Troubles of life

 Not much happens in this chapter. The plot will continue in the next.

Year 3392 May 19

 The crunch of leaves and twigs echoed out to the surrounding area and was soon followed by groans. Two people walked through the woods, following the sound until they came up behind what was causing it.

 One held an axe, while the other a rifle. The one with the axe hosted said item up and overhead before bringing it down on the unsuspecting creature.

The one with the rifle seemed irritated.

 "Damnit, what did they get this time?"

Looking down, I could see the foot of a rabbit; its abdomen had been torn open, and any organs it had were ripped out.

 "From the looks of it, a rabbit."

 "Great, another meal lost."

Getting up, we moved on, leaving both rabbit and rotten Walker corps behind.

 "I still can't believe we went through all that food in just three months! I get we had to eat, but three months! That should've lasted us a year at most."

 I wanted to sigh but didn't. "You're looking at this wrong; you're looking at it like we're all one person. It would have lasted one person a year, but since you joined the group, it's been feeding eight. Hell, it's a miracle it even lasted three months."

 He sighed, "I guess you're right, but I still feel we could've made it last longer."

 The statement made me huff. "We could have made a lot of things last longer." 

 "Like the food."

Looking over, I could tell Mark was getting frustrated.

 "You know, had you not opened the door that day, you would still have all that food."

 "Ya, but then I would be the food."

 This had me chuckling a bit, "That's morbid. Have you no faith in yourself, oh brave knight?"

 Mark's face turned shades darker at the nickname, curtsy of Clementine.

 "Could you not mention that; it's embarrassing."

 Clementine had given him the nickname because he tried to help her with something. In the end, she did most of the work, embarrassing Mark in the process, and after they were done, she gave him the nickname Sir GraveBorn the Second, a knight who bravely fought the monstrous box of wonders.

 Kenny and I got a good laugh out of his embarrassment when it happened 

 "Besides, it's not my fault she's freakishly strong."

I chuckled, "Maybe you're just unnaturally weak."

Before today, I didn't even know if someone's face could get that red. "Take that back; you're just biased because it's Clementine. If it were anyone else, you'd try and comfort my ego right about now instead of breaking it down with a sledgehammer."

My smile grew. "I can't say that's not true."

 "Ya, ya, laugh it up; it's still not as bad as Super Ultra Dark Knight Of Death."

 Mark was expecting me to be embarrassed. Ya, like that would happen. "I'll have you know, that name is cool, and I'm proud to bear its weight."

 I left Mark's mouth hanging with my reply. "I take back what I said at the Inn; you and Clementine are the weirdest of our group."

 "Really? I was leaning toward Lary and Lilly."

 Their mention soured Marks's face, "Could we please not talk about them; it's already enough having to hear them argue with anything and everything that doesn't agree with them."

 I hummed, "Lilly's not that bad."

Mark looked like he wanted to scoff, "Ya, she's not the worst, but she could be better; my problem would be that big bastard Lary. Fucker can't listen for the life of him, and that's not including the shouting matches he always starts. I mean, come on; did you hear the one he got into with Kenny the other night? I can't blame the man for wanting to leave with that brute always breathing down his neck."

"Hell, didn't he punch you?"

 I sighed, "Knocked me flat on my ass and gave me a bloody nose in the process."

 Mark continued to vent, "Lilly keeps saying he's getting old, but I find that hard to believe; he's a mountain of muscle and has the physical capability of an average powerlifter. I wouldn't be surprised if he up and said he was twenty."

 I frowned, "You and me both."

 He continued, "And now that we are on the topic of Lilly, her constant fighting with Kenny is starting to get annoying."

 I couldn't help but agree with him but kept the thought to myself, as I didn't want to be dragged into anything stupid.

 "It's every day with those two; every time one suggests something, the other finds something about said suggestion and gets pissy about it. I swear they're worse than actual children."

 I cut him off from saying anything else by clearing my throat, "What you said is true, for the most part, but without them, we'd all most likely be dead."

 Mark snickered, "Ya, everyone but you and Clementine."

I was caught off guard by his sudden statement. "What do you mean by that?"

 Mark snickered again, "God, you don't see it, do you?"

 This made me even more confused. "Again, what do you mean?"

Mark's snicker turned into a chuckle, "Let me ask you something, Lee. Who's idea was it to start hunting for food?"

 My confusion still evident, I answered, "Mine."

"Right, and whose idea was to start boarding up the gate and setting traps outside the Inn?"

 I answered again. "Mine."

 "Good, now one more. Who's breaks up the spats Lilly and Kenny get into?"

 I was quiet for a second, "Me..."

 A hardy scoff escaped Mark, "Get it now; you are the leader, and I'm honestly shocked that you hadn't figured it out by now, considering how many times Lilly and Kenny came to you to run their ideas by first."

 If he was being honest, he had noticed how the group, bar a select few, listened to him, but he chose to ignore it. He was never good at leading, and class projects could attest to that, so he wanted to remain oblivious and push it off to someone else.

 Kenny and Lilly were the best to lead; in his opinion, both had qualities that made someone a good leader. Lilly has good survival skills but is severely lacking in the people department; Kenny doesn't have the survival skills Lilly has, but more than makes up for that with tack and having the group's best interest in mind most of the time.

 And he's been trying to get them to settle their differences with each other so they could be the counterbalance to each other. That hasn't been going so well.

 My thoughts were interrupted by an echoing scream. Looking over, I could see Mark already waiting to move. With a quick nod, we took off, heading to where we heard the scream.

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 Back at the Motel

 A lone broken latch lay silently as its parts had long since rusted from the years of elemental exposure. Its days were numbered as it was soon to fall apart and turn to chunks of metal that would line the dirt.

 A little girl at the tender age of eight could be seen focusing on the previously mentioned object. Her eyes held an accidental glare as her focus became more potent; had a person or living thing been the focus of said glare, they would have felt their body being torn apart and put back together.

 Had someone been paying closer attention to the girl, they would have noticed the faint glow of the butterfly-like scar that marred her shoulder.

 The latch started to shudder before gaining a faint green glow. At a snail's pace, the latch lifted, coming to a stop a few feet into the air; the girl shuddered with strain as she attempted to keep the latch up; veins bulged, and eyes dilated into something that could be compared to a cat's.

 Eventually, the strain from her activity became too much, and she dropped the latch. The chunk of metal fell to the ground without grace, making a light dent in the dirt lying under it.

 "Clementine! Could you come over here for a second?"

The girl looked over her shoulder, "Okay! I'll be over in a moment!"

 Picking herself up, she made her way over to where the latch had fallen. The glow it previously showed disappeared with her concentration, leaving the latch to return to its rusty exterior.

 I've been trying to practice what I had seen Mr. Butterfly do when he protected and played with me, but it's been going less than well; every time I manage something, I become super tired, to the point I don't wake up for hours, and one time even days.

 Lee was worried a lot when that happened.

Done with looking at the rusty latch, I went to see what Lilly wanted.

 Coming up on the RV, I waved to Lilly, who was sitting on top,

"There you are. I was beginning to think you forgot."

 I could only look away in embarrassment. "Sorry."

"There's a need to be sorry, but try to be quicker in the future; after all, it could save your life."

 The most embarrassing part was that she was right.

 This odd friendship I have with Lilly started a few days after we settled into the motel, and it was by accident. I had found a book in one of the rooms that coincidently taught whoever read it about the basics of survival, and Lilly caught me reading it. The friendship started after that.

 She started teaching me things that she thought would help me survive during this apocalypse; she taught me how to lay simple traps. How to track something, and how to stay hidden. More came after.

 "Clementine? Hello, you there?"

Lilly's voice snapped me out of my thoughts, "Oh! Sorry..."

 Lilly smiled, "As I said, there's no need to be sorry."

I was still embarrassed, and if her smile was anything to go by, she knew that.

"Anyway, the reason I called you over is simple. Our little combat sessions will be on hold for a short while."

 One spell of confusion later, I quickly began to question, "Why?"

 I could see Lilly's somewhat gentle face morph into that of frustration, "While Lee doesn't hassle me much about training you, the others do. They keep saying I should let you be a child, even though the world is basically in ruin; hell, I'm pretty sure you and I are the only ones who realize that this world is no longer a safe place for children to play around in. Lee and my Dad might be somewhat on board with that statement, but I couldn't tell."

 "Anyway, I'm tired of them getting onto me about it, so I made them a deal. Your lessons will be cut for the next week; during that time, you can do whatever you want until the week is over, and then we can resume our lessons on basic takedowns."

 I could only sigh in defeat. My lessons with Lilly were one of the things I enjoyed doing during my free time, and now that those were being cut, I'd need something to do to help pass the time, and while it was half tempting to practice...

 Now that I think about it, I don't have a name for the green pool I used when messing with the latch. It doesn't have to be new or unique, just something simple. 

 "But there's so many opt-"

"Clementine, hello? Your spacing out again."

 My eyes widened with surprise; I wanted to cry from embarrassment. "Sorry..." I said while trying to cover up my ever-reddening face with my hands.

 Lilly chuckled at my distress. "'You really' need to break that habit."

My hands started gaining the red tent my face bore, "I know, but it's hard."

 "It may be at first, but with practice, you can get better at it." She said with a smile of encouragement. 

 I sighed; she was right. I had already seen what happened to someone who didn't pay attention, and it didn't end well. For some detail, after their mini laps in perception. Their lower torso found a new place to stay.

 It was a gory and gross sight, and I could've only imagined what the whole picture looked like as Lee pulled me away before I could see the rest. That day had everyone, bar Duck and I, horrified. 

 Duck didn't see it, so he wasn't affected, and I just found it strangely satisfying to see. 

 She didn't see the Butterfly-like scar puls in what seemed to be joy at that last thought.

 Looking back up, "So how do I break the habit?"

Lilly looked happy at my questioning. "Well, despite what most think breaking a habit involves, all it takes is patience, and I know you have plenty of that."

 Ignoring the jab at my super secret training that no one knows about but myself, I continued. "How long does a habit take to break?"

 Lilly's smile brightened at this. This gave me a forewarning that she would enjoy watching me struggle. "It depends on the person. Sometimes, it can take two to three weeks, and other times, it can take years; as I said, it depends on the person and how much time they are willing to put into breaking it."

 This had me a little disappointed, "Really? Year's? But I don't want to do it for years." I said while puffing up my cheeks.

 Lilly gave a light chuckle, "Don't worry, Clementine, because, as I said, it takes patience and dedication, both things you have in abundance. So if I were to give it an estimate, I'd say it would take you a few months."

 Unpuffing my cheeks, I continued. "You promise?"

 Lilly looked conflicted by this question, "Uhh, I don't think I could make a promise on that."

 My cheeks re-engaged to puff mode. "But you just said it would take a few months."

 Lilly was looking slightly nervous now. Her scratching her cheek could testify to that. "Ya... But that was just an estimate, nothing concrete."

 As far as they would go, I puffed up my cheeks, "You're a big liar." I said while putting on mock anger before turning around and walking away. Lilly seemed to find this funny, as I could hear her laughing behind me, but I ignored it and continued back to the little spot I used to practice.

 On my way over, I spoke under my breath, "Big meanie Lilly... Baka." I overlooked the sudden odd word usage and continued on my way.

 After the conversation with Lilly, I continued practicing with the green pool of... mana; she didn't know why, but mana seemed the best option. It also helped that the green pool seemed to sway with joy when she thought of its name.

 So, continuing practice with the now-named mana, she could tell that using it was a bit easier than before. Most would find this odd, but I've always been perceptive, so the tiny change keyed me in on the fact that the mana might be more alive than I previously thought.

 But aside from that, I've been thinking about how to start breaking that habit of mine; Lilly said it could be broken but didn't say how I should start, so that's a bit of a mess up on both my and Lilly's part. Mine for not thinking of asking, and Lillys for forgetting to tell.

 While it would be easier to go back over and ask, I'm too stubborn to do that, and I don't want her to find a new way to embarrass me in front of the other; she already has enough ammunition to do that, so she doesn't need more.

 Because I was so deep in thought, the green glow surrounding the soda can disappeared, letting the can clatter to the concrete below, jump-starting me out of my thoughts.

 Luckily, it was that, and not to the panicked feet rushing to the gate. At first, I was scared, thinking that something had happened to Lee, but those fears were alleviated when he stepped through the gate unharmed. That much couldn't be said for the guy they were carrying because he was missing a leg and unconscious.

 This stirred up a commotion among the present people; I was not one of those people. I watched as Katjaa did her best to help with the injured guy's leg, probably trying to stop the bleeding. While Kenny, Lilly, Carley, Larry, Mark, and Lee started arguing. With Duck sitting on the sidelines, watching it all unfold.

 For my part, I couldn't take my eyes off the stump that used to be the guy's leg. I could see blood gushing from the many veins that dotted most of the raw flesh; the surrounding skin seemed to puls and grow an angry red as it continued to swell. The blood made it seem like the bone was pulsating, adding to the already gruesome sight.

 The view was interrupted by Katjaa's careful hands navigating through the bloody mess, trying to stop the many tiny veins from pushing out more blood.

 The sudden interruption had me... Angry? Why would I be angry? I didn't see the butterfly-like scar pulsating an ominously dark green.

 I was once again pulled from my thoughts as I could feel something trickling down my chin. The tickling sensation that came with it had me hurrying to wipe whatever was on my face off.

 Curious about what was on my face, I guided my hand in front of me and was left in utter confusion as I could see what looked like saliva covering said hand.

 I wasn't allowed to revel in my confusion, as the argument the group was having started changing direction, going from the new people to the talk of who's in charge.

 Carley wasn't dealing with it and stormed off after telling Kenny and Lilly off; neither seemed to care as they continued.

 Looking over, I could see a guy standing there; his hands were shaking, and his eyes were frantic when looking between Kenny and Lilly. I could tell he was scared, which made me somewhat happy.

 Ignoring the sudden joy that spiked from seeing him so scared, I walked over and started pulling him away; looking up, I said, "Come on, let's go draw something." 

 I could tell he was hesitant and unwilling, to the point he tried to pry his hand out of mine. But I didn't let him and tightened my grip; the longer he tried, the more I squeezed. After a second of slowly increasing my grip, he started to whimper, bringing a devilish smile to my face.

 She didn't notice the butterfly-like scar on her shoulder pulsing a deep and bloody red.

 Eventually, his face fell away from fear and into neutral, taking away my entertainment, but that was fine because I was starting to get bored of it anyway.

 With a small gesture of my hand, he sat down, and I picked up a pencil and started drawing, ignorant of the bloodied butterfly sitting on my shoulder, its color slowly fading back into the bright green hue it bore before. The sinister smile I had going with it.

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 "Alright, that's enough; it doesn't matter who's in charge; those people are here now, and it's up to us to decide what to do next."

 That irritated Kenny. "No, Lee, it does matter. Having one person in charge of everything is a disaster waiting to happen, and sooner or later, that fence you're sitting on will break, and you'll be forced to pick a side whether you like it or not."

 This stunned me enough that I could only watch him as he walked away.

 Larry chose that moment to speak his mind. "I don't see any of you bastards stepping up to make the hard decisions, my daughter has been keeping you jackasses alive, and this is how you repay her; hmm, shows what kind of people you are."

 A trend seemed to be starting today because I couldn't respond before Lilly beat me to the punch. "Dad, please, why don't you help Mark with the wall?"

 To my surprise, Larry listened to her and went over to help Mark with the wall, but not before shooting me a glare.

 Looking back, I could see Lilly's heated gaze looking straight at me. "You think this is easy for me? Well, let me tell you now, if it wasn't already obvious enough, it isn't. Everyone's starting to hate me because I'm the one who rations the food, yet no one else wants to. Well, guess what? I'm not doing it today." She said as she reached into the bag and pulled out the meager food supplies we still had.

 "Here, you can do it, and good luck because there's not enough for everyone." With that, she handed me the food and walked away; as soon as she did, I could feel multiple sets of eyes resting on me, watching me like a hawk would watch their prey. 

 When I turned to glance at the eye's owners, they all collectively looked away. 

 Deciding to get it over with, I started with the two that needed the food the most, Duck and Clementine. Walking up, I could see that they were both drawing, and it looked like Clementine managed to rope the new kid into what I liked to call her vice grip.

 She'll walk up to you, take your hand, and then drag you to where she wants you; if you try to resist, you're going to have a decent bruise on your palm. And now that I realize it, Mark was kinda' of right about her having unnatural strength; her grips can hurt like hell if she's mad at you.

 Unfortunately for the boy, I could see rubbing his palm; he tried resisting and is now suffering the consequences. 

 Ignoring that, I kneeled. "Hey, Clem, what are you drawing there?"

 She turned to me with a big smile and brought the picture up to show me, "It's me and you."

 With some reference from her, I could tell that the two stick figures on the page looked similar in color to me and Clementine; her's had her favorite hat on, while mine had Super Dragon's Breath on its back.

 The gun's reference reminded me that I had left it in the camper, just in case we ever found some ammo. "That's nice, Clem; where are we at in this picture?"

 Her smile grew. "We are at a beach."

 My smile grew with her reply, "A beach? Why there?"

She giggled, "Because when I went there with Mommy and Daddy, they said if I were to go there with someone I love, it would bring good luck."

 "A beach that brings good luck?"

 "Yep, Mommy and Daddy took me there for my eighth birthday. They let me play in the sand and swim all day; it was the best birthday ever,"

 I chuckled, "That sounds nice."

Almost like it was fate, Clem's stomach started growling; I could see her face go from light brown to tomato red in record time.

 With a slight grin, I pushed forward an apple. She took it, but I could still see her face matching the color of the apple.

 "...Thanks." I heard her say with a voice so soft that it was almost inaudible.

"No problem. Now you be good, and try not to crush the new guy's hand, please." 

 She was covering her face at this point. After that, I gave Duck, Kenny, and Lilly the rest. I had tried giving some to Katjaa, but she declined while gesturing to the bleeding leg she was tending to. I could only walk away while rubbing my head in slight embarrassment.

 After that, it was pretty cut and dry for whom I would give food. The kids were a must in my book, and anyone who thinks otherwise can go fuck right off. Katjaa was the next up on the list because she was the one who played a meaningful role in keeping our group alive by patching up any injury we may have gotten on our outings. Kenny and Lilly were next after her, as their presence helped stabilize the group for the most part, taking them from the average day person to someone able to survive the cold nights.

 That was pretty much it; putting aside my somewhat biased choices, you get some logical picks. 

 So, like myself, the rest will go without food until we can get more, and that's okay; I feel they'll be able to stand hunger for a bit longer, or at least until we can find something to eat right now.

 My thoughts were interrupted when Kenny walked up. "Lee, I'm serious about that offer to come with us; you more than earned your spot on the RV."

 The re-mention of Kenny's offer had me somewhat conflicted because while it would be a good idea to grab Clementine and accept the offer, my subconscious wouldn't let me up and leave these people to die, even if they were more than qualified to survive on their own. But that thought was quickly discarded when the conversation with Mark about who would live if we weren't in this group popped into my thoughts.

 Kenny continued, "There will be people who won't like your choice, but don't let them affect how you decide."

 "Ya, I know, Kenny; let me think on it a while longer, okay."

 No more words were spoken as Kenny turned to leave; when he was about to make it around the corner of the RV, we heard Katjaa call both of us over.

 Almost as soon as we made it over, we both could tell why we had been.

"He didn't make it, did he?"

 Katjaa looked down, "He lost too much blood."

"Goddamit. I'm getting sick of this shit." He said as we watched him storm off.

 "Ken, wait-"

I interrupted, "Let him go, Katjaa."

 She looked at me with confusion. "But-"

"He needs time; with the rough start to the day and now this, just let him be for a bit."

 She sighed, "That man you brought... I tried, I really tried, but... he was never going to make it."

 I was indifferent to this. "Well, at least he's not our problem anymore, and as sick as it may sound, most of us would be okay with that."

 She was silent to my reply, but then I noticed she was looking somewhere behind me; Following her gaze had my eye's laying the new kid sitting with Clem and Duck. 

 "What are we going to do with him?" Her question was cut and dry, and I was about to answer with my own cut-and-dry response when I saw something horrifying.

 Time slowed to a crawl as I watched the once-human, now-turned-walker wrap its arms around Katjaa's neck. The reaction was almost immediate from both me and Katjaa.

 Her scream of terror washed through the lot, most likely alerting everyone else. Just as it was about to bite her, I managed to stop it; using all my strength, I pried the thing off and threw it to the truck bed.

 I turned to the fence. "The Axe! Hurry!"

 Before Larry could even move to help, the walker pulled me down to the truck bed as well; as such, a struggle ensued, resulting in me bashing the walker's head on the side of the truck bed multiple times before eventually kicking it off enough for me to get out of its grasp. Unfortunately, this resulted in Larry missing the axe swing and getting the axe stuck in the truck window.

 Continuing to back up while kicking the walker in the face repeatedly, I eventually backed up off the tailgate, resulting in me falling off the truck and giving my head a good healthy dose of brain damage. I wouldn't be alone for long as the walker followed after me, causing me more pain as it fell right onto my chest, knocking the wind out of me. 

 With what strength I had left, I managed to keep the walker from biting me, which allowed Carley to come up beside me with her pistol; she had it trained onto the walker's head. I could tell she was struggling with what to do; if she shot, it had a high chance of drawing out more walkers, resulting in a bigger problem down the line, but if she didn't, I'd have my throat ripped out.

 And I'd like to avoid that. "Pull the damn trigger!"

 Almost Immediately, the sound of a gunshot could be heard, along with the swash of brain matter that now painted the concrete.

 The thing went limp, and I pushed it off without hesitation. I sat there for a moment, regaining my breath and letting myself come down from the adrenaline high that spiked through me. 

 I could feel a pair of little hands grab onto my arm; they were shaking like a rattle. Opening my eyes, I could see Clementine, her face showing fear, worry, and a hint of confusion. 

 Righting myself, I stood while holding Clem's tiny yet shakey hand. Looking over, I could see almost everyone grilling the new kid, and I was about to step in when he said something that shocked us all in place.

 "You come back no matter how you die... If you don't destroy the brain, that's just what happens... It's going to happen to us all eventually."

 "We're... We're all infected?" I uttered.

 The boy continued, "I-I guess so... I don't... All I know is that I've seen people turn who I know were never bitten. When it first happened, we were hiding out in the gym; we all thought it was safe, but one of the girls, Jenny Pitcher, couldn't take it and took a bunch of pills.

 We found her in the bathroom the next day, and... God..."

 Before any of us could comprehend what was being told, everyone heard Carley.

 "Back Off!"

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 Location unknown

 An ominous smokey figure with crimson eyes sat on a thrown of bone as it watched a floating substance with eagerness and aww.

 Displayed on the substance was an image of a little girl we know as Clementine. Her manic smile burned through the display with the glowing image of a bloody butterfly beside it.

 The figure began to laugh devilishly. "Look at what we have here. Why isn't that the Emerald Ruler's chosen successor; wouldn't it be a shame if I were to corrupt her?" His grin turned into a snarling smile.

 "No... It would be... Delightful."