#pete gill | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

emcscared-whumps · 1 year

Text

WiJ 2023 - 24: Earth (1/10)

WiJ 2023 Navigation Post

As I mentioned, these are basically snapshots of the first draft, so forgive me for being a little messy and unpolished ^-^'

Can't edit what isn't written after all ;)

Anyways, this is the first segment I actually wrote, so, have fun future me lmao

Beginning | Previous | Next

CONTENT and WARNINGS: Nonhuman whumpee, collapse and fainting, Cole getting squicked out by gills

wc: ~1k

“Thank you for meeting me,” Cole said, turning up his collar against a chilly bluster and burrowing further into his scarf. All he could think of was how silly he must’ve looked, all balled up because of a little breeze. “I know it’s not easy for you to come so far, but I thought you could... do with a break. You seemed quite stressed when I saw you last,” he added. Somehow, the shadows under those tired blue eyes seemed deeper than they were when he’d seen him last, as if he’d been unable to bask.

Unbothered by the sudden drop in temperature, Pete hummed a plain response. It was more of an acknowledgement than anything, and not a talkative one. Slightly prickly, even.

Cole tried to meet Pete’s eyes to gauge what the young man was thinking as they slowly walked through the city, but his downcast gaze never stayed still; when his eyes weren’t clearly tracking the people exiting various shops, they flitted over openings and gaps, puddles, and over his shoulders.

Cole hesitated before speaking again, “Let’s get going before the weather turns, maybe we can find something to eat, my shout.”

Pete hummed again.

Ensuring his concerned gaze didn’t linger and give him away, Cole fell into step behind Pete, matching his pace but allowing him to lead, ensuring that he watched Pete’s back more than he accommodated him; he knew how quickly the young belunae’s mood could turn when he thought he was being coddled, or hadn’t the patience to ignore it.

Cole understood that feeling far too well; adjusting to having someone look out for him after years of isolation was difficult at best, and at worst... it could feel suffocating and infantilising, and when that happened, how easy it was to keep those walls built high.

An ache throbbed in Cole’s heart.

Pete is so close to having someone, he thought, that nice friend of his, Timmothey Paige. He’s a good kid, he tries to be there as much as he can, he’s trying a lot harder than anyone else, but Pete needs to open up, he can’t keep isolating himself.

Cole’s thoughts wandered from there as he took in the details of their surrounds; Wasn’t he the one who offered to accompany Pete each moon...? Was he there the last moon?

Before Cole could react, Pete suddenly stumbled forward. His boot caught on an uprooted paver, and when as he tried to steady himself, his cane slipped from under him, and his leg gave way before Cole could catch him.

“Shit—!" Cole exclaimed, kneeling and offering his arm to Pete who laid braced on the ground, biting back cries with pained gasps. “Are you hurt?”

Pete’s eyes cracked open and fixed Cole with a cold, hostile glare, “Of—of c-course,” he ground out, refusing his help, “but n-not—not worse. I’m f-f-fine.”

He stood, a pang of guilt settling in his stomach. He knew better than to badger, but he still felt awful for making the Pete slowly regain his footing himself. To make matters worse, a car flew by, ignorant of the dip where the previous night’s rain had been pooling, splashing everything in its wake, including Pete, who still knelt on the ground.

Shit!

Pete’s eyes widened and his lips parted breathlessly.

As much as he tried to hide it, Cole knew he couldn’t breathe and urgently needed privacy to recover, but when he tried to offer his arm again for Pete to lean on, Pete took it to haul himself to his feet and clumsily pull away, only to hit a wall and slide until his body leaned against a decorative pillar.

“Hey, hey, let me help,” Cole said, moving to subtly block any prying eyes.

Pete’s chest heaved but moved no air, and the hostility in his eyes morphed into fear. He shook his head, unable to voice the words he mouthed; don’t want—!

“Pete. Your scarf is drenched. You need to get it off right now if you don’t want to shift,” Cole murmured urgently. “You can have mine, just let me help, please.”

Finally, even as his eyes started drooping, the young man saw sense and with a small nod, allowed Cole to work quickly, unravelling the knots of both scarves as he gulped air down and fruitlessly forced it through his gills once they were free from the weight of the completely drenched wool.

It was a truly unnerving sight. Cole dragged his gaze away, but even as he focused on gently re-wrapping his own warm, dry scarf around Pete’s neck, the bright red of his gills’ filaments were never out of sight.

A short, sickening gasp followed by quick, shallow coughs brought Cole back to his senses.

Pete tried to position himself to stand, still gulping the air.

“Hey—Pete please wait, damnit,” Cole started, but Pete slumped into Cole’s chest and his eyes fell shut; his initial hesitancy finally took its toll.

Cole, unprepared for the sudden weight managed to wrap a protective arm around Pete’s limp body to stop him from falling, and catch himself before he hit the ground too.

Powers— Cole panicked.

A second ticked by, and still no breath.

Shit—

Another—

Shallow rasps sounded, and short coughs wracked Pete’s frail body.

Relief flooded Cole’s body; Pete was breathing again, he was still alive. The process was frightening to witness, and Cole didn’t want to know how terrifying it would be to suffer it regularly.

Not being able to breathe was—

No.

Cole shut that memory down the instant it surfaced.

Pete groaned weakly and coughed, but made no move to push Cole away.

Taken aback but unwilling to disturb the strange peace, Cole swallowed and kept perfectly still, as if a shy kitten had rested its head on his hand.

“We’d better find some place to rest,” he murmured.

Beginning | Previous | Next

Taglist:

@a-crumb-of-whump

@dang-i-like-whump

@gem2117

@nowjustanothermain2notjudge

@painful-pooch

@pigeonwhumps

@whump-cravings

@whumplovers-collaborate

@whumpmasinjuly-archive

@willowtreewhump

If you would like to be added or removed, please let me know <3 More info [here]

8 notes · View notes

the-delta-42 · 2 years

Text

Friends

[First] [Previous] [Next]

Friends

Sarah nervously glanced between Clementine and Becca. The three of them were serving their detention, which they’d learned would be until the end of term, along with another student called Gill.

“I’m just saying, heavy objects should go on the bottom.” Said Clementine, shoving a massive brick of something with her feet.

“What do you know about stacking?” Demanded Becca, her voice still slightly stuffy.

“I visited a dairy once.”

“Ooh, a dairy,” Becca sarcastically waved her hands, “what’d they do? Show you how they inbreed with each other?”

Clementine, Sarah and Gill stared at her.

“You, you do know what that means, right?” Asked Gill, as Clementine opted to glare at Becca.

“Only a…” Becca suddenly froze, noticing Clementine’s glare, “…idiot wouldn’t know what that means.”

“I don’t understand the appeal of having sex with your family,” Said Sarah, frowning, “I didn’t understand it with Game of Thrones, and I don’t understand it now.”

Clementine let out a snicker, before looking at the object she’d been pushing, “Why does the school have a salt lick?”

“They have horses.” Said Gill, trying to pick one up, “God, these are heavy.”

“They’re supposed to be.” Grunted Clementine, kicking the salt lick, “I saw a guy get his head caved in with one of these.”

“Jesus.” Muttered Gill, as Clementine kicked the salt lick again and slipped.

Clementine let out a short scream, before catching herself. There was a crack and the ring finger of Clementine’s left hand bent backwards. Becca gagged and ran off to throw up, while Gill and Sarah stared at it with a mixture of shock and morbid fascination. Clementine stared at her hand, before pulling the finger off and shoving it in her pocket.

“Maybe we should carry them.” Said Clementine, crouching down and heaving the block into her arms.

Becca got back and froze as Clementine carried the salt lick towards the school’s barn. Sarah chose to follow Clementine’s original method and shove the block with her feet, while Gill tried to pick the salt lick up. Becca looked around, before her gaze fell on a trolly. Without a word, she hit Gill’s shoulder and pointed at the trolly.

Gill looked over at Sarah and Clementine, the latter had already reached the barn and the former was making steady progress with her block. He then turned to Becca and helped her load their salt licks onto the trolly and calmly walked towards the barn.

“Is this it?” Asked Becca, as she and Gill joined Clementine and Sarah, “Seems pretty easy to me.”

“Nothing’s this easy.” Said Clementine, frowning, “Where’d you get that?”

Becca and Gill looked down at the trolly.

“Found it.”

Clementine glared at Becca, before turning to look at the doors.

“I suppose we’re supposed to wait for someone to unlock the door.” Muttered Clementine, shifting the salt lick in her arms.

“How are you able to hold that?” Asked Sarah, looking at Clementine’s arms.

“One of my previous fosters had me hold a car engine.”

Sarah frowned, as Gill leaned against the trolly.

Becca sucked air in through her teeth, “So, what do you guys do for fun?”

The other three turned and looked at her, Clementine raised her eyebrows, “What?”

“N-nothing, I just thought I make conversation.” Muttered Becca, becoming interested in her shoes.

“I build models.” Said Gill, getting a jump from Becca, “I usually build cars and stuff.”

“I like to read books.” Mumbled Sarah, fidgeting with her glasses, “I, um, also like drawing.”

Gill looked at Clementine, who looked vaguely annoyed, “What about you, Clem?”

Clementine glanced at him, “I’m not allowed to talk about my hobbies.”

“Why, cause they’re boring?” Snarked Becca, folding her arms.

Clementine was silent, before sighing through her nose, “I listen to music.”

“That’s it?”

“Am I being interrogated?”

“Yes.”

Clementine closed her eyes and leaned back against the door, “I shoot.”

The other three stared at her, before Gill leaned towards her, “Like what?”

“Guns, a bow, some other things.”

“Do you have a gun?”

“Used to.”

“What happened to it?”

“I dropped it.”

“Where?”

“In front of a homeless guy.” Clementine opened her eyes and glared at Gill.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” Demanded a gruff voice.

The group of four turned and looked at the source of the voice. A scruffy looking man in a sleeveless shirt stood in front of them, he looked like some strange survival expert. He had a crossbow in his arms, Clementine frowned and leaned closer.

“Daryl?”

The man frowned, before looking at Clementine, “Aw, shit.”

Clementine leaned back against the door, “What are you doing here?”

“I work here, why are you here?” Retorted Daryl, slinging his crossbow over his shoulder.

“Detention.”

Daryl looked at the other three students, before groaning, “Please tell me you didn’t come out here alone.”

The four children stared at him, getting a curse from Daryl, “There’re wild animals around these parts, I’ve had to chase a few coyotes away from here.”

“They’re gone now, right?” Asked Gill, nervously glancing around them.

“Obviously, I wouldn’t be here is they weren’t.” Grumbled Daryl, stepping past the small group, “What’re you doing with those salt licks?”

The small group glanced between each other, “We’re supposed to bring them here, aren’t we?” Asked Clementine, getting a snort from Daryl.

“Nope.”

Daryl unlocked the barn and led them inside, six horses were quietly eating their food, ignoring the new arrivals.

“If you’re here, then Mr ‘I’m the big man in charge’ wants you to clean out the pens.” Said Daryl, grabbing some shovels and handing them to them.

“You mean to tell me; I didn’t need to lug this around with me?!” Demanded Clementine, dropping the salt lick to the floor.

“Yep.”

“Okay, I love horses,” Said Becca, “but this is the worst!”

Clementine bit her tongue, shovelling a pile a manure into a wheelbarrow. Without thinking, she stopped and rolled her sleeves us, revealing a smattering of scars. Including one long, jagged scar that looked like a chunk of her arm had been torn out.

“What the fuck?”

Clementine looked at Becca, Sarah and Gill stopping and staring at Clementine’s forearms as well.

“What?”

“What the fuck happened to your arm?!” Demanded Becca, making Clementine look down.

“Animals.”

“What animal does that?” Exclaimed Becca, pointing at the large scar on Clementine’s arm.

“Are you seriously asking me this, while we’re all standing in shit?” Demanded Clementine, grabbing her shovel from where she left it.

Becca, upon seeing Gill frantically wave his hand in front of his throat, dropped the subject. They all resumed shovelling the manure. Clementine grunted slightly as her shovel caught on the floor of the barn. The wood splintered, making Clementine slip and land in a heap of manure.

Almost immediately, Becca and Gill started laughing and Clementine threw manure at them. Within seconds, the four were throwing manure and hay at each other, until a stray handful of dung hit Daryl square in the chest.

Daryl looked down at the muck covering his chest, “I think that’s enough for today, call your parents so you can get clean clothes.”

The four all looked at each other, before hurrying out of the barn.

“I thought he was going to go apeshit.” Gasped Gill, as Clementine wiped her hands on her jeans.

“Did you mean to make a pun?” Asked Clementine, Sarah snickering quietly as she wiped manure off her glasses.

“How do you know Mr Dixon?” Asked Becca, looking at Clementine.

“I got lost for a little bit,” Said Clementine, “Daryl found me and, after giving me a brief and unsuccessful lesson on how to defend myself, took care of me.”

“Was he the one who gave you that nasty scar?” Asked Sarah, glancing at Clementine.

“No, I got that from a dog called Sam,” Answered Clementine, “he literally tore my arm apart, so I was forced to kill him.”

“It must’ve hurt.” Remarked Becca, getting a wince from Clementine.

“Yeah, I wouldn’t advise stitching your own arm up.” Muttered Clementine, absently rubbing her arm.

“Does anyone have a phone on them?” Asked Gill, scratching the back of his head, “I kinda left mine at home.”

“I don’t have one.” Said Clementine.

“Shel took mine.”

“I think it’s in my bag.” Said Sarah, as they reached the school, “Our gym clothes should be in our lockers.”

Clementine groaned.

“What is it?” Asked Gill, looking in Clementine’s direction.

“I don’t have gym clothes.”

“We’ll take from lost property.” Said Becca, as they climbed the steps, “I just hope the showers are open.”

“They should be.” Mumbled Gill, flicking some dung off his hand.

Clementine ignored Sarah and Becca’s shrieks as the water hit them. She rolled her shoulders, wincing as her left shoulder twinged in pain. She absently brushed her fingers over the bullet scar. Becca whistled and slid a small body wash bottle under the cubical wall.

“Here, since you probably don’t have any.”

“Thanks.”

A few minutes later, the three girls were waiting for Gill.

“What’s taking him so long?” Grumbled Clementine, absently rubbing her arms.

They’d taken a plain t-shirt and shorts for Clementine, she had to place her hat with the rest of her dirty clothes.

“Do you think he’s, you know,” Smirked Becca, “‘relieving tension’?”

Clementine and Sarah pulled a face, “That’s not a mental image I wanted.” Grumbled Clementine, pinching the bridge of her nose.

“No, I was getting shit out of my hair.” Said Gill, appearing behind them.

“Jesus fucking Christ!” Gasped Becca, as Clementine stiffened and relaxed.

“You were really quiet.” Said Sarah, gnawing at her nails.

“Okay.” Gill raised an eyebrow, “I think we’re just free to go, see you tomorrow.”

Clementine waved at him, before she and the other two girls went their separate ways.

Rebecca raised an eyebrow at Clementine, “Alright, surprise me.”

“We were cleaning the school’s stables and we, kinda, got into a fight.” Winced Clementine, nervously grabbing her arm, “Not a punching fight, more a throwing shit at each other fight.”

Rebecca raised her other eyebrow, as Clementine nervously fidgeted, “You were ‘throwing shit’ at each other, why exactly?”

“I, er, might’ve slipped in it and then threw some at Gill and Becca.” Mumbled Clementine, scratching the back of her head.

Rebecca sighed, “I’m assuming you washed at the school?”

Clementine nodded, “Yeah, Sarah got involved too.”

“Well, I hope you had fun, Clem,” Said Rebecca, rubbing Clementine’s shoulder, “I think it’s good you’re making friends.”

“Friend.” Corrected Clementine, “Becca and Gill are just acquaintances.”

“Sure.” Smirked Rebecca, walking over to the cot in the corner, “Acquaintances.”

Clementine winced as a horse kicked Daryl in the chest, she didn’t understand how Daryl could wear sleeveless shirts in the middle of winter. Sarah sniffed, prompting Becca to hand her a tissue. An almost inaudible sneeze made Clementine sigh.

The riding club had just left the horses tied up outside the barn, leaving seven cold, hungry horses waiting for Daryl and his four new helpers. Becca and Gill were now considered friends by Clementine and Sarah, Becca ceasing her bullying of Sarah and Gill hanging out with them in his spare time.

“Right,” Said Daryl, rubbing his chest and guiding the horse back into the barn, “I should be able to handle things from here, go back inside.”

The four hurried towards a small cabin, before Clementine heard a growl. She froze, before slowly turning around, and found herself face-to-face with a coyote. The animal snapped and snarled at her, Clementine found herself unable to move. Then the animal shot towards her.

Clementine suddenly found herself on the ground, with a coyote trying to tear her arm off. Blood fell down onto her face, the coyote’s claws tearing at her coat. Clementine found herself thinking she was going to die, before Gill charged at the coyote and hit it with a shovel. Becca and Sarah grabbed Clementine and hurriedly pulled Clementine into the cabin.

A gunshot rung out, making everyone freeze. The coyote dropped to the ground, with Gill standing with the shovel above his head. Daryl ran over to them, stopping when he spotted a man holding a rifle.

“Holy shit.” Swore the man, hurrying forwards, “Luke, get your ass over here!”

A younger man appeared, freezing at the sight of the coyote, “You killed it?!”

“It tore open a girl’s arm, it needed to be put down!” Growled the man, crouching in front of Clementine.

Clementine cradled her arm, her throat tight. The man placed his rifle on the ground, and looked up at Daryl and Luke, “We need to get her to a hospital.”

“Why?” Asked Luke, frowning, “We can treat her here.”

“No, we can’t.” Said Daryl, nudging the coyote with his foot, “Look around it’s mouth, the damn things got rabies.”

Luke swore, “Pete, doesn’t Nick work around here?”

“Does Nick have a car?”

Luke remained silent.

“We can take her back to the school and have an ambulance come out to her.” Said Daryl, as Luke quickly scooped Clementine into his arms. The girl too focused on her arm to notice.

The group quickly made their way to the school, another staff member spotting them and called the emergency services when they saw the state of Clementine’s arm. Clementine found it difficult to stay awake, she groaned, before passing out.

Clementine woke up in a cold room, she could hear Larry banging on a door and Lilly telling him to calm down.

“I knew we never should’ve taken that brat in.” Snarled Larry, shooting a hate filled glare at Clementine.

“Dad, that’s not going to help.” Said Lilly, not looking at Clementine.

“It’s not?!” Demanded Larry, “If that brat didn’t ask to come here, we wouldn’t’ve had Mark fed to us!”

“Clementine didn’t know they were cannibals, Dad.” Sighed Lilly, sighing through her nose.

“The hell she didn’t!” Bellowed Larry, “Why else would she bring us here? Why, why-”

Larry grabbed his chest, his eyes widening, before he collapsed to the ground.

“Dad?” Asked Lilly, “DAD!”

Clementine fearfully watched as Lilly tried and failed to resuscitate Larry.

“L-Lilly?” Asked Clementine, timidly.

Lilly stiffened, as if she just remembered that Clementine was there.

“You…” Snarled Lilly, rounding on Clementine, “This is all your fault!”

She backhanded Clementine to the ground and started beating her, grabbing anything she could use as a weapon. Clementine curled into a ball with her arms covering her head. Lilly grabbed Clementine’s left hand and grabbed the ring finger and bent it backwards.

Clementine screamed and pleaded with Lilly, only to get kicked in the face. Once the finger was mutilated to a satisfactory degree to Lilly, she then grabbed Clementine’s throat and started to strangle her. The door to the meat locker was flung open, and one of the cannibals barged in and grabbed Lilly, before dragging her out and slamming the meat lockers door.

Clementine woke with a gasp. She raised a shaky hand to her face, her eyes focusing on her mutilated ring finger. She didn’t know what happened to Lilly, but Daryl said he didn’t find her or her remains in the house. She remembered Daryl’s friend that she’d stayed with for a couple of months after her three weeks with Daryl. Rick had put up with a lot from her, she remembered that he was kind, and that he had a son.

Rick and his family had to move, which then placed her with Jane.

Clementine shook her head, dispelling all thoughts she had of the past. She didn’t even know why those memories came up. She looked down at herself, before realising that she was in a hospital bed, with her right arm stitched up and bandaged. Then Clementine remembered why those memories came up. She was with Jane when Sam bit her.

The door opened and a tired looking Rebecca stepped into the room. She glanced at the bed and spotted Clementine sitting up.

“Clementine?” Asked Rebecca, before she crossed the room and pulled Clementine close to her, “Jesus, I thought you’d never wake up.”

“W-what do you mean?” Asked Clementine, her voice raspy.

“Clem, you, you’ve been unconscious for a week.” Said Rebecca, gently caressing the back of Clementine’s neck.

“W-what?”

“Clem,” Rebecca sighed, “you had an allergic reaction, presumably to one of the meds they gave you.”

Clementine slowly looked around the room, Rebecca said she’d been asleep for a week, meaning it was almost Christmas. She tried to adjust herself, only to groan when she felt a sharp, burning pain in her chest and right arm.

“Careful,” Murmured Rebecca, gently helping Clementine, “that animal’s claws were pretty deep, I’m amazed you didn’t feel them when you woke up.”

Clementine let out a strangled groan. Rebecca finished helping Clementine, before sitting on the side of the bed.

“A new family moved in next door,” Said Rebecca, gently, “I’m not sure about the man, but his girlfriend and son seem to be alright.”

“That’s nice, was anyone else hurt?” Asked Clementine, looking up at Rebecca.

“No, but you were lucky,” Responded Rebecca, “apparently, that animal had rabies.”

“What’s that?”

“Rabies? It’s a disease that, if not treated, can kill you.” Said Rebecca, gently, “Although, we were told you were lucky to have just been put in a coma.”

“Did,” Clementine swallowed, “Did they say what caused it?”

“The said something about opioids,” Answered Rebecca, frowning, “Clem, is there something we should know about?”

Clementine was silent, making Rebecca sigh.

“Are you still having trouble looking at my file?”

Clementine spoke so suddenly, she made Rebecca jump, “Yeah, why?”

Clementine coughed, looking over at the table next to her bed, “Do you have a pen and some paper?”

Joan frowned as she scrutinized the piece of paper, it was definitely Clementine’s handwriting, “May I ask what prompted her to write this out?”

“She had an allergic reaction to the morphine they gave her.” Said Alvin, leaning forwards, “She said it would answer most of the questions the doctors asked.”

Joan sighed, picking up the handset for her phone and dialling. The phone rang a couple of times, before someone answered, “Natasha, could you bring Kate up here, please?”

Alvin frowned, wondering who Kate was, while Joan placed the phone down, “This will probably take a while, would you like a coffee?”

Clementine gagged, emptying her stomach into a paper bowl. Rebecca held onto her shoulder, while a nurse removed the plate of food that triggered the reaction. Clementine coughed, groaning as she spat out remnants of her last meal. She’d never look at chicken the same way again.

“You okay, Clem?” Asked Rebecca, gently rubbing Clementine’s back.

Clementine struggled to speak but nodded. Rebecca pursed her lips, not believing her, “Clem, you know you can tell me anything.”

Clementine swallowed and shook her head, mumbling “I don’ wanna eat Mark.”

Rebecca frowned at how small Clementine’s voice was, wondering who Mark was.

Alvin stared at the document, struggling to believe what he’d just read, “Jesus.”

“Perhaps you can see why we don’t want people to see this unless they’re seriously considering adoption.” Said Joan, silently resigning herself for the inevitable fall out.

“Do, do any of those people still have contact with Clem?” Asked Alvin, looking at Joan.

“Mr Dixon works at her school as a part-time groundskeeper, Mrs Sheffield has a no contact order against her, Mr Carver is, understandably, currently being detained, Ms Fleece has all but vanished of the face of the earth,” Listed Joan, looking at the list of names, “The Carter’s went through a sudden bereavement. The Saul’s had a baby of their own. I hope you don’t mind if I stop there, all the relevant details are in the file.”

Alvin nodded, shakily picking the folder up, “I keep this, right?”

“Yes,” Confirmed Joan, looking up at Alvin, “I suppose this changes things.”

“Yeah, probably.” Said Alvin, heading for the door, “I, er, I suppose we’ll be in touch.”

“So, you can’t eat pork?” Asked Becca, through a mouthful of chips.

“The smell set me off.” Said Clementine, her voice hoarse.

“I still can’t believe you caught a cold, in hospital.” Muttered Gill, looking down at Sarah’s book, “Are you going to be discharged soon?”

“Hopefully, they might keep me in here so I don’t pass it on to AJ.”

“AJ’ll be fine,” Dismissed Rebecca, coming into the room, “he’s up to date with his vaccinations, the doctor’s can’t say the same for you, though.”

“My parents didn’t believe in them.” Shrugged Clementine, trying to hide how nervous she was.

“They managed to give some standard ones while you were asleep,” Rebecca told her, “They cleared it with Alvin and I, but you’ll need a few more before they’re ready to discharge you.”

“When are they going to do them?” Asked Clementine, nervously scratching her unbandaged arm.

“They’ve got them planned for this afternoon, hopefully they’ll discharge you tomorrow.” Answered Rebecca, before spotted Becca with her cheeks bulging out, “Becca, it might be a good idea to swallow.”

“That’s what she said.” Muttered Gill, making Rebecca glare at him and Becca to start choking.

Without looking up from her book, Sarah thumped Becca, causing her to expel the chips from her throat.

“Dude, gross.” Grumbled Clementine, as Becca coughed.

Rebecca took a deep breath and sighed, hopefully Sarita wasn’t having any trouble with AJ.

Clementine sluggishly got out of the car, her hand loosely gripping her hat. Alvin had shown Rebecca her file and, while they hadn’t said anything, they were treating her as gently as possible.

“I thought vaccines were supposed to make you feel better.” Grumbled Clementine, struggling to stay awake.

“They make you feel horrible for a couple of days,” Said Alvin, as Rebecca went over to their neighbour, “but, it’ll pass.”

“You mean like old people do?”

Alvin snorted, “Don’t let your grandmother hear you say that.”

Clementine frowned, confused, “Both my grandparents are dead.”

Alvin looked down at Clementine, who was struggling to stay awake.

“Let’s talk about it after you’ve had some sleep.” Suggested Alvin, getting a small nod from Clementine. Rebecca re-joined them with a sleeping AJ, as Alvin guided Clementine into the house, the girl tripping slightly on the step.

After seeing Clementine to her room and putting AJ to bed, Alvin and Rebecca dropped themselves onto the sofa.

“I’m assuming we’re not going to talk about the other common names in that file.” Said Rebecca, making Alvin sigh.

“It was bad enough to know she was with Carver, but I didn’t expect to see Jane or Troy’s names.” Admitted Alvin, “You don’t think that Kenny in the file is, you know, the guy that moved in next door?”

“I don’t know.” Sighed Rebecca, “But, she was abducted, twice. Sure, neither situation lasted long, but one was with a psychopath and the other was with a family of cannibals.”

“I’m surprised she’s still alive.”

“Do you think,” Asked Rebecca, “Do you think that, if she’d come straight to us after the Everetts, do you think she could’ve stolen from us?”

“No,” Answered Alvin, taking his glasses off, “I wouldn’t be surprised if she tried to steal those things in an attempt to get back to one of the families she had before.”

The pair sat in silence, Rebecca resting her head on Alvin’s shoulder.

“What’s ‘Duck’ like?” Asked Alvin, making Rebecca glance up at him.

“He’s like a six-year-old on a constant sugar rush.”

“Best leave it a week before introducing Clementine to him then.”

“Hmm.”

Clementine nervously tugged at the hem of the dress Alvin and Rebecca bought her, “I feel stupid.”

“You look nice.” Responded Rebecca, adjusting AJ as Alvin knocked on their neighbour’s door.

“Why are we doing this?” Asked Clementine, her breath coming out in white puffs.

“Because, they have a son your age, and they watched AJ while you were in hospital.” Answered Rebecca, as the door opened.

“Alvin, Rebecca,” Greeted an Indian woman, “I’m glad you could make it, I hope your daughter’s alright.”

“Yeah, she’s all awake and aware now,” Chuckled Alvin, guiding Clementine forwards, “This is Clem.”

“Hello, Clem,” Said the woman, “my name’s Sarita, I like your hat.”

“Thanks.”

Sarita blinked, before looking up at Alvin, “Not used to strangers, I take it.”

“Clem’s a bit guarded when it comes to new people.” Alvin apologised, as Clementine winced.

“It’s fine, Ken’s similar in that regard.” Sarita brushed it off, her right hand twisting off as she ushered them in, "Ah, shit. I'm sorry, this’ll take me a minute.”

“Don’t worry about that, Darlin’,” Said a male voice that made Clementine freeze, “I knew a guy who used his arm to open a door from another room.”

“Kenny?”

Kenny stopped, looked down and gaped at Clementine, “Clementine?”

There was a gasp, followed by someone running into the room, colliding with Clementine and knocking her to the floor. A pair of pale blue eyes stared down into Clementine’s amber.

“Duck, you’re kneeling on my spleen.”

15 notes · View notes