Thanks to gaara king of the sand for the help.
Chapter contains sexual and physical abuse.
The days progressed and Clementine was taught how to strip tease, how to give a lap dance, hand jobs, blowjobs, and many other things. She had learned to use her body in ways that would make most guys go insane from pleasure.
As the New Frontier settled in Virginia, more and more people started to join the community. They started to quickly form connections with other nearby groups. And that was where Terrell's group came into play.
Teresa, who was clearly the leader of the brothel, and Terrell being her second in command would travel with one of Joan's guards in order to make a deal for a potential trade. They had taken pictures of all of the girls from the brothel, including Clementine who was the youngest girl.
The group leader would then pick a girl he would be most interested in trading for. Clementine, being the youngest, became a popular pick, much to the jealousy of some of the other girls.
She recalled the first time she chosen by a supplier. She couldn't stop crying that night.
The second time didn't go as planned. The second group was a small group, not much supplies. Clementine resisted them and as a result one of the men hit her, Terrell ended up just shooting him for bruising her.
When they returned to the brothel Teresa scolded her for not doing as she had been taught.
As the days continued, she would sit in the brothel and tend to her babies until she was told someone requested her services. Not only was her job to please allies from other towns, but she also was to pleasure the guards of The New Frontier if they requested her as well.
If anyone bruised her, Terrell or Steven would deal with them. She was grateful for that much, though it annoyed the older sex traders. They would get jealous and claim she was treated as a princess. Teresa brushed them off saying, she was the youngest and therefore "worth the most". She brought in the most supplies.
Clementine didn't understand the jealousy. She didn't want to do this stuff anyway.
In town there were a few other children, but Clementine and Steven weren't allowed to interact with them, due to David's order. He didn't want Clementine or Steven corrupting other children. The parents and guardians of children in the camp, didn't trust them either. Clementine hated how the adults outside the brothel looked at her. She didn't want to do this. She didn't want to be here…
Clementine was being socialized to view "sex trade" as a way to repay their debt of gratitude. This was just another way of survival. However, in the eyes of people outside the brothel they were as bad as a disease, something to be avoided.
She loved the days when they had no clients, she would spend time cuddling and playing with her babies, while the adults would party, getting drunk and high. Clementine loved being with her kids more than anything in the world. She loved being able to play and teach them. They were the only ones who gave her hope.
Whenever the adults would party, they would send Clementine and Steven to other areas of the brothel, Steven always complained about how he wished they would at least share the alcohol.
Clementine didn't understand why the adults made a big deal when it came to giving them alcohol, yet here she was, a twelve-year-old performing sex acts in order to gain supplies for this group.
She knew people around town thought lowly of her, but she wondered if they would still feel that way if they knew that what she did brought in the supplies so they could eat and live comfortably. She did what she had to in order to get supplies for herself and her kids, but everyone else benefited as well.
No one had the right to judge her for that.
Doctor Lingard would make regular visits to check up on Clementine and her children.
The first time he drew blood from her, Clementine nervously asked him why. He informed her that he was making sure she didn't get sick, telling her about how sex could cause disease.
Clementine had been so scared she wouldn't let anyone touch her for a week.
Terrell eventually reassured her that all was okay, and he wouldn't let her get a disease from sex.
The next time Lingard visited he apologized for scaring her and told her that her blood test came back normal.
He examined her and her children, and to her, he just seemed like a normal doctor. He was kind, even gave her a piece of candy after.
Clementine just hated the needles. Everytime he would come he would give her a needle.
She would hold her twins and AJ if he had to give them a shot, knowing they would cry. She didn't blame them. She hated needles herself.
His visits didn't bother her. Unlike most people in town, he didn't look at her with disgust. He seemed sympathetic for her situation. Each time he came, he would bring treats for her and the babies. She would hide everything in the nursery, in one of the drawers, knowing Terrell or Teresa would probably throw it out.
He also helped with her physical therapy. She was progressing fast. Her endurance had grown a lot and it made her happy. She was sure Christa would be proud, or at least she hoped she would be.
Through Lingard's frequent checkups and testing he had discovered something intriguing. He immediately called for Joan and Clint to have a meeting. The three decided against involving David, not knowing how he would react.
"We know by now that everyone carries a dormant version of the virus. However, this girl appears to have an active version…" Lingard said.
"What?" Clint asked.
"That child is living with what seems to be an active version of the virus, or should I say semi-active. As far as I know, she displays symptoms of illness in times of intense stress, the main one being a fever. A fever would be a sign that her body is trying to heal itself or fight an infection or unknown bacteria or virus of some sort… Her constant fevers are her body trying to reject this… Her fevers come and go pretty randomly. She takes medicine to calm the symptoms. But they don't seem contagious through simple contact. From what I can tell, she can't exactly spread the virus, but she displays symptoms because whatever is in her little body shouldn't be there." Lingard said.
"You're certain of this?" Joan asked.
"As certain as I can be. Something makes her different." Lingard said.
"So what do we do?" Clint asked.
"Well, we don't really have to be concerned about this negatively impacting anyone in the neighborhood, besides herself. Whatever the walkers have in their bite that causes fatality, she doesn't have. If anything, this could be a good thing. If she has an active version of the virus which we all carry, she won't be able to turn upon death…" Lingard said.
"So why would her biting another child have caused a fever?" Joan asked.
"Well, a human bite already had chance of causing infection and illness if not treated…" Lingard said. "But if this was due to her carrying an active virus and if her biting that girl did cause the fever, then assumption would be that she transferred it due to her saliva getting into the girl's open wound. That would make one figure bodily fluids could transfer this, though after testing Terrell, it doesn't seem that this can be transmitted through sex. And upon testing her babies it doesn't seem like breastfeeding causes symptoms either in her children."
"So what do you think was the cause?" Joan asked.
"I'm still not completely sure… I'd like to do more testing. I've had a few visits with her where she had a fever so high it should've killed her, which I have no explanation for. When she has a fever, her symptoms are septic like. If you had a septic wound that was infecting your bloodstream, you wouldn't pass that infection through sex. It wouldn't pass through breastfeeding either." Lingard said.
"So why did the other child become feverish in the first place?" Joan asked.
"When I said I don't think she can spread the virus, I meant, I don't think she can do that on a day to day basis. I think under certain conditions it could be possible… I don't have much to go on… but from what I've observed only at points of a high fever I would think it would work…" Lingard said.
The others seemed confused and exchanged looks.
"Think of her like a thermometer. Stress causes her temperature to rise and eventually it reaches a high point that it needs to be brought down from. A point which her fever could kill her. That's when she has the ability to spread a fever. My assumption is that the more aggressive the fever is the more likely for it to infect someone. And I doubt when her fever gets to that point, she is able to do much physically. Which is also why I assume that her being sexually active doesn't cause a spread, nor has her breast feeding. One of those fevers, usually has her unable to function. So most likely during those times, she can't nurse her children, which would explain why they show no symptoms." Lingard said. "She doesn't seem to be an aggressive child, so we don't have much to worry about, according to what Terrell said she bit that other child because she was picking on her. She constantly seems to have fevers, but most days they're nothing too concerning. Stress fevers can be normal, but it seems her body can go from noninfectious to semi-infectious based on her temperature..."
"So, there's a chance that she is able to cause another person to form a semi-active virus in their system?" Clint asked.
"Possibly… That would depend on if my theory is correct… And it would also depend on the person. If their body is strong enough to fight off the fever, which they are guaranteed to get when the virus becomes active. That alone could kill them." Lingard said.
"How exactly would she spread this in the first place? You said her breastmilk and vaginal fluids don't seem to cause a spread." Joan said.
"No viral particles seem to be on her skin or nails. And much like walker saliva or blood, just contact with it on your skin would not cause fatal infection, but a certain amount of fluid contact with open wounds could lead to contamination. It makes more sense if you think of it as a venom that is only contagious during periods of a high fever. Scratching and spitting aren't transmission methods. A scratch doesn't lead to an exchange of bodily fluids. The risk of getting it through sex would probably be possible during menstruation only, or times of an intense fever." Lingard said.
"How do you think she would react to a bite?" Joan suddenly asked.
Lingard was surprised by the question. "I… most likely the same as we would expect anyone to react."
"Maybe we should test it. She could be the key to a cure." Joan said.
"Would she be immune?" Clint asked.
"That's hard to answer…." Lingard said.
"Why?" Joan asked.
"Because having her get bit would be a big risk. A corpse is dangerous enough as it can still transfer gastrointestinal pathogens, tuberculosis, and hepatitis to the living which without proper medical attention will result in a painful death. As such we can't be certain that it will not cause a festering infection. And though she might be immune to turning, a bite would probably kill her. As far as we know the bite doesn't cause you to turn. Whatever we all carry causes that… The bite just kills you faster…" Lingard said.
Clint frowned and said, "The girl is too valuable to take that risk."
"We'll monitor her, and make sure to have plenty of antibiotics." Joan said.
"We know antibiotics don't work against a walker bite. We can't take the risk." Clint argued.
"What about her blood? What if we were to do a transfusion of her blood with a bite victim…?" Joan asked.
"We could see what happens…" Lingard said.
"Let's do it." Joan smiled.
A day later Lingard paid Clementine yet another visit.
"How are you doing, Clem?" Lingard asked.
"I'm okay, I guess…" Clementine said.
"How are those fevers?" Lingard questioned.
"They come and go randomly. I haven't had a really bad one for a while though…" Clementine answered.
Lingard hummed at that. He was trying to figure out how often her fevers got so bad. It wasn't an everyday thing, but as stress built up over time, they would get worse and worse.
"Well, that's good." He finally said. "Today, I'm gonna take a bit more blood than usual. Is that okay with you?"
"I guess… I'm not sick, r-right?" Clementine asked nervously.
"No. Don't worry, Clementine." Lingard said. "Did you know sometimes people donate blood?"
"Uh-huh. I know… My mommy was a doctor…" Clementine said with a nod.
"Well, you have special blood… And it could help a lot of people." Lingard said.
"Special blood?" Clementine asked. "Why's it special?"
"There are different blood types and yours is rare. Very rare." Lingard said. The rarest he had ever seen in fact.
"Oh… When you take my blood, it makes me dizzy…" Clementine admitted.
"I'm sorry, Clem. But I promise this way will make it, so we don't have to make visits so often." Lingard said. "Maybe only once a week instead of every few days."
"…Okay…"
"Ready?" Lingard asked.
"W-Wait, I need Promise…" Clementine said.
"Okay." Lingard waited for the child to grab her teddy bear.
She clutched Promise close and said, "R-Ready."
Lingard nodded and prepared to give her the needle. He frowned, noticing some marks on her arm. "Have you been cutting yourself, Clementine?"
"N-No… Those just… Happened by accident." Clementine claimed.
"Are you sure?"
"Y-Yes…" The child decided to change the subject. "Can we just hurry up and do this? I h-hate needles."
"Okay…" Lingard sighed. "Three, two, one."
Clementine clenched her eyes as she felt the sharpness of the needle. She winced from the pain, opening her eyes to see the bag filling with blood.
A few moments passed before Lingard removed the needle. Clementine winced again. "All done." Lingard said. "And I have something special for you."
"Is it a lollipop? I don't like to suck on things." Clementine said with a pout.
Lingard couldn't help but sigh at her words. "No, Clem. It's even better." He offered her a chocolate bar which cause her little face to brighten. "Enjoy it."
"Thank you." Clementine said as he handed it to her.
On his way out she heard him speak to Terrell, "Make sure she drinks plenty of water. I'll be back a week from now."
"Will do." Terrell said.
The experiment to transfer her blood to a bite victim was an easy one, using someone from a group who owed them supplies, made it so they didn't have to test on their own people.
They brought the man back to their "hospital" and conducted the test.
Hours passed and they noticed the man had survived longer than any bite victim they had seen. It took three days. Three days before he finally succumbed to the walker bite, dying from infection, however much to their surprise, he didn't turn. No matter how long they waited the man didn't turn.
Joan, Clint, and Lingard were all shocked.
"Holy shit…. He- He didn't turn…" Clint stammered in disbelief. "This is crazy…"
"It's absolutely incredible… We've discovered something amazing." Lingard said.
Joan nodded as well. "This little girl… She's something really special. We can't ever let her go…"
The other two agreed.
As time passed, they continued their search, but didn't find any leads other than truck tracks. They would settle down for a few days at a time then continue moving as Luke complained that they were wasting time and burning too much daylight.
The group was all concerned for Luke… He was changing, and not in a great way.
He could go from calm and collected to angry in a flash. He was kind to the kids, but he and the other adults were constantly arguing.
Danielle didn't think she had ever seen a group that argued so much. Danielle realized that Clementine was probably the glue holding this group together. The fighting revolved around her name. She wondered if they fought over her friend like this before because it was awful.
They constantly argued about what was "best for the kids". Luke and Bonnie, in particular, seemed to think they knew what was best. However, their ideas were often shot down by the rest of the group.
Danielle understood why too. Luke was a nice guy, but he did have issues he needed to sort through. She still was comfortable around him but nor he or Bonnie were in the positions to be guardians to her, like they wanted to be. Though many times they seemed to try to act as guardians to her, they both had a lot they were dealing with. In fact, Vince was the one who took the best care of her. She had grown closer to him than to Luke and Bonnie in fact. She trusted him the most. He constantly checked in on her. He protected her. With Vince, it was like having a guardian again.
Which is why Danielle was surprised when Bonnie approached her, Sarah, and Becca with a question. "How would you feel if the group split up?" She had asked.
Sarah frowned at those words. Danielle was almost too shocked to speak but Becca was quick to reply, "I'd rather stay together, it's safer. "
"Maybe for now, but we don't know for how long..." Bonnie said.
"Why are you asking us this?" Becca asked.
"I just wanna know how you girls would feel." Bonnie replied.
"I don't like that idea…" Danielle finally said.
"I don't like it either. " Sarah said.
"But if we split up... the arguing would stop. Luke and I would take care of you three." Bonnie said.
The girls didn't like that suggestion much.
"I don't need anyone to take care of me." Becca scoffed. "If we split up, we'll probably just end up having to split all our supplies and having another power struggle to see who ends up with who. We should all stay together. " Becca said. "If we split up, we'll most likely end up dead. "
"Maybe not dead, but still…It's smarter to stick together. We can try to find a spot to settle down after we find Clementine and the babies." Danielle suggested.
"We… We might not find them Dani…" Bonnie frowned.
"We will, we just have to keep looking… And… I don't want to split up, I don't want to be alone again." Danielle said.
"I promise that won't happen, you won't end up alone, sweetie." Bonnie said.
"Why would we split up?" Sarah asked. "Dad always said it's safer for people to stick together…"
"I guess it looks like your choices are clear..." Bonnie sighed. "I'm sorry girls… Just forget I asked, okay?"
The girls exchanged looks as Bonnie walked away.
Sarah looked scared as she asked, "Why would we want to split up? We already got split up from everyone else… I thought we were trying to find them… Plus, we're safer together… We have to stay together, we're like a family."
"Don't listen to her. She comes up with a lot of stupid ideas." Becca simply replied.
"…Do you think the group will end up splitting up?" Danielle asked.
"I don't know…" Becca sighed.
"What would we do if they did?" Sarah asked.
"I would stay with Vince… He's nice." Danielle said.
"I guess I would stay with Vince too…" Becca shrugged.
"But the others are nice too, at least to us." Sarah said.
"No matter what happens, we'll figure something out, but I think we should try our best to keep the group together." Becca said.
The other two girls nodded in agreement.
"How are we ever gonna find them?" Kenny said.
"We keep looking until we do... We have a lot of ground to cover." Christa said.
Kenny sighed at this. "Maybe they found a camp or something and... settled down."
"Clementine knows better than to stick in one spot for too long..." Christa said.
"Everyone's gotta settle sooner or later. Plus, them travelling with the babies wouldn't be too easy." Kenny said.
"She wouldn't settle unless she found some place safe..." Christa said. "Some place with lots of land... Some place in the country."
"So what's the plan...?" Kenny said.
"We're in the Midwest now... I don't know how far the kids could've gotten, but... maybe we should head towards the east coast." Christa said.
"There's a lot of areas in the east coast too..." Kenny huffed.
"Then we should start with Pittsburgh and make our way to West Virginia." Christa said.
"Alright, I guess that's better than nothing." Kenny sighed.
Christa nodded, "If the kids aren't there, we'll hit DC, and then Maryland. We'll travel as far as we have to."
"We should try to find a vehicle; it'll make this trip much easier." Kenny said.
"Yeah, you're right." Christa agreed. "Let's just rest up for now. We have a long trip ahead of us."
"Alright..." Kenny replied. "Once we find these kids, we're headed straight to Florida."
"Fine with me." Christa said.
During the times when Clementine had to meet with a client, she would have to leave her kids. She despised every second she had to be away from them.
The first time she put up a fight, not wanting to be separated from them.
The second time the girl pleaded through tears.
The third time she reluctantly gave in, knowing the faster she dealt with her client the faster she would see her little ones.
The woman who would look after her babies was okay, she didn't seem too fond of Clementine, but not many people in town were. Everyone thought she was a whore; Clementine knew that much.
The woman also watched a couple other kids in town, one girl who was about seven, Ida would greet Clementine each time the young girl came to drop her babies off.
Clementine recalled the first time she met the child, she had asked if her and Steven were a couple, and Steven of course convinced the younger girl they were.
Ida then asked Clementine to play with her, only to be ushered away by the caregiver.
There were a few children around Clementine's age in the neighborhood, Clementine would see them playing sometimes during her walks, but their parents would tell them to stay away, and send her dirty looks.
They acted like she was a monster... Or diseased. It reminded her of how her group members would avoid her when she was pregnant. It hurt...
She didn't feel at home here, but they had medicine that Aleena needed. They had food for her and AJ, shelter, and clothes for her children. She just wished things were different. Although she claimed to be an adult, seeing other children with their caretakers, made her miss her own, she wished someone was there to take care of her.
She was getting tired of the dirty looks, and the whispers. It made her sick doing what she was doing. She checked the drawer where she had been hiding supplies, it wasn't enough to last long, but maybe enough for a few days.
She decided that night, she would take her children and run. They deserved better than this place.
She loaded the wagon with a backpack full of supplies and placed her babies inside.
When she asked to take her babies for a walk, the group reluctantly agreed sending Steven along with her. The boy walked with her for a while, complaining and wondering why she wanted to walk at night.
"You didn't have to come with me." Clementine said.
"Yeah, I did. They made me." Steven responded.
Clementine frowned. "Well, they're not here now, you can leave."
"What do you have against me? I'm your guard, I'm protecting you. You should be doing stuff to show your appreciation." Steven seized her arm.
"Let me go." Clementine ordered.
"How about you kiss me first?" The teen smirked.
Clementine glared at him. "Get off, I won't say it again."
"Quit being a brat and just-"
Clementine's body reacted before she knew it, she kicked the boy hard "in the jewels" and then broke into a run, dragging the wagon with her.
The teen writhed on the ground while Clementine made a break for it. The girl approached the gate and started trying to get outside, only for one of the guards to grab her.
"L-Let me go!" Clementine ordered.
The babies started crying.
Clementine kicked and struggled, but it was to no avail. She hated this; she didn't want to stay here.
The girl was immediately forced into her bedroom. She expected to be hit, but that didn't happen. Instead she was restrained while Teresa placed some sort of device around her ankle.
When the woman was done, the girl was released and fell to the floor.
"You know what this is?" Teresa motioned to the device. "It's a bomb. If you try to run, or disobey us, boom... You don't want that, sugar."
Clementine's eyes widened and she trembled. "I just want to leave..."
"You're one of us now, Clementine. You can never leave." Teresa said.
Clementine felt like those words broke her. She did not want to be one of them…
"We have a new client." Terrell told her the next morning.
Clementine fought back tears. "But… But I'm still sore from last time…"
"You'll be fine." Terrell said.
Clementine kept her frown and asked, "…What do I have to do?"
"Don't play dumb. You know by now." Terrell replied.
She did know by now, but that didn't mean she felt comfortable with it.
"When do we leave?" Clementine asked.
"In an hour. So get ready…" Terrell said.
"…Okay…"
Terrell took Clementine to drop her kids off with the caregiver, her babies immediately started crying which broke Clementine's heart.
"I'll be back… I promise I'll come back." She tried to hush them though, it didn't work. She kissed them all and said, "I love you all so much…"
"Come on." Terrell called.
Reluctantly, she followed her boyfriend outside, heart aching as she heard her babies cry. "I hate hearing them cry."
"They'll be fine…" Terrell said.
"I… I know…" Clementine sighed. "Where's Steven?"
"He's not coming with us…" Terrell answered.
"Why not?" Clementine asked.
"Because, he doesn't know how to take his duties seriously. I'll be protecting you on this trip." Terrell said. "That way, I know you won't run."
Clementine frowned at that.
"Look at me, you don't tell anyone about our deal. We don't know how these people will react…" Terrell said.
"But you said playing sex was normal." Clementine replied.
"It is… But you don't want them to look at you like the people here do…" Terrell said. "Do you?"
Clementine shook her head, she didn't want anyone else thinking she was a whore… "…I won't tell anyone…" Clementine said.
"Good. Let's get moving…" Terrell said.
Prescott was a pretty cool place in Clementine's opinion. She stayed close to Terrell, as people gave the two newcomers curious looks.
"You're back." A blonde man spoke. "Who's the kid?"
"Her name's Clementine…" Terrell answered.
"Nice to meet you, Clementine." Tripp offered the small child a kind smile.
"Y-You too…" Clementine said.
"We're here to see Eli." Terrell said.
"Go ahead." The man said.
"Come on, Clem." Terrell said.
The child gave a nod.
Terrell led her through the town and to some kind of bar.
Clementine looked around the place. She noticed two people at the bar. A man was behind the counter while a woman sat in front of him.
"Sit tight, babe. I'll only be a minute." Terrell said.
"…Okay…" Clementine said.
Terrell walked off to talk to Eli, leaving Clementine to herself.
The little girl sat quiet for a few moments, and before long the woman by the counter noticed her.
"Hey there, sweetie. You must be new around here." The woman said.
"I… I'm not staying long…" Clementine said. "We came to make a trade…"
"Who are you with, your mommy and daddy?" The woman asked.
Clementine frowned, shaking her head. "No… My parents are dead…"
"I'm sorry to hear that, kid…" The woman said.
"It's okay…" Clementine muttered.
"Here, why don't you come over and sit with us." The woman said, "You're a bit young for a place like this… Too young to drink, for sure. But would you like some juice?"
Clementine fought the urge to say: Too young to drink, but not too young for other things? Instead, she figured she would accept the juice offer. Her throat did feel dry. And the more she thought about what she was about to do for this trade, the sicker she felt. "Y-Yes please…" Clementine hesitated but walked over.
"Conrad, be a gentleman and get this little lady some apple juice." The woman said.
"Coming right up, Francine." The man, Conrad replied with a chuckle.
When the man gave her the juice the child thanked him with a tiny, forced smile. Her stomach hurt, and though her throat ached she couldn't bring herself to drink it. All she could think about is what she was about to do…
"I brought the girl you wanted. For what you're giving us, you'll get a strip tease, nothing more…" Terrell said.
"Come on, those are some good bullets." Eli replied.
"Throw in some guns, and maybe I'll sweeten the deal." Terrell said.
"Alright, fine… Bring the girl here tonight…" Eli said.
"Will do." Terrell responded.
Terrell went back to the bar while Clementine was talking to Francine and Conrad, two people he had met on his first trip there. "Let's go, Clem."
"Okay…" Clementine said.
"It was nice talking to you, sweetie." Francine said.
"You too." Clementine said.
Terrell took the child's hand and led her out of the bar.
As they walked the streets Terrell's grip tightened a bit on her wrist, "What did you tell them?"
"N-Nothing." Clementine said.
"Don't lie to me…" Terrell hissed.
Clementine's eyes filled with fear. "I didn't tell them about the trade. I promise…"
"What did you tell them?" Terrell asked.
"They asked where my parents were, I told them they were dead, and that we were from a camp not far from here… I didn't say anything about you or why we're here…" Clementine said.
Terrell loosened his grip, "Smart girl."
Terrell led the girl back to Tripp and asked the man, "Mind if we stay here tonight."
"Not at all. You guys can stay in the infirmary for the night." Tripp said.
"Sounds good." Terrell said.
"You remember which way, or you need me to walk you?" Tripp asked.
"I'll find it." Terrell replied.
"Alright." Tripp nodded.
During the walk to the infirmary, Terrell spoke in a low voice to Clementine, "Eli wants to see you tonight. We gotta wait for that bar to clear out."
Clementine didn't respond.
"Look at me, babe." Terrell said.
Clementine did so.
"It's just a dance. Nothing wrong with that…" Terrell told her.
"He's not gonna touch me, r-right?" Clementine asked nervously.
"No. He didn't trade enough to get that benefit." Terrell said.
"Okay…"
"Don't be afraid. You done this so many times by now, there's nothing to be nervous about." Terrell said.
Clementine kept quiet. She was uncomfortable. She hated this.
When night fell and the town became quiet, Terrell led the young girl back to the bar.
Eli was waiting there, "Was thinking you guys had chickened out."
"We had to wait to be sure we'd be the only ones here." Terrell said.
"We're good. Everyone left an hour ago." Eli said. His gaze fell on Clementine and he smiled.
Clementine felt her skin crawl as he eyed her.
"This is her?" Eli asked, keeping his smile.
"Yeah." Terrell said.
"She's beautiful." Eli said. "Even more beautiful in person."
Clementine wanted to hide; she could feel her heart pounding.
"Pay up. Now," Terrell ordered.
"Alright, alright…" Eli went to retrieve some bullets, "I'll throw in two guns too, what will that get me?"
"What do you want?" Terrell asked.
"How about a lap dance?" Eli said.
"Deal." Terrell asked.
Clementine tensed, and spoke, "B-But you said-"
"Babe don't be stubborn. You know what to do." Terrell said.
Clementine held back a whimper. "T…"
"Don't piss me off, Clem… Think about AJ and the twins. You wanna see them again, don't you?" Terrell said. "Your daughter needs her medicine. Do this for them."
Clementine frowned but obliged. She started to strip tease for Eli who took a seat in his chair to watch her.
She did as she had been taught, while doing her best to keep from crying. Once she was down to her undergarments, Eli motioned her over.
Clementine slowly approached him, trying to conceal her body's trembling.
"Don't be afraid of me, sweetheart. I'm not gonna hurt you." Eli said. "How about that lap dance?"
Clementine silently proceeded to do as he requested while Terrell stood by the doorway, keeping watch.
After a few moments Eli groaned, "Fuck… How much will another gun get me?"
"What do you want?" Terrell asked.
"To touch her a little." Eli said.
Clementine flinched at that. She sent Terrell a look, hoping he would refuse Eli's request.
"You can touch her over her panties. They don't come off." Terrell said.
"Fair enough." Eli said, as he held the girl on his lap. He groaned in her ear, and Clementine cringed as she smelled the liquor on his breath.
She felt his hand trailed very slowly down her body, and to her crotch. She couldn't help herself and actually whimpered.
"There, there. Don't cry." Eli said. "I won't hurt you."
Clementine squeezed her eyes shut and whimpered a bit more, she couldn't help it. She felt tears fill her eyes. She tried to blink them back, not wanting to upset Terrell.
The more Eli touched her the harder it was. The girl whimpered more and started sobbing.
"Well, that's a turn-off. I thought you said she was used to this stuff." Eli said.
"She is." Terrell said. "Clementine, knock it off."
Clementine couldn't. She continued weeping but remained on Eli's lap.
Eli moved his hands and sighed, "I guess that's that. She keeps crying and she's gonna wake the whole town."
"She doesn't usually do this…" Terrell sighed.
"Well, a deal's a deal, regardless." Eli moved the sobbing girl off his lap and went to grab the guns. "They're yours. Hopefully next time you bring her, she doesn't start crying."
The mention of a next time only made the girl cry harder. Terrell accepted the bag of guns and then seized Clementine's arm, "Get dressed and stop crying."
Clementine dressed herself and did her best to quiet down. Once she was dressed, Terrell practically began dragging her from the bar.
"I-I'm sorry… I'm sorry for being naughty…" Clementine cried.
"You're lucky you didn't screw the whole damn deal." Terrell scoffed. He continued dragging the girl back to the infirmary, once there he sat on the bench and sighed. "Stop crying, babe…"
"I-I can't…" Clementine whimpered.
"Clementine…" He pulled the child into his lap. "Stop crying…You did an okay job. The trade went through."
"You're gonna punish me… Or… Or Teresa will." The child continued whimpering.
"Shh, I'm not gonna punish you, babe. I won't…" Terrell said. "I'm sorry for being so tough on you lately."
Clementine whimpered a bit more. She could feel him rocking her a bit, pressing kisses to her tearstained cheeks, then her lips. Then to her neck.
"Oh my gosh…" A voice caused them both to jump.
They looked to see a woman, Eleanor standing with wide eyes.
Eleanor immediately turned and rushed off.
"Fuck…" Terrell huffed, pushing the little girl from his lap. "FUCK!"
It wasn't long before an angry Tripp had marched over and separated the two. He had Clementine stay with Eleanor, despite the girl's protest.
And without hesitation he marched Terrell out of town.
"D-Don't be mad at him. It was my fault…" Clementine said. "He was just trying to make me feel better."
"He shouldn't have been touching on you!" Tripp hissed.
"But he's my boyfriend. People play sex when they're in love." Clementine defended.
"He's a damn pedophile! And I'm not allowing that shit in my town! He can leave, but you're not going with him!" Tripp said.
"Tripp, we can't just keep her here." Eleanor argued. "She has a group, and… they'll probably come looking for her."
"Let them." Tripp said. "I'll shoot them all without second thought."
"I have to go back to my camp. My kids are there." Clementine said.
"Your kids?" Tripp inquired. "Kid, you're a baby yourself! What kids do you have?"
"My boy, AJ and my daughters…" Clementine said.
"This is fucking sick…" Tripp shook his head. "It's fucking sick… I can't do this right now…"
Tripp walked away, and Eleanor followed to calm him down.
Clementine sat on the bench for a few moments, wondering what to do. She couldn't just leave, the guards would stop her due to Tripp's orders, but she needed to get back to her kids.
The girl laid on the bench, slipping her thumb in her mouth. She didn't know what to do.
"Hey, wake up." Eleanor nudged the small girl awake.
Clementine flinched, waking immediately. She didn't even recall falling asleep. "Wh-What's going on?"
"I'm gonna help you get out of here." Eleanor said.
"R-Really?" Clementine asked.
"Really, but you gotta stay quiet and follow my lead." Eleanor said. "No one can find out that I helped you…"
Clementine nodded.
Eleanor helped the small girl up and started to lead her through town. Clementine followed closely as Eleanor brought her to some kind of exit.
"Here. Hopefully I don't have to do this again." Eleanor said. "Get back to your kids."
"Thank you." Clementine said, before heading off to find Terrell.
Upon returning to town, Clementine immediately asked to pick up her kids. When they got to the brothel, she stayed close to her kids until they fell asleep.
She spent the whole night in the nursery with her children sleeping by her side.
The next day Terrell had gone out to scout another potential partner. Clementine was glad she had time to spend with her kids again. When she laid them down for a nap, she heard a knock at the door.
She flinched, no one else ever came to the nursery.
She went to open the door and was surprised to see Steven.
"How'd your trip go?" Steven asked.
Clementine frowned but said nothing. She was worried about what he wanted.
"Relax, I'm not mad at you. Even though that was a cheap shot." Steven said.
"It went awful, like always…" Clementine said. "The kids are sleep, so can you keep your voice down, please?"
"Sure…" Steven shrugged. They walked into her and Terrell's room. "I brought you something."
"What is it?" Clementine asked as she followed him.
The boy revealed a bottle of liquor and a rolled blunt.
"I don't want it…" Clementine refused.
"Come on, what's the big deal?" Steven asked the young girl.
"For one, my kids are sleeping in the next room. I don't want them smelling smoke…" Clementine said.
"We'll spark it somewhere else then. Don't be a prude." Steven said.
"I'm not…" She still had no idea what that word meant. "What's a prude?"
"A loser. Someone who doesn't like fun." The older boy replied with a smirk.
"I'm not a prude…" Clementine frowned.
"You sure? You definitely seem like a prude to me." Steven said. "You never wanna have fun."
"How is smoking and drinking fun?" Clementine asked.
"It can be." Steven said. "Have you ever tried it?"
"I…"
"Of course, you haven't, but now you can…" Steven said. "Come on…"
"I don't wanna… I nurse my girls, and Christa said, anything bad in my system can harm them…" Clementine said.
"The weed won't do anything; some people smoke it as medicine." Steven replied.
"Medicine?"
"Yeah… It makes you see funny things…" Steven said. "It'll help you forget all the bad shit for a while."
Clementine sighed, "Not in here."
"We'll do it in my room then." Steven said.
Clementine thought for a moment. "I… I don't know…"
"Just one hit. If you don't like it, you can stop." Steven said.
Clementine sighed but gave in. "Okay…"
"Cool. Come on." Steven motioned for her to follow.
She followed the boy to his room.
Once there, Steven sat in a nearby chair and grabbed a lighter off the table, he lit the blunt.
"How come they don't make you do this stuff? I hate this." Clementine said as she took a seat as well.
"Hey, I warned you this wasn't a group for you." Steven said.
"But they won't let me leave..." Clementine replied.
"You should consider yourself lucky, at least some of your clients give you an orgasm." Steven replied. "I gotta take care of my needs myself. They don't even let me fuck the female workers."
"Do you want to?" Clementine asked, eyes wide in horror of his words.
"Of course. Why wouldn't I?" The boy replied.
Clementine frowned and scooted away.
"Relax, Clem. I'm not gonna do no shit to you. I've been protecting you, haven't I?" Steven said, taking a hit of the blunt.
"I... I guess..." Clementine shrugged.
"You know."
Clementine fanned away some of the smoke, coughing a bit. She then asked, "Did you get in a fight with T…?"
"I did, because of what you did." Steven said.
"I… had to do that…" Clementine said.
"You wanted to. You didn't have to." Steven took another hit of the blunt. "But I get it. Terrell's an asshole. I don't know what you see in him."
"I thought he was a nice guy… he's not…" Clementine said.
"Yeah, I warned you though…" Steven said. "…Ever hit a blunt before?"
"Blunt?" Clementine asked.
"This." He offered her the blunt. "Here. The adults do it all the time."
Clementine hesitated, but gave a puff, only to start coughing harder than before.
Steven laughed. "That happens."
"It burns…" Clementine said. "It burns in my chest and my nose…"
"Here, drink some water." He offered her a cup and she quickly drank some to ease the burning sensation in her lungs.
The girl sighed in relief, she quickly handed the blunt back and drank some more water.
"You okay?" Steven asked.
"I'm fine." She stood, "I should get back to my k-" She couldn't finish her sentence before she was suddenly hit with a wave of dizziness. "Wh-What did you do?" she asks.
"Just relax, babe." Steven said.
She's dizzy and can't focus. But she can feel him touching her. "N-No..."
"Don't say anything. Just let me have my way with you." Steven said.
Clementine struggled to keep her eyes from sinking shut as she finds herself losing all sense of reality.
When she regained consciousness, she found herself without clothes. Her heart immediately skipped a beat.
"W-What did you do to me?" Clementine asked.
"Nothing that you haven't done before." Steven replied. "You're not gonna tell anyone, right? Terrell will kill us if you tell!"
Clementine said nothing as she gathered her clothes and dressed herself. She left the room and went to her own, fighting back tears. She headed back into the nursery where her babies were still fast asleep. Locking the door, she grabs Promise before curling up in a ball on the ground. She clutches to her bear and begins to sob.
The next day Clementine did her best to avoid Steven.
She asked to take a walk with her children and with Terrell still being gone, Teresa sent Steven along with her. Clementine tried to protest only to be told to stop complaining. Steven went with her but kept his distance. He said nothing about what he did. He acted as if he had done nothing wrong.
The girl felt completely miserable.
As she continued walking, she felt someone's gaze on her. She immediately felt uncomfortable as David started to approach her and Steven. "We need to talk." David said.
Clementine turned around and glared at him. "I'm not here to talk," she said coldly.
He looked to Steven and offered him some ration cards. "Look the other way."
The boy accepted the cards and walked a bit away.
"I need to talk to you." David spoke to Clementine again.
"About what? What do you want? Everything has a price, you know." Clementine said.
David ignored her, pulling the young girl into an alleyway so he could talk without Steven listening in. The girl shocked him with her next words.
"What do you want, a hand-job? Or do you want me to suck it?" Clementine said. "I don't do that stuff in front of my kids, so I'll have to drop them off first…"
He stopped her. "What is wrong with you? You're a child! You shouldn't be doing this stuff AT ALL."
"I have to do it!" Clementine replied. "What do you care anyway? No one here cares about me!"
"That's not true... Clementine, listen to me. This... this is wrong. They shouldn't be making you do this stuff. It's sick." David said.
"Joan thinks it's okay..." Clementine murmured.
"No, it's not okay! It's wrong! Anyone who thinks it's okay is wrong!" David exclaimed.
"I know it's naughty..." Clementine said.
"If you think so, then why are you doing it?" David inquired.
Clementine frowned and said nothing.
"Look at me... You don't have to do this anymore." David said.
"I do have to! You don't understand!" She snapped. "No one else is helping me, and Joan said this is our way of earning our place. How else will I get food, or my daughter's medicine?"
"You're a little kid. Kids aren't supposed to do this kind of thing!" David said.
"I'm not a kid! Stop acting like you care, you don't! I've been in that place for over a month bringing in supplies for your town! Your group doesn't care about me! You don't care about me! No one cares..." Clementine said. "I have nobody, and no other options."
"I'll help you. You need medicine, and food, I'll get that for you. Diapers and clothes for your kids, I got it. But you have to make a promise to me." David said.
"P-Promise what?"
"That you'll stop doing this." David said.
"I-I can't... They'll make me..." Clementine replied.
"They won't. I'm gonna get you and those kids out of that building. Hide you away from them..." David told her. "You'll never get hurt again."
"You can't promise that…" Clementine rolled up her pants leg to reveal what looked like an ankle monitor, "They put this on me. If I try to hide, they'll kill me..."
"I'll figure something out. You just, lay low for a bit…" David said.
"…Okay…" Clementine replied.
"I'm gonna find a way to get you out of this…" David reassured her.
Clementine really hoped so…
David was disgusted by the practice Teresa led. He needed to get those kids out of that dirty place.
He began to secretly give the girl supplies, so she wouldn't have to trade her body. That made Clementine rebel more against Teresa and Terrell, which often caused her to be punished.
Realizing that she was in danger if she stayed there, David met up with her once more, and took her and the children away from the brothel, once again giving Steven ration cards, if he directed his attention elsewhere.
David brought her and her children to a small house and began trying to free her of the ankle monitor.
"Be careful… I don't want it to blow up…" Clementine said.
"What?" David looked to the child's fearful face.
"It's a bomb… Teresa told me…" Clementine said. "I don't want it to blow up.
David shook his head. Those people were insane for how they treated this little child. "It's not a bomb. It's a tracker."
"What?"
"They use it to find where you are. I'll get it off you." David said.
"Okay…" Clementine said.
He tried and tried, but he didn't succeed. David told the young girl to stay put while he tried to figure something out. "Damn thing is tough to get off. It's probably alarmed too…I'm gonna see if I can find something to cut it off."
"Wh-What? You're gonna leave me here?" Clementine asked.
"You'll be fine, kid." David replied in a calm tone.
Clementine shook her head, panic setting in. "You can't just leave me! You promised to help me!"
"Calm down, kid. I'll be back." David said.
"But- But-"
"Lock the door. Don't open it until I get back." David said. "I'm gonna find something to get that thing off."
"…Okay…" Clementine muttered.
David left the house and Clementine locked the door. She then proceeded to hold her kids close while looking at her ankle monitor. She really hoped David returned soon.
David started nearing his house to search for something to cut the monitor off. However, he was surprised when a guard suddenly blocked his path.
"What the hell are you doing? Move!" David hissed.
The guard refused to do so.
"Where's my girl, David?" Teresa asked, walking towards him.
"You have a lot of nerve to call that little girl yours. You people don't give a damn about her." David spat.
"Neither do you." Teresa said. "I won't ask you again, where is my girl?"
"Like hell I'll tell you." David said.
"Joan has said she would keep you from intervening with our practices, we've kept our part of the bargain we expect the rest of you to do the same." Teresa said.
"I never agreed to any of this sick shit." David said. "You people are prostituting a child!"
"Yet Clementine has been the one bringing in the supplies to support your people. Don't judge, David. You've been just as much affiliated with this as us." Teresa said before looking to some of the guards. "Spread out and find the girl."
The guards nodded, proceeding to do so.
Teresa looked back to David. "Oh, and Joan and the others would like a word with you, David."
David gritted his teeth. He debated on going to find Clementine and moving her to another location, but he knew with that tracker on her leg it would be useless. He needed to speak with Joan and try to convince the woman to stop this.
Clementine flinched in fear when she heard a bang at the door.
The banging continued for a few moments before it abruptly stopped. Her breath caught in her chest and she held her babies close. Suddenly something rammed hard against the door, and the babies started crying.
"Come on out, Clementine. We know you're in there." A voice called to her.
The harsh banging against the door continued. The girl backed into a corner, holding her babies tightly. She wondered where David was, why hadn't he come back like he promised?
The banging continued and before long the door flew open. Clementine screamed.
After being forced against her will back to the brothel along with her children, Clementine was dragged to her bedroom while her crying children were put into the nursery.
"Take your clothes off." Terrell ordered to her.
"Wh-What?"
"Take them off now." Terrell ordered.
Clementine looked down at herself and trembled.
"Now!"
The girl hesitantly complied, knowing she would be punished if she refused. She started to strip naked.
Once her body was completely exposed to him, Terrell smirked.
"Let's see how well you've learned." Terrell said as his fingers started playing with her small breasts.
Clementine gasped, feeling his fingers on her body.
Terrell ignored her, taking a nipple into his mouth. He sucked on it for a bit before moving to the other one.
"Okay, stop being shy and start sucking my cock." Terrell commanded.
Clementine hesitated but dropped to her knees and did as he said. She unzipped his pants and slipped his member into her mouth.
"You've gotten better with your mouth." Terrell commented after several moments. "Are you wet, babe?"
"N-No…"
"…Oh well…" Terrell said. "Get on the bed and spread your legs."
"Please don't. Please don't hurt me…" Clementine whimpered.
"Shut up." Terrell hissed, forcing her to the bed.
"Please! Just let me go, T-"
Terrell responded by slapping the young girl in the face. "If you really love me then you'll obey my orders."
"Please… T-"
"Shut up! Don't say another word!" Terrell growled.
"…please…" Clementine begged.
He forced her legs open. She was so scared she didn't resist, instead she lay there waiting for him to finish.
"David, I've told you before to stay out of this. You just don't listen, do you." Joan said.
"This is wrong! She's a little kid!" David said. "She's just a baby herself. Those people are using her like a puppet! They're exploiting her reliance to claim benefit!"
"So are we!" Clint said.
"What are you talking about?" David asked.
"Lingard's been running tests on her and her babies, regularly." Joan explained.
David looked to Lingard, feeling confused. "What are they talking about, Paul? Test for what?"
"To see what makes her different. We know everyone's infected with a dormant version of the virus, but that little girl is living with an active version." Lingard replied.
"What the hell are you talking about?" David asked.
"The girl has an active version of the virus." Lingard explained.
"So what does that mean? She can spread it, turn people into Muertos?" David inquired.
"Quite the opposite, I believe… Because she has an active virus in her, upon death she won't be able to turn. Her case is tricky. She's not exactly "contagious" because everyone already carries the infection." Lingard said. "Having a dormant virus in your system would usually make a person immune to the real virus, however we know that's not the case. And we know a walker bite causes infection to proliferate. Without the 'active' portion of the virus, the 'dormant' form can exist for seemingly years… However, if someone has an active version, it's hard to say… Her fevers could easily kill her if not under control. Basically, the girl is an active carrier, but we believe she can only transfer the active virus during periods of a high fever. We've still got more testing to do, but there's no telling what her blood can do…"
"This girl is special, David. She could be our chance for a cure." Joan said.
David felt his stomach twist and turn. "So everyone in this neighborhood is basically using that kid for their own benefit?"
"So are you, David. We've been profiting from the supplies they bring in. She's the main reason why the people here can even eat." Joan said.
David knew that was true.
"So for the last time, mind your business." Joan said. "Before you ruin things for everyone…"
When Terrell had finished Clementine couldn't stop crying. The young girl wanted nothing but to go be with her kids. She didn't want to be near him at all.
"If you go against me ever again, I'll tell everyone about Kaysey…" Terrell said.
Clementine said nothing in response.
Terrell continued, "You know what they'll do if they find out? They'll take you and your kids, and used them as test subjects, they'll torture you. I'm the only one who can protect you."
"You- You hurt me…" Clementine stammered.
"Because you made me…" Terrell said. "You hurt yourself. I want to protect you, Clementine. Be a good girl and let me protect you."
Clementine just whimpered more; she didn't know how much more of this she could take.
