I Can't Lose You | Walking Dead Fan-Fiction [Violet x Clementine]

Chapter 1: Ericson's School for Troubled Youth

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I step out into the hallway, looking around to see the walls covered in graffiti. The end of the hallway had a barricade of debris blocking it off. "Guess I'm not going that way." I whisper to myself as I continue to walk down the hallway in the opposite direction. As I turn the corner, I see the door at the end of the hall opening. I knew I couldn't be spotted, but there wasn't much to hide behind in this hallway. I didn't know who was in these rooms either, so rushing into one blindly also wasn't an option. I run back down the hallway towards the barricade, before sliding across the floor to hide behind an empty trophy case. It wasn't a perfect spot, but it was enough for me to get a bit of a jump on whoever turned that corner. The sound of footsteps was slowly getting closer as he approaches the door to the room I was originally in. As soon as he notices it open, he draws his knife and slowly approaches it. I could easily disarm him, but the noise of the altercation could attract anyone else in the building. I need to try and handle this quietly if I wanna stay hidden and find AJ without being spotted. I slowly step out from my hiding spot, holding the knife towards him.

"Don't move. Stay where you are and don't turn around." I say in the most demanding and intimidating tone I could muster. I slowly started walking towards him, watching as he slowly moved his hands into the air at the sight of my own blade. "Put down the knife." I say calmly, the boy kept his hands in the air without dropping the knife, but he did keep it where I could see it so I didn't spring just yet. "How about you do the same?" A voice behind me says calmly, the sound of a bow drawing causing me to turn my head slightly. I see a silhouette in the darkness aiming his bow towards me. I glare him down, trying to weigh my options in this situation. If i drop the knife I'm completely disarmed once again and back at square one. I'll be completely vulnerable unless I could somehow manage to get that bow away from him. Even then, it's a two against one situation with this other kid and his knife. But on the other hand, if I don't drop the knife I could very easily take an arrow to the shoulder or worse. "We're not gonna hurt you. We got your boy, he's safe." He says as he slowly begins walking towards me in an attempt to close the distance. Despite him saying this, I keep my guard up and clench the knife. Why should I trust him anyway? He had be tied and locked in a room and I don't even know him, it wasn't exactly a good first impression. "I'll take you to see him. Just put down the knife." The boy from earlier slowly starts backing up towards him, looking scared of the situation. I didn't want to trust this guy, but if he has AJ then I guess I have no choice. If he was telling the truth I at least would be able to know where AJ is and find him. Plus, this other kid looks pretty scared, so they don't seem eager for bloodshed. Reluctantly, I drop the knife which clangs against the ground. The boy slowly removes his arrow from the bow as he walks into the light.

He had this blonde mullet haircut and a varsity sports jacket over top a red shirt. He returns his arrow and bow to his arrow-holder and sheath on his back "See? We're not gonna hurt you." He says as he puts his hands on his hips. He stands tall and confident, his blue eyes shining as he steps fully into the light. "I'm Marlon. The little guy is Tennessee, Tenn for short. He's the one who's been taking care of you." He says as he puts a hand around the younger one's shoulder. He was a short kid, with a large burn wound across the right side of his face. He didn't look up at me, he just stared at the floor. "He uh . . . doesn't talk much." Marlon says as he gestures to the kid. I nod in response to what he said, looking them both over as I try to spot any hidden weapons on them. "Clementine." I say almost monotone. I was still trying to keep my guard up and keep my distance, not exactly trusting them just yet. Something tells me he picked up on that, since he looked towards the door to the room I had just escaped from. "Sorry, about locking the door and tying you to the bed and all. You were in pretty rough shape when we found you. We just had to take precautions. You know . . . just in case." He says as he looks back towards me. I wanted to say something about it, but at the same time I couldn't really argue it. If I was being honest, I would've done the same. Besides, if I want to be able to get AJ and go I have to try and at least play nice with these guys. "No need to explain. Like you said, I was in pretty rough shape." I say, crossing my arms to try and show some good faith while also giving off the fact I still wasn't comfortable with them or this situation. Marlon just smiles at me, either not noticing or not caring. "Come on, let's go see your boy."