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

26. Forgotten Relics

Clementine looked out in awe at the patchwork maze of colorful tunnels, big foam steps, and giant yellow slide swirling down into a ball pit standing in front of her. Everything and more had been walled in by a mesh material strung between large posts painted to look like scaffolding connected to a pair of towering decorative rockets that marked the entrance. The playground was beckoning to her, and Clem was ready to oblige it when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"We got to make sure it's safe first," reminded Sarah.

"Okay." Clem freed herself from Sarah's grip and raced towards the playground.

"Clem!"

"I'll make sure it's safe, you watch OJ for a second." Clementine raced past the entrance and immediately started jumping up the giant foam steps leading to the ball pit. "Hey!" yelled Clem. "Anyone in there!" Clementine banged one of the metal poles holding the mesh wall in place, making a loud clang that echoed throughout the area. No movement from the pit, nor did Clem smell even a hint of the walker's trademark pungent odor in the air, so she leapt belly first into the small sea of plastic balls.

Confident she had made enough noise to rouse even the laziest of walkers, Clementine pulled herself out of the ball pit and rushed back to the entrance, finding Omid's stroller but not Omid and Sarah.

"Sarah?"

"Over here." Clem hurried past the edge of the entrance and found Sarah and Omid in a small plastic playhouse tucked away beside the main playground. Sarah was sitting at the top of a short blue slide with Omid seated in her lap. "Clem, wait at the bottom to catch him."

Clem raced over to the slide and sat down in front of it. "Come on OJ, come to me, I'm right here." Omid smiled as he saw Clem clapping just below him.

"One, two, three!" Sarah helped Omid off the edge of the slide and the boy squealed as he slid the few short feet into Clementine's arms.

"There you go!" Clem caught Omid mid slide and lifted him high into the air. "Lift off!" Omid laughed heartily and hysterically as Clem kept him in the air for a few seconds before clutching the boy back to her chest.

"Bring him back up to the top and we'll do it again." Clem took a step towards Sarah, then flashed the older girl a devious smile. "Clem?" Clementine took off running back to the bigger playground, carrying a still giggling Omid in her arms as she did.

She took him up the big steps, through the ball pit, up a ramp, and into a maze of big colorful tubes. "This way OJ." Clem set Omid in one of the tunnels and crawled ahead of him, the boy eagerly following after Clem with a big smile. Luring Omid through the tunnels and helping him move higher into the playground, Clem found herself approaching the entrance of the big yellow slide, which Omid was speeding towards as fast as he could on four limbs.

"Hang on." Clem grabbed Omid before he crawled into the slide.

"Ah-duh-bah!" he cheered.

"You're gonna get to go, but we're going to go together." Clem sat down and inched into the slide. Peering deep into that dark spiraling tube, Clem felt a slight hesitation, but then she felt an eager baby trying to slide without her. "Okay. Here we go." Clem leaned back and pushed off into the slide.

"Whhoooaaa!" Clementine clutched Omid to her body as she spiraled downward through the dizzying display of twisted yellow plastic before being flung feet first into a pit of balls that she immediately sunk to the bottom of. Clementine couldn't stop laughing, struggling to breathe as she felt Omid crawling across her chest. The chuckling infant pushed through the multi-colored mess of balls until Clem found herself staring directly at Omid's laughing face, his big brown eyes overflowing with joy.