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

107. Desert

Clementine tugged at her jacket as a burst of wind cut through her, chilling her to the bone. Her fingertips had long since become numb except for the stumps on her left hand. She could feel them as they were pulsing with pain, crying out in distress as it grew colder with every passing minute. The sun was still rising yet Clem couldn't feel it through the thick layer of clouds blotting out the sky in every direction. It was the most bleak and depressing thing she'd seen all day, but it was still early.

Shivering as she kept watch, Clem couldn't help thinking nothing had changed since leaving Salt Lake City. There were new barren hills, bumpier and even more devoid of life than the old ones, but they were every bit as disheartening to look at for so many miles. Turning her head to the west, Clem focused on a small flock of birds resting on a hill far off in the distance. They were the first signs of life Clem had seen in a long time, and they did little to raise her spirit.

They had spent a grueling day and two restless nights just trying to cross Nevada. The entire state, at least what they had seen of it, was a desert in more ways than one. What few towns they discovered were picked clean, devoid of anything useful or even walkers. Yesterday, they spread out for miles in different directions on bikes to scrap out every last drop of fuel only to run out again before reaching the first major city this morning.

A sign said they were only twenty miles from Reno. Clem was equally frightened and pessimistic about what they'd find. The best case scenario was that it'd be just full enough with walkers to keep away people who didn't know how to deal with them, leaving them something to salvage. Worst case scenario, there were already people waiting for them who weren't friendly. Clem kept watching the birds on the hill to the west, fearful something startling them might be her only warning of a new threat.

"Here, this one is ready." Clem looked over to see Horatio sliding a mostly full can of diesel to her. She groaned as she stood up, the cold nipping at her face as her tired arms dragged the fuel toward her bike. Everything hurt as numbness gave way to renewed pain as her body fought her every attempt to place the can into her bike's saddlebag. Her arms trembling as she finally threaded it into the bag, Clem shuffled back over to where Horatio was slowly working a hand pump and sat down beside him.

"You want me to take over for a while?" mumbled Clem.

"I can keep going," he insisted in-between deep breaths. "You look tired."

"I am," confessed a weary Clem as she rubbed her eyes. "And cold," she said as she rubbed her hands next. "I thought deserts were supposed to be warmer?"

"Desert just means a lack of rainfall." Clem looked up at the sky in response. The last thing they needed now was for it to start raining so they could be wet as well as cold, and the clouds seemed to be growing slowly dimmer despite the rising sun. "What can I say?" said Horatio before turning back to the pump. "Our luck is awful."

"Tell me about it." Clem took a deep breath. "If it stays like this we're not gonna have the moon or stars to help us see tonight." Clem looked over at Horatio and took a deep breath. "I... I wanted to ask you something... about Sarah."

Horatio sighed. He let go of the pump and looked at Clem. "What?" "How... how long do you think until... it's here?"

"That's a hard question to answer," said Horatio. "Depending on—"

"Please, just give me the short version."

"Best case scenario, I'd say three weeks from now," stated Horatio. "Worse case? Could be today."

"Are you serious?"

"She was at least eight months pregnant when I met her, that's been over a week now. If we got the dates wrong or it's a premature birth, or both... yeah, could be any day now."