Light- Clementine/Louis, Clouis, Louisentine

Chapter 6

The last of the days sunlight breaks through the trees as they make their way towards the only road in and out of Ericsons.

Clementine and AJ walk ahead of them as he and Violet scan the treeline for any threats.

"Do you think we'll find another car again?" AJ asks Clementine

"Probably not, kiddo. Cars are pretty hard to find these days, gas too. We got lucky last time..."

"So we're walking..." AJ muttered miserably at the thought.
"But my shoes are gonna break."

"Well then we'll tape them back up."

"My feet are gonna bleed again"

Again? How much walking did they have to do exactly each day that the kids feet would start bleeding?

"It's not that bad." Louis tells them.
"I mean, you've done this before. Probably like going home for you guys."

If the look Clementine threw him over her shoulder wasn't enough to shut him up, her next words certainly were.

"How can you say that? You've lived safely behind walls your whole life. You have no fucking idea what it's like out there."

Violet sighs beside him, as irritated at his words as Clementine was.

"Alright. This is it. Roads that way." Violet tells them, coming to stop after a few minutes of walking in silence.

"Thanks for trying to keep us" AJ tells her sincerely

"You're welcome. I wish we weren't doing this, kicking you out, but... The others won't change their mind about it. Even dead, Marlons still fucking things up."

"Jesus, Violet. Give him some fucking peace." Louis snaps at her.

Violet sighs once again, shaking her head before turning and making her way back down the path towards the school.

The weight of the gun in his jacket reminds him of its presence. For the first time in a while of thinking of the gun, his mind doesn't immediately remind him of Marlon's death. Instead, he envisions Clementine and AJ surrounded by walkers, their lives taken in a way that could have been prevented if they had a weapon.

"Fuck, I must be stupid..."

Clementine and AJ watch him curiously as he approaches, hand in coat as he pulls out their revolver.

"I can't just leave you out here unarmed" Louis answers their quizitive stares as he crouches down next to AJ, offering the young boy his weapon back.

AJ goes to take the gun just a bit too eagerly, to which Louis tightens his grip on the revolver to move AJ's attention from the gun to him. Louis looks to him sternly, hoping his expression says more than he could say.

Be more careful with it

"Thanks." Clementine tells him, watching Louis as he stands back up.

He looks to them one last time before they both turn away from one another, the two heading towards the road whilst Louis picks out Violets retreating form and hurries over to her.

Louis slows his pace from a jog to a walk once he catches up to her. She glances sideways at him to acknowledge his presence.

"So.... Uh... I see you're in Marlons chair now?" Louis begins, trying to find a way to lighten the mood.
"Bet you never expected that, huh?" He jokingly asks her, playfully jabbing her side with his elbow.

"Don't." She tells him firmly, shoving his arm away.

"Oh come on, Vi. I know-"

"No! No, you don't fucking know. Because if you did, this wouldn't be happening right now." Violet stops suddenly, stepping in front of him and jabbing her finger into his chest.
"And just like usual, you're trying to get around it by throwing around jokes, refusing to face reality like a goddamn coward-"