Chapter Text
Clementine.
The name took over Violet’s thoughts. Even as her breath grew ragged, and her thighs burned. Even when she stumbled over hidden rocks, sending her crashing to the forest floor. Even when flashes of Tenn’s eyes, staring back at her accusingly as he went limp. The name kept her going. Kept her from simply giving up, curling into a ball and crying on a bed of pine needles.
Clementine.
Clem needed her.
The gash in Clementine’s leg looked like it had been deep. Even if she had managed to get away from the walkers at the bridge, Violet had seen how much pain she had been in. There was only so far Clem was going get before the walkers got her.
Clementine needed help.
And Violet wasn’t about to let her down.
Violet sprinted through the darkness, trying to keep the fence line in sight to her right while dodging around walkers. Even if she still had a weapon, she didn’t have time to kill them.
A thin walker appeared around a tree in front of her, in the moonlight she could see its hand had been gnawed down to the bone. No time to change course, Violet side stepped, kicking out at its knee. She felt the nubs of what had once been its fingers rake down her back as she kept running, and tried not to think about it.
It wouldn’t take long to get back up. She was getting closer to the school now. The further she ran the more likely she was to run into more walkers. If she kept dodging them, they would just follow her right back to the broken front gates at Ericson.
Everything in her was screaming to keep going, to get back to Ericson and find help. If she paused now, that would be a moment longer it took her to get back to Clem.
But she knew she wouldn’t be helping anyone if she led a herd of walkers back to the academy.
With a grunt of frustration Violet slowed to a jog, her eyes scanning something to hide behind. She spotted a cluster of boulders near the side of the fence looked large enough to work as cover. She made her way towards them and ducked down, her face warm against the stone.
For a while she could hear nothing above the sound of her own ragged breathing. Cursing softly, she sucked in a long deep breath and held it for a second and released, promising herself that cardio would become in integral part of her daily routine as soon as this was over. She took a few more breaths, holding them in a little bit longer each time, before her heart rate finally slowed. She wasn’t breathing completely naturally, but her gasps for air had become more manageable.
The forest was always alive with noises at night. Owls, frogs, you name it. It had surprised her when she first moved to Ericson. She had expected silences in the remote woods, not a cacophony of animal noises. But now all were silent and still. As if they knew they were not alone in the woods, and the night no longer belonged to them.
In the distance, slowly getting louder, Violet could hear the ever-present groaning of walkers as the stumbled their way after her.
“Shit-Fucking Shit!” She hissed. It wasn’t the most eloquent thing Violet had ever said, but it wasn’t the worst either.
Taking a few deep breaths Violet forced herself to think. She couldn’t go straight back. She had to distract them, redirect them somewhere else. Clem had told her how easy it was to distract walkers by throwing rocks, but Violet wasn’t sure it would work on all of them. She couldn’t risk diverting a few of them, only to have the others keep heading straight towards Ericson.
She would have to lead them away herself.
If she led them downhill, back towards the river, she would be able to stay in front of them easily, as long as she didn’t run into anything trying to come up the hill. Her muscles started to tense as she thought it through.
She paused to pick up a few of the smaller rocks at the base of the boulders, and stuck them into her jacket pocket. Not large enough to slow her down or kill a walker, but hefty enough to make some noise and distract one if necessary.
The walkers were closer now, Violet could hear the groans growing louder, and the occasional rustle of branches as they moved through the pines. Taking one more deep breath, Violet slapped her thighs as she stood up.
She had to do this.
For everyone back at Ericson. For Clem and AJ.
She had to.
Running from cover Violet ran back towards the walkers, surprised at how close they had managed to come in such a short time.
“This way you little bitches!” She shouted, her voice cracking instead of booming. “Come and chew on this ass you rotting piles of… shit fucks!”
Violet never did have much of a way with words. Not like Louis, or Minnie, or Clem for that matter. But she liked to think she could at least get her message across.
And either way, it worked.
Milky white eyes slowly turned in her direction, following the sound of her voice. Encouraged, Violet grabbed a branch from the forest floor and started slamming it against the side of the trees. It wasn’t as loud as she had hoped but it would save her voice, and her breath.
Slowly the walkers turned, following her down the hill and away from Ericson.
For a few minutes she kept a slow pace, trying to remain as close to the walkers as possible withing risking a bite. She had to make sure they were following her. Looking over her shoulder as she ran, she could see several dark figures reaching out for her, silhouetted through the trees. Satisfied they were following her Violet increased her speed, taking large steps to outpace them on the down slope.
The moment she lost sight of them she cut left, circling back around to the road. The whole exercise had taken less than ten minutes, but even though she knew it had been the right thing to do, she still resented the time it took.
At any moment Clementine might…
Violet grit her teeth and ran faster.
The sun was starting to crest the horizon as Violet rounded the last bend in the road and the twisted metal gates of Ericson finally came into view.
Ruby was at the front gate, pushing against the metal cart they had made their escape in, trying to wedge it in front of the gate entrance. She had unhitched the horse from the wagon, and while the horse munched nonchalantly on the grass, Ruby was frantically doing her best to block the entrance from potential walker attack.
Ruby must have heard Violet approaching, as she suddenly twisted on the spot, a small kitchen knife in her hand and a look of determination in her eyes. The look quickly turned to relief.
“Vi, you’re back. The gates are broken and…” Ruby trailed off, her gaze going over Violet’s shoulder. A look of concerned plastered across her face. “Where are the others? Where’s Tenn?”
Violet’s cheek twitched, but she didn’t let herself think about it.
“No time,” Violet doubled over her hands on her knees, trying to talk and catch her breath at the same time, “Clem got hurt, they’re in trouble. We’ve got to help them.”
Ruby stared at her for a moment, before giving a determined nod.
“Well alright then,” she moved back towards the school, “You get that cart to block the entrance, I’ll grab the first-aid kit. How badly is it?”
The image of Clem’s leg flashed before her eyes.
“Hurry.” She panted.
That was all the urging Ruby needed. She was gone in an instant.
Violet tried to push the cart back into position in front of the gate, but all she succeeded in doing was to make her arms and legs tremble as she pushed against the solid frame. She had managed to push is maybe a few centimetres before Ruby appeared with Aasim close behind.
Aasim handed Violet a small knife and a canteen of water, which Violet gratefully took, unscrewing the cap and taking long deeps gulps. It was hard to stop herself finishing the whole thing, but the through of Clem and AJ made her stop. They were probably thirsty too, by now.
Ruby was busy rummaging through the backpack they used as a first-aid kit, taking quick account of everything they had. “Lord this better be enough,” Ruby muttered, zipping up the bag. “Well watcha waiting for, get up on that horse and take me to em.”
Violet nodded dumbly, too tired to argue. She moved over to the horse still nibbling at the nearby grass and lifted her foot into a stirrup, but once again her legs trembled as she tried to hoist herself up. The horse danced away from her, and Violet fell face first on the ground.
Ruby saw her struggling, and stepped in between Violet at the horse, put her foot in the stirrup and swung herself onto the back of the horse. Ruby always had loved the school’s horses.
“Come up and sit behind me, I’ll handle the horse,” Ruby reached down and offered Violet her hand. With some help from Aasim, and with Ruby keeping the horse steady, Violet managed to scrambled onto its back.
“Which way?” Ruby asked, as she gently nudged the horse into a canter.
Violet paused.
She wasn’t sure.
All she knew was where Clem had been when she last saw her.
It was eating at her again. That feeling, like wave after wave was crashing down on her and she couldn’t break free. Each wave pulling her further away from air.
Think Vi, think!
She took a trembling breath.
“The old bridge,” She said at last, and Ruby nodded, knowing where she meant. That was where Violet had last seen them. There was no way Clem would have gotten far with her leg. They would start at the bridge, and figure it out from there.
They had to try.
Clementine would have done it for them.
She had done it, too. Clem had brought so many of them home. Maybe not everyone, but those that that were left where only there because of Clem.
This time Violet would try for her.