The girl - a clementine x male reader story

Chapter 8 - where to now

You wake up to feel the cold winter breeze begin to settle on your skin as you lay in you hammock.

There is no need for you to have a tent or sleeping bag because you don't get cold. And if it rains you get in jacks tent and keep him warm.

You are the only one up and have noticed the fire going out so you reach for a log...

"Damn"

There was none left so you grab your axe and begin to wander into the woods so you don't wake anyone up.

You start to cut the tree around the right width and can be cut to the right length. You decide to chop another so you can save a job for the next time you set up camp.

As you swing each hit reminds you of the horror you committed. Hacking at the tree reminds you of hacking at the girl's head. She was only ten. It haunts you every night. The fallen tree is the cold corpse of a 10 year old girl. How could you.

You plunge you axe deep into the large oak tree. You had to do it to her.

"What's wrong?"

You swiftly turn to see clementine

"Oh its you clem. I'm just collecting firewood,"

She gives you a stare and puts her hand on her hip. She sees right through you.

"It's nothing," you say after a long pause.

"Is it the experiments"

"No,"

"Come on Y/N, it's me there is nothing you can't tell me"

"I'm afraid you won't look at me the same way,"

"I promise I won't,"

You both sit down on a fallen log.

"About a year ago when I was 13 I was sent on a search mission for a little girl called susie. Her father was worried and I thought I could help,"

You glaze over and your eyes turn a shade of grey.

"It was late and I went to search a cave and found her there. She had been bitten. It was to late to chop of the limb or carry her and do it at the base. Her breathing began to rasp, her pupils turned pail, her skin clung to the bone and all her energy had gone. I held my knife ready to do it but I couldn't. She told me it was ok to do it. She had passed I hesitated and she knocked the knife out of my hand,"

You begin to struggle to speak. Clem holds your hand.

"I couldn't grab it so I had to use the axe. I still didn't know how to so by the end when it was over I had butchered her. Her blood covered me from head to toe,"

You can't bring yourself to look at clementine.

"It could have been peaceful and painless if I hadn't hesitated. She could have been at rest. But I couldn't and I had mangled her corpse. When I returned I had buried her in that cave because I could bring myself to show the people I care about what I had done. When I returned to alone and covered in blood the look on her dads face was hatred and anger. I told them the blood was me trying to stop the bleeding of her cuts and scrapes and when she passed I held her and did it calmly. Her dad killed himself and it was all my fault,"

You begin to sob as clementine holds you in a long embrace.

"W-w-wh-what if it happens to j-j-jack and I hesitate. Will I spread his guts all over the forest floor."

You look up expecting to see a look of horror and disgust but it was a warm, sympathetic one as you stare deep into her eyes.

"I should probably go take these to the camp"

"Y/N, I think anybody would have hesitated. Don't blame yourself I'm sure if it comes to it you will do the right thing,"

"Thanks clem"

As you wander back to camp she holds you hand. Clem speaks out.

"So where to next,"

"We completed our last circuit so we head back to the main base. It's a three day journey back coz we don't have a car anymore. Had to leave it there it was running on fumes."

"A circuit?"

"Yeah, there is 4 squads alpha, beta,
Charlie and delta we head north and do a circuit alphabetically so from A to Z. We spend a week at each station and it's normally a three day trip between each one so we are walking a lot. After every circuit we return to the main base to restock on water and ammo. We catch our own food."

"What's at this main base,"

"There is a couple beds an armoury the bosses cabin and a couple showers,"

"Wow. There are showers,"

"More like buckets with holes stabbed into the bottom and it's cold water and it's short because it's only a bucket full. Little tip look for the bucket with smaller holes, makes the shower last longer."

"I'm coming?"

" if you want to but I need someone to talk to round here."

"I might just do that,"