Thanks to gaara king of the sand for the help.
Every step she took was absolute agony. Her head was spinning and she felt sick to her stomach. She was dying. She was sure of it.
Each time Carley offered they stop, Clementine refused. She didn't want to hold them back. She couldn't put them in danger. Just because her fate was set didn't mean she was going to drag them down with her.
The continued walking in silence. Clementine didn't register Danielle ask if she was okay. Nor did she notice the motor inn was right in front of them when her legs gave out on her. She didn't notice Shawn run up to her. Every voice sounded muffled and things were just a blur. She felt herself being taken into someone's arms then everything went dark.
When Clementine awoke, she found herself laid upon a bed. She was dressed in a large tshirt and some shorts that was a bit big for her. For a moment she panicked, scared that she was back with in that sick freak, Danny's room. However, a voice calmed her.
"Take it easy." Shawn spoke up. "You been out since yesterday."
"Y-Yesterday?" Her throat felt dry as she spoke. Shawn noticed and offered her a water bottle which she quickly accepted. "W-Where's Danielle? A-And Carley?"
"They're fine." Shawn said. "Carley's been keeping to herself… I'm not sure what happened, but Katjaa checked the kid for injuries and fed her. She's sitting with Lilly. You got a pretty high fever. You need to rest."
Clementine frowned. "Rest won't help… I'm dying..."
"Don't say that Clem… That's not true." Shawn said.
"It is…" Clementine mumbled. "Believe me."
"You're just sick, kid. That's all." Shawn replied.
"I'm not a kid." Clementine said. "I'm tired of hearing that word."
"What happened at the dairy farm?" Shawn asked the girl.
Clementine expression turned dark and the girl refused to respond.
"Clem? What happened?" Shawn asked, looking worried.
"…I don't know what you're talking about." Clementine said. "I… I want to be alone. Please."
"Alright…" Shawn sighed. "I'll uh, get you something to eat…"
Clementine said nothing as Shawn took his leave. She buried her head in her pillow, fighting back tears.
When Shawn returned with her food, she didn't acknowledge him. He placed the meal beside her bed and left the room. Her meal went from warm to cold and she didn't even glance towards it.
Clementine had been drifting in and out of sleep when Katjaa stepped into the room to ask the girl how she felt.
Clementine hadn't heard the woman's words at first, but she flinched when she felt Katjaa adjust the blankets around her.
"It's just me, sweetie." Katjaa said. "How are you feeling?"
Clementine lied when she told her "I'm fine." She was far from fine. Clementine felt horrible. She knew what a bite did to a person. Still, she couldn't bring herself to tell anyone.
Katjaa check the girl's forehead and frowned, "Your fever still hasn't broken. This is the second day…"
"I'm f-fine." Clementine claimed weakly. "How's Dani?"
"She's a quiet girl. Hasn't talked much to anyone, but I think she's starting to warm up a bit… She played with Duck for a little while, but both the kids were worried about you. We let her have some of Duck's clothes, they're big on her, but I figured it'll work until we can get some more." Katjaa said.
Katjaa placed a wet rag on her forehead, telling the young girl that she would grab her some medicine.
Clementine told her not to. "I'm okay, really. Save the medicine." There was no point in giving valuable medicine to someone with a bit.
"Sweetie, that medicine might help you." Katjaa said.
Clementine shook her head then immediately regretted the action as her head started aching. "I… I don't need it."
Katjaa sighed, but didn't push further. "If you change your mind let me know…"
"Okay…" Clementine said.
Katjaa left the room and Clementine was alone once again.
Clementine's heart pounded as she found herself unable to move. Pinned beneath a figure, she tried to struggle away but it was no use.
She felt his filthy hands touch her body and she tried to break free. He wouldn't stop. Whimpers fell from her lips and finally she managed to let out a scream. "STOP!"
Clementine woke with a start, her eyes wide, her body drenched in sweat. She hadn't remembered falling asleep.
Her heart thumped in her chest as she took a couple deep breaths. Her head was spinning from sitting up so fast and she suddenly felt nauseous.
The girl groaned and laid back down.
"Clementine!" The door quickly opened and Kenny rushed inside.
"We heard a yell, are you alright?" Kenny asked.
"I… I'm fine… I just had a nightmare…" Clementine said.
"What was it about, darlin'?" Kenny asked.
"I… don't want to talk about it…" Clementine said.
"That bad, huh?" Kenny asked.
"Yeah…" Clementine said.
"Want me to stay here with you for a bit? Or I can leave the door open?" Kenny offered.
Clementine huffed. He was treating her like a little kid again. She knew he didn't mean to, and as much as she appreciated him for caring, it sometimes annoyed her. "I'm okay, Kenny. Don't… Don't worry about me."
"How about you try to rest some more. Katjaa thinks you got the flu." Kenny said.
"Y-Yeah… Okay." Clementine wished it was only the flu.
Throughout the day, the girl found herself drifting in and out of sleep every ten minutes or so.
People would come in and out to check on her, but Clementine barely noticed them. She was too sick to pay attention.
By nightfall the teen lay restless, trying to sleep, but unable to. The room felt like it was spinning, she felt completely awful.
Her attention was grasped however, when she heard a small knock at the door.
"C-Come in." She said weakly.
The door opened and Danielle stepped inside.
"Hi…" Danielle said.
"H-Hey. Are you okay?" Clementine asked.
"N-No… I… I'm worried about you." Danielle said. "Are you going to be okay?"
Clementine took a breath before speaking, "Danielle… You know I'm bit, right?"
"But… But you'll be okay. You're a good person… So the bite shouldn't work on you." Danielle said.
"If only that was true." Clementine said.
"I…. I don't want you to turn into a m-monster." Danielle stammered.
"I'm not going to turn." Clementine said.
Danielle furrowed her brows. "You're not?"
"I won't let that happen." Clementine said.
"What will you do?" Danielle asked, looking a bit confused.
Clementine didn't respond to the child. "Listen, whatever happens to me… Just know you'll be safe with this group. Kenny and Katjaa, they'll be good at looking after you. They won't let you get hurt ever again."
"I want you to look after me." Danielle said.
"…I'm sorry, Dani…" Clementine simply mumbled.
Danielle began whimpering.
Clementine sighed and gently took the child's hand in attempts to comfort her.
"I don't want you to leave me." Danielle mumbled.
"I don't want to leave you either…" Clementine said. "But promise me, whatever happens… You'll listen to the group and stay safe."
"I… I promise." Danielle said.
"T-Thank you…" Clementine said.
"C-Can I sleep in here?" The little girl asked.
Clementine paused. "I… I don't think that's a good idea, Dani."
"Why not?"
"It might be dangerous." Clementine said.
"You're not dangerous." Danielle said. "I trust you."
"I don't trust myself." Clementine said. "What if I… turned in the middle of the night."
"You… You won't." Danielle sniffled.
"There's a chance. And I don't want to risk hurting you." Clementine said.
Danielle frowned at that and began whimpering again.
Clementine tried to comfort the girl, to no avail.
"Danielle, please calm down… Clementine sighed. "I'll… let you stay…"
"R-Really?"
"Really." Clementine said. "But you have to promise to… to leave if I start acting strange."
"Okay…" Danielle said.
"Good girl." Clementine said. "Let's get some rest."
The younger girl nodded and laid down.
When morning came, Clementine awoke with a sob from a nightmare so vivid and intense. Her heart pounded wildly and the tears wouldn't stop flowing.
She didn't notice Danielle stir beside her until the young girl spoke.
"Are you okay?" Danielle asked.
Clementine turned away from her, trying to calm herself. "I'm... I'm fine."
"Did you have a bad dream?" Danielle questioned.
"W-Why do you ask that?" Clementine asked back.
"You're crying." Danielle said.
Clementine quickly wiped her tears away. "I wasn't..."
"Are you sad?" Danielle asked. "I have bad dreams sometimes too. About the bad men... Sometimes I dream about my mommy. I miss her."
"I'm sure you do." Clementine said. "Bad dreams aren't real. Just remember that…"
"But they can still be scary. Your dream made you cry." Danielle pointed out. "…Do you miss your mommy?"
"I... Yeah... Yeah I do." Clementine answered.
"Where is she? Is she nice?" Danielle asked.
"She was really nice... I... She's in Savannah. With my dad." Clementine said with a frown.
"Oh... I hope you see them soon. I hope I see my mommy soon too." Danielle said.
"Well, maybe your mom will find us here..." Clementine said.
"I hope so." Danielle said.
Clementine knew it was unlike, but she would crush the child's spirits. "D-Dani, go play for a while."
"I want to stay with you."
"I'm not going anywhere, just go, okay?" Clementine said.
"Okay…" Danielle agreed.
Danielle left the room, leaving Clementine alone.
Breakfast was a quiet that morning. Carley had seated herself a bit away from the group. Danielle was playing with her food, nibbling at it listlessly.
"Everything okay, kid?" Shawn asked.
Danielle looked to Shawn who had a concerned look. "Y-Yes…"
"Alright…" Shawn stood picking up a bowl of oatmeal.
"Where are you going?" Kenny asked.
"I'm gonna bring Clementine some food."
"I think she wants to be alone…." Danielle said.
"Well, she's gotta eat something." Shawn said. "Why does she want to be alone."
"She… She had a bad dream." Danielle said. "She was crying last night. And she cried this morning too."
Shawn frowned at that. "I'll uh, go make sure she's okay."
"Okay…" Danielle said.
Shawn headed to Clementine's room with a bowl of still warm oatmeal. When he knocked he got no response at first. He knocked twice more, before a small voice finally said, "Come in."
Shawn entered the room and looked to the figure on the bed. "Hey Clem…"
"Hey…" Clementine said back.
"I brought you some food." Shawn showed her the bowl.
"I'm not hungry…" Clementine muttered.
"Well you gotta eat something. You can't keep skipping meals." Shawn said.
"I'm not hungry, Shawn. Give it to someone else…" Clementine said.
Shawn sighed and placed the bowl on the nightstand. He stood by the bed. "Danielle said you wanted to be alone… She said you were crying… Can I ask why?"
"I wasn't crying…" Clementine claimed. "Why would I be?"
"That's my question." Shawn said. "What's going on, Clem?"
"Nothing…" The girl muttered.
"You've been off, since we left the dairy. Something bad happened… What was it?"
"I…" Clementine trailed off, eyes filling with tears.
"What happened, Clem. You can tell me."
Clementine shook her head, whimpering out, "I can't…"
"Clementine, talk to me… What did they do to you?" Shawn asked.
Clementine didn't respond.
Shawn took a seat beside the girl and reached out to touch her shoulder.
Clementine immediately flinched. "NO!"
Shawn quickly retracted his hand.
"I want to help you, talk to me kid. You had nothing but a blanket when I found you, what happened?"
Clementine kept quiet for a moment.
"Fine, if you don't want to talk, I won't force you. But you gotta eat something."
"I don't want any food. I just want to be alone!" Clementine said. "I just want it to all be over…"
"You don't mean that!" Shawn gasped.
"Yes I do." Clementine said. "I have nothing to live for anyway."
"Of course you do. A lot of people care about you." Shawn said.
"That doesn't matter, I told you I was dying." Clementine said.
"And I told you stop saying that!" Shawn said.
"It's true! I'm bit!" Clementine suddenly exclaimed.
Shawn's eyes widened, "W-What?"
"I… I got bit. I'm going die, Shawn." Clementine said.
"We specifically asked Carley. She said you had no bites!" Shawn said.
Clementine quickly motioned for him to quiet down. She didn't want everyone to hear.
"She doesn't know. She didn't see it happen." Clementine said.
"Then why has she been so... so distance?" Shawn asked.
"Because she saw those guys..." She stopped herself mid-sentence. "I didn't tell anyone about the bite because I figured it'd be better if I kept it to myself. I don't want people to make a big deal out of it."
"It IS a big deal." Shawn said.
"I know it is… But I don't want it to be…" Clementine replied.
"This…. This can't be happening…" Shawn said.
"I… I need you to do me a favor... Please…" Clementine said.
"What?"
"When I say I'm ready… I need you to-"
Shawn interrupted her. "Don't even finish that sentence. There's no way I'm gonna do that."
"Please, I don't want to turn, Shawn. I don't want to be a walker." Clementine begged.
Shawn lowered his gaze and shook his head. "I can't, Clem… I can't go through this again…."
"Then I do it myself… Just give me a gun." Clementine said.
"Clementine, just think this through…" Shawn pleaded.
"I don't have time to think it through." Clementine said. "I'm not scared to die. I have nothing to lose anyway. I've lost my family, my friends, my home… my virginity…"
Shawn was surprised as she muttered that last part.
"This wasn't how I thought my life would be… Nothing turned out the way I thought it would." Clementine said. "I'm tired of watching the world around me die and suffer…"
"Clem…"
"Can I ask you something?" Clementine said.
"What?"
"Does it always hurt that bad?" Clementine asked.
Shawn quirked a brow. "What are you talking about, Clem?"
"Sex… When Danny did it to me… It hurt, really bad. And when those people in the woods-"
Shawn looked horrified as the girl's words processed in his mind. "Hold on, Danny… Danny raped you?"
"I guess that's what they call it…. But I didn't fight back. So was it really rape?" Clementine frowned.
"Oh my gosh… Fuck…" Shawn said.
"Danny wasn't the only one… There were these guys in the woods… They…" She trailed off.
"I'm so sorry, Clem… I… I had no idea." Shawn said, gently taking her hand.
Clementine just whimpered.
Shawn pulled the girl into an embrace, feeling her tense up slightly. He did his best to comfort the girl as she began to sob into his shirt. "It's alright, Clem… It's alright…"
After a while, silence fell over them. Maybe ten minutes passed before Clementine spoke again.
"If… If you can't shoot me… Can you do me a different favor?" Clementine asked.
"That depends on what it is…. I'll try." Shawn said.
The girl hesitated a bit before saying, "…Make me forget…"
"What?"
"Make me forget what happened at the dairy. Make me forget everything." Clementine said.
"H-How do I do that?" Shawn stammered.
Clementine responded by simply pressing her lips against his.
Shawn's eyes widened and he gently pushed her back. "Clem… I… I can't do that…"
"Why? Because you think I'm a kid?" Clementine asked.
"Y-You are. And you're not thinking straight right now. You don't want this." Shawn said.
"I do." Clementine said. "I want to know what it's like, to have sex with someone you like. Not being forced."
Shawn resisted the urge to panic. "Clementine, I can't… I just-"
"Is it because I'm ugly or something?" The girl inquired.
"Wh-What?"
"You don't want to be with me because I'm ugly?" Clementine asked.
Shawn quickly shook his head. "No it's not that…"
"Then what is it?" Clementine asked.
"Clementine, I like you… I really do. But it's wrong. You're a kid, Clem." Shawn said.
"I'm not a kid. Quit calling me that." Clementine said. "I haven't been a kid since the world went to shit."
"Y-You're young, Clem… Too young." Shawn said. "I don't want to take advantage of you."
"You won't be…" Clementine said. "I want this."
"Clem, you're just saying that. Your emotions are just mixed up right now." Shawn said.
Clementine pulled up her sleeve, revealing the bite. "This, seals my fate. I'm going to die… I'll never get to experience this…"
Shawn was quiet for a moment. "Are… Are you sure, you want this…? Are you really truly sure?"
"I want this…" Clementine whispered, kissing him.
Shawn froze, unsure of what to do.
Clementine broke the kiss and slowly began stripping from her clothes.
"C-Clementine."
"Take me…"