TWDG\\II-South State

TWENTY-ONE

Gabe
I trudged through the thin layer of snow that covered the ground, the sky an early morning blue. The pine trees that surrounded me had the white stuff loitering among its branches. I held the gun in front of me.
A walker walked onto my path; the similarity looked familiar. Greyed skin, white film over its eyes, its knuckles and ribs present through the thin layer of skin that had just managed to cover its bones. It turned its attention to me, its need for flesh strong that it limped weakly towards me. I took the knife out from my boot, and neared it.
I used Clem's technique, kicking the knees out from the walker. It toppled to the ground, its hands skimming my ankles. I then drew the knife into its head.
The walker fell limp, as I pulled it back out.
I sighed sadly at the sight. Yes, the world was a pretty shitty place before. But it was better than the alternative we have to live in now.
I kept walking along the faint path. Clementine told me to meet her there in two days. And I will meet her there, no matter how much pain I am in. So what if my family's dead? I have friends that need me.
The familiar smell of cooked meat and firewood filled my nose as I saw the tall walls above me, the brown colour ugly against the green trees. I gotta hide.
I ducked back in the bushes on the side, following the secret route I had made when I was getting into the community. I walked around the sides of the walls, the snow beginning to catch in the wind, the stuff landing on top of my beanie and nose. I rubbed my arms as I walked underneath the last outpost, and ducked into a small flap in the fence that some lazy person might've forgotten to fix. I walked in, and ducked behind the same shed I was reunited with Clementine. I peered into the window and saw no one. But I still won't risk waiting in there. I'll wait until I see Clementine enter.
I leaned against the side of the shed, hidden from the far end of the small town. I hugged my knees to my chest, and with my bare ends, touched the cold snow. I sighed, and rested my head back against the building.
...
"—No, I swear I saw some lad sneaking around here!" Was the first thing I heard when I came to. My heart dropped into my stomach, and I heard the crunching of snow under two pairs of footsteps in the distance. I peeked my head around the side of the fence, and saw two men, unarmed, coming closer.
"You're lying, Roy. You've gotta do somethin' about that eyesite." One of them spoke, their voice muffled under a scarf.
"I'm not lying!" The other one protested, as they opened the shed to find it empty. "Well. I know what I saw. If you don't wanna help, I'll go and get Jerome to help."
"Don't." The other one chuckled as he stepped foot in the building. "He's dealing with those newbies; 'parantly they had a plan to escape. Those bastards got caught."
That bit of the conversation make me cover my mouth. Clementine and the others were caught! They were fucking caught!
"Did they really? Shame. That young one, what's his name? Louis? He's a nice one." The other man spoke.
"Mind you, I find the blonde quite appealing to the eye." The other one commented, and they both laughed. One of the, sat down on the red plastic chair, and sighed. "But I don't blame them. You know, for trying to leave. That Jerome guy is nuts; he'll gut us all killed."
"You ever know what happened to Wynn?" The other asked.
"Oh, come on! You're not that stupid, Roy! She's dead. Jerry killed him." The other hissed. "But I mean...the other kids burnt down his camp, so it makes sense why they're trapped here. They destroyed his life."
"He destroyed ours, Kev." Roy spoke.
I got up, quietly moving in the snow, and moved around the shed. The two men in the shed continued with that conversation. I needed to find to...speak to them. I walked in, and they jumped up,
"Whoa! Who the fuck are you?!" One of them exclaimed, pointing a finger at me. I hurriedly put my hands up.
"Kevin, that's the boy I saw! I saw him outside the camp!" Roy exclaimed. "I fuckin told you!"
"Please!" I begged. "Please! I...I'm meant to help my friends escape. You know, the ones you were just talking about!"
The boys exchanged glances.
"You want to know where they are?" Roy asked. I nodded. "They're back in the cell; one of the boys must've gotten his hand on a shotgun. He got caught right as he shot it, missed Jerome. They're in a hell of a lot of trouble. If I were you, I wouldn't even think about sneaking down there to save them."
"But you're not me." I said. "Therefore I can whatever I want."
"Boy, you know we can dob you in. We'd get lots of good treatment." The other said.
"That depends on if you're going to or not." I said, and raised my gun to head level. A look of panic spread across their faces. "If you let me go and keep your mouths shut, you get to live."
The other man sighed. "I know. I was never gonna tell. You kids escape." He nodded at the door to leave. "I don't blame you, kiddo. Just..it's a shot in the dark, and you'll most likely die."
I ignored that.
"Thank you." I sighed with relief, and turned to the door.
"One thing." The man said. I turned around. "Look after those friends. They're treasures."
I smiled at the command.
"Thank you, sir." I spoke, and ran out of the shed, leaving the two men there.

Louis
The second I pulled the trigger, the door to the office opened. We jumped. I jumped. I shot off the gun, and instead of hitting Jerome's head, the bullet hit his ear, and impaling into the walls.
"Shit!" Jerome screamed, and knocked Violet backwards, who was off guard at whoever opened the door. I dropped the gun, and turned my head to the shocked guard.
"The fuck is going on here?!" The guard snapped.
Ashley hit Ivan in the stomach, and ran to Jerome's aid. Jerome grabbed AJ, who screamed as Jerome held a knife that was in his pocket to his throat. Clementine lunged at him, but Ashley tackled her. A sickening snap entered the chaos as the guard then grabbed Violet's shoulders, and kicked the back of her legs, making ear fall to the ground. I stayed there, still, as the loud chaos followed. Soon, another two guards poured in at the chaos, and one of them secured there hold on me, as I stayed paralysed at my considered actions. Another held a struggling and yelling Clementine up, her prosthetic leg had been the object that snapped, and was on the ground, that part of Clementine's jeans bleeding due to the fake leg possibly snapping against her skin. Jerome groaned, his ear bleeding down the side of his face. He held AJ, the blade of the knife already sharp against his neck, the skin had just cracked, the blood pouring onto his old shirt. AJ was barely with it, his eyes slant as it looked like he was about to pass out.
"Take them to the cell!" Jerome yelled. "Take them all!"
The guards began moving us away, except Jerome stayed with AJ.
"AJ!" Clementine screamed. "Don't you—let go of me!"
"Except for him." Jerome pointed a finger at me. "Leave him here."
The guard that had me blinded my wrists with rough fraying rope behind my back, my heart racing as he pushed me to the ground.
I heard the door close behind me, Clementine screaming down the hall.