Molly sighed upon seeing Lee's weak frame leaning against a radiator. He was pale and struggling to breathe. Poor bastard...

"C'mon, old man, now's not a good time for a nap." The blonde muttered, shaking Lee's shoulder from her position on the floor and absently noticing the bite mark on his wrist.

"Who you callin' old?" He responded, his eyes fluttering open. The handcuffs on his other wrist clanged.

"Are you alright?" She asked as her brows furrowed. Worry evident in her brown eyes and her tone. Her hand fell from the man's shoulder and rested by her knees.

"I... I dunno. Everything feels cold and hot at the same time." He was scared. Molly had seen some of the toughest people she knew start to act like this before their deaths. It was heartbreaking every time. She had put on her cold persona purely to avoid having to feel like this ever again. Watching someone slip into the grim reaper's awaiting claws and being helpless to stop it, forced to spectate. It was one of her main reasons for never saying goodbye to people she cared about, they were never gone. Why she never said bye to her sister...

"I don't want to turn, Molly. Please... Don't let me turn."

"Don't worry about it. I won't let you," She smiled a sad smile. "I at least owe it to the man that straddled me," Molly added, a cheeky grin plastered on her face. Lee heartily chuckled. He looked to his left and coughed blood onto the floor. Staining it scarlet.

"Can you promise me something else as well?"

"Sure."

"Find Clementine and look after her, i-it's not that I don't trust Omid and Christa, it's just... This is a big city, Molly." He rasped. The woman closed her eyes and nodded, letting her head hang down. Debating the promise in her head.

"Ok. I promise. I won't stop until I find her. You have my word." The blonde responded. Lee nodded his head in appreciation before his body turned cold and once again slumped against the heater. His eyes were closed, in a strange way, he looked peaceful.

"I'll miss you, Lee. You were a good man," The woman stood to her full height and raised her climbing pick, holding it in place beside her shoulder. "Goodbye."

She swung the pick into the side of his head, cutting through the skin and bone like a hot knife through butter. Molly grunted and pulled the weapon out, watching as fragments of bone and flesh followed Hilda out. Slowly, the young woman wiped off the brain matter and blood off the blade and onto her jeans. She pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed.

"Time to find a little girl."

8 Years Later...

Molly pulled open a can of beans. She was sat on a branch near the top of a tree, in deep thought. She had been following Clementine's trail for the past eight years into West Virginia, when it suddenly went cold. No clues to where she could've gone beside a totalled car resting in a ditch. Which was abso-fucking-lutely worthless for finding the damn girl. She had checked the wreckage and, thankfully, hadn't found her dead body. Molly threw her finished can off the tree and watched in satisfaction as it hurtled toward the Earth. No sooner than it hit the ground did she hear a startled cry.

"Clementine!"

That name was a name Molly recognised, it was surprisingly close. Without a moment's hesitation, she took off in the direction of the yelling, making sure to stay hidden in the trees. It had only taken about twenty seconds for her to arrive on the scene.

"I-My name's Lilly. You probably don't remember me, it's been a while." Molly watched in silence as Clementine's face morphed from shock to anger.

"I don't give a fuck, you evil bitch." The teenager bit out. The woman, Lilly, quickly stamped onto the girl's midsection. Molly seethed from the shadows, taking Hilda out in preparation. She watched in surprise as Lilly held out her hand, offering Clementine a way to stand up. The blonde watched in pride as the teen stood up on her own.

"What the fucking hell is this?" A lanky man, with one brown and one blue eye asked.

"Not now."

The man lessened his grip on the child, but still stopped him from escaping.

"Lee isn't with you?" Clementine crossed her arms and averted her gaze. "So he's dead then... I'll never forget him leaving me on the side of the road to die."

Holy shit. Molly thought. That came outta left field.

"I don't blame him, I was clearly a threat to the group after I killed that guy."

"Doug," Clementine confirmed.

"Lee should've left you behind too. Might have lived longer if he did." Hurt flashed across the teenager's eyes. "Same thing'll happen to you. If you repeat his mistakes."

The older brunette glanced at the boy. "Your little boy there. You'll die protecting him. you may be able to keep this up a while longer, but eventually he'll slow you down. A walker you didn't spot. A bullet you couldn't dodge. A desperate cry for help that brings the herd." Or me. Molly supposed, she already hated this woman. Apparently, so did Clementine, who approached her.

"Maybe. But you'll die first."

"Brave. But stupid. I'm surprised you made it this far. You need a better plan than just killing your enemies." Before Clementine could respond, the man with the gravelly voice cut in.

"Fuck, we don't have time for this."

"We have history," Lilly responded.

p"Great. You know her. I know her. Point is, we've got a job to do."/p

Molly shuffled along the tree and silently hopped over to the one next to the man and the kid, so she was hovering above them. Her grip on Hilda tightened.

"We can help you raise that boy, Clementine, but we need you to do something for us."

Clementine put one of her hands on her waist and scoffed. "What? Help you kidnap a couple more kids?"

"We don't need a couple," The man interjected. "We need all of you."

"We'll take you back to the Delta to join our people," Lilly continued. "We have walls, we have working solar panels and we grow our own food. All we need from you is to go back to your friends and convince them to come peacefully. No one will be harmed."

"I'm not Marlon," Clementine argued back, snarling.

pThe man holding the kid tightened his grip before speaking. "Here's what I'll do. I'll take the little squirt here right now. That way I'm sure you'll play nice."

The woman in the treetops noticed two kids approaching the situation. One female, with a bow and arrow, and the other a male. Suddenly, Clementine shouted.

"Shoot!"

pMolly watched as the other girl let go of her arrow and it hit Lilly in the shoulder. She took that as her queue and dropped down onto the adult male, Hilda already embedded into his shoulder by the time he realised what was going on.

He let go of the kid and screamed, deep and guttural. Molly yanked her weapon out of the man's shoulder and kicked the back of his knee. He fell into the dirt. For good measure, she smashed the top of his head with the blunt end of her mountain axe. The man quickly succumbed to unconsciousness.

A gunshot echoed throughout the clearing. Molly's head snapped toward the deafening sound. Lilly was running, her rifle was forgotten on the ground and the barrel of her pistol still smoking. Her gaze fell onto Clementine, who was clutching her stomach, wet blood trickling through her fingers. Her eyes wide and her mouth agape with shock. The teenager stumbled backwards and fell.

"Clem!" The child yelled.

"Shit." The blonde ran to the fallen girl and immediately started applying pressure to the wound. She watched as the brunette's eyes remain unfocused.

"Holy-" The male teenager began, only to be cut off by the female.

"Is she alright?" She asked, voice edged with worry. Molly ignored them.

"She needs medical attention right away," She began, picking up Clementine and holding her bridal style. "Where's the nearest place we can get help?"

The two teenagers winced. "A couple of hours away..." They muttered. Molly's heart dropped.

"What way?"

"That way," the male teenager extended his arm. "The name's Louis by the way."

"Mine's Violet."

Groaning filled everyone's ears as walkers descended upon them, drawn by the gunshot.

"Formalities later. We need to move." The adult commanded, dashing off in the direction of Louis' outstretched arm. Everyone following shortly behind.

"I think we lost them." The kid spoke up, feverishly glancing at Clementine, worry evident.

"She'll be alright, kid." Molly comforted, knowing full well she won't be unless they get help.

"Oh, I know. She's been shot before." He stood on his tiptoes and tried to get a better look at the injured girl. "She's strong."

The ragtag group continued through the seemingly endless forest in awkward silence. The trees were beginning to look the same and Molly would've thought they were going in circles if not for Louis' insistence that they were heading in the correct direction. Every now and then a strong breeze would flow through the canopy, shaking the leaves. After about two hours of walking, Clementine finally groaned to life. She instinctively thrashed and threw herself out of Molly's arms and onto the cold, hard floor. She yelped in pain.

"Shit! Clem, you alright?" The blonde woman asked, kneeling down in front of the girl and resting her arm on her knee. Molly watched as Clementine's eyes shot open in surprise.

"Molly...?"

"The one and only." She chuckled.