CHAPTER 8
Kenny had knocked Nate to the ground, and the two men both wrestled around. Clementine's heart jumped in her chest when she saw Nate raise his pistol towards Kenny. Luckily, Kenny managed to knock the gun out of his hand. It's metal body created a dull noise as it skidded across the wooden floor.
Clementine didn't want to just be a bystander. She wanted to raise her gun and fire, but she knew it wasn't safe. Her aim was good, but the two men were in constant motion. One second Nate had the upper hand, and the next it went to Kenny. She watched on hopelessly, still anticipating an opening.
Nate kneed Kenny in the stomach, and Kenny inhaled sharply in pain. The man took advantage of Kenny's hesitation, and managed to push Kenny off of him. Nate's hand were curled into tight fists, which he hurled towards Kenny's face. After receiving multiple blows, Kenny managed to raise his arms and wrap his fingers around his opponent's neck.
Clementine spared a glance around the rest of the bedroom. Martha was backing away from the fight, her face a jumble of multiple emotions. The other man, John, seemed to be contemplating breaking into the scramble. Clementine figured he feared getting hurt more than he wanted to help his friend.
Her bright eyes shifted back towards the scuffle. She heard curses emerging from Kenny's mouth, and the sound of Nate choking for breath. Nate's hands, which were wrapped firmly against Kenny's wrists, finally yanked Kenny's hands off of his throat. Clementine heard his deep intake of breath. He turned backwards for a second and grabbed a fallen book. He threw it into Kenny's face.
Nate managed to throw a few more punches into Kenny's face. The majority were aimed towards his eye. Kenny raised his hands to block Nate's next punches. When one of Nate's hits had a slow delivery, Kenny managed to grab his fists and push him back to the floor. He wrapped his hands around Nate's head and slammed it into the ground. Nate was struggling to become free from Kenny's grasp, but Kenny still held on. Kenny bashed the man's head against the cold wooden floor once more. For a third time, Clementine heard Nate's skull pound against the hard wood. The man's struggling ceased.
Every thud of the man's head made Clementine feel rather sick. "Uh...Kenny. He's had enough. Really, just stop!" She looked at his limp body. His chest was still rising and falling, but he was knocked out cold.
AJ had began crying softly in her arms. However, no one's mind was on the infant at this moment.
Clementine saw movement out of the corner of her eye. She followed the movement to see Martha, scrambling towards the abandoned gun. The young girl felt her stomach drop. Clementine spared a glance over at Kenny. He was no longer bashing the man's head into the ground. She saw his hand fly over towards his injury as he groaned.
Her eyes flew back over to Martha. She now had the gun in her hands, and it was aimed at Kenny. Clementine knew she had to stop this. She shifted AJ completely into her left arm and raised her pistol in return.
Kenny's good eye widened as he saw Martha holding the gun towards him. "Don't you fuckin' dare!" he threatened rather emptily. Unfortunately, his tired and weakened tone overshadowed his spiteful words.
"STOP!" Clementine yelled. "I'll shoot!"
Martha was in too deep of a thought to hear Clementine's warning. Yet still, she didn't fire at Clementine's companion. Clementine sighed and aimed the gun carefully at Martha. She hated to hurt people, but yet she knew it was unavoidable at this point. As she prepared herself to pull the trigger, she heard the other man yell.
"Martha! The girl's holding a gun at you!"
Martha's head snapped over towards Clementine as her eyes widened. She crouched down and sat the pistol gently on the floor. "No. Please don't shoot...I won't-"
The girl snapped her finger off the trigger and after a few seconds lowered the pistol. Clementine cut her off. "Just get out!"
"I-I won't hurt any of you. I-I don't think I can. Just..." Martha's voice trailed off.
Clementine followed Martha's wavering gaze to the center of the room. The other man was rushing towards Kenny, bat in hand.
"NO! DON'T!" Clementine screamed.
Unfortunately for Clementine, John had seemingly no problems with hurting Kenny. He swung the bat and struck Kenny's head. The noise sickened the girl.
She held her pistol up again and and aimed at John's shoulder. Martha was pleading with her to stop, rather unsuccessfully. Clementine didn't want the shot to be fatal, but she wanted him to stop. She firmly pulled the trigger. The shot rang out and the bullet hit the man square in her target. His bat dropped to the ground with a dull thud, voicing the man's shock. He looked at Clementine, his expression filled with both pain and confusion.
"You...you shot me?" he asked.
The girl retaliated. "You made me do it! I warned you!"
"Clementine!" Kenny called out weakly.
She looked over at him, worried. His voice sounded tired, and he looked somewhat confused. Worry flooded through her. She knew she hadn't gotten her gun out in time. Maybe if she would have shot the man faster, all would have been better. She jogged over to Kenny, sparing a glance at the two intruders. Martha was tending to the other man and whispering at an indiscernible level.
Clementine crouched down next to Kenny. "Are-are you okay?" she asked.
Kenny put his hand on his head. His body was swaying slightly. He then moved his hand towards Clementine, and showed her his palm. It was covered with a few speckles of blood.
She smiled. "That...doesn't look too bad! I mean the punches, the book, the bat. I expected more." Her eyes then traveled to his face. His expression still appeared confused and pained. "So...are you okay?"
Before Kenny could answer, Martha's gentle voice rang out. "So...can you guys just let us get Nate, please?"
Kenny answered. "Whatever gets you assholes the hell outta here."
"And uh...can you spare any medical supplies? Please? For the shot?"
Kenny answered. "You guys tried to rob us! And now you're askin' for charity?" He laughed bitterly. "Fuck that!"
"What?" Martha asked. "I could've killed you, you know? I don't agree with what those two do. I'm just in it for the survival and-" She cut off her own train of thought. "Why am I sharing that? Fine. I get it. I understand." Martha grabbed Nate by the shoulders and began to drag him away. The exchange left a sour taste in the girl's mouth.
She didn't want to just let them go like this. She knew they were bandits, and she saw first hand what bandits were capable of multiple times in the past. Still, she couldn't just allow them to march to their deaths. Lee taught her that sometimes, you can't do the right thing. That sometimes being a good person can get you killed. But he also said that you should do the right thing whenever it's possible. If you lose your humanity, you become no better than one of the things roaming outside.
With that in mind, Clementine decided to take action. "Wait!" she called out. Martha turned back to look at the girl. "We...actually do have something for you."
Martha's face lit up as she smiled, grateful. "Thank you so much. We-"
Kenny interrupted her. "Clem, you really think it's a good idea to help these people? Remember what happened when we helped Bonnie and Arvo? We can't give them anything."
Clementine felt anger begin to run through her. "No!," she began. "How come I don't ever have a say in anything? We don't need everything we have right now, and if we need it later, we can find more. We can't just let these people die!"
"Now Clem-"
"No! Just let me talk." she snapped. Kenny seemed to be shocked by the tone in her voice. "I won't give them a lot. I just want to give them something to help with the bleeding. And Bonnie and Arvo? I'm still glad we tried to help them."
"This isn't a good idea, Clementine." he retorted.
"Just take AJ. I am helping these people!" she exclaimed, ending the argument.
Kenny groaned in response and relented. Despite the circumstances, a small smile formed on his face as Clementine handed him the infant.
Clementine turned away from Kenny and marched towards the supply bags. She opened one and dug through to the First-Aid Kit. She put the kit on her lap and snapped it open. Inside lay the needle and stitches she used before, bandages, an ointment, and a small bottle of painkillers. She sat there and decided what she should hand them.
Unsure, she opted against her better judgment to ask Kenny. "I know you don't want to share, but what should I give them?"
Before Kenny could respond, John butted in. "Just hurry up. I'm kind of fucking bleeding over here!"
Clementine could make out the sound of Martha groaning under Kenny's yells. "Hey! She's helpin' you and y'all are just complainin'! Clem, do these people really deserve this stuff?"
"Yeah! They do." she replied firmly, sighing. She had known Kenny wouldn't exactly provide much help in the matter.
She tore some bandages off of the roll and managed to rip off some of the suturing thread.
"Uh...here you go," she said, standing up to hand Martha the supplies. She knew it wasn't much, but a little was better than nothing. Just the tiniest, most insignificant gesture could save a life.
Martha beamed in response. "Thank you so much."
"Um...sorry I can't give you the needle. We only have one. I think you can find something."
"No, it's great. I'm glad you didn't listen to your friend over there." Martha replied.
"Oh...and uh here," Clementine said, running back to grab something else.
The girl jogged back towards the woman and opened her hand to reveal two small packs of crackers. "You might need these, too."
"Thanks again, kid." she said, shoving all of the supplies into her bag. "Stay safe."
And with that, Martha bent down to grab her unconscious companion. She hoisted him up by the shoulders and dragged him towards the doorway as John stood back grimacing and clutching his shoulder.
Clementine then turned back towards Kenny. She didn't want him to be angry with her, but at the same time she realized there was no reason to be. All she did was what she thought was right. If he doesn't agree, he simply doesn't agree.
Kenny merely looked at her with a stern expression and shook his head, disappointed. "You shouldn't have done that."
"I'm glad I did." the girl admitted. She knew if she would've just let them leave, that they would've died out there. She was the one that shot John, and it was her responsibility to give him a hand. The fact that he seemed to be a jerk was irrelevant to her.
"Now what happens if you get sick, darlin'? What if you keep bleeding and we don't have any bandages? What if you starve to death because we gave away those crackers?" he questioned, cradling AJ.
Clementine hated to see the worried expression on his face. He could've been freed of this responsibility, she realized. She knew if she would've went to Wellington, he finally would have felt like he did the right thing. He finally would've been able to save someone. Now, he was stuck with the worry but he was still alive. That's the main reason Clementine rejected the temptation of safety and comfort. How could she live with strangers when her last friend was out there, dying? But now, she didn't know if she was helping him or hurting him. A small part of her felt she was becoming a burden.
"I'm sorry. I just wanted to help, so I did. And it won't come to that. I won't let it." she confided.
Kenny sighed. "You don't have to be sorry, Clem. You didn't do nothing wrong."
Clementine smiled at the last part of the man's words. That was something she really needed to hear as of late.
Clementine briefly examined Kenny and noticed a small amount of blood seeping through his shirt. The poor shirt had been through a lot. The entire bottom half was covered with dried blood, and now tiny pinpricks of fresh blood were soaking its threadbare fabric.
"Kenny, you're bleeding again!" she exclaimed.
He groaned. "Well, that explains why it smarts."
He lowered his shaky hands to lift up the bottom of his shirt and reveal the wound. Clementine was pleasantly surprised by Kenny's state. The majority of her sutures were still in place and there was a relatively small amount of blood.
"Is that bad, Kenny? The stitches are still in, kinda, and it's only a little blood."
Kenny forced a wry smirk. "Well, you're the doctor, Clem. I sure as hell wouldn't know. Give me your expert opinion."
She looked at it one second longer and then allowed her bright eyes to travel back towards Kenny's face. "I...I think you're going to be okay."
"Well that's a relief," Kenny stated as he lowered his shirt. "Good thing I got health insurance."
"What?" Clem asked, confused. She suddenly had no clue what he was talking about.
Kenny laughed upon seeing the baffled expression on her face. He found it funny that she could be so wise and could know so many interesting things, but have no idea what health insurance is.
"It's nothin'. And I was wondering if you could touch my forehead. See if it's hot?" Kenny felt pretty sick all of a sudden, but he didn't want to scare Clementine. He couldn't imagine how freaked out she was when he took that spill last night, and during this whole charade with the bandits.
Kenny watched Clementine reach out tentatively to gauge his temperature. Her hand felt very cool against his skin, and he could tell from the quick frown on her face that he did indeed have a fever. The first thought that came to him was how he could watch over the kids now.
"You do feel pretty hot. And you're starting to look a little pale." Clementine told him.
Kenny groaned. "Well ain't that nice?" he asked sarcastically.
Clementine sighed. "I guess I better get to work. Can you hand me AJ?"
"Oh...uh sure." he replied.
Clementine carefully took the baby from a reluctant Kenny's arms. No matter the occasion, Kenny always loved holding Alvie and never wanted to let go. The infant brought him back to a time so long ago he wasn't sure if it ever truly existed. The infant was hope, innocence, and second chances. He looked onwards as Clementine lay him down in his crib.
He watched as Clementine walked over to their bags and emerged with medical supplies. Kenny never was the best at reading people, but as she walked back towards him he knew the smile on her face was forced. She crouched down on the floor next to Kenny and handed him a few pain pills. He looked at the large pills in his hand, unexcited for the sensation of taking them without water. The man raised them to his mouth and dry-swallowed them in one gulp, cringing at the feeling in his throat. He looked back at Clementine, who was staring intently at his wound.
"Do you know what to do, Clem?" he asked gently.
She seemed to jump slightly at the sound of his voice. "Yeah, yeah. I was just thinking something."
"What?" he asked, curious. "You can tell me." He had the feeling that whatever she was thinking wasn't good.
"I don't know if I can." she responded simply.
Clementine's demeanor left him a little worried. "I promise I won't be upset."
A small sigh escaped Clementine's lips."Can you please...just stop it?" she asked, eyes still fixated intently on his injury.
The vagueness of her words baffled him. "Could you be more specific there?"
Clementine began fumbling with some of the equipment in her hand. "Like with the bandits. And almost everywhere. You just get mad and you make things worse."
Kenny was at a loss for words. He knew what she was saying was true, but hearing the words aloud just formed them into a real and tangible entity.
The young girl continued. "It scares me. What happened yesterday and what happened today. You could have avoided this. I'm just so worried that I could mess up here and that you could die or something." Her voice lowered to an almost inaudible level. "Sometimes you scare me." she confessed.
Although her voice lowered to the sound of the quietest whisper, he felt as if her words shook the ground beneath him. He was suddenly sick of the game he played. He always tried to play the hero, so at the end of the day he could claim his humanity was intact. He always ran away from his guilt, so it didn't consume him. He felt his tactics held no weight. His morality was bunk and his guilt was real. He wanted to do something for this kid that was in his care. He needed to do something that could erase his mistakes. He had to stop his games, and get real. He needed to make it up to her.
"Well," he muttered. "I scare little girls and I kill people. I-I...I'm sorry. I'm not going to let this shit happen again. I know I've said it countless times, but I mean it. I will change Clementine. You hear me?"
Finally, she looked him in the eyes. "I believe you," she said gently.
He couldn't tell if her words were sincere, which hurt him even more. He told himself everyday he would fix things, but the day he actually managed to change was yet to come. He hoped that this time his promise wouldn't be a fib.
"So...this is gonna hurt." she admitted, changing the subject.
He squinted his eye shut in anticipation. "Ole Kenny can take it."
His mind was still on the girl's words. I scare her sometimes, he thought. I scare her. He could add that on the constantly growing list of "Things I Know But Won't Admit To Myself."
He felt Clementine begin the work on his stomach. The painkillers hadn't quite kicked in yet, which was pretty much what he expected. It burned, but yet he felt numb. The sensation was horrible, but yet he found something peaceful in it.
"I'm sorry," Clementine said. "This probably reaaaaally hurts."
"I'm fine." he forced out between gritted teeth.
He focused on the burn of his injury for the rest of the procedure. It distracted him. It took him away from his melancholic thoughts. His worries, fears, guilt, and regret all dissipated, and all that remained was the pain.
He was unsure of how much time passed until Clementine declared she was finished.
"Can you sit up?" she asked, bandages in hand. "It's time to wrap it up."
"Alright", he replied, obeying her order. He sat still as she wrapped the gauzy bandages around his torso.
"Done." she announced brightly.
Kenny beamed at the girl. "Thanks. You did a great job here."
"I sure hope so," she replied. " Now I can take care of the house for a few hours. Okay?"
Kenny frowned at the thought. He was not comfortable with this. "I don't know Clem."
"Please. Just trust me. I don't want want a repeat of tonight."
Before he could respond, Clementine held out her small hand towards Kenny. "Come on," she said softly. "You need to rest."
He reluctantly placed his hand gently in her palm, and pushed himself up as the child pulled. With Clementine's assistance, he managed to stumble onto one of the beds. Clementine helped him get in, the sweet kid. Kenny's fatigue overtook him once he hit the sheets. The mattress may have felt a little stiff to the man, but it was heaven for all he cared. His last sight before drifting to sleep was Clementine tenderly covering him with a warm quilt.
Clementine whispered "Goodnight," into the sleeping man's ears. She knew her whispers were unbeknownst to Kenny, but she thought he deserved the kind words, especially after her confession earlier. She hoped she didn't come off as too harsh. The fact was, he did scare her at times. However, the large majority of the time she regarded him as a non-scary friend. With Kenny asleep, she settled down comfortably to watch over the house. She knew that it would be a long night.