A/N: My song recommendation for this chapter is 'Wash' by Bon Iver. :)


3. All too sore for sound


As Sarah swings open one of the kitchen cupboards in search of something to eat, she finds herself hesitating soon after, and glances over her shoulder towards Clementine.

She's sitting at the kitchen table with the contents of her backpack splayed out on the surface, and is lazily slumped in the chair with her ankles crossed on top of the table. Her baseball cap hangs low over her eyes, and she seems to be purely focused on loading the pistol she holds in her hands, or… whatever it is she's doing.

Sarah pulls a can out of the cupboard and stops herself as she brushes past the dining table. It's completely silent between them as Sarah's eyes nervously scan the ground, then back up towards Clementine once more. All that can be heard is the clattering sound of her grabbing another magazine from the table, and loading it into the second weapon.

Sarah opens her mouth as if she's about to say something, but then thinks that she may be bothering her if she does so, and only ends up shutting her lips again when no sound comes out.

Clementine smirks, pretending not to notice how she can see Sarah constantly turning around then back again in her peripheral vision, as if she's unsure whether she wants to leave or not, even though she's right in front of her and she can clearly see her.

A part of Clementine just wants to say 'Yes?' but the other part of her finds it quite comical how much Sarah looks like a nervous schoolgirl with a crush at this very moment. So, she waits instead, solely thinking about how adorable she's being right now.

Just as Sarah is about to walk away, she whips around once more and finds herself blurting out almost all too quickly, "Can you teach me how to hunt… sometime?" Her voice comes out louder than she intended, and it wavers insecurely as the sentence goes on.

Clementine only blinks up at her from underneath the rim of her hat. Her hands freeze around the gun, and she curiously searches Sarah's odd expression. She doesn't know what she expected her to say, but it hadn't been that.

"Uh… yeah, sure," Clementine slowly lowers her legs from the table after a while, placing the pistol on the surface next to her, but Sarah's gaze shies away from her own. "Is… there any particular reason why?"

In response, the other girl simply shrugs her shoulders at first while shyly twisting around the can in her hands. "I wanna get better at it… like you."

A flicker of a smile appears on Clementine's face from the implied compliment. She knows Sarah looks up to her - she always has, ever since they met. But after all this time, comments like those still manage to catch her off guard sometimes.

It doesn't require much more than that for her to know that Sarah is still upset about the bird incident the day before, even though she had brushed it off when she repeatedly apologized for it.

Sarah knows it's a stupid thing to get distressed about - having a terrible throw that ended up costing them a whole meal. But, Clementine is always the one providing for them. For once, she just wanted to do something right, and maybe they wouldn't have to starve as much as they do. It would've been the least she could do after everything Clementine has done for her, and not just regarding meals.


The next morning, Sarah feels gentle hands awakening her from her sleep, and the familiar figure standing over her spot on the bed is enough to make up for the harsh light that stings her eyes.

"Morning, sleepyhead," Clementine greets with a soft grin and her voice just about a whisper.

When Sarah asks her why she'd been woken up so early, Clementine only tells her to pack her bag for the day and to meet her downstairs when she's ready, all while delicately stroking Sarah's hair as the older girl lays there curled on her side. Then without further words, she bounds out the bedroom door before Sarah even has time to admire the quick gesture.

Nearly an hour later, they're hiking through the woods behind the neighbourhood with their rucksacks hauled on their backs, and clothed for the summer heat, but neither of them say much to each other on their path through the crowded forest.

"You still haven't told me where we're going," Sarah finally comments while trailing a few paces behind Clementine, her hands tightly gripping the straps of her backpack.

"I know," she responds after a moment, and Sarah doesn't miss the smug tone in her voice as she watches Clementine duck her head underneath a low branch.

"So…" Sarah's voice trails expectantly as she pushes away the same branch when she walks under it, the dead leaves rustling loudly by her ears.

"Relax," she coaxes while briefly glancing to her over her shoulder. "It'll be fun… trust me," and knowing Clementine as well as she does, Sarah soon discovers she isn't going to get a proper answer out of her any time soon.

It isn't until they near the edge of the forest that the distant sound of running water begins to reach Sarah's ears, and after emerging from the edge of the brush, her eyes are finally met with the shimmering stream of water that flows at the bottom of the rocky hill before them.

They've been here before - merely passed through it a couple of times since they started living in the neighbourhood. And after a while, Sarah and Clementine have had plenty of time to get to know the area, but there's something about the way bright morning sun stunningly glistens off the water's surface that makes Sarah feel like she's seeing it for the first time again.

The sound of waterfalls and chirping birds brings a rare feeling of peacefulness that Sarah hadn't thought existed anymore, and she watches as the current rushes over large flat stones that flows downwards into the expansive pool below. There are more trees on the other side, but the river itself seems to go on farther than either of them can see.

"What are we doing here?" Sarah asks with slumped shoulders while staring in confusion at the stream below.

Clementine quickly strides past her, and has already begun making her way down the hill and towards the river before Sarah even has time to react. Creating distance between the two of them, the girl turns to face Sarah after a moment, now walking backwards with her arms outstretched triumphantly.

"Ever gone fishing before?" Clementine calls out to her over the sound of the rushing water, and Sarah only blankly stares after the girl with bewilderment as her figure moves farther away.

A wide grin from Clementine is flashed her way, and when she whips around again to continue sauntering down to the stream, Sarah scoffs at how unusually enthusiastic the girl seems to be.

Shaking her head and chucking softly to herself, Sarah calls back with a hand held by the side of her mouth. "You're ridiculous, you know that?" she teases, then runs down after her with excitement suddenly bubbling inside.


After removing their shoes and backpacks, as well as rolling their pant legs up to their knees, Sarah and Clementine settle in a shallow area of the river near the shore, hoping to catch fish with less difficulty in calmer waters that way.

Without proper fishing gear, they had created makeshift weapons instead, with only their pocket knives and a couple of large sticks, in which Clementine had showed her how to properly shave the edge of the wood to create a spear.

When Clementine is finished going over the basics, Sarah observes as the other girl hovers her weapon above the water in demonstration. A long piece of rope Clementine obtained from her backpack is wrapped around her arm, and her form is buckled warily with her eyes focusing intently on the fish beneath the surface.

But then for a moment, Sarah's gaze subconsciously trails away from the water, and instead glances up to Clementine as they stand knee-deep in the river.

She'd tied a knot at the hem of her white V-neck t-shirt, and Sarah doesn't miss how the fabric tightly sits above her hips, and a fragment of her bare stomach remains exposed.

"Okay, just… line it up, follow it, hold it steady, and…" Clementine slowly narrates, completely unaware of Sarah's lingering eyes.

A few suspenseful moments pass by, before the spear is swiftly plunged into the water and emerges a second later with a struggling fish impaled on its end.

All distractions are brushed aside as Sarah stares in shock at the squirming animal, and Clementine smirks triumphantly at the girl's baffled expression.

Stepping towards the shore and bending down by the rocks, Sarah watches as she unwraps the rope from her arm and manages to securely tie it around the writhing fish without it slipping away.

"Why are you doing that?" asks Sarah curiously, staring at her backside.

"It's called a stringer. Well, the best I could make of one, anyway," she explains while attaching the other end of the rope to the trunk of a nearby tree, allowing the animal to remain in the water while still preventing it from swimming away. "It's so the fish can stay alive until you're ready to cook it, otherwise if it's already dead, it'll go bad without an ice cooler to keep it fresh." Clementine finishes the last knot, and rises to join Sarah in the shallows after a minute. "Okay, now you try."

Nervously pursing her lips at the suggestion, Sarah's eyes soon begin scanning all around her in search of any movement in the water.

When she finally makes out the figure of another fish swimming towards her beneath the ripples, she raises her spear in preparation as it approaches. It scurries away when she plunges the weapon into the water, and all she ends up doing is creating a large splash before her.

Sarah sighs audibly at her failed attempt. "I don't get it," she says frustratingly, her shoulders slumping. "How are you so good at this?"

Clementine shrugs in response as she stands a few feet away. "A friend taught me… once," she begins, but her longing gaze sinks to the ground as she recalls those countless days after Savannah, and the unfortunate incident at a rest stop's bathroom that ended up costing her dear friend's life. "It was a long time ago, though," she shakes her head after a second, attempting to brush the memory away.

Sarah doesn't respond for a while, and only continues to stare down at the water in search of another target. "Well, it's a good thing I have you, then," she says.

Clementine's eyes flicker upwards from underneath her eyelashes, and she feels a shy smile tugging at the ends of her lips.

"You know, to teach me these things," Sarah continues, who glances up at her before her gaze falls downwards once more. "I'd probably be useless on my own."

"That's not true, you know," she protests, her mood falling as it always does whenever Sarah puts herself down. Clementine only wishes the other girl didn't feel that way about herself.

"I'm just saying, you're more… built for this life," Sarah points out, insecurity of her own skills suddenly washing over her. "You know, like, hunting and all that. You make it look so easy."

Clementine ponders over her statement for a few moments. She never really thought about herself that way. Sure, she had always been an outdoor kind of girl, and she doesn't really struggle with fending for herself, but that doesn't mean she never used to.

"It hasn't always been easy for me. Besides, you've come a long way too, Sarah," Clementine adds encouragingly. "You give yourself less credit than you deserve."

With her gaze still fixed on the water, Sarah only shrugs her shoulders hopelessly. "Maybe," she mumbles in a soft voice, sounding far from convinced.

After that, Clementine only watches from her spot in the water as Sarah jabs the spear towards another roaming fish. It darts away in an instant, but she continues to desperately stab at another one without luck. All that can be heard is the aggressive swishing of the water, and Clementine struggles not to laugh from how ridiculous Sarah looks.

"Here," Clementine chuckles softly while approaching her side. "Keep your hand down here," her palms reach for Sarah's own, and she guides them into proper positioning. "That way you'll have more control over it. And… try to aim a little in front of the fish instead of directly at it, that way it'll swim right into the spear when you bring it down."

"Right, got it," nods Sarah with confidence, and Clementine steps away when she lifts the weapon once more.

A few moments pass by in anticipation, and once Sarah's eyes set on another target, the spear is quickly submerged into the water once more. When she jerks it out with a splash, a wriggling fish is pierced on the stick's end, and the girl nearly jumps from the sight. "I did it!" she exclaims in excitement.

"See?" beams Clementine. "It's not so hard once you get the hang of it."

Afterwards, she shows her how to properly attach it to the stringer while double checking that it won't get away, and it takes both their pairs of hands to restrain the struggling fish as they tie it with the rope.

When they're finished, and Clementine begins making her way back out to the shallow water, she spots another fish nearly twice the size as the last one swimming directly their way.

"Wait," her hand hovers in front of Sarah so as not to startle the approaching animal, and Clementine suddenly feels herself boasting with confidence. "I got this big one," she tells her, smirking.

Her eyes never leave her target, and Clementine raises her spear as the swerving fish nears her legs from underneath the ripples. She viciously jabs at the unaware animal, but it bolts to the other side of her in an instant. She whips around to stab at it again, only to end up falling forward onto her hands and knees with a mighty splash, and the fish races in the opposite direction.

Sarah bursts out laughing as Clementine remains there, now motionless in the water with her soaking wet hat hanging over her eyes, completely obscuring her vision. Now completely drenched, she slowly lifts her cap to glare at Sarah from underneath the rim, who only continues to giggle at Clementine's failed attempt.

"Hey, they're really fast, okay?" defends Clementine with all seriousness, slowly rising to a stand and flicking her arms in an attempt to shake the water off.

She can't help but feel embarrassed after how quickly her confidence had just been thrown out the window. She'd tried to be impressive, and all it had ended in was her falling like a clumsy idiot right in front of Sarah.

"Don't laugh at me," Clementine pouts with knitted brows, but fails to prevent the grin that reaches her lips, and the slight chuckle that comes afterwards.

"Okay, okay, I won't, sorry," Sarah gasps through her constant giggles. "Just… that looked really funny."

Her laughing fit is quickly interrupted when an enormous splash of water suddenly hits Sarah in the face, and her entire body freezes up from the unexpected wave.

"Who's laughing now?" Clementine teases, a wide grin now plastered on her face from the sight of Sarah's jaw hanging low and her eyes squeezed shut from the water.

Only grumbling in response, Sarah pretends to be upset while the other girl is occupied with giggling to herself.

Clementine's soaked t-shirt is completely see through now, and the fact that Sarah can see her bra only adds another distraction on top of the girl's partially exposed stomach.

"Hey!" Clementine gasps when another wave is sent in her direction, splashing her in the face. After locking eyes on Sarah, she treads through the water towards the other girl's cowering form.

"Wait, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" laughs Sarah, who frantically backs away with her hands held out in front of her. "Clem, no- don't! I'm serious!" she squeals in protest right before getting tackled to the ground, and they both plunge into the water with a loud splash.

They chase each other through the shallow stream until neither of them remember why they had been here in the first place, laughing and shouting like they're both little kids again. As if they are living in a normal world.

They don't know how long it is until exhaustion finally overpowers their goal to tackle one another, and they soon find themselves with barely enough air in their lungs to speak.

So, they collapse on the shore afterwards, both lying on their backs and gasping for breath. They're soaking wet, but they don't mind how uncomfortable their clothes feel as they cling to their shivering bodies.

Neither one of them can remember how long it's been, where they hadn't been worrying about something. They're always so cautious, and focused on what they need to do, especially Clementine. Normally, she would never let them become so distracted.

But Sarah – she makes her feel… something, that she didn't think she could feel anymore. Like, her childhood was never stolen from her. Or… like the world isn't as bad as it seems.

"Come on," Clementine breaths after a while of relaxation, finally forcing herself to stand.

Sarah sits up afterwards, and while she follows the younger girl in the direction of the fish stringer they had set up earlier, she removes her wet glasses from her face to wipe the water droplets from the lenses.

"Now, for the fun part," says Clementine as she begins to untie the rope from the tree trunk, and Sarah isn't even sure whether she's being sarcastic or not. "What do you say I show you how to skin one of these guys?" she asks in a sly tone, fully aware of how unenthusiastic the girl would be about such a thing.

In contrast to Clementine's devious smirk in that moment, Sarah only sighs heavily in response, and her shoulders fall in disappointment.

She always did have an odd definition of 'fun'.