The Rotten City

  /This one took a lot longer than needed, and it didn't help with the few-day break I took after posting the last chapter, also, sorry to those who saw the recent upload thinking it was a new chapter, I might do that again in the future for small updates on the story and such, but be assured everyone that I do post will be taken down after a day or two. Usually warning, this is my first fic, expect problems with, pacing, grammar, character personality, character details, and lack thereof. Enjoy\ 

Year 3392 October 25

 Hopping off the train, I turned back and held my hand out, looking to help Clementine get down as well.

 Unsurprisingly, she didn't hesitate and took it before forgoing the safe route and jumping down, completely negating the entire point of my outstretched hand.

 Watching as she uncrouched from where she landed, I could only sigh in slight irritation. 

 "Clem, what did we just talk about?" I questioned, referencing back to a few hours ago when I set her down to talk about her lack of care for her own safety.

 Giving me a cheeky smile, she shrugged. "I don't know what you're talking about."

 Clicking my teeth, I sighed. "Is there even a point in trying to get you to listen?" I said while dragging my hand down my face.

 She giggled, "Maybe," was said with the most playfully condescending smile I've ever seen, which would be quite surprising if you were someone who had the unfortunate fate of knowing Carley.

 Our long walk had begun almost immediately after her comment, our conversation continuing all the way up until the outskirts of Atlanta, where we would all stop and take a breather before trying to traverse the winding streets that made up the city.

 During this pause, Clementime had branched off, going to bother Ben and leaving me a moment of peace, only my thoughts filling my silent mind.

 When my thoughts had started diving too deep into controversy, I shut them out and looked around, trying to see how the group was doing by their physical appearance instead of asking them, as doing so just seemed like too much of a chore at the moment.

 Starting with the new additions, Krista and Omid, both didn't look bad; Krista was in fairly good health by the looks of it, and the only thing stopping her from looking like she just came back from a five-star hotel was the disheveled and tangled hair, signs of having not been washed in a minute, but to be fair, we could all use a wash, as the last time we had one was back at the Inn, a stream conveniently located just behind it.

 Omid, on the other hand, looked worse for wear; his leg was fucked into oblivion, and he had rips and tears littering almost every inch of his shirt, all three courtesy of the nasty fall he got himself into. However, besides that, he was pretty much in the same position as Krista.

 However, before I could check out the others, Kenny interrupted, saying it was enough rest for now, and it was time to head into the city, much to the dismay of the two newcomers, the most notable reaction coming from Krista; her anger evident from the clenched fists.

 Even so, she didn't argue and followed the others as they stood and prepared to leave, myself included.

 Looking around, my eyes eventually fell on Clementine, her form motionless as she held her radio. It was only a few moments later when her shoulder started erupting in red that I knew something was off, so looking to calm her before she did anything rash against what pissed her off, I walked up, placing a cooling hand on her shoulder and drawing her icy gaze.

 Keeping my hand in place for a moment, we just looked at each other, her crimson orbs trying to incinerate me with great vigor.

 Thankfully, that didn't happen as the crimson slowly seeped from her eyes and receded into the butterfly marring her shoulder, returning her the amber eyes she usually bore; their appearance able to make anyone jealous.

 Choosing not to mention her sudden outburst, I decided to make fun of the tense situation. "So, what's with the temper tantrum?" I asked, my voice filled with playful sarcasm.

 It worked better than expected as she turned into a cherry before looking away and refuting it being a temper tantrum. "Baka! Like I would ever have a temper tantrum! If anything, it's you having the temper tantrum!"

 Reeling back at her accusation, I shuddered as I tried to understand her childish logic, its complexity making my head hurt.

 "What do you mean!" I shouted playfully.

 Crossing her arms, she humphed before pushing forward and following the group who'd already made decent headway, their silhouettes blurry with how far away they were.

 Sighing, I followed her lead, doing a little jog before slowing down next to her, where I then matched her pace so as not to leave her behind.

 From there, we just talked about anything, each sentence holding the power to switch up the topic, letting us go from the interworkings of her mana to what she used to draw when she was little; I say the most memorable part of the topics brought up were the times she talked about the butterfly as her description of it and what it could do posed a lot of interesting questions and possible theories of how or what it was, and how it was able to use the abilities Clem showed.

 But those weren't for me to answer, as I only found it interesting and nothing more, besides, I'm not the one with powers, Clem is, and whether she wants to figure it out or not is up to her.

 We were interrupted when Clem bumped into Chuck, his form halting our momentum.

 Reaching out, I stopped her from toppling over and set her back on her feet, much to her dismay and embarrassment.

 Looking up, Chuck greeted me with a friendly wave before speaking to Clementine.

 "Hey, you bipolar gremlin, mind giving me and Lee a moment?" He said with a big smile, seemingly unafraid of the painful wrath her little hands could bring.

 However, in a twist of events, instead of trying to beat him into the dirt for embarrassing her, she huffed and turned away, only making brief eye contact that looked like they were talking without words; but, I wouldn't read too deep into that as I liked having an unboiled brain thank you very much.

 After a brief silence, Clem responded in what I could only describe as very passive-aggressive. "Fine, but if I see so much as one scratch on him, I'll make sure you'll wish for a walker to kill you; Understood?"

 Still without care, Chuck shot back. "Right, and here I thought the devil was banished to hell."

 Her gaze tightened and he put his hands up in surrender, "Alright, alright, just calm it down with that spicy gaze; I'll make sure your precious won't be touched, so run along now, I'm sure that other boy would love to be the object of your ire."

 Unknown to the group, a silent yet terrifying chill ran up Ben's spine, and he could only hope it was a fluke.

 With a click of her teeth and a nash of her tongue, Clem scoffed before walking off, probably going to torment Ben for some stress relief, earning the boy my unsung pity. 

 Before my gaze could linger longer, Chuck pulled a fast one, tossing out one of the tricks Clem liked to use when she either wanted to be alone or if she just wanted to talk with someone without the problem of eavesdroppers.

 And while I did think something was odd before, this all but confirms my suspicions of him being like Clem.

 Keeping my surprise in check, I continued at a decent pace, letting my eyes focus on the blurry figures of the group, their outlines hard to see through the transparent yellow dome, its color resembling a dandelion.

 Sighing, I spoke, intent on asking what this was about. "So, are you going to say something, or was this magic trick just for show?"

 At my hard response, Chuck snickered. "And here I thought Clem was the only one without manners."

 Pulling up a grin of my own, I glanced at him. "Well, she had some at one point, but I think me and the rest were a terrible influence on them, and with the constant abuse they received from us rowdy ones, they probably faded, leaving the same stubbornness we like to use."

 Looking back, I was met with his blank gaze.

 "What? Did I say something wrong?"

At my remark, he giggled like a schoolgirl. "You know, you could have just said she became more of a bitch, and not in a bad way, I mean a good way."

 With a face as dead as a fish, I snarked back. "What's the difference."

 A bit of sweat beading on his face, and he quickly changed the subject. "Anyway, you're taking this whole magic thing pretty well, I would've thought you would have been at least somewhat surprised."

 Thinking for a moment, I spoke. "It's not that I'm not surprised, it's just I've been around a scary little fairy for so long now that most paranormal events just seem normal; now mind you, the fact that you can also use mana like her is still surprising, just extremely dulled."

 At my take, he snickered, "Well, that's a bit disappointing, but nonetheless, with the original goal of this chat done, I don't really have anything else to talk about, so why don't we catch up to the others before we get lost or left behind."

 "I don't know about you, but I have a very emotional companion that would go to the ends of the earth to find me, so getting lost or left behind isn't a problem," I said with pride lacing each word.

 "Wow, I'm so happy for you."

 My eyes twitched at his blatant sarcasm.

 "Really, that's how you choose to react."

 He only gave me a crooked smile before dropping the yellow cloak and picking up the pace, leaving me behind to wander through my thoughts.

 Looking up at the night sky, I could only chuckle; spending so much time adjusting to the day and night cycle was nice, and getting to do it with my... daughter... was probably one of the happiest times I've had in my entire life, and that was saying something considering my age.

 Before I could element further, Clementine had returned to my side, taking my hand in my obliviousness. 

 Looking down, I was met with a slightly questioning gaze.

 "Ahh, sorry, I was just thinking that's all."

 With the straightest of faces, she spoke. "Should we kill Chuck?"

 Spitting out imaginary tea in shock, I quickly refuted. "Definitely not! Why would you even think such a thing!"

 At this, she had the gall to be embarrassed. "It's not my fault! His face is just too punchable, and his mere existence is annoying to be around!"

 Chuckling nervously, I spoke. "Still, there's no need to go that far, you little psychopath!"

 Her face puffed, "I'm not a psychopath, Baka!"

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 Moving through the winding streets, we made our way through the many crashed or abandoned cars, their owners doing the smart thing and running on foot, though many of them were probably dead by now.

 Turn after turn we made, slowly inching our way to the sea just on the other side of town, but none of that was helped by the copious amount of dead wandering the ruins, their soft groans echoing through the street and drawing more of them out.

 So far we've only run into three hoards. And though all of them were small, each had begun to grow at a rapid pace thanks to the more walkers flowing in from nowhere, their groans adding to the collective noise, making them even loader, and in turn creating an infinite cycle that will end with every walker in the city capable of basic motor function in one big herd.

 My slightly morbid thoughts were interrupted by the collapsing sound of Omid, the pain in his leg looking to have gotten the best of him.

 "We need to take a break," came the worried voice of Krista, her arms already working to support Omid.

 However, this plea was met with cold indifference from Kenny. "No, we keep moving."

 A face once worried was replaced with red-hot anger. "He won't make it if we keep on like this! We need to take a break!"

 "We? Lady, I've only known you for less than twelve hours, there is no we; if you want to take a break, that's fine, but do it at your own expense."

 Her face was fully flushed red at this point. "You bas-"

 Her cursing was interrupted by the terrifyingly loud bell sounding off not even a yard away, its rings echoing to the surrounding city block, and scaring the shit out of anyone wandering the streets.

 Kenny looked at the bell with scorn, and the rest of us kept our eyes glued to the surroundings, not willing to be caught off guard by any overlooked walkers.

 My eyes were doing the same when I locked eyes with Clem's irritated face, its irr pointed at the roof of the bell tower that just went off.

 Reaching over I grabbed her by the shoulder, which got her full attention. 

 "See something?" I questioned.

Another glance and she gave a slow nod. 

 Seemingly thinking of something, my hand on her shoulder suddenly phased through, leaving me baffled. It didn't take long before I figured out it was an illusion and she was probably going to check out what she saw; I nearly laughed at how useless she could make me feel sometimes, so I clenched my fists and prayed for her safety as I couldn't do a damn thing to help.

 Getting called by Kenny, me and the fake Clem turned toward his direction, only to be met with a monstrous hoard of walkers, all tumbling their way over, eager to rip us to pieces.

 In a panic, I blitzed the surroundings with my eyes before finding an open metal gate, its locking mechanism hinging on a latch from the inside. "Everybody! Run for the gate!" 

 With my shout came the gazes of everybody in a bloody panic, with Kenny and Chuck being the only exceptions, as their gaze were calm and thoughtful.

 Without caution, everybody ran for the gate until it was only me, Kenny, Chuck, and the notably absent clone of Clementine, however, a strange feeling told me she was still there.

 After Kenny and Chuck made it through the gate, I followed, locking the thing behind me; coming up to the back, I was met with the lack of voices, and the clone of Clementine perched beside Chuck, her form simply looking at the ground mindlessly.

 Ignoring this, I walked up to the door that I assumed led into the house before trying to open it, only to be met with large resistance and the soft giggle of the door knob. 

 Already irritated at this point, I shot a look over my shoulder and at Chuck, quietly asking for his assistance. Not even a second later a soft click could be heard on the other side of the door, so I gave a nod of appreciation and turned back.

 Pushing the door open, I silently waved everyone over.

 Before anyone could go in, I put a hand up. "Remember, we don't know who or what could be in here, so watch your back and be careful when rounding corners." With that said, I stepped in.

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 Using my enhanced muscles, I lept from rooftops, trying to keep up with the rapid life signature who was doing a far better job in their leaps, landing feet down instead of face down, much to my annoyance and envy.

 Eventually, their pace slowed, before stopping completely, allowing me to catch up.

 Luckily, this time I landed feet first on the roof they stood on, they're back-turned to me. Without a care in the world, I called out to them, only to be ignored; a bit frustrated by this, I barged up to them before smacking the shit out of their ass, or, I thought I did because as soon as their body hit the ground, it began to turn to hazel dust.

 It had taken me a moment to understand what was going on, but as soon as I did, I flew into an anger-filled rage. 

 'THAT BITCH!'

 At my thoughts, the mark on my shoulder flared with red; however, it was about around the point of my wings growing that I remembered Lee, his words even though not in person, still had a profound impact on my anger as both it and the mana were quickly suppressed down to a controllable level, sadly said control wasn't easy to keep, so the red mana slipped and flooded back into the pool it came from.

 Sighing in agitation, I expanded my mana to a few blocks to see if that person was still around, yet I found nothing, much to my ire.

 Scoffing, I turned and lept away, unaware of the petite form sitting just below the building, looking up at the spot I was just in with a heated gaze.

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 Ignoring the hard winds pelting my body as I danced above the crack-riddled streets, I slowly followed the signature I felt most familiar with, intending to rejoin the group.

 However, I felt a fist connect to my jaw in the next leap, sending me crashing into a building beside the one I leaped for.

 With renewed rage, I looked out of the hole I was put into trying to find the person responsible for doing so, and it didn't take long before my eyes were met with the grotesque sight of a four-armed monster bearing one large eye and a mouth filled with teeth the sizes of cats. 

 Sadly for both it and the surrounding area, I held no care for such things, as my body also began to morph and contort with red indenting every possible area of my body. Soon, tar-like wings sprouted from my back, their lengths expanding past the eight-foot length they bore last time. Both wings held no difference as multiple bones and joints could be seen twitching in excitement, the gaps in between each joint producing massive quantities of tar in order to fill in the parts constantly falling off due to poor mana control.

 With every emotion other than rage and a sadistic pleasure thrown away, I didn't care what happened because all I wanted to do now was make that thing wail in agony.

 With a bone-itching smile revealing my new pointed teeth, I let out psychotic laughs to express my sheer joy for this current situation before leaping from my spot in the concrete rubble, trying to blitz the thing before it could react, however, it was faster than expected as it lept back from its spot on the roof, in turn dodging the jaw full of sharp teeth trying to rip its throat out.

 Scoffing at the fact the thing was able to dodge, I turned and leaped after it, ignoring every building I was running into in the process.

 Just as I went for another attack, the thing's body distorted before ultimately becoming soft. In my confusion, I didn't notice the creature's arm stretching behind it, its fingers having turned into miniature blades; It was only after the thing cut off my arm did I noticed its attack, and that was a mishap that cost me, as I laid there clutching at what remained of my arm.

 I wanted to kick and scream about how much it hurt, I wanted to lash out, and by far the biggest want would be the ability to cry, but thanks to violent anger, I could do none of that.

 With hate fueling me, my grip became stronger, before eventually crushing my arm the rest of the way closed, stopping any and all blood from pouring out of it, yet I still lay there, adjusting and adapting to the lingering pain.

 After not moving for a second, I could hear the creature approaching my downed form, its footsteps making the ground under it crack with vigor. Choosing the waiting game, I didn't move from my spot, letting the creature truly think it got me. After a few more steps, the creature stopped and kneeled.

 Uncaring of my stumped arm, I snapped out with my remaining hand and grabbed the thing by its throat before dragging it further toward me, bringing it closer and closer to my waiting maw, an artificial mana suction created to drag them further in. After their neck was partially behind my teeth, I made my second row vibrate at a speed fast enough to turn them into their own blender.

 In doing this, its neck was turned to paste and forced down my throat. Its body soon followed as I used large swarms of mana to turn it into the equivalent of a Twizzler.

 After the thing was completely devoured, the mana reserves that I had completely diminished were raving in distress, as the mana the creature had was in conflict with all three separate mana pools.

 Seeing as each clash shot mind-numbing pain coursing through me, I could only bite my tongue and pass out, intending to solve whatever was happening between the separate manas.

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Not far from the short conflict

 Crimson red eyes stared at the downed form of Clem before a sickening smile overtook his face. "Well, well, well... If it isn't the Little General."

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  Back with the group

  "Hey Lee, Could you come give me a hand?" Came the words of Ben as he spoke from the stairs.

 Sighing, I got up from the coach I was sitting on and answered back. "Sure, I'll be there in a moment."

 It hadn't been long since we got in, a few hours at most, and we had split up to search the house, trying to find anything we could scavenge. When I searched the kitchen, I found nothing but two bottles of whisky, which were quickly confiscated by Chuck, his excuse being he was thirsty.

 But after that, I found nothing, so I sat down and hoped Kenny and Ben had better luck. Unfortunately, by the tone of Ben's voice when he called for some help, they didn't fair any better.

 Walking upstairs, I was met with the attic door wide open, Ben standing at its base, patiently waiting, if you could call it that. Every few seconds, his eyes would drift away from the open door and scan the surroundings, almost like he was expecting something to jump out.

 Uncaring of his plight, I hardened my footsteps so he knew I was coming.

 Walking over to Ben, I questioned. "So, what do you need help with?"

 At first, his response was almost unintelligible, but after a second or two, he gained enough courage to speak. "Well, it's not that I need help, it's just that Kenny went up there a bit ago, and he hasn't come back down."

 Immediately understanding the situation, I reached for my gun, only to be met with empty air, leaving me to realize I had left it on the train. Cursing myself, I pulled out a handgun instead, which realistically should've been my first choice, but what could you do.

 Giving Ben a quick nod, I began climbing the steps, gun held out, ready to shoot anything I deemed to be strange or fast approaching. 

 It wasn't needed, as once I fully stepped into the attic, I was met with the sight of Kenny, his broken form crumbled to the ground, looking at a walker.

 Seeing as Kenny wasn't in any danger, I lowered my gun and walked closer.

 "Kenny?" I questioned.

 There was no response; he just continued staring.

 When I got a bit closer, a very dense smell filled my nostrils, nearly making me back up in disgust. Standing my ground, I looked around to try and find the source of it, leading to my eyes landing on the pitiful sight of a walker, or more accurately, a child.

 I watched as it slowly stood before turning to us, intending to do what every walker wanted to do. It took one step, then another, but on the third step, a snap was heard, and it collapsed to the ground, its bony legs having given out and broken under its weight.

"Kinda looks like Duck, doesn't he?"

 "What happened to him?" I accidentally said out loud.

 Unfazed by this, Kenny was quick to come up with something. "He probably tried hiding up here but starved in the process."

 At this, I winced in sympathy because barely having stuff to eat was hell, so I could only imagine what the boy must have felt during his last moments.

 Sighing, I looked at the handgun still firmly grasped in my hand and then back at the walker. Slowly, I raised it, training its sights on its head, before taking a deep breath and steadying my aim.

 Seeing this, Kenny turned away, unwilling to see another child die.

 Downstairs, everyone heard the loud bang of the handgun going off but said nothing of it when I came down with a walker in hand, merely shooting sorrowful glances before turning the other way.

 Not long after, I had dug up a hole next to the one already posted in the backyard before ultimately burying the kid with prayers of well-being for his next life.

 Just as I finished burying him, an ominous feeling froze me in place. Steadily standing up from my hunched position, I scanned the surroundings, looking for where this feeling was coming from.

 It didn't take long before my gaze was captured by the shady individual with crimson-red eyes staring at me from the other side of the metal fence, his face, and pretty much everything else, covered by a darkening black that no matter how long I looked could be unveiled.

 For a moment, we just watched each other.

 "If I were you, I'd go pick up your little troublemaker before she runs into something she can't handle."

 As soon as the words 'Trouble Maker' left his mouth, I was consumed with existential dread. 

 With a voice too chilling to fit my personality, I spoke. "I don't care who or what you are " I walked closer to the fence, shovel handle creaking under my grip, "But if you touch a single hair on her head, not even Kyoki himself will save you from my wrath, understood?"

 At the mention of the foreign name, every spec of arrogance dissipated from his body, an unseen cold sweat taking its place.

 Letting my gaze linger a bit, he eventually backed off and disappeared into a fine mist, leaving me and my many worries behind.

 Scoffing in frustration and anger, I turned away, intending to talk with the group about what we were going to do next; keeping the Clementine situation on a very short leash.

 Upon walking back into the house, I was met with the arguing voices of Krista and Kenny, each getting more and more frustrated the longer the other refused to cave.

 Already extremely ticked off with the stranger, I was quick to step in. "Why is it every time I leave this dysfunctional group alone for five seconds, they start arguing like children."

 The argument between the two was put on hold as both redirected their ire toward me, but I was having none of it, and a single glance had their faces reset to one full of caution rather than anger.

 "Now, can someone tell me why you're arguing like it's the first day of school?"

 Kenny was the first to speak up. "She's being an idiot, that's why."

"An idiot?! That's rich coming from you!" Came the rapidly heated response of Krista.

 Unwilling to let this escalate again, I forced my voice a pitch louder than theirs. "Enough!" I sighed. "Why are you arguing?"

 "Because he wants to leave! That's why!"

"We have to! And I'm not staying in this house any longer."

 "Goddamit! You stubborn prick, Omide can't be walking like that!"

I sighed, this was going to be a long and excruciating talk.

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 In the end, we decided to split up; Kenny and I would go to the pier while Omid, Krista, Ben, and the fake Clementine would stay at the house. For Chuck's part, I asked a favor, so he went to try and find Clementine.

 My thoughts were once again interrupted by the equivalent of a giant dinner bell sounding off in the distance.

 "Son of a bitch. That bastard fucking with us again." He said with Clear irritation lining his voice.

 Watching as he pulled out his gun, I put my hand up to stop him.

 "Hold on, this one sounds further off."

"So, still doesn't mean this isn't a trap."

 I sighed, "Even if it is, it wouldn't be a trap with walkers; most likely living. So with that in mind, we can take advantage of this and move without so many restrictions, and if someone does decide to spring a trap, we'll meet them with the barrels of our guns; sound good?"

 Kenny thought for a moment before lowering his gun. "Fine, but let's make this quick, I don't like relying on luck to keep us out of trouble."

 I grinned at my successful persuasion. "Neither do I, but sometimes, it needs to be that way."

 And as it turned out, the luck just mentioned came in handy as Kenny was able to pull us into cover before we were spotted by the small herd of walkers trickling past the street we were on.

 Peaking out, we saw nearly twenty walkers heading to the sound of the bell, a few crawlers following just behind.

 After they were gone, I piped up. "I'm starting to think whoever's ringing that bell is doing us a favor."

 Kenny only hummed in response before getting up and continuing to walk.

 I followed soon after, all the while thinking of ways to get Kenny's social interactions back in working condition as they were rapidly deteriorating