The Walking Dead: Return to Paradise Part Two

Chapter Two: Applying Pressure

Louis got up from his piano, contrary to the bragging he had done earlier that morning to Clementine and Violet, he was bored out of his mind with nothing to do. He wished they had a movie projector, god he missed movies.
Louis walked out into the courtyard, his boots crunching in the snow. Everybody was sitting at the table waiting for dinner while Omar cooked. Everybody except Clementine, Violet and AJ.
Clem and Violet should have been back hours ago, a unanimous worry was beginning to set in amongst the group. Louis caught sight of AJ standing by the main gate alone, staring out into the woods. He walked over to him and stopped next to the boy, making sure not to stand behind him.

"Hey, dude." Louis said.

AJ looked at Louis, acknowledging his presence, then going back to looking out the gate.

"It's gonna be dark soon. They should be here." AJ said sombrely, gazing at the amber sky as the sun set behind the trees.

"I'm sure they're okay. Clem and Vi are the toughest people I know."

AJ simply sighed and kept looking at the woods.

"Hey AJ, why don't you take a break? Come over by the fire and warm up, have some dinner."

"Uh-uh, I'm staying here and keeping watch." The boy defiantly shook his head.

"C'mon buddy, ya gotta eat."

"No I don't. Sometimes when we didn't have much food, Clem would give it to me and she wouldn't eat. Clem's tough, so I can be tough too, like her."

Louis sighed, AJ's heart was in the right place but he was toeing the line of stupidity by refusing food.

"How about we make a deal?" Louis suggested.

"What kind of deal?" AJ raised his eyebrow quizzically.

"If you come over to the fire and have a bowl of stew, I'll help you keep watch for the rest of the night."

AJ made a face that told Louis he was pondering the offer. He finally nodded and started towards the picnic tables. AJ got his meal and sat with Tenn and Wily on the second table. Louis smiled at his own genius.

Man, parenting is easy. I could totally be a dad.

He sat down with Asim, Ruby, Minnie and Omar and dug into his bowl of stew.

"So what do you think?" Minnie asked him.

"Of what?" Louis mumbled through a mouthful of stew.

"Clem and Violet, why do you think they're not back yet?"

Louis swallowed the mouthful of stew.

"I don't know, we shouldn't start swapping conspiracy theories though. Chances are they just got caught out in that snowstorm earlier, they're probably stuck spending the night in the hunting shack."

"Hope you're right." She said doubtfully.

Me too.

Thought Louis.

Me too.

***

Clementine slowly stirred awake, a pulsating pain at the back of her head causing her to hiss. She touched a hand to the source of the pain, it felt like a bruise.
Once she had woken up fully she took note of her surroundings, she was lying down in a metal cage. The cage was in a clearing where a large group of people were gathered around a crackling bonfire. Violet was still unconscious, lying sprawled on the floor next to her.
Clementine shuffled over to her, staying low to avoid the attention of their kidnappers.