Three Orphan Pilgrimage (The Alternative to TWDG's Final Season) [Walking Dead]

44. Grievances

Patty's irritable glare cut right through Clementine, filling the girl with dread.

"Well?" asked the woman. "You gonna tell me what I did to deserve this?"

"I... I don't know what you're talking about," stuttered Clem.

"Don't play dumb, we both know you're upset with me," said Patty.

"I... did Sarah tell you?" asked Clem.

"Tell me what? It's obvious. You've been clamming up anytime I go near you lately and today you volunteer to come with me just so you can stare at me like I'm gonna try something any minute." Clem felt herself growing sick upon hearing how easily Patty saw through her. "Jesus, would you stop looking at me like I'm going to bite you? I just want to know why you're acting like this around me. What did I do wrong? Telling me that is the least you could do considering all the food I've been bringing you."

Clem sighed to herself and looked away. "It bothered me that you brought that gun into the RV, even though I told you to leave them outside."

"What, when?"

"When you got propane for us."

"Really? That was like a week ago."

"Why did you do it?"

"I told you, I just forgot about it."

"What about the first time you came into the RV, outside of Valkaria," said Clem. "You told us you didn't have any guns then, but did you?"

Patty groaned. "Yeah, I had the one in my sock."

"Did you forget about it?"

"No."

"So you lied to us."

Patty shrugged. "Sorry, but I felt a little nervous about stepping into an RV full of people I didn't know unarmed. Hell, I feel a little nervous about going anywhere unarmed these days. I mean, don't you? Isn't that why you and Sarah have guns?"

"Yeah, because we're afraid of what other people will do with their guns."

"That's... a good point," conceded Patty. "Look, I'm sorry about bringing a gun into your RV. It was an accident last time and I'm sorry about lying to you that first time. I didn't want any trouble, I was just trying to keep safe. I'll be sure to put all my guns up in the future before I come in."

"What about you knife?" asked Clem.

"Well, if you're worried about it, I..." Patty suddenly looked right at Clem. "How do you know I have a knife?"

"I..." Patty was staring at Clem now, which just led Clem to assume her guilt was obvious at this point. "I went through your jacket when you were in the shower."

"After you saw I had that other gun on me," concluded Patty.

"I'm sorry, but it really bothered me, and I was worried about what else you weren't telling us about," said Clem.

"I didn't tell you about it because I didn't think it was a big deal." Clem tensed up as Patty removed a switchblade from her jacket. She pressed the button, extending the blade, then set it on the counter. "Take a closer look, it's dull as hell."

Clem slowly picked up the knife and examined it carefully with her light. It was hard to tell just by looking at it, but it definitely appeared worn. Just dragging the blade across the counter top, Clem was surprised by how much effort it was taking to make even a shallow mark.

"I use it mostly for prying things open and cutting cheap plastic," said Patty. "The only time I'd ever use it in a fight is if I'm out of bullets, and even then I might favor my bare hands."