Chapter Text
Clementine opened her eyes. The sudden light caused her to recoil. She tried to move her hand to shield her eyes from the intrusion but she couldn’t. She was restrained by something. Groaning, she waited until her eyes had adjusted.
“AJ!” she exclaimed, suddenly remembering about him. Frantically looking around, she found no sign of him. Things were still hazy in her head as she struggled to recall the events that had gotten here.
She was on a bed in a room. There were several empty beds in there with a few wall cabinets. Medical equipment filled the room. A table sat next to her bed, containing a bloody cloth and some thread.
Her free hand immediately travelled to her forehead, remembering the wound. It had been bandaged and her cap had been removed, which was nowhere to be found in the room. Her right shoulder had also been bandaged. Her jacket lay on the chair in front of her bed.
The windows had been covered by white curtains. She could hear the sounds from outside of men and women talking and… kids? Her thoughts instantly flew to finding a way out. There was no way she was going to remain somebody’s prisoner.
The dull throb echoed in her head, making it very difficult for her to concentrate. Sitting up slowly, she proceeded to try and free her hand, realising in the process that she was handcuffed to the bed railing. Cursing, she looked around for the key.
There it was, on the bed next to hers on the left.
She steadily got up from the bed over the railing, trying not to lose her balance. A feeling of light-headedness had engulfed her, now that she was on her feet. The handcuff cut off any mobility away from the bed, but it allowed her just enough to retrieve the key.
The lock sprung open and Clementine massaged her wrist. Her shoes lay at the bedside. Pulling them on as fast she could, she took the support of the bed, attempting to arrange her thoughts. Her priority was to get out of here and find the others. As far as her experience had taught her, prisoners were never locked up far away from each other.
She wore her jacket and proceeded to try the door. Unsurprisingly, it was locked. Cursing again, she decided her next option was the window. That, however, provided no better means of escape. It had been sealed shut. A small garden was all she could see from it and the wall. Her next bet would be to pick the lock.
Whoever had stitched her up hadn’t left the tools for her to find as easily as she’d found the key. However, they’d clearly forgotten she could still check a cabinet. Opening one, she gazed at it in wonderment. It was lined with medicines and other tools. It was a very well stocked infirmary, to say the least. She hadn’t seen so many bottles in one place in forever. Maybe she could grab something and keep it for the group.
A voice from outside distracted her from her task. It seemed close, prompting her to arm herself with the knife lying at the side. She stared at the door. Perhaps she could overpower whoever it was and escape. That was the best plan she could muster in the circumstances, especially with that heavy pounding in her head that made all kinds of things seem absolutely plausible.
The voice was right outside the door when Clementine jumped behind it. The handle clicked and the door swung open as the man let himself in. He must have noticed the empty bed since without taking a further step, he simply turned around in the doorway and closed the door behind him, swearing under his breath.
Clementine waited until the footsteps had died away. Now was her chance to sneak out. Tightly grasping the knife in her fingers, she crept out of the unlocked door.
“Going somewhere?”
The man’s voice caught her off-guard. He sat on a bench to her left, looking right at her. She was in a short passageway with rooms to the sides of the one she’d just escaped from. A short wall ran across the passage in front of her that faced the street. A small set of stairs broke the wall in the middle. She could spot houses and a few people moving about.
“I’m not stupid, you know? There was no way you could have escaped,” he continued. His tucked in shirt and grey pants, along with his stubble and greying hair gave him the appearance of someone in charge.
Clementine still had the knife clutched in her hand. It was a long shot but she could probably take him down and find the others.
The man, however, seemed to look right through her. “Not a good idea. I’m not here to hurt you. If anything, we can help you.”
“What do you mean?” she asked dubiously.
“How about you hand me the knife, first? You won’t come to any harm, not unless you do something like stab one of my people.” He held out his empty hand.
She hesitantly eyed him before walking up to him and handing him the weapon.
“Good. Sit,” he commanded.
Clementine chose the wall as a good place to be seated. It was across the man and wasn’t too close for her comfort.
“I’m Jonathan,” he introduced himself. He waited for her to do the same.
“Clementine,” she finally said.
“You had a lot of wounds when we found you,” he told her. “Our doctor, Anne, she fixed you up. Your friends got off much easier.”
“Where are they?”
“Eating. They were hungry so Alex took them to the kitchens. Both of-”
“Both?” she asked, things becoming much clearer now. Beth, Brody, the van crash, the walker, the voices, all of it was coming back to her.
“We found only three of you when that van crashed.”
“So, AJ isn’t here?” Her heart sank as she asked him.
“There’s no AJ here. There was another van, but that got away. Your friend was probably in that one, which was our target.”
“You attacked us? We could’ve gotten killed,” Clementine said, the anger seeping into her voice.
The man shrugged. “And we would’ve been sorry about that. But it was necessary. Delta needed to be taken down. And the only way to do that, would be through Beth.”
“How do you know about them?”
“We’ve been fighting Delta ever since Beth took charge. She goes around attacking smaller settlements and capturing their people to trade and train for their war. Your friends told me you were one of her unlucky prisoners. And she killed one of you.”
Brody. She’d killed Brody. The one person that didn’t deserve that fate.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” the man continued. He didn’t seem particularly sorry, though. “Beth is known for making an example out of things.”
“I saw that.” She glanced around. Things seemed quite serene for the moment as people ran about, doing their own work. She caught some of them glimpsing at her. “I want to see Louis and Violet.”
“They’ll be here soon enough. Anne has given me strict instructions to keep you in the infirmary, and she’s not someone to disobey. So, you go and lie down and I’ll send your friends in.”
“So, this isn’t Delta or one of their alliances?”
He shook his head. “Not in the least. We’re against their way of survival. This is a place of hope, for people to come and live peacefully.”
“What’s this place called then?”
“You must have missed the sign we’ve got outside. This is Miletus.”
*
Clementine lay in the bed as she waited for Violet and Louis to arrive. A constant gnawing worry about AJ had risen within her. She didn’t know how he was going to survive without her. She’d always been there for him his entire life, and without her… it scared her that something would happen to him.
Marlon had lost Brody, a wound that would most probably run deep. Until they rescued everyone, she doubted she would feel peace within her mind. None of them deserved to be captured like this.
As the thoughts trailed around inside her head, multiple footsteps outside the door and an all-too-familiar voice let her know that Louis and Violet had returned.
“You can stop breathing down my neck now. I’m not going to run away,” Violet said, irritated, as the door opened. “Clem! You okay?”
Clementine instantly felt relieved seeing her two friends. “Yeah. Other than a couple of injuries, I’m fine. How are you guys doing?”
“Pretty good. Neither of us had any major wounds. You seem to have gotten the brunt of it,” Louis said. It was good seeing him be himself again, after their horrible morning.
“I did, yeah. How’s this place look?”
“Other than that creep watching my every move, not too bad. The food is good, though. Or maybe we just haven’t eaten properly in a long time,” Violet said.
“He’s not a creep, Vi,” Louis replied. “He’s only doing his job of watching the newcomers. You hungry, Clem?”
Clementine nodded, realising she hadn’t eaten since last night. No wonder she felt weak. She watched as Louis left the room, presumably to fetch her some food.
“You thinking about Brody?” Violet asked, suddenly downcast.
“Yeah. It was just today morning but it feels like weeks ago.”
“There was a lot I should have said to her, you know? She’d always been the big sister to all of us. I don’t know what we’re going to do without her. And Minnie. Shit, we just got her back and now she’s facing Beth again now. All of them must be at Delta by now.” Violet sat down on the bed.
“Yeah.” Clementine felt the worry weigh down upon her again. “We’re going to have to get them back. All of them.”
“We can’t do that with you like this. Your wounds aren’t going to allow much action.”
“I know. I’ll be up within no time. You feel safe here?”
Violet shrugged. “Can’t say for sure. It feels safe but, you never know right? Things always go bad. We’re just going to have to stay on our guard.”
“That’s what I thought too. How’s Louis holding up?”
“He’s seen better days. Every time he’s around people, he seems himself again. But any time he’s by himself, reality sets in. I don’t think even I’m over what’s happened.”
“Me neither. And Jonathan? Did he talk to you?” Clementine asked.
“He’s the one in charge here. They were the ones that attacked the van. Something about taking down…”
“Delta. He told me that. I don’t know if it’s a good or a bad thing that we’re free and everyone else is locked up in there, alone. Even AJ… fuck…”
Louis walked in, carrying a steaming bowl. He handed it to Clementine and sat down at the end of the bed along with Violet. It was a bowl full of soup and vegetables.
“They grow all of this here,” Louis informed them. “Imagine never having to go hungry because you grow your own food.”
“That does sound tempting,” Clementine replied, taking a sip. Instantly, the heat washed over her as her mouth burst with the flavor. “This is really good.”
“It is,” Violet said. She looked around. “I haven’t been to any place like this. Ever since the outbreak, it was just Ericson’s and then the Forest House.”
“I’ve done this a few times. None of them ended too well though.”
“So, what were you guys talking about?” Louis asked.
“Everything that’s happened. We’re going to have to figure out a way to rescue the others,” Clementine said.
Louis looked tense, but knew it was something that had to be done. If he was captured, the others would do the same for him. “What’s the plan then?”
“We need to find a way into Delta. None of us have seen the place, so we might have to improvise a little.”
“I’m okay with that,” Violet replied. “And while we’re at it, maybe we can give some of those fuckers what they deserve.”
“Maybe. But we need to make sure none of us get hurt. I’d rather get out without alerting them, honestly.”
“I agree with Clem’s plan here. In and out before they know. That way, all of us will be safer.”
Before any of them could continue their discussion, the door swung open and in walked a woman. Her brunette hair fell over her white coat as she stepped towards the bed. Clementine assumed this to be Anne, the doctor Jonathan was talking about.
“I thought I gave clear instructions that you were to rest. You’re not going to get back out there until you’re back to normal,” Anne said.
“We were just checking up on her. We’ll leave,” Louis said, getting to his feet.
The woman raised an eyebrow at Violet, waiting for her to leave the room too.
“Fine,” Violet conceded. “We’re going, for fuck’s sake. We’ll be back later, Clem. Rest up until then.” With that, the two of them left the room.
“There, now that you have no disturbances, you can sleep off those wounds. I’ll be back to check in a little while.”
Clementine watched Anne disappear through the doorway. A sense of annoyance had filled her at being told what to do. She wasn’t used to that feeling and neither did she ever want to. There were lots of things that would need to be done once she was better. Sighing, she closed her eyes, walking into the storm of thoughts in her head.