Disclaimer: The Walking Dead Series is NOT my work. It is owned by TellTale, all rights, commendation and acknowledgement goes to them.
However, "Derek Brooks" is my own fictional character and apparently the only thing I own in this story.
AN: Four years. It took me four years to get back working on this. A lot has happened and at that time i lost my passion for writing. Although, someone on the reviews reminded me why i wrote this piece in the first place. It would be a shame to leave this unfinished. I'll try my best finish this so please leave a review, favorite, and a follow.
Chapter 5 – Ericson's Boarding School for Troubled Youth
The group have been walking for a long while. Brody looked around her surroundings and deduced that they should be nearing the school. It shouldn't take too long now. Finally, they could take a break behind the stone walls and get this whole mess sorted.
She glanced at the trio of newcomers.
'Especially, them.' She thought.
She still wasn't sure if she could trust them. First impressions kinda flew out of the window and there's no chance for a second try. Still, they did save their lives and considering the circumstances, she could give them a chance. Maybe until they find out what they want. Her train of thought stopped when Mitch suddenly sped past the group and stopped right in front of all of them.
"Can anyone tell me what the fuck is going on?" Mitch angrily asked.
The group stopped in their tracks, surprised by his outburst. When no one answered his question, his temper flared. "I mean what the fuck are they doing here?!" he pointed at the trio of newcomers. "If you haven't forgotten. They attacked us! They tried to kill us! So now what? We're suddenly all buddies now?!"
Clementine shielded AJ, hiding the boy behind her while Derek crossed his arms in front of him. The three of them remained quiet. No point in escalating the problem which they technically caused at the first place.
Aasim was at a loss for words. On one hand, they did save them from those walkers and those people with guns but Mitch did say they also tried to kill them earlier. He wasn't there to see it but it kinda put things into perspective. He wasn't sure what to do.
Brody glanced between Mitch and the trio. She sighed, feeling a migraine coming up. "Mitch…. Look. A lot has happened- "
"No shit." He interrupted.
Brody ignored the sharp comment and continued. "- and I know you don't trust them. But… But let's talk about it later. When… When we get back at the school aight?"
Mitch shook his head. "Uh huh. Nah, fuck that. We are NOT taking them with us."
Brody looked at Aasim for assistance. The teen sighed, "Well… they did save us back there."
"Oh yeah? And who put us in that situation in the first place? Hmmm?" he retorted.
The more he talked, the more it made sense. Why would they bring back someone who tried to hurt them at the first place? Because they saved them? Because they helped? What if they hurt someone else inside the camp? Or what if they're planning to steal from them? It's just not worth the risk.
"I'm sorry."
The whole group turned towards the scarred teen. Derek glared at Mitch with mixed determination and remorse in his eyes. "Early this morning, we got attacked. They had guns and they weren't afraid using them. We managed to fight them off but walkers chased us through the woods. When… when we saw you guys, we didn't know who you were. We would've probably left you alone too but… well." He gestured towards Aasim, the latter pointed at himself questioningly. Thankfully, Derek continued. "I didn't want to take any chances. If you want to put the blame on someone, blame it on me but please leave them out of this." He pointed towards Clementine and AJ. "If it's anything to consider, they're a victim as well. Just please, leave them alone."
Aasim and Brody exchanged looks, each having something to say but decided to keep it to themselves for now. But it made sense. They were as scared as they were when those gunshots came and seeing them so soon, spooked them. The rifle on Derek's shoulder didn't exactly help either.
Mitch looked, really looked, at the kid hiding behind Clementine. He couldn't be more than ten. Memories of a similar kid back at school flashed into his head and with a huff of frustration he looked away but didn't say anything.
Awkward silence filled the atmosphere. Thankfully, Brody took the lead. "Listen, we're all tired and this is hardly a place to talk. We should head back to the school first and we'll talk there."
The group unanimously agreed and started walking. Even Mitch, albeit reluctantly.
"Hey wait."
The group stopped and turned towards Derek.
"I meant it, you know? I'm really sorry for everything that happened. I just… want you to know that." He awkwardly shifted his weight between each leg, his eyes darting everywhere but the teens.
Brody cracked a small smile but still kept her distance. She could still remember when he tried interrogating her and that won't go away by a simple apology. But it's a start.
Aasim didn't say anything but perhaps time would tell what he would think about the newcomers. Maybe they could be useful in the long run.
There was still a bit of distrust in Mitch's eyes but he'll give them the benefit of the doubt. For now. He'll keep a close eye on them for sure. There's just something on that guy that rubbed him the wrong way.
The teens continued their way towards the school with Brody taking point. She glanced at Clementine and saw her holding AJ's hand. "What's his name?"
"Hmmm?" Clementine shifted her attention at her.
"His name." She looked at AJ with a smile.
Before she could reply, AJ spoke up for himself. "My name's AJ."
"That's a sweet name. My name's Brody. The one over there is Aasim and that hot-head over there is Mitch." She pointed each respective teen.
AJ pursed his lips at the mention of Mitch's name. "I don't like him."
"AJ!" Derek closed the gap between them as he scolded the child lightly. "Don't be mean. And yes, even if it's true." He added. Clementine giggled softly and introduced herself. "I'm Clementine."
Derek only nodded down and muttered his name. "Derek."
Brody hummed in thought and remembered each of their names. Unbeknownst to them, Aasim and Mitch was listening as well.
It's not the best way to start an acquaintance especially when you tried to kill said acquaintance. Trust is a hard thing to earn yet the easiest to break but everything, including trust, takes time.
"What… happened here?" Aasim shakily asked.
When they arrived at the school, they were greeted with silence and dozens of walker corpses by the gate. Arrows littered everywhere, on corpses, trees, even the ground. Their carefully placed traps right outside the gate were triggered, resulting with dead walkers at their wake. Brody ran headfirst, worry and fear apparent on her face. As she passed through the gates, more walker corpses greeted them surrounding the courtyard.
"Marlon?" Brody called out. Hearing nothing, it was Mitch's turn. "Willy?! Vi?!"
Nothing.
"Ruby?! Omar?! Where are you guys!?" Aasim called out but hear nothing in return.
Clementine and Derek shared a look with each other. Both having a bad feeling. They know what it feels to have everything taken away from them. The walked across the bloodstained courtyard and watched the other teens search body after body, corpse after corpse, looking for their friends. It's probably best to let them be.
"I-I don't see them anywhere. T-they should be safe, right?" Brody stuttered, turning to Aasim.
"Y-yeah! I'm sure Marlon took them inside the buildings where its safer."
On the other side of the courtyard, Mitch searched intensively amongst the corpses. He inspected each and every corpse he found and yet all he saw was the same old rotting faces. He glared at the nearest corpse and without warning he kicked the already dead corpse around. Stomping its decaying body until all it remained was battered flesh and bone. He huffed angrily and with one last kick, the walker's head flew off from its body. He panted heavily as the inner turmoil he felt intensified and finally crashed down in his chest as the fear and hopelessness crept in. Where are they? His friends? Willy? He was only twelve for God's sake. He was like a little brother to him.
He clenched his hands. He's gotta be somewhere. He just needs to keep looking.
Clementine and AJ weaved through the dozens of corpses before them. Horrible memories resurfaced in the young adult's head as dozens of familiar scenes played. Her breathing increased and she could feel her heartbeat rising. She breathed, in and out, in and out. She repeated this until she calmed down. She could never get used to the sight… and the smell.
Derek looked on the scene with neutral indifference. As a soldier, he was usually sent with a squad to clear out dozens of flesh-eating undead. The sight was deeply imbedded in him that he'd find it strange to not see a corpse. Still, nothing changed. Different place, same old smell. Like rot and decay.
"They're still out there." Mitch spoke. The group turned towards him. "Think about it, we haven't seen any of them here. Maybe they got away or maybe they're inside." He nodded towards the buildings. "We should check first, see where they went."
Aasim and Brody nodded in agreement. Standing around won't find any of them. They should attempt to find them while it's still early.
"Wait."
The teens turned towards Clementine. "We'll help. I know you don't trust us but it would be faster if we all worked together."
"I agree." Derek chimed in. "Besides, can't let you guys have the fun. And here." He rummaged something through his pockets and nodded at Mitch. He tossed the item in the air and Mitch caught it with ease. It was his hand-made knife. "Figured you'll have more use of it in there." Mitch pursed his lips but nodded nevertheless.
"Aasim and I will check the school dormitory." Brody said.
"I'll go with you." Derek chimed in. She nodded in thanks.
"Mitch, go check the main building. If there's any place Marlon would hold out, it would be there."
Mitch nodded. Clementine looked at the teen and shared a small smile. "Guess I'm going with you then?" The angry teen scoffed at her offer, he folded his arms and looked away.
"Rude." Clementine scoffed.
"If you run to any problems just head back to the courtyard. Everybody ready?"
They all nodded.
"Alright let's go!"
With Derek, Aasim, and Brody
The trio headed towards the school dormitory right across the main building. Derek motioned for them to keep quiet and listened through the double-doors. Soft random footsteps could be heard, it was faint but he could hear them. He opened the door ajar and saw the familiar figures of the rotting flesh-eating undead.
"Some infected- I mean, walkers behind these doors, not sure how many. Any plans?"
"We could lure them out." Aasim suggested.
"Could work but we could get overrun if they're too many." Brody countered.
Derek inspected the door with a closer look, he looked at the hinges and condition of the door. After a while, he nodded. "This door looks sturdy enough. We could try leave a small gap in the middle and once these bastard infected shows their heads we kill them with one thrust with a spear."
Aasim looked at Brody, then back to Derek. "I don't know man. These doors are kinda old."
"Well… If it starts breaking down then we'll run like hell." He patted his shoulder.
Aasim let out a tiny squeak. "Wait, who's holding the door?" he felt his gut fall when he saw the other teen position himself on one side of the door and was gesturing at him to position at the other side. "I don't like this one bit." He positioned himself on the other door.
"Don't worry." Derek chuckled nervously. "Me neither."
That did not help Aasim's confidence. At. All.
Derek turned to Brody. "Alright Brody, you're the key element here. Kill as much as you can before these doors start to break down. Once you see your opportunity you take it."
She nodded. She gripped her spear, ready to do her part. Derek looked at Aasim and nodded, the latter returning the gesture. Derek then banged the door loudly three times, the resounding sound echoed throughout the hallway. All was quiet for a moment, until shambling footsteps shifted their course towards them.
"Here they come!"
Multiple bodies started reaching at the door, clawing and banging their way through. The two boys grunted at the impact, surprised by the unnatural strength but immediately stood their ground. Surprisingly, the door did hold but the creaking of old, rotten wood and rusted hinges did not boost their confidence. The two teens tried their best to create a small gap, revealing rotten walker heads.
"Now Brody!"
The girl lunged with her spear, piercing through bone and flesh. The walker released its last breath as it died on the spot. She pulled her spear back and repeated this process, jabbing her spear into each head that was unlucky enough to show itself through the tiny gap.
*CREAK*
*CRACK*
The sounds of splintering wood triggered a warning among the trio. They're time is running short. Aasim looked at Derek, his eyes laced with fear. "W-we should go!"
Derek was about to open his mouth when the door suddenly threatened to give in. The walkers used all their might to push themselves on the door. The two teens almost lost their footing but recovered quickly but time is not on their side. "Brody! Grab the other spears and set up a defensive position!" Derek ordered. She didn't hesitate to move as she grabbed the aforementioned weapons and took a defensive position far away from the doors.
"Aasim. We let go on three alright?" The teen nodded.
"One, two, three!" The two boys backed away as the wave of undead piled themselves on the floor after it was opened abruptly. Aasim managed to runaway unharmed but as he looked back, he saw Derek on the floor with one of the walkers grabbing his ankles.
"Get the fuck off me!" he growled, kicking the undead as it tried to draw him closer to them. However, the zombie had a strength advantage as it slowly pulled him even closer. He reached for his machete and stabbed the unwelcome grabber. He tried to back away but another one grabbed him.
"Shit!" Derek cursed.
"Come on!" Brody yelled, snapping Aasim from his thoughts. She tossed a spear towards him which he caught with ease. The two of them rushed towards Derek's aid, jabbing their spears on each head they could find.
The young soldier backed away from the pile of corpses. He stood up and dusted himself off. "Thank you!" he said, then readied his machete as another wave of undead shambled their way towards them. The walkers were slow and clumsy which made picking them off an easy task. Aasim and Brody kept them at bay with their spears while Derek would kill the ones who managed to get close. With only one exit and their combined teamwork, the flesh-eating undead didn't last long. With them taken care off, the three of them took this chance to catch up their breath.
"Okay…" Derek huffed. He wiped his forehead from sweat. "That was good!"
"Yeah."
"Agreed."
There was a moment of silence until Aasim spoke up.
"I hate that plan."
Derek only laughed in response.
Elsewhere, Clementine, AJ and Mitch, tried their luck at the main building. They already tried the main door but was surprised to see that it was blocked from the inside. Prompting them to find an alternate route, courtesy by Mitch. Clementine would've appreciated this whole ordeal if it wasn't for the fact that the other teen was less than inclined to share any details of the plan to her. Now, they're just blindly following the teen to whatever 'plan' he has.
"When are you going to tell us what your plan is?" Clementine asked.
Silence welcomed her.
She could feel a tinge of irritation coursing through her but she let it slide, after all, trust is to be earned, not given.
"Look, if you could just tell me what your plan is, I could help on whatever- "
"Stop. Just stop." Mitch turned to look at her. "I don't know what you and your boyfriend is planning but I can assure you, I will stop you." He sneered.
She glared at him. "What's your problem?!"
"My problem?! First you attack us, then you're suddenly buddy-buddy with us, now the school is under attack and I don't know where my friends are. You tell me what my problem is!"
Clementine sighed. "Blaming us won't bring your friends back." There was a brief look of sadness on Mitch's features but was quickly replaced by a scowl. When the teen didn't say anything, she continued: "If you let me help you, there's a high chance we could find them quickly as possible. If they are hurt, then speed is of the essence."
Mitch was torn between agreeing with the girl, and flat-out reject her. But if his friends are hurt… he clenched his fists. To hell with his pride. His friends come first.
"Fine. Since the main door is blocked, we have to find another way. All first-floor windows are barricaded so our best bet is the second-floor windows."
She nodded at the idea. "How are we going to do that though?"
He jabbed his thumb behind him. "There's an old drainage pipe at the back. I think we could get in through there."
She nodded. "Alright, lead the way."
"I am." He sharply replied, leaving her behind.
As he was out of ear-shot, Clementine could only shake her head. "Jeez." She muttered.
"Hey Clem?" AJ tugged on his guardian's pants.
"Yes my little goofball?"
"Can I punch him?"
Clementine closed her eyes, feeling a little migraine coming on. She's starting to wonder what Derek is teaching him. She pinched the bridge of nose and muttered a strong: "No."
The boy pouted in reply.
The two of them followed the teen's tracks. They found him attempting to climb the drainage pipe. Keyword, attempting. And very poorly AJ might add.
"Come on! Just one more try!" He gripped the pipe with his hands only to feel frustration as he kept on slipping. "Dammit!" he cursed.
She looked at him with an unimpressed look. "You done?"
"Atleast I'm trying!" he scowled.
"Let me have a try." Clementine said.
Mitch smirked, raising his hands up in surrender as he backed away from the pipe. "Alright but if you fall, I'm not catching you." He leaned his back on the nearest wall and folded his arms. "This should be good."
Clementine rolled her eyes in response. She inspected the pipe with keen eyes, it was no doubt slippery but it's dry enough to hold a grip for a second at most. It would probably take a handful of tries but she could try. She pulled back her sleeves and started climbing. To no one's surprise, she slipped down. Earning a haughty laugh by the other teen. She tried again, this time jumping first and grabbed the furthest pipe she could reach. However, she fell short and slipped and landed roughly on the ground.
"Ow!" she rubbed her sore behind.
"Clementine!" AJ rushed to her aid. "You okay?"
She nodded in response.
"Hahahahaha! Oh man. You could try again you know." Mitch taunted.
AJ fumed. He growled at the teen and was about to give him a piece of his mind but was stopped by a firm hand from Clementine. She shook her head. The boy clenched his fist, angry at the teen but listened reluctantly.
Clementine looked at the pipe one last time and walked away.
"Awww. Running away? I don't blame you. After all, it's kinda a man's job to- "He didn't finish his sentence when Clementine sped past him towards the wall beside the drainage pipe. She performed an agile wall-run and grabbed a firm grip at the pipe at the peak of the run. Without wasting any momentum, she used both her arms and legs to climb up, with one last leap, she jumped at the window ledge and pulled herself up. She looked down at the surprised teen.
"What's wrong Mitch? There's always a second try!" she taunted back.
AJ laughed at the teen as he watched him blush red.
"Shut up! Just open the main door!" He growled.
"Whatever you say~." she added on sing-song voice.
Clementine found herself on an empty room, there was a noticeable lack of any furniture except for the occasional flyers and graffities found on the walls. She walked towards the door and noticed there was a floor plan beside it displaying the lay-out of the building. It was pretty straight forward. Now, all she needs to do is get downstairs and unblock the main door so that the others can get in. She grabbed the knob of the door but stopped when she heard footsteps coming from behind the door.
She leaned in closer to the door, trying to listen in but it was all quiet now. However, her instincts kicked in and decided to be careful. She twisted the doorknob and pushed the door slightly, she peered through the gap, watching for anything that might jump at her. After a few moments of silence, she carefully pushed the door wide open and looked left and right. She was greeted with an empty hallway, devoid of any life.
"Must be imagining things." She muttered under her breath. She followed the hallway to the left which led downstairs to the main hall. As she reached the first floor, she saw the main door was blocked by different types of heavy furniture. She moved to grab the nearest one but her ears picked up the sound of a string being pulled.
"I'd stop what I'm doing if I were you." Someone behind her said.
She muttered a curse under her breath for her carelessness and raised her arms in surrender.
"Who are you?"
"My name is Clementine and I don't want any trouble." She dared to look behind her and saw a person aiming a bow at her under the cover of darkness.
"Neither do we but you seem awfully eager to get that open." The person growled.
Clementine pleaded with the unknown person. "I'm not your enemy. Brody sent us."
Silence filled the air but from the corner of her eye, she could see the person lowering their weapon.
"Brody sent you?"
She slowly turned around towards them, and nodded. "Brody, Aasim and Mitch, right?" she slowly lowered her arms. She looked at the person before her and realized he was a teen, probably a little older than Brody. His hair was blonde and short, stylized as a mullet. He was taller than her and wore a varsity jacket combined with jeans.
"Are you Marlon?" she asked.
He looked at her with surprise. "How did you know?"
"Brody kinda talked a lot about you. You're their leader, right?"
He nodded.
Clementine flashed a small smile. "Then they'd be very happy to see you alive and well."
Marlon smiled back. "I… Thanks. The others… they're right behind that door, right?"
She nodded.
"You'll need some help. Some of us got injured when they breached the gates so I have to check in with them. I'll call down Louis to help you."
"Much appreciated."
Clementine watched as Marlon headed upstairs. After he left, she mentally scolded herself for letting her guard down. She was lucky this time. But nevermind that, she still got her work cut out for her. She faced back on the barricade and started removing the heavy furniture one by one.
"Hey. Need some help?"
She turned around and saw a dark-skinned teen wearing a brown overcoat. He flashed a charming smile at her.
"You're… Louis, right?"
"That I am." He sauntered down towards her and grabbed the other end of the furniture she's having trouble with. "Here. Let me help."
She nodded in thanks.
"One, two, three!" with a grunt, the two of them pried off the heavy furniture and set it aside.
"Wooh! That was heavy." Louis wiped the sweat off his head.
*KNOCK*
*KNOCK*
*KNOCK*
The two jumped by the sudden noise from outside the door. "What's taking so long? How hard is it to open the damn door!?"
Clementine sighed. She didn't have to guess who was on the other side of the door. To be honest, it was starting to get on her nerves.
"Mitch!? Is that you man?!"
"Louis?! Man am I glad to hear your annoying voice again." The teen laughed.
"Hahahaha. Whatever you say man. I knew you'd miss me sooner than later. Give us a moment, we'll be with you in a second."
Clementine looked a little surprised. She didn't know that Mitch could be…. civil. She assumed he was born with an angry look. To hear genuine surprise and relief made her realize that maybe she was being a little harsh on him.
He was still an ass though.
She tried to remove the last piece of furniture blocking the door but it was stuck for some reason. She tried to pry it again but still no progress. "Louis can you give me a hand? This thing's stuck." She gestured towards the last furniture.
"Gotcha. Hold on."
With their combined strength, the two successfully pried the furniture with a loud snap. Maybe a little too successful as the piece the two were holding on broke off, throwing the two of them off-balance. They fell down on the floor with a loud thud with Louis on top of her.
Suddenly, the door was breached wide open with Derek, machete on hand, looking worried.
"Clementine? I heard a loud noise. What's- " his gaze shifted to their compromising position on the floor. He raised an eyebrow. "Uhh… do you need help?"
Louis scrambled off of Clementine. "We didn't- I didn't- It's not what you think!"
"It's alright. It was an accident." She dusted herself off.
Derek hummed in response, shifting his attention back to Clementine. "Come on sweetheart, the floor's hardly a place to lie down." He joked, offering his hand for her. The girl blushed red but graciously accepted his assistance.
Mitch, Brody, and Aasim followed, along with two other teens. "Ruby! Omar! Thank God you two are alright." Louis rushed out, hugging the teens into a large group hug.
"You too Louis." They returned the hug.
Marlon came down the stairs with two younger teens in tow. He eyed Derek with an inquisitive look but stopped when one of younger teens yelled with joy. "Mitch!"
"Willy!"
The older teen ruffled the younger one's hair. The latter giggled and pushed him away. "Man, you should've seen me out there! I was like shooting these dead-heads left and right. Pew! Pew! Pew! Then when they breached the gate I had to like leave my bow cause I kinda ran out of arrows. But i'm pretty sure I killed like thirty of them!" Willy was widely animated as he recounted his story.
"Awesome. Gimme five."
The two teens high-fived each other with great enthusiasm.
Brody noticed the other younger teen was limping. "Tenn! What happened to you?" she rushed to his aid, inspecting his leg.
"I'm fine. Just sprained my ankle."
"You should've been more careful hun." Ruby commented as she saw his minor injury. "Is anyone else injured?" she turned to Marlon.
Marlon looked at her and shook his head. "Other than Tenn's sprained ankle, we're fine. What about you guys?"
She shook her head. "Omar and I hid in the dormitory when we got separated. Luckily, those things didn't notice us."
Louis looked around and noticed someone was missing. "Hey guys. Where's Violet?"
The group turned to look at each other, wondering where the last teen went.
"Come to think of it, Rosie's not here too." Marlon added. He turned to Brody. "She's not with you?"
She shook her head. "We already cleared out the dormitory and all we saw was Ruby and Omar. We thought they're with you."
"Mitch, you didn't happen to see them, did you?"
The teen shook his head as well.
"Shit. Alright, spread out and find them." Marlon ordered. He turned to look at the newcomers. "Look, I know we haven't exactly introduced each other yet but can you help us?"
Derek and Clementine shared a look with each other and nodded. "We'll do what we can." The latter said. The two of them failed to notice the suspicious look Marlon gave them as he saw the rifle on Derek's shoulder.
AJ was about to follow them when the two guardians suddenly turned towards him and spoke in perfect sync. "Stay here AJ."
"But- "
"No buts." The two said in sync.
AJ angrily huffed, kicking a stray piece of wood and sat down by the stairs, pouting angrily.
"Let's go find your friend."
The teens searched the entire school, looking for their missing friend. They double checked the dormitory, the courtyard, and the basement. Meanwhile, Derek and Clementine volunteered to check the greenhouse.
"Hey Clem. I've been meaning to ask you something that's been bugging me." Derek said as they walked towards the greenhouse.
"Shoot."
"What do you think of this place?"
She hummed in thought, tilting her head on one side. "It's got high walls, isolated, and the forest offers a lot of food."
Derek nodded in agreement. "But it's not impenetrable, those gates didn't last long and hunting for food sometimes don't really go well."
"I agree…"
There was a brief moment of silence until Clementine broke it.
"Are you thinking of staying?"
Derek paused mid-stride and looked at her. "Well… it's not a bad place if that's what you're thinking. But I don't think we can. Not to mention I kinda butchered our relationship with them." He kicked an imaginary rock.
Clementine closed the distance between them, she caressed his scarred cheek. "You did what you have to do. Granted it was the stupidest thing you've ever done but you did it to protect us. To protect AJ."
He leaned towards her touch, then smirked. "You mean the stupidest thing I've done so far."
"Ugh." She groaned, rolling her eyes at him but smiled. She playfully pushed him away. "You're still on thin ice for what you did today you know."
"I know. I know." He grabbed her hands and pulled her close. "I'll make it up to them and to you."
"I know you will." She took her hands back from him then nodded towards the greenhouse. "Come on. The sooner we find them, the better."
"You got it boss." He smirked confidently.
As the pair arrived on the greenhouse, they find the gate locked from the inside.
"Reckon we could find them here?"
Clementine didn't get a chance to reply as rushing footsteps got their attention. Suddenly, an American Pitbull barreled towards them, it growled and barked at them, its mouth foaming with saliva. It stopped just right in front of them, the only thing holding the canine back was a metal gate.
"GAHH! WHAT THE FUCK!?" Derek jumped in surprise, falling down on his behind.
Clementine didn't fare any better as she too, fell down. Memories of another dog flashed into her head, her hand subconsciously moving towards the scar on her arm.
"Rosie! Rosie, calm down!" A feminine voice chimed in. The person showed themselves before them. She had blonde hair and wore a torn denim jacket. She looked at the two of them in surprise before it was replaced with suspicion. She eyed the rifle Derek had. "Nice gun. Who are you?"
Derek, finally recovered from the initial scare, slowly stood up and dusted himself off. "Name's Derek. You must be… Violet? Did I get that right?"
She looked at them with even more suspicion. "How did you know my name?"
"Marlon sent us to look for you."
The girl scoffed. "Funny. I thought he and Brody would just leave me here. Just like they did with the twins." She muttered the last part.
"Uhhm.. What?" Derek raised an eyebrow.
She shook her head. "It's nothing. But can you get him here? I don't think I can stop Rosie from attacking you."
"Him? Who's him? You mean Marlon?"
The girl rolled her eyes. "Duh. Who else would I mean?"
Derek looked away awkwardly. "Riiight. Right. Right." He turned to look at Clementine and saw the scared look on her. "Clem? You alright?" he crouched beside her.
She jumped at the sudden voice but immediately calmed down when she saw it was him. "Sorry. Didn't mean to worry you."
"Yeah, well. You kinda did. What's up?"
"Remembered what I told you about how I got this scar?" she rolled down her sleeve, revealing a badly scarred wound.
"Ahhhh…. That. I remember now." He didn't. But he'd just assume it must've involved dogs somehow.
"Well, let's just say I don't want another rough experience." She confessed.
"Well, she looks friendly. Just imagine all those teeth sinking into your flesh. Mmmmhhh. Delicious." He joked, smiling a little.
However, the reaction was a little bit mixed. She looked at him with a frown. "You're not helping."
He dropped the smile, and looked at her apologetically. "Sorry. Was only trying to lighten the mood."
Clementine smiled at his honesty. "It's alright. Come on. Let's tell the others that they're okay." She picked herself up and gestured at him to follow.
The two headed back to the main campus to tell the others about the good news.
A few minutes later
"Violet! Oh Violet! Oh, how I missed you so- "
"Can it Louis." She pushed the teen away from her but a small smile graced her lips.
"Awwww… you miss me, don't you?"
"Not really. The school could do some little peace and quiet."
Louis gasped dramatically. "You wound me."
"I wish it hurt." She smirked.
Marlon chuckled as he separated the two of them. "Alright, alright. That's enough you two. Vi, I'm glad you're alright."
She nodded. "Likewise."
The dog walked towards her owner, circling around his legs. Marlon looked down and petted the animal. "And I miss you too, Rosie." He looked at Clementine and Derek, who was a few meters away from the canine. "Thanks, you two."
"No thanks needed. We're just happy to help." Derek said.
"Marlon what happened here?" Brody asked.
Marlon leaned on the nearest wall then folded his arms in front of his chest. "Well, after hearing those loud gunshots up in the old train station I told Louis and Violet to go look for you."
"Then suddenly those things just came up out of nowhere!" Willy chimed in. "There were like hundreds of them!"
Marlon nodded in agreement. "We couldn't leave the school defenseless so I thought after we cleared the ones attacking the school, we could go look for you after."
"Buuuut we kinda underestimated it." Louis added.
"They just kept coming and coming, we used up all our traps and there's still more. We tried to hold up inside the courtyard but- "
"Louis here forgot to close the gate." Willy muttered.
"I didn't forget, you little troublemaker. Before I could close the gate, they surrounded us quick. I couldn't hold them back and before I knew it, they got inside."
"Can't blame him either. There were a lot of them." Marlon said. "Anyway, we tried to fight them off at the courtyard but they were too many and we got separated. Tenn got injured trying to get away so we hold up at the main building, barricading the main door." He sighed. "If you guys weren't here to help, I… I don't know what to do. Anyway, then we heard more gunshots towards the fishing cabin. Kinda lured most of these things away from the school. The ones you killed? Those are just strays."
"Yeah, come to think of it." Louis rubbed his chin. "You guys were outside, right? Saw anything?
"Funny story." Aasim let out an awkward laugh.
The group of teens looked at Derek.
"What?"
AN: I still haven't found the other notes my late friend left so i'm still trying to piece together the whole story so update times may be inconsistent and long.