Fates Of Tragedy

 /Usual warning, this is my first fic, so expect problems with character personality, pacing, grammar, lack of character personality, hard-to-understand descriptions, and more. Now with that out of the way, I hope you enjoy this kinda decently-written chapter, Enjoy\

 "God damn it, Clementine, what the hell did you get yourself into?!" These were the first words out of Chuck's mouth as he came upon the gruesome sight of her form lying in a pile of rubble, an arm nowhere in sight, and black tar covering her like a blanket.

 Jogging closer, the tar blanketing her became defensive, shiting into a solid dome that didn't let up until I backed up a sufficient distance. I sighed, "Be nice, they said; she's just a kid, they said. I should've just knocked her out and carried her with the group; at least then, I would've been able to avoid this stupid situation she's put herself in."

 Still not done cursing his nativity, he clicked his teeth and determined to continue it later; for now, he needed to get her out of whatever she was in and back to the group.

 Testing the limits, he ever so slowly inched closer to her, trying to test at what range the blanket activated. After five feet, nothing; after ten feet, nothing; after nineteen feet, it reacted, shielding her with a bladed blanket and letting him know that it was a very much sentient goo, or at least deeply instinctual.

 Stepping back, it returned to its constant flow, swishing and swaying like it was being pushed around by water. Getting annoyed by my lack of progress despite only trying one thing, I cautiously let out a strand of mana, intending to probe the goo with it.

 Slowly approaching the goo, my mana immediately sparked a reaction from it, though a very different one. Instead of forming into a ball of blades like it did when I approached, it instead leaped for the mana strand like it was a starving hyena, and seeing as it was too fast for me to react to, it caught the strand and started draining my reserves.

 My immediate response was to cut the connection with the strand, but to my shock and horror, when I cut it, the goo was quick to reconnect and maintain it, taking over any control I used to have over it.

 Even so, I couldn't call this a complete loss, as thanks to the connection, a new option opened itself up to me; the ability to directly speak to the subconscious, whether they were unconscious or not.

 Praying to whatever god was willing to listen, I prayed not to be turned into a snack by the goo and forced a part of my subconscious through the connection, leaving the other there to keep my mana from being completely drained by the goos gluttony.

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 Clementine was not having the best of times as she tried to wrangle the new, and, quite frankly, revolting, mana back into the fourth pool that popped up thanks to its existence, yet unlike the others that willingly put themselves back in place, it absolutely refused to be contained and forced its way out of whatever patchwork seals I tried putting on it.

 Losing focus again, it slipped through my fingers and darted around like a bat out of hell. Using the absolute authority I held over my mind, I put myself directly in front of its path and caught it again before commanding chains from the ground and making them ensnare it if that even made sense.

 Going through the process again, I started dragging it back toward its pool with the help of the chains.

 After adding a few more chains to further it along, I managed to shove it back into its pool that sat just beside the emerald pool, using a ludicrous amount of transparent chains in the process of keeping it there.

 It was as soon as I was starting to settle down from the eventful task that I felt a familiar presence land behind me, his dandelion-colored mana splitting off into strands as they mindlessly explored everything around them.

 Turning back, I saw Chuck, or at least an outline of him, as his body was completely made up of his mana, its golden hue dulling faster with every second he stood there.

 Without giving me time to react, he spoke up, "So, are you going to tell me what the fuck happened to you? Or will I have to guess why you were missing an arm?"

 I chuckled at his sarcasm while rubbing the back of my head in nervousness. "Can we not talk about this now, I just got done dealing with that," I said while pointing behind me, my thumb lazily referring to the chained pool.

 With his gaze averted, I breathed a sigh of relief, however, that sigh was caught in my throat as I looked back up to find him shooting me some nasty glares.

 Putting my hands up in submission, I quickly stumbled out while tripping over my words, "I'm Sorry! I won't do it again! Promise!"

 But, much to my surprise, he simply scoffed, "Now's not the time for that! Right now, you need to go in-depth on why the hell! You have, not ONE! Not two! Not Three! And could you believe it! Not Four! But five! Five different types of mana chilling in your body like it's no big deal!"

 Looking at him like he was crazy, I stuttered out some words of confusion, "An-and, you do-don't?" 

 Despite only having a few details to his mana body, I could tell he was looking at me with exasperation. Rubbing his eyes, he tiredly sighed. "You know what, I don't want to deal with this now," he said while his body started rapidly flickering, "So, hurry up and wake up, we still need to get back to the group and I also don't want to be turned into a light snack. Todles."

 The only thing I could do as he left was stare stupidly at the spot he was just standing, constantly trying to turn my noises of confusion into eligible words that could be made out by anyone listening.

 After doing just that for over ten minutes, I recollected myself before turning back to the new pools, or more specifically, pool, as I couldn't make sense of where he got the fifth one from.

 Walking up to the newly restrained tar-colored pool, the only thing I could think of was what to call it, as it looked to be staying for the foreseeable future, whether it liked it or not.

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 I groaned as I picked myself up from the ground, a deep sense of unease filling the void that was my mana stores. Looking around, I found that the black goo coming from Clem's body had vanished, leaving just her alone in the crater.

 Thanking the gods for not turning me into a light snack, I dragged myself over before kneeling next to her.

 I clicked my teeth at a thought, "God, five of them." Though it could be four, it was hard trying to understand the clear one because while it had mana radiating off it, said mana was basically Null and void compared to literally anyone else with a mana pool.

 Cursing myself for getting caught in my own web of curiosity, I swiped away the rest while picking up Clementine. 

 Almost as soon as I picked her up, something growled in the distance, its vocals too deep to be a walker. Not one to beat around the bush, I used the rest of my mana to layer the area, giving me a clear picture of what made the sound and where it was coming from.

 However, as soon it stepped on the mana I had layered on the field, I nearly threw up, as its mana recked of decay and smelled like shit. But the most prominent aspect by far was how much it had, almost completely dwarfing mine by yards; even so, I wasn't one to lose my cool nor was I stupid.

 Recollecting the mana I expended, I focused before turning it into a vaguely human shape and telling it to run the opposite of me; after it did so, I booked it back toward the group, not too keen on sticking around in case the thing approaching had a taste for human flesh.

 Bolting through the ruined streets, I couldn't help but feel something was wrong; it took a minute to notice, but almost immediately after my departure with the clone, its signature vanished.

 Panicking, I forced the little bits of mana I still had left into my legs, before switching to leaping from buildings. Glancing back, I saw nothing, but I knew better, and I knew that whatever killed the clone wasn't far behind.

 "God damn it, Clem... Now would be a great time to wake up!" I quietly yelled to myself.

 Yet even with this pled, her body made no haste, continuing its slumbering. 

 Sighing, I glanced back. After finding nothing, I turned away,

 However, the feeling was still there, the feeling of being watched, judged, and sentenced.

 Not being one to undermine these feelings, I started trickling mana after each one of my leaps. In doing this, I'd be able to see whoever or whatever stepped in them.

 Sadly, it was too effective, as almost immediately after layering a few, I got a response and picture of what was behind us, and to say it terrified me was an understatement. Its body was grotesque and deformed, with what looked to be human arms propped up on its back. It ran on all fours like an animal and had claws the size of six-inch blades. However, the most defining feature was the singular eye taking up most of its face, its mouth full of teeth barely visible under its demanding attention.

 Ignoring every fiber of my being telling me to leave Clementine behind and run for my life, I decided to go with the next best option, hiding.

 Looking around for just that, my eyes eventually gleaned a building, its structure not as damaged as the rest, and thus, should be a suitable space to lie low until that thing passed.

 Hoping through one of its windows, I quickly set Clementine down and began to move everything not attached to the wall in front of the window, making an effective barrier to block our visages from the creature.

 Grabbing Clementine, I held her closer to my chest while layering us both in whatever mana I had left, which wasn't much; however, it should've been just enough to get us both by.

 Putting my ear to the wall, it wasn't long before I heard it, its footsteps loud and clear.

 Holding my breath and covering Clem's mouth, I continued listening, waiting for the sound of the thing's footsteps to fade, and after a bit, they did, taking off back the way it came.

 Sighing in relief, I relinquished my hold on Clementine's mouth and allowed myself to breathe, and her too I guess. I chuckled at the dark humor.

 My chuckle was cut short as I looked down to find Clementine very much awake and very much annoyed.

 "What's got you in a good mood?" She asked with obvious sarcasm.

 And for once in my god-forsaken life, I didn't have a response to it.

 She scoffed before sitting up. "Mind telling me what you were up to while I was out?"

 Clearing my throat, I thought it was best to tell. "If you must know, I was keeping us from dying; that answer your question?"

 She looked at me somewhat perplexed before trying to stand, however, she seemed to forget she was missing an arm, and when she went to use the aforementioned arm, her face met the floor with a soft thud.

 Before I could burst out in hysteria, she used her remaining right arm to clutch my leg, its grip actually managing to hurt me thanks to my depleted mana reserves.

 Holding my hands up in surrender, I nervously spoke out. "Alright-alright, I won't laugh; now could you please let go? I don't want to have to stumble my way back to the house like a drunken idiot."

 She scoffed while letting go, "Trust me, it would suit you far better than you might think."

 Ignoring the obvious blow at my ego, I decided it was time to move on to more pressing matters, like her arm.

 "So, what are you going to do about that arm?" I asked while watching her get up with little to no difficulty.

 At my question, she looked at the stump she still had left and shrugged, "I'll either use an illusion, or I'll just come clean and tell the group; though, I'm sure Lee would prefer the second option."

 I sighed at Lee's mention; he's a good guy, and he's done a hell of a job at raising Clementine so far, but he was new to it, and it shouldn't come as a surprise that he accidentally formed a bond of over-reliance with her, making his eventual passing all the more hellish.

 "No."

At my declaration, she angered, and the red mana she had flared, "The hell you mean no! That's not for you to decide."

 "Neither is it for Lee."

 She went silent at my rebuke, her red mana receding back as her anger diminished.

 "We should go." I barely heard her utter.

I hummed in agreement, "That would be for the best."

 Getting up, I felt around for any mana I had left, in the end coming up with enough that would allow me to leap twice if I used it sparingly.

 Looking up from my palm, I could see Clementine already moving the table and other things out of the way we came in, revealing the ruined street outside.

 Walking over, I stopped Clementine from jumping out, and though I was met with words of her annoyance, I kept her inside, keen on making sure whatever was chasing us before was truly gone.

 After scanning the rooves enough times for my personal satisfaction, I lowered my arm and let her do as she pleased.

 Almost immediately after doing this, regret came flooding back as she decked me in the arm, luckily unenhanced, but it still hurt like a bitch, and I would showcase this by trying to rub my arm to rid myself of the sting, much to the smug-faced brats delight.

 Scoffing and glaring, I jumped out the window first, landing with perfect balance.

 That much couldn't be said for Clementine as she soon followed, her face being the one to land first.

 Looking down at her downed form, I smugly smiled, "Serves you right." 

The situation was made all the funnier as she tried using her missing arm again, leading to another faceplant, though this time it made me wince. 

 Taking pity on her, I pulled her up the the scruff of her gown before gently setting her on two feet, much to her blaring dismay. Holding my hand out to her remaining right, I offered her an out to take a break, as even with near-mythical powers in the form of mana, our bodies were still human and needed time to adjust to the sudden loss of a limb.

 My offer was soon accepted as she took my hand, her face going nuclear. 

 Chuckling, I started walking forward, correcting her any time she was tilting too far to one side, and just generally helping her keep balance.

 After just doing that for a bit, we started talking; about what exactly was beyond me, but that didn't really matter at the moment, as we would have plenty of time to talk about the more important stuff later on; specifically about the separate pools of mana just chilling in her body rent free.

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 Having already departed from the quick hiding spot, the duo wasn't there to see or hear the crash of concrete, as something stepped through the smoke, a mouth full of mangled corpses that wouldn't be identified as human.

 Discarding the unwanted meals, the creature trotted over on all fours, its flat nose glued to a spot on the floor that previously held both Clementine and Chuck.

 Opening its mouth, it bit down on the air, seemingly simulating what it would do if they were still there, but that might have been more than just a simulation, as mere moments after, a trail of amber mixed with a variety of other colors, and a dandelion yellow, manifested, taking the forms of their owners.

 Watching as the ethereal constructs jumped out the window, it glanced back at the pile of gore before following, letting out an almost human chuckle while doing so.

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 I sighed in frustration as Kenny told me off before running to the pier.

 We had just made it to the sight of possibly our only hope, and what did we see but everything on the water completely shattered. None of the boats were even slightly floating, they all had holes or were just completely split in half, and the crashed cars weren't doing those facts any justice.

 With great reluctance, I followed after Kenny because, despite this setback, there might've been a way to salvage this situation and get out of the city before something happened, though that could be my lingering fear talking, as ever since that encounter with the red-eyed man, I've been getting the feeling of being watched, judged, among other things.

 Walking up, I stopped at Kenny's side, joining him as we stared at the plethora of boats littering the water, mocking us for not getting there sooner. 

 Before I could even begin a sentence, Kenny brought some hope to this desperate situation, "This could be salvageable."

 With a questioning gaze, I looked at what he was talking about; it was a boat, and even though it was basically beached, it was in far better condition than its brethren who all stared holes of some kind.

 "Can you?" I questioned.

 He replied after giving it a light lookover, "Don't quote me, but if we could find the right parts, I think I might be able to."

 "Well, looks like we got something to look forward to, don't we?"

 He grinned, "Didn't I just say 'Don't quote me'?"

 I chuckled while turning back, "Hey now, I never agreed to accept your request, so I think I'll quote you as much as I want, ohh mighty wizard."

 Despite not facing toward him, I could practically feel the heat wafting off his face.

 "I thought we agreed to drop those silly names!"

I laughed, "No, you agreed to drop those silly names, I never said a word."

 With my retaliation came words of scorn on Kenny's side. "Fine, I think I might start calling you, Dark Knight, again, then we'll see how you like it."

 Facing him again, I merely smiled, "Is that so? Well, good luck with that because I'll have you know, I quite like that name; hell, now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure that's the name I told Clementine about; one could never go wrong with a knight in shining armor."

 With this, Kenny sighed, "Okay, getting back to the problem at hand, I want you to check the shor line for any more boats that look functional, if you find one, make sure to remember where it's at, after which, we can take a gander and see if it has any reusable parts."

 Ignoring the blatant change in subject, I questioned, "So how am I supposed to do that? Because I don't feel like swimming, and I'm most definitely not walking."

 He laughed, sending me into a spiral of confusion and embarrassment; If this is what Clementine felt every time I teased her, then I'd really have to consider letting up a bit.

 I was pulled from my embarrassment by Kenny, his voice under control again, "Well, if you've ever been to a seaside city before, then you'd know they have those," He said while pointing somewhere behind me.

 Turning around, it didn't take long for me to spot what he was talking about, and it wasn't hard to recognize either, as it stood just below my height, a mounted spyglass.

 Looking back at him, I glared. "Not a word."

 He only grinned before turning back to the boat, leaving me to do what was asked.

 While walking up to the scope, I could only regret fixing his social battery.

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 "Stop." At my words, Clementine made no move to push forward, instead staying still as I said.

 Looking around with caution, I scanned the rooves again, then the streets and alleys, yet every one of them looked normal, almost untouched; well, as untouched as one could be nowadays.

 "What's wrong?" Came the slightly hoarse voice of Clementine.

 Giving everything another look over, I answered. "It's nothing, Clementine, just my imagination, that's all."

 I nearly scoffed at that bold faced lie; it wasn't my imagination, something was definitely watching us, and whatever it was, it most definitely wasn't friendly.

 Deciding her balance could be worked on later, I hoisted her up before using the mana I had regenerated to start hopping from rooves, aiming to pick up the pace and get to the house before anything too disturbing popped up.

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 He's acting weird, but I couldn't for the life of me find out why.

 When exactly did this start? I wouldn't know, but for me, it started as soon as I woke up from the self-induced nap. His hands were over fidgety, and his tone sounded off like he was in a state of constant exhaustion, and though that still lingered, it was far less noticeable than it was a few hours ago.

 The next thing I noticed was the constant checking of his surroundings, his eyes refusing to look forward for more than ten minutes without doing it; it was almost like he could see something that wasn't there. yet at the same time, he was seeing something that he couldn't see; if that even made sense.

 By far the most noticeable detail to come from this had to be the overly affectionate side he was showing, and to me of all people. 

 But, I wouldn't complain, as the affection was always worth it to me, and if I had to be honest, holding his hand was like being at home again, back at the inn where everyone was still alive, and no one shot anyone, the calmer times.

 My thoughts were interrupted when Chuck made us stop, his gaze scanning the surroundings like he was watching for something, almost like he was expecting something to jump out, yet nothing ever came, only the soft winds.

 "What's wrong?" I questioned.

 He remained silent as he looked around one more time. "It's nothing, Clementine, just my imagination, that's all."

 Seeing this as a satisfactory answer, I wasn't too keen on continuing my suspicions, however, it became apparent something was wrong when he started carrying me.

 Looking over his shoulder as he hopped from building to building, I saw nothing special, just the same cracked streets, the same ruined cars, and the same crumbled buildings, as I said, nothing out of the ordinary.

 That thought was immediately cut off when I saw two glowing figures following us, and upon getting a closer look, they seemed to be clones of us, going as far as to mimic my missing arm.

 "Chuck?"

 Chuck glanced at me. "Yes, Clementine?"

 I was going to be blunt. "Why are there two clones following us?"

 This nearly stopped him dead in his tracks as he did a full turnaround to see what I was talking about.

 "So, can I ask why you made those clones of us?"

"That's the problem," He turned around, "I didn't." And just like that, our speed had doubled.

 As I kept an eye on the two clones who were managing to keep up, I didn't notice as we sped by the house we were originally aiming for.

 However, I did notice when the clones stopped in front of it before abruptly disappearing, leaving nothing but a few light particles behind.

 Thinking nothing of it, I turned back and sighed. This day was hectic and very bothersome. First, I ran off chasing what was essentially my own tail, next, I got into a fight with a one-eyed freak, which resulted in the loss of my left arm, and that wasn't even the end of it because now we had to deal with our backs constantly being watched by whatever chasing us.

 It's exhausting.

 "They're gone," I said, my voice unrestrained by caution.

 Not long after, we stopped on a rooftop, where Chuck sat me down before collapsing himself, exhaustion evident. 

 However, I wasn't worried because I could tell it was just mana exhaustion, and nothing else.

 Walking over, I sat down next to him. "So, what do we do now?" 

 He sighed while rubbing his face. "Well, best case scenario, we take a breather and head back to the place our groups taking up residence in; worst case scenario, we abandon the idea of going back and try to find Lee and Kenny, who, if I'm not wrong, should be somewhere around the coast looking for a usable boat."

 Thinking on it for a moment, I offered, "Why not do both?"

 At first, Chuck just looked at me like I was stupid, but after a second seemed to get what I was aiming for.

 "Are you suggesting to split up?"

 I smiled, "Yep."

 He clicked his teeth before rolling over, "Ya, no kid, you can't even walk straight right now, let alone go out on your own."

 Frowning, I spat back, "What are you on about, of course I can walk straight." I said while trying to cross my remaining arm.

 He once again ignored me, "Sure you can," He stood, "Now, get up, the house shouldn't be too far away."

 Using my remaining arm, I did as he said. After standing, I swayed a bit, still unused to the weight difference, luckily, Chuck's compassion didn't seem to sway after he stopped and was there to keep me steady.

 Embarrassed, I walked out of his reach. "So, which way to the house."

He stood there for a moment before going to speak, however, just as he was about to, something stopped him, and a look of horror washed over his face.

 Not understanding why, I simply started looking around in caution, finding that nothing was out of place, and no odd things were happening, like our ethereal friend's way over yonder.

 Regaining eye contact, I questioned, "Something wrong?"

 He sighed in utter frustration before speaking, "Hey Clem... Did you happen to see where our clones stopped?"

 Still in the dark about what was going on, I nodded, "Ya, they stopped in front of a red brick house, a metal fence wrapping around into the back; why?"

 His face paled as he looked back in the direction we fled from. "Fuck."

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 Watching as the two fled, the clones began to vanish, having completed what they were created for. Not long after, something landed in the spot where the clones disappeared, cracking the pavement under the sheer weight it bore.

 The creature's one large eye began to wander around, snapping to anything that made even the slightest move, until eventually, it started moving, smelling the air, and tasting the lingering scent left behind by the two it was chasing.

 As it was about to continue its chase, something distracted it.

 It sniffed the air, drawing closer and closer to the building next to it, until, eventually, It stopped, having finally noticed the three individuals residing in the house in front of it.

 Completely disregarding the prey it was previously chasing, it climbed the fence before taking a gander around the yard. 

 After doing so it used the many arms attached to its back to start scaling the building, climbing from window to window in search of a quiet way in. This eventually found itself on the roof, peering through the attic window.

 With some light pressure from its many arms, the window pooped open, revealing the interior to its singular eye, at which, it stepped in, and chaos would soon occur.

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 Climbing down the ladder, I narrowly missed being grabbed.

 As my feet touched solid ground, I looked back up to see two walkers hovering over the open sewer drain, and it wasn't long before one of them fell in, cracking their head open and killing them instantly.

 Not giving it much thought, I started walking in the direction that looked to be leading closer to the house we were bunkered down in, intending to find my way there once I found an exit.

 Sadly, this plan would go to shit pretty fast, as one wrong step had me stumbling down a random tunnel and into the pavement of a walkway, my face taking a serious blow in the process.

 Cursing my life once again, I pulled myself up, being careful not to replicate the same mistake. From there, I started walking in what I assumed to be the way leading closer to the house.

 Eventually, this led me to a long tunnel with a door at the end of it. However, knowing life liked to play tricks, I kept caution as my main ally, making sure to peek around every corner before walking in front of them.

 With this strategy and my determination, I now stood in front of the door, only to find it was locked.

 Already frustrated as it was from having to walk through literal shit, I kicked the sign next to it in anger, accidentally revealing a hole the size of the average adult.

 Peering further in also revealed another door, however this one was slightly cracked.

 Looking back at the locked door, I debated whether it would been best to just try and kick it open, rather than taking its possible risky counterpart.

 My choice was made when something started banging on the other side of the locked door. Scoffing, I stopped being overly cautious and crawled through the hole, coming out on the other side with only a bit of dust on my shirt.

 After which, I was quick to make my way up to the door, kicking it open with great force, but it was only after closing the door behind me that I noticed something that nearly had me regurgitating what little food I had today.

 Looking around, all I saw were rotten and decaying bodies, each one missing something necessary to keep them alive; they're heads.