Walking Dead Game Collection

"You Never Left"

A goodbye to Telltale.

requested by ebimanami

for a better reading experience, listen to the background music I have attatched ♡

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It had been almost 12 hours since she'd been bitten, and the side effects of her impending doom were looming closer.

"Clem?"

"Please, help me lie down first, AJ."

AJ did as requested, helping his guardian into their room, closing and locking the door behind him. Clementine hesitated as he did so, tempted to ask him to unlock it for 'safety,' but feared it would hurt him too much. She bit her tongue, and allowed his small form to guide her to her bed.

The teen groaned as she was eased down, flinching at the contact of the mattress. It felt like sandpaper against her decaying skin. "Okay, AJ. Go ahead." She managed.

AJ frowned as she manoeuvred herself as to see him best, flinching every time she brushed against her bed's surface. "What's going to happen to you?" He finally asked.

Clementine seized her movement at the question, the boy's innocence catching her by surprise. They had been through these scenarios plenty of times in theory — going over what to do when someone was bitten. More often than not, Clem taught him to ask the victim what they wanted. "You need to be prepared to shoot if that's what they want."

"Through the head, right?"

"Yes, AJ. Through the head."

Was that now what he was doing for her?

Clementine offered the boy a sad smile. "AJ, you're a smart goofball, you know." AJ said nothing, only gave a sad smile in response. While at first Clem joined him in his reminiscent state, her expression vanished. "You're gonna be fine out there, I promise."

"There's no one else left," AJ hushed, his voice gentle, as if it was walking a tightrope and teetering on the edge. "It's just you and me now."

The statement sent a jolt through Clementine's gut, one that her body physically recoiled from. She felt so guilty to be leaving him like this. She felt guilty knowing he was in denial. "Goofball..." she breathed.

AJ shook his head and looked down at his empty hands, watching his fingers fiddle with each other. "You don't need to say it," he hushed. His body quivered, and although faint, Clementine could see it through her weakening vision. "I know."

"That's why you're so smart, goofball." Clem breathed. "You know the truth. You'll be fine out there, even if you start out alone."

"How will I find people?" He asked, looking up, his stare swimming in pools of tears. It was a miracle his gaze stayed afloat.

Clementine swallowed hard, her throat drying. "Just keep walking, AJ." She hushed. It was painful to speak. Her throat felt sharp, but she pushed through. AJ needed the reassurance as much as she did. "You'll find people who will help. There are good people out there still."

Ericson was in the middle of nowhere, and the chances of AJ running into others immediately after he left her was slim. It shattered her knowing that she would be leaving him with no resources or support — no guidance. Not even a place to start. Once she was gone, AJ was on his own, and she hated that.

As moments of silence passed, Clementine's time growing shorter, AJ seized his whimpering and spoke again. "What do you want me to do to you?"

Clementine gave a sad smile, reaching a pale, ghostly hand to the boy. Limply, he set his cheek in it. "You know what you need to do to me, AJ." She hushed. "We've been over it plenty of times."