The group trudged through the remnants of what used to be a sprawling city, now turned to a barren wasteland of death and decay. Everyone was wary and a bit on edge since the incident back at the train. But they put most of those thoughts to the back of their minds for now. It wouldn't do any good to panic. If you panic, then you get desperate and when you get desperate...Clementine knew all too well what desperation would make you do.

Clementine recommended that they stick to the alleyways to travel. The group didn't hesitate to agree. After all, she had already been there before. It was also much more safer then trudging through the streets with little to no care like her group had done before when they were last there. But then again, there wasn't anything more dangerous then your standard walker back then. Now they had some type of abomination to worry about.

Nick peeked his head out of the alley to scout for any threats.

"See anything?" Carlos asked quietly.

Nick waited a moment, scanning the surroundings and surveying a route.

"Yeah," he answered, "we got a couple lurkers stalking around a gas station, by the look of it."

Luke looked a bit relieved.

"None of those freaky...glowers?" Luke asked him.

Everyone gave him a weird look.

"What?" he asked defensively and a bit embarrassed.

Clementine only shook her head with a smile while Sarah stifled a giggle.

"So...are there any?" he asked, hoping to divert the attention away.

Nick seemed a little annoyed at the question.

"You don't think I could spot a glowing lurker?" Nick retorted, raising his voice slightly with incredulously.

Luke raised his hands in surrender, "Sorry, sorry, just making sure we don't run into one."

Nick nodded, still a bit annoyed but understanding a little. That thing scared him a bit too back at the train.

"There's an alley near the gas station," Nick whispered, forming a plan, "the lurkers look a bit occupied with a body right now to be able to notice us."

Everyone nodded.

Luke stepped forward, "I'll take point, make sure they ain't too good with hearing."

He then turned to address everybody else, "As for everyone else...follow close, this could get a bit hectic."

Nick stepped back, allowing Luke to step forward and claim the front.

Alvin was whispering words of encouragement to Rebecca, making it apparent he was going to help her keep up while Carlos gave Sarah a comforting hug whispering to her. He then approached Luke for a moment to discuss something, leaving Sarah alone behind her for a moment. Clementine noticed Sarah trembling out of the corner of her eye and, with a bit of thought, took out her pistol and approached her discreetly. Carlos was too overprotective of Sarah. He isolated her from the world and never taught her about defending herself or anything about the walkers, so Clementine KNEW Carlos would never agree to give Sarah a weapon (even if he knew about Clementine teaching her).

"You remember when I taught you how to use this back at the cabin?" Clementine asked presenting the pistol to her.

Sarah's eyes widened in shock and disbelief as she quickly picked up what Clementine was insinuating. Her mouth seemed to open and close a few times before she regained her composure.

"Um...yeah, but...what about you..what are you going to use and what will my Dad say?" Sarah asked, warily accepting the weapon and storing it in her back pocket.

Clementine gave her an encouraging smile, "Don't worry about me, I'm small and fast...you need it more then I do right now, just in case something goes wrong."

Sarah was about to respond but Clementine interrupted her.

"I'll worry about Carlos, but ONLY use that if you ABSOLUTELY need to...alright?"

Sarah nodded reluctantly when Carlos approached, seemingly oblivious to the scene Sarah and Clementine had shared.

"Alright, everybody ready," Luke started, "follow me close y'all."

Luke darted out at a jogging pace and everyone else followed suite, albeit a bit further apart then they should be.

They had nearly passed the gas station and safely arrived into the alley when Clementine heard a cry that she had (unfortunately) heard before.

She spun around just in time to see an Abomination emerge from the alley they had just come from. She mentally scolded herself for not double checking their flank. The unholy flesh eater seemed to grin knowingly at her as it scanned her small frame, as if sensing she was unarmed.

Then it charged.

The cabin group had heard the cry but were far to occupied with the surrounding walkers that seemed to emerge out of the nearby buildings after hearing the Abominations rally cry.

Clementine made the mistake of taking her eyes off the mutated walker to process the situation. She felt a stabbing pain in her ankle and screamed out in agony as she was crushed to the ground with the Abomination on top of her.

"CLEM!"

Clementine barely registered Sarah yell out as she kept the Abomination from sinking its teeth into her face with her arms.

"SARAH," she heard Carlos yell, "WHERE DID YOU GET A GU-"

Carlos was cut off by a gun shot ringing out, and time seemed to slow down as Clementine caught a glimpse of the bullet, barely missing the Abomination, sail over its head and collide with a gas dispenser. Clementine had hardly any time to think as the gas station was set on fire.

Then the explosion came.

The Abomination and all the other walkers were damaged more then Clementine and the others, being as how their flesh was sensitive, weak, and rotting. All those walkers that weren't caught in the blast were disorientated by the noise and wandered off in different directions, their senses overwhelmed and blinded temporarily.

The cabin group was spared the explosion.

But Clementine was not given that luxury.

She vaguely heard someone calling her name as her world went dark around her.

Next time on the Walking Dead...

"Get her in here now!" Carlos bellowed in his panic.

"SHIT, SHIT, SHIT MAN!" Luke whispered as he gazed at Clementine.

"BAR THE DOOR!"

Alvin and Nick rushed to the double door and held it closed as walkers pummeled against it.

"What are we going to do now," Luke asked in anguish.

Nick glanced at Clementines bloody ankle as her form remained motionless and pale.

"I think you know what we gotta do man..." Nick responded with tears in his eyes, glancing at the pistol on the counter.

"NO!"

AN: THERE...IT...IS! And before you ask, no, this is not the end. Just thought I would start giving some sneak peeks of the next chapter. And sorry for not updating earlier as I planned. Got caught up with school work (and maybe a bit of Dying Light ;]) and got sick on Wednesday so I couldn't update. Hope it was worth the wait! The next chapter may take a bit longer (an extra week at the most) because I have some papers to type for my classes. Remember to leave a review and stay tuned for the next chapter of "Set You Free"!