"Hey kid, get up. We gotta move; we're burnin' daylight over here." Luke's cheerful yet irritated voice breaks the sleeping spell I was under. Forcing me to wake up and face the reality of what the world's become.
I yawn, stretching my sore arms up in the air before letting them fall limp and resting on top of the blankets. There's no sound of rain either, the storm must've passed by.
The thick curtains drape over the window so there's not that much light in here, I don't remember pulling them over so Nick or Luke probably did it.
Morning already...? I don't even remember falling asleep.
My head throbs like the day before; the painkillers must've worn off while I was sleeping, I guess I'll have to get more downstairs then.
"Anytime now, kid."
My body screams violently at me, telling me that I should stay in bed and not move until I feel better. But I know that won't happen.
I can almost hear him smirking as he says that, opening my eyes vaguely I stare directly at him with a devilish smile.
"You're insane if you think I'm getting up-" I cough near the end, at first it was just a simple 'flu' cough, but then it took a dark turn the second I started coughing up blood…
W-what…? I'm not turning into one of… them, am I…?
Panic settles in quickly for me, I haven't been this sick before in my life and now all of a sudden I'm coughing up blood? This is not good…
Luke's eyes go from excited to worry instantly, kneeling over the bed and wiping away the blood with a small cloth that's on the night table beside him.
"You okay, kid?"
I can taste the blood dripping down the back of my throat, my muscles ache all over as well, I can't be turning… Can I?
I finally stop, my lungs gasp for breath desperately, before I look up at him, flashing him a quick smile despite all of my panicking and suffering.
"Still not getting up."
I smirk, wrapping myself up in the warm blankets, watching him from the corner of my eye, still a little freaked out about what just happened.
He lets out a deep sigh, standing there with a small smile, locking onto my eyes with his crisp, dark brown ones.
"You're some lucky that wasn't a whole lot of blood. Your throat's probably sore. You're not turnin'… Probably."
"I feel so much better…" I mutter to myself, he always does that; saying something that's meaningful to me and then ruining the moment.
He better just leave, I'll wake up on my own... I hope.
He just stands there, watching me as I try to get comfortable again. He clearly never had a younger sibling so he doesn't know any tricks to wake me up; I think.
My body aches all over, even moving my arm takes up most of my energy. I don't want to leave this bed in fear that I'll topple over and pass out.
"Not moving." I mumble quietly, mainly because my throat is killing me.
I probably should have let Nick tell Carlos that I'm sick; he did say Carlos was beginning to get suspicious lately ever since there was blood found in the bathroom and a small tiny trail in the hallway. And since I just coughed up blood, I'm in the red; literally.
"Oh?" He hides his happiness, standing there with a small smile. As if he's planning something devious.
His smile pierces my heart every time, and being contagious as it is, I suddenly feel one creep across my lips underneath the blanket.
Shit. I need to stop doing that...
My head still pounds, the pain is beginning to be unbearable again, which means eventually I'll have to crawl out of bed and hunt for more painkillers. He crosses his arms against his dull orange sweater. His eyes lock onto mine, trying to be all stern and serious.
"I was supposed to get you up an hour ago. You're welcome. Now help me out and get up will you?"
I contain my laughter, while my headache blazes through my brain like a fiery inferno of pain and suffering.
Even when he's trying to be serious I just can't see it, I always see him joking around or angry. Never have I seen him try to be serious before...
I roll over facing the wall, groaning in pain and pulling the blankets over my head, clearly I don't want to move. Why can't he just leave already?
I just want to sleep... Make this pain stop...
"Five more minutes..." I protest, hoping that he'd be willing to compromise a little.
He laughs, pretending like he's thinking about it.
I smirk.
I got him right where I want him-
"Nope; sorry kiddo."
Shit.
And with that, I hear footsteps walking towards the window beside me, the sound of the curtains sliding apart and the blinding light from the sun flutters through; piercing right though my thick blankets.
Oh you little... Two can play this game.
The room grows silent, nothing but the slight occasional faint snarl from deep inside the forest, followed by the chirping of some birds nearby.
I've been through worse trying to be forced to get up for school before. All I can say is; good luck.
"Still not movin'?" He tsks, walking around the bed and I can feel his hands grip the corner of the blankets near my feet.
My eyes widen a little, realizing what he's going to do.
"You wouldn't..." I growl, gripping the blanket tightly around me, as if that's going to do anything.
The cold air lightly stings my face, and the thick blanket keeps the rest of me warm.
"Wanna bet?" He grins, ripping the blankets right off of me and tossing them to the ground. Clearly my weak grasp didn't do much in this situation.
He then stands there again, crossing his arms and watching me with a smug look on his face, and with a loving warmth emitting from his eyes.
"I was getting a little warm anyways." I lie, feeling the cold air attack the rest of my body.
I miss my blankets...
I curl up against the wall again, Luke sighs a little, running out of ideas to get me out of bed knowing that today's going to be a long day as it is.
My muscles scream at me not to move, considering the slightest movement takes up most of my energy, yeah, I probably should've let Nick tell Carlos…
I can tell Luke's losing some of his patience, like how he does with Nick. But for me, he's clearly holding back on some of his anger.
"Kid, don't make me get that bucket of water downstairs." He smirks a little, sitting down on the foot of the bed, unable to keep his eyes off of me.
Oh really?
"And waste the drinking water? Carlos will murder you in your sleep." My lips curl into a sneer, calling out his bluff.
"Damn, you're good." He admits, looking down at the floor pondering more ideas while I squeeze my body into a tighter position trying to conserve the rest of my body heat.
Why did he have to do that? That was just mean…
The light burns through my eyelids making it even more impossible to try to sleep, triggering my headache to kick in since its light sensitive.
Luke doesn't speak for an awful long time; occasionally I'll glance up at him to make sure he's still here. And most of the time, I'll catch his eye looking away from me at the last second.
Luke hasn't said anything so far, I hope he finally gave up.
Just after thinking that, I feel his body shift around on the bed; and I feel his warm hands wrap around my waist and grip the side I'm lying on.
The skin where his fingers touch tingle excitedly, forcing my heart to pound furiously in the process.
"What the Hell are you-"
He pushes me over onto my back; his brown, playful eyes lock onto mine with such a deep connection, while he towers over me and looks down without saying a word.
His eyes…
Then, he lets his fingers move from my side, all the way up the middle part of my torso, stopping at my neck while he leans in closer towards my face. Still not speaking a word.
I can't even control myself, why is he doing this? He's toying with my mind, I just know it…
My heart pounds inside my chest, getting faster and faster as he leans in closer. Letting his fingers slowly slide down my body once again towards my waist, keeping his eyes fixated onto mine.
A playful smirk slowly spreads across his mischievous lips.
What are you planning…?
My heart thumps again; I stare at him blankly while he glides his fingers from my waist over to both of my sides, lifting up my shirt a little, exposing my bare skin.
"W-what are-" I breathe, while he moves closer towards me without saying another word, inches from my face; still keeping that same smile.
Luke...
Every fiber in my body is telling me to just reach up and kiss him, I don't know why; my body is just telling me to. Even knowing that he's nine years older than me, it still wants me to.
My heart pounds faster and faster, followed by my breathing becoming a little faint. I've never faced this kind of situation before.
"Clem…" He whispers softly, tracing one of his fingers around my belly in a small circle, his body must be telling him to do the same thing mine is…
Eventually his eyes widen a little bit, while he tenses up and freezes. He then begins to tickle my sides instead, gliding his fingers across my skin, making me flail a little; grinning wildly as I try to push him off, laughing and such.
That was different…
"Hey! Stop!" I laugh, trying to kick him off of me while his smile grows bigger, sitting on my legs to pin them down, and leaning over top of me, the same loving glint is still visible in his eyes.
"You won't get up, so I gotta force you." His eyes sparkle, while he continues tickling me and laughing along as well.
My headache still pounds in the background, my muscles beg me to stop trying to push him off of me.
I've come to the conclusion that the only way this torture will stop is if I give in…
After a few minutes of the torturous screaming and giggling I finally had enough.
"Okay! Okay! I'll get up-" I began, catching my breath with a huge smile on my face.
Suddenly, the door creaks open slowly, Luke doesn't seem to notice, but I sure do.
"What are you guys doing...?"
Who's here? This looks kind of... Not what we're doing.
Luke stops instantly, looking over his shoulder towards the door, stammering a little before getting off of me without another word.
I turn my head, glancing at the door seeing Nick there, scowling at him.
Well, this is really awkward...
"I was just- tickling her." He looks at Nick who leans against the open door with narrowed eyes darting between the two of us, looking a bit hurt and upset.
"Uh-huh..." He pushes off the door, faintly smiling in my direction before cutting it off and glaring in Luke's.
"He was!" I protest, sitting up straight and crawling off the edge; still feeling a little bit dizzy.
Never mind the fact that we almost ended up doing something completely different than tickling…
Please believe me.
Nick looks at me for a long time, before he lets out a long sigh; Luke flashes me a quick fragile smile before Nick can even notice.
My mind still lingers back to that moment that happened a few seconds ago, if Luke was willing to get that close to me then he clearly doesn't see me as a kid anymore.
My heart pounds, it wasn't what he thought we were doing... We were just playing around.
"Alright, I believe you. Let's head downstairs; Carlos found a box of tools we can use as weapons and Jane brought back a few boxes of cereal."
Cereal? I hope it's not expired...
"Alright, let's go Clem." Luke waits for me to leave the room first, while I remember the words Carlos said to me before I decided to sit outside and wait for them to come back from fishing.
Hmm, it's only going to get colder up north… Maybe I should take one of the blankets?
I grab my purple backpack, picking up the thickest blanket off of the floor and stuffing it inside. After all, it is starting to get cold lately.
Luke stands there staring at me in awe, its only common sense to take a blanket or a sweater with you.
"Blankets, huh? Smart idea..." Luke takes note of what I did.
I smile.
"It's only going to get colder." I reply.
"Yeah. Okay…" Nick mutters under his breath, still not too sure about what he just walked in on.
The tension is extremely tight around the three of us, Luke and Nick already have problems of their own going on and this just doesn't help either of them.
We all walk out of the door; I shut it tightly behind us while Nick's in the front, heading down the stairs quickly, probably in a rush to get back to his alcohol after what he just walked in on.
My heart can't help but feel pain for the both of them, they were the best of friends when I first arrived and now it's down to this? I really thought Kenny would get through to them, but since Luke hates him too; I don't think there's much hope for this friendship.
"Hey uh, Clem…" Luke mutters, interrupting my thoughts while Nick's ahead of us going down the hallway.
"Yeah?" I meet his eyes with mine.
"About what happened in the room; I got a little; carried away…" He admits, looking down and trying to hide his embarrassment as best as he can.
I can't really say much, I never would have thought I'd enjoy that.
I can't just admit that I had fun; he might get the wrong idea. But then again, it wouldn't be the wrong idea if I liked his presence.
"You're alright, don't worry about it." I smile softly at him, while he looks down at the steps, grinning a little bit.
Anyways, Nick seems a bit upset... I wonder if anything else happened today, besides the obvious. Maybe it was the whole incident he walked in on?
My eyes watch his movements as we all head down the creaky steps in silence, joining the rest of the group that's scattered around the living room.
"Good morning." Rebecca smirks slyly, sitting on the couch with a bowl of cereal and Alvin by her side who glances up from a book that he's reading, nodding in our direction.
She probably heard everything that happened upstairs...
I smile awkwardly in their direction, moving towards the kitchen where Carlos is rationing the food, locked deep into thought to notice me approaching him.
He seems like he's lost in thought, I wonder why.
My stomach grumbles a little, making the pain in my head go away for a short amount of time, too bad it doesn't work all of the time.
Nick sits down on one of the chairs in the living room, while Luke sits on the other side of Rebecca, discussing plans on relocating I'd imagine since I can't really hear from over here.
Carlos seems a bit distracted; maybe I should say something...
"Here, eat up quick. We have to move-" He hesitates, noticing my skin going pale, and the sickly features, piercing his eyes deep into mine.
The sunlight tries to burst through the boarded up windows, you can vaguely hear the birds outside chirping and fluttering about. And slowly but surely, the staggering Lurkers snarl off in the distance.
W-what's wrong...? I don't look that bad do I...?
I look at him oddly, looking down at my arms noticing that I'm paler than usual, remembering what Nick said last night about how suspicious Carlos is getting lately of someone in the cabin.
He doesn't think that- Oh no...
I look back up at him, silently pleading. Luke knows that I'm not bit, but maybe he wouldn't believe him…
He takes the bowl back, narrowing his eyes and getting defensive.
"I should throw you outside right now..." He growls, threatening me while Luke looks over curious about what's going on.
Pain strikes through my heart, he really thinks I'm the one who's bit doesn't he?
He wouldn't! Would he...?
My heart pounds in fear, while he narrows his eyes in suspicion.
"C-Carlos." I barely manage to get out, terrified out of my own mind in fear that he actually would throw me outside, or worse; the shed again.
Luke's eyes widen before darkening greatly, realizing what's happening as Rebecca and Alvin sit there too shocked to even think.
"Woah, calm down! What's goin' on here?" Luke stands up from the couch beside Rebecca, heading towards us, with Nick hesitating on whether or not he should get up and do the same while clinging to his bottle.
My heart goes quiet; my headache still pounds relentlessly unfortunately. I watch Luke approach us while a wave of relief washes over my body.
"W-what going on…?" I manage to muster the courage to say something; Carlos grips the knife in his hand, not even taking the risk to check me over for a bite wound.
"You were bit, weren't you Clementine?"
I can feel a few tears sting the corner of my eyes, the images from back in the shed still scare me to this day.
"No... No I wasn't!" I protest, feeling a little dizzy and using the counter to stabilize myself, not helping my case while Carlos' hand hesitates on whether or not it should grab me.
Maybe I should've let Nick tell him...
The images from him deciding to lock me up in the shed a couple years ago play through my mind like a never ending nightmare. Not only did I have to stitch up my wound with thick fishing wire, a Lurker heard my screams and broke through the shed's makeshift patch job, grabbing me in the process and almost biting me.
"Then you're not feeling well?" Cautiously he approaches me, holding my face in his hand and checking my eyes and mouth for any signs of "symptoms." While Luke glowers in rage trying to hold back.
My heart pounds inside my chest, the fear washes over me uncontrollably. What if he overthinks my symptoms and sends me outside, or worse…
What if I'm turning...? I don't want to be locked in the shed again...
My eyes begin to tear up; the thought of being thrown in that damn thing is enough to make me cry willingly in front of everyone.
His other hand suddenly grips my arm tightly.
"Kenny, grab the gun..."
"No... No please! I'm not bit!" I plead the tears stream down my cheeks which makes Luke even more pissed off.
He already made this mistake once, and I wasn't bit. Why won't he listen!?
Kenny looks over his shoulder from rummaging through the toolbox that's off to the side, his one eye widens greatly while his jaw drops.
"Oh, shit…" His eyes lock onto mine, showing sadness before he looks down beside the toolbox at Nick's loaded shotgun leaning against the table leg; considering about listening to Carlos.
"Carlos she's just a kid." Rebecca musters the courage to say something, while he strongly glares at her.
"Child or not, I am not taking any more chances. Kenny, grab the gun." He speaks again, while Kenny hesitates greatly.
Rebecca shuts up, looking at me with a really worried expression on her face knowing that she can't do much.
Kenny... He would side with Carlos?
The tension escalates quickly throughout the room. Rebecca sits there unable to do anything to help, Alvin backs out of it trying to stay away, Nick glowers, and he must've been drinking again. And Luke... Luke's on the verge of snapping.
"Kenny, don't you fuckin' touch that gun." Luke growls, standing there keeping his eyes on Kenny and Carlos at the same time while making his way towards me.
Kenny and Luke had some, issues ever since we met up with Kenny's group at the Lodge a couple years ago; it's just been getting worse and worse each day between them and it's only a matter of time before they kill each other.
Luke... I knew you wouldn't let this happen...
I smile faintly; at least I have most of these people on my side.
"Kenny, do it. She's bit somewhere-" Carlos wastes no time pinning the blame onto me, despite everything I did for his daughter and for him.
"Then find the fucking mark!" Rebecca hollers from the couch, causing him to hesitate knowing that Rebecca still isn't piping down.
Rebecca too? She used to want me dead...
I thank her silently, her eyes dart from the gun by the table to me, nudging Alvin and trying to get him to stand up.
W-what...? I don't have a mark!
He tightens his grip around my arm, forcing me down to the ground. And causing my headache to pulsate even faster throughout my body.
The pain... It hurts...
Not only do I have to deal with the headache pain, my arm screams bloody murder as well, I don't think he broke it; for now at least.
"You're bit somewhere. You're changing! I've witnessed this before!" He ignores my frightened pleads, tightening the force he's applying to my arm. Noticing the paleness of my skin, and the sickly complexion once again.
"You fuckin' let her go. Now." Luke pulls out his machete, that dark haze covers his eyes intensely. I remember the words he said to me last night as well, 'I will protect you, Clem.'
"What the fuck? Luke don't-" Rebecca glares at Carlos and cutting herself off. Knowing that if Luke starts he'll end up murdering him. She clearly wants to get up and help; but she can't.
"She wasn't bit Carlos-" Alvin began, taking a step forward but only to be interrupted by Luke's harsh words.
"I said let her go. Or I'm hackin' your fuckin' arm off." He threatens darkly, giving Carlos some time to make the right decision.
This is all happening too fast, I can't even think...
The pain shoots up my arm, and towards my brain. Causing more problems than I already have going on right now.
The others stand there, motionless and too speechless to even do something about the situation, while Nick musters the strength to even stand up off of the couch, gripping the bottle in a tight grasp.
My headache throbs even harder, pounding against the walls of my skull.
Carlos smirks.
"What ever happened to 'looking after the group' Luke? Now, it's suddenly all about this girl-"
"You shut your fuckin' mouth and mind your own damn business! I care for the group too; but the second you threaten her..." He snarls, showing his true protective side finally.
Luke tightens his grip on the machete handle, looking Carlos right in the eye. Luke always bluffs, but I think this time; he might actually just do it.
Why is he doing this...? He doesn't have to...
"Is that so? I have watched too many people die to know how this will end-"
"Let her go. She's not bitten. She's been sick for a couple days now!" Luke hollers, cutting him off and moving closer towards us with his machete out, eyeing the position on where Carlos' hand is on my arm.
Please Carlos, please believe me...
The tears pour faster from my eyes. I can't even fight back because of this damn head cold.
"Carlos, she's sick. You're a doctor; fucking look at her again!" Nick steps up for the first time in an argument, walking towards Luke and debating on whether or not he should rip Carlos off of me, smashing the empty bottle against the wall and holding the jagged bottle neck.
"Shit, you two…" Rebecca mutters with a small smile.
My eyes widen.
Nick... Did I finally gain his trust?
Relieved, I take a deep breath; ignoring the pain pulsating through my arm and my head, knowing that the two of them have my back no matter what.
Carlos hesitates once again. Looking down at my tear stained shirt, and meeting my sad, scared eyes. Still not backing down.
"Clementine, show me where you were bitten." He calmly replies, loosening his grip on my arm.
"I-I wasn't bit..." I whisper faintly, unable to respond.
We all hesitate, Carlos' eyes lock onto mine for a very long time before realizing the mistake he had made. Luke lowers his machete, and Nick backs away a few steps, while Carlos lets go of my arm.
I'm free...? I can't believe he let me go so easily...
My legs quiver a little as I try to stand; Luke slips his machete back into his holder and wraps me in his arms tightly, holding me closer to him and suffocating me in his scent.
That smell is back...
Without thinking, I bury my face into his shoulder, wrapping my arms around his neck and trying to hold back the few remaining tears while I smile faintly. My head pounds even harder; especially with all this stress and worrying.
I can't believe Carlos did that... Usually it's Nick who acts like that, but it was him that did it first in a long time...
Guilt swarms over Carlos, he looks towards all of us, with a sorrowful and apologetic tint to his eyes.
"Clementine, why didn't you tell me you were sick-"
"Leave her alone. You did enough." Luke growls. Tightening his grip on me in case Carlos tries to rip me away from him again.
Nick glances down at the floor, dropping the broken bottle neck and slowly backs away from the two of us.
His heart thumps an angry rhythm; his body still pulsates with rage and hatred towards Carlos. Eventually he'll calm down again.
"it's okay kid, I'm here." He whispers quietly enough for my ears only, loosening his tight arms a little.
I hug him tighter.
"I know."
Kenny looks over at me, then back at Carlos with a hurtful expression; at least he didn't give in to what Carlos was telling him to do.
"What kind of monster are you turnin' out to be?" Luke lets go of me, and helps me stand up. Carlos doesn't say a word.
He then turns his attention to Kenny.
"And you ain't any better!"
Carlos and Kenny both look down, usually Kenny would snap at fight back with Luke. But I think he knows what he did wrong here.
"I was protecting the group-"
"From a harmless kid? Shit Carlos, you'd know if she was bit." He glares at him, trying very hard to control his anger.
He looks down again, knowing what he did wrong.
Carlos thought I was the one bleeding… Everyone seems to look fine down here; so who is it…?
Kenny sighs, returning his attention back to the toolbox, Rebecca and Alvin relax a little, knowing that the worst is over; Nick grabs his backpack full of booze and places it on his back, while Luke's soft eyes return once again.
"Now then, we need to get movin' before the Lurkers-"
Just as Luke was about to finish his sentence, the sound of limbs pounding themselves against every visible part of the cabin and the snarls of the undead surround us from everywhere. The smell haunts us even from the safety of being inside.
They must've been drawn here from the yelling...
"Well shit, that's just fuckin' wonderful." Kenny mumbles, turning his attention to the toolbox and pulling out a few screwdrivers and a hammer, hastily closing it and shoving the rest of it across the table.
"How are we going to get out of here...?" I question Kenny, avoiding Carlos' eyes ever since he pulled that stunt.
He whistles, looking at every possible escape route in the cabin that he can think of.
We all stand there waiting for an answer, the bookshelf that we used as a barricade thrashes against the Lurker's furious pounding against the door. Letting us know that we can't stay here forever.
"I'm not sure darlin', I'm not sure…"
My heart drops. We've come so far only to die where we started?
"Shit, there has to be something, right?" Nick wanders around the room, trying to stay out of sight from the hungry flesh eating monsters; Luke wraps his arms around me with a tight hug, whispering in my ear.
"Are you well enough to run, kid?"
I don't want to seem weak.
"Yeah, I am." I assure him, returning the hug as he lets go, turning to face the rest of the group.
We're all going to die here, aren't we...?
Kenny hands me a screwdriver, smiling while he gives Nick another one.
"Here, these will come in handy."
I grip the red handle, looking up at Luke who glances at the front door's barricade, that's withstanding the pounding from the door trying to be forced open.
Alvin and Rebecca stand up slowly, walking towards us while Jane appears coming down the staircase, stumbling more than I was and not looking too good.
She's been in and out a lot recently, as far as I know no one's ever seen her enough to notice anything different.
I haven't seen her in days; I wonder what happened to her.
"We need an escape plan, and fast." She peers out of the window, coughing up a little bit of blood while the Lurkers go wild wanting to claw their way inside even faster.
Carlos' eyes widen at the sight of Jane, making him feel even more guilt for accusing me.
Kenny hands Carlos the hammer and Alvin the last screwdriver without speaking a word, knowing that it was Jane who was the one coughing up blood.
"We sure as shit ain't going through the front door." He picks up the gun and makes his way to the back door, beckoning us to follow; since that's all we got.
Jane looks, a little different than usual...
She catches me staring at her, while she limps a tiny bit; wincing in pain and slowly making her way towards the rest of us.
We all stand at the back door with no plan whatsoever. What can possibly go wrong, right?
My headache pulses again, threatening the likeliness of another blackout.
Don't you dare...
"Shit there's too many of them." Kenny mutters, peeking through the back window, hiding his worried expressions for the sake of the rest of us.
Now what...
"Well fuck, now what?" Luke read my mind, speaking it out loud.
I look around at everyone, the front door's being pounded on by the Lurkers wanting to come inside.
Jane's eyes meet mine, they show fear for once.
"I knew I'd be screwed if I stayed with you guys." She curses, while Carlos stares at her greatly.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Nick snaps, clearly he didn't like her too much in the first place.
"No, I didn't mean it like that. Look, I got bit back there and, the only way your group is making it out alive is if I create a distraction-"
"That's insane! You're not doing that. Bit or not, that's suicide." Rebecca protests, along with Nick and Carlos, while Luke stays out of it.
Jane was usually the lone wolf, she had a group at one point in time, but clearly that faded. She kept getting up and leaving over the past couple years being with us. Sometimes for weeks, other times it was months.
She smiles, thanking us quietly for accepting her into the group; even after all of the times she abandoned us.
"That's the only way you guys are getting out of here, I'm bit already so don't look back."
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Kenny asks one last time, looking at all of us for our answers.
She nods her head yes. No questions asked.
"Open the door. Run." She speaks the words that seal her fate.
We all look at each other.
Is she insane? I mean, at least we're getting out... Except for her…
"Thank you..." Rebecca subtly smiles, while Kenny sighs, it's happening whether none of us likes it or not.
Jane looks around at all of us without speaking a word, wiping some blood away from her mouth while she takes a deep breath.
"Alright. Here we go." She coughs up blood again, wiping it away with her sleeve.
I can't believe this is happening…
I look up at Luke, he shows no sign of sadness or anything, causing me to worry a little bit thinking about what Carlos said about the group.
She opens the door quietly, the Lurkers notice instantly while Jane looks over her shoulder and smiles at me.
A few trees are knocked over blocking the fishing path, and the other path towards the Lodge. There are over a dozen snarling, rotting bodies staggering towards us each with the same intention; devouring all of us.
"Take care of yourself Clem, you're strong. Remember that."
And without another word, she bolts it down the back staircase, throwing rocks and yelling at the top of her lungs; gathering the attention of nearly most of them around the area.
My heart hurts greatly, letting someone like that just die the most brutal way imaginable. I can't even bring myself to look at her as she does this.
"She's tough as nails." Kenny thanks her, making the first step outside, checking to make sure there's no more of them lingering around.
My legs feel numb a little, this can't be good.
Please don't pass out, especially not right now…
We all move silently afterwards, a few stragglers come rushing at us, but Nick drives the screwdriver deep into one of its eyeballs, pulling it out and stabbing another one that's close by.
The blood pours down their eye sockets while the snarling stops and they fall limp.
Disgusting... But it has to be done.
Jane's screams in agony can be heard from down by the fishing path, which means that we're running out of time.
Luke grabs his machete and hacks away at the necks, leaving bloody stumps and blood splattering everywhere; forgetting to look behind at me as the Lurkers begin to move away from Jane, and towards us.
I really don't feel too good...
My legs feel weak again, just like last night. My heartbeat pounds just as fast; but it also begins to slow down from the flu.
I fall behind a little, there's still so many even with Jane sacrificing herself to get us out of there. A few of them catch sight of me and stagger towards me without anyone else noticing, reaching out towards me with their skin feeling off of their muscle tissue and worn out clothing.
This is not happening...
I open my mouth, but no sound escapes my lips, causing me to panic even more than I already was.
My eyes feel heavy; the group's about several feet away from me, stabbing, and slashing away at the rotting body masses that slowly move towards them, not even noticing how far behind I am compared to them.
Let's hope I have enough energy...
I take the screwdriver and do what Nick's been doing; stabbing their eye sockets out, until my arm feels weak and requires more energy to move.
Shit...
There's still quite a few of them circling in around me, I notice Luke's eyes glance back behind him at the last second; and his chocolate brown eyes widen in fear as he stops immediately and starts heading towards me.
"CLEMENTINE!"
His shout caught the attention of the rest of the group, and the Lurkers.
Time slows down instantly, I can feel my heartbeat slowing down, and the blackness once again takes over my eyesight. My ears begin to ring, drowning out the snarling, and deafening the desperate cries of Luke and the others.
So this is it...
I smile softy, accepting my pending fate.
Lee, Christa, Omid, Katjaa, Duck, Sarah, Sarita... So this is what it must've felt like to be scared... Knowing that you wouldn't live to see tomorrow again...
I feel my knees slump down to the cold, wet grass. The last visual image that I see before me is Luke running towards me, slashing away at the limbs that reach out and grab him. Several gun shots fire around me as well, and the Lurkers swarming all around me like a vulture and a dying desert victim.