Post by Teacakes on Mar 14, 2014 16:59:56 GMT
The wind turbine's blades whirled in the harsh winter wind as Clementine, Sam and Walter trudged outside. "I'm sorry about what happened in there" he apologised. "I used to be a teacher. And I remember what it's like to be caught in the middle of two cliques" he said, sympathising with her. "I suspect that they'll find common ground soon enough. It may take a little time but that's just how these things work. Everything will be fine" he told her encouragingly.
The two began to walk and talk "Listen, relationships are like any machine. You don't just throw them out when they break down. You get your hands dirty and grease the wheels"
"I want to stay with you and Kenny" Clementine murmured.
"Then stay you shall. I'm sure that'll please Kenny"
"I missed him" she told him. "It's nice to see a familiar face for once."
"And he missed you, I can assure you" Walter told her.
Walter paused from walking and turned towards her "They say the world is over, but I'll tell you a secret: it's not. People are more political now than they ever were before. In the end, we can't change the world. All we can do is continue to learn from each other; to empathise and use our heads. 'All wars are a symptom of man's failure as a thinking animal'. Steinbeck, have you read him?" He asked only to receive a puzzled look from Clementine.
"Well, we have plenty of time to catch you up on your reading. My partner Matthew is amassing quite the literature collection. I think you'll like him. Anyway, the point is: as long as we have our wits about us, we can always make the right choice. Right?"
"Right" Clementine replied simply, a smile forming on Walter's face. Clementine lowered her head sadly, allowing Walter to pick up on it.
"What's the matter, Clementine? Is there something you want to tell me?" He asked curiously, noticing her saddened expression. Walter knelt down to her level "You can talk to me, Clem. There's almost nothing you can tell me which would surprise me. I can promise you that."
"I'm just worried about the people that are chasing us" she told him with a shaky sigh.
"You're safe now" he told her confidently. You don't know that... Clementine thought to herself. "Don't worry. Matthew will be back soon and everything will be fine"
"Hey kids. What are you two talkin about?" Kenny asked, approaching them while carrying a rifle.
Walter straightening his back and stood up "Oh, politics." He replied.
"The hell?"
"Well being from Florida, I would imagine you know everything about politics, Kenny"
"Man, I know one advantage of livin in the apocalypse is not havin to deal with that shit no more" Kenny replied, his attention slowly drawn to Clementine. "I was gonna go check the windows round back before that storm hits. Mind givin us a hand?" He asked.
"Sure" Walter replied simply, he and Clementine and Sam following Kenny round the side of the ski lodge. Sam paused before growling, sniffing the air an running on ahead.
"Sam!" Clementine yelled, quickly following only to see a woman with ginger hair peering inside the building. Clementine grabbed Sam by the collar and held him back while Kenny gave the stranger a scornful look and was about to storm up to her when Walter placed his hand on Kenny's shoulder, stopping him. "Miss?" Walter called out to her.
The woman turned to look at them and quickly pushed herself off the window, staring worryingly at the barrel of the rifle aimed at her and at the barking dog. "Please, do you have any food?" She asked.
"Are you alright?" He asked concerned, taking a step forward.
"I saw the house, and... I have a family. We're starving. We live down there" she told them, gesturing behind her.
"Of course. Why don't you come inside, miss...?"
"Bonnie" she told them her name.
"Walt, I don't know. You're just gonna let her in like that?" Kenny questioned his judgement.
"It's fine, Ken"
"We don't know this girl"
"Then we'll have to get to know her. Right, Clem?"
"Walt" Kenny said sternly.
"How much damage can this poor woman do?"
"Check her for weapons" Clementine suggested. Sam snarled, bearing his teeth, a growl erupting from his throat.
"Yeah..." Kenny agreed.
"Thank you, really, but that storm'll be on us soon and I gotta get back to my family" Bonnie told them.
"I'll bring something out to you then." Walter suggested.
"You don't have to do that" Bonnie replied.
"No, no, it's fine." Walter insisted.
"What about your people?"
"We've got plenty. You stay here. I'll be right back." Walter told her, backing up and walking back to the ski lodge entrance. The three remaining stood in silence, Bonnie approached them, rubbing the side of her neck nervously.
"I have a little girl like you" Bonnie told her only to receive long hard stares from Clementine and Kenny with another growl from Sam. "How old are you, sweetie?" She asked, lowering her body slightly to Clementine's level.
"I'm eleven" Clementine replied, her arms folded.
"I would've thought older" Bonnie commented, glancing at Sam "It's been a while since I've seen a dog"
"Everyone says that, it's getting boring"
"I can imagine" Bonnie responded with a smile before straightening her back and folding her arms. Walter came back carrying a large cardboard box.
"Here you are, miss" he said kindly, handing her the box.
"This is too much" she responded, feeling the weight of the supplies.
"Don't mention it" he replied with a smile.
"I don't know how to thank you"
"Just help someone else further down the line"
"Thank you so much." Bonnie said gratefully. "I'll be goin', now" she said, turning to leave.
"You stay safe" he told her.
"You too"
Walter took a step back as Bonnie turned and walked away, the three of them watched her go, Sam's growling stopped as Bonnie disappeared as she walked down the hillside. "Clem, you and Sam go on inside and get to bed. Me and Walt gotta talk for a second" Kenny told her.
Clementine listened to what he said and pulled on Sam's collar "Come on, boy" she ordered, but instead Sam remained firmly where he was, staring off at the distance where he had last seen Bonnie "I said, come on" she told him, pulling on his collar and taking him back to the lodge.
The two began to walk and talk "Listen, relationships are like any machine. You don't just throw them out when they break down. You get your hands dirty and grease the wheels"
"I want to stay with you and Kenny" Clementine murmured.
"Then stay you shall. I'm sure that'll please Kenny"
"I missed him" she told him. "It's nice to see a familiar face for once."
"And he missed you, I can assure you" Walter told her.
Walter paused from walking and turned towards her "They say the world is over, but I'll tell you a secret: it's not. People are more political now than they ever were before. In the end, we can't change the world. All we can do is continue to learn from each other; to empathise and use our heads. 'All wars are a symptom of man's failure as a thinking animal'. Steinbeck, have you read him?" He asked only to receive a puzzled look from Clementine.
"Well, we have plenty of time to catch you up on your reading. My partner Matthew is amassing quite the literature collection. I think you'll like him. Anyway, the point is: as long as we have our wits about us, we can always make the right choice. Right?"
"Right" Clementine replied simply, a smile forming on Walter's face. Clementine lowered her head sadly, allowing Walter to pick up on it.
"What's the matter, Clementine? Is there something you want to tell me?" He asked curiously, noticing her saddened expression. Walter knelt down to her level "You can talk to me, Clem. There's almost nothing you can tell me which would surprise me. I can promise you that."
"I'm just worried about the people that are chasing us" she told him with a shaky sigh.
"You're safe now" he told her confidently. You don't know that... Clementine thought to herself. "Don't worry. Matthew will be back soon and everything will be fine"
"Hey kids. What are you two talkin about?" Kenny asked, approaching them while carrying a rifle.
Walter straightening his back and stood up "Oh, politics." He replied.
"The hell?"
"Well being from Florida, I would imagine you know everything about politics, Kenny"
"Man, I know one advantage of livin in the apocalypse is not havin to deal with that shit no more" Kenny replied, his attention slowly drawn to Clementine. "I was gonna go check the windows round back before that storm hits. Mind givin us a hand?" He asked.
"Sure" Walter replied simply, he and Clementine and Sam following Kenny round the side of the ski lodge. Sam paused before growling, sniffing the air an running on ahead.
"Sam!" Clementine yelled, quickly following only to see a woman with ginger hair peering inside the building. Clementine grabbed Sam by the collar and held him back while Kenny gave the stranger a scornful look and was about to storm up to her when Walter placed his hand on Kenny's shoulder, stopping him. "Miss?" Walter called out to her.
The woman turned to look at them and quickly pushed herself off the window, staring worryingly at the barrel of the rifle aimed at her and at the barking dog. "Please, do you have any food?" She asked.
"Are you alright?" He asked concerned, taking a step forward.
"I saw the house, and... I have a family. We're starving. We live down there" she told them, gesturing behind her.
"Of course. Why don't you come inside, miss...?"
"Bonnie" she told them her name.
"Walt, I don't know. You're just gonna let her in like that?" Kenny questioned his judgement.
"It's fine, Ken"
"We don't know this girl"
"Then we'll have to get to know her. Right, Clem?"
"Walt" Kenny said sternly.
"How much damage can this poor woman do?"
"Check her for weapons" Clementine suggested. Sam snarled, bearing his teeth, a growl erupting from his throat.
"Yeah..." Kenny agreed.
"Thank you, really, but that storm'll be on us soon and I gotta get back to my family" Bonnie told them.
"I'll bring something out to you then." Walter suggested.
"You don't have to do that" Bonnie replied.
"No, no, it's fine." Walter insisted.
"What about your people?"
"We've got plenty. You stay here. I'll be right back." Walter told her, backing up and walking back to the ski lodge entrance. The three remaining stood in silence, Bonnie approached them, rubbing the side of her neck nervously.
"I have a little girl like you" Bonnie told her only to receive long hard stares from Clementine and Kenny with another growl from Sam. "How old are you, sweetie?" She asked, lowering her body slightly to Clementine's level.
"I'm eleven" Clementine replied, her arms folded.
"I would've thought older" Bonnie commented, glancing at Sam "It's been a while since I've seen a dog"
"Everyone says that, it's getting boring"
"I can imagine" Bonnie responded with a smile before straightening her back and folding her arms. Walter came back carrying a large cardboard box.
"Here you are, miss" he said kindly, handing her the box.
"This is too much" she responded, feeling the weight of the supplies.
"Don't mention it" he replied with a smile.
"I don't know how to thank you"
"Just help someone else further down the line"
"Thank you so much." Bonnie said gratefully. "I'll be goin', now" she said, turning to leave.
"You stay safe" he told her.
"You too"
Walter took a step back as Bonnie turned and walked away, the three of them watched her go, Sam's growling stopped as Bonnie disappeared as she walked down the hillside. "Clem, you and Sam go on inside and get to bed. Me and Walt gotta talk for a second" Kenny told her.
Clementine listened to what he said and pulled on Sam's collar "Come on, boy" she ordered, but instead Sam remained firmly where he was, staring off at the distance where he had last seen Bonnie "I said, come on" she told him, pulling on his collar and taking him back to the lodge.