Ashes (Clementine X Male Reader Book 2)

Accord-Home

You pass through the entrance into your community. The gate is gone, and now it's just a massive hole in the wall... You never thought you would be attached to a place so much. Seeing it now, in the state that it's in, upsets you. It looks better than you imagined, but there are buildings that will never be fixed. Likely, people died in those buildings, unable to get out in time. It just gives you more reason to kill William.

There are a few familiar faces from the community working. You assume they're trying to fix the place. Diana runs to Clementine. Cas, who came to get you, goes to Emma. Louis, Violet, and Aj join the group that came here first. You, Marina, and Brooklyn stop at the gate.

Marina grabs your hand. "Dad," she speaks quietly. "Can we go to our house?"

You look around. You wanted to see Don first, but you don't see him anywhere. "Yeah." He'll find you. You look at Brooklyn. "You wanna come?"

"Not right now." She responds. "I'm gonna walk around... Make sure there isn't anyone watching this place."

Brooklyn isn't really looking for scouts. She knows there likely aren't any here. She just wants to be alone.

"Well, it is your house. Come around whenever you feel like it."

She nods and walks away.

As you walk, you find the quality of the community to be random. In some places, it looks like shit. In others, it looks brand new. Sometimes, there are portions that look like they were damaged and have been clearly repaired to some extent. They're trying to move back in. As long as William doesn't come around, they might be able to.

"Why did he do this?" Marina asks.

"Hm?"

"William. Why'd he burn the community?"

"No idea." You tell her. Truly, you don't know. It seems reckless for someone who is trying to kidnap an individual. What if he'd burned your house first, and none of you made it out? He would have killed Marina and failed the only objective he had. "But he's an idiot."

"Are you going to kill him?" She asks.

"I am." You feel that there is no point in lying to her about it. You watch her to gauge her response. You can't tell what she's thinking. She looks at you and then looks ahead with no reaction whatsoever. She knows he's her real father. What does she think about killing him? It is what is best for her. You know that for certain.

You stop in front of your house. The door is wide open. Marina squeezes your hand.

"Can we come back and live here again?" Marina asks.

"One day." You have little hope you'll be back here. William will come through here again, looking for you, and he'll really burn this place to the ground.

"It looks fucked up," Marina says.

"Swear."

You jump and look behind you. "What are you doing?" You ask Diana.

She shrugs. "This is your house?" She asks.

"Why do you say that?" Marina asks Diana.

"What?"

"Swear."

"Mommy does." Diana looks at you. "You don't. You swear."

"Your mom does too." You tell her.

"I know." She pushes past you and Marina and starts walking toward your house. You grab her and pull her back.

"No."