A/N: So, this took longer to write than expected. This one-shot/sequel to "A Reward" is another birthday present for PeanutFangirl! Happy Birthday BFF, I love you! So I hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own the Walking Dead Game.
In Cold Water
Daisyfan5534
One-Shot
A yawn broke the silence of the room. Clementine woke up after a long night's rest. She sat up, letting her legs hang off the couch as she rubbed her eyes.
"Morning, sleepyhead."
Clementine turned her head towards the voice to see Luke tending to the fire in the fireplace. He heard her yawn, so he knew she was awake.
"You sleep well? I assume that you did." he asked.
"Yeah…" Minus a extremely crappy cot one time, Clementine's been sleeping on the old furniture. The couches and chairs weren't the most comfortable, but they were better than the cot. "What time is it?"
"I don't know, probably around eleven or something." Luke responded.
Clementine looked around the small cabin. "Where's Nick?"
"Getting lunch, I assume." Luke told her.
The little girl stood up, stretching her limbs before picking up her gun off of the coffee table in front of her. She tucked it in her pants as she approached Luke.
"Do you need help with anything?" she asked.
"Well, we're running low on firewood, you can help me chop some." he said.
Luke stood up, walking towards the only door in the cabin with Clementine not far behind. They walked along the side of the cabin, finding the stack of logs from the previous owner before the world turned on its head. Clementine picked up a log and placed it on a stump, letting Luke chop the wood. The two continued with their system, getting a good amount of firewood chopped.
"Okay, I think we're done." Luke said gathering the wood. "Why don't you go see if Nick needs help. He should be back by now."
"Okay." Clementine nodded before starting in the direction of a lake a few minutes away from the cabin.
It's been only the Clementine, Luke, and Nick for a few weeks. Their old group slowly fell apart. Rebecca and her child were the first to go. She died giving birth and the baby's neck was wrapped around the umbilical cord. Next was Sarah and Carlos, walkers ambushed them and she had a panic attack. Her dad protected her the best he could, but he couldn't prevent the inevitable for both of them. Lastly, Alvin who went into depression after losing Rebecca and his child. He killed himself, saying he wanted to be with his family.
Thankfully, the remaining three have avoided Carver's capture and found a small cabin to hold out in for a while. They've been rationing their food and they've been fishing in the lake.
"Easy man, just calm down."
"It does not take this long to catch a fish!"
Clementine froze. The first voice was Nick and the second was one she didn't recognize. She approached closer to the lake, making sure not to draw attention to herself. She saw a tall guy with Nick, holding him at gunpoint.
"Sometimes they don't bite."
"Don't make excuses! If I don't get my share, then you don't leave the dock!"
This was why Nick came back with only a fish or not even anything, he was being threatened. Clem withdrew her gun and had it ready, in case she needed to shoot.
"I'm doing my best here." Nick said.
"And I'm doing my best to not resort to cannibalism." The guy said. "I trailed you back to your place once; you've got a small cabin, not to mention your group seems pretty nice, too. The guy looks like he's your friend, and then I saw that you had a little girl with you. It would be a shame if I had to eat them as well, but I'm sure they'd keep me alive."
"You stay away from them, especially her!" Nick said in response.
Clementine approached the dock, trying to stay as quiet as possible.
"Just give me my share and I will."
"Fishing is mostly on luck, there might not be a catch today." Nick did his best to reason with the man who continued to get mad.
"I'm not dicking around." he shoved the gun in Nick's back, causing him to turn around towards the man and have the barrel get pressed against his forehead. "If they aren't biting, then I'm eating you for the week. And I'm sure your friend and the girl can hold me over for the wint-"
BANG!
"Shit!"
SPLASH!
"Nick!" Clementine yelled, putting her gun away and running to the end of the dock. She shot the man and he fell on top of Nick and they both landed in the water.
Nick surfaced, coughing the excess water out of his body. He looked at the dock seeing Clementine sticking her hand out towards him. Nick accepted it and she helped pull him out of the cold lake water.
"Thanks, Clem."
"I heard gunfire, what happened?" Luke said as he came running towards the two on the dock.
"Clem took care of it. A guy has been sabotaging our fish supply by threatening me." Nick said, rubbing his arms to keep warm.
"Are you serious?" Luke asked.
"He's dead now, it doesn't matter." Clementine said.
"Yeah, I'd like a fire right about now." Nick complained. The winter weather was starting to freeze his wet clothes.
"Okay, then let's head back." Luke said.
The crackle of the fire was the only sound of the room. Nick wasn't completely dry, but he was getting there. Currently, he was sitting by the fire with Clementine and Luke playing poker with a deck of cards and a large box of crayons. Discussing the incident and future plans.
"I still can't believe you didn't tell us, we would have helped." Clementine said.
"He said he'd kill me and my group if I said a word about it." Nick explained.
"So this guy would have eaten us?" Luke asked.
"I don't know. I wasn't sure if it was just a threat or if he was being serious, but I didn't want to risk it." Nick added. "I fold."
"One pair." Clementine said laying down her cards.
"Two pair… Of aces." Luke said laying his hand down.
Clem huffed in defeat, giving her cards to Luke so he can shuffle the deck.
"So what should we do? This cabin is too small for us to stay here forever." Luke mentioned.
"My friend Christa mentioned a camp up north called Wellington." Clementine said.
"Is it real?" Nick asked.
"I don't know…." Clem responded.
"Then it's bullshit."
"Nick." Luke started.
"I'm just saying. What if we march up there in the freezing cold and it doesn't exist? What then?" Nick explained.
"Yeah, you do make a point." Clementine admitted.
"You know, I bet there is something in D.C.." Luke started. "Considering it's the capital, you'd think they'd have a base."
"Good point." Nick said.
"How far is it?" Clem asked.
"Far." Luke said. "I say we collect as much fish as we can and keep it in a bag to take with us, in case we don't find more food. The winter is going to be rough."
"So we leave tomorrow?" she asked.
"Yeah, we leave tomorrow." Luke confirmed.
Weeks went by and the temperature got colder. The trio were trying to get through a snowstorm and find shelter for the night. They were freezing. Luke was leading, with Nick not far behind him; Clementine was doing her best to keep up with the boys.
"See anything?" Nick yelled through the harsh wind.
"Nothing yet!" Luke yelled back.
Nick turned his head back towards the little girl following him. "You doing okay, Clem?"
"I- I'm fine!" she responded trying not to worry him, but it was a lie.
Clementine was shivering from the cold. Her clothes weren't thick enough to keep her warm, not even a little bit. The storm was slowly turning her into a popsicle; she could feel her body shutting down on her. Clementine did her best to fight against it, but it was no use, her legs gave out on her. She collapsed to her knees, taking a few shaky breaths before trying to back stand up. Clementine could only take a couple small steps before falling to her knees again.
"N- Nick?" she called out ahead of her, hoping to get his attention. "L- Luke?" her voice barely came out louder than a whisper.
Clementine began to worry, surely they'd notice that she fell behind, right? She tried to stand up again, only to barely get off of her knees and fall face first into the snow. It stung her face and hands temporarily, causing her to try and get up again. She tried to push herself off the ground with her arms, but they gave out on her as well, sending her back into the snow. Her body ached in pain and from the cold.
That was it, if Luke and Nick didn't come back for her she was going to die of hypothermia. Clementine fought against the pain, bringing herself into a fetal position to try and preserve whatever little heat she had left in her body.
A few minutes went by and she heard some footsteps crunch in the snow, coming closer to her. They came back. Clementine could feel herself get picked up and have a warm, thick coat wrap around her body, shielding her from the cold. Wait, Luke and Nick didn't have coats, but she knew who did.
"N-no…" she tried to speak with her weak voice.
"Shhh… It's alright." whispered a gravely voice. "Come on."
Carver caught her, and now he was taking her away. Clementine was frozen, she couldn't fight against him. All she could do was let it happen and hope Luke and Nick find her.
"There!" Luke yelled through the wind. He saw a building in the distance.
He and Nick raced towards it, relieved that they finally found somewhere to stay for the night. The building, upon closer inspection, was yet another cabin, but it was bigger than the last one. They went inside, shaking off the cold before looking around the house making sure it's safe.
"Clear!" Nick called from the kitchen as he went back to the living room.
"Clear!" Luke called as he joined him. "There's a bed, no more crappy furniture."
"How big is it?" Nick asked.
"Big enough for all three of us. I also found a shotgun and…" Luke started looking around.
"What?" Nick asked noticing his concern, then realized what was wrong.
They both looked at each other worryingly. "Clem." They said in unison.
Luke and Nick ran back outside into the storm.
"Clem!" Nick hollered.
"We got to find her, the kid's going to freeze to death!" Luke exclaimed after Nick got no response.
"She can't be far." Nick said before he ran through the snow trying to find the young girl.
Clementine sniffled, her body slowly defrosting from the cold thanks to the small fire Carver built. He took her to a small, run-down shack. She and guys passed it while looking for shelter. The only reason they didn't stay in it was because it was too small, and it was about ready to break from the storm.
"Relax now." Carver spoke as he finished tying her wrists in front of her and began tying her ankles together so she couldn't get away.
Clementine sniffled again, coughing shortly after. She was getting sick from the snowstorm, just great.
"Wh-why did y-you save me?" She asked.
"Well, I couldn't let you freeze, besides you're a special, little girl." He responded.
"Th-they'll find me." Clementine told him. Despite the fire in front of her, she was still freezing.
"Maybe they will and maybe they won't. I just want to talk." Carver finished tying her ankles and began patting the girl down for weapons. He took her gun off of her, showing it to the child. "Just so we're clear, if you try anything, you'll regret it. Is that understood?"
Clementine gave a shaky sigh and nodded, having no other choice.
"Good."
He stood up, taking a bucket into his hand and walking outside, shutting the door behind him.
There wasn't much she could do. Clem had no idea what Carver wanted, and he would probably kill her if she tried to escape. Not to mention that she was cold and most likely catching one because of it. If she were to escape, where would she go? She could possibly die out there.
Carver came back in with the bucket, closing the door to keep the heat in. He set the bucket down and walked back over to Clementine, sitting down in front of her, letting the fire be in the middle of them.
"It's cold out there, wouldn't you agree?" He asked, trying to start conversation.
"Wha-what do you w-want?" Clementine just wanted to get straight to the point.
"You're direct, I like that." Caver mentioned. "I want you to come back to my camp with me."
This surprise Clem.
"You're exactly what we need. Seeing you back at the cabin, I could tell, you were scared; but you kept your nerve, looking me dead in the eye." Carver continued leaning in closer to her. "We need someone like you; a strong woman, someone who isn't afraid of what horror could be out there."
"Wha- what about-" Clementine cut herself off by coughing.
"Luke and Nick? They left you to die in the storm." Carver said, anything to convince her to join him. "Listen, honey. We have food, water, protection, heat; you'll be safe. I'm going to need someone to look over the place when I'm gone. It was originally going to have mine and Rebecca's child take over, but once I met you and I saw that they both were dead, I realized that you were perfect."
"They'll c- come back." Clementine told him.
"Maybe they will, maybe they won't. If they do, they are welcome back in and having you there will lessen their punishment for escaping the first time." he explained. "I know you are capable of handling yourself out here, but I'm just giving you the chance to start over. Take some weight off of your shoulders. You'll be respected, treated as an equal. It's a smart choice, Clementine."
There was no way in hell she'd accept that; even if what he says is true. Luke and Nick did all of that stuff. They respected her, they knew she could handle herself, they let her start over. Most of all, they trusted her, and she trusted them.
"N-no. I w-won't." she said, as firmly as she can.
Carver sighed as he stood up. He calmly stomped out the fire with his foot and opened the door to the shack. "Maybe the cold might change your mind. Let me know when you want to make the right decision." he said, before he started walking out the door.
"F-Fuck you…" Clementine muttered stopping him in his tracks.
Carver turned towards her. "Come again?"
Clementine took in a shaky breath before she spoke again, this time more clearly. "Fuck. You."
The man marched back over to her, pulling the child up by the front of her shirt and throwing her to the ground. Clementine took a moment for the pain to subside, before Carver picked up the bucket.
"You won't believe how fast this snow melted." he said before splashing the cold, melted snow on her body, drenching the poor child in cold water.
Now that the fire was out and the door was open, the snowstorm instantly began to freeze her body. Clementine began shivering, curling into a fetal position to try and preserve heat.
"I used to be a constructor. I helped build building, make sure they were up to code, things like that. To be honest, I'm amazed this roof managed to hold, considering the amount of snow that's piled on top of it. The reason it hasn't collapsed yet, is because there is the one beam holding it up. It would be a shame if something would have happened to it." Carver pulled out his gun and aimed at the beam he was talking about. "I'm sure Luke and Nick will be a little more convincing."
BANG!
He shot at the beam and the old wood broke, causing the roof to open up like a door and dump all of the snow on top of Clementine's cold body. The snow buried her completely, having the excess snow surround the pile and make it bigger.
Carver walked to the corner of the old shack, hiding himself from anyone coming in and making sure she doesn't somehow get out unless someone helped her.
"Shit, Clem. Where are you?" Nick muttered to himself. "Clem!"
Upon looking around, he noticed faint markings in the snow, the storm trying to cover it up. It looked like a faint outline of a small body and large footsteps walking away from it. If the body outline was Clem, then he had to hurry and follow the footsteps before the trail is gone.
Nick ran, following the trail as best he could. The storm eventually covered up the rest of the trail, however he could barely see the run-down, old shack, they passed from earlier in the distance. There wasn't anywhere else he could go, so he went towards it. He could see that the door was open and that there was a pile of snow inside. This worried him; if she was in there, then the kid is going to get hypothermia if he didn't hurry.
He finally got to the shack, digging through the snow to try and find the child. Nick's hands were cold and were burning, but he didn't stop; he wouldn't let her die. After a while, he found Clem's arm. Nick took ahold of it and pulled her out of the snow and into his arms to try and warm her up. She was pale, shaking, and chattering her teeth.
"Clem, you're okay now." Nick said to her.
"C-C-" she tried to speak but it only came out as a light whisper. She was freezing.
"Yeah, I know you're cold. We found shelter, I'll take you back there." Nick picked her up bridal style, keeping her close to his body.
"Ca-Ca-"
CLICK!
"Back up, Nick." Carver came into view pointing the gun at him.
"What the hell, Bill!" Nick exclaimed.
"I'll give you two options." Carver started. "You can give me the child, and we can all go back to the camp, alive and well."
"After what you fucking did to her? Like hell!" Nick yelled.
"Or I kill you and take her with me." Carver finished.
"And you think I'll just hand her to over to you?" Nick asked.
"Look at her. She's going to die. I'm trying to save her and make sure this doesn't happen again." Carver explained. "I'm giving you the option to live, I'm taking her either way."
"I won't let you take her."
"Last chance, Nick. Give her to me."
Nick looked down at Clementine, she was going to die if he didn't do something. But giving her to Carver is out of the question.
"Put the gun down, Bill." Nick looked up to see Luke holding the shotgun he found, the barrel of it pressed against the back of Carver's head.
The villain dropped his gun kicking it away, putting his hands up.
"I'll make this clear. I don't care if you are on the other side of the mountains, if I see you come near her again, I will shoot. You are not taking her."
"Alright." Carver sighed.
"Go back to your camp and leave us alone."
Carver glared at Nick and back at Luke. "I'm going."
Luke kept the shotgun pointed at him as he left. It wasn't until he was gone until Nick said something. "Thanks." he sighed in relief. "We have to get her to a fire."
"Yeah, let's go."
The boys got Clementine back to the cabin. Luke started a fire while Nick untied the child. She was so weak, she could barely utter a thank you. They were all happy to be out of the storm where they could stay the night.
Hours went by and Clementine was still sitting on a couch in front of the fire with a blanket covering her small body. She was still shivering from the cold and the one she gained from being in the snow. Luke cooked one of their soup cans and was now pouring it into a few bowls for them all to eat.
She sneezed before curling up tighter in her little ball.
"Bless you." Nick said. "Hey, I found this hoodie in the other room. I thought that you could use it."
He handed the child a purple hoodie, which she gladly accepted. "Thank you."
Nick sat down next to her, rubbing her back after she put it on.
"Clem, I- we're sorry that we left you out in the snow."
"It's okay, I'm safe now." she quickly pecked Nick on the cheek causing him to smile. "I knew you guys would come back." she said in response. Her voice finally stopped quivering, but it was still very soft.
"Soups up." Luke said placing two bowls of soup on the coffee table in front of them. He left temporarily to get his bowl but he came back with something behind his back. "You two won't believe what I found."
"What is it?" Clementine asked pulling the bowl into her lap.
"What if I were to tell you that we could watch a movie?" Luke told her.
"I'd say you're bullshitting us." Nick said in response.
"Not if we have a portable DVD player." Luke pulled the device out from behind his back with a movie case. "I found this in the kitchen, and I checked, it still works."
Luke sat down on the couch on the other side of Clementine, setting up the player on the coffee table.
"So, tech genius, what are we watching?" Nick asked.
"Home Alone. Given the season, I thought it was appropriate." Luke said, putting the disk in and pressing play.
As he sat back on the couch, he felt a peck on his cheek, causing Luke to turn to the little girl.
"You saved my life, too." she said to him.
Luke pulled her hat over her eyes to slightly annoy her. She quickly fixed her hat, before adjusting in her seat.
"I love you guys." she said aloud.
Luke and Nick pulled themselves closer to the child, covering themselves in the blanket as well, not wanting to leave her side.
"We love you, too, kid." Nick responded.
"We won't let you be alone." Luke added.
With that said, the three were able to relax and watch the movie.
A/N: Once again, Happy Birthday PeanutFangirl! (Even though this is a bit late). I hope the rest of you enjoyed it, and I'd like to clarify something. A one-shot means there is only one chapter. There are no new chapters after this, I'm sorry, but that's what it is.
Let me know what you think of it! Okay, Bye!