Abandon All Hope, Ye Who Enter Here

Puppet Master

3 Days.

That's how long they had been on the road. That's how long it had been since poor Nick was left to turn.

3 long and tiring days.

During that time Duck had taken it upon himself and moved over to where Clem was.

They seemed to have spotted the group heading North just as they thought and Clem and Duck could do nothing about it. They couldn't warn them, nor escape themselves. They we're stuck in a weird limbo.

Their bags and weapons had since been taken away but was promised to be returned to them if they exhibited "good behavior".

"S-S-Savan-n-nah." Clem mumbled burrowing her head in her knees. She  remembered  being  tied  in  the  back  of  the  strange  man's  car,  zip  ties  digging  into  her  skin  leaving  faint  slashes  around  her  wrist  that  could  still  be  seen.  It  felt  oddly  similar.

Duck pulled the girl closer to him sympathizing with her.  He  wasn't  there,  he  didn't  know  the  horror  she  had  went  through.  Then  to  think  about  what  came  after,  and  going  through  the  whole  thing  alone.  He  felt  for  her  deeply.

"At least you're  not  alone  this  time."

Clem felt the vibration from Ducks body to hers smiling softly. She  didn't  know  what  he  had  said,  but  she  knew  it  was  something  reassuring.  He  always  seemed  to  say  the  right  things. 

The girl removed her head from her knees looking up at her best friend. Her  eyes  softly  fluttered  as  she  forced  the  word  from  her  mouth. 

"L-L-Leave."

Duck sighed nodding in agreement. He definitely understood where she was coming from, but he also knew they had to play it smart considering their last escape attempt ended in death.

Duck winced remembering the tragic death of Nick. Sure, he had his differences with the man, but he didn't want to see him dead either. Being  forced  to  watch  as  the  sadistic  man  slashed  his neck  and  left  him  to  die. 

He  could  still  see  it,  he  could  still  hear  the  terror  in  the  mans  voice  as  he  pleaded,  he  could  still  see  the  life  being  drained  from  his  eyes  until  all  that  was  left  was  a  soulless  glance.

"We have to be smart about it Clem. Let's face it, they have the upper hand, we don't even have our weapons."

Clem read the boys lips carefully before she replied. "Al-Always  a  w-way..."  She  spoke with determination.  She  knew  there  was  a way  they  could  fight  and  win,  and  she  was  willing  to  take  a  chance  to  earn  their  freedom.

But  Duck  wasn't  in  agreement with her, not this time. 

"Trust me on this."  He  sighed  again.  "We  have  to  lay  low,  scope  out  our  surroundings."

Clem rolled her eyes.  She  didn't  want  to  sit  around,  she  wanted  to  move  now.  But  she  knew  if  she  was  going  to  pull  off  anything  she  needed  Duck  to  be  on  bored,  so  reluctantly  she  dropped  the  topic.

Clementine  got  lost  in  thought,  going  over  the  different  possibilities  she  could  potentially  pull  off.  She  was  barely  paying  attention  to  how  the  turain  they  were  driving  on  seemed  to  change  abruptly  before  the  truck  came  to  a  stop.  The  stop  was  rough  sending  Clem  flying  forward,  she  fell  hard  onto  the  truck  floor  hitting  her  nose  directly  on  the  hard  surface.