I sit up straight, rubbing my eyes a little; letting the words that Carlos said sink into my half-awake conscious. And I was just about to fall asleep too.
Why would someone be coming towards us, maybe they need help? Maybe they know where Luke is…
My heart pulsates against my ribs; my skin feels like it's crawling all over my body, just itching to tell me something.
"W-What!?-"
Carlos hushes me with a simple motion, the wind howls against the creaky, old cabin, threatening to knock it down completely along with the snow that's bashing its way against every side of the house. A couple flurries manage to burst in through the tiny hole on the ceiling; no wonder it's freezing in here.
What's going on? Lee, I'm scared…
Carlos tenses up greatly; every movement he makes causes the floorboards to wail uncontrollably so he can't really sneak around as much.
A slight knock is heard on the wooden door, almost drowned out by the howling wind. We both stop dead in our tracks and stare directly at the door for a long time.
His breathing is staggered, ever since the whole Carver incident we've all had a hard time trusting people; which is why we never let anyone into the group and Kenny ended up killing them.
The knocking furiously and relentlessly doesn't give up, there's enough force behind each blow to destroy the door if they wanted to.
Not now... Why does it have to be now?
My head throbs lightly, indicating that by tomorrow it shouldn't be as bad; hopefully. The only good thing out of this is that this stupid cold will be gone soon.
Rebecca stirs around some more on the couch, before falling back asleep. Carlos tenses up, clearly not wanting to answer the door, his eyes glance over at Rebecca with a scared tint in his eyes; he'd do anything to keep her safe.
"Clementine." He whispers quietly, locking onto my eyes in a trusting manner. Placing a hand on my shoulder he tries to force out a small, assuring smile.
After everything Carlos has done, accused me for, and treated me; he's still trying to get on my good side…
"Yes?" I calmly reply, knowing that Rebecca's life is probably in more danger than ours.
"Protect Rebecca, no matter what protect her."
The wind howls against the structure, the sound of the snow chipping against the wood threatens a cave-in from the roof; along with the tiny pile of water under the small hole in the ceiling.
I nod my head silently. Even though she was volatile when I first met her, she warmed up to me in the end and I'd be willing to go so far as to risk my own life for her.
The knocking stops, followed by a couple tears and the sound of a woman crying.
"H-hello...? P-Please…"
The faint voice could clearly be heard even during this storm, which baffles both of us. But at the same time; neither of us knows what to do.
My eyes widen in fear, who could possibly be wandering about out here alone in the forest, along with a blizzard going on?
Carlos hesitates, the voice repeats again, while the wind and snow mix together and blow against the small wooden cabin with excruciating force.
What do we do? Maybe they need help? It is storming out...
I can't even recall the last time we've taken someone in, a total stranger… People aren't what they used to be, recalling the events from when Lee was alive; I'd say that the people are scarier than the Lurkers…
Carlos' eyes glance down at the loaded revolver that I placed on the table that's close by Rebecca and I. Then his eyes meet mine, hinting that I should keep it pointed at the door with the intention of pulling the trigger no matter what.
It takes every ounce of courage I have in my body to wrap the concept around my head, if Lee could do it; so can I.
He trusts me with his life, I can do this.
Nodding silently, I reach for the revolver and aim it at the front door, Carlos shakily reaches for the doorknob; opening the door into the blur of snow and wind outside. Revealing a skinny, young woman dressed in thick winter clothing with snow frosted light blonde hair and shimmering blue eyes.
"H-Hi..." She tries to force out a friendly smile, while her eyes keep glancing behind her as if something, or someone has been following her all the way here.
That crawling feeling returns again, every fiber in my body is reacting violently towards her being here, and I don't know why.
I hesitate a little, should I still stay on her, or give her a chance?
The snow blows inside the cabin, causing the little warm space to grow cold instantly.
"Where is your group?" The first words Carlos says to her, crossing his arms across his chest and blocking her from coming in or peeking inside despite how cold it is outside.
Carlos is defending us...?
Confused, I still keep the revolver locked onto her, doing just as what Carlos had told me. If he doesn't trust her, then I shouldn't either.
My headache throbs lightly, while the revolver shakes a little in my grip. I really hope this cold is gone by tomorrow.
"I- I don't want any trouble..." She holds back tears, she can't be any older than 20, but then again; looks can be deceiving.
Carlos glances over at me very confused, while I shrug my shoulders, staying hidden beside the table and the couch.
This doesn't seem right at all, but maybe she seen where Luke, Kenny and the rest went...
My headache pulses lightly, not enough to break my focus though. The cold metal between my fingers reminds me that if I slip up; someone could easily die.
"Then why are you here?" He doesn't budge one bit, trying to hold her gaze as she desperately tries to peer inside the little cabin.
Her eyes water up greatly while the faint snarls and groans can be heard from further down the path. And the rotting smell isn't far behind either.
I can tell Carlos is about to take pity on her, mainly because the last time they tried to make a logical decision was when they threw me in the shed that one night.
"No explanation is needed." Carlos understands, hinting towards the snarling outside in the late evening. He moves away, and welcomes her into our "home" for the time being.
My hands shake a little bit, the crawling feeling gradually creeps up on me again, except this time; I can't shake myself free from it. Something really doesn't feel right.
The Lurkers are out there, please be alright...
The thought of Luke fending off those hideous things scares me greatly; just even thinking about it sends me in a panic. I couldn't live with myself if they don't return tonight, or early tomorrow morning.
She walks in slowly, stopping dead in her tracks while her eyes lock onto the revolver I have pointed at her; something is telling me to keep her in sight.
The light from the fireplace illuminates our shadows against the wall, while the storm rages onwards outside into the night. Carlos shuts the door tightly, pushing the heavy desk across the doorway in case we get any more unwanted visitors.
Do I lower the revolver? Or do I keep on her in case something happens?
The question that everyone eventually asks themselves once in a while, do I trust her? Or do I don't do anything about it? It was the same question Lee had to ask himself with Lily.
I slowly lower the gun, not all the way, but enough to not be noticed while she walks calmly towards me; Carlos finishes barricading the door with a couple tables to decrease the likelihood of being raided as we sleep.
What does she want?
"I won't hurt you, I promise." She smiles at me, trying to show me that she isn't a horrible person.
Yeah, right.
The crawling feeling returns every time I hold her gaze, she is not who she appears to be.
I stare at her blankly, narrowing my eyes after a while.
My heart feels weird; I haven't trusted anyone ever since Jane came in the picture; and look at how she acted with everyone else in the group. She manipulated Luke, she absolutely hates Kenny because of how volatile he's become, and more importantly she seen Rebecca as "weak" after she got pregnant again.
I don't know; she could be a spy. But then again, we did kill Carver. So, who would she be spying for…?
I narrow my eyes at her while I keep my finger on the trigger, she looks uncomfortable.
Carlos simply walks over, keeping his eyes on her. Smiling at me in the process and motioning me to lower my weapon.
"Have a seat. We will discuss this."
Carlos seems unhappy letting her in while Rebecca is here, sometimes he can be foolish, and trust the wrong people; but I definitely heard Lurker noises not that far behind her. And I'm not a one to watch someone get eaten alive despite everything we've all been through. But I still can't shake this evil feeling from her.
Nick and Luke better be okay... I hope Kenny and Alvin are too, but I can't lose Nick or Luke...
My legs feel wobbly, as my head continues to pound crazily. The thought of losing either of them is enough to send me insane; especially Luke. After everything he's done for me, he's more than someone I'd look up to.
I slowly sit back down on the floor in front of Rebecca who's somehow still sleeping through all of this; she must have been really tired.
I wonder how she'll react when she wakes up...
Instantly, my brain reminds me of her unborn child, and how venerable she is right now in this state. My eyes dart from Rebecca to the strange woman, if she lays a finger on her...
"Who are you?" Carlos bluntly asks, keeping his eyes on her as well, clearly he still has some common sense lingering around in that thick skull of his.
The wind doesn't die down, along with the Lurker snarls and the smell of snow and rotting flesh combined waifs through the old, wooden cabin walls; sending a wave of nausea straight towards me.
She fidgets a little, looking around at all of us with a revengeful gleam in her blue eyes, before looking down at the floor to try to cover it up.
I knew it...
My finger sticks to the trigger like glue. She knows who we are. How? I don't know, but she knows damn well who we are.
"M-My name is Claire, my group and I was attacked by a madman and his group. I-I ran away and saw smoke-"
"I told you..." I mutter under my breath, glaring at Carlos. He just avoids my glare, knowing I was right.
"I-Is she pregnant?" She questions Rebecca, forgetting about me cutting her off.
My finger clenches the trigger, she has no idea how close I am to firing off right now.
Rebecca groggily begins to wake up, looking around the room, unaware that there's a new face in here. She smiles brightly up at me, stretching a little before turning around and exposing her back to the rest of us in the room.
"Yes." I glare at the woman, keeping the gun lowered so she doesn't know I still have it out.
I need to fire it off before she gets a chance to, but what would Carlos think?
"I have a son, he's still alive somewhere..." She smiles up at me, trying to make a connection or something; but she seems to be failing at trying to spark a calm reaction from me.
"How do you know?" I try not to sound rude, but it's a zombie apocalypse out there; good luck finding anyone you know still alive.
I'm a one to talk; Luke, Nick, Kenny and Alvin are still out there. I guess the same goes for us as well.
She smiles a tiny bit, understanding what I'm really trying to say.
"I've seen him recently today, he hates me but I'm glad he's still alive."
My eyes narrow while I keep quiet; if I keep talking to her she'll think I trust her. Which is good on my half; then I can kill her before she hurts any of us, but I don't think I could live with myself if that were the case.
Carlos brings her a small bowl of nuts that he must have found while I had a few minutes of sleep before I was rudely awaken. She kindly takes the offer and eats a handful quietly.
Why would he hate his mother? And who exactly is her son, did we run into him before?
A million questions run through my head about what she just said; if he's alive then maybe we'll run into him sometime. Whoever he is, I hope he has a really good reason for leaving her side.
"Who the Hell is she?" Rebecca sits up quickly, wrapping the blanket around her and glaring at the blonde woman. So I'm not the only one who gets that same nagging feeling.
Carlos smirks a little, knowing that Rebecca would say that. After all; that's usually how she greets people.
"This is Claire. Walkers are outside-"
"Alvin..." Tears stream down her cheeks as she covers her face and sobs silently, Carlos looks down, knowing that it's a slim chance we'll never find them alive. The guilt swarms over him completely, he probably should have eased her into the knowledge first.
I stay silent, what could I even do besides say something that'll make her even more upset than she already is?
My heart is still, we lost Jane today and now we lost the rest of them... I shouldn't think like that, there's still a chance that maybe; just maybe we can still find them.
Carlos looks Claire right in the eye, as she glances at Rebecca and I, hesitating on something that I still can't quite put my finger on.
I think she's lying...
"What did they look like?" His eyes pierce hers and hook all of her attention onto him, Rebecca glares deeply at her, she knows something's up.
"Who? The group?" She asks quietly, reaching for another handful of nuts from the bowl.
Carlos nods his head, not breaking his concentration from her in fear that she might snap and do something she would regret.
"W-well, the madman had a shotgun and an eye patch-"
Kenny...
My eyes widen greatly, he's not a madman; but I can see why people would think that.
"Where did they go?" I cut in; I need to know if they're safe.
She glances over at me oddly.
"T-There was only him, and two younger boys I don`t know where they-"
Rebecca sobs even harder, Alvin probably sacrificed himself to save the others he'd always say he'd do it, and I guess he finally did.
Alvin was quiet mostly, but he always defended Rebecca and even when she was pregnant before knowing it wasn't his kid he still stayed by her side and put up with the pain. He truly loved her enough to put himself in the danger instead of her.
I look down at the floorboards, still holding the revolver between my fingers underneath the sheets; tears sting the corner of my eyes considering I've been with these people for a long time now.
"T-They killed my group, and murdered my husband..." Claire protests, while she glances up at her and narrows her eyes deeply at Rebecca.
"Kenny would never do such a thing! Unless you threatened us; or them." I cut her off again, calling her bullshit and getting ready to raise the revolver to show her that I mean business.
The wind picks up its pace again, slamming against the cabin and shaking it violently. The snow chips away at the cracked glass window threatening to break it almost. The snarls are getting closer as well, wonderful. This day just keeps getting shittier and shitter.
I should just shoot her right now.
Claire looks baffled, glancing at Carlos as if he'd back her up against me or something. I highly doubt that, the last time he tried to do that he was proven wrong, and I think he remembers that.
Rebecca's sobs grow louder and louder, drawing the snarling noise towards us. Someone has to do something.
She's calling the Lurkers right to us, we can't just shoot her to shut her up; I'll have to think of something.
"Rebecca you will lead the Walkers to us, please don't put you or Clementine at risk." Carlos beats me to it, while she stops wailing, cradling her pregnant belly and whimpering softly without saying a word.
My heart hurts, Alvin and Rebecca have a tight history together. Then finding out he died while she's ready to have his baby? Can this world get any more fucked up, or did I spoke too soon?
"What did you do to him...?" Her eyes grow dark, not buying her story one bit now; I don't even think she ever bought this bullshit.
Glad to know I'm not the only one.
The wind bashes against the small wooden cabin, the ice and snow pellets rapidly chip away at the wood outside. The cracks on the glass begin to show, which means that the window will break at any moment.
Claire looks worried; she keeps glancing at the door and avoiding the question, she better not run out there and pull them all in here.
I knew she was suspicious…
Every ounce in my body is telling me to raise the gun and fire it straight through her skull, but the little shred of humanity I have left is keeping me from doing so.
"What did you do to my husband?" She asks again, this time with more venom and power in her voice, Rebecca can be scary when she wants to be.
Claire sighs in defeat, glancing back down at the floor while all three of us just stare at her.
"O-Okay, someone from our small group shot him and then they attacked. I didn't know…" She cries a little, begging Rebecca to forgive her. Just like how that woman begged for Christa's forgiveness in the abandoned bathroom after she shot Omid.
Rebecca's silent, Carlos glares at Claire greatly, knowing I was right all along. She's a danger to all three of us; especially Rebecca.
"Alright, you need to leave. You put their lives at risk, you are not putting ours in danger either-" Carlos began, standing up and waiting for Claire to follow.
I catch the gleam in her eyes, that dark, psychotic one that she had earlier. I fucking knew I should have shot her sooner than later.
Claire's smirk widens, looking slowly up at Carlos and reaching into her pocket, pulling out a gun and aiming it directly Carlos without speaking a word.
"I like it here, and so will my group..."
His eyes widen, realizing the danger he put all of us in.
Something inside my brain snaps, I think that little shred of humanity I had left slipped. I knew she couldn't be trusted.
That's it…
"I knew it..." I spit viciously, raising my revolver to her head while she hesitates, smirking slightly.
"You're a smart kid, Clementine. My husband was right about you. Until that madman bashed his face in."
Confused, I look at Carlos, and then Rebecca who glances up at Claire, knowing damn well who she's talking about.
We've only bashed one person's face in...
"Well, your "husband" raped me a couple years ago." Rebecca knows exactly how to push people to their breaking point; she stands up from the couch, looking at me from the corner of her eye.
It finally clues in who this is;
Carver's wife.
Confused, my heart grows numb, retreating deep inside of my chest and escaping this horrible fit of emotions coursing through my veins. Why can't I just pull the trigger and get this over with?
Claire's eyes narrow, relapsing a bit.
"He would never."
Rebecca snickers, pissing her off greatly.
The gun switches to Rebecca instead of Carlos. I guess it worked.
"You're lying." She sneers, shaking a little. Not wanting to believe this one bit.
"Rebecca, what are you doing?" Carlos protests, not liking where this is going at all considering he's done everything he can to try to save her up until this point.
I need to save her; she's done so much for me.
"Claire, put the gun down..." My reasoning skills are up to par, maybe I can reason with her. Carefully, I begin walking towards her while Rebecca does the same.
Flashbacks of Lee when he used to do this to the people we've come across strike quickly through my mind, he must have been scared like I am right now as well...
Lee, please help me out here.
She bites her lip, hesitating a lot while Carlos doesn't know what to do, he just stands there looking lost and helpless.
"Claire, do not shoot her." He cautiously walks over beside me, glancing at the gun and Rebecca.
If she shoots Rebecca...
"Why would I do that, Carlos?" She sneers, the look in her eye gives everything away; she was already too far gone to even be helped.
The trigger clicks, firing a bullet straight into Rebecca's pregnant belly and creating a deafening ringing sound, drawing more attention from the Lurkers towards our little cabin.
No...
Tears sting the corner of my eyes as I gaze down beside Rebecca who desperately clings to her belly, trying so hard to keep the blood and fluid inside of her as it slips between her fingers and spills onto the floor.
Carlos watches too horrified to even move, I on the other hand; feel something snap inside my brain, wiping away every shred of humanity I have left for good this time.
"You... Fucking idiot." I growl, firing off several rounds into Claire's torso; leaving her on the ground to bleed out. The blood drips from her body onto her warm clothes, so much for robbing her of her jacket.
The smell of blood drips heavily in the air, a constant reminder to Carlos and I that we ended up killing three human beings tonight; instead of one.
Why did I hesitate? I knew she was going to shoot her...
Now the guilt settles in, if I hadn't have held onto the hope that maybe she was as nice as she seemed, then none of this would have ever happened.
Claire's whimpers can be heard over the sound of her choking on her own blood. She better hopes she dies of the blood loss before I finish the job.
Rebecca curls up on the floor beside the couch, clinging to her belly while the blood seeps through her shirt, and dripping all over the floor creating a small pool along with a pink tinted strange fluid. She gazes up at Carlos with fury and sadness in her eyes, as if she can't make up her mind on what emotion to feel when she sees him.
"What have I done...?" Carlos barely manages to say the words, collapsing on the floor beside her and tries to look at the bullet wound, but he knows damn well there's no way he can do anything to save the baby.
The whimpers from behind us emitting from Claire turn into crying pleads that we all ignore, she's the one who caused this; not us.
"Rebecca..." I can feel more tears escape from the corner of my eyes; she smiles softly at me; before crying out in pain, beckoning me to come closer to her.
The door rattles with the sound of angry, and hungry Lurkers wanting to barge in and devour us all, the cabin not only has to deal with the forces of nature; but also the forces of destruction as well.
Shit. Now what? Rebecca can't move, and there's too many of them and we only have so many bullets left.
"C-Clemen...t-tine..." She can barely speak, sobbing heavily for the loss of her husband, and her unborn child, while the fury of limbs slamming against the cabin echoes along in the back.
That's another one to the death count. When will this all stop...?
"No..." I drop to the floor with Carlos, trying to stop the flow with old dishcloths nearby while he looks at me with a doubtful expression.
"The baby." That's all he can say, trailing off the conversation while he holds her hand, comforting her as best as he can as she stutters and tries to steady her breathing.
I can't even think, what the Hell did I just witness?
I look down at Rebecca who holds my gaze with her sad eyes. The mess of blood and fluid is starting to flow even faster from the open wound, at this rate she won't even make it.
The snarling grows louder, one of their chairs topples over making it easier to reach all of us.
There's nothing we can do, Nick had the painkillers and I don't think they're coming home tonight...
Rebecca howls again in pain, causing the hungry Lurkers to go insane and want to come inside even more, the blood drains faster from her face and skin, turning her extremely pale.
I'll fucking kill Claire. If it's the last thing I'll do...
I grip the revolver; my eyes darken while I turn around to face Claire on the floor, pointing the gun at her head; I guess the blood loss didn't kill her.
"N-no... P-please..." She begs for her pathetic life, as if she'll live through all the holes I put in her.
"Why would I do that?" I growl, putting a little pressure on the trigger, sending her into a fit of tears and more nonsense gibberish spilling from her lips.
Her bloody hand reaches upwards towards me shakily, her blonde hair's matted down with her crimson red blood, and tears stain her cheeks as well, I don't even feel one shred of pity.
I aim straight between her eyes, she sighs in defeat; knowing I'll do it regardless. Besides; it's either the gun or feeling the Lurkers pick her flesh from her bones.
My heart doesn't do anything; any remorse or guilt completely vanishes. I can't feel any kind of emotion anymore; that's not good...
"D-Do it..." She splutters, blood drips from her mouth while the holes in her body ooze the red liquid all over the wooden floor from squirming around and reopening the clots that had already formed.
Carlos holds Rebecca, knowing there's no point in trying to save her or the baby. Rebecca's tears slowly fade away as she rests her head on his shoulder. Gazing at me with really clouded pupils.
"It would be my pleasure..." I sneer; pulling the trigger and watching Claire's beautiful face explode into a mess of flesh, blood, and tears.