AN: I don't know a lick of Spanish, and I had to use Google translate in order to find out some words, so just try to bear with me on this! Btw, I'm going to name the rest of the songs after southern-sounding songs – feel free to listen to them while reading this if you'd like!
…Urgh… Where… where am I?
Why is everything so dark in here? I can't see a thing…
I feel myself getting dragged along, but I can't do anything to fight back. Where are they taking me? Am… am I dead?
"Volver lejos de la puerta!" roars someone angrily, banging against some metal bars. "Away! Back from the gate, NOW!"
The hooded cloth is suddenly yanked off of my face as my eyes try to adjust to the surroundings. Dark, damp and musty… metal bars trapping in three other grown men… is this a prison? What am I doing in a place like this?
"In," the guard orders in a thick Spanish accent, just like everyone else around here. I'm roughly tossed to the ground as the dust surrounds my face. And just as quickly as I'd heard the guard, he's gone just as fast as he shuts the jail door behind me; locking it and heading out.
Slowly looking upwards, I see two of the men talking amongst themselves while occasionally looking my way and sniggering – these guys give me the creeps. The third man – a huge, bald beast of a fellow – lays in his bed with his back facing the rest of us, as if he doesn't have a care in the world.
Not wanting to sit face down in the dirt any longer, I shakily pick myself up and keep to myself; sitting on a wooden bench and wrapping my arms around myself. My hat's on the other side of the holding cell, but it's much too far for me to reach it from here. I fell lost and bare without it – my hat pretty much defines who I am these days. My gun and backpack are gone, too, which doesn't really surprise me at all to be frank.
"Carne fresca!" one of the other inmates says while his buddy laughs along with him. I have no idea what they're saying, but whatever it is, it's not friendly. Their beards are unshaven and they look incredibly dirty and ratty in those clothes. I can smell them from over here.
"Quien es usted?" the man asks me, but I look at him blankly as he and his friend slowly walk towards me. "Oh, umm… who are you?"
"Why do you care?" I ask quietly, not in the mood to be talking right now. I'd give anything for Lilly and Jane to be here with me right now.
"I ask first, mi amigo," he says while taking a seat beside me on the bench. The other man takes a seat to my right as he wraps his arm around my shoulders. "You and us, we will be together for long time – should know our names, yes?"
"Please don't touch me…" I tell him, shrugging his arm off as I stare at the ground in discomfort. "I don't want any trouble…"
Glancing to his partner, the two of them smirk before patting my back as the other guy places his hand upon my knee. Danger, danger! Red alert!
"Such a pretty flower, you are…" he mumbles lowly, brushing his hand softly against my hair as the other man traces circles upon my leg. "I haven't met a girl like you in a very, very long time. And we haven't been with one for even longer…"
"Wh-what are you doing?!" I ask shakily, trying my best to get away but not getting any results. The big guy on the bed stirs a little bit as his ears perk up, but still he doesn't move. "Just… leave me alone!"
Snickering sinisterly, the two of them do as I ask as I break out of their grasp; still traumatized and more than a little bit freaked out at this point. What the hell was that all about?!
This is hopeless – there's no way that I can just break out of here and run, since my pistol is long gone along with all the rest of my supplies. The only window in this cell is boarded up tightly, with a few cracks in between so that you can tell if it's day or night outside. Obviously it's getting pretty late, since no sunlight is peeking through.
Hearing the sound of footsteps approaching, the big guy in the bed sits upwards and looks at me for a second before turning towards a security guard with a small tray of food. It only takes a glimpse at the large man to see that he's got quite a few scars on the right side of his face – from what exactly I'm not sure. The guard simply slides it underneath the bars, spits on the ground in front of me and walks away menacingly. What a jerk!
Like three hungry hyenas, the men sit on the floor and quickly munch on whatever shitty meal they've been served – it looks like a piece of undercooked chicken and some rice, but it really looks disgusting. Nevertheless, they continue to eat it as if it's their last meal on earth.
"You may want to eat, pretty flower," the sick, twisted man with blonde hair and the shaggy beard chirps at me. "You won't be getting another meal for a long while."
"It's Clementine," I tell him bitterly, glaring as I reluctantly sit on the edge of their little circle. It's not as if I have much choice. "And why would you want to help me?"
"Because they want to keep you nice and healthy," his friend replies, stuffing his face with as much of his share as he can get. By the time the three of them finish, the bulldozer has already grunted before heading back into the bed; leaving me with the two weirdoes watching me as I eat the remaining scraps. It's not much, but it'll have to do.
"They gonna work you real good out there," blondie tells me, causing me to frown in worry. "You should… enjoy… your stay. This is home now for you, Clementine – we want to welcome you."
"I'm gonna be sick…" I complain, kicking over the tray and quickly heading to the corner, trying to block out the sounds of their evil laughter as they once again converse in Spanish. I've never felt so afraid in my entire life – the walkers are more hospitable than these guys.
Whatever, hopefully once the morning comes I can find Lilly and Jane, so that we can all escape this hellhole and get back home somehow.
But it'd still help if I actually knew where we are…
…
I'm awoken in the middle of the night by the brown-haired man playing with my ear and causing me to squirm away from him. His blond buddy eggs him on as he continues to harass me; poking my arms and rubbing his greasy fingers against my face.
As soon as he flips me onto my back, my eyes grow wide his terror as the two of them surround me.
"Why are you doing this?!" I ask pitifully, trying to break free of the man's grasp as he disgustingly kisses my cheek. "Stop! GET OFF OF ME!"
"We are just getting started, my pretty flower!" the blonde man grins wickedly, licking his lips as the brown-haired guy places his hand over my mouth. Thinking quickly, I bite down onto his finger as hard as I can until I draw blood, causing him to yell out in pain as he smacks me across the face with his other hand.
"Sujetarla!" he bellows as I crawl my way back to the wall and try to avoid these creepy monsters. People have had nightmares about this sort of thing. The blond man manages to trap me against the wall as the brown-haired guy pulls out some sort of sharp, tiny object from his pant pocket. "Don't resist, little girl – this will all be over soon."
"GO AWAY!" I scream, trying to break my way out of his firm grip as the other guy puts his hand up my shirt and touches my stomach. He cuts a piece of my poncho near the bottom as their eyes darken considerably. Why do they look… hungry?! "JANE! LILLY! HELP MEEEE!"
"Nobody will hear your screams, Clementine! Just stay calm, and we will – "
The brown-haired guy is cut off as the mountain man picks him up by his collar and slams his face against the metal bars. When the guy collapses, he picks him up again and slams his face into the concrete floor; sending blood to come pouring out of his nose as the blade thing falls out of his grasp. Mountain man (as I'm calling him) punches the sicko three times in the face before digging into his eyeball and pulling upwards as hard as he can. The creep screams in absolute agony as the mountain snaps his arm in two places with a sickening crack.
Meanwhile, the blonde guy has gotten over his initial shock, picked up the blade and charged towards the mountain. He manages to cut the big guy's arm pretty good, but honestly it doesn't even seem like it fazes the guy. It must just be the adrenaline kicking in. Mountain man punches Blondie straight in the throat as he collapses and starts choking before getting tackled to the ground. The mountain repeatedly kicks him square in the chest and throat until he starts to squirt blood out of his ears, mouth and nose; uttering one last gulp of breath before going completely still.
The brown-haired dude is still squirming about on the ground as he desperately tries to put his eye back into the correct position, but screams in fear as the mountain drags him over to the wooden bench. I scoot away as he approaches, still quivering after everything that's just happened.
When he's fully satisfied that I'm out of his way, the mountain holds the monster over his head before slamming him downwards – face-first into the bench as his back bends like an accordion.
To make sure that neither of his victims come back, he takes the dropped blade, strikes down into their brains and wipes the blade off on his pants before dropping it to the floor. As I let out an uncontrollable gasp (as I hadn't realized that I had started hyperventilating), Mountain man gives me one last look out of the corner of his eye. Nodding slightly and letting out a grunt, he walks over to his bed and lays in it as if nothing ever happened.
As for myself, I breathe heavily and fold my knees up to my chest as I shakily look between the two dead men in our prison cell. I don't want to know what they were planning on doing to me, but thankfully I won't have to worry about that anymore. Their blood spills out onto the concrete surrounding them until it empties into the little drain they've got in the middle of the floor. I'm starting to think they put that there in case this kind of situation ever occurred.
Glancing over at the massive guy across from me, deep down I want to thank him for doing that. Yeah, you heard right. I want to thank him for murdering two of our fellow prison inmates. It sounds weird and wrong when I say it, but it's true. However… I don't have the strength, courage or willpower right now to go over and thank that man. I think a part of me is afraid of pissing him off – I've now seen what he can do.
So instead, I cradle my knees further to my chest, bury my face in my arms and let some tears flow down non-stop. This is horrible… and if it's any indication, this is only the beginning.
Jane, Lilly… where are you?
…..
The next morning, two of the security guards had woken me up after they started shouting – enraged that two of their prisoners had been massacred so brutally. Immediately, they had sprung into the cell and lined the two of us up for questioning. It actually looked really funny seeing the size difference between us, and it wasn't really any secret who had killed the creepy sickos who tried to… well, I'm still not frankly sure.
However, it was even funnier watching as the guards backed up in fear when they tried to discipline him. The mountain man sent a glare towards the security guard; practically daring him to try something. I'm pretty sure if he wanted, this guy could snap these punks like a twig and just slaughter everything that moved outside. Yet, he does none of those things, and simply complies as the security guards order us to come outside. I quickly pick up my hat and put it back upon my head before doing anything else, though.
"What… why do we need this stuff?' I ask as the both of us are handed a pair of gloves and some sharp plyers.
"Work," the guard barks, glaring fiercely at me as I'm shoved out into the blinding, burning sunlight. This feels a lot hotter than Texas was when we first arrived. "Field, go, now!"
Squinting, I hold my hand in front of my face until my eyes fully adjust to the harsh sunlight. Once I can actually see, I scan the area to see just how large this place actually is – it's frickin huge. There are massive field ranges surrounding us, plus the prison buildings, some offices up ahead and then… the fence. Oh god, the fence – I know exactly where I am.
Mexico… right along the border of the US. Lilly had told me about this once, saying how tight the security used to be before all the walkers came along.
Speaking of which…
The walkers are on the other side of the fence; some clawing at the fence while others wander about the desert area aimlessly. There's a ton of them out there, but nobody seems to be paying them any mind! Even the guards up in the watchtowers don't seem worried.
I look to my right to ask the mountain a question, but he seems to not pay me any mind as he walks out into the field and starts to cut plants; putting them in a sack and repeating the process while others do the same beside him.
Not wanting to get smacked around again, I follow the mountain's lead and go to a different row of crop-pickers. They didn't even give me any instructions on what I'm supposed to be doing, but maybe it's just like what Reggie showed me back then. Bending downwards, I begin to cut off some of the vegetables and place them in a sack, though it's tough to do since the plants are so prickly. I suppose that's what the gloves are for, though.
After doing this for another five minutes or so, I lift my head up and look around at all the different people; praying that I see Jane and Lilly alive and well. Twirling my head in all directions, I stop when I come to a row of crop pickers – one of which is skinny, tall and has kind of long, brown hair…
"Lilly!" I call out but immediately getting shushed by one of the guys beside me. Sure enough, Lilly does look up and places a relieved hand over her mouth when she sees me, but motions for the two of us to act like we're actually doing something.
"Keep your voice down!" the man beside me hisses, rolling his eyes as he continues to work. "Maria, Jesus y Jose… Are you trying to get shot over here?"
"What is this place?" I ask him quietly, pretending to work as a security guard looks towards me for a moment.
"Stupid newbies do not know anything!" one of the other guys snap, but he's shushed by the man beside me.
"Quiet, Marcus! Hush!" he tells him before turning back towards me. "My name is Mikael, and this is a Mexican hell, is what it is! Prison of the worst kind – little food or water, and nobody bats an eye when a worker dies from the heat. Most of us just call it the Slave Pen. If anybody steps out of line, they shoot you or toss you out there…"
He gestures back towards the fence, and I gulp as I see what he means. Getting shot would be a much nicer punishment than getting eaten by walkers.
"I'm Clementine," I tell him, to which Mikael rolls his eyes.
"Good for you."
"How can you understand me so well?"
"What? Do you think every person here cannot speak any fucking English?" Mikael growls, but not really seeming angry about it. More just ticked. "Quit being so ignorant, child – it will not get you far, not around here."
Sighing heavily, I glare frustratingly at the plant before picking some more vegetables that I've never seen before.
"What the hell is this stuff?" I ask, more so to myself than anyone in particular, but Mikael answers anyways.
"Tobacco," he states simply, "surely you have seen this before?"
When I shake my head, Mikael simply chuckles and rubs his eyes in exhaustion, causing me to get even more annoyed with the guy.
"You know, just because you've been here longer doesn't mean you have to be such a jerk!" I hiss quietly, hoping in my naïve mind that it'll get him to feel bad or something.
Obviously it doesn't work.
"You won't last a week out here…" he remarks bitterly, moving down to another plant as he wipes the sweat off his forehead. "Maybe it's time to check out that attitude of yours, Clementine. It'll do you some good in the long run."
"I don't care what you think," I remark with a tone of hostility, "I just need to find my friends."
"Friends? You shouldn't concern yourself with others' wellbeing at this point."
"Just because you don't have any doesn't mean you should tell me to abandon mine as well. I need to find them!"
"If you want you and your so-called "friends" to stay safe, then you had best keep your mouth shut and your head down," Mikael lectures me, as I glance over nervously at Lilly. "Don't draw attention to yourself, or to them. The best thing you can do is to just do as you're asked and get on their good side."
Ha! As if these people actually have a good side! But… unfortunately… Mikael's got a point. It won't do me any good right now to act out and get myself or the other two killed. I'll just have to play my cards right, and wait for an opening.
Because I sure as hell am not staying here for the rest of my life, however long that might be.
Looking behind me, I notice that the mountain is still working diligently, not complaining or speaking to anyone as he tries to cut the tobacco leaves. His hands are big and clunky for the job though, so he ends up with huge chunks that he places in the bag after he finishes.
"What's his name?" I inquire, watching his handiwork as Mikael turns around. Once he realizes who it is I'm talking about, his eyes go wide and he shakes his head.
"Just leave him be; that's Dominic," he explains, making it sound as though he's nothing but bad news. "The man's a teddy bear when he wants to be… until you piss him off. I heard that he crushed two guys' heads in last night in one of the cells. Wouldn't surprise me – those two were asking for it."
"I know he did… I was in the room when he killed them."
"Ay carumba…" Mikael grimaces, shaking his head and turning towards me. "Let me give you a piece of advice, Clementine: don't cross him, alright? You piss off the wrong person around here, and they'll put you in the ground."
"I'll, uh, keep that in mind," I reply hesitantly, looking over to Lilly one last time before returning to my work.
…..
After a long, hard day of forced labour, I slowly walk back to the prison buildings with a heavy heart and mind. Recent events have taken their toll, and I'm still not sure how I'm able to even stand.
Just as I'm about to retire for the night (and spend another evening trapped with Dominic), I see Lilly ushering me to come talk to her in between some of the buildings. Making sure that I'm not being watched just yet, I rush over to Lilly and hug her in relief.
"After you blacked out we weren't sure what to expect," Lilly explains, placing one hand on my shoulder and the other checking my face. "Fucking assholes… I can't believe they did this to you! Are you alright?"
"I'm… okay," I tell her uneasily, not sure how to explain myself when Lilly gives me a doubtful look. "Lilly… have you ever been… touched, by a guy before?"
"Clem, what the fuck happened…?"
"There were two of them; two really weird and scary guys who were in the prison with me. They were calling me strange names and making me uncomfortable," I admit while rubbing my shoulder and looking downwards; feeling slightly ashamed.
Lilly listens with intent as I continue, even though she seems to know where this might be headed.
"They started… touching me – in my hair, on my face and my leg. And then the one guy said that he'd never been with a woman before… so they trapped me against a wall…"
"Jesus Christ…" Lilly breathes out, shutting her eyes tightly and swearing under her breath. "Did they do… anything else to you, Clem? They didn't hurt you, did they?"
"No… this big guy was also in the cell with us. He… he crushed their heads when the other two were grabbing me. They're dead," I tell her, tears brimming my eyes as I explain this whole story to her. "Lilly… did I screw up somehow? Did I do something wrong?!"
"Clem, listen to me, okay? You didn't do a damn thing wrong," she soothes, patting my shoulder reassuringly as she struggles not to freak out about this. "But if anyone tries to do something like that again, be prepared to defend yourself, but also come straight to me. I'll tear the fucker apart."
Nodding silently, I try to control myself before I have to head back to my prison. Nothing would make me happier than heading back with Lilly, but the both of us know how that would turn out – death.
"Where's… where's Jane?" I ask worriedly, having not seen her all day. I only get more concerned when Lilly shrugs her shoulders.
"They split us up on the way over here, but I don't know where they took Jane," she admits sadly, actually seeming rather concerned about her well-being. "Don't worry, Clem. We'll find her, and then we'll gut these assholes if we have to. We just need a plan; a way to get the three of us out of here once and for all."
"Okay…" I reply, nodding as she stands to her full height. "I trust you, Lilly."
"Come on. You know that's a bad idea," Lilly jokes, trying to lighten the mood a little bit as we go our separate ways. Just in time, too – those asshole security guards are edging their way towards us. Lilly rolls her eyes as they yell at her in Spanish, and I glance sadly at her one last time before departing to my resting area.
As soon as I see Dominic through the bars, I sigh and walk my way inside. Even though Mikael told me not to associate with the big guy, I still feel compelled to talk to him. After all, the man did save my life.
"…Hey…" I start off slowly, twirling my foot around awkwardly when he doesn't even glance my way. "I uh… just wanted to, you know, thank you for doing that yesterday. It was uh… really sweet."
Dominic glances my way, nods his head and returns to what he was doing before – whatever that is. Thinking that maybe he doesn't speak a lot of (if any) English, I walk over towards him and peer over his shoulder; trying to get a glimpse of what he's up to.
It seems as though he's got a number of rocks splattered about the ground… how exciting, indeed. For some reason, he's got them lined up on each side, and takes one away before cocking his head to the side in confusion. When I go to tap his shoulder, he quickly turns around and raises his hand up in the air as I wince; waiting for an impact.
When he sees my reaction and looks at his hand, Dominic quickly lowers it and grunts. He most likely feels bad about what those assholes tried to do to me yesterday.
"Do you know how to count?" I ask softly, sitting cross-legged beside the giant as he looks into my golden eyes with embarrassment. Feeling bad for the man, I look down at the rocks and put them back into order. "I can teach you, if you want."
Dominic looks torn, as if he's deciding between just ignoring me completely or taking me up on my offer. When he keeps on looking back and forth between me and the rocks, I hesitantly and gently put my hand on top of his. That seems to calm him down at least a little bit, so I scoot closer to him as I help the fella with his math.
Unfortunately, and I think this goes both ways, I hate math.
But at least we're starting off on the right foot.