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

16. The Best Laid Plans

Clementine watched as a terrified Sarah slid down the trunk of the tree she was leaning against. She was trembling with fear as she pulled her knees up to her chest, taking one deep panicked breath after another.

"Sarah..." croaked Clementine, struggling to breathe herself.

"We're lost and... and... alone... and... and..."

"Sarah," said Clem, finally able to breathe normally. "It'll be okay."

"Da... da... daddy," whimpered Sarah, oblivious to Clementine.

"Sarah?" The older girl didn't answer, transfixed by their predicament. "Sarah!" Clem knelt down to look Sarah in the eyes. "Listen to me. It'll be okay."

"But... how?" Clem tried to think of an answer. "We're... we're going to die." Sarah started crying.

"We're not going to die." Clem's answer did nothing to placate Sarah, who kept sobbing to herself. Clementine looked around, nervous that someone would hear them. But all she could see were trees in every direction. They really were lost. Clem herself started to feel frightened, realizing there wasn't much she could do. She looked down at the ground, hoping Sarah wouldn't see that she was upset as well. As Clem tried to hold back the sense of terror that was overtaking her, she noticed her own shadow.

"Sarah," said Clem, trying to remain calm. "We're not going to die. We'll find your dad, and the others."

"But, we don't know where they are," sniveled Sarah.

"I do."

Sarah looked up in surprise. "You... you do?"

"They went to the stream," reminded Clem. "That's north of the cabin. It's still morning, so north is that way." Clementine gestured to the right. "If we just keep going that way, we'll find the stream."

"But, what if they're not there?" asked Sarah.

"Well..."

"Or we run into those people. Or they come back to cabin, and those people—"

"Sarah," interrupted Clementine. "Just, don't think about that. Like your dad told you. Okay?"

"I... I can't," confessed a tearful Sarah. "I'm trying, but all I can think of..." Sarah trailed off, seemingly moments away from another breakdown. Clem thought to herself, trying to think of anything she could say that would help.

"My dad..." Just thinking about her father pained Clem enough to hesitate. "He told me, when something seems impossible, try to find one thing that you know you can do, and just do it instead." Clem put her hand on Sarah's shoulder. "We can get to the stream. It's not that hard. All you have to do is walk for a while. You can do that, right?"

"I guess," answered an uncertain Sarah. "But what if—"

"Just focus on getting up and walking with me," repeated Clementine in a calm voice. "You can do that. Just, stand up. Okay?" Sarah looked at Clem for a moment, then slowly rose to a stand.

"I'm just... I'm so scared," admitted Sarah. "I don't think I've ever been this scared before. Are you scared?"

"I'm scared too," admitted Clem. "But we got to be strong."

"I'll... I'll try."

"If you have to think about something, try to think about something good. Like..."

"My dad?" Not what Clem would think of, but looking at Sarah's face, it clearly helped her find some comfort. "Yeah, think about seeing him again." This suggestion almost got Sarah to smile. "Let's go. It's a long walk."