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

59. The Coming Storm

Despite her initial uninterest, Clementine enjoyed spending the rest of the afternoon with Cookie. While they worked, Cookie taught her a lot about cooking with just an open fire and iron cookware, how to make soup from letting vegetables simmer in water, how he used that and the ground up greens from Dr. Bostwick to season the rice they were cooking, as well as spice up the scrambled eggs he cooks, and also more about salt than Clementine ever realized there was to know.

The only cloud hanging over Clem's time with Cookie, other than the many literal ones that looked like they were ready to rain, was that Sarah was missing. Clementine still felt terrible for yelling at her, and was so ashamed that she never could find the nerve to tell Cookie that she was the reason Sarah ran off. Clem couldn't help thinking he wouldn't have offered to walk her back to the pen if he had known that. Looking up at the man, she still felt the need to tell him something else.

"Thanks Cookie," said Clem as they walked.

"No need to thank me precious," assured Cookie in a friendly voice. "It was great having you as a helper today."

"Thanks for taking me to Carlos too."

"Well you're welcome, but let's keep that on the down-low," instructed Cookie. "Just between us."

"Right, I won't tell anyone," promised Clem. "But I was wondering if I could ask you something?"

"What's that precious?"

"Can't we make more salt? You said you're worried about running out of it, but can't we make more of it? I mean, hasn't salt been around a really long time?"

"Well yeah, but I don't know how you make it. I think you mine it or something. And I think I remember in history class, salt used to be money or something in ancient times. That's how valuable it was."

"Wow," awed Clem. "Before the walkers, you could just get it everywhere, even for free at school or restaurants. But now that they're not making it anymore—"

"Yeah, it's like we're back in ancient times," noted Cookie. "But who knows, maybe the crew will bring back a salt miner or something. Tell us how it's done."

Looking ahead, Clementine spotted Tom standing near the entrance of the pen, talking to Maude. "You hear what Byron said about Savannah?" said Tom "That last storm really shook shit up down there."

"We'll be fine," assured Maude in a dismissive tone. "We have procedures in place for herds."

"Yeah, but listening to him, dude was trippin'. It sounded bad, and if it storms tonight, that shit might be shuffling right up our way." Clementine felt hopeful upon hearing that. Gazing up at the evening sky, it looked ready to start pouring any moment.

"Like I said, we have plans for such a thing. We'll be fine." Maude turned to Clementine and Cookie. "Cookie, why are you escorting her here?"

"Well, it was a short walk," reasoned Cookie. "I figured—"

"Anyone from the pen is supposed to be escorted to and from the pen by members of the crew only," lectured Maude.

"She's just a kid," reasoned Cookie as he looked at Clem. "I just thought we could talk a little along the way."

"I'll have to inform Mr. Carver." Maude reached for her radio.

"Really Maude?" asked Tom in disbelief.

"Yes really. We just had a major security breach here in case you forgot," she retorted in a harsh tone. "We won't have another on my watch." Maude pressed the talk button on her radio. "Mr. Carver, sir?"

"What is it Maude?" asked Bill.

"Cookie escorted one of the pen people here without a member of the crew."