Clementine opened her eyes. It was still dark, and she was fine with that as she was still tired. She rolled over onto her side, happy to remain under the covers all morning. She reached over to hug Sarah, only to discover her hands were tied behind her back. Looking around, Clem realized it wasn't dark but pitch-black, and she could feel her own breath on her face as she realized there was something covering her head.

She panicked, pulling against her restraints to discover they were made out of metal and then began to thrash about in the darkness in desperation to remove whatever was covering her face. Her head felt like it weighed a ton and she could barely recall what happened before waking up just now. She remembered getting in a truck after being blindfolded, that was after she had met a woman who said she could help them.

"Sarah!" Clem had told Beth where to find her, as well as something to convince Sarah she hadn't kidnapped her, all the while planning to do just that. If they just wanted to rob them Clem would be dead already, which meant they wanted her alive for something, which meant they probably wanted Sarah as well. For what Clem didn't know, and thinking about it just filled her clouded mind with terrible thoughts.

"Oh God…" croaked Clem as she realized Beth might already have Sarah in her grasp, she and Omid both. They could even be here right now, in this dark place they had trapped her in. "Why?" Clem asked herself in despair. "Why is this…" Clem gagged slightly as she tasted the fabric of her hood as she spoke. Frustrated, she shook head back and forth in a clumsy attempt to throw it off.

Almost immediately Clem felt exhausted, her muscles refusing to cooperate; whatever they drugged her with hadn't fully worn off. Falling on her back, gasping for breath, alone and afraid, Clem wanted to give up. She just wanted to go back to sleep, forget the world, and pray for a painless death, but something wouldn't let her. It was a light, distant and incredibly faint, but it was there, just barely visible through the fabric covering her face.

"I promised…" Despite the exhaustion, Clem tried shaking the hood off again with a few more sudden twists of her head. It did little but tire her further and hurt head when it banged against a wall. "God damnit!" Clem slid down the wall in defeat, feeling even more helpless than before. Whatever was on her head was on firmly and wouldn't just come off. It felt like a ski mask except with no eye or mouth holes, and sliding down the wall just caused some of the material to bunch up around her mouth, making it even harder to breathe.

"Wait." Clem rubbed her head against the wall, pulling the material away from her mouth as she did so. She thought to herself for a second, then planted her forehead on the wall and pushed on it as hard as she could. The wall was smooth but the mask wasn't, so when she pushed it against at just the right angle, the material would bunch up and get stuck as Clem slid her head downward, allowing her to peel the hood off, if only slightly.

It was imprecise to say the least, constantly rubbing your face against the wall in hopes of ever so slightly pulling up a hood covering your head. It felt like blindly striking a stubborn match against the carpet in the vain belief it'd suddenly light if you did it enough times, except she was using her own head instead of a match and her life depended on being able to see again. Clem couldn't even be sure she was actually accomplishing anything other than making herself woozier.

Feeling the hood's edge suddenly slide up to her chin, Clem got a second wind and forced herself to push harder. Her whole body was resisting her every attempt to move but the anger burning inside her forced it into motion anyway. She thought about how she had been lied to again, kidnapped again, treated like a damn animal, how much it fucking pissed her off and put all of that in a single forceful thrust against the wall.

The hood slid past her mouth, giving Clem her first breath of cool air. A few more forceful motions and she finally managed to pull the hood past her nose, letting her literally breathe easier. One more slow and hard tug and finally the hood slid up past her eyes. Feeling it flopping loosely on her head, Clem moved away from the wall and jerked her head back and forth a few times until she finally flung it off.

She couldn't see where the mask landed, the room was pitch black except for a single short line of dim light creeping in under what Clem could only assume was a door. It scared her thinking about what was out there, but the longer she sat there the more she felt her limbs being gripped by paralysis. Clem forced herself to start moving, if only because she was afraid she wouldn't be able to if she waited any longer.

It was difficult edging across what felt like a bed on her knees, and even harder finding the floor and standing up in the dark with her hands behind her back, but Clem managed it and started walking ahead slowly. She didn't know what this room was but she didn't want to stay in it any longer than she had to. Arriving in front of the light, it was clear she was standing in front of a door now.

Turning in place, Clem felt around on it with her bound hands until she located a doorknob. Turning it was difficult to say the least, requiring her to twist her entire body in an unnatural way. It was painful and she couldn't be sure she could even twist enough to open the door. Eventually, there was a click, and awkwardly shuffling forward, Clem pulled the door open. She stood there for a second, afraid of what she'd find, then turned around.

Clem's legs were shaking as she peered out into a hall lit by some familiar looking globe lights. Stepping out, she stopped almost immediately to listen for footsteps. She didn't hear any, nor did she hear anything else; it was eerily silent. Inching down the hall, Clem couldn't see any signs of Beth or Amelia yet couldn't shake the feeling there was someone nearby. Clem stopped when she spotted a couch off in the distance; the living room she had been in was just up ahead.

Clem kept looking over her shoulder and listening for someone coming around the corner. She could barely hear her own footsteps on the carpet, which forced her to think about all the things she couldn't hear. Moving up to where the hall opened up into the living space, Clem peered out past the edge; no signs of her captors. Carefully, she crept forward, hurrying to the kitchen counter; it was bare.

"Shit," Clem whispered to herself. They hadn't left anything, not even the backpack itself. Not that her weapons would help much with her hands tied behind her back, but she was hoping to at least get ahold of the radio and warn Sarah. If she could just manage that at least she wouldn't die in vain, which was all she was hoping to accomplish at this point.

With no tools at her disposal and her hands still cuffed, Clem's only remaining option was running through a giant bunker in hopes of finding the exit before someone found her, but just looking at the door at the end of the room made her knees shake. She wanted to sit down for just a minute but wasn't sure she could get up again if she did. Instead, all she could do was lean herself against the fridge and take a little weight off her feet.

Lying against the cool metal, breathing hard, Clem wished she had never left home this morning. By now she'd lost all hope of finding safety, and would have settled for a few more days with her family than dying here on some slim chance of salvation. She wished she had just shot Beth when she first saw her, or had pulled the pin on that grenade for her to find later when she searched her backpack.

"The grenade!" Clem took a step back and looked at the fridge, then spun around and awkwardly grasped at the handle. She couldn't exactly throw a grenade right now but Beth was so afraid of it Clem figured just pulling the pin and holding onto it might be enough. It worked for Patty, at least for a little while, and it's not like Clem had any better options right now.

Stepping aside to let what little light there was illuminate the fridge's interior, Clem was disappointed to find mostly empty shelves and a few half-full water jugs. Moving in place, Clem tried to let in more light so she could see what was in the very back. It appeared empty, but ducking down at an awkward angle, the light brought a round outline into focus. It was either a very large egg, or it was the grenade.

"What the…" Clem spun around and saw Amelia staring right at her. "What are you doing!" Amelia started marching forward while Clem stumbled backwards, practically falling into the refrigerator. "How did you get out of my room!" Clem didn't answer, she just kept feeling around for the grenade as Amelia loomed closer. "What's wrong with you!" Clem suddenly felt the cold metal of the grenade in her grasp. "Get over here!"

Amelia pulled Clem away from the fridge with such force that the grenade went rolling out of her hand before she could locate the pin. "No!" yelled Clem as she tried breaking free from Amelia's grip.

"Cut it out!" Amelia yelled before throwing Clem forward. She stumbled across the carpet and tripped onto the couch. Rolling onto her back, she saw Amelia towering over, an angry look on her face. "You already got me in trouble once and now you're doing it again?"

"Fuck you!" yelled Clem.

"I know you're mad, but we're not bad people," insisted Amelia. "In fact, we're gonna help you."

"Bullshit!" yelled Clem. "You fucking poisoned me!"

"We're just being careful," reasoned Amelia. "It's a good thing we are, you would have shot us if we hadn't."

"Because you're fucking kidnapping me!"

"You asked if you could stay here," reminded Amelia. "I thought you'd be happy—"

"Shut up!" yelled an infuriated Clem. "What do you want from me? Why are you doing this?"

"I told you, it gets lonely in here," said Amelia as she approached the couch. "Mom thought we'd be better off once it was just the two of us, once we didn't have to share food with anyone else."

"She… she killed the other people here," realized Clem. "She… you're just like everyone else now, you're fucking evil and kill people and don't even care."

"It's just what had to be done; that's what mom always says," shrugged Amelia. "But don't worry, we won't kill you, and we got enough to feed you for a long time."

"Feed me?" asked a baffled Clem.

"Sure, we can't keep you here and not feed you," said Amelia with an odd smile.

"Keep me? Oh God no…" wept Clem, a cold chill passing through her veins as if an icy hand had just gripped her heart. "Please… please just let me go," she begged. "I… I don't want to be here."

"You'll get used to it," assured Amelia. "And I'm sure you'll feel better once your friend gets here."

"My friend?" Those words hit Clem like a lead brick to the stomach. "No… no! I told Sarah to stay away. I told her you're both liars!"

"I guess she didn't hear you say that," shrugged Amelia. "Mom was really mad at you for calling her, but once she talked to your friend she calmed down. Your friend said she'll go back to the overpass and wait on mom, and she also said she'd do anything to see you again."

"No!" cried Clem.

"Mom will probably be back with her soon."

"She promised she wouldn't come after me."

"Mom must have changed her mind. She's smart like that," said Amelia. "I almost believed her when she said she worried about you and asked your friend if you had any medical conditions that would cause you to pass out."

"Why are doing this?" sobbed Clem. "I… I didn't do anything to you. I told you stuff that could help you! Why!"

"You've got this all wrong, we're gonna take good care of you," insisted Amelia as she sat down on the couch next to Clem. "And I think we'll get along really well once you get used to things."

"Fuck you!" yelled Clem. "Why did you even bother untying me in the first place if you were just going to do this? Was it just to make me think things would be okay first? Did… did you want to torture me?"

"Mom always has to be sure that whoever she brings back isn't a trap or part of a bigger group that'll come looking for them, and that means she has to talk to them for a while, and they talk more if they feel comfortable," explained Amelia. "Also, it takes a while for the medicine in the water to work, so she has to keep them busy long enough—"

"Shut up!" yelled Clem. "Just shut up already…"

"I know you don't like this but we don't have a choice, it's the only way to keep us safe," stated Amelia as she leaned in close. "We weren't this careful around the man from the Canadian border, and he…" Amelia shuddered briefly. "He put a knife right into my eye."

"Because you wouldn't let him leave," accused Clem. "Wouldn't you?"

"He wouldn't listen to mom when she tried to help him," stated Amelia, anger creeping into her words. "But after that, mom realized something; it's safer to keep two people with us instead of one."

"What?" asked a confused Clem.

"One person might try something crazy, like you just did." Amelia's harsh tone sent a chill down Clem's spine. "But if you have two people, and they care about each other, then they won't do anything crazy because they're afraid of what'll happen to the other one."

"What… what are you talking about?" asked a horrified Clem.

"The last people who stayed here were a woman and a boy, and as long as we had the boy locked up, the woman did everything mom said," said Amelia with an odd smile that made Clem's stomach curl.

"You're… you're…"

"It worked great until the woman screwed up and got herself eaten when she was supposed to find us food one day," continued Amelia. "We tried tricking the boy into thinking she was alive, but after a few days he realized she wasn't coming back, and so he stopped doing what mom said; that's when mom killed him."

"I wanna wake up," Clem whispered to herself.

"You and your friend are going to be perfect though," said Amelia with a big smile. "All that stuff you know how to do. You can get us fish and grow food and—"

"I won't do a damn thing for you!" barked Clem.

"Yes you will."

"No I won't! And neither will Sarah!" dictated Clem. "We'd rather die than be your slaves!"

"What about your baby?"

Clem's blood froze when she heard that.

"No… no, you can't—"

"You care about it don't you, Omid, right?" asked Amelia, her smile making Clem sicker by the second. "We've never met anyone with a baby since the virus, probably because babies don't live long out there. You must really care to take care of a baby, both of you; you'll do everything we say to keep it safe won't you?"

"No… no this can't be happening," mumbled Clem to herself, trembling in terror. "I… we… um…"

"Don't worry, we'll take care of it, as long you do everything—"

"Sarah will stay away," insisted a panicked Clem "She knows better, and she promised me she wouldn't—"

"Shhhh." Amelia placed her finger on Clem's lips. "That's enough talking for now."

Clem's skin crawled as Amelia's hand caressed her cheek.

"What… what are you doing?" asked a disgusted Clem as Amelia brushed some hair out of Clem's eyes.

"You're so pretty," whispered Amelia in a sickeningly sweet voice, her hot breath right on Clem's face. "I already like you a lot more than the boy we had here before."

"What are—" Clem felt her head be violently yanked forward and pressed against Amelia's face. She felt like puking as Amelia's tongue slid into her mouth, like a fat slug trying to crawl down her throat. Clem wanted to gag but couldn't, so she did the only other thing she could think of.

"Ahhhhh!" Amelia's shrieking hurt Clem's ears but she did her best to ignore it and bite down harder on Amelia's tongue. It was sickening, like trying to chew through a live eel as it attempted to escape her mouth, but Clem channeled every bit of rage into her jaws as she envisioned biting Amelia's tongue in half. She could taste blood now as Amelia continued to scream, then felt something bang her in the side of the head.

"Ah mah gawd!" Clem heard Amelia yell, severely slurring her words. Clem spat out some blood as Amelia went stumbling into the kitchen. "You biddle bitch!" Clem stood up as fast as she should with her hands still stuck behind her back. "I'll kill you!" Clem turned just in time to see a knife coming right at her head.

"No, wait—ah!" Clem turned away just in time to see the blade fly right in front of her eyes while a searing pain shot across the left side of her face.

"No, your fase!" Clem felt Amelia grab her by her hair and force her to look Amelia in the eye. Clem was terrified but also confused by Amelia's sudden look of overwhelming concern. "Why you'd make me do dat?" garbled Amelia, spitting bits of blood onto Clem's face as she spoke. "You werb so pity!"

"Fuck you!" said Clem through gritted teeth.

"Fuck me?" A chill shot up Clem's spine as she saw an unbridled rage grip Amelia's face. "Fuck you!" Amelia raised the knife in her hand.

"No!" Clem shrieked out in terror as she saw Amelia swing her knife upward. The blade narrowly missed her stomach and instead snagged her shirt. Amelia twisted the knife and sliced it open with a single forceful tug. She repeated the same action on each of Clem's sleeves, then yanked the torn shirt off with a single quick action.

"Wait, wait!" begged Clem as Amelia shoved her face first into the couch. "What are you—stop!" Panic gripped Clem as Amelia undid her belt. "Please don't rape me!" Amelia let go of the belt and Clem remained still, paralyzed with terror. Suddenly, Amelia pulled on Clem's hair again.

"Wad you jusp say?" Amelia twisted Clem's head around, forcing her to look at her face again. Blood was trailing down her lips and her eye-patch had been knocked aside, revealing a misshaped red and black hole in the side of her head. The prevailing rage in her bulging remaining eye was what frightened Clem most. It was like being forced to look into the face of a rabid animal just before it tore out your throat.

"Please—"

"Pleab!" Clem flinched as more blood was spat on her face. "You tink you can bite off muh tung and then jus say pleab!"

"I… I…"

"I woulda bed nice to you, but now I'm gonna hurt you," gargled Amelia through her own blood. "Ebery day, for da rest of your life."

"I—"

"And I'll hurt your baby too."

"No!" yelled Clem. "You… you need him, remember?"

"Only alibe," smiled Amelia. "He could lib without his fingurs."

"No, you—"

"Or his toes. I'll cut deb off right in funt of you."

"You fucking monster!"

"But he's nod here right now, you are," growled Amelia. "And I don't wan your fingurs or toes."

"No! Leave me alone!" Clem thrashed about in place as one hand shoved her face into the couch and another pulled her pants down. "Let me go! Let me go!" Clem suddenly found herself free as she rolled off the couch and onto the floor with a hard thud. She tried crawling, but with her hands tied behind her back and her pants around her ankles, she could barely worm her way forward an inch before she felt a strong pair of hands on her shoulders.

"No! Let go of me!" screamed Clem as she was rolled onto her back. "Get off!" shrieked Clem as she felt pinned to the ground by her captor's weight. "Get off! Get off of me!"

"Clementine!"

That wasn't Amelia's voice. Clem was afraid to look, but she didn't know what else she could do right now. Slowly, she opened her eyes, then blinked a couple of times until it came into focus: Sarah, hovering over Clem, bathed in a light, like an angel sent from heaven.

"Sar—" Clem gasped as she felt hands tugging on her pants. Looking down, Clem watched as Sarah quickly pulled up her pants and buckled her belt.

"Roll over, I'll get you free." Clem didn't know how this was possible, but it really was Sarah. She rolled over and immediately felt Sarah tugging on her cuffs. There were a couple of clicks and Clem jumped to her feet the second she could move her hands. She stumbled around in a daze and tripped onto the couch. There she found Amelia, lying face down on the sofa, her hair drenched in blood and a gaping hole in the back of her head.

"I don't… what… huh?"

"Clem." Clem shivered as she felt a hand on her shoulder. She jerked away from it and jumped to her feet in a fright. She spun around and stared at Sarah in confusion, who stood there patiently with a concerned look on her face.

"Sarah?" asked a trembling Clem in disbelief. "Is… is this really happening?"

'Yeah," assured Sarah in a calm voice. "I—" Clem threw herself at Sarah, wrapping her arms around her while crying into her jacket. "I'm so sorry Clem." Professed a tearful Sarah as she rubbed Clem's back. "Just follow me and we'll get out of here." Clem let go of Sarah, who immediately tossed away the rifle on her back and unzipped her jacket. "Here, put this on," instructed Sarah as she wrapped the jacket around Clem.

"There's… there's a woman," warned a terrified Clem as she hastily threaded her arms through the sleeves. "That girl's mom. She—"

"She's dead."

"Dead, but—"

"Take this." Sarah held out a familiar revolver. "Just in case."

Clem placed her trembling hand on the pistol and wrapped her finger around the trigger.

"It's only got two bullets but it's better than nothing," said Sarah as she removed a knife from her belt, which she used to cut off a sleeve from her shirt. "And keep this against your face." Sarah pressed the strip of cloth against Clem's cheek and Clem cringed in pain. She hadn't even felt the cut until just now. It was a horrible burning covering the left side of her face and Clem suddenly noticed the blood dribbling off her chin. "I'm so sorry."

"It's okay," insisted Clem through her teeth as she pressed the makeshift bandage against the wound, feeling her blood seeping through the cloth.

"It's a bit of walk to the exit," said Sarah as she tossed her rifle over her back. "Just stay close to me." Sarah picked up a machine gun sitting on the counter Clem didn't remember seeing and headed for the door. "I'll protect you."

Clem followed Sarah without question. Everything felt unreal to her right now, like she wasn't actually there but watching herself. She saw herself following Sarah, who switched on a lantern and led them out of the living room. Clem trembled as they walked forward down a long and empty tunnel, seemingly wandering into a bleak emptiness.

The sound of their footsteps echoing around them unnerved Clem, as did the unrelenting darkness in every direction. The lantern provided them with a small bubble of light, but Clem was afraid it would go out any second. She clung to Sarah as they shuffled forward, terrified she'd disappear if she ever let her go. Eventually, they passed through a door and entered a much wider and taller tunnel, of which Clem could see a literal light at the end of it.

The pair started moving faster as they walked uphill towards the exit. They were close enough now Clem could see the light was a small opening between a pair of massive metal doors, one pushed slightly ajar by a black truck anchored in place at the top of a ramp. Reaching the entrance, Clem was almost afraid to leave, afraid she'd wake up. Sarah pulled her forward through the opening and Clem was blinded by a white light.

Her eyes gradually adjusted to the afternoon sun bouncing off the white concrete. As her vision cleared, the first thing Clem spotted was a black box truck near the doors; just looking at it made her shudder. As she sped up to keep pace with Sarah, Clem spotted Beth lying on the pavement. She was on her side, blood pooling around a large hole in the back of her helmet. Turning away from her, Clem saw her sanctuary, the Brave, practically glowing in the sunlight.

She started running towards the door and Sarah followed Clem's lead. It felt like a million miles away and even running as fast she could it didn't seem to be getting any closer. Clem's lungs ached for air and her legs were throbbing in pain but a chance to go home again was enough to keep her going. She was going so fast she couldn't stop in time and slammed into the side of the Brave. Clem ignored the pain and scrambled over to the door, flinging it open and scampering inside.

She burst into the bedroom in a flash and immediately dropped to her knees in front of the crib. Nestled inside was a single big lump hiding under a blanket. Clem felt her hand shaking as she reached for the cover. She peeled it back slowly, almost afraid of what she would find. It was Omid, sound asleep, with all his fingers and toes where they belonged. Clem reached down to touch him when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Clem," said Sarah. "Your cheek." Clem touched her cheek, nearly crying out in pain as her fingers merely brushed against the bandage. "Come into the bathroom, I'll take care of it."

Clem took one last look at Omid, then went with Sarah. While Sarah gathered first aid, Clem got her first good look at herself in the bathroom mirror. Her eyes were bloodshot and still trembling with fear. Her face was covered in blood, both her and Amelia's. And peeling away the cloth on her cheek, cringing from the pain, Clem discovered a bleeding gash running across the entire left side of her face.

The cut moved from the edge of Clem's chin and up her cheek, stopping just short of her eye. So short that Clem didn't know how the knife could have possibly missed it. Remembering she couldn't feel the wound in the heat of the moment, a horrible thought entered her mind. Clem shut her right eye, terrified she was blind in the other and hadn't noticed yet. Staring at her left eye in the mirror confirmed its sight was intact, but the blood oozing down right next to it was a grim reminder of what she had nearly lost.

"Clem." Clem turned around to find Sarah with antiseptic and bandages in hand. "Just hold still and I'll take care of you." Clem sat down and let Sarah treat her, something that had almost become a routine for them.

"Are you hurt anywhere else?" asked Sarah as she cleaned the wound.

"No… not really," said Clem in a quiet voice.

"You… you sure?" asked a concerned Sarah. "Because if there's anything else I can do—"

"You're doing plenty," assured Clem, her voice trembling. "Thank you."

"If you need anything, you just tell me," insisted Sarah as she carefully taped a bandage to Clem's cheek. "Okay?"

"Okay," whispered Clem. "What about you? Are you okay? Did they do anything to you?"

"No, but…" Sarah swallowed hard. "They were both bad people, right? That woman—"

"She was a horrible person. Her daughter told me about people she had tricked and killed and…" Clem briefly found herself struggling to breathe.

"God," muttered Sarah as she shook her head. "Why are so many people like that now?"

"I don't know," mumbled Clem.

"I figured these people were bad."

"You tried to warn me," lamented Clem.

"No, I didn't mean that," said Sarah. "Just downhill from… whatever this place is."

"A bunker," informed Clem.

"Yeah, there's a bunch of different cars that looked like they were pushed off the hill next to this bunker, and I couldn't figure out why… they must have belonged to the people they killed."

"They did worse than just kill them," uttered Clem, shaking as she did. "That girl, she was telling me about how they had enough food to keep us prisoner, and—"

"They have food?"

"I… I guess so. I didn't see it but—"

"And, it was just those two people, right?"

"Why?"

Sarah stood up and walked over to the bathroom window. "They didn't mention anyone else? Anyone in the area or—"

"The only people she talked about were ones they killed. It sounded like maybe they fought another group of people, but it had been a long time ago." Clem looked up and saw Sarah was still staring out the window. "What are you thinking?"

"If there's no one left, then we can take whatever's in there… or just live in there."

"Wait, you're not seriously—"

"Why not?" asked Sarah. "It might have everything we need."

"Or it might not, there's no way to know that."

"Sure this is." Sarah removed the machine gun from her back.

"Sarah."

"I'll be careful, and quick, and I'll be in touch." Sarah removed a radio from her belt and handed it to Clem. Looking at it, she recognized it as her own from the lone peeling flower sticker still stuck to it.

"How you'd get this?"

"I… took it off the body of the woman I shot, along with this." Sarah raised her machine gun. "I'll check it out and then come right back, okay?"

Clem stared up at Sarah. She didn't want her to leave, but looking up at her, standing tall there with that gun in her hands and sense of determination glimmering behind her glasses, Clem couldn't refuse her.

"I heard them say there was food on the eighth floor," informed Clem as she took her radio back. "And the girl told me they had a lot."

"Got it," said Sarah.

"If you see anything bad come right back," said Clem. "And be careful."

"I will." Sarah leaned in and planted a kiss on Clem's unwounded cheek. "And you'll be okay without me for a minute?"

"I… I think so," said Clem, feeling almost giddy now. "I… I love you."

"I love you too Clem," assured Sarah as she headed out of the bathroom. "And I'll be right back, I promise."

Clem watched as Sarah marched out of the Brave and back towards the bunker. She found herself envious of her confident stride as she went racing right back into that terrible place. After she disappeared from view, Clem felt lost. She went back to the bedroom to be with Omid for a while. He looked so peaceful, not even frowning like he usually did when he slept these days. Clem wanted to wake him up just to be closer to him right now, but didn't, not wanting to deprive him of what little peace he had.

Walking over to the bedroom window, Clem saw they were parked right next to a severe drop-off bordering the concrete. This must have been the hill Sarah mentioned, and just beyond it, the remains of Beth's and Amelia's victims. Clem had no desire to view such a gruesome sight, but she couldn't get Amelia's words out of her head: a woman and a boy.

Could Patty and Jet have found this place first? It was on Interstate Eighty and Clem and Sarah had found it. Could they have come here, and worse, could they have been killed by these people? The question gnawed at Clem until she couldn't bear it anymore. She made sure the revolver was loaded, retrieved a knife, clipped it to her belt, and then, reluctantly, ventured back outside.

Walking up to the edge of the drop-off, Clem looked out at what must have been Beth and Amelia's garbage dump. There were piles of empty cans, broken bottles, and all sorts of trash scattered down the hill that converged into a mound of junk at the bottom, as if they pair had been laying the foundation for their own landfill. There were also abandoned vehicles amongst the trash; a pick-up truck, a couple of cars, a black truck like the one Beth used, and a single RV not far from the drop-off.

The pair had literally tossed away people's lives with their trash. Staring at the gruesome sight, Clem briefly imagined herself down there. She, Sarah, and Omid, all dead and buried amongst the trash after the Brave was pushed right off this ledge and into its eternal resting place in a garbage pit. It sickened her, but not as much the other grotesque image forming in her mind as she stared at the RV sitting at the bottom of the drop-off; it looked just like the Sunseeker.

Clem started climbing down, afraid but determined to discover the truth. It was a steep hill, and Clem had to keep avoid stepping on pieces of broken glass or cutting her hands on empty cans as she moved down the slope, thinking she had suffered enough injuries for one day. The closer she got to the bottom of the hill the more the dread in her belly grew. It felt like the acid in her stomach had started creeping into her veins.

Reaching the bottom, clothes and hands covered in dirt and now ankle deep in trash, Clem got her first close look at this RV. The front of it had been partially caved in from where it hit the ground and the rest of it buried in trash now. However, Clem spotted a retractable awning running along the side of the vehicle just over the door. It looked just like the one they used to set up a safe spot when reclaiming Tulsa. Also, there was a big logo on the side of it that started with an 'S'.

Clem's felt herself growing sick, but she inched closer to it, swearing she had walked past that exact same door before. Approaching the logo, Clem's hand trembled as she reached out to clear the dirt away that obscured the writing. Touching the filthy metal, she hesitated, unready to confront yet another horrible truth today, but forced her hand to move. Smearing the dirt away, Clem could read it as plain as day now: Synergy.

"It's… it's not theirs." Taking a step back, it suddenly became obvious to Clem this was a different RV. It was much shorter than the Sunseeker and briefly checking inside, the layout was completely alien to her. She didn't know how she could have mixed it up with their RV, although she's glad she was mistaken. She took a deep breath, then coughed as she smelled something rancid in the air. Clem raised her gun, fearful a walker was close.

What she found was a body leaning against the passenger seat in an awkward position; it was a child. Clem could tell because it was even smaller than her. The body had decayed badly, being little more than a skeleton with a few lingering strips of blacked muscle still clinging to it, and there was a hole on the back of the skull. The limbs were also twisted into odd positions that made the body look like a gruesome art piece.

Although Clem was relieved this wasn't Jet, she felt an overwhelming sadness at this sight anyway. She could only imagine what Amelia did to this child, how scared he must have been, and all he suffered, just to be shot in the head, tossed into an RV, then pushed off a cliff as another piece of trash to be disposed of; she felt like crying all over again.

"Clem?" Sarah's voice startled her. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," reported Clem over the radio. "Are you?"

"Yeah, I'm all right," said Sarah. "They have food… a lot of it."

"Really?" asked Clem. "How much?"

"More than we could fit in the Brave."

"Really?"

"Yeah, it's a lot." Looking around at the RV, Clem suddenly noticed how barren it was. Checking the closet and the bedroom, there was nothing left but a few empty boxes and some sheets. It dawned on Clem that Beth never actually traded for anything, only robbed the people who had come to her in good faith.

"I'm gonna take as much as I can carry and come back," reported Sarah. "We can actually have a big dinner tonight. Won't that be nice?"

"Yeah," said Clem, forcing some enthusiasm into her voice as she stared at the RV's empty cupboards. "I'll see you in a minute."

Clem put the radio back on her belt and headed for the door, but couldn't stop herself from staring at the dead boy's body. "I… I'm so sorry," she said as she approached the body. "You were probably just a really nice little boy," said Clem, finding herself tearing up. "You… you didn't deserve this." Clem sighed. "You deserve better."

Clem returned to the bedroom and pulled the sheets off the bed. She tossed them over the boy's body, then carefully pulled it away from the seat and laid it out on the floor, even pulling the limbs together in the hope of at least giving this child's death a shred of dignity.

"I know this doesn't matter now," said Clem to the child. "But the people who did this to you paid for it."

Clem looked at the shape of the body under the sheets, almost like a small mummy laid to rest in this sorry tomb. Stepping back outside, Clem felt she still couldn't leave just yet. She stared at the door for a second, then took out her knife. It wasn't easy, but using up the last of her lingering adrenaline, she scratched 'R.I.P.' into the metal. It wasn't much, but if anyone ever came down here they'd know at least one person mourned this child's death.

Clem hurried back to the Brave, her limbs aching as she forced herself to clamber back up the hill, eager to escape such a grim reminder of what was nearly her own fate. Sarah returned not long after that with a backpack stuffed full of canned goods. Stews, mixed fruits, soups; all good stuff, or as good they could expect from cans these days. And according to Sarah, there were plenty more where these had come from.

Clem didn't let the lack of propane stop her, or Sarah's insistence she cook instead. More than anything right now, Clem wanted to do something—anything to take her mind off what had happened. Making a fire was something she was out of practice with, but once it got started it became routine for Clem. She didn't even have to think about it, which meant she didn't have to think at all, which was fine by her.

By the time Omid woke up, they had a full meal ready. Even with spices, two-year-old canned goods was hardly stellar cuisine, but it tasted all right, and it was filling, even Omid didn't complain. After that, they finished off the bag of ice cream they opened this morning. It was something Sarah insisted on, probably as a way to make Clem feel better; it worked, at least a little bit.

After dinner, Clem got to spend time with Omid again. She was still shaken but forced happiness into her voice, determined not to let her trauma become his. Digging out some old markers and making a mess of multi-colored scribbles across several sheets of paper made Omid smile, which made Clem smile; he was the best medicine she could ask for right now.

Eventually, Omid grew sleepy, and as the sun started to set, Clem had no choice to put him to bed. She kissed him, told him she loved him, and just lay there with him on the bed until he drifted off into a deep sleep. Even after that, Clem was content just to watch Omid snore, and only after she started feeling tired herself moved him into his crib.

Yawning and feeling utterly exhausted, Clem was ready to climb into bed herself. She unzipped Sarah's jacket and feeling the cool air on her skin sent a shiver up her spine. She tried unbuckling her belt next but her hands started shaking and sliding her pants down made her heart race. Nearly on the edge of panic, Clem hastily redressed herself and hurried out of the bedroom instead.

"Hey." Clem looked up to see Sarah staring at her, that ever familiar worry gripping her kind face.

"Hey," said Clem as took a couple of steps forward, unsure how to answer her.

"Did… did you have any trouble with Omid?" asked Sarah.

"No, he was a little angel tonight," said Clem with a smile.

"I think I kind of preferred it when he wasn't," said Sarah with a weak laugh. "It liked that he wanted to go out and didn't want to go to bed; it was like he couldn't wait to grow up."

"Yeah, I miss it too." Clem looked over at the table and spotted a couple of sheets of paper covered in numbers. "What's that?"

"I was just doing a kind of a rough estimate of how much food we'd need to get through the rest of the year," explained Sarah. "And, I think if we're careful, and do some occasional fishing, I think what's in there will last."

"Really?"

"I didn't have enough time to do an exact count or anything, but just rough guesses, yeah," said Sarah, sounding optimistic. "I was thinking about it and… we could just stay here, at least for a while."

"What?" asked a nervous Clementine. "Why would we do that?"

"It's cool in there, there's probably supplies we can use, and it's out in the middle of nowhere. We can change the signs we saw so others won't find it, and we can just… rest for a while, a long while, and not have to worry about living on the road, at least until after winter."

"I… I guess we can do that," muttered Clem. "But Sarah, we still haven't figured out how to…"

Sarah covered her face and tried to hide a pained cry with a sigh. "There's… there's just nothing we can do about that."

"No, we have to—"

"What? Try to find someone else?" asked Sarah as she looked at Clem. "No, we're done looking for people. What happened today, that was it; no more."

"But—"

"Besides, it might be a bad idea to try and… kill it."

"What? Why?" asked a confused Clem. "Do you want—"

"Of course not," snapped Sarah, barely containing the anger in her voice. "But… reading through those medical textbooks, one of them said brain activity for a fetus starts about five to six weeks in."

"So?"

"So… if a baby inside of me has brain activity, but it dies… does it become a lurker, while it's still inside of me?" Sarah stared at Clem, desperate for an answer she didn't have.

"I… I have no idea," admitted Clem.

"Neither do I," confessed Sarah. "I… I have no idea how this really works for babies even, but then trying to think about if they become lurkers. I… I was going to tell you this morning, but then we saw the sign and… I thought we might find a doctor, someone who actually knows this stuff, who might know if that makes sense as a thing that could happen or not… but that's not what we found."

"Sarah, I…" Clem found herself at a complete loss for words as Sarah stared down at the floor, her shoulders slumped over in utter defeat.

"I keep racking my mind for anything that could help," she said while rubbing her head. "And the only thing I can think of is what Corporal Cruz said."

"What?" asked a confused Clem, nerves on end merely from hearing that name. "What… what did she say?"

"She said there was a pregnant woman at the place she stayed, and she and her baby died in childbirth," recalled Sarah. "But… I can't remember what she said about them becoming lurkers or not. Do you remember if she said, the baby died first and became a lurker, or the mother died first, or anything like that?"

"I…" Clem racked her mind but found nothing. She'd honestly forgotten that part of their conversation altogether until Sarah mentioned it just now. "Sorry, I don't."

Sarah swallowed a couple of panicked sobs, then forced as strong a look onto her face as she could. "Then, there's nothing we can do."

"Wait, Beth said—"

"Who?"

"That woman," clarified Clem with a scowl. "She… she said she had something for you; something more reliable than alcohol."

"What?" asked an eager Sarah.

"She wouldn't tell me, just that she was supposed to trade it to you." Clem looked out the window. "They were liars, but good ones, so maybe she really had—"

"I already searched her body," reported a disappointed Sarah. "She had the gun, a knife, a flashlight, and some other tools… nothing we don't already have."

"God damnit," swore Clem. "There's gotta be something we can do."

"What?" asked a dismayed Sarah. "What else could we do? If I try something stupid and get myself killed, then what? I just leave you to take care of Omid by yourself? No, I can't do that. This… this is just the best choice in a bad situation. At least, this will give us about a half a year to plan something and… who knows, maybe I'll be okay. Maybe I'll get lucky and have a miscarriage, and that won't turn me into a lurker afterwards."

"Don't talk like that," pleaded Clem.

"I'm just figuring out what we're gonna do now, so we won't have to later," said Sarah, shuddering as she spoke. "It's not like we have any choice. Like I said, looking for people isn't an option after today."

Clem wanted to say she could still find help for Sarah, but didn't. The mere thought of it terrified Clem, but even if it didn't, she had no confidence in finding someone willing to help them. Good people were rare and only had gotten rarer since the outbreak started. In retrospect, they were lucky to meet as many as they had. Clem only wished there was still one left here to help them right now.

"Ceres…" Clem muttered to herself.

"Huh?"

"You said change the signs," said Clem. "So, let's change them to Ceres. That way, if one of the others finds it, they can come to us, and then maybe they could help you. Patty seemed to know a lot about this stuff."

"You really think she's still alive?" asked a forlorn Sarah.

"She could be. I'm still alive, even after getting shot, and beaten, and… and…" She couldn't block it out any longer, the raw memories of what had happened today came flooding back into her mind. Clem fell to her knees and broke down crying.

"Clem!" What little lingering willpower that had kept her going finally evaporated and Clem felt her whole body go limp. "It's okay, just let it all out," assured Sarah as she scooped Clem into her arms. "Take all the time you want, it's all right," continued Sarah. "And whatever you need, you just tell me, okay?"

Clem opened her eyes to discover they were both on the couch now. She was sitting in Sarah's lap, wrapped in her strong arms, and felt her soft warm hands gently caressing the back of her head.

"Whatever you want Clem, you just tell me."

Clem shuddered as Sarah tenderly ran her fingers through her hair. Clem pivoted her head and planted a wet kiss on Sarah's cheek. Not content with just a single one, Clem planted more kisses, inching closer to Sarah's mouth with each one. Staring at those soft lips, Clem leaned in to kiss them but stopped as she suddenly remembered Amelia's tongue in her mouth. She could even feel it somehow, that slimy thing slithering towards her throat.

"Clem?" asked Sarah as Clem started gagging. "What's wrong?"

Clem answered Sarah by burying her head in Sarah's shoulder and crying loudly.

"I… I'm so sorry Clem," whispered Sarah.

"Me too…" mumbled Clem through her cries.

"Do you want to talk about—"

"No!" insisted Clem as she squeezed Sarah for dear life.

"Okay," said Sarah in a calm voice. "Whatever you want to do, just—"

"I just want you to hold me like you are right now."

"Sure," whispered Sarah. "You just let it all out, okay?"

"I never thought I'd see you again," wept Clem. "Actually, I thought I would, and that was the scary part, us being in that horrible place together, with them."

"They're dead now," declared Sarah. "They'll never hurt anyone again."

"Yeah." Clem took a deep breath. "Sarah?"

"Yeah?"

"How…" Clem started trembling as she uttered that word, afraid to ask the question that had been gnawing at the back of her mind since Sarah found her. "How is any of this possible?"

"What?" asked Sarah.

"How… how did you find me?" asked a trembling Clem.

"Oh…" Sarah's silence terrified Clem. "I… I got sick of waiting and went to the meeting point the sign pointed to. I found your bike but not you and… I thought the worst had happened. I saw dirt tracks on the asphalt going west, so I knew what direction they came from and that they had been off the paved roads recently.

"I started driving slowly that way. I… I didn't know how far they had taken you, or that you were even alive, so I just kept going west. I wanted to call you but was afraid if these people weren't bad, that them hearing me following you would make them think we're bad. So, I would occasionally tap the talk button on the radio so you'd hopefully hear a bit of static, let you know I was out there if I ever got close enough for your radio to find me. Eventually, I started asking 'Is anyone there?', thinking if they did hear me that you could just say you didn't know who I was."

"You're so smart," complimented Clem as she stared lovingly up at Sarah. "But, how did you find this place, and… kill Beth?"

"Beth? She's the woman right?" Clem nodded. "And… she was a bad person right?"

"Yes," dictated Clem. "She and her daughter."

"Good, then I'm glad they're dead," concluded Sarah, her voice turning startlingly cold for a moment. "After you called and warned me that woman, Beth I guess, called me on the radio."

"So did you hear me?" asked Clem. "Because, I thought I remember you saying you didn't hear what I said, right before I passed out…"

"I heard you tell me they poisoned you, and they were liars, and there were two of them, a woman and her daughter," recalled Sarah. "And then you said something else but I couldn't understand it."

"Stay away."

"Huh?"

"The last thing I tried to tell you was to stay away." Looking at Sarah, she appeared troubled now, like she felt guilty about something.

"Well… I didn't," confessed Sarah. "Instead, I talked to… Beth, over the radio, and just played dumb."

"Dumb?"

"I heard almost everything you said, and even before that I thought this was a trap, but I figured… this person doesn't know that," said Sarah. "I acted like I didn't know what happened. I mean, more so. I told her you just stopped answering me at some point, asked if you were okay, pretended like I believed her when she said you were," anger crept into Sarah's words.

"I just kept acting like that, like I used to, when… I thought most people were good. Told her I believed her; told her I just started looking around when I couldn't find you and that's why I'm close enough to radio you; told her I was sorry a dozen times for not following her rules; told her I'd go back and meet her at the overpass."

"Did you?"

"No, you told me don't believe her and that was all I needed," answered Sarah. "I took the Brave off-road, found a spot to hide it, then went out on the biggest hill I could find with the telescope."

"Why?"

"I had to be close or the radio wouldn't even work, and there was only one main road, so I figured if I just stopped and waited, I could see her leave to go meet me at the overpass. And if I saw that, I could figure out where she came from, and find you."

"You're not smart, you're a genius," complimented Clem as she buried herself deeper in Sarah's arms.

"It was risky," admitted Sarah with some apprehension. "I just barely saw her truck's windshield glinting in the sun off to the west before she turned onto the main road, and even then I had to try three different back roads before I saw that… thing, and figured this had to be the right place. I… I was going to come in after you right then, but…"

"What?"

"I was scared and thought that woman would be back any minute since I wasn't at the overpass, so… I waited." Clem just listened as she heard Sarah take a deep breath. "I found a spot to hide the Brave, a place where I'd have a good shot at that big door, and I waited. Before long I saw a truck coming."

"What happened then?"

"I made sure my rifle's safety was off, then I grabbed my radio. As soon as she stepped outside I called her." Clem felt Sarah tightening her grip on her. "Don't move, or I'll shoot you in the head, right now."

"You actually said that?" asked a surprised Clem.

"Yeah I… I didn't… I didn't know what else I could do," mumbled an upset Sarah. "If I didn't say that, she'd probably run into the bunker or drive off as soon as she heard my voice, and I couldn't just go up to her and talk to her after you said she was a liar. So… I told her I'd shoot her if she moved."

"Then what happened?"

"She moved, so I shot at her."

"Good," said Clem.

"I didn't kill her, not then. I saw she was trying to run away so I aimed at the ground in front of her, so she'd know, I could shoot her, and I told her that, and that if she moved again I wouldn't miss this time, and I wouldn't, the shot went right where it was supposed to, so I had the scope set right."

"Did you shoot her then?"

"No, I told her I just wanted one thing, you." Clem briefly looked into Sarah's eyes, exchanging a look of gratitude for one of concern. "She lets you go, and I'll leave."

"She didn't though."

"She kept trying to convince me you wanted me to meet with her. She kept calling me Sarah, said she knows I must be worried about Omid, and… that she had what I needed to help me, to make it so I wasn't… pregnant."

"I—"

"I told her I didn't believe her for a second. And then she said… Ceres."

"I—"

"She said she could only know that if you trusted her, and that you told her to say that; I knew she was lying."

"She wasn't," corrected Clem, shame washing over her. "I did say those things, but—"

"You also said they were liars, so I told her I wouldn't believe anything she had to say."

"And if I hadn't, we'd all be down there right now, because of me…" Clem muttered to herself.

"She said she'd go in to get you," continued Sarah. "I told her to stay put and radio whoever else was in there to bring you out instead. She said she lived alone; I told her I knew she had a daughter. She said she's not going to ask her daughter to do that; I told her that her daughter wouldn't have a mother if she didn't."

"That doesn't sound like you," noted Clem.

"I know, but… I was so angry," admitted Sarah through gritted teeth as Clem briefly felt Sarah's fingernails digging into her arm. "I knew she was lying to me, I knew she had done something to you, and I knew she'd do worse to me if I let them and…"

"And then what happened?"

"She got mad too, asked me—mocked me, 'What happens if your friend is already dead? Then what will you do?"

"What'd you say?"

"Nothing; I pulled the trigger."

"She deserved it Sarah," asserted Clem. "I did everything they said, told them about how we could help them, and they just pretended like they were going to help us, and then…" Clem started sobbing.

"I'm so sorry Clem."

"Me too…" muttered Clem.

"I broke my promise to you."

Clem looked up Sarah, confused by the look of shame hanging off her face.

"What?" asked Clem.

"You made me promise to not come after you," reminded Sarah. "I came after you, even though—"

"I'm glad you did!" exclaimed Clem.

"Really?" asked a surprised Sarah. "It was really risky, I could have gotten Omid—"

"I was so scared," professed a trembling Clem as the fresh horror came flooding back into her mind. "I… I've never been scared like that before in my entire life. It… it was different than being afraid of dying, I… I was afraid of being alive."

"Huh?"

"I… it was like being back at Shaffer's again," cried Clem as she found herself struggling to breathe. "Like… we were in that cage again, with Mick and Matt, forever, except even worse! She was telling me she'd cut off Omid's fingers and toes… and make me watch… and then she… she…" Clem couldn't even speak, only let out small choked sobs as she struggled to breathe.

"It's okay Clem, it's over now," assured Sarah, tears streaming down her face. "Why don't we just go to bed and—"

"No!" yelled Clem. "I… I don't want to go to sleep right now."

"Okay, okay," said Sarah as she rubbed Clem's back. "We'll just stay up for a while. Okay? Will that make you feel better?"

"A little…" Clem swallowed hard. "Sarah?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm afraid if I go to sleep, I'm gonna wake up back in there, and find out this was all just a dream…"

"It's not a dream Clem," assured Sarah. "Dreams are when good things happen; this was a nightmare."

"Everything is a nightmare now," stated Clem. "Getting away from any of it feels like a dream that's too good to be true."