The Walking Dead: Return to Paradise

Chapter Nine: An Eye For An Eye

The raiders funnelled in through the main gate brandishing their weapons around. One of them stopped next to the watchtower and aimed his gun at Asim.
"Down from there, son. Go join your friends."
Asim complied and stood with the rest of the group.
Clementine kept her bow trained on the ringleader holding Louis hostage. To her count there were fifteen total raiders.
Fifteen against nine, and they have guns.
The ringleader gestured for the raiders to stay where they were as he moved closer, stopping next to the picnic bench that wasn't flipped on its side.
"Okay good, we're making progress. Next order of business, which one of you killed Paul?" His eyes scanned the group.
Nobody spoke, Clem stood at the front of the pack still aiming at him with her bow.
"Are you really going to make me do the counting thing again? Honestly it's like dealing with children. One..." he began counting again.
"Stop. I killed him." Clem said.
The man's mouth curled up into a smile.
"Now let him go." She demanded.
"Sure thing, right after you come over here."
Clementine didn't like the sound of that.
"Your man tried to rob us. He shot my girlfriend, I only killed him in self defence."
The man's expression softened.
"Well, I'm sorry for any suffering Paul caused you and yours." he said with a note of sincerity, pausing before speaking again.
"Paul was an idiot, but he was one of us. Not to mention, his brother is quite sore about his death. He wanted to come here today, and I quote; to 'line you up and execute every last one of you'. I didn't much like that idea, so I told him to stay back and I'd handle things diplomatically."
Clementine furrowed her brow, confused as to where this was going.
"So let's talk this through." She attempted to defuse the situation.
"We are. Unfortunately, the person responsible needs to receive some kind of punishment. It's only fair, so come on over here and nobody innocent will get hurt."
Louis shook his head at her. Clem closed her eyes and sighed, lowering the bow and releasing the draw on the string. She took a step forward before a hand grabbed her arm, she turned to see Violet holding her back with a distressed look on her face.
"No.." was all she whispered, shaking her head.
Clem put her hand over Violet's and gazed into her eyes.
"It'll be alright." Clem whispered back before planning a kiss on the back of her hand.
Clementine slowly approached the man and Louis. Once she was within two meters, the man shoved Louis towards the group. Clementine was surprised he followed through on his promise.
The man handed his shotgun off to a lackey, when Clem got closer he suddenly lunged towards her. The man grabbed her left wrist and slammed her down face first onto the picnic table.
Violet unsheathed her kukri and AJ cocked back the hammer on his pistol, taking aim at the man. Violet was fuming, her upper lip twitched as she glared at the lanky man.
The lackey stepped forward and pressed the shotgun muzzle into the side of Clem's head.
"I wouldn't if I were you. Put 'em away." 
Violet froze, her glare replaced with a look of terror. She complied, sliding the weapon back into its sheath. AJ kept his gun trained on the man holding the shotgun. Violet looked down at him and slapped his shoulder with the back of her hand to get his attention.
"AJ, do what he says." She hissed through gritted teeth.
AJ hesitated for a moment, he was just as mad as Violet was. He finally lowered the gun and let it clatter to the floor.
"I'm a firm believer in rehabilitation. People can learn from their mistakes and change for the better," the man said to Clementine, still holding her down on the table, "I'm not going to kill you, you can't learn anything if you're dead. So, what should I do to teach you?"
Clem hoped his question was rhetorical.
"I reckon you should cut her, Zeke. Scar up her face real good." One of the raiders piped up.
Zeke shook his head.
"No, scars build character. Besides," he wrenched her head to the side, revealing the scar she received while escaping Wellington, "I don't think she'll mind one more scar."
Zeke clicked his tongue, thinking about the best way to 'teach' her. He reached behind his back and produced a knife.
"I could cut out your eye." He brandished the blade inches from her face.
"Hmm, no. You need both eyes to survive out here."
He tapped the knife against the wooden bench.
"An ear? Same deal, you need them."
He was silent for a while, Clem breathed shakily. The fear began to set in, she was completely at his mercy. If she fought back, she would either be stabbed or shot in the face, Zeke was free to do whatever he wanted.
"Ah, I've got it. You said you killed Paul to protect your girlfriend, so I'm going to cut off your ring finger. It's poetic in a way." He put away his knife and pointed at one of the raiders, snapping his fingers. The raider stepped forward and handed Zeke a large meat cleaver.
Clementine's eyes went wide, her breathing quickened and her heart was beating so fast it felt as though it would burst.
Zeke took hold of her left ring finger and extended it before holding her hand down on the table. She tried to pull away but was jabbed in the back of the head with the shotgun's muzzle. Zeke took hold of the cleaver in his free hand and held it over his head.
"Hold still."
He brought it down hard, the cleaver took her finger off at the second knuckle and became lodged in the table from the force of the swing. Clementine screamed in pain, straining her voice. Tears welled up in her eyes and she began shaking violently.
"You motherfucker!" Violet tore across the courtyard with her kukri in hand, she made a beeline for Zeke.
The lackey holding Zeke's shotgun hit her in the cheek with the stock, sending her tumbling to the ground. Violet rolled and lost her grip of the kukri before a heavy boot pressed into her chest, keeping her on the ground.
"Don't fucking move." The lackey growled, shoving the gun into her face.
Zeke released his grip on Clementine's wrist, letting her slide to the ground clutching the stump of her finger that was bleeding profusely. She curled up, the blood from her finger sprayed onto the snow, contrasting the bleak environment. He leaned over the table, retrieving the cleaver and her finger. He held the severed digit in front of her face.
"I'll just take this to show Paul's brother, he'll want proof. You understand of course."
Zeke assembled back with his raiders and cleared his throat.
"Alright everyone, we're leaving. We won't cross paths again, I hope." He called to the group.
The lackey let Violet up and rejoined his people, she immediately ran to Clementine's side. Clem was pale, her hands, shirt and face were splattered with her own blood and she was shivering. Violet glared at Zeke, he nodded and turned around, heading up the back of his raider group.
No fucking way he's getting away that easily.
Violet picked up her kukri and put it into the sheath before walking to the overturned picnic table where the rifle was stashed. She picked it up, switched off the safety and took aim at Zeke while his back was turned. He was already out of the gate and a few yards from the school, it would be a tough shot. Violet followed Clem's instructions, she took a deep breath, exhaled and squeezed the trigger once her lungs were empty.
The bullet struck Zeke in the bicep, he flinched and cried out in pain before running to cover behind a tree.
After a brief period of silence, a series of shots rang out from the woods and hit the picnic table in front of Violet. She ducked behind cover and everyone else followed suit.
"We were gonna leave you alone you stupid little shits, I try to teach you a lesson and you fucking ignore it! You're all gonna fucking die now!" A voice from the woods howled furiously.
Violet glanced over at Clementine, who had just flipped the picnic table over and was hunkered behind it. As the bullets flew towards her and collided with the admin building, Violet couldn't shake feeling like she had just started something they couldn't win.