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

44. Like Children

"Dude kicked Gene's ass," recounted Matt as he reached for his soup bowl.

"Really now?" asked a curious Christa.

"He seemed kinda angry almost," noted Sarah.

"It was sorta fun to watch though," added Clementine.

"Was awesome watching the fucker squirm when Walter pointed out they don't really give a fuck about us or babies or anything," smirked Mick.

"Forgive me if I'm not as excited about this news as you are," quipped Christa.

"It was just great watching someone call that asshole on his bullshit," said Matt.

"And where is he now?" Carlos's question caused everyone to look around for any sign of Walter. There was no one waiting in line to get lunch, and they didn't see Walter at the other tables either.

"He's not here," realized Sarah.

"Oh yeah," noted a bemused Mick.

"Do you think he got in trouble?" Sarah asked her father.

"I don't see Gene either," noted Matt. "Maybe they're both in trouble."

"I'm sure Walter will be okay," Carlos told Sarah. "All he did was talk to Gene, they won't punish him for that."

"I hope not," said Christa. "I heard some shots about an hour ago."

"Oh that was probably just our survival class," informed Mick.

"More shooting practice?" asked Carlos.

"No, it was firecrackers," said Clementine.

"Firecrackers?" asked Christa.

"That Tom dude was telling us how you can use fireworks to distract creeps," explained Mick.

"He told us about how he'd use bottle rockets to help clear out areas of lurkers," explained Sarah. "He also said he carries firecrackers with him when he goes on supply runs, in case he needs a distraction."

"Huh, that's pretty clever actually," noted Christa.

"They used fireworks a lot in the early days," noted Carlos. "But they became difficult to find after a while, so now they're only used for emergencies."

"He also taught us about noisemakers," said Clem.

"What are those?" asked Christa.

"You just get a can or a jar and fill it with things that make noise. Like coins or screws or rocks, and then you shake it around," explained Clem. "He told us they use them before they go into buildings because it draws the walkers out, and they're easier to deal with in the open."

"He also said bells can work too," said Sarah. "But if you don't have one you can make one of these instead. And you should put cotton or paper or some other kind of stuffing in it when you're not using it, or it'll make lots of noise when you walk around. He also showed us if you tie a long rope to a bell or a noisemaker, then throw it over a street light or a tree branch, you can shake it from far away."

"It was like how Molly used bells in Savannah, but smaller and you can move it around," said Clem. "Also, Tom said I tied the best knots out of everyone."

"Nice to know I didn't spend a week boring you about knots for nothing," quipped Christa.

"He also told us about how thunderstorms confuse the lurkers, and how they react to distant sounds differently than close ones.

"Oh, he taught us about prioritizing your equipment while scavenging. Telling us you always take as much food and batteries and bullets as you can carry, because you always need them. But don't bother taking more than one gun, or knife, or stuff like that because you can't use more than one at a time.