[COMPLETED] All or Nothing | Clementine (S4) x Fem!Reader

The Bridge

We all proceeded to walk through the woods—there was no other sound than our footsteps on the dirt and the crickets chirping around us. There was the occasional hoot of an owl that we couldn't see, but that was it. I glanced between Louis and Clem a few times before I looked down—my grip still tight as I continued to hold Clem's hand.

"I killed that woman. Back on the boat," Louis said and looked over at Clem and I, before he looked down.

Clem and I didn't say a word, but we glanced at him with worry, before Clem spoke, "Was that your first?" She asked him.

"Yeah...my first," Louis replied softly and glanced at Clem before he looked forward. "It feels...like bile, but not quite, you know?" He looked over at Clem and I. "Or like a scream that doesn't know if it should or not."

"Let's get out of this first, okay?" Clem told him softly. "There'll be plenty of time to talk about it when we get home."

"I don't think I'll have to. And I'm done kicking things down the road," Louis said before he looked forward. "Having a home means defending it."

"Yeah. Yeah it does," Clem agreed.

"I really thought we were gonna die on that boat," Louis said.

"That's nice to think," I scoffed lightly. "But at least we didn't."

"The dumbest shit always runs through my head when that happens," Louis shook his head slightly. "My old pet turtle, Geoff, my grandma's phone number, the word that lost me the fourth grade spelling bee: Recommend. Stupid shit."

"Honestly same, though...I thought of my cat, how much I wished I could've punched my brother in the face..." I sighed. "I didn't like him one bit."

Clem and Louis chuckled a little, and I laughed with them. "Anything new this time?"

"Before my parents divorced, they were building a house. I begged my dad to put in a skylight. Begged. 'Please, if you love me you'll do it!' That shit definitely didn't work," Louis explained. "So we made a deal. I got straight A's, he'd put in a skylight."

"And you remembered the skylight just now?" Clem asked.

"They never got to build the house. I don't even know what color it was gonna be," Louis said as his face dropped and his tone laced with regret.

"You know what? I'll bet it was white. Like my house," Clem looked over with a chuckle.

"I lived in a white house, too," I snickered. "Pretty common house color."

"You both lived in a white house?" Louis asked.

"Yep," Clem hummed.

"Indeed," I smiled.

"But not THE white house, right?" Louis asked with a small grin.

"Uhh, no," Clem told him.

"I would cause chaos if I lived there," I laughed—before I clutched my ribs...I forgot those hurt for a moment until a wave of pain radiated from them.

"Just checking! You never know," Louis continued to grin.

Clem and I both shook our heads, and we all fell quiet. Louis seemed lost in thought, until he spoke up.

"Okay, I'm starting to visualize the place..." Louis said. "How many floors?"

"Mine had three including the basement," I replied. "My bedroom was actually in the basement."

"You gotta have at least three," Clem chuckled.

"You gotta, huh?" Louis asked with a smile.

"Walkers hate stairs. The more floors the better," Clem hummed.

"Then why not have over a thousand?" I suggested with a dorky grin.

"Now that would be too many," Clem laughed.

Louis chuckled a little. "Fair. I call the attic." We continued to walk. "I like what I'm seeing, I could definitely live there. Gimme a last flourish, though. One thing to really bring it all together."

"What about a treehouse?" I suggested. "I've always wanted one...they were so cool. Especially one with a tire swing or wooden swing.."

"I agree with Y/N, a treehouse," Clem smiled widely.

"Hell yeah, a fucking treehouse!" Louis agreed with Clem and I.

We all smiled and fell quiet—Louis looked up at the leaves overhead as he gripped the collar of his jacket before he looked over at Clem and I.

"When we get back to the school, we are building that house," Louis grinned.

"I'd be down," I chuckled. "Just don't let me lose another finger."

"You guys really think we can?" Clem asked.

"I really hope we can," Louis said.

"We could at least build the tree house," I hummed.

"She has a point there," Louis nodded.

"Can I help?" Tenn asked. That was the first time him or AJ had said anything.

"Of course you can. You're in charge of painting," Louis told him.

We all smiled and kept walking—I had a feeling that we were getting closer to the bridge...the dread set in again but I managed to keep a smile.

"C'mon, we got a home to build," Louis beamed.

We continued walking—and only a few minutes later we emerged from the trees. There was a clearing—an old abandoned road with an old wooden bridge. I stopped in my tracks and stared at it...all I could feel now was uneasiness.

"Are you okay, Y/N?" Clem asked softly.

"I...I'll be alright. I hurt like hell, but I can make it," I told her sternly.

"If...If you insist," Clem gave me a worried look, "I could carry you."

"You don't have to," I told her and crossed my arms.

Next thing I knew I was in her arms, being carried towards the bridge. I sighed in defeat...but it felt nice to be off my leg. It wasn't throbbing in pain as much now. We crossed under the bridge's roof as the sound of rapidly rushing water flowed below us. I nuzzled my face into the crook of Clem's neck as her musty scent filled my nostrils. It calmed my nerves, but I still felt the looming dread of what was to come. Everyone had paused once they had crossed the threshold, looking to the other side. There was a large rusty truck that was stuck in the middle of the bridge. It looked safe enough to cross.

"Okay. Just take your time. And keep moving forward," Clem said before she set me down. "I'd keep carrying you, but I don't want to risk the bridge breaking under us."

"Understandable," I sighed, longing to be in her arms again already.

With that, we began to cross. I moved cautiously, the old bridge creaking as we walked across. A flock of birds that had perched on the truck and broken beams cawed and flew off as we grew close to the truck that blocked our path. There was no way to go around it, so we had to climb over. Clem climbed over first and I followed, and on the other side was a small gap that separated the main bridge from the other side of land. The gap led straight down into a violently rushing river, filled with jagged rocks. The force of the water would certainly drown a person if they didn't hit a rock on the way down. Louis, Tenn, and AJ cautiously walked up behind us as Clem and I peered over the edge.

"That's...far," AJ said as he looked down.

"Really far," Tenn agreed.

"Luckily it's not that big of a gap," I sighed, glancing up at Clem. I was so nervous now to the point that I felt nauseous.

"Yeah," Louis said and rubbed his neck. "I think we can jump it."

"Yeah. I think we can," Clem agreed and rested her hands on her hips. "We just gotta be careful not to–"

Suddenly, sorrow filled vocals pierced through the air like a knife as they billowed on the wind. It made me shiver as it settled in...I could feel myself as I began to shake, and I looked down at my hands that trembled.