A/N: Well, you guys have probably already noticed this, but I won't be updating much. I got projects due in classes and exams and finals to study for.
Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead. All rights reserved to their respective owners.
Clementine reached the wind turbine and opened the control panel. She pulled out her lighter from her hoodie pocket and lit it. She looked around until she found the key to start up the wind turbine. She grabbed the key and placed it into the wind turbine's starter. Clementine backed away and she looked up to see that the wind turbine was starting to spin. Clementine turned and she ran from the wind turbine while it started to pick up speed from the wind.
Clementine returned to the ski lodge, but she went to the side of the building. She had her handgun in her hands as she watched Carver and his men scramble around inside. It didn't take long until three of the five group members inside to head down the stairs of the ski lodge. Clementine's plan was working.
"We got to turn off that damn wind turbine." One of the men exclaimed. She heard several pairs of footsteps running toward the wind turbine. Soon, the sound of the footsteps faded and Clementine held up her gun. All she had to do was wait for Matthew to show up. Several tense-filled seconds passed by until she could finally see Matthew at the doorway which led to the secret escape. Clementine shot at the ski lodge. She didn't aim for anyone, but she was trying to keep Carver and his last guard from pursuing her group.
Carver and his guard hid behind a column in the ski lodge while Clementine kept shoot near them. She noticed that Christa who was untied and holding Genevieve was running for the doorway along with Omid, Sarita, Alvin, Sarah, and Walter. Gil was unable to move due to his previous gunshot wound. Clementine knew that she would have to stay to help him escape.
Clementine continued to fire at Carver and his last guard while most of Christa's group escaped. However, she noticed that Walter and Matthew stopped to hug each other. "No, you have to run." Clementine whispered. She tried to shoot again, but all she heard was a click. She gasped and her eyes widened. "No…" Clementine said.
A gunshot was heard from inside the ski lodge. She could hear Walter and Matthew scream out in pain. Clementine huffed as she watched both men fall to the ground with them on top of each other. They were either injured or dead. "Don't move." She heard a woman's voice hiss. Clementine looked next to her to see an orange haired woman with a glare aimed at Clementine along with an assault rifle. "Drop the gun now!" The woman hissed.
Clementine obliged and allowed her gun to drop to the ground. "Move!" The woman hissed and she grabbed Clementine by the arm and forced her forward.
"Bonnie, take it easy. She's just a kid." One of the men said. He seemed more physically imposing than the other two guards.
"She could have killed Bill!" Bonnie exclaimed.
"Let's just go inside and see if anything happened before we start making assumptions." The man snapped.
"Okay… fine." Bonnie hissed.
The man groaned before he gestured the girl forward. Clementine obliged as she kept thinking over what happened to Walter and Matthew. She hoped that they were okay, but that scream… it didn't sound right.
Minutes passed by until they entered the ski lodge. "Useless!" Carver exclaimed as he beat the guard's face with his fist.
"Bill!" The man from outside exclaimed.
Carver looked up and his glare turned into a smirk. "Well, I'd be damned. I got outplayed by a little girl. Were you the little sniper outside?"
Clementine nodded before Bonnie spoke up. "She was. Did anyone get hurt?" Bonnie said.
"From her, no. She only kept us pinned down so that some of the group here could escape." Carver said.
"Oh…" Bonnie said with a guilty sounding voice.
"However, that damned idiot over there killed TWO people without my authorization!" Carver snapped at the guard on the ground.
"Bill…" The guard said.
"Shut the f*** up!" Carver exclaimed. "This mission was for capturing people, not killing them!"
"What should we do? Should we go after them?" The man asked.
Carver pondered for a few seconds until Clementine spoke up. "It wouldn't be a good idea to try to follow that group. You don't know if there are bandits in the surrounding forest and you don't have very good visibility. The group would just be more trouble to capture than it's worth."
Carver smiled before he clapped his hands. "Bravo. You took the words out of my mouth." He looked up to his fellow group members and he said, "We're heading back. I don't care about Sarah, and Alvin would only get in the way. Are you alright with leaving, George? I understand that you and Alvin have… history."
The man known as George nodded and he said, "I'm alright with that. I don't have a grudge against him for what happened."
"Alright then… round them up. We're leaving." Carver said. George, Bonnie, and the other man passed by Clementine and went to the other group members; however, Clementine stayed where she was and she looked to Carver.
"What happened… What happened to Matthew and Walter?" Clementine asked.
Carver sighed and he said, "I'm afraid Troy shot them. I put them out of their misery… such a shame."
Clementine looked down with a frown. "However…" Carver said. Clementine looked back up to see a smirk on Carver's lips. "Today marks the end of this foolish trek and the beginning of something new… something better. You… you are a remarkable child. You used your surroundings and outsmarted me… which is exceedingly rare. Children like you… are going to bring a bright future into this world."
"If you say so." Clementine said.
"Bill, what do you want to do with her?" George asked. "And what about Troy?"
A glare formed on Carver's features and he said, "Troy has screwed up for the last time. His incompetence keeps getting people killed. Put him out in the yard." His glare disappeared and he looked to Clementine. "I hate to throw you out there with Luke and his group of crippled f****, but you have to work your way up. However, after what I've seen today… well… you won't be out in that yard for very long."
"What about Gil? He needs medical attention." Clementine said.
"Yes… he will be in the infirmary with Vera until he can walk… then I'll put him on light duty. If he keeps his head down and do as he is told, he will only be in that for two weeks. You, on the other hand, will only be in the yard for a couple of nights… there's much we need to discuss."
Clementine nodded as one of the guards went behind her and tied her wrists together. George walked over and lifted Gil up and placed him over his shoulder. The boy was unconscious. More than likely he passed out from the pain. Clementine turned and followed the group members. Carver took the lead in front of the group. For once, Clementine noticed that Luke, Carlos, and Rebecca were sad. She felt no sympathy since the three tried to take her hostage, nearly killed Genevieve, and shot Gil. Clementine felt even more resentment toward Troy since he killed Walter and Matthew.
The group members walked from the ski lodge and continued down through the forest. Clementine looked back and forth in the surrounding woods. She had no idea what awaited for her at Carver's camp, but she was happy that Christa, Omid, Genevieve, Sarita, Alvin, and Sarah escaped. At least, Carver wouldn't bother them anymore.
Clementine sat in the back of the truck and looked to her feet. She did make sure that the group didn't make a move against her, but so far none of its member made a move. Troy had been grumbling and complaining to himself for the last several hours; however, no one paid attention to him.
She heard Gil groan and she looked over. "Shit… my leg's on fire." Gil muttered.
"It'll be alright. Carver's going to have someone look at it." Clementine said.
"No… I can't…" Gil huffed.
"Try to relax." Clementine said. "Christa, Omid, Genevieve, Sarita, Alvin, and Sarah escaped."
"Yeah, they shouldn't have been able to escape. You f***** me, you little shit!" Troy spat at Clementine. "I'll make sure you pay!"
"If you try to hurt me, Carver will kill you. Nick was stupid just like you. Unless you want to die like him, maybe you should adjust on how you do things." Clementine said in an emotionless tone of voice.
"F*** you bitch!" Troy snapped.
Luke sighed and he said, "Alright… I really hate to say this… but… dammit… we're going to have to work together to get out of this."
"What if I don't want to get out of this?" Clementine asked. "I really don't see why you guys left in the first place."
"What are you talking about? You talked to him first hand. You know what he's like." Carlos said.
"Yeah, he gets worked up and he gets tense… but I don't see how he can be dangerous." Clementine said.
"He came barging in with guards and held us at gunpoint! Of course he's f****** dangerous!" Carlos snapped.
"And how exactly are you guys different from him?" Clementine asked. "You locked me in a shed, held me at gunpoint multiple times, made attempts on my life and the lives of my friends… and worst of all, you tried to kill a baby and got my friend shot."
"Look… I admit that we may have taken it a little too far, but we did it so that we could keep our loved ones safe. Besides, your hands aren't clean in all of this." Luke said with a glare. "I feel that we were justified for what we did. We were only trying to survive. Isn't that what you do?"
"Yes but even I have limits. Ever consider the fact that I was BLUFFING about shooting Rebecca's unborn child?" Clementine inquired with a glare of her own. "You guys were armed and I could tell that you meant us harm, so I had to act."
"Clem's right. You guys are out of control." Gil said. Clementine gave the boy a thankful stare for siding with her before she looked back to Luke's group with a glare.
Luke had a frown on his face and he sighed. "It doesn't matter anymore. We're all in this together now." Luke said.
"There ain't no 'we'!" Troy hissed. "I ain't going to be associated with you assholes!"
"I don't want to be associated with you either." Clementine said.
"Fine…" Luke hissed. "We'll escape by ourselves."
"Whatever." Clementine muttered as she looked away from Luke and his remaining group. She could tell that Rebecca didn't seem to care that Alvin left her since she didn't have a tang of regret or sadness in her facial features. However, Carlos appeared to be antsy. It was like he wanted to get back to Sarah as soon as possible.
Rebecca sighed and she said, "I don't know, Luke. Carver seemed different back at the ski lodge. He didn't seem hostile."
"Bec, he will do anything to hurt you… much like that bitch over there." Luke said. Clementine knew that he was referring to her, but she didn't care.
"I don't care what you say. I need to get back out there and find my daughter." Carlos said.
"We will." Luke said. "I promise."
The rest of the ride consisted of nothing but silence among the people in the back with the exception of Gil huffing from his gunshot wound and Troy spatting curses and angry remarks that were barely audible. Soon, Clementine closed her eyes and allowed herself to sleep. She may have been around hostile people, but it wasn't like any of them could do anything to hurt her.
Clementine opened her eyes upon hearing the distinct sound of a backup siren. She sat upright and looked to Gil. "What's going on?" Clementine asked.
"We're here." Luke muttered. The sound of the siren stopped and there was a light thump outside. Seconds later, the back door of the truck opened to reveal an African-American woman, Bonnie, and George on the other side.
"Alright, up and at 'em!" The African-American woman said. Most of the group members obliged and headed out of the truck and into a loading dock. However, Troy and Gil were the exception.
Clementine walked forward but she stopped in front of George. "What about my friend?" Clementine asked as she gestured to Gil.
"Don't worry. I'll get him to Vera. She should be able to fix his leg up." George replied. He turned and he said, "Johnny, take my place and get these guys to the yard."
"You got it." The guard from the ski lodge said and he joined the African-American woman and Bonnie.
"Troy, get your ass up." The African-American woman said with an angered tone in her voice.
"F*** you!" Troy hissed. "I shouldn't be with these assholes."
"You f***** up." The woman hissed. "Bill made it clear that you were to follow his lead and not kill anyone unless there was no other choice, but instead, you got two people killed."
"This is f****** stupid! Who cares if two assholes got killed?" Troy inquired.
"We can do this one of two ways. You can either move your ass and get up or I can shoot you. Bill has given me authorization to kill you if you don't cooperate." The woman said.
Troy grumbled to himself and he said, "Fine… I hate this… I hate all of you!" He got up and stomped forward. "There, I'm up!"
"Good. Come on." The woman said and she led the group further into what appeared to be a hardware store. The high shelves and well-trimmed wood was a dead giveaway that it was a hardware store. They walked past a couple of doors that led into the store. Clementine could see several armed guards at the ready. Each one had an assault rifle. Clementine knew that Carver was trying to intimidate the group from escaping again.
"We've got some familiar faces back with us tonight." Carver's voice was heard over the PA. "Now, I understand some of you are confused as to why we'd bring some of these people back when they left us as they did."
"I think I got an idea." The woman commented.
"It might not come all at once." Carver continued over the PA. "But time will heal these wounds, so be patient with them until it does… and take solace in knowing that they're here to help us make this home a better place. All these feelings you have of anger…betrayal….hate… they're all valid. No one needs to forget what they did… but we have to find it in our hearts to forgive them."
…To be continued.
A/N: Well, gaara brought this to my attention since to me the title isn't nearly as important as the story itself. The title is called Clementine Alone because Clementine had to survive on her own after Lee died. And in some ways, she does feel alone since her parents and guardian are gone.