Thanks to gaara king of the sand for the help.
As the weeks went by the group was constantly arguing. Luke was becoming more paranoid by the day; he was often pacing and jittery.
He seemed to think he was in charge of everything, which led to constant bickering with the others. The kids, sick of the arguing and would try to mediate, but no one would listen to them. Luke would constantly be worried and offered to take watch every night, even during other's rotations. He couldn't seem to stay put. He always wanted to move around. They were constantly on the move and exhausted, and that constant stress was making things worse. They would settle down for a few days and then move on at Luke's urging and complaining. It was a vicious cycle.
Everyone was concerned by his behavior, though some of adults seemed more annoyed than worried. Still the main thing on the girls' minds was Clementine and the babies. They still hadn't found them… They wondered if they were even alive.
"Do you think we'll ever find Clem?" Danielle asked.
"l hope so." Sarah said.
"She's probably dead. " Becca huffed.
"She's not dead, stop saying that." Danielle said.
"What makes you think she's not?" Becca asked.
"She's tough… She has to be okay…" Danielle claimed.
"Keep telling yourself that." Becca scoffed. "If you're so convinced, she's fine, why do you keep asking what we think?"
"I… I don't know… I'm just worried. She's my friend. I want to know she's okay." Danielle said.
"We'll find her, Danielle." Sarah said. "I know we will."
"Can we stop talking about this?" Becca asked.
"What do you mean?" Sarah questioned.
"I mean stop talking about Clem. It's annoying. It just causes more arguments." Becca said. "I don't want to hear it anymore. "
Danielle is silent for a moment and then speaks up. "Just because you treated her like crap, doesn't mean I will. I'll never give up on her. "
"You're just a little kid. " Becca said. "You don't know what you're talking about."
"So is she! She's just a little kid like me. She was there for me in Wellington and I wanna be there for her now." Danielle said.
Becca was starting to get annoyed at this and she took a deep breath, "Just shut up, Dani. We'll find her, okay? Is that what you wanna hear?"
"You don't have to believe it, but you don't have to say she's dead either!" Danielle said. "And don't tell me to shut up."
Alright, that's enough. " Sarah said. "Can't we all just try to get along… Please…?"
"I'm getting tired of trying…" Danielle said. "Becca's the one being mean."
"You're just like her." Becca suddenly said.
"What?" Danielle asked.
"You're just like Clem…" Becca said. "Stubborn, whiny. A brat."
"Clementine's not a brat, Becca. And neither is Dani." Sarah said.
"Sure... Keep defending them." Becca huffed.
"If I'm just like Clem, I'll take that as a compliment. Because she's the nicest and strongest person I know." Danielle said. "And I don't care what you think… I know she's alive…"
"I wish I was strong like Clem…" Sarah said.
Becca sighed at that, fighting the urge to roll her eyes.
"I really wish she was here…" Sarah continued, "I hope we find her soon…"
"Don't get your hopes up." Becca said.
Danielle sent Sarah a reassuring look. "We'll find her, Sarah…"
Everyday felt like a struggle. She felt anger towards David, he had promised to help her, but it seemed he had given up. He broke his promise just like people always did.
Despite her bringing in the most supplies during her trades, Terrell would only give her a few things every time. Steven would go out of his way to give her things, but it wasn't enough. At this point both boys claimed to be her "boyfriend" and Clementine didn't want anything to do with either of them.
She had no choice but to work to support her babies. If she didn't, she wouldn't be able to supply for them, and she wouldn't have medicine for Aleena…
Sometimes she wondered if they would be better off with someone else to look after them.
Clementine saved as much supplies as she could, even if it meant going without a meal for a day or two. She was trying to figure out the best time to leave.
Eli had become one of their regular visits, and fortunately after the situation with Terrell, another guard would be the one to guide her, usually Badger would do so, sometimes Ava. Tripp didn't trust them enough to allow them to roam the town freely. But he trusted Clementine, to him she was just an innocent little girl.
The first time she came back to Prescott, Terrell and some other New Frontier guards, waited outside and out of sight. They sent her inside with Badger. Tripp asked her "where is the pedophile?" Clementine responded with a casual, "We broke up." To which Tripp replied with, "You two were never dating in the first place." Tripp seemed wary of Badger, but Clementine claimed she was with a new group and that they took care of her.
Still Tripp kept his guard up. He would have them wait at the infirmary, while Clementine could speak to Eli on her own, without interruption. She managed to get a gun of her own from him, along with some bullets.
After seeing how Clementine's escorts put them on edge, they switched up again, sending Clementine alone while they would sit in a truck, out of sight. They would tell her if she didn't come out within a certain time, they would come get her. Clementine, not wanting to cause a shootout, didn't try to go against them, not to mention the only thing she thought about on runs was getting back home to her babies.
Most of the people in Prescott were okay, though none of them knew about her affairs with Eli. She wondered how they would react if they did.
"Vince, can you fix my hair?" Danielle asked in a shy voice.
"Uh, sure..." Vince agreed.
"Thanks." Danielle said.
Vince did his best to brush her hair, he wasn't used to brushing a kid's hair. "It's so long. Ever think about cutting it?"
Danielle quickly shook her head. "I don't want it cut."
"Okay... Not even a snip?" Vince asked.
"Not even a snip." Danielle said.
Vince chuckled. "Fair enough. I'll try my best to be a good hairstylist."
"Just don't make it hurt please." Danielle said.
"I'll try not to, kiddo." Vince said. "I'm surprised you didn't ask Bonnie to do this."
"I don't want to talk to Bonnie right now..." Danielle said.
"Why? Did she do something wrong?" Vince asked.
Danielle paused before saying, "...She said the group is gonna split up. Is that true?"
"We've... talked about it. But we never said for sure we would." Vince admitted.
"I don't wanna split up. I think it's a bad idea...and dangerous..." Danielle said.
"I feel you on that, kid... But sometimes starting over is for the best." Vince said.
"Bonnie said we wouldn't find Clementine and the babies either… Do you think we'll find them?" Danielle asked.
"I… I don't know, kid. I really hope so…" Vince said as he finished securing Danielle's hair with a hair tie.
"Everywhere I seem to go... I can never relax... Every group breaks up or dies... How come bad things always happen around me?" Danielle asked.
"Hey... Dani, none of this is your fault." Vince said.
"I know... I just don't know why... why does it happen in the first place. I wish we could all just get along." Danielle sighed.
"We're trying, kiddo. We're trying..." Vince mumbled.
Kenny and Christa had continued searching on foot to no avail. Christa did her best to keep Kenny from getting to the point of wanting to quit. If she was going to find those kids, she needed his help. And though she had faced days where she wanted to give up, they couldn't just stop now.
They had stumbled across a few vehicles, but none of them were in great condition.
However, after finding one that seemed decent, Kenny did his best to get it working. He struggled with it for a few days, but when it finally started, Christa saw his face light up like it hadn't done in so long.
This was exactly what they needed. A sign that they had to keep going.
"This has to stop." Vince spoke up to the rest of the group members.
"What?" Bonnie asked.
"The fighting. It's effecting the kids, in a bad way." Vince said.
"Maybe if everyone had a common focus, the fighting would stop." Luke grumbled.
"Luke, we've been focusing on nothing but finding those kids! We've been search for four kids without knowing if they're even alive!" Vince said.
"I know they're alive! We found the rattle!" Luke exclaimed.
"That doesn't mean anything! Look, all of this fighting has been because of you, lately. You need to calm down and get some rest." Vince said.
"I can't rest! I can't rest until I know they're safe." Luke said.
"Well you need to try. You're losing it, man." Vince replied.
That seemed to piss Luke off. Luke glared at Vince, clenching his fist. Suddenly, the same man who they thought would never harm a fly, felt anger overwhelm him and he threw a punch, hitting Vince square in the face. Luke had never been violent before, but he had also never been so angry in his life.
This grabbed the girls' attention, though the kids had been a bit away playing cards.
Everyone was surprised by this. Luke himself even seemed surprised, anger quickly vanishing.
"What the fuck man?!" Wyatt gasped.
"I- I didn't mean to... I-" Luke cut himself off, shaking a bit. "Fuck…" He turned to walk away without another word.
"Damn it..." Vince murmured and rubbed his face where he'd been hit. "He's lucky I didn't hit him back."
"He's not in the right state of mind." Bonnie said.
"I know... Which is why I didn't hit him." Vince said.
"What are we gonna do with him?" Russell asked.
"You know this isn't how he is… He's just going through a lot." Bonnie defended.
"So are the rest of us… Doesn't give him the right to go around punching people…" Russell replied.
"Luke's a good guy, he would never harm anyone." Bonnie claimed.
Everyone sent her looks of disbelief.
"Did you not see what just happened?" Wyatt asked.
"He didn't mean it. I'm sure… I'll… I'll go talk to him…" Bonnie walked over to speak with Luke.
Vince huffed, hand on his cheek. He really wanted to return that punch, but he wouldn't. He knew Luke had a lot on his mind right now.
"…Are you okay?" Danielle approached him. "I've… never seen him so angry before..."
"I'm fine, kiddo…" Vince said to her.
"Are you sure?" Danielle asked.
"Yeah. I'm sorry you girls had to see that." Vince sighed.
"I'm sorry you got hit." Danielle said.
"It's okay, it doesn't hurt that much." Vince said. "He should learn how to throw a better punch."
"And to think all this fighting is over some little kids." Wyatt mumbled.
"They're important little kids…" Vince said. "I don't blame him for being worried… Everyone's on edge…"
"Does this mean we're really gonna split up soon?" Sarah asked.
"What?" Vince questioned.
"Is the group gonna split up?" Sarah asked again.
"I can't answer that, Sarah…" Vince said. "I hope it doesn't have to come to that."
"I... guess if the group does split up, I'll stick with you." Danielle said.
"With me?" Vince asked.
Danielle nodded. "Because you're the one I trust the most."
"Thanks... That means a lot to me, kiddo." Vince said, the little girl's words warming his heart. "But I hope we don't have to split up."
"I hope not too…" Danielle said.
As weeks turned into months Clementine noticed how much her kids were developing. The twins had such similar facial futures that if they closed their eyes and wore hats, it was nearly impossible to tell them apart. However, they're personalities were completely opposite.
Aleena's dark blondish hair also made differed from Crystal's curly brown hair, which resemble Clementine's own hair more. Beside from their different hair color the twins also differed in eye color. Aleena's eyes bore the same coloring as Clementine's while Crystal's were more of a hazel green.
Her daughters were so beautiful. The girls and AJ were the only ones who were keeping her going. Clementine was proud to be their mother. Within a month of arriving at the neighborhood, her girls had started to sit up on their own and were starting to crawl. As time continued Crystal began to pull herself to standing with some assistance and seemed to be trying to learn to balance on her own. Aleena however still preferred to crawl or be carried.
AJ was also developing fast; he had showed interest in puzzles and drawing. Clementine was a bit concerned that the boy hadn't spoken his first word yet, but she figured he would just talk on his own time.
"What are you drawing there, Goofball?" Clementine asked.
AJ giggled a bit and pointed to the twins.
"You're drawing the girls?" Clementine smiled at that.
AJ nodded and offered her a crayon.
"You want me to draw with you, buddy?" She asked.
AJ babbled and nodded once more.
"Sure, bud." Clementine sat beside him and started coloring. Aleena curiously crawled over and plopped herself in Clementine's lap. "Hey, baby girl."
Aleena sent her a bright toothless smile which warmed her heart. She then tried to reach for the crayon in Clementine's hand.
"You want to eat this, don't you? It's not food, pretty girl. It's not food." Clementine said. "It's a crayon. You make pretty colors with it."
Aleena whined a bit, trying to grab the crayon.
Clementine allowed the baby to hold it, guiding her tiny hand to the paper and showing her how to draw with it. "Look, you're making art." Clementine giggled. "Don't eat it though."
Clementine looked over to see what Crystal was up to. The baby had pulled herself into standing position with the help of a nearby chair. "Look at Crystal, can you stand like that, Leena?"
Aleena bounced a bit in her lap.
"Come on, let's stand up." Clementine helped Aleena into standing position, this seemed to be the only time her daughter would stand. Aleena did not even try to stand, unless urged on by her young mother.
Aleena continued bouncing, her smile not fading from her little face.
"You guys are so cute." Clementine said.
As she said that, her daughter started spitting up, causing Clementine's eyes to widen.
"Oh shoot… Did you really have to spit up on me," Clementine asked in a half-joking tone. She gently sat Aleena down and grabbed a nearby cloth to clean herself and the baby up.
"Mu-muh-muh-muh!" Aleena babbled reaching to be picked up.
"Mama's here, princess." Clementine picked her up. "How about we read a story? Don't you want a story, AJ?"
AJ smiled at that.
"I'll take that as a yes." Clementine said. She finished wiping Aleena, and gently pried the crayon from her daughter's hand as Aleena attempted to put it in her mouth. "No eating crayons. It's yucky."
Aleena whimpered a bit and Clementine hushed her. "Shh… It's story time. You like stories."
Aleena's whimpers slowly stopped as she looked to Clementine curiously.
"What about you, Crystal-" Clementine turned and noticed Crystal was holding Promise, practically gnawing on one of his ears. "Crystal don't bite Promise. He's not yummy."
This seemed to discourage Crystal's actions, as the baby dropped the stuffed bear, only to start crying.
Clementine frowned; she hadn't meant to make her cry. She placed Aleena down and went over and picked Crystal up, shushing her. She picked Promise up, tucking him under her arm, frowning as she felt the wet slobber on him.
Aleena began whimpering, not wanting to be put down.
Clementine felt her heart ache. She hated hearing her babies cry.
She grabbed a small board book while still holding a crying Crystal. She went back over to Aleena and AJ. Pulling Aleena into her arms, she did her best to calm her girls down. "Shh…. It's okay, girls, mommy's here."
Eventually they both quieted. With the twins calm she settled them in her lap and motioned for AJ to sit beside her, the toddler did so. She placed Promise down next to her and opened the book. She began reading to the little ones.
The babies were interested in the bright pictures in the book. Reading to her kids was something she tried to do daily. She didn't have many books, so she went through the same books over and over again, but the babies didn't mind. And Clementine decided it was worth it when she got to spend time like this with them.
Luke had become more withdrawn; the group found a house to try to settle at, at least for a little while. They had only been there a few days and Luke had so many mixed emotions. As the others headed to bed, Luke once again found himself unable to sleep. He offered to take watch, and though the group thought he needed to rest they agreed.
Now he sat outside, in silence, watching the sky and holding the twins' rattle in his hand.
"I'm so sorry, girls... I wish I could've found you." Luke clutched to the rattle he was holding. He huffed... Maybe he was losing it, he felt so fucked up, he knew he would never be the same again. He was so set on finding them, that he couldn't think about anything else.
He wanted to hold them. To try to be a good father to them, but that seemed unlikely to happen.
He held the rattle tighter, biting his lip. He wished he could be there for them. His heart ached. He hoped that they were safe.
Tears threatened to spill. He felt sick to his stomach at the thought of never seeing his girls again. He had lost so much. He had lost everything. Now... he lost his babies too...
He brought the rattle to his lips and kissed it. "Daddy loves you girls..." He muttered, heart breaking with each word. "I'm so sorry..."
A belch of thunder wasn't enough to pull him out of his gloom. Even when the cold spring rain started to wet his skin, Luke couldn't bring himself to move. He just held onto the rattle, his body shaking, as the sky seemed to cry tears that he could not cry himself.
Summer was now approaching, and she had one thing on her mind. "July Second". She would have to celebrate. That was the twins' official birthday, or close to it according to what Christa had told her back at Wellington. They would be turning one. And though they were only going to be nine months based on their adjusted age, Clementine felt it was important.
She had lost track of the actual days, so she did her best to celebrate as close to their birthday as possible.
"How old do you think my kids are?" Clementine asked during Lingard's next visit.
"Come again?" Lingard asked.
"It's hard to keep track of the days. Especially with everything going on…" Clementine admitted. "How old do you think they are? How many months I mean…?"
"Well, I think we've been here for about two months now. Your girls look around seven months old… Maybe six." Lingard said. "Do you know their birthday?"
"It's…. July… I think…" Clementine said. "But they were born early. Christa said between eleven and thirteen weeks early."
"Christa was your previous guardian, right?" Lingard asked.
Clementine nodded. "Yeah… I wish she was here…"
"If that's the case, they should've been born during late September or early October." Lingard concluded.
"My birthday's in October." Clementine said.
"I guess they were supposed to be a birthday gift to you then." Lingard replied. "What about AJ, do you know when his birthday is?"
"I… think it's sometime in the fall, like mine is…" Clementine said. "He was born before the snow. That's what Kenny said…"
"Well, regarding the twins. I personally think it's important to honor both their actual birthday and her original due date. Basically, they have two birthdays." Lingard said.
"Two birthdays?" Clementine asked.
"You don't have to celebrate their actual birthdate, for some parents of preemies, it's hard to do so." Lingard replied. "I'm assuming your girls were borderline micro-preemies."
"I… I don't know what that means…" Clementine said.
"That they were born before twenty-seven weeks." Lingard said. "I'm surprised you made pass the twenty-six-week mark with twins, considering how young you are…"
"Oh…" Clementine said. "Well I'm glad to have them, no matter how early they were born…"
"That's good. You're a good mother to them." Lingard said.
"Thank you…" Clementine said. "Why's it hard for some parents to have birthdays for their preemies?"
"Well, A preemie's first birthday is not just a celebration of life; it's also a reminder of the beginning of a very difficult time. It's hard for some parents to deal with the memories of what their little ones went through." Lingard said.
"Oh… Well, I think it's important to… And I'm gonna celebrate both days…" Clementine said.
And she did. She did her best to keep track of the dates, and when July First rolled around, or at least what she assumed was close to the date. She did her best to decorate the nursery while her twins were sleeping at night. She, Promise, and AJ made so much birthday cards for the twins. AJ's being simple scribbles, and her having to write happy birthday on Promise's.
After getting AJ to sleep, she placed the cards on the table. She spent the rest of the night making paper party hats and other decorations. She knew her daughters wouldn't keep the hats on their head, but she wanted it to be as much like a birthday party as possible. She searched through her hidden supplies for some kind of treat her babies could actually eat. Despite them officially being one now, the girls were only technically nine-months adjusted and they didn't have teeth yet.
Once all her decorating was done, she decided to get some rest herself.
That night she understood all too well, what Lingard had meant. She couldn't help but dream about her daughters' birth. The pain, how she almost lost her babies. How she almost died herself. How she couldn't touch them or hold them for so long after that, despite how much she longed to.
Their birthday was special because she was lucky to have them. Especially because she knew she could have lost them. She was completely unprepared for all the emotions she felt. Birthdays were supposed to be joyous, a celebration of life… But she felt overwhelmed after her dream and depressed. She was mired in thoughts about where they were a year ago.
The next day, she was allowed to spend all day with her kids. She had a little party for the twins, who just seemed excited to play with her.
She attempted to put the party hats on the twins, but the girls were having none of it and kept taking them off. AJ, however, proudly wore his hat. She played peek-a-boo with Crystal and waved around a colorful scarf for Aleena. The twins and AJ all were in good moods, and Clementine was so happy to be with them. She sung happy birthday to her girls and AJ babbled along, clapping excitedly.
She offered the twins and AJ pieces of a small packaged brownie. She only gave the twins a little piece and allowed AJ to have the rest.
The twins were more interested in playing than in the sweets, not being old enough to chew yet.
Overall, it was a good day.
However, when night fell and her children were asleep, she was once again wrapped in dark thoughts of what could've happened. She didn't want to think about what ifs. She did her best to shake the thoughts away. What ifs weren't important, what matter was right now.
When summer rolled around, depression hit Luke hard.
The group had been trying to rebuild, but all Luke could think about is the fact that his girls were born sometime in the summer.
Memories of their traumatic birth haunted him. He regretted not being a good father for them. He regretted the fact that Clementine had to beg for him to come into the room, because he was too scared to see her.
He was disgusted in his past behavior. If he could just find them, things would be so different. He would make sure of that.
He wondered how the twins were now. What did they look like? How much had they grown? They would be somewhere around nine months adjusted on their birthday. He tried to imagine what two nine-month-old babies would look like. Had their eye color changed? Had Aleena's hair darkened or was it that same beautiful blonde he remembered? Would they cry if he held them? Would they call him "dada", once they could talk? He had so many questions.
It saddened him to think that he might never have answers to any of these questions. His eyes stung while he took a deep breath.
"I wanted to check on you." Bonnie spoke, pulling him out of his thoughts. "Is everything okay?"
"I... I'm just thinking about the twins..." Luke muttered. "July second..."
"What?"
"That's what we decided their birthday was... July second..." Luke said. "They would be a year old, and nine months adjusted... I wish I could see them now... I wish I could hold them and sing happy birthday to them."
"I'm sure they'd love that." Bonnie said.
"I love them... I hope when I find them- if I find them, they love me as much as I love them." Luke said.
"I'm sure they will, Luke. Who couldn't love you?" Bonnie said.
Luke didn't respond to that. He stayed silent, gently running his hand over the rattle.
Time went on and their days consisted of driving and searching areas for any sign of the kids, but as the weeks had turned into months, they knew it was less and less likely they would find them.
Christa could only hope they were safe, that they were looking out for each other, and that one day, they would find them.
She needed them to be okay... She didn't know what she would do without them...
Lingard continued to conduct various tests using Clementine's blood, her saliva, even a small amount of her breastmilk, which he managed to take from one of the twins' bottles.
He quickly realized there was a big difference if the girl had a high fever. And that whatever was in her system was much less potent in her saliva and milk. In times when her body temperature was close to regular so were all of her body fluids with the exception of her blood. Her blood was different.
Lingard voiced to Joan, Clint and David, who had demanded to be kept informed, about how he wanted to test the girls fevers further.
"We need to see if the girl's temperature of her fevers truly makes a difference in spreading this…" Lingard paused before saying. "It could be days at a time before she gets a fever that high. When the girl is in a setting that stress is normalized it seems rare for her fevers to reach such a dangerous heat. But perhaps piling more stress onto her would spike her fever over time."
"When her fevers get to a high point the medication brings it down?" Joan asked.
Lingard nodded. "She's been taking two different medicines that I know of… One of which is a beta blocker. The other is called Colchicine. It's usually prescribed for things like periodic fever syndrome. What she has is a bit similar to that. Her fevers stay stationary for days at a time but can slowly reach a high point as an intense increase of stress causes them to spike."
"Well…We should test it without medication." Joan said.
"Isn't that dangerous? David inquired.
"Very." Lingard said. "A spiked fever could cause brain damage, or in the worst case, death…"
"For the sake of finding a cure, we should do it." Joan said.
"Even if it means risking a little girl's life?! He just said she could die!" David spat.
"Settle down, David." Joan said. "We'll make sure to be there, to keep it from getting to high."
Lingard was silent for a moment then spoke, "I'll do my best to make sure it doesn't get too out of hand."
"You people are nuts…" David muttered.
"She'll be fine, David… Think of all the people this could potentially help." Joan said.
David just shook his head.
"What can we do to cause more stress than what she's already dealing with?" Clint asked.
Lingard paused thinking for a moment. "…Take her babies away..."
Everyone's eyes widened at the suggestion.
Clementine didn't understand why she was told to pump enough milk to last for a week at first. Whenever she had a client, they weren't gone for more than a day. She didn't want to be away from her kids for a week, but she did as she was told. All the pumping left her sore.
The girl was a bit confused.
She was even more bewildered when Terrell led her to the hospital. She started feeling anxious, wondering why she was here. What was going on?
"Hello there, Clementine." Lingard offered her a kind smile.
"H-Hi…" Clementine nervously greeted back.
"How are you feeling, Clementine?" Lingard asked her.
"I-I… Am I dying?" Clementine suddenly asked. "Is that why you take my blood?"
"No…. It's not like that, babe." Terrell spoke up.
"I told you, you have special blood, Clementine." Lingard said.
Clementine frowned looking unsure. "Why am I here?" She asked as she looked between the two men with confusion.
"I just need you to stay here for a few days…" Lingard said.
"Why?" Clementine asked. "I need to be with my kids."
"Your kids are fine, Clem." Terrell said.
"But-But they need me! I need them." The girl tried to move to the door, only to be blocked. "Let me leave! What are you doing?!"
"Clementine, settle down please." Lingard picked up a nearby syringe.
"I don't want to calm down! I want to leave! Let me out!" Clementine exclaimed.
"Babe-"
Clementine tried to shove pass him. "MOVE!"
"Look at me, babe." Terrell tried to take her hands to calm her, but the young girl yanked away. Terrell managed to seize her shoulders, but the girl thrashed. She wouldn't stop struggling. Lingard began to slowly approach.
"Hurry up!" Terrell ordered.
Hurry up and what- Clementine gasped when she felt the needle in her arm. She whimpered through pain and frustration as the medicine coursed through her body, pulling her towards unconsciousness. She tried to fight to stay awake, but it was useless. Everything soon went black.
When she woke Clementine had blurry memories of the needle in her arm. Clementine immediately realized she was strapped to some kind of bed. The girl craned her neck a bit to see a I.V. bag hanging from the wall, the clear cording running down the wall and disappearing into her arm.
"Take it easy, Clementine." Lingard's voice made her flinch.
"What's going on…? Why am I here…?" Clementine asked.
"We're just conducting a little test that's all…" Lingard said.
"A test of what?" Clementine asked.
Lingard didn't respond as he check her I.V., making sure she was still getting fluids.
"What's happening? You-You said I wasn't sick…" Clementine said.
"I said you weren't dying…" Lingard said. "Your fevers however have me concerned."
"They're just stress fevers… I told you." Clementine said.
Lingard shook his head in disagreement. "Just try to relax. Everything will be fine."
"But I need to see my kids! They need me!" Clementine exclaimed.
"Just rest, Clementine."
"I don't want to rest!" The girl refused, instead trying to struggle free.
"You need to rest, Clementine." Lingard kept his calm tone.
"Let me go!" Clementine cried, feeling frustrated and confused.
Lingard sighed and took a seat on a nearby chair.
"Wh-Why are you doing this?!" The girl asked, fighting back tears as she tried to understand what she had done wrong.
"I'm not going to hurt you, Clementine. Just calm down." Lingard said.
"LET ME GO!" The girl exclaimed.
Lingard didn't move from his seat. He just allowed the girl to struggle unto the point of exhaustion.
When the child had arrived with Terrell her temperature which had been one-hundred degrees, quickly rose that night to one-hundred and one. As the days progress they noticed that her temperature would remain stationary for about two days then rise as her stress levels increased.
David had protested against the experiment, saying it felt inhumane. The others ignored him. Frustrated he stormed out and didn't return for the next few days.
By day four, her fever had risen to one hundred and five. Lingard was immediately concerned. Untreated fevers would seldom go over, that temperature, but he was worried it would.
"Maybe we should stop, once a fever reaches a higher temperature it has the ability to damage the brain." Lingard said.
"We'll keep at it. I want to see how high this can get." Joan replied.
Reluctantly Lingard agreed.
David returned the next day to check in. "How high is the fever?"
"…One-hundred and six degrees." Lingard hesitantly replied.
"Are you people out of your minds? That could kill her!" David snapped.
"David, do not intervene!" Joan said.
"She's a child, not some science experiment! This is sick!" David hissed.
"She'll be fine." Lingard claimed. "Just-"
Suddenly the girl's heart monitor began beeping wildly. Lingard's eyes widened. He rushed into the room, the others were concerned and followed. David noticed the girl's small body was tremoring. The girl was unconscious, foaming at the mouth. She was having a seizure.
"Do something!" David snapped at Lingard.
"It's a febrile seizure, it will pass!" Lingard claimed.
"Don't give me that bullshit, Paul, help the girl!" David snapped. David had seen seizures before; but knowing that they had basically forced little Clementine into this condition sickened him.
"We just have to wait, David. She'll be fine." Lingard said, though he looked worried himself.
They didn't touch her; they did as Lingard said and waited for the seizure to stop. Finally, Clementine's small body stopped moving and her head dropped to the side. She lay still, her heart monitor returning to a normal paced beep. With her convulsions done, Lingard walked over and dabbed at the child's face with a damp cloth. "It's over..."
David glared at the others in the room. "You all happy now?"
"David, we weren't expecting that..." Clint said with a frown.
"Well, what the hell were you expecting?" David inquired.
No one responded to his words.
"She's not staying here." David huffed.
"And where are you gonna take her?" Joan asked.
"Back to my place. So she can recover in peace." David removed the I.V. from the child's arm and picked the girl up. The others tried to protest, but he ignored them, walking out.
Joan and the others exchanged looks. Joan grabbed her radio and called to the caretaker. "David might be on his way… Don't let him take the kids."
After making sure Clementine was okay, David ended up leaving the girl resting on his couch, while he headed to the caretaker's house to retrieve her kids. The woman tried to stop him, but he was having none of it. He threatened the guards, forcing them to back off as he did his best to pack the babies' belongings, though he was unaware of everything they needed. He placed them in the wagon and started back to his home. The entire walk the twins cried, while AJ looked around curiously, with a hint of concern on his small face.
When they got inside the house the twins immediately crawled to their unconscious preteen mother the second they spotted her. AJ toddled over as well, and David noticed for the first time since he picked them up that AJ was holding a teddy bear. He watched as AJ tried to offer the stuff toy to Clementine's unconscious form.
With a sigh, he checked the bag which contained the kids' stuff, there were a few toys along with a sippy cup and two bottles, which he knew he would have to use sparingly until Clementine woke, and some baby food. He scattered a couple of the toys on the floor so the babies could play, but they were too focused on trying to get Clementine's attention.
"She's not getting up anytime soon." David spoke, though he was sure they didn't understand. "Hey, hey, come over here and play with your toys."
They didn't.
David huffed and went to pick up the twins. The two immediately started crying. AJ sent him an angry look, seemingly mad that he had made the girls cry. David groaned as he moved the twins over to their toys. AJ soon made his way over too, leaving Clementine's bear beside the girl.
The twins' crying seemed to die down as David offered them their toys. The man frowned. He didn't know how Clementine did this. Three babies at one time was way more than he could handle. He just hoped she woke up soon.
It had been another day before the little girl awoke, her fever had dropped as David did his best to tend to her. She was still warm, but not as hot as she had been. He brought her babies to the house, knowing the girl would be more at ease if they were with her, though taking care of them while she had been unconscious proved to be a struggle.
When she awoke the child groaned, feeling a familiar pounding in her head.
"Lie still." David spoke. "You still got a high fever..."
"Wh-What happened?" Clementine asked, feeling groggy, as she laid back down.
"You had a seizure... Has that ever happened before?" David asked.
The girl knew that is what her medicine was to prevent. Christa had told her. "Y-Yeah..." Clementine mumbled with a frown. "My babies..."
"They're here... Fast asleep." David motioned to the twins who were cuddled together wrapped in a blanket, and AJ who laid beside the couch.
Clementine sighed in relief. She noticed Promise was also on the couch beside her and grabbed her teddy bear. "Wh-Where am I? How did I get here?"
"You're at my place." David said.
"…Are you gonna send me back?" Clementine asked with a nervous look.
David didn't respond.
"You are, aren't you?" Clementine asked.
"I don't want to, kid... If it were up to me, you could stay with me as long as you want." David said.
"…They'll find me, you know. They'll find me and try to take me back." Clementine said. "You don't have to fight for me if you don't want to…" Clementine said.
"I'm not gonna stop fighting for you, even if fighting for you is turning everyone against me." David said.
"It's okay... I won't blame you if you send me back..." Clementine mumbled.
"I'm not gonna send you back..." David huffed. "Just try to rest."
"What are you going to do. You promised you'd help me before. That you'd get this off." She motioned to the ankle monitor. "But you didn't. You couldn't."
"Well things will be different this time." David said.
"How will things be different?" Clementine asked. "You're just one person David. And us against them, it won't be pretty... You said they'll turn against you if you help me."
"I can deal with them... I've known these people for a long time." David replied.
"That doesn't mean anything... People change." Clementine said.
"Just let me deal with it, kid." David said.
"...Okay... I'm sorry if I'm naughty... Please don't send us back there..." Clementine said.
"I won't, kid." David reassured. "Just try to take it easy."
"Okay…" All she could do was try.
Clementine was surprised that no one came searching for her that day. She was able to rest for once and play with her children as she pleased.
She checked the bag David had packed and gave a small frown.
"I tried to pack everything I could for them." David said. "I was kind of in a hurry."
"What about Aleena's sleep machine?" Clementine asked.
"What?" David asked back.
"Her oxygen machine… For her sleep apnea." Clementine replied.
"I didn't know she had one…" David said.
"She has two different ones. One for her sleep apnea, and one for whenever she needs it." Clementine said. "And… And Crystal's EpiPen isn't in here either."
"Does AJ have some strange condition I should know about too?" David huffed. A bit a sarcasm laced in his tone.
"No…" Clementine replied. "But they need this stuff. I have to go get it."
"No... I'll get their stuff." David said. "You'll stay here with them."
"But-"
"Just listen to me. You stay here, and I'll go get your brats stuff." David said.
"Don't call them brats. They're not." Clementine glared at him.
"They were a damn headache when you were asleep." David replied.
"That's because you don't know how to handle them." Clementine retorted. "You're just mad because you didn't get everything they need."
"I'm mad because I don't have to be helping your ungrateful ass, but I am." David said.
"Then send us back! If you don't want to help us, don't!" Clementine said.
"Just shut up. Quit your whining and stay put and lock the door until I come back." David said.
"You sure you'll come this time?" Clementine scoffed.
David shot the child a look. "I see where those kids get their brattiness from."
Clementine just rolled her eyes. "Just be careful..."
"I will."
David didn't know how long he had been knocking before the caretaker finally cracked the door. It was as if she was purposely avoiding answering the door.
"Yes?" The woman asked.
"I picked up Clementine's kids the other day and left some stuff here. I need to pick it up." David said.
"There's nothing here." The woman tried to close the door.
David caught it preventing her from doing so. "I need to get the kids oxygen machine."
"I have nothing that belongs to them. I sent it all to their home." The woman said.
"You sent it to that damn brothel?" David inquired.
"They live there, don't they?" The woman replied. "You've caused enough trouble now, please leave!"
David allowed her to close the door. "Damn it." David huffed and turned away. He knew if he tried going to that brothel he would probably get shot on the spot. There wasn't much he could do at this point.
"Did you get their stuff?" Clementine asked as she saw him step into the house.
"It's at the brothel." David answered.
"What?"
"Those assholes have it." David said.
Clementine's eyes widened. "Well, I have to go get it."
"Clementine, no. I'm not letting you go back there." David said.
"But my babies need this stuff!" The girl argued.
"They'll be fine. How often does Aleena have trouble breathing?" David asked.
"I... I don't know. It's at random times." Clementine said.
"Well, we'll keep an eye on her. And I'll figure something out. Just calm down." David replied.
Clementine sighed. "I just don't want anything bad to happen."
"Nothing bad will happen, kid." David said.
His words didn't do much to ease her worries. "I really, really hope not." Clementine said.
The girl didn't understand why David was helping her. She knew it would just make the rest of the group mad.
"Why are you doing this?" Clementine asked as David was finishing making them dinner.
"Why am I doing what?" David asked.
"Helping me?" Clementine said.
"Because you need help. You're a kid and you have no one looking out for you." David said.
"I wish people would stop saying that. I'm not a kid..." Clementine huffed.
"You are. You said you were twelve. That's a kid." David said. "Here. Eat up."
Clementine looked to the food, seeming unsure.
"There's nothing wrong with it..." David said. "I just figured you be hungry."
Clementine tried some of what appeared to be beef stew. It seemed safe and the girl continued eat.
David couldn't help but chuckle a bit. "Slow down, kid you act like you haven't eaten in days."
"I haven't." Clementine said.
David's face fell, realizing that was true. "Do they... feed you back at that place?"
"Sometimes... If I'm not naughty. Lingard brought me snacks too." Clementine innocently said.
David frowned. That sick fuck was manipulating her into trusting him.
"Thanks for the food." Clementine said as she slowed her eating.
"No problem." David said, noticing her placing the bowl down, despite not finishing her meal.
"Well, since the kids are asleep, I guess we can play now." Clementine said.
"Play what?" David asked. "What are you talking about?"
"The sex game." Clementine said. "We can play it since you helped me. You gave me food, so that means you can touch me if you want."
"No! No, I don't want that! Stop talking like that, kid!" David snapped.
"But-"
"I said that's enough!" David said, feeling sick. "I'm going to get some air."
She couldn't understand why David acted so differently than other men.
She recalled Tripp being disgusted as well...
But they didn't call her a whore like some people around the neighborhood did.
Clementine couldn't understand, she didn't think she ever would…
David walked outside, needing to clear his head. He took a deep breath, that poor girl was so confused. He needed to get her out of here, he knew it would only be a matter of time before someone from the brothel showed up and tried to take her away. He stood in silence for a while but caught sight of two guards, who seemed to be peering through his windows.
"What the hell is this all about?" He quickly called to them.
Both men jumped.
"We have order to take the girl, David." Badger spoke.
"And I order you to back the hell off!" David replied.
"We can't go against the order... It's three against one..." Badger said. "Please just hand her over."
"That's not gonna happen!" David snapped.
"Don't try to fight this, David. Just hand the girl over." Lonnie said. "Or we'll be forced to take her by force."
"You wanna try that? She's sick. Those three who gave you order, are the reason she's sick! Those people did this to her!" David said. "She's a child! I'll protect her to my last breath if I have to."
The two guards exchange looks.
"I'm not handing her over so back the fuck off." He threatened, grabbing for his gun. This seemed to startle the two men, but David didn't care. He had been a soldier. It was his duty to protect the defenseless. He wasn't going to give those kids up without a fight.
The guards didn't push the issue farther, they backed off. David huffed this whole thing was becoming a headache.
The next day came and David went through his supplies.
He offered Clementine and AJ some peanut butter crackers, but Clementine turned them down. David ended up offering the two a bag of chips instead, which the girl accepted.
"Do you feed the twins food yet?" David asked her.
"Just baby food. They started teething a while back..." Clementine said. "But they're not ready for real food yet."
"What are they, eight months now?" David asked.
"Nine, adjusted." Clementine said.
"I guess they won't really get teeth for a while." David said.
"My friend gave Crystal fish before... but she had an allergic reaction." Clementine said. "That's why I'm worried about giving them certain foods."
"Damn..." David muttered.
"Yeah... It was scary…" Clementine said.
"You think she'd be allergic to that?"
"What?" Clementine asked.
"Peanut butter. It's a common allergy." David said.
"I don't want to find out…" Clementine said. "I know someone who was allergic to peanuts back at school and… I don't want to see Crystal have another attack."
"I don't blame you. But sometimes it's best to know."
"I-I don't want to see her have another allergic reaction. It was so scary."
"Okay... Calm down. We don't need you having another fever attack either." David said.
Clementine took a deep breath then asked, "…Do you think they're going to come for us?"
"What?"
"Terrell and the others…." Clementine clarified.
"I'm sure they will, but I'm not gonna let them take you." David said.
"I wish they would just leave me alone…" Clementine said.
"If Badger had that van working, I would've already gotten you out of here." David told her.
"Van?"
"Badger found a van he's been working on fixing it up." David said.
"But where would we go? You said this was a tracker…" Clementine said.
"I'd get that thing off you and get you out of town. Take you somewhere safe. Once Badger gets that van working, I'll take you and your kids as far away as possible from here." David said.
"Won't you get in trouble if you help me leave...?" Clementine asked.
"Maybe, but I don't give a damn how they feel. You don't deserve to be abused…" David replied.
"Even if I'm naughty?" Clementine asked.
"You're not… You're just a kid… A kid who deserves better." David said.
"They're going to come for me, aren't they?" Clementine asked.
"Don't worry about it." David replied.
"You know they are." Clementine mumbled.
"I said don't worry about it." David said in more of a stern tone.
"How can I not worry about it? People always say that to me, and then something bad happens! I don't want to just wait until something bad happens." Clementine replied, AJ frowned at her tone.
"Nothing bad is gonna happen, just calm down." David said.
"I can't! How can I calm down?!" Clementine huffed, calming her tone a bit as the twins whimpered, she tried to sooth them and AJ. "I don't want to go back there, David..."
"I know. I'm not gonna send you back there." David said. "I-"
Clementine cut him off. "I don't want to go back there, but I know I don't have a choice…"
"What the hell are you talking about?" David asked.
"This is my life, David! This is what I'm supposed to be doing. You can't stop it. No one can." Clementine said.
"No… No, you're not supposed to be trading your body like a… sex slave!" David argued.
"Playing sex means that I get supplies. I have to do it so I can keep my kids and I alive. Aleena hasn't had her sleep machine since we got here. I've had to count her breathing to make sure she's okay…. I have to go back for their sake." Clementine said.
"For their sake? You can't go back. Your kids shouldn't be growing up in a brothel. They're gonna grow up thinking that their mama is a whore!" David spat.
Clementine looked hurt. "A whore? You think I'm a whore…."
"No…. I- I didn't mean that-" David said.
"You think I'm a whore just like everyone else." Clementine murmured.
"Clem…"
"I thought you were different." Clementine whispered.
"Clementine,"
"I don't want to talk." The child turned away.
"Come on, kid. Don't be like this." David huffed.
She continued to ignore him.
"Don't be a brat!" David snapped.
"A whore, and a brat… I've been called it all, what's new?!" Clementine responded.
"I didn't call you a whore! I said your kids are gonna think you're one if you stay in that place." David said.
"What difference does it make? Everyone already thinks I'm a whore anyway." Clementine replied.
"What everyone else thinks shouldn't matter. What your kids think should. You're raising two little girls. You need to have some respect for yourself so that they can grow up with some respect for themselves! I have a daughter of my own and if I found out she was doing any of the stuff you do at your age, I would have a damn heart attack." David said. "I bet your parents would too if they knew what you were doing."
Clementine frowned at his words. She hoped her parents weren't disappointed in her. "I…. didn't know you had a daughter."
"Yeah… She's nine, maybe ten by now…" David said. "I have a son too. About a year older than you. And if you don't want AJ to think it's okay to treat females that way you need to leave that brothel."
He hated referring to the place as a brothel, knowing there were children in it. But he knew that's what it was.
He continued, "You need to teach AJ that females aren't property and that they shouldn't be treated the way you're being treated. You don't want him to hit and bully his sisters, do you?"
"AJ wouldn't do that! He's really sweet to them." Clementine said.
"He's a toddler, Clem. And he's not gonna stay a toddler forever, and kids copy what they see." David said.
"But he'll never hit my girls. He's really protective over them, even at this age. He hates seeing them crying or upset." Clementine said.
"Maybe, but that could change if you don't leave that place." David said. "You need to leave that place…"
"I don't want to go back…" Clementine replied.
"And I'm gonna make sure you don't have to." David said.
Clementine didn't believe his words, she wanted to, but she didn't…
Another two days went by and everything seemed quiet. Night had fallen and the kids were asleep, besides Clementine who had been drawing. David had seen some of her drawings and couldn't help but feel a bit disturbed, but after what the child went through, he couldn't blame her…
The quiet didn't last too long, however. Clementine had been drifting off when something drew her attention. She checked on her babies and frowned when she noticed Aleena was drawing in quick, rattly breaths. Clementine immediately panicked, wondering what was wrong with her baby. She tried to figure out what to do, she didn't have any of her daughter's medicine or her sleep machine.
"D-David!" She called, an urgency in her little voice. "Oh God... Don't do this to me, Aleena!" Clementine picked her child up. "Come on, don't do this to mommy." The child pleaded as she held the tiny baby in her arms.
AJ and Crystal had both woken upon hearing her panicked cries. AJ looked concerned while Crystal started whimpering.
"Come on, baby girl." Clementine said. "Come on, Aleena, breathe! DAVID!"
From outside, David groaned hearing the girl's calls for him. He stood assuming the child had a nightmare or something. Clementine seemed to have a lot of nightmares. He trudged tiredly into the house, "Wh-"
He couldn't finish before Clementine exclaimed, "My baby's not breathing!"
David's eyes widened and he quickly went to check on the child. He recalled seeing Clementine counting Aleena's breathing and the girl mentioning her daughter's sleep machine was missing.
He cursed under his breath. Aleena had been fine for the past few days, but he knew sleep apnea episodes weren't ever predictable. "Damn it!" David huffed. "Here, give her here."
Clementine reluctantly allowed him to take the baby into his arms.
David noticed Aleena's little face was pale, but she still had streaks of color in her cheeks, meaning she was getting some oxygen- but not nearly enough.
Though he was a parent himself, David never considered children to be his forte. However, while in the military he had treated his fair share of victims when medical staff was unavailable. He stopped the memories mid-flow as he unzipped Aleena's sleep. He was angry with himself for not getting the child's sleep machine. He tried his best to remain calm despite Clementine's pleading and hollering for him to help her baby, and the cries of Crystal and AJ.
The tiny weight of the little baby in his arms kept his focus on Aleena. He felt his heart stop when the baby's breaths abruptly paused. Little Aleena was completely unconscious.
David checked Aleena's mouth, making sure her airway was not obstructed.
"What's happening?!" Clementine inquired. "Fix her!"
"I'm trying!" David snapped back. He began giving Aleena CPR, while Clementine who was practically hysterical begged for him to save her daughter.
David set into a rhythm of giving rescue breaths and patting Aleena's back. He sighed in relief when Aleena took a breath. The baby soon whimpered and began crying.
"Thank God…" Clementine said through tears. "Can- Can I hold her?"
"I'm taking her to the hospital." David said.
"Wh-What?" Clementine stammered.
"She might need more oxygen. We need her medicine and I'm sure they have it there…" David said.
"Well, I'm going too!" Clementine decided.
"You'll stay here!" David ordered.
The child shook her head, "I'm not leaving her! I'm not being away from my kid!"
"You got two other kids to think about!" David reminded.
"My kids are ALL I think about! And they're coming with me! We stick together, no matter what!" Clementine said. "I'm not being away from them. They need me."
David sighed, not wanting to argue. "…Fine…"
Before long Crystal and AJ were packed into the wagon, while David carried Aleena.
For Clementine the walk to the hospital was a haze. Clementine could only think that this was all her fault and that if David hadn't been there, her daughter would be dead.
When they arrived at the hospital David demanded that Lingard give Aleena's oxygen machine over.
Clementine zoned out as they fought, wanting nothing more but to take her kids and run.
"She'll die without the medicine. As long as Clementine complies with us, we'll make sure Aleena gets the treatment she needs..." Lingard said. "Don't fight this, David. You know we need this girl."
"She's a kid! You people are sick fucks." David said.
"We need her! It's her blood, David!" Lingard's voice brought Clementine back to the present moment. "Something in her blood makes her different…."
"Then how did her bite cause that girl to get a fever?" David asked.
"She could've possibly bit her lip and then bit the other child. That contact of her own blood caused that. Her spit didn't seem to cause anything to happen, her breast milk doesn't seem to have much of an effect. It's her blood." Lingard said.
Clementine felt sick, that's why they had been taking her blood. Terrell had promised not to tell anyone.
"She's special, David…" Lingard said. "We can't let you ruin this for everyone else."
David noticed Lingard grab his radio and press the alarm button.
Clementine flinched and David looked around, "What the fuck are you doing, Paul?" David demanded angrily.
"Just let her go, David. We're not going to hurt her. We need her…" Lingard said.
Everything happened so quickly. They didn't have much time to react before they found themselves surrounded by guards.
"Stay the fuck away from her..." David ordered to the others, before within minutes they found themselves surrounded by guards.
"Don't! Don't hurt him!" Clementine said, knowing there was no other way out of this. "I'll go with you!"
"Kid, no!" David said.
"David, stop! There's nothing you can do! I'm not gonna let anyone get hurt because of me." Clementine said.
"Think about what I said…" David said to her.
"I am… I'm doing this for my kids… I need my daughters medicine…" Clementine said before turning to Lingard. "I'll go back…"
"Smart choice." Lingard said, before looking to the guards and ordering them to, "Take her home."
One of the guards nodded.
Held at gunpoint, David had no choice but to surrender. David knew fighting would be pointless. He needed to find another way to save this little girl.
Upon returning to the Brothel they surprisingly didn't punish her. Though they were annoyed. Clementine wondered why they hadn't immediately come for her, but Terrell said they didn't want to go through the hassle of having to nurse her back to health. They figured it best to wait a few days to retrieve her.
Clementine had mixed feelings upon returning. She couldn't wait for someone to help her, she needed to find a way out on her own.
Things returned to how they were, her meeting with clients, and Lingard paying visits, the girl didn't fight, though she knew now why he wanted to check in on her so often. She took advantage instead, asking him for books on CPR and First Aid, books about food allergies and about respiratory illnesses. She studied as much as she could. She wanted to be prepared, she never wanted to not be able to help her children if they needed her.
Though she didn't have access to many varieties of baby food, Clementine noticed her daughters loved certain things. They loved mashed bananas, but refused anything apple related, in Clementine's opinion they were missing out when it came to apples. Aleena loved sweet potatoes, while Crystal was more into mashed potatoes. Both girls enjoyed the chicken and gravy baby food and they loved mac and cheese and spaghetti.
She noticed a week after their first party, that Crystal had a tooth growing and a few days later so did Aleena.
The girls were both teething, which made them fussy and they both felt feverish at times. Lingard explained to her that since they were teething that a fever and fussiness was normal. That helped ease her worries a bit. She just wanted her babies to be okay, which was the only reason she allowed him to look over them. Although she did not trust him, he was the only doctor they had.
The time and effort of both breastfeeding and introducing solids took a lot of time and a lot of adjusting.
As days flew by, Aleena also didn't need her oxygen tank regularly anymore, though Doctor Lingard suggested keeping a nebulizer and her sleep apnea machine as the baby often did have issues breathing, especially when sleeping. Though it was hard to diagnose her at such a young age, Lingard concurred that the baby girl's BPD may have developed into Asthma, and she definitely had sleep apnea. He explained to Clementine issues that Aleena could face because of her conditions, stuff that made Clementine's heart stop, though they could rule out epilepsy, deafness, blindness, and cerebral palsy.
He told her both BPD and sleep apnea could cause Aleena to have heart issues or high blood pressure. And that Sleep apnea could lead to ADHD.
Some of the words Lingard used Clementine found hard to understand, but when he used words like "risk" it made her worry.
By eleven months adjusted both her twins were taking their first steps, at a time. Crystal had been the first to take her first steps. Aleena only seemed to follow her sister's lead a week later, due to what Clementine thought was jealousy. Crystal had been playing and Aleena decided to walk a few stumbly steps over and make an attempt to take her sister's toy. Clementine stopped her, directing her attention elsewhere. Despite now being able to somewhat walk Aleena still preferred to be held and carried, but Crystal was showing herself to be more independent. Crystal liked to explore, and thus got into stuff often. Clementine often found herself having to stop the baby from playing with things she shouldn't be. With both the twins learning to walk, and AJ toddling around himself, things became much harder.
As they approached twelve months old adjusted the twins were both taking a few steps at a time, and they could crawl so fast that if Clementine blinked, they would be across the room when she opened her eyes. Clementine found it hard to keep an eye on all three kids. Doctor Lingard had called her little ones baby geniuses, despite still being so tiny, the two were developing in other areas fast.
Although they were practically walking at this point, Aleena would still cry whenever Clementine wasn't holding her, her daughter was already a huge mama's girl, but now she would only cry more.
When October rolled around, or at least when it felt like autumn, she decided to have another party for the twins, as their adjusted age was now one year old. Much like before it was such an enjoyable time for her, the twins, AJ, and Promise.
Times like this made her feel like she wasn't such a bad mother after all.
By time her thirteenth birthday was approaching she had enough supplies to last her for quite a while. She no longer needed her crutches, and any baby weight that she had been struggling to shred before was long gone. She wanted to think she was healthy, but that was far from true, her body was weak from lack of food and constant abuse, and she was constantly exhausted from the "trades" and raising three children on her own. Still, her main concern was her babies. Clementine moved permanently into the nursery to stay close to her kids, her and Promise would "take shifts" of guarding them. She had made her mind up that she needed to get her kids out of that place, but actually leaving was the hard part.
She thought about just shooting her way out, but she was outnumbered. And there was no way she'd be able to win. It would also put her babies at risk. She needed a real plan.
For now, she continued to comply while she tried to figure something out. She started to black out during her "trades", telling herself, if she didn't want to feel she had to be numb. Sometimes she didn't remember what had happened after her encounters. She felt like a stuffed animal on the shelf. People just grabbed her when they wanted her, did as they pleased to her, and threw her away.
If she wasn't broken before she surely felt broken now.
When her birthday came, she fell into a deeper depression. She couldn't even bring herself to get out of bed, regardless of prompting and urging from Terrell and Teresa. It wasn't until she heard her babies crying that she forced herself up. Her body was basically in autopilot. She would care for her kids' basic needs then curl back into a ball, holding Promise close with her thumb in her mouth. She felt different, not in a good way. She felt off. She decided she was having an "off day".
After her thirteenth birthday "off days" became a pretty regular thing for her. She didn't know why, but it just happened.
She wished she could just run away.
She didn't know the exact date of AJ's birthday, but she did her best to throw her little Goofball a party as well. She helped the twins draw cards, wrote "Happy Birthday" on her and Promise's cards. She made party hats much like before, the twins, of course seemed uninterested in keeping the hats on. The day was another fun one, for her, Promise, and her kids.
She spent the day reading books to them, coloring with AJ, playing pat-a-cake, and peek-a-boo, Crystal's favorite game although Aleena still wasn't a fan of the game, and making noises with water bottles, much too Aleena's delight.
She gave AJ a present to which she had simply balled in paper to "wrap it". AJ opened it and beamed as he noticed a Disco Broccoli blanket.
"Do you like it, Goofball?" Clementine asked the two-year-old.
AJ responded by hugging the blanket.
"I'm glad." Clementine smiled. She loved nothing more than seeing her kids happy.
Lingard continued to make visits and take her blood. Clementine knew he said her blood was special. She wished it wasn't. To her it wasn't special. Nothing about her was special.
All she wanted was to be left alone with her babies.
She needed to get them out of that place.
After more research Lingard and Joan requested to talk with Teresa and Terrell.
"We've been talking a bit... we figured that it could be possible for the 'active' portion of the virus to carry on, to children of the carrier." Lingard said.
"All of our girls are on birth control." Teresa said.
"That's not a big problem. Can't you take her off?" Joan asked.
Teresa looked to Terrell. "Ultimately, that's not my decision."
Terrell however smirked. "I never had her on it."
The others couldn't help but be surprised by his statement.
The neighborhood hadn't even been the safest place. It was rundown, but they did their best to manage. They didn't face many attacks, but when it happened, they were bad.
The last walker attack had only been a mere days ago and it left everyone around town on edge.
So when one of the scouting crews came back and news of them finding a bigger and better camp began circuiting around the neighborhood everyone's interest was piqued. Upon offering a trade for supplies with the group from the community, they seemed to have formed a connection. A foot in the door wasn't enough for them however, they wanted into the camp.
Joan decided they would find a way in one way or another. Their suggestion to group up was turned down by the leader of the community who claimed that there were too many people as it was. Though during their trades, they were able to see that there was plenty of space in the town. They clearly just wanted to keep the place for themselves.
"What do we do now?" Badger asked after having informed Joan of the situation.
"We play nice. Continue our trades, distract them. Then when you give us the go ahead, we'll send our people in and stage an ambush. We'll wipe the leader out, take their supplies and then you offer to help. Tell them we have a doctor to tend to anyone's injuries. We'll move our people in and take the place for ourselves, only allowing people who pledge their loyalties to us to stay." Joan said.
"Damn… You've really thought this through, huh?" Badger asked.
"We always have to be prepared for if things go south." Joan replied.
"I just hope this plan of yours doesn't go south…" Max muttered.
Things played exactly into The New Frontier's favor. They managed to stage a raid on the community while they had the sex workers distract the guards. With the job done, and their leader out of the way, as well as anyone who they worried would be a threat, they would soon take the place for themselves.
Badger offered to bring some of his group members to help rebuild town, and for their Doctor, Lingard, to look over any injures, in exchange for shelter. The remaining people of the community agreed to those terms.
Upon returning back to the neighborhood, many people from the New Frontier's group were thrill with the idea of moving to a safer and larger community.
When Clementine heard the news from Terrell, she could only think of it falling apart like Wellington. She had no plans of going to their new community. She would have to escape before the big move.
Clementine continued trying to find the perfect opportunity to leave the neighborhood. She had failed attempts before which usually ended in her getting punished. She was literally a prisoner here, and her kids deserved better.
However, she didn't know where to go and having the kids out in the cold was a bad idea. She worried about taking them out there.
Her worries only grew tenfold when little AJ suddenly fell ill. AJ, who was usually a pretty happy and healthy toddler, had a drastic change in mood a few days after his birthday party. He hadn't been the happy toddler he usually was. In fact, the small boy just seemed to want to be held or sleep.
When holding him Clementine noticed the young boy felt a bit warm. She worried that he had a fever. He wasn't too hungry throughout the day. After two days of her boy not getting better Clementine was in a panic. He had a cough and a fever, that wouldn't seem to go away. She pleaded with Teresa and Terrell to have someone look her boy over.
When Doctor Lingard arrived, she practically dragged him to the nursery, begging him to check on AJ.
Doctor Lingard told her to calm down and proceeded to check on AJ. "I'm thinking it's pneumonia, but I'm not entirely sure…"
"What's pneumonia?" Clementine asked.
"Pneumonia is an inflammation of the lung parenchyma." Doctor Lingard tried to explain.
Clementine furrowed her brows. "A what?"
"It's an infection in one, or both of the lungs. It is common in children, especially in infants and young toddlers. It's usually accompanied with a fever, and chills. A cough is a common complaint as well and it can make a young child lethargic…" Lingard said. "…that means very tired."
"I- I know what it means." Clementine claimed, though she didn't, but she felt offended by Lingard's tone. "Just… fix him."
"It's not that simple, Clementine. He's gonna need an antibiotic and plenty of rest. And I cannot guarantee his recovery…" Lingard said.
"P-Please… Please, you have to fix him." Clementine said.
"I'll do my best." Lingard said. "For now, I think the best thing would be to quarantine him. This can be contagious and you or your girls could catch it."
"I don't care about me. Just fix my son!" Clementine hadn't even realized she said son, but to her AJ was her son. She had been raising him for months on her own, she had clothed and breastfed him- he was her son.
"I'll do the best I can, but we still have to separate him, at least from your girls. I should also check them for symptoms…" Lingard said.
"They're not sick…" Clementine replied.
"We should be sure of that. Both Crystal and Aleena are a lot more vulnerable to infection because of their small size and would have a harder time fighting it, and Aleena's breathing would just make it more difficult. This would likely kill them…" Lingard said.
Clementine frowned but gave in. "O-Okay… I'll let AJ sleep in the room with me. We can move his crib in there."
"I would suggest letting him come to the hospital, so I can monitor him." Lingard said.
Clementine refused. "He stays with me at all times. He needs me, and I need him."
"Clem…"
"You're not splitting us up again! Not like you did before!" Clementine snapped.
Lingard sighed but nodded. "…Okay…"
AJ's crib was moved that day into the next room. Lingard checked on the twins, deeming them okay. He then proceeded to go retrieve an antibiotic for the boy, and Clementine paced nervously as she waited for the doctor to return.
When Lingard finally came back with a needle and a vial of medicine, Clementine couldn't help but worry.
"What's that? What's in it?" Clementine asked.
"It's called Vancomycin. It's an antibiotic." Lingard replied.
"A shot..." Clementine noticed. "He's gonna cry."
"You can hold him…" Lingard said. "We'll give it a try and see if it helps."
"...Okay..." Clementine said. She picked AJ up, holding him in her arms. The toddler squirmed a bit and whined. "Shh, it's okay, Goofball. Be strong."
"One… Two… Three…" Lingard gave AJ the shot in his arm and immediately AJ started crying.
Clementine rocked him, shushing him but was relieved that he had his medicine. She really hoped it would help. "That will fix him, right? He'll feel better now…"
"This isn't like a cold, Clementine. It's worse. Only time will tell." Lingard replied.
"You're a doctor, you have to fix him! Please…" Clementine begged.
"I'll do all I can for him." Lingard said.
Clementine gave a small nod. As Lingard left, promising to check in tomorrow, Clementine held AJ close. "Feel better, Goofball." She needed him to feel better.
The group had begun focusing on moving their people, little by little, knowing that travelling in a large group would be too risky. Clementine didn't blame the group for moving, after the last walker attack, their makeshift walls had been damaged pretty badly, practically destroyed, though no one thought to fix them because everyone was so focused on the move. The neighborhood wasn't the safest place, but it had been all they had for months. Though if they faced another big attack, everyone would be fucked.
As the group continued moving their people to the new community, Clementine knew it would be a matter of time before she and the other brothel workers were moved as well. She needed to find a way out before then.
The defenses in the neighborhood were lower than before for two reasons, one being them moving their people to this community, some of the guards had already stationed there, and the other reason being the most recent attack, before discovering the new community, that led to a few losses in the neighborhood.
Clementine had been planning her escape long before the group discovered this new community, but things quickly changed as AJ fell ill. When AJ fell ill everyone knew he was in no condition to travel, the others were also worried he would turn. Lingard went back and forth between the two communities, checking in on the people there, and checking in on AJ as well.
Clementine had realized that there were less guards on patrols, and she debated on if it would be a good time to leave. She didn't want to put AJ's health at jeopardy, or any of her kids' health for that matter. They had what they needed here, a doctor, and medicine. She had to stick it out for just a little longer. Just until her boy felt better...
"How's the boy?" David asked, during one of the meetings with the other leaders. The others still seemed on edge after how he tried to help Clementine. But they knew David was too resourceful to let go.
"Not much better…" Lingard said. "We're wasting supplies at this point. I don't think his body is strong enough to fight this…"
"So what should we do?" Clint asked.
"We stop…" Lingard said. "The medicine we've given him would be of more use to anyone else if they got ill…"
"Clementine's not gonna take the news well." Clint said with a frown.
"No… She won't at all…" Lingard muttered, knowing he would have to be the one to break the news to her.
As the days passed, AJ only seemed to be getting worse, his small body was struggling to fight the infection. And the medicine he had been given wasn't enough.
Lingard examined the boy and frowned. "I'm sorry, Clementine…"
"But you have to do something, please…" Clementine pleads with him to do something for her boy. She needed to make AJ feel better.
"There's nothing more I can do." Lingard said.
"You have to do something!" Clementine said, fighting tears.
"Clementine, all we can do now is make him comfortable..." Lingard said. "We don't have enough medicine to help him… We can't do anymore…"
"Get out…" Clementine growled.
"Clem-"
"If you won't help my boy, just leave!" Clementine snapped.
"I'm sorry, Clem…" Lingard said.
Clementine didn't respond. She just waited for him to leave before slumping to the floor, feeling completely defeated.
As the days continued Clementine felt compelled to act. Maybe the others had given up, but she wouldn't. Seeing how much pain AJ was in broke her heart, she needed to get him better.
After getting the twins to sleep, Clementine held AJ in her arms humming to him. She waited until the nightly curfew and until she was sure everyone in the brothel was fast asleep, including Terrell, who was laid in bed in the same room as them. Clementine gently placed AJ in his crib, "I'll be back, Goofball."
She went into the nursery to check on her girls. The twins were fast asleep, the only sound was their soft breathing and Aleena's sleep machine.
She couldn't use the front door, it was alarmed. Her best bet was the window. She chose the lowest window and climbed outside. Despite no longer needing her crutches, it didn't mean her legs were at one hundred percent, and her body was weak from lack of food, but she had to do this.
She stayed in the shadows to avoid the attention of patrolling guards. Eventually the girl made it to the hospital building. She searched for a way inside. The rowhomes mostly had broken windows and finding one of them was her way inside. That was the easy part. After climbing through one of the windows, doing her best to avoid being cut by broken glass, she immediately began searching for where they kept medical supplies.
She checked room after room, but nothing. Eventually she noticed a large closet, she quickly started searching through it for the medication AJ needed. She didn't care what anyone said, she had to do this. The girl began reading medication labels.
"Rivar...oxaban. I don't think this is it…" She muttered to herself and continued searching, "…Dival...proex? Not that one…" She continued looking through medications before noticing a vial of vancomycin. That was it.
She sighed, hating the fact that it was a shot. Still, she took the medicine and syringe.
With the medication, she started to head for the door, however it opens before she can reach it. Lingard stumbled in and sent her a shocked look.
"Clem... What are you doing here?" The doctor asked.
Clementine couldn't bring herself to answer.
Doctor Lingard noticed what she was holding. "The vancomycin-that's the last of it. Clem… Please, don't. It'll be wasted on AJ. I told you, it could save someone's life if used right. It's too valuable to throw away."
"You don't know that for sure." Clementine argued.
"Sadly, I do. It's my curse." Lingard said.
"Your curse?" Clementine asked.
"Knowing when someone's gonna die…" Lingard said.
Clementine narrowed her eyes, "That's so selfish! You'd let him die to save your drugs?"
"Because they won't do a thing for him." Lingard said.
"I have to try! It's the only thing that can save him!" Clementine said.
"Except it can't! You can't save him. I'm sorry, Clem... I tried everything. I-I really did." Lingard said.
Clementine shook her head. "This will help him get better. It helped him last time, he just needs more!"
"Nothing can help your boy now. Oh, Clem. Put the drugs back, before anyone finds out you took them. You know what they do to thieves here. There's still time..." Lingard said.
"I have to try." Clementine said. Lingard tried to block her path but could barely stand as it was. Clementine shoved passed him and made a break for it.
"Clementine, don't do this!" Lingard called to her.
Clementine just kept running.
Lingard frowned, making his way over to his walkie-talkie he picked it up. "This is Paul Lingard; we have a four-eighty-seven in progress…"
After a moment of silence, David's voice was heard, "Received."
Clementine ran out of the building as fast as she could, she made a fast dash towards the brothel, heart pounding. It wasn't long before she heard voices yelling at her to stop. The child whimpered and continued running.
"Stop or we'll shoot!" One of the guards ordered, Clementine had no choice but to comply.
She was trembling as the guards approached her.
"Suspect has been detained." One of the guards said on the radio.
"Ten-four." David's voice came over the radio.
Clementine really hoped David would stand up for her. She hoped he would help her. The girl was kept there and before long David, Ava, Badger, and Lingard approached.
David glared at the young girl, noticing the medicine she was clutching to. "What the hell is this?"
"She... I told her it was a bad idea!" Lingard said.
David shook his head. "What the fuck were you thinking, Clementine?! You were told those drugs couldn't help him! How could you be so stupid? So selfish?!"
Clementine felt her heart breaking at those words. She frowned and tried to defend her actions. "Did you think I would just give up on him?! My kids are everything to me, David! I'd do anything to keep him alive." Clementine snapped.
"Except there's nothing left to do!" David hissed.
"You stopped trying to help! I couldn't just sit here and watch AJ die." Clementine argued.
"We stopped because he was a lost cause!" David snapped.
"He's not a lost cause! This medicine can save him! AJ's gonna die if I don't help him." Clementine replied, shaking with rage.
"He's gonna die anyway! That waste? That'll cost someone's life down the road. Someone in this camp! Someone who contributes to our survival!" David started.
Clementine felt sick, she did a lot to contribute to this entire group's survival, more than any of them did, and David had the nerve to say that to her.
Ava frowned. "C'mon, David... She was just trying to help her kid."
"We helped enough! We should have left him out in the woods a week ago!" David snapped.
Clementine was taken aback by his words. "Stop it! Why are you people so… so mean?" Clementine asked.
"All this medicine would do is bring him a peaceful moment, nothing more. I wish I could tell you it would save him. But that's the reality." Lingard said.
"Then it's worth it. He needs this…" Clementine said. "I'll do anything to make him feel better."
"Without a goddamn thought for anyone else." David snapped.
"That's more than you did. Any of you." Clementine said.
"That's not fair." Ava said.
"You ungrateful little shit! We opened our arms to you; made you one of us. This is how you repay us? By stealing? By putting yourself before the group?" David spat. "You're done here. You broke our rules, Clem. Violated our trust. There's no place for you in the New Frontier. You've made that pretty damn obvious."
"You know what? Fuck you. And fuck the New Frontier!" Clementine snapped back.
"You already did! That's why you have to go." David said.
"Maybe we should give her another chance..." Lingard said.
"Don't fight me on this, Paul. You know what Joan would say if she were here. I'm sorry, Clem. You brought this on yourself." David said. As much as he knew kicking her out was dangerous, at least it would get her out of the brothel.
"I don't need this place anyway. I made the right call. One you refused to make!" Clementine snapped.
"Well, I'm making one now. Get your shit and get out!" David said. "If we can't trust you, we can't have you around."
"I planned on leaving anyway." Clementine admitted. "Just let me get my kids and-"
"She's not going anywhere." Joan's voice grabbed their attention.
"What are you doing?" David asked Joan.
"She's too valuable to send away. We need her." Joan said.
"She just stole from us! She betrayed us! We don't need her." David exclaimed.
"On the contrary, we do. And she needs us. We're not going to damn her and her children, David." Joan said.
"They're already damned in that Brothel!" David said. "We can't just let this slide, Joan, she stole from us."
"We're not going to let it slide. We'll deal with this accordingly." Joan said.
"You know what happens to thieves." David argued.
"I do." Joan said.
"Her case shouldn't be any different!" David retorted.
"But it is." Joan said.
"Why? What makes her different from the other thieves?" David asked.
"She gives more than she takes. And she only took to save her baby." Joan said. "She's proved her worth, and she's earned her place in this community. However, this cannot go unpunished."
Clementine was still shaking, she felt Badger take the medicine from her little hand, though she tried her best to keep a strong grip on it.
"Take her back to the brothel." Joan said.
"Hold on! We can't send her back there, it's probably their fault she's doing this!" Ava said.
"Which is exactly why they'll punish her." Joan said. "She's their responsibility."
"N-No… Pl-Please… I- I won't be naughty anymore." Clementine said.
"I'm sorry, Clementine, you should have thought about that." Joan said.
Clearly outvoted on the matter; David huffed. "This is bullshit."
The guard grabbed at the young girl ignoring her struggles. The girl refused to stop fighting, they wouldn't shoot her- not after Joan said they needed her. She continued punching and kicking until one of the guards grew annoyed. In his rage, the guard hit her hard with the butt of his gun knocking her to the ground, rendering her unconscious. He then effortlessly scooped the tiny girl up in his arms.
Both David and Ava felt sick they hoped those assholes didn't hurt the kid too much.
"Clementine, I'm disappointed in you." Teresa's voice made her flinch.
Clementine looked around. A look of panic and fear adorns her face when she regains her senses and realizes she is completely restrained, tied to a chair, helpless against whatever these psychos plan to do.
"You know I have to punish you." Joan said.
"N-No..." Came Clementine's soft voice. "Please…"
Teresa grabbed the girl by her hair, which had grown out long. Clementine had wanted to cut it but hadn't been allowed.
She brought the knife she was holding to Clementine's cheek and eased it lower to her neck. The knife was cold, blade gleaming.
Teresa looked the child squarely in the eye, and asked, "Do you know what happens to thieves?" She paused a moment to allow the question to sink in.
Clementine kept silent, her body trembling.
"Sometimes people hang them... Or slit their throats." Teresa pressed the knife to Clementine's neck.
Clementine whimpered a bit, hoping Terrell or Steven would intervene. They both claimed to be her "boyfriends" yet neither of them moved to help her.
"But I won't do that to you, sugar." Teresa moved the knife.
Clementine could feel her body quivering in fear.
"I have a different punishment in mind." Teresa said. "People with sticky fingers… people like you…. They lose a hand."
Clementine's breathing accelerated and she started trying to struggle free.
"Shh... Don't cry…" Teresa huffed. "I'm not gonna take your hand off."
Clementine calmed a bit.
"Just your finger." Teresa said.
A rush of nausea and fear hit Clementine as Teresa grabbed her hand, lifted it before the group and with a swift, tight cut, snipped off the ring finger of her left hand. Clementine screamed, there was a spurt of blood, she felt like she would vomit.
"Oh, my gosh..." One of the women gasped.
Teresa began to undo the ropes securing the child to the chair, and once free, Clementine fell to her knees, weeping and cradling her mutilated limb.
"Teresa, why would you do that? She's a child!" Another woman defended, going to cradle the young girl who flinched.
A third woman grabbed some cloth to bind Clementine's cut finger the best she could.
"Next time, I'll cut off her hand. She and everyone here will listen and will cooperate." Teresa said. "Terrell, take her to her room."
Terrell nodded and went to pick the young girl up.
"DON'T! DON'T FUCKING TOUCH ME!" Clementine said.
"Settle down, he's gonna take you to rest." Teresa said.
Clementine jerked away and forced herself to her feet. She ran to the room herself, and slammed the door shut.
"That girl just doesn't learn." Teresa said. "I expect you'll handle her disrespectful behavior, Terrell. It seems she hasn't learned her lesson."
Terrell nodded.
The other brothel workers frowned but said nothing.
Clementine had shut and locked the door. Her heart was pounding, and her finger hurt so badly. When she looked to her missing finger, she cried a bit more.
"Clementine, open this door." Terrell ordered.
Clementine refused to do so, searching for a weapon. She went into the nursery, searching for her gun. Her eyes widened when she realized it was gone. "Fu-Fuck!" She tried to think of something.
Suddenly she heard the door crash open. "I said open the door! You thought you were sneaky, hiding that gun. I found it."
"Leave me alone... I just want to leave." Clementine said.
"You can't leave, I'll never let you leave." Terrell said, taking a step towards her.
Clementine struggled as he dragged her over to the bed. She fought against him, but that only seemed to make him angry. Despite her struggles, Terrell had his way with her before leaving her alone.
Clementine frowned as she heard AJ crying. She felt sick realizing that Terrell had just made her play sex while AJ was sleeping in the crib. She stumbled to her feet. She went to pick the boy up, holding him close. "I'm so sorry, AJ... I'm so sorry, I failed you." She cried along with him as she held him close. She could barely support her weight and sink to the floor with him in her arms.
She sobbed so hard that AJ's cries stop, the toddler looked worried. "Boo-boo?" Clementine was shocked, he had spoken his first word, while he tried to make sense of her crying.
Clementine tried her best to calm herself. "I-I'm okay, baby boy." Clementine promised, swiping away her own tears.
AJ frowned, reaching out a small hand to touch her face. "Mommy, no cry..." He said.
Clementine felt her heart clench at his quiet words. She hugged him closer as a coughing fit wrecked his tiny body. "I love you, Goofball. Mommy loves you so much."
She needed to stay strong. Her kids needed her.
She managed to get to the nursery where her girls were, AJ's coughing had stop and he seemed to be half asleep. She laid down beside him, fighting to keep herself conscious, however, it was a fight that she didn't win for long.
When Clementine awoke, all she felt was pain. She rolled to her side to check on AJ but was hit with a feeling of dread. AJ was gone. A tremor rippled through her; pain was quickly overwhelmed by panic when she realized AJ wasn't by her side. She quickly sat up and searched for the boy. "AJ?!" She called out, "AJ?!"
She checked the crib to see her twins were there, her yells had woken them, and they were whimpering a bit, but she needed to find AJ and make sure he was okay before she held them.
She rushed out of the nursery, ignoring her pain, and began searching for AJ. Before she got far, she spotted Terrell. "Where's AJ?!"
"Oh," Terrell spoke in a calm manner, "You're awake."
"Where the hell is my boy?! He's missing!" Clementine asked.
"He was dying, Clem. You know it, I know it… There was nothing you could've done." Terrell said to her, sending her a look of fake pity.
"Wh-What are you talking about?! Where is he?!" Clementine snapped.
"I took care of him." Terrell simply replied. "Here, thought you would want this." He offered her the Disco Broccoli blanket.
Clementine felt her heart shatter into a million pieces. She snatches the blanket from him, anger filling her.
Terrell's expression remained cold. Something within Clementine snapped in that moment as she tightened her grip on AJ's blanket.
"Monster!" She screamed. She threw herself at him and started beating against his chest with her little fist. "You evil monster!"
Terrell grabbed at her arms, and she tried to squirm against his grip, but was no match for his strength.
Without a word he began dragging her back to her own room, tossing her exhausted form inside her slammed the door shut and locked it.
Clementine screamed at the top of her lungs. She was angry and sad. She cried for AJ and cursed herself for getting into this situation in the first place. She sobbed for several minutes like the child she was. She couldn't catch her breath and was hyperventilating. When she finally calmed enough to breathe, she began searching around the room for something, anything that would help her get that ankle monitor off. She had tried so many times to no avail.
She struggled and struggled, but it was no use. She went to the nursery and collapsed on the floor. Her girls were crying but she couldn't bring herself to hold them. She just held AJ's blanket close. She had failed her little Goofball. Her kids deserved better. She didn't deserve to be their mother.
But she knew one thing for sure, she needed to get them the hell out of there.
The door opened and Clementine didn't react. She said nothing, just laid in the same spot as Terrell spoke.
"Calmed down yet?" Terrell asked.
The girl gave no response. She felt anger building back up.
"Have you calmed down yet?" Terrell asked again.
Clementine sat up and glared at him. "FUCK YOU!"
"I would, but I'm not in the mood." Terrell said before frowning. "I don't like seeing you like this, babe."
"DON'T! Don't you ever call me that again!" Clementine snapped.
"Clementine, calm down. I don't think I've ever seen you this worked up." Terrell said.
"You STOLE my SON from me! Go to hell!" Clementine exclaimed.
Terrell glared at her, for a moment Clementine thought he would hit her. "I get it… You need more time to cool off. I'll leave you alone."
She swore if she had a gun right now, she would shoot them all.
Clementine didn't know how long she was in the room, she had tended to her daughters and gathered up supplies, filling a stroller with it. She used AJ's blanket to keep the supplies hidden.
Soon she heard a knock at the door, causing her to flinch. Clementine didn't respond and a moment later the door opened.
"Hey," Steven greeted.
"What do you want?" Clementine inquired, already annoyed by his presence.
"I came to check on you. I heard you were pretty pissed." Steven said.
Clementine didn't respond.
"Look, I'm sorry about your kid, but we all know he wasn't gonna make it..." Steven said. "Better that than you watching him turn."
"He would've been fine... I know he would..." Clementine said. "Just... Just leave me alone."
"I didn't come to piss you off. I came to comfort you. That's what a real boyfriend does you know."
"...Boyfriend..." Clementine mumbled. "I don't get what you want me for."
"I like you." Steven replied. "It's that simple. I always get what I want."
Clementine sighed. She stayed silent for a moment. "...Steven, I need your help." she said, "You're the only one I could ask…"
Steven was surprised by that. "Really? Do you really trust me that much?"
"I trust you more than anyone here. You were right about T. He doesn't care about me… You do… I don't know what I saw in him." Clementine said.
The boy seemed suspicious but let her continue.
"I can't trust him. But I know I can trust you… I wanna be with you…" Clementine said.
"R-Really?" Steven asked.
"Really. If you want that too." Clementine said.
"I want it more than anything. But if Terrell found out…" Steven said. "I thought you would never want me… That's why I had to… do what I did to you…"
"We should run away, together. They treat you like a kid. And they treat me like shit. We should run away." Clementine said.
"But we're supposed to leave tomorrow. To that community." Steven said. "The one everyone's been talking about."
"Tomorrow?"
"Yeah, Teresa said the sooner the better. Badger already packed the van up." Steven explained.
"His van is working?" Clementine asked.
Steven nodded.
"Holy shit…" This was her chance.
"What?"
"N-Nothing…" Clementine said. "…Do you really want to go with them and live by their rules. Run away with me… You could have me whenever you want… I won't ever fight you again. We could be like a family. You, me, and the little ones."
The boy let her words sink in, Clementine prayed he would agree.
"Maybe…. But they'd find us…" Steven replied.
"Not… Not if you help me get this off." She motioned to the monitor.
"I… I don't know how to do it…" The boy said.
"Please… Just try… If you can get it off, you can have whatever you want." She leaned close to him, lips barely touching his. "You can do whatever you want to me, whenever you want, wherever you want."
"…I'll do it." The older boy agreed.
"Thank you." She pressed her lips to his.
For him, getting away with things was easy. and Terrell thought of him as a foolish kid, and therefore, didn't expect him to go against them.
"We should find somewhere private to get this thing off." Clementine said.
"Why? I could take it off right here." The older boy replied.
"Just in case it's alarmed or something. Plus, that way we could celebrate after." Clementine said.
The boy smirked. "Sounds good to me."
They managed to convince Teresa to let them take a walk. Clementine put the twins in car-seats, doing her best to fit the seats into the wagon. The only babies in town were her own, there weren't many children period. But fortunately, they did keep in mind that Clementine had babies to care for and thus brought her supplies for them. Those supplies included three car seats, in case worse came to worse and the neighborhood ever got attacked.
Before leaving, she tucked her supplies into a backpack, using AJ's blanket to cover it.
They walked quietly looking for some place where they could be alone. They managed to find a building a bit away and headed inside.
"Did you really change your mind about me?" Steven asked.
"I did… I should've been with you instead of T." Clementine said.
"I'm glad you finally realized it." The teen said. "Come here, babe."
Clementine walked over to him as he sat on a couch. He pulled her into his lap, even with the twins asleep she felt awkward. The boy started kissing her and as he relaxed more and more, she noticed him set his gun on the table. She just needed to grab it. "M-Maybe we should stop."
"Why? The kids are asleep." Steven pointed out.
"They'll find us… I'm scared…" Clementine said.
Steven sighed at that. "You're right."
"Get this off me and we can have all the fun you want." Clementine said, motioning to the ankle monitor. She needed to get it off now.
Steven nodded.
It wasn't easy at all, they struggled for about an hour, Clementine was worried it would never come off, however when she felt the monitor give, Clementine sighed in relief.
"Holy shit. You did it." Clementine said.
"Y-Yeah. Yeah, I did." Steven said.
Clementine stood, grabbing the monitor, she tossed it aside.
"Now where were we-"
Before he could say another word, Clementine grabbed the boy's gun and aimed it at him.
"Wh-What the fuck?!" Steven gasped.
"I'm leaving." Clementine told him. "And you're not going to do anything about it."
"You really think we're gonna let you leave? I'll tell my cousin." Steven said.
"Which is why I have to do this." She pulled the trigger, but the gun jammed. Her eyes widened. This was one of the guns Eli had given them, the bullets were from him too. It seemed that asshole had ripped them off.
The boy noticed this and got up to try to grab it, but Clementine quickly delivered a hard kick to his "jewels". The boy crumbled to the ground much like before.
She then rushed to get her babies as the older boy writhed in pain. She rushed outside, knowing she needed to be fast.
She caught sight of Badger's van, she placed the twins inside, buckling them to the best of her ability, as they cried. She forced the wagon inside and then shut the door before rushing to the driver's seat. She needed to get a move on before one of the guards noticed. The van had a screwdriver in the ignition, which made her job easier. She started it and moved it into drive. The vehicle started moving and she gripped the steering wheel tightly. She didn't know how to drive. She knew there was a brake and the gas. She knew the D stood for drive, the R for reverse, and the P stood for park, but beyond that she was confused. And she was so small that she could barely reach either pedal.
The van raced along, Badger and some others noticed and tried to stop the vehicle, Clementine hit the gas, hard. The van went tearing through the wooden gate and down the road. She did her best to keep straight, swerving every now and then. The twins were crying louder, which distracted her a bit. She didn't know how far she got before the car collided with something, she hit the brake as hard as she could, her little body jerked forward, and she hit her head, hard...
When she regained consciousness, she found herself on some kind of cot. She had no feeling in her arm below the elbow.
"Girls?!" Clementine exclaimed.
"Hey, take it easy…" Ava spoke, surprising her.
As she sat up, she looked around, heart pounding. "Where are my girls?! Are my babies okay?"
"They're fine. You don't have to worry about them," Ava motioned to the wagon they were sleeping in. Her backpack of supplies was also there, and another bag of supplies. "You should be more worried about yourself. You hurt your arm pretty bad." Ava said.
"My arm..." Clementine looked down at her bandaged arm.
"Might be broken. I did my best to splint it. You should try to take it easy..." Ava said.
"Take it easy? With two babies out here? That's not gonna happen." Clementine scoffed.
"You should still try. I bandaged your finger too..." Ava said with a frown then asked, "How did...that happen?"
"How do you think?" Clementine scoffed. "Teresa did it to "punish" me."
"My God..." Ava said. "I'm so sorry, kid..."
Clementine didn't respond. She shakily forced herself up and went over to her twins who were sleeping, she checked them for injuries, sighing when she found none.
"What were you thinking? You could've gotten yourself and those babies killed." Ava said. "You're lucky that car accident wasn't worse."
"I had to get out of there." Clementine said.
"You're lucky we found you..." Ava replied.
"We?"
"David and I." Ava said.
"Where's David...?" Clementine asked, noticing he wasn't there.
"He went to check on the van." Ava said. "He wanted to see how bad the damage is."
Clementine didn't respond.
"You'll be safe here for a few days…" Ava said. "But you shouldn't stay long. I'm really glad we found you when we did..."
Clementine still kept quiet.
"I know this is hard. I'm so sorry about what happened with AJ, Really, I am. What happened wasn't easy for any of us." Ava said.
"Is he dead...?" Clementine felt her heart pounding at the thought. "Please tell me he's okay..."
"Last I saw him he was alive. Terrell brought him to Lingard, and they took him somewhere to... you know..." Ava explained.
"Why would you people do this? I needed him! I'll never forgive you people..." Clementine huffed.
"Clem..."
"If you didn't see him die, there's a chance he's alive... Maybe they just left him..." Clementine said. "I gotta find him."
"That's just not gonna happen, Clem." Ava shook her head.
"I wasn't trying to piss anyone off, but I had to try to save him..." Clementine said.
"None of this has been easy for you, I know..." Ava said.
Clementine huffed. "Don't act like you care. No one helped me back at town. Why would you care now?"
"Clementine, we wanted to help." Ava replied,
"Bullshit! You people don't give a flying fuck about me or my kids." Clementine snapped.
"Clem, listen to me... Just calm down." Ava said.
"I needed help, no one helped me! No one cared!" Clementine said. "And now my boy is gone because of you people!"
"We should've done more. I know... But I want to help you now." Ava said.
"Why? I don't need your help now." Clementine hissed. "If you wanted to help me you should've did that months ago!"
"You do..." Ava said. "If we hadn't found you, you might've died... It'll make sense to you one day, Clem. You'll realized that we had the best intentions for AJ. For you..."
"You're a liar. You people had me bringing in supplies, by playing the sex game, and... and punished me for trying to help my boy. Screw you." Clementine said.
"Look, I know how pissed you are, Clem." Ava said.
"Then do me a favor and fuck off." Clementine replied.
"I'm not here to upset you more..." Ava said.
"Too late." Clementine scoffed.
"I'm sorry, kid. I really am." Ava muttered.
"You're sorry?"
Ava nodded, knowing the girl didn't believe her. "I know how much you must be hurting right now."
"If you were really sorry, you people would've let me take that medicine for AJ... You would've helped him." Clementine said. "David promised to help me out of that place, but he lied… He gave up on me…"
"That's not true… He wants to help now." Ava picked up a bag and offered it to her. "Look, it's not much but... Here."
"I don't want your hand-outs." Clementine said.
"Well then don't take it for yourself. Take it for your girls." Ava responded.
Clementine was reluctant but took the bag. She checked inside and noticed some supplies, and a paper with scribbles on it. Clementine picked up the drawing and felt like she would cry.
"David wanted you to have that. AJ drew it after Terrell handed him over. He was crying a lot, but it calmed him down…" Ava said.
"Now you're just screwing with me." Clementine hissed.
"No, Clem! We just-"
"Am I supposed to just thank you for this?" Clementine inquired.
"We just thought you'd want something to remember him by." Ava replied.
"Terrell said the same thing, when he handed me the blanket that I gave AJ for his birthday. When he told me that my little boy was dead!" Clementine snapped.
"Terrell was wrong for that... But Clem, even though he wasn't dead yet, doesn't mean he's not now... He was really sick, and they took him outside to... take care of him... So, he didn't have to suffer." Ava said.
"He only suffered because of you people..." Clementine said.
"...Consider the drawing a peace offering. We care about you. Just try to remember that, even if it feels wrong, people can still be trying to do the right thing by you." Ava said. "That's why David suggested kicking you out. He knew it would be a way to get you out of that brothel. You may think he gave up on trying to help you, but he didn't…"
Clementine held the drawing with shaking hands, "This is all my fault... I failed him... It was supposed to be me and my kids till the end. I should've never joined anyone else..."
"It's not your fault. You're just a little kid..." Ava said.
"You people didn't seem to care how old I was when you had me playing the sex game for supplies." Clementine said, shaking with rage.
"Which is why we're letting you leave now. So you don't have to do that anymore..." Ava said. "They're still looking for you, Clem. You need to get as far away as possible."
Clementine didn't respond.
"Listen, it's dangerous out here, and right now you're... hurting..." Ava said. "Whatever you do, you can't let what happened get to you. You need to keep a level head. Plan for after that. You're strong, but that won't get you far if you don't know what you're doing."
"I can make it on my own, I don't need anyone to take care of me..." Clementine said.
"But it's not just you that you have to worry about. You got two little girls relying on you... And like it or not, you're a little kid yourself. Don't overestimate what you're actually capable of." Ava said. "You could find a group, one where you fit in, just because it didn't work out with us doesn't mean you won't find happiness somewhere else. But you need to focus on you and your girls."
"I will. But I'm gonna find AJ too if he's alive." Clementine said.
"AJ's gone, Clem... You need to let him go..." Ava said. "For me, staying alive has always been about finding people I could trust as much as they trusted me. That's what The New Frontier has been: a silver lining. Made me feel worth a damn, kept me going in my worse times. Let your girls be yours."
"My girls have always been mine! AJ was too, but you people stole him away from me."
"You know... the first time we met, the first time I saw you and your kids, you were a light in the darkness: hope for a better world. That's who you are, promise me you'll never lose that light. It's what makes you special. It's what keeps the rest of us going. You're a tough kid. Don't change." Ava said.
"Just go away already." Clementine said, looking away from her.
"Okay, okay... I'm sorry about all this... Really, I am..." Ava said. "We'll tell the others we couldn't find you, that the van was wrecked but you were gone... They won't check here, but it's not exactly hidden. You should rest a few days then move on."
"Where would I even go...?" Clementine asked.
"...Go to Prescott. You could stay there for a while. They'll take you in. Those people liked you anyway. They didn't trust anyone else in our group, so... I'm sure they'll protect you..." Ava said.
"What should I tell them?"
"Tell them you left because you were abused. Give them the puppy dog eyes you've learned to pull or something... They'll take care of you." Ava said.
"...Okay..." Clementine sighed.
"Take care of yourself, Clem... And take care of those little ones too." Ava said.
"I will." Clementine said.
Ava offered her a handshake, but Clementine hesitated. Ava noticed. "Good luck out here, kid."
Clementine said nothing as the woman walked away.
Clementine didn't stay at the trailer long. She knew it wasn't safe. The rest of The New Frontier was probably searching for her. She needed to get moving. She sighed knowing she would have to continue on foot. Her body ached as she stood, placing the twins in their wagon. She shoved her remaining supplies into her backpack and slung it over the shoulder of her good arm. She started tugging the wagon along as she walked.
They would let her into Prescott, she was sure. She thought of what she would say to them. She figured she could just show them her arm and claim she left because of physical abuse. She would leave the sex part out. She didn't want these people to think she was a whore, or a freak.
She would go there and try to convince them to help her find AJ.
"Ma-ma." She heard one of the twins say. But she continued walking, dragging the wagon along with her good arm. She was running on autopilot. She hadn't slept in days. She didn't have an appetite to eat much, besides small bits of food she would force herself to eat, knowing she had to nurse her girls, because she was forced to ration the baby food.
She didn't know how long she walked before she noticed a van. The driver seemed to notice her too. Her heart stopped, dread filling her as all she could think about is, they found her.
As the van rolled to a stop, the window rolled down. Clementine quickly released the wagon and reached for her gun with her good arm. She shakily aimed it at the stranger.
"Whoa, c-calm down kid. I just wanted to see if you needed help." A man spoke.
Clementine quickly shook her head. She was struggling to keep calm, but she was trembling. "N-No… Gi-Give me whatever supplies you have or- or I'll shoot."
"See! I told you to keep going!" A woman frantically said.
"She's a kid, Kate. She's probably around Mari's age." The man said.
"She has a gun; we can't trust her!" The woman, Kate replied.
"Your supplies, hand them over now." Clementine ordered, trying her best to be intimidating.
The stranger looked her over, Clementine noticed what seemed to be pity in his eyes. This only angered the little girl.
"I'm not fucking around! G-Give… Give me the-" Her heart stopped when the driver's door opened, and the man started to step out the car. The girl froze, she couldn't stop trembling; she was struggling to catch her breath with each word. "Don't! Don't fucking move! I'll shoot!" She felt like she was having a panic attack. She knew the gun wouldn't fire, and she was in no condition to try to fight this man.
"It's okay…" The stranger showed his hands to prove that he wasn't threatening. "I'm not gonna hurt you."
His words went in one ear and out the other. She found herself unable to breathe.
"Kid, are you okay?" The man asked.
His words sounded far away despite him being right in front of her. She couldn't focus. She couldn't breathe. She was terrified. She felt like she was about to cry, throw up, and pass out all at once.
She didn't realize what was going on, and it took a moment for her to register that her legs had given out, and the stranger had caught her. He was speaking calmly, "It's okay… I'm not gonna hurt you. Just… try to take some breaths, try to calm yourself."
"Javi, what are you doing?" A woman asked from the van sounding annoyed.
"She can't breathe, Kate. She's just a scared kid." The man said.
In that moment Clementine felt like she truly was just a scared kid.
"Try to breathe, okay? Try to take deep, slow breaths." The man continued to sooth her. "Everything's gonna be okay."
Clementine clenched her eyes shut, trying to force air into her lungs. She wondered how many times she heard that phrase. Far too many times to count…
