CHAPTER 3
Clementine bounded into action as her guardian fell by comprehending his simple order. Every thing happened very suddenly, but luckily with her good reflexes she managed to catch the infant before he struck the ground.
The loud thud Kenny had made when he collapsed made her feel sick. She looked down at the man, slumped on the floor. It reminded her of her last glimpse of Lee and his pale face and still chest.
Lee told her to leave him. She had wanted to shoot him, but she obeyed his final wishes. Even moments from death Lee thought about her more than himself. It made the girl sick to think that he was just a walker handcuffed to a radiator. That great man that saved her was just another dead man walking to anyone else.
Thankfully, she noticed that Kenny's chest was rising and falling with life. She couldn't handle feeling responsible for another person's death. Clementine quickly formulated a plan in her mind of how to deal with the situation. She figured she could stitch up his injury, just like Christa taught her. She knew she was capable, because Christa's lessons were brought to life when she stitched her arm up in the cabin group's shed.
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Thinking of the cabin group caused a wave of anguish to rush through her. She was so unsure of them at first, but they all proved to be decent people, surviving just like her. At least they were surviving until she came along.
The young girl forced herself out of her reverie. She had to get moving, and fast. Clementine wanted to put AJ on the couch, because it seemed to be a rather comfortable place. However, she knew AJ would be safer if she could constantly watch over him. She opted to gently place him on the floor next to Kenny.
"You stay right here" she instructed pointlessly. AJ could neither understand her nor move.
Clementine rushed over to the supply bags. She wanted to dump everything on the floor and throw things around, but she controlled herself. If she let her panic take over, she wouldn't be able to help Kenny. See what happens when you panic, she thought. People get hurt when you panic.
After a few excruciatingly long moments, Clementine found some stitches, a needle, and bandages. She dug through the bags a second longer to look for some kind of disinfectant, but she came out empty handed.
She rushed over to the fallen man, and took a deep breath before beginning. She had never given anyone else stitches, but she figured it was easier than giving them to yourself.
"First you have to thread the needle," she told herself. She was able to get it through on her first attempt.
She sighed. "Now comes the fun part, Kenny."
Clementine lifted the man's shirt. She gasped in shock from the sight of the wound. Before, it was a narrow slit that was a few inches long. Now, the injury wasn't so narrow. Blood was absolutely everywhere and it was still gushing out.
She looked around for something she could use to stop the bleeding. Clementine didn't remember seeing rags in the Wellington bags, and she knew she had to act quickly. Her eyes fell on the coat that AJ was wrapped up in. AJ was cooing happily, oblivious to the mayhem surrounding him.
"Sorry buddy," Clementine apologized to the infant. She gently yet swiftly unwrapped the baby from the fabric and placed him on the floor. He let out a small cry and then continued with his coos.
Clementine firmly pushed the coat against Kenny's wound. She held it there for a few moments. After it got rather bloody, she applied pressure to the injury with a cleaner part of the coat. The blood was no longer gushing out, so she took the opportunity to begin the stitches.
She was aware that it wasn't ideal to leave the wound dirty. However, nothing about this situation was ideal. She couldn't just magically wish up medical supplies. She pushed the needle through his skin and pulled it out through the other side. The sound of the needle going through skin was grotesque to her ears. She shuddered. Clementine continued lacing up the wound until she reached the other end. She tied off the end and uttered a sigh of relief. She was thankful that the man hadn't woken up to see her preforming surgery on him. Now that would have been a shock!
She smirked proudly. "See? That wasn't so bad." She didn't know if she was talking to Kenny or herself.
Clementine then realized an error in her plan: She wasn't sure if she could get the bandages on him. She could muster up the strength to pull him and lean him up against something and then wrap him up. However, she feared that doing so would undo his stitches. Christa had taught her well, but she was aware of how stunted her medical knowledge was.
Her thoughts were interrupted by AJ wailing beside her. She picked up the baby and comforted him.
"It's going to be alright," she reassured the infant. The words sounded like a fib to her own ears. She hugged AJ against her chest and repeated the sentiment.
Clementine knew that there was nothing to do now but wait and keep an eye out for the last two people in her little and constantly shrinking world.