Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead. All rights reserved to their respective owners.
Clementine and Gil stood back-to-back as the approaching walkers growled and snarled at the two. "Remember what I taught you." Clementine said to the boy.
"Right, aim for the legs first and then the head, and always keep an eye on your surroundings." Gil said. Clementine nodded in response. Gil was a fast learner just like her. The two separated from each other and went to deal with the walkers. She wasn't used to teaming up with anyone, so she had to learn to look up to see if Gil was still doing okay. This was the second time that they had to team up against the walkers. The first time was easier since there weren't as many walkers.
A couple of the walkers limped toward Clementine and she knocked one of them down with her hammer. She used the blunt side to break the walker's knee. The walker fell on all four and the other walker tried to grab at Clementine. However, the walker that was still standing fell over the other walker and it hit the ground with a groan. It was almost comical.
Clementine looked up for a couple seconds to see Gil slashing at one of the walker's legs with the knife that she gave him yesterday. Clementine looked down at the more mobile walker and slammed the hammer's spike into its skull. She struggled for a couple of seconds as the first walker and a third walker went toward her. She finally pulled it out and wacked the first walker in the head. It didn't kill the walker, but it was stunned from the hit. She looked up at the third walker and weaved away from its extended arms; however, she did fall from weaving away from the walker.
She kicked the back of the third walker's leg and it fell to ground with a growl. Clementine got back up and she looked over to see Gil pinned down by one of the walkers, while the other limped toward him.
Clementine huffed and she looked around to see if there was something she could use to kill the walkers with other than her hammer. However, she found something else… an opening to leave. She looked over to Gil and locked eyes with him. Could she really let him die so that she could save herself? What if she died? Then everyone's sacrifice was in vain. Kenny, Ben, Lee, Christa, Omid, Carley, Duck, Katjaa, and so many more died for nothing. But if she leaves, then Gil will be added to the list of people that died for her. She already had enough guilt on her mind.
"Clem!" Gil yelled out.
Clementine snapped out of her daze and she pulled out her handgun. She aimed and fired at the two walkers on top of Gil. The gunshots echoed throughout the forest and it made Clementine kick herself for using the weapon. The gun was used for emergencies and situations with people only, but everything happened so fast and she had to act quickly in order to save Gil's life. She had no choice.
Clementine ran over to Gil and helped him to get out from under the walkers. "Come on, we got to run." Clementine said as she helped him to his feet. She ran further into the woods while holding onto Gil's hand. She had to make sure that they stayed together since she had to get them away from the source of the gunshot. The walkers would be drawn to the gunshot like moths to a flame. As they ran, several walkers groaned and growled at them, but the limping undead creatures were unable to grab either children. Still, there were some close calls.
Finally, Clementine stopped and gasped for air. She fell on her knees and huffed as Gil panted with his hands on his knees. "I… I think… we're good." Gil said.
"I hope so." Clementine said with a huff. She stood upright and looked to the boy. "Okay… so that didn't go according to plan. What happened back there?"
"I tripped on my own feet to avoid getting munched on." Gil said. He looked to Clementine with a scowl and he said, "You were going to leave me. I saw you looking at an opening a couple times."
"Yeah, I thought about it." Clementine said.
Gil lost his scowl and he sighed. "Well, thanks for coming back for me. What changed your mind to help me anyway?" Gil said.
Clementine looked down with a frown and she said, "Because a lot of people have already died because of me. I'm already feeling a lot of guilt and I didn't want your death on my conscience."
Gil looked to Clementine with a frown and he said, "Hey… come on now… people die… because of the world we live in… they died for you… so you could live." His voice sounded comforting and supportive.
"If you want to believe in that lie, then go for it, but I'm going to believe in the truth." Clementine said. "As soon as I'm done teaching you, we'll go our separate ways so you won't die because of me."
Gil's eyes widened in horror. "What?" Gil exclaimed. "Clem, I'll die out here without you helping me."
Clementine shook her head and she said, "I've survived for almost two years on my own and I wasn't nearly as strong as you are at the moment. I know you'll make it, but you won't if you stay with me."
What are you talking about?" Gil asked.
A few seconds went by as the children looked into each other's eyes with pleading stares; however, both stares were very different. Clementine had a pleading stare for Gil to understand that he needed to stay away from her, while Gil had a pleading stare for her to not leave.
"I'm a death magnet, Gil. Everyone who stays with me dies. That's why you need to leave." Clementine said. "It took me a while to figure it out… but at least, I know that now"
Gil shook his head. "You really think that's true?" Gil asked.
"Of course, that's how I lost everyone!" Clementine exclaimed.
"Well, I don't. I think you're punishing yourself over what happened to a few people… people who were your friends and family." Gil said with a confident stare.
Clementine clenched her fist and she felt hot tears in her eyes. "That's… That's not true…"
"Yes, it is." Gil said. "You look like you're in misery… and you only add onto that when you meet good people and leave because you think that you cause people to die."
"But… it's the truth." Clementine sobbed a bit. She couldn't help herself. The boy's words cut through her like a knife… What if he was telling the truth? What if… after all this time… she was wrong about herself?
"It's not." Gil said with a sympathetic stare. He seemed to be backing down upon seeing that the girl was starting to get upset.
No. He was wrong. She would prove that he is wrong. "You're wrong!" Clementine exclaimed with a fiery flare in her eyes. "My guardian, Lee, died because a walker bit him while he was looking for me! If it wasn't for me, he would still be alive along with the rest of the group! I ruined everything by talking to some jerk on a radio who lied about knowing my parents and keeping them in some stupid motel! I killed my group!"
"Listen to yourself! Did any of that make any sense, especially when you were nine when that happened?" Gil exclaimed.
Clementine was surprised upon hearing the boy and she thought over the sentence. "There are awful people in this world, Clem. Someone took advantage of you and your group died because of that person." Gil said.
"But I-" Clementine said.
"NO! SHUT UP!" Gil shouted. "You're not going to blame yourself for all that anymore because the truth is that those people died to save you and protect you! And don't say that their lives would have been better without you because someone risked everything to save you in your time of need! They loved you, and they made their choice to save you." Gil said with tears in his eyes. "And without you, I would have died yesterday. So don't say your life is a waste and things would have been better because… I need you… and I think you need me."
Clementine's tear-filled eyes widened upon hearing the boy's exclamation. She thought of what he said and how she viewed things. Minutes passed by between the two while Clementine was lost in thought. She heard a walker approaching them and she turned to the decaying monster.
"I'm going to take care of that walker and then we need to think about going." Gil said in a calm tone of voice. Clementine nodded and the boy went up to the approaching walker. Just like she taught the boy, he slashed at the legs first and then he stabbed it in the head. However, Clementine looked down and continued to ponder.
"Hey come on. We need to keep going." Gil said.
Clementine looked up and nodded. She was too lost in thought to go around by herself at the moment. "I can take the lead for a while. You look a bit lost in thought." Gil said.
Clementine nodded and she said, "Yeah… thanks."
Gil gave her a smile but it turned into a frown. He led the way while Clementine continued to ponder. Everything was quiet between the two. It felt uncomfortable especially for Gil. He had no idea what Clementine was thinking.
Night
Clementine looked out into the dark woods with a flashlight and hammer in her hands. However, she wasn't paying attention as much as she normally did. She recollected on her past and on how things went. Since she was born till she was eight and close to nine. Her parents remained alive and healthy... but after the walkers… that's when everything changed. She lost them and someone who was a father figure… and she always thought it was her fault. However, Gil told her otherwise. Who was right?
She kept looking over the facts and took Gil's input into account. His words ran through her head at a ridiculous speed. She couldn't even concentrate on her surroundings.
"Listen to yourself! Did any of that make any sense…?"
"There are awful people in this world, Clem. Someone took advantage of you…"
"You're not going to blame yourself for all that anymore because the truth is that those people died to save you and protect you! …They loved you… I need you… and I think you need me."
Clementine's eyes shot open and she gasped upon feeling a hand on her shoulder. She jumped up and saw Gil standing next to where she was sitting a couple of seconds ago. "Sorry… didn't mean to frighten you." Gil said. Clementine could feel tears rolling down her cheeks and she huffed. Gil sighed and he said, "I'm sorry about what happened earlier today. I didn't want to sound mean when I said all that… I just don't… I don't know…"
"You were right." Clementine said as she tried to keep her composure. "I… I…" She lost all concentration and started to cry.
"Hey…" Gil said in a soothing voice. He approached the girl and hugged her as she cried on his shoulder. "Sh… it's okay." Gil said to comfort her.
"I… I blamed myself for what happened to them." Clementine sobbed. She huffed to calm herself down, but it wasn't working.
"I'm here Clem… We're here for each other." Gil said. "We'll look out for each other
Clementine continued to sob as she allowed her body to release all of the pain and sorrow that was built up over the years. The thing she had to become was the exact opposite of what she wanted to be. She didn't want to be an uncaring and lifeless person that stayed away from people so they wouldn't share her group's fate. She wanted to find another guardian and grow up alongside someone she loved and eventually get married. It was her new dream in this wretched world.
Eventually, she was able to calm down and Gil pulled her back by her shoulders. "You okay?" Gil asked with a smile.
Clementine nodded before she hugged the boy. "Thank you... you saved my life." Clementine said.
"And you saved mine." Gil said as he hugged the girl.
They remained that way for a few seconds until Clementine pulled away. Her irritated red eyes looked into Gil's and saw the warm and inviting stare that Clementine hadn't seen for such a long time. The boy's eyes were just like Lee's.
"You should get some sleep. I can take watch." Gil said.
Clementine smiled and she nodded. She went over to the burnt out fire while she smiled. She felt like a heavy weight had been lifted off of her. She had a sense of happiness that she hadn't felt for a long time. She felt so free, and at the same time, she was tired. However, she felt different, and that was what mattered.
Two Days Later
Clementine and Gil continued to walk down the trail to an opening. It was morning as they continued their trek. Clementine wanted to find somewhere to spend the winter before she and the boy tried to continue up toward Wellington. For the past couple of days, Clementine had been improving and had regained the loving and kind nature that she thought she lost.
Gil smiled to Clementine and he asked, "How are you doing?"
"Really good." Clementine said with a smile.
"It's nice to see you smile. It's really pretty." Gil said.
"Thanks. I like yours too." Clementine said.
Gil smiled to the girl before he looked back to the road along with Clementine. It seemed that the clearing dropped off so they must have been nearing the edge of a cliff. "So where did you start off from?" Gil asked. "I mean, you said that you were wanting to go to Wellington which is up near Michigan, so that means you must have started off somewhere down south, right?"
"I started from Savannah… in a sense. I was in Macon for a little while." Clementine said
"All the way down in Georgia?" Gil asked with shocked eyes. Clementine nodded and the boy whistled. "That's a long walk. I bet you aren't used to the weather up here."
"Yeah to an extent." Clementine said. "I was with this group for a while that was further north of Georgia. They were almost near Tennessee. The leader was Roman."
"Did you and he get along okay?" Gil asked. "Something must have happened to make you leave."
Clementine nodded and she said, "There were a couple of people in his group that didn't like me, but that didn't make me leave. I left because I thought they were going to die if I stayed."
"Oh… okay. You really ought to stop doing that." Gil said.
"Trust me. I'm not doing it any time soon." Clementine said.
Good." Gil said. The two children looked ahead and saw a rather huge mountain range that expanded across the horizon. There were a couple of buildings in the distance along with a strange structure that was built onto the mountain side. "Whoa… a ski lodge. It looks really big too. We ought to see if we can get that place. It's perfect for cold weather."
"A ski lodge?" Clementine asked with a questioning stare.
"Yeah, have you ever gone skiing before?" Gil asked.
"I've heard about it." Clementine said with a frown. She always wanted to go skiing with her parents when she was younger, but they kept telling her that she would really hate the snow and cold. Who would have thought that they were right? The cold in Georgia was a mild fall day in the upper states like Tennessee and Virginia.
"Oh well, okay… anyway the ski lodge is there if you want to relax and get away from the cold." Gil said.
Clementine smiled and she said, "I see now why you thought it would be a good place to stay during the winter." Clementine looked up to a large rock and she said, "I'm going to climb up there and see what the way is like to get to the ski lodge."
"Sounds good." Gil said.
Clementine turned to the rock and took her backpack off in search of her binoculars. She pulled them out after rummaging through her backpack for a couple seconds. She jumped up and grabbed onto the edge of the rock and she started to climb up it.
…To be continued.