TWDG\\II-South State

SIX

Clementine
I slumped against the cold walls of the cell. The man scoffed at my weakness, and walked out. Louis crept toward me.
"O-Kay?" He asked, and frowned. I nodded.
I untied the leg from my stump, and tossed it to one side.
"I'm fine." I said. "I just had to speak to Jerome, and then do some labour."
"What did you do?" Ethan asked. His forehead was damp with a sheen of sweat.
"I carried some supplies they had exported from St Austin's. There was a lot of it." I sighed, and looked around. Both Violet and AJ weren't here. "Where's AJ?"
"I don't know. He said he was gonna get those bullets in the arsenal." Ethan said.
"It's almost night." I objects, and anxiety about AJ's whereabouts began to rise. "You don't think they--"
A door opened, its metallic metal screeching across the cement floor, and I came a man with AJ, who was missing his jacket and had a red lip. He smiled weakly when he saw me. He walked into the cell, and the guard shut the door with the key, and walked out.
AJ ran to my side.
"Did you get the bullets?" I asked, and Aj looked away. I frowned, and moved my hand to his lip, which was crested with dried blood. "What happened? Did they hurt you?"
"I took some bullets, but...I insulted a guard, and they fell out of my pocket. I got reported to see Jerome." AJ explained, his voice chattering from the cold.
AJ saw Jerome? Was Jerome as manipulative to AJ as he was to me? His senses worked on AJ back at Austin, it's bound to work again.
"What did he say? Did you get in trouble?" I demanded. AJ, frowned, and shook his head slowly.
"He seemed to think I was a little kid that was 'curious' about bullets." AJ said. "I get let off the hook."
I shook my head.
"Are you forgetting something, AJ? He knows you know how to shoot." I urge. "Gunner? The first thing you did at his camp was shoot him. That was your first impression to Jerome."
AJ's face dropped. "I forgot about that."
"Keep in mind that Jerome is running low on people in this place. He killed Wynn so he could have her camp, and now he's just going around and convincing people on his side." Ethan pinched the bridge of his nose. "They, uh, had a talk to me too. I didn't even realise it, but I was agreeeing with everything they were saying."
Louis caught our attention by crazily. We all looked at him. He kept repeatedly pointing at himself, and pointing outside. I frowned in uncomprehending his actions.
"Did Jerome talk to you too?" Ethan asked, he also wore a puzzled look on his face. Louis nodded, and sighed, as if relief that somebody got that out of his wavering sentences.
"So he's trying to convince us." AJ said, exchanging a glance with me. I sigh.
"When Violet gets back, we'll all see where we're at." I bit my lip. "AJ, what else did Jerome talk to you about, besides stealing bullets?"
"He, um, talked about me being his solider back at Austin, and how 'kids like me' thrive in a 'place like this.', AJ shrugged. "It was weird."
"They mostly...tried to turn me away from you guys." Ethan said, and we all looked at him. He blushed. "Saying things like 'You owe them nothing' and 'do they trust you?'"
It was silence before I inhaled.
"Well, I was questioned about 'keeping everyone in order', meaning trying to keep y'all calm in this place." I stared warily at the brick wall for a moment. "He even took me on a little trip down memory lane."
"I'm sorry." AJ said, and I grew my attention on him.
His little face adorned with a nest of brown curls was all I needed before recovering a tight little hug. I hugged back too.
"It's-- I'm fine." I said, and AJ sat back down. "We just need to figure out what to do..."
The door opened again, and in came Violet.
Her blonde hair was a mess, beneath her red and outworked face. She sat down next to Louis in the cell, and the door was locked.
"Get to sleep, y'all. I would if I were you. You're getting up early in the morning, doing some work." The man gruffed, and laughed. We allowed him to laugh at our weakness for this moment, yet he left, and Violet immediately set into her account with Jerome.
"He started encouraging me to work, saying he would let us out of this shit pen if we did so." Violet said, after we talked about our own encounters. "AJ, you need to be more careful. You just...you can't. Don't fight the guards. We would have the bullets if you didn't."
"She was being a bitch." AJ explained, receiving a sharp glare from Violet and I. I didn't like it when he swore.
"Don't swear." I correct, and sigh.
"You know what, we'll have more chance of getting out of here if we just play along." Ethan said. "Act like we belong. Then we'll have more access to supplies, weapons, bullets. Our truck. We get out of here, we hide in one of their units with our stuff."
I nod. "That's good. We do that, we get a good look on this place. And then we figure out a plan, get those supplies, and leave."
"Okay." Violet nodded. "Good. I agree."
Louis nodded, and AJ sighed.
"Okay, I'll try. I just can't help when they pick on me and I get mad." AJ said, his voice trailing off near the end.
"Just control yourself." I reminded. "And breathe, okay? Don't fight, or kill anyone. Especially people twice your size."
"Okay." AJ said, taking note of this.
"So tomorrow, we start sucking up. Not too much so they suspect, just slowly oblige to whatever they say." Violet. "Now can we sleep? I'm tired as fuck."
I nod.
"Night." AJ said, and grinned at me. I smiled, and ruffled my hands through his hair, before laying on my side.
AJ cuddled to my side, and I was never cold that night.