Chapter 30
The rain had finally stopped, but it couldn't stop my rhythm or Maggie's moan that escaped from under me.
She lay sideways, her right leg lay flat on the bed, and I held her other leg straight up, as I continued to stretch her insides.
Her fluids overflowed as she came for the fourth time, "Hnngg—!" She gripped the sheets beneath, her legs shaking with ecstasy, her eyes rolling back in her head.
I painted her walls white for the fourth time, as I let go of her leg, it fell unconsciously to the side. I looked at her face only to find her unconscious. Sigh! And it was just getting good
I slumped to her side, my breath uneven, and I closed my eyes.
[Flashback Over]
The fire cracked softly, throwing slow-moving shadows across the walls. The heat of the memory lingered longer than I expected—Maggie's voice, her nails, her breathless moans, but soon they faded as I blinked, the image of her melted away into the soft, orange glow of the present.
Carley leaned her head against my shoulder, the quiet kind of close we'd grown used to.
"You've been zoning out more lately," she said, her voice low so only I could hear.
Lilly sipped from a cup beside me. "Probably counting how many walkers he's offed," she muttered, not looking at me.
Or maybe she was like always.
Across the fire, Kenny was poking at the flames with a stick. "We'll be low on the rations again," he said. "The food you came back with, only added a week."
I gave a nod, but my thoughts were still split. Carley on one side of me—sweet, brave, suspicious of silence. Lilly on the other—sharp, calculating, and willing to look the other way when it counted. And miles away, Maggie.
I exhaled slowly. Let's forget about women in my life for a moment and focus on survival
Clementine sat cross–legged next to Kenny, drawing something in her notebook. Her brow furrowed like a soldier planning a siege.
Alicia clung to her shoulder, looking at what she was drawing with an exhausted face, not liking or perhaps tired of what she was sketching, and a hint of understanding.
"I'll think of something," I said finally. My voice pulled everyone back. But I already have.
The reason I went to Greene's Farm was because I needed someone with farming knowledge on my side, and I got that, but the issue is that the farm isn't fortified enough.
That leaves one place for me, the Cannibals.
St. John's Dairy
That farm is almost as protected as the prison was in the series, and has fewer chances of becoming a contamination zone.
But the question is, do they even exist here? Because I haven't even found the Safe-lots yet, nor have they found us.
"I'll go out before the dawn," I made up my mind. I need to find that place, I need the group's spirit up.
Carley straightened, ever the anxious. "Alone?"
"N-" I paused. I have to do this one alone. "Yes."
I stood, brushing my pants. "Get some sleep."
I told the group that was still here, since Madison, Nick, Katjaa, along with Duck, had left a long time ago.
They walked away from the fire, as the silence swallowed me again. I took the RV after throwing some wood in the fire.
I stared at the stars, I might need to kill humans, not that I was scared or hesitant in doing so. But the thought still lingered.
.
.
.
In the middle of the night, the door upstairs opened, and Clementine came out of her and Carley's room, leaning against the railing in front. I glanced at her and the book in her hand.
She smiled, catching me looking at her, with a slight blush on her face, she stepped down the stairs with the speed of a rabbit, and climbed up the RV.
"Hey," she said from behind me.
"What are you doing here so late at night?" I asked.
She sighed, "You sound like my dad." It surprised me to hear her mention her parents. Ever since we came here, she hasn't spoken a word of them.
I chuckled softly, leaning back on the chair set up on the RV's roof. "You sneaking out like this, maybe I should."
She rolled her eyes, but smiled—one of those little half—smiles that meant more in a world like this. "I couldn't sleep… and I, um…" She hesitated, holding out the sketchbook from earlier. "Wanted to show you something."
I turned toward her fully, taking the book. She sat next to me, on the armrest, leaning against my arm. No hesitation in her, not like earlier.
I flipped open the sketchbook. The first few pages were rough sketches—Kenny with his hat low over his face, Lilly staring off at something I couldn't see, Carley mid-laugh. Of course, Alicia was also in there, asleep beside Clementine, mouth wide open.
Then I found myself.
She had drawn me more than once—some with sharp lines, like I was in motion, others where I was just… still. Thinking. Watching. One where I stood at the RV door, silhouetted against the sunset. Another of me crouched beside a walker corpse that had come too close to the Motor Inn. And one that stopped me cold, me smiling faintly, a look I barely recognized in myself.
"You've got skills," I said. "Serious skills."
She looked away, hiding her smile behind her sleeve. "Thanks."
I turned the page again. At the end, there was a newer sketch, rougher than the rest. It was just the two of us. Sitting just like now. Stars above. A quiet moment caught on paper.
What is she thinking?
I turned to her, and she met my eyes.
There it was. The way she looked at me, like I was more than just her guardian. Like I was the center of something she hadn't figured out how to name.
And I knew what it was. A first crush. A quiet, confusing one. The kind that sneaks up on you, makes your heart flutter, makes you want to be near someone… even when you don't understand why.
I set the book on her lap gently.
"I know I'm just a kid," she whispered, catching onto what my next words would be.
She opened her mouth to say something else, but I stopped her, "You're too young." I said my face returned to the cold and calculating one I always have.
"B-But I like you," she muttered, her tone desperate. I clenched my fist, I didn't want to break her heart. I sighed. "Some things… need time. And you've got all the time in the world ahead of you. I want to make sure of that."
She was quiet for a while, then leaned into me, resting her head on my shoulder.
"Okay," she said. "I can wait."
I let her stay like that a while, feeling the warmth of her trust settle between us. The wind rustled through the trees. The stars watched, silent and steady.
Eventually, I nudged her gently. "Go on. Try to sleep."
She stood, her movements slow and reluctant, but she didn't argue.
At the top of the RV stairs, she turned. "You'll always be here, right?"
I hesitated more than I ever have before.
"I will." I finally said.