Chapter 194: 194-I Won’t Run Away
Clementine:
Thankfully, she shut up once I didn’t argue back. I could tell she got her energy from pissing people off and arguing.
Once we moved forward, we realized the clouds were closing in fast.
"We need to find a safe place, like that mansion," she suggested.
I looked around, but honestly, nothing stood out.
"I think there will be more places like that. It seems like the people of the North built headquarters like safe houses in every area. So with that in mind, we should be able to find something here too, in the big city," she kept going.
But my priority wasn’t to find a safe place to hide. I was heading in the direction of the tower, where I could find my squadmate.
"Sure, you’re just being a nice squadmate," Mint commented. I groaned at her. She had been so helpful, honestly. She always gave her best whenever we were in danger, and she never complained that I did not let her out. That was the best thing about her.
"I only care for him because he’s our squadmate, and also because I think he’s a friend," I muttered, trying to shut her down.
"You think? You’re not even sure if he wants to be your friend," she groaned. I rolled my eyes, focusing on responding to Suki.
"I think underground places," I said and she raised a brow.
"What was that?" she asked, wanting me to confirm.
"I think underground places will be safer. If you think about it, the Wendigos can’t break underground. Small ones might slip in, but not the bigger ones," I explained, noticing how impressed she looked.
"Yeah, right. So what could there be, like underground? Where would we find it?" she asked.
"Maybe in a house with a basement," I muttered, then noticed the tower.
And then I heard someone grunting and screaming. I already knew what was happening.
"Suki, it’s Ian," I said.
She frowned, scowling at me as she began to hear it too.
"How could you tell from just growls?" she complained, hurrying after me.
I rushed forward and saw another massive cloud overhead. If we went a few steps further, we’d enter the dark zone. The problem was we didn’t know how many Wendigos were waiting out there. At this point, we knew at least three were behind us.
"Oh my god, there’s a fucking cloud. Do you not see it?" Suki yelled, grabbing my right arm and pulling me back when she noticed I was heading forward.
"I can see that very clearly, Suki. Do you think I’m blind?" I hissed, shrugging my arm free and glaring at her.
There were clouds coming from behind us, but they had slowed down. Another was already in front of us. It was so odd that the small space we stood in, just a few feet, was the only area lit by the sun.
"Then why are you headed in there?" she yelled.
"Because I can fucking hear Ian scream," I snapped, already stepping forward, but she grabbed my arm once again.
"Don’t go in there. We don’t know what they’re screaming about," she argued, putting all her weight into stopping me.
"Suki, you do realize that the other voice groaning could be Joshua, right?" I hissed. She began to slowly loosen her grip.
"Come on, Suki, you won’t go save him?" I asked, shocked that she didn’t immediately respond to me.
She gulped, then looked back. The clouds behind us had started to drift away.
"Jack is there," she muttered, glancing over her shoulder. And I was in shock.
"Suki, Joshua needs help. He’s screaming right now. We don’t know where Jack is. He’s probably fine hiding. But we know who’s in danger right now." I tried to remind her of the groaning and grunting we’d just heard. It all happened in seconds, but it felt like a long, drawn-out argument.
Suki gave me a strange look, and I couldn’t help but ask, "Who would you rather save, Joshua or Jack?"
I watched her hesitate over such a simple question. Finally, she tilted her head and whispered the name.
"Jack. It will always be Jack."
It felt like she’d set my whole body on fire. I just stared at her, then shook my head in disbelief. She could have been honest with herself and the others before, but she never was, until now, when panic forced her to choose. And she still picked Jack, even though he wasn’t in danger.
"I compel you to stay back," Suddenly, I heard someone scream. The voice was strange, not one of our crusaders, but it jolted me awake.
"Well, then go find Jack, because I’m not leaving my crusader behind." With that, I lunged forward into the darkness. When I looked back, I saw her following, probably because the cloud that had started drifting away was now racing toward us, swallowing the last patch of light.
So she came only to save herself, not because she chose Joshua.
We had reached the spot quickly, and right off the bat it looked bad. An entire shop had collapsed, and I could hear Ian and Joshua screaming and growling from underneath the debris.
One Wendigo was there. She was clawing at the wreckage, trying to rip it apart so she could get to the crusaders.
"You fucking bitch!" I screamed, lunging at her with one arm tied to a stick. I yanked my sword from my belt and swung. This time, I left a deep scar across her face.
It proved how much energy and anger I had in that moment. If she thought she was going to get her mouth on Ian, she was fucking wrong.
I don’t even know what happened to me, I just started swinging, leaping up and down over the debris, slashing at her until she began to retreat, shrieking.
"Help!" Then Joshua screamed. I saw him right next to the road, while Suki stood on the other side. She held a dagger in her hand, debating whether to come forward, but she didn’t.
The Wendigo spun and whipped her tail into my stomach, launching me onto the road. My arm slammed hard against the ground, and the pain was indescribable.
I forced myself up and spotted Ian trapped beneath the debris. The only reason he and Joshua hadn’t moved was because they were already horribly injured. Blood covered both of them, they must’ve fought hard before this.
Ian’s eyes met mine. There were emotions spilling through his eyes.
"Clementine, run!" he mouthed.
I stared back, and shook my head. "No!"