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The Walking Dead: After The Rain Part 1

Tyler_DurantTyler_Durant
edited January 2015 in Forum Games

The story of Clementine and Christa's 16 month journey begins here:

http://www.telltalegames.com/community/discussion/64873/the-walking-dead-16-months-continues-in-forum-games

"No more monthly waits" I said. Man, I really need to stop making promises that I can't keep.

Although I did complete this part long ago, I kept re-reading certain scenes and realized I was kind re-hashing some stuff from previous chapters. I'm glad that a lot of you tell me that I should take my time and improve the quality the best I can and I really appreciate your patience, but I really doubt that you're not the LEAST bit irritated; nevertheless, I still intend to finish this completely and make you cry at the end. And believe me...that WILL happen.

Big thank you to JonGon for giving me permission to use one of his images in the title card below.

Alt text

Bright, sunny afternoon. Clementine's walking down the street wearing a backpack and heading home from school. The week is finally over and she's getting ready for the weekend.

She makes it to her house and opens the door. The first thing she notices are suitcases near the door. She hears a conversation going on in the kitchen. It sounds like her parents, but there seems to be someone else there as well.

  • Clementine: Mom? Dad?

Ed hears her and steps out of the kitchen to greet her.

  • Ed: Oh. Hey, baby girl. How was school?
  • Clementine: It was fine.
  • Ed: (nodding in agreement) Good, good. Any homework?
  • Clementine: Just math. Dad, where are you going?
  • Ed: We...well, Clementine (leans down) Your mother and I...are going away for a few days. Only for a few days.
  • Clementine: Where are you going?
  • Ed: Back to Savannah. You remember?
  • Clementine: Just you and Mom? I'm not going?
  • Ed: Well...uh--

Diana and Sandra step out of the kitchen.

  • Diana: Hey, sweetheart.
  • Clementine: Hi, Mom.
  • Diana: You remember Sandra, right?
  • Clementine: (holds her right arm) ...Mom? Dad? Why can't I go with you?
  • Ed: (sighs) I know this may seem...unfair, but this is something that your mother and I just need to ourselves.
  • Diana: But don't worry, honey; it's only for the weekend. Your father and I talked it over and we agreed that once you're finished with school, we'll all go to Savannah together. Is that okay?
  • Clementine: ...It seems like a long time.
  • Ed: I know. But it'll be worth it. Right?
  • Clementine: (smiles) Right.
  • Ed: Atta girl. Now c'mere and give your dad a hug.

Clementine walks up to Ed and hugs him. Ed gives her a kiss on the cheek.

  • Ed: I'm gonna miss you.
  • Diana: Aw, look at my babies.

Clementine walks up to Diana and her. Diana gives her a kiss on the forehead.

  • Diana: We'll be back soon, okay? You be good and do what Sandra tells you.
  • Clementine: I will.
  • Diana: (chuckles) Darn right, you will.

Suddenly, Clementine feels the sensation of getting splashed on the head with a bucket full of water. She opens her eyes and sees Eliza 3 feet from her left sleeping on a chair with her hands tied behind her back. She looks around and sees that they in a large, dirty, wet room that was once used for bible study. She looks to her right and gasps seeing Donald's head in a jar full of water resting on a table.

The room is illuminated by dozens of candles and moonlight shining down into the room via skylight. She hears the sound of a chair scrapping and footsteps drawing closer to her. Panicking, she realizes that her hands are tied behind her back as well. Damien, without his mask, sets himself in front of Clementine, puts down the chair and sits down. Clementine notices a bottle of red wine in his left hand a wine glass in the other.

  • Damien: Rise and shine. Been asleep throughout the whole day.

Clementine glares furiously into Damien's eyes.

  • Damien: Ooh. You're angry? Good.

Damien pours himself a glass of wine and takes a sip.

  • Damien: Mmm. Delicious. Quite possibly the best wine I've tasted.
  • Clementine: Where's the baby?
  • Damien: Huh. Isn't that funny. I was just thinking about him not too long ago.

Clementine continues glaring.

  • Damien: He's here. That's all I'm gonna tell you...
  • Clementine: ...Why did you take him?
  • Damien: Well, (clears throat) Clementine, let me tell you WHY I took him. I thought he was merely an orphan. Like he had been abandoned. Scarlett convinced me that, despite him being a liability to us, he could fill this gaping hole in her heart. Then, I find out one of your friends is that little runt's mother. So, you have the nerve to look at me like I'm (scoffs) some kind of monster for taking care of a baby that you so selfishly left for dead?
  • Clementine: We were kidnapped and taken to someone's house! They didn't let us take him!
  • Damien: (chuckles) What the hell have you gotten yourself into since we last met dear sweet, darling, little Clementine? Starting to realize just how no one gives a shit about how old you are and that they'll kill if you even look at 'em funny? That death is persistent? Well, let me tell you a little story...(gestures to his neck) ...about how I got this.

Damien sets the glass and the bottle down on the floor. He points to Donald's head.

  • Damien: See that fucker in the jar? After I cut his head off, he tried to pull a fast one and managed get at my neck. Nothing too deep but once I noticed the blood, I knew I was screwed. So I grabbed a piece of wood, soaked it in oil, lit it and...well, use your imagination. My point is I know that death will eventually conquer me. Conquer us all. All I did was postpone it. No matter how hard we try, if we slip up just once, we immediately become the weak. You aren't weak...at least not completely...

Clementine continues glaring at him, barely blinking.

  • Damien: Let me ask you something...and be honest: if it was just you and (gestures to Donald) him, if you had no one else to go back to, if (gestures to Eliza) she didn't exist...would you have taken up my offer and join me...?
  • Clementine: ...
  • Damien: I'll admit it, maybe it was a bit...distasteful of me when I threatened to kill you and him if you refused to accept it. But it's impossible to argue the fact that you'd be much safer with me instead of that bitch with her baby. If she's too stupid to know that raising a baby at this time is the worst thing any woman can do nowadays, why would you assume that you'd be better off with her?
  • Clementine: ...You don't know what you're talking about...
  • Damien: ...And your friend here? Scarlett told me she managed to shoot one of my men who tried to harm her. She knows how to use a gun, I'll give her that, but she lacks obedience and discipline, doesn't she?
  • Clementine: ...
  • Damien: Ah! Speaking of friends, I saw Francis. That was you, wasn't it?
  • Clementine: ...They were--
    Damien: Water under the bridge. That's all they ever were. They mean nothing to me. I've got new friends, and a whole fucking town to myself. You? You're a perfect apprentice. Francis and Greg may have been able to bail you out at the last minute, but no one's here to do it again. There's no running away this time.

Clementine feels defeated. Like she's been cornered and is forced to surrender.

  • Damien: Now then...

Damien pours a glass of wine.

  • Damien: Let's try this again. Accept my offer (moves the glass towards Clementine's face) by accepting this. It's quite delicious; perfect for your first drink.

Clementine looks at the glass. The wine moves gracefully. She looks at Damien and back at the glass. She opens her mouth and starts sipping the wine. Damien moves the glass away from her lips.

  • Damien: Very good.

Suddenly, Clementine spits the wine onto Damien's face.

  • Clementine: No.

Damien smiles and chuckles while wiping the wine off his face with his sleeve.

  • Damien: Some things never change...

Damien retaliates by deliver a vicious slap across Clementine's face. She tightly shuts her eyes, trying to hold back the pain. Clementine hears the sounds of Eliza finally waking up.

  • Eliza: ...Clem...Clementine...? (sees Damien and gasps)
  • Damien: Alright, let's try something else.

Damien walks up behind Eliza's chair and pulls her head back, exposing her neck. He draws out knife and pushes it against her neck.

  • Clementine: NO!! DON'T!!
  • Eliza: (screams) LET GO OF ME!!
  • Damien: (to Eliza) BE QUIET! (to Clementine) If you're gonna act like a little shit every time I try to show you some decent respect...then I'll just simply take away what's close to you...starting with her...I'll make you watch. I want you to feel her pain, as I cut through every vain, every nerve and every strip of bone in her body.
  • Eliza: GET OFF ME!!
  • Clementine: I...I'm sorry...don't kill her.
  • Damien: ...Hmmph...See why you're begging for forgiveness? It's only because I have this piece of steel pressed against up her neck. You're apology means jack shit, Clementine. You know what answer I really want to hear.

Clementine closes her eyes and looks away from Damien.

  • Clementine: Please...She's been through enough...I'll...I'll do what you say...
  • Damien: So that's a yes than? Look at me when you say it.

Clementine looks at Damien and nods. Damien pulls the knife away, revealing a cut on Eliza's neck.

  • Damien: I had...more relaxing plans for you in mind...but now, I see I've been taking it way too easy on you. I wanna see you live up to your full potential, Clementine. And if that means taking drastic measures...then so be it.

Damien cuts Eliza's binds and walks her to the door. He opens it, revealing a man with an assault rifle guarding the room.

  • Damien: I'm taking the blonde one with me. I'll radio you and let you know when to bring the other to the Rec Center.
  • Guard: You got it.
  • Eliza: CLEMENTINE!!

Clementine helplessly watches Damien take off while holding Eliza at knife-point. Once she hears a far away door open and close, the guard walks in and closes the door. He's in his thirties, is of African-American descent, wears a black jacket and blue jeans. He walks towards Clementine, still holding his gun. He looks angry.

  • Clementine: (scared) ...What do you want?

The guard puts his gun down on the floor and takes out a box cutter. He walks behind her.

  • Guard: Just relax and don't mo--

As soon as she feels the ropes loosen, Clementine quickly makes it for the door.

  • Guard: HEY!!

Panicking, she fails to unlock the door in time before the guard grabs her with both arms and pulls her away from the door. She squirms trying to get of his clutches.

  • Guard: Look just--STOP!! Take it easy!
  • Clementine: Leave me alone!
  • Guard: For God's sake...I'm sorry about your baby!

Clementine slowly and calmly relaxes herself and looks at the guard. He responds by letting go of her.

  • Clementine: What?

The guard reaches into his pockets and pulls out an apple and a bottle of water.

  • Guard: Just...hear me out, okay? Go on and eat. You must be hungry.

Clementine takes the food from the guard and takes a bite out of the apple.

  • Guard: (sighs) Thank you. Look, I was there when came across that cottage. Walkers were in there. We were going to leave until...I heard a baby crying. I made my way to the room and there he was. Damien wanted to leave him, but Scarlett changed his mind, making him think she take care of him. It was a load of shit...
  • Clementine: I...is he safe...?
  • Guard: All I know is he's kept in a room inside the Rec Center.
  • Clementine: Do you know which one?
  • Guard: No, unfortunately. I didn't have him when we got here and Damien told me to stay here once he moved everyone. I'm so sorry.

Clementine puts the half eaten apple and the water bottle down and just looks at the Guard.

  • Clementine: Why should I trust you?
  • Guard: I understand if you don't, but let me just tell you this: ...I joined Damien's group, because I believed in his new world way of thinking. But I didn't sign up for this...genocide that we brought to this town. Seeing what he did to that man with the walker's head...I still get an upset stomach just thinking about it. And when Scarlett told your friend how she's never gonna see her baby again?

The guard closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. Clementine still doesn't know if she can trust him or not.

  • Guard: Sorry...um, name's Devin.
  • Clementine: ...Clementine.
  • Devin: I'm so sorry you and your friends got into this mess, Clementine.

Devin's radio goes off.

  • Thug: "Devin, Damien wants you to bring the girl over. You still guarding the door?"
  • Devin: (whispers to Clementine) don't make a sound...(to the radio) Yeah, of course.
  • Thug: "Alright. Dude, just wait 'till you get here. Damien had the whole basketball court changed to this...Jesus. I don't know what he's planning to do with that kid, but it looks like she's gonna have one fucking bad day."
  • Devin: Um...okay. On my way now...
  • Thug: See you there.

Devin puts the radio in his jacket. He can see the look of hopelessness on Clementine's face. All she can do is expect the worst and hope for the best.

  • Devin: ...Time to go...

Outside, the night's dark, cloudy and lightly drizzling. The streets are completely abandoned and there are a few corpses laying around; some fresh and some rotten. Devin's walking Clementine towards the Rec Center while holding his gun. Clementine can see some lights come from the Rec Center though they seem weak and flickering.

  • Devin: Despite what Damien said about your friend, he's wrong.
  • Clementine: ...About what?
  • Devin: ...I've always wanted to be a father...Ever since I was 18, all that I could think about was finding the right woman as quickly as possible so I could settle down and raise a family. I think it's possible to still do it, even now. I'm mean if your still alive, that's gotta mean something, right?
  • Clementine: ...I guess.
  • Devin: ...Sorry...if that was awkward. Just trying to fill in the silence.

They've made it to the entrance. Another guard is waiting for them.

  • Devin: Alright, here she is.
  • Guard: Okay, good. You stay here and wait until I come back (to Clementine) You, follow me.

Clementine follows the guard, and turns back to look at Devin and wave him good-bye. She looks around and see that the whole place looks like it's in ruins. The floor's dirty, the chairs are all over the place, windows are broken, and blood is spattered.

Clementine can hear a muffled distant sound of a crowd cheering. She see's that the guard is walking her to a row of door and the closer they walk to doors, the louder and clearer the cheering becomes.

  • Guard: Alright, let's go.

The Guard opens the door. Inside the gymnasium, the basketball court has been turned into a battle arena. Walkers have been chained to four volleyball poles lined up across the court; two of them female, one of them a male, and one of them being Mel. The court is illuminated by bonfires that circle around it as well as the moonlight. There is a crowd sitting on the bleachers with guards threatening them with guns to Clementine's right spectating the arena from a side view; some are watching against their will, while others seem to be enjoying it.

  • Guard: Walk straight toward him. Nothing else.

Volleyball poles form a horizontal line in front of Clementine. In between them and her is Damien (with his back turned to her) looking over a plastic cup. While walking towards him, she notices the roof has been opened, letting the rain fall into the arena. She walks towards him. Along the way she hears Rachel and Christa's voices, but can't find Marcus.

  • Christa: CLEMENTINE!!
  • Rachel: (to Christa) What's he gonna do to her?

Damien turns around, holding a hammer and a sickle. He hands the hammer to Clementine.

  • Damien: Let's see just how strong you really are.

He turns around and grabs cup. He walks to the bleachers to face the crowd. Damien holds up the cup.

  • Damien: The strong survive. The weak fall. Everyone will be given a chance to take part of a trial. It's simple, really. Just kill the walkers. Yes, the ones tied to the poles; BUT, it won't be that easy...

Damien walks up to Clementine and splashes the contents inside the cup all over her face and her clothes, revealing to be blood. Clementine feels a bit sick. He throws cup onto the floor and walks toward the walkers. They're getting agitated, smelling the blood on Clementine's clothes.

  • Rachel: (holding stomach) I think I'm gonna be sick...
  • Damien: ...and I never said they'd be tied up while you kill them.

Damien goes on the other side of the poles behind the aggressive walkers. Clementine calmly yet brave holds her hammer with both hands anticipating what will happen next. Damien goes behind Mel's pole and cuts the bind. He starts going after Clementine. The crowd starts cheering.

Knowing that Mel's basic mindset is "It sees food, it never holds back from getting it," Clementine quickly finds it easy to take control of the fight and lead Mel on to expose an opportunity to attack it. She zips to her left, dodging the Mel's lunge and strikes his head. He falls over, but immediately starts getting up.

Damien cuts a rope and looses a second male walker after Clementine. One's bad enough, but two can end badly for her. In the heat of the moment, Clementine examines her hammer and notices the sharp edge of the nail remover. She spins it around, turns to Mel (who's still getting up) and slams the nail removing side into his head killing him instantly; however, she pulls on it only to quickly see that it's stuck.

With the second walker literally within arm's reach, Clementine lunges her self backward away from it and lands on her backside. Her back facing the bleachers, she looks to her right and sees Damien cutting a female walker loose. It proceeds to go after her.

The male walker coming toward leaves a bit of an opening. Clementine quickly gets up, manages to run past him, grabs onto the hammer and pries it out of Mel's head. She runs to the female walker, carefully yet aggressive slams it's head with with the flat of the hammer to knock it down, and finishes it off with the nail remover. Once again, it's stuck. To make matter worse, Damien has released the last female walker.

This one, for some reason, seems a lot faster and more agile then the previous ones, giving Clementine little to no time to get her hammer out the female's head. The female walker is coming to her front, the male walker is coming at her from behind. She looks back and sees something shining within Mel's jacket. She quickly makes a run for him, looks through his jacket and finds a blue pocket knife; unfortunately, the blade's rusted and can break easily should Clementine slip up.

The faster female comes at her first. She gets the knife ready. Once the walker leans down to bite her, Clementine backs away at the last second making the walker fall. She proceeds to stab the back of it's head. She pulls the knife out, but the blade breaks off and is permanently left in the walker's head. She's now defenseless. Her only hope for a safe kill is the hammer.

Luckily for her, the last walker is slower and more predictable, making it easier for her to take control of the fight. She quickly makes it for the hammer, but seems to be having more trouble getting it out. The walker is drawing closer and time is running out. The crowd's cheering and Christa and Rachel are both scared shitless for Clementine.

Clementine finally gets the hammer out, turns around and the walker falls on top of her. Some of the people, shocked, stand up and try to make out what happened.

  • Christa: Oh God!! Clementine?! Please be okay!!

They look down and see the walker slowly being pushed off onto it's back with a hammer embedded into it's eye. Clementine stands up and pulls the hammer out and stares down at him, waiting to show any signs of life. She hears it gasping and quickly delivers a hard blow the head killing it. The crowds cheering and Christa and Rachel a more than relieved for her safety.

Inside Clementine's head, however, is complete silence. Feeling exhausted, she looks up into the sky and feels the rain splashing on her face. She closes her eyes. The cold yet somehow warm feeling of the rain has left in some sort of trance. She doesn't feel stressed, she doesn't feel scared, and she doesn't feel worried about anything that might happen afterwards. She just feels like she's...at peace.

SCENE

Part 2 coming soon

http://www.telltalegames.com/community/discussion/87266/the-walking-dead-after-the-rain-part-2?new=1

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