Young and Young at Heart (The Rewrite of The Walking Dead Game: S2) [TWDG/TWD]

19. A Fragile Alliance

Pete's traps didn't catch many fish, and the older man insisted they only eat half of what little they had caught, asserting they won't have any time to stop for food again until sundown. Biting into the meager scraps of burnt fish as she tried to get comfortable on the cold hard dirt, Clementine found herself wishing she was back at the cabin all over again.

Sleeping on the ground had been a fairly miserable experience as well, and waking up shivering made Clementine regret kicking Christa's jacket away. Looking around, the rest of the group didn't seem to be fairing much better, with everyone quietly eating their scant meals without a word between them.

Breakfast didn't last long, with Pete urging the group to get moving as soon as possible. Traveling along the river went slowly, with everyone still tired from walking so much yesterday. And Pete insisting they remain quiet meant there was no conversation either, making for a very dull and tedious trek through the wilderness.

After a while, Clementine found herself tuning our her surroundings. There was nothing to see, except more trees in every direction and a river that never seemed to end. The girl merely followed Christa, who just seemed to be following the others. But to where was anyone's guess.

After several hours of sluggish marching, how many exactly Clem didn't know, the group rounded a river bend and discovered a wooden bridge off in the distance. Pete motioned for everyone to stop, then removed a scope from his pocket while everyone looked out on the first sign of civilization they had seen all day.

"I'm guessing that's it?" asked Pete.

"I told you, I never saw the damn thing," remarked Christa. "And the one person who did—"

"Yeah, we get it," interrupted Pete. "Well, we've been following the river all day. Doubt there's many other bridges to find out here."

"Somebody's been here." Nick adjusted his binoculars.

"How do you know?" asked Clementine.

"There's a fishing net tied to the handrail, right at the middle."

"Yeah, I see that." Pete sighed. "I don't like this. There's a road running right up to this thing."

"Wasn't that the point of coming here?" asked Carlos. "You said we had to find another way. What's this?"

"If they're still looking for us, they might have come through here if there was a road they could use."

"Are we gonna have to sleep on the ground again?" asked Sarah.

"We are leaving the woods eventually, aren't we?" asked an impatient Carlos.

"We'll leave when it's safe to leave. Not before," declared Pete.

"And when will that be?" asked Carlos. "Everything you've—"

"Hey!" called Nick. "Someone's out there." Clem could see a figure moving across the bridge from the other side of the river.

"All right, everyone fall back," ordered Pete in a hushed voice as he motioned towards the trees. The group moved back into the forest for cover, while Pete and Nick remained near the edge, observing the bridge.

"What's happening?" whispered Carlos.

"One man in black. Doesn't look familiar, but I can't see his face all that well." Clem tried to inch closer but Christa put her arm around her, keeping her still. "Did you ever run into anyone else out here?" Pete asked Christa.

"Just you people," answered an annoyed Christa.

"All he's got is a bow," reported Nick. "We could take him."