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

30. Auto Trader

Following Deacon out of the Brave, Clementine discovered her eyes needed a moment to adjust to the blinding Florida sun bouncing off the white siding in front of her. Looking down, Clem saw the yard surrounding this building was overgrown, but not a full-fledged field. Tire tracks scarred parts of the lawn and car parts killed the grass where they lay.

Following Deacon around the side of the building, Clem thought it looked more like a tiny warehouse than an auto shop. There was a big white barrel positioned under one of the gutters, which had been crudely cut short so as to empty directly into the barrel. Clementine also noticed buckets and other containers sitting out, also likely to catch rainwater. It reminded her of when she lived in Spokeston.

Rounding the corner, Clem spotted a fine motorcycle parked on the grass. It was a big black bike with chrome trim and pipes, a small windshield in the front, large compartments on the sides, and was hitched to a small black trailer that looked more like a giant piece of luggage. What struck Clem most was just how much it seemed to shine in the sun, almost as if it was brand new. Turning away from the motorcycle, Clem noticed Deacon was heading for the front door.

"Hang on," whispered Clem.

"What's wrong?" asked Deacon.

"Since we're not telling Tanner what you said, I want you to do us a favor too," proposed Clem.

"Wuh... what?" stuttered Deacon.

"Don't tell anyone that the people staying in that RV are just two girls and a baby," demanded Clem.

"Tanner already—"

"I know he knows, but I don't want you telling anyone else."

"Why not?"

"Because, if someone wanted to hurt us—"

"I told ya, if you don't break the rules—"

"What if someone else here breaks the rules?" challenged Clem. "What if someone hears about this big RV we have full of stuff and knows it's just two little girls and a baby in there? For a bad person we'd just be... easy targets to hurt... or worse," concluded an uneasy Clem.

Deacon sighed. "I don't think anyone living here would be like that, but if it'll make you feel better, I can keep it to myself. But still, I think people will figure it out from the fact that you're ten years old. There's no hiding that when you talk to people."

Clem thought on Deacon's observation. "If anyone asks, I'm the only one who comes out of the RV because everyone in there knows that if people would hurt me, then that means they would hurt everyone else in there too."

"I don't know if they'll believe—"

"It's the truth," dictated Clem. "It's the reason I came out to meet Tanner, because I knew if he'd hurt me then that means he'd hurt Sarah and OJ too. So if people ask why I'm the only one they see coming out of the RV, that's why."

Deacon took a deep breath. "Okay," he conceded. "Really it's no one else's business anyway, but if you're so worried about it, I just won't mention who else is in there."

"Good," said Clem.

"And you won't tell anyone what I said about Tanner?"

"I won't."

"All right then, let's see about getting that tire fixed."

Deacon knocked loudly on the door and Clem waited for an answer. Taking a step back, she saw this side of the building had been graffitied. Near the top in red spray paint, someone had written 'RHONDA IS A TWO-FACED CUNT!' And beside the door in smaller letters was 'AND HOWARD IS A LITTLE BITCH!'