'Got Your Back' A Gabentine Story?

Chapter Eleven A Hard Decision

638 Words

Gabe happily walked down to the stream. He was humming a tune he remembered from a tape that he used to play in the old van. "Feels like years since we were in that van," Gabe thought, thinking of all the time they had spent there. "Mari enjoying a chocolate bar as she listened to her headphones, Javi and Kate laughing in the front seats, the wind blowing in my face from the open window." Gabe looked back on these memories happily. He was done mourning and life had begun to brighten up for him. Yeah, Richmond might be in trouble soon, but Javi and my dad are still alive, Clementine actually likes and trusts me, and we're going to save Richmond and find AJ!" Gabe thought grinning as he reached the stream.

He pulled out his water bottle and filled it from the stream. He put in in the backpack and pulled out Clementine's. "Man, you've been through a lot huh?" He thought examining the dried walker blood and the old mud plastered on the canteen. He scrubbed it in the stream for a few minutes until it was clean.

Gabe shook it, Huh still got some water left. He thought.

He opened the cap and started dumping it on the ground, when he realized something, :the water was strangely green. "Weird." Gabe thought stopping dumping it and looking inside the canteen.

"This looks nasty! How did this get in her bottle?" Gabe thought seeing the pondy-water. "I haven't filled this since......"      "Oh shit!" Gabe said out loud, as he realized that he had filled it the day they fought and that the next day she had collapsed.

"Shit,shit,shit,shit!" Gabe thought closing the canteen , "How was I so careless?! I should've-" Gabe stopped as a thought occurred to him, "I almost killed her."

"What the fuck did I do?" Gabe said out loud before he sat on a nearby log and stared at the canteen. He thought of Clem's lifeless body. "I did that! That....was all my fault!" Gabe thought horror-struck. "Fuck!....what do I tell Clem?.....' Good morning Clementine! I just realized I nearly killed you but I'm sorry, I didn't mean it.'" Gabe shook his head, that was one of the stupidest ideas he ever had. "Oh Fuck! What do I do?" Gabe thought clutching his head.

Gabe sat there for, He didn't know how long, before an answer came to him.

"Leave." Answered a part of his brain, "You fucked up badly and nearly killed her, what happens the next time she counts on you and you fuck up? She has grown to trust you, soon she will ask you to do something important but you couldn't even get her water without nearly killing her! If you stay with her you will kill her. Leave. Not for your sake but for hers."

Gabe tried to object, but he struggled to think of a counterpoint, "I-I've matured, I can handle it now." Gabe thought, thinking about him carrying Clem in the rain.

"You got lucky. You were nearly finished. You got lucky when you found that cave. You're not strong."

"I'm strong of will, I didn't give up on her." Gabe replied weakly.

"Yes, you saved her that day through your will, but your will  won't save her in the end."

"I-I." Gabe tried to answer.

"The best thing for Clementine right now is for you to leave her. You want to do what's best for her,right?" His brain asked.

"Yes." Gabe answered, as he thought about how much he cared about her.

"Then you know what you have to do." Gabe's brain said.

Gabe took a deep breath, "For Clem." He thought as he heard her voice suddenly, "Gabe?" What....are you doing?"