Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead. All rights reserved to their respective owners.
Carver sighed as he looked to the young girl in front of him. They were back in the office with Carver being behind the desk and Clementine sitting in one of the chairs in front of it. "You should have known better than to get away like that." Carver said.
"I had to test you." Clementine said. "I wanted to see how hard it was to escape and what measures you were willing to take to prevent me from leaving."
"And now you know." Carver said. He leaned forward in his chair and he asked, "When will you learn that I'm trying to build something here? I'm not the bad guy. In fact, all things considered, I'm the good guy. I've created safety, shelter, food, water, and electricity here."
"I know… that's why I have to leave. I needed to get away so nothing happens to you or your community." Clementine said.
Carver looked to Clementine with a perplexed stare but it soon turned into a look of realization. He scoffed and he said, "Oh… you're talking about being a death magnet thing again. Look kid, it's like that everywhere. Just because you think you're bad luck doesn't mean that everyone here will die."
Clementine looked down and shook her head. She didn't believe Carver and he didn't believe that she was a death magnet.
"Anyway… enough of that." Carver said. "I know that I should punish you for trying to escape… but once again… I have to steady my hand and actually commend you. Using Reggie's body as an airbag to soften your landing was quite smart. But you also made me call in my guards… So I guess that cancels everything out, but I will make sure to keep a closer eye on you in the future." Carver cleared his throat before he continued, "Now two more topics to address. I know you may think that I'm a monster for killing Reggie, but I can't tolerate weakness at the moment. With Troy's little f*** up at that ski lodge, I'm going to have to start paying more attention to the people in this community. I like Reggie, but he was weak in will and weak in character. We can't have that going around."
Clementine looked up and she asked, "But why did he have to die? He was still loyal to you."
Carver crossed his arms over his chest and he sat back in his chair. "I know… it's not like I wanted to kill him, but these are tough times. You let a weak person live, and that will only drain more of your resources. I did him a favor; I allowed him to repay the debt he owed me before I had to eliminate him. Besides, I can find stronger people to take over his shift… people who show promise… who show a future. Understand?"
"I… I guess so." Clementine said. However, she didn't really understand. She thought that killing another person was only necessary so that she could survive or to ease her conscience.
"Good." Carver said. "Last thing. You jumped down onto Reggie, but you must have realized that you were leaving your friend, Gil. Can you explain why you were so willing to do this?"
Clementine nodded and she said, "If I had gotten away, I know that I would have missed Gil, but at least he would have been safe in here."
"I see." Carver said as he placed a couple of fingers up to his chin. He hummed as he thought over the girl's response. "I do enjoy our little chats, but… I better let you go. There's enough time for you to do one more chore today. Johnny will take you to the armory. You'll work with Bonnie and Becca."
Clementine nodded and she got up from her seat. Carver grabbed his radio and he spoke into it. "Johnny, escort Clementine to the armory." Carver said.
"Yes sir." Johnny said.
Clementine looked to the doorway and waited for the guard to come get her. "I hope you have a good day now." Carver said as he sat back down in his seat. Clementine was about to respond, but she stopped when she heard footsteps approaching the door. She looked over to see Johnny. Clementine looked back to Carver before she looked back to Johnny and walked over to him.
Johnny turned and led the girl out of the office and across the hardware store. Clementine took a moment to think to herself. Even Carver doubted that she was a death magnet, and he was one of the smartest people she had ever met. He was brutal, but he wasn't like the bandits and scavengers that Clementine had encountered over the last two years. Maybe, she was wrong… There was a point… very recently where she questioned everything that she thought she knew. Questions kept going through her mind until Johnny said, "We're here."
Clementine shook her head out of her thoughts and she said, "Huh?"
"We're at the armory." Johnny said. He had a concerned look on his face and he asked, "You alright kid? You don't look good."
"I'm fine." Clementine said. It was a lie. She felt terrible. She couldn't stop thinking of Lee's dying words, what Gil had told her, and the joyful memories of being at the ski lodge.
"Okay…" Johnny said with a doubtful tone in his voice. He opened the door and gestured Clementine to enter.
The woman, Bonnie, looked up to the two with a magazine in her hand. Becca sat next to her; she looked over to Clementine with a glare. "Sorry that the kid is late. Bill wanted to talk to her." Johnny explained.
"That's fine. Come on over." Bonnie said as she gestured to the chair. Clementine walked over and sat down in the chair before the door closed shut. Bonnie sighed and she asked, "So what exactly did you do?"
"I don't want to talk about it." Clementine said before she grabbed an empty magazine from the table and started to fill it with bullets.
"What the hell were you thinking?" Becca exclaimed. "Do you even give a shit about me? We were good at some point. I thought it'd be us against the world. But all you want to do is leave."
Clementine looked to Becca and she said, "I told you already that I was doing that to protect you and your sister."
"Oh, f*** you! Enough of this death magnet bullshit! It's starting to piss me off!" Becca snapped as Clementine shuttered.
"Becca, come on now." Bonnie said. "Don't be like that."
"Why? She left me! I thought we were friends, but she ended up screwing me over." Becca said.
"Fine. Stay mad at me for all you want. I don't care anymore." Clementine said. She looked back down to her magazine and continued to fill it with bullets. She heard Becca grumble to herself, but the older girl didn't continue to argue.
"I guess I owe you an apology, Clementine. It's just… when I saw you shooting at the ski lodge, I thought you were trying to kill Bill… and I got too excited. I'm sorry that I… acted the way I did." Bonnie said.
Clementine looked up to Bonnie and she said, "I don't care. Two of my friends died, you treat me like crap afterwards... I don't care what you think."
"Hey! Come on now! I know I didn't respond well to the situation-" Bonnie said but she was interrupted by Becca.
"That's an understatement. Every situation you've been in has gotten someone killed… like Leland." Becca said.
Bonnie jumped from the girl's statement. She looked away for a moment before she said, "You know what… fine. You can play that card all you want… at the end of the day, at least I tried to make things better." She looked back to Clementine and she said, "I was just trying to be nice, but it seems no one in this world is nice anymore… not even some kid."
Clementine glared at Bonnie and slammed the magazine to the ground before she stood up. "Oh okay, you want me to be nice! Well, guess what? You need to give me a reason to be nice to you because so far that doesn't seem to be the case for you… or anyone in this shithole of a world. I saw my parents as walkers in a herd, my guardian died and it's all my f****** fault, almost all of my friends have died and the few that I have left are who-knows-where or are injured, and to top it all off, it seems that everything is my fault in this world! So, sorry if I don't seem that nice!" Clementine exclaimed.
Clementine huffed as tears started to form in her eyes. She had never had a meltdown like that before; even her temper tantrums as a baby were mild compared to what had happened. Bonnie stood up and ran out of the armory while Becca looked to Clementine with a frown and even… a sympathetic stare. Clementine looked away and she hugged her body.
"Hey, you alright?" Becca asked with a calmer tone of voice. There was a tang of sympathy and remorse in her voice.
"I just need some time… to breathe." Clementine said with a huff.
"Man… I never seen you like that before, and I never knew how much shit you went through… I'm sorry." Becca said.
Clementine tried to breathe in huffs, but she could tell that she was on the verge of tears. She almost wanted to cry. She soon felt a pair of arms around her and she heard Becca say, "It's alright to cry… I know that I cried like hell when my mom and dad died…"
Clementine finally allowed herself to drop her guard and she cried. She was surprised that Becca was so supportive of her since Becca was always as tough as nails; she would sooner make fun of someone than to show that person compassion. It was a comforting feeling to finally release her anger, resentment, and sadness in the form of crying and yelling at an unkind woman.
Hours Later
Clementine sat next to Becca as they continued to eat their supper for the night. They were with the other members that were stuck in the yard. Clementine had learned that the lean African-American man was Mike. He saved Reggie's life. It was too bad that Reggie was going to die regardless. The lean man had a frown on his face. It was obvious that he had heard the news about Reggie. Clementine also learned that the woman with the short brown hair was known as Jane. She sat in a corner of the yard. It seemed that she wanted nothing to do with the group. The other members in the group included Luke, Carlos, Rebecca, and Gil.
"I can't believe that Reggie is gone." Rebecca said with a frown. "What is happening in our lives? Everyone I cared for is either gone or dead."
"I think I have an idea why." Luke said as he sent a glare towards Clementine.
"Oh f*** off, Luke." Becca snapped. "You know what… I'm glad Nick is dead. He just acted like a stupid hot-headed baby… He always whined when things didn't go his way."
"Hey, watch it. That's my best friend you're talking about." Luke snapped.
"I never liked you Becca. Your foul mouth and bad attitude was something that Sarah didn't need to be around. I'm sure your parents would be disappointed to see how you turned out." Carlos said.
Becca shuttered from the doctor's coldness and she muttered, "F*** you."
"Alright, alright… let's just cool it, guys. We're out here together on this… we can't turn on each other. The world is already tough enough without us taking cheap shots at one another." Mike said.
Clementine placed a supportive hand on Becca's shoulder, but the older girl shook it off. Becca didn't want to be comforted; she wanted to act tough.
"Hey Clem… I heard you got hit today. I guess it is true since I see the bruise on your cheek." Gil said.
"Yeah…" Clementine said as she caressed her cheek.
"I heard it was between you two." Luke said. Clementine looked over to see him staring at her and Becca. "I guess you got a family member of hers killed or a friend. You seem to excel at that."
Clementine looked up to Luke and gave him a glare. "Or she probably stole from her and her group." Carlos said as he crossed his arms over his chest.
Becca released a groan and she said, "All she did was run away. I was mad at her. What the f*** is wrong with you guys?"
"Don't pay much attention to them. They've been treating Clem like this from the very beginning." Gil said to Becca.
Clementine smiled. She was glad that she had friends that would support her. Oddly, it made her feel like she was back at the motor inn. She was around her own people. People who knew her and cared about her.
"We don't have to account for our actions. What we did was for the concern and safety of our loved ones. Something you three would never understand." Carlos spat.
"You know… I may have lost people that I loved, but it's better that they're dead and loved me than for them to be alive and hate me. That's why Sarah left you. She was afraid of you… and she wanted to leave." Clementine said.
Carlos's eyes widened and his fist balled up. "How dare you? How dare you speak about my daughter like that?"
"If you think I'm wrong, then tell me a valid explanation as to why she left with Alvin. She could have told you that she and Alvin were planning to leave, but she didn't, did she?" Clementine said.
Carlos's face was getting redder by the second. He seemed like he was going to argue, but nothing came out. Finally, the doctor stomped away and walked toward one of the plywood beds.
Luke looked to Carlos with a sympathetic stare before he looked to Clementine with a glare. "F****** bitch." Luke muttered as he got back up and walked away.
"Hey, come on guys. We need to work together to get out of this mess." Mike said.
"Why?" Becca asked. "Look, I know Bill can be a bit of an ass sometimes and he does have his moments, but this place is a lot better than almost everywhere else. I'm not taking my chances of going back out there and living off shit just so we can get lucky and find something. THIS is the best you're going to get."
"I don't believe that… I think we can get out of here and find some place better. We just need to make a plan." Mike said.
"Well count us out." Becca said.
"I don't know… this Carver guy is off his rocker by a little bit, but it's still worth trying out this place…" Gil said.
"Bill's changed since I've seen him… and so have I." Rebecca said. "So you can count me out. Alvin abandoned me… Now, I'm going to stay in here."
"You people are nuts." Mike said. He got up and left the fire pit.
"Well, I better get some shut-eye in. I'll be working hard tomorrow." Gil said.
"Need help?" Clementine asked.
"Nah. I can handle it." Gil said as he got up. A grunt escaped his lips as he stood up and limped over to the plywood beds.
Clementine looked back to Becca and she said, "Thanks for comforting me today. I know that you're not comfortable with that and I'm sorry that I put you through that."
"It's fine. You really needed it." Becca said as she placed a supportive arm around the girl. "Besides… gives me ammo for later." Becca said with her comforting tone of voice being replaced by a teasing tone.
"Thanks." Clementine said with a teasing tone of voice.
It was a touching day for Clementine. In one day, she had gotten her best friend back and she had released most of her anger, rage, and resentment. However, Clementine knew that it was just matter of time until the negativity that Luke, Carlos, and Bonnie gave off would reignite her anger and resentment. Plus, she needed to find Christa, Omid, and Genevieve. She would have to leave. She knew it would take a lot of work and time to accomplish this task, but she would succeed.
…To be continued.