A Shred of Hope (The Walking Dead) (The Final Season Retelling)

11. Too Dark to See

Their new host had cooked dinner. The night had set in and so had the cold, compelling them to seek each other's warmth under the blankets. A solitary candle lit the room. Violet's foot had swollen, making sleep her only escape from the pain. She occupied the only bed in the room, leaving the others to the floor.

"So, you've been here long?" Marlon asked, his hands wrapped around Brody as she leaned back against his chest.

"Couple of weeks, at best. I prefer to move around," Aasim replied.

AJ glanced at Clementine. "I hate moving around."

"So do I. But I'd rather survive than get too comfortable in a place. Besides, being alone means I can go wherever I want."

Clementine changed her position under the blanket, stretching her legs. "You've always been alone?"

"No. I used to be with my sister. After that, it's just been me."

"So how long are you here?"

"Considering the fact that I almost lost my life today? Most probably a day or two. You guys are welcome to stay here if you want," Aasim replied.

"Really? Why would you want us to stay?" Louis asked.

"Well, you seem like good people and you saved me out there. So, think of it like me repaying you for that. I was so sure I wasn't going to make it back there. There was no way I'd have made it down on my own."

"Well, lucky for you, we were around." Louis paused, trying to find a comfortable position. "Anyone else feeling that the floor is way colder than it should be?"

"It gets really cold here at night. And this place didn't have too many blankets, so we're going to have to make do with what we have," Aasim said.

"That's alright," Clementine replied. "The fact that I don't have to sleep outside makes up for everything else."

"That's true," Louis agreed. "How bad does Vi's foot look?"

"Not too bad, honestly. She should be up and about in a couple of days. Until then, it's better she doesn't move at all."

"Damn. So, what's our move?" He looked at Marlon.

"Well, if it's like Aasim says, then we can't make Violet walk the entire day. Not if we want to cover meaningful distances, that is," Marlon replied.

"That means we're going to be here a few days. We can do a supply run until then," Brody suggested. "It's not like we've got food to last a long time."

"I think that's a good idea. You want to come AJ..?" Clementine looked at him. She expected him to jump at the chance of a run but instead, found him fast asleep. "I'll go. Marlon, I think you should come too."

He shook his head. "I'll stay here with Brody and Aasim. In case something happens, we need the majority of us here. Louis, and if you want, AJ, will go with you."

"I'm in. A nice long walk and some head smashing is my thing," Louis said.

"There's a town ahead if you-"

"Aha! I was right!" Marlon looked at the others triumphantly. "Sorry... you were saying?"

Aasim gave him a pointed look before resuming. "Like I was saying, you'll find the town some hours away. Just follow the road and you'll get there."

"Sounds good," Clementine said. "Louis, AJ and I can leave in the morning. We should be back by night. If it gets messy, we'll stay the night there."

"Yeah, alright. I'd still prefer if you guys were back tomorrow itself, but I'll leave the decision to you," Marlon said.

Clementine nodded. "How far is the road from here?"