The Strangers

Chapter 45

Clem's POV

I waited for Luke to hit me, but it never came. I looked up and saw him on the ground, with Pete punching him several times.

"PETE, NO! STOP!"

I screamed. He looked up. I looked down at Luke. Pete punched him once more.

"Don't you EVER touch that little girl again, do you hear me?"

Pete told Luke. He got off of Luke and walked away. I ran over to him. He was a bloody mess.

"I'm sorry. This is all my fault. I shouldn't have done that."

I cried.

"No, Clementine. It's alright. I'm gonna be fine."

He said. He patted my back. I helped him off the floor.

"That's okay, Clem. I'm okay."

I didn't believe him. I helped him over to the bed to let him rest. He laughed a little bit.

"What?"

"I almost hit you. And you still trust me. Look at you. You're helping me over here. I deserved what Pete did to me."

"No, you don't. I know you, Luke. You eventually would've pulled away before you hit me. Don't always blame yourself for harsh actions of others."

He laughed.

"You're 11 years old, and you're smarter than most adults I know."

I laughed a little.

"My parents and Lee always told me I was mature for my age. I never really saw it, though. That makes you the third person to imply that."

"Alright, Clementine. I'm gonna rest. Don't worry about me, okay?"

I nodded. I waited until he fell asleep to grab an ice pack and a wet napkin. I ran up to the room and cleaned the blood off. I guess I accidentally woke him up because he grabbed my arm. He pulled me down with him so I was lying right next to him.

"Thanks, Clementine."

He kissed my head and tried to go back to sleep. I blushed. I looked at his face. It had bruises and cuts from Pete's knuckles. I felt like the entire situation was my fault. I'll talk to him about it tomorrow. Some time tomorrow. Right now, I just needed some sleep, knowing that Luke was going to be right next to me the entire night. That comforted me. I closed my eyes and fell asleep within ten minutes.