Epilogue

1.9K 60 30
                                    




A.J. slowly opened the door to the courtyard. Numerous walker bodies littered the grounds, a few still up and shuffling around. Clem and Louis were nowhere to be seen. He exited the building and quietly snuck across the yard. "I have to find Clem and Louis, they could be hurt...or worse," he thought. He reached the steps to the main building. He looked up at its giant supporting columns before entering.

"Clem? Louisss?" he whispered.

He began to creep down the hallway leading to the piano room, the boards beneath his feet making stealth all but impossible. "Clem? Are you in there? It's A.J." He reached to open the door. The knob wouldn't budge. "Fuck, locked," he said. "Oh, wait. I know." He reared back and kicked the door, the rotted wood giving in.

"Oh...no...Cl-Clem. No!"

There were Clem and Louis, as walkers, tied to the piano. They were grasping at A.J., but the well-tied knots in the rope held them back. Tears poured from A.J.'s eyes. "No...Clem...why? Why did you have to die...?" He looked at Louis. "You died protecting her, I bet. Or did all you could at least. Thank you, Louis."

A.J. knew what he had to do. When he and Clem had first tried to scavenge at the train station, there was a couple who had tied themselves up and taken their own lives. Clem had killed their walker forms, for her and A.J.'s safety. Now, it was his turn to truly put their battered souls to rest. He pulled out his small knife and walked closer to them.

"Clem, thank you. For teaching me how to survive, to take care of myself. I know I'm still really young, but I- I think I can do this. I will make you proud. Goodbye..." He turned to Louis. "And Louis? Thank you for making Clem happy. She's been so sad, and you gave her something to smile about. You protected her, took care of her. And you were the closest thing I've had to a dad. I'll miss you, both of you. I love you. I- I'm sorry."

He raised his knife up next to his head, and with a quick jab stabbed Louis through the skull, his walker body falling limp. Tears running like small waterfalls, he turned back to Clem, the only real mother he'd known. "Clem, I'm s-sorry. I'll...I'll miss you. I love you..." He raised his knife one final time, and through the tears, brought it down, it's sharp blade splitting through the skull and into the brain. Clem's body collapsed, the deed done.

A.J. walked over to the couch and lied down. He cried for hours, and eventually fell asleep from the exhaustion. When he woke up, it was light out. He sat up and rubbed his eyes before walking towards the door. He looked back one final time.

"I will avenge you. I promise. I know Jay caused this. I will find him, one day."

He walked out of the room, pulling the door shut behind him.

A Love Worth Fighting For: A Clouis FanfictionWhere stories live. Discover now