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

24. Giant Leaps for Mankind

The parking lot of the Kennedy Space Center appeared deserted. There were only a couple of cars left and no bodies or blood stains littering the asphalt as far as Clementine could see. It'd be eerie if the girl hadn't learned to fear places where people had stayed before. Finding somewhere truly abandoned seemed more like a godsend than a cause for alarm nowadays.

The lack of recent activity, from the dead or the living, didn't seem to concern Sarah either as she volunteered to investigate the surrounding area. Maybe it was the prospect of visiting the Kennedy Space Center, but Clem never saw the older girl so excited to leave the Brave, hurriedly collecting her gear and practically skipping across the parking lot.

While Sarah investigated, Clem retrieved Omid's orange jumper and helped the boy into it, despite his constant resistance. Then she treated the boy, and herself, to some peanut butter. Not long after getting Omid's shoes on, Sarah returned, confirming that the visitor center was the same as the parking lot; no walkers, no bodies, no signs of struggle or recent visitation. The girls briefly debated if this area had been evacuated or not, then agreed the best way to know for sure was to check out the space center together, preferably while enjoying everything it had to offer them.

Confident it was safe as could be expected, the girls moved Omid's stroller outside and plopped the boy down into it. They elected to leave their raincoats and respirators behind, but brought pistols and melee weapons as a precaution. Clem also set Omid's stuffed elephant in the stroller with its owner, who was happy to paw at it while they all moved towards the main plaza.

Stepping out of the parking lot and onto a path paved with red and blue stonework, Clem couldn't help breathing a little easier. The noon sun had warmed the air, and in the distance Clem could hear birds chirping. If not for the palm tree planters being overrun with weeds and tall grass, it'd look like this place had been preserved just for them to visit.

"This is so great," awed Sarah as they walked past a giant blue globe of the NASA logo, which was now surrounded by unkempt and overgrown shrubs. "I can't believe we're really here."

"This is pretty cool," said Clem as she pushed Omid's stroller. "OJ, what do you think?" Omid happily babbled in response. Watching the carefree boy constantly laughing as he stared up at the sky, Clem realized he was just excited to be outside at all.

"I think he likes it," said Sarah.

"So, where should we go first?" asked Clem.

"Let's check out the rocket garden."

"The rocket garden?" Sarah pointed at a large entranceway with the word 'EXPLORE' hanging above it in big blue letters. Just beyond the sign, Clem could see the tops of tall spacecrafts pointing up towards the sky. The pair hurried past the entrance and into an open courtyard adorned with fully erect rockets on display. "Oh, rocket garden, I get it," said Clem as she finally understood the pun.

"Aren't these amazing?" asked Sarah as she craned her neck backwards to see every bit of a massive white rocket standing next to her. "I didn't get a chance to really stop and look at any of these before when I was searching the area earlier."

There appeared to be six rockets standing in the courtyard, practically surrounding the girls as they moved between them. Each of them absolutely towered over them, almost if they were redwoods made from metal instead of wood. And yet the relatively thin cables tethering them to the ground suggested they could be toppled if neglected for too long.

Stopping to admire one of the smaller rockets, Clem found herself straining her neck trying to see all of this man-made marvel. Looking at the very top, the rocket's tip appeared to pierce the sky itself, as if to state its builders' intentions. Hearing a soft gasping sound from Omid's stroller, Clem looked down to find the boy was stunned by the sight of the rocket, his eyes wide with interest and his mouth agape with awe