Just as I was about to fall asleep, I heard a small knock at my door. It was quiet and hardly audible, but I heard it. I got up from my bed, slightly disgruntled from the interruption, but opened my bedroom door to find AJ standing outside looking scared. He looked up at me, eyes wide with fear and concern. I furrowed my eyebrows, crouching down to his level with a yawn.
Y/n: What’s up, little dude?
AJ: Clem. She said she’d be gone for a minute, but she’s not back yet.
I was suddenly fully awake, listening intently.
Y/n: Huh? Where did she go? Why did she leave your room?
AJ: We heard voices. Brody and Marlon. They were shouting at each other. Something about trading, I think, we couldn’t hear that well.
My heart sank as I got a horrible feeling in my stomach. This wasn’t good and I needed to find her.
Y/n: Can you show me where she went, AJ?
AJ: I think so.
I followed the boy as he walked through the dorms, into the admin building and out into the courtyard. There we found Marlon, kneeling on the floor, turned away from us. It was raining hard now and it felt like a storm was coming.
Y/n: Marlon?
The boy turned around, his eyes wide and face fearful. Slowly he got up from his crouching position, standing up right, slightly taller than me. His face was covered in red liquid and it hit me. Blood.
Y/n: Marlon, what did you do?
Marlon: I-I didn’t mean to, I-I… I didn’t do anything. I…
AJ: Where’s Clementine?
Marlon looked scared, trying to back away as the two of us kept following him.
Marlon: I-I couldn’t stop her, s-she just…
Y/n: Answer AJ’s question, Marlon.
Marlon: I-I don’t know.
AJ seemed to have enough, pulling out his small revolver from his back pocket. He pointed it at Marlon, eyebrows furrowed in anger. Marlon put his hands up, whimpering in fright.
AJ: Where is she!?
Y/n: Hey, AJ, how about we calm down?
Marlon: Make him put it down!
AJ: No! Where is Clementine!?
Our shouting seemed to get the attention of more sleeping people, as Louis, Willy, Ruby, Aasim, Mitch and Omar walked out from the admin building. They rushed over as soon as they saw what was happening, eyes wide, scared to get closer.
AJ: Where’s Clementine!?
Louis: AJ, put the gun down!
The blonde boy seemed relieved to see some more people surrounding them.
Marlon: Get this fucking psycho away from me!
AJ: Where is she!?
Y/n: Come on, AJ. Let’s calm down. This isn’t the way to do things.
Marlon: She’s… She’s in the basement. Sh--she murdered Brody!
There was a crash of thunder as lightning hit the sky, everybody’s face dropping at the piece of information Marlon just shared.
Willy: What?
Some people stepped forward, needing to know more.
Mitch: Is that blood on your face?
Ruby: Why Brody?
Aasim: Did you see it happen?
Y/n: What the fuck are you on about?
Willy: Is she a walker now?
???: That’s bullshit, Marlon!
The familiar voice called from behind the crowd and all of us turned to see Clementine, still alive, but covered in red blood. This didn’t look great for her with what Marlon was claiming.
AJ: Clem!
Clementine: You killed Brody. You hit her so hard, her head split open!
My gut was still feeling slightly unnerved, the horrible feeling filling me up. I had a thought that maybe Marlon was lying. I don’t know how I knew this, but I didn’t want to believe it.
Marlon: That’s a lie! I saw you kill her!
Violet and Tenn rushed out from the Admin Building, finally having woken up.
Violet: What the hell is going on?
Marlon: Look at her hands! She’s covered in Brody’s blood!
We all looked at her, seeing her look to her hands quickly. When she lifted her head, she met my gaze, giving me a pleading look and I knew that she was telling the truth. My jaw clenched and I looked back at Marlon, angrily.
Aasim: Jesus Christ, Clem.
Tenn: What did you do?
Y/n: Marlon, you’re covered in it, too!
He noticed this, but before anyone could react, he rushed forward, shoving AJ to the ground and grabbing his gun. I walked over to the boy, me and Louis helping him back up as Marlon aimed the gun at the sky.
Marlon: We saved their lives when anyone else would’ve kept walking! We fed them, we kept them warm! And this is how they thank us!? Guns being pulled and murder! Well, FUCK. THEM.
He aimed the gun at Clementine, eyes wild as I watched the boy I’d grown up with turn into a mad man out of guilt.
Willy: What the fuck?
Mitch: Marlon?
Omar: Jesus Christ.
The girl walked forward once more, face determined to prove the manic boy wrong.
Clementine: You shoot me, and what do you offer up to your raider friends when they come knocking?
Aasim: What the hell is she talking about?
Clementine: He won’t do it because he needs us alive.
Marlon: Shut up.
Clementine: Brody told me Marlon was gonna give me and AJ up to raiders in exchange for safety. The same way he gave up Sophie and Minnie!
Omar: Raiders?
Ruby: Oh, my God!
Marlon: Shut the fuck up, Clementine?
Y/n: Let her talk!
Clementine: Brody told me the truth, and that’s when Marlon killed her.
Marlon swung the gun around like it was a toy, pointing it at anyone he was looking at. He was trying to act nonchalant, but I had known him long enough that deep down he was out of his mind.
Marlon: Aw, come the fuck on! They only met up with these ‘raiders’ because Clementine insisted they go out there. Quite the coincidence, isn’t it? Shame I don’t believe in those. Think about how scared we all were when the adults left. I pulled us out of that fear. I gave us all courage again. Who are y’all gonna believe, huh? Johnny-come-lately and her little fucking lunatic? Or me? Your friend?
Omar: She did help us get food.
Aasim: What good is food if a group of outsiders is gonna come along and take it? I’m just saying.
Willy: Man, this is fucked up.
Ruby: We don’t know her, y’all. I hate to say it, but we don’t.
I turned to look at everybody as they looked unsure of the whole situation, they didn’t know who to believe. I looked up and met Clementine’s eyes, the pleading look was back and I knew what was going to happen.
Clementine: Y/n, please, help me.
The blonde boy looked at me, eyebrows furrowed.
Marlon: Why would you? You met her like two days ago!
My stomach twisted with confusion. Marlon had been my best friend for years, but I was sure he’d done something horrible and Clementine I had only met a few days ago, yet I felt such a connection to her. This was fucked.
Y/n: I-I don’t know…
Clementine: This isn’t like you. I know you’re not weak.
Marlon: Don’t let her get in your head. Hey, who was the person who helped me build this school up with our bare hands? Who helped me keep these people, your friends, safe for years?
I looked at both of them, my mind melting at the decision.
Y/n: Marlon, Clem, I… Shit.
The boy took his chance, carrying on talking.
Marlon: We’ll all feel safer. Once I pull this trigger.
My mind was made up at that, he was ready to kill someone just because they were telling the truth. He wasn’t right and everyone needed to know. So, I stepped in front of Clementine, pulling out my sword.
Marlon: Y/n, you’re a fucking traitor.
I tried to ignore how much his words hurt, shaking my head and biting the inside of my cheek.
Y/n: Just put the fucking gun down. This isn’t how we do things.
The rest of the crowd walked forwards, too, following my lead.
Aasim: Stand down, Marlon. Be reasonable.
The boy didn’t seem happy with this resolution as he grew angrier and more panicked.
Marlon: You don’t get it. You -- you don’t understand at all, do you?
He brought the gun up, pointing it at all of us, making us all jump back.
Marlon: I’m trying to protect you! All of you! Every fucking one of you!
More thunder sounded around us, the lightning being the only source of light as the rain still poured down. By now I was completely soaked, the rain blurring my vision.
Clementine: How does pointing a loaded gun around protect anyone? Brody’s dead. Sophie and Minnie are gone. You suck at protection.
He pointed the gun back at Clementine, the fury controlling him.
Marlon: Shut your fucking mouth! I made the right call. I saved the lives of everyone in this rucking school! If they came back… I’d do it again!
The thunder rumbled.
Ruby: Excuse me?
Aasim: I didn’t realise we were so fucking expendable.
Mitch: You’re a dick.
Y/n: What the actual fuck, Marlon?
Tenn: You told me they died!
The gun drooped in his hand, his voice becoming quieter as he noticed all the hurt and pain in our voices and faces. He was brought back to his right mind by our reactions, he knew he did something horrible. But he was just trying to protect us, but that didn’t change a thing.
Marlon: I had to save the rest of you, okay?
Tenn: You gave my sister’s away. Why would you do something like that? I trusted you, Marlon! THEY trusted you!
Clementine: Easy. Because he’s a coward.
The gun had fully come to Marlon’s side, he hung his head and he sighed slowly in the pouring rain.
Marlon: I wanted to get them. Stage some kind of rescue. Honest, Tenn. I just couldn’t. I was… I was too afraid.
Tenn: You killed Brody because she knew?
Marlon: Mm-hmm. I didn’t mean to. I didn’t want this. I wanted to save all of you. Sophie, Minerva. I didn’t want to hurt them.
And he admitted it. He murdered Brody. He gave away Sophie and Minnie. He was a murderer and he was ready to lie to all of us to avoid his own horrible choice. Clementine rushed forward and wrestled the boy for the gun and she came out on top, throwing the gun to the side. The blonde boy was on his knees and held up his hands in surrender.
Marlon: I’m done! I’m done. I’m done.
Mitch: Whoa. She kicked his ass.
Y/n: Not the time, Mitch.
Clementine stepped forward, her hands on her hips.
Clementine: You’re getting thrown into the basement until we can figure out what to do with you.
Marlon: Fine… Okay, fine.
The boy got up from his knees, hands still up as his broken expression looked over all of us.
Marlon: You win. I can’t--
A gunshot echoed around the courtyard, making everyone jump and stare in shock as everything went into slow motion. The rain was hitting the floor in splashes and the lightning reflected in the water, shaking from the thunder. I watched as Marlon’s body hit the floor, knees first and then head. A bullet wound through his head, blood dripping everywhere and his eyes filled with ghostly fear. Everyone looked up to see AJ, gun in hand, looking up at us, innocently.
AJ: What? I aimed for the head.
A/n
So this is the end of the first episode, so yeah, time for the next one. Hope you're enjoying it! :)