THE WALKING DEAD: ALTERNATIVE – SEASON 3: NEW WORLD ORDER
The flames had reached the trees. Smoke curled into the sky, and the air smelled like ash and blood.
Ericson's Boarding School was a warzone.
Clementine darted across the courtyard, blade in hand. AJ followed behind her, clutching a pistol he could barely lift. They moved between cover—ruined picnic tables, broken walls, and the wreckage of their own defenses.
Above them, Violet called out from the bell tower. "South fence! They're breaching!"
"I see them!" Aasim shouted, swinging a broken pipe like a club.
Clementine spotted Louis by the greenhouse, fighting off a raider in heavy armor. The soldier pinned him to the wall—but Clementine didn't hesitate. She charged and drove her knife into the man's thigh. He crumpled, howling, and Louis finished him with a jagged brick.
"Thanks," he gasped. "You're a badass, you know that?"
"Flirt later," Clementine snapped. "We're not done."
Gunfire rattled from the woods beyond the gate. Raiders in armor, carrying rifles and makeshift explosives, pushed through the trees. Their leader walked calmly behind them, helmet off.
Lilly.
Older. Colder. Her expression hard as stone.
"Clementine," she called out, voice even, "you can't win this. You never could."
Clementine stepped forward, AJ behind her, others gathering around.
"You brought this on yourself," Clem said. "You attacked children."
"These kids are liabilities," Lilly snapped. "Wastes of food and bullets. But trained young, they could be warriors. Useful."
"I'd rather die than let them end up like your people," Clementine growled.
Lilly raised her hand to signal another attack.
Then—
Boom!
The greenhouse exploded—Louis had triggered one of their backup traps. Smoke and debris rained down. The raiders stumbled, coughing.
Clementine didn't wait. She charged into the chaos. AJ fired at a raider's legs. Violet sniped from the tower. Ruby shielded the youngest kids behind the stairs.
And then—Clem and Lilly were face to face.
Blades drawn.
"You're just a scared girl," Lilly hissed. "Still pretending Lee made you strong."
"Lee didn't pretend," Clementine said. "He was strong. Stronger than you'll ever be."
They fought—fast, brutal. Years of rage and regret boiled into every swing.
Clementine slashed across Lilly's vest, drawing blood. Lilly knocked her down and kicked her hard—but Clem rolled with it, grabbed a broken spear, and rammed it through Lilly's side.
The woman fell, gasping.
Blood soaked her side. Her pistol was gone. Her strength fading.
Clementine stood over her.
AJ came running, panting. "Do it. She's the bad guy."
Clementine looked down. Her grip tightened on her blade.
And then… she stopped.
"No," she said.
"What?" AJ asked.
"She's done. She can't hurt anyone else." Her voice shook. "Killing her won't change anything. It won't bring back Lee. Or Marlon. Or Mitch."
AJ looked at Lilly. His hands trembled.
"You said bad people deserve to die."
"They do," Clementine said. "But we decide what kind of people we want to be."
Lilly looked up, barely conscious.
"I spared you once," Clem whispered. "This time, it's not mercy. It's a warning. Crawl away. Don't ever come back."
Behind her, the remaining raiders had fled.
The fight was over.
---
Later that night, the school was quiet again, though nothing felt peaceful.
The dead were laid out in the courtyard. Mitch. Others. Too many names.
Clementine sat by the fire, AJ at her side. He was quiet.
"Do you hate me for not killing her?" she asked.
AJ shook his head. "I don't know. But I get it."
She nodded, tears in her eyes. "Good. That's enough."
She looked up at the stars, and for a moment, thought of Lee. His voice. His hand in hers.
"We're still here," she whispered. "Still fighting."