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

1. Dawn's Early Light

Clementine opened her eyes. Lying in bed across from her was Sarah, sleeping soundly on her side. Clem carefully scooched closer to her snoring friend and tenderly moved her arms around the older girl, gently squeezing her. She could feel Sarah breathing softly in her grasp, and the older girl's long dark hair tickled Clem's nose as she nuzzled her face against the back of Sarah's head.

With the morning sun beaming in through the blinds giving Sarah's brown skin a warm glow, the soft covers enveloping their bodies, and the soothing sound of Sarah breathing as Clementine held her closest friend in her arms, the young girl felt content to simply remain in bed, savoring the tranquility of their modest home. But it was not to last, as Clem suddenly heard a shrill crying from the house's only other occupant.

"I... I'm coming... I'm coming," mumbled a half-asleep Sarah as she instinctively moved out of Clementine's grasp and towards the crib seated in the corner of the bedroom. "Don't cry Omid. I'll be right there." Moving to the edge of the bed, Clementine watched as Sarah retrieved the squealing infant from his tiny bed.

Seeing Sarah try to cradle the crying child in her arms, as she so often does when Omid cries, prompted Clem to get out of bed herself. Christa had warned the girls of the burden of taking care of a child, and how it would be even harder for them as they were still children themselves, but they told the woman they wanted to care for her son anyway.

Clem never regretted that decision, offering to raise the child of the two people who had looked over her and protected her when her parents and Lee couldn't anymore. But looking at Sarah, still in her underwear because she didn't even have time to get dressed before comforting Omid, Clem did wish they could at least have a break occasionally. But there weren't many babysitters left to be found in a world ravaged by the undead. And even if there were, Clem didn't desire a respite from child rearing so much that she would go looking for a sitter, not when she knew what else could be out there.

"He's hungry," concluded Clementine as she put her pants on. "I'll go make him a bottle."

"I think he needs a diaper change too," added Sarah as she tried to soothe Omid with a gentle bouncing motion. "I'll take care of that while you get the bottle."

Clementine left Sarah to tend to the baby and headed for the kitchen. She went to the refrigerator to get some water. It wasn't cold of course, but even without electricity, the fridge seemed like a good place to store things. Next Clem collected a container of baby formula from the cupboard.

Opening the container revealed it was empty, prompting Clem to set it aside and retrieve one of the many unopened containers of baby formula that she and Sarah had found in the ensuing months since they settled here. She scooped a few spoonfuls of the powder into Omid's bottle, poured some water in it, then shook the entire thing until the formula was well mixed.

Returning to the bedroom, Clem had found Omid had settled, but only slightly, still fidgeting anxiously in Sarah's grasp.

"Thanks Clem." Sarah didn't hesitate to take the bottle and immediately guided the nipple towards the fussy baby's mouth, which Omid wasted no time suckling on. "At least he slept through the night this time."

"I'll go make breakfast," offered Clem. "Unless, you want me to look after OJ instead."

"No, I've got him," assured Sarah. "Although, I wish you wouldn't call him that."

"OJ? Why not? It's cute."

"Yeah, but it always makes me thirsty for orange juice."

"Oh, sorry," said Clem. "It's just weird for me to call him Omid, even if his name is Omid Junior. It always feels like I'm trying to talk to his dad."