A/N: Okay back to business! I felt kinda down last chapter and that showed in my writing I guess. But this chapter the ass kicking and the complex plans will resume!
AquaDestinysEmbrace- Thanks for the review! and yep I'm still loving your story and as for that PM you sent me (I'll answer it here because I'm lazy) I think Carver's speech was well done and highlighted his control freak tendencies towards his daughter.
obsessed naruhina fangirl- I fixed those mistakes that you mentioned, yeah here in Britain (keeping it vague) we do use different terms from what you use in america. All in all however thanks for your review and seeing as I'm back on track I do have another discussion point.
Do you feel that the writers for Episodes 1 and 2 had a plan for the whole season that got abandoned in episodes 3 and 4? An example of this would be Christa who you can mention in Episodes 1 and 2, but suddenly she doesn't get a mention in Episode 3 and nothing is mentioned of her during the birth scene in Episode 4. Nick, Sarah and Rebecca are characters who each have interesting plot arcs set up for them in episodes 1 and 2. But in Episode 4 they are killed off just to tie up loose ends. I will admit Episode 3 was great, but it had it's flaws. But Episode 4... well I could write a novel on what ticked me off about it (which I think I'm doing with this alternative story)
Rebloxic- Thanks! and no it's not Josie Cunningham, it someone else but I'm just going to try and drop that now. It disgusts me too much too think about it.
XXXWOLFLOVERXXX- Thanks for another review! I agree with you on the whole Sarah thing. It wasn't the fact they killed her off lazily that pissed people off, (regarding that she was fictional character) it was the fact that could have been any 15 year old girl with an anxiety disorder that apparently "deserved to die" because they were a "liability". However on Crawford... I agree that Clementine has to toughen up in Season 2, but she should not become Crawford. Crawford and Howards Hardware were communities that tried to weed out the weak and both fell... because they reaped just what they sowed. Lee was right when teaching Clementine to maintain her morales.
devilshomie- A new reviewer! (I love hearing a range of reviews from different people) so thank you for your kind words! I found it disturbing too that many were eager to kill of Sarah, not because she was an annoying character, but because she was the symbol of a "liability" she deserved to die... and the way they killed her off was just too cruel. (Especially on the observation deck, her first death was at least your choice as a player... whereas the second was just downright cruel and stupid)
and finally thanks to apathy for your review (it's not showing up for some reason) but I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter and that theory about Jane's sister. I can imagine Clementine doing a grim final destination monologue on that. Or a "That's So Raven" where she explains to Jane she had a "vision" and therefore knows her sister's name etc...
"OKAY GET THE FUCK UP! ALL OF Y'ALL! YOU'VE ALL GOT A BIG JOB TO BE HANDLING TODAY!"
If Clementine's ears had grown accustomed to morning cuckoo that was Troy. She didn't show it as she angrily rubbed her eyes and leapt from her steel like bunk (she suddenly realised she had dozed off on Luke's shoulder, so Luke must have carried her back to his bunk) she looked over at him. He seemed to have black bags under his eyes but other than that he seemed to wear an easy smile.
Luke easy smile expanded when he looked back at Clementine. Waving at her, she quickly managed to wave back at him before Troy spoke once again.
"Well y'all be glad to know you're being grouped together again today! So all of follow Stan here to your destination!" Troy bellowed as everyone looked around at each other in surprise.
"What do you reckon he has planned now?" Kenny asked of the group in impatience.
"I don't know... but it sounds like were being rounded into a gas chamber" Eddie told the group, as a rat faced Stan bellowed "Well, come on then!" they left a worried looking Rebecca behind as they proceeded into the hardware store. Clementine looked at the group around her.
There was her, Luke, Kenny, Sarita, Jane, Mike, Bonnie, Shel, Stephanie, Vince, Eddie and Wyatt. She counted up everybody and realised that 12 of them. A dozen of them were being instructed to do a single task.
What task could require a workforce that was that big?
She soon found out.
To their increasing anxiety the group were led out of the nearby hanger door and out into the open battlefield of the flat car park, Tavia and Carver stood waiting for them near to (what Clementine could see) was a crudely drawn line in chalk that stretched around the entire hardware store. Behind them she could see that the sulky young man (Russell) along with 11 others. Each of them seemed to train their rifle on each one of the pen dwellers. Clementine realised that badly shaven man from the other day had his rifle trained on her.
So much for making an impression.
She sighed as Carver turned to face his prisoners.
"So you're probably wondering what's going on out here folks" he mused to them as he pointed down at the line that was drawn in chalk that was spread across the stony gravel.
"You see folks this line here, is where I want you to start digging trenches" he told them as he pointed to the ground below his feet.
"You want us to dig a trench the whole way around the damn store?" Mike asked in disbelief, as Carver flashed him an evil smile.
"That's exactly what I want you to be doing, and you'll be lugging out the extra dirt over by the treeline so the walkers will have another obstacle to face before they can even think about getting to this store..." he stood as impressive as ever over his brainwashed followers as he continued his speech.
"With this trench the walkers will fall in. They can't climb back up so we can dispose of them when the bodies build up" Carver informed everyone. Even Clementine had to agree that this was a somewhat clever idea, yet just because of Carver was "clever" that did not give anyone an excuse to gaze at him in awe... as if he was Jesus Christ reborn. Tavia, Troy, Stan and a couple of guards behind Clem's group were giving Carver this look of admiration that ticked Clementine off.
"Yeah the problem is with this Bill... is that digging makes a lot of noise" Luke decided to point as Carver's hairy eyebrows furrowed in frustration.
"Well that's why these guys...!" he jabbed his index finger at the guards behind Clementine's group "Are too shoot any approaching walkers while you get to work!" he shouted in anger as he turned on his heel and (how Clementine had failed to notice it before, she didn't know) but gestured at a trolley full of pick-axe's.
"You'll use these to dig through the gravel and I expect these trenches to be deep! Understood!?" he growled at the pen dwellers.
No one responded, but Carver took their silence as a valid "Yes".
"Good, now get to it, anyone seen lacking will be shot" and with this cold reminder he, Tavia, Troy and Stan proceeded back into the safety of the hardware store. Shutting the nearest hanger door behind them, with a dreaded clunk, that made Clementine a lot more wary of the treeline in front of her.
"Alright get to work!" The bad shaven man behind Clementine roared at the pen dwellers, Kenny was one of the first to place his chunky fingers around the hilt of a pickaxe as he eyed it dangerously...
Sarita placed a calming hand on his shoulder. Knowing exactly what he was thinking, looking back at her worried face. Kenny calmed down and released his rage with a deflating sigh as Sarita picked up an pickaxe from next to him. As the guards instructed them on where to start digging, along the marked line of chalk. Clementine picked up her own pickaxe and twirled it in her fingers before she was instructed to stand between Luke and Jane.
"Okay, start digging!" A croaky male voice instructed of them as pickaxe's where swung onto the gravel with full force. Some penetrated the thick concrete of the car park while others (like Clementine's) merely bounced off the hard surface.
"Damn it" she uttered. Trying hard not to feel envious of Luke and Jane next to her who were already cutting through the thick layers of tarmac with their pickaxes. Raising her arms high above her head, she inhaled and brought down the pickaxe with all her force. But to her dismay it once again simply bounced off the concrete.
"Shit..." she gasped. She hardly ever swore, but in dire situations curses escaped from her lips. Wiping a sheen of sweat from her forehead and trying to soothe her already aching arms, she prepared to strike the ground a third time before a voice stopped her.
"Hey Kid, you're doing it wrong" Jane informed her, as she had been observing the 11 year old's struggle.
"How am I?" she asked the older woman, somewhat annoyed.
"You're placing both your hands at the end of the hilt, spread them out a bit it will give you more balance and strength when you swing that thing" Jane instructed, showing Clementine how she held her own pickaxe. Clementine copied her example as the pickaxe now felt a little heavier in her fingers. Regardless she swung the thing down the ground and surprised herself when it managed to leave a small indent in the concrete.
"There you go kid" Jane told her happily, as she resumed her work. Yet as Clementine got the gist of how to dig through this hard layer of earth, she heard Eddie mutter from down the line...
"It's just like on TV when they have inmates cutting away at stones... we might as well be in shackles..."
"SHUT YOUR MOUTH AND CARRY ON!" Was the lovely reply Eddie got. Shooting the man who bellowed that at him an angry glare Eddie bent his head and returned to chip away at the earth. Clementine realised that the badly shaven man that she didn't know the name of seemed to be lingering around her, like a bad odour she couldn't get rid of. When he finally walked off in another direction Jane spoke up once again.
"You know you remind me of my sister, I had to teach her how to do all this shit too" Jane explained to her as sweat trickled down her forehead at the physical extent of the task they had been set.
"Your sister?" Clementine asked, already knowing all of the answers but it was nice to see Jane opening up to her once again.
"Yeah, Jamie. She was a little older than you. But hell, it was great being a big sister. Even if you stick chewing gum in each other's hair and give them each other silly haircuts" she was smiling now as she reminisced on times with her sister that were long gone.
"I never had a sister" Clementine told Jane sadly.
"You'd have liked one. We used to fight all of the time, but we loved each other deep down" she mused sadly as she continued to hack away at the ground in front of her. Reaching the soft soil beneath the concrete she allowed herself a breather and using this Clementine spoke up.
"Why are you telling me all this?" She asked as Jane looked down at her.
"Well... honestly when I first saw you, I thought you survived because you were just sheltered like the other girl, but then you started making deals with Carver and saving people left, right and centre... and..." she paused as the badly shaven man swept past them once again. He wondered off as a gunshot rang through the air as a lone walker had been dealt with. With the attention now on the treeline Jane finished her sentence.
"... and... It made me think. If only I could save my sister in the same way you saved people. For the first time since she died... I'm actually starting to believe we can make a community here. One that can work. I'm telling you this Clementine, because I don't want you to give up, on what you started" Jane explained. Clementine had to hide her flush her pride. Last time Jane had all been for cutting off "liabilities" to survive, but now Clementine could see that the mass group she had helped to gather had changed Jane's perspective.
"I mean... this group wouldn't last a minute out there. They'd crack, I've seen plenty of groups fall apart like that" she continued to tell Clementine as a second gunshot rang through the air, however Jane continued "But... the group here has an aim. A purpose. If we can kill that crazy fuck Carver and his lapdogs then this can be a community we can all survive in for a long time" Jane mused as she looked back at the community before adding her concluding note to Clementine.
"And the best part is... were building it. Not Carver"
Clementine couldn't help but smile at this, as she continued to chip away small chunks of concrete and push them to the surface, she managed to ask (between gasps as she was getting tired) "Yeah... you've got a point. But what happened to your sister?" she asked of Jane. Although she already knew the answer she wanted to see how Jane would phrase it too her this time.
Jane sighed sadly and told her story the same way she had told it last time. How she had to leave Jamie behind on a roof and how she realized that she was dragging Jamie through a hell "She no longer wanted to be dragged through" she finished her tale as she muttered "Sometimes I think it's for the best, the fact is... some people can't be saved. But you guys can." she concluded as she dragged her pickaxe through the soil.
For a moment there was silence, before Luke spoke up from next to Clementine.
"You left your sister?" he asked appalled, no doubt he had been eavesdropping on the whole conversation, from where he was silently slaving away. Jane looked up at him before answering.
"I had too. I'm not happy with what I did, but in the end, I guess it was the kindest thing for her" Jane uttered as she continued to work away.
Luke continued to gaze at Jane, a soft look spreading over his face as Clementine knew (with future knowledge) that this is what a look of attraction was. She was surprised on how she failed to notice it before, because it was obvious now. The way he never blinked... the way he seemed to stare on, she actually coughed to draw his attention away. Alarmed he looked down at Clementine before he continued with his work.
"I'm... s-sorry about your loss Jane. I didn't mean anything bad behind it, It must have been hard for you" Luke told her. Clementine had to resist from rolling her eyes. So this was Luke's way of "sweet talking" a girl? Despite his somewhat corny words making Clementine cringe, Jane looked up at him warmly.
"Thanks, I know you never knew her... but..." she trailed off awkwardly into silence. Clementine could only pray, that she wasn't going to find the pair "kissing" in a closet, when they finally rebelled against Carver. Or when they were needed... either way Clementine continued to dig on...
Hours passed. The physical work was exhausting, as the guards continued to shoot at the growing amount of walkers that were emerging from the woods at the noises of the digging and the pickaxe's hitting the ground and Shel of all people could be muttering "Well what's a better way to draw even more walkers to this place then shooting them?" she asked of Stephanie next to her. Yet her words had somehow, carried to the whole group.
"Stop moaning and keep digging!" a woman snapped at Shel. If looks could kill, that woman would be dead, because hatred poured from Shel's obsidian black rocks of eyes. In fact Clementine knew that ever since Becca had died, Shel's eyes had always hardened with hatred at the sight of the guards or Carver himself.
"If someone shot Jamie, like the way they killed Shel's little sister I would go on a killing spree" Jane told Clementine. Only at this did Clementine realise she was staring at Shel. She couldn't help it, Shel was a kind and level headed woman. But it intrigued her to see her act so silent towards Carver and his guards. No doubt the silent rage bubbled beneath her skin and Clementine was curious (but also slightly worried) about what sort of revenge Shel was planning.
Other than that, the hours just seemed to drag on. Clementine's arms felt like dumbells as they joined their holes together to form (what was finally starting to look like) some sort of trench. Mike and Bonnie were responsible for dumping the majority of the spare soil by the treeline. Clementine wasn't sure who would give into exhaustion first. However that was answered when Wyatt finally needed to take a short break. Followed (oddly enough) by Stephanie who Clementine saw as one of the youngest and most active people here.
Kenny, Sarita and Bonnie seemed to need a break at the same time. Clementine was wondering who was going to give in next, getting slightly ahead of herself, as her pride took over. She may have been a little girl but she felt a strange urge to overcome everyone here and be the last one standing! She fought through her fatigue... but she finally accepted that she would need a break. Just Eddie took a break, she herself gestured to have one...
"AHHHHH! GOD NO! NO! NO...!"
BANG!
Clementine froze, as another couple of gunshots rang through the air. Everyone who was still working looked up at the commotion as Clementine jogged towards it.
One of the female guards (the one who snapped at Shel) was lying dead on the ground. Two walkers lay dead next to her. Clementine could see that the woman had been shot in the head, but could also see a large bite mark on her neck...
"RUSSELL WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT!" The badly shaven man screamed at the younger black man.
"She was bitten on the neck! I had to do it!" Russell snapped back.
"How the hell did they sneak up on us?" another female guard asked in awe.
"Oh shit... guys!" Another guard yelled, he pointed to the east and Clementine knew why. Her heart sunk in her chest as she saw a mass herd of walkers approaching them from the east stumbling forward.
"FUCK! HOW COME WE DIDN'T HEAR THEM!?" One guard screamed, losing his head completely he fired into the herd, yet in his panic, many of his bullets missed their brains.
"I thought Tavia was supposed to be watching us from the roof! And warning us about approaching herds!" Russell began looking at his gun and then looking at the herd ahead of him.
"Russell, I told you. Bill doesn't care. He sent us out here to hopefully die. His using us as slave labour. Can't you see that already!" Vince bellowed to him, as Russell's eyes narrowed to silts.
"This was just an mishap Vince. I'm sure Bill knew..." Russell began.
"Oh shit! Guys, more walkers coming from all sides!" Wyatt informed the group as he slowly began to back away to the hanger door. One guard pointed his gun at the blonde man "Where the fuck do you think you're going!?" he growled at Wyatt.
"Well... away from the giant ass herd so I don't get eaten" Wyatt responded in a sarcastic tone.
"Get back to your post!" The guard screamed.
"That's nuts! We'll get eaten if we stay here!" Mike shouted, as he killed a nearby walker by slicing at his skull with his pickaxe.
"Russell" Vince began in a calmer tone "Bill didn't give you the ammo to deal with this herd and he and his lapdogs ditched you out here" he took a deep breath before he bellowed "SO SEE SOME FUCKING SENSE! AND GET US ALL THE FUCK BACK INSIDE!"
Russell seemed to blink rapidly, he turned back to the herd and then looked at his gun. With a pained sigh he weighed up his options as anger coursed through his veins.
Why hadn't Tavia been on lookout? Had he truly been ditched and left to die?
The walkers were getting closer...
"Let's go then!" Russell finally snapped, as Vince smiled as Wyatt lead the way, bolting back towards the hanger door. The rest of the pen group were hot on his heels, but the rest of the guards weren't as quick to see the danger. The one panicked guard who was shooting at the walkers, soon found himself surrounded as he lost his cool completely...
"AH! HELP! SOMEBODY PLEASE HELP!" He begged as tears began to fall from his eyes. As he desperately tried to bat away the walkers with the butt of his gun, Clementine started to run forward, to help him in any way possible, but Jane placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Don't. He can't be saved. Don't let him drag you down with him" She told Clementine sadly, Clementine stood rigid as she watched the man slowly get devoured as his dying screams for his loved one's made Clementine clench her eyes shut. However she could hear more and more walkers approaching and she turned on her heel and followed Jane to the closed hanger door.
"SOMEBODY OPEN UP!" Russell roared to the thing as he used his fist to pound on the thing... and yet no one responded.
The badly shaven man continued to shoot at the approaching herd. Clementine saw the other guards get cut off from the core group. As they stood still trying to defend the group, by the time they realised they were surrounded... it was too late. More death howls filled the air as Clementine ran towards the hanger door.
She noticed the badly shaven man stumble on his feet, as a walker lunged for him. Falling to the floor, he yelped in panic as a walker prepared to feast on his neck...
"NO!" Clementine shouted running towards the man before Jane could stop her. She stood over the rotting walker and used her pickaxe to impale it's skull as it went slack. The man pushed the walker off himself and stared up at Clementine with wide eyes.
"GO!" She roared at him. The pale and shaken man didn't even hesitate as he shot off like a bullet towards the hanger door. Clementine followed him to find Jane glaring at her. "Dammit Clementine, you could have died saving that asshole!" she exclaimed in frustration towards the younger girl.
"I couldn't just let him die Jane! He could help us in the near future!" she argued back as the herd began to get closer.
"DAMMIT SOMEONE OPEN UP!" Russell shouted, panicking openly now.
"Looks like we might have to try my method" Jane told the group, preparing her pickaxe, but before she could slice into any zombie, the hanger door ("AT LONG FUCKING LAST!") as Russell phrased it, clanked open.
Everyone was inside in a heartbeat squeezing under the hanger door as the rat faced Stan held open for them. When the final person (Jane) entered he shut the door with a grunt.
"What's going on!?" Carver asked approaching the scene with an angry look on his face, upon seeing the every member of the pen group on the floor and only three guards (Russell, the badly shaven man and another woman) surrounding them. He demanded an explanation.
And boy did Russell give him one.
"WHERE THE FUCK WERE YOU BILL! WHERE WERE THE GUARDS ON THE ROOF!? A FUCKING MASSIVE HERD SNUCK UP ON US AND KILLED 9 OF US!" Russell screamed at Carver. Whose face twisted into that of an easy smile.
"Really? A herd?" he asked.
"YES BILL! A FUCKING HERD! RIGHT OUT THERE! AS OUR LEADER, SHOULDN'T YOU BE THE FIRST TO KNOW!?" Russell demanded of Carver who simply sighed and muttered "Stan, get them back into the pen until this herd passes. Then we can get them back to work on the trenches" Carver's bored tone, ticked off Russell, 9 people had just died. 9 people! 9 people were were loyal to him!
"WHERE THE FUCK WERE YOU BILL!?" Russell screamed. He received his answer a few seconds later as Tavia approached the group peeling some of her clothes back on.
"I had business to attend too" Bill stretched, before (making a very clear gesture) of zipping up his open fly. Russell was too appalled to speak.
"Now I need to get back to business, so keep quiet and wait for the herd to pass" Carver instructed as he walked off.
As Stan began to lead the others back to the pen, Russell turned to a waiting Vince "I'm in" was all he said. He didn't agree with stupid rebellions, but he didn't agree with stupid community's either. Bill was wary of the pen group no doubt, but that give him no excuse to murder a group of guards , who weren't thrilled with the status quo. But not rebellious against it either.
Bill had left them to get his dick wet. Whether Russell wanted too or not, he knew Carver was keeping his favourites close to his chest and outing those he was uncertain of.
"Glad you saw sense man" Vince told him proudly patting his shoulder as he was led off, leaving Russell with the other two guards. The badly shaven man uttered a quick "Thanks" to Clementine as they were being ushered away. The second the pen door had closed, Clementine had stated the obvious.
"We have three new allies" she stated.
Kenny was smiling "After hearing about this fuck up, I think the community here are finally gonna be ready to fight back against that crazy fuck!" he seemed excited about the prospect, which worried Clementine slightly. But it seemed that (at long last) they had a new aim and new allies.
"What the hell happened out there?" Rebecca asked sitting up in her bed, eager for news. Stan had taken their pickaxe's from them, but Eddie pulled one out from... private areas as he smiled and turned to Rebecca as he lifted the pickaxe into the air "The rebellion is officially about to begin!" he exclaimed as Shel and Sarita provided her with a run through of events.
"Man, Bill has really screwed up" Luke commented to Jane.
"I can sum up Carver in one word after seeing that" Jane responded.
"What would that be?" Luke asked.
"Eurgh"
Eurgh indeed.