Clementine opened her eyes. She could see the morning sun beaming in through the window and tried to sit up, only to find a pair of arms wrapped around her waist. Carefully rolling over in place, Clem found herself face to face with a still sleeping Sarah. The older girl was snoring softly as Clem carefully brushed her hair aside. Seeing her face clearly, Clem smiled to herself before moving her hand to Sarah's cheek, which seemed to stir the older girl from her slumber.
"Hi," said Clem as Sarah opened her eyes.
"Clem?" mumbled Sarah. "Why are you touching my cheek?"
"Because you're holding me." Sarah suddenly realized where her arms were.
"Sorry…" spoke an embarrassed Sarah as she pulled her arms back.
"Don't be," said Clem with a smile. "I like it when you hold me."
"I don't know why I do that sometimes when I'm sleeping," said Sarah.
"You don't?" asked a surprised Clem. "I figured you do it because you like me."
"I think I'm just used to sleeping with an extra pillow," reasoned Sarah. "I usually held onto one anytime I slept on my side."
"Why?" asked Clem.
"It just helped me sleep, having something to hold onto."
"It's okay if you want to hold onto me," offered Clem.
"Um… okay. Well, the sun is out, we should—"
A mechanical sputtering from outside cut Sarah short. Clem saw a sudden swell of anxiety force Sarah's eyes wide open as the girls felt their sense of safety evaporate. They both shot out of bed; Sarah hurrying to get dressed while Clem stood up on the bed to peer out the back window.
"Do you see anything?" asked a nervous Sarah as she quickly slipped her shirt on.
"Nothing," said Clem as she scanned the empty road and its surroundings.
"I don't see anything from this side either," said Sarah as she pulled the blinds back just enough to peer out one of the side windows as another mechanical sputtering sounded.
"I think it's coming from this side." Clem hopped off the bed and rushed to the other window. Pulling the blinds back, she could see Patty leaned over her motorcycle. The woman was fiddling with one of the handle bars as the sputtering grew into a dull roar. "It's just Patty's bike."
"Oh that's good," spoke a relieved Sarah as she flopped back onto the bed. "I was really worried for a second."
Turning back to the window, Clem saw Patty switch her motorcycle off, then approach the covered trailer hitched to the back of it. Clem watched with great curiosity as the woman threw open the trailer's top.
"Clem, aren't you going to get dressed?" asked Sarah.
"In a minute," said Clem as she watched Patty pack tools into her trailer. "I just want to see…"
"See what?" Clem looked over her shoulder to see Sarah standing right behind her, looking slightly annoyed.
"I just want to see… if her bike's okay."
This answer did not seem to satisfy Sarah. "Clem, don't spy on Patty."
"I'm not spying," insisted Clem as Sarah went to check on Omid, who was nestled in his crib in the corner. "I'm just…"
"You wouldn't like it if she was looking in our window at us, so don't do that to her," said Sarah as she knelt down to collect a sleeping Omid.
"I just want to know what she keeps in there," said Clem as she stepped away from the window.
"She just keeps her tools in there," said Sarah as she carefully cradled Omid. "Who needs a fresh diaper?" she teased in a quiet voice.
"You know for sure that's all she keeps in there?"
"Clem, just drop it, please," said Sarah. "Patty's not going to hurt us."
"You can't know that for sure," insisted Clem as she got dressed.
"I've spent more time with Patty than you have, and I always feel safe. I bet you would too if you just got to know her better."
"If I saw what was in her trailer I'd know her better," quipped Clem.
"That's not what I meant and you know it," said Sarah. "Seriously, just relax, everything's fine."
"That can change anytime."
"Which is why you shouldn't worry. Things can always change, but right now they're pretty good, and you should be happy." Clem looked over at Sarah, noting the concern on her face and the drooling Omid in her arms.
"I… I'll go make breakfast while you change Omid," said Clem.
Sarah kept eyeing Clem with concern, but eventually she relented and carefully laid Omid out on the bed while Clementine headed for the closet just outside the bedroom. Browsing their food supply, the selection was lacking compared to what it looked like when they left Valkaria. Intact stores of any kind were incredibly rare, but Patty managed to scrap together enough so they could still have a choice for their meals.
As Clementine started preparing breakfast, she could occasionally hear Patty revving her motorcycle in the distance, which would always cause the girl to take pause. She thought about creeping to the window to investigate, but managed to resist the urge for now and focus on her meal for a time. But as she finished preparing Omid's juice and turned off the stove, the urge to check on Patty grew stronger.
"Who's hungry?" Clem turned her head and saw Sarah backing into the room.
"Mah-bah! Mah-bah!" cheered Omid as he followed Sarah a few steps at a time. Every time Clem saw Omid walk it looked easier and easier for him, and watching Sarah help the boy into his booster seat by the dining table just made the girl smile.
"Here you go," said Clem as she handed the boy a sippy cup. "Fresh-squeezed OJ for OJ."
"Mah-bah," said Omid as he raised the sippy cup to his lips.
"Easy now," cautioned Sarah as she held her hand over the cup, hoping to stop Omid from spilling any of his juice. The boy quickly downed the entire cup, continuing to suck on it for several seconds before realizing it was empty.
"Mah-bah, mah-bah!" demanded OJ.
"That's all for today," said Clem as she took the empty sippy cup. "I'll get you some water though."
"He hasn't had any formula in over a week," noted Sarah. "I think we've finally weaned him."
"Yeah, but we don't have many oranges left," said Clem as she filled Omid's cup with water. "In about a week, we won't have any left to make orange juice with."
Clem handed Omid his sippy cup, who immediately started drinking from it, only to set it down shortly after tasting it. "Mah-bah?" questioned Omid as he studied the cup. "Mah-bah!" pleaded Omid.
"No more today OJ, we don't—"
"Mah-bah! Mah-bah!" chanted an upset Omid.
"Omid no," said Sarah in a stern voice. "You'll get more juice tomorrow."
"Mah-bah!" cried Omid.
Sarah sighed. "I'll tell Patty to keep a look out today for kool-aid, or something else to make water taste like juice. I'll also tell her to get any formula she sees, just in case."
"Well, maybe he'll eat some breakfast this time," said Clem as she started spooning some oatmeal into a bowl. "I put more honey in it this time. He really seems to like sweet things."
Clem set out a couple of bowls on the table along with half of an already squeezed orange. Sarah immediately swallowed a spoonful of oatmeal and Clem studied the older girl's face carefully for a reaction.
"Clem," mumbled Sarah through her food.
"Yeah?" asked an anxious Clem.
"This is really, really good," praised Sarah before quickly swallowing another spoonful.
"Thanks," said a pleased Clementine as she started peeling a piece of orange off her half. "I also used a little cinnamon this time and put some raisins in it. They're a little hard because they're old, but—"
"They're great," said Sarah as she swallowed another spoonful.
"I figured since this oatmeal is soft and hot, it'd be harder to tell." Clem started chewing on her orange. Even with the juice squeezed out, what remained was still a pleasant treat, one which Clem wished they had more of.
"You're such a good cook," complimented Sarah as she ate more oatmeal.
"I'm okay," shrugged a modest Clem. "It's better than just eating cold stuff out of cans." Clem took a bite of the oatmeal and found it as savory and sweet as it was pleasantly warm. "I gotta figure out how to make grits taste better next; we got tons of them stacked up in the closet."
"Okay Omid, open up, here comes the airplane." Sarah guided a spoonful of oatmeal towards the boy, but Omid turned his head away and closed his mouth. "Come on Omid, it's good, you'll like it."
"Mah-bah!" insisted Omid while turning his head away from the spoon.
"I don't know what we're going to do when we run out of oranges."
A couple of knocks came from the door, followed by one more after a short pause. "I'll get it. You just keep trying to feed OJ." Clementine unlocked the door and opened it to find Patty standing outside.
"Howdy neighbor," greeted the woman. "It smells like you're making breakfast in there. Any chance you made me some?"
"Um, no… sorry," said Clem.
"Right, right, why would you?" shrugged Patty. "Anyway, I was just letting you know I was getting ready to check out the next town over."
"Make sure you take any kool-aid or anything else you can pour into water to make it taste more like juice," said Clem. "And any baby formula if you can find it."
"Sarah told me you guys were trying to get the little man off formula."
"We are, but we're going to run out of oranges soon, so if he doesn't eat anything, we might have to give him formula again," said Clem.
"Ahh, that's what the kool-aid is for, you're hoping he'll take to it," realized Patty. "All right, I'll keep an eye out for it." The woman turned and started walking towards her bike.
"Wait, Patty."
"Yeah?" asked the woman as she turned around.
"How… how about I come with you today?" suggested Clem.
"You actually want to come with me?" asked a surprised Patty. "Why?"
"I… want to help you out today," said Clem.
"Really?" asked a somewhat skeptical Patty. "Why today?"
"Because, you helped us so much; I should help you," said Clem. "Also, I kind of want to go out today."
"You want to go out?" repeated a confused Patty. "You know it can be dangerous out there?"
"Of course I do. I had to save you back in Titusville, remember?"
"Yeah, I remember, and I remember you telling me that you nearly got yourself killed doing it," reminded a concerned Patty. "The last thing I want to do is get you killed in return."
"Well, I don't want you to get killed either," reasoned Clem. "So you should let me come with you, so we can look out for each other."
"All right, if that's what you want, I wouldn't mind someone watching my back. I'll go get everything ready for our trip."
"I'll finish breakfast and come out to meet you." Clem headed back inside and went to collect her bowl of oatmeal.
"What did Patty say?" asked Sarah as she kept trying to coax Omid into eating some oatmeal.
"She was just letting us know she'll be leaving to check out a town soon," said Clem. "And… I'm going with her."
"What?"
"I'm going with Patty to look for food today."
"What? Why?"
"You said I should get to know Patty better," reminded Clem.
"I didn't mean like that," said Sarah. "That's dangerous."
"Everything's dangerous now," shrugged Clem. "And we used to go out alone all the time before we met Patty."
"And it was terrible," reminded Sarah.
"And if Patty ever leaves us we'll have to do it again."
"She's not going to just leave us Clem."
"Well, what if something happens to her while she's out looking for food?" Sarah stared at Clem, but the older girl seemed to have no answer for Clem's question. "We shouldn't depend on Patty to always get us food." Sarah kept staring at Clem, which unnerved the girl. "Well, am I wrong?"
"You're not wrong, it's just…" Sarah sighed. "I know you're not doing this for those reasons, you're doing this because you still don't trust Patty, and you want to spy on her."
"Did it really not bother you that Patty didn't tell us about that gun she brought in here?"
"A little, but I don't think she's going to do anything to hurt us."
"What about other people?" challenged Clem. "She sounded like she meant it when she said she'd kill Rhonda. She might kill other people."
"I don't think Patty is going to kill anyone."
"Really? Because we…" Clem found herself swallowing her own words before she could say them. Looking at Sarah, Clem felt the guilt she could see on the older girl's face. "Like I said, we don't know her that well." Clem pulled a stool up to cupboards and retrieved her pistol and bayonet.
"At least give her today."
Clem looked over her shoulder. "What do you mean?"
"Just spend the day with Patty before you do anything that would make her mad, okay?" pleaded Sarah. "Don't try to look into her trailer or make a big deal about the gun or anything like that today."
"Why not?" asked Clem.
"Because if you just spend some time with her you'd know she's a good person," said Sarah. "So please, don't do anything to upset her, at least for today, for me?"
Clementine found herself caught off guard by Sarah's big brown eyes practically begging her to listen, and then she caught sight of Omid, who was also staring at her.
"Muh-meh gah-dah?" asked Omid.
"I'll… I'll be good," Clem promised Omid. "And I'll be careful." Clem turned back towards the cupboard. She was about to grab her gun's spare magazine, but then she spotted something else.
"Wait, you're not taking that with you?" asked Sarah.
"Yeah, I am." Clem hopped off the stool and rolled up her pant leg.
"Clem, you just said you were going to be good," reminded Sarah.
"I also said I'm going to be careful." Clem strapped the ankle holster to her calf.
"You got mad at Patty for hiding a gun on her foot and now you're going to do the same?" challenged Sarah.
"I was mad that she brought a gun in here when she said she wouldn't," corrected Clem as she removed the small pistol from its holster. "But having a hidden gun for everything else that could be out there…" Clem peered through the windshield, gazing upon the worn asphalt leading off into the horizon. "That's just being careful."
"That's probably why Patty has that gun," suggested Sarah.
"Yeah… probably." Clem finished her breakfast and then retrieved the rest of her equipment. The girl felt a nagging sense of dread in the pit of her stomach as she prepared to scout for supplies again. She had grown accustomed to staying close to the Brave in the few short weeks since Patty had offered to help them. Readying herself to leave just now stirred up bad memories of countless lonesome walks through ghost towns, always fearful of what awaited around every corner.
"Now you be careful," urged Sarah as Clem threw her tomahawk over her shoulder. "And tell Patty to be careful too."
"I will," assured Clem as she clipped her radio to her belt.
"I love you Clementine."
"I love you too Sarah."
"Say love you Omid," prompted Sarah.
"Muh-boo," said Omid from his booster seat.
"I love you too OJ," said Clem with a smile.
"And you call me on the radio if anything happens."
"I will." Clem nodded at Sarah, then headed out the door. Stepping outside, Clem found it to be a cool and cloudy morning. Moving alongside the Brave, she found the added weight from the loaded gun strapped to her leg made her steps feel slightly uneven, and the burden of carrying so much equipment felt heavier than she remembered. Walking past the edge of the Brave, Clem discovered Patty leaned over her bike fiddling with something.
"Is your bike okay?" asked Clem.
"She's been giving me some trouble starting lately, and I can't figure out why," said Patty. "Still, she should be good to get us closer to town." Patty turned around and seemed surprised by Clem's appearance. "Whoa, you're not riding down the road wearing all that stuff, are you?"
"Yeah, why not?" asked a confused Clem.
"I can't stand that damn respirator for more than a few minutes. Why don't you just store that stuff in my trailer until we get closer to town?"
Clementine found herself suddenly enticed by this suggestion. Slowly she removed her raincoat, backpack, and respirator, then handed them to Patty. The woman took the gear and headed for the back of the bike, prompting Clem to follow. The girl watched with great curiosity as Patty removed a key from her jacket and opened a padlock bolted to the trailer. Clem inched in closer as Patty opened the trailer. The door tilted up on a hinge, like a suitcase, which blocked Clem's view of its interior. As the girl moved in for a better look, Patty slammed the trailer closed and relocked it.
"All right, let's go." Patty headed for the front of the bike.
"Wait." Patty turned back to Clem. "Um, could we put up my tomahawk too? It digs into my shoulder."
"Sure thing." Clementine quickly slipped her tomahawk off and handed it to Patty. The girl subtly moved closer to the trailer in anticipation of Patty opening it, but the woman moved to the other side of the motorcycle instead. Clem watched as Patty slipped the weapon into a long pouch attached to the back of the bike.
"Okay, let's roll." Clementine sighed to herself as she watched Patty mount the motorcycle. "Hop on." Clem climbed onto the bike seat behind Patty, finding there was little room for her to sit.
"Are you sure this is safe?" asked Clem as she inched forward on the seat.
"The most dangerous thing about riding a motorcycle are the assholes on the road who don't know how to drive, and they're all dead now," assured Patty. "Still, you can wear my helmet if it'd make you feel better." Patty pivoted in place and offered Clem a black motorcycle helmet, which the girl hesitated to take. "If you don't want to come, you don't have to."
Clem took the helmet and put it on, which took a little work to do while wearing her hat.
"All right, hold onto me." Clem leaned in close and placed her arms on Patty's sides. "You might want to hold on a little tighter than that." Clem firmly wrapped her arms around the woman's waist. "Here we go." Clem listened as she heard the bike's motor sputter for several seconds. "Come on, don't be an asshole."
The motor started humming to life and Clem nearly jumped off the seat as she felt the entire vehicle vibrating beneath her. The girl's stomach dropped as the bike zoomed out onto the road in a flash and Clem felt her heart beating against the side of her chest as everything seemed to fly past her in an increasingly fast moving blur.
Clem closed her eyes and clung to Patty for dear life. The girl breathed deeply as she felt a cold wind whipping past her face. The smell of grass and pine needles was thick in the wet air, it was almost overwhelming. Clem could also feel warm rays of sunshine briefly tease her skin as she moved along the road. With all her senses seemingly heightened, Clem's curiosity finally compelled her to open her eyes and the girl was mesmerized by the flowing river of greenery rushing past her face.
With no windshield separating from her surroundings, everything felt so much closer and more vibrant to Clementine. Easing back in her seat a little, the girl felt herself growing calmer. Her heart was still beating quickly, and there was still this ball of fear in the bottom of her stomach, but she also felt excited now. Looking out on the open road soaring past her, the wind blowing past her face, the sense of speed sending a chill up her spine, Clem suddenly felt like she was flying. It was so exciting that the girl only just barely stopped herself from letting go of Patty and holding out her arms.
Clem wasn't sure how long they were riding along on the road, the thrill of the trip was so mesmerizing that time seemed to stand still, but much too soon Clem felt the bike slow down and the girl tightened her grip on Patty as she felt the weight of the vehicle moving out from under her. The bike pivoted to the side of the road before rolling to a stop, and just like that Clem felt the rush of the ride disappear as suddenly as it came.
"Yo, focus." Clem turned her head and was surprised to see Patty had already gotten off the bike and was hastily unlocking her trailer. "Keep a look out while I get my raincoat on." Clementine hopped off the bike and drew her pistol from her hip.
Surveying the immediate area, Clementine didn't see much of interest. Looking down the road, she could see buildings in the distance and a traffic light forming what may have been a main street. Checking back the way they came, Clem saw only trees and a weathered paved highway. Across the road was a single small building, possibly an old general store of some kind.
"All right, your turn." Clem turned her head and saw Patty behind her, holding a stained raincoat, a respirator, and her backpack. Clem quickly took off the helmet she was wearing and took her gear back. "I'll go check out that building real quick and you keep a look out here, sound good?" Clem nodded as she pulled her respirator down over her face. "All right, if you see anything, just buzz me on the radio."
"I got it." Patty retrieved a shotgun that was mounted on the back of her bike and took off running for the small building. Clem gripped her pistol tightly as she continued to search for any signs of trouble. Not seeing anything in the immediate area, Clem took a few steps out into the road. Peering down the road she saw more signs of a small town in the distance, but nothing to suggest anyone was there, dead or alive.
Moving back to the motorcycle, Clem noticed Patty didn't replace the padlock on her trailer. Peering out at the building Patty went into, Clem saw no signs of the woman. After a quick check of the immediate area, the girl inched over to the trailer and put her hand on its lid. Her curiosity was practically compelling her to open the trailer, but her promise to Sarah held her hand in place.
Reluctantly, Clementine let go of the lid and moved away from the trailer. Instead, Clem removed her tomahawk from the bike and threw it over her shoulder. Not long after that, Patty returned and reported the building was just a gift shop devoid both of anything useful or anything dangerous. After retrieving a backpack from her trailer, Patty replaced the padlock and the pair moved in on foot to explore the derelict town.
Investigating the nearby town, Clem found herself a little nervous about working with Patty, who seemed tense herself. But despite her nerves, Clem found herself falling into a familiar routine of small bouts of dread as she checked a new building followed by long stretches of tedium as she'd search for anything they could eat. It was practically second nature to her; check all the doors, then sweep the outside before heading back in to search the usual places for food.
For houses, it was the kitchen, pantry, cupboards, refrigerator, and the basement since people occasionally stored excess goods there. For any kind of store that sold food, it was a more simple procedure of checking the shelves in the front and then looking in the back, whereas with restaurants she would only check the back. For everywhere else, the best Clem could hope for was a break room with a vending machine or a mini-fridge, both of which rarely had anything still edible in them. Even rarer was an abandoned car with any food left in it, especially since it having food might mean it wasn't abandoned.
This town didn't leave much of an impression on Clem, having little to set it apart from the countless other small rural towns the girl had seen by this point. It was just another loose collection of modest homes broken up by the occasional gas station or local store. Something Clem did note was there were no palm trees here. Checking some forgotten junk mail, Clem confirmed they were still in Florida in a place called Harborsville. Oddly, this town was nowhere near the water and didn't have a harbor.
Disappointingly, Clem was finding even less to eat than usual, which wasn't much to begin with. After a couple of hours she only had collected a couple of stray cans of squash forgotten under someone's sink, and as far as Clem knew, Patty hadn't found anything. Between nothing left to eat and the lack of bodies and cars, Clem surmised the people living here before must have evacuated after exhausting their food supply.
Clem also couldn't help noticing Patty seemed to be getting more nervous. At first, she thought it was just when they checked somewhere they were not familiar with, but after awhile it became apparent the woman remained scared the entire time. She almost never let go of her shotgun, even after they cleared a building, as if she was always expecting trouble. Clem felt tempted to ask the woman if she was okay, but the haste which she moved made it clear Patty just wanted to finish this task as soon as possible.
After the third consecutive gas station with nothing remotely edible other than some leftover gum, the pair stopped briefly for lunch. With no other choices, they each had a can of squash, which Clem thought had almost no taste. The girl was also surprised by how quickly Patty was eating, just rushing through her meager meal.
After calling Sarah to let her know everything was okay, the pair returned to the road. Other than the gum they were chewing to get the taste of squash out of their mouths, the pair were completely empty handed after hours of searching. The sun was high in the sky now and the cool morning had turned into a warm day. Looking back the way they came, Clem saw nothing but a desolate road surrounded by what she was now sure were empty buildings; the dead didn't destroy this place, attrition did.
"Well, we sure picked a winner, huh?" Patty's sarcasm didn't quite mask her fatigue.
"This whole place has been picked clean," said Clem with a sigh.
"No kidding. I'm thinking we should cut out losses and head back, whatta ya say?"
Clem looked down the road for any reason to continue their outing. She saw more houses that were almost certainly empty and a few other local stores that probably never even sold food. Clem was ready to tell Patty they should turn back, but then she noticed something on the horizon. Retrieving a small pair of binoculars from her belt, Clem spied something that peaked her interest.
"Whatta ya see?"
"I think there's like a department store down there." Clem handed Patty the binoculars. "Do you see it?"
"Yeah, I see it. It's big, bigger than everything else in the area, but why wouldn't it be empty too?"
"There's a lot of cars in its parking lot," said Clem. "Almost everywhere around here doesn't have any cars. Maybe everyone who lived here went to that store for some reason."
"Maybe they're still there," said Patty as she lowered the binoculars. "You think it's worth the risk?"
Patty handed Clem her binoculars back and the girl peered out at the distant department store again. After what Patty said, Clem found herself searching for any signs of living people. She slowly scanned the parking lot and then carefully examined the store's entrances. She didn't see anyone, or any signs of people, but she also couldn't see much from this distance.
"Well, whatta ya think?" asked Patty.
"I think we should check it out," said Clem as she stored her binoculars. "If there's any food left, it'd be there."
"If there's anyone left they'd be there too." Patty removed her shotgun from her back and gripped it in her hands. "Stay behind me."
"I will." Clementine pulled her gun from its holster and started walking with Patty. The sun was hidden behind the clouds now, casting a dim light over this already eerily quiet ghost town. Other than a slight breeze, the only thing Clementine could hear were their footsteps on the asphalt as they moved.
The department store was farther than Clem thought, and with every building they passed, the pair slowed down, as if they expected an attack of some kind. Everywhere Clem looked, she didn't see anything alarming, but that just made her more anxious about the next old house or abandoned gas station they passed.
Eyeing a desolate church for any signs of movement, Clem jumped as she heard a deafening boom. The girl found herself spinning in place, her gun shaking in her hands as she searched for danger. Clem couldn't find any threats in the immediate area, but as her eyes drifted skyward, she noticed the clouds hovering overhead had grown thicker and grayer.
"It's gonna rain again," said Clem.
"Looks like it," said Patty.
"We should get indoors before that happens," said Clem. "Or it'll wash the walker smell off the raincoats."
"Not that we're getting any use out of them today," said Patty. "Still, let's hurry up, I'd rather not be stuck out in the rain."
The pair picked up the pace as another clap of thunder seemed to signal the urgency of their situation. Jogging along the road, Clem found her gaze kept darting back and forth between whatever they were running past and the sky, which seemed to be growing darker with every passing second. Turning to Patty, Clem noticed the woman was pretty far ahead of her on the road, and getting farther still.
Clem was about to call out to Patty in-between deep breaths, but the woman slowed to a sudden stop, allowing Clem to finally catch up with her. Desperate for fresh air, Clem briefly pulled her respirator away her face and took in a few deep breaths, savoring the cool damp air as she drew it into her sore lungs. Looking up, Clem saw Patty had stopped just outside the store's parking lot.
"I don't like the look of this." There were dozens of cars with their doors left wide open, piles of trash scattered across the lot, and numerous barrels strategically placed across the area, all of which implied living people had visited this place. But even with her binoculars, Clem couldn't find anything that told her if these were signs of recent activity or just remnants of a group of people long gone.
"See anything?" asked Patty in a hushed voice.
"Not really," admitted a nervous Clem as she put her binoculars away.
Another clap of thunder sounded and was immediately followed by a very faint pattering. "Well if we're going, we'd better go now." Clementine was surprised to see Patty was staring right into her eyes, as if she was waiting for the girl's approval. Clem nodded just slightly, and the woman raised her shotgun and started crossing through the field surrounding the department store's parking lot.
Clem drew her gun and ran after Patty. The girl struggled to keep up as she forced her way through the tall grass and was grateful when Patty slowed down upon reaching the parking lot. The woman carefully swept her shotgun past a couple of cars before moving in closer to the store while Clem kept her pistol gripped tightly in her hands, doing her best to keep pace with Patty as they approached the front of the building.
Moving through the parking lot, Clem searched for more signs of recent activity. The cars all appeared long abandoned, coated in decaying leaves and their interiors ruined from being left open to the elements. Approaching one of the barrels, Clementine peered inside to find there was a bit of water sitting in the bottom of it, as well as some sickly black ash and more leaves floating inside.
Jogging ahead to try and keep up with Patty, Clem's foot was suddenly caught on something and there was a loud metal clattering sound. Patty spun around while Clem looked down to find she had become tangled in a long string with several empty cans attached to it. The girl immediately pulled her bayonet from its sheath and cut the string wrapped around her ankle while Patty rushed to her side.
"Are you okay?" asked Patty in a hushed voice.
"I'm fine," said Clem as she followed the string with her eyes, realizing it was tied to one of the nearby cars.
"We should get outta here," insisted Patty. "There weren't any dead on the way here; losing the smell is better than meeting whoever is leaving traps out for us."
"I think it's more of an alarm." Looking closer, Clem noticed the string was running through small holes in the cans and not tied to them like she first suspected.
"Either way, it means people are here," concluded Patty. "I'm not feeling up for a meet a greet."
"I don't think anyone is here anymore; this string is practically rotten." Clem tugged on the yellowed piece of twine and wasn't surprised when it snapped almost immediately. "And this wasn't even tied on both ends, I just got caught on it."
"Still, why risk it?"
"It'd be a long walk back in the rain, and we ate the only food we had," reminded Clem. "We've come this far, we might as well check it out."
Patty turned and eyed the front of the store, then looked back at Clem. "All right, but if we hear anything coming at us faster than a shuffle we make a run for it, sound good?"
Clem nodded and the two took off running just as they could hear rain drizzling down around them. The front of the store was covered in large plate glass windows, some of which were broken, others merely cracked and filthy from neglect, all of which were blocked from the inside with plywood.
Reaching the double doors, Clem realized she had forgotten to bring her lantern. She was about to warn Patty that it would probably be too dark to see inside, but then she saw the woman pull a small flashlight from her pocket.
"Take this while I get the doors open." Clem switched the flashlight on, surprised by how bright the small thing was, then gripped it and her gun tightly as Patty pulled one of the doors open. Peering inside, Clem saw little but a dusty floor leading deeper into a dark building. Patty placed a wedge in the door, something else Clem realized she forgot, then propped the other door open.
"All right, give me the light, I'll take the lead." Clem handed the light back and Patty clutched it and the end of her shotgun in the same hand. She barged past the edge of the door and pointed her gun to the right, then swung it to the left. "Huh, that's clever."
"What?" Clem's whisper was answered by Patty gesturing for the girl to come closer. Stepping past the doors, Clem saw Patty's light was aimed at a soda machine sitting on some kind of flat and rectangular dolly. Patty knelt down and popped a couple of clasps near the wheels, then pushed against the machine with her shoulder, moving it forward slightly. It reminded Clem of the dumpsters Lee and the others used to create a gate for the Motor Inn.
"I'm starting to think you're right about no one being here," said Patty in a hushed voice as she moved past the vending machines. "If someone was here, they probably wouldn't have left this door wide open."
"Maybe… maybe we should say something," whispered Clem as Patty's light fell on a row of checkout lanes. "That way if there's anyone left, they'll know we're here."
"What? That's crazy," said Patty. "We should keep quiet."
"If we don't say anything and we run into someone, they might…" Clem thought she saw the shadows between lanes move. "They might think we're bad and try to shoot us."
"And if they're bad then us calling out will tip them off there's easy prey waiting up front."
"I… I don't care," sputtered Clem as more shadows seemingly moved in front of her, taunting her. "I… I don't want to hurt anyone if we don't have to," said Clem in a louder voice. "I—"
Clem felt Patty's hand tugging on her shoulder. "Jesus, just… just get behind me, and be ready in case anything comes running." Patty took a few steps forward and pulled her respirator down. She took a breath, then looked over her shoulder at Clem. "Have your gun ready, just in the case." Clem tightened her grip on her pistol as Patty faced forward. "Hey!" she shouted as loud as she could. "Is there anybody out there?"
Clem felt her stomach tying itself in a knot as she listened carefully for any kind of response, but heard nothing. "We don't want any trouble, we're just trying to get out of the rain!" Clem could briefly hear Patty's words echoing in the distance before being absorbed by the darkness. "Seriously, the last thing we need is—"
A deafening thunderclap erupted from outside, sending Clem's nerves on end as it felt like the building itself briefly shook around her. Only after several seconds of hearing rain patter softly on the roof did Clem's heart stop beating against the side of her chest. At about the same time, Clem heard Patty breathe a long sigh of relief.
"I… I think we're the only ones here," concluded Patty as she pulled back the hood of her raincoat. "Let's see if there's anything left worth taking." Clem took off her own respirator and started moving through the store with Patty. After securing a small flashlight of her own from one of the shelves bordering the checkout lanes, the pair headed for the remnants of what may have been a produce section.
The air was stale and musky, but not so potent that Clem felt like she needed her respirator. Shining her light on the shelves, she was disappointed but not surprised to find them all bare. It was almost eerie how empty they were, as if someone had carefully removed every last trace of food on them, leaving not so much as a crumb or even a measly speck behind.
"Look at that." Clem turned to see Patty shining her light on a large camping tent set up in the middle of the aisle. "Hey, anyone in there?" Clem watched as Patty gripped her shotgun and moved in close to an open flap. Examining the tent with her light, Clem found it amusing that it was designed to resemble a small house, with the open flap being a front door and the material painted with a pattern resembling bricks on the side and roofing the for the top.
"It's not bad in here," said Patty as she slipped into the tent.
"Really?" asked Clem.
"Yeah, come on in." Clem walked past the flap and was surprised how much bigger the tent appeared from the inside. She found a chair and a stack of magazines piled up in a corner, and slipping past the edge of a flap that seemed to form a wall, Clem discovered a sleeping bag rolled out beside an electric lantern. Kneeling down, Clem was surprised the lantern still worked. Grasping the lamp in her hand, Clem suddenly noticed faded bloodstains on the sleeping bag and a trio of small holes in the side of the tent.
"Look at this." Clem followed Patty's voice, leaving the bedroom and walking out onto the tent's porch, which was a small open area walled in by a light mesh material. The only things of interest was a lawn chair and what looked like an unusually tall kettle with a metal rod on top.
"What is it?" asked Clem as Patty examined the weird kettle.
"I think it's one of those coffee makers that doesn't use electricity," said Patty as she pushed the rod into the kettle. "I think it's called a French press." Patty sniffed the object. "Yeah, it smells like coffee. You know what, I'm keeping this. I'd love some coffee in the morning again." Patty removed her backpack and placed the French press inside. "Someone had a nice setup here," said the woman as she removed a canteen from her backpack. "Just sitting here on their back porch, drinking coffee every morning." Patty sat down in the lawn chair. "I bet they didn't spend every day running around."
"Not unless they had to." Clementine sat down and took a breath. She had spent so much time scouting the town she didn't realize how tired she was. Clem removed a canteen from her own backpack and took a long swig of water. It was lukewarm, probably from being in her bag all morning, but still provided welcome relief for a parched throat. As familiar as this routine was to Clem, it was still exhausting.
"I guess some people just crashed here after things went south, just set up camp right in this store," said Patty before taking a sip of her canteen. "Not a bad place to live all things considered."
"Maybe not," said Clem. "There's some blood on the sleeping bag in there, and some holes in the side of the tent near it."
"Huh, that's creepy," said Patty. "Also, this view from the back porch leaves a lot to be desired." Looking past the mesh material, Clem saw nothing but empty produce stands. "Probably looked a lot better before this place was cleared out."
"We're not going to find anything here," realized Clem. "We should just go back."
"It's a big store, they might have left something behind," said Patty as she stood up.
"I really doubt it," said Clem.
"Besides, it's still raining out," noted Patty as she put her backpack on. "We might as well keep looking around until the weather lets up, right?"
"Yeah, I guess," said Clem as she stood up.
The pair left the tent and started moving deeper into the store, discovering more improvised living quarters. There were sleeping bags laid out on the floor, curtains strung up to wall off sections of the aisles, clothing racks sporting what may have been someone's wardrobe, and personal effects likes combs and toothbrushes set on some of the shelves, but never any food.
Clem also kept noticing more oddities about this store. Large sections of the floor and some of the shelves had massive black scorch marks. One aisle was full of broken wine bottles and discarded rags, while another one had knives glued to the top of both sides of it, turning them into spiked fences. There was also more long faded blood stains and signs of struggle, but always in small isolated instances and no bodies to be found.
"This place is starting to weird me out," said Patty as she looked down an aisle where the shelves were stacked with crushed soda cans.
"Me too," said Clem as she saw they were crossing into frozen foods. There they found a table set out in the middle of the area with chairs strewn around it. The cold cases were filled with a bizarre assortment of board games, opened reams of copy paper, cups full of pens and markers, small toys, and books, lots of books. There were far more books than anything else and most of them were even nearly arranged so the spines were easy to read.
"Well this is a little better, it's like they built their own library in here," said Patty as she browsed the shelves. "It's funny, I didn't read that much before, but now it's pretty much all there's left to do these days."
"I liked to read," said Clem as she browsed the improv library. "But I liked to do other things too."
"Like what?" asked Patty.
"I used to like to play outside, but now I'm afraid to go out for too long."
"I could keep a lookout for you sometime," offered Patty. "Just stand watch while you and Sarah and Omid hang out."
"Um… that's okay," said Clem.
"Suit yourself." Leaving frozen foods, Clem noticed the glass on the last few cold cases had been smashed.
"Don't you think we've looked around enough?" asked Clem.
"Maybe," shrugged Patty. "But from the sounds of things, the weather has gotten worse since we came in here." Listening closely, Clem could hear it was raining even harder now, and she could almost make out what sounded like a strong wind. "I really don't want to walk back in that, or ask Sarah to drive out to us in it."
"Yeah, that's a good point," conceded Clem, finding herself growing more desperate to return home with every passing step while Patty seemed to grow more irritated the longer they went without finding food. They discovered no shortage of discarded pieces of clothing, scattered empty cans, and a garbage bag full of wrappers so spotless Clem can only assume they were licked clean, but nothing they could eat.
There was also more oddities, like a couple of mattresses stood up on end to block entry to an aisle full of silverware, rows and rows of smashed TV's in the electronics section, and an abundance of shirts and dresses strung up on lines in the clothing section, turning the whole area into a makeshift tent city. Again, Clem found it even odder there were no clear signs of what happened to whoever did these things.
Nearing the other end of the store, the lantern revealed a series of heavy desks pushed in front of several aisles. Looking upward, Clem saw tables turned on their sides and nailed to the desks. Inching closer, she could see chunks of wood nailed over the gaps between the desks and tables, and taking a step back, Clem could see the barricade spanned three aisles and was chained to the shelve units where it stopped. There was also razor wire running along the top of the wall.
"Well this is weird, even for this place," said Patty.
"What do you think it is?" asked Clem.
"A wall to keep people out; the real question is what's in there." Patty shined her light on the wall past the barricade, revealing a sign that read 'Pharmacy'. "Well that explains the added protection."
"It does?" asked Clem.
"Hell yeah, we gotta get in there."
"Why? There won't be any food in there."
"No, there might be some goods meds in there."
"Good meds? You mean medicine?" asked Clem. "Sarah and I already have cold medicine and some other stuff if you're feeling sick."
"All over the counter stuff I'm sure," said Patty as she studied the wall. "They keep all the best stuff behind the counter."
"Really?"
"Yeah really, you think they'd build this wall if they didn't?" Patty's light fell on a gap on the razor wire. "That might be our way in. I'll give you a boost so you can check inside."
"Um… I don't know," said Clem as she noticed what may have been bullet holes in the barricade. "There's probably nothing in there."
"Or it could be the only place in here with something useful left in it," reasoned Patty. "You said it yourself earlier; we already came this far, we might as well check it out."
Clementine sighed. "Okay, I'll do it." Clem tossed her tomahawk aside and set the lantern on the ground as Patty knelt down in front of her. The girl carefully climbed onto the woman's shoulders and held on tight as she felt herself being hoisted into the air. Approaching the wall, Clem saw the gap in the wire Patty mentioned and leaned in over the barricade for a better look.
"What do you see?" asked Patty.
"Not a whole lot," said Clem as she moved her flashlight over the area. "It's just some more empty aisles and like a counter built into the wall."
"Any idea how the people in there were getting out of there?"
"Um, I don't know. Maybe—" Clem's fingers brushed against something metal. It wasn't sharp, so she figured it wasn't the razor wire.
"Maybe what?"
"I think I got something." Clem shined her light closer to the wall and saw she was touching a chain ladder bolted to one of the desks. She put away her light and grabbed the ladder with both hands. "Okay, back up." Patty started moving away from the wall and Clem began to pull the ladder over the edge of the barricade. Giving it a big tug as Patty moved, Clem felt the ladder suddenly become taut and it slipped out her grasp.
"Ahh! Hair!" said Patty as Clem grabbed the side of the woman's head for balance.
"Sorry," said Clem as she adjusted her grip. "But look." Clem shined her light on the ladder, now hanging on their side of the wall.
"Good going." Patty knelt down and Clem hopped off her shoulders. "Now, let's see what they were keeping in there." Patty climbed the chain ladder and hopped over the wall, Clem following right behind her with her new lantern in hand. Reaching the top, Patty helped Clem get down and then approached the counter. Scanning the floor with her light, Clem noticed shell casings littered the area, and there was a big spool of unused razor wire set in one of the corners.
"All right, let's see if there any goodies left," said Patty as she hopped the counter.
"What do you mean goodies?" asked Clementine as she climbed over the counter. "What are we looking for?"
"Some Xanax would be nice, maybe some diet pills to get me through these long days," said Patty as she studied the label on an orange bottle. "But I'm not picky."
"Diet pills? Why would we need to go on a diet?"
"We wouldn't, it's for…" Patty groaned. "You know what, just give me a minute to look around, okay?"
"For what?"
"For stuff we can use," answered Patty in an annoyed tone. "Just trust me, I know what I'm doing."
Clem only found herself growing more worried upon hearing that, and watching the woman eagerly dig through the various bottles and packages of medicines she had never heard of, the girl found herself struck by a sudden sense of terror. Clem instinctively started backing away, unsure exactly what she was afraid of, but desperate to get away from it. As she turned around, Clem's arm knocked over an empty container that fell.
The container made a soft thud as it hit the ground, which was enough to get Patty's attention. Clem found herself terrified as she saw the woman was staring directly at her, those green eyes seemingly studying her. The girl felt her heart beat faster as she saw a slight scowl form on Patty's face.
"Why are looking at me like that?" Clem didn't know how to answer Patty, which just seemed to annoy the woman. "You know what, why don't you just go ahead and tell me already?"
"Tell… tell you what?" stuttered Clem.
"Whatever you think I did," said Patty. "Or whatever you think I'm going to do."