Clem rushed towards the blonde and caught up to her pretty quick. She grabbed Violet by the shoulder and turned her around to face her. Clementine noticed the distraught look on her face as she let a few tears slip.
"Violet, what happened?" Clem asked, Violets face fading not long after. Only looking more sad as she began to stutter out some words.
"Minnie said that I'm the next one on their list. I'm... what do I do?" Violet said, internally hugging herself, wrapping herself with her arms for comfort.
"Well for starters, never go alone." Clem said, sighing briefly before dragging the blonde back to the house before she tugged away. Clementine looking back with a confused glance.
"I-can we not go back there. I'd like to clear my head a little, but I would feel better if you were with me." Violet said before turning around and not making eye contact with the brunette.
"Sure." Clem said and took hold of her hand. They began walking side-by-side, hand-in-hand. Until they reached the park and Violet sat down on the bench.
It was a clear day with some sun shining down on the snowy sidewalk. The cold bench almost feeling like they sat in water. Violet didn't feel bothered by it but Clem wasn't enjoying the park bench and its slushed form.
"I like to observe others, from a distance." Violet said, Clementine leading her eyes to Violets wandering orbitals. "Also the park is a great place to be when you realize your life might be over any second." She said again.
"You're going to be fine." Clementine assured, looking directly at the side of her girlfriend's face. The blonde not making eye contact with the brunette.
"I will make sure noone gets to you."
"That's nice of you to say Clem. But you're wrong. You can't protect me. You heard Minnie, they're ruthless and terrible and heartless and will do anything to help their cause." Violet told the brunette, feeling unsure about her fate. Clementine only looking back down at the previous footsteps they left behind as they came.
"You know..." Clementine lures Violet in as she lifts up her jacket sleeve to reveal the same mark that The New Frontier brands to their newcomers. Violet looking back at the scar as she meets her golden eyes.
"When I joined this group, I had no idea what I was walking into. I mean, I knew it might involve some 'blood money' but I didn't care. I just knew that I needed it. The jobs that I was given, they were high risked. And most of the time I didn't know if I'd get home alive." Clementine told her, rolling her sleeve back down as the cold wind rushed up her arm.
"As finances got tougher and tougher, I had to ask for higher jobs. Which were even more risky. I'm talking like, bounty hunters action. I was sent to do things that I'm not proud of." She looked down at her hands, envisioning the blood, smelling the rotten aroma of what she left. Feeling the dark hole widening the more she told.
"All my victims had a chance to kill me."
"But they didn't." Violet interrupted.
"Exactly." Clem answered. "Just because they have a hit list on you doesn't mean they can get to you. We're about to storm their base and get every last one of them." Clementine said.
"We're not going to kill them though, right?" Violet asked.
"We don't have to, but we can't stop the Frontier from doing anything. Because if you do, you lose something important to you." Clem said as she still remembered the day she tried to save the kid's life.
How she found the girl crying and stopped one of the executioners from killing her. And then how AJ was taken for days and she had to tell Lee he was at a friend's for a long time. Right up until Javi and Kate began to lead, instead of David. Then they were willing to give AJ back to her. It was the longest week of her life.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to drag your mood down with mine. It's just, I guess I'm not the best at coping with my emotions." Violet tried to explain.
"I didn't either, until 'they' changed my life. If there's one thing I share with Lily, it's that I got mixed up with the wrong people and lost some remorse along my tracks." Clem told her.
"Remorse? You didn't feel bad for anybody you killed as a Frontier?" Violet asked.
"After a while. And I didn't just kill people. I tortured them too, for information about lots of things they were after." Clem said and Violet began to feel bad for Clem. She then outstretched her arm over the brunette and brought her into a side hug. They sat there, watching as couples or some people on their phones passed by them. The peaceful environment of the cold day rushing over her mind.
The relaxing scenery making the brunette relax further as her eyes drooped. Almost closing when a scream suddenly sounded. A child's scream. Alarming Clementine and Violet they stood up and saw a kid screaming while a man crouched by the kid's side and talked.
Clementine neared the girl screaming and looked at the man speaking to her. She walked in between the two and crossed her arms.
"Is that your daughter?" Clem asked protectively.
"Look girl, I don't have time for your little games okay. Just give me time with my kid." He said as he stood up to tower over the brunette. Clementine looked at the girl who stood still cowardly.
"Do you know this man?" She asked the girl, watching the shake of her head give the answer she was afraid of.
Clementine took another step towards the man and pointed a finger at him aggressively. She snarled at him as she spoke in a furious manner. Trying to show dominance as she stood on her tiptoes to level up with the man.
"You should be ashamed of yourself. Going to parks and talking to little girls. I'm going to call the police if you don't leave right now and stop messing with minors, do you understand me. I don't want to see you in this park anymore."
The man didn't even wince, he just stood there smiling. His grin was devilish, evil. His brown eyes squared up with the golden hue of the brunette's. He had brown hair and a scruff beard. Some gray hairs scattered along his head as well, so he was probably in his late 40's.
"Got spirit, I'll give you that." The man said in his rough voice. "But I wouldn't go around threatening people you don't know because you don't know who I am." He said in a menacing tone, frightening the younger girl.
"Clem." Violet whispered to her, sounding like she didn't want to be spotted. Clem diverted her eyes from the man and focused on the blonde beside the slide.
By the time Clementine looked back to the old man, he was already looking where she was looking. And he spotted the blonde who was attempting to hide herself. A smile playing his lips as he sighed out loud.
"Violet, you can come out." He said, the blonde standing up from her crouched pposition. A frightful look impaling her as she softly shrieks and made her way over to Clementine. Hoping that the closer she'll be with her the better. But Clementine's focus lingers on the man knowing her girlfriend's name.
"Violet, do you know this guy?" She asked, the blonde stuffing her hands in her pockets nervously.
"Uh... Clementine. This is... was my boss from Howes. Meet Mr. Carver." She said anxiously, stuttering and fidgeting the whole time. Clementine confised for a couple of seconds before remembering and understanding.
"Oh... uh. It's nice to meet you Mr. Carver." Clem said with her voice cracking suddenly.
"Please, call me Bill." He said as he extended his hand out for a shake. Which Clem politely refused.
"Violet's told me a lot about you." Clementine said confidently.
"Really? I hope I haven't made too much of an impression on her." He said as he lowered his arm on his side. "You got fire kid, embrace that flame. It reminds me of me when I was younger."
"Well, I'm not gonna turn up messing with little kids when I'm older. You're a fucking weirdo." Clementine told him, his expression unhinged.
"Actions create character. And the way you stepped up to that little girl I got to say, you got balls. If I was you and I saw someone messing with another, I wouldn't have the strength for confrontation. Not without ripping their head open." He said.
"Almost like the flame that Violet held onto one night at work. She had so much courage, so much strength. But she's looking pretty shy today aren't we Violet." He teased.
"Fuck you." Vi said to the man.
"Well, I can tell that I'm not welcome around here. I'm just gonna go. And Clementine, take care of yourself, I just know you'll do great things." Carver said and took off, leaving the park.
"So, that's Carver." Clementine said, understanding the fear driving the blonde.
"Yeah. And now he knows your with me. And I attacked him. This is bad Clem." Violet said and began pacing.
"Hey, it's okay. I'm not gonna let some old guy get the jump on me. Let's just go back to Louis's, right?" Clem said, hoping that she was on the same track. But she wasn't as she looked at Clem with occupied eyes.
"Actually I was hoping to just relax at your place." Violet said but Clem shook her head much to her disappointment.
"Violet, we have to go back. If Javi and Kate comes over, I need to be there when they do." Clem told her, Violets face dropping at the refusal of her request.
"Alright." She said monotonously, "if you say so Clem." Violet said and followed her out of the park and back down the trail. The natural beauty fading and turning into a more manufactured environment with big houses and buildings surrounding their background.
Clementine had her head held high as the duo reached the neighborhood that they must've walked up and down over a million times now. Coming short on the iron gate, and pressing the call button on the panel to the side of the opening.
A loud buzz sound emitted from the speaker and opened the gate wide. The two walked into the gates and made their way to the door. The sprinklers outside turning on and watering the grass and bushes that surrounded the nice and large house.
Walking up onto the front patio stood a couple ceiling lights with attached fans. There were a few rocking chairs and a swing bench. A few potted plants also was placed in appropriate spots of the spacious patio. And for the first time, Clementine took in the tall door that she briefly knocked on. It looked like it could be the height of the tallest man in the world and still be taller.
The door was something that she often overlooked, but now it casted more evident. Louis wasn't much taller than she was and by the descriptions he told her about his parents, they don't seem that tall either. So why the big door?
Before she could spiral down deeper into her elusive thoughts about the door. The door opened and Brody poked her head out. She looked at the puzzled look on Clem's face and smiled. Then noticed the dissociate look on Violet's and frowned.
"Hey guys, someone is here on behalf of Javi and David. I suppose she's here for you." Brody said as she looked at Clementine and awaited her response.
"It better not be who I think it is." Clementine said before walking in and heading for the stairs. She turns back and the other two girls are talking. So Clem left them in peace as she climbed up two flights of stairs. Hearing a conversation take place as they all sounded nervous and unnerved.
"Well what do we know?" A familiar female voice was heard.
"We know that they are vulnerable at certain times in the east entrance and that we might be able to manipulate some Delta grunts." Another female voice spoke, Sophie.
"Well, it's a start."
"Clem has most of the plan ready for us. If she comes back she can tell us what we're going to do." Sophie told the older voice.
Clem walked over to the room across the hallway from Minnie's room and opened it. The room filled with people. Even people who hasn't been seen in a while. Sophie, Louis, Aasim and Ruby. Then there was the substitute for The New Frontier. Ava.
"You." Clementine said with venom in her voice, using her whole will power to not rush her and rip her eyeballs out.
"Oh, it's you." Ava managed to say, almost distastefully. "David said I wouldn't like the pair up I was dealt. Looks like I doubted him too early."
"Why the hell would they send you? Of all people!" Clementine shouted. Ava finding it difficult to answer her as it still troubled her as well.
"Is there a problem we should know about with you two?" Aasim asked, crossing his arms and changing his stance.
Clementine looked between Aasim and Ava and back to the girls as they seemed to be wanting an answer as well. Then she let her eyes reach the floor as she sighed out loud. "Its nothing."
"Look, I was sent here whether we like it or not. I'm just here to gather up the plan and report it back to David. So if you could fill me in." Ava said, making Clementine sigh even louder. She then looked back at Ava and nodded.
"Fine, I'll fill you in." Clementine said as she took a seat on a bean bag chair. The soft comfort of the chair feeling relieving on the stressful day she was having. "This is what we got."