...
..
.

The sun was slowly descending from the sky, its golden glow casting down on the forest trees as the group make their way to the hunting grounds. The forest was eerily quiet, traps they walk past empty.

(Y/N) looks around warily, her hand subconsciously up and wrapped around her machete sheathe.

Clement's eyes linger on an empty trap, Louis and Aasim still nowhere in sight. "... Where are those guys?"

"Practicing making out with a toothless walker?" Violet suggests casually.

"Gross!" Brody laughs, shaking her head.

"I know," Violet agrees, sighing dramatically. "Poor walker."

(Y/N) can't help but laugh, her shoulders relaxing a bit. Clement snorts softly with an amused smile, AJ giggling as Brody laughs heartily.

"... What the hell?"

Their laughter abruptly was cut off by Violet's mutter, her brows furrowed as she approaches a trap handing from a tree branch. The rope was cut deliberately, the slice clean.

"Oh," (Y/N) tilts her head, looking over the trap. "That's good, right? Louis and Aasim must've come this way and caught something in this."

"No," Violet lowly replies, kneeling down and picking up the other half of the rope. "We never cut them. We take them down and replace them. Someone sabotaged this... This isn't good."

Brody's face pales, her eyes darting around. "Aasim! Louis!"

They receive no reply, Brody's shout echoing in the woods.

"Spread out," Violet orders after a moment of silence. "See if we can find them."

"Watch out for monsters!" AJ quickly warns, making Brody smile softly and nod to him.

Violet and Brody head separate directions, leaving AJ with (Y/N) and Clement.

"Violet's right... This really isn't good," (Y/N) mumbles, shaking her head as she looks over the sabotaged trap. "Someone else is in these woods. Fuck... What if it's a group? What if they're dangerous? What if--"

"Hey, easy." Clement soothingly says in a low voice, moving to her side. "We'll be all right, okay?"

(Y/N) doesn't seem convinced, glancing towards AJ a few feet away as he curiously pokes at a bug with a stick.

"Princess."

Clement's hand reaches up, his pointer finger and thumb gently curling around her jaw as he turns her head to look at him. (Y/N) blinks quickly, his hand moving from her jaw to rest on her cheek.

"Everything'll be all right," he promises softly, nodding once.

(?) Y/N) will remember that

(Y/N) stares at him for a few moments, hesitating for only a brief moment before nodding back. Clement smiles at this, slowly removing his hand from her cheek before turning to go inspect a nearby trap.

She watches him, a small smile on her face as she turns to another trap as well. Her eyes scan the ground below it, blood soaking the dirt near the rope.

"Hmm." She hums quietly to herself.

Her eyes flick up a few feet, multiple footprints in the soft dirt.

"That's... Weird." (Y/N)'s brows furrow, "I can see three different footprints..."

Shaking her head, she catches glimpse of a rolled piece of paper. She reaches for it, picking up the makeshift cigarette and looking over it.

"A Bible page?"

"(Y/N)!"

(Y/N) looks up as AJ calls her name, Clement waving her over next to the boy.

"We found something," Clement calls, nodding for her to join them.

(Y/N) rises from her crouch, tucking the rolled up cigarette into her jacket pocket as she walks over. Circling around the bushes in her path, she spots Clement and AJ standing by a walker hanging from a trap.

Its foot was wrapped up in the trap's rope, its body hanging upside down and a wooden stake stabbed through its mouth.

"Monster," AJ mumbles, staring at the corpse warily.

"Vi, Brody!" (Y/N) shouts, gaining their attention.

Violet walks over first, Brody in tow with an anxious look.

"Well," Violet glances over the walker, "we didn't kill this one. We wouldn't have left it hanging in our trap."

"What the hell?" Brody whispers, shaking her head.

"I found this over by the other trap," (Y/N) digs in her pocket, grabbing the cigarette and holding it out for the group to see.

Brody's expression becomes horrified, her skin paling as a shaky gasp leaves her.

"Huh." Clement frowns in thought, grabbing the cigarette and looking over it. "Do any of the kids smoke?"

Violet shakes her head, staring at the cigarette with confusion. "Nope. Nothing to smoke."

"Who is this unlucky fella?" a voice muses, making the group look towards the source.

Louis casually walks up to the corpse hanging from the trap, Chairles swung over his shoulder. Aasim was a few feet away, carrying a single rabbit in his hand and his bow in his other.

"Hey there, (Y/N)!" Louis cheerfully greets, sending a playful wink her way.

"Where have you been?" Clement irritably demands, his eyes narrowed at Louis as (Y/N) blankly stares at him.

Louis smiles widely with amusement at Clement as he glares back at him, Violet looking up in exasperation as Brody looks lost in deep thought.

Aasim's eyes flick between Louis and Clement, and he clears his throat to gain Clement's attention.

"We were checking nearby traps," he slowly informs, eyes still darting between him and Louis. "The ones that were sprung were all empty. All the rest are broken."

"Someone robbed us?!" Brody questions, her blue eyes wide with fear.

"Oh, great!" Louis grumbles, scowling lightly. "And now, we're gonna starve."

Brody begins to pace, biting at her fingernails with shaky breaths through her mouth. "Fuck, that's-- fuck... Fuck," she mutters in a whisper, shaking her head with her back to the others. "That's, okay... Fuck, it's okay. It's-- breathe, Brody. Come on, come on, come on..."

(Y/N) watches her with concern, Violet's brows furrowed as she slowly walks over to the fearful girl.

"You're gonna be fine," Violet tries to calm Brody, speaking firmly. "It's just a panic attack."

Clement's eyes flick up at the familiar term, recalling Luke and how he described it to him. Luke had also explained how to calm someone down from one.

"Close your eyes and take a second," Clement instructs quietly, speaking in a calm manner. "Breathe in deep and hold it for a moment."

"Just shut the fuck up, okay?!" Brody snaps, turning to him with a panicked, enraged expression.

Clement was taken aback, blinking rapidly in shock at her uncharacteristic anger.

"Excuse me?" (Y/N) sharply demands, stepping to Clement's side and glaring at Brody defensively. "He's trying to help you, Brody!"

Brody doesn't seem to hear her, shaking her head wildly. "I have to tell Marlon about this."

"Um," Louis steps in her path, eyebrow raised. "We still need food. You know... To live? We definitely don't have enough here."

Brody scowls as she snatches the bucket of fish up, turning and glaring back at him. "You guys figure it out."

She briskly walks away down the forest path, signaling the end of that argument.

Aasim watches her, baffled as he clears his throat and turns to the others. "I'll take this haul back to the school," he says, raising the rabbit for emphasis. "Maybe we can ration out something..."

He turns and follows the way Brody left in, leaving just the five behind.

"So, what do we do?" Louis questions with an annoyed pout, "eat rocks?"

"You can't eat rocks," AJ replies with a head shake, frowning.

Louis slowly turns to him. "... I'm aware."

AJ stares at him for a brief moment, turning to (Y/N) with fearful eyes. "Will Marlon kick us out if we don't find more food?"

(Y/N)'s eyebrows raise at this, her thoughts drifting back to what Marlon said.

As long as we got enough to eat, you three are welcome here.

"Let's not find out," Clement answers for her, taking out the map Marlon had given them.

"Where else could we look?" Louis impatiently asks, setting his hands on his hips.

"Shh," Clement sharply replies, looking over the map.

Louis looks offended, placing a hand on his heart. "Hey!"

"Shh!" (Y/N) shushes, peering at the map as well.

Violet snickers quietly, crossing her arms over her chest as she slouches slightly.

(Y/N)'s eyes linger on a particular location, Clement sighing deeply.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" he murmurs under his breath to (Y/N), his gaze moving from the map to her.

She nods once, turning to Violet and Louis. "The train station is the only place we can think of. It's not too far from here."

"It's outside the safe zone," Violet points out, some hesitance in her voice.

"There was food in there when we passed through," Clement responds, folding the map up. "It's worth a look."

Violet's eyes dart to the ground, her foot tapping lightly as she considers it. "... You guys are sure there was food?"

"More than sure," (Y/N) nods. "Some of it was destroyed from that blast no doubt, but there's got to be some jars that made it. The cellar was packed."

Violet and Louis still seemed a bit unsure, and glance at one another.

"... Or, we can starve." Clement bluntly suggests the alternative, a little annoyed at their reluctance.

Violet sighs, lowering her hands. "Fine. Let's go."

Clement takes the lead with (Y/N), AJ at their side as they start down the path with Louis and Violet following. (Y/N) glances back at the trap she found the cigarette by, an unsettling feeling in her stomach as she shakes her head and walks on.

...
..

It was past nightfall by the time they arrived at the familiar train station, the soft snarls of walkers evident up ahead.

They walk through the grass in crouching positions, careful not to draw any unwanted attention to them. Clement leads (Y/N) over behind a large rock, AJ glued to her side obediently and Violet and Louis a few paces behind them.

"There," Clement points down the path, "that's where the food is. Lot more walkers than last time, though."

"Explosions will do that," (Y/N) murmurs back, eyeing the walking dead warily.

"... We're gonna die," Louis sighs dramatically, shaking his head.

Violet looks up in annoyance before glaring at him. "It's either die here or die from hunger. Take your pick."

Louis frowns, and doesn't reply. But his glance towards the walkers was enough.

"Clem, (Y/N), maybe one of you should scope things out." Violet suggests quietly, turning to them. "You guys know the place better."

(Y/N) nods, facing Clement. "I'll go. You stay back here while I get a closer look."

Clement's brows twitch, his mouth curling down to the side in some reluctance as he nods back.

(Y/N) smiles reassuringly, quietly climbing up and over the boulder they were using for cover. She climbs up the jagged rocks, carefully peering out from behind one of the two adjacent trains.

She squints to see ahead, spotting a few of the corpses they killed the day before laying around.

"Almost didn't make it last time... And there are more now," she mumbles with a soft sigh, shaking her head.

Her eyes trail along the path to the other train car, the train car slanted to the side with vines growing along it.

"Looks like we could climb up there. But I'm not sure if that'd help us get inside," (Y/N) calls quietly to the others. "We need to distract that mass of walkers somehow to get in."

"What about the bell?" Clement suggests, making her look back towards him. "It's loud, and would get their attention."

(Y/N) looks from the bell to the train car, her eyes lighting up with an idea as she turns and carefully crouch-walks back to the group.

"What's your plan?" Clement questions, noticing the clarity on her face.

"I was thinking," she starts, gesturing towards the bell, "one of us grabs the bell and climb up onto that train car. They'll keep them distracted as the main group goes in and gets the food. We just need someone to--"

"Louis."

Clement and Violet both say in sync, making Louis' eyes widen with fear.

"Uh! Hold on." He nervously laughs, shaking his head with a tense smile. "I'd like to make an alternate suggestion--"

"Come on, Lou!" Violet hisses, scowling in annoyance. "You're loud, dramatic, a little annoying... You're basically a walking distraction!"

Louis stammers in disbelief, "I think you mean charming and theatrical! Entertaining is another word that comes to mind. Charismatic!"

"See what I mean?" Violet gestures to Louis, looking at (Y/N) expectantly.

"Well..." (Y/N) drags the word, rubbing the back of her neck as the group watch her. "... I-- I mean, we do need someone as a distraction. And Clement and I should really go together with AJ, so..."

"Okay, then!" Clement clears his throat, nodding. "Louis is the distraction. Like Violet said, you're loud and kind of annoying."

(?) Louis will remember that

"... Ouch." Louis grumbles, flicking the collar of his trench coat. "All right, I see how it is!"

Violet ignores this and takes out her cleaver, turning to (Y/N) and Clement. "I'll go with you. Give you guys some cover."

Louis huffs, rising from his crouch. "Fine! I'll do it. But if I die, I'm making sure walker Louis eats both of you first!"

He points to Violet and Clement, giving them both a glare.

(Y/N) follows him towards the bell with Clement and Violet in tow, Louis grabbing the bell gently and removing it off the pedestal.

"I'll distract them until I see you guys reach safe cover," Louis whispers, moving towards the train car. "Then, I'll try to redirect the smelly patrol to give you guys a chance to sprint inside the building."

"When we get into position, I'll signal you so you can do your thing," Clement replies, nodding to Louis.

"Good luck!" Louis gives the group a thumbs up, creeping over to the train car and slowly climbing up.

(Y/N) unsheathes her machete, Clement sliding his hunting knife out of its sheathe on his thigh as he nods to her.

Louis raises Chairles, and slams it against the train car. The walkers all seem to turn and stare up at him, Louis smiling fearfully.

"Hey, ugly!" he calls, waving his hand. "No, not you! Not you, either! Him! Fine, make this confusing, why don't you?"

(Y/N) snorts softly in amusement, Clement's mouth quirking up slightly as he rolls his eyes. They start making their way quietly behind the large group of walkers, Violet and AJ hanging back and waiting for it to be clear. A walker strays away from the horde, noticing (Y/N) and snarling as it starts limping over.

She rises and quickly kicks its leg, forcing it to fall forward face-first onto the floor. Clement stabs through the back of its head, (Y/N) crouching back down and nodding to him.

"Hey, look!" Louis cackles, holding his hand up in a fist. "I got you nose! Got your nose!"

The walkers slam against the train car, reaching up for him with roars.

"... I'm just fucking with you, you have no nose!" Louis wheezes with laughter, almost doubling over at his joke. "Just a rotten hole in your face!"

The group continue around the walker mass, Louis ringing the bell loudly and pausing.

"Hey, someone guess the song! Ready?"

He rings the bell in a tune, stomping his foot lightly as the beat.

"... Nobody? Listen again!"

He rings the same tune, waiting a moment.

"Nothing? Really?" Louis sighs dramatically, shaking his head. "One more time!"

Violet rubs her temples in annoyance from her spot by the bell, AJ grinning next to her as he contains his laughter. (Y/N) watches Louis with an amused smile. Clement listens to the ringing, brows furrowed in thought.

"... Jingle Bells?" he whispers, frowning and tapping his knuckle to his chin.

"No! It's not, "unghhh"! It's Jingle Bells!" Louis yells at the walkers with frustration, pouting and crossing his arms over his chest. "How about this one?"

He loudly rings the bell, grinning as he looks around at the walkers.

"Really? Nobody knows that one?! You guys are killing me!"

(Y/N) gasps lightly as a walker laying on the ground shifts, growling lowly as it starts moving. As she focuses on this one, a walker from the group spots them and roars, slowly approaching.

Clement rises and faces the one approaching, (Y/N) piercing her machete through the mouth of the walker as it tries to get up. Clement swings his knife upward, piercing under the walker's chin and killing it.

"Bet'cha can't grab this chair leg!" Louis mockingly says, waving Chairles down to the walkers. "Bet you can't grab it! Whoop-- too slow!" he laughs, raising it out of reach. "You suck! Yes, you do!"

He turns to another, lowering the leg.

"Your turn!" he lowers Chairles, swiftly raising it back up. "Oh, man! Way too slow! It's like your muscle tissue is deteriorating or something. What's that?" he pauses. "It is?! Oh, I am so sorry."

Louis watches (Y/N) and Clement move past the walkers they killed, nearly to cover.

He nods, looking down at a walker and wincing. "Oh! I hate to break it to you, sir, but I think your eyeball just fell out of your head. Yeah, it rolled off in that general direction."

Louis glances to the side to another walker, gasping.

"Ma'am! If you could be careful, I think you're standing on this gentleman's eyeball!"

The group makes it behind cover of a handful of oil barrels, the train station in sight.

"Any requests out there?" Louis calls to the crowd of walkers, sighing. "No? Nothing? You know, I'm gonna need a little more liveliness out of you all. You get what you give! That's all I'm saying."

Clement waves Violet and AJ over, AJ bolting towards them as Violet follows. She stops to strike down a walker, continuing on and ducking behind cover with them as Louis whistles a jolly tune.

"So far not dead!" Violet mocks enthusiasm, shrugging.

"Key words are: so far," (Y/N) mumbles back, peering around the barrels. "Clem, let Louis know we're ready, please."

"Got it," he nods, rising up slowly and looking up towards Louis.

Clement raises his hand to Louis, Louis noticing and nodding back. He looks down at the walkers. humming lightly before turning and disappearing from view.

"What is he waiting for?!" Violet hisses, her eyes wide. "Come on, come on! Fucking Louis!"

Clement swiftly ducks back down behind the barrels as the walkers lose interest in Louis, turning and lowly growling as they start wandering around.

"Fuck," Clement curses lowly, shifting and kneeling close to (Y/N)'s side as she holds AJ protectively. "Let's just... Give him a second."

The sound of the walkers getting closer makes him tense, (Y/N)'s fingers tightening around her machete.

"They're getting closer," she quietly says under her breath, listening to their footsteps.

A loud bang makes the walkers stop in their paths, their snarls growing as they turn to the source. Louis stood on another train care a ways away, and was obnoxiously ringing the bell, slamming Chairles on the top of the train and stomping his feet.

The walkers roar, and start stumbling their way towards the boy as he shouts at them.

"I'll watch the door for walkers," Violet tells (Y/N) and Clement.

"Sounds good," (Y/N) nods as she responds, watching the train station. "We'll go sneak in, grab as much food as we can, and get the hell out."

"All right. Let's make it quick," Violet peers around the barrels, watching the walkers warily.

Clement slowly makes his way out from around the barrels, (Y/N) in tow with her machete ready at her side. They walk past a walker laying down, not noticing it was still moving, (Y/N) sharply gasps as it grabs her leg, making her fall forward from becoming unbalanced.

She swiftly turns, slamming her boot onto the walker's face to keep it away from her as she struggles to get free.

Clement rushes to the walker, rising and rearing his leg back. He delivers a swift kick to the walker's head, knocking it off its shoulders with the blow. (Y/N) blinks rapidly in bewilderment, watching the walker head roll away as Clement offers his hand to her.

She takes it, Clement helping her up as AJ joins them with a determined look. The three walk up the wooden porch, the walkers still distracted by Louis' yelling and bell ringing.

(Y/N) glances back at Violet, the girl giving her a thumbs up as she ducks behind the barrel.

Clement opens the door to the station, letting AJ and (Y/N) in first before he follows. He closes the door behind him, the walker couple inside snarling lightly at the sight of the three. Ignoring them, (Y/N) walks briskly towards the storage room behind the ticket booth with AJ and Clement.

"There should be duffle bags under that desk," she informs, nodding towards the desk in the corner of the room. "We can use those to carry the jars of food."

"Nice, princess! I didn't even notice 'em," Clement compliments with an appreciative nod, walking over to the desk and kneeling down to the bags.

"Guys, look!" AJ gets their attention, finding a lantern on a nearby table and carrying it over.

"Good find, bud!" (Y/N) praises with a grin, AJ beaming as he sets it down. "Try turning it on."

AJ squats down, turning the light switch on and smiling as the lantern shines brightly. Clement smiles as he walks over with four duffle bags, setting them down by the cellar entry. He looks down inside, hoping some of the food made it.

"Gonna need your help on this, kiddo." Clement speaks softly, squatting down to his height and tilting his head towards the cellar. "You still got your gun?"

AJ takes his gun out, flicking it open and checking the bullets. "Just in case."

"Good," (Y/N) grabs the lantern, moving it closer to the cellar and setting it down.

AJ sits on the edge of the cellar, grunting lightly as he drops down inside. AJ's shoes crush glass beneath them as he disappears from view, (Y/N) looking side to side anxiously before looking over her shoulder and watching the entrance to the room. As she does this, Clement takes the chance to look her over.

(Y/N) quickly looks back, meeting Clement's gaze. He jumps lightly, ducking his head down with wide eyes as his heart hammers in his chest.

Her brows furrow in confusion before she looks towards the window, walker snarls ringing out from outside.

Glass crunches softly as AJ makes his way back over, grinning widely as he carries a large jar of rice.

"Oh, my gosh..." (Y/N) breathes out, taking the jar as he offers it to her. "Great job, bud! Is there more like this?"

AJ nods rapidly in excitement, "yeah!"

(Y/N) laughs breathlessly in relief, tucking the jar of rice into the duffle besides her.

"Keep them coming!" Clement urges with a soft laugh, nodding.

AJ ducks back under the cellar, reappearing a moment later with two more jars of food. He hands one to (Y/N), and the other to Clement. They take the jars and put them into separate duffles, AJ setting more jars on the ground in front of them.

They repeat this process for a few minutes, (Y/N) keeping an eye on the broken window as walkers walk pass it. She watches the window for a moment, ducking her head down as she grabs jars accumulated in front of her.

Clement grabs two at a time, eager to leave and just go back to the school.

"This bag's almost full," (Y/N) whispers to Clement, not wanting to draw any unwanted attention.

He turns and faces her to reply, his words dying in his throat as his eyes widen in horror.

(Y/N)'s brows furrow at his expression, "what..."

Something touches the back of her head, a gasp leaving her at the all too familiar feeling of a gun barrel.

"Stand." The man behind her demands, his voice gravely and low. "Slowly."

Clement glares darkly at the man, slowly rising with his hands held up.

"Your turn, girlie," the man speaks to (Y/N), making her jaw clench in anger.

How couldn't she have noticed him? Why didn't she hear him?

Her eyes move to the window, the walkers snarls ringing in her ears. (Y/N) breathes out lightly, her eyelids falling shut as she rises to her feet. The walkers drowned him out.

"Don't yell, and don't try anything." The man firmly speaks, his pistol aimed at the back of (Y/N)'s head. "I won't hurt her. If I don't have to."

(Y/N)'s nose crinkles lightly, the aroma of cigarette smoke filling the room. Clement watches the man closely, the man around his height. The man had short brown hair with a balding spot, and his eyes were different color. One bright blue, and one brown.

He inhaled his cigarette, Clement recognizing it as the same type (Y/N) had found by their traps.

"Get away from her," Clement harshly commands, despising his feeling of helplessness at this moment. "Do not fuck with me."

Abel was taken aback for a moment, shaking his head. "I'm not here to fuck with y'all. I'm here to get some food. Same as you."

"How did you find this place?" (Y/N) demands, wincing as Abel blows out more smoke near her.

"You and your friends made a lot of noise out there," he muses lightly, breathing out a sigh. "Wasn't hard to follow."

(Y/N)'s eyes dart down to the cellar, her ears faintly picking up the sound of AJ getting closer to the opening.

"Y'all live close by?" Abel questions, glancing around the room. "You knew about this place already. And organized some effort to get inside. So... You two probably also knew the stash was there."

Clement scoffs, "you'll understand if I don't tell you anything while you're holding someone important to be at gunpoint."

"Wasn't really a question," Abel shrugs lightly, "more like... Confirmation."

Abel slowly lowers himself as he keeps his gun aimed at (Y/N), grabbing her filled duffle bag.

"... You two look a little young to be out on your own. You got a group?"

(Y/N) and Clement exchange a look, (Y/N) subtly shaking her head.

Abel hums softly in thought. "I count you two, and the other two outside... I'm thinking, maybe more? You got a camp in these here woods?"

"Why do you want to know?" (Y/N) avoids answering, glaring to her side.

Abel shrugs with closed eyes, "fine. We can play it like that, if you want."

He weighs the duffle in his hand, "now, I'm going to leave with this."

"We worked hard to get this stuff!" Clement protests furiously, scowling.

Abel just smiles musingly, uncaring and unphased.

AJ appears from the cellar, setting a jar on the ground and freezing. (Y/N) gasps, Clement tensing as his hands ball up into fists. Abel's eyes widen in surprise, not expecting anyone in the cellar.

"Well, hey there, squirt! Playing hide and seek?"

AJ swiftly draws his gun, aiming it at Abel.

"Now," Abel shakes his head in disapproval. "That's impolite."

Abel aims his gun to AJ, (Y/N) looking over her shoulder to the man with wide eyes.

"Don't steal from us," AJ lowly warns, his grip steady on the gun.

"I'm not stealing," Abel chuckles. "This ain't yours."

AJ's glare is unwavering, "I can kill you, you know."

Abel's brows raise at this, a smirk on his face. "Come on, kid. I'm faster than you."

He looks from AJ to Clement, breathing out a small sigh as his expression hardens.

"Listen up, squirt. You're gonna quit pointing that gun at me, and let me go on my merry, you understand?" he speaks in a calming manner, his grip on the duffle tight. "I'm just going to take a little bit, and then I'm leaving. Like it never happened. You wouldn't let a hungry man starve, would you?"

(Y/N) listens to his words with a firm expression, her eyes flicking down to the mass of jars still on the ground. Clement notices, following her gaze before looking toward the duffle in the mans hand. They knew what it was like, to be alone and starving... He hated it, but he felt a little sympathetic for the man.

He sighs, his fist uncurling at his side.

"AJ... Lower your gun," Clement instructs, turning to the boy.

AJ looks at him, baffled. "Clem! He's stealing our food!"

"Alvin Junior!" Clement barks, making him flinch. "Now!"

(?) AJ won't forget that

AJ frowns, but obeys, lowering his gun slowly.

"Good choice," Abel nods in appreciation, lowering his gun as well as he shifts the duffle bag into his other hand. "Now, I'm going--"

"Guys! We're running out of time, we need to--" Violet races inside, skidding to a stop with wide eyes at the sight of Abel.

"Don't panic," Abel calmly speaks, turning towards her with his gun defensively risen at his side. "I was just leaving."

Violet doesn't reply, watching Abel like a hawk as he makes his way pass her.

"Thanks for dinner," he lowly muses, glancing over his shoulder at the group before darting out of the train station.

"Who, in the fuck, was that?!" Violet questions, swiftly turning to (Y/N) and Clement.

(Y/N) shakes her head, breathing out loudly. "No time! Just grab a bag and fill it!"

Violet nods, Clement dropping onto his knees as AJ ducks down and starts frantically grabbing the remaining food.

They fill up the three remaining bags, Clement kicking the door to the station open. He races out with (Y/N) at his side, AJ right behind them and Violet after him. They carried filled duffle bags, AJ carrying his gun ready.

Louis spots them and sighs with relief, shrugging in question as to what took them so long.

"Run, now!" Clement shouts, Louis nodding quickly as he runs along the train car.

Walkers start surrounding them, (Y/N) slicing her machete at one in her way as Clement rams his shoulder into another, knocking it down. They turn the corner, a large swarm of walkers blocking the way they came.

"Shit! Other way!" (Y/N) yells, pointing towards a gap by the train car.

They make their way over, Violet waiting by the gap for Louis with her cleaver in her hand. She strikes down a walker as it approaches her, Clement wedging his hunting knife into the temple of another.

Louis dashes over, swinging Chairles back and slamming it against a walker. Once they were together, they make a break for it to the forest.

"What happened back there?!" Louis questions as they run, glancing back to the walkers.

"Just move!" Violet snaps, taking the lead.

"We'll explain when we're not running for our lives!" (Y/N) shouts over the walkers, her ears ringing lightly.

She looks back towards the train station, shaking her head before pushing on with the others.

...

The moon was high overhead by the time they made it back to the school, crickets chirping softly.

Mitch was on guard duty, his eyes widening when he spots the group.

"You are not listening to me Marlon!" Brody hisses, Marlon rolling his eyes as he sits on the school steps. "Listen to me! I'm telling you, the place was ransacked!"

Mitch drops down from the wall, walking to the gate to let them in.

Marlon notices, holding up a hand to stop Brody's rambling. "It's fine. We'll deal with it."

Willy sits up on the couch as the gate opens, smiling when he sees the group enter. Ruby looks over from the fire, gasping lightly and rushing over.

"Took y'all a while!" she breathes out with a smile, nodding to them.

Louis grins with a shrug, "how poor are they that have not patience!"

(Y/N) sets her duffle bag onto the table with a dramatic sigh, glad to have it off her shoulder. Clement plops his next to hers, Louis carelessly tossing his onto the table as well.

Some of the others start approaching as (Y/N) unzips her bag, revealing the jars of food inside.

Willy's eyes light up in delight as he turns, cupping his mouth. "Aasim! Mitch! Check it out! Food!"

Mitch walks over, his brows raising in surprise. "That's... Like... A lot of food!"

"Observant as ever, Mitch," Louis jokes with a small eye roll, smiling.

"I can't believe this," Aasim breathes out in awe, walking over. "Look at it..."

Willy grins up at (Y/N) and Clement. "You guys are our saviors."

"Like, seriously!" Mitch agrees with a laugh, taking some of the jars out from the duffle near him. "It's a lot!"

(Y/N) smiles lightly, basking in the happy atmosphere. "Hey, we owed you guys. I mean... You all saved our lives."

"Yeah," Clement agrees, wrapping his arm casually around her shoulders. "Consider this payment."

Aasim laughs at this, "call us even, then."

Marlon walks over with Brody in tow, Brody's face red with anger as he continues to ignore her. He sighs sharply in irritation, moving away from her.

Brody notices the food, her face falling. "Where did you guys find all this?"

"The old train station," Louis nonchalantly replies, looking over a jar of rice in appreciation. "Clem and (Y/N) knew where it was."

Brody's brows furrow, "train station..."

Her eyes widen in horror, her complexion paling.

"That-- That's outside the safe zone!"

Violet sighs softly, her arms crossing over her chest. "We'd have even more, but we ran into the creep that fucked up our rabbit traps."

Brody's pupils shrink slightly. "Creep... what creep?"

"(Y/N) found one of his nasty ass bible cigarettes by our traps, and Clem saw him smoking one," Louis replies, side-eyeing Brody with a raised brow.

"Yeah," Clement nods, shaking his head. "He had weird different colored eyes."

Brody bites her lip, her hand shaking at her side as she quickly looks towards the main gate.

"Did he follow you?!"

Clement stares at her for a few seconds, "... No. We let him have some of the food, and then we lost track of him in a swarm of walkers."

"You..." Brody stammers in anger, shaking her head wildly. "Just let him take our food?! What the fuck?!"

(Y/N) jumps as she practically screams at them, Clement's brows furrowing as his shoulders square.

"Now he knows we're out here, and he'll come back for more!"

The others look to one another awkwardly, Omar urging them to gather some of the food so he could add it to what he already made.

"What the hell is were you thinking?" Brody lowly demands, walking closer to the two. "This is... Fucked. How could you be so stupid?!"

Clement opens his mouth to snap at her, (Y/N) quickly shaking her head. His jaw ticks lightly, but he nods, his arm falling from her shoulder as he takes her hand into his.

(?) Their relationship with Brody has changed

Their silence seemed to fuel her anger, her chest heaving with every breath she took. "Hello?!"

Louis steps in her way, blocking her from (Y/N) and Clement. "We have food," he firmly speaks, his eyes narrowed at her. "What else matters?"

Violet moves to (Y/N)'s side, watching Brody with a mixture of confusion and some anger at her harshness.

"Everything else matters!" Brody snaps to Louis, shaking her head quickly as she walks a few paces away. "I just can't... I won't-- just, not again... Fuck!!"

Marlon makes his way over, eyebrows furrowed. "What the hell's going on here?"

Brody turns to him, rage in her eyes. "They took them outside the safe zone! They saw someone! You know what that means!"

Marlon's eyes flick towards the others briefly before he faces Brody, waving his hand down firmly. "Enough!!"

She flinches at his roar, backing up a step. (Y/N) blinks rapidly in shock, Clement's lips pressed in a thin line as he watches the two.

Marlon clears his throat, "It just means... There's a hungry guy out there looking for food. It's happened before. You... are overreacting."

Brody stammers lightly, shaking her head as her eyes fill with tears. "You can't be serious!"

"Come on," Marlon steps forward, grabbing her arm. "Let's go somewhere and talk about this."

Brody snatches her arm away, shoving Marlon away from her. He falls backwards from the unexpected force, landing on his back.

"If anything happens," Brody starts, glaring between (Y/N) and Clement. "I'm holding you two responsible!"

With that, she turns and marches away, Marlon rising from the ground and dusting himself off.

He turns to (Y/N) and Clement, Violet and Louis looking to one another before joining the others.

"Guys," Marlon sighs, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "I know I asked you both for help. And you did. You did. But... shit. God... nothing's easy."

"We had to, Marlon," (Y/N) quietly speaks, looking up at him with a firm resolve. "It was worth the risk if it meant everyone would eat tonight."

"Like you said, we can't lose another kid," Clement backs her up, nodding.

Marlon scoffs bitterly, displeased his words were being used against him. "Yeah... Yeah, I did say that."

He glances towards the table with jars of food, some tension leaving his shoulders.

"Well... At least we're eating tonight," he mumbles to himself, his arms crossing over his chest. "And the next few, I'd wager!"

Marlon smiles and nods, walking the direction Brody left in and pausing.

"I'll go talk to Brody," he says, turning back to the two. "Thanks for the haul, guys. You should go enjoy it. You've earned it."

He heads the way Brody left in, leaving (Y/N) and Clement alone. They were quiet for a few minutes, standing side by side.

"Well... that was... something," Clement breaks the silence, turning to her. "You all right?"

(Y/N) offers him a small smile, "Yeah, I am. I know it was hard, but provoking her would've only made it worse, you know?"

"Yeah, yeah," Clement mumbles in agreement, chuckling as she playfully hits his arm. "Come on, let's go eat with the others."

They walk over to the table where AJ was, two bowels set up besides him for them. Violet sat next to him, Tenn in front of him as Louis next to Tenn.

Louis notices them approaching, waving.

(Y/N) sits besides AJ, Clement on her other side. She looks down at her food, an unsettling feeling in her stomach as she glances towards the way Brody and Marlon left in.

"Don't sweat it, guys." Louis speaking makes her face forward, the boy smiling.

Violet nods at his statement, lowering her spoon. "Ever since we lost Sophie and Minnie... Brody's been freaked out by anything that happens past the safe zone. She'll be all right eventually."

"Still," Aasim chimes in, approaching with a bowl of food. "We should make sure this is a one time thing. We can take Rosie out in the morning, see if she catches a scent. You know, just in case."

AJ slurps down his food hungrily, Clement shaking his head in amusement at the boy.

"... I'm gonna go clean up," Violet murmurs, rising from her seat and grabbing her untouched bowl of food.

Louis looks down sadly, rising as well. "I think I'm going to go, too. See you guys later."

(Y/N) watches them leave with a frown, noticing their off behavior.

"Don't worry about them," Tenn softly speaks up, coloring his drawing. "They're just sad."

"About Minnie and Sophie?" (Y/N) questions quietly, poking around at her food.

Tenn nods, his coloring halting. "... Yeah. My sisters died around this time last year. I think it's starting to get to people."

Clement slowly chews his food, swallowing as he glances up at Tenn. "Doesn't it get to you?"

Tenn considers this for a moment, sketching out another area. "Not really. Dying's not scary. I mean... It's sad, but not scary."

A small scoff leaves Clement. "Being a walker is a lot worse than being dead."

"How do you know" Tenn questions, peering up. "Maybe being a walker is really nice."

"... I don't think so, Tenn," (Y/N) shakes her head, taking a bite of her food.

Tenn chuckles lightly. "I don't think so, either. But it's not like you can go ask one."

(Y/N) hums lightly in acknowledgment, looking down in thought. She felt her arms prickle with goosebumps, an odd chill going through her. She looks up at the sky, noticing small clouds in the distance.

"I try not to focus on them being gone," Tenn admits as he continues drawing, occasionally looking up. "I like picturing where they'd be now, instead."

He lowers his pencil, grabbing his sketchbook and showing off his drawing to the three. There was a large house in the back with a tree besides it, bushes in the front of the house and a chimney on top. In front of the house was two girls, Minnie and Sophie, and two other people. Next to Minnie was a drawing of Tenn, the sun he drew shining down on them.

"Sophie was awesome at making stuff," Tenn proudly informs, grinning. "She'd build a place big enough for us all to live, and paint it, too! And Minnie would be playing whatever new song she wrote."

AJ leans forward with interest, smiling in awe at the drawing.

"I guess..." Tenn lowers his sketchbook, trying to find the right words. "Death doesn't scare me because I know I have something waiting on the other side. Someplace safe... And happy. All of us together."

"Well," Clement chuckles under his breath, nodding. "It looks like a nice place to wind up."

Tenn beams at this, nodding shyly. "Yeah, I think so, too."

He glances around the area, "a lot better than some smelly old school."

(Y/N) looks down at his drawing, noticing the two other figures. "Hey... Who are those two? Are they your parents?"

Tenn slowly shakes his head. "No. They're the walkers who killed them."

"You... Want them there, too?" Clement questions in surprise, tilting his head.

"They weren't always walkers," he replies, his eyes looking over the two figures in his drawing, "Wherever this place is... Everyone gets to be a person again. Sometimes I draw the walkers the way they probably looked. Sometimes I draw Minnie and Sophie. The way they probably left them."

(Y/N)'s brows furrow sadly at this, Clement frowning as AJ sits back down.

"But sometimes I draw this, too," Tenn continues, gesturing to his drawing.

"Can..." AJ starts, pausing before speaking. "Can I be there?"

Tenn's face lights up. "Sure!"

He focuses on his drawing, brows furrowed in concentration as he sketches AJ into the drawing. "Do... You guys wanna be there too?" he meekly asks, glancing up at (Y/N) and Clement. "I promise I'll draw you well! You just gotta hold still."

(Y/N) and Clement glance to one another, Clement shrugging with a crooked smile.

"Sure," (Y/N) nods with a smile, shrugging.

(?) Tenn will remember that

Tenn grins widely, quickly looking down as his hand moves swiftly. After a few moments, he lifts his drawing up, showing off how he drew them.

"Oh! I almost forgot!" he takes the drawing back, hiding it as he draws. "There."

He rips out the drawing, offering it to (Y/N).

"Here you go."

"Oh..." (Y/N) takes it, looking over the paper in awe. "But it's yours!"

Tenn smiles warmly, "it's ours."

(Y/N) smiles back, her eyes lingering on the drawing of her and Clement. Clement was holding her hand, a small heart drawn between the two. AJ was on her other side, holding her other hand with a grin.

"It's getting late," Clement notices, glancing towards the dark sky.

"Yeah," Tenn agrees, already starting a new drawing. "You guys should get some sleep."

"You're not coming?" (Y/N) questions as she rises, holding the drawing carefully.

"Not yet," he shakes his head, not looking up. "I wanna finish this first."

Clement motions for AJ to follow them, AJ nodding before turning to Tenn.

"Goodnight!"

Tenn's eyes flick up as he smiles. "See you tomorrow."

...
..
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