Walking Dead Game Collection

"No Choice"

Title: No Choice
Characters: Clementine, AJ, Kenny, Eleanor
Summary: Eleanor is greeted at the gates of Wellington by two children who need to say goodbye to their only caregiver in order to enter. Once inside, she needs to find a way to comfort the young girl in shambles that the only person she had left needed to walk away.
Author's Note: Whoops it's been a while, sorry guys.
Requested By: Anonymous
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The sight was horrendous, but her reaction was even worse.

The worst part of Eleanor's job, by far, was turning people away. Considering she was the nurse, her needing to do the task was rare. However, in recent days, many of those who had the position requested needing breaks from it. Only now did she fully understand why.

Those who had travelled from miles and miles across on foot, many toting children and many with those who were sick, she was forced to send away with nothing more than a duffle bag of goodies and well wishes. But little that did in this world. Now, well wishes meant nothing. Nothing ended well for anyone anymore.

Yet, out of all the people she had turned away, this sight stung the most. A little girl hugging a baby, arguing with her caregiver about leaving him behind.

"No Kenny, I can't." She begged through the tears wallowing in her throat. Even at her station so high above them, she could hear the clamouring of her voice. "I can't leave you behind!"

"You need to Clem," The male responded, his hands firm against her shoulders. "This is what's best for you and AJ. You can have a life in there."

"I don't want to without you!" The desperate screeching of the child's voice, the pleading to get this man to understand, almost sent Eleanor into a break-down. She shook off the feeling as desperately as she could. She needed to remain cold for this job. Growing soft wouldn't help anyone, especially not all of them inside in the long run.

"I'm sorry." She called blandly from her perch. "I wish there was more I could do but," She hesitated. "This is how it is."

"Clementine, go." Kenny's voice grew more stern. Despite that he waited until Eleanor had finished before resuming his speech with the child, he didn't seem to flinch given her words. "I don't want what happened to Duck to happen to either of you." He sighed, pushing himself to stand up-right. "This will keep you safe."

Eleanor, as if watching a balloon deflate, watched the child's arms heave downwards, as if accepting that there was no way out of this argument. It was either she goes in willingly, or she's forced in. Kenny wasn't one to back down easily, if even at all.

"I'm going to miss you."

"I'm going to miss you too, Clem."

One of the other members of the base, down the hall from where Eleanor stood, waved her gaze down and captured her attention. While silent, he questioned through a shrug if he should open the gate. They were only allowed to keep it open for a relatively short amount of time, not wanting to risk walkers finding their way inside.

With disdain, she gave him a nod, turning her attention quickly towards the two. "We're opening the gate." She called down. "We can't have it open for long."

As if on cue, Kenny removed his hat, passing it to the child and setting it against the baby's chest. "This is for AJ. A souvenir to remember me by."

The child sniffled, the last motion Eleanor managed to capture before scurrying down the stairs towards the opening doorway. At least that way she could escort the two inside instead of leaving them to find their way around alone. Alone was the last thing either of them needed to be right now.