Chapter 8- Stolen Goods

- Louis' POV

"We might not be alone" I said quietly as Clementine approached the door, drawing her knife from its holster. AJ stayed his distance from the door, gripping his pistol from behind him, holding it lowered, but still ready to aim. I backed up, behind the door as Clem opened it slowly. My hands got sweaty under its grip on my chair leg, the unnerving quiet creeping up to haunt our ears as we waited for something to happen. She peered inside the fishing shack, examining it very closely. The suspicion was unending until I heard her speak up, finally. "It's clear" She stated to us, giving me a wave of relief as I sighed. We walked inside, Clementine resting her trusty knife in its holster once more. My eyes widened as I checked the place out. "Holy sh*t. This place it wrecked." I felt the eerie emptiness once more. Chairs were knocked over, cupboards were open, everything was disorganized and rummaged through thoroughly. "All our supplies are gone!" I argued to the empty shelves that surrounded us, anger and frustration in my tone. Clem looked around with a disappointment spreading across her face, her hand resting on her hip. Once realizing that we never met up with Brody and Vi, I spoke up, turning to the door and starting to jog out. "I'll get a look outside" I said, passing both of them.  Turning one last time in the doorway, I said quickly: "Hold tight". It was the most reassurance I could give, if it was any at all. And with that, I turned and went to face the rest of the scene.

- General POV

As soon as the door shut in on Clementine and AJ, he turned to her in dismay, asking a question to the young girl. "Are we in danger?" His voice was quiet and hushed, as if he wanted only her to hear. She turned to him, trying to think of an appropriate answer. It was not an easy question anymore. It never was. Not since the outbreak. "Maybe" She replied in a wondering tone as her eyes explored the room. She shivered as she felt the heat radiating on her skin, the other side getting hit with a cold gust of damp wind. She turned to face the fireplace, which had logs sitting in the centre as the heat of the fire cooled. She walked over, examining the still- fresh fire. A small, hand rolled cigarette came into view. As she picked it up and looked over it, she realized what it was. "Cigarette. Hand rolled. Is this a... bible page?" She questioned at the half- smoked cigarette held in her hand.

Just then, the door opened, revealing two teenage girls. Brody and Violet. "Clementine?" Violet asked with a quiet voice as the two other survivors came into her view. "What the h*ll happened in here!?" Brody flashed a fearful gaze over the shack. "Do any of the kids smoke?" Clementine dodged the question, approaching the two girls, showing them the cigarette. "Nope. Nothing to smoke." Violet conversed, her green eyes squinting at the rummaged area. Brody, as if in a trance, walked over to the table, her hands gently feeling for a surface to lean on. "No sign of our thief" Louis walked in, informing everyone of his unsuccessful scout. "Thief?" Brody inquired, turning back to face them. Her face was drained of colour. "Oh, sh*t. We just walked a mile of river and the traps were all empty. No fish. None." Violet chimed in, the ominous feel now seeming to slightly disturb her. "Someone robbed us?" Brody asked, still looking pale and dumbstruck. "Oh, great, and now we're gonna starve!" Louis' annoyed tone stated. Everyone complaining and thinking this through, Clementine looked to Brody, who cursed under her breath, pacing back and forth. She cursed and talked to herself, her knuckles becoming white, her chest rapidly rising and falling with each quickening breath. The others had stopped to acknowledge this, all paying their attention to the one girl, who panicked at the situation. Her eyes formed small tears in the corners as she stood. "You're gonna be fine." Violet tried to reassure, still keeping her distance. "Hey, just breathe, okay. You're fine." Clem told the girl, who's breathing was rapid and loud. "Just shut the f**k up, okay!?" She burst, her fear getting the best of her. "Excuse me!?" Clementine retaliated, making Brody widen her eyes as she realized her mistake. "I-I have to tell Marlon about this..." She walked towards the door, her hands still clenched into fists. "Um, we still need food. You know, to live. We definitely don't have enough here." Louis reminded her, making Brody roll her eyes slightly. "You guys figure it out." She replied angrily, storming out of the fishing shack.

"So what do we do? Eat rocks?" Louis asked sarcastically as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other impatiently. "You can't eat rocks." AJ reminded, unaware that the comment wasn't intended to be taken seriously. "Yeah, I know." He informed the kid, who turned to his mother figure. "Will Marlon kick us out if we don't find food?" He asked unsurely. "Well, let's not find out." She answered, resting both arms at her sides. "Where else could we look?" Louis questioned Clementine, who seemed determined. "Let me think..." She trailed off, pulling the map out of her back pocket to get ideas. After a moment of contemplation, she finally answered. "The train station. It's not too far from here." She nodded to herself, folding the map back up. "I don't know... That's pretty far outside of our perimeter..." Violet answered wearily, not knowing what to make of the whole mess. "There was food there when AJ and I passed through. A lot of it. We should take a look if we want everyone eating tonight." She regained her posture, trying to persuade them. Violet then glanced to Louis, who also wore an uncertain look on his face. "You sure there was food?" She looked back to Clem, remembering the explosion. "Definitely, yeah. Some of it was destroyed in the explosion, but there has to be some food left. There was too much for there not to be." She claimed. At this point, Louis knew he had to back her up. "Clem's right, Vi. It's our only chance to get enough food for everyone. If that means we go outside the safe zone, then I'm in." He nodded to her as he stepped forward, giving her a slight smile, and she smiled back. "Alright, I'm convinced. Lead the way, Clem." Violet agreed. And with that, they went off in a search for food, outside of their trusted safe zone...

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy!