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

83. God Laughs

Clementine awoke to find her side aching like it always did. Reaching for the painkillers, she discovered it was easier for her to move than it had been for the last week. She was still in pain, but the weakness that had plagued her was now only a fraction of what it had been. Looking at the iron supplements on the dresser, Clem grabbed them as well and swallowed a pill from each with a gulp of water. After hearing voices outside, Clem headed for the door, finding herself relieved she was able to walk without much trouble this morning.

"I really don't think you need to bother." Clem saw Anthony talking to Sarah at the front of the Brave. "I mean, with everything that's happened, the laundry can wait."

"I want to do it. It's a nice day and it makes me feel... normal," insisted Sarah as she picked up a basket. "And Clem and Omid are still asleep, so I've got time for once."

Clem pulled the door nearly closed so Sarah wouldn't see her.

"I just don't like spending too long in the same place," said Anthony.

"We're probably a hundred miles away from the farm and Tulsa by now," dismissed Sarah. "I don't think we could find ourselves at this point, let alone the people who attacked us."

"Yeah, probably, but I'm not sure about going to I-Eighty though."

"We talked about this, if Patty and Jet—"

"It's a big risk to go wait on such a huge road just on the off chance they're still alive."

"Anthony..."

"I'm serious. If there are other people out there, and we know there are, they might be using that interstate too," added Anthony. "Whoever cleaned out Tulsa had to be a huge group. I mean, they emptied the Sam's Club in under two weeks. It took a couple of weeks just for me and Devlin to load two trailers of—"

"God, Devlin," said Sarah as she rubbed her eyes. "Everything he did for us and we can't even bury him..."

"There was nothing I could have done," assured Anthony.

"Yeah, I know, it's starting to feel like there's nothing any of us can do..." Clem watched as Anthony moved closer to Sarah and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Look, I know I ain't the easiest person to put up with and sometimes I get kind of pushy," confessed Anthony in an uncharacteristically concerned tone. "But it's only because I care about you Sarah, and I'm afraid of losing what I got left with you. You and Omid."

"And Clem," added Sarah.

"Yeah, of course, her too," said Anthony. "And she's gonna get better now, right?"

"Yeah, she will." Sarah headed for the door, a basket of laundry in her arms. "Listen out for her if she needs help but try not to wake her up, she needs as much rest as she can get." Watching Sarah step out the door, Clem headed back into bed. She was feeling better but figured the best thing she could do is heed Sarah's advice. She pushed her bedpan aside and crawled back under the covers. This was probably the first morning in a long time Clem felt relaxed enough to sleep in, but just as she got comfortable she felt something slowly pulling the covers off of her.

"What... what are you doing here?" asked a panicked Clem as she looked up at a surprised Anthony. "What... what is that?" Clem found her eyes moving to a strange object in Anthony's hand. It looked like a spike fashioned out of a rotten chunk of wood. "What the hell is that?"

"Goddamn it," said Anthony as he carefully threaded the odd spike into a crude looking sheath.

"What are you doing in here?" Clem repeated, more accusing than asking as Anthony pocketed the strange tool. "Get out. Right—"