Episode 3: Means To An End- Written by Drexbann15

Previously on The Walking Dead.

Clementine slowly stepped out of the cabinet and walked into the center of the office, Xavier's gun remained fixed on her the entire time. "Put your hands where I can see them." And Clementine put her hands in the air, a sign of surrender.

"Got any weapons?" He asked with narrowed eyes.

Clementine's thoughts returned to Michael's knife in her pocket. If she hadn't had that when Vaughn and Maree were attacked... They might have both perished.

"I don't have any, I gave them all to Wayne before dinner." She lied through gritted teeth.

Xavier smiled eerily, "Such an honest child." his smile then fell into a grimace. "Shame that won't save you."

"Wellington has fallen, Edith!" Clementine declared to her.

Edith sighed. "I knew this would happen. After Vaughn died... I knew things would get shitty."

"Edith, could you open the gate, please?" Michael asked, quickly getting to the point.

Edith stared at the controls and then at the two children. "There isn't much left for you here." She murmured. "Yeah, I'll open the gates for you." She responded with a nod. "That'll probably help whoever's still alive to escape."

"Come with us." Clementine suggested, taking a step forward.

"No dear, my place is here." She replied firmly. "But thanks, really, I appreciate that." She stated gratefully. "Listen, I'll stay up here and help clear a path for you and your friends, till my gun clicks empty."

Michael screamed. "AHHH!" Clementine whirled around to see his knife stabbed directly through his hand, pinning him to the rock. She stared in disbelief as he knelt there, his face buried in his right arms sleeve. Crimson red liquid was beginning to soak the rock as Michael lifted his head and grabbed hold of the knife, ripping it out of his hand and then crying out in agony.

"Let me help you!" Clementine cried.

Michael spluttered something that she didn't quite hear or understood. The teenager scowled and waved her off with his left hand. He then proceeded to slice his hand several times, the grinding and cracking of bones eminent throughout the clearing along with his grunts and screams.

"We need to find a place somewhere else." Kenny proclaimed to them all while his old habits began to flare up again.

Clementine was afraid this might happen again, so he motioned Michael to show them his documents. "Everyone! There's an outpost on this location right here." He pointed to something scribbled on the paper. "And it's not too far, we can go along the lake's shoreline to guide us and we can get there in probably a week or two."

"FUUUCK!" Kenny immediately slammed the door shut at the sight of multiple walkers already on the fucking front porch. "Alright, new plan! Up the stairs, go go go!" He ordered as he and Dusty moved the brown cabinet in front of the door once more. "That ain't gonna hold! Come on!"

"I'm not leaving you to turn!" Clementine cried.

"You have to... You're the only family he's got... Look... Look after him... For me... for his parents." He inhaled sharply. "Clem..." A tear fell down his peaceful face. "...I see them, you were right..." He exhaled deeply with a slight smile, his one eye closing and joining with the people he's loved and lost.

"Kenny...?" Clementine whimpered, her cheeks stained with tears.

Michael approached them as he stared down at the recently deceased man. "Clem... I'm not going to force you to do anything. You do what you got to do. But you need to do it fast. There's no time!"

Dusty turned the deadbolt and leaned off the door. "I locked it! I'm sorry Clementine, but we gotta go."

Clementine sobbed as she pressed the barrel of her gun into the side of Kenny's head. Her hand shook violently before becoming steady. She let out another sob and squeezed the trigger, AJ's cries echoed in her head...

*BANG!*

...

10 Days Later...

Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet... those were the colors that stretched across the sky in a perfect display of wondrous nature. It had just stopped raining earlier and now the sun was shining its rays through the water droplets in the air, causing this beautiful meteorological phenomenon.

Clementine couldn't remember the last time she witnessed a rainbow. She always thought they were pretty to look at, and the fact that she used to be really good at drawing them with crayons or chalk, as long as she had all the colors...

Her group had been walking for a long time, fed up with the area around the former haven of Wellington and its new population of walkers. They were hiking up a trail to the top of a hill where they could see the surrounding area. Dusty and Wayne were leading the way with Hazen and Helga close behind, which left Maree holding AJ, Michael, and Clem to bring up the rear.

"It must be Kenny..."

Clem and Michael's ears perked up in surprise at Maree's words, whom the Haitian girl was remarking while staring up into the sky. "Or maybe Daddy..."

"Maree, what are you talking about?" Michael questioned.

"Can we please not talk about Kenny...?" Clem sadly added, she clutched Kenny's hat in her hands like she would never let go. She was glad she took it off his head back at the Bed n' Breakfast, maybe she would give it to AJ when he was old enough. To keep the sun outta his eyes... that's important.

"Oh, I'm sorry kids it's just... my dad told me something about rainbows when I was a little girl..." Maree fondly narrated. "He said... 'those who leave us and leave their earthly ties behind to pass away, they can get a rainbow body'. He said that it meant peace for that person as they were on their way to heaven... It's a sign, a gift from those who love you."

"So we're all going to become rainbows when we die?" Clementine sassed her. "Is that what you're saying?"

(?) Maree will remember that.

"No sweetie, you're missing the point, it's not just about Kenny and my dad. I'm not trying to make you upset Clementine, the rainbow is just telling you that your loved ones are watching over you as we speak... you understand?" Maree clarified in a kind tone.

"Yeah, I understand." Clementine blankly nodded, not really caring either way.

Helga whined ahead of them. "We've been walking for days! For fuck's sake, where are we even going?"

"We should get a good view at the top of this hill then we'll take a quick breather. Okay sis?" Wayne assured while looking back at her.

"Yeah just calm down Helga, complaining isn't going to make us walk any faster." Michael spoke up to her.

"You won't go any faster either if I knock your teeth in Michael." Helga scowled at his response.

"Hey! This isn't the time for that, so just suck it up and keep going, you're not a wimp are ya?" Wayne rallied his sister's attention back towards him.

"Holy shit..." Dusty marveled at the view he beheld with the group as they finally reached the top of the hill. "Take a look a this guys... ain't that a sight for sore eyes?"

To their left was a great body of water, Lake Michigan presumably, and next to a narrow beach and small dock, a commercial fishing boat lay beached next to a lakeside resort. All beneath the colored arch that stretched across the sky.

Hazen piped up with a suggestion. "Maybe we can spend the night down there?"

"Sounds good to me." Wayne agreed as he and Dusty motioned the rest of their group down the hill and towards the resort.

As they were all walking down towards their destination, Michael nudged Clementine in the shoulder. "Hey."

"What?" She responded slightly annoyed.

"You okay, Clem?" Michael asked worriedly. "Because, you can talk to me, I've always got your back, you know that right?"

"I know." Clem assured him. "I just... miss him." Kenny's death rivaled that of even Lee's and her parents'...

"Ugh, I'm itchy..."

"Well that's because you slept in a barn, little lady. Lucky you don't got spiders in your hair."

To the first time they met, to the last exchange they had...

"You have to... You're the only family AJ's got... Look... Look after him... For me... for his parents." He inhaled sharply. "Clem..."

(?) Michael will remember that.

Michael's face saddened at her confession. "I'm sorry, Clem. I'm so, so, sorry..." Was all he could say as he rubbed her shoulder affectionately and stepped up his pace to join the lead of their party.

Clem put Kenny's hat in her backpack when she heard AJ whimpering and beginning to awaken from his slumber, signaling that he was hungry or needed to be changed. Maree comforted the baby as she addressed Clementine once more. "...I never really thought about how so much change could happened so fast... We've been walking for days out here, trying to put some distance between us and Wellington and that god awful herd... If you told me a few weeks ago that shit was going to hit the fan, I would've thought you were crazy. Pardon my language."

Clem responded somberly. "Things just went bad with Xavier and the flu, Wellington was our home for a long time, and... I just wish it never happened..."

"You and me both sweetie." Maree agreed wholeheartedly.

The group finally arrived in the cracked up parking lot, filled with weeds and grass in front of the four-story resort. It was definitely rundown, but it was big and the windows were boarded up. Maybe there were people inside? "Careful guys, stay on your guard..." Dusty cautioned them as they all approached the sliding glass doors which could only work automatically. But since there was no power...

*SMASH*

Everyone jumped at the sudden jolt of sound that erupted from the glass doors being broken into a million pieces by Helga who had a baseball bat in her hands.

"Jesus Christ!" Dusty exclaimed as Wayne took the blunt weapon away from his sister.

"What the fuck is wrong with you!?" Wayne accused Helga who looked like she didn't even think she did anything wrong.

"What?" She shrugged her shoulders innocently. "How else were we gonna get in? And the sound will bring out any hidden walkers."

"You can't just go and do shit like this!" Wayne berated. "You're going to get someone killed!"

"You know what?" Michael crossed his arms at her. "I wouldn't have expected anything less from you Helga."

[Scold Helga]

[Defend Helga]

[Stay Quiet]

It was Clementine's turn to speak up. "There could have been people in there, Helga. We can't just do stuff like that, listen to everyone."

(?) You chose to scold Helga.

"You shut your fuckin' mouth! Like you're little miss perfect..." Helga scowled at the twelve year old with contempt.

Hazen glared at the blonde teen. "Not the first time she's done stuff like this, I guess.

"Everyone calm down! God, can we just go one day without losing our shit like a bunch of mindless animals?" Dusty declared to everyone. "Just get on inside. Keep your guns at the ready, forget all this."

The group reluctantly replied as they filed towards the lobby, their feet crunching under the smashed glass. It was very dark inside, save for some natural light that shined through front doors. The décor of the lobby was with a summer color scheme on the walls and ceiling. Dead plants in pots on desks and tables were still present, and a check-in desk was off along on their left side and a waiting area on their right. They could spot stairs and a pair of closed elevators in the back as well, along with a large entrance next to the front desk which looked like an auditorium of some sorts. But all was quiet... it seemed unoccupied.

"Looks like nobody's home." Michael noted as he took the lead into the middle of the lobby. "We should search the rest of this place. I'll go by myself."

"Ain't gonna happen kid." Dusty volunteered with his rifle in hand. "I'm coming with you."

Michael leered at him. "If anyone's going to check this place over with me, it'll be Clementine, right Clem?"

"Sure." Clem nodded. "I'll go."

"Well I appreciate it, Clem. But I'd rather you stay down here and help everyone keep watch. Okay?" Dusty insisted as the others began to disperse throughout the lobby.

"Okay..." Clem mumbled as a disgruntled Michael and Dusty made their way to the stairwell to begin their search on the upper floors.

"We'll be back soon." Dusty assured both of them. "Come on Michael."

The two of them eventually exited up the stairs with their guns at the ready, leaving Clementine to check in with everyone else. She noticed that Helga was by the shattered front doors with her back towards everyone. Maree and AJ were in a chair in the sitting area of the lobby, Wayne was behind the front desk fiddling with something, and Hazen opened the doors to the auditorium nearby and went inside. Clem firstly wanted to see how AJ was doing, so she walked over to Maree.

"Hey Clem." Maree smiled as she shushed AJ for his calmness. "It's okay... it's okay. Take a seat." She offered.

"I'm good." Clem politely declined.

Maree sighed. "Sometimes I wonder what that girl's gone through to make her act like that..." Referring to Helga who was thankfully out of earshot. "Everyone deals with things differently I suppose."

"Wayne should be keeping her in line, why is she acting like this?" Clementine questioned as she crossed her arms.

"Well sometimes it takes more than one person to do that." The nurse retorted. "But she especially didn't take too kindly to you talking back to her. Have you tried being nice?"

"Not really... we haven't really found any common ground." Clementine stated as she spared a glance at the blonde girl again. "Do you want me to be her friend?"

"That'd be great, yeah. But at the very least, don't be her enemy Clementine. Just... ask Wayne what she likes. It'll be fine, but you don't have to if you don't wanna." Maree advised the twelve year old. "AJ's doing great Clem so don't worry about him, oh and here..." She held out a piece of paper with three numbers on it. "I found this on the floor, looks like a combination, if you find a lock-box or something, maybe that'll open it."

"Yeah, thanks Maree." Clem took the slip of paper and pocketed it.

She left her and AJ for her next stop which would be Wayne who was behind the front desk where people would sign into the resort. Clem could barely see him over the counter so she went around and found that Wayne had his ear up to the door of a metal safe turning the dial, trying to get it open. "Come on baby... talk to daddy..."

"What are you doing?" Clementine inquired from Wayne who didn't cease his attempt from opening the safe.

"What's it look like I'm doing?" Wayne responded as he continued listening in on clicks from inside the safe. "You never know what could be in these things."

"It's probably just money." The little girl stated plainly.

"Yeah probably, but maybe there's something else in here too. A loaded gun could make all the difference, and I got a little bit of time to work on this." Wayne told her as he cursed himself for messing up, and he turned the dial to start over again. "Dammit..."

Clementine pulled out the slip of paper that Maree gave her. There were three double-digit numbers so she read them off. "Try... 16, 24, and 33."

"What? Why?" Wayne had already dialed in those numbers as Clem read them off and click! the safe came unlocked and it swung open. "Goddamn."

"What's in there?" Clem asked as Wayne looked inside only to have his hopes turn to disappointment. Clem's as well as he pulled out a handful of hundred dollars bills.

"Just cash..." He informed her sadly. "We're rich... but all of it is fucking useless. Just my luck... I mean, if I still had bills to pay then that would have been one less thing to worry about, funny huh?" He put the money back in but didn't close the safe.

Seemingly out of nowhere, Clem decided to bring this up. "...What does Helga like?"

"Sorry?" He thought he misheard her. "What'd you say?"

"I said, what does your sister like? I want to talk to her and... you know her so."

"You wanna give her a pep talk after what happened outside?" Wayne questioned her. "Fuck... maybe I overreacted, probably feels real alone right about now. How do you know she won't just tell you to fuck off?"

"I don't." Clem replied simply. "But I'm still going to try."

(?) Wayne will remember that.

After a moment of silence Wayne confided to Clementine about her little sister. "She likes fireflies, you know? Those little lightning bugs, and her favorite season is summer. She likes shooting guns too."

"Yeah, I know." Clementine remembered back when the two girls first met. A game huh? Not the best first impression. "I can work with that."

"It's because of you she and I made it this far. Personally, I'm glad we came along Clementine, and I mean that. And the last thing I want to do is hurt my sister, she's the last of my blood." He stated as he got up and passed her. ".So yeah... I think I'm gonna go look for dust mite and the kid. Good luck Clem, you'll probably need it."

"See ya." She waved him off as she and Wayne exited around the counter and he went off towards the staircase.

The twelve year old then made her way over towards Helga who was leaning against the wall and looking out at Lake Michigan. Before Clem was about to address her, the blonde teen already beat her to it. "What do you want?" She meanly turned around and scowled at her once more. "My brother send you over?"

"I just wanted to talk." Clem honestly replied.

"Yeah? About what?"

Clementine readied her guise and spoke up. "...I kind of wish I could see this lake in the summer, I bet it'd be real cool."

It took a couple seconds for Helga to respond to that. "Yeah... what kid doesn't love summertime?"

An awkward silence ensued between the two of them, so then Clem played her second move. "I remember a long time ago, my old babysitter Sandra always caught fireflies in jars so that I could have some light in my tree house at night."

Helga raised an eyebrow at that. "Why didn't you just use flashlights?"

For the first time in front of her, Clem smiled. "Because they were cooler."

And Helga chuckled. "They are pretty cool, aren't they?" Some of the tension between them finally seemed loosened at the very least. "I hope we get to see some soon. That'd be awesome."

"Yeah, maybe we can catch some together? You know, for fun?" Clem offered to the blonde teen symbolizing a sign of peace between them.

"I'll... think about it." Helga stated as she looked back out towards the lake. She sighed. "Sorry, by the way..."

"Huh?" Clem kept her attention at her. "For what?"

"Remember that game when we first met, just sorry..." She scratched the back of her head. "I know it was wrong, but... I thought it was fun at the time. A lot of... stuff happened to us, and I just like to show someone who's boss, you know?"

"Yeah. I get it. But we're your friends, you don't have to be mean to any of us." Clementine responded. "And it'll be a lot easier if we get through this together as a team."

(?) Helga will remember that.

"...That doesn't mean I'm going to get all lovey-dovey with everyone. Michael still pisses me off to no end, and that Hazen kid... he's kind of a weirdo. But I do think Dusty and Maree should just fuck and get it over with."

"...Uh." Clementine was caught a bit off-guard like that. She's heard that word spoken for multiple uses. Did she mean... kissing stuff? "Yeah. I think I'm going to go."

Helga smirked at her more innocent like nature. "Fine. Don't be a stranger squirt."

One more person to check in with: Hazen, and he was in the adjacent auditorium nearby. Clem let herself in and realized it was a huge space, and it looked like a large chandelier was hanging from the ceiling. Some debris littered the floor, like some tables and chairs, but it had some high windows that weren't boarded up which let light in and reflect off the golden ceiling piece.

"It's a ballroom." Hazen's voice echoed slightly from the center of the floor. "Clem, come here."

The twelve year old beckoned his call as she made his way towards him. Hazen had his eyes closed, but he was staring up at the chandelier like he was imagining a drifting cloud in the sky. "You find anything in here?"

He opened his eyes and addressed her. "No, nothing useful in here really, just a big space, and a locked storage closet over there." He pointed towards the far corner. "I think it's pretty cool though."

"Yeah... so like, what did you do in here? Isn't a ballroom where grownups go dancing?" Clementine smartly deduced as she observed her surroundings. Her old school had a gym that looked a lot like this, and she vaguely remembered older students having fancy dances in places like this.

"Parents and couples would get all nice and dressed up for a night of waltz and tango, and if you were good at it, then it could be really fun." Hazen fondly remembered. "But of course it takes practice, and everyone has to learn the basics."

Clementine shifted herself uncomfortably. "I... I don't think I've even danced before, I mean not like officially."

Hazen offered her his hand. "Well it hurt to try?"

[Dance with Hazen]

[Refuse Dance]

Clementine took a deep breath and calmly took his hand. "I guess not."

Hazen smiled as he slowly took his other hand and placed it on her shoulder while he told Clem to put her other hand on his back. He took the lead as he began to step and she tentatively began to follow. "Follow my feet, just like that." He instructed. "Real easy here."

After a few mess-ups, Clem quickly got the hang of the back and forth with Hazen as they stepped forward and back together into a rhythm-like state. "Hey, I'm getting it."

"You're a natural." Hazen complimented as he suddenly twirled Clementine to her surprise, and he pushed her back into their finish, signaling the end of their dance. "Haven't done that in a long time. It's fun, right?"

"Uh-huh," Clem nodded after the smile faded into content onto her face. "We should do this again soon."

(?) Hazen will remember this.

"I'd like that." Hazen smirked as he placed his hand on her shoulder in a friendly manner. "Maybe we could-!"

"What are you guys doing?"

The voiced echoed from the entrance of the ballroom as Michael stood in the doorway. He had an expression of that of confusion. "Michael, you're back. Did you or Dusty find anything?"

The fourteen year old approached them. "No, nothing much. But Dusty says he wants to talk to everyone." He gave Hazen a weird look. "You didn't answer my question by the way..."

Clem piped up to answer for him. "We were dancing okay? That's what you do in a ballroom, Michael." She said so matter-of-factly.

Both of his eyebrows arched at that. "Dancing? That's... strange. You were dancing with him, Clem?"

"It's no big deal, we were just having fun." Clementine crossed her arms at him. Why would he have a problem with this?

(?) Michael will remember that.

"Yeah..." Michael brushed it off and ignored it. "Dusty wants us to all meet in the lobby, it's important I guess."

"Alright," Hazen nodded at the three of them, and they walked back towards the others. "Let's see what he has to say."

Michael groaned. "Him and Wayne are at it again..."

As soon as they all entered the lobby, they could already hear the argument stirring. The group looked divided with Dusty on one side and Wayne on the other. "I'm telling you man, we need to do this!" Wayne exclaimed at the former janitor in the military uniform.

"We don't need to do anything." Dusty stood firmly. "We've been managing just fine the way things are. We're all still alive."

Wayne retorted meanly. "That's bullshit and you know it! Ever since Kenny died all we do is fuckin' argue about everything, you even said so yourself when we were outside trying to get in here."

"That ain't my fault. We just need to communicate better. None of us are used to being out here without Wellington to go back to." Dusty argued. "We'll all be just fine when we get to the place Michael mentioned. That's it."

"Things will go a lot smoother if we elect a leader. If we make it official we listen to him, and that way there will be no way in hell anyone can say otherwise." Wayne then addressed this to everyone. "We put it to a vote! Who do you want as leader?"

"I nominate Wayne." Helga chimed in with her obvious vote. "He can get shit done."

Maree stepped forward with AJ still in her arms. "Dusty has led the way ever since Kenny was taken from us. He can do it, he got us here so he can get us anywhere."

"That's two to two." Wayne stated as he glanced at the three remaining voters. "No abstaining, we can't have a tie."

Men being men, always have to compete with each other...

So then it was Hazen who raised his hand. "Wayne's the oldest out of all of us, right? I vote for Wayne." 'To make it more interesting' He thought.

"Older don't mean smarter." Dusty quipped at the lost vote. "...Fine."

"I vote for Dusty since he's never strangled me before." Michael stated with a grimace directed at Wayne. "That's three to three. Which leaves..."

Clementine sighed. "Why's it always got to be me?" Could she vote for herself? Wouldn't really matter now would it?

"Come on Clem, you're the swing vote. Let's get this over with..."

[Vote For Dusty]

[Vote For Wayne]

A/N- Who should Clem vote for as the new leader of the group? Dusty or Wayne, you will decide the outcome. What were your thoughts on the character development in this chapter? ***Review and enter your votes!*** Until next time, stay tuned. :)