Young and Young at Heart (The Rewrite of The Walking Dead Game: S2) [TWDG/TWD]

56. Hard Labor

Maude marched Clementine along one of Shaffer's walls and into the forested area just beyond it.

"Where... where are we going?" asked a nervous Clem.

"You, are going to assist Richard this morning," informed Maude. "You do everything he tells you to do. If you don't, then you getting nothing for lunch." Clementine tensed up as she heard a chainsaw revving up in the distance. "If you try to run or Richard thinks you're trying to run, he won't hesitate to shoot you," explained Maude, her voice devoid of any concern. "So don't give him a reason to."

The area they were moving through was littered with dozens of tree stumps and near one the larger ones was a middle-aged man with a beard and a chainsaw. He was slicing the trunk of a fallen tree into smaller pieces, working his way to the end of the tree before turning around.

"Rich!" Richard turned the chainsaw off so he could hear Maude.

"What!" he answered.

"I brought you a helper." Maude shoved Clementine forward.

"Are you fuckin' kidding me? Another damn kid?" groused the man.

"Another?" Clementine suddenly noticed Adam collecting pieces of cut up timber around one of the bigger tree stumps. He carried them over to a large industrial cart and stacked them inside.

"Gene said put her to work, so here she is," instructed Maude.

"Why don't you tell Gene the last thing I need is more fucking useless kids," barked Richard. "Especially a fucking girl. Even that worthless shit Matt would have been better than her."

"Gene said she works, so she works," retorted an irritated Maude. "So start working." Maude marched off, leaving Clementine alone with Richard.

"Um, so—"

"Quit babbling and get your ass over here." Clementine quickly moved to where Richard was standing. The man picked up a large axe and looked down at Clem and Adam. "Cyclops, you stack the wood. Princess, you put the logs on the stump." Clementine looked at the fallen tree behind Richard, now just a line of logs waiting to be picked up. "Today!" Clem grabbed the nearest piece of wood and strained to pick it up. It felt like it weighed a ton, and carrying it back towards the stump proved to be exhausting.

"Fucking pathetic," grumbled Richard as Clem dropped the log onto the stump. "Set it right side up!" Richard arched the axe up as Clem moved the chunk of wood so that it was standing upright. As soon as she finished, Richard brought the axe down on the log, causing Clem to snap her hands back in surprise as it was split into two. She watched as Richard quickly hacked the halves into quarters.

"Well, where's the next one?" yelled Richard. "Don't just stand there, get moving! There should be another piece ready by the time I'm done." Clementine rushed back to the next piece of wood and grabbed it. The second one felt even heavier than the first, and it was a slightly longer walk than the first. She dumped it on the stump, righted it, then rushed back for the next piece.

"Pick up the pace!" barked Richard as he chopped the wood.

"I'm doing my best," muttered an already tired Clem as she strained to carry the next log to the stump.

"Your best is shit," commented Richard as Clem dropped the next piece onto the stump. "Ya pampered little princess, probably never worked a day in your life." Clementine straightened the third piece and went for the fourth. Richard finished hacking the latest log while Clem struggled to even lift another piece.

"Put some effort in it. Some hard work won't kill you."

"I'm trying," cried Clem. "My arm is—"