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

50. The Mad Woman's Greenhouse

Returning to the yard and collecting her meal, Clementine drank nearly half her soup in one gulp. Cookie's soup was already wonderful, and being the first thing she had eaten since eating it at lunch yesterday made it even more heavenly.

Sadly, Clem's appetite gave her little chance to savor the meal, downing all of it shortly after collecting it. Looking at Sarah's bowl, Clem found the older girl had already finished her meal too. And looking at her face, Clem could see Sarah was still hungry, just like her.

Carlos tried to offer his daughter some comfort, as did Christa for Clem, but it did little for either girl. Clem however did feel a little better knowing they would be leaving this place before long, but Sarah didn't, as she didn't know that.

Seeing the fearful look in her eyes, Clementine felt tempted to tell the older girl. Looking at her father, Clem could see Carlos likely shared this temptation with her. Yet neither said anything. A light rain began not long after lunch started, and the sound of the water hitting the top of the tent made conversation difficult.

As such, everyone merely waited quietly for lunch to end, Clem sharing a look of quiet anticipation with Christa, Carlos and Nick as they did. After Maude called an end to the meal, Hector approached the table, telling Mick and Matt they were to come with him while Clem and Sarah were to go with Harry to the greenhouse to be instructed by the resident gardener, Lauren.

Looking at Harry, Clem thought he looked a little like Matthew, but more muscular. He also didn't smile like Matthew did either, simply leading Clem and Sarah away with a quick tilt of his head. Moving through the rain, Clem found herself wishing she had an umbrella or rain coat. At least her hat stopped some of the water while Sarah had taken to using her jacket to shield herself from the weather.

"So, what's Lauren like?" Harry said nothing in response to Clem's question. "How come we never see her at lunch?" Again, no response. Looking at Harry, Clementine noticed he was wearing some kind of protective sports gear on his forearms. "What are those things on your arms?" Still no answer. "Um... can you hear me?"

"Yep," answered Harry.

"You just don't talk much?"

"Nope." Clem sighed. Looking ahead she saw another arrangement of cargo containers, forming a smaller wall near the corner of the main wall. Towering over the shorter wall were a pair of metal poles holding up what looked like some kind of clear plastic over the entire area. Harry opened the door to a container that served as a tunnel and led the girls through. Upon opening the container's other door, Clementine found herself standing in awe at the massive arrangement of plants spread out across dozens of tables.

"Wow." Moving inside Clem realized they were standing under a giant tent made out of a see-through material. The walls surrounding the tent were made of the same material, allowing Clem to see the rainwater flow off the tent and into a series of large metal tubs surrounding the exterior. Taking a breath, she discovered even the air smelled sweeter. But there was no sign of Lauren. "So where's—" Clem watched Harry disappear back into the tunnel as he closed the doors.

Looking around, Clem found herself stunned at just how beautiful all the plants were. There were several rows of strawberry bushes in different states of bloom lined up against one side, over half of which were bearing plump bright red fruit. There was a table full of a wide assortment of colorful flowers arranged to form a rainbow of different floras. Planters brimmed with large leafy vegetables while tall green stalks grew from carrot tops sitting in a tray of water. Across from that were rows of planters with wire cage constructions that had whole cucumbers hanging off them, just waiting to be picked. They looked so delicious that Clem couldn't resist reaching for one.