Thump. Thump, thump.
All she could hear was the patting of her feet against the hard road, her breaths coming in short and quickly.
But she couldn't stop.
Her backpack jostled with each step, and AJ rocked against her shoulder.
He whimpered, and Clementine shushed him. AJ immediately shut up.
"It's okay goofball," She breathed, arms tightly wrapped around his little body. Her head whipped to look behind them, gaze frantically flickering around.
Thankfully, she didn't see anything.
That didn't mean safety.
There wasn't much of a run left, which she was thankful for. Richmond would only be a few minutes away if she kept up her pace. Then Javier would help her, Kate would take AJ momentarily, and she'd be fed. Well, that was best case scenario. She hoped that Javi kept the place running after she'd left, and that he hadn't died. It'd been a year after all.
It was funny, how she felt as though she'd vomit from pushing herself this much despite not having anything to eat for the past two days. It was mostly her fault. She ignored her needs just so she could feed her little goofball.
She didn't regret it.
Her head felt like it'd explode, but she kept running.
AJ mumbled something against her neck, most likely her nickname, but she shrugged it off. She barely smiled when met with the sight of Richmond.
Javier.. Mari, Gabe, I'm coming!
She wound up collapsing at the gate, calling out for her friends, though mainly calling for Javier.
Clementine found herself surprised when the gate opened and she was met with Javier and.. Jesus? Was that Jesus? Hell, she couldn't even tell. Her eyes were bleary with tears, and her ears were ringing.
She heard Javier about something, then saw Kate running.
AJ was lifted out of her arms, and she cried out, not ready to lose him again. Somebody scooped her up and began running with her in their arms.
As her head jostled against their chest, she registered Javier's baseball shirt, then slid her eyes shut.
"Javi..?" She croaked, right hand clenching into a fist around his shirt.
"It's me, Clem!" She let go of his shirt. "You're gonna be okay!"
So she smiled, and let unconsciousness take over.
