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

110. Burning Daylight

Clementine looked out at the Pacific Ocean in disbelief. Sitting on a beach and staring out at where the land ended and the water began was unreal to her. She expected to wake up any second, discover this was just another dream before returning to the unending grind of picking through the trash of yet another abandoned town. But it didn't happen, instead she listened to the gentle rhythm of the waves washing over the sand.

The sun was starting to set, dipping itself gently into the ocean while a gentle orange glow washed over the area. Clem found her feeling content for the first time in days. It had been such a long time since she had just sat down and taken in a sight that filled her with something other than dread. The aches and sores that plagued her body faded from notice and Clem felt her mind go blank.

Turning her gaze slightly, her eyes fell on Sarah and Omid sitting on the beach just ahead of her. Omid was sitting in Sarah's lap and staring at the jar in her hand as she banged against the bottom with her free hand. Clem approached the pair as a single gummy fell out of the jar and landed in the palm of Sarah's hand. The small bit of ease Clem had found was suddenly chased away as she stared at the shriveled vitamin.

"That's... that's the last one, isn't it?" Sarah merely nodded at Clem. "That second jar didn't last long."

"It was all we had yesterday," noted Sarah, her voice and hand trembling. "And... this is literally the only thing we have left to eat." Sarah shuddered as she spoke those words. "We... we should save it. We-"

"For what?" asked a resigned Clem. "We can't split one gummy eight ways, it's not gonna be enough for any of us tomorrow." Clem looked down at Omid, who was looking up at both of them. "At least... he'll be happy for a few seconds."

Sarah let out a weak sigh. Omid was staring at her desperately, clearly very hungry; they all were. She knelt down and carefully fed him their last morsel of food.

"Slowly," said Sarah as she held onto the gummy as Omid started chewing on it. "Savor it."

Omid didn't exactly heed Sarah's advice, but she kept a close grip on the vitamin, making sure he could only eat as much of it as she let slip past her thumb and forefinger. Little by little, Clem watched Omid happily bite off pieces of the stale but still sugary treat. And then, it was gone. They were left with a still-hungry Omid and nothing to feed him. He turned his head and stared at the empty jar.

Clem thought to herself for a moment, then took the jar from Sarah. She sat down on the ground and started scooping sand into it as Sarah guided Omid closer. He watched intently as Clem suddenly flipped the jar over and set it on the sand. She carefully lifted the jar, leaving behind a pile of sand shaped just like it. Omid was awed by this magic and watched with great interest as Clem repeated the trick.

Clementine found herself smiling a little as Omid's eyes went wide with surprise as she created another jar-shaped mound of sand next to the other. Sarah sat down beside Clem and put an arm around her. Together, they built a crude sand castle as the sounds of the ocean soothed their frayed nerves. It was cold, but huddling together for warmth, it was almost enough for Clem to forget her worries again. She just sat there with her family and played in the sand.

Eventually, Omid's interest turned from the sand to the jar itself. Clem noticed him eyeing it and handed it to him. It took both hands for Omid to grasp the jar, and even then he dropped it almost immediately. Clem huddled in close to Sarah as they both watched their boy fiddle with the empty container. He awkwardly grasped at it, eventually grabbing it near the top with one hand. Clem expected him to start shoveling sand into it with the other, but he didn't.

Omid's hand was small enough to fit entirely into the jar. He reached into it as deep as he could, looking for something. Clem sighed as she realized what he wanted; more food. The little tinge of joy she felt faded and all Clem was left with was the cold. Turning to Sarah, she could see the same look of disappointment. Omid was hungry and they had no food.