𝗧𝗜𝗘𝗦 𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗕𝗜𝗡𝗗 | 𝗣𝗔𝗥𝗧 𝗜𝗜𝗜
❝𝖧𝖤𝖸, 𝖸𝖮𝖴...❞
𝗜 𝗪𝗢𝗞𝗘 𝗨𝗣 𝗜𝗡 𝗣𝗔𝗜𝗡, but it wasn’t the same pain I was used to. This time it was physical and it shot across my forehead and skull, making me scrunch my eyes up with a groan. After a few minutes, I felt like I was over the pain enough to look around a bit. I saw Javi beside me, looking like he was just waking up, too. But just past him, there was a man driving a truck we were in, going down a deserted road to God-knows-where.
I was about to try and speak, when I found all I did was make muffled sounds. Looking down to the bridge of my nose, I could just see my bandana tied up tightly around my mouth, most likely to stop me talking. I groaned through the cloth, alerting the driver of my consciousness and all he did was scoff. I glared back, feeling the zip ties they had used on my wrist begin to cut into my skin. Next thing I knew, Javi was fully awake, looking towards the driver with a determined expression.
Javier: Hey, my family. Where are they? What did you do with my family!?
The driver didn’t answer, purposefully keeping his eyes on the road.
Javier: And why does she have her bandana around her mouth?
All he did was chuckle at that question, making me huff and roll my eyes.
Javier: Please, man!
Man: Just do us both a favor and pretend you’re still asleep. I wouldn’t start talking if I were you. You’re lucky we do things a certain way. I’m already tempted to put a bullet in both your brains for what you did to Lonnie back there. If we start talking, I’m gonna get angry. But to answer about the bandana, I was told she had a big mouth. I don’t like talkers.
Emma: Mmm hmm mmm. (I can tell.)
He just looked at me quickly, turning back to the road laughing quietly to himself.
Javier: Well, I don’t think that’s fair. There’s gotta be a way we can work all this out. You know? Make a deal or something.
Man: It ain’t my call, alright? You’d both best be glad it ain’t.
Javier: Please, just–
Man: Stop! Alright? You don’t want me riled up, kid. Not another word, or God help me. I’ll put you to sleep myself. Try to be more like your friend over there.
Emma: Hmm mm. (Fuck you.)
Man: We still got a haul ahead of us and I’m not about to listen to– What the hell…?
I widened my eyes, looking out at the road ahead, seeing a tree starting to fall before our eyes, right in front of the truck.
Emma: MMMMM. (STOP!)
Javier: Stop. Stop!
Man: Oh, shit! No, no, no!
It kept falling, hitting the concrete with a destructive bang, the man having to swerve the truck away to not crash. But instead of crashing into a tree, we ended up in a ditch, all of us flying forwards as we hit the ground. I felt blood running freely down my head from hitting my head on the dashboard, but it didn’t hurt as much as the pain when I woke up. The man, on the other hand, had hit his head into the steering wheel, passing out on impact. I nodded to Javier, directing my head towards the gun that sat in front of him. He took it in his tied hands before the man regained consciousness, both of us quickly getting out the passenger side.
As soon as we had our backs turned, however, the man jumped out the truck, a bruise already forming on his forehead and ran towards a clearing in the distance.
Javier: Hey!
He pointed the gun towards the stranger, making him raise his hands and freeze. I looked at Javi, shaking my head.
Emma: Mm mmm hm. (Not worth it.)
He seemed to understand, lowering the pistol slowly and the man nodded curtly, running through the clearing and far away. I sighed through the bandana, feeling like we were in the clear, but then a shotgun barrel stabbed itself into my back painfully.
Emma: Hmm mm? (What now?)
Javier: Fuck… Yeah, alright…
Javi dropped the gun, sighing alongside me, both of us breathing deeply.
Stranger: That’s good. Just keep looking forward.
The voice echoed in my head, I almost felt dizzy and it wasn’t from my two severe head injuries. It couldn’t be…? Could it. I shouldn’t get my hopes up, right? I could already feel those shattered pieces springing up again in desperation.
Javier: Look, we’re already having a bad fucking day here. This is not what it looks like.
Stranger: Looks like you let him go. I doubt he’d have done the same for you.
Her voice was hard, lost of emotion. But it was familiar all the same. It had to be… Shit.
The stranger leaned down, picking up the pistol Javier had dropped, but we still couldn’t see what she looked like, making me curse internally. I needed to know otherwise I’d die of a heart attack right here, right now.
Stranger: Okay. Now, don’t do anything stupid. ‘Cause I’m not as nice as you. I won’t hesitate.
She walked in front of us, and this time my heart stopped. The shattered pieces were jumping around my chest, not taking a second to breath. It was her.
Emma: Mmmm!? (Clementine!?)
The girl looked at me, squinting with a glint of hope, undeniable hope, in her eyes. She glanced at my face, her eyes wandering to my hat at once and then her eyes widened.
Clementine: Emma!?
I nodded desperately, tears pricking my eyes. I found her. She was here. Oh, my God, she was here. She rushed over to me, wrapping her arms around me in a hug, one that I never wanted to leave. Her eyes shimmered with tears, the hope lighting up like flames.
Clementine: I thought you were dead! I really did! I am so happy you’re not!
I nodded again, blinking away my tears. I wanted to respond, but my fucking bandana stopped me. After a few more moments of silence, Clementine got confused, stepping back from the hug, but she seemed to understand after seeing the bandana. She brought her hand up, pulling it down and pushing away a strand of hair from my face, freezing there, both of us breathless.
Emma: Hey…
She bit her lip with a smile, the tears falling down from her eyes. I couldn’t stop my own anymore, laughing out of happiness that she was here. She was really here!
Clementine: Hey, you…
Emma: Fuck, I missed you so much!
I wrapped her in a hug again, making her smile and welcome it.
Clementine: You don’t even know the half of it!
I leaned back, wiping the tears from her eyes and smiling broadly. She smiled back, her hazel eyes looking deep into my blue ones. They sparkled before me and I couldn’t help but want to never look away. Then there was a clearing of a throat behind us.
Both of us turned around, seeing Javi standing there awkwardly with a surprised expression on his face.
Javier: Sorry, I don’t mean to interrupt… Is this the ‘Clementine’?
I nodded quickly, looking back at her, not wanting to lose sight of her again. I had to stay by her side, if I wasn’t, we might be split up again. And that was not happening.
Clementine: The ‘Clementine’, huh?
Emma: What can I say? You’re important to me…
She looked away, tucking her own hair behind her ear, shyly, a red blush dusting her cheeks. I don’t know why, but I felt pure joy from seeing this reaction from her.
Javi walked over, reaching out one of his tied up hands in welcome, wanting to shake Clem’s hand. She looked at it cautiously, but after a reassuring nod from me, she shook it.
Javier: Name’s Javier.
Clementine: And I’m the ‘Clementine’, apparently.
Javier: I’ve heard a lot about you.
Clementine: All good things…?
Emma: Of course.
There was another moment of silence as I looked into her eyes. I just couldn’t believe she was here, in front of me, not just in my head, her voice in a loop. Now, she was actually saying actual words. New ones that meant something more.
Javier: I hate to side track, but why did you chop down that tree?
Clementine: I needed the truck, you just happened to be in it. Luckily…
She looked back at me, holding onto my hand, rubbing her palm over mine.
Javier: You seem to have a lot to talk to, but um… we kind of need to be somewhere.
He looked pointedly at me and I started, looking at Clementine, hurriedly.
Emma: We need to find Javi’s family again… we got attacked in a junkyard down the 552. They don’t know where we are, but we need to make sure they’re safe. Can you help us?
Clementine: Normally, I wouldn’t agree.
Emma: Smart.
Clementine: But you’re a special case. You’re lucky, Javier. You had my weakness with you.
I smirked at that, and we headed down the road, Clementine cutting both our zip ties with her knife.
Clementine: Do you have a car?
She asked this quite abruptly, making me and Javi turn to her in confusion.
Javier: Yeah, why?
Clementine: Look, I know Emma trusts you, but I still don’t know you. I’m looking for a car and this is the deal. I help you get back to your family and I take the car, okay?
Biting my lip, I looked at Javier, but he’d already made up his mind about what was more important.
Javier: Fine.
Emma: Clem…
She turned to me, a cloud over her eyes.
Clementine: Hmm?
Emma: You’re going to leave after you help us, aren’t you?
Clementine: No. No… Well, I’m not going to leave you. I was gonna ask… Do you want to come with me? It’s completely your choice, I know it’s been, like, eleven months and twenty-five days… I just thought, maybe… Do you want to?
I looked at Javi, but I’d made up my mind months ago. I knew that I’d always pick her. It would always be her.
Emma: Of course I’ll go with you, Clem. Are you nuts? We’re the dream team, remember?
She smiled broadly, her eyes crinkled with happiness, her dimples standing out a mile away. She’d always been pretty, but something had changed. She was… grown up. And so was I. But… No. I couldn’t.
Javier: Emma…?
Emma: I’m sorry, Javi, I am. I appreciate you letting me stay with you for these past months, seriously, you basically saved my life that day I nearly stole your food… It’s just– We’ve got history. Deep, long, complicated, amazing history and I can’t just ignore that.
Javier: No, no. I get it. I just think Mariana and the rest of them are going to be upset, is all.
I watched Clem’s face switch from happiness to confusion and a mix of something else.
Clementine: Mariana?
Emma: Javier’s niece. There’s also Gabe, his nephew and Kate, his sister-in-law.
Javier: Ex sister-in-law, technically.
He mumbled it and I raised an eyebrow. He always liked to correct me on that fact.
Emma: Ex sister-in-law, sorry.
Clementine: Huh. Not to be rude, but where’s the kids’ dad?
Javier: We don’t… know. We don’t know.
Clementine: Oh, right. Sorry.
We kept walking, me looking at Clementine every few seconds, my breath catching every time, expecting her to just disappear into my imagination again. But no, she was still there. And I couldn’t be happier.
As we were about to cross an intersection, we looked down the road to our left, all of us gasping and hiding behind the bushes. The herd of walkers that we had been tracking were walking in the same direction to us.
Javier: Muertos… the herd caught up with us.
Emma: Shit…
We were able to sneak past the crowd quickly, going on our way.
Clementine: Muertos…
Javier: What do you call ‘em?
Clementine: Walkers.
Javier: Oh, yeah. Emma’s called them that a few times, too. But every time I ask the question she answers with the same response.
Clementine: What question?
Javier: What do you call the ones that run?
Emma & Clementine: They’re all fucking walkers.
Laughing, we looked at each other with wide smiles. Javier seemed to adorn a smile at just the sight of us.
As we caught our breaths again, we came to the start of a forest, heading in. I just couldn’t believe the one thing I’d been dreaming of for nearly a year was here and beside me with that beautiful smile. It didn’t seem real, yet it was. Almost like fate.