"He doesn't get it. Not like we do. Not like I do." AJ says while looking at James's body before looking at Clem. "Let me help you, Clem. Trust me to tell which people are bad. That I won't ever use my gun because I like it. But only to keep my friends safe. Please. You can trust me to decide when it's right."
Clem holds her blood soaked eyepatch against where James hit her, staring at AJ, processing what he just said. She didn't want to trust AJ with anything, after everything he said earlier. But, she was also worried about what'd he do if she said no. She takes a risk and says, "I don't think you're ready, AJ. You're too little." AJ looks at her, devastated. "You...you don't trust me?" "I can't trust you to make those calls." "You can't or you won't?" Clem doesn't answer and stares. "Can't or won't, which one?!" "I've raised you since you were born, AJ. And it looks like I have a long way to go." AJ clenches his fists. "What are you, Clem?! I've listened to you and Sarah my whole life, and not only do I hear both you and James say you killed her, but you still won't trust me!" AJ grabs the rock he slashed James's hand with earlier. "Wait...what're you doing?" "You trust your crazy self more than me!" "AJ, don't—" Before Clem could finish, AJ drives the rock into the hand she was holding against her face. He ends up driving it so deep in so fast, that it comes out her palm and nearly into her skull. Clem screams and throws her hand away from her face. "FUCK!" She pulls her hand out of AJ's grasp and grabs it, it bleeding heavily. "F-Fuck!" She shakily grabs the stone in her hand, and pulls it out in one hard pull. She screams again, falling on her side, grabbing her hand. "Clem...are you okay?" Tenn asks. "Does it look like it, idiot?!" "Sorry..." Clem glances over at AJ. "Don't think you did good here." "But...but you-" "Shut up. Would you have done the same to Sarah if she killed me instead? No. It's just because I'm the fucking crazy one." She stands up. They all feel a sudden breeze. "Feel that?" Tenn asks as Clem grabs the torch. "Yeah, that's the way out." They then head distant walker growls. "Come on. Let's go." They run down one of the tunnels.
They follow the breeze to the exit of the cave. Once they're out, the wind blows out the torch. "Great. Just my fucking luck." She throws it down and starts walking ahead, Tenn and AJ following behind her. "Coast is clear so far." She glances back at the cave, and then back ahead of them. "If the shore is that way...the school is probably that way." She goes back to walking.
They walk in silence for a bit. "Aasim was the third." Tenn says suddenly. Clem and AJ look at him. "The day after AJ killed Marlon. You already know that Violet and I voted for you to stay. Aasim was the third vote." "Wait, that means...Omar voted us out? And...Ruby?" AJ asks. "Uh, Yeah." "Huh." "What made you think of that?" Clem asks. "Aasim said you knew how to survive. He could just tell the school would be safer with you there. I voted for you because I liked you, but his reason, it was better. I just...I just thought you should know. Aasim was right. We were safer." "That's...That's really nice of you to say, Tenn. Thank you." "That's okay. Now that we're out of danger and going back home, it just made me think of it." "I like Aasim." AJ says. "I didn't ask you." "If Marlon were still in charge we'd be taken away to wherever. Or dead. Instead, we fought back. Because you showed us how. We weren't safe with Marlon. Even in his 'safe zone' we were just...hiding."
A branch is snapped. The three of them go quiet and face where it came from. Clem grabs her knife, just as Violet steps out from behind a tree. "Violet!" AJ and Tenn run over and hug her. She hugs them back for a bit. "You made it. You're all alive." She smiles as Clem joins in on the hug. They all pull away, and Violet looks at Clem. "I couldn't believe you were really dead. I had to try and find you." She takes Clem's bloody hands. "You did find me." Clem smiles at her. "Did everyone else escape?" "Yeah. They're okay. They took the cart and headed back to the school. We're safe, Clem. All we gotta do now is find our way home." "Any idea which direction that is?" "I know an old bridge near here. If we cross it, we won't be too far from the school." Violet and Clem start walking next to each other, AJ and Tenn behind them.
YOU ARE READING
Things That Are Lost: Season 3
FanfictionClementine and Sarah are trying their hardest to not only survive, but to raise AJ as well. When old faces show themselves as enemies, however; the two must find a way to keep their new friends, along with AJ, safe.
