alive.

Lilly said, practically spitting in Clementine's face, who was somewhat lost in all of this.

It was a lot of information thrown at her all at once.

On the one hand, she was happier than she had been in a long time. Lee had looked for her for years, he had never given up trying to find her.

On the other hand, she was sad for this very reason, he had not given up on her, and wasted his life trying to find the person who was to blame for his suffering.

And she didn't even knew where he was.

She didn't know how to feel, she was disoriented, lost, confused...

- But in spite of all this, I have to say that Lee was a strong man, very strong, I'll give him that. But he had one weakness, Clementine. You.

She said, turning to AJ and staring at the boy with a slight expression.

Clementine stared at her for a while, looking with mixed feelings at Lilly's cynical face.

- He would die for you, so if I wanted to kill him, for example, all I would have to do is take you. And now, you have the same weakness as him. That boy will kill you... the same way YOU almost killed Lee.

Lilly said, looking again at the girl, who stared at her in shock.

- Talk to a stranger and tell him where you were? Did you really think that was a good idea?

Lilly asked, walking around Clementine, who simply remained quiet.

- He has been shot, stabbed, mutilated, and all because of your stupidity.

She continued, placing her hand gently on Clementine's shoulder, while looking up at her.

- He took care of you, he gave you his food, he starved so that you wouldn't. And how did you repay all his sacrifices? By stabbing him in the back.

Clementine winced and closed her eyes tightly, it hurt to hear this because she knew it was all true.

Even though she knew it was Lilly's trick to destabilize her emotionally, it still hurt to remember it.

It hurt to have it thrown in her face, even more when she had lived with this guilt every day since she left Savannah.

- Lilly, stop this shit. We have a job to do.

Sarah interrupted, walking a few steps toward Lilly, who looked at her bored for a moment and then turned away from Clementine.

Sarah noticed the girl's state, and knew how delicate the subject was, since Clementine wouldn't shrink from anything.

- Look, Clem. We can help keep AJ safe, help you raise him. We have a huge community, we grow our own food, we have heavy weaponry...

Sarah started to say, looking at Clementine a little uneasy, and even embarrassed. Clementine looked up at her, swallowing all those bad feelings that were permeating her throat.

- But in exchange I have to help you kidnap a couple of kids? What the hell happened to you, Sarah?

Clementine asked, taking a deep breath as she noticed her voice was shaking. It had been a long time since she had cried; she had gotten used to these feelings.

But having them thrown in her face was a lot different than simply dealing with them.

- I know it sounds horrible, and it is a horrible thing. If it's any consolation, I don't like to do that! But I had no choice, they saved my life, they gave me food, medical treatment, I couldn't just leave after that. I had nowhere else to go.

Sarah said, putting the rifle on her back and approaching Clementine, almost a little desperate to explain herself.

- Oh, Sarah. Don't be shy now, we all know what an excellent soldier you are.

Lilly said further back, looking at Sarah with a cynical smile as she put one of her hands on her waist.

- We can take you back to the Delta to join our people. When was the last time you ate freshly grown food? When was the last time you had steak? When was the last time you had electricity? We have all of this.

Sarah said, ignoring Lilly as she felt her insides being penetrated by Clementine's incredulous expression.

- Sarah, if you have all this, why kidnap children in the middle of nowhere?

She asked, crossing her arms and looking confused at Sarah, who lowered her head and sighed wearily.

- It's none of your business. All you have to do is go back to your friends, and convince them to leave peacefully. Nobody needs to get hurt.

Abel said, looking at Clementine with anger still in his eyes.

- You will get hurt if you keep pointing that shit at him.

Clementine said in a cold tone, looking menacingly at Abel. Lilly smiled and looked intensely at Clementine, remembering someone similar.

- You'll die if you try to kill me.

Abel said, still pointing the shotgun at AJ.

- Do I look like someone who fears death?

she asked, still staring at him.

- You look like someone who wouldn't do something stupid, or take unnecessary risks. It's like Abel said, if they come peacefully, no one has to get hurt. They will all be taken to our group, you and AJ can live peacefully there.

Sarah insisted, and Clementine shook her head as she sighed wryly, not wanting to believe what the girl was saying.

- Sarah, I understand, okay? I understand that you owe them your life, but you know me.

Clementine began, focusing her eyes for a moment on Aasim, Violet, and Louis, where Aasim and Vilet had bows pointed in the direction of Abel and Lilly, just behind some bushes ahead.

- I wouldn't stoop to that level, kidnapping children? Holy shit! They are good people, and they don't want trouble with anyone, why not leave them alone?

She said, crossing her arms and glancing at the machete on the floor.

- Be smart about it, Clementine. You already failed Lee, are you going to fail the boy too? Do something right for once in your life.

Lilly said, walking to Abel's side, looking at Clementine with a serious expression.

Clementine sighed again, letting her anger run free through her body.

She looked at Aasim, and nodded.

The boy shot his bow toward Abel, hitting the man in the upper back. Violet shot at Lilly, hitting the woman in the shoulder.

A sharp cry of pain escaped his throat, and Lilly groaned in pain as she threw herself backwards.

Clementine punched Sarah in the stomach and threw her to the ground.

The girl threw herself to the side and grabbed her machete, watching as Rosie bit the forearm of Lilly, who pointed a rifle in her direction.

She took AJ's hand and ran from there, heading toward Aasim, who whistled at Rosie.

The dog let go of Lilly and ran toward them, dodging the shots Sarah was firing in her direction.

Clementine looked back for only a matter of seconds.

She watched in slow motion as the shots from Abel's shotgun went towards AJ, bouncing off the rock right in front of the boy, and hitting him in the abdomen.

The boy fell to the ground, and Clementine could clearly see when blood spurted from AJ's wound.

She screamed his name in desperation, and stared at Louis for a while as he took AJ in his arms and started running away.

(...)

- Open the fucking gate!

Aasim shouted, and Tenn opened the gates. His eyes fell on AJ, bleeding in Louis' arms.

- Whoa what the fuck is this? Why are they here again?!

Mitch asked angrily, shutting himself up when he saw the wound on AJ's abdomen.

- Ruby!

Louis yelled for the girl as soon as they entered the main building.

They ran up the stairs, finding the girl at the end of the hall.

- Jesus, what happened?

she asked in surprise, grabbing all the things that were on the sofa beside her.

- He's been shot.

Clementine said in a concerned tone, watching as Louis placed AJ on the couch and looked at the wound in his abdomen.

It hadn't been deep from the bounce, which made Clementine sigh a little more relieved. The problem now, was only the bleeding.

Unfortunately, many bullet fragments had spread throughout AJ's body, which was the main reason for all the bleeding.

- I need to remove the fragments, clean the wound as best I can, and bandage it up afterwards!

Ruby said, placing the first aid kit beside her as Clementine lifted AJ's blouse further.

- Louis?

The boy called softly, amid a groan of pain.

- Shh. You're going to be okay, AJ. But you need to stay still, okay? You need to rest.

Clementine said, placing her hand gently on AJ's face. The boy stared at her for a while, but then turned his gaze back to Louis.

- I'm sorry... for Marlon. I didn't mean to make you sad, I just...

He apologized with a mixture of pain and sadness. Louis crouched down beside him and placed his hand gently on the boy's shoulder.

- Relax, little guy. It's... it's okay.

He said gently, looking at AJ with a mixture of guilt and shame.

The boy stared at him for a while, then nodded, giving him a small, grateful smile.

Louis sighed lightly and stood up, looking down at his hands, stained with AJ's blood.

- Listen to Ruby, okay? She'll take care of you.

Clementine said, watching AJ nod weakly.

She stood up and let Ruby do her work, walking down the stairs.

Clementine ran her hands through her hair in nervousness, she was breathing heavily and pacing back and forth in anger, worry and anxiety.

She didn't even notice when Mitch had walked in and was arguing about something with the others.

- What the fuck! The vote was decisive, you should have left them, not brought them back here!

He said angrily, looking angrily at Violet and Louis.

- Are you fucking blind?! The boy's been shot!

Violet replied, also angry.

- The same kid who put a bullet in Marlon's head!

Mitch insisted, scratching the back of his head in nervousness.

- Jesus, Mitch! What the fuck is wrong with you?! We should have left them there, alive! Not fucking dead!

Louis shouted back, startling Mitch for a moment.

- Damn it, Louis! He was your best friend! He wasn't perfect, but this bitch and that little shit up there aren't much different!

He shouted, walking angrily towards Clementine, who took a deep breath, trying to ignore what he had said.

- Shut up.

She said coldly, pacing back and forth with her thoughts and feelings raging.

- Fuck you! This is all your fault! The boy getting shot is not our problem, it's yours!

He shouted, and Clementine's patience ran out.

Clementine turned and punched Mitch hard in the stomach, causing the boy to kneel bent over on the ground, clutching his stomach as he reached for the air that was expelled from his lungs.

- Shut the fuck up! You fucking piece of shit!

she shouted angrily, glaring at Mitch.

Clementine turned around and took a few deep breaths, but the more she tried to calm herself down, the angrier she became.

The girl took off her cap and ran her hand through her hair, picking up the picture of Lee shortly after.

What would he do in her place?

Clementine laughed humorlessly, shaking her head.

She knew well what he would do, she had seen him do it.

- Okay... They're coming back. They want to take everyone here, take them back to their camp.

She said, putting the cap back on her head and looking at the others, putting the picture of Lee in her pocket.

- The people you found...

Violet said, looking at her curious, and even a little pleased at Mitch, who was coughing on the ground.

- Lilly, Sarah, Abel. I knew Lilly and Sarah, but the last time we saw each other was years ago.

She said, sighing as she felt her body calm down a little more.

- You see... She knows them... maybe she's with them too...

Mitch said with a groan of pain, getting up with some difficulty, while still keeping his hand on his stomach.

- Mitch, if you keep this shit up, I'm going to beat you so bad, a zombie would mistake you for one of its own kind. Shut up, last chance.

Clementine threatened him in a dangerously cold tone. Mitch gave her an irritated look, but remained silent.

- Lilly is the short-haired one, Sarah the one with glasses. I knew Lilly when all this started, and she was a tough one to deal with. I didn't like her, but I didn't hate her either, she tried to lead us, to keep us together, but it didn't work out so well.

She said, putting her hand on her waist as the image of AJ being shot played over and over in her mind.

- I met Sarah a few years after Lilly. She was a scared little girl, couldn't even shoot, and couldn't even look at a zombie without getting scared. We were together for a few years, she even helped taking care of AJ, but we parted ways. I haven't seen her since AJ was a baby.

She explained, visualizing in slow motion, in her mind, when Abel pulled that trigger.

- What do we do now?

Aasim asked, sitting down on one of the sofas in the corner, sighing tiredly and leaning his head on his hand.

- What can we do? How many people do they have?

Louis asked, crossing his arms and looking at the floor.

- I have no idea, but I doubt it was just the three of them. They must have more people around somewhere.

Clementine said, sighing wearily and looking at the ground.

Just when she finally thinks she doesn't have to fight a war, something happens that turns her life upside down.

The more she tried to run away from problems, the more problems appeared.

It was a fucking cycle.

- We don't even know when they will attack, it could be any time... even today.

Violet said, arms crossed and a tired expression.

- I doubt it will be today, unless they have brought dozens of people with them.

Clementine said, causing the others to look at her in confusion.

- How can you know that?

Aasim asked.

- Because they are wounded, Abel especially. They will wait until their wounds heal. And a bite like Rosie's must surely take a long time to heal. Not counting arrow wounds.

she said thoughtfully.

- This place is a hell of a fortress... with a little work, we can make it very difficult for them to get in.

She said, putting her hand on her waist and looking around some random corner, while thinking about the opportunities they had.

- Ahm... what?

Louis asked, unsure of what he had just heard.

- Do you know how to do this?

Violet asked, arching an eyebrow in confusion.

- I know how to attack, defense shouldn't be that different. We won't have to defend ourselves, if we kill them all first.

-... What?

Louis asked again.

- We're gonna kill them... every single one of them.

She said, with Abel's face fixed in her mind.