Screw it. Even if Carlos found out, what would he do, take away her gun? Sarah needs to know how to defend herself. Clementine put her pistol back in her backpack, taking the gun from Sarah. She took out the magazine, checking for bullets. "You don't have any bullets? Where did you find this?"
"No, there weren't any in it. It was under the house, with the camera I found. Is that how you reload it?"
"Yes- but Sarah, listen. Before I can even think of teaching you, we need to talk." She sighed. 'This conversation would go smoothly with no questions, I'm sure.' She thought sarcastically to herself. The eleven year old motions for the teen to sit down and she followers her order.
"Yeah? What is it?"
"You know how my guardian, Lee, is missing an arm?" She nods, the sight of the leaders arm or lack thereof certainly gave her a fright when she first noticed it. She stared at it constantly when breakfast started yesterday, and now the sight of his nub was stuck in her mind.
"It scares me." Sarah admitted.
"Good. Back when this started, before I accepted that my parents were gone, this… Man told me that he had them. Lee told me over and over that they were dead, figuring I'd just believe him. I didn't listen. I was stupid enough to believe the stranger, and Lee.. Lee paid the price for it. He got bit trying to save me and had it cut off."
Sarah was confused on why Clem was telling her this. She gasped as the image of one of those things she feared so much chomping into fresh human meat. "W-why are you telling me this? It's.. Gross!"
Clem closed her eyes, sitting against Sarah's side table. "When Lee showed up.. The stranger intended on killing him and 'raising' me himself. So they fought, and he was almost successful in killing the closest person to me that wasn't dead." She paused, checking on Sarah. She looked sad, remorseful, and maybe even scared. "But I stopped him. I picked up a gun and.. It was the first human life I ever took. Not some emotionless, brainless walker. Not a bottle sitting on a box. It was life."
"I'm so sorry.. That sounds awful." Sarah whispered.
"I need you to understand why I'm explaining this all to you. You're my friend, Sarah, so I have to make sure you know that this isn't a toy, and that if you know how to use this, you will have to accept that it very well may come to that. Are you prepared to pull the trigger on a human being if it means protecting your friends and family?" The question made Sarah think, but not for too long. She shook her head.
"Maybe not.. But I still want to learn." She had a fire in her eyes, not unlike Duck's all those years ago. Only she took this much more seriously. Clem admired that, but also was suspicious of it. Nevertheless, she smiled.
"You might not ever be prepared. I sure as hell wasn't. Now come on, I'll show you my technique."
Lee's foot stomped down on the already decaying corpse of Jeremy out of frustration. "Clementine? Clem!" he called out into the quiet woods as Luke sliced the head off another lurker. Carley followed him closely, her glock that had previously been confiscated now secured in her hands.
"We've checked everywhere near the river and not a damn sign. Where could they be?" Alvin cursed, walking toward the center of the river where the corpse of Jeremy lied.
"I'm starting to get really worried. Not about Clementine, about.. Molly." Carley joined the conversation.
"Why Molly? She can handle herself. Clem is eleven years old!" Lee began pacing around as he growled out to her.
"And Molly has been pissed off at Nick the entire time we've been here. If she's with Clem, she's awful at babysitting and worse at maintaining the peace. If she's with Pete, she might be fine, but something tells me she isn't. And if she went alone, I'd just be worried. Clementine is strong and smart without help." The reporter argued, frustrated with Lee's attitude toward Clem. He always treated her like a kid. It took convincing from Chuck and Carley to get him to help her grow up without traumatic experiences doing it for him.
He sighed, stopping in his tracks to stare at his lover. "I need to know that she's safe. I almost-"
"Lost her once, yes I know. That's why I trained her proper technique with a weapon - with any weapon! Just calm down, we'll find her." Carley cut him off, rolling her eyes. Lee seemed to calm down slightly, but still clenched his fist hard.
"Just make sure to keep an eye out. That goes double when it comes to lurkers or uh.. Him." Luke chimed in. Lee sighed, letting go of his fist.
"Right. Right.. We'll.. we'll find her."
"Hey! Who's there!" Before the group could continue their search, Alvin spotted movement within the woods leading into the river. Everyone pulled out weapons, glaring at the woods. There was a response shortly there afterward from a familiar voice.
"Alvin! Luke!" Carlos called loud enough for them to hear but not loud enough for anyone else around to. He and Rebecca appeared from the greens.
"Becca? What are you-"
"I needed to see you. I needed to know if you were okay." She answered instantaneously, wrapping her arms around his big frame. He gently pulled her close, putting away his rifle. Everyone else copied him.
"I'm fine, baby.. Is everything alright?" Alvin questioned.
"Yes. Clementine came back." Carlos announced. Lee almost instantly lit up, a smile replacing his worried look of regret.
"That's great!" Lee exclaimed.
"Did Pete or Nick show up? Was anyone else with her?" Carley asked.
"There's the bad news." Their enthusiastic smiles turned to looks of worry.
"What, they didn't.. Die, right?" Carley muttered, folding her arms in preparation of more bad news.
"No, at least not that we know. But, Pete got bit." Luke looked stunned from the news coming out of the doctor's mouth. Carley gasped, while Alvin seemed concerned. "But, Clementine ended up chopping his foot off. It saved his life. I take it you guys haven't found Nick or Molly yet either?"
"No such luck." Alvin answered. Lee suddenly started moving, heading for the woods Carlos and Rebecca entered through.
"I have to go."
"What? Why?" Carley demanded to know, following him.
"I need to check up on her. She must be.. Horrified." He shook his head, stopping just short of the trail.
"Maybe that's a good idea. Take a buddy with you." Carlos ordered.
"I'll go." Carley volunteered. Lee turned around and shook his head.
"No. Molly needs to see a familiar face when you find her. Keep looking without me. Alvin, you and Rebecca can come with me. Otherwise, I'm fine alone." She didn't respond. She simply looked at her feet, defeated. He used her own point against her, and she had to admit, he was right.
"I'd rather be at the cabin than out here in the open anyways." Rebecca agreed, walking up to Lee with Alvin holding her hand.
"Yeah, it's safer there for sure. Alright, good luck, guys." Alvin added, waving to the crew left at the river as he left with the duo.
"You too.. Stay safe, Lee." Carley mumbled, sighing. She couldn't get a good read on him anymore.
Sarah took a deep breath in, aiming the gun at a vase in her room whilst Clementine held her shoulders. "Then pull the trigger." She clicked the trigger, exhaling. Of course, nothing came out. "Good job!" she congratulated, patting the girls shoulder roughly. Sarah smiled, giving Clem the gun back.
"My hands hurt. I don't like it." The teenager whined, rubbing her hands.
"You want to protect us, right? You want to help?" Sarah nodded. "Then you have to know how to defend yourself. Oh, and don't punch walkers. If one gets close to you, hit it with your gun if you have to. Like this." The younger girl whipped the air harshly, then slipped the gun underneath Sarah's bed.
"Okay.. Got it!" The two sat down on her bed, looking out the window. "What now..?"
"Now, I'm heading to bed. I'm exhausted." She yawned, standing up.
"Aww.. Okay, I'll wait for you to wake up. I can get us some food too! My dad showed me where I can get snacks."
"Thanks, Sarah." The girl spoke sincerely, heading out of her room. Sarah waved her out as she closed the door. Clem sighed in relief, she liked the teen and all, but she was an exhausting student. She constantly mixed up Clem's instructions, dropped the gun on the kids foot and was generally annoying. Still, at least she knew how to defend herself now.
As Clementine laid down on the floor, putting her hat aside from her, she felt the warm presence of Chuck sit on the couch to her left. She smiled, cuddling up to the blanket on top of her as she drifted into dreamland. Darkness enveloped her, a soft laugh next to a hardy one caught her ears. She felt happy. She could smell pancakes and hear the soft crackly static of a walkie talkie. But she couldn't see anything.
And then she woke up.
"Hey, Clem! I think Luke's back!" Sarah exclaimed as she ran downstairs. Alvin and Christa stared at each other, the latter of the two coming in from the kitchen to check on the girl. Sarah ran to the front door. Clementine rubbed her eyes while Chuck retrieved her hat and placed it on her head.
"Sleep well?" The old man asked, standing up off the floor.
Clem yawned, stretching herself out. "Yeah. How long was I out?"
"Ten minutes." A smirk popped up on the man's stubble bearded face. Clementine rolled her eyes, standing up.
"Damnit, Sarah." She shook her head.
"Come on, let's go greet our new friends." Christa muttered beneath gritted teeth. Chuck looked visibly annoyed at her, but kept quiet. Before they could turn the corner to actually see the door, Sarah pushed into Christa's face, knocking her back so she accidentally hit Chuck like a domino. "W-what the hell?!" The tall woman yelled out as she fell to the ground, glaring daggers at the shaking, terrified teen. Chuck didn't seem affected, but he did help Christa up.
"T-that's not Luke.." Sarah stammered. Clem and Chuck looked at each other in shock.
"W-who is it?" Christa questioned, grabbing onto Sarah's shoulders roughly. "Is it Carver? Is it?" Sarah was hysteric, heavily breathing in a panic.
"I-I.. C-Clem, I-I can't breath!" The teen stammered, her face turning white as a ghost.
"Knock it off!" Chuck yelled in a hushed tone. Christa stopped, looking back and forth.
"What do we do?" Clem questioned.
"We have to hide. We have no other choice." Chuck answered almost immediately.
"Or we confront him and convince him no one is here from his list of most wanted. Then, he never comes back." Christa suggested, putting on that stubborn brave face she loved to use so much.
"Oh gosh, oh gosh.." Sarah whispered under her breath, hugging herself as she ran to underneath the furthest couch from the door. Clem was about to check on her, but realized she had to be strong. She had to think this plan out with her group.
"I.. I dunno if that's the best idea, Christa. That sounds like more trouble than what it's worth." He stated, scratching the back of his head. Another knock was heard.
"And what if we hide? What if we all get caught?"
"Hello? Anyone home?" It was time for someone to make a decision before Carver - or whoever this gravelly voiced stranger was - broke down the door and checked the place himself.
Choices:
A: Hide out
B: Confront Carver with Chuck
C: Confront Carver with Christa.
Relationships:
Lee: 10/10
Carley: 10/10
Chuck: 10/10
Christa: 9/10
Molly: 8/10
Luke: 7/10
Pete: 9/10
Nick: 7/10
Carlos: 7/10
Sarah: 9/10 (For teaching her how to shoot)
Alvin: 6/10
Rebecca: 4/10
((QOTC: Favorite Walking Dead fight scene? Mine is definitely Kenny vs. Jane.))