Friends before Lovers {NUKE fanfic}_@Mintgal2

21

Nick
God. So, it wasn't just me saying no in case Luke didn't want me, Luke did feel that way. We were just hiding from eachother in case one of us disagreed. Shit fuck.
"Fuck!" Luke exclaimed, and looked at the walkers outside. "Shit!"
Sarah stood up, and walked to me.
"They're everywhere!" She panicked. "They're...they're..."
she sat against the wall, and began to tuck herself away.
"Sarah...don't do this" I said, and soon I felt my head go heavy, and rather painful. "Just..."
Luke ran back, and saw me close my eyes.
"Nick!"
...
Luke
"Nick!" I yelled, and ran to his side. I shook him, but he only grumbled. "No!"
I look over at Sarah, and the sound of the lurkers was getting more intense. Everything was just hammering into my head.
"Daddy! Daddy..." Sarah whimpered, and cried in pain. "Please..."
"Oh my god..." I shook my head. I shook Nick more intensely, and he winced, and breathed heavily. "Oh god, please fucking live!"
I started to cry myself, the salty weak tears rolling down my cheeks.
Nick opened his eyes, except he narrowed them again.
"My shoulder..." He whined. "It's..."
I heard a honking outside, and was startled.
"Shh...shh." I said, even to Sarah who was crying too. "That could be anyone..."
The honking kept going, but now it didn't sound like an accidental walker franchise. It sounded deliberate. I crouched down below, and peek out of the window, and saw the walkers that were once crowded outside the home moving toward the sound.
"They're leaving." I said, and stood up. "We need to go!"
I moved to Sarah, and took hold of her arm.
"Sarah, c'mon, we need to go." I said, but Sarah just stared away from me. "Look, I can carry you, okay? I gotta help Nick too."
I heard the door bust open, and Sarah screamed. I was startled too.
"Sarah, please. Who's out there!" I ask, and grab my machete.
"Luke!" I heard Clementine.
"Clem?" I asked, and opened the door, to see both Clementine and Jane in the motor home. "Oh, thank god!"
"We gotta get moving!" Clementine said, referring to the walkers now bashing into the door.
"I'll second that." Jane said.
"Well, I woulda left already. But I got Sarah, and Nick with me, and..." I sighed. I turned to look at the door. "I don't know what to do about Sarah. And Nick...god, he isn't doing so good, either."
"What's the matter?" Jane asked.
"Well, Nick has a bullet wound." I explained, and pointed to my shoulder. "And, as for Sarah...you gotta help."
I walked in, to see Nick relieved that it was Clementine and Jane, but Sarah still cradling herself.
"Sarah, look. Look, it's Clem. See? It's just like I told you, they're okay." I said, but Sarah only glanced up at them.
"Sarah, come on. We...we have to go now." Nick said, and I stood up, shakily.
"What's she doing? Can you get up?" Clementine asked.
"I don't know what to do. I can't snap her out of it, okay? I tried to carry her, but I...I guess Carver messed me up pretty good back there." I said. "Nick can't do anything either. I don't know. It's just, after Carlos, she just lost it. Started running through the woods like a maniac. I chased her for I don't know how long, and then--well , she saw this mobile home and made a beeline straight for it. I'm just glad y'all are here."
At that moment, the sound outside grew louder. Nick jumped, and stood away from the window.
"We're not outta the woods yet." Jane said, she too worried about the noise.
"What are we gonna do about her?" Nick asked.
"Maybe she'll listen to me?" Clementine suggested.
"Maybe..." I shrugged. A large bang coarsed against the door, and Jane nervously looked back at us.
"Listen, I uh..." She said. "They're gonna tear this place open pretty soon. We can't stay. So we gotta get her up, or we gotta..."
"Well, I've been trying. She was okay just before, and she helped me with Nick, but then...I dunno. Something snapped." I said. I didn't like that Jane was implying leaving Sarah behind. I couldn't do that. Carlos would've wanted us to try harder. I knew Clementine and Sarah were friends, though. "Clem?"
Clementine crouched down to Sarah.
"Sarah, it's me..." Clementine started. Sarah quickly looked up.
"Hi." She said, and looked back down. She was still trembling. Clementine leaned in, and tried to hug her, but Sarah yelped, and pushed her away. Clem looked baffled. I think she was running out of ideas too.
"Shit." Jane muttered. I looked over at Nick, and we both exchanged worried glances.
Clementine sighed. "Maybe it seems like you're all alone right now, but you're not."
"Yes I am." Sarah said.
"What about Luke? And Jane, and Nick? And me? We came her because of you. All of us in a group. We're your family now." Clementine spoke, and Sarah started to sob harder. At that moment, a walker bashed on the side of the window. Nick shook his head.
"Fuck." He murmured.
"Crap. We're surrounded." Jane stated. She looked up at roof. "What--what about the skylight?"
"All we got." I said. I looked over at Nick once more, and saw that he was going lightheaded again. He was leaned against the wall, and slightly panting. "...Nick?"
"I'm...I'm fine." He said. "We just...gotta hurry. Otherwise, I'm...we'll die."
"Clem..." Jane spoke. "There's no time!"
Clementine turned back to Sarah.
"We can't be kids anymore, Sarah. You need to grow up, or die. There aren't any other choices." Clementine snapped.
The door at the end of the hallway budged open, and walker's feeding arms poked in. Jane ran to their direction.
"Get to the skylight!" She demanded. "Now!"
"C'mon." I said to Clem. "I'll boost you!"
Clementine tried to kneel on my hands, but as I tried to hoist her up, something in my side stung, and I dropped her on the ground.
"Agh! Ugh, godammit!" I said, and clenched my teeth as I held my ribs.
"God! What do we do now?!" Nick said. I knew Nick couldn't try to get Clem up either.
"What's going on back there?!" Jane yelled, as she tried to budge the door.
"My ribs...were gonna need somethin' to stand on!" I yelled back.
"Luke! Get over here, and help me hold this!" Jane yelled. I ran over to Jane, and took hold of the bookcase, which was shaking due to the walker's efforts against the door. "Clem, see what you can find!"
Clementine rummaged around, before approaching us.
"Can we use that?" She asked, and Jane looked at where she pointed, while I was only holding the bookcase against the door, and not really paying attention.
"Yeah, that would work..." Jane said, and looked up at me. I blushed, and then got confused.
"What? What--" I began, and then Clementine pointed to the bookcase. "Awe, shit."
I moved to the other side of the bookshelf, ready to shuffle it across.
"Okay...ready?" Clementine asked.
"On three." Jane said. "One. Two. Three!"
I pulled the bookshelf out of the way, and Jane leaned up against the door. I started to drag the bookshelf across, and Clementine pushed from behind. As we neared the room, Nick appeared from the side, and took it from Clementine, his shoulder testing. The door busy down through Jane's strength, and walkers started to toppling inside. Jane started to take them out.
Clem! Clem, help her! Help Jane!" I yelled, and Clementine ran forward. Nick walked around, and started heaving the bookshelf forward, and I managed to drag it inside. Nick held his shoulder.
"Are you okay?" I asked, and. Nick nodded.
"Yeah...yeah...I'll be fine." Nick replied, and I saw him bleeding through the bandage.
"Fuck..." I muttered, as Nick winced whilst slipping in the jacket. He knelt down to Sarah.
"C'mon, Sarah! Please, snap out of this! You can deal with this later!" He begged. Sarah shut her eyes tightly, and moved away from Nick. "You were fine before! I saw you! You were distracted. We just need to get you out of here, and we'll have more time to deal with this, okay?"
Sarah didn't answer.
"Get back to the side board!" Jane yelled. "GO!"
I saw Clementine run back, and Jane following close behind. She rushed in, and slam the door.
"Luke, you first!" Jane said, as I stood up on the bookshelf. "We need you up top!"
I grabbed the side of the skylight as I kneeled onto Jane's hand, and she pushed me upwards.
"Nick!" Jane ordered, and Jane pushed Nick after me. He held his shoulder.
"God....Luke, I don't think I'm..." Nick said weakly, and gripped his jacket.
"We just need to get out of here, and then we can fix your arm!" I said, and worried around.
In the midst of all of this chaos, I saw myself developing feelings for Nick. Through our kisses, and chopped, uncommunicative conversations, I was torn between what was right, and what I wanted. And right now, we barely had enough time together.
"Okay, come on!" I said, and reached down for Clementine. Clem turned to Sarah.
"Sarah, we have to go now! Are you listening?!" Clem exclaimed. Sarah just sobbed harder.
"NOW, Clementine!" Jane yelled. "If she doesn't want to go, don't make her. Don't let her drag you down too! Not again!"
"They better not fucking leave her!" I hissed. How could anyone leave Sarah? She wasn't really any harm to anyone! She's just....lost. And she can't have people giving up on her now.
Clementine looked torn, before slumping her shoulders, and turning to Jane. I watched in disbelief as Jane pulled Clementine up. I reached down, and helped pull her out.
At the last second, Sarah looked up.
"Clementine?" She asked, before the door broke down, and walkers entrained in. I had to look away as the walkers bit into her, and she screamed, helpless.
Clementine looked down, and shook her head. Crying.
"We didn't have a choice, okay? There was nothin' we could do...there was...there was nothin' we could do." I said, but it seemed like I was only reassuring myself of that.
Jane stood on the edge of the building, with Nick, who too, had a look of shock on his face. This was getting too much.