The Darkness of The Heart

Chapter 1 of my new Walking Dead story, Episode 5 of Darkness of the Heart, the beginning of the finale, enjoy.

Reviews from Previous story:

Boris Yeltsin: Thanks, well, here we go :)
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Now onto the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own Walking Dead or its characters.

Chapter 1

"What were you fucking thinking!?"

Minerva rolled her eyes at Lilly's yelling, they had survived the explosion along with Marlon but it was clear it had caused chaos, there was still fighting going on between their supporters and the others, then there were those trying to escape and those uninitiated that were trying to get free from their cells.

"You tried to kill us!" Lilly yelled.

Minerva scoffed. "But we didn't die, and I've tilted the odds in our favour now."

Marlon was in shock, not saying anything while Lilly fumed.

"Our people are still in here." She snapped. "This place is on fire and everything is falling apart, you could have destroyed our chances."

Minerva shook her head. "But I didn't did I, they're still alive and any that do die weren't worth considering. Only the strongest deserve to live and serve our vision. Just like Sophie was too weak, why do think I didn't bother hesitating when I had to punish her for trying to escape."

That made Marlon start. "You...you killed Sophie, your own sister?"

"She was weak, it's what she deserved." Minerva remarked, unrepentant.

Lilly shook her head. "Enough, we need to get out of here, now!"

Marlon agreed, still shaken and they went to escape, except Minerva. Minerva had something else she needed to do first, and no amount of flames and collapsing parts of the building would stop her.

Clementine grimaced as she looked around, after the explosion, the trio had fled, leaving her tied to the chair in the burning building, with the corpse of the, now former, leader of Delta.

"Shit, shit..." She muttered, tugging at her bonds.

She couldn't let it end like this, not here. Not when the others were probably still alive and trapped. She needed to get out of this and save them. She struggled gallantly against her bonds but they wouldn't give. She looked around desperately, trying to focus, but it wasn't easy with the fire and smoke and the sounds of panic outside. Then she saw it, something on the nearby table, it was her chance, but only if she could move the chair. Gritting her teeth she tried and, to her relief, she was able to move it, but only slightly. Still kept trying and soon, to her relief, she made it to the desk and, with some struggle, she managed to get her hands on the knife.

'Okay careful, careful...' She thought to herself.

So with careful effort she finally managed to cut through her bonds and quickly got up from the chair.

"Shit." She muttered.

Covering her mouth with her sleeve as she coughed, she blinked, trying to clear her vision. Finally she got out of the room and grimaced, it was worse than she thought, the whole place was in chaos, flames, parts of the building collapsing as the fire ruined their structural integrity, and still there were the two halves of the cult, warring with each other, shooting at each other, apart from the ones that were indeed trying to escape.

Clem shook her head. 'Urgh, shit, I can't...I need to, I need to find the others, they're still here.'

She took stock of her exact surroundings, a catwalk overlooking the main room, with several other doors, a walkway branching the length of the room to another catwalk on the other side.

'Cells, for the "recent converts" as Delta call those they kidnapped...there aren't that many of them if those documents were right, so they've gotta be here, but...where...' She thought desperately.

Knowing she had to act, Clem began to run down the catwalk, checking the doors, they were mostly unlocked, only two were locked and she had to pry them opening with a loose railing. The first contained a small group of 'recent' converts.

"You, saved us." One of them, a man in his twenties gasped.

Clem shook her head. "We're not outta this yet, I'm looking for my friends, a group of girls they brought in the same time as me, have you seen them?"

But they shook their heads and Clem knew she had no choice but to keep looking.

Luckily she soon found a way out for the others as she pried open the second door to find a hole in the wall and some scaffolding nearby.

'This building was being renovated before it was abandoned...they never even bothered taking the scaffolding down.' Clem mused. 'Perfect.'

After directing the other captives to escape that way, Clem left and ran across the walkway, reaching the other catwalk. Almost at once she heard more screams and realized there were other captives, there were four locked doors on this side, the two nearest her and another two further down.

She pried open the first door and guided out another group of captives, telling them about the hole to escape through. She then reached the second door and, once it was open she cried out.

"Oh my god!"

For there, tied to chairs, still gagged, was Sarah, Becca and Rondi. All three of them immediately reacted upon seeing her.

"Guys, guys, calm down." She told them. "You need to calm down so I don't hurt you."

With that she pulled out the knife again and began freeing them. As she did so her hand brushed against something metal in her pocket, it took a moment to realize what it was.

'I still have it, that pendant.' She realized.

But she put that thought to the side and focused instead on getting Sarah, Becca and even Rondi out.

"You..." Rondi began.

Clem shook her head. "No time, guys that door over there, there's a hole in the wall and scaffolding outside, use that to climb down and get out."

"But Clem!" Sarah cried. "You need to come with us, you'll be..."

"Just go, I've got to help others and find Violet first, go!" Clem insisted.

So with that they ran and Clem turned to the last two doors.

She pried open the first one and darted inside, sure enough, more 'recent converts' were imprisoned here, but no sign of Violet. She left the room and guided them to safety.

'Violet's gotta be behind this last door, she...' Clem thought to herself.

But her thoughts stopped cold for that door was already open and Violet stood there, free. But that wasn't what made Clem stop, for Minerva was also there.

"Minnie..." Violet said, her voice barely audible above the flames.

Minerva smiled. "C'mon Violet, we can get out of here...away from all this, together, right..."

Clem tensed, it was clear now that Minerva was trying to lure Violet to her side, to make Violet stay with her, even after all this.

End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.