Clementine was nudged awake by Kenny in the early hours of morning "Clem, Xavier making an announcement. We need to be there, come on" he instructed, picking AJ up and leaving the tent.
Clementine yawned and rubbed her eyes sleepily as she stood up and walked outside.
Xavier spoke to the remaining citizens of the camp from behind a podium to make this emergency announcement. "There is no cause for panic. Now, I know that some of you are sad to hear the loss of some of our beloved members of our community... but you all have my word. This a place where we can work together and call a sanctuary in a world gone wrong, where you can sleep easy at night and live fearless productive lives. This settlement is our legacy, and I promise all of you, with my life, that Wellington is still safe..."
Clementine came to stand by Kenny, listening to what Xavier had to say while glancing around the crowd and trying to see any familiar faces. And that's when Michael caught her eye.
The drunk teenager was standing some distances away, looking dazed, drowsy and sickly. She grimaced at the sight. He really did drink all that alcohol... I thought I could trust him not to.
"Vaughn was a good man. He was once a carrying husband until his wife passed away, a loving father, a loyal friend and a leader. His death has shocked this community to the core. But out of the ashes we shall rise again, and I shall take Vaughn's place and lead this community in his honour."
Trying to play the hero? That's what I suspected from someone like you.
"As for news on what's going on outside the wall..." He began "Some of the lookouts tell me that there is a large cluster of walkers coming from the woods. There is no need to panic of course, since the wall will keep them out"
And keep all the sick people in.
"Anyone who starts showing symptoms of the flu must report to the sickbay immediately for treatment. We must be careful, all it takes is one lone walker to cause this community to fall. We can't allow that to happen. We must prevent it from spreading at all costs"
What will you do to sick people? Clementine questioned internally. Sick people can't be saved...
"For now, go back to your jobs and don't worry about a thing. We shall deal with the rest"
And with that the community parted, people moving in different directions until little remain standing in the yard. Xavier was making his way back towards his office before pausing when he noticed Clementine. He gave her a death stare and grabbed her arm, squeezing it tightly and yanking her towards him "Breath a word about what happened last night and the flu won't be your only concern. So I suggest you keep quiet, missy"
"You're hurting me" Clementine told him, the grip he had on her arm tightening.
"Get away from her" Kenny growled.
Xavier scowled at Kenny and released Clementine's arm "I assume you know about it too."
Kenny was deathly silent, but the glare he gave Xavier was full of anger and hatred "The last person who touched Clementine like that ended up with his face caved in" he growled.
Xavier shook his head bitterly "Say anything about Vaughn's death and I swear, you'll both live to regret it". He didn't say another word after that. He just left. Walking at a quick pace towards his office.
Kenny approached Clementine with Alvin Junior in his arms. "Clem... I don't trust any of these folks, and if you ask me we're better off without any of them." He had a look of regret on his face then stared down at AJ. "Wellington might be done..."
"What do you suggest we do?" She asked.
"We should leave... As soon as possible"
"What about everyone else?" She questioned him.
"Who's everyone else?"
"We should take some people with us, people that can help us survive outside the Wellington walls." She suggested,
"Oh yeah, like who?"
"Michael." Clementine stated.
"The kid?"
"He's a good shot and a good knife-throwing. We might need someone like that in our group. And he's nice, I like him"
"He didn't look so good earlier... Do you think he might be sick?" Kenny wondered.
"He uh.. Helped himself to some alcohol." She informed Kenny.
"He's hungover? Damn. I hope he's not a bad influence on you"
"He's not" Clementine stated simply "He's just been through a rough time, that's all"
"Anyone else you want to take with us?"
"Dusty. He's trustworthy. And Maree, she can help out with AJ, and she knows about medicine and stuff"
"That it or is there more?"
"Hazen. We can't just leave him here on his own, he only just arrived. I think we should give Wayne and Helga a chance too"
"Well, the best thing to do is gather all these people up and figure out a plan together. How about you go talk to them and convince them to come with us and we'll all meet up on one of the far tables at noon, lunchtime. Sound good?"
Clementine nodded "Yeah, I can do that."
"So, where you going first?"
Clementine paused, lost in thought "I'll go check on Michael." She stated.
"Remember, meet me at one of the far tables at noon, lunchtime, okay?"
Clementine was about to leave when she paused and turned back towards the one-eyed man "Kenny..." She began.
"Yeah?"
"Do you know anything about hangover's?" She asked him.
Kenny walked into his tent and moments later came out with a bottle of water "It's important that he drinks lots of fluids." He stated while handing her the water bottle.
"Thanks Kenny"
Clementine wandered over to Michael's tent where the teen had gone once Xavier's speech was over. She didn't bother to announce herself and instead just went inside.
Michael was sprawled out on his bedroll. "Hey" she greeted.
Michael lifted his head and then sat up "Hey, Clem" he responded.
Clementine walked over to him, unscrewed the cap and held out the water bottle "Here, drink this, it'll help"
Michael took the bottle and began to take a few gulps and sips of the water. "Since when did you know about hangover's?" He asked, once he stopped for a breather.
Clementine shrugged "Kenny told me"
"Shit, he knows about it too...? You may as well have just spread it around the camp" he groaned, taking a few more sips of water. His stomach gurgled.
Clementine scooped up the bottle of alcohol and felt its weight. It was empty. "Could you put that down, please?" He asked.
Clementine stared silently at him and then placed the bottle down. "So, you drunk all of it then?"
"I really don't want to talk about it" Michael replied.
"Right, sorry." she apologised.
"So, what did you want?" He asked.
"Me and Kenny have been thinking about leaving and we were wondering if you wanted to come with us"
Michael paused "You want me to come with you?" He murmured in disbelief.
"Of course, you're trustworthy. You're good at knife throwing too and you can shoot as well. And... You're a friend."
"I don't know... It's been a long time since I've been outside of Wellington. I have been out there on supply runs but... I've not lived out there"
"We'll all support each other. It'll be fine, you'll see" Clementine told him encouragingly.
Michael will remember that
Michael gave her a weak smile "Yeah, alright. I'll do it"
"That's great. Come find us around lunch time at one of the far tables and we'll talk about what we're going to do"
Michael nodded, throwing his head back and drinking a vast amount of the water "I'll see you then." He stated. Clementine turned to leave the tent.
"Clem"
She turned around to face him. "Thanks... For believing in me"
"You're welcome"
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It was difficult trying to find Maree and Dusty. They weren't in Vaughn's tent. She had tried to go in, but Xavier's men had stopped her from entering.
Eventually, she found them in the sickbay. Maree had her own little office there. She and Dusty were together, talking about an unknown subject when Clementine entered, after knocking and being invited in, of course
Maree flashed Clementine a quick glance, old tears staining her cheeks. "I should go have a look at the patiences" Maree stated, quickly vacating the room.
"Maree!" Dusty called after her.
"Yeah?"
"Be careful around them, okay?" He told, regarding her safety.
"Of course" she replied, leaving the room and shutting the door behind her.
Dusty sighed and slumped down in Maree's chair "Hey, Clem" he greeted.
"I guess she's avoiding me" Clementine murmured as she approached Dusty, her eyes still on the door.
"These things take time, Clem." Dusty told her "Just... Give her some time."
Dusty sighed once again and rubbed his temple "Did you save Maree just because I asked you to look for her? Because, dammit, this wasn't what I had in mind. ...I, I shouldn't have put that on you. If I were only there just a little sooner, maybe we could have saved Vaughn too..."
"This isn't your fault, Dusty..." Clementine assured him.
"I just wish I could've done something."
"I wish I could've done something too. I wish I could've saved both of them but... It just wasn't possible. But you have to listen to me, Xavier was planning to take over all along." She told him.
"Wh-what?" Dusty stuttered on disbelief.
"He was going to try and take over last night, but it went wrong and his men turned. If Xavier hadn't done that then maybe Vaughn would still be alive"
"You mean... Xavier men were sick? That's what the medicine was for... Jesus Christ" he breathed. "What do you want to do?" He asked.
"Me and Kenny are planning on leaving. Michael has also agreed to come, and we want you and Maree with us."
"I'd like to come but... I'm not sure about Maree. She's in a dark place. But I'll try to pull her back from it. I'll convince her to come with us"
"Good to hear that. We're having a meeting at lunch time, we're going to talk about what we want to do" Clementine told him.
"I'll be there.... And maybe Maree will be too" Dusty replied with a smile. "If there are more people you need to see, you should probably run along now and find them" he suggested.
Clementine backed towards the door and paused for a moment "Would you ask Hazen about it too, please? We want him to be there as well"
"Sure, I'll take care of Hazen. You just focus on gathering everyone up"
"Thanks" she murmured, throwing open the door and leaving the office, trying her best to avoid sick patiences as she vacated the sickbay.
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Wayne and Helga. Those were the last two people to find. Clementine came across them where she first met Helga, at that shooting range. Wayne was observing Helga as she shot at the targets when Clementine entered.
Helga remain rooted to the spot, focused on her shooting so that Clementine went unnoticed. The same couldn't be said for Wayne. "Come to practice?" He asked.
"No. I came to talk to you" she told him.
Wayne glanced at Helga "Maybe somewhere a little quieter. And out of earshot" he said, leading Clementine into the corridor where the gunshots weren't as loud.
"So, what did you want? Did you come to talk about what I said last night?" He asked.
"No. I came to ask if you wanted to come with me, Kenny and a few other people. We're leaving Wellington. This place isn't safe anymore with the flu going around and... Other reasons that I can't explain right now" She stated.
"You're... You're asking us to leave Wellington... With you?... After all we did yesterday?" He questioned, stunned by Clementine's words.
"I shouldn't judge you or Helga because of first impressions. Everyone should get a second chance. And I'm giving you and Helga one." She told him.
Wayne will remember that
"That's... Thank you, Clem. Thanks for giving us a chance to make things right. You won't regret it"
"I know. Meet me and Kenny at one of the far tables at lunch time and we'll explain everything"
"We will" he replied "I'll go talk to Helga about it, and I'll see you there." He turned to head back to the shooting range, but paused in the doorway "Thanks again, Clem" he said gratefully, disappearing out of sight.
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Lunch time. Clementine got to the benches as soon as she could and sat down at one of the far tables, where Kenny had been waiting. "Did you talk to everyone?" He asked as she joined him.
Clementine nodded "Yeah, they should be coming soon" she told him.
The two sat in silence as they waited.
"So..." Kenny began. "Who's a definite yes?" He asked.
"Michael, Dusty and Wayne. I'm not too sure about Maree, Hazen and Helga though..." She murmured.
"Well, I suppose we'll find out shortly" Kenny replied with a smirk.