Clementine groaned slightly as she felt a small wave of pain spread through her body, especially on the side of her head, where the pain was most acute.

Gradually, her dulled senses returned to normal, and she became less disoriented.

The noise, previously muffled, became more audible, and she opened her eyes startled to hear the sound of a vehicle engine and the rocking of her body.

"Ah, Clem. Thank God. Are you okay?" The first thing she heard after sitting up was Kenny's voice, and the girl looked at him.

Just like Luke, he had some bruises all over his face, blood was dripping down the side of his mouth, and he had his hands tied in front of his body.

Duck, right next to him, was in a similar situation, but blood was dripping a little more abundantly down the side of his head.

"... Where are we?" She asked, startling herself slightly at his hoarse voice.

"Inside a van." Duck replied, his eyes focused on the ground, as if he were hypnotized.

Memories of past events returned to Clementine's mind, and the girl lowered her gaze as well. Three good people killed in just a few minutes was enough to make a lump form in her throat and a tear run down the side of her eye.

She hadn't been able to pay Alvin back for his help.

Nick had not redeemed himself for his mistake, despite his plea for forgiveness.

She hadn't spent much time with Walter, and the man had met an unfair end, where he suffered terribly before ending up with a bullet in his head.

"Son of a bitch! When I get my hands on him, he's dead!" Kenny growled angrily as he tried to free himself from the ropes that bound him. "We can't stay here. We have to do something." he said, running his eyes over the people around him with a certain nervousness.

He was afraid, of course, Clementine could see. But his priority there was something else. Something more important, and it was clear that he was not letting fear dominate.

"Just... just stay still and keep your head down." Carlos said, resting his head against the metal of the van.

"What the fuck is wrong with you people? We're in a precarious situation here and we need to do something about it!" Kenny said again, a little more annoyed than before.

"Just like you did back at the lodge? Nick and Alvin... how dare you..." Rebecca growled back, and for a few moments, Kenny was at a loss for words.

"Oh, don't give me that shit." Duck said angrily, drawing their attention to himself. "Don't even try to blame my father for the actions of that piece of shit. It was a chance he had to take."

"Had to take a chance?! My husband is dead because of him!" Rebecca almost screamed, looking at Kenny with anger in her eyes.

"Who's to say he wouldn't kill Alvin the moment we arrived in this community? Weren't you the ones who said he was crazy?!" Duck said, not intimidated by the woman's look.

"And it's because he's crazy that your father should have surrendered at that time! Maybe Alvin..." Rebecca lowered her gaze, sighing ruefully as a tear dripped down her thigh.

"It wasn't Kenny's fault. If you want to blame someone, blame Carver." Clementine said, speaking up for the first time. "Duck is right. It was a chance we needed to take. Not to mention he certainly wouldn't let Alvin get away with it, because of the history you guys have with him." She explained.

"Clem is right..." Luke said, without taking his eyes off the ground, a cold, despondent, melancholy tone. There was no anger, only pain in his gaze.

"What will this asshole do to us anyway?! You guys seem to know him well enough." Kenny asked.

"You have no idea. Bill is different...he's worse than anyone you've ever met." Rebecca said, still with her head down.

"Bill?! This whole time it's been Carver, Carver, Carver, now he's fucking Bill?! I'll tell you what he is, a dead man!" Kenny growled.

There was good old Kenny, previously dormant, now back in pure rage. If it weren't for the situation they were in, Clementine would even say she missed him like that.

Sarah brought the discussion to a short end when she began to cry, leaving Carlos not knowing exactly what to do to comfort her in that situation.

"Shhh. It's okay, baby. It's going to be okay." He said gently, but it was all he could do in her situation.

Clementine stared at the girl for a few moments, sighing slightly. It was sad to see Sarah like that.

"He wants to punish us for running away. I don't know if he will kill us. I don't think so." Rebecca explained.

"You have no idea what you're dealing with." Carlos said, now also slightly irritated. More from the nervousness of the situation than anything else.

Especially with Sarah right next to him.

"Ah, he gave us a pretty damn good idea back at that fucking lodge." Duck said, just as annoyed as Kenny.

"And I don't plan on sitting around doing nothing!" Kenny said.

"And what are you going to do, huh? Do you happen to see a knife here? A gun? And even if you manage to get rid of these restraints, what will you do when the van stops?" Carlos asked, in clear disbelief.

"Okay, genius, I realize I can't do anything about it, but instead of you guys keeping quiet the whole fucking trip you might as well tell us what this fucking camp is like!" Kenny spat out those words, running his eyes over the people there, "Because by the looks of things, it looks like you guys are just taking a ride back home!"

"What the fuck?! Say that again!" Rebecca almost screamed.

"Exactly what you heard! That's what it looks like to me, too. So, how about you start telling how you got out of there in the first place?" Duck said.

"... Last time we had help from the inside. I don't know if we'll be as lucky now." Luke said, sounding a little more determined to put aside his own grief for the moment. Although he wasn't very successful, it was already a good start.

The situation they were in didn't really allow him to grieve.

"Last time we were there, there were at least a few dozen people there. Maybe there were more." Rebecca explained.

"Oh, great." Duck muttered softly.

Kenny seemed to want to say something, but before he could make his point, the van parked and the vehicle was turned off.

Voices caught the group's attention, and soon, the rear doors of the van were opened.

"Okay, ladies, everybody out." A man with straight brown hair and a small beard said, pointing his rifle at them as they each stood up and walked out of the vehicle.

The rest went by like a blur to Clementine.

Carver was saying something into a microphone that echoed throughout the community. They were being forced to walk towards some kind of prison.

She barely paid attention to what Carver was saying or who was accompanying them. Her eyes focused only on the people around them who were watching, and the huge amount of food she saw.

It was a thriving community, it seemed. With all that food, it was certainly a paradise for many people. Only things like that to make people follow someone like Carver.

"I need him. I need my father." Clementine was brought out of her thoughts as she heard Sarah's voice beside her, and she arched an eyebrow as she saw Carlos being taken in a different direction in which they were going.

"I can't... he... he looks after me." Sarah said once again, almost in a plea for them to leave Carlos with her. But, of course, they just ignored her.

Clementine sighed. The girl looked as if she would go into despair at any moment just because Carlos walked away. He was a doctor, they most likely wouldn't kill him.

Especially after taking him so far away. After spending precious gasoline on those vehicles.

"Sarah, calm down. Your father will be fine." Clementine said, thinking of what to say to help the girl. Not to comfort her. Sarah was too spoiled for sweet words.

The way she was, only a slap of reality would change her.

And if by chance even that didn't work...

Clementine sighed again. She didn't want Sarah to die. The girl could be annoying at times, but she certainly didn't deserve that. She was a good girl.

"How can you be sure?" Sarah asked in some desperation and even disbelief.

"It doesn't make sense for them to kill him now. Not after all this. And keep your voice down, you're gonna cause trouble. You need to grow up." Clementine said, not using sweet words, but not being too rude either.

"I don't care! Don't tell me to grow up! You're just a little kid. I'm bigger than you." Clementine rolled her eyes.

"You may be older, but you act like you're a child even younger than me. Don't you realize that acting that way only gets others in trouble? What do you think that man Troy will do if you start going into desperation and screaming for everyone to hear, huh?" she asked, spitting those words in Sarah's face.

The older girl stared at her with a certain bitterness in her eyes, but remained quiet.

The large gate ahead was opened, and Clementine massaged her wrists as her restraints were removed from her.

" You guys better get some rest today. You'll be working hard tomorrow." Troy said, just before turning around.

Clementine entered the yard that would serve as a prison for them and ran her eyes around. It was a spacious place, iron bars and wooden boards, as well as barbed wire, blocked anything in or out.

The roof was not covered, but hopefully it would not rain in those days.

There were several chairs and beds in front and a few people.

The first person she saw was a dark-skinned man, tall and with a unfriendly face watching them. A scar stretched from his cheek to his ear.

And then, someone she didn't expect to find in that place.

"Omid!" She exclaimed the man's name, happy to see him again. With quick steps, she approached him. He looked different.

He had a purple eye, cuts on his face, his eyes were darker, sadder. Eyes that once still held the spark of a flame that once shone brightly, now held only a deep darkness.

Clementine didn't see Christa standing next to him...

Omid stared at her for a while, blinked a few times as if still not believing what his eyes were seeing.

"Clem..." He muttered the girl's name as if reality finally made him wake up, and he hugged her gently.

"Oh, thank God. You're alive." She said in a muffled voice, undoing the hug and moving a few steps away to look him in the eye. However, he was looking at a point behind her.

"... Isn't that... Kenny...?" He asked, blinking several times as he watched the man approach.

"Look who it is. It's good to see you again, Omid. You don't look so good." Kenny said, shaking the man's hand, who had a minimal smile on his face.

"I don't even feel good... is that Duck?" He asked as he saw the boy approach, also shaking his hand.

"Hello, Omid. It's good to see you again, despite the circumstances." The boy said, and Omid stared at him for a few moments.

"Man, someone ruined your face." He said with a slight playful tone, pointing to the scar on Duck's blind eye, who laughed lightly as he shook his head.

"I can say the same for you. What happened?" he asked.

Omid lowered his head and sighed, closing his eyes.

It didn't take a genius to know. And in the case of Clementine who had accompanied him all those years, it was even more obvious.

"Christa..." She mumbled the woman's name, watching Omid shake his head a few times.

"... That guy... Carver? He found us after the attack. She was weak, wounded, but she would live. He thought she had been bitten and..." He ran his hands through his hair as he controlled his own emotions.

From his red eyes and slightly swollen face, he had cried a lot before.

"I've been here for a few days now. I couldn't find a way out... and I confess I didn't put much effort into looking for one. I just couldn't." Omid said low, hugging his own body as he sat down in one of the chairs around a fire.

"That sucks pal. My sympathies. I can say I understand that pain." Kenny said, and Omid stared at him for a while, a mixture of confusion and anger.

Confusion probably at the fact that he hadn't seen Katjaa around.

And anger that Kenny had said he understood him when Duck was still alive.

"Hello." The attention of the three of them turned to a simple looking man who was approaching. Their eyes soon fell on the man's amputated arm. "I'm Reggie. Rebecca updated me on what she could." He said, nodding amiably to the three, who just looked at him strangely.

"...Clementine."

"Kenny."

"Kenny Jr. But feel free to call me Duck." The boy said, not quite inclined to shake Reggie's hand, but he did it anyway. A matter of politeness.

"Can you guys save it for tomorrow?" an unfamiliar voice chimed in, and they looked at the man who was lying on one of the old mattresses in the place. "Some of us have to get up early." He said a little irritated.

"I don't see where that's our problem." Duck said, but not loud enough for him to hear, crossing his arms and looking down at the floor.

"No problem. Sorry about that." Reggie said. "That's Mike. He's kind of a jerk when he's tired, but he saved my life, so I put up with him." He explained.

"Clem, there's a strange woman staring at you." Duck said softly, just after he approached and squatted down to the girl's ear. Clementine was slightly surprised and looked around until she focused her eyes on the blonde-haired woman sitting at one of the tables in the corner of the patio.

She had short blonde hair, a dirty face, but one could see young and even slightly delicate features. She was not very tall, but had a good body for a woman in the apocalypse.

"... No more strangers staring at me, please." She muttered to herself. Nothing against that woman, she didn't even know her. But after Carver, she now had a certain cautious about people staring at her in a strange way.

"I'll say what I said to the others. I know how it must look. But, I guarantee it's not so bad here. You guys will like here, if you try." Reggie said, making all three of them look at him like he was crazy.

"You're fucking kidding me, right?" Kenny asked, crossing his arms.

"I'm serious." Reggie said, watching the rest of the group approach.

"Reggie, no way. I can't even believe what you're saying." Rebecca said, looking at him indignantly.

"Where else are you going to find food like we have? We have the canned food and now with the greenhouses coming, we have fresh food. Do you understand that? We grow our own food." Reggie explained, and Clementine arched an eyebrow. He seemed pretty sure of what he was saying.

He was so engrossed in the pleasures of the place that he practically ignored that the community was led by a man like Carver. The people there might just be following him because they have food, weapons, protection. But little by little they were contaminated by Carver's ideology, whether they wanted to or not.

Reggie was a good example of this happening.

"Unbelievable. This guy is crazy." Kenny said, placing a hand on his temple.

"You do know that the leader of this place is a psychopath, right? He killed innocent people before we came here. Alvin, Nick, for example. Weren't they your friends?" Duck said, watching as Reggie widened his eyes in disbelief.

The man seemed to go into an internal conflict for a while, until he sighed and closed his eyes for a few moments.

"Okay, I don't know what happened. But I think Carver had his reasons and-" He was cut off by Rebecca, who simply grabbed him by the shoulder.

"Reggie, I'm not hearing you defending him, am I? You're not doing that. What the fuck happened to you?!" The woman growled, looking at him as if he were an enemy, and Reggie seemed startled by this.

"I... I'm not defending Bill, I just... I see what this place offers. I didn't see it before. Bill forgave me and I can see the protection this place has. Food, electricity." He continued, and Clementine sighed.

He seemed a hopeless case, unfortunately.

After that day, she was convinced that Carver had to die.

He was a threat. A very dangerous threat. And even if she didn't like the idea of killing, she was willing to kill him. Or at least assist in his death.

And like it or not, anyone who followed the same principles should also die if they got in the way.

It was sad.

But necessary.

"Listen. I'm pretty close to getting back to the group. When that happens, I'll be able to do a lot more to help you guys get more comfortable." Reggie said.

"Comfortable? What the fuck do you think this is? A fucking hotel on a fucking beach?! I don't want to be comfortable, I want to walk out of here with Carver's head on a stake." Kenny said, getting fed up with that conversation.

"I just don't want you guys to mess things up for me. I've worked hard to get where I am. Can you guys at least try to stay out of trouble? They're counting on me." Reggie replied.

You worked hard because you were forced, Reggie... arhg...

"No way." Duck replied.

" No fucking way." Kenny replied.

"... Sorry, Reggie. But no way." Clementine replied, much to Reggie's chagrin.

"Can we at least talk about it tomorrow? I'm sure it's been a tiring day for all of us." Reggie said, a little more depressed and even concerned about the answers he received.

"I can't believe that." Luke said, this being the first time he had spoken up that night.

"The fact is that Bill had every reason to kill me when I helped you guys escape. But he didn't. He gave me a second chance and he will do the same for you." Reggie said, looking at Luke hoping he would understand.

"Really? Does he have the right to kill you because you don't agree with him? Does he have the right to kill you because you don't want to be a part of what he's doing? Reggie, that's stupid." Clementine said in a neutral tone, crossing her arms.

"Reggie, I don't want a second chance, I want him far away from what's left of my family. Preferably dead." Rebecca said.

"... Your family is safer here." Reggie said, and Kenny and Duck grumbled loudly.

"Argh, we can't talk to this guy, he's an idiot!" Kenny said, turning and walking away from there at a quick pace. Duck did the same, and after a while, so did Clementine.

Time passed with Clementine and Duck trying to figure out a way out of there, or simply exploring the place further for anything useful, completely ignoring Reggie's requests and the looks in their direction.

The hours passed, Carlos was back, and everyone was getting ready for bed. Except Clementine.

The girl got up shortly after they had gone to bed and walked over to Luke who was sitting at one of the tables in the corner of the place.

She knew he was terrible. She had seen him get up right after Troy had walked away, and since he had helped her before, she felt obligated to try to help him now.

As much as she was terrible at comforting others.

"Luke?" She called out to him as soon as she approached, and he stared at her slightly surprised.

"Clem... you should be asleep by now." He said in a husky voice, looking away when the girl sat down next to him.

"You too." She said, and they were silent for a while. She didn't exactly know how to pull up a subject... especially in that situation.

"You know what irritates me most about all this?" He spoke up some time later. "It's not the fact that I'm forced to work for the guy who killed my friends, no. It's not me being locked up in this place. It's the fact that Nick and Alvin's deaths should leave me devastated. Nick was my best friend, and Alvin was a good man. But a dozen hours have passed, and I'm over it."

He sighed, and Clementine looked at him sympathetically. There were deaths of loved ones that she was still not over. Lee, for example. But deaths like Christa's, while it made her a little sad, didn't make much of an impact.

She liked the woman, but her death didn't affect her. She was sure that if Kenny or Duck died now, she would grieve the same way she had years ago, but... there are some people she just didn't seem to care if they died or not.

She liked those people still alive, but she didn't care if they died. It scared her. It made her afraid that if Luke died, she would get over him in just one day.

It sounded cruel.

Or maybe a few hours, already worrying about her own survival.

But apparently, she wasn't the only one who felt that way.

"Of course, I'm irritated with Carver. I was irritated with Kenny, too, before. But that's what irritates me the most... this lack of empathy." Luke said, leaning his arms on the table. "Nick and I spent most of our teenage years together. We went to the same college. We were broke together. Years of living together and I just shed a few tears over his death, nothing more."

They were silent again. Clementine realized that she didn't need to say anything. Luke didn't need to hear words of comfort... just get that off his chest.

"I think getting used to death causes that in people. I guess I just... got used to losing people." He sighed, staring at the fence ahead just before he stood up.

"Come on, tomorrow is gonna be a long tiring day." Luke said, and Clementine turned around, walked over to her bed, and tried to sleep.

Honestly, the girl thought things couldn't get any worse. Maybe it was an innocent thought on her part. She didn't think she would be forced to act against a member of her own group.

The day began with a discus from Carver and an alert about an increase in walker activity outside the community. Followed by shifts with both Bonnie and Reggie, where the man fell to his death when Sarah did not finish her work in time.

The news spread quickly among the prisoners. Clementine made sure of it.

They agreed to come up with a plan when they returned to that yard at night. Everyone wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible, especially after what had happened that afternoon.

Omid was not doing very well mentally. And hearing about Reggie's death was perhaps the trigger for his mind to break for good.

Carver was taking them to a more secluded part of the camp, teaching them some things they were supposed to do in there, as well as precautions in their respective jobs.

Things he hadn't explained earlier and reminders before they were sent back to the yard.

"We are planning to build another greenhouse here and expand our community." Carver explained, seeming wrapped up in his own explanation and somewhat excited to show off the project he had.

Clementine walked right behind, not paying much attention to the man, focusing more on the guards following them.

She was worried.

Not about the guards, but about Omid. He had been acting strange ever since he had overheard a conversation between Rebecca and Sarita, where he found out that there was a chance that this baby was Carver's, which was why her treatment was so different from the others.

"With you here, this project can become a reality. I hope you are willing to contribute to our community. Make it even more prosperous." Carver said as he walked through the patio. "As I said earlier, you will find forgiveness here. This place can be your home, and these people your family."

Clementine sighed as she watched Kenny and Duck, both close together, but a little away from Omid. In other words, if something happened, they would have no way to interfere.

Sometimes Clementine hated being right.

The world around her seemed to go into slow motion. Her heart beat louder while all other sounds were muffled.

Her eyes widened.

Omid cut the restraints he had with a sharp stone that he probably picked up while working on the expansion. In a few moments, he stuck the stone into the neck of one of the guards and took out his knife. He ignored the rifle, and he couldn't take the pistol, it would be a second or two where he would probably end up with a bullet in his head if he did, the knife was faster.

At first, Clementine thought he would start shooting at the guards. Killing as many as he could in the little time he had.

However, she was surprised to see Omid pull Rebecca to himself and put the knife against her throat.

"Omid! What the fuck?! Let her go!" Sarita shouted, but dared not move any closer. From Omid's condition, he would not hesitate to kill her.

Everyone stepped back slightly, looking at the scene with wide eyes. The few guards around didn't know exactly what to do as the person Omid was holding hostage was the only one they were forbidden to hurt.

"Omid! Fuck! What the fuck do you think you're doing?!" Kenny shouted in concern. Not just for Rebecca, but because Sarita was right next to him. She being the closest person to all of that.

And many guns were pointed at Omid.

"Whoa! Omid! Rebecca didn't do anything, man! Why are you doing this?!" Luke shouted in clear concern, fearing for the woman's life.

Carver turned around and there was uneasiness in his eyes, though his face remained indifferent.

"I... I know... Carver. This here... this is your woman, isn't it? That's your baby." Omid said amid gasps, looking at Carver with steady eyes despite his restless, nervous body.

"It was stupid to do that. You kill her, and you die. Let her go, and maybe I'll kill you quickly. If you kill her, I will have to punish you for the death of three people. My man, Rebecca, and my baby." Carver said. His voice almost unchanged, cold, didn't seem to have the slightest hint of nervousness in his words. Completely contradicting his eyes.

He was a great actor. No wonder he deceived and manipulated so many people.

"Why would I do that, huh?! You... you think death scares me?! You've taken everything that's left of me!" Omid shouted, uneasy. His trembling voice evidencing his clear desperation. "You look at me... you look at me like I've gone crazy, lost my mind. But no!" Omid shouted, running his eyes quickly over the people around him, before turning his gaze back to Carver.

"I've thought about it... again and again... all day. I know exactly what I'm doing." Omid said.

"No, Omid, you don't know what you're doing!" Sarita shouted. "Put that down and let her go!" She tried, but Omid didn't even look in her direction.

Carver was silent for some time, until he sighed and reached for his revolver.

"Omid! Please!" Clementine shouted as she saw Carver pointing a gun at Sarita, who just watched him in shock.

"Whoa, Bill! Enough of that!" Luke shouted, but was only shoved away by one of the guards.

"Hey! Hey! You son of a bitch!" Kenny shouted, trying to advance toward Carver, only to be thrown and held to the ground by the guards. "Put it down you asshole! If you shoot her, I promise you I will kill you! Do you hear me?!" Kenny still screamed, ignoring the pain of the blow he took, and ignoring the guards' warnings.

"Look over here, you son of a bitch!" Beside him, Duck was also screaming, being held down by a guard as well. "You play tough guy, pointing guns at innocent people and threatening people knocked down! How about letting these guards release me so we can see how tough you are, huh?!"

"That's four people now." Carver said, putting his finger on the trigger.

"Omid!" Clementine shouted. A lot of people would die if he killed Rebecca

There was a chance that even Kenny and Duck would be killed, since if Sarita died, they certainly wouldn't stand still.

Her mind was working at a thousand miles. Her heart was racing fiercely in her chest.

"Why do you think I care, huh?! This is how the world is, isn't it?! People die, loved ones, important people die at the hands of a complete asshole who couldn't keep his finger off the trigger, huh?! You and I will be similar in this!" Omid shouted again, pressing the knife against Rebecca's neck to the point where a trickle of blood ran down her skin.

"I'll give you three seconds. One" Carver said. Undeterred by the man's threats. Even though his eyes glittered in anger.

"Goddamn it, Carver! Son of a bitch!" Kenny yelled, punching the guard next to him and doing everything he could to get rid of them.

"Fuck you! You think I wanted this to happen?!" Omid yelled.

"Two."

"Omid! For God's sake! Drop that fucking knife!" Duck shouted, also trying to get rid of the guards holding him down, but just like Kenny, without much success.

"We didn't want anything to do with you! We didn't want to hurt you! We didn't want any trouble! But you... you killed her! My wife!" Omid shouted again, his voice already choked with crying and his eyes blurred with tears.

Carver narrowed his eyes slightly, digesting the man's words, but keeping his gun pointed toward Sarita just the same.

"No matter what happens, you will suffer with me!" Omid shouted.

"...Three."

"No!" Kenny and Duck shouted together in pure desperation.

A gunshot was heard, a body fell to the ground, and the place went silent. Sarita had her eyes wide open as she watched the blood trickling down the floor.

All those around looked speechless and incredulous.

Even Carver had a surprised look on his face.

Ahead, Omid's body lay on the ground with a gunshot wound to the head. Not far away from there, Clementine stood with a gun in hand, her arms outstretched pointing the pistol at the spot where Omid previously stood.

There were no tears on her face, and her eyes were burning with determination.

She felt sad. She felt disoriented by the whole situation... but she did what was necessary.

Clementine's eyes sparkled. She had killed one to save many.

And for that, despite the sadness in her chest, she felt proud.

And so was Carver.


The dance of the flames of the campfire, mixed with the noise of the burning fire were the only things Clementine paid attention to. Or at least, she tried to.

Her mind always went back to the events of some time ago. The people around her tried not to show how they felt, but Clementine knew, even without looking at them.

Everyone was affected. Rebecca was still shocked that she had been taken hostage like that. Sarita was crestfallen, but she tried to comfort the pregnant woman and forced sweet smiles on Kenny who had not left her side since they arrived there.

Sarita even tried to convince him that it was she who should be worried about him, since both he and Duck had bruises on their faces.

Clementine sighed and rested her chin on her knees.

She liked Omid and felt very bad about killing him, but... she could see herself doing it again if necessary.

That was the way Lee had taught her. To be conscious of her priorities.

Omid was a good friend and took care of her for a long time. But he would get innocent people killed because of his actions.

She only did the logical thing, what had to be done.

Just another situation that proved that sometimes doing the right thing was as bad as doing the wrong one.

But... it wasn't hard. She didn't have to think too hard to act. She would think about Omid for a long time and always with good memories.

But it wasn't hard.

Just sad.

"Clem?" Sarita's voice caught her attention, bringing her out of her thoughts. The girl stared at the woman with a slightly curious look.

She hadn't even noticed when she had approached.

"I... wanted to thank you." The woman said, crouching down beside the girl and trying to maintain eye contact. "I know it couldn't have been easy. And... by doing that, you prevented a catastrophe from happening. Even though it wasn't something you should have had to do. Being a child, and all."

Clementine sighed, but forced a small smile at Sarita, who smiled back just before getting up and walking away.

Clementine shouldn't have done many things, but she did. That was how the world was. Morals were lost and what was left was being lost every day.

"We appreciate it too, Clem." Duck said, startling her slightly by the sudden approach. She was letting herself be distracted too easily.

The girl shook her head and looked at Duck, crouched just beside Kenny watching her. The older man's hand rested gently on the boy's shoulder.

"That asshole will get what he deserves. And I thank you for keeping the situation from getting even worse." Kenny said, nodding with a small genuine smile of gratitude.

Clementine felt a little strange. Being thanked for killing a friend. It wasn't every day that this happened.

And it left her a little unsure if she should let that warm feeling in her chest spread or try to erase it.

"Still. It's a shame. I remember Omid always with that silly grin on his face and the bad jokes." Duck said, shifting his gaze to the ground.

"...Losing someone important changes people. Omid didn't just lose Christa. She was so much more to him. Especially after losing the baby. I can't even imagine how I would be if I lost Duck." Kenny said, and just like Duck, staring at the ground with heavy eyes.

"It was a... shock, that whole situation." Luke said, sitting down in one of the chairs around the fire. A few chairs next to Sarah. "I don't even know what to think as I say this, but, you did the right thing." Luke said, staring at Clementine with serious eyes.

"Hell. I just don't think many people could do something like that. Kill a friend, even for the right reason." Luke finished saying, propping his elbows on his thighs and leaning his body forward as he stared at the fire with a distant look.

"Especially so easily." Carlos said, speaking up for the first time since they had returned.

Clementine stared at him, there was something strange in his voice. A certain bitterness. His tone was not exactly friendly, and he stared at her with a certain seriousness as he pressed Sarah against his body protectively.

... As if he was protecting the girl, from her.

"What the fuck did you mean by that, doc?" Kenny asked with a slightly irritated tone, looking at Carlos with narrowed eyes.

Duck, next to him, stood up and faced Carlos in a similar manner.

"...A child with that easy to kill a companion. She didn't even blink." Carlos said, looking away from Sarah for a few moments and sighing.

"Oh, and now you think Clem is a fucking danger, huh?" Kenny growled, crossing his arms. "Tell me, did you get this fucking idea because you're really worried about Clem's mental state after something like that and the safety of the group, or because of your daughter?" The question made Carlos look serious and angry defensively, his whole body tensed at hearing Sarah's mention.

"Kenny!" Sarita scolded him, but it didn't seem to have had any effect, since Kenny was still staring at Carlos with a deadly stare.

Clementine just alternated her gaze between the two, not really knowing what to do. She just didn't want an argument to start there. Especially hours after one of their members had died.

"What the fuck do you mean?" Carlos asked.

"Guys, please. Kenny, I don't care what Carlos thinks. It's okay." Clementine said, trying to calm the situation.

"But I care. This guy wasn't in your situation to say that. In fact, he wasn't even there to say anything." Kenny said.

"My daughter was there, and what she saw was enough to make me come to that conclusion." Carlos said, returning the stern look and harsh tone.

"Of course, because everything is settled around your daughter." Kenny said with a certain irony, a teasing that seemed to kick in, from the look on Carlos' face.

"Dad..." Sarah whispered, holding the bar of Carlos' shirt.

"Will you stop that? You're scaring her." He said, and Kenny laughed in derision.

"Oh, we're scaring her? Sure, that's wrong, judging Clementine's actions is more acceptable, isn't it?" Duck said in irony, crossing his arms.

"I'm just saying it's not normal for a child to have such an easy time killing!" Carlos growled once again.

"Oh, do you have shit on your head?! Does anything here seem normal to you?! Come out of that fantasy world of yours for a moment and open your fucking eyes!" Kenny replied.

"It's not that! I just-" Carlos was interrupted by Duck.

"Oh, I see what it is. You're jealous!"Duck spat, and Carlos glared at him.

"What?"

"Exactly what you heard! You're jealous because Clem can make the tough decisions, she can take care of herself! While Sarah cries at every conflict that comes along! You're jealous because you didn't know how to raise your daughter!" Duck spat again, undeterred when Carlos clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, almost as if he was going to attack him at any moment.

"You shut the fuck up!" Carlos shouted.

"Make me!" Duck yelled again.

"I raised my daughter so that she would remain pure! So that she doesn't have to kill and stain her hands! So that she won't become a bad person! Someone like you!" Carlos shouted again.

" You moron! You have to do the exact opposite!" Kenny replied. "What do you think will happen to her if you die, Carlos?! Huh?! Have you thought about that?!"

Carlos stared at him in surprise for a few moments, making it evident that he hadn't thought about that possibility. Or he was just avoiding thinking about it, deluding himself that he would always be there for Sarah.

"I'll tell you what's gonna happen. She will die!" Kenny spat out those words.

Sarah was already crying softly behind Carlos, scared and nervous, seeking comfort on the man's back.

Clementine just watched them argue. It wouldn't do much good to shout at them to calm down, it wouldn't work. Not to mention that with all that screaming, Troy or some guard was surely already on his way.

"If your daughter wasn't so spoiled maybe we could actually consider what she says." Duck said, ignoring the glances sent in his direction.

"Whoa, Duck! Calm down." Luke said, trying to calm the situation down. But, again, without much success.

"You dare not say anything about my daughter!" Charles almost shouted, staring at Duck as angrily as before.

"Oh yeah, and what are you going to do if I say, huh? Hit me?!" Duck said, not the least bit intimidated by the man's manner.

"Guys! Please! That's enough!" Rebecca tried.

Kenny, just in case, stood in front of the boy. But he didn't seem concerned for his son's welfare, being sure that nothing would happen to Duck.

"Put that in your head, doctor. You have absolutely no right to judge others, especially Clem. She's been through things that you and your daughter can't even imagine!" Kenny said, lowering his tone as he noticed some guards approaching.

"You can play house all you want, delude yourself and your daughter that you will always be there to do things for her. But people are not the same as you or Sarah. And if you judge Clem again, Carver will be the last thing you have to worry about!" He said, and as soon as he finished speaking, the gate to the yard was opened, and Troy enters with an unfriendly expression.

"What the fuck are you assholes doing?! I can hear your fucking voices all over the fucking camp! Everybody get to bed! And if I see one motherfucker even standing, you're all gonna pay!" Troy shouted, and slowly, people moved away and walked to their respective beds.

Clementine sighed, feeling her head hurt.

She was grateful to Kenny and Duck for standing up for her, but as she herself had said, she didn't care what Carlos thought. Or if Sarah was afraid of her.

There was no need for all that discussion. But it was nice to see someone defending her for a change.

"...You did good, girl." Clementine was slightly startled to hear a female voice behind her, and she looks with an arched eyebrow at the woman who was lying a few steps behind her.

What was her name again... Jane?

"Ahm... Thank you." That was all she replied, before turning around and closing her eyes.

Somewhat in vain, she knew she wouldn't be able to sleep that night. At least, not much.

Morning came more slowly than Clementine would have liked, and soon, she was already standing in front of the armory door, ready for her second day of forced labor.

The events of last night did not give them a chance to think of any plan to escape from there. She hoped that things would proceed normally that day. Or at least, calmer.

She entered the armory and soon faced Bonnie further ahead. The woman had apologized for everything, but it wasn't as if she was to blame.

Sure, she had been a bystander and... in a way, helped Carver capture them. But she wasn't the one who had shot Nick, Alvin, Walter...so Clementine wasn't angry with her.

Bonnie's problem, is that the woman was trying and forcing herself to keep believing that Carver was a good man. She even tried to defend him when Clementine said he had killed Reggie.

That was enough for Clementine to dislike her and prefer to stay away. Although, she could stand Bonnie. Until her working hours were over, at least.

"Oh, hey, Clem. I... I heard about yesterday." Bonnie said, and Clementine sighed in weariness. "I... I wish I had something to say, but... honestly, I don't have anything."

"Then don't say anything. It's not like I'm proud that I killed a friend." She replied, sitting down in the chair across from the woman and already concentrating on reloading those mags.

"It must have been quite a situation, I...I've had to kill a friend too." Bonnie said, and Clementine just stared at her for a few moments.

"That's more normal than it seems, at this point." Clementine replied, placing the full magazine from a rifle on the table beside her.

"It's just... you're so young. And you already have to do things like that." Clementine arched an eyebrow, noting Bonnie's pitying expression.

"Oh, don't feel sorry for me. Stop. You're not seeing me complain." Clementine said, getting slightly irritated by the look on her face. It was a bad situation, yes, but she wasn't playing the poor thing to get looks like that. "I've had to do a lot of things that no child should. Just like you adults, I'm used to."

"Yes... of course you are." Bonnie said amid a sigh of defeat, concentrating on her work.

Some time later, the woman's radio called.

Carver.

Bonnie stood up, moving away from there so she could talk to him in a more private place. Far enough away that Clementine couldn't hear.

Or simply because it was Carver, and Bonnie figured Clementine couldn't stand anything about the man.

A short time later, she returned.

"Clem, Carver called you into his office. Now." Clementine sighed again and stood up without much will.

Deep down, she had been rooting for her not to have to talk to Carver that day. Maybe it was an innocent hope on her part, but she couldn't help it.

After walking for a while, she walks up the stairs that led to the Man's office, and she almost rolls her eyes when she sees him propped up in the doorway. Apparently, waiting for her.

"You are here, come in." That was the first thing he said.

Clementine did as she was told, without saying a word, and felt her body tense as she heard the sound of the door closing.

Being alone in that place with Carver there was not very comfortable.

"I had planned to talk to you yesterday. But before our dear friend Omid could do that fool thing, other of my men got into trouble and I had to interfere." Carver said, walking over to his desk and stopping just beside his chair, staring at Clementine with his arms crossed.

"But I must admit I was anxious. Sit down. And behave yourself. Don't think I won't punish you just because you're a child." Carver said with his typical harsh tone, and Clementine sat down.

"Now... you may not believe me, but I liked Reggie. He was a funny guy. He made things light around here. You need folks like that. It's easy to let depression sink in at times like this." Carver said, walking to the other side of his chair and leaning on the table, his body leaning slightly forward.

"But he was weak. And I don't say that because he was maimed, that wasn't his problem. He was weak of will, weak of character. And we can't have that around here, not anymore." He sat back, never taking his eyes off Clementine's.

"He didn't deserve to die. He might have been weak, but he didn't deserve to die just because of that. He helped in any way he could. And he faithfully believed that this place was a great place, almost like a paradise." Clementine said, unafraid to refute or go against Carver's ideas.

From what she observed, he seemed to enjoy it, even encourage it. As if he enjoyed some kind of challenge or something.

Go figure.

"He was right to think so big of this place. Despite his weakness, Reggie could see the truth. But you see, Reggie put us all at risk because of his incompetence." Carver stood up and went around the table, taking a seat on the table just in front of Clementine.

"He had a track record of screw-ups lately. Killing one in order to save many is part of survival. It's one of the toughest decisions a weak person could ever make. That's why it's up to people like us to guide them." Carver said, and Clementine blinked a few times, growing more and more incredulous as her mind digested those words.

"What? I'm not like you!" Clementine said firmly, clenching her eyes slightly in indignation. However, something that only made Carver smile amused.

"Don't even try to deny it. No matter what you say, you've proven me more than enough, more than once. I know it when I see it. And we're more alike than you think." He laughed lightly, resting his arm on her leg. "Actually, I think you realize it by now... you're just not comfortable with it yet. No way you would have survived all this time otherwise. Especially surrounded by weak people." He leaned his body slightly forward, moving a little closer to the girl.

"First, it was in that cabin. You were scared, but you looked me straight in the eye. You kept your nerves. Not only were you cautious, but you played a game that I guarantee you that very few people would play." He leaned on his arm.

" Later, it was yesterday. I don't need any more proof than that. Exactly as I said, killing one in order to save many is one of the toughest decisions a weaker person could not make. And you didn't even hesitate. You didn't even blink." He straightened his posture, looking pleased to see Clementine's thoughtful expression.

" Kids like you, raised the right way. The same way I will raise my child." He stood up and pointed to the door.

Clementine, confused, also stood up and followed him. They both left the office, leaving the girl even more confused.

"You obviously haven't been with those people before. They didn't raise you. You are like a rare gem found in the mud. And while I know they won't interfere with your evolution, my heiress' place is not near people like those."

Carver said, and Clementine's eyes widened. "What?! Heiress?! I don't want that! This community makes me sick!" Clementine spat, but as expected, Carver didn't even seem to hear her.

She was forced to walk to the opposite side of where the courtyard was. A room. Large, spacious, and clean.

There was a bed in the corner of the room, a desk right next to it, and a closet on the opposite wall. Next to it was a corridor leading to the bathroom.

It wasn't a room in the store itself, it was built, just like part of that camp.

"My room is not far from here. This way I'll be able to keep an eye on you more often." Carver said, and Clementine felt her stomach twist.

That man was crazy.

She turned around, but before she could protest, a guard appeared right behind Carver, getting her attention.

"Sir." Carver turned and stared at the guard who was slightly out of breath.

"What is it?" Carver asked.

"I'm sorry to disturb you. But our team that went out for materials and supplies reported. They were attacked. Oscar is dead." The information, while odd and not that important to Clementine, seemed to hit Carver hard because of his irritated and frustrated expression.

"Ah, for fuck's sake! What the fuck happened?! Walkers?!" He growled, showing his anger in a more reserved, but nonetheless threatening manner.

"No... apparently, they met up with someone, a survivor. He was alone and they tried to bring him here. He refused. You know how much of an asshole Oscar can be. They had a fight and the man killed six of our people." The guard said, and Clementine arched her eyebrows in surprise.

Six people, alone? Holy smokes.

"What? How many people did the group have?" Carver asked.

"Ten, sir."

"Are you telling me that one person, alone, killed more than half of my men?! Holy shit, what the hell is going on with you people?! What I give you guys isn't good enough for you to put in the effort?! That's ten armed people, for God's sake!" He growled, putting a hand over his face and taking a few deep breaths.

"Where was that?" Carver asked.

"In a warehouse near the town to the north. Four people survived, two are injured. But the materials for the expansion, as well as some supplies, are still there." The guard replied.

"Right, dammit. Gather the men and tell them to be ready. We'll leave early tomorrow."

"Are you going too, sir?"

"Of course I'm going! These idiots don't seem to know how to do anything themselves! Dismissed!" Carver said, and the guard walked away from there.

The man sighed angrily once again, and put his hand on the door.

"Well, we'll talk some other time. Right now, I have problems to deal with. Enjoy your new room. I'll have someone bring your meals." He said, already leaving the room.

"Wait, can't I even say goodbye to my friends?" She asked, but Carver simply closed the door and locked it.

Clementine sighed and bowed her head.

That would be horrible... if it wasn't the perfect opportunity.

Carver would leave the camp... it would be the perfect opportunity for her and her friends to leave too.

All she had to do was find a way out of that room and, as soon as she could, find Bonnie.

Simple enough.