Clementine x Louis

Chapter 16

The group of six had arrived back from the boat. And to Clementine, everyone looked so saddened. Were they all that sad that she had been gone or was it something else?

Gabe went to go talk to Javi. Minerva and Violet went inside together. Which just left Louis, Clem and AJ. The three went to go sit on the picnic tables.

"What's wrong with everyone? I'm back now." She tried to make light of the situation.

Louis sighed. "You don't know?" She shook her head in response. "Mitch died when him and Willy were distracting the other soldiers. Everyone is really down about it."

Clem covered her mouth in shock. "Oh my gosh." She enclosed Louis in a hug. "I'm sorry, Louis." He hugged her back and AJ embraced Clem's back to try and join in on the hug. "I didn't know."

Louis pulled away and looked to the floor." No it's fine. "That's why there weren't as many people to come rescue you. They were all so convinced that they didn't want to get anyone else killed for someone they just met. You have no idea how angry that made me." He sighed and looked up to Clem to stare in her eyes. "I'm just glad to have you back." He placed a hand on her thigh, his hand over hers.

"I'm glad to be back."

Louis' eyes widened as he realized what he wanted to do. He got up quickly and rubbed the back of his neck in nervousness. "I should go I... I have to go do something really... important." Clem raised her eyebrow at his stuttering but let him walk off. She looked over to AJ who was still beaming from her return.

"So how have you been doing Goofball?" She asked putting her arm around his shoulders and pulled him closer."

"Not so good." He looked down to the floor. "I don't like being alone and not having you with me. It's scary." He sighed. "And then the other kids said they didn't want to help get you back, I got so mad. Like, I just wanted to punch everyone's head. Especially Willy. I don't like getting that mad." Don't worry I would have been mad at Willy's masturbating, skinny, no teeth, head ass too.

Clem sighed at his statements. Another time to teach. "You need to control your anger and to do that just breathe. The anger will pass but you always have to make sure that you only think those things and never do them." She emphasized the word never to make the point more clear to AJ.

"Yeah but people die. They need to grow up." Clem was awed by his response.

"They've been sheltered and you have to remember that Mitch just wasn't anyone. He was someone who was close to them and to Willy he was like a brother." She sighed. "It would be like. . . if I die, to you."

AJ's eyes widened at the comparison. "That's not happening. I'll always protect you."

"I know you will." She remembered an important thing that she had only talked to AJ about, a few times. "You know what would have to happen if I got bit, remember."

"Yeah, but I don't want to talk about this anymore." She saw the hurt in his eyes so she respected his wishes. "Okay. I know you don't like talking about this but we have to sometime in the future. Its important." She crossed her arms.

"I know." He looked at her backpack that was still on her back. It looked fuller than usual. "What's in there?" AJ asked curiously, unzipping the bag and peaking inside.

Clem had almost forgotten about the items she gathered from the supply room on the boat. "Can't believe I forgot." She took the bag off her back and rested it on her legs. She unzipped the bag until it was all the way open. "I raiders had a lot of supplies on the boat so before I escaped I grabbed some." She removed one of the hand guns and pistols from the bag. And waved it around, admiring the find. "It's been a long time since we've seen one of these, right?"