TWDG//

SIXTEEN

I wake up to a familiar voice. I uncurl from my ball. I can't see in the dark, and I jump when I hear a voice.
"AJ..."
"Clementine?" I ask. I sit up warily. The moon from the window indicates that I'm still at the cabin.
"It's not Clementine."
"Who is it?" I ask.
It doesn't sound like Clementine. It doesn't even sound like anyone I know.
"It's Mum."
I frown. "You're not real."
"..."
"Because you're dead." I said. "You're dead. Where are you? Why can't I see you?"
"You must not have any image of what I look like, my boy."
"No, I don't." I murmur.
"You're...so big now."
"Yeah, almost seven years old." I smile. "What's your name?"
"Rebecca."
"Hi...Rebecca." I frown. "I think I prefer Mum."
"Me too." The voice chuckles.
I wipe the tears from my cheeks.
"Why are you crying?"
"I'm a bad person" I said. "I...killed my best friend some time ago, and I just started laughing at a horrible man."
"Those actions aren't bad, only if there's a reason behind it. If that man is horrible, don't worry about it. And your friend will forgive you."
"He...wanted to be with his sister." I said.
"Is Clementine with you?"
"Yeah. I saved her, from a bite. She doesn't have a leg anymore, but she has a prosthetic."
I hear a smothered cry.
"I knew she would do it. Raise my boy. She did a good job."
"She did?" I asked.
"Yep. I would know. Your father would be proud of you."
"My...father..."
Everything blurs at the edges.
I wake up, still in the position where I was before. I groan, looking around.
"Mum?" I ask. No response. I sit up, and yawn. It wasn't real.
The door opens. I gasp, as I see a figure. At first I think it's Gunner, taking his revenge, when Clem switches on the light.
"AJ..." She says, closing the door behind her. I see she had a bowl of soup. I rub my eyes.
"You okay?" Clem says, sitting in the bed, and placing the bowl of warm soup of my lap, with a spoon.
I nod, and began to eat hungrily.
"No, for real, are you okay?" Clementine asks, stopping me from scouting the spoon into my mouth. I feel like telling Clem that I heard my "Mum", but I decided that that will be my secret.
"Yeah." I said. Clem let's go.
"You're not a psycho. Not to me." Clementine smiles. "You are so brave."
"So are you." I said, tapping her metal leg underneath her jeans.
"I only survived that because of you." Clem says. "You're a life saver." I frown.
"I guess."
"Javi told me about Gunner." Clementine sighed. "What Gunner does to kids? He probably laughs while he does it."
My eyes widen. "That's sick."
"It is." Clementine said. "The world hasn't forgotten its old ways."
"They did that before?" I asked.
"Yeah."
"Assholes." I murmured, and kept eating.
"Hey, watch the swears." Clem chuckles. I smile. "What?"
"You and Violet, sitting in a tree..." Clementine clasps a hand over my mouth. I giggle.
"Shush, you're embarrassing me." Clem laughs. "You better now?" Clem pushes the tears away with her hand.
"Yeah. Thanks." I said, and I continued to eat.
"Welcome." Clementine smiles. "I have to go to bed. Doing more labour tomorrow."
I smile. "Take it easy."
...
I wake up to Willy shaking me.
"What, what?" I murmur.
"Work." Willy smiles. I sigh, and pull on my socks and shoes.
We head downstairs where everyone else is. Except for Gunner. I sit down between Louis and Ruby.
"How's everything going, AJ?" Ruby asks.
"Great, thanks." I smile. "I'm better now."
"So I heard. Eat" Ruby pushes a bowl of mush towards me. I shrug, and begin to eat. I drool. It's so good. I begin scoping the stuff into my mouth faster, wanting more.
"Calm down, don't choke." Ruby says. I frown.
"I remember saying that to Rosie." I say.
"Don't be sad; Rosie was a good dog. She just wanted a life. Eating walkers and what not." Ruby said. I smile.
"I guess." I smile, and eat, more slower now. I see Clem and Violet holding hands across the table.
"Gross." I hear Aasim laugh. Violet catches my gaze. I smile.
Violet pokes her tongue out at me. I do too. We both laugh across the table. I look at Gabe, expecting him to be laughing. Instead, he's staring angrily at his food. I frown. Why was Gabe always mad? I keep eating until Javi enters the room.
"AJ, Louis, can you help freeing the snares, and taking whatever entered them back, please?" He says. "Clem? Can you help Lawson in the armoury."
He begins to give orders to everyone else, and we all head off. I find Louis.
"I know where the traps are, follow me." I smile, and take Louis outside.
...
My knife is out in front of me, ready to swipe at anything. I walk over to the furthest snare; A bear trap. I frown when I see a large rabbit caught, blood soaked into its fur. Dead. I undo the latch, and lift the limp rabbit out. "Got one."
I hear Louis yell, but it was muffled. I whirled around to see Louis trying to disarm a walker. He doesn't have a weapon! I dropped the rabbit, and race to his aid. I take out my knife, and draw it into the eye. The walker growls, but doesn't t die. I groan and push the knife into its head again. It then let's go of Louis, and falls to the ground. Louis pants.
"A wa clo e " Louis mutters.
"What?" I ask.
"Aa wah cloche." He repeated, a little more clearly, but I didn't understand.
"Oh!" I said. "That was close?"
Louis nods. I keep forgetting her can't speak. I sigh, and nod. I turn around to pick up the rabbit,
"That's all that was caught. Let's head back." I said. We moved through the trees, and back to the cabin. Our large truck is parked outside. I smile grimly, and sigh.