It seems like forever in my mind. The darkness settles in dulling my senses and making me uncontrollably numb all over. The last thing I remember is falling to the ground, and Luke running towards me.

What the Hell happened back there? Is this what it's like to be dead...?

The silence is scary; nothing breaks through the darkness I see all around me, not even the brightness from being outside breaks through.

I can barely feel my own heart pulsing inside of my chest; I can't even hear anything besides this awful high pitched ringing in my ears.

I'm still breathing, so I'm not dead...

I feel a sudden warm touch that starts at my shoulders, and wraps around my body like a warm, fuzzy blanket as if someone is holding me close to them. I wonder if it's Luke...

My conscious finally comes around after what feels like an eternity; the light from the sun outside slowly intrudes in and keeps me from opening my eyes too much, forcing me to squint.

It's too bright, why am I moving…?

The panic settles in, feeling my body lightly pounding against someone else's back, as my feet dangle instead of resting against the ground, and the cool breeze that circles around me tells me that we're moving awfully fast.

The blinding light limits my vision greatly, but the ringing appears to be dying down.

"Is she awake?" I hear a familiar female voice from behind, probably directed towards me.

"No clue. Hey kid, you awake?"

I feel someone shift me upwards on their back, and the sound of shoes crunching on the dirt road, and Rebecca's vague whimpers.

That sounds like Luke, he picked me up from the ground when I was being attacked...

I open my eyes a little bit; the sun's glare is still strong, making me squint a little again. I notice Nick's subtle tiny smile, happy that I'm awake as he trudges on beside Luke.

My heart goes quiet, while the sound of the birds and the wind swaying through the tree branches fill the silent air circling around all of us. We've all lost people close to us, so we don't bother saying anything in fear of upsetting one another.

I look towards the forest's edge along the dirt road; we're moving awfully fast for escaping a herd of Lurkers...

My heart softly thumps against Luke's back. Finally, someone I can trust after all of the betrayal we've been through.

I meet Luke's gaze while he looks over his shoulder at me, smiling his cheerful, yet awkward smile.

I should have known Luke's the one carrying me...

I cough a little, nothing major or anything spills out; that's a good sign.

I regain some of my strength, tightening my arms around his neck a little while burying my face into his shoulder, inhaling his sweet scent that always reminds me of my home before the apocalypse started.

"Don't worry kid, we're almost there." He assures me, slouching forward to push me up so I don't fall backwards.

"Okay..." I wheeze a tiny bit, the fluid reached my lungs and is now starting to take in full affect.

We all walk slowly, I have no idea how long I was out for but something tells me it was a good couple hours. Rebecca's hands cling to her pregnant belly while she waddles a bit slower than the rest of us. Carlos doesn't even bother to look behind him at us while he's up at the front, ever since Luke started to hold back on group decisions Carlos stepped up and now he's the leader. Kenny, the glazed look in his eye says it all. I'm more surprised that he was being nice to me than anything despite all of the anger he took out on me over the past year.

My head…

I cough again, more violently than the last one. Clinging onto Luke's orange sweater while he stops abruptly; concerned for my well-being.

"Woah, hey, hey, you gonna make it?" Luke stops, sliding me back up while the others slow down a bit.

My head pounds even harder than before, why do I have to be sick now?

My fingers barely have the strength to grasp his sweater; my arms loosen around his neck while he continues to slide me upwards.

"Hold on to me, Clem."

I can't even speak to tell him that I'm trying; my throat's dried up completely and all I can taste is the blood trickling down the back of my throat.

The sunlight hides being the thick clouds that drift slowly in the sky, up ahead there seems to be really thick, grey clouds so we might get another storm; lovely.

"Shit; she needs water." Luke holds me steady as Nick walks towards us, rummaging through his bag of supplies before handing him the canteen with a jealous tint to his eyes.

Luke doesn't say much, he takes the canteen, unscrewing the cap and holding the bottle to my mouth; letting me drink until it's empty.

The cool liquid slides down my bleeding throat without any ease; it feels nice on my dry throat…

Alvin notices, nudging Rebecca to show her while she grins softly. Nick glares, wanting to take out his rum bottle and Kenny, despite the hatred him and Luke feel for each other; he still manages to smile softy at him.

"There, now we're gonna have to find more water." He teases me, pulling the bottle away from my lips and recapping it, handing it back to Nick without making eye contact with him.

That scent hits me again as I bury my face into his shoulder, tightening my grip on his sweater and my arms around his neck.

I feel safe next to Luke; he makes me forget the past, despite everything that happened in it...

Kenny slows down a bit, walking alongside the three of us while keeping his eye on me.

Kenny...?

I turn my head a little, resting my cheek on Luke's shoulder while my eyes meet Kenny's.

"You scared me, Clem." He smiles a tiny bit, while Nick and Luke scowl angrily; jealousy fills them both to the brim.

"I'm sorry-" I barely manage to speak, coughing a little while Luke's grasp tightens around my legs, trying to keep me steady.

"Don't be sorry darlin', we've had some tight close calls back in our day." He smiles once more, assuring me that we've all made it out fine.

"O-okay..." I can't help but return his cheerful smile, even after losing his cool and losing the fight to survive for a long time he manages to pull through quite well.

We all walk on silently, what else can we talk about? A lot's happened and no matter what topic someone brings up it'll always upset someone.

Mom and dad... I miss them, but other people miss their families too.

"I can carry her from here." Kenny offers, Luke's grip tightens even more.

"I'm fine." He moves along ignoring Kenny's attempt at helping, I guess they still have a bit of bad blood left. Nick stays silent, knowing that he'll get dragged in if he says a word.

They better not fight...

My muscles tense up a bit, even though Kenny's been volatile towards me in the past and it limited my trust on him; I still care about him.

"No need to get overprotective; I've known her longer..." He mutters to himself, I can feel the anger inside of Luke rise greatly.

"Glad you're feeling better; kinda... We almost lost you there for a second." Nick's smile is directed towards me, trying to start some small talk.

The cloudy sky threatens another possible downpour; Nick walks beside us keeping his eyes on the forest edge. Carlos walks up ahead of all of us in silence, while Rebecca, Alvin and Kenny stagger on behind keeping an eye on Rebecca and anything else that's behind us.

"Almost lost me? Impossible." I yawn with a small smirk; my head still pounds inside my skull.

Nick's changed from the first time we were at the cabin up until now; he tried to shoot me but luckily missed when Pete and Luke brought me there. Rebecca didn't like me at all and Carlos... He questioned me greatly. But I'm amazed that Nick of all people cares about me the most.

Luke looks forward, marching on through the mid-afternoon. Pretending to ignore the connection between Nick and I, when clearly it's bugging him greatly.

"I, uh... I brought the pills from last night they're in my bag if you need them." He walks alongside Luke who burns up with a tiny bit of anger, barely holding on.

He brought them?

My eyes widen a bit, I completely forgot about them when we left in such a rush.

"Really...? Thanks, I'll probably need them." I turn my head from resting on Luke's shoulder to facing Nick who beams quietly, glancing down at the ground the second he notices I'm staring at him.

"You blacked out back there. And your fever's higher." Luke cuts in, glaring a little at Nick while tightening his arms around my legs, keeping me balanced on his back.

Luke's been acting differently around Nick; I thought they were friends...

Carlos snickers up at the front; he must know what's going on.

"Are you sure she's okay Luke? She's not doing too well-" Rebecca seems more concerned for my wellbeing rather than hers.

"She's fine, it's just the flu." He bluntly states, I guess he hates repeating himself.

"The 'flu' doesn't knock you out like that with every step you take." Carlos began, stopping up ahead a little, turning around and facing all of us with a stern expression pointed towards me.

Why is Carlos so against me all of a sudden? It was Jane who was bit, not me...

I cling to Luke tighter.

"Some fuckin' doctor you are." Luke mutters loud enough for only us to hear, moving forward at a quickened pace.

"Finally someone agrees..." I mutter too, he smirks.

Although I agree with Luke, I can't help but wonder what his problem is... It was a misunderstanding. Yeah, he tried to kill me but, I look like I'm turning, I'm not trying to defend Carlos, but I do look like I'm turning. Besides, Jane was the one that was bit, and oddly enough her balance was off as well. And her skin was way worse than mine... The only difference was she was coughing up more blood than her body could put out.

Several minutes drift by, as we all quickly move along the dirt road. The toppled trees sometimes block the road, but there's some room to move around luckily.

Kenny mutters some things to Alvin and Rebecca in a hushed tone, after that he slowly begins to fall behind from the rest of the group purposely.

Kenny...?

"Hey kiddo, I was thinkin' when we get to the Lodge if you wanna-" Luke stops mid-sentence, looking down at his feet as if he's embarrassed to talk about it, noticing that I had seen Kenny sneak away from the group.

Huh?

"Do what?" I question him, resting my head against his shoulder again, tightening my grip around him.

His heart pounds furiously inside his chest, pulsing against my fingers.

"Play some cards?"

The grin on my face says it all, Sarah and I have been bugging him for a long time now to play with us.

"About time you agree."

He's been avoiding that question like the plague. He'd always make up excuses as to why he couldn't play with me and her every night.

"I promise, kid."

The sun disappears behind the thick, dark clouds. Our feet trudge onward through the slightly damp soil. Suddenly, Kenny mutters something to himself, aiming the gun in the direction we came from.

What's going on? Are we being followed?

"Kenny...?" I call, trying to force my sore muscles to turn my head around enough to grab his attention.

"It's alright darlin' I'll be okay." He hollers back, loading the shotgun with his finger on the trigger.

Luke turns around curiously, while Rebecca is right close behind us instead of being further back with Kenny, and Alvin is right beside him with a small pistol, his eyes show the fear that he's feeling; but they also show the devotion to protecting Rebecca and their unborn child.

When did Alvin get a gun...?

"The Walkers are still following us-" Rebecca winces in pain once again; Alvin glances back at her quickly showing his concern before focusing along with Kenny.

"Shit, still!?" Luke sighs, shifting me up further along his back; looking over at Nick with a small tint of fear.

We're pretty far away, how come they're still following us?

"We're gonna have to do something." Nick glances at both of us for a few seconds, returning Luke's fear as they both gaze down at me at the same time.

Well what can I do? There's not much...

"Clem can't walk- at least I don't think she can." Luke began, wanting to still carry me some more. Nick spits on the ground, avoiding Luke's glare that's locked onto him.

My heart jolts a little; I don't feel safe without him or Nick, but if I have to walk on my own then I will.

"Let's find out..." I smile a tiny bit, slipping off of him purposely and landing on my feet taking him by surprise.

"Hey, don't scare me like that!" He whips around, making sure that I'm alright.

"Sorry..."

The pain still bounces around inside my head; the darkness begins to creep along the edges of my vision, threatening another blackout, which hopefully won't happen for a very long time.

Don't pass out; I've done that enough...

Luke steadies me by placing his hands on my shoulders, looking down at me with a worried expression, noticing that I'm still swaying around.

"You well enough to walk for a bit?" His tone implies that he's scared to let me walk knowing how easy it is for me to topple over, but at this point I don't we're going to get much of a choice.

My legs feel tingly a little, probably because I haven't used them in a long time; maybe if I get the blood circulating, I'll be okay, right?

"I should be."

He smirks a tiny bit.

"I'll protect you, just like I said."

My heart pounds furiously again, even though Lee's told me that same speech several times a day; I've never felt this way for him.

He hesitates for the longest time, wrapping me in his arms tightly, ignoring Nick in the background.

"Anytime now." Nick crosses his arms, clearly not impressed and slightly annoyed while the rest of the group slowly smirks to themselves.

"If I don't come back, stay with Rebecca." Luke ignores Nick's comment, pulling away and kneeling down to my eye level.

What!?

My eyes widen, I can feel a few tears sting the corner of my dry eyes.

"You're going with them?"

I remember the words Lee said to me while he handcuffed himself to the heater before he was about to turn. 'Go find Christa and Omid.' And look at what happened to them. I don't want to go through that again…

He smirks again, holding me once more to silence my vague crying.

"Worst case scenario, kid. Besides; I'm protectin' you; I'm commin' back." He assures me, pulling away and ruffling the top of my hair with his hand, where my hat should be…

I knew something didn't feel right...

"Where's my hat?" I panic. My dad let me borrow it a long time ago before they left to Savannah. It's all I have left of my parents and if that's gone... I don't even want to think about it.

Luke grins, knowing I'd freak out about it.

"In your backpack. Damn thing kept blowin' off every five minutes."

Oh…

I breathe easily, knowing my hat is safe and sound instead of on the ground somewhere surrounded by Lurkers.

"You better be coming back for her." Nick glares, clenching the bloody screwdriver and pushing his way past Luke with such force; heading down towards Kenny and Alvin.

"I planned on it." He mutters to himself, glancing back at me with a smile on his face, walking several paces behind Nick towards Kenny and Alvin who begins firing off rounds down the path behind us. The sickening sound of blood splattering against the ground can also be heard as well, let alone the deathly scent that follows along shortly after.

What's really gotten into them…? It's obvious they aren't friends anymore; but why are they keeping the act up around me?

I look around, noticing I'm a few feet behind Rebecca and Carlos; who don't slow down as they quickly try to move along to the next section.

Well, I guess I better catch up...

I take one last look at the two of them running back to help Kenny and Alvin far off in the distance before I scurry along to catch up with Carlos and Rebecca.

The air grows cold around us, we haven't heard any news about anything yet; let alone meet any wandering survivors that stumbled along into the forest where the cabin is. All I know is that the cold air is making Carlos and Luke really uneasy; do they know something that we don't?

I hope they all come back in one piece...

We walk along the road for what feels like forever, all in silence. Well aware of the fact that they might never return.

A life without Luke or Nick...? I don't think I'd last that long truthfully. Nick always watched my back and Luke never lets me out of his sight. What would I do if I lost either of them...?

A nice, light rainfall begins to pour all around us. The dirt on the road darkens and begins to turn into mud as we all march on quietly, without Kenny, Alvin, Nick, and Luke for quite some time now. It feels like a few hours had passed by but lately it's been hard to tell.

I'm not sure how to feel about this, it's been awhile how come they aren't back yet?

My head pounds furiously still, my legs wobble a little bit, but not enough to where I need to stop and take a rest. Rebecca, on the other hand…

Carlos glances behind him, noticing Rebecca shiver a little from the wetness, and my movements uncoordinated; very uncoordinated.

He won't even stop for Rebecca...

"Carlos is there anywhere to rest? Rebecca isn't-" I began, glancing over in her direction while he struggles to keep up.

"I'm fine." She protests, still heaving and wincing in pain, Carlos on the other hand; seems to disagree.

Finally, he seems to have regained some sort of common sense.

"Just a little further, there is a small path that leads into another smaller cabin-"

"What about the others? How will they find us?" I question him, while we continue moving up the road, soaking wet. He watches me from the corner of his eyes.

"I'll think of something, Clementine. I know how much they mean to you." He assures me with a soft smile.

He's been trying to get on my good side lately for what he's done... I don't know if I should accept it or not.

The rain thickens, and turns into white flurries that hastily fall around us, creating the slight chill in the air into something that we weren't prepared for. The snowfall then begins to turn the forest into a freezing wasteland of blood, sweat, and tears.

It's getting colder, just like what Rebecca said earlier. I did good packing the blanket; I hope everyone else packed one too.

We walk for several more minutes, there's a bit of white patches of snow that's lightly sprinkled on top of the grass and pine trees, making it look very pretty; and very cold to the touch.

The flurries sting my face, I was just complaining last week how it was too hot; and now it's too cold. I keep rubbing my arms, my thin shirt isn't going to keep me warm in this season, I need to find a new jacket. Bonnie did give me a sky blue jacket; but that was a couple years ago; obviously it's too small.

It feels like an hour passed by again, the flurries thicken again; making it impossible to see behind us.

Still no sign of them... Luke, you promised...

I keep looking behind me, hoping I'd see Luke's stupid orange sweater stick out from between the branches and the blinding snow; but sadly I don't.

My feet crunch underneath the snow that begins to cover everything in an inch thick blanket, dimming the threat of the Lurkers being buried underneath.

Are we there yet?

Suddenly, Carlos stops at a barely visible wooden small cabin secluded in the dense forest surrounded by frosted pine trees. It seems ratty and abandoned; but in these days you can't be too sure anymore.

My eyes light up, a small grin spreads across my face while my headache still throbs wildly, not even the freezing flurries numb the blistering headache.

We found it, but how will the others know we're here...?

"Here it is, let's go." He glances behind him at us once more.

Rebecca scurries up the small pathway towards the cabin along with Carlos, keeping an eye on me as well.

"Clementine I'm sure they'll be okay, that boy never broke a promise to you yet." She smiles softly, trying to assure me.

But Luke...

"O-okay…"

I still turn around to look behind us just in case they're coming, shivering a little from the numbness. The flurries thicken and become more chaotic; two storms in one day; lucky us.

I still don't see them; I really hope they're okay.

I turn back to face the small cabin, heading towards the path with them leading the way, Rebecca looks back behind her, noticing how cold I am and smiling at me softly.

"It'll be warm for us, there's a chimney for a reason."

"I know, I hope." I lower my eyes to the frosted ground beneath our feet; this sudden weather change is odd, considering it's usually sunny around this time of year.

The wind picks up, blowing the loose snow that now stings my face and toes with a fierce chill and clings to my clothes. The only good it's doing is numbing my head from the flu.

Maybe I won't need those painkillers tonight; besides, Nick had them anyways.

Eventually I stand close to Rebecca and Carlos on the half broken wooden step, looking anxious towards the worn down wooden door that's barely hanging onto its hinges.

What's wrong? It's abandoned isn't it...?

Carlos glances behind him at us, a wave of fear washes over him as he does this; causing Rebecca to get a little worried.

"What's wrong...?" I question him, moving a bit closer, while Rebecca winces again, clenching her stomach in pain and breathing deeply.

Uh oh...

"We need to get inside, now."

Then why did you wait for me...?

Confused, I watch him open the creaky, old door, and the three of us pile inside the musky, darkened one room cabin. The walls are slightly damaged, all of the windows and back door are boarded up tightly, an inch thick layer of dust covers the couch, and the tables along with some spots on the wooden floor.

Well, good to know there's no Lurkers in here or anyone else...

I peer over in the corner noticing a small red plaid sleeping bag; clearly someone lived here at one point. I'd hate to think about what happened to them so I'll just assume they're still alive and they forgot to bring their things with them.

Carlos sets his bag down on the floor beside the couch, unzipping it and pulling out a wool blanket, beckoning Rebecca to come lie down, glad to know I'm not the only one who thought to pack a blanket.

"Carlos, are you sure?" She hesitates, looking over at me while I wander in front of her, placing my bag down on the dusty ground as well.

"I have one Rebecca, it's okay." I smile while she does the same, taking a seat on the old couch.

"Here, rest on the couch. I'll keep watch from the window and hopefully I can find them." Carlos then begins to rummage through his bag; looking for a can of food or something, muttering a few words under his breath in the process.

"Clementine, do you have any food in yours?"

Shit; that's what I forgot.

My eyes glance around the room, avoiding contact with his for a little bit.

"No, I packed a blanket and Luke put my hat in my bag." I admit, looking back down at the floor again.

He smirks.

"So that's why you look different."

What's that supposed to mean? I thought he'd yell at me for forgetting to pack food…

He sighs deeply, opening the cupboards trying to find something to eat.

I watch him closely as Rebecca tries to relax; he's pushing himself too much lately, probably because of the incident…

"It's okay Carlos, I can manage..." I began, I know I'm starving a whole lot but really, there isn't any food in here if someone else was already living here.

He turns around; the expression on his face says it all.

"It's not fair, we need to eat too. A little girl shouldn't starve in the forest along with a pregnant woman."

"I'm not little anymore." I narrow my eyes a little, Luke already sees me as a kid still, I have no clue how Nick sees me at all.

He smiles, looking over at Rebecca who's all snug underneath the blanket with her eyes closed; I'm glad one of us is enjoying the moment.

"I know you aren't, but I've known you for such a long time that I forget about that. It's a parent thing, I guess." He looks down, obviously remembering his daughter Sarah.

"I'm glad her mother left us before this mess, it gives me hope that she's still alive somewhere."

"Yeah, hope is good in times like this." I look towards the small part on the window that isn't boarded up.

Luke, come back soon...

Rebecca stirs around on the couch a little, trying not to make too much of a sound, getting comfortable again before laying completely still.

I really hope she's okay... She's been in a lot of pain lately...

A few minutes later, Carlos finally gives up on trying to find food. He heads back to the couch and sits on the floor beside me, not knowing what to say or do at all.

I watch him closely; his eyes just stay locked onto the floorboards in front of him, I've never seen him this silent for such a long time either.

The wind howls against the small wooden cabin, it's not as freezing cold as it is outside; but it's still cold none the less.

"I'm sorry that we don't have any more food." He finally says the words we all dread, but we already knew that we wouldn't have found anything in here.

"It's alright, it happens." Rebecca's face twists up in pain, before calming down again and closing her eyes.

Maybe I should get some rest too, after all I feel like I'm getting worse.

I cough a little, covering my mouth while my head throbs insanely.

He then turns towards me.

Shit...

"Clementine, I really hope you can forgive me for what I've done. Nowadays when people get "sick" they usually come back as Walkers, but I now see that it's not your case."

He picks up a dusty pillow from the cold floor, wiping it off and handing it to me, smiling faintly.

I stare at him blankly, trusting people is getting a lot harder to do lately, but when someone you care about breaks that trust and then wants forgiveness, that makes it even more difficult to decide on what to do.

You threatened to kill me, and now you want my forgiveness? I'll sleep on it.

"Thanks."

I take the pillow, placing it down in front of the old fireplace and a stack of wood. My muscles ache all over and I feel drained already.

Maybe we could use this tonight?

Carlos smirks, as if he read my mind. Kneeling down and picking up a few pieces and placing them on top of the ash, deciding on whether or not it'll be a good idea to light it.

"Wouldn't that be too bright?" Rebecca looks over at us with a concerning expression. The couch is about several feet away from the fireplace, and only a few feet away from us.

Bright? We're boarded up- the smoke. Shit.

"No, we're boarded up tightly. Very little light will escape."

"Yeah, but the smoke might give us away-" I began.

"The smoke could lure the others towards us as well, plus it'll keep us warm." He protests, reaching into his pocket for his silver lighter and a crumpled piece of paper.

"And bandits." I mutter, he gives me a look that's powerful enough to hit someone physically.

"Never mind that, just rest while you can. It's going to be a massive snowstorm."

'It's going to be a massive snowstorm.'

The others... What if they don't make it- or find shelter?

My heart hurts, the fear and pain of losing anyone at this point is enough to do some damage. Luckily I've learned to ignore my pounding headache in this time of need. For now, at least.

The flame ignites the paper instantly and slowly the fire beings to lick the pieces of wood, cracking and sizzling as it gets hotter and hotter. The warm glow lights up most of the darkness inside the room as the wind picks up and starts howling against the old cabin. Just like last night, except the sound of snow hitting the wood is louder and more frightening.

I smile softly; the fire feels nice on my frozen face. I open up my bag and start pulling out my hat and blanket, placing the hat on my head and curling up with the blanket wrapped snugly around me beside the warm heat emitting from the fireplace.

They better come soon, I feel safe with Rebecca, Carlos not so much anymore... But with Luke and Nick I'd feel a lot safer...

I feel my toes and face unthaw, leaving me with a warm sensation surrounding the entire room, soft snores emit from the couch's direction, I'm glad she's finally getting a decent rest.

"We are nowhere near the bridge too. It could take us a couple days."

Carlos paces around the room a bit; Rebecca smiles a smug, content smile on her face as she sleeps.

I should close my eyes and get some rest too...

I yawn loudly, closing my eyes and settling down instantly enjoying the luxury of relaxation.

The images of today play through my mind. Luke's gaze, his hesitation when he pulled away from me, and his comforting smile, Nick's sober new act, he's starting to smile now, and the fact that he had the painkillers for me, and Kenny's rough attitude. The way he silently broke away from us scares me. Knowing that he can easily do it again is what hurts me the most.

What feels to be several minutes later, the silence was ruined by Carlos' frantic pacing, and hushed whispers to himself. Scurrying around the big room trying to find something important by the sounds of it.

"Shit. Not now..." He mutters, giving up and starts walking towards me quietly as Rebecca sleeps soundly.

What happened?

I groggily open my eyes; Carlos kneels down trying to keep his voice from being any louder than it usually is, terrified out of his mind and for the concern of Rebecca's safety.

"We've got someone approaching the cabin; and it's not anyone we know."