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.
Chapter 2 – Out of the Frying Pan into the Fire.
"Still nothing?"
"Nope. Not a single thing."
The trio scoured the entire room top to bottom. No food, no water. Other than the bullets AJ found and the duct tape, there was nothing else of value.
"This sucks." AJ muttered under his breath.
"No, no, no. This doesn't make any sense. There should be a stockpile of food somewhere." Derek scratched his head, confused.
Clementine perked an eyebrow. "What makes you say that?"
"They jarred their food." He simply said. "You found that jar of beans, right? And there were other jars by the table. That should mean that they at least know basic storage. The question is where did they put it?" he put a hand on his chin as he thought.
"We should look for clues. There should be some information around here that hints where they put it." Clementine suggested.
Derek perked at the thought. "Not a bad idea. I'll check the drawers, come on AJ." The two boys searched the drawers haphazardly, not caring if they made a mess.
Meanwhile Clementine did her own thinking. 'Hmmmm. The best clue would be a diary or a journal. And if I was either of those….' An idea formed in her head as she investigated a potential lead. She backtracked towards the dead couple and searched around their bodies.
"Aha!" she exclaimed as she pulled out a small journal from one of them. She skimmed over the entries, most of them were old, there were even some before the apocalypse. She continued skimming until she found a diagram of what looked like to be a storage space, it was hidden underneath the building. If she's reading it right, the hatch should be located underneath the mattress.
So, Derek was right. She was about to close the journal but curiosity peaked in her. She opened the journal again and skimmed to latest entries. This one was dated two years ago.
She read the entry as followed:
Those punks from the boat already took my daughter from me and now they're demanding monthly supply of food for them! They told me they'll kill my daughter if I didn't, so I had to! I wish I could see her, but they won't let me in 'cause I was too old. Beatrice kept crying for our daughter, kept wishing to see her again. But maybe, if I kept my part of the deal. We'd see our daughter again.
She flipped the next page. This one was just last year.
Dear diary. Our little angel is gone. Killed in a war we didn't even know about. Beatrice said she couldn't handle it anymore. I hope those bastards love my surprise for them.
She closed the journal and huffed. Whoever those people were, she already didn't like them. But that's not important right now, she got what she needed and headed back to the room. Inside, she spotted the two reading some book.
"What are you doing?"
Derek flipped the book close, then gently placed it back on the table. "Found a book about metalworking. One of the pages was bookmarked about creating some sort of metal hatch. There were a few notes inside it too. They probably buried the supplies somewhere here."
"Well, you're not wrong. It's been under our noses the whole time." She pushed the mattress away revealing the hidden hatch.
Derek whistled at the sight. He crouched low and examined the hatch. "Handy. This guy knows his stuff." He tapped the hatch, testing it. "Solid."
She handed him the journal she found, showing him the exact page. "And according to him, this is where the food's stored."
Derek nodded, impressed. "Good work." He commented. "Alright, let's try opening it." He took hold of the hatch but hesitated. Clementine noticed this.
"Something wrong?"
"Did he say something else? Some safety features? Locks? Anything we should know about?"
She shook her head. "None that I can think of."
He breathed nervously. "Okay." He muttered under his breath. "Just in case though, I'll lift it slowly. Check if there's anything attached to the hatch.
Clementine looked at him, concerned. "Wait, why?"
"Remember this one?" he craned his head to the right, tapping a medium-sized scar on his neck. "IED shrapnel. We got careless one time and it exploded right near me. A few centimeters more and I wouldn't be here right now."
She looked at the jagged scar. It was truly a miracle he actually survived that. She certainly did not want that to happen to either of them. Or in his case, again.
She looked at AJ. "AJ can you please wait outside?"
He shook his head, crossing his arms. "I don't want to leave you guys here. What if you need my help?"
"AJ." Derek growled.
AJ was quick to react as he heard him use 'the tone', which he dubbed himself. He quickly exited the room. Clementine signaled for Derek to lift the hatch slowly but just as he was about to begin, he spotted AJ peering at them by the window.
Derek looked at him, annoyed. "AJ!" he scolded.
The boy jumped in surprise and backed away, presumably to a safe distance.
"You shouldn't yell at him." Clementine said softly.
He scoffed. "Then he should've listened at the first time."
"He was just worried."
A soft look flashed quickly into his features but he quickly shook it away. "And I'm worried that he's worried. I get your point, but we're not even sure what's under here. It's best if he stayed away."
"Still."
Derek sighed, closing his eyes. "I know." He turned towards her. "Ready?"
She nodded in response.
Without another word, he slowly lifted the hatch. It was slightly heavy, but he didn't mind. Clementine kept an eye out for anything unnatural. A piece of rope caught her eye, it looked like it was tied to the hatch.
"Derek, wait!" she called out. He grunted but did his best to hold the hatch. "There's some rope attached here."
"Can you cut it off?" he grunted.
She pulled out her knife, showing it to him. "Would this work?"
He shook his head in reply. "Too risky. You might trigger whatever trap he laid here." He slowly closed the hatch. There was no point on opening it for now.
"Now what?" Clementine asked.
Derek looked at her straight in the eye and shrugged. She mentally facepalmed. For the love of God, some days she just wanted to hit him for his idiocy. Thankfully, he was just kidding around this time.
"We're going to need scissors." He started. "We usually use wire cutters for this sort of thing, but unless some fairy godmother will come up and poof one out. Scissors is the best alternative."
"Would any scissors do?" she asked.
"As long as it can cut fabric like butter then it'll do. So, kindergarten scissors are a no-go."
She rolled her eyes in response. "Well, I don't think we'll find any scissors in this place." She said sadly.
Derek scratched his head. "I'll check the car."
"And I'll check here, again." She said dejectedly. Not that she's got much of a choice. That stash was worth it.
At this point, they'll be turning the building inside out just for a pair of scissors. Derek left the building to check in the car for scissors, or anything they could use to cut the rope.
AJ went to help Clementine. They turned every drawer, every shelf, every box. There was nothing. Seriously, how hard was it to find a pair of scissors? It's like they're the rarest thing in the apocalypse.
Clementine sighed in frustration. "What's taking him so long?"
She got up and left, AJ following her closely behind. He probably forgot what he was looking for again. She thought. She sighed as she could remember the number of times, he could forget what he was doing. She wondered how he could survive this long without her. She chuckled at the thought.
"Where'd you get this car kid?" a feminine voice called out.
She froze in place. It sounded like it came near the car. She signaled for AJ to stay quiet and low. The two of them crept up until they could see the car. Derek was raising his hands in surrender as two people aimed their guns at him, a woman had a 9mm pistol while the man had an AK-47 assault rifle, both pointed at Derek threateningly. Luckily, she was directly behind both them and didn't notice her presence yet.
Derek remained eye contact with the woman, keeping a calm expression. "I got it from a friend of mine."
The woman looked unconvinced, and signaled her partner to surround him. "Your friend came from McCaroll Ranch?"
Derek said nothing.
"Where'd you get the gear?" she asked, gesturing to his vest and backpack.
"Scavenged it."
The woman sized him up, scanning him from top to bottom. She turned towards her companion. "What do you think Bill?"
"I don't know about the kid but this is definitely the same car we lost back at the ranch. We should call it in Farah." He suggested.
The woman, Farah, hummed in agreement. She pulled out her radio from her belt and turned it on, but all she can hear is static.
"Stupid piece of shit." She muttered, smacking the radio a few times.
"Hey! Hey! We only got one pair of those here. Don't break it."
She rolled her eyes. "Just watch the kid dumbass." She fiddled with the radio, trying to fix it.
Derek kept quiet as the two strangers held him at gunpoint. At the corner of his eyes, he spotted Clementine and AJ sneaking by the derailed train. She signaled him to keep quiet.
"Hurry up. We still got those kids from that school to take care of."
Derek perked at the mention. School? Kids? But he remained quiet. For now.
Clementine noticed the two were busy, and still didn't notice her. It's time to make a move.
She turned to AJ. "AJ, give me your gun."
The boy gave it without question. She checked the chamber and made sure it was loaded. She only had two shots, she had to make it count. Time seemed to slow down as she aimed. She could feel her own heartbeat beating in her chest. Her blood flowing in her veins. She's in her element.
She cocked the hammer, then fired.
BANG!
The bullet flew right through the woman's head, splattering bits of her brain as it went through. She dropped dead with a thud.
"NO!" The man screamed bloody murder. He quickly turned around and spotted Clementine and aimed, prepared to kill her for what she's done. Unfortunately, that was his last mistake. Derek tackled him and redirected his aim as it fired blindly all over the place. He punched him clean straight at his jaw, making him loose the grip of his rifle. He then pried the weapon from his hands through brute force, cocked the handle, and aimed at his head in one quick motion. He pulled the trigger but it clicked empty. Without thinking twice, he used the butt of the rifle and knocked him down to the ground hard.
But he didn't stop there. He unsheathed his knife and placed it on the man's neck. In one swift motion, he cut his throat open without hesitation. Blood sprayed all over the pavement, the man squirmed and struggled as he wriggled in pain but Derek promptly ignored him.
Silence followed, as the gunshots ceased. For a few moments, Derek waited for other assailants, his muscles coiling, ready to spring into action. After a few more moments of silence he relaxed.
"Clear!" he called out.
Clementine and AJ got out from cover. She looked at the stranger's corpse, the woman she killed, and felt a bitter taste in her mouth. It never gets easier.
She handed the revolver back to AJ, which the latter holstered right after. "What happened?" she asked.
Derek rubbed the back of his neck. "They were waiting the whole time. Jumped at me when I wasn't looking. Started questioning me who I was, and where's my camp. You know. The usual." He shrugged.
"I'm glad you're okay Derek." She said sincerely.
He smiled at her. "Thanks to you." He glanced at the corpses and his expression quickly changed to disgust. "We should take what we can and quick. That gunfire probably attracted a lot of attention. AJ keep watch."
Derek and Clementine scavenged the bodies for anything useful, emptying out pockets, and such. Derek retrieved the AK, but it had no bullets left. He tried searching for more from the man's body but came out empty handed. He used the sling to shoulder it over his body.
"What'd you got?" he asked.
Clementine showed him the stuff she found. "A pistol and two magazines. There's also this radio she had but it's just static."
"Let me have that radio, I'll try fixing it when we're safe." Clementine handed him the radio.
AJ gasped as he saw something. He turned towards the two. "The monsters are coming!" he warned.
Hundreds of walkers came out from the tree-line, groaning in hunger as they shambled mindlessly towards them. Clementine grabbed the car keys from her pocket.
"Come on, we're leaving." She turned to Derek, but stopped when he didn't move. "Derek come on!"
He pointed at the car, specifically the engine. She followed his gaze and saw dozens of bullet holes in it, there were some oil leaking underneath it too. The stranger must've shot the engine when Derek tackled him.
"Car's fucked." He simply said.
Clementine looked for an alternative route. Walkers surrounded them from all sides, slowly advancing towards them. She glanced down the forest, it was a steep drop, but it's the only way out of here.
"Come on! We can get through here." She pointed down the steep ravine.
Derek and AJ nodded without question. The trio carefully made their way down the ravine, avoiding obstacles and watched their steps. The walkers continued to follow them but without the complex thinking of a normal human, they merely fell down the steep ravine, like a sack of potatoes but with bones and flesh.
The trio took them a while, but they successfully made their way down safely.
"We should go deeper in the forest. We'll lose the horde there." Derek suggested.
"Agreed."
They ran deeper into the dense forest despite there were walkers everywhere but they steeled their resolve and pushed on. Clementine did her best as she guided them away from walkers, evading as much as she can, killing only if they have to. They continued running in the forest, losing sight of the horde as they went deeper.
Their lungs burned and their legs ached, Derek glanced towards AJ. He could already tell he was already struggling keeping up with them. Clementine noticed this as well, and started slowing down, until they went to a complete stop. AJ puts his hands on his knees, breathing heavily while Clementine patted his back in comfort. Derek wordlessly unsheathed his machete and kept watch, keeping an eye out for threats.
AJ sat on the ground, uncaring if it was dirty. "My legs hurt." He complained.
Clementine caressed the boy's cheeks, feeling sorry for him. "I know kiddo. Just rest here for a while okay?"
He nodded in response.
Clementine stood beside Derek, eyeing the route they came from. "Do you think they followed us?"
He hummed. "I doubt it. But I'll keep watch just in case."
Clementine nodded in appreciation. She scanned their surroundings. Strangely, there's no walkers in sight, as if this part of the forest was cleared out. But she listed it off as convenience, they did make a lot of noise at the station. They're probably heading there right now. However, they're still too exposed out here. Vulnerable.
"We should get somewhere safe." she suggested.
Derek hummed in thought. "Those two from earlier. They mentioned something about a school with kids inside."
"A school?"
He nodded.
Clementine gave it some thought. They could stay there for a while, at least until the horde moves on. Assuming they can get in, and won't shoot them on sight.
"Do you think they'll let us in?"
He shrugged. "Maybe? Look, let's just find them first then assess the situation. I'd like to assume by now that they'll shoot first and ask questions later."
Clementine nodded in agreement. "You're right. They're probably on high-alert right now considering what happened."
With that in mind, a plan was made. Find the school first, recon the situation, then make contact. Simple.
Derek walked up to AJ, who was sitting idly by. "You ready AJ?"
"Yup. My legs still hurt though."
Derek laughed. "You'll get used to it kiddo. Come on."
AJ reluctantly got up and followed. The three of them continued their trek deeper in the woods. Finding the school was their number one priority right now. But…
"Wait a minute, how the hell can we find a school here?" Derek asked.
Clementine blinked. She forgot about that. "Ohh… Yeah... Hmmm…"
Derek kept quiet to let her think for a while. She was the smarter one between the both of them. Besides, he had no idea where to start on how to find a school in the middle of a goddamn forest. Although, there is one thing that's been bothering him.
Where the hell are all the walkers?
Just as he was about to voice out his question, his ears picked up on something. It sounded like… flowing water? Without thinking, his legs walked towards the direction of the sound. Clementine and AJ raised an eyebrow at his strange behavior but followed him nonetheless.
The path was blocked by a few bushes but Derek made quick work of them with his machete. Laid down upon them was a dirt path and a stream beside it. Clementine took a handful of water, watching it drip from her hands. It was clear, unpolluted. She flicked the water off.
"Looks drinkable." She commented.
Derek looked a bit unsure. "Ehhhh…. Let's just boil it first just in case."
"Hey look!"
The two adults looked towards what AJ was pointing at. It was fish, swimming down the stream right past them. Their stomachs growled at the sight, and they clutch it by reflex.
"That looks tasty..." AJ muttered.
Derek sighed sadly, and diverted AJ away from the stream. No point in torturing themselves for nothing. Clementine eyed the dirt path and curiosity got to her. It looks like it's been used a lot… She followed the path, eyeing the uneven terrain until she eventually spotted a run-down cabin at the end of it.
"Hey look, there's a cabin just up ahead." She pointed out.
Derek glanced at the shack, then back to her. "Wanna check it out?" he nodded towards it.
She nodded "Yeah. There could be something useful in there, but keep an eye out just in case. It could belong to anyone."
"Copy that. Stay close AJ."
The trio approached the cabin with caution. Keeping the same formation as before, Clementine on point, AJ in the middle, and Derek watching the rear. As they got closer, they heard voices coming from inside.
"Brody, calm down- "
"I know what I'm doing Mitch! Just... just give me a damn minute."
The three of them quickly dove for the nearest cover, which was an overgrown truck. They strained their ears as they quietly eavesdropped on the conversation.
"All good?"
"Y-yeah…"
Silence followed.
"What's your call Clem?" Derek whispered.
She took one last peek towards the cabin, before lowering herself.
"They don't look like the ones who attacked us. Maybe they're the ones from the school?"
He pursed his lips, clearly doubting. "Or maybe they are part of the ones who attacked us. We can't trust them Clem not until we see some hard evidence."
"Let's just not do anything rash."
The sounds of door opening got their attention, and they ducked down subconsciously.
A girl with auburn hair came out the shack. She looked distressed, hyperventilating as she walked. "We… we… we need to get back to the school Mitch. T-t-those gunshots…" she trailed off.
A boy with brown hair followed after her. "Just hang on Brody," he said, putting his hand on her shoulder, stopping her. "Aasim is still out here. We should find him first."
Brody and Mitch. Cool names. Derek thought.
"Damn it Mitch! Listen to me!" she yelled, facing the boy. "Aasim would've headed back by now if he heard it. Now, let's not waste any more time and get back to the school before anyone else might show up." She hissed the last part.
Mitch was quiet for a moment, but relented, sighing. "Alright. Let's get back then. Lead the way."
They don't look like the ones who attacked us. They could be the ones from that school Derek mentioned. Clementine thought.
A rustle in the bushes got their attention. Before any of them could react, a person in their late-teens emerged. He dusted himself off and paused when he spotted the three of them by the trunk.
Fock. Derek cursed internally.
He looked at them in surprise but slowly shifted to fear as he saw the assault rifle. He put two and two together and feared the worst.
"Aasim? Is that you man?"
Aasim shifted his glance towards Brody and Mitch, just noticing their presence. The two noticed his distressed look and took a step closer towards him.
"MITCH! BRODY! RUN!" he yelled.
"Fuck." Derek cursed under his breath. He stood up from his position and raised his rifle. "NOBODY MOVE!" he aimed his rifle towards Mitch and Brody. They stood there in shock, unable to process what was happening.
Clementine looked at Derek with shock and anger. Absolutely pissed at what he's doing. "Derek what are you doing?!" she hissed. "This wasn't the plan!"
He practically ignored her, as he merely pointed with his other hand towards the other teen, keeping his eyes on the two teens in front of him.
"Just get the other one Clementine! GO!"
She glared at him one last time before leaving. She didn't have a choice. They had to commit to this now.
"Come on AJ."
The boy didn't really have much of a choice as he was practically dragged away from the fuming mother.
"ON YOUR KNEES NOW!" he ordered, gesturing with his rifle.
The second repetition seemed to snap them out of their shock as they slowly obeyed. Mitch glared at him while Brody remained silent, opting to avoid eye contact.
"Now put your hands on your head."
They did as they told.
He slowly walked behind them, making sure to keep some distance between them. Once he was directly behind them, he shouldered his weapon, letting it hang by its sling. He patted Mitch first, looking for weapons. He got a knife, it was… peculiar. Unique.
It was made from bone, and the craftmanship was remarkable, for something made from bone atleast. He stared at the edge and noticed it was sharp too.
Impressive. He took note. Then tossed the knife far away from them.
He could hear Mitch growl in anger, but didn't do anything. Yet.
He moved on to Brody, patting her down for weapons as well. He got some sort of switchblade. He was surprised to see one last this long though, usually these things don't last. Anyway, he tossed it away as well.
Inhuman growls alerted the three of them. Derek looked behind and saw three walkers charging at them aimlessly.
"Shit."
He was torn between keeping an eye at them, and fighting the walkers. He can't do both. But he can't let it attack them as well. He may have started this first, but it was never his intention to hurt them. He just wanted answers.
"Either of you run, I'll shoot you on sight." It was a bluff, but it's all he could do.
He grabbed his machete from its sheath and charged at the walkers.
He moved fast, eager to finish these walkers quick before those two get any ideas. He killed the first two by decapitating their heads, kicked down the last one and brought down his machete down. He could feel his blade push through blood, flesh, bone, and even the ground as it went through.
Shit. Too deep. He tried to pick it up but it was stuck. He tried again and this time it started to get loose. Just as he was about to pull it out, a savage war cry and running footsteps got his attention.
He turned just in time as Mitch was about to stab him. He dodged back, leaving his machete behind. He continued his onslaught, swiping at him left and right. Derek kept his distance, backing away from every strike.
Mitch changed his tactics, and used a reverse grip as he tried to attack him with an overhead strike. Derek formed an 'X' formation with his arms, blocking the blade. With practiced moves, he disarmed the boy forcefully, then followed it up with a strong elbow strike to his nose.
Mitch yelped in pain. "Fuck! Son of a bitch!" he clutched his bleeding nose.
Having enough, Derek tossed the knife away and grabbed his rifle, aiming directly at his head.
"Had enough?"
Before he could answer, another war cry came from behind. Brody charged at him with one the spears she got from the fishing cabin. She was just a few steps away from him, her spear aimed directly to his gut.
Derek turned around as fast as he could, the spear was just a few meters away from him. Thankfully, he was fast enough, he used his rifle to swat away her spear, then slammed the butt of his rifle to her gut. Her momentum plus the force of the impact made her lose her breath, she gasped in pain as she fell down on one knee, clutching her stomach.
Distracted, Mitch took the opportunity to grab Derek from behind, holding him on a chokehold. He dropped his rifle in reflex as his body screamed for air. He scratched and tried to pry his hands open, but he couldn't get a good grip. Desperation and hopelessness filled his mind, but he wasn't ready to give up yet. He elbowed him at the side of his ribs, trying to make him let go. Mitch grunted in pain, but kept his hold.
He started to feel dizzy, his throat screamed in pain as he felt it getting tighter and tighter. He elbowed him again, and he could feel the grip loosening. He delivered another, and another, and another. It wasn't long until Mitch eventually had enough and let go of him.
Derek choked, gasped, and heaved for air. He fell on his knees, clutching his throat. It felt raw and bruised, but relieved to be able to breath again. His dizziness slowly faded away, but his head hurts. He stood up, completely ignoring his body's scream of protest. He turned towards Mitch, who was clutching his bruised ribs. Without any hesitation, he kicked him in the face, knocking him out.
"Fucking hell…." He heaved.
Click-Clack
He turned around to see Brody aiming his rifle at him. He noticed the broken strap. It must have fallen off during the struggle. However, despite the threatening object on her hands, she was shaking like a leaf.
He scoffed at her. "You're not gonna shoot me." He took a step forward.
Brody could feel her hands go numb, cold sweat dropped from her forehead. She was shaking and she knew it, but she couldn't stop it. She had never killed anyone before. She had never pointed a gun at anyone before. Derek took another step.
"Don't come any closer! I-I swear I'll shoot!"
He took another step.
She wanted to shoot him, she did, he hurt Mitch, and who knows who else if she let him go. But no matter how many times her brain tried to tell her to pull the trigger, she just… couldn't.
Seeing her in this state, Derek could only conclude one thing. "You don't have it in you."
With a quick swipe, he snatched the gun from her hands.
"Now. Like I said. On your knees, and put your hands above your head." He aimed his rifle at her.
She did as he told. Tears poured from her eyes as her fate was sealed.
Several footsteps got Derek's attention. He looked up to see Clementine and AJ safe and unharmed, but without the other teen.
That didn't matter to him though. The fact that they're safe and unharmed was more than good news for him.
"I take it he got away?" he panted out, still recovering his breath.
"What do you think?" she hissed.
I think she's mad at me. He thought.
She then noticed the few headless walkers and the unconscious teen. Worry flashed into her eyes for a second but was quickly replaced with stubborn anger.
Yeah… She's mad at me. He concluded.
"Now what?" she asked, glaring at him.
"We get our answers."
She scoffed, folding her arms in front of her. "This wasn't the plan Derek."
"Look." He looked at her, his once warm features were replaced with a cold hard glare. One she remembered too well two years ago. "We don't have much time to argue, so I'm gonna cut this one short. I did what I thought was right."
She remained pensive. "Well you thought wrong."
"Maybe. But the moment we got caught I had to choose between us or them. I chose us."
She huffed, ignoring him.
Derek sighed, he's not gonna get through her anytime soon. But she'll understand soon enough. He did what he did because it was only practical. They didn't know them, they could be part of the ones who attacked them earlier. He can't take that risk. He can't risk their lives by taking a chance and hope they're friendly. If he had to play the bad guy to keep them safe then so be it.
It's not like it's the first time he did it.
"You." He marched towards Brody. She cowered before him, afraid what's going to happen to her. "I'm gonna ask you a few questions. After that well… that depends whether I'm satisfied with your answers or not."
"Y-you're not gonna take us?"
Derek took note of the information, but nevertheless ignored her. He thought of the best approach on interrogating her. One, he could try convincing her, make her trust him, but that would take time, one they don't have as one of them escaped.
Another option is what he'd like to call 'correct me if I'm wrong'. It's an indirect type of interrogation which usually works for most people but not against those who caught on quick. Why bother asking for answers when they can just tell you for free?
He chose the latter.
He kept an ominous look as he stared her down. "A few people attacked us this morning." He showed her his rifle. "Recognize this? It belonged to one of your people."
"W-what?!" she gasped. A look of surprise and shock flashed into her face. "W-we don't have a-any guns! I swear!"
"Bullshit." He snarled. He pointed an accusing finger at her as he continued. "You got two people scouting out near the train station. Adults. They were armed. They tried to kill us, you tried to kill us."
"No… No, no, no, no, you got it all wrong! We… we're just a bunch of kids living in a school! We don't have any adults."
Bingo. Now to milk some more information.
He scoffed. "You know what you are? A big fat lying sack of shit." He jabbed a finger on her chest at each insult. "A school? In the middle of a goddamn forest? Even if that was true. You think I'm dumb enough to believe that you survived out here this long without any adults or weapons?"
She sobbed, tears fell from her eyes as she looked at him, pleading. "Please… I'm telling you the truth."
He got close to her ear. "And I'm telling you, that you're a goddamn LIAR!"
"Derek!"
He snapped out from his interrogation. He locked eyes with Clementine, glaring with mild irritation.
If she was angry before, she was furious now. He knew she didn't approve this, but he had to gather information. This person could be lying after all and he needed to be sure.
But after one look towards AJ, he faltered when he saw him hiding behind her. Afraid. Confused. It broke his heart in the inside to see him like that, but…he committed on this now. He can't just simply back away.
"What?" he asked, keeping his tone neutral.
"That's enough." she growled.
He glanced towards Brody. Tears dropped from her eyes as she sobbed in place. A sudden painful ache throbbed into his chest and all at once his guilt flashed through his conscience.
He did this. He's the one who caused this. They didn't deserve it.
But he didn't care.
To him, it was just another job done. A necessary process for the greater good. Their greater good. This was just one step forward among the many.
But… he can't afford to strain his relationship with her. Clementine and AJ? They're the only ones he has left. The only ones who matter. In a world where people can only find comfort in is with a gun in their hands.
He sighed. He wordlessly backed away from Brody. He could see visible relief from the scared girl, but she kept her head down.
"We should keep moving." He muttered.
"And go where? Hmm?" Clementine asked, almost challenging him.
"Just…. Anywhere but-" he cut himself off as he spotted something afar behind Clementine.
He craned his head on one side to get a better look. It was a man somewhere in his late 30's or probably early 40's, he had a mean look, wearing a blue hoodie, and is walking towards them.
Clementine took notice of his pause and followed his gaze. When she spotted the man, her hand immediately went towards her gun by reflex. Something tells her she might need it.
Derek, meanwhile, rapidly organized the information he had learned. Connected the dots, data, and events. To know the truth, and who to side with.
"No… No, no, no, no, you got it all wrong! We… we're just a bunch of kids living in a school! We don't have any adults."
The sheer look of desperation and fear. She was telling the truth.
"Stupid piece of shit." The woman muttered, smacking the radio a few times.
The people from earlier, they had guns. They were well-armed, and well-equipped.
"Hurry up. We still got those kids from that school to take care of."
School…
"We… we're just a bunch of kids living in a school!"
Wait a minute…
Realization hit him like a goddamn truck as he realized how much he fucked up.
"Ah shit."