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

29. The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

The three of them stood in stunned silence as Beth calmly entered the room, the two men following her.

"You didn't think it was going to be that easy, did you?" she asked.

Clementine refused to believe her eyes. It couldn't have happened this way. Not when they were so close to rescuing the others.

"I'll fucking kill you myself," she heard Violet say next to her.

"You remember what happened the last time one of you spoke out of turn, right?" Beth asked, instantly silencing any further rebellion.

Clementine looked around. There was no escape from there, not without picking a fight.

"Why don't we have a chat?"

"Where's Jared?" Clementine questioned, noticing his absence.

Beth almost appeared amused. "You still haven't figured it out? I thought you were a smart one."

"What...?" Had she killed him already?

Beth noticed the look on Clementine's face. "How do you think you got here?"

Clementine was starting to realise the truth. "We planned it," she replied in a desperate bid to prove her realization wrong. They could not have messed it up so bad.

"If only. I wondered if you kids would take the bait. You were so desperate; you didn't even bother looking ahead."

"That's not true." Clementine found herself making feeble arguments. There was nothing she could say to refute the fact.

"Jared was... with you?" Louis hesitantly asked, coming to the same realization.

"He always has been."

"But, why would he even? You left his mom to die."

"Jonathan doesn't know how to raise a kid," Beth said. "I looked after Jared for most of his childhood while Jonathan and Ellie were off on their trips. Every kid needs a parental figure in their lives."

"A parental figure like you?" Clementine couldn't understand how Jared could have even trusted Beth.

Beth didn't seem to take offense at that. It was as if she was... normal and not the maniac they had seen a few days ago. "I do like him. In fact, I care about everyone at Delta. And he has a future here. Of course, it might mean that one day Jonathan has to die. But those are the sacrifices we make.

"At Delta, we provide for each other and look out for each other. It's the survival of the fittest out there and we make damn sure we survive."

"By attacking others?" Violet spat. She had finally found her voice.

"We do what we have to," Beth replied. "It's not personal. It's just how the world is. You'll understand it too one day."

"We'll never be like you," Clementine declared angrily.

Beth chuckled. "I used to think too. That I could survive on the niceties of the world. That all everyone needed after the outbreak was help, and all that bullshit. It didn't get me anywhere. I lost my entire family with that. No, all we need is to be strong. The weak cannot stay alive. The strong need to stick together to make it through. So that others don't take away what we have."

Clementine couldn't help but listen to her words. They seemed to speak right to her.

"You three are capable hands," Beth continued. "You can find a home right here, at Delta. You can have everything you've ever wanted. Join us and you'll survive too." She looked at Clementine. "Your kid can grow up here too. He'll be more prepared for this world than even you were. He'll grow into a fine man. All we ask is that you defend our home, together."