Y/n Pov.
As we make our way through the forest, I can hear the birds over our head and the flowing of water from somewhere down the way. It's faint but still noticeable if you still pay attention. It's strange, I've never really thought much about it until now. I guess I don't really pay attention to things like this most of the time. Looking overhead, I can see the moon as Clem tries to carry me forward and I walk alongside her. Looking at my hands, I can see they're starting to get pale due to the blood loss.
Clementine: Coast is clear. If the shore is that way, the school is probably that way.
Y/n: (Coughs) I'd imagine so...
My body feels like it weighs another hundred pounds and I'm light headed, but I press on. I've got no choice. I pray that I'm able to keep on keeping on. I don't know what else there is to do.
Clementine: Stay with me, Hot stuff. You're not dying here. You're coming back home and you're going to sing me a song.
Y/n: (Chuckles) You got it.
She looks at me and I can see there's fear in her eyes, but for some reason I don't feel it. I just lean forward a bit as we walk and lay my head against hers. However, I soon hear Tenn speak.
Tenn: Aasim was the third.
Clementine: Huh?
Tenn: The day after AJ killed Marlon. You already know Violet and I voted for you guys to stay. Aasim was the third vote.
I think about it for a moment and it definitely seems like that was the case. He did help us out after all.
AJ: Wait, that means Omar voted us out? And Ruby?
Tenn: Yeah...
AJ: Hm.
Thinking about it, Ruby wasn't exactly happy with how everything ended. None of them were. But I still have no regrets. That's how I want to live my life, no regrets. That's the only way you can live in my opinion. If I can just make it through today, that'll be enough for me. I think so at least.
Y/n: Looking back, that makes sense.
Clem looks at Tenn.
Clementine: What made you think of that?
Tenn: Aasim said you guys knew how to survive. He could just tell the school would be safer with you there. I voted for you because I liked you, but his reason, it was better. I just... I just thought you should know. Aasim was right. We were safer. We were more scared than we let on, when you met us. You made that go away.
I laugh at the thought.
Y/n: Well a little light can always make the boogie man run in fear. And I'm an... eternal flame.
Clementine: That's really nice of you to say, Tenn. Thank you.
Tenn: That's okay. Now that we're out of danger and going back home, it just made me think of it.
AJ: I like Aasim.
I look down at AJ and nod.
Y/n: Me too. He's not as much of an asshole as I once might have thought.
Tenn: If Marlon was still in charge, we'd be taken away to wherever. Or dead. Instead, we fought back. Because you showed us how. We weren't safe with Marlon. Even in his "safe zone" we were just... hiding.
Suddenly, I hear a noise, and Clem draws her knife as she too hears it. The boys turn and we look by a tree, only for Violet to step out from behind it. We all breathe a sigh of relief. She walks over to us and AJ calls out her name.
AJ: Violet!
Tenn and AJ hug Violet. Violet looks at me and I can see her face suddenly fall as dread fills it.
Violet: Oh, my god...
I laugh lightly, but it still hurts my side.
Y/n: I-I've seen better days, that's for sure. But don't worry about me. I'll be okay.
Violet: I'm just glad you're alive. Both of you. How'd this happen?
Y/n: Let's just say your ex is one of the crazy kind. Seastone crossbow bolt in my side or stomach, I can't exactly remember and I don't want to look down. Either way, I-I think we could both use a little loving right now.
She comes over and lightly hugs us as to not hurt me. Violet places her head against mine while she holds Clem's hand before getting on my other side and helping Clementine hold me up so I don't fall. It definitely makes my legs feel slightly lighter, but not by a lot. But every little bit is a weight off of me so that's cool.
Violet: I couldn't believe you were really dead. I had to try and find you.
Clementine: You did find us.
Y/n: Good job, Violet. Did everyone else escape?
She nods.
Violet: Yeah, they're okay. They took the cart and headed back to the school. We're safe. All we gotta do now is find our way home and get our hubby hear some help before he bleeds to death.
Y/n: That would be preferred.
Clementine looks around.
Clementine: Any idea which way that is?
Violet: I know an old bridge near here. If we cross it, we won't be too far from the school.
Y/n: It's not over a deep body of water, is it?
Violet nods.
Violet: Yeah...
Y/n: (Sighs) Fucking bridges.
The group continues moving and I can see Violet taking glances by my wound. I can tell she's worried, hell, I can practically feel it. But I decide to change the topic. Thinking about all we've been through, I think about the years. I think our birthdays will be coming up soon if not have already came.
Y/n: Y'know, I think our birthdays are coming up soon.
Clementine: Why do you say that?
Y/n: Just looking at the dates and wanting... to take my mind off of stuff. I'm not quite sure, but it would make us like seventeen and AJ would be six.
Violet giggles.
Violet: I guess that means I'm kind of like an older lady. I'm already eighteen, so that would make me nineteen.
We both look at her kind of surprised.
Clementine: Damn, you definitely don't look your age.
Violet: Why thank you. Though don't act like you don't like the thought of an older lady.
She smirks at us and we both laugh, but again, my side fills with immense pain and I have to stop. The two look at me concerned, but I shake it off.
Y/n: Don't worry... Just hurts to laugh.
Violet: I promise I'll throw you guys a birthday party when we get back. How do you like the sound of that?
I look at her.
Y/n: Sounds awesome.
I think some more about our age and realize that would also include Molly.
Y/n: Y'know, that would mean Molly would be 28 give or take.
Clementine: Yeah, it does.
Violet and Tenn look at us confused.
Violet: Who is Molly?
AJ looks at them.
AJ: She's their or I guess our friend. Y/n says she helped look after them since sometime during the beginning and after I was born.
Y/n: Yeah. She's eleven years older than us. We haven't seen her in three or four years, give or take. But I know she's still out there.
Clementine looks at me.
Clementine: Then you know what that means. You've gotta live long enough to find her.
Y/n: I know.
We continue to walk down the dark moonlit way and we continue to have small conversations about our past while also talking about some other stuff as well. I feel my hat slip off of my head as I leaned down to adjust myself and AJ picks it up.
AJ: Here. Your hat fell.
Y/n: Why don't you hold onto it for me? Until we get home.
AJ thinks and puts it on his head, smiling. Violet looks down.
Violet: While we were looking for you guys, and I thought you might be gone for good... um, shit. I was trying to figure out what I'd do if you were gone, and I realized how goddamn stupid I was. About Minnie. For a whole fucking year.
Y/n: Violet.
Violet: I was so wrapped up in losing her and Sophie, I pushed away everyone who tried to care about me. Marlon, Brody, Louis. Even you, Y/n, and AJ. I tried my damnedest not to care about either of you. And I still couldn't tell you why.
Clem looks at our girlfriend.
Clementine: We know where you're coming from. After losing so many people, sometimes it's easier to keep everyone at arm's length. It's understandable. I've always had our firecracker by my side and if I lost him I don't know what I'd do. You were in the same position. It's got to be a terrifying thing.
Violet: I was a goddamn coward. I'm not a coward anymore. Jesus. Everything's so different now. Me, us. The school. I remember how Marlon described it, what we were gonna turn Ericson into. It's not the way any of us pictured it.
I look at her, curious.
Y/n: How did you picture it?
Violet: I guess I couldn't. I just listened to what Marlon said. How it would be a home, a real one. But I couldn't really wrap my head around it. My family lived in a trailer. What about you guys? Where'd you live?
Clem is the first to answer.
Clementine: I lived in a house, with my mom and dad. Fence around it. Big backyard.
Y/n: I live in a house similar, but I didn't have a treehouse in the back of mine I don't think. It's hard to remember things like that these days, but I bet my mom could tell you all about it.
Violet: What was your favorite part of the house?
Clem, again, answers first.
Clementine: Well, speaking of the treehouse... Looking back at it now, I really loved it. I had one in the backyard. I used to take my walkie-talkie up there and play for hours with Y/n, even if he wasn't really wanting to one day. I'd pretend it was a ship and I was the pirate captain, or it was an igloo and I was a hunter. Ooh, or a castle, and I was a princess with Y/n as my knight all the time.
Violet looks at me and they both giggle as I shake my head.
Violet: Really? Like with frilly dresses and a tiara?
Clementine: Yeah, but also a sword. A warrior princess.
Violet: Yeah, obviously.
Clementine: That treehouse kept us alive. It's where we hid.
Y/n: She would bug the shit out of me trying to get me to play some games even when I was sick. Though, I'll admit I liked her treehouse too. I remember one night, she and I slept up there by one another. Clem was afraid of the dark so I used my flames to make some small night lights for us. Kind of like my firefly light.
Clementine: (Giggles) I remember that. You woke up with me drooling on your arm.
I shake my head once again, but Violet turns the question to me.
Violet: How about you?
Y/n: Now that I think about it, I guess I would have to say my bedroom. It had some cool stuff like comics from this series called "Invincible." Which is weird as it was crazy violent. Unfortunately the world went to hellbefore the second comic in the series was released. I also had a Gameboy flip, Gamecube, Nintendo SNES, and a PS2.
Violet just looks at me dumbfounded and I find it a little funny.
Violet: Holy shit. Your parents must've loved you.
Y/n: Well it they were originally my parents, but they let me play too. Complete a full pokedex on Pokemon Blue. Quite the accomplishment at age seven, but I had my mom beat the Elite four.
Violet: Aw, my little nerd.
I look at her.
Y/n: I'm practically slumped...over. And you're still shorter than me.
Violet just stares at me.
Violet: You know I could drop you, right?
Y/n: But you won't because you love me.
Violet: (Sigh) My love for you and Clem is stronger than my want to let you fall.
I chuckle somewhat and we keep moving. Clem looks at Violet.
Clementine: You know, Ericson can still be the home Marlon promised. As soon as we get back, we'll start rebuilding.
Violet: It'll be a lot of work, but you're right. It is worth it.
I nod and I look forward. I can feel my body trying to fall asleep, but I'm not letting it. If I go down, I'm fucked. Just gotta keep talking. Gotta keep talking to stay awake so I don't die of bloodloss in my sleep. If I'm going out, I'm going to be fully aware of it.
Violet: Hell, we could even put in a treehouse. And maybe throw in some games we find with a generator or solar battery.
Clem smiles as do I.
Clementine: We've already got a belltower.
Y/n: And I doubt we'll be able to fit a generator in there.
Violet: Okay, we'll build a belltower-house.
Clementine: Perfect.
Violet looks at me and then at Clem as we keep down the dirt path.
Violet: After all that's happened, it's still hard to imagine. I mean, we fought for it. Defended it. It should feel more like home than ever. But it doesn't. You know what the problem is? That stupid fucking name, "Ericson".
I think about it. It was still just the name of the headmaster/principal guy.
Y/n: You wanna rename it?
Violet: Yeah, fuck that guy. We should name it something cool. Threatening, but not, like, scary. Something that makes assholes go, "I should stay away," but not, like, "Blood Murder Knife House".
Clem giggles to herself, but I can hear her.
Clementine: Happy Sunshine Land.
Y/n: (Grins) Nice one.
Violet laughs.
Violet: Oh, god... You know what? That's even worse!
Clementine: Welcome to Happy Sunshine Land!
Y/n: And here's Mayor Violet.
Violet quickly shakes her head.
Violet: No, no, damn it. I...I hate it!
Y/n: (Smirk) You totally love it, right Clem?
Clem looks at me.
Clementine: She totally does.
Tenn: I want to help rebuild our school.
Violet: You will, Tenn. We all will. We can start as soon as we get back to...
Y/n: Say it.
Violet: (Sighs) Happy Sunshine Land.