The Walking Dead Game What Ifs: What if the Cabin group found Terminus?
[TWDG What Ifs Master List] [Volume 1]
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Terminus
What if the Cabin group found Terminus? Prompt Submitted FilipBalogh on AO3
Requests On Hold
Author’s Note: The submitter has added the stipulation that Terminus didn’t resort to cannibalism.
Clementine looked at Kenny’s back. The group she was now with had run into Kenny’s group and ended up joining with them. The plan had been to get to Wellington, but then Sarita, Kenny’s girlfriend, spotted a sign for a community called Terminus, so now they were following the train tracks down into Georgia.
Not for the first time, Clementine wondered if Carver was still following them, but shook the thought from her mind.
“Do you think Terminus is near… there?” Asked Clementine, getting a sigh from Kenny.
“I hope not, Clem.” Answered Kenny, “I don’t want to run the risk of seeing our friends.”
“Lee had me shoot him.” Said Clementine, “And Lee said Chuck took himself out, and you put Ben down…”
Kenny sighed, before looking back at Clementine, “I know, Clem… but it just one of those things you know ain’t gonna happen, but the fear’s still there.”
Clementine gave Kenny a silent nod, making note that Carlos was coaxing Sarah to keep following them.
“I hope there’s food there.” Said Clementine, getting a chuckle from Kenny.
“You and me both, darling.”
T
Gareth sighed through his nose; they’d barely managed to depose that gang that has made them prisoners in their own home. One of the more tortured guys in the community said they should eat them, they’d lost around fifty people, Gareth wasn’t too sure, but over half the community was gone, so people were a bit more crazy than usual.
“Gareth.” His mother’s voice got his attention, “There’re people coming.”
Looking around, Gareth didn’t see them at first, then he saw a heavily pregnant woman being supported by a heavy-set man with a medium sized group. His hand went to his gun, then he spotted a couple of girls, one with red glasses and a little girl, no older than twelve.
“I think,” Gareth’s voice was slow, “they’re harmless.”
A few hours, and screaming, later, the two groups had introduced themselves and the pregnant woman, Rebecca, gave birth to a baby boy.
“Sorry we don’t have much.” Said Gareth, leaning back in a chair, “But, since we only got rid of them pricks a week or two ago. We’re still putting down and burying the dead.”
“Know the feeling.” Said the bearded man, Kenny, “The first group Clem and me were in was attacked by bandits, we lost four people from it.”
“You and Clementine the only survivors?” Asked Gareth, glancing at Kenny.
“No, there were two others,” Answered Kenny, “but, they died a couple days after. Ben fell off a roof and got impaled by a piece of metal, and Lee… Lee got bit. I think Clem’s still beating herself up about it.”
Gareth watched Clementine talk with the other girl in their group, she acted much older than she was, he’d already found she had a mouth on her, given how much she swore when some dressings for an animal on her arm got changed, part of him wondered what she’d gone through to act as old as she did.
“Well,” Said Gareth, after a moment, “you’re not a threat to us and, frankly, you all have some skills we could use.”
T
The people who’d been chasing them turned up, Gareth knew it was going to sound corny, but he could feel they were trouble the moment he saw them. Fortunately, since the other way in was blocked, the new arrivals only realistic approach was from the front, which was open with very little cover, especially since they’d moved the box cars closer to the main building.
“Matthew and Nick aren’t back.” Said Clementine, popping up through a window in the roof.
“Found ‘em.” Said Alex, “They’re being held at gunpoint.”
“Maybe—” Clementine was cut off by a couple of gunshots.
“Shit.” Cursed Kenny, before aiming and firing at the approaching group.
Gareth looked down at Clementine, “Get inside, and get everyone away from the doors and windows.”
Clementine shakily nodded, before disappearing below. Gareth turned around in time to see Chuck get shot in the neck, as two others fell off the roof. Alex ducked away, spotting Mary and Cynthia leading those who couldn’t fight towards the back buildings, before he fired some more shots at the invading group.
They were vaguely aware of the leader of the invading group yelling for Rebecca, and Kenny paused when he saw some of the invading group running away from the fight, distracting Carver and his people. The distraction became a blessing to the Terminants, because it allowed them to hit Carver’s group without losing too many people.
Carver was shot in the back and neck, causing the man to fall to the ground and bleed out. Some people went out to the bodies and buried knives and other sharp implements into the brains of the dead. Gareth watched as the bodies were all piled into a heap and set alight, feeling someone appear at his elbow, the man glanced down and spotted Clementine.
“Is Carver dead?” Asked the girl, making Gareth look at the burning bodies.
“Well,” Sighed Gareth, “If he wasn’t before, he is now.”
T
In the following weeks of the battle, Carver’s deserters turned up, wanting to make peace and join them, it’d been difficult, but they were allowed in, especially since they had food and supplies that all of them needed. Clementine and Becca, one of the deserters, would routinely but head and had to be pulled apart on more than one occasion. The new arrivals all knew that they weren’t fully trusted, especially when one of them, a woman named Jane, tried to get people left behind when a supply run went sideways.
“Hello?!”
Luke and Alex looked up from the venison Gareth and Kenny managed to get, spotting a group of eight people, an even split of men and women, walking up to them.
“Hey.” Luke waved at them.
“We saw the signs.” Said one of the men, looking around, “Y’know, the whole sanctuary sort of thing?”
Luke frown, “Any of y’all know a guy named Sam?”
One of the women, a white brunette, shook her head.
“He stumbled here a couple of weeks ago,” Said Luke, “Said that there was a guy who had a community, told us that he and his girlfriend were gonna go with him, then his girlfriend got bit and he barely got out alive.”
“We don’t know him.” Said an Asian man, “He might’ve been one of the people Rick found, but we won’t know until we find him.”
“If he’s still alive.” Said the brunette.
Luke and Alex glanced at each other, before Luke went to get Gareth.
T
The eight people, who gave their names as Abraham, Rosita, Eugene, Bob, Sasha, Tara, Glenn and Maggie. Kenny recognised Glenn and Maggie recognised Kenny, which led to a small confrontation until Glenn managed to calm things down. They’d gotten some food into their new arrivals and got them situated in one of the box cars that’d converted into living areas. Abraham mentioned that Eugene was a scientist and worked with some fancy doctor, who was working on a cure.
That got Kenny’s attention and he started working out which line went to DC and roped in some others to help with making one of the trains operational. Then the rest of Glenn and Maggie’s group arrived, two men, Rick and Daryl, a woman, Michonne, and a boy a couple of years older than Clementine.
Eventually, they got a train running, the first eight survivors that arrived all choosing to go to Washington, with Kenny going with them. Clementine and Sarita tried to go with him, only for him to stop them.
“I don’t know what state the capital is in,” Said Kenny, getting a frown from Clementine, “and I ain’t willing to risk either of ya if things are fucked there.”
“It’s not in a state.” Said Clementine, “It’s between Virginia and Maryland, even I know that.”
Kenny let out a laugh, “You know what I mean, Clem.”
Clementine rubbed her eyes, as Kenny took his hat off, “Here, give this to AJ when he’s old enough.”
Clementine silently took the hat, as Kenny and Abraham’s group climbed onto the train and started to leave. Luke sighed, as the community watched the train slowly disappear, before he placed a hand on Clementine’s shoulder, “Don’t worry, Clem. He’ll be back once Eugene’s worked out that cure.”
Clementine sighed, before she vanished into one of the buildings. Luke looked at Carlos, who shrugged.
T
Over the next few weeks, they’d found a survivor holed up in a church, Father Gabriel, and that he’d did something horrible when the world fell. Clementine would often go out on supply runs with them, given the explicit instruction to stay near either Rick or Daryl, which was when they ran into Tyrese and Carol, who had Rick’s daughter Judith with them. Carol had tried to leave them after Tyrese and Judith were reunited with their group, but Rick told her to stay.
Rick and Daryl then left with Tyrese, Carol and some others for a few weeks, going to look for one of their missing. They were gone for a few weeks before they returned with a man, Noah, before telling them that the person they were looking for, a girl, Beth, was killed and Tyrese was bitten by a Walker when they tried to get Noah back to his home and died before they could get him back.
A few months later, Terminus fell. They weren’t attacked by an outside group, instead, some of Carver’s deserters; Jane, Bonnie and some Russians, took some supplies, mainly drugs and bullets, and blew a hole in the fence. In the chaos, all but six of the original Terminants were devoured, along with some of Carver’s other deserters; Russell, Wyatt, and Reggie, and some of Clementine’s original group; Alvin, Walter and Sarita. Bob was bit and Clementine had a near miss when Daryl saved her from a Walker.
The survivors, after all regrouping, started to head north, with Bob opting out of becoming a Walker. They travelled for several months, having to move fairly slow so they didn’t lose anyone else, before they found themselves approached by a man named Aaron and were taken in by Alexandria.
Clementine and the other kids were around people their own age for the first time in ages, but the group as a whole was majoritively kept at arms length. Which was ended by the time the skirmish with the Wolves took place.
Then the mess with the Saviors happened, which camed to a head with Vince and Gareth getting their heads caved in by Negan. Clementine shook herself, trying to forget about the whole line-up mess. Daryl had been taken, and the shock of seeing two of their friends be murdered in such a brutal fashion seemed to put Rick into a state of shock. She was lucky that Negan didn’t recognise her, or she might not have returned home.
Right now, the Saviors were claiming ‘half’ of their supplies, which turned out to be a code for ‘taking as much as they wanted’.
“Wouldn’t have expected to see you here.” A familiar voice came from behind Clementine.
Frowning, the girl turned and froze at the sight of Christa. Clementine opened her mouth, only to be hit on the back of her head with the butt of a rifle.
“Hey!” Snapped Christa, glaring at the Savior responsible, “Get back to work!”
“Something wrong?” Asked Negan, appearing behind Christa, before spotting Clementine, “Holy shit, ain’t that the little girl that stabbed me?”
“It is.” Nodded Christa, “Thought she could be an asset.”
“What?” Scoffed Negan, “So she can try again? You! Gimme that machete.”
Negan grabbed Clementine’s left arm, “She’s right-handed?” Christa gave him a reluctant nod, right before he swung the machete down and cut Clementine’s hand off. After leaving Clementine on the ground, missing a hand, Negan gathered his people up and left them. Carlos managed to apply a tourniquet to stop her from bleeding, while Sasha got a fire started so they could cauterize the wound.
T
A few weeks later, Luke turned up with a group of the six people who went to Washington. Glenn and Maggie brought up to speed with what happened, that Eugene lied, and that he wasn’t a scientist, which they’d only learned after they got to DC and found the place abandoned, they’d then gone back to Terminus and found it destroyed, with Kenny finding, and putting down, Sarita. They’d then followed the trail left by their group until it led them to Alexandria.
They, then, were brought up to speed with what happened to the group after they’d left. Glenn then suggested that they fight back, with Kenny and Abraham agreeing. After some discussion, Rick and the others agreed.
Kenny had almost blown his top when he saw Clementine was missing her hand, then there was the whole matter that Christa was with Negan. Soon, Rick and the other members of their group started going to the other communities and start recruiting them for the fight against the Saviors, which went well, until one of the communities sold them out and they were back where they started.
Clementine huffed as she followed Carl through the woods, the most adults had gone to the sanctuary with Rick and the others, taking the fight to Negan. Siddiq, a guy Carl had been helping, trailed behind her. Clementine had found them while Carl was struggling against a Walker, which she dealt with, and they were now heading back to Alexandria.
“Crazy how things have gotten, huh?” Asked Clementine, getting a glance from Carl.
“Not really, the world’s all kinds of messed up now.” Responded Carl, as they approached Alexandria.
“Think the others are okay?” Asked Clementine, as they led Siddiq into a sewer.
“There’s nothing that could go wrong.” Answered Carl, “Unless someone got cold feet and ratted.”
Clementine let out a snort, “Yeah, like that’ll happen.”
A few hours later, Clementine was cursing every god she could think of, as she limped through the sewers, leading Rick and Michonne to where Carl was sitting with the toddlers and other kids, as Carlos and Siddiq tended to the injured. They’d all assumed that it would end today, it never occurred to them that it was just the beginning.
T
It was over. They won. Eugene had abandoned them in favour of joining the Saviors, which apparently became the coalition’s saving grace. Now, they were all in The Kingdom, celebrating. Friends and families that were separated were coming back together and she and Carl got their hands on a bottle of amber liquid, the first few swigs were followed by coughing, but both of them were now used to it.
“What the hell?!” Kenny took the bottle of whiskey from the teens, “Who gave this to you?!”
“Found it.” Clementine gave him a dopey smirk, “No one claimed it and—” Clementine suddenly lurched forwards and threw up. A few feet away Rick sighed, before going over to Kenny to help him with the drunk children.
Next Story: What if the Motel and the Cabin Groups survived to TFS?
