The Walking Dead: Return to Paradise Part Two

Chapter Eighteen: Snow Angel

Clementine's face lit up when she saw the bridge.
That dilapidated, rotting enclosed wooden bridge. Seeing it made her year, because for the first time in weeks, she knew exactly where she was.
The sun was dipping below the horizon behind them, casting long shadows from the trees. It would be dark soon, but now they knew where to go.

"What's the first thing you're gonna do when we get home?" Violet asked excitedly, helping Clem mantle over the truck that was blocking the path.

"Definitely hug AJ." Clem smiled.

"I'm gonna hug Louis. I don't care if he says I've gone soft, I'm hugging that idiot."

"Who are you and what have you done with Violet?" Clem teased.

Violet held out her hand for Clem to take and helped her down off the bed of the truck.

"How's your arm?" She asked.

"Yeah, it's okay. Still hurts, but less." Clem replied, flexing her wrist gently.

Her left arm was suspended in front of her in a makeshift sling. The gunshot wound on her bicep had stopped bleeding now, thankfully, and was stitched and wrapped beneath sterile bandages.
It was lucky that they were so close to home, because they were almost completely out of medical supplies.
The two of them carefully inched their way across the damaged bridge.
Clem stepped with one foot onto a plank that crumbled away and careened down into the river below, landing with a splash.

"Ugh, no thanks." She muttered, looking down the hole.

"I'd be pissed if we fell after all this." Violet said, looking back.

"There's a good chance you'd be dead, babe."

Violet simply shrugged and kept walking.
At the end of the bridge was a gap where all of the planks had broken off, save for one. The rushing water at the bottom of the ravine was audible through the hole.
Clem and Violet both leaned over the abyss and stared at the jagged rocks below, then back up at the single plank that was still standing.

"Cool." Violet said sardonically.

She placed one foot on the board and applied pressure to it, testing its integrity. It creaked a little, but didn't seem to be bowing.

"Alright, terrible idea: I'll go across first to test it, and if it's safe, you can cross too." Violet suggested.

"No way, what if it breaks?" Clem said.

"Even if it does, I have a better chance of being able to pull myself up than you do." Violet retorted, pointing to Clem's injured arm.

The brunette sighed.

"Fine, just be careful. Please."

"Always am." Violet winked.

She placed one foot dubiously on the wood plank and began shuffling slowly across. The board groaned, considering how light Violet was, Clem didn't take it as a good sign.
Despite the sounds of protest from the makeshift bridge, Violet made it across safely to the other side.

"It's stable, you can come across." Violet called.

Clem carefully stepped up to the lone plank.
Placing one foot forward, she stepped onto it and began making her way across.
She stepped in a straight line, crossing her feet up like a cat.
The board creaked again, but Clem didn't pay it much mind considering it has done the same when Violet crossed.
A hollow crack suddenly came from the plank and Clem's face went pale.
She looked down at the board and up at Violet, who was equally mortified.

"Clem..."

Clementine was already shuffling her feet, trying to get out of the precarious position as fast as she could.
She wasn't far from the end, but could already feel the board buckling under her feet.
Clem leapt across the remaining distance, landing hard on the edge.
The board gave way, breaking into two and careening down into the ravine below.
Clem waved her right arm around, trying to keep balance as the weight of her rucksack threatened to pull her over the cliff.
Violet rushed over and grabbed her, pulling her away from the edge.