The Walking Dead: Emperor of Flames

Season 2/Chapter 23: Catching Up

(It was supposed to be Carley and Molly, not Christa, just so you know.) 

3rd Pov. 

There's a pause in the air as the others watch while the four hug one another. After a minute, they finally stop and step away from one another. It was, and is, so surreal. Molly stands up a moment later along with Carley. Carley notices Kenny and walks over to him, hugging him as soon as she gets over to him. 

Carley: It's nice to see you again, Ken. 

Kenny: (Chuckles) You, too. 

They stop hugging and Reggie looks at the kids. 

Reggie: So...I think it's safe to say that you guys know each other. 

Y/n: Yeah. Carley's been with us since the start and we met Molly a few months after everything ended.

Clementine: Yeah, we've been together up until recently. 

Carley looks back at the kids and places her hand on Y/n's shoulder while her other goes on Clem's head. 

Carley: I'm so glad you're both alright. After the river we, well, I thought we'd lost you for good. 

Molly laughs and places her arms to her side. 

Molly: Yeah, she was freaking out. Me on the other hand? I had faith in you two, that you could survive. 

Carley sighs. 

Carley: Hey, I did, too. I was just worried is all. 

Clementine and Y/n each take one of Carley's hands and holds one as they look at her. 

Y/n: Well you don't have to worry about it. We made it out fairly...well. 

Carley and Molly pause as the crackling of the fire can be heard behind them. They let go of her hands and she places them to her side, much like Molly. 

Carley: What do you mean? 

Y/n: I almost drowned. 

Clementine: And I got my arm bit by a dog.

Clem rolls up her sleeve and shows her week old scar to Molly and Carley whose faces practically go white for a second. Reggie cringes at the sight of it as does Sarita and Kenny who'd yet to see the scar in its...fullness. Rebecca who is standing nearby, also cringes a little. Not only at the bite, but at the memory of how she had acted in the cabin. 

Carley: ...And after that? 

The two kids look at each other before telling them about the cabin and how the whole ordeal went at first. Even about the whole shed stuff, which immediately made Carley and Molly turn towards Rebecca. Neither of them say anything. 

Y/n: Listen, don't be mad at them. At the time, we were, but we can see why they did it. They were scared and stuff. Plus, we're all cool now. 

Clementine: Totally. We've been travelling together for a good week. 

Molly: (Sighs) Fine, yeah, whatever. 

Carley doesn't say anything and turns back to Rebecca. 

Carley: All I'm going to say, is that if you weren't very obviously pregnant, I'd punch you in the face. But other than that, it's nice to meet you. 

Rebecca nervously chuckles. 

Rebecca: Yeah. I understand. 

Before anyone else can say anything, a man's voice can be heard coming from behind the group as he lays on the ground in a sleeping bag. The man is none other than Mike. 

Mike: Can you guys save it for the morning? Some of us gotta be up early.

He rolls over and Clem scoffs, crossing her arms. 

Clementine: What a jerk. 

Sarita looks at Clem. 

Sarita: Clementine, please. You haven't even met him yet.

Molly stops her while Reggie apologizes to Mike. 

Molly: Oh, she's not wrong. 

Mike raises his head. 

Mike: I heard that. 

Molly holds her middle finger upside down. 

Molly: Can you hear this? Or do you need me to turn it up? 

She slowly raises it like a dial and flips him off as Mike rolls his eyes. He lays his head back down on his pillow and rolls over as Reggie turns back to the group. 

Reggie: Okay, that's Mike. He's kind of a dick when he's tired, but like I said, he saved my life, so I put up with that shit. Bill put him to work outside the wall with me.

Rebecca: I'm so sorry.

Reggie: Stop with all the sorry. It was my choice. Besides, he said once you were all caught, he'd let me rejoin the group, so...I'm glad you're here. I'm just joking.

Rebecca smiles. 

Rebecca: I know. 

Reggie: I mean, he did say that, but I'm not happy about it. It's probably bullshit.

As the adults talk to one another, Clem tugs on Y/n's hand and he looks at her. She nods toward a woman who's sitting at a table, staring at them with a strange look upon her face. One of what seems like curiosity or annoyance. 

Y/n: What the hell...?

Clementine: She's watching us.

The voices of the kids get the attention of the others and they look at them. 

Reggie: Huh? What's that?

Clementine: The woman over there is watching us.

After the woman notices that the others are looking back at her, she gets up from her chair and leaves. Y/n rolls his eyes and crosses his arms while sarcastically speaking about the others. 

Y/n: She seems like a real chatterbox. Must've been a real cool person in school. 

Carley taps his shoulder. 

Carley: Be nice. That woman's name is Jane. She apparently got here a little bit before we did. 

Reggie: Oh, yeah, right. Okay, so she's fucking weird. They found her sneaking around outside the camp covered in guts and just, like, the grossest shit.

Hearing this reminds them as Luck 

Rebecca: It's probably best not to stare.

Y/n: Hard not to when she's doing it to us.

Reggie: I know how it must look, but... it's really not that bad here.

Y/n: I bet. 

Rebecca: Reggie...

Reggie: No, I'm serious. Where else are you going to find food like we have? We've got the canned stuff, and now with the greenhouses coming along, we've got fresh food. The building's getting more and more secure all the time, mostly through forced labor, but that's only temporary. They've even got the solar panels working. When was the last time you had electricity, huh?