So there she was, looking down the long dark corridor. A single torch lit on the opposite end, with a blue door beside it. Soft faint whispers speaking to her as she couldn't make out the voices nor what they intended to say.
But with every passing step she took in the surrealistic corridor. Not only was it dark and narrow, but it was way too cold. She couldn't even see her own fingers because of the dark surroundings.
Clementine sniffled and stepped forward even more towards the blue door. The flames in the torch dancing and creating a shadow that followed her. And once she got closer to the door she could make out engravings etched out on it.
The door showed the letter 'D' and a skull symbol encompassing the letter. There was a surge of confusion in the brunettes eyes as she looked for a doorknob. Then suddenly it hit her, the door had no knob.
She looked back to where she came, not able to see inches past her body due to the thickness of the dark engulfing the atmosphere. So to overpower this she grabbed the torch from its sconce.
Then as she pulled it out of place, there was a clicking sound. And then the sound of gears shifting. And Clem turned around to find that the door, slowly opened. A small fog clouding the other side as it seeped through to her side.
Eventually the door was completely opened and the electronic clanking stopped. She willingly let herself through on the other side and without warning the door slammed shut. She wasn't sure where she was, but it was really hard to see with the deep fog.
She trudged along further until she reached a sign. She flashed the torch towards it and read it. McCarroll.
That was quite familiar to her, but her memory was nearly lost. She couldn't completely remember or she couldn't even think about a lot of things. And without even thinking, and involuntarily, she began walking forward.
As if by magic, the fog cleared and she could see the building ahead of her. Another big sign on top of the McCarrol building. Wide doors and huge windows on either side of the entrance. She tried the door but it wouldn't budge, so she ran across to one of the windows instead and broke in.
It was a miracle that nobody heard the breaking of the glass. But she persisted through the building, looking for something, she couldn't place her mind on what though. Then, out of nowhere, an arm wraps around her throat.
"You shouldn't have come here. We-" before he can say anything else, Clementine kicked him in between the legs and knocks him out. Clementine panted for a second and got a sense of deja vu.
She began walking around quietly, still searching for something. She must've come all this way for something. And as if on cue she heard it. There was a faint cry and a few stray voices coming down a hallway. So, instinctively, she sneaked down that way and pressed her ear to the wall.
"I'm telling you Parker, he won't budge." One of the guys said.
"So what? He's a little kid, if he doesn't listen, make him." The other guy, most likely Parker said. And without warning there was a sound of a smack and more crying. He cried louder and louder rising panic into the brunette. She reached down to the belt of her pants and pulled out her pistol.
Arming herself and making sure the gun was loaded, she took a deep breath. Closing her eyes as the young sobs filled her ears. Letting the air out and opening her eyes she noticed the doors encryption. An exotic design scratched its surface.
"Okay, Clementine, you can do this." She told herself, reassuring her to move forward. "Alright, on three. One, two, three." And just like that she opened the door. On the other side was two dudes assaulting her brother.
Suddenly her thoughts were lifted and a wave of realization hit her. She looked towards the younger appearance in AJ and became enraged by the bruised face and tears running down his cheeks.
She then raised her gun and aimed it at the first person she saw. An angered expression most apparent as the man lifted his arms in surrender. Another one fleeing the room quickly enough to avoid a shot from Clementine.
"You should've did your job Marsh." The man said but sounding more feminine then she would've thought. And before she knew it the man flashed a light in her eyes, giving her vision a pale white.
As she rubbed the rays out of her eyes she could see that she was in a brightly lit room. There was her, David and Ava, and a little girl sat and looked at them in fear.
She remembered this moment. This was when she took AJ to the park and The New Frontier grabbed her. She left AJ with his friends and she went with them. David was still in charge when this happened.
"We can't let her go. She knows too much, she can turn us in." David said.
"She won't cooperate with us either, what will we do about her. She won't let us get away with her parents deaths." Ava said, concerned about the current situation.
"Well what can we do then?" Clementine said, knowing what they would say but hoping that she was wrong. She wasn't.
"We have to do what's necessary." Ava said, as she walked toward a table with mixed weapons spreading across it.
"We don't have to do that." Clementine argued.
"No, Clementine. Ava's right. She always is in these scenarios." David shut her down.
"What are you- have you done this before?" Clementine asked with a fearful tone in her voice. The determined look in Ava's eyes only answered her question.
"Sorry Clementine." David spoke. "But we have to do what's right for the group, that includes you."
"No." Clementine said as she walked towards the kid and lended her hand, which she hesitantly accepted. "I'm not one of you anymore, so you can screw yourselves."
She turned around and led the little girl out of the doors from the bright room only for there to be a loud bang. The grip on the little girl tightened before loosening completely, becoming limp as Clementine looked at the little girl who fell immediately.
It all felt like slow motion, the body losing its grip and falling. Clementine could still see the fear in the girls eyes as she fell and limped to the side. A thick red liquid rising out of her chest. Clementine placing her hands on her chest for any hope to save the young girl. But the life was sucked out of her and she laid there with dull eyes staring at the ceiling.
Clementine watched the girl die in her arms and a feeling deep in her chest rose up. An aching feeling she hasn't felt in a long time. Empathy, sympathy, remorse, she felt terrible for letting the girl die. She looked towards the direction of the gunshot to find Ava standing there with a gun to her side and a hardened face on her. Clementine feeling madder than she's been in a very long time as she rushed towards her.
Ava dropped her gun and grabbed Clem by the waist and picked her up, slamming her to the ground as she was close enough. Clementine groaned at the impact and Ava looked down in pity on her.
"You seem so capable, you had ambition and motivation. Why would you throw that away?" She says to her as she walked to Clems front and stood over her.
Clementine saw this as an opportunity to knee her between the legs and get up. She got into a sparring stance as she watched Ava's patience dwindle.
"You're on thin ice Clementine!" Ava yelled.
"Shut the fuck up! You shot a child!" Clementine said before swinging a punch to Ava's face. Ava dodged it and punched Clem's flank. "A fucking child." Clem managed to say, catching her breath.
"I wouldn't expect you to understand. I have to make the tough calls. You're still too young to understand why I did what I had to." Ava said, trying to extinguish the flames that Clem lit up.
"You didn't have to shoot her. There was another way." Clementine argued. She then tried to punch Ava again but was blocked and kneed on her stomach. Making Clementine fall back and grip her stomach.
Clementine let her head face down with the sudden urge to throw up. But she hadn't eaten much that day so nothing came out. She then persevered to get up and take a fighting stance again.
"Clementine, we need to do this because this is necessary. If you can't find any other way, you just have to make your own way. She was a danger to us." Ava said and watched Clementine wipe the sweat off her brow as she neared closer.
"That's not what this is. What you do, what we do. It makes us less human, it turns us into monsters." Clementine said before roundhouse kicking Ava in the leg and knocking her down.
Ava looked up at Clementine who hovered over her and raised a fist. Ava scrunched up her nose with a snarl. She tried pushing her off but Clementine kept her balance, maintaining her weight as she punched the side of Ava's face.
"You're nothing." She spat and Clem began to punch her. Left arm, right arm, left again. She didn't stop until a voice behind her made her freeze.
"Clem!" The soft innocence coming from the little boy who was her brother. Seeing his older sibling beating someone half to death in such a young age. Clementine stopped and looked over at him, and David stood to his side.
"Get away from her Marsh." David ordered which Clem obeyed as she stepped away from the beaten woman.
"Clem?" AJ said softly, not aware of what was happening.
"Its okay AJ. You're okay." Clementine assured the boy.
"Everything is not okay, Clem." David told her. "You went behind your orders and you attacked one of our members. You put yourself before the group." David said.
"Who the fuck cares. You guys fucking killed that girl." Clementine said sarcastically.
"That's just it Clem. Everyone wants you out of the group. So I'm swapping you out for this strong man right here." David said as he gripped on the boys arm, raising alarms and bells for Clementine. More Frontiermen walking out and huddling around Clementine.
"No! You can't do that!" Clementine exclaimed. Looking from man to man to woman. As they looked at her with pity and doubt.
"You brought this on yourself." David said before pushing Clementine out of the way.
"No!" Clementine yelled, pulling her sleeve up to reveal the brand. "What was this? What's it all for? Don't forget, I'm one of you." She said.
David looked back at Ava who remained on the ground, unconscious. "Not anymore."
And just like that, they brought her away and took her far away. Stopping at a nearby alley and knocking her out. Making Clementine fall unconscious.
--
And like when you have that moment where you fall in your dream, she woke up quickly. She was back in her room, the nightstand read 5:15 as she caught her breath. She was on her bed and was sweating.
She had dreamt up her past. The days she'd least wanted to remember. She hated everything she's done, but there was no going back. She then got up to check on AJ. Walking into his room and saw him sleeping on his bed.
A sigh of relief left her lips as someone cleared their throats beside her.
"Early bird this morning are you?" He asked as he walked into the kitchen for some water.
"Good morning Lee. I just, had a bad dream is all. Not sure I'm going to be able to sleep anymore." Clementine told him before closing AJ's bedroom door.
"I hear you. I've had some myself actually." Lee told her which peeked her interest.
"What do you have to be afraid of. I thought you weren't scared of anything." Clementine said and laughs slightly at her own remark.
"That's not true. Everyone's scared of something Clem. Even me." Lee joked back and they began chatting.
Clementine wondered if she should tell Lee what she's been through. What she is involved in right now. But she knew it would be too much for him and he would get protective. It was better for him to be oblivious.
As she always says to herself when nobody talked to her. Ignorance is bliss. She had no doubt in her mind that this was true. So she let her life remain a secret. And they talked a little longer before Lee decided he would give himself another hours rest and left Clementine alone.
She was left with the memories from a long time ago and how she failed AJ. How much suffering she's caused. And even the lies she's told everyone she's ever known. Especially Lee.
And that's when she promised to herself that when all of this was over she would tell Lee everything. She didn't want to hold out on him but it was the only way to keep him safe. And she would keep doing it until there were no more threats.