Clementine sighed deeply as she leaned against the bathroom door. She hadn't slept well. This bus wasn't much warmer than a drafty house, but what really kept her up was its other inhabitants. After she had settled onto the mattress with Sarah and Omid yesterday, they received almost no attention from the others. Horatio stopped by twice, once to bring them half a can of green beans for dinner, and once more to check on them before Sabriya called for lights out. Both times he said very little and the rest had kept their distance.
Clem found that a relief initially. She had told Horatio she just wanted to be left alone and that's what she had gotten. It was just as well, as she and Sarah were far too tired to carry on a conversation with these new people, who seemed preoccupied with their own issues. But as dusk gave way to darkness and the others picked a place to park the bus for the night, Clem's mind was invaded with questions she couldn't ignore.
Who were these people exactly? Where had they been? What had they done? They had been attacked by the Vaquero, but the Vaquero attacked everyone so that didn't tell Clem anything. Why did Sabriya chain Horatio to a bed for three days? Who were the kids Horatio said Sabriya was shooting at? Who was Eskiya exactly, and why didn't any of his own people seem to trust him?
They kept their voices down after they picked up Omid, probably fearful Clementine was listening in on them; she had been. They were quiet enough Clem couldn't hear much of what they said to each other, but their body language gave her some information. Dilawar and Sabriya seemed close to each other, more than anyone else here. Sabriya kept Horatio at arm's length at best, but Dilawar seemed more amiable to him. Everyone kept their distance from Eskiya, and he did likewise.
She didn't necessarily trust any of these people, but Eskiya in particular stood out amongst this group. Dilawar had asked what he had been up to, Horatio singled him out as the one person he wouldn't doubt would be suspicious of children, and Sabriya lashed out at him for keeping information from her. None of them trusted him yet they all tolerated him, and even sent him out to meet Clem yesterday. What did that tell her about these people?
Moving away from the door, Clem walked over to where Omid was resting on the mattress. After the initial shock of seeing Horatio, he settled into the familiar but depressing habit of sleeping away the entire day. The only exceptions had been meals. Even though he didn't like green beans as much as corn, he was happy to have them for dinner. He was less excited when they were also his breakfast this morning. Clem was afraid by the end of the day he'd be sick of them and refuse to eat again.
She knelt down to check on him when she caught sight of the others outside the window. Horatio had brought them their breakfast, then all four of them hastily stepped outside, stopping only to take every gun and anything resembling a weapon before marching outside. The group had gathered in a circle, seemingly discussing something. Clem briefly eyed the door to the bathroom and when she didn't hear Sarah calling for her, she carefully pressed her ear up against the window nearest the group.
"…never should have stopped the other day," Clem could just barely make out Sabriya say.
"Jesus," said Horatio. "You keep talking like they're this great burden."
"Because they are!" Clem didn't have any trouble hearing that. "We're hanging on by a thread as it is and we pick up three stray kids, with a fourth one on the way! We've doubled the number of mouths we need to feed since yesterday!"
"Jesus Sab," said Dilawar. "What we're supposed to do?"
"Like I said, we should have just kept driving," said Sabriya. "We can't be responsible for everyone."
"Us?" said Horatio. "Or you?"
"Horatio," said Dilawar. "It's too early for this."
"Don't start with me." Even through the window, Clem could hear the anger rising in Sabriya's voice.
"I'm not starting anything," insisted Horatio. "We're all shook up after what happened the night before last. But ask yourself, would—"
"Don't you dare bring her up to win an argument!"
"Would she have wanted us to just keep driving?"
"If it meant sparing her what comes next she would!" yelled Sabriya before taking a deep breath. "We can't do this, not again." An awkward silence followed Sabriya's outburst. With nothing to listen to, Clem turned her head enough to get a better look at the group. Both Horatio and Sabriya looked deeply upset, but not with each other, while Dilawar was just staring drearily at his feet.
"If I may?" Eskiya had his back to bus, so Clem couldn't see his face. She placed her ear against the glass again to hear better. "It does feel inevitable; losing them is likely more a question of when, not if." Clem felt her left-hand throb in pain as she balled up her fists in anger.
"Don't talk like that," insisted Horatio in a disappointedly weak tone.
"What do you expect him to say?" asked Dilawar, his words as tired as he looked. "He's just pointing out the obvious."
"Still…"
"Clem!" Clem darted backwards so quickly she tripped and fell onto her side. She clenched her teeth as her hand banged into the floor. "Clem!" Sarah was calling her name, which forced Clem back onto her feet despite the pain she was feeling.
"I'm coming!" said Clem as she rushed up to the bathroom door. "Do you want me to come in or—"
"Yeah, I'm… decent, I just need help standing up."
"Okay." Clem pulled the door open and saw Sarah sitting inside, an odd look of shame on her face.
"You okay?"
"I just hate it I can't get around without help," mumbled Sarah as Clem approached her.
"Yeah, I know how you feel," said Clem as she leaned in so Sarah could wrap her arm around her shoulder. "After I got shot, it drove me crazy, just sitting in bed all day." Helping Sarah to her feet, Clem clenched her teeth as the throbbing in her hand got even worse. Not wanting Sarah to see she was in pain, Clem forced herself to keep talking. "You know, there were only two things that made me feel better when I was stuck in bed."
"What were they?" groaned Sarah as she struggled to walk back to their mattress.
"Omid," listed Clem as the pair hobbled over to their mattress. "And you." Sitting down on the bed, Clem noticed a little smile escaped Sarah's lips before she turned away in embarrassment. Helping Sarah slowly onto her side next to where Omid was sleeping, Clem couldn't ignore how much her stomach was bulging from under her shirt and jacket. They never did decide on what they would do when her baby came, probably because until recently they weren't sure they'd even live long enough to see that happen.
"Hey, Omid, are you up?" Sarah slowly pulled back the covers and Clem held her breath as she looked upon Omid. He was curled up with his stuffed elephant and a had unhappy look perpetually etched onto his scrunched up face. "You feel okay Omid?" Sarah very gently held Omid, who whimpered in response. "Clem, you haven't seen my backpack, have you?"
"Um, I don't think so." Clem briefly looked out into the aisle for any signs of it; nothing. "I'm pretty sure they put both our backpacks in that luggage storage area on the outside of the bus." Sarah sighed deeply. "What do you need? I'll get it. I'll tell them—"
"Don't," she insisted in a weary voice. "I was just thinking about the little music box I had, that maybe it'd make Omid feel better." Clem watched as Sarah's attempt to pull Omid closer was just met with an unhappy whimper. "But it probably wouldn't help. He's hungry and cold, and music wouldn't fix that."
"I wish there was something we could do for him," said Clem as Sarah carefully pulled the covers back over Omid. "He never wants to do anything but sleep and eat anymore."
"And every time we feed him we're afraid he'll stop eating because he's sick of crummy food." Sarah groaned as she rubbed her stomach.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah I'm… I'm just really hungry too."
"Still?"
"I know, we already ate, but—"
"They barely gave us anything," said Clem as she stood up.
"Where are you going?"
"To get more food," explained Clem. "You're pregnant, so you need to eat twice as much."
"Would they do that?" asked Sarah, trying not to sound too eager.
"If they won't, I'll find something myself," insisted Clem as she slipped on her worn, torn and badly stained overcoat.
"Clem—"
"I'll be careful," assured Clem as she buttoned her coat. "Just rest and keep Omid warm, okay?"
"Oh… okay." Sarah gave Clem a final look of concern before laying her head down. Heading out of the bus, Clem couldn't help thinking Sarah looked even more tired than normal, and she normally looked exhausted. And Omid barely recognized the change that had happened, every bit as unhappy here as he had been in every abandoned house they camped in. Clem literally had to kill to bring them here, and yet here was rapidly looking no better than where they were yesterday.
Pulling open the bus door was a bit of a struggle, and the second it was cracked Clem felt a chill shoot up her spine as the freezing air spilled in. She hurried out and made sure to close the door behind her for Sarah and Omid's sake, then felt herself shivering uncontrollably even with her coat on. Worse yet, the cold caused her already aching hand to hurt even more, like the air was stabbing at her stumps through her gloves.
Clem's first instinct was to look at the sky, fearful a blizzard was on its way; not a cloud in sight. Turning her glance downward, Clem found herself nearly blinded by the morning light reflecting off of something. Blinking her eyes, she saw the light was reflecting off a lake stretched out in front of her. There was little else of interest in sight, just the small road she was standing on and steep hills surrounding them from every direction.
"Hey." Clem looked over to see Horatio appear from past the edge of the bus. "Are you okay?"
"Where are we?" asked Clem as she looked around.
"About thirty miles away from Salt Lake City," he said as he approached her. "That's some other lake though, not the big one."
"I didn't think it was," said Clem. "A lake people name a city after would probably be bigger than this. This one isn't even close to the one I saw outside New Orleans."
"When were you in New Orleans?" Clem looked over to see Eskiya approaching her. She was annoyed by his tone, which was the same cold but subtle demand he asked every question with.
"Last winter," answered Clem, reasoning there was little he could do with that information.
"Was there anything left when you got there?" asked Sabriya as she came around the corner suddenly, Dilawar right behind her.
"No, it… it was just one big ghost town by then."
"You didn't see anyone at all?" asked Dilawar.
"No—well, two people, but they had come from somewhere else hoping to find help in New Orleans," reported Clem.
"And where are they now?" asked Eskiya.
"They're dead."
"I'm sorry." Clem didn't respond to Horatio; she didn't feel like clarifying those two men held her and Patty at gunpoint. "You've come a very long way. I'm guessing you aren't from New Orleans?"
"I'm from Atlanta," said Clem.
"Georgia?" asked Eskiya.
"No, another Atlanta," she mumbled sarcastically. "What do you care anyways?"
"He has a nasty habit of asking too many questions," said Sabriya as she eyed Eskiya suspiciously.
"Wow, Atlanta," said Horatio. "I thought I was far from home."
"Where are you from?"
"Chicago," said Horatio. "Didn't stay for long though, things got bad so fast."
"Yeah, I actually lived outside Atlanta, and there were walkers in my neighborhood overnight," recalled a weary Clem.
"We're from Dearborn originally, in Michigan," added Dilawar. "Jesus, I just realized we might be all that's left of it now."
"What I wouldn't give to go home again and have it still be there," Sabriya said to herself. "Have everyone still be there."
Clem turned her head and looked at Eskiya, who was just staring at the road. "Where are you from?"
Eskiya looked over at her for a second, then turned back to the road. "Wisconsin."
"That's where we met him," said Dilawar.
"And it's as much as he's ever told us about himself," added Sabriya, not even attempting to hide her contempt for him.
"And yet you keep listening to him," added Horatio.
"Don't you start," mumbled Sabriya as she rubbed her head. "We're burning daylight. Ray, help Dil get some water from the lake. Eskiya, get ready, you and I will check the nearest town, hopefully find something to eat."
"Wait," said Clem as the group moved apart in different directions. "Hey, stop," said Clem as she hurried after Sabriya. "I—"
"Just stay in the bus," she mumbled wearily.
"The bus?" asked Clem. "Aren't you going to be taking it with you to look for food."
"No, the noise of the engine attracts too much attention, from the living and the undead, and we don't want to risk our only working vehicle any more than necessary."
"That… that makes sense," admitted a reluctant Clem.
"You should be safe if you stay in there," said Sabriya as she pushed past Clem.
"Wait," said Clem as she ran in front of Sabriya again. "I need more food for Sarah, she's—"
"We don't have any more food," dismissed Sabriya as she moved over to the side of the bus.
"None?" challenged Clem.
"Not enough to spare right now," said Sabriya as she pulled open a large compartment door, revealing the storage area inside; it easily dwarfed all the Brave's storage compartments combined.
"She's pregnant, she—"
"I know!" snapped Sabriya as she turned her head suddenly, startling Clem with an intense stare simmering just past her tired face. "You'll just have to wait," she said, exhaustion overtaking her voice as she pulled out a backpack from storage. "Wait and pray we find something to eat today."
"And if you don't find anything?"
Sabriya sighed deeply. "Then probably none of us are eating tonight."
Nothing about this settled well with Clem. The threat of starvation still loomed over her but now she was being asked to sit in a drafty bus all day instead of doing something about it. Assuming these people could even find food, what guarantee did Clem have they would be honest in their findings? They could easily eat what they find and claim there was nothing left, or find a lot and only give Clem, Sarah and Omid scraps because they don't want to feed them.
Watching Sabriya, she retrieved a couple of large rifles from the luggage bin, one of which was Sarah's. Then she grabbed a couple of pistols, one of which was Clem's. They had taken their guns from them and now she was supposed to trust they'd share any food they found today?
"Wait, what are you doing?" snapped Sabriya, making no effort to hide her suspicion as Clem moved past her to the storage bin.
"I'm going to find some food," said Clem as she dragged her bike out.
"What? No, you're staying here."
"You're not gonna give Sarah more to eat—"
"We don't have anything to—"
"And I'm not gonna wait around all day for you to find her something," said Clem as she set her bike upright.
"Kid, don't be crazy," said Dilawar as he placed himself in front of Clem's bike. "Do you have any idea—"
"What could happen to me?" scoffed Clem. "Only every fucking time I have to go out."
"Then don't," insisted Horatio. "We'll take care of finding food. Why take that risk when you don't have to?"
"Because… I don't know if you people will really look hard enough for Sarah and Omid's sake."
"Believe me, we're just as hungry as you are," insisted Sabriya as she rubbed her head.
"I believe that, and that's the other reason I need to go," said Clem as she dug around in the luggage bin for her backpack. "I don't trust you people to be honest with me. You'll come back and say you didn't find anything, just so you don't have to feed us today."
"We wouldn't do that," insisted Horatio.
"You might not," said Clem as she pulled out her tomahawk. "What about the rest of them?"
"We—"
"Let them go with me today," said Eskiya suddenly.
"What?" asked Sabriya, almost laughing as she did. "No, that's—"
"You've gone out four times in a row now Sabriya, you're overexerting yourself," Eskiya said to Sabriya. "And that was before—."
"Don't!" she said through her teeth as she held up one hand while covering her face with the other. "I don't need this right now."
"He's just saying you need a break," Dilawar said as he moved over to Sabriya.
"Jesus Dil, not you too."
"It'd do you a lot good," assured Dil before turning to Eskiya. "I'll go with you instead of Sab, that makes more sense than sending a kid out to find food."
"I'm right here," announced Clem as she retrieved her backpack from the luggage compartment. "And I'm not just some kid. I've had to scrape and scrounge for food by myself almost all winter now just to stay alive. So with or without your help that's exactly what I'm gonna do today."
"I don't believe this," mumbled Sabriya as she rubbed her forehead.
"It's clearly what they want," noted Eskiya. "And if they're going to be staying with us it'd be in all our interests to know how capable they are."
"I bet. You wouldn't want to waste giving food to a…" Clem stopped herself just short of saying burden, not wanting to risk revealing that she was listening in on them.
"We're gonna feed you," insisted Dilawar. "We're not—"
"Enough," ordered Sabriya with as much strength as she could muster. "We don't have time to argue." Sabriya glared at Eskiya. "Seeing as you dragged us all into this, I'm expecting you to keep a close on eye on her."
"I will," said Eskiya with a nod.
"And not just for your own sake," insisted Sabriya through her teeth before turning to Clem. "If he does anything, you tell me the second you get back."
"Like what?"
"Anything," repeated Sabriya as she locked eyes with Clem. "Anything you don't approve of or find suspicious, you tell me. And you." Sabriya looked over at Eskiya. "If she doesn't come back, then don't bother coming back yourself."
"Of course," he said, seemingly unfazed by Sabriya's barely veiled threat. Eskiya then turned to Clem. "Gather everything you'll need."
"I'll need my gun," she said.
"Everything but that," retorted Sabriya.
"What if something attacks me? Is he gonna do anything to protect me?"
"If he's smart he will," said Sabriya as she glared as Eskiya.
"And if he's not then what? He just leaves me to die somewhere?"
"If you're worried about that you can just stay here and let Dil go with Eskiya, like the rest of us want," challenged Sabriya. "You're the one who insists on going out."
Looking around, Clem noticed everyone was staring at her. It was strange, seeing four fully grown adults all waiting for a little girl's answer. A year ago she might have found this a little flattering, but now it just irritated her. She had to insist she be allowed to do the work of an adult because she didn't trust any of the actual adults left in the world to do it themselves. "I'll make do with my knife and tomahawk."
Sabriya groaned loudly as she stood up. "Dil, get her and Eskiya some water and food."
"I thought we were out of food?" challenged Clem.
"Effectively, we are." Clem was surprised to hear Horatio say that. Looking at him, the tired despair hanging off his face was disheartening. It might have been more comforting if these people were lying to them about how much food they had, because them having none means Clem is no better off than she was yesterday.
Clem watched as Dilawar removed a fishing rod, a bow, and a quiver of arrows from the bus. For a brief moment, Clem was hoping she'd get a bit of fresh meat to eat. But next he pulled out three cans and spent an unusual amount of time looking at them. Dil handed Eskiya one can, opened a second one, then scooped out half its contents into a bowl Eskiya was holding. As Eskiya was eating, Dilawar approached Clem.
"Save this one for lunch," he said as he handed her a sealed can of green beans. "And here's an extra helping for breakfast." Clem looked at the corn sitting in the half-empty can. "Go ahead, you're gonna need it."
"Sarah needs it more," said Clem as she turned to the bus.
"No, that's for you," said Sabriya as she dug through the luggage compartment.
"I'm giving it to Sarah," announced Clem as she moved to the door. "And you can't stop me."
Sabriya jumped out of the bin and charged over to Clem with such haste it startled her. "Eat it," she ordered through her teeth as she placed herself between Clem and the door.
"I—"
"If you really care about them you'll eat it," ordered Sabriya in a harsh tone. "Because that's how you'll help them. Not starving yourself for a single bit of food now but by taking care of yourself long enough you can hopefully find what you need to secure their well-being."
Clem opened her mouth to object, but she found herself at a total loss of words. Looking around, everyone was staring at her and Sabriya now. She didn't like this, but she couldn't rationalize away what Sabriya just said, and defying her just to spite seemed unwise. Clem sighed and removed a spoon from her backpack.
"Thank God," mumbled Sabriya as she wandered away while Clem ate what was in the can. It didn't take her long to get to the bottom of it. Looking at the empty can, Clem felt guilty for eating it. She looked at the other unopened can in her backpack, tempted to bring it to Sarah and Omid. But looking over at Sabriya and Dilawar slowly dragging buckets over to the lake, their sluggish march made it clear they weren't lying when they said they didn't have anything left to eat.
"Are you ready?"
Clem turned around to see Eskiya staring at her with that same vacant expression he always had on his face. "Give me a minute," said Clem as she set her bag down. "Let me just tell Sarah and Omid what's happening."
"Don't be long." Heading back into the bus, Clem realized she didn't like this place. There was no furniture or comfy couch to rest on, just a long aisle with haphazardly hung curtains on both sides making rooms, and the bathroom was a barely lit closet with a toilet inside. Even if they used the Brave to get around, it always felt like a home to them. This bus however was clearly temporary, which made Clem wonder what happens when it's gone.
"Come on Omid," pleaded Sarah as she gently rocked him beneath the covers. "Don't you want Elma back?" said Sarah as she inched the stuffed toy to the edge of the covers. "You gotta come out if you want to play with her."
Clem watched as Omid's hand slowly emerged from the covers and grabbed Elma's leg. He tried pulling it into his grasp, but Sarah refused to let go of it. She pulled back, trying to urge Omid to come out, but a pitiful whimpering came from beneath the covers that made Clem feel sick. Sarah sighed to herself and let go of Elma, allowing Omid to pull it into his arms and out of sight from everyone but him.
"Oh, hey Clem," said Sarah in a weary voice as she looked over. "Did… did they give you any food?"
Clem stifled a sigh, not sure how to answer that. "They're out," she said, thinking it was effectively true. "But don't worry, I'm gonna go and—"
"You're going out?" asked Sarah in disbelief.
"Yeah, we need food and—"
"Let them get it."
"Sarah…"
"What? You're tired, and hurt, and a kid," listed Sarah. "There's four of them, why not let them do it? At for least today?"
"Because I don't trust them," said Clem in a hushed voice before looking over her shoulder. "We don't know if they're gonna share what they find with us. They could just lie and say they didn't find anything because they don't want to feed us."
"You think they would do that?"
"I don't know what to think," admitted Clem in a whisper. "That's the other reason I want to go. If I stay close to one of them, maybe I can learn more about them." Clem looked over her shoulder again, then turned back to Sarah. "Have you heard them say anything? About us?"
"No, not really." Sarah's eyes narrowed. "Why are you asking me that? What did you hear?"
Clem stifled a groaned as she tried to work out what she wanted to say. "I just… I got this feeling they don't want us to stay. For all we know, they're going leave us on the side of the road in a few days or something."
"What?" asked s shocked Sarah. "I thought—"
"You saw me having to beg that man to listen to me, grabbing his gun and…" Clem shuddered as she saw the terror gripping Sarah's face. "They let us on their bus, but they could change their mind at any time."
"Isn't that more of a reason you should stay here today, with us?" asked a desperately confused Sarah. "Wouldn't it just make it easier to… to get rid of us if you went out? To get rid of you?"
"Maybe, but if they really wanted to we couldn't stop it," said Clem with a sigh as she realized that was true. "I'm gonna go scout for food with one of them, hopefully learn more about where we're at, and maybe who these people are. At least that way, maybe we'll see it coming and be ready… maybe."
Sarah turned away slowly, quiet defeat in her eyes as she laid down. "That makes sense," she conceded in a barely audible whisper. "I'll do what I can here while you're gone. Try to find out what their plans are for us."
"No, Sarah, you're—"
"Hurt, tired, a kid? So are you," she reminded.
"You need to stay off your feet though."
"Exactly, I'll need a lot of help getting around, which means one of them will have to do it," reasoned Sarah with a certain slyness.
"Sarah, these people don't trust us either," warned Clem. "We—"
"I'm not dumb Clem, I won't ask them anything obvious. I'll just listen."
"You're… you're really good at that." Clem leaned in close and gave Sarah a gentle kiss on the cheek. Backing away, Clem was bothered by a subtle dread resting in Sarah's eyes. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
"Sarah…"
Sarah sighed deeply. "I… had this horrible dream before I woke up this morning."
"What was it?"
"You were gone, and it was just me and Omid, on the side of the road, alone…"
"Really?" asked Clem in disbelief.
"Yeah," said Sarah as she took a deep, panicked breath. "It… it felt so real because even in the dream, I just woke up there. Just… lying on the road with Omid next to me, and I couldn't find you or anything because it was dark and…"
"I'm right here!" interrupted Clem suddenly, her hands shaking as she held Sarah's. "I'm right here, and I'll be back." Sarah moved in close and wrapped her arms around Clem. "I'm sorry," said Clem as she hugged her. "I guess you were already worried they'd leave us, and I made it worse just now."
"It's not that. I've had this a dream a bunch of times now," she confessed in a whisper. "Almost everyday I… I'm afraid I'm going to lose you." Clem felt a tinge in her heart as she was going to tell Sarah it'd be okay, but couldn't bring herself to lie to her. "Do you ever have bad dreams?"
"After… after Vernal, I had one dream where I rolled over and… my entire hand was gone."
"I'm sorry," said Sarah as she held Clem tighter. "What about last night? Did you have any bad dreams last night?"
"No."
"That's good." Clem neglected to inform Sarah the reason she didn't haven't bad dreams last night was because she had barely slept at all. She spent nearly all night just lying there, terrified every subtle bump of someone turning in bed would be followed by footsteps marching over to where they were sleeping. It wasn't until the sun came up did she finally feel safe, a feeling that did not last.
"I should go," said Clem, forcing herself to break away from Sarah's grasp. "Omid? You want to say bye before I go?" Clem leaned in over the lump in the covers. Clem was hoping Omid would come out to see her, but he didn't move. Instead, she leaned over and gently kissed the top of the covers. "I love you Omid." Clem turned to Sarah. "You too."
"Same," she said with a weary nod before carefully lying down on her side. Clem lingered for a minute, not wanting to leave, then forced herself back outside. The cold air hit her hard and served as a painful reminder of what was to come. She immediately retrieved an extra pair of gloves, a scarf and a wool cap from her backpack.
"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Clem looked up to see Eskiya standing in front of her suddenly. "You don't look well."
"What do you care?" she asked as she pulled her gas mask out of her backpack.
"I care because if you're careless, it could get me killed." Clem scowled in response to his blunt honesty. "Dilawar can still come with me if you prefer."
"No, I'm going," insisted Clem as she slung her tomahawk over her shoulder. "I'm not gonna sit here all day just for you to come back and say you've got nothing to eat for Sarah and Omid."
"You know that can happen even if you do come," informed Eskiya as Clem tightened her gas mask to keep out the cold. "More often than not these days, you can spend countless hours looking for food and come back empty-handed."
"Yeah, I know," said Clem as she placed her knife in the sheath on her belt. "And you know that I probably knew that, so you also think it'll be easier to lie to me since I know how hard it is to get food, right?" Eskiya didn't answer her. "I'll get my bike."
"Bike?" repeated Eskiya as Clem walked away.
"Yeah, how else are we supposed to get anywhere today?" said Clem as she located her bike in the luggage compartment.
"We walk," he insisted.
"You can walk, I'm taking my bike," said Clem as she grasped the handlebars, pain shooting through her left hand as she did.
"That's not a good idea," said Eskiya.
"Why?"
"It'll draw more attention than if we walked."
"How?"
"It—"
"It doesn't make any noise," argued Clem. "It's so quiet you can ride right into a town of walkers and they wouldn't know it."
"You don't—"
"I do know." Clem held up her left hand and pulled the glove off of it, revealing the crusty bandage underneath it. "That's how this happened."
"All right," said Eskiya, sounding more curious than disturbed. "It'd still make us more visible then if we walked."
"It makes us faster too," refuted Clem. "So if someone does see us we can hopefully get away."
"True, but—"
"And it makes carrying things a hell of a lot easier," continued Clem as she painstakingly dragged the bike free from the luggage compartment. "I spent a long time carrying heavy stuff around for miles on foot and I'm not doing it again. I don't think I could right now. So just let me take my damn bike!" Eskiya just stood there, a single eyebrow raised as he looked at Clem. "Well? You gonna tell me I'm wrong?"
"No, you made excellent points." Clem was shocked to hear him say that. "It's just, we won't be able to match pace if you're on a bike and I'm not."
"Um… well, you could take Sarah's bike."
Eskiya stood there for a second. "That'll work."
Clem just stared at the man in disbelief as he moved over to the luggage bin and pulled out Sarah's bike. She didn't exactly trust any of these people, but the other three she felt like she had a decent grasp of who they may be. Eskiya however was somewhat of a mystery to her, and judging from the attitudes of the others, he was still a mystery to him, and Clem was about to go out alone with him into the wastes.
"You do know how to ride it, right?" asked Clem as Eskiya studied Sarah's bike.
"Yes but… it's been a very long time."
"Don't worry man," said Dilawar as he approached the pair. "It's just like riding a…" Dilawar looked at the bike. "Oh."
"Here." Sabriya handed Clem a radio. "Keep it on and keep us updated for as long as you're in radio range." Clem watched as Sabriya handed Eskiya a radio, and before he could clip it to his belt she noticed the faded mark where a couple of flower stickers used to be.
"Wait, that's my radio," she said.
"Why does that matter?" asked Esikya.
"Just give it to her," ordered Sabriya. "You're both wasting time as it is."
Eskiya eyed the radio carefully for a second, then handed it to Clem as she passed him her own. She felt a tinge of shame that she ever let it escape her possession like that.
"Take the north road," instructed Sabriya.
"The south one leads to Salt Lake City," reminded Eskiya.
"Yeah, and I imagine it's a mess like every major city we've seen," retorted Sabriya. "I'd rather carve out the area around it first, hopefully find some food in the meantime."
"And if we don't?"
Sabriya took a deep breath. "We're not gonna have the strength to clear our a bunch of empty suburbs for a week on the off-chance one of them still have food," she said. "If you don't find anything today we're gonna have to risk going into the big city tomorrow, before we're too weak to move."
Her words sent a chill down Clem's spine. Looking at Dilawar and Horatio, they likewise were disturbed. Even Eskiya had a hint of fear tugging at the corners of his eyes as he adjusted his glasses. He wrapped a bandana around his face and collected an overcoat from storage. Studying it, Clem could make see it was stained with something, even through its dark material; they knew about the smell.
More curious, Clem watched as Eskiya studied Sarah's bike again, then returned to the luggage compartment. He very carefully slipped something large into the bike's saddlebag. Clem tried to get in closer for a better look, but then she noticed Eskiya staring at her. He didn't say anything, which just made her feel more nervous.
Eskiya awkwardly mounted Sarah's bike, then looked at Clem. She stood there for a second, her mind teasing her with defiant thoughts for a second before she got on her own bike. Clem looked to Eskiya, as if to tell him she was ready, and he started pedaling forward, the bike wobbling badly for a few seconds before straightening up. Clem groaned as she forced her tired legs to move while her aching hand gripped the handlebar.
Almost immediately Clem regretted this decision. The biting cold was worse than it had ever been and served as a very painful reminder of why Clem had gone searching for help in the first place. A mile down the road and there was a lot nothing to greet her beyond sloping hills in every direction. It was a lot like being back in Wyoming again, just with a few more dead bushes and trees surrounding the road. It all just looked like a wasteland to her; everywhere did these days.
Watching Eskiya just ahead of her, he didn't seem to be faring much better, occasionally slowing down and weaving to the side of the road. In her desperation to find help from anyone, it never occurred to Clem the people she'd find would be nearly as bad off as she was. It was like being saved from drowning just to be pulled onto a leaking lifeboat trapped in the same ocean, and that was assuming these people didn't just throw them back in the water.
Eskiya skidded to a sudden stop just ahead of Clem and she felt a jolt shoot up her spine as she was forced to do the same if she didn't want to crash into him.
"What is it?" asked Clem, her aching limbs trembling.
"I see some houses up ahead," he reported in a quiet voice as he removed some binoculars from his belt. "Doesn't look like much."
Clem grabbed her own binoculars and looked ahead. She found the houses he mentioned off the road on the left, the makings of a small town.
"What do you think we'll find?" Clem lowered her binoculars and saw Eskiya staring at her. There was something about hiding the rest of his face that made his eyes look that much more intimidating, like an eagle always watchful for prey. She wouldn't be surprised if that was intentional. "Any ideas?" he asked a little louder.
"Well… we probably won't find anything," admitted Clem as she put her binoculars away.
"Why do you say that?"
"There's a ton of space between the houses, the roads looked like they hadn't been paved in a long time; it's some rural little farm town."
"A farm town wouldn't have food?" he challenged. "Couldn't they grow their own?"
"If they have been then they would have built something to keep things out by now, a fence or a wall made out of cars," reasoned Clem. "I don't see anything like that, so they probably just made do with what they had. Since places like this don't have a lot of people, there aren't as many walkers. They probably held out until they used up every last bit of food left, then abandoned it when there was nothing left." Clem saw Eskiya was staring at her again, which she still hadn't gotten used to.
"I was thinking the same thing," he said as he turned away.
"If you were, why did you ask why a farm town wouldn't have food?"
"I wanted to know what your reasoning was." Clem scowled as Eskiya got back on his bike. "That said, we should check a few homes, make sure this town wasn't an exception."
"No, we should…" Clem groaned to herself; she was thinking the same thing actually. "Yeah, let's do that."
Normally searching for food was mindless for Clem, but she couldn't just fall into her routine with this stranger beside her. She found herself second-guessing everything he did, fearful he only volunteered to come with her because he had an ulterior motive. She hadn't forgotten what Eskiya had said, about losing them being 'inevitable'. What little energy she had left she used to keep a close eye on him.
Unfortunately, it seemed to be mutual. Eskiya hesitated constantly as they searched rooms, like he was expecting her to do something anytime he did. She also occasionally caught him staring at her. It never stopped being unnerving, those distrusting eyes repeatedly scanning her. The mutual paranoia slowed them down as well and tossing an empty house took them about twice as long then if Clem had done it alone.
Checking the house next door they found more of the same. Kitchen, pantry, drawers under the sink, all cleaned out of anything remotely edible, even condiments. No vehicle in the garage, half empty dressers upstairs, and no signs anyone had been here in a long time. It was enough to convince the pair to return to the road. Heading out of the house, Clem stumbled and fell down the last few stairs, once again landing on her left side and banging her hand on the ground again.
"Fuck!"
Eskiya spun around, gun drawn, then lowered it as he watched Clem stand up. "Are you okay?"
"Like you care," mumbled Clem as she stood up, rubbing her throbbing hand as she did.
"You should eat," instructed Eskiya.
"I need to save it," insisted Clem as she walked past him. "We've just started."
Clem felt Eskiya's hand on her shoulder, stopping her. "Eat, you need the calories," he instructed in a sterner voice.
"I'm slowing you down," concluded Clem. "That's the real reason you want me to eat."
Eskiya stared at her. "That too." He let go of her and wandered into the vacant dining room. Watching him take off his pack, it was clear he was going to stop to eat himself, which meant Clem might as well too. She moved into the living room, eager to get away from Eskiya.
Fishing out her own can opener and pulling out that can from her pack, Clem found herself getting light-headed. She hated to admit it, but he was right, she really was going to need more food now to stand a chance of getting through the day. Chewing into the salty mud the label insisted was green beans was almost enough to make her gag, but she forced herself to swallow it a bite at a time.
"Maybe ten kilometers," she heard Eskiya's voice say over her radio. "Probably less."
"That's it?" She'd heard Eskiya report to Sabriya a minute ago. She'd mostly tuned out what they were saying as there wasn't much to be said. "I figured you'd be further along than that. You have a bike for God's sake!"
"I haven't ridden on a bike in nearly twenty years." Clem's ears perked up when she heard that, if just because that's possibly the first thing Eskiya revealed about himself other than his name and that he was from Wisconsin. "Besides, any further and we'd be out of radio range, you know that."
"Yeah I know, it's just… it's hard to think when you're so hungry," Sabriya's mumbling just made Clem feel even more nervous than she already did. She remembered her and Simon's desperate trip to Denver, and how many miles of walkers they had to walk past to get there. She wasn't looking forward to repeating that experience in Salt Lake City while even more hungry than she was then.
"It's also colder today too, that's not helping," mumbled Eskiya. "And… our new guest and I aren't used to working together." The way he phrased that made it clear he knew Clem was listening in on them.
"Speaking of which, how is she?" said Horatio.
"They seem… capable."
"That's not what I meant," responded an annoyed Horatio.
"They can tell you how they feel themselves, if they want to." Clem groaned as she heard that. Not only did he know she was listening, now he was bringing attention to it. Clem thought to herself for a moment, then picked up her radio.
"I'm okay," she said into the radio. "Just really tired… and hungry… and cold."
"You should've let me go," insisted Dilawar suddenly, a tinge in guilt in his words.
"You're not tired, hungry and cold?" asked Clem.
"Of course I am. But…"
"You're older?" scoffed Clem after he trailed off. "I've been doing this for months now."
"Doesn't mean you need to keep doing it." Clem wanted to believe Dilawar, but the whole reason she was out here now is because she didn't trust these people.
"Hey," said Horatio. "Your friend, Sarah, wants to talk to you."
"Put her on," instructed an anxious Clem.
"Clem?"
"Yeah, are you okay?" she asked. "What's wrong?"
"Wrong? Nothing, I just wanted to hear your voice," admitted Sarah. "It… just makes me feel better."
"Yeah, it's good to hear you too," confessed Clem. Even over the squeaky radio speaker, the warmth of Sarah's voice chased away a bit of Clem's fatigue and the pain in her hand felt more manageable. "Is Omid okay?"
"Yeah, he's still just staying under the covers, but I changed him a few minutes ago and he looks okay… just unhappy."
"Aren't we all?" sighed Clem. "I should go. We still need to find food."
"All right, but before you go, Omid, do you want to say goodbye to Clem?" Clem listened closely as she heard the radio moving in Sarah's hands. "It's Clem," she heard Sarah say, her voice distant from the radio now. "Do you want to say bye to her? Bye-bye?" Clem waited anxiously for a response, but it didn't come. "I'm sorry," she eventually heard Sarah say.
"It's fine," assured Clem. "I'll see you later."
"I love you."
"I… I love you too," admitted Clem with a bit of embarrassment as she realized everyone just heard that. She sighed, put her backpack on and slowly stood up, her hand still aching from the fall. Putting her mask back on, she had barely stepped out of the living room when she found Eskiya standing in front of her, fully dressed and ready to go.
He didn't say anything, and Clem didn't feel like talking to him, so she just headed to the door. They returned to the road and got back on their bikes without a word between them. Clem felt a little better after having eaten, but not much. Before long, she found herself in a dreary state of near-death she often felt while scavenging. It was a feeling that only got worse with time because every mile she pedaled was another she'd have to pedal back, and Clem didn't know how many miles she had left in her.
The distant hills closed in around them as they pushed forward until they were biking through a small canyon. What little hope they had of finding food narrowed with the rock walls around them. After a few miles, Clem spotted a break on the right side of the canyon and perked up at the prospect of finding the next town. She and Eskiya moved onto this new road and picked up speed, eager to find possible salvation.
The road didn't lead them to a town but some sort of industrial site. There were massive silo-like structures, warehouses, conveyor belts and big industrial machinery leading off into the horizon. What they were used for Clem had no idea, and the few signs near the front only further confused her, advertising seemingly two different companies whose names she'd never heard of, along with the words 'Devil's Slide'.
What was clear is there were no signs of the living or the dead recently coming here, and even less they'd find any food, so they returned to the main road. Continuing north, Clem couldn't help noticing the train tracks running along the road. It made her realize how fortunate they had been to find that train back in Georgia. Even if where it brought them was terrible, it saved them probably weeks of walking to get there. She wondered if that was all she had to look forward to anymore, small conveniences between disasters.
They passed a few other small outcroppings from the canyon road, none of which were very promising. The occasional house or trailer hugging the canyon wall, all of which had long since been left to rot, an empty area that a sign told them used to be a cattle ranch, and a single truck stop wedged in next to the rock. It looked like it had been abandoned even before the outbreak and a quick investigation revealed nothing of value.
It had to been at least ten long miles before they discovered a real town again. Studying it from an overpass, it wasn't very big. The train tracks just sailed right past it onto somewhere more important and there were no clear signs anyone living or dead had been here recently. But far in the distance, the pair spotted a sizable suburbia and agreed they should at least search for a while, hope that something had been left behind.
A sign just past the tracks read 'Welcome to Morgan'. That was a name that filled Clem with dread while what they discovered provided further despair. A couple of houses and a gas station nearest the road had been picked clean, but not as neatly as the last stop. There had been some signs of turmoil. Most of the houses' windows had been broken and boarded up and the gas station had trucks arranged around it like a crude barrier.
A missing vehicle leaving a wide opening in the barrier suggested the station had since been abandoned, and the lack of anything remotely useful solidified that fact. Clem also noticed a few faint stains on different parts of the pavement. They could be old oil slicks, they could be dried blood. It was hard for her to tell, and there was little point in bothering to find out. Looking down the road, Clem could see the sign for the building across from the gas station advertised 'sandwiches', so their next target was clear.
The odds were poor but they had little other options so they investigated every small restaurant they could find on the main street. The strange thing was Clem didn't even say anything, Eskiya already seemed to know where to look, gravitating right to each restaurant's freezer if they had one. It saved her time but she thought it odd she didn't have to explain her reasoning for once; she hadn't met anyone who knew to search the freezers since Corporal Cruz.
Sadly, luck was not on their side. Sam's Sandwiches, River Burger, and K's Drive-In all proved fruitless. It was enough to make Clem want to turn around and go back. She was going to say something, but Eskiya was already moving to the other side of the street. She could see a sign on a brick building that read 'Spring Chicken Inn' and followed after Eskiya. It was within walking distance so they might as well check it out.
The sign confused Clem to whenever this was a restaurant or an inn. The inside didn't help, with the walls being plastered with paintings and the furniture looking more like antiques. Moving further into the building, she found more signs that this was indeed a restaurant, with a buffet line near a strange gift shop and eventually a kitchen buried far in the back. Once again, Clem found herself following Eskiya as headed for the freezer and pulled on the door; it didn't open.
"It's locked," thought Clem out loud. "That means…" She looked up and saw a padlock, a massive padlock. Shining her light on it, she could see the lock's loop was covered in deep scratches, and just past that were dents all across the freezer door. Clearly, no one had gotten in here, and Clem doubted they could change that. Even if she still somehow had that bolt cutter they found in Georgia, she never used it to cut a lock this thick before.
Despair washed over Clem as she turned away. She turned to Eskiya, expecting he too was disappointed, but he wasn't.
"What are—"
"Stay right here," he ordered as he backed away, an odd eagerness in his eyes. "I will be right back." He dashed out of the room so fast he was nearly a blur as he disappeared into the darkness. Clem was alone now, a small lantern on her belt providing the only light as an uneasy feeling crawled over her skin. The logical part of her mind told her if Eskiya wanted to ditch her, he had better opportunities to do so earlier; the rest of her brain was yelling about how he was abandoning her.
But before long, Eskiya came rushing back into the restaurant with a large bag over his shoulder. He set it on the ground and immediately started fiddling with it.
"What is that?"
"One of Dilawar's tools." Eskiya picked up a long metal wand with a hose leading to a couple of large metal bottles. "A portable acetylene torch."
"I've heard of these," said Clem as Eskiya fiddled with the valves on the bottles. "It can cut through that lock, right?"
"Possibly."
"Possibly?"
"I've never tried it on a lock this big," said Eskiya as he stood up. "And there's not much fuel left in the tanks." Eskiya stood up and covered his face with a welding helmet he removed from the same bag. "Stay away from the door."
"I will."
"And get your weapon ready."
"What, why?"
"In case the undead are in there."
"You think there's a walker in the freezer?" asked Clem as Eskiya removed a pair of metal tongs from his pocket.
"One time we cut open a freezer and one of the undead came charging out, nearly killed Dilawar," explained Eskiya as moved the tongs in front of the torch's nozzle. "Be ready for anything."
Eskiya clicked the tongs and a red flame sparked to life at the end of the torch. Clem backed into the wall as he fiddled with the knobs on the torch, causing the flame to change in shape and color. One twist caused the little orange flame to turn into a long roaring one, another twist narrowed it to a thin beam and turned it into a shade of white so bright Clem literally couldn't bear to look at it.
Turning away, she could hear a loud hissing noise, and turning back she saw sparks flying from the door. She found herself inching further away, fearful both of what was inside and what would happen if she was too close to that torch. Slowly, she took her tomahawk off her shoulder and wrapped her tired fingers around it, the ones she had left anyway. She didn't know what was coming next but she had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach.
There was a loud bang and Clem nearly jumped out of her skin as Eskiya spun around and placed his back to the door. It took her a second to realize the bang had been the cut lock hitting the floor. She watched as Eskiya hastily shut off the torch and tossed the wand aside. He removed a short machete from his belt while pushing against the door.
"Can you feel a walker inside?" whispered Clem as she stepped forward.
"I don't know, it's a heavy door," admitted Eskiya, fear seeping into his voice, which just made Clem more afraid. "Be ready for anything."
Clem tightened her grip and swallowed hard; she hadn't fought a walker since Vernal. She tried to stop herself from shaking and reluctantly gave Eskiya a subtle nod. He nodded back, then pulled the door opened and backed straight into the wall in a single frantic motion. Clem stifled a small scream as she saw a walker stumble into view. It was a big one, stumbling drunkenly out of the freezer, barely visible in the low light.
It lurched forward a few steps and Clem could see it, that horrible gaping maw full of rotted teeth and trembled. She felt a sharp pain shoot through her left hand and although it didn't seem to have detected them, its mere presence horrified her. Clem tried inching backwards along the wall, desperate to escape, when Eskiya lurched forward. He swung low with his machete and chopped the walker's ankle out from under it.
It fell onto its side, its head landing inches away from Clem's feet. She just stared at it, that twisted mound of flesh and broken teeth twitching and pulsing in front of her. I didn't even look like a human head to Clem, but some strange blob monster hissing in front of her. Seeing it turn towards her sent a chill down her spine while her arms moved on their own.
She drove her tomahawk down into that grotesque lump of hair, flesh and bone, creating a sickening crunch as her blade tore open its face. She pulled out a mess of blackened blood and then drove her tomahawk into it again. Over and over, breaking its already broken teeth and grinding it into a mush of bloodied meat with every strike.
"Enough," said Eskiya as he stepped forward and grabbed Clem's tomahawk mid-swing. "What are you doing?"
"I… I was just making sure it's dead," said Clem through deep breaths, her entire body shaking as she looked at the twisted mess where the walker's head used to be. "Last time I didn't… I regretted it."
"You… you weren't bitten just now, were you?"
"What? No!"
"You're sure?"
"Yes!" said Clem. "It didn't even touch me."
Clem felt nervous as Eskiya stared at her.
"Just… wait here," he said. "I'll make sure there's nothing else in the freezer." As Eskiya walked into the freezer, Clem looked down at the blood and flesh strewn out before her and found herself inching away from a couple of loose teeth she had knocked out, fearful even touching them would be enough to kill her. "It's safe," announced Eskiya with a bit of enthusiasm. "Come on." Clem carefully moved away from the walker's remains, refusing to take her eyes off it until she was safely out of its range.
"Is there any…" Clem's jaw dropped as she looked at the packed shelves stretched out before. "Beets," said Clem with a weak laugh as she examined a pair of large cans right in front of her. "I guess it's better than…" Clem's eyes widened as she saw a couple of massive bags of rice sitting on the next shelf. "Please don't have bugs," said Clem as she held up her lantern and examined the nearest bag for signs of infestation; none she could immediately see.
"Look." Clem turned to discover Eskiya behind her; she didn't even hear him approach her. In his arms was another big can.
"Peaches," she read off the label.
"I can't remember the last time I tasted fruit," he said to himself, his voice almost giddy.
"Me neither," said Clem as she pulled off her mask. "Let's…" A horrid rotting smell infested Clem's nostrils the second she removed her mask. It was like burning trash had been forced up her nose and she found herself gagging on the stench as she gasped for air.
"Let's not eat here," said Eskiya as Clem hastily put her mask back on. "Everything that does spoil is also still in here."
"Yeah," said Clem before coughing a couple of times. "Good idea."
The pair hastily returned to the front of the restaurant and Eskiya already had a can opener in his hand before Clem couldn't even take off her backpack. She fished out her spoon, took off her mask and waited impatiently as Eskiya gradually pried the can open, every bit as eager as her to eat peaches, even nearly three-year-old ones. Once Eskiya had pried the top off enough to create an opening he jammed his spoon inside, and Clem was right behind him.
The peaches were a cold mush that stuck to Clem's gums as she tried to chew it. But it was a very sweet mush and one Clem was grateful to have. She polished off her spoon in no time and immediately got another mouthful, and then another and another. Going for a fifth helping, her spoon collided with Eskiya's and the pair looked at each other awkwardly. Despite his cold demeanor, even he couldn't hide how hungry he obviously was right now, or how happy he was just to have something to eat.
For once, Clem found herself staring at Eskiya, amused by how quickly his otherwise consistent cold demeanor melted at the first sign of peaches. He seemed to become self-aware of this fact as he hastily turned away from Clem and put his spoon down.
"We got lucky," he said, burying what little enthusiasm he briefly had in his voice.
"Yeah, we did," admitted Clem with a sigh. "Jackpots like this are very rare these days."
"When's the last time you found one?"
Clem thought to herself for a moment. "Denver," she said. "There was a whole store that still had food left. But we had to go past miles of walkers to get to it."
"I don't suppose there's anything still left there?"
"Last time I went to check is when I ran into the Vaquero coming the other way. We lost our only vehicle… and the only friend I had left in the world after Sarah and Omid."
Eskiya sighed deeply. "I suppose I should be grateful for this find," he mused. "It should last us at least a week, maybe two."
"Just a couple of weeks?" repeated Clem. "There's a ton of stuff in there."
"And there's seven of us now, with another on the way." Eskiya looked at the half-eaten can sitting on the table, then stood up. "I want you to wait here."
"Why?" asked Clem as she stood up suddenly. "Where are you going?"
"To contact the others, so they can come and pick up the food in the bus, save us some pedaling."
"Why do you need to go outside to do that?" asked Clem.
"Because, we are too far away for the radio to reach them," explained as Eskiya stood up. "I'll probably have to ride back several kilometers as it is just to make contact."
"You should try the radio right now," reasoned Clem as she hastily got out of her chair. "You know, just in case we're still close enough for them to hear us."
Eskiya stared at Clem, something she was very quickly getting tired of, then removed his radio from his belt. "Sabriya, are you there?" Eskiya let go of the talk button and waited for an answer; nothing. "Dilawar, Horatio? Does anyone copy?" The only thing Clem could hear was Eskiya's voice coming out of her radio, meaning he was on the right channel and his radio was working. When no answer arrived, Eskiya placed his radio back on his belt. "Like I said, I'll need to go back a few kilometers to make contact."
"Then I'll come with you," insisted Clem as she followed him to the door.
"No, someone should remain here to guard the food," reasoned Eskiya.
"And that should be me?" challenged Clem. "A little kid all alone? How would I stop anything if it did come here?"
"We both know you're no ordinary child, and you were the one who insisted on coming in the first place."
"I also insisted on getting my gun back." Eskiya looked at Clem, more glaring than staring now. "You stay here, I'll go and contact the others."
Clem moved past Eskiya and pushed the door open, only for Eskiya to forcibly pull it shut. She tried pushing it open again but he held it into place. Turning her head and angrily looking up at Eskiya, only three words came to mind for Clementine.
"I knew it."