Lost home, new hope
The trio used the fixed truck to make their way back to Howe's which although roughed up along the expansion, the majority of the building was still in one piece. Taking the keys out of the ignition Luke pocketed them in the large jacket Kenny gave him and they patrolled around Howe's picking off any walker that had been left behind or newly turned guards from the Carver's crew.
"Man this store has everything'!" Luke cheered as he pulled out a highchair and baby carrier thing (you know where you where them on your front) and getting some formula for AJ as Clem set him in the highchair whilst Luke used a gas cooker (one of those camping ones) to heat the water and formula and cooking some canned beans for them to eat.
*Burp and gurgling sound* clapping AJ's back and getting him to burp happily Luke set the now month old baby on his lap and began bouncing him causing the baby to giggle, brown eyes shining. "I reckon he'll be crawling soon, whaddya think Clem?" the texan man queried the teenager who sat next to him taking stock of the supplies left after packing what they could into duffels and into the back as we ran out of baby formula a few days, when we realised the hardware store could only be somewhere to stay momentarily.
"Yeah definitely as smart as his mom and stubborn as her dad" she agreed a sad look coming over her face as she remembered burying Alvin after they reclaimed Howe's and declared it safe. "I bet they're both watching us help their little boy grow up and be safe ya know?" he stated confident in his thoughts as he looked uo to see the clouded sky "It'll rain again soon" he sighed and the two headed it AJ now placed on Clems hip starting to doze off.
They all headed over to what was once the guards barracks as it had a portable heater and actual beds they could use and got into bed, ready for another day of securing the area "Night Luke, and you cutie" Clem bid squeezing AJ's cheeks lightly making the baby squirm as she got beneath the sheets.
Laying Aj on the side with the wall on it he got himself and the baby under the covers and turning to face the baby who kinda looked like a catepillars cocoon with how tightly wrapped up he was "G'night kiddos, tomorrow is just another day we'll get through it same as we always do" and shut his eyes dozing off immeadiatly to the sound of light snores and snuffles.
Oh Murphy's Law everyone hates you. You always show up at the worst and most unexpected moment.
Waking up suddenly with a sense of foreboding filling him Luke quickly woke up Clementine and she put the baby harness on placing the still sleeping baby in it and the two armed themselves, Luke his machete and rifle and Clem with a screwdriver and a pistol.
Opening the door quietly, cringing at the loud squeaking noise it emitted they headed toward the storage space in the back that was linked to the garage, which their truck was parked in bags of supplies in the back others piled around it. They knew they couldn't stay here much longer the place wasn't as stocked out as once thought and held almost wholly negative memories due to Carver. Running to the truck Luke quickly grabbed the last few bags and chucked them onto the flatbed.
"ARGH- get off me!" came the shouts of Clem who was getting cornered by a set of walkers that had stumbled in, how had they not heard them enter?! "I'm comin'" unsheathing his machete Luke sliced through the decaying bodies of two of the walkers like a knife through butter. Clem finished off the remaining ones with a war cry of anger, as if punishing them for even trying to get to the young spark of life that was now very awake on her chest.
The two jumped into the car seatbelts on an Luke brought the keys to the ignition, trying to get it ti start but it wouldn't catch and the other walkers hearing the noise were beginning to head to investigate. "Come on, come on, come on!" and on the fourth try the engine caught and the engine sputtered to life, Foot on the accelerator luke plowed through the walkers shouting a loud "FUCK YEAH" as they drove away from the now surrounded hardware store.
Looking in the rearview mirror both were amazed and horrified at the amount of walkers in the horde that had swarmed the store, why hadn't they seen or heard the horde? Especially at the speed it was travelling at, now they just had to stay one step ahead of it for as long as they could.
Driving down a main road Luke searched through the glove compartment a laughed when he found the perfect CD disc to play on a car journey, slipping it in he turned it up and began to sing along as the song began "I would walk 500 miles and i would walk 500 more-" loudly and as badly as he could causing a eruption of sniggers from Clementine.
Things wouldn't be so bad after all.
