The voting was quick, brutal, and unsurprising.
Tenn, Aasim, and I raised our hands for Clementine and AJ to stay.
Everyone else—Ruby, Omar, Willy, Mitch, and even Louis—voted for them to leave.
Rhett spread his arms. "It is what it is."
Louis, Rhett, and I walked to the now-exiled kids' room in heavy silence. I knocked, and after a beat, Clementine opened the door, her expression guarded. The three of us stepped inside.
AJ stood beside Clem, his little fists clenched.
"We took the vote," I said, my voice flat. "You have to leave."
AJ's face twisted. "Don't we get to vote? I vote that we stay!"
Louis sighed. "That's not how it works."
I crossed my arms. "Maybe it should be."
"You don't have to like it," Louis muttered.
"Good," I snapped, "'cause I don't."
Rhett stepped forward, his voice firm. "This is the right choice, Vi. They need to go. The kid's too dangerous to have around."
Clementine let out a bitter laugh. "I can't believe this. You're all fucking crazy. After everything Marlon did, all the lies he told you—this is how you react? Kicking us out because we were caught up in his bullshit?"
Louis shook his head. "Marlon dropped his weapon, and then AJ killed him. How could any of us stand to be around you after that? How could we trust you?"
Rhett nodded. "Exactly."
I gritted my teeth. "So fucking stupid."
Louis shot me a look. "You said you'd go along with it if we voted fairly."
"It's bullshit," I snapped, "and you'd know it if you weren't so used to burying your head in the sand."
Louis threw up his hands. "Oh, I'm burying my head in the sand? Hate Marlon all you want, but you can't tell me AJ isn't dangerous too."
I exhaled sharply, forcing myself to stay calm. "We'll wait for you to pack up, then Louis and I will escort you out past the safe zone. We'll make sure you get to the road safely. It's not a lot, but at least you won't die on the way."
Louis added, quieter, "We could've happily dumped you outside the gates."
Clementine opened her mouth—"Thanks for making sure that we—"
"No!" AJ suddenly shouted, his voice cracking. "Don't thank them! It—it's their fault we gotta leave! They're gonna get rid of us!"
Louis stiffened. "Get him under control."
Clementine placed a hand on AJ's shoulder. "AJ, breathe."
Rhett turned to me, his voice low but firm. "Vi, think about it. The kid executed someone who wasn't even a threat. He doesn't hesitate. He doesn't regret it. And Clem's teaching him that it's okay. That's not someone we can have around."
I didn't answer. Because part of me knew he was right.
AJ grabbed Clem's hand, his small face scrunched in anger. "Where's Tenn? I gotta say goodbye."
I sighed. "He was really upset about the vote. He's not talking to anybody right now. It's best to leave him alone when he's like this, but... for the record, he wanted you to stay."
Clementine nodded, her jaw tight. She slung her backpack over her shoulders and adjusted her hat.
******
The forest was quiet as we walked, the only sounds the crunch of leaves underfoot and AJ's endless questions.
"Will we get another car?" AJ asked, kicking a rock.
Clementine adjusted her backpack. "Probably not. We got lucky before."
"So, we're walking," AJ muttered. "My shoes are gonna break."
"Well, we'll have to hope they hold out."
"My feet are gonna bleed again."
Clementine sighed. "We'll tear up a shirt and tie them up if we have to."
Louis, walking ahead with Chairles slung over his shoulder, glanced back. "It's not so bad. I mean, you've done this before. Probably pretty good at it by now. Almost like going home for you guys."
Clementine's voice turned sharp. "You've lived inside walls your whole life. You have no fucking idea what it's like out there."
Rhett scoffed. "And you don't know what it's like living in a community—or how to raise a child. You raised a psychopath, after all."
Clementine whirled on him. "Watch your mouth."
Rhett smirked. "Or what? You gonna get your kid to kill me, like he did to Marlon?"
The tension was thick enough to choke on.
I stepped between them. "We're here." I gestured to the road ahead. "Anything you wanna say before we go?"
Louis shrugged. "I've said plenty."
Rhett crossed his arms. "Advice? Teach your kid right, or he'll get both of you killed."
AJ, surprisingly, spoke up. "Thanks for trying to keep us."
I softened slightly. "You're welcome. I wish you could stay. I didn't want this."
Louis nudged me. "Come on, let's just go."
I hesitated. "Give us a minute, would you?"
Clementine met my eyes. "Yeah. So do I. I wish we hadn't fucked it up."
"You didn't," I said quietly. "Marlon did. Even dead, he's still ruining shit."
Louis groaned. "Jesus, Violet. Give him some fucking peace."
I ignored him, focusing on Clementine. "Just stay safe. Both of you."
With that, I turned and walked away.
Behind me, Rhett lingered for a second longer. Then he tossed AJ's gun onto the ground at their feet.
"Don't mention it," he muttered before following me.
Louis brought up the rear, his usual swagger gone.
******
We hadn't walked more than five minutes back toward the school when I stopped dead in my tracks. My stomach twisted into knots.
"Wait," I said, pressing a hand to my chest. "I've got a bad feeling. Like... Clem and AJ are in trouble."
Rhett exhaled sharply through his nose. "Not our problem anymore, Vi."
"It is," I insisted, already turning back the way we'd come. "We just left them out there—"
Rhett grabbed my arm, stopping me mid-step. For a second, we just stared at each other—his jaw set, mine clenched. Then, with a sigh, he let go.
"Fine. Go back to the school," he grumbled. "Louis and I'll check on them. If that makes you happy."
I swallowed. "Okay."
Then, right in front of Louis—who immediately found something very interesting to look at in the trees—Rhett leaned in and kissed me. Quick, firm, like a promise.
When he pulled back, he clapped Louis on the shoulder. "Come on, Romeo. Let's go see if the murder duo got themselves eaten already."
Louis groaned but followed as Rhett led the way back toward the road.
I stood there, watching them disappear into the trees, my heart pounding.
Then, hesitantly, I turned and walked back to the school—alone.