Thanks to gaara king of the sand for the help.
Clementine shuffled along behind Terrell in silence, her head was bowed, miserable and lost. She could feel her lower lip quiver now and then, but her eyes remained dry, determined not to weep. She tugged the wagon along with some struggle, her body was aching. Terrell had offered to help, but she refused.
"What's wrong, kid? Why so down?"
Clementine didn't respond to that question. Terrell knew exactly why she was sad. She had just lost three of her friends. Her family...
Why so down? She scoffed at the question. Depression just always seemed to find its way into her, and she was incapable of escaping it.
"Are… you okay, Clem?" Terrell asked the girl.
Continuing to look rather despondent, Clementine shook her head.
"This is about your friends, isn't it?" Terrell questioned.
"I… I miss them…" Clementine said. "I need to find them."
Terrell halted his movement, turning to face the young girl. "They're gone, Clementine. Let it go…"
"I can't do that." Clementine shook her head. "They're like my sisters. They're my family."
"You don't have a choice, kid." Terrell said. "Think about your own children. You need to make them your main focus now."
"They've always been my main focus! I would do anything for my kids. But I can't give up on my friends. What if they're still alive...? I have to find them." Clementine said.
"You need me to protect you." Terrell reacted as if he was suddenly angry. "I'm your friend. As far as I know, I'm the only friend you've got left. Everyone else is gone. Dead. You need me."
Clementine frowned at his words. "Well, if you didn't save me, maybe I would've been dead, and you would've been better off." Clementine huffed.
"Don't say that." Terrell replied.
"We're gonna die out here anyway. It's only a matter of time." Clementine said.
"Is that what you think?" Terrell asked.
Clementine bit her lip.
"Answer me!" Terrell said.
"What if it is what I think?" She replies, voice laced with so much frustration she was struggling to keep from yelling.
"I'm your friend, Clementine," said Terrell. "The only friend you need. I'm here to protect you, to help you, but you need to listen to me..."
"I need to know for sure… I need proof that they're gone." Clementine said, fighting tears that were finally threatening to spill. "I can't just move on without knowing, I have to find them."
"You'll never find them. You'll never even find out if they're dead or alive." Terrell said.
"I'll keep looking until I do..." Clementine replied.
"Yeah, and then no one'll ever hear from you ..." Terrell huffed. "You need to be smart about this."
"I don't even know if they're dead or alive. But they're my family. I have to find them; even if I have to go into hell itself to do it. I have to find them." Clementine said.
"They're dead."
"You don't know that," She said, heart clenching at the thought.
"It's not your fault," He said to her.
She hung her head. "Stop…"
"It's not your fault that their dead." Terrell said.
"No! They're not dead…" Clementine said. "I won't believe it just because you say it."
"Enough… If you think it's smart to march out there and put your babies at risk, you're out of your mind. You know as well as I do that those kids are gone… Even if they were alive, they've probably moved on, Clem…" Terrell said.
"T-They wouldn't leave me…" Clementine responded, feeling a bit unsure.
"Are you sure about that? If they're alive they have a better chance of surviving without a cripple and three babies, slowing them down…"
Clementine was hurt by those words.
"It's time to move on, Clem…"
Christa, Kenny, and Gill stayed behind cover as a person stepped out of the vehicle.
Christa caught a glimpse of the woman who was clearly armed.
Kenny noticed the weapon as well, drawing his own, ready to fire. "I'm gonna see what this person wants."
"W-Wait." Gill grabbed at his arm.
Kenny tried to shake the boy's grip off. "What are you doing, kid?"
"I know you're out there!" The woman suddenly spoke. "Show yourselves!" Her voice was immediately familiar to them.
"M-Mom...?" Gill immediately rose from his cover.
Christa followed his lead, keeping her guard up just in case.
"Mom!" Gill exclaimed rushing towards the woman.
"Oh my God! Gill!" Patricia lowered her weapon and met the boy in a hug. She could feel tears falling from her eyes.
"I thought you were dead…" Gill whimpered, hugging her tightly.
"I knew you had to be alive." Patricia said as she continued hugging him. "Gill, what happened?"
"He got shot… I took care of it." Christa answered.
Kenny had lowered his weapon and started to approach. "Isn't this something…"
"Thank you both for taking care of my baby." Patricia said.
"Of course…" Christa said. "Are you alone?"
Patricia shook her head. "There's a group that escaped, they're not too far from here."
"Really?" Christa asked. "Were any of the kids there?"
Patricia's eyes grew wide at the question. "…They're not with you?"
"Fuck…." Christa said.
"W-Wait, the kids are gone…?" Patricia asked.
Christa didn't respond.
Patricia frowned, "Let's sit down and talk… I'll take a look at your wound too, Gill."
The boy nodded.
"It's really you! I can't believe you're here." Thrilled to see him, Sarah hurled herself into his arms. The teen sobbed as she clung to him. Luke returned the embrace, patting her back.
"Holy shit… Are you kids okay?" Luke asked.
"I- We thought you guys were gone." Becca said. "We thought you guys were all dead…"
"It's okay... We're alive… We're here and so are you. And I'm really, really glad I found you." Bonnie wiped her eyes, then shined a trembling grin at the girls.
"We shouldn't be out in the open. You kids can get in the van, we'll find some place safer to talk." Luke said.
Becca and Sarah agreed to the suggestion. Danielle, however, was hesitant, she didn't know these people and she didn't know if they could be trusted.
Sarah climbed into the vehicle and Becca started to do the same.
"You too, sweetie." Bonnie said, noticing Danielle's hesitance.
Danielle shook her head, remaining still in place, while holding Flopsie.
"Well we can't just leave you here." Bonnie said.
Becca noticed this as well and paused her movements, before looking to the girl. "Let me have a talk with her."
"Are you sure?" Luke asked.
"I'm sure. Let me talk to her. You two can get in the van, we won't be long."
The two adults reluctantly agreed, getting into the vehicle.
"Danielle, come on." Becca said.
Danielle shook her head, "No…" The small girl refused to budge, remaining in her spot.
"What's the problem?" Becca asked, sounding a bit irritated. "What are you doing, Dani?"
"I'm not going in there." Danielle replied.
Becca sent her a look, "Why not?"
"I don't know those people." Danielle answered. "I don't trust them…"
"Well, we do. So, come on." Becca said.
Danielle once again shook her head.
"They're not gonna hurt you." Becca said.
"That's what a lot of people say. And then they lie." Danielle huffed, clutching tighter to Flopsie.
"I wouldn't lie to you. I know they won't hurt you." Becca said.
"After how you treated Clem, why should I trust you?"
"Because we didn't have to go looking for you and Edith back at Wellington. We could've just left. But we wanted to make sure you were okay." Becca said.
"Clem wanted to make sure I was okay. I know it was her idea." Danielle said.
"No, we were all worried. We didn't have to agree to come look for you guys." Becca said. "And quit bring Clementine up. She's gone."
"Maybe you should stop acting like you don't care what happened to her. Like you don't care that she's gone… She didn't do anything wrong but so many people treated her like crap…" Danielle said.
"What do you know? You're just a little kid." Becca huffed.
"So was Clementine." Danielle pointed out. "And she didn't deserve to die."
"Clementine trusted them. So, you can too." Becca said. "She doesn't always have the best judgement when it comes to trusting people, but Sarah and I trust them too, that should say something…"
"…Fine… I guess that's enough to know that they won't put a bullet in my head." The younger girl muttered.
Becca was shocked by her words but said nothing.
"Can we stop?" Clementine asked reluctantly.
Terrell immediately groaned, "We haven't been walking that long."
"Please… My girls are hungry." Clementine said.
Terrell sighed. "Alright… Whatever you gotta do for them, make it fast."
"I will." Clementine said as Terrell released his grip on the wagon he had been pulling. "Umm…"
"What?" Terrell asked noticing the girl's face suddenly seemed flushed from embarrassment.
"I… I gotta feed them, and I…" Clementine shifted awkwardly, fidgeting a bit. "Umm… Can you not…"
Terrell seemed to take the hint. He chuckled a bit at how flustered the little girl was. "It doesn't matter. I won't look."
"Do you promise?" Clementine asked.
"Yeah." Terrell replied. "Not much to see anyway." He turned away from her.
Clementine frowned at that, not knowing how to feel about his words. She turned her attention to her children. Offering AJ some apple sauce which he happily ate, she then began nursing her daughters, while AJ played with a Disco Broccoli toy.
Terrell kept true to his word and didn't look. He even went as far as to ensure her privacy by going to scout the area ahead. Clementine appreciated that.
When he returned, she had finished feeding her little ones and was now changing diapers.
Terrell waited, reloading his own gun to kill time. After a few minutes Clementine spoke, "I'm ready."
Terrell looked over to see the girl starting to place the twins into the wagon, with a bit of struggle. AJ helped make the job easier by climbing in himself upon the girl's urging.
"Thank you, Goofball." Clementine giggled a bit.
AJ just babbled a bit and went back to playing.
"Come on." Terrell handed her, her crutches before taking grip on the wagon once again. "Let's get a move on."
Clementine simply nodded in response.
"I'm fine, mom. I told you already." Gill said, as Patricia checked him over.
"I just want to be sure. I don't want you catching an infection or anything." Patricia said. "When's the last time his wound was cleaned?"
"It hasn't been too long. I've been making sure his wound was treated well." Christa replied.
"Okay, good." Patricia sighed in relief. "So… How did you guys get out of Wellington?"
"Guns blazing." Kenny spoke. "We practically had to shoot our way out."
"What about you, mom?" Gill asked. "How did you get out?"
"We hid in one of the hospital bunkers during the explosions. I really wanted to find you, baby… I'm so glad you're okay." Patricia said. "I can't remember much but I passed out and when I woke up, we were no longer in Wellington."
"You keep saying we, who is we?" Christa asked.
"A couple of guards and medics. Also, some of the towns people, whoever survived I guess… We have some survivors who are injured so I promised I'd come back to help tend to them." Patricia replied.
"So other people really survived?" Gill sounded hopeful.
"Yeah, baby." Patricia gave a small smile. "They did."
"How many?" Christa asked.
"Maybe twenty or so…" Patricia replied.
"Damn… That's not a lot. Especially considering how many folks were at Wellington." Kenny said.
"I know…" Patricia said. "…What happened to the kids? Especially the little ones? Where are they?"
"We couldn't find them. We found Sarita but… but she was dead." Christa said.
"No… She was killed." Kenny mumbled. "Killed in cold fucking blood."
"Oh my God… I- I am so, so, so sorry…" Patricia said. "Do… Do you think the kids are… are alive? Do you think they're okay?"
"I hope so. I hope they're okay…" Gill said, looking worried.
"So do I…" Patricia said, giving him a comforting pat on his shoulder.
"We all do…" Christa said. "They're tough kids… So, I'm sure they are…"
"Hopefully you're right." Kenny muttered.
"I… know this is probably the last thing you two are thinking about right now, but maybe you guys can come back with me. The group I'm with set up a camp and they have food and supplies, medical supplies…" Patricia said. "It's not Wellington, or anything close to it, but it feels a lot safer there than out here."
"Well that doesn't account for much, because in the end Wellington wasn't all that safe, was it?" Kenny scoffed.
"We weren't prepared. We were all wearing blinders, those walls gave us a sense of security and let us think we had no worries." Patricia said. "But we learn from our mistakes. We don't make them again. We'll be okay this time."
"As nice as your offer seems, we have to find our kids." Christa said.
"Well you can't just go looking without supplies." Patricia said.
"You're right." Christa said. "But we need to find them, and we can't waste any time-"
"We'll come back with you." Kenny said, much to their surprised.
Christa sent him a look. "Kenny, what about the kids?"
"We'll come back with you for the supplies. And then we'll be on our way." Kenny said.
Patricia nodded. "Maybe after we check in on the group, I can come with you. I can help you look for the children. "
"No." Kenny shook his head. "You have your boy to look out for. It's too risky."
"But I can help too." Gill said. "I want to help find Clem and the others."
"Sorry kid. That's not gonna happen." Kenny said.
"Why not? Clem is my friend. I want to help find her." Gill said.
"Gill, Kenny is right. You and your mom were just reunited. You don't need to put yourselves at risk." Christa said.
Gill frowned at that. "But I-"
"Just stop, kid. I'm not gonna argue with you. You're not coming with us…" Kenny said.
Gill lowered his gaze, knowing there was no use in fighting.
Patricia comforted the young boy. "It's okay, bud. I'm sure your friends are safe…"
Gill sighed. "I really hope so…"
"Let's get a move on." Kenny spoke. "Lead the way, Patricia."
"Will do." Patricia said, standing and helping Gill up.
The four of them began to make their way to the truck.
The drive had been a silent one. It wasn't a comfortable silence. It was an awkward silence, full of tension. Yet, no one dared to break it, until now as Bonnie spoke.
"This seems like a good spot to stop." Bonnie said.
"I guess it's good as any." Wyatt said.
"Yeah, it's gonna get dark soon. We can just set up camp here for the night." Vince said. "Luke and I can check it out, make sure it's safe."
The others nodded. Wyatt pulled the vehicle to a stop and Luke and Vince got out first, checking that the area was clear.
After giving the group the okay, the others got out of the van. Wyatt and Russell began working on getting a fire going, while Bonnie checked her bag for a canned food she would prepare for dinner.
The girls noticed that Luke seemed anxious as he was pacing back and forth, until Vince managed to talk him into sitting down.
As the sun was starting to set, the group managed to get a fire going, and shortly after Bonnie had some stew cooking.
Danielle decided to sit a bit away from them. She was find just being with Flopsie. Though, it wasn't long before Sarah and Becca came over to offer the younger girl some food.
"We brought you something to eat." Sarah said.
Danielle looked to them then sighed. "No thank you. I don't want it."
"Don't be stupid. You gotta eat something." Becca said.
Danielle stubbornly shook her head, refusing to take the bowl.
Becca rolled her eyes at that. "You act like it's poisoned."
"Is it?" Danielle simply asked.
"We wouldn't eat it if it was poisoned." Becca huffed.
"We know these people. They wouldn't poison us. They're nice." Sarah said.
"I don't know them." Danielle said. "And a lot of people can pretend to be nice then change. I've seen it happen before…"
"We've known them for a long time. Practically since the start of all this. I'm pretty sure we can trust them." Becca said.
"The bandits who hurt me, my mommy knew them before the start of all this. She worked with them at a store. She used to call them friends, she trusted them… but that didn't stop them from hurting me or her… They would've killed me if they got the chance." Danielle said.
"Danielle, I promise you they're not like that…" Becca said with a sigh.
"Okay…" Danielle said. "I'd rather stay over here though. With Flopsie."
"But you should get to know everyone." Sarah said.
"No thanks. Flopsie and I want to stay over here." Danielle said.
"Do you want us to stay with you? It's scary sitting alone out here." Sarah said.
"You don't have to. Flopsie and I will be fine." Danielle said.
"Are you sure?" Sarah asked.
Danielle nodded.
"Fine." Becca shrugged. "We'll leave you alone."
Becca started to walk away, but Sarah spoke, "Are you mad at us?"
Becca stopped in her tracks curious on the question as well.
"What?" Danielle asked.
"Are you mad at us?" Sarah asked again.
Danielle paused for a moment then muttered, "What do you think?"
"I…I think you are…" Sarah said with a frown. "I don't want you to be."
Danielle gave no response.
"You are, aren't you?" Sarah asked, looking hurt.
Danielle still said nothing.
"I'll take that as a yes." Becca said.
"Take it however you want…" Danielle said. Sarah's reaction to her words made her feel a bit bad, but they would make Clementine feel bad regularly so she couldn't completely regret it.
"We'll just… leave you alone for now." Becca said. "Come on, Sarah."
Sarah kept her frown but nodded. The teen placed Danielle's bowl beside her in case the younger girl got hungry.
The two teens then walked off, leaving little Danielle to her thoughts.
"How did you find me?" Clementine wondered out loud.
"Luck, I guess." Terrell shrugged.
"Luck?" Clementine repeated, furrowing her brows.
"I guess it was luck on both of our ends." Terrell said.
"I don't feel very lucky." Clementine mumbled. "Can we stop…?"
"…Fine."
The girl sighed in relief. She was glad as he kept refusing to let them stop any longer than the time it took for her to nurse or change her babies. She was exhausted at this point. She sat down and started to tend to the little ones.
"…Do you really think they're dead?" She suddenly asked.
"Huh?"
"My friends…" Clementine said.
"This again?" Terrell practically groaned.
"Just… Answer me, please… Do you really think they're dead?" Clementine asked again.
"Do you think they're alive?" Terrell questioned back.
"I… I don't know…" Clementine said honestly.
"There's probably more of those guys who attacked you out there. I doubt they'd just spare them. And even if they did, the dead probably got them. You find your friends, you're most likely gonna find them as walkers." Terrell said.
"I just… I feel like we should look for them if they're alive." Clementine frowned.
"You're so naïve, Clem." Terrell said.
Clementine was surprised by that. "Wh-What?"
"We talked about this. Everyone from Wellington is gone. Just because you were lucky enough to group up with them once, doesn't mean you'll be lucky enough to find them again. They're gone, Clementine. One way or another they're gone. If you really think they would wait around for you, you're wrong. Your friend, Becca, do you really think she's looking for you right now? Do you think she thought you were equal to her? She saw you as a burden. A useless little cripple… She probably feels better off… Let them go, kid." Terrell said.
His harsh words made her want to cry. She felt part of it was true, she was just slowing them down… Maybe they were better off without her…
"Everyone's luck has to run out at some point, you know." Terrell said.
"I guess it won't be long before ours does too…" Clementine muttered.
The group had gathered around a fire, though Danielle kept her distance. She didn't want to sit with them, she was worried she couldn't trust them. Even though Becca and Sarah obviously trusted them, judging by the way the two older girls were comfortably conversing with the adults.
Danielle held Flopsie close to her, so many thoughts were running through her mind. She was wondering if there was even a faintest chance that Clementine was alive. Was her best friend really dead? It seemed unlikely that the girl could have gotten out of that burning cottage. Her poor friend could barely walk and having three babies to haul along didn't help that.
Danielle felt heartbroken, Clementine had been the one person that she was closest to after losing her group. She felt like she was always losing everything and everyone. She had lost her mother, she had lost her guardian, Jace and everyone in his group, including her best friend. She had lost Edith, and now she had lost Clementine and those sweet little babies. She remembered Clementine suggesting she'd be the twins' auntie. And the more time she spent with the twins and AJ the more she loved being their "auntie". But now they were gone. Everyone she loved was gone. Sure, she was glad Sarah and Becca were okay, she cared about the older girls, even though she was never as close to them as she was to Clementine, and she was upset at both of them. She was angry at Becca for how the teen bullied Clementine, and she was annoyed at Sarah for being too scared to have Clementine's back and speak up for her.
Even now, the way the teens sat by the fire casually chatting with the adults, bothered Danielle. It was like they were distracting themselves from the tragedy of what happened to their friend and the babies. Danielle felt so many different emotions. The little eleven-year-old knew she would have to keep going for everyone she lost in the past, but she wondered how many more people she would lose. How long until her own time ran out?
"What happened to you guys? It's been so long; I was worried all of you were…" Bonnie trailed off.
"Dead?" Becca asked. "Not all of us…"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Luke asked worriedly.
Neither teen responded.
"Girls talk to us, please. Tell us what happened?" Bonnie said.
"Where are Kenny, Christa, and Sarita?" Russell asked.
"Where's Clementine and the babies?" Luke asked.
"What's going on? Why were you kids alone?" Wyatt asked.
Sarah frowned, whimpering a bit while Becca looked away.
"Okay, okay, stop. You guys are just bombarding them with questions." Vince spoke up in the girls' defense. "They need time. I'm sure they've been through a lot."
"We came all this way, Vince. I need to know what happened." Luke said. "I need to know where my girls are."
"I get that, but you can't just-"
"You wanna know what happened… I'll tell you." Becca said, cutting Vince off. "We made it to Wellington. We were there for a while, so were a lot of other people. Wellington was full. There were way too many people there and not enough supplies. They were turning groups a way. Had been for some time. They would've turned us away if not for Clem and the babies."
"Damn…" Russell said.
"We were surprised to find out Wellington really existed. I thought it was just a pipe dream." Bonnie said.
"Well, it wasn't. It was a real place. A lot of people heard of Wellington, so it was the target of a lot of attacks. Bandits, or just people who were angry at being sent away… They tried to give every group they turned away supplies, at first, but when we started running low inside, they couldn't do that anymore. That only made the attacks happen more often…" Becca said. "The last attack was the worse. They completely outnumbered the guards, we saw a lot of dead people, dead kids… This group… they didn't care who they killed. They were throwing bombs and just shooting… everyone… Sarita was killed back in Wellington. So was Dani's guardian, Edith…. We managed to escape, but we got separated from Christa and Kenny."
"We saw the aftermath of the attack… The whole place is a complete mess. Everything is destroyed…" Russell said.
"It's so sad…" Sarah sniffled. "I just wish everything was back to normal. I wish my dad was here."
Luke frowned at that and Bonnie tried to comfort the young girl. "The little one over there, I take it, that's Dani?" Bonnie motioned to Danielle, who was sitting alone with Flopsie.
Becca nodded. "That's Danielle. She's one of Clem's friends."
"Maybe she should come sit with us. It's warmer by the fire. I'm sure the poor little thing is freezing." Bonnie said.
"She has a hard time trusting people. She'll take a bit to warm up to you guys…" Becca explained.
"Well, the least she can do is warm herself up physically. I don't want her getting sick." Bonnie replied.
"I guess." Becca said.
"Why don't you talk to her?" Bonnie suggested.
"I could… but I'm pretty sure she's pissed at me right now." Becca said.
"Why would she be pissed at you?" Vince asked.
"Little kids, just tend to get pissed at me a lot." Becca claimed with a shrugged.
"Well, she's your friend. I'm sure you can try talking to her." Vince said.
"Woah, she's not my friend. I said she's Clem's friend. What do I look like hanging out with babies? I'm almost seventeen." Becca said.
"You called, Clem a baby too." Sarah said, removing her glasses to wipe tears from her eyes.
"Because she was a baby. Her and Dani are like the same age, They're both babies." Becca said.
"She was a little kid, but you didn't have to tease her for it." Sarah frowned.
"I wasn't teasing her for being little." Becca huffed."
"Then why were you so mean to her? What did she do to you? She didn't deserve that." Sarah said.
"She- She was always pissing me off! She was a brat." Becca claimed.
"No, she wasn't. She wasn't a brat!" Sarah argued.
"Hold on, what's going on? Where's Clem? I thought she was with Kenny and Christa." Bonnie said.
"We never said that?" Becca said.
"Then what?" Luke asked. "Where is she? Where are the other kids?"
"She's dead, Luke!" Becca said. "She's dead…"
Sarah broke into sobs. Everyone's expressions changed into looks of dread.
"No… No… She can't be dead. She can't be…" Luke said in a low voice.
"She is!" Becca snapped, feeling her own body quiver with anger. Luke was clearly in denial.
"No…No… no no no." Luke shook his head, refusing to believe. "She's not dead. Clementine's not dead."
"Luke…" Bonnie tried to place a hand on his shoulder as tears filled her own eyes. Luke however pulled away.
"My girls…?" Luke muttered. "Crystal and Aleena, where are they? Are they okay?"
The teens didn't answer. Sarah continued to sob, Bonnie pulling the teen into a hug.
"Are my girls okay?" Luke asked again, sounding more urgent and desperate for an answer. "Are my babies alive. Just… Just tell me, please."
Becca slowly shook her head. "Clem, AJ, and the twins… they're all gone…"
Luke felt like his heart had shattered into a million pieces. "Oh God… Oh God, no… No, this can't be happening…" Luke began to tremble, gritting his teeth to keep wails locked in. He had already lost a child, but now he lost the twins too… "They can't be dead…"
"Luke! They're gone!" Becca snapped, she was getting angry, but she was fighting back tears herself.
"They can't be!" Luke hissed, before taking a couple quick and shaky breaths.
"You gotta calm down, man…" Wyatt said. "You gotta calm down."
"Don't tell me to calm down! You have no fucking idea what I'm going through." Luke snapped; eyes moist as tears threatened to spill.
Danielle had looked over anxiously upon hearing all the yelling and crying. She clutched to Flopsie while watching the scene unfold wearily. She really hoped these men weren't like the bandits who had hurt her when she was seven.
"How did it happen?" Luke asked Becca, knowing he wouldn't get a response from Sarah.
Becca sighed, then answered, "We got attacked."
"By who?" Russell asked.
Becca shot him a look, "We don't know who. Probably the same group of assholes who attacked Wellington."
"Are you guys hurt?" Vince asked, concerned. "Did they hurt you…?"
Becca shook her head. "They… I don't know what they did to Clem and the babies…"
"Sick fucks…" Vince felt his stomach turn. "What the hell is wrong with people…?"
"We had found this cottage after we left Wellington. We were there for a few days… Danielle and I went out, to try to hunt, we needed more food. While we were gone people broke into the cottage and…" Becca trailed off.
"It's my fault…" Sarah sniffled.
Bonnie frowned at that. "What are you talking about, Sarah?"
"They told me to stay with Clem… And… And I left her. I left her with those bad people. It's all my fault." Sarah whimpered.
"No, Sarah. Don't blame yourself." Bonnie said, hugging the sixteen-year-old close. "It's not your fault."
"But it is… Clem told me to run… I didn't want to, but I thought maybe I could go get help…" Sarah said. "I left her to die…"
"Shh… That's not true. None of this is your fault, sweetie." Bonnie soothed.
"But- But…" Sarah stammered, but Bonnie shushed her once again, comforting the crying teen.
"What happened next? How do you know Clem's dead?" Luke asked.
"We… When we got back to the cottage, it was on fire. Clem and the babies were inside…" Becca explained.
"God… Oh fuck…" Luke took a raspy breath. "I need to take a walk…"
"Luke, wait," Bonnie tried calling, but he ignored her.
Vince shook his head. "Let him go, Bonnie."
"But…"
"Bonnie, he needs time." Vince said.
Bonnie frowned but nodded.
Silence fell over the group, everyone saddened by what they had learned. No one said a single word.
"I made some food." Terrell spoke.
Clementine glanced over then replied, "I'm not hungry."
"You should still eat something." Terrell said.
They had finally decided to stop for the night as it was growing dark. Clementine couldn't bring herself to eat the soup Terrell had prepared. She didn't have an appetite.
"…Why did you do it?" Clementine asked suddenly.
"Do what?"
"Save me… Why did you save me?" The girl questioned.
"Why wouldn't I?"
"I… I just… I don't understand…Why did you save me, T?" Her mind was trying it's best to grasp at straws.
"It was just something I had to do, Clem." Terrell answered.
"How did you even know where I was?" Clementine asked. "How did you get out of Wellington? I didn't see you…"
"Why are you asking so many questions?" Terrell grumbled.
"I'm curious." Clementine said honestly.
"You're acting suspicious." Terrell replied.
"I just want to know. I have to know… I need to understand…." Clementine said. "I didn't deserve to be saved; my friends did. I just… I can't believe everyone is gone… Everyone- Everyone I loved… I feel so numb…"
"I saved you because I care about you, Clem. I wish things were different but they're not. If I could have saved your friends, I promise you I would have, but you and I both know we can't change the past. We can only look towards the future." He motioned to the babies in the wagon. "This is your future, Clem."
"I know… But I can't raise three babies on my own…" Clementine said.
"You're not on your own. I'm right here, Clem. I'll never leave you all alone. I promise you that." Terrell said. "You trust me, right?"
"I… I don't know how to feel. I don't know what to think…" Clementine said.
"You know you can trust me. I'll protect you." Terrell said, taking her small hand in his own.
"…I trust you, T…" Clementine said, meeting his gaze.
"Good…." Terrell said. "I'll never let anyone hurt you."
"…Okay…" The sound of her daughter's cry pulled her attention away.
Terrell released her hand as she went to tend to her children. A small smirk on his face.
A while had passed since Luke had stormed off. He had yet to return. The girls were fast asleep, and the adults were talking quietly.
"What do we do now?" Russell asked.
"Well, we have the kids to protect now… We gotta do what's best for them." Vince said.
"What about the little one? I still think she should come over by the fire." Bonnie said.
The others glanced to the girl, who was laying down holding her stuffed animal close. They assumed she was asleep.
"The kid looked like a deer in the headlights earlier." Wyatt said.
"Can you really blame her? I'm sure all the kids are traumatized after this." Vince said. "They've seen shit kids shouldn't see. And she's probably around Clem's age… It's awful…"
"I'm gonna try to talk to her. I don't want her getting sick from being in the cold." Bonnie decided.
The men nodded as Bonnie stood and walked over to the young child, who to her surprise was wide awake.
Danielle quickly sat upright as she noticed her approaching. Still holding Flopsie close, the young girl watched the woman wearily.
"Hey there." Bonnie greeted in a gentle voice. "I thought you be asleep by now…"
Danielle didn't respond to the woman. She just watched her in silence.
"It's okay, I'm not gonna hurt you. I just figured you'd be cold over here all alone." Bonnie said. "Why don't you come over by the fire. You can rest with Sarah and Becca."
The child remained silent. She didn't know what to make of the woman.
"I promise it's much warmer over there. And you'll be a lot more comfortable. We have sleeping bags and blankets." Bonnie said.
Danielle still didn't respond.
"Oh, where are my manners? My name's Bonnie. And you're Danielle, right? Becca told me your name."
Nothing, the little girl just continued clinging to her bunny.
Bonnie noticed the stuffed toy and said, "That's a cute bunny. Does it have a name?"
Danielle furrowed her brows as if the woman had asked a stupid question.
"Oh, sorry. Of course, they have a name." Bonnie said, noting the child's expression. "What's their name?"
Danielle still didn't say a word to her.
Bonnie fought back a sigh. "How about I just get you a blanket? That way you and your bunny can stay warm."
Danielle didn't respond, not that Bonnie expected her to at this point. Bonnie went over to the fire to retrieve a blanket for the child. The way the small girl seemed so fearful reminded her of little Clementine. She wondered if Danielle had dealt with something similar to Clementine's experience.
"Any luck?" Russell asked.
Bonnie shook her head. "Not at all. That poor girl won't say a word to me."
"Poor kids…" Vince sighed, feeling his heart ache.
"I'm a little worried… Luke's still not back yet…" Bonnie said.
"It hasn't been too long. And I'm sure he can handle himself." Wyatt said.
"But… He's going through a lot." Bonnie said.
"He'll be fine." Wyatt claimed.
"Not when he's in this state." Bonnie disagreed.
"He just needs some time. Alone…" Vince said. "Give him some space, Bonnie."
"I guess you're right…" Bonnie sighed. "I'm gonna go bring the little one, one of the blankets."
"You can give her my sleeping bag; she'll be more comfortable in that." Vince said.
"Are you sure?" Bonnie asked.
Vince nodded. "Of course."
"Alright…" Bonnie said.
Bonnie grabbed Vince's sleeping bag and headed over to Danielle who was still sitting silently in her same spot. "Here you go, sweetie."
Danielle hesitated to take the sleeping bag.
"You should be more comfortable with this." Bonnie placed the sleeping bag beside the girl, sensing her hesitation.
Danielle was surprised by this.
"I'll leave you to get some rest… Feel free to join us by the fire if you want." Bonnie said.
The woman then started to walk off. Danielle thought she seemed kind…
Maybe these people weren't so bad.
"Leena, please… Please stop crying…" Clementine didn't know what her daughter wanted. She had been fussy for the last hour or so. The baby had calmed only briefly when Clementine had nursed her, but that was only a temporary satisfaction for the infant.
Clementine cuddled her, rocked her, offered her the rattle, which Aleena loved so much, but her baby would not stop crying.
AJ and Crystal had fallen asleep, but Clementine knew it wouldn't be long before Aleena woken them. She checked her baby's breathing, which seemed normal. The girl wasn't wet so what was the problem.
"Leena…" Clementine sighed, trying her best to sooth her squirming child.
"The kid's still being fussy?" Terrell suddenly asked.
"I don't know what she wants." Clementine admitted, feeling bad for not being able to quiet her baby.
"You're her mom, shouldn't you be able to figure it out?" Terrell scoffed.
Clementine felt hurt and a bit offended. "I'm trying, T. I'm trying."
"Well, try harder. She's gonna bring the dead." Terrell said. "Doesn't she have a pacifier or something?"
"She doesn't want that. She just spits it out." Clementine said.
Terrell paused before saying, "Give her here, let me try to calm her down."
Clementine looked unsure, holding her baby closer.
Aleena continued crying in her arms.
"Come on. You trust me, don't you?" Terrell said.
"I… I do but…" Clementine trailed off, not knowing what to say.
"But what? I'll give her right back, I promise." Terrell said.
"Okay…" Clementine hesitantly allowed him to hold her daughter.
Terrell held Aleena a bit awkwardly, the baby looked to him, curiously before immediately reaching toward her mother, cries now reduced to whimpers.
Clementine took her daughter back. Aleena was much quieter than before, but she appeared to be scared of Terrell. Clementine recalled how Christa would always tell her babies can sense if someone is a good person. Her daughter's reaction concerned her a bit.
"It's okay, mommy's got you, baby…" Checking her daughter's breathing again, Clementine made sure her oxygen machine was properly working before attempting to rock the baby to sleep. Crystal, who had been woken from the noise blinked tiredly, letting out a few coos. Clementine took her other daughter into her arms as well and started to sooth both twins to sleep. Fortunately, AJ remained out like a light.
The twins eventually drifted off to sleep.
"I guess you are a pretty good mom." Terrell suddenly said.
"You guess?" Clementine asked.
"Took a long time for you to calm her down." Terrell shrugged.
"I know…" Clementine said. "I don't feel like a good mom…"
"Well, you should give yourself more credit. I don't know anyone who could raise three kids, like you are. You're not a crappy parent, and you're only a kid yourself." Terrell said.
"I'm not a kid. I keep telling you that." Clementine responded.
"Sure, sure."
"So… what's the plan? What do we do now?" Clementine asked him.
"Gave up on looking for your friends?" Terrell asked back.
"I didn't give up. I accepted the truth… They're probably dead, and if they're alive they'd have a better chance of living without me slowing them down. I don't want to put them more at risk. I'm bad luck. Everyone around me ends up getting killed or hurt… I just wanna make sure that doesn't happen to my kids." Clementine said.
"I won't let that happen." Terrell said. "I'm glad you're being more realistic now, Clementine."
"…So what do we do? You're not going to leave us, are you?" Clementine asked.
"I wouldn't have saved you if I was gonna leave you." Terrell said. "I have an idea of where to go. You just gotta trust me."
"I do… I trust you." The child said.
"Good. For now, you should just get some rest. We got a long walk tomorrow." Terrell said.
"Okay…" Clementine agreed. "Goodnight, T…"
"Wake up, kid. We gotta get a move on."
Clementine groaned as she felt herself being nudged. Slowly she sat up, rubbing sleep out of her eyes. AJ was still sound asleep by her side, The toddler had slept beside her while the twins were tucked sound asleep in their wagon, with Promise "keeping watch" on them. The two were so small Clementine was nervous to let them sleep directly beside her.
"It's morning already?" The girl sleepily asked.
"Unfortunately, yeah." Terrell said.
"Man…" Clementine mumbled. "Mind if I feed the kids before we get moving?"
"Go right ahead." Terrell said. "You hungry yourself?"
"A bit…"
"Well, I got some trail mix if you want it." Terrell told her.
Clementine cocked a brow, trail mix… "No real breakfast?"
"Don't be picky, kid. I'll make some soup later on." Terrell said.
Not wanting to cause an argument, the girl just nodded. "…Okay…"
"I'm putting a limit on the breaks today too." Terrell said.
Clementine felt like he had already done that.
"We gotta keep moving or else we'll never make it anywhere." Terrell continued.
"Where exactly are we going?" Clementine asked.
"I told you I know a place." Terrell simply said.
"Well, I can't help it if I need a break, T. My legs hurt after a while, and I gotta make sure my babies are okay." She wasn't saying anything that wasn't true. The twins usually had a feeding every four to five hours or so, and on top of that she had to feed AJ and had three babies to change diapers for. The breaks were necessary for her to do that stuff.
"Let's just try to keep it at a minimum, Clem." Terrell replied.
Clementine sighed, "I'll try, T. I'll try."
As the sun rose, Bonnie stirred awake. The first thing she noticed was Vince was awake as well. The fire had gone out, but he was sitting by the wood with his back to her.
The woman sat up and looked around. She gave a small smile upon seeing that Danielle had given in and was snuggled into the sleeping bag she had given her the night before. Her smile however, quickly faded as she noticed Luke was nowhere to be seen. Everyone else besides her and Vince were asleep, but it seemed Luke hadn't come back to camp. It worried her.
With a sigh she got up and went to sit beside Vince. "Hey." She greeted.
"Hey…" Vince said back. "I didn't know you were awake."
"Just woke up." Bonnie said. "You always wake up first. You're such an early bird, why is that?"
Vince just shrugged in response.
"Are you okay…?" Bonnie asked.
"Yeah, of course…" Vince claimed.
Bonnie sighed, "Alright, Vince… What's bothering you?"
"I said I was okay." Vince responded.
"Yeah, but I know you. I know something's on your mind. What is it?" Bonnie asked.
"I'm really okay, Bonnie." Vince stated.
"Vince…"
Vince groaned. "Fine… I'm physically okay…"
"What about in other aspects?" Bonnie asked.
"Mentally, I'm fucked up right now…" Vince said honestly.
Bonnie waited for him to elaborate.
"I'm… just thinking about the kid…" Vince mumbled.
"Who?" Bonnie asked.
"Clementine." Vince said. "All the shit she went through… She didn't deserve that. We could've prevented it. Could've protected her better… And to think that she died at the hands of some sick fuck who didn't even care about killing a child. A little girl. She was practically a baby, Bonnie. A baby who was forced into a pregnancy…"
Bonnie frowned. "Vince…"
"That little girl never tried to hurt anyone. She was innocent. And to think that someone could just hurt her…" Vince continued. "What kind of world do we live in? We should've protected her…"
"We did our best to protect her, Vince." Bonnie said.
Vince couldn't disagree more. "The hell we did! If she was protected, she never would have gotten raped in the first place!"
"That's not on us!" Bonnie said.
"It was on us!" Vince exclaimed.
"We didn't know!" Bonnie argued. "We didn't know what was happening. Bill was-"
"It wasn't just Bill! What about Troy, and all the other crazy fuckers who hurt her? This is on us, Bonnie. I'm getting sick and tired of the excuses." Vince said.
Bonnie opened her mouth to respond but before she got the chance to Sarah yawned and then spoke.
"Good morning." The teen said.
Vince sighed, "Morning, Sarah."
"Good morning, Sarah. How did you sleep?" Bonnie asked.
"Okay… What's going on? Were you guys fighting?" Sarah asked.
"Not at all." Vince mumbled.
"Where's Luke?" Sarah asked, looking around and noticing he wasn't there.
"He hasn't come back yet." Bonnie said.
"Should we go looking for him?" Sarah asked.
"I don't know… Maybe…" Bonnie mumbled.
Vince shook his head. "Just let him come back on his own..."
Bonnie looked over to him. "But what if something happened… Maybe we should look for him."
"He needs space, Bonnie. I'm sure he's fine. Sometimes people need space." Vince said.
Bonnie frowned at his tone.
Becca who had also woken seemed a bit confused by what was going on. "Is everything okay?"
"Everything's fine…" Vince said.
Bonnie frowned, "But what if everything's not fine? Luke might need help."
"Bonnie, just let him come back on his own…" Vince said. "He'll be okay…"
"Okay…" Bonnie agreed.
It was early morning when they arrived. The group offered what supplies they could to them along with some food. They suggested that the two get some much-needed rest before heading off. Kenny, after much persuading finally gave in. As soon as Patricia gave him a sleeping bag, he took it and laid down. Moments later he was out like a light.
"When's the last time he slept?" Patricia asked Christa.
"He doesn't usually sleep much… It's been worse the past few days. Ask him and he'd probably tell you three years ago." Christa replied, sipping at a water bottle she'd been given.
"I don't know how he does it…" Patricia said. "I can't imagine how hard it must be for you two right now… When I lost my husband, it almost broke me…But I knew I had to stay strong for Gill. He's the light of my life. The only thing that keeps me going now. I don't know what I'd do if I hadn't found him…"
"That's what's keeping us going… I know exactly how you feel…" Christa said. "That hope for finding the kids is the only thing keeping us going."
"Don't lose that hope…" Patricia said.
"I'm trying not to…" Christa said. "I had my down point, I lost my boyfriend, lost my baby… I hit rock bottom after that. I basically neglected Clem for a long time, and I feel awful about that… When we got separated the first time, the guilt was killing me. I couldn't sleep, couldn't eat. I just wanted to find her and hold her close… I was so glad when I did find her… Now I just hope I can find her again… Her and the other kids."
"I'm sure you will, Christa. I'm sure you will. Just hold onto that hope… Don't ever lose it." Patricia said.
"Dani, Danielle," The young girl flinched awake, reaching for her gun.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, take it easy." Becca spoke backing up a bit.
Danielle relaxed a little. "Are we in trouble?" She asked.
"No… Why would we be?" Becca replied. "We're safe."
"Then… why are you waking me up?" Danielle asked.
"Bonnie made breakfast." Becca explained.
"Oh…" Danielle said.
"Why don't you come over and eat with us." Becca suggested. "No one will hurt you. I promise…"
"I…" Danielle seemed hesitant.
"I'm sure you're hungry." Becca said.
"I am a little hungry…" Danielle admitted.
"I'm sure. I see you didn't touch that stew last night." Becca said.
"I didn't mean to waste it." Danielle suddenly sounded nervous. "I just-"
"Danielle, it's fine. We can just reheat it. Come on. Let's get some breakfast before they eat it all." Becca said.
Danielle gave a tiny nod, getting out of the sleeping bag. She stretched a bit before grabbing the sleeping bag and standing. Becca grabbed the bowl of stew and the two headed over to the group.
"Terrell, can we please take a break?" Clementine pleaded.
"Why? The babies don't need anything. They're asleep." Terrell pointed out.
"…My legs hurt…" The girl said.
Terrell let out a heavy groan. "We're never gonna get anywhere like this."
His reaction hurt her feelings and she quickly apologized. "I'm sorry, T… I'm doing my best to keep up. My legs just hurt…"
"How come you're always hurting?" Terrell scoffed.
"I… The doctors said it was probably nerve damage from the pregnancy…" Clementine said.
"So in other words, your kids are probably gonna learn to walk before you do. How sad…" Terrell said.
Clementine frowned at that. "Why are you being so mean to me?"
"I'm not, Clem. I just wanna keep moving. I wanna keep you safe. It's not safe out here, Clem…" Terrell replied.
"I'm sorry… I'll try harder to keep up." Clementine said. "We can keep moving…"
"Are you sure? I thought you needed to take a break?" Terrell responded.
Clementine quickly shook her head. "N-No… I'm fine… I can keep going a while longer."
"Thata girl. See, you don't need to take a break right now…" Terrell said. "You gotta push yourself if you wanna get stronger… You do wanna get stronger, right?"
"I do…"
"Good. Then let's keep going. Come on. Just let me know when you really need to take a break." Terrell said.
"…Okay…" Clementine said. Her legs were really aching. Her body was in pain. She wanted to stop now, but she would push herself until she couldn't go any further. She didn't want to make Terrell angry. She hated when people were upset at her. "Let's just keep going."
"Sure thing, kid."
The group sat quietly chatting. Danielle held Flopsie close, she hadn't said a word, but Bonnie was glad the girl was comfortable enough to sit with them while they ate breakfast.
They were just finishing their meal when Luke finally arrived back at the camp, looking completely exhausted.
"Morning…" Luke mumbled.
"Where were you?" Bonnie asked.
"I needed to clear my head. Just walked around for a bit." Luke replied.
"You were gone all night." Bonnie said.
"I wanted to be alone." Luke shrugged.
"We were all worried about you." Bonnie said.
"I appreciate the concern, but you guys have nothing to worry about…" Luke said.
"Why didn't you come back last night?" Bonnie questioned.
"I didn't want to… I needed time to think… I'm back now, aren't I?" Luke responded.
"Something could've happened though." Bonnie said. "You should've said something."
"But nothing happened." Luke said.
"Bonnie, just get off his case. He's not a little kid. He's a grown man." Wyatt said.
"But still…" Bonnie said.
"Just stop. Please…" Luke said. "I'm not in the mood for all this right now…"
Silence fell over the group. Luke slowly took a seat.
"We have food…" Vince said.
"I'm not hungry." Luke replied, burying his head in his hand, looking miserable.
"You should still eat something." Bonnie said.
Luke shook his head and decided to change the subject. "What's our plan? Where do we go from here?"
No one replied.
Bonnie rubbed her neck nervously. "Well… I'm sure you're probably against this idea… but Howe's is an option…"
"Fuck that!" Russell immediately said.
Luke and Vince both wore expressions of disbelief while Wyatt shook his head.
"But it was safe there." Bonnie said.
"It wasn't safe. There's no way in hell I'm going back there." Luke said.
"I don't think any of us want to go back there. Not after what happened." Vince said.
Sarah and Becca both frowned, Danielle couldn't help but wonder what Howe's was.
"We can start over there… Maybe we can just consider the option." Bonnie said.
"How could you even suggest that after hearing Clementine and the babies are gone… How could you ever suggest that, period? I wouldn't go back to that hellhole if my life depended on it." Luke said.
Bonnie sighed, "I… I'm sorry… Maybe it was a bad idea…"
"It was. It really was…" Luke said.
"I'll… try to think of something else… I'm sorry…" Bonnie said.
Her daughter was crying, Clementine didn't know why her twins were so cranky as of lately.
"Why is she crying so much?" Terrell asked.
"Aleena was crying last time, not Crystal." Clementine said.
"Whatever, why is Crystal crying now?" Terrell asked.
"I don't know... I'm trying to make her stop…" Clementine did her best to calm the baby.
"Well, you need to try harder. Her crying is gonna bring the dead..." Terrell said.
"I'm trying, T!" Clementine huffed.
"Just shut her up!" Terrell snapped.
Suddenly they heard something crunch from behind a tree. Terrell quickly stood to see what it was. He walked over to the tree; gun ready to fire but sighed in relief when he noticed it was just a rabbit.
"Break time's over, let's move." Terrell said.
"B-But-"
"Now," Terrell ordered.
Clementine frowned and stood, shakily, placing Aleena in the wagon, only for a walker to stumble from the trees towards her. The girl had no time to react before she was suddenly grabbed.
Terrell quickly fired at the walker, killing it instantly.
AJ and Aleena started crying as well, right along with Crystal.
He knew the noise was going to bring more. And it wasn't long before more of the undead started stumbling from the trees. The babies cries were drawing walkers like moths to a flame!
"Fuck this!" Terrell swept Clementine into his arms, grabbing the handle of the wagon, he started running.
Once they were safe, he placed her down.
"Well, that was a disaster. We're lucky to be alive after that…" Terrell huffed.
"I'm sorry." Clementine said.
"I told you to quiet her down." Terrell said.
"I was trying to." Clementine replied.
"Not hard enough!" Terrell hissed.
Clementine frowned whimpering a bit.
"Hey… I didn't mean to yell at you…" Terrell said, looking remorseful.
"I'm sorry… I'm sorry, T…" Clementine said, feeling her heart pounding.
Terrell hugged the young girl. "It's okay… It's okay, we're safe now…"
Another day went by and Luke was clearly on edge. Everyone was concern seeing how antsy he was lately.
Vince sighed as he noticed Luke was once again pacing. Danielle was watching him as well, though Vince noticed the girl seemed nervous.
Slowly Vince got up and approached Luke. "Luke... you need to calm down. You're scaring the girls."
"I'm scaring them?" Luke scoffed. "How am I scaring them?"
"You just need to take a breath. Calm down." Vince said.
"I am calm, Vince." Luke claimed.
"You're pacing. You're angry." Vince pointed out. "You need to calm down."
"I have every right to be this way. They told me my little girls are dead, I didn't even get to see them. I didn't get to say goodbye. They told me my babies died, burnt alive in some cabin..." Luke said.
"I know what you're going through, man but..."
Luke stopped him. "No. You don't know what I'm going through! Stop saying that! None of you know what I'm going through."
Vince sighed, not sure how to respond.
"I need to bury them." Luke suddenly said.
"What?"
"I need to bury them." Luke repeated.
"Stop the crazy talk, man." Vince said. "It's too risky…"
"It's not crazy talk, they deserve a proper burial. I need to bury them... I need to." Luke said.
"What you need, is a good day of rest… I know this hard on you, but you gotta take care of yourself, man…" Vince said. "Try to get some rest..."
Luke didn't respond to that, but he had stopped pacing. Maybe Vince was right. He did need some rest.
"This is it." Terrell said as he came to a sudden stop.
Clementine looked confused as she took in the small shack they were standing in front of. "Wh-What? We're staying here?"
"Only for a few days..." Terrell said. "We'll rest up, then get back on the road."
"Are you sure it's safe?" It didn't seem like a safe option at all.
"I'm sure…" Terrell said. "Quit worrying so much. Come on."
Clementine reluctantly followed him into the shack.
"Are you guys really leaving now?" Gill asked.
"Yeah, it's time. We gotta keep moving if we wanna find them…" Christa said. "Thanks for everything."
Patricia hugged Christa, who returned the hug. "Thanks for looking after my boy. I would've lost him if not for you."
"I really wish I could go…" Gill said.
"You just stay safe, kid." Christa said, as she and Patricia broke the embrace. "Take care of that wound, you gotta keep it clean if you don't want an infection."
"I will…" Gill said.
"Look after your mother now." Kenny said.
Gill nodded.
"He always does." Patricia said as he gave her son a pat on the shoulder.
"Once you find them, will you come back here?" Gill asked.
"I guess, we'll have to find them before we figure that out." Kenny said.
"Take care of yourselves." Patricia said. "And stay safe."
"You too, Patricia. You and Gill be safe." Christa said.
"Wait…" Gill spoke a bit shyly.
The adults looked to him.
"When you find Clem... Can you give her this?" Gill reached in his pocket and pulled out a heart necklace. "I found it back in town... I thought she might like it."
Christa could help but smile at that while Kenny quirked a brow. "Of course. I'm sure she'll love it." Christa said, accepting the necklace. "I know she will."
"I'm starting to think maybe you don't like us." Bonnie said to Danielle.
The little girl just kept quiet.
It had been a few days since they found the girls and Danielle had yet to speak a word to the adults.
"I don't blame you… We can be a pretty dysfunctional group… But I do want you to know, you can talk to us… I want you to feel comfortable around us…" Bonnie said.
When Danielle didn't reply again the woman sighed.
"I'm bugging you, aren't I?" Bonnie asked. "I'll leave you and your bunny alone."
"Flopsie…" Danielle muttered.
Bonnie stopped, looking down at the small girl. "What was that?"
"Her name is Flopsie." Danielle said.
Bonnie couldn't help but smile at that. "That's a beautiful name, Danielle."
"What are we doing here, T?" Clementine questioned, as he looked over some kind of map. "What is going on?"
"Do you always have to ask so many questions." Terrell grumbled.
"Yes. Yes, I do. I can't just go along with everything you say and put my babies at risk." Clementine said.
"At risk?" Terrell shot her a glare. "I'm the one who's been protecting you and those babies of yours!"
"I just need to know what's going on!" Clementine said.
"You just need to trust me! I'm the only one you have now, Clem! You need to trust me!" Terrell said.
The girl was getting tired of him saying that. "Terrell-"
The boy ignored her call, storming into another room, taking the map with him. Clementine frowned. She hated seeing him upset. She just wanted to know what was going on.
"So you can talk. I remember how quiet you were the other night. If I hadn't checked on you, I would've thought you were asleep." Bonnie said as she took a seat beside Danielle.
"If I had been... would you have hurt me?" Danielle asked in a tiny voice.
"What?" Bonnie was shocked by that question.
"If I was asleep that night...Would you have hurt me?" Danielle asked.
"Of course not." Bonnie said. "I would never hurt you. None of us here would."
"Okay... Good." Danielle said. "I think I can trust you then."
"I sure hope you do." Bonnie said. "You can trust us, Danielle."
Clementine tended to her babies for most of the day. After laying them down for a nap, she decided to try to speak with Terrell. The two hadn't spoken since earlier.
The older boy seemed to be in a bitter mood, and it worried her.
"T, can we talk?" Clementine asked.
"Ain't nothing to talk about." Terrell said.
"But I…"
Terrell cut the child off, "I'm going to take watch."
Clementine frowned; it was obvious he was avoiding her.
Danielle was slowly but surely getting used to the group.
Within the few days she'd known them they had gone from untrustworthy to decent people. She was starting to feel a bit more comfortable around them. She even would initiate small talk at times. They were an okay group. Sure they argued a lot and some of them seemed on edge. But Danielle brushed that off. Everyone was on edge. It seemed like for some reason adults just liked to argue.
However, when Luke approached her with a request, she didn't know what to think.
"I need to talk to you, kid... You're the only one I can ask to do this..." Luke said.
"Do what?" Danielle asked.
Luke hesitated and Danielle felt nervous, wondering what he wanted to ask of her.
"I…"
"What is it? Is it something bad?" Danielle asked.
"Wh-What? No…" Luke shook his head. He then sighed, "I… I need you to take me back to the cabin you kids were staying at."
"It's burnt…" Danielle said. "Why would we go back there…"
"I need to bury them… I need to bury those kids…" Luke said. "Crystal and Aleena… My girls… I gotta bury them. And Clem and AJ too."
"Your girls…?" Danielle asked.
"Y-Yeah…" Luke said.
"Your… daughters?" Danielle questioned, shaking a bit.
Luke gave a slow nod.
Danielle's eyes immediately widened. "You hurt her?"
Luke quickly shook his head. "N-No. No... It's not like that!"
"If babies come from "it" that means you had to do "it" with her! You hurt her. Why would you do something like that?"
"Kid, you don't understand, that's not how it happened!"
"You hurt her! You hurt Clem!" Danielle said. "I-I don't want to talk to you anymore!"
"Dani-"
"J-Just leave me alone… You hurt my friend and I won't let you hurt me too." Danielle said, she felt like she wanted to cry. "Why would you do something like that…?
"I would never hurt, Clem." Luke frowned. "I would never hurt that little girl…"
Danielle covered her ears, not wanting to hear a word of his "lies".
Luke sighed and walked off, leaving the girl alone.
Guilt sizzled through her as she tried to wonder what she had done wrong. Terrell had been ignoring her since the day before
Even today he had been away from her all day and had spoken scarcely a few words to her through the day.
Clementine tried not to take it personal. She tried to convince herself that he was just busy, but she felt he was mad. She did her best to distract herself by playing with her babies, but now that they were asleep, her thoughts were running wild.
"Are you mad at me, T?" Clementine asked.
"Why would I be mad?" Terrell asked.
"You've been… avoiding me since yesterday… Did I do something wrong?" Clementine asked him.
"I just want you to trust me, Clem." Terrell said.
"I do trust you." Clementine said.
"You don't act like it." Terrell replied.
"I just don't understand…" Clementine muttered, mostly to herself.
"Understand what, kid?"
"Why did you save me?" Clementine asked again.
"I told you, it was something I had to do." Terrell said.
"Why?"
"I care about you, Clem." Terrell said.
"Well, don't! It'll only get you killed! Don't care about me, T." Clementine said. "Just leave us here…"
"I'm not gonna do that." Terrell refused.
"Leave us!" Clementine exclaimed.
Terrell shot her a look. "What is wrong with you?"
"You want to know what's wrong?! I lost everyone I've cared about except for you and my kids! I don't want to get you killed too, T! I love you." Clementine exclaimed.
Terrell froze at that. "What?"
"I… I love you…" Clementine stammered, lowering her voice.
"Like… In love…?"
Clementine gave a tiny nod. "I know you probably don't care, but I… That's just how I feel…"
Terrell was quiet for a moment and Clementine felt like she would start crying.
"Just go…" Clementine muttered. "Please… Leave us here…"
"No… I'm not leaving you…" Terrell said. "You're not the only one who feels that way."
"W-What?"
"I've proved my feeling by sticking with you. Now it's your turn. If you love me, prove it…" Terrell said.
"Pr-Prove it? H-How?"
"How do you think people prove they love each other?" Terrell asked.
With a kiss, the child thought.
She could feel her heart pound, she debates on doing this. She drew near him, anger forgotten.
Overwhelmed with emotions, her lips met with his…
