Small and Sweet [TWD SI]

[StrangerDanger51]

AN: TWD is a big universe. It's also one that will do very wonky things if a stone is thrown into the pond. For example, the most un-killable character in the games suddenly not being herself.

---SaS---​

The first indication that something was wrong was the light moaning. Not a normal moan of pain or pleasure but a constant, droning moan. More... gurgly. The second tell was the feeling of a hard surface under my body, with a grainy texture. My bed was very comfortable, but this felt more like blanket over a wood floor. The third was when I opened my eyes, and saw the inside of a small wooden room, a branch covered in leaves poking past the window. I live in a fairly nice flat, but I've never owned a treehouse.

The final nail in the coffin was when I brought my hand up to shield my eyes from the sunlight and saw a small, dainty hand with little nails and mocha skin.

I am- was-, a white, redheaded male, 22, fresh from university and looking for a professional job as a programmer.

A quick glance downwards pegs me as a small brown child with frizzy black hair.

As you can imagine, I began hyperventilating. It didn't help that my breathing came out at a higher pitch than I'm used to.

I've toyed with the idea of reincarnation before. Read quite a few stories about such a thing occurring. I even once believed that is exactly what happens when you die; your soul is reborn in another body. This however, seems more like taking over someone else's body. Case-in-point: not experiencing birth.

There are many situations and people I could have been shoved into, assuming a ROB situation, but a slow building dread in the back of my mind tells me exactly who I am right now. The moaning, the wooden treehouse, the weird flap-door, the hammer lying on the ground, the yellow dress. Only one thing left to test.
"H-hello?" I say, in the voice of a young girl named Clementine.

And that, folks, is how it started.

---SaS---​

It took a few hours to come to terms with the fact I was in The Walking Dead(TM). That fact took major precedence over being freaking Clementine, but I'm sure I'll freak out about that later.

Cons:
• Zombies
• Small and weak body
• No food or water
• Can't get food or water easily because the babysitter is a zombie.

Pros:
• People will underestimate me
• I have a hammer
• Lee should be here soon (within a day)

Lee. Jesus, that's gonna be tough to figure out. I know I won't be able to pull of the 'innocent little girl' act, and Lee's smart enough to call me on it if I tried.

So, I'm going to have to be myself and if I get called on not quite acting like a normal little girl, have a legitimate reason for it. It has to happen before Lee turns up, or he'll notice.

I'm going to have to kill Sandra (again), aren't I?

Damn it.

Well, time to kill my first 'Walker'.

---SaS---​

That was... close.

So, it was easy enough to grab the hammer and slowly make my way across the backyard to the slider door. Inside, I quietly crept around, following the faint moaning and bloodstains. I came upon Sandra lying on the floor upstairs, in the bedroom she'd obviously been using. I couldn't stop a small gasp at the sight of her. Seeing dead bodies moving and moaning along with the foul smell and gore was way worse in real life. That seemed to be enough to 'trigger' her, as she turned her rotting head to face me.

Gurgling, the Walker tried to get up, shifting towards me with it's dead and milky eyes. I rushed it, and slammed the hammer into it's left eye, before it could fully stand. It gurgled loudly in 'pain' and was knocked back, but not down.

I ran, making sure not to slip on the bloodstains on the floor, leftover from it's first death.

The kitchen was my target; a knife, my goal. The Walker tripped down the stairs as I rummaged through the utensil drawers. Why didn't I do this beforehand!? Finally finding a long sharp knife, I pulled it out and turned to face the Walker. It had caught up with me, blocking the way out of the kitchen, hammer still hanging from it's ruined eye.

I cursed my past-self for his pride, a hammer does not make a good weapon, especially in the hands of a scrawny eight year old child.

The Walker shuffled towards me, then lunged. I raised the knife and closed my eyes with a involuntary scream. There was a gurgle, and a sigh, then the inanimate body hit me, pushing me against the bench.

Opening my eyes, the first thing I saw was my knife sticking out of the Walker's right eye, and it's jaw hanging open. I pushed it to my left, and leapt right as it fell. Once I'd stopped hyperventilating, I retrieved my hammer and knife. They came out with a wet *Shlick* on the knife's part, though it took a little more force to dislodge the hammer.

Right. Secure the house. I quietly went around, and made sure to lock all the doors and windows, leaving everything but the ranch slider locked.

Searching the house for anything useful, I found myself standing in the middle of what must have been Clem's room. It was.. Pink. It was also the only place which could possible have clothes that fit me and weren't a dress. I rifled through the chest of drawers and found a pair of jeans, a long sleeve T-shirt, a nice pair of running shoes and a warm jacket.

It was then, faced with having to change clothes that I was once again confronted with the state of my body. It was awkward. I tried to pay as little attention to my body as possible while I changed, but by the end I was shaking. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of a mirror. It drew me closer, and in seconds I was frozen. I'd been able to push this fact to the back of my mind so far, but this was too much.

Spoiler: Clementine

I stared at my reflection, -at Clementine- and the reality of my situation came crashing down.

I am stuck in the body of an eight year old child, a girl, in the first days of a zombie apocalypse.

I'm not sure how long I spent crying.

---SaS---​

After my... episode, I tried to get back on track. I quickly located a backpack full of schoolbooks and a pencil case. I emptied it out. One good thing about the apocalypse, I guess. I wouldn't need to go through school again.

I collected everything in the house I thought would be useful. This amounted to two bottles I filled with water, as much food as I could carry (Mostly cans with a can opener), two screwdrivers in my pockets and a ladies leather jacket (my Mom's) to give me some protection.

The medicine cabinet in the bathroom had a range of pills and bandages, which I put into another backpack. Idly, I notice some nitroglycerin pills. One of Clem's parents must have had a heart condition. Clem never mentioned it in the games though... must not have known.

All that was left was the gun safe in the master bedroom. Not being from the USA myself, I was a little surprised to find one. Then again, gun laws in the USA were always a very debated topic. A search through the room gave me the keys, revealing a Glock and thirteen mags. I've never fired a pistol before, but it seems easy to learn: safety on, point, elbows bent, knees bent, aim down the sight, even breathing, aim for the head, safety off, breath out, shoot.

A sling bag in the closet gave me somewhere to put my ammo.

Now, I need to go over the fence and check if there is a crashed police car, with my potential salvation in the back seat.

Actually, am I really thinking of walking through the zombie-infested forest? That's a bad idea. That's a really bad idea.

Yeah, I'm just going to wait h-*Bang!*

Was that a shotgun?

Oh. I guess it was.

---SaS---​

I was very careful getting over the fence. As in, I didn't. There was a latched gate which I unlocked and walked through, making sure it didn't slam or close completely. From the other side, it certainly didn't look like a gate. Carefully walking into the woods, I gulped. My hand shook, tightly clenched on the knife.

The gun was in my left jacket pocket, screwdriver's were in my right. Hammer hooked onto the side of my backpack, knife out and pointy. (Covered in blood, old blood. Ew)

I was hyper-aware of my surroundings, of the smallest noise. Silently, with only a small quiver in my breathing, I found myself looking down a hill, at the dead body of a cop, and a convicted criminal trying to control his breathing leaning against the patrol car.

"HELP! Go get someone! There-There's been a shooting!"

I waved frantically at him, then ran back to the fence where I stood by the open gate and waited for him. "Hurry!" I shouted as I saw him crest the hill. His eyes found me, and he quickly limped over, the Walker herd hot on his heels. I stood aside for him, then slammed the gate shut and closed the latch as he fell to the ground in the yard.

Breathing heavily, I turned to the black man lying on the ground. He smiled up at me. "Thanks for the help, those people were crazy!" I looked at him, stared into his eyes. I looked at him for a second before speaking.

"You don't know, do you?" He stopped, his smile dropped and he frowned.

"Know what?" He asked, giving me a good look. I noticed his eyes linger on the gun shape in my pocket.

"The dead don't die." I said, evenly (In a small voice, with a little quiver). "They come back, and they want to eat us."

I showed Lee inside, and left him in the dining area, looking at the dead walker in the kitchen. A quick walk to grab the medical bag and I had a few rolls of bandages, painkillers and a bottle of hydrogen peroxide. (From all the healed scratches on my arms and knees, it was likely for me.)

Lee was sitting down on a dining chair when I returned. His gaze turned from the body to me. "Did you do that?" He asks quietly, motioning to the kitchen. I nodded, and closed my eyes for a second, reliving the moment. (I shivered)

"That was my babysitter, Sandra. I heard her scream two nights ago. When I went to check on her, she..." I stopped talking (I shivered) trying to remember as much dialog from this scene as possible. I knelt next to his leg and opened the kit. "Maybe one of the Monsters got her. I hid in my treehouse. At least, until I got hungry. I had to come in to get food. I grabbed a knife and s-stabbed her in the eye." I opened the bottle of peroxide and put some on a clean flannel rag, then lay that rag on Lee's leg. He gritted his teeth, but apart from a small grunt remained remarkably silent.

"Then what happened?" He asked as I got out a roll of bandages and some gauze.

"I looked out the front windows and saw all the crashed cars, and the moaning things walking around." (A kind look was enough to set me at ease) "I grabbed everything I could; food, water, medicine, I even got my dad's gun." I finished bandaging the gauze to his leg, then tucked the bandage into itself. I put everything back into your kit and closed it.

Lee looked his leg over then nodded. "Good job. Your daddy teach you to do that?." I shook my head.

"My mom, actually." Clem's mom was a doctor, right?

"That's good. Where are your parents, anyway?"

"Savannah, I think. They went on vacation, and left me with Sandra." I don't look at the body in the kitchen, but Lee does.

There was a moment of silence between us, before Lee gets up, and walks around a bit. It's obviously still painful and nowhere near healed. Looking out the ranch slider at the fence for a second, he then kneels and looks me in the eye.

"What's your name, sweetie?" (Not Sweetpea)

"Clementine. What's yours?"

"I'm Lee. Clem, you look like a smart kid. And obviously know a bit more about what's going on than I do, but I would feel a lot safer if I had that gun. Do you even know how to use it?"

"Just point and shoot, right?" I asked. Lee chuckles.

"There's a little more to it than that, but how about I teach you how to use one properly later, when we're safe?" I slowly nod and take the gun out, then pass it to him handle first. After all, he's a strange man, got to show some reluctance. He checks it and nods. "Any more ammo?" I nod and shrug off the sling bag, passing it to him. He whistles at seeing the two spare mags and boxes of bullets inside.

After slinging the bag on and making sure the gun's safety is on, he tucks it into his waistband. "Clementine, I think we should get moving, find someplace safe." I put up a token protest.

"But what if my parents come back, and I'm not here?!" (Tears build in my eyes, I blink them away.)

"Why don't we leave them a note? We'll tell them which way we're going and if they come here, they'll know how to find us."

I nod, and leave to go get some paper from the bedroom (my bedroom. No pencils just crayons.)

I write a short letter to people I don't know, then Lee adds his own bit under mine. We leave it by the blinking phone machine. Lee takes a long look at the picture, then smiles gently at me.

After combing through the house one more time, Lee is set up with a bag and supplies. Finally, we're ready to leave.

I take a deep breath. My mind runs through the future I know waits. The people I'll meet who're fated to die.

You know what?

Fuck destiny.

---SaS---​

AN: Thoughts, reactions, comments? I'm a sucker for feedback, and it keeps me interested in a story when I know people enjoy it.

 

[StrangerDanger51]

AN: Chapter 2. My muse is happy today.

We go out the front door, and immediately notice the two guys trying to push a car out of the way of a pickup truck. Lee speaks up "Hey, guys!"

Chet and Shawn Greene jump at the sound of the door closing behind us. They turn and shout. "OH SHIT" "DONTEATUS!" I laugh (giggle) slightly at the chubby one. I'd forgotten about that.

We look at each other, then turn back to them. "Sorry for scaring you." Lee starts "We're not going to hurt you. Do you need any help?"

"Phew, for a second I thought you and the little one were both going to give us 'The Chomp'." Shawn explains, looking relieved.

As Lee and I approach them, I look at the pickup truck. "Are you stuck?" I ask, "If you are, then you should just leave it and get out of here. Those things will be back soon."

"Well little lady, I need this truck to get home. We live out of town, on farms." Shawn explains, before looking back at Lee. "You guys should be getting out, too. I haven't seen anything as gnarly as this neighborhood since downtown Atlanta."

"Do you know what the hell is going on?" Lee asks.

"No idea." Shawn replies. He pauses and looks around at the empty street. "So you've seen them, then?" Lee nods as he turns to look back at the house.

"You could say that." He answers.

"Look man, could you just help us push this car out of the way so we can get going? We'll give you and your daughter a ride out to my family's farm. It should still be safe enough out there."

"I'm not her dad," Lee clarifies, giving me sideways look. "I'm just... A friend." He smiles at me and I smile back with a nod. This is the one guy who I know I can trust 100%, of course I'll consider him a friend.

"Well, 'A Friend', I'm Shawn Greene."

"Lee. This is Clementine."

Chet kneels down and smiles at me. "I'm Chet."

"Hi." I reply, still standing by Lee. (Slightly behind his leg)

Suddenly, the air is filled with wet growling and moaning. Walkers shamble out of the gaps between houses, drawn by our conversation. Chet points out the obvious.

"Them monsters comin'! We gotta go!" Lee nods. He leans down to help Shawn push the car, while Chet jumps into the truck's bed. I rush over and help push, until the car is out of the way.

We all pile into the cab and Shawn starts the pickup, leaving skid marks as we peel away from the Walkers behind us.

"Well," Shawn comments, "If that's how you treat your friends, count me in."

---SaS---​

We roll to a stop outside the Greene property; a lovely looking white farmhouse and big red barn, surrounded by golden fields.

Shawn says goodbye to Chet, who bids us farewell and walks off down the road. He then leads us to the farmhouse, where we're met by an old man. The man, obviously Hershal Greene, hugs his son and chats for a few seconds, then turns to us. "You've brought a couple guests."

"Your boy's a lifesaver." Lee replies.

"Glad he could be of help to somebody." Hershal comments sarcastically. Shawn rolls his eyes and I laugh a bit. (Giggle)

"We just need a little... help. We won't stay long."

"I told them we could help them out." Shawn comments.

We'd really appreciate it.

"You're welcome to stay here, but just for the night. I don't run a bed and breakfast." Hershal offers. The sad thing is that this is probably the last genuinely friendly greeting and offer to stay we're going to get for the rest of our lives, however long that will be.

Lee smiles, and nods in thanks. "So, it's just you and your daughter then." Hershal stated.

"Oh, not his daughter. Just a friend." Shawn corrects. Hershal raises his eyebrow at his son, then kneels in front of me.

"Honey, do you know this man?" He asks nicely.

"Yes, I do." I reply without hesitation, "He's a good guy." Hershal looks me in the eye and nods.

"Okay then," he says, before standing up. He looks us both over and notices Lee's leg. "Looks like you've hurt yourself. Nice job patching it, I'll re-dress it in the morning."

"Actually, Clementine's the one who did that." Lee says, giving a half smile. "Saved me from a group of those things and sat me down, then bandaged me up." Hershal and Shawn look impressed.

"Well we've got ourselves a little doctor here, following your daddy's footsteps?" Ohshit what did Clem's dad do... uuuuh. Ah! Right.

"Actually, my dad was an engineer, my mom was the doctor. I used to get hurt playing in the woods all the time, so mom taught me how to do it myself in case she wasn't around to help." That sounds legit, right?

"That's mighty good of her, gonna come in handy down the line, I'm sure." Hershal smiles, then turns to his son. Man, you have no fucking clue. "Shawn, why don't you go check on your sister, I'll get these two settled in." Shawn nods and waves goodbye while heading to the house.

"What'd you say your name was?"

"It's Lee."

"Nice to meet you Lee, I'm Hershal Greene." He smiles, and turns to me. "And Clementine, was it? How'd you end up needing to save Lee here?" Shit, why's he interrogating me? Is it because he thinks I'm innocent enough to tell the truth?

"I heard a gunshot in the woods, so I went to check. It was the first thing I'd heard that wasn't moaning or screaming, so..." I shake my head, and continue.

"I saw Lee next to a crashed car, with a dead monster. Then he shouted something at me, and when I saw the monsters start coming out from behind the trees I ran back to the house. Lee followed me, and I closed the gate behind him."

"That was very brave." Hershal commented with a smile.

"Yeah, she is." Lee added, smiling at me.

I looked down, feeling warm. (Blushing)

We get to the barn, which is actually rather big. The hay looks clean enough, and I can hear Kenny snoring on the upper level

"There's blankets and such over there," he said quietly, pointing. "Should tide you over the night. Got a family of three on the floor above us too. Come tomorrow, which way you think you're headed?"

"Macon, I suppose. I got family there."

"Well, I hope they're alright, even with all this unpleasantness going on." We're interrupted by Shawn entering the barn.

"Hey, Dad, so I'm thinking, first thing tomorrow, we gotta reinforce the fence around the farm." Ah, this pitch. Yes, it is a good idea, but I'm going to have to be a little sneaky to stop you getting 'The Chomp', Shawn.

"That doesn't seem necessary." Hershal replies. Well, I can't really blame him. He hasn't seen a Walker yet, hasn't felt that fear.

"I don't know what you saw on TV, or heard on the radio, but there is some serious," Shawn glances at me, then says the next word in a loud whisper. "Shit, hitting the fan. I don't think anyone knows how bad it is yet."

"Your son's right. You're gonna wanna fortify this place." Lee says, looking outside at the standard post-and plank fences. Great for keeping cattle in, not so much for Walkers.

"Stuff like that doesn't happen around here, Shawn." Hershal replies dismissively.

"Dad, I'm serious. Lee, come on, tell him what you saw out there, man." Shawn seems desperate for help convincing his old man.

Lee is quiet for a second, looking at me, before contributing. "I saw a little girl trying to be brave in the face of killing the thing her babysitter had become." He ended that on a soft smile, which was echoed by horror on the faces of the Greenes.

"She what?" "She killed one of those things?!"

Well, this whole day I've been attempting to throw this train off it's tracks. Looks like I succeeded. (I blushed at the attention and kicked the hay under my feet.) "I... I had to. I was hungry..."

The Greenes are quiet, but are looking at me with a new look in their eyes, pity maybe? I couldn't tell.

"Shawn," Hershal says, breaking the silence. "You get started on that fence first thing, and don't skimp on the quality."

Shawn nods, then looks at me again before turning and walking off.

"Good night. See you bright and early tomorrow." Hershal states as he joins his son.

Lee and I put some blankets on the ground, then lay down. There is silence for a moment, apart from Kenny's continued snoring.

"Thanks for bandaging my leg, Clem." Lee says out of the blue. I start, and turn to look at him. "I don't think I said it, back at the house."

"N-no problem. You were hurt, and I knew how to fix it." He chuckles quietly.

"Wish I knew how to fix what's going on out there."

"Me too." Though I'm thinking about my own situation, rather than this world's.

Jesus, how long am I going to have to survive here?

---SaS---​

Abstract shapes and colors fill the space around me, and I hear chuckles vibrate reality.

"Oh, the ripples, the delightful ripples! Look at your footsteps as the water splashes! This is going to be such fun!"

The memory of the words fades away, leaving nothing.

---SaS---​

I wake up as the door opens, and light spills into the barn. As I stretch and yawn, my mind catches up. I'm still here, in Clementine's body. A familiar man with a chopper mustache is walking towards Lee and I.

Kenny smiles at me. It's weird seeing him with both his eyes and just the mustache. And in person too, of course. The genuine smile he gives us is leagues better than what comes later. He nudges Lee out of his sleep with his foot. "Hey, get up."

Lee shakes his head and sits up.

"Why do I taste cheese?" I ask, to which they both shrug. I frown though, even as the taste fades away.

"Anyway, I'm Kenny." He offer his hand to the sitting Lee, who takes it and stands. I turn to my bag and go through it, taking stock of what I have.

"Lee, this is Clementine." I hear Lee reply. Taking out three energy bars, I zip the bag closed and walk towards the two men. Always pays to be nice.

"Want some breakfast?" I ask, offering them two of the bars.

Lee takes one with a thanks, but Kenny smiles and shakes his head. "No thanks, little lady. We had breakfast with the Greenes. You two were sleeping so soundly and came in so late, we thought it best to just let you sleep. There's probably some left for you and your daddy in the house, if you ask."

"I'm not her dad," Lee explains, again. This is getting tiring. Do we look that much alike?

Before he can say more, Kenneth Junior (Poor doomed kid) pokes his head in the door. "Dad! We're gonna build a fence! there's a tractor and everything!" His piece said, the energy drink on two legs runs off again.

Kenny chuckles. "We better get going, or we won't hear the end of it." Lee collects his sling bag and the medical bag, while I shrug on my backpack. (Still pink) together, the three of us walk out.

"That's my boy, Ken Junior. We call him Duck, though." He explains with humor in his voice.

"Dodging or quacking?" I ask, before Lee can get a word in, with a smirk. Always wanted to say that.

"Quacking." Kenny confirms with a grin, which Lee mirrors.

"DAAAAD!" Duck complains, unsatisfied with the slow pace we're keeping.

"See?" Kenny says, and I agree with him. Damn, that boy is loud. He's currently over by Katja, who'd sitting on some hay outside the farmhouse.

"The word is you were on your way to Macon." Kenny states, to which Lee nods.

"My family is from there." Yes they are... poor Lee... Nothing I can do for them, unfortunately.

"Well, Macon's on the way and, personally, I would appreciate a guy who could knock a couple of heads together if he has to." Kenny states.

Lee and I share a look, where I nod and he nods back. Look at us, a right pair.

"Sure, we'll... tag along." He answers. Kenny and Katja look amused at the byplay.

"It's a plan, then." Kenny says with a nod. He then turns to his wife and son. "Honey, Duck, this is Lee and... Clementine?" I nod at his look.

"That's a very pretty name." Katja compliments, looking at me with a kind smile. I smile back. (A small smile, a little blush.)

"Thanks." I reply, as Shawn approaches from around the side of the house.

"Well, we should get to work. Sorry for conscripting you like this, but we've all seen what those things can do out there." He says apologetically, "The faster we get this fence up, the better."

Kenny and Lee wave off his apology with a 'no trouble' and 'right thing to do.'

Duck can't help but chime in though. "I wanna build a fence." The energy ball says excitedly, to several good-natured chuckles.

"Yeah?" Shawn answers, "Well, I need a good foreman. You can sit on the tractor and yell at me whenever I take a water break." Duck almost starts vibrating.

"On the tractor? Cool!" Ah, boys. I remember when i was a kid-. Oh. Right. Little girl. My mood abruptly nose-dived. Shawn and Duck walk off to the tractor, Kenny's soon elbow-deep in his truck's engine block, and Lee kneels down in front of me.

"You okay, Clem?" I take a deep breath through the nose, and exhale through my mouth. I nod.

"I'm good. I just... remembered something sad." I answer evasively. Lee frowns, glancing off towards Shawn and Duck. Before anyone says anything, I continue. "Can I help with the fence? More hands mean faster work, right?" Katja and Lee blink, then share a look. Whatever that communicated, Lee turns back to me and nods.

"Alright. Why don't you go help Shawn? I want to have a chat with Kenny." With a smile, I walk (skip) off towards the doomed man and child.

I don't know what's going to happen further down the line, but as the pair come into view my resolve hardens.

Not Today.

---SaS---​

AN: Chapter 2. We'll see how much more of this I write. Might be loads, might be a few lines.

Also, I know there's a fair amount of canon dialogue in there. It doesn't last long.

 

[StrangerDanger51]

AN: Struggled a bit with this, but I'm just happy I got it out. Here's where we really start to diverge from Canon.

When I walked over and offered to be on watch for 'the monsters' I think Shawn just humored me. I got up on the tractor behind Duck, peering out over the fields. With barely any wind, it was easy to spot the first two, who must have been drawn by the sounds of work.

"Monsters! Two of them!" I shouted as loud as I could.

"What?!" Shawn quickly stood, panicking. He grabbed Duck from the tractor while I jumped down. My shout drew the rest of the crew as well. Katja and Kenny grabbed Duck, while Lee came up next to me, pistol trained on the fence line.

We were all dead silent. We could hear the moaning getting closer.

"Aim for the head." I said to Lee. He looked down at me quizzically, along with everyone else. I looked up at Lee evenly. (With Wide, traumatized eyes) "They won't stop until you get their brain."

He nodded seriously, shifting his aim to head-height.

He didn't have to wait long.

Snarling, two zombies emerged from the crops. Rotting and covered in blood. The family of three drew back in fear. Shawn swore. Hershal looked at them, eyes wide. Oh yeah, he hadn't seen one yet, right?

Lee didn't hesitate.

One. Two.

Two shots, and the threat was gone.

Damn that was loud. The others looked shook up.

"Lee, you should probably stay nearby." I said, once again drawing stares. "Any monsters nearby would have heard the gun shots. Good news, after we get rid of them we're probably safe for the rest of the day."

In the end, Hershal and Lee both stood watch, shotgun and pistol at the ready, while Kenny and Shawn worked as quickly as they could. Katja took Duck and I inside the house, where I met the rest of the Greenes. Nice enough folks. I never watched the show, so I couldn't tell you if they were the same.

Within the hour we had heard another five gunshots. Another group of two, and three loners. After an hour of nothing, it was nearing midday. Sandwiches were assembled and delivered to the working men.

The seven walker bodies were piled up off to the side, letting out an ungodly stench.

"You should probably burn the bodies." I comment as they ravished their sandwiches. I received enthusiastic nods of agreement.

"We're planning on it, little lady." Hershal states. "Gonna tow them downwind along road a bit first though. Dont want to smell them while they're burning." Katja attempts to herd me away, but I'm firm in my refusal.

"I want to say out here. I cant stand just sitting inside, doing nothing." Katja looks to Lee, who gives a nod. With that, the mother and son return to the house.

The next hours are spent building the fence. With me on watch, all four of the men work on the fence. Luckily there are no more interruptions.

Now, at four in the afternoon, the fence was passable. It certainly wouldn't hold up to a horde, but for lone zombies it would do fine. The gaps in the picket fence were filled, and its height extended by about a meter. If it looked far more professional than it did in the game, well, call it incentive.

The tired men trudged back into the house, content in their efforts.

Showers and an early dinner later, (I made sure to use the restroom before we left.) we were gathered outside the house again. Kenny's truck was low on gas, so Hershal donated a Jerrycan of fuel, for our efforts.

"We probably could have made it to Macon, but not much farther." Kenny admitted. "Thanks." A firm handshake ensued. Then the Greenes (Hershal and Shawn, the rest stood on the porch, waving), turned to Lee and I.

"Thank you both." Hershal said emotionally, "If something had happened to my boy, I...." He took a moment to collect himself. "If you're ever headed back this way, there's a place for you here." He shook both of our hands, and with a smile on their faces, Hershal and Shawn Greene waved us goodbye from the newly reinforced gate.

I couldn't shake my smile either.

This was proof.

I could change things.

---SaS---​

The sunsets in Georgia are beautiful.

Less beautiful is the knowledge of what lies ahead.

Kenny's truck was a 1991 Toyota Pickup with Extended Cab. What this means is that all give of us could fit in and only be a little squished. We spent the trip talking. There wasn't a pall hanging over the group, and with better spirits comes a willingness to talk.

Kenny and Katja shared their experience since the apocalypse began. They had been headed from their home in Florida to Katja's sister's house for a vacation. When they head shit was going down on the radio, they started heading to Atlanta, like the radio advised. Big mistake. On the way they had stopped at a gas station, called 'Gil's' and attempted to fill up their truck. They hadn't filled much when a walked accosted Duck. Kenny, thinking it was a kidnapper, punched the zombie and jumped into the car, zooming off.

He mentioned running over a kid on the way out. I don't know if it was a zombie or not, but if it helps him to believe it was, It's best he thinks that.

We shared our stories. Lee of course, lied. He mentioned traveling out of Atlanta with a friend, when they crashed into a zombie and ended up off the highway and down a ditch. He retold the story of waking up with a gash in his leg, getting out of the car, and finding his friend dead, with his shotgun lying on the ground. The friend suddenly came back to life, and Lee had to shoot him. Then it was my turn.

I think I did okay. My voice might have trembled when I came to Sandra, but the adults praised my thinking in gathering food and supplies.

"I think I should get a haircut though." I mentioned, to confusion. "Some boys at school used to pull my hair. I don't want a monster grabbing it." They nodded.

"I'll cut it for you later, Clem." Katja said, looking ill.

It was dark by the time we reached Macon. We still had plenty of gas, but cars were blocking the road. We parked it off to the side, and all piled out. Memories of our experiences fresh in out minds, we cautiously moved towards the town.

Lee had his pistol drawn, pointed at the ground. Our heads were on swivels, looking at every shadow cast by the full moon overhead. We got into town quickly. Lee's family's pharmacy was to our left, and a familiar intersection ahead.

Then it happened.

Duck pointed out what looked like a survivor kneeling half behind a car, moving around. Lee and Kenny relaxed, but I tensed. When Kenny called out, the walker was revealed. As were the dozens of other zombies hiding in the dark.

"Fuck!" Kenny swore. They had us surrounded. Lee started shooting, picking off the Zombies that got too close. He was joined by another shooter, drawing our attention to the pharmacy. Glen and Carly stood in the safety gate.

"Come on!" Glen yelled, "Quick!" We needed no more encouragement. Lee and Carly covered us as we rushed to the door. Soon we were inside, the door locked shut and a significantly thinned herd milling around outside.

There were three other survivors inside, who could only be Doug, Lilly and Larry
Lilly was pissed.

"We can't take risks like this!" She started, glaring at Carly.

"And we can't just let people die, either." Carly refuted.

"When I SAY, 'that door stays shut no matter what', I fucking MEAN it. We don't know who these people are; they could be dangerous!" Lilly finished. To be fair, she's not wrong. In a few years this will be the normal reaction. That or just shooting them and stealing their stuff.

"Worse, they could've led 'em right to us!" Larry adds. Again, he's not wrong. Man, foreknowledge really makes you sympathetic to these two.

"Where the hell is your humanity?!" Carly whisper-shouts, glaring at the father and daughter both. "They would've died out there!"

"Then we let 'em!" Larry responds with finality.

"Look," Lee starts. "Thanks for helping us, we were in a tough spot, but we're just regular folk. We've got two kids with us and just want to find somewhere safe." he said, trying to be reasonable.

"Kids, huh? And what good'l they be when some thing is eating your face off, Hm?" Larry responded quite rudely.

"I'd shoot it in the head." I commented, only to receive incredulous looks from the pharmacy survivors.

"And then, when your daddy gets up again, little girl? What'll you do then?" Larry challenges, glaring. Wow, that is his default face, isn't it.

"He'd want me to shoot him too." I said, looking at Lee. "Right?" Lee, obviously tired of explaining our relationship let the comment go, and nodded.

"Right, Clem." He said, sounding proud.

"Wow. That's so hardcore." Doug said into the silence. Larry shook his head.

"The point is, we don't KNOW these people! One of them could be Bitten, and we wouldn't know!" He raged, not as quietly as before.

"Bitten?" Lee prompted. "What do you mean?"

"You don't know?" Larry countered, "That's how you TURN. One of them bites you, and soon enough you're turning on your best friends, trying to eat them, as well." His tone went from condescending to solemn by the end.

"We've seen it happen." Lilly said, putting a hand on her dad's shoulder. "My mom. We were hiding together, and we let one of her friends hide with us. She was bitten, it was horrible. In just a few hours she went pale, got weaker and weaker. Till eventually, she lay still. We thought she'd just drifted off to sleep. Then she moved, and mom went over to check her." Everyone was listening, quietly.

"The next thing we knew," Lilly finishes, "The friend was biting mom's neck. After that, well. We made a tough choice."

There was a moment of silence, which was broken by the sounds of distant gunfire and explosions. "That the military?" Lee asked. Lilly shook her head.

"If it is, it's not from the local Air Force base. As of yesterday, it's overrun." Lee raised an eyebrow at her, then went back to looking at the walls. Within the minute, the gunfire faded away.

It was in the silence, that I spoke up.

"We don't know you, and you don't know us. That's fine. That can be fixed. What can't be fixed is us dying because we're too busy fighting each other, rather than the dead people walking around." It might have sounded weird coming from a eight year old.

"The girl has a point." Carly pointed out. "I'm Carly, by the way. The guy over by the door is Doug." Doug waved.

"Okay. Fine." Lilly said, looking at me strangely. "I'm Lilly. My Dad's Larry. We've been trying to get behind the counter of this pharmacy. Dad has heart problems, and we're all out of nitro-glycerine pills. If he has an attack..." She turned to Larry, who looked away from everyone. That guy doesn't do 'vulnerable' well, does he?

"Alright. Nice to meet you folks. I'm Kenny. This is my wife and son, Katja and Duck." Kenny continued. "We need pills. My truck still has gas, but it's not big enough to take all of us. We need a second ride, fuel for it, and a destination."

"I'm Lee. She's Clementine. The owner's probably have the keys on them." Lee said. "I know them, a couple of old folks and a younger guy."

"We dragged a older couple out of the office. They... killed themselves. Probably to keep from turning, given the bites we saw." Lee looked shocked and shaken.

"I'm sorry." Lilly commiserated. "Did you know them well?" He nodded.

"Knew 'em most of my life. Grew up in this neighbourhood." Kenny came up beside him and put a hand on his shoulder, showing support. Doug spoke up next.

"Well, there's an un-dead guy trapped under a power pole across the street. Looks like he's wearing a nurses uniform. Could be the guy we're looking for." Suddenly, I remembered. Right! The Pills!

As the adults talked I pulled off my bag and started rummaging around inside. First aid kit, where are you....

"What'cha doing there kid?" Carly said, looking at me kindly.

"One second. Almost... Yes!" I shouted, holding up my first aid kit. I quickly opened it and grabbed the pills labeled 'nitro'. I turned, to find my shout had gotten everyone's attention again.

"I, Uh, have some nitro-glycerine pills." I held up the bottle. "I went through my house for supplies, and found these in the medicine cabinet. You can have them." I handed the bottle to Larry, who frowned at the label. Then nodded. He opened the bottle and downed two pills, sighing in relief afterwards.

"Thanks, for the both of us," Lilly said, a smile on her face. "I know dad won't say it." She continued, frowning at Larry, who harrumphed back.

"So," Kenny said, "We've got the pills. Awesome. We still need another car. We probably want access behind the counter anyway, since he's gonna run out of pills eventually."

Lee and Lilly nodded, but Glen spoke up next. "I can do a gas run. There's this motel, just outside of town. It's far enough out that the Walker's shouldn't have overrun it yet. Might be a car we can use, too. I'm Glen, by the way." He looked a little put out that no-one had asked earlier.

"You do that," Lilly said. I quickly grabbed the hand-held radios from my bag and joined the circle of adults.

"I've got some radios. You can take one, and call if something's wrong." Glen took one, smiling.

"Great! Man kid, you're just a little pack-rat, aren't ya?" I shrugged.

"Better a pack-rat, than not having what you need, right?" I said.

"True, I guess."

And so, Glen snuck out the back door to go to the motel, Lee started talking to folks, Lilly and Larry huddled over in a corner, talking quietly.

Meanwhile, I looked around the store, then tried to get Carly's attention.

"Can you help me?"

"Sure. Clementine, was it? What can I help you with?" I grabbed a couple of backpacks from their hooks on the wall and smiled at her.

"We need to fill these bags with as much food and water as we can." She took the bags, watching as I took another couple.

"You know that's stealing?" She asked, raised eyebrow and all. I shrugged.

"Is it? I hadn't noticed." I said sarcastically. "Carly? This is the Apocalypse. No-one is tending the farms. No-one is running the factories. That means no-one is making food anymore. We need to get ahead, and find as much food as we can, while we can."

I probably weirded her out. I'm not selling the 'eight year old' act well. Then again, I'm not trying to.

Either way, she helped me. By the time Glen called in for backup, we had five backpacks full of energy bars, canned food and bottled water.

---SaS---
​

AN: Not as happy with this as I'd like. Eh, I'll get into the groove of these characters eventually.

 

[Doccer]

As soon as I read The Walking Dead SI Clementine?
Oh, look. Another fic I didn't even know I wanted...
Watched!

 

[StrangerDanger51]

As soon as I read The Walking Dead SI Clementine?
Oh, look. Another fic I didn't even know I wanted...
Watched!

Click to shrink...

There are a deficit of Walking Dead SIs. After reading most of them, I made a discovery.

None were into already existing characters. All of them were 'This person is also there, and they're super prepared and shit.'

So, I thought: Who could I Si into that would cause the most divergence. Given Clem is the protagonist of the videogame series, she seemed like the best choice. It also has the bonus of some existential terror of: I'm a eight year old girl. Si-me is not going to be a happy camper when puberty comes around.

 

[Lord_Anthrax]

Interesting

Now for a PSA

Make a spear it's not hard just duck tape a kitchen knife to a broom handle it will give you reach

Second psa this is TWD 99.5% of people are idiots, assholes, or both

 

[TheOmnimercurial]

I kept reading Walkers as Walken's....

Hordes of hungry and violent Christopher Walken!!

 

[Smush]

I man I remember playing this game got so involved in the story that I bawled My eyes out at the end of the first game. Real enjoy what You have written and looking forward to more! Hopefully Clem can get mitigate the worst outcomes !

 

[StrangerDanger51]

Make a spear it's not hard just duck tape a kitchen knife to a broom handle it will give you reach

Second psa this is TWD 99.5% of people are idiots, assholes, or both

Click to shrink...

It's on the list, as soon as they can get some tools/time to do it.

I kept reading Walkers as Walken's....

Hordes of hungry and violent Christopher Walken!!

Click to shrink...

Beware the Walken Apocalypse! Amazing guy, btw. Love anything he's in.

I man I remember playing this game got so involved in the story that I bawled My eyes out at the end of the first game. Real enjoy what You have written and looking forward to more! Hopefully Clem can get mitigate the worst outcomes !

Click to shrink...

Right there with you, bro. These games punch you in the heart. It's not a friendly universe, shit happens. I hope I can life up to all your expectations!

 

[TheOmnimercurial]

It's on the list, as soon as they can get some tools/time to do it.

Click to shrink...

Spears are only the beginning.... The Dead shall fear your mighty Spork!!

Beware the Walken Apocalypse! Amazing guy, btw. Love anything he's in.

Click to shrink...

Yeah! Walken has been engaging in pretty much everything I have seen him in!

Right there with you, bro. These games punch you in the heart. It's not a friendly universe, shit happens. I hope I can life up to all your expectations!

Click to shrink...

Tis true. Lots of gut punches....

I was thinking though....

What other little Tykes would be fun to see in WD?

Little Sister from Bioshock?

Vista from Worm?

 

[StrangerDanger51]

I was thinking though....

What other little Tykes would be fun to see in WD?

Little Sister from Bioshock?

Vista from Worm?

Click to shrink...

Just imagine a group of survivors made up entirely of children.

Hmm. That's not a bad idea actually. I've played other games where children survive an apocalypse as a group. Thanks.

 

[Smush]

Well isn't there a twd spin off called twd: world beyond featuring teenagers? i Haven't seen it so don't know if it's any good but that might be worth a watch for some inspiration.

 

[Slow Learner]

A person with real life competence? Cool, so we see stuff like, Cover your left arm in padding and duck tape to take a bite and use the other to bash their faces in. Dig a small one foot trench in a line and watch them trip their entire group and fall, etc. Any group with makeshift spears just take out hundreds of walkers no prob, just walk backwards and thrust spear, with a spotter to cover the retreat.

The asshole humans are the real threat.

 

[StrangerDanger51]

Well isn't there a twd spin off called twd: world beyond featuring teenagers? i Haven't seen it so don't know if it's any good but that might be worth a watch for some inspiration.

Click to shrink...

I haven't seen it either. According to Wikipedia it's 10 years after Day 0, featuring the first 'teenagers' to reach maturity in universe. The first generation raised among the dead. It's certainly an interesting concept. I might have to look into it a bit more.

 

[Forsaken knight]

love it so watching this their is not alot of twd si fics out there good work.

 

[StrangerDanger51]

"Hey, Kid. I uh, I need some help." The radio squawked. Glen, whispering. The noise drew the attention of the others, and I raised it to my face.

"Hey Glen, did you get into trouble?" Lilly, Kenny and Lee all walked up to me as glen replied.

"You could say that, yeah. I got the fuel, but a load of those things came out of the woods. I'm trapped. Could, ah, could you get your daddy to come help?" I sighed, and handed the radio to Lee.

"Glen, We're coming. You stay put. Any of the cars there look useable?" He said.

"Yeah, a couple. Look, I'm not in the best spot here. Could you get here asap?"

"Carly and I'll be there soon." Lee looked at Carly with a silent question. She nodded back. Lee handed the radio back to me, and I tucked it into my jacket pocket. "Keep up the good work, Sweetie." He smiled at me. (I blushed.)

Lee and Carly snuck out the back. Doug was still at the front door, keeping watch. Lilly went off to hang with her dad. Not sure what they were talking about, they were whispering and I was on the other side of the room. Kenny stayed, though, looking down at me curiously.

"You're a smart kid, Clem." He complimented. "Good thinking with the backpacks." I nodded. Carly and I had distributed the backpacks to people as we filled them. Lilly, Kenny, Doug, Lee and Carly all had packs now.

"Thanks." I replied. "How're Katja and Duck?" He looks back at the two hanging in the café area.

"They're good. We're good. Good thing Lee was there, otherwise those things might have gotten Katja, or Duck." He added, shivering at the thought. "Lee said he got the gun from you. So, thanks Clem. We owe you one."

"Well, It's my dad's gun. When Lee saw I had it, he asked if he could use it. I don't know how to, yet. Lee promised to teach me, though." Kenny nodded, but looked concerned.

"I'm not sure about that, but it's Lee's decision, I suppose. God, teaching a eight year old to shoot a gun. What is the world coming to." He looked depressed at the thought.

"Better to know, than not, right?" I said, receiving a nod.

"Ain't that the truth." He sighed. "Wish there was something to do, though. I'm gonna go crazy sittin in here doin' nothin."

I looked at the back door. I hadn't seen Lee go back there yet, except to leave to help Glen.

"Well, there is one thing we could do."

---SaS---​

It didn't take long to clean up the office a bit. Desk moved, Blood cleaned. I made sure to grab the universal remote and the photo of Lee and his family. Lee wasn't back though. I thought about calling him on the radio, but that's a stupid idea. The noise would probably make things worse.

So, filling the time. The radio was on the bench. Lee had helped Carly get it working. I messed with the dials, trying to find a working station.

Nothing. Nada. Nope. Static. White noise.

Well, that's disappointing. Next: Doug! Love the character. Loveable goof. Oh, I'll admit, Carly x Lee is my OTP, and I barely ever saved Doug. That doesn't mean I want Doug the living person to die, though.

The man turned to look at me when I approached. "Hey, uh, Clem, right? What's up?"

"Just wondered if I could look outside." He looked nervous at that.

"I don't know. It's very dangerous out there, even with the gate being locked shut. You could get hurt, or worse." Well, that's a bust. I shrugged.

"Okay then. How did you end up here, anyway?" He brightened at that, probably glad I changed the subject.

"Well, I'm a IT Tech. Moved here a couple of months ago. Back when this whole thing started, I saw Carly and her production team be attacked by those things. I tried to help them, but I only managed to save Carly. The rest of the team... Well..." He shook his head. "It wasn't pretty. We came in here, found Lilly, Larry and Glen trying to break into the office. What about you, Clem? You seem like you've seen some stuff."

"My parents are in Savannah, I was home with the babysitter. When people started running and screaming I hid in my treehouse. That night, I heard my Sandra, my babysitter, scream. When I went back in for food, I found her walking around. I... I did what I had to." I shivered. Close-range is a mistake when fighting zombies. Maybe a spear, or something. Though I'm not exactly strong enough to use a spear. "I found Lee in the forest behind my house. I helped him get away from the monsters, bandaged his leg, and we've been together since."

"Wow. I don't know if I could have done that." He looks back out the window, then to me. "Hey, listen. You're small, so here's some advice. When you fight people bigger than you, like the monsters, you can't do it directly." I nodded, thinking of Sandra again.

"Try to keep some distance. I heard you talking to Kenny, and I agree. I don't like the idea of a kid using a gun, but it's better to know how, than not to." He said, lots of hand-movement and waving around. "But sometimes that's not enough. Eventually, one will get in close-"

Katja, Duck and Kenny all left their corner, heading to the toilet. Shit. Wait, breath. Okay. The door's locked, key's under the counter.

"- and that's when... Clem, are you listening?" Doug asked, looking a bit offended.

"Uh, yeah. I am, Doug. I just... Gotta use the little girl's room." His expression 180's into embarrassment.

"Right. It's, uh, over in the corner, there." I nod and walk off, meeting Kenny and his family there. Kenny tried the lock.

"Damnit, locked." Kenny said, "Let me look around. The key should be somewhere around here."

He went to check the counter just as i got there.

"Hi, Clementine." Katja said with a smile. "How are you doing?"

"I'm okay. I, uh, just need to use the bathroom." She smiled kindly.

"It's nothing to be embarrassed about, Clem. Duck, honey, let's let Clem go first, okay?"

"Mooooom, but why? I need to go too!" Duck whined. And he's meant to be older than me?

"Because it's polite to let ladies use the restroom first, baby." Katja soothed her petulant child.

"Hah!" Kenny cried in victory. "Got it!"

Like you would expect, it was a little key, key-chained to a large rectangular piece of plastic. When he walked back to us, he raised an eyebrow at me and looked at his wife. She tilted her head towards me and he nodded.

"Here you go, Clem. Take your time." He handed me the key. I took a breath. Right.

I took the key, put it in the lock and turned. There was a clunk, but nothing else. I pushed open the door, tense, and jumped back when the zombie fell through the opened doorway. It landed flat on the ground, a foot away from me.

"Shit!" "Fuck!" "What the HELL?!" "Jesus Christ!" "AAAAH!"

I quickly grabbed one of the screwdrivers from my pocket and slammed it, point down, on the side of the walker's head. Within the second, it's moans stopped and it's limbs dropped to the floor.

That was a lot better than last time. I pulled the screwdriver from it's head and wiped the blood and brain matter off on a clean part of it's clothes. Then I turned around, to wide eyes from everyone in the building.

"Umm... Can someone get this thing out of here? It really stinks."

---SaS---

When Lee got back, it was to relieved looks. Kenny took him, Carly and Glen aside and explained, all of them glancing over at me at some point.

I was sat on a chair, looking through a magazine, when Lee kneeled down in front of me.

"Hey Sweetie, are you okay?" I nodded, looking up.

"Yeah. I'm fine." I glanced down to the blood streaked across the floor, left behind by the zombie as they dragged the corpse out the back door. "It was easier than before." I noted, "The screwdriver stopped it faster than the hammer or knife did." Lee looked concerned, but nodded.

"That's good. I'm sorry you had to do that. It's our fault for not checking the building properly." Lee admitted.

"You had other things to worry about." I said, shaking my head. "It's not your fault." He shook his own head.

"No, it is. We should be the ones protecting you, not you protecting us." He explained, then he looked at the toilet. "I'm still trying to wrap my head around how it got in there..."

"I think he must have got bitten, then hid in the toilet." I explained, to a nod.

"Yeah, then he..." Lee trailed off.

"Turned into a monster?" I finished. Lee nodded, sagely.

"Right."

We were awkwardly silent for a few seconds. I grabbed the picture from my pocket and handed it to him.

"Kenny and I cleaned up the office, and I found this. I think it's yours." He took the picture and smiled sadly.

"Thanks, Clem." He put a hand on my head.

Wait. He put a hand on my head.

Wait.

No!

HOW DID I FORGET TO GRAB THE CAP!?

---SaS---​

I made sure to give the remote to Lee, then quickly began searching my bag.

Damn it.

Clementine's trademark look!

Gone.

Le Sigh.

Well, this is a thing now. Guess i need to find my own look. I'm not the original Clem, so I shouldn't copy her.

After that, things start happening very quickly.

Lee and Doug manage to get the key from Lee's brother's corpse, unintentionally drawing every zombie on the street right to the pharmacy.

"We got the Key, lets get some stuff from the back, and Go!" Lee exclaimed.

"I'll bring my truck around!" Kenny said, running out the back with his wife and son. Larry, Lilly and Glen follow. Carly and Lee aimed their guns at the front of the store, waiting for the inevitable moment the walkers broke through.

Personally, I make sure Doug was nowhere near the window when they did.

With two pistols and ammo in easy reach, Carly and Lee kept them away, while drawing the ones nearby to us and away from the rest of the group outside.

With that, we made a shooting retreat. Carly and Lee were the last two through the door. We piled into Kenny's truck and Glen's car. I watched from the back seat of the truck as the dead emerged from the doorway.

Lee helped Carly, Larry wasn't angry with Lee, Lilly worked with Kenny and Lee, setting the scene for a less combative and contested leadership. Doug didn't get chomped.

So why am I still so nervous?

---SaS---​

It's been a looong night.

Full moon overhead, (Ominous), the group arrived at the Travelier Motel at what feels like one or two am. Kenny, Lilly and Lee are all talking by the RV. Carly and Doug are checking every room with keys found in the main office, making sure that they're all empty of any more 'surprises'.

Given the fence on the balcony is still intact, Lee must have let the girl go out on her own terms.

Good man.

Katja, Duck and I go into the office, finding a small apartment for the owner behind the main desk. We pack all the food Carly and I looted away in the pantry. It was mostly non-perishables, given we'd looted a pharmacy and not a supermarket.

Note: Loot supermarkets first.

Duck was talking my ear off the whole time, but I tuned him out. He didn't seem to care that i wasn't listening. Probably just trying to distract himself.

When we came back outside, Glen was being bid farewell. So, I walked up to say goodbye.

"Good luck, Glen." I said. I hadn't watched the TV show, but I knew Glen was in for a wild ride. "Be careful. I have a bad feeling about Atlanta." He gave a sad grin.

"Thanks kid. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine." He smirked. "My friends will need me. I'm the brains of our group, you know?"

"God, help them," Lee joked. We all laughed a little. (I giggled).

We waved as he drove off. Lee looked down at me. "Oh, Yeah." He waved around the other radio.
"I got this off Glen, earlier. Do you want it back?" This... This is good. This is VERY good.

I shake my head. "No, you keep it. It's better if we both have one each, that way if we get separated, or one of us is in trouble, the other can come help."

Lee smiles and nods.

Larry and Lilly walk over from the RV, Kenny from his truck. We can hear gunfire back towards town.

"I hope that's the sound of us winning this thing." Kenny said optimistically.

"Me too." Lilly agrees, Lee nods, but looks doubtful. I shake my head, but I think only Lee noticed.

"This motor inn's pretty damn defendable." Kenny continued, "We block off the entrances with some cars and keep someone on watch, we could stay here until the military rolls through."

"Sounds like a good plan." Lilly commented, a smile on her face for once.

"I agree." Lee added.

"We've got beds, we've got water, and most importantly, we've got light. There are worse places to call home," Kenny said. Yeah. Right, the light. Power cut in five, fou-

"Yeah. You're right. You know, guys, I think it's going to be okay." Lilly taunts murphy. One.

All the lights on the street and at the motor inn suddenly turn off.

I think it sunk in then, for the others.

This wasn't going to all be over in a week.

---SaS---​

AN: I didn't actually mean to forget the hat. It just struck me, earlier, that I hadn't mentioned it. And so, the bug becomes a feature.

Thanks for all the interest and discussion, guys! Your comments Feed me, your likes inspire me! The amount of text written in this story is directly proportional to your likes!

Not really, but knowing people like the story really helps. Please point out any errors. These chapters are coming hot and fresh, no Beta and just a quick look-over editing-wise.

 

[Forsaken knight]

good update =) sucks about the hat tho oh well she will get it later in the story the hat always finds away.

 

[StrangerDanger51]

good update =) sucks about the hat tho oh well she will get it later in the story the hat always finds away.

Click to shrink...

Thanks! I'm always a little self-conscious about my writing, so it's nice to get positive feedback!

 

[Othello]

Thanks! I'm always a little self-conscious about my writing, so it's nice to get positive feedback!

Click to shrink...

you could totally make this hat thing a running gag. have her wear different hats every chapter or two as she figuresout her own style. maybe have others comment on the hat changes or they give her hats they find when they are out and about.

 

[Doccer]

​

AN: Thoughts, reactions, comments? I'm a sucker for feedback, and it keeps me interested in a story when I know people enjoy it.

Click to shrink...

The only things I would have done differently would be to look at the family portraits and ask Lee to bring one down to me for a keepsake slash sell the sad little girl act better. Add a moment where I sadly stare at the picture before putting it in my backpack to really sell the act. Plus kinda keep it as a reminder of Clem. The only other thing I would do would be to adventure out back once the coast is clear to grab the cops weapons night stick mace radio cuffs and whatever else his vehicle has.
I always remembered that the zombies getting distracted by something and leaving immediately so the coast would be clear in a little bit.

Thanks for all the interest and discussion, guys! Your comments Feed me, your likes inspire me! The amount of text written in this story is directly proportional to your likes!

Click to shrink...

Feed me moar!

Great chapters!
I don't know much about TWD beyond the first and somewhat second Telltale games. But it always struck me that they all universally called them Walkers. Was there a national newspaper that dubbed them that?
It sounds like you're getting this group to call them Monsters. If you're doing a time skip you could have this group call them whatever you want. Monsters, Puppets, or even Zombies?
The term Zombie originated from Hatie I think? Something about overloading a human body with poisons that keeps the body alive but no one home for servitude. So if you go with that last one Clem could just bring up that factoid from the tv?

Could have boom boxes set to play loud music on certain roof tops to draw them away or towards traps?

 

[TheOmnimercurial]

Clem needs to learn throwing knives, darts, axes etc.

Paintball Gun with glass bb's full of acid.

A Whip or Grappling Hook to get up walls and roofs quickly.

Wind up alarm clocks, wind up toys, music boxes etc as Zombie Bait and Distractions.

Super Soaker full of Lighter Fluid to spray Zombies, then set Zombies on fire with home made flame thrower kitbashed from Aerosol Cans and an Electric Clicker to light gas stoves and BBQ grills etc.

Raid a Ren Faire or Scuba Shop to get Chainmail.

Also grab Rubber Band and Gas Powered Harpoon Guns if at Scuba Shop.

Get Nail and Rivet Guns from Hardware Stores with lots of Rivets and Nails as Ammo. Might be easier to get than Firearms and Bullets. Gas for the Tool Guns can be refilled via compressor or by hand or crank pump.

Get a clockwork torch and radio. If you cannot find any, then make some as they are too too useful in a world with no mains electric and limited batteries.

Grab some Solar Charging Mats that can roll up for portability to recharge vital gear like Radio etc.

Get some Magnifying Glasses or raid an optomotrists for lenses from glasses. May be useful for distant viewing or starting fires for cooking or warmth. Could even burn zombies from range?

Dried food is the most portable. Tins are good for liquid and mood elevation but heavy.

 

[Doccer]

Get Nail and Rivet Guns from Hardware Stores with lots of Rivets and Nails as Ammo. Might be easier to get than Firearms and Bullets. Gas for the Tool Guns can be refilled via compressor or by hand or crank pump.

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Only really useful up close. Don't let video games and highschool of the dead fool you. Clem might not be able to use these but am adult like Lee should be able to learn to use one fast enough to dispatch zombie groupings that git too close.

A Tractor Supply and Co. should have some a small windmill turbine you can stick on a roof or a vehicle to charge on the go.

Stick fireworks on the end of arrows. Get zombies to attack one of their own at the back of the pack.

You should try to look up industrial parks. Specifically where the warehouses are. They should be a treasure trove of goodies.

 

[Ninelotus]

I am- was-, a white, redheaded male, 22, fresh from university and looking for a professional job as a programmer.

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Please don tell your audience that. Just leave it vague so we can insert ourselves into the story in our head

 

[Doccer]

Please don tell your audience that. Just leave it vague so we can insert ourselves into the story in our head

Click to shrink...

No it's fine.
I just keep thinking Wally West is the SI for the laughs.

 

[StrangerDanger51]

REPLY POST INCOMING!!!

you could totally make this hat thing a running gag. have her wear different hats every chapter or two as she figures out her own style. maybe have others comment on the hat changes or they give her hats they find when they are out and about.

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That's the plan. SoL chapter coming up next, including discovering/finding a style. Maybe they find one, maybe not. Not even I know, yet.

The only things I would have done differently would be to look at the family portraits and ask Lee to bring one down to me for a keepsake slash sell the sad little girl act better. Add a moment where I sadly stare at the picture before putting it in my backpack to really sell the act. Plus kinda keep it as a reminder of Clem.

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Fair. That's sorta the angle I'm gonna take in order to get the gun back from Lee. 'It's my dads' kinda thing. everyone in the group knows it is.

The only other thing I would do would be to adventure out back once the coast is clear to grab the cops weapons night stick mace radio cuffs and whatever else his vehicle has.
I always remembered that the zombies getting distracted by something and leaving immediately so the coast would be clear in a little bit.

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Yes, my freshly reminded-of-his-own-mortality SI is gonna brave the walker-laden woods to get a shotgun (Loud) with minimal ammo and a nightstick. I wouldn't do that. They've got screwdrivers, a gun (Pending) and tricks learned from future group members.

They'll be fiiiine.

Feed me moar!

Great chapters!

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Thanks!

I don't know much about TWD beyond the first and somewhat second Telltale games. But it always struck me that they all universally called them Walkers. Was there a national newspaper that dubbed them that?
It sounds like you're getting this group to call them Monsters. If you're doing a time skip you could have this group call them whatever you want. Monsters, Puppets, or even Zombies?

The term Zombie originated from Hatie I think? Something about overloading a human body with poisons that keeps the body alive but no one home for servitude. So if you go with that last one Clem could just bring up that factoid from the tv?

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iirc, the word 'Zombie' doesn't exist in this universe. thats why they call them every name under the sun. 'Walkers', 'Geeks', 'Lurkers', 'Muertos' and a hundred other names. The reason I'm calling them 'monsters' to everyone else is to try to cement in their minds that, yes, this is a little girl. Even if she can kill a 'monster' very quickly and efficiently.

Zombie name discussion coming up in next chapter.

Could have boom boxes set to play loud music on certain roof tops to draw them away or towards traps?

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IN my opinion? waste of resources. Yes, you distracted the walkers. Whoopie. They will hang around the boom-box until it runs out of batteries. Then, eventually, you run out of batteries and can't do it anymore. you might not even get the boombox back. I can think of better uses for Batteries.

They might be easily distractible, but that's only when they don't know where the food is.

Clem needs to learn throwing knives, darts, axes etc.

Paintball Gun with glass bb's full of acid.

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Thanks for the ideas, but I do want you to remember some things. They can't rely on throw-away weapons or that they'll be able to scavenge more of them later.

If she throws these weapons into a group of zombies, she's more than likely not getting them back. Then she trained for ages to use them for nothing and who knows when she'll find more.

Acid-filled Bb's? Where am I gonna get those?

A Whip or Grappling Hook to get up walls and roofs quickly.

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Personally, I wouldn't think of this. And I don't think Clem is strong enough to do it, anyway. Certainly not with the rationing that's gonna be happening.

Wind up alarm clocks, wind up toys, music boxes etc as Zombie Bait and Distractions.

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Again, most likely not getting those back. Waste of resources.

Super Soaker full of Lighter Fluid to spray Zombies, then set Zombies on fire with home made flame thrower kitbashed from Aerosol Cans and an Electric Clicker to light gas stoves and BBQ grills etc.

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How am I gonna get enough lighter fluid to fill a super-soaker? Lets say I make my home-brew flamethrower, you think the adults are gonna just let me use that? either way, it's more likely we'd just be dealing with zombies that are also on fire.

Raid a Ren Faire or Scuba Shop to get Chainmail.

Also grab Rubber Band and Gas Powered Harpoon Guns if at Scuba Shop.

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This is Macon, Georgia. It's two and a half hours from the coast. It's not exactly gonna have a Scuba shop, or a Ren Faire. Chainmail is also very heavy. SI is a little eight year old girl. Not stronk enough

Get Nail and Rivet Guns from Hardware Stores with lots of Rivets and Nails as Ammo. Might be easier to get than Firearms and Bullets. Gas for the Tool Guns can be refilled via compressor or by hand or crank pump.

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Gas-powered tools are overhyped and honestly, this is America. As of the 10 years into the apocalypse, they can still find ammo left all over the place.

Get a clockwork torch and radio. If you cannot find any, then make some as they are too too useful in a world with no mains electric and limited batteries.

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I Actually own a twist-torch. You twist the end, and it makes the light brighter. Might come in handy. Clockwork radio, though? I think you're dreaming.

Grab some Solar Charging Mats that can roll up for portability to recharge vital gear like Radio etc.

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Might be smart, but I wouldn't know where to go find one.

Get some Magnifying Glasses or raid an optometrists for lenses from glasses. May be useful for distant viewing or starting fires for cooking or warmth. Could even burn zombies from range?

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Again with the burning, then you'd just be dealing with a zombie on fire. At least, till it's brain burns away. Still, it's on fire and walking around. Not the best combo since it can't feel pain anyway.

Dried food is the most portable. Tins are good for liquid and mood elevation but heavy.

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Dried food Good. Jerky and such. Trust me, the canned food was grabbed because I knew that they were gonna bunker down at the motel. the rationing system will involve perishables-first, then tinned, then dried.

Only really useful up close. Don't let video games and highschool of the dead fool you. Clem might not be able to use these but am adult like Lee should be able to learn to use one fast enough to dispatch zombie groupings that git too close.

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Probably not. Might as well use a Screwdriver if you're gonna be in close-range.

A Tractor Supply and Co. should have some a small windmill turbine you can stick on a roof or a vehicle to charge on the go.

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Hmm. I didn't know that's a thing you can just buy from a shop. None of the people in the group are farmers, either. Might come across one when looting Macon, but idk.

Stick fireworks on the end of arrows. Get zombies to attack one of their own at the back of the pack.

You should try to look up industrial parks. Specifically where the warehouses are. They should be a treasure trove of goodies.

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We'll see. Unlikely on the Arrows, more likely to just throw some fire-crackers. better than using alarm clocks or wind-up toys, anyway. likely louder too.

Please don tell your audience that. Just leave it vague so we can insert ourselves into the story in our head

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Hm. I might remove it, if it hurts your suspension of disbelief that much. Personally, I like knowing what kinda person the SI is compared to who they are now, even if it never comes up again in the story. I mean, isn't that part of why we love Tanya? Middle-aged Japanese Salaryman becomes tiny blond German child?

No it's fine.
I just keep thinking Wally West is the SI for the laughs.

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Thanks for the comparison to a super hero, Doccer!
Sadly, I'm not THAT ginger.