"Author's note: I still don't know if Clementine will be with anyone, and if she does, who it will be with. I like both Violet and Louis, I just wish they had a little more screen time for me to really feel attached to them."
- Are the zombie heads on the skewers really necessary? I mean, it's not a problem to leave them there.
Clementine asked, looking at the severed head of a zombie on top of a skewer next to a wooden structure that they would use for cover.
- Willy said it would look scary, I didn't see a problem with leaving it.
Violet said, crossing her arms and looking at everything they had done in the past few weeks.
- How is Aasim's trap going?
Clementine asked, looking up at the main building, where the boy was looking up, probably at the spot where he had set the trap.
- He said it needs a little more weight, but otherwise it's done.
Violet replied, sitting down on one of the steps of the stairway to the main building, and sighing slightly.
- How many Molotov cocktails can we make?
Clementine asked, looking at Willy further ahead, who seemed somewhat excited to look at the state of the place.
- Three, that's not much, but if he hits someone, that's one less of them.
Violet said, looking at Louis, who was practicing his aim with his bow.
- Mitch seems pretty excited about his bombs... and his rifle.
Clementine said, looking at the boy further ahead. Since she had brought those weapons to school some time ago, he had grown attached to one of the rifles.
She even taught him to shoot, well, at least the basics, since they couldn't fire a single bullet.
- Are you sure about this? I mean, Louis and Mitch will get into position right after the chaos spreads... but are you sure you want to hold those guys off? It's dangerous.
Violet said, looking worriedly at Clementine, who sighed.
In the time they had been together, they could consider themselves friends, the thing was that Clementine was not used to the word "friend," much less having someone, outside of AJ, care about her. Except for Duck and Kenny, but that was a long time ago.
It was kind of weird, but in a good way.
- Yes, I do. I don't want any of them to leave here alive. We can't take the risk of them coming back and telling the rest of their people. As soon as this is over, we will take the weapons from the ones we killed and go after the rest. I want to finish this in one day.
Clementine said, a distant look on her face as she stared at the gate.
Violet crossed her arms and stared at Clementine for a while, clearly not wanting her to do that. She sighed in defeat and ran her hand through her hair in nervousness.
- If that's what you want to do... I have a few more things to do. Talk to you later.
Violet said, turning and walking towards the main building.
Clementine stared at her for a while, then sighed slightly.
Her gaze focused on AJ, and she smiled warmly at the sight of him standing next to Tenn in the small watchtower.
The girl went down the stairs and walked toward Louis, who seemed to be having a hard time hitting the target with Marlon's bow.
She approached, and just watched him for a while.
The boy raised his bow and pulled the arrow back. His posture was slightly sloppy, his arms were shaky, and his breathing was heavy.
He let go of the arrow, and missed the target.
Louis bowed his head and cursed softly, looking at the arrow, which had hit the tree next to the target.
- You're too tense... you're nervous, you need to calm down.
Clementine said, looking at the arrow stuck in the tree with her arms crossed.
Louis stared at her for a while.
- In a few weeks, or days, or hours, those guys will be here, burning our place down, and robbing, or killing us. How can I stay calm in a situation like this?
he asked, looking at the ground with some regret, and taking a quick glance at the target in front of him, still wondering how he could not hit it.
- That's why we have a plan, they won't burn, rob, or kill anyone if we don't let them. And for that to happen, you have to calm down.
She said, glancing at the rifle that was lying on the armchair behind Louis.
- You look a little like Marlon.
He said without thinking, and made a silly face when he saw Clementine's arched eyebrow.
- Not in fighting, definitely. But in trying to cheer us up... although you are a bit more... rough around the edges than he was.
He said, raising his bow once more and shooting, cursing softly as he missed another arrow.
- It's amazing how calm you and AJ are. I mean, you said you've been through a lot, it's just... damn, a little boy three times younger is tougher than me.
He said, laughing lightly as he looked quickly at AJ.
- I'm not like you. I didn't go through what you did, and this whole situation... freaks me out.
He said, putting down his bow and walking towards the arrows, picking them up and putting them back in the quiver.
- Who says I'm not afraid? It's okay to be scared, it would be weird if you weren't.
She said, walking over to the armchair and picking up the rifle, under Louis's attentive and surprised gaze.
- But we have to overcome this fear. That's why I survived so long, that's why AJ is still alive. Imagine the peace we'll have when the raiders are gone.
She said, taking a few steps back and pointing her rifle toward the target. Strangely enough, she felt good holding a gun that size. She even missed shooting.
-How many people have you killed?
Louis asked, and Clementine lowered the rifle, looking at him surprised by the question.
-... Too many to count. Too many... dozens, maybe hundreds if you count the first time I killed someone.
She answered, lowering her rifle and looking at the gun in her hands.
-I have never killed anyone.
Louis said, approaching Clementine and looking hesitantly at the rifle.
Clementine looked at him with an arched eyebrow, and sighed shortly afterwards.
- I figured. In a way, it's actually a good thing. Your psychology changes after you kill someone, you are no longer yourself, even if you don't realize it.
She said, taking the magazine out of her rifle and checking her ammo.
It had been a while since she had seen a full mag.
- Do you want to switch places with Violet?
she asked, putting the magazine comb back in the rifle and looking at Louis.
The boy hesitated for a while, thoughtfully.
- No, just... just teach me how to use this thing.
He said, and Clementine handed him the rifle.
- Put this hand a little forward of the magazine, here...
She instructed him, showing him the posture he should have when holding a weapon of this weight.
- Lift it a little higher, and rest its stock on your shoulder. Spread your legs apart and bend your knees slightly, put this leg further back.
She said, and moved a few steps away, pleased to see Louis' position, despite the boy's obvious discomfort.
- It's not very comfortable like this.
He said, aiming at the target in front of him, getting used to the weight of the gun.
- It's a heavy weapon, this position will give you more accuracy and stability. All you have to do now is pull the trigger. The recoil is strong, and the bullets are limited, not to pressure you or anything, but try to shoot as many people as you can, we'll need your cover.
She said, and the boy sighed, undoing his stance and looking at the gun in his hands.
- Have you shot a lot with guns like this?
he asked, putting the rifle back on the armchair.
- Yes. The best of all was the time I shot with a shotgun, that thing does a lot of damage. Too bad I didn't get to use it more often.
She said, a distant look and a small smile on her lips as she remembered being thrown to the ground by the recoil of the gun.
- Geez... remind me not to piss you off while you're holding a gun. Did that guy, Lee, teach you how to shoot a rifle too?
He asked, crossing his arms and staring at her for a moment.
- No, I was too little then, and we didn't have a rifle at our disposal, only pistols, and a knife. I learned from a man named Kenny.
She said, looking at the knife that was on the back of AJ's waist.
- Well, I think I will go back to training with the bow, maybe some miracle will happen.
Louis said, raising his bow again. Now, calmer, his breathing was smoother and his arms were steady.
- Thank you, Clem. For everything.
He said, and Clementine nodded to him, before turning and walking towards Brody, who was standing in a corner, watching everything with his arms crossed.
She hadn't talked properly to the girl, Brody didn't want to talk to anyone after what happened with Marlon.
- Hey.
Clemetine greeted. Brody looked at her for a few moments, before looking away.
- How are you feeling?
Clementine asked, glancing at her healed leg. She didn't answer, just kept staring at some random spot.
- Brody... you can't be like this. There are more serious things going on right now.
She tried to talk to the girl again, to get some reaction out of her, because even though the girl was motionless, Clementine knew she was listening.
- Don't you think you' ve already spent too much time mourning? Everyone else is focused on what is happening right now, if you stay stuck in the past, you'll miss your chance for a future.
Clementine said, crossing her arms and leaning on the wall beside Brody, who sighed.
- Don't you think I know that?
The girl said, and Clementine was slightly pleased that she had at least gotten her to talk.
- Marlon... he was an example to all of us. He was responsible, always made the tough decisions, I was inspired by him. But then he sold those two sisters and... it changed him. All the threats, all the blows, and in the end, he pulled a gun on me.
She said with a lost look, her eyes didn't seem to focus on anything, and her hurt tone seemed to be forced out of her throat.
- People are unpredictable. And they do stupid things driven by feelings. Marlon might have done it for a bigger reason, who knows, maybe he was a victim. That doesn't explain what he did, and his actions resulted in a bullet to the head.
Clementine said, looking at Louis, who celebrated softly as he hit the target.
-I know... Sometimes I put myself in his place, I wonder what I would have done? And the more I think about it, the more I realize that, maybe, I would have done the same thing. And maybe, I would also end up with a bullet in my head.
Brody said, turning away from the wall and walking towards the dormitories.
Clementine stared at her for a while, before starting to walk toward Mitch.
(...)
A few hours passed, and Clementine was walking towards Violet, just after she finished talking to Mitch.
The girl was sitting on one of the steps of the main building, and was watching her calmly.
- So, how are things going?
Violet asked, and Clementine sighed as she sat down beside her.
- They're... they're trying. Mitch is a little nervous, but excited about using his bomb for something... big. Louis was a little scared, and hesitant, honestly, I think he still is, but he's calmer now.
She said, looking at the smiling face of AJ, who was still talking to Tenn.
- "Trying" isn't going to stop them from being kidnapped. "Trying" isn't going to stop those raiders from burning down our fucking house.
- What do you expect? Nobody here has ever been through anything like this. Hell, Louis has never even killed anyone, and I don't think most people here have either. Unfortunately, trying is the only thing we can do.
Clementine said, leaning her arms on her thighs and bowing her head slightly.
Violet did the same, sighing wearily.
- I know... things are just... fucked up.
- They always have been. Ever since the dead started eating the living.
- I don't know how you can stay so calm about it all. I can't stop thinking that something will go wrong, that one of us will be kidnapped... or worse.
- I've been in enough similar situations to know that at times like this, I'm obligated to stay calm if I want things to go as planned.
Clementine said, taking the hat off her head for a moment and running her hand through her hair.
- Hey, girls. Why so depressed?
Louis approached, drawing both of their attention by his light tone. His eyes were still restless, and Clementine knew that he was nervous, but he tried to appear calm, perhaps to make the others calm as well.
- I don't know, maybe because our house, our lives are at risk... I really have no idea.
Violet answered ironically, and Louis laughed sarcastically.
- Oh Violet, dear, you're so positive. We need something to relieve the tension.
He said, nodding to some couches beside them, where Aasim was sitting with a thoughtful expression.
The two girls looked at each other for a while, until they stood up and followed Louis, who sat down next to Aasim.
- I came up with a plan to make everyone feel better.
Louis said, giving a fist bump to AJ, who was walking beside Tenn.
- And this plan, is a game.
He said, taking the deck of cards from inside one of the pockets of his overcoat.
- We haven't played a game in weeks.
Violet said, looking at the torchlight next to her.
- If you want to call Ruby to play, buddy, I don't mind waiting.
Louis said, elbowing Aasim lightly, who looked at him surprised, and a little embarrassed.
- Shut up, dude! I swear to God...
he said quickly, in nervousness.
- Do you have a thing for Ruby? Man, I didn't know that.
Violet said, leaning back on the arm of the couch and looking with a mocking smile at Aasim.
- What are we going to play?
AJ asked, sitting down next to Tenn.
- Truth or Dare.
Louis answered, shuffling the cards.
- You don't use cards in truth or dare.
Violet said.
- Well, in this version you do. Everyone draws. The highest card asks, the lowest has to answer.
Louis replied, handing the deck to Clementine, who took one of the cards and passed it to Violet.
- Hm, this should be good.
Violet said in an excited tone, looking at Clementine, who took the lowest card.
- Let's see... true. Marry, fuck, kill.
- Vi!
Tenn scolded her.
- Ok, marry, flip, kill. Ruby, Aasim, Brody
She said, looking at Clementine, who arched a thoughtful eyebrow.
- No one, to tell you the truth. I never thought about it.
She answered after a while.
- Well, you're thinking about it now.
Violet said, looking amused at Clementine, who sighed.
- Hmm... I would marry... Aasim.
She answered, and the boy looked at her, somewhat surprised.
- Ahm... thank you?
He said, somewhat confused on how to react.
- Hah, if Ruby doesn't want you, there's already someone else in line, champ. I'm jealous.
Louis said amused, and Aasim just rolled his eyes, as did Clementine.
- I would, um, flip... Ruby.
She replied, and Louis started to laugh a little loudly, while Aasim just stared at nothing.
- Wha- Sorry, I was just imagining the look on her face if that happened.
He said, laughing some more as he saw Aasim's rather blank expression.
- That means you would kill Brody, too bad.
Violet said.
- That's amazing.
Tenn mentioned, shaking his head and looking at the ground.
- Okay, time for round two.
Louis said, handing the deck of cards back to Clementine.
- I win.
Clementine said.
- And poor Aasim lost.
Louis said, looking at his friend next to him.
- Definitely a dare.
- Okay... do your worst.
He said, looking at Clementine with an arched eyebrow.
- Ask Ruby for a kiss.
She said, and Aasim stared at her in surprise.
- Really?!
he asked, surprised.
- The most legitimate of dares.
Louis said with an amused smile, watching every move Aasim made as he approached Ruby.
They stared at the boy's back, and everyone started laughing when Ruby slapped him in the face.
Even Clementine laughed softly as she watched the boy return to the couch with his hand on his face and a distant look.
- I think we all learned something about our dear friend Aasim today. Mainly that he doesn't have any romantic charm whatsoever.
Louis said, mocking his friend.
- Shut up.
- Time for round three.
Louis said something, ignoring Aasim's angry voice and passing the cards to the side.
- I got it.
Louis celebrated, looking at Clementine's card.
- You were very rough on our poor dear friend Aasim, teasing him with sweet Ruby. Nothing more fair than to tease you mercilessly about unrequited love. Clem, anyone here that you like?
he asked, looking rather intensely at Clementine, who arched a thoughtful eyebrow.
- Actually, I don't know, I don't think so.
She said, scratching the back of her head.
- And why is that?
Violet asked.
- Because I hardly ever think about things like "love," at least not this kind of love. It doesn't seem to be important, not at the moment.
she answered.
- Don't you ever find yourself thinking about someone to have by your side? You know, someone to tell your secrets to, who you can rely on?
Louis asked.
- I never needed one. I spent all this time alone, why would I have someone like that? Besides, it is highly likely that someday this person could use my secrets, and my trust, against me. I see more risks than advantages in this.
She said, putting one leg over the armchair and resting her arm on her knee. oblivious to the lost glances, both from Louis and Violet.
-Well, that's her answer. Let's go to the third round.
Violet said, disguising her slightly gloomy tone.
- Aasim, you are the winner of this round. And the loser is our beloved Tennessee.
Louis said, alternating his gaze between the two friends.
- True. What is the one thing you never told anyone, because you were afraid they would make fun of you?
Aasim asked, and Tenn was a little surprised by the question, as well as a little thoughtful.
- I... I think that the zombies won't be around forever. I think they will go away, someday. The world goes in cycles, right? Ice age, stone age... and other ages. So this age will end, and another one will appear.
He explained, looking around, a little confused by the at the same time warm, and sad expressions he saw.
- Did I ruin the game? Why is everyone looking at me like that?
he asked, somewhat uncertainly.
- I knew someone who used to think like that... just in a different way.
Clementine said, sympathizing with the thought of the boy, who looked at her curious, and even a little excited to know that someone else thought the same way he did.
- Zombies are dead, rotting people. The more time goes by, the slower they get, the less they can see, hear. Since then, I have believed what he told me, and I also think that they will no longer be a big problem. At least, the ones that have been walking for some time.
She explained, looking gently at Tenn, who had a slight smile on his face.
- That... makes sense.
Aasim said a bit distantly, trapped in his own thoughts.
- And this seems like a good time to call it.
Louis said, looking at Aasim, who stood up and walked towards one of the tables ahead.
- We have to finish our work anyway. It's getting late.
Violet said, getting up too.
- Yes, Clementine will be keeping watch right after me.
Ruby said, stepping closer and looking at Clementine, who nodded at her.
- Can I go?
AJ asked, getting up.
- Sure thing, sweet heart.
She said, and AJ looked at Clementine for a moment before following the girl.
- I'm going to the bell tower. I'll check our defenses before bed.
Violet said, getting up and walking toward the cemetery.
- I'm on piano duty. I have a new project I want to try. I could use some help, but I think I can do it on my own.
Louis said, looking at Clementine for a moment, before walking towards the main building.
The girl stood there for a while, looking at the backs of the two who were walking away.
