Search for the last Hope. (A Clementine x Male Reader short story).

Chapter two: Winter.

Narrators POV.

Two months later...

A cold, February afternoon sweeps over a large forest, somewhere in Wisconsin. There's over two inches of snow covering the ground. The calm wind blowing through the trees. A slight howl from a wolf in the distance echos through the woods. The best part is that there's very little walkers, due to it being so cold out. So that the wild life can thrive through their home without any undead trying to eat them. Suddenly a bunny comes out of its hole to look for some food when an arrow comes out of nowhere and kills the bunny instantly. Then there's the sound the footsteps coming up in the snow as a teenage girl, Clementine picks it up and takes the arrow out of it.

Clem: "Damn it! This won't be enough but it's something." She says as she puts the arrow back in her quiver of other arrows. She then takes the rabbit over to her horse, Beul and ties it to the saddle. She then hears something moving in the woods. She looks and sees a deer eating grass. She acts quick but to quick as she try's to ready the bow but drops the arrow and the deer runs off. "Fuck! That was dumb." She picks up the arrow and leads the horse to a tree. "You'll just startle it off." She says as she ties it to a tree. She then follows the tracks to where the deer was last seen. After tracking it, she sees it down a hill and ready's her bow. Steady...she lets go of the line and the arrow flys and hits the deer on the back and it runs off as it screams. She hops off the hill and runs after the wounded animal. She follows the blood for a while before the blood leads her to what looks like an abandoned factory.

Clem: "Where are you leading me to?" She says to herself, referring to the wounded deer. Out of nowhere, a loud howl from a wolf echos through the factory nearby, scaring the teenager. "Better not stay long." She says as she continues to follow the trail of blood. She goes through a burned down building with some bodies frozen to the ground. She shakes off this sight and follows the blood where it has noticeably big blood puddles. Must be getting close. She goes through a fence with a hole in it and sees the deer dead. With excitement, she puts the bow down and examined it. No bite marks, the arrows didn't hit the parts to eat. Suddenly, she hears something behind her and grabs her bow and ready's it at the direction where she heard the sound.

Clem: "Who's there?! Show yourself!"

???: "Whoa! Whoa! Easy, we're coming out!" Says a man with a thick southern accent. He comes out and has a beard, black medium wavy hair that matches his facial hair. Another man with ugly long sideburns comes out and they both have their hands up. "We...we just wanna talk, that's all."

Clem: "Any sudden moves, you get one in chest. Same with that ugly guy there!"

???: "I believe you. I'm Andy. That's my friend, Nate." He says as he points to him. "We come from a bigger group. Lots of other men, women and children. We're all starving."

Clem: "Same. Now what do you want?"

Andy: "Well uh...I noticed that you got that deer there. Nice clean kill. Was hoping we could do a bit of a trade for some of its meat. We've got everything. Weapons. Ammo. Warm clothes."

Clem: "Medicine. You got any antibiotics?"

Andy: "I believe we do. Back at our camp. We'll take you there and-."

Clem: "I'm not going anywhere! Send little Nate to go get it. He comes back with the medicine, the deers all yours. Anyone else comes up-."

Andy: "I get an arrow to the heart. I was listening. Nate, get two bottles of penicillin and a syringe."

Nate: "Andy, you said-."

Andy: "Go on, get!" Nate runs off to get the medicine.

Clem: "I'll take that rifle on your back too."

Andy: "Sure." He takes the rifle off his back and places it in front of her.

Clem: "Put your hands on that tree." Andy turns and puts his hands on the tree and Clem quickly grabs the rifle and aims it at the stranger.

Andy: "He's probably gonna be a while. We should take shelter from the cold. And I heard a pack of wolfs running around this area."

Clem: "Bring him with us." She said referring to the deer. Andy nods and drags the deer inside a building.

Later...

Andy finally gets a fire started and warms his hands by it.

Andy: "There we go. Should be getting real warm in here soon. You know, a girl like you shouldn't be out here by yourself."

Clem: "I'm not a people person anymore and I can handle myself."

Andy: "I see. Got a name?"

Clem: "What's it to you?"

Andy: "Look, I know it's tough to trust a couple of strangers nowadays. Especially ones all the way up here in the middle of nowhere. Whoever's hurt, you must really care about 'em. I'm sure it'll be all okay."

Clem: "Yeah." Suddenly, she hears something outside moving fast. "You hear that?"

Andy: "Shhh." He slowly goes up the window to see what the noise was and suddenly, a wolf came in through the doorway we entered in and barked at us. The wolf then looked at Clementine. All she could do was to just stand there...in fear from the large dog . Staring through her soul with its red eyes. It then growled and tried to lung for her but Andy had another pistol and shot the animal. It limps around from its injury before Andy shot it again, killing it for good.

Clem: "You has another gun?!" Clem shouts, breaking her from her frozen stance.

Andy: "Sorry." More wolfs howled in the distance. "There's more of them!"

Clem: "Then lets get the hell out of here!" She says, going for the backdoor.

Andy: "No! We'll be hunted down easier in the cold. Besides, we can't leave my part of the trade." He says, pointing out to the deer. Clem nods as a response. "I'd like my rifle back."

Clem: "You have your pistol!"

Andy: "Okay. You know how to use that thing?"

Clem: "I've had some practice with someone." Andy goes to the shelf by the door and moves it.

Andy: "Come help me with this!" Clem puts the rifle on her back and helps him move the shelf to block the doorway. But before they could move it all the way, a wolf stuck its head in between the shelf and the doorway and bites Andy on the hand. He screams in pain as he punches the wolf on the head. "SHOOT IT!" Clem gets the rifle off her back and shoots the door in the neck, letting go of Andy's hand.

Clem: "You good?!"

Andy: "Yeah, I'm good! Just watch the windows!" Clem runs to the window and looks outside, to seeing two wolfs fast approaching the building. She aims and shoots one, scaring it off. The other one got to the window and claws it's way into the building. Andy shoots it and kills it. As he reloaded his gun, another one comes into the building behind him.

Clem: "Watch out!!!" She shouts as she shoots it in the face. Andy looks at her surprised.

Andy: "You really do know how to use that thing! Your a way better shot with it than me!"

Clem: "Thanks." They waited for a few seconds but don't hear anymore howls. "I think that's the last of them."

Andy: "No. Theres always an alpha in a pack. We just gotta-." Suddenly, a loud bark appears and the alpha attacks Clem. It pounced on her but Clem blocks the animals bite with the rifle. Andy came up and kicked it in the face. Clem then took the rifle and shot the animal and killed it. "Now that...was the last of them. Great work, kid." He said, helping her up.