"Happy birthday, AJ."
"Thanks, Clem. I can't believe that I'm already seven."
"Neither can I, goofball. You grow up so fast."
"So… where's my present? Did you get me anything?" AJ asks.
Clementine chuckles slightly. "Yeah, of course I did, silly. I think that you're old enough to have it now. It's something I've been meaning to give you for a long time."
"Really? I can't wait to see what it is!" says AJ with excitement in his voice.
"Alright, go have a seat on your bed, goofball. I'll go and grab it, okay?" Clementine instructs as she takes her crutches and moves over the closet in their room.
"How are your crutches, Clem?" AJ asks, noticing Clementine wobbling slightly awkwardly over to the closet. She also has a wooden chair leg in place of her missing limb.
"They're fine, AJ. Don't worry. I'm pretty used to these by now."
"I miss when you used to have both of your legs. You could do so much more. But now your body is restricted." AJ sighs in disappointment.
"Yeah, me too, AJ. But it's okay. Even if I can't do much now, I'll still manage. I also have you to protect me, right?" she grins at him to make him feel better.
"Of course. I'll do whatever it takes to protect you, Clem. You didn't just teach me all these things for nothing." AJ says boldly.
Clementine nods and opens up the closet, taking a look inside. There are a couple of different toys within, along with a few pairs of clothing for AJ. In the back of the closet was something that AJ hadn't laid his eyes upon. It was something that Clementine has kept hidden from him for a long time.
"Okay, AJ. Close your eyes. I'm gonna show you your present. It's a surprise, so no peeking!"
AJ closes his eyes and smirks. "Okay, I won't peek."
Clementine grabs the item she was looking for and shuts the closet, and then she takes her crutches and moves back to AJ, whose eyes were still closed.
"Okay, AJ. You can open your eyes now."
When AJ opens his eyes, he sees something in Clementine's hands.
"A baseball cap? But what about the one behind me? Your old cap?"
"Well, that one's a little worn out, goofball. This one is a little worn too, but… it's still perfectly wearable. Here, take a look."
Clementine hands AJ the baseball cap, and he inspects it. The sides of the cap were a dark red, like a maroon color, and there was a large white space in the front, similar to that of Clementine's hat. It had a few scratches, but like Clementine said, it was still wearable.
"Where did you get this, Clem?" AJ asks curiously.
"I got it a long time ago. When you were still a baby. Go ahead and try it on, AJ."
Despite the continuously growing afro on his head, AJ's new cap fit like a glove. It was perfect for him.
"It's comfortable. I like it, Clem. And what did you just say? You've had this since I was a baby?"
"Yeah. The cap on your head used to belong to an old friend of mine." Clementine nods.
"What was your friend's name?" AJ asks, taking the cap off of his head.
"Kenny. His name was Kenny. The last time I saw him was when we made it to Wellington. They couldn't take us all in, so Kenny decided that it was best if it was just you and me that made it. I remember crying. I didn't want Kenny to go, but he insisted that it was the right decision.. He made a sacrifice to keep us both safe, AJ. In a way, we wouldn't be here right now if it weren't for him."
"Wow, he sounds like a great guy, Clem. You've told me a lot about your friend Lee but never about this guy Kenny. Why is that?"
"I wanted to wait. I wanted to wait for the right day to tell you. The day that I thought you were ready to get his hat. And it just so happens that today was that day. And judging by how the hat fits your head perfectly, I was right to choose today."
"Where do you think Kenny is now, Clem?"
Clementine is a little surprised by the question, and she pauses a bit before answering. "I don't know, AJ. I hope he's still out there somewhere. I haven't heard from him since that day. He could be dead for all we know."
"Maybe walkers got him?" AJ wonders.
Clementine chuckles. "No, he was a tough old man. A few walkers wouldn't be able to do him in. Despite that though, he… lost a lot in his life. A lot of people."
"Who did he lose, Clem?"
"His wife and his son on the same day. And later on, he lost his girlfriend. I still feel like I was somewhat responsible for her death and somewhat responsible for how Kenny turned out. He was a broken soul after all of that. Everything was just taken from him in a blink of an eye."
"Don't say that, Clem. It's the world's fault that we have to go through these things, so you're definitely not the one responsible. I don't know much about Kenny, but I'm sure he's out there somewhere with a new group of people, just like us. He's definitely living his best life."
Clementine smiles at the boy's optimism. "Yeah, I hope so too…"
Despite all of that, there has always been a lingering feeling of guilt inside of her. Kenny was her friend, and he didn't deserve to suffer all of the losses that he had to go through. No one does for that matter. She still wishes that there was something she could have done. It's been years since then, but it's something that pops into her mind from time to time. Kenny was simply unforgettable to her. He made as much of an impact on her life as Lee did, so it was impossible to forget someone like that.
"Hey, Clem, is it almost dinner yet? I'm getting pretty hungry." AJ says, changing the subject.
"Yeah, I'm sure that Omar is cooking something up right now. It should be done soon. In the meantime, why don't you practice drawing for a bit? That's a good way to pass the time."
"Okay! I'm gonna draw myself eating a birthday cake!"
AJ puts his new cap back on and grabs the paper and crayons that are sitting on his desk. Clementine smiles as he watches the enthusiastic boy drawing away on his paper.
Suddenly, there's a knock on the door to their room.
"I'm coming in…" the voice from outside says.
A slim young man walks in with a bright, charming smile on his face. "Hey, Clem. Hey, little man. How's it going? Happy birthday by the way, AJ!"
"Hey, Louis. Thanks!" AJ smiles back at him.
Clementine smirks and walks up to Louis. "Hey, Louis…"
"Well, hello…" Louis smiles as he gives Clementine a little peck on her cheek.
Clementine giggles as he does this. "Did you need something, Louis?"
"Yeah, I have something important to tell you guys."
Louis' tone soon becomes drastically serious in contrast to how he usually speaks, so Clementine assumed that something big was going on.
"Spit it out, Louis. What is it?" Clementine says with a direct tone of voice.
"Willy spotted someone from the watchtower. A suspicious looking individual. That being said, I'm tasked with checking things out. And I was wondering if the little man wanted to accompany me."
AJ instantly stops drawing and turns to Louis, his interest peaked.
Clementine looks at AJ, and then back at Louis. "Hold on, we need more details before doing something like that!"
"Don't worry, Clem! Me and Louis can handle it. I know that you trust me!" AJ says as he stands up and walks over to them.
"I know I do, AJ. But you can't just rush into situations without thinking about things first. What if he's dangerous? Louis, did Willy say anything about this man? Did he have weapons on him?"
"Actually, Willy told me that the figure was just carrying a duffel bag. There were no weapons present on them. It'd never hurt to talk to this individual, right? They might be helpful to us."
Clementine scoffs. "Yeah, or maybe they'll put a bullet in our heads the moment they get a chance. I'm not trying to be a cynic or anything, but it's hard to trust anybody outside of this camp.
AJ puts his hand on Clementine's. "Don't worry, Clem. We'll be just fine. It's worth checking things out. The moment things go bad, I won't hesitate to shoot."
Clementine sighs and then nods. "Okay, okay. Just don't be reckless, goofball. Louis, you make sure you take good care of AJ or else…"
Louis laughs. "Of course, my lady. He is in good hands!"
AJ quickly grabs his revolver and stands by Louis' side. "Hey, Clem, why don't you just come with us? I'd hate to leave you here all alone."
Louis shakes his head. "Come on, little man. You know she's in no shape for this! We can handle it just fine. I don't want to put Clementine at risk here."
Clementine thinks for a little bit, and then grins. "You're really sweet looking out for me, Louis. But actually, I could use a little exercise. Also, I know that you and AJ will both protect me no matter what, so I'm not worried."
AJ is excited by this. He's happy to be going on a mini adventure with Clementine and Louis.
"Well, it's going to get dark pretty soon, so we'd better head out now then." Louis says.
AJ and Clementine nod and follow Louis outside. Clementine obviously can't move as fast as the other two, but she still manages to keep a good distance behind them. This was what she needed. Some fresh air and to spend time with the two most important people in her life as of now.
The trio meet up with Willy, who was still looking out on the watchtower.
"Hey, Willy. We're heading out now. You still see that suspicious figure?" Louis asks.
"Yeah, they're out there. Once you leave the school, just keep going straight through the woods. You'll spot them eventually. Oh, and be careful!"
Louis laughs as he clutches his chair leg weapon tightly. "Careful is my middle name!"
After a small conversation with Willy, the three of them head out of the gates and venture into the woods. There weren't many times where they had to leave the camp except for going on small supply runs. Usually, they'd collect enough items to last a couple of months on each supply run, so it wasn't really necessary to go all the time.
"Keep a lookout for walkers. They could pop out of anywhere." Clementine says.
"Don't worry, Clem. We've got you covered. Just try to stay close." Louis replies.
AJ and Louis slow their pace so Clementine can keep up easier.
The three of them make their way through the forest for a while, and there are no signs of walkers anywhere. Louis stops to check some of the traps that have been set, but walkers haven't been caught in those either.
"Huh. Usually we'd see a walker by now. Not that I'm complaining, though!" Louis smiles.
"Yeah, that is a little weird," AJ agrees. "But we'll come across some eventually."
The trio suddenly stop moving once they hear the sound of grunting and then groaning of walkers.
"Walkers…" Clementine whispers.
They pick up their pace to see what the commotion is. Up ahead, there's a small group of four walkers, all of them approaching someone, but the trio cannot make out who the person is due to the walkers.
Eventually, the walkers all fall to the ground one by one, their heads smashed to a pulp. They've all been taken out by a single person with a blunt instrument. With all of the walkers now dead on the ground, the person, the so-called "suspicious figure" is finally visible to AJ, Clementine, and Louis.
He is an aging man with a bitter look in his eye, and he's panting heavily. In his left hand he's carrying a large duffel bag, and in his right is a claw hammer, the weapon that was used to kill the walkers.
His hair was long and gray like his beard, which was unkempt and at a medium-length. There were a few wrinkles on his face, signifying his older age. He wore a dark green jacket over a warm wool shirt. He also wore jeans which were covered in blood, most likely from that of walkers.
The most distinctive thing about the man's appearance though was a large black eyepatch covering his left eye.
The trio all stare at the man for a moment, and he clearly doesn't notice them. He's too busy looking down at the walkers he just killed.
After a few seconds, Clementine's eyes light up, and a few tears come to her eyes. There was only one person that she knew that it could be and nobody else. The physical appearance was too recognizable not to.
Clementine fights the urge to scream in shock and joy, but she yells a lot louder than she should.
"Kenny?!"