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

66. Ten Miles

Clementine lurched forward at a modest pace, trying not to think about the myriad of problems near and far that were currently bothering her, the most current of which was how dark it was getting. It still wasn't night yet, but it was getting closer all the time, and with it still being cloudy, there'd be no moon or starlight, which means it'd be pitch black when it happens, and without Clem knowing if she was any closer to St. Christopher's.

Moving down the empty road, Clementine decided to stop and look at any church she passed. In her mind she knew she couldn't have gone ten miles already, yet she decided to look away, hoping somehow she'd find her destination anyway. If the others had come this way, maybe they were checking the churches too Clem reasoned.

Not surprisingly, the couple of churches she checked weren't called Saint Christopher's, but she did see one with a sign that read Saint John's Lutheran Church, which she couldn't help cringing at. Clem found herself wishing she'd asked Nick what Saint Christopher's looked like beyond 'can't miss it.' She also found herself wishing he was here, or Christa, or Sarah, or anyone really. She was nearly desperate enough to consider finding Matt good news, nearly.

Moving along the highway, Clementine also noticed several cars resting on the sides of the road, but never on it. Thinking about it, Clem realized Shaffer's must have cleared the roads to drive their trucks on. Because of this, Clem decided not to bother searching any of the nearby buildings for anything to eat or drink, figuring people from Shaffer's must have already taken everything, except maybe things left in the trash, and she wasn't hungry or thirsty enough to dig around in garbage cans again, at least not yet.

Looking around, Clementine noticed a large semi truck awkwardly parked on the side of the road. It had no trailer, but looking at how tall the cab was, Clem got an idea. Using the headlight as a step, Clementine climbed onto the hood of the vehicle. From there, she moved towards the windshield and hoisted herself on top of the cab itself. Then she carefully moved across the part that sloped upwards to the highest section of the vehicle.

Now standing on top of the truck, Clementine surveyed her surroundings. Sadly, she didn't see much of interest. Plenty of trees, more buildings off in the distance, and lots and lots of highway ahead of her. Looking back the way she came, Clementine couldn't quite be sure if she could see the herd or not. It looked like something was moving around on the horizon, but she couldn't be sure.

Clem had struggled to keep a decent pace, hoping she could put more room between her and the herd, but it was difficult. She was still exhausted, and running just seemed to make her cough worse, so she had to be careful not to overexert herself while still moving faster than the walkers. But reasoning she had established some distance from the herd, Clementine coughed to clear her throat, then opened her mouth to speak.

"Christa!" yelled Clementine as loudly as she could. The small girl waited for an answer, but heard nothing. "Christa!" she repeated, trying to shout even louder than before. Clem listened closely, hoping to hear someone call her name in the distance, but all she heard was the wind. "Nick!" Still no answer. "Sarah!" Clementine sighed to herself.

As she moved to climb down, Clem noticed something unusual out of the corner of her eye. Looking closer, she could definitely see some kind of dim light far down the highway. It may have been a fire, but she really couldn't tell from this distance. Whatever it was, it was in the direction she was going, so Clem reasoned she'd find out soon enough as she climbed down off the truck.

Landing back on the road, Clementine heard a rustling coming from the wooded area bordering the road. She turned to the noise and raised her gun. She watched as something emerged from the brush.

"Hello?" Clementine's nervous greeting was answered by a walker wandering out of the woods and towards the truck. Clementine groaned and lowered the gun, thinking it better to simply run than use another bullet and risk drawing more. As she was moving away, she heard a light thud. Turning back to the truck, she saw the walker banging on the side of it, presumably still chasing after Clementine's yells from a moment ago.