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

20. Hindsight

The pair approached the gas station with care. Clementine stabbed the downed bodies littering the gas pumps while Sarah covered her with the rifle. None of them seemed to be walkers, and certainly weren't after Clem stabbed them. Much to the girl's frustration, her tomahawk kept getting jammed in the skulls of the dead. After needing Sarah's help to free it from the latest head it was stuck in, Clem made a mental note to practice with those sharpening stones as soon as she got back.

The interior was a mess, like most places they saw. Unlike most places, the shelves weren't completely empty. Amongst them were loaves of bread that were closer to loaves of mold now, rotten chocolate bars that had been half devoured by pests, and what was likely a small selection of fruit that had withered into shrunken black husks of their former selves. The girls also couldn't take a step without sending a small swarm of cockroaches darting across the floor.

"This place is so gross," said Sarah.

"I know," said Clem. "Everywhere we usually check is places people have already been. But these people must have died before they could take everything."

"Does that mean they left the stuff that doesn't rot too?" asked Sarah.

"I hope so." Clem was disappointed to see the shelves for canned goods were even emptier than most of the other ones, but looking in the very back she did spot a few unclaimed commodities.

"I think this is canned pineapples." Pulling back her find, Clem knocked over a box of cereal. The box flopped onto the floor and several rats came scurrying out.

"Ah!" Sarah jumped back a few feet as the rodents scampered away.

"Well, at least we know nobody's been here in a really long time," reasoned Clem.

"Yeah, but I don't think we want to eat in here." Sarah eyed the putrid dairy section at the end of the store where several jugs of noxious yellow substance were still sitting on display. "I'm afraid to even take my mask off in here."

"Yeah, it probably smells awful," realized Clem. "But I think I know where it'd be okay to rest."

The girls located the bathrooms and, after a quick evaluation, settled on the one that appeared slightly cleaner. It was hardly an ideal solution, but the sorry state of the storefront seemed like a bad place to stop and eat. Clem found a can opener, a couple of plastic spoons and an unopened bottle of water and returned to the bathroom, where Sarah had set up their lantern so they could see.

Locking the door, Clementine felt a great sense of relief finally removing her backpack and an even greater relief from sitting down. Sarah seemed to share the sentiment, rubbing her back a little after removing her raincoat. The two piled their equipment into the corner and sat down opposite of it to rest. Reluctantly, Clem removed her respirator and sniffed the air.

"Well?" asked Sarah.

"It stinks in here," reported Clem as the smell of mildew and the rancid raincoats irritated her nostrils. "But, it's not too bad."

Sarah removed her respirator next while Clem reached for the water. She unscrewed the cap and immediately put the bottle to her lips. The young girl hadn't even realized just how thirsty she was until she felt that water sliding over her parched throat. It was even slightly chilled from the early morning cold.

"Clem, slow down." Clem set the bottle down and took a deep breath, feeling much better than she did a minute ago. "Save some for me."

Clem looked at the bottle and was shocked to see she had drunk over half of it. "Oops." Clem quickly offered what's left to Sarah. "I'm really sorry Sarah, I—"