Chapter Text
The situation was less than ideal. Their temporary home was barely standing, a house under construction before the end of times came around. It was isolated, with no towns or cities close by. That fact brought little comfort as the cold posed more of a threat than the walkers.
The world around them was beautifully blanketed in snow and ice. The forests that surrounded the house were a splash of green against a glimmering white canvas. Gorgeous but utterly deadly. No insolation, no food, no protection from the harsh weather. Just the freezing cold for miles and miles.
Clementine sat next to the little fire, warming herself as best she could. It did little to help as she was still dripping wet from her fall in the frozen lake. Harsh winds whipped through the half-built house and hit her face hard, like a slap. It left her cheeks and nose burning.
With a shiver, she looked to the crate next to her, tucked away from the harsh reality of the world. The baby inside was sound asleep, blankets around him like a cozy nest. It was miserable to know he’d just been born merely a day or so ago and he was already subjected to the extremities of this life. No food, no proper home. Yet his mother would be happy with them doing their best given the circumstances.
That last thought brought her comfort. Enough for her to finally lay on her side and curl up as close as she could to the fire. Oh, how tired she was. They had been through so much pain, so much abuse in the last week. It takes a toll on you. Especially when you’re eleven.
The warmth of another person startled her a little but it wasn’t unwelcome. It was too cold to argue with any of her little ground about personal space.
She felt them drape a thick blanket over her. It was soft, a good replacement for her soaking wet blue coat that now lay over the small fireplace. With any luck, it would dry and she could wear it again. The fall in the icy waters just outside left her defenseless against the freezing temperatures.
She knew the ice would break, she did. But it was Luke. He took care of her, tried to protect her. He stood up for her like the big brother she always wanted. That was how she saw him. It was hard not to love him. He loved her too, loved everyone, with all his big, sweet heart.
And now he was gone. She cursed herself for getting too close to the cracked ice around him when they crossed the lake. She wouldn’t have fallen in and be freezing to death now. And maybe, just maybe, he’d still be alive.
“Get some rest, Clem,” Kenny’s soft, sad voice spoke from above her. His calloused fingers stroked through her wet curls, loose from their pigtails. “You deserve it after everything we’ve gone through.”
Clementine turned to look up at him. Those bandages on his face, his eye specifically, scared her. He was still badly bruised, cheeks swelled all to hell. She’s amazed he survived through such a severe beating. And he just took it. To protect her from a monster. A monster that’s far worse than anything in books or stories or even the dead that roamed the land now.
Despite his pain and healing wounds, he smiled at her. It made her feel safe.
“K… Kenny…” That was all she managed to get out as she leaned into his hand, the exhaustion getting to her. She was out like a light.
“Don’t worry, darlin’. I’ll keep you safe,” he whispered, looking up at the flames before them. The only response he received was a soft snore.
~.~.~.~.~.~
Night came and it brought ice and snow with it. More cold. The little fire they had going all night did nothing for warmth.
But it wasn’t the cold that awoke Clementine. It was a noise coming from the backyard. Movement.
She sat up, shivering and clinging to the blanket. The loose, thicker shirt hung from her little form, exposing her bruised stomach. With a quiet gasp, she pulled the blanket firmly around her. She wished they were back in Georgia sometimes.
With a glance around the room, she discovered two things.
One, it was night. And very much still cold. Except now it was snowing a little. That meant it would be getting colder.
Two, she was alone. That worried her. Not because the box with baby AJ was gone. Kenny wasn’t there either so he probably took him, just to watch him closely. No, the thing that worried her was Arvo being gone. Kenny had made sure to tie him to a wooden beam, angry for leading them to this death trap. Clementine didn’t blame him. Either of them, honestly.
They’d killed Arvo’s family, even if they had been bandits. But then Arvo allowed them to be attacked by said family. Even when Clementine refused to steal from him upon their first meeting like she had been encouraged to. It was wrong, after all. She wasn’t going to take from him like that.
It wasn’t black or white, though. No right or wrong. Just survival. They lived in a constant state of gray.
More noises pulled her from those thoughts. Not just noises though. There were voices.
Slowly, she stood. Her still-damp jeans slid across the floor with a squelching noise. She put on her iconic hat and grabbed her gun, slowly making her way to the back.
The blanket drug behind her like a cape as she made her way outside. Two figures were out there, one next to the truck while the other was approaching said vehicle. But who were they? Why were they near the truck? Kenny had just fixed it so they could escape this cold hell they were in.
The figure closest to her stopped and turned towards her. She had been spotted. She quickly held her gun up, the blanket coming loose from her grip and flying away with the harsh wind. Who knows where it went.
“D-Don’t move!” She yelled. Ignoring the cold was getting hard, especially now that she was without the protection of that warm blanket.
“Clementine.” The figure approached her. She squinted, her eyes still adjusting to the darkness through the snow.
As the figure got closer, she started to recognize him. Dark skin, a scar on his ear where it looks like a bullet went through the cartilage. His name came to her immediately.
“Mike…?” She almost whispered in confusion, lowering her gun. “W-What are you doing with o-our truck…?”
“Listen, we-” Mike started to explain. Maybe she would’ve understood it better if she heard his words. But another voice spoke out, soft and sweet.
“I got what was left, let’s- … Oh shoot… Clementine…”
The new person approached. Her small feminine form, red ponytail, and sweet southern voice made her easy to recognize too.
“B… B-Bonnie…?” Clementine squeaked out. She saw what the woman was holding. Their duffle bag. “Those… Those are o-our things… What a-are you doing…?”
“I’m sorry, Clem, I truly am,” Bonnie started, backing to the truck slowly. When had it cranked up? “But we can’t be around him anymore. Kenny’s losing it, look what he did to Arvo…! And he wants to drag us through the snow? We can’t do it, we have to go.”
The realization slammed into the little girl like a ton of bricks. Her confusion quickly turned to horror. They were taking everything. All their supplies. They were going to leave and abandon them with nothing.
“You c-can’t just leave us…! W-we’ll die out here!” She was yelling now. Angry. Hurt. She’d trusted them.
“I-I’m so sorry, Clementine,” Bonnie repeated herself. The apology fell on deaf ears.
“K-KENNY!” Clementine yelled for her guardian. She didn’t see Arvo popping his head out of the truck, bloody and angry from his captor’s abuse. She didn’t see his rifle or the horror on everyone’s faces as he accidentally pulled the trigger.
She felt the burn somewhere in her chest before she saw the blood. Or maybe it was her stomach. Everything hurt. Her breathing was started to become raspy and her throat felt like sandpaper was moving through it. Maybe that was from the cold.
She didn’t know she was shot. Not until her vision blurred and she looked down. Red. Even the snow was red.
Kenny screamed her name from somewhere behind her. Something left her lips but she didn’t know what. His name, she thought. Maybe something else.
Strength left her body. As she fell forward, one thing came to her mind.
Lee.
Then, everything went black.