The Walking Dead A New Frontier: Six Years Later

Chapter Five: Trailblazing

Clementine trudged through the mud, she could feel her boot getting heavier the longer she walked. Her shotgun swung on the makeshift sling around her shoulder, lightly hitting her in the stomach with each step. Gabe was examining a map while they traversed the woods in search of the path that would lead them to a town. Adrian, the runner who had come with them, was busy admiring the birds perched on the branches. He had an extensive knowledge of birds as Clementine found out, he could point out every Cardinal, Chickadee and Wren he saw with his excitement never fading.
"We should be close now." Gabe said to the group, looking up from his map.
Thank God, Clem thought. She forgot how much she hated slogging through the woods in the rain until it came time to do it again.
True to Gabe's word, the town appeared over the horizon through the trees. They followed the path out and found themselves in a supermarket car park.
"Should we split up?" Adrian asked nervously, his grip on his rifle tightened.
Clem frowned, "I don't know, this town's pretty big. If one of us got into trouble there's not a whole lot the others could do in time."
"Clementine's right, we should stick together until we know it's safe to split up." Gabe agreed, Clem shot him a half smile.
They checked the supermarket first, aside from a few odds and ends on the shelves, there wasn't much they could use. Clementine picked up a can of food from the ground, the label had long since come off and the contents were a mystery.
That's probably why it was left behind, she thought before a gurgling sound broke her train of thought. She reached for her knife and snuck towards the sound. A walker lumbered around the corner, kicking shards of broken glass across the floor inadvertently. It's milky eyes locked onto Clementine and it quickened it's pace. She stood up and raised the knife before plunging it into the walker's forehead. The knife went in, but to Clementine's horror it stopped halfway with a dull thud.
"Shit!"
She pushed against the walker while trying to wedge the knife deeper into it's skull. It wouldn't budge, she used the knife as leverage to push the walker's head out of biting range and kicked it in the knee. The walker's legs gave way with a crunch and Clem gripped the knife which slid it's way out of the walker's head. She got closer and sank the blade into the walker's temple, it pierced the brain with a sickening squelch and the gurgling stopped.
Clem examined where the knife had entered the walker's forehead, under the large wound the knife had torn while the walker fell was a metal plate affixed to it's skull.
Huh. What are the odds of that?
Gabe ran up the aisle,"you okay?" He sounded out of breath.
"Fine, don't worry, had a little problem but it was nothing I couldn't handle." She gestured to the walker lying in a heap on the floor.
After the supermarket turned up nothing good, they decided to begin searching houses individually. Clem had already checked two throughly, she found a bag of marshmallows that had been opened already, a box of instant Mac&Cheese and a small first aid kit. The three of them regrouped and prepared to move on, they consulted the map in the centre of town for their next destination.
"That cabin there, I don't think our scouts have ever been to it. There could be some good stuff left behind." Gabe tapped the cabin on the map. There was no argument from the rest of the party, so they made the journey.
The cabin was surprisingly well maintained, the windows had been broken a long time ago but other than that, the rest of it was fine.
There was a large shed affixed to the back of the cabin and a cellar door on the right side.
They agreed to split up, Clementine would take the main cabin, Gabe checked the shed and Adrian ventured into the cellar.
She pushed open the door with the muzzle of her handgun, it was unlocked. The main room consisted of a rotted armchair in the corner, a small table and a window into the kitchen divided by a small wall. She checked the cupboards in the kitchen and her jaw dropped, they were all full of non perishable foods. Clem hurriedly began filling her backpack with the cans, she noticed a familiar mascot on a can of peaches. She rolled her eyes and stuffed it into the bag, noting the irony.
The backpack was full to capacity, once the others were done she'd tell them about the supplies. Clem went forward to check the rest of the cabin, there was a bathroom on the right of the hall in a state of disrepair and a room on the left which had nothing in it. She stood in the room confused before a creaking sound from the end of the hall made her jump. It was continuous and repetitive, not like a walker shuffling along the ground. She levelled her pistol and walked forward as quietly as she could, the door to the final room was ajar. Clem pushed it open to reveal a man standing below the floorboards, he had his back to her and was rummaging around underneath the house. A crowbar and a gun were sitting at the edge of the hole. Clem quickly grabbed the gun and stuffed it into her waistband.
"Hands up." She said firmly.
The stranger raised his hands and turned to face her, he had a weather beaten face covered in lines, a scruffy beard and a boonie cap.
"What are you doing down there?" Clem asked.
"Looking for something."
"You're gonna have to be more specific than that."
"Christ, I'm looking for some medicine I buried here a while ago." He scowled.
"Look, I'm not here to rob you. You can get your medicine and go, but I'm holding onto your gun until you leave."
"Hardly seems fair. How do I know you won't just shoot me?"
Clem lowered her gun slightly so that the muzzle was pointed at the floor, "I won't shoot you, I'm just being careful."
He rolled his eyes and slowly resumed his rummaging, Clem kept a close eye on him while he searched.
The stranger suddenly sprung up and a gunshot broke the silence, Clem felt something brush the top of her head. Instinctively, she retaliated and before he could attack again Clem fired two shots.
The stranger slumped into the hole, Clementine's bullets had caught him square in the face. The entry wounds under his right eye were bruised around the outside and blood trickled slowly out of them. His fingers were clutching a small compact pistol that he had retrieved from the hole.
She hadn't realised before but her hat was no longer on her head, she turned around and saw it laying on the floor behind her. A small chunk of the brim had been blown off by the bullet.
"Motherfucker!" Clem glared at the corpse.
She was mad about her hat, but she was even more mad that she allowed herself to be in a position to be shot.
Gabe and Adrian ran into the room with their guns raised, they quickly slowed their pace when they saw the dead man on the ground.
"What the fuck happened?" Adrian said, his gaze darting back and forth between Clem and the stranger.
"Are you alright?" Gabe asked her.
Clem nodded, "I'm fine, this asshole shot my hat."
"Your hat!? You killed him over a hat?" Adrian shouted.
"It was on my head at the time." She retorted.
"Why is he in that hole?" Gabe lifted his beanie and scratched his head.
"He said he was looking for medicine he buried, I told him he could get it and go but the fucker pulled a gun on me."
Adrian stepped closer to the hole and peered inside.
"Holy shit."
Clem and Gabe came over to see the cause of his reaction. Inside the hole were several duffel bags full of guns and ammo.
"Holy shit." She and Gabe said in unison.